RTHK: UK says EU agrees 'binding changes' to Brexit deal

The British government said on Monday it had agreed "legally binding changes" to the Brexit deal during discussions between British Prime Minister Theresa May and EU officials in Strasbourg.

David Lidington, May's de facto deputy, told parliament that she had "secured legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the withdrawal agreement and political declaration".

May had travelled to Strasbourg in a bid to "finalise" her Brexit deal ahead of a crucial vote in parliament on Tuesday.

Top EU officials are meeting in Strasbourg this week for the European Parliament's plenary session.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday that negotiations to break a deadlock on a deal to leave the bloc are now between May and members of her parliament.

"We held talks over the weekend and the negotiations now are between the government in London and the parliament in London," Barnier said as he arrived at EU headquarters in Brussels to discuss Brexit with envoys from the other 27 member states.

Two months ago, parliament overwhelmingly rejected the withdrawal agreement May struck with the European Union, and sent her back to Brussels to renegotiate. (AFP)

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Last updated: 2018-03-12 HKT 06:16

This story has been published on: 2019-03-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Little owls on the move

The little owl, Athene noctua, is a small nocturnal owl and is classified as an endangered species on the German Red List. In recent years the existing population of little owls has successfully been stabilized in the south-west of Germany, and in some places numbers are even rising. In neighboring northern Switzerland on the other hand there is still no established population of little owls, even though habitat conditions seem suitable for the species. Now, a team of researchers headed by Severin Hauenstein from the Department of Biometry and Environmental Systems Analysis at the University of Freiburg has researched whether juvenile little owls from Germany could reach and re-colonize northern Switzerland. The scientists have published their results in the peer-reviewed journal Ecological Applications.

"It is difficult to predict how animals will disperse", says Hauenstein. To explore the dispersal potential of little owls, he and his colleagues from the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, Switzerland, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig and the University of Regensburg have developed an individual-based computer model. Using simulations, the researchers are able to assess whether individuals from the currently expanding little owl populations in south-western Germany are able to migrate to suitable habitats in northern Switzerland. Intensive farming and a steady loss of habitat has caused virtual extinction of the little owl in Switzerland.

The movement-behavior parameters in the model were estimated using Bayesian statistical inference based on radio telemetry data of juvenile little owls. Amongst other things, the researchers were able to show plausible inter-individual and -sexual behavioral differences - female juvenile little owls tend to move more directionally and fly longer distances during the dispersal phase, while their male counterparts are characterized by a tendency to take longer rests, and show a greater attachment to suitable habitat.

Hauenstein explains that the findings indicate that the little owl's natural re-colonization of northern Switzerland is generally possible, however there are restrictions, "Fragmented urban areas in particular, such as those around the tri-border area near Basel, appear to limit the movement of juvenile little owls drastically. Besides that, little owls avoid forested areas because that is where their natural enemy, the tawny owl, can be found; they also avoid higher altitudes such as the Swiss Jura, the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb." In the study, the scientists highlight existing but narrow dispersal corridors, for example the lower Aare valley or the Fricktal south-east of Basel. By improving the habitat for the birds there, e.g. by agricultural extensification and nest box provision, it may be possible to expedite the re-colonization of northern Switzerland by the little owl.

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This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion Mary Ng affirmed the importance of the relationship between Canada and Vietnam as the both countries have joined the CPTPP and Vietnam is the biggest trading partner of Canada in ASEAN.

She also said that the Canadian side can sponsor Canadian businesses to study the market, participate in trade fairs and seek business opportunities in Vietnam.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Jay Allen noted that the two countries have great cooperation opportunities in many fields, particularly agriculture, seafood, infrastructure, clean technology and ICT.

Director of Canada - Vietnam Trade Council Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang said that since Vietnam approved the CPTPP in November 2018, Canadian enterprises have paid more attention to the Vietnamese market and that the council would further promote the introduction of the Vietnamese market to Canada.

According to the latest statistics, Canada exported goods worth total CAD1.02 billion in 2018, while imports from Vietnam amounted to CAD5.38 billion.
Users can access http://cptpp.moit.gov.vn/ to learn more about the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. - File Photo

The website provides general information about the trade deal as well as Viet Nams commitments in major sectors like goods and services trading, investment, Government procurement, intellectual property, labour and State-owned enterprises.

Detailed explanations for commitments were also provided for readers to better understand the trade agreement.

The website also includes helpful information for export companies, such as the commitments of member countries and those regarding the opening of services markets and investment for Vietnamese providers.

The portal also posted the full CPTPP text in both English and Vietnamese and relevant documents, including the Governments plans for implementing the deal and legal amendments.

The ministry said that the website would be updated regularly to provide the latest information and regulations related to the CPTPP for citizens and enterprises to understand and grasp opportunities arising from the trade deal.

Eleven countries  Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Viet Nam  signed the CPTPP on March 8, 2018 in Chile.

The trade deal officially came into effect on December 30, 2018 for the first six signatories which completed the approval procedures for the trade deal, including Mexico, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.

For Viet Nam, the National Assembly approved the trade deal and relevant documents on November 12. The CPTPP came into force for Viet Nam from January 14.

CPTPP members committed to eliminate between 97 and 100 per cent of tariff lines on products originating from Vietnam.
The public area at Park Hyatt Phu Quoc

On March 13, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of BIM Group to develop the 110-key Park Hyatt Phu Quoc hotel as well as 65 residences. Slated to open in 2022, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer discerning travellers a sophisticated resort destination surrounded by pristine nature. Besides, it will join the award-winning Park Hyatt Saigon and is the luxury brands first resort in Vietnam.

As Hyatt grows its resort presence in Vietnam, we are delighted to bring the Park Hyatt brand to a remarkable destination such as Phu Quoc Island with its rich biodiversity, beautiful beaches and idyllic surroundings, said David Udell, group president, Asia-Pacific, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. We are pleased to embark on our relationship with BIM Group with this landmark project to bring the Park Hyatt brands refined residential and luxurious hospitality to Phu Quoc.

Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer guests an exclusive oasis, a sophisticated home-away-from-home with design inspired by traditional Vietnamese villages. Featuring exceptional, luxurious interiors with exquisite Vietnamese accents, all guestrooms, suites and villas will also offer stunning sea views.

Other resort facilities will include two dining outlets, a bar, a pool-side barbecue, two swimming pools, a lakeside spa, a gym house with a lap pool, a Camp Hyatt kids village, more than 4,300 square feet (400 square metres) of event space and an organic farm.

Meticulously created with authentic local designs and craftsmanship, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc represents true luxury in Vietnam, said Le Minh Dung, vice general director, BIM Group. Located in one of the most exclusive locations in the country, the ultra-luxury resort and beachfront villas will provide guests with an exclusive sanctuary surrounded by breath-taking nature. We are delighted to work with Hyatt on this exciting project and are confident that the companys international hospitality expertise will enable us to introduce a new kind of luxury and sophistication to Phu Quoc.

Luxury and elegance at the pool at Park Hyatt Phu Quoc

Situated on the southwestern tip of Phu Quoc Island, the hotel and residences will be positioned to offer guests and residents mesmerising sunset views. The development will stretch across 160 acres of land bordered by an expansive mile-long white sandy beach on one side and lush undulating hills on the other. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will be a 30-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport, with direct access via the main north-south highway, and 40 minutes from Duong Dong, the islands main town.

Phu Quoc is Vietnams largest island. Half of the island is within the confines of the national park and the UNESCO World Heritage site Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest biosphere reserves in Southeast Asia. The reserve covers an extensive area of tropical rain forests, coral reefs, and wetlands and is home to hundreds of species of plants and wild animals.

Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, affluent business and leisure guests with elegant and luxurious accommodations. Guests of Park Hyatt hotels receive highly attentive personalised service in an intimate environment. Located in several of the world's premier destinations, each Park Hyatt hotel is custom-designed to combine sophistication with unparalleled enrichment. Park Hyatt hotels feature well-appointed guestrooms, meeting and special event spaces for groups, critically acclaimed art, food and beverage programmes, and signature restaurants featuring award-winning chefs.

BIM Group is a diversified corporation in Vietnam, successfully establishing its mark in four main business fields, including tourism development and real estate investment, agriculture-food, commercial services, and renewable energy. BIM Land is BIM Groups business arm in the tourism development and real estate investment sector. It is one of Vietnam's largest real estate developers with dominant positions in key tourism-focused submarkets that benefit from robust urbanisation, tourism growth, and industrialisation.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 19 premier brands. As of December 31, 2018, the company's portfolio included more than 850 properties in 60 countries across six continents.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she supported the idea of a joint EU aircraft carrier as well as a single European seat in the UN Security Council. (AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

Germany's Chancellor Merkel on Monday (Mar 11) backed key European reform ideas from her presumptive heir, CDU party chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, that are at odds with Macron's vision.

Like Merkel, CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's views on Europe differ from French President Emmanuel Macron's vision of Europe in key respects. (AFP/John MACDOUGALL)

Most controversial among them are a call for a single EU permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC), where France is among the five permanent members.

Merkel said that a single European seat was "a very good concept for the future" and would help "to gather the European voices" in the world body.

Germany has for years campaigned for a permanent seat on the UNSC alongside World War II victor nations the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

"The fact that France is sceptical about a European seat at the UN is well known," added the chancellor, speaking at a press conference with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK as she is known, had argued in an article on Saturday for a series of steps toward greater European unity, including on security where she also suggested that Europe operate a joint aircraft carrier in future.

But AKK, Merkel's hand-picked successor who hopes to contest the next German election for the Christian Democrats, also rejected some of Macron's positions, especially for a pooling of European debt and on harmonising policy on social welfare.

She also suggested that the European Parliament should sit only in Brussels and scrap its second seat in the French city of Strasbourg, an arrangement she called an "anachronism".

'WE DO NOT MOVE FORWARD'

Germany and France are traditionally seen as the twin engines of the European project, and in late January they signed a major new cooperation treaty.

But the two leaders, Macron and Merkel, are also from political blocs that are rivals in the upcoming European elections.

While Macron's Republic on the Move party will take a common front with the liberals, Merkel's CDU is campaigning with the conservative European People's Party.

Merkel, Germany's veteran leader who has said she will not seek re-election when her current term ends in 2021, on Monday broadly lent her weight to AKK's core ideas.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed at a news conference that AKK's plans for Europe "harmonise with the thoughts of the chancellor".

AKK had also disagreed with Macron's idea for a Europe-wide coordination on minimum salaries, arguing that the "Europeanisation of social services and the minimum wage would be the wrong way".

French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux sought to play down the discord, speaking of only "three points of difference" - the UN seat, the minimum wage, and the European Parliament issue.

European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau was clearer in her criticism, speaking to Le Monde daily and other French media.

"When I continue to hear that we should not pool risk, it means we do not move forward, we do not change anything," she said.
Soldiers stand guard in front of the Unha-3 rocket at North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launch Station, in 2012 AFP/Pedro UGARTE

Analysis indicates increased activity at two key sites - the Samundong missile research facility and the Sohae rocket-testing facility. Any launch could send stuttering talks on denuclearisation into disarray.

South Korea is "closely tracking and looking into all activity for possible scenarios including a missile launch" across the border, in close coordination with the US, said Kim Joon-rak, spokesman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Satellite images of Samundong taken on Feb 22 showed cars and trucks at the site, as well as rail cars and cranes at a yard, US news outlet NPR reported.

"When you put all that together, that's really what it looks like when the North Koreans are in the process of building a rocket," Jeffrey Lewis, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, was quoted as saying.

Located on the outskirts of Pyongyang, the Samundong facility was built in 2012 to support development of long-range missiles and space-launch vehicles.

As well as developing the Hawsong-15 ICBM, which analysts agree is capable of reaching the whole US mainland, Samundong constructed the long-range rockets that were then transported and successfully launched from the Sohae satellite launch station in 2012 and 2016.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed last year to shutter the Sohae site at a summit with the South's President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang.

Satellite pictures in August suggested workers were dismantling an engine test stand at the facility.

But the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies suggested last week rebuilding was progressing quickly at the facility.

A moving structure that had been used to carry vehicles to a launch pad on rails has been restored, said respected research website 38 North project.

It added the work had started before last month's failed meeting on denuclearisation between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

READ: 'Sometimes you have to walk: Trump says no deal with Kim over sanctions demand John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, said Sunday the US sees "exactly what they are doing" in regard to possible missile or rocket launch moves by the nuclear-armed state.

"We see it unblinkingly, and we don't have any illusions about what those are," he warned, adding his boss would be "pretty disappointed" if a nuclear-armed state conducted a new missile test.

North Korea has been banned by the UN security council from carrying out space launches, as some of its technology was similar to that used for intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

Since the collapse of the Hanoi summit, Trump has been cautious in his forecasts, continuing to suggest a deal remains possible.

Trump said Kim promised he would carry out no more missile or nuclear testing, adding, "I take him at his word."
Travel Fest 2019 will begin at Aeon Mall Long Bien on March 15

In response to growing travel demand, Vietnam International Travel Fest 2019 (Travel Fest 2019), organised by Phong Han JSC and Travellive in collaboration with Aeon Mall, will be first introduced at Aeon Mall Long Bien (Hanoi) this March.

The Vietnamese tourism industry is booming and posting impressive development with products and services increasingly diversified from economy to high-class segments. Tourists, therefore, should be updated with the latest information to find the most suitable travel packages.

With sponsorship from Diamond Sponsor TPBank and Transportation Sponsor Vietnam Airlines, the event is held with a scale of more than 300 booths from prestigious names in the tourism industry (such as FLC Resort, Paradise Cruises, Wyndham Halong, Banyan Tree Lang Co, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airway, Viettravel, and Viettrantour), and is expected to attract about 40,000 visitors, mostly aged 23-50, including office workers, families, and businesses.

As part of the event, the three-day Best Price programme offers visitors premium tourism packages with the best exclusively offered during the festival. In addition to domestic and international tours, budget and high-class flight tickets and attractive hotels, and resort stays, guests will also have the opportunity to hunt special gifts at the event.

Being a B2C (Business-to-Customer) event, Travel Fest 2019 also introduces a series of special activities aimed at tourists, such as cultural performances from diverse destinations, book signings, mini games, henna drawing, and experiencing the latest travel technology applications and workshops where 20 famous travel bloggers in Vietnam share their experiences, giving advice for a meaningful trip.

With a youthful spirit to take on any challenge, TPBank brings to Travel Fest 2019 unique and breakthrough products to join customers in journeys full of exciting experiences, said TPBanks representative.
Huawei has quietly become a leading supplier of the backbone equipment for mobile networks, particularly in developing markets thanks to cheaper prices. (AFP/WANG ZHAO)

The Wall Street Journal reported that US Ambassador Richard Grenell had warned German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Friday that in such a case the US could scale down intelligence and other information exchanges.

A US embassy spokesperson told AFP on Monday they would not comment on diplomatic communications. But its position on 5G network security was well known, it added.

"To the extent there are untrusted vendors in the networks of an ally, that could raise future questions about the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive communications within that country, as well as between that country and its allies.

"This could in the future jeopardise nimble cooperation and some sharing of information. We are engaging intensively with our allies on how to secure our telecommunications networks to ensure continued interoperability."

German minister Altmaier confirmed he had received the letter, but told AFP he could not comment on its contents, adding: "We will respond quickly".

Germany, like other EU countries, has relied heavily on US intelligence on terror and other threats provided by the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and other spy services.

The US and several other Western nations, fearful of the security risks posed by the company closely tied to the Chinese government, have shut Huawei it out of tenders for the development of the newest 5G infrastructure.

The Chinese telecoms behemoth has strenuously denied the espionage allegations.

Germany, anxious to not get sucked into the maelstrom of an ongoing US-China spat over a multitude of issues including trade, has taken a cautious stance on the issue.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said it was necessary to talk to Beijing "to make sure that the company does not simply give up all data that is used to the Chinese state, but that there are safeguards".

Some measures in the works include adding a non-spying clause, a requirement to publish code sources used in the infrastructures as well as allowing independent laboratories to carry out tests on the components used.

Huawei has quietly become a leading supplier of the backbone equipment for mobile networks, particularly in developing markets thanks to cheaper prices.

Germany, although it is Europe's leading economy, has seen its mobile infrastructure lag behind, with most Germans having access only to 3G.

The 5G network is meant to be 100 times more rapid than 4G, and is viewed as the next major step in the digital revolution that makes data transfers almost instantaneous.
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft after a test flight in Seattle, United States, in March 2018. Questions have arisen about the safety of the product line after two deadly crashes. - AFP/VNA Photo

On Monday, CAAV chief inh Viet Thang said no Vietnamese airlines are currently using the aircraft.

This morning, we had a meeting about this issue and came to the decision that we will not be reviewing licences for the use of Boeing 737 MAX planes until the causes for the crashes are identified and the US Federal Aviation Administration takes proper remedying measures, he said.

Freshly launched Bamboo Airways was reportedly considering purchasing 25 aircrafts of the 737 MAX series.

There are currently 180 airplanes registered by Vietnamese carriers.

Airbus A350-900, A320, A312 and Boeings 787-9 Dreamliner and 747 are the most common planes in use by Vietnamese carriers.

Chinas aviation authority earlier on Monday also ordered suspending the commercial operation of all 97 737 MAX8 planes in the country, citing zero tolerance for safety hazards after the Ethiopian crash killed all 157 people on board on Sunday.

Ethiopia also announced a complete grounding of the 737 MAX 8 fleet.
An investor follows the market trading at Bao Viet Securities Company. - VNS Photo Truong Vi

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) dropped 0.07 per cent to close at 984.60 points.

The southern market gained nearly 0.59 per cent in total last week.

More than 178.6 million shares were traded on the southern bourse, worth VND3.71 trillion (US$159.5 million).

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index inched up 0.09 per cent to close at 108.32 points. More than 45 million shares worth VND508 billion changed hands here.

The market is running out of good news, so its movement will depend on domestic purchasing power and foreign trading, Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities JSC (SHS) said in a daily report.

Caution from both domestic and foreign investors resulted in mixed market breadth with 158 gaining stocks and 151 declining ones.

According to Bao Viet Securities Co (BVSC), the market was weighed down by the quarterly portfolio reviews of the two foreign ETFs  FTSE Vietnam ETF and VNM ETF  which end on Friday.

ETFs portfolio restructuring this week may trigger net selling from foreign investors on the stock market, Bao Viet Securities Co (BVSC) said.

Foreign investors on Monday recorded VND6 billion worth of asset purchases compared to net sell value of VND60.3 billion last Friday.

VNM ETF announced its quarterly review last Friday and FTSE Vietnam ETF did so on March 2.

Large-cap stocks may continue correcting after the VN Index failed to conquer the 1,000 point level and the ETFs begins to re-shape their portfolios, said Nguyen Hoang Viet, an analyst at Vietinbank Securities JSC.

Thus, capital will flow from large-cap stocks to mid-cap and small-cap ones, which are expected to deliver good information about their sectors, he said.

Stocks that will be traded by the two foreign ETFs this week included property developers Vingroup (VIC) and Vinhomes (VHM), dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM), real estate firm Novaland (NVL) and Vietcombank (VCB).

Among those stocks, VHM fell 1.6 per cent and VCB edged up 0.3 per cent while VIC, VNM and NVL gained between 0.2 per cent and 4.5 per cent.

Investors clearly held their cash and were unwilling to make new purchases with a lack of supportive information for both domestic and international markets, according to Thanh Cong Securities JSC (TCSC).

In addition, they want to wait to hear from listed companies at their annual shareholder meetings, so the stock market will likely see more volatility in the coming days, TCSC said.

In the worst scenario, the VN Index will fall to 970-975 point range and it may continue moving sideways with alternate ups and downs in coming days.
Environmental groups are celebrating efforts to ban what they say is an avalanche of plastic straws polluting the worlds oceans. Chain restaurants like Starbucks and McDonalds are phasing out plastics and U.S. cities like Seattle have banned them entirely. There are billions in the ocean already, but a group of volunteer trash collectors in Australia is trying to at least clean up a local cove. VOA's Kevin Enochs reports.
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A very small number of South Korean patients can soon get cannabis-derived medicine. But as Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, some say the moves toward medical legalization are too limited.
North Korea must completely give up its nuclear weapons before the United States begins lifting sanctions. That comment came Monday from the top U.S. envoy on North Korea. It suggests the U.S. is hardening its position following the second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - a meeting that failed to result in a deal. More from VOA's Bill Gallo.
For a country that has long banked on stability, Algeria is now buffeted by serious winds of change, with massive protests morphing into the biggest challenge facing its aging government in nearly three decades.

Monday marked the biggest jolt, when 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika renounced a fifth presidential term, reshuffled his government, proclaimed the drafting of a new constitution and rescheduled presidential elections initially set for April to an unspecified date.

But who ultimately wins the contest between the street and Algerias entrenched power system remains a big unknown. Will the North African countrys majority-young population realize hopes for a political sea change? Or will the countrys ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) Party, in power since Algerian independence, prevail?

We were waiting for the Algerian power to find a ruse to stay in place, said North Africa analyst Khadija Mohsen-Finan of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, suggesting this is exactly what happened. Bouteflikas announcements, she added, would essentially extend his term in office indefinitely, in contempt of the constitution and peoples demands for change.

Algerias government insists otherwise.

I believe it profoundly, replied Algerias newly named vice prime minister, Ramtane Lamamra, who some speculate might succeed Bouteflika as president, when asked whether his country was marking a turning point.

Its up to the women, men and especially the young to shoulder this historic responsibility, Lamamra added in an interview with Radio France International.

Back on the streets

After initial celebrations following Bouteflikas concessions, Algerians were back on the streets Tuesday, underscoring that they, too, were skeptical of the governments apparent U-turn.

Several thousand students protested in the capital, Algiers, and elsewhere in the country, brandishing banners against an extension of the presidents fourth term. More demonstrations involving a broader swath of the population are scheduled Thursday and Friday, in what might amount to a key test of whether the protest movement will prevail.

Its a mixed victory for Algerians, wrote Algerias leading independent newspaper, El Watan. Nonetheless, it added, change was afoot, with the population as central actor.

Ali Benflis, a former Algerian prime minister turned opposition leader, offered a similar analysis.

Were living in a paradox, he said in remarks on French radio, with pyromaniacs on the one hand, ready to set the country on fire to ensure the survival of a condemned regime. On the other, a population that has decided to take charge of its destiny.

For its part, former colonial power France has exited from near silence about the protests to cautiously endorse the latest developments.

In remarks from Djibouti, President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Bouteflikas announcements as starting a new page in the development of Algeria's democracy," even as he called for a reasonable time frame for a transition period.

Damaged reputation

Bouteflika was hailed as a savior when he assumed office in 1999, at the end of Algerias brutal civil war. He was an old face  a veteran of the countrys war of independence from France who became foreign minister at the age of 26.

As the countrys first civilian president, Bouteflika was initially credited for putting reconciliation at the center of his agenda. He controversially offered amnesty to Islamist fighters not involved in major atrocities in the 1990s conflict. But other war-related questions remained unanswered, including mass disappearances for which some blamed both the Islamists and Algerias military.

Many critics also accuse Bouteflika and what Algerians term le Pouvoir  referring to a shadowy clique of elites  for nurturing endemic corruption.

Its billions and billions, Benflis said. Major projects that are often unrealized or badly done and the beneficiaries are always four or five people in the presidents entourage.

More recently, Bouteflika and his government have seen key pillars of support vanish, from influential unions to business leaders. In a speech to military academy students Sunday, the chief of staff for Algerias armed forces, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, said the army shared the same values and principles as the people.

What gave the Algerian political system force was that it appeared to speak with a single voice and have the same objectives, said analyst Mohsen Finan. Today, not only does it not speak with a single voice, but key institutions that gave it legitimacy are moving away from it.

Whats next?

Turning the page  if it happens  is unlikely to be easy. Algeria largely stayed on the sidelines of Arab Spring political revolts that hopscotched across North Africa and the Middle East. Each carried its own stamp, Mohsen-Finan said, and what happens to Algeria will be no different.

I think Algeria has drawn lessons from whats happened elsewhere, she said, adding the population has no appetite for revisiting its bloody past.

Whats most important today is the Algerian street massively wants change, Mohsen-Finan added. Not just at the head, but the whole system rebuilt by a new generation.

Reuters news agency reported veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, an aging but respected figure, would lead discussions over Algeria's future in the coming months, which would also involve members of the protest movement.

Meanwhile, French-Algerian researcher Amel Boubekeur said the next challenge will be turning a popular uprising into a formal, political force. Like the government, many of Algerias traditional opposition parties are largely discredited by the public.

Still, a fundamental political shift will take time, Boubekeur told Frances Le Monde newspaper, and demand negotiations between protesters and the government.

It means inventing our own transition model, she said, adding, its too early to say what it will be.
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Syrian Democratic Forces closing in on the last shred of the Islamic States territory in northeastern Syria are expressing renewed optimism that victory is within reach. VOA national security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more.
The United States and Brazil have negotiated an accord to safeguard U.S. space technology the South American nation hopes will be used in commercial rockets lifting off from its launch site near the equator, the Brazilian government said on Monday.

The agreement is being wrapped up in time to be signed next week during a visit to Washington by President Jair Bolsonaro.

"Negotiations are being concluded with a view to signing an agreement during the presidential visit to Washington," a foreign ministry official said.

Brazil hopes to get a piece of the $300 billion-a-year space launch business by drawing U.S. companies interested in launching small satellites at a lower cost from the Alcantara base run by the Brazilian Air Force on the South American country's north coast.

Because of its location close to the equator, launches burn 30 percent less fuel and rockets can carry larger payloads, though Brazil is aiming for the cost micro-satellite niche market that is growing fast, Air Force officers said.

Space cooperation between the United States and Brazil took a big step forward when they signed a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) agreement last year during a visit to Brasilia by former U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.

The accord on sharing real-time tracking data on objects and debris in space is needed to develop a satellite launching business without the risk of collision.

In December 2017, Boeing and Lockheed Martin visited the Alcantara space center, which is especially attractive to smaller firms, such as Tucson, Arizona-based rocket-maker Vector Launch Inc because of its location.

But without the technology safeguard agreement (TSA) that protects sensitive American space launch and satellite technology, no U.S. rocket could blast off from Brazil.

A previous attempt at a U.S.-Brazilian space partnership was scuttled in 2003 when the TSA ran into resistance from the leftist government of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and was thwarted by Brazilian lawmakers.

It floundered because U.S. unverified access to the Alcantara base was not acceptable to Brazilian politicians on sovereignty grounds.

The TSA is seen by Washington as opening opportunities for greater cooperation in aerospace and defense between the two countries.
British lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's latest effort to set the terms of Britain's Brexit deal to split from the European Union on March 29.

The House of Commons voted 391-242 against May's plan, setting up a Wednesday vote on whether Britain should quit the 28-nation EU bloc without agreeing on any of the details of its departure. And if that fails, a Thursday vote on whether to ask the EU for more time to negotiate an agreement.

May implored lawmakers to adopt the deal she negotiated Monday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for "legally binding changes" to ensure that the border between EU member Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland would remain open after Brexit.

But the outcome mirrored a January vote on an earlier plan, which May lost even more decisively, by 230 votes.

After losing again, May, the Conservative Party leader, told the House of Commons, "I continue to believe the best and only way" to quit the EU is "in an orderly way."

She said the next options "are unenviable choices"  leaving without a deal, or asking for more time to negotiate after already spending months to reach terms of the now-defeated pacts.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's main opposition Labor Party, told the parliamentarians, "The government has now been defeated by an enormous majority. The prime minister has run down the clock, and the clock has run out on her." He called for a new election.

Before Tuesday's vote, May told lawmakers, "The danger for those of us who want to deliver, to have faith in the British public and deliver on their vote for Brexit, is that if this vote is not passed tonight, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost."

Key opponents to her plan quickly emerged.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party said May had only made "limited" progress in negotiating the new terms, and said its 10 members in parliament would vote against her plan.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU had made "clear, far-reaching proposals" to address Britain's concerns about the deal. But she deflected a question about whether she was willing to delay the British exit from the EU if British lawmakers could not agree on a plan.

The original deal, rejected two months ago, called for a backstop agreement that would keep Britain and the EU in a customs union until they agree on a new trade agreement. Opponents in Britain's parliament said they were concerned about being locked into EU rules instead of being able to gain full control of trade policies.

May said the new terms agreed to Monday would ensure the backstop deal is not a permanent part of Britain's exit from the EU.

The Labor Party rejected the plan, saying it still does not go far enough to allay its concerns.

Juncker warned that Britain is running out of options.

"It is this deal, or Brexit might not happen at all," he said.
Cameroon says there has been an influx of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) after several armed militias in the CAR rejected the president's new cabinet as not representative enough, sparking fears of renewed fighting. The U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR, is trying to take care of them.

Some of the refugees are seeking help at the Garoua Boulay health center. The center receives an average of 30 patients daily, but this Tuesday it has received 70 people.

Nurse Luka Mvondo said a majority of them are children from the CAR who need rest after covering long distances on foot.

He said all sick refugees who submit their UNHCR identification cards are treated free of charge as per an agreement between the government of Cameroon and the United Nations.

The government of Cameroon says hundreds of returning and new refugees have crossed over from the CAR since March 5, when armed groups blocked a road in the western CAR to show their dissatisfaction with a new cabinet formed by President Faustin Archange Touadera.

Only six of the 14 armed groups that signed a peace and national reconciliation accord in Khartoum on February 6 are represented in the cabinet.

One group, the Central African Peoples Democratic Front, accused the president of failing to comply with the Khartoum peace agreement, which they say requires an all-inclusive government with representatives from all armed groups that signed the deal.

Ngabede Bachirou fled to Cameroon because, he said, there are conflicts in the making unless Touadera quickly corrects his errors.

He said he is very grateful the people and the government of Cameroon have received him and his two children. He said he is particularly happy because his children have been admitted in school so they can have their education and secure their future.

Jacques Boyer, the Unicef resident representative in Cameroon, said the refugees are being taken care of despite the limited resources that are available.

He said besides providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees fleeing to safety as fear continues to grip CAR residents, it is necessary to reinforce the resilience of the host populations so they are able to handle the different economic, social and environmental shocks.

The CAR has been wracked by fighting since rebels overthrew President Francois Bozize in March 2013. The U.N. reports that in 2018, some 650,000 Central Africans were internally displaced and 546,000 were refugees in neighboring countries, with more than 300,000 in Cameroon.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Jacques Boyer. He represents Unicef.
Chinese authorities said Tuesday that internment camps in the western region of Xinjiang will "gradually disappear" if a time arises when "society does not need them."

China is facing global backlash over the camps, which officials maintain are actually vocational training centers. "Some international voices say Xinjiang has concentration camps and re-education camps," Xinjiang Governor Shohrat Zakir said on the sidelines Tuesday of the annual meeting of China's ceremonial legislature. "These kinds of statements are completely fabricated lies, and are extraordinarily absurd."

Some one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic minorities are being held in the centers, the United Nations estimates. Former detainees have described harsh conditions, including psychological torture and political indoctrination.

Beijing contends the camps are part of a broader campaign to reduce the threat of Islamic extremism. "The number of people in the education centers should be less and less, and if one day society no longer needs [them], these education centers can gradually disappear," Zakir said.

The Xinjiang Party's current secretary, Chen Quanguo, enacted hard-line policies while serving as secretary in the Buddhist region of Tibet. Observers say he has imposed tighter security and surveillance measures to Xinjiang. Zakir reiterated Beijing's claim at the meeting there have been no violent incidents in Xinjiang in more than two years.

But the United States says the conditions in Xinjiang are "completely unacceptable."
For the first time in recent years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs annual Government Work Report did not mention Made in China 2025, the countrys ambitious plan to achieve high-tech dominance, and that has analysts asking whether Beijing is going to completely overhaul the plan or keep it going quietly behind the scenes.

Made in China 2025 relies heavily on government subsidies to Chinese companies and their ability to acquire new technologies covering 10 different sectors such as electric cars, emerging bio-medicine, next-generation information technology, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.

The plan is part of Chinas broader industrial policy outlined in the 13th Five-Year plan, which lays out government goals from 2016-2020. It raised concerns, however, because of Chinas use of forced technology transfers and specific targets to capture market share by 2025.

The plan has been a focus of discussion between U.S. and Chinese negotiators, with Washington demanding an end to subsidies given to local companies under the plan. The United States also wanted China to do away with unfair trade practices that include the forcible transfer of technology from foreign companies.

A significant portion of technologies used in China in the 10 listed sectors come from foreign sources.

But the government is now amending laws that will leave Chinese companies in a somewhat difficult situation. It is also expected to cut subsidies it gives to local companies in order to overcome objections raised by the United States during the trade war.

New laws and policy changes that the government is bringing on during the ongoing sessions of Chinas legislature, or National Peoples Congress (NPC), would seriously affect its ability to acquire foreign technology.

China will suffer in the short run but in the medium run they seem to be fine, said Lourdes Casanova, director at Cornells Emerging Markets Institute.

To a great extent, Chinese companies have used three means to acquire technology: the use of borrowed or stolen ideas, the forcible transfer of know-how from foreign partners and the purchase of foreign companies.

Acquisitions by Chinese companies have now become problematic because of growing cautiousness and recent legislation in the United States and European Union.

Some analysts believe there were design defects in the 2025 plan itself, and the government has been rethinking it for some time now.

The original 2025 plan was too nationalistic and too top down. It was wasteful, Mats Harborn, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, told VOA.

They [government leaders] thought technology should be owned by Chinese companies. There was a we can do this on our own attitude,

There is a shift or maturity in understanding. There is an understanding that China cannot do all things on its own. It has to use international value chains and integrate as much as possible, Harborn said.

New information emerging now suggests there has been a struggle within the government about the suitability of this grandiose plan.

It [the strategy] should not have been done that way anyway. I was against it from the start, I did not agree very much with it, Lou Jiwei, Chinas finance minister between 2013 and 2016, said on the sidelines of the legislative meeting in Beijing.

Other legislators told VOA the government is making adjustments in accordance with public opinion.

Putting less emphasis on Made in China 2025 reflects a more rational approach by the government, to reduce unnecessary obstacles, noises and reaction, to keep moving forward in a positive direction, said Tang Nong, a NPC delegate from Guangxi.

The government is moving forward with the 13th Five-Year plan. What is Made in China 2025, is it a plan or a broad outline? asked Sun Xianzhong, an NPC delegate and professor of international law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Analysts believe the government may revamp and repackage the plan, but it is unlikely to soften its efforts.

The government remains committed to moving China's economy up the value chain and will continue to use a variety of active industrial policies to achieve this goal, said Duncan Innes-Ker, regional director for Asia at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Harborn believes the government will shift from the idea of acquiring new technologies to absorbing them in the industrial value chain.

This is a wakeup call. The new focus will be on integrating the best technologies at the best price and creating the best final product or service, he said.

State owned companies in China may be better able to readjust themselves if the 2025 plan is revamped because their focus is more on revenues than on profit.

For a state-owned company, profits going down in favor of revenues or jobs, so whats the problem? They are fine, said Casanova adding, Profits are less or not of primary consideration.
Israeli officials closed Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, revered by Jews and Muslims, after a firebomb was thrown at a police station on the compound.

Police on Tuesday clashed with dozens of Palestinians at the compound revered by Jews as Temple Mount, and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary. All worshippers were evacuated from the compound. Police said it would reopen to worshippers and visitors Wednesday.

Israeli police also took the unusual measure of closing all gates to the Old City, allowing only residents access to the Muslim and Christian quarters.

The incident further heightened tensions at the flashpoint site, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and gold-topped Dome of the Rock.

Firas Dibs, spokesman for the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed Islamic body that administers the site, said at least six Palestinians were arrested and 10 injured in the clashes. But Israeli police would only confirm three arrests.

The closure of the compound drew quick rebuke from leaders around the Muslim world.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the "dangerous Israeli escalation'' and warned of "serious repercussions.''

Abdul Nasser Abul al-Basal, Jordanian minister of Islamic affairs, told state-run Al-Mamlaka TV that the closure was an "attack on religious freedom."

The United Nations Middle East envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, called for calm.
Eurozone ministers on Monday held back granting Greece debt relief because the government failed to implement reforms promised during the massive bailout that ended last year, officials said.

Greece exited its third and final international bailout in August, a turning point in its progress out of the catastrophe that engulfed the country during the financial crisis.

The Greek government has still failed to complete housing insolvency rules that have raised fears in Greece for families threatened with foreclosure on their homes.

European officials, however, played down the delay, not wanting to rekindle memories of the eurozone debt crisis that nearly destroyed Europe's single currency.

"It's too early to decide formally on the disbursement today," said EU Economics Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici ahead of a Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers.

"The signal given to the markets is decisive, the message of today's Eurogroup will be and must be positive," he added.

The debt relief measures are mainly profits made by the European Central Bank (ECB) and other EU central banks on Greek government bonds during the bailout period.

Greece could receive just short of one billion euros from its eurozone partners in the debt relief scheme.

The delay comes days after Greece issued a 10-year bond, the country's first since its 2010 debt crisis.

The bond was hailed as a major milestone marking Greece's return to normalcy after almost a decade of being avoided by the markets.

The country hopes to raise a total of around nine billion euros in the markets this year to boost investor confidence in the Greek economy.

Growth is expected to reach 2.4 percent in 2019 after an estimated 2.1 percent in 2018, according to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections.
His sister described him as "open, sociable and likable."

Siraje Hussein Abdi, 32, was on his way to meet his sister and brother in Nairobi Sunday when the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 jet in which he was flying crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport.



Abdi had been in Morocco for three months visiting his wife and decided to travel to Nairobi to meet his siblings, whom he had not seen in years.

"He called my sister from Addis Ababa. He told them what time his plane is arriving, and said he needs to be picked up from the airport," Abdi's sister Ardo told VOA Somali.

Abdi, also known as Mu'ad, was among eight U.S. citizens who died in the crash.

His family of 13 siblings is now gathering in Addis Ababa to console each other, waiting for their brother's body to be recovered.

Abdi arrived in the United States in 2002, where he lived with his brother Hassan and attended South High School in Denver, Colorado.

"He was brainy," Hassan said.

Abdi completed high school in 2005. The following year, he moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where many Somalis were being resettled through a U.S. government program. He became a U.S. citizen in 2007.

He briefly attended college but left to find work to support himself and his large family, including his mother who still lives in Gurra'a, the Somali region of Ethiopia where he was born.

Three years ago, Ardo said, he bought a truck and became a driver, transporting goods between cities.

"He was social, generous. People loved him, Ardo said. "May Allah give him mercy."
The European Union's aviation safety agency has banned the model of a Boeing aircraft that was involved in two fatal crashes, including an accident on Sunday that killed nearly 160 passengers and crew members.

"Following the tragic accident of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 involving a Boeing 737 Max 8, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is taking every necessary step to ensure the safety of passengers," it said.

The decision came after France, Britain, Germany, Malaysia and Oman joined nearly 10 other countries in suspending the Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet from operating in their respective airspace after its second fatal crash in five months.



Airlines in countries across the globe, including China, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Norway also have grounded all the Max 8 jets in their fleets.

One-hundred-and-fifty-seven passengers and crew were killed when one of the jets, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.



Statements from the countries' civil aviation authorities say the suspensions are temporary while the investigation into the tragedy continues. The suspensions by Australia, Singapore and South Korea affect Fiji Airlines, SilkAir Airlines and Eastar Jet in those respective countries.

The Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 was the same model as the one that crashed into the Java Sea in October, just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing 189 people.

At least two witnesses say they saw smoke coming from the back of the plane before it crashed.

Investigators have found the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which they hope will give them clues as to why the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet went down en route to Nairobi.

Indonesian investigators said information from the flight data recorder showed the plane's automatic safety system repeatedly pushed the plane's nose downward despite the pilots' desperate attempts to maintain control.

Boeing says, however, it has no reason to ground the popular aircraft and does not plan to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Aviation experts from the U.S., Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya have joined other countries in the Ethiopian-led investigation.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Boeing should soon complete upgrades to the automated anti-stall system that is suspected of contributing to the deadly October crash in the Java Sea. On Monday, the FAA reiterated the Boeing 737 Max 8 was safe to fly. But officials said the agency's position could change if it learns the plane poses a safety risk.

U.S. President Donald Trump opined on the crash Tuesday, posting on Twitter that airliners are "becoming too complex to fly."

Boeing has some 350 737 MAX 8 planes in service around the world and more than 5,000 on order.



Meanwhile, tributes and condolences poured in Monday for the victims of Sundays crash, who hailed from at least 35 countries and included 22 United Nations staff members heading to a U.N. environmental conference in Nairobi.

Flags at the conference were lowered to half-staff Monday. The Nairobi conference and a General Assembly meeting in New York both opened with moments of silence.

"A global tragedy has hit close to home, and the United Nations is united in grief. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims, to the government and people of Ethiopia, and all these affected by this disaster," Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in New York.

The victims were also remembered at U.N. refugee headquarters in Geneva and at the State Department in Washington.

Menur Nur Mohamed lost his brother Ahmed on the doomed plane. Ahmed Nur Mohamed was the co-pilot.

"Me and my brother grew up together. He wasn't only my brother, but also my friend," Mohamed told Tsion Tadesse of VOA's Horn of Africa Service.

Mohamed said he learned of his brother's death when the head of Ethiopian Airlines mentioned his name.

Boeing shares plunged seven percent Monday on Wall Street.
As climate change accelerates, the United Nations Environment Assembly will this week consider whether to start assessing, and setting rules on, technologies that could pull carbon out of the atmosphere or block some of the sun's warmth to cool the Earth.

Delegates at the week-long meeting in Nairobi will debate a proposal from Switzerland, backed by 10 other countries, to begin examining geoengineering technologies, which backers say could help fend off the worst impacts of runaway climate change.

If adopted, the proposal could lead to the highest-level examination yet of the controversial technologies, which have gained prominence as efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions fall short.

"We need to have an understanding on the implications of using such technologies, and how they would be governed in the future," Siim Kiisler, Estonia's environment minister and president of the Nairobi meeting, told journalists on Monday.

"Just ignoring the issue does not help. We have to talk about it," he said.

Franz Xaver Perrez, Switzerland's environmental ambassador and head of its delegation in Nairobi, said his nation had concerns that sun-dimming technology, in particular, could have "a tremendous negative impact."

Nonetheless, "we should not be guided by concerns, but have a better understanding of the situation first", he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, noting that "we might need multilateral control of these technologies."

Opponents say the technologies present huge potential risks to people and nature, and could undermine efforts to cut emissions, not least because many are backed by fossil-fuel interests.

"These technologies provide a perfect excuse for delaying action or weakening our current emissions reduction targets," warned Carroll Muffett, president of the Washington-based Center for International Environmental Law, in a telephone interview.

Rapidly slashing emissions - by switching to greener power, preserving forests and similar measures - remains the cheapest and safest way to fend off worsening droughts, floods, storms and other impacts of global warming, he said.

But research is moving ahead fast on two groups of alternative technologies to curb climate change, as emissions continue to rise.

One set aims to suck heat-trapping carbon out of the atmosphere and store it underground, or use it in other ways.

The other focuses on cooling the planet by blocking some of the sun's energy, through measures such as high-altitude planes that spray reflective sulphur particles into the stratosphere.

'Light' use

In a paper published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, scientists modeling the use of solar geoengineering technology said limited deployment - to halve expected warming over the next century, rather than stop it entirely - could dramatically lessen risks from stronger tropical cyclones, for instance.

Earlier modeling of solar geoengineering to avert all projected warming flagged the possibility of changes in water availability, sparking fears the technology could shift monsoons, and create "winners" and "losers."

Opponents of the technology have suggested it could even be "weaponized," with a water-short country deploying the technology to improve its rainfall at the expense of neighbors.

But the new modeling suggests no region would see dramatic shifts with lighter use of the technology, although the scientists noted the results were based on an "idealized" study.

Lead author Peter Irvine, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University, said solar management would need to work hand-in-hand with reducing emissions, and could not "replace mitigation."

David Keith, the leader of a team focused on solar geoengineering research at Harvard and a co-author of the study, said the modeling suggested "geoengineering could enable surprisingly uniform benefits" if used with mitigation efforts.

Option to ban

A high-profile report released by climate scientists last October, exploring how to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the most ambitious goal set by governments in the 2015 Paris Agreement, specifically did not consider the use of solar geoengineering.

It said the technology was untested, had "substantial" risks, and would not address the problem of oceans becoming more acidic as they absorb growing amounts of carbon dioxide.

Muffett said bodies such as the U.N. Environment Assembly, if they did begin exploring geoengineering technologies, should leave open the possibility of banning them entirely, as progress on their development could boost pressure to deploy them.

The assembly also should make sure any panel assessing the technologies included representatives of poorer countries and indigenous groups, while excluding those who held patents on the technologies or stood to profit from them, he said.

This week's meeting is not the first effort to explore and potentially regulate the emerging technologies.

Member nations of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010 set a non-binding moratorium on the use of geoengineering technologies, though agreed to permit research on them.

And an ocean pollution convention has banned the dumping of iron into the sea to boost uptake of carbon dioxide by algae, while also allowing research on the topic.

Janos Pasztor, executive director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative, which hopes to spur effective governance of the emerging technologies, described the U.N. Environment Assembly's focus on them as a positive step.

"What is needed is governments to engage and start a serious conversation about these issues," he said.

If approved, the Swiss-backed proposal being presented in Nairobi this week would require U.N. Environment to analyze the technologies and report by August 2020 on how they could be governed and used at scale, among other things.
Irans human rights record came under sharp criticism at the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday, with a U.N. expert singling out Irans crackdown on dissent and practice of sentencing children to death.

Presenting his first report to the Geneva-based council since taking office in July, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, cited what he called Tehrans worrying patterns of intimidation, arrest, prosecution, and ill-treatment of human rights defenders, lawyers, and labor rights activists who have taken part in recent protests and strikes across the country.

He called on Iran to release all those detained for exercising rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Rehman said he welcomed a significant reduction in Irans executions of drug offenders last year. But he said his report also found that in 2018, Iran executed at least six people for offenses committed when they were children.

The practice, illustrated in numerous cases reviewed, of waiting until the child offender reaches the age of 18 before execution, repeated postponements, and the inherent vulnerability of the child given his or her age, amounts to a pattern of torture and other ill-treatment, Rehman told the council. He urged Iran to abolish a law permitting death sentences for children and to commute all such sentences already issued, so that it abides by international law.

Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, denounced Rehmans report, telling the council it contained false allegations, absurd disinformation and hyperbolic exaggerations. He said Irans ruling Islamist clerics protect and promote human rights as a moral and religious obligation and pledged that Tehran will continue to engage with various U.N. human rights officials.

Hamaneh cited last weeks visit to Iran by U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore and what he called an Iranian invitation for U.N. High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to make a similar visit. The Iranian diplomat said he also met Rehman last Friday in Geneva to discuss the Special Rapporteurs report. But Iran has rejected Rehmans requests to visit the country.

Vienna-based Iranian human rights activist Hassan Nayebhashem attended Mondays Human Rights Council meeting and criticized Hamanehs remarks. Speaking to VOA Persian, Nayebhashem noted what he viewed as an inconsistency in Irans position, which accuses Rehman of filing an inaccurate report while at the same time denying him access to the country to gather information about its rights record.

Nayebhashem also said he heard little new in the Iranian diplomats rebuttal of the U.N. Special Rapporteurs report.

The contents of Hamanehs replies were the same as those of Javad Larijani in previous years, he said, in reference to an Iranian human rights official who previously addressed the council.

This article originated in VOAs Persian Service.
Arab citizens of Israel have been expressing anger over recent comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel "is not a country of all its citizens." Some Israeli Arabs are calling for a boycott of Israels election.

The first shots of the battle played out on Instagram, with actress and model Rotem Sela posting "When the hell will someone in the government convey to the public that Israel is a state of all its citizens."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly responded. Dear Rotem, an important correction: Israel is not a state of all its citizens. According to the nation-state law we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people  and not anyone else.

The exchange comes less than two months before the Israeli elections and infuriated Arab citizens of Israel, who make up 20 percent of Israeli voters.

It comes after the Israeli election commission said that one Arab party, Balad, cannot run in the election because its members allegedly support terrorism, a charge they deny. At the same time, the commission approved an extremist Jewish party that calls for Arabs to leave Israel.

Aida Toumi Sliman, an Israeli Arab Knesset member, said the election is crucial for the future of democracy in Israel.

"The next government will determine if this country is going a little bit to the situation of democracy of human rights of equality or is it going to be clearly an apartheid regime with a legal system that is supporting the practices of an apartheid regime," she said.

She said her party is appealing to the Supreme Court against the decision to bar the Arab party Balad.
A United Nations investigator finds the easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula has done nothing to improve human rights in North Korea, saying the situation remains widespread and in violation of international human rights law. The investigator submitted his report to the U.N. human rights council in Geneva on Monday.

U.N. special investigator Tomas Ojea Quintana welcomes the interaction between the United States and North Korea over that countrys nuclear program. He says meetings between leaders of the two countries can build trust and move toward the goal of creating a permanent peace.

But he says this high-level diplomatic track is having no impact on alleviating the serious humanitarian problems affecting the population. He says more than 10 million people, or 41 percent of the population, continue to suffer from lack of food and access to essential health services, clean water and sanitation. He notes international and bilateral sanctions are making things worse.

Ojea Quintana says he is particularly concerned about serious human rights violations in North Koreas detention and prison system. He says people sent to political prison camps have no legal rights.

I also received reports pointing to widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities," he said. "North Korean citizens who are detained in China are repatriated and have stated that they are subject to torture, cruel or degrading treatment.

Ojea Quintana says prisoners reportedly are being kept in cramped cells with inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. He says they do not receive adequate food or health care and are subject to forced labor in dangerous conditions.

The U.N. investigator is urging the government to allow international monitors to access these camps and to start releasing prisoners. He also calls on China and other countries to protect North Koreans who arrive on their territory as refugees and to not send them back to North Korea where they face many risks.

North Korea, which has refused to cooperate with Ojea Quintana or grant him access to the country, boycotted his presentation. The delegation did not bother to use its right of reply as a concerned country.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may not be able to achieve his economic development goals given the divergent ideas over denuclearization exhibited by Washington and Pyongyang after the Hanoi summit, said experts.

After the Hanoi summit broke down last month over discussions of Washingtons demand on denuclearization and Pyongyangs demand on sanctions relief, Kim made a first public statement emphasizing economic development, a goal he set for this year during his New Years Day speech.

If the sanctions are not lifted, North Korea and its citizens will likely to face tougher economic conditions this year.

North Koreas main state media outlet, Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), reported on Saturday that Kim stressed last week the need to concentrate all efforts of information and motivation on accelerating socialist economic construction. KCNA added that Kim emphasized the [North] Korean people should further display their might in the spirit of self-reliance.

Ahead of the report, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton told Fox Business Network last week the U.S. is looking to increase sanctions if Pyongyang is not willing to denuclearize.

Theyre not going to get relief from the crushing economic sanctions that have been imposed on them, Bolton said. Well look at ramping those sanctions up in fact.

A State Department official said on Thursday that the U.S. is not looking to provide exemptions to South Korea to resume joint economic projects with North Korea, which Seoul has been pushing for since the first inter-Korean summit in April.

Missile sites

Based on commercial satellite imagery, North Korea appeared to be rebuilding the Sohae Satellite Launching Station at Tongchang-ri last week. Pyongyang began to dismantle the largest missile engine test site in the country after the first summit with the U.S.in Singapore in June.

Movements around the Samundong facility near Pyongyang were also detected last week, suggesting North Korea might be preparing for a missile launch.

Built in 2012, the Samundong facility's mission is the development of long-range missiles and space-launch vehicles, such as the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts agree is capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

Experts said Kim will not be able to develop North Koreas economy, one of the worlds most opaque, without a sanctions lift from the U.S.

According to South Koreas central bank, North Koreas economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2017, a year after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions banning North Koreas key exports including coal, textiles and fisheries and limited its imports of oil. Without the income derived from selling those export commodities, the North Korean economy is likely to face limits on its growth.

Sanctions are really serious obstacles to the prospects for North Korea to fully develop its economy, said Scott Snyder, director of the U.S.-Korea policy program at the Council of Foreign Relations.

Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the North Korean economy is likely to dwindle as the result of sanctions.

Kims economy is in difficult shape, squeezed by sanctions, Manning said. Some think it is likely to contract in 2019.

Snyder said North Korea will likely continue to look for ways to bypass sanctions, and turn to Russia and China, which have been willing partners in that effort in the past. But, he thinks that Pyongyang is unlikely to get very far with Moscow and Beijing.

Since the U.S.-North Korean summit process started in June, Snyder said China has eased off enforcing sanctions in the past two months.

"But I believe that China is willing to continue to apply sanctions up to a point, and that the level of relaxation on the part of China is not going to be sufficient to meet North Koreas desire toward its needs," he added.

Joshua Stanton, a Washington-based attorney who helped draft the North Korea Sanctions Act in 2016, thinks the consequence of sanctions are not rigorous enough at the current level to deter evasions by North Korea.

So far, they are not, Stanton said. You need to go out to Chinese banks that continue to launder money for North Korea. And although the Trump administration threatened that, it hasnt followed through with that threat.

US legislation

A day before the Hanoi summit that took place Feb. 27-28, Congressman Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, introduced a bill calling for the prohibition of lifting sanctions on North Korea.

Stanton said Congress will likely look for ways to make sanctions stronger now that North Korea has demonstrated its unwillingness at the Hanoi summit to agree to U.S. demands on denuclearization.

Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group at the Center for Naval Analyses, said North Korea is most likely to turn to South Korea for concessions and look to resume inter-Korean projects, such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang tourism, which South Korea has been planning to discuss with the U.S. prior to beginning preparatory work because of potential sanctions violations.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex that opened in 2004 included factories where South Korean manufacturers could employ North Korean workers for low wages. It was shut down in 2016 following a North Korean nuclear test. South Korean tours to the venerated Mount Kumgang ended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot by a North Korean guard.

Gause said, It will definitely make it more difficult for [South Korean President Moon Jae-in] to just provide concessions to North Korea with the United States taking a hardline following Hanoi.

Snyder thinks the inter-Korean projects cannot go ahead under current circumstance because they would pursue contrary to the sanctions efforts, and if South Korea tries to resume the projects with North Korea, it would definitely create tension.

So I believe South Korea is going to get essentially a red light on the idea of large-scale economic cooperation," he added.

Gause, on the other hand, thinks inter-Korean economic projects could help U.S. negotiate denuclearization with North Korea.

If the South Koreans were able to get some sanctions relief and provide North Korea with some resources, maybe reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex or Mount Kumgang, that could actually lay the path for better negotiations with the United States down the line than if we just take a hard line against North Korea, and they go into a shell, said Gause.

After the Hanoi summit, Snyder said North Korea is looking for a way to boost its leverage over the U.S. position by making a preparation to resume testing.

One leverage that North Korea can use to push back on the U.S. position is the idea of making preparations for possible resumption of testing," he said. Its kind of logical move for North Korea to make as a means by which to send the signal that the North Koreans also have some leverage and theyre not just going to roll over.
Democrats and Republicans are inviting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to address a joint meeting of Congress next month around the 70th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic alliance.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with agreement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other members of Congress, is expected to extend the invitation, the leaders' offices said. The address is expected to be one of several events in the U.S. capital celebrating the treaty's signing in 1949, congressional officials said.

The bipartisan show of support for NATO comes after President Donald Trump has criticized the alliance's 29-member nations for, in his view, not paying their fair share to protect against threats, such as Russian aggression. He has threatened to pull the U.S. out of the alliance.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Each of NATO's countries spends money on its own military capabilities in an effort to lessen dependence on the U.S. for defense against threats. Stoltenberg said that some NATO allies will spend an additional $100 billion by the end of 2020.

The celebration of the alliance's anniversary is the latest bipartisan defiance of Trump on the issue. McConnell in particular among Republicans has been outspoken about his support for NATO, issuing a memorable rebuke of Trump's behavior at Russian President Vladimir Putin's side in Helsinki last summer.

We value the NATO treaty, McConnell declared. We believe the European Union counties are our friends, and the Russians are not.

For his part, Trump campaigned on the idea that the U.S. is paying too much to defend European countries and vowed to make them pay their fair share. In his State of the Union address in January and in Hanoi last week, Trump misleadingly suggested that the U.S. has picked up $100 billion from NATO since he's been president.

A hundred billion dollars more has come in, he said in Hanoi.

In reality, Stoltenberg said on Feb. 15 that NATO allies in Europe and Canada had spent an additional $41 billion on their own defense since 2016, and that by the end of 2020 that figure would rise to $100 billion. So, the $100 billion refers to additional military spending over a four-year period, not over the past two years.

In 2014, during the Obama administration, NATO members agreed to move toward spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024. Trump's pressure may have spurred some countries to increase their spending faster than they planned or to become more serious about moving to the 2 percent goal.

The United States is the biggest and most influential NATO member, contributing about 22 percent of the alliance's budget.

Member-state contributions were a central point of friction at a NATO summit in Brussels last year. However, in a January interview with Fox News, Stoltenberg said NATO countries heard Trump loud and clear and were stepping up.

Some analysts have warned diminished U.S. leadership in NATO has already weakened the alliance. Former Ambassador Nicholas Burns said in a recent report NATO is facing its most difficult crisis in seven decades and the single greatest threat (to NATO) is the absence of strong, principled American presidential leadership for the first time in its history.

Stoltenberg has said Trump will meet with his counterparts from the military alliance at a summit in London in December.

Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the leaders will address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that NATO continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost 1 billion people safe.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador celebrated what he called his administration's "cordial" relations with the United States on Monday as he marked his first 100 days in office.



When Lopez Obrador took office Dec. 1, many feared the leftist was headed for a certain clash with conservative U.S. President Donald Trump.



But the two have maintained civil relations, without the frequent insults and name-calling Trump had once subjected Mexico to.



Mexico has quietly cooperated with the United States by allowing asylum applicants to be sent back to Mexico while they await resolution of their cases.



Lopez Obrador said that "accusatory and angry talk is no longer heard. Instead we use diplomacy and constant communication." He noted the United States has committed to investing $2.5 billion in Central America and $4.8 billion in Mexico, to help create jobs.



The new president was largely self-congratulatory in his 100-days speech, even regarding the economy. Many view economic policy as his weak spot because he angered investors and businessmen by cancelling a partly built $13 billion airport project,



Nevertheless, Lopez Obrador said "There is confidence among foreign and Mexican investors."



But his biggest focus was on what he called social justice, bringing more equality even to tourist zones.



"We are going to reduce the strong contrast between luxury hotel zones and impoverished neighborhoods," Lopez Obrador said. "We want modernity, but forged from below, and for all."



Perhaps one of Lopez Obrador's biggest challenges is to staunch the huge expectations that won him election.



For example, the president was blindsided by a wave of strikes at assembly plants on the northern border, where employees demanded 20-percent wage increases and bonuses.



The president clearly wants that movement to slow down. Some plants threatened to leave the border city of Matamoros.



"The new labor policy, of restoring the lost purchasing power of wages, cannot yield spectacular results overnight," he said. "It has to be applied slowly, but steadily. It has to be a gradual increase, in order to not hurt businesses."



A poll taken by the newspaper El Universal of 1,200 voters on March 2-7 showed that over 79 percent of those interviewed approved of Lopez Obrador's performance as president. Eleven percent disapproved, and 8 percent didn't approve or disapprove. The poll's margin of error was 2.9 percentage points.



By comparison, Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, left office with a historically low approval rating, which in several polls ranged from 20 percent to 24 percent.



The new president has been able to implement major policy reforms, especially on security issues like fighting fuel theft from government pipelines and winning approval for the formation of a highly militarized National Guard to fight crime.



However, Lopez Obrador's fight against the country's homicide epidemic hasn't gone so well.



In December and January, his first two months in office, homicides rose to 5,699, up 3.6 percent from the preceding two months and over 10 percent higher compared to the same two months one year ago.



"We have only been able to contain criminality, but not significantly reduce it as we had wished," said Lopez Obrador.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government said on Monday it is prepared to return to the negotiating table to continue peace talks that stalled over the opposition's demand for the release of political prisoners.

The foreign ministry released a statement saying the government was committed to "continue developing the work sessions to advance and agree on the agenda."

The government stressed that the talks were "based on trust, respect and goodwill," said the statement, read aloud at a press conference by Foreign Minister Denis Moncada.

The opposition Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy has demanded the release of political prisoners and an "end to repression and arrests" of anti-government protesters.

It said on Sunday it would "return to the negotiating table only when the government of Nicaragua provides the country with convincing signs they want to find solutions to the crisis," which began in April 2018.

The government made no comment on the opposition demands but said it had turned up for the negotiations, which began on February 27 and were due to last at least month.

Protests broke out almost 11 months ago, initially against a pension reform before morphing into general opposition to Ortega's iron rule.

A brutal crackdown by security services left 325 people dead and more than 700 detained between April and October, while thousands of Nicaraguans fled the country.

The foreign ministry called on the opposition to abide by the negotiation terms that require the two sides to meet every day from Monday to Friday.

Former left-wing guerrilla Ortega, 73, published the terms of the agenda on Saturday in which he rejected a key opposition demand to bring forward elections slated for 2021 to this year.

The opposition's withdrawal from the talks came after the country's influential Catholic bishops said they would no longer participate.

Ortega offered to reform the electoral system, which is dominated by government loyalists, liberate political prisoners awaiting trial and revise laws to eliminate "impunity."
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will speak in New Hampshire next month as he weighs a primary challenge to President Donald Trump.



The Republican Hogan, who remains popular in liberal leaning Maryland and won re-election last fall, will speak at "Politics & Eggs" on April 23.

The program from the New England Council and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College is a political rite of passage for many candidates running for president.



Hogan hasn't publicly decided whether he'll challenge Trump in the primary, though he has not ruled out the possibility.



It's unclear how a Hogan candidacy would be received by New Hampshire Republicans. An attempt last year to bind the New Hampshire Republican Party to Trump ahead of the 2020 primary faced pushback and was abandoned.
Desperate Venezuelans are fetching water from a polluted river and drainage pipes, and lives hang in the balance in hospitals as a nationwide power outage enters its sixth day Tuesday.

Schools and many businesses are closed and stores have no power to keep fresh what food is available.

Venezuelans who are filling water bottles from a drainage pipe flowing into the filthy Guaire River are warned to use it only for flushing toilets or cleaning floors.

Some hospitals have generators and doctors are hoping to be able to transfer patients who need operations to save their lives to those facilities.

Power was restored to parts of the county Monday, but was reported to be unreliable. It is also hard to confirm reports of deaths and looting coming out of Venezuela because of communication difficulties.

President Nicolas Maduro blames the power outage on the United States and opposition, accusing them of a cyberattack on a hydroelectric dam.

Opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido says government corruption and mismanagement are the cause. Engineers say a lack of maintenance and skilled experts fleeing the country have left the Venezuelan electrical grid in terrible shape.

The United States denies having anything to do with the power shortages and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Monday blasted Cuba and Russia for backing the Maduro regime.

"No nation has done more to sustain the death and daily misery of ordinary Venezuelans, including Venezuela's military and their families, than the communists in Havana," Pompeo said. "Cuba is the true imperialist power in Venezuela."

Pompeo says Maduro sends up to 50,000 barrels of oil to Cuba per day to help prop up Cuba's "tyrant socialist economy while Maduro needs Cuban expertise and repression, to keep his grip on power. A match made in hell," said Pompeo.

Pompeo added that Russia joins Cuba in showing contempt for the rule of law and prosperity in Venezuela.

"Russia, too, has created this crisis. It, too, for its own reasons, is thwarting the Venezuelan people's legitimate democratic hopes and their dreams. ... The Kremlin is standing with its Venezuelan cronies against the will of the people of a sovereign nation to protect a Moscow-friendly regime."

Pompeo said oil-rich Venezuela's plunge from wealth to poverty has left economists with "amazement and horror."

The United States expanded sanctions against Venezuela Monday to include a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by the Venezuelan and Russian governments.

The Treasury Department says the bank allegedly tried to avoid earlier sanctions on Venezuela by backing Maduro's failed efforts.

Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.
Iranian construction companies are to build thousands of residential units in the suburbs of Syria's capital, Damascus, an Iranian state-run news agency has reported.

Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) recently quoted a business official with the country's investment association, who announced that Iran would build 200,000 residential units near Damascus.

Iraj Rahbar, vice president of Iran's Mass Construction Society, said the massive housing project has come about after the Iranian and Syrian governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in January 2019.

Tehran has been encouraging prominent Iranian developers to buy property in Damascus, analysts and construction industry sources in Iran said.

"This is not the first time that officials encourage developers to invest in Syria," Amir Reza Masoumi, a Tehran-based architect, told VOA.

Masoumi, who has knowledge of ongoing discussions, said that instability in Syria has dissuaded many Iranian developers from investing in the war-torn country.

"Even now, details on how to protect the interests of Iranian investors in Syria are still unclear," he said.

Since the beginning of Syria's civil war in 2011, Iran has been a major supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in battling Syrian rebels across the country. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terror group, and other Tehran-backed Shiite militias have played a major role in recapturing Syrian cities and towns from rebel forces.

Foothold in Syria

As the war is waning, Iran wants to keep a strong footing in Syria by urging Iranian construction companies to invest in the war-torn country.

"The projected location of these buildings is several parts of Damascus suburbs, where massive destruction has taken place," a Syrian journalist, who requested anonymity because of fears from the Syrian regime, told VOA.

"The Syrian regime doesn't make such things public," he added.

He said that he has witnessed some Iranian business groups exploring destroyed parts of Damascus, adding that Tehran has already been involved in several other housing projects in Homs and Latakia provinces.

Syrian regime troops, supported by allied Iranian forces and Russia, regained full control of eastern Damascus in 2018 after nearly five years of fighting with rebel groups.

Iranian officials say that more investments in countries like Syria would help ease some financial pressure on Iran from the international sanctions imposed on the government.

"This is a great way of increasing international turnover and benefiting from our capabilities in terms of construction overseas," said Rahbar, of Iran's Mass Construction Society.

Experts said Iranian companies would shift their focus to places like Syria since a large number of Iranian investors have been barred from working in the U.A.E. and other Gulf countries, due to inability to transfer money using international banks after recent U.S. sanctions on additional Iranian entities.

"There are quite many methods Iranians have learned to subvert sanctions," Masoumi said. "But a big project like this needs a great banking support between both [Syrian and Iranian] governments."

During several visits by Syrian officials to Tehran, including a recent one by Assad, large investments and increased financial cooperation between the two allies have been one of the major points of discussion, local news reports said.

The role of cleric

In Damascus, Iran has reportedly relied on a prominent Shiite cleric, Abdullah Nazzam, to arrange its real estate dealings. Using his religious authority in Damascus and ties with the Syrian government, he has persuaded residents to sell their properties to Iranian businessmen.

While Iran  a Shiite-majority country  continues to build itself as one of the major players in Syria's future reconstruction, it also wants to carry out a systematic demographic change in many parts of Damascus and elsewhere in Syria, some experts charge.

"Iran is exploiting the fact that many Syrians, who are mostly Sunnis, have become extremely poor because of the war, and so it is offering them high prices for their properties that they can't refuse," said Musallam Talas, a professor of economics at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkey.

Talas told VOA the reason Iran is largely focusing on the housing sector in Syria is the fact that Iranian officials are well aware of how significant rebuilding that sector would be in the future.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the cost of reconstruction in Syria is almost $400 billion. Nearly 65 percent of that amount would go to the housing sector, according to IMF data.
The Somali government is banning four types of Antonov airplanes from flying in Somali airspace, citing safety reasons.

The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) says the AN-24, AN-26, AN-32 and AN-12 models will not be allowed to operate in Somali airspace after March 15.

Officials say there have been no accidents involving the Soviet-era planes, but there have been near misses."

A letter from the SCAA originally gave airline operators until February 28 to cease flights. That deadline has been extended until March 15, according to the deputy manager of SCAA, Jama Ahmed Muse.

The letter says the Antonovs do not have approved maintenance centers in the East Africa region where they can be repaired. Instead, mechanics repair these planes in the airport. It also says these planes lack an air traffic collision avoidance system, and that their noise certification is "unacceptable."

We have given [operators] until March 15, until we finish our investigation, said Muse. If they dont meet the standard, we told them they will not have the permission.

A senior official with SCAA later told the Investigative Dossier, a program of VOA's Somali Service, that the decision to revoke their permits is final.

Everybody is aware of the situation and they will have replacement planes in place. Some operators have already replaced their aircraft, the official said.

Muse says the order will affect a small number of planes that are charted by humanitarian organizations and the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to ferry cargo.

Muse says one of the planes, an AN-12, already left the country and returned to Ukraine, its registered country.

Somalia fully took over control of its airspace in December 2017 and transferred air traffic control from Nairobi. It had been run there by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization since the early 1990s Somali civil war.

Officials say there are about 250 flights over Somali airspace each day, excluding arrivals and departures. The number of travelers to and from Somalia has increased in recent years. Mogadishu airport alone saw a half million travelers in 2017.
About 3,000 people, mostly Islamic State fighters, poured out of the IS enclave of Baghuz Tuesday, as U.S.-backed forces targeted the terror group's self-proclaimed caliphate with rockets and gunfire.



Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish officials said hundreds of Islamic State fighters and their families surrendered en masse Tuesday. The SDF reported that three Yazidi women and four Yazidi children also were rescued by U.S.-backed forces as they moved into parts of Baghuz.

The SDF have been closing in on the last shred of IS territory in northeastern Syria, advancing slowly due to the presence of mines and booby traps, encountering what they describe as fierce resistance.

But by midday Tuesday, SDF officials were optimistic the caliphates death knell was near.

"The operation is over, or as good as over, but requires a little more time to be completed practically," SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel told al-Hadath TV.

WATCH: Fight in Baghuz Is Nearing an End

Earlier in the day, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said the U.S.-backed forces had advanced against IS in Baghuz on multiple axis, killing 38 IS fighters, even as they fought back, launching two rockets of their own.

Bali said IS positions in Baghuz were also pounded by 20 coalition airstrikes, which destroyed numerous defensive fortifications, weapons depots and several command posts.



Despite the heavy fighting, he said the SDF had suffered minimal casualties, with only three killed and another 10 wounded.



The SDF launched its final assault on the IS enclave late Sunday after pausing operations for nearly a week to allow more than 20,000 civilians, many related to IS fighters, to evacuate Baghuz for displaced persons camps. Hundreds of fighters also surrendered.

Officials with both the SDF and the United States were expecting a difficult battle over the collection of tents and wrecked buildings spanning no more than 1.6 square kilometers.



IS has been using a network of tunnels, caves and trenches to hide and launch counter attacks. U.S. and SDF officials described the system as complex, extending possibly for more than two kilometers, and rigged with explosives and booby traps.

Sources close to SDF leadership told VOA late Monday that although the battle for Baghuz was entering its final stages, there was concern the tunnel network might be even more extensive than initially thought.

They had also voiced concern about how many IS fighters were left to defend the last shred of the terror group's self-declared caliphate, saying despite all the evacuations, hundreds of fighters, or more, might still be preparing to make a final stand.



A senior U.S. defense official said many of those still in Baghuz had been moving with IS for years, sticking with the terror group battle after battle.



They want to continue the fight even if theres not a physical territory to protect, the official said.



Other U.S. officials have warned that IS used the evacuation of thousands of civilians in order to buy time.

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Gen. Joseph Votel, told U.S. lawmakers last week the evacuations were not a surrender but a calculated decision and part of a strategy to allow the terror group to complete its transition to a clandestine insurgency.



In an audio recording posted online Sunday, an IS fighter claiming to be in Baghuz called on other followers to find inspiration in the fight and take action.



My brothers in Europe and in the whole world ... be fierce and hard on the Crusaders, the fighter said, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group. Kill them and displace them in revenge for your religion and your dignity.



In a video, likely recorded in February in Baghuz, another fighter says death would be a victory for the last of the IS defenders as they never lost their faith.

Despite losing administrative control over almost all the land it once held in Syria and Iraq, U.S. defense officials warn IS still has "tens of thousands" of fighters working either as part of sleeper cells or as part of an active, clandestine insurgency.



A series of reports issued starting last year warned IS could have as many as 30,000 followers and fighters in Syria and Iraq, with officials cautioning they remain "well-positioned" to rebuild a physical caliphate.



Information from Reuters was used in this report.
The influential speaker of Chechnya's parliament has declared a blood feud against a popular exiled blogger in what appears to be another example of intimidation of critics in Chechnya.

Magomed Daudov, a close ally of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, on Saturday called blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov "an enemy to me and my brothers" after Abdurakhmanov criticized Kadyrov's late father, the former Chechen leader, on his YouTube channel.

In a video published last week, Abdurakhmanov called Akhmat Kadyrov, who switched sides in Russia's separatist wars in Chechnya in the 1990s, "a traitor" of the Chechen people.

Daudov's response, in Chechen, was translated into Russian and reported on Tuesday by several Russian news outlets.

During a live broadcast on his Instagram which is now unavailable, Daudov said that he is "not going to kill" the blogger but pledged to track him down and retaliate.

"Let's settle this according to Muslim laws," the official said. "From now on, when you go to bed, make sure that you lock the door with a key. When you go outside, be vigilant. If you get a kick in the back, know that it's no accident."

Speaking from Poland, Abdurakhamnov said on Tuesday that he does not feel safe due to his complicated, ongoing asylum case although he now lives far from Chechnya.

"I take Daudov's words very seriously," he told The Associated Press. "He is a person who has the power to follow through on his threats."

Abdurakhmanov, 32, who fled Chechnya in 2015, is seeking asylum in Poland, from where he continues to criticize Kadyrov and his rule. His YouTube channel, which has over 140,000 subscribers, focuses on human right violations and endemic corruption in this predominantly Muslim region in Russia's North Caucasus.

With his first asylum application rejected, and his second case hanging in the balance, Abdurakhmanov is now facing deportation from Poland, despite strong opposition from human rights activists who warn he will face torture or death if he returns to Chechnya.

This is not the first time Daudov has publicly threatened the blogger. Last year, he allegedly phoned Abdurakhmanov to try to coax and threaten him to return to the Chechen capital, Grozny. The blogger later released the recordings of his conversation with Daudov.

The speaker of the Chechen parliament has been described as Kadyrov's right-hand man and has been named as one of the main perpetrators of the 2017 crackdown on gay people in Chechnya. He and other Chechen authorities denied the crackdown ever happened.

International rights groups have accused Kadyrov and his security forces of extrajudicial arrests, torture and killings. Kadyrov has denied these claims. In 2016, Kadyrov warned in a report broadcast on Chechen state television that any Chechen residents who fled abroad would pay dearly for their criticisms of his rule if they return home.

Asked about Daudov's threat, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said that there is "no such thing" as blood feuds in Russian law, although it is still widespread in Chechnya, but stopped short of directly criticizing the Chechen official.
Tributes and condolences are pouring in for the 157 people who lost their lives when an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed Sunday near Addis Ababa.

The victims were from at least 35 countries and included 22 United Nations staff members heading to a U.N. environmental conference in Nairobi.

Flags at the conference were lowered to half-staff Monday. The Nairobi conference and a General Assembly meeting in New York both opened with moments of silence.

"A global tragedy has hit close to home, and the United Nations is united in grief. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims, to the government and people of Ethiopia, and all these affected by this disaster," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in New York.

The victims were also remembered at U.N. refugee headquarters in Geneva and at the State Department in Washington.

"This particular flight was used regularly by humanitarian and development organizations in the region, people working each and every day to save lives and make the world just a little bit better place despite the risks," the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mark Green, said Monday.

Menur Nur Mohamed lost his brother Ahmed on the doomed plane. Ahmed Nur Mohamed was the co-pilot.

"Me and my brother grew up together. He wasn't only my brother, but also my friend," Mohamed told Tsion Tadesse of VOA's Horn of Africa service.

Mohamed said he learned of his brother's death when the head of Ethiopian Airlines mentioned his name.

"[My brother] called me Saturday night to tell me has a flight Sunday morning and will call me when he gets back. But I didn't know where he was flying. When I heard about the accident Sunday morning, I called his friends to find out where he flew. I was trying to calm down our parents when the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines gave the press conference," Mohamed said.

Investigators have found the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which they hope will give them clues as to why the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet went down en route to Nairobi.

At least two witnesses say they saw smoke coming from the back of the plane before it crashed.

WATCH: US Experts to Help With Ethiopian Plane Crash Probe

Max 8 jets grounded

The Max 8 was the same model as the one that crashed into the Java Sea in October, just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing 189.

Indonesian investigators said information from the flight data recorder showed the plane's automatic safety system repeatedly pushed it downward despite the pilots' desperate attempts to maintain control.

But Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde GebreMariam said Sunday he could not rule out anything as the cause of Sunday's crash.

"Ethiopian Airlines is one of the safest airlines in the world," he told reporters at the crash site.

He stood inside the crater where the airliner went down. The ground was littered with jet parts and body bags.

The airline, along with carriers in China, Indonesia and the Cayman Islands, have grounded their Max 8 jets.

Boeing shares plunged 7 percent Monday on Wall Street.

WATCH: International experts investigate crash
Russian and Turkish military cooperation is deepening as Ankara's relationship with Washington deteriorates. Recent joint naval exercises between Russia and Turkey, and increasing military cooperation in Syria, come as NATO allies question Turkey's allegiance to the Western defense alliance.

A joint naval drill last Friday was part of a broader Turkish national military exercise. While the drills involved only a few ships, analysts have described its political implications as far more significant.

"The realization of the Russian-Turkish common military exercises is a message both for the West and for the region of the Middle East that two sides cooperate," said Zaur Gasimov, an Istanbul-based analyst for the Max Weber Foundation.

The choice of the Black Sea for the joint exercise also is heavy on political symbolism, given that it is a focal point of tensions between NATO and Russian forces, and it sends a message that likely will not be lost on Turkey's NATO members, other analysts say.

"This is another confirmation that Turkey is the odd man in the room when it comes to the NATO membership; nearly all people think Turkey is only a member on paper," said political scientist Cengiz Aktar, adding, "And how successful Moscow has been to cut Turkey from NATO."

"This is a trend thus far, from being temporary or tactical; this is a long-term strategy of Russia," added Aktar.

Moscow has been quick to exploit bilateral tensions between Ankara and Washington over myriad differences.

"The unprecedented amelioration of Turkish-Russian cooperation at present should be seen in the context of the unprecedented aggravation of the ties between Ankara and Washington," Gasimov said.

S-400 missiles

Washington's backing of Syrian YPG Kurdish forces in the fight against Islamic State has driven bilateral ties between the U.S. and Turkey, a NATO ally, to the breaking point. Ankara has designated the YPG as terrorists linked to the PKK, which has been waging a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Moscow's sale of its S-400 missiles to Ankara has further ratcheted up Turkish-U.S. tensions. Washington is warning of sanctions if the purchase is completed, saying the weapons threaten NATO defense systems.

Russians believe that Turkey will buy the S-400 and, for Moscow, the deal has a political impact, Gasimov said. "The entire process of sell and buy of S-400 poisoned the shaky ties between Ankara and Washington."

Syria

While U.S.-Turkish divisions deepen, Ankara and Moscow are increasing cooperation in Syria. Russia and Turkey back rival sides in the civil war but increasingly are working together along with Iran to end the conflict, under the auspices of the so-called "Astana Process."

This month saw Turkish and Russian forces begin coordinating military patrols in the last Syrian rebel enclave of Idlib. The patrols are part of a more comprehensive agreement hammered out between the Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The agreement averted a Syrian regime offensive into the province of Idlib which would have likely triggered a refugee exodus into neighboring Turkey.

However, analysts are questioning the sustainability of Turkish-Russian cooperation in Idlib. "Russians sooner or later will clear Idlib, which is filled with tens of thousands of terrorists," Aktar said, "and this, the first and foremost point of disagreement between Ankara and Moscow."

The Turkish-Russian patrols in Idlib came in response to Moscow voicing frustration with Ankara over what Moscow claimed was the failure by Turkey's armed forces to rein in radical groups in Idlib.

Strategies

For now, however, it appears Moscow's priority is deepening cooperation with Ankara. Local Turkish media reported Tuesday that Russian and Turkish forces are planning joint patrols in Tel Rifaat, an area controlled by the YPG Kurdish militia. The patrols aim to reduce tensions with the YPG and Turkish troops, which continually skirmish.

Moscow, like Washington, has developed a good relationship with the YPG. The PYD, the political wing of the YPG, has offices in Moscow. Russia, unlike Turkey's Western allies, has not designated the PKK a terrorist organization. Ankara voices little public criticism of Moscow's PKK stance, while at the same time castigating its European and American allies for not cracking down enough on the PKK, even though they do categorize the militants as terrorists.

Turkey's growing alienation from its traditional Western allies seems set to continue given Ankara's deepening ties with Moscow, and analysts warn of inescapable historical diplomatic realities.

"Historically speaking, since Peter the Great [Russian 18th century leader), Turks and Russians never had any joint strategic objective, never, this is for 300 years," Aktar said. "Also, it's not possible now that they start to kiss each other and have joint strategic objectives; these countries will always be regional rivals. Unfortunately, Ankara thinks they can play Russian and Americans against each other; it won't work."
Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition blamed each other on Monday for the deaths of more than 20 civilians in a village in northern Yemen over the past several days.

The victims include children.

The Iranian-backed rebels blame Saudi-led airstrikes while Saudi television says the Houthis killed the civilians when rebel fighters tried to stop an uprising against their movement by a local tribe.

Independent media have been unable to confirm the deaths.

A Saudi-led coalition has used airstrikes to help the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis. The rebels seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014, sending the Yemeni government into exile.

Both sides reached an uneasy cease-fire in the key port city of Hodeidah in December, but the Houthis still control most of the north and west.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands and has aggravated the misery for civilians already suffering from severe food and medicine shortages in one of the world's poorest countries.
Peace has not returned to Syria, and it is neither safe nor sustainable for Syria's nearly 12 million refugees and internally displaced people to return to their homes, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria warns.

Syria is entering its ninth year of conflict this week and, while Syrian government forces and their Russian allies have pacified large swathes of territory, the war has not been won.

Chair of the Independent Commission, Paulo Pinheiro, says scores of civilians are killed and maimed in Idlib and western Aleppo by pro-government forces, as well as by the Syrian Democratic Forces and international coalition fighting to regain control of Islamic State's last stronghold in Dayr al-Zawr.

"Violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law by all sides remain rampant, creating multiple security vacuums, and thus fertile soil for future escalations," Pinheiro said.

The Commission reported that persecution, discrimination, and other forms of ill-treatment are widespread. It said arbitrary arrests, detentions and executions continue in government-controlled areas, and armed groups and terrorist organizations also unlawfully detain or kidnap civilians in Idlib and Afrin for expressing political dissent or for ransom.

Pinheiro says military objectives are placed above civilian governance by all parties, creating a vacuum of the rule of law in parts of the country.

"Lack of security, of rule of law, of access to basic services, of reconstruction, and of overall prospects all undermine the feasibility of safe and sustainable return," he said.

The Syrian ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Hussam Edin Aala, told the council his country does not recognize the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry and said it should not be renewed. He turned his ire on the council itself, saying the U.N. body continuously targeted his country to promote geopolitical agendas that have nothing to do with human rights. He added the debate of the Commission report was a clear example of politicized practice.
A U.N. commission of inquiry on Burundi says the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza is becoming more repressive. The three-member commission says this does not bode well for elections in 2020.



In a report presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, the commission expressed regret at Burundi's recent closure of the U.N. human rights office after a 23-year presence in that country. The commission of inquiry remains the only international mechanism for monitoring Burundi's human rights situation.

The report notes that Burundi has told all foreign non-governmental organizations to re-register and submit a list of their employees, mentioning their ethnicity. This, to see if they are complying with a new quota system of 60 percent Hutu, 40 percent Tutsi and a minimum of 30 percent women.

Commission member Francoise Hampson says some NGOs have declared they would leave the country rather than comply with conditions that are contrary to their values. She speaks through an interpreter.

This continual shrinking of the democratic space, which also effects national NGOs, human rights defenders, and independent media in Burundi is all the more of concern as it is coming in the light of the elections of 2020, she said.

The commissioners say the political crisis that erupted in 2015 when Nkurunziz ran for a controversial third term has not been resolved. They fear this will have serious ramifications in 2020. They say they have reports that members of the opposition are being threatened, intimidated, arrested or eliminated.

Burundis ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Renovat Tabu, poured scorn on the members of the commission, calling them mercenary tools of the radical opposition in his country. He dismissed their report as being full of lies, liable, a mess of insults and politicized statements.

At the end of his diatribe, the president of the Human Rights Council reprimanded the ambassador, telling him to refrain from personal attacks and to speak in mutual respect.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is resisting growing domestic and international calls for it to ground a new American-made jetliner which has crashed twice in six months, killing nearly 350 people.

The president is engaged in discussions about the Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft, according to White House officials who did not specify with whom Trump is speaking.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg reassured Trump in a phone call Tuesday that the aircraft is safe, according to company officials.

White House officials confirm the call occurred but are declining to discuss details of the conversation, which occurred after Trump complained on Twitter that planes "are becoming far too complex to fly."

It is not clear who initiated the call.

"Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger," Trump also said on Twitter. "All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!"

Trump, however, stopped short of calling for the jet to be grounded until the cause of the crashes are found and planned modifications of software are installed for the aircraft's automatic anti-stall system, which may have played a role in both accidents.

Boeing also said in a statement Tuesday it has no plans to ground the Max 8, while the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said its own review of available data shows no basis for grounding the planes.

Since Sundays crash in Ethiopia, aviation authorities responsible for the airspace of dozens of countries, including China, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, South Korea and the entire European Union, have issued orders temporarily prohibiting flights of the 737-Max 8, suddenly making it the worlds most unwelcome airplane.

A number of U.S. senators from both parties, on Tuesday, called for the Federal Aviation Administration to do the same thing.

"These planes need to be grounded until they are inspected by Boeing and FAA," former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told CNBC. "You can't compromise safety."

Two labor unions representing flight attendants have also added their voices to the calls for temporarily halting commercial use of the jet.

However, the pilots' union for Southwest Airlines takes a different stance.

The MAX "is safe based on the facts, intelligence, data, and information we presently have. We fully support Southwest Airlines' decision to continue flying the MAX and the FAA's findings to date," said SWAPA President Jon Weaks in a statement.

"We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry," American Airlines, the other big domestic operator of the Max 8, said in a statement.

The airlines acknowledge some passengers are changing their travel plans to avoid flying on the Max 8 aircraft.

The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said his agency is urgently reviewing "all available data" and has not yet found any "systemic" issues or basis to "order grounding of the aircraft." Acting administrator Daniel Elwell, in a statement posted by the FAA on Twitter, said if new information is found the agency will take "immediate and appropriate action."

Authorities in several countries, including the United States, have raised concerns that the Max 8's automated anti-stall software can be erroneously activated by incorrect flight data and may have been a significant factor in both crashes.

"We have to review and see what actually took place," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Fox News on Tuesday. "We know that a lot of people in the industry have started to voice concerns about the amount of technology and taking the power out of the hands of the pilots, you saw the president talk about that in his tweets earlier today."

Sanders added that administration officials are "going to be in constant contact through the Department of Transportation, the FAA and make a determination at the appropriate time."

Boeing, whose stock price has fallen 11 percent in two days, announced on Monday that it is developing a "flight control software enhancement for the 737 Max, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer."

The initial crash of the Max 8 involved a Lion Air domestic flight in Indonesia on Oct. 29 of last year which plunged into the Java Sea.

This past Sunday's Ethiopian flight, according to witnesses, nosedived minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on an international flight to Nairobi in neighboring Kenya.

The flight data and cockpit voice records of Ethiopian Flight 302 have been recovered, the airline announced on Monday.

WATCH: Debate over grounding plane


The federal election oversight agency has levied a record fine against the Super PAC that backed former presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, who ran as a Republican in 2016, and a Chinese-owned corporation, according to a watchdog group that filed the initial complaint.

The Campaign Legal Center had asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to impose sanctions in 2016, after The Intercept reported that American Pacific International Capital, Inc (APIC) had made $1.3 million in contribution to the Right to Rise PAC.

APIC released a statement saying they are a U.S company and voluntarily agreed to the settlement with the FEC.

"The Commission expressly acknowledged that the company did not knowingly or willfully violate any U.S. campaign finance laws," APIC said in a statement provided to Reuters. "American Pacific International Capital remains committed to compliance with all campaign finance laws and regulations."

The Campaign Legal Center, however, called it a victory for transparency.

"Today's action is a rare and remarkable step by the FEC, and a reminder that safeguarding our elections against foreign interference is in America's vital national security interests," said Campaign Legal Center President Trevor Potter.

The FEC alleges that two Chinese citizens, Gordon Tang and Huaidan Chen, who are prohibited from making campaign donations, funneled their contributions through APIC to avoid detection.

APIC was fined $550,000 for making the contributions and Right to Rise was fined $390,000 for soliciting a foreign national contribution.

Federal law prohibits foreign nationals or foreign companies from contributing to U.S. political campaigns or candidates.

The documents released by the Campaign Legal Center do not implicate Bush, who spent months before formally launching his campaign fundraising for the Right to Rise PAC.

Right to Rise spent millions trying to help elect Bush president. He ultimately lost the Republican nominating contest to Donald Trump.

The PAC was dissolved after Bush was defeated. A representative could not be contacted for comment.
The U.S. immigration agency plans to significantly reduce its presence abroad, according to an internal e-mail seen by Reuters and current and former U.S. officials, in an effort to shift resources to domestic offices that took some career officials by surprise.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, currently operates 23 offices overseas, scattered across Latin America, Europe and Asia, according to the agency's website.

The move comes as the Trump administration has worked in the past two years to limit both legal and illegal immigration with cuts to the U.S. refugee program and USCIS stepping up vetting of visa applications.

The USCIS offices carry out a number of services, including helping Americans who want to bring relatives to the United States, processing refugee applications, enabling overseas citizenship applications and assisting U.S. citizens who want to adopt foreign children, the website says. USCIS officers abroad also look for fraud in visa applications and provide technical immigration advice to other U.S. government officials.

On Monday, senior USCIS officials told employees within the agency's Refugee Asylum and International Operations division that the agency had decided to close its overseas posts, one current and one former official said. The closures will happen over the next year and some of the offices' tasks likely will be shifted to the State Department, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

USCIS Director Francis Cissna sent a message on Tuesday to all agency employees saying the agency is preparing for discussions that would lead to shifting much of its international workload to its U.S. offices for domestic processing, as well as to U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.

"Change can be difficult and can cause consternation," Cissna wrote, but he said that the agency was committed to implementing "as smooth a transition as possible."

In places where USCIS does not have overseas posts, the State Department already carries out some of its duties, such as replacing green cards for American permanent residents who have lost theirs.

"As we have internally shared, USCIS is in preliminary discussions to consider shifting its international USCIS office workloads to USCIS domestic offices in the United States and, where practicable, to U.S. embassies and consulates abroad," agency spokeswoman Jessica Collins said in an e-mail to Reuters.

"The goal of any such shift would be to maximize USCIS resources that could then be reallocated, in part, to backlog reduction efforts," she said.

The agency would work closely with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security "to ensure no interruption in the provision of immigration services to affected applicants and petitioners," Collins said.

One of the responsibilities of the overseas offices is to help process refugee applications. But the Trump administration's reduction of refugee admissions has reduced that part of the offices' workload.

The administration also has put in place new barriers for asylum seekers, barring citizens of several Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States, and pushing new rules that would make it harder for low-income people to become permanent American residents.

USCIS has in the past decided to close individual offices based on demand for its services. The agency previously announced that its Moscow field office will permanently close at the end of March, citing a "significant decrease in workload."

But the closure of all overseas USCIS offices represent a shift in the agency's operations and came as a surprise to some employees.

Leon Rodriguez, the former USCIS director during the Obama administration, said the shift may have been aimed at cutting costs.

"Symbolically it is retreating from an international presence," Rodriguez said. That's the message we have been sending."

However, he said, "There is nothing that will go undone. There are certain things that will now be able to do in the U.S. and other things that will now be delegated out the consulates."
A U.S. Coast Guard officer accused of plotting a domestic terror attack has pleaded not guilty to weapon and drug charges.

Lieutenant Christopher Hasson on Monday appeared in U.S. District Court in Maryland and was sent back to jail ahead of his trial.

Hasson was arrested in February after police uncovered alleged plans to "murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country," according to the government's court filing.



Officers found 15 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his suburban Washington apartment. The government has not said what prompted its investigation of Hasson in the first place.

"I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the Earth," Hasson allegedly wrote in a 2017 email. "I think a plague would be most successful, but how do I acquire the needed Spanish flu, botulism, anthrax, not sure yet, but will find something."

Prosecutors said Hasson wanted to establish a "white homeland" and had a hit list of liberal politicians singled out for assassination. They included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a number of Democratic presidential candidates. CNN and MSNBC television personalities were also on the list.

He was indicted on charges of unlawful possession of two improperly registered silencers, possession of a narcotic opioid and possession of 17 firearms as an unlawful user and addict of a controlled substance. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.

Hasson's public defender, Julie Stelzig, has accused prosecutors of not having the evidence to back up their accusations. She says people cannot be imprisoned simply for thinking "negative thoughts" about others.
The United States will start initial production on parts for ground-launched cruise missile systems, the Pentagon said on Monday, after Washington announced it plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Last month, the United States announced it would withdraw from the INF Treaty in six months unless Moscow ends what Washington says are violations of the 1987 pact.

Russia announced it was suspending the treaty. Moscow denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself, allegations rejected by the United States.

"We will commence fabrication activities on components to support developmental testing of these systems  activities that until Feb. 2 would have been inconsistent with our obligations under the Treaty," said Army Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

"This research and development is designed to be reversible, should Russia return to full and verifiable compliance before we withdraw from the Treaty in August 2019," Baldanza said.

The Pentagon said the efforts would be conventional and not nuclear.

The INF treaty required the parties to destroy ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 miles).

The United States alleges a new Russian cruise missile violates the pact. The missile, the Novator 9M729, is known as the SSC-8 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Speaking at a Washington conference, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov dismissed allegations that the missile violated the treaty as a "fairy tale."

In January, the head of Russia's military's missile and artillery forces said the missile's maximum range fell short of the treaty's lower limit.

Frank Rose, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control now at the Washington's Brookings Institution think tank, suggested the Pentagon announcement may be designed to pressure Russia to return to compliance with the treaty.

"My best guess is that it is political signaling intended to make it clear the United States is serious about moving forward with the development of a new GLCM (ground-launched cruise missile) unless Russia returns to compliance with the treaty," Rose said.

The United Nations has urged the United States and Russia to preserve the treaty, saying its loss would make the world more insecure and unstable.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Tuesday that the United States and China are possibly nearing an agreement on a new trade deal, but stopped short of predicting a successful outcome of their lengthy negotiations.

"Our hope is that we are in the final weeks of having an agreement," Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee. But he said there are still significant issues that need to be resolved.

"We can't predict success at this point, but we are working hard," he said.

He added the U.S. would insist that any new trade pact include enforcement provisions allowing Washington to reimpose tariffs if China violated terms of the agreement.

"We are going to have an enforceable agreement, or [President Donald Trump] won't agree to the agreement,'' Lighthizer said.

Trump said last Friday he was confident the U.S. could strike a deal with China, but added, "If this isn't a great deal, I won't make a deal."

A new deal could possibly end hefty tariffs both countries have imposed on each other during the last eight months. The U.S. has taxed $250 billion of Chinese imports while China has imposed levies on about $110 billion of U.S. goods.

Lighthizer declined to say whether the U.S. would lift its tariffs if a deal is reached.

"We have to maintain the right to be able to  whatever happens to the current tariffs  to raise tariffs in situations where there's violations of the agreement," he said.

"That's the core. If we don't do that, then none of it makes any difference," he said.

The U.S. is demanding wide changes to Chinese industrial policy, including an end to large-scale state intervention in markets, subsidies for various industries and the alleged theft of American technology.

Trump has said he would like to have a signing ceremony at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, but the White House said no date has been set.
Differences between South African and U.S. policy on Venezuela's political crisis are likely to come to the fore this week, as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan visits southern Africa.

Last month, South Africa was one of three members of the United Nations Security Council, along with Russia and China, to vote against a U.S. resolution calling for the recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.

South Africa is backing embattled President Nicolas Maduro, and says the U.S. should respect Venezuela's electoral process, which saw Maduro re-elected late last year.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, said he was disappointed by South Africas move, and expects Sullivan to make that clear during meetings with South African officials.

What Maduro is doing to Venezuela is, in my view, literally a crime," he told journalists, speaking via teleconference from Kigali, Rwanda's capital. "And interim President Guaido is offering a solution; hes been empowered by the National Assembly, and why countries cannot come together to see that, for me, that is in effect very puzzling and I am absolutely certain that that will be a topic of discussion.

In its statement on the vote, South Africa said the U.S. resolution reflected a serious bias and partiality which goes against South Africas constitution and foreign policy, as well as the letter and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations.

Nagy did not elaborate on consequences if South Africa doesnt come around, although he noted that Sullivan will also be discussing trade in meetings with officials.

Sullivan, who began his weeklong tour Tuesday, will also visit Angola. Nagy praised Angolan President Joao Lourencos efforts to stamp out corruption in an oil-rich nation that was notorious for it during the rule of Lourenco's predecessor, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

"I think all observers have been absolutely, pleasantly, delightfully surprised by what President Lourenco and his government have been doing," he said. "We absolutely support his efforts to fight corruption. We know that there's a long way to go, because that's been one of the perennial complaints from American investors, and as you know, one of our top-line goals in Africa is to increase American trade and investment so there's not just a few investors going there."

Nagy also said U.S. officials expect South Africa to agree to its request to extradite former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang for trial. Chang, arrested last year in South Africa on an U.S. warrant, faces charges in the U.S. for his alleged role in a $2 billion debt scandal that has wrought economic chaos in Mozambique.

Nagy pointed out that South Africa signed an extradition treaty with the U.S. in 1999.

We expect, in such arrangements, that both parties will honor that treaty so we are very much expecting that that will happen," he said.

Both the U.S. and Mozambique are trying to extradite Chang, and a Johannesburg court is handling both competing requests. Changs lawyers say he would rather go to Mozambique. Critics of Mozambiques government say they suspect a Mozambican court will go easier on Chang than an American court would.

Nagy is midway through a four-nation tour that includes Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has been unable to resume crude exports from its primary port since last week's massive power outage, essentially crippling the OPEC nation's principal industry, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Power remained patchy in most of the country after a blackout on Thursday that the government of President Nicolas Maduro claimed was a U.S.-backed act of "sabotage" on the country's principal hydroelectric dam.

His critics insist it is the result of more than a decade of corruption and mismanagement.

Authorities have given few explanations about why the blackout occurred and how long it might take to resolve, spurring fears it could be indefinite.

PDVSA has launched a contingency plan to restore power to the Jose port, according to one source. The state of Anzoategui, where the port is located, has had only intermittent electricity since Friday, the source added.

The port has its own generator, but depends on the grid for 65 percent of its power, a PDVSA source said. The generator is not currently working and efforts are underway to restart it in order to maintain a minimum level of operation.

"It has been totally halted since the blackout. It has affected all of Jose's oil installations," another source said, adding that a restart would be costly and require power lines to be replaced.

PDVSA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

No oil export tankers have left Jose since March 7, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. There were a few shipments between domestic ports on Saturday, when power briefly returned, but another outage that lasted through Sunday halted operations again, according to the data.

The power outage also affected the Puerto la Cruz refinery in Anzoategui, which was already operating at minimum levels.

Rationing

Blackouts are not unusual in Venezuela.

Incidents stemming from problems at the Guri hydroelectric dam have briefly disrupted oil activities at fields that depend on the grid, which are mainly located in western Zulia State, rather than the Orinoco belt. Many fields, refineries and ports generate their own power.

The country's crude upgraders, which can convert up to 700,000 barrels per day of Orinoco Belt heavy oil into exportable grades, also operated at minimum levels due to the lack of power, the sources said.

But the current outage has been much more widespread and prolonged than those in the past. The status of the generators that PDVSA and its private partners use in upstream activities was unclear, though the PDVSA source said many were "re-circulating" the same product to avoid having to shut down.

The source added that the government had decided to ration what little electricity was available until the grid was back operating at 100 percent, in order to allow the Jose terminal - which includes the port and the Pequiven petrochemical complex - to consume the power it needed from the grid.

"Shipments of crude, sulfur and Pequiven are all paralyzed," the PDVSA source said.

Even as PDVSA struggles to restart exports, it is having trouble delivering shipments it has already dispatched from its ports due to U.S. sanctions slapped on the company in January in an effort to reduce Venezuela's government's cash flow and drive Maduro from power.

The top U.S. buyers of Venezuelan oil are trying to return millions of barrels of crude they need but cannot accept due to the sanctions, leaving the barrels in limbo as demurrage fees accumulate, according to an internal PDVSA document seen by Reuters.

The blackout has also hit domestic fuel supply. PDVSA has said it has activated a contingency plan for its gas stations that do not have their own power generation, but has not provided a general update on domestic fuel supply.
The United States says it is removing all remaining personnel from its embassy in Venezuela.

In a statement issued late Monday night, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the personnel will be pulled out of Caracas this week. Secretary Pompeo said the decision to shut down the embassy reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of the diplomatic staff has become a constraint on U.S. policy.

The State Department ordered all non-emergency personnel to leave Venezuela back in January, days after President Nicolas Maduro ended diplomatic relations with Washington and ordered U.S. diplomats to leave after President Donald Trump officially recognized Juan Guaido as interim president. Guaido had declared himself president after claiming Maduros re-election was illegitimate.

The U.S. announcement that it was closing its embassy comes as Venezuela enters the sixth day of nationwide power outage Tuesday. Desperate residents are fetching water from a polluted river and drainage pipes, with schools and businesses closed and stores unable to keep cold and fresh whatever food is on hand.

Some hospitals have generators and doctors are hoping to be able to transfer patients who need operations to save their lives to those facilities.

Power was restored to parts of the country Monday, but was reported to be unreliable. It is also hard to confirm reports of deaths and looting coming out of Venezuela because of communication difficulties.

President Maduro blames the power outage on the United States and the political opposition, accusing them of a cyberattack on a hydroelectric dam.

Guaido says government corruption and mismanagement are the cause. Engineers say a lack of maintenance and skilled experts fleeing the country have left the Venezuelan electrical grid in terrible shape.

The United States denies having anything to do with the power shortages and Pompeo Monday blasted Cuba and Russia for backing the Maduro regime.

"No nation has done more to sustain the death and daily misery of ordinary Venezuelans, including Venezuela's military and their families, than the communists in Havana," Pompeo said. "Cuba is the true imperialist power in Venezuela."

Pompeo says Maduro sends up to 50,000 barrels of oil to Cuba per day to help prop up Cuba's "tyrant socialist economy while Maduro needs Cuban expertise and repression, to keep his grip on power. A match made in hell," said Pompeo.

Pompeo added that Russia joins Cuba in showing contempt for the rule of law and prosperity in Venezuela.

"Russia, too, has created this crisis. It, too, for its own reasons, is thwarting the Venezuelan people's legitimate democratic hopes and their dreams... The Kremlin is standing with its Venezuelan cronies against the will of the people of a sovereign nation to protect a Moscow-friendly regime."

Pompeo said oil-rich Venezuela's plunge from wealth to poverty has left economists with "amazement and horror."

The United States expanded sanctions against Venezuela Monday to include a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by the Venezuelan and Russian governments.

The Treasury Department says the bank allegedly tried to avoid earlier sanctions on Venezuela by backing Maduro's failed efforts.

Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.
Lakhdar Brahimi, the veteran diplomat who is expected to steer Algeria's political transition after mass protests, has won respect from foreign leaders and his country's political elite during his long career.

But his appointment may not go down well with protesters demanding rapid change. At 85, he is three years older than President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and from the same generation that has presided over Algerian politics since the 1954-62 war of independence against France.

Bouteflika yielded to the protests on Monday by postponing elections and dropping plans to stand for a fifth term. Brahimi is now likely to chair a conference planning Algeria's future, a government source said.

A former foreign minister, Brahimi has carried out troubleshooting missions for the United Nations across several regions and mediated on some of the Middle East's thorniest conflicts.

Though not directly or publicly involved in national politics, he is a heavyweight of Algeria's establishment, long viewed as a possible presidential candidate. He is close to Bouteflika.

"The voice of the people has been heard," Brahimi said on state television after Bouteflika's announcement that he would not seek a new term. "Young people who took to the streets acted responsibly and gave a good image of the country. We must turn this crisis into a constructive process."

Bouteflika has said his own final act will be to usher in a new system that will be in "the hands of a new generation of Algerians."

The "inclusive and independent" national conference that Brahimi is expected to head is tasked with drafting a new constitution and setting a date for elections by the end of 2019.

It is likely to include prominent war veterans as well as representatives of the protest movement which has brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets since last month, political sources said.

The plan may struggle to win support, however. Large crowds turned out again in cities across Algeria on Tuesday, protesting against the extension of Bouteflika's term and calling for faster change.

'Great friendship for' Bouteflika

Educated in Algeria and France, Brahimi launched his career during the independence war, representing the National Liberation Front (FLN) in Southeast Asia while Bouteflika and other future leaders joined the FLN on the home front.

A career in the foreign service followed, including ambassadorial roles in the 1960s and 70s during Algeria's post-independence diplomatic heyday, when a youthful Bouteflika was foreign minister.

Brahimi was foreign minister himself from 1991 to 1993, as Algeria slid into a civil conflict.

In an interview published in 2010, he said elections that were cancelled by the army, with the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) poised to win, should never have been held, given the Islamists' strength.

But he said that once the first round was held in December 1991, the second round should have gone ahead too "because what followed could not have been worse."

Fighting that pitted security forces against an Islamist insurgency eventually killed as many as 200,000 people, with Bouteflika overseeing amnesties that drew the conflict towards a close after he became president in 1999.

From the 1980s, Brahimi served in multinational bodies, helping mediate an end to Lebanon's civil war for the Arab League in 1989-91, an experience he described as formative.

He spent six months heading the U.N. observer mission to South Africa before Nelson Mandela's election as president in 1994, and served twice as U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, before and after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In 2004, he was special envoy to Iraq.

In what was expected to be his final high-level mission, in 2012 he was named U.N. special envoy for Syria as the war there worsened, leading negotiations between President Bashar al-Assad's government and rebels in Switzerland.

Brahimi quit two years later, unable to break intra-Syrian and international deadlocks. He told the U.N. Security Council: "I go with a heavy heart because so little was achieved."

In December 2018 Brahimi told Jeune Afrique magazine that he did not foresee a domestic crisis in Algeria.

"Recently I traveled a little in the interior of the country and I have the impression that Algeria is doing quite well," he said, citing infrastructure development in his home region south of Algiers.

He said he did not believe Bouteflika was widely contested, and that he did not have an opinion on whether the president should stand again.

"I have great confidence in him and great friendship for him," he said.
Vietnam called on Malaysia on Tuesday to free a Vietnamese woman accused in the 2017 murder of the North Korean leader's half brother, a day after a Malaysian court dropped a similar charge against an Indonesian woman.

Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Binh, in a telephone call to his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah, asked Malaysia to "ensure a fair trial and free Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong," the government said in a statement.

Huong's co-defendant, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, was freed on Monday after a Malaysian court dropped the charge against her.

She and Huong have been accused of poisoning Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with liquid VX at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. Conviction could carry the death penalty.

Minh said in the phone conversation that senior leaders and the people of Vietnam have paid close attention to the trial, the government statement said.

Huong's father, Doan Van Thanh, said Siti Aisyah's release was good news for his family.

"I believe that my daughter will be released too because she is innocent. We haven't received any information from Malaysia recently, and we are eager to hear from them now," Thanh told Reuters.

The court is scheduled to presume proceedings on Thursday. Defense lawyers have maintained that the women were pawns in an assassination orchestrated by North Korean agents.

During the trial, the court was shown CCTV footage of two women allegedly assaulting Kim Jong Nam while he prepared to check in for a flight.

Siti Aisyah and Huong have maintained that they believed they had been hired to participate in a reality TV prank show.
The president of China's Supreme People's Court praised the countrys progress in advancing judicial reform over the past year during an annual government work report Tuesday to the National Peoples Congress.

An earlier whistle-blower case by a Supreme Court judge tells a different story, which, observers say, may epitomize how Chinas judicial system remains very opaque.

In his 40-minute-long speech, Zhou Qiang told nearly 3,000 members of the countrys largely rubber-stamp legislature that Chinas courts at all levels have fully upheld the principles of legality, presumption of innocence and exclusion of unlawful evidence.

Wrongful convictions overturned

More than 1,800 wrongful convictions, including 10 major cases of miscarriages of justice, have been overturned in the past year, he added.

That was among more than 25 million cases that Chinese courts had tried and closed in 2018, according to Zhou.

[Weve] strengthened the mechanism to prevent and correct miscarriage of justice while strictly implementing the principle of excluding [the adoption of] unlawful evidence, Zhou said.

Such a mechanism, however, exists in name only, argues rights lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan.

Liu noted that courts in China rarely take the initiative  a top- down approach  in re-opening trials that are problematic.

A top-down approach?

Instead, he added, most wrongful convictions in China are overturned in a bottom up format: repeated appeals by the victims or their families, some of whom even resorted to extreme measures to seize media attention so that their cases could be brought to light or stood chances of being reviewed again.

Some people, who have been wrongfully accused, serve their jail terms and do not file any appeals. Nor do their family members appeal or lodge any complaints, Liu said.

What would truly be a mechanism to prevent the miscarriage of justice, is if under such circumstances, the Supreme Peoples Court or the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate would spot flaws in the cases and re-activate due process to review such cases, uncover mistakes and overturn rulings, the Beijing-based lawyer added.

At Tuesdays NPC session, Zhou highlighted other statistics, including that Chinese courts have put nearly 30,000 perpetrators of organized crime behind bars, including village- and city-level thugs and some 33,000 officials guilty of corruption or bribe-taking.

Judges whistle-blowing



But, in contrast to the rosy performance of judicial advancement spoken of by Zhou, a recent whistle-blower case involving Wang Linqiang, a former assistant judge to Zhous top court, shed light on the practice of judicial interference or influence peddling in Chinese courts.

Wang was the judge for a long-running contract dispute and, in January, helped expose the loss of court documents in the second trial for the dispute that implicated high-ranking officials, including Zhou.

The court papers, which Wang claimed to be stolen in late 2016, detailed a mine ownership dispute between private firm Kechley Energy Investment and the state-owned Xian Institute of Geological and Mineral Exploration in northwestern Chinas Shannxi province.

Notes that spelled out instructions from higher-ups, including Zhou and his deputy, were said to be among the missing papers, evidence Wang said shows that the courts top leaders had interfered in the cases ruling.

The case was first tried by a local court in Shannxi, which ruled in favor of Kechley in 2006. But the ruling was later overturned by the provinces high court in 2011.

Kecheley then appealed to the Supreme Court, which in late 2017, finalized its ruling in favor of Kechley.

But Wang revealed, in several pre-recorded video clips that went viral in December, how some of the cases court papers had long been stolen from his Supreme Court office, where security was supposedly tight.

Id like to use this video clip to protect myself from unexpected mishap and save as an evidence, Wang said in January.

Wang added that his superiors were not very eager to locate the papers when he reported the incident of missing papers.

A dramatic turn

The judge also noted that he was under pressure from his supervisors to rule in favor of the state-owned institute.

Things, however, took a dramatic turn late last month, when a joint investigation team, including members of the Communist Partys central political legal affairs commission, the disciplinary commission, the top procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, concluded Wang was the one who stole the documents.

Wangs whereabouts are unknown and he was last seen in a televised confession on state-run channel CCTV.

I took them away on impulse partly to vent my anger, and partly to stop other [judges] from handling the case, he said on CCTV in February.

Following the flip-flop of Wangs whistle-blowing act, many have called Chinas judicial independence into question.

Lawyer Liu said the fact that Wang was forced to make a televised confession before any trail has shown that the judiciary in China has no respect for the principle of presumption of innocence.



On Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like microblogging site, one user questioned why Wang wanted to turn himself in? and another wrote such a sloppy ruling reached on TV only discredited the rule of law in China.

Thousands of other posts in response to news of Wangs confession were obviously censored, since they were no longer available.




How can they see with sequins in their eyes? If you saw Adam McKays Dick Cheney biopic Vice and guessed, based purely on editing, that there was a musical number somewhere on the cutting room floor, weve got excellent news. Fox released the deleted song-and-dance scene, which features Alabama Shakes front woman Brittany Howard belting out the shadier secrets to political success, while accompanied by Hamilton choreographer Andy Blankenbuehlers graceful hoofing.

The number provides a backing track for Donald Rumsfeld, played by Steve Carrell, as he delivers a frank explainer to Christian Bales Dick Cheney on how to manipulate Washington bureaucracy. Unfortunately, as the films editor told The Hollywood Reporter back in January, the scene was ultimately sacrificed to preserve narrative flow. Adam directed the heck out of it; it was really entertaining, said Hank Corwin. But what we found was, in the context of the film, it weighed the film down at the wrong time. Because if youre going to do something underhanded, it can be tough to pull it off with jazz hands.
Weather this week is going to steadily become more of an issue for us across the Tennessee Valley. The changes begin tonight as an intensifying storm system tracks out of the Southern Rockies and into the Southern Plains through the night and into Wednesday.

Clouds will build tonight and Wednesday. The day will start with unseasonably warm lower 50s for morning low temperatures. The wind will start increasing to 10-20 mph Wednesday afternoon. Gusts up to around 25 mph are possible. That wind will help to mix up the lower atmosphere and give a boost to our temperatures, so expect low-to-mid 70s for afternoon highs.

A few showers will become possible by late Wednesday evening. Rain will ramp up between midnight and 6 AM, setting us up for a rainy slippery Thursday morning drive in spots. On-and-off rain will fall throughout Thursday. The more on that rain is throughout the day, the more any risk for severe thunderstorms will be tamed. The more off that rain is throughout the day, the higher our risk for severe thunderstorms will be.

If the risk for severe thunderstorms is going to unfold, it will happen as a line of heavy thunderstorms will arrives over Northwest Alabama between about 5 PM and 7 PM Thursday. It will move through the Shoals and track across I-65 near Athens and Decatur and into Huntsville, Madison, and Fayetteville between 7 PM and 9 PM, then it moves into Sand Mountain between 9 PM and 11 PM. Severe thunderstorms can, by definition, produce tornadoes, damaging winds over 58 mph, and large hail. This would be the worst case scenario. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best so you are not caught off guard.

Storms will end Thursday night by midnight or soon after. Cooler, drier weather will prevail from sunrise Friday through at least Tuesday of next week.
The Decatur Police Department honored four patrol officers as the employees of the month Tuesday.

Here are details about them that Emme Long, department spokesperson, provided:

Officer Derek Annerton & Officer Joshua Fisher

Officer Derek Annerton and Officer Joshua Fisher were commended for taking a robbery suspect into custody within seconds after being dispatched to an alarm at Family Security Credit Union.

Annerton and Fisher located the suspect in the parking lot red handed  with all of the cash that had taken from the bank.

Because of their quick thinking, the safety of the customers, employees, and passing citizens was quickly restored with minimal impacts to daily operations.

In addition to the officers exemplary response, their supervisor Sgt. Jason Hyder noted their compassion to reassuring the staff of Family Security after the traumatic event.

The supervision is extremely proud of the way these two officers performed their duties during this incident, says Hyder.

Officer Cain Bowen

Officer Cain Bowen was honored for his dedication to securing public safety after locating and arresting escapee Abdulla Russell, who had fled from the custody of another law enforcement agency.

While on patrol, Bowen spotted Russell and engaged in a brief foot pursuit. Even though he temporarily lost sight of the suspect, Bowen noticed a set of fresh footprints and followed them.

Bowens keen eye to detail led to Russell, who had taken cover in a garage.

After being taken into custody by Bowen, Russell gave a full confession to numerous felony cases.

Officer Bowen is a valued officer of the Patrol Division and SWAT Team, notes fellow Officer Allen Rawls.

Officer Josh Heflin

Officer Josh Heflin was recognized for saving an elderly resident who had been walking at night in the northbound lanes of Highway 67 and relocating her with her family.

While driving on a nightly road patrol in the rain, Heflin noticed the figure of an older woman with a dimly lit flashlight in the roadway.

Heflin quickly blocked oncoming traffic and led the resident to safety.

Upon speaking with the 87-year-old, Heflin was able to find where the resident lived and relocated her with her relatives.

His actions are an example of Decatur Police Departments mission for officers to have a servants heart and to be responsive, proactive, and compassionate, says supervisor Lt. Scott Strickland.
In Colbert County, emergency management officials believe there could be more than $1 million in damage, and that's just to roadways. That's not including the damage to people's homes.

In Colbert and Lauderdale counties, there are at least 250 homes with flood damage. On Tuesday, federal and state emergency management officials started verifying flood damage throughout the Shoals.

State EMA officials said the process will take weeks, and they will send the information off with the hope that President Trump will declare a disaster declaration for February's flooding.

"Here, a flood is different, and it just takes a little bit of time to get all the information together, because it comes in and leaves," said Alabama EMA field operations director, Ricky Adams. "We have to go out and look at every single residence we can to determine this major damage."

Together, all North Alabama counties must meet a damage threshold of $7.2 million. Adams said once they verify all of the damage, it will go to the state headquarters where they will consult with Governor Kay Ivey, who has not toured the flood damage in the Shoals.

"We will prepare a letter that goes to the governor and when the governor makes that decision, she will contact the president," said Adams.

The president must declare a disaster declaration in order for federal funds to flow in and fix all the flood damage. This process will take weeks and Alabama EMA, along with FEMA, will be in town a few days. Adams said their goal is to verify the damage reports.

"The citizens down the road, if there is a declaration, will have an opportunity to file a claim, and that's their opportunity to talk about their damages," said Adams.

As people in Nathan Estates rip out dry wall and try to rebuild, they said seeing the state and federal government in town is a good sign.

"Any kind of help would be appreciated. Everyday, we're getting help from our neighbors and friends and family, but any kind of financial help should be good, because materials are expensive," said T.C. Hallmark, whose home was damaged by floodwaters.

Many homeowners dont have flood insurance and are hoping federal funds can help them rebuild. Public assistance funds will go to help municipalities recover from flood damage, and individual assistance will go to help homeowners. None of these options are opened up unless there is a disaster declaration from the president.

Over in Sheffield, Riverfront Park sustained about $40,000 in damage when the Tennessee River rose to an almost historic crest. The floodwaters have gone down, but the current knocked the park's boat pier off its supports with some of the boat ramps still underwater. The currents also broke some of the playground equipment, and the City of Sheffield said that will have to be repaired.

"It was heartbreaking for a lot of us," said Trisha Dean, who takes her kids down to the park. "We came down to the barricade, and the officers showed the girls just how strong the current was and that it could wipe you away."

Over in Tuscumbia, Spring Park sustained a lot of damage too. All of the electrical equipment, like the carousel, roller coaster and train, will need repairs. They are holding off on fixing the park for now so that state and federal officials can see the damage for themselves.

Tuscumbia mayor, Kerry Underwood, said they don't have an exact cost of damage to Spring Park yet, but he knows the park does not have flood insurance.

"We know the park is important, so we're gonna fix it. If we can get state and federal funding to fix that then we will, but otherwise, the park will be made whole again," said Underwood.

Underwood said he and other mayors hope the president will declare a disaster declaration for the Shoals, so they can get federal money to make repairs. City officials will have to apply for public assistance in fixing all of the flood damage to places like Spring and Riverfront parks.
Huntsville police are looking for a teen accused of stealing a car from her former Sunday school teacher. It happened overnight at a home near Mastin Lake Road and Avondale Drive.

A Huntsville homeowner is left in disbelief after waking up to someone banging on her front door, and ultimately kicking it in. The woman didn't want to be identified for her safety.

"I heard a big boom and the door swung open and by the time I got to the living room, she had grabbed my purse and had gotten into my car which was in the car port," she said.

She said she watched the person drive off in her car with her belongings. Huntsville police said she believes the suspect is her former 16-year-old Sunday school student.

The homeowner says it's not the first time the teen has stolen from her.

"She'd take 5 or 10 dollars out of the purse. That's just what kids do. I tried not to make that big of deal about it, but it just kept getting worse," she said.

The homeowner said she was left stranded at her home on Monday, and she had to take the day off work to cancel all her credit cards that were in her purse. She also had to report her stolen car to authorities and her insurance company.

She said this is disheartening after she helped the girl for many years of her life.

"Anybody that has been a Christian that has tried to help people, they get slapped in the face all the time. I'm hoping that the Lord touches her heart and changes her way," she said.

Huntsville police said the stolen car is a 2007 Ford 500, with the Alabama tag 2574AD6. If you see the car, you are urged to contact police.
The flu continues to be very active across the entire state of Alabama with activity increasing slightly. According to the most recent report from the Alabama Department of Public Health, 55 people have died this flu season. One of them was a child.

The state health department told WAAY 31 adults are being hit hard this season because the elderly are in that group. If there are underlying health conditions for the elderly the flu can become deadly.

Lydia Goodman is one of 285 people who live at the Regency Retirement Village. The flu has not impacted the building this year, but last year, "we ended up quarantined for quite a while even in our rooms and them bringing us meals," said Goodman.

Following the bad flu season last year the assisted living home is taking extra precautions this year to keep it away, "Whipin' down all tables with cleaner, whipin' doornobs, chairs after each shift. just really gettin' everything clean," said Registered Nurse Haley Autrey.

On top of keeping all of the surfaces germ free in the building they're also making sure anyone who comes and goes uses hand sanitizer to make sure the flu is not spreading to people who live here, "We advise all visitors, if they're havin' a runny nose, a fever in the past week, a cough or anything, please do not come visit," said Autrey.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 216 people died in Alabama during the 2018 flu season. This year is only the 2nd year the state has recorded the number of flu related deaths, "I think that sometimes persons do not realize that influenza can be deadly," said Dr. Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

By recording the number of deaths their goal is to encourage people to get flu shots, which something Goodman is a big fan of, "If they get theirs they're helping other people from getting sick," said Goodman.

Even though it is late in the flu season the Alabama Department of Public Health said it is not too late to get a flu shot. It can potentially help save the life of someone who might not make it through it they get sick.
As manufacturing continues to grow in Alabama, companies like Sonoco in Hartselle are consistently on the lookout for new employees.

The international companys Hartselle plant produces industrial products for packing like reels and spools among other items. They are they largest industrial employer in Hartselle with roughly 300 people on their workforce.

Tiger Launch information: Busche

2018 - 6 students



2019 - TBD

Cerro Wire

2018 - 4 students



2019 - 8 students

Sonoco

2018 - 8 students



2019 - 16 students Students from Hartselle High School work on an assembly line that was installed in a former storage facility for the junior high school. Students from Hartselle High School work on an assembly line that was installed in a former storage facility for the junior high school.

Plant Manager Todd Whatley said in order to continue their success though, they need to be able to reach younger people.

Its going to be vital to our area as we continue to expand, not only just our company and business, but also we have new manufacturers coming in, said Whatley.

Thats why Sonoco along with Bushe and Cerro Wire partnered with Hartselle City Schools for their new apprenticeship-style program called Tiger Launch.

HCS Superintendent Dr. Dee Dee Jones told WAAY 31 that the program addresses a key need in the community.

In north Alabama, you know, were constantly being told that theres a limited pool of students. And so we wanted to grow and help our workforce development, said Dr. Jones.

The program began at the start of the 2018-2019 school year and is now in its second semester. The 18 students involved start their day with some core classes and learn about workplace safety and etiquette before heading off to work around 1 p.m.

Its really an apprenticeship program. Theyre getting firsthand, manufacturing experience, said instructor Jeff Hyche.

Hyche is the former principal of Hartselle High School and returned after leaving that position to oversee the Tiger Launch program.

Students start with a base salary of $10 per hour, but the companies can increase that depending on performance. Hyche said the model is like the 12 for Life program in Florence City Schools.

It's real life. This is real life work. If you dont do what youre supposed to do, youre no longer employed. If you do excellent work, you may get a bump and get a raise, said Hyche.

Whatley told WAAY 31 that having the 12 for Life program as a comparison helped Sonoco feel more at ease coming on board with Tiger Launch.

One of our customers in the Florence area has some experience with the same thing and having some comfort with that, we were able to just talk through some risk management pieces with our company and we were able to get things going pretty good, said Whatley.

The program is offered to juniors and seniors who are at least 17-years-old. Senior Nicholas Young said he was working at a fast food restaurant before joining the program. Now, he plans to stay with Sonoco while he goes to college.

Its real good work experience and itll get you, maybe youll know what you want to do in the future with it. And I took that opportunity and I love it, said Young.

Hartselle City Schools said they are excited by the programs success in its first year. They said they are not only expanding the number of students in the fall, but they are also adding a morning section to accommodate students who want to participate in after-school activities and sports.

They are also starting to look beyond just manufacturing.

"That was our initial focus. But we know that theres a great need in the building and construction industry and thats another area where were looking at, said Hyche.

As of now, no new companies have been confirmed. But Whatley said from what theyre seeing, everyone involved is benefitting.

They get to learn the discipline that it takes to really be successful in the workplace while we on the other hand have an opportunity to understand our incoming workforce and how we can apply our learning to what were doing in our facilities to make improvements, said Whatley.

School officials said theyre also working with some Morgan County schools to allow their students to join Tiger Launch as well.
The weekday mail carrier in a south Huntsville neighborhood is tossing packages on people's front doors, leaving stuff broken and residents upset.

Breanna Melton recorded video of her mail carrier tossing her packages, and she told us she's gone to her postmaster more than once with the video. She said when she does things get better for a little while and then, eventually, go back to normal.

Courtesy: WAAY 31 Viewer Courtesy: WAAY 31 Viewer

"He would just stand about two or three feet from the door, just kind of chuck them at the door, and he would just go on his way," Melton said.

In the more than two years she's been at her house, Melton said she's even been so bold as to show the mail carrier video of himself tossing her stuff around.

"He just kind of laughs and shrugs his shoulders and goes on about his way," Melton said.

Melton is a newlywed and a new homeowner and has found herself opening boxes of broken wedding gifts.

"It was awful because a lot of people, they didn't send, like, gift receipts, so sometimes we weren't able to return them and get them replaced," Melton said.

Melton's neighbor didn't want to go on camera, but he also shared his frustrations about their mail carrier. He said he's so tired of opening damaged packages that he pays extra to have most of his stuff be delivered by FedEx or UPS.

"It's just like he doesn't care," Melton said.

Melton said she'd even be okay with the mail carrier leaving packages on her trash can if it meant her deliveries would make it inside in one piece.

"The least you could do is just set it down nicely. You never know what's in there that could be fragile," she said.

WAAY 31 reached out to her specific post office and the national United States Postal Service about the issue, but we haven't heard back yet.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is withdrawing the last of its staff from its embassy in Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation.

Pompeo announced the decision late Monday as Venezuela struggles to restore electricity following four days of blackouts around the country and a deepening political crisis.

The U.S. has led an international effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold new a presidential election.

Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.

Maduro ordered U.S. diplomats to leave in late January but then backed off.

Pompeo says the remaining diplomats in Venezuela will be removed by the end of the week.

___

6:15 p.m.

The widespread blackouts in Venezuela have brought oil exports to a halt, and financial experts say that is costing the cash-strapped country millions of dollars a day.

Russ Dallen is a Miami-based partner at the brokerage firm Caracas Capital Markets Dallen and he said Monday that Venezuela hasn't shipped $358 million in oil since the nationwide power failures hit Thursday evening. He said that "the whole system is grinding to a halt."

Dallen says two large tankers are sitting empty at the Jose offshore oil-loading dock because of the nationwide power failure and at least 19 other ships are waiting their turns there.

The socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro contends the outage was caused by a cyberattack launched from the United States, which seeks to replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido.

___

5:55 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is lashing out at Cuba and Russia for continuing to support Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, saying they are contributing to his country's economic crisis.

Pompeo says Cuba and Russia are directly responsible for the suffering of the Venezuelan people.

He says that Cuba is the "true imperialist power" in Venezuela. Cuba has made the same accusation against the United States, alleging that the U.S. is after Venezuela's oil.

But Pompeo told reporters at the State Department on Monday that the U.S. is interested only in the welfare of the Venezuelan people. Pompeo also rejected allegations that the U.S. is responsible for crippling power outages that have hit Venezuela since Thursday.

___

1:10 p.m.

Spain's airline pilots union has asked for Spanish airline Air Europa to stop flying to Venezuela after one of its crews was attacked at gunpoint in Caracas.

The Sepla union said Monday that two pilots and eight more crew members of a flight from Madrid were assaulted on Saturday while going from the airport to their hotel in the Venezuelan capital.

The crew told the union that their van was surrounded by men on three motorbikes who later fled after an exchange of gunfire with a person the crew believed to be a plainclothes police officer. None of the crew members was injured.

The union says Air Europa responded to the attack by ordering the crews of flights to Venezuela to not spend the night in the country.

___

12:30 p.m.

Witnesses say an explosion occurred at a power station in the Venezuelan capital as days of nationwide power cuts imposed increasing hardship on the country.

Flames rose from the electrical facility in the Baruta area of Caracas early Monday, contributing to a sense of chaos among Venezuelans already struggling with an economic crisis and a bitter political standoff.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido says three of four electricity transformers servicing the area were knocked out and that state engineers are unable to fix them. The U.S.-backed leader of the National Assembly has blamed the blackouts that began Thursday on alleged government corruption and mismanagement.

President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, has accused Guaido and the United States of staging a "cyberattack" on Venezuela's power grid. The U.S. dismisses the allegation.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
BRPC Planner Eammon Coughlin discussed the priorities with the Board of Selectmen before he submits the application in a couple of weeks.

Lanesborough Applies For State Funding For Summer Street Sidewalks

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  The town is hoping the state will fund reconstruction of the sidewalks on Summer Street.

On Monday, the Board of Selectmen agreed to file an application with the state's Complete Streets program with rebuilding the sidewalks from Route 7 to the school as a top priority. The town can apply for up to $400,000 from the program per year.

"The town can apply for up to $400,000 of construction funding and that project will eat up $350,000 of it," BRPC Transportation Planner Eammon Coughlin said.

To fill out the application, Coughlin proposed smaller projects at North Main Street and Greylock Road, at Ore Bed and Balance Rock Roads, and installing five bike racks throughout town -- at Laston Field, Town Hall, the library, Narragansett Park, and the elementary school.

Coughlin said it is likely only one would be funded, and the Summer Street road has the best shot because it is a path to school and close to Town Hall where the Council on Aging has its programming  two qualifies specifically asked in the state application.

"If you do get funding, the chance you get funding again the next year is slim," Coughlin said. "It seems like DOT is trying to fund each town's first application. But I do know of some towns out east that were awarded multiple times."

The Selectmen swapped out the proposal for intersection improvements at North Main and Greylock Road for improving the intersection at Swamp Road and Old State Road. The Selectmen felt turning the North Main and Greylock into a T intersection wouldn't be wanted by the neighbors and that the Swamp Road intersection, with a three-way stop currently, is of more importance.

"Swamp and Old State are probably more of a permanent solution," said Chairman John Goerlach.

Selectman Henry Sayers said the current Y intersection at North Main and Greylock hasn't been a problem and it doesn't have as many issues with sightlines as the Swamp Road area does. Coughlin said T intersections are safer and engineers felt the location could easily be changed.

Both Swamp and Old State and Greylock and North Main were similar in price so a simple swap out in the application didn't cause any issues. The application is due to the state in two weeks.

For Ore Bed Road and Balance Rock Road, Coughlin said the project would include changing the turning radius, improving sightlines, and adding signage.

"It wouldn't be anything too crazy. We'd put up new signage encouraging people to slow down, warn people about bicycles," Coughlin said.

The priorities were chosen from a list of nearly two dozen BRPC had put together in consultation with town officials. Town Manager Kelly Robbins said the prioritize repairing existing infrastructure instead of building anything new.

"Instead of creating new infrastructure [Department of Public Works Director William Decelles] felt it was important to maintain our current infrastructure before adding more to the list," Robbins said.

Summer Street has been on the Board of Selectmen's radar for a long time. Three years ago engineers from Tighe and Bond had presented potential options for the roads . It ranged from repaving sections to a complete renovation of the entire road from Route 7 to Route 8. However, the price was too much for the board.

While Goerlach still feels there are more inexpensive options to fix the sidewalks, he said the Department of Public Works director disagrees. He is supportive of attempting to get state money for the construction.

"We will put this application in and if the town is lucky you will hear back in July or August or so," Coughlin said.

If awarded, the town would then have to pay for the engineering work required before construction can begin.

In other business, Robbins is still looking for direction as to which way the townspeople want to go regarding the police station. Goerlach is pushing for options, with quotes, to be presented to the townspeople at a special town meeting. However, Robbins wants to get the ball rolling on a feasibility study that would be needed to get state or federal funding.

"We need to know what the needs are for our Police Department. It shows good faith for the town, shows we are serious, it will get us more points if we need money," Robbins said.

She said U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, state Sen. Adam Hinds, and state Rep. John Barrett III are all currently looking for available funds to help the town. But, those programs would need the feasibility study completed before the town can apply.

The options include building new  on either land the town owns on Prospect Street, at the current station location, or at a parcel near Laston Park  renovating the current station or buying and renovating the former Vacation Village.

Selectman Robert Ericson is not supportive of tearing down the current building and building new. He said that building has too much historical value to be lost.

"The building has been everything. It's been an American Legion building, it's been Town Hall, it's been a school, it's the history of the town," Ericson said.

Goerlach disagrees that tearing down and renovating should be off the table. He said the historic value has been lost through multiple renovations and without repairing the foundation, the building won't last much longer.

"We've got to put a building back with a good structure. Unless you put a foundation under that, you can't say it will last another 100 years," Goerlach said.

Ericson responded saying the structure of the building isn't in poor condition. He said there are some spots for repair but overall, the structure of the building is good and will last years into the future.

Sayers, meanwhile, said that given repairs needed at the school and elsewhere in town and budget increases coming, he thinks the town shouldn't be taking on too big of a project for the Police.

"We have to go with, I hate to say the cheapest way, the most inexpensive way," Sayers said.
The Board of Health will encourage Hoosac Valley High School to join a state initiative that raises awareness of the health of e-cigarettes.

Adams Board of Health Takes Stand Against E-Cigarettes

ADAMS, Mass.  The Board of Health want to take a stance on underage smokeless tobacco use and will ask the high school to create a chapter of The 84, a statewide initiative to inform teens about the dangers of smoking.

The Board of Health heard from Joyce Brewer of Allied Health Educational Center last Wednesday about smokeless tobacco use among youth and the health issues it presents.

"We all know cigarettes are bad, and if you were to ask a teenager if they used cigarettes they would likely say no they are bad for you," Brewer said. "The message we are trying to get out now is e-cigarettes are bad as well."

Brewer specifically discussed Juul brand electronic cigarettes that utilize a liquid-filled pod, which Brewer equated to about a pack of cigarettes.

"They are the hottest thing on the market and cheap, sweet and they were easy to get," she said. "A pod is worth a pack of cigarettesand you just plug in the pod and as the youth would say rip it."

She said a single pod costs around $4, come in a variety of flavors, and that sales are focused on kids.

She cited a preliminary study that states more than 20 percent of Berkshire County high school students have used such a device.

There is a perception that the devices do not carry the ill health effects of cigarettes, Brewer said, and that they actually help people quit smoking. She said there have been instances when parents have purchased the electronic cigarettes for their kids because they believe them to be harmless.

Brewer said it is quite the opposite and it is still not sure how these inhaled chemicals will affect people.

"The chemicals in the pods are not supposed to be inhaled and we are seeing increased instances of asthma, bronchitis, and colds in youth," she said. "Some teenagers are using them for weight loss."

She said kids are becoming addicted without even knowing.

"When they dont have their pod they will act like anyone who hasnt had their cigarettes," she said. "They will get nauseous, cranky, headaches  they dont understand what it is like to have an addiction and we need to help them understand that."

Board member Bruce Shepley, a registered nurse who often works in the schools, said he has noticed that more kids are using the electronic cigarettes and even complaining of the effects.

He said gone are the days when it was obvious someone is smoking in the bathroom because the electronic cigarettes only give off a faint odor and are hard to detect.

"When you walked into the bathroom back then you could smell the cigarette smoke. You cant smell these," he said. "I have heard instances of athletes being suspended because they were taking a hit while on the bench. It is so discreet."

Brewer agreed and said one puff is often enough.

"These are made to cross the blood-brain barrier very efficiently," she said. "One puff of a cigarette takes longer to hit than one of these because of the chemicals. They give the rush more efficiently."

This concerned board member Peter Hoyt who said because one inhale is so potent it becomes easier for kids to consume even more increased potential health concerns.

Board member David Rhoads asked if a "sledgehammer" approach would be beneficial and asked if a regulation banning the underage procession of smokeless tobacco would help curb the epidemic.

Brewer said she was not aware of any other community that has done this and said she thought education would be the most beneficial.

"I think we have got get a handle on the best way to provide counseling and education teenagers because this blew up so fast," she said. "We know that the tobacco industry is looking for their next generation."

She said many schools have adopted The 84, which creates a group of kids who engage other students and even legislators about the dangers of smokeless tobacco. The initiative is part of the Department of Public Health's Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program that is a partnership with Health Resources in Action. The number "84" represents the percentage of Massachusetts teenagers who were not smoking when the program began; according to The 84, that percentage is now over 90 percent.

"They don't need a lot of kids, just an adviser and a few kids willing to do peer to peer education," she said. "We are encouraging more schools to do this."

Hoyt said he would reach out to Hoosac Valley and relay this information.

"I am going to approach it this way and reach out to Hoosac Valley," he said. "I am definitely going to recommend this."
The statement was made by Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Council Pham Duc Hai at a meeting with a delegation of Belgian parliamentarians  led by Georges Dallemagne, head of the Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarian Group  in the southern city on March 11.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman Hai said that since Vietnam and Belgium set up diplomatic relations 45 years ago, bilateral partnership has been expanded in many areas, paving the way for Ho Chi Minh city to boost ties in agriculture and seaport development with Belgium and Belgian localities such as the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, as well as the Port of Antwerp.

Vice Chairman Hai noted that although the economic and trade collaboration between the city and Belgium has been strengthened, the partnership has yet to match the potential and advantages of both sides.

He stated that Ho Chi Minh City highly values Belgiums financial support for the second stage of the project to dredge Soai Rap River, while expressing his hope that the two sides will conduct more cooperation activities in climate change response and environmental protection, as well as in traditional areas of high technology, wastewater treatment, mud settlement, and seaport development.

For his part, Dallemagne expressed his delight at the sound development of the relationship between Belgium and Vietnam over the past 45 years.

Belgium is very interested in expanding partnership with Vietnam, especially in agriculture, climate change response, and economy-trade, he said.

Impressed by the strong and dynamic growth of Ho Chi Minh City, Dallemagne said that Belgium hopes to accelerate delegation exchange activities with the city and strengthen coordination to increase cooperation opportunities in areas of mutual interest, such as dealing with challenges from climate change and urban environmental matters.

In 2018, trade between Ho Chi Minh City and Belgium reached US$ 616 million. By January 2019, Belgium had 25 projects in Ho Chi Minh City with a total investment of US$ 6.9 million.
200 new Rome bus drivers central to ATAC recovery plan.

Rome public transport company ATAC has received 3,853 applications for 200 available positions as bus drivers.

The almost 4,000 applicants will be vetted by an external company which ATAC has entrusted - through public tender - with the hiring of 200 new drivers.

The jobs, with fixed-term contracts, are part of what Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi describes as ATAC's "recovery plan" which includes the arrival of 227 new buses.

Photo Il Messaggero
Gucci to donate towards restoration of Tarpeian Rock at Roman Forum.

Luxury fashion house Gucci will present its 2020 Cruise collection fashion show on 28 May in the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

The news, announced by Maison Gucci together with the city, will see the fashion house contribute financially to the restoration of Rome's Tarpeian Rock over the next two years. The amount of money being donated was not revealed.

This 25-m high cliff is located on the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, the seat of city hall, and overlooking the Roman Forum. Composed mainly of porous tufa rock, the cliff was used during the Roman Republic as an execution site, from which traitors were flung to their deaths.

Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele says he chose the Capitoline Museums - the oldest in the world - as it reminded him of his childhood. Gucci is no stranger to collaboration with the ancient past: its pre-fall 2019 collection was shot in Italy's archaeological parks of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Selinunte.

In recent years Gucci's Cruise collection shows have been held at the Dia-Art Foundation in New York City, The Cloisters of Westminster Abbey in London, the Palatine Gallery at Pitti Palace in Florence and the Promenade Des Alyscamps in Arles.
Chip supplier Nvidia has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd. for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp. in a deal that would help the firm boost its data center and artificial intelligence business. The all-cash offer of $125 per share represents a premium of 14 percent to Mellanox's closing price on Friday. Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, also provides chips to speed up artificial intelligence tasks such as teaching servers to recognize images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers inside the data center. Nvidia gets about a quarter of its revenue from data centers, with the $2.9 billion in sales in 2018 from the segment growing 52 percent year over year. The segment is important as a slowdown in China and a fading cryptocurrency craze have started to weigh on Nvidia's overall sales in recent quarters. Nvidia said it believes that market for it and Mellanox is worth about $60 billion: $50 billion for Nvidia's computing chips and $11 billion for Mellanox's high-speed networking chips.
U.S. negotiators are insisting on establishing an enforcement mechanism with up to 18 meetings annually between Chinese and U.S. officials to discuss complaints lodged by American companies. In the event that diplomacy does not resolve the problems, the United States wants the right to unilaterally impose trade penalties on China, Lighthizer said.
Mapplethorpe, for instance, might well have focused on its subjects intense and intriguing relationship with Patti Smith, played by a too-pretty Marianne Rendon. Mere minutes into the movie, the fledgling poet and future punk-rocker meets Robert, played by the sharp-faced Matt Smith, a former Doctor Who. But as soon as her boyfriends homosexuality becomes evident, the character of Patti largely vanishes from the tale. (A Robert-and-Patti movie would probably have required the blessing of the real Smith, who chronicled the couples relationship in her 2010 memoir, Just Kids. Unfortunately, Smith declined to cooperate with Timoner.)
The staff is so attentive you may feel as if theyre on a stakeout. Your water glass will be forever full, your teapot always replenished and your empty steamer tins removed posthaste. Servers will also inquire, repeatedly, about your meal. One afternoon I laid out my whole bittersweet history with Da Hong Pao to a server, and she nodded appreciatively. She suggested there was a new chef in charge of the dim sum, which explained the improvements. This turned out to be a strange bit of fiction, as I learned later from Diana Chen, daughter of Jerry and Janice. Diana Chen said there have been no wholesale changes in the kitchen, only modifications and refinements along the way.
The measures rely on a provision in U.S. immigration law that allows authorities to send back migrants who arrive through a third country to that foreign territory. Immigrant legal advocates are seeking an injunction in federal court to block MPP, which the Trump administration says is necessary to contend with a recent surge of border crossings.
Davi and a business partner, Gary Lantrip, attended a closed-door fundraising event for Moore in Washington on Nov. 1, 2017, and acted as his security guards two weeks later at a Moore campaign event in Alabama, video from the events shows. The two men,owners of a small construction firm and Sextons clients in an unrelated case, also arranged for Sexton to meet the Breitbart reporters. Davi and Lantrip pressed Sexton to provide the reporters with a statement undercutting Corfmans allegations, according to text messages and recorded phone conversations.
An early favorite in the worlds best-known dog-sled race, Petit had been stuck for most of the day with his dogs on a section of Bering Sea ice about 200 miles from the finish line in Nome. The dogs refused to move, and Petit ultimately had them taken off the trail by snowmobile.
The 155 ceramic incense burners and braziers, containers for hot coals, 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.
In fact, he liked it so much, he began to organize some dancing on his own. The first square dance he put together took place in the kitchen of his Louisville farmhouse. By 2008, hed moved to the D.C. area. I wanted to meet dancers, so I Googled people who did contra and square dancing, he says, but he soon realized that there wasnt much of a scene. So over the next two years, he organized a half-dozen or so public dances. Most were fundraisers for some group or another, he says, but a few were just dances for the sake of dancing. He also organized dances in his home.
In our call, Carlson gave interesting quotes, which I appreciated. He spent a long time talking about how he was being unfairly attacked, which was interesting  the amateur genealogist had a Twitter following of a few thousand; Carlson had a cable audience of a few million. I was the one who ended the conversation, which was unusual: famous people are busy, and in phone interviews theyre often trying to hang up as soon as theyve picked up. But Carlson was happy to keep talking, earnestly reiterating that he didnt know why he was being targeted.
While some of Olivia Jades college-era videos and posts have been related to school  she promoted Amazon Prime Student, after all  most are not. Her attitude toward her education has previously attracted criticism, however. In April 2017, she tweeted, its so hard to try in school when you dont care about anything youre learning, but the apathy peaked about a month before she was set to enroll at USC in September. She posted a YouTube video in which she admitted she didnt know how much school she would attend. She told her followers she hoped she would try and balance it all, and said she was looking forward to game days and partying, but didnt seem all that enthusiastic about the experience.
By then it almost didnt matter. Like Bigfoot, the Bernie Bro loomed large in the public imagination. Except really he was more like a werewolf: a creature into which otherwise benign young men of the left were said to transform under a full moon  or in the glow of a computer screen. And because the Bernie Bro was an amalgamation of real traits, everyone seemed to know exactly who he was, even if they didnt actually know him.
Theres concern that what this means is, we are all individually under investigation, and were not, Mendelson said after emerging from the meeting. One member asked whether this could lead to an FBI agent knocking on somebodys door. No, this is a request for documents, thats what this subpoena is.
Providence is operating an emergency department and a small number of inpatient beds, as well as other services. It plans to close the existing hospital by April 30, although some primary care and mental-health services will continue, as well as the Carroll Manor nursing home. The group is also seeking to open an urgent care center on the site of the hospital.
Under the federal education law, private schools are entitled to many of the federally funded services that public schools receive, particularly if they educate children who are from low-income households or who are English-language learners. The rules, called equitable-services provisions, mean that public school districts pay for professional development for private-school teachers, or send members of their own staffs to provide reading help to struggling children who are eligible for extra help.
Santos, whose organization has worked with the judiciary to combat workplace harassment, said the judiciary should hire independent investigators to handle complaints and that any allegations made against judges should be automatically be referred to a different circuit. These measures would better ensure actual neutrality and increase employee confidence that they will receive a fair and impartial investigation and adjudication if they are brave enough to come forward and report harassment if they experience or witness it, she said.
Stones attorneys had argued, at a previous hearing on their imminent language in a motion, that the book was completed in January. However, Jackson said the defense had failed to disclose Stones plans for the book or its online availability at several points in February, while the gag order was being litigated, and did not describe any step to delay or withhold its release. She said it was undisputed that the order barred all public statements by Stone about the investigation.
State police said an initial investigation found that a tractor-trailer was heading south on Route 24 and didnt stop when traffic was backed up. The truck hit several vehicles, causing two to become pinned beneath the truck.
The Baltimore man estimated hed spent 60 percent of his 40 years of life as an inmate for drug-related crimes, and he said he wants to get clean, get a job and be part of his daughters life. To start, Washington said, he had been panhandling so that he could buy the drug buprenorphine, which curtails withdrawal symptoms, on the street. He often found heroin was cheaper: $10 for one dose of bupe and $6 for a dose of heroin.
Also Tuesday, the House gave preliminary approval to creating gender-neutral drivers licenses, which five other states and the District already offer. The IDs would allow applicants to designate their gender as X, rather than M for male or F for female. Proponents say the IDs are designed to be inclusive of transgender people and those with non-binary gender identities.
Hogan is being wooed by Republican critics of Trump to run against him in the 2020 GOP primary. The popular governor, who is barred by state law from seeking a third term, has not ruled out a possible White House run. But he has also made clear that he would not launch a campaign unless Trump is weakened.
The recommendations also require local school boards to help foot the bill, and Miller said, We havent gotten the counties to buy into it yet. . . . These foolish litigators can proceed with what they are going to do, but were going to move on our own good speed and fully fund education as best as we possibly can.
We rehearsed it with a regular backbeat on 2 and 4, he told PAS. But then when we did the first take, I dropped my stick and missed the 2. So being the faker that I am, I just played the 4, and one of the things you learn is that when you make a mistake, if you do it every four bars it becomes part of the song.
That suspect and his attorney insisted that he had never been to the Westfield Wheaton mall and that he had been with a friend recording music at the time of the deaths, according to court filings. And in March 2017, prosecutors, saying they had insufficient evidence to proceed, dropped all charges after the 17-year-old had spent more than two months behind bars.
Police did not alert the public to the shooting or issue a news statement, as they do in serious assault cases. Police said that the apparent shooter was known, that there was no threat to the public and that the shooting wasnt considered to be criminal.
When I get in an airplane to fly it, I have a vested interest in the safety of the airplane. We are not going to get on an airplane that we are not fully ready to put our family in and go fly it somewhere, said Nutter, who teaches aviation at the University of Southern Californias Aviation Safety & Security Program. Those crews are not going to get on those aircraft if they arent safe. All of the politics and money aside, everyone wants to operate and will only operate a safe aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines is well-regarded in the aviation industry for its safety record. Its last major crash was in 2010, when all 90 people aboard an aircraft were killed when it caught fire and plunged into the Mediterranean after it took off from Beiruts airport. Before that, its last major air safety incident was a 1996 hijacking that killed more than 100, one of the deadliest air hijackings up to that point. But it was not a disaster that called the airlines training or equipment into question. The company subjects its pilots to rigorous training and serves as a training hub for Africa and surrounding countries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, according to the airline.
The website for the committee that manages Hos mausoleum says Russia started charging for the chemicals after the Soviet Union collapsed, prompting Hanoi to ask that the supplies be produced in Vietnam. Vietnam has also sent technicians to study in Russia and can now handle the operations of the mausoleum by itself, the website says.
Levy, now 20, was arrested after police said he hit the babys mother in the mouth before kidnapping the boy whom he had never taken care of. An arrest warrant said Levy was homeless and couldnt provide formula for the child, and gave him a lollipop.
Ex-vice president of Congo seeks damages over ICC convictions: A former vice president of Congo who was acquitted on appeal of war crimes in the Central African Republic is seeking millions of euros in compensation from the International Criminal Court, his attorneys said. Jean-Pierre Bemba's attorneys have asked judges at the global court to award Bemba nearly 69 million euros ($77 million) for what they called a miscarriage of justice. The former military commander was convicted in 2016 on two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes over a campaign of murder, rape and pillaging by his troops during 2002-2003.
To some, the Islamic State messages may sound like desperate spin about the end of its self-declared caliphate. But the rhetoric is likely to resonate with the groups die-hard supporters. Some of the thousands of civilians evacuated from Baghouz in recent weeks said they still believed in the Islamic States dream.
There is nothing new about the racial animosity that gives rise to such abuses beyond the fact that they are more likely now to be recorded by phone cameras and posted for all to see. That doesnt make the incidents any more (or less) galling; it simply provides overwhelming evidence that what might once have been dismissed as anecdotal is in fact ubiquitous  even if President Trump, no stranger to leveraging racial frictions for his own divisive purposes, is unlikely to take notice.
Mr. Bilash, who was born in Xinjiang, is now a naturalized Kazakh citizen. Many detainees in the Chinese camps are ethnic Muslim Uighurs, but a significant additional portion of those arrested are Kazakhs. Mr. Bilash has run an advocacy organization in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to tell their story and call attention to the Xinjiang concentration camps, which witnesses say are designed to forcibly eradicate the culture, language and traditions of the Uighurs, Kazakhs and others. Mr. Bilash organized several gatherings of ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang who settled in Kazakhstan and complained that their relatives were held in the camps, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
BRITAINS PARLIAMENT has once again demonstrated that it is unable to swallow the hard realities of leaving the European Union, as opposed to the fantasies that were peddled to voters when they voted for an exit nearly three years ago. Those realities include heavy costs for the British economy and the imperative to preserve an open border with E.U. member Ireland  which could mean remaining inside the E.U.s customs union and its regulatory regime indefinitely. Prime Minister Theresa May did her best to fashion an accord with Brussels that minimized these harms. By voting it down for the second time Tuesday, Parliament increased the prospect that voters, rather than its members, will have to make a decision.
Why did Gillibrand fail to act? Politico reported that Malik had spent years by Gillibrands side as her driver  the senator officiated at his wedding  while the woman was a more recent hire and had significantly less stature in the office. She apparently did not take action because she liked him personally. The hypocrisy is rank. Gillibrand is pushing legislation, the Military Justice Improvement Act, that would make independent prosecutors, rather than military commanders, responsible for handling allegations of sexual misconduct in the military, because of the bias and inherent conflicts of interest posed by the military chain of commands sole decision-making power. Yet when faced with such allegations in her own office, she had no concern about bias and inherent conflicts of interest.
Now she is back, the first speaker in more than 60 years to be given another chance at the job after losing it. Pelosi owes her new majority not to the bright-blue districts that last year elected media darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has replaced Pelosi as the rights favorite foil, and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who on the day she was sworn in declared, Were gonna go in there and were going to impeach the motherf-----.
Theres a line in it that keeps popping to mind as the 2020 presidential campaign takes shape: Thats some catch. In Hellers book, the hero learns about a key clause in the air corps rule book, called Catch-22. It says that airmen who go mad can ask to be grounded. But given the terror of war, anyone who asks to be grounded is obviously sane. Thats some catch, that Catch-22, the hero says. Comes the reply: Its the best there is.
Democrats these days can seem just as frightened as Republicans by a party base thats in ferment. An example is former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, an ex-entrepreneur who created a bipartisan base in his home state. Hickenlooper is the embodiment of a moderate Democrat. But he verged on incoherence last week on MSNBCs Morning Joe when host Joe Scarborough asked him whether he was a socialist or capitalist. It seemed possible while watching him that Democrats are as jittery about offending Sanders supporters as Republicans are of crossing Trump.
Its plain to see why members of the party elite arent eager to see more insurgent candidates entering the fray, especially at the federal level. They often view grass-roots activists and people from marginalized communities, at best, as potential allies who can organize for Democratic candidates and help carry them to victory. When it comes to recruiting candidates, the party is still largely guided by an unhealthy addiction to candidates whom big donors prefer and by faulty notions of who is electable. This was painfully clear in the 2018 primaries, when establishment gatekeepers such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sometimes fought to defeat progressive insurgents, and there is little evidence at this early stage that it will be different in the 2020 cycle.
WINSTON SCOTT was 19 years old in 1975 when he was accused of raping a Fairfax County woman. He said he didnt do it. But he was convicted and served about five years of a 14-year prison sentence before being paroled in 1981. Albeit freed, he had lost the chance for the life he once dreamed of, and he still had to bear the burden of his conviction. That finally was lifted when the Supreme Court of Virginia last week affirmed what he had been saying for 43 years  that he was innocent.
Look, we need to address the environment. We need to do it quickly, he said. But we need to do it in a way that doesnt put these communities behind, and leave segments of the economy behind. So well be working to make sure that we do two things: that by fixing one thing we dont create a problem somewhere else.
In the coming weeks and months, Congress should hold hearings on whether an Administration that famously refused to stand up to Saudi Arabia to protect Boeing arms sales has once again put lives at risk for the same reason, Warren said. But that is a question to be answered another day. Today, immediately, the FAA needs to get these planes out of the sky.
Mark Harris has denied knowledge of the scheme. For weeks after the election, he insisted that his 905-vote victory entitled him to be seated in Congress. That changed after state officials heard public evidence of the ballot scheme at last months hearing, prompting Harris to say he believed that fraud had tainted the outcome. The following week, Harris said he would not run in the special election scheduled for later this year.
On one hand, you dont like handing the other side a potential campaign message at any point, and Democrats will inevitably try to make this into a Trump wants to cut your Medicare argument, Republican pollster Chris Wilson said. But Wilson argued that the plan probably would not reverberate as the ACA repeal push did. A proposed cut to entitlements in a budget proposal that has no chance of passing the House just isnt going to enter the public consciousness in the same way, he added.
In targeting many of the same voters, ORourke and Biden could be on something of a collision course. They would present the party with the sharpest test yet of whether it wants an exciting but untested face or a more traditional, experienced standard-bearer to take on President Trump. And both would be trying to lay claim to the Obama legacy, with Biden touting his eight-year partnership in the White House and ORourke attempting to tap into the cultural and generational zeitgeist as Barack Obama did more than a decade ago.
The key question for Democrats is whether to proceed with impeachment hearings if Republicans refuse to join in that endeavor. Pelosi told The Post in a magazine interview conducted March 6 that impeachment would be divisive unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan. Otherwise, she said, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And hes just not worth it.
Although four Republican senators have already announced they will vote to nullify the presidents emergency declaration, one of them  Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.)  publicly indicated Tuesday after a private meeting with Vice President Pence that he could change his position if the administration and senators strike a deal on revising the National Emergencies Act. That would be enough to kill the resolution in the Senate, provided no other GOP senators oppose Trumps declaration or alter their position.
FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub tweeted Monday about the agreement: Foreign interference in our elections is a direct attack on our democracy. I am deadly serious when it comes to tracking down & punishing foreign spending in our elections. The @FEC *will* hold committees to account. And a letter from your lawyer will *not* get you off the hook.
New Delhi, Mar 12 (UNI): India and Saudi Arabia will work together for 'irreversible, verifiable and credible steps' against all terrorists without any discrimination.

It was broadly agreed at the meeting between two sides when Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir paid an official visit to India on Monday and held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It was agreed to set up the Strategic Partnership Council at the earliest, MEA said here.

"Prime Minister thanked the leadership of Saudi Arabia for expressing full solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It was agreed that Saudi Arabia and India should work together for irreversible, verifiable and credible steps against all terrorists without any discrimination," an MEA statement said here.

The Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs paid an official visit to India as a follow up of the visit of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia last month.

During his meeting with PM Modi, Saudi Minister conveyed greetings of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Prime Minister.

"The Prime Minister warmly reciprocated the wishes," the statement said.

Al Jubeir briefed the Prime Minister on the follow up of the outcomes of the historical visit of Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia last month. Both the countries have taken significant steps including to boost trade and investment and to achieve USD 100 billion investment from Saudi Arabia into India, which was announced during the visit of the Crown Prince.

Later, Minister Al Jubeir met and held discussions with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.

"EAM Sushma Swaraj had a warm meeting with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al jubeir on his visit to India. Follow up to the recent visit of Saudi Crown Prince to India, including cooperation in counter-terrorism, came up for discussion," MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

"They took note of significant developments after the visit of His Royal Highness to India. EAM reiterated that an immediate irreversible and verifiable action to dismantle terror infrastructure is essential to fight the menace of terror," the statement said.

The gesture from Saudi side to increase the Hajj Quota to 2,00,000 and Royal pardon to 850 Indian Prisoners was highly appreciated.

"India and Saudi Arabia enjoy warm, close and multifaceted relations underpinned by historic, cultural, religious and economic linkages which stand elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Saudi Arabia is Indias fourth largest trading partner and second largest supplier of our crude oil needs," the statement added.

Image Credit: Raveesh Kumar Twitter page
Gillibrand has developed a reputation in the Senate as being at the forefront of efforts to combat sexual misconduct, particularly on the issue of sexual assault in the military. During a Senate hearing on the issue last week, she spoke out forcefully in defense of her long-held position that such cases should be handled outside the militarys chain of command.
When flying on Air Force One, Trump often peers into the cockpit when a plane is about to land, and he has publicly opined on the respective size and beauty of various runways. One of his main selling points for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that has never gotten off the ground was the need to upgrade U.S. airports, which he has likened to those in Third World countries.
Aviation experts said issues with the 737 Maxs new piloting software, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), and angle-of-attack sensors may have played a role in both accidents, which occurred less than five months apart. Boeing issued notices to pilots worldwide about the MCAS after the Lion Air crash but has been criticized for not doing so sooner  or more thoroughly.
At a news conference Monday, three priests  Alejo, Robert Reyes and Flaviano Villanueva  along with Villegas and another bishop shared the expletive-riddled messages sent to them. All of the clerics have been critical of the Duterte administration and its war on drugs, in which thousands have died at the hands of police or vigilantes, prompting calls for an International Criminal Court investigation.
Deputy Foreign Minister Cuong expressed his delight at the positive development of bilateral ties over the past few years and suggested facilitating all-level visits and working closely together at regional and global forums.

Sarmadi, who is in Vietnam for an official visit from March 10-13, spoke highly of Vietnams socio-economic achievements and improving stature in Southeast Asia and the world.

He wished to foster cooperation with Vietnam, especially in economy and trade.

Both sides discussed measures to lift Vietnam-Iran ties to a greater height, thus meeting the aspirations of the two countries leaders and people.

On the occasion, the guest invited Deputy FM Cuong to Iran to attend the seventh Vietnam-Iran political consultation.
New Delhi, Mar 12 (IBNS): Despite the recent Ethiopian Airlines plane crash which killed all 157 passengers on board a Boeing 737 MAX 8, the same type of the aircraft will keep flying in India while several nations have temporarily grounded such planes, media reports said.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu met senior officials of India's aviation safety watchdog DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on Monday. He reportedly asked them to make safety assessment of Boeing 737 MAX planes operated by various domestic airlines.

DGCA said in a statement earlier: "At present, two Indian carriers, M/s Spicejet (12 aircraft) and M/s Jet Airways (5 aircraft) have these aircraft in their fleet. The issue has been reviewed in DGCA... along with the Indian operators covering all reported snags/ defects of significant nature along with rectification action(s) taken on these aircraft. Compliance of an earlier advisory issued by DGCA post Lion Air accident on 3.12.2018 [same type of aircraft] was also reviewed. During the review, it was observed that the Daily Defect and Daily Incident reports contained defects of routine nature and no significant concern were observed."

However, in view of the Ethiopian Air accident of 10th March 2019 and based on the discussion held, the DGCA said, it took additional actions.

DGCA said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and may impose/ take any other operational/ maintenance measures/ restrictions based on the information received from accident investigation agency/ FAA/ Boeing.

USA not grounding 737 MAX

In USA, its federal aviation officials said they still consider the Boeing 737 MAX planes airworthy.

"External reports are drawing similarities between this accident and the Lion Air Flight 610 accident on October 29, 2018," the Federal Aviation Administration said in its notice. "However, this investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions," they have been quoted saying on CNBC.

Some nations suspend operations:

China asked its domestic airlines to suspend the operations of Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Indonesia said it is grounding all 11 jets of the same aircraft type.

Countries like South Korea, Mongolia are also following the ways to ground the planes.

Silk Air withdraws its Boeing 737 MAX8 fleet:

Singapore Airlines subsidiary Silk Air has withdrawn its Boeing 737 MAX8 fleet following the Ethiopian crash.

The airlines said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, and our hearts go out to those affected by the accident. SilkAir is temporarily withdrawing its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet from service."

SilkAir currently has six 737 MAX 8s. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority. As of this morning, all six aircraft have been grounded in Singapore and will not be returned to service until further notice. Our 17 Boeing 737-800NGs are not affected.

The withdrawal from service of the 737 MAX 8 fleet will have an impact on some of the airline's flight schedules. Customers who may be affected by flight disruptions will be contacted for re-accommodation.
It is vital the community understands that you are not to be made a scapegoat for any failings, or perceived failings, of the Catholic Church, he said to Pell, who showed no emotion and did not look at the judge. To other victims who may be present, this sentence is not, and cannot be, a vindication of your trauma.
The withdrawal agreement, which will still serve as the foundation of any future deal, is only about the terms of departure and does not include what the future relationship between Britain and the E.U. will look like. It sets out the $50 billion divorce settlement that Britain will pay; it allows for a two-year transition period, when things will remain essentially as they are now in terms of trade, migration, security and travel; and it seeks a guarantee to preserve the free and open border on the island of Ireland.
The biggest target in the budget is the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, which would lose almost 90 percent of its budget. It is expected to spend $3.3 billion this year on refugee assistance. But next years contribution could come out of the new International Humanitarian Assistance fund, which would be administered by USAID, an independent agency that is connected to the State Department.
Armed paramilitary groups made up of current and former police officers emerged in Rio in the early 2000s, creating an army of guns for hire. They control several neighborhoods in the city and are known for extorting residents for access to basic services, such as gas or cable, often killing those who stand in their way.
March 11, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is "not a state of all its citizens", in a reference to the country's Palestinian Arab population, adding that all citizens, including Arabs, had equal rights.

However, in his comments on Instagram, Netanyahu referred to a deeply controversial law passed last year declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people.

"Israel is not a state of all its citizens," he wrote in response to criticism from an Israeli actor, Rotem Sela.

"According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people - and only it."

The law, passed last summer, downgraded the Arabic language from an official language to a language with "special status", making Hebrew the only official language, and stipulated that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it".

It also states that an undivided Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

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Sela had posted on Instagram her criticism of an interview with right-wing Culture Minister Miri Regev, one of the Netanyahu cabinets most vocal critics of the Palestinians.

"When will anyone in this government tell the public that this is a country of all its citizens, and all people are born equal," Sela wrote.

"Arabs are also human beings. And also the Druze, and the gays, and the lesbians and... gasp... leftists."

As the comments made waves in Israel, Netanyahu reiterated his point at the start of a cabinet meeting.

He called Israel a "Jewish, democratic state" with equal rights, but "the nation state not of all its citizens but only of the Jewish people".

Netanyahu has been accused of demonising Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 17 percent of the population, in an attempt to boost right-wing turnout in elections due on April 9.

The prime minister has continually warned that his opponents will receive the support of Arab parties and that they will make significant concessions to the Palestinians.

Netanyahu, who may face indictment for corruption, is facing a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff, and Yair Lapid, a former finance minister.

The alliance's centrist positions and its security credentials - it includes three former military chiefs of staff - have helped it beat back Netanyahu's claims that its leaders are "weak" leftists.

It is extremely unlikely that Arab parties would be part of any coalition government after elections.

Netanyahu leads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israel's history and says he wants a similar coalition after the upcoming polls.
Loujain had not been notified of the charges in the indictment or been given access to a lawyer, her sister said in a text message. Amnesty International and Saudi human rights activists said they had confirmed the names of at least three other women who were told to appear in the Riyadh court. A Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to queries about the hearing.
However, he said, the withdrawal of the embassy personnel could pave the way for Washington to take tougher actions, without having to worry about retaliation against its diplomats. As Venezuela desperately tries to find new customers for its oil after the loss of its main market  the United States  the American government is using the threat of sanctions to discourage other countries from purchasing the petroleum.
Washington is Waging a New Dimension War Against China  and will Lose out Bitterly

By Peter Koenig



March 11, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Once the all-encompassing chittering and chattering about tariffs on Chinese imports by the western corporate media subsided, Trump, egocentric businessman rather than the President of the Empire, out of the blue, one could almost say, under the pretext of unfair Chinese trading, launches a new ferocious and as usual totally illegal campaign of aggression against Chinas fast-growing economy. Its aillicit campaign against Chinese competition, against Chinese unstoppable growth. Its a tacit recognition of Chinas emerging supremacy which the United States can only confront with fraud, deceit and illegal activities. And this only as long as Washington controls the western monetary system. This wont be for much longer.

Its an aggression against leading Chinese businesses and against Chinas embracing a policy of a multi-polar world  through connection of entire continents, countries, cultures, joint research, education and agricultural, as well as industrial development  through transport lines, equal trade, respect for each other and recognition of peoples and countries comparative advantages by technical knowhow and bestowed by nature. Its based on fair and equal interchanges. Its the multi-trillion-yuan Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also called the New Silk Road; an initiative launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping during an official visit to Indonesia and Kazakhstan.

BRI consists by now of 6 land and sea routes, currently comprising some 152 countries and international organizations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

This new Chinese economic behemothis tentatively projectedthrough the 2040s. The BRI is all-inclusive and, thus, so strong, it was recently incorporated in Chinas Constitution. However, it was largely ignored by the west, and especially by the western presstitute media  with the western Vogel Strausspolitics of halfwits, ignore it and it will go away. Now the west realizes, it wont go away  and it is tough competition for the falsely propagated wests trade and economic superiority. Too late my friends. As I often said, by endless greed and thirst for power with impunity, of short-term rent seeking, of relentlessly provoked wars and conflicts, killing layers and layers of human societies throughout the world to bring opponents of this small diabolical elite to their knees, the west is committing slowly but surely suicide. This is nature. Nature will not only survive, but overcome and subordinate this luciferian approach to world domination. The future is in the east. Most definitely. There is no way back.

Among the first steps of the USs new generation of aggression against China is Washingtons ordering its northern vassal, Canada, to arrest Huaweis Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Meng Wanzhou, in transit, at Vancouver airport on 1 December 2018.

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Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Shenzhen. Huawei is the worlds 7th largest telecommunication corporation and was founded by Ren Zhengfei, a former military engineer in the Peoples Liberation Army, in 1987. Ms. Meng Wanzohou is the founders daughter and deputy CEO. Ms. Wanzhou is now accused of breaking the totally illegal sanctions against Iran by doing business with Iran. Washington, unabashedly puts one illegal action of their own  sanctions  over another one  taking hostage a lead person of a strong Chinese competitor, to coerce Huawei to abide by an illegally US-imposed rule  sanctions. It is an unbelievable catch-22 story. But even more unbelievable is that the dictate of the abusive Washington policies is still followed and even worse, that there are hardly any protests.

This is only possible without most of the western world saying beep, because they all still recognize  for now  the US as the self-imposed exceptional nation  the nation that makes and breaks laws as it goes along.  But how much longer?

Ms. Wanzhou, still in Canadian custody, at risk of being extradited to US justice (sic), may face 30 years in prison, for absolutely no illegal infraction  only by acting against what the US made up as a law  sanctions  that everybody has to adhere to, or else, they will themselves be subject to sanction. Can you see how sick our western system has become?

It is now a war without bombs. Its become a war of economics, recognizing that a war with bombs and missiles the US could not win any longer  not that they ever did!  since Russia and China have developed technically far superior military equipment. Hence, the United States last trump (no pun intended)  is working their fraudulent monetary system to the last ditch.

Venezuela, one of the wests only true and last democracies, has been aggressed for the last 20 years, peaking now, because she refuses to bend to the rules of Washington, abandoning her socialist ideology, handing over her natural resources  the worlds largest oil and gas reserves, to the empires usurping corporations, the same that have been usurping and enslaving the Venezuelan people for hundred years before President Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999  and started changing the rules for the people, dismissing the usurpers and nationalizing the countrys resources for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.

Today the empire is waging a war on Venezuela, a war without bombs, a financial and economic war, where  thanks to the fraudulent monetary system that western societies embrace and have been willy-nilly accepting, and even today they dont dare to openly object to it, the empire is applying the international illegality of all illegalities, sanctions, interference in another countrys internal affairs, blocking trade, monetary transfers, confiscating  i.e. stealing  billions worth of Venezuelan assets abroad.

Washington is coercing and blackmailing so-called US allies into doing the same, commiting lowly highway robbery. By now some US$ 40 to 50 billion equivalent throughout the world were blocked and essentially stolen, including 1.2 billion dollars of gold withheld in the London City of Money. By seizing Venezuelas foreign assets and boycotting Venezuelas hydrocarbon sales  Venezuela is in dire straits  but not in despair, not dying from famine as the western media would like you to believe. No  Venezuela manages with calm and pride  and solid solidarity.

A similar situation prevails in Syria, where the Syrian national army with the help of Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, has pretty much defeated the terror network of ISIS, Al Nusra et al.In other words, the US, NATO, western and Gulf states, vassal allies which have been  and still are  financing these terror organizations as proxies, have lost their war of bombs, their fight for regime change  at least for now. We know, the empire wont simply let go, only when it reaches its last breath. And that moment will come, sooner or later.

So, the bombs are replaced by economic shackles  blocking Syria from using the international monetary transfer system, from accessing international credit, from importing vital goods, medicine and medical equipment, food, industrial equipment and spare parts  all that a society needs to function, to rebuild their western-demolished infrastructure, all these vital goods and services are being embargoed by the west  while Syria has never done any harm to a western country  all to the contrary. Syria is the bedrock of western history, providing the west with brilliant intellects, scientists, university professors and offering a rich culture  the cradle of western civilization.

Syria is strategically placed  with access to five seas. President Assads Five Seas Vision, connecting strategically located Syria with the Mediterranean, Caspian, Black Sea, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, making Syria the unavoidable intersection of the world in Investments, transport and more  this vision, plus the fact that President Assad is running Syria with a socialist philosophy and is as popular as always (70%  80% of a highly educated Syrian population support their President), make Syria a perfect target for regime change.  Again, the continuation of a war without bombs, but killing all the same with a weaponized western economic system.

The most exasperating fact is  again  that the western allies, predominantly Europe, that is, their corrupt leaders (sic), participate in this atrocity in Syria, as well as in Venezuela  and throughout many other rebellious, non-submissive nations. This, largely against the will of the people. Though indoctrinated day in and day out by fake news, people start seeing the light.

Frankly  what else would you expect from Europe?  Europeans for hundreds of years have been exploiting, raping, abusing Asia, Africa and Latin America, killing hundreds of millions of people, while stealing their resources  which now can be seen transformed into European culture, religious monuments  castles of kings and queens and their dictators, who still walk this earth as parasitically as in ancient times.

When the European empires successively collapsed, they simply regrouped and transplanted their reign from the Old Continent across the Atlantic to build a new AngloZionist kingdom, but not before, again, massacring the original inhabitants of that once great land, called America. At that time the noble forefathers of this newly nascent empire felt secure between two shiny seas. But, helas, times have changed. Attempting to emulate the grandeur of the Roman Empire, at one time calling their plan to Full Spectrum Dominance, Pax Americana, the association with Pax Romana became evident. Pax Romana were the three to four hundred bloodiest years of the Roman Empire, eventually collapsing under its own weight.

The big danger for the US-driven western criminal monetary and debt-driven pyramid system, is China, because Chinas economy is based on hard economic output, construction, manufacturing, intellectual and scientific development, as compared to the US-driven western neoliberal profit-maximizing dogma with inflated services, one that outsources hard production to low-wage countries, foregoes long-term economic gains and institutional memory, for a GDP of hot air, McDonalds-type jobs, consumption of cheap and useless imports; and, of course,  a destructive war and killing industry.

Thats why Washington is hastily trying to elevate their lie and deceit campaign onto another level. Kidnapping Huaweis Ms. Wanzhou, lambasting Europe to ban Huaweis equipment form their markets, because it contains spyware, is just one example of a ruthless illicit approach to eliminating competition. On the other hand, Washingtons fading empire dares slandering President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative and, in a last desperate effort, blackmailing Europe, as well as African BRI-contenders, with more illegal sanctions  not to sign up to Chinas New Silk Road.No matter that most of them have already done so. Italy clearly said they will soon sign an agreement with China to use Italian ports for BRIs maritime routes. As to banning Huawei from Europe, Germany, for one, has already said they will not ban Huawei. Lets hope others will follow Germanys lead.

The Belt and Road Initiative is an unstoppable train  that left the station some five years ago and is on a projected route for the next 30-some years initiating peaceful socioeconomic development throughout the world. As a Chinese representative at the recent Cuban Conference for The Equilibrium of the World said  We are building bridges to connect people of all continents, while the west is building walls.
The federal government has ditched a key recommendation from the banking royal commission to scrap trail commissions for new loans arranged by mortgage brokers after pressure from the industry and smaller lenders.

The mortgage broker industry, which had warned that many brokers would go out of business if the Hayne recommendation was approved, cheered Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's announcement on Tuesday that the government would now review trail commissions in three years if it remains in government.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has dumped a key recommendation from the Hayne royal commission regarding broker pay. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Commissions paid to mortgage brokers was one of the key focus areas for the royal commission, with commissioner Kenneth Hayne recommending in his final report that commissions to brokers be axed and replaced by an upfront fee.

Mortgage & Finance Association Australia (MFAA) chief executive Mike Felton said the decision showed the case for the removal of mortgage broker trail commissions had not been made.
BHP rail crews applied brakes to the wrong train just minutes before the brakes of another iron ore train on the adjacent track failed, sparking a $300 million derailment disaster, a preliminary report has found.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report provides shocking details on how the 268-wagon, 42,500-tonne train reached speeds of up to 162km pe hour before it was finally derailed on the company's private rail line 120 kilometres south of Port Hedland on November 5 last year.

BHP had to forcibly derail the train. Credit:Imgur

The ATSB report only looked at the events leading up to the derailment and did not lay responsibility on anyone, including the driver of the train, South Australian man Peter Frick, 63.

He was driving M02712 at the time and was sacked just days before Christmas following the catastrophe.
A Sydney man who says he is "in a process not to work for $Money$ but to make $Money$ work for me" has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 through taking over 70 people's mobile phones and changing their banking log-ins.

Shalin Patel, 22, is accused of being part of an identity theft syndicate that police will allege ported mobile phones from one carrier to another, then contacted their bank to change their log-in and password information.

Shalin Patel was arrested at his Doonside home on Tuesday. Credit:Facebook

Then, investigators say, he registered the phone for Apple Pay which he used to fraudulently purchase goods and transfer money to offshore accounts.

Mr Patel is also accused of laundering $48,000.
By Tsvetana Paraskova March 11, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Nicolas Maduros staunchest international allyRussiareaffirmed last week its full support to the Socialist leaders regime and his efforts to prevent what Moscow sees as interference in Venezuelas domestic affairs. At the same time, Russia, which vowed to defend its oil assets in Venezuela as early as the political crisis began in January, sees risks to its investments in the Latin American country and pledges to react in the toughest way possible within international law if those investments are threatened, Russias Ambassador to Venezuela, Vladimir Zaemsky, told Russian government-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an interview published this week. Russia is the staunchest supporter and ally of Maduros "regime" in the political power struggle in the Latin American country sitting on top of the worlds largest oil reserves, while the US and many European nations have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim president. Russia has stood by Maduro for years and has poured billions of US dollars in Venezuela in the form of loans and oil investments. Russias state-controlled oil giant Rosneft has extended US$6 billion of loans to Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA. As of December 31, 2018, Venezuela still owed Rosneft US$2.3 billion. Russia To Defend Its Venezuela Oil Assets In Toughest Way Possible Rosneft is also said to be helping Venezuela to get the oil products it needs to dilute its heavy crude after the US sanctions choked off American naphtha exports to Venezuela. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter There certainly are risks to Russias investments in Venezuela, but those risks are associated with Washingtons behavior, rather than with Venezuelas government, as the case with PDVSAs US-based refining subsidiary Citgo has shown, ambassador Zaemsky told Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in the interview with a headline Russia is not abandoning its friends). All Russian investment projects have been approved by the relevant Venezuelan and international law and therefore, are under their protection, Zaemsky said, and added: If attempts are made to deprive Russian companies of their investments in Venezuelas economy, Russia will react to this in the toughest way, employing all available means under international law. Referring to Citgo, Zaemsky said that Russia sees in this a US policy of unfair competition, citing another exampleunprecedented US pressure on Europe over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in an attempt to squeeze Russia out of the EU gas market. Similarly, Washington basically appropriated assets of a large oil refining business, without paying a cent for it and hiding behind tales of its transfer to the legitimate president Juan Guaido [sic], Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Zaemsky as saying. The Russian ambassador to Venezuela also reaffirmed Moscows stance that Russian-Venezuelan relations are strategic and the countries continue to strengthen them. This position was also expressed last week by Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said on Friday, after talks with visiting Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, that Moscow supports Maduro and the measures taken by Nicolas Maduros government to prevent further destabilisation. Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed what President Nicolas Maduro has said repeatedly: that the Venezuelan leadership is ready for such a dialogue. Of course, it is unfortunate that the opposition has consistently rejected dialogue  upon direct instructions from Washington, as we all know very well, Lavrov said, as carried by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Saturday, in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding Venezuela, Lavrov condemned the threats the US has made toward the countrys lawful leadership, which is an overt interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and a severe violation of the international law, the Russian foreign ministry said. While the global superpowers spat over the handling of the crisis in Venezuela, the Latin American countrys oil industry has been hit hard by the US sanctions against it and its state oil firm PDVSA. Venezuela struggles to find buyers for its oil, after the sanctions essentially ban exports to what was its largest market until recently, the US, as well as imports from the US of naphtha, which the country uses to dilute its thick heavy oil to make it flow. Russias Rosneft is reportedly coming to the rescue with shipments of naphtha to Venezuela to help it make its heavy oil suitable for processing and exports. Two Rosneft tankers will be sending 1 million barrels of heavy naphtha to Venezuela in the next few weeks, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing shipping reports and a source with knowledge of the plans. These naphtha shipments could bring some immediate relief, but they would be lower than Venezuelas typical monthly heavy naphtha imports of 2-3 million barrels, according to Bloomberg. Tsvetana is a writer for the U.S.-based Divergente LLC consulting firm with over a decade of experience writing for news outlets such as iNVEZZ and SeeNews. This article was originally published by " Oil Price " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Watch: Max Blumenthal: Report From the Real Venezuela 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.
It began on the weekend. It's expected to be the final assault. Even if it proves to be one of several final assaults, the very last vestiges of the so-called "caliphate" are about to be wiped out. A few years ago the caliphate covered an area the size of Britain, measured in tens of thousands of square kilometres. Today it's last fighters defend an area the size of a suburban shopping mall, down to its final hundreds of metres.

The barbarians of Daesh, who prefer us to honour them with the title of Islamic State, established their killers' kingdom in anticipation of the glorious Koranic End of Days when they would vanquish the evil unbelievers for all time. Instead, it is their caliphate facing the end of its days. Daesh's third-world theocracy is dying with the same nobility in which it was born - the remaining fighters reportedly are using civilians as human shields.

By contrast, the hard-fighting Kurds who are burying the last shreds of the "caliphate" under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces have been painstaking in avoiding killing civilians, halting fighting to allow some 40,000 of them to flee safely in recent weeks, and even offering safe passage to Daesh fighters who wish to leave. It is a degree of humanity that Daesh has never shown.

The creation of the "caliphate" was a significant achievement. It occupied large swaths of Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, contained some 9 million people and embraced the once-great city of Mosul. It was an electrifying moment for the jihadi movement because it was the first time that a caliphate had existed since the Ottoman Empire.
You cant change geography  Perth is the worlds most isolated capital city and there is no problem having that tag associated with it unless youre the tourism minister.

Last week Paul Papalia said that tag was outdated, encouraging all West Australians to talk up and brag about where they live.

It's not Perth's isolation, but its price tag that may hinder tourists from coming. Credit:Illustrations Photography

I reckon we already do that.

West Aussies are WA first, parochial and very proud of their home.
The $13.125 million flagged in this years state budget will now be directed towards radiotherapy services in Albany. Ms MacTiernan laid a share of the blame on changes to the federal governments research and development tax concessions. "It's really important to understand that that money has been spent on that research," she said. "That money was largely spent on the development of the data, development of the understanding of the ocean floor, of the wave energy; that material is now with UWA. "We have paid for it, but it is certainly not lost.

"We have got value from that investment that will now form part of the database available to the UWA Wave Energy Centre and of course would be available for any further proponents. "I don't think it has gone to waste, the way we conceptualised the project is that out money would be going into the common user infrastructure and of course that required a detailed research on the geophysics and the wave energy. "So that money did go into that and that overwhelmingly that research is available now and in the hands of the university and will add to our understanding and knowledge of the ocean in that area." Nationals MP Terry Redman said the government should have axed the project before it handed over the $2.6 million and Ms MacTiernan still had questions to answer over the Wave Energy Research Centre. "[Ms MacTiernan] paid money to the company knowing they couldn't do it because she demanded a plan to prove they could," he said.

Loading "She could've made the decision well before this and now he we find ourselves down the track with $2.6 million of taxpayer funds gone. "I don't know what research they've got because if there was research done, it would've been done in a building in Perth, not off the coast of Albany, because there's nothing out in the ocean." Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said he was disappointed the project would not go ahead. He said Albany had seen very little in the way of jobs from the project.

In a statement to the ASX Carnegie chief executive Jonathan Fievez said the company was disappointed with the decision. "...the state government were provided with a revised

project funding plan in February which outlined Carnegies plans to deliver the Albany project over an extended timeline and with a reduced budget," he said. "This significant new development must now be incorporated into the strategic review currently

underway and Carnegie will update the market in due course." Mr Fievez said the changes would have enable Carnegie to optimise the project spend to lessen the impact of changes to research and development tax incentives and provide time to make changes to their wave technology. The company, which received state government cash despite not meeting milestones for the Albany project, was suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange earlier this month after it failed to lodge its half-year financial report.
Beijing: Chinese courts have seen a 42 per cent surge in intellectual property rights cases, as the Chinese government seeks to show it is heeding foreign business complaints about intellectual property theft.

The president of the Supreme Peoples Court, Zhou Qiang, on Tuesday highlighted the success of a foreign company in defending the copyright of Peppa Pig through a new online court system.

Peppa Pig has become an unlikely symbol for rebelliousness in China. Here's a non-copyright Peppa Pig tatoo on social media, Weibo. Credit:Weibo

The Hangzhou Internet Court last year found in favour of two British companies who complained about a Peppa Pig copyright infringement by a Chinese toy company. The company was ordered to pay 150,000 Chinese yuan ($31,000) in compensation and stop selling the fake toys online.

Intellectual property theft by Chinese companies has been a sore point in trade war negotiations with the United States. China is seeking to strike a deal with the Trump Administration to end punitive tariffs on Chinese goods.'
New York: The US aviation regulator is under growing pressure to join other countries, including Australia, and ground Boeing's 737 MAX jet following two deadly plane crashes involving the new aircraft.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has suspended 737 MAX flights, as has the European Union, China, France, the UK, Turkey, Singapore, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Malaysia.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has resisted making a similar intervention following the death of 157 people on Sunday when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed just six minutes after takeoff.

Senior politicians from both major parties have called on US regulators to ground Boeing's fleet of 737 MAX planes following the death of 157 people on Sunday. Credit:Bloomberg

Such a move would have significant economic consequences in the US given Boeing is the country's biggest exporter and has the biggest impact of any company on the Dow Jones industrial average.
Home Search ICH 50+ Retired Generals and Diplomats Urge the United States to Reenter Iran Deal



Re-entry into the nuclear deal will contribute to establishing a broader U.S. national strategy for the Middle East.



By The American College of National Security Leaders March 11, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The United States should rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), put limitations on Irans nuclear program that provided assurances that it would not be used to develop weapons, improved American intelligence about potential future development and significantly improved the security of the United States and our allies. Subsequent to the United States withdrawal from the deal, Irans continued compliance is not ensured and the benefits from the agreement risk being lost. Reentering the Iran nuclear deal advances the United States national interests by ensuring these benefits persist and enables us to work more closely with our European allies in ensuring that Iran never obtains nuclear weapons. Reasons for re-entry: Iran is complying with the agreement. In a recent report, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Irans compliance to the 2015 nuclear deal, despite the United States withdrawal from the deal and re-imposition of economic sanctions. Tehrans continued adherence to the agreement demonstrates the Iranian governments commitment to its initial pledge. Under the JCPOA regulations, Irans enterprise lacks the nuclear weapons-development activity necessary to produce a nuclear device and is subject to unprecedented international monitoring. Our European allies are firmly committed to the agreement. In a recent statement, the Council of the European Union expressed resolute commitment to and continued support for the Iran deal, which they consider a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and an achievement of multilateral diplomacy. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Re-entry into the nuclear deal will contribute to establishing a broader U.S. national strategy for the Middle East. We condemn Irans continued ballistic missile activities, human rights violations and support for terrorism, as they pose threats to the United States and the region. Reaffirming leadership in this area will improve the ability of the U.S. to develop and lead a multilateral effort to contain the Iranian threat. We must recall that the initial agreement was a strategic, long-term, high-stakes endeavor focused on one goal: preventing an Iranian nuclear weapons program. Reentering the agreement and lifting the sanctions will greatly enhance the United States ability to negotiate improvements and enable us to address our concerns with the existing agreement. This statement was organized by The American College of National Security Leaders. Rear Admiral Sandy Adams, USN (Retired) Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, USA (Retired) Brigadier General Ricardo Aponte, USAF (Retired) Vice Admiral Don Arthur, USN (Retired) Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, USN (Retired) Brigadier General Donald C. Bolduc, USA (Retired) Ambassador Susan Burk, Retired Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Retired) Rear Admiral Christopher Cole, USN (Retired) Major General Peter S Cooke, USA (Retired) Vice Admiral Dirk Debbink, USN (Retired) Brigadier General James H. Doty Jr., USA (Retired) Major General Paul Eaton, USA (Retired) Major General Mari K Eder, USA (Retired) Brigadier General Robert Felderman, USA (Retired) Vice Admiral Michael Franken, USN (Retired) Lieutenant General Walter Gaskin, USMC (Retired) Rear Admiral Stephen Glass, JAGC, USN (Retired) Ambassador Thomas Graham, Retired Vice Admiral Kevin P. Green, USN (Retired) Major General Richard S. Haddad, USAF (Retired) Major General Bob Harding, USA (Retired) Ambassador William Harrop, Retired Brigadier General Don Harvel, USAF (Retired) Major General Sanford E. Holman, USA (Retired) Ambassador Richard Holwill, Retired Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, Retired Brigadier General David R. Irvine, USA (Retired) Lieutenant General Arlen D. Jameson, USAF (Retired) Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (Retired) Ambassador Laura Kennedy, Retired Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, Retired Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, Retired Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, Retired Major General Dennis Laich, USA (Retired) Major General Steven J. Lepper, USAF (Retired) Major General Randy Manner, USA (Retired) Ambassador Edward Marks, Retired Brigadier General Carlos E. Martinez, USAF (Retired) Brigadier General J. Scott O'Meara, USMC (Retired) Rear Admiral David Oliver, USN (Retired) Major General Gale S. Pollock, USA(Retired) Rear Admiral Harold Robinson, USN (Retired) Brigadier General John M. Schuster, USA (Retired) Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith, USN (Retired) Brigadier General Paul Gregory Smith, USA (Retired) Brigadier General Francis X. Taylor, USAF (Retired) Ambassador Edward Walker, Retired Lieutenant General Willie Williams, USMC (Retired) Major General Margaret C. Wilmoth, USA (Retired) General Johnnie Wilson, USA (Retired) Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D., USA (Retired) Major General David T. Zabecki, USA (Retired) This article was originally published by " Center for the National Interest " - 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.
Early voting locations are now open for the City of Gainesville's regular election

This year's ballot is shorter than the one voters filled out in November.

Voters will be casting their votes for mayor and city commissioner district 4.

There is also an amendment where voters will decide whether or not to create a city charter review commission.

This would be a group of 11 volunteers who apply and are chosen by the city commission to review and propose amendments to the city charter every ten years.

This is an opportunity for the people to take a good look at the charter and to be a topic of conversation in the community for several months and I think it's a good idea to review documents like this on a systematic and orderly basis, Harvey Ward, current City of Gainesville Commissioner, said.

Supporters of the amendment say it gives a chance to change something that has stayed the same for several years.

Other voters are opposing the amendment saying there has to be a pressing problem to be solved if it's passed.

What we end up with is a commission possibly choosing people that will fulfill this commission's political agenda to do whatever it wants to with the charter. That's a lot of trust, for what? For why? Gary Gordon, a former mayor/commissioner, said.

Early voting is from now until March 16th.

Election Day is March 19th.
March 11, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - For nearly four days, much of Venezuela has been without power, bringing the countrys embattled economy to a near standstill. Though power is now returning, the outage saw U.S. officials and politicians blame the Venezuelan government for the crisis while officials in Caracas accused the U.S. of conducting sabotage and launching cyberattacks that targeted its civilian power grid as well as of employing saboteurs within Venezuela.

Although many mainstream media outlets have echoed the official U.S. government response, some journalists have strayed from the pack. One notable example is Kalev Leetaru, who wrote at Forbes that the United States remotely interfering with its [Venezuelas] power grid is actually quite realistic.

Leetaru also noted that timing such an outage to occur at a moment of societal upheaval in a way that delegitimizes the current government, exactly as a government-in-waiting has presented itself as a ready alternative, is actually one of the tactics he had previously explored in a 2015 article detailing U.S. government hybrid warfare tactics to weaken an adversary prior to conventional invasion or to forcibly and deniably effect a transition in a foreign government.

In addition to Leetarus claims, others have asserted U.S. government involvement after U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who is deeply involved in Trumps Venezuela policy, appeared to have prior knowledge that the blackouts would occur when he tweeted about them only three minutes after they had begun.

While several journalists have pointed out that the probability that the Trump administration was responsible for the blackout is highly likely, few  if any  pointed out that the U.S. has long had highly developed plans involving the use of cyberattacks to attack critical power-grid infrastructure in countries targeted for regime change by Washington.

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Indeed, the most well-known plan of this type, known by its codename Nitro Zeus, was originally created under the George W. Bush administration and was aimed at Iran. With so many former Bush officials now calling the shots in the Trump administration, particularly its Venezuela policy, the potential return of a Nitro Zeus virus, this time tailored to Venezuela, seems increasingly likely.

A little hammer to use when big hammers have been nixed

The Nitro Zeus plan first came to light in a November 2016 expose published in the New York Times, which described it as an elaborate plan that was created for use against Iran were negotiations over its nuclear program to fail. That program targeted Irans air defenses, communications systems and crucial parts of its power grid. At its height it involved thousands of American military and intelligence personnel and is believed to have cost tens of millions of dollars. The program intimately involved both the National Security Agencys Tailored Access Operations unit and the U.S. Cyber Command.

The program was shelved when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was established, though the Trump administrations decision to unilaterally withdraw from the deal has led some to ask whether the Trump administration has been considering reviving the program. While they may not have revived it for use against Iran, they instead may have done so in Venezuela, if Venezuelan government assertions that a U.S. cyberattack is to blame for much of the countrys recent power outage are to be believed.

Indeed, Leetaru noted in his recent Forbes article that given the U.S. governments longstanding concern with Venezuelas government, it is likely that the U.S. already maintains a deep presence within the countrys national infrastructure grid, much as it did with Iran in connection with the Nitro Zeus program prior to its public revelation three years ago.

The Nitro Zeus program is not nearly as well known as its relative, the Stuxnet virus, which was co-developed by the U.S. and Israel and used to attack Iranian software controlling uranium enrichment centers. Yet Nitro Zeus, despite its relative lack of infamy, is notable for several reasons. First, it took it [U.S. cyberwarfare] to a new level, according to a former official involved in the project cited by the Times. This was because, prior to Nitro Zeus, the U.S. had never assembled a combined cyber and kinetic attack plan on this scale, and also because executing the program would have significant effects on civilians, particularly if the United States had to cut vast swaths of the countrys electrical grid and communications networks.

Another reason Nitro Zeus is notable, particularly in light of U.S. efforts to meddle in Venezuela, is the motive for its creation. Indeed, although Nitro Zeus became the enormous, and enormously complex program detailed by the Times during the Obama administration, work on the program had actually begun during the George W. Bush administration. According to a report in the Daily Beast, Bush had considered Nitro Zeus a necessary tactical alternative after the Iraq War sabotaged his chances of starting another Middle East invasion. In other words, after the Iraq War debacle made it more difficult for the U.S. to launch unilateral military interventions, the Bush administration opted to develop non-kinetic military tools that would avoid angering the U.S. public and U.S. allies abroad.

Furthermore, as Tyler Rogoway wrote at Foxtrot Alpha:

[Programs like Nitro Zeus] can be paired for synergistic effect, leaving its target countrys military blind and deaf and its population suffering. And all this can be had without ever dropping a bomb and even under the veil of plausible deniability.

This, according to Rogoway, has led such programs to become more and more a viable alternative to traditional forms of attack, given that the U.S. can deny its involvement, avoiding potential diplomatic blowback, and because it can wreak havoc not just on a countrys military but its civilian population.

The logic behind the likelihood of U.S. cyber sabotage

While Nitro Zeus was never unleashed upon Iran, its likely that the program spawned similar attack plans on the power grids of other adversarial nations given the precedent it set. As the Times pointed out in its Nitro Zeus expose:

The United States military develops contingency plans for all kinds of possible conflicts, such as a North Korean attack on the South, loose nuclear weapons in South Asia or uprisings in Africa or Latin America. Most sit on the shelf, and are updated every few years.

This point was expanded upon by Rogoway, who noted:

Nitro Zeus is most likely one of a whole slew of plans to attack potential enemies via cyber weaponry. Plans surely exist for all of Americas potential adversaries, and some are likely to be far more elaborate and deadly than anything that has been disclosed to date.

There are more than a few indications that many of the more aggressive contingency plans have moved to the top of the toolbox under the Trump administration. For instance, key former Bush officials that are now in the Trump administration, particularly John Bolton and Elliot Abrams, are known for their aggressive stances and willingness to promote extreme policies targeting adversaries, even those policies that harm or kill scores of innocent civilians. Thus, voices like those in the Obama State Department and National Security Council, who had warned of the potential adverse effects on civilians that a Nitro Zeus blackout could cause, are unlikely to influence the likes of Bolton and Abrams  who have an outsized role in creating the administrations Venezuela policy.

Furthermore, such a plan would be considered valuable by Bolton and Abrams in the same way that Bush valued Nitro Zeus after his hands were tied following the Iraq War disaster. In regard to Venezuela, Bolton and Abrams similarly have their hands tied when it comes to military action, given that military intervention of any type has been resoundingly rejected by the U.S. allies in Latin America and elsewhere. Not only that but Abrams favored tactic of providing arms disguised as humanitarian aid to insurgents has also failed, limiting the aggressive actions that can be taken by the administration.

Unable to launch a military intervention  either overt or covert  a Nitro Zeus cyberattack would likely have been a top contender for a next step following the failed humanitarian aid stunt and the rejection of any type of military intervention by the U.S. Latin American allies.

In addition, many of those responsible for the creation of the Nitro Zeus program share connections with neoconservatives who are influential in the Trump administration. For instance, Keith Alexander  who was NSA director at the time the Nitro Zeus program began and for much of its development  is now the CEO of his new cybersecurity consultancy, IronNet Cybersecurity. Sitting on IronNets board of directors alongside Alexander is Jack Keane, a zealously pro-war retired general whom Trump valued enough to offer the position of Secretary of Defense, an offer Keane declined. Keane is a close associate of the neoconservative Kagan family and is currently chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, founded by Kimberly Kagan and financed by top U.S. weapons companies.

With Bush-era warmongers now dominating Trumps Venezuela policy, it seems increasingly likely that efforts to revive the Bush/Obama-era Nitro Zeus program have taken place. Indeed, with such an enormous and complex program already on the books and the likely existence of spin-off programs that have developed over the past decade, it was likely the easiest route for another aggressive U.S.-backed measure targeting the Venezuelan government.

However, if the U.S. did conduct a cyber attack on Venezuelas power grid, it would not be powerful neoconservatives in the administration who would ultimately be to blame, as only the U.S. president can authorize an offensive cyberattack. Thus, if any part of Venezuelas current blackout was indeed U.S.-directed sabotage, it was President Donald Trump who gave the order to attack Venezuelas civilian power infrastructure, a strange thing to do for someone who professes to care so much for the Venezuelan people.

Whitney Webb

This article was originally published by " Mint Press " -
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it is working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PDP had accused the electoral body of working completely for the ruling party and acting out the script President Buhari has paid it to carryout.

In a statement by signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP on Monday, the party alleged that Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, of being heavily bribes by the APC thereby working assiduously to see that PDP fails in the results yet to be declared.

However, in a statement by the electoral body, it dismissed the allegations by the opposition party, stating that their one and only interest in the 2019 general elections is to make votes count. 

In the statement signed by Rotimi Oyekanmi, INEC Chairmans spokesperson, it said the PDP has accused the commission of rigging without adequate proof. It added that the PDP also failed to accused INEC of rigging elections in states where it won like Delta, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi and Enugu.

See full statement below

It is quite unfortunate that at this particular period when the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) is busy trying to conclude the remaining governorship and state houses of assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party has embarked on making spurious and libelous allegations, without concrete proofs as usual.

So far, the PDP has won in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Abia, Cross River and Delta states according to the results declared by INEC. Interestingly, the PDP has not accused INEC of rigging the elections in these states.

Sadly, the PDP has also not deemed it fit to commiserate with the families of our ad hoc staff and other Nigerians who lost their lives, including those who were injured in different parts of the country while trying to carry out their legitimate duties. This is rather unfortunate and regrettable.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Commissions one and only interest in the 2019 general elections is to make votes count. It is to ensure free, fair and credible elections. When there is no interference with the electoral process and an election satisfies the provisions of the law, the Commission will always make a declaration of the results. But when there is interference or when an election fails to meet the requirements of the law, the Commission will not make a declaration.

In the case of Rivers, the Commission was forced to suspend the election due to violence and threats to life, as a result of which it constituted a Fact Finding Committee to assess the situation and report back within 48 hours.

In a couple of other states where a declaration was not immediately made, the elections did not meet the threshold required for such a declaration. The Commission will take the appropriate action prescribed by the law and make a declaration.
The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has just announced the result of Nasarawa Local Government Area, which Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) won with fifty-four thousand votes against All Progressive Congress(APC) thirty-four thousand votes.

Recall that this was the LGA where the Vice Governor of the state, Nasir Yusuf Gawuna and the Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Sule Garo were arrested earlier today for allegedly attempting to disrupt collation of election results. This is the only remaining LGA as INEC has declared 43 out of the total 44 LGA in the state.

Well, the result has been announced and PDP is leading in the total votes cast.
In the early 1990s, Weber was working hard to build its brand in the South African marketplace. South Africa is a beautiful country with a long and rich history of outdoor cooking.

South Africans love barbecue meals, but they dont invite you to a barbecue. Instead, they invite you to a braai. And while Americans refer to Webers classic charcoal grill as a kettle barbecue, South Africans call it a kettle braai.

When we arrived in South Africa, we discovered that people typically barbecued only steaks, chops, burgers, and sausages (wors). Charcoal briquettes were hard to find, and a hardwood fire on an open grill was the most common way of barbecuing.

We didnt have to introduce South Africans to the fun and flavor of a barbecue party, but we had to be careful not to insult outdoor cooking enthusiasts by telling them that they could improve on their barbecues by using an American-made covered kettle grill.

We decided to conduct barbecue demonstrations at retail stores throughout the country, showing people how to cook beef roasts, whole chickens, and fish. We also demonstrated how to bake pizzas and bread. Those demonstrations were a hit, drawing big crowds of interested grillers.

On a beautiful day in Decemberthats summertime in the Southern HemisphereI was demonstrating how to roast whole chickens. I was enjoying the interaction with folks living in Cape Town who loved to barbecue, and they were amazed to see how a whole chicken could be roasted without burning it to a crisp.

A gentleman watched me for a while and then asked if a leg of lamb could be cooked the same way. I replied yes and told him how I usually prepared it. He then asked, Well, what about a leg of warthog? Could you do it the same way?

Because of my limited zoological knowledge, I immediately thought hedgehog, not warthog. I tried to imagine why anyone would want to eat a hedgehog, especially because there couldnt be much meat on a hedgehogs leg.

Much to my embarrassment, he got a great laugh out of a Yank who had never seen a warthog. As he walked away, still chuckling, I wasnt sure if I had just been hoodwinked or if there really were animals called warthogs running around South Africa.

This was a long time before we had the Internet everywhere for quick reference, so I called Shirley Guy, a great chef and grilling enthusiast whom I had met when I was in Johannesburg. She assured me that there were indeed warthogs on this planet and

they resembled wild boars.

Our business grew in South Africa, and we teamed up with Shirley to produce our first South African cookbook. We included a recipe for roasted leg of warthog to make sure we satisfied the needs of wild-game hunters.

Whenever I mention that recipe in the United States, I get the same "is he pulling my leg?" look. I recognize that look because it was on my face many years ago on that Cape Town day.
For me, picking out the meat that I want to grill is easyI own a meat market, and have a huge selection of the best cuts of meats to choose from. Where the challenge comes into play, is deciding what sides will best compliment the main dish. This is the perfect time of the year to visit your local farmers market for some fresh produce.

Some markets have a box of the week which may include something you would not normally buy. This forces you to become a little creative with your dinner menu. That is what I love about it!! Sometimes I have to ask myself, how can I grill it?? But I always find a way!! Here are just a few of my favorite meat and veggie pairings.





Whenever I grill steaksyou know Im grilling a ribeye. I love to make melting onions as a side dish.Ill simply throw the onions on the coals for about an hour or so, turning them every twenty minutes until soft.





Once theyre soft, remove and let cool for a few minutes. Then, remove the burnt layer and slice into four pieces. Place the onions into a cast iron pan with butter, salt, pepper, and a splash of raspberry blush vinegar. Finally, return the pan to the grill to further caramelize. They are amazing!!!!





Lamb rib chops are another one my favorites. With the lamb, I always grill zucchini andportabella mushrooms.





I season them with salt and pepper, and brush with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. When the mushrooms are almost done, I top them with blue cheese for a little something extra!!

I enjoy grilled potatoes, they accompany many different types of meats. I always try to find large Idaho russets, slice them length wise about 3/8 and brush them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then grill. Sometimes Ill sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on them!





The Gourmet BBQ System Wok is great for making zucchini. I slice the zucchini into strips about  thick and about 3 long. Season with salt, olive oil, and granulated garlic. Sautee for just a few minutes on high heat then, when they are almost done, Ill throw in some chopped pecans. It goes well together with my grilled turkey keftedes (Greek meatballs)!!





I always try to grill fish once a week. Salmon is my go to; it grills up pretty quick. It also takes about the same time as asparagus, which is why this is a great pairing. I season the asparagus with olive oil and kosher salt. It goes great with wild rice.





Some of my other favorite veggies to grill include; corn on the cob, carrots, brussel sprouts, eggplant, peppers, and yeseven romaine lettuce!!

I enjoy grilling veggies almost as much as I do meatAlmost!!!!
This recipe is from Mike Vrobels new cookbook in the How to Rotisserie Grill series, Rotisserie Turkey: 29 Recipes for Turkey on Your Grills Rotisserie.

To perk up a bland turkey breast, I rub it with an Italian-inspired blend of coarsely ground spices. That blend includes a big dose of red pepper flakes and black pepper, adding a spicy kick to contrast with the neutral meat.

Rotisserie Turkey Breast with Italian-Spiced Dry Brine

By Mike Vrobel

Ingredients:

6-8 pound turkey breast

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 tablespoon Mortons kosher salt ( ounce)

Instructions:

1. Dry brine the turkey breast

Eight hours to 1 day before it is time to cook, pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. Cut the extra skin away from the neck. Check inside the neck cavity, and discard any big pieces of fat.

Coarsely grind together the peppercorns, fennel, coriander, and red pepper flakes, then stir in the salt. (I grind with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee mill that I only use for spice grinding.)

Gently work the skin loose from the turkey breast starting from the back of the bird, and rub 1 teaspoon of the brine directly on the meat. Pull the skin back into place, then sprinkle the rest of the brine over the turkey breast, inside and out. Put the turkey breast in a baking dish and let it rest in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight or up to 24 hours.

2. Spit the turkey breast

One hour before cooking, remove the turkey breast from the refrigerator. Skewer the breast on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Let it rest at room temperature until it is time to cook.

3. Test the rotisserie

Before your preheat the grill, put the spit on the grill and turn on the motor. Be sure to test that your food fits and freely spins on the rotisserie. (It is crucial to test this out before you preheat the grill.)

4. Set up the grill

Set up the grill for indirect medium heat (325 to 350F) with the drip pan in the middle of the grill and the heat on the sides. (Split the charcoal into two piles on the sides, or turn on the burners on the edges the grill.)

5. Cook the turkey breast

Put the spit on the grill, start the rotisserie spinning, and make sure the drip pan is centered under the turkey. Close the lid. If you are using a charcoal grill, add 16 unlit briquettes after an hour to keep the heat going. Cook until the turkey breast reaches 165F in its thickest part (about 1  hours), then add 5 minutes more cooking time.

6. Carve and serve

Remove the turkey from the grill and remove the spit from the turkey. Let the turkey rest for 20-30% of the cooktime before carving. Cut the breast halves from the keel bone and ribcage, then carve the breast into -inch-thick slices. Arrange the turkey slices on a platter and serve.

Share your pictures on social media with us! #BestTurkeyEver

Looking for more turkey inspiration? Be sure to check out more tips here.

Adapted from: How to Rotisserie Grill: Rotisserie Turkey by Mike Vrobel. Visit Mike at DadCooksDinner.com.
Ive prepared a turkey on the grill in about every way possible. For the absolute best turkey, Ive realized its not just a single technique, but a combination. A spatchcocked turkey is fantastic for even and fast cooking. By removing the backbone, the turkey is grilled flat, increasing the surface area of exposed meat thus speeding up the grilling time. While yielding fantastic results on its own, I find smoking the bird at a lower temperature makes it even better. Add in an overnight dry brine and you have the makings of a Thanksgiving turkey never to be forgotten!

Smoked Spatchcocked Turkey

By Mike Lang

Ingredients

1 fresh turkey (14 lbs shown here)

3 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly cracked pepper

Olive oil

Apple wood chunks

Instructions

1. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey.

2. Place the turkey breast side down on a solid work surface.

3. With kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and then remove it.

4. Place the turkey flesh side down. With both hands, press down on the breast to snap the breast bone allowing the turkey to lie flat.

5. On a wire rack, salt both sides of the turkey. Figure approximately  teaspoon per pound of turkey. Place the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 24 hours.

6. Prepare the grill for smoking. Once the Weber Briquettes are lit and the grill temperature is between 225-275, add several chunks of apple wood on top of the charcoal.

7. Insert the iGrill temperature probe into one of the turkey breasts. Keep the probe in the thickest part of the breast being sure not to strike bone.

8. Smoke the turkey over low heat 225 - 275 F for approximately 11-13 minutes a pound.

9. Once the breast reaches 165F, remove, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest approximately 30 minutes.

10. Carve and serve.

Looking for more great turkey tips? Check out how many minutes per pound your turkey will take to grill and our top tips for the best turkey ever!
Dixon Awards Honor Distinguished WSU Faculty and Staff

March 12, 2019

OGDEN, Utah  Steven Nabor, associate vice president for financial services and Chief Financial Officer, and Julie Rich, geography professor and College of Social & Behavioral Sciences associate dean are the 2019 recipients of the Weber State University Alumni Associations H. Aldous Dixon Award. The two will be formally recognized at a luncheon in their honor March 20 at noon in the Hurst Center Dumke Legacy Hall.

Steven Nabor 81

Steven Nabors Weber State story began on the opening day of fall quarter 1977, when the befuddled, first-generation high school graduate mistakenly called his professor Dr. Staff. (His confusion owing to the course catalogs practice of listing classes with unassigned instructors as being taught by staff.) In that singularly embarrassing moment  one which haunts him to this day  Nabor could never have imagined that four years later, hed graduate cum laude with a bachelors degree in accounting; nor could he have foreseen his illustrious 35-year professional career at Weber State.

Nabor was initially hired as a staff internal auditor, but his formidable knowledge of finance and innovative approach to problem solving prompted a stream of promotions. At each new level of responsibility, from director of Internal Audit to controller to senior associate vice president for Financial Services to chief financial officer, Nabor wielded a dogged determination to cultivate a financial environment where teaching and learning could flourish.

Throughout his career, Nabor has looked beyond existing policies to bring about changes that benefit students. Early on, for example, he discovered the universitys practice of paying student workers once a month instead of twice a month, like salaried employees. He felt the practice inflicted an unfair financial burden on vulnerable students. So, when he became a financial manager, Nabor made it a priority to introduce an every-other-week payroll schedule for student workers, despite the administrative savings associated with a monthly payroll.

When Weber State transitioned from an academic quarter schedule to a semester schedule, Nabor spearheaded an installment option for students struggling to make heftier tuition payments. During federal government shutdowns, Nabor helped deploy intervention strategies to mitigate financial hardships for thousands of students who received financial aid.

Through creative reorganization and investment, Nabor helped reverse the bookstores cash cow image. He provided administrative support to the Day One Access program, which delivers electronic course materials to students at heavily discounted prices. To commemorate the bookstores 100-year anniversary, Nabor assisted in the design, financing and installation of the iconic Flaming W Rock. The 9-foot-tall, 65,000-pound boulder has become a popular gathering spot and photo op for students.

Although Nabors job often requires him to say no, his collaborative nature, positive attitude, leadership skills, tenacity and commitment to student success help him navigate turbulent encounters.

Julie Rich 81

Those still clinging to the outmoded stereotype of university faculty being locked in the ivory tower of academia, have obviously never met Weber States globe-trotting, powerhouse professor Julie Rich.

Rich, a Weber State alumna who graduated cum laude in 1981 with a bachelors degree in geography, earned a masters degree from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in geography from St. Johns College, a constituent college of Englands famed University of Oxford.

Her superb, collaborative teaching has garnered prestigious honors, including the Crystal Crest Master Teacher and Hemingway Faculty Excellence awards. For her outstanding mentoring of WSU students, she received the John A. Lindquist Award. Rich consistently earns near-perfect evaluation scores from her students. Her research and presentations are internationally acclaimed; her expert opinions on everything from climate change to sustainable construction to green mapping are sought after at home and abroad.

Richs crusade to enrich a students Weber State experience through service learning activities underscores her longtime association with the university. Her initiation and direction of WSUs Global Community Engaged Learning program, for example, have benefitted more than 200 WSU students, alumni and faculty, and countless indigenous people in Rwanda, Mozambique, Thailand, Peru, Uganda, and soon Fiji. To help fund these humanitarian efforts, Rich and her students have raised more than $220,000. Inspired by her stint as a United Nations consultant, Rich created a student program called Global Education Opportunity. Participants spend a semester in Geneva researching global challenges and attending U.N. meetings. Next, they travel to less-developed countries to gain deeper understanding of the world and its challenges, and a desire to bring about positive change.

To help students acquire the critical thinking skills necessary for todays workforce, Rich promotes undergraduate research. Many of her students have assisted her fieldwork, conducted lab experiments and presented their findings at conferences.

Rich leads the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences efforts to utilize Starfish, a program aimed at improving student retention rates. She also reviews the colleges online courses to improve effectiveness and educational content. During the recent renovation of the Social Science building (now named Lindquist Hall), Rich worked closely with architects, contractors and interior designers to meet the classroom, study space, equipment and laboratory needs of WSU students, faculty and staff.

Dixon Award History

Each year since 1970, the Alumni Association has honored outstanding members of WSUs faculty and staff with an award bestowed in memory of President Dixon, who served as the schools chief administrator from 1919 to 1920, and from 1937 to 1953. Dixon Award recipients have demonstrated careers of excellence and have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support students.

For photos, visit the following links:

photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2019-Photos/March-2019/i-P5VsHCB/0/d3975a1a/S/SteveNabor-7033-S.jpg

photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2019-Photos/March-2019/i-4Rp9639/0/ec2f29fd/S/JulieRich-Headshot-S.jpg

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
As soon as reports emerged that Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo state has had his name removed from the list of senators-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC, Nigerians took to social media to celebrate.

INEC in a meeting in Abuha, had revealed its stand not to issues certificate of return to candidates who held their officials hostage, prevailing on them to declare results in their favour.

Therefore, Okorocha who had been accused of holding the returning officer in his state hostage, propelling him to declare result under duress, will not be handed certificate of return for Imo West senatorial district.

Nigerians are also blaming the Governor for APCs defeat at the governorship elections because he chose to support his son in-law, Uche Nwosu against his partys candidate, leaving PDP s Emeka Ihedioha to win.

They mocked the governor for ending his political career over his own greed instead of retiring honourably after his 8years as governor.

Take a look at what they are saying

https://twitter.com/MrStanleyNwabia/status/1105376161381650433?s=19

God, see how Rochas ended his political career. Rejected by majority of his own people, rejected and suspended by his own party. His son-in-law lost election he used Imo's taxpayers money to fund. His end is truly tragic. I hope Rochas is leaving with his statues? Iberiberism https://t.co/0KeUGtZlkO  Miz Cazorla (@MizCazorla1) March 11, 2019

APC lost Imo state because of Rochas Okorocha's personal ambition.

Add APC votes with AA and it's a win for APC.

Ndi Imo have spoken and Emeka Ihedioha takes full advantage. #imodecides #ImoDecides2019  Onyebuchi (@onyebuchind) March 11, 2019

AA+APC= 190364+96458 =286,822

PDP= 273,404 If Rochas Okorocha & Hope Uzodinma had come together, they would have defeated PDP outright. In summary, a house divided against itself can never stand!#ImoDecides2019  Sapiosexual (@_Mazimum) March 11, 2019

End of Rochas. May his name be wiped off in Imo State forever! Congratulations, Imo people.  Misogynist-General (@VillageParrot) March 11, 2019

Finally! Ndi Imo free from the scourge of Rochas Okorocha! May the land of Mbakwe never witness such rudderless and nepotistic rulership again, ndi Imo deserve so much better. HOLD YOUR NEW GOVERNOR ACCOUNTABLE from day ONE. Set a UNITED/PROGRESSIVE AGENDA. Imo has a lot to FIX!  Juliet 'Kego | #Poetry4Change (@julietkego) March 11, 2019
3 1 of 3 U.S. Army Field Band / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Army Field Band / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





After a Wednesday concert at The Palace in Stamford and a sold-out concert at the Warner Theatre in Torrington Thursday night, the Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus will perform at Southern Connecticut State Universitys Lyman Center Friday, March 22.

The Washington, D.C., band, the premier touring musical representative for the United States Army, will perform This Well Defend, a concert that puts audience members side-by-side with the soldiers defending the country  from the landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day to the siege in Sadr City, Iraq.
WESTPORT  Hoping to get the word out that theyre active in the community, the Democratic Town Committee hosted a Community Outreach Happy Hour on Saturday afternoon at Tavern on Main as a way of reaching out to residents on both sides of the aisle.

Were here to reach out to all Democrats, unaffiliated and Republicans, said Sal Liccione, chair of the policy and outreach committee.
The Ministry of National Defence held a meeting in Hanoi on March 11 to review preparations for and difficulties facing the second level-2 field hospital.

Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO), said the second hospital was set up under the Vietnam Military Medical University (VMMU). It currently has 84 staff members, all of whom are ready to assume their new tasks.

The VDPO has coordinated with Australia and the VMMU since September 2017 in providing English language training to the staff. Fourteen of them have gained an IELTS score of 5.5 as requested by the UN, and training is being increased so as to maximise the number of those with an IELTS score of at least 4.5.

Regarding specialised training, the department has completed pre-deployment training, Phung said, adding that all of the staff have received training in international humanitarian law. Some of them have also taken part in intensive training courses on peacekeeping knowledge.

Training in terms of military, politics, logistics, and military medicine has also been provided by the VMMU, he noted.

Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, head of the inter-sectoral working group on Vietnams participation in the UNs peacekeeping operations, said that sending the second level-2 field hospital to replace the first one, which was deployed to the UN mission in South Sudan last October, is an urgent and necessary task. It demonstrates that Vietnam is an active and responsible member in the international community, and shows the countrys capability of taking part in such operations.

He asked the VDPO, the VMMU, and relevant agencies to continue making sound preparations for the deployment of this hospital.
Popular Nigerian video jockey, television presenter, actress and On-Air Personality, Laura Monyeazo Abebe, who is simply known and addressed as Moet Abebe has been spotted revealing major cleavages during a photo shoot.

The Soundcity presenter who shared the pictures through her Instagram page captioned it bringing some jungle fever.

Photos:

She wrote:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1DsPYFBIw/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
President Muhammad Buhari has returned to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after participating in the Saturdays Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

President Buhari returned to Abuja this afternoon. President Buhari had travelled to Daura on Friday to ensure he voted during the State polls.

Governor Aminu Masari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress won in Katsina State.

During his stay in Daura, President Buhari had meetings with the indigenous of his home town and also the Emirs in Katsina.
Some days, feeding yourself the right midday meal can be a challenge. Making lunch for a probably-picky growing toddler who needs the right nutrients and might have dietary restrictions, too (and even if they dont, might attend a school where certain foods are banned)? Downright daunting.

It doesnt need to be. Toddlers  children who are between 12 and 35 months  can eat most whole foods that adults can eat, just in modified, safe-to-chew textures. Here's what parents need to know when making their toddler's lunch.

Tips for making healthy lunches for toddlers

Keep portion sizes in mind. A toddler's tummy is still tiny, notes Julie Stefanski, R.DN., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A serving size for a toddler is only about 25 percent to 50 percent of an adult portion, she says.

A toddler's tummy is still tiny, notes Julie Stefanski, R.DN., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A serving size for a toddler is only about 25 percent to 50 percent of an adult portion, she says. Don't be deterred by picky eating. Just because a child doesnt try a food the first (or third) time they see it doesnt mean they won't eventually like it. It may take 15 times for a toddler to see a new food before they even try it, says Stefanski. Even if they dont try it, youve met the goal of exposing them to the new food.

Just because a child doesnt try a food the first (or third) time they see it doesnt mean they won't eventually like it. It may take 15 times for a toddler to see a new food before they even try it, says Stefanski. Even if they dont try it, youve met the goal of exposing them to the new food. Alternate foods. Another strategy to combat picky eating is alternating foods to expose kids to more variety. For example, if your toddler is into sandwiches, alternate the bread between whole-wheat bread, whole-grain English muffins, whole-wheat pita and whole-wheat wraps, then alternate spreads between cream cheese, nut or seed butter, avocado and hummus.

Another strategy to combat picky eating is alternating foods to expose kids to more variety. For example, if your toddler is into sandwiches, alternate the bread between whole-wheat bread, whole-grain English muffins, whole-wheat pita and whole-wheat wraps, then alternate spreads between cream cheese, nut or seed butter, avocado and hummus. Frozen produce is your friend. Only have a few minutes to whip up a lunch for your little one? Using frozen produce will save busy parents lots of time, since it is prepped and ready to cook, and is just as nutritious as fresh produce found in the produce aisle, says pediatric dietitian Nicole Silber, R.D. Canned beans, vegetables and fish can also make lunch prep a breeze.

Only have a few minutes to whip up a lunch for your little one? Using frozen produce will save busy parents lots of time, since it is prepped and ready to cook, and is just as nutritious as fresh produce found in the produce aisle, says pediatric dietitian Nicole Silber, R.D. Canned beans, vegetables and fish can also make lunch prep a breeze. Avoid unsafe and unhealthy foods. Foods toddlers should steer clear of include those with added sugar and any possible choking hazards; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding popcorn, hot dogs (unless cut into small pieces), sticky peanut butter, marshmallows, raw carrots or celery and any round shapes like whole cherry tomatoes, whole grapes, seeds or hard candies for this reason. Foods like meat, raw fruits or vegetables and potatoes should always be cut up into small, bite-sized pieces, no larger than one-half inch.

Best healthy toddler lunch ideas

Try these lunch box ideas from Stefanski, Silber and Sophia DeSantis of the blog Veggies Dont Bite.

Best toddler lunch ideas for day care

Check with your childs day care manager to see if you need to avoid certain food allergens (the most common are dairy, wheat, fish, shellfish, eggs, soy, peanuts and tree nuts), but unless your child has a true allergy, the AAP does not recommend limiting these foods.

Lentil and veggie stir fry. Saute lentils and dice veggies the night before and serve with brown rice.

Whole wheat pita with black bean dip and sweet potato fries.

Yogurt, fruit and sliced avocado.

Whole wheat bread with unsweetened sunflower seed butter and mashed banana on top. Serve with a side of veggies or chickpeas.

Cheese-and-bean quesadilla with chopped spinach and a side of apple slices. Saute frozen spinach and black beans, then top on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Cut the tortilla into little triangle sandwiches for easy eating.

Best toddler lunch box ideas for preschool or school

Mashed black bean and avocado roll-ups with celery and ranch, banana nut butter stacks and 1/4 cup pretzels.

Pita pizzas with zucchini and thinly sliced cucumber, quartered strawberries and 1/4 cup trail mix.

Avocado sandwich, halved grapes, whole-grain crackers and small pieces of your favorite cheese.

Turkey meatballs (chopped into pieces), 1/4 cup chopped pear, 1/4 cup well-cooked green beans and 1/4 cup of cereal O's.

Shredded chicken, 1/4 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup cooked asparagus tips, whole-grain animal crackers and 1/4 cup chopped canned apricots.

Best lunch ideas for picky toddlers

1 small whole grain homemade muffin that has been ripped into pieces, 1/2 cup Greek whole milk yogurt, 1/4 cup strawberry halves and 1/4 cup canned carrot coins.

1/2 sunflower seed butter sandwich, 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup Greek whole milk yogurt.

Whole-grain crackers with nut butter, 1/4 cup canned unsweetened pineapple and 1/2 cup cottage cheese.

Whole-wheat mini bagel with a string cheese and carrot chips.

Whole-wheat pasta with olive oil paired with a fruit- and veggie-based smoothie.

Yogurt with fruit and whole wheat crackers.

Tuna fish with mayo, guacamole and whole-grain pita for dipping.

Brown rice cakes with guacamole spread and shredded mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes sprinkled on top.

Best easy lunch ideas for toddlers
The government of Canada has announced a plan to repurpose a property in Gibsons, BC, to address the homelessness in the province.

Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, made the announcement on Friday, according to Employment and Social Development Canada.

The building, located at 739/749 School Road in Gibsons, is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment that would be demolished to make way for supportive housing. The housing project would provide 40 self-contained studio homes with on-site support to ensure people can achieve and maintain housing stability.

Through BC Housing, the province would provide about $14 million in capital funding for the building and about $1 million in annual operating funding. RainCity Housing, which has been successfully operating a temporary shelter in Gibsons for the past two winters, would operate the supportive housing project.

BC Housing and RainCity Housing will work with local organizations for the supportive housing project, which includes services such as peer mentoring and rehabilitation programs to help vulnerable individuals improve their quality of life.

The project would be delivered under Housing First, an approach that focuses on moving people from the street or emergency shelters into permanent housing as rapidly as possible. Meanwhile, the project site will be transferred under the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative (SFRPHI), a funding stream of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.

The site will be subject to a rezoning and development-permit application process. If the project will be approved, construction is estimated to start in fall, with the goal of occupancy for next years spring.
Vanguard

I deserve fair hearing, suspended CJN insistslAs tribunal orders day-to-day hearing

Thisday

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of being overtly partisan and surrendering its independence to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), by declaring governorship elections in states where the PDP was in clear lead as inconcl

The Sun

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he is looking forward to a mutual and effective working relationship with the 9th National Assembly.

Daily Times

The Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday, ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain if the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials obtained a statement from one Felix Onu under duress.

Leadership

The Senator-elect for Kaduna central, Malam Uba Sani, has described the re-election of Governor Nasir El-Rufai in the last Saturdays polls as one of the most spectacular events in the history of the state.

Daily Trust

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the Berlin Wall of hegemony politics has finally fallen in Kwara State, following the massive victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections.

The Natsion

VOTERS in six states are to wait a little longer to know who will be their governor as from May 29 when the tenure of incumbent governors expires.

Tribune

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Kano state governorship election inconclusive.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) Specialist, Maseru

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Lesotho

City: Maseru, Lesotho

Office: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund in Maseru

Grade: NO-C

Closing date: Tuesday, 19 March 2019

Job no: 519632

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Lesotho

Division/Equivalent: Nairobi Regnl(ESARO)

School/Unit: Lesotho

Department/Office: Maseru, Lesotho

Categories: NO-3, Early Childhood Development

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child,

Organizational Context and Purpose for the job:

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society most disadvantaged citizens addressing inequity not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context:

The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Specialist GJP is used in a Country Office (CO), where ECD is a programme component of the Country Programme (or UNDAF). This ECD Specialist reports to the Chief of Education at P-4 level.

Purpose for the job:

The ECD Specialist reports to the Chief of Education for guidance and general supervision. The Specialist supports the coordinated development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ECD, pre-primary and early grades programmes/projects within the Country Programme. The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on ECD related programmes/projects.
She knows how to grab our attention and yes, we are here for it.

OAP Moet Abebe has released a sexy new image from a photo shoot in Ghana and has gotten many in their feelings, with the picture.

The media personality donned a cut-out bikini for the shoot, flaunting her figure to the delight of thousands.

She captioned the image;
Sixth times a charm for 20-year-old Winnipeg pianist Albert Chen, who took home the Winnipeg Music Festivals prestigious Aikins Memorial Trophy Saturday night for his soulful interpretation of Shostakovichs Prelude and Fugue in D minor, op. 87, no. 24.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sixth times a charm for 20-year-old Winnipeg pianist Albert Chen, who took home the Winnipeg Music Festivals prestigious Aikins Memorial Trophy Saturday night for his soulful interpretation of Shostakovichs Prelude and Fugue in D minor, op. 87, no. 24.

The soft-spoken artist has come nail-bitingly close to the trophy before. Hes been named the Aikins runner-up every year since his first attempt in 2014, which would be enough to faze anyone.

However for Chen, whos in his third year studying piano performance with David Moroz at the University of Manitobas Desautels Faculty of Music, quitting was never an option.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Albert Chens piano performance of a work by Shostakovich on Saturday earned him the Aikins Memorial Trophy for the most outstanding instrumental performance at the Winnipeg Music Festival.

"I told myself to keep going, keep going. Im just really grateful to have this wonderful opportunity to finally win this trophy," he says during an interview at the Winnipeg Art Gallery immediately after being given the nod by the national jury.

"I knew I had to just play my music, and that its more important to focus on what the composer is trying to say and do the best I can."

Chen admitted he would gladly have been back at the Winnipeg Music Festival for Round 7 in 2020 if history had repeated itself this year.

The Aikins Memorial Trophy, named after James Aikins, Manitobas lieutenant governor from 1916 to 1926, has been awarded since 1930 for most outstanding performance in an instrumentalist competition. The prize package also includes the Ann Lugsdin Memorial Bursary, as well as performance opportunities with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Virtuosi Concerts that showcase emerging local artists.

Chen, who competed in five different classes this year, winning for best Classical Sonata, Concert Etude, and 20th/21st Century Composers, also received the Jean Broadfoot Trophy and the Wednesday Morning Musicale Bursary presented for most outstanding piano sonata performance at the Grade 9 to Honours level, adding further icing to his already sweet musical cake.

"Alberts playing is very mature musically," says Thomas Green, the Windsor, Ont.-based chief examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music and one of the festivals guest adjudicators. "His performance tonight was very refined technically, and it showed his ability to produce a structure that was also very beautifully detailed. He has a lot of finesse and polish, as well as a lot of emotional depth and good awareness of style.

"His performance had just the winning combination of all the necessary ingredients."

I knew I had to just play my music, and that its more important to focus on what the composer is trying to say and do the best I can. Albert Chen

One of those "ingredients" proved to be a greatly appreciated boost of confidence, courtesy of an email festival executive director Joanne Mercier sent him last year after coming so close  again  telling him not to give up.

He also took to heart Greens adjudication comments from his performances last week, carefully digesting his words of wisdom that ultimately tipped the balance in his favour on Saturday night.

"I thought a lot about what he said, and realized there was something missing in my playing," Chen reflects. "My technique is good, the dynamics are there, but I knew I needed to focus more on feeling the music, instead of just playing the right notes so that the audience could feel it as well," he says of the Soviet composers darkly hewn work that begins with hushed tones before building like a tidal wave into an anguished cry from the depths.

A delighted Moroz, who has taught Chen for the last nine years and first introduced the work to him this past January, described the work as requiring a musician who is both "an expert technician," as well as possessing a "mature and noble spirit."

TREVOR HAGAN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chen has competed for the Aikins Memorial Trophy since 2014.

Another adjudicator, former Winnipegger Vernon Regehr, a cello and bass professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland concurs.

"First of all, Albert captured the sombre, dark quality that Shostakovich so typifies," he says. "But it was really his pacing as he built from the prelude to the fugue... as well as his deeply intense sound that never became bombastic that really catapulted him to the top."

The three runners-up were pianist Adrian Ferens; cellist Elisheva Schwartz and pianist Anica Warkentine. Regehr also sings praises for them and the nights eight other competitors who graciously hugged and shook each others hands in a spirit of solidarity after the results were announced.

"These musicians were definitely very collegial. Theyre there for each other; they spur each other on during the competition but they also highly supportive of each other. I think thats a testament of their spirit," he says.

Chen was born in Dallas, Texas, where his parents were visiting his uncle, and began piano lessons as a seven year old in Taiwan. His family moved to Vancouver  his father is a plastic surgeon  before settling in Winnipeg in 2009 while his father moved back to Taiwan to resume his medical practice.

The elder Chen visits his family as often as possible  he was in Winnipeg to hear his sons concerto debut last month performing Beethovens mighty "Emperor" with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and in October 2018 when the pianist toured Manitoba and Saskatchewan as the winner of the biennial Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations Western Young Artist Series Competition.

One of the reasons why I want to play music is because it allows me to convey emotions that are too complex for words to express." Albert Chen

Chen, a graduate of Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, aspires to follow in his fathers footsteps, planning to apply to medicine after completing his music-performance degree. Meanwhile, he takes pre-med science courses to help prepare him for medical school.

He practises up to four hours a day, but away from the keyboard, Chen enjoys skating on The Forks river trail, riding his bike or playing with his four-legged friend Astra, a Husky and Labrador mix. Naturally, he also loves to listen to classical music, including favourite Romantic composers Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, as well as jazz.

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Chens innate sense of compassion  the lingua franca for health-care practitioners  has also seeped into his approach to music-making, deepening his empathy for the great, yet tormented Soviet composers like Shostakovich. Many pianists dont dare approach these works until many years of study and life experience, however Chen is fearless about rising to their technical and emotional demands.

"Why Shostakovich? I think its the dark side to his music... he suffered a lot under the Soviet empire so you can really hear a lot of internal pain throughout his music," Chen says. "I like being able to bring out what he felt through his suffering."

As his own career trajectory begins to lean towards medicine, Chen, who also played French horn and jazz trumpet in high school, says music will always play a key role in his life.

"One of the reasons why I want to play music is because it allows me to convey emotions that are too complex for words to express," he says. "For example, you can write an essay about something, but music can acutally bring that to life with real, raw emotions.

"Ill keep playing and make it a part of my life forever."

holly.harris@shaw.ca
SAGKEENG FIRST NATION, Man. - Manitoba's children's advocate says there are many children in care who are in danger of being sexually exploited or dying almost five years after an Indigenous teenager's body was found in a river.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAGKEENG FIRST NATION, Man. - Manitoba's children's advocate says there are many children in care who are in danger of being sexually exploited or dying almost five years after an Indigenous teenager's body was found in a river.

"What's at stake are the lives of children," Daphne Penrose said Tuesday as she released her report on the life and death of Tina Fontaine.

Manitoba Advocate For Children And Youth Daphne Penrose addresses a news conference in Winnipeg, Friday, Oct.19, 2018. The Manitoba children's advocate will release a highly anticipated report today detailing their investigation into the death of a First Nations girl whose body was found in the Red River. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert

"What's at stake are that children are going to die if we don't make changes."

Tina was 15 when her body was found in Winnipeg's Red River in August 2014. Her death renewed calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and inspired volunteer groups to help protect the vulnerable.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs created the First Nations Family Advocate Office and a 24-hour safe space for Winnipeg youth was dedicated in Tina's memory last May.

The report outlines how social workers and others failed the teen even as it became clear she was spiralling downward and her life was at risk.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs renewed its call for an independent inquiry into Tina's death.

The report includes five recommendations that touch on justice, education, mental health and child welfare. Penrose said the government needs to act quickly because many other children and youth are still "falling through the cracks of society's safety net, just like Tina."

Premier Brian Pallister said the government will look at the recommendations, but he would not commit to them.

Sagkeeng councillor Marilyn Courchene holds the report as Daphne Penrose, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, releases a special report on the death of fifteen year old Tina Fontaine at a release event at the Sagkeeng Mino Pimatiziwin Family Treatment Centre on the Sagkeeng First Nation, Man., Tuesday, March 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

"That we have failed our children in the past is indisputable. That we need to make sure that we do everything in our power to give every child opportunity and security is beyond debate," he said.

Tina's death laid bare the failures in child and family services across the country, Carolyn Bennett, federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, said in Ottawa.

"This was awful," Bennett said as she held back tears. "I don't think any of us really understand the pain that these kids in care went through."

A representative of the family said the report's release means Tina can finally rest in peace and her loved ones can truly mourn.

Penrose looked at records from the medical examiner, police, health authorities, child-welfare agencies and others. It also included interviews with Tina's family and community members.

The report details how her family was affected by a history of residential schools, the '60s Scoop and child-welfare agencies.

"She carried a burden that was not her own," Penrose said.

Tina's mother was 17 years old and was still a child in care when Tina was born on New Year's Day in 1999. Both her parents struggled with addictions. Five years later, her father asked Tina's great-aunt Thelma Favel from the Sagkeeng First Nation to take care of Tina and her sibling. It was a relatively stable time in the young girl's life.

That changed when Tina's father was murdered in 2011. Tina's caregiver tried to get help for the young girl from victim services. But because of questions about who was the teen's legal guardian, she never received counselling.

In June 2014, Tina went to Winnipeg to try to reconnect with her mother. Favel tried once again to get help when she didn't hear from the girl.

Penrose said there should be support long before a family is fractured and children are in crisis.

Tina's high-risk behaviour rapidly escalated in her final two months. She disappeared, was homeless, developed addictions and was sexually exploited.

She reached out several times for help.

On one occasion, Tina called Child and Family Services but no one arranged to pick her up. Workers told the teen to ride her bicycle to a shelter. There's no evidence she arrived.

"For Tina, more than once in a matter of weeks she was told there were no beds available for her, which essentially left her homeless," the report says.

It is unacceptable that a child who was frequently missing, known to be sexually exploited and unable to explain physical injuries would be told to find her own way to a safe bed, the report says. Youth with no where to go may be forced into sexual exploitation to meet their basic needs.

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"Sadly enough for children, when they are on the streets, nothing comes free," Penrose said.

The report says Tina disclosed to her child-welfare agency that she was hanging out with a 62-year-old, meth-using man.

Court heard during the second-degree murder trial of Raymond Cormier  who was acquitted last year in Tina's death  how the young girl was associating with him and that he was sexually attracted to her.

Social workers believed Tina had been sexually assaulted, but the agency still dropped the teen off with a contracted care worker at a downtown hotel.

Tina walked away from the hotel shortly after.

Days later, her 72-pound body, wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down by rocks, was pulled from the river.
WASHINGTON - BlackBerry Ltd. is setting up a completely separate subsidiary in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the company's ties with critical U.S. federal agencies that require highly secure cloud-based services.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blackberry logo located in the lobby of the company's B building in Waterloo, Ont. on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. BlackBerry Ltd. is setting up a completely separate subsidiary in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the company's ties with critical U.S. federal agencies that require highly secure cloud-based services. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Ryan

WASHINGTON - BlackBerry Ltd. is setting up a completely separate subsidiary in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the company's ties with critical U.S. federal agencies that require highly secure cloud-based services.

The new subsidiary will be focused on ensuring that more BlackBerry products and services meet the strict U.S. requirements for assessing, authorizing and monitoring products and services that use cloud computing.

BlackBerry's AtHoc service for crisis communications was authorized in March 2017 and is now used by 1.1 million licensed users including at the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and Department of Energy.

BlackBerry Government Solutions will be led by Robert E. Day, Jr., a retired U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral who joined the Canadian technology firm in 2016 to head its cybersecurity operations centre.

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The company didn't disclose how many people report to Day but said that BlackBerry Government Solutions will have its own offices, board of directors, IT infrastructure, security systems, and employee badges.

BlackBerry executive chairman and CEO John Chen said the new subsidiary will "deepen our reach" within the U.S. government sector as it manages a "tidal wave" of internet-connected devices.

The U.S. government and its agencies have long been a significant source of revenue for BlackBerry, which has been stressing its expertise in providing highly secure software and services since exiting the smartphone hardware business.

Based in Waterloo, Ont., BlackBerry is scheduled to release its 2018-19 financial results on March 29.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version misspelled AtHoc as AdHoc.
NEW YORK - Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2018 file photo, Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., speaks to reporters after a hearing in Manhattan criminal court in New York. Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from the New York prosecutor and federal authorities, and the effort has spurred over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions so far. That's according to a report released Tuesday, March 12, 2019 by Vance Jr. and data provided by the federal Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

NEW YORK - Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say.

It's estimated that another 155,000 or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing, and thousands of results have yet to be linked to suspects. Many who have been identified can't be prosecuted because of legal time limits and other factors.

Still, the effort is a start at correcting "an absolute travesty of justice," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Tuesday while releasing results of his $38 million investment in testing  all outside his own turf.

"That backlog not only undermined justice and the perception, and reality, of equality  it also made every woman and every American less safe," he said.

Law enforcement and lawmakers have faced growing calls in recent years to eliminate what's known as the rape kit backlog  swabs and samples collected in sex assault cases but never tested for DNA. Victims' advocates see the untested kits as signs that sexual assaults weren't taken seriously enough.

Vance, who took office after New York City cleared its own testing backlog, and the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance have worked in tandem since 2015 to help other places tackle theirs.

The two agencies have paid to send years-old kits to labs from dozens of states and communities, ranging from Flint, Michigan, to Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas.

One of those kits sat untested for 15 years in Tracy Rios' case, though she'd given police the name of the then-friend she accused of luring her into a vacant apartment and sexually assaulting her in 2002 in Tempe, Arizona. Police said they couldn't charge him based on her word, and then she underwent a rape kit exam, but the investigation soon stalled, she said.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, left, listens while sexual assault survivor Tracy Rios speaks about her attack, during a press conference, Tuesday March 12, 2019, in New York. Vance released results of a $38 million national initiative to help law enforcement agencies perform DNA tests on evidence in thousands of languishing rape cases. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

"I lost faith in the system. I thought they didn't care," she said Tuesday. A message was left for Tempe police about the case.

Two years ago, she was told her rape kit had finally been tested, with money from the Manhattan DA's office, and police were pursuing her case anew.

"It was amazing to know I was going to get justice," said Rios, whose attacker is now serving a seven-year sentence for sexual assault.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified, as Rios did.

Some cities have mobilized on their own to test years-old rape kits.

But the big grants from Manhattan and Washington "infused this movement with resources," says Ilse Knecht of the Joyful Heart Foundation, a sexual assault victims' advocacy group.

The backlog built up over decades, partly due to the cost of tests that can run $1,000 or more.

But victims' advocates also say many sex assault cases simply got sidelined over the years by police and prosecutors who unduly disbelieved or downplayed victims' allegations.

New York City worked through a 17,000-case backlog between 2000 and 2003. Vance, a Democrat elected in 2009, offered other places money to attack their own backlogs and negotiated discount rates with labs.

His program  financed with $38 million from settlements in banking-related cases  dispatched more than 55,000 rape kits to testing labs. The results have yielded 186 arrests and 64 convictions to date, with more investigations and prosecutions still underway, according to Vance's report.

In Battle Creek, Michigan, arrests included a suspect in the 2013 sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

Authorities had his name from the start  he was a family friend  but her rape kit wasn't tested until Vance's grant program helped Michigan wipe out a 3,400-kit backlog.

The woman, now 19, says she was initially angry when authorities told her they were ready to prosecute three years after the assault. She'd gotten on with her life, helped by counselling.

But she ultimately agreed to testify, and her attacker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

"I feel proud of myself" for going forward with the case, the woman said Tuesday. And she doesn't feel scared to walk around town anymore.

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Another nearly 45,000 rape kits have been sent to labs through the Justice Department program  and it's produced nearly 899 prosecutions and 498 convictions and plea bargains, according to data the agency provided Monday to The Associated Press.

The Justice Department has put $154 million over three years into its sexual assault kit initiative, which includes other things besides testing.

DNA testing isn't a surefire way to close cases. Only some rape kits match any profile in the FBI databank  and sometimes it's just a match to DNA from another crime scene, with no name attached unless the person gets arrested in the future.

Even when DNA matches a known offender, prosecution is sometimes impossible because the legal time clock has run out, the suspect has died or for other reasons.

But authorities and victims' advocates say arrests aren't the only measure of the impact of getting the tests done.

"It means that the criminal justice system cares what happened to you," Knecht said.
OTTAWA - The push for the speedy passage of the new NAFTA is getting a boost from a big advertising campaign in the United States.

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The push for the speedy passage of the modernized NAFTA is getting a boost from a new, major advertising campaign in the United States. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right to left, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, President of the United States Donald Trump, Mexico's Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, and President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto participate in a signing ceremony for the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The push for the speedy passage of the new NAFTA is getting a boost from a big advertising campaign in the United States.

An alliance of U.S. companies, trade associations and lobbyists launched a series of TV commercials and digital ads Monday that it hopes will inspire more Americans to push their congressional representatives to ratify the continental trade agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, if ratified, will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. The deal, signed by the three countries' leaders in November, must be approved by Congress before it comes into force.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Congress to support the new deal, which he argues will lift the American farm sector, bring back lost manufacturing jobs and reinvigorate the auto industry.

The campaign by the "Pass USMCA Coalition" promotes what the group sees as the deal's economic benefits. It arrives as Trump's trade czar, Robert Lighthizer, expands efforts to meet with Democrats in Washington to discuss their concerns about the agreement.

The coalition's 16 members include the Canadian American Business Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Chicken Council, Dow and Domino's Pizza.

Its honorary co-chairs are former New York congressman Joe Crowley and Gary Locke, who served as U.S. ambassador to China, commerce secretary in the Obama administration and governor of Washington state. Both are Democrats, but Rick Dearborn, Trump's former deputy chief of staff, is the coalition's executive director.

The initial 30-second TV ad, set to run for three weeks in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., tells viewers that a "new era of economic and creative prosperity is within reach."

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"The U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will level the playing field for our workers, consumers and farmers with more free markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth," says the ad, which cost just over US$1 million. "By increasing exports, raising wages and accelerating innovation, it will propel U.S. trade into the 21st century."

It then calls on voters to contact lawmakers and urge the deal's swift ratification.

Trump administration officials, including Lighthizer, have been meeting Democrats in hope of securing bipartisan support for the USMCA.

Democrats, empowered by their new majority in the House of Representatives, and some Republicans have said they won't vote for NAFTA 2.0 in its current form.

Among the complaints, Democrats say the agreement lacks labour and environmental enforcement measures, and some don't like its extended drug-patent protections. To enact the deal, U.S. officials say those congressional concerns will have to be dealt with in so-called side letters or in the bill Congress eventually votes on.

Last Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Economic Club of Washington that Lighthizer has been "really very respectful" in his efforts and has listened to members on both sides of the aisle.
VANCOUVER - Goldcorp Inc. says there has been what it called an illegal work stoppage by the AOMA mining union at its Cerro Negro mine in Argentina.

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The Goldcorp Inc. logo is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Goldcorp Inc. *MANDATORY CREDIT*

VANCOUVER - Goldcorp Inc. says there has been what it called an illegal work stoppage by the AOMA mining union at its Cerro Negro mine in Argentina.

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The gold miner says it is working with the union and government authorities to find a resolution and restart operations.

Mining ceased when the work stoppage began on March 8.

Goldcorp says processing activities have also now been stopped with the exhaustion of surface stockpiles.

Cerro Negro is an underground mine that began commercial production in January 2015.

It produced 452,000 ounces of gold in 2017.

Companies in this story: (TSX:G)
Alphabet Inc. CEO Larry Page didnt get board approval when he awarded a US$150 million stock grant to Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android mobile software who was under investigation by the company for sexual harassment at the time, according to a lawsuit.

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Alphabet Inc. CEO Larry Page didnt get board approval when he awarded a US$150 million stock grant to Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android mobile software who was under investigation by the company for sexual harassment at the time, according to a lawsuit.

Page later got "rubber stamp" approval for the equity compensation package from a board leadership committee eight days after he granted it, according to a revised investor complaint made public on Monday in California state court in San Jose. Rubin eventually left the company with a US$90-million severance agreement.

The new allegations shed light on Pages power to compensate top executives and could add fuel to criticism that the companys board isnt strong enough to keep management accountable to shareholders. It could also pull Page deeper into the controversy around how Google has handled sexual harassment complaints, though its not clear if he knew about the investigation when he gave Rubin the equity. The Alphabet co-founder has generally stayed behind the scenes, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been left to deal with criticism of the companys culture.

Investors claim the board failed in its duties by allowing harassment to occur, approving big payouts and keeping the details private. The complaint targets the companys top executives and committee members, including co-founder Sergey Brin, venture capitalist John Doerr, investor Ram Shriram and Alphabet chief legal officer David Drummond, among others.

"Its confirmation of the fact that there were these large payouts" to Google executives, and that the companys "own internal investigation had shown there was misconduct and harassment," Louise Renne, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, said Monday by phone.

"Nonetheless, rather than being just being terminated, they were terminated with hefty reimbursement and gifts," Renne said.

The US$90-million severance package was first detailed by the New York Times in October 2018, and sparked a firestorm of criticism from both inside and outside the company. Soon after, thousands of Google employees walked out to protest how the company handles sexual harassment complaints. Since then, Google has changed its policies, including ending the practice of barring employees from suing the company and shunting them into private arbitration. People fired for sexual harassment havent gotten severance payments in the past two years, Google has said.

"There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google," a spokeswoman for Google said in an e-mailed statement. "In recent years, weve made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority."

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Google declined to comment further.

Meanwhile, the court documents show Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal US$35 million in an exit package when the exec was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation.

Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

Previously redacted portions of the lawsuit complaint were made available Monday, including quotes from board committee meetings.

One portion of the minutes showed that Singhal received two US$15-million payments and a payment of at least US$5 million as part of a separation agreement. He left the company in 2016.

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's $4.7 trillion budget request proposes steep cuts to domestic spending, a funding boost for the Pentagon and $8.6 billion for his signature border wall with Mexico. Leading Democrats immediately rejected the plan, signalling another bruising fight just weeks after a standoff that led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's $4.7 trillion budget request proposes steep cuts to domestic spending, a funding boost for the Pentagon and $8.6 billion for his signature border wall with Mexico. Leading Democrats immediately rejected the plan, signalling another bruising fight just weeks after a standoff that led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

A look at the highlights from the White House proposal:

Highlights of president Donald Trump's 2020 federal budget;

___

BORDER WALL FIGHT RENEWED

Trump's proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 includes $8.6 billion to build the U.S-Mexico border wall. The proposal shows Trump is eager to renew his confrontation with Congress over the wall, a centerpiece of his agenda that congressional Democrats have staunchly resisted.

The budget request for more than 300 miles (480 kilometres) of new border wall would more than double the $8.1 billion potentially available to the president for the wall after Trump declared a national emergency at the border last month. The politically contentious declaration would circumvent Congress, though there's no guarantee Trump will be able to use the money in the face of a legal challenge from California and other states. Lawmakers from both parties oppose the emergency declaration, but Congress appears to lack a veto-proof margin to block Trump.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump "was forced to admit defeat" after Congress refused to fund the wall in the current budget, and they predicted a similar outcome if he continues to press for money for the wall. Money targeted for the wall "would be better spent on rebuilding America," they said.

The budget asks Congress to set up a fund of up to $2 billion to pay for sheltering migrant children who arrive with their families or alone at the U.S. border.

___

BIG BOOST FOR Defence, CUTS IN DOMESTIC SPENDING

Trump's budget proposes increasing defence spending to $750 billion  and building the new Space Force as a military branch  while reducing nondefense accounts by 5 per cent. The $2.7 trillion in proposed domestic spending cuts over the next decade is higher than any administration in history. Proposed cuts include economic safety-net programs used by millions of Americans.

Construction crews replace a section of the primary wall separating San Diego, above right, and Tijuana, Mexico, below left, Monday, March 11, 2019, seen from Tijuana, Mexico. President Donald Trump is reviving his border wall fight, preparing a new budget that will seek $8.6 billion for the U.S-Mexico barrier while imposing steep spending cuts to other domestic programs and setting the stage for another fiscal battle. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

To stay within prescribed budget caps, the proposal shifts about $165 billion in defence spending to an overseas contingency fund, an action that critics view as an accounting gimmick.

The head of the American Federation of Government Employees, J. David Cox, called the budget "a kick in the teeth" to federal workers who've endured years of pay freezes and benefits cuts and just emerged from the 35-day partial shutdown. The proposal "shows a complete disconnect with the needs of the civil servants who are America's workforce," Cox said.

___

RED INK FLOWS

Under Trump's proposal, the budget deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion next year  the highest in a decade. The administration is counting on robust economic growth, including from the 2017 Republican tax cuts, to push down the red ink. Some economists say the economic bump from the tax cuts is waning, and they project slower growth in coming years. The national debt is $22 trillion.

Even with his own projections, Trump's budget would not come into balance for a decade and a half, rather than the traditional hope of balancing in 10 years.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, warned that the debt load will lead to slower income growth and stalled opportunities for Americans.

___

ENVIRONMENTAL SPENDING SLASHED

Trump again is asking Congress to slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by about a third, a request that Congress has previously rejected. The budget request seeks $6.1 billion for the EPA, down 31 per cent from current spending. The White House says it aims to ensure clean air and water and chemical safety, while "reducing regulatory burden and eliminating lower-priority activities."

But Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group says it would work to appease Trump's political base and boost the fossil fuel and chemical industries.

The budget would kill the federal tax credit for electric vehicles among a range of energy-related tax changes. Republicans have launched several efforts to end the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles, which is already set to phase out for several automakers. The plan is unlikely to win approval in the Democratic-controlled House.

___

REPEALING OBAMACARE  AGAIN

The budget request would reopen two health care battles Trump already lost in his first year in office: repealing "Obamacare" and limiting future federal spending on Medicaid for low-income people. Under the budget, major sections of both the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid would be turned over to the states starting in 2021.

With Democrats in charge of the House, Trump's grand plan has no chance of being enacted. And few Republican lawmakers want to be dragged into another health care fight.

___

EDUCATION CUT, SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANDED

The budget request would cut Education Department funding by 10 per cent while expanding money for school choice, school safety and apprenticeship programs. The $64 billion proposal would eliminate 29 programs, including a $2 billion program meant to help schools improve instruction and a $1.2 billion program to create community centres.

Meanwhile, it would add $60 million for charter schools and $200 million for school safety initiatives.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says the plan would end programs better handled at the state or local level. She also proposed up to $5 billion in federal tax credits to support school choice scholarships.

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___

MORE CHOICE FOR VETERANS

The White House is seeking just over $93 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, an increase of $6.5 billion from current spending.

The request would support implementation of a law Trump signed last year to give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the troubled VA system, a major shift aimed at reducing wait times and improving care by steering more patients to the private sector. The plan again targets reducing veteran suicides as a top priority and sets aside $4.3 billion to improve the department's computer system and website.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Richard Lardner, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.
Police have confirmed the arrested of one person in connection with the assassination of Temitope Olatoye also known as Sugar, an House of Reps member from Oyo state.

Sugar before his untimely death was the Federal House of Representatives representing Lagelu /Akinyele Federal Constituency and the Chairman, House Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning.

The federal lawmaker was shot in Ibadan, in Oyo State during the Governorship/Assembly polls in Saturday, and reportedly died in the ICU of the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.

Shina Olukolu, the state commissioner of police revealed that a team police investigators led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) has cracked down and arrested a suspect in connection to the murder of the deceased House of Reps member.

Speaking on Tuesday via the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi a Superintendent of Police, Olukolu revealed that the singular arrest will further lead to the arrests of more suspects.

We have arrested one person in connection with the killing of the lawmaker and he is helping the police with useful information that will eventually lead to the arrest of all those that have hands in the dastardly act. I can tell you that we are getting closer to the killers, he said.

I learnt that Sugar was ambushed and, in the process, sustained gunshot injuries in the head.

He was immediately evacuated to the UCH for medical attention, but, unfortunately, he died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital while receiving treatment, he said.

He added the area where the incident occurred was cordoned while he directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) to personally lead the team of investigators.
SANTA FE, N.M. - New Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption.

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In this Thursday, March 7, 2019 photo, New Mexico state Rep. Javier Martinez of Albuquerque, right, rallies support for a bill to authorize recreational marijuana consumption and sales through state-owned stores in Santa Fe, N.M. New Mexico took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana when its House approved a bill that would allow state-run stores and require customers to carry a receipt with their cannabis or face penalties. The measure, narrowly approved Thursday, March 7, 2019, following a late-night floor debate, mixes major provisions of a Republican-backed Senate bill that emphasizes aggressive regulation with a draft by Democrats concerned about the U.S. war on drugs. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)

SANTA FE, N.M. - New Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption.

The idea for state-run pot shops comes from a trio of GOP state senators who broke with local Republican Party orthodoxy to embrace legal marijuana with a decidedly big-government approach that would have the state directly oversee most sales  and require that marijuana consumers carry receipts of purchase or confront penalties.

Those provisions were sown into Democrat-sponsored legislation that contains currents of social justice, including a provision to subsidize medical cannabis for poor people with "debilitating medical conditions" who might not otherwise be able to afford treatment. Tax dollars from recreational marijuana sales would fund employment and counselling programs in communities "disproportionately affected by past federal and state drug policies," including training to enter the marijuana sector.

Carly Wolf, state policies co-ordinator at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, says the provisions for state-run stores and medical cannabis subsidization both would be new to the United States, as New Mexico seeks to become the first state to set up a complete regulatory framework through legislation.

Ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana  all by ballot initiative except Vermont, which allowed for personal use and growing but is still debating whether to authorize commercial production and sales.

Other legislative efforts to legalize recreational marijuana are underway in New York and New Jersey, while a bill to legalize recreational cannabis in Democrat-dominated Hawaii fizzled last week.

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2019 photo, the exterior of a medical marijuana dispensary is seen in Santa Fe, N.M. New Mexico took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana when its House approved a bill that would allow state-run stores and require customers to carry a receipt with their cannabis or face penalties. The measure, narrowly approved Thursday, March 7, 2019, following a late-night floor debate, mixes major provisions of a Republican-backed Senate bill that emphasizes aggressive regulation with a draft by Democrats concerned about the U.S. war on drugs. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)

In New Mexico, a coterie of powerful conservative Democrats still stands in the way of a Senate floor vote on legalization.

"It's not a priority," said Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming, who will decide whether the marijuana bill is heard by the Senate Finance Committee, a final hurdle before a Senate vote. Smith does not favour legalization and worries about harmful effects of marijuana on the brain.

Sen. Peter Wirth, the chamber's Democratic majority leader, believes legalization would prevail in a floor vote. He said support from a contingent of Senate Republicans has redrawn the political battle on marijuana along generational lines rather than partisan affiliation.

Wirth also called the concept of state-run pot shops  that would sell marijuana on consignment without owning or producing it  a political game changer that allays anxiety about welcoming the nation's rollicking, multibillion-dollar marijuana industry. In addition, marijuana production licenses would come with an in-state residency requirement of two years.

"It puts some parameters around it," Wirth said. "The state can monitor what it looks like and how it expands."

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has expressed guarded support for recreational marijuana  provided the legislation addresses concerns about child access, impaired driving, workplace safety and safeguarding the state's existing marijuana market for medical patients.

"If the Legislature can check those boxes, bring it on," Nora Sackett, a spokeswoman for Lujan Grisham, said in an email.

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2019 photo, Korbin Osborn, left, works as a cannabis adviser at a medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Fe, N.M. New Mexico took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana when its House approved a bill that would allow state-run stores and require customers to carry a receipt with their cannabis or face penalties. The measure, narrowly approved Thursday, March 7, 2019, following a late-night floor debate, mixes major provisions of a Republican-backed Senate bill that emphasizes aggressive regulation with a draft by Democrats concerned about the U.S. war on drugs. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)

New Mexico has watched neighbouring Colorado's pioneering decision to legalize and tax marijuana with a mixture of apprehension and envy, as lawmakers in Santa Fe struggle to find stable sources of tax revenue to improve public education and raise teacher salaries. The judiciary is threatening to intervene in school funding decisions, citing inadequate educational opportunities for children from poor and minority families.

New Mexico would levy a 17 per cent tax on recreational marijuana sales and allow possession of up to 1 ounce (28 grams). Local governments can opt out, forgoing tax proceeds in the process. State tax proceeds would fund detection technologies and training for police to identify impaired drivers. Businesses could maintain "zero-tolerance" policies for drug testing as a condition of employment.

Sponsors say the bill would safeguard New Mexico's medical marijuana program by removing taxes on medical pot to keep down prices and ensure its 70,000 participants don't flock to the recreational market. At least four other states forgo taxes on medical marijuana.

New Mexico also would authorize marijuana consumption "lounges" for smoking and vaping  or eating any number of marijuana-infused confections and foods  though the bill offers few details on regulatory oversight.

Republican Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a dairy farmer from Roswell, in a conservative political stronghold of the state, said state-run stores can prevent the proliferation of pot shops that some other states have witnessed, and provide retail shelf space at a low cost to fledgling marijuana producers.

"You drive through Anonito and you used to not even have a gas station, and now it has four marijuana shops," said Pirtle, describing a Colorado town of 750 residents near the New Mexico state line. "I know in my district that's not what they want downtown to look like, so this would help."

A number of U.S. states retain a monopoly on liquor sales through state-operated stores  a regulatory option that dates back to prohibition. Several provinces in Canada, which legalized marijuana last year, sell cannabis exclusively through government-run retail and online stores.

In New Mexico, some private dispensaries would be allowed in remote areas at least 25 miles (40 kilometres) from the nearest state-run pot shop.

Marijuana commercialization opponent Luke Niforatos, senior policy adviser to Smart Approaches to Marijuana, lobbied individual legislators Tuesday to reject the bill.

"Is this really the job of government, to make this more available?" he said.

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State-run stores are among a host of provisions that respond to experiences in states with voter-approved legalization, where regulations were sometimes forged by lawmakers after the fact, whether they sought legalization or not.

House Democrats in New Mexico, where ballot initiatives aren't available, say they spent years exploring policies and tax provisions for a bill that now includes funding for research on the health effect of legalization.

"One of the benefits of doing it through the legislative process is you just jump into the nuanced details," said Emily Kaltenbach, state director of the nonpartisan Drug Policy Alliance that favours decriminalization. "You iron those out."

In negotiations over a final bill, local governments gained a greater share of tax proceeds to spend on anything from roads to counselling for drug addiction, and Republicans held on to prohibitions on homegrown recreational marijuana.

The measure's opponents include the local Roman Catholic diocese, New Mexico's primary chamber of commerce and many medical marijuana companies that are scrambling to decipher what the future would hold with an unlimited number of licensed commercial producers.

"The price of cannabis is going to go down, which is good for the patient," said Erik Briones, who owns a business that produces and sells about $5 million worth of medical marijuana products a year. "But you still have to stay in business. We're the ones that build this thing. We need some protection."
LONDON - Britain's Parliament has dealt a major blow to Prime Minister Theresa May, resoundingly rejecting her Brexit deal just 17 days before the U.K. is due to leave the bloc.

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In this grab taken from video, Britain''s Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the Brexit debate in the House of Commons, London, Tuesday March 12, 2019. Britain's attorney general punctured Prime Minister Theresa May's hopes of winning backing for her Brexit deal Tuesday, saying last-minute changes secured from the European Union didn't give Britain the power to cut itself free of ties to the bloc. (House of Commons/PA via AP)

LONDON - Britain's Parliament has dealt a major blow to Prime Minister Theresa May, resoundingly rejecting her Brexit deal just 17 days before the U.K. is due to leave the bloc.

Lawmakers voted by 391 to 242 against the deal, the second time they have defeated it.

The House of Commons threw out the agreement by an overwhelming majority in January, sending May back to the EU to seek changes.

On Monday, May said she had secured "legally binding" changes to allay lawmakers' fears  but it wasn't enough.

Lawmakers will now vote on whether to leave the EU without a deal on the scheduled date of March 29, or to ask the bloc to postpone Britain's departure.
HOUSTON - The Latest on Boeing's 737 Max 8 model after a crash in Ethiopia (all times local):

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In this Dec. 15, 2018, photo, invited guests take photos of the Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane deliver to Air China during a ceremony at Boeing Zhoushan 737 Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province. China's civilian aviation authority has ordered all Chinese airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Monday, March 11, 2019 after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia. The authority said the one-day action was made out of safety concerns because the crash was similar to one in Indonesia last year. (Chinatopix via AP)

HOUSTON - The Latest on Boeing's 737 Max 8 model after a crash in Ethiopia (all times local):

12:45 a.m.

India's Jet Airways says it has grounded its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after a crash in Ethiopia that killed all 157 people on board.

The airline said it is not flying any of the 737 Max planes in its fleet and is "in contact with the manufacturer."

On Monday, India's aviation watchdog said it ordered a safety assessment of the aircraft. It also issued safety instructions for flying Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The directions call for the pilot-in-command to have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience and the co-pilot to have 500 hours on Boeing 737 NG type aircraft.

Indian airline SpiceJet also has Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, but it's unclear if those planes are grounded. Calls and emails to the company were unanswered Tuesday.

___

12:15 a.m. Tuesday

South Korean transportation authorities are conducting a safety inspection of a local airline that uses the same aircraft involved in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people.

An official from low-cost carrier Eastar Jet said Tuesday it doesn't have immediate plans to suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes it uses on routes to Japan and Thailand. He said it will wait for the inspection's outcome.

No other South Korean carriers operate the plane. South Korea's Transportation Ministry says the inspection on Eastar began hours after the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The Eastar official says government officials are reviewing Eastar's flight operation manuals and the planes' machinery and software. She said the airline was getting calls from worried customers, but no cancellations.

___

11:00 p.m. Monday

Singapore's civil aviation authority says it has temporarily banned all Boeing 737 Max planes from entering and leaving the country.

It noted in a statement on Tuesday that there have been two fatal accidents involving the aircraft in less than five months. Sunday's deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 killed all 157 people on board.

The authority said the suspension starting later Tuesday will be "reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."

The suspension will affect SilkAir, a regional carrier that's wholly owned by Singapore Airlines. It has six Boeing 737 Max 8 planes.

The authority said that flights to Singapore by China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air will also be affected.

___

9:30 p.m.

Fiji Airways says it will continue flying its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes to Pacific destinations.

Some airlines have grounded their Max 8 planes after an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people. Another Max 8 plane crashed in Indonesia last year.

Fiji's national carrier said in a statement Tuesday it's following the situation closely and has full confidence in the airworthiness of its fleet. The airline says it mainly uses the MAX 8 planes on routes connecting Fiji, Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority said Fiji Airways was the only carrier landing MAX 8 planes in New Zealand and it could continue doing so.

In the United States, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said her department was monitoring developments. The FAA noted the investigation into the crash had just begun and it has not yet drawn similarities between the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes.

India's aviation watchdog issued safety instructions after the Ethiopia crash, calling for the pilot-in-command to have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience and the co-pilot to have 500 hours on Boeing 737 NG type aircraft.

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In this Dec. 15, 2018, photo released by Xinhua News Agency, invited guests take photos of the Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane deliver to Air China during a ceremony at Boeing Zhoushan 737 Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province. China's civilian aviation authority has ordered all Chinese airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Monday, March 11, 2019 after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia. The authority said the one-day action was made out of safety concerns because the crash was similar to one in Indonesia last year. (Xu Yu/Xinhua via AP)

8:35 p.m.

Brazil's Gol Airlines is suspending the use of its 121 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft following the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the same airplane.

The company said in a press release Monday night that as of 8 p.m. local time it would be temporarily stopping the commercial use of the airplanes.

The statement says Gol is fully confident in Boeing's safety operations and it is following updates about the investigation into the 737 Max 8 in order to return the aircraft to use as soon as possible.

Gol says that since it started using the Boeing 737 Max 8 last June, the aircraft have made nearly 3,000 flights with "total security and efficiency."

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8 p.m.

The Mexican airline Aeromexico says it is suspending flights with its six Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliners following the crash of a Max 8 aircraft in Ethiopia that killed 157 people.

The company says it trusts "fully" in the safety of its fleet but adds that the grounding has been ordered to ensure "the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers."

A statement issued Monday evening says the airline is in communication with Boeing as well as aviation authorities about the plane model. It says other planes will take over the flights usually flown by its Max 8 jets.

Airlines in Ethiopia, China and Indonesia have temporarily grounded their Max 8s, in addition to Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways, Comair in South Africa and Royal Air Maroc in Morocco

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7:45 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system that is suspected of contributing to a deadly crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in October.

The FAA said Monday that Boeing will also update training requirements and flight crew manuals related to the system.

The system automatically points the plane's nose down if sensors indicate the plane could be in danger of losing lift, or stalling. Sensors on the plane operated by Indonesia's Lion Air gave out faulty readings on its last four flights.

On the fatal October flight, pilots apparently struggled in vain to fight against the automated nose-down commands.

The FAA tried to discourage comparisons between the Lion Air crash and Sunday's deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8. Both performed erratically shortly after takeoff, then went into nosedives. Weather did not appear to be a factor in either one.

"External reports are drawing similarities between (the Ethiopian) accident and the Lion Air Flight 610 accident," the FAA said. "However, this investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions."

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7 p.m.

State-run carrier Oman Air says it is in close contact with Boeing after the crash of an Ethiopian jetliner, the same model that it uses widely.

Oman Air tweeted Monday that is talking to Boeing "to understand if there are any implications" for other airlines operating Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

It added: "Oman Air's primary and overriding consideration is the safety and well-being of its staff and guests."

Oman Air operates five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Oman is a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 on Sunday killed 157 people. A similar Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Chinese and Indonesian regulators ordered their airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.

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6:25 p.m.

Indonesia has grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes for inspections following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, the second for the new aircraft since October.

Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti said the grounding was taken to ensure flight safety in Indonesia. He said the inspections will ensure the planes are airworthy.

The crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 killed 157 people Sunday. A Lion Air model of the same plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

There are currently 11 MAX 8 planes operated by airlines in Indonesia including 10 by Lion Air and 1 by national carrier Garuda.

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5:30 p.m.

Boeing says it is not issuing new guidance to airlines about its 737 Max 8 aircraft after a second fatal crash on Sunday.

A statement Monday referred questions about the grounding of planes to airlines and aviation authorities. It said "at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators."

China has ordered its airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by 6 p.m., and Ethiopian Airlines and Cayman Airways both are doing the same.

A crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 killed 157 people Sunday. A Lion Air model of the same plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

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3:55 p.m.

A spokesman says Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a safety precaution.

Asrat Begashaw said Monday that although it is not yet known what caused the crash on Sunday, the airline decided to ground its remaining four 737 Max 8 planes until further notice as "an extra safety precaution." Ethiopian Airlines was using five new 737 Max 8 planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

Begashaw said searching and digging to uncover body parts and aircraft debris will continue. He said forensic experts from Israel have arrived in Ethiopia to help with the investigation.

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3:40 p.m.

The Middle Eastern budget carrier FlyDubai says it is in touch with Boeing and "monitoring the situation" regarding its 737 Max 8 aircraft, but has faith in its planes' airworthiness following an Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the model.

FlyDubai operates 11 Boeing 737 MAX-8 and two Boeing MAX-9 jetliners. The Dubai government-owned airline said in emailed statements Monday that it "went through a rigorous process" to choose the right aircraft for its operations and noted that it adheres to all regulations regarding its planes.

It says it remains "confident in the airworthiness of our fleet."

The Ethiopian crash killed 157 people aboard on Sunday. Chinese regulators ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Monday.

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11:50 p.m.

Cayman Airways says it is temporarily grounding the two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft it operates in the wake of an Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the same plane model.

The Caribbean carrier said the grounding would take effect Monday. While he acknowledged the cause of the Ethiopian crash was unclear, airline President and CEO Fabian Whorms said the airline was taking the step because of its "commitment to putting the safety of our passengers and crew first."

He said the move would lead to scheduling changes as the carrier copes with aircraft shortages.

Cayman received its first Max 8 in November and its second just this month.

The airline is the flag carrier of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory.

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___

11:11 p.m.

The head of Indonesia's national transport safety agency says it will offer to assist the Ethiopian investigation into the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane.

The same model of plane, operated by Lion Air, crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 people on board. Like the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday, which killed 157 people, the Lion Air jet had erratic speed in the few minutes it was in the air.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, chairman of the National Safety Transportation Board, said Monday that Indonesia can be a party to Ethiopia's investigation because one of its citizens was among those who died in the crash.

He said, "However, we will also offer to assist the investigation process."
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Documents lie on the ground at Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 crashed Sunday. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a deadly crash Sunday involving a new aircraft model touted for its environmentally friendly engine that is used by many airlines worldwide. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

HEJERE, Ethiopia - The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):

4:40 a.m.

The United Arab Emirates, a key international travel hub, has barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 from its airspace following the crash of a similar jetliner in Ethiopia.

The Emirates' General Civil Aviation administration made the announcement late Tuesday night.

It cited the similarities between Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines flight and another by Indonesia's Lion Air last year for its decision.

The budget carrier FlyDubai, owned by the Dubai government, uses the aircraft as a workhorse of its fleet.

FlyDubai said in a statement "is adjusting its schedule to minimise disruption to passengers."

It flies 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and two MAX 9s.

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3:55 a.m.

New Zealand and Fiji have suspended Boeing 737 Max 8 flights in and out of the two countries following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The decisions affect only one operator, Fiji Airways. No New Zealand airlines use the Max 8 planes.

Much of the world, including the entire European Union and Australia, has grounded the Boeing jetliner from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

Graeme Harris, a director at New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority, said the decision followed discussions with other aviation authorities.

Fiji Airways and Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority said they would ground the fleet until more information is known about the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident..

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2:10 a.m.

The union for Air Canada flight attendants says the company is allowing flight attendants who don't want to fly on Boeing 737 Max airplanes to be reassigned and the union says they want that option to continue.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees issued a statement Tuesday asking the company to put the safety of passengers and crew first.

Wesley Lesosky, the president of the union's Air Canada component, says the union is calling on Air Canada "to at a minimum continue to offer reassignment to crew members who do not want to fly on this type of airplane." Union spokesman Philippe Gagnon says that option is currently being offered.

Before clearing his schedule to meet with experts, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he has no plans to ground Canada's fleet of 737 Max aircraft, but that "all options are on the table."

___

1:45 a.m.

Boeing's CEO has spoken with President Donald Trump and voiced his confidence that plane maker's 737 Max is safe.

The call Tuesday came as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration continues to back the airworthiness of the 737 Max despite a growing number of countries grounding the aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash over the weekend.

The FAA says its review has so far not turned up any basis for grounding the jets.

Boeing said CEO Dennis Muilenburg spoke with Trump and expressed "his confidence in the safety of the 737 Max." The White House confirmed the two talked but did not disclose the content of the conversation.

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12:20 a.m. Wednesday

Icelandair Group says it has temporarily suspended operations of its three Boeing 737 Max aircraft until further notice.

President and CEO Bogi Nels Bogason said Tuesday that the company will follow developments closely and work with local, European and U.S. authorities on any steps that need to be taken.

Bogason said, however, that based available information, Icelandair's safety processes and the training of its crew, the company is confident of the safety of the aircraft.

He said the temporary suspension won't impact the company's operations, as it only affects three aircraft out of a fleet of 33.

Rescue workers at Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 crashed Sunday. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a deadly crash Sunday involving a new aircraft model touted for its environmentally friendly engine that is used by many airlines worldwide. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

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11:25 p.m. Tuesday

Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the U.S. should ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, just as his agency halted flights of another Boeing plane six years ago because of safety concerns.

LaHood was transportation secretary in 2013 when the department grounded the Boeing 787 because of overheating lithium-ion battery packs. The planes were idled for less than a month, until Boeing crafted new fire-resistant compartments around the batteries.

LaHood says current Secretary Elaine Chao should do the same thing, even if it means overruling the FAA, which has taken no action despite dozens of other countries banning the plane from their skies.

He says that Chao has the authority to suspend the 737 Max and require inspections by both FAA and Boeing personnel.

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10:55 p.m.

Kenya lost more citizens than anyone in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, and its transport minister is now trying to reassure a grieving country that no Kenyan airline has the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane in its fleet.

James Macharia in a statement late Tuesday also says "no foreign carrier is currently operating the aircraft type in Kenyan airspace." The statement appears to stop short of joining many countries in closing airspace to the plane.

As families of the 32 Kenyans killed seek answers, the minister says Kenya's government is working with Ethiopian Airlines to help relatives travel to Ethiopia's capital.

A global team of investigators is looking into the cause of the crash that killed 157 people.

___

9:40 p.m.

India says it is immediately grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

A statement late Tuesday says the planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.

The statement does not say how many planes are affected.

India says it continues to "consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety."

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9:30 p.m.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said there will be a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash Sunday of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 airplane in which 157 people died.

"The Ethiopian Airlines crash will be studied in detail. The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world," said Abiy at a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Our technical team is conducting a detailed study," said Abiy. "These types of accidents broke everyone's heart. I hope we will learn from this crash."

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9 p.m.

Italy is joining other European countries in closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority says aircraft of that type cannot operate to and from airports in Italy starting at 9 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Tuesday, until further notice.

The authority says the measure is precautionary, given the lack of "reliable information" regarding the cause of the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after takeoff on Sunday.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has just issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft. It applies to all European Union airspace.

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8:50 p.m.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft following two recent deadly crashes.

The grounding applies to all European Union airspace.

The crash in Ethiopia on Sunday came five months after an Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean.

Wreckage lies at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Ethiopian Airlines had issued no new updates on the crash as of late afternoon Tuesday as families around the world waited for answers, while a global team of investigators began picking through the rural crash site. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

EASA said in its emergency airworthiness directive Tuesday that "at this early stage" of the most recent investigation, "it cannot be excluded that similar causes may have contributed to both events."

It adds that "based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models."

It says companies may make one noncommercial flight to return their planes to a location where they can be inspected.

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8 p.m.

Consumer Reports is calling on airlines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until they finish a thorough safety investigation.

The consumer website says in a statement that American, Southwest and other carriers should do what foreign governments and airlines have done and temporarily suspend flights.

Britain, Germany, France, China and other countries have stopped the planes from flying or barred them from their airspace after Sunday's deadly crash in Ethiopia.

Consumer Reports says the Ethiopian crash and a Lion Air crash in October justify grounding the planes.

"Telling the public that the airplane is airworthy, as the FAA has done, without offering further explanation, does far too little to relieve the uncertainty and fear created by these two tragedies," the statement says.

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7:55 p.m.

Poland's state carrier LOT says it is grounding its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Several airlines in Europe and around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

LOT received its first Boeing 737 Max 8 in December 2017. It plans to have 15 such planes by January 2020.

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7:45 p.m.

The Dutch government has followed several other European nations in closing its airspace to the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that was involved in two recent fatal crashes.

Infrastructure and Water Ministry spokesman Roel Vincken says the government decided to close its airspace on Tuesday following advice from the Dutch aviation authority.

France, Britain and Germany also have announced airspace closures after the crash on Sunday of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia and another crash in October by the same model of plane in Indonesia.

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7:30 p.m.

Turkish Airlines says two Britain-bound Boeing 737 Max flights are returning to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.

A company official told The Associated Press on Tuesday the planes  one heading for London and the other for Birmingham  were about to land in Istanbul after being diverted back. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The company earlier announced that it was grounding all 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

 Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey

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7:20 p.m.

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau says "all options are on the table" with regard to the country's fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft but says the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.

Garneau's comments came minutes after announcements from Britain, Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

He later tweeted that he has cancelled all his meetings and public events on Tuesday to meet with his Civil Aviation Expert Panel and will consider all potential actions.

Canada is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority to determine if action is required.

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7:15 p.m.

Wreckage lies at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Sunday, March 10, 2019. The Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia's capital on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board, authorities said, as grieving families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi. (AP Photo)

No U.S. airlines have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 models that they fly, but at least one group representing flight attendants at a major carrier says it does not want to put its members on the plane until further investigations are completed.

After the second deadly crash involving the model in five months, several airlines and countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East have grounded it or banned it from their airspace.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to "strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed." The group said flight attendants will not be forced to fly if they feel unsafe.

Brian Parrish, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines which flies 34 Max 8s, said the carrier remains confident about the plane's safety. American Airlines Group, which flies 24 of the planes, said it has full confidence in the model.

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7:05 p.m.

Turkish Airlines says it is grounding all Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

In a statement issued on Twitter on Tuesday, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said all Boeing 737 Max flights are suspended until the "uncertainty affecting safety is cleared." He added that passenger safety was the company's priority.

Turkish Airlines is the latest company around the world to ground the planes following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

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6:50 p.m.

The French Civil Aviation Authority has joined several other nations and closed French airspace to all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

In a statement Tuesday, the authority says that "France is carefully following the progress of the inquiry" relating to the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa on Sunday that left 157 people dead.

It says French airline companies do not possess any of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

But as a precautionary measure, French authorities have decided to "forbid all commercial flights on a Boeing 737 Max departing from, travelling to, or flying across, France."

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6:40 p.m.

Irish aviation authorities have suspended all variants of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Ireland's airspace as European aviation regulators respond to recent crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Irish authorities say they made the decision "based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew."

The decision comes shortly after UK civilian aviation authorities took a similar step, motivated by the lack of information coming from the flight data recorder involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. But answers could take months and regulators are taking steps in the interim.

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6:20 p.m.

Germany's transport ministry says the country is closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, following a similar decision by Britain.

The ministry confirmed to news agency dpa on Tuesday comments made by Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer to n-tv television.

The broadcaster quoted Scheuer on its website as saying safety is the priority, and "until all doubts are cleared up, I have ordered that German airspace be closed for the Boeing 737 Max with immediate effect."

Germany joins a rapidly growing number of nations and carriers either grounding the planes or barring them from their airspace.

___

5:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump is bemoaning the complexity of modern airplanes in the wake of two deadly crashes in the past five months.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that the additional "complexity creates danger" and hinders pilots from making "split second decisions" to ensure their passengers' safety.

He added that "I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot."

The president did not specifically mention the crashes but his remarks come after several nations, but not the United States, have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The aircraft crashed in Indonesia last year and in Ethiopia on Sunday.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2018, file photo Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes are parked near Boeing Co.'s 737 assembly facility in Renton, Wash. Investigators were rushing to the scene of a devastating plane crash in Ethiopia on Sunday, March 10, 2019, an accident that could renew safety questions about the newest version of Boeing's popular 737 airliner. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Trump participated in a signing ceremony last month in Hanoi between U.S.-based Boeing and the Vietnamese government.

___

5:15 p.m.

Norwegian Air Shuttle says it has grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on recommendation from European aviation authorities after Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The Norwegian carrier has 18 of the planes.

Tomas Hesthammer, the low-cost carrier's acting chief operating officer, says that "the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply."

A growing number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes.

___

4:45 p.m.

British regulators have grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says in a statement Tuesday that though it had been monitoring the situation, it had as a precautionary measure "issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace."

Some five 737 Max aircraft are registered and operational in the United Kingdom, while a sixth had planned to commence operations later this week.

Several countries have now grounded the planes.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. Answers could take months.

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4:40 p.m.

Malaysian authorities say all flights by Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft into and out of the country have been suspended following two fatal crashes involving the jet in less than five months.

The Civil Aviation Authority said in a short statement Tuesday that no Malaysian carriers operate the Max 8, but that foreign airlines are banned from flying the plane in Malaysia, and from transiting in the country, until further notice.

A number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

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4:15 p.m.

Civil aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates say they have joined U.S. authorities and Boeing "to investigate and collect data" regarding the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The General Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement Tuesday via the Emirates' state-run WAM news agency.

It comes as neighbouring Oman says it will "temporarily suspend" all Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports.

The UAE's aviation authority says it also contacted Ethiopian Airlines and Chinese authorities.

The statement adds that "the GCAA will not be reluctant to ground the UAE-registered Boeing 737 Max fleet, if required, to ensure the highest standard of aviation safety is achieved."

The Dubai government-owned carrier FlyDubai uses the 737 Max on its flights.

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3:55 p.m.

Oman says it is "temporarily suspending" flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner of the same type.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the announcement Tuesday.

State-owned Oman Air operates five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Oman is a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 on Sunday killed 157 people. A similar Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Airlines around the world have begun grounding the aircraft as an investigation into Sunday's crash continues.

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3:20 p.m.

A pilot who saw the Ethiopian Airlines crash site minutes after the disaster says the plane appeared to have "slid directly into the ground."

Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the crash site, which was discovered by Ethiopia's air force.

He tells The Associated Press that from above "there was nothing to see. It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!"

He says it explains why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of the plane. He is the managing director of a private flight service.

Sunday's crash shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa killed all 157 on board.

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1:25 p.m.

Ethiopian Airlines says it should take five days to identify the remains of the 157 people killed in Sunday's crash outside Addis Ababa.

Spokesman Asrat Begashaw tells The Associated Press that "it will take five days to clear everything" and the airline would release more details later Tuesday.

A global team of investigators led by Ethiopian authorities is assembling.

The cause of the crash of the new plane on a clear day remains unknown.

___

12:05 p.m.

Australia has suspended all flights into or out of the country by Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the type that was involved in Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority says no Australian airlines operate the aircraft type, but two foreign airlines  SilkAir and Fiji Airways  fly them to Australia.

It says Singapore-based SilkAir has already suspended operation of its 737 Max aircraft.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. Five months earlier, a similar Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean, killing 189.

The Australian civil aviation authority's director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, says that because of the two accidents, the temporary suspension of Boeing 737 Max operations is in the best interest of safety.

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11:50 a.m.

A South Korean airline says it will suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the same aircraft involved in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people.

An Eastar Jet official said Tuesday that the planes will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes from Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. She didn't want to be named, citing office rules.

She says the airline hasn't found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding Boeing 737 Max 8s in a response to customer concerns. She says the planes will not be used until the completion of a government safety review on the aircraft.

An official from South Korea's Transportation Ministry says it has yet to find any problems from safety reviews on Eastar's planes that started Monday.

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11:15 a.m.

The Mideast budget airline FlyDubai says it will continue to fly Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after reviewing a recent U.S. regulator statement about the aircraft.

FlyDubai says that "no further action is required at this time" over the aircraft, a workhorse in the Dubai government-owned carrier's fleet.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that while others have drawn similarities between the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes, the agency was not.

The FlyDubai statement says it remains "confident in the airworthiness of our fleet." It operates 11 Boeing 737 Max-8 jetliners.

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10:15 a.m.

A team of U.S. aviation experts has arrived in Ethiopia to join an investigation into Sunday's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people.

As questions grow about the new Boeing plane involved in the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said late Monday it is at the crash site outside the capital, Addis Ababa, with representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board.

They join an Ethiopian-led investigation that includes authorities from neighbouring Kenya and elsewhere.

The plane crashed six minutes into a flight to Nairobi and a growing number of countries and airlines have grounded the new Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner as a result.

One witness has told The Associated Press that smoke was coming from the plane's rear before it crashed.
HEJERE, Ethiopia - Much of the world, including the entire European Union, grounded the Boeing jetliner involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash or banned it from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2018, file photo Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes are parked near Boeing Co.'s 737 assembly facility in Renton, Wash. Investigators were rushing to the scene of a devastating plane crash in Ethiopia on Sunday, March 10, 2019, an accident that could renew safety questions about the newest version of Boeing's popular 737 airliner. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

HEJERE, Ethiopia - Much of the world, including the entire European Union, grounded the Boeing jetliner involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash or banned it from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

The European Aviation Safety Agency took steps to keep the Boeing 737 Max 8 out of the air, joining Asian and Middle Eastern governments and carriers that also gave in to safety concerns in the aftermath of Sunday's crash, which killed all 157 people on board.

Referring to the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people last year, European regulators said Tuesday that "similar causes may have contributed to both events."

British regulators indicated possible trouble with a reportedly damaged flight data recorder, saying they based their decision on the fact that they did not have "sufficient information" from the recorder.

Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Icelandair and South Korean airline Eastar Jet were among the latest carriers to halt use of the Boeing model. The United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore also suspended all flights in their airspace or into or out of their airports.

This photo taken Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 shows an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 parked at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner carrying 157 people crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital Sunday, March 10, 2019 killing everyone aboard, authorities said. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A Turkish Airlines official said two Britain-bound planes returned to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S.-based Boeing has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies and does not intend to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Boeing's CEO Dennis Muilenburg also spoke with President Donald Trump and reiterated that the 737 Max 8 is safe, the company said. Its technical team, meanwhile, joined American, Israeli, Kenyan and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

The Federal Aviation Administration also backed the jet's airworthiness and said it was reviewing all available data. It said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another new Boeing 737 Max 8 in October.

Wreckage lies at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Sunday, March 10, 2019. The Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia's capital on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board, authorities said, as grieving families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi. (AP Photo)

"Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft," acting FAA Administrator Daniel K. Elwell said in a statement. "Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action."

Some U.S. airlines expressed support for the Boeing model, and American Airlines and Southwest continued flying them. A vice-president for American, the world's biggest carrier, which has 24 Max 8s, said they had "full confidence in the aircraft."

Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons too soon with the Lion Air crash in October. But others in the U.S. began pressing for action.

Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019. A spokesman says Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a safety precaution, following the crash of one of its planes in which 157 people were killed. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to "strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed."

Consumer Reports called on airlines and the FAA to ground the jets until a thorough safety investigation is complete.

Even Trump weighed in, tweeting that additional "complexity creates danger" in modern aircraft and hinders pilots from making "split second decisions" to ensure passengers' safety.

Documents lie on the ground at Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 crashed Sunday. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a deadly crash Sunday involving a new aircraft model touted for its environmentally friendly engine that is used by many airlines worldwide. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

He did not specifically mention the crashes but said, "I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot."

The Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed six minutes after taking off for Nairobi, killing people from 35 countries.

A pilot who saw the crash site minutes after the disaster told the AP that the plane appeared to have "slid directly into the ground." Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the plane. The wreckage was discovered by Ethiopia's air force.

Rescue workers at Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 crashed Sunday. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a deadly crash Sunday involving a new aircraft model touted for its environmentally friendly engine that is used by many airlines worldwide. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

"There was nothing to see," he said. "It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!" He said it explained why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of debris.

Ethiopian Airlines, widely seen as Africa's best-managed airline, grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8s until further notice. The carrier had been using five of the planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

As night fell, the airline offered no new updates on the investigation. An airline spokesman said victims' remains should be identified in about five days.

In this photo dated November 12, 2018, the actual Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 - Max 8 plane, that crashed Sunday March 10, 2019, shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, shown as it lands at Seattle Boeing Field King County International airport, USA. U.S. aviation experts on Tuesday March 12, 2019, joined the investigation into the crash of this Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people, as questions grow about the new Boeing plane involved in the crash. (AP Photo/Preston Fiedler)

Some insights into the disaster and its cause could take months, aviation experts said.

"The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Tuesday at a news conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. "These types of accidents break everyone's heart. I hope we will learn from this crash."

On Tuesday a group of officials from China, which also grounded planes, paused in their work at the scene to reflect with an offering of incense, fruit, bread rolls and a plastic container of the Ethiopian flatbread injera.

Investigators point to reports of large variations in vertical speed during the ascent, "clearly suggesting a potential controllability problem" with the Ethiopian jetliner.;

As the global team searched for answers, a woman stood near the crash site, wailing. Kebebew Legess said she was the mother of a young Ethiopian Airlines crew member among the dead.

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"She would have been 25 years old but God would not allow her," she wept. "My daughter, my little one."

The British ambassador to Ethiopia, Alastair McPhail, visited the scene where at least nine of his countrymen died. "We owe it to the families to understand what happened," he said.

Foreign investigators examine wreckage at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Ethiopian Airlines had issued no new updates on the crash as of late afternoon Tuesday as families around the world waited for answers, while a global team of investigators began picking through the rural crash site. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

___

Meseret reported from Addis Ababa. Associated Press writers David Koenig in Houston and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa .
WASHINGTON - The top U.S. trade negotiator suggests that the U.S. and China are nearing an agreement that would end their trade conflict, but wouldn't commit to a specific time frame.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this March 14, 2017, file photo, United States Trade Representative-nominee Robert Lighthizer, foreground, looks at documents during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lighthizer, the top U.S. trade negotiator, suggests that the U.S. and China are nearing an agreement that would end their trade conflict, but wouldn't commit to a specific time frame. "Our hope is that we are in the final weeks of having an agreement," U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. trade negotiator suggests that the U.S. and China are nearing an agreement that would end their trade conflict, but wouldn't commit to a specific time frame.

"Our hope is that we are in the final weeks of having an agreement," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

But there are still major issues that need to be resolved, he said. "I can't predict success at this point."

Lighthizer also said the agreement would have to include an enforcement provision that would enable the U.S. to restore tariffs on Chinese imports if it violated provisions of the pact. That is seen as a major sticking point for Chinese officials.

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"We are going to have an enforceable agreement, or the president won't agree to the agreement," Lighthizer said.

There have been conflicting signals from the administration about progress in the negotiations. President Trump said Friday he was confident that U.S. could reach a deal with China, which would presumably remove all or most of the tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports that the Trump administration imposed last year. China retaliated by slapping duties on about $110 billion of U.S. goods.

But Trump also said Friday, "If this isn't a great deal, I won't make a deal."

Sen. Robert Portman, Republican from Ohio, asked Lighthizer if a deal would be reached by the end of this month. Chinese president Xi Jingping is scheduled to travel to Europe at that time and officials have hinted that he could tack on a trip to Trump's Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, to sign a pact by the end of March.

Lighthizer said, "I don't know when it is going to happen." The timetable is up to President Trump, he added, and China.

Lighthizer also told the senators that he and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke with Chinese officials Monday night on the phone. The two sides regularly exchange drafts of a 110-120 page agreement, he said.
Manitoba released its long-awaited cultural policy plan Tuesday  a 19-page document crystal clear on the importance of arts and culture to the provincial government, but murky on what exactly that means for cultural funding in the province.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba released its long-awaited cultural policy plan Tuesday  a 19-page document crystal clear on the importance of arts and culture to the provincial government, but murky on what exactly that means for cultural funding in the province.

The 19-page action plan, entitled "Our Way Forward," was announced at the Manitoba Museum by Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage Cathy Cox, who described it as a "blueprint" for the province's cultural future over the next five to 10 years.

"The culture strategy will help ensure the funding programs are effective, that Manitobans are receiving value for their investments, and that we're maximizing both the economic and social benefits of this very important sector," said Cox.

The plan emphasizes the economic value of Manitoba's cultural output, citing Statistics Canada's 2016 finding culture jobs comprised 3.4 per cent of Manitoba's workforce.

It broadly outlines the Progressive Conservative government's five cultural priorities: boosting economic development in the cultural sector, "understanding and promoting the value of culture and creativity," creating a cultural environment that's diverse and inclusive of underrepresented groups, including Indigenous people, "supporting culture in communities and everyday life," and overhauling the ways in which cultural funding is delivered.

However, the plan contains nothing new in the way of specific cultural funding commitments.

As concrete examples of the Tory government's commitment to supporting culture, Cox cited various past spending announcements, including the decision to make permanent a tax credit for film and video production in Manitoba, an increase to the sport, culture and heritage ministry's budget (announced last week), and government funding for museums.

"This is a plan, so I can't determine what the future holds," Cox told reporters who asked for more specific information. "Our government values arts. We value culture. And that is very representative of what we've done since we've become government."

Manitoba Arts Council chairwoman Roberta Christianson said the report highlights the significance of the sector and shows the government wants to work in partnership with organizations in the arts community. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

The new plan does mention the Manitoba government wants to modernize cultural grants funding via "a government e-portal," and cut through red tape around cultural funding programs. It also commits the government to reviewing certain organizations and sectors, including funding for public libraries.

Cox wouldn't say whether that review might lead to future funding increases for public libraries, or to some kind of consolidation.

"I don't want to talk out of turn, or say anything that might preempt what we're planning to do... We continue to have those discussions, and we want to make sure that we get it right," she said.

Provincial corporation Manitoba Film and Music will also undergo a review. MFM board chairman Dan Donahue said Tuesday it is "well overdue" and already underway.

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Manitoba Arts Council chairwoman Roberta Christianson said the new document highlights the significance of the sector and shows the government wants to make it "sustainable and healthy, but nimble" in the face of technological and demographic shifts.

"There might be strategic realignment of money, but I think what this action paper is saying is, 'we're going to do it in partnership with people in the sector,'" said Christianson.

The Manitoba government's review of cultural policy was initiated under previous sport, culture and heritage minister Rochelle Squires nearly two years ago.

Cox said Tuesday the review received "almost 700 inputs from individuals, stakeholders, and organizations," and more than 200 Manitobans attended roundtable conversations.

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sol_israel
A delegation of university students and youth from First Nations, social service agencies and others gave the United Nations an insider's look at Canada's child protection system Tuesday.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A delegation of university students and youth from First Nations, social service agencies and others gave the United Nations an insider's look at Canada's child protection system Tuesday.

Winnipeg-based Institute for International Women's Rights  Manitoba organized the event, lending the delegates their platform and standing at the UN to have their voices heard.

The delegation included 30 representatives from Manitoba and Ontario, primarily Indigenous youth, but also representatives from the Manitobas diverse cross-section of youth including the refugee community, among others.

The event entitled Youth Speak Out saw five of the delegates make a presentation Tuesday in New York City for the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the largest meeting of non-government organizations held annually at the UN.

"There were tears in peoples eyes hearing the youth panel and realizing the strength, courage and resilience of these youth panelists," delegate leader Teruni Walaliyadde, institute vice-president, in a statement after Tuesdays presentation.

"When one . . .panelist was brought to tears while sharing her story, (a woman) in the audience encouraged her, saying 'You can do this,' " Walaliyadde added.

The meetings last for two weeks from March 11-22 and members of the delegation are expected to attend and participate in many events during that time.

Delegation moderator Kim Fontaine is a program support co-ordinator with Ma Mawi, one of Winnipeg's oldest Indigenous-run social service agencies.

Jenny Lay, from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, works with Manitoba advocate Hilda Anderson-Pyrz on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls cases for the northern First Nations chiefs organization, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.

Ashley Daniels is Dakota-Ojibway, with membership in both the Swan Lake and Sioux Valley Dakota First Nations. Now studying at the University of Manitoba, she's a recipient of the U of M Students' Union award for Indigenous community leadership.

Jamileh Naso is a University of Winnipeg student who came to Canada as a refugee at age four, when her family fled to Syria from Iraq.

Brittany McIntosh is completing her bachelor of social work at the U of W.

Their presentation  titled Youth Speak Out: Canada's Social Protection Systems  shone a spotlight on the fault lines in the country's current child-welfare system.

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The majority of the estimated 40,000 children in care in provincial child-welfare systems across Canada are reported to be Indigenous. In Manitoba, the number is approximately 11,000, with close to 90 per cent of them Indigenous.

The presentation also included experiences from refugee youth, including the ordeal suffered by women and girls victimized by the ISIS genocide.

Presenters wrapped their messages around a video designed to capture the diversity of youth from the Manitoba-Ontario region.

The hope was to educate the global community and Canadian representative at the UN about the challenges youth face growing up in Canada.

In 2016, the Institute for International Women's Rights  Manitoba received special consultative status with the economic and social council of the United Nations, making the institute the only non-profit organization in the province to hold the designation.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Four days into the spring sitting of the legislature, the Progressive Conservatives are operating like a government hell-bent on completing its bucket list, again sparking speculation of an early election call.

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This article was published 11/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four days into the spring sitting of the legislature, the Progressive Conservatives are operating like a government hell-bent on completing its bucket list, again sparking speculation of an early election call.

On Monday, the PCs introduced six bills, including one that limits public possession of cannabis and another that gives hospital security guards more powers.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Premier Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative government introduced six new bills on Monday.

That's after introducing broad reforms to health care governance last Wednesday, a new budget Thursday that reduces the PST by a percentage point, and an omnibus bill the same day that amends tax statutes, implements the budget and ends the practise of taxpayer rebates on a portion of candidate and political party campaign expenses.

The six bills tabled on Monday ranged from a single-page document that would allow all retail beer vendors to sell cider and coolers, to an 18-pager amending a host of statutes, including one that would establish July 1 as a fixed statutory holiday for retail purposes, thus allowing for businesses to close on that day, rather than July 2, when Canada Day falls on a Sunday.

"I think part of this is the PCs are trying to get as much of their agenda (out in public)...in order to call an election despite Manitoba's fixed date election law," said Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont.

The next provincial election is set for Oct. 6, 2020, but Premier Brian Pallister has not ruled out an earlier call.

"There's no reason not to follow it," Lamont said of the fixed election date. "But the premier seems determined not to."

An amendment to The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act would prohibit the possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana in a public place.

While federal law already sets possession limits, the amended Manitoba statute would allow provincial inspectors to have the power to levy fines.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says Pallister seems determined not to follow the fixed date election law.

"This will allow our provincial officials to have enforcement here in Manitoba," Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said.

Another bill introduced on Monday raised the ire of organized labour.

An amendment to The Labour Relations Act would end the use of government-supplied mediators and conciliators to help companies and unions negotiate collective agreements. Instead, companies and unions needing a third party to get them through a difficult round of negotiations would have to go to the private sector -- at their own cost -- for help.

Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, called Bill 18 a "short-sighted and ideological" move that could lead to more costly strikes and lockouts. He said when the government floated the idea, both business and labour opposed it, saying the current system is working well.

"It's really a penny-wise, pound-foolish move that's going to set things back," Rebeck said.

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PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Kevin Rebeck of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

Growth, Enterprise and Trade minister Blaine Pedersen introduced amendments to The Workplace Safety and Health Act that would eliminate the chief prevention officer position, transferring it to Safe Work Manitoba; strengthen fines for workplace infractions and prevent "frivolous and vexatious complaints from being forwarded to the Manitoba Labour Board."

Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer said Bill 11 would enable some 137 rural beer vendors to expand their product line and provide greater convenience to consumers. "This is part of our government's priority to reduce red tape, to provide more choices and convenience for the consumer and greater opportunity and flexibility for businesses," she told the legislature.

Not to be outdone, NDP Opposition MLA Nahanni Fontaine introduced three bills of her own on Monday, including one that would prevent veterinarians from declawing cats unless there is a veterinary medical reason to do so.

A second bill would amend The Animal Care Act to prohibit a person from possessing, at any premises, more than four female dogs capable of reproduction.

Fontaine's third bill would amend The Provincial Court Act to require a person to receive sexual assault awareness training before taking office as a judge or before taking office as a justice of the peace designated to hear matters under The Domestic Violence and Stalking Act.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
The citys largest school board toed the line on property taxes to save itself $1 million in provincial penalties that would have likely ended in pink slips for administration staff.

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This article was published 11/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The citys largest school board toed the line on property taxes to save itself $1 million in provincial penalties that would have likely ended in pink slips for administration staff.

But the board held its collective nose in doing so at a special budget vote held Monday evening.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES WSD board chairman Chris Broughton says the province handcuffed the school division.

The Winnipeg School Division, which oversees schools for 33,000 students, cut its proposed property tax increase back from 2.9 per cent to two per cent, in keeping with a provincial directive.

"This was definitely a Kelvin Goertzen budget. Kelvin Goertzen set the rules. He handcuffed and painted trustees into a corner  and not just the Winnipeg School Division, but right across this province," a visibly frustrated WSD board chairman Chris Broughton told media Monday evening.

A little over a week ago, Manitoba Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen warned any school division that exceeded the property tax decree would be slapped with extra administration cutbacks.

The province has the authority to levy such penalties, which could have added up to a 20 per cent cut in administration costs.

That would have worked out to about $1 million in administrative cuts for the WSD, the only school division that threatened to exceed the property tax cap.

The province and the division had waged a war of words over the issue for weeks.

The board meeting wrapped up an hour after it got underway at the school boards West End offices. Seven of the nine trustees voted to keep the property tax increase under the provincial cap.

Broughton was one of two trustees to vote against the cap.

As it stood, the budget will maintain programs and services, keeping the status quo for the upcoming school year.

But the next budget will likely see cuts in services and programs, trustees warned.

Had the school board defied the province, the tax increase would have raised funds to hire a new autism clinical psychologist, provide more day programs for students with disabilities and more staff to cater to early childhood needs.

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All of that was put on hold.

"What you saw is (that) we passed a budget that followed the rules laid out for us," WSD finance committee chairwoman Lisa Naylor said. "There was no wiggle room."

Fellow trustee Jennifer Chen also called out the ministers timing in an email just ahead of the final vote.

"The minister of education waited to announce this direction, fully aware that school boards have already completed their community consultations on draft budgets," Chen said.

The threatened provincial penalty meant the WSD had to revise its budget and cut administration costs by 2.7 per cent. Last year, the province issued a similar directive, but asked for a three per cent reduction.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
The Nigeria police office has reacted to a publication by a Nigerian Facebook user, alleging that he narrowly escaped being set up by some police officers.

The narrator had said via his Facebook handle that some policemen he ran into, had planted incriminating things in his vehicle, because he opened his trunk for them while still in the car.

The narrator who was sharing the story to advice others not to make the same mistake said upon driving away from the policemen and opening his trunk based on his instinct, found that they had planted something there that would have put him into big trouble.

In a statement by the force headquarters on Tuesday, it noted that the narrator or anyone that knows him, should come further with more evidence as they are hellbent of purging the force of impunity.

See full statement below

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a publication on Facebook handle Crack Team Naija entitled DONT OPEN YOUR CAR TRUNK FROM INSIDE FOR ANYONE.

The concerns raised therein are well acknowledged. The Force wishes to note however that it does not have facts to authenticate the veracity or otherwise the of the alleged claims on the FB handle. We are not sure if the story is a true account or a mere fabrication by its maker.

If the story is however factual, the Force Public Relations Department will require additional information to enable the department take up the matter and ensure that the author gets justice and also save other Nigerians from the possibility of a future set- up The Force therefore requests the author to avail us with the date of the incidence, State, Local Government, Police Division close to the location, description of the alleged Police Team, Inscription on the Police Vehicle if any, etc.

We equally request that, anyone who knows the author should tag or inbox our request to him/her. The Force is committed to ending impunity.

Meanwhile, the Force enjoins the public to continually repose confidence in the Police and assures the author of absolute confidentiality in the handling of the case. He may also reach out to the Force, through the Force Public Relations Officer via the Email address; pressforabuja@police.gov.ng or Social Media handles Twitter; @policeNG and Facebook; Nigeria Police Force of https://t.
Its been just over a year since Feb. 22, 2018, the day Raymond Cormier was found not guilty of the slaying of Tina Fontaine.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Its been just over a year since Feb. 22, 2018, the day Raymond Cormier was found not guilty of the slaying of Tina Fontaine.

I was in the courtroom when the verdict was read.

Winnipeg Police Service Handout Tina Fontaine.

I remember two things from that day. The first was the anger from Tinas mother, Valentina Duck, who confronted Cormier as he sat sheepishly, refusing to look at her.

The other were the words of Tinas auntie, Thelma Favel, as she cried out: "My baby. My baby. My baby," with a hundred or so of her family, Indigenous leaders and grandmothers surrounding her.

The next day was a blur of anger and sadness, ending with a march from the courthouse to the Oodena circle at The Forks.

Just as our community had done two weeks earlier  walking in the opposite direction after the not guilty verdict in the Gerald Stanley trial in the death of Colten Boushie  Indigenous peoples demonstrated yet again to this country what love and commitment looks like while making fierce and brave calls for change in the face of violence and hatred.

The hashtag may have been #loveforTina but the march was not about mourning. It was about vowing to make sure no one would ever go through the experiences that Tina did.

Despite a Canadian society that mostly continues to devalue Indigenous lives, some real change has come since Tinas body was found in the Red River on Aug. 17, 2014. Most of this has been driven by visionary leaders in the Bear Clan Patrol, Meet me at the Bell Tower, and Drag the Red  all of whom have committed to help young women like Tina.

Tinas Safe Haven, a 24/7 drop-in centre started by Ndinawe, was founded and started in November 2018 on Selkirk Avenue in the North End.

Despite its dysfunctional delivery, the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry is also largely attributed to what happened to Tina. The federal Liberals, for good or bad, have also created new legislation to hand jurisdiction over much of the child welfare system to Indigenous organizations.

These are good, but ultimately minor, changes.

Today, Manitoba Advocate for Children & Youth Daphne Penrose will release her report on Tinas interactions with the child welfare system, paramedics, police, and others, finally recommending changes to avoid failures like what happened to Tina.

There are four real things to watch for.

The first is how wide-scale and systemic the mistreatment of Indigenous children and women are. Even when they come into contact with systems designed to help them, there are massive, overwhelming failures that range from a lack of safe places to go, to adequately trained front-line workers, to inappropriate representations that lead to stereotypes and racism.

The second is how deep the mistrust is between Indigenous peoples and social workers, police, and most of the child welfare system. Tina may have been offered assistance but the fact remains that when someone in a uniform engages an Indigenous person, your first thought is not "this person is here to help me" but rather "how do I get away from them?"

This mistrust is also embedded in Indigenous communities  which is why simply handing over jurisdiction over the child welfare system to Indigenous organizations wont change anything if the attitudes in that system remain the same.

The third is the foundation of the first two. There is an enduring problem in Canadian society in not seeing Indigenous peoples as human beings.

This one is sure to get me a lot of hate mail (hence, proving the point) but the fact remains that Indigenous peoples  particularly women and children  face violence no one else in Canada does. There is a reason for massive over-incarceration rates, overwhelming rates of poverty, and the disproportional removal of Indigenous children and its simple.

Canadian society believes that Indigenous peoples are problems that need solving.

The problem is that Indigenous peoples are not problems.

Seeing them as problems is.

Indigenous women and children like Tina Fontaine live in a society that fails to see them.

I guarantee that if Tina had been born non-Indigenous in a town like Winkler or a community like River Heights, she would still be alive today. She would have services that would support her and work on multiple levels to keep her out of harms way. She would have access to a safe place to live, be surrounded by a family nurtured by society, and have primarily positive experiences with police and governments and Canadians that would lead her to believe that help is possible and there is always a choice.

We dont live in that world.

Which leads me to the fourth thing to look for in Penroses report.

This wont be found in the pages, but by the people holding it.

A lot of words will be shared. Tears maybe. Promises, definitely. But these mean little.

Look at the actions.

Indigenous peoples have been reported on my entire life. I have an entire book case of reports.

Each one has recommendations. Many, in fact. The 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples has 440.

Even with all of these studies, commissions, and inquiries, I can fill a small notebook with the handful of changes that have been implemented.

I can probably even tell you what will be in Penroses report.

I just cant tell you what will happen next.

Most times, its nothing. The status quo wins, Indigenous lives continue to be devalued, and children and women die.

Every once in a while, a report comes along and people commit to change for a while and some small things happen  the Truth and Reconciliation Commission comes to mind.

Its up to those who have integrity and believe in peace to show responsibility and provoke and produce change.

To march, for example. Movement doesnt happen by standing still.

So, when you see the report released, watch what happens by those holding it.

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This includes you.

We all failed Tina. This means we all must commit to her now.

This is her legacy.

Its up to us now to show love. Real love.

Love for Tina.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
The recent runaway CP Rail train in the Rocky Mountains near Field, B.C., highlighted ongoing gaps in Canadas railway safety regime, more than five years after the Lac-Megantic rail disaster that killed 47 residents of the small Quebec town.

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This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

The recent runaway CP Rail train in the Rocky Mountains near Field, B.C., highlighted ongoing gaps in Canadas railway safety regime, more than five years after the Lac-Megantic rail disaster that killed 47 residents of the small Quebec town.

The British Columbia crash resulted in the deaths of three railway workers and the derailment of 99 grain cars and two locomotives.

In the B.C. accident, the train involved had been parked for two hours on a steep slope without the application of hand brakes in addition to air brakes.

The practice of relying on air brakes to hold trains parked on slopes was permitted by both the company and by Transport Canada rules. Revised operating rules, adopted after the Lac-Megantic disaster, had not required the application of hand brakes under these circumstances.

The latest accident was one of a rash of high-profile train derailments in Canada since the beginning of 2019. While none compares in magnitude with Lac-Megantic, they evoke disturbing parallels to that tragedy. Although investigations are ongoing, what we do know raises questions about whether any lessons have in fact been learned from the 2013 disaster.

Now must apply hand brakes

Within days of the B.C. runaway, both CP Rail and Transport Canada mandated the application of hand brakes in addition to air brakes for trains parked on slopes. This after-the-fact measure parallels the action Transport Canada took days after Lac-Megantic, prohibiting single-person crews, after having granted permission to Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway to operate its massive oil trains through Eastern Quebec with a lone operator.

Furthermore, like the Lac-Megantic tragedy, existing mechanical problems with the locomotives involved reportedly played a role in the CP Rail derailment, raising questions about the adequacy of oversight with regard to equipment maintenance practices.

Like Lac-Megantic, worker fatigue may have also played a role in the crash. Despite efforts within Transport Canada to force railways to better manage crew fatigue, railway companies have long resisted. Instead they have taken page out of the tobacco industry playbook by denying inconvenient scientific evidence as "emotional and deceptive rhetoric."

The situation has prompted the Transportation Safety Board to put fatigue management on its watchlist of risky practices, stating that Transport Canada has been aware of the problem for many years but is continuing to drag its feet.

Oil-by-rail traffic explodes

The implications of the B.C. accident take on additional significance in light of the dramatic growth seen in oil-by-rail traffic in Canada over the past year. Export volumes reached a record 354,000 barrels per day in December 2018, with the vast majority of the oil going to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Midwest.

This development has not gone unnoticed by people living in communities across North America, who are concerned about the growing danger of another disastrous derailment.

The increase in traffic  now bolstered by the Alberta governments planto put another 120,000 barrels per day of crude oil on the rails by next year  is occurring at a time when the Transportation Safety Board reported a significant increase in "uncontrolled train movements" during 2014-17 compared to the average of the five years preceding the disaster.

This is despite the boards Lac-Megantic investigation report recommendation that Transport Canada implement additional measures to prevent runaway trains.

Two weeks after the B.C. crash, a CN train carrying crude oil derailed near St. Lazare, Man.; 37 tank cars left the tracks, punctured and partially spilled their contents. The cars were a retrofitted version of the TC-117 model tank car, developed after Lac-Megantic, intended to prevent spills of dangerous goods. The train was travelling at 49 mph, just under the maximum allowable speed.

Budgets chopped

In the lead-up to the Lac-Megantic disaster, the Harper government squeezed both Transport Canadas rail safety and transportation of dangerous goods oversight budgets. These budgets did not increase significantly after the disaster.

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Justin Trudeaus government pledged additional resources for rail safety oversight. However, Transport Canadas plans for the coming years show safety budgets falling back to Harper-era levels. It remains to be seen whether these plans will be reversed in the upcoming federal budget.

A Safety Management Systems-based approach remains the centrepiece of Canadas railway safety system. That system has been fraught with problems since it was introduced 17 years ago.

It continues to allow rail companies to, in effect, self-regulate, compromising safety when it conflicts with bottom-line priorities. Government officials claim there has been a major increase in the number of Transport Canada rail safety inspectors conducting unannounced, on-site inspections. But the inspectors union questions these claims.

If an under-resourced regulator, with a long history of deference to the industry, is unable to fulfil its first-and-foremost obligation to ensure the health and safety of its citizens, the lessons of Lac-Megantic have still not been learned. The B.C. accident highlights that the window for history to repeat itself remains wide open.

Mark Winfield is a professor of environmental studies and Bruce Campbell is an adjunct professor in the faculty of environmental studies at York University, Canada.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/3/2019 (1003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

"Climate delayers are the new climate deniers."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, rookie member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is popularizing this phrase as she promotes a Green New Deal in Congress.

Its not a new idea, nor is it a new tactic. Delay what you cant stop  and when the delaying isnt working, then distract. AOC (as she is known) has already forced Republicans (and old-guard Democrats) into "distract" mode  a young woman of colour who understands the social media that her elders only fumble with and who posts video of herself dancing into her congressional office, where she pays her staffers a fair wage.

Given that Congress these days reminds me of British mens clubs of the 1930s, with old, white, cigar-smoking men wheezing into glasses of port as the world descends into chaos, AOC is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Fresh air is what Washington needs, like all of us, especially when it comes to creating the necessary common-sense responses to climate change and ecological justice. Doing nothing has been the response of governments for too long, which means climate action will be an important issue in political campaigns to come.

Or so we hope. Provincially, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallisters many green pronouncements have done little to address global warming. Given the scale, urgency and complexity of the sustainability problem, Manitoba has done nothing substantive toward creating a greener world since the Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2016. If anything, we have gone backwards, despite myriad consultations with a broad spectrum of Manitobans.

We need to go from doing less than nothing to doing more than a lot if we expect our children and grandchildren to inherit anything that looks like a sustainable future. In fact, the bluntly accurate message that young people are (finally) bringing to the table is that we are stealing their future because of our inaction.

So, if climate delayers are the new climate deniers, then Pallister leads the Manitoba list. By dithering for three years on the climate file, he has made our province less secure and less sustainable for all Manitobans, present and future.

Instead of mobilizing Manitobans of all parties (or none) to work together for our own Green New Deal, he has polarized the province, alienated the federal government and squabbled with the City of Winnipeg. His posturing on a made-in-Manitoba carbon tax also left us out in the cold.

We could have had a revenue stream that offered incentives for people to make lifestyle changes of their own, providing greener alternatives than the provincial budget could otherwise afford.

Two years ago, thats what business, industry and environmental organizations agreed was the best idea, as long as low-income families were protected by rebates from the increased costs to basic services from a carbon tax.

Instead, we are stuck with the Trudeau governments revolving-door carbon tax (where the left hand takes money for burning fossil fuels and the right hand returns it). Andrew Scheers federal Conservative Partys proposals on carbon emissions are even worse.

Stop, stall or sabotage  whatever works. Thats what the climate deniers and delayers do at every chance to undermine those people who are trying to do something instead of nothing.

Down south, AOC has been getting this kind of malignant opposition to her Green New Deal. I fear things will only get worse toward the next U.S. presidential election.

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One of the tactics the antagonists use is to make it seem like there is a debate among climate experts about what to do or how to do it  and how soon. So, until we have better information, they say we should wait, in order to do the right thing.

Yet, there really isnt much of a debate. We need to listen to the science, but its not rocket science.

Over the next couple of weeks, the Summary for Policy Makers of the Global Environmental Outlook 6 will be approved at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. It is a public document, as is the whole report. Read it for yourself. You may not be a rocket scientist, but you dont need to be.

After all, AOC isnt. She got mad and got elected  without being funded by the special-interest groups that try to undermine American democracy. A year ago, AOC made her living as a waitress and as a bartender  two professions that require common sense and wisdom. Today, she is in Congress where she belongs, fighting for her future and for ours.

Ill drink to that. I just wish Pallister would join me.

Peter Denton is a Manitoban sustainability consultant, author and activist.
Pastor Chris expresses gratitude and admiration for Pastor Deola Phillips, Director of The Healing School, for helping him share the healing powers of God.

Pastor Deola Phillips is highly accomplished and is an asset to LoveWorld and Christ Embassy. At a young age, Pastor Deola has become the Director of The Healing School, Lagos Zone 5, Manager of International School of Ministry and the CEO of Christ Embassy. Such achievements have led her to be an integral part of the great labour of the Healing School.

Assisting Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Pastor Deola seeks to guide those worshipers who attend the session in attaining health and healing from the chronic illnesses they suffer from. In fact, Pastor Deola has worked as the right-hand woman of Pastor Chris. She has played an essential role in The Healing School sessions that have helped thousands suffering from illness discover the path of God and wellness.

Pastor Deolas Devotion

Her journey started in 1985 when she was born again, discovering the power and glory of our saviour, Jesus Christ. Pastor Phillips was born into a Christian household, but her faith and conviction has continued to grow through her work with Pastor Chris. She has devoted 28 years to sharing the power The Lord, The Holy Spirit and Christ. She has a special affinity to the healing of the body and the mind through the Power of God. With her involvement in The Healing School, Pastor Deola Phillips works with Pastor Chris Oyakhilome to give hope to those in need and to cure them of chronic diseases, changing their lives.

The highly anticipated Healing School happens twice a year in two different locations. It consists of several sessions sharing the word of the Lord, our saviour Jesus Christ and the Bible with followers of Christ Embassy. Worshipers can attend the healing session free of the chart if they can prove that they are suffering from a terrible illness. Proof of the illnesses include prescriptions, doctors notes and other supporting evidence. Once the worshipers attend the event, they receive the healing power of God transmitted through Pastor Chris.

Both Pastor Deola and Pastor Chris believe in the divine and miraculous restorative powers of God and our saviour Jesus Christ to help those in need. On many occasions, Pastor Chris has healed those who cant walk, those who cant see or hear and even those who have been possessed by demons. Hundreds of examples and videos exhibit the power Pastor Chris and Pastor Phillips have and how they use this power for the greater good, sharing the divine power of God with the attendees.

Sharing the Powerful Word of God

In addition to the healing sessions, attendees receive illuminating lessons on the Word of the Lord through the teachings of both Pastor Deola and Pastor Chris. Through the different sessions, Pastor Deola makes sure that the worshipers accept salvation through Jesus Christ and welcome the power of Christ into their lives.

In the opening session, Pastor Deola gave a heartwarming speech honouring Pastor Chris and his work for God. Past attendees of The Healing School have attested to the power of Pastor Deolas speeches as part of the healing process. Pastor Deola bestows blessings upon worshipers, leading them to a path guided by the Holy Spirit to a healthy and prosper life.

Pastor Deola serves as the CEO of the Christ Embassy and will continue to assist Pastor Chris in sharing his healing message to followers all over the world. Pastor Chris and Pastor Deola are devoted to working together to make The Healing School the best it can be and help as many people as possible reach the path of God, the teachings of the Holy Spirit and to live the healthy life they deserve.
Governor Nasir El- Rufai was declared the winner of March 9, governorship contest in Kaduna state on Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The governor as expected was all joy upon clinching his return to the seat he has held for 4 years to go another four years.

However, Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide has faulted a certain pastor who found time to congratulate El-Rufai on his reelection but was mute about the mass killings that occurred in Kajuru LGA in the state today.

The former presidential aide though didnt name the pastor went on to accuse the governor of inciting the people of the state into the killings with his rhetorics.

He wrote:
AirBoss of America Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets rubber-based products for automotive, heavy commercial, construction and infrastructure, oil and gas, and defense industries in Canada and the United States. The company operates through three segments: Rubber Solutions, AirBoss Defense Group, and Engineered Products. The Rubber Solutions segment is involved in the development and manufacture of custom rubber compounds, calendered and extruded materials, and molded products for use in various applications and industries, including mining, transportation, industrial rubber products, military, automotive, conveyor belting, and oil and gas; and sources chemicals. The AirBoss Defense Group segment develops, manufactures, and sells chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive protective equipment and products for military, first response, and healthcare applications. The Engineered Products segment designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells rubber, synthetic rubber, and rubber-to-metal bonded products that are used to eliminate or control undesired vibration and noise. The company was formerly known as IATCO Industries Inc. and changed its name to AirBoss of America Corp. in April 1994. AirBoss of America Corp. is headquartered in Newmarket, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA.
Popular Nigerian Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, has revealed that a fan told him that he looks like Lagos State Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-olu, in the above picture.

Speaking via his Instagram page, the lanky actor said he told the fan that yes, Sanwo-Olu is his daddys brother. Funny isnt it???

What he said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6SoIqg2tw/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Pendragon PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail sector in the United Kingdom. It operates through Car Store, Franchised UK Motor, Software, and Leasing segments. The company sells new and used motor cars, motorbikes, trucks, and vans together with associated aftersales activities of service, body repair, and parts sales. It also operates carstore.com, an online marketplace for used cars; and distributes aftermarket parts, accessories, and workshop consumables under the Quickco brand. In addition, the company provides cloud-based dealer management systems; and Licence Link, an online license checking tool for fleets, as well as leases cars and vans to small, medium, and large fleets under the Pendragon Vehicle Management brand, and retails vehicles under the Evans Halshaw and Stratstone brand names. It operates 142 franchise points. Pendragon PLC was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Nottingham, the United Kingdom.

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There is not enough analysis data for BlackRock Core Bond Trust.

4.3 Community Rank

Outperform Votes BlackRock Core Bond Trust has received 101 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes BlackRock Core Bond Trust has received 59 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment BlackRock Core Bond Trust has received 63.13% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about BlackRock Core Bond Trust and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BHK will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BHK will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Maxar Technologies Inc. provides earth intelligence and space infrastructure solutions in the United States, Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure segments. The Earth Intelligence segment offers earth imagery products, including orthorectified imagery, imagery basemap, 3D and elevation, and information products; and SecureWatch, a subscription offering that provides online access to imagery and geospatial intelligence platform. This segment also offers geospatial information, application, and analytic services. It serves U.S. and other international government agencies, such as defense and intelligence agencies, as well as commercial customers in various markets. The Space Infrastructure segment provides space based infrastructure, robotics, sub-systems, and information solutions, including communication and imaging satellites and payloads; platforms for space exploration and hosting instruments for earth science; space subsystems for power, propulsion, and communication; satellite ground systems and support services; space-based remote sensory solutions; space robotics; and defense systems. This segment serves government agencies and satellite operators. Maxar Technologies Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado.

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ROME, N.Y. - A Lee Center man is charged under Leandra's Law after authorities said he crashed his car into a snowbank with a 4-year old child in the backseat  and authorities said the man was driving while impaired.

The crash happened Sunday evening along Turin Road in Rome.

State Police said Jarid B. Taciak, 37 of Lee Center was speeding on Turin Road. Officers said they witnessed his vehicle going 63 mph in a 40 mph zone. When they eventually caught up to him his vehicle was in a snowbank. They said he was passed out, the car was still running, the accelerator was fully depressed.

State Police said that once he regained consciences he fought with the officer on the scene. The officer eventually used his pepper spray on Taciak and was able to arrest him.

State Police said the 4-year old child was not properly strapped in a car seat in the backseat.

Taciak is charged with the following:

-Aggravated DWI, a class "E" felony

-Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class "A" misdemeanor

-Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th degree, a class "A" misdemeanor

-Resisting Arrest, a class "A" misdemeanor

-Obstructing Governmental Administration, a class "A" misdemeanor

State Police said Taciak is also facing numerous traffic violations including Child Not Properly Restrained and Speeding.
During a reception in Hanoi on March 12 for Chairman of the IIBs Board of Directors Nikolay Kosov, Hue said that the Vietnamese government lauds the IIBs success in restructuring and reforming its operation model, as well as increasing its capital and financial-banking criteria up to international practices.

He spoke highly of the IIBs operations in Vietnam via offering loans to banks and financial institutions. For IIBs sustainable development, the deputy PM said the Vietnamese government vows to contribute committed capital to the lender in the near future.

Regarding the IIBs bond issuance plan in Vietnam, he assigned the State Bank and the Ministry of Finance to jointly consider in accordance with Vietnams law. The host also expressed support for its plan to open a representative office in Vietnam and promised to provide it with a qualified workforce.

Welcoming the IIBs lending programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as banking and financial institutions in Vietnam, Hue said firms capital demand for infrastructure, especially those regarding transportation and energy, is huge.

He highlighted the Vietnamese governments determination to enhance the partnership between Vietnamese partners and the IIB, as well as to develop the IIBs presence in the country.

Kosov, for his part, said the IIB concluded its first five-year strategic development cycle last year, focusing on improving credit indexes and selling bonds. In the second five-year plan till 2022, the IIB will grow based on further capital supply programmes, especially for SMEs and micro-financial organisations.

He hailed Vietnam for its fastest economic growth and second largest population in the IIB. The guest suggested that Vietnam assign experts in charge of loans to the IIB office in Moscow. He expressed his wish to open a representative office in Vietnam to better connect with firms and consider bond issuance in the country.
UTICA, N.Y. -- The murder trial of Omar Ortiz continued in Oneida County Court today.

Witnesses took the stand to give testimony to the case Tuesday.

Omar Ortiz is charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

He was arrested a week after the alleged incident in Erie, Pennsylvania after fleeing Utica.

The trial will continue throughout the week and possibly into next.
FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI)  A Clinton County Jail inmate and two employees of a food service provider have been charged in a trafficking investigation.

On Feb. 21, court documents say Sheriff Rich Kelly learned of possible illegal activity between two women working for Aramark, a food service company contracted to serve inside the jail.

Court documents say the women allowed inmates to use their cell phones while in jail. Prosecutors also say investigators discovered phone calls between the women and inmates that were sexual in nature.

Prosecutors say 39-year-old Amanda Gilman was involved in a relationship with 37-year-old inmate Joshua Arreaga. Gilman and Arreaga would have sex at a Frankfort gas station while he was on work release, according to court documents. Investigators also found messages of sexual content with an inmate on Gilman's cell phone, according to prosecutors. Court documents say Arreaga admitted to having sexual relations with Gilman while on work release.

Deli meat and other foods that prosecutors say were stolen from Aramark were also found inside Gilman's car during a search.

Prosecutors say the second Aramark employee, 25-year-old Lindsay Ferguson, made 33 calls since the beginning of the year to inmate Eric Markwith. The calls were sexually explicit, according to prosecutors.

Amanda Gilman is charged with two counts including Sexual Misconduct and Theft. Lindsay Ferguson has been charged with Sexual Misconduct and Trafficking with an Inmate. Joshua Arreaga has been charged with Failure to Return to Lawful Detention.
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Although determining the age of a lobster can be challenging, these crustaceans live between 40 and 50 years in the wild. Unlike most animals, lobsters tend to continue growing until they die, and their metabolism, strength, and reproductive ability do not decrease with age. Historically, scientists estimated the age of a lobster based on size, but more recent research discovered that most crustaceans, including lobsters, grow one ring each year in certain hidden spots, such as gastric mills and eyestalk. The oldest known lobster in the world based on size was named George.

George the Lobster

George is an American lobster (Atlantic lobster) that was briefly owned by the City Crab and Seafood restaurant in New York City, USA. The lobster was caught in December 2008 in Newfoundland, Canada, and later released into the ocean in January 2009. When caught, George made national headlines for supposedly being the oldest lobster ever caught. George weighed 20 pounds and his age was estimated at 140 years based on his size, which placed his year of birth at 1869. After becoming the restaurant's attraction and mascot for a period of 10 days, George was eventually released back into the wild. Although some scientists claim that lobsters cannot live for more than 100 years, Keith Valenti, the restaurant's manager, insists lobsters of this age are fairly common. However, George was the biggest lobster Valenti had seen in his 12 years in the lobster business.

Capture of George the Lobster

George the lobster was caught in 2008 by fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. He was sold to the City Crab and Seafood restaurant located on Park Avenue South, New York, USA, and arrived at the restaurant on New Years Eve. According to manager Keith Valenti, the restaurant did not intend to sell the lobster but planned to use him to draw attention to the restaurant. It was at the restaurant that the lobster was named George, a name given to him by a young patron.

Release of George the Lobster

George spent ten days in the tank and under the care of the restaurant. However, two customers noticed the lobster and became concerned. As a result, they contacted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and informed them of the lobster. The organization lobbied for Georges freedom and eventually convinced the restaurant to return George to the wild. Valenti initially refused the request, but later agreed, suggesting that it was the right thing to do. George was taken to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where a crustacean expert could help ease his transition back into the ocean. The large lobster was then transferred to Maine, and released into the water near the town of Kennebunkport on January 10, 2009. The point of release was selected because lobster fishing is not allowed in that area.
Candidates take turns answering questions during the Iowa State Student Government Presidential Debate between Austin Graber (left), Cody Woodruff (middle) and Ben Whittington (right). Topics discussed included student wellness, campus climate, trademark, tuition, diversity and the role of the Student Government President. The debate was held in the Campanile Room of Memorial Union on Feb. 26.
As educators across the US continue to escalate strikes and protests, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has announced a well-funded public relations and lobbying campaign to ostensibly reverse disinvestment in public schools.

The initiatives real aim, however, is to put an end to the past years protests and strikes by diverting teacher opposition into impotent appeals to the very same Democrats and Republicans who have starved the public schools of funding. This is so transparent that even Education Dive, a largely apolitical news aggregator, was prompted to note, In other words, the string of protests, rallies and walkouts is likely to end soon.

According to the March 4 announcement by the AFT, the union will roll out an aggressive six-figure ad campaign in 14 states under the slogan, Fund Our Future. As part of the effort, the well-heeled union executives will double down on lobbying and cash donations to politicians.

In the last election cycle, such hand-outs to politicians and lobbyists amounted to a massive $40 million. Yet, as record numbers of teachers took to the picket lines last year, none received a penny in strike pay. Instead, the cash-strapped and embattled educators were told to use GoFundMe or fill out demeaning and lengthy forms in hope of a small contribution from the unions coffers.

Fund Our Future is deceivingly described as supercharg[ing] the work teachers, parents and students have been doing by formulating a set of comprehensive demands to take to the halls of state legislatures and Congress.

As the graphic designers at the AFT headquarters get busy promoting big business politicians, teachers continue to take to the streets. Protests took place yesterday at state capitols in Oklahoma, Austin, Texas and Annapolis, Maryland. Last week, teacher sick-outs closed schools in defiance of the union in Kentucky, a mass demonstration in Indianapolis drew teachers from across Indiana, and educators rallied before and after school in Florida and demonstrated en masse in Waterbury, Connecticut.

These are only the most recent events in the rising tide of teacher strikes, from West Virginia (in 2018 and Feb. 18-19, 2019), Kentucky (2018 and Feb. 28, Mar. 6-7, 2019), Los Angeles (Jan. 15-25, 2019) and Oakland, (Feb. 21-Mar. 1) California, Denver (Feb. 11-14, 2019), Washington state districts (between Aug. 23-Sept. 18, 2018), Oklahoma (Apr. 2-12, 2018), Arizona (April 26-May 3, 2018) and others. New actions are brewing in states that havent seen walkouts in decades, including Alaska, Utah, Idaho, Louisiana and more.

For obvious and well-founded reasons, the AFT, whose president Randi Weingarten is a leading member of the Democratic National Committee, is fearful of losing political control. The growing militancy of teachers, born of decades of massive attacks on public education, is driving an escalating class struggle and is strengthened by the similar actions of teachers around the world.

At the same time, as the assortment of potential Democratic candidates for the US presidential campaign in 2020 assembles, the AFT is trying to paint the Democrats as friends of teachers, even though their party has waged a decades-long attack on public education. Among the potential presidential nominees are Kamala Harris, who has received backing from the school-privatizing Eli Broad Foundation, and Cory Booker, a protege of current Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos.

Having so far survived the threatened dues income loss portended with last Junes Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, the union is increasingly wary, not only about its all-important revenue stream but also its long-term credibility. The campaign is, above all, directed at keeping teachers tied ideologically to the two capitalist political parties and restricted to what the bloated financial interests on Wall Street say is affordable.

Therefore, the policy of the unions in every locality is to operate as political police, isolating struggles, preventing teachers from unifying across regions, and forcing through deals for as little as possible. As a result of this series of criminal betrayals, teachers now find themselves back at square one or worse. West Virginia educators still have no fix to their healthcare system, and Kentucky teachers pensions continue to be attached. Oklahoma teachers were back protesting at the capitol yesterday. The small bump in pay they received in the aftermath of their strike did nothing for school funding and failed to remediate the massive drop in pay they have suffered since 2010. In the most recent betrayal, Oakland, California teachers were sent back to work on March 1, only to face $22 million in cuts within 24 hours, including outright school closures.

The unions, and their pseudo-left apologists in the Democratic Socialists of America, Jacobin, BadAss Teachers, the International Socialist Organization, etc., have described every strike as a historic victory, with the inane claim, when we strike, we win. Such platitudes have nothing to do with reality, but everything to do with the political stake these fake socialists have in propping up the union apparatus. This includes lucrative positions in the leadership of the United Teachers Los Angeles, the Chicago Teachers Union and others.

A new report, issued March 6, by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, confirms that formula funding remains well below 2008 levels in all of the states where strikes occurred. It also notes that the small increases announced in some states were primarily accomplished through regressive taxes or cuts in social programs, and they will only be temporary.

The Trump administration has taken the measure of the unions and is now pushing a federal $5 billion in tax scholarship initiative for privatization of education, while on the state level such schemes are being debated in numerous states, including Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona and Oklahoma.

The AFT says it will serve as a national clearinghouse for advocacy, holding community events, rallies, lobby days and petition drives daily. In other words, the national effort will be a frenetic series of activities designed to forestall teachers from drawing a balance sheet of the long bipartisan attack on education and the role of the unions in isolating and sabotaging their strikes.

As part of the rollout of Fund Our Future, the AFT links what purports to be a survey of the last ten years entitled, A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession. Far from substantiating the unions praises for American capitalism and its political representatives, the portrait of the systematic defunding of the US educational system is an indictment of the economic and political system and the unions collaboration with both big business parties. A more appropriate title would have been A decade of treacherous sellouts.

While AFT President Weingarten rakes in over $500,000 a year, handsomely paid for services rendered to Wall Street, A Decade of Neglect notes that public schools remain $9 billion short of the annual funding they received in 2008, while state colleges remain $15 billion short. In Georgia, the AFT says, 70 percent of schools have shortened the school year, 80 percent of districts have had to furlough teachers, and 42 percent have eliminated art and music. Similar indices of crumbling infrastructure, growing class sizes, effective cuts in teacher pay, and lack of school counselors and nurses are noted across the board.

School reform with us, not without us, the mantra of the AFT, has been shown to be open collusion with the billionaires who are looting the education market in plain sight. The union is solely focused on its position as a middleman in negotiationsa labor contractorlooking after the health and welfare not of teachers, but of the labor apparatus. As Weingarten attested in her legal brief associated with Janus, the union is committed to labor peace in exchange for its legal standing and dues checkoff.

The unions throw in their multi-millions not to strengthen the struggle of teachers but to finance their enemies in the Democratic Party. This is because the Democrats, as opposed to the Republicans, tend to prop up the financial and institutional interests of the unions, which the Democrats see as useful tools to suppress teacher opposition and impose austerity.

In this vein, the AFTs potted history puts the entire blame for the defunding of public schools at the feet of the Republicans. As would be expected, the words Race to the Top are omitted, as is mention of the unprecedented privatization of education under the administration of Barack Obama. The decade of neglect itself corresponds almost entirely to his Democratic Party administration. Title I, the federal program for impoverished schools, the AFT says has been underfunded year after year. Obama, endorsed by the AFT both in 2008 and 2012, slashed Title I by 11 percent.

The fact is that, uniformly across the US, Wall Street, big business and the two political parties have collectively accelerated their war on public education. In no state or citywhether wealthy or poorwhether run by Democrats as in Los Angeles or Oakland, California, or Republicans as in West Virginia or Oklahomahave there been any serious concessions made to striking teachers, and certainly none which affected the wealth of the elite.

Nor has the AFT any intention to tamper with the grotesque social inequality that plagues every aspect of society. Under conditions in which three billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of Americans, the AFT advises measures which range from the ever-so-modest--increase taxes up to 13% on income over $1 million and a surtax on carried interestto the outright reactionaryraising regressive sales taxes, which fall disproportionately on the working class, and slashing other vital social programs.

The unions do not unite workers but divide them. They do not mobilize workers to fight but seek to quash strikes. They are not workers organizations, but tools of the corporate and political establishment, which are led by highly paid functionaries who part of the top one and two percent of income earners in America.

It is time that teachers create new rank and file organizations of educators, school workers and students, which are independent of the unions, and fight to unify teachers and all sections of the working class in a national strike to defend public education and oppose austerity and social inequality.

Public education and the private profit system are no longer compatible. Workers must break free from the grip of the two big business parties, which subordinate them to the ever-more rapacious appetites of Wall Street. Instead a mass political movement of the working class is needed to conduct a frontal assault on the ill-gotten billions piled up by the hedge funds and corporate elites. The fight for public education means a fight for socialism and the establishment of a society based on social need, not private profit. Only in this way can the wealth produced by workers be owned and controlled democratically, and every individual guaranteed the social right to an education, a decent job, a livable income, health care, and access to culture.
As youth and broad sections of workers are striking and protesting against the Algerian regime, Algerians around the world are mobilising in solidarity. On Sunday, protests again unfolded in Paris and Marseille, attended by 10,000 and 6,000 people, respectively, a week after 1,000 Algerians protested in Montreal, Canada.

WSWS reporters interviewed protesters in Paris, who had gathered on Republic Square. They demanded not only that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandon plans to seek a fifth term, but also the downfall of the Algerian regime and a profound social transformation. Nearly 60 years after the Algerian war ended the French colonial regime in 1962, and an Algerian capitalist regime took power promising to build a socialist society in the country, the failure of these promises and the growing anger in the working class are deeply felt.

The WSWS interviewed Ali, a telecoms engineer at Bouygues, who said: We are all here, all the Algerians are mobilised today against the regime, against the system that has controlled Algeria for more than 50 years. Indeed, we are not only against a fifth term, but also against the system and the regime.  Today we are French, we are Algerian too, and we will always remain both French and Algerian, but we are here to give our support to the Algerian people.

Ali stressed that the strikes and protests in Algeria, like the demonstrations of the yellow vest movement in France, are part of an international resurgence of the working class: We are very well aware that all of the existing regimes are regimes that try to enrich the wealthy and to impoverish the poor.

He added, We know very well that many French people today cannot live on their minimum wage jobs or on their pensions. So, we must think about everyone and be together in this struggle against the current regimes.

Ali also stressed the deep disillusionment with the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) in the Algerian population: Unfortunately, during the war [for independence], there were killings, assassinations, and after independence those who were left were corrupt. It started with Ben Bella and Boumedienethey loved Algeria, but as I see it, also they were dictators in fact. So there, since 1962, we have always had a state of chaos, and until today, we have still not really managed to build a country.  We will try to start over again from scratch, because for the time being, nothing has really been built since independence.

The WSWS also interviewed Samir, an Algerian worker in Paris. He explained, Today, I am here to support my Algerian brothers in their struggle against this corrupt systemBouteflika and his party, the FLN. We would like to see this system totally uprooted, because the problem in the end is not Bouteflika, the problem is the Bouteflika system.

Samir added that the regime systematically tramples underfoot the interests of the working class in Algeria. Asked whether the trade unions in Algeria work to defend their members, he replied: No, no, above all they are corrupt.  The situation is deeply rooted also in France that the French people do not feel they are represented by the unions; in Algeria, it is the same thing, except there is a more acute sense of not being represented. It is something that is well known in France, it is similar in Algeria, but we can say Algeria suffers from the problem to a greater degree.

Samir also took his distance from the Workers Party (PT) of Louisa Hanoune, which is closely linked to the regime: Honestly, I never felt particularly warm towards them, especially due to their leader Louisa Hanoune. Basically, this party has humanist values, it says it wants to see workers protected. But in reality, there is nothing behind this rhetoric. They are an empty shell.

Nafi, an Algerian entrepreneur in France, told the WSWS he was there to appeal to the French people to oppose their governments attempts to support the Bouteflika regime.

The Algerian regime, he said, has support from France and many European peoples. For my part, I am asking the French people to look into this subject, to look at the Evian accords [that ended the Algerian war in 1962]. They will realise that the French system did many bad things. And French people are wonderful and extraordinary, they do not need to accept things that are done in secret in their name.

He concluded, So I ask all those who are in France to pressure the French government not to support Bouteflika and to participate in future in our common struggle of the Algerians and of the French.

The WSWS also interviewed Aquila, who said: Im Algerian, I live in France, but my presence here today is to tell the Algerian people that we are with them. We support your demands for a clean regime, a regime that would finally respond to the aspirations of the people for justice, democracy and equality for all Algerian citizens. We are here to tell the Algerian people, who have risen up as one man, that this regime that has starved the Algerian people, has pillaged the country for more than 20 years nowit must go and it must leave space for young Algerians.

Aquila stressed that she was thinking of refugees dying in the Mediterranean after fleeing Algeria: In the Algerian protests, we say we do not want to leave, we do not want to die in ships on the Mediterranean Sea. What we want is to live in our country, with dignity.

She added that the Algerian regime that has been there over the last 20 years has only destroyed the country. They pillaged the country and filled their pockets. They all have bank accounts overseas, while the Algerian people live in the most abject misery. Our youth have no work, our youth do not have training. Their children are all studying in the best European universities, while Algerian youth when they turn 20 have no perspective for the future.
As mass strikes spread across Algeria for the second day, the regime issued a statement in the name of figurehead president Abdelaziz Bouteflika yesterday evening, postponing elections indefinitely and pledging that Bouteflika will not seek a fifth term.

The regimes announcement is a fraud, meeting none of the demands of the workers and youth. While it claims Bouteflika will not stand again for re-election, this is to be achieved by extending his current term indefinitely. Elections previously scheduled for April 18 are to be postponed to at least after 2019.

The regime will appoint what it calls an inclusive and independent national conference, which is to draft a new constitution and set the date for new elections. An unspecified government of national unity is to be formed. Bouteflikaa political corpse who has not spoken publicly since a 2013 stroke and is widely seen as a figurehead for the ruling cabal in the military, security services and his familyis to oversee the new constitutional institutions to ensure they adhere scrupulously to the accomplishment of their mission.

The letter states that the postponement of elections is aimed at appeasing tensions that have been revealed in order to open the way to generalised peace, quiet and public security. It adds that the reshuffling of Bouteflikas cabinet and a change in prime minister constitute an adequate response to the expectations you have placed upon me. These are implicit threats that an escalation of the strikes and demonstrations will be met with fierce repression.

Gen. Gael Salah was reported to be in the discussions prior to last nights announcement. Last week, he threatened that the army stood ready to defend security and stability against anything that could expose Algeria to unpredictable threats.

The announcement was immediately hailed by the French government, the former colonial power, which maintains close ties with the regime and its security forces. The minister of foreign affairs, Yves Le Drian, said he salutes the declaration of president Bouteflika, in which he announces he will not seek a fifth mandate and will take measures to renovate the Algerian political system.

The ruling class in Algeria and internationally has been terrified by the direct entrance of the working class into the movement against the Bouteflika regime with the eruption of a general strike on Sunday, which deepened yesterday. The strikes have developed largely independently and outside the control of the trade unions, spread by workers online via social media.

Oued Ezzine gas workers enter the strike on Monday

Of particular significance is yesterdays expansion of strikes in the oil and gas industry, which accounts for over 90 percent of Algerias export revenues. On Sunday, employees of GTP, a subsidiary of the state gas company Sonatrach, walked off the job in the Hassi Messaoud oil fields. A video on Facebook of the strike was viewed more than 100,000 times.

Yesterday, they were joined by workers at ENGAGEO, another Sonatrach subsidiary in the same region. One picture of ENGAGEO workers marching off the job shows a strikers sign stating, Un grand merci a Facebook! Hundreds of workers at the Oued Ezzine gas complex in Adrar, central Algeria, entered the strike on Monday. Sonelgaz workers in Guelma carried out a sit-in outside their offices.

Sonatrach (ENGAGEO) workers enter the strike on Monday

The port city of Bejaia remained completely paralysed yesterday, with strikes closing the ports and every state administrative building and private company, excepting some medical facilities. The city of Tizi-Ouzou in the Kabylie region was also reportedly completely closed.

At the industrial complex in Rouiba, autoworkers at both Mercedes and the car and bus maker SNVI remained on strike. A report published yesterday by LExpression revealed that the strike was initiated on Sunday when workers began picketing inside the plant and organised a vote to walk out. It reported that a march by the workers at both plants was tear-gassed by police.

Much of the capital Algiers remained shut down. The industrial complex at Baba Ali was closed. The metro was partially reopened, but trains to and from outside the city remained paralysed. Yesterday, a group of 15 major agri-food companies in the heavy industrial zone of Taharacht issued a joint statement demanding workers return to their posts at 5 a.m. today in order to avoid a dangerous disruption to the food market.

The trade unions responded to the eruption of strikes on Sunday by scrambling to regain control in order to suppress the movement. In Rouiba, the union covering workers at SNVI announced that it was calling a four-day strike beginning Monday, after workers independently initiated a five-day strike beginning Sunday.

In Tizi Ouzou, more than 20 trade unions gathered late Sunday night to pass a resolution declaring, the day after a general strike, that they supported the movement. They announced they were now retracting their confidence in Sidi Said, the long-time president of the General Union of Algerian Labour (UGTA), the main national trade union federation that has openly supported Bouteflika.

Sonelgaz workers in Guelma on strike for second day on Monday

The ruling class is particularly terrified at the emergence of working class strikes because it knows that such actions can rapidly spread throughout the entire Maghreb region and internationally, after a decade of escalating assaults on living standards, and under conditions of a resurgence of workers struggles around the world.

Benin Web TV reported yesterday that on social media networks in neighboring Morocco, the support for the protest is visible. Tunisia, to Algerias east, was shaken by a general strike of 700,000 workers last month. The protests in Algeria have been met by demonstrations of tens of thousands in Algerian communities around the world, including in Montreal, Canada, and in multiple cities in France.

The trade unions and the capitalist class that they defend know that the workers are entering into struggle not only against Bouteflika and his immediate gang of cronies. They are fighting against the social inequality, poverty and unemployment that they preside over, and are driven by the determination that their lives should actually materially improve.

That is why the trade unions are issuing nervous warnings that the workers should not raise sectional and divisive demandsi.e., for wage rises, social services, and jobs. Amar Hadjout, the president of the National Federation of Workers in Textiles, Leather and Clothing, told El Watan yesterday that the demands must remain within the limits that are respectful of others, to have the capacity to overcome and defeat any divisions. We cannot lose sight of what has been achieved in the economic sphere.

What is driving the working class into struggle? A report by the Algerian Human Rights League in 2015, based on a survey of 4,500 households, found that 35 percent of the population, or some 14 million people, live on a poverty wage of less than US$1.25 per day. Over 90 percent of households reported that their living standards have fallen since the decline of oil prices in 2014, and the average purchasing power of a family fell by 60 percent over that period. The unemployment rate for youth is almost a third, and more than two thirds of the population is below the age of 30.

Meanwhile, wealth has been concentrated in the hands of a tiny class of billionaires and multimillionaires that controls the regime and the opposition parties. The report stated that 10 percent of the Algerian population owned 80 percent of the countrys wealth.

Every faction of the political establishment, including the fraudulent opposition parties claiming to support the movement against Bouteflika, such as Louisa Hanounes Workers Party, is opposed to any struggle by the working class for its own interests. They all want to maintain the domination over society by the super-rich and seek only to secure a greater position for themselves in the regime and the distribution of the money taken from the working class.

The struggle developing in Algeria has an objective logic that is bringing the working class into conflict with the profit system itself and all of its political defenders. The only progressive solution to this situation lies in the seizure of political power by the working class in Algeria and internationally, and the overthrow of the capitalist system, and its replacement with socialism.
Over the past month, Argentinean-born Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim, the general musical director of the Berlin Staatskapellethe resident orchestra of the Berlin State Operasince 1992, has been the object of a vicious #MeToo-style campaign in the German and Berlin press.

The attacks, focusing on alleged bullying, are aimed at discrediting the noted musician, and have been accompanied by demands that he be removed from his post.

Barenboim, a noted pianist as well as conductor, is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest musicians alive, embodying almost a century of musical history. He is masterful in his interpretations of music from the 18th century to the present. He has alsounusually and courageously for someone in his positionbeen an outspoken critic of Israeli policies toward the Palestinian people.

The allegations of bullying were first advanced anonymously by several musicians who had worked with him in the Staatskapelle in the past. The first piece appeared in early February in the German classical music magazine VAN. It was sneeringly headlined, The noisy ghost. Whos afraid of Daniel Barenboim?

The article depicted Barenboim as an almost uncontrollable tyrant, waiting for any opportunity to shout at and denigrate musicians and other staff. VAN quoted a Staatskapelle employee as saying that Barenboim had created a climate of fear. The composer was called moody and dictatorial. A former employee of the Staatskapelle alleged that the conductors behavior was responsible for the depression he suffered from at various times during his tenure with the orchestra.

Daniel Barenboim in Vienna, 2008 (Credit: Alkan)

The article went so far as to attack not only Barenboim, but also his first wife, Jacqueline du Pre, who died in 1987 at the age of 42. Du Pre, one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, was struck down by multiple sclerosis, which first tragically deprived her of the ability to perform and then caused her premature death. Both Du Pre and Barenboim, the piece suggested, were cold elitists who considered their own lives to be of greater importance than those of lesser talents.

The anonymous charges of bullying were quickly picked up by the Berlin press, most notably in the Tagesspiegel and the Berliner Zeitung, which urged that Barenboims contract, which expires in 2022 and is currently being negotiated, not be renewed. In late February, the New York Times, inevitably, chimed in on this campaign.

In an indication of some of the motives behind the current attacks on Barenboim, the VAN article dealt at some length with how the Staatskapelle under Barenboim has been able to secure significant funding from the German government, while other opera houses in Berlin have been forced to rely on local subsidies. There is no doubt that Barenboim has fought many battles over the years in an effort to secure maximum financial support for the Staatskapelle. He has been successful, however, not because of any underhanded maneuvers, but largely due to the well-deserved international reputation of the ensemble and of its conductor.

Only four musicians have openly criticized Barenboim. One of them worked under Barenboim for some 12 years. Another one, a current employee of the Staatskapelle, reportedly sent a letter to Barenboim after her statements were quoted in the press, apologizing and saying that she felt that she was being weaponized.

Barenboim, to his credit, has refused to give in to what he denounced as a campaign to prevent his contract from being renewed. He has stated that he was sorry for whomever he may have hurt, but that he did not consider himself guilty of running the orchestra in a dictatorial manner and that he had committed no crimes.

In an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit, Barenboim cogently answered the charges of patriarchy. [T]o be old and experienced does not entitle you to anything. But if a person has created something and is also capable of conveying it to the next generation, he may expect that he will be listened to once in a while.

Several musicians have also defended Barenboim. The world-renowned Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon wrote, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, that a rehearsal room is not a picnic, not a therapy session and not a joyful get-together. A rehearsal room is a place where everyone has to perform at their best to achieve excellence together. All share responsibility for this, but, musically speaking, one person has to shoulder the main responsibility for allthe conductor. And no one is shouldering this responsibility with greater passion, respect, authority and love than Daniel Barenboim. He has dedicated his entire life to this responsibility.

The attacks on Barenboim share definite traits with various #MeToo campaigns of the past two years. They are based on a mixture of mostly anonymous accusations that are difficult, if not impossible to prove, and have no legal bearing, and outright distortions and denunciations fabricated by journalists. The aim is to provoke outrage rather than careful thought to discredit and professionally destroy a major musical and intellectual figure.

The attack on Barenboim brings to mind the campaign against Swedish theater director and administrator Benny Fredriksson, the husband of renowned Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Fredriksson was anonymously charged with bullying and sexual and psychological abuse. The allegations led to his resignation from his post at Stockholms premier cultural center and theater and, eventually, to his suicide in March 2018. An investigation subsequently revealed there was no evidence of sexual abuse.

Barenboim has not been accused of anything vaguely criminal. The concerns raised by musicians, legitimate or not, are of a kind generally settled internally in a concert or opera house through the framework of arbitration and discussions. The director of the Staatskapelle has already announced that internal discussions and arbitration will take place, and Barenboim has agreed to participate.

It can be assumed that personal careerism, as well as longstanding rivalries between Berlin opera houses over funds and prestige, has been a significant factor in mobilizing disoriented individuals and layers in this campaign.

However, the question also has to be raised: What are the deeper motives behind these attacks on one of Germanys foremost artists and public intellectuals?

This question cannot be properly answered without reference to Barenboims politics and the political and cultural context in which the attacks on him are taking place.

They occur amid an escalating campaign in Germany and internationally trying to discredit all criticism of the Zionist state of Israel as anti-Semitic. In recent months, this campaign has ever more openly been directed at defaming all left-wing opposition to capitalism as anti-Semitic and at creating an ideological and legal framework for criminalizing it.

Barenboim is regarded as a major obstacle to this campaign. In present-day Germany, he is arguably the most prominent Israeli intellectual taking a stand against the far-right policies of the Israeli government.

Daniel Barenboim leading a rehearsal of the WestEastern Divan in Spain, 2005

In 1999, he co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra [named after German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethes WestEastern Diwan (1819), a collection of lyrical poems inspired by the 14th century Persian poet Hafez] with the late Palestinian writer and intellectual Edward Said to bring together young Israeli and Palestinian musicians. A few years ago, he also founded the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin to train a new generation of talented musicians from the Middle East. In 2008, Barenboim was awarded honorary Palestinian citizenship.

Most recently, Barenboim denounced the racist Nation-State Law in Israel, which enshrines Jewish supremacy as the legal foundation of the state. I am ashamed of being an Israeli today, he stated in the Guardian, denouncing the new law as a very clear form of apartheid. He wrote: Does occupation and domination over another people fit the declaration of independence? Is there any sense in independence for one at the expense of the fundamental rights of the other? Can the Jewish people, whose history is a record of continued suffering and relentless persecution, allow themselves to be indifferent to the rights and suffering of a neighbouring people?

As the WSWS pointed out nearly five years ago, after an Israeli attack on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, At a time when fascistic elements are mobilizing inside Israel with the slogan, Death to Arabs, Barenboims sympathy for both ordinary Israelis and Palestinians makes him a target for hatred and even threats of violence from these reactionary forces.

Barenboim has also been a consistent and outspoken critic of the growing promotion of anti-Semitism, racism and the far right in Germany and other European countries.

His views, which are informed by democratic and humanist principles, have provoked bitter hostility within sections of the German cultural and political elite and the Zionist establishment, as well as the anti-Semitic far right in Germany. There is little doubt that the current attacks on him are welcomed if not actively encouraged by such forces.

The campaign against Barenboim is aimed not just at the destruction of his character and career. More broadly, it is designed to intimidate and silence all those who dare speak out against both anti-Semitism and the far right in Germany and the right-wing policies of Zionism. It must be opposed by all serious intellectuals, artists, workers and youth.
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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
The government of President Lenin Moreno, besieged by corruption charges, has embarked on an IMF-dictated austerity program entailing mass layoffs that is bringing it into increasingly open confrontation with the Ecuadorian working class.

The first round of layoffs, targeting 10,000 part-time and hourly workers, took effect on March 1. The most affected areas are education and healthcare. Agustin Lindao, leader of the National Union of Public Health MinistryWorkers (Osumtramsa), reported layoffs of 2,500 to 3,500 between casual and temporary contractors, doctors, EMTs, nurses, pharmacy assistants, social workers and operation personnel.

At least 1,000 workers saw their jobs terminated at the Ministry of Education, 200 of them in Guayas. At the Institute of Social Security (IESS), 500 employees were fired.

The layoffs are the first step by the Moreno government in meeting the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for sweeping austerity measures in return for a $4.5 billion deal signed with the financial agency on February 20.

The total cuts demanded under the agreement amount to 10 percent of the public workforce, or 50,000 jobs.

Last month, thousands of workers marched in the capital of Quito to denounce the threat of massive layoffs bound up with the IMF deal, as well as privatizations and a punishing rise in fuel prices.

The march was followed by a national strike called by the Ecuadorian trade unions on February 13 in the face of mounting anger among the workers.

Thousands of workers and peasants blocked traffic at several main arteries, burning tires, in Quito, Manabi, El Oro and Zamora, where they managed to partially stop commercial activities. Hispantv said the protest was against Moreno for violating his government plan ... [which does not contemplate privatization of strategic areas] ... and supporting interventionism in Venezuela.

Moreno became president in May 2017 and has seen his popularity plummet, from 77 percent when he first took office to 30 percent today, according to Reuters.

Moreno was the vice president and hand-picked successor of his predecessor Rafael Correa, who was first elected in 2007 after running as a self-proclaimed socialist on a populist program. The governments reformist promises, made during the commodities boom, ran into the realities of falling oil prices and the deceleration of the Chinese economy.

The turn towards austerity measures directed against the working class begun under Correa has been rapidly accelerated under Moreno, who has broken with and turned against the former president.

The evolution of the Ecuadorian government, formerly included in Hugo Chavezs Bolivarian Alliance, is part of the general receding of Latin Americas so-called Pink Tide of nationalist-populist bourgeois governments and the rise of right-wing administrations, including those of the fascistic former army captain Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and the extreme right wing multimillionaire Mauricio Macri in Argentina.

Conditions for the working class in Ecuador are steadily deteriorating. A report issued this week revealed that the share of the countrys workforce employed in the so-called informal sectorwithout regular work, wages or benefitsrose to 46 percent last year.

Morenos turn to the right has been accompanied by a shift in policy towards Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who has lived as a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012. The increasingly onerous conditions imposed upon Assange, which began under Correa, have accompanied a bid by the Moreno government to achieve a rapprochement with US imperialism, including through support for the regime change operation in Venezuela. The threat is that Assange will become a bargaining chip in in this process, under conditions in which he faces espionage and/or conspiracy charges in the US that could result in his execution.

In the midst of carrying out the attacks demanded by the IMF on the working class, Moreno has been accused by the opposition, his formal allies in the bourgeois populist Revolucion Ciudadana (Citizens Revolution) party, of embezzlement and corruption. Since he took office in May 2017, he has had three prime ministers. The first two resigned to face corruption charges; the current one is Jorge Glass, also out of the ranks of Revolucion Ciudadana.

Representative Ronny Aleaga of Revolucion Ciudadana House has filed a complaint against the president before the Ecuadorian prosecutors office over the purchase of a holiday property in Alicante, Spain.

Aleaga accuses Moreno of having established in March 2012 INA Investments, an offshore company based in the tax haven of Belize that was owned by his brother Edwin Moreno Garce until it was dissolved in 2016. INA bought real estate, fancy cars, crocodile leather wallets and other luxury items.

However, what is significant about the investigation is that INA Investment did not limit itself to moving money so that Morenos family and its associates could live in wealth. The corruption case takes on a greater dimension in that INA was used to facilitate contracts with the state. The complaint filed by Representative Aleaga estimates that this was an operation involving about US$65 million.

Meanwhile, investigative reporters Christian Zurita Ron and Fernando Villavicencio revealed a transfer of US$18 million from Sinohydro, a Chinese state company, to the company Recorsa  managed by Lenin Morenos close friend, Conti Patino, together with the presidents wife, Rocio Gonzalez  and Sinohydro received a contract from the Ecuadorian government for the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair dam, east of Quito, the largest public infrastructure project in the countrys history, cost estimated at US $ 2.8 billion.

We are seeing how the presidential family of Ecuador has given itself a great life with money coming from Sinohydro bribes, while the people suffer mass layoffs, fuel hikes, insecurity, ineptitude and indifference from the authorities, Aleaga said in a recent radio interview.

Meanwhile, Moreno has accused his predecessor Correa of corruption, denouncing him for having paid close to US$5 billion for four projects whose real dollar value should have been about half that. Correa is also charged in Ecuador with responsibility for the botched kidnapping of an opposition lawmaker in Colombia. He has denied the charges, insisting that they are part of a political witch-hunt mounted by the Moreno government.
The following speech was delivered by Emmy Butlin of the Julian Assange Defence Committee at the Solidarity Vigil for Julian Assange held outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, on March 10.

Emmy Butlin

In February, we had two anniversaries that bring home the dire situation Julian Assange faces.

On February 5, it was three years since the United Nations Working Group of Arbitrary Detention published their ruling in his favour demanding he is released and compensated.

Despite this clear direction, the UK has refused to fulfil its international obligations and as a result, on February 23, Julian Assange completed 3,000 days of arbitrary detention.

With a sealed indictment against him in the US that was accidentally revealed late last year, and political developments in Ecuador moving to remove the political protections of asylum and nationality granted to him by this nation, Julian Assanges freedom and safety have never been at more risk. He endures a draconian protocol imposed inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, including a years-long gagging preventing him from publicly speaking not only about his work and opinions, but also about his life and well-being.

Emmy Butlin at London rally to defend Assange

WikiLeaks whistle-blower Chelsea Manning was subpoenaed to testify in the WikiLeaks grand jury Department of Justice investigation in the Eastern District of Virginia on March 5. She resisted the DoJ order and she was jailed on Friday March 8.

In her own words she said, I will not comply with this, or any grand jury. Imprisoning me for my refusal to answer questions only subjects me to additional punishment for my repeatedly stated ethical objections to the grand jury system.

The grand jurys questions pertained to disclosures from nine years ago and took place six years after an in-depth computer forensics case, in which I testified for almost a full day about these events. I stand by my previous public testimony.

Its extremely important that we listen to these words because the media do not cover widely what she actually said.

She continues, I will not participate in a secret process that I morally object to, particularly one that has been historically used to entrap and persecute activists for protected political speech.

These are her own words.

We honour the courageous principled stance she has consistently kept. We take up again the solidarity for Chelseas resistance as we did before, with banners, posters and fliers and marching at the forthcoming London Pride. Please support Chelsea by donating to her legal defence fund.

Earlier today in Australia, a rally in Melbourne, organised by the Socialist Equality Party, demanded that the Australian government take immediate action to secure the freedom of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange.

We cannot stand by and witness his ordeal unmoved.

We are grateful for the rallies in Australia and inspired by them, we continue in solidarity with Julian Assange. As long as he is in there, we shall be out here. I encourage all to participate in the campaigns run by his legal team and the Courage Foundation, writing to your Members of Parliament and NGOs in the UK.

We need international solidarity to bring about a positive outcome in this struggle for freedom for Julian Assange whose work has served humanity, selflessly and courageously, at a great personal cost. We welcome everyone who believes in justice and in human rights, organisations and individuals, to stand with us in respectful vigil in support of the publisher of WikiLeaks and thank you all for your participation in todays vigil.
On Sunday, a commercial aircraft carrying 157 passengers from Ethiopias capital city of Addis Ababa bound for Nairobi, Kenya crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all on board. The aircraft, a 737 MAX 8, was an upgraded 737 model manufactured by Boeing. The Ethiopian air disaster is the second such catastrophe for the Boeing model. Five months ago, last October, an Indonesian Lion Air jetliner, also a Boeing 737 MAX 8, went down, killing all 189 on board.

Informing the public of the crash, Ethiopian Airlines posted to its Twitter account: The group CEO who is at the scene right now deeply regrets to confirm there are no survivors. The message was posted next to a photo of Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam at the site of the crashed aircraft holding a piece of the jets debris.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was bound for Nairobi, taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa at around 5:30 a.m. Flight conditions were reported as good with clear visibility. Almost immediately after takeoff the aircraft struggled to ascend at an adequate and stable speed, and according to FlightRadar24, the aircraft fluctuated wildly in vertical speed, going from zero feet to 1,472 feet per minute to dropping down to minus 1,920 feet, an extremely unusual pattern for takeoff.

The pilot of the aircraft sent out a distress call to air traffic controllers, who then cleared the jetliner for a return descent to the airport, before losing contact with air traffic control six minutes later and plummeting to the ground near Bishoftu, a town 47.9 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa. As it slammed into the ground, the aircraft shattered into pieces, leaving a large, smoking crater.

What should have been a two-hour flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi carried passengers from four continents, including a contingent of United Nations delegates who were traveling to a week-long United Nations Environment Assembly scheduled for today.

Among the passengers killed were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians, eight passengers each from the United States, China, and Italy, seven from Britain, nine from France, and a small number from Egypt, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved in the disastrous crash was recently added to the Ethiopian Airlines fleet as part of the companys expansion of its flights and updated aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in Africa, and has enjoyed a reputation for its low accident record compared to other competitor airlines across the continent. Up to 2014, Ethiopian Airlines had experienced only 322 fatalities due to various incidents since 1965.

Speaking to the media regarding the cause of the crash, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said, At this stage, we cannot rule out anything.

Personnel from the US Federal Aviation Administration, accompanied by staff from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site on Monday, aiding the Ethiopian-led investigation of the disaster. The FAA told media representatives that Boeing would be part of the investigation, and the agency promised it would issue an update to operators of the 737 MAX 8.

On Monday, Ethiopian Airlines reported that the aircrafts digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered. An airline official stated that one of the recorders was partially damaged.

While investigators have not determined the cause of the disaster, according to the Associated Press , a witness to the crash reported that he saw smoke billowing from the aircraft before it hit the ground.

The witness, Tamrat Abera, told the Associated Press, Before falling down, the plane rotated two times in the air, and it had some smoke coming from the back, then it hit the ground and exploded. When the villagers and I arrived at the site, there was nothing except some burning and flesh.

Under similar circumstances, in October, a Lion Air flight departing Jakarta, Indonesia, Flight JT610, also a Boeing 737 MAX 8, went down minutes after takeoff. Before JT610 went down into the Java Sea, its crew sent a distress call to air traffic control reporting a malfunctioning of the aircrafts data system, which caused the plane to suddenly descend. Moments after the distress call, air traffic control lost contact with its crew.

Amid fears of a widespread equipment defect peculiar to the 737 MAX 8 sparked by the two air disasters in quick succession, airlines in Ethiopia, China and Indonesia grounded all such aircraft pending further investigation. Late Monday, an official with Royal Maroc Air said that Morocco grounded its sole 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

On Monday, Boeings stock dropped 12 per cent on the news of the air disaster, recovering slightly by the end of the trading day to minus 7 per cent.

Attempting to assuage fears, Boeing stated that it saw no reason for the company to recall any of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft and declared the model was among its most popular aircraft and used around the world.

Boeing is one of the worlds largest aircraft manufacturers, and the biggest US exporter, posting $10.5 billion in profits in 2018.

While the direct cause for the air disaster in Ethiopia remains under investigation, the World Socialist Web Site in reporting last years Lion Air crash documented several equipment issues peculiar to the 737 MAX 8, particularly its automated mechanism Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, equipment aimed at preventing the aircraft from stalling. If the flights data system indicates that there is a risk of stalling, the mechanism can automatically force the planes nose down independent of any action on the part of the pilots of the aircraft.

Along with the largest airlines carrying out a coordinated attack to slash wages and benefits of airline staff, the upgrade of obsolete and aging equipment is being put off in the effort to increase profits, contributing to numerous air disasters over the last several years.

What can be stated for certain is the Ethiopian crash is part of a broader crisis plaguing the transportation industry, as airlines slash operating costs to the bone, risking the lives of airline workers and passengers in order to increase corporate profits.
Around 300 workers, students, young people, professionals and retirees attended a rally in Melbourne on March 10 to demand that the Australian government take immediate action to free Julian Assange and call for the release of Chelsea Manning, who has been reimprisoned in the US by the Trump administration in a bid to coerce her into testifying against WikiLeaks.

The diverse audience at the event expressed the real attitude of ordinary people to Assange, Manning and the assault on democratic rights, which is censored by the corporate press and the official political establishment. Broad layers of the population rightly view Assange and Manning as heroic figures, who are being persecuted for exposing the truth about US-led war crimes, illegal diplomatic intrigues and mass surveillance.

The sentiments of those who rallied are an indictment of Labor and Liberal-National governments, which have joined the persecution of Assange. They are also a condemnation of the various organisations that once claimed to defend Assange, such as the unions, the Greens and the pseudo-left, that have since abandoned the WikiLeaks founder and are now silent on the treatment of Chelsea Manning.

Lauren

Lauren said: I came to the rally because I think were being threatened every day by attacks on freedom of speech, by low wages and by a whole host of things. The world is going crazy. Its important that we stand up for Julian Assange. If they get him, its a defeat for all of us. Whats happening to Chelsea Manning is disgraceful. Im proud that she has so much integrity and that shes telling that Grand Jury to get stuffed.

Governments want to shut down everyones freedom of speech. Theyll start with the journalists and publishers and then theyll come for everyone else. That will give them total power over us. The working class has been waking up. Governments put pressure on the working class to shut us up, but as soon as weve got a bit of information, the powers that be get nervous, because we could rise up against them all.

We have businesses putting the screws on us all the time. I have a grandson who has just started high school and I also noticed that his education is all geared to what he might get at the end of it, which is some low-paid job. Its like youre born on this planet now to work. They just want fodder.

Julian

Julian commented: I came because Ive been following the issue of Assange on the internet for a long time, mostly on Twitter and alternative media. I thought this was something that I should support. The attacks on Assange are rubbish. Governments are obviously scared of him, because hes telling the truth. Theres a big effort to silence him and to shut him away. Its pretty obvious whats going on if youre taking notice. Its an attack on the democratic rights of the whole population.

The response of the press strikes me as strange. They claim to defend freedom of the press and get all upset because Trump said some nasty things to a CNN reporter, but they have a colleague whos been locked up for almost seven years and theyre not saying anything about it. Theyre part of the same machine. Theyre part of the whole establishment thats working together to shut us all down.

Zac

Zac, who is studying audio engineering, stated: The persecution of Julian forms the crux of a larger issue. With the rise of the internet and information technology, the means to access information has expanded dramatically. But governments and the corporations have put up huge walls to try and prevent us from finding the facts. Julian stands against that.

Control of information has been so concentrated in the hands of distributors, like the social media companies. The means of distribution are extremely locked up for ordinary people.

I feel the same way about Manning as I do about Julian. Shes exercising her right not to incriminate herself or Julian. Im an American citizen, so the attacks on her are an encroachment on my rights as well.

I completely agree with the idea that the defence of Assange and Manning has to be connected to other struggles, including against climate destruction. I really agree with whats been said here.

Carina, a Chinese international student, said: The rally was really good and I enjoyed the speeches. We are international citizens. We are the targets of the governments and their corruption. We should stand up to give power to our voice and to protect all of us.

I really agree with the speaker who said that Julian Assange is not just a person. He is our voice. This issue really affects the next generations. It is about the future of young people and the fight for equality in the world. I really respect what the SEP is doing.

Zahra

Zahrah, a first-year journalism student at RMIT University, explained: In year 12, I did a year-long project and I used a lot of material from WikiLeaks. I didnt know that the government was watching us. I saw all these documentaries and I really woke up.

Im not surprised by the actions of governments against Assange. He is the one whos taking a stand. I didnt know that people were still rallying for him. Im really glad that young people still care about him. I heard someone saying, Who is Julian Assange? So many young people just dont know.

With social media, its so easy to filter information. Facebook and Google have introduced new algorithms to stop the flow of information. As it was said in the rally, there has been hardly any coverage in the mainstream media about Chelsea Manning and her arrest. It is so easy not to realise what is happening around you if you are just looking at your phone. It is going to be of a process, but I hope we can get there.

Di, Francis and Cristina

Di travelled to the rally from Euroa, a town 150 kilometres from Melbourne, because Julian Assange has been incarcerated for speaking truths and I am tired of Australia being a whore of the USA. Di learnt about the rally on Facebook by following the SEP and Unity4J.

Julian Assange did nothing wrong, she said. The Australian government should be utterly ashamed. Integrity, being honourable, is what I was raised with, but there is none of that in any of our politics in this country any more. People need to wake up and speak out. Its civil disobedience that we need to activate. We need to wear Yellow Vests and we need to mass as a nation and say stop impinging on our freedom of speech.

Assange wasnt doing it for himself. He was doing it to wake up the world. There are school kids from Euroa coming to Melbourne on Friday to march and strike against the climate change agenda of this government and I am so proud of that.

Yvonne, a retired public sector worker, travelled 200 kilometres from Apollo Bay to take part. She commented: In the public service you are forced, if you want to keep your job, to say nothing about most things. It just shows how restrained we are in the community from speaking the truth.

I cant see that Assange has done anything wrong. We are a terribly corrupt country when you get to the bottom of it. He went to the Ecuadorian embassy because it was the only place that he felt safe. Its incredible that an Australian, from the so-called land of the fair go, had to do that.

Yvonne condemned growing militarism and war. Every time we send our sons and daughters off to war, every time the Australian government spends more money on another Joint Strike Fighter, theyre neglecting the welfare of the community. One of those awful fighters would probably keep the welfare cheques going for years, just one of them.

Christina, a retired educator, found out about the rally via the SEP website and WikiLeaks. She said: We can vote for candidates who are supposed to represent us, but it is restricted. There are lobby groups and corruption. They represent the top 1 percent and their croniesthe top 10 percent that are working for them.

Julian Assange is known in Syria, in Africa, in the US, in Latin America, everywhere. Thats why an ex-Nobel Prize winner has nominated Julian for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, because of his unrelenting work. Julian is not alone, he is supported by thousands of people of integrity.

This is the litmus test. We either win this or, if Julian doesnt receive freedom, if Chelsea Manning is not released, then we are going down a slippery slope. Its history repeating itself. Thats why I am here. There are millions of honest citizens everywhere and we are going to win. The truth always wins so eventually.
The following lawsuit was submitted by lawyer Dr. Pier Stolle to the Berlin administrative court on 24 January against the Federal Interior Ministry. It appeals for the defendant to be ordered to cease distributing, allowing the distribution of, or enabling access to the Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) Report 2017 as published by them in digital, written, or any other form, so long as the Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistische GleichheitsparteiSGP) continues to be mentioned in it. A statement by the SGP on the lawsuit can be found here.

Grounds:

I. Background

1.

In February 2017, the plaintiff changed its name from the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit (Party for Social Equality) to Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, Vierte Internationale (Socialist Equality Party, Fourth International).

The plaintiff is the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). The SGP works to win workers in Germany to the programme of socialist internationalism, and hopes on the basis of this programme to unite the workers and mobilise them to take political power and establish a workers state. Its goal is to create the objective conditions for the building of a truly democratic, egalitarian and socialist society, according to the partys statement of principles.

To achieve this goal, the SGP focuses chiefly on holding informational events and lectures, and publishes articles daily on the World Socialist Web Site (www.wsws.org) analysing world political and economic developments.

In its statement of principles, the plaintiff elaborates further that it advocates the nationalisation of the productive forces, the abolition of national borders and the creation of a rationally-planned, globally integrated economy, as well as the united socialist states of Europe.

It is also noted in the statement of principles that the plaintiff's most important tool to develop socialist consciousness in the working class is the World Socialist Web Site. With its daily analysis of global political and economic developments, exposures of the social reality of capitalism, comments on important cultural questions, discussions of philosophical and historical issues and investigation of critical questions of revolutionary strategy, tactics, and practice, this website will play a critical role in establishing a contemporary global Marxist movement.

The plaintiff stands in elections, including the federal election and the European elections in May 2019. In the manifesto for this election, it opposes militarism and war, poverty and exploitation, and calls for a socialist Europe, social equality, and the defence of democratic rights.

2.

In the Verfassungsschutz Report 2017 published by the defendant, the plaintiff is first mentioned on page 131 under the heading left-wing extremism.

On page 100 of the Verfassungsschutz Report, the report states on the phenomenon of left-wing extremism that left-wing extremists pursue the goal of abolishing the state and social order, and thereby also freedom and democratic rights, and replacing it with a communist, or anarchist system free of rulers. Violence is seen as legitimate, the report adds. The ideological basis is the opposition to the capitalist system as a whole, because for left-wing extremists, capitalism is responsible for all social and political ills, including social injustice, the destruction of housing, wars, right-wing extremism, and racism, as well as environmental catastrophes.

On page 127 under the subheading IV Left-wing extremist party spectrum, it is further stated that their goal is the creation of a socialist order so as to establish a communist classless society, although they make use of legal methods, such as the participation in elections. In contrast to militant left-wing extremists, they would only consider the use of violence as legitimate in principle and unavoidable in a revolutionary situation.

With respect to the plaintiff, it is then noted on page 131 that according to its own records, it has 261 members, follows the traditional Trotskyist theory of the socialist revolution as a permanent global process led by workers councils, and secured 931 first ballot votes and 1,291 second ballot votes (0.0 percent) in the federal election on 24 September, 2017.

Furthermore, on page 148, it is noted with respect to the plaintiff that the plaintiffs programmatic agitation is directed against the existing state and social order invariably slandered as capitalism, against the EU, supposed nationalism, imperialism, and militarism, as well as against Social Democracy, the trade unions, and the Left Party. The party attempts to gain publicity for its political ideas by participating in elections and organising lecture series, continues the report.

3.

In a letter of 11 December, 2018, the undersigned, exercising the rights of the plaintiff, called upon the defendant to cease distribution of the Verfassungsschutz Report 2017 published by them, so long as the plaintiff is mentioned in it.

In the letter, a deadline of 6 p.m. on 29 December, 2018, was set. No response was received from the defendant.

A lawsuit was therefore necessary.

II. Legal appraisal

The mentioning of the plaintiff in the Verfassungsschutz Report 2017, which is published by the defendant and the subject of this proceeding, is unlawful, because the preconditions for including the plaintiff in the report are not met.

1. Legal requirements to be mentioned in a Verfassungsschutz report

A Verfassungsschutz report is not merely an arbitrary product of public service work. The naming of a natural or legal person in a secret service report goes well beyond the mere participation of state officials in public controversies, or the creation of a sufficient basis of information to aid independent decision-making by citizens, since it arises from a specialist set of powers to protect against a specific, narrowly defined set of threats, and results in a burdensome, negative sanction for the person named (consider BVerfG, NJW 2005, 2912 [2913]).

In compiling a secret service reportand especially when determining which persons or groups of persons are to be included in itspecial standards of care must be observed. The secret service report amounts to a warning signal. The naming of a person or group of persons in the secret service report is at the same time in effect the issuing of an order to the public not to support this group of persons, not to join the group, and not to accept its offeringswhatever they may be. It is designed to prevent citizens from engaging with or even joining this group of persons. The secret service report is regularly reported on in the media and discussed in public, ensuring it has a widespread impact. The result of this is that by being named in the secret service report, (potential) collaborative partners will be reluctant to cooperate, making it more difficult for the affected group of persons to enter into business, cultural, social, or other relations with others. Being named in the secret service report is thus linked to a considerable negative stigma in public life (consider OVG Berlin-Brandenburg, U. v. 06.04.2006 - OVG 3 B 3.99).

Furthermore, with the inclusion of a person or group of persons in a secret service report, the general legal discretionary limits apply, among which is the principle of proportionality. The naming is therefore only permissible if it is in fact necessary and proportionate in the strict sense of the term (BVerfG, a. a. O.).

2. The plaintiff is not anti-constitutional

The legal basis for the publication of a so-called Verfassungsschutz report is  16 subparagraph 2 BVerfSchG. It is set out there that the defendant informs the public about attempts and activities according to  3 subparagraph 1, insofar as sufficient, weighty, actual evidence to do so exists, at least once annually in a summary report focusing particularly on current developments. It is therefore essential whether attempts according to  3 are being undertaken by the plaintiff.

A. There is clearly no evidence of attempts by the plaintiff to oppose the free democratic constitutional order.

The activity of a group of persons must aim at suspending fundamental constitutional principles, which are contained in paragraph 4, subparagraph 2 BVerfSchG. It therefore requires the conclusion that those types of activities are actually initiated by the group of persons.

Attempts are those politically-defined types of behaviour directed by a person or group of persons towards the goal and purpose of overturning or restricting one of the constitutionally protected principles. In this context, overturning means the full restriction or partial abolition of a constitutionally-protected good. Rendering a good inapplicable takes place when the constitutionally-protected good is not formally abolished, but is in effect overturned or is not enforced (Roth, in: Schenke/Graulich/Ruthig, SicherheitsR des Bundes,  3, 4 BVerfSchG Rn). 10). The overturning or restriction must be the essential goal of the group of persons.

Attempts to oppose the free democratic constitutional order according to  3 1 No. 1 1 BVerfSchG are only given if, beyond the mere criticism of the constitutional values and principles, activities are developed aimed at overturning them, or at transforming the state and social order into an order that is incompatible with the basic principles of the free democratic constitutional order (BVerwGE 137, 275, Rn). 40; Roth, in: Schenke/Graulich/Ruthig, SicherheitsR des Bundes,  3, 4 BVerfSchG Rn 53).

B. The defendant has not demonstrated this in the case. Neither capitalism, nor the EU, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, the Social Democracy, trade unions, or the Left Party are constitutionally protected goods according to paragraph 4 1c) i.V.m. paragraph 2 BVerfSchG. The advocacy of a democratic, egalitarian, socialist society does not contradict the Basic Laws core values.

There is also no indication in the conducting of meetings, documenting of reports and analyses, and the participation in federal and European elections of behaviour directed towards the goal or purpose of overthrowing or transforming the state and social order to establish an order that is incompatible with the free-democratic principles of the constitutional order.

3. Lacking necessity

The naming of the plaintiff is also unnecessary for appropriately informing the public.

The plaintiffs predecessor, the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit, has existed since 1997. It was not named in the defendants previous reports.

The wide-ranging impacts of the Verfassungsschutz Report must be taken into account. The organisations named there are designated extremists and thus officially enemies of the constitutional order. With its inclusion, an organisation is declared to be an enemy of the constitution and the state. Along with its function of issuing warnings, the Verfassungsschutz Report also serves to brand and sanction. The official designation as an enemy of the constitution is the basis for social exclusion bound up with broad-ranging consequences. These persons and groups of persons should be and will be socially isolated (vgl. Murswiek, NVwZ 2004, 769 ff.).

The naming is therefore only permissible if it is in fact necessary and proportionate in the strict sense of the term (BVerfG, a. a. O.). This is also legally based on paragraph 16, subparagraph 2, section 1 BVerfschG, according to which informing the public is only possible if sufficient and substantive evidence is presented; considered alongside subparagraph 3, according to which personal data can only be published if the publication is necessary for an understanding of the context, or the presentation of organisations or unorganised groups, and general public interest outweighs the right of the person concerned to protect their privacy.

These requirements are not met in the present case. The naming of the plaintiff is unnecessary. This is particularly so since the plaintiff is a party which, among other things, intends to participate in the European elections in May 2019. The naming of the plaintiff in the report that is the subject of this case is apt to deter eligible voters from voting for the plaintiff.

4. Interference with the plaintiffs rights

The naming of the plaintiff in the subject of this case also interferes with some of the plaintiffs protected rights.

This concerns the general right to publicity, which according to Art. 19 subparagraph 3 GG, the plaintiff can invoke as a legal person within the scope of its activities. This comprises protection from declarations by the state that would be apt to have a negative effect on the affected persons public image. This includes the right of disposal and right of self-determination over ones own public portrayal, as well as the protection of the claim of validity, the so-called external honor, the reputation in the eyes of others (BayVGH, B.v. 23.9.2010  10 CE 10.1830).

The naming in a Verfassungsschutz Report, regardless of in which form, exposes the plaintiff to the effects of the reports negative stigmatisation.

The suit must therefore be upheld.

Additionally, an application is made for the entire administrative procedure and the technical files associated with the case to be consulted, and following consultation, for the undersigned to be granted access to the files.

Following the completion of the examination of the files, further grounds in support of the suit will be provided.
The following speech was delivered by Socialist Equality Party (UK) National Secretary Chris Marsden at the Solidarity Vigil for Julian Assange held March 10 outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Chris Marsden speaking at the vigil

We are all here to demand justice for Julian Assange but, Id like to begin by addressing the disgusting decision to imprison Chelsea Manning.

On Friday March 8, federal judge Claude M. Hilton, an arch reactionary, ordered the brave whistle-blower to prison for an indefinite period.

Why? Because she refused on principle to answer any questions before a secret grand jury investigating Wikileaks and Julian Assange.

Chelsea Manning, like Julian Assange, is a hero. She was jailed, abused and tortured for seven years for having exposed US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What did Assange and WikiLeaks reveal thanks to Mannings leaks in 2010?

 The Collateral Murder video showing US forces gunning down Iraqis suspected of being militants and killing two journalists in the process.

 The routine killing of civilians in that conflict.

 The existence of US death squads in Afghanistan.

 What really happens in Guantanamo Bay.

 Spying and black ops by the US around the worldagainst enemies and allies alike.

Manning was just 22 when she handed WikiLeaks 750,000 classified and sensitive documents. For that she was court-martialled and sentenced to 35 years in prison. She stayed in prison for seven years, often in solitary confinement, on suicide watch, and at times being stripped naked, before being pardoned by Obama.

For these exposures alsoand not to avoid a trumped-up and now abandoned preliminary investigation in SwedenJulian Assange was forced to seek refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. He has now been involuntarily detained there for nearly seven years at terrible personal cost physically and mentally.

Contrary to deliberately falsified media reports, Assange has never been charged with a crime, let alone sexual assault or rape. In 2010, Swedish prosecutors fabricated a case that he was under suspicion for alleged offences, against the express wishes of the two women they claimed to represent, and then sought his extradition to answer questions.

Sweden would only have ever been a stop-off point before Assange was extradited to the United States. This is what forced him to seek asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

Chelsea Manning is being targeted as a means of finally getting Assange. Their fates remain inextricably linked.

Manning is being pressured to testify so that Assange can be handed a sentence more severe than the 35 years she initially received in 2013. The grand jury she refused to testify before has been empanelled to bring espionage and conspiracy charges against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

The judge threatened Chelsea Manning with what could be many more years in prison, warning, [E]ither until you purge yourself [agree to testify] or the end of the life of the grand jury.

She replied in a statement, I will not comply with this, or any other grand jury a secret process that I morally object to, that, she added, has been historically used to entrap and persecute activists for protected political speech.

These events confirm irrefutably that Assange is being involuntarily detained and that if he leaves the embassy he will be shipped to the US by the British government. Anyone who says differently is a liar and an accomplice in attempts to get Assange and silence WikiLeaks.

The big business media has denied the truth for years. Rotten publications like the Guardian demanded instead that Assange must agree to go to Swedenknowing he would end up in a US jail.

Most of what passes for the left, which we have called pseudo-left groups, such as the Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party, effectively proclaimed their solidarity with the Swedish prosecutors office. Since 2012 they have never written once in defence of Julian Assange.

Jeremy Corbyn did the same as soon as he was elected Labour leader and maintains his silence to this day. He has done nothing to challenge the plot against Assange or any assault on democratic freedoms by the state apparatus. And he would not do so, even if he formed a government.

They all know exactly what they are doing. Last November, some incompetent individual in the federal prosecutors office accidentally revealed that criminal charges have been filed against Assange. The person did so by cutting and pasting information into a file on an unrelated case.

The clipped passage referred directly to the need for maximum secrecy due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged.

It added, clearly in relation to Sweden, that state that documents would need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested in connection with the charges in the criminal complaint and can therefore no longer evade or avoid arrest and extradition in this matter.

On January 31, Julians legal team argued that their client cannot hope to receive a fair trial in the US, after a US judge said there was no proof that Assange has been charged. A matter of weeks later former WikiLeaks volunteer David House accepted an immunity deal offered by prosecutors and testified against Assange before the grand jury that did not supposedly exist. Chelsea Manning refused to do so and was jailed.

We live in a new age of show trials, mass surveillance, media censorship, both official and voluntary, frame-ups and witch-hunts.

Julian Assange is the most prominent victim of this turn to state repression and its most steadfast and courageous opponent. But the same tidal wave of reaction has left Edward Snowden an exile in Moscow, Chelsea Manning behind bars and members of the Labour Party in Britain expelled and tarred as anti-Semites for opposing Israeli war crimes.

There are profound reasons for this shift. World capitalism is in the grip of an historic crisis. After suffering an economic heart attack with the 2008 crash, rival imperialist powers have responded with a still sharper turn to trade war, wars to seize control of vital resources in Iraq, Libya, Syria and advanced preparations for war against Russia and China.

At home, wages are being slashed and social services destroyed to make the workers pay for the crisis and keep the super-rich living in unimaginable luxury.

None of this can be done democratically and the ruling class knows it. That is why states the world over are preparing to confront a massive oppositional response from those they rule over.

We are already seeing the initial stages of such a fight-back in a wave of strikes and protests after years in which the class struggle was suppressed by the trade unionsthe yellow vest movement in France, strikes by auto parts workers in Mexico, teachers across the US, mass anti-government protests in Algeriaall taking place now, today.

The movement in defence of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks gathers together the very best representatives of the intellectuals and the professional middle class, who are animated by a profound commitment to democracy and opposition to imperialism and war. But to defeat the powerful machinery of US imperialism and its allies, Britain and Australia, now levelled against Assange and Manning, a massive and more powerful social force is required.

The Socialist Equality Party is determined to break the wall of silence erected by the mainstream media and to mobilise workers and young people in Assanges defence.

On March 3, our comrades in Australia held their second rally in Sydney in defence of Assangean event supported by journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, whose speech we heard at the beginning of this rally, civil rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees, Consortium News editor-in-chief Joe Lauria, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and Julians mother, Christine Assange. Today, a similarly successful rally was held in Melbourne.

We in the SEP UK support todays rally and all efforts to free Assange and the efforts that must now be made to free Chelsea Manning. Success depends upon linking this fight to a broader struggle by the working class against the capitalist profit system and all its political defenders.

The rallies in Australia demanded the Morrison government do its duty and intervene on Assanges behalf to secure his release from Britain with the right to return home to Australia.

Britain now plays the key role in the conspiracy to silence Julian Assange once and for all. Julian Assange cannot be free unless we here take the fight to the workplaces, colleges and schools. We must raise the demand on Westminster and on Number 10 to drop the arrest warrant against Assange and guarantee him free passage to Australia.

The SEP and our comrades in Europe, Australia, the United States and all over the world, together with the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, pledge to redouble our own campaign in this united struggle for freedom and justice for Julian Assange. Thank you very much.
Two months into the wave of wildcat strikes that has gripped Matamoros, Mexico, US and other foreign-owned corporations, along with the Mexican ruling class, are carrying out collective punishment against the courageous workers in the city, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. The workers have been subjected to mass layoffs, physical attacks and blacklisting because they had the audacity to fight against poverty wages and sweatshop conditions in the factories that produce parts for Ford, GM, Fiat Chrysler and other auto and appliance makers.

The alarm must be raised! The World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter calls on workers throughout the US and Canada to come to the defense of their class brothers and sisters across the border. If the reprisals are not stopped, tens of thousands of workers and their families will be hurled into destitution and raw material for super-exploitation for years to come.

Since January 12, as many as 70,000 workers at Matamoros maquiladora factories have been engaged in a collective revolt, raising the demand for 20-32, i.e., a 20 percent wage increase and a 32,000-peso ($1,700) bonus. Autoworkers in the US and Canada have been inspired by Mexican workers defiance of the pro-company trade unions and their initial steps toward forming independent rank-and-file organizations.

Terrified that similar strikes and actions will spread throughout Mexico and across the border, the ruling class is responding with mass firings, plant closings and thug attacks. The companies, the Mexican government and the unions are all seeking to make an example of the strikers in order to show that any opposition to the dictates of the corporations will be met with brutal countermeasures.

Since the strikes began, at least 4,000 workers have been fired and another 50,000 layoffs have been threatened by Mexicos main business organization, the Business Coordinating Council.

Companies such as Michigan-headquartered Joyson Safety Systems, a leading supplier of steering wheels and automotive safety systems, have already announced they are ceasing production in Matamoros entirely, throwing 800 workers to the streets.

Meanwhile, another business organization, COPARMEX, has proposed legislation to make work stoppages like those in Matamoros illegal under federal law.

In addition to seeking to reverse the impact of any wage concessions they have temporarily granted, the companies and the unions together are targeting workers they have identified as leaders of the strikes and the most militantincluding those who have publicly expressed their solidarity with US and Canadian workers through the World Socialist Web Site. Where workers are returning to work, they report conditions of shop floor dictatorship, with management seeking to fire workers on the flimsiest of pretexts.

It is time for workers to draw the necessary lessons from these events.

For decades, the United Auto Workers, the Canadian Auto Workersnow Uniforand other unions have told workers that their enemies are the workers of Mexico, who, the unions claim, are happy to work for poverty wages in order to steal the jobs of American and Canadian workers. Now the workers of Mexico are conducting a courageous battle and appealing to their brothers north of the border to join their fight against the multinational corporations.

In opposition to the reactionary nationalism peddled by the unions, the Matamoros workers are proving that the working class is an international class connected in a single process of globally integrated production. This is underscored by the fact that the strikes in Matamoros have slowed down production throughout the North American auto industry.

Many of the companies workers have struck are transnational auto parts suppliers, including Fisher Dynamics, Autoliv, Inteva, Joyson Safety Systems, APTIV, Parker, and others. At plants across the US and Canada, autoworkers have reported ongoing production disruptions, along with steering wheel and other parts shortages as a result of the strikes, which the companies and unions have done their best to cover up. Ford in Flat Rock, Chicago, and Oakville, Ontario; Fiat Chrysler in Windsor; General Motors in Oshawa; and Nissan in Mississippi have all been impacted.

Moreover, the strike wave in Matamoros, one of the largest in North America in decades, is part of the rapid intensification of class struggle around the world in 2019. The first two months of the year have seen city and statewide strikes by teachers in the US, the continuation of the yellow vest protests against inequality in France, and strikes or mass demonstrations in South America, Asia, and Africa, with hundreds of thousands of workers currently on strike in Algeria against the regime of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Mexico in particular is a social powder keg. Teachers in five states have struck this year against education cuts overseen by the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), with some educators blockading rail lines in the western state of Michoacan, halting automotive shipments to a port on the Pacific. In what would be a development with immense significance, as many as 90,000 Walmart workers in the country are threatening to strike later in March.

Not only does the working class all over the world face essentially the same problemspoverty wages, job insecurity, speed-up, management harassment and abuseit is also objectively connected by a billion threads in an ever-more globally integrated production process.

While workers have become increasingly connected with each other across national borders, the gulf between their interests and those of the global corporations and the super-rich has reached unprecedented proportions. Whether in Oshawa, Detroit, Lordstown, Chongqing, China, or Matamoros, the same ruthless enemythe capitalist ruling classseeks to squeeze every ounce of profit from workers and then shutter plants and throw tens of thousands into joblessness as it continually searches for cheaper labor and better rates of return.

No matter how courageous or self-sacrificing, workers cannot fight global corporations merely in one city, nor even one country. The objective international interdependence of the working class and the irresolvable conflict between workers and the companies must be recognized and made the basis of a conscious strategy.

A new strategy requires new organizations. The transnational corporations have for decades relied on the trade unions, whether in Mexico, the US or Canada, in order to maintain labor peacethat is, the suppression of strikes and any other forms of struggle by workers. The unions corrupt labor-management partnerships have gone hand-in-hand with their endless promotion of nationalism, a poisonous divide-and-conquer strategy used to block an internationally unified struggle of workers.

While promoting anti-Mexican and anti-Chinese chauvinism, the unions have collaborated with the auto bosses in countless plant closures and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs since the 1980s. The latest victims are the workers at the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Plant, which was shuttered last week. Similar plant closings and layoffs are occurring across South America, Europe and Asia.

The struggle in Matamoros developed as a revolt against the Union for Workers in the Maquiladora Industry (SJIOM). In rebelling against the unions and beginning to form new organizations of the rank-and-file, Matamoros workers have provided a demonstration of the colossal power workers have when they begin to take independent action.

This initiative must be expanded: a network of rank-and-file committees independent of the unions must be established across North America, and the organizations initially formed by workers in Matamoros must be broadened throughout the city and made permanent.

It is the urgent duty of all class-conscious workers to come to the defense of the Matamoros strikers. The working class in the United States and Canada cannot advance its interests so long as workers in Mexico are held in conditions of desperate poverty. The defense of workers in Mexico is the defense of all workers interests .

Workers across the US and Canada must demand an end to the reprisals in Mexico and that all victimized workers be rehired, with full back pay. Workers should inform their co-workers of the situation in Matamoros, popularize their struggle widely on social media, and reach out to their brothers and sisters across the border. Preparations should be made for strike action and mass demonstrations, including at the US and Canadian locations of the companies which are exploiting and victimizing the Matamoros workers.

The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and the Steering Committee of the Coalition of Rank-and-File Committees will provide every assistance possible in forging these connections. We urge all workers to email us statements of support for Matamoros workers at autoworkers@wsws.org which we will translate and send to workers in Mexico.
A network of extreme Brexiteer Tories and right-wing media figures plan to establish a Museum of Communist Terror in London.

This would be the first such project outside of a former Stalinist state, marking a major right-wing offensive in British politics. Its proponents hope to bury the popular appeal of socialism under a mountain of lies, to legitimate the far right and provide a spur to a devastating programme of social counterrevolution.

According to the organisations website, The Museum of Communist Terror aims to keep alive knowledge and understanding of the deaths, terror and economic failure that took place under Communist regimes.

The strategy is to do this through social media, this website, talks and films for schools and universities, lobbying for improvements in the teaching of the history of Communist regimes, events and the creation of one or more small museums leading up to the development of a full-size museum in London.

The museums website has produced several infographics aimed at associating socialism and communism with untold death and destruction, including the statements, Deaths in WWI: 15-18 million. Deaths in WWII: 40-85 million. Deaths under Communism: 80-100 million. Also, Tolstoy and Chekhov helped alleviate the Russian famine in 1891-1892. Lenin shocked even his own family by refusing to do the same. He thought famine would encourage a revolution.

This tally of deaths due to communism, which is invariably contrasted unfavourably with those resulting from fascism, is arrived at by blaming the Bolshevik party for the deaths on all sides during the civil war and wars of imperialist intervention of 1918-21, the forced collectivisation and the Great Terror under Stalin in the Soviet Union, deaths during the rule of Mao in China and Pol Pot in Cambodia, and whatever nationalist movements that claimed adherence to Marxism in order to secure popular support as anti-imperialist and backing from Moscow throughout the 20th century. All deaths in all conflicts are attributed to communism because the pro-imperialists are the designated good guys.

The fundamental lie propagated by the museum is that Stalinismin the Soviet Union and other states like Chinawas the true expression of Marxism. According to this immense historical falsification, the crimes of Stalin or Mao are therefore the crimes of communism.

The truth is the opposite. Stalinism was a counterrevolutionary tendency aimed at the physical obliteration of the communist movement and its leading representatives in a campaign of political genocide. Its first victims were the flower of the October 1917 Russian Revolution with Leon Trotsky, co-leader of the revolution alongside Lenin, foremost among them.

The genuine Marxists, brought together in the Trotskyist movement, were the most implacable opponents of Stalinism. In August 1940, Trotsky, who was living in exile in Mexico City, was assassinated by a Stalinist agent.

With capitalism discredited in the eyes of vast masses of people and sympathy for socialism growing rapidly, those seeking to establish the museum are determined to prevent this sentiment finding a revolutionary expression in the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.

The Marxist movement has close historical connections to London. Those associated with the museum are seeking to drag the movement through the mud with Marx recast as the original mastermind of mass murder. As James Bartholomew, the journalist who writes for the hard-Brexit-supporting pro-Conservative Telegraph newspaper and Spectator magazine and who is a driving force behind the London museum project, has written, Much of [Marxs] works were, of course, written in London and it would be fitting if historys judgment on him were properly acknowledged within a museum in our capital.

It is revealing how closely the museums slanders match the slogans daubed on Marxs grave in Highgate Cemetery by fascist vandals last monthMemorial to Bolshevik Holocaust. 1917-1953. 66,000,000 dead, Architect of Genocide, terror and oppression, mass murder. The museum lends an official justification to these sorts of attacks, branding socialists/communists as dangerous maniacs who need to be suppressed at all costs. In doing so, it gives succour to the far and fascistic right.

This is precisely the agenda of the House of Terror, which already exists in Hungary and the Red Terror Museum planned for Estonia.

The Hungarian museum was established in 2002, during the first term of the far-right Fidesz Party leader, Viktor Orban. It has been criticised for devoting vastly more space to crimes of communism, i.e., Stalinism, than to those of fascism and for whitewashing the role of Hungarian elites in these crimes. Its director, Maria Schmidt, is closely tied to Fidesz.

Bartholomew was apparently inspired by a visit to the House of Terror. Another inspiration was the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, founded by the American warmonger Zbigniew Brzezinski in 1993. The foundation awarded Orban the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2002. Past recipients of the medal include the fanatical Cold Warrior Richard Pipes and the National Endowment for Democracy, the CIA front.

In 2018, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation received a $10 million donation from the Polish government of the Law and Justice party (PiS). PiS is a viciously anti-socialist and anti-democratic organisation which has worked continually to excuse the complicity of Polish nationalists in the Nazi murder of the Jews.

The same has been done by the governments of the Baltic countries. The Red Terror Museum planned for Estonia, organised by the Ministry of Justice, will play a crucial role in this campaign to demonise socialism.

These are not historical institutions, but centres of state propaganda. The two main voices for a similar museum in Britain, Bartholomew and Conservative speechwriter Tim Montgomerie, want to force down peoples throats the lie that Stalinism represented communism and that left-wing politics, not fascism or imperialism, is the greatest threat to human civilisation.

Writing in the Spectator in 2016, in an article titled Britain needs a museum of communist terror, Bartholomew claimed, [A]cross the world, the biggest man-made disaster of the 20th century was the terror and death inflicted by communist regimes.

Montgomerie echoed the call in 2018 in the Times of London with the demand, We need a museum to remind us of communisms evils. Most significantly, he warned, Communisms seductive promises of a more equal world dont only help explain why it escapes fascisms taboo status but why it may be even more dangerous.

Montgomerie, et al, want to combat the attraction of a world based upon equality by burying Marxism beneath a mountain of slanders. Hence the need for what Bartholomew called in the Telegraph, a showcase documenting the terror of communist rule.

Historical falsifications and the blackguarding of socialism are a necessary preparation for a new assault on the working classand the development of fascistic mobs to enforce it. Besides James Bartholomew, the museums directors include Daniel Hannan, Chloe Westley, Eamonn Butler and Jean-Paul Floru. All are deeply involved in schemes for a hard Brexit and subsequent shock therapy of the UK economy, including sweeping deregulation and privatisation.

Bartholomew is the author of The Welfare of Nations, which argues that social welfare harms prosperity. Butler and Floru are senior figures in the Adam Smith Institute. Westley is a campaign manager for the right-wing TaxPayers Alliance lobby group and was head of social media for the Vote Leave campaign.

Conservative MP Hannan was a founder of Vote Leave and has since founded the Institute of Free Trade (IFT) to plan Britains post-Brexit economy. This organisation was largely responsible for drafting Plan A+, endorsed by hard Brexiteers Boris Johnson, David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker. The plan calls for the scrapping of labour, environmental, food standards and data privacy protections; the removal of already extremely limited controls on banking and financial services; and the privatisation of most government-funded services, particularly the National Health Service.

The political agenda of this group was summarised at a recent fundraising dinner for the Museum of Communist Terror by Conservative Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss. Accusing Theresa Mays austerity government of being too far to the left, she complained, We have lost our moral certainty about the evils of communism and co-opted some of the language of the Left.

Britains exit from the European Union should be used to cut taxes, reduce red tape and move away from the big-state European model.

Leaving no doubt that this programme would be forced on the population, she continued, You cant fight communism just by saying it doesnt work. We need to be prepared to ignore policies that are popular in the current climate but dont sit with our political valuesand instead seek to change the political weather.

Only this could beat back the monster of the hard left, she said. The Mail on Sunday noted that Truss claimed the Right had been asleep at the wheel in the battle of ideas since the end of the [1979-1991] Thatcher government.

Like US President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, a section of the British ruling class is unnerved by the international resurgence of working-class struggle and determined to crush it. They are desperate to prevent the British and international working class from connecting with its revolutionary socialist traditions, represented today by the International Committee of the Fourth International.

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As US and Chinese negotiators seek to reach a trade deal, the New York Times has weighed in with an editorial, lining up with the views of some of the most virulent anti-China hawks, both within the Trump administration and in key sections of the Democratic party leadership.

The editorial, entitled Will Trump Trade the Future for a Hill of Beansa reference to Chinas commitment to buy more US soybeans and other US grains as part of any agreementwarned that the administration may settle for an ephemeral victory at the expense of Americas long-term economic interests.

The widely held position in key sections of the US political, military-intelligence and corporate establishment is that Americas long-term economic interests centre, not so much on reducing the trade deficit with Chinathough that is certainly an aim of the trade warbut on imposing measures to impede the Xi Jinping regimes drive to enhance Chinas industrial and technological development.

President Trump by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports, created an opportunity to improve Americas economic relationship with China. It is a chance that may not come again. The American economy is strong, while the Chinese economy is faltering, the editorial said, echoing Trumps oft-used rhetoric.

The reference to the need to improve the US economic relationship with China is something of a euphemism. What it means is that the US should block Chinas development, especially in high-tech areas, because it is a threat to the global economic, and ultimately military, dominance of the US.

The real agenda was set out more clearly by leading Republican anti-China hawk, Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He recently wrote that those who defended expanded trade with China were assuming that the US would maintain its position on the high end of the global value chain, while China continued to supply it with lower value inputs. This has not happened for the US economy as a whole. In important areas China has moved up the value chain in relation to the US.

It is this process that the anti-China hawks are insisting must stop.

The only criticism of the New York Times is not with the goal of forcing China into a subservient, semi-colonial, economic status, but with Trumps decision to go it alone, when he should have made common cause with long-standing US allies against China.

The main sticking point in the negotiations is not that China should purchase more US goodsBeijing has agreed to that. The key US demand is that China must make structural changes to its economy, including abandoning state subsidies to major industries, which the US claims are market distorting, and that it take action against what Washington alleges are forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft.

As a number of commentators and economic historians have pointed out, Chinas economic policies are not fundamentally different from those of other countries, including US allies Japan, South Korea and, in an earlier period, of the US itself, in promoting their technological and industrial advances.

However, the US was previously in a position to tolerate such development, because it enjoyed global economic superiority. That has now gone, and so, under conditions of its relative and absolute decline, it regards the rise of China as an existential threat.

China has said it will introduce new laws to protect intellectual property, and has even dropped a reference to the Made in China 2025 policy in the economic report delivered to the National Peoples Congress last week. These moves, however, are regarded as insufficient, because Chinese government spokesmen have indicated that state support for industries in high-tech areas will continue. It is merely a case of old wine in new bottles.

Another key obstacle to an agreement is the US insistence that it should have the unilateral right to impose tariffs and other measures, as part of an enforcement mechanism of any deal, while China must agree not to impose any retaliatory measures. In China, this demand is widely viewed as a 21st century version of the unequal treaties imposed on it in the 19th and 20th centuries.

According to the NYT editorial, the looming risk  is that Mr Trump will accept a deal that allows him to claim a superficial victory without forcing China to make enduring changes.

This is in line with the position of the military-intelligence establishment, which has designated China a strategic competitor. It maintains that a new era has dawned, centring on great power rivalry, and if the US is to prevail, then China must be suppressed through enduring changes in its economy. The logic of this strategic outlook is that if the measures of economic warfare now being employed do not succeed, then other methods, including military ones, will be invoked.

The views of the military-intelligence apparatus are the guiding orientation of the Democratic Party establishment. This includes not only figures such as Senate leader Charles Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who 20 years ago voiced opposition to China joining the World Trade Organisation, but extends to the so-called left of the party.

Trump has made a point of praising Bernie Sanders for being tough on trade, and, in his testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee last month, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, one of the main anti-China hawks in the administration, emphasised the bi-partisan support for Trumps trade war actions.

The manner in which the economic decline of the US, and its ever-increasing bellicosity against China, come together is exemplified in the case of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

Huawei has been all but banned from the US telecom network on national security grounds, and the US is waging an international campaign to have other countries exclude it from installing and developing 5G mobile phone networks, on the grounds that this will enable Chinese state spying. In its latest move, the US has warned Germany that if it allows Huawei to take part in the building of that countrys network, the administration will scale back intelligence sharing, in what would amount to a major breach in transatlantic relations.

Responding to the attacks on the company, including the extradition from Canada of its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, to face charges in the US, one of its key executives, Guo Ping, has made the telling point that, in view of the National Security Agencys policy of collect it all with regard to electronic communication, and its close partnership with US communications companies, the real reason for the ban on Huawei is because its networks are more difficult to penetrate.

Another factor, Ping noted, is that having focused on the development of 5G over the past ten years, Huawei is about a year ahead in the development of this technology, which will revolutionise internet communications. So the fusillade against Huawei is a direct result of Washingtons realisation that the US has fallen behind.

In a speech in London last week, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull defended his decision to ban Huawei and called on others to do likewise. But he added that it beggars belief that just four companies, two of them Chinese and two European, were capable of building 5G, and that no country in the so-called Five Eyes intelligence network, including the US, could present a national champion capable of doing that work.

In the case of the US, the reasons became apparent a year ago, when Trump intervened to block a proposed takeover of Qualcomm by Broadcom, on the grounds that this would assist Chinese firms in developing 5G technology. Broadcom was a darling of Wall Street because of its strategy of taking over firms, using large amounts of debt, and then slashing investment spending to boost shareholder value. If that were done to Qualcomm, it would fall even further behind, and so the takeover was blocked.

The case was illustrative of a broader process, in which profit accumulation in the US economy now increasingly depends, not on new investment in the real economy, but on financial speculation and parasitism, leading to its relative decline vis a vis its old rivals, and a new one, in the form of China.

But the US will not simply fade into the economic background. Rather, it is determined to counter its decline by lashing out with trade war measures and, if necessary, military ones.

It is a sign of the increasing bellicosity within the American political establishment that the New York Times has indicated its agreement with this agenda.
After a decade of cover-up by police chiefs and successive governments, a police informer in the Australian state of Victoria, known previously to the public only as EF, informant 3838 or Lawyer X, was this month named as Nicola Gobbo, a member of a prominent legal family.

Gobbos identity further points to the top-level and systemic use of lawyers and others to supply potentially incriminating information to police, regardless of the principle of lawyer-client privilege and other confidentiality rules.

Gobbo is the niece of a former Victorian Supreme Court judge, Sir James Gobbo, who sat on the bench from 1978 to 1994, and was later elevated to governor of the state, representing the monarchy, from 1997 to 2000. Both her sister and cousin, Sir James son, are high-profile lawyers as well.

The use of such a well-connected figure as an informant would hardly have occurred without the authorisation of the most senior police commanders, and possibly government ministers.

A procession of police chiefs, backed by one government after another, reportedly paying Nicola Gobbo $2.8 million to inform on her clients in at least 386 cases. The police spent an estimated $4 million or more on legal actions, all the way to the High Court, to keep her name hidden from the population, including convicted victims of her double life.

The police claimed that court suppression orders were essential to protect Gobbo from violent retribution from crime bosses, but her identity was already known in many such circles. In reality, the secrecy was intended to prevent the public from discovering the truth about the methods employed by the police.

Despite Gobbos self-serving claims that she only began assisting police in 2003in response to supposed gangland killings in Melbournepolice finally admitted that her career as a police informant began in 1995, when she was still a university student. That was a year before she was admitted to practice as a lawyer.

The evidence points to Gobbo being earmarked as an informer in 1993, when police dropped serious drug trafficking charges against her, linked to $82,000 worth of amphetamines found at her home. Gobbo escaped any conviction, allowing her to later qualify as a member of the legal profession.

As a student, Gobbo was well-known. She was active in Labor Party politics, and editor of the University of Melbourne student newspaper Farrago. Ahead of the 1996 federal election, she achieved notoriety by falsely accusing a Liberal Party student activist, Scott Ryan, of forging letters that damaged Labors campaign.

Plea-bargaining deals, however, are not confined to well-connected individuals. They are common methods of recruiting police informers, who agree to testify or concoct evidence against their associates or clients in return for protection.

Court orders continue to prevent the identification of at least another seven informers within the legal profession. They are a court clerk, two legal secretaries, a solicitor, a former solicitor, a self-proclaimed legal adviser and a lawyer who has since died.

The scandal already has thrown a question mark over the myth that defendants are guaranteed fair trials with independent legal representation. Lawyers have denounced the egregious conduct of Gobbo and the police officers who utilised her services, with some saying accused people can no longer be confident that their lawyers are not collaborating with the police.

Alarmed leaders of the legal profession have sought to overcome the serious damage done to the reputation of lawyers and the legal system.

In providing information to Victoria Police while a barrister, in breach of obligations of confidence she owed to clients, she committed fundamental and appalling breaches of her ethical obligations, a Victorian Bar statement said. Victoria Police also engaged in reprehensible conduct in knowingly encouraging her to commit those breaches.

Victorian Bar president Matthew Collins added: The public can and should have confidence in the integrity of the states 2,100 practising barristers, who take their ethical obligations very seriously and have been appalled at the revelation of the breaches committed by Nicola Gobbo.

After backing the cover-up since it took office more than four years ago, the Victorian state Labor Party government called a royal commission inquiry. Nevertheless, Premier Daniel Andrews voiced full confidence in the police commanders who continued to sanction the employment of lawyers as informants.

The intended purpose of the inquiry, much of which will be held behind closed doors, is to keep as much information as possible out of public view, exonerate the police and give a green light to the continued use of informers.

In an opening statement, Commissioner Margaret McMurdo, a former Queensland Supreme Court judge, said it would be problematic if the community doubted whether their police officers were honestly and conscientiously following lawful processes The criminal justice system would regress into a dysfunctional, far more costly, clogged quagmire of universal distrust.

That was not to say the use of police informants was necessarily inherently improper, McMurdo said, however, noting it was far from it. She said the obtaining of intelligence from informers was an age-old and important policing resource.

The judge added: It is especially useful in todays post 9/11 world where the community expects its police services to prevent serious crimes, including terrorism, before they occur.

In fact, police informers, including undercover infiltrators and provocateurs, have been responsible for most of the convictions linked to alleged terrorist plots, raising the possibility of police entrapment to support the fraudulent war on terrorism.

McMurdo said her inquiry would attempt to maintain the communitys trust and confidence in its police service by recommending just, clear, comprehensible, consistent and practical rules and processes for informers and their police handlers alike.

In other words, by purporting to regulate the employment of lawyers as informants, the royal commission will seek to legitimise the growing use of informers more broadly.

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[23 February 2019]
The Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, SGP) has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germanys domestic secret service, in the Berlin administrative court.

The SGP calls on all individuals, organizations, and institutions that uphold democratic rights to support the suit, and support the SGP against the secret services attacks.

The slandering of the SGP by the domestic intelligence agency is a transparent attempt to intimidate everyone struggling against the danger posed by the far-right, and right-wing extremist cliques in the state apparatus in particular. The SGP is neither left-wing extremist nor anti-constitutionalas alleged in the secret services official annual report last yearbut revolutionary and socialist. The party is part of the global Trotskyist movement, and a firm opponent of the return of militarism, fascism, and war.

The naming and observation of the party by the secret service represents a major assault on democratic rights, and is the first step to a potential banning of the party. The naming of a person or group of persons in the secret service report is at the same time in effect the issuing of an order to the public not to support this group of persons, not to join the group, and not to accept its offeringswhatever they may be, wrote Pier Stolle, the SGPs lawyer, in the suit, which was filed on 24 January and subsequently published on the World Socialist Web Site. With regard to the upcoming European election, in particular, it is clear that the naming of the SGP is aimed at deterring eligible voters from backing the party.

The intelligence agency has absolutely no legal basis for this attack on the SGP. It does not even attempt to prove that the SGP engages in violent activity or is anti-constitutional. In its report, the secret service even explicitly acknowledges that the SGP pursues its goals by legal means, writing, It seeks to obtain publicity for its ideas by participating in elections and organising lecture series.

Its sole justification for naming the SGP is that it advocates a socialist programme, criticises the capitalist system, and opposes all of the establishment parties, including the trade unions. The secret services report states, The SGP directs its programmatic agitation against the existing state and social order invariably slandered as capitalism, against the EU, supposed nationalism, imperialism, and militarism, as well as against Social Democracy, the trade unions, and the Left Party.

Stolle argues in the suit that this does not meet the preconditions for being mentioned in the secret services report. Neither capitalism, nor the EU, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, the Social Democracy, trade unions, or the Left Party are constitutionally protected legal entities in the spirit of paragraph 4 1c) i.V.m. paragraph 2 BVerfSchG. The advocacy of a democratic, egalitarian, socialist society does not contradict the Basic Laws core values.

There is also no indication in the conducting of meetings, documenting of reports and analyses, and the participation in federal and European elections of behaviour directed towards the goal or purpose of overthrowing or transforming the state and social order to establish an order that is incompatible with the free-democratic principles of the constitutional order, the suit goes on to state.

In reality, the intelligence service wants to stigmatise and criminalize any socialist criticism of capitalism. This is made clear if one briefly examines the introduction to the chapter in the report entitled Left-wing extremism.

The ideological basis for left-wing extremists, it states, is the opposition to the capitalist system as a whole, because for left-wing extremists, capitalism is more than just an economic form: it serves both as the basis for and guarantor of the relations of bourgeois rule through repression at home and aggression abroad. According to this, capitalism is responsible for all social and political ills, including social injustice, the destruction of housing, wars, right-wing extremism, and racism, as well as environmental catastrophes.

According to the secret service, such a criticism of capitalism, which is shared by millions of people, is an attack on our state and social order, and therefore on freedom and democracy. Anyone who bases themselves on Marx, Engels, and Lenin as theoretical guides, or anyone who believes revolutionary violence by the oppressed against the rulers is in principle legitimate, is a left-wing extremist and opponent of the constitution, according to the secret service.

The secret service is drawing on a tradition of suppressing socialist parties that has a long and infamous history in Germany. In 1878, Bismarck adopted the notorious socialist laws against the extremely dangerous strivings of Social Democracy, which forced the SPD underground for 12 years. In 1933, Hitler first destroyed the Communist Party, followed by the Social Democrats, in order to pave the way for the Nazi dictatorship, World War II, and the extermination of the Jews.

The grand coalition and its intelligence service are now preparing a third edition of the socialist laws. They are adopting the Alternative for Germanys (AfD) policies, and threatening anyone who criticises this right-wing extremist party with prohibition.

The secret service and the AfD

It is significant that the secret service does not mention the AfD once in the chapter Right-wing extremism, even though the partys leading personnel regularly agitate against immigrants, promote racism, glorify Hitlers Wehrmacht, and trivialise the crimes of the Nazis. The representatives of the AfDs volkish-nationalist Flugel (Wing), the networks of the new Right and the xenophobic Pegida, which enjoy intimate ties with the AfD, also go unmentioned in the report.

By contrast, the chapter Left-wing extremism refers to the AfD repeatedlyas the victim of alleged left-wing extremists! Anyone who protests against or gathers information about the AfD and right-wing extremists is deemed a left-wing extremist by the secret service. The report refers to protests against AfD party congresses, the sustained struggle against right-wing extremists, and the collection of information about alleged or actual right-wing extremists and their structures as evidence of the existence of left-wing extremist conceptions.

Large portions of the secret services report read as though they were authored in the AfDs party headquartersand this is no mere coincidence. It has since come to light that former secret service head Hans-Georg Maassen met with AfD representatives on numerous occasions, and discussed the contents of the report with them. Maassen was ultimately forced to resign after he supported an AfD demonstration in Chemnitz, which included right-wing extremists who hounded immigrants through the streets and targeted a Jewish restaurant.

The secret service has close ties to the fascist swamp. Fifteen years ago, the Constitutional Court rejected a ban on the right-wing extremist NPD on the basis that there were so many secret service informants in its leadership that it was an organisation of the state.

Several dozen informants from the secret service and police operated in close proximity to the right-wing terrorist group NSU, which was responsible for the murders of nine immigrants and a police officer. An employee of the Hesse state intelligence agency was even at the scene when one of the murders took place, but apparently noticed nothing untoward. The Thuringia Home Guard, out of which the NSU emerged, was established with financial support from the secret service. A substantial portion of the AfDs leading personnel also have backgrounds in the intelligence agencies, the judiciary, police and military.

Defend the SGP

Since the secret service decided to mention the SGP in its report, several attempts have been made to accuse the party of violence. Right-wing extremists repeatedly attacked SGP members in an attempt to provoke violence that could then be blamed on the party. Members of the identitarian movement and the AfD sought to disrupt meetings organised by the SGPs youth organisation at the University of Dresden and Humboldt University in Berlin. This was followed by daily attacks on IYSSE members during the campaign for the student parliament elections at Humboldt University. After these efforts proved fruitless, unknown individuals circulated a fake IYSSE leaflet calling for acts of violence to be carried out against people with opposing views. The IYSSE has therefore filed legal complaints over the falsification of documentation and malicious defamation.

In contrast to the lies spread by the secret service, the SGP opposes individual acts of violence and unconditionally defends democratic rights. However, the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Basic Lawthe right to the free expression of ones personality, to life and bodily integrity, equality before the law, freedom of conscience, opinion, and assembly, freedom of the press, freedom to choose ones profession etcremain empty phrases and are transformed into their opposite if the economic fundamentals of society remain under the death grip of private capital. A socialist programme is the precondition for the realisation of genuine democracy.

As a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, the SGP not only stands in the tradition of the struggle against fascism, but also against Stalinism. During the 1930s, the Trotskyist movement waged a determined fight against the rise of the Nazis. Leon Trotskys analysis of National Socialism, his warnings about its consequences and his criticisms of the disastrous policies of the Stalinist KPD, which refused to distinguish between the Social Democrats and the Nazis, and fight for a united front, remain immensely relevant to the present day.

This is why the Trotskyists were brutally persecuted by the Gestapo. In 1937, a court in Danzig sentenced 10 Trotskyists in a remarkable trial to lengthy prison sentences. The Trotskyist victims of Nazi rule included Abram Leon, who authored a Marxist work on the Jewish question and carried out illegal socialist work in Belgium and France before being gassed at Auschwitz. The fact that the Trotskyists are being persecuted once again, and that this takes place in the wake of the entry of a right-wing extremist party into parliament for the first time since the end of World War II, underscores the dangerous implications of the ruling elites shift to the right.

The secret services attack on the SGP is a fundamental assault on democratic rights. It is a component of government policy that is increasingly based on authoritarian forms of rule and the reliance on right-wing extremist forces so as to enforce militarist policies, the strengthening of the repressive state apparatus and attacks on social spending, and to suppress all opposition that emerges.

It recalls the Weimar Republic, when the intelligence agencies, judiciary, and police ruthlessly persecuted socialists and pacifists while strengthening the Nazis. While Hitler spent nine months in prison following his failed coup in 1923, where he wrote Mein Kampf, the judiciary sent Carl von Ossietzky, the editor of the left-wing magazine Weltbuhne, to prison for twice as long for his opposition to militarism. He was later tortured to death. When Hitler was appointed Chancellor by means of a conspiracy surrounding President Paul von Hindenburg, the state apparatus seamlessly fell into line behind the Nazis.

The SGP is in the secret services crosshairs because it uncompromisingly advocates a socialist programme, and opposes all forms of militarism, state repression and xenophobia.

Its critique of the right-wing extremist historian Jorg Baberowski, who defended Nazi apologist Ernst Nolte and told Der Spiegel that Hitler was not vicious, provoked a storm of outrage from the media. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung accused the SGP of bullying and complained about its effectiveness. The presidium at Humboldt University backed the right-wing extremist professor and declared all criticism of him to be intolerable. But Baberowskis right-wing proclivities can no longer be denied. Even Die Zeit reported that he has founded a salon in Berlin where right-wing extremist figures meet.

While almost all media outlets attacked the SGP and the vast majority of professors either backed Baberowski or remained silent, the SGP received tremendous support from workers and young people. In the student parliament elections at Humboldt University, the IYSSE obtained close to 7 percent of the vote. Several student councils and other student representative bodies declared their solidarity with the IYSSE, and criticised right-wing and far-right professors. The secret service responded with its attack on the SGP.

We demand that the secret service halts its observation of the SGP and all other left-wing organisations. We appeal to all who want to fight the rise of the far right, including serious-minded members of the Left Party, SPD, and Greensand urge them to protest the secret services attacks, defend the SGP, and donate to support our lawsuit.
For the past month, Justin Trudeaus Liberal government has been roiled by the SNC-Lavalin affairthat is the exposure of the extraordinary lengths it has gone to in trying to shield the countrys largest engineering firm from criminal prosecution.

Following the resignation of three high-profile government members, including two cabinet ministers, much of the corporate media has joined the Conservative official opposition in demanding Trudeaus head. Chrystia Freeland, the current foreign minister and the governments leading warhawk, is already being widely promoted in the press as a suitable replacement.

Media exposes and the testimony of Trudeaus former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould before the House of Commons Justice Committee demonstrate that the Liberal government has been at the beck and call of SNC-Lavalin, with the prime minister and 11 other top officials working frantically behind the scenes to block the company from being criminally prosecuted.

This included trying to bully Wilson-Raybould, who resigned from the government in protest last month, into ordering the federal Prosecution Service to offer SNC-Lavalin a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, or DPA. This would have allowed the company to pay a fine and make good conduct pledges rather than face a criminal trial for a decade-long, multi-million-dollar bribery and corruption racket in Libya. The DPA option was itself only available because the Liberals amended the Criminal Code last year, in a piece of legislation that was so obviously tailored to the needs of the Quebec-based engineering and construction firm that it was described by Ottawa insiders as the SNC-Lavalin bill.

Underscoring the erosion of the separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches of Canadas government, one of Trudeaus top officials warned Wilson-Raybould that the Liberals might lose the upcoming election if they failed to rescue SNC-Lavalin. Trudeau himself reportedly reminded Wilson-Raybould that he is a Quebec MP in the midst of a discussion as to why she should revisit her decision not to overrule the Prosecution Service.

Although the government has clearly been pushed onto the back foot by the exposure of its readiness to rewrite and bend the law to help SNC-Lavalin, Trudeau and his Liberals are continuing to scheme as to how they can exempt the company from the legal consequences of its crimes; whether by getting the new attorney general to order the Prosecution Service to grant it a DPA or changing the rules so that, if convicted, it wont be barred from bidding on federal contracts for 10 years.

Well aware that their defence of corporate criminality is deeply unpopular, Trudeau and his ministers are trying to portray their unstinting support for a company, which is both one of the crown jewels of Quebec Inc. and among Canadian imperialisms most globally active firms, as motivated by their concern for the fate of SNC-Lavalins 9,000 Canadian employees. This self-serving propaganda will convince nobody, coming as it does from a government that has failed to lift a finger in defence of the thousands of autoworkers being thrown out of work by General Motors as it seeks to maximize investor profit.

Disputes over who said what when and over what constitutes undue government pressure on an attorney general are at fever pitch in the corporate media. Hardly a day goes by without Canadas most influential right-wing media outlets, the Globe and Mail and the National Post, devoting pages to frothing commentary about the Trudeau governments loss of moral authority and shocking partisanship for SNC-Lavalin. The transparent aim of this campaign is to push Canadian establishment politics even further right in the run-up to this falls federal election.

The working class must not be a bystander to this bitter squabble within the ruling class. Rather it must intervene in opposition to all factions of the capitalist elite and political establishment, advancing a socialist program against austerity and war.

Workers should not be taken in by the corporate medias feigned concern about defending democratic norms and its highly selective moral outrage. After all, this is the same media that hardly batted an eyelid when Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down parliament in December 2008 to prevent the opposition from exercising its democratic right to defeat the government or when the Trudeau government threatened to deploy the military against protesters opposing oil pipeline projects. Canadas media, it should be added, has provided crucial support for the wholesale criminalization of dissent, cheering on the adoption of a battery of anti-strike laws and a vast expansion of the powers of the national security apparatus.

The reality is that the Trudeau governments handling of the SNC-Lavalin affairs provides a textbook example of how all capitalist governments operate on a daily basis, i.e., as servants of the financial oligarchy and major corporations. Canadas Liberal Party has fulfilled this role more often than any other party, serving as the ruling elites preferred party of government for much of the last century. When it held power in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Liberals carried out the deepest social spending cuts in Canadian history, paving the way for almost a decade of rule by the hard-right ideologue Stephen Harper. Trudeau, whose government relies on pillars of global finance capital like McKinsey and BlackRock for advice on its economic and social policies, is upholding the interests of corporate Canada no less ruthlessly than did Harper and his Conservatives.

Factional conflicts

The SNC-Lavalin scandal was triggered by the Globe s February 7 front-page allegation that Wilson-Rayboulds demotion to Veterans Affairs Minister in a cabinet shuffle the previous month had been bound up with her having resisted the governments demand she give SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement. This revelation rapidly became the occasion for the venting of ruling-class dissatisfaction with Trudeau and his government that had been building for a year or more.

The Trudeau government has maintained ultra-low taxes for big business and the rich and the rationing of social spending, and it has aggressively championed Canadian imperialist interests abroad, including by expanding Canadas role in Washingtons military-strategic offensives against Russia and China and by announcing plans to increase military spending by 70 percent by 2026.

With quasi-unanimous ruling class support, the Trudeau government has bent over backwards to work closely with Trump administration. This has included collaborating in his vicious crackdown on immigrants and negotiating changes to NAFTA so as to make it a more explicitly US-led trade war bloc. Canada is also playing a key role in the Trump administrations regime change operation in Venezuela, which aims to replace a democratically elected president with an ultra reactionary regime totally subservient to Washington.

In recent months, the Liberals have also moved to intensify the class war assault on working people by criminalizing last years postal workers strike, and providing additional multi-billion-dollar subsidies and tax cuts to big business.

Nevertheless, powerful sections of big business are angered that the government hasnt moved more expeditiously to match Trumps corporate tax cuts and gutting of environmental regulations. They are also frustrated by the governments inability to get oil pipelines built to tidal water and to push through major purchases of new warplanes and battleships. There is also a pronounced element of regional ruling-class rivalryone the Conservatives have been eagerly fanningwith claims that the Liberals are privileging Quebec-based companies like SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier over Alberta and Saskatchewans energy producers.

The ruling elite has already effected a sharp turn right in Canadian politics, bringing to power governments headed by right-wing populists in the countrys two most populous provinces.

As the result of a manufactured sex scandal an Ontario Progressive Conservative leader who was derided as too moderate was replaced by the Trump-wannabe Doug Ford in March 2018. Having won office last June thanks to massive big-business support, Ford and his Conservatives have rolled back the minimum wage, slashed welfare benefits, gutted student assistance, and laid the groundwork for huge cuts to education and healthcare, while scapegoating refugee claimants for the deepening social crisis.

In Quebec, where the outgoing Liberal government was widely hated due to its imposition of years of brutal austerity, the capitalist elite propelled the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) to power in last Octobers election. While for electoral reasons the CAQ sought to downplay its hard-right agenda, it favors privatization, massive tax cuts for big business and the rich, and promotes anti-immigrant chauvinism.

Meanwhile in Alberta, where provincial elections are due in May, the corporate elite is four-square behind the election of Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party, which advocates sweeping social spending cuts and makes rank chauvinist anti-Quebec appeals.

The Canadian bourgeoisies lurch to the right is part of a global process, driven by the rapidly accelerating global capitalist breakdown. In Europe, where the ruling elites have imposed vicious austerity on the working class in the decade since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, powerful sections of the ruling elite, including the corporate-controlled media and state apparatus, are systematically promoting far-right and fascist parties. In Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Poland these forces have been integrated into government. In Germany the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which trivializes the crimes of the Nazis, functions as the official opposition in the federal parliament and effectively dictates the German governments vicious anti-refugee policy.

The clearest expression of the rot of global capitalism is to be found in the United States. There establishment politics is split between Trump, who is using the Oval Office to cultivate an openly fascist movement, and the ostensibly liberal Democratic Party-led opposition, which seeks to unseat him in league with the national security agencies, denouncing Trump for not pursing a sufficiently aggressive stance against Russia and, in the name of combating fake news, is spearheading the push for internet censorship.

Whatever their differences, these rival factions are united in the drive to uphold US global hegemony, through trade war and military conflict.

Although Ottawa remains Washingtons closest military-strategic partner and the Canadian ruling class views its alliance with the US as pivotal to securing its own imperialist interests, the turn of the US ruling class to an ever more aggressive and unilateralist posture has intensified the crisis of Canadian imperialismcausing it to lash out more violently both at home and abroad.

The collapse of the multilateral trading system and weakening of international institutions like the UN and NATO has shattered the framework on which Canada, as a second- or third-rank imperialist power, has sought to advance its global interests while counteracting the vast power imbalance with its southern neighbour.

Apart from China, Canada has arguably been the country that has been hardest hit by Trumps trade war measures. In June 2018, Trump imposed tariffs of 25 percent and 10 percent respectively on Canadian steel and aluminum imports, and these tariffs remain in force despite the renegotiation of NAFTA.

The return of the class struggle

From the standpoint of the ruling elite, the past year has also provided dangerous warning signs of a return of the class struggle. From a vote in favour of an illegal strike by 10,000 Nova Scotia teachers in February, to the rebellion of Lear auto parts workers against the attempts of the Unifor union to impose a rotten contract, to rank-and-file organized protests against the shutdown of GMs Oshawa car plant, the past 12 months have witnessed growing signs of a working class fight back against decades of austerity and wage cuts imposed by governments of every political stripe with the connivance of the pro-capitalist unions.

In October and November, 50,000 postal workers rebelled against years of declining wages and working conditions. Their struggle could have become the catalyst for a broader working-class challenge to austerity, the dismantling of public services, and the criminalization of worker struggles, but the left-talking leadership of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) systematically isolated the postal workers. Then when the Liberals introduced their back-to-work law, CUPW immediately ordered compliance.

The deepening crisis of perspective within the ruling class and the reemergence of the class struggle are producing a sharpening of disagreements within ruling circles on how best to defend the interests of Canadian capitalism. What unites all of them, however, is a fear of the social anger brewing in the working class. As the countrys top civil servant, Privy Council Clark Michael Wernick, revealingly remarked in his testimony on SNC-Lavalin, Most of all, I worry about people losing faith in the institutions of governance in this country.

The only way the current political crisis can be resolved in a progressive manner is if the working class intervenes with its own revolutionary socialist program. This requires above all a relentless political struggle against all of those forces, including the trade union bureaucracy, and their supporters in the New Democratic Party and the pseudo-left, who have portrayed and continue to portray Trudeaus sunny ways as a progressive alternative to almost a decade of Tory rule.

To carry out this struggle, the working class must build its own revolutionary political party which fights to unify the struggles of workers across Canada with the growing international working-class offensive on the basis of the program of international socialism. That party is the Socialist Equality Party.
On March 6, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a statement entitled A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking on the Notes tab of his personal page. Widely described as a manifesto, the document is a brief for ending the mass public exchange of ideas on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as across the Internet as a whole, under the guise of protecting privacy.

The manifesto begins with Zuckerberg emphasizing that he is taking positions on important issues concerning the future of the Internet, not just social media. He says that he is working openly and consulting with experts across society as we develop this. In other words, Facebookwhich has grown to 2.7 billion users across the globe and has a Wall Street value of nearly $500 billionis working with consultants at the highest levels of the tech industry and US intelligence establishments to develop its plan.

The core of the new strategy is the idea that an open and public social media environmentwhere all users can freely communicate with one another and share each others postsmust be replaced by a structure of one-on-one private communication between individuals. As Zuckerberg wrote, Over the last 15 years, Facebook and Instagram have helped people connect with friends, communities, and interests in the digital equivalent of a town square. But people increasingly also want to connect privately in the digital equivalent of the living room.

A second aspect of replacing the town square with the living room is dispensing with the Facebook timeline feature of stored posts. He writes, I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content wont stick around forever.

In sum, Zuckerbergs proposal amounts to a gigantic about-face for Facebook. The company that was founded in the 2004 with the mission to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together will now be replaced by a world where people can speak privately and live freely knowing that their information will only be seen by who they want to see it and wont all stick around forever.

Zuckerberg then elaborates on six technical and policy principles for putting the social media genie back in the bottle: private interactions, encryption, reducing permanence, safety, interoperability and secure data storage.

He makes clear that the new plan is being implemented on all of Facebooks services and writes, We understand there are a lot of tradeoffs to get right, and were committed to consulting with experts and discussing the best way forward. He never gets around to explaining precisely what the trade-offs are that need so much attention.

After three years of continuous battering by the corporate media and Washington political establishment over fake news, unsubstantiated claims of Russian interference in the 2016 elections and numerous data privacy violations, Zuckerberg has dutifully drafted a plan intended to mollify his critics. However, from the standpoint of the ruling class, the real problem with Facebook is none of the above-mentioned transgressions.

The advisors that Zuckerberg is collaborating withsuch as The Atlantic Councilare responsible for decades of false news, political meddling and mayhem in countries around the world and covering up public privacy violations. Meanwhile, the Wall Street valuation of Facebook is predicated upon the companys ability to scrape social media profile information and tidbits of user behavior for sales and marketing purposes. Something much bigger and more threatening to the interests of imperialism and the stock market is behind Zuckerbergs manifesto.

Under conditions where workers and young people around the world are using social media to communicate and organize their strikes and strugglesespecially coordinating across industries and national bordersthe ruling class has concluded that these open platforms are a significant menace and must be shut down as soon as possible. Thus Zuckerbergs trade-offs involve a direct attack on online freedom of speech that he and his advisors must now repackage in the form of privacy protection.

Since Zuckerbergs March 6 post, some in the corporate media have focused on skepticism that the plan can deliver on its ostensible goals. Others, such as Facebook critic Roger McNamee, have argued that the manifesto is a public-relations stunt designed to shore up investor confidence and push back calls for government regulation that would break-up big tech companies like Facebook, Google and Apple.

Nowhere in the official media response is there any connection drawn between Zuckerbergs new vision and the blatant political censorship that Facebook has been engaged in for over two years. Under the guise of fighting fake accounts and implementing harm prevention, Facebooks army of 30,000 censors and artificial intelligence bots have removed millions of user accounts and posts arbitrarily identified as inauthentic or misinformation.

As explained by the World Socialist Web Site in its Perspective of December 29, Facebook is today the global censor that decides what information is to be seen and read by billions of people all over the world. In particular, Facebook has specifically targeted accounts, pages and posts of a left-wing character, including those of writers of the World Socialist Web Site and members of the Socialist Equality Party.

The latest proposals from Zuckerberg are of a piece with these past practices. They represent a deepening of the collaboration between the tech industryreferences to encrypted communications notwithstandingand the military-intelligence establishment. Workers and young people should not accept the claims by Zuckerberg, the media or the political establishment that they will protect the privacy rights of the public. The new Facebook vision is part of ongoing efforts to track what people are talking about on social media and, at the same time, to prevent them from using the platform to organize and coordinate their struggles.
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Hung was speaking at an international conference themed Vietnam: Towards a Low Carbon Energy Future Conference, co-hosted by the British Embassy in Vietnam and Vietnam Energy Association (VEA) in Hanoi on March 12.

According to Hung, projections indicate that, by 2030, Vietnam's economy will continue to grow at a high level from 6.5-7.5% per year and, as such, high priority must be given to ensuring the energy demand for national development in a sustainable way.

The renewable energy development strategy for the 2015-2030 period, taking into account 2050, approved by the Government of Vietnam in September 2015, set specific targets, in which the amount of power produced from renewable energy sources will increase from 58 billion kWh in 2015 to 101 billion kWh by 2020, 186 billion kWh by 2030 and 452 billion kWh by 2050.

In order to encourage the development of renewable energy, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has developed and submitted to the Government to issue a series of mechanisms for solar power, wind power, electricity produced from solid waste and biomass power. Vietnam has also promulgated preferential policies for investors such as providing credit priority, tax exemption and reduction and land rent to encourage them to invest in this sector.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Cao Quoc Hung speaks at the workshop. (Photo: NDO/Dieu Ha)



As a result, by the end of 2018, the country had put into operation 285 small hydropower, eight wind power, and 10 biomass power plants, with combined capacity of each category reaching 3,322MW, 243W and 212MW respectively.

However, according to Hung, rapid development of renewable energy sources is also facing shortcomings and challenges, including high investment costs, limited capacity of the power grid infrastructure for renewable energy, huge land use and difficulties in the control and regulation of electricity systems.

At the conference, a delegation of 30 UK companies in the renewable energy and green finance sector shared the UKs approach to policy and regulatory development and expertise with their Vietnamese partners in low carbon energy, from research and innovation to cost reduction and technologies.

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Gareth Ward affirmed that the UK would work closely with Vietnam to support the country in the process of shifting away from fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewables in the future.
This years AMTS, often dubbed Hungarys biggest automotive event, will be held between March 22 and 24 at the Hungexpo show grounds, according to the events official website.

AMTS debuted in 2006, turning into one of the most visited car shows with indoor and outdoor elements, car tuning and hi-fi exhibitions, off-road driving, vintage cars, contests, concerts and innovations.

The three-day exhibition last year drew entrants from 15 countries, with more than 200 exhibitors and 1,500 vehicles on 100,000 square meters of space.

For online tickets, visit amts.hu, the website of the event.

Tickets: HUF 4,000 / 2,500

Opening hours: 8 am - 6 pm

Venue:

Hungexpo

1101 Budapest, Albertirsai ut 10



Source and further info: amts.hu
Damage control units are on the alert for falling trees and broken branches, which caused serious damage on Monday, Disaster Control affirmed.

Stormy winds tore off part of a roof on Szep utca in downtown Budapest.

Local volunteer fire-fighters were called into action to remove a tree that fell on to Harsfavirag utca in the 16th District.

In Dunakeszi a concrete pylon leaned dangerously under the burden of a felled tree, endangering both road and pedestrian traffic.



MTI Photo: Mihadak Zoltan
Hungary will raise its bilateral ties with Laos to a strategic level, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after talks with Saleumxay Kommasith, his Laotian counterpart, in Budapest.

Laos has been a traditional partner for Hungary in one of the fastest developing regions of the world and it has had a high economic growth in the past two decades, Szijjarto said, adding that cooperation could be profitable for Hungary.

He also praised the achievements of Hungarys economic diplomacy, which have proven that it is possible to help Hungarian companies to successful business in remote countries if we use appropriate economic and diplomatic tools.

Laos and Hungary have so far completed two major projects, worth a combined 38.6 million dollars and financed through a tied aid programme, in the areas of farming and food safety, Szijjarto said.

An agreement to launch a third project, worth 160 million dollars, has been made, he added. Hungarian companies are currently helping Laos with building a new food safety chain, renewing the sewerage system of Vientiane, the Laotian capital, and introducing electronic IDs, while talks are under way to launch a fourth programme of health investment.

The turnover of bilateral trade has increased six-fold in the past two years, he said. Szijjarto also announced that the government has decided to open a consular office in Vientiane to serve an increasing number of Hungarians visiting Laos.

The Laotian foreign minister praised bilateral ties and said that raising relations to a higher level is a reflection of mutual trust. He thanked Hungary for providing scholarships to Laotian students and voiced appreciation for the projects completed under Hungarys tied aid programme.

The two foreign ministers signed an agreement under which holders of diplomatic passports would not need visas for the other country, and another accord on education cooperation in 2020-2022.



MTI Photo: Soos Lajos
XpatLoop Media Partner

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about whats going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.
Chris Harrison is returning to the iconic Bachelor mansion  but this time, its not for the long-running reality series.

On Wednesday, Harrison, 47, will make a guest appearance on ABCs Single Parents, in which he will act alongside stars Leighton Meester and Kimrie Lewis.

In the upcoming episode  A Radiant Cloak of Sexual Irresistibility  the longtime Bachelor host will bestow his wisdom on a frustrated Angie (Meester) and Poppy (Lewis), who are attempting to restore their faith in love and happy endings.

And who better than Harrison do so?

Leighton Meester and Chris Harrison

Kimrie Lewis, Chris Harrison and Leighton Meester

Finding themselves at the Bachelor mansion, Angie and Poppy endure a somewhat magical experience, sipping on champagne with Harrison, who has been hosting The Bachelor and the franchises spinoffs since 2002.

But will his wise words of advice work? Tune in to Single Parents on Wednesday, when Harrisons episode will air, to find out.

On Monday, the two-night season finale of The Bachelor will begin  and Colton Underwoods season has proved to be one of the most dramatic yet!

Last week, Underwood opened up about the infamous fence jump moment during The Bachelor: Women Tell All special.

The ex-NFL player said he felt overwhelmed with emotion when he decided to quite literally run from the show.

At what point did you actually think, Im done,  Harrison asked.

RELATED: The Bachelors Colton Gets Rejected by the One Before the Fantasy Suite  So He Jumps a Fence

It was when I was walking up into the Fantasy Suite by myself, Underwood replied. Having the time to myself  I realized Ive been pushed pretty hard. As much as I say this was the best thing for me, it was a challenge, too, at times. I would say having that alone time and realizing I needed more of it.

Before hopping the fence, Underwood ripped off his microphone, making it nearly impossible for the crew to track him down as he ran down the street in Portugal in the middle of the night.

The only way to get that way to say goodbye to you, he added.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, and Single Parents airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET, both on ABC.
After Fox News host Jeanine Pirro questioned whether Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar held anti-Constitutional beliefs due to her religion, the network quickly  and sharply  rebuked her amid criticism from her network colleagues.

The controversy was set off by the opening statement of Pirros Saturday night show. In the segment, she recapped recent allegations of anti-Semitism against Omar, a freshman representative from Minnesota and former Somali refugee who is a detractor of Israels conservative government.

According to her website, Omar advocates a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis while calling for uplift[ing] the voices of Palestinians demanding an end to the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and end the siege of Gaza.

One of the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress, Omar is an outspoken progressive whose politics and personal story have drawn wide notice. At the same time, defenders note, she has been subject to racism and Islamophobia that does not always receive the same attention as her positions on Israel and its conflict with Palestine.

Omar, 37, implied in a tweet last month that support for Israel was based on money  an anti-Semitic trope which she said was unintentionally invoked. 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.  We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize, she said then.

At the same time, she continued, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics.

In a much earlier tweet, from 2012, Omar wrote that Israel had hypnotized the world. In January, she acknowledged this was unknowingly offensive.

But, she tweeted, It is important to distinguish between criticizing a military action by a government and attacking a particular people of faith. I will not shy away of criticism of any government when I see injustice.

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President Trump was right when he said the democrat party is now the anti-Israel party. Dont forget Nancy, history has proven over and over when you appease to anti-Semitic sentiment, the worst happens. #OpeningStatement pic.twitter.com/vrnzhcu95o  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) March 10, 2019

It was against this backdrop that Pirro, 67, during the opening of her Saturday show, attacked Omar as an unrepentant and hateful anti-Semite. But such sentiments were not because Omar was a Democratic politician, she said.

If its not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from? Pirro said. Think about it: Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran  tells women to cover so they wont get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law [or Islamic law], which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?

Her remarks were quickly denounced.

Can you stop spreading this false narrative that somehow Muslims hate America or women who wear a hijab arent American enough? Fox News associate producer Hufsa Kamal tweeted. You have Muslims working at the same network you do, including myself.

In a statement, the network said: We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirros comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.

In a statement of her own, Pirro said her intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you dont support the Constitution.

Ive seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday nights show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American.  I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today, Pirro said.

In a brief tweet on Monday, Omar shared her gratitude with Fox News for its response.

Thank you, @FoxNews, she wrote. No ones commitment to our constitution should be questioned because of their faith or country of birth.
After receiving a call at work that her son has suffered a severe playground accident, a cash-strapped single mother in Sante Fe, Argentina, criss-crosses an unsympathetic city in search of the hospital where hes been taken, all the while trying to keep her own surging asthma attack under control. A trim, taut second feature from writer-director Arturo Castro Godoy, Breathe doesnt quite take place in real time, though it may as well: As much as cinema loves a ticking clock, in our moments of most feverish panic, doesnt time lose all rational shape anyway? In any event, Godoys film is less concerned with cranking up the thriller mechanics than with conjuring a very believable aura of panic that many a parent will recognize from their nightmares  sustained by a performance of nails-dug-deep conviction by Julieta Zylberberg.

The punchy premise and efficient execution of this emotional tumble dryer, which completes its cycle in just over 70 minutes, should make Breathe a hit with audiences at smaller-scale festivals, particularly those with a Latin bent  from Miami, it is set to move on to Malaga, already leaving a bigger international footprint than Godoys 2016 debut El silencio. While VOD distribution wont come at much cost to its modestly scaled tension tactics, Breathe does act as a persuasive calling card for more elaborate genre outings from its Argentine-based, Venzeuelan-born helmer.

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Most happily, Breathe provides the most dedicated close-up showcase yet for the dependable gifts of Zylberberg, best known internationally for shouldering a flashy segment of Damian Szifrons smash Wild Tales: Its practically a one-woman show, notwithstanding the procession of clerks, cabbies and orderlies who either obstruct or facilitate the path of her character, harried checkout worker Lucia, on the worst day of her life. The opening scenes establish a tender, protective bond between Lucia and her grade school-age son Mateo (Ceferino Rodriguez Ibanez), who has Aspergers syndrome; Godoys lean script isnt at pains to fill in much backstory, though viewers should glean much about their family dynamic from a simple depiction of the morning school run.

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No sooner has Lucia clocked in at the supermarket where she works, however, that she receives a frustratingly brusque call from Mateos school, informing her that hes fallen on his head and been rushed to the city hospital. Further details are not forthcoming, as Breathe makes the first of several jabs at inefficient institutional bureaucracy: The hospital system comes in for implied criticism too, as do employers scant regard for the working rights of single parents. A quick, indifferent suggestion by Lucias boss that she ask her husband to handle the matter speaks volumes about entrenched societal misogyny, even as were primarily immersed in Lucias single-minded maternal crisis.

As shes buffeted from one vaguely prescribed to the next, her breath shortening as her journey lengthens, Godoy doesnt overly contrive or exaggerate the drama. (Her asthma, while plausibly and audibly a factor throughout, isnt cheaply exploited for suspense.) Nerves are jangled by entirely everyday means, be it an urban roadblock or a dwindling cellphone battery, keeping us credibly in Lucias headspace throughout. Selectively amplified sound design is particularly effective in maintaining a needling sense of irrational reality, while Hugo Colaces limber digital camerawork is suitably propulsive without putting much varnish on very ordinary chaos.

The minimalism of the conceit here arguably leads to a slightly anticlimactic closing reel: Lucias trajectory, however repeatedly stalled, isnt a surprising one. Still, Zylberbergs raddled, expressive performance keeps things gripping even once she starts making sense of the situation, her face a canvas subtly marked by every micro-aggression or passing act of kindness that she encounters along the way. By the 70-minute mark, Lucia seems to have aged an eon an hour; many viewers will be right there with her.

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Mom-of-3 Killed When Rock Thrown from Overpass Crashes Through Windshield Like an 'Explosion' Texas Mom of 3 Killed by Rock Thrown Off Overpass

A mother of three from Texas died after someone allegedly threw a large rock off a highway overpass that crashed through the windshield and struck her, fatally injuring her, as her boyfriend and children watched in horror, police say.

On Saturday, Keila Ruby Flores, 33, of Waco, was riding in a car with her boyfriend and her three children on Interstate 35 when the rock came hurtling through the windshield at about 8:41 p.m., shattering it and striking Flores who was in the front passenger seat, the Temple Police Department says in a release.

Keila Ruby Flores and her family were approaching this overpass on Interstate 35 when someone threw a rock onto the highway below, striking their car, say police.

Flores was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time while her boyfriend, Christopher Rodriguez was at the wheel.

(We were) headed back to Waco on 35 northbound, all of sudden something just strikes the window, Rodriguez told local CBS affiliate KWTX-TV.

 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.

An explosion just comes right through the window. I didnt know what it was. I look over and I see Keila and she is laying there unresponsive, he recalled.

Keila Ruby Flores, 33, of Waco, Texas

The rock was allegedly thrown off of a railroad overpass on the Interstate between exits 303 and 305, say police in the release.

Rodriguez said he began shaking her to rouse her as the couples daughter implored him to call 911, he told the station.

Flores was rushed to Baylor Scott and White Hospital and succumbed to her injuries the next morning, say police.

An autopsy has been ordered.

Authorities are searching for the perpetrator.

Investigators are asking anyone with any information to contact the Temple Police Department at (254) 298-5500.

Tips can also be sent through Bell County Crime Stoppers at BellCountyCrimeStoppers.com, through the P3tips App or by calling 254-526-TIPS (8477).
On Monday nights part one of The Bachelor finale, viewers watched Colton Underwood flee from producers after Cassie Randolph broke up with him during last weeks episode. Despite fans and former contestants warning Colton that Cassie wasnt ready for marriage, he couldnt accept losing her and ran off into the night.

Cassie: Im not ready

Cassies dad: shes not ready

Every single girl in the bachelor mansion: shes not ready

Chris Harrison: shes just not that into you Colton: #thebachelor #TheBachelorFinale pic.twitter.com/XSKEsmX3Cg  Ashlee (@basedyamz) March 12, 2019

Host Chris Harrison and the crew searched for Colton around Portugal in the middle of the night and began to panic when they couldnt find him.

We have no idea where the guy is, Harrison said. All right, well, were going to look for another 20, 30 minutes, then Ill have to call the police.

Fortunately, they were able to locate Colton before authorities needed to be called. After Harrison caught up to him, Colton was adamant that he didnt want to continue with Tayshia Adams or Hannah Godwin.

A surprised Harrison replied, You want to be done with the whole thing?

After a brief pause, Colton simply responded, Yeah.

Coltons decision to quit makes this one of the most shocking Bachelor moments since Arie broke up with Becca to reunite with Lauren.

Colton further explained that he felt rejected every time he put himself out there for love. He tearfully told Harrison that hes been through enough of knowing that Im not enough for someone. Harrison encouraged Colton to consider that both Tayshia and Hannah love him. But because he was still in love with Cassie, Colton ultimately decided itd be best to break up with both women.

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During Coltons breakup with Tayshia, she asked him if they could speak without cameras. We heard them exchange tearful goodbyes behind closed doors, with Tayshia graciously telling Colton that hes a good guy. During the live in-studio part of the finale, Harrison told Tayshia that she handled the breakup very maturely: During that break-up, it was very interesting. You were there for him. You dont see that very often, the person being broken up with is the caretaker.

Tayshia explained that shes been in that situation and knows that she deserves an amazing person.

Meanwhile, Colton still had to break up with Hannah. Colton told her that he cant be in love with two people, but that shes made him better. Hannah absorbed this, then lamented, Thats what I do. I make everybody better, and they dont want to stick around. She expressed disappointment that Colton didnt want to give their fantasy suite date a chance.

Hannah G is still waiting for her fantasy suite date #bachelor pic.twitter.com/wxOnu8kydI  Alison Kjoller (@AlisonKjoller) March 12, 2019

During his breakup with Hannah, Colton grew emotional and started to express some doubts: Im saying goodbye to somebody who loves me. What the [expletive] am I doing? I dont want to lose you. I dont know if Im making the right decision.

In the end, Colton decided he had to follow his heart. I want to be with Cassie, he said. I love her enough to risk everything.

During his first sit-down with Hannah, Hannah explained that she wished he had given their relationship more of a chance, but that she has learned so much about herself from the experience. I want somebody to, I dont know, jump a fence for me, she joked. I need that kind of relationship.

While Hannah and Tayshia have moved on from Colton, Cassie still has no idea that Colton gave up everything to be with her. Will she give their relationship another chance? Well find out on Tuesday nights finale.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of The Bachelor for free on Yahoo View.

Check out Bachelor Colton bailing on the show after fantasy suite spoiled by contestants dad:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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By Rodi Said BAGHOUZ, Syria (Reuters) - Armed with assault rifles and with faces wrapped in scarves, the Islamic State fighters visible at the boundary of their last enclave in eastern Syria are among the hardened jihadists who appear ready to fight to the death. Thousands of people - many of them the wives of Islamic State fighters and their children - have been streaming out of the besieged enclave at Baghouz for weeks, forcing the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to delay an assault on the last vestige of the jihadists' territorial rule. Reuters TV footage of the Islamic State-controlled frontline shows armed militants, most with only their eyes visible, supervising the evacuations from a scrubby patch of agricultural land scattered with vehicles and a few buildings. The SDF has said the fighters staying put through waves of evacuations are the most hardened foreign militants, wanted by governments around the world, who are likely to fight to the death. On Saturday, a Reuters witness saw dozens of mostly men cross from Islamic State territory into SDF-controlled lines. The SDF said these were wounded Islamic State fighters. A few women in full face-covering black robes and children carrying bags could be seen among the people milling at the frontline. A man on crutches was also visible. A no-man's land of about 200m separates SDF positions from the Islamic State frontline at Baghouz, a collection of hamlets and farmland near the border with Iraq. Evacuees are screened by the SDF as they emerge and are sent north to the al-Hol camp, already overcrowded with uprooted Syrians and Iraqis from years of war and struggling to cope with the influx. After suddenly seizing swathes of land straddling the Iraqi-Syrian border in 2014 and declaring it their caliphate, Islamic State was beaten back by numerous local and foreign forces in both countries, suffering major defeats in 2017. However, the jihadists remain a threat. In Iraq they have gone to ground, staging waves of killings and kidnappings. In Syria, their comrades hold out in remote desert areas and have carried out bombings in areas controlled by the SDF. (Reporting by Rodi Said in Baghouz, Syria; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
In another batch of unearthed audio released by Media Matters, Tucker Carlson called Iraqis semiliterate primitive monkeys, made disparaging comments about Michelle Obama, credited white men for creating civilization, and used an anti-gay slurs.

The audio, released Monday evening, was taken from appearances on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show, between 2006 and 2011 and features Carlson discussing a range of topics, from the 2008 presidential election, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and immigration.

Iraq is a crappy place filled with a bunch of, you know, semiliterate primitive monkeys  thats why it wasnt worth invading, Carlson told the shock jock in October 2008, according Media Matters.

Also Read: Tucker Carlson Refuses to Apologize for 'Naughty' Past Comments About Statutory Rape, 'C-ty' Women

In another clip from 2011, Carlson said that the war in Iraq could turn around if, somehow, the Iraqis decided to behave like human beings.

In 2006, Carlson told the radio show he had zero sympathy for Iraqis because they dont use toilet paper or forks, adding that they should just shut the f up and obey us.

Carlson told the radio host in 2008 that Michelle Obama could pose a problem for her husband because she turns into a sister. Carlson also questioned whether Barack Obama was black, saying, How is he Black, for one thing? He has one white parent, one Black parent.

Also Read: Tucker Carlson Continues to Deliver Massive Ratings to Fox News - Despite the Boycotts

And during a 2006 discussion on immigration, Carlson argued that immigrants should be hot or really smart because people picking lettuce arent going to build a stronger country.

I just think its, you know, people who come to this country ought to have something to offer, he said. Be hot, be really smart, you know what I mean?

In a separate post published by Media Matters, Carlson can be heard using homophobic slurs during a 2006 conversation with Bubba the Love Sponge.

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The host host tells Carlson: I like you. I mean, Im not trying to f out on you or nothing.

Carlson responded: Well I like you too, and I mean that. You always say, I mean that in a non-f way, but I actually mean it in a completely f way.

Asked for comment, Fox News referred us to remarks Carlson made on his show Monday evening  which was airing when Media Matters released the latest audio  in which he said that Fox News is behind us, as they have been since the very first day.

Toughness is a rare quality at a TV network, and we are grateful for that, Carlson continued. We will never bow to the mob, ever, no matter what.

Also Read: Tucker Carlson Defended Statutory Rape as Recently as 2015 (Video)

This the second set of unearthed audio recordings in as many days; On Sunday, Media Matters released several audio clips in which Carlson made disparaging comments about women and prosecution of statutory rape, among other things.

The release of the audio prompted renewed calls on social media for Fox to fire Carlson and advertisers to boycott his nightly show. On Monday, Pharmaceutical company AstraZenica said it would no longer advertise on Carlsons show.

Carlson has not yet responded to the latest audio recordings, but in a statement Sunday night he was defiant. Media Matters caught me saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago. Rather than express the usual ritual contrition, how about this: Im on television every weeknight live for an hour, Carlson said. If you want to know what I think, you can watch. Anyone who disagrees with my views is welcome to come on and explain why.

You can listen to the entire audio above.

Read original story Tucker Carlson Calls Iraqis Semiliterate Primitive Monkeys In 2008 Interview (Audio) At TheWrap
Creator of Netflix's 'Workin Moms' on how a postpartum moment fueled a binge-worthy comedy originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com

Parents have been buzzing about Netflix's hilariously honest series, "Workin' Moms," the binge-worthy comedy that totally nails a mom's post maternity struggles.

Show runner Catherine Reitman, who also stars in the show, spoke with "Good Morning America" about how her own realities as a mother inspired the series and the overwhelmingly positive feedback she's hearing from viewers around the world.

"It knocks me over a little bit," Reitman said. "I wrote this thinking, 'I'm going to expose myself both physically and emotionally.' So, [to hear], 'Oh my God, this is my story' or 'This is my wife's story,' it's really moving. It makes me feel that I'm supposed to be on this voyage."

Reitman, a mom of two boys, said she was an actress for over a decade before getting pregnant with her first son.

"I went back to work about six weeks after I gave birth which was crazy early and experienced some pretty bad postpartum depression, but didn't know it at the time," she said. "I would be driving, fantasizing that a car would hit me and put me in the hospital. [I thought] I would be in a coma and get taken care of and not have to worry about my responsibilities."

Reitman said she had her "ah-ha" moment while filming an indie film in Philly.

"I was away from my 6-week-old child, there were all these male comedians on set and they were teasing me," Reitman recalled. "They were saying 'Oh, is the baby calling the nanny mom yet?' I started crying in front of them. They went completely silent. It was awkward and hilarious and painful all in one."

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Reitman shared her experience at work with her husband Philip Sternberg, who stars in and is executive producer on "Workin' Moms."

"He said, 'You've got to write this,'" Reitman said.

The show is three seasons deep in Canada. The U.S. is currently experiencing season 1 on Netflix.

"Workin' Moms" follows four mom friends experiencing life after giving birth. The pilot reveals all-too-relatable moments from pumping in the bathroom, admitting to PPD (postpartum depression) and the nightmare of spilling breast milk.

"It represents the battle cry that so many mothers feel whether they're stay at home moms or working--it's a battle to get to be seen as the person we were before we gave birth," Reitman explained.

PHOTO: Catherine Reitman, creator of the Netflix comedy 'Workin' Moms,' also appears in the sitcom as one of the main characters. (Netflix)

Reitman said all four characters represent what it means to be a woman these days.

"Kate is my ambition, Anne is my anger. Frankie is my fear. Jenny is my vanity," she said, adding that the show touches on many points that no one is talking about.

"There's just an incredible amount of loneliness as a mother, all this solitude no one really speaks to," Reitman said. "There's an identity crises -- a lot of us become mothers and all of a sudden we're expected to become these selfless people. That's not a really natural process. That, for me, never felt organic."

She went on, "Even if you don't have a kid and you're in your 30's and life [is supposed to] look a certain way and it doesn't, that's what we were really trying to showcase."

Reitman hopes people can connect to her show on a personal level. As for her female viewers, she has a bit of advice.

"They're right to feel crazy because what we're doing is crazy," Reitman said. "The expectations on all of us to be full-time workers but pretend we don't have kids and to be full-time mothers and pretend we don't have a [career] is unrealistic and complicated and to look good while doing it all, it's a feat that not many can pull off."

PHOTO: Catherine Reitman, creator of the Netflix comedy 'Workin' Moms,' chatted with 'Good Morning America' about her new show. (Netflix)

"Have a lot of compassion for yourself and love for yourself and [try] caring less of what everyone else has to say," she added. "If you can find moments of success then you're ahead of the curve."
Girl fighting brain tumor receives more than 50,000 letters from dogs around the world originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com

A 7-year-old fighting a brain tumor requested for dog owners around the world to send her loving messages from their pups.

Now, Emma Mertens is receiving responses from Fido and friends  by the thousands.

"If you knew Emma, she's the most kind, big-hearted girl," the girl's dad Geoff Mertens, of Wisconsin, told "Good Morning America." "To see so many people take a few minutes out of their day to put a smile on her face is overwhelming."

Emma was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor called DIPG on Jan. 23. She is now undergoing radiation at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

DIPG, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, is a type of brain tumor found in an area of the brainstem, according to the DIPG Resource Network. DIPG primarily affects children and most diagnoses occur between five and seven years of age.

PHOTO: Emma Mertens' family says she has received over 50,000 messages from dog owners and their dogs. (Courtesy Geoff Mertens)

"We're doing everything we can to beat this thing," Mertens said. "We know that we have a very steep road ahead of us. We aren't going to stop fighting until we can find a cure for this."

Parents Geoff and Tammy Mertens said Emma loves dogs. Emma's family doesn't own a dog, but they often dog-sit for neighbors  something Emma enjoys.

To help her smile through treatments, family and friends sent Emma letters from their dogs. The request, which was initially made through Facebook Messenger, was moved to a P.O. Box and to an email account, where people as far as Scotland and Venezuela sent photos and messages from their canines.

PHOTO: Emma Mertens, 7, is photographed with her brothers Carter, 12 and Cameron, 10, in an undated file photo. (Courtesy Geoff Mertens)

Strangers posted more dog letters on the Mertens' GoFundMe page.

"Hello Emma! My name is Sadie," one dog "wrote" in the comments section on GoFundMe. "I'm a girl-dog, and the bigger dog is my older brother, Scooter! We are Boston Terriers, all the way from SOUTH AFRICA! We are super friendly and love to play, cuddle and kiss! Sending you well wishes and LOTS of hugs & licks!"

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"My name is Peppi," another pup "commented." "I live in Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi locates in northern Finland that also is called Lapland. Santa Claus lives here, he's almost my neighbor."

PHOTO: Emma Mertens, 7, of Wisconsin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Jan. 23, 2019. (Courtesy Geoff Mertens)

Kelly Zimmerman, the GoFundMe moderator and neighbor of the Mertens' told "GMA" that Emma loves seeing all the letters.

"The thing that brings Emma joy is seeing dogs, interacting them," she said. "It's a devastating diagnosis but seeing her smile in present day and seeing those moments has carried the hope for the family."

(MORE: A dog 'adopted' these ducklings after their mom disappeared)

PHOTO: Emma Mertens, 7, of Wisconsin, is pictured with her family in an undated handout photo. (Courtesy Geoff Mertens)

Mom Tammy Mertens said Emma's email account is currently full. However she's received more than 50,000 letters from dogs and is taking more through the P.O. Box.

"Like Geoff [Mertens] said, Emma, the only thing she wants to do is make other people happy," Tammy Mertens told "GMA." "Having our community around her and supporting her is amazing."

If your dog would like to send Emma a letter kindly write here:Emma MertensP.O. Box 230Hartland, WI 53029
Manhattan District Attorney rape kit backlog grants lead to 186 arrests nationwide originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Eleven thousand untested rape kits were found in an abandoned warehouse near Detroit in 2009. For years since, local officials nationwide have been working to get the funding to test their own backlog of untested kits.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been trying to help other jurisdictions that face their own backlogs, doling out $38 million nationwide over the course of three years to pay for kits to be tested and criminals brought to justice.

From 2015 to 2018, the Manhattan District Attorney's Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Elimination Grant Program allotted grants to 32 jurisdictions in 20 states, leading to the testing of more than 55,000 kits.

In all, the results from those tests led to 186 arrests and 64 convictions.

PHOTO: STATES THAT RECEIVED RAPE KIT TEST GRANTS (ABC News, Manhattan District Attorney)

The backlog of untested sexual assault kits "perpetuated what I think is a seismic injustice against sexual assault survivors," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

(MORE: Massive backlog of untested rape kits is 'a public safety issue' that may be letting offenders slip away, experts warn)

In addition to addressing specific cases, the evidence collected was added to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

A report released Tuesday by the Manhattan District Attorney's office states that 18,803 DNA profiles were added into CODIS as a result of the tested rape kits, which will help track criminals across state lines.

PHOTO: Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., speaks to reporters after a hearing in Manhattan criminal court in New York, Sept. 12, 2018. (Mary Altaffer/AP, FILE)

'A catalyst for hope'

A woman whose case was brought to justice as a result of the tested rape kits also spoke at Tuesday's news conference.

She was one of the seven women who was raped by Nathan Loebe, a serial rapist in Arizona who was found guilty in late February on 12 counts of sexual assault, five counts of kidnapping, three counts of stalking and one count of attempted sexual assault, according to the Associated Press, for cases that occurred between 2003 and 2015.

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(MORE: Serial rapist Nathan Loebe convicted in Pima County, Arizona, after testing of rape kit backlog)

Five years after Loebe raped her while on a date, the victim said she was contacted by Pima County investigators who were looking into the case as a result of the grant awarded by the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

The victim said that "myself and eight other brave women pulled together" to bring charges against Loebe.

"Having my kit finally tested was a catalyst for hope," she said.

Money matters

Portions of the $38 million spent by the Manhattan DA's office were spread to jurisdictions in 20 states, leading to the testing of 55,252 kits.

Of the 20 states that received funding, at least seven states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Michigan -- "have either eliminated or are close to eliminating their statewide backlogs," a new report from the Manhattan DA says.

The grants ranged in size and location, with the smallest amount of $163,590 awarded to the City of Flint police department to test 309 kits. The largest grant -- $1,999,982 -- was awarded to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and funded the testing of 3,462 kits.

The $38 million used in this program came from a somewhat unexpected source: criminal asset forfeiture funds from settlements with international banks who violated U.S. sanctions, the report states.

Without going into detail, the report says Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance determined those forfeited funds would be invested in "impactful projects that improve public safety," and the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Elimination Grant Program was formed in 2015.

PHOTO: Mariska Hargitay speaks during a press conference at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in New York. (Kevin Hagen/AP)

The grants were awarded in 2015, at a ceremony that featured activist and actress Mariska Hargitay and then-Vice President Joe Biden, both of whom have been outspoken on the need to end the sexual assault kit backlog.

How New York addressed their backlog

The report details how New York City dealt with their own rape kit backlog, taking a so-called "forklift" approach to test all 17,000 backlogged kits in 2000, the same year New York state joined CODIS.

PHOTO: The Rape Kit Backlog State-By_State (ABC News, End the Backlog)

One way New York City prosecutors were able to create indictments for sexual offenders even when investigators were not able to identify the assailants by name was by filing a case around a suspect's DNA.

A "John Doe" indictment allows prosecutors to have the case open within the statute of limitations, even if the assailant's name isn't known during that time. Then, if the DNA profile receives a hit and identification through the CODIS system at a later date, the assailant can be linked to the existing "John Doe" indictment.

(MORE: 'Bachelor' contestant's sexual assault story highlights systemic rape kit issue)

At Tuesday's news conference, Vance said that "dedicated funding streams are necessary to end the backlog but they are not ... sufficient," adding that he believes states need to change their laws.

Vance called for states to eliminate their statues of limitation for felony sexual assault, mandate timely rape kit testing, require the testing of all backlogged rape kits and call for an annual state-wide inventory of backlogged kits.

Combinations of donations and work

In Wayne County, Michigan, where the abandoned warehouse was found to hold 11,000 untested kits in 2009, the county prosecutor got funding for a random sample of 400 of those kits to be tested, the report states. Those tests "generated so many leads" that a subset of the Department of Justice funded the testing of 1,600 other tests, according to the report.

Those results led to the identification of 127 potential serial rapists, connections to crimes of 23 other states, and 14 convictions.

(MORE: 'This hurts': Officials failed to follow up on 2016 DNA hit on man accused of killing North Carolina girl: DA)

Now, a combination of a donation from private donors and a $4 million allocation from the Michigan state legislature is being used to test all of the county's remaining kits. The Manhattan DA's grant program awarded $1,996,991 to the Michigan State Police, which helped test 3,440 kits.

That funding is vital, since cost is one of the most mitigating factors that stops rape kits from being tested. On average, the report says it costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to ship and test a kit, not to mention additional testing that has to be done by the presiding jurisdiction.

Ilse Knecht, the director of policy and advocacy at Hargitay's group, the Joyful Heart Foundation, called for all legislators to "see sexual violence as the violent crime that it is."

"We know the value of testing every single rape kit. We know its the right thing to do," Knecht said at Tuesday's news conference.

"We know that many rapists are serial offenders and they don't stop until they are stopped," she said.
Top Democrat on antitrust committee expresses 'concerns' over T-Mobile, Sprint merger originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The top Democrat on a House subcommittee, tasked with oversight of antitrust law, said he's concerned with a broad range of implications tied to the multi-billion-dollar merger deal between T-Mobile and Sprint.

"I'm particularly concerned about the impact on consumers, on the price of services, on choice," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative law, told ABC News ahead of his panel's Tuesday hearing over the blockbuster merger.

PHOTO: House Judiciary Committee member Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) questions Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker during an oversight hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, February 8, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Democrats on the subcommittee called the hearing to explore "the impact of the proposed merger," calling T-Mobile CEO John Legere, Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure and a group of industry leaders to testify in public.

Cicilline also told ABC News that he wonders whether the proposed merger will negatively impact the job market by reducing the number and kinds of jobs in the U.S., the working conditions and the kind of compensation.

"You pretty clearly reduce the likelihood of innovation," he added. "You have fewer people competing in the marketplace."

(MORE:T-Mobile spent more at Trump Hotel in Washington after news of Sprint merger)

Tuesday's hearing comes amid revelations that T-Mobile executives spent almost $200,000 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington after announcing the proposed merger in April 2018.

The company said the $195,000 spent at the president's hotel amounts to roughly 14 percent of T-Mobile's $1.4 million in hotel spending in the nation's capital over the same period of time. About half of that total figure was spent at Hilton hotels, T-Mobile said.

"It's obviously a concern," Cicilline said of the report. "I'm always concerned when there is evidence or a suggestion that someone is trying to curry favor with the administration by staying at a Trump Hotel -- I think that's a concern."

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He added, "I think the American people have to have confidence that the decisions are made whether to contest or approve mergers of this magnitude, free from any favoritism or political interference and that reporting that I have reviewed is concerning. ... The hearing will provide an option to clarify that."

(MORE: For one Rhode Island congressman, listening is the key to legislating and bringing members together)

Following his election, President Donald Trump answered demands that he divest from his family businesses by placing his business empire in the control of his three adult children via a "blind trust" and pledging to donate any foreign earnings to the U.S. Treasury.

PHOTO: John Legere, chief executive officer of T-Mobile US Inc., right, speaks as Marcelo Claure, chairman of Sprint Corp, listens during a hearing on the the T-Mobile and Sprint merger on Capitol Hill, Feb. 13, 2019. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite rampant partisanship in Congress, Cicilline expects "cooperation" from Republicans on the issue.

"I'm worried about these issues because I'm focused on the interest of my constituents and what I know matters in people's lives," he said. "They want more choices and lower costs and more competition and better services, I expect they're going to have the same concerns as I have."

Sprint and T-Mobile, according to a report from the California Public Advocates office, largely serves lower-income wireless customers. Cicilline worries that the merger could negatively affect this vulnerable demographic.

The two companies rank as the third- and fourth-largest wireless companies in the country. The merger likely would create a company the size of Verizon or AT&T.

PHOTO: In this file photo is a general view of the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. at the Old Post Office, Oct. 31, 2016, in Washington D.C. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)

Executives of both companies pledged not to raise prices and said in previous congressional testimony the merger would gives customers more bang for the buck, possibly while paying less.

"We can take competition to new levels," Legere, the outspoken T-Mobile CEO, testified at a hearing in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in February. "We will offer a much faster, broader and deeper network, and new services at lower prices. This will force our rivals -- AT&T, Verizon and the cable monopolies -- to improve their services, increase their own capacity and lower prices even further."
Photo credit: Gary Fink - Getty Images

From Oprah Magazine

We already know that apparently, Hawaii is currently the best state to live in in our country. But what if we told you there's yet another prime locale you can live in-or visit-to get your happy on?

Following a study conducted by the finance site WalletHub, Plano, Texas ranked number one on a list of the happiest cities in the United States. By looking at the 180 largest U.S. towns, the company was able to discover the overall level of joy by examining 31 specific factors of what they deemed "necessary components of happiness." These included: emotional and physical well-being; income and employment, and community and environment. Plano earned a top spot in all of the above.

As for the other highest ranking cities, half of the top 10 are located in California, including Irvine and San Jose. Others are in the midwest-while no eastern locales made the cut. Sorry, East Coasters.

For an overview, the top 10 cities are listed below. You can check out the full ranking here.

Plano, TX Irvine, CA Madison, WI Fremont, CA Huntington Beach, CA Fargo, ND Grand Prairie, TX San Jose, CA Scottsdale, AZ San Francisco, CA

Other interesting WalletHub findings? Unfortunately for the Buckeye State, Akron, Ohio was found to be the least happiest city, while Miami has the lowest depression rate-and Burlington, Vermont has the fewest overall work hours.

And if you're now looking to visit America's happiest town, a few fun facts: Just 20 miles north of Dallas, Plano boasts a 55,000-square-foot food hall, an 800 acre public park and nature preserve, a charming 19th century-era farm and museum, plus a 168,000-gallon Texas-shaped saltwater pool. (Yes, that's an actual thing.) That combined with a prime outdoor shopping development, a growing arts scene, and a Sprinkles cupcakes location, and we can see why Plano citizens are so darn happy.

If that giant Texas-shaped pool is calling your name, there are plenty of hotels you can choose from right here to book your Plano getaway and live your best life.

For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter!
Photo credit: Christian Vierig - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Ultra tiny, '90s-inspired frames have been the It sunglasses of choice for quite some time now. But good news for those ready to move on from The Matrix remake: oversized (or actually, just normal-sized) sunglasses are climbing their way back to the top. And just in time, Olivia Palermo has a new collection of the perfect-sized frames you'll want to turn to next.

The street style star, who's always mastered the art of a good pair of sunnies, teamed up with Westward Leaning to design a collection of her own. Marking her third collaboration with the brand, Palermo's latest design project features 13 pairs of sunglasses that range from classic all-black styles to bold color palettes.

While attending New York and Paris Fashion Weeks, Palermo debuted some of the new frames with her street style looks. Amongst the collection, a pair of bold navy blue and white glasses, which she matched to a patchwork suede jacket, stood out from the pack. All of the styles range from $235-$285.

Much like all of Westward Leaning's design collaborations, the Olivia Palermo collection will donate a portion of proceeds to a charity cause. Palermo selected Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that provides professional attire and resources to low-income women around the world. Ten percent of profits from the Olivia Palermo x Westward Leaning collection will be donated to the cause.

('You Might Also Like',)
IM_photo/Shutterstock

This week 30 passengers were reportedly injured when a Turkish Airlines flight landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport encountered turbulent conditions. Injuries included bruises, bloody noses, and broken bones. In mid-February, a Delta Airlines flight made an emergency landing to assist three passengers in getting to the nearest hospital after some sudden and unexpected turbulence. Doctors treated 15 passengers after a flight from Miami to Buenos Aires last October for everything from severe bruising to nosebleeds after the plane caught some rough winds over Brazil. In 2016, 23 passengers were injured on a United Airlines flight after severe turbulence threw people into the cabin ceiling. The list goes on. Turbulence has been become increasingly common, with painful outcomes for those on board. And more costly to the airlines, too. Forbes estimates that the cost of turbulence has risen to over $500 million each year in damages and delays. And there are no signs the increase in turbulence will be stopping anytime soon. The prevalence of transatlantic wintertime clear-air turbulence will increase significantly in all aviation-relevant strength categories as the climate changes. A study from Advances in Atmospheric Sciences concludes. How significantly? Experts from the University of Reading predict a 149 percent increase in severe turbulence. So how can you avoid being injured? Always keep your seat belt fastened. Dr. Paul Williams, a research fellow at Reading University studying the phenomenon said. I never used to bother until I started studying incidents of turbulence and the injuries involved. Of course, that wont protect you from someone else getting thrown in the air and landing on you, but it will substantially minimize your chances of getting hurt. This pilot gives an inside look at what causes turbulence and what you can do as a passenger to handle it. In addition, flight experts suggest adhering to your airlines carry-on restrictions, using approved child safety seats for young children, and most importantly, listening to your flight attendants to help keep you and your family safe during rough skies. Turbulence can be nerve-racking, but here are some facts about flying that will help you stay calm. As flights get bumpier there's help on the horizon to help passengers steer clear of further injuries. Boeing is working on developing a laser that, when attached to the nose of an aircraft, would give pilots an extra warning about clear-air turbulence, the type of turbulence they currently are not able to detect until they're right in the middle of it. This technology could give pilots the extra time they need to avoid the rough air and give flight attendants enough forewarning to secure the cabin to avoid potential injuries. Next, take a look at 11 things traveling on a plane does to your body.
Second skin is the creative synergy behind Ukrainian clothing brand, Ttswtrs (pronounced tattoo sweaters), which melds the appeal of body modification with skintight looks and flesh-toned palettes.

The first collection sold out in one weeks time at Colette, the now-closed Parisian concept boutique famous for attracting the likes of a variety of celebrity namesakes. Here, the founding designer of Ttswtrs, Anna Osmekhina, speaks to WWD about her brand, which is made in Kiev, Ukraine, and prioritizes collaboration with an unlikely muse  the tattoo artist.

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A look from the spring 2019 collection of Ttswtrs.

WWD: What is the meaning behind the brand Ttswtrs?

Anna Osmekhina: An accidental meeting with the tattoo artist Yen Levin pushed me to create Ttswtrs. I was excited about how free he feels while being completely covered in tattoos. So I offered him a mini-project  to make comfortable clothes for our creative colleagues who spend a lot of time on sets. The main idea of the project is clothing as a second skin.

When creating, I explore the experience of a person who decides to decorate his body with a tattoo: including the pleasure of getting a tattoo, the awareness of choosing your design, your tattoo master and your moment. I want my customer to experience at least some of these emotions by wearing Ttswtrs.

WWD: Do you have tattoos? If so, how many and what are your favorites?

A.O.: I would definitely get my body tattooed if I was sure that all these pictures remained relevant for me in a year. I only have a little heart on my arm in honor of my granny. I was brought up by her in Orenburg, [Russia], and she is a real rock star for me.

WWD: What do you appreciate about tattoo artists and their community? How does this translate into your designs?

A.O.: I perceive tattoo masters to be very special, living in their own world. I greatly admire them, and at the same time, I am very confused by them. Sometimes, during conversations with a tattoo artist or just looking through her work, I start to imagine the kind of bodies I would place certain designs. If I am very inspired, then I can even invent additional components for certain tattoos.

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WWD: Who are some of the most well-known collaborators (tattoo artists) to date?

A.O.: Among the 10 artists with whom we collaborated during five years of our brands existence, the most well-known are @ien_levin from Belarus with his dark graphic works and Korean artist @hugotattooer, who creates cartoon artworks.

WWD: How does your training/experience as a costume designer and celebrity stylist inform your design process?

A.O.: The design process differs a lot, but in general, it influences as much as any experience concerning hard work and discipline. Thanks to that, I am very comfortable working under deadlines and taking responsibility.

WWD: What have been major milestones as a brand, and what do you hope to conquer next?

A.O.: The main milestone of Ttswtrs is that the first collection sold out during only one week in Colette. And from the second collection, the brand began selling in Japan. Then, after two years of existence, we launched a demicouture line Alice In Ink, which also saw success and was immediately sold to Les Suites in Paris.

Next was the collaboration with artist, @edtattooer, whose style clearly determined the identity of our brand. And now we are absolutely proud of being sold in [New York-based] VFiles, as it was our dream from the very beginning.

With presenting her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week, Osmekhina added that the collection is quite different from what we did before.

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Yahoo Life Videos

In her new book, Silenced No More, Sarah Ransome speaks her truth and details her experience in Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwells sex trafficking ring. As soon as I arrived on my very first trip on the island my cell phones taken away, my camera's taken away, my passports taken away, and lo and behold, that's where it started. It was that very first trip on the island where I was told you will never escape me, says Ransome. As Ransome remembers in the book, Jeffrey Epstein raped her on the second day of that trip. The attacks continued for the duration of her stay, sometimes up to two or three times in the same day. Jeffery's island was designed for rape and trafficking, said Ransome. And once you're there, you can't get out. For Maxwells part, Ransome says that she was aware of abuse. In one case, Maxwell forced Ransome into a room where Epstein raped her. In another, Maxwell saw Ransome crying after a brutal attack and smirked, offering no support. Ghislane would break you down to such a point, but as soon as she broke you  like a Jekyll and Hyde  she would almost be mother-like and maternal, and caring. And that was effectively done to build a trauma bond, says Ransome. All eyes are glued to the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the accused co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein who allegedly recruited the young and underage girls that he sexually abused. For Sarah Ransome, who counts herself as a survivor of Epstein's abuse, Maxwells trial is long overdue. I'm following the trial every single day, she tells Yahoo Life. I just pray every day that she's found guilty because she needs to be taken off the streets so she can't hurt anybody else.
Last night on part one of The Bachelor finale, Colton Underwood broke up with his two remaining contestantsHannah G. and Tayshia. So, what can we expect during tonights conclusion?

While we wont know until later, we have a pretty good idea about whats going to happen. The first part is obvious: Underwood will fight for Cassie, whounbeknownst to everyone except the producersis still in Portugal. *Eye roll*

Since tomorrows episode will feature Underwood visiting Cassie and asking for a second chance, there are two ways this can go. First, Cassie could stand firm on her decision, claiming that she doesnt know if shell ever be able to reciprocate his feelings. And second, she could give him another chance.

Lets be clear: Were not saying this will necessarily end in an engagement. (Sorry, Neil Lane.) But, if the proposal was off the table, Cassie wouldnt have left in the first place. So, we think Underwood will offer an alternative: Leave the show as boyfriend and girlfriend, instead of fiance and fiancee.

The drama started in episode nine when Cassie sent herself home. Although Underwood confessed his feelings for her, she admitted that she didnt know if she could get there. Underwood was understandably heartbroken, so he ran away from producers, jumped the fence and disappeared into the night. Mature, right?

Fast-forward to last nights episode when Chris Harrison tracked down Underwood on the streets of Portugal and convinced him to go back to the hotel. The next day, Underwood claimed that Cassie was too afraid to admit her feelings and decided that hes willing to fight for her love. Barf.

How will Cassie handle Underwoods bombshell? And will she break his heartagain? Guess well have to wait until part two of The Bachelor finale airs tonight, March 12, at 8 p.m. on ABC.

RELATED: 8 Thoughts Everyone Has While Watching The Bachelor
Tony Blair is reportedly advising the French president about how to keep the UK in the European Union (Picture: PA)

Tony Blair has been advising Emmanuel Macron about how to keep Britain in the European Union, it has been reported.

The former prime minister has been briefing the French president on how to fight Brexit, The Telegraph said.

The newspaper said sources in Paris had confirmed that Mr Blair has been talking to Mr Macron about Brexit.

Mr Blair is reported to have told Mr Macron to hold firm while events play out in the UK.

Parliament is set to vote on prime minister Theresa Mays Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.

Mr Blair is reported to have told Mr Macron that Parliament may eventually accept a customs union or grant the British public a second referendum on Brexit.

Frances president Emmanuel Macron has reportedly been taking Brexit advice from Tony Blair (Picture: PA)

Eurosceptic Tory MP Peter Bone told The Telegraph: It is totally unacceptable for a former prime minister to go around the heads of European countries and undermine the governments position.

Im not sure we could find another time in modern history when this has happened.

Tony Blair has to realise he has had his time as prime minister and Im surprised and disappointed he has done this.

Read more

Seven Britons and one passenger from Ireland among 157 dead in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash

In pictures  Parts of Britain hit by snow as country battered by strong winds

Jeremy Hunt warns Tory MPs: Back Theresa Mays deal or risk losing Brexit altogether

I doubt he would have liked it if his predecessors had done this to him.

Mrs May was working down to the wire to find a Brexit breakthrough before Tuesdays crucial vote by MPs on her Withdrawal Agreement, with speculation mounting of last-minute talks with Jean-Claude Juncker.

Irelands foreign minister Simon Coveney said he understood that the Prime Minister will travel to Strasbourg on Monday evening in a final bid to secure changes that will allow MPs to back her Withdrawal Agreement the following day.

But sources in London said the Tanaiste was getting ahead of himself and there were no confirmed plans for Mrs May to fly to the continent.

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Neither Downing Street nor the European Commission would confirm plans for a face-to-face meeting between Mrs May and Mr Juncker, who spoke by telephone on Sunday evening and again on Monday.

Pro-Brexit demonstrators with banners, placards and flags protesting outside the Houses of Parliament (Picture: PA)

Time is running out for any new assurances or clarifications to the deal which was resoundingly rejected by a 230-vote majority by MPs in January.

The Government must table its motion for Tuesdays debate by the end of the day, alongside the publication of any relevant documents  including Attorney General Geoffrey Coxs legal advice on the deal.

Downing Street insisted following Mondays phone call that talks continue, despite admitting the process was deadlocked after negotiations over the weekend failed to produce agreement.

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the talks happening now were between the Government in London and the Parliament in London, rather than the UK and Brussels.

At Westminster, speculation has centred on the prospect of the Prime Minister watering down her commitment to hold a vote on her Brexit deal following the failure of talks to provide suitable concessions over the Northern Ireland backstop.

But Mrs Mays official spokesman confirmed it remains the plan to stage the second meaningful vote on the Brexit deal on Tuesday.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Welcome to Whomst Owned Whomst, a feature in which we examine a high-profile media beef to determine, with extreme prejudice, Whomst Owned Whomst.

In This Corner: Fox News host and discarded shrimp tail Tucker Carlson

In the Other Corner: Media Matters, the watchdog site that hate-watches Fox regularly to capture its most appalling content. Sounds fun!

The Beef: Media Matters went full K-File and unearthed old audio of Carlson on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show, defending then accused (and now convicted) child sex offender Warren Jeffs. If youve ever read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, you know that Jeffs was a monster: the leader of a radical fundamentalist Mormon sect nestled along the border between Arizona and Utah that abhorred formal education and forced underage girls into plural marriages. One of those girls, Elissa Wall, was just 14 years old when she was forced by the church to marry her own cousin, who then allegedly raped her as a matter of routine. Jeffs, who officiated that ceremony, was himself eventually found guilty of sexually assaulting two girls, aged 12 and 15. He was technically married to the former, one of his more than 80 wives. He is now serving a life sentence with extra time thrown in for good measure.

Shitty guy, right? Not if you had asked ol Tuck:

I should make the laws around here, and Michael Vick would have been executed, and Warren Jeffs would be out on the street I am not defending underage marriage at all. I just don't think it's the same thing exactly as pulling a child from a bus stop and sexually assaulting that child The rapist, in this case, has made a lifelong commitment to live and take care of the person, so it is a little different. I mean, let's be honest about it.

Sorry if you liberal snowflakes out there virtue signaling your disapproval of child rape are outraged by this, but not everyone can handle Tuckers HARDCORE TRUTHS.

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The Attempted Ownage: Ah, but thats not all. Media Matters also unearthed audio of Carlson calling Iraqis primitive monkeys and gleefully dropping a gay slur. The presumed goal here of Media Matters was to expose Carlson as an ignorant pigsomething he does himself every night for an hour on cable televisionand drum up enough public outrage to get him thrown off the air. But we live in a country where Joe Arpaio got a personal pardon from a sitting president, so Im not exactly hopeful here, because

The Attempted Counter Ownage: Youre not gonna believe this, but Carlson arrogantly dismissed the entire matter as naughty talk (hilarious!), accused liberals of being the REAL cult, and then, as per wingnut custom, challenged all his haters to a debate.

Anyway, here he is going the full Patton over the controversy:

Fox is behind us, as they have been since the first day. Toughness is a rare quality in a TV network, and were grateful for that. Second, weve always apologized when were wrong, and we will continue to. Thats what decent people do. But we will never bow to the mob. Ever. No matter what.

Actually, Im a troop, said the millionaire in a bow tie.

So Whomst Owned Whomst? Given that Tucker is reduced to a urine puddle any time someone dares to point out that hes an entitled, racist asshole, its easy for me to say that Media Matters got one over on him and that he gets the L here. He deserves the LGod, he deserves so many Ls in this lifeespecially because hes so determined to copy the Trump playbook and never EVER back down from anything. Most of the time, insisting you are not owned means you were indeed owned. In Carlsons worldview, showing vulnerability is a weakness, and you deserve to be mocked for it. In a fair and just world, he deserves to be penniless and alone forever.

But listen, man: Carlson didnt ascend to the top of Fox due to good karma. Hes a primetime fixture there specifically BECAUSE hes willing to be unapologetically racist and angry. Carlson already says Fox has his back, because of course they do. He also knows that the Moron Industrial Complex will dutifully portray him as the victim in this story and offer him more support than he himself ever offered to the victims of Jeffs. He was just too darn busy making naughty jokes about them to give a shit. This whole thing will only help burnish Carlsons good standing among terrible people.

Remember when Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity also nearly got taken off the air? Yeah, well, they never were. Carlson knows this, and is content to let the inherent evils of this world protect and vindicate him. He may be getting shit on now, but hell still probably come out of this gainfully employed and grossly wealthy. In the long run, he shalt own you all, har har har.

I guess that means that, ugh, Media Matters will probably get owned eventually here. Carlson will gladly tell you that himself. After all, the only high-profile primetime host Fox has ever ousted was Bill OReilly. Tucker Carlson slid comfortably into OReillys slot and quickly proved that anyone at Fox can be replaced by someone just as grotesque. And what are the odds Carlson could ever possibly be rendered similarly expendable, hmm? I bet he asks himself that question every night.
By Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) - Runaway "bride prices" are making marriage unaffordable in rural China and need to be capped, and professional matchmakers should be stopped from overcharging, says a village delegate to China's parliament. China's rapid economic growth in the past decade has sharply raised parental expectations, pushing up the cost of pre-wedding gifts that now commonly include a brand new home. In the past, a suitor would offer the parents of his bride about 11,000 yuan ($1,639). Now, future in-laws demand at least three "jin" (1.5 kg) of hundred yuan bills, a car and a house, said Zhang Qingbin, a delegate to the annual National People's Congress from Hebei province. "In the south of northern China, a young man looking to get married would need to spend around 700,000 yuan ($104,275)," Zhang wrote in a proposal to NPC. "This is a huge financial burden, with steep bride prices becoming a key reason behind rural poverty," he added. In rural areas, where annual per capita incomes of about 15,000 yuan ($2,234) are just a third of earnings in cities, a groom's need for cash is relatively acute. With the economy facing a further slowdown this year, the chances of finding a bride are more remote, aggravating a rural phenomenon known as "leftover men" who cannot afford marriage. Zhang blamed the parents of prospective brides who want to elevate their standard of living by demanding a high price from suitors. Marriage subsidies could be one way to wedded bliss, he said, pointing to a pilot subsidy program in Taiyuan city in neighboring Shanxi province. Taiyuan set up a Marriage Consumption Subsidy Fund in 2017 which offers newlyweds rebates on wedding pictures, the banquet, honeymoon travel and even white goods to furnish a new home. Unaffordable marriages are also a factor in China's bigger demographic problem - falling birth rates. Many NPC delegates called for improved maternity benefits to encourage couples to have more babies as the country faces an aging population and shrinking workforce. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
After two fatal incidents involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the past six months, several countries and airlines have grounded the aircraft until further notice. But North American carriers are sticking by the MAX 8, at least until further details are known about the latest disaster.

Most recently, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing all 157 people aboard. A similarly devastating crash took the lives of 189 people in October, when a 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea just after takeoff from Jakarta.

The Lion Air disaster appears to have been caused at least in part by issues with a system designed to prevent stalls, which occur when an aircraft is no longer generating sufficient lift. Its too early to tell if a similar problem doomed the Ethiopian flight. But with two 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved in fatal incidents in a relatively short period of time, Boeing is now facing tough questions about the planes reliability and safety. In terms of commercial aircraft, the MAX 8 is brand new, having first entered service in 2017.

China and Indonesia have both grounded all 737 MAX 8 aircraft as of Monday morning. North American airlines, however, are taking a wait and see approach, giving investigators time to determine the cause of the most recent incident before taking major action. Removing a large number of aircraft from service, even temporarily, can result in significant disruptions to an airlines operations.

Heres a look at the North American carriers that fly the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and their responses so far to Sundays Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

American Airlines

American Airlines has 24 of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet, has ordered 76 more, and has confirmed to TIME that it will continue to fly the aircraft in the wake of the crashes.

At this time there are no facts on the cause of the accident other than news reports, the airline said in a statement. Our Flight, Flight Service, Tech Ops and Safety teams, along with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) and Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), will closely monitor the investigation in Ethiopia, which is our standard protocol for any aircraft accident. American continues to collaborate with the [Federal Aviation Administration] and other regulatory authorities, as the safety of our team members and customers is our number one priority. We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.

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Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has 34 737 MAX 8s in its fleet. It has a longstanding relationship with Boeing and exclusively flies various types of 737s.

We have been in contact with Boeing and will continue to stay close to the investigation as it progresses, Southwest Airlines said in a statement. We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our entire fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 aircraft, and we dont have any changes planned to 737 MAX operations.

Aeromexico

Aeromexico did not immediately respond to TIMEs request for comment, but has six of the aircraft in use (having taken its first delivery as recently as March 1) and has ordered 45 more.

Air Canada

Air Canada, which has 24 of the aircraft in use and has ordered 26 more, did not immediately respond to TIMEs request for comment. But the Canadian television station CTV reported that Air Canada said its fleet of the aircraft had performed excellently and had no plans to ground the model.

WestJet

Canadian airline WestJet told TIME it has 13 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet of 121 Boeing 737s, and will continue to fly the planes.

We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident, WestJet said in a statement. WestJet remains confident in the safety of our Boeing 737 fleet including our 13 MAX 8 aircraft first introduced in 2017. We have flown five different variants of the Boeing 737 since 1996, and the fleet currently operates around 450 safe daily B737 departures.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  A massive blackout that left millions of Venezuelans without power has triggered one persistent question: How could a country with the world's largest proven oil reserves go dark?

The answer involves poor decision-making, rampant corruption, and the steady flight of electrical engineers, according to experts, though the government blames sabotage.

Here's a look at what led up to the historic blackout and why it has taken so long to restore power.

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HOW DOES VENEZUELA'S POWER GRID WORK?

Venezuela's power grid relies heavily on the Guri Dam, a giant hydroelectric power station that was inaugurated in the late 1960s. While the engineers who planned Venezuela's current power grid imagined the Guri Dam would supply about 60 percent of the country's electricity, today it is believed to supply a whopping 80 percent. The remaining 20 percent comes predominately from thermoelectric power stations.

How much power Guri can actually supply and the level of Venezuela's current demand are not fully known because officials have not released that data in years. But engineers who closely examine Venezuela's power grid estimate demand has actually declined to around 10,500 megawatts  about the same levels as in 1999  as industries have shut down and millions leave the nation.

Some engineers speculate Venezuela has even less supply than it did 20 years ago largely as a result of poor maintenance of existing plants.

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WHAT WERE THE BIG CONCERNS BEFORE THE BLACKOUT?

For years engineers have been warning that Venezuela was sliding toward a prolonged blackout.

Critics say the Guri Dam on the Caroni River basin has long needed updates and become vulnerable during periods of drought.

The late President Hugo Chavez tried to remedy the country's over-reliance on hydroelectric power with what he called an "electricity revolution." Venezuela spent billions of dollars on new thermoelectric plants that in theory should be able to power the nation even without the Guri Dam, but they either were not built or were poorly maintained.

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Military generals were put in charge of running Venezuela's power grid and qualified engineers  like many other professionals  began to leave the country.

The current head of both Venezuela's energy ministry and the state electricity company is a former National Guard major general with no apparent engineering expertise. On Twitter, he describes himself as "socialist, anti-imperialist and radically Chavista."

Chavez's successor, President Nicolas Maduro has responded to shortages by urging Venezuelans use less power by reducing the work week, and at one point even urged women to ration their use of hair dryers.

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WHAT CAUSED THE BLACKOUT?

Maduro has blamed the blackout on a cyberattack on the plant's all-important electronic monitoring system, though engineers who have worked on the dam say they don't believe that.

One theory is that a fire knocked down one of the huge 765-kilovolt lines that connect the Guri Dam to Caracas. The regional electrical company that operated the dam decades ago had a fleet of helicopters that monitored the region for fires, but current workers say there is no functioning quick-response system in place. One worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said there has been a lack of routine maintenance, such as cutting down brush to keep it at a distance from the lines.

Though the three lines are spaced a considerable distance apart, Jose Aguilar, a Venezuelan energy expert who now resides in the United States, said a fire at just one of those could cause an outage affecting all of them.

Other theories include a breakdown in the electronic monitoring system that controls power distribution, a turbine going offline or a failure elsewhere.

"We don't know yet what happened because they're hiding it," Aguilar said.

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COULD THERE ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN A CYBERATTACK?

Three engineers consulted by The Associated Press with direct knowledge of the Guri's operating systems say it is almost impossible. They explain that the computers that operate the monitoring system are not connected to the internet and can only communicate with each other, making them immune to an outside attack.

Anurag Srivastava, an engineering professor at Washington State University, said the only way to carry out a cyberattack in a closed system would be through physical access to the substation where the system is located.

Venezuelan authorities haven't provided proof of a cyberattack, but have pointed fingers at those they say are involved.

On the night of the outage, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted about the outage minutes after it began, and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez suggested he may have known about it in advance. On Tuesday, Venezuela's pro-Maduro chief prosecutor announced that opposition leader Juan Guaido is under investigation for the alleged sabotaged. The government has also detained a journalist who had previously spoken about Venezuela's vulnerabilities to a blackout, a video of which was shown on state television as proof he had prior knowledge of an attack.

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HOW SOON WILL POWER BE RESTORED?

Venezuela's information minister said Tuesday that the power grid had been almost completely restored. But there are still pockets that have now gone six days in the dark.

Miguel Lara, a former general manager for the independent Venezuelan agency that collected data on electricity usage, said full power might be restored within days  or that problems could drag on for weeks. The worst-case scenario, he said, is an extended period in which power is restored in one place but then goes off hours later, or is restored in one city while another stays dark.

"I'm telling my friends to prepare for the worst," he said.

In the process of restoring the system, there have been multiple fires, including one at what was previously the country's largest transformer. Srivastava said fires at substations and transformers indicate engineers are using electrical loads higher than the equipment's rated capacity. Some engineers like Aguilar say that could point to a lack of expertise in how to put the system back together.

The country's heavy reliance on the Guri Dam could also complicate efforts, Srivastava said, because restoration depends on having access to multiple power sources. Dependence on one major power source is likely to slow down the recovery.

Soldiers were blocking access to the Guri Dam and adjacent power stations on Tuesday.

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Associated Press writer Pableysa Ostos in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, contributed to this report.
By Rodrigo Viga and Gabriel Stargardter RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Two former police officers were arrested on Tuesday on charges they killed a local councilwoman and her driver, Rio de Janeiro prosecutors said, claiming a breakthrough in a crime that sent shock waves through Brazil, a country numbed by rising violence. The arrests came just days before the first anniversary of the deaths of Marielle Franco, a black, openly gay and progressive councilwoman born in a poor Rio neighborhood, and her driver, Anderson Gomes. Franco was a vocal critic of Rio police for their often-deadly gang-busting operations in the city's slums, and took stands against paramilitary militias, made up of current and former police, who are de-facto bosses across wide swaths of the city. "Two police officers were arrested with a direct and effective participation in the crime," said Marcus Vinicius Braga, Rio de Janeiro state police secretary. "With these arrests, we are getting close to solving the crime." Despite the claims of a breakthrough, some were skeptical. "The case is not yet over," said one local prosecutor, who asked for anonymity to comment about a case in which he was not involved. "They still need to know the motive of the crime and who ordered it." "I don't like how politicized the case has become ... we need to be very cautious," the prosecutor added. The suspects were identified as Ronnie Lessa, a retired military police officer, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz, a policeman who was expelled from the force. Lawyers for both men said they did not commit the crime. Flavio Bolsonaro, a son of the Brazilian president, has been accused of having ties to Rio's militias while he was a Rio state lawmaker. Lessa lives in the same wealthy, beachside community where President Jair Bolsonaro has a home. Investigators said they have no reason to think that any of the Bolsonaros are linked to Franco's killing. However, Giniton Lages, head of the Rio police homicide division, confirmed during a news conference that one of President Bolsonaro's sons had dated a daughter of the suspect Lessa. He did not say which son dated the woman, nor when. The press team in the president's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on details about that relationship. Additionally, shortly after the suspects were arrested, a photo of Queiroz circulated on social media, wearing a police T-shirt, with his arm around Jair Bolsonaro. Local news outlets reported the photo was taken from Queiroz's Facebook profile. Reuters was unable to locate the profile or verify the authenticity of the photo. Bolsonaro told reporters on Tuesday that he had taken photos with thousands of police officers in the past year as he pursued and won the presidency. He also said that he hoped police discovered if somebody contracted and ordered Franco's murder. 'SUMMARILY EXECUTED' Investigators said Lessa fired the shots that killed Franco and Gomes on March 14, 2018, while Queiroz drove the car that ambushed them. Simone Sibilio, the lead Rio state prosecutor on the case, said that Lessa and Queiroz were both arrested around 4 a.m. at their homes. She added that Lessa told police he had been tipped off about their raid. Franco, a human rights and women's rights activist, was a rising star in the Socialism and Liberty Party. Her press secretary, Fernanda Chaves, who was traveling in the same vehicle, suffered minor injuries. Thousands took to the streets in protest across Brazil after the killings, which drew international condemnation from rights groups. According to the document detailing the charges, "it is undisputed that Marielle Francisco da Silva was summarily executed because of the political causes that she defended." It remained to be seen if there are any repercussions for the president, who is in the midst of negotiating with Congress on pension reform. Economists say the reform is key to steadying the country's rickety public finances. Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator, is being investigated for money laundering during his time as a Rio state lawmaker, and is under pressure to explain how family members of one of the city's most powerful militia leaders ended up on his legislative payroll at the time. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga in Rio de Janeiro and Gabriel Stargardter in Brasilia; additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Sao Paulo; editing by Daniel Flynn and Jeffrey Benkoe)
BRASILIA (Reuters) - The United States and Brazil have negotiated an accord to safeguard U.S. space technology the South American nation hopes will be used in commercial rockets lifting off from its launch site near the equator, the Brazilian government said on Monday. The agreement is being wrapped up in time to be signed next week during a visit to Washington by President Jair Bolsonaro. "Negotiations are being concluded with a view to signing an agreement during the presidential visit to Washington," a foreign ministry official said. Brazil hopes to get a piece of the $300 billion-a-year space launch business by drawing U.S. companies interested in launching small satellites at a lower cost from the Alcantara base run by the Brazilian Air Force on the South American country's north coast. Because of its location close to the equator, launches burn 30 percent less fuel and rockets can carry larger payloads, though Brazil is aiming for the cost microsatellite niche market that is growing fast, Air Force officers said. Space cooperation between the United States and Brazil took a big step forward when they signed a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) agreement last year during a visit to Brasilia by former U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis. The accord on sharing real-time tracking data on objects and debris in space is needed to develop a satellite launching business without the risk of collision. In December 2017, Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp visited the Alcantara space center, which is especially attractive to smaller firms, such as Tucson, Arizona-based rocket-maker Vector Launch Inc because of its location. But without the technology safeguard agreement (TSA) that protects sensitive American space launch and satellite technology, no U.S. rocket could blast off from Brazil. A previous attempt at a U.S.-Brazilian space partnership was scuttled in 2003 when the TSA ran into resistance from the leftist government of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and was thwarted by Brazilian lawmakers. It floundered because U.S. unverified access to the Alcantara base was not acceptable to Brazilian politicians on sovereignty grounds. The TSA is seen by Washington as opening opportunities for greater cooperation in aerospace and defense between the two countries. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; editing by Diane Craft)
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazilian airline Gol announced on Monday it was grounding its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the same model that left 157 people dead.

"Given security is the number one value at Gol... the company... is temporarily suspending its commercial operations with its 737 MAX 8 aircraft," said a Gol statement.

Of Gol's 121 Boeing aircraft, with whom it has an exclusive agreement, seven are the 737 MAX 8 model.

Gol said travelers booked onto flights using the 737 MAX 6 aircraft would be transferred onto other flights, perhaps even on different airlines.

The company said the model's flight record had so far shown 2,933 journeys since its introduction in June 2018 "with total security and efficiency."

Gol stated its "confidence in its operations and in Boeing" and said it was doing everything possible to allow it to resume the grounded flights as soon as it could.

Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash was the second one in six months involving the 737 Max 8 model following the death of 189 people in Indonesia in October.

China was amongst a number of countries to ground all 737 MAX 8 craft on Monday, while US federal aviation authorities said they would order Boeing to modify the model.
A number of countries have grounded their Boeing 737 MAX planes (Picture: AFP)

The Civil Aviation Authority has banned flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft over UK airspace in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

The CAA said it made the decision as a precautionary measure after the Max 8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, including at least nine Britons.

It was the second fatal accident involving that model of Boeing 737 in less than five months.

The UK follows Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and China in banning the aircraft, which is operated by Tui Airways and Norwegian in Britain as part of their fleets.

This photo from November 12, 2018, shows the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane that crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people (Picture: AP)

In a statement, the CAA said: The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been closely monitoring the situation, however, as we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

The UK Civil Aviation Authoritys safety directive will be in place until further notice.

We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency and industry regulators globally.

Tui Airways, which has the only five 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by a UK-based airline and was due to begin flying a sixth later this week, said in response to the CAA announcement that other aircraft would be used to transport passengers who were due to fly in the jets.

The statement said: TUI Airways can confirm that all 737 MAX 8 aircraft currently operating in the UK have been grounded following the decision from the UK regulatory authorities today.

Workers gather at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Addis Ababa (Picture: AP)

Any customers due to fly home today on a 737 MAX 8 from their holiday will be flown back on another aircraft.

Customers due to travel in the coming days will also travel on holiday as planned on other aircraft.

The safety and well-being of our customers and staff has remained our primary concern.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilots union Balpa, said: Balpa welcomes the precautionary action of the CAA in stopping commercial passenger 737 Max aircraft from arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

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Safety must come first. It is too early to know the cause of the latest crash and it is vital that air accident investigators carry out a thorough investigation to identify the cause so that measures to prevent future accidents can be put in place.

Witnesses said there was smoke coming from the rear of the plane before it hit the ground on Sunday, shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.

Tamrat Abera told reporters the plane rotated twice before crashing and exploding and that smoke rose high into the sky.

Originally it was thought seven Britons had been on the jet, but the Foreign Office said this had been increased to nine to reflect updated information regarding dual nationals.

Joseph Waithaka died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash (Picture: PA)

UN worker Joanna Toole was killed in the plane crash (Picture: Facebook)

Sarah Auffret, who worked for the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, has been named as one of the crash victims (Picture: PA)

The Foreign Office said at least two additional dual nationals were travelling on non-UK passports, bringing the total number of British nationals involved to nine.

Joanna Toole, 36, a United Nations worker, was among the British victims, along with 55-year-old Joseph Waithaka, polar tourism expert Sarah Auffret, Sahra Hassan Said and Nasrudin Abdulkadir, a mother and son with dual Somali-British citizenship, and Sam Pegram, a 25-year-old from Lancashire.

The mother of Mr Pegram, Deborah, told the Lancashire Evening Post: Sam was so looking forward to going to Nairobi. He loved the work he was doing. We cant believe this has happened. Were totally devastated.

Read more

Seven Britons and one passenger from Ireland among 157 dead in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash

In pictures  Parts of Britain hit by snow as country battered by strong winds

Jeremy Hunt warns Tory MPs: Back Theresa Mays deal or risk losing Brexit altogether

The paper said Mr Pegram was working for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and was heading to Kenya to work with a training programme.

The NRC said on Monday that it was deeply distressed by the news that two of its people were on the flight.

Ms Toole, a UN worker from Exmouth, Devon, was the first British victim to be named.

Her father Adrian told the DevonLive website that she was genuinely one of those people who you never hear a bad word about.

The one Irish victim was named as Michael Ryan, a married father-of-two based in Rome with the UNs World Food Programme, which distributes rations to people in need.

Irishman Michael Ryan, who worked as an engineer for the World Food Programme, died in the plane crash (Picture: PA)

Airlines are continuing to operate flights out of the UK using Boeings 737 Max 8 plane despite suspensions around the globe.

While Australia and South Korea followed Singapore, China and Indonesia in temporarily grounding the aircraft, some operators  including Norwegian and Tui  have so far refused to take action.

It comes as Boeing said it was working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on development, planning and certification of a software enhancement, due to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Australias civil aviation safety authority said it had suspended the model flying into or out of the country.

The regulators boss, Shane Carmody, said in a statement: This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia.

Framed photographs of seven crew members are displayed at a memorial service held by an association of Ethiopian airline pilots (Picture: AP)

Mourners attend a memorial service held by an association of Ethiopian airline pilots(Picture: AP)

Rescuers work at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Picture: AP)

South Korean airline Eastar Jet also announced a suspension of operations using the model of aircraft involved in Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Singapores own air regulator also temporarily suspended operation of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, variations of which number 7 to 10, into and out of its airports.

It comes after Chinese and Indonesian regulators ordered their airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Monday.

In the US, the FAA said the Boeing 737 Max 8s were safe to operate, although it had a team on the ground in Ethiopia to assist with the investigation and was continuously assessing the safety performance of the aircraft.

Several airlines serving UK airports are continuing to fly the model involved in the deadly crash.

Tui Airways has the only five 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by a UK-based airline, and is due to begin flying a sixth later this week.

Asked if the airline would take any action in response to the crash, a spokesman for parent company Tui said: We have no indication that we cant operate our 737 Max in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network.

Scandinavian airline Norwegian, which serves London Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK, has 18 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

A number of airlines have grounded their fleet of the model, including Royal Air Maroc, Cayman Airways, Mongolian Airlines and Comair, which is a British Airways franchise in southern Africa.

The passengers killed in Sundays crash came from 35 nations, including 32 from Kenya and 18 from Canada.

As many as 19 UN workers were feared to have been killed in the crash, the number being so high because of its environmental forum which started on Monday.




Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli police said Tuesday that undercover officers had broken up a drug-dealing network that used a popular messaging app and had connections in the United States, Ukraine and Germany.

"After several months of covert investigation, 42 suspects were this morning detained in Israel and abroad for questioning under caution on suspicion of trafficking various types of drugs," a police statement said.

It said the transactions amounted to "hundreds of millions" of Israeli shekels (tens of millions of dollars/euros).

The suspects, police added, traded through the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

Police designated the ring "Crime Organisation 420" and published its organisational chart, with one person at its head and a hierarchy of executives for finance, infrastructure, security and development, among others.

Chief Superintendent Avi Maiberg, head of the police cyber-crime unit which led the investigation, said the ring was headed by Amos Dov Silver, founder of the Israeli online drug marketplace Telegrass.

Maiberg said in an interview with Israeli public radio that Silver was arrested in Ukraine early on Tuesday.

He said that police had been monitoring Telegrass activity for the past year and noted it was growing rapidly.

- 200,000 users -

"We saw suddenly the number of dealers jump from hundreds to thousands and in almost no time from 80,000 users to about 200,000," he said.

Police did not reveal any other suspects' names.

Maiberg said that the suspects dealt not only in marijuana but also ecstasy, LSD, cocaine and other dangerous substances.

The Telegrass website carried a message in Hebrew on Tuesday describing it as a "black day".

"Hope you never know how much it hurts to get up in the morning to find out that your friends have been arrested," it said.

"That their homes were turned upside down, that they were treated worse than animals, that their little children were frightened in the middle of the night with dogs and violent shouts."

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Police said in their statement that "wages for staff and managers of the organisation were transferred in cash, in bitcoins, or drugs, while concealing the source of the funds."

Israeli police worked with Ukrainian, US and German law enforcement, it added.

Telegrass has let sellers list their wares and prices, exchanging self-deleting messages with buyers to set up deliveries.

Silver has previously described himself as a marijuana legalisation activist who was not in it for financial gain.

Some politicians have taken up the issue of marijuana legalisation ahead of Israel's April 9 polls, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night that he might consider it.

"I have led some changes in this area," he said on his Likud party's YouTube video channel.

"We have increased the use of medical cannabis, bringing Israel to one of the highest levels in the world."

Asked about legalisation in general, he replied: "I'm checking your question. I'll give you an answer soon."

The government in January gave the final go-ahead for the export of medical cannabis, a move expected to generate significant revenues for the state.

In 2017, the public security ministry partially decriminalised recreational marijuana use, setting fines and treatment for initial offenders instead of criminal procedures.
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By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments adopted a broadened blacklist of tax havens on Tuesday, adding the United Arab Emirates and British and Dutch overseas territories in a revamp that tripled the number of listed jurisdictions. The 28-nation EU set up the blacklist in December 2017 after revelations of widespread tax avoidance schemes used by corporations and wealthy individuals to lower their tax bills. EU finance ministers added 10 jurisdictions to the updated list. They are: the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territory of Bermuda, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu and Dominica. They join Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, and three U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands who were already on the blacklist. Blacklisted states face reputational damages and stricter controls on transactions with the EU, although no sanctions have yet been agreed by EU states. Jurisdictions are blacklisted if they have shortfalls in their tax rules that could favor tax evasion in other states. Those who commit to change the rules by a set deadline are removed from the list. Bermuda Premier David Burt said in a statement that the island was compliant with EU standards and feared no damage to its reputation. The UAE said it regrets the EU's decision and that it has shared with the bloc a detailed plan of the action it is currently implementing, state news agency WAM reported. "This inclusion was made despite the UAEs close cooperation with the EU on this issue and ongoing efforts to fulfill all the EUs requirements," WAM said. "The UAE remains firmly committed to its long-standing policy of meeting the highest international standards on taxation, including the OECDs requirements, and will continue to update its domestic legislative framework in this regard." Most of the so-called non-cooperative jurisdictions on tax matters are small Caribbean and Pacific islands, which rely on tourism and off-shore arrangements that supporters consider crucial for global finance. They were given about a year to change tax rules, but have so far not done so, EU officials said. EU tax commissioner Pierre Moscovici said the listing process was a great success because it had pushed dozens of countries to abolish "harmful tax regimes". PRESSURE Tuesday's decision came despite opposition by some EU states to some listings. Just before ministers met on Tuesday, the chair of the meeting, Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, told reporters he expected the decision to be delayed to May, surprising many EU officials who believed a deal was close. Decisions on tax matters require the backing of all the 28 EU member states. Pressure from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Panama prompted EU governments to block last week another blacklist of countries that show deficiencies in countering money laundering and terrorism financing. EU documents seen by Reuters show that Italy and Estonia objected to the new tax haven list, as they opposed the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates. [nL8N20Y24W] But Italy's objections fell away on Tuesday as Rome obtained guarantees that the UAE would be removed from the list once it adopted legislation that would make it compliant with EU tax standards. Last week Britain lifted its veto on the listing of its overseas territory of Bermuda, the documents show. The Netherlands also declined to use their veto over Aruba. The EU blacklist originally comprised 17 jurisdictions, including the UAE, but shrank to five after most listed states committed to change their tax rules. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Dubai; Editing by Alastair Macdonald, Philip Blenkinsop and Mark Heinrich)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he wanted EU governments to adopt an updated tax haven blacklist at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. "France wants the list to be adopted today," he told reporters. The chairman of the meeting, Romania's Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said earlier on Tuesday that he believed adoption of the list would be postponed because of divisions among EU states on the listing of some jurisdictions. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON (Reuters) - Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi has swiftly emerged as one of Iran's most powerful figures and a contender to succeed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last week, he was named chief of the judiciary and on Tuesday he was elected deputy chief of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for choosing the supreme leader. As head of the judiciary, a post to which he was appointed by Khamenei, Raisi holds significant power in a country that has long used its powerful legal system to crack down on political dissent. In that post he replaced Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, another potential candidate for the supreme leader post. Larijani also ran for the position of deputy chief of the Assembly of Experts but failed, suggesting his hopes of leading Iran could be fading. Larijani is accused by rights groups of condoning widespread violations of the rights of political detainees. "Larijanis work as the head of judiciary was not acceptable," Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi told Reuters. "But to replace him with Raisi, who had a role in the past in extrajudicial execution and massacre of political prisoners, will taint the judiciary even more ... It is replacing bad with worse." As deputy prosecutor in Tehran in 1988, Raisi helped oversee the execution of political prisoners. Larijani has said his country's judiciary is one of the fairest in the world, while Iran says its legal system is independent and not influenced by political interests. AUDIO TAPE Raisi ran in presidential elections in 2017, criticizing pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani for signing a deal with the United States and other powers to curb Irans nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions. In a fiery election speech, Rouhani accused Raisi of being a pawn of the security services and said Iranians would not vote for "those who have only known how to execute and jail people". Raisi's failure in the elections was widely attributed to a then 28-year-old audio tape which surfaced in 2016 and purportedly highlighted his role in the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. In the recording, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the deputy supreme leader at the time, said the executions included pregnant women and 15-year-old girls and were the biggest crimes committed by the Islamic Republic. Montazeri's son was arrested and sentenced to jail for release of the tape. Raisi prosecuted the case. Raisi said last year that the trials of political prisoners were fair, and he should be rewarded for eliminating the armed opposition in the early years of the revolution. "It's my honor that I fought against hypocrisy," Raisi said, using a term Iranian officials use when referring to the main opposition groups of the 1980s. In a report in 2018, Amnesty International said the lowest estimates put the number executed at around 5,000. "The real number could be higher, especially because little is still known about the names and details of those who were rearrested in 1988 and extrajudicially executed in secret soon after arrest." Raisi's office could not immediately be reached for comment. AMBITIOUS CLERIC Although Raisi failed in the 2017 elections, he has remained outspoken, expressing his conservative views on the economy and foreign policy. Echoing the views of Khamenei, Raisi has said Iran should be self-sufficient in production of essential goods, so it can resist against Western sanctions on its missile program and regional military presence. "Raisi is in Khamenei's circle of trust. He has been one of Khamenei's students and his thoughts are very close to the Supreme Leader's," former lawmaker Jamileh Kadivar told Reuters. Raisi was not well known until 2016 when Khamenei appointed him the custodian of Astan Qods Razavi, a multi-billion dollar religious conglomerate that owns mines, textile factories, a pharmaceutical plant and even major oil and gas firms. Although some believe Raisi lacks the charisma to replace Khamenei, he shares his deep distrust of the West, limiting U.S. chances of pressuring Tehran to change its domestic and foreign policies if he becomes supreme leader. RISE TO POWER Raisi was born into a religious family in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city and home to some of its most sacred sites. He lost his father at the age of five, but followed his footsteps to become a cleric. As a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, he took part in protests against the Western-backed Shah. After the 1979 Islamic revolution, Raisi's contacts with top religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure in the judiciary. He was deputy head of the judiciary for ten years before being appointed prosecutor-general in 2014. Last June, Raisi said "internal threats to the Islamic Republic are more dangerous than external threats", a clear signal that he would not tolerate dissent. Yet Raisi, a father of two, has in the past surprised many by his unconventional initiatives. Although his father-in-law, a hardline cleric, banned concerts in Mashhad, Raisi met an Iranian rapper during his election campaign and said music can be used to promote religious ideas. He is also one of the few senior clerics who has publicly spoken about his wife, a university professor, saying women should be encouraged to work and help society move forward. Larijani's appointment as the head of the judiciary in 2009 coincided with an uprising in Iran when millions of people came to the streets to protest against the disputed election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the biggest unrest in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. Hundreds of protesters, activists, journalists and opposition figures were arrested and put on mass trials shown on state television. Raisi, then deputy head of the judiciary, defended the execution of a dozen protesters in 2009, saying they were linked to "anti-revolutionary" and "terrorist" groups. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Babak Dehghanpisheh and Giles Elgood)
Each year in January, Russian intelligence operatives use a local cutout to order a number of copies of thick directories containing the names, job descriptions, email addresses and phone numbers of federal government and congressional employees.

According to Estonias foreign intelligence service in its new annual report, that unit is a front for Russian foreign intelligence, which use the publicly available but slightly more difficult to obtain open source data from the West to gather intelligence on the persons and institutions.

Aided by their geographical proximity to Russia, Estonias intelligence officers are regarded as some of the worlds top experts on Russian misbehavior. The new report, the fourth published openly, zeroes in on Russias ongoing ambitions in the realm of its military, overseas meddling and foreign relationships, including with world powers like China.

The Baltic officials report includes a section on how the Russian foreign intelligence agency, the FSB, targets people using human, cyber and signals intelligence. According to the assessment, the FSBs signals intelligence unit, similar to the National Security Agency in the United States, is called the 16th Center. That unit sweeps up communications worldwide, from radio, satellite, telephone, mobile or data link communications.

Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Getty Images, Shutterstock

The congressional phonebooks, purchased from U.S. Leadership Connect and a local periodical provider, are an example of how Russia uses open source intelligence to amass as much information as possible on possible U.S. targets, for surveillance or potential recruitment.

The Russians have always taken advantage of the relative openness of societies in the West, said Robert Dannenberg, a former CIA officer who at one point served as chief of the Central Eurasian Division.

The Russians use it mostly for targeting purposes but also to fill holes in collection, he continued. And in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, the open source data allowed Russians to target specific audiences for active measures, said Dannenberg.

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The Russians use of the federal and congressional directories are reminiscent of the Moonlight Maze operation, according to Thomas Rid, a professor of strategic studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Moonlight Maze was one of the earliest computer intrusions into U.S. institutions, and first reported by Newsweek in 1999. One of the early targeting methods, said Rid in an interview, was to use a directory from the State Department.

Theres a long track record of Soviet intelligence using publicly available records, but not easily available, for espionage and active measures, he continued. Its an old joke in intelligence history circles that the best reports that Soviet spies would write would copy reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post.

According to Rid, who is currently working on a book on the history of disinformation, its possible that Russia is in a better position to integrate open source intelligence with the other data the services gather. The U.S. is historically not very good at this, he said. I think its remarkable that they missed the 2016 leak operation.

Tracking how the FSB obtains directories and other open source information is made even more difficult since different parts of the Russian intelligence services, like its military, often go by a string of numbers, according to the report. For example, the part of the FSB that buys the manuals is Military Unit 71330.

It is impossible to identify the military or intelligence unit in any given instance without factual knowledge, says the report.

Open source isnt the only way Russian services are gathering data.

Similar to recent concerns over Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei being subject to state authority, Russian service providers, including the instant messaging application providers that many people have migrated to for conversations, are forced to hand over the keys to decrypt communications when asked.

However, according to the Estonian intelligence service, Russia is also focused on developing capabilities to break into the communications of both domestic and foreign service providers.

When it comes to digital intelligence, Russian security services are continuing cyber operations aggressively, according to the Estonian report. One aspect the services are adopting even more heavily, according to the assessment, is taking advantage of the work of cyber criminals and patriotic hackers  though the government doesnt have total control over these people, and supporting them has sometimes backfired, when hackers tackle Russian domestic issues. Local cyber criminals are also causing problems for Russia itself, according to the report  including being arrested while traveling.

These skills will likely be on display during the upcoming European parliamentary elections in May 2019, according to the Estonians, where Russia will continue to undermine the EUs unity by sowing disorder and disbelief, likely focusing on the larger member nations who stand to gain the largest number of seats where far-right parties are more inclined to support the Kremlin  including in Germany, France and Italy.

Given the rise of far-right movements in Europe, said Rid, Theres increased opportunities to recruit.

_____
Jerusalem (AFP) - Unrest at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site led Israeli police to shut off access to it on Tuesday after several weeks of tension at the location.

Police said they evacuated the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, after a Molotov cocktail damaged a police post.

Video spread online of scuffles between police and Palestinians before the site was cleared.

More than 10 people were arrested, police said, including two minors allegedly linked to the firebomb attack who will be brought to a court for a remand hearing on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported two people hurt, while police said an officer suffered from smoke inhalation.

Police said they found a number of firecrackers and Molotov cocktails in searches of the site.

Residents said police were also restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem's Old City, where the site is located.

Worshippers later prayed outside the locked gates of the site in protest.

Jordan, the custodian of the site, condemned its closure as "unacceptable".

Israeli police later announced that the site would reopen "to worshippers and visitors" on Wednesday morning.

Abdul Nasser Abul al-Basal, Jordanian minister of Islamic affairs, told state-run Al-Mamlaka TV that the closure was an "attack on religious freedom".

The compound is the third-holiest site in Islam and a focus of Palestinian aspirations for statehood.

It is also the location of Judaism's most sacred spot, revered as the site of the two biblical-era Jewish temples.

Jews are allowed to visit but cannot pray there and it is a frequent scene of tension.

It is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

Recent weeks have seen scuffles over a side building at the site known as the Golden Gate.

Palestinian worshippers have been entering the site despite an Israeli order that it should stay closed.

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Access to the Golden Gate was closed in 2003 during the second Palestinian intifada over alleged militant activity there, police say.

Palestinian officials argue that the organisation that prompted the ban no longer exists and there is no reason for it to remain closed.

Israel and Jordan are believed to be holding discussions to resolve the issue.

Police have filed a request with Israeli courts for an order to re-close the building, but the court has reportedly delayed any decision to allow for more negotiations.

There are concerns in Israel that tensions at the site could boil over and become a political issue ahead of April 9 Israeli elections.
Sending humans back to the Moon is something that NASA and a number of other space agencies around the world are currently working towards. Getting back there wont be easy, but thats not stopping anyone from trying.

Its been several decades since man has walked on the lunar surface, and the last time we were there, we brought a fancy car with us to help us get around. When humans head to the Moon again, theyre going to need transportation, and a new partnership between Japanese space agency JAXA and carmaker Toyota may solve that problem.

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Today, Toyota announced a somewhat vague agreement with JAXA that could result in a revolutionary lunar rover. The vehicle, which features a pressurized cabin and a suite of high-tech goodies, would give astronauts incredible freedom to explore the Moon, but its not a sure thing quite yet.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kd2nFHAAtU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent&w=782&h=440]

Toyotas announcement of the agreement is somewhat vague in its language, noting that the company and JAXA now have an agreement to consider the possibility of collaborating on international space exploration.

As a first step, JAXA and Toyota have reached agreement to further cooperate on and accelerate their ongoing joint study of a manned, pressurized rover that employs fuel cell electric vehicle technologies. Such a form of mobility is deemed necessary for human exploration activities on the lunar surface. Even with the limited amount of energy that can be transported to the moon, the pressurized rover would have a total lunar-surface cruising range of more than 10,000 km.

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With a range of over 10,000 km (over 6,200 miles), such a vehicle would give Moon travelers the ability to explore a huge area around a lunar landing site. This would boost the scientific potential of any Moon mission, and allow astronauts to study various features of the surface, collect samples from afar, and conduct experiments under a variety of conditions.

All we have at the moment is a video showing the concept in (simulated) action, but it already looks pretty stunning. The six-wheeled vehicle looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, and if we see research stations and even settlements on the Moon in the not-too-distant future, Toyotas fancy rover could become the vehicle of choice.

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Malaysia's prime minister said Tuesday the surprise release of an Indonesian woman who was on trial for assassinating the North Korean leader's half-brother followed the "rule of law", after suspicions of meddling amid an intense lobbying effort by Jakarta.

Siti Aisyah was freed by a Malaysian court Monday after prosecutors withdrew a murder charge without any explanation, more than two years after her arrest for the 2017 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Her sudden release prompted questions about interference in Malaysia's justice system, particularly after the Indonesian government revealed that it had lobbied Kuala Lumpur on the case, including pressure from President Joko Widodo.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in parliament that the decision was in line with "the rule of law".

"There is a law that allows charges to be withdrawn. That was what happened. I do not know in detail the reasons," he said, adding he was unaware of any negotiations between Indonesia and Malaysia on the issue.

On Monday, Indonesian officials released a letter from the country's justice minister to Malaysia's attorney-general, which said Aisyah had been "deceived" and sought her release. The attorney-general agreed to the request last week.

"It was a political decision not to proceed. There was clear evidence and she (Aisyah) confessed," James Chin, a Malaysia specialist at the University of Tasmania, told AFP in a message.

"I am sure they decided that it was an easy thing to release her and score a few points with Indonesia. They can always use the excuse (which they did) she was an innocent player manipulated by North Korea."

- 'Very long process' -

Aisyah's swift release had sparked anger in Malaysia, and accusations that the government had caved in to diplomatic pressure.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), an opposition party, said withdrawing the murder charge against Aisyah was "a fiasco".

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"The independence of the Attorney General Chambers (AG) and its prosecutors once again comes under disrepute," deputy MCA president Mah Hang Soon said in a statement.

"Why is the AG succumbing to foreign interference into our prosecution?"

Meanwhile, Indonesia's Widodo met with the 27-year-old woman at Jakarta's presidential palace following her return.

"Thank God. We should be grateful that Siti Aisyah was freed ... and could be reunited with her family," Widodo told reporters after the two met behind closed doors.

"This has been a very long process ... It's the result of the government's concern for its citizens," he added.

She had been on trial alongside a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, who was left distraught as she was not freed at the same time.

The pair always denied murder, insisting they were tricked by North Korean spies into carrying out the Cold War-style hit using a toxic nerve agent and thought it was just a prank.

Huong's lawyers have now asked the attorney-general to withdraw her murder charge, and prosecutors may on Thursday inform the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, whether the application has been successful.

The women's lawyers have presented them as scapegoats. They say the real murderers are four North Koreans -- formally accused of the crime alongside the women -- who fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination.

South Korea accuses the North of plotting the murder of Kim, an estranged relative of Kim Jong Un who was once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership. Pyongyang denies the accusation.
Running late for his Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on Sunday, a Greek man watched the last passengers board ahead of him but was turned back at the gate due to his delay.

The rejection saved his life, the man, Antonis Mavropoulus, reveals in an emotional Facebook post.

Six minutes after takeoff, the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane departed from Bole International Airport and crashed about 40 miles southeast of the Ethiopian capital. All 157 people on board, including eight Americans, were killed, airline officials said.

When Mavropoulus learned the news, I collapsed because then I just realized I was lucky, he wrote, according to an online translation of his message.

Mavropoulus is believed to be the only official passenger to miss the flight. Another man, Ahmed Khalid, told the BBC he has missed his flight to Addis Ababa, so was given a later connection to Nairobi.

The post by Mavropoulus, written in Greek and which he titled MY LUCKY DAY, included an image of his boarding pass and described his scramble to make the 8:15 a.m. flight.

When I arrived, boarding was closed and I watched the last passengers in (the) tunnel go in. I was screaming to put me on but they didnt allow it, he wrote, saying he was just two minutes late.

RELATED VIDEO: 5 People Killed After Plane Crashes Into California Home: It Felt Like a Bomb, Says Neighbor

Angered but helped by courteous airport staffers, he was booked on a later flight and directed to a lounge for a three-hour wait. But as he tried to board that later flight, he was again stopped by clerks at the gate. My intense protests left no room for debate and led them to their superior, to the police station of the airport, he wrote.

He kindly told me not to protest and say thank God, because I am the only passenger who did not get on flight ET 302, he wrote. And thats why they can not let me go until they know who I am At first I thought he was lying, but his style left no room for doubt.

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I felt the ground under my feet to be lost, he wrote.

While he waited, his internet searching confirmed the tragedy, and he immediately realized he had to alert others that he was not on the downed plane.

This text I wrote to manage my shock, he wrote. I want to tell everyone that the invisible and impenetrable filaments of fortune, the out-of-plan conjunctions knit the web in which our life is caught.  Im grateful I live and I have so many friends who made me feel their love.

Among the victims on the flight from at least 35 countries were 22 United Nations staff members, many of them traveling to the Kenyan home of the UNs African headquarters for a UN Environment Assembly that began on Monday.

RELATED: Which Airlines Are Still Flying Boeing 737 Max 8 Plane After Second Fatal Crash

At the start of that assembly, delegates held a moment of silence for the victims, The New York Times reported.

The @UN has lost many great & hardworking personnel. May they RIP, UN Habitat executive director Maimunah Mohd Sharif wrote on Twitter, as she shared a clip from her remarks addressing the organizations loss.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres went on to offer heartfelt condolences to all of those who had lost loved ones.

Deeply saddened by the news this morning of the plane crash in Ethiopia, claiming the lives of all on board. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims  including our own @UN staff  who perished in this tragedy.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 10, 2019

Several humanitarian aid workers were also killed in the crash.

Four of the nine Ethiopians killed in the crash worked for Catholic Relief Services, and were en route to Nairobi for training, according to a statement from the CRS.

The Nigerian government also confirmed the death of former ambassador Abiodun Bashuathis link opens in a new tab, who had been working with the UN Economic Commission for Africa, according to The New York Times.

In a press release on Monday, Ethiopian Airlines announced that both the planes Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) had been recovered. These two devices will help investigators determine the cause of the crash.

In a weekend press conference, Ethiopian Airlines said it received the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, described as brand new, in November.

The Guardian reported that the pilot experienced technical problems and asked to return to the airport before the control tower lost contact with the plane.

Citing flight data, tracking website Flightradar24 tweeted that the plane experienced unstable vertical speed after taking off.

A Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, the same model in Sundays crash, went down last year after taking off from Jakarta. All 189 people aboard the Lion Air flight also were killed.
The Daily Beast

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New YorkWhen the feds raided Jeffrey Epsteins Manhattan mansion in 2019, they unearthed a trove of evidence including binders of CDs containing tens of thousands of photographs.Some of those never-before-seen imagesreleased by federal prosecutors this weekdepicted happier days of the late sex-traffickers romance with his alleged accomplice, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of helping him groom and abuse four underage girl
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic U.S. congressional leaders on Monday invited NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to address lawmakers next month, offering a rare honor to the head of an organization often derided by President Donald Trump. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited Stoltenberg to speak to a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate on April 3, as the alliance celebrates its 70th anniversary. Trump has questioned the value to Washington of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and many lawmakers see honoring Stoltenberg as a chance to reaffirm the American commitment to the alliance. "During this critical time for the United States, NATO and the European Union, the U.S. Congress and the American people look forward to your message of friendship and partnership, as we work together to strengthen our critical alliance and advance a future of peace around the world," Pelosi said in a letter to Stoltenberg on Monday. Pelosi, a Democrat, consulted Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer as she planned the invitation. She sent the letter on behalf of all four congressional leaders. In February, Pelosi led a delegation of U.S. lawmakers to Brussels, where they sought to reassure European allies that differences over Trump's policies were mere "family squabbles" and transatlantic ties remained strong. Pelosi met with NATO's leadership during that visit. The European Union and United States have traditionally been the closest of allies, also working together through NATO. Trump, however, has called NATO obsolete and lambasted his European peers for not spending enough on defense, raising doubts among many in Europe about his commitment to the Western military alliance and Europe's broader security. Some of Trump's fellow Republicans see Stoltenberg's speech as an opportunity for the NATO leader to address U.S. concerns such as Trump's desire for European governments to raise defense spending to 2 percent of economic output, an alliance goal. The opportunity to address a joint meeting of Congress is one of the highest honors Washington affords foreign dignitaries. There have been 120 such addresses since the first, by King David Kalakaua of Hawaii in 1874. The most recent was by French President Emmanuel Macron in April 2018. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
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By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's ruling party took a close lead in elections for powerful state governors on Tuesday, although the final results hang in the balance as seven races were declared inconclusive or suspended. Most of those seven states lean toward the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), whose politicians voiced outrage at the inconclusive results and the suspension of elections in oil-rich Rivers state due to violence. The lead for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after voting last Saturday follows victory for its presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who won a second term in office last month, beating PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar. Elections for governors were held in 29 of Nigeria's 36 states. By early evening on Tuesday, Nigeria's electoral commission had declared APC candidates the winners in 13 states. Those included important victories in the megacity-state of Lagos and Kaduna, the seat of key Buhari ally Nasir el-Rufai. The main opposition party took nine other states, mostly in the oil heartlands of the Niger Delta in the south and the staunchly anti-Buhari southeast. The electoral commission has declared elections in six other states inconclusive, mostly because the leading candidate's margin of victory was less than the number of votes canceled. In five of those races, the PDP was ahead. In a statement, a PDP spokesman called on the electoral commission to "immediately announce our winning results in these states and others where our candidates clearly won". Re-runs are to be held within 21 days of the vote in the states where results were declared inconclusive and at the electoral commission's discretion in Rivers state where voting was suspended. On Monday, a European Union observer mission said Nigeria's elections need serious reform, after being marred by violence, systemic failings and low turnout. Turnout for the presidential vote was just 35.6 percent, and was even lower for the gubernatorial elections, according to observers. Around 600 people died in election-related violence from the start of campaigning in November to the end of the presidential election, according to reports by two Nigerian security research groups. The PDP plans to contest the results of the presidential vote, and has asked to inspect voter registers, card reader machines, ballot papers and other documents used on Feb. 23. On March 6, a three-man tribunal granted the request. International observers have not disputed Buhari's victory, but said the conduct of the election was widely flawed. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Sayanti Chakraborty and Tova Cohen

(Reuters) - U.S. chip supplier Nvidia Corp has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp in a deal that would help the firm boost its data centre and artificial intelligence business.

The all-cash offer of $125 per share represents a premium of 14 percent to Mellanox's closing price on Friday. Mellanox shares rose 8.2 percent to $118.35 and Nvidia shares gained 7 percent to $161.23 on Monday.

Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, now also provides chips to speed up artificial intelligence tasks such as teaching servers to recognise images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers together inside the data centre.

Nvidia bought Mellanox to help stitch those servers together into one giant computer, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang told Reuters in an interview.

"We want to double down on data centres," he said.

Nvidia gets about a quarter of its revenue from data centres, with the $2.9 billion in sales in 2018 from the segment growing 52 percent year over year. The segment is important as a slowdown in China and a fading cryptocurrency craze have started to weigh on Nvidia's overall sales in recent quarters.

Nvidia said it believes that market for it and Mellanox is worth about $60 billion: $50 billion for Nvidia's computing chips and $11 billion for Mellanox's high-speed networking chips.

The move could bolster Nvidia against its chief rival in the data centre business, Intel. Known for its computing chips, Intel has steadily added other chips for memory and networking in order to grab a bigger slice of customer spending.

"It's hard to not think Nvidia is just buying some revenue to help its case" in the data centre space, said Jason Carolan, chief innovation officer of Flexential, which operates data centres for big businesses and is a Nvidia customer. It's about market share in a segment they're already in, he said.

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The tie-up also builds on efforts at Nvidia and Mellanox to get out of the cutthroat business of selling chips and into the more profitable business of selling complete systems, said Bob Wheeler, a principal analyst at chip research firm The Linley Group.

Nvidia's DGX system is an artificial intelligence computer in a box, while Mellanox has a growing business selling complete switches, which could be combined with Nvidia's boxes, Wheeler said.

TIMING

The deal follows a competitive bidding process which according to sources familiar with the matter, included rival chipmakers such as Intel and Xilinx Inc. Mellanox will pay a $350 million termination fee to Nvidia if it accepts a rival offer.

Reuters reported about the deal on Sunday. Intel declined to comment on whether the company had bid for Mellanox, while Xilinx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deal is expected to close by the end of 2019. It could, however, face some regulatory hurdles in China, where Mellanox has major customers such as Alibaba and Baidu. In the wake of its trade row with the United States, China has previously moved to thwart non-Chinese chip M&A deals.

Chinese regulators may require Nvidia to promise that Mellanox's technology will continue to work with chips from other makers, said Aaron Glick, a strategist with Cowen Inc.

"They're in the networking business, and networks are interoperable. We're going to keep it interoperable," Nvidia's CEO told Reuters in response to questions about regulatory approvals. "Both of our companies are focused on high performance computing, but neither of our companies have a giant position."

Credit Suisse and JP Morgan advised Mellanox, while Goldman Sachs advised Nvidia. Jones Day was Nvidias legal adviser while Mellanoxs lawyers were Latham & Watkins, LLP and Herzog Fox & Neeman.

(This story corrects title of Aaron Glick to "strategist" from "analyst" in 16th paragraph)

(Additional reporting by Tova Cohen in Tel Aviv, Steven Scheer in Jerusalem, Stephen Nellis in San Francisco, Liana Baker in New York and Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Phil Berlowitz)
Washington (AFP) - US computer graphics giant Nvidia said Monday it is acquiring Israeli data center firm Mellanox for $6.9 billion, to expand its presence in the high performance computing segment.

The combined firm will have the capacity to "optimize data center" performance for applications in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, according to a statement by the firms.

"The emergence of AI and data science, as well as billions of simultaneous computer users, is fueling skyrocketing demand on the world's data centers," said Jensen Huang, founder and chief executive of California-based Nvidia.

"Addressing this demand will require holistic architectures that connect vast numbers of fast computing nodes over intelligent networking fabrics to form a giant data center-scale compute engine."

The all-cash deal is expected to close later this year subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.

The deal will expand the offerings of Nvidia, which produces chips and other technologies for video games, facial recognition systems and autonomous vehicles.

The companies have previously collaborated in building the world's two fastest supercomputers, Sierra and Summit, operated by the US Department of Energy.

Eyal Waldman, co-founder and CEO of Mellanox, told a news conference in Tel Aviv he believes the tie-up can "build the future architecture of the future computing rooms."

"Together we will be able to create much more efficient systems of computing, of connectivity and of storage," Waldman said.
Per Israeli newspaper Calcalists recent report, NVIDIA NVDA is in talks to acquire fabless semiconductor firm Mellanox Technologies MLNX.

Further, Reuters estimates this deal to be valued at around $7 billion in cash, details of which are expected to be confirmed soon.

The chip giant has reportedly outbid Intel INTC, Microsoft MSFT and Xilinx in the auction of Mellanox. Intel reportedly bid $6 billion for Mellanox in January 2019 but current reports claim NVIDIA to have offered 10% more.

According to Reuters, this biggest-ever acquisition by NVIDIA would help the company boost its business of chip making for datacenters, thereby reducing its heavy dependence on the gaming industry.

Why Mellanox

Mellanox with a current market cap of $5.93 billion provides interconnect products and solutions based on the Ethernet and InfiniBand technologies. Its customers include datacenter owners and also the companies, which build datacenter. Notable clients include Alibaba, JD.com, Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

In 2018, Mellanoxs revenues of $1.088 billion grew 26% year over year. While Ethernets soared 54% to approximately $618 million, InfiniBands increased 8% year over year to $438 million.

Mellanox is benefiting from solid demand for its Gigabit EDR solutions in machine learning, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, database, storage and more. Further, robust demand for Mellanoxs InfiniBand solutions is a key catalyst.

The company is one of the major suppliers of 25, 40, 50 and 100GB Ethernet adapters, switches and cables to the market today. In fact, per Crehan research estimates, Mellanox had a market share of 69% in the high-speed Ethernet adapter business during third-quarter 2018, leaving Intel, Broadcom and other peers trailing.

What it Means for NVIDIA

Having impressed investors with a stellar performance in the last couple of years, NVIDIA has been witnessing a downward trend since last October, thanks to a slowdown in its gaming segment.

Story continues

Post the crypto mining bubble burst, NVIDIA was overly optimistic that demand for its GPUs will shift from crypto miners to gamers, which will boost its gaming business revenues and offset the revenue loss from miners. However, contrary to its belief, demand from gamers failed to grow rapidly to compensate the soft cryptocurrency-related requirement, taking a severe toll on the company.

The companys focus on branching out its operations in other markets is therefore prudent in our view. According to NVIDIA, its High-Performance Computing (HPC) and datacenters are expected to witness tremendous growth over the long haul.

The acquisition of Israel-based Mellanox would thus help NVIDIA consolidate its datacenter business. Notably, for the past nine years, the company has been active in Israel by either selling its processors locally or buying stakes in startups or setting up a research and development unit.

NVIDIA opened an R&D center in Israel during 2017 that currently employs 20-30 people. The company announced last October that it plans to launch a new research center in Tel Aviv, which will focus on AI.

NVIDIA Corporation Revenue (TTM)

NVIDIA Corporation Revenue (TTM) | NVIDIA Corporation Quote

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By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday, supported by signs of tightening global supply after a Saudi official said the kingdom plans to cut oil exports in April, while the U.S. government reduced its forecast for domestic crude output growth.

Saudi Arabia, seeking to drain a supply glut and support prices, plans to cut its crude oil exports next month to below 7 million barrels per day (bpd), while keeping its output well below 10 million bpd, a Saudi official said on Monday.

Brent crude futures rose 9 cents, or 0.1 percent, to settle at $66.67 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 8 cents, or 0.1 percent, to settle at $56.87 a barrel.

Since the beginning of the year, both benchmarks have risen around 25 percent.

Crude has been supported since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, returned to supply cuts as of Jan. 1. The group, known as OPEC+, agreed to reduce supply by 1.2 million bpd for six months.

Saudi Arabia has voluntarily cut its supply by more than the deal requires and in April will keep output "well below" 10 million bpd, the Saudi official said - less than the 10.311 million bpd the kingdom had agreed to pump.

On Sunday, Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said it would be too early to change OPEC+ output policy at the group's meeting in April.

The United Arab Emirates in February exceeded its OPEC target for oil output cuts, achieving 119 percent of its goal, the country's energy minister said on Tuesday at an energy conference.

A host of involuntary supply curbs in OPEC members, caused by unrest in Libya and U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, have also boosted prices.

In addition, Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has been unable to resume crude exports from its primary port since a power outage last week, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

In the United States, domestic crude production is expected to grow more slowly than previously anticipated in 2019, averaging about 12.3 million bpd, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.

Story continues

"Part of the pushback against OPEC+ efforts has been this idea of unrelenting growth in U.S. oil production, primarily shale. The EIA report reined some of that in, and the report was supportive in that respect," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

However, the EIA cut its 2019 world oil demand growth forecast by 40,000 bpd to 1.45 million bpd.

U.S. crude inventories fell by 2.6 million barrels in the week to March 8 to 449 million, the American Petroleum Institute industry group said on Tuesday. Analysts had expected an increase of 2.7 million barrels.

The official U.S. government report on crude stockpiles will be released on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York; additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Diane Craft and Will Dunham)
By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Monday, lifted by comments from Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih that an end to OPEC-led supply cuts was unlikely before June.

Brent crude futures were up 84 cents, or 1.28 percent, to settle at $66.58 a barrel.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 72 cents, or 1.28 percent, to settle at $56.79 a barrel, a 1.28 percent.

Falih told Reuters on Sunday it would be too early to change a production curb pact agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia before the group's meeting in June.

"The Saudis continue to take a proactive approach to get supply and demand in better balance," said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

Oil markets have been supported this year by the ongoing supply cuts by the group called OPEC+, which has pledged to cut 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in crude supply since the start of the year to prop up prices.

The group will meet on April 17-18, with another gathering scheduled for June 25-26, to discuss supply policy.

OPEC is expected to review global oil demand and supply balance as the group maintains production cuts during the April meeting, a senior Gulf oil official said on Monday.

"We want to see commercial stocks down," the official said on the sidelines of IHS Markit's CERAWeek energy conference.

The official added that global crude and oil products stocks should fall back to a five-year average, a target the group had set to drain a global oil glut.

In addition, a Saudi official said the country planned to cut crude oil exports in April to below 7 million barrels per day.

Prices were also buoyed by U.S. energy services firm Baker Hughes' latest weekly report showing the number of rigs drilling for new oil production in the United States fell by nine to 834.

But the Paris-based International Energy Agency said in an outlook on Monday that crude output in the United States will rise nearly 2.8 million bpd to 13.7 million bpd in 2024 from about 11 million bpd in 2018.

Story continues

U.S. oil production could become less responsive to crude prices as major oil companies expand operations in the nation's shale fields, IEA officials said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Monday.

Markets were pressured after U.S. employment data on Friday raised concerns that an economic slowdown in Asia and Europe was spilling into the United States.

"Brent prices have struggled to push firmly above $65/bbl in part because a strong U.S. dollar remains a major headwind for commodity prices. In addition, global GDP growth has been soft and oil demand has yet to pick up seasonally," Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a report.

But citing the OPEC+ cuts and low global stocks, the bank predicted prices for Brent would reach $70 a barrel this year.

(GRAPHIC: U.S. oil rig count - https://tmsnrt.rs/2V1n5mN)

(GRAPHIC: Russian, U.S. & Saudi crude oil production - https://tmsnrt.rs/2EUHeFO)

(GRAPHIC: U.S. crude exports surge to record - https://tmsnrt.rs/2NW392C)

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York; Additional reporting by Noah Browning in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Diane Craft and Alistair Bell)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians threw a fire bomb at an Israeli police post at a site revered by Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem on Tuesday, and Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including one troops said attacked them with a knife. In the walled Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli police said a fire bomb damaged the police post inside a sacred compound revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount. Scuffles broke out at the complex between Israeli police and Palestinians. No serious injuries or damage to holy sites were reported and police said two suspects were arrested. Tensions in the holy compound in Jerusalem, part of the eastern sector of the city captured by Israel in a 1967 war, have risen in recent weeks after the site's Muslim administrators reopened a mosque sealed by Israel during a Palestinian uprising in 2003. The U.N. Middle East envoy called for calm. "I am following events at the holy esplanade in Jerusalem with concern. Places of worship are for prayer, not for provocations and violence. Restraint must be shown to avoid inflaming an already tense situation," Nickolay Mladenov said on Twitter. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned what he called "the grave Israeli escalation" at the complex, which houses al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site. In the occupied West Bank, the military said a Palestinian, armed with a knife, had confronted troops in the city of Hebron and was shot and killed. It said no soldiers were injured. The Palestinian higher judicial council said the 40-year-old man had worked in a Palestinian court in Hebron. It denounced the shooting as "a despicable crime". In a separate incident in the West Bank, a 23-year-old Palestinian was shot dead when clashes broke out after Israeli troops entered the Palestinian town Salfit, residents and the Palestinian Health ministry said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said soldiers had used riot-dispersal means, mainly tear gas, against dozens of Palestinians who threw stones at them and that the military did not know of any live fire being used. She provided no further details. Palestinians began a wave of knife and car-ramming attacks in the West Bank and in Israel in 2015. Such incidents have become more sporadic. Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, all lands seized by Israel in 1967. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub, Ali Sawafta and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Peter Graff)
A boy plays with a ball as Palestinian high school student Wessal Abu Amra, 17, walks home from school in Gaza City on Feb. 14, 2019. Despite wars and the bad economy, we are trying to find some joy, said Abu Amra, who says she loves shopping and eating fast food in Gaza with her friends. We know the reality we live in so we do things we love to get out of a bad mood. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Amid the poverty and deprivation of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian women struggle to find a taste of normality that is taken for granted in much of the rest of the world.

Nada Rudwan used to work in digital marketing, but as her work slowed  unemployment in Gaza stands at nearly 50 percent  she decided to put her tech skills toward one of her passions: cooking.

It was difficult to find a job, so I thought of doing something I like and that will make me money at the same time, said Rudwan, 27, who posts cooking tutorials to social media platforms under the name Nada Kitchen.

Rudwan said she earns income from YouTube proceeds and that several companies in Saudi Arabia recently purchased her videos.

It is an attempt to beat the physical blockade of Gaza by finding a job that just needs some talent, a camera and internet connection, she said.

More than 2 million Palestinians  mostly descendants of people who were driven out or fled from territory that is now Israel at its founding in 1948  are packed into the narrow Gaza Strip, which shares borders with Israel and Egypt.

Israel maintains tight control of Gazas land and sea borders, citing security concerns emanating from Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the coastal territory. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border.

Those restrictions have devastated Gazas economy and left many of its women, like Rudwans younger sister, struggling to find work after graduating from college.

It is hard to find a job that will allow you to take care of your needs, said Lama Rudwan, 22, a media and communications graduate who joined her sisters cooking-tutorial project after an unsuccessful job search.

Palestinian Sara Abu Taqea, right, 23, who works in the maternity ward at Gazas Al-Ahli hospital, and her friend spend time at the seaport last in Gaza City last November. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Disapproving community

Some young women in Gaza speak of struggles in their personal lives as well. They say shopping and even getting married is made more difficult by the restrictions of Israel, which has fought three wars with Hamas over the past decade.

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Hana Abu El-Roos, 18, said she plans to get married this summer but cant find items she needs for her wedding in any of Gazas shops. I havent picked my wedding dress yet, said El-Roos, who is also busy preparing for her final high school exams. I am confused. My sisters are helping me.

Other Gaza women say community pressures weigh on them as they seek to bypass Gazas economic struggles by working jobs which some see as nontraditional.

Sahar Yaghi took up work as a wedding planner soon after dropping out of university to earn income for her family.

Palestinian high school student Wessal Abu Amra, 17, seen playing with her sister in their house in Gaza City in February. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Yaghis party-planning requires her to stay up late at night. She said she sometimes hears some of her neighbors, who view her work as inappropriate, making comments about her.

I hate some comments. But I love my job and hope to have my own business, Yaghi, 28, said, adding she wants to become the first female party planner in Gaza.

For those Gaza women who do have work, the constant fear of losing their job heightens their sense of insecurity.

Sara Abu Taqea found temporary work in a Gaza hospital after finishing a bachelors degree in midwifery, but said that many of her colleagues were not so lucky.

It is a six-month contract, with no guarantee of further employment, said Abu Taqea, 23, who works in the maternity ward at Gazas Al-Ahli hospital.

Abu Taqea said she finds a sense of solace in the Mediterranean Sea, whose waves crash along Gazas coast.

We are lucky to have the sea. The beach is a place for relief and for meditation, so we can forget about the wars and poverty, Abu Taqea said.

Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Mark Heinrich

Photography by Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.

See more photos below:

Palestinian Suad Dawood, 24, rides a horse on a beach in Gaza City on Feb. 16, 2019. Dawood holds a diploma as a medical secretary, but has failed to secure a job for four years. There are no jobs in Gaza. Whenever I get fed up, I go with my friends to sit on the beach or visit areas with greenery, she said. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Palestinian high school student Wessal Abu Amra, 17, prays in her family house in Gaza City on Feb. 14, 2019. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Palestinian midwife Sara Abu Taqea, right, 23, who works in the maternity ward at Gazas Al-Ahli hospital, weighs a newborn on Feb. 10, 2019. While Abu Taqea found temporary work in a Gaza hospital after finishing a bachelor's degree in midwifery, she said that many of her colleagues were not so lucky. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Palestinian women wait for their order at a food court in a mall in Gaza City on Nov. 28, 2018. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Fatma Youssef, 17, a Palestinian high school student, adjusts her helmet as she prepares to ride a horse at an equestrian club in Gaza City on Dec. 9, 2018. Im nervous because this is my final high school year, but when I ride my horse I become free of stress, Youssef said. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Hana Abu El-Roos, 18, a Palestinian high school student, tries on a wedding dress in a store in Gaza City on Nov. 26, 2018. El-Roos plans to get married this summer but can't find items she needs for her wedding in any of Gaza's shops. I haven't picked my wedding dress yet, said El-Roos, who is also busy preparing for her final high school exams. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Palestinian schoolgirls take pictures of people enjoying a ride at an amusement park in Gaza City on Nov. 29, 2018. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Nada Rudwan, center, 27, who used to work in digital marketing, looks at videos of herself cooking that were filmed by her sister, Lama Rudwan, right, 22, at their home in Gaza City on Dec. 16, 2018. It was difficult to find a job, so I thought of doing something I like and that will make me money at the same time, said Rudwan, who posts cooking tutorials to social media platforms under the name Nada Kitchen. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Saly Abu Amra, left, 23, a student majoring in Sharia Law, looks on as her friend smokes a water pipe at a cafe in Gaza City on Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Palestinian Sahar Yaghi, left, 28, prepares to serve cake at a wedding in Gaza City on Dec. 2, 2018. Yaghi took up work as a wedding planner soon after dropping out of university to earn income for her family. She said she sometimes hears some of her neighbors, who view her work as inappropriate, making comments about her. I hate some comments. But I love my job and hope to have my own business, Yaghi said. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Fatma Youssef, right, 17, a Palestinian high school student and a horse rider, and her friend catch nuts in their mouths at their school in Gaza City on Feb. 7, 2019. Im nervous because this is my final high school year, but when I ride my horse I become free of stress, Youssef said. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

High school student Fatma Youssef, studies for school in her room in her family house in Gaza City on Feb. 7, 2019. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Fatma Youssef, right, stands at the front of the class during an English language lesson at her school in Gaza City on Feb. 7, 2019. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

A view of the neighborhood where Palestinian high school student Wessal Abu Amra lives in Gaza City. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

Nada Rudwan, left, who posts cooking tutorials on social media platforms, takes part in a startup workshop in Gaza City on Jan. 29, 2019. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

From left: Palestinian Saly Abu Amra, 23, Hana Abu El-Roos, 18, and Wessal Abu Amra, 17, buy snacks from a vendor in Gaza City. (Photo: Samar Abo Elouf/Reuters)

_____

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These beautiful abstract shots may look like far-off planets, but they are actually spyholes from locations dotted across Europe - many linked to the likes of the KGB. Named SURVEILLANCE, the project features ominous peep holes from the likes of a KGB headquarters in Vilnius, Lithuania, to prisons and locations linked to the Stasi, the East German secret police. Shot against a blacked-out backdrop, the images look like they would be right at home in a modern art gallery - but putting a finger on their actual sinister use may take some guessing. This was the intention of photographer Valentyn Odnoviun, who travelled to prisons in the likes of Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Germany and Poland in order to build out this unique series. (Caters News)
Pressure mounts on FAA as more countries ground or ban the Boeing 737 MAX 8 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

As more countries and airlines around the world grounded the Boeing 737 MAX 8 or banned the plane from their airspace Tuesday, pressure was growing on the Federal Aviation Administration to take similar action in the United States.

Tuesday evening, acting Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Daniel Elwell said in a statement that the agency continues to extensively review all available data and aggregate safety performance information from operators and pilots, but that, "Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft."

Adding to that pressure was uncertainty over how -- and how soon -- critical questions might be answered about what might have caused Sunday's crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 that killed 157 people just six minutes after takeoff.

"In the course of our urgent review of data on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, if any issues affecting the continued air-worthiness of the aircraft are identified, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action," Elwell's statement concluded.

In this photo taken Monday, March 11, 2019, three Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger planes are parked at the Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, China. U.S. Aviation experts on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 joined the investigation into the crash of a (The Associated Press)

It was still unclear Tuesday how Ethiopia would handle retrieval of data from the "black boxes" recovered from the wreckage -- the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- including whether it would ask for help from the U.S. or other countries with more sophisticated labs, Ethiopia's lead investigator told ABC News.

Investigators said they would spend at least the next two to three days at the crash site before beginning the process of getting the data recorders analyzed, the country's lead investigator, Amedey Fanta, told ABC News' Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman at the scene outside Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which often works in tandem with the FAA, announced Tuesday it was suspending all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 (a longer version) operations in Europe -- "taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers."

Story continues

(MORE: China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, European Union ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after crash)

Because of the uncertainty, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, announced Tuesday that it, too, was banning the 737 MAX 8 from its airspace.

"The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been closely monitoring the situation, however, as we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace," a statement said.

"The UK Civil Aviation Authority's safety directive will be in place until further notice. We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and industry regulators globally," the statement continued.

A key question is whether the plane's advanced flight management system -- the autopilot -- might have played a role in the most recent crash as it did in the fatal crash of an Indonesian Airlines 737 MAX 8 last October, In that crash, it appears the pilots failed to disengage the autopilot when the plane's nose began pitching up and down, perhaps because they were unaware of how to do so.

Both planes experienced similar pitch problems right after takeoff.

President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg Tuesday, White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed, but he released no other details other than to say "we are continuing to monitor the situation."

On Tuesday evening, Boeing confirmed the conversation to ABC News and said that Muilenburg reiterated to the president "our position that the MAX aircraft is safe."

Trump weighed in earlier Tuesday, tweeting that today's jetliners were getting dangerously complex -- that "I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot" -- and that pilots must be able to "easily and quickly take control of a plane."

Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019

....needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I dont know about you, but I dont want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019

Asked on the Fox News program "Outnumbered" why the president has not ordered the FAA to ground the aircraft, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, "it's early in the process."

She said the White House will be constant contact through the Department of Transportation, the FAA, to make determinations at the appropriate time.

In the face of the growing international pressure, Boeing put out an updated statement Tuesday.

"Safety is Boeings number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the MAX," the statement said. "We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. Well continue to engage with all of them to ensure they have the information they need to confidently operate their fleets or return them to service.

(MORE: What you need to know about the Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed in Ethiopia)

"It is also important to note that the Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," the Boeing statement said.

But while Boeing, the FAA and U.S. carriers that operate 72 of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes -- Southwest, American and United -- were standing by the safety of the aircraft, political pressure was rising in Washington.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is running for president, urged the FAA to follow the lead of other countries and "immediately ground this plane in the United States until its safety can be assured."

PHOTO: People stand near collected debris at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 11, 2019. (Michael Tewelde/AFP/Getty Images)

Because the FAA has not yet ruled one way or the other, the agency should "air on the side of protecting the flying public until you know for sure what happened," Warren said on ABC News Live's "The Briefing Room" Tuesday afternoon.

In her statement on the issue Tuesday morning, Warren also called out the Trump administration's previous attempts to protect an ongoing Boeing arms deal with Saudi Arabia by not denouncing the country's government, which was accused of murdering Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Pressed if she believed the FAA or Trump administration was protecting Boeing, Warren said, "That's sure what we watched last time."

"For me. I just want to be sure this is not about protecting Boeing's profits, this is about protecting the people who get on those airplanes and count on the fact that they're going to be safe," Warren said on "The Briefing Room."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, tells ABC News' @maryaliceparks they should "err on the side of protecting the flying public until you know for sure what happened" https://t.co/5x7Tjlxf3K pic.twitter.com/c7trYf9Dj9  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 12, 2019

Until the cause of the crash is known and its clear that similar risks arent present in the domestic fleet, I believe all Boeing 737 Max 8 series aircraft operating in the United States should be temporarily grounded, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, wrote in a letter to the FAA Monday.

Several countries have already taken this important step, Feinstein said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who sits on the Senate committee that oversees U.S. aviation, echoed Feinsteins call and said he was encouraging his own family and friends to avoid the planes.

"The 737 MAX 8 should be immediately grounded until the FAA can assure us they are safe, Blumenthal told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. "Im advising members of my own family and friends they ought to change planes, change flights, change airlines, whatever they need to do to avoid these 737 Max 8s until they are proven safe -- which right now is very much in doubt."

Blumenthal also urged all airlines to completely waive flight change fees.

Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who sits on the same Senate committee, said -- "like probably everybody else" -- he would also feel safer "flying some other airplane at the moment." Fellow Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah called for the FAA to ground the aircraft "out of an abundance of caution, and frankly common sense."

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio stopped short of asking the FAA to ground the 737 MAX 8 aircraft, but increased pressure on the FAA Tuesday, calling on its leading safety experts to "do what is necessary in a timely manner to provide certainty to the flying public that the nation's aviation system remains exceptionally safe," he said in a statement.

I remain concerned that international aviation regulators are providing more certainty to the flying public by grounding the 737 MAX 8 than our own FAA  the world leader in aviation safety, DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon, said.

Foreign investigators examine wreckage at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Tuesday, March 12, 201 (The Associated Press)

Meanwhile, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, a union that represents flight attendants who work for American Airlines, directly urged the airline's CEO Doug Parker to ground the planes pending the results of the investigation and said flight attendants would not be forced to fly if they felt unsafe.

"While we cannot draw premature conclusions, it is critical to work with manufacturers, regulators and airlines to take steps to address our important safety concerns," said APFA's National President Lori Bassani in a statement calling on Parker.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents United employees, said crew and passengers are expressing concern about the 737 Max 8.

It is vitally important that U.S. airlines work with Boeing, the FAA, and the NTSB to address concerns and take steps to ensure confidence for the traveling public and working crews," said AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson.

US Army captain, brothers, a law student, international aid workers among the 157 killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash

At least one pilot's union -- the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association -- came out in support of its airline's decision to keep flying the planes. The union is extremely confident that our entire fleet, including the MAX, is safe based on the facts, intelligence, data and information we presently have, the group's president, Capt. Jon Weaks, said in a statement.

About one-third of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets around the world were grounded as of Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Ethiopian Airlines, the flag carrier of the East African nation, grounded its remaining Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft "until further notice." Also on Monday, China grounded its 96 jets and Indonesia temporarily grounded its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet as well. The United Kingdom joined the growing list and grounded its five jets on Tuesday morning.

Singapore has indefinitely banned all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying into and out of the country, as has Australia, Malaysia, Oman and Ireland, as of Tuesday afternoon. None of the countries fly the model themselves.

Airlines in other countries also have announced the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleets, including Cayman Airways, South Africa-based airline Comair, Aeromexico, Aerolineas Argentinas, Brazil's largest airline Gol, Morocco's national carrier Royal Air Maroc and South Korean airline Eastar Jet.

Sunwing became the first Canadian airline to ground its MAX 8s, four of them, early Wednesday.

ABC News' David Kerley, Jeffrey Cook, Mariam Khan, Christine Theodorou and Matt Gutman contributed to this report.
An internet expert says he has uncovered an open database in China that details the personal information of more than 1.8 million women, as well as something called their BreedReady status.

Victor Gevers, a Dutch researcher with nonprofit GDI.Foundation, tweeted his findings over the weekend.

According to his research, the database stored womens names, ages and marital status, among other particulars. The youngest member of the database was listed at 15 years old, while the average age was around 32. More than 80% of the women included appear to live in Chinas capital, Beijing.

In China, they have a shortage of women. So an organization started to build a database to start registering over 1,8 million women with all kinds of details like phone numbers, addresses, education, location, ID number, marital status, and a BreedReady" status? ???? pic.twitter.com/fbRKsbNHPJ  Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) March 9, 2019

In the screenshot Gevers posted, a field called BreedReady is last on the list, which also includes columns for politics and education. Its unclear what the BreedReady term indicates, though Chinese netizens were quick to draw comparisons to the countrys panic over the plummeting birthrate and aging population.

On the Chinese social network Weibo, users called the database a real-life Handmaids Tale, likening it to Margaret Atwoods dystopian novel. Others called it horrible and absurd.

Chinas declining population has been recognized as an official problem by the government, which in 2015 ended its one-child family planning policy. But the reforms have not made much of a dent in Chinas looming demographic predicament, with the country expected to soon enter an era of negative population growth.

Gevers told TIME that the database of women was taken offline on Monday afternoon.

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At this moment we have no idea who the owner of the data is, Gevers said.

It is also unclear who the women are. We are looking to contact a few persons to see if we can figure out if they signed up for something, Gevers added.

State media has not responded to the public database revelation.
New York (AFP) - US airlines are standing behind Boeing despite the wave of countries and carriers that have grounded the 737 MAX, but fear has gripped crews and passengers, and many are refusing to fly on the plane.

Following the second deadly crash of one of its aircraft, some US politicians also have called for the plane to be grounded while the investigation continues, but regulators so far have not taken that step.

"Two brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes crashed in 5 months. If China has grounded all 96 of its 737 Max 8s, then Southwest, American, and United Airlines should really do something to reassure the American people that its 737 Max 8 airplanes are airworthy or ground them too," Maryland resident Eugene Gu said on Twitter.

A growing number of Americans are expressing similar doubts on social media, and some are cancelling or rebooking flights on this single-aisle aircraft, which accounted for one-third of Boeing's profits in 2018.

The European Union, Britain, Germany, France and China are among the governments that have banned the plane from their airspace, and the Twitter hashtag #GroundBoeing737max8 was created to urge the US authorities to do the same.

The company's share price continued to lose ground, dropping more than 6 percent on Tuesday after the 5 percent loss on Monday.

- What is my plane? -

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have been swamped with calls since the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 on Sunday shortly after takeoff, which killed all 157 passengers and crew.

In the wake of a similar crash in October of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia, many American passengers are not waiting for the investigations to conclude.

"We are fielding some questions from customers asking if their flight will be operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8," Southwest spokeswoman Michelle Agnew said, adding that, as usual, the airline allowed re-booking at no charge.

That is not the case at American Airlines, which charges a fee for any change or cancellation, a spokesman said. The cost ranges from $200 for domestic flights to $750 for international flights.

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And "fear" is not recognized by travel insurance as a reason to reimburse passengers for a flight cancellation.

- Fear of flying -

Pilots and flight crew also have grown increasingly cautious.

The Airline Personnel Union (APFA), which represents American Airlines employees, has told its members not to board a 737 MAX 8 if they do not feel safe.

The Association of Flight Attendants formally called for an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

"In the wake of a second accident, regulators, manufacturers, and airlines must take steps to address concerns immediately," it said.

Like the Airline Pilots Association, the AFA warned against jumping to conclusions.

But US politicians were less hesitant after Britain, China, Australia, Indonesia and others pulled the planes out of service.

Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said, "The FAA should follow their lead, reverse their decision, and immediately ground this plane in the United States until its safety can be assured."

And Senator Mitt Romney said on Twitter, "Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the @FAANews should ground the 737 MAX 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the planes airworthiness."

President Donald Trump weighed in with a blistering tweet, saying "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly."

The FAA said Tuesday the investigation of the latest crash continues, and it "will make decisions on any further steps based on the evidence."

In the wake of the Lion Air crash, the FAA ordered Boeing to update its manual and training requirements and complete "flight control enhancements," including to its stall prevention systems, no later than April.

Boeing chief Dennis Muilenburg lamented the latest tragedy but had no doubts about the safety of the plane.

"We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX," he said in an email to Boeing workers.
Seoul (AFP) - South Korea's military said Monday it was closely monitoring North Korean facilities after a series of satellite images triggered international alarm that Pyongyang might be preparing a long-range missile or space launch.

Any launch would send the stuttering talks on denuclearisation into disarray, after a high-stakes second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un collapsed last month without a deal.

But some analysts suggest the North might be stage-managing activity at certain key sites, to stoke concern and secure "better terms" when the two sides next meet.

Washington wants what administration officials have called a "big deal", with the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction in return for the dropping of sanctions that have strangled the isolated North's economy.

North Korea favours a more step-by-approach, with Kim proposing dismantling its Yongbyon nuclear complex in exchange for lifting the main sanctions -- a notion Trump refused in Hanoi despite the vaunted "chemistry" between the pair.

"The North could be trying to show the US it can always turn back to aggressive posture by rebuilding missile sites in order to gain leverage in future talks, but without actually firing a missile or rocket," said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute.

"It is hard to rule out the possibility of a rocket launch at the Sohae station at this point as North Korea has proven time and time again it can do unexpected things."

- 'All possible scenarios' -

Satellite analysis now indicates increased activity at two key sites -- the Samundong missile research facility and the Sohae rocket launch centre.

Located on the outskirts of Pyongyang, Samundong was built in 2012 to support development of long-range missiles and space-launch vehicles.

As well as developing the Hawsong-15 ICBM, which analysts agree is capable of reaching the whole US mainland, Samundong constructed the long-range rockets that were then transported and successfully launched from the Sohae satellite launch station in 2012 and 2016.

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Images of Samundong taken on February 22 showed cars and trucks at the site, as well as rail cars and cranes at a yard, US news outlet NPR has reported.

South Korea is "closely tracking and looking into all activity for possible scenarios including a missile launch" across the border, said Kim Joon-rak, spokesman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Experts are divided over Pyongyang's plans, but whatever its intentions, a launch would shatter the fragile US-North Korea relationship and revive the angry language that had stoked fears of a military conflict at the start of the Trump presidency.

"This is North Korea's classic brinkmanship on display again," said Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University.

"The North's intention is clear. It wants early resumption of talks with the US, but on better terms."

Veteran North Korea watchers said that any activity is likely to be finely calibrated and could also be intended to send a clear message within the isolated regime.

"Kim could use a launch to demonstrate at the 14th Supreme Peoples Assembly, probably in mid-April, that he has not been cowed by sanctions," said former US negotiator Joel Wit, now the director of the respected 38 North website.

- 'Pretty disappointed' -

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed last year to shut the Sohae site at a summit with the South's President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang. Satellite pictures in August suggested workers were dismantling an engine test stand there.

But the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies suggested last week that rebuilding was progressing quickly at the facility.

A moving structure that had been used to carry vehicles to a launch pad on rails has been restored, said 38 North, adding that the work had started before last month's failed meeting in Hanoi.

Chun In-bum, a North Korea expert and a retired three-star general, said it was "too early" to conclude the North was preparing for another rocket launch at Sohae.

However, he said that if the North went ahead, the US would be "forced to react" whether it turned out to be a missile test or a satellite launch.

North Korea has been banned by the UN Security Council from carrying out space launches, as some of its technology was similar to that used for intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

John Bolton, President Donald Trump's hawkish national security adviser, said Sunday the US sees "exactly what they are doing" in regard to possible launch moves by the nuclear-armed state.

"We see it unblinkingly, and we don't have any illusions about what those are," he warned, adding his boss would be "pretty disappointed" if a nuclear-armed state conducted a new missile test.
By Alexandria Sage Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has until the end of the day on Monday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for recent tweets that U.S. securities regulators say violated a September fraud settlement. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked a federal court in Manhattan to hold Musk in contempt after he tweeted about Tesla's production volume, saying he breached the agreement requiring him to get company approval before sharing any material information on social media. The renewed public battle between Tesla's CEO and the SEC adds pressure on Musk, the public face of the electric vehicle-maker who is struggling to make it profitable after cutting the price of its Model 3 sedan to $35,000. Tesla has backed off a plan to close all its U.S. stores and will instead raise prices of its higher-end vehicles by about 3 percent on average. Musk on Feb. 19 tweeted to his more than 24 million Twitter followers that Tesla would make around 500,000 cars in 2019. He corrected the tweet four hours later to say the annualized production rate at year-end 2019 would probably be about 500,000, with deliveries of about 400,000. A lawyer for Tesla and Musk told the SEC that the CEO believed the substance of the tweet had been pre-approved and disseminated when the company released fourth-quarter earnings in January. The September settlement between Musk, Tesla and the SEC resolved an SEC lawsuit over claims Musk made on Twitter in August that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 per share. The SEC called those tweets "false and misleading" and a go-private deal never materialized. As part of that settlement, Musk stepped down as the company's chairman and he and Tesla agreed to pay $20 million each in fines. Musk had called the regulator the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission" after the settlement, and tweeted that "something is broken with SEC oversight" just one day after the SEC started pursuing the contempt order. Hours later, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan set a March 11 deadline for Musk to respond. On Monday morning, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton declined to comment when approached by Reuters at an event in Washington on what penalties the agency planned to pursue against the billionaire. Legal experts have said the SEC could try multiple avenues, including a higher fine, imposing further restrictions on Musk's activities or removing him from Tesla's board or helm. Tesla published a new communications policy in December for executives as part of the settlement. It called for Tesla's general counsel and a newly designated in-house securities law attorney to pre-approve any written statements about Tesla that could be material. A disclosure controls committee, made up of board members Brad Buss, Antonio Gracias and James Murdoch, was tasked with overseeing compliance with the new policy. (Reporting By Alexandria Sage in San Francisco and Sonam Rai in Bengaluru; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli, Bernard Orr)
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Two police officers were arrested Tuesday in the killing of Rio city councilor and black gay rights activist Marielle Franco, prosecutors said, almost a year to the day after the brazen murder shocked Brazil.

Franco, 38, grew up in a slum and went on to become a charismatic defender of the poor and the LGBT community, and an outspoken critic of police brutality and racism.

She was slain in a drive-by shooting along with her driver, Anderson Gomes, in downtown Rio de Janeiro on the evening of March 14, 2018.

Her death triggered protests around the world and mass demonstrations in Brazil, but there had been little sign of progress in the murder investigation before Tuesday's arrests.

Franco's partner Monica Benicio told AFP the arrests were "a crucial step."

"But on top of prison for these mercenary rats, someone has to answer the question: who ordered Marielle's killing?" she said.

A sergeant in the military police, Ronnie Lessa, 48, was taken into custody on suspicion of being the shooter, the Rio prosecutor's office said in a statement.

He was arrested at his luxury seaside residence in an upscale Rio neighborhood.

Elcio Vieira de Queiroz, 46, who had been sacked from the military police, also was arrested in a pre-dawn operation that was broadcast live on television. Weapons and documents were recovered in the raid.

He is suspected of driving the vehicle that tracked Franco after she left a meeting with political activists. Lessa is alleged to have fired 13 shots into Franco's car as they drove by.

- 'A consolation' -

"Two days before the anniversary of the death of my daughter, it is a consolation to know the police have arrested suspects. It was high time to get an answer," Franco's mother, Marinete Silva, told the G1 news site.

"Now we need to know who ordered it," she added.

Prosecutors in a special organized crime unit say the shooting was meticulously planned over the course of three months, and there is no doubt that Franco was "summarily executed" because of her political activism and the causes that she defended.

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The murder "was an attempt to silence all those movements that are growing: of black women, of the LGBT population -- they wanted black women to abandon their fights, and for the LGBT population to withdraw," Benicio told AFP last week during the Rio carnival festivities.

After Rio hosted the summer Olympics in 2016, violence increased between drug gangs as well as between these gangs and paramilitary police militia and security forces.

Marcelo Freixo, a federal lawmaker and mentor of Franco, said Tuesday's arrests were "a decisive step but the case has not yet been solved."

- 'Marielle present' -

The conservative government of Michel Temer, President Jair Bolsonaro's predecessor, had promised to make swift arrests and to bring to trial those responsible for the councilor's killing, a pledge regarded with skepticism in a country where the vast majority of homicides go unpunished.

The investigation made little initial progress, to the frustration of human rights activists who have campaigned relentlessly to keep the case alive. Franco's image can still be seen on walls around Rio de Janeiro, with the message "Marielle present."

Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Twitter he hoped the arrests would provide "greater clarity to this terrible crime so that those responsible face justice."

But lawyer Walter Maierovitch told AFP that Tuesday's arrests were nothing but "a smokescreen."

For the anniversary of her death on Thursday, demonstrations have been planned around the country. Homage was paid to Franco during the Rio carnival by a samba school, Mangueira, which went on to be crowned champion of the parade.

Brazilian media meanwhile published pictures of Vieira de Queiroz allegedly alongside the far right Bolsonaro.

AFP's fact-checking service was unable to ascertain for certain that Bolsonaro was the man in the picture next to Vieira de Queiroz but when pressed on the matter, the president said: "I have my photo taken with thousands of soldiers all over Brazil."
The United States could overtake Russia and rival Saudi Arabia in terms of crude oil exports by 2024, according to a new forecast from the International Energy Agency.

Gross exports from Russia and Saudi Arabia are expected to hold steady at current levels of more than 8 million barrels per day and more than 9 million barrels per day, respectively, while the U.S. increases exports from 4.5 million in 2018 to nearly 6 million this year and more than 8 million barrels per day in 2021.

The IEA said it expects world demand for oil to grow at an average annual rate of 1.2 million barrels a day through 2024, reaching 106.4 million barrels a day.

President Donald Trump has made cutting U.S. reliance on foreign oil a rallying cry, even as environmentalists would prefer less dependence on fossil fuels.

In February, the U.S. exported a record amount of crude oil  3.6 million barrels per day  and became the worlds biggest oil producer, producing more than 12 million barrels per day. In the IEA forecast, the U.S. accounts for 70% of the total increase in global capacity through 2024.

Much of that is thanks to shale oil production, commonly called fracking. Shale production has skyrocketed from less than 1 million barrels per day in 2010 to 7 million barrels per day today.

The second wave of the U.S. shale revolution is coming, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement. It will see the United States account for 70% of the rise in global oil production and some 75% of the expansion in (liquid natural gas) trade over the next five years. This will shake up international oil and gas trade flows, with profound implications for the geopolitics of energy.

The U.S. was briefly a net oil exporter in November 2018, shipping out more than it imports, but government analysts say the U.S. wont be able to steadily claim that title until at least September 2020. The IEA expects it to happen in 2021.

The U.S. is already a net exporter of coal and natural gas. The Energy Information Administration expects the U.S. to become an overall net energy exporter this year, which it will remain until 2050.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told Germany that it will share less intelligence with its security agencies if the country's wireless network uses China's Huawei Technologies Co to upgrade to 5G, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday in the first explicit U.S. warning to Germany of consequences for declining to shun Huawei.

The U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, issued the warning in a letter dated Friday, the newspaper said.

In Germany, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Thursday on a ZDF talk show that Germany did not want to ban Huawei but said that Berlin will change the law to ensure that all components used in the 5G networks will be secure.

Grenell said in his letter that Chinese companies, under Chinese law, can be required to support China's security agencies and that inspections of Huawei software could not ensure there were no vulnerabilities, the newspaper said.

The battle with Huawei is one of many conflicts in Washington's disputes with China. The United States and China spent most of 2018 slapping import tariffs on billions of dollars worth of each other's goods. The year ended with the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer in Canada at U.S. request, to the consternation of China.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Chris Sanders and Grant McCool)
LONDON (AP) -- With just 17 days to go, Britain's departure from the European Union was thrown into chaos and doubt Tuesday as Parliament delivered a crushing double blow to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal and to her authority as leader.

Lawmakers rejected the deal 391-242, ignoring May's entreaties to back the agreement and end the political chaos and economic uncertainty that Brexit has unleashed. It was a narrower outcome than the historic 230-vote margin of defeat for the agreement in January, before May secured changes from the bloc  but not by much.

Top EU officials warned that the defeat had increased the chances of a chaotic "no-deal" British exit, which could mean major disruption for businesses and people in the U.K. and many of the 27 remaining EU countries.

The stinging 149-vote defeat stripped away May's control over the course of Brexit and handed it to Parliament, which is divided about what to do next.

A drawn and hoarse May admitted defeat  again  and confirmed that Parliament will vote Wednesday on whether to leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement. If that is defeated  the likely outcome  lawmakers will vote Thursday on whether to delay Brexit, something that needs to be approved by the EU nations too.

May warned lawmakers that "voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face."

"The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension. This House will have to answer that question. Does it wish to revoke (Brexit-triggering) Article 50? Does it want to hold a second referendum? Or does it want to leave with a deal but not this deal?

"These are unenviable choices," she said.

The EU, which had warned there would be no more changes or negotiations if Parliament threw out the deal, expressed exasperation at yet another Brexit crisis.

In a statement, the European Commission said the member states "have done all that is possible to reach an agreement."

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"If there is a solution to the current impasse, it can only be found in London," it said, adding that "today's vote has significantly increased the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit."

European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted: "Brexit was about taking back control. Instead the UK spiralled out of control."

The defeat came after May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced changes Monday designed to overcome lawmakers' concerns about provisions designed to ensure the border between EU member Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland remains open after Brexit.

The mechanism, known as the backstop, is a safeguard that would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU until a permanent new trading relationship is in place. Brexit supporters in Britain fear the backstop could be used to bind the country to EU regulations indefinitely.

May said documents to be added to the deal provided "legally binding" assurances that the backstop would be temporary and that Britain would have a way to get out of it if the EU failed to negotiate in good faith. However, the text of the 585-page withdrawal agreement remained unchanged.

May's hopes the concessions would be decisive were dashed when Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said the changes "reduce the risk" Britain could be trapped inside EU regulations  but do not eliminate it.

In a written legal opinion , Cox said the U.K. could still not extract itself from the terms of the divorce deal unilaterally, a key demand of pro-Brexit British politicians. Afterward, hard-core Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party and the prime minister's allies in Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party both said they could not support the deal.

The DUP, which props up May's minority government, said "sufficient progress has not been achieved" on the key issue of the Irish border.

The European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservatives, which has dozens of lawmakers as members, said the amendments "do not deliver 'legally binding changes'" to the withdrawal agreement, as the government promised.

Other EU nations had urged British politicians to seize the chance to back the deal and ensure an orderly departure.

Delaying Brexit, the path Britain looks set to take, would need the approval from all 27 remaining EU countries. The EU Commission said it would "expect a credible justification" for the postponement.

Some British lawmakers had warned their Brexit-backing colleagues that rejecting the deal could lead to Britain's departure being postponed indefinitely, because a delay would give momentum to opponents of withdrawal.

"Today is our Hotel California moment. If we don't check out tonight, we may never leave," tweeted Conservative legislator Bob Seely.

The government's defeat will embolden politicians calling for a second referendum on whether to leave the EU or remain, though there is no clear majority in Parliament for that course.

It has also increased the chances that May's fragile government could fall, sparking a snap election.

"The prime minister has run down the clock and the clock has been run out on her," said Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. "It's time that we have a general election and the people can choose who their government should be."

More than two and a half years after the country voted to leave the EU  and with no certainty about when or how it will  many Britons are simply fed up.

In the staunchly pro-Brexit port of Dover in southern England, retiree Mary Simpson said she felt her voice as a "leave" voter had not been heard.

"I am actually considering never voting again, quite honestly, because I am beginning to feel that there is no point in it," she said.

___

Casert reported from Strasbourg, France. Associated Press writers Gregory Katz, Danica Kirka and Pan Pylas in London and Renee Graham in Dover, England contributed.

___

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
UN sanctions monitors are investigating Kim Jong Un's luxury purchases of a Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz limousines and Lexus four-wheel-drive vehicles rolled out during the North Korean leader's recent international meetings, the head of the panel told AFP Tuesday.

Kim drew the attention of sanctions experts when he turned up at a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang in October in a brand-new Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine.

At the Singapore summit with President Donald Trump in June, Kim's entourage was ferried in a fleet of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars, none of which had license plates.

And a number of Lexus LX570 all-wheel drive luxury vehicles were used by the North Korean delegation at an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September.

"The North Koreans procure what they want. They get the best when they need it," said Hugh Griffiths, who for the past five years has been the coordinator of the UN panel of experts investigating sanctions-busting by North Korea.

The Security Council has barred North Korea from exporting coal and other commodities, curbed deliveries of oil and fuel and restricted banking, among other measures aimed at choking off revenue to Pyongyang's weapons program.

The sale of luxury goods including high-end cars, yachts and jewelry to North Korea has been banned since 2013, and the list of lavish items has been extended in subsequent sanctions resolutions.

The use of the swanky, expensive cars at summits was seen as a brazen display by Kim of his defiance of international sanctions, at a time when North Korea has appealed for UN help to deal with food shortages.

"Violating sanctions is bad behavior and such obvious violations at international events aren't helpful, in my view, for enforcing of sanctions," Griffiths said.

"You don't want to make a mockery of the sanctions."

The UN panel released a report on Tuesday that detailed highly-sophisticated evasion tactics used by North Korea to circumvent the sweeping sanctions imposed for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

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- Kim 'in a box' -

After providing Rolls-Royce with photos of the Phantom, the company said it appeared to have been produced between 2012 and 2017 at its British plant in Goodwood, the report said.

The investigation continues to determine how the Phantom, listed at a price of about $450,000 in car trade publications, was shipped to Pyongyang.

The fleet of Mercedes-Benz vehicles was sent from a US port in California to Hong Kong at the direction of a Chinese businessman, George Ma, whose company Seajet has ties to North Korea's Air Koryo national airline.

Asked about the Lexus vehicles, Toyota told the panel that it had not exported them to North Korea and that the vehicles probably were bought through back channels.

Despite the loopholes, Griffiths said the sanctions -- the most comprehensive imposed on any country by the Security Council -- had put Kim "in a box" and forced him to expend major efforts to circumvent the restrictions.

"They are getting around them, but it's not sustainable," said Griffiths, who will be leaving his post next month.

One of North Korea's key weapons in battling sanctions is its fleet of vessels, which have been renamed, placed under foreign flags and disguised to avoid detection of illegal cargo.

Pyongyang has been able to continue selling banned commodities such as coal and to secure deliveries of fuel through ship-to-ship transfers in international waters, according to the panel's findings.

"It's crazy what is happening in international waters now. It's essentially anarchy," said Griffiths.

The panel has recommended that governments put pressure on commodity traders, insurers, flag-states and global banks to keep closer watch over vessels used in sanctions-busting.
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, center, waves a Venezuelan flag during an anti-imperialist rally outside of Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 9, 2019. Photo: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/Bloomberg



Dealing with state-owned Russian financial institutionsalready a risky proposition for many U.S. companiesis even riskier now in the wake of the Treasury Departments announcement Monday that it had sanctioned a Russian bank for allegedly attempting to sidestep U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, according to a former U.S. sanctions official.



The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control added Moscow-based Evrofinance Mosnarbank to the U.S. sanctions list after finding the bank had continued to maintain its significant relationship with the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.



Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies control Evrofinance, which was founded in 2011 to finance joint Russia-Venezuela oil and infrastructure projects, according to the Treasury.



Evrofinance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the bank has stated it will unconditionally fulfill all its obligations to customers and partners in full, according to Bloomberg.



MichaelDobson, former senior sanctions policy adviser for the Office of Foreign Assets Control, described the Evrofinance sanction as a two-for-one move that ratchets up the pressure on Maduro and shows that dealing with state-owned Russian financial institutions is a high-risk proposition.



The main takeaway for U.S. companies worried about potential sanctions violations is that the Treasury isnt focusing solely on Venezuelan entities, Dobson said: Theyre also looking at non-Venezuelan parties who are helping prop up the Maduro regime.



He added companies and their legal departments need to ask, "Is this a risky entity to be dealing with and also is this entity active in a sanctions hot space?"



Dobson, now of counsel at Morrison & Foerster in Washington, D.C., believed that the Trump administration was trying to signal that there are others who should take notice that the U.S. isnt going to continue to tolerate actors meddling in the Western Hemisphere, and Venezuela in particular, without fear of repercussions.



So far, theyve targeted corruption networks around the Maduro regime, he said.



Dobson added the action shows the breadth of OFACs sanctions authority, which he said allows OFAC broad discretion to go after anyone that they view as, and can make a legally defensible case of, supporting the Maduro regime.



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a prepared statement that sanctioning Evrofinance demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela.



The Treasury asserted that Evrofinances net assets increased by more than 50 percent during 2018, when the bank allegedly financed Venezuelan cryptocurrency Petro as part of an effort to help the country circumvent U.S. sanctions.



Evrofinance also is accused of assisting Venezuela state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, the parent company of Citgo and several other subsidiaries. The United States announced new sanctions against PDVSA in January as part of an effort to pressure Maduro to resign.



Read More:



Could Venezuela Sanctions Bring New Opportunities for US Businesses?



Venezuelan Opposition Targeted by Countrys Internet Censors



US Sanctions on PDVSA Look Like a De Facto Oil Embargo
Vietnam on Tuesday asked Malaysia to free the Vietnamese woman charged with assassinating the North Korean leader's half brother in Kuala Lumpur, a day after her Indonesian co-accused was suddenly released.

Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong is on trial for murder in Malaysia for the brazen Cold War-style killing of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of Kim Jong Un, in a busy Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.

Huong was accused alongside Indonesian Siti Aisyah, who was suddenly freed on Monday by a Malaysian court where the women were being tried.

Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh called his Malaysian counterpart on Tuesday asking Huong to be released as well, according to state media.

"(He) asked Malaysia to ensure a fair trial, and to set free Doan Thi Huong," Voice of Vietnam radio reported Tuesday after Minh's call with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

Huong is set to appear in court on Thursday after her lawyers asked the attorney-general to withdraw her murder charge. Prosecutors may decide then inform the court whether the application is successful.

The call from Vietnam's foreign minister was an unprecedented public request from Hanoi, which generally does not get involved in criminal cases involving its citizens overseas.

Vietnam provided legal counsel to Huong, but has refrained from publicly lobbying for her release until Tuesday.

Siti's sudden release prompted questions about interference in Malaysia's justice system, particularly after the Indonesian government revealed that it had lobbied Kuala Lumpur on the case.

Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad said Tuesday the decision was in line with "the rule of law".

Huong and Siti have consistently denied the murder charge and have said they were tricked into carrying out the killing using a toxic nerve agent for what they thought was a prank.

The women's lawyers say the real killers are four North Koreans -- formally accused of the crime alongside the women -- who fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination.

South Korea accuses the North of plotting the murder of Kim, an estranged relative of Kim Jong Un who was once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership. Pyongyang denies the accusation.
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Iraq and Iran signed several preliminary trade deals on Monday, Iraqi officials said, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began his first visit seeking to bolster Tehran's influence and expand commercial ties to help offset renewed U.S. sanctions.

The deals, among them a plan to build a railway linking the neighbours, emerged soon after the start of Rouhani's visit, meant to underline that Tehran still plays a dominant role in Iraq despite U.S. efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic.
A Belgian court has sentenced a French citizen to life in prison on terror charges for gunning down four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum four years ago.

Just before he was sentenced early Tuesday, Mehdi Nemmouche, who prosecutors say fought for the Islamic State group in Syria, said, "Life goes on."

Nemmouche was found guilty last week on four counts of "terrorist murder" for shooting dead an Israeli couple and two people working at the museum.
US chip supplier Nvidia Corp has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp in a deal that would help the firm boost its data centre and artificial intelligence business.

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The all-cash offer of $125 per share represents a premium of 14 percent to Mellanoxs closing price on Friday. Mellanox shares rose 8.2 percent to $118.35 and Nvidia shares gained 7 percent to $161.23 on Monday.

Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, now also provides chips to speed up artificial intelligence tasks such as teaching servers to recognise images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers together inside the data centre.

Nvidia, Mellanox (Photo: Shutterstock)

Nvidia bought Mellanox to help stitch those servers together into one giant computer, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang told Reuters in an interview.

We want to double down on data centres, he said.

Nvidia gets about a quarter of its revenue from data centres, with the $2.9 billion in sales in 2018 from the segment growing 52 percent year over year. The segment is important as a slowdown in China and a fading cryptocurrency craze have started to weigh on Nvidias overall sales in recent quarters.

Nvidia said it believes that market for it and Mellanox is worth about $60 billion: $50 billion for Nvidias computing chips and $11 billion for Mellanoxs high-speed networking chips.

The move could bolster Nvidia against its chief rival in the data centre business, Intel. Known for its computing chips, Intel has steadily added other chips for memory and networking in order to grab a bigger slice of customer spending.

Its hard to not think Nvidia is just buying some revenue to help its case in the data centre space, said Jason Carolan, chief innovation officer of Flexential, which operates data centres for big businesses and is a Nvidia customer. Its about market share in a segment theyre already in, he said.

The tie-up also builds on efforts at Nvidia and Mellanox to get out of the cutthroat business of selling chips and into the more profitable business of selling complete systems, said Bob Wheeler, a principal analyst at chip research firm The Linley Group.

Nvidias DGX system is an artificial intelligence computer in a box, while Mellanox has a growing business selling complete switches, which could be combined with Nvidias boxes, Wheeler said.

TIMING

The deal follows a competitive bidding process which according to sources familiar with the matter, included rival chipmakers such as Intel and Xilinx Inc. Mellanox will pay a $350 million termination fee to Nvidia if it accepts a rival offer.

Mellanox Technologies (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters reported about the deal on Sunday. Intel declined to comment on whether the company had bid for Mellanox, while Xilinx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deal is expected to close by the end of 2019. It could, however, face some regulatory hurdles in China, where Mellanox has major customers such as Alibaba and Baidu. In the wake of its trade row with the United States, China has previously moved to thwart non-Chinese chip M&A deals.

Chinese regulators may require Nvidia to promise that Mellanoxs technology will continue to work with chips from other makers, said Aaron Glick, a strategist with Cowen Inc.

Theyre in the networking business, and networks are interoperable. Were going to keep it interoperable, Nvidias CEO told Reuters in response to questions about regulatory approvals. Both of our companies are focused on high performance computing, but neither of our companies have a giant position.

Credit Suisse and JP Morgan advised Mellanox, while Goldman Sachs advised Nvidia. Jones Day was Nvidias legal adviser while Mellanoxs lawyers were Latham & Watkins, LLP and Herzog Fox & Neeman.
Israel Police on Tuesday arrested 42 people as part of a sting operation aimed at smashing up an online marijuana distribution network known as "Telegrass." The network operates through the popular cloud-based, encrypted, instant messaging application Telegram.

Detectives from the Lahav 433 crime unit, known as the "Israeli FBI," conducted a wave of arrests against key figures in Telegrass on Tuesday morning. The head of the network was among those detained and was arrested on a visit to Ukraine. Arrests were also made in Germany and the United States.

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The police said the suspects are accused of offenses involving the management and financing of a criminal organization, trading and supplying dangerous drugs within the framework of a criminal organization, mediation of dangerous drug activities within the framework of a criminal organization, conspiracy to commit crimes within the framework of a criminal organization, tax offenses and other offenses."

Telegrass (Photo: Shutterstock)

Telegrass reportedly has over 100,000 members in Israel, including dozens of cannabis suppliers. The network enables instant anonymous cannabis delivery, and has an option for users to review the vendors and their products.

The police also said that most of the suspects allegedly belong to the highest echelons of the organization including its head, three deputies and other administrators. The investigation is being conducted by Lahav 433, the national cybercrime unit and the central unit of the Northern District in cooperation with the tax authorities and the cyber crimes and international crimes departments at the State Prosecutor's Office.

According to police, the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Division of the security services in Ukraine and other enforcement bodies in the United States and Germany.

"This is an international affair dealing with the operations of a crime organization with an infrastructure network for drugs and other crimes in Israel and around the world, the police said.

According to the police, the network operators behaved like a criminal organization and have engaged in the trade of dangerous drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, in addition to huge quantities of marijuana and hashish. Payments to the cannabis vendors was via untraceable cash, drugs or Bitcoin. Police have also uncovered and confiscated various sums of cash and technological devices used for the crimes.

The accused will be remanded at the Nazareth and Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court on Sunday and the police seek to extend their detention for the purpose of the investigation.

Attorneys for the suspects say that their clients deny involvement in the affair.

The arrests come a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would look into potentially legalizing marijuana, an issue which has been gaining momentum recently.

Recreational use of marijuana is illegal in Israel, but its possession was recently decriminalized. Since first legalized in the early nineties, medical marijuana is becoming increasingly available in the country and private companies are working to make Israel a major exporter of the crop. The Israel Defense Forces uses cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in its soldiers.
A Border Policewoman was lightly wounded Tuesday after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a police station near Lions Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

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The police entered the Temple Mount following the attack and closed off all the entrances and exits to the compound in order to locate the perpetrators, which led to violent clashes between the worshippers and Israeli security services. Three Palestinian suspects were then detained.

Police station burned after Molotov cocktail attack

The commander of the Jerusalem district, Major General Doron Yedid, arrived at the scene shortly after and ordered for the compound to remain closed in order to inspect the area for other explosive devices that might be left behind by the attackers.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned in an official statement what he described as Israeli escalation following the clashes, and warned of grave consequences.

"We call on the international community to intervene urgently in order to prevent the escalation  we are holding urgent talks with all relevant parties, particularly with Jordan, in order to put pressure on Israeli government to put a stop to this dangerous escalation," the statement issued by Abbass office said.

Clashes at Temple Mount

X

Tensions at the holy site have been at the all-time high in recent weeks after Waqfthe Islamic trust tasked with maintaining the Muslim structures at the Temple Mountopened the gates leading to one of the small compounds in the eastern part of the Mount, which has remained sealed off for years.

In addition, the Israeli military said its troops shot dead a Palestinian man earlier on Tuesday, after he lunged toward them with a kitchen knife near a military post in Hebron in an attempted stabbing attack.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli swing voter seemed to be enjoying a brief moment in the spotlight. Thanks to Naftali Bennett, who opened the debate on Trump's "Deal of the Century" for Mideast peace, finally, at long last, a substantive discussion was on the table. But then the attorney general recommended that the prime minister be indicted, and the political debate was over.

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Now all attention is on a social media post by Israeli celebrity Rotem Sela, to whom Benjamin Netanyahu has presumably already sent a bouquet of flowers. She gave him an opening; he seized it and now is setting the public agenda once again. While some were asking why the prime minister was busy fighting with a model, he was showing his superior understanding of what makes people tick.

Rotem Sela and Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu is yelling non-stop about "leftists," when what he really means is "disloyal." There is nothing like an argument between supporters of a "Jewish state" and supporters of "a state of all its citizens" to really set public discourse on fire. And Netanyahu eagerly lit that match. It's not that Benny Gantz or Avi Gabbay are threatening Israel's existence as a Jewish state, but Netanyahu set a trap for them. He knew that while his political rivals would not back Sela, they would not criticize her comments. And this he could use.

He knew that anyone who was not him would be seen as supporting Sela. And that's exactly the situation he wanted to create: the Zionist Netanyahu versus the leftist bohemian. And the more bohemians back her, the more Netanyahu will smile all the way to the polls.

On its merits, Israel is a democratic Jewish state, and at the same time it is also a state of all its citizens. The extreme left, like the extreme right, claims that there is a contradiction between "Jewish" and "democratic." This is nonsense. Not only is there no contradiction, but the international community has repeatedly recognized the right to self-determination.

Protests against the Nation-State Law (Photo: Zohar Shachar)

The struggle against imperialism and colonialism belongs almost entirely to national liberation movements, of which Zionism is one. And there is no national liberation without a national identity. The phrase "Jewish state" appears 29 times in the United Nations partition resolution, which does not violate the equality of rights of non-Jewish Israelis - but there is a difference between civic equality, which is a basic component of a democratic state, and a national identity enshrined in international law.

Netanyahu's rule has been characterized by a binary attitude toward Israel's Arab population. On the one hand, there is party rhetoric and agitation, with an unnecessary Nation-State Law that only caused harm. On the other hand, there is significant investment in the Arab sector that has led to narrowing the societal gaps over the last decade.

Most Israeli Arabs support integration. Repeated surveys make it clear that they want to be Israelis and are usually proud of that fact. The Arab leadership is another story. Even Netanyahu's sins pale in the face of the incitement by Hanin Zoabi, Raed Salah and Jamal Zahalka. They do not promote equality, they promote hostility and alienation.

And a final thought: Despite all the revulsion caused by the anti-Zionist statements from Balad and Hadash's sharp-tongued Knesset candidate Ofer Cassif, the real threat to the Jewish nation-state comes from Netanyahu's party.

For this is where the decision on annexation was made, where they are working to realize the vision of one large or bi-national state, where they are working to eradicate the Zionist dream.

How lucky they are to have a controversial social media post by a celeb, so that with the right propaganda, they can still control the message.
Syria's Foreign Ministry is blasting U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for his comments in which he vowed to push for U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling them "arrogant" and stressing that Israeli occupation will eventually end.

The ministry's statement on Tuesday said that according to the United Nations, the Golan Heights are considered Syrian occupied lands.

The South Carolina Republican said Monday he aimed to change the current U.S.-designation of the Golan, which Israe captured from Syria in 1967, as disputed territory. He spoke during a tour of the frontier with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

The ministry said Golan residents are determined to continue the struggle until liberation.
The second Israeli killed in the Ethiopia Airlines plane crash Sunday was named Tuesday as Shimon Ram, a 59-year-old father of five from Zichron Yaakov.

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Ram died alongside 156 other people, including fellow national Avraham Matzliah, when trailing smoke and sparks, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged into a field minutes after take-off from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Shimon Ram, 59, the second crash victim (Photo: Courtesy of the Ram family)

Ram was a former Shin Bet agent, who served in the agency's Personal Security Unit and as an instructor for new agents. He later turned to work in the private sector as a security expert, and was on his way to Kenya on a business trip for the Shafran Consulting and Management Company when the tragedy occurred.

His colleagues said he was a creative and insightful thinker, whose contribution to the development of security technology in Israel was great.

Noam Harush, Ram's uncle, called him "a charming, hard-working man, devoted to his family and his vocation."

"We saw on the news that a plane traveling to Nairobi from Addis Ababa had crashed," said Shafran CEO Oded Raz, during a visit to the Ram family home. "We checked flight numbers and realized he was probably on the flight. So we contacted the family and made our way here. It's a very difficult time."

The second victim, Avraham Matzliah, a 49-year-old father of two from Maale Adumim was identified Monday. Matzliah was a successful high-tech businessman, and often made the journey from Tel Aviv to Africa.

Avraham Matzliah, 49, identified Monday as one of the two Israeli victims in the crash

Members of Israeli volunteer organization ZAKA were heading to Addis Ababa to help identify the victims of Sunday's deadly Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, an Israeli diplomat said earlier Tuesday.

According to Opher Dach, consul of Israel's embassy in Ethiopia, the team was hoping to join the crash site later Tuesday. ZAKA volunteers regularly attend the scene of road accidents and terror attacks in Israel, where they gather body parts and help identify victims. The name is an acronym of the Hebrew phrase "Zihui Korbanot Ason" (identification of disaster victims).

Also Tuesday, Ethiopia Airlines warned that families of those killed aboard flight 302 must wait at least five days to begin receiving some victims' remains, though the identification of others is expected to take much longer.

Rescue teams at the crash site on Sunday (Photo: AFP)

"The process of identifying the victims will take at least five days," Ethiopian Airlines spokesman Asrat Begashaw told reporters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. "Families will be notified."

Due to the impact and ensuing fire, the identification of some remains could take weeks or months and may need to be done via dental records or DNA, an industry expert said.

The process will be complicated because the passengers came from more than 30 countries and Ethiopia has limited forensic capabilities, the expert added, asking not to be named.

Britain, Germany and France on Tuesday joined a wave of suspensions of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft following the crash, the second in five months.

Suspension by respected European regulators was the worst setback yet for US planemaker Boeing in the wake of Sunday's crash and put pressure on the United States to follow suit.

In response, the world's biggest planemaker, which has seen billions of dollars wiped off its market value, said it understood the decisions but retained "full confidence" in the 737 MAX and had safety as its priority.

The cause of Sunday's crash, which followed another disaster with a 737 Max in Indonesia last October that killed 189 people, remains unknown.
The 157 people aboard ET 302 included nationals from over 30 countries, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Tewolde Gebremariam, told a press conference.

The victims include 32 from Kenya, 18 from Canada, nine from Ethiopia, eight each from China, Italy and the United States, seven each from Britain and France, six from Egypt, and five from the Netherlands, he said.

They also include four each from India and Slovakia, three each from Austria, Russia and Sweden, two each from Israel, Morocco, Poland and Spain, and one each from Belgium, Djibouti, Indonesia, Ireland, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovenia, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Yemen.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 MAX, took off at 08:38 a.m. local time Sunday from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and lost contact at 08:44 a.m., and crashed around Bishoftu town, some 45 km from the capital Addis Ababa, the airline said.

The plane arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa, nearly three hours before, said Gebremariam, the airlines' CEO.

"It just came this morning from Johannesburg and arrived in Addis Ababa with no remark and it was dispatched with no remark," he said.

"It was a clean airplane. It is a brand-new airplane... there is no problem on technical side," Gebremariam said. "The routine maintenance check didn't reveal any problem."

"At this stage, we cannot determine the cause of the accident," he said.

The aircraft, which was obtained by the Ethiopian airline last November, has only been in service for four months, flying more than 1,200 hours until Sunday's crash, according to the airline.

The flight's captain, Yared Mulugeta, has been working with the airline since 2010, Gebremariam said.

"He is a senior pilot with more than 8,000 hours," the CEO said.

"Today is a very sad and tragic day for all of us," Gebremariam said.
The Israel Police announced that the Temple Mount site, to which security forces closed all entrances and exits to earlier Tuesday, will be reopened on Wednesday morning.

The holy site was closed after a Border Policewoman was lightly wounded when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a police station in the Old City of Jerusalem Tuesday morning.

Police forces sealed all entrances and exits in search of perpetrators, which sparked violent clashes at the scene. Two Palestinian men were arrested following the search under the suspicion they threw the Molotov cocktail that injured the Border Policewoman, and will be brought to a remand extant ion hearing on Wednesday morning.
A Palestinian man was killed by IDF forces near the city of Ariel in the West Bank Tuesday evening.

The 23-year-old man was a resident Salfit, a Palestinian city located near Ariel, and was shot in his chest during a confrontation with an IDF force. He was evacuated to a local hospital in critical condition and passed away soon after.
Australias major banks were lambasted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) after the banks failed to promptly fix internal systems, according to a report by Reuters. The defective systems led to fees being charged inaccurately, according to the corporate watchdog.

These banks that wrongly charged their customers fees include Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, National Australia Bank, Macquarie Group, and AMP, Reuters reported.

ASIC said that these companies took a long time in addressing systemic failures.

These reviews have been unreasonably delayed. The institutions have failed to sufficiently prioritise and resource their reviews, particularly as ASIC advised them to commence the reviews in mid-2015 or early 2016, said ASIC Commissioner Danielle Press.

Firms taking a legalistic approach, poor recording keeping, and failure to set up effective methods to identify and compensate wronged customers were some of the reasons behind the delay, according to the corporate watchdog.

The four retail banks and AMP had paid or offered a total of about $350 million in compensation for wrongfully charged fees by January 2019, and allowed for further payments (totalling) another $800 million  but noted that those amounts were incomplete, said Reuters.

ASIC was also planning an enforcement action against an unspecified number of entities for taking customer fees despite not rendering services.

The banking royal commission, which was introduced to investigate and report on misconduct in the banking and financial services industry, also questioned the retail banks and AMP over charging fees.

AMPs chairwoman, CEO and some of its board left the company after they allegedly interfered with a supposedly independent report to ASIC on the topic.

Macquarie Group, meanwhile, refused to comment on the issue. Representatives of the four retail banks and AMP were not immediately available to give any statement.
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Phoenix, Arizona - Tuesday, Michael Joe, 33, of Whiteriver, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Joe had previously pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Joe acted as the primary caretaker for a nine-month-old, developmentally disabled baby. He admitted to injuring the baby by squeezing the babys torso until he heard the baby groan and then stop breathing. The baby suffered broken ribs as a result. Judge Campbell increased Joes sentence due to other documented injuries to the baby, and because it was necessary to fairly represent the seriousness of this crime, which he described as a case of severe child abuse. The incident occurred on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, and Joe is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Christine D. Keller and Anthony W. Church, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Jesus Humberto Barrera Estrada, 20, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was sentenced by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 60 months in federal prison followed by six years of supervised release. On Jan. 14, 2019, Corey Webster Newkirk, 22, of Tempe, Ariz., was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. On Dec. 3, 2018, Gabriel Mario Morales, 20, of Tempe, Ariz., was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

All three men had previously pleaded guilty to interstate kidnapping.

Beginning on or about May 27, 2018, Newkirk, Morales, and Barrera Estrada engaged in a conspiracy to find the victim, and clandestinely surveil her and her family in California. The trio drove from Arizona to southern California, where they continued to watch the victim and her family, even tracking one of their vehicles with a GPS device. The conspiracy culminated on June 4, 2018, when the three men ambushed the victim, physically restrained her inside a vehicle, and drove across state lines back to Arizona. A traffic stop in Quartzsite, Ariz. ultimately led to the victims rescue and the apprehension of the three men.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles County Sherriffs Department, and the Quartzsite Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christina Covault, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Last week, Armando Pablo Ochoa, 32, of Payson, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Ochoa had previously pleaded guilty to use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Ochoa admitted to using a weapon, along with co-defendant, Ryan Pearson, to rob $652,000 in cash from the Mazatal Casino on the Tonto Apache Indian Reservation. Ochoa and Pearson entered the casino armed with handguns and demanded that employees open a vault. When they did not receive immediate compliance, Ochoa and Pearson each fired a round from their weapons. Both Ochoa and Pearson were employees of the casino at the time. Pearson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and is scheduled for sentencing on April 15, 2019.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Anthony W. Church, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Attorney General William P. Barr and multiple law enforcement partners today announced the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history, surpassing last years nationwide sweep. The cases during this sweep involved more than 260 defendants from around the globe who victimized more than two million Americans, most of them elderly.

The Department took action in every federal district across the country, through the filing of criminal or civil cases or through consumer education efforts. In each case, offenders allegedly engaged in financial schemes that targeted or largely affected seniors. In total, the charged elder fraud schemes caused alleged losses of millions of more dollars than last year, putting the total alleged losses at this years sweep at over three fourths of one billion dollars.

Attorney General Barr was joined in the announcement by FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich; Executive Associate Director Derek Benner for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Joseph Simons; Louisiana Attorney General and President of the National Association of Attorneys General Jeff Landry; Director Randolph Alles of the Secret Service; Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale; Barbara Stewart CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and former FBI director and CIA director Judge Webster and Lynda Webster.

The charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in our society, Attorney General William P. Barr said. But thanks to the hard work of our agents and prosecutors, as well as our state and local partners, the Department of Justice is protecting our seniors from fraud. The Trump administration has placed a renewed focus on prosecuting those who prey on the elderly, and the results of todays sweep make that clear. Today we are announcing the largest single law enforcement action against elder fraud in American history. This years sweep involves 13 percent more criminal defendants, 28 percent more in losses, and twice the number of fraud victims as last years sweep. I want to thank the Departments Consumer Protection Branch, which led this effort, together with the Departments Criminal Division, the more than 50 U.S. Attorneys offices, and the state and local partners who helped to make these results possible. Together, we are bringing justice and peace of mind to America's seniors.

A list of Elder Fraud cases by the Department of Justice is provided on this interactive map.

Since President Trump signed the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (EAPPA) into law, the Department of Justice has participated in hundreds of enforcement actions in criminal and civil cases that targeted or disproportionately affected seniors. The Justice Department has likewise conducted hundreds of trainings and outreach sessions across the country since the passage of the Act. In February 2018, the Attorney General announced the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history at the time, charging more than 200 defendants in a nationwide elder fraud sweep. In November 2018, Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture hosted the first Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit in Des Moines, Iowa. The Summit focused on supporting the efforts of elder justice professionals to combat elder abuse and financial exploitation in rural and tribal communities.

Technical-Support Takedown 2019

As part of the sweep, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners announced a tech-support fraud takedown, designed to combat an increasingly common form of elder fraud in which criminals trick victims into giving remote access to their computers under the guise of providing technical support. In 2018, technical-support schemes generated over 142,000 consumer complaints to the FTCs Consumer Sentinel Network. Consumers 60 and over filed more loss reports on tech-support scams from 2015 to 2018 than on any other fraud category reported to the Consumer Sentinel Network.

The Department of Justices Consumer Protection Branch, the Criminal Divisions Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section, and 10 U.S. Attorneys Offices brought cases against perpetrators of technical-support fraud. The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and HSI partnered with the Justice Department in investigating these cases, and the FTC, several state Attorneys General and the U.K.s City of London Police joined the effort by initiating their own cases.

Were committed to investigating financial fraud schemes against the elderly, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. Weve dedicated additional resources to address a wide range of elder fraud threats, including technical-support fraud. Victims of these schemes often lose thousands of dollars or more apiece, which can cause significant harm to elderly victims and their caretakers. If anyone suspects that they  or a senior they know  may be a victim of fraud, we encourage them to report it to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Transnational Criminal Organizations Committing Elder Fraud

The sweep announced today brings the Postal Inspection Service to a landmark point in its battle against transnational criminal organizations committing mass mailing elder fraud, said Chief Postal Inspector Barksdale. In a recently unsealed case, two Canadians pled guilty and, thanks to the Spanish National Police, another was arrested in Spain for an alleged mail fraud scheme involving $180 million in losses to over one million victims. The Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting customers from fraud schemes for many years and we will continue to investigate and stop those who exploit older Americans for their own illegal gains.

Many of the cases brought as part of the elder fraud sweep announced today  including many of the technical-support fraud cases  allegedly involved transnational criminal organizations. The Department of Justices Office of International Affairs worked with numerous countries to secure evidence and capture defendants. During the sweep period, defendants in elder fraud cases were extradited from Canada, The Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Poland.

Money Mule Initiative

In addition, in a novel approach, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners took comprehensive action against the money mule network that facilitates foreign-based elder fraud. Generally, a money mule is someone who transfers money acquired illegally in person, through the mails, or electronically, on behalf of others. Across the country, money mules receive fraud proceeds directly from victims and forward proceeds to perpetrators and ringleaders of fraud schemesindividuals who often reside in other countries. As part of the sweep, the FBI and the Postal Inspection Service took action against over 600 alleged money mules nationwide by conducting interviews, issuing warning letters, and bringing civil and criminal cases. Secret Service agents aided these efforts by seizing and forfeiting elder fraud proceeds in transit from victims to perpetrators.

Homeland Security Investigations is committed to the fight against elder fraud in conjunction with the Justice Department, and our other law enforcement partners, said Executive Associate Director Derek Benner. HSI Special Agents across the country have worked to address illegal fund transfers, fraudsters operating technical-support schemes, and elder fraud of all varieties. We will continue to use creative solutions to protect our nations seniors from fraud; financial security is critical to homeland security.

The Secret Service is committed to aggressively investigating and disrupting organized criminal groups who prey on our most vulnerable citizens, said Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles. The results of the elder fraud sweep announced today demonstrate what can be achieved though incredible partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Public Education

The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners focused the sweeps public education campaign on technical-support fraud, given the widespread harm such schemes are causing. The FTC and State Attorneys General had an important role in designing and disseminating messaging material intended to warn consumers and businesses.

Public education outreach is being conducted by various state and federal agencies, including Senior Corps, a national service program administered by the federal agency the Corporation for National and Community Service, to educate seniors and prevent further victimization. The Senior Corps program engages more than 245,000 older adults in intensive service each year, who in turn, serve more than 840,000 additional seniors, including 332,000 veterans.

Global Efforts

Exceptional assistance from foreign law enforcement partners amplified the effectiveness of the Departments initiative. The sweep announced today benefited greatly from the work of the International Mass-Marketing Fraud Working Group (IMMFWG), a network of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Canada, Europol, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The IMMFWG is co-chaired by the Department of Justice and the FTC, and law enforcement in the United Kingdom, and serves as a model for international cooperation against specific threats that endanger the financial well-being of each member countrys residents. Due to the IMMFWGs network of law enforcement, simultaneous technical-support fraud consumer education campaigns are being released in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Elder Fraud Complaints

Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
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Scientists have found a new way to use some of the worlds most powerful X-rays to watch how atoms move at ultrafast speeds within a single atomic sheet.

A study led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energys Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Washington, DOEs SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and other institutions, developed the new technique, called ultrafast surface X-ray scattering. It revealed how the structure of an atomically thin, two-dimensional crystal changed after it was hit with an optical laser pulse.

Unlike previous X-ray scattering techniques, this new method goes beyond providing a static picture of the atoms on a materials surface to capture the motion of atoms on timescales as short as trillionths of seconds after laser excitation.

This gives us a new way to probe structural distortions in 2-D materials as they evolve, and to understand how they are related to unique properties of these materials that we hope to harness for electronic devices that use, emit or control light, said Aaron Lindenberg, a professor at SLAC and Stanford University and collaborator on the study. These approaches are also applicable to a broad class of other interesting and poorly understood phenomena that occur at the interfaces between materials.

The experiments were carried out with the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser at SLAC, which provides very bright X-rays in pulses just 50 femtoseconds  quadrillionths of a second  long. The team reported the results in the March 11 online edition of Nature Photonics.

Surface X-ray scattering is challenging enough on its own, said Argonne X-ray physicist and study co-author Hua Zhou. Extending it to do ultrafast science in single-layer materials represents a major technological advance that can show us a great deal about how atoms behave at surfaces and at the interfaces between materials.

Argonne physicist Haidan Wen and postdoctoral researcher I-Cheng Tung led an investigation of a 2-D material called tungsten diselenide. In this material, each tungsten atom is connected to two selenium atoms in a V shape, forming a single layer thats three atoms thick.

The atoms in 2-D materials typically vibrate slightly in all directions, Wen said. But when the team hit the material with optical laser pulses and watched what happened through ultrafast surface X-ray scattering, a different picture of atomic behavior emerged.

You normally would expect the atoms to move out of the plane, since thats where the available space is, Wen said. But here we see them mostly vibrate within the plane right after excitation.

These observations were supported by first-principle calculations led by Aiichiro Nakano at University of Southern California and scientist Pierre Darancet of Argonnes Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM).

The direction of atomic shifts and other changes in the atomic lattice have important effects on the properties of 2-D materials like tungsten diselenide, according to University of Washington professor Xiaodong Xu.

Because these 2-D materials have rich physical properties, scientists are interested in using them to explore fundamental phenomena, as well as potential applications in electronics and photonics, he said. Visualizing the motion of atoms in single atomic crystals is a true breakthrough and will allow us to understand and tailor material properties for energy relevant technologies.

Preliminary surface X-ray scattering measurements were made at Argonnes Advanced Photon Source (APS). Although those measurements were not taken at ultrafast speeds, they allowed the researchers to calibrate their approach for the LCLS free-electron laser experiments, Wen said.

The study also included researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan. APS, CNM and LCLS are DOE Office of Science User Facilities.

The research was funded by the DOEs Office of Science.

This article is based on a press release from Argonne National Lab.

Citation: Tung et al., Nature Photonics, 11 March 2019 (10.1038/s41566-019-0387-5)

For questions or comments, contact the SLAC Office of Communications at communications@slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, Calif., SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
The National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku, and other officials of the party, have engaged Kadahar boys and Invisible force affiliated to the party.

According to a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com, the meetings took place in Tamale in the Northern region, and other parts of the country.

The purpose of the engagement had to do with vigilantism and ways of finding solutions to the violence perpetrated in recent time in the country.

National Organizer of the NPP, Sammy Awuku Source: Dailyguidenetwork.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Menzgold clients warn Akufo-Addo over attempts to tease them

This follows calls for the disbanding of vigilante groups in the country due to the increasing rate of violence in Ghana.

Awuku noted that the youth of the party see reason with the NPP leadership, and have decided not to be violent, but cooperate with party leadership to help eliminate any politically motivated violence in any by-elections or general elections.

He added that the president tasked the leadership of the party to extend an invitation to the NDC to dialog and find lasting solution to vigilantism.

According to him, even though the NPP received targeted attacks from the NDC in the past, the party is still willing to help address the vigilantism issue for the good of mother Ghana.

PAY ATTENTION: Pointers To A Healthy Relationship We All Should Know About

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New Delhi: In a major setback to the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its MP Anupam Hazra joined the BJP on Tuesday at the party headquarters here.

Hazra, who was once believed to be very close to Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, had won the 2014 general election from Bolpur in West Bengal. He, however, was expelled by the TMC leadership on January 9 on charges of anti-party activities.

Talking about it, Hazra said that he was expelled from the party for an unprecedented reason like posting his views on social media. "My case is an unprecedented and ridiculous one," he said. "I was expelled for posting on Facebook. One can understand from it what has been happening in Bengal," claimed Anupam.

As per Anupam, the sole reason for sidelining him from the party was his refusal to towing district leaders diktat. His rivalry with Birbhum district President Anubrata Mandal was known to all.

However, Anupam's joining the BJP interestingly coincided with the timing when Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee was announcing TMC's candidate list for the Lok Sabha election in Kolkata. Trinamool has fielded Asit Kumar Mal to contest on Bolpur seat.

And Anupam's joining programme, in the presence of Kailash Vijaywargiya and Mukul Roy started at BJP headquarters in Delhi minutes after Mamata concluded her press conference in Kolkata. Anupam claimed that nobody would be able to defeat him in Bolpur if he is fielded by BJP as a candidate which he is very much confident of.

Anupam is a professor in sociology and had no political background at all. "In 2014 Mamata didi dragged me into politics and promised that as my field of study is sociology, I would get a great opportunity to do social work but the reality is something different," he alleged.
New Delhi: Patna High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Bihar minister Manju Verma in connection with the Arms Act case linked to Muzaffarpur shelter home case. She was lodged in jail since November 20, 2018, after she had surrendered before a Begusarai court.

Manju Verma was evading arrest in the Arms Act case which cropped up in course of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal.

The former Bihar minister was proclaimed as an "absconder" by the court which also ordered for attaching her properties. Her Begusarai residence was attached by Bihar police after she went missing.

Manju Verma and her husband Chandrashekhar Verma were booked under the Arms Act at Cheria Bariyarpur Police Station in Begusarai after a huge cache of arms ammunition was recovered from their residence.

The recovery of the arms and ammunition was made during a raid at her residence by a CBI team probing the alleged Muzaffarpur shelter home rape-murder and sexual abuse case involving over 30 minor girls.

Manju Verma was forced to resign as the minister for social welfare from the Nitish Kumar government after reports surfaced that her husband had close links with Brajesh Thakur - the prime accused in the Muzaffarpur case. Verma's husband had surrendered before a court on October 29.

The former minister was suspended by the Janata Dal-United (JDU) from the primary membership of the party.
New Delhi: In 2018, India recorded a jump of 23 positions against its rank of 100 in 2017 to be placed at 77th rank among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank.

India's leap of 23 ranks in the Ease of Doing Business ranking is significant considering that in the previous year, India had improved its rank by 30 places.

India has improved its rank by 53 positions in last two years and 65 positions in last four years.

In the last three years, from 2015 to 2017, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana held the top position in ease of doing biz while Arunachal Pradesh remained at the bottom for three years in a row.

Here are 5 states with highest rank in ease of doing business from 2015 to 2017

Here are 5 states with lowest rank in ease of doing business from 2015 to 2017

State-Wise Ease Of Doing Business Rank



The Doing Business assessment provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle.
Hyderabad: A day after the model code of conduct came into force, police Tuesday seized Rs 90 lakh in unaccounted cash from four persons in four different areas here.

They were nabbed and the cash seized during vehicle checks as part of the implementation of the model code of conduct for the coming elections, an official release.

The police appealed to the public carrying cash while travellng to carry relevant documents since the model code was in force

Regular vehicle checks would be conducted and strict surveillance maintained to check illegal cash flow, it added.
New Delhi: India may join a number of countries in banning Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from its skies after two crashes in less than six months involving planes of this make.

News agency PTI quoted an official from Directorate General of Civil Aviation as saying that the 737 Max 8 could be banned over Indian airspace in the aftermath of an Ethiopian Airline plane crash last Sunday. All 157 occupants of the plane - including six Indians - had died in the crash that occurred moments after the 737 Max 8 took off for Nairobi from Addis Ababa. Even as Boeing - the company that manufactures this model of aircraft - finds itself in an increasingly tight spot, India may join the UK, France, Germany, Malaysia, China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa in banning this particular model from its airspace.

Apart from several countries, many airline companies too have grounded the 737 Max 8 aircraft from their respective fleet. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, more than 40 per cent of the 737 Max aircraft fleet around the world has been grounded.

The Ethiopian Airline crash is not the only tragedy which has prompted the sharp reaction the world over. The Lion Air plane which crashed in Indonesia in October of last year was also a 737 Max 8.

In India, SpiceJet has 12 737 MAX 8 planes while Jet Airways Ltd has five. Reuters recently reported that the DGCA ordered for additional maintenance checks on the 737 Max Max planning in the country. While Jet has said none of its 737 MAX 8 planes are in operation, SpiceJet has said it has put in place additional checks as per DGCA directive and that the company is in constant touch with Boeing regarding safety precautions.
Pakistan's support to terrorist organisations and its illegal occupation of a part of Jammu and Kashmir were the two main points of Indian attack at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.

Mini Kumam, first secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the UN, flayed Pakistan for violating human rights of people in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and for supporting cross-border terrorism. "Matters that need to be addressed are Pakistan's illegal occupation of a part of Indian State of J&K and the suffering of PoK people. J&K is an integral part of India. Pakistan wrecked UN resolutions by violating its obligations to vacate territories under its control," she said. "Pakistan is known to the international community for its acts of aggression, harbouring safe havens for terrorists, military courts trying civilians, harassment of minorities through blasphemy law, forced conversions and marriages of minorities, even in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."

Kumam also highlighted how Pakistan has supported terrorist organisations that have posed a massive security threat in J&K. "Pakistan's continued support to cross border terrorism is the main challenge to protecting the human rights of our citizens in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir," she said. "Confirmation of using UN proscribed terror organization, Jaish-e-Mohammad, as an instrument of state policy by Pakistani military or political leadership is already in public domain."

India has already put Pakistan in a tight spot at the global stage by using diplomatic channels to expose its strong links with terrorist organisations. In the aftermath of the dastardly Pulwama attack, India went on a diplomatic offensive and Tuesday's attack at the UNHRC is only an extension of the same.

Interestingly, even as Kumam exposed Pakistan the UNHRC session, activists from Pakistan and PoK staged a protest outside the venue against Islamabad.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi-led Congress and said that that main opposition party of the country has forgotten the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. The PM Minister expressed his strong views about Congress in a blog titled ''When a handful of salt shook an Empire!''.

In his blog, the PM accused the Congress party of dividing the country on caste and religious lines and promoting the dynasty culture.

Tributes to Bapu and all those who marched with him to Dandi in pursuit of justice and equality. Sharing a few thoughts on the Dandi March, the ideals of Bapu and his disdain for the Congress culture in my blog.https://t.co/QVuDNCZoXL  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2019

"In many of his works, Gandhi Ji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule," the PM wrote in the blog.

The Prime Minister stated that Mahatma Gandhi had understood the Congress culture very well, "which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947".

Calling Congress and corruption as two sides of a coin, the Prime Minister accused the Congress and its leaders of deep-neck involvement in graft.

Quoting the 'Father of The Nation' as saying that misgovernance and corruption always go together, PM Modi said while his government had "done everything" to punish the corrupt, "...the nation has seen how Congress and corruption have become synonyms. Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam- from defence, telecom, irrigation, sporting events to agriculture, rural development and more."

He accused Congress leaders of "filling their own bank accounts and leading luxurious lifestyles at the cost of providing basic necessities to the poor".

PM Modi also accused the Congress of promoting the "Dynasty Culture" even though Mahatma Gandhi "despised" the dynastic politics.

The PM also shared the link of his blog with millions of his followers on his Twitter handle.

The hard-hitting blog from the PM also talked about the famous Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi which had then shaken the roots of the mighty British Empire.

The PM began by hailing Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who he said, was the main man who planned every minute aspect of the Dandi March.

PM Modi also referred to the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government and said, ''A firm believer in democracy, Bapu said, 'I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.' Ironically, Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values."

He quoted Mahatma Gandhi as saying: "I am sorry to have to say that many Congressmen have looked upon this item (Swaraj) as a mere political necessity and not as something indispensable...I would go to the length of giving the whole Congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant."

The PM concluded by saying that "thankfully", today the country has a government that is "working on Bapu's path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!"

The PM's blog comes in the aftermath of increased Congress attack on the Narendra Modi government over the recent Pulwama attack.

''The choice is between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one hand and hate on the other,'' Congress president Rahul Gandhi had told his party's booth workers on Monday, a day after the Lok Sabha polls were announced.

In an all-out attack against PM Modi, the Gandhi scion flayed him on a host of issues such as the Rafale deal, Doklam, employment generation, national security and the alleged agrarian distress.
New Delhi: Wife of Late Rifleman Shishir Mall of Gorkha Rifles, Lieutenant Sangeeta Mall, has been commissioned into the Indian Army. Sangeeta's admission to the armed forces comes following her pass out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on March 11.

Shishir Mall had lost his life in action in Jammu and Kashmir while battling the terrorists.

Lt Sangeeta Mall, wife of Rifleman Shishir Mall of Gorkha Rifles who lost his life in action in Jammu and Kashmir while battling terrorists, is commissioned into the Indian Army after passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/cSxSH8q1DD  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

Sangeeta quit her teaching job right after her husband's demise. After attending an investiture ceremony in 2016 where her husband was awarded a Sena Medal, she was motivated to join the Indian Army.

Last month, wife of an Army Major, who was killed in a fire two years back in Arunachal Pradesh, had said that would join the Army, paying tribute to her late husband.

Gauri Mahadik was supposed to undergo training at Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai where her husband Late Army Major Prasad Mahadik was also trained. She will also join the Indian Army next year as a lieutenant following rigorous training.

(With inputs from ANI)

Army Major Prasad Mahadik was killed in a fire at his shelter in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The incident took place in December 2017.
NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday attacked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his demand for giving 'martyr' status for paramilitary personnel who have died in the line of duty. She said that those who sacrifice their lives, in official terminology, are given Battle Casualty status in Indian Armed Forces and Operational Casualty status in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

Full coverage: Lok Sabha election 2019

In a Facebook post she said: "After the Pulwama attack by the terrorists, the Congress President Rahul Gandhi added new dimension to the public discourse for personnel of Para-military forces who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty by demanding that they should be given the martyr status that is given to those belonging to the Indian Armed Forces. Mr. Gandhi doesnt come from a school of thought wherein it is believed that those who sacrifice their lives for the cause of the nation are indeed martyrs in everyones eyes, mind, heart and soul. These brave soldiers of mother India who sacrifice their lives for the nation, in official terminology, are conferred Battle Casualty status in the Indian Armed Forces and Operational Casualty status in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)."

Attacking the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, she said that the previous government denied benefits to the "martyrs" of paramilitary forces for years but the Narendra Modi government ultimately conferred upon these benefits.

"On 3rd March 2011, under the UPA-II government, a cabinet note was moved by the MHA for declaration of CAPF persons who died on active duty as Shahid/martyr. Subsequently, the then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singhs office, the PMO, referred the matter to a Committee of Secretaries (CoS) on 14th March 2011. Further on, in the CoS meeting which was held on 14th September 2011, the Committee could not reach a common consensus on giving Shahid/ Martyr status to CAPF personnel who died on active duty. Thereafter, the matter was shelved altogether by the GOI and not taken up further," she wrote.

She added that the Modi government in 2016 increased the ex-gratia lumpsum compensation to the family of deceased CAPF jawans from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 35 lakh in case of death occurring in border skirmishes and action against militants. She also said that in cases of death attributed to acts of violence, the compensation was further increased to Rs 25 lakh in addition to their all other allowances.

"In 2017, The Government further issued guidelines for issuance of Operational Casualty Certificate to the Next of Kin (NoK) of CAPFs, Assam Rifles and CPOs personnel confirming another set of benefits to them. They, along with lumpsum ex-gratia pension to NoK, now get a liberalised family compensation and death gratuity as per rules. Presently, the compensation payable to our martyrs who have the Battle Casualty status in the case of Indian Armed Forces and those who have the Operational Casualty status in the case of CAPFs is identical," she added.

She also said that the risk and hardship allowance of the 88,000 CRPF personnel who are deployed in the Left Wing extremist area and Jammu and Kashmir was increased by 78 per cent in the case of other ranks and 48 per cent in the case of officers.

"The Congress President was expected to be aware and informed of these facts and information. The UPA Government denied these benefits to the martyrs for years and it was under the Modi-led NDA Government which ultimately conferred these benefits," she said.
At a time when Rahul Gandhi appears to have turned the Rafale deal into his main electoral weapon, the BJP has hit back hard with party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar saying it exposes the hollow political character of the Congress chief.

Rahul has repeatedly accused the Narendra Modi government of paying an inflated price for the fighter aircraft from France's Dassault Aviation - a charge the government has relentlessly denied. Rahul has also questioned why Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence - and not Hindustan Aeronautics Limited - got the contract to manufacture the jet under license in India. This is also a charge that BJP has vehemently denied, saying the government had no role to play in it.

On Tuesday, Rahul renewed his charge against the BJP over the Rafale issue at the Congress Working Committee meet but his charges were rebutted by Javdekar. "We thought at least in Gandhinagar, where Gandhi ji worked, Rahul Gandhi would speak the truth. But even there, he continued with his story of lies. Mahatma Gandhi and this Gandhi are different. He used to walk on the path of truth and Rahul walks on the path of lies. What is Rafale? I always describe Rafale as 'Rahul fail.' He thinks that if lies are spoken repeatedly, they become the truth. But it does not happen," said Javdekar.

BJP has previously termed Rahul as 'shameless' for questioning the deal which is crucial for the national security of India. Party president Amit Shah had called Rahul a 'liar' for making 'misleading statements.'

Even as Congress demanded a JPC probe into the deal, the Indian Air Force said that the Rafale jets could prove to be a gamechanger.
New Delhi: Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland chopper scam case, claimed in a Delhi court Tuesday that former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana met him in Dubai and threatened to make his life hell inside jail if he did not toe the line of the agency in its investigation in the scandal.

"Sometime back Rakesh Asthana met me in Dubai and threatened that my life would be made hell and that's what is going on. My next door inmate is (gangster) Chotta Rajan... I don't understand what crime I have committed to be put along with those who have killed several people," he said.

Michel, who was present in the courtroom, also told the court that he was put in the prison with 16-17 Kashmiri separatist leaders.

The statements were made by Michel before Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate him inside Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The court said the agency will quiz him on Wednesday and Thursday.

A jail official will remain present and Michel's lawyer is also allowed a limited access during interrogation, for half an hour in the morning and in evening, it said.

The court took note of Michel's submission alleging mental torture inside the jail and directed Tihar jail authorities to produce the CCTV footage and reports by Thursday based on which he was shifted to a high-security ward.

On Monday, the court asked the jail authorities to submit their reply on the agency's plea and issued a production warrant for Tuesday for Michel after his lawyer alleged mental torture inside the jail.

Michel was arrested by ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.

The court previously lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it does not get a proper response.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the chopper scam by ED and Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked National Security Adviser Ajit Doval alleging that he was among those responsible for the release of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in 1999 when Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked by terrorists. Doval was tasked with leading the four-member negotiating team to Kandahar in Afghanistan to negotiate the release of passengers of the hijacked IC 814 plane.

Doval was in Kandahar for six days from December 26, 1999, till December 31 trying to negotiate the safe release of the passengers. In 2009, Zee News had interviewed Ajit Doval on the IC-814 hijacking incident. In that interview, Doval, who was then Additional Director of Intelligence Bureau, had revealed many interesting facts about the hijacking.

Here are the details of the interview:

Q: What happened when it was known that the plane has been hijacked?

Doval: When the plane took off from Kathmandu and came near Lucknow at that time it was realised for the first time that it is straying away from its course and moving towards the west. After a few minutes, it was realised that there is something abnormal and members of the Crisis Management Group and everyone concerned got into action. The officers of the aviation department, intelligence agencies and security forces were alerted about the situation. The Crisis Management Group was the concerned body to deal with the situation and I was not a member of the CMG. After the hijacking, the biggest problem was for Crisis Management Group and I was not a member of that Group. The Director of Intelligence Bureau was a member of the Crisis Management Group and his first priority was to keep the aircraft inside Indian airspace. When it was known to the Crisis Management Group that the plane was in Amritsar, where the first action kept it grounded there. At that time efforts were made to stop the plane in Amritsar but in vain.

Q: What were the problems in negotiating for the safe release of hostages?

Doval: On December 26, the government decided that it will negotiate to secure the release of hostages. The government was under immense pressure from the public and media to bring back home the hostages safely at any cost. The pressure increased following the killing of Rupen Katyal by the hijackers. I was then ordered by the government to fly to Kandahar in a special aircraft. After reaching Kandahar, I realised that hijacking negotiation is not a diplomatic negotiation and it is done mainly to buy time. The objective of the negotiation is to achieve three things. First and foremost is to stop the hijackers from harming any passengers or cabin crew members. The second objective is to give maximum time to the government to start preparing for rescue operations and the third objective is to keep talking with the hijackers in order gain maximum information and intelligence from them like their morale, their physical fitness, the total number of hijackers and what are there demands. The hijacking negotiation is a tactical step aimed at saving the lives of people. After reaching Kandahar, I realised that we were very weak in all these three aspects. The primary issue was that the hijackers were not in a position where it was possible for us to tire them out because they were receiving food, medicines and they were able to move in and out. The most important thing was that they were not feeling insecure at all. They were fully confident that India will not attack them in Kandahar. The biggest trouble in negotiation is when the hijackers are not under any pressure. On the other hand, in this case, we were in a vulnerable position as we were surrounded by Taliban fighters and their tanks and anti-aircraft guns. Even the hijackers knew that negotiators were under pressure. We were trying our best to gather intelligence about the hijackers but they knew more than us about what was happening in India. They were getting all the information from ISI. We were receiving some intelligence about the hijackers but the Taliban government was not helping us to verify that intelligence. Taliban was neither willing to act themselves against the hijackers, nor did they allowed the Indian government to take action the hijackers. They told us clearly that they will not allow India to carry out any operation on their soil.

Q: What were the demands of the hijackers?

Doval: We were talking with the hijackers on wireless and they put up their demand over 24 hours after the beginning of negotiations. They gave us a list to release 35-35 terrorists, exhume the dead body of Sajjad Afghani and a ransom of USD 200 million. As the negotiations proceeded, they gave up the demand of body of Sajjad Afghani and USD 200 million. It is quite possible that they were not very serious about these two demands but we were informed by Taliban officials that they had asked the hijackers to drop these two demands because they were not as per the tenets of Islam. But they were adamant on their demand to release the terrorists in exchange for the release of passengers. They kept on saying that we are "fidayeens and we are not worried about dying at all. But we will kill all the passengers and we are now not worried about our lives and if you do not want to do anything then it is up to you".

Q: Did the demand to release Masood Azhar raised in the beginning?

Doval: No, this demand was raised by them very late as initially, they kept on demanding the freedom of Kashmir.

Q: Did you talk to passengers who were inside the hijacked plane?

Doval: They made us talk to crew members for one or two seconds as we said that we wanted to know that all our passengers and crew members are safe or not. Rest they had monopolised the communication network.

Q: Did you feel disappointed as an Indian?

Doval: As a professional, you don't always talk about winning and losing. For me, it was a professional challenge and the challenge increased after one of the passengers named Rupen Katyal was killed at Dubai airport. After reaching Kandahar, there was no option to take physical action against hijackers. Afghanistan is a land-locked country and in order to take any action there, we needed permission from Pakistan, which was highly impossible. Theoretically, even if we had tried to launch an operation, then passengers would have been the first casualties because the hijackers would have blown the plane. That's why if our objective was to save the life of passengers then in a given time-frame this was a successful operation. No country takes any action which breaks the morale of a nation and though we did not succeed in maximising our gains we did manage to minimise our losses.

Q: Do you any regrets after being involved in this operation?

Doval: As a nationalist, I do have regrets that the pride of the nation was dented. We failed to do what a powerful nation could have done to stop this plane from flying out of India. One personal regret is that when the plane was in Kandahar and hijackers were inside the plane I had gone inside the plane through cockpit by using a ladder and I had addressed all the passengers in front of hijackers. I had said that all of you are free and the Indian government is standing behind you. We will take you safely to India. After that when I asked the passengers to say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Hind', none of the passengers said so. I had this regret that all of them were so terrified that their patriotism had been hit. I had regret that we failed to deal with Pakistan effectively after the incident. I had regrets that we could not take tough action against Pakistan for supporting the hijackers. Though we released 3 out of the 36 names demanded by us we did not create any law that if a plane is hijacked and the hijackers seek the release of any person, then the person will be treated as a terrorist and the onus to prove will lie on them.
San Francisco: Google paid $105 million to two of its former executives, including one of Indian-origin, after they were accused of sexual harassment.

According to a report in TechCrunch on Monday, Google initially agreed to pay $135 million to Andy Rubin and Amit Singhal.

The total amount was later brought down to $105 million ($90 million for Rubin and $15 million for Singhal).

Singhal who was initially offered $45 million had to go with $15 million as he had joined rival company Uber.

He later stepped down as Uber`s Senior Vice President of Engineering in 2017 after the sexual harassment details reached the ride-hailing giant.

Singhal was Senior Vice President at Search while Rubin was head of Android at Google.

The news of the payouts, reported by the New York Times last October, led to widespread protests on Google`s campus.

Singhal "was allowed to quietly resign at Google in 2016 in the wake of credible allegations of sexual harassment, and was paid millions in severance".

The new figures were revealed from a shareholder lawsuit against the company. The payments were approved by Google`s Leadership Development and Compensation Committee, according to the lawsuit.

According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Google has so far terminated 48 people for sexual harassment.

"There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google.

"In recent years, we`ve made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority," the company said in a statement to TechCrunch.
JAMMU: The elimination of Mudasir Ahmed Khan - the key mastermind of Pulwama suicide attack - during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Tral locality on Monday is a significant dent to the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a senior J&K police official has said.

Mudasir Ahmed Khan alias Mohammad bhai was recruited as an overground worker (OGW) of the JeM in 2017 and soon became a key Improvised Explosive Device (IED) handler of the outfit.

Swayam Prakash Pani, Inspector General of Police of the Kashmir Range, said during a press briefing that the identity of the second terrorist has not been ascertained yet.

We know that his code was Khalid. We are trying to find his actual identity, Pani said while adding that he is believed to be a Pakistani citizen.

The killing of Khan is a significant dent to the JeM, Pani said.

Soon after the encounter, the J&K Police confirmed that one of the charred bodies recovered after the encounter belonged to Khan.

In the last 21 days, we have eliminated 18 terrorists, out of them, 14 were from JeM and 6 out of those 14 were main commanders. JeMs 2nd commander Mudasir, main conspirator in national highway convoy attack, has also been eliminated, Lt General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, General Officer Commanding of XV Corps of the Army, also said in a press briefing.

Khan was among the two terrorists who were killed in the encounter in Trals Pinglish area.

The gunfight began after the terrorists opened fire at the security personnel who were combing the area on Sunday evening.

23-year-old Khan, who was an electrician and a graduate from Pulwama, is believed to had arranged for the vehicle and explosives used in the Pulwama suicide attack on a CRPF convoy, which resulted in the death of at least 40 troopers.

11 days after the Pulwama attack, the IAF conducted a major airstrike targeting a JeM terror training camp in Pakistan's Balakot in which several terrorists were reported to be killed.

This followed a failed bid from Pakistan to violate India's airspace and an ensuing aerial dogfight in which one of the F-16 fighter warplane was shot down by an IAF MiG 21 fighter jet which was also hit in the crossfire.

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down the Pakistan plane, ejected after his Mig 21 caught fire and landed over the side of the border in PoK.

He was captured by the Pakistani forces but later handed over to India under tremendous international pressure.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has identified some 24 properties across India, including in the national capital, that belong to Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali and were bought with money received from alleged 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Watali in August 2017. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate attached Watali`s immovable property worth Rs 1.3 crore in Haryana`s Gurugram. The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Gurugram(Haryana): #Visuals from Kashmiri businessman Zahoor AS Watali's residence; ED under PMLA has attached property worth Rs1.03 Cr of Watali in matter of terror financing by Hafiz Saeed (Lashkar-e-Taiba & Jamaat-Ud-Dawa founder), Yusuf Shah (Hizb-ul-Mujahideen head) & others pic.twitter.com/M4ykdDYJUn  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

The financial probe agency is examining cases against Saeed, who is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Syed Salahuddin, head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), and others.

"We have identified 24 properties of Watali, bought in several states including Delhi, Harayana and Uttar Pradesh," an ED source told IANS.

He refused to share details of these properties.

The value of the said properties is over Rs 15 crore. The source claimed that Watali received the money for the properties for "his services".

The agency had earlier claimed that documents recovered from Watali`s residence showed that he received money from Saeed, from the Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), from the Pakistan High Commission at New Delhi and also from a source based in Dubai.

The source said Watali had a very good relation with Pakistan-based terrorists and terror groups apart from Saeed and Salahuddin.

Watali used to receive instruction from his handlers from across the border to pass the money to the separatist leaders in the Kashmir valley, the source added.

Earlier, on March 8, IANS reported that the ED has also identified six people and several NGOs, who bought properties from the money received from Pakistan-based terror groups.

The ED had filed the case of money laundering based on a NIA case registered in May 2017 for stoking unrest in Jamuu and Kashmir.

The anti-terror agency had on January 18 last year filed charge sheet against 12 people, including Saeed and Salahuddin, seven Kashmiri separatist leaders and others in terror funding.

The ED in 2018 had also questioned Dubai-based hawala operator, Naval Kishore Kapoor, who was arrested by NIA on July 16. Kapoor is currently lodged in Tihar Central Jail, as the ED continues probe into details of funding that emerged post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

According to the ED sources, questioning of Kapoor was required as the NIA probe had revealed a lease agreement signed in 2014 between him and Kashmiri businessman Watali.

The agency also has incriminating document against Watali, recovered from the cashier-cum-accountant of the businessman, Ghulam Mohammad Bhatt, during a 2017 raid.

According to ED officials, the Watali, who was arrested by the NIA in August 2017 was remitting the same to the Hurriyat leaders, separatists and stone-pelters of Jammu and Kashmir to stoke unrest.

The officials said that the documents collected from Watali`s residence and office showed that it had been maintained in regular course of his business and was signed by Watali himself.

The NIA in July 2017 had also arrested Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, Nayeem Khan, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah.

Altaf Ahmad Shah is the son-in-law of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who advocates Jammu and Kashmir`s merger with Pakistan. Shahid-ul-Islam is an aide of moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, and Khandey is the spokesperson for the Geelani-led Hurriyat.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is set to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the modalities for holding the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting comes days after the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced that the assembly elections would not be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha election 2019.

Jammu and Kashmir is set to vote for its six Lok Sabha constituencies - Baramulla, Srinagar, Anantnag, Ladakh, Udhampur and Jammu - in the fifth phase.

Announcing the schedule for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on Sunday, Arora had said the decision to hold the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections separately had been made on the basis of the prevailing security situation in the state.

However, Assembly elections will proceed in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.

The decision has been taken as the EC received information regarding constraint of availability of central forces for the security of the people in the wake of recent violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Arora added that the election observers have been closely monitoring the situation in the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was dissolved in November 2018 after the ruling coalition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) fell apart in June last year.

The six-year term in J&K is scheduled to end on March 16, 2021.

The state is currently under President's Rule, hence the EC is bound to hold fresh polls there as well within a six-month period, which will end in May.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in five phases on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29 and May 6.

For the first time in India's electoral history, the parliamentary election for Anantnag constituency will take place in three phases.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The schedule of Lok Sabha elections, which was announced on Sunday, has provided the Bharatiya Janata Party an opportunity to run concerted campaigns in some of the crucial states it is trying to expand or is facing tough contests.

The party, however, also faces the challenge of sustaining its narrative on national security till the end of the seven-phased election that begins on April 11.

For the Congress, which is short on resources, the long campaign poses its own challenges: it requires to make more strenuous efforts to build its narrative on unemployment, farm distress and PM Modi government's unfulfilled promises in the face of perception that the air strikes on a terror base camp in Pakistan have altered the poll narrative.

The Congress' best hopes are in the states its rules - Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It is also expecting to improve its performance significantly in Uttar Pradesh due to the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The party also has good hopes in Maharashtra and Bihar, where the opposition alliance is likely to formalised in the next few days as also in Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, where the alliances have been sealed. It is also expecting a turnaround in Haryana and improve its performance in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and northeastern states.

Punjab will go to the polls in the last and seventh phase on May 19, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh will see polling across all seven phases from April 11 to May 19, Himachal Pradesh will go to the polls in the last phase on May 19 and Haryana and Delhi in the penultimate phase on May 12.

Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand will have a four-phase election which will end with the last phase on May 19. The two-phase election in Rajasthan, where BJP had won all the seats in 2014, will also be held in the fifth (May 6) and the seventh and last phase (May 19).

Maharashtra will go for election in the first four phases - April 11, 18, 23 and 29 - and Chhattisgarh in the first three phases.

Gujarat, where the BJP had got a clean sweep in 2014, will go to the polls in the third phase (April 23). Uttarakhand will see polling in the first phase on April 11.

The schedule shows that in all the states where the Congress is hoping to do well, it will have to sustain a long and hard campaign. It will need to carefully plan rallies of party chief Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP has time to plan its campaign in Hindi heartland states where it had done very well in the 2014 campaign but faces challenges due to anti-incumbency and the Congress gaining ground.

The party has already started building its narrative on "nationalism", national security and speed of governance but the challenge remains to sustain it in the face of opposition's campaign on bread and butter issues like unemployment and agrarian problems.

BJP leaders have been referring to the air strikes on a terror camp in Pakistan last month as also surgical strikes of 2016 to portray the Modi government as strong and decisive compared to Congress-led UPA on the issue of fighting terror from Pakistan-based groups. The narrative is being led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP can carefully plan its campaign in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal which have seven-phased elections. It can also do so in Odisha which will have a four-phased election. This is the first time that Odisha will have multi-phased elections. These four states together account for one-third of the Lok Sabha seats.

In UP, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats and where the BJP in 2014 won 71 seats on its own (two were won by its ally Apna Dal), the party faces combined challenge of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

In Bihar that elects 40 MPs, the ruling alliance of the BJP-Janata Dal-United and the Lok Janshakti Party faces a tough contest with a combined opposition that includes Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Hindustani Awami Morcha.

The BJP has been focusing on West Bengal to emerge as the main opponent of the ruling Trinamool Congress. The party is hoping to improve its performance beyond the two Lok Sabha seats that it won in the state in 2014.

Odisha (21 seats) is another state where the BJP has been making serious efforts to gain ground. The Congress has not been able to put up a strong fight over the past few elections against the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The BJP hopes good performance in West Bengal and Odisha will help it compensate for losses in the Hindi heartland states where it performed remarkably well in the last Lok Sabha elections. Three of these -- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan -- are now ruled by the Congress.

Two other states where BJP is trying to expand its footprint -- Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- will have a single-phase election.
New Delhi: A complaint has been registered against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a court in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on Tuesday over his remark where he referred to Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as 'Azhar Ji'.

The complaint was lodged by Tamanna Hashmi from Ahiyapur.

The court has set the matter for hearing on May 16.

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi sparked political controversy by referring to terrorist and JeM chief Masood Azhar as 'Masood Azhar Ji' in a rally. The ruling BJP wasted no time in hitting back at the Congress chief and accused the Gandhi scion of giving honour and respect to the JeM chief.

Rahul Gandhi made the remarks, which is set to spark a row, during a speech in Delhi on Monday. "40 CRPF soldiers lost their lives. Who was responsible for the bombing? Listen, it was Jaish-e-Mohammad. Masood Azhar. Do you remember? Now, the one who has 56-inch chest, do you remember that during his previous government, the Security Advisor Ajit Doval sat with Masood Azhar Ji in an aircraft and handed him over to Kandahar," the Congress president said.

Within minutes, BJP tweeted a video of Rahul Gandhi simply saying the words 'Masood Azhar ji'. In the video, the BJP writes: "This much respect for the head of the terrorist organisation that perpetrated the attack in which 44 brave Jawans were martyred!"

Union Minister Smriti Irani also shared a similar video and asks: "What is common between Rahul Gandhi and Pakistan? Their love for terrorists."

BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also attacked Rahul Gandhi and said, "Come on Rahul Gandhi Ji! Earlier it was the likes of Digvijay Ji who called Osama Ji and Hafiz Saeed Sahab. Now you are saying 'Masood Azhar Ji'. What is happening to Congress Party?"

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tried to defend Rahul Gandhi, accusing the BJP and a section of media for twisting Gandhi's remarks.

On Sunday, Rahul had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pulwama terror attack by tweeting pictures of NSA Doval accompanying the Masood Azhar and two other terrorists who were released in Kandahar.

"PM Modi please tell the families of our 40 CRPF Shaheeds (martyrs), who released their murderer, Masood Azhar? Also tell them that your current NSA was the deal maker, who went to Kandahar to hand the murderer back to Pakistan," the Congress chief had said in a tweet.

The BJP on Monday responded to Rahul's allegations, stressing that Doval had no role to play in the release of the terrorist following the hijack of the Indian Airlines Flight IC 814. Government sources say that Doval had, in fact, opposed the release of Azhar and the two other terrorists who were released with him.
AHMEDABAD: The Congress will launch its Lok Sabha poll campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf Gujarat on Tuesday. The party will be holding a day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee and a public rally in the state. Congress will also hold a public rally in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to address the rally, her first after taking over an official party post.

The CWC comes just two days after the Lok Sabha election dates were announced on Sunday. During the meeting, the top Congress leadership will led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh will deliberate on the issues on which the party will focus. The meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years - the last being held in Bhavnagar in 1961.

Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary UP-East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi arrive at Ahmedabad for Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. pic.twitter.com/Fgew4zDJYN  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

"It is after 1961, a gap of 58 years, that Gujarat is going to host a meeting of Congress Working Committee. It is also being held to commemorate the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi beginning a new chapter in India's independence struggle by launching the 'Salt Satyagraha' to Dandi on March 12, 1930," Congress's state in charge Rajeev Satav said.

"It is for the first time that Rahul, Sonia, Priyanka and Manmohan Singh, along with several leaders, would address any public rally," Satav said.

During the meeting, the top party leadership will decide on how to corner PM Modi and his government on what they call "failures" and "unfulfilled" promises of the BJP-led government.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state, will also join Congress at the meeting in presence of Rahul and other party leaders. The Patidar leader is eyeing to the contest the Lok Sabha election from Gujarat.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has set up a high-level committee to check and prevent the use of illegal money during the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019, said reports on Tuesday.

FULL COVERAGE: LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019

According to reports, the heads of multiple enforcement, financial and security agencies will be the part of this high-powered committee.

The high-powered panel, which is being called Multi-department Committee on Election Intelligence', will see the participation of top officials from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Board of Indirect Taxes, Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau and Financial Intelligence Unit.

Besides, BSF DG Rajni Kant Mishra, CRPF DG Rajeev Bhatnagar, CISF DG Rajesh Ranjan, Sashastra Seema Bal DG S Deswal, Narcotics Control Bureau DG Abhay Kumar, RPF DG Arun Kumar and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security DG Rakesh Asthana will be the invited members of the high-powered committee.

The committee has been set up by the apex poll panel for a coordinated and comprehensive check on the flow of illegal money during the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019.

The poll panel intends to cover all areas related to flow of illegal money during the elections, from the generation of such funds to the movement of funds across borders and states and its ultimate distribution as a bribe to influence voters ahead of elections, so as to ensure free and fair polls.

Senior bank officials have also been included in the committee to assess extraordinary high bank deposits over the last 2-3 months, according to reports.

The spotlight will be on four south Indian states - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana  where maximum cases of use of illegal money have been reported in recent times.

In a related development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought to know from the Centre why it has not yet constituted a permanent mechanism to check on unprecedented increase in the assets or income of political candidates in the last few years.

The apex court had sought a reply from the Union Law Ministry in two weeks.

The top court also asked the poll panel to furnish details of the addition and deletion of names in the electoral roll between January 1, 2018, and Jan 1, 2019, by March 28.

Authorities will keep a strict vigil on social media platforms to check the spread of any fake news and hate speech to ensure free and fair polls, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh had said on March 11.

Authorities have been directed to monitor all forms of the media, including TV radio, social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to check spread of any fake news and hate speech, he said.

Election Commission has also appealed to the people to use the Commission's 'cVigil' app to report any violations of moral code of conduct like use of money, gifts or liquor to influence voters, muscle power to intimidate voters or use of hate speech.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will begin on April 11 and will be held in seven phases, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. The model code of conduct came into immediate effect from March 10 itself and the counting of votes will take place on May 23, 2019.
GANDHINAGR: Gujarat's Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel will join the Congress party on Tuesday in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi.

The influential Patidar leader had on Sunday announced that he will join Congress on March 12.

He also intends to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019 if rioting cases filed against him are not a "hindrance".

"To give shape to my intentions to serve society and the country, I have decided to join Indian National Congress on 12th March in presence of Shri Rahul Gandhi & other senior leaders," Patel had said in a tweet on March 10.

"I would also like to state that if there is no legal hindrance and party decides to field me in electoral politics, I would abide by the party's decision. I am taking this step to serve 125 crore citizens of India," he said in another tweet.

However, Patel's plans to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the schedule of which was announced by the Election Commission of India on Sunday, may be possible only if he clears legal hurdles.

He has been convicted and sentenced to two years in a riot case connected to the 2015 Patidar quota agitation, which bars him from contesting polls.

In July last year, the sessions court of Visnagar in Mehsana district had sentenced him to two years imprisonment for rioting and arson which took place in Visnagar town in 2015.

While his jail term has been stayed by the court, his conviction has not been suspended. Patel has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court.

Patel has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court.

Earlier, on Friday, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had given the go-ahead to Patel to join the Congress.

Patel has earlier said that he may contest Lok Sabha polls from Jamnagar seat.

While Congress state unit chief Amit Chavda said Patel's induction into the party would strengthen it, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the decision proved that the PAAS leader was a "design of the Congress".

The Congress Working Committee will also meet in Ahmedabad on Tuesday 12 and later the party leaders hold a rally in Adalaj in Gandhinagar.
Ahmedabad: Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way.

Gujarat: Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined Congress party today. pic.twitter.com/YAmQh8fTf9  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision.

To this, the people said, "Yes".

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said when the Congress decided to postpone its rally, earlier scheduled for February 28, following the terror attack in Pulwama last month, the PM was busy addressing gatherings across the country.

The 25-year-old Patidar leader praised Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president is "honest".

"People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator," he said.

On BJP's charge of dynastic politics in the Congress, Patel said there was nothing wrong if a politician's son wanted to join the same field to serve people.

He asked the Congress cadres to get their act together to defeat the BJP in the next month's Lok Sabha polls.
Since 1951 when India voted to elect its first government, elections were held after every five years. But for the first time in 1971, the Lok Sabha was dissolved a year ahead of schedule and mid-term election was called. Indira Gandhi came back to power with a thumping majority and the Congress government was formed for the fifth consecutive term. However, the Congress as it was before the 1967 elections, was not the same anymore.

Also Read: History of Lok Sabha elections

To understand why a midterm election was held and why the electorate voted as it did, it is important to understand the political situation prevailing at that time.

After the 1967 election, the rifts that had emerged in the Congress due to Indira Gandhi's elevation as the Prime Minister in 1966, had started to deepen. The party had been bordering a split but the final blow was dealt with in 1969 after the death of President Zakir Hussain. The Indian National Congress (Organisation), often referred to as the Syndicate, in the Congress conclave from 11 to 13 July 1969 nominated Sanjiva Reddy as the party's candidate for president. Due to differences with the Syndicate, Indira wanted to have a person she trusted on the top post but did not know how to openly oppose the party's nominated candidate.

Photo: Indira Gandhi with president VV Giri at Rashtrapati Bhavan (rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in)

Indira knew it was time to take some decisive steps and hence soon after the meeting on July 18, removed Morarji Desai as the Finance Minister and took over the position. On July 21, she announced the nationalisation of fourteen major banks through a presidential ordinance. She also announced her plan to withdraw the special privileges of the princes. Strongly against these decisions, the Syndicate wanted to have the President of its choice so as to nullify these orders. Desperate in its attempts, the Syndicate approached rival parties to cast their second-preference votes in favour of Reddy after their candidate was eliminated from the race. Indira, who was waiting for one wrong move from the Syndicate, harped on to the opportunity and accused them of striking a secret deal. She then openly backed VV Giri, the vice president who was standing as an Independent candidate. For the presidential election in August, she did not issue any party whip and asked Congress leaders to vote freely according to their 'conscience'. As a result, Giri won with the backing of many Congress leaders. Enraged by Indiras move, the Syndicate expelled her from the party in November.

Confident of the support that she commanded, she launched her own party which was to be called Congress (R). While 220 Lok Sabha MPs sided with her and 68 went on the other side, the government no longer had a majority in the House. For an entire year, she was seen to be dependent on Socialists, DMK, Akali Dal, and some independents for their support to pass key legislations.

Not willing to bow down under pressure she dissolved the Lok Sabha on 27 December 1970 and called for a midterm election in February 1971, one year ahead of schedule as House was to expire on 15 March 1972.

The Congress (R) led by Indira emerged triumphant, sweeping the election by securing 352 of the 518 Lok Sabha seats - more than two-thirds of the House. She had fought the election on national issues, spoken about agrarian distress, disparity in the income and opportunities for different classes among other issues which had resonated with the masses, and the result was reflective of the mood of the country and the trust that they had shown in her. The Congress which was losing its stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, stood reenergiSed in the state and winning 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats.

STATES NUMBER OF SEATS WON BY CONGRESS - STATE WISE Andhra Pradesh 28 Assam 13 Bihar 39 Gujarat 11 Haryana 7 Jammu And Kashmir 5 Kerala 6 Madhya Pradesh 21 Maharashtra 42 Mysore 27 Orissa 15 Punjab 10 Rajasthan 14 Tamil Nadu 9 Uttar Pradesh 73 West Bengal 13 Himachal Pradesh 4 A And N Islands 1 Chandigarh 1 D And N Haveli 1 Delhi 7 Goa, Daman And Diu 1 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1 Manipur 2 Pondicherry 1 TOTAL 352

The entire opposition was pushed to a corner with the maximum of just 25 seats going to the Communist Party of India Marxist while the Communist Party of India won 23 seats.

The dissenting conservative group - Congress (O), joined hands with the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Swatantra party and Socialist Party hands to fight the election together. The 'Grand Alliance', as it was called, failed to dent Indira's popularity and were nowhere even in a position to challenge her. The Congress (O) fought on 238 seats and just won 16 seats, most of the candidates who were previously MPs could not even save their seats. While Indiras Congress focussed on national issues, the Congress (O) centered its campaign on building a campaign against the incumbent prime minister.

The Bharatiya Jana Sangh won 22 seats, a downfall from the party's strongest parliamentary performance in 1967 election when it won 35 seats. However, the partys performance cannot be directly compared from the previous election as it had contested the 1967 election on 249 seats as opposed to the 1971 election where it contested on 157 seats.

The Swatantra party which was the single-largest opposition party in the fourth Lok Sabha also suffered major losses in the 1971 election. From 44 seats in 1967 election, the party fell to winning just 8 seats in the 1971 election.

The Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) which won 23 seats in the 1967 election managed to bag just 3 or the 93 seats it contested on. The Praja Socialist Party too lost a major chunk of its seats and managed to win just 2 seats as against the 13 seats it won in the previous election.

Overall, 1223 candidates across eight national parties contested the election and 451 candidates won. There were 224 candidates of state parties and 203 candidates from unregistered parties who had thrown their hat in the ring of which 40 won and 13 won respectively on the seats they contested on. The 1971 election also saw the worst performance of the Independents who contested on 1134 seats but managed to win just 14 seats. Deposits of a massive 1066 candidates were forfeited in the election.

What was noteworthy was that there was an increase in the abstentions as compared to the previous elections. The electorate had increased by more than 23 million between 1967 and 1971 but there were 3 million fewer voters in 1971 than in 1967, bringing the total vote percentage down from 61.32 to 55.25.

In March 1971, Indira formed a government with 36 members.
New Delhi: BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj registered a resounding performance from the Unnao constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and he recently sought to remind his party of it while deciding on candidatures for the upcoming election.

Sakshi Maharaj, in a letter to BJP state unit president Mahendra Nath Pandey, warned that the 'consequences may not be positive' if he is not given a ticket to fight in the upcoming election. "I want to get your attention to the Unnao constituency. In this seat, I had won by three lakh fifteen thousand votes. Congress and BSP had to forfeit their deposits. SP was placed second. As per the SP-BSP alliance, this seat has been given to SP," he wrote. "If from Unnao, the party decides to field any other candidate, then this would hurt crores of my workers in the state and across the country. Its consequence won't be positive."

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj in a letter to Mahendra Nath Pandey,UP BJP Chief: If party take a different decision (related to my candidature) for Unnao constituency then this may hurt sentiments of crores of workers from the state&across the country. Its consequences may not be positive pic.twitter.com/x9kx4l3V9s  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2019

In the letter, Sakshi Maharaj goes on to urge that he should once again be allowed to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Unnao constituency. He also claims that he would defeat his rivals by four to five lakh votes, and will force them to forfeit their deposits. "I would further like to add that I have no intention of fighting the election from any other constituency. I am confident that you would understand my emotions and will not allow any injustice to happen."

The need to urge party leaders to give him a ticket to contest from Unnao once again, possibly, stems from the fact that there have been murmurs that BJP may overlook Sakshi Maharaj this time. His controversial remarks in the past have often invited political ire as well as scathing criticism from people at large. From inaugurating a nightclub in Lucknow and defending UP government for its delayed action in Unnao rape case, Sakshi Maharaj has often been in the news for the wrong reasons.
New Delhi: With the announcement of the polling dates for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the fight has intensified among the political parties - each one of whom is eyeing to sweep with the maximum number of votes.

Full coverage

While Bharatiya Janata Party leader Maneka Gandhi is likely to contest from Haryana's Karnal, her son Varun Gandhi will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit seat.

On the other hand, BJP leader Giriraj Singh is expected to contest from Begusarai, one of the 40 constituencies in Bihar. In the 2014 election, BJP's Bhola Singh won the seat defeating Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tanveer Hassan with a margin of 58335 votes. In October 2018, 82-year-old Singh died in Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

The parliamentary seat is famous for its strong base of ancillary industries which are a major source of the revenue generated here, along with the small-scale industrial establishments which are a regular source of income for the district. However, Begusarai has been announced as one of the most backward regions in Bihar. It is heavily dependent on the funds that it receives from the government under the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGFP).
Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Tuesday confirmed that there will be no alliance with Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The VBA will contest on all 48 seats in Maharashtra.

The confirmation came from VBA leader Prakash Ambedkar.

The party, which has announced the names of 22 candidates, is expected to declare names of the remaining 26 candidates by March 15.

VBA is already allied with Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, AIMIM and JD(S) in Maharashtra.

The party leader said that they had offered a seat-sharing formula to Congress, however, it didn't accept.
Gandhinagar, Gujarat: In what was her first public speech since making debut in politics, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged that people should focus on issues that concern them and promised to work for their welfare.

Speaking at the Congress Working Committee meet here on Tuesday, Priyanka attempted to set the election agenda. "Issues which should be raised must comprise as to what is most important for you and how can you move forward. How will youth get jobs, how will women feel safe, what will be done for farmers. These are the issues for elections. You will have to think about what exactly is this election. What are you going to choose in this election? You are going to choose your future. Useless issues should not be raised." she said. "Nothing matters more to us that you and I protect this nation, work for it and move forward together."

Claiming that the current government is guilty of destroying democratic institutions, Priyanka further said that the 'atmosphere of hatred' must be fought against.

While this may have been her first public address since being appointed Congress General Secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh on January 23, Priyanka had joined brother Rahul and other party leaders in roadshows last month. While party workers feel her joining active politics will galvanise Congress ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha election, BJP has dismissed the entry as just another dynastic move. The party further claimed that Priyanka's entry into politics exposes Rahul's failures.
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has convened a meeting of its election committee on Tuesday to decide on its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019 in the state.

During the meeting, which will be held at West Bengal Chief Minister's residence, the central leadership of the party will also deliberate on the TMC election manifesto.

FULL COVERAGE: LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019

"We have convened a meeting of TMC election committee on Tuesday at the party supremo Mamata Banerjee's residence. We will decide on our party candidate list and also the manifesto," a senior party leader had said earlier.

Talking to reporters, the West Bengal Chief Minister appeared to suggest that the long-drawn Lok Sabha election process was intended to facilitate yet another "strike" as part of the BJP's "gameplan to disturb" her state.

"I have been informed by some that there will be another strike. What strike I will not say. In the name of so-called... so-called... so-called... In the month of April. That is why it (voting process) will continue till May 19. Please don't misquote me. I have great respect for a constitutional body like the Election Commission. But it is a part of the BJP's gameplan to disturb West Bengal," she told a press conference.

As per the announcement by the Election Commission, polling for Lok Sabha election 2019 will begin from April 11 and it would be held in over seven phases through May 19, followed by counting of votes for all seats on May 23.

The state of West Bengal has a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats.

The TMC presently represents 32 Lok Sabha seats in the state and has set a target of winning all the 42 seats.

The party is locked in a bitter political battle with the BJP, which had made steady inroads in the state and has set the target of winning at least 23 Lok Sabha seats.

Besides the BJP, the TMC will also face the CPI(M) and the Congress, which will be fighting the polls in a seat-sharing deal in the state.

A press conference will be held around 3.30 PM after the conclusion of the TMC Steering and Core Committee meeting.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is expected to hold the press briefing.
In the runup to the Lok Sabha election, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has launched a string of innovative campaigns to up the ante against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam government. The campaigns have been designed along the lines of party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy's Praja Sankalpa Yatra where he walked 3,648 kms to understand the issues concerning the people of the state.

The Praja Sankalpa Yatra was followed by Ninnu Namma Babu (We Dont Trust You Babu), Jagan Anna Pilupu (Jagan Anna is Calling You), and Samara Shankaravam (Booth-cadre Meetings).

Ninnu Nammam Babu

The Ninnu Nammam Babu campaign was aimed at providing a platform to with an aim to convince them to declare a 'no confidence' Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's government. Under the campaign, all 175 YSRCP AC-Coordinators visited 20 villages each, in fully branded vehicles, and conducted village-level meetings. They spoke to people about their issues and grievances and tell them about the shortcomings of the current government. Upon the completion of the meeting, the AC-Coordinators put up a set of hoardings near the venue of the meetings which highlighted the villages declaration of no confidence in Chandrababu Naidu. Throughout the duration of this campaign, over 6,000 cars with Ninnu Nammam Babu stickers on their rear windowpane were actively roaming all across the state.

Jagan Anna Pilupu

Through the Jagan Anna Pilupu, the party aims to create a network of village-level influencers, who can function as the link between Jagan Mohan Reddy and the people of Andhra Pradesh at the grass-root level. Over 70,000 neutral village-level influencers across the state received personalised letters from the YSRCP chief recognising their specific contributions to society and appreciated them for playing a part in the state's development. Through these letters, Reddy also urged upon them to share their inputs and suggestions, which could help him in creating a blueprint for Andhra Pradesh's future. Each letter gave the influencer an email id (officeofysjagan@gmail.com), a phone number (+919199691996) from his office on which they could either give their suggestions or express interest in meeting him directly. He has been interacting with these influencers at districts-level meetings over the past month.

Samara Shankaravam

Samara Shankaravam is a mammoth exercise to create an booth-level strength for the YSRCP. In order to give the TDP machinery a run for their money YSRCP formed a network of 505,120 booth-level workers, with 1 convenor and 10 workers at each booth in Andhra Pradesh. Under the banner of Samara Shankaravam (booth-cadre meetings), Reddy has been interacting with booth-level workers in each of the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. In each of these meetings, he will be meeting with over 45,000 booth-level workers. This is the first of its kind booth-cadre meeting where a party leader is interacting with party workers on such a large scale.

The campaigns for the party have been conceptualised and executed by Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) to ensure a momentum for the YSRCP. As per sources, more such campaigns are in the pipeline  starting with a bus yatra, where Reddy will be covering the assembly constituencies which he couldn't cover during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra.
New Delhi: The new Komolika of telly world, Hina Khan, is known for her outstanding sartorial choices both on and off screen. The glam diva, over the past few years, has emerged as the fashion icon of the TV industry.

She was highly appreciated for her style picks while inside the 'Bigg Boss 11' house and likewise, she is hailed as the diva outside. In one of her recent social media posts, Hina looks captivating donning a hot fuschia pink top by FADbulous and denim front slit skirt by Only India.

Check out her pictures:

Hina has been styled by celebrity stylist Sayali Vidya.

Her portrayal of iconic character Komolika in Balaji Productions' 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2' by Ekta Kapoor has got her rave reviews. Her act as won her many accolades and fans adore her.

Hina ruled the small screens for 8 long years as she played the lead role of Akshara Singhania, the favourite Bahu in 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai'. Before 'Bigg Boss 11', she participated in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 and was the first runner-up.
Mumbai: Actress-producer Dia Mirza, who started travelling alone at the age of 18, has observed a change in the patriarchal mindset regarding solo women travellers, and she considers it empowering.

Dia took her first flight and went to Thailand along with one of her female friends after winning the Femina Miss India beauty pageant in 2000.

What changes has she seen in society's attitude towards solo women travellers?

Dia told IANS: "A girl does not have to seek permission from a man, or from the society to go out there to explore the world, she just needs her own permission. I think that is empowering.

"A girl cannot be on her own, comes from a patriarchal mindset. It comes from the mindset that a woman must be protected, they are weak when a girl travels solo, and I mean travelling anywhere -- going on a vacation, going to work or to study abroad or anything that they do."

"But there's a shift in social conditioning that allows women to follow their choice to travel alone, travel free," explained the actress.

While her experience was quite incredible, she said that solo travelling is not only liberating for any individual but also helps one understand how to be comfortable in your own company and look after your own self.

"Even before that, I used to travel by bus when I was 16. I used to do modelling, travelled from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. I remember my parents used to drop me at the bus depot and told the fellow passenger just to keep an eye on me. I used to reach my destination and call them to say that I am safe."

"But the sense of safety comes from within. It is really of inner confidence. As an individual, you have to know that you can do this... It is inner voice really," asserted Dia, the UN Environment's Goodwill Ambassador for India.

The "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" famed actress recently supported the campaign 'She Travels She Hosts' by Airbnb, a company that encourages sustainable travelling and homestay worldwide in 191 countries.
San Francisco: Chipset-making giant Qualcomm has listed chipsets such as Snapdragon 855, 845, 710, 675 and 670 that support single cameras with up to a whopping 192MP.

Developers, especially those working on projects like ports of the Google Camera app and tech on non-Pixel devices, are directly interested in detailed ISP specs and this is a welcome change, GSMArena reported late on Sunday.

The tweaked specification sheets now separate single and dual camera capabilities better and also list things such as slow-motion recording limits and features like Hybrid Autofocus.

"Of course, one of the more stand-out details after the switch is the rather striking fact that apparently some recent Qualcomm chipsets support up to a 192MP single camera," the report added.

Those who head to Qualcomm's website would also find more mobile platforms with updated specifications.

These details will help sate the curiosity of some users as well as provide useful information to Google Camera port developers whose work depends on those details and also clear up how the newly-launched Redmi Note 7 manages to have a 48MP camera sensor despite being paired with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, said XDA Developers.
New Delhi: United Nation's Security Council's 1267 committee will decide on Wednesday on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. India has urged all the UNSC members to list him under the UN Terror list. United nations listed, Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the recent Pulwama terror attack that killed over 40 CRPF troopers.

On Saturday, India said that all the UNSC members were aware of JeM camps and Azhar's presence in Pakistan and urged the nations on to designate him as a global terrorist. According to reports, the resolution is expected to be taken by the 1267 committee of the UNSC on March 13.

Once recognised under the United Nations terror list, Masood will face a global travel ban and assets freeze. The listing will also help India proving how Pakistan has been an epicentre for hatching terrorist plans.

According to reports, United States, United Nation and France are planning to move a fresh proposal at the UNSC to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Reacting to the development, US Deputy Spokesperson of the state department Robert Palladino said, "We will continue to work with the sanctions committee to ensure that the list is updated and that its accurate."

In the meantime, New Delhi's major concern at UNSC on Tuesday will be China which has so far thrice blocked Azhar's listing as the global terrorist since 2016. When asked about China's stand on the matter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Monday that the matter can only be resolved through a 'responsible dialogues'.

"China has all along participated in relevant discussions in a responsible manner and in strict accordance with the rules of procedure and provisions of the 1267 Committee. China will continue to communicate and work with relevant parties in a responsible manner so as to properly resolve this matter. Only by making a decision through responsible and serious discussions can we find a lasting solution," Lu Kang said.
Lucknow: The Supreme Court-appointed three-member mediation team in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute case is expected to arrive in Ayodhya on Tuesday.

The three mediators - former Supreme Court judge FMI Kalifulla, senior advocate Sriram Panchu and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  will oversee preparations being done by the state government ahead of the formal start of the mediation process.

Meanwhile, the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee Convenor Zafaryab Jilani has also called a meeting over the Ayodhya matter in Lucknow today.

All India Babri Masjid Action Committee Convenor Zafaryab Jilani calls a meeting of the Committee over Ayodhya matter, in Lucknow, today. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/3SxMd2AEmk  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2019

According to reports, the Yogi Adityanath government has come up with a mini secretariat inside the Awadh university campus to assist the Ayodhya mediation panel in its task.

As per the direction of the Supreme Court, all important facilities including lodging, negotiation room etc, have been set for the three Ayodhya mediators here.

In view of the Supreme Court order directing all concerned to maintain confidentiality in the Ayodhya mediation process, no official communication about the movement of the members or their schedule has been made public.

According to sources, the three court-appointed mediators are expected to reach Ayodhya around 11 AM.

In the first leg, the mediation panel is expected to stay in Ayodhya for around three days, following which the further schedule will be worked out depending upon the progress in mediation and dialogue with the litigants in the case.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered mediation in the Ayodhya title suit.

The order was passed by a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi.

Mediation will start within a week at Faizabad and state of UP has to make arrangements, the Supreme Court ruled. Mediation panel has to give its report within four weeks.

The top court directed both parties to maintain utmost confidentiality during the process of mediation, which will be held in-camera. The top court also restrained media from covering the Ayodhya mediation process.

The mediation panel will revert to the Supreme Court registry if there are any hurdles in the process of mediation, the five-judge bench ruled. The other judges on the bench are justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer.
Kanpur: The toll in the hooch tragedy here rose to six on Tuesday with three more people dying at the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital, said SSP Anant Dev Tiwari.

Taking cognizance of the incident, the state government has placed the district excise officer, Rajesh Kumar Mishra, under suspension for his negligence, an official release issued in Lucknow stated.

The SSP said 10 people were admitted to the hospital on Saturday after a sharp deterioration was noticed in their health condition.

The condition of five more people who were also admitted to the hospital was stated to be critical, he said.

Last week, two people had died and several others were critical after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor at a marriage function in Bhitargaav village.

One person died on Monday and three more people breathed their last on Tuesday at the hospital.

The SSP said an FIR was registered with the Ghatampur Kotwali and an investigation was being carried out by newly appointed Ghatampur SHO Harmeet Singh.

District Magistrate Vijay Vishwas Pant has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the hooch tragedy.

The additional district magistrate (finance and revenue) has been asked to conduct an inquiry and submit the conclusive report within 15 days, he added.

As many as 26 teams consisting police, administrative, excise and food drugs and administration (FDA) officials were carrying out searches at various places.

On Monday night, a massive operation against hooch manufacturers, traders and suppliers was also carried out by police in the suburban pockets, Pant said.

Eight people were arrested while 12 people were taken into custody for interrogation to extricate information about those involved in spurious liquor business, he said.

"The action is being taken to prevent such incidents in future," the district magistrate added.

Earlier, Ghatampur SHO Janardan Pratap Singh, Saar police post in-charge Devendra Singh and a constable were also placed under suspension for their alleged negligence.


Chennai: The Madras High Court's Madurai Bench on Tuesday granted conditional bail to college professor Nirmala Devi arrested in the "sex-for-marks" scandal last year.

An Assistant Professor in a college at Aruppukottai in Tamil Nadu`s Virudhunagar district, she was arrested last April for allegedly luring girl students to provide sexual favours to senior officials of the Madurai Kamaraj University.

Granting her bail, the High Court levied the conditions that she should not interact with the media while on bail and cooperate with the legal proceedings.

The two other accused in the case - Murugan, an Assistant Professor in Madurai Kamaraj University and Karuppusamy, a research scholar - were granted bail last month.
A large number of activists from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir as well as from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday held a protest during the 40th session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Demanding that the United Nations takes firm action against Pakistan for human rights violation, the activists punctured claims of Islamabad that it has been acting tough on extremist groups.

Highlighting that instead of firm and concrete steps against extremist groups in the country, activists here told news agency ANI that Islamabad was helping these groups flourish. "Pakistan says that it is taking action against extremist groups but practically, it isn't doing anything," said NA Khan of United Kashmir People's National Party. "They're mushrooming the extremist groups. Youth are brainwashed and sent to Afghanistan, Kashmir and Iran for holy war or so-called jihad."

Pakistan has long been accused of supporting and sheltering terror and extremist groups which are then used to wage proxy wars - especially against India. And while the country claims it is a victim of terrorism, the will to act against terror and extremism is woefully missing. To make matters worse, the country has also been accused of violating the human rights of its people and those in PoK.

In the past, people in PoK have protested against Islamabad's policies of diverting water, of ignoring development and welfare, and of adopting a hardline approach here.

Tuesday's protest is also not the first time that groups in PoK, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have come out on the international stage to highlight Pakistan's nefarious ways. And although Pakistan has attempted to silence protests against it internationally, it has largely been unsuccessful.
Beijing: China and Pakistan plan to upgrade their jointly- produced JF-17 Thunder fighter jet to enhance the its "informatised warfare capability and weapons which experts say could effectively defend against strong opponents like India.

The development and production of the JF-17 Block 3 are underway, Yang Wei, a Chinese legislator and chief designer of the China-Pakistan co-developed fighter jet, said.

The Pakistan media claimed that JF-17 aircraft was used to carry out an attack along the Line Of Control (LOC) on February 27. The Indian Air Force, however, said a US made F-16 has been shot down during the attack.

The up-gradation of JF-17 is aimed to enhance the jet's "informatised warfare" capability and weapons, the state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday.

"Informatised warfare is often used by the Chinese military which broadly refers to the use of information and communication technology in modern wars.

The JF-17, which was previously referred as FC-1 Xiaolong, a single-engine multi-role light fighter was being jointly produced by the two countries for several years with engines supplied by Russia.

It is mostly used by Pakistan than by China as the Chinese Air Force has acquired new generation aircraft like Russia's Sukhoi as well as array of home grown new planes including stealth aircraft.

The JF-17 is currently contending with India's Tejas and South Korea's FA-50, the Global Times report said.

"All related work is being carried out," for JF-17 Block 3 Yang was quoted as saying by the daily.

"The third block will see the JF-17's informatised warfare capability and weapons upgraded," Yang said.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times that the JF-17 Block 3 is expected to be fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, which can gather more information in combat, enabling the fighter jet to engage from a farther range and attack multiple targets at the same time.

A helmet-mounted display and sight system could also allow pilots to aim whatever he sees.

Pakistan, the main user of the JF-17, could further share information between the fighter and other platforms, taking advantage of the whole combat system to effectively defend against strong opponents like India, Wei said.

With the new upgrade, Wei expects the JF-17 Block 3 to match an improved version of the F-16 fighter jet.

Yang said that the development and batch production for the JF-17 Block 3 are going simultaneously, thanks to the broad experience.

Wei said this probably means while the upgrades like the new AESA radar are still in development, the airframe, which remains roughly the same, can be manufactured without waiting.

Once new developments are complete, they can be fitted on the airframe very fast, ensuring a quick delivery time, Wei said.

When asked about which countries have inquired about the JF-17 Block 3, Yang said "A lot of countries have come to buy. You sign [a contract for the JF-17], you benefit," he said.
Pakistan on Tuesday claimed it has successfully test-fired an extended 'smart weapon' from its JF-17 fighter aircraft.

Pakistan Air Force claimed that the weapon has been indigenously developed and would add to the potential of the JF-17 jet which itself has been jointly developed with China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. It further said that the weapon would enhance the ability of the jets to strike target during daytime as well as night operations.

Although Pakistan claims that the weapon was developed in-house, the country's military is greatly supported by China. In fact, China's military help is seen as crucial in a country that has its economy in absolute shambles. Several international security analysts have observed that China is attempting to fill the void left by the United States which has pulled back on military aid it doled out to Pakistan to help it fight terrorism.

US President Donald Trump has, time and again, accused Pakistan of taking American help but not acting on terror groups like the Haqqani network. Last year, Washington froze $1.3 billion in security aid to Islamabad.

Even as the US-Pakistan relations have soured and China has stepped in, India has maintained that Islamabad targets it with weapons given to fight terrorism. Pakistan's lacklustre efforts to curb home-grown terror - often supporting and sheltering them instead - has been exposed in front of the international community repeatedly.
LONDON/BRUSSELS: Prime Minister Theresa May clinched legally binding Brexit assurances from the European Union on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to win over rebellious British lawmakers who have threatened to vote down her divorce deal again.

Scrambling to plot an orderly path out of the Brexit maze just days before the United Kingdom is due to leave on March 29, May rushed to Strasbourg to agree to additional assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Brexiteers in May`s party accuse her of surrendering to the EU and it was not clear if the assurances she agreed would be enough to win over the 116 additional lawmakers she needs turn around the crushing defeat her deal suffered on January 15.

May has secured "legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration," Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, who is Prime Minister Theresa May`s de facto deputy, told parliament.

Lidington said the sides had agreed a joint legally binding instrument on the Withdrawal Agreement and Protocol on Northern Ireland that confirms the EU cannot try to "trap" the United Kingdom in the Irish backstop indefinitely.

The backstop, an emergency fix aimed at avoiding controls on the sensitive border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, was the most contentious part of the deal May agreed in November.

"The EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally binding commitments that both sides have agreed," Lidington said.

The EU and Britain have also agreed a joint statement to supplement the Political Declaration, Lidington said.

Sterling, which has see-sawed on Brexit news, jumped 0.8 percent to $1.3250 in Asian trade.

BREXIT VOTE

The United Kingdoms tortuous crisis over EU membership is approaching its finale with an extraordinary array of outcomes still possible, including a delay, a last-minute deal, a no-deal Brexit, a snap election or even another referendum. The country voted to leave the EU in a 2016 plebiscite.

In January the British parliament voted to reject May`s deal by 230 votes, the biggest defeat for a government in modern British history. May has promised lawmakers a vote on her deal on Tuesday.

If she loses that vote, she has said lawmakers will get a vote on Wednesday on whether to leave without a deal and, if they reject that, then a vote on whether to ask for a limited delay to Brexit.

Many British lawmakers object to the backstop on the grounds that it could leave Britain subject to EU rules indefinitely or cleave Northern Ireland away from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Brexit-supporting lawmakers said they would look at what May achieves but that she would have to show a clear way for the backstop to end.

"Deal fever abounds tonight, but the crucial point is: will this backstop come to an end?" Conservative lawmaker Steve Baker said ahead of Lidington`s statement to parliament.

Brexit will pitch the world`s fifth largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will serve to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

Supporters of Brexit say that while the divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it will allow the United Kingdom to thrive and also enable deeper EU integration without such a powerful reluctant member.
Boeing is facing the heat after an Ethiopian Airline's 737 MAX aircraft crashed soon after takeoff from Adis Ababa last Sunday. On Tuesday, the UK and Malaysia joined a number of countries in banning the aircraft model from their airspace.

Sunday's crash, which killed all 157 on board, has put the global spotlight on the 737 MAX line of aircraft from Boeing. A number of countries and many airline companies have banned and grounded the plane. On Tuesday, the UK and Malaysia joined countries like Australia, Singapore, Oman and several Latin American countries in banning the 737 MAX from their airspace. And it is not just Sunday's crash which may have prompted the decision because the Lion Air plane which crashed on October 28 of last year in Indonesia was also a 737 Max. Two crashes in less than six months has earned Boeing - the company which manufactures the 737 Max - in a tight spot.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, more than 40 per cent of the 737 Max aircraft fleet around the world has been grounded.

In India, Reuters reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered for additional maintenance checks on the 737 Max planes flying in the country. SpiceJet has 12 737 MAX 8 planes while Jet Airways Ltd has 5. Jet Airways said on Monday that it is not operating any of these aircraft currently. SpiceJet however said it has put in place additional checks as per DGCA directive and that the company is in constant touch with Boeing regarding safety precautions.
* Venezuela is suspending school and business activities on March 11 amid a continuing blackout, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a televised broadcast on March 10, the second such cancellation since power went out last week.

* US President Donald Trump is expected to request US$8.6 billion for border wall construction in his upcoming budget proposal, multiple US media reported on March 10.

* Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on March 10 that the economic siege is a new shape of war on Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

* The newly appointed Palestinian prime minister expressed hope on March 10 to form his government soon through his consultations with Palestinian factions as well as social and political powers, official Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported.

* Forces loyal to Yemen's internationally-backed government thwarted an attack launched by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on March 10, killing 13 rebels, a military official told Xinhua.

* Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on March 10 returned home after two weeks of stay in Switzerland's Geneva for "routine medical checks," confirmed a statement by the President Office.

* Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on March 10 that President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Iraq on March 11 will begin a new chapter in the bilateral relations, Press TV reported.

* Fifty Boko Haram militants were killed following a joint operation by forces from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, the Nigerian military said on March 10.
Joshua Kroeker, HSBC's innovation director, holds a press conference at HSBC Korea in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of HSBC Korea



By Park Hyong-ki



HSBC is seeking to forge ties with local banks to launch a blockchain platform enabling companies to process and settle their invoices for trade efficiently, the global bank said Tuesday.



It is looking to commercially launch the Voltron platform, which is in a pilot stage, in the near future as the bank expands its alliances with other banks and tech companies, said Joshua Kroeker, HSBC's innovation director on blockchain.



Voltron began as a project within the R3 blockchain consortium to help resolve an issue concerning the long process of paper-based letters of credit exchanged between importers and exporters, and other parties including shipping companies and banks.



It normally takes about five to 10 business days, or as long as 30 days to file and process those documentary trade papers.



Through a decentralized ledger system, the platform can help traders to reduce the time to 24 hours as blockchain will enable multiple parties to see the whole process and data at the same time.



It will remove any friction hindering rapid trade financing.



"The biggest impact would be time. Time and transparency will help companies better manage their cash flow and working capital," Kroeker told the press in Seoul.



"I am here this week to reach out to Korean banks to collaborate on this blockchain platform for letters of credit."



HSBC is seeking to establish ties with banks that will be committed to building a successful platform and providing useful and easy applications by sharing costs.



HSBC said it will not be the owner of the platform; a joint venture or a cooperative will manage and govern it.



HSBC has partnerships with seven financial companies for Voltron. They are Bangkok Bank, BNP Paribas, CTBC Holding, ING, NatWest, SEB and Standard Chartered.



All blockchain trade networks that HSBC are engaged in are based on "permissioned" blockchain technology.



This means the platform will only be opened to and shared with validated participants on a need-to-know basis instead of broadcasting every piece of data to the entire network, according to HSBC.


In this file photo taken on Feb. 9, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun listens to South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul. Biegun said Washington's goal is the complete denuclearization of North Korea by the end of Donald Trump's first term, insisting it will not settle for incremental disarmament. AFP



The Trump administration will insist North Korea follow through on its commitment to completely eliminate its nuclear weapons before the U.S. agrees to the lifting of international sanctions, the State Department's special envoy for North Korea said Monday.



In his first public comments since President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month, envoy Stephen Biegun said ''the missing variable'' in making a deal is the North's unwillingness to offer complete, verifiable denuclearization.



''We are not going to do denuclearization incrementally,'' Biegun said at a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.



He said there is room for ''confidence-building'' measures, such as a proposed establishment of a U.S. diplomatic liaison office in North Korea, to advance the process. But the U.S. will not agree to a step-by-step approach to eliminating the nuclear weapons, he said.



Biegun said that at last month's Hanoi summit, Trump rejected Kim's offer to eliminate a portion of his nuclear program in exchange for lifting ''basically all'' of the international sanctions. That was judged to be unacceptable, Biegun said, because it would have removed economic pressure that had been imposed by the international community.



Under the Kim proposal, ''We'd lift that pressure in exchange for only a portion of those weapons of mass destruction programs,'' Biegun said. ''That would have put us in a position _ a very difficult position _ of essentially subsidizing what would potentially be ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction in North Korea. We need a total solution.''



He said this does not mean the U.S. position has hardened. He said Washington remains open to further North Korea diplomacy aimed at four priorities: transforming relations, establishing a formal end to the Korean War, achieving the North's complete denuclearization, and returning the remains of thousands of U.S. troops missing from the Korean War.



Last August, North Korea turned over 55 boxes of war remains; so far the U.S. has identified three soldiers from those remains and is expecting to announce several more soon.



''We want to heal the wounds of war,'' Biegun said. ''We want to recover the remains of soldiers very much for the same reasons that helped us normalize relations in other places like Vietnam at the end of the conflict.' (AP)


Ecology and Environment Minister Li Ganjie attends a press conference on "fighting resolutely to prevent and control pollution" for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)
A member of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements wear a gas mask during a protest at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Tuesday, to urge the government to reduce the operation of diesel cars to lower fine dust levels. Seoul's dust and fine dust levels were "very bad" on the day. The levels are expected to become lower today, with the last of a cold snap hitting the country with strong winds. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon




South Korea will ban using radioactive materials in consumer goods this year following public concerns over radon gas emitted from various products, the government said Tuesday.







The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said the government finalized this year's policy aimed at preventing a recurrence of radon contamination concerns, including banning the use of the radioactive mineral monazite.







The commission said the use of monazite  a mineral known as the main reason for the emission of radon  will be banned in all products that come in close contact with people.







The plans come as a number of consumer products ranging from mattresses to accessories have been found to emit higher-than-permissible levels of radon gas.







Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that can be found in nature as an indirect decay product of uranium or thorium. Being exposed to radon for long periods of time can lead to lung cancer.







The agency said it will also ban advertising the health benefits of "negative ion-releasing" products, such as mattresses and bracelets.







In an aim to prevent accidents at nuclear power reactors, the agency plans to push forward a law that mandates more communication with people living closer to the site.







Also, the agency aims to conduct health checkups for all 20,000 people working in areas that compel them to be exposed to more radiation than the general public by 2020. (Yonhap)


Funday Korea Networks is offering a tour of one of Seoul's many must-visit places this Saturday. It will provide a special lecture about Seoul's historic city walls before taking up to 60 participants on a hike over Naksan Mountain Course near Daehangno to see a stretch of the city wall.





The tour is free to join, but participants have work to do after the walk. The group is holding a contest to produce the best "listicle" or list article, providing reasons to visit Seoul's city wall. The top prize is 200,000 won, with 300,000 won in other prizes. Contributing is not mandatory.





Visit fundaykorea.me or fb.com/fundaynetworks for more information.









Overnight climb of Mount Seorak





For a more challenging trip, Seoul Hiking & Nature Group heads to the eastern Gangwon Province for a walk up Mount Seorak, one of the Korean Peninsula's most iconic mountains, this Saturday and Sunday.





Participants will spend the night at Bongjeong Hermitage 1,200 meters above sea level. The ascent will begin early Sunday morning.



"Hiking will be quite steep and risky for an hour and then quite well-arranged and not too steep for another hour!" organizers warned, adding that hikers should expect to use crampons and prepare to face a chilly wind.





The bus leaves early Saturday morning and costs 88,000 won, with group discounts available.



Visit fb.com/seoulhikingnature or seoulhiking.com for more information.


By Kim Jae-heun



Parents' spending on their child's private education has been increasing consistently to a record high in 2018, the government said, Tuesday.



The rate of children receiving private education has also been increasing as well, according to the joint survey by the Ministry of Education and Statistics Korea on some 40,000 parents and teachers at 1,486 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.



Total private education spending here reached 19.5 trillion won ($17 billion), up by 4.4 percent, or 800 billion won, compared to 2017. The total annual expense had declined to between 2009 and 2015, but has since begun to rise.



English and math were the two subjects with the highest spending at 5.7 trillion won and 5.5 trillion won, respectively.



The monthly cost for private education was 291,000 won per child on average, a 7 percent increase from a year before. It was the largest spending recorded in the joint study, which has been conducted since 2007.



Parents spent 263,000 won per month for elementary students, and 312,000 won for middle school students and 321,000 won for high school students.



It is the first time the average monthly spending on private education for both middle and high school students has surpassed 300,000 won.



The survey showed 72.8 percent of elementary, middle and high school students were receiving private education last year, 1.7 percentage points up from the previous year. The ratio was higher among elementary schoolchildren, 82.5 percent, while those of middle and high school students were 69.6 percent and 58.5 percent, each.



The students spent 6.2 hours per week on average to attend an academy or have private tutoring at home.



By region, Seoul parents spent the most with 411,000 won per month, compared to South Chungcheong Province parents who spent the least on private education with 187,000 won.



The education authorities explain such a big increase in private education spending comes from the expanding uncertainty of the college entrance system here. It said it would seek a reform in the system by the 2022 school year.



"We will reduce the portion of irregular admissions, which evaluate essays and other talents, as they have been criticized for causing more reliance on private education," an education ministry official said.



"We also believe quality public education is the key to reducing private education, so we'll seek to improve school education in which students can learn about their abilities and find a career path."




(This video provided by Republic of Korea Navy shows history of the South Korea's first overseas anti-piracy unit "Cheonghae," which marks its 10th founding anniversary on March 13.)





Vessels involved in the 28th deployment of the Republic of Korea Navy's Cheonghae unit, the country's first overseas anti-piracy mission, are seen in waters off Somalia. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy



By Jung Da-min



The Republic of Korea Navy's Cheonghae unit, operating the country's first overseas anti-piracy mission, in waters off Somalia, will mark its 10th anniversary on Wednesday.



The unit is part of international efforts to protect sea lanes in compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1838 adopted in 2008.



On March 13, 2009, the government dispatched the Cheonghae unit, aboard the 4,400-ton destroyer ROKNS Munmu the Great, one of the Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin-class multi-purpose destroyers equipped with Lynx multi-role helicopters, on the first mission.



The 28th deployment involves the ROKNS Choi Young, another destroyer with a crew of 300 including 30 underwater demolition/SEAL personnel that is patrolling waters off Somalia. The 29th deployment of personnel and the ROKNS Dae Jo Yeong is set to sail March 29, to take over for a six-month period.



The Cheonghae unit's peacekeeping, anti-terrorist and disaster relief operations over the past 10 years have been recognized internationally.



On May 4, 2009, the unit rescued the North Korean cargo ship Dabaksol, the first time a South Korean Navy ship has come to the aid of a North Korean ocean-going vessel.



The unit is best known for its Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden in January 2011, during which it rescued the South Korean 11,500-on freighter Samho Jewelry and its 21 crew from Somali pirates.





The first mission of the Cheonghae unit takes part in an anti-piracy operation in August 2009. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy





South Korea's 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry freighter is seen in this January 2011 photo of the Cheonghae unit's best-known mission, Operation Dawn in the Gulf of Aden. The South Korean navy rescued the ship and its 21 crew from Somali pirates. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy




Ten Vietnamese nationals staying in South Korea illegally have been arrested on charges of attempting to buy forged certificates of alien registration from a Chinese broker, immigration officials said Tuesday.







The Ministry of Justice's Korea Immigration Service (KIS) said it has arrested a 20-year-old Vietnamese man and nine other nationals of the Southeast Asian country on charges of forgery of official documents and violation of the Immigration Control Act and referred all of them to the prosecution for indictment.







The Vietnamese nationals, whose identities were not disclosed, are accused of asking a Chinese broker to forge South Korean certificates of alien registration and send them via international express mail in order to conceal their status or avoid crackdowns.







The Incheon International Airport branch office of the KIS launched an investigation after discovering 13 forged alien registration certificates dispatched via international express mail from China between late last month and early this month, the officials said.







Based on the recipients' address and other information, the immigration office tracked down and arrested the 20-year-old Vietnamese man who was staying illegally in Incheon, west of Seoul, in early March.







The nine others were arrested from Seoul, South Chungcheong Province and other regions.







The suspects, who have stayed in South Korea for one to six years, allegedly paid 500,000 won (US$443) to 600,000 won per forged certificate to their Chinese broker via their families in Vietnam, the officials said.







The immigration office added it is still tracking down three more Vietnamese suspects in the certificate forgery case. (Yonhap)


Downtown Seoul was shrouded in thick haze, Tuesday. Seoul City declared a fine dust advisory as the concentration of airborne fine dust particles reached a "bad" level of 35 micrograms per cubic meter. The municipal government also advised senior citizens and children to stay indoors. The "bad level" smog is spread across the central part of the Korean Peninsula. Yonhap
Eastar Jet's B737 Max 8. Courtesy of Eastar Jet



By Kim Hyun-bin



Eastar Jet has temporarily suspended operation of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets as safety issues have emerged following the crashes of two of the same model aircraft overseas within six months.



Eastar Jet is the only airline in the country that operates the airplane, and has used them for flights to Jeju, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.



"The decision to ground the two B737 Max 8 planes was made in response to customers' fears and worries, separate from the need to find the cause of the accidents. We will halt operations of the model starting Wednesday," Eastar Jet said in a statement, Tuesday.



"We will resume operations after we and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conduct a thorough investigation and they are deemed safe to fly," the airline added.





A day earlier, employees of Eastar Jet urged the company to ground its two B737 Max 8 jets, citing safety issues.



A pilot of the airline posted a message on the company's intranet Monday, titled, "Request to suspend the operation of the B737 Max 8 until the cause of the accidents is revealed."



Referring to the crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines aircraft in October and on Sunday, respectively, the man wrote, "The model involved in the two accidents is the same and are presumed to have crashed from similar causes while flying at low altitude."



He said the exact cause has not been found, noting, "Pilots cannot be assured of a safe flight in the Max 8. I request the grounding of the aircraft until the manufacturer discover the cause."



Scores of Eastar Jet employees commented in support of the posting, saying they fully agreed with the writer's request.



After the Ethiopian Airlines crash, nine international carriers and jurisdictions have suspended operations of the B737 Max 8 including Eastar Jet, Indonesia, China, Singapore, and Aerolineas Argentinas.



But some others remain unshaken: the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday that U.S. airlines can still fly the Boeing model, affirming the airworthiness of the jet.



The FAA said it will closely examine all crash data from Ethiopia and "will take appropriate action" if data indicates the need to ground the jets.



The Ethiopian Airlines' plane crashed killed all 157 people onboard, and was the same model as the Lion Air jet that crashed in October, killing all 189 aboard.


Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Party of Korea (LPK), speaks at the National Assembly, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Park Si-soo



Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Party of Korea (LPK), called President Moon Jae-in "chief spokesman for Kim Jong-in" in a rare direct verbal attack on the progressive head of state who is striving to boost inter-Korean ties and exchanges despite opposition from the hawkish conservative block.



In a speech at the National Assembly on Tuesday as a representative of the LPK, Na said she was "ashamed" of Moon who "acts and speaks for North Korea with great commitment."



The four-term lawmaker went on, "Please stop it  in order to dispel such shameful allegations that the President of the Republic of Korea is a chief spokesman for (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un."





Na seemed to pick up the metaphor from a Bloomberg report last September, which depicted Moon as "top spokesman" for the North Korean leader. The report was criticizing Moon for treating Kim as a "normal world leader" in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly.



Na's remark threw the crowded chamber into chaos.











Ruling party lawmakers make a collective complaint about Na's remark. Yonhap





Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang tries to calm down lawmakers. Yonhap
Moon Chung-in, special presidential adviser for unification, diplomacy and national security affairs, speaks in a panel discussion at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The United States and North Korea should refrain from upsetting each other to resume the stalled momentum for dialogue, according to President Moon Jae-in's security adviser, Moon Chung-in, Tuesday.



"Washington is willing to hold talks (with the North), so the dialogue momentum has yet to be broken," Moon said in a forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists, in Seoul.



"Both sides should exercise restraint to keep the momentum going," he said. "They are (equally) responsible for the breakdown of the recent summit."



He also shared his views on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Seoul.



The adviser said Kim is unlikely to visit Seoul in the near future, as there is nothing he can gain from South Korea at the moment.



"As of now, there is little possibility for Kim to visit Seoul, as he will likely receive 'no gifts' from the South, such as the resumption of tourism to the North's Mount Geumgang and operation of the now-closed Gaeseong Industrial Complex," he said.



Kim promised to make a return visit to Seoul last year after a three-day summit with President Moon in Pyongyang last September. But the much-anticipated Seoul summit has yet to take place, with the North declining to confirm a timeline for his possible trip here.



"President Moon and Kim may hold an unofficial meeting at the truce village of Panmunjeom, but it will not be easy for him to visit Seoul," the special presidential adviser for unification, diplomacy and national security affairs said.



The resumption of Mount Geumgang and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex can be made possible after the United Nations Security Council eases sanctions on the regime.



Sanction exemption is what the North wants the most in exchange for its steps toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.



All eyes were on whether the U.S. would offer to help ease heavy sanctions on the regime during the recent summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.



But they failed to sign a deal during their second meeting in Hanoi last month, putting a brake on the recent dialogue momentum between the two.



The regime's young leader offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facilities and requested a partial lifting of sanctions during the meeting with Trump. The U.S. leader, however, declined to accept the proposal and urged the regime to take more detailed and verifiable steps.



"The 'all for all' or 'all or nothing' is the stance from the U.S. in the denuclearization talks with the North," the presidential adviser said. "But the North sought to sign a small deal by offering to take 'step-by-step' denuclearization measures, and the two countries failed to narrow their difference in the end."



But he said it is too early to say that the Hanoi summit ended up in a total failure, as both sides still opened the possibility for future negotiations.



"It is very difficult for the U.S. to resolve the North's four-decade-long nuclear issues by holding the two summits," he said.


When a passenger suddenly fell into a coma on an international flight from Doha to Guangzhou on March 10, Huang Zhen, an associate professor at the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, helped in the emergency treatment at an altitude of 10,000 meters, potentially saving the passenger's life.

Huang works between the Shenzhen Branch of the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Shenzhen Cancer Hospital. After attending an international academic conference in Spain, he flew back to Guangzhou via Doha on Qatar Airways Flight QR874. Shortly after the plane took off, he heard the emergency call for a doctor.

Knowing that a passenger on the plane was in a coma with what seemed like internal bleeding, he rushed to the sick passenger. Initial examination revealed that the patient's bleeding was due to biting his finger caused by a sudden convulsion rather than hematemesis. Huang judged that the patient's unconsciousness was likely caused by epilepsy. Huang carefully inquired about the passengers medical history, and it turned out the passenger did indeed have epilepsy.

As the passenger regained consciousness, he was short of breath and could not communicate properly, and the sphygmomanometer, oximeter and other equipment weren't of any use due to the flight's altitude.

Huang diagnosed that although the patient's condition was severe, as he gradually regained consciousness, the aircraft would not need to return to Doha.

Huang also contacted Qatar Airways ground medical staff. They also diagnosed that the patient had a seizure, possibly due to hypoglycemia-induced epilepsy. However, due to the inability to detect blood sugar levels on board, Huang decided to give the patient sugar water to raise his glucose levels regardless of whether it was caused by hypoglycemia.

At 3 pm, the flight landed smoothly at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, and the passenger was immediately taken to the hospital. When Huang got off the plane, the Qatar Airways crew expressed their sincere gratitude to the Chinese doctor. To deal with such an emergency, we need someone who is capable of holding the situation. Thank you for holding it," said one flight attendant.

After the event, Huang offered his advice to other people with epilepsy who may be traveling on long-haul flights. "Long-distance travel easily causes fatigue. Epilepsy is easily induced in the cramped conditions on a plane over a long period of time. We recommend patients carry information cards with them, indicating their illness, medical history, and emergency contacts so that others can better assist in the case of an emergency, he noted.
President Moon Jae-in, center, shakes hands with Malaysian officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, Tuesday. Moon is on a three-nation state visit to Brunei, Malaysia and Cambodia in a move to boost ties with the ASEAN countries. / Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



President Moon Jae-in visited Malaysia Tuesday and attended a Korean pop culture and halal exhibition organized by Korean corporations, on the second day of his state visit to ASEAN countries.



Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon, participated in the combined exhibition held at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jayato  a satellite town of Kuala Lumpur  to enhance cultural ties between the countries.



Moon will be the first head of state to be received by King Yang di-Pertuan Agong since the Malaysian leader took office on Jan 31. His visit to Malaysia was followed by a state visit to Brunei on Tuesday, where he and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreed to expand their partnership from the energy industry to intellectual property during a summit Tuesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae, in a move to boost relations with Southeast Asian nations.



His moves are part of initiatives under his New Southern Policy which seeks to improve economic and diplomatic ties with ASEAN countries.



Moon has pledged to visit all 10 ASEAN countries before his term ends in 2022. He is also scheduled to host a summit later this year involving the heads of all 10 ASEAN states to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea-ASEAN talks.



Earlier on Friday, Yoon Jong-won, the senior secretary for economic affairs, told reporters "Malaysia is leading the halal product market worth $2 trillion globally. Also, it is the Asian country which likes K-pop the most." He added, "Through the exhibition to promote Korean pop culture and the halal industry, the two countries will boost cooperation with each other."



Moon later met with Koreans living in Malaysia and gave them a pep talk and thanked them for bridging the two countries.



Moon will attend a state welcoming ceremony today hosted by the Malaysian king, the reigning monarch of Malaysia, and hold a summit with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The summit will be followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding and joint press statement. Later, Moon will attend a state dinner hosted by the king and his wife.



On Thursday, Moon will head to Cambodia after giving a keynote speech at a business forum held between South Korea and Malaysia.


Main opposition Liberty Korea Party floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won, bottom left, waits for the resumption of her speech at the National Assembly Tuesday as Rep. Hong Young-pyo, second row center, and other party members protest her speech before National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang. / Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



The political establishment is being thrown into turmoil yet again following Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won's defamatory remarks against President Moon Jae-in in a National Assembly speech, Tuesday.



While criticizing Moon's North Korea policy, Na called Moon the "chief spokesman" for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, triggering loud cries of protest from liberal lawmakers. She was able to resume her speech after about half an hour.



Cheong Wa Dae expressed deep disappointment over Na's speech, demanding Na apologize to Moon as well as the Korean people. "This is an insult to Moon as well as the people wishing for permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," presidential vice spokesman Han Jeong-woo said in a commentary.



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea vowed to refer the LKP floor leader to the National Assembly's Ethics Committee for insulting the head of state.



In her speech, Na said Moon's North Korea policy risks national security and weakens the alliance with the U.S.



Na added North Korea's negotiations on denuclearization are aimed at establishing its status as a nuclear power rather than abolishing its arsenal, saying "Moon's foreign policy is a risky gamble."



Citing recent suspension of joint military drills between the South the U.S., Na expressed concern over their weakening partnership which is supported by those joint exercises.



She urged the government to replace key officials on foreign policy such as national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon and Unification Minister nominee Kim Yeon-chul.



"I feel so ashamed of endless cover-ups and representation for the sake of North Korea. I'm tired of hearing that the South's President is Kim's chief spokesman," Na said.



Then Rep. Hong Young-pyo, floor leader of the DPK, climbed the podium of Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and protested what Na said while some DPK members blamed her with loud voices, which led to pausing the speech for 30 minutes.



She added that the LKP will form a delegation to the North, saying, "If North Korea really seeks to denuclearize, we will tell Kim's regime directly that we are willing to provide assistance to Pyongyang in a bold and history-making manner."



Citing Moody's and the OECD's downgraded prospects on the South Korean economy, she also said Moon's economic policies are unconstitutional and urged the government to stop wasting people's taxes on the wrong policies. Instead, she insisted to hold a bipartisan roundtable meeting to come up with economic initiatives, not like Moon's income-led growth policy.



She also reiterated the LKP's position on electoral reforms that the party will not agree with the four other major parties' plan to introduce a "mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation system" in which seats are tied to the percentage of voters' support for different parties as it is de facto dismantling the National Assembly.


By Lee Min-hyung



There is a big gap between the United States and North Korea in their approach to talks on the North's denuclearization, but both have expressed a willingness to narrow their lingering differences.



The failure of the recent Washington-Pyongyang summit was due to these differences on the method for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.



The U.S. wants the North to sign a one-shot "big deal" to speed up the progress of complete nuclear disarmament of the regime. But the North is clinging to its "step-by-step" process, calling for the U.S. to take reciprocal measures in exchange for partial denuclearization moves.



Both sides are showing no signs of making concessions on these different approaches, but have expressed their determination to hold more talks to resolve the issue.



On Tuesday, the North's propaganda website Uriminzokkiri quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying he would continue to have "constructive" dialogue with the U.S. to resolve issues discussed during the summit with President Donald Trump in Hanoi last month.



"Our unwavering position is to establish a peaceful environment on the Korean Peninsula, and move one step closer to denuclearization here," it said. "The leader said he would continue to closely discuss summit issues with the U.S. and hold constructive talks."



But it remains to be seen how the two countries can narrow their gap on the denuclearization process.



The Tongil Sinbo, the regime's propaganda weekly, said the recent offer to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility was currently the most realistic step toward nuclear disarmament.



"The dismantling of the facility is the biggest measure for denuclearization in accordance with the step-by-step approach for the two countries," it said.



The "U.S. authorities" should not be swayed by "shameless arguments" from opposition groups in the political circle, and take appropriate steps to "establish a new history in relations between the two countries and live up to expectations from the people who want global peace and safety," the weekly said.



The rhetoric shows that Washington and Pyongyang are still poles apart in their views on denuclearization.



On Monday, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun made it clear that Washington will not agree to phased steps.



"We are not going to do denuclearization incrementally," he said. President Trump has been clear on that decision, and it is a position around which the U.S. government has complete unity, Biegun added.



"Our goal or objective is the final fully verified denuclearization of North Korea."



Despite this firm statement, Biegun also underlined that Washington would keep in touch with Pyongyang to seek progress in their talks.



"We're prepared to continue trying," he said. "The door's open to diplomacy. We want a very different future for the U.S. and North Korea on the peninsula."



He went on to say that Trump is 100 percent supportive of Washington remaining engaged diplomatically, to try to achieve that goal.



"The gap is still just a little bit too large for us to get there today."



Toward that end, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson said Washington was leaving open the possibility of a third summit between Trump and Kim sometime in the near future.






By Javier Solana





MADRID  In 1971, world leaders as varied as Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew, and Soviet statesman Nikolai Podgorny gathered in the Iranian city of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the First Persian Empire.



They were there to attend a sumptuous party, hosted by Shah Reza Pahlavi, to mark 2,500 years since the founding of the Imperial State of Iran. But less than eight years later, Iran had a new leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who referred to this gathering as "the devil's festival."



Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khomeini had been living in exile (in Turkey, Iraq, and finally in Paris), owing to his denunciation of Iran's Westernization and dependence on the United States under Shah Pahlavi. In 1953, the U.S. and the United Kingdom had propped up Pahlavi by ousting the country's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalized Iran's oil industry and had sought to reduce the shah's powers.



That fateful episode  imbued with the logic of the Cold War  marked the first U.S. operation to depose a foreign leader during peacetime. But it certainly wasn't the last. Ever since, U.S. foreign policy has been characterized by a steady procession of "regime changes," which have poisoned Washington's relations with key regions of the world  perhaps most notably with the Middle East.



In the case of Iran, the 1953 coup eroded the shah's domestic legitimacy and, along with his repressive temperament and insensitivity to demands for greater social justice, planted the seeds of the 1979 Revolution. Throughout the ensuing 40 years, Iran and the West have been estranged, to say the least.



The philosopher Hannah Arendt once quipped that "the most radical revolutionary will become a conservative on the day after the revolution." That was certainly true of Khomeini. After taking power by uniting forces adhering to vastly different ideologies, Khomeini's flexibility suddenly evaporated. He distanced himself completely from leftist movements, accused his opponents of subversion, and repressed liberal voices with abandon, triggering four decades of tension between the Islamic Republic's theocratic and democratic elements.



In the immediate aftermath of the revolution, U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations imploded. After laying siege to the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, a group of Iranian students, with Khomeini's connivance, held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. They demanded that U.S. President Jimmy Carter's administration extradite the shah, who was in New York for cancer treatment.



In the end, the hostages were not released until minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as successor to Carter, who had been severely weakened politically by the crisis. By then, Pahlavi had died in Egypt, and Khomeini had consolidated the power of hard-line theocrats over the revolution's more secular factions.



On top of it all, Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, unleashing a bloody eight-year war. The conflict, in which the U.S. and even the Soviet Union aided Saddam, ended in a stalemate. Around a half-million Iranians and Iraqis died, but Iran, having been subjected to Iraqi chemical-weapons attacks, bore most of the long-term physical and psychological consequences. It was during these years that Iran began exploring the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, by building on the nuclear-energy technology that the U.S. had previously furnished to the shah as part of the Eisenhower administration's "Atoms for Peace" initiative.



Iran's clandestine nuclear program did not come to light until 2002. By then, the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was already in charge, and the geopolitical chessboard had changed dramatically. The U.S. had not only turned its back on Saddam, but was preparing to invade Iraq. Ironically, that ruinous decision would end up yielding significant strategic benefits for Iran, despite the country's inclusion in U.S. President George W. Bush's notorious "axis of evil."



At this point, it fell to me as the EU's high representative for the common foreign and security policy to initiate nuclear negotiations with Iran. My first interlocutor was Hassan Rouhani, who now serves as Iran's president, and with whom we reached a preliminary understanding.



But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election to the presidency in 2005 set the process back by years, and the chasm widened further when Saeed Jalili took the reins of the negotiations. Jalili would consistently begin our meetings by reminding me that he had lost part of his leg during the Iran-Iraq War, for which he blamed the West.



When Rouhani returned to the scene as Iran's newly elected president in 2013, the international community demonstrated the cohesion and skill needed to take advantage of the opportunity. The result was the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a diplomatic milestone that ushered in a respite from decades of unproductive hostility.



But then came the election of President Donald Trump, who decided unilaterally last year to cease implementing the JCPOA. The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Iran, and is abusing the U.S. dollar's dominant position in global trade by threatening foreign companies with secondary sanctions if they continue to do business with the Islamic Republic.



As a result of these actions, the U.S. has squandered any chance of forming a united front with Europe to push back against Iran's human rights violations, as well as its destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and beyond. The European Union has had to turn its focus to the noble cause of saving the JCPOA through an innovative payment-clearing instrument, which is about to become operational.



At a recent U.S.-sponsored conference in Warsaw, the Trump administration fruitlessly sought to divide Europe, and to expand the anti-Iran coalition that it leads together with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Yet, for all of the domestic difficulties faced by the Iranian regime, precipitating its collapse is no more realistic now than it was at any other point during the past 40 years.



Instead of antagonizing Iran and lending credibility to its hard-liners, the West should be seeking a more inclusive formula for addressing regional threats. Whereas decades of hostility with Iran yielded nothing, the recent period of engagement and negotiation resulted in a historic nuclear accord. It should be obvious which approach is more effective.





Javier Solana, a former EU high representative for foreign and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain, is currently president of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics, distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Europe. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Opposition floor leader slams Moon's efforts for peace



Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won has come under fire for scathing remarks about President Moon Jae-in's North Korea policy.



During a speech at the National Assembly Tuesday, Na claimed the Moon administration was deceiving the people by continuously explaining that North Korea is actively pursuing denuclearization.



After the collapse of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam last month, Pyongyang is reportedly rebuilding a missile site it had begun to dismantle last year. Amid such reports, some South Koreans are beginning to have more doubts about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sincerity toward denuclearization, particularly as he continues to be relentless about the relief of sanctions against his country while refusing to commit to more concrete steps to denuclearize. She also criticized Moon's recent appointment of Kim Yeon-chul, head of the Korea Institute for National Unification, as unification minister. Kim has been a proponent of lifting sanctions and has shown eagerness toward economic projects with North Korea despite the rising concerns that it is not the time to pursue them.



Against such a backdrop, some South Koreans cannot help but side with Na's negative views about the Moon administration's policy. But as floor leader of the main opposition, Na's speech contained serious flaws. The most controversial moment of the speech came when she called Moon "chief spokesman for Kim." The remark triggered an uproar among the lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Na had to pause her speech due to a racket among the rival parties.



The description of Moon as Kim's spokesperson triggered an angry response from Cheong Wa Dae. In a statement, the presidential office strongly condemned Na's remarks, calling them an insult not just to the President, but also to the people's desire for peace on the Korean Peninsula.



She explained later she was quoting foreign media reports when she used the term "Kim's spokesperson." It is true that some foreign media outlets have described Moon as someone who speaks up for Kim in an effort to persuade the international community of Kim's sincerity for doing his part for peace on the peninsula. But domestically, such a term should not be used to describe the head of state.



The ruling party has brought the case to the National Assembly's special committee on ethics. Na should apologize for mocking the President and his endeavors to open a new path of peace for the two Koreas.



Na's speech was full of malicious criticisms on not just North Korea, but all the main policies of the Moon administration. The main opposition will not be able to regain public support if it fixates on old politics instead of providing effective policy alternatives.






By Jaroslav Olsa, Jr.





The Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea have been strategic partners since 2015 and next year will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Nevertheless, political contacts between Czechs and Koreans began 100 years ago in 1919.



Those were tumultuous times; the newly-established Czechoslovak Republic had been independent for a mere four months, while its main armed force, the 60,000-strong Czechoslovak Legion, was fighting the Bolshevik forces in the Far East.



The creation of new independent countries in Europe, including Czechoslovakia, would not have happened without U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation on self-determination.



Wilson's unofficial emissary Charles Crane, a close friend of the first President of Czechoslovakia Tomas G. Masaryk, traveled to Shanghai in late 1918. There he met Yo Un-hyung and most probably advised him to approach the Czechoslovak Legion.



Only a few weeks later, Yo traveled to Vladivostok to talk with the Czechoslovaks. He found a sympathetic partner there in General Radola Gajda, the Legion's commander. When, after the talks, Yo wanted to get back to Shanghai, General Gajda put at his disposal soldier Josef Hane to accompany him in an armored military train.



"Gajda's concrete arrangements to assure the security of an independence fighter can be evaluated as particularly generous," wrote Czech Koreanist Zdenka Kloslova, who studied Korean sources.



In January 1920, the Shanghai newspaper the Tongnip Sinmun ran articles about Gajda's support of the Korean case, and the general even gave it an interview later that year. Gajda's words were optimistic, as he mentioned that "the day when you achieve independence is not far" and he also spoke highly about the March 1 Independence Movement. Not surprisingly, Gajda was given a silver, engraved vase from the Korean Provisional Government.



Both Gajda and Hanc (who later on became Czechoslovak diplomat in the U.S. and Britain), became a part of Korean history. It was Pak Eun-sik, the second president of the Korean Provisional Government, who commemorated them both in his book "The Bloody History of the Korean Independence Movement."



The friendly approach toward Korea's fight for independence did not disappear after Gajda's departure for Europe. The Czechoslovak soldiers were well informed about the situation on the Korean Peninsula as we can see on the pages of Ceskoslovenskydennik, a Czech-language periodical published by the journalists-soldiers of the Legion. It regularly ran articles about Korea and it also informed its readers about the events in Seoul on March 1, 1919, and reported Japanese repressions against the Koreans.



In the early 1920s, a practical cooperation started with deliveries of Czechoslovak Legion's arms and ammunition to Korean forces. Both Korean and Czech sources mention numerous successful deals, when guns used by Czechoslovak Legion were given free of charge or sold for a very cheap price to Koreans. It is certain that these arms were instrumental in the success of the independence fighters at the battle of Cheongsan-ri in October 1920.



But, those arms deliveries had a more lasting impact. Eight years ago, I had a chance to meet Yoon Kyung-bin, associate of Kim Gu and former president of the Korea Liberation Association, who confirmed to me that some of the arms which originated from the Czechoslovak Legion were still in use when he was fighting the Japanese in Manchuria in the 1940s.



This aroused my curiosity and I spent some time in the archives of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out if there were any more details regarding this.



One more confirmation of a widespread use of the Legion's arms in between the wars appeared in my research. It was a report of a meeting of a high-ranking delegation from then communist Czechoslovakia with Kim Il-sung during which the North Korean leader surprised his interlocutors by a statement that he was also using guns which originated from the Czechoslovak Legion while fighting in Manchuria in the 1930s.



Unfortunately, with the departure of the Czechoslovak Legion from the Far East, the contacts between Korean and Czechoslovak officials ceased. Both of our nations had to fight hard and faced many obstacles in the 20th century, including long periods of occupation or non-democratic regimes.



The Korean Peninsula remains divided. This is why we have wholeheartedly welcomed President Moon Jae-in's success in renewing a peace dialogue with North Korea. We are hoping that this process will lead to long-lasting peace and prosperity that the people in both the South and the North have been waiting for these 100 years.





Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. served as Czech ambassador to Korea from 2008 to 2014. He also published books such as "1901 Photographs of Seoul by Enrique StankoVraz and Other Early Czech Travelers' Views of Korea," "The Korean Peninsula After the Armistice as Seen by Czechoslovak Delegates to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, 1953-1956" and Czech-language "Han Hung-su: Father of Czechoslovak Korean Studies." In 2012 he was awarded Seoul honorary citizenship.






By Mark Peterson





One of the primary cultural symbols of any country are the figures they put on their money. In most cases these figures are historic people. The United States has a law that only deceased people can appear on the money; by contrast a living Queen Elizabeth in on the currency of many countries in the commonwealth (like the Bahamas, where several years ago I visited and was surprised to see the Queen staring back at me when I looked at the new money in my hands).


By Kim Ji-myung





On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement this year, three topics have drawn attention.



One, whether South and North Korea could stage joint events to remember this historical day together, which was not realized.



Two, shedding more light on those independence fighters who have not been honored because of the strict evidence-based qualification requirement.



Three, acknowledging women fighters whose dedication and sacrifice have largely been kept behind curtains or ignored.



Some three million Korean independent fighters are estimated to have dedicated their blood and soul, lives and property, under Japanese colonial rule. Of them, only some 15,000 have been recognized and honored, and among these, only 359 women fighters are included as of 2019.



The recent spotlight on woman activists is partly attributable to a few remarkable memoirs written by women of independence fighting families. The example of Yi Hoe-yeong's family is probably the most remarkable and moving.



In the rustling winds of late December in 1910  around four months after Japan's annexation of Korea  over 60 members of the Yi family rode on 10 horse-driven carriages across the Yalu River, heading for Jilin Province in northeastern China.



It was not by personal decision but part of a campaign of the New People's Association ("Sinminhoe"). It was a patriotic underground national organization, initiated by Korea's civil leaders for restoration of independence.



Yi Eun-Suk, born in 1889 to a literati family, married Yi Hoe-yeong at the age of 20. In 1910, the six Yi brothers, without exception, joined in the exile to Gando, in Manchuria to stake their lives on independence activities. Lady Yi joined the family journey into the wild territory.



Her memoir abounds with unimaginable dire hardships and moments of remorse. The book covers details from the exodus to Gando to the final reunion of the family in Seoul after the Korean War. Of the six Yi brothers, only Si-yeong could make his way back home alive. He assumed the role of vice president of the newly launched Republic of Korea government in 1948.



As one of the renowned literati and richest families in the nation, the six brothers had houses which amounted to sizable quarters of land in the central part of today's Seoul.



Before heading to Manchuria, they sold off all their land, houses and possessions, garnering enormous funds of about 400,000 yang. Today it would roughly amounts to tens of billions of won. All preparations and deals were carried out in secret. It was a tragedy that many of the Yi members starved to death in the long process of flight to a foreign land.



The Yi family's strategy included running schools for national education.



However, Chinese locals antagonized Koreans, suspecting them to be connected to the Japanese.



Many hardships had to be resolved through communication and personal persuasion.



These communities outside the homeland provided sustenance for a burgeoning number of exiled political groups. In the Gando area of Manchuria, Yi Si-yeong, Yi Dong-ryeong and Yi Sang-ryeong established the Military School of the New Rising (Sinheung Mugwan Hakkyo) in order to train an anti-Japanese fighting force.



According to Prof. Michael Robinson in Korea Old and New - A History, "Although these early groups soon faltered, the Manchurian base area provided shelter to political groups and guerrilla forces throughout the colonial period."



Yi Eun-suk's memoir is valued in particular in that it shows the process of building the foundations of the independence movement, and also as a rare hands-on record describing the daily lives of the fighters and their families.



Some 200 independence activists who visited or contacted the family are mentioned and described in the memoir. Most of them are leading Korean and foreign leaders, and the text provides significant information on their relationships.



In November 1932, Yi Hoe-yeong was on his way to Dalian with a secret plan to assassinate the commander of the Japanese army. He was caught by the police, and after severe torture, Yi passed away in prison. Yi Eun-Suk was 44 years old at that time, and her determination for the independence fight did not lessen one bit. She published the memoir in 1967, on her husband's 100th birthday.





The writer Kim Ji-myung (heritagekorea21@gmail.com) is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage).




Refugees studying in Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education answered questions about tourism to North Korea. Part 1 quotes several refugees who expressed support for tourism in several ways.  ED.



Eunji (Escaped North Korea: 2017; Arrived in South Korea: 2018).



I support the idea of tourism to North Korea, for two main reasons. One, North Koreans should see foreigners. Ordinary people can't meet foreigners and aren't allowed to talk to them. If foreigners aren't allowed to go there, then it could seem to North Koreans that there are only North Koreans in this world.



I was a nurse, so foreigners visited our hospital sometimes. Only a few people were authorized to talk to foreigners visiting, and everyone knew to be very careful about what they said. Even the ones who couldn't talk could be aware of the outside world, not just the evil foreigners in North Korean propaganda. It encourages people to open their minds.



I welcome tourism to North Korea for a second reason: Kim Jong-un. Many people only think about Kim Jong-un when the topic of North Korea comes up, everyday people in North Korea don't get mentioned. I hope they can realize we are the same people. It is good for foreigners to see everyday North Koreans, they might even think about helping them.



Jihyun (Escaped North Korea: 2008; Arrived in South Korea: 2018).



I have no idea about tourism to North Korea. It seems strange that someone wants to visit the Disneyland section of a torture chamber, but it is their choice, their money, they can spend it as they wish. It is not my business.



Many people discussed Moon Jae-In sending fruit to North Korea. My mom and I talked about it. We agreed that even if most of the fruit goes to the government, at least some of it may reach the people in North Korea. And I guess the same is true of tourism, that there are many problems, but there can still be some benefits.



Kim Jong-un hates getting criticized for the country's human rights record. It isn't because he cares about people. It seems that he is upset because people are blaming him for killing cockroaches. He thinks he is so important, so he doesn't understand why people are criticizing him for killing useless cockroaches. Opening the country means he will have to continue confronting international criticism, so eventually things could open up and tourism can have a role with that.



Ken (Escaped North Korea: 2010; Arrived in South Korea: 2010).



I really hate Kim Jong-un and the regime, but we can't let our personal feelings determine policy. Some say tourism benefits the regime, but it isn't only about the regime. Opening North Korea has had some positive benefits for people.



For example, there are fewer public executions than before. North Korea clearly hates criticism internationally, so they try to hide their brutal treatment of people and have less harsh treatment than before. International relations with North Korea can slowly push the regime to raise its standards. Even the guides, who must push propaganda, get exposed to outside information. The churches are fake and they have fake services for foreigners, but even in those cases, some North Koreans get exposed to ideas that are illegal.



Soohyun (Escaped North Korea in 2011; Arrived in South Korea in 2011 ).



I support tourists going to North Korea. Most of the money probably goes to the government, I don't doubt that. If North Korea gets money from tourists, then it might be less diabolical in squeezing money and labor out of North Koreans.



Tourists won't see the real North Korea, I wish they would be honest about that rather than trying to make excuses. They think the guides are giving them inside information, but I can assure you that everything they say has been approved.



Even naive people must see something is wrong. They may not admit it to others, but anyone who goes to North Korea must know something is wrong. Can't they see something is wrong with a place when people can't even leave and get shot if they get caught? America has a problem with people trying to break in, North Korea has a problem with the people who want to get out.



Gun-mo (Escaped North Korea in 2009, Arrived in South Korea in 2010)



I welcome tourism to North Korea. Emotionally, I hate the idea of people going to North Korea, especially those people who don't have a deep understanding or if they are ideological communists. People who misunderstand North Korea should see North Korea, so they can face the reality of North Korea's human rights, the control of their own freedom when they are there.



They will see they can't go anywhere they want. Some of my Canadian friends went to North Korea. They were only allowed to see statutes. They were saying nice things about North Korea, but they were also complaining that they couldn't go anywhere alone and that they were being monitored. I asked them what they thought North Koreans must feel, living like that their entire lives, but they aren't free to leave the country as my Canadian friends could do so easily.



North Koreans are in a cage. Foreigners visiting there can give North Koreans the opportunity to meet them, it can spark their curiosity about the outside world.





Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, was the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and the winner of the Global Award from Challenge Korea 2017. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated most of the remarks of refugees from Korean to English.


Hyundai Motor Group logo is on display at the group's headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Institutional Shareholder Services has decided to support Hyundai Motor's dividend policies, favoring the automaker in its scheduled showdown with U.S. hedge fund Elliott, industry analysts said Tuesday.



In addition to Glass Lewis, two of world's leading proxy advisers have sided with the automaker, providing a greater chance for the company to win its desired outcome in a shareholder meeting on March 22.



According to the analysts, the advisory firm has recommended Hyundai Motor shareholders to vote for Hyundai Motor board's plan of paying out 3,000 won per common share as dividend. It urged shareholders to vote against Elliott's proposal of 21,967 won per common share.



The automaker will face difficulties in meeting capital requirements for investments toward research and development if it pays out the amount demanded by Elliott, the firm said.



Elliott's demand will force Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Hyundai Mobis to return 7 trillion won ($6.2 billion) to shareholders through special dividends. Elliott has also demanded Hyundai Mobis to pay 26,399 won per common share.



The Institutional Shareholder Services report followed another prominent proxy adviser Glass Lewis, which recommended shareholders to oppose Elliott's demand last week. In its report, Glass Lewis said Elliott's demand will undermine the company's long-term competitiveness and sustainability.



"Given the number of issues both advisers supported, it seems that Hyundai Motor is ahead of Elliott in the race for votes," an official at a domestic private equity fund said. "Since both advisers approved Hyundai Motor's dividend policy, the shareholder meeting will likely be focusing on the sustainability of the company."



In naming three independent directors of the carmaker's board, however, the firm partially favored Elliott's demand, urging shareholders to vote for two of three nominees the hedge fund recommended and for one by Hyundai Motor.



The advisory firm said Yoon Chi-won, recommended by Hyundai Motor, has expertise and insight in the field of finance. For John Liu and Randall MacEwen, recommended by Elliott, the adviser said their experience in the info-tech and energy fields "would help the company."



However, the sources said MacEwen's current job of leading Ballard Power, a fuel cell products maker, could stir controversies over conflicts with his own company's interest.



"Institutional Shareholder Services apparently emphasized diversity in its report and supported some of candidates recommended by Elliott, but it is doubtful whether a company should put diversity ahead of concerns over conflicts in interests," a source at a domestic investment bank said.



Regarding the report, Hyundai Motor said it welcomes the adviser's support on its dividend proposal, adding it is running a pool of 80 candidates who can serve as its board member to continue efforts for transparency of the board.




Joshua Lott/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Attorneys for Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Securities and Exchange Commission was broadly overreaching when it sought to hold him in contempt of court over a tweet he posted last month.



In documents filed Monday, the attorneys said Musk's Feb. 19 tweet was a restatement of prior disclosures and that it didn't violate a 2018 settlement with the SEC.



"Musk has dramatically reduced his volume of tweets generally and regarding Tesla in particular," the attorneys wrote in their response to the SEC. "This self-censorship is reflective of his commitment to adhering to the order and avoiding unnecessary disputes with the SEC."



"The 7:15 tweet was a celebratory, aspirational, and forward-looking statement on a topic that had been the subject of multiple written disclosures by Tesla," they added.



The lawyers also accused the SEC of censorship and of violating Musk's First Amendment rights.



The SEC said Musk violated the terms of a September settlement with his "inaccurate" tweet last month about the company's manufacturing projections and asked a judge to hold him in contempt of court.



"Musk did not seek or receive pre-approval prior to publishing this tweet, which was inaccurate and disseminated to over 24 million people," the SEC said in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last month. "Musk has thus violated the court's final judgment by engaging in the very conduct that the pre-approval provision of the final judgment was designed to prevent."



The billionaire CEO shocked investors on Feb. 19 when he tweeted that the company would "make around" 500,000 vehicles this year, soaring past previous estimates.



Musk clarified the statement about four hours later with another tweet, saying he "meant to say" the company's annualized production rate would come in at around 500,000 vehicles for the year. He said deliveries for 2019 are still estimated at 400,000.



His attorneys said Musk "used his discretion" to determine that the tweet did not require pre-approval.



Musk agreed to "seek pre-approval of any written communications, including social media posts, that contained or reasonably could contain information material to Tesla or its shareholders," according to the filing.



The parties made the agreement last fall after Musk tweeted about a now-aborted plan to take the company private at $420 per share.



"Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump by over six percent on August 7 and led to significant market disruption," the commission said in the filing. "Two days after the SEC filed its complaint against Musk, it reached settlement agreements with both Musk and Tesla."



"In turn, Tesla, as one condition of its settlement with the SEC, agreed to implement mandatory procedures to oversee and pre-approve Musk's Tesla-related written communications that reasonably could contain information material to the company or its shareholders," it added.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent messages of condolence respectively to his Ethiopian and Kenyan counterparts, Sahle-Work Zewde and Uhuru Kenyatta, over the plane crash that killed 157 people on Sunday.

In his messages, Xi said he was shocked to hear about the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines plane and the massive casualties it caused, including Ethiopian, Kenyan and Chinese victims.

On behalf of the Chinese government, the Chinese people and in his own name, he expressed deep mourning for the victims and extended his condolences to the bereaved families.

Xi said that he believes the Ethiopian government is capable of properly handling the aftermath of the tragedy. He added that China would provide any necessary support and assistance.

Also on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a message to his Ethiopian counterpart, Abiy Ahmed, offering his condolences over the plane crash.




South Korea outstripped China as the world's No. 2 importer of U.S. crude oil in 2018 due to its cheaper price and a Sino-American trade war, an industry report said Tuesday.







South Korea's daily average imports of American crude amounted to 236,000 barrels last year, trailing Canada's 378,000 barrels, according to the report from energy industry tracker S&P Global Platts.







China was the third-largest importer of U.S. crude with 228,000 barrels per day, the report based on data from the U.S. International Energy Agency showed.







In December alone, South Korea's imports of American crude grew sharply. Asia's fourth-largest economy brought in a daily average of 558,000 barrels, compared with 351,000 barrels the previous month.







The amount was much larger than Canada's daily imports of 431,000 barrels during the final month of last year.







Industry watchers attributed the surge in South Korea's U.S. crude imports to its price competitiveness and the trade row between Washington and Beijing.







Overall prices of crude produced in the Middle East went up last year, while U.S. crude costs declined thanks to America's increased shale production.







"The price gap between Dubai crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) widened to US$8 per barrel in December from the previous $2-3 band," an industry source said.







The trade dispute between the two largest economies was also responsible. China's imports of U.S. crude peaked at a daily average of 510,000 barrels in June last year before declining.







According to the Korea Energy Economics Institute, China didn't import any U.S. crude oil in October and December last year, and in January this year.







Market watchers, however, said China's imports of American crude could increase anytime depending on the outcome of their ongoing disputes to end the bruising trade war. (Yonhap)


Union members of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering stage a rally Feb. 20 at the company's dockyard on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, opposing Hyundai Heavy Industries' takeover. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Hyundai Heavy Industries' (HHI) acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) will likely face strict scrutiny from antitrust authorities abroad over the new entity's monopolistic status, industry analysts said Tuesday.



They said it is uncertain whether the acquisition will go as planned, given the precedent of global antitrust authorities blocking mergers and acquisitions (M&As) between big firms.



"The HHI-DSME deal stipulates it will take place only after winning full approval from antitrust authorities in Korea and abroad," said KB Securities analyst Jeong Dong-ik.



"Along with the opposition from the two companies' unions, approval from global antitrust authorities will be a hurdle for the companies to overcome, given previous cases of big firms' M&As being blocked for failing to address competition concerns."



Under a plan put forward by the Korea Development Bank, DSME's major stakeholder, HHI and DSME will merge under a new corporate body that Hyundai will set up. The two companies' unions have been staging multiple rallies, saying the deal will lead to job losses.



When finished, the new firm's market status could be seen as monopolistic. At the end of last year, HHI and DSME won a combined 21 percent of global orders. When it comes to liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, their combined share grows to 52 percent, allowing rival shipbuilders and global antitrust agencies to raise complaints of a monopoly.



There have been several other cases in which global antitrust authorities have opposed M&A deals between companies having significant shares in certain markets.



In February, the European Commission blocked the proposed merger between German and French train manufacturers Siemens and Alstom saying they failed to address serious "competition concerns." Alstom makes TGV and Siemens makes ICE high-speed trains, and they were trying to merge to compete against China's state-backed train makers.



Earlier this year, France and Germany also filed complaints with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's takeover of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, formerly known as STX France, claiming that it would harm competition.



In the 2000s, the EU filed a complaint with the WTO claiming the Korean government's support for shipbuilders was illegal.



"The merger will be a subject of scrutiny by antitrust watchdogs across the world, because the merging of shipbuilders with high market shares will undermine the bargaining leverage of shippers and vessel buyers in various countries," a Fair Trade Commission (FTC) official said. The FTC is reviewing whether the deal will harm competition between shipbuilders.



Amid the growing concerns, FTC Chairman Kim said the case of Alstom-Siemens was "different" from the HHI-DSME deal.



"Unlike high-speed trains, the shipbuilding industry has many kinds of vessels," Kim told reporters during a press conference in Brussels. "Also, the European train industry has its suppliers and buyers in the same region, while the shipbuilding industry has its supplier in Korea but the buyers are scattered worldwide."



Kim said, however, that the FTC will not conduct its review under the rationale of nurturing and protecting a "national champion" and pledged it will make a decision that overseas antitrust authorities can believe in.








Singapore suspended operations of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in and out of Changi airport on Tuesday, and Indonesia and China grounded their fleets of the U.S. plane maker' s latest model after it suffered a second fatal crash in less than five months.





The scare has wiped billions of dollars off the market value of the world's biggest plane maker, as the Boeing Co share closed 5 percent down on Monday having fallen by as much as 13.5percent at one point.





A day after a Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet plunged to the ground, killing all 157 people aboard, the United States stressed it was safe to fly the planes.





But a statement issued by Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) showed question-marks hanging over the aircraft after Sunday's disaster could not be dispelled so fast.





"During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore," the aviation regulator said in a statement.





It is the first major regulator to order such an action, but the anxiety was also evident among air travellers, who rushed to find out from social media whether they were booked to fly on737 MAX planes - the same model involved in the Lion Air crash off Indonesia that killed 189 people in October.





There has been no information yet to link the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines incidents.





Investigators in Ethiopia found two black box recorders that will provide information about what happened before the plane plunged into farmland minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.





So long as the recordings are undamaged, the cause of the crash could be identified quickly, although it typically takes a year to fully complete an investigation.





The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a "continued airworthiness notification" for the 737 MAX late on Monday to assure operators, and detailed a series of design changes mandated by Boeing.





Boeing issued a statement as well, saying it had been working with the FAA in the aftermath of a Lion Air crash to develop enhancements to flight control software that will bedeployed across the 737 MAX fleet in coming weeks.





The improvements include updates to the manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training.





SUSPENSIONS MOUNTING













Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein urged the FAA to ground Boeing's 737 MAX 8 fleet.





"Until the cause of the crash is known and it's clear that similar risks aren't present in the domestic fleet, I believe all Boeing 737 Max 8 series aircraft operating in the United States should be temporarily grounded," Feinstein wrote.





The new MAX 8 variant of the 737, the world's best-selling modern passenger aircraft, has bigger engines designed to useless fuel. It entered service in 2017, and by the end of January Boeing had delivered 350 of the new jets to customers.





With another 4,661 on order, and 737 Max 8s could become the workhorses for airlines around the globe for decades.



Ethiopian Airlines, which has four other 737 MAX 8 jets,said it was grounding them as a precaution.





Gol in Brazil temporarily suspended MAX 8flights, as did Argentina's state airline Aerolineas Argentinas and Mexico's Aeromexico.





Singapore Airlines, whose SilkAir brand operates 6Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, said it has temporarily withdrawn its fleet and would re-accommodate affected customers.





Other airlines that operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Singapore - China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air - are also affected.





The country's Changi Airport said Shandong had cancelled its flight to and from Jinan but other airlines had replaced the jet with another type.





China on Monday ordered its airlines to suspend the use of their 737 MAX 8 jets. The country's aviation regulator said it would notify airlines when they could resume flying the jets, after contacting Boeing and the FAA.





The current scare could jeopardise a potential commitment by China to buy more Boeing-made aircraft as part of a deal being negotiated to end a trade war with the United States.





India's regulator ordered additional maintenance checks on737 MAX 8 aircraft operating in the country and said a review found "no significant concern".





Still, major airlines from North America to the Middle East kept flying the 737 MAX on Monday, though Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he would not hesitate to take action once the cause of the crash is known.





Southwest Airlines Co, which operates the largest fleet of 737 MAX 8s, said it remained confident in the safety of all its Boeing planes even as it fielded queries from customers.





"Our customer relations team is responding to these customers individually, emphasizing our friendly, no-change fee policy," the fourth largest U.S. airline said in a statement.





Former U.S. Federal Aviation Administration accident investigator Mike Daniel said he believed the decision by regulators to ground the planes was premature. "To me it almost surreal how quickly some of the regulators are just grounding the aircraft without any factual information yet as a result of the investigation," he told Reuters.





However, he said more groundings were now likely due to a "snowball effect" unless Boeing or the FAA released more information. (Reuters)


Eastar Jet will suspend the operations of its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets as safety concerns rise over the aircraft. Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho






Travelers shop at duty free stores in Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 in this file photo. Korea Times file



Domestic retailers complain about 'reverse discrimination'



By Kwak Yeon-soo



The eligibility of Dufry Thomas Julie Korea for operating arrivals duty free shops has been a contentious issue as the Korean subsidiary of Dufry is categorized as a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), according to industry analysts, Tuesday.



With only a day left until bidding closes March 14, home-grown retailers say the Korean subsidiary of the world's largest duty free store operator should not be allowed to bid for arrivals shops.



By June, only one store run by an SME will have been allowed to open at the arrival terminals of Incheon International Airport.



The government amended the Korean Customs Acts in 2013 to promote the growth of SMEs, excluding retail giants such as Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae from bidding.



The Korea Customs Service (KCS) regards Dufry Thomas Julie Korea as an SME, saying it meets all requirements to participate in the bidding because the Korean subsidiary owns more than 50 percent of its shares.



In 2014, Dufry Thomas Julie Korea, set up by Dufry in 2013, won a license as an SME to run duty free shops in the DF2 section of Gimhae International Airport in Busan in 2014.



In February, Incheon International Corp. announced it will allow SMEs to open one arrivals duty free shop in Terminal 1 with a total area of 380 square meters and another one in Terminal 2, which has a total area of 326 square meters.



However, duty free shop operators here expect that Dufry Thomas Julie Korea will likely win the much-coveted license.



An official at SM Duty Free, operated by travel agency Hana Tour, said it is even harder to compete with global firms than retail conglomerates in Korea.



"As a strong multinational retailer in the world, Dufry has greater power and the ability to buy luxury goods at a lower price compared to conglomerates such as Lotte," a Hana Tour spokesman told The Korea Times.



"The government's decision to allow Dufry to participate in the tender process goes against their initial plan to benefit SMEs. It is clearly hurting the bottom lines of SMEs."



Another duty free store official, who asked not be named, claimed that government policies are causing "reverse discrimination" against local companies.



"Since Dufry Thomas Julie Korea is a limited liability company, it's not required to disclose details about its owners or spending," he said. "In order to prevent foreign subsidiaries from taking advantage of privileges given to small firms, the government needs to come up with additional measures."


<p>BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

Erez and Irene Nosrati are a formidable dental duo. Together, they started the La Jolla Dental Boutique last year, taking over the practice and the dental office space of recently retired Dr. Jacob Russell at 525 Nautilus St. The husband-and-wife dentist team combined forces after moving here from Chicago, where they each had separate practices. Now they offer a one-stop concierge dental service.

Dr. Irene Nosrati explains: Between the two of us, we cover all the aspects as far as dental procedures go. I do most of the general and cosmetic work  crowns, veneers and Invisalign. I also do root canals with a microscope. Erez is a board-certified periodontist and dental-implant specialist, so we work together to bring a comprehensive approach so people can get everything they need in one location instead of having to be referred out constantly and have that hassle.

Dr. Erez Nosrati says hes the only certified dentist in La Jolla to offer Pinhole Gum Recession Surgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure to treat receding gums. No incisions or sutures are necessary. He uses a needle to make a small hole in the patients gum tissue and through this pinhole, special instruments are used to gently loosen the gum tissues and then expand and slide the gumline to cover the exposed root structure. It provides faster recovery and less discomfort for patients.

The practice also offers 3D-digital scanning as an alternative to traditional dental impressions and uses a high-powered microscope to perform root-canal therapy, tissue grafts, and create dental restorations with precise fit and finish. Each dental procedure room is equipped with special water heaters that warm the water used during procedures to eliminate sensitivity and discomfort.

The couple is trying to grow their practice and are offering new patient specials, including an $89 cleaning and X-ray exam along with a free take-home whitening kit. They also offer $500 off on Invisalign.

La Jolla Dental Boutique prides itself on being family-oriented and focusing on one patient at a time.

We have a big focus on the experience, Dr. Irene Nosrati explained, we treat one patient at a time so that when you walk in the door, everybody knows who you are. We care about the relationships with our patients and not just doing procedures and running around from chair to chair. We really want to dedicate our time to whoever is here.

The Nosratis met while in dental school in Indiana. Dr. Irene speaks Spanish, French, Hebrew and Russian fluently, and Dr. Erez speaks Farsi and Hebrew. He is also a part-time faculty member at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. The couple has two young children  5-year-old Ben and 2-year-old Naomi.

La Jolla Dental Boutique is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 525 Nautilus St., La Jolla. Its closed on Friday and weekends. There is ample free parking and wheelchair accessibility. (858) 459-4113. lajolladentalboutique.com

 Business Spotlight features commercial enterprises that support this publication.
Californias primary, set for March 3, 2020, has emerged as a pivotal event for Democrats and Republicans as they choose their candidates for the November 2020 election.

Recognizing its importance, the Los Angeles Times is launching its Election 2020 coverage this Sunday, March 3, with the California Countdown  stories designed to guide readers and viewers as the candidates and campaigns emerge and evolve.

We know this turf like no one else, and our news reports and analysis will provide invaluable insights about critical issues for California, the nation and the world, said Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine. Change comes first to California and the West  be it demographic, economic, political or social  and we are uniquely qualified to cover the issues and arguments our electorate will confront as we help determine the future of democracy and the nation.

Elaborating, Pearlstine said, We shall deliver scoops and in-depth reporting on myriad issues, including immigration, climate change and the environment, energy, mobility, income inequality, housing and homelessness, healthcare, education, LGBTQ and Hollywoods role in defining these issues.

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The Times coverage is headed by Millie Quan, a senior editor who ran the 2000 campaign; Washington bureau chief David Lauter; and columnist Doyle McManus. The team of political reporters includes Mark Z. Barabak, Janet Hook, Evan Halper, Michael Finnegan and Melanie Mason. Coverage will be bolstered by journalists assigned to the various candidates, investigative reporters, and specialists whose beats intersect with the campaign.

Managing Editor Scott Kraft said, Our Washington bureau has nearly doubled to 23 reporters and editors in the eight months since Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong acquired The Times last June, and our editorial staff has grown by more than 30%. We have the people and the tools to cover the California Countdown.

Sundays four-page special package (PDF attached) includes:

Mark Z. Barabaks story on Kamala Harris and a changing California

Janet Hooks examination of what the sprawling Democratic field looks like (13 candidates) and how Californias earlier-than-usual primary factors into candidates campaign strategies

Melanie Masons look at how moving up Californias primary illustrates the states political inferiority complex (coming soon)

A Q&A that answers the basics, including how California delegates are divvied up and when balloting begins (coming soon)

As part of the campaign coverage, The Times will team with the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley for a series of five statewide polls, beginning in late spring of this year and running through the eve of the March 3 primary.

The polls will provide our readers a look at how Californians in the Democratic and Republican parties assess their presidential choices, as well as data on major issues facing the state. They will enable us to see how significant events in the campaign, including the results of the first two nominating contests, shape the choices of California voters. And they will allow us to see how groups within the electorate vary on their political decisions.

The surveys, under the direction of veteran pollster Mark DiCamillo, will follow the methodology that the Institute for Governmental Studies has pioneered in California, using email information from the states voter file to contact voters to produce a representative sample of the electorate. That method proved highly successful in forecasting and analyzing the states votes in last years June and November statewide elections, including polls of eight highly contested California congressional districts that the institute conducted on behalf of The Times.

Quick links to follow our campaign coverage:
Andrew Ridgeley, one half of the iconic British pop duo Wham! will tell the story of the legendary 80s group and his friendship with bandmate George Michael in a new memoir.

Penguin Random House imprint Dutton will publish Wham! George & Me this fall, the publisher said in a news release.

Wham! was founded by Ridgeley and Michael in 1981; the two had been schoolmates in Bushey, England. Their early singles Young Guns (Go for It), Bad Boys and Club Tropicana were all hits in Britain but didnt make much of a splash in the U.S.

That changed in 1984 with the release of their mega-hit single Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, which they followed up with Careless Whisper and Last Christmas, the latter of which is still a staple on pop radio during the holiday season.

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Wham! broke up in 1986, ending their career as a band with a famous concert at Wembley Stadium.

They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves, Dutton said of the duo in a news release. It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

Dutton said Ridgeleys book will focus on the bands relatively short career.

Andrews memoir covers in wonderful detail those years, up until that last iconic concert: the scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good and the bad. Its a unique and one-and-only time to remember that era, that band and those boys, the publisher said.

Ridgeley pursued careers in auto racing and acting after the breakup of Wham! and released one solo album, Son of Albert, which was mostly panned by critics. He lives in England.

Wham! George & Me, Ridgeleys first book, is slated for release on Oct. 8.
Much of the news coverage of President Trumps proposed 2020 budget, which was released Monday, focuses on two aspects.

One: Its just a PR exercise, since presidential budgets never get enacted. Two: Trumps demand for $8.6 billion to build his border wall sets up a new conflict with Congress and maybe another government shutdown.

What shouldnt fly under the radar, however, are the huge cuts to social safety net programs embedded in the documents 150 appalling pages. These include drastic reductions in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid  which Trump always promised to protect from any cuts  and to food stamps, housing assistance and family assistance.

It appears that work requirements are at least as likely to increase as to decrease poverty. National Academy of Sciences

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Some of the support for social programs trumpeted by the budget document turn out to be largely mythical. Trump boasts of his determination to defeat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

But as Lindsey Dawson of the Kaiser Family Foundation points out, the cuts and limitations hes proposing to Medicaid would undermine care for HIV patients, 41% of whom get their health coverage via that program. And the $3.5-billion appropriation for the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which Trump claims would continue the United States position as the worlds top HIV/AIDS donor, actually represents a cut of nearly 20% from 2019 funding, which is $4.34 billion.

A family leave program touted by Ivanka Trump is another myth. It would require families claiming benefits to give up some of their Social Security benefits in return, which we identified last year as a terrible idea.

On the other hand, Trumps budget is great news for the 1%. He would continue the tax cuts enacted in December 2017, which went largely to corporations and the wealthy.

Its probably true that Trumps budget will be dead on arrival on Capitol Hill, since the Democratic House wont accept many of its provisions and even plenty of Republicans see lots in it to hate. But the document is useful for divining what goes through Trumps head and those of his minions in the White House.

Many calculations of the damage Trump would do to social programs are necessarily estimates, because the budget document is vague about some of the cuts. But lets take a quick look at what we do know, thanks to the work of budget experts in various fields. Except where noted, all dollar figures cover 10 years.

Social Security and healthcare: Cuts all around. Trump proposes to pare as much as $1.5 trillion from Medicaid, partially by repealing the Medicaid expansion enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, and partially by converting the program to a block grant to states  a system that destroys the programs ability to match funding with costs and results in a massive shortfall over time.

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2015

Trump would gut the nations disability programs by $84 billion. At least $10 billion of that would come from Social Security disability through changes in eligibility rules. An additional $400 million would come out of the Social Security Administrations administrative budget, which is already strapped for cash, in the next year alone. Beneficiaries could expect more busy signals on the phone lines and longer waits at Social Security offices.

Trump proposes to model Obamacare repeal on the Graham-Cassidy bill, a 2017 repeal proposal that we labeled the worst one of all. Graham-Cassidy would have destroyed protections for people with preexisting medical conditions and cost as many as 21 million Americans their health coverage.

As for Medicare, Trump proposes to pare more than $500 billion from the program through a series of ill-defined initiatives on wasteful spending, fraud, and abuse, a catch-all category that includes reducing reimbursements to hospitals and other providers caring for patients. The historical record of such promises is not auspicious. Typically the fraud busters find a lot less to wring out of the system than they project, but they use the claims of widespread fraud to rationalize program cuts. Medicare advocates would have to watch this very carefully.

Food stamps and other public assistance: The food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would be cut by $220 billion. This would mean a cut of nearly one-third in a program that provides average benefits of about $1.40 per person per meal.

Trumps priorities in one simple chart drawn from his 2020 budget proposal. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Trump proposes to resurrect his food-box idea to replace food stamps, a stupid proposal from 2018 that would have increased administrative costs for states and saddled recipients with food supplies they couldnt use. Trump calls the idea innovative.

Trump is proposing to tighten work requirements on SNAP as well as Medicaid, despite a lack of evidence that such requirements do anything to help people find jobs and growing evidence that they result in needy families being thrown off the programs by the thousands. As a report this year by the National Academy of Sciences concluded, It appears that work requirements are at least as likely to increase as to decrease poverty.

According to Bobby Kogan, chief mathematician for the Senate Budget Committee, Trumps budget would eliminate $1.3 billion in discretionary government programs. That would mean cuts, some of them drastic, to programs such as housing subsidies and heating assistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Head Start  Most of the programs that we think of when we think of what the government does, Kogan tweeted.

Science and education: Draconian cuts. In 2020 alone Trump would slash the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by 31.2% and the National Science Foundation by 9%, some $3.2 billion combined in one year. These agencies long have been in the cross hairs of conservatives, who detest their focus on antipollution regulations and on climate change solutions.

The budget would eliminate subsidized federal student loans for higher education and repeal a program giving university graduates who take public service jobs a break on repaying their student loans. But it would pump $45 billion over 10 years into private and parochial K-12 schools, undermining public education, through the Education Freedom Scholarships, a voucher program promoted by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

So thats just a sample of the buzz saw Trump proposes to take to government programs that serve most Americans. He calls it a budget for a better America, which, given his vision of a better America, is one promise most Americans will hope he breaks.

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.
Boeing Co. came under growing international pressure to account for the second crash of its 737 Max aircraft, as China and other countries grounded their fleets and investors pounded the aerospace companys shares in trading Monday.

Investigators found the black boxes of the Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff, killing 157 people. The data have yet to be downloaded, and information about the cause of the accident remained limited.

But aviation experts pointed to similarities with the October crash of a Lion Air 737 Max not long after it took off from Jakarta, Indonesia. A preliminary investigation said the accident was related to a software modification in the new jetliner that erroneously caused the aircraft to enter a series of dives.

(Shaffer Grubb, Lorena Elebee / Los Angeles Times)

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The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday issued a statement of confidence in the safety of the 737 Max, saying it would take immediate and appropriate action based on further information but to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions.

Boeing announced late Monday it would update software in the planes flight control system in coming weeks.

Several U.S. airlines, facing calls and emails from nervous passengers, expressed support for the aircraft.

Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier and biggest operator of the 737 Max, with 34 planes and an additional 219 on order, said: We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our entire fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 aircraft, and we dont have any changes planned to 737 Max operations. We are fielding some questions from customers asking if their flight will be operated by the Boeing 737 Max 8.

But authorities and airlines in China, Indonesia, Ethiopia and elsewhere moved swiftly to ground their fleets of the 737 Max 8, Boeings most successful and newest model, and one of its biggest profit generators.

The risks facing Boeing were clear Monday when its shares plummeted as much as 13% in early New York trading. They closed down $22.53, or 5.3%, to $400.01 in heavy trading.

Because this is a new model and there are similarities with the two accidents, Boeing should put safety first and ground this aircraft, Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said in an interview. After Lion Air, Boeing was going to provide a fix to the system which has not been done yet.

In a statement, Boeing said, We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved. The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators.

If a defect was responsible for both of the accidents, it would represent a potentially grave threat to Boeings most important product. As of January, the manufacturer had more than 4,700 orders from around the world for the fuel-efficient, twin-engine jetliner. Boeing is among the nations top industrial exporters, responsible for the bulk of $121 billion in annual commercial aircraft exports.

Boeing is in trouble, said Robert Ditchey, an expert witness in air safety matters, an aeronautics engineer and a former airline executive. This is like a nuclear war for them. They are going to try to get the answer to this as quickly as possible.

Half a dozen safety experts interviewed by The Times cautioned that almost no cause of the Ethiopian Airline accident could be ruled out, including aircraft system defects, pilot error, terrorism or even pilot suicide.

But more questions will be raised than answered until investigators can at least download information from the jetliners event data recorder and cockpit voice recorder that were found at the crash site, southwest of Addis Ababa, the nations capital.

The remains of the aircraft were in bits and pieces in a confined area, suggesting that it struck the ground nose first at a sharp angle, Ditchey said.

The airport at Addis Ababa is at 7,200 feet elevation. The 737 never reached more than about 2,000 feet above ground before it crashed eight minutes after takeoff, a duration that normally would take the aircraft close to its cruising altitude of more than 30,000 feet. Flightradar24, a website that tracks aircraft flights, reported that during its first three minutes the plane experienced repeated inflections of its vertical speed and at one point dropped about 400 feet.

It wasnt even close to a normal climb pattern, Ditchey said.

The other unusual clue from Flightradar24 was data that showed the aircraft was traveling at nearly 400 knots, well above the allowable speed in the U.S. for aircraft below altitude of 10,000 feet. Experts said that such a speed could probably not be justified under any scenario.

The Lion Air jetliner crash probably involved multiple causes, including glaring maintenance errors, pilot mistakes and training deficiencies. The plane was sent into about a dozen downward movements by a software feature in its flight control system  which goes by the name of Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS  that relied on erroneous data from a sensor that measured its angle of attack, the angle at which air flows over the wing.

The MCAS software was put on the 737 Max to counteract the potential for the plane to pitch up at slow speeds and lose lift. The pilots couldve switched off the software, which was done by a crew the previous day when it experienced the same issue.

The tendency for the nose to pitch up at slow speeds after takeoff was created when Boeing moved the engines closer to the fuselage in redesigning the 737, which dates from the mid-1960s.

UPDATED #FAA Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. pic.twitter.com/QJ0m5eaHHJ  The FAA (@FAANews) March 11, 2019

Boeing has to sit down and ask itself how long they can keep updating this airplane, said Douglas Moss, an instructor at USCs Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program, a former United Airlines captain, an attorney and a former Air Force test pilot. We are getting to the point where legacy features are such a drag on the airplane that we have to go to a clean-sheet airplane.

Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst and vice president at Teal Group, said that he hears such suggestions from people all the time. It is not clear that a new technology design would have paid off with a single-aisle jet.

Although Boeing is taking a reputational hit with the accident, he cautioned that the Ethiopian accident could turn out to be a case of pilot error or terrorism. If it has nothing to do with the airplane system, then it has nothing on Boeing, he said. A lot is at stake. We will know more.

Nonetheless, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called on the FAA to ground the 737 Max until the cause of the crash is known and its clear that similar risks arent present in the domestic fleet.

Paul Hudson, president of the passenger rights group FlyersRights.org, echoed Feinsteins call, saying, The FAAs wait and see attitude risks lives as well as the safety reputation of the U.S. aviation industry.

Hall, the former NTSB chairman, said his recommendation for a grounding is based in part on what he learned during his first accident investigation, involving a 737 jetliner that crashed near Pittsburgh in 1994.

Hall led that investigation, which became the longest in NTSB history when it went on for five years. Boeing insisted, Hall said, that the accident was caused by pilot error. But the investigation ultimately found that a defect in the hydraulic system caused the rudder to reverse direction.

When you pressed the rudder pedal one way, the plane would go the other way, he recalled. My concern in that experience with Boeing on the 737 in the 1990s is transparency. They failed to be transparent. I would think from a business standpoint, the prudent thing to do is ground the airplane.

In 2013, the FAA ordered airlines to cease operations of Boeings then-new 787 Dreamliner after five incidents in five days of fire originating in the planes lithium ion battery. None of the planes crashed and Boeing implemented a fix for the battery overheating problem. Before that, the FAA had last grounded a U.S.-built aircraft in 1979, when it ordered a halt to flights of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

When Boeing introduced the newest version of its 737 a few years ago, U.S. carriers were enthusiastic about its promise of fuel efficiency  Boeing boasts it has 10% better fuel mileage than the next most economical single-aisle jetliner  and its quiet interior. The 737 Max, assembled in Renton, Wash., became Boeings fastest-selling plane.

Besides Southwest in the U.S., American Airlines has 24 737 Max jetliners in its fleet, with an additional 90 on order over the next two years. United Airlines has 14 of the models in service and orders for 100 more.

On Monday, those U.S. carriers also voiced confidence in the jetliners. We have made clear that the Boeing 737 Max aircraft is safe and that our pilots are properly trained to fly the Max aircraft safely, United Airlines said in a statement.

American Airlines issued a similar statement: We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.

Airlines said they have not yet seen a significant push by passengers to cancel or rebook flights.

Southwest operates a fleet of 31 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft & we remain confident in the safety & airworthiness of our fleet. That said, we're working w/ Customers individually if they'd like to change their upcoming reservation. Feel free to DM for additional details. -Becca  Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) March 11, 2019

At Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, co-workers Jenny Garcia and Christina Perez flew in from Houston on Southwest Airlines. Perez said she wasnt concerned because the airline has been reliable in the past. Maybe if I was on an international flight, she said.

Garcia said she was aware of the crash but also didnt feel concerned.

The chances of that happening are so slim, she said.

The worlds airlines recorded the safest year on record in 2017, with just 1.1 accident for every 1 million flights, according to the International Air Transport Assn., a trade group for the worlds air carriers. In 2018 the accident rate rose to 1.35 accidents for every 1 million flights, or one accident for every 740,000 flights.

Times staff writers Melissa Gomez and Alexa Diaz contributed to this report.
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's draft foreign investment law is well received among foreign investors, who believe it will further improve the country's business environment.

A new draft of the law was submitted to China's national legislative session for a third reading last week, and has been deliberated by lawmakers and discussed by political advisors over the past few days.

The draft aims to improve the transparency of foreign investment policies and ensures that foreign-invested enterprises participate in market competition on an equal basis.

Stephan Kothrade, president functions Asia Pacific of German chemicals giant BASF, said the company welcomes the draft law, with the belief that it will help effectively address issues foreign investors face in China.

"For foreign companies in China, I think everyone is waiting for the draft law to be passed, as the law will create a level playing field where everyone can participate," said Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.

With unified provisions for the entry, promotion, protection, and management of foreign investment, the law is "a new and fundamental law" for China's foreign investment and an innovative improvement of China's foreign investment legal system.

The draft stresses more investment promotion and protection than the three existing laws, a positive signal for foreign firms in China, said Ma Zheng, vice president of the China subsidiary of the agricultural commodities trader Cargill.

Ma believes the law would provide stronger legal guarantees for foreign investors and companies to safeguard their interests. "It's going to make China's business environment more open, equitable and transparent for foreign firms," he said.

By the end of 2018, about 960,000 foreign-invested enterprises had been set up in China, with the accumulated foreign direct investment exceeding 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars.

China advanced to a global ranking of 46 in terms of ease of doing business last year, up from 78 in 2017, according to a World Bank Group report released last year.

"This shows the constant improvement in our business environment, and greater progress might be made this year," said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The new law will boost foreign investors' confidence in China since their rights and interests will be legally protected, said Cai Hua, a national legislator and director of Wisely Law Office in Tianjin.

"A country with a relatively complete legal system will be an ideal destination for foreign investment," Cai said.

"It will give more people confidence in China," said Adam Dunnett, secretary general of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. "If you're a foreign investor, and you're going to read a law about China, probably the first one you're going to read is the foreign investment law."
The Federal Aviation Administration doubled down on its support for the safety of Boeing Co.s 737 Max aircraft Tuesday, even as much of the world moved to ground the planes.

On Tuesday, European and Indian aviation regulators joined a slew of others worldwide in suspending flights of 737 Max jetliners after Sundays deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane, which had eerie similarities to a fatal accident involving the same model plane in Indonesia less than six months before.

Acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell said the agencys review so far of all available data and aggregate safety performance from operators and pilots of the Boeing 737 Max shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft.

Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action, he said in the statement, adding that if any issues affecting the continued airworthiness of the aircraft are identified, the agency will take immediate and appropriate action. Late Monday, aerospace giant Boeing said it would soon update the planes flight control system software that was implicated in last years deadly crash of a Lion Air flight shortly after takeoff.

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced it is grounding all 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 planes in Europe and issued a directive that suspends outside countries from flying the planes in and out of its airspace. The ban does not apply to other versions of the 737, including the NG, Max 7 and Max 10.

Shortly afterward, Indias Ministry of Civil Aviation announced it was grounding 737 Max planes until appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations. China, Australia and Singapore had already grounded the 737 Max, according to Bloomberg.

Such a broad repudiation of the U.S. aviation agency by foreign aviation authorities is highly unusual, aviation experts said. Historically, the U.S. has been viewed as a preeminent leader in air safety and accident investigation practices.

As far as I can tell, the FAAs position seems to be that unless you can uncover some systemic flaw, that grounding is inappropriate, said Arnold Barnett, a professor of statistics at the MIT Sloan School of Management who focuses on aviation safety.

But I find this a perplexing position because at the moment, its not known what caused the crash, he said. You could say if youre not sure if theres a systemic flaw, then the prudent course is to do what the rest of the countries are doing and say, Stop flying until you know.

Barnett noted that countries such as Germany and Australia are among the safest in the world for aviation and they, at this moment, are not convinced.

Aviation experts cautioned that it was too early to speculate about whether there is a connection between Sundays crash and the October fatal crash of a 737 Max operated by Lion Air, which plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff. Sundays accident is being investigated by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, with help from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. An FAA team is also on site with the NTSB, the agency said.

Yes, they are the same kind of aircraft, but potentially, these two accidents could have completely different causes, said James F. Rodriguez, senior counsel at law firm Holland & Knight. When he was assistant general counsel at the NTSB from 2011 to 2017, Rodriguez was responsible for advising investigators looking into transportation incidents, including aviation accidents such as the 2013 Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash in San Francisco that killed three people and injured 187.

Accident investigation authorities around the world are usually cautious to draw conclusions early, he said. I think it seems a little early for them to be drawing the kind of conclusion to ground the aircraft given that  the investigation is so early.

(Los Angeles Times)

Several U.S. airlines that fly 737 Max aircraft have expressed support for the plane, including Southwest Airlines, which is the largest domestic carrier and biggest operator of the 737 Max. The Dallas airline has 34 of the planes, with 219 more on order.

Since the Lion Air crash in October, Boeing has reiterated that its 737 Max is safe.

On Tuesday, the Chicago aerospace giant said, We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets.

Boeing added that it would stay in contact with those groups but that without more information, there was no basis to give new guidance to operators of the plane. Boeings shares fell 6.2% to $375.41 on Tuesday.

As of last month, the company had delivered 376 of its 737 Max jetliners and had orders for an additional 5,012 from more than 80 airlines worldwide, Boeing said. The single-aisle, twin-engine plane has become a popular choice because of its fuel efficiency.

The 737 Maxs flight control system includes something known as the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system, or MCAS. The FAA said Monday it would mandate that the software fix Boeing promised to make to MCAS be implemented on all 737 Max planes no later than next month.

A preliminary report on the Lion Air crash suggested that a faulty reading from the planes angle of attack sensor may have triggered the MCAS system, which then sent the plane into a series of 26 dives at an altitude of less than 5,000 feet.

Even President Trump weighed in on the question of aircraft automation, tweeting Tuesday that airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly.

Trump spoke on the phone with Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg after that tweet, Boeing said, and Muilenburg reiterated to the president the companys position that the 737 Max is safe. The company declined to say who requested the call or provide any additional details.

To ground the planes or take some sort of action, the FAA would probably need to find some common data between the two incidents, attorney Rodriguez said.

I think thats what theyre waiting for, he said. Theyre waiting to see what kind of information comes out.

Times staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this report.
Elon Musk told a New York judge that a pair of tweets he sent last month about Tesla Inc. werent improper, pushing against a request by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to hold him in contempt for violating earlier restrictions on his social media posts.

The billionaire Tesla chief executive cited his constitutional right to free speech, his efforts to comply with the restrictions and even his reduced volume of tweets in his defense against the SEC claims in a filing Monday in Manhattan federal court. The SEC has said his Twitter posts forecasting production of Teslas electric vehicles were misleading and hadnt been vetted as required by an earlier order.

Musk said he has dramatically decreased the amount that I tweet about Tesla and has cut his average monthly Tesla-related tweets nearly in half.

This is not because I am concerned about noncompliance, but rather because I want to err on the side of caution to avoid unnecessary disputes with the SEC, Musk wrote in a statement submitted to the court. Musk told the judge that Teslas designated disclosure counsel and other members of Teslas legal department have reviewed the controls and procedures with him on multiple occasions.

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Musks team argued that the contempt request is an example of unprecedented overreach on the part of the SEC, done in the wake of the CEOs sincerely held criticism of the regulator on the television news show 60 Minutes. In that interview, Musk said he had no respect for the SEC and that none of his tweets had been censored since he reached the settlement with the agency.

The SEC has not cited  and counsel has not identified  any prior case in the last decade where the SEC has sought a contempt order to enforce the type of injunction at issue here, they said in the filing.

For Musk, the stakes are high in his latest run-in with the securities regulator. Late last year, his Twitter musings about taking the company private resulted in $40 million in fines, the appointment of independent directors to Teslas board and replacement of Musk as the boards chairman. His settlement with the SEC also called for an in-house attorney to approve future Tesla-related tweets. His court filing met a Monday deadline set by the judge.

If U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan finds Musk in contempt, shes empowered to impose new fines, order additional controls on Musks social media use and even suspend or bar him from running Tesla or any other public company. Nathan hasnt said when shell rule on the request.

The risk of Tesla losing Musk has spooked shareholders before. The companys market value plunged $7.3 billion on Sept. 28, the day after the SEC sought to bar him from serving as an officer or director. The following day, Musk and Tesla settled with the SEC and agreed he would step down as chairman for at least three years but could continue to be chief executive.

Legal experts say the SEC and the judge will probably try to avoid punishing Musk in a way that harms shareholders, which means a permanent ban from running the company is unlikely.

The judge will evaluate posts Musk made Feb. 19 to his 25 million Twitter followers, where he gave one figure for 2019 vehicle production and then amended it a few hours later.

Mondays filing comes after Musk got a new legal team, turning to a firm led by former Enron prosecutor John C. Hueston. Hueston is defending Musk in a defamation lawsuit by British caver Vernon Unsworth, whom Musk called a pedo guy in a tweet.

Huestons Los Angeles law firm replaces Williams & Connolly, the home of Dane Butswinkas, who quit his job as Teslas chief in-house lawyer last month to return to the white-shoe law firm.
Nissan Motor Co. and its partners Renault and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. are considering forming a single board for their alliance now that Carlos Ghosn has been sidelined by his arrest.

The three companies have scheduled a joint news conference at Nissans headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday afternoon after a Nissan board meeting when the matter will be discussed.

As architect of the structure and former chairman of all three companies, Ghosn was seeking to join Nissans meeting to explain himself personally to fellow directors. The Tokyo District Court rejected his request, saying it would violate terms of his bail forbidding him from contacting people involved in the charges against him of falsification of financial records and breach of trust.

Janet Lewis, an analyst for Macquarie Capital Securities (Japan) Ltd. in Tokyo., said that given the extent to which the alliance is working to overhaul its structure, Ghosns presence wouldnt have made much of a difference.

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I dont see how turning up at Nissans board meeting is going to change anything, Lewis said. The alliance is working on how to improve its governance and how the new Renault leadership team can best work with Nissan and Mitsubishi. The Ghosn court case is a sideshow that should not impact the future direction of the alliance.

At Tuesdays meeting, Nissans directors will discuss replacing two separate Amsterdam-based alliance entities, Renault-Nissan and Nissan-Mitsubishi, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information isnt public.

The new plan for the alliance is aimed at fostering more balanced decision-making represented by Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa and Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko. Senard will probably chair the new committee, one of the people said.

Spokesmen for Nissan and Mitsubishi declined to comment on the reported new structure.

The current organization for the alliance is considered outdated and obscure in its functions, with the carmakers own investigations having found that Ghosn funneled money from the Dutch units.

However, Ghosn has said the claims of improper payments are a distortion of reality and its possible that he will seek to make the case for his innocence in interviews and possibly a news conference as soon as this week. Ghosn, who engaged the media throughout his career, already gave several jailhouse interviews to Japanese and French media.

Still, Ghosn has kept a low profile since exiting a Tokyo detention center on March 6 disguised as a construction worker. Japans media reported on Ghosn sightings around Tokyo, but he has yet to give an interview or speak directly to the media since his release. Instead, hes relying on an all-star team of lawyers to communicate with the public as they prepare his defense.

Junichiro Hironaka, Ghosns lead attorney, said the car titan agreed to severe bail conditions  including staying in Japan, paying 1 billion yen in bail ($9 million), having cameras installed at the entrance and exit of his home, restrictions to using his mobile phone and having no access to the internet. Ghosn and Greg Kelly, another Nissan executive arrested in the case, arent allowed to contact those involved with the investigations at Nissan, Renault and other entities.

Although Ghosn was stripped of his titles, he remains a director at Nissan and Renault. A vote on whether to remove him from the board will take place at a meeting of Nissan shareholders April 8.

The bigger question is whether a planned merger between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi will happen. Although Nissan is said to have sought a review of the pacts lopsided power structure that favored Renault, the two have pledged their allegiance to each other with plans to extend a two-decade accord.

Now that Ghosns influential leadership is gone, theres a risk that each party will become more sharply focused on their self-interests, said Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst at Sawakami Asset Management. They need to have a structure where decisions are made transparently.
Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Tim Sloan traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday with a message of contrition for the companys many scandals and commitment to treating its employees and customers right.

Lawmakers from both parties werent buying it.



For the record: A

They unloaded on him with bipartisan anger that showed the giant San Francisco financial institution has a long way to go to get past its reputation-shattering controversies that exploded in 2016.

Wells Fargos ongoing lawlessness and failure to right the ship suggest the bank, with approximately $1.9 trillion in assets and serving one in three U.S. households, is simply too big to manage, said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles).

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The contentious four-hour hearing increased pressure on regulators to continue their tough approach to Wells Fargo, and helps fuel Democratic efforts to seek the breakup of giant banks that have a history of consumer abuses.

Sloan was the first megabank chief executive whom Waters, an outspoken critic of Wells Fargo, summoned to appear before the House Financial Services Committee since she took over as its chairwoman in January after the midterm election that gave Democrats control of the House.

Maxine Waters wields gavel on powerful committee, but freshmen could make it challenging 

Waters concluded the hearing by saying regulators should consider removing Sloan as Wells Fargos chief executive and declaring she would reintroduce legislation that would direct regulators to downsize or even shut down banks with a pattern of violating consumer protection laws.

This hearing has revealed Wells Fargo has failed to clean up its act, its too big to manage and the steps regulators have taken to date are wholly inadequate, she said, adding it was time for Congress to take bold action.

Republicans are unlikely to support the bill, but they joined Waters and her fellow Democrats on Tuesday in hammering away at Sloan for Wells Fargos continued problems.

Each time a new scandal breaks, Wells Fargo promises to get to the bottom of it. It promises to make sure it doesnt happen again, but then a few months later, we hear about another case of dishonest sales practices or gross mismanagement, said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.).

Every single member of this committee has constituents in their state who were impacted by Wells Fargo, he told Sloan. Our constituents should be able to trust their own bank.

Even one of the banks regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, joined in the criticism.

We continue to be disappointed with [Wells Fargos] performance under our consent orders and its inability to execute effective corporate governance and a successful risk management program, said agency spokesman Bryan Hubbard.

The Los Angeles Times first reported Wells Fargos high-pressure sales practices in 2013. Three years later, the bank acknowledged that its employees had opened millions of checking, savings and credit card accounts that customers never authorized.

Wells Fargo has paid about $4 billion in settlements with regulators and plaintiffs who have brought private lawsuits.

Last year, Federal Reserve regulators ordered the bank to cap its growth until it could show it had improved its corporate governance. Sloan has said he expected the cap to remain in place through this year, and the bipartisan criticism he received Tuesday is likely to increase pressure on the Fed to keep it longer.

Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with brokerage and investment bank Cowen & Co., said in a research note this week that we dont believe the Federal Reserve will lift the asset cap until anger on Capitol Hill has lessened.

Sloan was hoping to do that Tuesday.

Before the hearing began, he walked up the multilevel dais and shook hands with Waters and other committee members. He smiled for the cameras as he awaited for the gavel to fall.

But after Waters banged the gavel, Sloans smile disappeared.

He acknowledged that the past few years have been a very difficult time in Wells Fargos storied history, but said the bank had overhauled its sales practices and has provided millions of dollars in compensation to our customers to date for the abuses.

We have more work to do and that is an ongoing commitment by all of Wells Fargos 260,000 team members  starting with me  to put our customers needs first, to act with honesty, integrity and accountability; and to strive to be the best bank in America, Sloan told the committee.

But Sloan, who has been at Wells Fargo for 31 years, took fire for having been an executive during some of the scandals before taking over as chief executive in October 2016. He took over for John Stumpf, who was pilloried by Democrats and Republicans that fall as he struggled to explain how the banks bad practices could have gone on for years.

His performance at a pair of congressional hearings was so bad that he was ousted and retired a few weeks later.

Wells Fargos stock closed down 11 cents at $49.65 on Tuesday and has increased only about 2% since the scandal broke in September 2016 with the first major regulatory settlements. The KBW Bank index, a benchmark for the sector, is up 37% since then and some giant banks have experienced even greater stock gains.

Sloan got some credit Tuesday for taking steps to address the problems. But overall, lawmakers chastised him for not being able to halt a continuing string of controversies.

Regulators hit Wells Fargo with a $1-billion fine last year for forcing auto-loan customers into unneeded insurance policies and charging improper fees to some mortgage borrowers. And in a securities filing this month, Wells Fargo said it could be required to pay as much as $2.7 billion more than it had set aside as of the end of December to resolve legal cases, including ongoing probes by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. Sloan, you cannot sit there with a straight face and claim to not be responsible for all these abuses that have been committed against consumers, Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-N.Y.) told him as she pointed her finger at him.

Pushed by McHenry to say if he could give his personal assurance that the scandals were over, Sloan said the bank was serving its customers effectively.

I cant promise you perfection, but what I can promise you is that ... the substantive changes that weve implemented since I became CEO are going to prevent them from occurring as best as we can, Sloan said.

In a particularly contentious exchange, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Northridge) denounced Wells Fargo for forcing customers who tried to sue over unauthorized accounts to take their disputes to private arbitration because of clauses they signed when opening legitimate accounts.

Sherman asked if Sloan would allow customers to sue Wells Fargo if they were unable to qualify for a mortgage because of a credit score damaged by a fake account. Sloan responded that the banks efforts to compensate customers were extensive and comprehensive and there was no need to go to court.

So youre smart, theyre dumb, Sherman said. They have lawyers. They want to go to court, and youre telling them they are stupid for wanting to go to court.

Congressman, Sloan said, I dont think our customers are stupid.

Last year, a federal court judge approved a $142-million settlement that provides an average of $35 to Wells Fargo account holders who had bogus accounts created in their name. The judge called it rough justice and an imperfect solution, but said there werent better alternatives.

Sloans testimony came the day after a report released by the Committee for Better Banks, an advocacy group that includes some current and former Wells Fargo employees, said the bank has not fixed its culture of fear and intimidation.

Although Wells Fargo announced in 2017 that it was overhauling the incentive compensation system that was at the root of the unauthorized-accounts scandal, the report said new customer-unfriendly sales incentives were reemerging.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) told Sloan that Wells Fargo had sullied the reputation of the entire banking industry.

Youre here today because Wells Fargo mistreated and defrauded its customers  but Wells Fargos reputation is not my chief concern, Barr told Sloan at the start of the hearing.

Your banks misconduct has fueled the kind of unfair, hyperbolic and anti-bank rhetoric that you will hear today, which threatens access to capital, job creation and economic growth, Barr said.
Seal Beach resident Tom Hazelleaf canceled his 90-year-old moms Spectrum cable service after she moved recently to an assisted-living facility.

He schlepped all her cable gear to a Spectrum store, where he was told that because the company bills in advance, his mom was owed a refund of just over $60. The rep, he recalled, said the money would be restored to her credit card.

It wasnt. Instead, Hazelleaf, 70, received in the mail a prepaid Mastercard debit card worth the amount due. It says it can be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted, which acknowledges there are places it cant be used.

And a close look at the fine print reveals that if the card goes unused for six months, a monthly $3.50 maintenance fee kicks in, eating away at the cards value.

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Whats really irritating, Hazelleaf told me, is that for many years they managed to automatically charge my moms credit card account. But now that they have to give money back, they dont use the same simple method. They do this instead.

Spectrum, the dominant pay-TV provider in Southern California, owned by cable heavyweight Charter Communications, is by no means alone in this practice. (Full disclosure: The L.A. Times partners with Spectrum for a nightly cable news show.)

A growing number of companies in numerous industries now routinely provide rebates and refunds in the form of prepaid debit cards.

It can be convenient for any consumer who doesnt mind toting around a bunch of plastic. But its hard not to suspect that the system is more for the benefit of the businesses involved rather than their customers.

According to some estimates, paper checks are twice as expensive for a business to process and mail out as prepaid cards, so big companies such as Spectrum can save piles of cash.

Meanwhile, financial firms issuing the cards on businesses behalf gain access to potentially millions of new customers, who instantly become fair game for marketing campaigns.

Perhaps most important, studies show that prepaid cards frequently are forgotten by recipients. In such cases, the unused money can be turned over to state authorities or can be consumed by the card issuer in the form of high-priced maintenance fees.

One of the biggest problems here is that you may not know a prepaid card is coming, said Linda Sherry, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group Consumer Action.

It could be lost or stolen, and you wouldnt be any wiser, she said. You might just think your credit card was refunded and not give it another thought.

The fine print that accompanied Hazelleafs card highlights the minefield that consumers have to navigate in accessing their own money.

Your funds will never expire, regardless of the expiration date appearing on the front of your card, the terms and conditions declare.

However, if you attempt to use the card or add funds to your card after the expiration date, the transactions may not be processed, the terms continue.

If there is a balance remaining on your card upon expiration, a new card may be issued to you. You must activate any newly issued card in order to access the funds.

You have to root around in the footnotes of the documents fee schedule to discover that a card maintenance fee will be charged to your card on a monthly basis, starting in the month following the card expiration date embossed on the face of the card, which is typically six months from the day the card was issued.

That monthly fee is $3.50, which adds up to $42 a year.

In Hazelleafs case, that means if his 90-year-old mom doesnt blow through the debit card in six months, it presumably will start losing value. And if she wants to resume spending after six months, shell have to go to the trouble of asking for, and activating, another card.

But wait, theres more!

The card issuer, Minnesota-based Sunrise Banks, tucked an arbitration clause into the terms, so you automatically give up your right to sue the company or join a class-action lawsuit.

The terms say personal information the bank collects can include your Social Security number, birth date, address and purchase history. They also say it may share your information for our marketing purposes  to offer our products and services to you, and you have no ability to stop this sharing.

This is all suddenly very complicated for a simple refund.

Dennis Johnson, a Spectrum spokesman, said the company will issue a refund to a customers credit card, but only if requested to do so.

We automatically make most refunds using these wire cards to get funds back in the hands of customers faster than sending a paper check refund, he said.

The customer has the option at any time to convert the card to a check or transfer of funds into their bank account if they prefer, or to use it as a Mastercard debit card, Johnson added, although some consumers might see those extra steps as a hassle.

Seth Eisen, a Mastercard spokesman, said maintenance fees are charged after a certain amount of time has elapsed because there is a cost for maintaining the account and access to it.

That may be true, but its very hard to believe the cost of storing an account in a computerized database could come anywhere close to $3.50 a month. A penny or two may be more like it, if that.

Eisen said if I wanted more information, Id need to contact the card issuer, Sunrise. I tried to do that, more than once. They never responded.

Some things to bear in mind:

While there are laws against gift cards imposing fees, those laws dont apply to most prepaid debit cards.

Some prepaid cards are closed loop, which means they can only be redeemed at a particular business.

Most are open loop and can be used at a variety of businesses. These cards usually bear a card-network logo, such as Mastercard or Visa.

Using an open-loop card means your transactions are being monitored and being filed away in databases. Many companies pay for such information.

It seems to me theres an easy solution to this problem. Any time a business has to issue a refund, ask the customer how they want the transaction made.

Many perhaps will favor the convenience of prepaid cards. More than a few, however, undoubtedly will prefer the simplicity of straight-to-plastic refunds or paper checks.

The key point here is consumer choice. The way that works is by providing the choice upfront.

Not after the card arrives in the mail.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
There are dramatic storm clouds moving over the Texas state Capitol on a quiet Sunday morning in Austin. A few blocks away, Shia LaBeouf is on a sixth-floor patio overlooking the historic landmark. He holds tight onto the arm of Zack Gottsagen, his costar in The Peanut Butter Falcon, and touches his forehead onto Gottsagens shoulder.

As a photographer begins snapping pictures of the two, LaBeouf picks up energy, encouraging Gottsagen. LeBeouf asks, Are you ready?

He grabs a phone from someone and pulls up an N Sync track, and the two start to dance together. Briefly, they both seem unburdened, free.

This is your moment, LaBeouf says to Gottsagen. We did it for this moment.

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It may seem unusual to find a Hollywood star who has become as well-known for his headline-making behavior off-screen as his impassioned performances on-screen, seeming to give so much of himself to a 33-year-old aspiring actor from Florida with Down syndrome. But Shia LaBeouf is anything but predictable.

The Peanut Butter Falcon, the debut feature written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, is something of a contemporary folk ballad, a modern-day Mark Twain adventure fable set along the outer banks of North Carolina, amid retirement homes, blind pastors, crab fishermen, homemade liquor and a cobbled-together raft.

In the film, Gottsagen plays a young man with Down syndrome who is forced to live in a retirement home. Frustrated by his life there, he breaks out, going in search of his hero, a wrestler named the Salt Water Redneck. Along the way he encounters a man who is himself also on the run, played by LaBeouf, and the two set off on a makeshift raft together. The supporting cast includes Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church and real-life wrestlers Jake The Snake Roberts and Mick Foley.

Dakota Johnson, left, Zack Gottsagen and Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon, about a young man with Down syndrome who runs away from the retirement home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. (South by Southwest Film Festival)

It was while filming The Peanut Butter Falcon in Georgia in the summer of 2017 that LaBeouf was arrested for public drunkenness and video footage of LaBeouf making sexist and racist comments to police officers was released. LaBeouf, now 32, has since gotten sober and publicly apologized for his behavior.

In a Q&A after the films world premiere Saturday night in Austin, LaBeouf described himself as feeling fragile while making the movie. Though he seemed wary of the spotlight for himself, waving away a microphone at one point before later reluctantly taking hold of one to answer a question, when someone from the audience declared that Gottsagen was a star, LaBeouf lit up.

In an interview on Sunday alongside Gottsagen, who received a standing ovation at the premiere, LaBeouf did not shy away from talking about his personal troubles during production on the movie, addressing them without even being asked.

You know, I have my own issues, but when we were filming, I basically hit bottom barrel, and then the next day I had to show up on our life raft with him and no irony in it, LaBeouf said. Thats actually what our truth was.

I got out of jail, walked onto a film set, he continued. Nobody wanted to talk to me. Everybody was looking down, and me and him had to go get on a raft and film the rest of the movie. And it was insane. It was just nuts.

The pairs on-screen connection has a warmth and intensity that seems to exist off-screen as well.

I was what changed his life around, just so you know, Gottsagen said. Shia has struggled and been through bad times, and I was what changed his life around to make it better. Not everything is bad.

You dont know how important that is to have a cheerleader when the world is like youre  lame and no one wants to look at you, LaBeouf said, getting visibly emotional and wiping a tear from his eye.

As to what specifically Gottsagen did or said to turn things around for him, LaBeouf said, No judgment. Just always straight love. No second-guessing. Im the kind of a guy who lives my life validating myself in other peoples opinions of me. And I just know what his opinion of me is; I dont second-guess it.

He tells you straight up; hes a truth barometer, LaBeouf continued. Sometimes he doesnt want you to tickle him. He just says that, theres no weird extra. I just know where I stand with him. Hes the straightest shooter.

It was during a court-ordered rehab after his arrest that LaBeouf wrote Honey Boy, the semi-autobiographical story that premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival in which LaBeouf plays a variation on his own father during LaBeoufs childhood acting career. (LaBeouf said he actually got an extension on going to rehab to allow him to finish shooting on The Peanut Butter Falcon.)

Nilson and Schwartz wrote their screenplay with Gottsagen in mind after the three had already become friends. The project began with producers Lije Sarki and Dave Thies before getting to Oscar-nominated producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, who had previously worked with LaBeouf. Producers Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros also joined the project ahead of production.

Shia cares, said Nilson, and you see that in all the movies hes done  anything from Transformers to the Sia video. He cares. And he gets this look in his eyes, like you believe it because he believed it. And I think he took that energy and applied it to his relationship with Zack, and we fostered that.

I dont think Zack gives room for anyone to be cynical, said Schwartz. And Shias not afraid to be emotional. And I do think that Shia had a bit of a tough experience in this industry trying to do stuff truthfully, working with actors that have their own motives or directors that might want to pull him in a way that doesnt feel good. But with us it was just like, Come on in, man.

Shia LaBeouf, left, and Zack Gottsagen look out over the Texas Capitol during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. The pair premiered their film, The Peanut Butter Falcon, at the SXSW film festival on Saturday. (Stephen Spillman / For The Times)

LaBeouf declared the movie One of my favorite things I ever did, even though with all the personal travails he went through during the production, it would be easy to understand if he would want to put the movie far behind him.

Cant do it, he said, acknowledging Gottsagen. And its bigger than me too. This dude has a career and I cant get in the way of that, one. Two, the movie is bigger than both of us. Way bigger than both of us. And we worked way too  hard for my shame to get in the way.

Perhaps its best to consider the experience of making The Peanut Butter Falcon as a point on a continuum, rather than the end or the beginning of a phase for LaBeouf.

Its both. Its not one thing or the other. Its an epoch of my life, LaBeouf said. Its a chapter of my life, but its also a chapter of his life and his relationship.

Look, Im a human being, said LaBeouf. Im fully human and I am getting stronger.

LaBeouf turned his attention back to Gottsagen and what he draws from his costar, who has now become his friend.

Im going to talk too much now, LaBeouf said, but hes got an unapologetic joy that Id love to adopt. This movie has an unapologetic joy that I think I would love to adopt also, even if I know its silly; it just feels better. So Im out here trying to just experience that unadulterated  love that I have for this man and this film and for what weve created.

As everyone gathers themselves to go, the clouds over the Capitol have started to move. And the storm, for now, has passed.

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Mark.Olsen@latimes.com

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Drummer Hal Blaine, one of the most recorded musicians in pop music history whose powerful percussion work shaped the sound of scores of hit records, died Monday at age 90, his family announced.

Blaines signature beat can be heard on countless hits by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, the Byrds and others.



For the record: An earlier version of this post included Glen Campbells Wichita Lineman among numerous hit records on which drummer Hal Blaine played. Drummer Jim Gordon is credited as the drummer on Wichita Lineman.

In a post to Blaines official Facebook page, his family referenced his inspiration to countless friends, fans and musicians, adding: May he rest forever on 2 and 4, referencing the accented beats that have powered hundreds  if not thousands  of hit recordings over the decades.

Im so sad, I dont know what to say, Beach Boys creative leader Brian Wilson said of the man he typically called first for many of his groups recording sessions in the 1960s. Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I cant put it into words. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success  he was the greatest drummer ever. We also laughed an awful lot. Hal, we love you and our memories will last forever.

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Blaine was a key member of the ace Los Angeles studio musicians who came to be known as the Wrecking Crew, and is even credited with coining the term. The name is an allusion to the way a new generation of professional players emerged in the 1960s and ostensibly wrecked the careers of their predecessors, who often disdained performing on rock, soul and R&B recordings that became the lingua franca of popular music after World War II.

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts said Monday, Godspeed Hal. He gave us all so much. Feeling very blessed to have celebrated his life with him, referring to Watts participation in Blaines 90th birthday gathering last month at Wrecking Crew musician Don Randis Baked Potato jazz club in Studio City.

Hal was huge in my life, another veteran studio drummer, Jim Keltner, told The Times on Monday. Ninety years is a good run. We should all be so lucky.

Blaines floor-rattling thump, thump-thump, crack! drumbeat that opened the Ronettes 1963 hit Be My Baby, one of many produced by Wall of Sound creator Phil Spector, remains one of the most influential musical introductions in rock history. It was a key reason that Wilson, who has consistently cited Be My Baby as his favorite record of all time, tapped Blaine to play on many of that groups most important recording sessions. Be My Baby directly inspired the Beach Boys 1964 hit Dont Worry Baby.

Blaines relationship with Wilson included work on such signature Beach Boys songs as California Girls, Wouldnt It Be Nice and Good Vibrations that helped expand the sounds and textures of rock music in the 60s.

Consequently, his role in Wilsons music played a significant part in Love & Mercy, the 2014 biopic documenting Wilsons life and career.

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2000 among the first five studio instrumentalists ever elected to the hall, Blaine has certainly played on more hit records than any drummer in the rock era, including 40 No. 1 singles and 150 that made the Top 10.

Scoffing at the notion of being an unsung hero in pop music at the time of his induction, Blaine told The Times, Ive had 263 gold and platinum record awards, made literally a couple of million bucks  it goes on and on  so at the time I was laughing all the way to the bank.

Yet he famously lost much of his material wealth following a messy divorce, and he spent some years working as a security guard in Arizona after he and many of his Wrecking Crew mates ceded their studio supremacy to subsequent generations of musicians.

Hal Blaine, photographed in 2003, plays with his sticks in his home in Palm Desert. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Blaine was born Harold Simon Belsky on Feb. 5, 1929, in Holyoke, Mass., and after moving to Los Angeles, he participated in thousands of recording sessions that included most of Presleys movie soundtracks as well as TV and movie themes including Batman and the original cast recording of The Rocky Horror Show.

Other hits featuring Blaines drumming include Paul Revere & the Raiders Kicks, Richard Harris MacArthur Park, Roy Orbisons Its Over, Simon & Garfunkels Homeward Bound and Mrs. Robinson, The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man, and the Mamas & the Papas California Dreamin and Monday, Monday.

We come in wearing blue jeans, smoking, and the older guys said, Theyre gonna wreck the business, Blaine said in the 2015 documentary The Wrecking Crew directed by Denny Tedesco, son of similarly prolific studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco.

That film included a scene that crystallized the magic the often anonymous studio professionals brought to the sessions.

When Byrds lead singer Roger McGuinn entered a studio surrounded by such journeymen, it took only an hour to lay down the groups career-launching hit Mr. Tambourine Man.

When the rest of the group joined McGuinn to create a follow-up single, the full band needed 77 takes to perfect Turn! Turn! Turn!

Its kind of a shock to the general public when they find out that a lot of [musicians in famous bands] didnt play on their records, Blaine told The Times in 2000. But not everybody can be a plumber and go fix a broken pipe. Sometimes you need an expert, and thats all there is to it.

Most of it was economics, he said. We could go in and do an album in six hours. Kids today, sometimes it takes them months to get one song down.

Of the wildly varied demands placed on studio musicians, Blaine recalled, One minute Id be playing with Count Basie, the next minute I was with Lawrence [Welk] and the next minute I was with the Beach Boys, he told author Ken Sharp for his companion book to Tedescos Wrecking Crew documentary, Sound Explosion.

We played every genre of music, Blaine said. Wed play with the top jazz people in the world, like Gerry Mulligan or Chet Baker. There were no nerves in our bodies. Nobody was shaking in their boots. Our chops were perfect in those days. There was nothing we couldnt do.

His contributions touched countless other musicians and continue to resonate a half-century later.

When I recently had the honor of playing the Beach Boys Good Vibrations with [music director] Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic, I thought of Hal, John Densmore, a founding member of the Doors, told The Times on Tuesday. I knew I was playing some of his parts.

Blaine often credited getting his start in the L.A. recording studio scene to New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, who came west in 1957 and quickly became the first-call studio drummer, as he had been in New Orleans.

When he received requests for sessions he was too busy to handle, he frequently directed callers to Blaine.

The contributions of the studio players shouldnt be underestimated.

I dont know how many times Ive seen an artist go into the studio and have to be guided along by the musicians, Palmer told The Times in 2000, because the artists and even the producers didnt know what to do.

Atlantic Records executive and producer Jerry Wexler explained it this way: All we would start with was a bunch of chords  we didnt have written arrangements. The musicians routinely came up with things that made those records.

If you just play the chords, its [nothing], Wexler said. Its how you fill it in  the in-between notes, the upbeats, the downbeats, the walk-ups, the walk-downs, the rhythm pattern  that puts the icing on the cake.

Such was the respect that Blaine and his cohorts commanded among the singers, producers, composers and others who worked with them that songwriter Jimmy Webb, in his 2017 memoir The Cake and the Rain, said that he remembered only one thing about winning the Grammy Award for song of the year for his 1967 Fifth Dimension hit Up, Up and Away.

I had not prepared a speech and I dont know what I said, Webb wrote, except that I thanked Hal Blaine.

The statement from Blaines family said his survivors include his daughter, Michelle, and seven grandchildren, and added that no further details will be released at this time.

randy.lewis@latimes.com

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During each crucial stage of his music career, Gerard Way chose a uniform. Just like a superhero in a comic book. Or maybe the villain.

In 2004, as his band My Chemical Romance broke into the mainstream, he dressed up as a demon whose jet-black hair matched his jet-black suit, set off by a bright red tie. At the top of MCRs game in 2006, he bleached his locks white and put on a grim marching-band outfit, like Sgt. Pepper ready to lead a funeral procession. After Way released his solo album in 2014, his electric cherry hairdo bounced off his sleek, royal-blue suit. There was always a look.

But on a recent morning visit to his home in Eagle Rock, Way, 41, appeared far less put together. Wispy whiskers sprouted on his still-boyish face. His unkempt hair was its natural dark brown for once. An oversized Army fatigue-style jacket and pants set from designer Greg Lauren hung off his body.

It looked like the kind of comfy ensemble youd settle on during a chilly day when there isnt much of a reason to leave the house. Still, that same ensemble has continued to show up in Ways publicity images for The Umbrella Academy, the new Netflix show that was inspired by the comic book series he created and where hes credited as a co-executive producer.

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Detail of the cover art from The Umbrella Academy comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. (Dark Horse Comics)

On the set of Umbrella Academy, Netflixs next play in TVs superhero wars 

He had found a new uniform befitting a writer of fantastical universes, not the star of them. Its the job hes been focusing on for the past 2 years.

Way has emerged as a singular and respected voice in comics, whose contributions arent considered just a vanity side project. Hes a talented writer who embraces the bizarre and the postmodern possibilities of the medium. Issues of The Umbrella Academy have become increasingly and joyfully complex, while his take on the weirdos in The Doom Patrol is reliably brain-bending.

Ive found over the years that all your creativity is circular. Its the same ride going into all this stuff, Way explained as he sat in front of a table covered in a colorful assortment of gemstones and crystals. In my notes Ill write a song title. Sometimes thatll become a song, but sometimes thatll become a short story. Sometimes thatll become a comic. I never fully know what theyre going to be until I finally decide to do it.

In some respects, Ways time in one of the most popular and influential rock bands of the 21st century was a detour from the career he was supposed to have. As a high schooler in Belleville, N.J., Way wrote two issues of On Ravens Wings for a small comic-book imprint. He went to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, where he majored in cartooning and illustration.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way leads the band at the Hollywood Palladium in 2011. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11 from across the Hudson River, Way was inspired to create a grand, empathetic artistic statement. He started My Chemical Romance, founding the high-concept-driven punk group with his younger brother Mikey and three other Jerseyites. Then the year after MCRs 2006 opus, The Black Parade  an album about a cancer patient that features Queen-sized dramatics, a Liza Minnelli cameo, and a heavy death obsession  brought the first issue of The Umbrella Academy.

Made in collaboration with Brazilian artist Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy begins with the spontaneous and simultaneous birth of 43 children around the planet to women who previously werent pregnant. A rich inventor named Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven of them and turns the kids into a crime-fighting team imbued with superpowers.

Though there are flashbacks, the action focuses on when the children have all become bitter grown-ups, reunited after the death of their unloving father.

Ways Umbrella Academy burns through big, messy ideas and delights in its small, eccentric details. Theres time travel and chimpanzees who can talk and ultra-violence and an ancient mummy king weaponized for the Vietnam War. Way called it a comic about comics.

Detail of artwork from The Umbrella Academy from Gerard Way in collaboration with Brazilian artist Gabriel Ba. (Dark Horse Comics)

The first six issues, a collection titled the Apocalypse Suite, won the comic book industrys Eisner Award in 2008 for best limited series. Two weeks later, Universal Pictures optioned it to make Umbrella Academy movies.

This was before the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened up all the possibilities available for superhero properties, and most comic-book movies were hung up on retelling elaborate origin stories, which The Umbrella Academy dispenses with over only a few pages. Way worked with screenwriters on draft after draft, but nothing got greenlighted. When the film option ended, Umbrella Academy was repackaged into a new series for Netflix.

Comic book writers have historically had a mixed reaction to their work being reinterpreted in other mediums. Alan Moore, for example, famously decried how his comics like the Watchmen series have been adapted over the years.

Way is far more at peace with relinquishing control of his creations. I could have been a lot more involved in the show, he said. I could have probably co-showrun it or directed some episodes. That couldve been my life. But the comic was so important to me, I didnt want anything more in my life.

Steve Blackman, a veteran of FXs Fargo and Legion, eventually took on showrunner duties for The Umbrella Academy. Blackman confesses to not being much of a comic book fan and said he was drawn to the dysfunctional-family aspect of the story. The Netflix series spends much more time doting on the relationships between the different members of the group than on superhero action.

No. 5 (Aidan Gallagher) learns of the impending apocalypse when he travels to the future in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. (Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix)

In their capacity as co-executive producers, Way and Ba were both consulted during various points in the production, offering their notes on everything from the look of the uniforms to the overall tone. He wanted a feeling of subversiveness. He wanted to keep it whimsical and odd in many ways, Blackman said of Way. He just didnt want it to feel like everything else out there.

Beyond The Umbrella Academy, Way has stayed busy with other comic book projects. He curates a pop-up imprint for DC Comics called Young Animal, where he chooses which titles they publish, devises the general concepts and works with other writers on their specific direction.

Review: Umbrella Academy vs DC Universes Doom Patrol: A battle of misfit shows 

At the center of this endeavor is Ways take on Doom Patrol, a team who have been tagged the worlds strangest superheroes.

This embrace of strangeness guided the rest of Young Animals titles, which mostly featured riffs on forgotten or unloved characters from DCs past. [Way] definitely has a quirkiness to him, said Cecil Castellucci, the writer of the standout Shade, The Changing Girl series. He has a real ability to see the weird and how that relates to the human heart.

Though no Young Animal titles are being printed at moment, Way is actively scripting more Doom Patrol issues.

Artwork from Doom Patrol. (DC Comics / Young Animal)

Way recently set up a recording studio at the home he shares with wife Lindsey (a visual artist who also plays bass in the band Mindless Self Indulgence) and their 9-year-old daughter Bandit. Hes begun dedicating one day of the week to making music and now uploads a new song to music streaming services every month like it was a fresh issue of a comic book hitting the stands.

In 2013, three years after My Chemical Romance released what would turn out to be their final album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Way developed a post-apocalyptic comic book series that finished the story that the record started. His new songs have winked at his recent writing in more subtle ways. One of his latest tracks is called Baby Youre a Haunted House, and in a panel of a recent issue of The Umbrella Academy, a character described herself with those words.

Its all part of the cosmic swirl in Ways expanded universe.

Even though Ive got a lot of things going on, I dont see it as being ambitious and trying to be the best at everything, he said I see it as just constantly challenging myself and also trying to get as many of these things out of me as possible. Because if you dont put stuff out, you dont get ideas out. They just sit there.

calendar@latimes.com
It was the end of an uneventful business trip. Tracie Stafford, who teaches communications skills to corporate and political clients all over the country, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport around 9 p.m. for her flight home to Sacramento on Feb. 26. She got into the Transportation Security Administration screening line.

One hour later, she was on a bench outside the Delta terminal, weeping and shaking, unable to think straight. She had missed her 9:55 p.m. flight  the last one out  and had to find a hotel room. She has been in a state of emotional turmoil ever since.

What happened in that TSA line?

Stafford recounted her story to me, first by phone, then over lunch Friday in the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove, where she lives with her husband and three of their four children. She has also told the story in three installments on her Facebook page, starting the night she missed her plane.

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Christina Harbridge, her boss at the San Francisco-based communications consulting firm Allegory Inc., and the companys director of operations, Debbie Higoy, were on the phone with Stafford at different points during and after the screening. Both confirmed her account.

A survivor of brutal childhood abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault who often speaks publicly about her experience, Stafford was unexpectedly reduced to powerlessness, fear and confusion by a TSA screening that triggered her long-ago trauma.

Ive worked through a lot of this stuff, she told me. So imagine what its like for people who are not dealing with their junk.

::

Here is her version of what happened:

She walked through the screening machine, and then was patted down. She was mildly put off by the way the agent rubbed her stomach. She put her shoes and coat back on and called Higoy to catch up about work and family. It was then that she realized her carry-on had been flagged. During a second screening, it triggered some sort of alarm. When an agent opened her bag, he found an expensive block of soap.

He pulled out my Buffy Bar and said, This is why it went off.

(Buffy Bars, made by Lush Cosmetics, have kind of a cult following. People with skin issues extol their virtues. Its not clear why it looked suspicious.)

Stafford and Higoy hung up, they both said.

Stafford was told that the agent had to call a supervisor, who requested a more thorough screening. She was mortified to have her sweaty workout clothes and inside-out undies handled, but joked her way through. Well, thats not awkward, she remembers saying.

The supervisor, she was told, had to call a manager, which could take between 10 and 30 minutes. Thats when I got nervous, she said.

Also, she would have to have another, more thorough body search. At no point, despite asking, was she given an explanation for any of it.

I began to panic, she told me. I saw those gloves and everything else went gray. Thats when I said, Im a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, and I dont know if I can go through this.

She began to shake and cry, she said. She tried to call her boss, but Harbridge was on a plane to San Francisco, so she left a voicemail.

She was asked if shed like to go into a private room.

I was like, Are you kidding? When you are afraid, or being assaulted, you never go to a second location, she said. You fight for your life where you are.

During the second pat-down, the agent ran her hands between Staffords legs and up the crease of her backside. Stafford lost it.

My nose was running and I didnt wipe it. I was openly weeping.

The tall, well-dressed black woman was frozen. She could not flee, nor could she fight.

I could never forget that I am black, she said. Thats a factor. Also, I am 5 foot 10. My height does intimidate people. And theres the stereotype of the angry black woman, so we have to be overly cautious.

When the TSA manager, Carl Gomez, finally arrived, it took only moments before he said she was free to go. He gave her his business card. By then, however, her flight had departed. And she was a tear-stained mess.

I couldnt even figure out how to leave the terminal, she said. So the supervisor came over and walked me out.

She sat on a bench outside the terminal, confused. Just then, Harbridge, who had landed, returned her call.

When I got her voicemail, I could not understand what she was saying, Harbridge told me. I had never heard her cry like that. I thought she had been attacked.

Harbridge sat on the floor at SFO and kept Stafford on the phone while she arranged a hotel room and cab ride on her laptop. We were on the phone at least an hour. I was trying to get her to explain what happened because she was not thinking clearly. With the amount of training that TSA does, it was shocking to me that they did not change their strategy after she verbalized how traumatic it was.

::

The TSA is supposed to be solicitous of people with obvious disabilities or medical conditions, but what about those who suffer from post-traumatic stress?

Its not just war veterans who are affected. There are, walking among us, people with all sorts of invisible but very real wounds inflicted by violence and abuse.

On March 4, Stafford filed a complaint with the TSA and asked for the video of the encounter. A week later, she received a response from the TSAs Office of Civil Rights and Liberties. Her complaint was reviewed by the TSAs Disability Branch, and has been forwarded to the TSAs customer support manager for LAX. If she does not receive a response within a few weeks, the email said, please feel free to contact the TSA Contact Center.

I emailed the TSA manager who was on duty the night of Staffords ordeal, and also reached out to the TSA regional spokesman. Neither responded.

So I called the TSA Cares line, and spoke to a representative who told me that anyone with an aversion to being patted down, for whatever reason, can alert the TSA in advance. You can notify the officers, who will offer a private room. But you may still have to be patted down, which can involve the front of an officers hand on what she called sensitive areas. You can also request a passenger support specialist to be at your side.

She sent me an email about the protocol that states, If you are required to undergo a pat-down and have anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, an aversion to being touched, or have experienced sexual trauma, please notify a Transportation Security Officer before screening begins. TSOs are required to be courteous and respectful and are trained to explain what they are doing and what will happen next in the process.

But as Stafford told me, its very common for an abuser to tell a victim what hes going to do to her before he does it, so spelling things out as they are happening can make things worse.

It appeared, from what Stafford told me, that the TSA agents followed the rules. Yet if an experienced traveler ends up traumatized, I would like to suggest that a new protocol for victims of sexual assault or domestic violence is in order.

As Stafford put it, If the only accommodation is the private room and telling you step by step how you will be violated, they need to go back to the drawing board.
Marine biologist Jacqueline Sones was strolling along a beach near this Northern California fishing village one foggy summer morning when she spotted an unfamiliar jellyfish bobbing in the surf.

Her curiosity turned to shock, however, when she opened a field guide and identified the creature with a white bowl-shaped bell, vivid stripes and long tentacles.

Id discovered something unprecedented, Sones recalled Monday. It was a purple-striped jellyfish.

While the impressively hued Chrysaora colorata is no stranger to Southern California, or Monterey Bay for that matter, it had never been recorded venturing this far north, according to the researcher.

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And that translucent visitor was just the first of dozens of nonnative species that started popping up here between 2014 and 2016, when an unusually intense and lengthy marine heat wave hugged Californias coast. Other marine immigrants included snails, dolphins, birds, crabs, fish, sea turtles and multi-colored slugs that typically inhabited warmer waters off the Baja California Peninsula.

Sones, a research coordinator at UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, and Eric Sanford, a professor of evolution and ecology at the lab, documented a total of 67 rare warm-water species.

Of those, 37 had never been documented this far north. Among those species never before seen here were Venus girdle ctenophores, or comb jellies; striated sea butterflies; rabbit dorid nudibranchs; pink-striped barnacles; scarlet sea cucumbers; pacific sea eels; bottlenose dolphins and spiny lobsters.

Sanford collects seawater for the collection of marine life at Horseshoe Cove next to the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

In a study published Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at UC Davis, the Farallon Institute and the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara suggest that the migrant species were drawn north by rising sea surface temperatures and changing currents during the marine heat wave  also known as the warm-water blob. The authors findings may provide a glimpse into Californias aquatic future and the ecological disruptions researchers say a warming climate is likely to bring.

Normally, the California coastline in summertime is characterized by winds that blow from the north, and these winds keep the entire West Coast cool, and ocean currents flowing southward, said John Largier, a professor of oceanography at UC Davis and member of the research team.

However, when those winds weaken, or change direction, as they did during the marine heat wave, surface currents reverse direction, Largier said. So, marine life from southern waters moved north for two main reasons: It was warm and they were transported here.

The researchers conducted coastal biological surveys from Point Reyes in Marin County to Point Arena and also consulted historical records of species northern range boundaries, searched museum collections, and monitored marine conditions above and beneath the waves.

The biggest impacts were seen in areas off Point Conception and Monterey Bay  vast underwater transition zones of deep canyons and climbing foothills. These regions are commonly swept by chilly south-flowing currents that block warmer southern waters.

Sanford looks at a mole crab at Horseshoe Cove. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

During a marine heat wave, it is a bit like temporarily opening a door between lower latitudes and the northern coast, Sanford said. The longer the door is held open, the greater the number of southern species that will step through.

The marine heat wave  which was accompanied by El Nino conditions  was the longest ever recorded off the coast of California, according to researchers.

When oceanic conditions finally returned to normal in late 2016, the influx of new species ended abruptly, the study said.

However, the biological diversity of some coastal communities may never be the same.

For example, a few tropical species including red-striped barnacles, and glass-spined brittle stars, which normally breed off Baja, established local colonies by attaching themselves to pebbles, crevices and the swaying fronds of kelp.

In addition, some rarely seen local species such as owl limpets and volcano barnacles experienced population explosions during the marine heat wave.

Some people will see the species expanding northward as invaders, Sanford said. Theyll say, They dont belong here.

Sanford said he doesnt share that view, however. Thats because these species are native to the coastline. And with global warming, the only way these species will persist is to migrate forward.

Sanford looks at a scarlet sea cucumber with a Leica M125 microscope in the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Some tropical specimens including chocolate porcelain crabs, scarlet sea cucumbers and red-striped barnacles are now carefully monitored tenants in UC Davis aquariums.

Recently, Sanford placed a glass tray under a microscope. Using forceps, he gently tugged a red-striped barnacle with feather-like legs into view.

We still have a lot to learn about what is behind the mechanisms that moved creatures like these farther north, he said. And their long-term impact here is an open question.

Smaller surges of species from the Baja California coast have also been documented in Southern California in recent years.

In Los Angeles and Orange counties, for example, blue-footed boobies, green sea turtles and venomous yellow-bellied sea snakes are now pursuing food sources including small fish and eels into warmer water that extends farther north than it has in the past.

Theres a lot of good evidence that extreme heat-wave events are increasing in frequency and intensity, Sanford said, and over time will become more common and longer lasting.

Sanford said that because of this, once creatures make it up to waters off the California coast, theres more of a chance they will survive.

After documenting the effects of the warm-water blob, Sones and Sanford have now made a morning habit of walking along the nearby Bodega Marine Reserves rocky seashore, and looking more keenly than ever at its expanse of tide pools, sandy coves, cliffs and pounding surf.

We havent seen a warm-water creature show up in the past year, Sones said, her eyes fixed on the surf line. But were looking for them all the time.

Sanford holds a pelagic red crab at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Louis.Sahagun@latimes.com

@LouisSahagun
Aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2019 shows the Yunqi poverty alleviation settlement in Yuping Dong Autonomous County of Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- When Lei Jinyu went to college 12 years ago, she never expected to return to her home village of Houmenping.

The mountainous village in east China's Fujian Province barely had any modern facilities. A narrow, old pebble trail was the only road leading to the nearest town.

"When I was a little girl, I had to trek along the muddy mountain road for more than two hours to go to school in the town," said Lei, 32, head of Houmenping Village.

Since the late 1980s, local officials in Ningde, which administers Banzhong Township, have been working to modernize the village by building roads in the township, helping lift villagers out of poverty.

In recent years, as the Chinese government continues to pump more funds into rural infrastructure, Lei's hometown, which used to be one of the poorest areas in the country, saw more cement roads and a rising number of cars.

These days, villagers are making a fortune by selling online local specialties such as tea leaves, cane sugar and traditional Chinese medicine.

Lei is currently in Beijing attending the annual session of the national legislature. The deputy's suggestion this year is boosting tourism by developing local ethnic culture.

Casting off poverty is only the first step, she said. "Our goal is to step toward an all-round well-off society."

The amazing transformation is part of a broader picture across the nation, where a successful government campaign to build an all-round well-off society has seen countless people get rid of poverty and lead prosperous lives.

In 2012, at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China vowed to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, when the gross national product and average income per capita of urban and rural areas will double the amount of 2010.

Since 2012, a series of systematic reforms have been implemented across areas such as the economy, politics, culture, society and ecology.

FROM POVERTY TO PROSPERITY

In the 40 years since the reform and opening-up policy was introduced, the Chinese government has revised its goal of "building a moderately prosperous society," to "building a moderately prosperous society in all respects," and to "securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects," indicating that the goal is gradually becoming a reality.

In China, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects covers a variety of objectives in many areas, including economic growth, democracy and the rule of law, culture, people's lives and the environment.

As China gets r toward its goal, major changes have taken place in the country over the past few years thanks to almost 2,000 reforming guidelines since a road-map and a timetable were laid out at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013.

Since then, the impoverished population in the country's rural areas decreased from 98.99 million to 16.6 million, meaning more than 82 million people were lifted out of poverty, almost the entire population of Germany.

China's economic growth model also shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality growth. The country's economy exceeded 90 trillion yuan (13.4 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2018, accounting for 15 percent of the world's total and contributing more than 30 percent to the world's economic growth.

Meanwhile, the average annual income growth stood at 7.4 percent among urban and rural residents, higher than the national economic growth. Social endowment insurance has covered more than 900 million people, and basic medical insurance reached more than 1.3 billion people. In addition, more than 90 percent of disabled children are entitled to an education, and nutritious meals for rural students have covered all poor counties on the national level.

In Mabian Yi Autonomous County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for example, average annual education expenses have reached 200 million yuan in a place with just 220,000 people and a government revenue of less than 400 million yuan. All schools in the county provide free education and rural children are given free nutritious meals at school.

These are the changes brought about by equality in China's education system. In 2017, national education investment topped 4 trillion yuan. In the past six years, the government has provided over 1 trillion yuan worth of aid to 620 million students.

STABLE GROWTH, TAX CUTS

Despite huge success, building an all-round well-off society in all respects is never without challenges.

"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," according to a government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the opening meeting of the annual legislative session.

2019 is regarded as a pivotal year for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and the country is on the fast track toward that goal.

China has set its GDP growth target at 6-6.5 percent for 2019, according to the report. This is the second time in four years that the country has set a range instead of a specific target for economic growth.

"The target is realistic for China's development, and it is a reflection of high-quality growth," said Bai Chong'en, a national political advisor and dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. Maintaining economic growth will not only be good for employment but also provide a sound macro environment for building an all-round well-off society, Bai said.

China has continued to boost vitality in the market by streamlining government functions and cutting taxes and administrative fees.

This year's report on the work of the government showed that China will reduce the current 16 percent tax rate in manufacturing and other industries to 13 percent, and lower the share borne by employers for urban workers' basic aged-care insurance. The government will also reduce the tax burdens on and social insurance contributions of enterprises by nearly 2 trillion yuan.

Zeng Qinghong, a deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of Guangzhou-based carmaker GAC Group, said the new tax policy would lower the group's taxes by about 5 billion yuan. A series of favorable policies will create a better environment for the development of the real economy.

TOUGH BATTLES, UNIQUE ROAD

The Chinese government has listed three tough battles that determine the success of building an all-round well-off society, including preventing and defusing financial risks, targeted poverty alleviation, and pollution control.

To prevent a local debt crisis, the National Development and Reform Commission re-evaluated subway projects in local cities based on their GDP, government revenue and population, and halted some projects in western inland cities such as Baotou and Lanzhou, due to the incompatibility between government revenue and the amount of money needed for the projects.

"China's de-leveraging policies since 2016 have shown an initial effect," said Chen Yulu, deputy head of the People's Bank of China, China's central bank. Macro leverage ratio in 2018 was down by 1.5 percentage points, Chen said.

Another key to all-round prosperity is poverty relief.

In 2017, Chinese localities waged war on extreme poverty, with additional funds, projects and favorable policies for extremely poor areas.

In 2018, with governmental help, Liu Fuyou, a resident of Zhaojiawa Village in north China's Shanxi Province, moved into a new house in the county of Kelan, which administers Zhaojiawa, and became a cleaner. With a variety of subsidies and a pension, his family managed to make almost 30,000 yuan last year.

In the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, Yang Qingfu's life on the Yangtze River also saw a big change. Yang used to run a boat restaurant on the Yangtze. Despite its popularity, a lack of pollution-treatment facilities spilled wastewater into the river.

To prevent the situation from worsening, the local government subsidized Yang and more than 100 of his peers and encouraged them to go onshore to start other businesses.

The change was a result of a meeting on the Yangtze River Economic Belt in January 2016. The meeting required that the development along the river must prioritize ecology and "green development" to respect natural, economic and social rules.

The meeting led to the complete stop of polluting projects along the Yangtze.

The ongoing legislative session in Beijing also highlighted the need to step up efforts to protect and restore ecosystems. That, in addition to a series of environment-related policies in recent years, including an environmental tax, has displayed China's strong resolve to win the war against pollution.

"Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects will be a great achievement on the way toward national rejuvenation," said Liu Shangxi, with the Ministry of Finance and a national political advisor. Liu said that it will be a miracle in human history to enable more than 1 billion people to completely get rid of poverty and enter common prosperity.

"It will show that a developing country like China can modernize in a way different from Western countries," he said.

(Video reporters: Ren Chao, Zhang Mocheng, Pan Lijun, Yu Shuaishuai; Video editors: Luo Hui, Wang Junfeng)
Jordan Aaron was the president of a Carson City sushi restaurant who once ran for justice of the peace in Arizona. Antonio Pastini was the brash ex-Chicago cop who befriended a brothel mogul and spun yarns of a bare-knuckled youth in the Windy City that read like a cross between Goodfellas and The Outsiders.

They were one and the same person.

He used two names and two Social Security numbers. He kept different drivers licenses and bank accounts under the two names, an ex-wife alleged. The ex-wife  one of four  said in court filings that he kept multiple identities to hide money, and she hinted that he had trouble with the law.

 The pilot in a fatal plane crash on Super Bowl Sunday lived a mysterious double life.

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But he might have lived out his days simply as Tony Pastini, the garrulous retired cop, had his twin-engine Cessna not plummeted 7,800 feet on Feb. 3 into an Orange County suburb, killing him and four people who were on the ground.

From the smoldering wreckage, investigators plucked a police badge belonging to Retired Chicago Patrolman #15599. That discovery would help unravel the threads of a life story Pastini spent three decades crafting. The 75-year-old, it turned out, had never been a Chicago cop, though it appeared he wished he had been.

Burning metal rained from the sky, bringing death and questions in Yorba Linda 

Tony  loved cops, said Jeff Partyka, a retired Reno police sergeant who frequented a deli Pastini ran in the 1990s. They didnt just gravitate to his restaurant because of the cop thing. He was always friendly and respectful, and he actually did have pretty decent food.

It could take 18 months  or more  for federal investigators to probe the cause of the fatal crash. They will likely scrutinize the pilots medical condition and examine the three-day period preceding the crash, looking for fatigue and other high-stress events, said Peter Knudson, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman.

Only in rare circumstances, such as when suicide is suspected, will the NTSB dig into a pilots backstory, said Barry Schiff, a longtime pilot and aviation safety consultant.

There are a lot of weird people out there flying airplanes, he said. It doesnt mean it has anything to do with how they fly.

In a report, the NTSB said that, on the afternoon of Feb. 3, an air traffic controller warned Pastini on takeoff from Fullerton Municipal Airport that he was headed into bad weather.

If he ignored the warning, it was not the first time he had bucked conventions in the air.

On a January morning in 1977, Pastini was flying from Las Vegas to Long Beach when the weather turned icy. Clouds and fog made it difficult to fly by sight alone. Rather than turning back or changing his route, he falsely told air traffic control he was instrument-rated and finished the flight. A judge called his indifference to airspace rules a potential threat to himself, his passenger and other users of the system and suspended his license for 120 days.

Three years later, his plane was found behind on inspections, carrying an expired temporary registration and leaking fluid from a brake. He lost his license for 30 days.

4 victims identified as family members in deadly Yorba Linda plane crash 

Richard Wittry, the attorney for the Federal Aviation Administration who prosecuted Pastini for the earlier incident, said the offense showed he had a cavalier attitude toward his responsibility as a pilot in command of his private aircraft.

He told air traffic a vital fact that wasnt true, Wittry, now 84, said in an interview. He knows hes not instrument-rated. Thats bad news. Thats an accident bound to happen.

For years, Pastinis restaurants were favored by cops. He enjoyed being known as one of them, both for the camaraderie it inspired with Nevada police and the boost it delivered to his businesses, said Marc Picker, his former attorney.

He gave discounts to police officers who brought their families to eat. He held fundraisers for cops whod been mailed letter bombs, shot by stickup men and killed in training accidents. A wall of his Reno deli was covered in police patches.

After he died and federal investigators identified him as a former Chicago cop, the Chicago Police Department, the police union and an association of retired officers declared that no one named Antonio Pastini was ever a city police officer. That applied to two other names Pastini also had used, they said. The badge he was carrying when he died had been reported missing in 1978.

It was just him and the sky, man. Gary Willis, nephew of Antonio Pastini

Antonio Pastini died when his plane crashed into a Yorba Linda home. (KTLA)

Pastinis nephew, Gary Willis, insisted that his uncle truly was a police officer and that he had had perfectly legitimate reasons to change his name. He would not say what those reasons were, beyond suggesting his uncle wanted to start life anew after leaving police work.

When law enforcement officers leave that lifestyle, they want to leave it behind, he said. Theyre done with that life. That may be the reason for the change of names.

But when Pastini opened a string of delis in Nevada in the early 1990s, he openly touted a law enforcement background. He told the Reno Gazette-Journal he had retired in 1986 at the rank of detective sergeant after a 17-year career with the Chicago police.

The greatest guy, love this guy. A Chicago cop. Dennis Hof, brothel owner, politician and Pastinis close friend

Brothel owner Dennis Hof at the Love Ranch brothel in May 2018 in Pahrump, Nev. (Isaac Brekken / For The Times)

He regaled reporters with a life story of straddling both sides of the law, as a criminal and as a cop, as the Reno paper wrote in 1997. He recalled a boyhood of battling the neighborhood Germans and running with a greased little group of thugs.

He told reporters he was a Marine who had been stationed in Japan  a claim the Marines dispute.

As a businessman, Pastini sued a columnist for saying the beef hot dogs he sold were made of pork. He wrote fuming letters to newspapers that dared to publish failed health inspections of his delis.

He was a talker  told it like it was, Partyka said. He didnt give a rats ass what people thought of him.

In the early 1990s, Pastini met Dennis Hof, a businessman who owned legal brothels in Nevada. This was years before Hof found celebrity on an HBO show about his bordellos and before his campaign for a state Assembly seat, which he won last year posthumously. On occasion, Pastini flew women who worked at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, Hofs brothel near Carson City, as well as the Bunny Ranchs maintenance man, said Zack Hames, Hofs executive assistant.

In a video from Hofs 72nd birthday in October, he called Pastini my pilot.

The greatest guy, love this guy, Hof said. A Chicago cop.

Antonio Peter Pastini was born Jordan Albert Isaacson in the mid-1940s. Born in Illinois, he was drawn to California in his early 20s by the itch for exploration, said Willis, his nephew.

At 22, he suffered a motorcycle accident so bizarre it was reported by the Signal newspaper in Santa Clarita. He staggered onto the porch of an elderly woman, clutching his chest and gushing blood.

The scene at Crestknoll Drive where a Cessna airplane crashed into a home on Feb. 6, 2019, in Yorba Linda. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

He spurted out a tale that he had been riding his motorcycle with friends when someone threw a beer can at him, the newspaper reported.

By the 1970s, he was running gas stations, tow trucks and a stereo company. He was also piloting small planes. Richard Yorty, his partner in the stereo company, recalled taking weekday jaunts to Las Vegas.

We used to take off about noon, fly out to Vegas and come back round 5 or 6, said Yorty, now 64.

Civil petitions for name changes that Pastini filed in Arizona and California courts offer little explanation for why he changed names. When he legally became Jordan Ike Aaron in 1981, he told an Arizona court that he already went by the name in California. The following year, he ran for justice of the peace in Bullhead City using that name, the Arizona Republic reported at the time. When he changed it to Antonio Peter Pastini in 2008, he wrote in a petition that he was already using the name professionally.

During a 2001 divorce, Pastinis fourth wife alleged that he had drivers licenses and bank accounts under multiple names.

In a court filing, his ex-wife included a W-2 form from Pastinis sushi restaurant that showed both Jordan Aaron and Antonio Pastini drawing a wage in 2000 with different Social Security numbers. Jordan Aaron was listed in incorporation records as president, Antonio Pastini as CEO.

Pastini could not get a liquor license in his name because he had some trouble with the law, the ex-wifes attorney said in another filing. A criminal assessment, done when he changed his name in 2008, showed he was arrested but not charged in 1989 for cheating in Nevada.

The Times requested records of enforcement actions taken against Antonio Pastini, Jordan Aaron and Jordan Isaacson from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which regulates gambling in the state. The board said it had records for the three names but that they were confidential under Nevada law.

Maja Smith, left, National Transportation Safety Board investigator, and air safety investigator Ricardo Asensio inspect pieces of the wreckage after the February crash. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The only person who knows the whole story, it seems, climbed into his Cessna 414A at Fullerton Municipal Airport the afternoon of Feb. 3, bound for Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada. Five minutes later, Pastinis plane burst through the clouds over Yorba Linda, barreling nose-first toward the ground, according to witnesses. Its tail and left wing were shorn off as the pilot tried to pull the plane out of the dive.

A wing that held a fuel tank struck a home where six people had gathered to watch the Super Bowl. Two escaped with serious burns. The other four were killed: Roy Lee Anderson and Dahlia Marlies Leber Anderson, a couple who brought an elderly neighbor his paper every morning and helped with upkeep; and Stacie Norene Leber and Donald Paul Elliott, relatives of the Andersons who were visiting that Sunday afternoon.

Willis, Pastinis nephew, said the crash was simply a tragic accident.

His uncle, he said, loved taking flight like a biker loves the freedom of the road. It was just him and the sky, man.
One Los Angeles police officer was fired for sexual misconduct after a woman accused him of raping her outside a Hollywood apartment complex.

Another lawman was fired for perjury after dash camera video contradicted his testimony in a South L.A. gun possession case.

Documents from the two misconduct cases are among the first released by the Los Angeles Police Department under a landmark state transparency law that requires law enforcement agencies to publicly disclose records of internal investigations into police shootings, severe uses of force and confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying by on-duty officers.

The department made the documents public after a judge rejected a request by the union that represents LAPD officers to bar the release of records of incidents before Jan. 1, when the law went into effect. In siding with open-government groups and media organizations, including The Times, Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff ruled that the law applies to all records, regardless of when the incidents occurred.

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Beckloff also denied a similar request by the union that represents rank-and-file Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies. The California Supreme Court declined to hear the unions appeal.

Nevertheless, the Sheriffs Department has since refused to release documents to The Times under Senate Bill 1421, claiming the newspapers requests were too broad in scope. Numerous other agencies, including now the LAPD, have released records in response to identical requests.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who promised during last years election campaign to make the department more transparent, said in a statement that the agency was working to process an increased number of requests that are voluminous, complex and time consuming. The department is waiting on approval from the county Board of Supervisors for funding to add more staff to comply with the new law.

Members of my department have been working tirelessly to request these much-needed resources, Villanueva said.

Until last year, California had the nations strictest protections on officer personnel files. The states powerful law enforcement unions repeatedly blocked attempts to make any disciplinary records public. But lawmakers approved SB 1421 amid a heightened debate over how officers use force and interact with communities of color.

The law has set off a legal battle across the state as police unions have gone to court to try to block the disclosure of records from older incidents.

Among the records the LAPD released late last week was a 2018 use of force report that details the 2017 killing of a man shot by police while holding a toy gun and then run over by a patrol car in Wilmington.

The Los Angeles Police Commission previously released a less detailed account of shooting. The five commissioners unanimously decided last year that Officers Arturo Urrutia and Daniel Ramirez reasonably believed Eric Rivera, 20, posed a serious threat before they fatally shot him.

Sexual misconduct

The records from the two disciplinary cases give a rare glimpse into the LAPDs internal investigations of officers accused of wrongdoing.

In September 2016, Officer Israel Martinez met a woman during a routine traffic stop in Hollywood and the two exchanged phone numbers.

They began messaging each other and, after the conversations turned sexual, agreed to meet in Hollywood after Martinez finished work, according to the internal LAPD records.

The woman, whose name is redacted, later told Inglewood police that Martinez sexually assaulted her beside the dumpsters outside an apartment complex.

Martinez, who joined the force in 2012, admitted to having sex with the woman but insisted the encounter was consensual, according to the records. An hour later, she texted Martinez and said sleep good, and I want a redo but I want you to rape me, the records showed.

Internal investigators determined the woman gave inconsistent and false statements.

The department faulted Martinez for inappropriately engaging in sex in a public place, having a relationship with a woman he met while on duty and sending her an image of his genitalia in a text message from his work cellphone. The LAPD initially moved to suspend Martinez for 15 days and transferred him to a different patrol area. Then-LAPD Chief Charlie Beck later sent Martinezs case to the Board of Rights to face harsher discipline.

The recently released records do not say what happened at the board hearing, but Martinezs employment with the department ended in December 2017, according to the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions. He could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence to file charges against him, according to the memo from the district attorneys office.

False statements

Records from the second disciplinary case focused on testimony by Officer Kevin Gaines after a 2014 arrest.

Gaines said at a preliminary hearing that he saw Earl Butler reach for his waistband and run from officers when confronted in the parking lot of St. Andrews Park Recreation Center in South L.A.

Gaines said he and another gang enforcement officer immediately chased Butler into the recreation centers gym, according to the records. Gaines wrote in his report that Butler pulled out a silver revolver and threw it into a storage area. Officers arrested him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

But dashboard camera footage later obtained by prosecutors showed that Butler did not reach for his waistband or run from officers before entering the gym, according to the internal affairs report released by LAPD. Gaines also did not immediately follow Butler into the gym, but was talking to other men outside the gym for a minute and a half, the report says.

The LAPDs internal investigation concluded that Gaines had made false statements under oath. The police discipline file shows that Gaines was also facing allegations of false testimony in another case around the same time, though the newly disclosed records do not provide details.

Butler pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and received 12 months probation as part of a plea deal that was offered partly because Gaines credibility had been called into question, according to a district attorneys memo. Prosecutors declined to charge Gaines with perjury, noting that none of his false statements changed the fact that the defendant was illegally possessing a gun.

An LAPD Board of Rights review concluded that Gaines should be fired. Beck removed him from his position in March 2018 after more than eight years on the force, court and employment records show. An attorney for Gaines did not immediately comment.
The Los Angeles Police Departments computer programs that label people as chronic offenders need more oversight to protect the public from unfair arrests and detentions, a report by the agencys inspector general concluded.

Inspector General Mark Smiths 52-page review found officers used inconsistent criteria to identify people with criminal histories who are most likely to commit violent crimes. Department policies should unequivocally state that officers must have legal justification in all situations before confronting someone, Smith warned.

A persons status as a designated Chronic Offender should not be used as the basis for any detention or arrest, Smith wrote.

The report will be presented Tuesday to the Police Commission, the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD.

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These tools all evolve as time goes on, Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said Monday. Its a snapshot at one time.

For months, activists have lambasted the data-driven programs  which use search tools and point scores  saying statistics tilt toward racial bias and result in heavier policing of blacks and Latinos.

We have very serious concerns about this audit, said Hamid Khan, a coordinator with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. Who is watching the shop? What is going on?

He called on the Police Commission to dismantle the programs because they unfairly harm those labeled as chronic offenders.

In July, Police Chief Michel Moore told the commission he supported a review. He acknowledged that the programs are imperfect and that the department must convince residents that data is used properly.

Smiths review came after Commissioner Cynthia McClain-Hill raised concerns about the programs. She wanted to know the costs and benefits of data-based policing.

For violent crime, the department draws LASER  Los Angeles Strategic Extraction and Restoration zones devised by a human crime analyst, not a computer  indicating where many crimes have occurred and where to focus more officers.

Besides the geographic component, the program also seeks to pinpoint specific individuals.

In perhaps the most contentious strategy, each of the departments 21 geographic areas used data to compile lists or bulletins of people calculated to be among the top 12 chronic offenders.

The program assigns people points based on prior criminal histories, such as arrest records, gang affiliation, probation and parole status and recent police contacts.

The LAPD suspended that tool and a tracking database in August, after the program created an uproar among civil liberties and privacy groups. Since then, the department has been working to address concerns from the inspector general and others, the review said.

Smith examined data collected prior to the suspension.

He found 44 percent of chronic offenders had either zero or one arrest for violent crimes. About half had no arrest for gun-related crimes.

The report faulted the LAPD for not using consistent standards to calculate and track the individuals.

The database included people who were in custody and others who had been arrested for only non-violent crimes. Some points were either not entered or appeared to be over- or under-stated, the review found.

Similarly, in many instances, officers didnt follow the point-based system to label offenders. Instead, more than 100 people had no points and landed on the list based on referrals from detectives or patrol officers, the report stated.

One area bulletin, for example, instructed officers to develop reasonable suspicion to stop a person without clearly stating that the officers would need an independent legal basis in order to justify such a stop.

Soboroff said he took issue with how the agency classifies chronic offenders and expects the department to make changes to the program.

The report, he said, definitely shows the department is doing the right thing in moving to such precision policing,  by focusing on neighborhoods and those who commit the most crimes.

The report found that Latinos and African-Americans made up 84 percent of the 233 chronic offenders. A third of them were black  in a city with an African-American population of about 9 percent.

Smith found that the demographic makeup of chronic offenders mirrored the ethnic and racial makeup of those arrested for violent crimes.

Latinos and African-Americans accounted for 83 percent of those arrested for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault between 2012 and 2018, the report stated.

However, critics say the program leads to profiling and a disproportionate focus on minorities.

This is a real harm to people, Khan said.

The LAPD began using data to refine its crime-fighting tactics when Chief William J. Bratton took over in 2002. He started holding crime analysis meetings using Compstat, a system to track and map crimes, and the agency adopted predictive policing for property crimes in 2015.

Station captains are still grilled by higher-ups at weekly Compstat meetings about how to reduce crime, and crime statistics for each station are updated online every few weeks.

Smith also reviewed a location-based tool, called PredPol, shorthand for predictive policing.

The software program is designed to predict where and when crimes will likely occur over the next 12 hours. The softwares algorithm examines 10 years of crime data, including the types of crimes, dates, locations and times.

It focuses on identifying and increasing police presence in hotspots called LASER Zones.

Like the other program, Smith found discrepancies with the data collection and could not draw conclusions to meaningfully evaluate the programs overall effectiveness to reduce crime, the report said.

The report recommended that the department work to review and better understand the location data and ensure, for example, that police facilities are not included in the zones, which can skew the data.

Times staff writer Cindy Chang contributed to this story.
A Colorado man charged with sexually assaulting and killing an 11-year-old girl in Newport Beach in 1973 has been extradited and is due to be arraigned in an Orange County courtroom Wednesday, authorities said.

James Alan Neal, 72, was booked into Orange County Jail about 10:20 p.m. Monday. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19 in connection with the strangulation death of Linda Ann OKeefe, who lived in Corona del Mar.

The girl disappeared while walking home from summer school on July 6, 1973, and her body was recovered the following morning in a ditch in the Back Bay area. Police said she was last seen standing near a man in a blue or turquoise van.

Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis last month credited the latest in DNA technology for helping crack the case that stymied investigators for more than four decades.

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We have never forgotten Linda or the tragic events of July 1973, Lewis said at a news conference announcing the arrest, noting that the victims photo had long been displayed in the offices of his departments detectives as a daily reminder of the unsolved case.

He said the girls death changed the community, making parents think twice about letting their children outside alone.

Neal is been charged with murder with a special circumstances allegation of kidnapping and lewd acts on a child.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said Neal could potentially face a death sentence if convicted, although there is some question about whether capital punishment could be applied in the case given the date of the killing and the laws that were on the books at the time.

Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis, left, and Councilman Brad Avery attend a news conference announcing the arrest of a man in the 1973 killing of Linda Ann OKeefe. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

Newport Beach police in July mounted a Twitter campaign, releasing information about the killing to try to spur new leads, but that was not what led to Neals arrest.

Investigators submitted the DNA collected from the victim to the Family Tree website, and it gave them leads pointing to Neal, Spitzer said. From there, police put the defendant under surveillance and collected his DNA and matched it to the evidence collected from the victim.

The police tweets detailing the last hours of Lindas life included photographs from the crime scene and a newly created snapshot of the suspect that was put together by scientists at Parabon NanoLabs. The tweets concluded with a video that included interviews with the detectives who have worked on finding the girls killer through the years.

Newport Beach police last year hired Parabon, a Virginia-based DNA technology company specializing in a process using genetic material, to build a sort of composite sketch of the suspect at 25 years old and how the killer might look today.

Neal moved to Southern California with his family from Chicago, Spitzer said, and was a construction worker at the time of Lindas slaying. He moved to Florida soon after the killing, but after an unspecified criminal incident there, he changed his name from James Albert Layton Jr. to Neal, prosecutors said.
A chummy discussion between Vice President Mike Pence and former Vice President Dick Cheney quickly turned into a vigorous back-and-forth over President Trumps foreign policy at a private gathering Saturday, with Cheney comparing the presidents instincts to those of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, according to a transcript obtained by the Washington Post.

At the closed-door retreat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on March 9 in Sea Island, Ga., Cheney respectfully but repeatedly and firmly pressed Pence on a number of the presidents foreign policy moves  over which Cheney expressed concerns  from taking a harder line toward U.S. allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to deciding to withdraw troops from Syria during what Cheney fretted was the middle of a phone call.

Cheney also worried aloud to Pence that were getting into a situation when our friends and allies around the world that we depend upon are going to lack confidence in us, and then offered a blunt criticism of the current administrations response to foreign policy challenges.

I worry that the bottom line of that kind of an approach is we have an administration that looks a lot more like Barack Obama than Ronald Reagan, he said.

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RELATED: For a president who doesnt sweat details, a new $4.7-trillion budget gets short shrift 

Cheneys questions for Pence  which prompted Pence to joke about the lack of softball topics  provide a revealing glimpse into the churning and often strained debates inside the Republican Party, where longtime GOP hawks such as Cheney have increasingly balked at Trumps engagement with autocrats and his noninterventionist approach to U.S. military efforts in the Middle East.

The discussion also underscored Pences comfort in acting as Trumps unwavering ally and spokesman before a crowd of powerful Republican skeptics and donors, with the vice president shrugging off most of Cheneys anxieties and praising Trump as a candid and transformational leader.

But the cracks between the more isolationist Trump wing and more hawkish Cheney wing of the Republican Party were on full display, unfolding in a conversation that was designed as a vice presidential chat but became an almost academic exercise as Cheney peppered Pence with questions and Pence responded carefully but forcefully.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, seen here in December, and Vice President Mike Pence discussed Trumps foreign policy at the Amercan Enterprise Institutes annual world forum, according to a transcript obtained by the Washington Post. (Jonathan Ernst / Pool)

The transcript was provided by a person familiar with the meeting who was not authorized to share material from the event. All attendees had agreed to keep the discussions off the record, the person said.

A spokesperson for Pence confirmed that the discussion took place over the weekend, but declined to comment.

The conversation between Pence and Cheney, which was led by the former vice president, took place at AEIs annual world forum, which was attended by many of the conservative think tanks donors and supporters  many of whom also are major Republican financiers. AEI has long been linked to members of the GOPs foreign policy establishment, from Cheney to national security advisor John Bolton, who was a fellow there before joining the administration.

Almost from the start, the discussion shifted from lighthearted catch-up to a cordial confrontation between the two men and the tense discussion surprised most attendees and caused murmurs in the room throughout the talk, according to a person present who was not authorized to speak publicly.

After dispensing with the traditional niceties  joking about the vice presidency being the worst job in Washington  Cheney expressed alarm over news reports that Trump supposedly doesnt spend that much time with the intel people, or doesnt agree with them, frequently, as well as the high staff turnover rate at the various intelligence agencies.

The former vice president then turned his attention to the situation in North Korea. He worried about Trumps decision to cancel the decades-long U.S. military exercises with South Korea, and referenced a recent Bloomberg News report about the presidents directive to pursue a policy that would insist that the Germans, the Japanese and the South Koreans pay total cost for our deployments there, plus 50% on top of that.

I dont know, that sounded like a New York state real estate deal to me, Cheney quipped.

Pence defended the administrations decision to halt the biannual war games between the U.S. and South Korea, saying that the Defense Department had assured the administration that the decision will not affect our readiness in South Korea.

Were going to continue [to] train, Pence said. Were going to continue to work closely with South Korea. We have a tremendous alliance there.

Trump has made no secret about his willingness  even eagerness  to upend the post-World War II order, frequently demanding that NATO allies make good on their commitment under Article 5 of the treaty to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense spending.

Pence also found himself responding to Cheneys questions about Trumps occasionally hostile posture toward NATO, which Cheney said feeds this notion on the part of our allies overseas, especially in NATO, that were not long for that continued relationship, that were looking eagerly to find ways where somebody else will pick up the tab.

The resulting impression, at least publicly, Cheney warned, is that the decision gets made overnight or it gets made oftentimes without consulting anybody else -- that hes out there doing his thing.

Well, who wrote these softball questions? Pence joked, a nod to the unexpected -- and tough -- tenor of Cheneys line of inquiry.

But Pence then mounted a fierce defense of the administration, arguing that Trump can ask his allies to pay more for their own defense while still maintaining warm ties.

I think there is a tendency by critics of the president and our administration to conflate the demand that our allies live up to their word and their commitments and an erosion in our commitment to the post-World War II order, Pence said.

He added, But we think its possible to demand that your allies do more to provide for the common defense of all of our nations and, at the same time, reaffirm our strong commitment -- whether it be to the trans-Atlantic alliance or to our allies across the Indo-Pacific.

Cheney was dubious about that commitment. He worried aloud, again and again, that for the businessman-turned-president, foreign policy boils down to a crude dollars and cents transaction. Noting that NATO countries have provided their own troops to fight alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan, he said, so its a lot more than just the checkbook.

At another point, Cheney again returned to the theme, noting that with allies who support the United States in ways beyond financial commitments, its a lot more complicated than just: Heres the bottom line. Write the check.

Pence reiterated Trumps commitment to the U.S. military and the nations defense, noting that insisting that allies contribute more money is just another way to support Trumps policy of peace through strength.

As the president is rebuilding our military and strengthening our commitment to our national defense, calling on our allies to live up to their commitments to do more, I think, is a way of ensuring the vitality and the prosperity of the free world, Pence said.

Pence again defended the administration, articulating Trumps noninterventionist approach to foreign policy. On the decision to withdraw troops from Syria, for instance, Pence disputed the notion Trump made the move over the course of a single phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but said that Trump supporters have long known he was skeptical about ongoing military conflagrations involving U.S. troops.

When the American people elected this president, they elected a president who expressed concern about American deployments around the world, Pence said. And they knew this was going to be a president that came and asked the fundamental questions about -- you know, where are we deployed and do we really need to be asking men and women in uniform to be deployed in that part of the world?

Pence later concluded, But, you know, it should come as no surprise to anyone: This president is skeptical of foreign deployments, and only wants American forces where they need to be.

As Pence boosted Trump, he did poke fun at himself and his stylistic differences with the president, casting himself as a low-key salesman in support of the presidents agenda rather than a showman.

Some people think the president and I [are] kind of different, he said as the crowd laughed, according to the transcript. You know, hes New York City; Im small-town Indiana. Hes larger than life, you know, always memorable. And Im not.

And at the end of the event Pence joked about the unexpected line of questioning from Cheney, quipping, Gee, look at the time.

He also attempted to reassure the former vice president and the assembled crowd that the administration shares their devotion defending the country.

But you can be confident, as one of my favorite hawks, Pence told Cheney, were going to continue to stand strong for a strong national defense with President Trump in the White House.

Robert Costa and Ashley Parker write for the Washington Post.
The endless press coverage notwithstanding, the details of President Trumps new $4.7 trillion budget proposal  the cuts here, the increases there  arent all that important in the long run. Congress typically ignores most, if not all, of the headline-grabbing initiatives presidents pack into their annual spending blueprints. And with Democrats now controlling the House, Trumps plan is even more likely to get the doorstop treatment.

Still, the budget is a major statement about presidential priorities, and Trumps are disheartening. In both the overall thrust and many of the smaller details, the budget betrays the presidents desire to put one interest  national security  ahead of all others, and to shift wealth from the lowest-income Americans back to the more affluent.

At a budget briefing Monday, a spokesman for the Trump administration suggested that the administrations top priority was reining in the federal deficit, which is expected to top $1 trillion in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. He then said the problem was not the fault of Trumps policies.

Wait, what?

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Trumps tax and spending policies are an enormous factor in the budget deficit. Yes, the tax cut and the big boost in military spending have stimulated the economy, resulting in a small increase in federal tax revenues. But economists agree that revenues would be substantially higher had the tax cut not gone into effect. Thats why the tax cut is expected to add $1.5 trillion to the federal debt over its first 10 years, according Congressional Budget Office estimates.

Trumps budget calls for an additional $8.6 billion for his border wall, teeing up another potential showdown with Congress.

Making matters worse, the budget proposes to make permanent the lower tax rates for individuals and for capital gains, which are due to expire in 2025 and 2026. That move would cost an addition $1 trillion over four years.

If Trump were serious about narrowing the federal deficit, he would seek to cut spending broadly while raising revenues. Instead, hes looking to lavish more money on the military while cutting aid to lower-income Americans. Overall, the budget for defense would rise 5%, while non-defense domestic spending would be lowered by 9% in fiscal 2020. Over 10 years, safety-net programs would be cut by $1.9 trillion.

The defense proposal is galling. The administration says it will honor the tight spending caps Congress imposed in a 2011 budget deal on both defense and discretionary spending. But its also proposing to funnel the Pentagon an additional $165 billion through the uncapped overseas contingency operations account created to fund the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus $9 billion for emergency requirements. Thats too clever by half.

To partially offset the tax cuts and military spending increases, the budget proposes to take a chainsaw to a number of federal benefit programs, including food stamps, state welfare block grants, disability benefits and the earned income tax credit. On Medicaid and several other healthcare-related programs, the administration seeks to save money not by bringing down the cost of care, but by making it available to fewer people. All these cuts would disproportionately affect poor people.

Spending cuts need to be part of the solution to Washingtons fiscal mess. And some of the programs targeted by Trump may not be producing the results they promised. But concentrating the pain on the lowest-income Americans is just cruel.

Granted, not every domestic program was cut. For example, in the Interior Department the administration is proposing to boost spending on leasing programs for logging, drilling and mining on federal lands even as it slashes funding for national parks.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

And the administration did make a nod to some programs supported by Democrats, such as the $1 billion in grants it would provide over several years for supporting underserved populations and stimulating employer investments in child care for working families. Still, thats a pittance compared to the need.

Meanwhile, Trumps budget calls for an additional $8.6 billion for his border wall, teeing up another potential showdown with Congress. Less than a month ago, Trump declared a national emergency to justify shifting billions of additional dollars into the project after Congress provided only $1.375 billion. The Senate is poised to give final approval soon to a resolution rejecting the emergency declaration and canceling much of the extra wall spending, but Trump is expected to veto it and count on congressional Republicans to sustain him.

Ordinarily, Trumps new request for wall funding would be seen as the first step in the usual give-and-take between the White House and Congress. This year, however, its freighted with the threat that Trump will simply write himself a check for whatever amount he wants to spend. Thats another reason for congressional Republicans to join Democrats in terminating Trumps bogus emergency, making it clear to the president that theyre not about to give up Congress constitutional power over the purse.

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This month marks the Barbie dolls 60th birthday, with a lot of attendant hoopla. Target has launched a commemorative girl power collection. New coffee table books trace the dolls fashion savvy, and Mattel is issuing a new line of birthday Barbies.

Barbie deserves her party, but that celebration has overshadowed another doll anniversary that is arguably more relevant to our cultural moment. Fifty years ago this month, Baby Nancy made her debut at the American Toy Fair. A 13-inch black baby doll, Nancy transformed what was racially acceptable in Toyland.

The revolutionary dolls manufacturer was a newcomer to the trade: Shindana Toys. Nancy was its maiden doll, a product of the rebirth of Los Angeles after the 1965 Watts rebellion. That October, two months after the riots, Robert Hall and Louis Smith, two black civil rights activists working in Watts, founded Operation Bootstrap Inc.  a not-for-profit community development and job training center dedicated to the Black Power movement.

Bootstrap turned out to be a great success, hailed as a model by the left and the right. Three years after its founding, Smith and Hall were invited to meet with the white leadership of Mattel, the worlds largest toy maker, then-headquartered in Hawthorne. The makers of Barbie admired Bootstraps emphasis on economic self-help, and they offered to back a Bootstrap toy business. Mattel would provide capital, industry contacts and suppliers, and training by Mattel personnel.

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Shindana would make dozens of other dolls in the fifteen years that followed, but it only took one to change the doll business forever. (Hersh Rosner)

If Americas leading toy makers had awakened, it was Baby Nancys doing.

The new company took its name from the Swahili word for competitor. On Smiths suggestion, Shindana would specialize in black dolls, aiming to capture a largely untapped market. Barbie power would help fund a radical enterprise: black toys designed, manufactured and marketed by African American toy makers.

But how to do it right, how to make an authentic doll representing African American children? What would make Baby Nancy special was that, unlike prior colored or Negro commercial dolls, she would not be a white doll dipped in chocolate, as Smith put it, with stereotypically Caucasian facial features and hair that had been merely tinted brown.

As one Shindana worker proudly explained, Baby Nancy is not a white doll with black skin. She is not a black doll with Negroid features that is unpleasing to look at. She is an authentically beautiful black doll.

Nancys hard vinyl body was brown, like other dolls aimed at her market niche, but her nose, mouth and facial structure were designed to be what some industry observers had started to call ethnically correct. And she was the first doll marketed as black.

Given the toy industrys history of racist imagery, a white manufacturer touting its dolls typical ethnic or racial characteristics would likely have drawn suspicion. But Shindanas staff felt fully authorized to make such pronouncements. With a few exceptions, the companys employees  in the front office, in research and design and on the factory floor  were black. In some of its ads, the company played up the racial composition of the workforce, implying that only black toy makers had the cultural know-how to make a truly black doll.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

The way Shindana pioneered Nancys hair is particularly notable. The first Baby Nancy dolls had rooted black synthetic hair that may have come from Mattels suppliers: long, fine and straight, it was styled into pigtails. By the end of 1969, the company was representing what women were doing at the time: wearing their hair natural to buck white beauty norms and show their solidarity with the black liberation struggle. That meant a short, coarse Afro.

This presented a significant challenge. The toy industry had never genuinely attempted to replicate short, natural African American hair before. Shindana imported a special oven from Italy and slid synthetic doll hair under the heat to achieve a crimped, matted texture. The factory line workers used a hair comb to fluff out the natural and give it a more realistic appearance and texture. Now consumers could pass up Pretty Pigtails, the original Nancy doll, for the more politically potent Shorty Curls, which employees called Natural Nancy.

Shindanas, and Baby Nancys, timing could not have been more propitious. The late 1960s were a turning point in the industry. All the major manufacturers, targeting a rising middle class of black Americans who wanted representation at the doll counter as well as the lunch counter, were introducing black dolls. As one white toy executive put it bluntly at the time, Anyone whos in dolls has to be aware of Negro dolls. If hes awake. Thanks to Shindana, more and more of those dolls would have natural hairstyles and ethnically correct facial features.

Shindana was in business for 15 years, making Baby Nancy dolls and adding a diverse collection of other black (and non-black) lines. But Nancy was the groundbreaker. If Americas leading toy makers had awakened, it was Baby Nancys doing.

Rob Goldberg teaches history at Saint Anns School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is writing a book on the politics of toys during the 1960s and 1970s.

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To the editor: I was born in Israel, emigrated to the U.S. in 1957, became a citizen in 1962. My loyalties were and are to the United States, a country that gave me the opportunity to be who I am today.

It pains me to see Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) spouting centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money. Expressing doubt about the loyalties of Jewish Americans is over the top.

I see Omar as a young, misinformed politician who should learn about the history of anti-Semitism before making such shameful remarks. As a member of Congress, should she know that she must choose her words with extreme care.

I hope that as Omar matures as a member of Congress, she learns an important lesson: Before you speak, think about the meaning of your words and the effect they have on others.

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Adam Mekler, Pasadena

..

To the editor: The L.A. Times reported on Omars comments ascribing dual loyalties to pro-Israel Jews.

Omar said no such thing. What she said was, 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 was not criticizing Jews, because it is conservative evangelical Christians and the Republican Party who have blind loyalty toward Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinians. Omar is being punished for criticism of Israel, which is exactly what she was complaining about.

Bob Lentz, Sylmar

..

To the editor: There was no justification for Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, to say that Israels influence in Washington is based on money.

This is a dog whistle for anti-Semites and should not be excused as a slip of the tongue. One can only wonder how qualified Omar is to serve in Congress.

Bunny Landis, Oceanside

..

To the editor: On March 10, you published letters to the editor responding to two op-ed articles on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At least one of these perspectives was critical of the Israeli government and was therefore anti-Zionist.

Anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are often conflated. So, how dare you print anti-Semitic letters and op-ed articles?

Wait, you say, these opinions are critical of the Israeli government and are therefore not anti-Semitic.

How are these opinions different than what Omar said? Is it OK for a person of one religion to be critical of Israel and not a person of another religion?

Gregg Ferry, Carlsbad

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To the editor: Imagine the daily discourse driven by bipartisan, desperately needed action on the menace of climate change. Think of qualified diplomats strengthening relations with our allies and making headway in a treaty with North Korea.

No. These ideas are unthinkable. Instead, our national conversation is consumed by the antics of Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and President Trump.

Our national eye holds these men in fascination perhaps not for their misdeeds, but for their massive and unending entitlement. Clearly, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who sentenced Manafort to not even four years in prison, worships at the same altar. At least Michael Cohen took responsibility and has clearly rediscovered his integrity.

When our grandchildren are living on a burning, flooded planet, how will they make sense of their history books, filled with this inane drivel?

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Wendy Blais, North Hills

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To the editor: I taught kindergarten for more than 30 years. It was my job to teach the curriculum, but I also taught values like sharing, honesty and safety.

I loved talking about how wonderful it was to live in a country where we can all become whatever we want to be, where theres fairness and equal opportunity for everyone. I would give examples of this.

If I was in the classroom today, I couldnt teach the same values. As the Manafort sentence shows, fairness and equal treatment dont seem to play important roles. How sad it is to raise our children in this type of environment.

Mimi Steinberger, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: One letter responding to an article on pigs going to slaughter was chilling in its utter lack of compassion and empathy for these tortured beings.

What the writer disdainfully described as trying to humanize the pigs was in reality the thoughtful recognition of their sentience. We know through both our own observation and through science that pigs feel many of the same emotions we feel. They are considered to be more intelligent than most dogs.

The writers biggest concern was that her pork products might be contaminated by the substance used to wet the mouths of the desperate, thirsty animals  maybe its not just water!

Breaking news: The regular consumption of pork products, especially highly processed ones such as bacon, sausage and ham, is strongly associated with higher risk for heart disease, stroke, various cancers and Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, a 2018 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that pigs are getting unnecessary antibiotics, contributing to antibiotic resistance in humans.

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I hope the writer enjoys her next ham sandwich.

Cathy Goldberg, Seal Beach

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To the editor: One letter writer brings up a valid point about how weve come to decide which particular animals to eat.

To be sure, the pig possesses one of the highest intellects of any four-legged animals on Earth, second only to the elephant, and like the pachyderm, also functions within a complex social structure.

So, why do we slaughter them? Does the fact that theyre fat, pink, hairless, have large snouts and make funny noises play a factor, thus making us a society of speciesists?

Blaine Ziolkowski, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: Thank you for printing the horrific photo of the pig being offered water on the way to slaughter in Vernon. It instantly turned me into a vegetarian.

The very thought of eating another sentient being makes me sick. I hope the photo had the same effect on everyone who saw it.

Diana M. Granat, Altadena

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Indonesia suspends use of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after crash in Ethiopia

Indonesia has suspended operations of all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes operated by airlines in the country, Indonesia's transport ministry said on Monday.

The move came after a plane of the same type, which was operated by Ethiopian Airlines and bound for Nairobi, Kenya, crashed minutes after take-off Sunday, killing all 157 people aboard, including an Indonesian citizen.

It was the second crash of the new aircraft after one operated by Indonesia's Lion Air crashed in October last year.

"We have temporarily grounded the planes to conduct inspection," spokesman of the Indonesian transport ministry Hengki Angkasawan told Xinhua over phone.

"For now, We will conduct inspection. Boeing has informed us some findings in a release. We will inspect based on them. Later, If we find (violation) we will fully ground the planes," the spokesman said.

However, he could not give further details on how long the inspection will take.

Indonesia has a total of 11 Boeing 737 Max planes operated by two Indonesian carriers -- Lion Air and state owned PT Garuda Indonesia, according to Hengki.
Former Vice President Joe Biden gave his strongest signal yet that he will soon get into the 2020 presidential race, speaking to a friendly union audience that greeted him with chants of Run, Joe, run!

I appreciate the energy you showed when I got up here, Biden said, addressing a conference of the International Assn. of Fire Fighters. Save it a little longer. I may need it in a few weeks.

Bidens supporters have been saying they expect him to get into the race soon, but always with the caveat that he was still weighing concerns including the potential fundraising challenges and impact on his family. But Harold Schaitberger, president of the firefighters union and a longtime supporter of Bidens, said he believed such concerns had been addressed.

My sense is the decision is likely made, he said after Bidens speech.

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Biden has consistently shown up at the top of polls of potential Democratic presidential candidates. His supporters have said Biden believed he could afford to delay entering the field because he is so well known and has an established network of donors and advisors.

But with a large field of candidates already in place, hes been under pressure to make a decision, and aides have signaled that a formal announcement likely will come in the next few weeks.

Tuesdays speech was the first of two Biden appearances this week before supportive audiences, to be followed Saturday by a speech to the Delaware Democratic Party.

The firefighters union provided a well-orchestrated show of the force that would be deployed behind Biden once he becomes a candidate. Firefighters for Biden banners hung behind the podium, and Run Joe Run placards were spread through the audience.

But the overwhelmingly white, male crowd was hardly representative of the diverse Democratic electorate Biden will be facing in a primary, and he will compete in a candidate field already packed with women and people of color.

Whos running for president and whos not 

The union made no endorsement in 2016, and its members were split between supporting Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Bidens supporters argue he would be the candidate best equipped to beat Trump in 2020 because he has a blue-collar appeal that could help the party win back voters it lost to Trump, especially in the industrial Midwest.

The speech provided a window onto what a Biden campaign message would likely be, as Biden went short on Trump bashing and long on a call for healing divisions of American life.

He made no direct reference to Trump, but took a swipe at his budget.

I was going to stay away from this but I cant, he said. Did you see the budget that was just introduced? It cuts $845 billion, almost a trillion dollar cut, in Medicare. Why? Because of a tax cut for the super wealthy.

He also flicked at Trump when talking about the need to embrace diversity and overcome bigotry.

In America, everybody gets a shot, Biden said. Thats what the next president of the United States needs to understand. Thats what I dont think this current president understands at all.

He decried the mean pettiness that he said had overtaken American politics and noted that he had been taken to task for his bipartisan approach. Some Democrats bridled when he recently referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a decent guy, and in 2018 when he praised a House Republican, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, in the middle of a contested reelection campaign.

You notice I get criticized for saying anything nice about a Republican, he told the firefighters.

John Collins, a union member in the audience from Sacramento, said Biden would stand a better chance of winning than other Democrats in the field. Compared to other people running, he tends to be less polarizing across the board, he said.

The latest from Washington 
The Trump administration took another step Tuesday to cut back services to people seeking to legally enter the U.S. and focus instead on a ballooning backlog of immigration cases, announcing that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would close all its international offices.

The agencys foreign operations include reuniting families, overseeing international adoptions, and processing requests for U.S. travel for humanitarian emergencies, military members serving overseas and permanent residents seeking to return.

The agency, part of the Homeland Security Department, is preparing to shift its international operations to the State Department in order to focus on a backlog of immigration cases, its director, Lee Francis Cissna, said in a memo to agency employees sent out Tuesday and obtained by The Times.

The State Department had no immediate comment on how it would handle the additional workload. The administration has proposed significant reductions in the departments budget.

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Cissna said in his memo that the move would maximize agency resources and help reduce backlogs, which will ultimately assist our agency to more effectively meet its mission of fairly administering our nations lawful immigration system.

Following agreement and completing of necessary wind-down procedures, we would move to close the international field offices, he wrote.

In a statement, spokeswoman Jessica Collins said the agency would coordinate necessary inter-agency agreements to ensure no interruption in the provision of immigration services to affected applicants and petitioners.

The agency estimates that the closing of its overseas offices would save millions of dollars without disrupting operations.

Alan Bersin, who served as a senior official in the Homeland Security Department during the Obama administration, said Cissna was probably focusing on tightening his budget under administration pressure.

But this is a very dramatic transformation that probably deserves a lot more study and reflection than has gone into it, Bersin said. Its a closing of the door and the snuffing out of the light on the top of the Statue of Liberty.

Leon Rodriguez, who was director of the agency from 2014 to 2017, said the move represented another withdrawal of the U.S. presence abroad.

This is in line with the complete drawing down of the refugee-process capacity under the Trump administration, and that, I think, is a disaster, Rodriguez said. Its a big stain on our nation that that has occurred.

With record-high numbers of asylum seekers and a spike in Central American families at the southern border, the administration has struggled to reduce the growing immigration-case backlog in the United States.

According to a database maintained by Syracuse University, 829,608 asylum cases are currently pending, with an average wait of 746 days, or more than two years.

Citizenship and Immigration Services is the branch of the Homeland Security Department charged with processing immigration benefits, citizenship and, in a new focus under the Trump administration, denaturalization. At the border and across the country, agency officers interview asylum seekers to help determine whether their cases will proceed or whether they will be removed from the U.S.

The latest move is one of several the administration has taken to devote more resources to processing asylum cases, sometimes at the expense of other immigration-related jobs.

For example, the agency has reassigned officers who conduct citizenship interviews to the southern border to interview asylum seekers. In the last two years, wait times for citizenship have doubled.

The agencys International Operations Division, part of the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate, has about 240 employees in the U.S and abroad, in 24 field offices in 21 countries, including in Mexico City, Moscow, Johannesburg and Beijing. Foreign nationals make up a third of all the divisions employees.

In a follow-up memo on Tuesday obtained by The Times, Jennifer B. Higgins, associate director of the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate, said all future deployments abroad had been canceled, effective immediately.

There is no question that this shift will be a significant change for our directorate overall and for so many of you personally, Higgins said.

Last year, Cissna  whose mother immigrated to the U.S. from Peru  changed the agencys mission statement to eliminate the phrase nation of immigrants. He told staff the change clarified the agencys role in lawful immigration, seen by some as forecasting an inward turn.

Change can be difficult and can cause consternation, Cissna wrote in the Tuesday memo. I want to assure you we will work to make this as smooth a transition as possible.

molly.otoole@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollymotoole
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels in two unsuccessful lawsuits against President Trump, is no longer representing the pornographic film actress.

Daniels, who is under court order to pay Trump $293,000 in legal fees and sanctions for one of the dismissed lawsuits, said she has retained Clark Brewster of Oklahoma as her personal lawyer to review all legal matters involving me.

Upon completion of Mr. Brewsters review and further consultation with me, I anticipate Mr. Brewster will serve as my primary counsel on all legal issues, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, wrote on Twitter.

Daniels provided no explanation for the change.

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In November, she told the Daily Beast that while she was grateful for Avenattis services, he had sued Trump for defamation against her wishes, ignored her requests for an accounting of her legal defense fund and treated her with disrespect.

A few days later, she said they had sorted out their differences. The following week, however, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero ordered Daniels to pay Trump $292,000 in legal fees, plus a $1,000 sanction, for the defamation suit that she had lost.

Avenatti released a statement on Twitter saying hed informed Daniels on Feb. 19 that we were terminating our legal representation of her for various reasons that we cannot disclose publicly due to the attorney-client privilege.

This was not a decision we made lightly and it came only after lengthy discussion, thought and deliberation, as well as consultation with other professionals.

Last week, Otero dismissed the first lawsuit that Daniels filed against the president a year ago to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement that she and Trump signed days before the November 2016 election. Trump, through his lawyer Michael Cohen, paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged 2006 sexual encounter.

Daniels sued to void the pact after Cohen threatened to seek millions of dollars in damages against her for breaking the deal. She argued that Trump had never signed it.

Otero found the lawsuit was moot because Trump and Cohen agreed last September not to enforce the confidentiality pact. By then, Cohen had pleaded guilty to eight felonies, including breaking federal election law by making the secret $130,000 payoff to Daniels.

Trump meets his match: Stormy Daniels combative lawyer Michael Avenatti 

While the two lawsuits produced no courtroom victory for Avenatti, they did turn him into a celebrity. He was a constant presence on cable news for months and traveled around the country exploring a potential run for president.

In November, he was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of domestic violence, but prosecutors ultimately declined to bring charges. Avenatti has since said hes decided not to seek the Democratic nomination.
In his first week in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a strong warning to cities and counties: He was coming for their road repair dollars if they didnt meet state goals for new housing.

If youre not hitting your goals, I dont know why you get the money, Newsom said when he announced his budget plans in January.

Two months later, Newsom is setting aside plans to withhold state transportation dollars from local governments for four years. The move, which comes after fellow Democrats pushed back on the idea, is part of a larger acknowledgment that revamping how California plans for growth will be more arduous than the governor implied on the campaign trail.

Newsom made the announcement Monday when he unveiled a new bill that will be debated as part of the state budget. The legislation calls for $750 million in new funding for cities and counties to plan for increased housing production and then receive financial rewards as new building occurs. The money would begin flowing, according to the bill, in August.

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Our states affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream and the foundations of our economic well-being, Newsom said in a release.

Gov. Gavin Newsom threatens to cut state funding from cities that dont approve enough housing 

But the bill released Monday also laid out a lengthy timeline for the governor to implement more contentious parts of his housing agenda.

As a candidate, Newsom called for the building of 3.5 million new homes in the state by 2025, an amount that would more than quadruple the current rate of production.

For five decades, the state has required cities and counties to plan for housing production at a rate sufficient for all residents to live affordably. But the process hasnt resulted in nearly enough homebuilding, especially for low-income residents, to meet demand.

Newsom pledged to reset housing supply goals so cities and counties would have to set aside more land for housing, concentrate production in existing urban areas to support climate change efforts and receive greater financial incentives to actually approve development. Californias tax system generally provides local governments with more tax revenue if they authorize hotel or commercial projects instead of housing.

Under Newsoms new proposal, the state could take until 2023  after the governors first term in office has ended  to put the new housing supply goals in place. When he unveiled his budget in January, Newsom also said he wanted to withhold money from the states recently approved increases to the gas tax and vehicle registration fees from communities that blocked housing. The bill says that wouldnt happen until 2023 as well.

Giving new money to cities and counties before implementing new planning rules is an effort to show local governments that the governor sees their support as vital to meeting his housing goals, said Jason Elliott, Newsoms chief deputy cabinet secretary.

The best way to do that is to work with cities, Elliott said.

When Newsom first announced his plans to tie transportation funding to housing goals, he didnt provide a timeline. But some Democratic lawmakers made clear they werent fans.

At a budget committee hearing last month, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) noted that voters upheld the gas tax hike at the ballot last year and said the governor shouldnt consider restricting that money.

We worked too hard on that and to all of a sudden have that used as a potential is disturbing to me, Aguiar-Curry said.

Its unclear if pushing off the plan for four years will lessen legislators concerns.

Sen. James Beall (D-San Jose), who authored the gas tax increase in 2017, said in a statement after the bill was released Monday that he remains against linking road construction funds to housing supply goals.

Their use for any other purpose, such as to be used as leverage, is a violation of the trust of the voters and taxpayers, Beall said.

liam.dillon@latimes.com

@dillonliam
In an executive order last month calling for new DNA tests in the quadruple-murder case of death row inmate Kevin Cooper, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was acting to ensure that all evidence is examined when the government seeks to impose the ultimate punishment.

Coopers fate wont be the last in Newsoms hands. California is home to the nations largest death row with 737 condemned inmates  24 of whom are convicted of murder and have exhausted their appeals, like Cooper.



For the record: An earlier version of this story said that 739 inmates are on Californias death row. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports there are 737 inmates on Californias death row.

The state has not put a prisoner to death since 2006 because of a series of legal challenges to its method of lethal injection. But Newsom said he expects those court cases to be resolved while hes in office, clearing the way for executions to resume in California.

Were poised to potentially oversee the execution of more prisoners than any other state in modern history, Newsom said. Those 24 have gone through their process and many others are right behind them.

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The governor has been open about his opposition to the death penalty, saying that he has the ability under the law to put his beliefs into practice. As lieutenant governor, he was one of a few statewide officials to endorse a failed 2016 ballot measure to abolish the death penalty, while then-Gov. Jerry Brown and then-Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who is now in the U.S. Senate and running for president, took no official position.

Newsom directed his legal advisors to assess his options as Californias chief executive, which include the constitutional power to commute death sentences and issue temporary reprieves. But the governor must balance his opinions on capital punishment with the will of California voters, who over the last six years rejected two statewide ballot measures to repeal the death penalty and favored fast-tracking the appeals process.

Newsom has not said publicly what he plans to do, but the governor indicated he may take action in the near future.

The minute I got elected, in the transition, I prioritized this issue, Newsom told The Times in a recent interview. I dont want to react to something. I want to be proactive. And I have been very proactive in trying to determine what the best path is.

Since his election, Newsom has sought counsel on the issue of capital punishment from religious leaders, state lawmakers and former governors from across the county, including his predecessor, Brown. Hes also talked with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last California governor to preside over an execution in the state.

Death penalty opponents believe Newsom will not allow an execution to take place while he is in office given his objections to a death penalty process he has said is administered with troubling racial disparities, and because of wrongful convictions in the judicial system.

Sometimes being a leader is leading. I dont think Newsom will ever put somebody to death, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), an opponent of the death penalty. Slavery was once a law and also popular in this country and there were people who stood up and said, No, this is wrong.

Former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell, a leading advocate for abolishing the death penalty, said he spoke with Newsom about the issue during the 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

I dont believe he will allow an execution to go forward during his time in office, Farrell said. Thats me, thats my sense of the man [from] my conversations with him.

Farrell was a major proponent of 2016s Proposition 62, which would have abolished the death penalty for first-degree murder and reduced death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole. California voters rejected the measure by a margin of 53% to 47%. Voters narrowly approved Proposition 66, a measure on the same ballot to streamline death penalty appeals.

DNA tests could reveal if Kevin Cooper was wrongly convicted of murder. Why didnt Jerry Brown order them? 

The death chamber of the lethal injection facility at San Quentin State Prison. California has not put a prisoner to death since 2006 because of a series of legal challenges to its method of lethal injection. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

Two days before the election in 2016, Newsom sent out a tweet calling the death penalty fundamentally immoral, and highlighting the case of Alabama prisoner Anthony Ray Hinton, who was sentenced to death for a double murder and released in 2015 after forensic experts couldnt determine whether bullets from the crime scene came from his gun.

Farrell urged Newsom to take a stand regardless of public perception and said he wants the governor to display the same political courage he did as mayor of San Francisco, when he ordered the city to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 2004.

He certainly can stop an execution, Farrell said. Thats within his power.

The state Constitution gives the California governor the authority to grant a reprieve, pardon, and commutation, but those executive powers have limits.

For condemned inmates convicted of a single felony, Newsom has authority to commute sentences to life in prison. But the governor cannot commute the sentences of prisoners convicted of two separate felonies  a population that includes more than half the inmates on death row  without the approval of the California Supreme Court. The court rejected 10 commutations handed out by Gov. Brown in his last full month in office, all of which involved people convicted of multiple felonies. The court did not provide an explanation for the action.

The provision is in the Constitution to prevent an abuse of power by the governor, said Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the pro-death penalty Criminal Justice Legal Foundation. It was the first time in decades that Californias top court rejected a governors commutations, which should serve as a warning to Newsom, he said.

I support #YesOn62 & #NoOn66. The death penalty is a failed policy that wastes money & is fundamentally immoral. https://t.co/C2YSWgqKLU  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 7, 2016

The governor also has the constitutional authority to grant reprieves to prisoners facing execution, in essence a temporary stay. Newsom could impose a de facto moratorium on capital punishment in California by granting a reprieve each time an inmate is sent to the death chamber, Scheidegger said. But those reprieves would expire as soon as Newsom leaves office, pushing the life-and-death decisions to his successor.

That also would be an abuse of power. Its not why we have clemency, Scheidegger said, arguing that those powers should be used only as a protection against miscarriages of justice.

Shilpi Agarwal, a staff attorney with an expertise in criminal justice at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, disagrees. She said the governor has the constitutional authority to commute sentences and prevent executions from taking place.

The governor has very important role to play, and I sincerely hope that he chooses to exercise his discretion, Agarwal said.

Governors in Oregon, Colorado and Pennsylvania have imposed moratoriums on executions in those states, all using executive powers similar to those held by Newsom.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf halted capital punishment there in 2015 after deciding that the state had a flawed system that has been proven to be an endless cycle of court proceedings as well as ineffective, unjust, and expensive.

Newsom has voiced similar concerns, particularly regarding the racial and regional disparities related to who is sentenced to death in California.

Six former governors had urged Brown, who is opposed to the death penalty, to commute the sentences of all of Californias death row inmates before he left office in January, a request he rejected.

California voters approved a statewide ballot measure reinstating the death penalty in 1978, six years after it was halted by the U.S. Supreme Court and two years after a high court ruling allowed executions to resume. Since 1978, California has carried out 13 executions under Govs. Pete Wilson, Gray Davis and Schwarzenegger. During that same time, 26 inmates on death row have died by suicide, and 79 have died of natural causes, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Among the 24 death row inmates who have exhausted their appeals is Cooper, who was sentenced to death in 1985 after he was convicted of killing Doug and Peggy Ryen and their 10-year-old daughter, Jessica, as well 11-year-old Christopher Hughes, who was unrelated to the family. They were found stabbed to death in a Chino Hills home.

Newsoms executive order requiring additional DNA testing in that case came after Coopers attorneys alleged that key pieces of evidence were not properly tested and needed to be analyzed with modern technology.

As you saw what I just did with Cooper, I take this very seriously, Newsom said. Ive been a strong advocate in opposition to the death penalty.

Michael Morales, who was sentenced to death in 1981 for raping and murdering 17-year-old Lodi, Calif., high school student Terri Winchell, has also exhausted all of his appeals. His execution was stayed in February 2006 after his lawyers argued that the states lethal injection procedure using sedatives and paralytic agents might mask, rather than prevent, pain from the final heart-stopping chemicals.

A federal judge halted all executions later that year, ruling that Californias three-drug lethal injection protocol risked producing a painful death and violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

California finalized new lethal injection regulations in early 2018, which require executioners to use a single chemical, either pentobarbital or thiopental. But the administrative process the state used to determine those standards is being challenged in court by the ACLU.

Agarwal said she doesnt expect the legal challenges against the death penalty to subside anytime soon. If true, Newsom may not have to decide how to handle the cases, just like his predecessor.

I think that there is virtually no chance that California will be in any sort of position to begin executions within the next four years, Agarwal said. Theres just so many problems with the death penalty.

Sacramento political scientist Kim Nalder said the close votes of the two death penalty ballot measures in 2016 showed that Californians are almost evenly divided on the issue, and the national trend has moved toward abolishing capital punishment.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, eight states have abolished capital punishment either through the legislative process or by court ruling since 2007.

Newsom might be on solid enough footing to do what he can to stall or stop executions if and when it comes to that, Nalder said. It could be a close call. You can always fall back as an elected official saying the voters voted for me because they trust my judgment.

In August, Newsom told news outlet CALmatters that he wanted to give California voters a chance to reconsider whether to abolish the death penalty. But doing so could come with a drawback: If Californians again vote to keep the death penalty, Newsom might feel pressure to abide by their decision.

Once you put it out to the voters its pretty hard to go against their will, Nalder said.

Newsom, who is Catholic, said he has been doing a lot of soul searching in recent months. His late father, William Newsom, was also opposed to the death penalty, and the governor said they discussed the issue ad nauseum. In an interview with a University of California oral history project a decade ago, William Newsom, a former state appellate court justice, said he presided over three capital cases while he was a trial judge, and set aside the juries recommended death sentences in all of them.

Newsom said his fathers opposition was hardened later in life by the case of Pete Pianezzi, a longtime friend who was convicted of first-degree murder for shooting and killing a gambler and busboy in Los Angeles in 1937.

Pianezzi escaped the death penalty by a single vote and served 13 years in prison. He was later exonerated after mafia hit man Jimmy The Weasel Fratiano disclosed that the murders were committed by two gangsters with ties to a Los Angeles crime family.

Newsom led an effort to get Pianezzi a full pardon, which Brown granted in 1981.

This is a deep issue personally for me, going back to my relationship with my father, Newsom said. A governor has to sign off  and youve got to live with yourself.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon
The Fresno County district attorney charged California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) on Tuesday with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child, three months after the state legislator was arrested on suspicion of injuring one of his daughters.

Arambula said he will take a voluntary leave of absence from the Assembly, according to a statement released by his attorney.

My wife and I are shocked that the district attorney has decided to file charges, he said. The allegation that I may have harmed one of my daughters is false and unthinkable.

Fresno police arrested Arambula, 41, on Dec. 10 at his daughters elementary school. At the time, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Child Protective Services was summoned to Dailey Elementary Charter School after a student, who Arambula later identified as his 7-year-old daughter, walked into the administrative office on campus with an injury that occurred the night before.

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The child said Arambula was responsible for the injury and police called the assemblyman and his wife to the school, where he was taken into custody, Dyer said.

Arambula, a medical doctor, offered his own explanation of events days after his arrest, saying he spanked his daughter on her bottom with his hand as a punishment for acting out. He said he did not see any injuries on her and did not know why the school notified CPS the next day.

Arambula said his daughter was upset by what he considered appropriate discipline at the time and a tool of last resort for him as a parent. The legislator said he spanks his children no more than once a year.

My daughter was pretty upset, to be fair, and angry, Arambula said in an interview with The Times on Dec. 12. The next day she woke up still angry and went to school angry.

Arambula said his three daughters were placed in the custody of his parents after his arrest and allowed to return home two days later. In December, he downplayed the potential for the situation to negatively affect his political career and said his constituents trust and believe that I am a great father.

Spanking a child is generally legal under California law, unless the act is considered excessive or unjustified.

The Fresno County district attorneys office said in a release that it filed one misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child against Arambula, alleging that he inflicted unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering. If convicted, Arambula could face up to six months in jail.

While politics may have influenced the decision to file, we are confident that our judicial system will find this allegation to be false, Arambula said in a statement.

The assemblyman did not provide further details and his attorney, Margarita Martinez-Baly, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Arambula believes politics might have influenced his case.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said in a statement that Arambulas leave of absence will be unpaid. He appointed Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes (D-Grand Terrace) to head Arambulas budget subcommittee on health and human services while hes gone.

For those of us who know and respect Assembly Member Arambula, we know this has been a difficult experience for him and his family, Rendon said. Due to the seriousness of the allegation and the need for due process, I respect his decision to take an unpaid leave from the Assembly while he addresses this charge.

Arambula, the son of a politician, won a special election in 2016 to fill a seat left vacant by former Assemblyman Henry Perea in the 31st Assembly District. His father, Juan Arambula, served in the Assembly and on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

More stories from Taryn Luna 

taryn.luna@latimes.com

Follow @tarynluna on Twitter.
The field of science is a tricky one for dramatists, given that much of the dialogue may approximate a foreign language to most theatergoers, although playwrights have successfully scaled that mountain in works such as Galileo and Proof.

Anna Zieglers Photograph 51, now unfolding on South Coast Repertorys Julianne Argyros Stage, recreates the discovery of the structure of DNA  at Londons Kings College in the early 1950s  thereby uncovering what was hailed as no less than the very secret of life.

Its heady stuff, and an understanding of the subject matter certainly would increase the playgoers enjoyment. But the SCR production, directed by Kimberly Senior, attempts with some success to make laboratory science palatable for a theater audience.

The focus here is not on medicine, the trio of scientists who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology, or the discovery of the structure of DNA. Rather the story is built around the woman, Dr. Rosalind Franklin, whose efforts contributed to the mens triumph.

From left to right, Anil Margsahayam, George Ketsios, Helen Sadler, Riley Neldam and Giovanni Adams are scientists in South Coast Repertorys production of Photograph 51, which runs in Costa Mesa through March 24. (Photo by Jordan Kubat)

The single-minded determination of Franklin is strongly interpreted by Helen Sadler, depicting her characters struggle to attain equal footing among her male colleagues. She feels the need to underscore her doctoral title and eschew emotional attachments.

In one key scene, Franklin confesses her regret for avoiding romantic involvement, and we glimpse, just for a few seconds, the slightest crack in her professional armor.

The stodgy senior scientist, who exudes assumed authority but secretly covets Rosalind, is solidly portrayed by George Ketsios. A young lab worker who eventually attains his doctorate is given a more humane turn by Josh Odsess-Rubin.

The two geneticists generally credited with the DNA breakthrough, James Watson and Francis Crick, get enthusiastic interpretations from Giovanni Adams and Anil Margsahayam, respectively. Riley Neldam completes the cast in a winning portrayal as Franklins eager assistant.

Cameron Andersons multi-use set design resembles a giant microscopic slide, over which the performers trod when active and occupy silently when not involved in a scene.

Photograph 51, so titled because that was the number of the breakthrough negative, may not be crystal clear to non-scientific playgoers, but the SCR production goes a long way toward explaining the secret of life, which created a vast impact on modern society.

Tom Titus reviews local theater.

IF YOU GO

What: Photograph 51

Where: South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Theater, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:45 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 7:45 until March 24

Cost: Tickets start at $23

Information: (714) 708-5555; scr.org
There is a generational changing of the guard in the world of social action. Over the last decade, the amazing men and women who came into their own in the years following World War II embraced a new American model that included all members of society. Business men and women of the Greatest Generation, followed by their children, the Baby Boomers, got involved in all aspects of social welfare with the intent of raising up every level of American society.

Nonprofit charitable organizations were established and grew exponentially. Over the last half century they have become vital institutions, assisting the needs of the nation. As we approach 2020, many of the pioneers who transformed the world of nonprofit support are stepping down from positions of leadership. Will young Americans from the Generation X and the Millennial crowds embrace the legacy and take it forward?

Brandon McKennon, Susie McKibben (center) and Sarah Stapleton attend the Newport Beach Foundation event at the Balboa Bay Resort. (Photo courtesy of the Newport Beach Foundation)

Recently, the Newport Beach Foundation addressed this subject during a confab at the Balboa Bay Resort created to celebrate future leadership and community organization. The Newport Beach Foundation, chaired by Joseph Stapleton, is a nonprofit philanthropic organization strengthening current and future community leadership through education, research and advocacy. Stapletons goal is to inspire the new breed of activism in the younger generations  making a connection between their personal goals, the quality of their family lives and the overall importance of a strong community connection.

There is a generational divide between those who have created the legacy of Newport Beach and the next generation whose time is approaching to step up and serve, Stapleton said. It is our goal to give them a pathway and platform to build upon.

To this end, Stapleton has adapted a platform known as the Distinguished Citizen Program, or DCP, originally created by former Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau. The program recognizes Citizens of the Year as role models meant to inspire others to take action and participate in community involvement.

A recent foundation gathering at the resort honored the The Literacy Project led by Sue Grant. The nonprofit literacy program is dedicated to helping children become self-sufficient, productive and contributing members of our society. In addition, the DCP program welcomed some 16 presenters from both the city of Newport Beach and a cross section of local business owners and professionals who have participated in and graduated from the DCP educational series. The four-week session connects individuals through activities and seminars with Newport Beach city leaders.

This program isnt only for the politico, recent DCP program graduate Niki Stoller said. Its also for the people who want to come together and get involved to make Newport Beach better for our next generation.

Some 150 guests arrived at the Balboa Bay Resort at dusk for a cocktail reception in a bayfront salon to congratulate the DCP grads, do a little networking and mingle with Newport city officials. Stapleton, joined by his wife, Sarah, welcomed the clubs chairman of the Board of Governors, John Wortmann and his wife, Anne.

Also in attendance was Bludau; Donald Wise, founder of the Newport Beach Mens Luncheon; Peter Beldon, a surfing business entrepreneur; former Councilman Keith Curry and wife, Pam; yachtsman Wayne Harvey; Assistant City Manager Carol Jacobs; Dennis Kuhl, chairman of the Los Angeles Angels and board member for The Literacy Project; interior designer Allison Olmstead; Chamber of Commerce chief Steve Rosansky; Visit Newport Beach President and CEO Gary Sherwin; and Farmers and Merchants Bank Vice President Kirk Van Atta.

Supporting the event were Joe Brenner, Anne Yelsey, Martin Yamamoto, Gary Williams Sr., Gary Williams Jr., Alexa Thomas, Tracy Schroeder, Sid Ramani, Tod Novak, Shaan Mehta, Kevin Maloney, Andrew Krongold, Paul Blank and Emily Bledstein.

To find out more about the Newport Beach Foundation, visit nb-foundation.org.

B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
Eurostar trains between Paris and London were canceled or delayed for more than three hours Monday as a slow-down by French customs officers  billed as a Brexit simulation  stretched into its seventh day. The rail company also canceled service on more than 50 London-Paris trains through the end of March because of the action.

French workers pressing for higher pay intended to show travelers what it might be like when Britain leaves the European Union, slated to happen March 29. The French government says its prepared for the transition, but workers arent so sure.

The result Monday was long waits and frustrated travelers at places such as the Gare du Nord in Paris, from which Eurostar trains regularly take off for the 2 hour and 15 minute trip to London. The company took to social media to advise frustrated travelers that some trains were canceled and that others would be departing up to 3 hours late.

We're very sorry for the ongoing delays on departure from Paris Nord today. Our trains are currently expected to depart up to 3.5 hours later than scheduled due to the Douanes' work to rule action. We appreciate your patience - we're doing all we can to ensure you're on your way.  Eurostar (@Eurostar) March 11, 2019

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Eurostar advised passengers to file for a refund or exchange their tickets on its website. It also recommended following @Eurostar on Twitter for updates.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May lost a bid for a Brexit divorce deal, with no clear path out of its decades-long partnership with the European Union. Her plan was defeated by a vote of 391 to 242.

Meanwhile, French workers at train stations and ports have engaged in whats technically a work to rule action, meaning they perform only the minimum tasks their contract requires. It started March 4.

The slowdown Monday also disrupted ports in and near Calais where the Channel Tunnel links southern England and northern France, and some flights to ski destinations such as Grenoble in the French Alps.

Our aim is to attract attention to our worsening conditions of work, which will only get worse once Brexit happens, Vincent Thomazo, UNSA trade union spokesman, told the French news website the Local.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Britain was thrown into deeper political turmoil Tuesday after lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit divorce deal.

The country now faces the prospect of crashing out of its decades-long partnership with the European Union with no plan for managing the break.

The withdrawal agreement between May and EU negotiators was defeated despite the prime ministers dash to the French city of Strasbourg late Monday to meet EU leaders and secure last-minute legally binding changes she hoped would win over a majority of lawmakers.

May had issued a stark warning to lawmakers before the vote: There is only one certainty if we do not pass this vote tonight, and that is that uncertainty will continue for our citizens and businesses.

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The defeat by a vote of 391 to 242 leaves Britain in uncharted territory with politicians only able to agree that they disagree, with barely two weeks to go before it is scheduled to formally leave the EU on March 29.

Lawmakers are expected to vote again Wednesday, this time on whether they will support Britain leaving the EU without any deal, a move that is deeply unpopular given the economic damage it could unleash.

If that idea is rejected, they are then expected to vote Thursday on pushing back the March 29 deadline, but any extension would have to be approved by all remaining 27 EU members. Many EU members have grown increasingly bewildered and frustrated with British politics and would want some clear idea of what such an extension would achieve.

EU leaders appeared bewildered at the results and unsure where negotiations could go next.

The EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Twitter: The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line. The impasse can only be solved in the #UK. Our no-deal preparations are now more important than ever before.

The EU had long stressed that the agreement on the table was the best, and only, one available.

May said she continued to believe that leaving the EU was the best outcome for the country and that the deal on offer was the best one.

Let me be clear  voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face, May said.

Opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn accused May of running down the clock in the hope of forcing lawmakers to vote for her deal.

Maybe its time instead we had a general election, he said.

The day leading up to the vote was a dramatic one of heated debates inside the House of Commons as well as much soul searching and deliberations behind closed doors.

Addressing Parliament, a hoarse May said members were faced with a clear choice: If this vote is not passed, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost.

She stressed that her deal delivered on what 52% of the British public voted for in a 2016 referendum: to leave the European Union and take back control of its laws, borders and money.

And the last-minute amendments she secured from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker provided the concessions that were sought.

But before the vote, Corbyn described those amendments as all spin and no substance.

The reality is nothing has changed, he said.

Speaking amid heckles and jeers from the chamber, May said she was putting forward a good deal that protected the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU, gave businesses the time to adjust to the transition and replaced the free movement of people with a skills-based immigration system.

May argued the deal also ensured there would continue to be a strong security relationship between the U.K. and European nations and enabled Britain to strike its own free trade deals with countries outside the EU.

It sends a message to the whole world about the sort of country the United Kingdom will be in the years and decades ahead, May said. A country that honors the democratic decisions taken by our people in referendums and in elections.

The biggest stumbling block in negotiations was over the island of Ireland and how to ensure goods and services could continue to move freely once Britain left the EU.

It presents a unique challenge as the Republic of Ireland will remain an EU member after Brexit while Northern Ireland will leave the EU along with the rest of the United Kingdom. It will be the EUs only land border with Britain, and any return to border checks could risk putting a strain on the hard-fought peace process that ended decades of bloody sectarian conflict.

Both the EU and Britain saw this as an absolute priority, but the wording of the backstop agreement  an insurance policy that would come into force only in the event no future trade deal could be reached by December 2020  concerned lawmakers.

If future negotiations deadlock and the backstop were to come into effect, it would see the whole of the U.K. remain in an EU customs union until a permanent solution were found; Northern Ireland, however, would remain linked to some rules of the EU single market, which are more extensive.

Some critics, including the Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, which May depends on for her majority in Parliament, said creating different trade agreements between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain was unacceptable and sought more guarantees that this was a scenario that would never be realized.

Other Euroskeptics in Mays Conservative Party complained the backstop could tie Britain indefinitely to EU trade and customs regulations with no means of unilaterally withdrawing.

The prime minister put her original deal to the House of Commons in January and it was resoundingly defeated. She vowed to go back to the EU to secure more guarantees, seeking a legally binding guarantee from her EU counterparts that they would not trap Britain in the backstop.

U.K. Atty. Gen. Geoffrey Cox on Tuesday published his legal advice on the new agreement.

He said the new provisions agreed on in Strasbourg reduce the risk of Britains being held in the backstop arrangement indefinitely but do not legally prevent it.

Speaking later in the House of Commons, Cox stressed that the changes were substantive and binding and improved the deal, but said the issue was now a political judgment for lawmakers.

On Tuesday afternoon, the DUP released a statement announcing it could not back the revised deal: In our view, sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time.

Members of the right-wing European Research Group, which is made up of Conservative Party lawmakers, also indicated the changes had not gone far enough to win its support.

The pound plummeted Tuesday as it appeared that the tide of opinion was against May.

We cant carry on like this where youve basically got broken political parties that are divided, said lawmaker Chuka Umunna, who recently quit the Labor Party to join a new independent group.

Umunna said he hoped Tuesdays rejection of the Brexit agreement would increase support for a second referendum. There is currently no leadership, no direction, he said.

Boyle is a special correspondent.
An American ice cream parlour has said it has reached out to a Chinese company after the success of a wildly popular flavor raised accusations of intellectual property theft.

Wanderlust Creamery's White Rabbit-flavored ice cream. [File Photo: CGTN]

The White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream at Wanderlust Creamery in Los Angeles has been a social media sensation, leading to long queues outside the shop beginning in February.

The parlour began selling the White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream on Feb. 1 and intended to serve it until Feb. 28, but based on the overwhelming reaction from customers, it decided to continue serving the flavor until the end of March.

The popularity of the ice cream caught the attention of Shanghai-based Guan Sheng Yuan Group (GSY), the company that had made the iconic White Rabbit candy for the last 60 years. The candy is a household name in China.

In a statement sent to Xinhua on the weekend, GSY said the American parlour is not authorized to use the candy flavor in its product. Some media reports say the Chinese company has asked some IP protection organizations to investigate the issue.

The sudden success of the ice cream "reflects the consumers recognition and love for the White Rabbit brand, and on the other hand, we think it's an interesting innovation to make ice cream with White Rabbit candies as ingredients ... which for the time-honored brand White Rabbit is worth thinking and learning from," GSY said in the statement.

In its own statement last Thursday, Wanderlust said, "Our representatives have reached out to Guan Sheng Yuan to discuss forming a mutually beneficial relationship in an effort to further introduce the iconic White Rabbit Candy to the American consumer through our artisanal ice cream."

GSY started to make White Rabbit milk candies in 1959, which became a flagship product of the Shanghai-based company and a household name in China.

In its Facebook post, Wanderlust Creamery said the White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream "encapsulates childhood reminiscence for many Asian Americans."

"This obviously mobilized a significant Asian American population in the US alongside non-Asians who had never heard of or had the White Rabbit candy," said Adrienne Borlongan, the chef and co-founder of the parlour, in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

The parlour started serving the special flavor to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and photos of its ice cream wrapped with White Rabbit candy paper went viral on social media, raising concerns of IP infringement.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the American parlour continued to promote the special flavor.

"Childhood on a cone. Yes, we still have 'The White' through March. Made from Shanghainese White Rabbit candies, milk &cream ... while supplies last. Limit 1 scoop per customer at Smorgasburg La." The creamery posted with a photo of a white toy rabbit placed beside a melting ice cream cone on the floor.
Israeli police closed the entrances to Jerusalems most sensitive holy site after Palestinian suspects threw a firebomb at a police station on Tuesday, authorities said. The rare move drew angry reactions across the Muslim world.

Police later announced that the site, which Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims the Noble Sanctuary, would reopen to worshipers and visitors Wednesday morning.

There were no injuries reported from the firebombing. Police quickly deployed across the hilltop compound, scuffling with Palestinians in the area, as they searched for the assailants. Two Palestinian minors were arrested and police were seen shoving and wrestling several people to the ground.

The incident further heightened tensions at the flashpoint site, home to the Al Aqsa Mosque and gold-topped Dome of the Rock.

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After the incident, Israeli police sealed off entrances to the compound. Police also restricted entrance to the Old City, home to Jerusalems most important religious sites, allowing only residents to pass through certain entrances to the Muslim and Christian quarters. Other entrances to the Old City remained open.

Firas Dibs, spokesman for the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed Islamic body that administers the site, said police had cleared nearly all worshipers from the compound. All doors are closed and no one is allowed in, he said.

Several dozen worshipers gathered just outside the compound for impromptu prayers as Israeli police stood watch.

Police confirmed three arrests, while Dibs said six people had been arrested and 10 others injured in scuffles with police.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the dangerous Israeli escalation and warned of serious repercussions. In a statement, he called on the international community to intervene.

The closure of the sacred compound also drew censure from Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Abdul Nasser Abu Basal, the Jordanian minister of Islamic affairs and holy sites, described the barring of Muslim worshipers from the site as a flagrant assault on all religious values, rights and freedom, and an attack on all Muslims that touches the entire Islamic nation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lashed out at Israel over the incident, saying it was time to end the countrys recklessness.

We cannot accept such reckless attacks on holy sites and the whole world needs to react against it, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

The holy site has experienced a series of tense standoffs in recent weeks after Muslim worshipers reopened an area known as the Gate of Mercy, closed by Israel in 2003.

The Waqf has staged periodic prayer-protests inside since late February to call for unrestricted access to the shuttered building.

Israel closed the structure in 2003, claiming it was used by a heritage organization with ties to the Hamas militant group.

The Waqf contends that because the heritage group is now defunct, the council should regain full access to the building like any other in the holy esplanade.

Demonstrations have devolved into standoffs with police in recent weeks. Israel has barred several guards and high-ranking Waqf officials from the compound and arrested dozens of Palestinians under suspicion of inciting violence at the site.

Officials in Jordan have confirmed that they are in negotiations with Israel to resolve the dispute. Abbas office said the Palestinians also were in touch with various sides, including Jordan.
In 2007, Mathios Rigas spent $1.13 million to buy a near-dormant oil well in Greece with a license that was about to expire. The engineer-turned-banker hired a Venezuelan petroleum chemist, the only person he had met in Greece who knew about oil and gas. He called his company Energean, a play on the words energy and the Aegean Sea.

It paid off. The Prinos oilfield, Greeces only oil-producing asset, held more reserves than thought and is now producing thousands of barrels a day. In 2016, armed with the experience, Rigas placed another bet and bought the rights to develop the Karish and Tanin natural gas fields off the coast of Israel  a country that bigger oil and natural gas exploration companies were avoiding because it could affect their business with Arab countries or Iran.

Energean now has agreements with Israeli customers for 15 years, securing $12.9 billion in future revenue. The company is now valued at $1.3 billion and has a staff of 385, including the original Venezuelan chemist.

Converting 1 million euros into a 1-billion-pound company today is, I think, a successful 10-year journey, said Rigas. The opportunity to buy into Israel when everybody was busy looking at other opportunities and we were there taking advantage of a fantastic project. These are eureka moments  when you see opportunity in front of you  we took the risk both times.

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The eastern Mediterranean, better known for strife and conflict, has become a hive of prospecting activity. Israel was once at the mercy of volatile, largely unfriendly neighbors for fuel supplies but now has enough natural gas for itself and to sell to others. Egypt boasts facilities that can process and export natural gas both from its own field, the largest in the region, as well as its new gas-rich neighbors. Tiny Cyprus is grappling with how to best exploit newly discovered natural gas fields off the shores of the long-divided island. And Greece has joined the oil and natural gas search, hoping for another bonanza in its waters after a bruising decade of economic depression.

Israel is the poster child of the natural gas rush that is transforming energy paupers into princes. In 2009, a natural gas field about 50 miles west of the Israeli port of Haifa, dubbed Tamar, was discovered. Then, in 2010, Houston-based Noble Energy Inc. located massive offshore fields 80 miles from Haifa. Named Leviathan, it is a monster of a natural gas field that would not only make Israel self-sufficient but also allow it to export.

The bucolic north of Israel is relatively peaceful for now. 

Greece, Israel, Italy and Cyprus are now set to sign an agreement to build the worlds longest and deepest undersea natural gas pipeline, EastMed, to transport Israeli and Cypriot natural gas to Europe. The project is backed by the European Union, and Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is expected to push forward the $7-billion project that will help wean Europe off Russian natural gas during a visit to Israel later this month.

A gas pipeline will run from here and will link us to the gas economy of Europe. It will reach our Arab neighbors, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Jan. 31 while taking delivery of the foundation of the platform that will pump natural gas from Leviathan. This is a great revolution  we are turning the state of Israel into an energy power. An independent Israel will not depend on anyone for its energy needs.

The pipeline is turning out to be an important factor in a new regional alliance involving Greece, Cyprus and Israel even as so many other international alliances are fraying. The nations leaders have held five trilateral meetings in the last three years and are already talking about pursuing another energy initiative to connect their power grids  the EuroAsia interconnector undersea cable  and establishing a permanent agency in Nicosia to oversee joint projects.

But the regions longstanding rivalries may be stubborn obstacles to the vision to feed Israeli natural gas to Europe.

Lebanon on Thursday warned that the planned EastMed pipeline from Israel to the European Union must not be allowed to violate its maritime borders. Beirut has an unresolved maritime border dispute with Israel  which it regards as an enemy  over a sea area of about 330 square miles.

Pompeo is set to visit Beirut as part of his tour of the region, and Netanyahu said the secretary of State will help with Israels plan to build the pipeline.

Lebanon has its own plans to seek hydrocarbons, and last year licensed a group comprising Italys Eni, Frances Total and Russias Novatek to carry out the countrys first offshore energy exploration in two blocks, including one containing waters disputed with Israel.

In the last decade, Greece plunged into the financial abyss, dragging Cyprus with it. Israel and Turkey, formerly close allies, spent much of the last decade mired in ongoing tension after the killing by Israeli commandos of 10 Turkish activists on board a ship that was part of a flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in 2010. Greece, a longtime rival of Turkey, is now trying to step into the breach between Israel and Turkey.

The Arab Spring sparked revolts against authoritarian leaders, resulting in a migration of refugees to Europe through Greece and Italy. Egypt temporarily tipped into turmoil in 2011 with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, who had safeguarded the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

But as on-the-ground politics and alliances remain up in the air, what lay below the seas of the eastern Mediterranean has become more clear.

The Tamar fields significance hit home in 2011, as unrest spread through Egypt. In the Sinai desert, militants frequently attacked the pipeline carrying natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan, crippling supplies.

Israelis waited and worried about the natural gas that they needed to produce nearly half of their electricity. The price of electricity rose 20%. In April 2012, the Egyptian government called a halt to supplies altogether in a spat with Israel over nonpayment for the sputtering supply.

But by then, Tamar was poised to begin supplying the Israeli market with its own natural gas. And the Leviathan field found in 2010 contained an estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough for the domestic market and exports. Netanyahu called it a gift of God.

There were other discoveries: In 2011, Noble Energy discovered the field off Cyprus and another last year. The massive Zohr field off Egypt was located in 2015 and, as the largest thus far, galvanized the interest of international oil companies in the region.

For Europeans, the Israeli experience of 2011-12 is familiar. In 2009 a natural gas dispute between Russia and transit country Ukraine left many EU countries with severe shortages. A pipeline such as EastMed, running from Israeli natural gas fields to Cyprus, then Crete, through mainland Greece and to the heel of Italy, would lessen Europes reliance on Russian natural gas.

The EU imports more than half of all the energy it consumes. Many countries are heavily reliant on a single supplier for natural gas, including some that rely entirely on Russia. This dependence leaves them vulnerable to supply disruptions.

The EastMed pipeline would cost an estimated $7 billion, take as many as seven years to build and pose an engineering and technical challenge, with pipe to be laid in extremely deep waters.

To make the pipeline viable more natural gas finds are still needed, as most finds thus far have already been contracted to the region. Analysts say, however, that there are an array of alternatives to the pipeline if needed. Egypt, for example, has two plants that can liquefy natural gas so it can be transported by ship and provide an export outlet to Europe and Asia.

Politicians love big, flashy projects and the photo ops they present, said Nikos Tsafos, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But in the end, governments can only do so much  the market needs to support this project. So far, its not clear that this is the case.

A pipeline to Turkey from Israel and via Cyprus could be more commercially viable, allowing natural gas to get to Turkey, a major market, and then possibly onward to the EU. But the lingering tensions between Turkey and Israel, as well as the four-decade conflict over the occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkish troops, make such a pipeline unfeasible for the present.

Talks to unify the island have foundered repeatedly and Turkey generally objects to the internationally-recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island drilling for oil and natural gas, saying that Cyprus resources are jointly owned by Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

In February 2018, the Turkish navy blocked a drill ship belonging to Italian company Eni from reaching its destination in Cypriot waters, a reminder of the sort of tension that can occur at any time in the region.

Nevertheless, the natural gas rush has led to some political reconciliation. Israel was included in the first meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum in Cairo in January, alongside the Egyptians, Jordanians and Palestinians as well as the Greeks and the Cypriots.

It was the first visit by an Israeli minister since 2011 and, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said, the first meaningful economic cooperation between Israel and Egypt since the peace treaty was signed in 1979.

While natural gas has smoothed over some divisions in the region, a legacy of volatility remains. That may be the biggest argument for building a pipeline to Europe, a massive, wealthy and stable customer and ally.

The regions politics are always unpredictable, said analyst Tsafos. Having more options is always better.

Petrakis is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
People who work for the United Nations and its many agencies know what they are getting into, especially in the field. From all over the world, they distribute food and water, teach farming techniques, supply medicines and healthcare, and advocate for the human rights of the marginalized.

They face hardships. Disease. Even death.

When Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in rural Ethiopia on Sunday, killing all 157 passengers and crew aboard, the U.N. was among those groups that took a significant hit  21 of its employees died.

Though devastating, it was not the single largest death toll for the U.N. community. In 2010, a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti flattened the hotel where many U.N. officials lived, killing 102. Twenty-three were killed when insurgents bombed the organizations offices in Baghdad in 2003, shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein. Among the dead was the chief of mission, veteran diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello.

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And hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers have been killed in conflicts through the years.

The flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, however, was routine, with ostensibly no cause for fear. The route is so frequently traveled  the U.N. has its headquarters for Africa in Nairobi  that the flight is sometimes called the U.N. shuttle.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a minute of silence at the New York headquarters Monday and ordered flags flown at half-staff at many of the organizations offices and installations.

A global tragedy has hit close to home, and the United Nations is united in grief, Guterres said, extending his deepest condolences to the relatives and loved ones of all those who died.

Let us honor the memory of our colleagues, by keeping their spirit of service alive, he said.

The U.N. dead included two Italian women in their 20s, Virginia Chimenti and Maria Pilar Buzzetti, who worked at the World Food Programs headquarters in Rome. Victor Tsang, who was from Hong Kong and specialized in gender issues, according to his agencys website, had left the WFP to join the U.N. Environmental Program.

As we mourn, let us reflect that each of these WFP colleagues were willing to travel and work far from their homes and loved ones to help make the world a better place to live. That was their calling, said WFP director David Beasley.

Many travelers were flying to Nairobi for a major meeting of the U.N. Environment Assembly.

Another WFP employee who was killed was Michael Ryan of Ireland. His work included the creation of safe ground for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, according to the Associated Press.

Michael was doing life-changing work in Africa, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.

Workers for other humanitarian agencies, including Catholic Relief Services and Save the Children, were also among the dead, officials said.

U.N. workers face unbelievable risks to help people all over the world, Peter Yeo, senior vice president of the U.N. Foundation, which works to improve relations between the U.N. and Washington, said in an interview. This is a reminder of the exposure U.N. workers have, with so much travel in high-risk areas.

What a loss of talent, Yeo said. A tragic loss for the families, for the people they were serving and for the institution.

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
The United States announced late Monday that it was pulling the remaining staff from its embassy in Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation in the South American nation.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced the decision as Venezuela struggled to restore electricity following four days of blackouts around the country and a deepening political crisis.

The U.S. has led an international effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold a new presidential election. Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.

Maduro had ordered all U.S. diplomats to leave Venezuela in late January because of its support from Guaido, but he retreated and allowed them to stay. The U.S. still withdrew dependents of embassy personnel as well as some of the staff. Pompeo said the remaining diplomats would be out of Venezuela by the end of the week.

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The move came after another day of chaos as power outages that began Thursday evening continued to cause problems for Venezuelans, leaving them with little power, water and communications.

People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas, and scattered protests erupted in several cities

On Monday, schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few gasoline stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power. Generators have alleviated conditions for some of the critically ill.

Maduro said on national television Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power. He also said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.

Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled congress, and the United States say Maduros claims that the U.S. sabotaged the power grid with a cyberattack are an attempt to divert attention from the governments own failings.
Business Brief Introduction about Cable TV Systems: Cable Television Headend and Modulator | Soukacatv.com

SKD3013 3 Channel HD Encode Modulator from Soukacatv.com

12.03.2019 09:29:04 - From the wikipedia, we can know the definition about the Cable Television. Cable TV is also known as CATV (community antenna television). The Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fiber-optic cables.



(live-PR.com) - From the wikipedia, we can know the definition about the Cable Television. Cable TV is also known as CATV (community antenna television). The Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fiber-optic cables. This contrasts with broadcast television (also known - From the wikipedia, we can know the definition about the Cable Television. Cable TV is also known as CATV (community antenna television). The Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fiber-optic cables. This contrasts with broadcast television (also known as terrestrial television), in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television; or satellite television, in which the television signal is transmitted by a communications satellite orbiting the Earth and received by a satellite dish on the roof. FM radio programming, high-speed Internet, telephone services, and similar non-television services may also be provided through these cables. Analog television was standard in the 20th century, but since the 2000s, cable systems have been upgraded to digital cable operation.



HDMI Encoder Modulator,16in1 Digital Headend,HD RF Modulator at Soukacatv.com



A television network available via direct cable channel, available through satellite broadcast, as well as via IPTV channel.



The SOUKA Digital Modulator System is as follows:



SKD3013 3 Channel HD Encode Modulator



SKD19 Series 1U Rack 12CH Encode Modulator



SKD121X Encoding & Multiplexing Modulator

Cable television headend and modulator

A cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic equipment used to receive and re-transmit video over the local cable infrastructure. One can also find head ends in power line communication (PLC) substations and Internet communications networks.



Cable television signals are then mixed in accordance with the cable systems channel numbering scheme using a series of cable modulators (one for each channel), which is in turn fed into a frequency multiplexer or signal combiner. The mixed signals are sent into a broadband amplifier, then sent into the cable system by the trunk line and continuously re-amplified as needed.



Introduction about the Modulators:

24 In 1 Analog Fixed Channel Modulator Headend



SK-24M

The SK-24M is a 3RU rack mounted chassis that allows for installation of up to 24 pieces microprocessor-controlled fixed mini-modulators.Built-in active combiner eliminates unnecessary cabling and potential connection problem and ensures high output level . All modulators are perfect factory set to desired channel and proper offset.



Features:

1. Switching power supply for installation flexibility and precise voltage regulation

2. Two cooling fans for long life performance

3. 45dBmV chassis output level,no need extra combiner

4. SAW(surface acoustic wave) filtering on IF for superior in band C/N

5. Front panel access controls enables easy setup

6. Rear panel has a combiner loop for easy connection

7. One unit contains 24 pcs fixed adjacent channel modulator card

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Adjacent Channel 16 In 1 Analog Headend for Hotel Cable TV System



SK-16M

The SK-16M is a 4RU rack mounted chassis that allows for installation of up to 16 pieces microprocessor-controlled fixed mini-modulators.Built-in active combiner eliminates unnecessary cabling and potential connection problem and ensures high output level . All modulators are perfect factory set to desired channel and proper offset.



Features:

1. Switching power supply for installation flexibility and precise voltage regulation

2. Two cooling fans for long life performance

3. 42dBmV chassis output level,no need extra combiner

4. SAW(surface acoustic wave) filtering on IF for superior in band C/N

5. Front panel access controls enables easy setup



For more, please access to



Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd



(DSW) is dedicated to design, manufacture and sales of CATV analog & digital headend with our brand name SOUKA. DSW obtained ISO9001:2008 certificate authorized by CQC. We have 100 in-house skillful workers, which ensures the punctual delivery date. And a professional engineer team made up of 10 senior RF engineers and 6 IT engineers to fulfil precise management over all projects honored by our customers.



As one of the most reliable suppliers in this field, we continually spare no efforts in developing DSW into a world recognized brand with trustworthy and solid reputation. DSW sincerely invites you to enjoy the fascinating experience of modern technology and excellent customer service provided for you by our professional staff.



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Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd



Company Address: Buliding A,the first industry park of Guanlong,Xili Town,Nanshan,Shenzhen,Guangdong,China



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as terrestrial television), in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television; or satellite television, in which the television signal is transmitted by a communications satellite orbiting the Earth and received by a satellite dish on the roof. FM radio programming, high-speed Internet, telephone services, and similar non-television services may also be provided through these cables. Analog television was standard in the 20th century, but since the 2000s, cable systems have been upgraded to digital cable operation.HDMI Encoder Modulator,16in1 Digital Headend,HD RF Modulator at Soukacatv.comA television network available via direct cable channel, available through satellite broadcast, as well as via IPTV channel.The SOUKA Digital Modulator System is as follows:SKD3013 3 Channel HD Encode ModulatorSKD19 Series 1U Rack 12CH Encode ModulatorSKD121X Encoding & Multiplexing ModulatorCable television headend and modulatorA cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic equipment used to receive and re-transmit video over the local cable infrastructure. One can also find head ends in power line communication (PLC) substations and Internet communications networks.Cable television signals are then mixed in accordance with the cable systems channel numbering scheme using a series of cable modulators (one for each channel), which is in turn fed into a frequency multiplexer or signal combiner. The mixed signals are sent into a broadband amplifier, then sent into the cable system by the trunk line and continuously re-amplified as needed.Introduction about the Modulators:24 In 1 Analog Fixed Channel Modulator HeadendSK-24MThe SK-24M is a 3RU rack mounted chassis that allows for installation of up to 24 pieces microprocessor-controlled fixed mini-modulators.Built-in active combiner eliminates unnecessary cabling and potential connection problem and ensures high output level . All modulators are perfect factory set to desired channel and proper offset.Features:1. Switching power supply for installation flexibility and precise voltage regulation2. Two cooling fans for long life performance3. 45dBmV chassis output level,no need extra combiner4. SAW(surface acoustic wave) filtering on IF for superior in band C/N5. Front panel access controls enables easy setup6. Rear panel has a combiner loop for easy connection7. One unit contains 24 pcs fixed adjacent channel modulator cardFor more, please access to www.soukacatv.com/24-in-1-analog-fixed-channel-modulator-headend_p11.html Adjacent Channel 16 In 1 Analog Headend for Hotel Cable TV SystemSK-16MThe SK-16M is a 4RU rack mounted chassis that allows for installation of up to 16 pieces microprocessor-controlled fixed mini-modulators.Built-in active combiner eliminates unnecessary cabling and potential connection problem and ensures high output level . All modulators are perfect factory set to desired channel and proper offset.Features:1. Switching power supply for installation flexibility and precise voltage regulation2. Two cooling fans for long life performance3. 42dBmV chassis output level,no need extra combiner4. SAW(surface acoustic wave) filtering on IF for superior in band C/N5. Front panel access controls enables easy setupFor more, please access to www.soukacatv.com/adjacent-channel-16-in-1-analog-headend-for-hotel-cable-tv-system_p9.html Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd(DSW) is dedicated to design, manufacture and sales of CATV analog & digital headend with our brand name SOUKA. DSW obtained ISO9001:2008 certificate authorized by CQC. We have 100 in-house skillful workers, which ensures the punctual delivery date. And a professional engineer team made up of 10 senior RF engineers and 6 IT engineers to fulfil precise management over all projects honored by our customers.As one of the most reliable suppliers in this field, we continually spare no efforts in developing DSW into a world recognized brand with trustworthy and solid reputation. DSW sincerely invites you to enjoy the fascinating experience of modern technology and excellent customer service provided for you by our professional staff.Our main products are modulators both in analog and digital ones, amplifier and combiner. We are the very first one in manufacturing the headend system in China. Our 16 in 1 and 24 in 1 now are the most popular products all over the world.In 2016,we launched the digital 16 in 1 headend with 1080P output,which supports all digital TV standards in the world. And we never stop our steps,more products will be released in the coming days. We are young but we have faith to find our path to the peak.For more, please access to www.soukacatv.com CONTACT USDingshengwei Electronics Co., LtdCompany Address: Buliding A,the first industry park of Guanlong,Xili Town,Nanshan,Shenzhen,Guangdong,ChinaTel : +86 0755 26909863Fax : +86 0755 26984949Phone: +86 13410066011Skype: soukakenWebsite: www.soukacatv.com Press Information:

Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd



BldgA,the first industry park of Guanlong,Xili Town,Nanshan,Shenzhen,Guangdong,China



Contact Person:





Phone: 13410066011

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.soukacatv.com





12.03.2019 09:29:04 -

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The 40-ton class heavy helicopter, jointly developed by China and Russia, is expected to be delivered by 2032, said Wu Ximing, a Chinese political advisor and chief designer of helicopters for the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

"Russia is more experienced in the transmission system when it comes to 40-ton class helicopters, as Russia's Mi-26 is of the 56-ton class. Our goal in the cooperation is to learn from Russia's strong points and close the gap," Wu said at a ThursdayMarch 7press conference featuring Chinese legislators and political advisors in the field of aviation.

Wu said that China lacks experience in technologies related to the transmission system.

Russia's state corporation Rostec is set to sign "the contract of the century" with China on the helicopter "in the coming two months" after four years' talks on the project, Russia's Tass news agency quoted Viktor Kladov, a Rostec representative, as saying in February.

As a strategic cooperation project between the two countries, China has now reached agreements with Russia in technology, management and business-related fields, Wu said.

Under the contract, at least 200 heavy helicopters will be built in China, Kladov said in 2017, Russia's state TV channel RT reported then.

China is responsible for the helicopter's design and production and Russia would be acting as a technical partner, Kladov said.

The heavy helicopter, dubbed Advanced Heavy Lift, would have a weight-lift capability of 15 tons, a range of 630 kilometers and a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour, RT reported.

A heavy helicopter can usually be used to airlift heavy cargo and vehicles without the need of an airfield. For military use, a heavy helicopter can transport troops, armored vehicles, artillery and rockets. For civilian use, it can lift heavy engineering vehicles to sites where normal transportation routes could not reach in case of a natural disaster, military observers said.

China will have a complete helicopter family covering from 500-kilogram class to 40-ton class, to satisfy all kinds of needs, Wu said.
Save Fintech? Ban Short Selling. It's Not That Simple

By Murray Gunn and Brian Whitmer



The pinhole puncture in the global "Fintech" bubble keeps growing, despite drastic attempts to seal it shut. The most recent and radical attempt occurred on February 18, when BaFin, Germany's financial regulator, issued a temporary short-selling ban in Wirecard after its shares plunged 40% in less than three weeks. Wrote one news source, "Germany bans speculative attacks on Wirecard stock", as if those shorting the market were wielding pitch forks and lobbing actual threats against the stock's upside.

Incredibly, vilifying short sellers is as old as the market itself. The first short-selling ban occurred in 1610, after the Dutch East India Company crashed. Notorious short-seller Isaac Le Maire was barred from the market, leaving Amsterdam a pariah. In the 1790s, Napoleon Bonaparte charged short sellers with treason during the financial chaos of the French Revolution.

And, most infamous is Jesse L. Livermore, the brilliant trader who shorted the U.S. stock market in September 1929, earning $100 million ($1.7 billion in today's money) in the ensuing crash. Livermore was publicly skewered in newspapers as the "Great Bear of Wall Street."

Still, history shows that the draconian move of banning short selling is hardly effective. Amidst the Livermore debacle, the newly minted U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission made plans to reinstate a century-old short-selling ban, which didn't go into effect until 1934 -- after the U.S. stock market had already lost 89% in value.

In 2008, the SEC, acting in concert with the UK Financial Services Authority, prohibited short selling in 799 financial companies to stem the bleeding from the subprime mortgage meltdown. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox gave this assurance of the ban's efficacy: "The emergency order... will restore equilibrium to markets." Yet, instead, the global financial sector entered an accelerated and prolonged period of chaos and value destruction.

Now, we have BaFin's attempt to save Fintech by banning short selling in one of the sector's most iconic companies. BaFin noted the importance of Wirecard to the German market and economy, and heartened: "There was risk of further downward spiral without restrictions on shorting the stock," echoing Christopher Cox's confidence in 2008. The strategy won't work, because short selling isn't causing the market's decline; an ongoing negative social mood trend in Europe is. As the most sensitive meter of social mood, Fintech stocks warned of this shift long before there was a sustained downturn. (See other signs of a negative shift in social mood across Europe here.

The first signs began to emerge last fall. In September 2018, we observed how the financial technology sector had become another benefactor of society's blooming optimism. But that optimism had then reached a dangerous extreme, as evidenced in the soaring valuations and growth forecasts across the industry. Soon after, Wirecard replaced Commerzbank, a 149-year old institution, on the DAX 30 index. We warned, "The Global fintech Thematic Index [is]on course for a jaw-dropping setback.  In fact so many mania symptoms plague the sector that the sell-off could be catastrophic."

Depicted below is the sudden reversal in Wirecard and the Global fintech Thematic Index that followed, in which the latter's shares dropped 57%.

Jesse L. Livermore, the trader blamed for the 1929 U.S. stock market crash, was known to have said: "All through time, people have basically acted and reacted the same way in the market as a result of: greed, fear, ignorance, and hope."

When there's hope, and prices are rising, short selling is deemed a necessary part of a balanced system that encourages free will speculation. When that hope turns to fear, short selling is then vilified as the cause of market crashes. We believe many of the components of that shift are well underway in Europe now.

Radical politics. Secessionist movements. Crumbling economies. Follow this link to discover more signs of a shift toward negative social mood across Europe.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




This Stock Market Pop Could Fizzle Fast

The US stock market opened today with mixed opening prices. The crash of the Ethiopian Boeing passenger jet prompted selling in the Blue Chips, particularly in Boeing (BA). As of right now, the US stock markets have recovered quite well and have pushed higher.

We believe this upward rotation may be short-lived and want to highlight the two Engulfing Bearish candlestick patterns that have formed recently. The first, near the October 2018 highs, prompted a very deep price correction that ended on December 24, 2018. The more recent, completed just on March 8, 2019, is setting up resistance just above recent highs ($175.95) and is still a very valid sell signal for the QQQ. Unless the price is able to breach the $175.95 level over the next few weeks, this Engulfing Bearish candlestick pattern is technically the key pattern driving future expectations for the price.

Our February 17th research, Get Ready For A Breakout Pattern Setup: https://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/get-ready-for-the-breakout-pattern-setup-part-ii/, highlighted our expectations that the US Stock market would set up a larger Pennant formation with downward rotation near current levels. This setup has, historically, been prominent in the markets and has setup larger upside breakout moves in the past. We still believe this pattern is setting up and that downside price MUST take place before any new upside momentum breakout can begin to unfold.

Our belief is that todays upside price move will falter throughout this week and prices will continue to decrease as the price trend continues. The two Engulfing Bearish patterns are very strong indicators of potential downside price trends forming. Again, unless the $175.95 level is breached, we strongly believe the downside price trend will continue. Plan and prepare for a deeper price rotation before any upside momentum breakout pattern unfolds.

If you like our research and our level of insight into the markets, then take a minute to visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn how we help our clients find and execute for success. Weve been calling these market moves almost perfectly over the past 18+ months. Learn how our research team can help you stay ahead of these swings in price and find new opportunities for skilled traders. Take a minute to see how we can help you find and execute better trades by visiting www.TheTechnicalTraders.com today.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

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Algeria, the sleeping giant of the Arab world, has awoken. In a country where open dissent was rare, tens of thousands have taken to the streets across the country, demanding an end to decades of despotism. This, in a country where street protests have been illegal for decades. What is behind this recent turn of events?

Recently it was announced that the ailing, half-dead, octogenarian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was running for a fifth term as president in the April 2019 elections. This is in spite of the fact that he has hardly been seen in public since a stroke he suffered in 2013. This has left him incapacitated and unable to govern the country. He is effectively a stooge in the hands of le pouvoir (the power), the shadowy cabal of generals and intelligence officials that has ruled Algeria since independence in 1962. In particular his brother, Caid Bouteflika, and other aggrandising ancillaries in the crooked court that is the Algerian deep state, are suspected of being the real governors of the country.

A system rotten from top to bottom

Algeria is effectively a military-police dictatorship with a smiling, civilian face. The presence of le pouvoir is ubiquitous. Ordinary Algerians have long chafed under the weight of the dictatorship and its suppression of independent political activity. The corruption and greed of the Algerian ruling class has long been public knowledge. Like so many throughout the Arab world, the Algerian masses are burdened with poverty, inequality and high unemployment. The economic crisis has worsened ever since the collapse of oil prices in the last few years. Far from attending to the urgent problems of the masses, the state has simply been a tool for the enrichment of a few elites connected to the ruling FLN party.

The regime has been able to stave off dissent partly through brute force, partly through fear mongering. The devastating civil war of 1991-2002 saw hundreds of thousands of deaths and the reduction of much of the country to rubble. The civil war was triggered by the military cancelling a free election in which the Islamist opposition were set to unseat the FLN. This blatant coup encouraged an Islamist insurgency, which struggled, in vain, to seize power, before collapsing in the face of brutal military repression. Bouteflika, then a senior member of the military junta, was pushed forward as the armys candidate for the presidency, which he won in 1999, succeeding Liamine Zeroual.

After Bouteflika came to power, high oil prices allowed him and the the Algerian ruling class stabilise the country and also foster the growth of a prosperous Algerian bourgeoisie. The state legitimises its rule by referring to its leading role in the liberation struggle against France. The legacy of the anticolonial struggle of Algerian peasants and workers has been shamelessly and cynically appropriated for demagogic purposes by the gangsters and swindlers who currently run the country.

During the Arab Spring, Algeria remained quiet. The masses, haunted by the memory of the carnage of past years, opted to stay away from the streets. However, the price for peace and quiet has been the suspension of any meaningful democratic freedoms. Repression and surveillance exists on an astronomical scale. Elections are shams, in which the FLN easily trounces any opposition. The clique of businessmen and generals in the FLN continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the population. This has been accelerated by the liberalisation of the economy, in which generous management contracts have been awarded to cronies of the president and his supporters.

Contradictions expressed

Disgusted by the open corruption of their rulers, the mounting tensions and contradictions in Algerian society have come to a head. A new generation of young Algerians that are not traumatised by the memory of the brutal civil war, and have no feeling of loyalty to the venal ruling party or state, have been at the forefront of protests. Demonstrations began on 22 February, when Bouteflika first announced his plans to run for a fifth term in office. Or more accurately, when his handlers announced on behalf of the mute, wheelchair-bound invalid that their puppet president would run for another term.

Disgusted by the open corruption of their rulers, the mounting tensions and contradictions in Algerian society have come to a head / Image: fair use

On 3 March, Bouteflikas campaign manager formally submitted his candidacy. Candidates are usually expected to do so in person, but Bouteflika was in fact in Geneva for what were described as routine medical checks. In fact, the man is as near death as it is possible to be, and it was reported on 9 March that he had been moved to intensive care. This Sunday, he returned to the capital amid angry protests against his continued rule. A letter from Bouteflika was read out on state television whilst he was abroad, in which he promised to step down within a year if elected for a fifth term. This promise is regarded with contempt by most Algerians, who have no reason to trust in a regime that has promised much and delivered little.

The protests have so far been largely peaceful. Many believe that the army will refuse to use brute force to suppress the uprising. The scars of the civil war are deep enough that few soldiers will want to precipitate another bloodbath by firing on their own citizens, least of all to save the political career of a dying man. Splits within the ruling class have emerged. Some members of the ruling party have called upon Bouteflika to step down. The head of the army has delivered an official statement on the situation. Despite its cryptic nature, it is seen as sympathetic with the demands of the protesters. This is a sign that le pouvoir is losing patience with its frontman, and is perhaps preparing to ditch Bouteflika in favour of a younger, more energetic figure who can diffuse tensions by promising political change.

The Algerian masses should not fall for the bait-and-switch which the regime will most likely try to enact. The example of Abiy Ahmed in Ethiopia shows that, when confronted with the wrath of the masses, the elites will simply change their existing personnel for young and friendly faces promising reform, but providing little meaningful change. The military are not genuinely interested in democracy or improving the lives of the masses, but in protecting their own privileges. If they see Bouteflika as a liability, they will not hesitate to dump him and put up a fresher face, perhaps a businessman, as his replacement.

Only socialism offers a way forward

The demonstrations have involved people from all sections of society  workers, students, teachers and even lawyers. A general strike is currently underway, and students have walked out of classes, prompting the government to bring forward the date of the annual spring break. With such a cross-section of the Algerian population involved, it is undeniable that this is at the very least a pre-revolutionary situation.

The opposition has one main weakness  it is divided. Islamist, liberal secularists and socialists all compete for authority over the opposition movement. It was an Islamist victory in the elections of 1988 that triggered the military coup, which saw the outbreak of civil war and years of bloodshed. As reactionary as the role of the military was on that occasion, Islamism does not provide a way out either. It is a reactionary ideology that simply serves to legitimise the injustices of capitalism by giving it a pious face.

The Islamists were able to capitalise on the resentment and anger felt by Algerian workers and the declining legitimacy of the regime. This regime had managed to put in place a social security system by the aid of the nationalisation of the economy in the early years of independence, when the country was effectively run by what Ted Grant called a proletarian Bonapartist state. This had given the regime a solid base of support among the Algerian workers and peasants, which was also derived from the authority of military officers and politicians that had led the liberation struggle against France. Like other oil-rich nations such as Venezuela, however, Algeria found itself unable to continue sustaining this once oil prices dropped, forcing it to conduct brutal austerity policies that lost it support from its mass base. This left a vacuum in which an organised Islamist movement developed. That particular episode ended in a bloodbath.

The liberal secularists offer no solutions, either. As decrepit and reactionary as the regime is, Bouteflika and his advisors have held back on a lot of the promised liberalisation of the economy. Recently, the president vetoed an attempt by his prime minister to force through a wide-ranging programme of privatisation, to the dismay of that wing of the Algerian ruling class which wants an acceleration of free-market reforms. A liberal regime, despite its smiling, democratic face, would simply accelerate the programme of privatisation, deregulation and marketisation which has caused so much misery for ordinary Algerians.

At the moment, Algeria is in an uncomfortable halfway position between the state-run economy of the 70s and a more neoliberal economy, a position that is unsustainable. Elements within the ruling class would like to push for yet more liberalisation. The clique around Bouteflika, however, rightly fears the social disruption that such policies would cause, policies that would inflame public resentment. It is no coincidence that the president vetoed these measures shortly before announcing his bid for a fifth term. A liberal regime would simply open the country to being plundered and pillaged by Western corporations. Such policies would be pursued under extreme pressure from the world market, as foreign investment would be needed to make up for the collapse of oil prices. These measures would further devastate the living standards of ordinary Algerians, pushing them into the arms of right-wing populists like the Algerian Islamists. The resulting turmoil could even precipitate yet another military coup, with the army stepping in under the pretext of restoring order. This will bring Algeria right back to where it started.

There is no way out under capitalism. These bourgeois forces can only occupy the space they are in because there is no strong, revolutionary, working-class movement and leadership. The task of building such a force is the most important one at this stage / Image: fair use

There is no way out under capitalism. These bourgeois forces can only occupy the space they are in because there is no strong, revolutionary, working-class movement and leadership. The task of building such a force is the most important one at this stage. The only answer to the plight of the Algerian people is socialism.

The policies of past Algerian governments in the 60s and 70s, despite the important role given to the state, were not authentically socialist. They were top-down, bureaucratic measures in which the working-class had no democratic oversight over nationalised industries. The Algerian masses must not merely overthrow Bouteflika, but the whole rotten capitalist system, which is the source of Algerias misery. In place of this untenable halfway house, a democratic, planned economy controlled by the workers and peasants of Algeria must be put in place. This will involve nationalising the commanding heights of the Algerian economy, which will only be possible on the basis of the overthrow of the bourgeois state in favour of a workers state. The Algerian revolutionaries must purge the army of all reactionary elements, turning it into a workers and peasants militia. They must put Bouteflika and his cronies on trial for human rights abuses. And they must recover the millions of dollars embezzled by corrupt officials and ensure a thorough accounting of state finances.

For a Marxist leadership!

On the basis of the planned economy, investment in schools, hospitals and industrial production can begin on an unprecedented scale. This will provide jobs, healthcare and a decent standard of living for all. Algeria has so much potential to be a shining beacon of socialism in Africa and the Arab world, given its youthful, educated population and its cosmopolitan traditions. The Algerian masses are rediscovering their revolutionary history, reclaiming it from those who have appropriated its legacy to justify their tyranny and self-interest. A successful revolution in Algeria would inspire the masses in neighbouring Tunisia, also struggling against a failed liberal, democratic regime that has overseen declining living standards and continued misery and poverty. It would also inspire the masses of Morocco to rise up against their own autocratic monarchy. They could then unite with Algeria to form a North African Socialist Federation, which could grow to encompass Libya and even Egypt in the near future.

Naturally, all this is impossible without the right leadership. Within Algeria, there a Marxist party must be built that can patiently explain to the masses the tasks that they must rise to fulfil. The fragmented, largely middle-class, official opposition can offer no way out. It will by no means be an automatic process, but the work should begin as soon as possible, before the opportunity is lost. The position of the army remains uncertain, they appear to be waiting on events. Most likely, as mentioned, they will attempt to replace Bouteflika with a younger stooge that can placate the demonstrators with vague and insincere promises of reform.

The Algerian masses must stand firm. They must accept no guarantees or promises of reform, but demand the wholesale abolition of the rotten and morally bankrupt system. They have shown that they are the only ones who are capable of changing society and pushing it forward. They cannot trust the empty promises of the ruling clique. They cannot trust in any other power than their own. The movement cannot stop here, it must push further to the downfall of Bouteflika and the whole rotten edifice built around his rule.

Long live the Algerian people!

Down with Bouteflika!

For a socialist Algeria!
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UNITED NATIONS, March 11 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned that there is a "pushback" on women's rights globally.

"Around the world, there is a pushback on women's rights," the UN chief said while addressing the opening of the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), noting "that pushback is deep, pervasive and relentless."

"We witness increased violence against women, especially human rights defenders and women running for political office," he added.

"We see online harassment and abuse of women who speak out," said the UN chief, adding that "in some countries, homicide rates are going down - but murders of women are going up."

"In others, we see a rollback of legal protection against domestic violence or even female genital mutilation," said Guterres.

The UN chief noted that all people know that women's participation makes peace agreements more durable, "but we still struggle to make sure women are included in negotiating teams."

"Even governments that are vocal supporters of this agenda fail to back their words with action where it counts," he said.

The secretary-general also condemned "terrible endemic sexual and gender-based violence" against women, adding that "nationalist, populist and even austerity agendas are tearing the social fabric - aggravating inequality, splintering communities, curtailing women's rights and cutting vital services."

He called on the international community to "push back against the pushback" and fight for gender parity.

Guterres said the UN has set a good example for the world as there are more women than men in the Senior Management Group of the organization, which he said is "a first in United Nations history."

"When we exclude women, everyone pays the price," warned the secretary-general.

"When we include women, the whole world wins," he stressed.

UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces also pointed out that the world "is not doing enough" to guarantee the full participation of women and take advantage of their contributions.

She warned that if the current trend persists, we risk not achieving Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda.

The 2030 Agenda, including 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, was adopted on Sept. 25, 2015 by heads of state and government at a special UN summit. Goal 5 is: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

The UNGA president said that the figures about women, in all fields, are heartbreaking: every day around 830 women die due to preventable causes related to pregnancy and birth. And every year, 3 million girls are at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation.

Noting that the challenges the world faces are many, she said "everything will be easier if we achieve a greater participation of women in policy making and in power. We need more women making decisions to reduce the gaps of inequality."

"The world will not be better if we continue to exclude half of its population," she warned.

CSW63 kicked off at UN headquarters in New York on Monday and will last until March 22. Its theme is: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Representatives of UN member states, UN entities, and the Economic and Social Council accredited non-governmental organizations from all regions of the world will attend the session.
Officials with Chinas Ministry of Commerce attend a press conference on China's domestic market and all-round opening-up for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, March 9, 2019. (Photo from Peoples Daily Online)

Chinese official promised on March 9 that the country is ready to accelerate the negotiations progress on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the trade agreement between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

In the government work report delivered at the second session of 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China includes trade and investment liberalization and facilitation into its prior missions for 2019, and also lists the two agreements as sub-tasks.

It reveals the importance Chinese government attaches to the two pacts, as well as its support for progress from the negotiations, Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session.

Describing RCEP as an agreement of great significance, Wang said that putting the negotiations high on their agendas, the 16 members envision to reach a comprehensive, high-quality, mutually beneficial and modern free trade agreement.

They represent 48 percent of the entire global population and contribute to around 30 percent of the world's GDP and trade, he added.

At a summit on RCEP held in Singapore last November, participating leaders of the members agreed to keep up with their efforts so as to clinch the deal at an early date, in a belief that talks on the pact have reached the final stage.

China supports the ASEANs leading role in the talks, and hopes Thailand, as this years rotating chair, could push the RCEP negotiations for further progress, Wang said.

He said China will hold a subsequent meeting this July, when over 700 representatives from other 15 members will come to China and discuss on technical issues including entry permits for commodities, services and investment.

China is making active efforts for a consensus on the three agendas among all sides, Wang said.

He expounded that consensus has been reached on seven of the 15 chapters under the agreement, and China will work on consultations on the unfinished ones among involved sides.

China, Japan and the ROK aim to reach a free trade agreement with unique value, Wang said, describing it as a RCEP+ version as the three sides expect more favorable policies than RCEP pact in accession permits of goods, services and investment.

After the delegates from the three countries met in Beijing last December, they will hold three meetings this year to speed up the talks, said the vice minister, adding that the next round of consultations will start soon in Japan.

China looks forward to, together with Japan and the ROK, work on an early conclusion of the negotiations, in order to facilitate regional economy integration, free trade and investment, he said.

RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 member states of the ASEAN and the six Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements - Australia, China, India, Japan, the ROK and New Zealand.
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Years may wrinkle the skin, but not the soul. To Zhang Qian, a website marketer in southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality, her 87-year-old maternal grandmother, surnamed Luo, is someone still full of youthful vitality, Chongqing Evening News reported.

(Photo/Chongqing Evening News)

As Grandma Luo likes taking photos and has even become a dab hand at taking selfies, Zhang decided to take pictures with her as a present for Girls Day, a festival celebrated by unmarried Chinese girls on March 7.

Though my grandma is 87 years old, she still makes sure her thin hair is perfectly shaped with mousse. She says she looks fresh and neat that way, Zhang said.

I often visit her on weekends, and she starts to ask about my next visit every Wednesday," Zhang said, adding that her grandmas tone of voice is just like that of a young girl when she calls to say how much she misses her.

At the photo studio, Zhang chose a pair of bunny ears for her grandmother to wear during the shoot.

At first, we thought Grandma Luo wouldnt like to wear bunny ears as she might think they were too childish. However, it turned out that she was adorable with those little ears on, said the photographer, known as Xiaobao.

During the three-hour shoot, Grandma Luo wore the bunny ears and ate chips with peace and happiness in her eyes. She was like an innocent young girl, Xiaobao added.

When asked if she liked the present from her granddaughter, Grandma Luo said happily, Of course, I love all the photos. I can't wait for them to come out so that I can hang them in my home.

(Photo/Chongqing Evening News)

"Due to a previous illness, my grandma can now only walk with a stick. However, she has always been positive about life. She is the person that laughs the most in my family, Zhang said.

Grandma Luo suffered hardships when she was young, noted Zhang, disclosing that Luo has had a happy life since she met her husband, who has loved her tenderly all these years.

Now that we have grown up, as her grandchildren, we want to create more surprises for her. I hope my grandmother will always be carefree and full of youthful energy, Zhang added.

(Photo/Chongqing Evening News)
This article by Richard Sisk originally appeared on Military.com, the premier resource for the military and veteran community.



The White House on Monday backed a 3.1 percent pay raise for the military as part of its overall defense spending proposal of $750 billion for fiscal 2020.

The roughly 5 percent increase for defense, up from a total $716 billion defense budget enacted in fiscal 2019, was included in the record $4.75 trillion budget request for all government spending for fiscal 2020 that President Donald Trump sent to Congress. But the proposal also calls for major reductions in domestic spending.

Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle, who guard Congress' "power of the purse," said Sunday that Trump's budget request is only a suggestion that will be picked apart in their deliberations, as have others in the past. But they also said a military pay raise in the range of 3.1 percent is likely to survive.

The White House proposal on military pay matches the 3.1 percent increase indicated in the U.S. Employment Cost Index (ECI) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that serves by statute as the major guideline for military pay. It would mark a boost of 0.5 percent over the 2.6 percent military pay increase in 2019.

In the budget announcement, Trump said the proposed military pay hike is "the largest increase in a decade."

According to the Pentagon, the military pay increase for 2010 was 3.4 percent.

In addition to the pay raise, the White House defense budget proposal asks for funding "for a full range of compensation programs, from monthly incentive pays to recently modernized retirement benefits."

Trump signaled last year that he might call for cuts in defense spending, but he eventually went along with the recommendation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for a $750 billion request, an increase from the record amount approved for fiscal 2019.

The $750 billion includes $718 billion for the Defense Department, and another $22 billion for related nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Energy.

The White House defense budget proposal also calls for adding a total of 30,000 troops to the rolls to bring the active duty and reserve force to a total strength of about 2.14 million.

[RELATED: Military.com: VA Budget Poised to Grow for 3rd Straight Year]

The White House did not break down how the additional troops would be apportioned between the active duty and reserve force; details are expected when the DoD releases its detailed budget request Tuesday.

The most controversial part of the proposal is likely the request for a huge increase in the funding for Overseas Contingency Operations, the so-called "war budget," from $69 billion to $165 billion, which would not be subject to spending caps under the Budget Control Act of 2011.

The White House proposal also calls for an expansion of the nation's missile defenses against nuclear threats, focusing on the "hit-to-kill" missile ranges in Alaska.

"The budget sustains deployed missile defense assets, improves system reliability against today's threats, increases engagement capability and capacity, and makes strides to rapidly address the advanced threat," the White House announcement states.

The proposal calls for "a new missile field at Fort Greely, Alaska, with 20 silos and 20 additional Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) in support of the administration's plans to increase the number of deployed GBIs to 64, to protect the homeland against North Korean and other intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile threats," the announcement said.

Other articles by Military.com:

White House Proposes Huge Increase in War Funding

Tech Problems Delay Rollout of Expanded VA Caregiver Program

Remains of World War II Soldier from Tennessee Identified
Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivers a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) at the third plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese judicial and procuratorial organs have maintained high pressure on law violations, ranging from graft, local mafia to "Peppa Pig" copyright infringement, to safeguard justice, social stability and development.

The judiciary also endeavors to serve the country's all-round opening-up, the Belt and Road Initiative, and high-quality development, according to the work reports of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) to the on-going annual national legislative session Tuesday.

Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and Procurator-General Zhang Jun highlighted progress made in the past year when delivering the reports.

"The top court has punished crimes, protected the people, and resolutely safeguarded national security and social stability in accordance with law," Zhou said.

The SPC handled 34,794 cases in 2018 and concluded 31,883 cases, up 22.1 percent and 23.5 percent year on year respectively. Local courts saw an increase of 8.8 percent and 10.6 percent in the cases they handled and concluded.

The top procuratorate has "based its work on people's increasing demands for democracy, rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment in a new era," Zhang said.

Amid unwavering resolve to bring the corrupt to justice, Chinese courts concluded 28,000 graft cases involving embezzlement, bribery and dereliction of duty last year. Among the 33,000 people involved were 18 former officials at the provincial-level and above. Meanwhile, 32 such former high-ranking officials, including Sun Zhengcai and Wang Sanyun, were charged.

Sun is former Party chief of southwest China's Chongqing municipality, who was sentenced to life in prison in May for taking bribes of over 170 million yuan (25.29 million U.S. dollars), while Wang, former Party chief of Gansu Province, stood trial in October, accused of using his position for bribe-taking.

A total of 2,466 people who had offered bribes were convicted last year amid heavier crackdown on such crime.

Prosecutors handled work-related criminal cases transferred by supervisory commissions involving 16,092 suspects in 2018. Among them, 9,802 have been prosecuted.

Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a report on the SPP's work at the third plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

The courts also targeted corruption among their own ranking in 2018, with 1,064 court staff being investigated and punished for abusing the judging and enforcement power.

Making headway in the campaign to combat organized crime and root out local mafia, Chinese courts concluded 5,489 related cases in 2018, which involved 29,000 criminals, while procuratorates across the country approved the arrest of 73,385 suspects involved in such crime, among whom 61,188 were indicted.

Addressing pollution, China prosecuted 42,195 people for damaging environment and resources last year, up 21 percent year on year, and the courts concluded 2,204 cases involving crimes of environmental pollution.

Strengthening intellectual property protection, Chinese courts concluded 288,000 cases related to intellectual property rights (IPR) of first instance in 2018, marking a year-on-year increase of 41.8 percent.

Meanwhile, 8,325 people were prosecuted for criminal acts such as infringement of patent rights and trademark rights, up by 16.3 percent.

A tribunal for IPR-related cases was set up at the SPC last year to further strengthen the judicial protection of IPR.

In addition, the judiciary improved legal service of China's all-round opening-up. The courts concluded 15,000 foreign-related civil and commercial cases of first instance in 2018.

Among the cases was one handled by the Hangzhou Internet Court, which adjudicated in last August a copyright infringement case and ordered two offending Chinese companies to compensate for the economic loss of British animation "Peppa Pig" character's copyright owners.
This article is part of State of Health, a series examining health disparities, how they affect Michigan's children and seniors, and the innovative solutions being developed to address them. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.



Note: Some names have been changed to protect the identity of the foster youth.

When Julia Brodeur's refugee foster daughter first arrived in Michigan from her home country, she spoke just enough English to tell her new foster parents what food she liked and what sport she was interested in playing. But when it came to the knee pains she sometimes suffered, the girl had no way to describe the sensations or talk about what might be triggering them.

"We realized pretty quickly that language barriers were going to be an issue when it came to her medical health," Brodeur says. "She didn't have the vocabulary needed to tell us what she was feeling, or even to explain her symptoms to a doctor when she was sick."

Brodeur's daughter struggles with any kind of physical discomfort, which isn't unusual for refugee foster youth with histories of trauma. But the result was a minefield of misunderstandings. The doctor once diagnosed Brodeur's daughter with asthma after she complained of being unable to breathe when she runs, not understanding that she was just having the normal experience of getting winded.

"A lot of the time she doesn't understand what medical staff are really asking her," Brodeur says. "I often have to act as the go-between, explaining to her what they're saying and doing while it's happening, and trying to fill them in on her history so they have a clearer picture of where she's coming from."

Having a health care translator like Brodeur is vitally important for many Michiganders who may struggle with health literacy  the ability to effectively understand and communicate with health care providers. Although almost everyone has likely experienced not understanding their doctor, health literacy issues may be especially pronounced for refugees, youth, and disadvantaged communities. But a number of organizations and programs in the state are working to bridge the communication gap.

Foster care agencies provide extra support

Anna Yamaguchi-Gradilla, an unaccompanied refugee minor supervisor at Samaritas foster agency in Lansing, says all foster parents of refugee children will face health literacy issues at some point.

"We've had young girls arrive here in Michigan from other countries, and struggle to explain something to a doctor or a foster parent because there's so much stigma attached to women's health in their cultures," Yamaguchi-Gradilla says. "As a result, they're afraid to talk about their medical concerns. Overcoming cultural barriers is very important if you want to ensure that people get the care they need."

Those barriers may differ depending on what community you live in. Yamaguchi-Gradilla says doctors in Lansing, where she works, are generally well-equipped to deal with the city's large refugee population, but Brodeur says doctors in her community are not as culturally aware.

Another barrier to health literacy has to do with a refugee patient's country of origin. All doctor's offices are required by law to provide translators to people who can't speak English, but Yamaguchi-Gradilla says that's "easier said than done."

"Finding a Spanish-speaking translator is relatively easy here in Lansing," she says. "Finding one that speaks Tagalog isn't!"

That's why Samaritas works so hard to make sure each foster family has the necessary resources to address their foster child's health care needs, whether it's sending a caseworker to doctor's visits or finding a translator for the child.

"That way these kids can get the medical care they so desperately need," Yamaguchi-Gradilla says.

Mini medical school teaches children preventative awareness

Language and culture barriers are huge, but so is general lack of education about the importance of preventative care. However, the Michigan Health Council (MHC) has found that one way to overcome Michigan youngsters' lack of health literacy is to begin their medical education at a young age. Mini Medical School, a program developed by the MHC, teaches children how to take care of their growing bodies while also focusing on the importance of disease prevention. Brandess Wallace.

"We cover a lot of ground with these kids," says Brandess Wallace, MHC's community engagement and education coordinator. "We talk about bone health, dental care, nutrition, the importance of exercise, and basic first aid. We also introduce them to medical instruments, letting them touch and play, which helps them understand the purpose of each instrument."

But this particular playtime addresses another major barrier to health literacy in children, and even in many adults: fear of going to the doctor.

"One of Mini-Medical School's goals is to address some of the fear and anxiety that children feel when they're in the health care setting," Wallace says. "We give kids a chance to interact with different medical instruments that a medical professional may use during a visit. That helps to alleviate their fears, and hopefully leads to more positive encounters with health care professionals in the future."

Michigan Health Council's Mini Medical School.

The whole point of Mini Medical School, according to Wallace, is that kids learn the importance of preventative medicine.

"It's more than just eating your fruits and vegetables and staying active," she says. "But to understand that, they have to be taught to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing."

Teaching children about preventive health, anatomy, and basic body functions empowers them to have agency over their own bodies, now and in the future.

"We want to promote health literacy and plant the seed that encourages Michigan's kids to advocate for their health as they grow into adulthood," Wallace says.

The state is making strides towards reaching vulnerable populations

Brenda Jegede, the manager of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' Health Disparities Reduction and Minority Health Section (HDRMHS), agrees that what we learn as children plays a major role in how we approach health care as adults. She says minority populations' fear and mistrust of the health care system are among the largest barriers to health literacy in Michigan. Brenda Jegede.

"We have to look at the relationships certain racial groups have with institutions," Jegede says. "Native Americans, for example, have a long history of being oppressed by institutions. So they're only slowly rebuilding their relationships with the institutions that provide that care."

HDRMHS public health consultant Shronda Grigsby says HDRMHS has worked with providers statewide to address and overcome those barriers. But how exactly does one overcome the ingrained fear of institutions that comes after generations of oppression?

"It can take a long time to repair that damage," Grigsby says, but even small steps can make a big difference.

"Having someone that looks like you behind the counter when you walk in, or seeing a poster on the wall that represents your culture, are small things that can go a long way towards helping people feel welcomed when they step into a medical health facility," she says. "We also provide training for medical staff to help them understand the existing barriers and how to overcome them." Shronda Grigsby.

HDRMHS is also addressing health literacy issues in Michigan by awarding capacity-building grants to health care organizations that can reach out into communities and directly impact disadvantaged populations. Jegede says several Detroit-area primary care clinics are currently using HDRMHS grant funds.

"It allows them to increase access to health care for people, with a focus on building relationships between patients and providers," Jegede says. "That helps significantly with overcoming some of the barriers to health literacy."

The grants allow clinics to provide training for onsite health care providers. Some also hire health care workers to do outpatient work in their communities, providing better education about available services and teaching people to advocate for themselves in a health care setting.

"Health literacy affects every aspect of people's care. People can't be connected to the care they need when they don't know it's there, or they don't understand what they need, or they don't understand what's being offered," Jegede says. "By investigating issues like cultural competency, historical relationships with institutions, and ethnic disparities in health care, we can work towards making sure all people in Michigan are more health literate."



Sarah Hillman is the news editor at Capital Gains and has been writing stories about issues that impact people's lives for years. She is also the writer and illustrator of a children's book about leadership qualities.



Mini Medical School photos courtesy of Michigan Health Council.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
Pennsylvania Horticulture Societys Harvest program ends season with almost 19,000 pounds of produce donated and $30K raised to fight food insecurity
By By:

Dr. Francis R. Souder, 85, formerly of Telford, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in the skilled nursing unit of Peter Becker Community, Franconia Township. He and his wife Marion R. (Parker) Souder celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in July.

Born in Souderton, he was a son of the late Elvin B. and Mary (Rittenhouse) Souder.

A 1938 graduate of Souderton High School, he received his undergraduate degree in 1941 from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Souder went on to receive his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1944 and completed his internship at Hahnemann Hospital from Oct. 1944  July, 1945.

He served with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for 30 months in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif. during WW II and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant prior to his discharge. He entered his second tour of duty during the Korean War where he served in Panama City, Fla. as the medical officer for the Panama City Naval Air Station and the Tyndal Air Force Base.

Dr. Souder owned and operated his family practice on Main Street in Telford from 1947-1989. He served on the staff of Grand View Hospital, and as its president, and taught at the Grand View Hospital Nursing School. He was a member of the Pa. Medical Society, the Bucks County Medical Society, Diplomat American Academy of Family Practices, and served on the board of trustees at Grand View Hospital, Sellersville.

He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Telford, where he sang in the church choir. He was also a member of the MacCalla Lodge #596 in Souderton, the Raja Shrine, and Lehigh Consistory.

In addition to his widow, he is survived by a son, Dr. Ronald L. Souder, and his wife Susan L. of Green Lane; a daughter, Susan J. Souder, and her husband Stephan Russo of New York, N.Y.; five grandchildren: Jennifer A. Souder of Philadelphia; Emily E. Souder of Philadelphia; Kathryn A. Souder of Washington, D.C.; Noah Russo of New York, N.Y., and Rebekah Russo of New York, N.Y., and two brothers: Attorney Elvin B. Souder of Souderton and Dr. Lawrence Souder of Souderton.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. in Trinity United Church of Christ, 101 S. Main St., Telford, with calling hours following the service.

Interment will be private in Trinity UCC Cemetery Telford.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grand View Hospital, 700 Lawn Ave., Sellersville, Pa. 18960.

Arrangements are by Sadler-Suess Funeral Home, Telford.
ABC/Image Group LAFresh off his debut appearance at the Country to Country festival in London, Jimmie Allen is headed to New York City to play Good Morning America.

The Best Shot hitmaker will perform the track 21 from his Mercury Lane album on GMA on Thursday. You can watch for him starting at 7 a.m. on ABC.

Meanwhile, his latest single, Make Me Want To, is climbing the country chart. Next month, Jimmie competes for New Male Artist of the Year at the 54th ACM Awards in Las Vegas.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
E-commerce is helping Chinese farmers improve their income, and the Chinese online shopping site Taobao under e-commerce giant Alibaba has set a great example in this regard by helping farmers build unique brands of agricultural products.

A villager from Yinhe village of southwest Chinas Chongqing is sorting glutinous rice cakes, January 21, 2019. Glutinous rice cakes are made of glutinous rice, sorghum, millet and corn, endowed with a meaning of reunion, good luck and happiness. (Photo by Peoples Daily Online)

Shen Zhubing, a farmer who has 0.33 hectare of millet land in Huaian county, north Chinas Hebei Province, told Peoples Daily that he is now able to sell his millet even without stepping out of his house.

Shen comes from Disanbao township, one of the poorest regions in Huaian county, a national-level impoverished county at the junction of Shanxi, Hebei and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. People in the township had very few sources of income, and they were not gaining much.

Yet the Disanbao township is an ideal place for growing millets. In recent years, a millet planting base has been built in the village thanks to the support from Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

At the base, villagers can get fine varieties and learn planting techniques. The millets produced there are in high quality and has become a well-known product in nearby regions.

However, it was rarely known outside of the county. Most of the corps were sold to dealers who then distributed them to out-of-town processing factories. Such mode was not able to ensure stable income of the farmers.

A farmer in Yantai, east Chinas Shandong province is showing hulled millet, October 10, 2018. (Photo/Sun Wentan, Peoples Daily Online)

Fortunately, the situation has been changed thanks to a grain processing plant recently established in the county. The plant carries out intensive processing of the millets purchased from the farmers, and then sells them online under registered trademarks.

Indeed, it was not an easy job for local cadres to run an online store as e-commerce was still novel to them. However, they have made great efforts to straighten things out.

They set up a strict standard in raw material selection and processing regulation, entrusted a third-party testing agency for heavy metal and pesticide residue detection to ensure quality.

In addition, they helped design the packaging logo, established a work group with staffs from e-commerce company to finalize promotion materials, and edit image and video advertisement. Besides, they also participated in the selection of logistics companies and the building of after-sale service.

The millet product finally hit the online market of Taobao on December 9 last year. Ms He Zhenli, the first secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Disanbao village made video promotion for the processed millet product.

The store happened to open during an online shopping festival of Taobao, thanks to which it sold more than 12,000 kilograms of millets in a very short period of time. Many local households benefited from it.

The millet product later created skyrocketed sales and received high reputation, which can attributed to the core value and the major highlight of the product  being natural and organic.

After the initial success, the county began planning future development. From this year, Disanbao village will improve the planting methods, and strive to standardize planting areas, varieties, specifications, raw-material acquisition, processing, and brand management.

A woman harvests millets on a sunny day in the alpine mountainous area of Shidong township, Tianzhu county of southwest Chinas Guizhou Province, October 3, 2018. (Photo/Long Shengzhou, Peoples Daily Online)

It will also apply for certificate of green and organic food, as well as geographical indication for agricultural products as soon as possible.

Based on the experience in the promotion of the millet product, the innovative business model is now reaching more fields of the county. Now, strawberries and melon seeds produced in the county have also been put onto the shelves.

Wu Zhanqiang, secretary of the CPC branch of Huaian county, told Peoples Daily that their ultimate goal is to standardize and expand agricultural production, and build brands for agricultural products through e-commerce, so as to improve added value and have the farmers enjoy the dividends of development.
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- After its breakneck economic growth based on cheap labor and demographic advantages, China is now looking to tap its vast innovation potential to spur high-quality growth.

China was once a center of innovation with its epoch-making inventions of paper, gunpowder, the compass and printing. But its creativity seemed sagged for a long time until the founding of New China in 1949.

Four decades of reform and opening up since 1978 has greatly stimulated the Chinese people's vitality and creativity, and prepared the hard and soft ware for China to make major scientific and technological breakthroughs.

China's economic growth over the years has been mainly based on the large scale consumption of unrenewable natural resources, which has led to severe environmental pollution and is apparently unsustainable.

To pursue sustainable growth, China feels an urgency to transform its economy into one driven by innovation, to strengthen the country's scientific and technology prowess and competitiveness in the world.

The Chinese government has strengthened protection of the legal rights and interests of entrepreneurs, ensuring fair competition and stronger protection of intellectual property rights, to encourage innovation.

China's recent efforts to encourage innovations have paid off. According to a report released in 2017 by INSEAD business school, Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, China has broken into the top 20 of a global list of the most innovative economies for the first time.

China has been the world leader in applications for patent for invention for years. It received about 1.54 million applications of invention patents in 2018, according to the annual statistics of the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA).

China has made tremendous achievements in intellectual property rights protection in recent years. Multiple intellectual property laws in line with international rules have been passed or amended, specialized courts have been set up in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

China's image as an innovation powerhouse is also underpinned by the birth of a batch of "unicorn" tech companies like Tencent and Didi Chuxing.

China's innovation and entrepreneurship drive is not a solo show, foreign companies will continue to tap the vast potential of the Chinese market.

The ongoing review of the draft Foreign Investment Law showcases China's resolve to improve the business environment for foreign companies in China, which are an indispensable part of the country's economic and innovation activities.

The draft law addresses major concerns of foreign companies in China, including protection of intellectual property rights, making its investment climate more equitable for domestic and foreign capital, and creating a level playing field.

China's consistent efforts in improving the business environment have produced positive results. According to the World Bank, China ranked 46th globally for ease of doing business in 2018, up from 78th in 2017.

In the future, China will introduce more reform measures and favorable policy to create a better environment for innovation and development, to transform innovation into real productivity.
Non-QM, Investor, DPA Products; VA, FHA, USDA Ginnie News; UMBS News

This morning Im feeling old after a 3AM wake up call to travel from Ellie Maes conference in San Francisco to the MBAKY in Louisville. (Speaking of old, the other day I saw an elderly couple walking down the street sporting identical T-shirts printed with, Do not resuscitate. But with big arrows underneath pointing to the other person.) On a personal note, my 96-year old Dad received a small check last week from the VA since he has officially outlived his life insurance policy that he purchased from 1942 to 1962 in the USN. (We celebrated with a trip to Sees Candy.) Go VA! Theres a lot of VA, FHA, USDA, and Ginnie program news below.



Lender Products and Services

For independent and community lenders in particular, a standout borrower experience can be an opportunity to shore up your competitive edge. In this margin-constrained market, however, it can be tough to identify positive-ROI investments to improve borrower satisfaction and increase profitability. A new ebook, The Experience Edge, helps shine light on the return and impact an improved borrower experience can bring to your business, providing tips to enhance your borrower experience to reap the fiscal benefits of happier borrowers. An exclusive to Rob Chrisman subscribers today and a must-read for all lending managers, download your complimentary copy today!

Angel Oak Prime Bridge, a leading investor-focused lender and Angel Oak lending entity, is pleased to announce the addition of Will Jackson as Wholesale Sales Manager. Will has an extensive background in residential lending, with both retail and wholesale channels. With a fast and simple approval process, his focus at Prime Bridge will be driving growth through the broker channel with its Fix and Flip and Investor Cash Flow products. To inquire about programs or how to become an approved broker, contact Will directly (737-346-9493).

With the DPA Advantage Program administered by AFR, under certain circumstances eligible borrowers are able to receive a forgivable grant that may be used toward a down payment and closing costs. This program is designed to provide down payment assistance equal to 2% of the purchase price to a wide variety of eligible borrowers, including first-time home buyers, first-responders, educators, medical personnel, civil servants and military personnel. And, because AFR is the administrator, they handle all the coordination making it a simple one-step process. DPA Advantage can be used with the FHA 203(b) program or any of AFRs FHA renovation programs, now including their One-Time Close construction product. From Manufactured Housing programs to Renovation products including FHA 203(k), USDA Repair Escrow and VA Renovation, AFR is dedicated to helping clients bring families home. For more information, email sales@afrwholesale.com, call 1-800-375-6071, or visit www.afrwholesale.com.

The MBA Tech Conference is later this month in Dallas from March 24 to 27. Asurity will be there to show how its mortgage ecosystem combines data-driven, dynamic document architecture and compliance testing, reporting, and analytics tools into one powerful solution. Its not just about the docs, but rather the data driven result from origination through close and beyond. Asuritys systems data validation prevents package generation when a loan is out of tolerance and performs compliance testing at the loan-level through bi-directional integrations with your preferred LOS. From disclosure to close, all dynamic content, calculations, and compliance tests are fully warranted and defended by a $10 million E / O policy. If you are heading to Dallas, be sure to connect with one of their experts to see how they can help streamline your lending processes. Better yet, schedule a meeting beforehand.

CMO responsibilities have evolved rapidly in the last two decades. Among the most recognized changes is the need to establish marketing as a revenue driver rather than a cost center. CMOs must be fanatical about creating the kind of consistent customer experience that wins deep trust, keeps customers coming back for life and alleviates the risk of losing customers to more innovative or persistent competitors. Read the Total Expert blog: 4 Ways the CMO Role Will Change by 2020.

Tired of low margin agency lending? Now is the time to grow your pipeline with non-QM programs. The opportunity to serve millions of creditworthy borrowers who dont fit traditional credit guidelines is one you dont want to miss. Take advantage of loan products for self-employed borrowers, credit events, single-family rental units and more. Verus Mortgage Capital is a highly experienced investor that is committed to helping correspondents succeed in non-QM. It has purchased almost $5 billion in expanded non-agency and non-QM loans and recently completed a $664 million transaction, the second largest non-QM securitization EVER! In 2018, Verus was the leading expanded non-agency issuer as it completed eight rated transactions. Work with the premier non-QM investor. Email Jeff Schaefer today to learn more or to schedule a meeting with him at the Regional Conference of MBAs April 7-11.



FHA, VA, USDA, Ginnie Mae

Last week Ginnie Mae sent out APM 19-02, generally viewed as increasing the cost of financing of GNMA assets, and drive prices down for loans and MSRs. It addresses counterparty risk management and minimum portfolio servicing spread requirements of single-family issuers. The amount of net servicing income generated by each Issuer portfolio is a key factor impacting that Issuers ability to remit scheduled payments to security holders. Currently, Issuers can create Ginnie Mae pools or loan packages that yield servicing spreads ranging from 19 to 69 basis points (bps) Effective March 1, 2020 (Effective Date), Issuers will be required to have, and maintain at all times, a weighted average servicing spread of at least 25 bps for their Ginnie Mae portfolio

Register for FHAs free webinar, FHA Quality Assurance Update, on Wednesday, March 20th. This free, online webinar will provide an update on the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Single Family quality assurance results for the most recent quarter, as well as offer additional guidance on the Loan Review System (LRS) and related processes. There will also be a live Question and Answer session at the end of the webinar.

FHA is offering a free onsite-training in Denver on April 10th for FHA Appraisal Training.

SIFMA has written a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs, welcoming its interim rules on the refinancing of VA loans that are aimed to make a safer environment for veterans to buy Ginnie Mae mortgage backed securities, but adding suggestions to bring them more protection from exploitation by unscrupulous lenders. SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. wrote: "We strongly encourage the VA to heed our suggested modifications to ensure the rules cannot be evaded, thus protecting our veterans, the VA borrowers, as well as the investors for whom Ginnie Mae MBS comprise part of their retirement savings."

February 25 was the new effective date for the previously announced changes, identified in FHA INFO 18-46, dated November 19, 2018, to the FHA Connection Appraisal Logging screen and Appraisal Case Transfer screen in FHA Connection. The changes are effective for all appraisals submitted to the Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) system, and for all case numbers assigned in FHA Connection, on or after February 25.

The CFPB released a report focusing on mortgages made to first-time homebuyers who are serving in the armed forces or are veterans, defined here to include both those on active duty and veterans.The Bureau's report is the first-time researchers have been able to provide a description and analysis of servicemembers' mortgage choices and mortgage performance, both during and after the housing crisis of the last decade.

PennyMac posted Announcement 19-15 , a revision to its previous Announcement 19-14 regarding Updates to VA Cash-Out Transactions.

PennyMac is aligning with the updates USDA has made to Chapter 9 of the Technical Handbook. Click here to view the announcement.

USDA has announced changes to HB-1-3555 Chapter 9 Income Analysis that will become effective on December 15, 2018. Loan application packages submitted for USDA Conditional Commitment requests beginning December 15, 2018, must meet the new HB-1-3555 Chapter 9 Handbook guidance. Mountain West Financial Wholesale will be updating its USDA guides. Refer to USDAs HB-1-3555 SFH Guaranteed Loan Program Technical Handbook for guidance.

Freedom Mortgage Wholesale guarantees the best VA & FHA Price for fixed-rate purchase loans/full doc refinance loans with a FICO >=640. If you find a better price, Freedom Mortgage will match it and reduce its Lender Fee by $150. Certain exclusions and requirements apply.

PRMG is making several enhancements to its product profiles. USDA is now allowed to 600 and manual underwriting is allowed. Additionally, the future income option for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is now allowed on conventional products. Other product updated include Agency Products, all products with Deed Restricted properties, Agency DU Portfolio, Home Possible, HomeReady and more.

Mr. Cooper is now offering temporary buydowns here.

The PennyMac Correspondent Group posted a new announcement regarding the Release of VA Renovation Program.

US Bank Correspondent Lending/HFA published its Seller Guide 2019-009 which covers multiple updates including information regarding USDA 2-4 unit Condo loans and FHA gift funds transfer plus other clarification information.



Capital Markets

Freddie Mac announced that it is set to issue the first Freddie Mac 55-day, To-Be-Announced (TBA)-eligible Uniform Mortgage Backed Security (UMBS) on June 3! Under the SIFMA updated Good Delivery Guidelines, UMBS issued by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will be deliverable into UMBS TBA contracts for settlement starting June 3. Freddie Mac will no longer issue new Gold PCs with a 45-day payment delay after May 31, 2019. Beginning on May 7, Freddie Mac plans to offer holders of 45-day, TBA-eligible and non-TBA-eligible PCs and Giants the option to exchange their eligible 45-day securities for 55-day Freddie Mac mirror securities.

Fannie released this Selling Notice yesterday notifying customers that it will begin accepting forward UMBS trades from approved trading counterparties, with a trade date on or after March 12, 2019 and settlement dates on or after June 3, 2019.

Rates didnt move much yesterday, with the 10-year ending at 2.64%, although some decent news around the world pushed stocks higher. If one can believe their stats, China's General Administrator of Customs took the unusual step of releasing preliminary trade data for the first nine days of March, showing a 39.9% year-over-year surge in exports. Chinese officials acknowledged that the release was aimed at spreading "positive news that could help shore up confidence. The $38 billion 3-yr note auction was met with lukewarm demand. In mortgage-backed securities land, ThomsonReuters reported that Tradeweb volume were running near half of recent averages.

Coming up for scheduled news today are the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, February Consumer Price Index (look for +.2-.3%), and a $24 billion 10-year note auction. In the early going we find rates a shade higher versus last nights close (the 10-year is yielding 2.65%) with agency MBS prices down a few ticks.

Jobs

On Q Financial has originators in several markets beating CASH offers by closing loans in just 15 days with their $1,000 On Time Closing Guarantee. Both the buyer AND seller get $1,000 if they dont close on time! Not only that, theyre known for DOUBLING their LOs production. NOW, On Qs Price Match Guarantee means their team has never lost a loan to rate, helping their business reach new heights. On Q is simplifying and expediting the mortgage process for their originators and home buyers with their technology, products, and simplified process. If you're a passionate and driven Originator that thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're interested in joining the team at On Q, please contact Nick Suwanvichit or visit On Q Financial Careers.

A full-service Correspondent Mortgage Lender seeking in-house, corporate counsel to work from either its Houston or San Diego corporate office. Candidate will work directly under the CEO but will interact with stakeholders across the entire company. This is not your average mortgage company, so a self-starter with a strong analytical and business mind are a must. Responsibilities include a wide range of matters with emphasis on corporate transactions, review, drafting and negotiations of commercial contracts/leases, compliance and regulatory items, structuring unique portfolio/commercial loans, employment matters and corporate governance. The individual will be critical in providing legal advice and strategy for a growing and dynamic company with a national footprint. If you're interested, please contact Anjelica Nixt with your resume/CV.

Citizens Retail Mortgage Lending division, one of the fastest-growing lenders in the nation is looking for dedicated loan officers to join our growing team. If youre committed to your customers from the first conversation until the closing documents are signed (and even after), we want to hear from you. As part of our customer-centric culture, well provide you with customer relations training so you can build strong relationships and deliver a great experience. Then, during the application process and beyond, youll have direct access to our servicing partners and their escalation teams so youll be ready for anything that comes your way. If you care as much about serving your customers as we do, apply at Citizens Bank today! For questions, please email Jennifer Rader.
SOUTHINGTON  Residents and representatives of advocacy groups urged the Town Council Monday to raise the legal age to buy tobacco in town, which passed on an 8-1 vote.

The council is considering an ordinance that would increase the age to buy cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21. The towns ordinance review committee voted in favor of the change last month.

Sarah Meade, a Southington High School student and Southington Town-Wide Effort to Promote Successyouth council member, said the law could help prevent tobacco addiction.

By raising the age of purchase  thats going to help protect and prevent students my age, future generations and underclassmen have better health and safety, she said.

STEPS supported the ordinance. Chris Palmieri, Town Council chairman, a middle school assistant principal and STEPS president, said that vaping has increased among students. This school year, there have been 23 high school and 16 middle school students disciplined for having tobacco products.

Bryte Johnson, government relations director for the American Cancer Society, spoke in favor of the ordinance Monday.

Ken Farbstein, a Needham, Massachusetts resident, said his was the first to adopt a town increase to the legal tobacco age. He said such efforts helped Massachusetts pass a state age increase and that a similar thing could happen in Connecticut.

The ordinance would levy fines for stores that sell tobacco to customers under 21. Repeated violations could result in the loss of a tobacco license, according to Town Attorney Carolyn Futtner.

Deputy Police Chief William Palmieri wrote the ordinance, which incorporated changes suggested by Tobacco 21, a group advocating for increasing the legal age for tobacco purchases.

Shannon Quinby, Tobacco 21 eastern region director, attended the ordinance committees meeting last month. She worked to pass a similar ordinance in Hartford, the first Connecticut municipality to restrict tobacco purchase to those under 21.

Town leaders declined some of Quinby's suggestions in favor of more discretion for police officers when retailers were found in violation of the law. Town leaders also opposed implementing a town license fee to sell tobacco products.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

203-317-2230

Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
Regional

Tezpur University to host 2nd Assam Science Festival

DIMAPUR, Mar 12 | Publish Date: 3/12/2019 12:06:20 PM IST

To strengthen science, technology and innovative activities in Assam, Tezpur University is set to host Northeast Indias biggest science fest; The 2nd Assam Science Festival from March 23 to 25, 2019 at the University campus.

A press release by the Tezpur University stated that the Assam Science Festival is organized by Assam Science Technology & Environment Council, popularly known as ASTEC under the aegis of Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of Assam. This time the ASTEC will be assisted with the active support of Tezpur University.

Dr. Sadhan Mahapatra, Senior Faculty member of the Dept. of Energy, TU and joint convenor of the fest stated that the purpose of the fest is to showcase science, technology and innovative activities of various institutions. We are expecting good number of participation to showcase their ideas/innovations as well as many scientific exhibits like Drone, Robotics, Astrophotography etc.from various schools/institutions/departments, Dr Mahaparta added.

Any School/Institution/University from Assam can participate in this mega fest. participating departments/institutions will be allotted an exhibition stall of 10X10 feet dimension free of any cost. The participating departments/institutions can however have their own decoration at their own cost.

Institutions/ departments can confirm their participation by mailing to ssf19@tezu.ernet.in and details are also available on www.tezu.ernet.in . The fair is open for the general public and science enthusiast with no entry or registration fee.
Officials of Qingdao customs inspect smuggled goods on Sept. 14, 2018. (Photo from Peoples Daily Online)

Chinas General Administration of Customs (GAC) will resolutely crack down on waste smuggling as it initiates the Blue Sky 2019 special campaign this year, said Ni Yuefeng, head of the administration, during an interview at the Great Hall of the People on March 5.

Last year, the GAC carried out the most rigorous inspection on solid waste imports, and slashed such imports by 46.5 percent, Ni noted. In addition, the administration also strengthened follow-up supervision and inspections on the sources of the foreign waste.

The administration successfully blocked foreign waste last year, as 150,000 tons of unqualified solid waste was detected before they were loaded at the places of dispatch. Besides, the GAC also revoked business certificates of companies that have committed crimes and illegal conducts.

The ban on foreign trash imports is a clear signal of Chinas continuous efforts to advance ecological progress.

In April 2017, a reform plan to improve management of solid waste imports was adopted by the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The plan was officially issued by the General Office of the State Council three months later, demanding a comprehensive ban on foreign waste imports and efforts to safeguard eco-environmental security and peoples health.

Last year, the GAC launched the Blue Sky 2018 campaign, carrying out 5 rounds of forceful and targeted missions to crack down on solid waste smuggling. The campaign achieved remarkable effects.

International cooperation is important for better anti-smuggling work. If some countries act against smuggling while others dont, then garbage smuggling will never be resolved, Ni said.

Last year, 75 countries and regions took part in the joint action initiated by the GAC under the title of the Goddess of the Earth, enhancing their efforts to recycle, use and dispose of solid garbage.
By Kim Tyrrell and Riley Hutchings

As state legislatures continue to deal with the impact of changing weather patterns that are producing increasingly ferocious hurricanes, tornados, snowstorms and wildfires, climate conferences such as COP24 can highlight additional factors to be considered during legislative debates.

Since 1992, when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was ratified, parties to it have met in a new city each year to negotiate agreements, exchange ideas, announce progress or renew commitments.

Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 16, 2018, 30,000 people gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP24) to negotiate details of the Paris Agreement, which was ratified in 2015 at COP21.

The Paris Agreement provides a framework for its 198 signatories, including the United States, to approach mitigation, adaptation, finance and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Under the Paris Agreement, parties committed to submitting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years that outline specific targets and timetables according to common but differentiated responsibilities and each nations respective capabilities. Negotiating teams at COP24 set out to finalize a rulebook that would set detailed guidelines for parties to write their NDCs.

Although the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in June 2017, it remains a party to the agreement until Nov. 4, 2020, at the earliest because of stipulations in the text. The U.S. sent an official delegation of 35 people to COP24, which consisted of scientists, foreign service officers, environmental lawyers and communications specialists. Judith Garber, principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the Department of State, led the delegation.

Taken in whole, the events of COP24 have widespread social and economic implications for states, regardless of whether the U.S. remains a party to the Paris Agreement.

Key considerations for states

Changes in the climate affect affordable access to clean water, nutritious food, reliable energy and resilient infrastructure.

Indigenous nations and low-income and minority populations are likely to be the first and most severely hurt by changes in the environment.

The global movement to mitigate and adapt to anticipated changes in the environment is influencing government policies in at least 198 countries. States will be affected by those policies as standards, preferences and entire markets change.

As grids transition toward variable energy sources, they must continue to provide reliable and affordable electricity.

U.S. Energy Administration data reveals that in 2016, 78 percent of U.S. energy subsidies went to fossil fuels, a number that has steadily risen since 2010. If other countries continue to incentivize renewable adoption and global use of fossil fuels declines, economic growth could be stunted.

Several states have taken steps to address some of these key considerations. For example:

Arizonas House and Senate chambers have current resolutions pending that call for members of the legislature to commit to working constructively with the governor to create and support economically viable and broadly supported private and public solutions to manage climate change, including in rural communities. The resolution calls on the state to prioritize its understanding and use of science to address the causes of a changing climate and support innovation and environmental stewardship to realize positive outcomes.

In Nebraska, Legislative Bill 83 (2019) calls on the University of Nebraska to develop an evidence-based, data-driven, strategic action plan to provide methods for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

As states face the uncertainties of a changing climate, collecting and analyzing data may help guide investments in mitigation and adaptation.

Kim Tyrrell is director of NCSLs Environment Program. Riley Hutchings is a senior at Colorado College and former NCSL intern.

Email Kim
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 50-year-old man allegedly murdered his son, suspecting him of having a physical relationship with his wife (boys mother), at his house in Ramapuram near Porur in the wee hours of Monday. The father, who works as a painter, woke up in the middle of the night and stabbed his son to death with a knife.

On hearing the screams of the son, who was sleeping in another room, his mother and sister ran to the room. In the melee, both the women suffered injuries. The man meanwhile fled.The mother, with the help of neighbours, rushed her son to the hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The Royala Nagar police registered a case and arrested the father of the deceased.

The family lived at a rented house at Senthamizh Nagar near Ramapuram. Police said the accused often picked up quarrels with his wife as he suspected her of having a physical relationship with their son.
Shan A S By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The probe into the murder of a migrant labourer the other day in Attingal has revealed a dangerous trend. Those who employ migrant labourers are still averse to comply with the police directive asking them to submit the details of the employees. The police investigating the murder of Vimal, a West Bengal native, came across this serious anomaly that could pose a threat to national security also.

The police said they were not even sure of the authenticity of the documents of the deceased and other than the ones recovered from the place, they had no other clues about the antecedents of the man. Worse, the investigators so far have no idea about the man who allegedly committed the murder. Amal, who is thought to be 28 years of age, was brought to work at the hollow bricks plant at Poovanpara near Attingal by the deceased.

Police sources said the two were friends, but are clueless about other details of the suspect, who is on the run. Attingal DySP Famous Varghese said the investigation was slowed down because they had not much information on the accused. The hollow bricks factory owner was clueless about both the workers, said Famous. Nevertheless, the police were relying on technical intelligence to nab the culprit, he said. The DySP said despite the police directive, many of the employers are still not ready to part with information on their employees with the police.

Documentation of migrant labourers is a must. In certain pockets like Perumbavoor, where the concentration of migrant labourers is high, the shop owners and employers cooperate with the police and hand over details like their account number, photographs, address proof, etc. But in several other parts of the state, this practice is yet to pick up, he said.

Famous reiterated the need for mounting a better vigilance on the other-state workers as he felt even people from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh could sneak in the disguise of a West Bengal native.

There were instances where Bangladesh natives forged documents and worked in the state as Indian citizens. Several such cases have been detected, he said.

A Special Branch Officer said there were gangs who were into the business of forging documents after charging a nominal fee, and they help the illegal migrants work in Kerala posing as citizens of the country.Such gangs mostly operate in West Bengal. Hence, we advice caution while checking the documents of the migrant labourers, he said.
By ANI

WASHINGTON DC: American comedian and actor Kevin Hart is returning to showbiz with a new standup comedy special.

The 39-year-old comedians first original Netflix standup special titled Kevin Hart: Irresponsible is releasing globally on April 2.

The comedian, who sounded excited about his upcoming standup special, posted a short clip on Instagram featuring him standing in a red spotlight that later zooms out and then forms Netflixs signature N.

Mark your calendars damn it. My Comedy special will be dropping on April 2nd on Netflix. I cant wait....Lets gooooooo #Irresponsible#ComedicRockStarShit #Netflix, he wrote alongside the brief clip.

The hour-long comedy special was shot in front of a 15,000-person crowd at the O2 Arena in London as part of Harts tour of the same name, reported People.

Hart touches upon his friends, family, travel and a year filled with Irresponsible behaviour, a press release read.

Kevin Hart: Irresponsible marks Harts first original comedy special on the streaming service, however, he has earlier worked on content for the platform including Kevin Harts Guide to Black History which came out in February.

ALSO READ | Kevin Hart steps down as Oscars host after outcry over homophobic tweets

The upcoming special standup follows a few controversial months for the comedian, in which he was hired to host this years Oscars but later stepped down from the gig on account of his homophobic tweets from the past.

Despite a lot of reports doing the rounds that he might return to host the Oscars, Hart in January said he would not be hosting the show, which aired on February 24 without a host.

I dont want people to think theres a thing between me and the Academy, because there isnt. The Academy, theyre amazing people, the offer was made, it was received, I was excited, things happened, it didnt work out the way that it shouldve. Right now, from a time perspective, I dont have the time [to return as host] Its not going to happen. In the future, if it does, it does, he had said during an appearance on Good Morning America.

Some other comedians too have appeared on the online streaming service with their comedy specials like Amy Schumer, whose next special will come out on March 19 and Ellen DeGeneres, whose first standup special in 15 years released on Netflix in December 2018. (ANI)
By Express News Service

Biopics are clearly the toast in the Indian film industry, and it is the turn of Nobel laureate Mother Teresa to have a film on her life.

Written and directed by Seema Upadhyay, the film, announced on Monday, will have a cast of Indian and international actors.

The makers met Sister Prema Mary Pierick, the current Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, and Sister Lynne in Kolkata recently to seek their blessings for the project on the life of the iconic nun who came from Albania to India in 1929 and set up the Missionaries of Charity in 1948.

Upadhyay said in a statement: We visited the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata and the experience was surreal.

She is a global icon and we will ensure to leave no stone unturned to meet her international stature and pay our tribute to the noble soul. We hope we will do justice and will be able to spread the message for peace, love, and humanity that Mother Teresa stood for, the producers said in a joint statement.
By Online Desk

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday targeted the Modi government, adding she was saddened by what was happening in the country.

Gandhi said, "This country is made on the foundations of love, harmony and brotherhood. Today whatever is happening in the country is very sad."

She was addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary.

Earlier in the day, the first-ever Congress Working Committee meeting chaired by party president Rahul Gandhi has concluded in Ahmedabad. This is the first CWC meet after Priyanka's appointment as general secretary.

Resolution from the Congress Working Committee's meeting earlier today in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. #GandhiMarchesOn pic.twitter.com/Pflr8ZvNFE  Congress (@INCIndia) March 12, 2019

The top leadership of India's grand old party also paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, ahead of launching its poll campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

Party leaders led by its chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country ahead of the general elections by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE
China plans to provide more meteorological service for international community and enhance the capability of global observation and forecast in the future, said Liu Yaming, head of China Meteorological Administration.

Head of China Meterological Administration Liu Yaming receives an interview after the second plenary 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 8, 2019. (Photo from Xinhua News Agency)

The country will employ new technologies, including big data, to further improve smart and targeted international meteorological services for users at any time in any place, Liu said in an interview after the second plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8.

Eight Chinese satellites from the Fengyun series in orbits are sharing data and information to the country and the world, Liu added.

To serve Belt and Road countries, China fine-tuned the position of one Fengyun satellite, enabling the Fengyun series satellites to acquire meteorological data of Belt and Road countries in a wider coverage, according to the NPC deputy.

She added that the satellites could provide these countries with encrypted monitoring according to their needs if they were hit by natural disasters.

China is faced with complicated and ever-changing climate scenarios against the backdrop of global climate change, Liu introduced. Affected by El Nino, regions in the southern parts of China have seen increased rainfalls since the beginning of this year.

She also said that based on current findings, it is predicted that the northern parts of China are likely to see fewer precipitations and higher incidences of droughts while the southern parts of China, including the areas around the Huai River and Yangtze River will see more precipitations.

This year, meteorological departments will do more on monitoring, consultation and early warning to better serve national economic construction and protect peoples interests, she pledged.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland chopper scam case, claimed in a Delhi court Tuesday that former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana met him in Dubai and threatened to make his life hell inside jail if he did not toe the line of the agency in its investigation in the scandal.

"Sometime back Rakesh Asthana met me in Dubai and threatened that my life would be made hell and that's what is going on. My next door inmate is (gangster) Chotta Rajan. I don't understand what crime I have committed to be put along with those who have killed several people," he said.

Michel, who was present in the courtroom, also told the court that he was put in the prison with 16-17 Kashmiri separatist leaders.

ALSO READ: ED attaches Paris property of Christian Michel's ex-wife

The statements were made by Michel before Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate him inside Tihar Jail in Delhi. The court said the agency will quiz him tomorrow and the day after.

A jail official will remain present and Michel's lawyer is also allowed limited access during interrogation, for half an hour in the morning and in the evening, it said.

The court took note of Michel's submission alleging mental torture inside the jail and directed Tihar jail authorities to produce the CCTV footage and reports by Thursday based on which he was shifted to a high-security ward.

ALSO READ: Christian Michel claims in court CBI asked him to implicate certain persons

On Monday, the court asked the jail authorities to submit their reply on the agency's plea and issued a production warrant for Tuesday for Michel after his lawyer alleged mental torture inside the jail.

Michel was arrested by ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.

The court previously lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it does not get a proper response.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the chopper scam by ED and Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: After a brief let up post announcement of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena on Wednesday resorted to targeting its ally again. An editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana on Tuesday said that the BJP should now be prepared to face questions over its 2014 poll promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

History says people cannot be fooled for long. Even people have questions, the answers to which they seek through ballot boxes, the Saamana editorial said on Tuesday while referring to PM Narendra Modis radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar expressed doubts of Modis return to the PMs chair. With whatever little politics I understand, I dont see the NDA getting a clear mandate in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. That means the BJP will have to garner support from outside of the NDA and in that situation, Modi wont be accepted as Prime Minister, Pawar said while interacting with reporters here on Tuesday.

Stating that the mood of the nation has drastically changed from what it was in 2014  which was evident in the results of the three Assembly elections in 2018  Pawar said that the same changed mood is likely to reflect in the LS polls.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court asked the Bombay High Court on Tuesday to decide on a plea moved by civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha, seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him in the 2017 Koregaon-Bhima case, within eight weeks.

The top court kept the two appeals of the Maharashtra government -- filed against the orders of the Delhi High Court and the Bombay High Court respectively -- pending.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said the Bombay High Court would decide on Navlakha's pending plea expeditiously, preferably within eight weeks.

Appearing for the Maharashtra government, advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar said the Delhi High Court had on October 1, 2018 quashed Navlakha's transit remand order in a habeas corpus petition filed by the activist.

He said the habeas corpus petition was not maintainable in the high court, when a person was in lawful custody pursuant to the orders of the court.

Katneshwarkar further contended that even the transit remand order could not be set aside by the high court in the absence of any express prayer for that in the petition.

"The high court went ahead and set aside the transit remand order of the magistrate without even asking the petitioner (Navlakha) to amend the prayers in the writ petition," he said.

READ HERE: Battle of Bhima Koregaon: Most films victimize Dalits, I celebrate them, says docu director

The standing counsel of the Maharashtra government argued that the high court had erred in setting aside the magistrate's transit remand order on the ground that the case diary was not produced before it.

"Due to the order of production of case diary, the Maharashtra police was facing problems in conducting the investigation and making arrests across the country as it is not possible for the investigating officer to be present at every place," he said.

The bench agreed with the contention on production of case diary and asked the state government's counsel about the status of Navlakha's petition in the Bombay High Court for quashing of the FIR in the case.

Katneshwarkar said it was pending before the high court and therefore, they had filed the second appeal seeking direction for expeditious disposal of the petition.

The bench said it was keeping both the appeals of the state government pending and requesting the Bombay High Court to expeditiously decide on Navlakha's petition, preferably within eight weeks.

The Maharashtra police had arrested five activists, including Navlakha, on August 28 last year in connection with an FIR lodged following a conclave -- the "Elgar Parishad" -- held on December 31, 2017 that had allegedly triggered violence in Koregaon-Bhima village, near Pune, the next day.

Besides Navlakha, four others -- Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bharadwaj -- were put under house arrest on August 29 last year, following an apex court order on a plea moved by historian Romila Thapar, economists Prabhat Patnaik and Devaki Jain, sociology professor Satish Deshpande and human rights lawyer Maja Daruwala against the police action.

Prominent Telugu poet Rao was arrested from Hyderabad, while activists Gonsalves and Ferreira were nabbed from Mumbai, trade union activist Bharadwaj was arrested from Faridabad in Haryana and Navlakha was held from Delhi.

On October 1 last year, the Delhi High Court had allowed Navlakha to be freed from the house arrest.

The high court had also quashed the trial court's transit remand order, which Navlakha had challenged before the matter was taken to the apex court.

It had set aside the August 28, 2018 order of the chief metropolitan magistrate granting transit remand of Navlakha, saying there was non-compliance of basic provisions of the Constitution and the CrPC, which were mandatory in nature.
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday raked up the 1999 release of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar to attack the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pulwama suicide bombing.

Sounding the bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Modi's home state, he fired a fresh salvo at the NDA regime on a slew of issues, including the Rafale deal, demonetisation and the implementation of the GST.

Addressing a rally at Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, his sister and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top party leaders, he reiterated that there was massive corruption in the Rafale deal.

"He (Modi) talks about patriotism. Masood Azhar conducted bomb attack in Pulwama. I would like to ask Narendra Modiji, who released Masood Azhar and sent him to Pakistan? (It was) the BJP government, the Vajpayee government put Masood Azhar on a special plane, gave him money and sent him to Pakistan," Rahul Gandhi said.

"And Narendra Modiji, your National Security Adviser, (Ajit) Dovalji (who was then with the IB), escorted Masood Azhar to Kandahar (in Afghanistan)," he said.

ALSO READ: Use your vote as a weapon, says Priyanka Gandhi on PM Modi's home turf

Azhar and two other terrorists were set free by the Vajpayee government in exchange of hostages of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.

Azhar later went on to set up the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror outfit that claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama.

"Explain to the country, why did you send the person who killed those 40-45 martyrs, on a special plane? Tell the country why your government sent him to Pakistan.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

"Who had arrested Masood Azhar? Congress party had arrested Masood Azhar, he was kept in jail," he said.

Gandhi again targeted Modi on the Rafale deal, saying, "He (PM) speaks about pilots and air force but in the Rafale fighter jet deal he has taken away Rs 30,000 crore from them and given it to Anil Ambani."

"Anil Ambani has never made a plane in his life. If I give him a piece of paper he would not be able to make a plane out of that also," the Congress chief said, mocking the industrialist.

The Centre has repeatedly denied any irregularities in the mega defence deal with France.

Ambani has also emphasised the government had no role in the Rafale manufacturer Dassault picking up his company as a local offset partner.

Later, talking to reporters, Rahul Gandhi rejected the notion that political atmosphere in the country has changed in favour of the ruling BJP after the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent air strike on a JeM camp in Pakistan.

He claimed that key issues such as farm distress and unemployment will remain at the core of the April-May polls.

ALSO READ: Case filed against Rahul Gandhi for addressing Jaish chief as 'Masood Azhar ji'

"I don't think so," he said when asked by reporters whether he feels the political atmosphere has changed after the terror attack and the air strike.

"See, apart from corruption and farm distress, another important issue is jobs.

Unemployment has increased due to demonetisation and GST.

"Unemployment ratio is at a 45-year high today. People are still angry as their expectations were not fulfilled. Employment generation was a complete failure," he said.

Asked which key issues his party would focus on to target the Modi government during the Lok Sabha polls, he said the main focus will be on Modi's "personal corruption" in the Rafale deal.

"The main issue is how Modiji gave Indian Air Force's Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani. Defence ministry documents have revealed that Modiji bypassed procedures to help Anil Ambani.

"This is the main issue. The people of Gujarat are smart enough to understand that Modiji did commit some mischief in the Rafale deal," he said.

He also accused Modi of distracting people from key issues such as employment.

Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on the issue of recent tracking of fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi in London.

"I read in the newspaper yesterday that the England government has sent message to Indian government saying it needs information from you (Indian government) and they will send Nirav Modi back to India.

"The government in England says Indian government is not responding. Prime Minister addresses Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Anil Ambani by adding "bhai" to their names."

"Money used for his marketing comes from Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani," Gandhi said.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, was held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years.

The last CWC meeting in Gujarat was held at Bhavnagar way back in 1961.

"After many years the CWC meeting was held in Gujarat. And we kept the meeting in Gujarat because there is a fight of two ideologies in India."

"And you will see both the ideologies in Gujarat. On one hand is Mahatma Gandhi, who gave up every moment of his life to build the country. And the other ideology you know," he said, apparently referring to the BJP-RSS combine.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: The announcement of election dates has set in motion roller coaster of Bengal politics, with major parties, the TMC, BJP, CPM and Congress in the last phase of firming up their election strategies and working out alliances before finalising their candidate lists. But a lot is expected to be different from 2014 in this Lok Sabha election.

First, the political equation in the state has changed. While the BJP, which won just two seats during the Modi wave of 2014, has emerged as a much stronger rival to the Trinamool Congress, former ruling parties Congress and CPM are forging an unsure alliance to win a few face-saving seats in central Bengal.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

With the BJP fixing a target of winning 23 of the 42 seats, the saffron party is expected to give a tough challenge to TMC in several geographical and demographical pockets across the state. While the party is likely to bank on Balakot air strikes-powered nationalism to corner Mamata Banerjee, its strong point is its organisational growthin numbers of RSS shakhas and BJPs focus on booth-level committees - and its issue-based attack on the TMC government with its time-tested planks of minority appeasement, illegal immigration, corruption, internal squabbles and bad law and order situation.

Also, the BJP is ready to give a major headache to TMC by capitalising on the partys internal squabbles, with BJP leader Mukul Roy busy trying to break away TMC leaders with substantial clout with political offers which many are finding difficult to resist.

While 23 might be a number too far-fetched in a state where around 70 per cent of electorate are rural and are beneficiaries of Mamata Banerjees 10 major populist welfare schemes, the party can be expected of doing good results in around 10 seats in the state, most notably in western and northern Bengal districts where it has gained from TMC infighting and public discontentment against the state government.

But the work of dislodging TMC from the drivers seat may not be that easy for the saffron party not only because of welfare schemes, but also because TMC enjoys the solid support of the 30 per cent Muslims of the state who are a determining factor in over 26 constituencies in the state. Communal polarisation apart, the two parties are also vying for the 25 per cent Matua vote, which can affect results in 10 constituencies in south Bengal.
Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: On a day of announcement of Lok Sabha poll dates, the outlawed Maoists in the conflict zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh, abducted a police officer of sub-inspector rank and later devised a plan to ambush the security forces by spreading the rumour of having killed him inside the jungle.

The rebels also kidnapped a school teacher along with the police officer Lalit Kumar Kashyap posted in the strife-torn Dantewada, about 450 km south of Raipur on Sunday night.

On Tuesday the naxals released both reportedly under the pressure of the villagers.

The abducted SI has very dubious track record. The villagers were annoyed as they suffered owing to his

high-handedness. They sought the help of Maoists to teach him a lesson. While Kashyap and his teacher friend were consuming liquor in remotely located school premises the rebels took them away, the Dantewada district superintendent of police Abhishek Pallava told the New Indian Express.

After their release, the district police who were on high alert learnt about the big plan of the Maoists. The

naxalites through villagers and local media spread the fake news and rumour that the policeman was killed by them in their jan-adalat. Their aim was to target the security forces planting an ambush when the troopers might embark on a search for the body.

We are aware about the naxals ongoing Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) and so were cautious about their possible evil design, the Dantewada SP added. After the abduction, the district police chief had called the villagers and further detained some suspected lower cadres of Maoists (called as jan-militia). They were warned by him that if the abducted persons were killed they (villagers) will face the charge of murder and later jailed.

The local inhabitants then went to the naxalites seeking their release. The rebels though had already planned to kill both on Tuesday, said the SP, who was briefed by the villagers.

Owing to the corrupt, unprincipled credentials and the repeated complaints against him, the sub-inspector has been suspended after preliminary inquiry. An FIR will be lodged against him after the police complaint get registered by the villagers.

Dantewada is among the seven worst Maoist-affected districts in Bastar.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday joined a dozen-odd countries that decided to ban Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in light of the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash last Sunday.

DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet late on Tuesday night.

The decision is notable as it comes a day after the regulator allowed domestic airlines to continue to operate Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, albeit with some restrictions.

ALSO READ | Ethiopian Airlines crash: List of nations grounding their Boeing 737s

DGCA was under pressure from air passengers on social media with many accusing the regulator of not being serious on safety aspects.

As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety, the ministry said.

In India, only Jet Airways and SpiceJet have Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in their fleet, five and 12, respectively. While Jet said its Max planes are on ground, SpiceJet said it has taken all safeguards. The 737 Max had two fatal crashes since October last.

Impact on consumers

Expect cancellation of flights and rise in fares, which are already high due to cancellations by Jet (grounding of flights) and IndiGo (shortage of pilots)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the country is safe under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Tuesday accused the Congress of weakening the fight against Jihadi terrorists, and wondered if the party could be trusted by voters in the upcoming general elections.

In a blog, Jaitley said the Congress party is one with the government on condemning Pulwama terror attack resulting in the death of 41 CRPF jawans but is disturbed about air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan.

He said the Congress has repeatedly rubbished the surgical strikes of September 2016 and contends that they have either taken place in the past also or alternatively they never took place under Prime Minister Modi.

"On the air strikes, their conduct is even more dubious," the minister said.

While giving "lip sympathy" to the Indian Air Force for the first two days, Congress started a multi-pronged attack and questioned the success of the strikes.

FOLLOW OUR LIVE COVERAGE HERE

The grand old party, Jaitley said, started demanding proof that terrorists had died at Balakot and even contended that the strike had taken place not against terror but to ensure BJP's victory in the forthcoming elections.

"This was a self-goal by the Congress in domestic politics.

This was also playing into the hands of Pakistan where statements of Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were played out on television channels in Pakistan.

"Pakistan Government cited these statements to bolster their own falsehood," Jaitley said in the blog titled 'Agenda 2019: Part - 2: Prime Minister Modi's Evolving National Security Doctrine'.

He further said the Congress had no structured plan during ten years of UPA on how to deal with the problems of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited this as a legacy issue.

He experimented the conventional method of trying to soften the relationship with Pakistan in a hope that wiser sense would prevail, but Pakistan responded with Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama.

"He encouraged the mainstream political parties of the Valley to be a part of the national coalition in Kashmir but unfortunately the double talk of support from Delhi and the pressure from the Jamat-e-Islami were to the detriment of anti-separatists policy," Jaitley said.

The finance minister also said the BJP-led government, both at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh, had a consistently strong position against the Left-wing extremism.

"From JNU to Chhattisgarh, the Congress has struck a deal with them. There are increasing instances of Left-wing extremists actively encouraging the Kashmiri Jihadis in the Kashmir valley."

"The Congress does not oppose the idea of a pro-active approach in destroying terror at its point of origin. It is disturbed with regard to the political fallout of this pro-active approach on the image of Prime Minister," he said.

At a time when India is battling ultra-Left and Jihadi terrorists, facing with a serious threat of cross border terrorism, Jaitley wondered if the electorate could trust those who have weakened the fight against terrorism.

"This is a choice before the electorate in the 2019 general elections. Can an over-ground ally of Left-wing extremism be put in power at New Delhi? Can those who have weakened the battle against terror for the cause of vote bank politics be trusted? "Should not those who have played into the Pakistani hands be taught a severe lesson in these elections? Unhesitatingly the answer to the above question is a big 'yes'. This country is safe and secure under the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Modi," he said.

The Modi-led NDA government will be seeking a second term as 900 million people are expected to vote in the Lok Sabha elections beginning April 11.

Counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.

Several non-BJP parties like the Congress, SP, BSP, and TMC have joined hands to form a grand coalition 'Mahagathbandhan' to take on Narendra Modi-led NDA in the forthcoming elections.

The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country.

In 2014, Modi-led BJP had won 282 seats out of 543 constituencies in the Lok Sabha, handing out a crushing defeat to the 10-year-rule of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: On the very day when the Congress is to kick-off its 2019 Lok Sabha campaign from the Prime Minister's home turf with its Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi took to his blog to tell the nation that it was Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to disband the grand old party just after Independence.

Marking the 89th year of the iconic Dandi March that was launched by Gandhi and 80 satyagrahis in 1930 on the day, Modi said the grand old party is nothing but "the perfect antithesis to what 'Bapu' stood for".

Hailing Gandhi whose "handful of salt shook the British Empire" as he set out on foot for the coastal village of Dandi from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, Modi said: "Though aimed at protesting unfair Salt Laws, Dandi March shook the foundations of colonial rule and became a strong symbol of fighting injustice and inequality."

ALSO READ | Congress to sound Lok Sabha poll bugle from PM Modi's home state Gujarat on Tuesday

In a conversational approach to his blog readers, Modi said: "Did you know who had a key role in the planning of the Dandi March? The great Sardar Patel", who, he said, had a key role in planning "every minute aspect" of the 390km March, "down to the last detail". The Congress have accuses the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to appropriate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the nation's first home minister.

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"In many of his works, Gandhiji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule," Modi ripped the Congress apart listing a point-by-point contrast of Gandhi's thoughts and "Congress culture".

Gandhi, said the Prime Minister, had understood the Congress culture very well, "which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947".

Modi praised his government's efforts to punish the corrupt and accused Congress of being a synonym of corruption. "Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam - from Defence, Telecom, Irrigation, Sporting events to Agriculture, Rural Development and more."

"The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values," he added.

"Gandhiji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947. He lamented, 'I am sorry to have to say that many Congressmen have looked upon this item (Swaraj) as a mere political necessity and not as something indispensable'."

Modi quoted Gandhi as saying that Congress leaders were only busy making communal adjustments. In 1937 itself the father of the Nation said: "I would go to the length of giving the whole Congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant."

The Prime Minister ended his blog hailing his own government at the Centre that he said "is working on Bapu's path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!"
By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today released the list of ruling TMC candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, dropping 10 sitting MPs and bringing in 18 new faces.

The development put an end to all speculations over the tempestuous Trinamool Congress supremo yielding any ground on her home turf to the prospective partners of the proposed 'mahagathbandhan', a grand alliance of anti-BJP parties, of which she has been one of the most vocal proponents.

She, however, did keep alive the idea when she said the Lok Sabha polls will sound the "death knell" for the BJP and the Modi government which will be replaced by a coalition dispensation of anti-BJP parties that will create more jobs, bring about peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and "freedom from the pervasive atmosphere of fear".

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The list, which is a mix of seasoned political players and greenhorns, has 17 women candidates, five more than the last elections, constituting roughly 41 per cent of the candidates.

Apart from replacing 10 sitting MPs, she announced the names of eight new candidates for seats the TMC had lost in 2014.

Of the 42 seats in the state, TMC had won 34.

Besides TMC old timers, the list includes leaders and MLAs from the Left Front and the Congress who had switched over to her party in the last few years.

"Our list comprises both old and new, experienced and greenhorns. Today, we have announced our list for 2019 Lok Sabha candidates for Bengal and some other states. I am all the more happy and proud because 41% of our candidates are women. Trinamool's list speaks for itself. Unity in diversity," Banerjee said.

The list includes seven candidates from the Muslim community, the bedrock of her support base, and 12 from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Muslims roughly form 30 per cent of the state's electorate.

The dropping of 10 sitting lawmakers and shifting of another to a new seat is being seen as an attempt to stem the infighting in the party.

Among senior leaders who were given the go-by or had "requested" Banerjee to drop them, is the party's general secretary Subrata Bakshi.

Sitting MPs from seats like Coochbehar, Basirshat, Jhargram, Medinipur, Bolpur, Bishnupur and Krishnanagar were dropped.

The BJP has made steady inroads in these places over the last five years, largely due to the infighting in the TMC.

In Coochbehar, the TMC has replaced its MP Partha Pratim Ray with a minister in the erstwhile Left Front government Paresh Chandra Adhikary, who joined TMC last year.

In Muslim dominated Basirhat, the party replaced its sitting MP Idris Ali with actress Nusrat Jahan, a political greenhorn.

The TMC is not on a strong wicket in Basirhat following the communal riots of 2017, which dented Ali's image and helped the BJP milk the situation in its favour.

It is now one of the most communally polarized constituencies.

Among another notable omission was Sugata Bose, the erudite grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the sitting MP from Jadavpur.

Bengali film actress Mimi Chakraborty will be the party's candidate for the seat.

The TMC also replaced its lawmakers in Jhargram, Medinipur, Bankura and Bishnupur, where the BJP had gained substantial ground in the last panchayat polls.

In Bankura, one of the former strongholds of the CPI(M), TMC MP and yesteryear cine star Moon Moon Sen was facing anti-incumbency and accusations of neglecting the constituency.

Sen has been shifted to Asansol, the seat represented by BJP's Babul Supriyo, a Union minister.

The party has nominated MLA Shyamal Santra and Asit Mal for Bishnupur and Bolpur seats respectively after sitting MPs Soumitra Khan and Anupam Hazra defected to the BJP.

In Krishnanagar, actor and two-time sitting MP Tapas Paul, who was arrested in the Rose Valley scam, had declined to contest.

TMC MLA Mahua Moitra has replaced him.

In Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Union minister S S Ahluwalia of the BJP, the TMC joined hands with the Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

GJM's MLA from Darjeeling Amar Singh Rai will contest the Lok Sabha seat but on the TMC's election symbol.

In Malda North, the party has nominated sitting Congress MP Mausam Benazir Noor, who had switched over to the TMC in January this year.

Mamata Banerjee's nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Sougata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi are among the prominent leaders who figure in the list.

The father-son duo of Dibyendu Adhikari and Sisir Adhikari have been renominated from Tamluk and Kanthi constituency in East Midnapore district.

Banerjee said her party would also contest some seats in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and the Andamans.

When asked whether her decision to contest in these states would not put off the potential constituents of the proposed grand alliance, Banerjee retorted, saying: "We are a national party. When Congress is contesting in more than 10 states, shall we not contest in few other seats outside Bengal?"

Banerjee, who has often said she wanted a "one on one" fight against the BJP, noted her party will contest the polls in these states in consultation with friendly parties.

She said she would ensure that the BJP does not take advantage of the presence of the TMC candidates in the fray.

In Jharkhand, the TMC will contest three seats, and one in the Andamans.

In Assam, where it had unsuccessfully fought the panchayat polls, it will field candidates in six seats.

In Bihar and Odisha, the TMC will contest two Lok Sabha seats each.

The party candidates would also try their luck in 10 assembly constituencies of Odisha.

The state is having simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
KUNMING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Mi Jinkang, 57, was proud to show her stitchwork to a group of political party officials from several Asian countries on a recent trip to her village.

Mi grew up in the Manyuan village of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Born an ethnic Dai, she has learned to make folk costumes since she was very young.

"Traditionally every Dai girl must learn to sew her own dress. As more girls are attending schools now, many don't have time to learn the craft," Mi said.

As the government launched projects to protect ethnic culture and customs, the tradition is coming back, Mi said. The Xishuangbanna prefecture established a culture and tourism bureau in February this year to further promote the development of the Dai culture and its integration with tourism.

"We all wear traditional Dai clothes on important occasions such as the Water-Splashing Festival. The dresses are beautiful, and they are very practical," she said.

Mi and her husband used to cut rubber and grow rice for a living. The local government has scaled back rubber farming and committed the local development to more sustainable ways of living, said Yan Wenbing, head of the village.

"We are prioritizing the Dai clothes industry and the planting of organic mangoes," Yan said.

Manyuan has been hailed as a successful model of maintaining natural sceneries, preserving tradition and investing great efforts in the environment.

In front of the foreign visitors, Mi presented a hand-sewn sachet to Aizaz Asif, deputy secretary general of the Pakistan Movement for Justice.

Aizaz Asif was among some 20 officials from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to visit Yunnan, at the invitation of the Communist Party of China, for learning and exchanging experiences on the development of ethnic regions.

Bordered by Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, Yunnan boasts dozens of ethnicities with diverse cultures.

After visiting the Manyuan village, home to 436 people, Chandra Prakash Mainali, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), said he was impressed by ethnic unity in China, as well as rapid economic and social development in areas inhabited by ethnic groups.

For Mi, the good thing is that young women in the village are learning the craft from elderly women. "Young people are quite innovative. I hope more people will come and see our craft," said Mi.
Ramananda Sengupta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina Wajed jointly inaugurated four India-funded projects in Bangladesh on Monday afternoon over video conferencing. The projects include the supply of 1100 buses and 350 trucks for Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, 36 community clinics across five districts, 11 water treatment plants and the extension of the Indian National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh.

Noting that this was his sixth video conference with Hasina, Modi said her vision is the biggest inspiration for stronger connectivity between India and Bangladesh. The projects inaugurated would boost both transport and knowledge connectivity between the two nations, with the National Knowledge Network connecting Bangladeshi scholars and research institutes to India and the world.

These projects also show that the improved India-Bangladesh relations are playing a key role in improving the quality of life of people, he said. The buses and trucks would boost the efforts towards affordable public transportation, the water treatment plants will help supply clean water; and community clinics will benefit about 2 lakh people in Bangladesh. Reiterating Indias support for the development targets set by Hasina, Modi expressed confidence that bilateral relations will get stronger.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Though the BJP is yet to release its first list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh, party circles here were abuzz on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to seek re-election from Varanasi.

According to highly placed sources, Modis candidature from Varanasi is almost certain. A unanimous decision to this effect was believably taken at the BJPs parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi recently.

Union Minister Uma Bharti, who had declared in December last year that she wont contest this time due to health reasons, could be persuaded to test the poll waters from Jhansi again. Bharti had defeated Samajwadi Partys Dr Chandrapal Yadav in 2014. She was praised by the PM while accompanying him to Jhansi for laying the foundation of the ambitious defence corridor on February 15, a day after the Pulwama terror attack.

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However, axe may fall on about 30 of the 68 sitting MPs, said the sources. BJP had won 71 seats in 2014 as the Modi wave swept the state. However, it lost three seats  Gorakhpur and Phulpur, vacated by CM Yogi Aditynath and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively, and Kairana, which fell vacant due to the sitting MPs death  to the SP-BSP joint candidates in 2018 bypolls.

Some Rajya Sabha members may also be considered for candidature. What is more, some of the MLAs and ministers in the Yogi cabinet may also get tickets.Besides, space to accommodate stalwarts from other parties and caste leaders will also be made. For example in Yogis bastion Gorakhpur , Amrendra, the son of SP leader Rajmati Nishad, who had recently joined the BJP, may be rewarded in an attempt to neutralise the caste arithmetic of SP-BSP. The crowd of ticket seekers is huge. Seats where the sitting MPs have crossed the age of 75 are particularly witnessing a rush of ticket hopefuls.

Huge rush of ticket hopefuls

A huge rush of probable candidates are making a beeline for the seats where the sitting MPs have crossed 75 years of age. Veterans like Murli Manohar Joshi, 85, MP from Kanpur, and Kalraj Mishra, 77, MP from Deoria, are among such leaders on whom

the BJP parliamentary board is expected to decide. However, in case of Joshi and Advani, the sources say, the call on contesting has been left to them.
Richa Sharma By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With the Congress Working Committee set to meet in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, all eyes will be on the newly appointed party general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is set to address her first public rally and share her views at the partys highest decision making body. This is the first CWC meet after her appointment as general secretary. Sources said her views will be heard for the first time on election strategy, alliances, campaign issues and ticket distribution.

After the meeting, Priyanka is scheduled to speak at a public rally in Adalaj in Gandhinagar along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders of the Congress would also be present.

Priyanka, who was appointed general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh east on January 23, has held series of meetings with party workers but has so far not addressed any big public gathering. She held a road show along with her brother Rahul during her maiden political debut on February 11 but limited her remarks to that she hopes to start a new kind of politics. Congress is launching its political campaign from the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a strong message to party workers.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court Tuesday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate Christian Michel, the alleged middleman who was arrested in the AgustaWestland chopper scam case, inside the Tihar jail here.

ALSO READ: ED attaches Paris property of Christian Michel's ex-wife

Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the ED's plea to question Michel inside the prison.

The court had on Monday asked Tihar Jail authorities to submit their reply on the agency's plea and also issued a production warrant for Tuesday against Michel after his lawyer alleged mental torture inside the jail.

ALSO READ: Christian Michel claims in court CBI asked him to implicate certain persons

He was arrested by the ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.

The court had earlier lashed out at the jail's authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it does not get a proper response.

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.
Aishwarya Parikh By

Online Desk

The election season is well and truly upon us. Preparations are in full swing, major parties across the country are stitching up alliances and the only question surfacing in the minds of everyone is who will head the country for the next five years? Will Narendra Modi come back to power in 2019 or will the Mahagathbandhan work in favour of the opposition?

But the question that needs answering for Shakti, a non-partisan collective, is entirely different. They are fighting a battle for women to get 50% reservation in the Lok Sabha. As per a December 2018 report, only 11% of women are MPs and 9% are MLAs, though there are over 40% women in local bodies.

Shakti's objective is to enable more women to be elected as MPs and MLAs. People from 18 states across the country, including first-time voters, students, farmers, domestic workers and civil society groups, are part of the campaign.

As part of International Women's Day celebrations on March 8, the collective hosted a nationwide campaign to discuss the challenges women face when it comes to taking politics as a career. The campaign was held in eight cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Chittoor, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. In Maharashtra too, it was hosted in 19 districts.

The agenda of the campaign is simple  women form 50% of the people in the country so we are only demanding that much space in governance. We are demanding half the seats in the Lok Sabha only because we deserve it, said Sujatha Ramesh Babu, an activist from Chennai. Shakti has been trying to push political parties into giving more women a chance in politics. It has also taken up the issue with the Election Commission.

In a historic move, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced that the BJD would field women in 33% of the Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections. But is it enough?

Madhumita Gomathinayagam, Indias first transgender HR manager, disagrees. "I don't think even 50% is enough. I think we should aim at getting 100% reservation. If we aim for 100, only then will we be able to achieve the 50% that we want. Political parties are not willing to pay money or give security to women and most women arent fighting for it either. Women have to take the matter into their own hands, fight for their rights and make space for themselves in this democracy, she said.

But why do women need reservations to run for elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, some may ask. This is because of our patriarchal society and its notions, says Prof. Kalpana Karunakaran from IIT Madras. "When Hilary Clinton was running for presidential elections, she was faced with questions like which dish do you like to cook the most and do you sit down with your children when they're studying - all these on national television. Her dark lipstick was judged. Her personal life was taken into consideration. Men never face such questions as candidates and it only shows how much more privileged they are. That is why women need reservation," she said.

The sessions also witnessed active participation from first-time voters and students. Lelavathy, a psychology student based in Chennai, says that more often than not, women don't get into politics because of the family. "There's no financial security, we are asked to take care of the home and the way politics has been portrayed in the media, families usually don't push women to enter politics," she says.

Although there is no word from the Election Commission about reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha elections, volunteers at Shakti are hopeful that political parties will accept their demands.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman went on record on the identity of the Pakistan Air Force pilot of the F-16 fighter jet which was brought down by the Indian Air Forces (IAF) MiG-21 Bison, piloted by Wing Commander Abhinanadan Varthaman.

Speaking at a programme in New Delhi, Defence Minister when asked about the Pakistan Fighter pilots identity she said, Yes, We know. She did not divulge beyond that.

Pakistan has been continuously denying that its F-16 fighter jet was brought down during a skirmish over J&K airspace.

But Ministry of External Affairs and IAF have given evidence of Pakistan using F-16 to target Indian military installations.

Ministry of External Affairs had said that there are eye-witness accounts and electronic evidence that Pakistan deployed F-16 aircraft and that one of them was shot down by Wing Commander Abhinandan.

Evidence of the use of AMRAAM Missile, which can only be deployed on the F-16, has also been shown to the media.

MEA had raised the issue with the USA asking them to also examine whether the use of F-16 against India is in accordance with the terms and conditions of sale.

In an aerial combat on February 27, IAF MiG-21 Bison was shot down over Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), before it destroyed the F-16 in an aerial dogfight. Wing Commander Abhinandan safely ejected himself from the aircraft before being captured by the Pakistani forces. He was released two days after.
Abraham C Mathews By

In what can only be a cruel irony, six men (and possibly a seventh, soon) were lucky they were awarded the death penalty. Against all odds, they were, rightfully, acquitted. Their tale also exposes how our criminal justice system is grossly ill-equipped, and routinely fails to protect wrongfully implicated people.

Lets examine the case of the six men. Its June 2003. Seven to eight men barge into a thatched house in the middle of a guava orchard near Nashik, where a family of six, and a guest, were chit-chatting post dinner. The men are mercilessly beaten up, while the two women, including a minor, are taken outside and raped, and several valuables in the house stolen. The assaulters, presuming that they all are dead, leave. But two of them survive.

In due course, the six men are brought to trial, convicted and sentenced to death. The High Court distinguishes between the three of these, who allegedly raped the minor, modifies the sentence of the other three to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme Court finds no reason for leniency, and condemns all six to death. This was in 2009.

Last week, while hearing a Review Petition, the Supreme Court parsed the entire evidence again, and finding it severely lacking, acquitted all six. As it turned out, even though the state presented 25 witnesses and numerous documents, the entire conviction primarily rested on the oral evidence of the two survivors. Just two days after the crime, one of them, the lady, had identified four persons by their photos in the presence of a Special Executive Magistrate. The six accused/acquitted arent any of these four. The police never bothered to investigate these four. Nor was this very important fact even brought to the notice of the Trial Court.

Meanwhile, the present six are picked up, and are identified in a Test Identification Parade about two months later. The parade is ridden with procedural irregularities, but most importantly, held by the same Special Executive Magistrate, who also forgets about the earlier identification.

But that is not all. Fingerprints, DNA samples, blood samples from the nail clippings of the deceased minor are all collected and sent for analysis. The results do not incriminate the six accused. The prosecution doesnt bother to bring this fact to the notice of the trial court. What they do bring is the fact that one of the stolen items, a white chain, was found with one of the accuseda chain without any distinctive markings, which could have been anybodys. But this is touted as clinching evidence by successive courts.

The inconsistencies dont end there. The witnesses both stated the assaulters were speaking in Hindi. But the accused are all native Marathi speakers. The courts also find that the accused could not adequately explain the injuries on their own bodies, quite forgetting that as farm labourers, those injuries werent necessarily suspicious. In the end, the six men were sentenced to die on laughably specious evidence. And they would have met that fate, had not three judges hearing the Review Petition of three accused (Review by the other three were also dismissed) smelt something rotten.

This comes just weeks after another case in which the Supreme Court, hearing a Review Petition eighteen years after confirming a death penalty, asked whether the convict was a juvenile at the time of the offence. (The police had callously stated he was 20, when in fact, according to his present lawyers, he was perhaps only 15.) If he was a juvenile, the maximum sentence would have been three years in a corrective home. In both these cases, the convicts were impoverished and illiterate, leaving them completely at the mercy of a callously indifferent police.

And yet, as ironic as it sounds, these are the fortunate ones. Death penalty is reserved for the rarest of the rare cases. A majority of gruesome crimes get the life sentence or less. But as we have seen, if you are framed, as often happens, an apathetic system can be completely blind to your plight.

In one example, a 22-year-old boy, at Mumbais famous Arthur Road Jail (he was subsequently acquitted of the offence he was sent there for), was accused of the contract killing, along with four others, of a fellow inmate. The only evidence was the Dying Declaration of the deceased, recorded by a magistrate (supposed to make it credible, but as we have seen above, magistrates can be criminally negligent) and the testimony of the jail warden. Another inmate, who was the only eye-witness called to give evidence, denied the sequence of events, but was declared hostile and disbelieved. No fingerprints on the weapons were traced to the accused. Funnily, the person on whose behest the crime was allegedly committed was acquitted.

He was still convicted by the Trial Court, and affirmed by the High Court. In the Supreme Court, (Disclaimer: This writer represented him) the appeal was summarily dismissed on the grounds that the Dying Declaration was recorded by a magistrate and therefore ought not to be questioned, and there was no reason to doubt the (uncorroborated) testimony of the jail warden. Absurd, since the warden was directly responsible for the safety of the prisoners in his charge, thus making him an interested witness.

These tales are being offered without a prescription. But remember, the usual due-process (including multiple appeals) every accused is entitled to was not sufficient to protect the six men. They were acquitted only because of the Supreme Courts recent judgment that Review Petitions in death penalty cases be heard in open court. And that should deeply trouble us all.
By Express News Service

GUNTUR: Urging citizens to vote judiciously in State elections, State BJP president Kanna Lakshmi Narayana accused TDP leaders of luring voters by spending crores of rupees they looted during the last five years.

While addressing at the Narasaraopet constituency on Monday, Kanna said Rs10 lakh crore sanctioned by the Centre for the welfare of the people of AP was looted by the Telugu Desam leaders.

He lamented that MLA Ch Prabhakar, who was appointed as the manifesto member to draft welfare schemes, made derogatory comments on people from backward castes. He recalled that MLA Prabhakar had attacked a woman tahsildar when she tried to stop illegal transportation of sand.
By Express News Service

GUNTUR: A US-based physician from Guntur district was among the 157 on board an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft that crashed shortly after it took off from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday.

All on board, including eight crew members, were killed in the plane crash. Nukavarapu Manisha was on her way to Nairobi, Kenya to visit her elder sister Lavanya who had delivered three babies a few days ago, media reports said. According to one of her relatives N Visweswara Rao, Manishas father, N Venkateswara Rao, and mother were already in Kenya waiting for their younger daughter. 

A student of Guntur Medical College, Manisha went to the US for higher studies and was reportedly residing in Tennessee. She was even listed as one of the resident physicians of the Department of Internal Medicine, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, according to reports.

Another relative of Manisha, Avinash Yaganti, tweeted to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj that her parents were in Nairobi waiting to receive the body. In response, the minister said Indian high commission had been asked to provide the family all help and assistance.

Venkateswara Rao, a realtor by profession, is a resident of Navbharat Nagar in Guntur and left for Kenya with his wife a month ago. Manisha was among the four Indians who died after the Boeing plane crashed in a field sixty kilometres from Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, the airline said it had teamed up with all stakeholders for identification of all the victims.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A day before meeting the Speaker in response to a notice, the four Congress rebels sought legal opinion on Monday. Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar had served a notice and asked the four MLAs  Umesh Jadhav (who has quit the party and since joined BJP), Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumtalli and B Nagendra  to appear before him on Tuesday.

The notice comes following a petition filed by Congress leader Siddaramaiah to disqualify all the four. Jadhav resigned as Chincholi MLA, four days ago, but his resignation has still not been accepted by the Speaker. The Speaker is expected to inquire into issues raised against them by Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiahs case against the rebels is that they did not present themselves when summoned for the Congress Legislature Party. They had, however, sent a letter excusing themselves. When a senior parliamentarian was asked about what could happen on Tuesday, he said on the condition of anonymity, The Speaker will have to hear them exhaustively. The Speaker could post the matter to another date if needed and give them time.A former minister said, They could seek the services of an advocate during the hearing in the Speakers chamber. It is up to the Speaker to allow that.
URUMQI, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Senior diplomats from seven countries and an international organization visited Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Feb. 28 to March 2 at the invitation of the regional government.

During the trip, the diplomats from Myanmar, Algeria, Morocco, Vietnam, Hungary, Greece, Singapore and the mission of the League of Arab States in China, visited various places across the region and interacted extensively with local residents.

They said they were impressed by Xinjiang's openness, inclusiveness, ethnic unity, as well as its achievements in improving people's livelihoods.

The trip offered a lot of insights into the region, said Mahmoud Hassan Elamin, head of the Mission of League of Arab States in China, adding that the mode of development here is aimed at allowing everyone in the region to enjoy the benefits of the development in an equitable manner.

At the Grand Bazaar in the regional capital Urumqi, Aziz Mekouar, Morocco ambassador to China, said that he felt at home.

With similar shops and commodities, it is as if they were in Marrakech of Morocco, the ambassador said, noting that it shows that Xinjiang is a passage linking Europe and Asia and the cultures of commerce are connected.

After visiting a number of local communities and high-tech companies, Pham Thanh Binh, deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Vietnam in China, said local people of various ethnic groups enjoyed the equal benefits of social welfare and social harmony and stability.

This speaks volume that Chinese government's policies in regions of ethnic minorities are effective, the Vietnamese diplomat said.

At the Xinjiang International Convention & Exhibition Center, the diplomats watched an exhibition on major terrorist cases in the region.

No religion or moral codes would allow such despicable acts, said Elamin. He said he believed the Chinese government has the right to use all means necessary to combat violent terrorist crimes.

Elamin added that he was pleased to hear that no violent terrorist activities had happened in Xinjiang for over two years.

In recent years, Xinjiang has focused on the prevention of terrorism by striking at the root and source of the problems. It aims to forestall terrorist attacks by providing a platform to the people who have been influenced by extremist thoughts and committed minor crimes so that they can transform their thoughts, learn the Mandarin language, boost legal awareness and master vocational skills.

At a vocational education and training center in Kashgar, the senior diplomats and their spouses spoke with students who were attending a law class.

Myanmar ambassador to China Thit Linn Ohn said the teaching facilities were complete and better than expected. Through interaction with the students, he said he could tell they were having a good time in the center.

Terrorism is the common enemy of the world, the Myanmar ambassador said, adding they support China in choosing the most effective way it deems to counter terrorism.
By Express News Service

UDUPI: A 17-year-old girl of Nittur has been found murdered. Her body was found near a forest area near Sagri, Udupi on Sunday. It is suspected to be a case of rape and murder. The incident came to light when a local woman went to collect firewood in Sagri on Sunday and saw the body lying in the woods. She informed the neighbours, who informed cops.

Manipal police immediately arrived at the spot and cordoned off the area. Sources in Manipal police station told The New Indian Express that the girl was found semi-naked at the spot and preliminary investigation revealed she was raped and strangled to death. The victim hailed from Uttara Kannada region and her parents are daily wage labourers. Her family have lived in Udupi for the last 15 years.

The victim was working in a shop in Udupi and was missing since March 9. Police sources added that several suspects have been questioned and four teams of police have been formed to nab the culprits at the earliest. No arrests have been made.

Udupi SP Nisha James told TNIE that a case has been registered invoking sections 302 and 376 A of IPC and various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been added to the FIR. We are waiting for the forensic lab report to confirm the sexual assault on the victim, she said. Manipal police have registered a case and investigations are on.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday directed the political parties not to use polyvinyl chloride flex, hoarding and banners for election campaign and asked them to strictly follow the guidelines of the Election Commission of India.

ECI had directed to use eco-friendly campaign material during the election and there was no need for PVC flex boards and other such non-bio-degradable materials for the campaign in the state. The ECI had also held all political parties should take adequate steps and measures not to use single-use plastic as campaign materials (posters and banners) during the elections.

State not taking effective steps to curb flex menace, says HC

The Bench headed by the Chief Justice issued the order on the petition filed by B S Syamkumar of Attingal seeking a directive to ensure only eco-friendly materials are used for the purpose of advertisement and during the election campaigning.

According to him, the state is not taking effective steps to prohibit the manufacture, storage, sale and use of PVC flex. PVC flex is the most environmentally hazardous consumer material and it is a nonbiodegradable material. The petitioner pointed to the order of the National Green Tribunal directing the governments to pass orders in relation to ban on short-life PVC and chlorinated plastics as expeditiously as possible.

Representing the Election Commission of India, Murali Purushothaman produced the copy of the communication issued on February 26 directing all the political parties to make the forthcoming election eco-friendly and opt for the elimination of single-use plastic materials in the election campaign. The Election Commission made the suggestion in the interest of human health and the environment.

The court also pointed to the order of another bench directing to remove unauthorised PVC flex boards within the limits of various local authorities in the state. The ECI also handed over the communication sent by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change. It stated a lot of campaigning material, including posters, cutouts, hoardings, banners and political advertisements was made of plastic. After the elections, the campaigning materials were discarded.

Such single-use plastic waste generated during campaigning are not collected and causes choking of drains and river systems, ingestion by stray animals, land and water pollution. Open air burning leads to adverse impact on human health and the environment. The ministry had also suggested promoting the use of compostable plastics, natural plastics and recycled material which have a lesser environmental impact.

The petitioner also sought a directive to the state government to implement the ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, import, use and sale of PVC flex in the state. The use of PVC flex boards will be in negation of the Environment (Protection ) Act as well as the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016.
By Express News Service

CUTTACK: The high profile Mahanga Assembly constituency may witness a battle among new faces in the ensuing polls. Speculations are rife that both BJP and Congress are going to nominate new candidates from the seat, and the BJD too is likely to take the same route and change its candidate. The seat has been held by BJD since 2000 and represented by senior leaders like former Speaker Sarat Kar in 2000 and Bikram Keshari Burma in 2004. Sitting MLA and Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena has been returned from the constituency twice consecutively from 2009.

In 2014, Jena had defeated independent candidate Sarada Prasad Pradhan by a margin of 27,874 votes. The senior BJD leader had polled 89,531 votes against Pradhans 61,657. Congress leader and former minister Sk Matlub Ali came third with 22,297 votes while BJP nominee Samir Kumar Samal polled a meagre 3,572 votes.

However, the political equations in the seat have changed drastically since 2014. In BJD, Jena is not going to have it easy as opposition to him within the party has been playing out in the open. Coupled with anti-incumbency, allegations of corruption in developmental works have queered the pitch for him. While the BJP and Congress have charged the BJD of facilitating percentage commission (PC) in developmental works, senior BJD leader and former MLA Burma too has joined the bandwagon. Burma had accused Jena of taking bribe from contractors.

With Burma and president of Cuttack BJD Scheduled Caste Cell Harekrushna Behera applying for party ticket, the fight is set to get tougher for the incumbent legislator. Stating that residents of Mahanga are desirous of a change, Burma said he is hopeful that party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would once again give him a chance. Jena, on his part, appeared circumspect and stated the party chief will take a call on the issue.

Meanwhile, the BJP has been considerably strengthened after bringing Pradhan, who gave a tough fight to Jena in 2014, into its fold. Pradhan is hopeful of getting the party ticket in the upcoming elections. However, Choudhury Pravat Keshari Mishra, who had unsuccessfully contested in 2009, is also eying the ticket. Both Pradhan and Mishra, though, claimed that they would work for the party even if they are not given the opportunity to contest the polls.

On the other hand in Congress, after Matlub Ali expressed his desire not to contest the 2019 polls, State Private Bus Owners Association secretary Debendra Sahu has emerged as the new face for the party.

Sahu, once a close associate of Ali, had quit active politics in 2000 but has returned. He can now be seen actively organising Congress workers and monitoring party affairs in the constituency.
By Online Desk

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday slammed the mainstream media for not covering the Pollachi sex scandal as they did with the case of Nirbhaya, who was brutally raped by a group of men on the streets of Delhi in 2012.

ALSO READ: Four new videos, second victim emerge in Pollachi sex abuse case

The HC judges expressed their opinion on the media's role while hearing a case related to the handling of relief material to those affected by the Gaja storm.

The judges said that national media houses do not pay enough attention to grievous crimes in rural areas. They also opined that the mainstream media "deliberately avoids" Tamil Nadu.

When the Nirbhaya rape took place, local and national media houses covered it meticulously, the judges said, recalling how some TV journalists stood outside the hospital for days to cover every bit of the event unfolding.

On 26th February, a gang of four members was arrested for sexually abusing a 19-year-old woman near Pollachi. The police suspect that more than 50 women were abused by these men over a period of seven years. The gang allegedly recorded videos of the sexual acts and used them to silence the victims and extort money.

The Coimbatore district police had on Monday recovered four such videos recorded by the accused. The cops identified another victim by scanning the videos, district SP R Pandiyarajan said. Unless the woman, who is married, comes forward to lodge a complaint, we can do nothing, he said.
Anjali R Nair By

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: With the Pollachi sexual abuse scandal getting bigger and murkier, the State government has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation requesting it to take up the case.

The decision came on Tuesday, hours after the case was handed over to the CB-CID and the four accused were booked under the controversial Goondas Act.

"The State government has decided to hand over the case to CBI. The CB-CID will inquire the case till the CBI takes over," DGP TK Rajendran said in Chennai on Tuesday.

The decision seems to have been prompted by public outrage that poured out on roads and across social media.

Political leaders, cutting across party lines, have also demanded stringent investigation and action.

Mother of K Thirunavukkarasu, one of the accused, was surrounded by a mob when she came to the court for his bail hearing.

The bail petition was rejected by the court.

"Detaining the accused under Goondas Act might encourage other victims to come forward and file complaints," a senior police official told Express.

While police suspect that over 50 women could have fallen prey to the gang, only a 19-year-old has come forward, so far, to lodge a complaint.

"We have been trying to include another victim, whom we identified from the assault videos, in the complaint. We are not sure if they will cooperate" said the police official.

Meanwhile, the victim's brother and uncle met District Collector K Rajamani and requested that the issue not be politicised.

They submitted a petition, allegedly written by the victim, claiming that local MLA and deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman was being "defamed on social media with ulterior political motives".

The decision to seek CBI inquiry into the Pollachi sex abuse case triggered another round of political mud-slinging. While PMK and AMMK urged the State government to hand over the case to CBI, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan raised suspicion over the "hasty decision".

He demanded a court-monitored probe into the case rather than a CBI probe. DMK MP Kanimozhi, meanwhile, was detained for staging a protest over the issue in Pollachi, without police permission.

Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman, whose name has been dragged into the case by political opponents, addressed the media for the second time in two days.

ALSO READ: Pollachi sex scandal: Madras HC says mainstream media 'deliberately avoids' Tamil Nadu

He filed a petition with the Chief Electoral Officer on Tuesday and claimed that the opposition parties were making false allegations against him and his family.

"The DMK is unleashing canards for political gains," Jayaraman said.

"The victim released an audio clip and her brother released a video clip saying that I have been supporting them. Till now, the DMK has not given any evidence to prove that my son or my family are involved in the case," he said.

A petition submitted to the District Collector, purportedly written by the victim, claims the investigation was proceeding on the right path.

"Using my name and the incident of atrocity for political gains must not be allowed," read the petition, which goes on to say that Jayaraman, who is also the local MLA, helped her dad approach the police.

"My family and I met the MLA on February 24, seeking help in reporting the crime. He spoke to the DSP and asked for stringent action to be taken. He also asked the police to give proper protection to my family," the petition read.

Pollachi rape case: Law college students stage protest

TIRUNELVELI: Boycotting their classes, the students of Government Law College, Tirunelveli, on Thursday, staged a protest demanding severe punishment to those involved in the Pollachi rape.

They demanded severe punishment to those involved. They also urged the State government to grill the suspects to find out if any politician is involved in the assault.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed MV Tug Mutha Gem and Barge Mutha Pearl, which is presently operating at the Udankudi project in Kallamozhi coastal village in Thoothukudi, to deposit Rs 50 lakh to the credit of the court and sail away. Justice S Vaidyanathan gave a direction to this effect on March 6 while disposing of an application arising out of a civil suit from Raja Pushpam and her husband John Raj, to order arrest of the ship.

According to the petitioners, their son Sam David Raja (21) was employed as an Able Seaman in the ship and died in an unforeseen circumstance. The law of the Republic of Singapore is the governing one with respect to the employment of the deceased Raja, wherein the vessel owner has to pay Rs 50 lakh towards compensation, they contended.

The vessel is likely to sail and the owners are trying to pay lesser compensation in terms of the Indian Employees Compensation Act and not per the Work Injury Compensation Act, which is currently in force in the Republic of Singapore. The judge, taking note of the rules, said that it is open to the vessel owners to deposit `50 lakh into the credit of the Registrar-General and sail thereafter.
By PTI

KATHMANDU: Expressing concern over the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, Nepal on Wednesday said that as the current Chair of SAARC it underlines the importance of peace and stability in South Asia and calls on both sides not to engage in actions that would threaten security in the region.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement said the Nepal government is concerned about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack on February on February 14.

ALSO READ | Two IAF jets shot down, claims Pakistan, India refutes

It may be recalled that Nepal immediately condemned the heinous terrorist act, noted the Foreign Ministry.

As the current Chair of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), Nepal, while underlining the importance of peace and stability in South Asia, calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint and not engage in actions that would threaten peace and security in the region," it said.

Nepal government has also called both the countries to seek solution through dialogue and peaceful means in order to ease tension and normalise the situation.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 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 India.

Following the incident, India bombed and destroyed JeM's biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control (LoC) early Tuesday, killing a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
By AFP

SYDNEY: Australia on Tuesday barred Boeing 737 MAX planes from its airspace, joining a host of countries which have blocked the model after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash at the weekend.

ALSO READ | Six members of NRI family killed in Ethiopian plane crash had roots in Gujarat

"This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia," Shane Carmody, CEO of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, said in a statement.

READ | Ethiopian Airlines crash: List of nations grounding their Boeing 737s

"CASA regrets any inconvenience to passengers but believes it is important to always put safety first."

Fiji Airlines is the only 737 MAX operator affected by the Australian ban, according to CASA. Singapore-based SilkAir used the planes for flights to Australia, but those were already suspended after the city-state barred the model from its airspace.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: Despite a wave of countries grounding the Boeing aircraft involved in another deadly crash, US authorities on Tuesday said it would not make any decision until it has more evidence.

Britain on Tuesday joined four other countries in banning the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane from its airspace, and airlines in several other nations pulled the aircraft as they await the results of the investigation into the crash that killed 157 people in Ethiopia, the second accident involving that model in five months.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has a team in Ethiopia working on the investigation, but said there are "No updates so far".

"We continue to be involved in the accident investigation and will make decisions on any further steps based on the evidence," FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford told AFP in an email.

In a statement Monday, the FAA said it would "take immediate and appropriate action," if it found any issues that affect safety.

ALSO READ | Ethiopian Airlines crash: List of nations grounding their Boeing 737s

A Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.

Boeing chief Dennis Muilenburg lamented the latest tragedy, but had no doubts about the safety of the plane.

"We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX," he said in an email to Boeing workers.

"Speculating about the cause of the accident or discussing it without all the necessary facts is not appropriate and could compromise the integrity of the investigation," he said.

In the wake of the Lion Air crash, the FAA ordered Boeing to update its manual and training requirements, and complete "flight control enhancements" no later than April to reduce "reliance on procedures associated with required pilot memory items."
By Associated Press

ALPHONSE ISLAND: A British-led scientific mission to document changes taking place beneath the Indian Ocean has broadcast its first live, television-quality video transmission from a two-person submersible.

Monsoon storms and fierce underwater currents continued to present a challenge at greater depths as scientific work began in earnest on Tuesday off the Seychelles.

The Associated Press has successfully broadcast the first multi-camera live signal in full broadcast quality from manned submersibles using optical video transmission techniques, in which the pictures transmit through the waves using the blue region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

An image taken from

video issued by Nekton shows two submersibles from the vessel the Ocean Zephyr during a descent into the Indian Ocean off Alphonse Atoll near Seychelles, Tuesday March 12, 2019. (Photo | AP)



Previous real-time video transmissions from the world's deep oceans were livestreams sent from remotely operated unmanned subsea vehicles, with the video moving via fixed fiber optic cable.

The first transmission came from 60 meters (200 feet) down. Previous deep-sea livestreams cataloguing the world's oceans have been via fiber-optic cable. The new broadcast uses cutting-edge wireless technology, sending video optically through the waves.

The Associated Press is the only news agency working with British scientists from the Nekton research team on its deep-sea mission that aims to unlock the secrets of the Indian Ocean, one of the world's least explored areas.

The multi-national team of scientists is gathering data to help policy-makers frame protection and conservation measures.

An image taken from video issued by Nekton shows two submersibles from the vessel the Ocean Zephyr during a descent into the Indian Ocean off Alphonse Atoll near the Seychelles , Tuesday March 12, 2019. (Photo | AP)

Nekton Mission director Oliver Steeds said the experience battling the waves underlines the need to expand scientific knowledge of the waters off the island nation, which the team is there to do.

"The problem is, when it comes to this place, when it came to the currents, the last current data that was gathered before we came here was in 1882," he said. "It's part of the challenge. This is exploration."

AP video coverage will include exploring the depths of up to 300 meters off the Seychelles in two-person submarines, the search for submerged mountain ranges and previously undiscovered marine life, a behind-the-scenes look at life on board, interviews with researchers and aerial footage of the mission. The seven-week expedition is expected to run until April 19.
Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivers a work report of the Supreme People's Court at a plenary meeting of the NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 12, 2019. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Nationwide 33,000 people were last year convicted of taking bribes or duty dereliction, a report published Tuesday said.

Among them were 18 officials at or above ministerial level, including Sun Zhengcai.

Sun, former Chongqing Party chief and former member of the Political Bureau of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes of over 170 million yuan ($26.7 million) on May 8, 2018.

Another 2,466 people were convicted of offering bribes last year, according to the annual work report of the Supreme Peoples Court.

The report is under review at the ongoing session of the National Peoples Congress, the countrys top legislature.

The top court also issued an announcement together with the National Commission of Supervision to push corrupt fugitives to return to China to face justice, the report said.
By AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines may be sold or shut down, Malaysia's leader said Tuesday, the latest bad news for a carrier that has been in crisis since suffering the loss of two planes.

The 71-year-old airline has been on the ropes since 2014 when Flight MH370 disappeared and MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile over war-torn Ukraine.

With the carrier teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, sovereign wealth fund Khazanah stepped in to take it over several years ago and major reforms were instituted, including cutting thousands of staff.

But it has continued to fare poorly and its performance was blamed in large part for a set of poor financial results released by Khazanah last week.

Responding to questions about the airline's future, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in parliament: "I think it is a very serious matter, to shut down the national airline.

"We will nevertheless be studying and investigating as to whether we should shut it down or we should sell it off or we should refinance it."

Official news agency Bernama reported that Khazanah last week posted a pre-tax loss of 6.3 billion ringgit ($1.54 billion) for 2018, compared with a pre-tax profit of 2.9 billion ringgit the year before.

Mahathir, 93 and in his second stint as premier, is seeking to reduce a mammoth national debt inherited from the previous, corruption-plagued regime.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement it had been "working closely" with Khazanah on the next phase of its turnaround plan since September.

The disappearance of Flight MH370, which was carrying 239 people, remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries, and successive searches have failed to find the plane.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Seeking to downplay global pressure on Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Tuesday told his German counterpart Heiko Maas that Islamabad was acting against terror groups under a national plan formulated after a horrific terror attack in Peshawar in 2014.

Qureshi's statement comes at a time when the international community, especially the US, alarmed by the India-Pakistan tensions after the Pulwama terror attack, is pressing Pakistan to take "sustained and irreversible" actions against all terror groups operating on its soil with impunity.

The Pulwama terror attack by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

"Fighting terrorism is a global and regional challenge and Pakistan has taken a lot of action, political steps to eradicate this menace.

"The evolution of National Action Plan (NAP) and the horrific incident of Army Public School was a watershed moment for us, Qureshi said at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas.

ALSO READ | India, US hold talks, ask Pakistan to take 'concerted action' to dismantle terror groups

"Pakistan is taking steps to deal with extremism in consultation with the political leadership," Qureshi said.

The NAP to combat terrorism was formulated after the terror attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed nearly 150 people, mostly students.

"If there are human rights violations, then there will be a reaction and that reaction, at times, is difficult to contain," Qureshi was quoted as saying by Dawn news.

He reiterated Pakistan's stance that "dialogue was the only way forward".

The German foreign minister suggested that negotiations be held for de-escalation in tensions between Pakistan and India and for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Maas also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan at the PM House.

Quoting sources, Geo News reported that the prime minister and German foreign minister discussed Pak-India tension and the peace overtures made by Pakistan.

ALSO READ | China will not take sides in India-Pakistan dispute, says state media

The two leaders also discussed Pak-German relations and the security situation in the region, it said.

Amid mounting outrage in India over the Pulwama terror attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured Indian pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1.

The ongoing peace process in Afghanistan also came under discussion during the meeting of the two foriegn ministers.

Maas lauded Pakistan's efforts to arrange talks between the United States and Afghan Taliban so the parties could find a solution to a 17-year-old conflict.
By IANS

NEW YORK: US intelligence agents laid a cyber trail all the way to a fake terror camp in Pakistan, mastered idioms and style of Islamic terrorists giving a convincing portrayal of jihadis in a bid to infiltrate a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) recruitment ring.

The strategy led to the arrest of an American teenager, who was at the centre of an alleged conspiracy to recruit fighters for the Pakistan-based LeT, and a suspected co-conspirator, who was stopped on his way to join the terrorist group.

The transcripts of their cyber interactions in court documents give chilling insights into the raging hate of the world of jihadis.

It is a quintessential case which shows a disturbing trend that with the collapse of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, Pakistan-based terror organisations operating against India may become an attractive alternative for aspiring jihadis.

Michael Kyle Sewell, the teenaged recruiter, told Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 29, whom he was guiding that "he should not join the IS because IS had no territory", instead he suggested the "LeT and the Taliban" as "worth joining".

The "LeT was a well-funded group in Pakistan operating in Kashmir, Afghanistan and India", is what he said according to court filings. Both men were arrested in February and now face trial on terrorism-related charges.

Documents filed in federal courts in two separate cases, one against Sewell in Dallas, and another against Encarnacion in New York, include expletive-filled accounts of interactions between the alleged terrorists and the undercover operatives that give a peek into terrorism networks.

The document says that the ring they infilitrated was made up of nine people who operated through "a group chat for American Jihadis" on social media.

At one point, according to the transcripts of interactions, the FBI employee takes a swipe at President Donald Trump to build their terrorist credentials writing, "US all infidels. With the king Trump."

He also boasts, "We strike the heart of India. ... You hear the Mumbai attack"? - a reference to the 2008 attack that killed 163 people. The transcripts portray Sewell and Encarnacion as blood-thirsty persons motivated by blind hatred, not only against Hindus but also moderate Muslims.

The transcripts don't reveal much about the lives of Sewell and Encarnacion, other than that Encarnacion lived in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood and said he was from a family from the Dominican Republic, and Sewell was a native-born American.

In November last year, Encarnacion wrote to the undercover employee, "You guys are against India. I read up on ya. You are beefing with India over Muslim land.

"I (expletive) hate Hindus. They can go to hell and I'm going to help you," according to the document. He added, "Will I live in Pakistan? I want to fight. I want to execute. I want to behead".

Forensic scientist Malini Subramanyam wrote in the Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal in 2018 that some, who become terrorists were "in search of an identity ... seeking a sense of purpose and self-worth."

The two seem to fit this profile. Encarnacion, who used the screen name "Jihadistsoldgier", introduced himself to the jihadi group saying, "I want to fight till death alongside the Islamic State. ... I'm a lone wolf looking for a family I can strike the crusaders. ... I want to be part of a family willing to kill not afraid of death", according to Yockel's affidavit.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: An India-based call centre and three individuals, including two Indians, on Tuesday were indicted by a US court for their alleged involvement in a tele-fraud scheme targeting Americans.

The scheme led victims to believe that they owed taxes and fees to the US' Internal Revenue Service (IRS), federal authorities said.

Mohit Devendrabhai Sharma and Kunal Jagdishbhai Sharma, both of whom are Indians, Julliette Belle Carter and a call centre named Skyz International Outsourcing BPO were involved in a transnational criminal organisation that victimised US residents through the sophisticated international telephone scheme, they said.

The call centre is based in Gujarat.

While Carter was arrested in Canada pursuant to an extradition request, two other Indian defendants and the call centre in India were also charged for their alleged involvement in the fraud.

The indictment charges them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

"Using lists of US residents' personal identifiable information, co-conspirators allegedly called potential victims while impersonating officials from the Internal Revenue Service," federal prosecutors said.

The callers would threaten potential victims with prosecution or arrest if they did not pay alleged tax debts immediately.

After the victims agreed to pay, the callers would instruct the victims to send the money electronically using banks or money transmitters, such as MoneyGram, to the gang members.

According to J Russell George, Inspector General for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), IRS impersonation scams in US have claimed over 15,000 victims who have lost more than USD 74 million to fraudsters.
By Associated Press

TAIPEI: A US envoy on religion has described China's internment of an estimated 1 million Muslims as a "horrific situation."

Sam Brownback, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into the detentions and the release of those being held.

China has already angrily protested Brownback's remarks last week in Hong Kong criticising Beijing's polices on religious minorities and accusing the country of being "at war with faith."

China at first denied the existence of the internment camps in the far northwestern region of Xinjiang, but now says they are vocational training facilities.

In a telephone news conference with journalists, Brownback appeared undeterred by Beijing's ire, describing China's explanations as "completely unsatisfactory answers."

China is listed by the US among the worst violators of religious freedom.
By PTI

PARIS: The US warned Tuesday it was considering a complaint at the World Trade Organization over "discriminatory" new taxes on American digital giants such as a Facebook and Google planned by France and other EU nations.

"We think the whole theoretical basis of digital service taxes is ill-conceived and the effect is highly discriminatory against US-based multinationals," Chip Harter, a Treasury official and US delegate for global tax talks, said in Paris.

Speaking ahead of two days of talks on the issue in Paris, Harter added that "various parts of our government are studying whether that discriminatory impact would give us rights under trade agreements and WTO treaties."

"We would very much hope to avoid it, and we are monitoring developments here, and we will have to just see how events unfold in terms of both what is adopted by different countries, and how much progress is being made at the OECD," he added.

The Paris-based OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) is trying to forge a new global agreement on taxing technology and digital giants which often declare their income in low-tax jurisdictions, depriving other countries of billions in revenue.

That overhaul is expected next year at the earliest, assuming a consensus can be reached among the 127 countries taking part in the talks.

Last week, France unveiled draft legislation that would set a 3.0-percent levy on digital advertising, the sale of personal data and other revenue for tech groups with more than 750 million euros (USD 844 million) in worldwide revenue.

Nicknamed the "GAFA" tax -- for Google, Apple, Facebook and Apple -- it would be applied retroactively from January 1, 2019.

Similar measures are under consideration in Britain, Spain, Austria and Italy as governments look to respond to voter anger over multinationals paying minimal taxes.

"We do understand there's political pressure around the world to tax various international businesses more heavily, and we actually agreed that that is appropriate," Harter told journalists.

"But we think it should be done on a broader basis than just selecting a particular industry," he said.

"We're trying very hard to maintain a very positive attitude for making progress at the OECD."

France is in a vanguard of countries planning its own digital tax after efforts to introduce an EU-wide levy failed because of objections from low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland.

There were also fears that the move could worsen trade tensions with the United States and President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Europe with trade tariffs.

Germany in particular was worried about the danger of provoking Trump, whose threats to impose tariffs on EU carmakers would hammer a key German export industry.

About 30 companies from the US, China, Germany, Spain and Britain as well as France are set to be affected by the new French tax if it passes parliament.

Asked about a potential WTO complaint by Washington, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday that France "decides its tax policies freely and independently.

"In no way does it call into question the bill that will be debated in parliament starting on April 4," he said in Brussels.

US officials have said they support the multilateral tax overhaul being spearheaded by the OECD, which could ressemble a proposal to set a minimum tax of 10 to 13 percent for companies in the US.

That would give nations a bigger cut from multinationals' by limiting the attractiveness of offshore havens and low-tax regimes.

But Harter said Tuesday that unilateral action like France's would only make it harder to secure a comprehensive deal.

"A DST (digital services tax) simply is so narrow that it doesn't address the fundamental issues facing the international tax system," he said.

"The challenges are just far broader than how to tax social media and search engines," he added.

"Our hope is that rapid progress at the OECD combined with a committment that an OECD deal would supplant any unilateral actions may get us to where we need to be."
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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).
Melbourne, March 11 (Peoples Daily Online/ Shengyin Li) - An unidentified man has died after being shot on Springvale Road in Melbourne, Australia on March 10. The Springvale victim is the fifth man to have died from gunfire in Melbourne over a period of 10 days.

Ambulance crews were called to Springvale Road around 11.50 pm after locals reported a single gunshot, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the shooting at a property in Melbourne suburb Dandenong around 11.20 am on March 11.

Victoria Police believe the suspect and victim knew each other, and have confirmed that there is no further threat to the community.

Investigators can confirm the Springvale shooting is not related to the three previous attacks in early March which caused four fatal deaths in three different suburbs of Melbourne - Kensington, Meadow Heights, and Dandenong.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Frewen stressed that Victorian police had placed many police resources from Homicide, Organised Crime, and Serious Crime divisions on each of the investigations.

Frewen also expressed concerns about the number of firearms in the Melbourne community.
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Miss Leung hopes to raise awareness about conservation and prevent animals from landing on the endangered species list.

Interns Alice Leung (left) and Mr Ma teach secondary school students how to carry out ecological surveys near their schools.

Intern Calvin Ma says he gained a broader perspective on conservation after joining the programme.

Programme participants learn about a panda keepers daily duties by preparing snacks for the animals in Ocean Park.

The Home Affairs Bureau and Ocean Park are recruiting for the Youth Internship Programme at the Wolong National Nature Reserve. Participants will take up a six-week internship in Sichuan, receiving training in nature conservation and ecotourism.

Calvin Ma, an Ecology & Biodiversity student at the University of Hong Kong, and Alice Leung who is studying Biological Science at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, both spent their last summer holiday participating in the programme.

Before heading off to Sichuan, they visited the giant pandas at Ocean Park and learnt about a panda keepers daily duties, including making breakfast for the animals.

We chopped apples and prepared some snacks for the giant pandas. It was quite interesting, Miss Leung said.

Mr Ma was particularly excited about getting up close to a giant panda.

When I saw the condensation from his breath on the glass, I got a sense that a giant pandas body temperature is similar to ours, he said.

Broadening horizons

During his internship in Sichuan, Mr Ma worked alongside the reserves wildlife researchers and helped collect and analyse biological data in the field.

I even lived out in the wild for nearly a week. My main duty was to install infrared cameras to discover and record animal tracks. We followed a fixed route to find out about the biodiversity along that route.

Miss Leung worked as education ambassador and introduced the giant pandas to visitors.

I would ask if they know the weight of a newborn giant panda. Normally no one knows these huge animals give birth to a baby of just 100g, so this would raise their interest and make them want to know more.

Both students believe they gained a broader perspective on conservation after joining the programme. Mr Ma is now considering a career in conservation and environmental education on the Mainland.

The internship programme has given me a more comprehensive view and understanding of conservation work on the Mainland. After going to Wolong, I discovered that different parties contribute a lot to environmental protection and I was also surprised to discover so much biodiversity in the mountainous areas near the city.

For her part, Miss Leung hopes to raise awareness about conservation and prevent animals from landing on the endangered species list.

When I was younger, I did not know how human development makes animals critically endangered. When I was in Wolong, I realised how many resources and how much effort is needed to rebuild a species, so why dont we stop this from happening in the first place instead of fixing it later?

Sharing knowledge

After they returned to Hong Kong, the interns applied what they had learnt from the internship in Sichuan by joining efforts to conserve the natural environment.

They taught secondary school students how to carry out ecological surveys near their schools by using the simple tools of a ruler to measure plants, and a pair of binoculars to observe birds.

We saw several alpine plants in Wolong and learnt how to identify them. Today, I can teach the students how to identify different parts of a plant such as the leaves, stems and roots. I hope they enjoy carrying out ecological surveys so they can find out more about the biodiversity around us, Mr Ma noted.

Young aspiring conservationists can enrol in this summers Youth Internship Programme at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan until March 27.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam today officiated at the Child Development Fund 10th Anniversary Ceremony and reviewed its achievements in the last decade.

Over 800 children, together with their mentors and family members, and representatives of non-governmental organisations and schools attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lam noted the fund has so far launched 193 projects, bringing the cumulative number of participants to over 17,000.

She presented long service awards to volunteer mentors, project operators and supporting organisations in recognition of their continued participation in and support for the funds projects over the past decade.

A graduation ceremony was also held for some 3,300 graduates under the projects. Graduates staged music and magic performances and shared their experience.
The Government has proposed to cap the maximum usage of Elderly Health Care Vouchers on optometry services at $2,000 for every two years.

Holding press conference today, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said the decision was made after a review on the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme.

In the review by the Department of Health, we have noticed the abnormal high amount of usage of this service both in terms of the claim, per claim, in terms of the money and also the total expenses in terms of using this service.

According to the review, there were almost 700 optometrists enrolled in the scheme last year and they claimed $760 million, accounting for 27% of the total voucher amount claimed by all types of healthcare professionals.

The median voucher amount per claim by optometrists last year was $1,951, while each eligible senior was given an annual voucher amount of $2,000.

In the context of hoping the elderly can make better use of their Elderly Health Care Vouchers and not concentrating or over concentrating on one particular service, I think it is appropriate for the Government to look into the situation and thats why we have suggested this cap.

Prof Chan added the Government will monitor the situation after the suggested measure has launched.

The Department of Health will actually have their elderly service outreach team do more education for the elderly as to how they can make better use of the Elderly Health Care Vouchers so that they can actually look into their own situation or health situation.

The Government also proposed to regularise the scheme at the University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, enabling the elderly to keep using vouchers there.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam

Im pleased to say I was here nearly three years ago for the schools foundation-stone-laying ceremony. Its gratifying to be back today to see the vision for this school realised, and so superbly. Bringing together the UK's Malvern College and its more than 150 years of tradition with this stunning, state-of-the-art campus, Malvern College Hong Kong is providing quality education to more than 400 students of different nationalities. I understand the number will rise to 700 in the next academic year.

The speakers before me spoke of Malverns heritage and philosophy, of providing students with a holistic education. I'm delighted to know that the school embraces whole-person development, including leadership training and critical thinking; that Malvern College's students benefit not only from a compelling emphasis on STEM subjects, including coding and robotics workshops, but also sports, art, community service, even a Forest School programme.

As former chairperson of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments International Business Committee, I know the importance of a vibrant international school sector to meet the needs of our large and growing global community. Indeed, Hong Kong is home to Asias largest international school sector, with more than 50 international schools in the city. Malvern College is a welcome addition. Schools such as Malvern College Hong Kong expand our educational horizons and our imagination. More than new schools, they create new ways of thinking for our students, our teachers and down the road, for Hong Kong. They make our city even more attractive to global businesses. In doing so, they affirm our status as Asias world city.

But for a city like Hong Kong where land is in short supply, the Government has to play a facilitating role in growing the international school sector. Thats why we introduced the School Allocation Exercise. It ensures an open and competitive bidding process for vacant school premises and greenfield sites. In fact, this very site was awarded to Malvern College Hong Kong through that same competitive process in 2014, along with sites allocated to the Shrewsbury International School and the French International School Tseung Kwan O Campus. I had the pleasure of officiating at their opening ceremonies last year.

For Malvern College Hong Kong, I would say that this is an extraordinary location, and fits perfectly with the schools dedication to international excellence, particularly in science and mathematics, innovation, technology and creativity. Hong Kong Science Park, the Institute of Biotechnology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Education University are all close by. All, in one way or another, are contributing to Hong Kongs fast-emerging expertise in innovation, technology and creative thinking. Im confident that Malvern College Hong Kong will build continuing connections of all kinds with these institutions. And I have no doubt that the school, its students and Hong Kong will excel deep into this 21st century of opportunity and boundless promises.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the opening ceremony of Malvern College Hong Kong on March 11.
Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (left) tours the Hatch, a social enterprise funded and run by Social Ventures Hong Kong.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau today toured a social enterprise and a training centre for the fashion and textile industry in Kwai Tsing.

Mr Yau first visited the Hatch, a social enterprise funded and run by Social Ventures Hong Kong and learned about its operation and vision.

The Hatch works with local enterprises in rebuilding Made in Hong Kong brands and provides employment opportunities with a family-friendly and flexible working environment for women from grassroots families in the district.

Mr Yau chatted with its employees to learn about their work and praised the Hatch for its innovative business concept that brings social enterprise and industry together.

He then visited the Pro-Act Training & Development Centre (Fashion Textiles).

Mr Yau toured workshops for woven and knitted fabric and fabric inspection and spoke with trainees to learn about the latest technologies in the industry.

He was pleased the centre provides diversified courses to groom talents and said the Government is committed to promoting the fashion industry's development.

Mr Yau also met District Councillors.
Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan is leading a Hong Kong Maritime & Port Board delegation on a visit to Nordic countries and their first stop today was Copenhagen, Denmark.





They visited the Danish Maritime Authority to learn about the latest developments and the way forward for Denmark's maritime industry, and explore collaboration opportunities between the two places.

This was followed by lunch with representatives from the Global Maritime Forum, a Copenhagen-based international not-for-profit foundation dedicated to promoting the global development of the maritime industry.

Mr Chan thanked the forum for hosting its inaugural annual summit in Hong Kong last year, adding that he hoped both sides would continue to work closely in the future.

Joined by the delegation, he also met representatives from Danish Ship Finance and the Danish Maritime Fund to learn about the development of the ship finance industry in Denmark and the Nordic region, and to promote Hong Kong's ship leasing business and other high value-added maritime services.

Mr Chan and the delegation then held a roundtable meeting with the Baltic & International Maritime Council, Danish Shipping and the Danish Shipbrokers Association to discuss global maritime issues and to promote Hong Kong's strengths as an international maritime centre.
Liu Yong teaches the science class for students (Photo/Changjiang Daily)

Jiangxia District Hongdeng Primary School, near Wuhan in Hubei Province, is a rural school with only 109 students. To help the students' scientific talents, a school magician has spent three months building educational robots.

Buying the required materials, designing projects and then welding them into a reality, this magician has created many robots, such as Little King Kong who walks and the Magic Mechanical Arm. The magician behind these amazing designs is Liu Yong, a teacher who has dedicated himself to rural education for more than 10 years.

After graduating in 2003, Liu went on to teach at Chiji Middle School and Hongdeng Primary School in Jiangxia District. Hongdeng Primary School is small in size, with few teachers, but offers many subjects. Liu Yong switched from the job title of art teacher to "general teacher", and his workload doubled.

He has taught mathematics, science, English and art, to name a few. Through many years of interdisciplinary teaching, Liu has enriched his teaching style and gradually turned into a "great magician" in the eyes of his students.

Liu Yong teaches the science class for students (Photo/Changjiang Daily)

Schools in big cities are often equipped with high-level maker classrooms for STEAM education, but limited conditions in rural schools can't satisfy these 21st-century requirements. Creating conditions without conditions, I will do it for the children, Liu said. Liu made his first robot, which stood at over one-meter tall, over the course of three months.

The robot looks goofy, but its joints are movable. Under Liu's operation, the robot can walk around the classroom. More than 100 children in the school have now learned about the robot, as Liu presents the theories and methods of production to his students.

"This robot is a fusion of interdisciplinary knowledge. Designing drawings requires mathematical knowledge and art skills, and programming requires IT knowledge," he noted. He now uses these robots as teaching tools for science classes, creating a maker classroom for rural children.

Besides robotics, Liu also holds painting exhibitions for his students. Student artwork decorates all corners of the school, with different themes for different seasons.

Liu said that he has a persistent focus on rural education and that he is willing to guard the growth of rural children.




Most suburbs in Harare are experiencing serious water woes due to the shortage of water treatment chemicals with the city now pinning hopes on Higherlife Foundation to provide the required foreign currency to purchase chemicals.





Town Clerk Mr Hosiah Chisango confirmed that Harare had run out of liquid and granular aluminium, lime and HTH with only 25 cubic metres of aluminium sulphate in stock.





The Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) says it will approach Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo over the issue.





Harare is also pinning its hopes on Higherlife Foundation, a family foundation of Econet founders Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa whose philanthropic work is anchored around transforming Zimbabwes socio-economic narrative and further develop and pivot Zimbabwe into a middle-income country by 2030.





The organisation was pivotal in fighting a cholera outbreak last year donating $10 million towards the cause.





Sources at Harare Water revealed that a council team led by Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba was close to striking a deal worth more than $100 million with the largest local non-governmental organisation in Zimbabwe after having numerous meetings last week.





During a meeting with Sentosa residents and their councillor, Denford Ngadziore, who were complaining about water problems at Town House, Mayor Gomba revealed that council had made a proposal to Higherlife Foundation which could solve some of the water and sanitation problems faced by the city.





Cllr Ngadziore had highlighted that the water problems in Sentosa had gone for more than 15 years without a resolution.





Plant. Council sources said if the deal pulls through it will enable council to buy three mobile treatment plants, pumps for Morton Jaffray Treatment Plant and the Prince EdwardPlant.





It is understood that the city wants one of the mobile treatment plants to be stationed at Upper Manyame to serve areas such as Glenara, Budiriro, Mufakose, Glen View, Glen Norah, Mufakose and Highfield.





The other plant will be stationed at Gletwyn Dam which is earmarked to supply northern suburbs, most of which have been receiving erratic water supplies like Glen Lorne, Glenwood and Shawasha Hills.





The last one will be at Mazowe Dam earmarked to supply water to Borrowdale, Hatcliffe, Mt Pleasant, Vainona, Avondale and surrounding areas.





Addressing delegates at the City of Harare peer review session at Town House yesterday Eng Chisango said the water situation in Harare remain dire owing to pumping capacity as well as the water sources.





Harare has had several water and sanitation infrastructure projects, but these have not solved the challenges we are facing.





said. Currently, we are implementing a water demand management system because the water is not enough. We had a poor rainy season and demand continues to outstrip supply, hesaid.








and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema and three police detectives to pay an injiva US$5 000 as compensation following his unlawful arrest and detention on false allegations of driving a stolen South African registered car. THE High Court has ordered Home Affairsand Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema and three police detectives to pay an injiva US$5 000 as compensation following his unlawful arrest and detention on false allegations of driving a stolen South African registered car.





Mr Bongani Ncube was driving to Livingstone, Zambia, when he was intercepted by detectives manning the exit gate at the Victoria Falls Border Post.





The cops accused Mr Ncube, who is based in South Africa, of driving a stolen car and using fake vehicle registration papers.





The ruling by Bulawayo High Court Justice Martin Makonese follows an application by Mr Ncube, through his lawyers Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners, citing Detective Constable Artwell Sibanda, Detective Assistant Inspector Felix Tandi, Detective Sergeant Brian Munyanyi and Minister Mathema, as defendants.





Mr Ncube sought to be compensated US$50 000 in damages for wrongful and unlawful deprivation of liberty by the defendants.





However, Justice Makonese, using his discretion, ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiff US$5 000 as quantum of damages including the legal costs he incurred.





In the result it is ordered that the defendants are ordered to pay damages in the sum of US$5 000 jointly and severally, the one paying the other to be absolved together with interest at the prescribed rate, ruled the judge.





Justice Makonese said the arresting officer, Det Const Sibanda, was overzealous and acted irrationally without bothering to first verify the documents.





The first defendant (Det Const Sibanda) acted irrationally and with haste. He failed to execute his duties diligently and as a result recklessly came to a wrong conclusion of the fact that the motor vehicle was suspected to have been stolen. In view of the fact that the plaintiff has been unnecessarily put out of pocket by defendants, he is entitled to a full recovery of his costs on the higher scale, he said.





Justice Makonese said the arrest of Mr Ncube and the subsequent impounding of his car, a Hyundai 1X35, was triggered by mere suspicion.





The authenticity of the documents of the car, which Mr Ncube bought through hire purchase, was verified through an email from his bank in South Africa.





According court papers, on April 4 in 2017, Mr Ncube, in the company of his brother Ndodana, arrived at the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia in Victoria Falls enroute to Zambia driving his car.





Upon completing immigration formalities, they proceeded to the exit gate of the border where they were intercepted by two police officers manning the gate.





They informed Mr Ncube that his car registration papers were not genuine and ordered him to drive the car to Victoria Falls Police Station where they impounded the car and detained him.





On the following day, Mr Ncubes car was released after he was told that it had been cleared with Interpol.





In his summons, Mr Ncube argued that the defendants violated his constitutional right to personal liberty when they arrested him on false allegations of car theft.




A Buddha statue in the Yungang Grottoes (Photo/Chinanews.com)

The Yunggang Grottoes, located 16 kilometers west of Datong, north Chinas Shanxi Province, recently opened a global competition to design a new official logo, according to the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, Chinanews.com reported on March 12.

With more than 51,000 Buddhist statues of various sizes in 45 existing grottoes, the Yungang Grottoes is one of Chinas largest grotto groups. It was included into the World Cultural Heritage list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2001.

In order to better carry forward the culture and art in Yungang Grottoes, and to further raise the area's profile and influence, the tourism management committee of Yungang Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes Research Institute decided to ask the global community for official logo ideas for the Yungang Grottoes, read the announcement.

Talented designers and people with creativity, copywriting experience, and graphic design experience are all welcome to take part in the contest, it continued.

The competition requires that the logo should convey the distinctive features of the Yungang Grottoes creatively. The winning design will be used for a variety of occasions in a number of locations.

The worldwide contest will start on March 15 and end on Dec. 31, according to the announcement, noting that the competition will consist of three phases: the preliminary screening, selection, and final evaluation.

Ten pieces will be selected for the final evaluation, from which one will become the new logo, while the other nine will be recognized as outstanding works.

The first prize winner will also receive a monetary reward of 10,000 yuan (about $1,489.27) and a certificate of achievement, and the creators of the remaining nine outstanding works will each receive 2,000 yuan and a certificate of achievement.
Courtesy Rise RecordsOf Mice & Men vocalist/bassist Aaron Pauley is out of the hospital following an unspecified health scare Monday.

On Monday night, the band canceled their show in Hartford, Connecticut after announcing that Pauley was "currently at the hospital and undergoing some testing."

"After a bit of a scare earlier, I'm currently at the hospital being evaluated, per the EMT's direction," Pauley tweeted.

Early Tuesday morning, Pauley revealed that he'd been discharged from the hospital and is "cleared to perform."

"Thank you everyone for the well wishes," he added. "This was one of the scariest days of my life." The musician did not reveal the exact nature of what landed him in the hospital.

Of Mice & Men is currently touring with Nothing More. The band dropped a new song called "How to Survive" in February.

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This year's Two Sessions is set to go down in history from a technological perspective, with 5G making headlines for the first time.

5G has achieved full coverage in Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, the official press center, and many hotels where NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members are staying during the annual sessions. 5G is also available within China's state media including People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Media Group.

Using 5G, reporters are able to transfer photos and videos at super-fast speeds and broadcast live in high-definition. It also provides NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members with a faster and smarter online working environment.

5G, meaning the 5th generation of wireless technology, is one of the fastest technologies the world has ever seen. Upload speeds can reach up to 200 Mbps (million bits per second) and download speeds can reach 2.6 Gbps (billion bits per second), which means it would only take you 3 seconds to download a 1GB HD movie.

The 5G-enabled Two Sessions signals China is moving forwards into the 5G era. According to Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, China will grant temporary 5G licenses this year. These will be allocated in a number of cities to enable the large-scale construction of 5G networks in key regions.

In the dawn of the 5G era, China is leading the way. Theoretically 66 times faster than current WiFi networks, 5G networks are expected to boost economic development and present great opportunities for the nation and for the world.
A conference was held in Toronto, Canada on March 11 to help Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) study the Vietnamese market with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) effective.

Addressing the event, themed CPTPP: Vietnam, Canadian Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion Mary Ng affirmed the significance of the relationship between Canada and Vietnam, two members of the CPTPP, as well as the position of Vietnam as the largest trade partner of Canada in ASEAN.

The minister held that the Vietnam-Canada partnership is strong, expressing her hope to connect businesses of the two sides to promote two-way trade.

She said the Canadian side can fund its enterprises activities to research the market and join trade fairs to seek business opportunities in Vietnam.

Statistics showed that in 2018, Canada exported 1.02 billion CAD worth of goods to Vietnam, while importing 5.38 billion CAD worth of commodities from the country.

Jay Allen, deputy head of CPTPP negotiation team of Canada, highlighted the strengths of the Vietnamese market, including the strategic position in Southeast Asia, young population, and high GDP growth of more than 6 percent annually since 2014.

Allen said cooperation opportunities between the two countries are abundant in agriculture, aquatic farming, infrastructure, green technology and ICT.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang, Director of the Canada-Vietnam Trade Council, said since the CPTPP was ratified, Canadian firms have paid greater attention to Vietnam.

She revealed that the council will introduce the Vietnamese market to Canadian businesses through the organisation of and participation in events, while also helping delegations study the Vietnamese market.

Canada is the only country in the G7 that shares trade agreements with all members of the group.

The Canadian business community is interested in various Vietnamese products, especially farm produce such as pork, beef, chicken and fresh fruit.-VNA
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Designed by Henri dOrigny in 1978, the Arceau watch highlights two crafts in a new creation imbued with the Art Deco spirit. Crafted from mother-of-pearl marquetry and set with diamonds, a dial with a moving heart reinterprets the H deco pattern of the porcelain tableware: a black and white motif inspired by the ironwork adorning the boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris.

 Hermes

In the centre, slender hands sweep over two intertwined Hs, stamped on a mother-of-pearl disc that twirls to the rhythm of the wrist movements. In a contrasting duo, the black version is lit up by gemset hoops; while the white version, paved with 432 diamonds, is marked with arched gold decorative fillets. This meticulous work accomplished by the Hermes artisans requires two days of work for a single dial. The white gold base is first sculpted in preparation for the mother-of-pearl inlay, and then polished. The mother-of-pearl artisan carefully puts in place each fragment of the motif cut to just 0.2mm thick and the gemsetter finally adorns it with several hundred diamonds.

 Hermes

Lit up by two rows of diamonds, as well as a rose-cut diamond on the crown, the 34mm round case in white gold houses the H1912 mechanical self-winding Manufacture Hermes movement, oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and featuring a power reserve of 50 hours. It is topped by a sapphire crystal engraved with the Hermes logo that appears to be levitating. Its stirrup-inspired lugs secure it to a smooth black or ember alligator strap crafted in the Hermes Horloger workshops, as too is the case.
Forty-six "extremely dangerous" terrorists have been killed in northern and central Sinai during operations by Egypt's armed forces, according to a military statement on the latest developments related to Operation Sinai 2018.

In the 32nd statement on the comprehensive counter-terrorism operation, which was launched in 2018, the Egyptian armed forces said the terrorists were killed following shootouts in northern and central Sinai.

Around 15 hideouts and four vehicles used by the terrorists in the north-east were destroyed by the air forces.

Three army soldiers were martyred in those operations, the statement said.

The timeframe of events was not specified.

Seventeen vehicles used for smuggling across borders were destroyed, as were ten other vehicles and a hideout by terrorists, in the southern and western area.

Forces discovered and demolished a number of hotbeds occupied by the terrorists in northern and central Sinai, seizing weaponry and ammunition and highly explosive material used to prepare improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Around a hundred criminal elements and suspects were arrested.

A total of 204 IEDs were found and detonated by the military. A number of RPGs and mortars, used by the extremist elements to attack security checkpoints, were confiscated.

Around ten tunnel openings located at the international borderline with Rafah were destroyed.

The statement added that naval forces have continued to secure coastal borderlines to block smuggling attempts through both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Border guards, in cooperation with the police and military, discovered and destroyed 244 feddans of poppies, two tonnes of cannabis, and 1 million narcotic pills, as well as black powder used for IEDs.

They were able to seize 117 vehicles used in smuggling activities across borders, as well as confiscating an amount of ammunition and weaponry in different strategic locations.

The armed forces launched Operation Sinai 2018 in February last year to target terrorist and criminal organisations in northern and central Sinai, parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert.

The operation involves the army, navy, border patrol, air force and police.

Hundreds of terrorists have been killed as part of its activities.

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The Egyptian foreign ministry announced on Monday the names of the six Egyptians who were killed when an Ethiopian Airlines crashed minutes after take off fromAddis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members.

In an official statement issued on Monday, the foreign ministry identified the victims as Ashraf Turki, Doaa Atef Abdel-Salam, Abdel-Hameed Farag, Suzanne Abu Farag, Esmat Taha Aransa and Nasser Fathy El-Azb.

The ministry said that it is following up on the matter with Ethiopian authorities, and is helping the victims' families identify their relatives through DNA testing.

Egypt's Agricultural Professions Syndicate has said that three agricultural researchers who were members of the union were among those killed in the crash.

The victims were Ashraf Turki, the head of the classification department at the Institute Of Plant Protection, and assistant researchers Doaa Atef Abdel-Salam and Abdel-Hameed Farag from the animal production research department at the Desert Research Institute.

The syndicate said that the researchers were on a scientific mission to Nairobi to study improving animal and plant genetic production.

Minister of Agriculture Ezz El-Din Abu Steit released a statement on Monday mourning the researchers.

Two of the other victims, Suzanne Abu Farag and Esmat Taha Aransa, were veteran freelance translators who had worked with regional and international organisations like the League of Arab States and the African Union.

Friends of the victims have said online that Abu Farag and Aransa were heading to Nairobi to participate in a UN conference.

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An Egyptian cassation court has rejected the appeal of nine police officers against seven-year prison sentences for the involuntary manslaughter of four people in Tanta city in Gharbeya governorate in 2015.

The case dates back to 2015, when a security checkpoint was deployed to arrest a wanted criminal.

During a shootout between the police force and the suspect, four members of same family were killed when their vehicle was passing by the scene.

A criminal court sentenced the officers in August 2017.

The cassation court's verdict is final.

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Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday with Norway's Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Sreide his country's commitment to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

El-Sisi discussed with the Norwegian foreign minister various developments in the Middle East.

The Egyptian president stressed his country's support for the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions, as well as efforts to resume the peace process.

The two sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the Palestinian issue in light of Norway's historical role in negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, which led to the 1993 Oslo Agreement on the urgent necessity of reviving the negotiation process.

The Norwegian foreign minister hailed the role played by Egypt in this regard and Cairo's efforts to restore stability and contain the repercussions of crises in the region.

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The Egyptian parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee announced on Tuesday that the country's newly proposed constitutional amendments will be discussed in a two-week national dialogue starting next week.

Committee undersecretary Ahmed Helmi El-Sherif told reporters that the national dialogue will be held over six sessions, with three session held each week.

The sessions will start at 4pm each Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at the House of Representative in Cairo, and will be attended by constitutional and legal experts.

He added that the legislative and constitutional affairs committee will resume its own meetings to discuss the amendments on 23, 24 and 28 March.

El-Sherif also said that a sub-committee held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss and revise the wording of the proposed constitutional amendments.

The proposed amendments are to articles 102, 140, 160, 185, 189, 190, 193, 200, 204, 234, 243, and 244 of the 2014 constitution. Newly proposed articles include the formation of an upper chamber of parliament and the appointing of a vice president.

The amendments include extending the presidential term from four to six years and a transitional clause that applies only to the current president, allowing him to run for two more six-year terms after his current term ends in 2022. The amendments also tasks the military as the "guardian of the constitution, democratic principles and the civil state."

The amendments also increase representation in parliament for women, youth, Egyptians abroad, Copts, workers, farmers and the physically challenged.

The majority of MPs provisionally approved the amendments in February.

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A U.S.-backed offensive against Islamic State's final enclave in eastern Syria is basically over but requires a little more time to be completed on the ground, the spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) told al-Hadath TV.

"The operation is over, or as good as over, but requires a little more time to be completed practically," Kino Gabriel said in an interview on Tuesday.

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bonniej/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Eleven thousand untested rape kits were found in an abandoned warehouse near Detroit in 2009. For years since, local officials nationwide have been working to get the funding to test their own backlog of untested kits.



The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been trying to help other jurisdictions that face their own backlogs, doling out $38 million nationwide over the course of three years to pay for kits to be tested and criminals brought to justice.



From 2015 to 2018, the Manhattan District Attorney's Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Elimination Grant Program allotted grants to 32 jurisdictions in 20 states, leading to the testing of more than 55,000 kits.



In all, the results from those tests led to 186 arrests and 64 convictions.



The backlog of untested sexual assault kits "perpetuated what I think is a seismic injustice against sexual assault survivors," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said at a news conference Tuesday morning.



In addition to addressing specific cases, the evidence collected was added to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).



A report released Tuesday by the Manhattan District Attorney's office states that 18,803 DNA profiles were added into CODIS as a result of the tested rape kits, which will help track criminals across state lines.



Money matters



Portions of the $38 million spent by the Manhattan DA's office were spread to jurisdictions in 20 states, leading to the testing of 55,252 kits.



Of the 20 states that received funding, at least seven states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Michigan -- "have either eliminated or are close to eliminating their statewide backlogs," a new report from the Manhattan DA says.



The grants ranged in size and location, with the smallest amount of $163,590 awarded to the City of Flint police department to test 309 kits. The largest grant -- $1,999,982 -- was awarded to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and funded the testing of 3,462 kits.



The $38 million used in this program came from a somewhat unexpected source: criminal asset forfeiture funds from settlements with international banks who violated U.S. sanctions, the report states.



Without going into detail, the report says Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance determined those forfeited funds would be invested in "impactful projects that improve public safety," and the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Elimination Grant Program was formed in 2015.



The grants were awarded in 2015, at a ceremony that featured activist and actress Mariska Hargitay and then-Vice President Joe Biden, both of whom have been outspoken on the need to end the sexual assault kit backlog.



How New York addressed their backlog



The report details how New York City dealt with their own rape kit backlog, taking a so-called "forklift" approach to test all 17,000 backlogged kits in 2000, the same year New York state joined CODIS.



One way New York City prosecutors were able to create indictments for sexual offenders even when investigators were not able to identify the assailants by name was by filing a case around a suspect's DNA.



A "John Doe" indictment allows prosecutors to have the case open within the statute of limitations, even if the assailant's name isn't known during that time. Then, if the DNA profile receives a hit and identification through the CODIS system at a later date, the assailant can be linked to the existing "John Doe" indictment.



At Tuesday's news conference, Vance said that "dedicated funding streams are necessary to end the backlog but they are not ... sufficient," adding that he believes states need to change their laws.



Vance called for states to eliminate their statues of limitation for felony sexual assault, mandate timely rape kit testing, require the testing of all backlogged rape kits and call for an annual state-wide inventory of backlogged kits.



Combinations of donations and work



In Wayne County, Michigan, where the abandoned warehouse was found to hold 11,000 untested kits in 2009, the county prosecutor got funding for a random sample of 400 of those kits to be tested, the report states.



Those tests "generated so many leads" that a subset of the Department of Justice funded the testing of 1,600 other tests, according to the report.



Those results led to the identification of 127 potential serial rapists, connections to crimes of 23 other states and 14 convictions.



Now, a combination of a donation from private donors and a $4 million allocation from the Michigan state legislature is being used to test all of the county's remaining kits. The Manhattan DA's grant program awarded $1,996,991 to the Michigan State Police, which helped test 3,440 kits.



That funding is vital, since cost is one of the most mitigating factors that stops rape kits from being tested. On average, the report says it costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to ship and test a kit, not to mention additional testing that has to be done by the presiding jurisdiction.



Ilse Knecht, the director of policy and advocacy at Hargitay's group, the Joyful Heart Foundation, called for all legislators to "see sexual violence as the violent crime that it is."



"We know the value of testing every single rape kit. We know its the right thing to do," Knecht said at Tuesday's news conference.



"We know that many rapists are serial offenders and they don't stop until they are stopped," she said.



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Turkey is discussing with Russia and the United States a potential military offensive in a region of northeast Syria controlled by Kurdish fighters, a Turkish defence official was cited as saying by state media on Tuesday.

Turkey wants to set up a safe zone in the border area east of the Euphrates river after most U.S. troops pull out.

The American military has been supporting Kurdish-led forces there who are fighting remnants of the caliphate declared by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Turkey, however, views the Kurdish YPG fighters as terrorists and has repeatedly threatened to launch operations against them.

"On preparations for the east of the Euphrates, which is still on the agenda, coordination with the United States and Russia in particular continue," defence ministry spokeswoman Nadide Sebnem Aktop said.

Aktop was also quoted by the state-owned Anadolu news agency as saying that coordination between Ankara and Moscow over the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib, where the two countries agreed to establish a de-militarised zone, continued successfully "despite provocations".

Last week, Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Russian forces would begin patrols on the border region outside Idlib and Turkish forces would start patrols inside the zone.

Turkey's ties with Russia have caused tensions between Ankara and the United States, with Washington warning of potential U.S. sanctions if its NATO ally pushed on with a deal to purchase S-400 Russian defence systems, which are not compatible with NATO systems.

On Tuesday, Aktop said that the S-400 systems, which President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey would not turn back from, would be delivered in July and installed in October.

The United States has said that doing so will jeopardise Turkey's procurement of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets and other defence industry deals, including a potential deal on Raytheon Co. Patriot defence systems.

Aktop added that Turkey and Russia were also coordinating joint patrols in the region of northern Syrian town of Tel Rifaat, which is controlled by Kurdish-led forces.

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Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as ``an extra safety precaution'' following the crash of one of its planes in which 157 people were killed, a spokesman said Monday, as Ethiopia marked a day of mourning and the plane's damaged ``black box'' of data was found.

Although it wasn't yet known what caused the crash of the new plane in clear weather outside Addis Ababa on Sunday, the airline decided to ground its remaining four 737 Max 8s until further notice, spokesman Asrat Begashaw said. Ethiopian Airlines had been using five of the planes and awaiting delivery of 25 more.

Some other airlines around the world were deciding to do the same. Aviation authorities in China and Indonesia along with Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways temporarily grounded their Max 8s.

Red Cross workers slowly picked through the widely scattered debris near the blackened crash crater, looking for the remains of 157 lives. A shredded book. A battered passport. Business cards in multiple languages. Heavy machinery dug for larger pieces of the plane.

The plane's ``black box'' of flight data and cockpit voice recorder had been found, Ethiopian Airlines said. An airline official, however, told The Associated Press that the box was partially damaged and ``we will see what we can retrieve from it.'' The official spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to speak to the media.

Forensic experts from Israel had arrived to help with the investigation, said Ethiopian Airlines' spokesman Asrat. Ethiopian authorities lead the investigation into the crash, assisted by the US, Kenya and others.

``These kinds of things take time,'' Kenya's transport minister, James Macharia, told reporters.

People from 35 countries died in the Sunday morning crash six minutes after the plane took off from Ethiopia's capital en route to Nairobi. Ethiopian Airlines said the senior pilot issued a distress call and was told to return but all contact was lost shortly afterward. The plane plowed into the ground at Hejere near Bishoftu.

``I heard this big noise,'' one local resident, Tsegaye Reta, told the AP on Monday. ``The villagers said that it was a plane crash, and we rushed to the site. There was a huge smoke that we couldn't even see the plane. The parts of the plane were falling apart.''

Kenya lost 32 people, more than any country. Relatives of 25 of the victims had been contacted, Macharia said, and taking care of their welfare was of utmost importance.

``Some of them, as you know, they are very distressed,'' he said. ``They are in shock like we are. They are grieving.''

Canada, Ethiopia, the US, China, Italy, France, Britain, Egypt, Germany, India and Slovakia all lost four or more citizens.

Leaders of the United Nations, the UN refugee agency and the World Food Program announced that colleagues had been on the plane. The UN migration agency estimated that 19 UN-affiliated employees were killed.

Both Addis Ababa and Nairobi are major hubs for humanitarian workers, and some had been on their way to a large UN environmental conference set to begin Monday in Nairobi. The UN flag at the event flew at half-staff.

The crash was strikingly similar to that of a Lion Air jet of the same Boeing model in Indonesian seas last year, killing 189 people. The crash was likely to renew questions about the 737 Max 8, the newest version of Boeing's popular single-aisle airliner, which was first introduced in 1967 and has become the world's most common passenger jet.

Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons between the two crashes until more is known about Sunday's disaster.

The Ethiopian plane was delivered to the airline in November. The jet's last maintenance was on Feb. 4, and it had flown just 1,200 hours.

The crash shattered more than two years of relative calm in African skies, where travel had long been chaotic. It also was a serious blow to state-owned Ethiopian Airlines, which has expanded to become the continent's largest and best-managed carrier and turned Addis Ababa into the gateway to Africa.

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European Union officials are sceptical that Prime Minister Theresa May will win Commons approval for her Brexit divorce deal, but insist this is London's last chance to ensure an orderly withdrawal.

The British parliament will vote later Tuesday on whether to back the withdrawal agreement, after May returned from meetings in Strasbourg brandishing what she said were new guarantees from Europe.

Brussels is wary -- one senior official closely involved in the negotiations put her chances of winning over enough euro-sceptic British MPs at only 30 percent -- but insists the EU will compromise no further.

The British opposition Labour Party's decision to vote against the deal deepened their pessimism.

"The balance of forces does not point to approval," a member state diplomat said. "The EU27 are wary, we've heard so many assurances and so often been disappointed."

The leaders of the 28 member states will meet next week on March 21 for a long-planned European Council summit, but officials say there will be no third chance to rejig a deal already rejected once by Westminster lawmakers.

"There will be no further interpretations of the interpretations, no further assurances of the re-assurances. If the meaningful vote fails tomorrow, this is it," EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday.

"If there is no support for the Withdrawal Agreement tomorrow, perhaps there is no support for Brexit at all," he suggested, implicitly warning Brexiteer dreams may be thwarted by pro-Europeans in parliament.

- 'Final bullet' -

As president of the European Commission, the EU executive body, Juncker does not necessarily speak for the member state governments who have the final say on the terms of Britain's exit.

But European diplomats were equally categorical.

"This is the last step. If it does not work today, it will be very tight. This is the final bullet that was shot," one told AFP.

May had demanded and says she received "legally binding" assurances that the "Irish backstop" clause in the withdrawal agreement will not be used to bind Britain into an indefinite customs union.

After Monday's talks, the Commission issued a "legal instrument" which leaders say binds them more tightly to pursue alternatives to the backstop with good faith, and they hope this will suffice.

If this is not enough to convince eurosceptic British backbenchers to reluctantly back the deal on Tuesday, the margin for pushing Britain's withdrawal back beyond March 29 is limited by the impending European election.

In a letter to EU Council president Donald Tusk, who represents member states, Juncker stressed that Britain must leave the European Union before the start of the May 23 to 26 EU parliamentary vote at the latest.

"If the United Kingdom has not left the European Union by then, it will be legally required to hold these elections," he warned, putting a hard end date on any future manoeuvrings to secure further concessions.

Many political leaders on continental Europe have expressed regret that British voters decided to quit the union, but the mood has hardened against what some see as British attempts to extract better divorce terms.

"For us Brexit will always be a tragic mistake," Udo Bullmann, the president of the Socialists and Democrats parliamentary group said, insisting Monday's new compromise shows Brussels is acting constructively.

"However, we cannot provide further clarifications. The deal the UK Parliament will vote on tonight is the final one," he said.

And, on the right, conservative bloc leader Manfred Weber chided Britain's Labour for opposing May's deal.

"This is the last chance to reach a reasonable agreement on Brexit. The departure date can not be postponed. A two-month long technical transitional period is the maximum we can accept," he tweeted.

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Prime Minister Theresa May's top team of ministers gave its backing to the new assurances she received from the European Union on her exit deal, May's spokesman said.

The cabinet also stressed the "huge importance" of May's deal being approved by parliament in a vote on Tuesday, he added, with May concluding the meeting with ministers by saying: "Let's get this done".

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A majority of members of the European Research Group, a large eurosceptic faction in Britain's ruling Conservative Party, will vote against Prime Minister Theresa May's exit deal later on Tuesday, a lawmaker in the group said.

Conservative Member of Parliament Simon Clarke said a clear majority would vote against the deal. A second lawmaker said most in the group were opposed to the Withdrawal Agreement.

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The European Union's aviation safety agency EASA suspended all flights in the bloc by Boeing's 737-8 and 737-9 aircraft following Sunday's deadly plane crash in Ethiopia.

Swiss authorities said they had also banned the 737 MAX 8 aircraft, following the EU decision.

China and Indonesia also grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by their airlines, Singapore and Australia have suspended operations of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in and out of their airports and Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its MAX 8 jets.

Boeing has reiterated the investigation into the crash remains in its early stages and it has no basis to issue new guidance to operators.

Other airlines continue to operate the narrowbody jet. Here is what airlines and regulators have said so far:

AIR CANADA

"We have offered our assistance and are following closely the investigation. We have operated this aircraft type since 2017 and currently have 24 in our fleet. These aircraft have performed excellently from a safety, reliability and customer satisfaction perspective."

AMERICAN AIRLINES

The company said it remained fully confident in the aircraft and that it was closely monitoring the investigation.

AUSTRALIA'S CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY

The regulator said it had temporarily suspended the operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to or from the country.

BRAZIL'S AIR TRAVEL REGULATOR

The regulator said it was not grounding the aircraft and that it was following the investigation.

CAYMAN AIRWAYS

The airline said it had grounded both of its MAX 8 jets until it got more information on the crash.

CHINA'S AVIATION REGULATOR

The regulator grounded 96 MAX 8s including those operated by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines operate 45 MAX 8 planes.

COMAIR

The South African airline said that it would remove 737 MAX 8 jets from its schedule. It has ordered eight aircraft of this type but has only received one so far.

EUROPEAN UNION'S AVIATION SAFETY AGENCY EASA

The EASA suspended all flights in the bloc by Boeing's 737-8 and 737-9 aircraft.

"EASA has decided to suspend all flight operations of the two affected models," the agency said in a statement.

FIJI AIRWAYS

The airline which operates 2 MAX 8 planes said it was confident in the jet.

FLYDUBAI

"We are monitoring the situation and continue to be in touch with Boeing. We remain confident in the airworthiness of our fleet." The airline has 12 MAX 8 jets in its fleet.

A flydubai spokeswoman said that post review of the continued airworthiness notification received from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), no further action was required.

INDIA'S DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION (DGCA)

The regulator said it would issue additional safety instructions to Indian carriers operating the MAX 8. Jet Airways and SpiceJet Ltd operate the plane.

SPICEJET

The low-cost Indian airline said all 12 of its MAX 8s were currently flying and the company has ordered another 155 MAX planes.

NORWEGIAN AIR

The company will temporarily ground its MAX 8 passenger jets at the advice of European regulators.

"Following the decision by the relevant aviation regulatory bodies to temporarily suspend operations of Boeing 737 MAX, Norwegian will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice," the company, which operates 18 'MAX' passenger jets, said.

SINGAPORE'S CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAAS)

Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority suspended operations of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in and out of the country.

Singapore Airlines said its unit Silk Air, which operates 6 MAX 8 planes, has temporarily withdrawn them from service.

SOUTH KOREA TRANSPORT MINISTRY

South Korea is conducting an emergency inspection on Eastar Jet's two MAX 8 jets, a ministry official said.

The South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet said it would temporarily ground its two 737 MAX 8s from Wednesday to better cooperate with the government's required emergency safety inspections, an airline spokesman said on Tuesday.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

The U.S. airline said it remained fully confident in the aircraft and was closely monitoring the investigation.

SWISS FEDERAL OFFICE OF CIVIL AVIATION

"The European Union's aviation safety regulator suspended all flights by B7378 MAX. This is also valid for Switzerland," the Swiss federal office of civil aviation said on Twitter.

TUI AIRWAYS

Germany's TUI Group, the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world, said it was discontinuing all Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights across all airlines of the group.

TURKISH AIRLINES

"We are in contact with Boeing, the aircraft producer, on the operations of the Boeing 737 Max," CEO Bilal Eksi tweeted. "Flight safety is our priority. We are closely monitoring developments. We are carrying out all our operations by keeping flight safety at the highest level."

The airline operates 13 MAX 8 planes

THE UAE GENERAL CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY

The civil aviation regulator said it had joined the investigation into Sunday's fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane and will collect data with the United States' Federal Aviation Administration and planemaker Boeing, according to a statement carried by state news agency WAM.

UK CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY

Britain on Tuesday suspended flights of the 737 MAX aircraft over its territory.

"We have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace," a spokesperson said in a statement.

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF VIETNAM (CAAV)

Vietnam state media reported the aviation regulator will not issue licences to local airlines to operate the 737 MAX until the cause of the Ethiopian crash is determined.

BAMBOO AIRWAYS

The Vietnamese airline, which announced last month it was in talks to buy 25 Boeing 737 planes, declined to comment.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

The Australian airline said it will continue to work with Boeing, the airline does not have any 737 MAX 8 aircraft currently and said its first delivery was not due until November.

WESTJET

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident at this time. We have 13 MAX aircraft in our fleet of 121 Boeing 737s."

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Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla had talks with Francis R. Fannon, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the US Department of State, on means of promoting bilateral cooperation in the petroleum and natural gas scores.



The meeting took place on the fringe of the CERAWeek - the World's Premier Energy Event - in the US.



In a statement on Tuesday, Molla said Egypt has taken steps to become a regional energy hub, adding that this would offer great investment opportunities.



Meanwhile, Fannon hailed the achievements Egypt has reached in the field of oil and natural gas industry, adding that this would incentivize US companies to boost investments in Egypt.



He highlighted the key role played by Egypt in developing natural gas resources in Eastern Mediterranean region through implementing mega projects in this field.



Molla attended a plenary meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce and Apache company.



During the meeting, Mulla spelled out the ministry's strategy to improve the investment climate and realize sustainable development goals.



Molla noted that the ministry launched the first tender in the field of oil and natural gas exploration in the Red Sea area in view of the international companies' interest in pumping investments in the area.



Molla expounded the achievements realized over the past period, making the oil and natural gas sector one of the largest contributors to economic development in Egypt.



He said the sector contributes by about 25 percent to the gross domestic product and 44 percent to foreign direct investments.



Molla also held a meeting with Apache CEO John J Christmann and the company's leaderships on the company's action program in oil and gas exploration in the Western Desert.



The talks also tackled means of boosting the company's investments in Egypt.



Molla and Christmann underlined that up-to-date technology would be used to step up oil and natural gas exploration in order to up the oil output.



Molla also held a meeting with OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo and UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui on a host of issues of mutual concern, topped by the latest developments in international oil markets.

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Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry highlighted on Monday Egypt's support for peace and stability in South Sudan during a meeting with a delegation of the South Sudanese National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) headed by Tut Kew Gatluak.

The meeting reviewed the latest developments in South Sudan, as well as means of boosting bilateral relations in different fields.

During the meeting, Shoukry said that his country is pleased to be chosen as an observer state in the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), which monitors the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan, said foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez.

"Egypt is ready to transfer its expertise to South Sudan in the field of drafting constitutions and laws," Shoukry said, voicing Egypt's continued support for the South Sudanese people in all fields.

Gatluak expressed his country's appreciation for the efforts exerted by Egypt to support peace and stability in South Sudan.

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Breaking the Silence is the upcoming publication that Dar El-Maraya is planning to bring to bookshelves in the next few weeks, publisher Yehiya Fekry told Ahram Online.

It is a book that attempts to document and also explain the path of revolution for justice and freedom during the past ten plus years, he said.

It is a multi-layered and actually a multi-faced story; we are not just talking about one kind of revolution and we are not at all just focused on the protests, but we are approaching the whole concept of revolution and how it happens and how it evolves, Fekry explained.

He said that this upcoming title would be one of the most remarkable books of the publishing house, which was founded around two years ago, that has been taking pride in giving a new lease of life to non-fiction titles.

I guess that our experience since the launch of Dar El-Maraya shows that there is a certain demand for non-fiction; it just has to be interesting titles that are presented in a readable text and then it will receive due attention whether it is economy, sociology or history -- although history is less challenging to sell than the rest because it is ultimately a story, Fekry argued.

He added that Dar El-Marayas sales during the book fairs of 2018 and 2019 show that there is an audience for this non-fiction material.

I am not at all suggesting that it is as big as the audience that craves literary production but I am saying that it is there and it could actually expand once the readers find the right titles and of course once the publishers manage to get in touch with the readers, he said.

According to Fekry, the publishers economic series, including the most recent title Molak Masr (Those Who Own Egypt) made quite reasonable sales.

Most of the comments on the titles of this series indicated that they were both informative and easy to read, Fekry said.

He added that he received similar remarks on political titles like this years first volume of Copts in Modern Egypt.

It examines the story from the social and economic perspectives; it starts from the years of Mohamed Ali through the 1919 Revolution until 1952; and the reactions we got show that there is a real interest in looking at the pressing issues of our time from diverse perspectives, Fekry said.

His take on the growing interest in non-fiction material that relates to our daily lives and problems is not just about the sales of the books but also about the considerable attendance and serious debate during the book discussions of the titles in question.

Dar El-Maraya is planning to issue a series of books this year that reflect on the history and impact of the 1919 Revolution.

This, he said, is not just about observing the centenary of this big political and social event, but it is also about attending to the reading interest of our audience, because people want to have a new take on this truly popular revolution that was marked by the month long protests from 9 March to 7 April and continued in many ways until 1923, when Egypts first constitution was issued.

According to Fekry, the interest in the 1919 Revolution is partially related to the aftermath of the 2011 Revolution and the political path since.

But it is also a matter of a growing interest in examining societal developments in the wake of big political movements, with a view to the fact that 1919 was a much more consequential revolution in many social and political ways; at least, this is an important point that our titles are planning to explain, he said.

One of the titles that Dar El-Maraya is bringing out on 1919 is a book that examines the story of the rebellion of Egyptian peasants and how this influenced the political path of the revolution a hundred years ago.

The book is the first Arabic translation of a German title that came out in the 1980s.

Dar El-Maraya is also planning a book that will examine the role of the Egyptian intelligentsia in relation to the revolution.

So it is a book that examines the influence and positions of figures like Taha Hussein, Abbas ElAkkad, Hoda Chaarawi and Ahmed Lofty ElSayyed  throughout the four years from 1919 to 1923.

Obviously, there is also a book on the role of the Wafd Party the origins and the evolution, a book on Talaat Harb, the most obvious name in economy at that point, in an attempt to provide a careful analysis of the legend/myth of national economy.

Then, Dar El-Maraya will be republishing some of the most interesting studies related to 1919 that have been published over the years, including a selection of articles that were published back in 1969 by the weekly magazine Al-Mossawar when it was edited by prominent journalist Ahmed Bahaeedine, who had himself written on the issue, and a selection of mini-profiles of the men and women around the 1919 Revolution  not just in terms of political and social movements but also in art and music.

There is so much to be said on 1919  really, a hundred years later there is so much to be said and we are hoping to make a decent contribution there, Fekry said.

He argued that the books on 1919 that are being put out by all publishing houses throughout this year would mark the strong comeback of non-fiction titles.

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Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LOS ANGELES) -- A man has been charged with murder in the case of 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones, whose body was found in a duffel bag in Los Angeles, authorities said.



Emiel Lamar Hunt, 38, reportedly the boyfriend of the girl's mother, was charged Tuesday with one count of murder and is set to be arraigned later in the day, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said.



The girl's body was discovered by county workers on March 5 near an equestrian trail in Hacienda Heights, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. The victim was unidentified at the time and investigators released sketches as they urged the public to help identify her.



The victim's name was released by the sheriff's office on Sunday and investigators said two persons of interest had been detained. The cause of death was being withheld, according to the coroner.



The sheriff's office said Tuesday that "information regarding the second person of interest is being withheld pending further investigation."



Investigators found Hunt Saturday morning sleeping in his car in a parking lot near San Diego International Airport and he was arrested without incident, the sheriff's office said.



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ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- One of President Donald Trump's closest political advisers, a key combatant two decades ago in the impeachment battle against President Bill Clinton, says the White House and the Republicans in Congress are not sufficiently prepared for the investigative onslaught that he anticipates will dominate the remainder of Trumps term.



Were not ready, said David Bossie, a pugnacious Republican operative who served as Trumps deputy campaign manager and has been counseling both the White House and congressional Republicans.



Do I see a killer team that is ready for the impeachment proceedings that are potentially coming ... do I think the White House is ready? From a staff standpoint -- I would say no, Bossie said. Do I believe they are in the process of getting ready? Yes.



Speaking on the ABC News podcast "The Investigation," Bossie said that a growing realization is taking hold of Republican Washington that the conclusion of special counsel Robert Muellers probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign will only be the start of investigatory pressures on the White House. There will be need, he said, to address the inquiries as they migrate from the Department of Justice to Capitol Hill.

Both the administration and the Republican team in Congress now clearly recognize they need reinforcements, Bossie said.



Bossie sat down for an interview with The Investigation after having spoken privately with Republican minority leaders in the House of Representatives, which shifted into Democratic hands after the 2018 mid-term election.



I told them that you have to have a bigger staff and a bigger budget, Bossie said. If this investigation is going to get big and robust, you need more help and you need high-quality help.



Bossie has a wealth of experience in the bruising arenas of congressional investigations. In 1997, he served as the Republicans chief investigator for the powerful House Oversight Committee, and his hardball tactics in scrutinizing Clintons role in the Whitewater land deal and questionable fundraising activity eventually prompted his resignation from the investigation.



Bossie has remained a lightning rod, forging a political operation that has produced a steady series of attacks on Democratic Party leaders since the early days of the Clinton administration. Much of that work sprung from Citizens United, a right-leaning group that has produced 25 documentaries since 2004 -- including six feature-length films in partnership with Trump adviser Steve Bannon -- and successfully sued to ease restrictions on campaign spending for corporations.



But with his party now in control of the White House, he has pivoted from offense to defense  to focus on helping Trump fend off investigative firepower coming from Democrats.



To date, Bossie told ABC News, he sees an operation in need of improvement. He said he was unsatisfied, for instance, with the performances by Republicans during recent congressional hearings with the then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, and the high-profile grilling of Trumps one-time personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.



I would have attacked Michael Cohen's credibility a lot more than they did, Bossie said. They did a decent job at it, but I think they could have gone much harder.



Ultimately, Bossie expects Trump to benefit from a boomerang effect, as the public grows weary of relentless investigative campaigns by Democrats.



He said he had learned from what he acknowledged was Republican overreach in efforts initiated in 1998  efforts he himself helped orchestrate  to impeach Clinton. That effort ultimately failed in the Senate and Clintons popularity rose in the aftermath.



Bossie said Republicans became so focused and so dedicated to the end result -- which we all thought would be impeachment -- that we really we overstepped, we overreached  We were hard chargers and we let that emotion of being caught up in it affect us as opposed to being dispassionate.



And I think that is what I look at today [with the House Democrats], he explained. I think that I see some of the same patterns and practices going on.



Bossie said that he endorses the idea of the Mueller report being made public, as much [of it] as humanly possible.



He said it may prove appropriate to keep grand jury material secret, but even that could emerge later, as it did from the report that investigated Clinton. He said he has no insights into Muellers eventual conclusions but believes the probe will determine that the president did nothing to coordinate his campaign efforts with the Russian government.



If it says there was no collusion, there was no cooperation no coordination, Bossie said, The American people will say, OK, what are we doing now to benefit America? ... How are we getting back to business? What are we doing to move on from it?



"The Investigation" is a podcast series offering an in-depth look at special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath, analyzing the potential fallout and political consequences. Hosted by ABC News correspondent Kyra Phillips and the ABC News investigative team, led by Senior Executive Producer Chris Vlasto. "The Investigation" is available for free on Apple Podcasts (via iPhone), Google Podcasts (via Android), Spotify (via smartphone and desktop), Stitcher (via smartphone and desktop), TuneIn (via smartphone and desktop), the ABC News app (via your smartphone) or your favorite podcast player.



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A JF-17 fighter jet attached to the Pakistan Air Force flies towards the designated airspace during an air-to-ground offensive operation drill conducted by two Chinese JH-7 fighter bombers and two Pakistani JF-17 fighter jets on Sept. 20, 2017, which is part of the "Shaheen VI " joint training exercise launched by the air forces of China and Pakistan on Sept. 8 and scheduled to conclude on Sept. 27, 2017. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn

The development and production of the JF-17 Block 3 are underway, said Yang Wei, a Chinese legislator and chief designer of the China-Pakistan co-developed fighter jet, as he aims to enhance the jet's informatized warfare capability and weapons.

"All related work is being carried out," said Yang at a Thursday press conference featuring Chinese legislators and political advisers in aviation, China Aviation News reported Friday.

The third block will see the JF-17's informatized warfare capability and weapons upgraded, Yang said.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Monday that the JF-17 Block 3 is expected to be fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, which can gather more information in combat, enabling the fighter jet to engage from a farther range and attack multiple targets at the same time. A helmet-mounted display and sight system could also allow pilots to aim whatever he sees.

Pakistan, the main user of the JF-17, could further share information between the fighter and other platforms, taking advantage of the whole combat system to effectively defend against strong opponents like India, Wei said.

With the new upgrade, Wei expects the JF-17 Block 3 to match an improved version of the F-16 fighter jet.

Yang said that the development and batch production for the JF-17 Block 3 are going simultaneously, thanks to the broad experience.

Wei said this probably means while the upgrades like the new AESA radar are still in development, the airframe, which remains roughly the same, can be manufactured without waiting.

Once new developments are complete, they can be fitted on the airframe very fast, ensuring a quick delivery time, Wei said.

The JF-17, or the FC-1, is a single-engine multi-role light fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan for export, according to the website of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

When asked about which countries have inquired about the JF-17 Block 3, Yang said "A lot of countries have come to buy. You sign [a contract for the JF-17], you benefit."

The JF-17 is often described by its manufacturer and military observers as an advanced but also cost-effective fighter. It is currently contending with India's Tejas and South Korea's FA-50 in Malaysia's new fighter jet purchase plan, with the JF-17 being the most competitive option, Wei said.

Myanmar and Nigeria have reportedly purchased the Chinese-Pakistani warplane.
Not long ago, an air battle broke out between India and Pakistan. In a video release by Pakistan, the captured Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan, who has been released by Pakistan, narrated his experience in the air battle. He noted that he was in search of the target when his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was shot down. In the process, he neither shot down nor spotted any F-16 fighters of the Pakistani Air Force.

What happened indeed? In which direction will this new India-Pakistan conflict go?



The picture shows a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet of the Indian Air Force.

Question (Q): As Indias MiG-21 pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan recalled, he didnt see anything worthy of special attention in the air, and had no idea how his fighter jet was detected and locked by the Pakistani side before it was shot down by a medium-range missile. Some analysts believe that his MiG-21 was shot down by an F-16. Professor Jin, how do you think about this?

Professor Jin Yinan with the National Defense University (NDU) of the Chinese PLA(Jin): The Indian side tried to find reasons for its loss, saying that Pakistan had dispatched its most advanced F-16 fighters, which was denied. Pakistans saying is more reliable for three reasons.

First, the sales of F-16 fighters had been cut off by the US, so Pakistan now has only less than 20 such aircraft left, not to mention how many of which could still perform a flight mission.

Second, Pakistan had signed an agreement with the U.S., which banned the use of F-16 fighters in offensive operations. This time, Indian warplanes flew into the Pakistani airspace and attacked ground targets first, and then Pakistan sent aircraft into Indias airspace for retaliation. From this perspective, it was a retaliatory, offensive operation conducted by Pakistan, in which the F-16 was inapplicable according to the aforesaid agreement.

Third, the Indian military had already obtained basic data about the F-16 jets. The U.S. planned to export the F-21an upgraded version of the F-16to India, so it had informed the Indian side of all performance parameters about the aircraft. For this reason, India is familiar with the combating performances of the F-16, including its fire-control and searching radar frequency.

Given all this, Pakistan was unlikely to use its F-16 fighters in the air battle because there was a small chance to win even if it sent out the aircraft.



Only a few F-16 fighters in Pakistan can remain capable for flight missions.

Q: Some conjectured that Indias MiG-21 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Do you think its possible?

Jin: All existing signs indicate that it is improbably a surface-to-air missile. The wreckage of the MiG-21 fighter jet should be comminuted debris caused by cellular explosion. However, it is evident that part of the crashed MiG-21 fighter jet was cut by a missile, instead of exploding in the air. It was directly hit by a missile warhead. In this case, it is unlikely to be a surface-to-air missile, but probably an air-to-air missile.



The picture shows the crash site of Indias MiG-21 Bison fighter jet.

Q: Professor Jin, we all know that Indias military strength is stronger than that of Pakistan. Based on the result of this air conflict, what shortcomings does the Indian Air Force have?

Jin: The aircraft equipped in Indias frontier troops are poor in performance. For instance, the MiG-21 fighter is already outdated. The captured Indian pilot is a senior wing commander. Among air force pilots, wing commander is already a high military ranking, who needs to fly at least 1,000 hours, so he is actually an experienced pilot. However, limited by its backward avionics, the MiG-21 fighters search radar could not detect the enemy and its fire-control radar cannot guide medium-range air-to-air missiles. So, it could not perform preemptive detection and firing. As a result, it was detected and shot down first by the enemy. If the Indian military commissioned some more advanced fighters in the frontier, it would not only enhance its image ,but also not lose so badly. This is a feature of air warfare: a single pilot and a single aircraft can determine the result of an air battle.



The captured Indian pilot Abhinandan is a senior pilot with at least 1,000 hours of flight time.

Q: Pakistan released the captured Indian pilot without much delay, and just drove out Indias subsequent provocations from the sea and the land, instead of taking offensive operations. Moreover, it dispatched troops to sustain armed militants and crack down on terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). How did India respond to such goodwill behaviors of Pakistan?

Jin: From this angle of view, Pakistan takes a very reasonable stance and is doing the right thing to save this small conflict from evolving into a war between two nuclear powers. Pakistan has shown enough goodwill to India by releasing the captured Indian pilot quickly. As a matter of fact, neither India nor Pakistan wants a war.

In general, the Indian government also shows a calm, rational attitude. It doesnt continue flinging out hard words or threatening to launch a war. This is a good trend.

Undoubtedly, the international community hopes that India and Pakistan stay calm and maintain peace, instead of falling into fierce conflicts. This is a common stand shared by all major countries, especially China and India.



The captured Indian pilot Abhinandan (center) was at the handover ceremony.

Q: The territorial dispute over the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan has been a persistent problem. In surface, the air battle was caused by terrorism, but in nature it remains a territorial problem. How should the two countries innovatively solve the Kashmir dilemma that has long plagued the development of their relations?

Jin: Kashmir has long been a disputed region between India and Pakistan. Today, it is split into Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir, but both sides arent satisfied with the current Line of Actual Control (LAC). The persistent dispute can be solved only through peaceful negotiations, rather than wars. Both countries are clearly aware of this point. This air battle is merely a limited tentative operation, through which India realized that it should not look down on Pakistans Air Force. It would also urge the hawks of India to be more reasonable and gain a clearer insight into the current situation.

There is a very small chance for Pakistan to launch a war against India because it still lags far behind India in terms of overall national strength and military power. From this perspective, the result of this air battle would make the Indian side more rational and calm, which is conducive to maintaining relative peace in the disputed Kashmir region.

Disclaimer: The original article is published on http://mil.cnr.cn/ and it is translated from Chinese into English by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
The United States will not agree to a phased approach to North Korea's denuclearization, the top U.S. envoy to Pyongyang said Monday.

"We are not going to do denuclearization incrementally," Steve Biegun told a nuclear policy conference in Washington. "The president has been clear on that and that is a position around which the U.S. government has complete unity."

The comments are the latest evidence the U.S. is hardening its public position following a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that failed to result in a deal.

Before the summit, U.S. officials had suggested they were open to a phased approach, whereby North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons in stages as the U.S. takes corresponding measures.

Biegun on Monday said the U.S. would not lift sanctions until North Korea "completes the denuclearization process," though he did say there are "other areas outside lifting sanctions" that the U.S. could offer.

North Korea is seeking sanctions relief before it takes any further steps to dismantle its nuclear program.


The White House on Monday unveiled a $4.7 trillion government spending plan for 2020, a request that includes President Donald Trump's call for another $8.6 billion for his signature project, construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart illegal immigration.

Trump's request for border wall funding presages a new fight with lawmakers over the issue in the coming months during the third year of the Trump presidency. Key opposition Democratic lawmakers immediately vowed to block wall funding.

The Trump budget plan calls for a 5 percent funding boost for the Pentagon and a 5 percent cut in nonmilitary spending, while sparing popular programs providing health care and pensions for older Americans. Military spending would increase from $715 billion this year to $750 billion. A senior Trump administration official said the plan calls for cutting "many, many programs that we consider wasteful."

Even so, the Trump administration is predicting a $1.1 trillion deficit in the budget year starting in October, comparing spending to revenues from taxes and fees the government collects.

Trump lost the first round in his battle with Congress over wall construction money, with lawmakers rejecting any appropriation for the wall, while offering nearly $1.4 billion in money for barriers. That led Trump to declare a national emergency to bypass Congress and tap funds already allocated for other projects to build the wall.

The Senate this week could join the House of Representatives in revoking Trump's emergency declaration although Congress appears to lack the two-thirds majorities needed to override Trump's expected veto of the vote against the wall. Numerous lawsuits are also challenging Trump's emergency declaration.

Trump's new request for wall funding comes just weeks after he ended a record 35-day partial government shutdown, a dispute that centered on his request for $5.7 billion for wall construction money. When lawmakers refused, he declared the national emergency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement Sunday they hoped the president had "learned his lesson" from the shutdown.

Trump "hurt millions of Americans and caused widespread chaos when he recklessly shut down the government to try to get his expensive and ineffective wall," their statement said. "Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. We hope he learned his lesson."
The reason is the country's record-low birth rate. Korea's working-age population from 15 to 64 already started dwindling in 2017. Last week, the Supreme Court raised the legal retirement age from 60 to 65. At this rate, there is a strong chance that Koreans will have to worry about a shortage of workers instead of a shortage of jobs.

Analysis of population estimates by Statistics Korea suggests there will be 31 million people in the working-age population between 20 and 65 in 2030, fewer than the current 31.2 million between 20 to 60 before retirement age.

Korea is expected to suffer a shortage of the working-age population even if the retirement age is raised to 65.

Most workers now retire at 60, even though the working-age population ranges from 15 to 64. The number of people between 20 and 60 fell from 31.5 million in 2016 to 31.2 million this year. And by 2030, when the retirement age has risen to 65, there will be only 31 million people of working age. By 2039, even if the retirement age is raised to 70, there will be only 31.1 million.

Statistics Korea projects Korea's total population to shrink to 36.7 million by 2065, and the portion aged between 20 and 60 to 13.5 million. If the low birthrate continues, the population decline could speed up even more.

Population experts back in 1960 forecast that machines would eventually replace humans, but in reality the development of new technologies ended up creating new jobs. That means an optimum number of workers must be maintained.

Yun Suk-myung at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said, "People can work into their 70s if health permits, so senior citizens could earn a living on top of their pensions."

The problem is the quality of jobs on offer. Korean men actually retire at 72.9 years of age, while women retire at 73.1, the oldest in the OECD. As of January, 3.99 million people over 60 were employed, the bulk in low-paying jobs after retiring from their previous work in their early 50s.

Experts said the key task is to improve the quality of jobs available for senior citizens while extending the retirement age.
Disgraced ex-president Chun Doo-hwan appeared in court in Gwangju on Monday on charges of defamation relating to his brutal suppression of the 1980 democratic uprising in the southwestern city.

Chun (88) is charged with defaming a dissident priest in a memoir by claiming he lied when he said he witnessed soldiers firing at citizens from helicopters during the suppression. Relatives of the priest, who has died since his testimony, sued.

The last time Chun stood trial was in 1996, when he was convicted of staging the coup that brought him to power.


Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. is withdrawing its remaining diplomatic personnel from the embassy in Venezuela, citing the "deteriorating situation" given days of blackouts, increased water shortages and the threat of further protests.

The decision also comes amid growing concern that American diplomats could become a pawn in the battle with President Nicolas Maduro as the U.S. tries to push him from power.

Despite Maduro's calls for their expulsion, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to keep American personnel there to support Juan Guaido, the president of the National Assembly who has been recognized as the country's interim president by the U.S. and over 50 other countries.

But the sudden reversal was announced late Monday night in a statement where Pompeo called embassy staff's presence a "constraint on U.S. policy."

"Decisions you make are always encumbered by the fact that you know there's real risk to your own people, people that you've sent into harm's way," Pompeo added Tuesday. "We wanted to get them out of the country so that we could move forward in a way that provided that opportunity."

U.S. Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams wouldn't say what had been constrained, but that diplomats' presence weighed on senior officials in Washington because the U.S. does not believe Maduro's government had the ability to protect them.

Since recognizing Guaido, the U.S. has sanctioned the state-owned oil company and top Maduro-aligned officials, imposed visa bans or revocations on over 250 officials and amassed around 200 metric tons of humanitarian aid across the border in Colombia and supported efforts by Guaido and his supporters to rush it across the border.

But nearly two months after casting Maduro as no longer legitimate, the socialist leader remains in control, backed by allies Cuba and Russia. Top Trump officials have warned in recent days that they want to take action to accelerate Maduro's departure, with Abrams saying Tuesday that there will be a "significant number of additional visa revocations" and "some very significant additional sanctions" imminently.

That could have exposed U.S. diplomats to retaliatory action by Maduro's government, especially as it grows more desperate amid the declining humanitarian situation.

"In every decision we made ... the safety of that staff was a key consideration, and that was something that weighed very heavily on our mind," Abrams told reporters Tuesday.

The embassy's facilities were also facing "a finite number of days" because of fuel shortages, a lack of water access, and little to no electricity and, therefore, telecommunications, Abrams said.

Venezuela has been left in darkness, for five days now, with power outages across the country that have been blamed for deaths at hospitals and water and food shortages. Maduro's government has accused the U.S. of being behind the blackouts, which Pompeo denied Monday, calling them "a direct result of years and years of neglect to the Venezuelan energy system."

Maduro's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Tuesday that they were behind the departure of remaining U.S. diplomats, ordering them to leave after talks over their continued presence broke down Monday.

Abrams confirmed that there had been talks with the Maduro government about U.S. diplomats, but because the U.S. viewed him as the "former" president of the country, his government had no right to expel Americans, who remained at the request of Guaido. While the U.S. remains confident in Guaido and his fledgling government, Abrams added, "The fact is that today, the regime has the guns."

The embassy had previously ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and families in late January, slimming a staff of 100 to 150 personnel down to just a handful, led by Charge d' Affaires Jimmy Story. U.S. personnel will depart over the next couple of days, although the State Department has declined to say when that process will begin or end.

That means no U.S. government services for the remaining American citizens, who at one time numbered between 30,000 and 40,000, according to Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams. That number has likely decreased as the economic crisis has deepened in recent weeks, a State Department official told ABC News.

The State Department lists Venezuela as a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" on its advisory, urging American citizens to evacuate. The U.S. is in talks with a handful of countries to designate a protecting power -- a third-party nation that looks after U.S. citizens in a foreign country, like Sweden does in North Korea.

But even before a protecting power has been designated, the U.S. will not provide evacuations for U.S. citizens, urging them instead to leave as soon as possible on commercial travel.

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Shanghai ranks ninth for culture in the world

From:Shine | 2019-03-11 20:29

Shanghai has been placed ninth in an international ranking of cultural metropolises.

The rankings were jointly produced by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Southern California who studied 51 cities around the world. The rankings were based on 52 indicators in 10 areas, including public cultural facilities and public participation in cultural events.

New York, London and Paris took the top three places, while Beijing and Shanghai were ranked at seventh and ninth.

Shanghai was also in the top 10 lists for public culture, public involvement in cultural events, cultural education, Internet development and cultural tourism.

It took first place in public involvement in cultural activities, followed by Beijing.

However, Xu Jian, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a leader of the research group, said Shanghai still had insufficient cultural influence in the world, though its cultural strength was improving.

Shanghais core cultural industries lack characteristics, compared with other top international cultural metropolises, said Xu.

The city should develop recognizable, competitive cultural industries, such as e-sports and movies.

He also said Shanghai should improve per capita public cultural resources, utilization efficiency of these resources, capacity in public cultural services and public cultural consumption structures.
Katelyn Parra Photography(NEW YORK) -- Making the world a "better place" was how heartbroken family members remembers loved once who were among the 157 people aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed just minutes after takeoff on Sunday morning.

No one survived the horrific crash that claimed the lives of a decorated U.S. Army captain, brothers on vacation, a law school student and dozens of international aid workers.

Thirty-five countries from all over the world lost citizens in the deadly incident  32 Kenyans were the majority of lives lost.

At least eight U.S. citizens were among the victims. The U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the U.S. Department of State haven't released their identities, but ABC News has confirmed the names of four.

Antoine Lewis, 39, of Matteson, Illinois, was a U.S. Army captain stationed in Ottawa, Canada, who served in Afghanistan. He was on vacation in Ethiopia doing Christian missionary work, according to his parents. They said Lewis equally valued the country he fought for and the home of his ancestors.

"Thats what he died doing," his mother, Antoinette Lewis, told ABC Chicago station WLS-TV in a recent interview. "His passion was just to make a better world, make a better place, both here and our mother country."

Lewis leaves behind a wife and a 15-year-old son.

"Im still in disbelief," his wife said in a statement obtained by ABC News. "I feel it's a dream [I'm still] awaiting his call to tell me he has safely touched down."

"Antoine was so loving," she added. "He was always interested in learning new things, forever on a journey becoming a better version of himself each day. He was so smart and just wanted to share his wealth of knowledge with those whod listen."

Ike and Susan Riffel of Redding, California, lost their only children in the crash, Bennett and Melvin Riffel. The brothers were on vacation traveling to a few different countries as part of an adventure ahead of the birth of Melvin's first child, according to the family.

Melvin and his wife, Britney, were expecting a baby girl in May.

"We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community," a spokesperson for the Riffel family told ABC Redding affiliate KRCR in a statement. "We ask for continued prayers."

IQAir, a Switzerland-based company that specializes in improving indoor air quality, confirmed that one of its employees, Matt Vecere, was aboard the doomed flight. Vecere grew up in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, and later moved to California.

"Matt was an amazing writer, an avid surfer, and a truly selfless person," IQAir said in a statement. "He was most at home helping others, as evidenced by his dedication to the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake in 2010."

"We will miss his laugh, his wit, his sense of humor, but most of all, the kinship and friendship that he brought to everything he did," the company added.

Ethiopian Airlines identified the pilot of the ill-fated plane as Yared Mulugeta Gatechew, who had more than 8,000 flight hours. The co-pilot was Ahmed Nur Mohammod Nur, who had over 200 flight hours.

The United Nations said at least 21 of its employees were among those killed in Sunday's crash.

The staffers hailed from around the globe and worked for various U.N. agencies, which regularly made trips to Kenya by way of Ethiopia to visit Africa's United Nations Office headquarters, located in Nairobi. Many were traveling to attend a five-day assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The World Food Programme (WFP), the food-assistance branch of the United Nations, released the names of seven team members who died: Ekta Adhikari, 26, of Nepa; Maria Pilar Buzzetti, 30, of Italy; Virginia Chimenti, 26, of Italy; Harina Hafitz, 59, of Indonesia; Zhen-Zhen Huang, 46, of China; Michael Ryan, 39, of Ireland; and Djordje Vdovic, 53, of Serbia.

"As we mourn, let us reflect that each of these WFP colleagues were willing to travel and work far from their homes and loved ones to help make the world a better place to live," the WFP's Executive Director David Beasley said in a statement. "That was their calling, as it is for the rest of the WFP family."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees named three colleagues who also died: Nadia Ali, 40, of Sudan; Jessica Hyba, 43, of Canada; and Jackson Musoni, 31, of Rwanda.

"Weve been struck by sudden and terrible loss," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a statement. "We are doing everything we can to help Nadias, Jessicas and Jacksons families at this most difficult and painful time."

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said it lost a program officer in the gender and safeguards unit, Victor Shangai Tsang, of Hong Kong, China.

"Victor took up this position with vigor and enthusiasm, striving to make our projects fully gender-sensitive," UNEP said in a statement. "His work defined him as an individual, and he, in turn, helped define our own work."

Victor leaves behind his pregnant wife and son.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations confirmed it lost fisheries officer Joanna Toole, who was "passionate about making the world a better place."

Another victim in Sunday's plane crash was Max Thabiso Edkins, a 35-year-old dual-national of Germany and South Africa. He worked as a communications officer for the World Bank's Connect4Climate program.

"We were devastated to learn that we lost a cherished colleague in the plane crash in Ethiopia," the World Bank Group's interim president, Kristalina Georgieva, said in a statement. "Max was deeply committed to the fight against climate change and brought tremendous creativity, energy and passion to his work. Our deepest sympathies go to his family and loved ones, and to those of the other victims of this tragedy."

Cedric Asiavugwa, a third-year law student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, was traveling to his native Kenya to attend the funeral of his fiance's mother, according to a press release from the school.

Born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, Asiavugwa's work on social justice issues led him from his native country to Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, before coming to Georgetown University Law Center. The 32-year-old planned to return home to Kenya after graduating to continue serving refugees and other marginalized groups.

"With his passing, the Georgetown family has lost a stellar student, a great friend to many, and a dedicated champion for social justice across East Africa and the world," the law school said in a statement.

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RTHK: Trump not worth impeaching, says Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she does not support impeaching Donald Trump, arguing such a move would be too divisive.

"I'm not for impeachment," Pelosi told The Washington Post in a wide-ranging interview, the strongest signal yet that the Democratic leadership is reticent about taking such a radical move to remove a sitting president.

"Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country," she said. "And he's just not worth it."

Trump and his associates face multiple investigations, including one headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that is looking into Russian influence on the 2016 election and potential collusion between Trump's team and Moscow.

And in explosive congressional testimony late last month, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen branded the president a conman and cheat and sought to implicate his ex-boss in multiple crimes.

Even as she waves off calls to impeach Trump, Pelosi - who in January began her second stint as speaker after Democrats won back the House in midterm elections - said he is unfit to lead the nation.

"I don't think he is" fit to be president, she said in the interview. "I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit."

Some rank-and-file House Democrats, such as freshmen liberal Rashida Tlaib, are keen to being impeachment proceedings. Their ranks are sure to grow if more serious evidence of presidential wrongdoing emerges.

Others remain concerned that for now, an effort to oust Trump before the election might backfire, energising an angry Republican base and antagonising voters Democrats would need in the next election.

Some in the party would prefer a political battle against Trump at the ballot box, rather than an impeachment effort waged in Congress.

And with the Senate in Republican control, Trump's removal would be far from assured.

Pelosi pointed to president Bill Clinton's impeachment by the House in 1998, and his subsequent acquittal by the Senate. "That was horrible for the country," she said.

Congressman Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said earlier this month that while it was clear that Trump has obstructed justice, "impeachment is a long way down the road". (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
An ex-aide to New York Senator and 2020 candidate Kirsten Gillibrand has accused her former employer of hypocrisy, arguing that the Congresswoman positioned herself as a staunch advocate of the #MeToo movement, even as her office minimized and mishandled sexual harassment complaints.

Speaking to Politico, the anonymous aide catalogued inappropriate remarks allegedly made by a staffer with a close relationship to Gillibrand. After she reported him, the woman said, that stafferAbbas Malikbegan retaliating against her at work, prompting the woman to quit while Malik kept his job. The office's in-house sexual harassment investigation left her feeling "defeated," "devalued," "belittled, insulted, and intimidated," the woman wrote in a resignation letter addressed to Gillibrand, her chief of staff, and her general counsel.

"I trusted and leaned on this statement that you made: 'You need to draw a line in the sand and say none of it is O.K. None of it is acceptable,'" she wrote. "Your office chose to go against your public belief that women shouldn't accept sexual harassment in any form and portrayed my experience as a misinterpretation."

The woman says Malik began harassing her after he received a promotion on July 10th. Allegedly, he sent flirty texts; made comments like, "If we had met in a bar, would it have happened for us?" and, "Why do I love you! I should hate you!"; and froze her out when she tried to distance herself from him. The woman alerted deputy chief of staff Anne Bradley, who alerted chief of staff Jess Fassler: they set the formal complaint process in motion. However, the former staffer says that they didn't enlist a third party to investigate the claims, which Gillibrand has repeatedly advocated in other contexts, nor did they contact former staffers the woman said could corroborate Malik's behavior.

The Senator's office told Politico that an outside investigator was "not a realistic or viable option."

The woman made her initial complaint on July 25th; by July 30th, the office had "disciplined" Malik by way of a demotion. While she wasn't entirely satisfied, the staffer told Politico she felt the office did what they coulduntil Fassler apparently told her that, while he had plenty of reasons to fire Malik, he could also come up with reasons to fire any member of the staff, including her. And when she complained that Malik appeared to be leaving her out of the loop deliberately, she found herself accidentally CC'd on an email suggesting that Fassler and Bradley were attempting to side-line her, too.

Gillibrand has been dubbed the "#MeToo Senator" because she has championed survivors of sexual violence, and has come out as a vocal critic of men accused of sexual misconduct: In 2017, for example, she classified Bill Clinton's relationship with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky as a transgression worth resigning over. The woman told Politico that she felt Gillibrand's reaction to sexual harassment allegations within her own office defied the Senator's believe-survivors political stance, and in August, she resigned.

In a statement to Politico, Gillibrand said: "These are challenges that affect all of our nation's workplaces, including mine, and the question is whether or not they are taken seriously. As I have long said, when allegations are made in the workplace, we must believe women so that serious investigations can actually take place, we can learn the facts, and there can be appropriate accountability. That's exactly what happened at every step of this case last year."
Amazon may have abandoned its proposed NYC tech campus, but the pleading desperation and provincial infighting whipped up by the much-hyped deal doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

In a lawsuit filed this week, Joshua Bowen, the owner of John Brown Smokehouse in Long Island City, accused Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer of defamation and suppressing his free speech, by deliberately misrepresenting angry text messages sent by Bowen in the wake of Amazon's withdrawal.

"You will call [Amazon VP of Real Estate] John Schoettler and apologize," Bowen demanded of Van Bramer's Chief of Staff Matthew Wallace. "You can be at the back of the parade or the front of the firing squad."

Josh Bowen, who recently went to Seattle to meet with Amazon sent this text today. It is several threats rolled into one. Demanding an elected official make a call to Amazon by a certain time - or else. This is disgusting. did others get this too? I dont respond to threats. pic.twitter.com/Txtf53aaiN  Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) March 1, 2019

While Bowen denied he was inciting violence, the council member reported the perceived threat to the NYPD, and shared the interaction on Twitter. But he did not explicitly note that the missive was sent to his chief of staff, who happens to be Bowen's former upstairs neighbor. According to the complaint, this alleged distortion, along with Van Bramer's boosting of calls to boycott Bowen's restaurant, violated Bowen's "core political speech rights" and left him "widely portrayed in a false light to and by the media."

"By publicly, maliciously and falsely accusing Bowen of criminal conduct when Bowen was only exercising his core First Amendment right to free political speech, Van Bramer has committed defamation per se," the suit alleges. The BBQ owner is seeking a total of $50,000 in damages, plus the costs and expenses of bringing this action.

Not everyone in Queens is happy to see #Amazon pull out of #LIC. Lets just say this is the clean version. Local business owner Josh Bowen just shouted city officials right away from their own victory speech. Stay tuned. Such a bitter debate, on both sides. #LongIslandCity pic.twitter.com/lJKgBh2Uvu  Stacey Sager (@staceysager7) February 14, 2019

Reached for comment Tuesday morning, Bowen would not directly comment on the lawsuit, though he did speak generally about his motivation for taking on the Amazon-opposing politicians.

"I'm being shit on by people whose political careers I helped launched," said Bowen, noting how Van Bramer was a former regular at his restaurant, and State Senator Michael Gianaris was "like a brother" to him. "My pissed-off-ness, my anger  well for one thing I should be allowed to sell sandwiches because it's America  but second of all it's a betrayal... I'm trying to save their asses, their careers are basically over."

Bowen, who previously traveled to Seattle to try to convince Amazon executives to reconsider their withdrawal, continued: "I'm sorry that Jeff Bezos had a good idea. This guy is a hero to a small business man  he's what I could potentially be some day for grinding my ass all day long."

In a statement, Councilman Van Bramer called the lawsuit "frivolous, without merit, and riddled with inaccuracies." He stood by his initial categorization of the text messages, noting that "my chief of staff received an aggressive text message directed to me from Mr. Bowen, which I perceived to be threatening. I still do."

Charges were not filed as a result of Van Bramers complaint, according to the NYPD.

Meanwhile, its been almost two weeks since Governor Cuomo reportedly made a personal pitch to Amazon to give New York City another chance. A rep for the company didn't reply to a request for comment, but as far as we know, Amazon is back to ignoring the governor's calls.

Maybe the real HQ2 is the friends we lost along the way?




The building housing the White Horse Tavern, a historic, no-fuss dive located at 567 Hudson Street in Greenwich Village, has been sold to the notorious landlord Steve Croman, it was reported last week, worrying longtime patrons, locals, and even tourists. Opened in 1880, the bar touts itself as the second-oldest continuously run tavern in New York City, and has the stories to match.

In the mid-20th century, literary luminaries including James Baldwin and Anais Nin frequented the watering hole, and Jack Kerouac was a particularly unruly patron. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation notes that Kerouac was ejected from the bar so many times that someone took it upon themselves to carve JACK GO HOME! on a bathroom stall. Legend has it that the idea for the Village Voice (RIP) was born over drinks at the bar, known colloquially as "The Horse." And most famously, the White Horse is where Welsh poet Dylan Thomas swilled his final drinks before his death; his portrait still hangs by his usual seat.



A map from 1927 depicting the Greenwich Village, and piers along the Hudson River. (Courtesy of the NYPL/Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division)



The block where White Horse currently stands, pictured in a 1940s tax photo. (Courtesy the Municipal Archives)

The White Horse was originally opened as a longshoreman's bar, back when Greenwich Village was a working-class neighborhood, as Andrew Berman, the Executive Director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told Gothamist. In the late 19th century, European immigrants flocked to that part of the Village often working in the coal and lumber yards, and the piers that lay along the nearby Hudson River. Italian immigrants settled into more well-to-do pockets of the Greenwich Village back then, but the area near the White Horse Taverna stone's throw from the city's first elevated train linewas predominantly Irish.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the White Horse garnered a reputation for being a haven for left-leaning denizens, communists, and union organizers, such as the National Maritime Union. The bar cemented its reputation as a bohemian hangout by the fifties, though, when literary figures were known to drink and revel there. Authors including William Styron and Norman Mailer frequented the bar, often holding Sunday afternoon hangouts, partially due to the fact that New Directions publisher James Laughlin had a place nearby, and authors would often stay there when they were in town, as Bill Morgan notes in his book. Musicians also rubbed elbows at the bar, including folk legends Bob Dylan and Mary Travers.

The urban planning activist Jane Jacobs lived on the same block as the White Horse Tavern, at 555 Hudson Street, between Perry and West 11th Streets (it's since been named Jane Jacobs Way). A regular at the bar, Jacobs immortalized that very strip of the Greenwich Village in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, describing the unconscious routines and rituals that comprised life there as the "sidewalk ballet."

Jacobs featured the White Horse in her book, too, describing the seamless shift from longshoreman locals drinking there during the day and the literary set commingling in the evening, all the while "a solid wave of conversation and animation surges out and hits you; very warming." The same year that Jacobs published her landmark tome, that block was in danger of being destroyed as Berman notes, the contentious city planner Robert Moses and then-Mayor Robert Wagner wanted to tear down 14 blocks in that area in the name of "slum clearance."



White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson Street, 1975. (Photo by Edmund Vincent Gillon, courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York; 2013.3.1.613)

"Whats amazing is that the bar is largely physically unchanged from its 20th century heyday, and it continues to be a mecca for visitors from around the world who are interested in its incredible literary history, while at the same time continuing to serve as kind of a neighborhood watering hole in the Village," Berman says.

The bar received a historic landmark designation in 1969, which has helped keep it somewhat intact. On Monday, The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation submitted a request to the Citys Landmarks Preservation Commission, arguing that the bar's interior should be a landmark as well. But even if that happens, it still won't protect it from becoming an upscale, completely new version of the White Horse we know.

In his letter to the Landmarks Commission, Berman writes that the bar has functioned as a contemporary salon, where "artists, writers, and intellectuals gathered to talk, argue, pontificate, and share and cross-pollinate ideas."

It's unclear what the new ownership will mean for this bar, though the fact that it's located in the Greenwich Village Historic District means it won't be torn down. "Its very hard to mandate that the character of a business remain the same," Berman says. "Theres nothing legally preventing anyone from actually turning it into something thats not even a bar or a tavern at all, although that doesnt sound like its their intention."
A burglary suspect was caught on a baby camera sneaking around a bedroomwith an infant sleeping in a criband police say he also struck another apartment in the same building that night.

The two incidents took place last Friday night, March 8th, in a building near Johnson Avenue and West 236th Street in the Bronx. At about 8:10 p.m, police say that the prowler entered an apartment through an "unsecured fire escape window" and made his way into a two-month-old baby's bedroom. The baby was sleeping in the crib as the burglar, seen in the video, rummages through the room.

The man fled when he heard the baby's father in the living, according to police.

Then, at 8:15 p.m., the burglar entered a 28-year-old woman's apartmentby forcing open a fire escape windowand stole her jewelry, a bicycle and a backpack before fleeing.

The suspect is described as a male who was last seen wearing a dark colored knit cap, a gray hooded sweater, and a dark colored coat with a dark colored backpack.

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.


Concerns about the Boeing 737 Max continue to grow after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed just after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 aboard Today, the European Union suspended all 737 Max flights.

The fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash, which occurred just outside the country's capital of Addis Ababa, was the second involving the 737 Max in the past year. In October, a Lion Air flight crashed after departing Jakarta, killing 189 people. The 737 Max is a newer plane, meant for shorter flights, and it has quickly become, as the NY Times reports, Boeing's "best-selling jet ever, and it is expected to be a major driver of profits in the future. Around 5,000 of the planes are on order, with a list price of $120 million for the Max 8 version."

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency called the grounding of the 737 Max planes a "precautionary measure" in order "to ensure the safety of passengers." Before the E.U.'s decision, Britain, Germany, France, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and other countries had grounded the planes.

These are the latest countries to take action on the Boeing 737 Max jet https://t.co/EajyYZl9J8 pic.twitter.com/B0O3ej6BPO  Bloomberg (@business) March 12, 2019

The investigation into the Ethiopian Air crash is just beginning, but reports about the Lion Air crash say that the pilots struggled with the plane's automatic control system. From the Washington Post: "According to the investigation into that crash, pilots wrestled with the plane because a faulty sensor and automatic feature sent its nose pointing down while the pilots struggled to lift the plane up. They requested permission to return to the airport shortly before plunging into the Java Sea."

After the Lion Air Crash, some pilots questioned whether they were adequately informed of issues with the planes' systems. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg also said last year, The bottom line here is the 737 Max is safe. This airplane went through thousands of hours of tests and evaluations, certification, working with the pilots, and weve been very transparent on providing information and being fully cooperative on the investigative activity.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, two of the "biggest customers" of the plane, are continuing to keep the planes in the air. The Federal Aviation Administration has not made any decision yet, but a growing number of lawmakers, including Senators Mitt Romney, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren are asking the agency to ground the planes. Senator Ted Cruz today said he would hold hearings on the matter. And a union representing flight attendants also asked for the planes to be grounded:

Were calling on the FAA to temporarily ground the 737 MAX fleet in the US out of an abundance of caution in the wake of a second fatal accident involving the 737 MAX 8, & until FAA-identified fixes to the plane can be installed, communicated, & confirmed. https://t.co/pYzvFEgej1 pic.twitter.com/dTApqqlkls  AFA-CWA (@afa_cwa) March 12, 2019

The NY Times notes, "Pilots in the rapidly expanding aviation markets of East Asia and in developing countries tend to be much less experienced than their counterparts in the West. Li Jian, the deputy director of Chinas Civil Aviation Administration, said the agency  the first to ground the 737 Max after the accident Sunday  worried about the challenges that could face pilots if an aircraft had unexpected difficulties."

The biggest worry involves possibly inaccurate signals from key flight instruments, Mr. Li said on Monday. Many pilots with less experience depend heavily on automatic systems to help them fly planes, and such systems in turn need reliable data. We are facing uncertainties about whether pilots have the courage or the capability to fly if an aircraft has difficulties, Mr. Li said. When a pilot is operating manually, if he receives inaccurate signals, which has happened multiple times, it will bring trouble, Mr. Li said. As a government supervision department, we should make sure all problem are solved before we allow aircraft to be used.

Now, Boeing promises to make "significant" changes to its software by the end of April; the Wall Street Journal reports, "The change, which was in the works before the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash over the weekend, would mark a major shift from how Boeing originally designed a stall-prevention feature in the 737 MAX when it first delivered to airlines in 2017... A company spokesman confirmed the update would include a change to use multiple data feeds in MAXs stall-prevention systeminstead of the current reliance on a single sensor."

While some airline passengers are trying to avoid flights with 737 Max planes (FYI, the 737 Max is not the same as 737-800), others are not as worried. One passenger who landed at LaGuardia from Miami told CNN, "If today is my day to go, it's my day, and the chances would be very rare of anything happening," while another said, "I'm very matter-of-fact about things. I mean, I can't live life worried about every bad thing that happens and when will it happen to me."

Boeing issued a statement today, "Safety is Boeings number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. Well continue to engage with them to ensure they have the information needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. The United States Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators."
In the summer of 2013, Gothamist published the first of many advice columns from native New Yorker Jake Dobkin, kicking things off with the timeless question, "Is It Normal For Roaches To Crawl Through My Hair At Night?" Nearly six years later, the popular series has been turned into a book, Ask a Native New Yorker, with ALL NEW essays from Jake. This week we are running excerpts the book, which is being released todayorder your copy now! Today's question comes from Chapter 2: "How to Keep a Roof Over Your Head," and concerns mean neighbors.

Dear Jake,

I love my new apartment. It's a small studio with good light in the East Village and it's within my price range. Only one problem: The neighbors all appear to be jerks! Now, I admit that some of this might be because I'm new and it seems like they've lived in the building forever. But still, most of them ignore me, and just last week as I was coming in, someone literally let the door slam in my face instead of holding it! Who does that?



Also, my upstairs neighbor has been making a lot of noise late at night. It sounds like banging pots or dragging stuff (bodies?) around. He's an older guy, and I'm kind of scared to go up there and tell him to please knock it off.

Do you have any advice about how to deal with these people?



Sincerely,

East Village Newbie

Dear EVN,

A little neighbor nonsense seems like a relatively small price to pay for a cheap East Village apartment these days, so cheer upyou're already doing better than most of your peers. And, unlike other housing problems like bedbugs, slumlords who let the building go to hell, or intolerable smells from a restaurant downstairs, this one has a simple fix.

For the next month, every time you pass someone in the stairs, vestibule, or hallway of the building, I want you to say, "Hello!" in a bright, loud voice. If they stop, you should add a second commentsomething innocuous like "It's so hot today!" or "Happy Friday!" Half of the people will ignore you at first, but after you do it a few times, even the most hard-hearted neighbor will likely begin responding with at least a half-assed "What's up?" or "How are you?"

This is your opportunity to strike. Start with a simple question something like, "Hey, you know I just moved in; do you know if it's cool to store my bike in the basement?" Or, "Do you know if we have roof access?" People love to give advice, and giving them the opportunity to be helpful is a great way to create warm relations. Ideally, your questions will be real ones you actually have; don't fake it if you don't have to.

After a month of this, most neighbors will consider you one of the family and your problems will be solved. You could, of course, take it even further by offering to help the older people in the building carry up their packages, giving the younger families a hand carrying down their strollers, etc. I've always found that these kinds of casual, friendly, neighbor relations go a long way to making a building a more pleasant place to live, and I can guarantee that you will never have a door slammed in your face again.

Why did that happen, by the way? It wasn't because your neighbors are unfriendly louts. And although you are right to suspect that some of them may be concerned about gentrification in the neighborhood and younger residents like you pricing them out, that's probably not the reason, either. My guess is that they were probably following the native rule that you never, ever, let someone into the building you don't recognize.



Ask A Native New Yorker, now available in book form.

This goes for everyone: deliverymen, old ladies, young kids, German Airbnb guests, Girl Scouts selling cookies. To the street-smart, somewhat paranoid New Yorker, any of these could actually be burglars or murderers in disguise, and we don't want to be the one to let them tailgate us into the building and thereby be responsible for any headline-grabbing carnage that may ensue. What's more, by applying this rule to everyone, we ensure that we're not acting unconsciously racist and judging potential threats based on the color of a person's skin or their clothes. No one gets allowed in unless we know them.

(For buildings with intercoms, this obviously also includes those times when someone buzzes your apartment and claims to be UPS or the gas company or the policeyou never, ever buzz them in. You may, if you wish, go downstairs and check them out, but the important thing is to maintain the security of your building.)

So, I think we've solved everything except your noise issue. This is by far the most common neighbor complaint in the city. First, ask yourself if the noise is really intolerable. After you first move into an apartment, it takes about a month for your brain to settle down and get used to the new environment. During this period of acclimation, unexpected noises will sound louder than usual, and much more annoying. As New York is a dense city, and our apartment buildings are often built from crappy, noise-passing materials, you must make a certain allowance for sound from your neighborsmusic, movie explosions, arguments, people walking around upstairs.

Often, just getting used to the sound will make this problem go away. Try to relax. Meditate, take a warm bath before bed, play some soothing music, and see if the noise still bothers you. If it does, buy a white-noise machine. They are cheap and can drown out an impressive array of soundseven garbage trucks, airplanes and helicopters, and crying children. If that doesn't work, it's time for a delicate conversation with the neighbor. This will go much, much better if you've completed the steps above and have already established a respectful rapport with him (or her). The first time you speak to a neighbor, it should never be "Hey, can you please quiet the fuck down?"

So let's say you are already on "hello" terms with the neighbor. One night, at a reasonable hour after dinner, go upstairs, knock on the door, and say something along the lines of "Hey, I hate to bother you, but the last few nights I've been awakened by some loud banging coming through my ceiling. I know this is annoying, but is there any way you could try to quiet down, not wear your boots in the apartment, or get an area rug to keep it a little quieter?" In my experience, this almost always works on the first try. Once, when we had an upstairs neighbor who had developed an unusual after-midnight woodworking hobby, he not only stopped doing it, but he actually gave us a bottle of wine and an apology card.

However, your neighbor may turn out to be less thoughtful. Perhaps he is too cheap to buy a rug, loves wearing boots indoors, and has been stomping around for twenty-five years with no problems, and he sees your request as an unfair interference with his rights. You could ask again, nicely, but the odds are that you're not going to get any better results than you did the first time. This is the moment to escalate to your super (or if you live in a fancy building, your doorman.)

To do this, you need to already be on their good side. Just as with the neighbors, it is essential to spend the first months in a new building getting to know the people who work there. Know their names and use them: "Hello, Frank, how's it going?" Ask them about themselves: how long they've been working at the building, what they like and don't like. Tip generously at the end of the year and when they help you out with something, and they'll be on your side when troubles arise. If you don't have money, offer foodyou can buy an incredible amount of goodwill with a simple plate of cookies.

If your upstairs neighbor refuses to give you satisfaction on the noise, go to the super and ask if he can do anything about it. Often a simple conversation between him and the offending neighbor will cure the problem. If it doesn't, he can help you escalate to the landlord or management company, which is your last line of defense (some people recommend calling 311 or submitting a complaint on NYC.gov, but in my experience, if personal appeals and requests from the landlord haven't worked, getting the city involved isn't going to do anything helpful).

If you've done everything above, and the noise is still intolerable to you, you can usually break the lease and move. This will require getting a lawyer to write you a letter claiming the landlord has breached their obligations to provide a habitable apartment, but this is fairly inexpensive and you will feel better knowing you're not trapped in an apartment you hate. The next time you rent, consider searching for a top-floor apartment (as noise doesn't travel up as much as it travels down) in a prewar building (which always has thicker walls and higher ceilings), with a bedroom that doesn't face the street.

Good luck!

Jake
It seems benign enough: a dial-in hotline where moms can get advice on potty training and recipe ideas. But in the five months since the measles outbreak began in New York City, the Akeres Habayis Hotline has taken on a different meaning and a different purpose, serving as a telephonic hub for ultra-Orthodox mothers who are resistant to vaccinating their children.

One of the groups that uses a section of the hotline is called PEACH, or Parents Educating and Advocating for Childrens Health. Two years ago, the group, whose members are anonymous, published a 40-page manual outlining the supposed dangers of vaccines and was reportedly circulating it in some communities when the current measles outbreak began last fall. Now it is using the conference calls as another means to organize anti-vaccination adherents, spread their message, and even try to form underground schools of unvaccinated children.

Every few weeks, the PEACH group hosts a seemingly spontaneous conference call. Its announced on their Twitter feed with a dial in number just a few minutes before it starts. Moms call in to ask questions, trade tips on getting sick kids through the measles, and retell second and third-hand anecdotes about supposedly damaging side-effects of vaccines. The sounds of their lives are the backdrop to these calls; babies cry and fuss, pots and pans clank. Many seem fearful and have questions about whats best for their kids.

Listen to Gwynne Hogans report on vaccination fears in the ultra-Orthodox community for WNYC

One woman recently recounted that an acquaintance told her she had a playgroup where a once lively 4-year-old became unusually quiet and reserved.

He was like a totally different kid and she asked the mother, What happened to this child. Hes not the same? the caller said. The parents mother responded that the boy had just gotten vaccinated.

Weve seen children who just like dont talk as much anymore, they seem a little spaced out, the caller continued. And that could be from I would say the aluminum in the vaccine.

Another woman then asked, It dont go away?

The first woman answered, No, it doesnt always. Those symptoms can stay with the child for life.

Some vaccines do have aluminum in them, though not the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR. Vaccines with aluminum adjuvant like all vaccines are extensively tested before use and have a six-decade record of working safely and effectively, with a few rare exceptions, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The calls boast hundreds of concerned mothers who are instructed not to divulge where they live, though certain outposts of the ultra-Orthodox community like Brooklyn, Monsey and Lakewood New Jersey, come up in conversation. Some of these calls are archived on the Akeres Habayis Hotline. (The name in Yiddish means mainstay of the home.) Gothamist/WNYC listened through hours of them for this story.

The organizers of the conference call invite doctors, rabbis and lawyers as special guests. One of them, Dr. Toni Bark, a licensed physician in Illinois, is opposed to vaccines and has testified against them all over the country. In one 2017 case in Michigan, Bark asserted she was an expert in adversomics, which she said was the study of adverse impacts of vaccines. However, the judge rejected her as an expert in that area because she couldnt prove she had published any papers on the subject. The judge also discounted Dr. Barks expertise on immunology and confined her testimony to her experience in her practice.

In her appearance on a PEACH conference call late last year, Dr. Bark was asked if measles was a very dangerous virus..

No, no, Dr. Bark said. When I was growing up, it was an excuse to stay home from school.

She also said that she believed there was a connection between autism and MMR, a theory posited by British doctor Andrew Wakefield in 1998. His study, however, consisted of evaluating just 12 children with autism and was later retracted. Wakefield was barred from practicing medicine in England. Just last week, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine looking at 657,461 children in Denmark over a decade found that there was no correlation between autism and the MMR vaccine.

When reached by Gothamist/WNYC about the conference call, Bark stood by her comments. She said that she told the women that if they are afraid of the measles, they should get their children vaccinated.

Another doctor who took questions on a PEACH conference call was Binyamin Rothstein. He was introduced as having a board certification in family practice in Pennsylvania, which is accurate, though hes on probation. His license was revoked in Maryland and New York after investigators found he repeatedly injected patients with hydrogen peroxide and a vitamin cocktail rather than adequately diagnosing and treating a host of ailments including tuberculosis, seizures and pneumonia. (One 72-year-old patient died of a heart attack shortly after seeing him for trouble breathing, chest pain and fainting spells.) Marylands State Board of Physicians determined that he was not capable of being re-educated and [would] pose a danger to the public if allowed to continue to practice.

On one of his websites, Dr. Rothstein wrote that his patients hadnt complained. These patients were helped when traditional therapies had failed them, he said. Two of his former patients who had been cited in the Maryland case testified on his behalf in Pennsylvania, according to records there.

On his call with PEACH moms, one woman asks about her sisters baby, who she explained had developed a chronic barking cough two weeks after getting shots at three months old. She said the babys doctor had told her sister it wasnt related to the vaccine.

No doctor in his or her right mind is gonna say, The shot I told you your kid should take now caused permanent damage to your child. No ones gonna say that, Dr. Rothstein said. So, of course theyre gonna deny it.

When reached for comment Rothstein contested certain parts of the Maryland investigation and added he wasnt opposed to vaccines, but we do need to determine which subset of patients are at risk for untoward side effects so that they can be administered safely and responsibly."

The woman who leads the PEACH conference calls is Chany Silber. A petite woman who appears to be in her forties, she lives with her family in a modest two-story home on a quiet street in Borough Park. When Gothamist/WNYC rang her bell recently, she said some of her children are vaccinated and attending school while the rest arent and are at home, abiding by the Health Departments orders.

While she said she was not interested in being interviewed, Silber did make some comments illuminating her perspective.

Listen, nobody died. Nobodys dying, she said. When told that people did die frequently before the vaccine became widespread, she responded, Thats not what my mother-in-law told me, and before slamming the door added, The CDC says a lot of fake things.



(Stephen Nessen / WNYC)

Unvaccinated kids in Brooklyn have not been allowed to attend yeshivas in certain Williamsburg and Borough Park zip codes since mid-December, when the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ordered that they remain at home until it declares the outbreak is over. In the meantime, the Akeres Habayis Hotline has apparently been used to form home schools; the phone tree asks unvaccinated parents to leave their information if they are interested. It is not clear, however, if any groups have been formed; though clusters of unvaccinated children would subvert the purpose of the Health Departments exclusionary order.

The conference call participants even pooled funds to hire an attorney, Charles Nicholas, to file a lawsuit against the yeshivas to let their kids back into school. Nicholas spoke to Gothamist/WNYC about the conference call; he said he has since then determined there isnt legal grounds for a lawsuit, and that he did not take their money.

There are some fragments of truth in whats discussed on the PEACH conference calls. Vaccines can cause complications: seizures, brain damage and even death. However, they are extremely rare. According to the governments Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, there have been 459 suspected deaths linked to the MMR vaccine going back to 1989, out of the tens of millions of doses that have been administered in that time period. According to the vaccines manufacturer, approximately one in three million doses results in brain swelling or encephalitis.

Public health experts warn that parents must weigh the miniscule risks of the vaccine against the much larger dangers of going unvaccinated. Two in 1,000 measles cases results in death; one in 1,000 cases results in encephalitis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, there were an average of more than 400 deaths each year from the virus, according to the CDC. These days deaths from measles are rare in the U.S. The last one was in 2015 in Washington State. Public health experts acknowledge that improvements in nutrition and health care make it less likely that one dies of the disease, but argue that the decrease in mortality is largely due to the countrys high vaccination rate.

Although no measles deaths have been reported in NYC as of March 5th, there have been 133 measles cases since the outbreak began last October. Of those, 109 were unvaccinated patients, including 21 babies who were too young for routine vaccination. Twenty-two cases either had only one dose of the MMR vaccine or didnt know their vaccine history. In two cases, the person had received two doses of the MMR vaccine. Eight patients were hospitalized and one was sent to intensive care, and while all have since recovered, though in some cases complications can occur years down the line.

The vast majority of ultra-Orthodox residents in Brooklyn are vaccinated, according to Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy commissioner of disease control at the Citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. But there are holdouts, an estimated 1,800 kids, he said. But the ultra-Orthodox community is particularly vulnerable to the spread of this virus; according to public health officials, they tend to have larger families, may live in cramped conditions, and frequently travel to and from Israel, where more than 3,400 people have had the measles since last March, according to Israels Ministry of Health. Two people have died there.

At the end of the day measles can kill you, he said. In terms of harm reduction and risk reduction, the vaccine is a really simple way to quell those fears.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect a 2017 case, which Dr. Bark provided testimony for, was in Michigan and not California as previously stated. A comment from Dr. Binyamin Rothstein has been added.

Gwynne Hogan is an associate producer at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @GwynneFitz.
In addition to the fact that limousine travel is very glamorous, it is also the most comfortable trip you can...
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Jose Galara, right, and Joe Rodriguez, left, of Hunter Industries work on the bridge near River Road on Loop 337 on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.
Understanding Human Predators

By Dean Weingarten. March 9th, 2019

Original Source

On 24 November, 2018, at 5783 East Limoges Drive in Columbia, Missouri, Ahmonta Harris was shot and killed. Harris was a popular community leader who considered politics as a career. He was 26 years old. From columbiamissourian.com:

"It takes action to get things done," he was quoted as saying in a January 2017 article about community members working toward positive change. He was involved with the plans to create a community center in the city's north neighborhood, referring to himself as a community leader who knew the area, he said in a February 2017 article. In 2012, Harris served as a panel member at a Silence the Violence forum in which he shared his experience with violence in Columbia. Harris aimed to be a role model for the city's youth, he said in an article about residents coming together to promote awareness of crime in the city.

Most people in the United States believe human life has value; most believe it is wrong to steal, rape, and murder. Those attitudes are the result of a long struggle against human nature, to build Western Civilization based on Judeo-Christian values. It is an outlier in human history. Most of us take it for granted.

The most dangerous people are those who have not accepted the core values of our society. To them, people outside their inner circle have no value, except as a resource to be used and consumed. They camouflage themselves to look like "normal" people. They are looking for opportunities to prey on the unwary.

Massad Ayoob writes, in The Truth About Self Protection, the best analogy for career criminals is werewolves. From page 4-5, in my paperback edition:

To most of you, criminals are as alien as supernatural beings. The best analogy is with werewolves.

Werewolves look like an ordinary person in most circumstances. But inside is an extremely dangerous predator who will kill and victimize without conscience.

Ahmonta Harris was an exceptionally dangerous person. He was killed by his intended victim during an armed invasion of an occupied house.

The second story window in the home had been left open 3-4 inches. Harris likely noticed this as an opportunity to victimize and steal.

He waited for a dark night, parked his girlfriend's car out of sight of the house, left his cell phone (turned off) and wallet in the car, put on black sweat pants and black hooded sweater, gloves, mask, and black sneakers.

Harris had no adult criminal record. Evidence was found where he had scaled the outside of the home to access the roof and the second story window.

Missouri Weather on 18 November, 2018, was overcast and drizzly. It would have been very dark at 11 p.m. The house is in the city; there may have been a little light from other lights in the neighborhood.

According to the Prosecutor's report, Harris entered through the window, accosted the occupant of the bedroom, Deonte Gainwell, and demanded money while targeting Gainwell with the laser sight on Harris' Glock 26 9mm.

Records show Harris had purchased the Glock legally in 2017, at a gunshop in Columbia. Most criminals know not to use a firearm that can be traced back to them. In this case, it did not matter.

Harris' victim, 20-Year-Old Deonte Gainwell, also had a pistol, a Glock 23, in .40 caliber. The bedroom was very dark. When Deonte told Harris he did not have any money, Harris worked the slide on his Glock 26. It may have been meant to intimidate Deonte. It was a clear, deadly, threat. Instead, Deonte shot Harris multiple times, killing him.

On Harris' facebook page, Harris openly glorified crime and lawlessness.

From facebook.com/ahmonta.harris:

Y'all laughing at them for stealing $1,900 worth of merchandise from Hibbit but I'm low key pissed. I know them muthaf****s had some sh!t i can fit. I got love for good,fearless boosters. I say we chip in and bond those innocent citizens out. Not all heroes wear capes. They just wear stolen sh!t. Somebody tell Jabe that I'll buy all them "one thangs" from em but the price go down since he in jail.

Less than two months later, on 17 January, 2019, Deonte Gainwell, who defended himself from Harris, was murdered. Below, he defended himself from accusations he had murdered Harris. From columbiatribune.com:

Gainwell identified himself on Facebook as the shooter of Harris, during what he said was a self-defense killing during a home invasion Nov. 24 in the 5700 block of Limoges Drive. "I set some sh!t up cuz mfs ran in my momma's house thinking I was a (explicative)?" Gainwell wrote in a Dec. 5 post responding to accusations from Harris' father. "Sorry that it had to be neighborhood hero but he shouldn't have been in my momma's house." "He was found dead in my mama's sh!t with gloves on, blacked out outfit and a mask and gun next to his body," Gainwell wrote. "Stop slandering my name. Buddy got caught with his hand in the wrong cookie jar."

The Prosecutor released the report showing the extensive investigation that vindicated Deonte Gainwell's self defense shooting of Ahmonta Harris.

The report was released on 23 January, 2019, six days after Deonte had been murdered.

Ahmonta Harris was well liked in his community. His criminality was not well hidden; he openly admired criminals on his facebook page.

We will never know how many people Ahmonta Harris victimized without being caught. It is highly unlikely the home invasion/attempted robbery was his first rodeo. We know Harris will not victimize others in the future.

If you have many Ahmonta Harris types in a community, the rule of law is severely compromised. Private justice, the vendetta, and endless retaliatory violence predominate. Harris did not need to steal to eat. He had a decent job with the City of Columbia. He wrote that people leading the "thug life" should have life insurance, to make their families well off if they were killed. Maybe he didn't know that life insurance polices routinely exclude deaths that happen while performing illegal activities.

Our society has been exceptionally successful at instilling respect for the rule of law. It is hard for most people to realize other people exist who do not value human life. People to whom others are simply prey to be used for whatever value they can gain. Historically, people who do not value others outside their tribe are not unusual. They are the default setting for the human condition. Throughout the vast experience of humanity, the willingness to prey upon, kill, rape, and enslave others outside your tribe, is the norm.

Every human child is a wild animal who must be taught the norms of civilization, family values, and morality, if civilization is to endure. We destroy the time proven institutions of family, church, and culture at our peril. When we do so, we produce more werewolves who do not value those outside their inner circle. In evolution, this comes from the instincts of the killer ape. In Christianity, it is original sin. The werewolves and thugs are not products of our culture. They are failures of our culture to transmit values that made us the most successful culture on the planet.

"Thug culture" has its etymological origins in the cult of Thugee, which used to exist in the Indian subcontinent. The Thugs did not value human life outside of their circle. Humans who were not Thugs were merely prey, to be murdered and robbed with efficiency, as a religious duty, and as sport. Thugs would befriend travelers until the most advantageous circumstance were arranged. They would murder groups of travelers with ruthless efficiency. Their religion required them to murder and steal.

One of the great achievements of British rule in India was the eradication of Thugee.

Inner city gangs are proto-tribes who do not value the lives of outsiders. Inner city neighborhoods from which police are removed see murder rates skyrocket.

To protect yourself from the werewolves and thugs in our society, you need to realize they exist.

2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch

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Pushpa Kamal Dahal will visit the United States for his wifes treatment

Nearly a month after the controversy over his statement on the US position on Venezuela, Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to visit the United States of America on March 18 for the treatment of his ailing wife, Sita Dahal.
Achham police launch campaign against Chhaupadi

The District Police Office, Achham, has launched an awareness campaign in a bid to educate the people about the law against Chhaupadi, a customary practice in which menstruating girls and women are deemed impure and banished into seclusion.
After CK Rauts deal with government, the guessing game continues

Fridays deal between the government and CK Raut, coordinator of the Alliance for Independent Madhes, has left many guessing what plans the Madhesi activistand even Prime Minister KP Sharma Olihas up his sleeves.
Be the change

Conservative families try to fend off the possibility of their daughters getting married to foreigners by getting them married at an early age and spreading the gospel that they have to bear children before they hit 27 years of age.
Bourse working to facilitate settlement of online trades

The Nepal Stock Exchange is preparing to link its automated trading platform with Nepal Clearing House in a bid to facilitate the settlement of online trades.
Child care centre for Chepangs in Makwanpur

In what can be called a positive wave of change, Chepang people in remote settlements of Makwanpur are growing more aware on the importance of educating their childrensomething that was rare until a few years ago.
Chinese top list of tourist arrivals in February

The worlds most populous country China became the biggest source of visitors to Nepal in February.
Citys fresh bid to ban tobacco consumption in public places

After numerous failed attempts to ban smoking and tobacco chewing in public places, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has announced yet another campaign to enforce ban to make the Capital a healthier place.
Fixing a hole

Incremental changes to close the gender wage gap are welcome
Law amended to ease acquisition of forest land

The government has amended the Forest Act and included a new provision which will allow the developer of certain infrastructure projects to acquire forest lands required for the construction of the project by paying a fee.
More students file fraud case against Gandaki Medical College chair Khuma Aryal and ten others

More students have filed a forgery case against the Gandaki Medical College administration at the District Police Office, Kaski, saying that the institute have charged them more than the government-fixed fee.
Nepal-bound cargoes stranded at Kolkata Port to be released today

The Nepal-bound containers stranded at the Kolkata Port for the past four days will be released on Tuesday, Consul General in India Eak Narayan Aryal confirmed on Monday.
Products made of nettle snapped up at trade fair

The 15th Nepal International Industrial Trade Fair and Cottage Industry Festival and the Third Organic Farming Festival concluded on Monday, recording business transactions totalling more than Rs150 million, the organiser said.
Public entities are recommending errant contractors for blacklisting more than ever

The Public Procurement Monitoring Office has blacklisted 13 errant firmscontractors and suppliersfor occupying a large number of projects without completing them on time since January 17. The number of blacklisted firms has been on the rise in the last three years.
SilkAir changes its aircraft to Kathmandu following Singapores decision to halt all 737 Max 8 planes

Singapore-based Silk Air swapped the aircraft it operates in and out of Kathmandu following the countrys decision to temporarily suspend operations of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft two days after the fatal crash of Ethiopian Airlines.
Staff crunch hits patients at major government hospitals in Valley

Radha Dahal of Mahankal, Lalitpur, reached Bir Hospital to get her penicillin administered only to return without being attended to. The 33-year-old heart patient complained that the staff on duty at the minor operation theatre of the hospital refused to administer the injection even after she waited for an hour and a half.
Three men held with stolen Shaligrams

Police arrested three persons on the charge of stealing historic Shaligrams (ammonite fossils) from Nrisingha Temple in Modibeni, Parbat. The security personnel also seized the stolen Shaligrams from the accused.
West Seti among projects government will showcase at investment summit

As the government gears up for the Nepal Investment Summit, senior officials told the Post that it is planning to invite foreign investors again for the development of West Seti Hydroelectric Project.
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

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By Ritah Kemigisa

As leaders and business experts gather in Munyonyo for the 1ST Africa Now summit that will be opened by President Yoweri Museveni, Political experts have blamed African Leaders for all the problems they are currently experiencing.

The former member of the pan African Parliament Miria Matembe says she does not expect much from the summit adding that its the Usual rhetoric where a lot is said and little is done.

She adds that all that Africa needs is a people centered leadership.

The two day summit is under the theme: Towards a secure, integrated and growing Africa aims to harness the endless energy of the African youth in forging a secure, integrated and growing Africa.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

The East African Affairs Minister Julius Maganda has called for calm among Ugandans and Rwandans saying the conflict between the two countries will be resolved soon.

Maganda says the issue is currently being handled by the committee on Regional affairs and conflict resolution of the East African Legislative assembly.

He says there is hope in the committee chaired by a former Tanzanian president Benjamin Nkapa which has managed to resolve related conflicts in Burundi.

The tension between Uganda and Rwanda is escalating as the two continue pointing figures at each other.
BY PAUL TAJUBA.

A Ugandan born veteran conservationists Kaddu Sebunya, has proposed that government increases gorilla trekking permits and make earn more than auxiliary service providers.

MrSebunya, the chief executive officer of African Wildlife Foundation, said in an interview with this paper last week, that airlines are reaping more from tourists than Ugandans who own the wildlife.

Someone buys a ticket from London. A cheap ticket is between 800 [Economy] to 3000 [First Class]. They come here to see a buffalo, how do you allow KLM to make more money than people in Queen Elizabeth National Park? Emirates pay 3000 to come and see mountain gorillas. Emirates make more money than people next to mountain gorillas, Mr Sebunya said.

Uganda charges $600 to trek gorilla per person. Rwanda on the other hand charges $1500 for all visitors.

Mr Sebunya congratulated Uganda for managing well the 10 parks and other reserves but said government should do more to help communities surrounding parks to benefit from the resources in their vicinity.

Tourism is a top foreign exchange earner and Uganda last year raked in $1.4b (Shs5 trillion) from the sector, according to statistics from Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), agency that markets the country.

Mr Stephen Asiimwe, the outgoing UTB chief executive officer, said time is now to have discussion on increasing the gorilla trekking permits since we have sold out.

Mr Bashir Hangi, the Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson, said increasing permits is good but it has to be consultative before a decision can be made.

Mr Sebunya also asked Africans to protect wildlife not necessarily for tourism but as their heritage since they are our clans, names, our culture, they are our identity. He also said ecosystems where parks live a play a critical role our survival and it would be unwise for anyone to destroy them.
By Damali Mukhaye.

Human rights activists have tasked the government to expedite the process of rolling elderly fund to all the district across the country.

Speaking to kfm, the Uganda women network coordinator Sandra Komuhiimo says that there are over 120 districts in the whole country but the fund is in a selected 15 districts only.

She says that all elderly people in the country once contributed to the development of this country hence all of them should be appreciated hence the program should be hurriedly be rolled out to all districts.

She also says that the fund should be increased from the current 25,000 shillings since it is very little considered to the current cost of living.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

Africa will not transform if the private sector is not liberalized.

The remark has been made by President Yoweri Museveni at the ongoing Africa Now summit in Munyonyo as he discussed the Topic, Leadership needed to catalyze Africas transformation

In his address Museveni attributed some of Africas problems to poor Education, health and a weak private sector that is no longer innovative.

He says for transformation to take place, people need to have the right skills acquired through education and for sectarianism to stop if states are to become bigger.
Police spokesperson Mr Fred Enanga on Monday confirmed that Commissioner of Police Christine Alalo was among the 157 people who died on Sunday in the plane crash.

CP Alalo was working with the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as the acting Police Commissioner.

The officer was returning to from Italy to Mogadishu, Somalia and was one of the victims in the Ethiopian Flight ET 302, which crashed yesterday killing all occupants, he said.

Mr Enanga further noted that the Inspector General of Police Okoth Ochola has shared the sad news with the immediate family members of the fallen officer and created a task team headed by the Director of Peace Support Operations AIGP Grace Turyagumanawe, to coordinate with both the AU headquarters and Ethiopian Airlines to ensure her remains are traced and transported to her family in Uganda for burial.

At the time of her death, CP Alalo was serving as the Acting Police Commissioner AMISOM and her tour of duty was expected to end in June, 2019, Enanga said.
RTHK: Singapore bans 737 Max flights over its airspace

Singapore's civil aviation regulator on Tuesday banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in its airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. It was the same type of jet operated by Lion Air which crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 passengers and crew.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months".

The suspension will take effect from 2pm on Tuesday, it said.

Airlines in China, Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico and other countries said they were suspending operations of their 737 MAX 8 fleets. Pilots from Argentina's Aerolinas Argentinas have refused to fly the aircraft.

The move caused Boeing shares to tumble around 12 percent earlier in the day, before recovering about half its losses by the close of the trading day.

The company said it was sending a technical team to the crash site and will work with Ethiopian and US regulators to determine the cause.

"The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," Boeing said.

The plane that crashed on Sunday was less than four months old. Ethiopian Airlines said it was delivered on November 15. The airline grounded its fleet of six remaining Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.

China also ordered domestic airlines to suspend commercial operation of the MAX 8.

Indonesia, which has 11 of the MAX 8 model planes, said it would carry out inspections and temporarily prohibit them from flying.

Some airlines said they were not cancelling MAX 8 flights, including Oman Air, flydubai, Turkish Airlines and Russia's S7.

US airlines also appeared to remain confident in the manufacturer, and Canadian officials said they will not ground the three aircraft in use by domestic carriers.

Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling airplane ever, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest carrier, had ordered 30 MAX 8 jets in total, and China has received 76 from an order of 180.

US regulators on Monday ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet  but ruled out grounding the fleet as investigators worked to piece together the aircraft's final moments. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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lop guest

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03-12-2019 02:03 PM













Post: #1 Testicular Bill of Rights

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No viagra, no sex toys, no porn, guys! Not without a females permission. No more sex without a condom. And child support upon conception.



All of this is silly & will never stick. Except the child support upon conception. That will one day come into effect. I'm calling it now. I knew exactly that this was the agenda of all the crazy false abortion articles going around. The boomers & late X'ers will bring that in. It will leech more money from the working sod & generate revenue for the government.





Now that I think about it, sex without a condom being aggravated assault may eventually stick if the mother says she didn't (doesn't) want a child. But I think that will be further on down the road. Most likely when the Millenials come into power.





And men thought this was only about controlling women! Bahaaa....you have to look further than that to detect their plans.









Georgia Democrat seeks Vasectomy ban in response to restrictive Abortion Bills..

A Georgia State Democrat proposed a bill in the Georgia Legislature banning Vasectomies, men MUST seek the approval of of their partners for any Erectile Dysfunction medications, have a 24 hour waiting period for buying sex toys and porn.



GEORGIA Democrat Dar'shun Kendrick brought up this proposal in the Legislature in response to the restrictive Abortion bills. That if women's sexual lives and bodies are to be CONTROLLED, men should get the same treatment. Rep. Kendrick also has in her Testicular Bill of Rights proposal that any woman pregnant, the man must begin to pay child support once pregnancy has been confirmed via DNA testing to determine paternity. Sex without a condom be deemed "aggravated assault"







https://www.huffpost.com/entry/georgia-v...36162aea4d Testicular Bill of Rights...No viagra, no sex toys, no porn, guys! Not without a females permission. No more sex without a condom. And child support upon conception.All of this is silly & will never stick. Except the child support upon conception. That will one day come into effect. I'm calling it now. I knew exactly that this was the agenda of all the crazy false abortion articles going around. The boomers & late X'ers will bring that in. It will leech more money from the working sod & generate revenue for the government.Now that I think about it, sex without a condom being aggravated assault may eventually stick if the mother says she didn't (doesn't) want a child. But I think that will be further on down the road. Most likely when the Millenials come into power.And men thought this was only about controlling women! Bahaaa....you have to look further than that to detect their plans.A Georgia State Democrat proposed a bill in the Georgia Legislature banning Vasectomies, men MUST seek the approval of of their partners for any Erectile Dysfunction medications, have a 24 hour waiting period for buying sex toys and porn.GEORGIA Democrat Dar'shun Kendrick brought up this proposal in the Legislature in response to the restrictive Abortion bills. That if women's sexual lives and bodies are to be CONTROLLED, men should get the same treatment. Rep. Kendrick also has in her Testicular Bill of Rights proposal that any woman pregnant, the man must begin to pay child support once pregnancy has been confirmed via DNA testing to determine paternity. Sex without a condom be deemed "aggravated assault"
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Netanyahu: Sending Money to Hamas Key to Keeping Palestinians Divided Treebeard

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03-12-2019 03:02 PM



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Post: #1 Netanyahu: Sending Money to Hamas Key to Keeping Palestinians Divided

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Says those against Palestinian statehood should be for funding Hamas



Likud officials are reporting that during a Monday meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued in favor of continuing to allow funding to be transferred to Hamas, arguing that it is the bes way to keep the Palestinians divided.

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl...ded-583082



This seems to fall neatly into the category of Israeli policies that have fairly obviously been in place, but which officials dont publicly talk about. With the election looming, Netanyahu is increasingly frank about his efforts to undercut Palestinian statehood, and his conviction that Israeli is not a state for all of its people, but only for Jews.



Indeed, Netanyahu argued in this case that those opposed to Palestinian statehood should be in favor of continuing to fund Hamas, as it keeps them and the Palestinian Authority divided. This division is often cited by Israel as a reason Palestine cant exist.



Palestinian division is not something Israel just sort of favors, but rather something thats been pursued as formal policy for decades. Indeed, the early groundwork in founding Hamas was heavily lain by Israel themselves, with an eye toward splitting the Palestinians along secularist and Islamist lines.

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/hamas-is...-creation/



This is a major reason why every international attempt at Palestinian unity, and talk of a Hamas-Fatah rapprochement with free elections in the occupied territories is met with Israeli opposition. Its not, as officials would claim, that Hamas is untrustworthy. Rather, it is that if Hamas is part of a united Palestine, they arent doing the job Israel created them for.

https://news.antiwar.com/2019/03/11/neta...s-divided/ Netanyahu: Sending Money to Hamas Key to Keeping Palestinians DividedSays those against Palestinian statehood should be for funding HamasLikud officials are reporting that during a Monday meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued in favor of continuing to allow funding to be transferred to Hamas, arguing that it is the bes way to keep the Palestinians divided.This seems to fall neatly into the category of Israeli policies that have fairly obviously been in place, but which officials dont publicly talk about. With the election looming, Netanyahu is increasingly frank about his efforts to undercut Palestinian statehood, and his conviction that Israeli is not a state for all of its people, but only for Jews.Indeed, Netanyahu argued in this case that those opposed to Palestinian statehood should be in favor of continuing to fund Hamas, as it keeps them and the Palestinian Authority divided. This division is often cited by Israel as a reason Palestine cant exist.Palestinian division is not something Israel just sort of favors, but rather something thats been pursued as formal policy for decades. Indeed, the early groundwork in founding Hamas was heavily lain by Israel themselves, with an eye toward splitting the Palestinians along secularist and Islamist lines.This is a major reason why every international attempt at Palestinian unity, and talk of a Hamas-Fatah rapprochement with free elections in the occupied territories is met with Israeli opposition. Its not, as officials would claim, that Hamas is untrustworthy. Rather, it is that if Hamas is part of a united Palestine, they arent doing the job Israel created them for. LoP Guest

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Post: #2 RE: Netanyahu: Sending Money to Hamas Key to Keeping Palestinians Divided

Well our gub sends israel money to keep america divided, so what's the difference? LoP Guest

lop guest

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03-12-2019 05:06 PM











Post: #3 RE: Netanyahu: Sending Money to Hamas Key to Keeping Palestinians Divided

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-12-2019 03:35 PM) Well our gub sends israel money to keep america divided, so what's the difference?

Americans aren't living in a fvucking concentration camp. Americans aren't living in a fvucking concentration camp.

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03-13-2019 12:59 AM



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Post: #1 Canadian Brothers Cause Security Chaos At US-Canadian Border

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It all started on the day before their arrest, when they bought the vintage Skylark, which had no certificate of registration, legal documents or license plates.



For reasons unknown, Canadians Damien Roy, 22, and Bailey Roy, 21, decided that they didn't want to stop at any gas stations until they crossed into Mexico, so they loaded 21 jugs of gasoline in the back seat and trunk, the CBC reported. The antique car wasn't equipped with a GPS, so they planned their travels on paper maps and threw those into the back as well, along with some food for the 5,000-mile journey.



The larger issue, however was that they had no passports or any other form of ID with them. The Roys decided to take a back road through a remote stretch of the North Country where they were unlikely to encounter checkpoints, then sneak into Maine.



Their old-school navigation methods evidently failed: At around 10 a.m. on Oct. 26, they found themselves approaching one of the largest checkpoints in New Brunswick, less than 350 miles from home.



Bailey had been driving, and Damien sat in the passenger seat. According to the CBC, Munn said they both "froze" when they realized what was happening. The Skylark abruptly came to a stop in the middle of the road.



"It was very strange," Kevin Peck, who lives on the Canadian side of the border and happened to come across the car, later told CTV News. "There was room to pass on the left-hand side, and as I was passing by I kind of glanced over and there were two gentlemen in the car that were not moving, looking straight ahead, and the windows were all fogged up."



https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Brot...681710.php  Ascended Master It all started on the day before their arrest, when they bought the vintage Skylark, which had no certificate of registration, legal documents or license plates.For reasons unknown, Canadians Damien Roy, 22, and Bailey Roy, 21, decided that they didn't want to stop at any gas stations until they crossed into Mexico, so they loaded 21 jugs of gasoline in the back seat and trunk, the CBC reported. The antique car wasn't equipped with a GPS, so they planned their travels on paper maps and threw those into the back as well, along with some food for the 5,000-mile journey.The larger issue, however was that they had no passports or any other form of ID with them. The Roys decided to take a back road through a remote stretch of the North Country where they were unlikely to encounter checkpoints, then sneak into Maine.Their old-school navigation methods evidently failed: At around 10 a.m. on Oct. 26, they found themselves approaching one of the largest checkpoints in New Brunswick, less than 350 miles from home.Bailey had been driving, and Damien sat in the passenger seat. According to the CBC, Munn said they both "froze" when they realized what was happening. The Skylark abruptly came to a stop in the middle of the road."It was very strange," Kevin Peck, who lives on the Canadian side of the border and happened to come across the car, later told CTV News. "There was room to pass on the left-hand side, and as I was passing by I kind of glanced over and there were two gentlemen in the car that were not moving, looking straight ahead, and the windows were all fogged up." Ascended Master
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., the tenth-largest lender in terms of assets, said it filed a lawsuit against the Bank of Bangladesh in a local civil court for allegedly defaming the bank and its executives. RCBC sued Bank of Bangladesh for baseless allegations of complicity in the $81-million cyber heist in 2016. RCBC said in a statement it filed the complaint on March 6 with the Makati City Regional Trial Court. The Philippine bank said its reputation had come under the vicious and public attack by Bangladesh Bank since 2016. It is public knowledge that Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a massive ploy and scheme to extort money from plaintiff RCBC by resorting to public defamation, harassment and threats geared towards destroying RCBCs good name, reputation and image, all with the intention of getting RCBC to pay Bangladesh Bank money that RCBC does not have in its custody or possession and which it does not owe to Bangladesh Bank, it said. The suit was served to Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hasan, deputy governor and head of Bangladesh Bank Financial Intelligence Unit and the other members of Bangladesh Bank delegation that arrived in the Philippines for meetings with banking officials. Bangladesh Bank sued RCBC in January in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Tai-Heng Cheng, RCBCs lead lawyer and a partner at the New York office of law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Llp said that Bank of Bangladeshs claims were baseless and have harmed RCBCs reputation as one of the best banks in the Philippines.Bangladeshs suit is nothing more than a political stunt to try to shift blame from themselves to RCBC. The action taken today by RCBC finally puts the case in a court whereat the very leastthe alleged crime took place, Cheng said. Cyber thieves stole $81 million from the account of Bank of Bangladesh in Federal Reserve in New York in February 2016. The dirty money entered the domestic financial system through fictitious accounts in RCBC Jupiter branch in Makati City and later on was laundered by a number of individuals in local casinos. RCBCs defamation suit referenced Bangladeshs failure to secure its network and disclose those failings on a timely basis. The complaint also refuted Bangladesh Banks allegation that RCBC played a premeditated role in the cyber theft. Bangladesh Bank had lost the $81 million the minute it left defendant Bangladesh Banks account at the NY Fed and way before it had even reached the Philippines. There is absolutely no act attributable to RCBC that caused the payment instructions to reach the NY Fed and the correspondent banks, the complaint said. Thea Daep, a partner at the Manila law firm of Villaraza & Angangco, said RCBC had nothing to do with the theft of the funds and had cooperated fully with every investigation into the matter. We will prove in the Philippine court that Bangladeshs defamation is nothing more than a blatant attempt to shift the blame and cover up their own liability at RCBCs expense, Daep said. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier fined RCBC P1 billion for its involvement in the incident, a substantial amount which the bank paid in two tranches.
D.M. Consunji Inc., the construction arm of the Consunji Group, bagged P12 billion worth of new contracts in 2018, raising its order book by 12 percent to P27.9 billion from P24.8 billion in 2017. DMCI Holdings Inc. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange building and infrastructure contracts accounted for the bulk of the order book at P11.2 billion and P11.1 billion, respectively. Energy projects reached P2.7 billion, while the value of plant and utilities contracts totaled P2.9 billion. DMCI said among the significant construction projects won by company in 2018 included the first Ikea store in the Philippines and The Estate Makati, the ultra-luxury residential condominium project of SM Development Corp. and that of Federal Land Inc.. The Ikea outlet within the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City once completed will be the biggest in the world at 65,000 square meters. The project is slated for completion by 2021. The Estate Makati, meanwhile, is the first residential building in the country to be constructed using double-slab technology, allowing owners to fully customize the layout of their units. Building pioneering structures is at the core of our DNA. We are grateful and excited to be part of these projects, said D.M. Consunji president and chief executive Jorge Consunji.The construction firm plans to secure more projects this year, with the current P27.9-billion order book good for the next two years. Marubeni Corp. of Japan and D.M Consunji last week secured an electric and mechanical contract (E&M) from the government for the two additional stations eastward of the LRT Line 2 East Extensions Project for $62 million Marubeni, as consortium leader, will be responsible for overall administration and the procurement of E&M railway systems. DMCI will be responsible for track-work procurement and construction and the installation of E&M systems. DMCI will also construct a viaduct and two new stationsEmerald and Masinagfor the project. Their construction will soon be completed The existing Manila LRT Line 2, which was awarded to Marubeni in 2000 and completed in 2004, is a 13.8-km elevated metro line with 11 stations connecting the east and west of Metro Manila.
Ten aerospace companies abandoned their plans to invest in the Philippines in favor of Vietnam amid concerns over tax incentives and the uncertainties generated by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. Aerospace Industry Association of the Philippines president Dennis Chan said those companies earlier made known their intention to have manufacturing and assembly operations in the Philippines. Most of them closed shop in China and were looking for alternative sites. We initially thought that the US-China trade war will benefit us. The tax reform law was another hurdle for these companies and other companies who are eyeing the Philippines, Chan said. An existing investor in the Philippines, Rockwell Collins Inc., temporarily shelved an expansion plan with a third plant in Batangas, because of the Train law. Rockwell Collins, formerly B/E Aerospace Inc., is a manufacturer and supplier of aviation and integrated solutions for both commercial and government applications. It produces and supplies aircraft cabin interior products, including cabin seating, lighting, oxygen systems, food and beverage preparation and storage equipment, galleys and lavatories to aircraft manufacturers.AIAP said despite these issues, it remained optimistic that it would achieve the 2022 export target of $2.5 billion. Exports in 2019 are expected to reach $2 billion, up 11 percent from $1.8 billion in 2018. AIAP will host the first capability and capacity trade show on March 27 to 30 to feature the latest machines and aerospace equipment as well as the capacity of the Philippines as a site for aerospace firms and their investments. The Philippine Suppliers and Manufacturers 2019 is an international event that will focus on reverse trading where the country is expected to generate investments in exchange for buying machinery, equipment and aircraft. The event will also showcase the Philippines technological capabilities in aerospace procedures from machining, casting of parts, surface coating, plating, heat treatment metal stamping, sheet metal cutting, painting, plastic injection and packaging.
The Manila International Airport Authority on Tuesday urged the people to be aware of the presence of unscrupulous individuals at airport terminals, specially this coming summer vacation when the number of passengers would increase. The MIAA management came up with the warning following the arrest of Rey John Manglay, 27, a notorious member of Salisi Gang, operating at Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals. Manglay, who uses an alias Arjhay Valdez, was arrested after Harija Panayaman Hamsa, an overseas Filipino worker from Kuwait, filed a complaint against him. He [suspect] approached and befriended me when I arrived at the NAIA Terminal 1 last Feb. 27, 2019, and he convinced me to go with him at the NAIA Terminal 3 for my connecting flight to General Santos City, Hamsa said. Hamsa said Manglay was able to convince her when he told her he was also an OFW from Saudi Arabia. She added the suspect took away her baggage, containing her money worth P150,000, jewelry and mobile gadgets, when she entered the comfort room. Investigation showed that Manglay had victimized a total of 20 OFWs and a German tourist on various occasions at the airport. MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal presented Manglay in a press conference where the suspect admitted he spent all the money in bar hopping in Makati and other night clubs in Metro Manila. Charges of swindling and qualified theft will be filed before the Pasay City prosecutors office against the suspect who is now detained at the Airport Police Department. Authorities said Salisi Gang members lurk anywhere where there are people malls, restaurants, airports, fastfood joints and computer shopsand are just waiting for victims to get distracted.They either divert their victims attention or wait until their targets are distracted before they move in for the kill. They added the gang is also using attractive women in luring unsuspecting air travelers. Last year, 58-year-old Japanese national Tetsuya Makita, missed a flight to Narita when his luggage gone missing following a delightful conversation with three women at the NAIA Terminal 1. The victim spent his days and nights staying at the airport police quarter because the missing luggage also contains his travel passport, mobile phone and his money around 50,000 Yen, and other important documents. Investigation showed that the victim was standing waiting at the departure curb-side area for his Japan Airlines flight around 2:25 p.m. when three women, whom he described as beautiful ladies, approached and talked to him. While one of the women, who speaks Japanese, having the conversation with the victim, her cohorts took the opportunity taking the luggage. Minutes after saying goodbye to the three ladies he met, the victim noticed that his luggage was missing. Airport authorities believed that aside from the three women, there were other accomplices in the modus.
The Metro Manila Development Authority announced Tuesday it would partially close next week the Estrella Service Road in Makati City to give way to the ongoing rehabilitation of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge. MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said closure of Estrella Service Roadfrom Gumamela Street to JP Rizal directionwould take effect on March 23, Saturday, at 11 p.m. At least 500 vehicles per hour are traversing per direction. The other direction going to Rockwell area will remain open to motorists. The closure, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the local government of Makati City, will last up to two years until the completion of the bridge. Motorists are advised to take the following alternate routes: All vehicles coming from EDSA/Rockwell must turn at Gumamela Street, left at Camia Street to JP Rizal to destination.In preparation, roads in the vicinity of Estrella Bridge will be cleared of illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions, said Garcia. Roadside clearing operations will be conducted on identified alternative roads, including streets of Camia, Gumamela, and Progreso. Starting Monday, we are going to clear all alternate routes. We want to utilize all roads in the vicinity, said Garcia. The rehabilitation of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge aims to widen the bridge to four lanes from its present two lanes. Based on the DPWH timeline, the project will be completed in 2021.
The Department of Education strongly condemns the barbaric murder of a Grade 9 learner found on a vacant lot in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on March 11, and urges the proper authorities to hasten the arrest of the perpetrators. The victim, identified as Cristine Silawan, a 16-year-old student of Maribago High School, was reported missing by her mother Sunday when she failed to return home from serving as a tithe collector in church. Her lifeless body, reportedly raped and skinned to the skull, was discovered the following morning by passersby. DepEd Schools Division Office of Lapu-Lapu City has issued a memorandum reminding all public and private elementary and secondary schools to strengthen their existing rules and policies on school safety. It further enumerated security measures such as: Restricting practices for school presentations and other school-related activities until 5 p.m. only; instructing school heads to advise learners to bring packed lunch or snacks instead of buying food outside school premises; ensuring that fully functional CCTV cameras are installed in strategic areas; requesting additional presence of police or barangay tanod in the area; and advising students to always go in groups when out on the streets, especially when it is already dark. As the Department calls on the local government unit and the police to swiftly bring to justice the cold-blooded criminals, it likewise enjoins the public in the shared responsibility of protecting children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, and threat. The Department extends its deepest condolences to the grieving family and requests the DepEd community for voluntary contribution to provide the bereaved with adequate financial assistance. Meanwhile, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros likewise condemned the rape-murder of Silawan. I condemn the brutal rape and murder of 16-year-old Cristine Silawan. My sincerest condolences go out to Cristines family, friends, the people of Cebu, and the community and church she served, said Hontiveros.She said the horrible treatment of her and the terrible state of her body are an affront to all women. This is a gruesome and inhuman act. I exhort the authorities to swiftly act on this case, find those responsible for this horrific crime and bring them to justice, Hontiveros said. Silawan was reportedly found dead on Monday morning. Reports say that she went to Church on Sunday but did not come home. Authorities found her throat slit, with several stab wounds on her body. The authorities also said that Silawan was raped before her face was skinned to the bones, exposing her skull. The police is now hunting down three alleged suspects in the brutal crime.
Efforts are now underway to restrict New Peoples Army rebels from accessing funds they have acquired abroad. This was disclosed by Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato when asked on whether the government is doing something to stop the rebels from receiving funding abroad. Yes, including foreign funds they are receiving by deceiving the [foreign] donors and diverting the money to further their terroristic activities with the ultimate aim of toppling down the government and changing our way of life, he said in a message to the Philippine News Agency late Monday. The military official earlier said only a unified and whole-of-government approach will defeat the NPA, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. We have identified so many factors to eradicate the communist terrorists [and these are] prevent them from accessing funds, counter their mass base recruitment and front organizations, Detoyato said. And they can only be neutralized effectively if the government will synchronize its efforts to counter them and the threats they pose. We can only do this effectively if the whole government will synchronize their efforts towards a common goal [which is aimed at containing these factors that are responsible for the continued operation of the NPA movement], the AFP official added. Once this is done, Detoyato expressed confidence that the ideology espoused by Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Joma Sison and his blind followers will be defeated once and for all. As this developed, joint military and police forces preempted another arson attempt by the New Peoples Army in Sitio Salok, Barangay Magsaysay in Infanta, Quezon province. Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the 202nd Infantry Unifier Brigade said government forces encountered an undetermined number of rebels at 8 a.m. Friday. Burgos said the 30 minute firefight took place some 3 km. away from the compound of Northern Builders, the Kaliwa Dam project contractor whose equipment were torched by suspected NPA members last Feb. 7.Kaliwa Dam is one of the 76 ongoing flagship and developmental projects in Region 4-A (Calabarzon). The encounter is a result of our continuing operations to punish the enemies of the state who are terrorizing helpless private companies that refuse to give in to the rebels extortion activities, Burgos said. Initial reports said four government security forces were wounded. The names of the wounded soldiers have been kept under wraps pending notification of their kin. Casualties were expected among the rebels as bloodstains were traced along their escape route. Lt. Col. Christopher Diaz, commander of the 80th Infantry Battalion, disclosed that the operation stemmed from a tip that a group of NPA rebels would conduct atrocities in Infanta, specifically the burning of construction equipment belonging to Northern Builders. He said that additional forces have been deployed to pursue the fleeing rebels, who might belong to the same group behind the arson activities in Luisiana, Laguna on Valentines Day. The February 14 encounter has claimed the life of John Carlo Alberto, alias Damian/Inigo, a University of the Philippines - Los Banos student recruited and deceived to join the NPA. Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Philippine Armys 2nd Infantry Jungle Fighter Division expressed gratitude to the Infanta townsfolk for providing information about the rebels activities. This is not only a testament of their trust to their soldiers but a manifestation that they are already tired of the NPAs anti-people and anti-development terroristic actions, Parayno said.
READ: Panelo flip-flops on Balutan case

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Malacanang on Tuesday accepted the challenge of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan to conduct a full and impartial. The palace made the decision after Presidential Spokesmanand was not terminated by President Rodrigo Duterte. In the House, the chairman of the committee on games and amusement said Tuesday Balutans resignation was a step toward implementing reforms in the agency. Whether he [Balutan] resigned, was asked to resign or was fired, right now I think this is one step forward in trying to [fix] the Paranaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting told reporters. Panelo said he and Balutan met on Tuesday to talk when Balutan handed him his letter of resignation. Well, of course, he was defending himself, Panelo told reporters. He said he really wants an investigation and I told him I will write a memo to the President and request the President to grant your request for an investigation. Hes okay with it. Panelo said Balutan resigned out of delicadeza because of the serious allegations of corruption against him. Whether he was fired on that basis and he resigned on that basis, the basis is still the samethere is a serious allegation of corruption, Panelo said.On his side, he wants to have an investigation on that and he would not want to be viewed as clinging to a position when there are serious allegations of corruption against him. Panelo said Duterte had accepted Balutans irrevocable resignation. He said Balutan was supposed to resign on Friday, but he stepped down on Saturday. [There will be] no apologies because the announcement was made in good faith. I didnt know he resigned, Panelo said. He said the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office of the President might initiate an investigation into Balutans case.
DAMAGE, DEFICIENT. Crops in a cornfield are damaged by the El Nino-induced drought in Mindanao, with the dry spell reducing the countrys water supply. Meanwhile, people in Barangay Barangka in Mandaluyong City (top and below) queue up for water ration from the concessionaire Manila Water even as retailers jack up the price of purified water. Ey Acasio

The early onset of, with losses amounting to P464.27 million, as of March 8, 2019.Retailers, according to a dzMM radio report, have already jacked up prices of water drums and pails by as much as P20, now ranging from P90 to P100 each. Purified water, which previously cost P95 per seven liters, is sold at P100 to P105. A report from the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center shows the weather phenomenon, marked by high temperatures and low rainfall, has damaged 13,679 hectares of farmland, affecting 16,034 farmers.. Rice farms sustained the biggest loss at P377.85 million from 9,860 hectares of destroyed rice lands. This affected 7,851 farmers from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Sur, Cotabato and Maguindanao. Damage to corn crops due to the early dry spell amounted to P86.42 million, with 5,686 MT of standing corn destroyed on 3,819 hectares of farm land. About 8,183 corn farmers from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Cotabato and Maguindanao were affected. Theto carry out mitigating measures to help farmers. It has also suggested repositioning pumps and engine sets for water distribution and alerted the Bureau of Soils and Water Management and the Air Force on the need for cloud seeding from March 14 to May 21. The department has released an initial P18.3 million to regional field offices and the Air Force for the cloud seeding. Also on Tuesday, the Manila Water Co. said it has no choice but to severely reduce water distribution to its over 6 million customers, in view of the low water level at La Mesa Dam as a result of a dry spell. Geodino Carpio, chief operating officer for MWCI operations, said because of a shortage of raw water supply at La Mesa Dam, the water company has no choice but to implement service interruptions in several parts of its service areas in the east zone of Metro Manila and Rizal as well.

We have to find ways to severely reducing pressure at a single time, he said. The water level at Manila Waters La Mesa Dam plunged to below critical level over the weekend. But the online news site Rappler said hydrologists from the weather bureau are puzzled by Manila Waters claim, because La Mesa Dam is only a reserve source of water, as the water concessionaires are supposed to draw water from the Angat Dam, which has not reached its critical level.Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo Velasco told CNN Philippines, meanwhile, that he believes Manila Water has always been drawing some water from La Mesa Dam. I told them thats supposed to be reserve, but they have been drawing water. Thats why its now on its low, Velasco told CNN. Manila Waters West Zone counterpart, Maynilad, has not reported a supply problem and has even agreed to help Manila Water. Senator Nancy Binay pointed out that the conflicting statements about a water shortage in Metro Manila have only increased public confusion. Meanwhile, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said the government should roll out its action plan in food-growing areas before the drought is in full swing. A man-made disaster over a natural disaster is a double whammy that will leave less food on the table for families and less income for farmers, Angara said. There are threats to agriculture in multiple fronts. Government should help farmers battle the many crises they are facing, he added. Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means and vice chairman of the Senate committee on finance, identified four sources of government funds which can be merged to fund El Nino mitigation measures. These are the Calamity Fund, or what is officially called as the National Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation Fund; the budget of agriculture agencies like the National Irrigation Administration; the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under the recently passed Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law; and the Department of Social Welfare and Developments funds to aid distressed families.

READ: Government vows swift action to ease El Nino-induced water shortage

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The P20-billion NDRMM fund can finance preparatory activities in anticipation of an imminent disaster while the P36-billion NIA fund can be used for water-saving measures in government-managed irrigation systems, he said.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday welcomed the developments in the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). This, after officials of the National Statistics Office, told the House Oversight Committee on Population and Family Relations that they were ready to conduct the first batch of registration and issue the first IDs this coming September 2019. I am happy that its all systems go for the National ID system based on the timeline they have presented to us this morning, she told reporters after the Oversight hearing in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Arroyo convened the House Oversight Committee hearing at the Bethel Guest House in Dumaguete City since its principal author Rep. Arnie Teves is from Negros Oriental. Also in attendance were Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay of Surigao del Sur, Teves, Reps. Lourdes Aggabao of Isabela, Jocelyn Limchaikong of Negros Oriental and Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo. Arroyo said the Oversight Committee hearing was in furtherance of the other function of the House of Representatives to determine if the laws passed by Congress are properly implemented. During the hearing, lawyer Lourdines dela Cruz, Deputy National Statistician of the PSA, said that in account with RA 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, they would start the registration for the PhilSys this September targetting about 6 million individuals. Those that are eligible to register are Filipinos and resident aliens at least five years old.Dela Cruz pointed out that the first to be registered would be the indigents, People with Disabilities (PWDs) and government workers in several key areas. The information to be gathered for the PhilSys will include biometrics (thumbprint, iris and face scanning), full name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, blood type, address, and if one is a Filipino or a resident alien. Information about the marital status, mobile number, and email address are optional. After the registration, which is free of charge, the registrant will be given his/her permanent PhilSys Number. The corresponding card will be issued a few days later after the information had been authenticated. The card will serve as single identification system for all Filipino Citizens and resident aliens which aims to eliminate the need to present other forms of identification when transacting with the government and private sector. Dela Cruz pointed out that they were targeting that by 2022, they would have issued 100 million cards to Filipinos and resident aliens.
The Philippines withdrawal from the International Criminal Court will take effect on March 17 due to the lack of an injunction from the Supreme Court as sought by opposition lawmakers. This became apparent after the 15-member bench failed to resolve the consolidated petitions filed by six opposition senators and the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court led by former Commission on Human Rights chairman Loretta Rosales. Court insiders said the high courts justices did not tackle the case in their regular session on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the conviction of three police officers in the killing of teenager Kian delos Santos is not enough to stop the International Criminal Courts own investigation on the suspected extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, a lawyer said Tuesday. Gilbert Andres, one of the counsels of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, said all alleged extrajudicial killings must be investigated and prosecuted by the government for the ICCs own investigation on the Philippine war on drugs not to prosper. One will not suffice. The Kian Delos Santos case will not suffice, Andres told ANCs Early Edition. It should be all the recognized EJKs by the government as well as those which were not recognized by the government. Opposition Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Leila de Lima, Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV and Risa Hontiveros and the PCICC had sought the issuance of a writ of mandamus compelling the executive department to take back the withdrawal of its ratification of the Rome Statute, a United Nations treaty creating the ICC. A high court insider said the absence of any restraining order or injunction from the high court meant the withdrawal of the Philippine government from the ICC could take effect as scheduled. The withdrawal from ICC takes effect without prejudice to the Supreme Court resolving the petitions later on and ruling on the prayer for issuance of a writ of mandamus, the source said.The petitioners questioned the withdrawal of the Duterte administration from the governments ICC membership, alleging that it violated the Constitution that requires the ratification of treaties and international agreements by the Senate. They specifically cited Article VII Section 21 of the 1987 Constitution, which says entering into treaty or international agreement requires participation of Congress, that is, through concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. However, Solicitor General Jose Calida has defended the withdrawal from the ICC and asked the high court to dismiss the petitions for lack of merit. The chief state lawyer said the high court no longer had jurisdiction over the matter after the ICC officially accepted the Philippine governments withdrawal last year. Calida said the withdrawal from the ICC was within the power of the President and did not violate the 1987 Constitution. He disputed the main argument of the petitioners that the Palace violated Section 21, Article VII of the Constitution that requires the concurrence of the Senate in international treaties. That provision says entering into treaty or international agreement requires participation of Congress, that is, through concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. Calida said such provision and constitutional requirement applied only in the ratification of new treaties and did not apply to the withdrawal from treaties. He also assailed the petitions for citing the rulings of the South African and United Kingdom Supreme Courts on similar cases, which he said were inapplicable in Philippine jurisprudence.
TaiperTaiwans President Tsai Ing-wen will visit three Pacific nations this month to shore up ties, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to lure away Taipeis dwindling number of allies. Tsai will visit Palau, Nauru and Marshall Islands between March 21 and March 28her second official visit to the Pacific amid the growing concerns about China targeting countries in the region. Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge its one China policy. The two sides split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the self-ruling island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold. Five countries have switched official recognition to Beijing since Tsai became president, leaving Taipei with only 17 diplomatic allies including six in the Pacific. Beijing has also made progress with the Vatican, Taiwans most powerful official ally and its only one in Europe, by signing a landmark agreement with the Holy See on the appointment of bishops last year. A growing list of international companies have been pressured to list Taiwan as part of China on their websites while Taipei has also been blocked from attending a string of international events.Our allies in the Pacific have fully supported our participation in the international community, deputy foreign minister Hsu Szu-chien told reporters. We believe that this visit will increase the understanding of Taiwan among the people in these countries ... and for Taiwanese people to get familiar with our good friends. Tsai, Taiwans first female leader, will also meet with Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, the first female head of state in the Pacific islands and join a women leaders conference hosted by the country, Hsu added. He declined to give details about where Tsai will transit, saying it is pending negotiation. Taiwan is typically low-key in announcing its leaders specific itineraries, fearing Chinas use of its power to disrupt. Tsais last state visit was to Paraguay in August with US transits that prompted an official protest from Beijing after she gave a speech in Los Angeles -- the first time in 15 years that a Taiwanese leader spoke publicly on US soil. A Taiwanese bakery chain was pressured to declare its firm support for the one China policy following boycott calls in China after serving Tsai at its shop in Los Angeles.
MontrealSmoking cannabis has made me a better mother, says Karine Cyr. The mother of two leads a group of like-minded Canadian women challenging norms and rejecting stigmas around parenting and pot since Ottawa legalized its recreational use last October. They are tired, she says, of having to hide their use of the mind-altering drug from family, neighbors and others, and have set out to educate their peers about its benefits. People are not informed. They still think that when we use cannabis, we sit in front of our television eating pizza like teenagers, Cyr says. When I consume cannabis, I do housework, I play with my children. I am more patient with my children, more present. It helps me to be a better mother, a better person. Doctors disagree. But her message has resonated with hundreds of members of her Des fleurs ma chere [Flowers my dear] Facebook group, which she created to share experiences and thoughts about pot. The group includes entrepreneurs, psychologists, models, photographers ... they are women from all walks of life, said ganja yoga instructor Cynthia Petrin, herself a member. Another similar Facebook group, Mother Mary, based in Montreal, has some 5,000 members. Sitting in her living room, the smell of marijuana lingering, Jordana Zabitsky, in her 30s, said she started Mother Mary in a bid to push back against mommy shaming. Im expected to work full time. Im expected to be with my kids full time. Im expected to have a clean house. Im expected to have my bills paid on time. Im expected to have my winter tires on on time, she says. I have so much on my shouldersI am only one person. The cannabis allows me to accomplish my daily tasks so much better! Canadas health ministry warns parents against consuming cannabis because of the risks of second-hand smoke, while warning it also may reduce a persons ability to pay attention [to their child], make decisions or react to emergencies. But Cyr argues that cannabis is a far better alternative than prescribed opioids or anti-depressants to treat anxiety or depression in new mothers. Moms feel lonely and do not know where to turn. They feel ashamed and afraid, echoed fellow pot proponent Annie-Claude Bertrand.Cyr began using cannabidiol (CBD) oil, made from a non-psychoactive compound in cannabis plants, after her second pregnancy to relax. She refused to take opioids prescribed by her doctor that made her feel like a zombie. I wasnt sleeping, I had big sleep disorders, [but] the first time I took CBD oil, I slept through the night like I used to, she said. According to the government statistical agency, 12 percent of Canadian women have used cannabis, compared to 19 percent of the total Canadian population. And several studies show that the drugs popularity among women in both Canada and the United States -- where several states have legalized it -- is growing fast. Marketers have even taken notice and started targeting their products specifically to women and young mothers. For women, said Zabitsky, who admitted to consuming micro-doses during her first pregnancy and daily when she was pregnant with her second child, the top question is, Can I use cannabis during pregnancy? Right before I went into labor, I smoked a really big joint, and it was fantastic. All my doctors knew, she says, assuring that her three-year-old and one-year-old children are healthy and too smart for their respective ages. Doctor Antoine Kanamugire, however, says marijuana is not recommended during pregnancy because THC, the psychoactive substance, will cross the placenta, so the baby will get 10 to 30 percent of the dose consumed by his mother. Cannabis can greatly influence the development of the central nervous system and the immune system of the fetus, said the author of The 21 Unspoken Truths About Marijuana. Cannabis also passes into breast milk. Those warnings, however, have not dissuaded Zabitsky and the other mothers in her group, who note that a century of prohibition has had the effect of throttling research into cannabis. In her living room, she unveils THC-infused butter, sweets, soaps and skin creams for her guests, while touting cannabis as good for womens libido. Its like Viagra for women, she says with a smile. 
"Ferrer has a hands-on, no-respite, seven-days-a-week job."

I watched and listened to DFA Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Neil Frank Ferrer being interviewed live on television. This is a man who knows his job as he fielded questions posed by TV veteran anchor Rey Langit. Without hesitation and with much clarity, Ferrer showed his knowledge of the job considered by many in the Department of Foreign Affairs as the most difficult and demanding. As the official in charge of the Departments consular office which handles thousands of passport applicants daily, his job is a hands-on, no-respite, seven-days-a-week requirement. I cant give the exact figures of Philippine passports being processed by the consular office on Macapagal Avenue but seeing the people packed inside the building with many more lined up outside, I can tell this is probably the busiest government office in the country. After all, Filipinos are not known for paying their taxes on time at the Bureau of Internal Revenue except at crunch time when the BIR warns them of the deadline and the penalty for not doing so. On the other hand, Pinoys have a penchant for traveling while those who cant afford to still need passports to seek jobs overseas. Hence, there is a daily beeline at the DFA consular office for passport application, renewal and replacement of lost ones. The only time Asec Ferrer would probably get time off is when he heads a consular outreach to Filipino Overseas Workers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand of which there are thousands. And this is not really a break but still work as Ferrer still had to supervise his staff to ensure that every Pinoy who cannot go home to renew or replace his passport is attended to. On the issue of requiring the presentation of the hard-to-get birth certificate, Ferrer clarified that it is not needed for those only renewing their passports. He reiterated his boss Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.s statement that obviously the person applying for renewal is still the same person in the old passport. First-time applicants and those who claim to have lost the vital document , however, must present their birth certificates from the Philippine Statistics Authority to preclude fraud. This is a ploy of some OFWs particularly those working in Japan and the Middle East where the salary is high. In order to return to their high-paying jobs, OFWs attempt to secure a new passport under a different name so they can return to these jobs that stipulate a certain period, often only of one or two years in their contract. To cope with the never-ending work of issuing passports, Ferrer, like his predecessor, also named Frank (Cimafranca), continues the consular policy of application appointment on line and through a number coding scheme the applicant need not queue for a long time and just wait for his number to be called. The consular office has a special skeleton crew that processes applications even on Saturdays. The consular office reminds applicants to always check the expiration date of their passports and not renew them only near the date they are supposed to travel. Most receiving countries require a six-month passport validity when these documents are presented at the port of entry. Ferrer replaced Cimafranca who has been posted as Philippine ambassador to Greece. Ferrers foreign assignments before his Home assignment was Consul General in Vancouver and in Geneva, Switzerland. A lawyer, Ferrer is versed in international maritime affairs and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is a subject where the DFA can also harness Ferrers expertise considering Manilas territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.Philippine Charity Sweepstakes managing director Alexander Balutan claimed he resigned and was not fired by President Rodrigo Duterte. Whether he quit or was sacked does not matter anymore. Clearly, the PCSO official was ousted from his job through the instigation of office rival Sandra Cam who initially blew the lid on Balutans P6-million office Christmas party last December. As they say, never pick a fight with a feisty woman like Sandra Cam who has connections with certain congressmen and senators. The lesson learned by Alexander isA senator said Balutan should have been given his walking papers earlier for the expensive PCSO shindig. The Palace should not have waited for PCSO Lotto revenues to decline under his watch.It is noteworthy that there are dissonant voices within the Duterte administration. First, there was the statement of Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde disputing President Rodrigo Dutertes declaration on the existence of the communist Sparrow units. The President said he would revive the Davao Death Squad to counter the Sparrows assassination teams. Albayalde, on the other hand, said the Sparrows no longer exist. The Sparrows gained notoriety during the Marcos martial law regime. Operating in two or three in each team, the Sparrows targeted government officials. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Carlito Galvez also differed with Duterte. He said the AFP will use intelligence agents and not hit men to counter the Sparrows. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teddy Locsin in his signature acerbic style, on the other hand, tagged as bullshit the arrest of former Bayan Party-List Rep. Satur Ocampo. Ocampo, a leftist militant, said he is no longer involved with the communist movement of Jose Ma. Sison. He was arrested and detained for three days by the police in Davao del Norte while on a mission to help schoolchildren. The police claimed Ocampo was recruiting children to join the communist movement in the Philippines, a charge which Ocampo denied. Locsin, vouched for Ocampos character. He said he got to know Ocampo well when they were then both congressmen, with Locsin representing his Makati district. An interesting observation by Rep. Edcel Lagman: The repeated extension of martial law in Mindanao is an admission that the police and military failed to attain its objectives. He added that martial law is against the provisions of the Constitution and that it need not be declared and simply left to the military and police to enforce law and order. In essence, Lagman said that lawless violence is not ground for imposing martial law. Often, it is an excuse to impose martial law on the whole country. Lagman said martial law in Mindanao is no longer justified since the Islamic terrorists that laid siege to Marawi are now only remnants. Meanwhile, President Duterte drew flak anew for saying he uses marijuana to keep awake and cope with the heavy burden of work. As usual, he said later he was only joking. Still, some people think the President was not joking, and that he indeed admitted to using marijuana. In defending his boss, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said one bad joke does not make him a bad leader. But a series of bad jokes makes the President a bad comedian. Joking aside, a critic said the biggest joke Digong pulled on the Filipino people is getting himself elected president. Senators Grace Poe and Panfilo Lacson said the subject of marijuana use is something the President should not joke about. The Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing on the use of marijuana for medical purposes and will call doctors and other experts as resource persons. Articles appearing in some medical journals claim marijuana use can addle a persons brain and his way of thinking. Draw your own conclusion if indeed marijuana use has this downside. In America, the use of marijuana is legal in some states but other states remain firm against its use even for medical purposes. US medical experts express the concern that the proliferation of marijuana use could lead to more serious drug addiction. In the Philippine where the government is waging a relentless and brutal war against illegal drugs, legalizing marijuana use can only result in a more widespread drug problemand more extrajudicial killings of suspects. Its good to hear President Duterte saying he would not grant pardon to the three policemen convicted for killing teenager Kian de los Santos who was suspected of drug trafficking. The President has earlier stated he would defend policemen in the performance of their duty, but that he would not do this for those who simply take the lives of others.
"Potential participants should be wary."

Three Filipinos recently surfaced in a Taipei press conference to reveal their sad ordeal after being admitted into a work/study program in a university in Taiwan. In all, there were about 50 Filipinos recruited by a manpower agency to participate in the program at Yu Da University of Science and Technology in Miaoli. They alleged that they were made to work long hours which prevented them from effectively preparing for the classroom aspect of the program. The complainants also accused supervisors in the tile manufacturing company where they were made to work of subjecting them to verbal abuse. Their contracts also contained onerous provisions requiring them to reimburse all expenses and imposing stiff penalties if they expose their conditions or attempt to break their contracts. During the past two years, Taiwan authorities have encountered similar allegations from work/study program participants who came from Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It is a program that seems to have been taken advantage of by manpower agencies who collect as much as NT$2,000 or about P3,400 per recruit per month, given that the lure of being able to work and study as well, sounds better to aspiring overseas workers. Although Taiwan authorities are pro-active in ensuring the welfare of its foreign labor work force, it cannot possibly check all contracts entered into by overseas workers, especially if it circumvents established procedures on hiring nationals from other countries. The work/study programs of Taiwan universities is a noble undertaking if not for these incidents of abuse. It creates unique educational opportunities for ouwhich also enable them to independently support themselves during their stay in the island. Potential participants, however, should be wary and are advised to verify with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Manila, or any of its offices in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, to ensure the legitimacy of the programs they want to avail themselves of.Our education and development cooperation officers have achieved a good level of cooperation and means of communication with the Taiwan Ministry of Education that could possibly help avert unfortunate incidents of abuse and exploitation. In fairness, the university management has since apologized for failing to immediately detect the adverse conditions of the Filipino students and has pledged to refund their expenses. It also offered to provide assistance to the affected students should they wish to transfer to other schools offering the same program. Taiwan authorities have likewise endorsed the incident to prosecutors for possible filing of criminal cases. Just before we wrapped up last week with this positive development, another controversy sprung from public pronouncements made by the newly-elected Mayor Han Kuo-yu of Kaohsiung City, rejecting propositions to hire English teachers from the Philippines. The charismatic mayor, whom I had the chance to meet shortly after his astounding electoral victory last November, was also quoted as referring to Filipinos as Marias, a term that has gained negative undertones when used to refer to overseas workers. In a letter subsequent to the stir created by the mayors public statements, I expressed our deep regret upon the impetuous and undeserved remarks, reminding him of the fact the Philippines is actually the fourth largest English-speaking country in the world, with more than 92 percent of its citizens able to speak it as a second language. Even local peoples groups cried foul over the mayors statements, prompting him to issue a public apology last Saturday. During the past months, MECO has been initiating programs, small as they may be, to train and create opportunities for our blue collar workers in the island to land English teaching jobs. These programs are part of efforts to improve the quality of our workers in Taiwan. Taiwan upon the other hand also wants to develop a bilingual work force, with English as the second language. The potential for English teachers is there, just as there is an opportunity for Filipino students to learn applied mathematics, engineering, agriculture, marine sciences, and so many other fields of higher learning in Taiwan.The work week was capped on an exhilarating note, with the Manila Concert Choir performing a very impressive repertoire of songs for the Filipino community at the Red House building in Taipei. The 26-member choir earlier in the week performed at the Tzu Chi University in Hualien, and then at the Alethea University in New Taipei, before regaling the leaders of the Filipino community in Taipei with their mix of popular English and Filipino songs. The serenade soothed our nerves and uplifted our spirits, but above all, while evoking nostalgia about home, the concert also made everybody in the audience proud to be Filipino.
"Privacy is as precious as the air we breathe."

The Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed the implementation of its Memorandum Circular no. 17 series of 2018 which would have required corporations to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners in their General Information Sheets. A beneficial owner is defined as a natural person who ultimately or effectively owns a corporation. The said circular is a flagrant attempt to violate our right to privacy. It should not only be delayed. It must be scrapped! The right to privacy, as defined by US Justice Louis Brandeis, is the right to be left alone. It is described by Republic Act 10173 as a fundamental human right, equal to the other fundamental rights of freedom of the press, free expression, equality, religion, the right against exploitation and the right to constitutional remedies. Santa Banana, so sacred is our right to privacy that the 1987 Constitution prohibited the state from violating it! It's an essential part of freedom which ever individual should protect. It's as precious as the air we breathe. The SEC, a government agency, however, wants us to give away our right privacy by requiring companies to disclose information which does not need to be disclosed under the Corporation Code. The SEC is not a lawmaking body! It is simply tasked to execute our laws. Clearly it has no authority to require such a disclosure. I actually have my doubts on whether Congress would pass such a legislation. Even if it does, I am sure the Supreme Court will strike it down. This memo is a formula for corruption. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez who has administrative control over the SEC should look into this.Speaking of rights, President Rodrigo Duterte and Local Governments Secretary Eduardo Ano plan to make the narco-list of 83 politicians available to the public before the midterm elections. But this is a violation of the presumption of innocence. Malacanang, which has many lawyers, does not seem to care about individual rights. Mythe Palace even invokes the State's right to be protected because the list of alleged narco-politicians endangers the security of the state. So what right should be supreme the right of the individual or that of the State? Without human and individual rights, there is no society to speak of. And when there is no society, there can only be anarchy. What Malacanang and the DILG can do is to validate the list and then file cases in court. Otherwise, multiple suits will be filed against those behind the listI am sure of it.Santa Banana, even Aaron Aquino of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is wary about the list being made public.Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo must lie from time to time to protect the credibility of the President. This was exactly what happened recentlyand Panelo is being made to look like a clown. Recall that he claimed that the government has been receiving wiretaps from various governments on people involved in the drug war, including so-called narco-politicians. And when he was told that these wiretaps were illegally acquired and not admissible as evidence, he backtracked. He also said PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan was sacked over allegations of corruption. And then he reversed himself, saying that Balutan in fact resigned. The question is, was Balutan pressured to resign, and by whom? This calls for a probe. The PCSO is prone to corruption, especially in the granting of permits and licenses in small-town lottery. We the people have the right to know.The water crisis affecting Metro Manila is the result of typical government inaction. It really only acts when a problem has already occurred. Now government is exploring the possibility of tapping deep water wells and even rivers. Similar problems have occurred before. Soon enough, when the rains come, the problem will be forgotten again. But this is the reason we have agencies responsible for supplying a steady supply of water at any time of the year. I wonder, toowhat are the geniuses in Maynilad and Manila Water doing?It was a good thing that the Commission on Elections did not go through the planned debate among senatorial candidates of the administration and opposition. All of them are saying the same thing, anyway. They are all for the alleviation of poverty, provision of jobs and healthcare, improvement of agriculture. You cannot tell one from the other.
A new study commissioned by the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) indicates there are huge opportunities for corporates and municipalities to go for affordable and low carbon electricity.

The report, launched during a Conference in Cape Town, examines 14 different scenarios in five different South African municipalities.

According to the report, the South African electricity market is currently undervalued, while it has a significant role to play in supporting the delivery of clean, cost-effective and reliable power to local businesses.

Within the current regulatory environment, improvements in renewable energy technology and falling prices are not reaching consumers directly, according to South African Wind Energy Associations CEO, Brenda Martin.

The study found that wind and solar systems embedded in distribution networks could reduce significant load on municipalities.

Kevin Minkoff, chairperson of SAWEAs Technical Working Group who conducted the research said the tariff charged by state-run power utility company, Eskom, increases and continued struggles only strengthened the business case for DG-RE plants.

The report also highlights opportunities for investors. This is an exciting time for current and prospective investors in the growing South African renewable energy market, said Martin.

The City of Cape Town wants provisions to allow electricity to be purchased directly by municipalities from Independent Power Producers (IPP).

The City has taken Energy Minister Jeff Radebe and the energy regulator to the High Court in Pretoria last week to challenge the status quo that allows municipalities to purchase from IPPs only if they have ministerial approval.
The Milimani law court in Nairobi turned into a scene out of Vioja Makahamani when a Rastaman, Edward Njeru Njue, was arraigned for allegedly trafficking marijuana.

Mr Njeru, alias Ras Edu and who insisted on being addressed as such, was charged that on March 6, along Kirinyaga Road, Nairobi, he was found trafficking 20 rolls of cannabis valued at Sh1,000.

During his plea-taking last week Thursday, Ras Edu was asked the language he would wish to use in court and said he was good in Swahili, English and Kikuyu.

However, the court was stunned when Ras Edu unleashed his Rasta slang that was synonymous with the slang used by popular reggae radio presenter Mbusii.

Ni vile sikufika bei ya Babylonian cops wakanishikadem na kunivishadem bangili, Ras Edu answered during plea.

It took the intervention of the prosecution to explain the words which loosely translate to: I was arrested by the Babylonian police and hand-cuffed because I did not give a bribe.

Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani then asked: Are you pleading guilty or not.

Njue answered: I am guilty wagwan!

When prodded by the court on whether he consumes marijuana, Ras Edu responded: Yeah-men, kama Rasta hii kitu ni Yes I. (As a Rastaman, marijuana is allowed).

As the magistrate wrote down the proceedings, Ras Edu turned his attention to a female court orderly and tried to charm her.

Ahoy, sisteren, wewe ni mrembo vi-wagwan!

The Magistrate asked: What are you saying to the police?

Ras Edu responded: Namshow ni mrembo videadly hakuna ngori. His reply was met with a burst of laughter from the court gallery.

Magistrate Hellen Onkwani asked the prosecution to deliver its stand in the case but they had no facts of the offence and had also not carried the exhibit to the court.

They asked the court to allow them to present the two substances as Ras Edu was sent to remand and the matter pushed to a later date.

Before leaving the dock, Ras Edu told the magistrate he had not eaten since he was arrested.

You are going to the Industrial Area remand facility where the state will provide for your breakfast, lunch, and supper, is that okay? posed magistrate Onkwani.

Fiti madam (thats fine with me), Njue said.
As members of Sauti Sol continue to quit the bachelors club one by one, the bands vocalist Willis Austin Chimano is the exception.

Guitarist Polycarp Otieno alias Fancy Fingers made an honest woman out of his longtime girlfriend Burundian Lady Mandy six months ago while vocalist Bien Aime Baraza proposed to his Nigerian girlfriend of fours years just the other day.

Producer and vocalist Savara Mudigi might be coy on his relationship but word on the street has it that he is serious with one Yvonne Endo, a Japanese/Kenyan. Born in Tokyo, Endos father is Kenyan and her mother is from Japan. They moved to Kenya when Endo was 6 years old.

With the three Sauti Sol members seemingly keen to settle down, Chimano  whose love life or lack thereof has been a subject of speculation in the past  has come out to set the record straight.

According to Chimano, hes under no pressure to get married and is still yet to find his soulmate.

I will keep praying for myself. We will see where this life takes us. Im yet to find someone who got what Im looking for. You know when it happens but for now, I got no pressure to get married. Bien has challenged me but Im just happy for him, Chimano said.
The Naval Group's booth at Colombiamar 2019, from March 13 to March 15 in Colombia, will reflect its comprehensive maritime offer, with a focus on surface ships and innovative solutions, by showcasing the Gowind and the SCORPENE.

The Naval Group's booth at Colombiamar 2019, from March 13 to March 15 in Colombia, will reflect its comprehensive maritime offer, with a focus on surface ships and innovative solutions, by showcasing the Gowind and the SCORPENE.

A model of the Gowind at IDEX 2019, UAE (Picture source : Navy Recognition)

Gowind is the multimission frigate proposed to Colombia for PES program. Gowind is Naval Groups response to 21st century defence and security challenges. The platform combines high survivability characteristics with outstanding anti-air (AAW), anti-surface (ASuW) and antisubmarine (ASW) warfare performances thanks to the MU90 and to the CANTO-V.

The Gowind is operated with the SETIS. This state-of-the-art combat is combat-proven on the French Navys FREMM frigates and interoperable with NATO systems. It provides the operator with the best management and decision-making aids, ensuring the Gowind supremacy over conventional and asymmetric threats.

Nine of the ten Gowind vessels contracted are being built with foreign partners in Malaysia and Egypt. The first Gowind built in Egypt was launched on September 6, 2018.

Scorpene is the conventional submarine proposed to Colombia for its fleet replacement. Naval Group combines unique platform and combat system skills to provide operational superiority and safety benefiting from the French Navy legacy. Naval Group contributes to strenghten the sovereignty of its customers through long-term partnerships, industrial cooperation and through-life support services, as proven by its strong credentials.

Scorpene is ideally suited for action and operational effectiveness. Robust and enduring, its an ocean-going submarine also designed for shallow waters operations. Multipurpose, it fulfils the entire scope of missions such as Anti-Surface and Anti-Submarine Warfare, special operations, offensive minelaying and intelligence gathering.

Standing as the latest generation of combat system, SUBTICS addresses the growing challenges of modern submarines missions in blue and shallow waters such as Anti-Surface and Anti-Submarine Warfare, intelligence gathering, land-attack or deep strike. Highly modular and scalable, SUBTICS can be integrated either on new platforms or as part of modernisation programmes for existing submarines.
Weather Alert

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST FRIDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Snowfall accumulations of 2 to 6 inches expected. * WHERE...In Nebraska, Antelope, Pierce, Madison, Stanton, Wayne, Cuming, and Burt Counties. In Iowa, Monona County. * WHEN...Friday morning through Friday evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on hazardous travel conditions with slick roads and periods of reduced visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. If you must travel, be prepared with a winter weather travel kit in case you should become stranded. A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means that periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. &&
After two decades of autocratic rule, infirm President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he is not running for a fifth term as protests continued for three consecutive weeks asking for genuine reform to the opaque regime running the oil-rich country.

Bouteflika, 82, said elections that were set for April 18 will be postponed, but he did not set any new date, meaning he will stay in power as he initially planned.

He promised last week that he will run for a fifth term only to step down after a year, time to prepare for a national conference that will bring political reform. In calling off elections, he is actually pursuing his plan.

The Moroccan-born President returned from medical treatment in Switzerland on Sunday as protests intensified asking him to refrain from succeeding himself to the Presidency.

Bouteflika is seen by protesters as an ailing facade of a corrupt regime that sapped Algerias oil wealth for decades without lifting the countrys dependence on oil and gas.

The mass protests, unseen in Algeria since the 1990s when a military coup aborted a democratic process, gained momentum across the country calling for the President to backtrack from a fifth term and a reform of the whole regime.

In a bid to defuse tension, Bouteflika or the ruling elite that pulls his strings issued a letter Monday promising no fifth term as well as a postponement of elections initially due on April 18.

The letter also included promises of social and economic reforms as well as a constitutional reform that will be submitted to a referendum after a national conference.

The announcement was followed by a replacement of unpopular Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahya by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui while Ramtane Lamamra was named deputy prime minister, foreign minister.

Critics see in the postponement of elections a chance for the regime to gain more time before they find a successor that will safeguard their interest.

The Algerian regime, commonly known as le pouvoir, includes Bouteflikas brother Said, ruling party FLN leaders, senior Army generals and business tycoons who all have a vested interest in the status quo.

It is unclear how the Algerian political class, including the opposition, will react to these decisions, which were decided unilaterally by the ruling elite without any previous consultation.

The protests demanded Bouteflika to cease a fifth term and asked for him to step down. Some demonstrations also demanded an end to the regime. None of these demands were addressed by Bouteflikas letter.

Meanwhile, an influential imam said on TV that it would be a good farewell for Bouteflika if he inaugurates the great (and costly) mosque of Algiers then steps down.

Cracks have also appeared in his entourage as many FLN leaders refrained from showing support for a fifth term.

So far, seven prominent members of the ruling party resigned from the party to express support for the protesters, according to Algerian media.

Earlier in the week, the powerful organization of former liberation-war combatants, the Moujahidin, saluted the civilized behavior of the anti-government demonstrators and denounced corruption at the heart of the power hierarchy.

Several chief executives have resigned from the industry bosses league in support of the protest as well, though its head remains close to Mr. Bouteflika.

El Djeich, the magazine of the countrys powerful army, published an editorial on Friday hinting at support for the mainly youthful protesters.

Anyways, the Monday decision to postpone elections was one of the scenarios put forward by pundits following the latest developments in Algeria, but they were not expecting the moribund man announce that he is still in control at the helm of the state, that he has not accomplished his mission yet. So, are the Monday announcements a mere manoeuver to maintain himself president for life?
President Emmanuel Macron of France kicked off Monday a four-day tour in Eastern Africa with the first leg in Djibouti followed by Ethiopia and Kenya where the French leader will co-chair UN-sponsored One Planet Summit.

The trip to Djibouti, a French former colony, is the first in a decade by a French President after Sarkozy in 2007. Djibouti has emerged as a strategic territory for the EU-member.

France considered Djibouti for too long to be a territory that was won, a senior French diplomat based in the region told Reuters. But now the competition from China is fierce.

The country in the horn of Africa has seen an increasing Chinese presence with millions of dollars injected in economic investment and military ramp-up.

During the 12-hour stop in Djibouti, Macron will sign economic and military agreements to bolster Frances presence alongside US and Chinese military presence.

The French leader will continue his tour with a Tuesday visit to Ethiopia where he is expected to hold business and culture talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The two leaders will travel to the northern of Lalibela, recognized by UNESCO for its 13th century rock-hewn churches.

Marcon had pledged in October during Ahmeds visit to France to help renovate the churches now struggling with erosion caused by mass tourism.

The French leader will wrap up his Ethiopian tour with a visit to Ethiopias France-trained first female President Sahle-Work Zewde.

A visit to the African Union (AU) headquarters to discuss sustainable development, will mark Macrons last activity in the Addis Ababa.

The visit on Wednesday to Kenya, the last leg of his African tour, will be the first by a French President to the eastern country. On arrival, Macron and his host President Uhuru Kenyatta will head to Nairobi central railway station where France intends to work on a rapid train service, RFI reports.

The two leaders on Thursday will chair the One Planet Summit to gather more than 4,700 people, including heads of state, ministers and business leaders to explore creative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production.
The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) Monday declared state of emergency in Sirte and called for the mobilization of all aligned-forces as the Libyan National Army (LNA) connected to rival administration in the east moved forward to the southern outskirts of the city.

The security authorities of the city, which is under the control of the Tripoli-based GNA, issued a statement calling all troops to duty.

The move came as LNA forces headed by Khalifa Haftar, the strong man of the east-based rival administration took positions near the southern borders of the city.

Any attack on the city will mean a declaration of war and its consequences will turn into a disaster, the statement said.

Haftar launched in December an offensive towards the south of the country claiming it was meant to get rid of the armed and gang groups there.

The GNA had condemned the operation saying it sought to bring southern Libya under Haftars control.
The Egyptian army said it has eliminated 46 militants in the restive Sinai province in several gun battles that also claimed lives of three soldiers.

The army in February last year launched an operation in the Sinai province to flash out Islamist state fighters and other militant groups.

In a video recording made public Monday, the army said it lost three soldiers but killed 46 fighters whom it branded dangerous.

Over the last period the campaign had resulted in the elimination of 46 very dangerous members of terrorist elements during exchanges of fire in the north and central Sinai, the army said without elaborating on the places and the dates of the clashes.

The army added that it arrested about 100 fighters and seized over 30 cars, scooters and 200 explosive devices.

Hundreds of fighters have been killed since the outset of the campaign, according to the armys figures.

Al-Sisi had ordered the army to use brute force in the Sinai province operation. The move was denounced by human rights organizations, which accused the North African country of carrying out extrajudicial executions and of trying civilians in military courts as part of the crackdown.
The Legislative Institutions of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are poised to bolster their cooperation in the legislative and parliamentary fields as stipulated in a memorandum of understanding they signed on Monday in Rabat.

The MoU was signed during a meeting between a delegation of the Federal National Council, led by FNC Speaker Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, and members of the Moroccan House of Representatives.

The memorandum seeks to activate and institutionalize the two institutions parliamentary cooperation and communication, to shares viewpoints on various issues of common interest, and to promote their parliamentary relations through exchange of information, experience, and visits and organization of events that are likely to boost their overall relations.

The MoU also aims to give a new momentum to cooperation between the parliamentary friendship bodies and groups as well as between the general secretariats of the two institutions.

Under the memorandum, the two legislative bodies agreed to coordinate their actions and stands within regional and international institutions.

During the meeting, the Moroccan side proposed the setting up of Moroccan-Emirati parliamentary forum to serve as a platform for dialogue and consultation on issues of common interest.

Dr. Al Qubaisi praised the forum initiative as a means to bolster cooperation between the two sides.

She also highlighted the deep historical relations between the UAE and Morocco, recalling that these relations were established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late King Hassan II. These relations have become a model to be followed, she said.

She hailed the national and international parliamentary role played by the Moroccan House of Representatives in defending Arab and Islamic causes, and stressed the FNCs keenness to strengthen its relations with the Moroccan legislative institution in keeping with the growing relations between the two countries and peoples.

Speaker of the Moroccan House on his part said the signing of the memorandum, for the first time with an Arab country, illustrates the depth of bilateral relations, but also the desire to boost cooperation between the two legislative institutions and to open new horizons for future joint action.

He further emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening relations between states and exploring new avenues of cooperation.
Niger has just created a new Mobile Border Control Company in Birni NKonni (south), near the border with Nigeria, to fight organized cross-border crime, reported African Daily Voice, quoting an official source.

The signing of the training agreement, which marks the launch of the first training cycle of 263 Niger police officers for the new company, took place on Monday afternoon in Niamey between Nigers Ministry of the Interior and Security EUCAP Sahel Niger (European Union civil mission for capacity building in Niger).

The creation of this company, the second of its kind in Niger, aims, according to the Director General of the Police Souley Boubacar, at strengthening the Nigerien Polices capacity to control and secure the borders through the establishment of Mobile Patrol Operational Units.

The launch of the company is taking place, said Boubacar, in a security context characterized by the persistence of terrorist activities and armed bandits circumscribed in the Sahel-Saharan belt of our country, attacks on civilian populations and armed attacks that continue to target Nigerien families and cause some psychosis among the population.

Actually, in some of the border areas of Niger, some terrorist organizations are very active. These include armed groups and other bandits who have controlled southern Libya since the overthrow in 2011 of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi; terrorist al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar Dine and other movements based in northern Mali; and the terrorist Boko Haram group, who has been thriving in Nigeria since 2009.

Other Jihadist groups have been jeopardizing security in the south-west of the country, in the region of 3 borders (Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso), endangering the safety of people and property, said African Daily Voice.
The United Arab Emirates Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development will support Togolese micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and industries with $15 million as part of the UAEs efforts to support development programs in a number of friendly countries and also in a bid to enhance relations between the UAE and Togo.

The $15 million agreement between Khalifa Fund and Togos Ministry of Finance was signed Monday in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and visiting President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo.

Chairman of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Hussain Jasim Al Nowais, said under the agreement, the Fund will provide financial and technical frameworks to support Togos development efforts, and empower entrepreneurship and SMEs in the country.

Besides promoting growth in Togo in general, the deal will encourage young innovative individuals unleash their skills, and will enable the creation of new jobs and the empowerment of female entrepreneurs, Al Nowais added.

Khalifa Fund was established in Abu Dhabi in 2007, with the aim to lead entrepreneurship development and facilitate growth of competitive SMEs in the UAE and abroad.

According to Togolese media, President Gnassingbes visit to the UAE falls in the context of his drive to mobilize investments for Togos 2018-2022 National Development Plan (NDP), assessed at $8.3 billion. Togo intends to mobilize 65% of the financing from the private sector.

The NDP is the reference document on the structural transformation of the Togolese economy aiming, among other things, to create 500,000 jobs and to achieve an economic growth rate of 7.6% by 2022, based on growth envisaged at 5% in 2019.
Students poured to the streets of Algiers after ailing President Bouteflika announced Monday in a letter that he will not run for presidential elections, which were initially scheduled for April but were postponed to an unknown date.

Bouteflika, 82, who returned to his country on Sunday was seen in a rare public appearance in the national television receiving officials and military generals. The images had a counter-effect of what the regime wanted as they show a President incapable to stand or speak let alone to govern.

The decision by Bouteflika was seen by protesters as a time-buying measure to allow a corrupt regime more time to regenerate. Next Friday mass protests are planned to say no to superficial reforms that will keep in power the same ruling elite that sapped Algerias wealth.

Protests in Algeria have reached a level of political maturity that makes it so difficult for the regime to sell facade reforms. Algerians saw how Tunisians and Moroccans fought for democratic constitutions. They are fed up at a regime that failed to use the oil mantra to develop the country.

Youth unemployment in Algeria stands at 27% while the countrys revenues depend on oil and gas sales for 95%.
Just the worst. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Early in the Trump administration, optimistic liberals held out hope that the craven nepotism allowing Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to land plum government gigs would at least allow the couple to serve as a countervailing force for good in Donald Trumps White House. It didnt take long to see that wasnt going to happen.

Jared and Ivanka were either unable or unwilling to get in the way of Trumps worst impulses, from the caging of children at the U.S.Mexico border to his ban of transgender troops in the military. Now, a new book from journalist Vicky Ward makes the case that Donald Trumps daughter and son-in-law havent just sat by idly as Trump has upended liberal democracy in the U.S., theyve enabled him.

For Kushner Inc., out next week, Ward interviewed 220 people to tell the story of two rich kids who climbed to positions of power by disregarding protocol and skirting the rules when they can, according to the Times.

The book includes at least two stories about Ivanka and Jared that make them seem halfway sympathetic. When Jared was a student at Harvard, Ward reports, his father had a business associate regularly check in with him and report back to ensure he was not dating non-Jews or doing drugs. Ivanka, meanwhile, had no one paying attention to her at all:

When she went to tour Choate Rosemary Hall, the elite Connecticut boarding school where she would attend high school, Ms. Trump arrived in a white stretch limousine. But she emerged from the car all by herself. No one was there with her, said her tour guide, who remained anonymous in the book.

But the bulk of the book mainly focuses on Jared and Ivankas time in the White House and portrays them as opportunists and enablers, enriching themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and embracing, not curtailing, President Trumps bigotry.

Among the accusations in the book are that Jared and Ivanka tried to grab power that could not have conceivably belonged to them. They wanted to control who could travel on trips funded by the State Department, Ward reports. The couple also wanted free rein to fly on Air Force planes. When former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied the requests, the couple would grab Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to get access to a plane. Rich people dont stay rich by spending their own money.

Ward also reports on Ivankas defense of her father after he praised the good people on both sides of the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

When Gary D. Cohn was considering resigning as the top White House economic adviser after President Trump blamed both sides in a deadly white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Va., his first stop was a meeting with Mr. Trumps children.

In a conversation in August 2017 with Ivanka Trump, the presidents eldest daughter and senior adviser, Mr. Cohn was shocked by her reaction to his concerns, according to a new book about Ms. Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.

My dads not a racist; he didnt mean any of it, Ms. Trump said of the presidents refusal to condemn white nationalists outright. Appearing to channel her father, she added, Thats not what he said.

It is, of course, what he said.

At one point, Ward reports, President Trump wanted to get rid of Jared and Ivanka, asking former chief of staff John Kelly to send them back to New York. In December, Kelly resigned and Jared and Ivanka are still in the White House.
Photo: Harvard Yearbook

Todays news of a massive college admissions scam that has ensnared at least 40 people, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, has a lot of people asking the same question: Why didnt these rich parents just make a fat donation to the schools to get their kids admitted?

Its an age-old tradition that has resulted in many underperforming and undeserving rich kids winning admission to universities they couldnt have gotten into on their own. And one beneficiary is currently working in the White House.

As Daniel Golden reported in his 2006 book, Jared Kushner  son-in-law of Donald Trump, husband of Ivanka Trump, and son of Charles Kushner  was accepted into Harvard shortly after his father pledged $2.5 million to the school. Writing for ProPublica in 2016, Golden noted that Kushners high-school teachers didnt think he was Harvard material:

There was no way anybody in the administrative office of the school thought he would on the merits get into Harvard, a former official at the Frisch School in Paramus, New Jersey, told me. His GPA did not warrant it, his SAT scores did not warrant it. We thought for sure, there was no way this was going to happen. Then, lo and behold, Jared was accepted. It was a little bit disappointing because there were at the time other kids we thought should really get in on the merits, and they did not.

Golden goes on to detail how he uncovered a scheme in which the rich buy their under-achieving childrens way into elite universities with massive, tax-deductible donations. He started with a list of the more than 400 members of Harvards Committee on University Resources, a group of wealthy donors who were regularly treated like royalty in Cambridge. After poring over records to determine if the children of these donors had eventually gone to Harvard, Golden found that of the 400-plus tycoons on Harvards list  which included people who were childless or too young to have college-age offspring  more than half had sent at least one child to the university.

And unlike the scheme that came to light today, it was all legal.
Say it aint Joe. Photo: C-SPAN

Joe Biden once called state-mandated school integration the most racist concept you can come up with, and Barack Obama the first sort of mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean. He was a staunch opponent of forced busing in the 1970s, and leading crusader for mass incarceration throughout the 80s and 90s. Uncle Joe has described African-American felons as predators too sociopathic to rehabilitate  and white supremacist senators as his friends.

And, as of this writing, a plurality of black Democrats want him to be their partys 2020 nominee.

Whether Biden can retain that support, after voters learn more about his problematic past, could very well determine the outcome of the partys primary race. To explore that question, lets pick through the former vice-presidents hefty baggage on racial justice  and then, the case for thinking that Obamas halo will prove to be brighter than the shadow of Bidens record is dark.

Biden helped kill the most effective policy for improving black educational attainment that America has ever known.

Joe Biden was for desegregating Americas schools, until his constituents were against it. When the Delaware Democrat launched his first campaign for the Senate in 1972, the Supreme Court had just ruled that the Constitution required policymakers to pursue the greatest possible degree of actual desegregation  and that forcing white students to attend schools in black neighborhoods, and vice versa, was a legitimate means of doing so. Being an enlightened liberal, Biden began his candidacy as an advocate for such policies. He accused Republicans of demagoguing the busing issue, and appealing to white voters ugliest instincts.

But as his campaign progressed, and Biden discerned that the arc of history was bending toward white backlash, the young candidate bent with it. He became a caricature of a white northern liberal  arguing that forced busing was appropriate for the South (where segregation was the product of racist laws), but unnecessary for the North (where, Biden pretended, it merely reflected the preferences of the white and black communities).

Once in the Senate, Biden continued to triangulate, voting for most, though not all, f the anti-busing amendments that came before him. But for his overwhelmingly white constituents, nothing less than massive resistance to busing would suffice. The New Castle County Neighborhood Schools Association booed Biden off the stage at one event in 1974. One year later, the Delaware senator broke ranks with northern liberals and joined his virulently racist North Carolina colleague Jesse Helms in voting to kneecap all federal efforts to integrate schools, anywhere in the country. Specifically, Biden voted to bar the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from requiring schools to provide information on the racial makeup of their student bodies  thereby making it nigh-impossible for Uncle Sam to withhold federal funds from school districts that refused to integrate.

The measure was rejected. Nevertheless, Biden persisted. And his cowardly example inspired other self-professed liberals to throw racial justice under the bus. As the historian Jason Sokol writes:

Immediately after the Helms amendment was tabled, Biden proposed his own amendment to the $36 billion education bill, stipulating that none of those federal funds could be used by school systems to assign teachers or students to schools  for reasons of race. His amendment would prevent some faceless bureaucrat from deciding that any child, black or white, should fit in some predetermined ratio.

 Like the Helms gambit, [Bidens provision] would still gut Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. But this time, a number of liberal senators that had opposed Helmss amendment now supported Biden: Warren Magnuson and Scoop Jackson of Washington, where Seattle faced impending integration orders; and Thomas Eagleton and Stuart Symington of Missouri, where Kansas City confronted a similar fate. Mike Mansfield, the majority leader from Montana, also jumped on board. Watching his liberal colleagues defect, Republican Jacob Javits of New York mused, Theyre scared to death on busing. The Senate approved Bidens amendment. Biden had managed to turn a 48-43 loss for the anti-busing forces into a 50-43 victory.

The NAACP called Bidens proposal an anti-black amendment. The Senates sole African-American member, Ed Brooke, called it the greatest symbolic defeat for civil rights since 1964. But Biden helped his fellow liberals reconcile themselves to the wrong side of history by recasting integrationists as the real racists.

The new integration plans being offered are really just quota systems to assure a certain number of blacks, Chicanos, or whatever in each school. That, to me, is the most racist concept you can come up with, Biden said in a 1975 interview recently unearthed by the Washington Post. What it says is, In order for your child with curly black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin to be able to learn anything, he needs to sit next to my blond-haired, blue-eyed son. Thats racist!

Biden echoed this in remarks to NPR that same year, saying, I think the concept of busing  that we are going to integrate people so that they all have the same access and they learn to grow up with one another and all the rest, is a rejection of the whole movement of black pride  a rejection of the entire black awareness concept, where black is beautiful, black culture should be studied; and the cultural awareness of the importance of their own identity, their own individuality.

As of 2007, Biden believed that this stance had aged well. In a memoir released that year, the soon-to-be presidential candidate derided busing as a liberal trainwreck. Education experts disagree. Since some municipalities did integrate their schools through busing (however temporarily), while others did not, scholars have been able to evaluate the policys efficacy. In 2011, researchers at Berkeley found that black students who had spent five years in desegregated schools went on to earn (on average) 25 percent more than those who remained in segregated schools (or, in Bidens phrasing, schools that honored the black awareness concept). Other studies have found that racial segregation impairs learning for black students so severely, it outweighs the positive effects associated with higher household income  while integration enhances educational outcomes more profoundly than increasing a schools safety. Meanwhile, contrary to so many white parents fears, integration was not associated with any negative effect on white students educational performance.

The rationale for integration is not, as Biden suggested, that black kids need to sit next to blue-eyed ones in order to retain information. Rather, it is that, in a racially stratified society, overwhelmingly African-American schools will (almost inevitably) be sites of concentrated poverty, underinvestment, and relatively low social capital (i.e., places where children from low-income families will be unlikely to form connections with children from higher-income ones). Biden never ceased expressing his concern for black childrens inadequate educational opportunities. But he has done more to perpetuate those inadequacies than to remedy them.

Biden worked tirelessly, over several decades, to make Americas (profoundly racist) criminal-justice system more punitive than any other advanced democracys.

It is hard to name an infamously unjust feature of Americas criminal-justice system that Joe Biden didnt help to bring about. Mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, civil asset forfeiture, and extensive use of the death penalty  the Delaware senator was involved in establishing them all.

Biden is famous for his lead role in crafting the 1994 crime bill, or, as the senator preferred to call it (as recently as 2015), the 1994 Biden Crime Bill. Some aspects of that legislation remain popular within the Democratic Party  among them, the Violence Against Women Act, a federal assault-weapons ban, and funds for community oriented policing. But in 2019 America  a place where our nations violent crime rate is near historic lows, while its incarceration rate hovers around world-historic highs  the bills broader legacy is ignominious. The Brennan Center succinctly summarized that legacy on the 20th anniversary of the bills passage:

It expanded the death penalty, creating 60 new death penalty offenses under 41 federal capital statutes. It eliminated education funding for incarcerated students, effectively gutting prison education programs. Despite a wealth of research showing education increases post-release employment, reduces recidivism, and improves outcomes for the formerly incarcerated and their families, this change has not been reversed.

And the bill created a wave of change toward harsher state sentencing policy. That change was driven by funding incentives: the bills $9.7 billion in federal funding for prison construction went only to states that adopted truth-in-sentencing (TIS) laws, which lead to defendants serving far longer prison terms. Within 5 years, 29 states had TIS laws on the books, 24 more than when the bill was signed. New York State received over $216 million by passing such laws. By 2000 the state had added over 12,000 prison beds and incarcerated 28 percent more people than a decade before.

As a result of these policies  and many others  the United States imprisons a higher proportion of its population today than any other developed country. This is not because Americans commit more crimes  victimization rates in the United States are comparable to those in Western Europe. Rather, it is because we impose harsher sentences on convicts than any other nation deems conscionable.

And for the bulk of his political career, Joe Biden made mandating such sentences one of his defining causes. As a high-ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden didnt just craft the 1994 crime bill  he also ushered a variety of other draconian measures into law.

As with busing, Biden leaned left on criminal justice early in his career. In 1981, he criticized Republicans for pushing longer sentences for nonviolent offenders when prisons were already overcrowded. But, as with busing, Biden was one of the first liberals to discern the rightward shift in public opinion on criminal justice  and quite possibly, the most enthusiastic convert to the gospel of law-and-order liberalism. During the 1980s, Biden helped pass laws reinstating the federal death penalty, abolishing federal parole, increasing penalties for marijuana possession, expanding the use of civil asset forfeiture, and establishing a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity for possession of crack cocaine (used disproportionately by poor nonwhite people) and powder cocaine (used disproportionately by rich white people).

Bidens support for these measures wasnt a wholly defensive responsive to public outrage over violent crime. Rather, it was a proactive effort to capitalize on the electorates increasingly draconian mood.

In 1989, George H. W. Bush gave a national address outlining his plans to ramp up the war on drugs. Biden delivered the Democratic response, and savaged the Republicans plan to drastically increase incarceration for drug crimes  from the right.

Quite frankly, the presidents plan is not tough enough, bold enough, or imaginative enough to meet the crisis at hand, Biden told the American people. In a nutshell, the presidents plan does not include enough police officers to catch the violent thugs, enough prosecutors to convict them, enough judges to sentence them, or enough prison cells to put them away for a long time.

Four years later, Biden remained at the cutting edge of law-and-order liberalism. In a Senate floor speech recently spotlighted by CNNs KFile, Biden raised awareness of the (mythical) threat posed by super-predators  a rising generation of inner city children so comprehensively failed by their parents and society, they had developed into incurable sociopaths whom the state could quarantine but never rehabilitate.

There is a cadre of young people, tens of thousands of them, born out of wedlock, without parents, without supervision, without any structure, without any conscience developing because they literally  because they literally have not been socialized, they literally have not had an opportunity, Biden explained. He then he urged his colleagues to support aid to such youths now, or else they would become the predators 15 years from now.

In the same speech, Biden warned of dealing with the "cadre of young" people without "conscious developing" that would become "predators" that were "beyond the pale" who would have be taken out of society. https://t.co/JA8WJAUAZC pic.twitter.com/NC0mJSenrn  andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) March 7, 2019

As for the already existing predators, they are beyond the pale many of those people, beyond the pale, Biden said. We have no choice but to take them out of society  rehabilitation, when it occurs, we dont understand it and notice it, and even when we notice it and we know it occurs, we dont know why. So you cannot make rehabilitation a condition for release.

The super-predator proved to be a myth. But the specter of inner cities teeming with irredeemable monsters and abandoned children helped rationalize both mass incarceration, and its racially inequitable character.

Uncle Joe says the darndest (and/or most racially insensitive) things.

Beyond his role in perpetuating systemic racism (through his opposition to school integration, and support for mass incarceration), Biden has long displayed a penchant for political incorrectness. His suggestion that Barack Obama was the first clean and articulate African-American to run for president is probably the most infamous of his gaffes. But the former vice-president also told a crowd of black voters in 2012 that Mitt Romney would put you all back in chains, and has a habit of badly impersonating Indian convenience-store clerks and call-center employees. But Bidens most troubling racially tinged remarks might be those he does not regard as such. Specifically, the former vice-president has long boasted of his warm  and often legislatively productive  relationships with white supremacist southern senators.

Ive been around so long, I worked with James Eastland, Biden said at a rally for Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones in the fall of 2017. Even in the days when I got there, the Democratic Party still had seven or eight old-fashioned Democratic segregationists. Youd get up and youd argue like the devil with them. Then youd go down and have lunch or dinner together. The political system worked. We were divided on issues, but the political system worked.

Bidens sentiments read like a satire of nostalgia for bipartisan comity, laying bare the amorality and elitism inherent to celebrating collegiality for its own sake. Needless to say, a political system in which a man who believed that his dark-skinned constituents belonged to an inferior race  and must be quarantined to their own institutions to prevent the mongrelization of the white race  was not one that worked for said constituents.

And Eastland isnt the only white supremacist Biden cant help expressing grudging admiration for. The Democratic front-runner also warmly eulogized Strom Thurmond at his funeral, and his insistence on fondly recalling his relationship with Jesse Helms grates on even members of his own team, who have told him as much, according to a recent report from the New York Times.

Bidens faith in such senators entitlement to dignity, and capacity for redemption, stands in marked contrast to his erstwhile views on rehabilitating predators and violent thugs.

Why Biden might well win the Democratic nomination with strong African-American support anyway.

Late last month, Emerson College polled South Carolina Democrats on their preferences for the partys 2020 nominee. Among African-American Democrats, there was little competition: Joe Biden boasted 43 percent of the demographics support  his closest competitor, Bernie Sanders, claimed a meager 15 percent. Kamala Harriss support sat at 9. Emersons findings are consistent with broader national surveys of the 2020 primary, which consistently paint Biden as the front-runner  thanks, in no small part, to his popularity among black voters.

How do we reconcile Bidens considerable complicity in racial injustice with his enviable popularity among his partys African-American base?

One answer is the Bidens apparent strength with such voters is illusory. The (likely) candidate is coasting off of his name recognition and association with Barack Obama. Once the primary campaign puts the history summarized above under the spotlight  along with Bidens myriad other heresies against progressivism, including his support for bankruptcy reforms that hurt low-income consumers, his shoddy treatment of Anita Hill, and his advocacy for the Iraq War  black voters will see through his malarkey. This is quite plausible.

But a recent focus group conducted by Democratic consultant Danny Barefoot of Anvil Strategies offers some limited evidence that it is nonetheless mistaken.

So, Im working with a client today to conduct a focus group of black women who are likely to vote in the South Carolina Democratic Presidential primary. I have the clients permission to tweet out anecdotes and observations, but theyd prefer not to be named.  Danny Barefoot (@dannybarefoot) March 5, 2019

Now were on to Biden. One woman says its the closest we can get to a 3rd term for Obama w/o electing Michelle. Lots of chuckles but also lots of heads nodding in agreement. Another says she would vote for him today but isnt sure if hes too old or sloppy to take on Trump.  Danny Barefoot (@dannybarefoot) March 5, 2019

Now well move on to some negative message testing against Biden.  Danny Barefoot (@dannybarefoot) March 5, 2019

Yeahmost of these hits just arent landing. In response to a short description of Bidens opposition to integration efforts one woman asks if were honestly asking her to believe he is a segregationist. https://t.co/yoAxPHBa4J  Danny Barefoot (@dannybarefoot) March 5, 2019

Another explanation is that black voters find Bidens heresies against racial liberalism forgivable. The man might have played a leading role in opposing busing, but he was ultimately responding to mobilized, majoritarian opposition that was all but certain to prevail no matter what position he chose to take. As for mass incarceration, the crack epidemic was truly a scourge, and even many African-American community leaders embraced the logic of tough on crime in its wake. Its also conceivable that some portion of black Democratic primary voters agree, to this day, with Bidens Clinton-era views on criminal justice. A significant minority of African-American Democrats identify as conservative, and indicate a broadly positive view of the police.

As is the case in so many American communities, the most prominent black activist groups and public intellectuals tend to be both more ideological  and more ideologically left wing  than the median black voter. The average American votes less on the basis of ideology than identity. Black Democrats identify strongly with Barack Obama, and Obama spent eight years vouching for Bidens fitness for high office. That might count for more than the misgivings of elite progressive commentators like myself.

Republicans identify most with conservatism, Democrats identify most with Obama; Democrats split in ideological identificationhttps://t.co/7NKhd2QsTf pic.twitter.com/kLQP0vVZgp  Matt Grossmann (@MattGrossmann) March 6, 2019

Regardless, in 2019, Biden evinces support for his partys consensus on decarceration. Meanwhile, thanks to conservative courts, busing is a long-dead issue, of no contemporary political relevance. Within the Democratic coalition, the forces of racial liberalism are unmistakably ascendant. Whether that coalition has someone accountable to it in the next White House will almost certainly do more to determine federal policy on civil rights than the question of precisely whom that Democratic someone is. And with most polls suggesting that Biden is Team Blues most viable general-election candidate, one can construct a perfectly rational argument for why black voters and racial-justice advocates should rally behind Uncle Joe.

That said, given the size and quality of the Democratic field  and the severity of Bidens ideological offenses  I, for one, hope they conclude that he is unfit for rehabilitation.
Stormy Daniels. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Last week, The New Yorker came out with a major story about the far-reaching influence Fox News wields within the Trump administration. On Friday, former Fox News executive Ken LaCorte published a rejoinder on Mediaite, challenging a central assertion of the piece: that Fox News had squashed the story of Stormy Danielss affair with Trump just before the 2016 election because it might damage the networks favored candidate. LaCorte, who was pushed out in 2016, and is currently in the process of launching a digital-media start-up, made the decision not to move ahead with the story  and he maintains that his decision was all about journalistic merit, not partisanship. (Jane Mayer, who wrote the New Yorker piece, responds: This complaint is unfounded. I interviewed LaCorte extensively, quoted him four times, included his assertion that Falcones story hadnt passed muster. Any claim I didnt tell his side is false. Falzone cant defend herself - shes under an NDA, but three sources corroborate her.)

Intelligencer spoke with LaCorte about how he thinks The New Yorker misrepresented the details of Foxs role in laffaire Daniels.

You say that the reason you spiked a story that was shopped to Fox News about Stormy Daniels having an affair with Donald Trump was not that it might hurt Trumps standing, as Jane Mayer had reported  but that because it was shoddy and poorly sourced. Mayer has you telling the reporter Diana Falzone, who was then at Fox: Good reporting, kiddo, but Rupert wants Donald Trump to win. So, just let it go. I was wondering how you remember your interaction with Falzone at the time.

I know I would never have said anything that comically stupid. But it was a two-year-old conversation, and one of many stories that we were working on at that time, so I dont pretend to know exactly what we did talk about, and what phrases I used. I wouldnt have said that, although I do use the word kiddo sometimes. What I know is that several editors had gone through this story. What I was looking at was a story that  and Ive described it in other places  it didnt have any mention of money or contracts or any of that. And, in fact, as weve later discovered, there was no hush money until after this event. The story that I was looking at was on October 18. The Wall Street Journal reported that she signed her agreement with Trump about a week later, and then went radio silent. So, I know that Diana was trying to get some more information from her, and that just stopped. And again, if you take eight minutes on the internet, you can see that jibes very closely with [former Slate editor] Jacob Weisbergs story. You really have to read that to understand the kind of weirdness of the story that was going on behind the scenes.

Because it was being shopped several different places and none of them published it, including Slate.

Yeah. Another thing that shockingly didnt make it into Jane Mayers piece was that multiple other news organizations, not pro-Trump news organizations  Slate, the Daily Beast, Good Morning America  were in talks with Stormy Daniels. Weisberg had talked with her directly several times. She had shown him and given him screenshots of what she said was a draft agreement for the Trump side. But, again, it was all hinky stuff. So, there was no mention in our article of hush payments, but we were told that Stormy Daniels and her side were trying to get that from Trump and his side. And again, what we learned later on from the Journal reporting  and that Slate article, which you really should read  is that Stormy had what she believed was a verbal agreement with the Trump side on this. But they were dragging their feet. As the Journal reported, they were trying to figure out how do we get her this money while both being legal and keeping our fingerprints off of it. And, of course, its gonna be a healthy debate whether that was legal. Thats why they were dragging their feet. She didnt want to come out and tell the whole story, because she wouldnt get money. So she was asking multiple news outlets to give her money for her story, to see if they could outbid Trump, but she didnt want to give out her side completely. She wanted enough pressure to be built on the Trump team to get her dough, which is exactly what happened.

Diana Falzone no longer works at Fox News, and shes under a nondisclosure agreement after a settlement from a lawsuit she filed against the network accusing them of disability and gender discrimination. You say that the stories about Fox quashing the story came out perhaps coincidentally at the same time as she was suing the company last year. What are you implying about her motives there?

I see information that an outsider would say  Well, thats probably coming from her or someone she knows, but shes presumably under this nondisclosure agreement, which, again, Ive never read. But were hearing about conversations that people had with her. So, Im just saying this happens to be the exact same time that she was in the midst of filing a lawsuit against Fox.

You said youd like her nondisclosure agreement to be lifted, right?

Oh, Id be fine with that. I would rather have this conversation instead of lawyer sniping and anonymous leaks and this and that. I think it would be a good conversation to have. And I feel fairly clearly that the decision I made would be seen to be a good one, because it was an easy call.

In a recent tweet, Jane Mayer says she quoted you four times and included your assertion that the story didnt pass muster, and she implies that Diana Falzone would corroborate her version of events if she werent prevented from doing so by the nondisclosure agreement. Whats your response to her rebuttal?

On Chris Hayess show, she said the same thing when she was asked if she ever talked to me about this incident. And I would say that what she gave was a true yet disingenuous answer. Because she did talk to me for well over an hour, she did quote me four times. But she never talked to me about this aspect of the story, despite devoting 600 words to it. The quote that she had of my denial she pulled from a year-old Mediaite story. I dont believe that Jane Mayer was trying to find out the truth of whether we spiked that story for good reasons or not. I think she was digging to find good, anti-Fox nuggets, and put in a requisite denial, and then painted the picture that she wanted to paint. Think about it for one second: I am the only person on the planet who knew why Fox News didnt run that piece. Because I unilaterally made this decision. And she interviewed multiple people about it. She spent 600 words of her story about this issue, yet didnt have the curiosity to ask me one question about it.

Thats not even my biggest problem with Jane Mayers piece. My biggest problem is that she left out a lot of exculpatory information that would have painted a much different picture. Yes, she put in the requisite, I didnt do this that she had pulled from an earlier story from me. But to not mention that multiple other news outlets were going after the same thing; to not mention what I say was actually in the story versus the way she describes it; the fact that the story made no mention of hush money. Jane Mayers piece was one of those pieces of journalism that told a false picture by properly talking about facts and accurately quoting people. And, in my opinion, journalism is supposed to be about finding the truth, not about finding a way to spin the truth and paint the wrong picture.

You wrote that not publishing the story was such an easy call that you never even informed your direct boss or anyone in management about it.

Correct.

I do find it a little difficult to imagine FoxNews.com publishing a big story that could be very harmful to Trumps election prospects in the closing days of the 2016 campaign. Do you think that if you had wanted to publish it you would have gotten pushback from the higher-ups?

For all of the stuff that was being thrown at Trump at that point, this was a medium-level story, in the sense that, if I recall, there were a dozen women who were, at that point, were alleging unwanted touching.

Sure, but 

Alleging that he had grabbed them on a plane. No, no, Im just trying to put this in position of where we were. So, I dont want to answer a hypothetical, but I can certainly tell you that had we moved forward, I would have brought my direct boss into it before publishing. I also would have spent some time with the legal department making sure that we were 100 percent solid on this, because you had Stormy, who was filing cease-and-desist letters, and you have Trump, who can be litigious. We certainly would have looked at it closely, and I would have informed management, informed my boss, if we were moving forward. How they would have reacted to that  its situational.

Just so you know, the journalists at Fox News took pride in the fact that we were the ones that reported on George Bushs past drunk-driving arrests weeks before the election.

That was a different era of Fox News, you have to admit.

Well, it certainly has changed since then. I would say its a different era, radically, in the last two years.

Do you recall much anti-Trump stuff they did then that no one else was doing? As you said, it was odd that Stormy Daniels shopped it to Fox News in the first place, because they werent running much stuff like that, and they continue not to run much stuff like that. Would you agree with that?

I think that they were trying to create as much smoke anywhere as they could to send signals to, I guess, Michael Cohen, that she would be problematic if she didnt get her money. So yeah, the concept that they would only go to a news organization perceived by most people in America as pro-Trump  that kind of belies believability.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
AOC and the AFL-CIOs Rich Trumka are coming at the Green New Deal from different directions. Photo: Getty Images

In the intramural debate over the Green New Deal, the Democratic Party has been loosely divided into three groups: enthusiastic supporters (encompassing what is generally considered to be the Democratic left, along with a goodly number of environmental activists and presidential candidates); moderates unwilling to embrace the proposal (e.g., John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, and the ideologically eccentric Tulsi Gabbard); and then those who praise the GNDs goals without necessarily endorsing its specifics (e.g., Amy Klobuchar, who co-sponsored the original GND resolution but called it aspirational.). Republicans, of course, have been universally and violently opposed, with many mendaciously arguing it would mean the end of air travel and hamburgers.

A whole new source of potential trouble for the GND formally emerged today with a letter from a committee of the AFL-CIO advising original co-sponsors Edward Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that the initiative is far too short on specific solutions that speak to the jobs of our members and the critical sectors of the economy and makes promises that are not achievable or realistic. The letter calls for consultations with labor to improve the GND, but doesnt mince words in warning that [w]e will not accept proposals that could cause immediate harm to millions of our members and their families.

Republicans immediately cheered this statement. They avoided, however, mentioning that the letter conveyed the position not of the entire AFL-CIO, but of its Energy Committee, predictably dominated by unions in industries involved in the production or consumption of fossil fuels (the letter was signed by the presidents of the United Mine Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). Last week AFL-CIO president Rich Trumka made more temperate remarks:

Look, we need to address the environment. We need to do it quickly, he said. But we need to do it in a way that doesnt put these communities behind, and leave segments of the economy behind. So well be working to make sure that we do two things: That by fixing one thing we dont create a problem somewhere else.

So all in all, it would seem that the labor movement is firing a warning shot across the bow of Green New Deal proponents (who have included economic provisions in their package precisely in order to appeal to economically minded people) before taking  potentially  a more confrontational stand. And to the extent that said proponents are self-conscious advocates for working people (as the democratic socialists among them certainly see themselves), they should probably listen up. Its not like labor folks can be dismissed as timid moderates or shills for the capitalist despoilers of the Earth. And you can bet the 2020 presidential candidates are paying very close attention.
When you realize your budget is dead on arrival. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump is nothing if not a man of vision  a destructive vision, to be sure, soaked in blood-and-soil nationalism and open contempt for the poor. Hes not always so skilled at executing that vision, a failure aptly demonstrated by the fate of his first budget. The administrations most drastic proposals, which would have zeroed out funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts in addition to cuts to entitlement programs like SNAP, mostly didnt survive Congress. No president ever gets everything they want from a budget, but Trumps first effort was notable for the obvious, wide gap between it and political reality.

Trump is a slow learner. His latest budget, released on Monday morning, closely resembles his inaugural attempt, as it, too, contains welfare cuts that are likely to create a public relations problem for the Republican Party. It probably wont fare any better than its predecessor, and it sets up a costly political battle for Republicans, who will have to convince voters, again, that theyre motivated by something other than pure animus for the poor. Theyll have a difficult time making themselves heard over the presidents budget, which whittles down some of the most popular entitlement programs in the country partly to secure funding for his border fence.

Medicaid, which provides health-care coverage to low-income beneficiaries, is one of the biggest losers in this years budget. As reported by the Washington Post, the budget would cut Medicaid spending by $1.5 trillion over the next decade, end funding for Medicaid expansion, and allocate $1.2 trillion to a system that would allocate Medicaid funding in block grants to each state. The budget also suggests a per-person cap for Medicaid spending in addition to broad work requirements. Most experts agree that block granting Medicaid funding would, in practice, amount to spending cuts  and cuts arent a new priority for the Trump administration. Under Trump, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reliably grants waivers to states whose legislators want to attach work requirements to Medicaid, even though that policy cuts thousands of low-income people from the program. Seema Verma, the administrator of CMS, has praised the waivers as a way for states to innovate and reduce dependency on government aid. Similar language, promoting cuts as a path to self-sufficiency, appears in this years budget.

The budget has more bad news for the poor. Able-bodied individuals who receive housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would have to contribute more toward their rents; the non-elderly and able-bodied poor would also have to work or study at least 20 hours per week. Food assistance would be reduced, too. Not only does the budget propose cutting the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program by $220 billion over the next ten years, it revives the notion of Americas Harvest Boxes, which the administration first floated in its 2019 budget proposal. Low-income families would receive boxes of government-purchased, nonperishable food items in lieu of an EBT card they can use at grocery stores. (A version of the Harvest Box program already exists: The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations operates along similar lines, and research has shown that the food provided to reservations often doesnt meet the USDAs established nutritional standards.)

We already knew that Trump wants to cut welfare, so by that metric, the contents of todays budget arent a surprise. But they provide further confirmation that the president is committed to shrinking the size of the government, even though many of his proposed cuts are dead in the water with Democrats in control of the House. Trumps budget wont survive Congress unscathed, and neither will his party.

Mondays budget is also proof that the president has learned little from his partys recent legislative failures. Regarding Medicaid, the budget explicitly calls for legislation modeled after the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill, a health-care bill that would have replaced the Affordable Care Act with a block grant program in 2017. Though Republicans controlled Congress, the bill was so draconian it never made it to Trumps desk. And that was a compromise bill, designed to fulfill the GOPs promise to repeal and replace the ACA with something more palatable than its previous attempts at legislation. The American Health Care Act, which would have replaced the ACA with legislation that didnt include protections for people with preexisting conditions, polled so abysmally that the party abandoned it, too. According to one Quinnipiac poll, only 21 percent of Americans approved of the AHCA. Medicaid, meanwhile, tends to be very popular, and so does Medicaid expansion.

Trump has risked another government shutdown over politically unpopular provisions that wont even get the full support of his party. Its a bizarre blunder, and one that probably reveals the extent to which the president and members of his administration have become blinded by their own hostility to welfare.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday that India needs a bigger defence budget to modernise its armed forces during the next six-seven years. Speaking at the Aaj Tak National Security Summit, Jaitley said government has increased the tax base during the last five years and the money raised from taxes will be used for defence.

Commenting on the use of MIG 21s in the Indian Air Force fleet, Jaitley said, "We don't have outdated jets in IAF fleet. MIG 21s used in the recent IAF operation were upgraded ones."

Citing the delay in defence procurement process, Jaitley said previous governments delayed purchase of jets including Rafale which adversely affected national security.

Enhanced tax-free gratuity ceiling to help PSU, private sector employees: Jaitley

Talking about the demand for proofs in Balakot air strikes, the FM said 'Netas' should not drag armed forces into politics.

"Do the people who are demanding proofs of the IAF airstrike expect IAF to count dead bodies after the operations?" Jaitley asked.

Mentioning the fake news campaigns run by some people in India post the Balakot airstrikes, Jaitley said no one is willing to listen what 'compulsive contrarians' are saying in India.

"India must speak in one voice as fake campaigns are a problem in the country," the FM said.

"Pakistan's denial of the airstrikes reveals a lot. The Pakistan government is run by the ISI and army.

Jaitley: Ayushman Bharat on way to become world's largest free healthcare scheme

"If Pakistan would have would have admitted to casualties in airstrikes, then they would had to reply to the international community," Jaitley said.

The United Nations Security Council and Financial Action Task Force would have imposed sanctions on Pakistan after their admissions of casualties in the Balakot airstrikes, the FM said.

Pointing to the diplomatic win of the Modi government in face off with Pakistan, Jatiley said that for the 13th time, Pakistan has gone to IMF to seek monetary help. After the Balakot air strike, even China and Turkey have not fully backed Pakistan.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation too ignored Pakistan recently, thereby indicating a huge diplomatic cost for the country to remain engaged in terrorism activities in the future.

FinMin notifies April 1 as date for availing increased GST exemption limit, composition scheme

Edited by Aseem Thapliyal
China wants serious talks before UNSC body takes up JeM case

ISLAMABAD: Beijing on Monday emphasised responsible and serious discussions as diplomacy picked pace ahead of the date for UN Security Councils sanctions committee to take up a fresh resolution for listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.



China will continue to communicate and work with relevant parties in a responsible manner so as to properly resolve this matter. Only by making a decision through responsible and serious discussions can we resolve the issue in a sustainable manner, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a media briefing in Beijing while responding to a query about Chinas position on the issue.



China has thrice in the past blocked on technical grounds bids for designation of Azhar as a terrorist by the UNSC. The United States, the United Kingdom and France have once again moved for Azhars listing after Feb 14 Pulwama attack, which was claimed by JeM. The resolution moved on Feb 28 has to be taken up by the 1267 Sanctions Committee by March 13.



According to Mr Kang, Beijing sees recent escalation between India and Pakistan as not conducive to the peace and stability in South Asia and it mediated to defuse the situation. In our exchanges of views on regional situation, the security issue features in our discussion with Indian and Pakistan. We have had extensive and in-depth talks with both sides, he said in a reference to China discussing Azhar listing with both sides.



Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, meanwhile, spoke to US National Security Adviser Ambassador John Bolton over phone to share with him Pakistans perspective on the recent regional developments, Pakistans Foreign Office said.
COAS met PM

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Monday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here at the PM Office. During the meeting, they discussed the security situation, the PM Office said in a statement following the meeting. The meeting comes in the wake of escalation of tensions with India after the February 14 Pulwama attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Matters escalated alarmingly after the massive suicide bombing claimed by Jaish-e-Muhammad that killed 40 Indian troops.



Twelve days later Indian warplanes launched a strike inside Pakistani territory, claiming to have hit a militant camp. An infuriated Islamabad denied casualties or damage, and a day later launched its own incursion across the LoC. That sparked the dogfight which ended in Pakistan shooting down two of Indias warplanes, and an Indian Air Force pilots capture. Pakistan later released the pilot as a gesture of peace.
Nawaz Sharif free to get himself treated in Sindh: Punjab govt

Punjab government spokesperson Shahbaz Gill Monday said Nawaz Sharif is free to get himself treated in Sindh if he wishes to. Reacting to a meeting between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat jail, Gill said there is no politics being done over the health issue of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo.



At a joint press conference along with Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid, Gill said Nawaz Sharif can get his treatment done from a hospital of his choice. Bilawal Bhutto offered Nawaz to have his treatment done from a hospital in Karachi, and we have no objection to it, he said. However, I just want to convey to Mian sahib that he is currently in a safe province, he said, adding that there is nothing lacking in the medical facilities being provided to the former prime minister.



Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid said the government is ready to send Nawaz Sharif to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi. He said the Punjab government has made no negligence vis-a-vis treatment of the former prime minister, but nothing can be done until the patient himself is agreed for a treatment. We have never played politics on anybodys illness. Nawaz Sharif can go anywhere in Pakistan for medical assistance, she added.
One of conspirators Pulwama died in shootout with security forces

SRINAGAR: Indian police claimed on Monday that one of the key conspirators behind a suicide attack that killed over 40 paramilitary personnel in the occupied valley had died in a shootout with security forces.



Mudasir Khan, who was shot dead on Sunday, was described by authorities as a top commander belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who claimed the February 14 bombing in Pulwama district.



The attack on a convoy of paramilitaries in the disputed valley was the deadliest in decades, and led to an airstrike against what the Modi administration claimed a JeM training camp on Pakistani soil in Balakot. Pakistan, which denies supporting JeM, responded by shooting down two Indian warplanes and capturing one pilot, whose return two days later pulled the nuclear-armed countries back from the brink of a full-scale war.



Police in Held Kashmir claimed that an investigation had revealed that Mudasir was one of the key conspirators of the deadly attack on Indian forces.



Mudasir was shot in Tral  a town in Pulwama district where the suicide bombers struck  along with another gunman who the Indian police claimed was from Pakistan. KJS Dhillon, the local army commander in the occupied valley, said that 14 alleged JeM militants, including six commanders, had been eliminated in a crackdown in the aftermath of the bombing.
Two civilian killed at LoC

ISLAMABAD: At least two civilians including a woman were killed and four others injured when Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.



The casualties were caused when Indian forces targeted the civilian population in Chakothi sector of Jhelum Valley district along the LoC. Pakistan army troops responded effectively [by] targeting [the] Indian post which initiated [the] fire, the ISPR statement added.



The dead were identified as Noushad Bibi, a resident of Soka village, and Ghulam Hussain, who lived in Bakot village. Four people identified as Raja Mehmood (r/o Darang More), Zahida Bibi (r/o Bari Bhaik), Ghulam Muhammad and Muhammad Zakir (r/o Bakot village) sustained injuries in the firing.
The Ghanaian Government says it remains committed to its partnership with Ethiopian Airlines in establishing a domestic airline for the country.



Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda, made this known to journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in Accra.



He says in spite of the fatal crash on Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines remained one of the best airlines in the world in terms of safety and standard.



On Sunday, March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines jet Boeing 737 Max 8 flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, crashed within just six minutes after takeoff, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members onboard.



Following the accident, China has recalled all its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets for safety checks but US authorities say the Boeing 737 Max 8 jets are airworthy.



Mr. Adda expressed his deepest sympathy to management of Ethiopian Airlines and families of the passengers who perished during the crash.



He said, its a very unfortunate incident; it can happen anywhere in the world.



The Ghanaian Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopian Airlines in December 2018 for the formation of Ghanas domestic carrier.



Minister Adda explained that in February this year, a Ghanaian delegation was sent to Ethiopia for further negotiations on the deal.



In April 2019, he said, both parties are scheduled to meet to further deliberate on how best to improve the deal.



He said a shareholding agreement would be signed between Ethiopian Airlines and Government of Ghana subsequently after which a special board will be formed to oversee the management and operations of the domestic carrier.



Mr. Adda noted that steps were being taken to improve passenger safety in Ghana and that Government would continue to comply with ICAO regulations on air safety.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Seasoned journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has called on the Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to intervene in a chaos brewing at the University of Winneba (UEW).



Students of the University have expressed agitation over the dismissal of the local President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Dr. Frimpong Kaakyire Duku and Professor Ephraim Avea Nsoh, Principal of the College of Languages Education by the school authorities.



It is reported that the two people were relieved of their duties by the University Vice Chancellor, Reverend Father Prof Anthony Afful-Broni a few days ago.



According to the dismissal letter addressed to Dr. Duku, the disciplinary board set up by the Vice Chancellor resorted to this action because the victims "did not exhaust the internal structures of the University for settling dispute before proceeding to court. You used the institutional time to go to court without seeking official permission. Without any cause, you initiated legal action against the University  your employer".



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Kwesi Pratt called for the Education Minister to step into the situation to restore calm and find lasting solutions to the issues going on at the University.



He also cautioned the authorities of the University not to destroy the school because Winneba is a landmark in the history of Ghana.



Dont destroy Winneba. Dont use unnecessary fight that Im the Champion . . . to destroy Winneba. Whats happening at Winneba, especially the University, worries me a lot, he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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An entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of the Dara Salaam Group, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim, says he has long forgiven former President Jerry John Rawlings under whose administration his $5 million hotel was demolished.



Speaking about the issue publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years in an interview on Good Evening Ghana, a television show which was played at the launch of his autobiography, the business magnate stated that he had forgiven the former President for his wrongs against him.



"Im not angry with Rawlings. Im never angry with anybody. I know that whatever happens to me is determined by God, or God says it will happen. So I dont have anything against Rawlings. Ive no choice but to forgive him; the Quran says we should forgive and forget, he stated.



Book launch



The entrepreneur launched his 200-page autobiography, entitled Paradise is unpaved, at the Marriott Hotel in Accra last Saturday.



The book chronicles his life's journey and legacy from a humble beginning to the owner of a conglomerate.



It recounts how Alhaji Yusif grew up in an urban slum but by dint of hard work and diligence rose to become a millionaire with multimillion dollar businesses that include real estate and the food sector.



The book also gives an insight into how he strived with nothing from Kumasi Zongo, earning him the nickname, "Zongo Boy," to become a multi-sectoral businessman.



Demolition



On Monday, April 12, 1999, while on a routine early morning walk, Alhaji Ibrahim received the disturbing news that his almost-completed ultramodern hotel, furnished and fitted with air conditioners, television sets, refrigerators, among other valuables, was being razed to the ground by some military men based on the suspicion that Alhaji was in bed with Sir Sam Jonah, considered as an "enemy of the state" at the time.



Alhaji Ibrahim later took the matter to court and was subsequently awarded a GH6.13 million judgement debt which was paid by the Prof. J. E. A. Mills administration in 2009.



Persuasion



Alhaji Ibrahim stated that he was persuaded by friends and family to publish the book for posterity.



He added that the book was also to give hope to the teeming youth from the Zongo communities whose background should never be a hindrance to the heights that they could attain.



He stressed that "Paradise is not paved. It is full of potholes but with determination and resolution you can definitely achieve whatever you want.



Chapters



The autobiography has been structured into eight chapters, with each chapter talking about a specific incident that occurred during the Zongo Boy's journey to the top of the food chain.



The chapters are Kumasi Zongo Childhood; Education; Entrepreneurship Journey; My Journey and Politics; Business Lessons; Philanthropy; Honours, and Personal Life.



Chapter Four of the book "My Journey and Politics" has a sub-heading "The Pier Hotel", which gives readers a vivid account of how Alhaji's Pier Hotel was demolished allegedly on the orders of the then President Rawlings.



Tributes



While reviewing some portions of the autobiography, an economist and friend of the author, Mr Kwame Pianim, paid glowing tribute to Alhaji Ibrahim, describing him as a man whose friendship transcended tribe, religion and politics.



Mr Pianim, while touching on the Pier Hotel Saga, said: "Even though they preach that the private sector is the engine of growth, most of our governments are more disruptive of the private sector than they have been creators of the private sector and we are hoping that we learn from the past.



A former Council of State member, Nana Prah Agyinsaim, Professor S. N. Wood, Dr Kwame Amuah, Dr Sam Jonah and Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata all eulogised Alhaji Ibrahim, describing him as a good friend who stood beside his friends at the expense of his family and business.



Dignitaries



Some of the guests who graced the event included former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpianim; a former Finance Minister, Professor Kwesi Botchwey; a former Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Collins Dauda; the Minister of Zongo Development and Inner Cities, Dr Mustapha Hamid, and the family of Alhaji Ibrahim.



Others were the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo; son of Africas richest man Aliko Dangote, Mr Mohammed Sanni Dangote, and a former Finance Minister, Mr Kwame Peprah.



The first two copies of the book were auctioned for $20,000. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to Focus Hospital, an orthopaedic health facility, and the Pediatric Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.







Source: Daily Graphic









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The Deputy Minority Chief Whip in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Banda constituency, Ahmed Ibrahim has described Ghana's National Security as a 'paralyzed' and 'polluted' institution.



According to him, the National Security has now become an institution responsible for training Militia and Vigilante groups in the country.



Manasseh's expose is a confirmation that Ghanas Security is under threat because it has become incapable in executing its core duties, he said.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he revealed that the investigation by Manasseh has exposed President Akufo-Addo and his governement in their activities.



De-Eye group is a multiple talented group of people who are wide spread across the whole country fully armed and trained to perform a particular work . . . the future democracy of this nation is shaken if we allow Akufo-Addo and his Militia group continue in power, he said.



He stressed that prior to the 2016 election, the then candidate Akufo-Addo accused former President John Mahama of bringing in GITMO 2 as they posed a security threat to the nation, but he (Nana Addo) has allowed De-Eye Group to operate under his watch which to him is more dangerous than the GITMO 2.



De-Eye group is training over 5000 youth on what purpose . . . ? If we are going to use Militia and Vigilantism in 2020 elections Akufo-Addo and NPP should let us know," he said.



He has therefore called on the government to accept its fault than defending it.





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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The National Democratic Congress (NDC), has written another letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo insisting on the need for a third party to mediate talks between them and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).



If you may recall, after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo called on the two major political parties to help in disbanding vigilante groups affiliated to them, the NDC wrote a letter asking for third-party participation.



They requested representatives of all political parties, civil society organisations, media, military, police, and other security agencies as well as other relevant stakeholders.



But President Akufo-Addo, in his response, expressed disappointment at the NDCs call for a mediator for the dialogue.



The President said 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 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 general elections 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 nations governance and political culture, without the intervention of outsiders, including foreign entities, no matter how well-meaning.



However, another letter signed by the National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has moved further asking for ECOWAS, the AU and others to be involved.



Our attempt at a solution that goes beyond the legal process would be of interest to institutions involved in ensuring peaceful development across Africa. These include ECOWAS. the AU and various UN agencies. Ghana is a member of these bodies and is entitled to call on their resources to assist in resolving critical problems. This is not in any way a surrender of our sovereignty or a declaration of a lack of faith in our own abilities. We see it rather as an act of responsible regional and international citizenship and transparency.



Your Excellency, it would be easy to test your belief that Ghanaians are happy to leave the question of political violence to be resolved bilaterally by NDC and NPP. We respectfully request that you invite the public and entities such as the Ghana Peace Council or the various expert institutions to weigh in on this debate. We have already begun to sound out other stakeholders and believe that there is considerable interest in participating in a process such as we have described.



Your Excellency, there is, of course, much to be done in order to get started officially. I believe that the people of Ghana deserve a more serious approach to this serious matter than a mere encouragement to the Chairmen of our respective parties to engage in telephone conversations. The NDC stands ready to commence detailed process structuring at your earliest convenience" Ofosu-Ampofo said in the letter.





Read the NDCs second letter below



RE: PROPOSED MEETING OF NDC AND NPP ON DISBANDMENT OF POLITICAL VIGILANTISM: THE POSITION OF THE NDC



Thank you for your prompt response. We are encouraged by your evident desire to push this initiative forward and to achieve peaceful, constructive, national politics in a Ghana that is safe and secure, within and without.



Your Excellency, in the interest of constructive dialogue. we will not. respectfully. dwell on the preliminary remarks in your letter and your unfortunate characterization of our expressed concerns. Fortunately, the Short Commission sittings are televised and all are free to draw their own conclusions from the testimony proffered to it.



In spite of this caution, however, we cannot restrain ourselves from drawing Your Excellency's attention to the recently broadcast documentary by Manasseh Azure Awuni of Multimedia Company on the activities of an illegal militia operating from Christiansborg Castle Osu, an annex of the Presidency.



The unchallenged assertion in the documentary that these vigilantes are sponsored by the NPP and led by a personality who until recently. was your personal bodyguard. casts doubts on the denials that the NPP neither sponsors these undesirables nor have they absorbed some of them into the statutory security services of Ghana.



That this document has duly alarmed all Ghanaians. goes further to cement the need for Your Excellency to favourably consider the contents of our letter to you on the 28th February 2019.



Your Excellency, we would like in this letter to focus on the two substantive proposals set out in our letter that apparently troubles you. These are:



a. Our proposal that we broaden participation in the process towards a solution to the crisis of political violence in our country: and



b. Our proposal that the process be professionally facilitated.



We address each of these below.



Scope of Participation



Your Excellency, our letter did not call for CSOs and other proposed participants to disband their militias. We obviously did not suggest that the National Peace Council has an armed militia. We rather called for wider participation in a citizens' process end organised political violence. Our position on participation is actually quite simple: a lasting solution to the crisis of political violence requires that we involve all stakeholders.



This is generally accepted as good practice. We define stakeholders to include all those who are affected by a policy: all those who will be involved in policy implementation: and all those who by dint of their work or expertise in the relevant area of policy have informed perspectives to contribute to policymaking. The stakeholders in the struggle against political violence cannot reasonably be limited to the two largest political ponies.



The list of stakeholders we proposed can, of course, be tightened or expanded. We, however, think it would be a tragedy to go forward on the narrow basis of only the two major political parties considering the gravity of the matters to be considered and the danger that the threat of unregulated use of force by unauthorized armed groups pos. to civil society and, indeed. to those who bear arms lawfully as mandated by the 1992 4th Republican Constitution of which you are the principal guardian.



Facilitation



Your Excellency, our position on facilitation flows logically from our position on participation. We are not looking at a principally juridical process. As indicated. we envisage large and complex citizens' process. There will be several different stakeholders with different perspectives and priorities.



The process itself will involve elements of goal-setting, fact-finding. confidence-building, reconciliation, policy prescription and mobilisation of public opinion. These may require a combination of different approaches, techniques, and skills.



With such complex processes, there is a need to involve institutions or experts who specialise in process facilitation. This involves expertise in both the logical and psychological sub-process. required. Professional facilitators can ensure that all participants listen and are heard; that different perspectives and proposals are properly evaluated: that conflicts are analysed and understood: that individuals and institutional participants do not feel attacked: and that effective consensus is built towards clear actionable outcomes - all within a reasonable time frame. The sad fact is that this expertise does not reside in any meaningful way in the current political establishment as much as it does in civil society and in the international community. Indeed, a significant element of the crisis we currently face is the winner-takes-all culture of our national politics.



Your Excellency. NDC and NPP have indeed been the most successful parties of the 4th Republic and have an absolutely critical role to play in achieving the change of direction needed. This can be reflected in the process we develop for this initiative. However, Your Excellency, our parties do not begin to represent the full scope of Ghanaian opinion as your letter suggests. An important driver of political violence is the fact that increasingly large sections of society do not feel represented by the political establishment and do not have faith in its constitutive institutions and their process.



The political establishment and the state itself arc losing legitimacy. While it is in the partisan arena that violence has occurred most spectacularly (because of the typically high profile of the personalities involved). the truth is that the problem of citizens resorting to violent self-help is much wider. Some of the militias degrading our politics also provide -land guard'. services to the highest bidders in our cities or double as galamsey or illegal logging enforcers in our rural areas. The same forces that protect" prominent politicians are engaged in communal violence around chieftaincy disputes.



It is precisely this stark reality that provides a compelling and persuasive argument that our two great parties cannot do it alone and that we need important assistance from the wider society to achieve lasting verifiable solutions that will assure peace andsecurity to our citizens, our parties and our nation.



Your Excellency . . note also that the problems we face in Ghana exist to a greater or lesser degree in many other countries. Our attempt at a solution that goes beyond the legal process would be of interest to institutions involved in ensuring peaceful development across Africa. These include ECOWAS, the AU and various UN agencies. Ghana is a member of these bodies and is entitled to call on their resources to assist in resolving critical problems. This is not in any way a surrender of our sovereignty or a declaration of a lack of faith in our own abilities. We see it rather as an act of responsible regional and international citizenship and transparency.



Your Excellency, it would be easy to test your belief that Ghanaians are happy to leave the question of political violence to be resolved bilaterally by NDC and NPP. We respectfully request that you invite the public and entities such as the Ghana Peace Council or the various expert institutions to weigh in on this debate. We have already begun to sound out other stakeholders and believe that there is considerable interest in participating in a process such as we have described.



Your Excellency, there is, of course, much to be done in order to get started officially. I believe that the people of Ghana deserve a more serious approach to this serious matter than a mere encouragement to the Chairmen of our respective parties to engage in telephone conversations. The NDC stands ready to commence detailed process structuring at your earliest convenience.



Yours faithfully.



(SAMUEL OFOSU AMPOFO)



National Chairman



CC:



1. The National Chairman, New Patriotic Party



2. The Chairman National Peace Council.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The United States is to withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week, the U.S. State Department announced late on Thursday.

Like the January 24 decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum, this decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy, the State Department said.

It did not say on what day the personnel would be withdrawn from the embassy in Caracas.

The South American nation has been in the throes of political unrest for months over its contested presidential election.

Venezuela is suspending school and business activities on Tuesday amid a continuing power blackout, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a televised broadcast on Monday.

It is the third such cancellation since power went out last week.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has revealed that incumbent cabinet would be reshuffled soon.





Speaking to the media persons at Biratnagar Airport on Tuesday Dahal said I have discussed with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to reshuffle the Cabinet.





However, he did not mentioned about the person (s) and tentative deadline to reshuffle the cabinet.





We have reached on the understanding that cabinet would be reshuffled examining the efficiency and contribution of the ministers to give the feeling of changes, Dahal said.





During the short interaction with the media persons, he also expressed his grievances over the recent 11-point agreement signed between the government and CK Raut.




Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, March 7, 2019

The past few weeks have brought back the fear of war in South Asia. While the worst seems over for now, this crisis has been a reminder how close India and Pakistan are to the nuclear precipice. What is less clear is where we go from here. For Pakistan at least, more of the same may not be an option.

The current troubles began on February 14, when a one-man suicide attack on a military convoy near Pulwama, inside Indian-controlled Kashmir, killed dozens of soldiers. Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM)aa radical Islamist Sunni group based in Pakistanaclaimed responsibility for the attack and posted a video of the attacker, Adil Ahmad, a 21-year old Kashmiri.

Pakistan vigorously denies complicity with JeM. Nevertheless, within days of the suicide attack, the Pakistan government took control of JeMas main madrassa, or seminary, in the city of Bahawalpur, which was allegedly its headquarters.

Twelve days later, on Tuesday February 26, India reported a pre-dawn strike that involved 12 Indian Mirage-2000 jets dropping 1000 kilograms of bombs upon a JeM training facility in Pakistan, near the town of Balakot. Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval described the site as aa virtual garrisona with afiring ranges, explosive test facilities, air-conditioned offices of trainers, and barracks.a In an official statement, Indiaas Foreign Minister said aa very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadisa were eliminated.a

Pakistan dismissed Indian claims of substantial damage and says the intruders were chased away by Pakistani fighter aircraft. Preliminary reports from Balakot residents and an independent assessment of the satellite imagery support the official Pakistani line of little damage from the Indian attack.

India has yet to supply proof of success.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the middle of a tougher-than-expected national election campaign after leading his hard-line right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party into power five years ago, condemned critics and his leading opponents, the Congress Party, for asking for proof of the claims of the Indian attack. At an election rally, Modi declared aNow they have even started asking for proof of the #AirStrike. Why are Congress and its allies demoralizing our forces? Why are they giving statements which are benefiting our enemies?a

A day later, Pakistan claimed its fighter jets carried out strikes in Indian Kashmir and then shot down two Indian aircraft that crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir into the Pakistani side, and captured an Indian pilot. India admits to the loss of one pilot and plane but says it shot down a Pakistani plane. Pakistan denies losing any aircraft.

Pakistan later released captured Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. Pakistanas gesture showed it wants to de-escalate a crisis that put the world on edge. Equally, this act conveys confidence that Pakistan has had the upper hand in a conflict not of its own choosing. Pakistani war rhetoric, though disturbingly loud, was less shrill than that within India.

Throughout these days and weeks, Indian and Pakistani forces along the Line of Control in Kashmir fired away at each other. There has clearly been no return to the ceasefire agreed by the two sides in 2003.

At least for Pakistanas prime minister, the crisis has brought some caution. Addressing the country on television, he said aAll wars are miscalculated, and no one knows where they lead toa I ask India: With the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford such a miscalculation? If this escalates, things will no longer be in my control or in Modias.a What he did not say was why Pakistan, and India, have gotten themselves into this disastrous situation of a conflict whose escalation they cannot control, and armed with weapons that mean misjudgments lead to the death of nations.

A core issue for Pakistan is Kashmir. Since 1947, Pakistan has turned again and again to insurgents and proxies to do battle against India in Kashmir to free it from Indian rule and make it part of Pakistan. JeM has been a key proxy for almost 20 years.

The organizationas ranks have swelled in recent years. For this it can thank Indian repression in Kashmir. Since 2016, large numbers of Kashmiris have been radicalized, frustrated at the absence of meaningful dialogue with Delhi, fed up with the use of force by Indian forcesaincluding pellet guns that have blinded countless Kashmiri demonstratorsaand angered by intrusive house searches and curfews. Last year saw the highest level of violence in Kashmir in a decade.

Kashmir journalist Bashrat Peer has written of the aache of our painful history, a despair and rage about an oppressive present, and an uncertain futurea and observed that aIndia and Pakistan blame each other, each country obsessed with proving itself better than the other, but they share the responsibility for reducing Kashmir to a ruin and destroying generations of Kashmiri lives.a Some in Kashmir despair of the future, saying aBetter than the last 30 years is to have a seven-day war and finish this issue for once and all.a

An alternative path has already been charted. A decade ago, India and Pakistan came close to agreeing to a peace plan for Kashmir. Chief among its principles, reported The New Yorker, was the idea that aKashmiris would be given special rights to move and trade freely on both sides of the Line of Control. Each of the former princely stateas distinct regions would receive a measure of autonomyadetails be negotiated later. Providing that violence declined, each side would gradually withdraw its troops from the region. At some point, the Line of Control might be acknowledged by both governments as an international border.a If the Kashmiris are allowed to have their say, it is not a bad place to start.

Looking at the bigger picture and long-term implications of this crisis, the omens are not good for Pakistan.

Fact: During the current crisis, Pakistan received little support internationally. The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a group Pakistan has been a member of since it was founded 50 years ago, condemned the Indian incursion into sovereign Pakistani territory but urged both countries to aexercise restraint and avoid any steps that could endanger peace and security in the region.a Despite Pakistanas objections, Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj came to speak at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting as a aguest of honor,a the first time India has been invited to a meeting of the group. Pakistanas Foreign Minister refused to attend.

Chinaathe economic, military and political ally on which Pakistan increasingly pins its hopesahas remained studiously cautious, issuing little more than homilies urging peace. One should not expect otherwise. China is making large, long-term investments in Pakistan, but annual trade between the two countries is only about $15 billion. China competes strategically with India, but it also trades much more heavily with it (about $90 billion a year). Whether China will oppose a UN Security Council resolution introduced by the United States, Britain and France to declare JeMas leader Masood Azhar a terrorist is worth watching out for.

Saudi Arabia, whose munificence Pakistan counts upon, has refrained from substantive comment as it builds better ties with India. Just before the crisis broke, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman came to Pakistan, and received one of the most extravagant welcome in Islamabad, accorded to any foreign ruler in recent history. The crown princeas next tour stop was New Delhi, where he was warmly received by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had received Saudi Arabiaas highest civilian award just under three years ago.)

And the United States seems to have taken Indiaas side. A statement on February 26 by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized Indiaas incursion into Pakistan as mere acounter terrorism actions.a US trust in Pakistan, already thin after the September 2001 attacks and subsequent evidence of Pakistani ties to the Taliban and other jihadist groups, evaporated after the 2011 discovery of Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad and the US raid that killed him. In 2018, the US cut off security aid to Pakistan, accusing it of continuing to support the Taliban in Afghanistan.

As for Pakistanas neighbors, Iran and Afghanistan have grievances with Pakistan, and are more focused on improving relations with India. Both have repeatedly accused Pakistan of harboring insurgents. An Iranian general explicitly blamed Pakistani attackers after a suicide bomber killed 27 of Iranas Revolutionary Guards in early February.

At home, Pakistan is in an economic crisis, growth is slowing, the currency is falling, and debt rising. In the months since his election, Prime Minister Imran Khan has visited country after country seeking loans and aid. Pakistan is already cutting spending, except on its military. Even if the level of hostilities with India does not rise beyond the current level, it is unclear where the money for maintaining a constant high level of defense preparedness will come from. One cost will likely be even fewer resources for sustaining and improving the well-being of its people.

Pakistan has sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, but there is a hitch: The fund will require what Imran Khan has called apainfula economic reforms. It also seeks removal from the agray lista of countries with what it calls astructural deficienciesa in addressing money laundering and the financing of terrorism, as determined by the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Pakistan was added to the list in June 2018 after US pressure, which included specific concerns about JeM fund-raising.

The FATF has given Pakistan until May 2019 to carry out recommended measures to achieve de-listing. Failure to do so could lead to measures that could potentially isolate Pakistan from the global banking system and cripple its economy.

Pakistan can ill-afford another crisis with India. Against a backdrop that includes the threat of war and the catastrophe of nuclear waraplus angry neighbors, isolation and possible financial ruin on the horizonaPakistan faces hard choices. Pursuing all initiatives for peace is clearly urgent.
The 2019 elections are going to decide the destiny of India like never before. A Govt elected by 31 per cent of those who cast their votes in 2014 is determined to change the very nature of India against the will of the 69 per cent who voted for the Opposition parties: India that had withstood even the trauma of Partition and retained its pluralist character which is now under serious threat by the present Govt and its ideological parent, the RSS. The real fight is for saving the very soul of our great nation with such a glorious, ancient history and civilization from the devastating onslaught unleashed by the current regime.

It is thus a decisive time for the Opposition parties and leaders to rise to the enormity of their responsibility and suspend their individual and partyas egos for small gains here and there. The stakes are much higher now. It is time for showing magnanimity in putting up a single front to defeat the pseudo-nationalist, power-hungry regime; remember 69 per cent of voters in 2014 voted for you, but you frittered it all away at the altar of factional and individual egos. Surely, if it happens again, there would be nothing left to fight for. There have of course been recent, laudable examples of sacrifice of such egos and inflicting crushing defeat on the ruling party. It is our fervent appeal to follow these examples to save India.

We suggest that in opposition to the ruling partyas agenda of aDivide and Rulea , let the Opposition parties set an alternate agenda with the focus on the shared cultural inheritance and common destiny. It is also important to bring issues of steady economic decline over the past five years on all frontsafarmers, jobs, small traders  on one hand and the growth of crony capitalism on the other. Corruption has also entered centre stage over these years. And of course the question of the sanctity and autonomy of institutions and indeed of the Constitution itself are crucial for this agenda.

We hope that our appeal will be given serious consideration when strategies for the elections are drawn up. Our hope rests with you.

Signatories:

No Name Affiliation / Identification

1 Harbans Mukhia Historian, Retd. Prof JNU

2 Zoya Hasan Political Scientist

3 John Dayal Journalist and Commentator

4 Saeed Akhtar Mirza Screen Writer and Film Director

5 Sumit Chakravartty Editor, Mainstream

6 Saeed Naqvi Senior Journalist and Commentator

7 Nandini Sundar Professor, Delhi University

8 Rudi Heredia Independent Researcher

9 Anuradha Chenoy Retd. Prof JNU

10 Sheba Chhachhi Artist, Delhi

11 Aruna Roy Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan

12 A. C. Michael National Coordinator - United Christian Forum

13 Kamal Mitra Chenoy Retd. Prof JNU

14 Aijaz Zaka Syed Journalist and columnist

15 Amit Sengupta Journalist

16 Anand Patwardhan Film Maker

17 Jeniffer Mirza Senior Citizen

18 Asad Zaidi writer, publisher

19 Anil Chaudhury Director, INSAF

20 Jawed Naqvi Journalist and columnist

21 Kamyani Lawyer

22 Ram Puniyani All India Secular Forum

23 Badri Raina Writer and Columnist

24 Dipak Dholakia Writer and former broadcast journalist

25 Imrana Qadeer Retd. Prof JNU

26 Farah Naqvi Writer and Activist, Delhi

27 Nalini Taneja teacher, publisher

28 Jaffer Latief Najar PhD scholar, The Hague

29 Sagar Rabari Khedut Ekta Manch (Farmers Unity Platform)

30 Savita Varde-Naqvi Former UN Official

31 Zafar Agha Journalist

32 Snehal Shah Independent Researcher

33 P. K. Murthy Lal Zhanda Coal Mines Mazdoor Union

34 Rudi Heredia Independent Researcher

35 Gargi Chakravartty Former Teacher Delhi University

36 Sumedh Shah Senior Citizen

37 Vijay Singh Former Teacher, Delhi University

38 Tripta Wahi Former Teacher, Delhi University

39 Faraz Ahmad Journalist

40 Ovais Sultan Khan Human rights activist

41 Feroz Mehdi Alternatives International, Canada

42 Devasia Muthuplackal Secular Perspective

43 Latha Jishnu Journalist and columnist

44 Harsh Kapoor Independent researcher

45 Samar Bagchi NAPM, West Bengal

46 Brinelle DSouza

47 M. I. Raj

48 Rabin Chakraborty

49 V.B.Chandrasekaran Founder Trustee, Mahatma Gandhi Sabari Aashramam

50 Saral Jhingran Writer

51. Suhas Paranjape, Thane
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Mar-11-2019 19:50 TweetFollow @OregonNews Q: Why is Corbyn so Important? Exposing the political crisis that is splitting America apart



(LONDON) - A: For the same reasons that President Trump has been a significant political development. These two post-political characters bring to the surface what has been suppressed for decades: we are subject to foreign occupation. We the people, are reduced to mere consumers and our so-called elected politicians are a bunch of detached, compromised actors. Trump was elected to make America great again. Throughout his election campaign Trump was accused by Jewish media of spreading dog whistling anti-Semitic tropes in order to appeal to White nationalists who indeed responded to their new master. They made Trump president only to discover that their beloved country isnt that great and is not going to reinstate its greatness any time soon. However, Trump and his administration have been working relentlessly to make Israel great again. Trump has succeeded in illuminating the hopeless state of the democratic adventure. Trump has exposed the vast depth of the political crisis that splits America apart; the battle between the Identitarians and the rest. Americas battles could deteriorate into a civil war at any time. Trump is not the cause of this demographic, geographic, cultural and spiritual clash. He just galvanized the symptoms of that clash. Similarly, Corbyn acts as a catalyst to awaken a new consciousness. Through Corbyn we learn to perceive how grim our situation is and how truly impotent the contemporary Left and the Labour party are. Corbyns struggles allow us to see that the Labour party is an occupied zone. Corbyns helplessness has revealed that the best radical candidate the British Left has produced in decades is, tragically, very weak and cant hold his ground on any issue from Israel/Palestine to Brexit and beyond. Since Corbyn was chosen to lead the Labour party this old political institution has revealed its true tyrannical nature, engaged in a constant purge of the best of its members. Any criticism of Israel or its intrusive Lobby leads to immediate suspension and even expulsion. Since Corbyn was elected to save us from the Tories, the Labour party has adopted an Orwellian Big Brother attitude. The party has been spying on its members and digs into their social media accounts, even evicting members for comments they made years before they joined the party. Indeed, Corbyn has helped us see the dark machinations at the core of his party, and the way in which it is puppeteered by Tel Aviv and its local British stooges. Most devastating is that through Corbyn it has been revealed that the Left has most likely finished its historical political role. Corbyn promised to care for the many not the few, a pledge that initially sounded promising but has been largely contradicted by the reality on the ground. The Labour party and its leader ignore the many as they follow the orders of the very few. The British working class arent impressed by the closest ally they have ever had at the helm of the Labour Party. It is through Corbyn and his to date colossal failure that we understand that a fresh form of opposition is crucial for our survival as ethical and dignified people. Watch Trump making Israel great again:

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Mar-12-2019 12:22 TweetFollow @OregonNews Impostor Lures Activist to Israeli Police Sting An interview with Frank Romano conducted by renowned documentary film director Guy Davidi.

Frank Romano, interviewed in Paris by Guy Davidi.

(March 6th, 2019)

(SALEM, Ore.) - An interview with Frank Romano has been released, a precursor to the larger story, conducted by renowned documentary film director Guy Davidi. Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat co-directed the film 5 Broken Cameras which was nominated for a 2013 Academy Award and won the 2013 International Emmy Award. It also won a 2012 Sundance Film Festival award, as well as the Golden Apricot at the 2012 Yerevan International Film Festival and Armenia, for Best Documentary Film. Activist Romano's work in Palestine and Israel is discussed, and in particular, the attempts by himself along with other activists to prevent the destruction of Al Khan al Ahmar, the Bedouin village. Romano warns Netanyahu of the strong ICC case against him as a war criminal, especially if he destroys Al Khan al Ahmar! In fact, many believe the Regulation Law directly violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, and will be grounds for a case against Israel in The Hague. The Regulation Law allows for the seizure of private Palestinian property, in an effort to retroactively legalize settlements built on stolen land. The Palestinian village of Khan al Ahmar is at imminent risk of demolition because it is located near Jerusalem on land between an Israeli settlement and one of its elite suburbs. Simply put, Israel's plan would link the Israeli settlements with West Jerusalem, and completely cut off Palestinian access to Jerusalem. The residents of Khan al Ahmar were forcibly relocated to this area in 1951 from the village of Tel Arad in Israels Negev Desert. The residents are mostly Bedouin, who make their living by herding livestock. Today, the village has 160 structures including a school, clinic, mosque, and many homes. The school serves nearly 200 students, including many girls, from the village and surrounding area. Romano describes his arrest, imprisonment in Jerusalem, and his eventual release. He explains why he was later forced to go underground in Ramallah, a city controlled by Palestinian police, to avoid arrest by Israeli police. Romano was lured out of Ramallah to return to Al Khan al Ahmar, in Area C which is controlled by Israeli police, on February 23rd, for an interview with a well-known French journalist. Eager to publicize the struggle for survival of Khan al Ahmar, Frank Romano agreed to the meeting. Unfortunately, the people he trusted were actually Israeli agents. It was a trap! As soon as the interview had begun, standing in front of the village of Al Khan al Ahmar with the impostor journalist, 4-5 Israeli police cars drove up and arrested Romano, returning him to prison. He was deported to France the next day, on February 24th. This interview was conducted in Paris, France, on March 6th, 2019. Watch the VIDEO below, by director Guy Davidi: What can you do for Khan al Ahmar? PLEASE MAKE TWO CALLS, TO THE ISRAELI EMBASSY AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT:

Contact the State Department through your usual channels. Urge U.S. Consul General Donald Blome to visit Khan Al Ahmar school this week and to do all he can to prevent demolition. (Please note: Diplomats from the U.N., the E.U. and many European governments, along with Palestinian officials, visited and are expressing concern to their Israeli counterparts. Staff from the U.S. Consulate visited Khan Al Ahmar on March 5th.)

Call the Israeli Embassy to say you care about peace, and you care about the children of Khan al Ahmar. Please express your concern about the destruction of their school, and their families' homes and livelihoods. Please say that the demolition of a school does not serve the cause of peace.

Ask that Justice Sohlberg recuse himself for conflict of interest from further deliberations on this case and all future cases involving villages in Area C.

Ask the Government of Israel to instead approve the master plan of the village of Khan al Ahmar and recognize the human right of Palestinians in Area C  including the Bedouin to live, build, earn a living and go to school in their communities. _________________________________________

Israel | Palestine | Racism | Justice | Most Commented on





Articles for March 11, 2019 | Articles for March 12, 2019 |
Much to our pleasure we got many positive responses following the publication of our series, thinking with dementia. Some of these responses suggested novel directions in which we could think with dementia. We asked the writers to extend their stories, and invited some more authors to contribute. And so the stories continue!

While much of the research that gave rise to the fourteen stories of the previous collection was conducted in the Netherlands, the new stories take us to Japan and India, and to new themes and questions. They let us venture into medical archives and into an apartment full of sticky notes; they take us along on a discovery by looking at a photograph of a shell, and into the kitchen, with rice steaming, and vegetables frying in a pan. How can we think with dementia when it comes to living with pain, about the self as extended, as a way to stay out of prison, and about veracity? And could there be a poetics of dementia?

By way of invitation, we would like to encourage our readers to become writers in this series by posting their thoughts and stories in the response boxes at the bottom of this page. We look forward to thinking with dementia, with you.

____

Annelieke Driessen conducted ethnographic research in three nursing homes in the Netherlands as part of her PhD project in the Anthropology of Care Research Group at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Annelieke is currently working as a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. As part of the research team involved in the Forms of Care project, she studies active non-interventions as a form of care at the end of life. She edited Thinking with Dementia, along with Kristine Krause, Jeannette Pols and Emily Yates-Doerr.

This post contributes to the series, Thinking with dementia.

Read the next post in the series here.

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Mary Louise Barnes, 81, of Lexington Park, MD departed this earthly life on March 7, 2019. Family and friends will unite on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 for visitation at 10 am until time of service at 11 am at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church, 20850 Langley Road, Lexington Park, MD. Interment to follow at First Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, 47359 Lincoln Ave, Lexington Park, MD. Arrangements by Briscoe-Tonic Funeral Home.
The decision is taken on the 60th anniversary of the 1959 uprising. Tibetans in exile mark the event with protests. Xinhua uses the argument of economic growth, increased life span and better education to refute the critics' claims that the Tibetans are oppressed by China.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  Thousands of Tibetans protested yesterday in New Delhi marking the anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against Chinas invasion of their homeland. Given the occasion, China restricted access to Tibet by foreigners, claiming they suffer from altitude sickness.

Like every year, exiled Tibetans held a rally (pictured) in the Indian capital. This years was special as it marked the 60th anniversary of Chinas crackdown.

At least 3,000 protesters marched carrying pictures of the Dalai Lama, shouting slogans like Tibets freedom is Indias security and India-China friendship is a sham. Their basic demand is for greater international support to achieve some degree of autonomy for their homeland.

Conversely, Beijing has defended its rule claiming that those who question its policies are simply showing anti-Chinese bias.

Chinas official Xinhua news agency said in an editorial dated Saturday that economic growth, longer lifespan and better education refute the claims of critics that Tibetans suffer oppression.

Xinhua did not mention the anniversary directly but referred to the events of 1959 as the start of the "democratic reform" which saw the dismantling of the Buddhist hierarchy and feudal structures.

Undeniable facts and figures related to development debunk the repeated lies and accusations that aim to smear Tibets human rights with vile motives, it said. Anyone without bias will recognise Tibets tremendous progress in human rights.

On Sunday, an editorial in the Communist Party-run Tibet Daily attacked the Dalai Lama, Tibets traditional Buddhist leader, for what it said were his efforts to sow chaos in Tibet. His separatist plots are doomed to total failure, the paper said.

For Tibetans in exile, their country is enveloped in smothering layers of Chinese security whilst its resources are exploited for Chinas benefit and its language and unique Buddhist culture are gradually destroyed.

Hundreds of Tibetans and Taiwanese also rallied in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
(WB) GUATEMALA CITY  Two openly gay men are among the candidates who are running for seats in Guatemalas congress.

Aldo Davila, executive director of Asociacion Gente Positiva, a Guatemala City-based HIV/AIDS service organization, is a member of the Winaq Movement, a leftist party that Rigoberta Menchu, an indigenous human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, founded. Otto Rene Felix is a member of the far-left Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) party, a one-time guerrilla movement that formally entered politics in 1998, two years after the signing of the peace accord that ended Guatemalas decades-long civil war.

Both candidates during interviews with the Washington Blade at their respective offices on March 5 sharply criticized Initiative 5272, a bill in Congress that would protect the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, freedom of conscience and expression and the right of parents to guide their children in the area of sexuality.

Felix stressed the bills supporters can use 5272 as an electoral weapon to generate conservative votes in general elections that are scheduled to take place on June 16. Davila told the Blade that Initiative 5272 is one of many things in Guatemala that have had an adverse impact on the countrys LGBTI community.

There are many laws at this moment that are violating our rights, he said.

Felix said many LGBTI Guatemalans have no access to health care or employment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. He added the life expectancy of trans women in Guatemala does not exceed 40 years because of violence.

There is a lot of social inequality in Guatemala, Felix told the Blade.

Davila agreed.

He noted President Jimmy Morales, an evangelical Christian who is a former comedian, has blocked the creation of an LGBTI-specific public policy.

I think it is important that we begin to start to be in places where we can make decisions, added Davila.

https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2019/03/Otto_Rene_Felix_insert_courtesy_Otto_Rene_Felix-250x167.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; width: auto !important; height: auto !important;"> Otto Rene Felix, center, is one of two openly gay men running for the Guatemalan Congress (Photo courtesy of Otto Rene Felix)

Sandra Moran first LGBTI person elected to Guatemala congress

Congresswoman Sandra Moran, a member of Convergencia, a left-leaning political movement that advocates on behalf of indigenous Guatemalans and other underrepresented groups in the country, in 2015 became the first openly LGBTI person elected to Guatemalas congress.

This years general elections are taking place against the backdrop of mounting anger over corruption allegations against Morales and his family. Rampant poverty is among the factors that have prompted tens of thousands of Guatemalans and others from neighboring Honduras and El Salvador to join migrant caravans that reached the Mexico-U.S. border.

Roxsana Hernandez, a transgender Honduran woman with HIV who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on May 25, 2018, received assistance at Asociacion Lambda, a Guatemala City-based LGBTI advocacy group, before she traveled to the Guatemala-Mexico border.

Davila said his organization has provided migrants with clothes, food and antiretroviral drugs. The Guatemalan Red Cross in Tecun Uman, a city on the Suchiate River that marks the border between Guatemala and Mexico, allows migrants to make free phone calls to their relatives and offers them access to free showers.

A Guatemala Red Cross employee in Tecun Uman with whom the Blade spoke on Friday said LGBTI migrants are among the tens of thousands of migrants who she and her colleagues have helped in recent months.

Migration is the result of the bad governments that we have had, said Davila. People have to eat. People have to risk their lives to improve their standard of living.

Felix told the Blade his party provided refuge to 40 migrants at its Guatemala City headquarters. He said some of the migrants were LGBTI.

Since the first caravan, our position has always been that migration is a right; it is a right that should not be criminalized, he said. We help them a little bit as they continue their journey.

Migration is a human right, reiterated Felix. Sadly, these people do it in search of a society that can include them, but they do not find it. They reach these fascist walls that tell them no, that they are humans apart from and not equal to them.

Trump is xenophobic and racist

The separation of migrant children from their parents and other aspects of President Trumps overall immigration policy continues to spark outrage in the U.S. and throughout Central America.

Trump last month declared a national emergency in order to secure funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House has also threatened to cut aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador if their governments do not stop migrants from leaving their respective countries.

The cases of Jakelin Caal Maquin and Felipe Gomez Alonzo  two young Guatemalan children who died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol late last year after they and their respective fathers were taken into custody near the border  sparked widespread outrage in Guatemala and in the U.S. Claudia Gomez Gonzalez, a 20-year-old indigenous Guatemalan woman, was shot to death by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Texas on May 27, 2018.

Felix told the Blade that Trump responds to the interests for which he was elected.

He responds to the conservative system, a system based on corporate and hegemonic interests, said Felix. It is not different from the realities of Guatemala.

Davila described Trump as xenophobic and racist and noted his administrations efforts to curb LGBTI rights in the U.S.

Davila nevertheless said Morales is in favor of Trump, noting Guatemala was the first country to open an embassy in Jerusalem after the U.S. last May relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Davila also noted Morales sent a plane with food to the Venezuelan border in Colombia, even though Guatemalans who live in the countrys Dry Corridor have little to eat because a drought has caused their crops to fail.

Why dont you give the food here, Jimmy Morales, asked Davila. Because he wants to remain on the good graces of the U.S., and specifically Trump.
Meghan Mahowald, known professionally as MEGG, said she hopes to make the event an annual tradition, with proceeds going to a different local foundation every year.
1. Indifi Technologies: Indifi Technologies is a Gurgaon-based leading platform for enabling debt-financing for small businesses. The key innovation in approach that Indifi is bringing is to design and deliver credit products basis the kind of business the MSME is in. With proliferation of technology and easier data availability, the platform helps to create an industry-specific credit delivery system in a cost-effective and scalable manner. The USP lies in improving the access to credit, experience that borrowers get in terms of speed of approval and disbursement, relevance of collateral free loans and loan products to their business needs.

2. LendingKart: LendingKart Finance Limited (formerly Aadri Infin Limited), is a non-deposit taking NBFC, providing SME lending in India. The Company aims to transform small business lending by making it convenient for SMEs to access credit easily. The Company uses technology and analytics tools, analysing thousands of data points from various data sources to assess the creditworthiness of small businesses rapidly and accurately.

3. Capital Float: Capital Float is an online platform that provides working capital finance to SMEs in India. It offer flexible, short-term loans that can be used to purchase inventory, service new orders or optimize cash cycles. Their mission lies in bridging the current gap in the market with innovative and flexible credit products for SMEs, delivered in an efficient and customer-friendly manner.

4. KredX: KredX was built to help businesses achieve their short-term working capital needs by discounting their unpaid invoices (raised against blue chip companies) to a network of buyers/financiers including banks, NBFCs, wealth managers, and retail investors. The platform helps organisations maintain cash flow by unlocking the cash that is tied up in their invoices. It also offers financiers access to risk-mitigated, high-yield, and short-term investment opportunities that are not tied to the uncertainties of the stock market.

5. Neo Growth: Neo Growth is a pioneer and leader in the Indian e-payments industry and managed merchant transactions for acquiring banks as well as credit card issuers and large loyalty programs. It caters to under-served market by adopting an innovative approach and validating the creditworthiness of the business. They believe in financing small business owners by leveraging the digital payments ecosystem.
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Monday, March 11, 2019 at 11:30AM

Welcome guest contributor Tony Ruggio, reporting from SXSW...

Co-director Tyler Nilsen and Shia Labeouf on the set of "The Peanut Butter Falcon"

In a three hour festival line with five-hundred people you talk to them, you hear things. One thing I heard in a line for Jordan Peele's Us, and its a common refrain, is that Shia Labeouf sucks. Whether a product of Mutt hate out of Indy 4 or his own bad behavior, people think of the former Disney Channel star as a bad actor. They still see the Mouse House, Michael Bay, and Big Bergs disappointment. Over the past several years hes worked tirelessly to change that, starring in indie after indie in pursuit of artistic integrity. The Peanut Butter Falcon is the latest in said renaissance...

It's a charming buddy drama about a mentally disabled young man (played by Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down Syndrome) who escapes from a rest home to hoof it to a pro-wrestling school and meet his long-time idol, The Saltwater Redneck. Along the way he stows away on a motor dingy belonging to a crab fisherman (Labeouf), himself on the lamb from a bad deed. Radiant as ever, Dakota Johnson is the young mans caretaker, charged with finding him among the rivers and swamps of Florida and Georgia.



A southern-fried odyssey in the spirit of Mark Twain, its a sweet little movie that uses optimism, not pessimism to surprise us. Funny thing it is, that in 2019 were surprised when bad things dont happen. Labeouf is phenomenal, utilizing both his character actor bonafides and movie star charisma to create a sun-baked ruffian of the shores, a man for whom life is just getting by till he meets Zak. Their bond and real-life friendship is evident in every frame shared, a testament to filmmakers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz. They let the boys riff and struck gold apparently, embracing, not eschewing sincerity.

While it might be too slight to linger, it almost doesnt matter. Funny, moving, and evoking a bit of fairy tale wonder, Peanut Butter Falcon is what happens when a film is made for all the right reasons. And hopefully, Labeouf will eventually get the respect he deserves. Depending on distribution and date, I dont imagine a future Oscar campaign, but I do reckon itll figure into next years Indie Spirits. B+
Hong Kong: CE mourns Peter Wong

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today expressed sorrow over the death of Peter Wong, a Hong Kong deputy to the National Peoples Congress (NPC).

Mrs Lam said Mr Wong was a patriotic entrepreneur who actively invested in the Mainland since the beginning of the countrys reform and opening up.

She said he contributed to the nations development and promoted the expansion of Hong Kongs commerce and trade in the Mainland.

He took up the NPC role in 1993 and was actively involved in the preparatory work for Hong Kongs return to the motherland.

Mr Wong was also enthusiastic in serving the community and made significant contributions to education, youth development and cultural exchanges between the Mainland and Hong Kong, she added.

He was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2003.

I was grieved to learn of his sudden passing. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family, Mrs Lam said.

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
As a result of shortages, power is available only one hour a day. Highways and airport need to re-open; the lack of jobs and resources will stifle the city. Christians continue to emigrate because " There is no future in Syria. Only Jesus can heal open wounds. People should get up and do something."

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  The situation is still "very difficult", and residents are ceaselessly bearing a cross, like power shortages that limit supplies to an hour a day, this according to Fr Ibrahim Alsabagh, parish priest at Aleppos Latin parish.

Speaking to AsiaNews, he explained that if the northern Syrian city, which was a major battleground in the still ongoing civil war, remains isolated "like Idlib and Hamat" and the "highway and airport are not reopened, the lack of jobs and resources will stifle it. This is unacceptable for life and human dignity.

The priest is critical of US and Western embargo against the Syrian regime which "perpetuates the suffering of the population". It limits any chance of a dignified life. It is not acceptable for people to line up four hours in the rain to buy a gas cylinder" or for "newborns, and seniors, to suffer from the cold because they cannot buy heating oil."

Born in Damascus in 1971, the clergyman has helped out people, Christians and Muslims, victimised by the war that has caused almost half a million deaths and displaced more than seven million people.

Ahead of Easter, the priest began a charity drive to help families in difficulty, by providing them with a can of olive oil as a tangible deed of charity and mercy.

After speaking to workers and artisans, "we know that since 15 November the economy is stuck and there is no work, the Franciscan priest explained.

Some parents, "with tears in their eyes, have told us that they earned less than 25 dollars to feed their children". This is why many are leaving.

"Yesterday a mother came to say goodbye before she left for Canada, with her two young sons who are already in Lebanon".

"She said she didnt want to go and leave her country but was forced to because there is nothing to survive on. There is no future in Syria.

"She also noted that the Church helped her and her family, did everything, but the problem is that the chaos that engulfs the city is not ending. For her, the only option was to leave with us in her heart.

In light of the situation, "which continues to be absurd, we hand out food parcels and help with health care since there is no effective coverage for the sick and pensions for seniors is a symbolic pittance.

Housing must be rehabilitated. So far about 1,300 homes have been repaired but many more need work to become habitable. The entire city is in need of repairs, Fr Ibrahim said.

Small business projects are a drop in the bucket as evinced by high levels of unemployment. "We need thousands of projects to get the city get back on its feet, so that people can regain their lost dignity, put food on the table and earn a living from the sweat of their brow.

There are still many open wounds, but there is a lot of trust "in our doctor, Jesus, who has the grace to heal us from all illnesses and wounds. This is no time to weep. We should get up and do something. We are proud to do in our lives and bodies what is lacking from Christs suffering."
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.
A new survey from MTV Entertainment Group and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found 46% of Americans in Generation Z, those age 13 to 24, said the pandemic has made it harder to pursue their education or career goals, compared to 36% of Millennials and 31% of Generation X. Have you experienced similar negative impacts from the pandemic?

You voted:
By Trend





Microsoft held a workshop on Cyber Security Solutions on March 11 within the framework of the International Cyber Security Week organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Trend reports referring to the ministry.

The objective of the workshop is to enhance the level of awareness of cyber security specialists and expand the security capabilities through the use of Microsofts advanced cloud solutions. Detailed information was provided about Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 products and their security criteria during the event.

The workshop was attended by authorized representatives of business, diplomatic corps, academia, civil society and internet community.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Velizade said that in Azerbaijan  as one of the rapidly developing countries of the world, widespread use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) has led to the implementation of sustainable cyber security measures in this area.

The Deputy Minister noted that Azerbaijan has joined international conventions and programs with the view of forming a legal framework in this area, and further improved its own legal framework. Protection, stability and continuity of information processes in the republic, protection of information resources of government agencies, prevention of threats in this area, and risk management in cybersecurity are carried out in a coordinated manner. Taking this into consideration, the first international Cyber Security Week was launched in our country with the involvement of other relevant structures,  said the Deputy Minister.

Director of cyber security, licensing compliance and management of Microsofts software assets in the countries of the CIS Dmitry Beresnev said that today critical security issues for cyber security, online security, and network reliability are regarded as one of the most important priorities.

Various activities are implemented for the effective international cooperation in this area, multilateral dialogue, adoption of successful decisions and their implementation. In general, cyber security is a very broad and pressing issue. Having timely assessed the existing vulnerabilities and threats in this area, the Azerbaijani government has taken appropriate actions in that area,  he said.

Then Microsofts analytical report on cyber security was presented.

Specialists made extensive presentations on centralized monitoring of cyber security, cybersecurity of corporate mobile devices, logins and passwords, as well as protection methods from unwanted applications and online services.

Within the framework of the forum, local participants shared experiences with international specialists, discussed the current situation in this area, the tasks assigned in this area and the integration into relevant foreign institutions.

It should be noted that Cyber Security Week will be held in Azerbaijan on March 11-15 this year by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies with the support of Microsoft in order to increase the level of efficiency and awareness and improve technical training in the field of cyber security.








United States, Russia, France, Germany and China among the main exporters the. Washington remains the world leader in sales. 52% of US weapons go to the Middle East. Riyadh has increased the arms imports by 192%. Egypt ranked third with a 206% growth. Imports of weapons to Syria are decreasing by 87%.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The volume of international trade in heavy weapons in the five-year period 2014-18 surpassed that of the period between 2009 and 2013 by 7.8% and the period 2004-2008 by 23%, according to the latest data published today by Sipri (Stockholm International Institute of Peace Research).

The study on the global arms trade ranks five main exporters: the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. Put together, these five countries are worth about 75% of the total volume of arms exports over the last five years. Arms flows increased in the Middle East between 2009-13 and 2014-2018, while there was a decrease for all other regions of the planet.

Arms exports from the United States have increased by 29% over the last 10 years, and the overall US prerogative share has increased from 30% to 36% over the same period. At the same time, the distance between the two main exporters has become increasingly wide: the figure recorded by Washington on heavy weapons was 75% higher than in Russia between 2014 and 2018; in the period 2009-2013 the margin was "only" 12%.

The majority of weapons sold by the United States in the last five years (52%) went to one of the countries of the Middle East [probably Saudi Arabia, but the report does not mention it-ed]. The USA has further solidified its position as the worlds leading arms supplier, says Dr Aude Fleurant, Director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme. The USA exported arms to at least 98 countries in the past five years; these deliveries often included advanced weapons such as combat aircraft, short-range cruise and ballistic missiles, and large numbers of guided bombs..

On the other hand, arms exports from Russia have decreased by 17%, in particular given the decrease in demand from India and Venezuela. Frances exports were up (+ 43% in exports) as well as Germany (+ 13%). The overall figure for arms exports to European Union (EU) countries is 27% of global trade between 2014 and 2018.

The fifth largest exporter in the world is China, which has however made a marked change of course. If, between 2004-8 and 2009-13, exports had increased by 195%, in the last five years the increase recorded is a measly 2.7% between 2009-13 and 2014-2018. Instead there has been a "substantial" increase by Israel (+ 60%), South Korea (+ 94%) and Turkey + 170%).

Imports of arms in the Middle East have increased by 87% between 2009-13 and 2014-18 and accounted for 35% of global imports in the last five years. Saudi Arabia has become the world's largest importer, with an increase of 192%. Imports of arms from Egypt, the third largest in the world, have tripled (+ 206%). Imports of arms from Israel (354%), Qatar (225%) and Iraq (139%) have also grown. Finally, arms imports from Syria decreased by 87%.
By Trend





The national air carrier of Azerbaijan is in close contact with Boeing Corporation in connection with the investigation of Boeing 737 MAX-8 crash in Ethiopia.

Commenting on journalists numerous requests to the airline, the President of Azerbaijan Airlines Jahangir Asgarov said, Analysis of two Boeing 737 MAX-8 crashes indicated a lot of similarities  both aircraft crashed a few minutes after takeoff. The initial version of the incidents - a possible problem in the software of the airliners.

Total of 10 Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft will be delivered to Azerbaijan Airlines within three years starting from the end of this year in accordance with the signed agreement between AZAL and Boeing Corporation.

We are working closely with American experts from Boeing on this issue. In case of detection of any defects in the software of the new aircraft, they will be completely eliminated before their delivery to our country. This issue will be under our constant control - said Jahangir Asgarov.

Two aircraft of this type crashed on October 29, 2018 and March 10 this year. A number of airlines grounded their Boeing 737 MAX-8 Until the causes of the crashes will be known.
By Trend





Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs visit to Turkey has been postponed until March 18 due to the changes in the ministers schedule, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed, Trend reported citing TASS.

"Due to the changes in the working schedule of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, we inform of the postponement of his working visit to Turkey in order to participate in the seventh session of the Joint Strategic Planning Group headed by the foreign ministers of both countries, from March 12 to March 18 in accordance with the Turkish side," the ministry informed.

During Thursdays briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed that the ministers plan to exchange opinions on all items on the bilateral agenda. "During the upcoming talks, the ministers plan to hold a deep exchange of opinions on a wide variety of international and regional issues, including Syrian regulation, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Ukraine, the Black Sea region," the diplomat informed.
FinTech Hive at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the region's first and biggest FinTech accelerator and hub, signed three new agreements with FinTech hubs FinTech Saudi, Milans FinTech District and FinTech Istanbul during the second edition of the Global Financial Forum in Dubai.



The agreements bring the size of FinTech Hives network of strategic partnerships to 14FinTech hubs in various parts of the world.



The Forum attracted 700 leading figures from across the financial services industry to hear expert insight from some of the sectors biggest names.



The Forum took place under the theme Unlocking Growth in a Changing World, and the incredible line-up of speakers included investment guru Mark Mobius, Sir Gerry Grimstone, the former Chairman of Barclays Bank, and Nicolas Cary, co-founder of Blockchain.



Speakers also included His Excellency Essa Kazim, the Governor of DIFC. In his welcome remarks, he announced that the size of the wealth and asset management sector at DIFC is now worth $424 billion. He also revealed that the Centre had risen from 15th to 12th on the latest Global Financial Centres Index, reflecting the record-breaking success of DIFC over the past 12 months.



Kazim said: Over the past 15 years, DIFC has grown into what is today a focal point for the global business and investor community, and a testament to this is amount of capital being raised in the Centre. The approximate size of the wealth and asset management industry in DIFC is now USD 424 billion. To put this in context, that is equivalent to roughly 30 percent of the combined GDP of all GCC countries.



The wealth and asset management sector is the cornerstone of a thriving financial services industry, and is playing a significant role in attracting new businesses to Dubai and driving the increasing contribution of the sector to the Emirates GDP, which has risen from 3 per cent to 3.9 per cent - a 30 per cent increase  in the last five years. This incredible momentum is a reflection of the enhancements we have made in our ecosystem, and in laws and regulations to support growth.



The Forum also witnessed the official appointment of Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP) and Wamda Capital to manage USD 10 million of the DIFC FinTech Fund. The fund aims to accelerate the development of financial technology in the region by investing in start-ups from incubation through to growth stage.



The Forum also witnessed the signing of a number of key agreements aimed at driving the future of finance, including an MoU with Dubai SME to help foster entrepreneurship in the UAE and further the National Innovation Agenda.  TradeArabia News Service
Blueground, a leading real estate tech company, has secured Dh102.8 million ($28 million) in funding, which the company aims to use in expansion of its network of tech-enabled apartments in Dubai.



The company leases more than 400 ready-to-move-in apartments in Dubai and aims to become its biggest tenant by the year-end.



Constantly investing in technology and growth, the companys latest funding round also includes participation of prominent New York City-based tech entrepreneur Kevin Ryan  who joined the companys board of directors.



Among other investors were well-established venture capital funds, namely, UAE-based Jabbar Internet Group, VentureFriends and Endeavor Catalyst, said the statement from Blueground.



The close of the latest funding round ($12 million last year and $8 million in 2019) marks an important milestone for the company, which has tripled its annual revenue on a yearly basis over the last three years and now tops $28 million in total funding.



In Dubai, since 2016, Blueground leases from individual and corporate property owners, such as Meraas Holding, Daman Investments and Orra International before they hit the market, with a goal of holding them for many years, ensuring landlords a steady cash flow and value-added financing solutions that maximize a propertys annual yield.



The company then offers the properties with premium furnishings, high-speed WiFi, luxury linens, high-end gadgets and beautiful designs, to vetted renters for 30 days or longer; with an average six months stay.



Once the online reservation is made, guests have access to ongoing support and information through the Blueground app. They can arrange for housekeeping, request maintenance, or even modify their stay by moving to another apartment in a new neighborhood or city under the same service agreement.



In 2018, the company more than doubled its network of tech-enabled apartments from 150 to 400 in some of the emirates most desired locations, such as Dubai Marina, DIFC, Downtown, said the company in its statement.



With the vision to make people feel at home wherever they choose to live, Blueground boasts an impressive portfolio of more than 1,800 apartments in Dubai, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, Istanbul and Athens, it added.



Amine Housni, the regional manager for Middle East at Blueground, said: We understand that technology is shaping trends and being able to leverage this shift is the key. In line with this, we focus on creating a tech-enabled living experience that guests love."



"Our funding will support Bluegrounds growth plans and help us move closer towards the goal of leasing 1,000 apartments in Dubai by 2020. It will also allow us to further elevate the experience we provide to landlords and guests and make the renting process as simple, cost-effective and seamless as possiblem," he noted.



Jabbar Internet Group CEO Samih Toukan said: "Jabbar has decided to invest and support Blueground as we believe it has a great valuable real estate offering that utilizes technology to provide a premium service to its clients."



"Blueground has a global product that currently operates in Dubai, Europe and the USA and is expanding very quickly. We are excited to be part of this global success story," he noted.



Ryan, the founder of a number of billion-dollar businesses, and known for MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe and Zola, said: "Blueground provides a product that speaks to a human need in an increasingly mobile business world."



"The team has a clear vision of where they want to go, in a market with significant growth potential. I am convinced of the potential of Blueground and excited to be an investor and a member of the board," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Al Madina Group, a UAE-based diversified business house, has inaugurated its new corporate headquarters at the Dubai Industrial Park, one of the largest industrial hubs in the region and a member of Tecom Group.

The new 400,000-sq-ft complex, which also houses Al Madina Distribution Centre that services the whole of the UAE, and its Oasis Cuisines, a manufacturer of bakery and ready-to-eat products, commenced operations following the ceremony.

The inauguration was attended by Abdulla Belhoul, chief commercial officer of Tecom Group; Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, managing director of Dubai Industrial Park; Abdulla Poyil, managing director of Al Madina Group, along with senior officials from the two entities in addition to members of the business community.

The complex, with an investment of over Dh200 million ($54.45 million), was purpose-built on a 700,000-sq-ft plot of land in Dubai Industrial Park, and is strategically situated close to Maktoum Airport, Jebel Ali Port, the Expo 2020 Dubai site, and key highways linking the seven Emirates as part of Al Madina Groups extensive expansion into the regional and international market.

Within the same complex, Al Madina Distribution Centre will supply all the groups FMCG products to over 100 branches of Al Madina Hypermarket in the UAE.

Oasis Cuisines, one of the largest industrial bakeries in the UAE, will distribute its fresh goods all over the UAE from its new location. The industrial bakery, which is engaged in the manufacturing of bakery, confectionery, sandwiches, hot meals and more than 250 ready to eat products, is best known for its brands BreadKing, Royal Breads and Fresh from Dubai.

Al Madina Group, operating in the UAE since 1971, will be running its diverse portfolio of businesses, which include Al Madina Hypermarket, Oasis Cuisines, Clikon Electronics & Home Appliances, Techorbit, AlHind Jewellers, Al Madina Printing Press, Platinum Middle East Properties, Live Care Clinic & Pharmacy and community shopping centres from its new headquarters in Dubai Industrial Park.

Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, managing director of Dubai Industrial Park, said: We are pleased to welcome Al Madina Group to Dubai Industrial Park. In line with our mandate to grow the industrial sector in the country, we are committed to meeting the evolving needs of manufacturers and other complementary business operators through our advanced infrastructure; integrated solutions that cater to a businesss corporate, industrial and logistical needs; and the collaborative approach we take with our business partners. We look forward to enhance the success and growth of Al Madina Group even further.

Abdulla Poyil said: We are dedicated to bringing the best quality of products and services to the UAE community at affordable prices, and offering an enjoyable shopping experience to our customers in the fast-growing local market. Consolidating all our groups operations in one central location will be key to enhance efficiency even further, and is an important step in our extensive international expansion plans.

Al Madina Group is currently building five malls, including a mall at Muwaileh in Sharjah, in addition to seven new hypermarkets and other new ventures.

Dubai Industrial Park, one of the largest industrial and manufacturing hubs in the region, provides intelligent infrastructure and integrated solutions for businesses. The destination hosts over 250 factories and more than 700 business partners in sector-specific zones, including major local and multinational organisations such as Unilever, Emirates Printing Press, Al Futtaim Logistics, Almarai Group, SIKA, and Patchi.- TradeArabia News Service
Emirati developer Arada is introducing a new investment opportunity for Gulf investors with the launch of Nest, the country's premier integrated student accommodation complex located at the heart of the developers record-breaking lifestyle megaproject, Aljada.



The move will enable individual real estate investors to purchase directly in the student housing segment in the Gulf for the first time, an area that has seen major interest in traditional markets such as the US and Europe, stated the developer.



Located just 10 minutes walk from one of the Middle Easts fastest-growing education hubs, Sharjahs University City, Nest offers unrivalled facilities and amenities, all set within a smart technology-enabled space that sets a new standard for student housing in the region.



Spread over a 35,000-sq-m area on the University City side of Aljada, Nest features 10 five-storey buildings, all of which have been carefully designed with internal courtyards and spaces that provide meeting spaces for residents.



Each block contains a selection of studios and two-, four-, five- and eight-bed dormitories, alongside laundry rooms, shared TV rooms and study areas. Different parts of the community have been allocated to accommodation for men and women, ensuring comfort and privacy for every tenant, said the statement from Arada.



Nests lengthy list of facilities includes an art studio, a music hall, a library, a state-of-the-art running track that surrounds the complex, an amphitheatre and a central dining hall, while tenants will also be provided with access to male- and female-only swimming pools, gyms and study areas, it added.



In an interesting move, the Sharjah developer said it aims to provide the Nest residents with a number of part-time employment opportunities at local retail and food and beverage outlets, both within the complex and in Aljada as a whole.



In total, there are 1,288 units and 2,600 bed spaces in the Nest complex, all of which will be delivered fully furnished and ready to let out. Leasing will be arranged by fully licensed onsite management teams, who will also oversee all facilities management and provide 24-hour security.



Arada chairman Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said: "The UAE has made education one of its highest priorities and a key platform for the development of the country. We are proud to support this critical industry through Nest, a state-of-the-art home for the regions future leaders."



"At Nest, we are dedicated to providing facilities and a living experience for our students that is unmatched anywhere in the Middle East, and where security and safety are top of mind," noted Al Qasimi.



"Student accommodation is still a relatively new investment segment here in the Gulf and were happy to offer this opportunity in Sharjah for the first time," he stated.



"We believe student housing is an excellent and hassle-free way to diversify your real estate portfolio, and we hope that the stable and steady guaranteed returns on offer at Nest will be of significant interest to local and international investors," he added.



The first purpose-built student accommodation in Sharjah, Nest taps into a real estate segment that has seen significant investor interest in other global markets, but which is still in a nascent phase in the Gulf.



Arada said buyers in Nest will be rewarded with a guaranteed return on investment (ROI) of 10 per cent annually for a period of five years after their units have been completed. Arada is planning to hand over the entire community by the end of 2021.



Nest benefits strongly from Aljadas location adjacent to University City, which contains two of the regions largest and most distinguished higher education institutions, University of Sharjah and American University of Sharjah (AUS), which between them host some 20,000 students alone, plus an additional eight other colleges and institutions.



Sharjah itself is already well known as an international education hub, drawing in students from around the Middle East and beyond.



Some 80 per cent of those studying at AUS come from outside the UAE, and the university was recognised by the World University Rankings in 2018 as having the worlds most diverse student body, ahead of the London School of Economics (LSE).



Nest is also ideally located to serve the more than 60,000-strong student body in nearby Dubai. The complex is a 20-minute drive from Dubai International Academic City, the largest higher education free zone in the world, which has 27,500 students enrolled at its universities during the current academic year.-TradeArabia News service
Dubai Land Department (DLD) is making its debut at Mipim 2019, a leading real estate exhibition being held from March 12 to 15 at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, to promote and develop the real estate sector.



Its participation in the four-day event under the umbrella of the Government of Dubai as the Partner City comes within the framework of the DLD efforts in real estate promotion and investment management sectors real estate activity agenda.



DLD, in collaboration with Reed Midem SAS, organised a real estate developer meeting in September 2018 to encourage developers to participate in the 30th edition of the French expo.



The meeting, which was held under the theme Dubai in Mipim, focussed on encouraging developers to join the Dubai delegation to this important international exhibition under DLDs umbrella to represent the emirate and provide a bright picture of its real estate sector, it stated.



Sultan Butti bin Mejren, the director general of DLD, said: "We hope to record positive results that would help us promote our projects to large crowds of international visitors as well as attract foreign capital and investors to invest in our real estate market. Based on our previous experience in this exhibition, we will register a unique presence through the Dubai Pavilion (Mipims partner)."



DLD is participating in this major international exhibition as part of its extensive promotional plan to participate in several international events and exhibitions, with the aim to highlight Dubais real estate and the investment opportunities it offers to investors through major real estate developers and distinguished projects with international standards.



More than 50 countries, 5,000 investors from around the world, and more than 1,000 real estate projects are making a presence in the exhibition.-TradeArabia News Service
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess will showcase its most extensive product portfolio to date for the manufacturing of high-quality coatings at the European Coatings Show (ECS) 2019 being held from March 19 to 21 in Nuremberg, Germany.



Lanxess display includes not only colorants, preservatives and benzyl products, but also a wide range of aqueous special polyurethane dispersions (PUD) and urethane prepolymers for coating systems, said a statement from the company.



One focus will be on the presentation of innovative raw materials for paints to formulate solvent-free, low-monomer and ease-of-use systems for a wide range of applications from glass fibre and plastic coatings to vehicle paintwork, it said.



Dr Matthias Huettl, global marketing manager in the urethane systems (URE) business unit, Lanxess, said: We supplemented our extensive range of coatings, sealants, adhesive and elastomers (Case) applications to include a high-performance polyurethane toolbox via the acquisition of the Chemtura businesses in 2017.



We are now presenting these tried-and-tested and, in many cases, new products for the first time under the company umbrella at the leading trade fair for the paint and varnish industry, he said.



The focus here is on our aqueous polyurethane dispersions from the Witcobond brand and the water-based blocked crosslinking agents from the Trixene Aqua series for high-performance coatings, he added.



In addition to aqueous polyurethane dispersions and blocked crosslinking agents, the Lanxess toolbox includes a wide range of prepolymers with low residual monomer content. The NCO content and the viscosity can be adjusted to meet application and customer requirements.



The product range also includes blocked variants for the formulation of 1K systems. This toolbox, coupled with more than 60 years of experience and formulation expertise in polyurethane chemistry, ensures that the specialty chemicals company provides its customers with a high level of added value.



Stephan Spiegelhauer, head of the global competence center paints and coatings in the inorganic pigments business unit (IPG), said:"The proven colour stability of our pigments in conjunction with stringent product specifications means that the new pigment types can be used reliably in all common paint systems."



"The micronized red pigments that Lanxess manufactures using the Laux process also meet the most stringent requirements. These calcined types have a unique property profile that distinguishes them from all other iron oxide pigments available on the market for paint and coatings applications in two essential respects," he stated.



Morten Bernhardt, global product manager colorants in the Rhein Chemie business unit, said: The versatile products combine many beneficial properties that are today in increasing demand from customers, such as cost efficiency, broad technical compatibility, colourfastness and good workability.



Lanxess is presenting its microbicides for the preservation of paints, varnishes, plaster and mortar. The focus is on a new methylisothiazolinone-free (MIT) portfolio.



This will enable formulators to meet the new specific concentration limit for MIT that was published in October 2018 by the EU Commission. The MIT-free portfolio allows to avoid hazard statement H317 (May cause an allergic skin reaction.) on the container, he noted.



In addition to conventional active ingredients, special formulations are available that are totally free of isothiazolinones, such as combinations with 1,2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane (DBDCB).



Lanxess will also present a new generation of dry-film products from the Preventol next series. The distinguishing feature is an innovative slow release technology.



Nicolas Gallacier, global marketing director in the material protection products business unit (MPP), said: The biocidal active ingredients are embedded in a matrix and only released slowly. Besides being extremely effective, this leads to an improved ecotoxicological profile.



The special product benefits of the aqueous dispersions are high stability, extended efficacy or a decreased risk of yellowing.



In addition to the comprehensive and innovative portfolio, MPP offers worldwide regulatory and technical support.



Benzyl products from Lanxess also play an important role in the paint industry. One example is the solvent benzyl alcohol, which is used in the manufacturing of high-quality paint and varnish formulations.-TradeArabia News Service
The non-oil trade volume between UAE and US touched $30.6 billion in 2017, according to a report.



A report issued by the UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) on the World Trade Organizations (WTO) Trade Policy Review of the US shows that despite shifts in the US trade policy towards increasing protectionism across multiple sectors, the US remains committed to working with all WTO members in maintaining fair and reciprocal trade partnerships.



With its accession to the Trade Facilitation Agreement during the Trade Policy Review period, the report mentioned that the US had provided the organisation with many notifications covering various sectors such as agriculture, anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures.



20 countries now have 14 valid free trade agreements with US covering goods and services.



WTOs review noted that there are no changes to the US foreign investment policies as they maintain existing open policies, except for limited audits and restrictions on foreign investment in a few industries, especially aviation, nuclear power.



The US has also adopted a policy of reviewing the requirements of national security with the involvement of the Foreign Investment Committee and according to its recommendations and outputs on foreign investment trends, some foreign investment deals, only if proven to pose threats to national security, are cancelled.



The report, which was prepared by the Foreign Trade Policies and International Organizations Department, highlighted the importance of trade relations between the UAE and the US. It noted that both countries share strong and strategic relations.



The value of UAEs imports from the US stood at $23 billion in 2017, while non-oil exports were recorded at about $2 billion, and the value of re-export touched about $5.3 billion.



According to the WTO report, the US gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the ninth consecutive year, grew 2.2 per cent in 2017 compared to 1.6 per cent in 2016, recording a growth rate of 4.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2018. A continued growth from 4.2 per cent in 2018 to 5.1 per cent in 2022 is also expected.  TradeArabia News Service
The first Filipino food industry conference, FilFood 2019, was successfully held at Grand Millennium Al Wahda Hotel, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



UAE nationals and residents will soon enjoy more nutritious, halal-certified, ethical and traceable Philippine produce and ingredients that go into Filipino food served by a number Filipino restaurants and F&B outlets in the country, said a statement from organisers.



The event aimed to create awareness among industry players in the UAE and the region on product innovations, sustainability, and inclusive growth of the Filipino Food brand, it said.



The conference provided sessions for exchange of views on industry issues as well as a platform for the presentation of products and services, and collaboration among F&B Filipino and foreign industry players, it added.



Among them are global food chain brands, Jollibee (Golden Bee Foods), Chowking (Resolute Hospitality), Chowking (Resolute Hospitality), Maxs Restaurant (Landmark Group), Pancake House (Tablez) , Terriyaki Boy & Sizzlin Steak (Kasamar), Teatro (Park Rotana), and Papa Johns Pizza (Mam Foods), including established Filipino restaurants in the UAE, Off-the-Hook, Oriental Korner, Hooked, Hot Palayok, Al Pinoy Golden, Baliwag, Panaderia Bakery, Wooden Spoon, Resto Pinoy, Cups & Cones, Mikees, Juanchos, JRs Restaurant, Dabarkads, and Kusina, and industry partners, Truebell Marketing, Magnolia Ice Cream, San Miguel Purefoods, Kayumanggi Foods, Nas Accountants & Auditors, and Positive Property Management.



In her Keynote speech as Guest of Honor, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M Quintana, said: Food is a cultural experience. Our food does not only have to appeal to the palate but first and foremost to the eyes, while being consistent in taste and level of expectation.



In the Year of Tolerance celebrated in the whole country, the leaders of the UAE have expressed their encouragement for the Filipino Community in the country to actively showcase what make us vibrant  our talent, our food, our culture. Our time is now, she added.



Additionally, executive director of FilFood 2019 Jose Ma Jerome B Tuano expressed the vision of wide acceptance of Filipino food including Philippine produce and ingredients by locals and multi-cultural consumers in the UAE.



We have to accelerate our innovation of food and recipes as well as competitively promote the consumption of nutritious and value-added, halal-certified Filipino food menus, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The ritual has been held at the foot of Mount Kitanglad since 2012. For Talaandig tribal chief, this years ceremony is important now, especially that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is being implemented. Tensions among Muslims continue. The MILFs central role fuels disagreements. For PIME missionary, the situation remains fluid.

Mindanao (AsiaNews)  Representatives of eight Lumad tribes, their Moro kin and settler groups gathered in Songco, a village in Bukidnon province (Mindanao), three days ago, to renew their vow of friendship.

During the ceremony, hosted by the local Talaandig community, participants slaughtered some chickens and smeared their blood in their palms and on their foreheads.

Drops of blood were sprinkled on the monument marking the kinship reaffirmation, featuring a clay tibod or jar that symbolises the unity the three people of Mindanao.

In addition to the Lumad, an un-Christianised and un-Islamised indigenous group, concentrated in southern Philippines (Mindanao, Cebu and Panay), the island is home to the Moro, predominantly Islamic ethnic groups, who live mainly in the south-western part of Mindanao, Sulu and Basilan; and predominantly Christian settlers from the north.

Talaandig tribal chief Datu Migketay Victorino Saway said that the ritual has been carried out each year since 2012 at the foot of Mount Kitanglad, in the heart of Mindanao.

This year's ceremony is important now, especially that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is being implemented, Saway told MindaNews.

For many the new region is the key to achieve lasting peace with separatist rebels and counter the rise of Islamist extremism on the island.

On 22 February, the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte handed over power in the new region to Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim, leader of the former rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Ebrahim will lead the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) until a regional parliament is elected in 2022.

A referendum endorsed the new region, which will include the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Marawi, Lamitan, Cotabato and 63 villages in North Cotabato province.

Mindanao Muslims are however divided. Sources told AsiaNews that tensions persist.

The central role played by the MILF, which is largely made up of ethnic Maguindanao, has fuelled dissatisfaction among other Islamic ethnic groups, most notably the Tausugs, who have always preferred a federal structure, and the Maranao.

The tensions during the campaign peaked a few hours after the Yes victory with the attack against Jolo cathedral (Sulu province) and the attack on a Zamboanga mosque.

Divisions have thus become fertile ground for certain politicians and interest groups, sources note.

Many Muslims fear that the autonomous region might be undermined, leading to the outbreak of fresh violence. Ceremonies like that in Songco represent an important opportunity for intercommunal dialogue.

Fr Sebastiano D'Ambra, missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) and founder of Silsilah, a movement for Islamic-Christian dialogue, said that the situation is under control at present, especially ahead of elections on 13 May.

"People are waiting to see how things unfold during the transitory phase. Meanwhile, The situation remains fluid.

(Photo credit: MindaNews)
Zain Bahrain, a leading telecoms operator in the Kingdom, has been announced as the Gold Sponsor and Official Telecom Partner of Unbound Innovation Festival 2019.



This marks the second year of Zain Bahrains support for the popular event, which will take place on March 6 and 7 in Bahrain National Theatre.



Zain Bahrain will host a panel discussion on diversity in the workplace in partnership with C5 Accelerate on March 6, and will feature Fatima Haider, Zain Bahrains Organizational Development Specialist. The panel will emphasise on the importance of diversity in the workplace, how companies can align diversity practices with their organizational goals and whether diversity is an inclusion fad or a competitive advantage



It will also highlight cultural barriers and gender bias challenges in the workplace and how can organisations avoid such issues when recruiting.



Additionally, Zain Bahrain will provide attendees with complimentary Zain WiFi throughout the event.

Sheikh Abdulla Al-Khalifa, Zain Bahrain director of Corporate Communication & Investor Relations, said: True diversity is achieved not just by ensuring that employees from various backgrounds are selected for employment, but by creating a culture of inclusion in which all employees feel that they are equally contributing and accepted members of the organization. Zain Bahrain has diversity-driven incentive programs to help solve workplace challenges and enhance a diverse environment.



Zain Bahrain is proud to be the gold sponsor of Unbound Innovation Festival 2019 for the second year. Unbound 2019 will attract more than 4,000 start-ups, investors and businesses from Bahrain and beyond, who will hear from multiple influential speakers, uncover pioneering ideas, and take part in immersive brand experiences, hackathons, startup battles and networking sessions.- TradeArabia News Service
Bahrains Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) has signed an agreement with the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) in an aim to collaborate in space science and its diverse implementations.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also aims to build informatics infrastructure that supports space researches in the Kingdom; enhance the joint efforts that aim at benefiting from scientific experiences and human qualification aspects; along with utilization of modern technologies to serve this field.



Additionally, conduct training courses to qualify national cadre all in line with Government Action Plan objectives and inspirations of Vision 2030.



The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by iGA chief executive Mohamed Ali AlQaed and NSSA chief executive Dr Mohammed Ebrahim AlAseeri with the attendance of iGA senior officials.



AlQaed stressed the importance of collaborations with specialized organizations to contribute in strengthening Bahrains position in such vital sector. He further explained that this partnership will increase society awareness in NSSAs active role and attract the attention of the ambitious Bahraini youth to enter this promising career.



AlQaed also highlighted the role of the iGA, represented by the GIS, to benefit from remote sensory technologies via satellite. Moreover, he praised the efficiency of Authoritys human resource, expertise in this field and great potentials it possesses.



This fruitful partnership with the Information & eGovernment Authority will without-a-doubt contribute in placing a significant stamp for Bahrain in the space science field. It will also attract foreign investments in this sector, stated Dr AlAseeri while highlighting that such initiative comes in line with NSSAs efforts to enhance communication and cooperation with various sectors in the Kingdom as the partnership is an essential part in Authoritys strategy 2019-2023  supported by the Cabinet.



Furthermore, AlAseeri confirmed Authoritys keenness to achieve integration in efforts and potentials amongst various public entities to provide the best services, and according to the best standards. He also pointed at the importance of space science in supporting countries infrastructure and the delivery of vital information to decision-makers.



He continued that space science and its applications are classified by specialized international institutions amongst future science which will be more in demand and relied on  this was reflected by His Majestys vision which resulted in issuing a decree of establishing NSSA; followed by the increased interest in Bahrain in the field of space science.



Offered by iGA to NSSA, remote sensory technology extracts data and information from space and air images that are taken by satellites to enable the study of earth surface and nature.  TradeArabia News Service
YahClick, a satellite broadband service from UAE-based global satellite operator Yahsat and its partner Hughes Network Systems, will showcase a portfolio of transformative satellite services at Cabsat 2019, a top event for the media industry, in Dubai, UAE.



The service will place a particular emphasis on its suite of e-Learning and e-Health solutions, said a statement from the company.



Visitors will see live demonstrations and have the opportunity to participate in technical discussions on e-Learning and e-Health solutions throughout the event, to be held today (March 12) and will run until March 14, at Dubai World Trade Centre.



The live demonstrations will see the attendance of Integrated Technology Group (ITG) and Tech4Life, YahClicks e-Learning and e-Health ICT partners.



CEO Farhad Khan said: The event is an important event for demonstrating the life-changing benefits of our education and healthcare solutions.



Access to these services is significantly beneficial to communities that would otherwise continue to experience a shortage in expertise in these two sectors that are crucial drivers to socio-economic development, he stated.



Our work with ITG and Tech4Life demonstrates how were beginning to overcome such issues through purpose-built digital solutions  powered by dependable satellite broadband connectivity. Were thrilled to be joined by our ICT partners to explain how together, were breaking boundaries and unlocking human potential across the global community, he added.



The integration of YahClicks high-performance satellite broadband connectivity and the platforms provided by ITG and Tech4Life provides a one-stop-shop solution for the advancement of education and health in the unserved and underserved communities across Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South West Asia.



Islam Al-Qasrawi, ITG regional sales manager, said: Education is a pillar of any community, yet many remote areas find themselves facing fewer opportunities for personal and professional development simply because of a lack of education infrastructure.



Thanks to the trusted satellite connectivity provided by YahClick, our digital learning tools and resources are now accessible to isolated schools and education ministries across every market YahClick serves, he added.



Meanwhile, working alongside Tech4Life, YahClick e-Healthcare ecosystem provides access to crucial healthcare services in remote areas of the world by delivering a consistent, affordable and stable broadband link between major hospitals and isolated villages.



Dr Shariq Khoja, chief executive officer, Tech4Life Enterprises, expressed delight at working with YahClick in demonstrating its e-Health solution at the event.



Together, our company and YahClick are improving access among remote communities to the basic right of healthcare by combining our technical expertise towards a shared goal, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Porcelanosa, a global leader in the innovation, design, manufacturing and distribution of luxury tile, kitchen and bath products, has opened its new showroom in Dubai.

The brand marks its presence at the Sheikh Zayed Road this time, located in the business hub of the city.

The newest showroom features luxury tiles, natural stone and mosaic, sanitary ware, bathroom furniture and kitchens, manufactured in Spain, with exclusive collections by famed late architect Zaha Hadid.

A Spanish fiesta-style soiree was hosted at the showrooms premises on Shaikh Zayed Road, at the launch ceremony which was attended by several high-profile guests including Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as well as the Spanish ambassador to the UAE.

Porcelanosa started operations in Villareal, Spain in 1973 and has quickly grown to become the choice resource for homeowners, builders, architects and designers.

Its global presence extends to over 140 countries through more than 950 company points of sale including exclusive showrooms, distribution centres and an extensive network of independent distributors and retailers, said the company in its statement.

Porcelanosas flagship store stands tall at prestigious Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, it added.

Speaking at the launch, executive vice-president Silvestre Segarra said: "Dubai is an ideal location for Porcelanosa given its dynamic and cosmopolitan nature. We have always set a high benchmark in terms of innovation, and architectural and design solutions and hope to provide the same, rich experience to our clientele here."

Porcelanosa also occupies the pride of place as the official sanitary ware and ceramic tiles provider to the Prince of Wales. They have also been awarded the coveted Royal Warrant.

In the past, the leading design major has had eminent personalities such as Hollywood actor George Clooney and Russian supermodel Irina Shayk as their brand ambassadors.

Ammar Hayani, the managing director, UAE, said: "Porcelanosa is already enjoying tremendous success all over the world. The people in the UAE appreciate contemporary designs and high quality, all of which are among Porcelanosas specialties. As a brand, our focus will always be on being at the forefront of design innovation."-TradeArabia News Service
Aloft Meaisam, Element Meaisam and Aloft Dubai South have announced the official appointment of Elaine Watson as cluster general manager.



In her role, Watson will oversee the management and operations of all three properties.



A dynamic and goal-orientated professional, with extensive experience in the international hospitality industry, Watson is a hands-on general manager who has demonstrated high levels of operational skills, problem-solving abilities and the drive to achieve success under pressure. Her career with Marriott International spans four countries and has seen her hold senior positions at hotels in the UK, UAE and Egypt.



Watson has substantial previous experience as a general manager in the UAE which includes the opening of the Marriott Executive Apartments, Dubai Creek and the opening of the Courtyard Green Community. Thereafter Watson held the position of general manager at the 500 room Sharm El Sheikh Marriott Beach Resort in Egypt.



Watson also led the re-branding of the African Pride Crystal Towers hotel in Cape Town in the role of general manager  Projects, which saw the opening of the first Marriott branded hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.



Watson has proven success in managing some of the most demanding situations within the industry, including property development, pre-opening and launching new brands into the UAE market. Being able to expertly manage and oversee numerous departments has allowed Watson to meet any challenge that presents itself, which has led to her career growth within Marriott International.



Watson will use her extensive hospitality, problem-solving and management skills to the fullest as she oversees the growth of three of the latest hotels to open in Dubai  again launching a new brand, Element, to the Middle East market, and contribute towards the development of two of the fastest-growing business hubs in the Emirate, Dubai Production City and Dubai South.



I am delighted to once again be tasked with such an important and challenging role at not one but three hotels in Dubai and working to establish these exciting relatively new brands of Aloft and Element in these new upcoming locations, said Watson. I look forward to working with the talent team that these exciting Aloft brands attract in both Meaisam and Dubai South and working to establish the first Element in the MEA region as a preferred extended stay product, she said. - TradeArabia News Service
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (Ahic) has announced a new initiative designed to celebrate the young, homegrown talent working within the regions dynamic hospitality industry.



Created in collaboration with the Ahic Advisory Board and Partners, the first Arabian Young Leader Award is open to GCC Nationals aged 30 years and younger that have been working in the Middle East hospitality sector for at least two years.



Nominations are now open, with the winning nominee set to receive a full three-day access pass to Ahic and enrollment onto the Executive Certificate programme provided by The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.



Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events and founder of Ahic, said: Were delighted to invite nominations for the Arabian Young Leader Award and encourage hospitality owners, operators and consultants to celebrate the dedication and achivements of the young people working within their teams.



The Arabian Young Leader Award provides a great opportunity to nurture our future leaders and showcase young talent and ideas. The development of the next generation of hoteliers is critical to the future growth of the hospitality industry and we have a collective responsibility to help them navigate these exciting, yet challenging, times of disruption as we strive for synchronised success, added Worsley.



The Arabian Young Leader Award has been launched following the success of the first SHIC Young Leader Award, which took place at the Saudi Hotel Investment Conference in January and was open to Saudi Nationals aged 30 years and younger.



Yasmin Al Sanea, Human Resources manager at the Intercontinental Al Jubail, won the SHIC Young Leader Award and was commended by the high profile judges for her exceptional achievements so early in her career.



Prestigious industry leaders are also set to review and award the nominees for the Arabian Young Leader Award. The judging panel includes: Dr Badr Al Badr (chief executive officer, Dur Hospitality), Gasem Al Maimani (CEO, Taiba Holding Company), Marc Dardenne (chief operating officer, Public Investment Fund Amaala), Pascal Gauvin (managing director IMEA, IHG), Olivier Harnisch (chief executive officer, Emaar Hospitality Group), and Rudi Jagersbacher (president, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Hilton), among others.



Dr Scott Richardson, executive dean of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, said: The importance of attracting and nurturing young talent in one of the regions most dynamic sectors cannot be underestimated. For young people to be successful within the industry, its not just about knowledge, but the ability to lead, innovate and share their passion for hospitality.



Nominations for the Arabian Young Leader Award are open at https://www.arabianconference.com/arab-young-leader-award and will close on March 18. The winner will be announced at a special ceremony during the 15th edition of Ahic, which takes place from April 9-11 at the Ahic Village in Ras Al Khaimah.



AHIC 2019, featuring 100 speakers from around the world and expecting to attract more than 900 delegates in total, has been curated around the theme Synchronised for Success.



The programme will uncover innovative approaches to business, analyse market trends, foster harmonious relationships between all stakeholders and help them future-proof against evolving demands. - TradeArabia News Service
The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), in collaboration with leading international travel and tourism company Coral Travel and its representative office in Russia, recently hosted a Russian delegation of 80 representatives from tour operators and travel agencies to attend a series of workshops in the kingdom.



The event, which was attended by approximately 150 people, including representatives from 27 hotels from Bahrain, aimed at developing comprehensive travel packages tailored to the needs of Russian tourists. The event promoted the business aspect of Bahrain in addition to its tourism facilities.



It gives us great pleasure to host the Russian delegation, which comes as a result of our collaboration with Coral Travel. Hosting the delegation comes in line with the BTEAs long-term strategy to target new markets and introduce them to the kingdoms rich history, attractions and all it has to offer, said the chief executive officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.



We aim to attract large tourist groups by developing comprehensive travel packages suitable for visitors of all ages in collaboration with our representative office in Russia. Our representative offices play a major role in increasing the number of visitors from abroad, further contributing to the development of the Kingdoms tourism sector and raising awareness on the Kingdoms diverse offerings that make it an ideal tourist destination, he added.



During the trip, which took place between February 23 and March 1, participants were able to meet with hotel representatives and visit several locations in Bahrain.



Hosting the trip comes as part of the BTEAs long term strategy to further develop the kingdoms tourism sector on a regional and international level under the slogan of Ours.Yours., which contributes towards the kingdoms economy and the 2030 Economic Vision.



Since its launch in 1995, Coral Travel has been a leader in the tourism industry and has become a trusted brand with the best resorts and hotels in 36 countries and is constantly seeking to attract new markets. The company also sells airline tickets online and organises individual and group trips for tourists. - TradeArabia News Service


Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africas first and largest low-cost carrier, has announced plans to launch direct flights between Sharjah and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysias capital city, starting from July 1.



The seven-hour flight, which will operate daily, is the first direct flight from the region by a low-cost carrier.



Flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays depart Sharjah International Airport at 14:55 hours local time, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 02:25 hours local time. The return flights depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 03:35 hours, arriving in Sharjah at 06:50 hours local time.

Flights operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays depart Sharjah International Airport at 21:20 hours local time, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 08:50 hours local time. The return flights depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 09:55 hours, arriving in Sharjah at 13:10 hours local time.



Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer, Air Arabia, said: We are pleased to add Kuala Lumpur to our global network of more than 155 destinations. This beautiful city is a tremendous addition to Air Arabias network, and we are confident it will contribute further to the strong tourism and trade ties between the UAE and Malaysia. We look forward to the start of the new flights that provide our customers with a great value for money option to travel between both countries.



Encapsulating all that Asia has to offer in just one city, Kuala Lumpur, is today a modern metropolis dominated by the tallest skyscrapers in Southeast Asia, remarkable cultural diversity, countless eateries, and spectacular sites and monuments.



Air Arabia currently operates flights to more than 155 routes across the globe from four hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa. - TradeArabia News Service
Raffles Dubai, a landmark luxury hotel in the UAE emirate, has appointed Hassan Abdallah as executive chef.



Abdallah brings an impressive track record of 30 years of expertise and knowledge on oriental and international cuisine. He started as a sous chef in Al Naser restaurant in Beirut, Lebanon, and then moved to one of the busiest districts in Cairo, Egypt, to prepare Lebanese specialties in Al Dabke restaurant for two years. He worked in the UAE between 1997 and 2006 in various roles at the Metropolitan Beach Hotel and Metropolitan Palace in Dubai before joining the Kempinski Ajman for five years as chef de cuisine in charge of banquets followed by Kempsinki Mall of Emirates as part of the pre-opening team as chef de cuisine for the all-day dining outlet.



His career highlight was working at the Sharq Village & Spa Resort in Doha, Qatar, operated by Ritz Carlton for 11 years, where he joined the pre-opening team as a chef de cuisine in 2006 and was subsequently promoted to executive sous chef in 2008 and executive chef in 2011. During his time, he led a team of 90 colleagues and proved his expertise in handling banqueting operations, hosting some of the largest and highest profile events in the region for over 5,000 persons.



The conceptualisation of new outlets is one of the things he is most proud of achieving in his career. It is always a great challenge and extremely rewarding," Abdallah said. He opened the first Iranian fine dining restaurant, building its concept from scratch, which was recognised with two awards following its launch. Another culinary achievement during his tenure is the best afternoon tea award which the lobby lounge received for three years in a row. He also participated in a global Culinary Art Event in Seoul, South Korea, representing the Middle East amongst the best chefs in the Ritz Carlton group worldwide.



In 2017, Abdallah decided to take on a new challenge and open a family business restaurant in Malmo, Sweden, offering Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine, catering to business lunches by day and fine dining by night. The restaurant is currently managed by his partner.



His culinary journey continues at Raffles Dubai as executive chef, in charge of all the culinary operations and concepts, overseeing six unique dining venues and banquets. - TradeArabia News Service
Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority has ordered the temporary suspension of all Boeing 737 Max planes flying into and out of the country, said a report.



The decision comes after a deadly Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Max 8 crashed on Sunday which killing all 157 people on board, said a report in BBC.



Singapore's aviation authority said the affected airlines include SilkAir, which operates six Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, as well as China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.



It said it is working with airlines and Changi Airport to minimise the impact on passengers, the report said.



Several airlines and regulators around the world have already grounded the Max 8 model following the crash, including Ethiopia Airways and Cayman Airways and all Chinese airlines.

According to media reports, Australia has followed Singapore's lead and called for the temporary ban on all variants of the Boeing 737 Max planes in and out of its airport, while Indonesia has grounded its fleet of Boeing's latest model.
by Bernardo Cervellera

Since the signing of the agreement, members of the non-official communities have been forced to join the PA and its "independent" Church project. It is said that the underground Church "must disappear". But Pope Francis message speaks only of "reconciliation". Card. Filoni demands that PA membership not be mandatory, as under Chinese law. But there are bishops and priests who acclaim unity through "erasing" the underground community. The time has come for clarity, perhaps in a meeting between Pope Francis and the Chinese president.

Rome (AsiaNews) - From March 20 to 23 next, President Xi Jinping will be in Italy. Rumors are already circulating in China of a possible meeting with Pope Francis. Should this be the case, it would be important to clarify the fate of the underground Church and the Patriotic Association.

The Sino-Vatican agreement and the lifting of the excommunication of seven illegitimate bishops seem to have endorsed the idea that by now the only way to live ones faith in China is in the official Church and that the underground community must disappear.

This position is also strengthened by the push towards reconciliation and unity requested by Pope Francis with his Message to Chinese Catholics and to the Universal Church, published a few days after the signing of the agreement.

In it, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Francis affirms that the phenomenon of clandestinity " is not a normal part of the life of the Church", but also says  again citing Benedict - that " pastors and faithful have recourse to it only amid suffering, in the desire to maintain the integrity of their faith".

In the Message, Pope Francis asks all the faithful to "work towards reconciliation" and " restore full communion among all Chinese Catholics", he urges them to now offer gestures of reconciliation and communion " to "overcome the divisions of the past" .

He also asked the pastors to establish "ever more fruitful ... relations between the leaders of ecclesial communities and the civil authorities become more productive through frank dialogue and impartial listening, so as to overcome antagonism on both sides".

The papal Message, therefore, speaks of a process of reconciliation, but does not say that it must be achieved by eliminating the underground community. Moreover, it does not say that unofficial bishops and priests should be forced to join the Patriotic Association (PA).

In this regard, on the contrary, it is probable that in the Sino-Vatican agreement - which unfortunately has not yet been published - it is stressed that membership of the PA is optional and not mandatory. This aspect is deduced from a note by Prof. Wang Meixiu, from the Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing who, commenting on the agreement for AsiaNews, says that the PA is "a popular organization" and not an ecclesial association; and that "participation is voluntary and not imposed".

Also Card. Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, in an interview with the Osservatore Romano of 3 February 2019, at one point says: "I hope, therefore, not to hear or read about local situations in which the Agreement is exploited to compel people to do what is not even required by Chinese law, such as joining the Patriotic Association ".

Instead, unfortunately, this is precisely what is happening. In Xinjian, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Zhejiang, Hubei, the Religious Affairs Office continues to demand and encourage priests and bishops to join the PA and its project of "independence" (from the Holy See). Even the incident in Xuanhua (Hebei), where a priest - supported by the local government - accuses his bishop, Msgr. Augustus Cui Tai of "resistance" to the Sino-Vatican agreement and urges the police to arrest him, showing how the falsely "patriotic" and "independent" mentality is also being imposed on the clergy.

Hebei is not new to this attempt to force members of the unofficial community to become official by joining the PA. For several months, four priests of the underground community (unofficial) of Zhangjiakou (Hebei) have been kept in an unknown location, subjected to indoctrination and brainwashing to make them join the Patriotic Association (PA).

Yet, these unofficial bishops and priests are "good citizens" and support the development of the nation, as is the wish of Pope Francis. The only point of resistance is membership of the PA, and its project of "independence of the Church" which for Benedict XVI is "incompatible with Catholic doctrine".

The amazing fact is that even some bishops  precisely among those from whom Pope Francis lifted excommunication - proclaim that it is time to erase the underground community and join the PA. In recent days, Magr. Vincent Zhan Silu, of Mindong - who took the place of ordinary bishop Msgr. Guo Xijin - was in Beijing as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Responding March 3 to a Sintao Daily journalist who asked him if he did not mind that the faithful are being forced to enter the official community, meaning the unofficial one would disappear, he declared that this is the only way for "the Church to be united". Msgr. Zhan even said that underground Catholics do not take on an official status for "reasons of personal interest". Msgr. Zhan is vice-president of the PA and benefits greatly from this position.

Another of the reconciled bishops, Msgr. She Shiyin of Leshan (Sichuan), also vice-president of the PA, has even declared that the application of the new religious regulations (in which young people under 18 are forbidden to take part in the functions and receive a religious education in addition to the demolition of crosses and statues that are not "sinicized") does not create any problems for religious freedom.

Fortunately, there are also official bishops full of dignity. At the same meeting of the CPCPC, Msgr. Fang Jianping, vice president of the Council of Chinese Bishops, in an interview with the radio station in Hong Kong, said that the official Church should adhere to the spirit of Pope Francis without "forcing the believers of the underground community to move to the officially recognized Church ".

When President Xi Jinping is in Italy, in the possibility of a meeting with Pope Francis, both could clarify some of these directives.
Premier Inn, a leading British hotel chain, has announced the opening of its seventh property within the UAE with the launch of Premier Inn Al Jaddaf in Dubai.



The new hotel was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group.



During the opening ceremony, Sheikh Ahmed unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion and toured the guest rooms, restaurants, and public areas. The event was also attended by Gary Chapman, president Group Services & dnata, Emirates Group; Adam Nicholls, managing director Premier Inn Middle East, and other senior officials.



Sheikh Ahmed said: Dubai continues to be one of the most visited destinations, attracting millions of business and leisure travellers from every part of the world. Since the opening of its first hotel in 2009, Premier Inn has established a strong presence with its consistent services, and excellent value proposition, contributing to the rich variety of hospitality options in Dubai. Offering the same high quality product and affordable prices, we are sure that this modern, conveniently located and well-equipped hotel will be as popular as the other six facilities in its UAE network.



Nicholls said: Were really pleased to add Premier Inn Dubai Al Jaddaf to our portfolio, our strongest proposition in the UAE and our largest hotel in the region. Dubai is a city that continues to grow, and our investment into the region doesnt stop here, with further hotel openings on the horizon. Were continually looking at ways to enhance our guest experience, to offer a market leading product and provide a proposition that represents excellent value for money.



A joint venture between Emirates Group and Whitbread, the flagship property signals a new era for Premier Inn Middle East, with greater emphasis on guest experience alongside convenience for mid-market business and leisure travellers.



Premier Inn Al Jaddaf offers a mixed inventory of spacious guest rooms, from double occupancy to those which can accommodate a family of up to four. The 389 stylish rooms come with a working desk space and Premier Inns signature Hypnos bed paired with a pillow menu and blackout curtains. Remaining true to its heritage, the new hotel utilises contemporary design while embracing British charm and local culture.



The new property provides dining options catering to all tastes. Nuevo, the all-day dining restaurant invites guests to enjoy dishes from around the world including the famous All You Can Eat breakfast whilst Mr Toads delivers a traditional British pub welcome serving a hearty British menu. Resident Costa Coffee completes the offering.



Leisure facilities include a gym with a variety of equipment and a stylish rooftop swimming pool featuring a gazebo seating area and panoramic views of the Al Jaddaf area.



Ideally located in the citys up and coming cultural district of Al Jaddaf, the new hotel is just 10 minutes away from Dubai International Airport and the cities major business districts; World Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial City, Dubai Healthcare City, and is less than 1 km away from the nearest metro station.



The hotel group has announced a special opening offer of Dh99 which can be booked exclusively on the official website three days ahead of the preferred stay date and is valid for stays until September 30. - TradeArabia News Service
TCN News

Renowned Academician and eminent critic, Prof Masoodul Hasan (1928-2019) passed away in this morning of 9th March 2019 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) after a cardiac arrest. He was admitted to the JNMCH. Before joining AMU in 1949, he had taught at Hamidiya College, Bhopal during 1947-1949.

He served AMU in various capacities other than teaching. He was Proctor, Secretary, AMU Teachers Association, Member, Academic and Executive Councils. Born in Moradabad, he passed high school in 1941 from the Hewett High School (now a college), Moradabad. In July 1943, he joined BA in AMU. Then, F. J. Fielden was the Head of the Department of English, AMU. He passed out BA in 1945 and MA English in 1947. He obtained his PhD from Liverpool in 1964. He wrote several books, some of these in last few years, including Sufism and English Literature, from Chaucer to the Modern Age: Echoes and Images. He has also worked on less attended themes, such as, Marriage Poems, Elegies, Spouse Elegies, Naat Literature in English, Ghazal in English, etc. At least three books were in advanced stage and were soon to come, including his collection of essays, mostly on English and Urdu literature.

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The Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor expressed his condolence to the members of the family by visiting his residence in Sir Syed Nagar. Prof Masoodul Hasan was a quintessential academician and his work will continue to shape our consciousness. It is a great loss for AMU and the academic community all over the country. In this hour of grief, my sympathies are with his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace, he said. Prof Masoods wife, Late Hamida Masood, and daughter, Late Seema Masood had also taught in AMU.

He is survived by his son, Naved Masood (IAS 1978 batch, now retired; former Secretary, Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs), and four grandsons, viz., Dr. Shad Naved (Academic), Sarim Naved (Lawyer), Hamid Naved (studying in a National Law University), Aiman Mustafa (Ph.D. student in USA).
TCN News

Chandrashekar Azad, Chief of Bhim Army was arrested today and taken in police custody Deobands Kasimpura village. The Dalit leader was on his way to join in the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party on 15 March. However he was denied permission for the same.

Following his arrest, his supporters blocked the police vehicle causing a major traffic jam at the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur highway.

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Azad had announced that his party would support candidates contesting against Narendra Modi and Smriti Irani. He had also said that Bhim Army would not support Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates despite the alliance between BSP and SP, until the party clears certain stands on reservation for SCs and STs.

It has been reported in the facebook page of the Bhim Army that Azads health began deteriorating ahd he has been hospitalised in the Meerut Anand Hospital.

Geplaatst door BHIM ARMY op Dinsdag 12 maart 2019

( Both videos from page of Bhim Army)
Following the prevailing post-Soviet tradition, with the beginning of spring, Kyrgyz politicians, as if waking from hibernation, began picking. This time their actions resemble controlled chaos. Even on the surface, it turns out that most of the attacks are directed at former President Almazbek Atambayev.

After a long pause, the ex-president again spoke of his desire to return to politics. In his plans - a successful performance at the 2020 parliamentary elections. So far, Atambayev has something or someone to lean on. He remains chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), which has a majority in parliament.

The authorities, keeping in mind such a scenario, made an attempt to pull out the SDPK from Atambayevs hands last year, but succeeded only in splitting the party into two wings - part of the SDPK swore to the pro-government Isa Omurkulov, and some remained loyal to Almazbek Atambayev. It turned out to be impossible to deprive the ex-president of the authority of the partys chairman. But Atambayev, while remaining a formal party leader, is not entirely entitled to speak on its behalf. Opportunists are preparing for their congress, which they intend to hold in early April. They will make another attempt to leave Atambayev without a party.

"The Kyrgyz authorities are undoubtedly behind all this. They are categorically against Atambayevs return to big politics and are doing everything possible to prevent this, to deprive him of the slightest chance to act on the political field of the country and begin to play his game," Kyrgyz public figure, ex-presidential candidate Toktaym Umetalieva told Vestnik Kavkaza. According to her, the authorities deliver double-blow to Atambayev. The first has already been mentioned, and the second front was opened against him by the recently released prominent members of Kyrgyz society, who were behind bars during Atambayevs presidency, and were amnestied by his successor, Sooronbai Jeenbekov. This is a purely political fuss. A group of former high-ranking officials, influential people were amnestied for the specific purpose of starting up a  fight with Atambayev. There is a regrouping of forces with a view to the parliamentary elections, Umetalieva said.

The released politicians, among whom there are quite a few former high-ranking officials and even regional governors, have already announced their intention to restore their reputation through the courts and to ensure that Alamazbek Atambayev himself will find out the charms of prison life. Members of the Peoples Parliament political movement are particularly active as they were sentenced to many years in prison for betraying their homeland, cooperating with foreign military and attempting to organize a coup. Considering that the party was only born and hardly registered, the accusations against its leaders seemed excessive, and their plans, voiced during court hearings, were not well correlated with reality. According to the prosecution, it turned out that foreign officers met with Kyrgyz politicians who created the People's Parliament, promised military assistance, persuaded them to "begin to act", and then disappeared somewhere. At the same time, the Peoples Parliament that organised a very small rally, which could not claim anything, was sent to jail by law enforcement officers. One of the jailed activists, former Deputy Prime Minister Bekbolt Talgarbekov, having been released, said that "Atambayev must answer for slander and insults." Talgarbekov has already prepared a lawsuit against the ex-president.

"Without the support and even instructions of the authorities, no one will achieve anything by himself against Atambayev. To begin with, they must get out of a legal conflict - they were amnestied by the current government under the new procedural code, and the articles on which they received their long terms are from the old code. Therefore, they cannot play on their own, but under the control of the authorities they will be able to influence the electoral situation as a whole and help the authorities in creating the general necessary atmosphere, Umetalieva said.

As for Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyz politician Ravshan Dzheenbekov told Vestnik Kavkaza that the former president is able to defy the authorities, but under certain conditions. In his opinion, it is Atambayev who can stand up to the current president, Jeenbekov, since there are no longer any equivalent figures on the political board of Kyrgyzstan. The current leader is more powerful, but Atambayev has money and, most importantly, influence on the media that can help him in the election campaign. Dzheenbekov also believes that the head of state himself can play into the hands of Atambaev: in particular, many in Kyrgyzstan do not like his "flirting with Islam." The influence of radical Islamic trends is already growing in the country, and when the president begins some of his speeches by quoting Quran or theological literature, in certain circles this may be regarded as some kind of go-ahead or even a green light. Meanwhile, even before Jeenbekov became president of Kyrgyzstan, everyone in the country knew about his familys ties with political and business circles in the Middle East. Subsequently, ex-president Atambayev began to talk about the threat of Islamization of Kyrgyzstan. He will probably play this card, hoping for the support of the republics secular circles.

According to Toktaiym Umetalieva, in the future parliament that will be elected in 2020, the majority of deputy seats will be transferred to politicians committed to one or another Islamic organization or movement. The reason, in her opinion, of such a rapid Islamization of the country, lies in the social vulnerability of the population, economic degradation, popularization of madrassas taught by mullahs who received education in Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the lack of quality secular education and alternative ideology.

One way or another, the government is already considering the scenario of the political neutralization of ex-President Atambayev. Perhaps, everything will be solved at the party level - depriving Atambayev of his SDPK. And perhaps, the ex-president will become mired in the courts, appearing as a defendant on the claims of former prisoners, and he will have no time for the election campaign, if, of course, he gets permission. In a word, there are many intricacies in Kyrgyz politics, and not all of them have been highlighted so far on the eve of the upcoming elections.
A concert dedicated to the birthday of Azerbaijani jazz legend Vagif Mustafazade was held at Igor Butman Club at Taganka. On March 16, he would have turned 79 years old. His career and life ended abruptly, but Vagif managed to become a real legend not only in the Azerbaijan SSR and in the whole Soviet Union, but also far beyond its borders. Mustafazade is a significant figure in the history of Soviet jazz. He was the first jazzman to be awarded the title of Honored Artist. The winner of many national and All-Union competitions, he created several musical teams with which he successfully performed on tour. Vagif Mustafazade became the creator of a unique jazz direction - Azerbaijani jazz-mugham, he also composed both symphonic and chamber music.

Saxophonist Igor Butman shared his memories of Vagif Mustafazade with Vestnik Kavkaza: "He had a wonderful sense of humor, a great knowledge of jazz and traditions. He was original in his Azerbaijani mugham performances. He intertwined everything so naturally, I was always thrilled to bits. Of course, we will always remember Vagif, always think about what a great musician he was and what jazz talents lived in the Soviet Union."

The jazz festival was organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and the House Museum of Vagif Mustafazade.

"Despite the fact that his career, his life was interrupted 40 years ago, back in the days when we all lived in the Soviet Union, a rather closed country, he managed to gain recognition on a global scale. Suffice to say that [American jazz producer and broadcaster on the Voice of America] Willis Conover, after Vagif passed away, dedicated a one-hour programme to him. He said that he was one of the most technically and at the same time lyrical musicians and pianists he had ever heard," the cultural and tourism attache of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia, Nigar Akhundova, told Vestnik Kavkaza.

"Vagif was a very kind man. Musicians gathered at his mom's house. She set the table, fed all the guests, get them tea. Ziver Khanum mage awesome huge qutab. Until they eat, until they sit in the kitchen, Vagif didn't let any of the musicians go," the director of the House-Museum of Vagif Mustafazade, cousin of the musician Afag Aliyeva told Vestnik Kavkaza.

"It is not my first performance at the evening dedicated to Vagif Mustafazade. Whenever possible, I attend these concerts with great pleasure, playing Vagif music, maybe some works of my own. It is always a great pleasure for me," pianist and composer Isfar Sarabski told Vestnik Kavkaza.
Technological sanctions placed on Russia's oil and gas sector have negatively affected Lukoil's operations and the sphere as a whole, but it is possible to adapt to restrictions, Lukoil's President Vagit Alekperov told CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.

He said sanctions destroyed Lukoil's joint project with France's Total and made it harder to have access to technologies. At the same time, Alekperov noted that transitioning to domestically produced technologies will allow to adapt to restrictions.

Lukoil's President said that the OPEC+ deal on cutting oil production has allowed to save the market from speculators, while the developments in Venezuela and Iran could lead to oil price growth to over $100 per barrel.

He noted that OPEC+ focuses not on the oil price but on how much oil remains, which allowed to get rid of speculators on the market. "It is hard to imagine what effect developments in Venezuela and Iran might have had if oil prices grew to over $100 per barrel," TASS cited Alekperov as saying.

According to him, the company plans to increase production by 1-1.5% annually in the next 10 years. Lukoil's president added that the company is currently in the process of updating its development strategy. Alekperov noted that the updated strategy will be presented in the autumn.
Russia does not want the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) to suffer the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear agreement, because of a changing US administration, Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.

"We do not want to see the same situation that we see today with JCPOA because of the change of [U.S.] administration," the envoy said at the 2019 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference.

He also recalled that previous U.S. administration signed JCPOA but current decided to withdraw from this agreement.

Asked whether Russia will be ready to extend the New START Treaty without preliminary dialogue with the United States, the envoy said that such discussions are mandatory.

It is clear to us that first, we have to start a dialogue," Sputnik cited him as saying. Antonov also said Russia "has to find solutions before we put our signature under any document."

Moreover, according to him, Washington and Moscow need to engage in extensive negotiations to reach agreements in nuclear non-proliferation and arms control.

Antonov stressed that Russia has elaborated excellent non-proliferation safety net, but has to improve it.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution today, according to which Russia can no longer be considered a strategic partner of the European Union.

The document was backed by 402 lawmakers. A total of 163 members of parliament voted against the resolution, while 83 MEPs abstained.

In addition, the resolution calls for stopping the Nord Stream 2 project, urges to impose new sanctions on Russia and limit Moscow's access to finances and technologies.
Gazprombank is ready to participate in all Azerbaijani investment projects implemented on a project finance basis, the bank's deputy chairman Famil Sadigov said during the business seminar 'Azerbaijan on the way to the implementation of investment projects: the possibilities of Gazprombank,' which was today in Baku, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reported.

Sadigov noted that the projects provide for the creation of industrial enterprises in the agricultural sector and for the construction of roads.

He further added that together with the Azerbaijani side, work is underway to create a mechanism for attracting Gazprombanks investments in various areas. As part of their stay in Baku, representatives of the bank will also discuss the possibility of raising funds from capital markets to finance these projects.

Sadigov stressed that Gazprombank is ready to allocate up to $3 billion for projects in Azerbaijan.

According to him, Gazprombank considers Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR a reliable partner and is ready to continue cooperation.

He added that Gazprombank has financed the SOCAR Polymer project in Azerbaijan and the modernization of Azerikimya Production Union enterprises.

Sadigov said the bank is also interested in participating in the financing of the construction project of SOCAR GPC complex. He added that Gazprombank may allocate $400-800 million for the project.

Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said that Azerbaijan and Russia are strategic partners and are actively building up bilateral cooperation, including trade and economic one.

According to him, so far Russia has invested about $4.2 billion in Azerbaijans economy, and Azerbaijan has invested over $1 billion in Russias economy. He added that the trade turnover between the two countries for the year increased by 20%, reaching $2.55 billion.

"A whole range of measures is being taken to build up bilateral cooperation, financial institutions and financial market play a special role in this. We have quite a good cooperation in the investment sphere. About 700 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan, and they are involved in many areas of the countrys economy," the economy minister said.

Mustafayev noted the role of Russias Gazprombank, which is actively involved in the implementation of industrial projects in Azerbaijan. Among these projects, he mentioned the construction of the SOCAR Polymer plant.

"The plant is already operating and offers its products not only in the domestic market of Azerbaijan, but also successfully exports it," he added.

According to him, the tendency of expansion of economic interaction meets the growing interests of the business circles of the two countries. Russia-Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan-Russia business councils are particularly active in this direction, Mustafayev said.
As part of the visit to France, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe have held a one-on-one meeting at the Hotel de Matignon in Paris.

The French Prime Minister noted the successful development of Baku-Paris relations in political, economic and other fields and stressed good prospects for cooperation.

Edouard Philippe said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's visit to France in last July and his meeting with President Emmanuel Macron played an important role in the development of bilateral ties.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- For the first two months in 2019, China's new energy passenger vehicle (PV) wholesale volume surged 132% from a year ago to 141,958 units, among which the Feb. sales reached 50,783 units with a sharp year-on-year (YoY) growth of 74%, according to the data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Last month, the BEV sales in China soared 105% over the previous year to 38,609 units, accounting for 76% of total new energy PV sales. To be specific, the sales of all-electric cars and SUVs significantly shot up 64% and 579% year on year respectively to 28,401 units and 10,207 units. However, there was only one pure electric MPV sold in February with a steep YoY decline of 83%.

Plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) sales in February amounted to 12,174 units, climbing 18% over the year-ago period. Of that, the car and SUV sectors took up 42% and 58% of total PHEV sales.

Regarding the Feb. performance of each segment for BEV market, the A00- and B-segment sales slid 35% and 50% respectively from the year-ago period to 11,826 units and 3 units. However, the A0- and A-segment achieved tremendous YoY surge of 480% and 819% with 5,667 units and 20,458 units sold.

The B-segment vehicle was quite popular in PHEV market. Last month, there were 5,327 B-segment PHEVs sold with a marvelous YoY growth of 1,750%, accounting for 44% of total PHEV sales. Meanwhile, the A- and C-segment PHEV sales reached 6,508 units and 339 units respectively.

The Geely Emgrand EV was crowned the champion new energy PV model by Feb. wholesale volume. The sales of the JMC E200S edged down 3.2% year on year, ranking sixth on the list. Besides, the Dongfeng Fengshen E70 entered the top 10 list in February with a striking YoY leap of 4275.9%.

As to the year-to-date (YTD) sales, BYD gained three places of the top 5 models, namely, the BYD Yuan EV, the BYD e5 and the BYD Tang DM. The BAIC EU Series boasted a spectacular YoY growth of 2352.8%, topping other models included the top 10 list.
Representatives of 14 countries, including Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, confirmed their participation in the 13th meeting of the Joint OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee in Baku, according to the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry's press service.

On March 17-18, Baku will host the 27th Joint Technical Committee meeting and the 13th meeting of the Joint OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee.

The meetings will be attended by OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo, OPEC President, President of Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA, Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo, Chairman of JMMC, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of Saudi Aramco's Board of Directors Khalid Al Falih, as well as energy ministers of Algeria, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria.

"From non-OPEC countries, the participation of energy ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Sudan is planned," TASS cited the press service as saying. High-ranking representatives of Bahrain, Brunei, Libya and Congo will also participate in the meetings.
The OSCE mission has conducted a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops today in the direction of Azerbaijans Aghdam district, according to the website of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry.

The monitoring, held under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative, ended without any incidents.
Pakistan has deployed an entire F-16 fighter jet squadron along the Indian border, according to an unnamed Indian defence official.

Besides, the Rawalpindi-headquartered 10 Corps along with a Special Forces brigade from Sialkot of the Pakistan Army have been deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Defence sources said that the Pakistan Army also began moving part of its troops posted in Balochistan towards the Indian border beginning on 28 Februar.

"We have confirmed reports that PAF's F-16 acquired from both US and Jordan are on high alert all along India-Pak border-from Hyderabad in Sindh to Skardu in Northern Areas. The Pak Army deployment including radars and air defence system along the LoC was strengthened immediately after the February 14 Pulwama attack as they expected Indian retaliation similar to that of the surgical strike," Hindustan Times cited an official as saying.

According to India, there have been a total of 467 ceasefire violations in the past two months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2019), Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"This is a forum in which Putin traditionally takes part," TASS cited him as saying. The spokesman recalled that the Russian president "traditionally attends a plenary session and other formats on the sidelines of the forum."

Peskov did not say who will be the SPIEFs guests this year, highlighting that it will be "a meaningful event in the global forum life."

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2019) will be held on June 6-8, 2019.
Head of Russia's space corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin has held a telephone conversation with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the upcoming launch from the Baikonur spaceport.

"Today I had a telephone conversation with Jim Bridenstine. We discussed the upcoming launch from Baikonur and future bilateral contacts," the head of Roscosmos wrote on his official Twitter account.

"The NASA administrator shared his delight over the approval of their funding request for the development of the Moon program," Rogozin added.

The next launch of the Soyuz MS-12 carrier rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) is planned for March 14. The carrier rocket will deliver Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch to the ISS. Ovchinin and Hague were supposed to fly to the ISS in October 2018. However, their flight was postponed due to an accident with the Soyuz-FG rocket carrier on October 11, TASS recalls.
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft is ready for encapsulation into the nose fairing of the Soyuz booster rocket March 6, according to NASA press release.

Expedition 59 crew members Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch on March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.
Georgias Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani does not exclude the possibility of her resignation.

According to the minister, she has not resigned yet, however, a few days ago, the issue arose which should be resolved within the scope of her ministry.

"I have my own firm position, which does not concern any reform, process or procedure that is now taking place in parliament. This is an issue that, in my opinion, is very important. And if I see that this position is not shared, and there is a contradiction between the values, of course, I will step aside without any doubts," First Channel cited her as saying.

Tsulukiani did not specify what the controversial issue is that might result into her resignation.
Washington is still considering introduction of additional sanctions against construction of the Nord Stream-2 natural gas pipeline, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said.

Asked by reporters if sanctions were possible, he said this was "still under consideration."

According to Perry, the U.S. believes that Nord Stream 2 is not an economic, but a political project, RT reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on publications in various media outlets that the U.S. was putting together more sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Washington's "hostile and non-competitive attitude to this purely economic project is well known," he noted.

"We are aware that we are dealing with attempts at unfair competition, and sometimes with actions comparable to assets grabbing, but on an international level," TASS cited the Kremlin spokesman as saying.

Peskkov stressed that Russia considers this approach to be "unacceptable."

"The competitiveness of particular projects should be proven in practice through their benefits in terms of supply and demand," he added.

In this case, Peskov said, the competitiveness of Russian gas, which will flow along this route, is 100%. The Kremlin spokesman assumed that the U.S. "might have to think about how it is going to make its customers in Europe buy gas, which is by dozens of percents more expensive than gas."

Deputy director of energy policy of the Institute of Energy and Finances, Alexey Belogoriev, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the United States may hit companies which completing the construction of Nord Stream 2. "The main risk is related to the extraterritorial nature of sanctions against European gas pipeline contractors. Due to such sanctions, it may not be possible to complete the work on time, which would entail additional financial costs. At the same time, it is difficult to imagine sanctions that could significantly complicate the operation of the pipeline," he said.

"Sanctions are the most dangerous at the construction stage and during repair and maintenance work by European companies. If they impose such restrictions, Gazprom will have to hire companies with Russian jurisdiction with the participation of European specialists, which is more expensive. As a result, if we assume that the sanctions adopted in spring and summer, which may hinder the projects deadlines, then restrictions on Nord Stream 2 adopted in December will not have a big impact. Anyway, the U.S. sanctions cannot prevent the commissioning of the gas pipeline. It would be real only with the support from Europe, but European countries rejected this idea, and Germany opposed the cancellation of the project," Alexey Belogoriev said.

The senior research fellow at the European Research Centre of the International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Olenchenko, stressed that the United States is rather intimidating than intending to impose new sanctions. "The Americans understand that the patience of the Europeans is not endless - I mean Germany, France and Italy. It is clear that the United States has a plan of real actions against the Russian project, but if it is executed, the consequences will be quite tough, so Washington will turn to it in the last place," the expert expects.

"The construction of Nord Stream 2 will definitely be completed, neither Europeans nor Americans have any doubts about it, so the U.S. is intimidating European consumers. Of course, the possibility of such intimidation has its limits. If the United States moves into the scope of this discrimination in gas and electricity, they should be ready for the Europeans to respond in the same way. By the way. it's rather easy to do it, as Microsoft and Facebook taxation experience shows," Vladimir Olenchenko concluded.
Yangibana Project - Begin the Future



Investor Presentation

Sydney, Mar 12, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Hastings Technology Metals Ltd ( ASX:HAS ) provides the Company's latest investor presentation.Investment Attraction - Why Hastings?- Highest NdPr content at 41% of TREO- CAGR of 9% for NdPr due to expected strong demand from EV sales- NPV A$447m : IRR 28% : Payback 2.6 years- Average Annual Free Cash Flow ~A$137m- EIA report completed, progressing on to final permitting and approvals- German Offtake - Contract drafting with Thyssenkrupp, negotiations with other T1s- Boatou SkyRock - contract signed for 2,500T a year for 5 years- KFW Bank - strong support for UFK concessionary project finance loan- Production start 2Q 2021To view the full presentation, please visit:About Hastings Technology Metals Ltd

Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX:HAS) (FRA:5AM) is advancing its Yangibana Rare Earths Project in the Upper Gascoyne Region of Western Australia towards production. The proposed beneficiation and hydro metallurgy processing plant will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite, hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare earth oxides at processing plants overseas.

Neodymium and praseodymium are vital components in the manufacture of permanent magnets which is used in a wide and expanding range of advanced and high-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical applications and others. Hastings aims to become the next significant producer of neodymium and praseodymium outside of China.

Hastings holds 100% interest in the most significant deposits within the overall project, and 70% interest in additional deposits that will be developed at a later date, all held under Mining Leases. Numerous prospects have been identified warranting detailed exploration to further extend the life of the project.

Brockman Project

The Brockman deposit, near Halls Creek in Western Australia, contains JORC Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, estimated using the guidelines of JORC Code (2012 Edition).

The Company is also progressing a Mining Lease application over the Brockman Rare Earths and Rare Metals Project.

Hastings aims to capitalise on the strong demand for critical rare earths created by the expanding demand for new technology products.
First Drilling of Historic Pine Ridge Gold Mine in 20 Years



Ministerial Consent Received - Pine Ridge Gold Mine Drilling

Sydney, Mar 12, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Argent Minerals Limited ( ASX:ARD ) (Argent, or the Company) is pleased to announce that Ministerial consent has been received for the Pine Ridge Gold Mine drilling programme.Highlights:- Major regulatory milestone achieved - Ministerial consent to Argent exploration on key Pine Ridge Gold Mine and Kempfield Crown Lands areas.- Only a single standard drilling approval remains for Pine Ridge Gold Mine drilling preparations to commence.- The 800 m diamond programme - the first drilling of the Pine Ridge Gold Mine since 1998 - will test depth and strike extensions of high-grade historical intersections that include 21 m @ 5.6 g/t Au from 50 m including 1 m @ 62.9 g/t Au from 59 m (PR010).MAJOR REGULATORY MILESTONE ACHIEVEDTogether with the Crown Lands access agreement announced 6 March 2019, the Ministerial consent represents the achievement of a major milestone for both the Pine Ridge Gold Mine and Kempfield projects. The process going forward is now relatively straightforward.Pine Ridge Gold MineArgent considers the Ministerial consent to be the last of the significant regulatory complexities requiring resolution by Argent since its low cost acquisition of the Pine Ridge Gold Mine. These include the cancellation of a 3rd party Assessment Lease Application (ALA) that had carved out the gold mine area for approximately 15 years, the Native Title Right To Negotiate (RTN) Determination (no native title applicants), the successful land access outcome announced on 6 March 2019, and the Ministerial consent announced today.The consent was expedited and granted efficiently and in minimal time by NSW Department of Planning & Environment, Division of Resources & Geoscience (DRG) - less than one week since the execution of the access agreement with NSW Crown Lands. Under Section 30 of the NSW Mining Act (1992) Ministerial consent is required for exploration on Crown Lands 'Exempt' areas such as the historic Pine Ridge Gold Mine.This leaves only a standard ESF4 approval remaining for the commencement of drill pad construction at the Pine Ridge Gold Mine.DRG has advised Argent that the Company's request for the approval process to be expedited has been passed on to the relevant decision maker and that no other potential delay-causing issues are apparent.KempfieldThe Ministerial consent is also an important development for the Kempfield project - applying to Crown Lands within the main Kempfield project area and additional highly prospective surrounding areas.Together the Crown Lands access agreement and the Ministerial consent allow the Company drilling access for the first time on key Crown Lands areas where significant deposit expansion potential has been identified by the Company (8 November 2017 Exploration Target p. 8).In addition to Crown Lands areas within Pine Ridge exploration licence EL8213, this includes Kempfield exploration licences EL5748, 5645, 7134, and 7785.ABOUT THE PINE RIDGE GOLD MINE DRILLING PROGRAMMEPotential depth and strike extensionsFour diamond holes are planned (800 metres) to initially evaluate the Pine Ridge gold mine. The purpose of this initial drilling is to test potential depth and strike extensions to the high-grade mineralisation identified by historical drilling (24 October 2016 High Grade Au Identified in Trunkey-Kings Plain Gold Belt).High historical intersection gradesHighlights of historical high-grade gold intersections reported by Argent for the Pine Ridge Gold Mine include:- 21 m @ 5.6 g/t Au from 50 m (PR010)incl. 1.0 m @ 62.9 g/t Au from 59 m;- 10 m @ 4.1 g/t Au from 51 m (PR009)incl. 1.0 m @ 20.6 g/t Au from 52 m;- 10 m @ 3.7 g/t Au from 71 m (PR012)incl. 1.0 m @ 11.2 g/t Au from 76 m;- 18 m @ 2.4 g/t Au from 68 m (PR023)incl. 1.0 m @ 5.3 g/t Au from 77 m.About Argent Minerals Limited

Argent Minerals Limited ( ASX:ARD) is an Australian publicly listed company with a 100% interest in a silver/gold project at Kempfield NSW. Work is underway on the preparation of an EIS and a feasibility study for the first stage of the project which will involve heap leaching some 8.8 million tonnes of mainly oxide and transitional material to produce over 9.5 million ounces of silver and 15,000 ounces of gold over a 5 year mine life. Argent is also earning up to a 70% interest in two other NSW projects - gold at West Wyalong and base metals at Sunny Corner.


Resources Grow to Over 667,000 Ounces

Perth, Mar 12, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ) ("Intermin" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for the Crake prospect located within the 100% owned Binduli gold project, located 9km west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the heart of the Western Australian goldfields (see Figure 1 in link below).HIGHLIGHTS- Highly successful infill and extensional drilling completed at the Crake gold project, 9km west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the Western Australian goldfields- A total of 85 RC holes for 8,096m of resource drilling completed at Crake in 2018(see Note 1 below)- Maiden independent Mineral Resource Estimate now compiled and stands at:o 1.12Mt grading 1.59 g/t Au for 57,700oz at a 1.0 g/t Au lower grade cut-off(see Note 2 below)- 69% in the Indicated Category with mineralisation open to the west and north(see Note 1 below)- Intermin's Total Mineral Resource estimate grows to:o 10.38Mt grading 2.00g/t Au for 667,500oz at a 1g/t Au lower grade cut-off (see Note 2 below)- Additional resource drilling planned for Crake and the Binduli project area in 2019- Initial mining studies assessing optimal mining and processing pathways for open cut mine development will commence in the current March QuarterCommenting on maiden resource, Intermin Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"The successful drilling in 2018 has clearly demonstrated the potential of the Binduli project area and resulted in a significant maiden resource for the Crake project. We look forward to building on this in 2019 both at Crake and the other priority targets within the Binduli area and believe the project will play a significant part in our future mine development plans."Project GeologyThe geology at Crake is similar to the 390,000oz Janet Ivy open pit, located approximately 1,500m to the south, where the gold is hosted in a structurally controlled feldspar porphyry. At the nearby Fort William and Fort Scott open pits, where over 100,000oz have been produced to date, gold is hosted within sheared units of volcanics and clastic sediments.At Crake, the gold mineralisation strikes NW and dips shallowly to the SW. A poorly developed southern plunge is tentatively interpreted. The gold lodes are often tabular shaped and 20m thick but can blow out to >60m width. High grade shoots appear to result from intersecting structures. The Crake drilling focussed on a mineralised, variably altered pink porphyry with minor amounts of pyrite and magnetite. Higher grades usually coincide with stronger pyrite mineralisation (up to 3% by volume). There is little correlation between gold and magnetite.Resource UpdateIn March 2018, the Binduli joint venture tenements were returned to Intermin on a 100% basis. A total of 85 RC holes for 8,096m was subsequently drilled in 2018. The RC drilling was completed on an approximate 20m pattern, spanned 450m and covered mineralisation from 10m to 170m vertical depth.Significant downhole RC intercepts reported in 2018 included(see Note 1 below):- 23m @ 4.16 g/t Au from 61m including 3m @ 20.73g/t Au from 66m (BRC18020)- 13m @ 4.10g/t Au from 65m including 2m @ 18.53g/t Au from 75m (BRC18036)- 18m @ 3.13 g/t Au from 70m (BRC18043)- 15m @ 2.75 g/t Au from 27m (BRC18069)- 9m @ 4.38 g/t Au from 39m (BRC18079)- 15m @ 1.96 g/t Au from 75m (BRC18029)- 12m @ 1.75 g/t Au from 45m (BRC18057)- 8m @ 2.51 g/t Au from 106m (BRC18018)The new data has been used to compile a detailed independent Mineral Resource Estimate compliant with the JORC 2012 Code. The Mineral Resource for Crake stands at:- 1.12Mt @ 1.59 g/t Au for 57,700 ounces at a 1.0 g/t Au lower grade cut-off(see Note 3 below)Further breakdowns of ore types and categories are shown in Table 1 - 3(see link below).The mineralisation remains open to the west and north and further drilling is planned to test extensions to mineralisation in 2019. Attributable discovery costs incurred in 2018 for Crake are estimated to be approximately $12/oz.Intermin's global gold Resources now stands at 10.38Mt grading 2.00g/t Au for 667,500oz at a 1g/t Au lower cut-off grade(see Note 4 below).Next StepsIntermin believes the mineralisation at Crake is significant with further RC drilling planned at Crake and the greater Binduli project area including high priority drill targets at Coote, Darter and Honeyeater (see Figure 3 in link below).Initial scoping studies assessing optimal mining and processing pathways for open cut mine development will commence in the current March Quarter.The Company believes the Binduli project area has the potential to be a significant contributor to the long term mine development plans currently being assessed.Notes:1 As announced to the ASX on 10 July, 15 August and 14 November 2018.2 See Tables 1, 2 and 3 and Competent Persons statement on pages 4 and 10. See also JORC tables on page 12.3 See Tables 1, and 3 and Competent Persons statement on pages 4 and 10. See also JORC tables on page 12.4 See Table on Page 9 and Competent Persons statement on pages 4 and 10. See also JORC tables on page 12.To view the release with tables and figures, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Assyrians Rising Up From the Ashes in North Iraq

Early one morning, Joumana's family was awakened by a loud explosion ripping through their town of Qaraqosh, Iraq.

Though many other families had already left Qaraqosh, Joumana and her mother Jandark had chosen to remain in their home. But the violence had come. Their town was under attack, and ISIS would soon be on their doorstep.

Joumana and Jandark quickly packed their belongings, and held on to hope that they would still have a home to come back to.

"I prepared my bag, but I didn't expect to be gone longer than a week," Jandark explains. "When I left, I left the door unlocked so ISIS wouldn't break it. I had a cross and prayed, 'Jesus, why is this happening to us?'"

Restoring hope in the land where Christianity began

We launched our Hope for the Middle East campaign in 2016 as a response to the horrors inflicted by ISIS, as well as reports we were hearing from partners throughout the region.

During ISIS attacks, Christians were killed, brutalized, enslaved and forced from their homes. Houses and churches were burned to the ground. Many Christians, like Joumana and Jandark, who fled their towns wondered:

Is there anything worth coming back to?

After many long months, Joumana and Jandark returned to their home in Qaraqosh.

Jandark's cross, which she had left behind, had been broken into four pieces. The rest of the house had been ransacked or destroyed.

Joumana adds, "It was a mess. All of our things were stolen and some parts of the house were burned."

Thanks to Open Doors' partners on the ground, Joumana and Jandark received food, oil and help with rent when they were displaced, and are now getting help to reconstruct their house in Qaraqosh. Across the Middle East, the work of rebuilding will be ongoing, but there is hope.
The Russian Armed Forces will commission medium-range attack drones for the first time in 2019, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated on Monday during a session of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Defense Committee.

"Starting this year, we will be receiving medium-range attack and surveillance systems" (Picture source: Valeriy Matytsin/TASS)

He noted that since 2012, 38 military units have been formed in the Russian army, equipped with over 2,000 military drones.

"Starting this year, we will be receiving medium-range attack and surveillance systems", the minister said.

Shoigu stressed that a breakthrough in drone aviation has provided new opportunities for reconnaissance and attack operations. "Thanks to drone laser illuminators, we have managed to give a second life to precision artillery weapon systems "Krasnopol", which had not been in demand before. As a result, we have decreased their expenditure - no more than two projectiles for one target - and increased their range," the minister explained.

 Copyright 2019 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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
(ANSA) - Brussels, March 12 - A row over Italy's possibly joining China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the 'new Silk Road', is "a storm in a teacup", Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said Tuesday.

The US and the EU have voiced concern about Italy joining the BRI.

But Tria stressed Italy-Chinese talks were only on a possible memorandum of understanding, "and not a deal".

The memorandum would not change EU rules, he said.


(ANSA) - Palermo, March 12 - A robber was killed in a Palermo minimarket run by Bangladeshi citizens on Monday night, sources said Friday.

He was killed in a violent scuffle with the owner of the minimarket, helped by an assistant, sources said.

The victim was said to be from the North African Maghreb region - although later reports said he was from Sri Lanka.

Police found a bloody stick on the floor and shards of glass from a broken bottle.

The owner and his assistant were slightly injured.


(ANSA) - Matera, March 12 - The Turin-Lyon high-speed rail (TAV) line is needed to link Italy to Europe, Interior Minister and League leader Matteo Salvini said Tuesday.

He said it was a "project that can have cuts and modifications but in any case is needed to connect Italy to the rest of Europe".

Salvini stressed that the tenders by TAV company TELT had been called even though there is no financial commitment by Italy yet, according to a deal brokered with government partner the 5-Star Movement (M5S) which is against the TAV.


(ANSA) - Milan, march 11 - The Italo-Chinese memorandum on the Belt and Road Initiative or 'new Silk Road' cannot lead to the colonisation of Italy, Deputy Premier and League leader Matteo Salvini said Monday, prompting government partner the 5-Star Movement (M5S) to accuse the League of being "split" on the huge project.

Salvini said Cabinet Secretary Giancarlo Giorgetti had explained that the memorandum must safeguard Italy's strategic interests and "this is the position of the whole League," Salvini said.

"It it's a matter of helping Italian companies to invest abroad we are willing to talk to anyone," Salvini said.

"If it's a question of colonising Italy and its firms by foreign powers, no. And the treatment of sensitive data is a national interest. Therefore the issue of telecommunications and the treatment of data cannot be merely economic".

The League is split on Italy's memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative but the 5-Star Movement is solidly with businesses on it, M5S sources told ANSA Monday.

"We're sorry about this internal split because it hurts our businesses and Made in Italy," the sources said.

"We are working to make sure that companies and business associations urge us to make an effort to bring Italy into the Chinese market and not to submit to it".

They said League leader Salvini had spoken of colonisation while Industry Undersecretary Michele Geraci, also of the League, "strongly supports the agreement".


(ANSA) - Rome, March 12 - France has reiterated its commitment to implementing the bilateral treaty with Italy on the Turin-Lyon TAV high-speed rail link project, French official sources said told ANSA on Tuesday.

The sources pointed out that this commitment was recently confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne.

They said that France has pumped around 400 million euros into the project since the start of work and another 55 million are available for the French side of the project this year.

The Italian government is split over whether to press ahead with the project.

At the weekend Premier Giuseppe Conte told TELT, the Italian-French company building the tunnel for the rail link, to launch calls for tenders related to the project but without any operations entailing financial commitments from Rome.

The move was widely seen as a way to put off making a final decision on the TAV.


(ANSA) - Paris, March 12 - It is time Italy took on its responsibilities for the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail (TAV) link, French foreign affairs secretary of state Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, told France Info Tuesday.

TAV company TELT on Monday issued calls for tenders but without financial burdens for Italy as yet, amid a row between government partners the 5-Star Movement (M5S), which is anti-TAV, and the League, which is pro-TAV.

"It's a project I've heard about for 15 years," said Lemoyne.

"Now it's time to go forward and for the Italian government to take on its responsibilities".

The M5S says the project is now on hold while the League says it will go ahead.

lemoyne said the M5S and the League were split and were "allies of convenience".


A public meeting of the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District's Budget Committee will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, at 2:30 pm in the District's conference room at 221 Molalla Avenue, Suite 102, Oregon City, Oregon, 97045.

Why hold a budget meeting?

The purpose of the meeting is to receive from the Budget Officer the budget message and the proposed budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year (July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020). This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Public comment will not be taken at this meeting.

When may I comment?

The Committee will take public comment at the second Committee meeting to be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at 2:30 pm in the District's conference room. The purpose of the meeting is to revise (as needed) and approve the District budget for the fiscal year 2019-2020 and the property tax rate to be levied by the District. Any person may appear at that meeting to discuss the budget with the Budget Committee.

How do I receive a copy of the budget?

A copy of the budget message and the proposed budget may be inspected on or after April 2, 2019, at the District office (address above) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
(ANSA) - Rome, March 12 - Two parents were cited by NAS health police Tuesday for making false statements about the state of vaccination of their children in the coastal Tuscan city of Livorno.

The NAS completed a probe on vaccine obligations of children frequenting city schools and found the pair had falsely told authorities the children had been given their compulsory vaccinations.

The two parents have been cited for making false official statements.

Controls have been launched across Italy to make sure parents have had their children vaccinated according to a government programme that has made 10 jabs compulsory.


(ANSA) - Rome, March 12 - Air Force Chief of Staff General Alberto Rosso told parliament on Tuesday that Italy has not paid "389 million euros in invoices issued in 2018" by Lockheed Martin for F35 fighter jets. Reporting to a joint session of the Lower House and Senate defence committees, Rosso expressed "major concern about uncertainty over the programme" and the "hypothesis of a quantitative reduction" in the number of aircraft Italy will buy.

The general said the alternative would be "older and more expensive" aircraft. The Air Force chief said that "this aircraft is the future.

"Any slowdown or fall in the number would be worrying not just for us, but also for the nation's industry, given the economic impact of the programme".


TEL AVIV - All access to the holy site in Jerusalem known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount was closed after a firebomb caused a fire in the compound. According to local media reports, police entered the holy site and arrested three suspects, clearing the area, while incidents were reported between officers and Muslim pilgrims.



Palestinian president Abu Mazen condemned the ''Israeli escalation'' and warned of ''serious consequences caused by aggressions against Palestinian citizens and pilgrims inside the Al-Aqsa mosque and the assault of Israeli soldiers on women inside the Dome of the Rock''.
BEIRUT - A reported 200 family members of ISIS militants over the past 24 hours were able to leave Baghouz in south-eastern Syria, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Tuesday. The NGO, which has a widespread network of sources on the ground, said clashes between Kurdish forces and militants continued overnight and, sporadically, on Tuesday morning.



According to sources on the ground, dozens of ISIS militants were killed over the past few hours in clashes with Kurdish forces and in air raids carried out by the US-led international Coalition.



The information cannot be independently verified on the ground.



Different Kurdish-Syrian sources were quoted as saying by pan-Arab media that the ''battle is near the end'', although similar claims have been repeatedly denied over the past few days.
ROME - On the eve of the eighth anniversary of the start of the Syrian crisis, Oxfam said in a statement that the international community is confronted with one of ''the most serious humanitarian emergencies'' since World War Two.



''Over 80% of the population is living under the poverty threshold'' and ''11.7 million people at the moment depend on humanitarian aid'' for survival, the statement also said.



The situation was denounced in a new report published on Tuesday by Oxfam and the Danish Refugee Council (RDC) to coincide with a conference on the Syrian crisis scheduled in Brussels on March 12-14.



One of the most alarming issues stressed by the report is that 85% of Syrians, or 15.5 million people out of a total of 18.2, have almost no access to clean water and healthcare services, including 6 million people who are in a dire situation.



With the fundraising campaign 'Water saves lives', Oxfam means to help over 100,000 people by bringing clean water and healthcare services to the most vulnerable communities in Syria, in the governorates of Rural Damascus and Dar'a, where half the population is displaced and 1.6 million people are in dire need of aid.



Paolo Pezzati, the policy advisor for humanitarian emergencies of Oxfam Italia, said that ''at the moment over one-third of Syrians in the country have lost their homes and two million children cannot study because one in three schools has been destroyed''.



''Entire neighborhoods in small and large cities have no water and hygienic services''.



It is a ''terrifying scenario that requires intervention as soon as possible to prevent cholera and typhus epidemics''.



Despite the growing needs of the population, governments and other donors are reluctant to finance reconstruction efforts in areas under the Syrian government's control. As a consequence, millions of Syrians are forced to rely on humanitarian aid for an indefinite period of time, the organization said in its appeal on donor countries.



Pezzati in particular said that, ''concrete and immediate economic aid'' by governments gathering in Brussels is ''fundamental to help millions of Syrians'' who have endured ''eight years of brutal war rebuild their lives''.



''The primary objective must be to help the population affected by the emergency to have a home once again, to send their children back to school and to guarantee they have a decent meal every day, avoiding the risk of diseases due to dirty or contaminated water or the lack of adequate healthcare facilities''.



''Syrians need to be helped to rebuild their future as fast as possible'', he concluded. ''Meanwhile, it is indispensable for the Syrian government to give humanitarian agencies access to all areas affected by the conflict, where the population is in dire condition''.
CAIRO - ''Several thousands'' of students on Tuesday demonstrated in Algiers against the decision announced Monday by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to remain in office, cancelling elections scheduled in April, Radio France International (Rfi) reports.



Meanwhile, the official Aps news agency confirmed reports on Monday that Premier Ahmed Ouyahia has been replaced by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui, with the former Algerian diplomacy chief Ramtane Lamamra acting as his deputy.



The replacement became official after a meeting between Bouteflika and the two officials, who are considered very close to him. Bedoui was charged with forming the new government. Protesters marched downtown with banners replacing the ''5'' indicating Bouteflika's fifth mandate, which they had opposed until Monday, with a ''4,5'' or ''4+'', to indicate the transition period that started with the message issued yesterday by the president who has been wheelchair-bound since a stroke in 2013. Local residents joined the march on Tuesday while more demonstrations were held in other Algerian cities.
PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday praised his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision not to run for a fifth mandate, calling for a transition period of ''reasonable duration''.



''I welcome the decision of President Bouteflika that turns a new page'', the French president told a joint press conference in Djibouti with counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh. ''I want to stress the dignity and professionality of security forces'', he added.
Aaron Shulmans collective biography of the Spanish Panero family, The Age of Disenchanmentsjust out from Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins has a cast of dramatic characters that is nothing less than stunning. As Ive previously written:

Leopoldo Panero

The family patriarch was the poet laureate of the Franco regime, Leopoldo Panero, who betrayed the ideals of his friend Federico Garcia Lorca during the Spanish Civil War (and later battled with the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda).

No ones ever told their story in English, and only in fragments in Spanish, Shulman says.

As he has written in The Believer, the Paneros are the stuff of fiction, which is the best type of reality: the kind that humbles the imagination of novelists but doesnt deter them from trying.

The matriarch of the family was Felicidad (Blanc) Panero, an actress and writer (and obsessive stage manager of the family legacy). Their three sons were also poets  most significantly the subversive Leopoldo Maria Panero, who would spend the 1980s living in a mental institution and whose poetry readings drew mobs of fans. Roberto Bolano considered him a genius, and in the last interview he gave before his death, in 2003, called him one of the three best living poets in Spain.

Shulman tells the story with great style. He offers the kind of intimate details which bring his subjects to life in prose that is a pleasure to read. Heres a taste from the opening of the prologue to the book.

Before dawn on August 17, 1936, a man dressed in white pajamas and a blazer stepped out of a car onto the dirt road connecting the towns of Viznar and Alfacar in the foothills outside Granada, Spain. He had thick, arching eyebrows, a widows peak sharpened by a tar-black receding hairline, and a slight gut that looked good on his thirty-eight-year-old frame. It was a moonless night and he wasnt alone under the dark tent of the Andalusian sky. He was escorted by five soldiers, along with three other prisoners: two anarchist bullfighters and a white-haired schoolteacher with a wooden leg. The headlights from the two cars that had delivered them here illuminated the group as they made their way over an embankment onto a nearby field dotted with olive trees. The soldiers carried Astra 900 semiautomatic pistols and German Mauser rifles. By now the four captives knew that they were going to die. The man in the pajamas was the poet Federico Garcia Lorca.

You cant get more novelistic than that. Yet Shulman is scrupulous about being factual. That is evident from cover to cover. It makes The Age of Disenchantments a terrific read.
Handing out certificates for perfect attendance is a common and straightforward way to motivate students to come to school, but new research suggests principals should tread carefully: In some cases, it can actually discourage students from putting in effort to attend.

As states and districts struggle to prevent chronic absenteeism , rewarding students for attendance has been seen as low-hanging fruitCalifornia even requires it by law. In a forthcoming study previewed at the annual Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness meeting in Washington last week, researchers found that older students who received recognition certificates were actually less likely to continue going to school every day than students who received nothing at all.

Attendance awards are more common in elementary grades, but Carly Robinson, a Harvard University postdoctoral researcher, and her colleagues looked at their use among older students,15,329 6th through 12th graders in 14 West Coast school districts.

Eighty-eight percent of the students had perfect attendance in at least one month during the fall semester, and from this group, Robinson randomly sent letters home to some students in January. For some of these students, the letter congratulated them and awarded a certificate for their previous perfect attendance. For others, the letter offered them the chance to earn such an award if they came to school every day in the following month. The researchers believed the students who received either of the letters would have fewer February absences than students in the control group, which received no contact at all.

They were wrong. Students who received the letter offering them the chance to earn an award had no better attendance than students in the control groupand students who received an award for their prior attendance ended up 2 percentage points less likely to have perfect attendance going forward. The decline was driven particularly by low-performing students.

We managed to design and implement an intervention that made students go to school less. We wanted to know what was going on, Robinson said.

So why did the rewards backfire? In part, the letters might have given students a wrong impression that they could afford to coast a bit. In a follow-up online survey, Robinson asked adults to read a vignette describing a 10th grader living in a California suburb. Some of the participants also saw that the student had received the retrospective attendance award. More than 80 percent of the participants who saw the award believed the student had better attendance than his peers, compared to only 27 percent of participants who didnt know about the award. Moreover, those who knew about the award assumed the students school had lower expectations for attendance than those who knew nothing about the award.

The findings echo those of a 2016 study of students in India , which also found using attendance rewards had no benefits, and in the long-term hurt the attendance, test scores, and confidence of low-performing students. Robinson noted that some prior studies have found benefits for rewarding students for good attendance, though these were more common among younger students, and often incorporated more collective rewards, such as class parties. Prior work has found attendance awards can have other unintended consequences, such as encouraging sick children to come to school , potentially spreading infections.

Maybe because attendance is something that youre expected to doand in the case of students and particularly low-performing students, its something you dont actually really like doingthese meaningless certificates are likely just sending signals that you are attending school more than your peers, and that youre overshooting the institutions expectations, Robinson said. I hope work like this can help schools and organizations think more critically about how and when to use their awards, and when they might backfire.
South Africa: President Ramaphosa meets with Zim's Mnangagwa

President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he is expected to co-chair the third session of the South Africa-Zimbabwe BNC with his counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The visit is part of efforts to strengthen mutual cooperation and deepen the implementation of 45 bilateral agreements during the Bi-National Commission (BNC).

The BNC is preceded by a ministerial session, which was held on Monday, to consider and adopt the draft agreed minutes and joint communique negotiated by senior officials on 7 and 8 March 2019.

Ministers also coordinated the agenda and programme for the Heads of State session.

Relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe are conducted through the BNC, which was established in 2015.

During the BNC, the two Heads of State will review bilateral cooperation and progress made with the implementation of bilateral agreements.

South Africa and Zimbabwe are signatories to 45 agreements, which cover a wide range of fields, including trade and investment, health, labour, migration, defence, taxation, tourism, scientific and technological cooperation, water and the environment, said the Presidency.

In terms of trade, South African exports to Zimbabwe totalled R30.8 billion, while imports from Zimbabwe amounted to R3.6 billion.

South Africa and Zimbabwe enjoy sound bilateral political, economic and social relations underpinned by strong historical ties dating back from the years of the liberation struggle, the President said.

Deputy President David Mabuza will act as President of the Republic during the Presidents absence.

President Ramaphosa is accompanied by the Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu; Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; Finance, Tito Mboweni; Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies; Home Affairs, Dr Siyabonga Cwele; Transport, Dr Blade Nzimande; Police, Bheki Cele and Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Democrats in the U.S. House have introduced the latest iteration of the DREAM Act, legislation that would put young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with protected status on the pathway to U.S. citizenship.

The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 would pave the way for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, to become permanent residents if they meet certain requirements.

For nearly two decades, lawmakers have attempt to reach consensus on immigration reform. With Democrats now in control of the House, immigration advocates see an opportunity to push through legislation in at least one chamber of Congress.

But the proposal likely faces an uphill battle to win support this time around from the Republican-led U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump.

While on the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised to repeal DACA, which offers a two-year deportation stay to young undocumented immigrants who can prove they meet certain criteria, including that they came to the U.S. before age 16, have lived here for at least five years continuously, attend or graduated from high school or college, and have no criminal convictions.

In September 2017, Trump moved to end the Obama-era program that gives protection to an estimated 700,000 immigrants, though legal challenges have kept the program at least partially intact.

Thus far, federal judges in three circuits have blocked the Trump administration from completely dismantling the program. For now, the federal government must process DACA renewal applications, but does not have to process new DACA applications for immigrants who have not previously applied.

What It Means for K-12

If approvedand thats a big ifthe bill could have far-reaching implications for students and teachers in the nations public schools.

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that a quarter-million students have become DACA-eligible since President Barack Obama began the program in 2012 and that about 9,000 DACA-protected teachers work in U.S. schools.

The Trump administrations decision could also affect the lives of children born in the United States. Millions of students in the nations public and private schools are the children of undocumented immigrants, the Washington-based Pew Research Center estimates.

The proposal begins to turn the page on the politics of inaction for aspiring new Americans, National Education Association President Lily Eskelen Garcia said in a statement. Repeatedly the politics of Congressional inaction for our Dreamers are hurting real people, including DACAmented educators and TPS recipients who are educators.

The Democrats new legislation would grant DACA recipients and other young undocumented immigrants permanent residency if they continuously lived in the United States for four years before the bill is signed into law, came to America when they were 17 years old or younger, did not commit serious crimes, obtained a high school diploma or GED, and passed a background check.

The bill would require the young immigrants to earn a college degree or complete two years of a degree program in an institution of higher education or technical school as part of their pathway to citizenship. They would also qualify if they served honorably in the military or have been employed in the U.S. for more than three years. Under the proposed legislation, the students would also be eligible for federal financial aid.

The bill would also allow hundreds of thousands of recipients of Temporary Protected Status, a program that allows immigrants from countries in crisis to live and work in the United States legally, to gain permanent lawful status.

Since Trump took office, his administration has also sought to end the protections for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Sudan, Nepal and Nicaragua. But, much like the attempt to dismantle the DACA initiative, the administrations efforts have been hampered by court rulings.

Related Reading

Undocumented Teachers Shielded by DACA in Legal and Emotional Limbo

With Rollback of DACA, Dreamers in U.S. Schools Prepare for a Fight

Teachers Rally Around Undocumented Students
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial 'Mere Pyare Prime Minister' is all set to release on 15th March 2019.

Mumbai: In the world of VFX and huge sets, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Mere Pyare Prime Minister promises to bring to screen the reality of the people living in the less privileged areas of Mumbai. The makers have not used any sets but have shot the whole movie in the slums of Ghatkopar.

The director was sure about not creating any sets as he wanted to retain the authenticity of slums in the movie. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra admitted that it was challenging for the cast and crew to shoot with no vanity amidst the slums and the residents.

Mere Pyare Prime Minister found its location in Ghatkopar East, where an entire hill is covered by the slums. The Slums of Mumbai are more than the high rise of the city. After Gully Boy, Mere Pyare Prime Minister is the second film of the year that will have a backdrop of the slums.

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.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial 'Mere Pyare Prime Minister' is all set to release on 15th March 2019.
In Rajasthan women are supporting the Indian Army by popularising the 'air strike saree'.

A number of women are bringing other women along with them to buy the sarees. (Photo: ANI)

Bhilwara: At a time when Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's swashbuckling gunslinger moustache has become the new fad among men, air strike themed sarees have become a popular trend among women here.

In Rajasthan's Bhilwara, which is known as the textile city of India, women are supporting the Indian Army following the recent air strikes carried out on terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot by popularising the 'air strike saree'.

The sarees feature the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with a group of armed Indian Army personnel, while another portion of the saree comprises prints of fighter jets.

Speaking about the trend, Kalpesh Chowdhury, one of the retailers in Bhilwara, told ANI: "I had ordered these sarees from Surat, Gujarat. Following the air strike, the sale of these sarees featuring Modi and Army has been unimaginable.

A number of women are bringing other women along with them to buy the sarees.

They believe that while they can't go to the border and fight alongside the Army, they want to boost the Indian Army's morale by wearing these sarees that have been dedicated to them."

40 CRPF personnel were killed in an attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in South Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14.

Less than two weeks after the attack, India carried out air strike at a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, eliminating a "large number" of terrorists, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said on February 26.

A day after the air strike, Pakistani F-16 fighter jets transgressed into the Indian airspace, one of which was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison piloted by Varthaman.
She shared about what she has learnt after taking the top job in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet.

She is India's second woman to take the foreign ministers office after Indira Gandhi. (File Photo)

New Delhi: Sushma Swaraj, Foreign Minister of India is known for her swift replies to any Indians calling for help from abroad. She shared about what she has learnt after taking the top job in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet. She wrote on Twitter that she understands English of all accents and grammar.

Swaraj replied to a tweet from an Indian man based in Malaysia seeking her help to send one of his friends back to India. The man's tweet was distorted and had grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes. Reading the tweet another user replied, asking the man to write in Hindi or Punjabi.

That is when Sushma Swaraj responded promptly, 'There is no problem. After becoming Foreign Minister, I have learnt to follow English of all accents and grammar'.

There is no problem. After becoming Foreign Minister, I have learnt to follow English of all accents and grammar. https://t.co/2339A1Fea2  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 11, 2019

Since taking office in 2014, Swaraj has travelled and met and interacted with various world leaders and diplomats all across the globe. She is India's second woman to take the foreign ministers office after Indira Gandhi.

Although, citing health reasons, she has decided not to contest the national elections which are due to commence in April 2019. 'I am not retiring from politics. It is just that I am not contesting the next Lok Sabha election due to my health issues,' she had tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj was forced to a break from politics back in 2016 after a prolonged setback due to diabetes. She even had a kidney transplant. She is a Lok Sabha lawmaker from Vidisha, some 55 km from Bhopal.
A photography exhibition lays bare the parallels between the two revolutionaries, Gandhi and Mao Zedong.

Before Henri Cartier-Bresson and Margaret Bourke-White gave the world the images that form the visual memory of Mahatma Gandhi, a relatively modest Swiss photojournalist Walter Bosshard had travelled 20,000 kilometres by car to capture the iconic Dandi March. A few years later, he found himself in China documenting Mao Zedong and the Red Army. In what were political photography expeditions, unlike the kinds that were seen before, Bosshard not only captured the two very different ideologies but unknowingly also captured the precedent of what led to the two biggest revolutions in Asia, which changed the path of these countries forever. Hence, in a photography exhibition titled Envisioning Asia: Gandhi and Mao in the Photographs of Walter Bosshard at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the curators Gayatri Sinha and Peter Pfrunder have carefully laid bare the parallels between the two revolutionaries as seen in Bosshards photographs.

Gayatri, an art critic, had visited Peter, Director of Swiss Foundation for Photography, when the latter showed her the archives of Bosshards coverage of the Civil Disobedience movement. I came back but I kept thinking that while we do have a fair amount of Gandhi pictures, what we havent seen is Gandhi and Mao through the lens of one photographer in the same decade of the 1930s, recalls Gayatri who then collaborated with Peter. His team digitally restored the photographs which were printed, framed and exhibited in India.

In March 1930, after receiving an assignment by the Munchner Illustrierte Presse to cover the growing unrest and the Independence movement in India, Bosshard found himself in Saurashtra region following Gandhi, his 78 participants and the thousands of the followers on the Dandi March. But, what really became the jewel in the series, were the photographs he clicked while spending a day with him. In Gandhi, what Bosshard captures is that when he comes really close to Gandhi, you can see there is only Gandhis body filling up the frame and the intimacy of the camera. The camera is very unobtrusive as you can see Gandhi shaving, eating and talking and seated, not like he is seeking to be an iconic figure, Gayatri explains. Bosshards genius also lies in bringing out the salient features of Gandhis endeavours by capturing the symbols like suti-charkha and weaving. The pictures emote the non-violent nature of the movement that was gripping the country.

Mao Zedong in front of the entrance to the Red Academy, Marching soldiers of the 8th Route Army,Yan'an, 1938.

Whereas, the photos of Mao and the Red Army lack that intimacy, but are testament to the silence before the storm of violent revolutionary movement. From military uniform-clad Mao, to the soldiers marching, the symbols of the Maoist movement were somehow humanised by the photojournalist.

Although, it is the parallel between the two sets of pictures that gripped Gayatri. Even though historically its called Dandi March, it was hardly like a march. It was very simple village community kind of ethos that was building up, and then you have the march of Maos Red Army and the way he is training his parent army to become a challenge to the Japanese forces as well as the nationalistic army led by Chiang Kai-shek. This was interesting that there are two marches, but ideologically so different. While one is peaceable, wearing white  the colour of enunciation, the other is wearing old military uniforms and is a sight of coming together of a fight, explains Gayatri.

While Gandhis civil disobedience movement inspired Nelson Mandela and other aspiring colonised countries to fight colonialism, Maos movement influenced Cambodia, Vietnam and affected Taiwan. Hence, in effect, Bosshard unknowingly captured the pivotal moments that changed the political and social history of the whole continent. I have called it Envisioning Asia because the spread of these two ideologies are very profound and powerful and they are studied in contrast far beyond borders. So, it made sense to have them. Interestingly, we put them in two separate sections so that you can actually see them in two parallel, though not converging but diverging ideologies, she concludes.

Envisioning Asia: Gandhi and Mao in the Photographs of Walter Bosshard can be viewed at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum till March 24.
This positive move demonstrates Indias commitment to human rights and the promotion of socially responsible businesses.

Last month the Indian government published a zero-draft National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights. This positive move demonstrates Indias commitment to human rights and the promotion of socially responsible businesses. The zero draft in its initial form provides an overview of Indias legal framework that sets how the governments duty to protect human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and access to remedy against business-related human rights violations. It is the first step towards kickstarting Indias alignment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Now it is critical to begin the processes of dialogue and engagement with key stakeholders including within government, the corporate sector, civil society, trade unions and workers themselves. A Working Group has already been constituted and will lead on the national and state level multi-stakeholder consultations.

The input from the consultations will be taken on board as the Working Group begins a comprehensive study to assess the implementation of UNGPs in India through a review of Indias legal and policy framework; identify key priority areas for the government for effective implementation of the principles envisaged under the UNGPs and accordingly set objectives. Time-bound policy actions to achieve objectives will follow and will articulate clear responsibilities to relevant ministries/departments of the Government of India.

Although companies from around the world are increasingly investing in India and sourcing goods and services, critical human rights issues remain unaddressed. Giant global brands such as Amazon, Unilever and Apple, and leading fashion brands continue their investment in India, the private sector is a critical partner to steer these goals. However, getting companies to understand their full responsibility to protect and respect human rights remains a challenge for all but the some of the most advanced sustainability/CSR teams across of the top-ranking companies. Human rights issues have shot up the agenda  along with the proliferation of social media where video and photo-documentation of human rights violations are at ones fingertips. NGO pressure, consumer interest, investor burdens, regulatory intervention and new technologies are coming together to make it harder for companies to hide.

Due diligence in an age of hyper-transparency

Human rights due diligence is about the prevention of adverse impacts on people. It concerns risks to people, not risks to business. When it comes to tackling rights abuses related to business, a company does not need to go it alone. This is where the power of partnerships and collaborations kick in. A collective voice can fast track positive change if the voices are in sync. Changes will not happen overnight, but they can lead to lasting impact over time. Businesses need to be cognisant and should not underestimate the leveraging power that they have in terms of their ability to flex its corporate muscles when confronted with systemic human rights abuses that it cannot fix alone. There must be checks and balances in place not only for companies operating within India, but also for Indian companies operating outside of India through subsidiaries or joint ventures.

A win-win scenario

The NAP for India will enable both government and businesses to make clear what responsible business should look like. Hopefully then the message will not be ambiguous and will make the point that CSR is more than just charitable giving. It is important to understand that Governments have obligations, and businesses have responsibilities, and that legislation alone does not guarantee human rights. It is the implementation that matters. There to be genuine and sustained commitment on the part of the government. The implementation of the UNGPs can also contribute directly to the realisation of many SDGs for India.

Current action plans across the globe

To-date 23 national action plans (NAPs) on business and human rights that have been issued globally and 13 countries that includes India is currently taking steps to facilitate the development of national processes that would lead to the issuance of a NAP. These demonstrate government reaffirmation and expectation that business enterprises exercise human rights due diligence. While most NAPs are from countries in the West, other regions are picking up pace.

The UK Modern Slavery Act, 2015, requires companies with an annual turnover of more than 36 million to publish an annual statement disclosing the measures they have taken to eliminate modern day slavery and trafficking from their supply chain. It was a first in Europe and followed the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act of 2010. In 2017 France passed its French Corporate Duty of Vigilance Law  one of the broadest measures to date, followed by Australia with its Modern Slavery Act 2018, effective from 2019. Similar legislations are already in place in the Netherlands, US and in EU countries. Canada is tipped to be the next jurisdiction. Canadian businesses that import into Canada may soon have to report annually on the risks of forced or child labour in their supply chains. Businesses found to be importing goods produced using forced or child labour maybe banned from importing to Canada. Concerted campaigning is also underway in Hong Kong to push for an anti-slavery law. Furthermore, globally, paying a living wage, deforestation, biodiversity, fire safety, land and tax transparency are also hot topics that more companies are being asked to measure and report on.

Turning risks into opportunities

In a country like India its not just about a companys own operations and employees and the activities they directly control. For example in the garment supply chain, exporters own multiple production units and also regularly use numerous subcontractors. Then it is not just about first tier or main suppliers. It also includes the invisible members of the global supply chain and consists of women and children from Indias informal sector who are at the bottom of the employment ladder and paid miserable rates. Nevertheless the expectation on businesses today is clear. If their products or services are linked to human rights abuses, they have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to try to change that situation and set in motion an ongoing process of due diligence.

No reputable company wants the scourge of forced labour or other types of human rights violations of its workers. The same applies to a country such as India that places priority on ensuring the rule of law and combating all forms of corruption. India is clear in its intent to rid its territories of human traffickers, end child labour and sexual violence in its supply chains and ensure that its working people and others can live with dignity, respect and freedom.

The Zero Draft National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights is very much a step in the right direction. Upon its finalisation and effective implementation, the imperative will be on government and businesses to hold themselves accountable to human rights abuses that occur in their supply chains. India is uniquely placed to lead by example as the first country in South Asia to develop a NAP. The State as the economic actor needs to act on preventing rights violations as it is an inherent reflection of political will. That should never be underestimated.

The writer is an international development expert with two decades of global experience. Based in Asia, she works closely with businesses to promote corporate integrity and reinforcing effective ways to improve respect for human rights.
The party will hold its CWC meeting at the Sardar Patel Memorial and hold a prayer meeting at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram.

It will be Priyanka's debut addressing to the CWC as the newly appointed General Secretary. (Photo: PTI)

Ahmedabad: The Congress party has begun its political campaign from Gujarat, the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf Gujarat on Tuesday.

It is anticipated that the principal opposition party would chart out the political program in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar to send out a strong political message.

The Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting's venue is the Sardar Patel Memorial. Party held a prayer meeting at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Following the prayer meeting, a roadshow will be held where all the tall leaders, including party president Rahul Gandhi will ride in buses.

The meet will be attended by heavyweights of the party including Priyanka Gandhi.

It will be Priyanka's debut addressing to the CWC as the newly appointed General Secretary.

CWC is the highest decision-making body of Congress and it is after 58 years that party CWC meet will take place in Gujarat.

The day-long meeting holds significance as it comes just two days after the Election Commission announced the schedule for 2019 national elections.

It is expected that the party will chalk out the final shape of the Party's election strategy and campaign.

Congress has chosen March 12 as the date marks the anniversary of revolutionary Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Patel has indicated that he wants to contest the Lok Sabha election 2019 from the Jamnagar seat.

Hardik Patels outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, which was at the forefront of agitation for reservation benefit in government jobs and college admissions, had declared its support to the Congress party in the local body elections in 2015 and assembly polls in 2017. (Photo: File)

Ahmedabad: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined Congress in presence of its president Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi and other top leaders are in Gujarat for a meeting of its working committee.

Hardik Patels outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, which was at the forefront of agitation for reservation benefit in government jobs and college admissions, had declared its support to the Congress party in the local body elections in 2015 and assembly polls in 2017.

In 2015, the ruling BJP had called him an agent of the Congress since the beginning of the quota agitation.

Patel has indicated that he wants to contest the Lok Sabha election 2019 from the Jamnagar seat.

The Congress is focussing on Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and had given a tough fight to the ruling party in the last assembly polls in the state.
A pair of bills introduced in the Florida legislature would allow English-language learners to take state tests in their native languages, bypassing a key provision in the states Every Students Succeeds Act plan.

The state, which educates more than 300,000 English-learners in its public K-12 schools, has resisted translating its state tests into Spanish or any other language despite language in the federal education law that directs states to make every effort to do so. Dozens of states have laws or constitutional amendments on the books that establish English as their official language; several of those states, including Florida, were able to get their plans approved without adhering to that part of the law.

The issue is personal for state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Born in Colombia to a Colombian mother and Italian-American father serving in the U.S. Air Force, she lived there until she moved to Alabama at the age of 17 with very limited knowledge of English.

I actually went through the excruciating pain of being tested in English, said Taddeo, who introduced the Senate version of the bill. She represents southern Miami-Dade County in the legislature.

To this day, Taddeo said she keeps the paper with her ACT test results as a reminder that shes more than a score. She scored an 8. The highest score is 36 and the national average is about 21.

It was like a motivator for me to do more with my life and to make sure that other people didnt have to go through what I had to go through to prove my worthiness, Taddeo said.

Rep. Cindy Polo, a Democrat who represents parts of Broward and Dade counties, introduced companion legislation in the states House of Representatives.

Activists lobbied the U.S. Department of Education department for years to require that the state provide native-language testing of English-learners, but Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ultimately sided with Florida K-12 officials and their plan to meet the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Taddeos bill would allow school districts to bypass the states plan and request test translations for their English-learner students.

Native-Language Tests Are a Crutch

While Taddeo is optimistic about her bills chances, it faces several hurdles to approval, starting with leadership in the state Senate. The education committee chairman, Republican Sen. Manny Diaz, said in 2017 that he doesnt think the state should translate tests for English-learners.

It becomes a crutch for students, Diaz, a former teacher and assistant principal in the Miami-Dade schools, told Education Week.

At most, a tests directions should be translated for students, Diaz said.

Florida currently allows teachers to answer questions about directions or specific words or phrases in the students native language.

Education Week could not immediately reach Diaz for comment on Taddeos legislation.

While ESSA directs states to make every effort to develop statewide tests in students first languages if they constitute a significant portion of the student population, the law does not explicitly require the native-language assessments, which would measure students knowledge and understanding of state academic content standards in that primary language.

While research has found that using an English-learners home language in school can benefit students, Florida has adopted different approach.

In its ESSA plan, the state maintains that giving assessments to students in their native languages would impede their ability to demonstrate their knowledge of English.

English-learner advocates, including UnidosUS and the Florida chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, argued that Floridas ESSA plan bypassed the laws requirement for native-language tests.

Clearly, the state of Florida has asked for a waiver to not test, to not do what federal law says we should do, which is to test them in their native language, Taddeo said.

Florida is one of at least seven states that opted not to offer native-language assessments, with some making the argument that the costs of the tests would outweigh any potential benefits. But none of them have as many English-learners as the Sunshine State, where more than 10 percent of all K-12 students are classified as English-learners.

In certain parts of the state, including south Florida, English-learners are a much larger portion of the student population: One in four students in the Miami-Dade County school system is an ELL.

Taddeo is concerned about migrants and other English-learners who arrive in U.S. schools as teenagers and are pressured into alternative programs or GED programs or discouraged from enrolling in school altogether.

These are minors and they should be educated and they should not be sent to [these programs], but they are, many of them, Taddeo said.

Heres a copy of the state Senate version of the bill .

Related Reading

Some States With English-Only Laws Wont Offer Tests in Other Languages

Thousands of English-Learners Fall Short on Test of Language Skills

Activists to DeVos: Hold Firm and Reject Floridas ESSA Plan

Third Grade Retention of ELLs: New Research Sparks Furor

Photo Credit: Kevin Marroquin, left, who is from Honduras, looks around the ELL classroom while his classmate Deyvin Santos, from Guatemala, gets help from their teacher, Laurinda Flores. --Andrew Innerarity for Education Week
He attacked PM Modi over his 2014 promise of 'depositing' Rs 15 lakh in the account of every citizen.

These remarks were made at an election rally in Gujarats Gandhinagar after attending the Congress Working Committee meet at Ahmedabad. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Ahmedabad: While addressing a public rally in PM Modis home state, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, the institutions of the country are being attacked under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.

Gandhi said the judges of the Supreme Court are seeking justice complaining that they are not being allowed to function.

Hitting out at the Modi government, Gandhi said, In todays India the judges of the Supreme Court seek justice in front of peopleThis is not happening only with the Supreme CourtThe institutions are under attack everywhere.

First time in history, 4 Supreme Court judges went to press and said they are not allowed to work. Generally, people go to Supreme Court for justice but in todays Hindustan, SC judges are going to public and asking for justice, Gandhi said at the Jan Sankalp rally of the Congress in the Gujarat capital.

After years, CWC meeting has taken place in Gujarat. We conducted the meeting here, because theres fight between two ideologies in the country and in Gujarat you will find both the ideologies, Gandhi said.

He said that this is a fight of ideologies as on one side is hate of Godse, and on the other side is Mahatma Gandhi. The victory will be of love.

Congress chief said the government doesnt talk about the real issues. The biggest issue in the country is unemployment, which is at 45-year high but the government doesnt talk about this, he said.

He attacked PM Modi over his 2014 promise of "depositing" Rs 15 lakh in the account of every citizen.

"Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) can't be understood by our traders even today (after its was implemented nationwide last year)," he said.

"Did people get Rs 15 lakh into their bank accounts as promised by Narendra Modi?" he questioned the citizens who attended the rally.

Amid the Pulwama terror attack and air strikes by India, Gandhi said it was National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who has sent Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Massod Azhar to freedom in a "special plane". "Who sent Pulwama terror attack perpetrator Masood Azhar to Pakistan?" he asked the crowd.

"Masood Azhar was sent in a special aircraft and NSA Ajit Doval accompanied him," Gandhi answered his query for the crowd.

These remarks were made at an election rally in Gujarats Gandhinagar after attending the Congress Working Committee meet at Ahmedabad.
Hitting out at the RSS and BJP, Gandhi said they follow the ideology of 'fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness.'

This is also the first CWC meeting to be attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who took a political plunge in January. (Photo: INC India | Twitter)

Ahmedabad: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday set his partys tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections at the Congress Working Committee meeting in Gujarats Ahmedabad. Hitting out at the RSS and BJP, Gandhi said they follow the ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness.

No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won, Gandhi wrote on Twitter following the meet.

Gandhis comment comes amid talks for alliance with other parties in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are contesting Lok Sabha polls together. The Rashtriya Lok Dal is also a part of the grand-alliance.

Similarly, in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has been calling for an alliance with Congress. However, the Delhi Congress leadership is not in a favour of having an alliance.

At the CWC meet, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the party should highlight the achievements of the UPA government that was in power at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.

Attacking Prime Minister Modi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that he plays victim card but the people of this country are the real victims of his policies.

The Congress has been targeting the Modi government over various issues including demonetisation, rollout of the goods and services tax (GST), Rafale deal, agrarian distress and unemployment.

The Congress strategy meet that began this morning is the first meeting of the highest decision making body of the party to be hosted in Gujarat in almost six decades. The last CWC meeting was held in Gujarat in 1961. This is also the first CWC meeting to be attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who took a political plunge in January.
Priyanka slammed the Modi govt for not fulfilling its promises of providing jobs to crores of people in the country.

Gandhinagar: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in her debut speech at a rally in Gandhinagar, Gujarat attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by expressing her angst over the current situation in the country.

"This country is made on the foundations of love, harmony and brotherhood. Today whatever is happening in the country is very sad. Our institutions are being destroyed. Wherever you see, hatred is being spread. Nothing matters more to us that you and I protect this nation, work for it and move forward together," said Priyanka Gandhi.

In the wake of Lok Sabha polls, Priyanka Gandhi targeted the voters' sentiment stating, "Your vote is a weapon, dont get misled."

Priyanka slammed the Modi government for not fulfilling its promises of providing jobs to crores of people in the country.

Asking voters to focus on the election, Priyanka said: "You will have to think what exactly is this election. What are you going to choose in this election? You are going to choose your future. Useless issues should not be raised."

"Issues which should be raised must comprise as to what is most important for you and how can you move forward. How will youth get jobs? How will women feel safe? What will be done for farmers? These are the issues for elections. So, I request you all to vote wisely," she added.

Attacking the BJP-led Centre, Priyanka further said, "Those who talk about 'fitrat' (nature), the 'fitrat' of this country is that the winds of hate will be blown away by love."

She said that farmers and youth have worked hard to build the country and they can only protect the nation and no one else.

Priyanka's brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who joined the party on Tuesday, were among those present at the rally.

The Congress held a rally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to sound its poll bugle for the crucial Lok Sabha elections.

The CWC meeting comes days after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the 17th Lok Sabha election, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 11.

The final phase of voting will take place on May 19. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.
As Lok Sabha election dates were announced, Shiv Sena said that the party got into an alliance in Maharashtra with BJP.

'Going into the alliance our important issue was resolving the farmers woes and the BJP agreed.' (File Photo)

Mumbai: A day after the Lok Sabha election dates were announced, the Shiv Sena on Monday said that the party got into an alliance in Maharashtra with the BJP as the country needs to be taken in the right direction.

If we had not done the alliance, do you think we would not have won? We would have definitely won but we believe that the country needs to be taken in the right direction and this alliance will help in providing resolutions... Going into the alliance our important issue was resolving the farmers woes and the BJP agreed and is working well on it... Therefore, I got into this alliance as we are both benefiting with the alliance," Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said during a press conference.

Polling for the Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases starting April 11 and will conclude on May 19. The counting of votes will be on May 23.

In a joint press conference in Mumbai along with BJP president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had formally announced their alliance for the coming Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

Mr Fadnavis said that the Shiv Sena will fight on 23 seats and BJP on 25 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where 48 seats are at stake. The two parties have agreed to contest an equal number of seats in the Assembly polls.
Doval was the Intelligence Bureau chief in 1999.

New Delhi: Training its guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modis trusted national security adviser (NSA), the Congress on Tuesday cited Ajit Dovals published comments in a 2010 interview in which he justified the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar by asserting that the most-wanted terrorist didnt even know how to make a bomb or shoot straight. The party also claimed that Mr Doval had indicted the the then BJP government by calling Azhars release a political decision. Congress president Rahul Gandhi also ridiculed Mr Doval by saying that he had escorted Azhar  who was in an Indian jail and released in the IC-814 hijacking episode  to Kandahar in a special aircraft in 1999. Mr Doval was the Intelligence Bureau chief in 1999.

Azhar and two other terrorists were set free by the Vajpayee government in exchange of hostages of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in December 1999. Azhar later went on to set up the JeM, a Pakistan-based terror outfit that claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama.

An aggressive Mr Gandhi attacked the BJP at a rally in Gandhinagar saying, Explain to the country, why did you send the person who killed those 40-45 martyrs, on a special plane? Tell

the country why your government sent him to Pakistan.

Who had arrested Masood Azhar? Congress party had arrested Masood Azhar, he was kept in jail, he said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, in a tweet, said, Modi governments NSA, Ajit Doval, spills the beans and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision.

Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now, Mr Surjewala said, using the hashtag BJPLovesTerrorists.

He quoted Mr Doval as saying in an interview to a think-tank that Azhar did know how to fabricate an IED and that he was not a marksman.

The Congress leader said Mr Doval also saluted the real nationalistic policy of the Congress-UPA to tackle terror. The Manmohan Singh government came out with a categorical policy on hijacking, stating that there would be no concession and no talks in such cases, Mr Surjewala added.

The Congress two-pronged attack against the NSA came a day after the BJP latched on to Mr Gandhis reference to the JeMs chief as Masood Azhar ji. The Congress dismissed the criticism, accusing the BJP of deliberately twisting Mr Gandhis sarcastic comments.
Surf Excels Holi commercial promoting religious harmony becomes the latest victim of the Twitter trolls.

Amidst the India Australia match, Akash Ambanis wedding and the announcement of election dates, a hashtag urging people to boycott a detergent brand started trending on Twitter. The brands recently released commercial has invited the wrath of the Twitteratis who wasted no time in terming it as anti-Hindu and promoting love jihad. The minute-long commercial features a young girl, dressed in a white t-shirt, choosing to get stained in Holi colours in order to protect her young Muslim friend who has to go to a nearby mosque to pray. The advertisement ends with its classic tagline: Daag acche hain. While some twitteratis tried to question the gender selection of the kids in the film, others egged the brand to make a similar commercial based on a Muslim festival. Reacting to the criticism, noted director Vasan Bala took to Twitter and wrote, Proud to have been a part of the #SurfExcel Holi commercial. An amazing and a brave team behind this! Unfortunately to convey compassion, tolerance and love one needs to be brave these days.

This controversy comes hot on the heels of the heavy backlash against another commercial that was set in Khumbh Mela. The conglomerate had referred to Kumbh Mela as a place where old people get abandoned. This didnt go down well with many and after a furore, the company issued a statement saying, We do not intend to hurt the sentiments of people, and have modified the tweet which could have been inadvertently misconstrued.

When asked about such criticisms towards the commercials, well-known ad film director, Prahlad Kakkar, feels that its an agenda. He says, I dont think people are getting offended, I think its the fringe lunatics, that is ultra-fundamentalist. It is a body very active on Twitter and most people are not bothered to reply. Right now, the only voices that you hear are people of political leading, and they think they are going to get mileage by polarizing population through Twitter.

While trolls sitting behind the computer screen feel that its anti-Hindu, many praised the ad for its creativity. Sharing his views ad filmmaker Gaurav Panjwani says, I dont see anything wrong with this advertising film, its an apt narration of friendship and sincere effort of promoting peace via brand which is used widely in almost every home. In fact, I loved its texture, I dont see any reason for such boycott.

Although trolls dont need a reason to bash a certain post on social media, ad filmmaker Sneh Nilhani urges people to see the other side, she says, I think they could have used the content in a different way for showing unity. If theyd shown a boy goes for namaz with the Holi colours on his kurta, then this could have shown more unity and togetherness. Although Sneh personally doesnt think the ad was wrong, she feels the political situation is making people more sensitive, It might come across like this Holi colour stain is making you impure; this can be sensitive to some people because, in the present political scenario, anything is possible. I see whatever message they are trying to give through this ad may be sensitive to some people for sure, says the filmmaker.

Prahlad Kakkar

Ad filmmaker Milind Dhaimade who has made several ads for Pepsico, says, I think the group is trying to create some good values about caring and respecting each others thoughts and beliefs and thats what they are trying to associate with their brands, so whats wrong in that? Its just that few people are using this to create a ruckus and make noises. Just because someone is from other religion they are trying to make a fuss about it.

On the flip side, there are many who have gone ahead and endorsed it. While celebrities such as Vir Das, Swara Bhaskar have tweeted in favour of the ad, their voices have gotten overshadowed by the number of trolls criticising the ad. According to Prahlad, the number of trolls is not high but the people who liked the ad are not speaking up. 500 people in one million people have not liked the ad, so does it really matter? questions the director. He continues, I think its about time now before the elections, that we should either manifest it in the election and say what we think or we should turn out and have a voice. Turn out and say all you guys are talking rubbish and this is perfectly okay and legit ad. Expressing his views on the ad he says, I think it is the right message and it gives the right impression for everybody and it calls for peace and harmony and that is what we need in this country.

With inputs from Priyanka Chandani
The BJP has made steady inroads in Bengal and emerged as the main challenger to the TMC.

Kolkata: At least 10-12 new faces are likely to find a place in the Trinamul Congress candidate list for Lok Sabha polls, party sources said Monday.

The new faces will be fielded from the seats the party had won and also from those it had lost during the 2014 election, they said.

In addition, the party will also evaluate the performance of its sitting MPs, both inside Parliament and outside, before giving them a ticket, the sources said.

At present, we have 34 MPs and out of them two have been expelled and new candidates will contest from those two constituencies, a senior TMC leader said.

We will also pitch in new candidates in two other seats where celebrities are MPs at present. New faces would replace the old candidates, except for a few, in all the eight seats that the party had lost in 2014, the leader said.

The TMC, which has 34 MPs out of a total of 42 seats in the state, lost two of its lawmakers recently - Soumitra Khan of Bishnupur defected to BJP and Anupam Hazra of Bolpur was expelled for anti-party activities.

It is likely that some of the MPs would not make it to the candidate list as they have not fared well.

However, a final decision on ticket distribution would be taken by the party supremo Mamata Banerjee, the TMC leader said.

How the person has fared as a public representative and if he or she was able to take up the issues concerning people are very important.

The same applies while distributing tickets to those who lost the last time," he said.

The TMC, which is locked in a bitter political battle with the BJP in the state, is eyeing the two seats the saffron party had won in 2014  Darjeeling and Asansol.

The BJP has made steady inroads in Bengal and emerged as the main challenger to the TMC. It has set a target of winning 23 seats in the state in the Lok Sabha election scheduled to be held from April 11 to May 19.
Negotiations have been underway, with the US government pressing India to not impose such price caps.

According to US government data, Indias surplus with the worlds largest economy stood at $24.4 billion in 2016 and has been declining from $22.9 billion in 2017 to $21.3 billion in 2018. (Representational image)

The latest announcement of terminating Indias designations as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme, by Donald Trumps administration has created an atmosphere of uncertainty regarding its impact on Indian exporters to the United States. Citing reasons of non-compliance with the statutory eligibility criteria, the US government has revoked the GSP programme, which will come into effect in the next two months.

In April last year, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a review of Indias compliance with GSP eligibility criteria, following petitions from National Milk Producers Federation, US Dairy Export Council and the Advanced Medical Technology Association, which was a reaction against slashing of prices of medical devices such as coronary stents and knee implants by up to 75 per cent by the Indian Government, to make them more affordable in public interest. Following this, in November 2018, the US had partly withdrawn GSP on 50 items; including agricultural produce, leather, textiles, chemicals and others, that were worth around $70 million. Negotiations have been underway, with the US government pressing India to not impose such price caps.

Since last year, India and the US have been working on a mutually beneficial package to resolve these trade issues, and the Indian government has been more than receptive in addressing American concerns by proposing to replace the current price cap policy for coronary stents with a suitable trade margin regime.

India has also offered to simplify their certification procedures for dairy imports from the US, a positive indicator towards its inclination for continuing negotiation with US demands. But the recent announcement of withdrawal could derail the progress made so far. The US is the second biggest trading partner for India, after China. It accounts for 12 per cent of Indias exports, including exports from some of Indias major labour-intensive segments like garments, gems and jewellery, chemicals, engineering goods and so on. According to US government data, Indias surplus with the worlds largest economy stood at $24.4 billion in 2016 and has been declining from $22.9 billion in 2017 to $21.3 billion in 2018.

In fact, it must be noted that exports from the US have increased substantially from $25.7 in 2017 to $33.12 billion in 2018, showcasing a jump of approximate 29 per cent. These statistics are a clear indicator of Indias flexibility in terms of opening up its market to US goods, as opposed to the claims made by the US government in withdrawing GSP benefits

to India.

India will remain the worlds fastest-growing large economy in the coming years, generating opportunities for US businesses in sectors ranging from defence to retail and oil. The commerce ministry has said that India is a thriving market for US services and e-commerce companies like Amazon, Uber, Google and Facebook with billions of dollars in revenue. In fact, despite the price control move, American companies like Abbott and Boston Scientific dominate the medical equipment market in India, while Amazon and Uber remain the top players in their respective segments.

The Trump administration needs to consider the benefits the US, too, receives under this scheme. Approximately two-thirds of US imports under GSP currently comprise raw materials, components, or machinery and equipment used by US companies to manufacture goods for domestic consumption or for exports. GSP is especially important to American small businesses, many of which rely on the programmes duty savings to stay competitive. These benefits are real and tangible and in 2016, US importers enjoyed nearly $ 730 million in savings on import duties under it. In 2017, GSP helped American companies save $894 million in taxes. Therefore, it must be understood that GSP is, in fact, a mutually beneficial programme for both countries.

The situation calls for a two-pronged approach. There is still a window for negotiations and room to arrive at a mutually acceptable deal.
The five southern states are free of religious divisiveness as are West Bengal and Odisha in the east.

The notion that a strident anti-Islam national sentiment can co-exist with Indias geopolitical ambitions is laughable. Strident Hinduism has no future. This should be self-evident. Just look at our geography. For 4,000 km to the west, till Sub-Saharan Africa; to the northwest till Eastern Europe and to the southeast of India through Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and oil-rich Brunei, Islam is the dominant religion.

If Hindus in India wish to live as a dominant majority with scant regard for the rights of the minorities, we would box ourselves in with 4,000 km wide walls of Islamic geopolitical and religious resistance, if not an active pushback.

Sure, we could flee into the arms of China, which actively follows a policy of repression in its Muslim-dominant Xinjiang province, with scant international approbation because it can afford to compensate for its political transgressions by buying love. We could become a vassal of China and behave similarly under its geopolitical umbrella  like a gigantic Cambodia. But one wonders really how many Indians would prefer kowtowing to China, rather than bowing to the principle of peaceful co-existence of all religions, as our Constitution ordains. It is odd that nationalism is associated today with being anti-minority religions. In the Indian context, nationalism should actually mean eschewing communalism in social norms and in politics. Most Indian political parties follow this principle, including a few, which oddly are allies of the ruling BJP in the existing National Democratic Alliance, like the Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar and the Akali Dal of the Badals, as also the Telugu Desam Party and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which were part of this alliance till the BJP government backtracked on funding the development of the new state of Andhra Pradesh and set about undermining the BJD in Odisha.

The five southern states are free of religious divisiveness as are West Bengal and Odisha in the east. Strident anti-Islamic sentiment is concentrated in central and northern India  the heart of the erstwhile Mughal Empire and western India, which was most exposed to loot and plunder. The bitterness of the 1947 Partition embellished this anti-Islamic sentiment, as more than three million Hindu refugees, from what is todays Islamic Pakistan, spread out in this contiguous region and grew roots. But not all is gloom and doom. First, economic development has provided incentives for communal harmony. Consider the evidence. The five states and one Union territory of southern India have Hindu populations in the high 80 per cent range, except Kerala where it is 55 per cent (2011 census) and yet, they remain communally tranquil. With a share of 21 per cent in national population they are 59 per cent richer (2015-16 per capita state income) than communally restive states.

It is not just the South which remains free of communalism. Eleven states including the southern states, Punjab, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya and three Union territories comprising 35 per cent of the national population are 35 per cent richer than the communally sensitive states. This shows that mere proximity to Islamic countries  Punjab to Pakistan in the west and West Bengal to Bangladesh in the east  does not sufficiently explain why societies become communally charged, unlike in the isolated case of Jammu & Kashmir. A more granular district-wise analysis can throw additional light on the true drivers of communal tension, beyond the empty rhetoric of a frustrated Hindu population hitting back against appeasement of Muslims by the Congress, which was a default electoral option for the marginalised pre-1990, when the Grand Old Party was a national party.

Second, it is simply inconceivable that India can be a credible regional power, in transition mode to great power status, without carrying 20 per cent of its non-Hindu population along together. A considerable segment of even the Hindu population  dalits, tribal communities and the backward castes  do not buy into the sanskritisation principle, that all Hindus gain from the caste-based, hierarchical framework of the Varna system. Explanation 1 and 2 to Article 25 of the Constitution graciously clubs Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains within the generic classification of Hindus. Neither Muslims nor Christians are thus included. But it is unclear, in the present context, whether Buddhists and Sikhs wish to submerge their religious identity with Hindus. The communal violence between Hindu and Sikh communities in Punjab during the Khalistan movement of the early 1980s; the subsequent butchering of Sikhs by politically-motivated, predominantly Hindu mobs in 1984, are all reminders that minorities are wary of politically charged, dominant community oppression.

India cannot escape its diverse society. Economic development can reduce the incentive for politically motivated mob fury and violence over time. But this trickle-down approach is not a near-term solution. Proactive initiatives are needed to bind all religions into a common civil code through incentives like universal affirmative action and social protection, linked to all faiths buying into the code.

Customary practices contrary to our constitutional principles must be eschewed. Outlawing the Islamic practice of divorce by triple talaq is a progressive initiative of the Narendra Modi government. But it gets a communal twist because it criminalises the delinquent husband rather than merely penalising him for a civil wrong.

We must also amend our electoral laws to make elections, and therefore governments, more representative of broad support (at least 51 per cent of the total number in the voters list) rather than the existing first-past-the-post system which incentivises political gaming via stage-managed multiple contests and the splintering of the voteshare.

Why is the BJP so unsure of its solid development credentials going into the 2019 elections? Possibly it has succumbed to the fallacy that all will be lost if it doesnt eliminate all opposition  a democratic anomaly. The resultant panic is making the party do everything which has failed in the past. Remember India Shining and the adverse public reaction to the branding and outreach overkill in 2004? It is back to the future this time around.
The interim Budget was friendly to the middle class too.

For the parliamentary elections of 2014, the then Gujarat chief minister, the BJPs prime ministerial nominee, criss-crossed India and addressed more election rallies than all his rivals and left no one in doubt that he was seeking votes in his own name. That was crystal clear from the screaming tagline: Abki Bar Modi Sarkar! Only once, by accident or some design, a tagline appeared on the BJP website: Abki Bar, BJP Sarkar; and it was removed within a couple of hours! While lakhs of disciplined and dedicated swayamsevaks of the RSS did extensive spadework across the country and the BJP ran an aggressive, efficient, imaginative, tech-savvy, well-oiled presidential-style election campaign, Narendra Damodar Modi was its mascot; the clear and comfortable majority which the BJP romped home in Parliament proved that its strategy worked superbly.

One of the refrains of the Congress, which suffered its worst election defeat since 1952, was that its government didnt publicise well its good work nor forcefully claimed credit for the numerous people-friendly and game-changing initiatives it had undertaken. Though there is some grain of truth in this assessment, the Congress would have still lost as, on the eve of the 2014 parliamentary election, thanks to the BJPs relentless campaign, the CAGs much-publicised negative reports and a series of Supreme Court verdicts, the UPA-2 government led by Dr Manmohan Singh was seen by the general public to be deeply steeped in corruption. Besides, it looked totally at sea; rudderless and clueless about handling complex issues; it was too busy in surviving from one crisis to another; its PM was a captain without control over his team!

For the forthcoming parliamentary election next month, the BJP faces no such phenomenon  Mr Modi remains its match-wining mascot; the unquestioned badshah who sets the tone of the election campaign with his unmatched oratory and never shies away from taking credit for all what has been done by his government. Until the election schedule was announced by the Election Commission on Sunday, newspapers were carrying daily full-page advertisements of key ministries listing a whole series of important decisions taken and projects completed with impressive statistics with a big picture of the Prime Minister at the top. Some months back, in such advertisements, a small picture of the concerned minister was also shown along with PMs big picture; now it has totally disappeared irrespective of how senior the concerned minister might be. It was most noticeable recently when a full-page advertisement of the MEA claimed that the number of the Passport Issuing Centres had jumped from 200 in 2014 to 2,000 by 2019 but the picture of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was conspicuous by its absence; instead, it carried a big picture of the PM at the top!

In the BJPs electoral calculations, for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, ministers dont matter; it hopes to win the election on the strength of the charisma and performance of Prime Minister Modi alone. And Mr Modis winning formula is the blitzkrieg: Namumkin Bhi Ab Mumkin Hai  or, even the impossible is possible now!

He seems unperturbed by Rahul Gandhis strident barb  Chowkidar Chor Hai  about the alleged corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal and the constant criticism from different parties about agrarian distress, the lack of jobs, the continuing negative aftereffects of demonetisation and the teething problems of the implementation of GST, the lacklustre performance of the economy and media headlines and heated TV debates about NPAs and economic fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Mr Modi believes that several provisions of the interim Budget, particularly the direct credit of Rs 6,000 per annum to a certain category of farmers, will get him farmers votes and the salaried classes might rally around him thanks to tax benefits. He believes countless socially inclusive and people-friendly schemes: the Jan Dhan Yojana, the Saubhagya, the Ujjawala, Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan, even if not implemented 100 per cent, have generated enough goodwill among the disadvantaged sections of society to nudge them to vote for the BJP. The interim Budget was friendly to the middle class too. Though domestic investment hasnt picked up as expected, the enactment of the bankruptcy and insolvency law and the jump on the list of the Ease of Doing Business Index from 142 to 100 are positive achievements. Besides, though the economy slowed down a bit in the last two quarters, it still remains the fastest growing economy in the world. So, India Inc. cant be terribly unhappy with Mr Modi.

He has done rather well in the conduct of foreign policy notwithstanding some negative developments in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan. With a slew of India-specific policies  Make in India, Digital India, Startup India, Standup India and smart cities  Mr Modi emerged as a pro-development, pro-growth strong and a resolute leader of India who could hold his own at the global and regional summits; he has forged productive personal relationships with US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump; Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Amazingly, he has developed a warm rapport with the rich and successful Indian diaspora with his nationalistic rhetoric and his rockstar-like buzz-creating ability.

Yes, media reports about alleged cronyism, attacks on various institutions and independent-minded media houses, divisive, aggressive and intimidating actions of proponents of Hindutva, controversies about lynchings, cow vigilantism and beef-eating and the disdainful dismissal of contrarian views and thuggish trolling of the governments opponents on the social media arent non-issues. But the resulting undercurrent of disenchantment hasnt resulted in a strong anti-Modi wave as was the case against Indira Gandhi in1977.

Obviously, Rahul Gandhi has overcome his fear of Mr Modi and metamorphosed into an aggressive leader; he fires corruption charges against Mr Modi like the sixers of Virat Kohli! But will Rafale allegations get him votes in rural India? He needs to offer some more attractive economic packages to farmers for their votes than simply offering loan waivers. Ironically, by not forging electoral alliances with the Samajwadi Party and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, Trinamul Congress in West Bengal and the AAP in Delhi, he is brightening the BJPs prospects! Above all, the recent airstrike at Balakot and subsequent handling of the tensions with Pakistan might have shifted around two per cent of votes in favour of Mr Modi.

Rahul Gandhi has to realise that putting up a common candidate against the BJP is the only game in town to defeat Mr Modi and the BJP. Otherwise, Ek Bar Phir, Modi Sarkar looks like a certainty.

The writer is a retired Indian diplomat
Earlier this week, Jay Greene and I released a new study at Education Next. We reported that, contrary to conventional wisdomwhich holds that school reform is a right-wing movement, or perhaps a centrist one"school reformers are overwhelmingly left-leaning. In fact, 87 percent or more of the political contributions made over the last decade by staff at leading school reform organizations went to Democratic candidates and causes.

We examined the political campaign contributions made by individuals working in 267 education reform organizations which receive support from either the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or the Walton Family Foundation. We found that 99 percent of the 2,600 contributions made by employees at Gates grantees and 87 percent of the 3,900 made by employees at Walton grantees were directed to Democrats. In other words, its safe to say that, over the past decade, the leading school reform organizations are about as blue as Hollywood or a university humanities faculty.

As you might imagine, a number of questions have been raised about what this meansor whether it means anything at all. Ill offer a few thoughts on that.

First off, lets be clear about two big things that the paper doesnt address. One is that Jay and I dont claim to know why school reform has become so blue or who is responsible. Were just describing where things stand. The second is that we dont know what, if anything, can be done about all this.

I do, however, want to offer a few words in response to all those whove shrugged and said, Well, good riddance to those Republicans. Theyre all a bunch of deplorables, anyway. Without trying here to rebut a charge that I find ridiculous, its worth trying to clarify just why reforms progressive uniformity is a practical problem for school improvement. After all, changing education policy or practice is tough sledding even with bipartisan supportin Washington, and in most states, its a nonstarter without that kind of coalition. For an example of just how much such coalitions matter, especially in a polarized nation, one only need look at criminal justice reform, where a web of once-stalled efforts to reshape policies and practices have taken off due to a broad array of committed supporters on right and left.

Indeed, I think reformers generally fail to appreciate how much their struggles of the past decade (with the Common Core, teacher evaluation, testing, and more) have been aggravated by lukewarm supportor even outright oppositionin red America, due largely to the fact that reform efforts havent been informed in recent years by conservative views or values.

Okay, Ill pause a moment while readers roll their eyes and sputter, But Rick, thats ridiculous! These are conservative ideas, or at least theyre ideas that conservatives love!!

My response: Conservatives love testing? Really? Not necessarily. George W. Bush certainly liked and likes testing. The U.S. Chamber and the Business Roundtable like testing. But lots of small town, rural, and suburban Republicans have long been meh on testing. They like the idea of schools being accountable, but they worry about privacy and classrooms disrupted by the schemings of far-off eggheads. Over the past decade, as those concerns boiled, Republicans found few reformers willing or able to allay them. Rather, advocates increasingly argued that testing was needed to allow bureaucrats in state capitals or Washington to provide race-conscious oversight. Its hard to think of a tack less likely to reassure Republican skeptics.

Conservatives love teacher evaluation systems? Ummm . . . Generally speaking, are Republicans big fans of having state government adopt one-size-fits-all systems for evaluating people? I dont think so. Sure, conservatives mostly distrust teacher unions and like the idea of public employees being held accountable. But, again, those red arguments tended to get lost amidst blue-centric talking points which seemed designed to demonize suburban communities and favor bureaucratic, race-conscious strategies promising to redistribute effective teachers out of middle-class schools. Again, this doesnt seem like a great playbook for wooing Republican support.

The absence of red America has meant that Republican concerns are easily ignored, mocked, or translated by progressives who trust that they can get all the Republican input they need from a focus group (which can lead to reformers to talk in caricatures while telling one another that this is what those guys want to hear). I suspect that a movement with a vibrant right flank would have thought about its work differently, developed different proposals, talked about its agenda differently, and had more success with a broader array of allies.

In the end, I think this all matters a lot. As I observed a couple years ago in Letters to a Young Education Reformer :

Principled bipartisanship has a critical role to play in school reform. That's because schooling is a complex, personal enterprise in which it matters immensely whether parents in a given community trust reformers and how reform is handled. If improving schools was like fighting to abolish the death penaltywhere victory is cut-and-driedthen bipartisanship would matter less. Advocates could just worry about winning votes or swaying judges. After all, if the death penalty is abolished, that's it. One side wins. Story over. But school reform is different. It's not enough for school reformers to win a policy fight; they need the kind of broad support that sustains change. The success of school reform rests on thousands of actions taken by educators, community leaders, and officials in schools, systems, and states."

In the end, while Hollywood may click along cheerfully in its blue bubble, I dont think school reformers can say the same.
Other potential investors could include automakers that now make cars for Waymo - Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar

Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co have also been in discussions over how much the German automaker will invest in the No. 2 US automakers self-driving vehicle unit.

Alphabet Incs self-driving car division, Waymo, has been seeking financing from outside investors such as European automakers Volkswagen AG, The Information reported on Monday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the situation.

Aside from Volkswagen, other potential investors could include automakers that now make cars for Waymo - Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar, the technology website reported.

Alphabet could not be immediately reached for comment on the report.

Reuters reported last month that Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co have also been in discussions over how much the German automaker will invest in the No. 2 US automakers self-driving vehicle unit.
The lawsuit claims the hackers scraped public profile information and non-publicly viewable list of friends.

The lawsuit filed by the social networking giant accuses some of the malicious. (Photo: AP)

The lawsuit filed by the social networking giant accuses some of the malicious.

However, they would direct users to install web browser extensions, giving hackers access to users.

The lawsuit claims the hackers scraped public profile information and non-publicly viewable list of friends, along with serving users ads instead of official
Nvidia bought Mellanox to help stitch those servers together into one giant computer.

Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, now also provides chips to speed up artificial intelligence tasks such as teaching servers to recognise images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers together inside the data centre.

US chip supplier Nvidia Corp has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp in a deal that would help the firm boost its data centre and artificial intelligence business.

The all-cash offer of $125 per share represents a premium of 14 percent to Mellanoxs closing price on Friday. Mellanox shares rose 8.2 percent to $118.35 and Nvidia shares gained 7 percent to $161.23 on Monday.

Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, now also provides chips to speed up artificial intelligence tasks such as teaching servers to recognise images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers together inside the data centre.

Nvidia bought Mellanox to help stitch those servers together into one giant computer, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang told Reuters in an interview.

We want to double down on data centres, he said.

Nvidia gets about a quarter of its revenue from data centres, with the $2.9 billion in sales in 2018 from the segment growing 52 percent year over year. The segment is important as a slowdown in China and a fading cryptocurrency craze have started to weigh on Nvidias overall sales in recent quarters.

Nvidia said it believes that market for it and Mellanox is worth about $60 billion: $50 billion for Nvidias computing chips and $11 billion for Mellanoxs high-speed networking chips.

The move could bolster Nvidia against its chief rival in the data centre business, Intel. Known for its computing chips, Intel has steadily added other chips for memory and networking in order to grab a bigger slice of customer spending.

Its hard to not think Nvidia is just buying some revenue to help its case in the data centre space, said Jason Carolan, chief innovation officer of Flexential, which operates data centres for big businesses and is a Nvidia customer. Its about market share in a segment theyre already in, he said.

The tie-up also builds on efforts at Nvidia and Mellanox to get out of the cutthroat business of selling chips and into the more profitable business of selling complete systems, said Bob Wheeler, a principal analyst at chip research firm The Linley Group.

Nvidias DGX system is an artificial intelligence computer in a box, while Mellanox has a growing business selling complete switches, which could be combined with Nvidias boxes, Wheeler said.

TIMING

The deal follows a competitive bidding process which according to sources familiar with the matter, included rival chipmakers such as Intel and Xilinx Inc. Mellanox will pay a $350 million termination fee to Nvidia if it accepts a rival offer.

Reuters reported about the deal on Sunday. Intel declined to comment on whether the company had bid for Mellanox, while Xilinx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deal is expected to close by the end of 2019. It could, however, face some regulatory hurdles in China, where Mellanox has major customers such as Alibaba and Baidu. In the wake of its trade row with the United States, China has previously moved to thwart non-Chinese chip M&A deals.

Chinese regulators may require Nvidia to promise that Mellanoxs technology will continue to work with chips from other makers, said Aaron Glick, a strategist with Cowen Inc.

Theyre in the networking business, and networks are interoperable. Were going to keep it interoperable, Nvidias CEO told Reuters in response to questions about regulatory approvals. Both of our companies are focused on high performance computing, but neither of our companies have a giant position.

Credit Suisse and JP Morgan advised Mellanox, while Goldman Sachs advised Nvidia. Jones Day was Nvidias legal adviser while Mellanoxs lawyers were Latham & Watkins, LLP and Herzog Fox & Neeman.
Google and Intel will testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss consumer controls and opt-ins.

The committees hearing will examine the impact on competition and innovation regarding the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Privacy lawyers for technology giants Google and Intel will testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to discuss consumer controls and opt-ins, the panel said in a statement released on Monday.

The committees hearing will examine the impact on competition and innovation regarding the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it said.
Use of untrusted vendors in allies networks could raise questions about the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive communications.

US officials have grown increasingly exasperated about what they see as Germanys naivety about potential Chinese security threats.

The US Embassy in Berlin said on Monday that use of untrusted vendors by allies in their 5G mobile networks could jeopardize future sharing of intelligence by the US government.

An embassy spokesman declined to comment specifically on a Wall Street Journal report about the US governments first explicit warning to Germany of consequences if Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. gets a role in Germanys next-generation mobile infrastructure.

But he said the use of untrusted vendors in allies networks could raise questions about the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive communications within a country, and between that country and its allies.

This could in the future jeopardize nimble cooperation and some sharing of information, the spokesman said. We are engaging intensively with our allies on how to secure our telecommunications networks to ensure continued interoperability.

US Ambassador Richard Grenell issued the warning in a letter to German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier dated Friday, the Journal reported.

A spokesman for Altmaier said a letter had been received from the embassy, and the ministry would respond in a timely manner. The letter is being evaluated, the spokesman said, although he declined to provide any details about its contents.

Altmaier told a television talk show on Thursday that Germany did not want to ban Huawei but would change its laws to ensure all components used in the 5G networks are secure.

The legal changes are still being finalised within Germanys ruling coalition, the ministry spokesman said.

In his letter, Grenell said that Chinese companies, under Chinese law, can be required to support Chinas security agencies and that inspections of Huawei software could not ensure there were no vulnerabilities, the newspaper said.

The battle with Huawei is one of many conflicts in Washingtons disputes with China, but it is also exacerbating tensions in US-German ties that are strained over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and trade.

The United States and China spent most of 2018 slapping import tariffs on billions of dollars worth of each others goods. The year ended with the arrest of Huaweis chief financial officer in Canada at US request, to the consternation of China.

US officials have grown increasingly exasperated about what they see as Germanys naivety about potential Chinese security threats.
Such an assurance was given by the Pakistani FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a call with the US National Security Adviser, John Bolton.

Bolton's call with Qureshi came during the ongoing visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. (File Photo)

Washington: Pakistan has assured the United States that it will deal firmly with all terrorists and take steps to de-escalate tensions with India, a top White House official said Monday.

Such an assurance was given by the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a call with the US National Security Adviser, John Bolton, the latter said in a tweet.

"Spoke with Pakistani FM Qureshi to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan," Bolton said. "The FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to de-escalate tensions with India," tweeted the US national security advisor.

Spoke with Pakistani FM Qureshi to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan. The FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to deescalate tensions with India.  John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) March 11, 2019

Bolton's call with Qureshi came during the ongoing visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

On the first day of his official visit, the top Indian diplomat met the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The United States continued to maintain pressure on Pakistan, according to a readout of the meeting issued by the State Department.

"Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Secretary Gokhale discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the (Pulwama) attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil,"

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said. Pompeo affirmed that the United States stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism, he said.

"They noted the strength of our partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counterterrorism," Palladino said.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured Indian pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1.
Christian churches and Muslim groups held a joint protest. Protesters carried banners against the mixing of politics and religion. They call on parties taking part in the upcoming general election to protect outcastes who converted to Christianity.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  Hundreds of Christian and Muslim Dalits took to the streets of the Indian capital this morning, marching side by side, to call on the government to consider us citizens equal to all the others", said Fr Z Devasagayaraj, national secretary of the Office for Dalits and Disadvantaged Castes of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

We were about 1000 people, he told AsiaNews. We are making an appeal to all parties ahead of the next general election, which we will also send in writing.

It is an injustice that Christian and Muslim Dalits are not included in the special programmes reserved for disadvantaged groups of other religions. It is even more absurd that if they convert to Hinduism, Christians will once again have these privileges.

The rally, he noted, "was an ecumenical protest. We had the support of all Christian Churches, Catholics and Protestants together. With us, Muslim Dalit leaders also spoken out. Muslims suffer the same discrimination and exclusion that we have been suffering for centuries. It's a shame!"

The rally took place from 10 am to 4 pm (local time) at the Jantar Mantar complex. Four Catholic bishops were present as were members of the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC), an umbrella organisation for various Dalit Christian group; the National Council of Churches in India (Protestants and Orthodox); and the Muslim All India Jamiat Ul- Hawareen (AIJH).

Protesters carried banners that read "Enough with the mixing of politics and religion".

From a legal point of view, Christian Dalits are excluded from the benefits granted to the outcastes of other religious groups in terms of quotas in education, jobs and politics.

Under the constitution, a quota system was established to correct discriminatory practices based on caste membership. Historically, the high castes allowed the Dalits only to work in menial and often degrading jobs.

A presidential order in 1950 was issued to implement an affirmative action policy but did however include former Christian and Muslim untouchables.

In light of this, the Indian Church has always protested against this exclusion of converts to Christianity and has fought to see the right to study and work extended to the poorest groups in society. In February, the bishops reiterated the urgency to implement programmes aimed at outcastes.

Fr Devasagayaraj notes that "Discrimination against former Christian untouchables goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, against the Indian Constitution, which states that all citizens are equal, and against international treaties that affirm freedom of religion."

According to the Catholic leader, the government must say no "once and to discrimination, economic deprivation, educational backwardness and denied access to politics."

(Photo courtesy: Dalit Christians CBCI)
Water shortages have been reported in 16 Cambodian provinces. El Nino is behind higher-than-average temperatures. About 75 per cent of Cambodia is farmland, devoted mostly to growing rice. The authorities hand out fertiliser and water to affected communities.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews)  Cambodian rice farmers should refrain from planting crops because of a drought and record high temperatures. The cause is this years El Nino with temperatures expected to peak in April and May, warned Neth Pheaktra, spokesman and secretary of state for the Cambodian Environment Ministry.

Communities in 16 provinces around the Kingdom have reported water shortages due to higher than average temperatures  a stark reality in a nation more used to dealing with floods than droughts.

A tributary of the Tonle Sap River in Kampong Thom province has dried out. As a result, a local rice farmer said he had been relying on eating lotus roots to survive.

About 75 per cent of the countrys farmland is devoted to growing rice. Cambodia exports about three per cent of the worlds supply, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

Pheaktra said his office, in conjunction with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, has been distributing fertiliser and water to communities hit by drought.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), which manages the river and its sustainable development along with its member states (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), said that it was ready to help Cambodia.

Temperatures in Cambodia will reach 40-42 Celsius between April and May this year, said Pheaktra. Higher temperatures associated with El Nino can lead to forest fires and water shortages, he added.

Despite heightened concerns, climatologists do not expect this year's drought to be as bad as the one that hit the country in 2016.

Speaking about the latter, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called it was the worst natural disaster to hit Cambodia in 100 years.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Robert Hadi will lead the association for the 2019-2022 period, continuing in the footsteps of Ferdinandus Ferry Jusuf. Some 56 people from 11 ecclesiastical districts were present at the event. Archbishop Subianto calls for attention to neighbours and local communities" and love for others.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Robert Hadi, the newly elected president of the Association of Catholic professionals and business people of Indonesia (Profesional Dan Usahawan Katolik, PUKAT), told AsiaNews that spirit, organisation and synergy "are not concepts, but actions".

Founded 31 years ago and present in 21 dioceses of the country, PUKAT held its third national conference (Konvenas Pukat) in Bandung, capital of West Java province, with the participation of 56 people from 11 ecclesiastical districts. Two professionals from neighbouring Thailand were also present.

Members elected their new president. Robert Hadi will lead the group for the coming three-year period (2019-2022), following in the footsteps of Ferdinandus Ferry Jusuf.

"The conferences goal was to raise the morale of its members and lay the foundations for greater collaboration to improve the quality of our work," Hadi said.

PUKAT regional chapters implement programmes and undertake initiatives according to the needs of their respective diocese.

"For this reason, it is clear to everyone that coordination and cooperation are urgent matters. In this regard, we have identified nine emergencies, which we must address as soon as possible, Hadi added.

Mgr Antonius Franciskus Subianto Bunyamin, bishop of Bandung and general secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI), attended the meeting.

The prelate urged participants to pay particular attention to their "neighbours and local communities".

"You are called to love Jesus Christ and the Church more than anything else," he said. But if you love them, then you must have compassion for others."
Xu Xiaohong, president of the National Commission of the Three Self Patriotic Movement speaks at the Political Consultative Conference: "Many believers lack a true national conscience. That's why we say 'one more Christian, one less Chinese'. We fight foreign infiltration".

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Christianity in China "must face its sinization with greater commitment, according to the dictates of President Xi Jinping, and must fight against foreign influences that want to subvert the state through faith".

This was stated by Xu Xiaohong, president of the National Commission of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, during a session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPCPC). The Movement is the administrative body - created by Mao Zedong  of an umbrella group for the official Protestant Christians.

Instead, the CPPCC brings together all representatives of civil society (including religious ones) to offer advice to the NPC and the Party on how to improve its policies, but in reality it tends to subject civil society to Party decisions.

The synicization referred to by Xu is the campaign launched by the supreme Chinese leader against the five official religions of the country (Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Taoism and Buddhism). According to Xi Jinping, these faiths could become instruments of ethnic separatism or foreign interference in the internal affairs of the country.

In recent times, added the official Protestant leader, "In modern times, Christianity was spread widely to China along with the colonial invasion of Western powers, and was therefore called a foreign religion. It must be said that some faithful lack a true national conscience. That's why we say 'another Christian, one less Chinese'. Among the heaviest problems we have to face are the infiltration of foreign forces and illegal prayer meetings".

Shen Bin, vice president of the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics, also attended the political conference meetings. According to the official, "Catholicism has faced ups and downs in the country due to some local churches, which have failed to implement the principles of independence and self-management and have not integrated with Chinese culture".
Annapolis, Md.

Thousands of educators and parents clad in red marched through the Maryland state capital on Monday evening, waving protest signs with slogans like, The Time Is Now, Fund Our Schools, and Schools Just Want to Have Funds.

The purpose of the march, estimated to be the largest in downtown Annapolis in nearly a decade, was to urge legislators to increase school funding by $325 million for fiscal year 2020 and by $750 million in fiscal year 2021. That proposalwhich has been introduced by Democratic leaders in the state House would include money to provide a 1.5 percent average teacher pay raise and expand services for at-risk learners. These are recommendations from a statewide commission studying how to best improve Marylands public schools.

Teachers and parents marching said they cant wait any longer for an investment into schools. They pointed to stagnant pay, dilapidated school buildings, unwieldy class sizes, and a lack of mental health resources for at-risk students.

Were trying to do the best we can, but Im sick of being told theres no money, said Josh Halpren, an 8th grade U.S. history teacher in Silver Spring, Md.

He teaches in a school building that was built in 1951 and hasnt been renovated since the 1970s. Its falling apart, he said, with classroom doors that dont lock, finicky air conditioning units, and instances of sewage backing up in the hallway.

Erika Meijer, a middle school health teacher in Prince Georges County, said she had to wait two years to get five lightbulbs replaced in her classroom. Her colleague Patrick Wilborn, a 9th grade U.S. history teacher in the county, said he had to wait four or five months to get a new projectorand the replacement was a used projector that was five years older.

We dont have basic resources ... for our students to have what they need, Meijer said.

Maryland spends $13,075 per student, according to an Education Week Research Center analysis adjusted for regional differences. Thats slightly above the national average of about $12,500.

Still, educators say school spending varies widely by counties. And according to a 2016 study by consultants to Marylands education department, public schools in the state are annually underfunded by $2.9 billion. The consultants calculated that amount by asking Maryland educators what they would need to help their students achieve, and then studying how much those strategies would cost.

Many teachers pointed to the need for more school counselors, saying that students today require more trauma-informed services and social supports. Kendra Lee, a counselor in Howard County, said she and one other counselor serve 715 students at their school. Its not enough, she said, and is much higher than the 250-to-1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

With additional counselors at school, Lee said she would be able to give more students individual attention, and be less reactive and more proactive.

Reducing class sizes was another rallying cry for teachers. Chris Wilhelm, an English-as-a-second language teacher, said some of his colleagues have upwards of 30 students in a class, and teach several classes a day. That makes it nearly impossible to build meaningful relationships, he said.

Every year, were fighting to make sure our classes are small enough to give kids the attention they need, he said.

Higher Teacher Pay

Teachers were also marching for higher wages. The average teacher salary in Maryland is $68,357, according to the National Education Association . Thats higher than the national average of $59,660.

But Melanie Conopask and Tilly Coyle, teachers in Anne Arundel County, said their district froze teacher pay during the Great Recession in 2008. Since then, the district has not funded step increases to bring veteran teachers up to where they should be on the pay scale.

Conopask said teachers are leaving the county or the profession altogether. And Coyle added that members of her schools staff couldnt attend the evening march because they were working another job.

Katherine Luettgen, a music teacher at an early childhood education center for students with special needs in Prince Georges County, said she has five side jobs, in addition to teaching and going to graduate school. Her husband is also a special education teacher.

Its hard to live and teach in Maryland, she said. We love to teach, but we worry: Is it sustainable? We feel like we spend all day with other peoples children, but can we afford to have our own?

She said theyve both considered leaving the profession.

Shae Savoy, a high school English and creative writing teacher in Baltimore County, said she has two masters degrees and still barely makes enough to pay her bills some months. She held a sign at the march that said, Damn those rich teachers and their 98 Camrys.

Seeing thousands of teachers clamoring for more resources feels exhilarating, Savoy said.

Theres no way we can be stopped if we stand in solidarity, she said, adding that it feels like Maryland teachers are on the precipice of great change.

See also: Where Have There Been Teacher Strikes and Protests? (Map)

This is the first large-scale protest by Maryland teachers in a year of nationwide teacher activism. Cheryl Bost, the president of the Maryland State Education Association, said she doesnt see a statewide work stoppage or strike on the radar here. Right now, she said, legislators seem receptive to making an increased investment in public education. One of the goals of Mondays march, she said, was to put pressure on Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

About 1,500 miles away in Texas, teachers rallied at the state Capitol for increased school funding on Monday, too. The protest was part of the American Federation of Teachers campaign Fund Our Future, which is calling for increased federal and state investment in public education. Most schools were closed for spring break, so it was not a work stoppage. (While the Maryland rally was organized separately from the Fund Our Future campaign, AFT does represent a few local unions in the state, including the Baltimore Teachers Union.)

However, last week, at least four school districts in Kentuckyincluding the states largestwere forced to close because of a high volume of teachers calling in sick to protest several education-related bills at the legislature. That was the third time this spring that Kentucky districts have had to close because of an orchestrated sick-out.

Marietta English, the president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, said educators across Maryland have been inspired by the Red For Ed movement around the country. Teachers are ready to fight for what they need, and for what their students need, she said.

We think its our time. Its our time for our voices to be heard, she said. We have been silent for some time.

Images by Kaitlyn Dolan/Education Week
by Melani Manel Perera

The sacristan lives in a fishing village near the Mahawilachchiya Reservoir. Every day she rings the bell of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church to call the faithful to pray. In May, she carries a small statue of the Our Lady from house to house.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Our Lady of Perpetual Aid Church is located in Randuuwa, a small fishing village in Sri Lankas North Central province. Lucy Theresa Fernando has been its sacristan for 40 years.

Serving the parish "and our blessed Mother makes me so proud that I will do it until my last breath," she said to AsiaNews as she talked about her daily life and its simple tasks.

"I cannot forget the blessings I received from Mary, she explained. This is why I cannot avoid giving my life to our church.

Lucy Theresa is 69 and one of the local elders. Her village, which is near the Mahawilachchiya Reservoir, is home to 25 Catholic families and 15 from other religions.

She says that residents live in an atmosphere of peace and harmony and devotion to Our Lady of perpetual help is what unites them. Thanks to her intercession, "many blessings take place," she said. She is a living witness of these "miracles".

"I spent many years without [the capacity to] smell. I took several medicines, but they did nothing. The only cure was the great love of the Mother, to whom I prayed diligently for many months. Thanks to her, my nephew also found a job and now he is happy.

The sacristan leads a humble life, in a small house next to the parish church. "Every day I arrange the altar, I ring the church bell to summon the faithful, and keep everything clean with the help of some parishioners."

Her tasks include reciting the Rosary and litanies. In May (month dedicated to Our Lady), in the village I carry a small statue of Mary from house to house and pray the Rosary together with the families."

"If we entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, we will not be in any danger.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Patriarchate spokesman Aleksandr Volkov warns the faithful against " mutual forgiveness ", a Lenten gesture, via social media and text messages. In April, the government plans to suspend the global Internet to avoid fake news. Large demonstrations in many Russian cities: "Russia is not Iran or North Korea: we are part of the civilized world".

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Yesterday, March 11, Lent began according to the liturgical calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, which will lead to the Easter celebration on Sunday April 28, a week after the Catholic and other Churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

On Sunday 10 March, at the end of the week of "fats" (maslenitsa, the last one in which fatty foods are allowed), the rite of "mutual forgiveness" was held, when the Church invites everyone to ask for forgiveness from others before fasting for their sins.

This rite, which provides for an explicit act of contrition and a gesture of peace to be exchanged with others, has contributed to fueling a controversy that is shaking the entire nation, with regards to the internet and the IT: through Patriarchate spokesman Aleksandr Volkov , the Orthodox Church warned the faithful to avoid the "exchange of forgiveness" via social media and text messages.

The communique states that "the sending of images and devout drawings seasoned with pre-packaged phrases, such as I forgive you and you forgive me, has nothing in common with the authentic sense of forgiveness".

The Church tradition includes visiting the tomb of loved ones at the cemetery, then going to church and exchanging the request for forgiveness and peace, as an "indispensable condition for entering the Lenten journey". There is no need to send a message to all the contacts on your list, said Volkov, but you have to "look for the people who are really dear, relatives and friends. It is not a question of quantity, as if forgiveness were a like, but of quality: if we can really forgive at least one person, it will be a big step in Lenten conversion ".

The patriarchal war against virtual relations is part of a heated climate due to parliamentary decisions in recent weeks, which could lead to a blocking of the international internet network in April, and to the control measures against fake news, which have provoked protests and street demonstrations.

The website Ekaterinburg TochkaNews launched a provocative appeal, referring to of Parliament Speaker, Vjaceslav Volodins recommendations to control information during the Easter period, to avoid "false interpretations" of the Christian holiday.

The agency asked Volodin the question "Can you prove that Christ's resurrection is not a fake? How would you explain this event in the media, without incurring penalties? ". The director of Novaja Gazeta Dmitrij Fomintsev commented in turn that, according to the new provisions, journalists cannot talk about the central mystery of the Christian faith, without breaking the rules. This because the rules would ban any reporting of news that is not supported by clearly demonstrable facts . For now, no response has been forthcoming from the Duma on the "Easter" provocations.

The measure against the fake news was approved in parliament at first reading, with a text signed by the deputy Andrej Klishas, who believes media could be "blocked" in the event of the dissemination of news that lead to "threats that have harmful consequences on the life and health of citizens, and violations of public order . There would be fines and censorship measures.

Demonstrations have taken place in various Russian cities, both authorized and unauthorized (see photo 2), which promise to increase in intensity in the coming weeks, even overcoming protests against the pension reform.

In Moscow, almost 20 thousand people marched, despite police attempts to slow the influx of the procession, which had been authorized for a maximum of 10 thousand. At least 30 people were arrested, including members of the liberal-nationalist party (LDPR) present in parliament and some journalists who had been provided with an official pass.

As is increasingly the case in Russia, the police have been joined by druzhinniki groups, public order volunteers, a figure that existed at the time of the Soviet regime, with the task of controlling the demonstrators and confiscating dangerous materials (banners, leaflets and even some drones).

Unauthorized marches of several hundred people took place in Voronezh, Khabarovsk and other Russian cities. The founder of the first Russian socialist Vkontakte, Pavel Durov, supported the demonstrations by claiming that "Russia is not Iran or North Korea, we are part of the civilized world". Durov has lived abroad for some years.

In April the international internet connection will be temporarily suspended, as foreseen in the text of Klishas approved by the Duma, according to which "the isolation of Russia from the internet may be necessary in exceptional situations, to defend national security".
Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. The woman is guilty of spreading information against the state, espionage and insults to Khamenei. NGOs and activists speak of a "shocking" sentence. Disputes over the sentence: a judge speaks of seven years in prison, pending appeal.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An Iranian court has sentenced a lawyer and human rights activist to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. She has been at the forefront in recent months in defending those who fought against the mandatory veil.

The family members of Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was indicted for offenses related to national security, reported the sentencing. However, there are conflicting sources about the real extent of the sentence: a judge of the Islamic Revolutionary Court speaks of seven years in prison, awaiting the appeal process.

NGOs and pro-human rights activists speak of a "shocking" sentence imposed on a leading personality of the country, awarded prizes and honors for her professional activity in the past. Sotoudeh is famous for representing women who protested against the obligatory hijab and for having fought against the death penalty.

Yesterday in a long post on social media, her husband confirmed the verdict, after talking to her on the phone from prison. According to the activists of Center for Human Rights in Iran, she is accused of spreading information against the state, espionage and insulting the supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Nasrin Sotoudeh is one of seven lawyers and human rights activists arrested in Iran last year. Before her detention, last June she defended a group of women imprisoned for appearing in public without the mandatory veil, a legacy of the 1979 Islamic revolution and punishable with prison under the penal code.

The woman has to face nine different charges, in the context of two different trials, one of which took place in her absence. The judges imposed a long detention and flogging as an accessory penalty. In the past, Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested and imprisoned between 2010 and 2013 for her political activity (propaganda against the state and attacks on national security).

The woman has always rejected the accusations, in the past and still today. On 26 October 2012, the European Parliament awarded her - along with director Jafar Panahi - the Sakharov prize, the EU's highest honor in terms of human rights. In her professional activity, the lawyer assisted prominent Iranian dissident and opposition figures, including journalist Isa Saharkhiz, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and the head of the National Democratic Front (party banned by Tehran ) Heshmat Tabarzadi.
Beijing, along with other countries - such as: Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Mongolia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cayman, Mexico, Brazil, India - have grounded the Boeing model aircraft, suspected of having construction defects. The USA awaits checks, along with other nations: Russia, Italy, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Dubai, Oman, Fiji. The telegram of Pope Francis for the victims of the disaster.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Following news of the plane crash in Ethiopia two days ago, China immediately reacted by grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the model of the aircraft that crashed in Addis Ababa, causing 157 deaths. An airplane of the same model had crashed into the sea in Indonesia last October, killing 189 passengers plus the crew.

After China, several countries made the same decision: Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Mongolia, Ethiopia, South Africa (Comair), Cayman (Cayman Airlines), Mexico (Aeromexico), Brazil (Gol Airlines), India (Jet Airways ).

But the US federal aviation administration said it would take "immediate" action if there were security problems. And the many US airlines that use the Boeing 737, including Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, have decided to continue to fly the hundreds of Boeing aircraft they have in their fleet.

Meanwhile, yesterday Boeing shares plummeted by12% on the stock exchange, for fear that the two disasters will reveal defects in the construction of the new aircraft, launched in 2017. The company has not commented to date.

The Boeing 737 Max is the newest version of a jet originally designed 50 years ago and considered one of the most solid aircrafts. The Max has a larger and more efficient engine with less fuel consumption. When put on the market the company received orders for 5011 aircraft, of which 350 have already been delivered.

Other countries are following the cautious attitude of the United States. They include: Russia, Italy, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Dubai, Oman, Fiji.

Yesterday, through the Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences for the victims of the accident in Ethiopia. In it the pontiff "offers prayers for the dead of different nations and recommends their souls to the mercy of the almighty God" and sends "heartfelt condolences to their families", invoking "divine blessings of consolation and strength".
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Once again, President Donald Trumps budget proposal has eliminated the $2.1 billion Title II grant program that funds class-size reductions and teacher and principal professional development. But this time, hes also proposing adding vouchers for PD.

The proposed fiscal 2020 budget , released Monday, would cut the Education Departments spending by $7.1 billion, down to $64 billion, starting in October by eliminating 29 programs . The budget says that the Title II program is largely duplicative, and other formula grant funds, including Title I and Title III, could be used for professional development.

The Trump administration has proposed eliminating Title II twice before. Both times, that proposal has been rebuffed by a Republican-controlled Congress . And it will likely face similar pushback under this Congress, especially with a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. In fact, experts say that much of his budget proposal is likely to go unrealized.

This time, however, Trumps budget proposes a different approach to teacher professional development. The administration has requested $300 million for the Education Innovation and Research programan increase of $170 million. Of that, $200 million would go toward vouchers, or stipends, that would let teachers select training programs tailored to their unique needs.

Ive spoken with hundreds of teachers as Ive traveled across the country and hosted teacher roundtables at the department, and I heard far too often how limited most teachers are in their own professional development, Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement. They have little to no say in the courses they take. They have very little freedom to explore subject areas that interest them.

The voucher program, she said, would provide much-needed freedom and flexibility for teachers while also respecting them as professionals.

Still, education advocates remain concerned about the elimination of the Title II programand skeptical about whether the voucher program would make up for that loss.

I think its great that theyre prioritizing the teaching profession, said Jane West, an education consultant. However, I think their strategy is questionable. To eliminate the $2 billion account that is targeted to support and further develop teachers seems to send a double message. Yes, they added $170 million, but they took away a whole lot more than that.

Already, she said, the $2 billion in Title II grants was stretched thin. A $200 million experiment is not a substitute for the investment that Title II makes in setting up professional-development structures, West said.

Stephanie Hirsh, the executive director of Learning Forward, a group that works to improve professional learning in schools, put it this way: I hope most teachers respond, Thanks, but no thanks.

The voucher program is going back to the old catalog-shopping days of professional development, she said. Teachers are not asking for a PD voucher program. Theyre asking for time for collaborative learning and problem-solving with their colleagues.

A study last year from the RAND Corporation found that teachers in both low- and high-poverty schools said they didnt have enough time to collaborate with their peers. Hirsh pointed to the new definition of high-quality professional development under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Its sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused. Individualized professional development, she said, might not meet those guidelines.

Its unclear how exactly the PD voucher program would work. It would be housed under the Education Innovation and Research program, which is a discretionary/competitive grants programso teachers might have to apply for the stipend.

Otherwise, Hirsh estimated that if each teacher were to receive a PD voucher, that would be $62 per teacher. If its a competitive grant process, she said she worries that the money would go to teachers in districts that are well-positioned to applyand teachers working in poor rural and urban districts would be inadvertently shut out of the process. (All states currently receive Title II funds through a formula.)

Its also unclear what the guidelines would be for receiving a voucher. Desmond Blackburn, the CEO of the New Teacher Center, said he supports educator choice, but raised concerns about having a voucher program without the structures set in place through the broader Title II funding.

As a professional, there are times when I lack complete certainty regarding what I dont know, and there are times when Im going to need the systems around me to help decide where my current deficits are and what experiences are needed for my growth, he said, adding that having both Title II funding and a PD voucher program would be great.

Concerns Over Title II

Title II has long had its detractors. The Obama administration questioned the effectiveness of the grant program , too, and decreased the programs budget from nearly $3 billion to about $2.3 billion. In its first budget proposal, the Trump administration argued that the Title II grant money is spread too thinly to have meaningful impact on student outcomes and that there is limited evidence that PD has led to increases in student achievement.

Still, Blackburn said the New Teacher Center works with 400 school districts across the country to support and develop teachers, and those districts largely use Title II funds for the work. Giving teachers ongoing, regular professional development has been proven to result in academic gains for students, he said.

Teachers have been advocating against the elimination of Title II ever since it was brought up in Trumps first budget proposal. Evan Stone, the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Educators for Excellence, a group that advocates for teacher leadership, said in a statement that it has been incredibly frustrating to see Title II and other programs on the chopping block year after year.

Fearing this repeat plan, E4E teachers traveled from around the country to our Capitol and met with Secretary DeVos to defend these investments, he said. Ignoring their expertise sends a message that educators dont matter.

The proposed budget would also invest $200 million in Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants , an existing program to increase teacher effectiveness through performance-based compensation. Trumps budget proposal states the grants would focus on high-quality mentoring or residencies for new teachers, as well as increased pay for effective teachers, particularly those in high-needs fields and subjects.

Image: President Donald Trump listens as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a 2017 meeting with parents and teachers at the White House. Evan Vucci/AP
Xem them

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Khong con du lieu e load
Cardston, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - American Creek Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AMK) ("American Creek") (the "Company") is pleased to report on the RAISE at the PDAC: 1X1 Small-Cap Resource Conference, the Red Cloud 2019 Pre-PDAC Mining Showcase, as well as the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual conference.



The RAISE at the PDAC: 1X1 Small-Cap Resource Conference was an exclusive event for investors and finance individuals who invest in resource stocks to meet one-on-one with companies throughout the day in a series of meetings and presentations. American Creek met with a steady flow of high net worth individuals, brokers, and fund managers throughout the day.

The Red Cloud 2019 Pre-PDAC Mining Showcase was a sold-out event with some 500 investors attending the conference where American Creek had a booth and also did a "Dragons Den" style presentation to a panel of important industry financial representatives. Red Cloud is a big supporter of exploration companies operating in the Golden Triangle region of BC and American Creek has had recent discussions with Red Cloud management regarding working together going forward.

Darren Blaney and Kelvin Burton of American Creek Resources at various conferenced in Toronto





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/682/43357_742a7d7cb4e10bc0_001full.jpg

The PDAC conference had over 25,000 people attend even though they charged daily admission for the first time. American Creek had a very busy booth and was also invited to give a corporate presentation at the conference. There were two noticeable differences observed by Company representatives at the PDAC conference this year. One was a palpable excitement in general for precious metals, more particularly gold and silver. The overall sentiment amongst "the experts" giving presentations and the investors we interacted with was one of optimism and expectations for a rise in both gold and silver prices as the year progresses. The second, and of particular significance to American Creek, was the impressive amount of exposure and recognition that B.C.'s Golden Triangle has achieved. Exploration in that region now equals the rest of the province put together. The experts, analysts and letter writers were all talking about it, and most people who we interacted with knew about or were planning to invest in Golden Triangle companies and projects. It appears that a new Golden Triangle "gold rush" may be in the making. As American Creek has operated in the Golden Triangle region for almost 15 years and has three noteworthy projects there, we are well positioned to benefit from this building excitement. Having the Treaty Creek JV property with a fully carried interest next to the Brucejack/Valley of Kings (VOK) mine (Pretivm) and the largest undeveloped gold deposit in the world by reserves (Seabridge) with similar geology, geophysics and structure positions American Creek for potential significant growth. Investors were impressed with and excited about Ken Konkin (former head geologist for Pretivm and instrumental in the discovery and development of the Brucejack / VOK mine) now heading our JV partner Tudor Gold's geological team to develop Treaty Creek. Many shareholders were able to talk with Mr. Konkin at the PDAC conference. In discussions with Mr. Konkin, the three items concerning the Treaty Creek project that he is most excited about are: The geology, geophysics and structure are showing potential for similar scale to the rest of the Sulphurets Hydrothermal System, and the drilling to date is confirming.





Generally speaking, the string of porphyry related deposits running through the Sulphurets Hydrothermal system have stronger gold equivalent grades the further north you go. The Goldstorm deposit on our Treaty Creek property is richer in gold and total gold equivalent than the KSM deposits further to the south.





Treaty Creek is "on the right side of the hill" where there is direct access to highway 37 and the high-power transmission line making logistics markedly better than for deposits further south. Investors were also excited to learn that American Creek owns 100% of the former operating high-grade Dunwell mine located just 8km from the shipping port in Stewart, B.C., with highway and power lines running through it. The Bear River valley is quickly becoming a hotbed of activity including many recent mergers and acquisitions and our Dunwell property has the richest historical grades and production in the valley. There is also now an opportunity to provide a nearby soon to open mine with mill feed from the Dunwell. In addition to investor interest, we presently have serious interest in the project from several different companies. American Creek is planning on commencing drilling at the Dunwell project within the next 90 days. The objective of that program will be to confirm that under the old workings there are additional significant high-grade extensions of the previously mined gold/silver ore body. As mentioned in our previous release, American Creek granted Tudor an additional extension for the previously announced option to buy out the Corporation's 40% interest in the Electrum Project Joint Venture located near Stewart, British Columbia. Tudor paid American Creek a non-refundable payment of $50,000 upon entering the original agreement. If the option is exercised by Tudor, a further payment of $2,650,000 will be made to American Creek on or before April 15, 2019. The combination of American Creek working on the Dunwell while its JV partner develops Treaty Creek, and either receiving an additional $2,650,00 or retaining 40% of the Electrum property puts American Creek in one of the strongest positions in the Golden Triangle, which didn't go unrecognized by both analysts and investors alike. Gold Hill Project Update




Presents Kambin Award; Introduces Endoscopic Spine Academy

Earlier this month, at the international training summit dubbed Faculty and User Meeting, joimax, the Germany-based market leader of technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic minimally-invasive spinal surgery, presented its newest products and technologies. During the two-day event, joimaxalso honored four surgeons with the Kambin Award and introduced the Endoscopic Spine Academy, ESPINEA.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005233/en/

Participants at the joimax International Training Summit (Photo: Business Wire)

The summit took place at the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU) in Salzburg, Austria, March 1-2, 2019, where more than 100 participants attended top-class presentations, as well as a human cadaver lab. The lab was equipped with ten hands-on training stations: six cadaveric stations with 4K image resolution equipment and within those stations, two Intracs navigation systems were integrated; two stations with Real Spine simulation models; and two stations with the latest EndoTrainer Plus virtual simulator, which can be used in any lab for training.

The Intracs em electromagnetic navigation system for endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery in lumbar and thoracic applications is very easy to set up, extremely user-friendly, and ready to serve as a stand-alone device. Specifically designed for simple and safe access to any spinal target, the system relies on electromagnetic tracking and allows for simultaneous navigation of multiple instruments such as needles, guiding rods, reamers, and endoscopes, also developed by joimax

Dr. Erik Traupe (Germering, GER) stated: "I am really surprised how precise and easy navigation can be."

After multiple successful introductions in 2018, Intracs em is available globally, except in the United States, where FDA submission is planned in spring 2019.

Another trendsetting innovation presented at the summit: the joimax TESSYS Thx, a derivative of the well-known TESSYS. Designed for a comfortable and safe treatment of decompressions in the thoracic region, it combines a special endoscope for thoracic applications, a viewing angle with 45 adapted to a steeper access route, a reduced diameter and a big working channel.

Jun Seok Bae, MD, of the Wooridul Spine Hospital Group in South Korea, is very excited about the advantages: " just great, I want it a.s.a.p. and am ready in my hospital for daily usage!"

Moreover, joimaxshowcased its EndoLIFproduct line: the well-known 3D-printed EndoLIF O/On-Cage, the EndoLIF Delta Cage, and the latest EndoLIF Double Wedge Cage, where approval is expected shortly.

Both Dr. Ralf Wagner (Frankfurt, GER) and Dr. Paul Houle (Cape Cod, MA, USA) are convinced of this solution for spinal fusion: "With the gentle and atraumatic access via gradual tissue dilatation, muscles remain intact and infection risk is reduced. Using 3D-printing technology, an open diamond cell structure, and a rough and porous surface, the implant ensures optimal bone ingrowth, stability and finally fusion."

During the summit, the Parviz Kambin-Award was presented under the patronage of the PMU, ESPINEA and joimax in recognition and honor of outstanding scientific and educational dedication to transforaminal surgery to Christoph P. Hofstetter (Seattle, WA, USA), Jian Shen (Amsterdam, NY, USA), Albert Telfeian (Providence, RI, USA) and Dinh Ngoc Son (Hanoi, Vietnam).

"I am thrilled about the Kambin Award, the most prestigious award in endoscopic spine surgery," said Jian Shen.

Additionally, joimax announced the recently founded and globally acting Endoscopic Spine Academy (ESPINEA). Backed by a scientific advisory board, ESPINEA offers professional and high-quality educational programs, specialty workshops and courses, and an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences. The goal of the academy is to elevate surgeons to the next level of expertise in endoscopic spinal treatment modalities. The first two ESPINEA Board Members are Dr. Menno Iprenburg, NL, longstanding endoscopic surgeon and twice Kambin Award recipient, and Kambin Award recipient Prof. Alastair Gibson, UK, whose been performing endoscopic spine surgery since 2005, using almost all system applications.

About joimax

Founded in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2001, joimax is the leading developer and marketer of complete systems for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery. With the Endoscopic Surgical Systems TESSYS (transforaminal), iLESSYS (interlaminar) and CESSYS (cervical) for decompression procedures, MultiZYTE for facet and sacroiliac joint pain treatment and EndoLIF and Percusys for minimally-invasive endoscopically assisted stabilizations, established systems are provided, addressing a whole range of indications.

In procedures for herniated disc, stenosis, pain therapy or spinal stabilization treatment, surgeons utilize joimax technologies to operate through small incisions under local or full anesthesia, via tissue and muscle-sparing corridors and through natural openings in the spinal canal, e.g. the intervertebral foramen, the so-called "Kambin triangle."

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005233/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact Germany:

joimax GmbH

Sabine Jarosch

sabine.jarosch@joimax.com

0049-721-25514-0

Press Contact USA:

joimax Inc.

Emily Campbell

emily.campbell@joimaxusa.com

001-949-859-3472
LEXINGTON, Massachusetts, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Innovative New Solution Brings Fast, Automated File Transfers to Small and Mid-sized Businesses

At NAB 2019, Signiant Inc, a long-time leader in intelligent file transfer, is introducing Jet, a new SaaS solution that makes it easy to automate and accelerate the transfer of large files between geographically dispersed locations. Targeted at simple "lights-out" use cases, Signiant JetTM meets the growing need to replace scripted FTP with a faster, more reliable and more secure alternative.

Jet leverages Signiant's innovative SaaS platform, which also underpins the company's widely-deployed Media Shuttle solution that is now used by more than 400,000 professionals to send and share large files around the world. Jet's tightly curated feature set and accessible price point allow small and mid-sized companies to easily automate system-to-system workflows, as well as recurring data exchange with partners.

"Jet fills a growing need in the industry," said Cory Bialowas, SVP Product Management at Signiant. "With Media Shuttle, Signiant has demonstrated that SaaS innovation can bring the power of our technology to companies of all sizes. As customers face increasing pressure to eliminate FTP and unwieldy first-generation acceleration products, they have been clamouring for a Media Shuttle companion product to handle automated transfers. Jet extends our SaaS platform to address these use cases within the global media supply chain."

Like all Signiant products, Jet utilizes a proprietary transport protocol that optimizes network performance for fast, reliable movement of large files under all network conditions. Coupled with enterprise-grade security and features tuned for media professionals, Signiant products are designed to enable the global flow of content, within and between companies, in a hybrid cloud world. The Signiant portfolio now comprises the following offerings:

Manager+Agents - Advanced enterprise software for complex networks and workflows

- Advanced enterprise software for complex networks and workflows Jet - SaaS solution for simple system-to-system automated file transfer

- SaaS solution for simple system-to-system automated file transfer Media Shuttle - SaaS solution that enables people to send and share large files

- SaaS solution that enables people to send and share large files Flight - SaaS solution for transfers to and from AWS and/or Azure public cloud services

Media companies can deploy a single Signiant product to solve a specific problem, or combine them for a comprehensive approach to managing access to content that is located in various of storage types around the world. Signiant products interoperate with each other, as well as with third-party products in the media technology ecosystem.

About Signiant:

Signiant's enterprise software provides the world's top content creators and distributors with fast, reliable, secure access to large media files, regardless of physical storage type or location. By enabling authorized people and processes to seamlessly exchange valuable content - within and between enterprises - Signiant connects the global media supply chain.

For more information, please visit http://www.signiant.com.
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.
Crossfuze receives award for EMEA Accelerated Growth Partner of the Year for 2018

Crossfuze today announces that it has been recognized by ServiceNow as its EMEA Accelerated Growth Partner of the Year for 2018. The honor was presented at ServiceNow's annual EMEA Partner Summit, which took place in Barcelona March 5-6, 2019.

The EMEA Partner awards recognize the tremendous contributions of the ServiceNow partner community and reward those that have delivered outstanding value to ServiceNow and its customers.

Crossfuze UK&I grew its business more than six times in 2018. With its innovative Smart Launch offering, the company helped onboard new customers at an average rate of six per quarter, helping accelerate Commercial and Named account acquisition.

"This award is a real testament to what a dedicated, customer-focused team of ServiceNow experts can do, when combined with innovation, and good old-fashioned hard work," said Nick McGillivray, VP, Crossfuze UK&I. "ServiceNow is changing the way people work, and at Crossfuze we are focused on helping organizations of all sizes and in any industry realize how the power of the platform and minimizing time-to-value can quickly drive transformation to make work, work better for people."

Register for Knowledge19 now. Follow the conference on Twitter via Know19, @Know365 and @ServiceNow_EMEA.

Register for the ServiceNow Madrid Release broadcast here. The Now Platform Madrid release takes digital transformation to the next level. Join the broadcast event to discover new ways to unlock productivity and create great experiences for IT, employees and your customers.

About Crossfuze

Founded in 2000, Crossfuze is a leading ServiceNow Gold Sales and Services Partner, recognized by ServiceNow as the partner with the highest customer satisfaction for the Americas. With over 1,200 implementations, 18 years of Enterprise Service Management experience and a global reach, Crossfuze is known for providing superior service and in-depth knowledge that enables organizations to accelerate the path to achieving their ServiceNow vision. With Smart Launch for ITSM, Crossfuze customers can deliver platform ROI in just 30 days with no risks while establishing a success-based foundation to expand the platform to all areas of the business. For more information, visit www.crossfuze.com and follow Crossfuze on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ServiceNow and Knowledge are registered trademarks of ServiceNow.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005584/en/

Contacts:

Karin Glazier

585.330.1811

Karin.glazier@crossfuze.com
ROSEMONT, IL / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / BNP Media is pleased to announce that over 80% of the conference sessions at the inaugural AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) will offer Continuing Education Units, to provide industry professionals with the credits needed to keep their license/certification. The tradeshow and conference spotlighting the latest design & building processes, products and emerging technologies is taking place April 30 to May 2, 2019, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.

So far 32 different educational sessions have been approved by various organizations including The American Institute of Architects (AIA), The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), RCI, Inc., The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD), The American Institute of Constructors (AIC), PDHengineer, and BOMI International. To take advantage of the advanced pricing and for more information about the sessions, click here.

"We are thrilled to partner with leaders in the industry and provide our attendees the professional credits they need in six separate tracks focused on plumbing, HVACR/mechanical systems, flooring, building envelope, roofing and general contracting," said Scott Wolters, Chief Events Officer, BNP Media, producers of the event. "The editors of our publications have secured an incredible faculty of subject matter experts covering important topics for our attendees to gain the knowledge to leverage tomorrow's building processes and construction technologies."

In the Plumbing Track (https://www.aecbuildtech.com/plumbing-speakers) attendees will hear from some of the biggest names in the industry on nearly everything they need to know about hydronics and more. The following sessions have been approved for CEU's:

Dan Holohan's Dead Men's Steam School

Integrating Hydronics with Indoor Environmental Quality

Modern Hydronics Supplied by Air to Water Heat Pumps

In the Roofing Track (https://www.aecbuildtech.com/roofing-speakers) attendees will hear about the evermore stringent roofing codes which can be a tricky business. This track will keep attendees up to date on the latest developments, in the following sessions which have been approved for CEU's:

Technological Innovations in Roofing

Legal Issues Pertaining to Roofing Technology

Low-Slope Roofing: Specification & Installation Strategies with a Labor Shortage

Top 5 Mistakes Roofers Make During Busy Season and How to Avoid Them

Reactive to Proactive Resilient Urban Roof Design: Sustainable Design Implications and Adaptive Architecture

Roof System Design Can Help Optimize the Energy Efficiency of Low-Slope Roofs

NEW Illinois, Chicago Energy Codes

How to Build a Successful Sales Organization

In the HVACR / Mechanical Systems Track (https://www.aecbuildtech.com/hvac-speakers) attendees will find out the latest in controls and workflow techniques while learning how systems can help prevent outbreaks of such bacteria as Legionella. The following sessions have been approved for CEU's:

Streamline the Duct Design to Assembly Workflow with Manifolding

A 360 Degree Look at BIM

Getting Started with VRF: Best Practices and Common Misconceptions

Managing Legionella and Dangerous Outbreaks with Preventative Maintenance

Autonomous Buildings will Reshape the marketplace

Filling the HVAC Controls Gap Between a Yugo and a Lambo

Electronic Controls for Commercial Refrigeration Made Simple

Assembly Line Manufacturing for Construction Using BIM-Why, When, and How

In the Building Envelope Track (https://www.aecbuildtech.com/building-speakers) speakers will explore the latest in designing for energy efficiency as well as ensuring the system performs as specified. LiDAR, BIM, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence are some of the technologies that will be discussed in these sessions that have been approved for CEU's:

Assessing Cold-Formed Steel Enclosures vs. Alternative Enclosures

LIDAR & Mega Projects

3D Construction Printing - What, Where, and How?

Pulse Air Tracing

Meeting at the Parapet: It was Transition at First Sight

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Explore Better Ways to Build

Leveraging Building Energy Modeling for Optimized Design Solutions

Opening Doors to Design Opportunities

Understanding the Value of Performance Testing of the Exterior Envelope of the Building

In the Flooring Track (https://www.aecbuildtech.com/flooring-speakers) speakers will focus on the cutting-edge products that are attractive, environmentally friendly, functional and easy to install. The following sessions covering the latest in product developments as well as design and installation methods have been approved for CEU's:

Chemistry of Adhesives Used in the Natural Stone Industry

Self-Leveling Technology for Floor Installations

Designing for Mindfulness

Two Reasons to Specify Experience on New and Existing Healthcare Projects

In addition to the education program, AEC BuildTech will feature an exhibit hall with leading industry companies including Platinum Sponsors Oracle Construction and Engineering, and Procore; Silver Sponsor CMiC; and Bronze Sponsor Mestek Machinery as well as Education Sponsors Dodge Data & Analytics, Goodman, Oracle Construction & Engineering, and Tamlyn. To learn more about exhibiting and sponsorship, visit https://www.aecbuildtech.com/Become-an-Exhibitor. More information about AEC BuildTech, can be found at www.AECBuildTech.com. To connect with the appropriate staff member of the show management team visit www.AECBuildTech.com/contact. Follow AEC BuildTech on Facebook and Twitter.

About BNP MEDIA

The event is owned by BNP Media, one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 50-plus industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, websites, conferences, events and market research. Visit BNP Media at www.bnpmedia.com .

For further information, contact:

Amy Riemer, Media Relations

978-475-4441 (office) or 978-502-4895 (mobile)

amy@riemercommunications.com

SOURCE: AEC BuildTech Conference

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538734/Over-80-of-The-Education-Sessions-at-Next-Months-AEC-BuildTech-Will-Offer-Continuing-Education-Units-Advance-Pricing-Ends-March-15--Sign-Up-Today-to-Save
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - Transition Metals Corp. (TSXV: XTM ) ("Transition" or "the Company"), is pleased to announce that it has executed an Option and Joint Venture Agreement with Battery Minerals Resources Limited ("Battery") whereby Battery can earn a up to an 80% interest in the Gowganda Gold project located 75 kilometres southwest of Kirkland Lake.

To earn a 60% interest, Battery must provide option payments totalling $600,000 over 3 years that includes a $75,000 payment upon execution of the Agreement and $25,000 that was received earlier by the Company upon execution of a binding term sheet. In addition, Battery must complete $3.4 million of exploration expenditures over 3 years including a commitment of $400,000 during the first year. Upon vesting a 60% interest, Battery may increase its interest to 80% by delivering a Feasibility Study within three years subject to certain time extension provisions. After earning its 60% or 80% interest in the Property as the case may be, a Joint Venture would be formed, with each party funding its proportionate share of future work programs or suffering dilution of interest.

Company CEO and President, Scott McLean commented, "We are pleased to have a new partnership with Battery Mineral Resources. As a project generator, Transition focuses on generating quality exploration projects and developing partnerships to advance them toward production. The Gowganda property is prospective for both Archean lode gold and Proterozoic cobalt deposits, which will be both targeted in the upcoming exploration program."

About the Gowganda Gold Project

The Project is located adjacent to the town of Gowganda, Ontario in Nicol, Haultain, and Van Hise townships, in the Larder Lake Mining District. Geologically, it hosts inliers of Archean greenstone south of the Round-Lake Batholith in the south-western part of the Abitibi greenstone belt but is partly overlain by Proterozoic sediments of the Cobalt Embayment.

The claims host widespread visible gold mineralization hosted by stockwork veining in altered syenite ranging from nil to 3.5 g/t over significant widths in channel samples and drilling as well as up to 97 g/t Au over short channel widths (0.4 metres) within quartz veins (see Transition news release of September 8, 2011). Reported drill intercepts include 2.37 g/t over 7.06 metres, up to 82.5 g/t Au over 0.4 metres (see Transition Metals news release of December 1, 2011) and 1.63 g/t Au over 11.52m (see Transition Metals news release of April 6, 2017).

In addition to the prospective gold mineralization, cobalt-silver mineralization occurs across the property within the overlying Cobalt Embayment rocks. The Big Four showing includes a series of trenches, pits, and a 7.6 m deep shaft located on the Property. Samples collected by the Company from the waste dump included cobaltite-rich carbonate material returning up to 3.04% Co and 31.6 g/t Ag from grab samples (see Transition Metals news release of August 21, 2018).

Qualified Person

The technical elements of this press release have been approved by Mr. Greg Collins, P.Geo. (APGO), a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. All analytical work performed on samples was conducted at ALS-Chemex with sample preparation completed in Sudbury, Ontario and analyses completed in North Vancouver, B.C. The quality system used by ALS-Chemex complies with international standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:2005.

About Transition Metals Corp

Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity project generator that specializes in converting new exploration ideas into Canadian discoveries. The award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience in established, emerging and historic mining camps and actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, which often allows the company to acquire properties inexpensively. The team is rigorous in its fieldwork and combines traditional techniques with newer ones to help unearth compelling prospects and drill targets. Transition uses the project generator business model to acquire and advance multiple exploration projects simultaneously, thereby maximizing shareholder exposure to discovery and capital gain. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution. The Company has an expanding portfolio that currently includes more than 25 gold, copper, nickel and platinum projects primarily in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

About Battery Mineral Resources Limited

Battery Mineral Resources Limited ("BMR") is an Australian-based, multi-commodity resource company engaged in the exploration and development of minerals critical to the rechargeable battery market and energy storage sector in Canada, USA and South Korea. The Company has assembled a diversified portfolio of cobalt, lithium and graphite projects in stable geo-political jurisdictions, designed to supply growing market demand and deliver maximum leverage to the sector. Upon successful delineation of mineral resources, BMR intends to develop these projects and become a significant, low cost battery materials producer, and secure long-term strategic alliances with supply chain partners, battery manufacturers and other end users.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.

Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting:

Scott McLean

President and CEO

Transition Metals Corp.

Tel: (705) 669-0590

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43363
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / A pure organic CBD oil brand with no additives or unnecessary ingredients has been a popular top selling brand since the industry began its' rapid expansion, see here https://cbdrevu.com/cbdpure-hemp-oil-cbd/.

CBD products come in many forms with new products coming too market regularly. In the beginning the primary form were so-called CBD oil tinctures used by consumers using a dropper to drip a few drops of CBD under the tongue. These CBD oil tinctures are now mostly referred to simply as CBD oil and are still one of the main forms that consumers use. CBD capsules are also popular since they are easier to use that the actual oil. So, CBD oil and CBD capsules appear to be the most popular forms of CBD for consumers at the present time.

There is a lot of interest in CBD gummies but at this time most of the major CBD players are not offering gummy products. A number of new product types are being released too numerous to mention here. But a few of them include CBD coffee products, CBD topical creams, CBD products for dogs and other pets, CBD cosmetics and more. A number of companies are now offering CBD body oils and body lotions.

Most popular best CBD oil brands source their CBD from industrial hemp rather than marijuana plants. That is because in order to be considered legal in most jurisdictions, CBD must not contain more than a certain tiny amount of THC. The cannabinoid THC in marijuana is the one that produces a psychoactive response, or 'high'. With low-THC content a priority for CBD companies hemp is usually the preferred plant to use.

The folks behind one of the pioneering companies in the CBD arena is CW Hemp, the company behind the top selling CBD product called Charlotte's Web CBD Oil, and these people are currently getting a foothold in another arena. The Stanley Brothers in Colorado started CW Hemp, the company that makes Charlotte's Web CBD Oil. These were the guys featured on that groundbreaking CNN special by Dr. Sanjay Gupta some years back that can probably be credited with launching the current CBD craze. So, while the Stanley Brothers are best known for CW Hemps' Charlotte's Web products, they are currently offering a line of THC products, presumably containing the full spectrum of the plant, which would include CBD. As medical marijuana dispensaries would explain, the level of any of the various cannabinoids including THC and CBD will vary from plant species to plant species. There are many unknowns about how differing marijuana plant species affect humans either in a psychoactive or physical way. The way in which the many components of marijuana plants combined together affects people has been referred to as the entourage effect. It seems likely that other CBD companies will explore business opportunities in the legal marijuana business as the marijuana prohibition laws are changing throughout the United States.

CBDReVu is a favorite informational portal for CBD shoppers where consumers can compare brand profiles for most of the top selling CBD products including well-known brands such as CBDPure, NuLeaf Naturals, Kannaway Pure, Charlotte's Web CBD, Endoca, Irie CBD, Sensi Seeds, CBD Essence, Receptra Naturals, Bluebird Botanicals, Hemp Meds RSHO Real Scientific Hemp Oil, Rick Simpson Oil, Elixinol, Restorative Botanicals and more. New pending reviews and ratings include PureKana CBD, Lord Jones CBD, Green Roads CBD, Hemplucid, Mary's Nutritionals and others. Pending reviews of some of the top selling CBD gummy products include offerings from Medix CBD, Green Roads World, Diamond CBD, Savage CBD Gummies, Kats Botanicals, Pure Green Living, Pure CBD Vapors, Highland Pharms, Intrinsic Hemp, Not Pot, Just CBD, PurCBD and other popular gummy brands.

CBDReVu advises that consumers should be aware that hemp oils and hemp powders sold in supermarkets are made mostly from hemp seeds and should be expected to have little or no CBD oil contained in the product. So, products labeled as hemp oil or hemp seed oil should be assumed to contain no CBD whatsoever unless the label specifically states otherwise.

CBDReVu is an A+ Rated Better Business Bureau Accredited informational website founded in 2017 featuring brand profiles of popular CBD products.

Contact:

Chaz Sanderson

support@cbdrevu.com

1-929-344-1364

SOURCE: CBDReVu

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538735/Organic-CBD-Oil-Concentrate-With-No-Additives-Remains-Best-Seller
EQT Infrastructure IV holds first and final close at EUR 9 billion hard cap after six months of fundraising

Strong investor support for EQT's industrial approach to infrastructure investing

EQT Infrastructure IV has made two investments to date; Saur in France and Osmose Utilities Services in the US

STOCKHOLM, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT today announced that EQT Infrastructure IV (the "Fund") held its first and final close at its hard cap of EUR 9 billion on March 12, 2019, after officially launching in September 2018. Demand from both existing and new investors was strong, with a majority of the commitments made by investors in the predecessor fund, EQT Infrastructure III, which closed at its EUR 4 billion hard cap in February 2017.

EQT Infrastructure IV will continue to follow the industrial approach to infrastructure investing that has been successfully applied by EQT Infrastructure since its inception in 2008. The Fund will invest in high-quality companies with infrastructure characteristics and strong value creation potential. EQT Infrastructure will leverage its global platform, proven governance model and growth-focused approach to drive performance. The Fund will be supported by a dedicated investment advisory team and EQT's extensive network of Industrial Advisors.

EQT Infrastructure IV will primarily pursue investment opportunities in Europe and North America and may opportunistically explore opportunities in Asia Pacific. The Fund has made two investments to date: Saur, a leading French drinking and waste water management company, and Osmose Utilities Services, a leading provider of critical inspection, maintenance and restoration services for utility and telecom infrastructure in the US.

Lennart Blecher, Deputy Managing Partner at EQT Partners (acting as exclusive investments advisors to the Fund), and Head of EQT Real Assets, commented: "EQT Infrastructure has a great track record of delivering attractive, risk-adjusted returns to investors since the inception of the EQT Infrastructure platform more than 10 years ago. The successful fundraising of EQT Infrastructure IV confirms investors' trust in EQT and illustrates the continued demand for infrastructure investments in the Fund's core regions."

Christian Sinding, CEO and Managing Partner of EQT Partners, added: "EQT Infrastructure IV marks another important milestone for EQT and manifests our position as a truly leading global investment firm. We are glad to welcome more than 40 new investors to EQT and excited about their trust in our responsible and growth-focused approach to investing."

The fundraising was led by the in-house Investor Relations team within EQT Partners. Jussi Saarinen, Partner and Head of Investor Relations, said: "We are pleased with the strong support demonstrated by existing and new investors and are very pleased with the high quality of the Fund's investor base."

EQT Infrastructure IV is backed by a global blue-chip investor base consisting of, among others, pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, endowments, foundations and family offices. With the closing of the Fund, EQT has approximately EUR 14 billion in infrastructure assets under management.

About EQT

EQT is a leading investment firm with more than EUR 61 billion in raised capital across 29 funds and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Infrastructure IV

EQT Infrastructure IV is a EUR 9 billion fund that will seek to continue its historically successful strategy of investing in strong-performing infrastructure companies with the potential for significant value creation in sectors with suitable infrastructure characteristics and favorable market trends. The Fund will make primarily equity or equity related investments typically ranging between EUR 100 million and EUR 600 million where the Fund will either hold control or co-control positions or otherwise be capable of exercising a significant influence. The Fund will continue to invest in the core geographies of Europe and North America and may opportunistically explore opportunities in Asia Pacific. The Fund will primarily focus on making investments in the energy, transport & logistics, telecom, environmental and social infrastructure sectors.

The fundraising for EQT Infrastructure IV has now closed. Accordingly, the foregoing should in no way be treated as any form of offer or solicitation to subscribe for or make any commitments for or in respect of any securities or other interests or to engage in any other transaction.

This press release is translated into multiple languages for information purposes only. In case of a discrepancy, this version shall prevail.

CONTACT:

Lennart Blecher, Deputy Managing Partner at EQT Partners and Head of EQT Real Assets +41-44-266-68-00

EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com +46-8-506-55-334

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/eqt-ab/r/eqt-closes-fourth-infrastructure-fund-at-eur-9-billion---strengthens-position-as-a-leading-global-in,c2761729

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HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or the "Group" or the "Company", HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) announced today its 2018 annual results for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Ping An achieved steady growth overall for 2018, operating profit and NBV growth exceed market expectations and operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company rose 18.9% year on year to RMB112,573 million. Net profit grew 20.5% year on year to RMB120, 452 million, and net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company rose 20.6% year on year to RMB107, 404 million. Under the old accounting standards for financial instruments, the Company's net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company would have risen 39.5% year on year to RMB124, 245 million. Under the circumstances of industrial restructuring, NBV of the life and health insurance business grew by 7.3% year on year after growing 16.9% year on year in the second half of 2018.

RMBmn unless stated FY18 FY17 Change, % Operating Profit Attributable to Shareholders of the Parent Company 112,573 94,708 18.9 - Life Operating Profit 70,320 52,128 34.9 - Fintech & Healthtech Operating Profit 6,770 5,420 24.9 Operating ROE (%) 21.9 22.0 -0.1 pps Dividend per share (in RMB) 1.92 1.50 28.0 Life Value of New Business (NBV) 72,294 67,357 7.3 Life ROEV(%) 30.8 35.5 -4.7 pps Group Embedded Value 1,002,456 825,173 21.5 Equity Attributable to Shareholders of the Parent Company 556,508 473,351 17.6 Net Profit Attributable to Shareholders of the Parent Company 107,404 89,088 20.6 Net Profit Under Old Accounting Standards 124,245 89,088 39.5 Internet Users (in million) 538.43 436.39 23.4 Retail Financial Customers (in million) 183.96 165.73 11.0 Operating Profit Per Customer (in RMB) 531.25 449.69 18.1 Contracts Per Customer (Contracts/customer) 2.53 2.32 9.1 Cross-sell Ratio(%) 35.6 40.4 -4.8 pps

Ping An increased its cash dividend for the 10th consecutive year in light of robust operating profit growth and strong solvency position. The Group proposed a final cash dividend of RMB 1.10 per share to shareholders which brings total ordinary dividend per share to RMB 1.72 per share, up 14.7% year on year. In addition to the 30th Anniversary Special Dividend of RMB 0.20 in cash per share declared in the first quarter in 2018, total dividend for the year amounted to RMB 1.92 per share, up 28.0% year on year.

In order to proactively respond to policy guidance from the central government and regulatory bodies, the Company will adopt its first share repurchase plan so as to provide stability to the capital market while maximizing the shareholders' interests. The total capital required for the repurchase plan will not be less than RMB 5 billion and not exceed RMB 10 billion. The repurchase plan will be financed from the Company's internal resources.

In 2018, adhering to its two-pronged "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" strategies, Ping An continued to pursue the initiative of "empower finance with technology, empower ecosystem with technology, and empower finance with ecosystem". During the year, the Group's core finance business remained strong and stable, while profit contribution from technology business increased significantly. The fintech and healthtech business recorded RMB 6,770 million in operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company, accounting for 6.0% of the Group's operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company.

Business highlights in 2018:

Operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company grew 18.9% year on year to RMB 112 ,573 million, recording an operating return on equity ("Operating ROE") of 21.9%. Group Embedded Value hit RMB 1 , 000 billion for the first time, being RMB 1 , 002.456 billion n (= RMB 54 .84 per share), up 21. % year on year.

,573 million, recording an operating return on equity ("Operating ROE") of 21.9%. Group Embedded Value hit , 000 billion for the first time, being , 002.456 billion n (= .84 per share), up 21. % year on year. Retail operating profits rose 31.1% year on year. The retail business accounted for 86.8% of the Group's operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company. Retail profit growth was driven by an 11.0% rise in retail customers which stands at 184 million coupled with an 18.1% rise in operating profit per customer. Group acquired 40.78 million new retail financial customers last year of which 14.50 million were sourced from our five internet ecosystems which have 538 million unique internet users. Group has significant scope to further penetrate its internet user base as 381million use our internet services but are not yet our financial customers.

Cross sell penetration accelerated. Our 184 million retail financial customers have 2.53 contracts per customer and 34.6% of them are holding products from multiple business units which are up materially from 19.0% in FY15 despite rapid growth in number of new customers. Ping An's technology patent applications increased to 12,051, up by 9,021 from the beginning of 2018, covering artificial intelligence ("AI"), blockchain and cloud computing.

technology patent applications increased to 12,051, up by 9,021 from the beginning of 2018, covering artificial intelligence ("AI"), blockchain and cloud computing. Life and Health NBEV rose 7.3% year on year after growing 16.9% in the second half of 2018. Ping An Life recorded a 30.8% Operating ROEV.

recorded a 30.8% Operating ROEV. Fintech and healthtech business's operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company rose 24.9% year on year, accounting for 6.0% of the Group's operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company. Lufax Holding completed C-round financing, implying a post-money valuation of USD39 , 400 million.

, 400 million. Ping An has world-leading face recognition (accuracy rate of 99.8%), voiceprint recognition (accuracy rate of 99.7%), and medical image recognition technologies. Ping An Brain smart engine received the Wu Wenjun AI Science & Technology Award. Ping An's medical imaging technology won the champion in a number of international contests such as lung nodule detection, gastric cancer screening and diabetic retinopathy detection. Ping An's smart imaging products have empowered 21 provinces and 62 cities, and have been deployed at about 110 hospitals. The AI-based consultation system has covered over 700 diseases and deployed at about 100 medical institutions.

has world-leading face recognition (accuracy rate of 99.8%), voiceprint recognition (accuracy rate of 99.7%), and medical image recognition technologies. smart engine received the Wu Wenjun AI Science & Technology Award. Ping An's medical imaging technology won the champion in a number of international contests such as lung nodule detection, gastric cancer screening and diabetic retinopathy detection. smart imaging products have empowered 21 provinces and 62 cities, and have been deployed at about 110 hospitals. The AI-based consultation system has covered over 700 diseases and deployed at about 100 medical institutions. Ping An has built the world's largest commercial blockchain platform, with over 44,000 blockchain nodes worldwide spread in more than 200 banks, 200,000 enterprises and 500 governmental and other business organizations in China and overseas.

Expanding customer scale and profitability, with operating profit of retail business significantly growing 31.1% year-on-year

As at 31 December 2018, the number of Ping An's retail customers reached 184 million, up 11.0% on the year. The number of new customers amounted to 40.78 million, of which, 35.6% were sourced from internet users who joined us from one of the Group's five ecosystems, namely, financial services, health care, auto services, real estate services, and smart city services. The operating profit per customer grew 18.1% year on year to RMB 531, while each customer held approximately 2.53 contracts on average, up 9.1% from the beginning of the year.

In 2018, the Group posted a 31.1% increase year on year in its retail business's operating profit to RMB 97,729 million, representing 86.8% of the Group's operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company, driven by increasing cross-selling and customer value enhancement. For the year, about 63.64 million retail customers of the Group held contracts with multiple subsidiaries, up 34.7% from the beginning of the year, which accounted for 34.6% of total customers, up 6.1 pps from the beginning of the year.

Peter Ma, Chairman and CEO of Ping An, said, "Focusing on retail customers, Ping An is committed to becoming a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. We continue to improve service efficiency and the quality of our products and channels, to enhance customer experience, and boost both retail customer value and corporate value."

Empower financial services with technologies: Return on Embedded Value ("ROEV") of the life and health insurance business reached 30.8%, the combined ratio of the property and casualty insurance business was 96.0%, and the net profit contribution of the retail banking business increased to 69.0 %

By leveraging its world-leading technologies in AI, blockchain, and cloud computing, Ping An's financial offerings gained competitiveness, and core financial businesses grew steadily through reduced costs, boosted efficiency, enhanced risk management, and improved customer experience.

The life and health insurance business posted steady growth, thanks to AI-enhancing competitiveness. In 2018, against a backdrop of industry transformation, the Group carried out the strategies of "product+" and "technology+". In 2018, NBV of the life and health insurance business grew by 7.3% year on year to RMB72, 294 million. NBV grew by 16.9% year on year in the second half of 2018. Operating ROEV reached 30.8%, operating profit after tax rose 35.1 % year on year to RMB 71,345 million and the residual margin stood at RMB 786, 633 million, up 27.6 % from the beginning of 2018.

AI is widely used within our life and health insurance business. Since AI-based screening and interview functionalities went live, they have been applied to screening of over 11 million potential agents. Via back testing on historical data, AI-based screening model achieved an accuracy rate of 95.4% in identifying agents who would remain with us for 13 months.

The property and casualty insurance business continued to see faster-than-industry premium growth while combined ratio further improved, as a result of improving services innovation. In 2018, Ping An Property & Casualty's premium income grew by 14.6% year on year, 3.0 pps faster than the market average. The combined ratio was 96.0%, improved by 0.2 pps year on year; the ROE was 16.7%, indicating the high quality of business.

Ping An Property & Casualty enhanced claims services to build differentiated advantages. Through upgraded "510 City Superfast Onsite Investigation" services, 96.4% of the urban onsite auto claim investigations were processed within 5-10 minutes in daytime in 2018.

In 2018, Ping An continued to improve asset allocation. The net investment yield of the investment portfolio of insurance funds was 5.2%, and the total investment yield was 3.7%. On the basis of the insurance subsidiaries' statutory financial statements prepared under the old accounting standards for financial instruments, the portfolio's total investment yield was 5.2%.

Ping An Bank made significant progress and remarkable results in strategic transformation towards retail banking. In 2018, retail banking accounted for 53.0% and 69.0% of the Bank's revenue and net profit, up 8.9 pps and 1.4 pps year on year. Ping An Bank continued to de-risk itself. The deviation of non-performing loans was 97%, down 46 pps from the beginning of 2018. Both the balance and percentage of loans more than 90 days overdue declined from the beginning of 2018.

Empower ecosystems with technologies: proactively creating value, with tech-powered business posting an operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company of RMB 6, 770 million

In 2018, the Company persisted in strengthening its leading technology know-how and exported innovative products and services with a focus on five ecosystems, namely financial services, health care, auto services, real estate services, and smart city services.

Ping An empowered China's smart city initiative by building "1+N" platforms in over 100 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The platforms cover a variety of sectors, including fiscal management, government, transportation, life, health care, customs control, education, agriculture, judicial activities, environmental protection, and community governance, with hundreds of millions of people benefitting from smart city services.

empowered China's smart city initiative by building "1+N" platforms in over 100 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The platforms cover a variety of sectors, including fiscal management, government, transportation, life, health care, customs control, education, agriculture, judicial activities, environmental protection, and community governance, with hundreds of millions of people benefitting from smart city services. In terms of smart government services, to help provincial and municipal governments to address pain points and difficulties in city governance, Ping An has built several benchmark platforms with government departments in Shenzhen. These platforms enable Shenzhen government to oversee 3.1 million business entities.

The Group has incubated a number of technology companies from scratch in recent years, two of which have listed and three received external financing, with a total valuation of approximately USD 70 billion

Lufax Holding is a world - leading online wealth management and retail lending technology platform. In 2018, Lufax Holding maintained steady profit growth. It completes C-round financing from world-renowned institutional investors at a post-money valuation of USD 39, 400 million.

In 2018, Lufax Holding maintained steady profit growth. It completes C-round financing from world-renowned institutional investors at a post-money valuation of USD 39, 400 million. Ping An Good Doctor is the largest online health care platform in China . As of December 31, 2018 , Ping An Good Doctor had provided services to over 265 million users, with over 1,000 in-house medical staff members and over 5,000 contracted external doctors. Its one-hour drug delivery network covered 86 cities nationwide. In 2018, Ping An Good Doctor's revenue was RMB 3 , 338 million, up 78.7 % year on year.

As of , Ping An Good Doctor had provided services to over 265 million users, with over 1,000 in-house medical staff members and over 5,000 contracted external doctors. Its one-hour drug delivery network covered 86 cities nationwide. In 2018, revenue was , 338 million, up 78.7 % year on year. OneConnect is committed to building a world-leading fintech service cloud platform. As of December 31, 2018 , OneConnect had provided services for 3,289 financial institutions, including 590 banks, 72 insurers and 2,627 non-bank financial institutions in China. The Internet Finance Alliance of Small and Medium-sized Banks in China , with OneConnect as an initiator, covers 260 small and medium-sized Chinese banks whose assets totaled more than RMB47 trillion.

As of , OneConnect had provided services for 3,289 financial institutions, including 590 banks, 72 insurers and 2,627 non-bank financial institutions in China. The Internet Finance Alliance of Small and Medium-sized Banks in , with OneConnect as an initiator, covers 260 small and medium-sized Chinese banks whose assets totaled more than RMB47 trillion. Ping An HealthKonnect is committed to becoming China's leading tech-powered managed care service platform. As of the end of December 2018 , Ping An HealthKonnect had provided social health insurance (SHI) and private insurance management services in over 200 cities across China . Over 5,000 hospitals were connected with its service platform. "City OneConnect" app, targeting individual users, covered 69 cities.

In 2018, turning 30 years old, Ping An gratefully promoted "Ping An Rural Communities Support". This three-pronged project comprises the Village Officer Program, Village Doctor Program and Village Teacher Program for smart poverty alleviation through the promotion of industry development, health care and education support in rural areas. As at the end of 2018, the Company had implemented "Ping An Rural Communities Support" in nine provinces or autonomous regions across China. The Company contributed RMB 5,394 million for poverty alleviation, built or upgraded over 400 rural clinics, trained 5,702 village doctors, built or upgraded 391 rural schools, and trained 4,819 village teachers.

Looking forward, Mr. Ma said, "The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is the beginning of Ping An's fourth decade, a crucial period for our strategic transformation. In 2019, we will maintain stable, healthy growth of core businesses, optimize the business mix, strictly manage risks, and build the foundation of our future. We will continue to pursue "finance + ecosystem," and enhance our data-driven smart operations to create value for customers, shareholders and society. Ping An will bravely navigate through the uncharted deep waters ahead toward a brighter future."

For enquiries, please contact:

Gareth Hewett @ +852 68822027 or gareth.john@pingan.com.hk
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. for making fraudulent misstatements to investors. The charges stem from Lumber Liquidators' false public statements in response to media allegations that the company was selling laminate flooring that contained levels of formaldehyde exceeding regulatory standards. Lumber Liquidators agreed to pay more than $6 million to settle the SEC action.

The SEC's order finds that in early 2015, Lumber Liquidators, a discount retailer of hardwood flooring, made public statements in response to a "60 Minutes" news program episode that showed undercover video of Lumber Liquidators' suppliers stating that they provided the company with products that did not comply with regulatory requirements. In its response, Lumber Liquidators fraudulently informed investors that third-party test results of its flooring products proved compliance with formaldehyde emissions standards and that it had discontinued sourcing materials from suppliers that were unable to meet these standards. In reality, Lumber Liquidators knew that its largest Chinese supplier had failed third-party formaldehyde emissions testing and was unable to produce documentation showing regulatory compliance. The SEC's order further finds that despite having evidence confirming that the individuals in the "60 Minutes" undercover video were factory employees of its suppliers, Lumber Liquidators falsely stated that its suppliers were not depicted in the video.

"Pressured by negative publicity, Lumber Liquidators misled investors about its product testing and regulatory compliance programs," said Marc P. Berger, Director of the SEC's New York Regional Office. "The relief obtained today, along with the criminal fine imposed by the Department of Justice, ensures that the company will forfeit all profit and pay a heavy price for the false assurances it provided to the market."

Lumber Liquidators consented to the SEC's order finding that it violated the antifraud provisions in Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and related rules, which require periodic filings with the Commission to contain all material information. In addition to paying more than $6 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest, Lumber Liquidators agreed to cease and desist from future violations of the charged provisions and cooperate fully with any further investigation, litigation or other proceeding by the Commission staff relating to this matter.

In a parallel criminal action filed today, Lumber Liquidators entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia by which Lumber Liquidators agreed to pay $33 million in criminal fines and forfeiture. The Department of Justice agreed to credit the amount paid to the SEC in disgorgement as part of its agreement. Thus, the combined total amount of criminal and regulatory penalties paid by Lumber Liquidators will be $33 million.

The SEC's continuing investigation is being conducted by Ranah Esmaili in Washington D.C. and Jorge G. Tenreiro and Celeste Chase in New York, and is being supervised by Sanjay Wadhwa. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Cash position of approximately 40 million on December 31 st , 2018 compared to 35 million on December 31 st , 2017

A turnover of 47.4 million, including 37.1 million related to the partnership signed with the Chinese company Tonghua Dongbao and 10.3 million following the judgment rendered in favor of Adocia in the first phase of the arbitration against Eli Lilly Co

Regulatory News:

ADOCIA (Paris:ADOC) (Euronext Paris: FR0011184241 ADOC the "Company") announced today its financial results for 2018. The financial statements have been approved by the board of directors on March 11th, 2019 and will be submitted to the shareholders for approval at the next general shareholder's meeting on May 16th, 2019.

"In 2018, we are very happy to have concluded a strategic alliance with Chinese insulin leader Tonghua Dongbao. This alliance's objective is, on the one hand, to commercialize our leading assets BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo in China, with milestone payments totaling up to $135 million and on the other hand, to supply Adocia with insulin lispro and glargine for global commercialization of our two products. Our companies are actively preparing the launch of clinical trials in China and Adocia is working towards a BioChaperone Lispro bridging study in Europe", commented Gerard Soula, President and CEO of Adocia. "We're also very satisfied with the promising results obtained by our Pramlintide Insulin combination in its first clinical trial and we plan to initiate a second, multi-week repeated administration trial, during the second quarter. Finally, it is important to note that the Arbitration Tribunal ruled in favor of Adocia regarding the first phase of the arbitration proceeding against Eli Lilly, awarding us $11.6 million plus interests. We are expecting the ruling for the second phase of the arbitration in Q3 2019."

Financial Highlights

The following table summarizes the financial statements under IFRS for the years ended December 31st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018:

In () thousands FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Revenue 47 389 19 469 Grants, Research tax credit and others 6 541 7 708 Operating revenue 53 930 27 177 Research and development expenses (25 760) (27 074) General and administrative expenses (18 463) (8 284) Operating expenses (44 223) (35 358) OPERATING INCOME (LOSS) 9 707 (8 180) FINANCIAL INCOME (LOSS) 2 051 (335) Tax (4 144) (35) NET INCOME (LOSS) 7 615 (8 550)

The consolidated financial statements on December 31st, 2018 as well as detailed explanations on the evolution of accounts are presented in the Appendix.

Key results of the Company for 2018 are:

A net gain of 7.6 million in 2018, compared to a net loss of 8.6 million in 2017, mainly constituted of: Revenue of 47.4 million in 2018 (compared to 19.5 million in 2017) which is for 37.1 million the result of the licenses agreements signed with Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd (THDB) at the end of April 2018;



Licensing revenues also include $11.6 million (10.3 million) as a milestone payment initially contested by Eli Lilly co ("Lilly"), for which Adocia obtained a favorable judgement in August 2018. The payment is expected in 2019; Other operating income of 6.5million, come mainly from the research tax credit (CIR) generated on 2018 expenses; 44.2 million operating expenses, an 8.9 million increase compared to 2017. If we exclude the expenses related to the legal proceedings, which impacted 2017 and, more significantly, 2018, other operating expenses were stable compared to 2017; A fiscal tax profit (by French standards) resulted in a reduced rate tax of 4.1million. This tax has no impact on the cash as the Company will use the withholding tax paid in China when receiving the initial payment from THDB to clear that tax payment.

compared to a net loss of 8.6 million in 2017, mainly constituted of: A cash position of 39.8 million, impacted by the payment of 37.2 million by THDB and up 5 million compared to December 31 st , 2017 position. Over the full year 2018, the net amount of cash needed to finance operations amounted to 32 million. If we exclude the expenses related to the legal proceedings, cash flow amounted to 23.1 million compared to 21.1 million over the same period in 2017. The cash position by the end of December 2018 does not include the payment due by Lilly following the favorable ruling received by Adocia in the first phase of the arbitration. The payment of $11.6 million (or 10.3 million) as well as the interests accrued of 1.6 million, is expected in 2019, after the conclusion of the second phase of the arbitration. Financial debts at the end of December 2018 totaled 7.1 million (compared to 7.6 million by the end of 2017) and consisted essentially of the loan contracted in 2016 to finance the acquisition of the building in which the headquarters and the research center of the Company are located.

impacted by the payment of 37.2 million by THDB and up 5 million compared to December 31 , 2017 position.

"The cash position at the end of 2018 increased by 5 million compared to the previous year thanks to the initial upfront payment of $50 million received from Tonghua Dongbao , said Valerie Danaguezian, Chief Financial Officer of Adocia. "In 2018, the ongoing two phases of the arbitration procedure against Eli Lilly had an exceptional impact on our general and administrative expenses. At the end of December 2018, with a cash position close to 40 million, the Company has greater financial visibility and has the means to continue its development plan."

Key events in 2018 and perspectives for 2019:

2018 was marked by the signature of a strategic alliance with the company Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd ( THDB ), Chinese leader of the production and commercialization of insulin. In April 2018, Adocia and THDB announced the signature of two licenses to develop and commercialize BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo in China and other Asian and Middle-East territories. Under the terms of the Licensing Agreements, THDB is responsible for the future development, manufacturing, and commercialization of BioChaperone Combo and BioChaperone Lispro in China and certain other covered territories. Adocia received a total upfront payment of $50 million and is entitled to receive development milestone payments up to $85 million, as well as double-digit royalties on the sale of both products in the territories. Since the signature, the two companies actively worked on technology transfer to enable the manufacturing of the two products. THDB envisaged in 2019 to start a Phase 3 for BioChaperone Lispro in 2019 and a first clinical study for BioChaperone Combo at the end of 2019.

In June 2018, the partnership with THDB, was reinforced by two global supply agreements for insulin lispro and insulin glargine. Under the terms of the Supply Agreements, THDB will manufacture and supply insulin lispro and insulin glargine (APIs) to Adocia worldwide, excluding China. These agreements offer Adocia the opportunity to further develop the BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo projects and open additional collaboration opportunities. Adocia is preparing a bridging clinical study to qualify the insulin lispro from THDB as a source equivalent to Lilly's insulin lispro. This study should be the only one required by regulatory agencies to enable BioChaperone Lispro to enter in phase 3.

From a clinical perspective, in 2018 Adocia initiated a first-in-human clinical trial of BioChaperone Pramlintide Insulin (BC Pram Ins). This trial in people with type 1 diabetes, which positive topline results were announced in September 2018, showed a significant 97% decrease in blood glucose excursion over the first two hours after the meal with BC Pram Ins compared to Humalog. The product was well tolerated. Adocia plans to initiate a second, repeated administration trial in Q2 2019.

The development of our varied portfolio products to date revealed unique properties of the BioChaperone technology, which notably enables to significantly improve single agents and to combine multiple therapeutic proteins. In order to expand the use of this technology, Adocia announced early in 2018 that BioChaperone would now be deployed in a selected range of injectable therapeutics across numerous therapeutic areas. Initial programs added to the portfolio include a ready-to-inject version of teduglutide for the treatment of short bowel syndrome and a fixed dose combination of glucagon and exenatide for the treatment of obesity, both in preclinical stage.

Lastly, regarding legal proceedings, the first phase of the arbitration procedure initiated by Adocia against Lilly concluded in favor of Adocia. The Arbitration Tribunal awarded Adocia USD 11.6 million, as well as interests.

Adocia's additional claims against Lilly for a revalued amount of USD 1.3 billion and the counterclaims of Lilly for an amount of USD 188 billion, remain pending, with a decision of the court expected in the course of 2019.

Finally, October 2018, Lilly filed a civil complaint against Adocia in the United States District Court of the Southern District of Indiana to seek a declaratory judgment for two of its US patents regarding ultra-rapid insulin formulation (Lilly's United States Patent Nos. 9,901,623 and 9,993,555 entitled "Rapid-acting insulin compositions"). Lilly contends in its complaint that it filed the action because Adocia has asserted that Lilly's patents reflect Adocia's inventive contribution. We do not expect the matter to be resolved during this fiscal year.

About Adocia

Adocia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in the development of innovative formulations of already-approved therapeutic proteins and peptides for the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases. In the diabetes field, Adocia's portfolio of injectable treatments is among the largest and most differentiated of the industry, featuring six clinical-stage products. Additionally, Adocia recently expanded its portfolio to include the development of treatments of obesity and short bowel syndrome.

The proprietary BioChaperone technological platform is designed to enhance the effectiveness and/or safety of therapeutic proteins while making them easier for patients to use. Adocia customizes BioChaperone to each protein for a given application. Adocia's clinical pipeline includes five novel insulin formulations for the treatment of diabetes: two ultra-rapid formulations of insulin analog lispro (BioChaperone Lispro U100 and U200), a combination of basal insulin glargine and rapid-acting insulin lispro (BioChaperone Combo), a rapid-acting formulation of human insulin (HinsBet U100), and a prandial combination of human insulin with amylin analog pramlintide (BioChaperone Pramlintide Insulin). It also includes an aqueous formulation of human glucagon (BioChaperone Glucagon) for the treatment of hypoglycemia. Adocia preclinical pipeline includes combinations of insulin glargine with GLP-1 receptor agonists (BioChaperone Glargine GLP-1) for the treatment of diabetes, a ready-to-use combination of glucagon and a GLP-1 receptor agonist BioChaperone Glucagon GLP1) for the treatment of obesity and a ready-to-use aqueous formulation of teduglutide (BioChaperone Teduglutide) for the treatment of short bowel syndrome.

Adocia and Chinese insulin leader Tonghua Dongbao entered into a strategic alliance. In April 2018, Adocia granted Tonghua Dongbao licenses to develop and commercialize BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo in China and other Asian and Middle-Eastern territories. The licensing included 50 million dollars upfront and up to 85 million dollars development milestones, plus double-digit royalties on sales. In June 2018, Tonghua Dongbao agreed to manufacture and supply active pharmaceutical ingredients insulin lispro and insulin glargine to Adocia globally, excluding China, to support Adocia's portfolio development in these territories.

Adocia aims to deliver "Innovative medicine for everyone, everywhere."

To learn more about Adocia, please visit us at www.adocia.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Adocia and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Adocia considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Reference Document filed with the French Autorite des marches financiers on April 19, 2018 (a copy of which is available at www.adocia.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Adocia operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Adocia or not currently considered material by Adocia. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Adocia to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Adocia shares in any jurisdiction.

APPENDIX: Full year results for the year ended December 31st, 2018 IFRS Rules

The following table below summarizes the Company's income statement under IFRS for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2018 and provides a comparison with fiscal year 2017.

In () thousands FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Revenue (a) 47 389 19 469 Research and collaborative agreements 650 Licencing revenues 47 389 18 819 Other revenue (b) 6 541 7 708 Research tax credit 6 368 7 535 Grants, public financing, others 173 173 Operating revenue (a) (b) 53 930 27 177 Research and development expenses (25 760) (27 074) General and administrative expenses (18 463) (8 284) Operating expenses (44 223) (35 358) OPERATING INCOME (LOSS) 9 707 (8 180) FINANCIAL INCOME (LOSS) 2 051 (335) Tax (4 144) (35) NET INCOME (LOSS) 7 615 (8 550) Base earning per share () 1,1 (1,2) Diluted earning per share () 1,0 (1,2) GROUP NET PROFIT (LOSS) 7 615 (8 550)

Operating income

The Company's operating income resulted from collaboration and licensing agreements and public funding of research costs. In 2018, operating income amounted 53.9 million compared to 27.2 million in 2017 based on the following breakdown:

In () thousands FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Revenue (a) 47 389 19 469 Research and collaborative agreements 650 Licencing revenues 473889 18 819 Grants, public financing, others (b) 6 541 7 708 OPERATING REVENUE (a) (b) 53 930 27 177

Revenue of 47.4 million in 2018 resulted up to 37.1 million from the partnership and licensing agreement signed with Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd (THDB) in April 2018. The non-refundable upfront payment provided for in the contract in the amount of 50 million dollars, or 41.1 million euros, is partially recognized as revenue (i.e. 37.1 million) in 2018. It reflects the rights thus granted to THDB to develop, manufacture, and commercialize BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo in China and other territories in Asia and the Middle-East. The remaining non-amortized amount of the initial payment will be recognized upon provision of research and development services by Adocia related to the transfer and development of the products.

By the end of December 2018, licensing revenues also included an amount of $11.6 million (10.3 million) corresponding to a contractual milestone payment contested by Lilly, for which Adocia obtained a favorable arbitration judgement in August 2018. The payment is expected to be received in 2019.

Last year, revenue for 2017 was impacted by the end of the collaboration with Lilly which resulted in the recognition of the not-yet-amortized balance of the $50 million upfront payment received in 2014 (no cash impact as payment had been received upon contract signature in December 2014).

Other operating income includes the research tax credit in the amount of 6.4 million at December 31st, 2018 compared to 7.5 million at December 31st, 2017. This decrease by 1.1 million is in line with the reduced amount of research and development expenses recorded this year.

Operating expenses

The table below shows a breakdown of operating expenses by function for the fiscal years ended December 31st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018:

In () thousands FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Research and development expenses (25 760) (27 074) General and administrative expenses (18 463) (8 284) OPERATING EXPENSES (44 223) (35 358)

Research and development expenses mainly include payroll costs of research and development employees, subcontracting costs (including preclinical studies and clinical trials), intellectual property costs and purchases of materials (reagents and other consumables), pharmaceutical products and other raw materials. In 2017, these expenses amounted to 25.8 million compared to 27.1 million in 2017.

The activities carried out during the 2018 financial year focused mainly on the preparation of clinical studies and support for the Company's Chinese partner for the development of the two products licensed in April 2018. In 2017, research and development, and more specifically clinical expenses were impacted by the costs of three clinical studies.

General and administrative expenses mainly include payroll costs of non-research and development employees, as well as the cost of services related to the management and business development of the Company and its subsidiary in the United States. They also include fees and expenses related to arbitration procedure launched against Lilly.

These general costs amounted to 18.5 million in 2018 compared to 8.3 million in 2017. This increase of 10.2 million is mainly due, for an amount of 8.3 million, to the legal expenses related to the current litigation proceedings and, for an amount of 1.5 million, to the increase in staff expenses, notably following the payment of performance bonuses to employees, as a result of the signature of the partnership with THDB. As a reminder, in 2017 salaries and bonuses were frozen due to the termination of the contract with Lilly.

R&D expenses restated for the costs related to the arbitration proceedings against Lilly, represented in 2018, 76.4% of the operating expenses compared to 81% in 2017.

The table below shows a breakdown of operating expenses by type of expense for the fiscal years ended December 31st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018:

In () thousands FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Purchases used in operations (2 188) (1 740) Payroll expense (13 327) (10 843) Share-based payments (1 574) (2 525) External expenses (25 537) (19 019) Taxes and contributions (553) (217) Depreciation, amortization provisions (1 044) (1 013) OPERATING EXPENSES (44 223) (35 358)

The cost of materials, products and supplies consumed increased in 2018 compared to 2017 up to 2.2 million, as a result of additional purchase of the raw materials needed for the manufacturing of clinical batches. This increase of 0.5 million is mostly due to the increase in raw material purchase necessary to manufacture clinical batches.

Payroll expenses totaled 13.3 million in 2018 compared to 10.8 million in 2017. Given the recruitments conducted last year, the average workforce rose from 126.1 full-time equivalents (FTE) in 2017 to 129.4 FTE in 2018, an increase of nearly 3%. The 2.5 million increase in personnel expenses mainly reflects the payment of performance bonuses to employees, as a result of the signature of the partnership with THDB.

The share-based payments item of 1.6 million in 2018 mainly includes the impact of the plans implemented in previous years. The 0.9million decrease in this item is related to the vesting of several share-based plans in 2018. In accordance with IFRS 2, these expenses correspond to the fair value of the equity instruments granted to managers and employees. These elements had no impact on the Company's corporate financial statements or cash position.

External charges mainly included the costs of preclinical studies, clinical trials, subcontracting expenses, intellectual property costs, professional fees and administrative expenses. These expenses amounted to 25.5 million and increased by 6.5 million in 2017. This is mainly due to the intensification of the legal fees incurred for the procedures against Lilly. Restated of these fees, external charges amounted to 15 million in 2018, versus 16.8 million in 2017.

Taxes totaled 0.6 million in 2018, versus 0.2 million in 2017.

Depreciation and amortization remained stable over both years totaling more than 1 million.

Net financial income/expense

The net financial result was a profit of 2.1 million in 2018, compared to a loss of 0.3 million in the previous year. This is explained by the recognition of the accrued interest of 1.6 million calculated on the contractual milestone payment of $11.6 million, which cash payment is expected in 2019 after the second phase of the arbitration procedure against Lilly is concluded.

The Company's investment policy focuses on liquidity, the absence of capital risk and, to the extent possible, guaranteed performance.

Corporation tax

The 2018 tax amount recorded in the consolidated income statement for 4.1 million refers to the corporate income tax calculated on the fiscal benefit subject to a reduced tax rate of 15%. This tax will be paid in full by charging the withholding tax paid in China on the initial upfront payment.

The amount of carryforward tax losses, after allocation of the fiscal deficit subject to the standard tax rate for the 2018 financial year, was 115.5 million. This carryforward loss is not limited in time. Since the company cannot determine with sufficient reliability when it will be able to absorb its accumulated tax loss, it did not recognize a deferred tax asset for this loss.

Net profit/loss

The net profit for 2018 totaled 7.6 million compared to a loss of 8.6 million in 2017. The net profit per share for 2018 amounts to 1.10, compared to a net loss of 1.25 per share in 2017.

Balance sheet analysis

Non-current assets

Between 2017 and 2018, non-current assets have remained stable at 9.1 million. The investments in 2018 for 0.8 million are mainly due to the ongoing renovation works of the two 450 m floors by December 31st, 2018 destined to the analytical department (for an amount of 0.4 million), as well as the purchase of scientific and computer hardware material (for 0.3 million). These cumulative investments, added to the increase of the valuation of the liquidity agreement in the financial assets for 0.25 million, are compensated by the depreciation of the year, which amounts to 1 million.

Current assets

Current assets amounted to 61 million at December 31st, 2018 compared to 44.7 million at December 31st, 2017. They consisted of the following items:

"Cash and cash equivalents" increased from 34.8 million at December 31st, 2017 to 39.8 million at December 31st, 2018. The 5 million increase on the year reflects the initial upfront payment of THDB for 37.2 million ($ 45 million) net of Chinese withholding taxes, as well as a level of expenditure similar to that of last year, after restating expenses related to the legal proceedings against Lilly.

Other current assets amounted to 9.8 million at December 31st, 2017 and consisted mainly of the receivable related to the research tax credit (CIR) of 7.5 million. At December 31st, 2018, this item amounted to 21 million. The 11.2 million increase is mainly due to the favorable outcome of the first phase the arbitration proceedings initiated by Adocia against Lilly. The Arbitral Tribunal ordered Lilly to pay the disputed milestone payment of $11.6 million, or 10.3 million, plus interests (accrued end of December for $1.6 million). The payment of this total receivable of 11.9 million at the end of December 2018 is expected in 2019. The research tax credit amounts to 6.4 million at the end of 2018.

Current and non-current liabilities

Liabilities consisted mainly of four items presented on the balance sheet according to their maturity:

"Trade payables" under current liabilities in the amount of 7.5 million compared to 4.9 million at end-December 2017, which reflect the intense activity at the end of the year 2018 and the lawyers' fees incurred in connection with the proceedings against Lilly.

"Financial debt" totaling 7.1 million at end-December 2018, decreasing by 0.5 million compared to the previous year. This decrease related mainly to the repayment of the loans taken out to finance the building. The short-term portion, shown under "Current financial liabilities", totaled 2.2 million at end-December 2018 compared to 1.8 million a year earlier.

"Long-term provisions" mainly comprise provisions for retirement benefits, which totaled 2.8 million for fiscal year 2018 versus 2.2 million for fiscal year 2017.

The "other liabilities" item for 2018 mainly includes tax and social security liabilities which amounted to 2.7 million, an increase by 0.6 million from the previous year given the increase of the accrual for paid vacation and the value-added contribution (CVAE) tax. In 2018, other liabilities also included 4 million in deferred revenue related to the agreement signed with THDB in 2018.

Cash and financing

Debt financing

In the past, in order to finance its research activities, the Company benefited from repayable loans obtained from Bpifrance and COFACE, which do not bear interests, for a total amount of 4.1 million. As of December 2018, the outstanding amount of these loans was 0.5 million.

In addition, the Company uses other financial liabilities to finance the acquisition of labs equipment and material. Future obligations under these leasing contracts amounted to 0.4 million as of December 31, 2018.

In 2016, the Company contracted a bank loan to finance the purchase of the building that it has occupied since its creation as well as adjoining parking. At the end of 2018, the outstanding capital amounted to 4.9 million.

Finally, in 2017 the Company funded part of the legal costs incurred in the arbitration against Lilly. This financing, obtained from two banks, took the form of two lines of credit, each in an amount of $1.5 million each. At December 31, 2018, one of the two cash lines was renewed and Adocia's financial debts were impacted by 1.3 million ($1.5 million).

As of December 31st, 2018, Adocia's financial debt is 7.1 million, with a short term (less than a year) portion of 2.2 million.

Cash flows

In () thousands, Consolidated financial statements, IAS/IFRS FY 2018

(12 months) FY 2017

(12 months) Net cash flow generated by operating activities 6 313 (22 227) Net cash flow in connection with investment transactions (1 034) (1 685) Net cash flow in connection with financing transactions (216) 653 Changes in net cash 5 063 (23 259) Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year 34 778 58 037 Cash and cash equivalents at year-end 39 841 34 778

Net cash flow from operations

For fiscal year 2018, net cash inflows related to operations amounted to 6.3 million compared to a net cash outflow of 22.2 million in the previous year.

Net cash flow includes the cash proceeds from THDB's initial payment of 37.2 million (or $45 million), net of Chinese withholding tax.

Net cash flow from investments

Cash consumption related to investment transactions was 1 million, compared to 1.7 million in the previous year.

In 2018, the Company acquired equipment and made some renovation for an amount of 0.8 million. It also increased by 0.25 million the resources made available under the liquidity contract entrusted to Kepler Cheuvreux.

Net cash flow from financing transactions

In 2018, net cash flow from financing transactions resulted primarily from the repayment of the two lines of credit obtained in 2017 to finance the legal costs incurred for legal proceedings against Lilly, as well as the renewal in December 2018 of one of its two lines. At the same time, the Company continued to repay its mortgages as well as its conditioned advances, according to the planned deadlines.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005690/en/

Contacts:

Adocia

Gerard Soula

Chairman and CEO

contactinvestisseurs@adocia.com

Ph.: +33 4 72 610 610

Adocia Press Relations Europe

MC Services AG

Raimund Gabriel

adocia@mc-services.eu

Ph.: +49 89 210 228 0

Adocia Investor Relations USA

The Ruth Group

Tram Bui

tbui@theruthgroup.com

Ph.: +1 646 536 7035
BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / Americans are highly indebted. If you are in debt, you are not alone. As a debtor, you need to understand that you have rights. GM Law Firm LLC Delray Beach, FL will empower you to know your rights while they work with your creditors to negotiate a debt resolution solution.

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You can visit GM Law Firm Office at:

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Suite 105, Boca Raton, Florida.

SOURCE: GM Law Firm

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538356/End-The-Cycle-of-Debt-with-GM-Law-Firm-LLC
OXFORD, England, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxford Nanopore has today made Flongle starter packs available to purchase https://store.nanoporetech.com/flongle.html, after initial testing in an early-access programme. Flongle introduces a new paradigm of smaller, on-demand DNA or RNA sequencing tests, with the potential to transform a range of applications where rapid insights are required at low cost.

Oxford Nanopore's goal is to enable the analysis of any living thing, by anyone, anywhere. Flongle is designed to bring this goal closer and to also allow low-cost sequencing at any time. With its compact format, Flongle opens up possibilities of on-demand testing in a broad range of locations, from scientific laboratories to farms and factories, healthcare settings, outdoor environments or classrooms.

Flongle is an adapter for the portable MinION and desktop GridION X5 sequencing devices. It uses the same core nanopore sequencing technology as other Oxford Nanopore devices, producing real-time data, direct sequencing and long reads. The small Flongle flow cells can currently produce as much as 1.8 Gb of sequence data with headroom for more than 3 Gb. This enables many sequencing experiment types, including small-genome sequencing, targeted panels/amplicon sequencing, metagenomics for the identification of viruses, bacteria or characterisation of microbiomes, or species ID. It can also be used for quality control for larger nanopore experiments.

At $90 per flow cell, Flongle allows on-demand sequencing at an affordable price point, without needing to wait for the large batches of samples that are often required to achieve low per-test costs on traditional sequencing devices. The workflow is fast and simple, with library preparation in as little as ten minutes and real-time data analysis.

Dr Matt Loose, from DeepSeq, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, has been testing the Flongle as part of an early access programme. "We've been using Flongle for testing and developing new protocols such as CRISPR/Cas9 selection for targeting select regions of the human genome, as well as working up new samples before running at scale on PromethION. We've been very happy with throughput and yield on early access flow cells and are looking forward to incorporating production-ready Flongle into our workflows. It will be really interesting to see how users apply Flongle in the field."

https://twitter.com/mattloose/status/1067115112220295168

https://twitter.com/mattloose/status/1053307734802776070

Miten Jain, from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has also been trialling Flongle: "Flongle-based sequencing is the best way to check a nanopore library. At UC Santa Cruz, we now routinely sequence native RNA and genomic DNA libraries on a Flongle Flow Cell before scaling them to our PromethION. We have observed that Flongle-based sequencing is a good predictor of library quality and its performance on the PromethION. Flongle also permits experimental tests at a more affordable scale and will be an integral part of our nanopore work going forward."

Dr Justin O'Grady is a translational researcher from University of East Anglia, UK. He has been developing nanopore-based research methods for the rapid metagenomic characterisation of pathogens in clinical samples from patients with pneumonia or urinary tract infections. "I am excited about how Flongle can help identify pathogens and antimicrobial resistance more quickly, and how such technologies could be used in settings much closer to patients in the future."

https://twitter.com/Justin_OGrady/status/1055855306754924544

Flongle starter packs are now available in store. These starter packs include the Flongle adapter and users can choose to run these on their MinION or GridION devices. Users will be able to purchase additional flow cells for $90 each. Protocols are being made available and use the current preparation kits already compatible with MinION, GridION and PromethION.

Oxford Nanopore is now taking pre-orders for the MinION Mk1C https://nanoporetech.com/products/minion-mk1c, which combines the real-time, portable sequencing of MinION with powerful computing and a high-resolution touchscreen. This device will be compatible with Flongle enabling rapid, field-based analyses; more information will be provided soon.

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/834428/Oxford_Nanopore_Flongle.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/834426/Oxford_Nanopore_Flongle.jpg

Contact: Zoe McDougall, media@nanoporetech.com
PARIS, FRANCE and CORAL GABLES, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / The Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group is pleased to welcome Christel Thorson as Vice President of Sales for North America.

Christel Thorson has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. She began her career in global business with major brokers such as Aon and Sedgwick. Christel Thorson spent the last 12 years in the IT sector, in charge of sales of reinsurance software at msg global solutions Inc.

Christel Thorson brings her outstanding knowledge and experience in insurance and reinsurance to the Group. She will help to fulfill the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group's stake to create a major global InsureTech company, as she will be responsible for sales and expansion in North America for Prima Solution-Effisoft's WebXL reinsurance software and services.

Christel Thorson, Vice President of Sales for North America

"I am very pleased to join the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group, a major player in this industry. Having tracked the rapid growth of Effisoft for years, I am well aware of the company's commitment to customer service and to developing leading IT solutions for the reinsurance industry. I look forward to contributing to future successes within this extremely talented and innovative organization and this genuinely great team," Thorson said.

"We are very excited to welcome a proven sales leader to the Prima Solutions-Effisoft team. Christel's vast experience and connections within the industry will allow us to continue our rapid expansion and growth in the North American reinsurance market," stated Gregory Moliner, CEO of the Effisoft's American subsidiary.

The consolidated group has more than 300 employees across the globe, servicing more than 300 customers across 5 continents. This nomination strengthens the position of the group in North America, as part of the continuing growth strategy of the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group, following the merger of the 2 entities in December, 2018.

Source: https://www.effisoft.com/en/News/WebXL/the-prima-solutions-effisoft-group-appoints-christel-thorson-vice-president-of-sales-north-america.html

About The Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group

The Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group is a global InsureTech Group which designs software solutions for insurance and reinsurance professionals in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

It covers all business processes: life and health insurance (group and individual), non-life, reinsurance, regulatory compliance and business intelligence, including predictive simulations and actuarial calculations.

With more than 300 customers and a worldwide network of partners, Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group enables insurance companies to accelerate their digital transformation, thanks to its highly configurable and scalable web software platform available in the cloud.

www.effisoft.com/en

www.prima-solutions.com/en

Media Contact: Henry Stimpson, Stimpson Communications, 508-647-0705, Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com

SOURCE: Effisoft USA

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538746/The-Prima-Solutions-Effisoft-Group-Appoints-Christel-Thorson-Vice-President-of-Sales-North-America
Airborne electromagnetic survey to be flown over Grootfontein mafic complex targeting magmatic Ni-Cu and carbonate-hosted lead-zinc-vanadium deposits

Favourable stratigraphy and structure for orogenic Otjikoto-type gold deposits identified at Grootfontein and at Otjiwarongo; soil sampling completed at Otjiwarongo (results pending) and planned soil survey to follow at Grootfontein

Kunene Phase 1 drilling program completed; additional drilling required to follow up and test remaining target areas

Preliminary metallurgical test work indicates potential to significantly upgrade Lofdal heavy rare earths and Epembe tantalum-niobium mineralization using XRF and XRT sorters

HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NMI") (TSXV:NMI) today provided an update on a number of project activities from their diversified critical metals portfolio. The Company has received further drill results from its Kunene cobalt-copper project and has initiated gold exploration programs at the Otjiwarongo and Grootfontein projects. An airborne electromagnetic survey has been contracted to SkyTEM Surveys ApS ("SkyTEM") and is planned to be flown over the Grootfontein mafic complex in April to assist in the detection of magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralization as well as to explore for Mississippi Valley type lead-zinc-vanadium deposits similar to the neighboring Berg Aukas Mine. The Company has also received preliminary comments on results of metallurgical test work on mineralized samples from the Area 4 heavy rare earth deposit at Lofdal and from the Epembe tantalum-niobium project using XRT and XRF ore sorting technologies.

Don Burton, President stated, "Exploration on the Kunene Co-Cu project has yielded encouraging drill results for follow-up and a number of key targets remain to be tested. However, given the ongoing low price of cobalt, management sees this is an opportune time to re-focus exploration on other related commodities of interest such as gold, nickel, copper, zinc and vanadium in our diversified critical metals portfolio. We will therefore allocate more of our available resources to the Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo projects."

Grootfontein Project (Ni-Cu, Pb-Zn-V, Au)

Grootfontein is an early stage project which offers a number of opportunities for discovery of:

magmatic nickel-copper type deposits within the Grootfontein mafic complex;



Mississippi Valley Type ("MVT") carbonate hosted lead-zinc-vanadium deposits and



gold deposits of the Otjikoto type where B2Gold has an operating 2.75 million ounce gold mine1.

The entire area is poorly explored due to the extensive cover of Kalahari sands and calcrete. The first two deposit types are ideal electromagnetic ("EM") targets and the Company is planning to fly the first airborne EM survey over the mafic complex at flight line spacing of 400 meters and over the Berg Aukas target area at a flight line spacing of 200 meters (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Grootfontein Project area (EPL 6561 and EPL 5992) showing magnetic response from buried mafic complex, location of the Berg Aukas mine to the north and magnetic anomalies in favourable structural setting and stratigraphy to the south to be tested for gold potential. Planned airborne EM survey flight path showing varying flight line spacings for different targets (flight lines over gold targets cover a strike length of 28 kilometers for scale) (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Based on historic drill holes and airborne magnetic survey interpretations, Grootfontein constitutes a huge mafic complex covering 360 km2 with the potential to host magmatic nickel, copper, vanadium, platinum group elements and chromite mineralisation as cumulates or late magmatic disseminations and stockworks. Two shallow drill fences (total of 1,386 m) were drilled by Anglo American in 1988 and more recent work by Ongopolo Mining proved that the main intrusive phases are depleted in nickel and copper. The Company's exploration model therefore assumes that metals were likely fractionated as sulphides during the intrusive phase, gravitationally accumulated in the magma and intruded in the adjacent, pre-existing rocks.

1 B2Gold disclosure (Company website) of Otjikoto Probable Reserves = 0.99M oz (19.5 Mt @ 1.57 g/t Au); Indicated Resource = 1.51M oz (35.4 Mt @ 1.33 g/t Au); Inferred Resource = 0.25M oz (4.6 Mt @ 1.70 g/t Au)

Immediately north of the mafic complex there is potential for Mississippi Valley Type lead-zinc-vanadium mineralisation as evidenced by the Berg Aukas mine. Berg Aukas is a dolostone-hosted deposit which according to historical records, produced 1.6 Mt of ore grading 4.0% Pb, 16.8% Zn and 0.9% V2O5 during the period 1967-1975. The Grootfontein project area hosts favourable stratigraphy for this deposit type immediately west of Berg Aukas.

The Damaran Gold Belt which hosts the Otjikoto gold deposit (2.75 million ounces gold, B2Gold) stretches over the southern half of the Grootfontein license block. The orogenic gold mineralization is typically associated with hydrothermal alteration and pyrrhotite mineralization which form magnetic anomalies. The Company has purchased and interpreted 200 meter line spacing magnetic survey data from the Geological Survey of Namibia. The magnetic anomalies are interpreted to occur within the same stratigraphic and structural setting which hosts the Otjikoto Gold Mine. This area is also completely covered and will be explored using soil geochemical survey methods.

Otjiwarongo (F, Rare Earths, Au)

Otjiwarongo is another early stage conceptual target based on geophysical data. Circular anomalies will be tested for potential mineralizations associated with alkaline intrusive complexes such as niobium-tantalum, fluorspar and rare earths. Typical examples for these mineralizations are the Okorusu fluorspar deposit and the rare earths mineralization at the Eisenberg complex. The circular anomaly measures one kilometer in diameter and can be easily tested by drilling to determine if in fact a carbonatite body is the source and what styles of mineralization might be associated with it (fluorspar, rare earths, tantalum, niobium etc.).

The magnetic anomalies of interest at Otjiwarongo are also situated in favourable stratigraphy and structural setting of the Damaran Gold Belt and may be associated with gold mineralization similar to that at B2Gold's Otjikoto gold mine (Figure 2). As at Grootfontein, the area of interest is largely hidden by cover. The Company has already collected 925 soil samples on a 200 x 100 meter grid over the key magnetic anomalies in the western portion of the project area. Samples have been submitted to Activation Laboratories for multi-element ICP and for gold fire assay analyses and results are pending.

Figure 2 - Otjiwarongo Project area (EPL 5847) showing magnetic responses in favourable stratigraphy with potential for Otjikoto-type mineralization. Circular magnetic features may also be related to alkaline intrusions similar to the carbonatite complex which hosts the Okorusu fluorspar deposits. Image on right shows distinct magnetic signature of B2Gold's Otjikoto deposit. (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Kunene Project (Co-Cu)

As was previously announced (Company press release dated December 18, 2018) drilling at Kunene indicates the continuation of the Dolomite Ore Formation ("DOF") which hosts the Opuwo Co-Cu-Zn deposit which is under development by Celsius Resources Ltd., on to Namibia Critical Metals' land holdings. In addition to the Co-Cu horizons, two vanadium-enriched horizons were intersected within the same stratigraphic sequence in the NMI drill holes. Results from the first three reverse circulation holes on the Okanihova Central Target were also previously reported and indicates widespread copper mineralization in the sedimentary strata in the hanging wall of the Okanihova lineament. Additional results have been received from five other target areas (Figure 3) and all drill results are now reported (Table 1 and Table 2).





Figure 3 - Kunene Co-Cu Project Area showing drill target areas tested to date (white ovals) and remaining target areas recommended for drilling (yellow ovals). NSM = no significant mineralization. Cobalt soil anomalies are shown on SkyTEM airborne EM conductivity layer (Con13 = approximately 70 vertical meter depth) and satellite topography image. (To view the full-size image, please click here)





*Width is down-the-hole length in meters. True widths cannot yet be determined with the available information

*Width is down-the-hole length in meters. True widths cannot yet be determined with the available information

All drill hole analyses were carried out under strict QAQC protocols including the insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates. Sample preparation was carried out by Activation Laboratories (Windhoek, Namibia) and ICP analyses with appropriate acid digestions were carried out by Activation Laboratories (Ancaster, Canada).

The Phase 1 drilling program has tested seven target areas with a total of 1,481 meters of diamond drilling in 8 holes, and 4,283 meters of reverse circulation drilling with 19 holes. Significant results requiring additional drilling were realized at DOF East (DOF Extension target), at Okanihova Central, at Malachite Mountain and at Malachite Mountain North. No significant mineralization was intersected at Okanihova Southwest, Olulilwa or at DOF West (DOF Extension target).

Further work at Kunene is required to follow up on:

the DOF mineralization (Co-Cu) intersected at DOF East (Table 1);

vanadium-enriched horizons intersected at DOF East (Table 1);

widespread copper mineralization over seven kilometers on the Okanihova Central trend (Table 2) and

widespread copper mineralization at Malachite Mountain (Table 2).

The DOF and vanadium horizons require further testing along strike and down dip. The results from drilling along the Okanihova lineament and at Malachite Mountain require further evaluation in order to identify higher grade structures within the widespread low grade mineralization encountered to date.

Remaining target areas (Figure 3) recommended for drilling are:

Western magnetic and induced polarization ("IP") anomalies;

Northwestern sedimentary horizons delineated by airborne EM;

Africa EM anomaly and

Olulilwa Southwest EM anomaly

Lofdal and Epembe Metallurgical Test Work (Heavy Rare Earths and Ta-Nb)

The two most advanced projects in the Company's portfolio are the Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project and the Epembe Tantalum-Niobium Project. At Lofdal, a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") was completed in 2014 and following completion of an environmental impact assessment ("EIA") in 2016 the project was provided with Environmental Clearance Certificates from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in 2017. Mineralization at the deposit is dominated by xenotime which is highly enriched in heavy rare earths (most notably terbium, dysprosium and yttrium). An application has been made for a mining licence which remains pending.

Epembe hosts a well defined mineralized carbonatite dyke with over 11,000 m of drilling and preliminary metallurgical studies completed to investigate processing options for the mineral pyrochlore which hosts the tantalum-niobium-uranium-phosphate mineralization.

The Company has allocated a modest budget to focus on maximizing efficiencies of ore sorting technologies to which both the xenotime and pyrochlore mineralizations are amenable. Upfront sorting can provide significant benefits to operating and capital costs by eliminating internal waste from run-of-mine feed ("ROM") thereby minimizing volumes to milling and downstream chemical processing. The Lofdal PEA incorporated x-ray transmission ("XRT") sorting into the beneficiation flowsheet and made recommendations that x-ray fluorescence ("XRF") sorting be investigated as a further means of upgrading the ROM. Preliminary investigations into the amenability of Epembe tantalum-niobium to XRT and XRF were also positive.

In order to efficiently evaluate the sorting technologies, bulk samples were taken from both deposits and first stage testing of selected particles at various size and grade ranges has been completed (Figure 4). This data is needed to develop the sorting algorithms that will be used in the bulk sample tests. The bulk samples (18 tonnes from Lofdal and 25 tonnes from Epembe) have been delivered to the Light Deep Earth test facility in South Africa and sorter tests will be conducted by Mentanza Metallurgical Laboratories using a Rados XRF sorter and by IMS Engineering using a Steinert XRT sorter.

Figure 4 - a) Rados XRF particle test unit with XRF analyser in lid can test static or multiple particles on rotating disk at speeds to simulate full scale unit belt speeds b) rotating disk loaded with individual particles for analysis c) Steinert XRT unit at IMS Engineering facility in Johannesburg also used for NMI particle tests (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Results from the Rados XRF particle tests have concluded that both deposits are amenable to full scale sorting and have recommended that algorithms be developed for Lofdal using yttrium, iron, calcium and thorium, and for Epembe using niobium and iron. Previous test work with Tomra Sorting Solutions in Germany confirmed the amenability of both Lofdal and Epembe to upgrading with XRT sorting and the current test work with IMS will compare efficiencies with Steinert XRT machines. The bulk samples will be coarse crushed and screened to appropriate size limits for the respective machines by Light Deep Earth, pending delivery to Mentanza and IMS for bulk sample testing.

Donald M. Burton, P.Geo. and President of Namibia Critical Metals Inc., is the Company's Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved this press release.

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Namibia Critical Metals Inc. holds a diversified portfolio of exploration and advanced stage projects in the country of Namibia focused on the development of sustainable and ethical sources of metals for the battery, electric vehicle and associated industries. The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI".

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.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Don Burton, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761

Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com

Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking information relating to the future performance of Namibia Rare Earths Inc. Forward-looking information, specifically, that concerning future performance, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions.

SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538763/Namibia-Critical-Metals-Advancing-Gold-Base-Metal-and-Vanadium-Projects-Updates-on-Kunene-Cobalt-Copper-Drilling-and-Metallurgical-Test-Work
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / 1933 Industries Inc. (the "Company" or "1933 Industries") (CSE: TGIF) (OTCQX: TGIFF), a licensed cultivator and producer of cannabis flower and concentrates and manufacturer of hemp-derived CBD wellness products, is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") of its shareholders held in Vancouver.

During the Meeting, the following matters put forth as outlined in the Management Information Circular were approved:

Receiving the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 (with comparative statements relating to the preceding fiscal period) together with the report of the auditor thereon;



Appointing Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditors of the Company for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2018 and authorizing the directors to fix the auditors' remuneration;



Determining the number of directors to be elected to the board at Six (6); and



Electing directors.

Messrs. Brayden Sutton, Cam Watt, Rick Skeith, Brian Farrell, Chris Rebentisch, and Andrew Richards were re-elected as directors of the Company.

In addition, following a motion made from the floor, an ordinary resolution was approved altering the Company's articles such that a quorum shall be present at a shareholder meeting if shareholders who, in the aggregate, hold at least 10% of the voting rights attached shares entitled to be voted at the meeting are present in person or represented by proxy.

About 1933 Industries Inc.

1933 Industries Inc. is a vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in the United States and Canada. Operating through three subsidiary companies, 1933 Industries owns licensed medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation and production assets, proprietary hemp-based, CBD infused products, CBD extraction services and a specialized cannabis advisory firm supporting clients in security, intelligence and due diligence. The Company owns 91% of both Alternative Medicine Association and Infused MFG. and 100% of Spire Global Strategy.

Please visit our website at http://www.1933industries.com

For further information please contact:

Alexia Helgason, Corporate Communications Director

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

alexia@1933industries.com

Brayden Sutton, Director/President & CEO

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

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.

Notice regarding Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. 1933 Industries undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: 1933 Industries Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538759/1933-Industries-Reports-Results-of-Annual-General-Meeting
Pacific Drilling S.A. (NYSE: PACD) (the "Company") announced today that its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2019, are available on the Company's website, www.pacificdrilling.com, in the "SEC Filings" subsection of the "Investor Relations" section. Shareholders may also request a free hard copy of the filing, which includes the Company's complete 2018 audited financial statements, by emailing Investor@pacificdrilling.com or by dialing +1 832-255-0600.

About Pacific Drilling

With its best-in-class drillships and highly experienced team, Pacific Drilling is committed to becoming the industry's preferred high-specification, deepwater drilling contractor. Pacific Drilling's fleet of seven drillships represents one of the youngest and most technologically advanced fleets in the world. Pacific Drilling has its principal offices in Luxembourg and Houston. For more information about Pacific Drilling, including our current Fleet Status, please visit our website at www.pacificdrilling.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005883/en/

Contacts:

Investor:

Johannes (John) P. Boots

Pacific Drilling S.A.

+1 713-334-6662

Investor@pacificdrilling.com

Media:

Amy Roddy

Pacific Drilling S.A.

+1 713-334-6662

Media@pacificdrilling.com
SYDNEY, Australia, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanwha Q CELLS Australia Pty. Ltd., together with Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp., a leading photovoltaic manufacturer of high-performance solar cells and modules (collectively, "Hanwha Q CELLS"), today announced that, Hanwha Q CELLS filed patent infringement complaints with the Federal Court of Australia against JinkoSolar and LONGi Solar. This follows an announcement on 5 March, 2019, that Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. and Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc. filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") and Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. filed related patent infringement complaints with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar, and REC Group, and that Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH filed patent infringement complaints with the Regional Court of Dusseldorf against JinkoSolar and REC Group.

The Federal Court complaints allege that JinkoSolar and LONGi Solar are importing and selling solar cells and modules that infringe Hanwha Q CELLS's Australian patent rights. In particular, the complaints allege that JinkoSolar and LONGi Solar have incorporated Hanwha Q CELLS's 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 LONGi Solar from importing, marketing, and selling the infringing products in Australia.

Australia is one of the global leaders in the solar energy sector and Hanwha Q CELLS is fully committed to further strengthening this important industry. Hanwha Q CELLS's innovative technology improves the efficiency and performance of solar cells, making solar energy more accessible and affordable for Australian consumers and businesses. Hanwha Q CELLS's presence in Australia goes back to 2009 and it is proud that last year approximately one in 10 panels installed in the country's residential and commercial segments were made by Hanwha Q CELLS. The legal actions Hanwha Q CELLS is taking will protect its ability to innovate and reinforce its reputation as a leading supplier of high-quality products and a trusted business partner to its customers across Australia.

"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. The products supplied by these two companies are using technology that we believe is protected by our Australian patent and 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. We are not prepared to tolerate the unauthorised distribution in Australia of products that incorporate our patented technology."

The patent claims asserted by Hanwha Q CELLS are not restricted to any particular method of manufacture, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) or plasma-enhanced chemical deposition (PECVD). Instead, the asserted claims of Australian patent no. 20083232025 (and its equivalents in the U.S. and Germany) are directed to a solar cell structure with a first dielectric layer including aluminum oxide and a second dielectric layer that contains hydrogen. The patented technology can be applied in many ways. A solar cell employing what is known as Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) technology is only one type of solar cells that may use technology covered by Australian patent no. 20083232025 and its global equivalents.

For additional information on this matter, please visit www.q-cellsip.com.

The press releases about the related patent infringement complaints in the United States and Germany can be accessed here:

Hanwha Q CELLS Files Patent Infringement Complaint with U.S. International Trade Commission Against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar, and REC Group, March 5, 2019

Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH files patent infringement complaint with the Regional Court of Dusseldorf in Germany against JinkoSolar and REC Group, March 5, 2019

About Hanwha Q CELLS Australia Pty. Ltd.

Hanwha Q CELLS Australia Pty. Ltd. is located in Sydney, Australia and provides high quality photovoltaic modules and solutions to the Australian market. It is a subsidiary of Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd., one of the world's largest and most recognized photovoltaic manufacturers, known for its high-performance, high-quality solar cells and modules. Hanwha Q CELLS Australia Pty. Ltd. has been present in Australia since 2009 and in 2019 was awarded the title of Australia's Top Brand PV by internationally recognized research institute EuPD for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, please visit www.q-cells.com/au

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.

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.

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.
British oil firm Cairn Energy Plc Tuesday said its holding in Vedanta Ltd has dropped to just 0.1 percent after the Income Tax Department sold most of its 4.9 percent stake in the company to recover a retrospective tax demand

New Delhi: British oil firm Cairn Energy Plc on Tuesday said its holding in Vedanta Ltd has dropped to just 0.1 percent after the Income Tax Department sold most of its 4.9 percent stake in the company to recover a retrospective tax demand.

Besides realising about Rs 5,000 crore from selling the shares together with redemption proceeds on Vedanta Ltd preference shares, the Income Tax Department has also seized Rs 1,140 crore of dividend due to the British company as well as Rs 1,590 crore of tax refund in an unrelated case, Cairn said in its 2018 financial earnings statement.

The company reported a net loss of $1.1 billion in the year ending December 31, 2018 "resulting principally from a write-down of Cairn's investments in India", it said.

Cairn discovered India's biggest onland oilfield in Rajasthan in January 2004. It later sold the India business Cairn India to Vedanta in 2011 for $8.67 billion. It, however, held a small stake of close to 10 percent in the company. Cairn India was in April 2017 merged into parent Vedanta Ltd. Subsequent to that Cairn Energy held a 4.9 percent stake in Vedanta Ltd.

In the earnings statement, Cairn said it had in January 2014 received a notice from the Income Tax Department, requesting information relating to the group reorganisation done in 2006. Alongside, the Income Tax Department attached the company's near 10 percent shareholding in Cairn India. In March 2015, the tax department sought Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on alleged capital gains made by the company in the internal reorganisation.

"In that notification, the tax department claimed to have identified unassessed taxable income resulting from certain intra-group share transfers undertaken in 2006, such transactions having been undertaken in order to facilitate the IPO of Cairn India Ltd in 2007. The notification made reference to retrospective Indian tax legislation enacted in 2012, which the tax department was seeking to apply to the 2006 Transactions," the statement said.

"In addition to attaching shares in Vedanta Ltd, the tax department seized dividends due to Cairn from those shareholdings totalling Rs 1,140 crore. The Income Tax Department has also notified Cairn that a tax refund of Rs 1,590 crore due to Cairn as a result of overpayment of capital gains tax on a separate matter in 2011, has been applied as partial payment of the tax assessment of the 2006 transactions," it said.

Cairn in March 2015 initiated an international arbitration against the actions of the income tax department, during whose pendency, the attached shares were sold.

"Between May and October 2018 the tax department sold off 99 percent of Cairn's equity shareholding in Vedanta Ltd and seized the proceeds of $608.8 million. Shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from Rs 286.83 ($4.25) per share down to Rs 229.68 ($3.23) per share. The tax department also seized the proceeds of $104.3 million on the redemption of the preference shares in October 2018," the statement said.

Cairn is currently restricted from selling its remaining shares in Vedanta Ltd.

Cairn's principal claims in the arbitration, initiated under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty, are that the assurance of fair and equitable treatment and protection against expropriation afforded by the treaty have been breached by the actions of the tax department, which is seeking to apply retrospective taxes to historical transactions already closely scrutinised and approved by the Indian government.

"Cairn's plea is therefore that the effects of the tax assessment should be nullified and that Cairn should receive recompense from India for the loss of value resulting from the 2014 attachment of Cairn's shares in Carin India Ltd and the withholding of the tax refund, which together total approximately USD 1.4 billion," the statement said.

All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the arbitration tribunal is in the process of drafting its award.

Cairn said the assessment by the tax department of principal tax due on the 2006 transactions is Rs 10,247 crore plus applicable interest and penalties.

Interest is currently being charged on the principal at a rate of 12 percent per annum from February 2017. Penalties are currently assessed as 100 percent of the principal tax due.

"The Group has legal advice confirming that the maximum amount that could ultimately be recovered from Cairn by the tax department, in excess of the assets already seized, is limited to the value of Cairn's (India) assets, principally the remaining ordinary shares in Vedanta Ltd," it added.
Rajan said he believes that capitalism is breaking down because it is not providing equal opportunities.

London: Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan on Tuesday warned that capitalism is under "serious threat" of a "revolt" as the economic and political system has stopped providing for the people, especially after the 2008 global financial meltdown.

Rajan, now a professor at the University of Chicago, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that governments across the world cannot afford to ignore social inequality when considering the economy.

"I think capitalism is under serious threat because it's stopped providing for the many, and when that happens, the many revolt against capitalism," the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

Rajan said he believes that capitalism is breaking down because it is not providing equal opportunities.

"It's not providing equal opportunity and in fact the people who are falling off are in a much worse situation," he said.

He said authoritarian regimes arise "when you socialise all the means of production".

"A balance is needed, you can't pick and choose  what you need to do is improve opportunity," he said.

Rajan, tipped by some as a possible successor to take over from Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England, said it was possible in the past to obtain a middle class job with "modest education".

But the landscape has changed in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and the resulting austerity.

"Now, if you really want to succeed, you need a really good education," he said.

"Unfortunately, the very communities that are hit by the forces of global trade and global information tend to be communities which have deteriorating schools, rising crime, rising social illnesses and are unable to prepare their members for the global economy," he said.

A recent report from S&P Global Ratings suggests another global credit downturn is possible, with a 50 percent surge in worldwide debt since the global financial crisis.

It said since 2008, government debt has risen 77 percent while corporate debt is up 51 percent.

However, the analysts said the next downturn is unlikely to be as severe as the 2008 financial crisis.

In discussing the state of the global economy, Rajan also pointed to the challenges of putting limits on the trade of goods.

"If you put up those barriers, then down the line they'll put up barriers to our goods. How are you going to keep the goods flowing across those borders when we need to send them?" he asked.
Jet Airways, which has been in service for 25 years, has been grappling with acute financial woes that have forced it to ground around 50 planes

New Delhi/Mumbai: Cash-strapped Jet Airways Monday defaulted on foreign loan repayment due to the liquidity crunch, amid chairman Naresh Goyal seeking Rs 750 crore in urgent funding from its strategic partner Etihad Airways citing the airline's "very precarious" position.

The domestic airline, which has been in service for 25 years, has been grappling with acute financial woes that have forced it to ground around 50 planes while salaries of many employees have been delayed.

"... the part repayment of the external commercial borrowing availed by the company, for working capital purposes, falling due on 11 March, 2019, has been delayed owing to temporary liquidity constraints," the airline said in a filing to stock exchanges.

Specific details about the borrowings were not disclosed.

The company has engaged with the lender in relation to the same, the filing added.

The development also comes on a day when Etihad Airways, which has 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, is holding its board meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Jet Airways has a debt burden of more than Rs 8,000 crore and has been looking at various ways to raise funds.

On 8 March, Goyal wrote to Etihad Airways Group CEO Tony Douglas seeking urgent funding of Rs 750 crore.

In a letter, Goyal also said the airline has also secured the go-ahead from the civil aviation ministry to pledge its shares in JetPrivilege for securing the interim funding.

The airline holds 49.9 percent stake in the loyalty programme JetPrivilege while the majority is with Etihad.

According to the letter, Jet Airways is in a very precarious position, with more than 50 aircraft being grounded and increasing arrears of vendors and salaries.

Etihad Airways is likely to infuse around Rs 1,600-1,900 crore into cash-strapped Jet Airways under a proposed deal wherein Goyal would step down as chairman of the domestic carrier, according to sources.

Under a proposed deal, Goyal would step down as chairman and director of Jet Airways but can nominate two people to the airline's board. Goyal would be designated as chairman emeritus while his son Nivaan Goyal would be offered an appropriate executive position subject to certain conditions, the sources said.

By infusing Rs 1,600-1,900 crore, Etihad's stake in Jet Airways would rise to 24.9 percent, the sources said citing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two airlines.

Besides, a new investor is likely to pump in around Rs 1,600-1,900 crore into the domestic carrier. Lenders are expected to infuse Rs 1,000 crore wherein their shareholding would be around 29.5 per cent, as per the sources.

In the revamped board, there would be a total of 12 members, including two nominees each of Goyal and Etihad, they added.

Last month, shareholders of Jet Airways cleared approved conversion of loan into shares and other proposals.

On 14 February, Jet Airways' board approved a Bank-Led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP), whereby lenders would become the largest shareholders in the airline.

Following approval from the shareholders, part of debt would be converted into 11.4 crore shares at a consideration of Re 1 apiece as per the RBI norms.

On Monday, shares of Jet Airways Monday settled with over 2 per cent gains following reports that it has secured loan worth over Rs 2,000 crore from Punjab National Bank (PNB).

In a clarification to stock exchanges, the airline said it has existing credit facilities of $300 million from Punjab National Bank. No fresh credit facilities, as reported, have been provided by the bank, it added.

Separately, on Monday, Jet Airways said it is not operating any of the five Boeing 737 MAX in its fleet.

The statement of the airline came against the backdrop of aviation regulator DGCA asking airlines to undertake safety assessment of 737 MAX aircraft following the crash of such a plane in Ethiopia on Sunday.
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said the program is not about conducting technical training session, but to focus on the basics of critical thinking, life skills

New Delhi: IT company IBM Monday said it will collaborate with Central and state governments to upskill around one million female students in science technology, engineering and maths fields over a period of three years.

"We can see 100 percent jobs are going to change. You need more women in the workforce. We are announcing for 2,00,000 from grade eight to twelve, we are going to prepare them for STEM over a three year period," IBM Chairman, President and CEO Ginni Rometty said at a company event.

She said the program is not about conducting technical training session, but to focus on the basics of critical thinking, life skills, among others.

"All of us are capable of teaching our employees sort of hard-skills. It is soft skills, in the technology world that we have to learn. Collectively our programs are doing one million in numbers and helping four million teachers," Rometty said.

The company will collaborate with seven state governments across India to prepare over 200,000 girls and women in government schools over the next three years for "new collar" jobs through the exploration and study of STEM subjects in classrooms and online, a company official said.

As part of its ongoing engagement with the government, around 4,000 mentors and 6 lakh mentees will benefit from IBM's AI-powered mentor platform which will include 5 lakh women students.

Rometty announced IBM's collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya school network to support maths teachers across India with its artificial intelligence platform 'Teacher Advisor With Watson' that will cater to around 3 lakh female students.

IBM also announced a two-year Advanced Diploma Programme in emerging technologies created in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship which will be available to 100 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), including 50 all-women ITIs, over the next three years.

The company will also offer internships of up to five months to some students under the program.

Under the skills and educational program, IBM will offer science training resources to four million teachers in the Indian Open Educational Resources community for STEM.

Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant, who was also present at the occasion, said women in India have performed exceptionally well whenever they are given opportunities.

"It is not possible for India to grow at 9-10 per cent without focussing on women. Every single place where we have given the opportunity to women, they have performed better than men. The government has to play the role of facilitator, but it's the men who have to change their mindset that women should get a place in organisations," Kant said.
Jet Airways is saddled with more than a billion dollars in debt and its shares jumped 4.8 percent after media report to 255 rupees

New Delhi: Indias debt-laden Jet Airways Ltd denied a media report on Monday that it had secured a 20.50 billion rupee ($293 million) loan from state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) to help pay overdue plane leasing fees and salaries.

The airline, which has had to ground planes after failing to make payments to leasing companies and is behind on paying pilots wages, said in a statement to the stock exchange that it has an existing credit facility of $300 million from PNB and that the bank has not provided any fresh credit.

Mint had reported earlier on Monday that Jet had secured foreign currency term loans worth 11 billion rupees and a credit facility of 9.50 billion rupees from PNB for its working capital needs, citing an unnamed source.

Jet Airways is saddled with more than a billion dollars in debt and its shares jumped 4.8 percent after Mints report to 255 rupees, their highest level in over a month. They ended the day 1.7 percent higher in a strong Mumbai market.

The airline issued its statement after the market close. PNB did not respond to a request for comment.

Jet is struggling to make payments to banks, aircraft leasing companies, vendors and pilots.

Some leasing companies have forced the airline to ground more than two dozen planes from its fleet of about 120 aircraft prior to potentially moving them out of India as scepticism builds over whether a planned state-led bailout of the carrier can clear their dues on time.

Jet Airways has outlined a draft plan to sell a majority stake to a consortium led by the State Bank of India at 1 rupee, under regulations that permit banks to convert debt to equity in a defaulting firm.

The stake sale will be followed by an equity raising, debt restructuring and the sale and leaseback of jets to help plug a $1.2 billion funding gap, but the plan needs approvals from several stakeholders, including major shareholder Etihad Airways.
If this investment happens, then the crisis-hit airline's founder, Naresh Goyal and his wife will have to quit the board of Jet Airways as well as all other executive positions.

Reviving the hopes of debt-laden Jet Airways to keep afloat, its equity partner Etihad Airways and a government-run sovereign wealth fund agency are expected to infuse about Rs 4,000 crore, said media reports.

If this investment happens, then the crisis-hit airline's founder, Naresh Goyal and his wife will quit the board of Jet Airways as well as all other executive positions.

If the proposals being discussed among key shareholders and the board are accepted, Etihad and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) may invest Rs 1,900 crore each and will get a deciding role in the operations of the airline, said a report in The Economic Times.

This will end the role of Goyal in Jet Airways and his stake will be capped at around 22 percent while NIIF will own around 20 percent in the airline, said the report.

Apart from these, Goyal and other promoters will also have to sign a non-compete pact, which does not allow them to take up any work that competes with the business of Jet Airways, according to a report in Mint.

As per the draft proposal, the new board of Jet Airways will comprise two nominees from the Goyal family, other than Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita while his son Nivaan will be considered only for an executive position in the company, said the report.

Meanwhile, Jet Airways on Monday defaulted on foreign loan repayment due to the liquidity crunch, amid Goyal seeking Rs 750 crore in urgent funding from Etihad citing the airline's "very precarious" position, said a PTI report.

"... the part repayment of the external commercial borrowing (ECB) availed by the company, for working capital purposes, falling due on 11 March, 2019, has been delayed owing to temporary liquidity constraints," the airline said in a filing to stock exchanges.

Specific details about the borrowings were not disclosed. The company has engaged with the lender in relation to the same, the filing added.

Jet Airways has a debt burden of more than Rs 8,000 crore and has been looking at various ways to raise funds.

Jet Airways denied a media report on Monday that it had secured a Rs 2,050 crore ($293 million) loan from state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) to help pay overdue plane leasing fees and salaries, Reuters reported.

The airline, which has had to ground planes after failing to make payments to leasing companies and is behind on paying pilots wages, said in a statement to the stock exchange that it has an existing credit facility of $300 million from PNB and that the bank has not provided any fresh credit.

Last month, PTI had reported that Jet Airways was expected to receive fund infusion worth over Rs 3,000 crore post-debt-rejig and investments by Etihad Airways as well as NIIF while Goyal might remain the promoter with less than half of the existing majority stake of 51 percent.

The government-backed NIIF, where Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is a key stakeholder, is likely to acquire little over 19 percent stake in the ailing airline, sources had said.

They said that NIIF is likely to put in Rs 1,400 crore while lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), are expected to convert debt into equity worth around Rs 600 crore.

 With inputs from agencies
Oyo also launched an in-app SoS button for emergency assistance with options to contact the Oyo safety response team as well as local law enforcement authorities.

New Delhi: Hospitality firm Oyo will invest Rs 1,400 crore in India and Nepal markets in 2019 as part of efforts to increase infrastructure, strengthen technology and internal capability, it said on Tuesday.

The company also announced the launch of a new brand, Collection O hotels, to its existing portfolio of the budget-to-mid-segment hotel chain brands.

"Rs 1,400 crore will go in capex, technology and leadership," Oyo India and South Asia CEO Aditya Ghosh told reporters here.

The idea is to further deepen and widen presence across India while focusing on aggressive capacity building to bring the choice of an Oyo hotel to every corner of the country, he added.

The company is currently present in over 259 cities in India with over 8,700 buildings (hotels and homes) and more than 173,000 rooms.

"As we expand our presence in the market, consistency of quality is key. As a customer first company, we are heavily invested in ensuring customer responsiveness," he added.

Oyo also launched an in-app SoS button for emergency assistance with options to contact the Oyo safety response team as well as local law enforcement authorities.

When asked whether the Rs 1,400 crore investment for India and Nepal will come from the $1 billion funds raised by the company, Ghosh replied in the affirmative.

Commenting on the plans of the company going forward, Oyo founder and group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said: "With a strong balance sheet, today we can go to more places than ever, introduce new categories, invest in our assets, while maintaining our high-quality standards, without raising any further capital."

The company is also narrowing its losses as a percentage of realised value (Oyo Hotels' sales run rate) year-on-year from 44.5 percent in 2016-17 to 20.3 percent in 2017-18 and 10 percent in 2018-19, he added.

"We are committing over Rs 1,400 crore for technology investments, renovation, and managing investments for the calendar year, and will provide more, if needed, to help the team ensure continued economically efficient growth," Agarwal said.

Apart from the home markets of India and China, the company is also focusing on South East Asia and Middle East as key markets for the company, he added.

Oyo is currently present in more than 500 cities across 10 countries  India, China, Malaysia, Nepal, the UK, UAE, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, and more recently Japan.
The ED officials said the chargesheet or the prosecution complaint was filed against Nirav Modi before a special PMLA court in Mumbai a few days ago

Diamantaire Nirav Modi, an accused in the $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, reportedly diverted Rs 934 crore into his personal account and two other accounts in the name of his wife Ami and father Deepak Modi, a media report said.

The Times of India report, citing the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) fresh chargesheet filed against Nirav, said that of the total amount, Rs 560 crore was credited into his account, Rs 200 crore into Amis account and Rs 174 crore into Deepaks account maintained abroad.

The report added that the ED has named Ami as one of the accused in the scam.

According to The Indian Express, the ED in the chargesheet also said that creditor firms in the United Arab Emirates which received money through fraudulent PNB Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The report added that Niravs brother Neeshal Modi and sister Purvi Modi were the ultimate beneficial owners of these firms until 2012.

The ED officials said the chargesheet or the prosecution complaint was filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai a few days ago.

This is a supplementary chargesheet against Nirav and a few others. The agency has recorded additional evidence gathered in the case and attachments made including charges pressed against him under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

The development is being seen in the backdrop of a recent British daily report that said Modi is living in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is now involved in a new diamond business.

Nirav, 48, is currently living in a three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block in London, where rent is estimated to cost 17,000 pounds a month, The Telegraph has reported.

On Saturday, the government said it was waiting for Britain to respond to its request to extradite the fugitive billionaire jeweller. India had asked Britain in August to extradite Nirav.

PNB in 2018 said that two jewellery groups headed by Nirav and his uncle Mehul Choksi had defrauded it of about $2.2 billion by raising credit from other Indian banks using illegal guarantees issued by rogue PNB staff.

With inputs from agencies
Ebix has sent a letter to the Board of Yatra Online, Inc outlining offer to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Yatra Online

New Delhi: US-based software firm Ebix Inc Monday said it has offered to acquire Yatra Online Inc, the parent company of online travel firm Yatra.com, for $336 million (over Rs 2,345 crore).

The company has sent a letter to the Board of Yatra Online, Inc outlining offer to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Yatra Online for $7 per share on a debt-free basis, Ebix Inc said in a statement.

Gurugram-based Yatra.com is a major player in the online travel sector and provides services including domestic and international air ticketing, hotel bookings, homestays, holiday packages, bus ticketing, rail ticketing, activities and ancillary services.

Ebix intends to merge Yatra Online in the company's Indian EbixCash subsidiary set up, it added.

"The Ebix offer, based on approximately 48 million Yatra Online diluted shares outstanding, represents a 84 percent premium to Yatra Online's closing share price of $3.80 as of 8 March, 2019," the statement said.

The offer contemplates the assumption of all Yatra Online receivables, cash and restricted cash worth at least $25 million at the time of closing and other assets, with all liabilities being paid for by Yatra Online concurrent to the closing of the transaction, it added.

The company will pay for Yatra Online at its discretion either in cash or by issuing freely tradeable Ebix stock, the statement said.

"In case Ebix decides to pay for the acquisition in Ebix stock, then the Ebix stock will carry a minimum collar value of $59 per Ebix share, calculated by dividing the total acquisition price payable to Yatra shareholders by the 10-day average price of the Ebix stock, preceding the closing date," it added.

Ebix also said that it reserves the right to reduce its offer at its discretion if it does not receive a positive engagement response from the Yatra Online Board in a timely manner or if any subsequent steps are taken by the company that could have an adverse impact on its future value, the statement said.

Ebix also said it reserves the right to withdraw this offer, if the Yatra Board of Directors declines to allow Ebix to proceed with due diligence by 5 pm EST on 18 March, 2019, it added.

Highlighting the rationale for the transaction Ebix said it believes that Yatra Online can generate revenues upwards of $150 million per year with over 30 percent operating margins on a post-closing basis, within six months of the acquisition by Ebix, the statement said.

Ebix said it expects that the combination of the two companies can generate between 25 to 30 cents accretion for the shareholders of the combined Ebix company, it added.

Comments from Yatra could not be obtained at the time of filing the story.
Recent utterances by the Indian Army leadership also appear to point towards encouraging parents to influence their wayward sons who are in the ranks of the terrorists to return and be assimilated back in society

Following the chain of events post the Pulwama car bomb attack on 14 February, 2019, de-escalation is under process in the India-Pakistan equation. The attention, therefore, is once again returning to the internal issues of Jammu and Kashmir although the national electoral scene in the next few weeks will take eyeballs elsewhere. However, it is good to see, among the more important news emanating from the Valley, that a fresh surrender and return policy appears to be on the cards.

Recent utterances by the Indian Army leadership also appear to point towards encouraging parents to influence their wayward sons who are in the ranks of the terrorists to return and be assimilated back in society. It is even better to see the army once again taking the lead in doctrinal issues at the apex level because in recent months that space appeared to have been abdicated by the Army.

The context here is the surrender and return policy. 'Surrender' relates to those locals who have picked up arms against the State while 'return' is applicable to those who had gone across the Line of Control (LoC) at different times in the quest of training and joining the terrorist ranks, could not return and now wish to get back home and be assimilated in society. The latter may or may not have wielded arms against the State. It is not certain whether the draft policy under formulation and awaiting final approval has any provision for return from across the LoC; it could well be just a policy for surrender of those who are in terrorist ranks and can be influenced by their parents to break away from the shackle hold of terror.

Such a policy harps on the fact that many who pick up the gun do so at the spur of a moment of emotion and negative passion, many times without conviction. It has been happening at or just after funerals of local terrorists in particular. Many are disillusioned within a few days but find it difficult to perk up the courage to breakaway and are uncertain how they will be perceived by society and especially by the law. With a transparent policy in place it becomes easier for intelligence agencies, the army and other security forces (SF) to embark on a campaign to influence the mind of the local terrorists as also the mind of the parents and relatives.

However, it is not such a simple issue either. In the early nineties, a surrender policy without any resettlement package was put in place. It led to the creation of the Ikhwan ul Muslimeen which assisted the army and the police in many operations but could never be accepted and integrated within the society. In 2003-04, the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led Peoples Democratic Party government evolved another surrender policy under his 'Healing Touch' program.

The provisions of this policy required the potential individual contemplating surrender to be a listed terrorist as per the roster maintained by the CID Jammu and Kashmir, to hand over a serviceable weapon/firearm and be prepared for a sympathetic legal process which would usually be much more relaxed. As a reward, he would receive a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh in a fixed deposit in the bank and a stipend of Rs 3,000 per month for a fixed period of time.

My personal experience with this policy was that every attempt was made to circumvent it and lay hands on the promised sum of money. Weapons were available then at a cost of Rs 5,000 for a pistol smuggled from Muzaffarabad and about Rs 15,000 for an old pattern AK-47. People made desperate attempts at being designated terrorist by getting hold of derelict weapons even those in high state of rust. Family members of some who had probably assisted terrorists in logistics activity of a kind made attempts to reach out to army and police camps to prove how their relatives were actually terrorists.

This did not fool anyone in authority. However, some genuine cases of surrender did take place. The unfortunate experience I carry is that while many got their fixed deposits, others did not and in Kashmir's corruption-ridden system there were enough demanding their pound of flesh to become part financial beneficiaries of the meager amount that had been promised.

Surrendered terrorists once released from custody if held, and for the sake of security, are required to report to the designated police station or an army camp on a regular basis to ensure that there are not involved in any nefarious activities. Over a period of time this system, called 'haazree', has got diluted and control over surrendered terrorists has waned making them vulnerable and viable candidates who might make a re-entry into terrorism, especially if they have not received any compensation package or in any way become victims of corruption. These segments of people are always available for re-recruitment to terrorist ranks and keeping tabs on them has become more and more difficult.

A return policy was attempted in 2006-07. There was lack of clarity about the terms and conditions. One more was tried in 2010-11. However, the fear of the authorities always remained the possibility of sleeper agents being inducted by Pakistan's ISI into the Valley. A few people did succeed in reaching Dubai and Nepal from where they made their way to India. The cost was very high and compensation insufficient to cover it. It also gave rise to an infiltration mafia in Nepal to extract its own price. Those who did return successfully, added to the numbers who had to be under surveillance making that task even more difficult.

The proposed surrender policy is apparently looking at a stipend of Rs 6,000 per month for three years along with job and other rehabilitation measures. In Jammu and Kashmir, such vagueness helps no one and ends up being one more failed attempt, leading to more frustration. An organisation or a body designated to oversee this and, more importantly, monitor the post surrender process of merger of former terrorists in society.

Specifications about the legal process must again be transparent. There are enough people waiting in the wings to exploit an honest attempt by the government but such attempts need to be thought through in consultation with the public itself and with experienced hands. A surrender policy is the need of the hour as stated by many former army and police officials but without proper commitment to implementation and monitoring it will again emerge cropper.

Perhaps a look at the United Nations model of surrender and disarming of parties to the conflict and their re-integration in society so successfully executed in countries like Mozambique may give us better ideas on the evolving and implementation of such a policy.

The author is a retired lieutenant-general of the Indian Army and tweets @atahasnain53
One reason for the politicisation of the issue is playing on the uncertainty of the voters who live in the hope that one day, a Delhi government will declare them the owners of the houses.

A third of Delhis population lives in unauthorised colonies, a term coined by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for all big and small residential colonies that have come up in the past decades without its authorisation and not in accordance with the Delhi Master Plan 2021.

Ahead of the 2019 polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party are talking about regularising unauthorised colonies, something all parties prior to elections. An oversimplification of the issue by reducing it to a bullet point in a political manifesto can easily lead the public astray from the fact that the problem is still unresolved, despite years of talk and the formation of multiple committees by successive governments.

Last April, the Supreme Court ordered that construction be stopped at 1,797 unauthorised colonies in the national capital. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who was assisting the court with the sealing drive, pointed out that construction is rampant in unauthorised colonies and since building bylaws dont apply to these areas, authorities fail to take any action against illegal construction.

Kumar submitted that provisional regularisation certificates were issued to 1,218 colonies that have led to lawlessness in these colonies. The bench then asked DDA: Why is it that authorised colonies have to follow norms and bylaws and once these unauthorised colonies are regularised, illegal construction inside them is also automatically regularised?

It is worth noting what the term regularised actually entails. The policy on regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi is set out in a 24 March, 2008, DDA Notification titled Regulations for Regularisation of Unauthorised Colonies under Section 57 of the 1957 DDA Act. Theres a cut-off date which is mentioned in the line habitations existing as on 31.03.2002  would be eligible for regularisation and date of formal announcement of regularisation scheme. There is no specification to the latter date and the term in existence isnt defined either.

KK Singh heads the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of Badarpur, one of the 895 unauthorised colonies that were regularised through a notification during Sheila Dikshits tenure as chief minister. In the notification, it is mentioned that the government was able to identify 895 unauthorised colonies not posing any hinderance to the provisions of infrastructural facilities under the Delhi Master Plan 2021.

Our colony Shakti Vihar in Badarpur was regularised through the notification of 2012, but until the government makes a layout plan and defines the boundaries of the colonies, the regularisation process is not complete. Till today, no further steps have been taken to complete the regularisation, he said, explaining the futility of granting regularisation on paper and not completing the required formalities.

Creating these layout plans is imperative. In 2017, a writ petition was filed complaining that the West Jyoti Nagar Colony slated for regularisation contravenes the regularisation plan and unauthorised constructions have come up in the areas marked for community uses in the plan. As a response to this, the Resident Welfare Association of the area pleaded that the writ petition is misconceived and the Delhi High Court accepted that the regularisation plan was in fact submitted to the authorities for approval.

Plans are submitted and are waiting for approvals from departments as varied as revenue, fire, environment, air and so on. Also, the government needs to understand that RWAs, especially in areas where low income groups reside, dont have the funds to engage professional architects and come up with plans that can find the approval of several departments easily, explained Singh.

He shared letters he wrote to the Arvind Kejriwal government explaining the complexity of the matter. Singh further revealed that during a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, senior officials of the Delhi government acknowledged the need to partly sponsor the developing of layout plans, but no action was taken the matter.

In an urban village where owners of plots of different sizes live, the question of who will chip in how much for conducting such high-level layout plans becomes an area of conflict among the residents, many of whom are migrants and keep shifting from one unauthorised colony to another. Some people even proposed the use of Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development (MLALAD) Scheme funds for the payment, but no municipal agency has taken responsibility of this till now, Singh said. He added that people have been waiting for regularisation because they cant sell the properties at market rates and its nearly impossible to get a loan against a property in an unauthorised area.

People like KK Singh have fought a long battle with different governments, demanded that the land registry be opened up and a policy be made for commercial and residential sites as per Delhi bio-laws. Ashutosh Dikshit, CEO of United Residents Joint Action, a research and advocacy group that has been making a case for statutory powers to RWAs to decentralise governance in the capital, said the problem is the inability to clear stand.

Last year, the Supreme Court directed there would be no stopping of sealing or demolition of unauthorised constructions to address the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act 2006 and subsequent legislation that protect unauthorised constructions from being sealed. The Act was supposed to be valid till 2017, after which the demolition drive was to begin. Now, had the regularisations taken place and the extensions of village land within these areas been marked, the capital wouldnt have witnessed this much chaos.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Centre approved a proposal to constitute a committee to recommend process for giving ownership or transfer rights to the residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Decision to form a committee under the Lieutenant Governor to recommend modalities for recognising ownership/transfer rights to residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri said this is being done to put an end to the uncertainty.

Romi Khosla, who founded Group for Rural and Urban Planning ( GRUP) in Delhi in 1974, feels the promise of regularising is a pie in the sky because the method is not clear. It is not clear what they mean by regularised. Do they mean, people occupying the place are the legal owners and that they will become the accepted owner of the property? What kind of elaborate mechanism is going to be set up for the number of transactions that have taken place to the original people occupying the property right now? He further said that it was possible a third person would be occupying the property and wondered how the government would scrutinise millions of papers to determine the real owners.

One reason for the politicisation of the issue is playing on the uncertainty of the voters who live in the hope that one day, a Delhi government will declare them the owners of the houses.
Today's top stories: Rahul Gandhi referred to the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as 'Masood Azhar ji', setting off a fresh row between the BJP and Congress; several parties to meet to decide on their poll plans; and more.

Fresh row erupts over Rahul's 'Masood Azhar ji' comment

The BJP on Monday latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad's head as "Masood Azhar ji" to throw a "Rahul loves terrorists" barb at the Congress chief. The Opposition party hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting his comments made with sarcasm.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers in New Delhi, Rahul attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56-inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."

Targeting the Congress chief, BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted, "Come on Rahul Gandhi ji! Earlier, it was the likes of Digvijay (Singh) ji who called Osama 'ji' and Hafiz Saeed 'sahab'. Now you are saying 'Masood Azhar ji'. What is happening to Congress?"

Parties enter election mode

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will conduct a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the modalities for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to meet the Election Commission to ask whether the polls in West Bengal can be held under the supervision of Central forces as they do not trust the police force of the state.

The Congress Working Committee will meet at Gandhinagar in Gujarat to finalise the party's strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. The meeting will be followed by a mega rally at Adalaj town in Gandhinagar, where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to address her first public rally since entering politics. The party has planned close to 180 rallies for Congress president Rahul Gandhi this election season.

Moreover, the Trinamool Congress leadership has convened a meeting of its election committee to decide on its list of candidates at party president and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's house in Kolkata.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is also expected to sound the poll bugle at a press conference on Tuesday.

Ayodhya mediators to begin meetings today

The three Supreme Court-appointed mediators in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case are set to hold their first meetings at Ayodhya on Tuesday, kicking off the mediation process.

In a verdict that aims to resolve the decades-old conflict, a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had appointed former Supreme Court judge FM Khalifullah as the chairperson of the panel, which will also include spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar and lawyer Sriram Panchu.

The timeline of the mediation process prescribed by the court directs that the panel begin mediation within a week from Friday  when it appointed the mediators  and complete the process within eight weeks.

NIA summons Hurriyat Conference chairman

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the son of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani were both expected to appear on Tuesday for questioning at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in Delhi in a terror financing case.

However, Farooq has asked the NIA to question him in Srinagar instead of Delhi as he fears for his security in view of "conditions of hostility".

The NIA is investigating a case related to terror funding in Kashmir through hawala channels. The agency, in February, carried out a series of raids on separatists, including Mirwaiz, and summoned him for questioning in Delhi.

Supreme Court to hear Maharashtra's appeal in Bhima Koregaon case

The Supreme Court will be hearing Maharashtra's appeal against bail to civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Navlakaha had moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the case lodged against him by the Pune Police, claiming there was no evidence against him and that he was being falsely implicated.

The Pune Police had arrested Navlakha, prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao, activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves and trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj in August, 2018.

AgustaWestland case in Delhi court

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar will hear Tihar Jail's response on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate to question AgustaWestland accused Christian Michel inside the jail.

Michel's counsel, meanwhile, moved a plea saying he had been jailed along with "27 Kashmiri terrorists". Tihar Jail authorities will file a reply on this.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate attached a property in Paris that belongs to Michel's former wife.

Venezuela Parliament declares state of 'alarm' over blackout

Venezuela's Opposition-dominated National Assembly declared a state of "national alarm" on Monday over the "general calamity" caused by a blackout that has now lasted four days.

Parliament approved a decree proposed by its leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido, who is seeking "international cooperation" to help resolve Venezuela's crisis.

Venezuela has also suspended school and business activities amid a continuing power blackout, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a televised broadcast on Monday.

Champions League: Juventus aim to stage comeback win as City play host to Schalke

The Champions League returns on Tuesday and Wednesday for the final few round-of-16 fixtures. Italian giants Juventus enter their tie against Atletico Madrid with a two-goal deficit and could see their Champions League run prematurely cut short.

Manchester City find themselves in the pole position to qualify, having scored three away goals in Germany, but Schalke have been known to cause an upset or two.

Naresh Goyal seeks Rs 750-crore funding from Etihad

Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways, has sought an urgent funding of Rs 750 crore from equity partner Etihad, citing "the very precarious" position of the airline following the lingering cash flow issues that got amplified after it was forced to ground over 50 of its planes.

In a letter to the Gulf-based carrier's group chief executive Tony Douglas, Goyal also said Jet Airways has also secured the go-ahead from the aviation ministry to pledge its shares in JetPrivilege for securing the interim funding.

Realme 3 goes on sale for the first time

Oppo-spinoff Realme created quite a splash in the budget smartphone market in 2018, and its first smartphone of 2019, the Realme 3, goes on sale for the first time on Tuesday at 12 pm.

The phone will be available in two variants, a 3 GB RAM variant with 32 GB storage, priced at Rs 8,999, and a 4 GB RAM variant with 64 GB storage, priced at Rs 10,999.

Coldplay's Chris Martin tweets 'Shah Rukh Khan forever'

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin tweeted about Bollywood's baadshah Shah Rukh Khan, creating quite the buzz on social media.

"Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing ok. Better than ok actually. Here is some music I love at the moment," he started, and then went to share the songs on his mind  Tal uno by Barrie, Dwa Serduszka by Mazowsze, A new beginning by John Williams from the Minority Report and Batard by Stromae.

"Ok enough tweeting for one month. Shah Rukh Khan forever. Love," he added.

It's important to note that SRK was seen dancing to Coldplay's music at a recent high-profile celebrity wedding. In 2016, after Coldplay's performance at the Global Citizen Festival, Khan had hosted an after party at Mannat for the band.
'Why do Dalit votes remain as a mere political plank for power groups like DMK to gain political capital?' asks Meena.

If we look at our country's politics, there has been no one from the scheduled castes who has become the Prime Minister of India till date, let alone a scheduled caste woman. Political engagement of Dalits is necessary, but more importantly, it has to include Dalit women leadership in political spaces. The panel on 'Dalit Women in Politics: Past, Present and Future' organised by The Blue Club, a collective for providing mentorship and support to women filmmakers, and All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM)  was put together with the above vision in mind. More than 60 Dalit women leaders from across India participated in the conference. Firstpost will be publishing some of the important speeches from this panel.

This is the seventh of the series of speeches.

***

From the keynotes presented before me, my stern observation has led me to think that we havent entered the sphere of Ambedkarism yet.

The keynote speaker herself mentioned about Dalits not voting for Dalit candidates. Ms Sujatha Surepally mentioned about packages being asked by our politicians. Ms Vedha carried the discussion forward about women playing roles of internal refugees. Ms Bhavani Ilavenil remarked about Satyavani Muthu not being acknowledged appropriately. For all the above mentioned, it compels me to ask one thing  Why?

The book shown by the keynote speaker on Annai Meenambal was written by none other than Veeramani, in a very ignorant manner. Now, how do you think anyone can digest this fact without a feeling of negligence on ourselves. Nothing but sheer ignorance. It is no mistake of the opponent, but ours. When Annai Meenambal is misquoted and misrepresented by others due to their sheer ignorance and we let it pass, the onus is on us.

It is only when we admit to this ignorance we can become clear on establishing our identity and frame policies of our own. Until then, the historical blunder will continue. No Buddha or Babasaheb can equal one Behenji [Mayawati] unless this ignorance is admitted.

The reason why I venerate Behenji is because of her ideological understanding and the clarity she possesses on her policy. What is her policy? What is her ideology?

Behenji derives them from Buddhas principle and Babasahebs philosophy of educating the mass. Intellectuals including myself have committed a clear mistake on this idea of educating within the community. Failing to educate ones own community and complaining about their lack of understanding is nothing but an act of bootlicking ones own community. This only results in mongering political power.

The fervent behind Behenji challenging Yogi Adityanath over statue vandalisation in places like Noida can be understood in its true essence only when one realises the Dalit sway in those areas.

The corruption accusations made against Behenji becomes absurd at best when one is to realise that there is nothing left by 60 years of Congress and 10 years of BJP rule in this Nation for anybody to loot.

While the majority of Kalaignar Karunanidhis politics have done enough injustice to Ambedkarism, it becomes irrelevant to accuse Behenji seconding the 10 percent EWS as a defilement against Ambedkarism.

Surpassing conveniently the upper caste Savarna politics against Bahujan interests and Ambedkarism, yet questioning Behenji on her electoral politics strategies is hypocrisy.

It is to be noted that Behenji made possible 30 percent reservation in the private sector in a German renowned company called BMW for one of its plant in Uttar Pradesh. Reservation policy was implemented across the state in all major private sector companies aimed at mobilising the Bahujan population against feudal forces.

Whereas, states like Tamil Nadu failed to consider the above strategy. Having alienated the Dalit community from their rights under their 50-year rule, its too late for DMK as a party to realise Dalit consciousness and Ambedkarism only after the 10 percent EWS Bill was abrogated by MP Kanimozhi as unconstitutional.

In Tamil Nadu, its OBC population enjoys a reservation policy of 50 percent because of the efforts put forth by Dadasaheb Kanshi Ram despite the 50 percent ceiling by Supreme Court. It only becomes abominable when in spite of this, it ignores its own state SC/ST interests.

Running short of two percent vote share in forming Government, VP Singh and Dadasaheb Kanshi Ram went into negotiations. Dadasaheb Kanshi Ram placed three demands: To implement Mandal commission, Honour Babasaheb Ambedkar with Bharat Ratna award and to revoke the Hindutva forces from conducting Rath Yatra under the leadership of LK Advani.

How far have we acknowledged this truth? How far have we accredited Dadasaheb Kanshi Rams efforts for Bahujans as a whole and not for SC/ST alone?

Thus Article 340 of Indian Constitution by Babasaheb Ambedkar stood unshackled and the diligent efforts of Dadasaheb Kanshi Ram paved way for the OBC Representation/Reservation in respective public spheres.

In a democratic republic like India, how does primogeniture take its form in electoral politics by appropriating Dalit votes? Why do Dalit votes remain as a mere political plank for power groups like DMK to gain political capital?

Politics is discerned in everything. Babasaheb insisted on education. To educate the community must be ones primary concern.

It is not Periyar in real sense that worked for Dalit Consciousness and it is no duty of Dalits to annihilate caste system. Annai Mennambal accredited EV Ramasamy with the title Periyar and then went on to remove the Caste surname Naicker from his name. These events when deemed as self-caste pride hastily by persons like Ms Arulmozhi of DK, the above-mentioned events needs addressal to insist the truth that Dalit consciousness is essentially Anti- Casteist and not Casteist.

Examples like Kousalyas have set as a bad precedent for Dalit consciousness. She took up a job and two acres of land she received for Shankars killing and then later, went on to marry a person from her own caste. I had no problem with Gokul Raj marrying a Kongu Community woman. Neither with Ilavarasan nor Shankar marrying an upper caste woman. But what we witness here is Ilavarasans die on railway tracks. Thus it is not the Dalit community that propagates the caste system. Absolutely not.

It was not love, marriage or the idea of marriage that Babasaheb insisted to pursue, but the awareness behind Dalit consciousness and importance of their political struggle.

Am I wrong to hesitate to allow a Brahmin or anybody for that matter inside my home and serve them a glass of water? Would Ramdoss welcome me to his home with a glass of water?

It is not the Dalit community that upholds the system. We are Avarnas. Outcastes. It is Savarnas that must essentially disenchant privileges and annihilate caste system. It is no duty of ours  Dalit consciousness to annihilate Caste system.

From what I have learned from Behenji is to reach and have us represented in major decision making power bodies of the State. Behenji has a strong hold in places like Uttar Pradesh where the political decisiveness vested on Behenji by a portion of the vote share.

It is this strategy where we must place ourselves at. As Babasaheb pointed, education is the tool to empower our community and establish a consciousness of our own.

Educate. Agitate. Organise.

(Speech translated from Tamil by Frederick Engels)

Gowthama Meena works at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
When cooking chicken, or meat, for ones family, most people are very careful to wash and cook the flesh properly. Unfortunately, there are some things which any amount of washing, boiling or roasting cannot clean out  and those are drugs.

When cooking chicken, or meat, for ones family, most people are very careful to wash and cook the flesh properly. Unfortunately, there are some things which any amount of washing, boiling or roasting cannot clean out  and those are drugs.

There is a cocktail of drugs in your meat and all of them will get inside your body upon consumption. These drugs are a mainstay of meat production in many parts of the world, and Indian producers have adopted western practices of food production that put profit far ahead of animal or human health.

In 2018, India produced 4.3 million tonnes of buffalo ('carabeef') and cattle (beef)  1.5 percent higher than 2017. Chicken meat increased from 1.9 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 3.46 million tonnes in 2016-17. Goat meat increased from 0.97 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 1.4 million tonnes in 2016-17. Sheep increased to 0.5 million tonnes. This means an estimated 238 crore chickens and 1.2 crore pigs were slaughtered for their meat in 2016-17 and a grand total of over 10 million tonnes of meat was produced.

How does a meat producer get so many crores of animals to kill, and how does he get them to put on weight in the quickest possible time to get more meat? Moreover, how does he do this without spending money on feed? The answer is that he pumps drugs into these animals.

One of the main drugs is Ractopamine, which was approved by the FDA in 2003. Ractopamine is a beta-agonist drug. Beta agonists bind themselves to fat and muscle cells in the animals' body, reducing the metabolism of fat while increasing the size of muscle fibres. Consequently, less fat is produced and less fat is stored in the carcass. Muscle fibre size replaces some of the weight normally found from fat, and the total carcass contains a higher percentage of lean muscle. This makes the animal more muscular, reduces fat content and increases the profit per animal, because the same amount of food produces a much bigger animal with more meat on its bones.

However, as much as 20 percent of Ractopamine can remain in the meat by the time it reaches our plates.

In fact, the residue in humans can be so high that it could even be detected in a dope test! Internationally-acclaimed cyclist Alberto Contador failed a Tour de France anti-doping test in 2010 for levels of Clenbuterol (a drug of the family of Ractopamine), which he had gotten from eating meat.

Ractopamine is used in the USA but has been banned in the European Union, China, Russia and 160 other countries for being dangerous to both animals and human consumers. Taiwan has in fact banned American beef imports because of Ractopamine usage. However, the drug is commonly given to animals in India.

In animals, Ractopamine is known to cause reproductive dysfunction, hyperactivity, broken limbs, and birth defects such as short limbs, missing or fused digits, open eyelids, enlarged hearts, stress, lameness and premature death. How could an animal, that is itself so sick, possibly give good quality meat?

In human medicine, beta-agonists are inhaled directly into lungs of asthma patients to relax muscles that constrict airways; they are routinely used on smooth muscle tissue through direct entry into the cardiopulmonary system, and pregnant women who are in premature labour have beta-agonists injected into their blood to relax the muscle tissue of the uterus, preventing premature births.

However, if eaten through food, Ractopamine (Optaflexx) has been linked to increased heart rates, high arterial blood pressure, chromosomal abnormalities, anxiety, intoxication, tremors, headaches, muscle spasms and many more serious effects. This poses a particular risk to children, or people with cardiovascular disease.

Considered even worse than Ractopamine is another alarming beta-agonist drug used in animal production to increase weight  Zilmax or Zilpaterol.

Zilmax was approved by the FDA in 2006. Cattle and pig feeders use feed additives like Zilmax to increase the rate of weight gain without any additional feed. The drug can add many pounds of meat to a bull or buffalo. The Encyclopedia of Meat Science (Dikeman and Devine; 2004) reported Optaflexx increased average daily gain by 15 to 25 percent with no additional feed intake. Slightly higher results are shown for Zilmax.

An estimated 700 million pigs receive beta-agonist drugs, each producing six additional pounds of pork. However, this comes with a trade off. Zilmax has been known to cause severe reactions in animals leading to painful hoof loss and, very commonly, death. Since the drug was introduced in 2007 in the US, several hundred cattle have unexpectedly died after being fed Zilmax.

In fact, in just two years after Zilmaxs introduction, the number of cattle euthanized at meat production farms rose by 175 percent from previous years. The makers of Zilmax, Merck and Co, recruited animal welfare specialist, Dr Temple Grandin, to help review the product in 2013. In an interview with Reuters, Grandin indicated there have been incidents of stiffness, soreness, and heat stress in animals since the use of beta-agonists began.

Zilmax is considered to be about 125 times more potent and dangerous than Ractopamine, and this is likely the reason why side effects in Ractopamine studies are often overlooked when compared with the destructive power of Zilmax. About 60 to 80 percent of feedlot cattle in the US are fed beta agonists. America refuses to remove beta agonists from cattle feed. The reason? Stopping their use will result in each animal carcass being about 10-15 pounds less  a total of 0.5 billion pounds of beef, or about 1 to 1.5 percent of production. More corn will be needed to feed cattle to reach the same weight. This will raise the prices of the rest of the beef.

Another contaminant hiding in meat is glyphosate. It is the active ingredient in 'Roundup' (made by Monsanto)  one of the most widely used weed killers in India. In 2014-15, the consumption of glyphosate was 148 million tonnes in the country, the highest for any herbicide. These crops are fed to animals and you eat the animals meat, which comes with glyphosate.

Studies around the world have shown glyphosate causes cancer, genetic mutations and disrupt endocrine functions in human consumers. It is toxic to our DNA even when diluted to concentrations 450-times lower than what is allowed in agricultural use. This is not a drug to be taken lightly. The direct deaths of humans from pesticides have been estimated at 7,000 in 2015 and is increasing every year. Yet, no one has related the deaths from cancer from eating the same pesticides in meat.

The use of glyphosate is permitted only for one crop: tea. But it is sold by dealers all over India where no tea is grown. It is used also for cotton which is sold for cattle feed. And the more BT cotton is grown, the more glyphosate is used.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that exposure to glyphosate in the US, where GM crops were introduced in the early 1990s, increased almost five times in a 23-year time span.

Animal meat producers use over 450 animal drugs, drug combinations and feed additives to promote growth of animals and suppress the negative effects of confined and unhygienic conditions in animal factories. Apart from the ones above, synthetic hormones, such as zeranol, trenbolone acetate and melengestrol acetate, are commonly used. These have been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer in humans. In India, it is also common to feed chickens with arsenic to help them get fatter faster and develop a better colour. This arsenic, too, reaches your plate through chicken meat.

Are you eating meat or a body which during its lifetime bore little resemblance to the animal it was supposed to be? Do you eat food to be healthy or to get sick?

There is a need for safer food. The industry is demand-driven. Producers will only be forced to stop wrong practices if people show unwillingness to eat dirty, chemical-treated meat.
The government not says that by 2025, water availability per person in India will decline significantly and lead to a water-stressed condition across the country.

New Delhi: The Government of India has issued a note warning against the severe water crisis the country will face in the next few years because of over exploitation of rivers and ground water sources. At least 253 blocks in the country have already reached the critical stage, and more than 680 fall in the semi-critical category.

The government note that Firstpost reviewed says that by 2025, water availability per person will decline significantly and lead to a water-stressed condition across the country. Since water is a state subject, the Central government's main task is to provide technical and financial assistance so states can take necessary steps to preserve and improve availability of water in the country.

While India has 4 percent of the world's renewable water resources, it constitutes 2.45 percent of the world's land area and more than 17 percent of the population. The priority, the government note suggested, is to work in the 1,034 blocks that falls in the over-exploited category, whose number has significantly risen from 802 blocks in 2009.

"Areas in the over-exploited, critical and semi-critical stage of ground water will be adversely affected in future. Since per capita water availability is constantly decreasing, prompt corrective action to address the issue is the need of the hour," the note said.

According to the water ministry, so far, 11 states have enacted legislation related to regulation and control of ground water exploitation. Furthermore, comprehensive guidelines to regulate and control ground water extraction will come into effect from 1 June, under which those who already draw ground water or seek to will have to obtain a 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) to get the extraction sanctioned.

The Central ground water authority has framed guidelines under which these NOCs can be granted. These guidelines have been revised from time to time. The last revision was done in 2015 to bring all existing industries and infrastructure and mining projects under the purview of the NOC rule, as per an order of the National Green Tribunal.

However, the government has exempted the armed forces and individual households drawing water from a single borewell from the rules.

Once the new rules come into force in June 2019, all industries and infrastructure projects  be it existing or new ones  drawing or proposing to draw ground water will need to obtain an NOC from the Central ground water authority. The authority, which functions under the water ministry, has already notified 162 over-exploited areas in various states for registration of ground water abstraction structures that showed a very steep decline in water levels and merited regulation.

The ministry said ground water levels in certain parts of the country have been declining because of continuous withdrawal due to increased demand for fresh water for various uses, vagaries of rainfall, population explosion, industrialisation and urbanisation. The note flagged a report prepared by NITI Aayog, which said that 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress, and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water.

"The crisis is only going to get worse. By 2030, the country's water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual 6 percent loss in the country's GDP. There is an imminent need to deepen our understanding of water resources and usage and put in place interventions that make our water use efficient and sustainable," the report said.

Another area of concern for the government is water quality and high concentration of fluoride and arsenic in it. Since 85 percent of the rural population is dependent on ground water for drinking, and 184 districts spread across 19 states are affected by contaminated water, the government is working on a proposal to create a centralised research centre to examine water quality and prevent the spread of fluoride and arsenic contamination in ground water. In addition to these, nodal centres will be set up to monitor the ground water quality across the country.

However, the measures taken by the government seem inadequate. Recently, a parliamentary panel had criticised the government for not paying attention to the National Water Mission, which aims to conserve water, minimise wastage and ensure more equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management.

A review of the Budget allocation and actual expenditure reveals that the National Water Mission, which handles critical components of water conservation, has failed to deliver. The mission's focus areas are assessment of climate change on water resources, promotion of state action for water conservation, augmentation and preservation, focused attention to over-exploited areas, increasing water use efficiency by 20 percent and promotion of basin-level integrated water resources management.

The Budget this year clubbed the National Water Mission with River Basin Management primarily due to its dismal utilisation of the money in previous years. The Budget allocation was slashed from more than Rs 100 crore in 2013-2014 to merely Rs 15 crore in 2017-18. In the 2018-2019 Budget, River Basin Management, which also includes flood forecasting and interlinking of rivers, received Rs 225 crore.

The government, in 2019-2020 Budget, has allocated Rs 1,220 crore for the national river conservation programme, a significant reduction from 2018-19 when Rs 1,620 crore was set aside for the scheme. The government cannot afford to put in lacklustre effort to tackle this impending crisis as it would put millions of lives at stake.
Ahead of the deadline to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, India is engaged in frantic parleys with key players like the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey.

Ahead of the deadline to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, India is engaged in frantic parleys with key players like the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey. The United Nations Security Council 1267 sanctions committee is likely to take up the issue on Wednesday.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swarajs conversations with top leaders across the world, China is seemingly the only  and consistent  barrier from listing Azhar, whose terror outfit claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, as a UN-proscribed global terrorist.

The US, the UK, and France had moved a proposal at the UNSC soon after the attack to designate Azhar as a global terrorist.

However, China on Monday said that a responsible solution of the issue can only be reached through discussion. Beijing also said security issues constituted an "important topic" in its talks to ease tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pulwama terror attack. China is yet to announce its official stand.

Asked about India's appeal and China's stand on the issue, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media in Beijing, "First I would like to say that the UNSC as a main body of the UN has strict standards and rules of procedures. Some reports have knowledge of inside information the UNSC. I don't know that can be counted as evidence," he said.

"China's position on the designation of a terrorist by the 1267 Sanctions Committee is consistent and clear. China adopted a responsible attitude, follows the rules of the procedure of the committee and participated in the discussions in a responsible manner. Only through discussions can we come up with a responsible solution," he said.

Recently Chinese vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou travelled to Pakistan and held talks with Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other officials.

To another question whether Azhar's ban issue figured in China's talks with Pakistan, Lu said "recently India and Pakistan has experienced a lot. We think those indents are not in the interest of peace and stability in the region".

"We have engaged in mediation efforts with both sides and held talks to promote the easing of tensions. We made enormous efforts. While exchanging ideas security is an important topic and I can say that our talks were wide ranging quite deep," he said.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of JeM killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on 14 February. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on 26 February.

The next day, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an Indian pilot, who was handed over to India on 1 March.

With inputs from PTI
EC told the Supreme Court that names were not deleted from the voters list in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on the basis of the Draft NRC in Assam

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that names were not deleted from the voters list in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on the basis of the Draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

When Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was hearing the case along with Justices SA Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, asked the EC secretary the rules under which the electoral rolls were revised, the latter had no response.

The apex court asked the EC to furnish by 28 March details of the addition and deletion of names from the electoral roll between 1 January, 2018 and 1 January, 2019. It also asked the election body to explain the action that will be taken about names that are found in the electoral rolls but not in the final NRC which will be published on 30 July, 2019.

The court was hearing a petition that claimed that five categories of people who did not get voting rights and had asked the EC secretary on Friday to appear before the bench on 12 March.

These categories included people who voted in 2014 General Elections but did not find their names in the NRC, those who filed claims for inclusion of their names in the NRC, those declared as foreigners by the foreigners' tribunal and by a Gauhati High Court order which was later stayed by the SC and people whose families were included in the NRC and they had applied for the inclusion of their names in it.
'Choosing content' in line with Modi's suggestion could possibly lead to actors and filmmakers avoiding content that highlights existing exclusivity (income inequality, casteism, gender bias, poverty, regional bias, language bias, racial bias etc) and the growing division in Indian society (religious as well as ideological).

In 2015, the Indian film fraternity saw a group of filmmakers and writers returning awards as a mark of protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue of growing intolerance in the country. The phenomenon of "award wapsi" was also linked to a series of events brewing at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune  seen as the government's effort to control Indian cinema.

Critics termed it a "dramatic media attention-grabbing gesture" of an "exclusive and cosy club" of like-minded intelligentsia. Others labelled it a motivated act, meant to protect Leftist ideology and the Congress. In the bickering that ensued on television news channels, the message  that of speaking against 'intolerance'  was lost in the din.

Why is this of relevance today?

Compare that act of 'dissent' with what actor Ranveer Singh recently said about his meeting with Modi. Singh said that "[Modi] urged the young members of the film fraternity that they should try to choose content which propagates the message of 'inclusivity and unity'".

No harm there, right? In the current politically charged and divided atmosphere in India  where agreeing with the majority point of view gets you labelled a 'patriot' (and if you don't, an 'anti-national')  propagating messages of "inclusivity" and "unity" is paramount.

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who was also part of the delegation which met the Prime Minister, had pointed out after his meeting with Modi that the film fraternity could play a pivotal role in nation building. And why shouldn't it? Stories of Indian heroes, their achievements and successes have huge potential in inspiring a nation, especially the younger generation, who (below the age of 25) form half of the country's population.

According to The New York Times, a recent study on the influence of cinema on perceptions of viewers found that about 20 to 25 percent of viewers changed their opinion  more favourably  towards the government and its institutions after watching the two films Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. Young viewers may especially be open to such influence, the article said.

It's no secret that Modi has been putting a lot of hours into reaching out to the younger generation  his last Pariksha Pe Charcha was attended by 2,000 students, according to government figures, and he has even written a book, titled, Exam Warriors, to help students beat exam stress.

It's also no secret that cinema is among the most popular mediums to share information. Besides, the Indian film industry is one of the world's largest, and reaches out to audiences not just in India but across the world. The messages of "inclusivity" and "unity" in Indian cinema will also help create a positive message about the country.

Then why complain?

What's harmful is the nature of decisions that might be taken to assimilate this suggestion in cinema.

The Prime Minister specifically appealed to the film fraternity to "try to choose content which propagates the message of inclusivity and unity", which in plain terms is a gentle suggestion of self-censorship.

"Choosing content" in line with Modi's suggestion could possibly lead to actors and filmmakers avoiding content that highlights existing exclusivity (income inequality, casteism, gender bias, poverty, regional bias, language bias, racial bias etc) and the growing division in Indian society (religious as well as ideological).

It could also mean that while Indian cinema may share stories of the bravery of Indian soldiers and those who fought in India's struggle for freedom, it may choose to ignore the troubles faced by Dalit youths like Rohith Vemula and others, for obvious reasons.

The film fraternity may also choose to highlight stories about members of various communities working together in nation-building, their sacrifices being celebrated on the widescreen, but it could decide to avoid screenplays which highlight issues like cow lynching, gender discrimination, poverty etc.

There has been growing communal tension and hatred across India. Bigotry is becoming the norm. Even state policies  for instance, the Modi government's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, now lapsed in Rajya Sabha, that aimed to expedite the process of citizenship for minority communities except Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh  are religion-driven and finding acceptance. The ban on cow slaughter has seen members of a particular community becoming a frequent target of lynching and other forms of violence. And while those accused of cow smuggling are charged with sedition, those who kill a policeman in cold blood are dealt with gently.

The BJP government has already cultivated a "friendly media", which often willingly tows the government line and has been punished for dissenting. Modi's suggestion for the creative fields could further kill any criticism that it may face.

The Prime Minister's suggestion is not bad, except, it appears eerily close to what a neighbouring country has been doing for a while. It also sets a dangerous precedent where artistic and creative freedoms may be compromised and not-so-convenient arguments or viewpoints silenced.

China has already perfected a model to keep the populace distracted from important issues and hence suppress dissent on the internet. Modi's gentle suggestion could have a similar effect.

In a successful democracy, you need voices from all parts of the spectrum. You need those who speak in favour of an issue and those who are against it. You need those who are somewhat in favour and those who are somewhat opposed. By hushing up one side of an argument, you allow the other to dominate. In the current environment, which side of the argument will dominate will depend entirely on how far the Indian film fraternity takes the Prime Minister's suggestion.
On the 89th anniversary of the historic Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at Congress, saying, 'Its culture is the anti-thesis of Gandhian values.'

New Delhi: On the 89th anniversary of the historic Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at Congress, saying, "Its culture is the anti-thesis of Gandhian values." He quoted the works of Mahatma Gandhi to claim that Congress stands for everything that the Father of the Nation did not like  casteism, corruption, communalism and dynastic politics.

The prime minister in his blog titled, "When a handful of salt shook an Empire!" said, "Gandhiji taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person we have seen and think about how our work impacts that person. I am proud to say that in all aspects of our Governments work, the guiding consideration is to see how it will alleviate poverty and bring prosperity. Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture."

He also accused Congress of creating caste divisions and practising inequality in the country while in power. "Bapu said, ...through the realisation of freedom of India I hope to realise and carry on the mission of brotherhood of man. In many of his works, Gandhiji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule," Modi said in the blog.

Taking a swipe at the Rahul Gandhi-led party and accusing it of corruption, he said, "The the nation has seen how Congress and corruption have become synonyms. Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam  from the defence, telecom, irrigation, sporting events to agriculture, rural development and more."

"Bapu spoke about detachment and staying away from excess wealth. However, all that Congress has done is to fill their own bank accounts and lead luxurious lifestyles at the cost of providing basic necessities to the poor," the prime minister said.

"A firm believer in democracy, Bapu said, I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong. Ironically, Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values. Gandhiji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947," he said.

In the concluding paragraph, the prime minister wrote, "Thankfully, today we have a Government at the Centre that is working on Bapus path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!" Modi wrote this blog just hours before the commencement of a Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Ahmedabad.

According to the sources, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi will attend the meeting and later address a rally at Adlaj in Gujarat.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is also likely to attend the CWC meet, the sources said.
The four men were arrested in February based on a complaint (filed on 24 February) by the 19-year-old girl that, on 12 February, the men had taken her in a car and attempted to disrobe her and videographed the act, to later blackmail her.

The Tamil Nadu Police has booked four accused  Sabarirajan, Vasanthakumar, Sathish and Thirunavukkarasu  in the Pollachi sexual assault case under the Goondas Act, a day after the Pollachi Magistrate Court extended the remand for three of the four accused by 15 days. While Sabarirajan, Vasanthakumar and Sathish were arrested on 24 February, Thirunavukkarasu was apprehended on 5 March and thus, his period of custody remains.

District Superintendent of Police R Pandiarajan said on Monday that only four people have been identified so far as being involved in the alleged sexual harassment of a girl in Pollachi. The four men were arrested in February based on a complaint (filed on 24 February) by a 19-year-old girl. The girl told the police that on 12 February, 2019 the men had taken her in a car and attempted to disrobe her and videographed the act to later blackmail her. They threw her out of the vehicle after snatching her gold chain.

When the girl confided in her family, her brother decided to confront the men. However, he was beaten up and reports said that an AIADMK functionary was also involved in the alleged assault of the survivor's brother. According to a report by The News Minute, in the initial FIR filed by the brother, the name of the AIADMK member A Nagraj was not mentioned, but it was added later. Nagraj has reportedly been removed from the party's primary membership, following the backlash for indulging in anti-party activities.

The arrested men have reportedly confessed to the crime after being questioned by the police.

An FIR was filed against the four accused under Sections 354(A) (sexual harassment), 354 (B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) of the IPC and 66(E) (Punishment for violation of privacy) of Information Technology Act, 2000 and Section 4 (Penalty for harassment of woman) of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Womens Harassment Act, and all four have been remanded to judicial custody and are lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison. The police also added IPC Section 394 to the case, an offense of robbery that is punishable up to 10 years of jail if found guilty.

According to The News Minute report, police have arrested four others in a separate case for threatening the girl's brother, who are politically-influential in Pollachi and have business interests in liquor and cable TV networks. But they were later released on bail.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating claims that the four men had sexually assaulted and extorted other women also. According to the police, their modus operandi involved befriending college-going girls online, filming them after they met them in person, and blackmailing them later with the videos for extorting money.

The police have urged people to come forward and file a complaint, in case they have been victims of this gang. However, as per The News Minute's report, no new complaint had been filed with the police as of Monday.

Meanwhile, in wake of the media reportage of the case, political reactions have also come in. DMK chief MK Stalin issued a statement asking whether the AIADMK government was trying to protect the accused and why the Tamil Nadu government has not taken proper action so far.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, who is part of the AIADMK alliance, also issued a statement demanding maximum punishment for the culprits.

According to a report by The Indian Express, fearing poll backlash, the Palaniswami government may soon hand over to the probe in the case to CID's central branch (CB-CID).

Local units of Opposition parties in Pollachi staged a massive protest seeking action alleging that the ruling party men including those close to the deputy speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman were involved in the incident, the report said. Apparently, AIADMKs IT cell submitted a separate complaint to the police, seeking action against those spreading propaganda against the ruling party and its leaders, the report states.

MDMK leader Vaiko has also threatened to organise protests if the government and the police failed to act immediately and bring to justice other members of the gang behind the crime. Vaiko said: What is painful is the reports that the ruling AIADMK is trying to protect the culprits. Those who are behind the incident should be brought to book and if the government fails in its duty, we will organise protests."

Whereas PMK founder S Ramadoss tweeted: The truth that the Pollachi incident tells us is that there are animals who masquerade as human beings. Young girls should be wary of men who try to snare them in the name of love.

With inputs from PTI
Less than a month after the Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, the Indian Army confirmed that the security forces have killed the main conspirator Mudasir Khan in an encounter.

Less than a month after the 14 February Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, the Indian Army confirmed on Monday that the security forces have killed main conspirator Mudassir Ahmed Khan in an encounter. Mudassir, a local Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist, was among two militants killed in an encounter in Tral's Pinglish area in Pulwama district, the forces said at a press conference on Monday.

At a joint press conference by the army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Srinagar-based 15 corps Lieutenant-General KJS Dhillon said that the forces have eliminated a total of 18 terrorists since the attack. "Our main emphasis was to eliminate the JeM leadership and we have been very successful in doing that. We have gone behind JeM and tried to eliminate the top hierarchy so that the Pulwama incident is not repeated," he said. Out of the 18 terrorists, eight were Pakistanis and 10 were local terrorists  including two of Lashkar-e-Taiba and two of Hizbul, he said.

"I would like to assure that operations against foreign terrorists and others will continue till we eliminate all (of them)."

At the briefing, CRPF inspector general for operations Zulfiqar Hassan said, "Yesterday's operation was a very significant operation. He (Mudasir) was also involved in the December 2017 Lethpora attack on a CRPF camp. It was a very clean operation, but our job is still not done. Very important players still remain. The ones who supplied him with explosives would be dealt with. Sooner or later, the rest of the players should be dealt with."

Inspector General of Police (IGP) SP Pani said that a "significant dent" has been caused to the JeM with the operation.

The Tral encounter, in which Mudasir was eliminated, lasted past midnight. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the Pulwama terror attack, had carried out searches at the residence of Mudasir on 27 February.

Pani said at the briefing that the identity of the second militant killed in the Tral gunfight is still being ascertained. "We know that his code was Khalid. We are trying to find his actual identity," he said. Meanwhile, PTI reported that officials believe the second militant was JeM operative Sajjad Bhat, whose vehicle was used in the Pulwama attack.

With inputs from PTI
Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the countrys principles and constitutional rights provided to its citizens were being constantly attacked.

Speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet in Gujarat, party chief Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday that unemployment is the key poll issue that the party will focus on while campaigning for the 2019 General Election to Lok Sabha across the country.

"We will focus on unemployment and not terror. Terror is not the main issue for the 2019 polls," Rahul was quoted by News18 has having said.

At the party's policy-making body meet at Sardar Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad, Rahul also said no sacrifice was too great to defeat the RSS and BJP ideology of "fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness".

The meeting was followed by a mega rally at Adalaj town, where Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi addressed her first public rally after entering politics.

During the CWC meet, Rahul underlined the grand old party's resolve to fight the forces of hatred.

"On the anniversary of Gandhiji's historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad resolved to defeat the RSS/BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won," Rahul tweeted on the occasion.

According to sources, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in her address lashed out at the Modi government for "politicising" issues related to national interest.

She also called for highlighting the achievements of the previous UPA governments along with emphasising on the need to move forward in providing a new vision for the country.

Sonia further accused the prime minister of playing the "victim card", adding "but it is the people of the country who were the victims of his wrong policies".

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who also addressed the meeting, talked about the agrarian crisis, the hampered industrial growth and unemployment under the present regime at the Centre.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel was also present at the Sardar Patel Smarak meeting. Patel, who announced his decision to join the Congress two days ago, said the party would decide from which seat he would contest elections.

"I have full faith in the Congress," News18 quoted him as saying. "I am glad I will work with Rahul Gandhi, who has been working for the welfare of the nation."

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the countrys principles and constitutional rights provided to its citizens were being constantly attacked.

"Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his speech said an attempt is being made to create India in a different mould than the one envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and other freedom fighters," he said.

The day-long meeting of the CWC comes barely two days after the Election Commission declared the poll schedule. It was also the first official meeting of Priyanka Gandhi, who was appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh recently.

The meeting was conducted in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. The last such meet was held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

With inputs from PTI
United States Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo met Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday and reaffirmed US support to India in its fight against terrorism.

Washington DC: United States Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo met Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday and reaffirmed US support to India in its fight against terrorism.

"Secretary Pompeo affirmed that the United States stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Secretary Gokhale discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil," Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement.

"They noted the strength of our partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counter-terrorism," he added.

The two officials also discussed Washingtons complementary visions for the Indo-Pacific, US-India defense cooperation, and the growing US-India economic partnership, including joint efforts to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and reciprocal manner.

According to a statement released by the Indian Embassy in Washington, Pompeo expressed his understanding of India's concerns regarding cross -border terrorism.

"They (US) agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory," said the statement.

"They also agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable," added the statement.

It is worth noting that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber attacked CRPF convoy in Pulwama on 14 February, in which 40 jawans were killed.

In retaliation, Indian Air Force (IAF) targeted JeM's largest training centre at Balakot in Pakistan on 26 February wee hours.

Gokhale also expressed satisfaction over the significant progress and the quality of India-US Strategic Partnership since Secretary Pompeo's visit to India in September last year for the first-ever Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue, the statement said.

Gokhale and Pompeo also discussed other issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and agreed to closely work together in this regard.

In response to Pompeo's reference to bilateral trade matters, Gokhale underscored the significant reduction in the trade deficit in the last three years and conveyed India's willingness to remain engaged with the US for a meaningful and mutually acceptable package on trade issues.

According to reports, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed the regional security situation after Pulwama terror attack with US National Security Advisor John Bolton over the phone on Monday.

A statement issued by Pakistans Foreign Office noted that the purpose of the phone call was to provide him Pakistans perspective on the recent regional developments.
Rahul Gandhi's Chowkidar chor hai jibe against Narendra Modi has miffed the security guards association, which has asked Mumbai police to file a case against the Congress chief

Mumbai: Rahul Gandhi's "Chowkidar chor hai" jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has miffed the security guards association, which has asked Mumbai police to file a case against the Congress president, police said.

The Maharashtra Rajya Suraksha Rakshak Union submitted an application at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police station here Monday, claiming the remark was an "insult" to security guards, a police official told PTI on Tuesday.

The association has claimed that during his rally at the MMRDA grounds here earlier this month, Gandhi said that "chowkidar chor hai" (the guard is the thief), police said.

The Union president Sandeep Ghuge said police should register an offence against Gandhi to stop "such kind of slogans insulting the security guards."

Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor hai" jibe at Modi to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected.
The Congress' predicament is that it must improve its abysmal 44-seat Lok Sabha tally to about 120-130 if it wants to head any coalition government

A political party, quite like a person, can appear to be shooting itself in the foot when it is faced with a dilemma. This is exactly the kind of uncomfortable position that the Congress finds itself in today, even as it meets in Ahmedabad to chalk out a strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The partys predicament is that it must improve its abysmal 44-seat Lok Sabha tally to about 120-130 if it wants to head a coalition government, in case the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unable to draw a majority.

The Congress is absent from several politically significant states. It, therefore, depends on regional formations to stop the BJP from picking up seats in these parts. So, the Congresss dilemma is whether it should postpone its own revival so that regional parties remain strong opponents to the BJP. This is important for the Congress too because another term for the BJP could make its revival seem unattainable.

Two recent instances underscored this dilemma: when the Congresss talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the National Capital Territorys seven Lok Sabha seats, and the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party for the eighty crucial seats of Uttar Pradesh failed.

Anti-BJP elements, including regional parties and sections of the intelligentsia, view the Congresss choice of this moment to script its own revival with alarm. It is possible that the Congress will go it alone in several states, leading to confusion among voters and thereby help the BJPs surge.

Yet, cadres and leaders of the Congress are resisting expectations to postpone revival. They view the elevation of Priyanka Gandhi, party president Rahul Gandhis sister, to general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, as a step toward wooing lower-backward, Muslim and upper-caste voters into their fold, if not for 2019 then the next assembly election in 2022.

Even if regional parties successfully restrict the BJPs gains in states where the Congress is weak, by going solo in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh it could confuse voters. This is even more possible considering how slim victory margins were in the 2014 Lok Sabha election: BJP won 43.7 per cent of the votes in UP while the SP, BSP and Rashtriya Lok Dal, fighting separately, ended up just 0.5 per cent ahead of their rival.

Delhi was not too different: had AAP and the Congress allied for 2019, the belief is, they could have wrested six of the city-states seven seats from the BJP. This is because in 2014, when there was a wave in the BJPs favour, it got 46.63 per cent votes whereas the AAP-Congress combined vote share was 48.3 per centa small but distinct edge. In Delhi, former chief minister Sheila Dikshits inability to overlook her partys crushing defeat in 2015, when AAP swept the assembly polls, is being seen as one reason why this alliance failed.

At the same time, AAPs offer of two seats put the Congress in the position of a junior partner, which it doesnt want. Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwals party resisted the Congresss expectation of three seats because an additional seat amounts to sacrificing 30 assembly constituencies. This AAP was unwilling to do just one year before the Delhi polls. Furthermore, Congress sources say, the party has revived in parts of Delhi. Presumably, they believe that winning two, even three, seats in Delhi would hardly impact government-formation at the Centre this summer.

Conversely, if the elections are a close call, the AAP-Congress alliance could have cut the BJPs tally and the national scorecard could significantly alter. Consider how the BJP has sacrificed 13 seats in Biharit is contesting on 17 instead of 30 this election. With Delhis seven, it adds up to twenty seats on which the Opposition could try cornering the BJP. This is why the Congresss refusal to ally drew angry reactions from AAP leaders: they questioned how serious the Congress is about creating a viable anti-BJP front which undercuts it on every possible seat.

Other structural issues haunt the Congress beyond the Hindi heartland and Delhi. Jagan Reddys YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is poised among the winning horses in Andhra Pradesh but appears permanently estranged from the Congress. In 2009, Andhra contributed 29 Members of Parliament to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. Even after creation of Telangana, it has 25 seats.

The Jagan-Congress dispute has roots in the Congresss refusal to accept dynastic succession in statesa principle it accepts at the Centre. After his father, YSR Rajasekhara Reddy, died in 2009, Jagan claimed his right to succeed to his position, which the Congress high command shot down. The consequence is that the dominant Reddy community supports the YSRCP while Telugu Desam Partywhose now-broken alliance with the BJP won 17 seats in 2014has got Kamma votes, leaving the Congress high and dry.

By not fielding candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli, the SP and BSP are making space for the Congress. Yet, enthused by wins in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, it reportedly seeks no less than 12 to 14 seats.

The buzz within Opposition circles is that a tactical alliance could still be sewn up. The drawback of this strategy is evident: candidates supposed to lose may try to win, to secure tickets in future elections. Voters could get very confused by all the uncertainty and jostling for tickets.

A fresh Opposition strategy is now more likely to emerge from regional formations, who are wary of the tendency of Pulwama-like incidents (and the 10 per cent reservation given to the general category) to neutralise their politics. To counter the rhetoric of nationalism and resurgence from the national parties, soon they may launch caste-based polarisations.
The 'Surf Excel' ad is drawing a lot of attention. One hopes those watching it won't be persuaded by its subtle promotion of divisiveness and victimhood narrative. But hopes arent high. Critical thinking has vanished from Indias public sphere

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. The aphorism, attributed to Robert Hanlon, is useful in describing Hindustan Unilevers controversial detergent powder commercial surrounding the festival of Holi that has sparked a furor. The ad is misdirected and horrible. But not for the stupid reasons that are being discussed on social media. It is a complete misrepresentation of the inclusivity of Indian cultural ethos. Worryingly, the useless debates surrounding it have taken away from the real issues. The commercials damaging conclusions have been willingly and inadvertently promoted.

The 'Surf Excel' ad is drawing a lot of attention. One hopes those watching it won't be persuaded by its subtle promotion of divisiveness and victimhood narrative. But hopes arent high. Critical thinking has vanished from Indias public sphere, as author and historian Hindol Sengupta correctly pointed out on Twitter.

Take the copywriter, for instance. Her or his intentions may have been noble, but when was road to hell not paved with good intentions? While promoting communal harmony of the vanilla sort, the ad has managed to do quite the opposite  introduce coerced alienation among communities in such a warm-hearted way that we happily swallow the sugar-coated toxin. The brands tagline 'daag achhe hain' could have been creatively used to deliver a more harmonious message while staying within the same script but what got delivered in the end militates against the inherent pluralism of India that has enabled a diverse nation to share one idea of a nationhood.

The problem has been compounded by the hotheads among the cultural right in India who see the ghost of 'love jihad' in every ticking of clock. This ridiculous argument not only fails to address the issue but distracts from it and provides fodder for fundamentalists from both sides to hijack the debate. So, lets be clear, the ad does carry a troubling political message, but it does not promote 'love jihad' or any such ridiculous notions. There is no grand conspiracy against Hinduism or a concerted effort by a multinational firm to spread Hinduphobia.

Such misplaced victimhood may be good for whipping up frenzy on social media, but it inadvertently encourages the sort of insipid messaging that this commercial is guilty of. And those backing the ad and commenting on the 'stupidity of bhakts', may do well to check whether they have been sharp enough to identify the problem with the script in their eagerness to score brownie points over their ideological opponents.

In a one-minute span, the commercial shows one young Hindu girl challenging neighbourhood kids to splash all their color on her during Holi so that the stock is exhausted and her Muslim friend, a young boy of the same age dressed in pristine white, may ride her bike to the nearby mosque. The ad ends with the girl promising to splash color on her friend later.

The first problem with the commercial is that beneath the message of communal harmony, it spreads a damaging suggestion that cultural festivals in India are ghettoized and restricted to respective communities. When did one community in India need protection during a festival to observe their faith? Who gave the admakers the idea that Muslims in India do not celebrate Holi?

It is an ignorant and despicable assumption. The fabric of India survives due to cultural overlaps that cross over and assimilate into different religions. As a kid, we grew up sharing colour during Holi with neighbourhood Muslim kids and friends without ever wondering about their religion, and they enjoyed it as much as we did. And we did so not out of any noble intention of spreading communal harmony but because we were merely following the lived reality of India which flows from its syncretic civilisational past.

In a piece for Scroll, Rana Safvi points out that Holi was celebrated during Mughal dynasty with the same fervor as Id, and regardless of caste, class or religion, even the poorest of the poor could throw colour at the emperor. She quotes Maheshwar Dyal in Alam Mein Intikhaab Dilli that 'Holi is an ancient Hindustani festival which is played by every man and woman irrespective of religion and caste. After coming to India, the Muslims also played Holi with gusto, be it the Badshah or the Faqeer'."

The festival wasnt identified with a religion but with a season, spring, and one can cite countless examples of interfaith amity over it.

And this is true not only of Holi but with most festivities in India where cultural ethos reigns over religious dictums, embraces all communities and strengthens the inherent pluralism of Indian society. Durga Puja is not a 'Hindu festival', but one more occasion to soak in the spirit of festivities. The syncretism goes even further.

As Shamik Bag writes in Livemint, a small club in Kidderpore, Kolkata, has been organising Durga Puja for seven decades. It is organised almost entirely by the clubs Muslim members and except just two Hindu members, all other 20-25 members in puja committee are Muslims.

Christmas in India is not restricted to members of the Christian community. Hindus and Muslims perhaps celebrate it with more gusto. The scriptwriter may visit Kolkata on 25 December to have a better understanding of the pluralism of Indian society. To suggest that celebration of one festival causes problems for members of the other communities and it takes a large-hearted individual to rescue them is the worst sort of political messaging that promotes otherization, alienation and hammers away at the very amity that it seeks to promote.

Quite possibly, the motivation for this blunder lies not in deviousness but, as Hindol points out, in incompetence. Finally, the ad makes strange insinuations against a festival that seeks to bring people together. What better way to spread amity than spreading colour in spring that makes it impossible to distinguish between Hindu and Muslim, friend or foe? The admakers and those championing this code of discord should ponder over it.
Hundreds of Tibetan activists, who took out a protest march as part of the 60th anniversary of their National Uprising Day were detained by the Delhi Police, officials said on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Hundreds of Tibetan activists, who took out a protest march as part of the 60th anniversary of their National Uprising Day were detained by the Delhi Police, officials said on Tuesday. Around 200-300 Tibetan protesters took out the march around 10 am from Teen Murti Marg and were headed towards the Chinese Embassy.

They were detained at around 11.30 am from near Chanakyapuri police station, a senior police officer said. Tibetan Uprising Day is observed on 10 March to commemorate the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

An activist said as part of the the National Uprising Day, three-day protest march had been planned. Earlier on Sunday, they marched from Central district to Jantar Mantar and on Monday, they marched from Khan Market to the office of United Nations India in Lodhi Road and submitted a memorandum.
The Telangana Board of Secondary Education has released the TS SSC admit card of 2019. Those appearing for the the SSC exams can visit the official website of the Directorate of Government Examinations, bsetelangana.org, and download their admit cards or hall tickets.

TS SSC hall tickets 2019 | The Telangana Board of Secondary Education has released the TS SSC admit card of 2019. Those appearing for the the SSC exams can visit the official website of the Directorate of Government Examinations, bsetelangana.org, and download their admit cards or hall tickets.

Directorate of Government Examinations is an independent department functioning under the ministry of secondary education of the government of Telangana. The department is responsible for conducting the SSC and OSSC public examinations and a number of minor examinations.

The Telangana SSC examinations will be held from 16 March 16 to 2 April. It is mandatory for candidates of the TS SSC examination to carry their admit cards to the examination hall.

Candidates will be allotted different question paper sets. If any candidate attempts a question paper other than what has been allotted to him or her, their candidature will be cancelled, according to the official notification.

Follow the steps below to download the TS SSC hall tickets 2019:

1. Visit the official website, bsetelangana.org.

2. To the left of the home page, under the "Quick Links" section, you can see the "TS SSC hall ticket" link blinking.

3. Click on it.

4. Enter your SSC roll number, along with district, school name, name, and date of birth and click on the submit button.

5. The TS SSC 2019 admit card will appear on the screen.

6. Download it.
Pompeo said the nations that support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are, by the nature of this 'illegitimate' regime, carrying out the very foreign interventionism of which they accuse others

Washington: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India will support the American efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the "authoritarian" Maduro regime. The issue was discussed in a meeting with the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference here, without providing insight into it.

"We are asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: Do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime. So we talked about (Venezuela) I certainly won't characterize the conversations; they're private conversations," Pompeo said in response to a question. "In the same way that India has been incredibly supportive of our efforts in Iran, I'm confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people. We had a good conversation around that," Pompeo said.

At a news conference, Pompeo said the nations that support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are, by the nature of this "illegitimate" regime, carrying out the very foreign interventionism of which they accuse others. "Today, the United States is drawing a clear line between those who aid the forces of repression and those who give life to the Venezuelan people's democratic dreams. There is no ambiguity here about the truth," he said. Similar kind of warning to other nations was issued by US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

"The United States will not stand idly by while foreign financial institutions facilitate illegitimate transactions that benefit Maduro and his cronies, and perpetuate the corruption that has devastated Venezuela," he said. Earlier in the day, the Treasury sanctioned a Russia-based bank attempting to circumvent US sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA. It sanctioned Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russia and Venezuela, for being involved in facilitating illegitimate transactions that prolong Maduro's usurpation of democracy, it said. "The illegitimate Maduro regime has profited off of the suffering of the Venezuelan people," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela," he said. In another tweet, Bolton asked international banks not to have a relationship with the Maduro regime. "Bankers: Do not help Maduro and his accomplices steal the assets of the Venezuelan people. The United States is watching. The world is watching. The Venezuelan people are watching," he said.

Maduro is facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido who declared himself acting president in January. The US views Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader and has imposed sanctions on the country's oil sector besides taking other actions targeting top government officials.
According to the latest Ministry of External Affairs data, Uttar Pradesh is the top origin state for migrant labourers in the Gulf.

Uttar Pradesh is the heart of Indias socio-political life. The states population size, location and diversity means that come election season, all eyes are on it. Keeping track of the burning issues and concerns of voters of every caste and creed is essential for understanding and winning national elections. With 80 Lok Sabha MPs, the pulse of Uttar Pradeshs political life is a good proxy for the pulse of Indias political life.

A common dictum among demographers is that the population levels of any place is affected by three factors: Birth rates, death rates and, finally, migration. Uttar Pradesh is the source state for the highest number of migrants in India. This includes both migration within the state  between districts  and out of state (to both national and international destinations).

This fact has fallen through the cracks of the mainstream narratives about Uttar Pradesh. But given the significant impact of migration on socio-economic conditions of migrating communities and households, it is important to explore and understand migration in Uttar Pradesh.

UP labour migration trends and impact

Labour migration from Uttar Pradesh is dominated by low skilled males from rural areas. They typically come from households with small landholdings and work as agricultural labourers to supplement their income.

Today, agricultural income alone is inadequate for meeting basic needs of rural households. As a result many labourers are less interested in agriculture and keener on construction, carpentry or masonry and other types of casual work in the informal sector.

But inadequate employment opportunities and industrial backwardness within Uttar Pradesh, along with the growing price of essential commodities, have made migration an appealing and necessary prospect. Workers can get more opportunities and higher wages in destinations such as Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat within India and the Gulf countries.

State Place of Residence Place of Last Residence Total Number of Migrants Reason for Migration: Work/Employment Male Female Uttar Pradesh Total State Total State 59135168 3742219 3057816 684 Uttar Pradesh Only Rural Only Rural 35781913 827241 530950 296291 Uttar Pradesh Only Rural Only Urban 2028007 102047 79911 22136 Uttar Pradesh Only Urban Only Rural 7173225 1439872 1309711 130161 Uttar Pradesh Only Urban Only Urban 8479780 1020353 889498 130855

Uttar Pradesh is among the top 5 remittance receiving states in India and according to Dr RB Bhagat, the head of Migration and Urban Studies at the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai, Recent research shows migration and remittances significantly reduced poverty in Uttar Pradesh. The majority of remittances is used for meeting daily expenses and consumption needs, followed by medical expenses, schooling and education

But while migration contributes to rising household income and better education and health outcomes, it has also increased the intra-household and inter-household income inequality, and adversely affected the established family and social structures.

Minority dreams: Migration among Muslims, SCs and STs

Historically in Uttar Pradesh, the privilege of mobility was confined to the Brahmins (priestly castes) and Vaishyas (trading castes). But today a large number of labour migrants are members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Hindus and Muslims from these communities comprise migrants. Overall, temporary and seasonal mobility is higher among Scheduled Tribes than other caste groups in rural areas.

Before the advent of migration, rural SC households often had no other source of income and their families were completely dependent on prevalent caste hierarchies for their agriculture-centric livelihoods. But remittance-based income has disrupted these socio-economic structures: As households depend less on agriculture, they are also less reliant on established caste structures.

In addition, studies in Uttar Pradesh have revealed that almost a third of Muslim households have a migrant. While most leave to seek better employment opportunities, some also leave due to riots and other forms of communal violence.

A 2010 Pew study revealed that religious minorities make up a larger share of Indias international migrant population than they do among the nations domestic population. Muslim leaders fear that decades of heavy migration has led to a brain drain, and the loss of leaders and torchbearers in Indias Muslim community.

The eastern Uttar Pradesh-Gulf connection

According to the latest Ministry of External Affairs data, Uttar Pradesh is the top origin state for migrant labourers in the Gulf. In countries such as Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, blue-collar work is no longer dominated by Keralites, but by workers from eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh is the most populated and least developed region of the state. Azamgarh and Jaunpur districts, both in eastern Uttar Pradesh, have the highest male out-migration rate from rural Uttar Pradesh. It is no coincidence that Jaunpur is the district with the least land per capita among all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh population below the poverty line 2012: District-level breakdown

Many workers are recruited through informal networks: friends, family and local agents, not certified and monitored by the government. These workers have to pay lakhs, often raised by debt, to secure their paperwork and pathways to the Gulf.

The informal recruiting channels rely on visitor visas to get workers into the Gulf: making them illegal migrants in the eyes of Gulf authorities. Often these jobs are not what workers were promised at source and the workers have limited or no recourse for help, and worst of all cannot change jobs or report their employers due to their illegal status.

Interviews with these emigrant workers reveal a desperate state of affairs: Wages are either paid late or often left unpaid, they are provided with negligible health or life insurance and their living conditions are unhygienic and cramped.

Conversations with recruiting agencies based in Uttar Pradesh, who do not want their identities disclosed, confirm the existence of these problems, but blame informal recruiters and stringent government regulations. According to these agencies, earning in dirhams and riyals and the wage gap between Uttar Pradesh and the Gulf are huge attractions for workers.

Despite the financial pressures and risks of migration to the Gulf, many young men from backward and poor families of eastern Uttar Pradesh have enriched and uplifted themselves due to migration. Through remittances they are able to buy property and increase their families assets.

However, Gulf countries are now facing economic recession and have enacted measures discouraging immigration from India. Despite Uttar Pradeshs lead in the emigration rankings, the overall national emigration trend is on the decline.

This is a worrying trend, as a combination of unemployment and rural agrarian distress will only increase the desire for migration in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, Dr Bhagats recent research shows that international migration from Uttar Pradesh is rapidly increasing unlike other states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It is unclear whether these factors will lead to more informal and riskier forms of emigration to the Gulf, or whether well see the emergence of new international destinations like Europe and South East Asia.

Voters on the move: What does it mean come election time?

In 2018, five districts of Bundelkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh were drought-hit and 27 districts across Uttar Pradesh were hit by severe floods. Despite the relocation promises of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, people chose to migrate out of the state: about 55 percent farmers from Bundelkhand migrated (permanently and seasonally) due to drought.

Migrant issues have never been considered key in Uttar Pradesh elections, but with the increasing importance of migration for households, political parties would do well to address their concerns and aspirations. This is especially relevant for the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party with their increasingly mobile minority voter base: Remedies such as lowering the cost of migration, safeguarding women left behind in villages, protecting migrant voters in their destinations through the portability of benefits and schemes, and supporting return migrants will have mass appeal, especially in districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Although parties will have to work harder to encourage migrant voters to come back and vote in the Lok Sabha elections. According to Dr Bhagat, There are about 4 million labour migrants from Uttar Pradesh working mostly in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi. Many of them will not be able to vote in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections because they have to return to their respective constituencies to vote. Many have constraints of time, cost and loss of wages and salary. Inability to exercise the right to vote is a serious challenge which need to be addressed through the portability of voting right irrespective of the place of migration.

In addition, a 2010 study by Ajeevika Bureau revealed that migrant workers are less likely to participate in Lok Sabha elections compared to state and panchayat-level elections. Nonetheless, migration is undoubtedly an increasingly important aspect of Uttar Pradesh socio-political life. Many voters aspire to migrate and these aspirations need national political attention.

The author is the founder and lead at India Migration Now, a Mumbai-based migration data, research and media agency. Follow their work here: @nowmigration
There are around 1.2 lakh registered Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu. During elections, the government sets up polling booths for them in migrant colonies  in Jammu, Delhi and Udhampur  so they can elect leaders for the Kashmir Valley.

Editor's Note: A network of 60 reporters set off across India to test the idea of development as it is experienced on the ground. Their brief: Use your mobile phone to record the impact of 120 key policy decisions on everyday life; what works, what doesn't and why; what can be done better and what should be done differently. Their findings  straight and raw from the ground  will be combined in this series, Elections on the Go, over a course of 100 days.

Read more articles from the series here

***

Jammu: Hobbling around on crutches, 75-year-old BN Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who is put up in a government-established colony in Jammu district's Jagti area, gets angry when asked if he is willing to go back to Kashmir.

"Do you think that's even possible? When armed soldiers are not safe in the Valley, how can we of all people think of going back?" he fumes, referring to the killing of over 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama on 14 February.

"What will the government do to resettle Kashmiri Pandits in their homeland? Well, I suppose it will construct colonies and deploy some security personnel outside the townships. But who will protect us en route to offices, markets, schools, colleges and our religious shrines? Until and unless other communities in Kashmir accept us with open arms, the Kashmir Valley is not safe for Kashmiri Pandits."

When asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent speech at Jammu's Vijaypur area, wherein he claimed that his government was committed toward rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits, Bhat says, "What else can he say? Every government since the 1990s, when we were forced to leave Kashmir, has promised to resettle us. But how many of us have been rehabilitated till date? Governments, media and NGOs know the answer to that."

What has the government done for Kashmiri Pandits?

Dr Ajay Churngoo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit leader who heads Panun Kashmir  an organisation that represents displaced Kashmiri Pandits and has been demanding for long a separate Union Territory carved out of Kashmir for them and administered by the Centre by reorganising the state  has the figures down pat. He says that until late 1989, there were 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, and by the end of 1991, 98 percent of them had left Kashmir because of threats from Islamic insurgents and separatist organisation Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Dr Churngoo says that after this exodus, 75 percent of them (around 60,000 families) took refuge in temporary sheds set up by the Jammu and Kashmir government across Jammu district, while the rest moved to other states, and some even settled abroad.

Every unemployed Kashmiri Pandit in a family is provided Rs 3,250 under a relief package, and only four members per family are eligible for this relief. From 2015, every Kashmiri Pandits was given relief of Rs 2,500 with a limit of Rs 10,000 per family per month; in June 2018, Home Minister Rajnath Singh increased the amount by 30 percent. Every Kashmiri Pandit family also gets 36 kilogram of rice  9 kilogram per head  and 8 kilogram flour  2 kilogram per head  besides a total of 1 kilogram sugar per month.

"Now, the ratio of Kashmiri Pandits settled in Jammu and other states is 60:40. They are fast moving to other states due to the ongoing tension and turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir," Dr Churngoo adds.

There are around 1.2 lakh registered Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu. During elections, the government sets up polling booths for them in migrant colonies  in Jammu, Delhi and Udhampur  so they can elect leaders for the Kashmir Valley.

In some parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in the Valley, particularly in South Kashmir, from where a majority of Kashmiri Pandits had to flee, their votes can make a significant difference. And even though government after government has disappointed them with regard to rehabilitation, they continue to vote in the hope that the Valley will be peaceful again.

Remembering the terror of the 90s

As Bharat Bhushan (name changed on request)  a Kashmiri Pandit in his 80s in the Jagti township who migrated from Bandipora district  remembers the 90s, tears start to roll down his cheeks.

"Between 1988 and 1989, JKLF started demanding Kashmir's independence from India and targeted Kashmiri Hindus. JKLF and Hizbul Mujahideen insurgents would threaten Kashmiri Hindu men to leave the Valley but without their women. And then, one dreadful day, I heard about the killing of Girija Tickoo, a teacher who was a regular customer at my shop," he says.

"Soon after, armed terrorists kidnapped my brother-in-law, Kanhaiya Lal, from Pazalpora area of Bandipora. They put him in a bag and murdered him."

Bhushan adds that the vicious spate of killings of Kashmiri Pandits instilled in him and others from the community a paralysing fear and, under such circumstances, they were left with no choice but to leave.

"My heart still beats for Kashmir, but I know that my family won't be safe there. So I prefer to stay put in Jammu," he weeps.

Crammed together in tight quarters

Another octogenarian, Sona Batni, whose home used to be in Anantnag's Nanial in South Kashmir, has been staying with her son and grandsons' families in a two-room government quarter in Jagti. She has undergone eight surgeries so far and suffers from multiple ailments, including high blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid issues.

Remembering the nightmarish days of the 90s, she says, "My husband was a grocer in Anantnag. After militancy spread its tentacles in the Valley, one horrible day, insurgents set a branch of Punjab National Bank in Lal Chowk on fire. As news of the fire spread, Kashmiri Pandits across Kashmir feared attacks on them.

"A few days later, when one of the Pandits in our vicinity was vacating his shop, some Pheran-clad (a traditional Kashmiri dress that covers the body from neck to knee) youths shot him dead. I saw it all from my house. When I discussed it with my husband, he asked me to stay silent."

Batni, however, has now spent so many decades being silent that she can no longer hold the past in and the details just spill out: "One night, a local mosque announced that all Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley would be killed. Two days later, we approached the army for help and asked them to arrange some trucks for us, so that we could relocate to Jammu. I carried with me one bedding, two plates, a pressure cooker and some clothes. We had to leave everything else behind."

Asked whether she would return to Kashmir if the situation became conducive, she talks about the kidnapping of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's daughter. "No, not a chance. Kashmir wasn't safe even for late Mufti Sayeed's child; what makes you think it would be safe for Kashmiri Pandits? And who should we go to the Valley with? Our grandchildren know nothing about Kashmir, other than the fact that they were born there. Jammu is better for us."

Batni's son, Chaman Lal Pandit, who is a heart patient, isn't happy with their living situation though. "My family members, including my ailing mother, three sons, two of whom are married, and their children, all stay in a two-room government quarter, while smaller four-member families have been allotted quarters of the same size. We have been requesting the (migrant) relief commissioner for long to allot us one more quarter, but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. And this despite the fact that there are plenty of empty quarters in Jagti," he says, also complaining about water shortage and the dilapidated condition of the quarters.

Some Kashmiri Pandits this reporter spoke to demanded that the Central and state governments provide jobs to all overage, educated Kashmiri Pandit youths who had to migrate to Jammu.

In comparison

In November 2016, the home ministry approved sanctioning Rs 2,000 crore from the relief package for refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Chhamb, who migrated during the 1965-71 period  under this, every refugee family was entitled to financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh.

There are a total of 31,619 PoK refugees; 5,300 of them settled in other states with no voting rights and are also not entitled to relief under the prime minister's package.

According to Rajiv Chunni, chairman of SOS International, which represents PoJK and Chhamb refugees, the Centre has, so far, released Rs 550 crore for 16,200 refugees of the total 26,319 eligible.

In 1954, the Jammu and Kashmir government had constructed some colonies for these refugees  those opting for urban colonies were allotted one-room-kitchen set-ups in cities, while those opting for rural lands were given either 36 kanals irrigated or 48 kanals unirrigated; they have yet to get possession of the plots.

With respect to West Pakistan refugees, who migrated after the Partition, community leader Labha Ram Gandhi says they, too, demanded permanent settlement from the Indian government, which it had agreed to. Around 85 files for compensation have been sent to the Centre for sanctioning release of funds, he adds.

According to Gandhi, in 1954, the Jammu and Kashmir government had also allotted these refugees four acres per family. They don't have possession rights either, and since it's their third generation now, land per family has dropped to 1 to 2 kanals.

The West Pakistan refugees are entitled to vote in parliamentary polls but can't in Assembly, municipal and panchayat polls.

The author is a Jammu-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters
Having firmed up alliances in several key states for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has taken an early lead over its rivals, including the Congress, for an election where every single percentage point of votes brought in by small partners can have significant bearing on final results.

New Delhi: Having firmed up alliances in several key states for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has taken an early lead over its rivals, including the Congress, for an election where every single percentage point of votes brought in by small partners can have significant bearing on final results.

While the BJP has had uneasy relations at times with some of its allies, many leaders feel the party president Amit Shah has walked the extra mile to ensure they remained in the ruling National Democratic Alliance by offering them a generous seat-sharing deal, as in Bihar, and by accommodating most of their concerns.

In a big state like Tamil Nadu also, where the BJP has remained a minor player so far, it has risen into reckoning by stitching an alliance with the ruling AIADMK and by working on smaller Dravidian parties to join the NDA.

In states like Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and where combination of allies will be crucial, a BJP-led alliance is already in place while the Congress is still working out finer deals with its partners.

The main Opposition party has been squeezed out of the SP-BSP 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) in UP, which may help the BJP in the most politically crucial state where the swing of a few percentage of votes can swing the poll pendulum to the other side.

BJP's two allies in Uttar Pradesh  Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party  have been airing their grievances with their bigger partner but the saffron party leaders have expressed confidence that they will remain in the NDA fold.

The opposition's grand alliance in Bihar, which has as many as 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, remains an unfinished task due to differences among parties like the Lalu Prasad-led RJD, Congress, Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP and Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM over their respective seat demands.

On the other hand, the three NDA constituents  BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP  have already announced that they will fight 17, 17 and six seats, respectively, in the state.

The BJP had in 2014 contested on 31 seats in Bihar and bagged 22, but agreed to give up its claim on even its winning seats to accommodate Kumar, who had fought against the party in the last general elections.

The difference between the BJP and the Opposition lies in commonality of purpose that the saffron alliance has unlike its rivals, who have "no clarity over leadership" and they seek power for the sake of it, the ruling party's spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.

"Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi we have clarity about leadership and our agenda that is based on development," he said.

In Maharashtra, the BJP and Shiv Sena have agreed to fight 25 and 23 seats respectively. The Sena had been threatening to go solo but was brought around with an offer of more seats for the party in the Lok Sabha as well assembly polls. The Congress is yet to finalise a seat-sharing deal with its Maharashtra ally NCP and also with its partner JD(S) in Karnataka.

A senior Congress leader said the party will discuss the issue of alliances in its CWC (Congress Working Committee) meeting in Gujarat on Tuesday and will finalise them in the coming days. The Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats will be held over seven phases, beginning 11 April and ending 19 May, while results are to be announced on 23 May.

BJP's spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, "We had won a majority on our own in 2014, but we still gave due respect to our allies. While alliances of Opposition parties are all about leaders, seats and their anti-Modi ideology, BJP's alliance percolates down to our workers and supporters."

"The Opposition's alliance is in bad shape everywhere due to its negative agenda, while our alliances are based on the positive message of development and strong leadership," he said. The BJP has also managed to keep all major non-Congress regional parties in north-eastern states in the NDA fold.

However, the BJP has failed to seal alliances in some states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, through its leaders feel some key players in these two states might veer towards the NDA after the elections.

As per the party's internal calculations, Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress, the main challenger to the ruling TDP in Andhra, and the incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samithi in neighbouring Telangana, are more likely to join the BJP-led alliance if more allies are required in a post-poll scenario.
Even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to make gains in terms of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in North East India, emerging realities in the region show that the saffron party's fate mostly depends on the support of it's allies in the region

Even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to make gains in terms of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in North East India, emerging realities in the region show that the saffron party's fate mostly depends on the support of it's allies in the region.

The bottom line  if BJP fails to come up with common candidates among it's allies in the north eastern region then gaining more seats might prove challenging for the saffron party.

The Northeastern states in the electoral map rise in importance for the BJP along with few other states in eastern India. After 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party's dominance in the Hindi heartland had reached it's optimum, leaving hardly any space for further gain in number of seats.

In 2014, BJP had won 71 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 26 out of 29 in Madhya Pradesh and 24 out of 25 in Rajasthan.

The party's focus this time around has shifted to the Northeastern states where it aims to improve it's tally up to 21 seats out of 25 in total. Assam BJP leader and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently claimed that the BJP and it's allies would win 19 to 21 seats in the region out of 25.

"There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast. I think the BJP and its partners, who are members of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will win 19-21 seats. In Assam, the BJP and its allies are going to win between 9 and 11 seats," Sarma was quoted as saying by IANS.

The BJP and it's allies had won 11 seats out of 25 in the region in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But what Sarma failed to mention was that the BJP and it's allies have not arrived at any seat sharing agreement yet in order to avoid division of non-Congress votes.

Increasing the seat tally further in the region would mean winning the seats which remained with the anti-BJP front even during the Modi wave that swept the nation in the year 2014. This would certainly require funnelling of non-Congress votes in favour of one common candidate decided through a seat sharing agreement.

Being well-acquainted with this reality in the region, the BJP stitched an alliance with 11 regional parties in the region making way for a new political front North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) just after it won a landslide victory in Assam in 2016.

The goal of the new alliance was to make North East 'Congress Mukt', which it met within a period of two and half years. The Mizo National Front a NEDA constituent unseated the Congress government in the region in Mizoram last year.

Interestingly, the BJP also won 60 percent of the Assembly seats it contested through an alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in Nagaland last year and became an integral part of the state government in the Christian state.

The political situation in the region changed dramatically when the saffron party attempted to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which the north easterners believe will open floodgates of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. Two of the allies namely the Asom Gana Parishad and the United Democratic Party pulled out of the North East Democratic Alliance in protest of the bill.

The BJP refrained itself from placing the bill in the Rajya Sabha though it was duly passed in the Lok Sabha, following a threatening by a number of allies of the NEDA to review the alliance.

It is yet to be seen how many of the constituent parties of the NEDA are willing to strike a seat-sharing agreement with the BJP and like to be seen along with it before the election.

The new situation has already cast shadow on the prospects of the BJP and its allies in Meghalaya. Many within the state BJP fear that lack of a seat sharing arrangement between the non-Congress front may lead the Congress party win both the Lok Sabha segments in the state.

Sources in the Meghalaya BJP told Firstpost, "In 2014 Lok Sabha polls the Congress won the Shillong and National Peoples Party, an NDA ally won the Tura seat. If the Congress comes up with a powerful candidate in the Tura seat it would be difficult for the non-Congress to retain it in absence of a seat sharing agreement."

Similar fear lurks in Assam too, as one of its prime allies Asom Gana Parishad who left the alliance may emerge as a vote cutter party in the upcoming polls.

Though the AGP is hardly left with any political weight now, it was the runners up party in 35 assembly segments in the 2011 Assembly polls and a prime ally of the BJP in the 2016 Assembly polls. No wonder closed door negotiations are on to win the ally back.

The real challenge for the BJP would rest on bringing all it's allies under one umbrella and arriving at a suitable seat-sharing agreement.
Congress Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Campaign LIVE Updates: On her maiden visit to Gujarat after joining active politics, Priyanka Gandhi kept her speech brief as she attacked the Modi government over unemployment and asked the people not to get misled.

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Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will also join Congress at the meeting, in the presence of party chief, Rahul Gandhi

The Congress will hold a public meeting at Adalaj in the Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address her first public rally since she has entered politics.

Party leaders of the Congress met to give final shape to its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections at its working committee meeting in Ahmedabad. The party leadership held a prayer meeting at the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram, as 12 March marks the launch of the historic Dandi March by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

Along with Congress general secretary, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president RahulGandhi and senior Congress leaders spent some time at the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati.

The party is of the view that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people of the country, from what its leaders see as the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.

Party leaders are also likely to discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women safety.

After the CWC meeting, senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, as well as current and former party chief ministers will attend the Jan Sankalp rally, state party unit chief Amit Chavda had said

The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record, PTI had reported.

Congress leaders were also seen paying their respects at the Sardar Patel Smarak, early on Tuesday.

Top Congress sources have told News18 that ensuring speedy response to terror acts and providing martyr status for paramilitary forces who take the maximum and first hit during terror strikes such as Pulwama are some of the points expected to be incorporated in the manifesto.

The Congress will make the guarantee of national security its fulcrum for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the issue will find a mention in the partys manifesto as well.

The VBA will contest in all 48 seats in Maharashtra, it said.

Meanwhile, Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has confirmed to ANI that there will be no alliance between the VBA and Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Rahul also referred to the JeM chief as "Masood Azhar ji", leading the BJP to throw a "Rahul loves terrorists" barb at the Congress chief. The Opposition party hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting his comments made with sarcasm.

Rahul, addressing a public rally in Karnataka's Haveri on Monday, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was the one who escorted Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar back to Pakistan.

The Congress Working Committee meeting has come in the backdrop of a fresh controversy between the BJP and the Congress over a comment made by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

"Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now," he said in a series of tweets using the hashtag 'BJP Loves Terrorists'.

"Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision'," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

The Congress on Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist, reported PTI.

Amid reports that the grand old party is lagging behind as it struggles to finalise seat-sharing deals with allies like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sujay Vikhe Patil's defection is likely to hinder the Congress' efforts to put up an anti-BJP front.

In a major setback for the Congress as the fight for the Lok Sabha election heats up, the son of Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is set to join the BJP on Tuesday.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's appointment of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh in January led to India's political landscape being set on fire with all kinds of analyses, opinions and expert commentary coming our way.

Several leaders of the Congress brass are now discussing their party's official manifesto and campaign plan for the upcoming election.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will also join Congress at the meeting in presence of the party chief Rahul Gandhi. He has arrived at the Ahmedabad CWC venue.

Fresh visuals tweeted by the official handle of the Congress party show former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders paying their respects at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad.

Besides, 2019 is also being celebrated as the 150th birth anniversary year of the Father of the Nation.

This is the first CWC meet in Gujarat after 58 years, on the anniversary of the historic Dandi March in 1930.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot was among those who visited the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati and paid his respects to the Mahatma.

The prayer meeting of Congress leaders at the Sabarmati Ashram saw musical performances. Party chief Rahul Gandhi was spotted clicking photographs of the ashram, while mother and UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi was seen sitting solemnly during the prayers.

In the conversation that took place on the sidelines of the party's CWC meeting in Ahmedabad, Shergill stressed that his party would prioritise national security above all else.

Jaiveer Shergill, one of the Congress's spokespersons, told News18 that the UPA has had a much better track record of maintaining national security than the NDA.

According to political experts, the Congress factor could be a double-edged sword. While it may inflict larger damage on the BJP, the partys resurgence can also be a cause of concern for the Gathbandhan on several seats.

Is the original calculation of a weak Congress just chipping into the BJPs votebank still relevant or has it changed post Priyanka Gandhis mega entry in UPs political arena and the partys intention of going big in the states electoral battle?

How will this factor work in the state where 80 seats are at stake? Will it be an advantage for the BJP as it gears up for its biggest electoral challenge against the united opposition of SP-BSP-RLD, or will it benefit the Gathbandhan?

As it becomes increasingly clear that Uttar Pradesh, the state with the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats, heads for a triangular fight in the upcoming general elections, the focus has shifted to the Congress factor.

Gandhi Ji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947," Modi wrote in his blog.

"Ironically, the Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values.

He notably sought to focus attention on "his (Mahatma Gandhi's) disdain for the Congress culture".

As the Congress party leaders met at Sabarmati Ashram to commemorate the anniversary of the historic Dandi March started on this day in 1930, by Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi published a blog post on the occasion and tweeted about it.

The meeting of the Congress party's highest decision-making body, the CWC, is currently underway. Leaders Rahul Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are seen speaking in visuals tweeted out by the Congress's official Twitter handle.

Congress's Raiganj MP Deepa Dasmunsi is set to leave the party and join the BJP later on Tuesday, reports News18. She was the Union Minister of State for Urban Development until May 2014.

"People are victims but it is Prime Minister Modi who is playing the victim card," said UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi at the CWC meeting of the Congress. In a stern rebuke to the ruling dispensation, Sonia hit out at Modi and said terror attacks have been politicised under Modi's rule.

The first CWC meet in Gujarat since 1958 has drawn to a close. Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted that his party has, "resolved to defeat the RSS and BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won."

Sujay Vikhe Patil, son of Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna, said he has taken the decision to join BJP against his fathers wishes.

Hardik will speak at a big rally in Adalaj later in the day

Patidar leader Hardik Patil who is set to join the Congress on Tuesday told News18 that he was "hopeful of the way the CWC happened in Gujarat after many years."

A meeting of the Central Election Committee of the Congress party will be held on 14 March, at the residence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, reported ANI.

As many as four Congress legislators  Jawahar Chavda, Parshottam Sabariya, Vallabh Dharaviya and Ashaben Patel  have resigned from the grand old party and joined the BJP in the past month, suggesting that Operation Lotus is headed to retain all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.

However, the way in which the BJP has launched its Operation Lotus and started poaching Congress MLAs, people seldom have reasons to disbelieve such rumours.

Hours before the Congress Working Committee (CWC) met here in Ahmedabad, a rumour about Congress legislator Santok Aarethiya from Rapar (Kutch) resigning spread like wildfire. The legislator, however, disregarded the news immediately and termed it as BJPs poll gimmick, accusing the saffron party of spreading rumours.

"The Congress strongly advocates the tenets of secularism, equality and social justice for every section," he wrote.

Among Congress leaders who tweeted from the sidelines of the prayer meet at the Sabarmati Ashram on Tuesday was the Congress's Minority Department's chairman, Nadeem Javed.

The Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party alliance is based on mutual respect and it is a formidable one, said BSP supremo Mayawati in a statement on Tuesday, closing the doors on a BSP-Congress alliance in any state.

Lawyer and Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, who told News18 that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only "ache din" of terrorists and separatists and "bure din" of our jawans have come, also tweeted from the prayer meet.

Lawyer and Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, who told News18 that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only "ache din" of terrorists and separatists and "bure din" of our jawans have come, also tweeted from the prayer meet.

The BSP and SP have forged an alliance, believed to be benign to the Congress, in Uttar Pradesh.

BSP chief Mayawati's insistence that her party will not enter into any alliance with the Congress party "in any state to contest the upcoming elections" comes in the backdrop of the CWC meeting in Gujarat.

"We remembered the brave Indian jawans who gave their lives for the country," it added, saying it is unfortunate that the prime minister of the country is playing a game with people's emotions for the polls.

"Democratic rights of the Indian people are being attacked every day, as is the idea of India envisioned by the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru," says the Congress, after the CWC meeting.

"Immediately after Congress governments took oaths of office, the first decisions that the Congress governments took was to waive the loans of farmers, as was promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi," he added.

"We will approach our people with humility, conveying that what the Congress says has credibility and conviction. Right from MGNREGA, we have honoured what we have promised," said party spokesperson Anand Sharma.

The RSS did not participate in the Dandi March, noted Congress's IT cell head Divya Spandana on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, enthusiastic crowds have already gathered at Gandhinagar to listen to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's address.

"We will focus on unemployment and not terror. Terror is not the main issue for the 2019 polls," Rahul Gandhi was reported by News18 has having said.

"In his speech, Rahul Gandhi specified that the idea of India conceived by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other great freedom fighters is now being diluted," Congress leader Anand Sharma said after the CWC meet.

Party chief Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address the crowds, its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to speak at the rally.

Former president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, Arjun Modhwadia, tweeted out images of huge crowds waiting at Adalaj Trimandir ground.

"The low point in Congress partys attitude towards separatism and terror was reached when a combination of separatists, jehadis and Maoists ganged up to raise slogans on 'Desh ke tukde tukde at New Delhis JNU, the Congress president Rahul Gandhi stood shoulder to shoulder with them to defend their right of free speech to champion the cause of breaking India into pieces. He deviated from the Congress legacy of not associating with these extremists. Once the identification of Congressmen with the Maoists and the separatists was signalled by Rahul Gandhi, it was natural for Congressmen and their friends to support the cause of urban Maoists who were allegedly conspiring to assassinate Indias Prime Minister," Jaitley wrote.

In yet another Facebook blog post, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wrote that the Congress, by starting to go soft on terror, has "started an appeasement of terror."

Top brass of the Congress party, including Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, along with former prime minister Manmohan Singh are on the dais.

Special mention is made of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who is on the stage at Adalaj.

Initial speakers have all focused on the BJP's inability to manage the terror situation in the country.

The Congress's official Twitter handle is streaming the party's Jan Sankalp rally at Adalaj. Several leaders important at the national level are supposed to speak at the gathering, which is being considered as the official kick-off for the Congress's poll campaign.

"I was thinking that I won't be required to give a speech. But I'll keep this short. This is the first time I've come to Gujarat and it's the first time when I visited Sabarmati Ashram. I can't express how I felt sitting under the trees and listening to bhajans. I was almost in tears as I thought about the soldiers who're guarding this country," said Priyanka Gandhi, on her maiden visit to Gujarat after joining active politics.

"There is no greater act of patriotism than raising your awareness. Your vote is a weapon, but it's a weapon which isn't meant to hurt anyone. I want to urge you to think and take a decision. The one who makes big claims, ask him where are the jobs, and the Rs 15 lakh that was supposed to reach every citizens banks," said Priyanka Gandhi.

"The biggest problem being faced in India is unemployment. Narendra Modi talks about Start Up India and Make in India but the truth is that the youth of the country is going to other countries in search of jobs," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the public meeting.

"Who sent Masood Azhar to Pakistan? It was BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Ajit Doval was an escort for Azhar while taking him to Kandahar. The person who killed 40 CRPF jawans was sent by the BJP government to Pakistan. Congress government had sent the JeM chief behind bars," Rahul Gandhi said at the rally.

"Congress will form the 2019 government and implement 'guaranteed minimum income' for all states. The money will directly reach every bank account." Congress president Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul says Congress will implement 'guaranteed minimum income' when it comes to power

"London has written many letters to India about sending Nirav Modi back but got no response. Narendra Modi calls Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi and others "bhai". They fund his advertisements, so they will always be favoured," he said.

"There are two India today, one belongs to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Narendra Modi and the other #India belongs to farmers and small traders like you," Rahul Gandhi said during the Jan Sankalp Rally at Adalaj near Gandhinagar.

Initial speakers have all focused on the BJP's inability to manage the terror situation in the country.

The Congress's official Twitter handle is streaming the party's Jan Sankalp rally at Adalaj. Several leaders important at the national level are supposed to speak at the gathering, which is being considered as the official kick-off for the Congress's poll campaign.

"I was thinking that I won't be required to give a speech. But I'll keep this short. This is the first time I've come to Gujarat and it's the first time when I visited Sabarmati Ashram. I can't express how I felt sitting under the trees and listening to bhajans. I was almost in tears as I thought about the soldiers who're guarding this country," said Priyanka Gandhi, on her maiden visit to Gujarat after joining active politics.

"There is no greater act of patriotism than raising your awareness. Your vote is a weapon, but it's a weapon which isn't meant to hurt anyone. I want to urge you to think and take a decision. The one who makes big claims, ask him where are the jobs, and the Rs 15 lakh that was supposed to reach every citizens banks," said Priyanka Gandhi.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress in Gandhinagar, Gujarat: This country is made on the foundations of love, harmony & brotherhood. Today whatever is happening in the country is very sad. pic.twitter.com/ylBwJro0h9

"You will have to think what exactly is this election. What are you going to choose in this election? You are going to choose your future. Useless issues should not be raised," said Priyanka Gandhi, as she lashed out at the Modi government.

"The biggest problem being faced in India is unemployment. Narendra Modi talks about Start Up India and Make in India but the truth is that the youth of the country is going to other countries in search of jobs," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the public meeting.

"Who sent Masood Azhar to Pakistan? It was BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Ajit Doval was an escort for Azhar while taking him to Kandahar. The person who killed 40 CRPF jawans was sent by the BJP government to Pakistan. Congress government had sent the JeM chief behind bars," Rahul Gandhi said at the rally.

"Congress will form the 2019 government and implement 'guaranteed minimum income' for all states. The money will directly reach every bank account." Congress president Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul says Congress will implement 'guaranteed minimum income' when it comes to power

"London has written many letters to India about sending Nirav Modi back but got no response. Narendra Modi calls Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi and others "bhai". They fund his advertisements, so they will always be favoured," he said.

"There are two India today, one belongs to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Narendra Modi and the other #India belongs to farmers and small traders like you," Rahul Gandhi said during the Jan Sankalp Rally at Adalaj near Gandhinagar.

Congress Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Campaign LATEST Updates: On her maiden visit to Gujarat after joining active politics, Priyanka Gandhi kept her speech brief as she attacked the Modi government over unemployment and asked the people not to get misled. "This is the first time I've come to Gujarat and it's the first time when I visited Sabarmati Ashram. I can't express how I felt sitting under the trees and listening to bhajans. I was almost in tears as I thought about the soldiers who're guarding this country," she said.

Huge crowds have gathered at the Adalaj Trimandir ground where Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, her mother UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and several other top leaders have reached. Rahul is scheduled to address the crowds. General secretary Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to speak at the rally.

"We will focus on unemployment and not terror. Terror is not the main issue for the 2019 polls," Rahul Gandhi was reported by News18 has having said.

"We will approach our people with humility, conveying that what the Congress says has credibility and conviction. Right from MGNREGA, we have honoured what we have promised," said party spokesperson Anand Sharma.

"Immediately after Congress governments took oaths of office, the first decisions that the Congress governments took was to waive the loans of farmers, as was promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi," he added.

"Democratic rights of the Indian people are being attacked every day, as is the idea of India envisioned by the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru," said the Congress, after the CWC meeting.

"We remembered the brave Indian jawans who gave their lives for the country," it added, saying it is unfortunate that the prime minister of the country is playing a game with people's emotions for the polls.

As the Congress party brass mulls plans for polls in the CWC meeting, Bahujan Samaj Party Mayawati has closed the alliance door for Congress. "The BSP will not enter into any alliance with the Congress party in any state to contest the upcoming elections," she said on Tuesday.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and president Rahul Gandhi will soon head to Adalaj in Gujarat for mega rally where Patidar leader Hardik Patel is set to join the party.

Rahul Gandhi, after the CWC meet, tweeted that the Congress had resolved to defeat the RSS and BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness. "No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won," he tweeted.

As the CWC meet is set to conclude, Sujay Patil of the Maharashtra Congress has quit the party to join the BJP. Deepa Dasmunsi, the party's Raigunj MP, is likely to follow later in the day.

Sonia Gandhi has hit out at Narendra Modi for 'playing the victim card' when it comes to terror, during her speech at the CWC meeting. Narendra Modi's anti-terror policy faces stern rebuke at CWC meet, claim reports.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel has arrived at the venue of CWC meet. He will officially join the party today.

This is Priyanka Gandhi's very first CWC meeting. National security is likely to be among the top agenda in the party's election manifesto, according to reports. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and other senior Congress leaders including Priyanka, are set to decide on the poll manifesto at the day-long CWC meet which comes barely two days after declaration of poll schedule for the general elections.

The Congress is set to give final shape to its strategy for Lok Sabha elections at its working committee meeting in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and will sound the poll bugle from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, party leaders said.

Sources said the Congress is seeking to give a strong political message to the entire nation from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, with the party leadership scheduled to hold a prayer meeting Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by the CWC meet at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel national memorial there.

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of jai jawan, jai kisan. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will also join Congress at the meeting in presence of the party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP on what they call "failures" and "unfulfilled" promises of the government.

Top Congress leadership, led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders will deliberate on key issues for the national elections beginning 11 April.

The party leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women safety.

The party is of the view that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people of the country, from what its leaders see as the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.

Sources said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues.

The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record. After the CWC meeting, senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, as well as current and former party chief ministers will attend the Jan Sankalp rally, state party unit chief Amit Chavda said.

The party has been alleging that Modi has "fooled" the people with his "false propaganda" and "boastful claims" and has not delivered on his promises. It has also alleged that the Modi government has inflicted pain and misery on the poor, the unemployed and the farmers during its five years of power, which needs to be made an election issue.

They will start their day by paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi as 12 March marks the launch of the historic Dandi March by him from the Sabarmati Ashram here in 1930. Besides, 2019 is also being celebrated as the 150th birth anniversary year of the Father of the Nation.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted that Narendra Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar in a 2010 interview

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist.

The scathing attack by the Congress comes a day after the BJP latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to the JeM's chief as "Masood Azhar ji". The opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Rahul's comments made sarcastically.

"Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision'," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

"Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now," he said in a series of tweets using the hashtag 'BJP Loves Terrorists'.

Surjewala also attached a link of Doval's 2010 interview with the tweets.

"Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval's 'clean chit certificate' to terrorist, Masood Azhar revealed," he said.

"1. Masood doesn't know how to fabricate an IED.

2. Masood is not a marksman.

3. After releasing Masood, tourism in J&K has gone up by 200%," Surjewala quoted Doval as saying in the interview.

Doval saluted the real "nationalistic policy of Congress-UPA to tacke terror, the Congress spokesperson claimed.

"UPA-Cong came with a categorical policy on hijacking. No concession, no talks," he quoted Doval as saying.

Why did the BJP government not show the same guts, Surjewala said.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here, Rahul had attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."

He asserted that it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama in Kashmir on 14 February. Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar formed the Pakistan-based terror group JeM after his release from jail. Since then, the group has been involved in terrorist attacks in India.

The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on 13 December, 2001 in which nine security personnel and officials were killed. On 2 January, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed.

JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on 18 September, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest is the Pulwama attack.
On BJP's charge of dynastic politics in the Congress, Hardik Patel said there was nothing wrong if a politician's son wanted to be join the same field to serve people.

Ahmedabad: Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way.

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision. To this, the people answered in "Yes".

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said when the Congress decided to postpone its rally, earlier scheduled for 28 February, following the terror attack in Pulwama on 14 February the prime minister was busy addressing gatherings across the country.

The 25-year-old Patidar leader praised Rahul, saying the Congress chief is "honest".

"People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator," he said.

On BJP's charge of dynastic politics in the Congress, Patel said there was nothing wrong if a politician's son wanted to be join the same field to serve people.

He asked the Congress cadres to get their act together to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls scheduled in April.
Priyanka's rally was 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.

In her debut political speech, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi criticised the Narendra Modi government for failing to provide jobs as promised and urged the audience to cast their votes wisely.

Addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary, Priyanka said: "Your vote is a weapon, think and decide  those who talk big in front of you, where are the jobs he promised? What about women's safety?" she said.

Taking a dig at the Modi government for not fulfilling its promises on job creation, Priyanka said, "Those who had promised to give 2 crore jobs, ask them where are the jobs? Where are the 15 lakhs they promised in your bank accounts?

"Those who talk about fitrat (nature), the fitrat of this country is that the winds of hate will be blown away by love," the Congress general secretary said.

Speaking about the key issues that needed to be addressed for the general election, Priyanka stressed on job creation for youth, women security and agrarian distress.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress in Gandhinagar, Gujarat: Issues which should be raised must comprise as to what is most important for you&how can you move forward. How will youth get jobs, how will women feel safe, what will be done for farmers. These are the issues for elections https://t.co/TqISDevDgg  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

In the next two months, Priyanka said, "They will raise all kinds of issues. Ask the right questions, this is your country. You have to guard the country," she said.

"This is nothing less than the independence movement. Our institutions are being attacked, hatred is being spread everywhere. There can be a no bigger thing than guarding the country and moving ahead together."

"This nation is based on love and brotherhood. It is sad what is happening in the country these days. There is no bigger patriotism than awareness," Priyanka said.

Prior to Priyanka's political rally, Congress discussed the issue of national security and passed a resolution of condemning terrorism of any kind in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting earlier on Tuesday.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi were also present at the rally near Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district.

Priyanka's rally was 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. Gujarat is considered a stronghold of BJP and is also the home state of Modi.

Last week, the Congress party had postponed its working committee meeting and 'Sankalp Rally' scheduled for 28 February in the backdrop of escalating tension between India and Pakistan on the border.

India lost over 40 CRPF personnel in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on 14 February.

With inputs from agencies
All parties in Kerala are active in major countries through their cultural wings. All the districts and even several constituencies in Kerala have separate forums in countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, which account for a majority of Keralites living abroad.

With nearly 70,000 Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) enrolling their names in the state voters' list, political parties are planning an intensive campaign in Gulf countries, where more than 2 million Keralites live. Senior leaders of both the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have already visited major Gulf countries before the announcement of the poll dates.

While Congress president Rahul Gandhis maiden visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE)  which has the most NRKs (8.10 lakh)  in January helped the Congress activate its units, the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) organised by the state government at Dubai on 15 and 16 February helped the ruling front reach out to NRKs across the world.

Though most of the countries in West Asia do not permit political activity, all political parties in Kerala are active in major countries through their cultural wings. All the districts and even several constituencies in Kerala have separate forums in countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, which account for a majority of Keralites living abroad.

The UDF has the largest network in the Gulf. While the Congress is active through the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC), its number two ally  the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)  carries out political activity through the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC).

The LDF, which was lagging behind the UDF, expanded its footprint in the Gulf through various art forums and pro-active measures by the LDF government. Even its decision to establish the LKS itself is seen as part of a larger plan to make inroads into the NRI vote bank, which is dominated by the UDF.

The governments decision to hold the second meet of the LKS in Dubai was aimed at weaning away the expats from the UDF. Several UDF leaders admit that the meet, which was intended to make NRKs part of the states development, helped the CPM shed its anti-development tag.

"NRKs have been backing UDF traditionally as they consider Left parties anti-development," said KP Rajendran, a member of the pro-Left art forum in Dubai. "Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan changed this image by promoting private investments in key sectors of the economy. This will pay dividend for the LDF in the Lok Sabha election." Rajendran added that the Art Lovers Forum would be campaigning for the LDF by holding group meetings and conventions across West Asia. He said senior CPM leaders were expected to address the meetings in the coming days.

Ahead of the 2016 Assembly polls, several candidates visited the Gulf countries. However, none of the Lok Sabha poll candidates are scheduled to visit the Gulf before the 2019 election. OICC general secretary N Subramaniam said representatives of the candidates and senior leaders from their constituencies will be visiting the major countries. The OICC has district units in all the major countries in West Asia.

The OICC has convened a meeting of all district units in UAE in the last week of March to chalk out the poll strategy. Similar meetings will also be held in Saudi Arabia, which hosts the second largest number of Keralites, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Subramaniam said the attempt would be to bring all registered voters to the state on the polling day. He added that the Congress was expecting at least 50,000 registered voters to visit the state and exercise their franchise.

The OICC will consider chartering flights to bring back NRK voters. The KMCC chartered two flights during the last Assembly election. Subramaniam said the OICC will take a decision in this regard in consultation with KMCC. The candidates are eyeing not only NRK votes, but also of their family, who usually go by the preference of their breadwinners. Families of NRKs constitute a major chunk of the electorate in Kerala.

Assuming that each NRK has at least two dependents back home, the number of votes the NRKs can influence comes to 40 lakh. This is a huge number that can definitely influence the poll outcome since the victory margin in some constituencies are thin. In 2014, the victory margin in three Lok Sabha constituencies was less than 10,000 votes. The margin was between 10,000 and 20,000 votes in three other constituencies and between 20,000 and 30,000 in two constituencies. Four of these seats went to the LDF, which won eight of 20 seats.

A large number of NRKs enrolled their names in the voters' list following the Election Commissions decision to allow proxy voting. However, proxy voting is not possible this time as the required amendment has not been made to the Representation of the People Act so far. Though a bill to extend proxy voting rights to NRIs was passed in the Lok Sabha, it is still pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill will lapse following the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and the process would have to be started afresh, according to Election Commission officials.

This means all registered overseas voters will have to come to India and cast their votes in their respective constituencies. Nearly 94,000 overseas Indians of the total estimated 3.1 crore NRIs registered themselves online for voting after the portal was launched by the EC last year, according to a report in The Times of India. Another 35,000 applications are pending with the ECI. The maximum online registration of overseas voters was from Kerala, followed by Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra, as per the report.

Subramaniam said NRKs from Kerala were highly disappointed by the failure of the government to pass the legislation. The UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh granted voting rights to NRIs in 2010 following strong demand from Keralites in the Gulf countries. We sought voting to make our voice heard in the legislatures. This will not be possible unless proxy voting is made possible. Under the current system only the rich can exercise their franchise. This is not fair, said Abraham Thomas, who works in Abu Dhabi. He said it was the lower classes that require the attention of the political parties as they are most affected by the protectionist policies being adopted by most Gulf countries.

What this section needs most is a rehabilitation package. The NRKs in the Gulf have been demanding this for several decades. Successive governments in state and at the Centre have ignored the demand. Unless we have the power of the vote, none will hear our voice, said Thomas. He added it was time for political parties to think of giving representation to the NRIs in the legislatures. Only this will solve our problems, he added.
After the set-back to the Congress in Maharashtra after Sujay Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, joined the BJP on Tuesday, senior Congress leader Deepa Dasmunsi is also likely to join the BJP in West Bengal.

After at least five Gujarat Congress MLAs defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party over the past month, the grand old party was dealt a fresh blow on Tuesday when senior Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay Vikhe Patil also defected to the BJP. On Friday, Sujay met Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan, sparking rumours of him joining the saffron party. He once said he need not be in the Congress just because of his family connection.

Senior Congress leader Deepa Dasmunsi is also likely to join the BJP in West Bengal, CNN-News18 reported. According to reports, Dasmunsi was upset over the party conceding the Raiganj Lok Sabha seat to the Left front. The constituency was held by her late husband Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, and Dasmunsi was hopeful of being given the party's ticket. In 2014, she lost the seat by a narrow margin. Dasmunsi is in talks with West Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy, CNN-News18 reported.

Tuesday's defection and the accompanying rumours struck a fresh blow to the Congress ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls, amid reports that the grand old party is lagging behind in preparations while struggling to finalise alliances with regional parties in various states such as Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sujay officially joined the BJP. The senior Congress leader's son was adamant about contesting the general election from the Ahmednagar seat, a crucial western Maharashtra bastion of the NCP, which refused to part with the Lok Sabha constituency during the seat-sharing talks with the Congress.

On Monday, Jamnagar Congress MLA Vallabh Dharaviya quit the party and joined the BJP. Dharaviya's was the third resignation of a Congress MLA in Gujarat in a week.

"Dharaviya has resigned as Jamnagar (Rural) MLA. He told me he is resigning voluntarily," Speaker Rajendra Trivedi confirmed.

It was a "homecoming" for Dharaviya who was with the BJP earlier before switching over to the Congress ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls and winning on the Opposition party's ticket. "I am originally a BJP soldier. I had worked under Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Amit Shah earlier. I am leaving Congress because of infighting. I have realised that only BJP can ensure people's well-being," he said after joining the party.

"After the recent (26 February) air strikes on Pakistan (terror camp), I have realised that Modi must be re-elected as the prime minister. The Congress does not have such leadership," he further said.

Before Dharaviya quit Monday afternoon, his former party colleague Parsotam Sabariya, who had resigned as Dhrangadhra Congress MLA on 8 March, joined the ruling BJP in the presence of senior leaders IK Jadeja and KC Patel.

Sabariya said he was not under pressure to join the BJP and claimed he was making the switch to develop his constituency. "I am joining the BJP to develop my constituency. I was not under any pressure and have resigned from the Congress voluntarily. I am not joining BJP to get any post or for other benefits," he said.

On 8 March, Jawahar Chavda, Congress MLA from Manavadar, had also resigned from the Assembly and was immediately inducted into the BJP. He was made a cabinet minister on 9 March and given the Tourism and Fisheries portfolios in the Rupani government.

Last month, first-time MLA from Unjha seat in Mehsana, Asha Patel, had resigned from the House and the Congress, and joined the ruling BJP. In July 2018, senior Congress MLA Kunvarji Bavalia had resigned as legislator and was later made a cabinet minister in the state government. He then won the bypoll on a BJP ticket. The BJP now has 100 MLAs in the 182-member House while the Congress has 71 MLAs.

A Congress MLA in Arunachal Pradesh also defected to the BJP on Monday. Markio Tado defected to the BJP only a day after the Election Commission announced simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state on 11 April. Tado represented Tali constituency in Kra Daadi district of the BJP-ruled state.

Tado said he submitted his resignation letter to state Congress president Takam Sanjoy and joined the BJP. "The Congress has no vision for the future of the state. So I joined the BJP in the larger interest of the state and the people of my constituency," he told a press conference.

The state has witnessed rapid development under the Pema Khandu government, he claimed. Tado had won from Tali as a Peoples' Party of Arunachal candidate in the 2009 Assembly elections and as a Congress nominee in the 2014 polls. The MLA asserted that he would not contest the election this time and extend his unconditional support to an aspiring BJP candidate. With Tado resigning, the Congress in the state has left with four legislators in the house of 60.

With inputs from agencies
The TMC, Mamata Banerjee said, will also contest some seats in Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Andamans.

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday announced a list of Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats of the state, dropping 10 sitting MPs.

She also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Narendra Modi government, claiming she had information that "VVIPs" were using helicopters and chartered flights to transport money to bribe voters.

Releasing the list, the TMC supremo assailed the Centre over a host of issues including the Rafale deal, farm distress and shrinking employment opportunities.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) releases list of 42 candidates contesting #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/ut1sCReYQB  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

Mamata said the outgoing TMC lawmakers whose names do not figure in the list will be drafted for party work. She said 41 percent of the nominees in the list are women.

The TMC, Mamata said, will also contest some seats in Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Andamans.
In a major setback to the Congress as the fight for the Lok Sabha election heats up, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son is set to join the BJP.

In a major setback for the Congress as the fight for the Lok Sabha election heats up, the son of Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil joined the BJP on Tuesday. Amid reports that the grand old party is lagging behind as it struggles to finalise seat-sharing deals with allies like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sujay Vikhe Patil's defection is likely to hinder the Congress' efforts to put up an anti-BJP front.

Sujay officially joined the BJP on Tuesday, reports said, adding that the senior Congress leader's son was adamant about contesting the general election from the Ahmednagar seat, a crucial western Maharashtra bastion of the NCP, which had refused to part with the Lok Sabha constituency during the seat-sharing talks with the Congress.

On Friday, Sujay met Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan, sparking rumours of him joining the saffron party. He had once said he need not be in the Congress just because of his family connection.

Sources in Radhakrishna's office said Sujay had sought time from Mahajan to discuss technical issues in the post-graduate medical courses entrance exams and the latter had given him an appointment.

"Sujay met the minister at his official bungalow in Mumbai after the cabinet meeting. If he plans to join the BJP, will he meet the minister at his official bungalow? NCP hasn't refused to give the seat to the Congress yet," the sources had said.

Interestingly, Mahajan is the BJP's pointsman in North Maharashtra and had played a pivotal role in the party's victories in the Jalgaon, Dhule and Ahmednagar civic elections.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande took a swipe at Radhakrishna, saying he was sending his son to the BJP to avoid an investigation by the Election Commission. "In the past few years, everyone has seen how Radhakrishna has been ineffective as the Leader of Opposition," she added.

With inputs from agencies
BSP president Mayawati said the Bahujan Samaj Party will not have any alliance with Congress party in any state for the Lok Sabha elections.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Tuesday dashed any hope the Congress may have had of the BSP and Samajwadi Party including it in its alliance. In fact, she made it clear that the BSP will not ally with the Congress in any state for the Lok Sabha election, let alone the Congress.

"It has been reiterated once again that the Bahujan Samaj Party will not have any alliance with Congress party in any state to contest the upcoming elections," Mayawati emphasised in a statement.

Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had dealt a massive blow to the Congress when they announced their alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls. The Samajwadi Party will contest in 37 seats and the BSP in 38 of the the 80-seat Assembly. The Rashtriya Lok Dal is also part of the alliance in Uttar Pradesh and will contest in three seats  Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar.

The Congress had purportedly been hoping that the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as the Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East would appeal to the two for chief ministers, but Mayawati has made it clear that the playing the Priyanaka card did not work.

The SP-BSP coalition left the Lok Sabha seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi for United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, respectively.

On the contrary, Mayawati, in her latest statement, firmly backed the SP-BSP combine, calling it "first and perfect". She said the alliance was being perceived as a front that can defeat the BJP, one that is based on mutual respect, good intentions and a larger understanding of what matters to people.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir will witness a multi-cornered contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election on the six seats for which the elections will be held in give phases between 11 April to 6 May. The campaigns of the political parties will centre around the lack of development in Kashmir as well the states 'political relationship' with New Delhi

The state of Jammu and Kashmir will witness a multi-cornered contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election on the six seats for which the elections will be held in give phases between 11 April to 6 May. The four major political parties  the Bharatiya Janata Party, National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and the Congress  are in the process of finalising their candidates for the parliamentary polls in the state. Their campaigns will centre around the developmental issues in the state, as well as, their rival's contentions over the special status of the state.

The Congress has submitted a list of candidates which will be finalised by the party high command in next few days, a senior leader has said. The party is looking at fielding former MP Tariq Hameed Karra from Srinagar parliamentary seat. From Anantang, names of state president G A Mir and former minister Peerzada Syed are being considered. From Baramulla, the state unit of the party has suggested the names of former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz, Congress vice-president G N Monga, and former minister Taj Mohidin.

From Jammu and Udhampur, a panel of former ministers G M Saroori, Abdul Majeed Wani, Aijaz Khan and former MP Madan Lal Sharma has been drawn up and for Ladakh names of former minister Rigzin Jora and senior party leader Asgar Karbalai are being considered.

Given the list that has been drawn for the elections, vice-president of state Congress, Monga said, "We were looking at contesting all the six Lok Sabha seats in the state."

However, state president G A Mir said that discussions are likely with the National Conference for a pre-poll alliance as the party has been part of the UPA. "For the last four and a lf years the National Conference had been part of the UPA and whatever programmes we launched against the Modi government it was our partner in that. The NC has been following our whip in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, so we could hold the discussions with them on polls," he had said last month.

The PDP was among the first parties to announce its candidate for the Baramulla seat with Abdul Qayoom Wani replacing current MP Muzafar Hussain Baigh. The party will shortly announce the names for five other seats.

BJP general secretary Ashok Koul said that the BJP's parliamentary board will decide on its Udhampur MP and Minister of State (MoS) in Prime Ministers Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is seeking a re-election on their seats.

Even as the Peoples Conference (PC), led by Sajad Lone, is seen to be closer to BJP, Koul said that "in Kashmir we would like to consider the alliance with like-minded parties... but there are not any like-minded parties for alliance."

The PC has decided to field Irfan Ansari from Srinagar parliamentary seat and former police officer Raja Aijaz Ali from the Baramulla seat.

The campaigns of the political parties will centre around the lack of development in Kashmir as well the states 'political relationship' with New Delhi.

Monga said that the party will canvass on the development that the state witnessed during the tenure of former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, as well as the need to protect the special status of the state under the Article 370 and 35-A. "It is the Congress which has given the state the Article 370 and 35-A and we will protect it," he said.

Contrary to NC, Congress and PDP which have a common stand on the Article 370 and 35-A, the BJP has sought their abrogation. The Article 35-A empowers the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to define the permanent residents of the state and bars non residents from acquiring immovable property here. Under Article 370 the prior concurrence of the state was required for the Parliament to form any laws outside the domains of defence, external affairs and communication for the state.

Last year on 21 November, PDP and NC came together to form an alliance, on what they said, to resist the "efforts" of the BJP-led Centre to do away with the special constitutional status of the state.

Koul said that the argument of the political parties that the abrogation of Article 35-A would deprive the residents of the state of their jobs was to mislead people as there were  many other states which dont bar non state residents from employment and acquiring the immovable properties.

"Have the people of those places where there is no special status been deprived of their jobs ?" he asked. "Our campaign in Jammu and Kashmir will centre on nationalism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on record when he said that lets talk on Article 370 and what we get from it and lose from it that needs to be debated, he added.
Parth had expressed willingness to contest polls from Maval. According to reports party workers from Pimpri-Chinchwad, which was once the stronghold of Ajit Pawar and a part of Maval constituency, are backing Parths candidature.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday announced that he would not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and has decided to make way for his grand-nephew Parth Pawar's launch in active politics. Parth is set to be NCP's candidate from the Maval Lok Sabha seat.

Pawar announced his decision in Pune after meeting senior party members. After holding talks with family, we were of the opinion that next generation members should be given a chance. There is demand from various party leaders and workers for Parth Pawars candidature from Maval, said Pawar, clearing the way for Parth, son of former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Pawar said: Peasants and Workers Party president Jayant Patil and NCP members sought candidature for Parth. The Peasants and Workers Party has a stronghold on Maval. Weve lost from this constituency twice. So, my colleagues felt that Parth should be given a chance. This is also a family decision. If I had remained in the fray, there would be three of us from the family contesting the polls, which wont be fair. So I pulled out. Now it is for the party leaders to finalise things."

Parth, 28, has been actively participating in various social as well as political programmes in the Pimpri-Chinchwad region, The Hindustan Times reported. In 2014, however, Shiv Senas Shrirang Barne won the Lok Sabha polls from Maval by a margin of at least 1,70,000 votes with NCPs Rahul Narwekar coming in third.

In an interview with The Hindustan Times, Parth had expressed willingness to contest polls from Maval. The report said that party workers from Pimpri-Chinchwad, which was once the stronghold of Ajit Pawar and a part of Maval constituency, are backing Parths candidature.

In the interview, Parth had said that he was more inclined to work at the Centre than in the state as that would give him a "broader canvass". He also said that he was okay with sitting out in this elections, as age was on his side and if the party decides to field any other candidate from the constituency, he would contest in the 2024 elections.

However, according to a report in the Pune Mirror, Parth's candidature was not taken willingly across the party leadership. In fact, Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule had outrightly denied his candidature earlier, the report said. But, Parth built pressure on the party with hoardings, demanding his candidature and his parents also threw their weight behind him, the report claimed.

Whereas, Parth  who has been busy campaigning at Panvel (part of Maval constituency)  said that the preparations for contesting the elections are in full swing.

Meanwhile, Sule, a sitting MP, will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Baramati.

Earlier, in response to a question that suggested he was drawing criticism from other political parties for dynastic politics, Pawar had said that, Parth, Rohit (his other grand-nephew) and Ajit will not contest the election. I am going to contest."

Pawar also did not contest the general elections in 2014 but was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Thereafter he left the Madha seat, which he represented from 2009 to 2014, to party leader Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, who later won it. I have contested 14 elections and never lost. There was no reason for me to be scared of the 15th election, Pawar remarked.

However, the BJP is rejoicing at Pawar decision with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis terming it as an action taken after sensing "in which direction the wind is blowing" referring to Narendra Modi's popularity forcing the senior leader to step down out of fear of losing. While political observers believe it is due to infighting and internal resentment within the party that Pawar had to take the decision to side-step.
The BJP secured a big win in 2014, riding on the promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, Shiv Sena, noted

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the BJP should now be prepared to face questions from people over its 2014 poll promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme, it said till now he was putting forth his 'Mann Ki Baat', but on 23 May, people's "mann ki baat" will be out. Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases from 11 April till 19 May, and counting of votes will be done on 23 May, according to the Election Commission.

"History says people cannot be fooled for long. Even people have questions, the answers to which they seek through ballot boxes," the Sena asked in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The BJP secured a big win in 2014, riding on the promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party noted.

"However, both the issues have remained unresolved in 2019 as well. They should be ready with answers when people ask questions over it," said the Sena, a constituent of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra. It said doubts were also there in the minds of people over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in polls.

"Why the insistence over EVMs when all other countries have stopped using them due to their faulty nature and the fact that these machines could be controlled with money power?" it asked.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, it said they were busy with inaugurations, announcements and giving green signal to projects till the last minute before the announcement of Lok Sabha poll dates on Sunday.

"The model code of conduct has come into effect and is now applicable to all except the prime minister and chief ministers of various states," it said in sarcastic remarks.
tech2 News Staff

Asus' Republic of Gamers (ROG) division has just unveiled its newest range of gaming laptop in India which comprises of three new laptops as well as a gaming PC.

The new lineup's USP is the fact that they are all powered by the new Nvidia GeForce RTX series graphics processors to meet the demands of gamers in India. The three new laptops announced by Asus include the ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Zephyrus S GX701 and the ROG Strix SCAR II. The lineup is completed by the GL12CX desktop which can be configured to pack in a desktop-grade RTX 2080 GPU.

ROG Zephyrus S GX531

The Zephyrus S GX531 is the successor to last year's slim ROG Zephyrus GX501VI and features a 15.6-inch 144 Hz refresh rate display which is validated by Pantone for colour accuracy. While this means that this laptop also caters to content creators, what's striking about the GX501 is the fact that it can be configured to pack an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU and is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H CPU. Design-wise not a lot has changed and if you've seen the GX501VI, this will look quite familiar to you.

Storage options include a 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD and connectivity offerings include a USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C), two USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.1 Gen2 port, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, one HDMI 2.0b port, one mini Display Port 1.2 and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The GX531 also features dual front-firing speakers and a trackpad which converts into a digital numpad.

The Zephyrus S GX531 will be available starting April, with a starting price of Rs 2,39,990.

ROG Zephyrus S GX701

The Zephyrus S GX701 is Asus top-of-the-line laptop offering and offers two major changes when compared to the GX531. The GX701GX features a larger 17.2-inch 144 Hz 3ms response time display with Pantone validated colours. The other change is the fact that the GX701GX can be configured with an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU, which is a step up from the RTX 2070.

Everything else on the GX701 is more or less identical to the GX531 including the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and the storage and RAM options. The GX701 does get better speakers though - a larger 2x2.5W setup compared to the 2x2W speakers on the GX531.

The Zephyrus S GX701 will also be available in April with a starting price tag of Rs 3,49,990.

ROG Strix SCAR II

Successor to last year's ROG Strix SCAR, the SCAR II is a gaming laptop focussed towards FPS gamers who can take advantage of the same 144 Hz 3 ms refresh rate display and an 8th generation Intel Core i7 8750H CPU, which Asus claims to offer 23 percent better performance compared to last year's Strix SCAR. Graphics options can be stretched up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 card and a 500 GB NVMe PCIex3 SSD.

The SCAR will be up for grabs in two variants, one with 8 GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU and another with a 6 GB GeForce RTX 2060 card. The higher-end RTX 2070 model is priced at Rs 2,09,990, while the RTX 2060 variant costs Rs 1,64,990. The ROG SCAR II will be available for purchase beginning today.

ROG Strix GL12CX

The ROG Strix GL12CX desktop uses the same compact chassis as the original GL12CM, but the internals have been overhauled to offer the latest Intel Core i9-9900K processor and up to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card. Asus includes a hot-swap 2.5-inch SSD tray, complimented by a module that can hold dual SSDs cooled by dedicated heatsinks.

The ROG Strix GL12 CX desktops start at a price of Rs 2,13,990 and go up to Rs 3,29,990 for the highest available configuration.
tech2 News Staff

Over the weekend, there has been a lot of chatter around US Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for breaking up big tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and as we found out yesterday, even Apple. Warren is running as the 2020 Presidential candidate, so her proposal to break up big tech has certainly got everyone's attention.

In what can be considered to be a self-goal on the matter, Facebook pulled off quite a few of Warren's political ads from Facebook. Those ads have now been restored, but it just brought the point home that Warren was trying to make through her Medium post.

"Curious why I think Facebook has too much power? Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power," Warren tweeted.

But it looks like not everyone is in favour of breaking up these technology giants. One among them, the Competition Commissioner of the European Union, Margrethe Vestager, has said that breaking up big tech companies should only be seen as a last resort.

Vestager has a reputation for bringing tech giants operating in the EU region under the scanner. Apple was ordered to pay 13 bn in back taxes, Google has been fined 2.4 bn for manipulating search results and many more instances cement Vestager's position as someone technology companies are wary of.

In an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, Vestager said that EU would approach breaking up companies only as the last extreme measure.

On being asked why she thought to break up big tech companies was a last resort, Vestager said that it was very far-reaching. "We are dealing with private property. Businesses that are built and invested in and become successful because of their innovation. To break up a company, to break up private property would be very far-reaching and you would need to have a very strong case that it would produce better results for consumers in the marketplace than what you could do with more mainstream tools," she said.

Instead, she said there should be a focus to ensure that these big tech giants do not misuse their dominant position in the market to drive out any competition by using tactics such as self-promotion and demotion of competition on their platforms.

Vestager is in favour of regulating data access for controlling tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, among others. She said she was happy to see that talks about regulating companies were picking up in the US, as that would help improve competition which would enable markets that would ultimately serve citizens.

Warren had called for the breakup Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple, among other big tech firms.

"Apple, youve got to break it apart from their App Store. Its got to be one or the other. Either they run the platform or they play in the store. They dont get to do both at the same time," said Warren. Warren said that because Apple runs the App Store, it has an immediate advantage over app developers who sell their products and services on the App Store. Apple has all the data about people's buying habits on the App Store, and because Apple runs the App Store, it can very well promote its own apps over that of third-party app developers. These same rules would apply to Google Play Store as well, where Google does promote a lot of its own in-house apps.

The idea behind this move, according to Warren, is that small businesses should not be gobbled up by big tech. For instance, if there is a small business selling its wares on Amazon and doing great business, there is a high chance that Amazon will either try to buy this seller or have a similar product on its marketplace, which Amazon could promote over the small business. Warren wants that to not be a concern for small business owners.
tech2 News Staff

Augmented Reality (AR) filters have been the trend for a long time now. Snapchat is the trendsetter and all the others like Instagram and Facebook followed suit. A little late to the party, but finally, YouTube has also joined the bandwagon.

In the company's latest release, YouTube and ARCore are now offering Augmented Faces API, which allows users to add virtual glasses, masks, hats and various other funky props to short video clips.

via GIPHY

Google via its blog post revealed that the use of 3D mesh has given a more realistic feel to the filters by simulating light reflections, virtual object shadows onto the face mesh, and filter even models on our face. For example, the virtual glasses do not shift or go away when the person tilts, moves or even turns their head in different directions.

Also, it has tried to offer highly realistic makeup effects.

via GIPHY

YouTube Stories in 2017 was only accessible to about 100 creators, but in 2018 it expanded to creators who have more than 10,000 followers. Also unlike the Story feature on other platforms, which expires in a day, YouTube Stories expire after seven days.
tech2 News Staff

Hindustan Unilever-owned detergent brand Surf Excel's latest television advertisement on Holi has not gone down very well with a certain section of people.

After blowing off steam on social media platforms for days, some of them have now found an unlikely platform to voice their displeasure  Google Play and the victim? Microsoft Excel.

The reason why Microsoft's spreadsheet app is being picked on here is only because a lot of people feel Surf Excel and Microsoft Excel sound alike. A few users also appear to be confused between the two brands because of the word 'Excel' being present in both.

Following the confused bunch, a number of people who are aware of the fact that the two brands are completely unrelated have also rated the app one star, just because they can.

However, there were a few sensible netizens as well who decided to come out and make amends by rating the app 5 stars. Some even took the effort of explaining to people how the two brands were absolutely unrelated.

This, however, isn't the first time an app has been picked on by Indian users, seeing their rating go down drastically. We have seen apps like Snapchat and Snapdeal fall prey to angry internet users misplacing their resentment.
Reuters

Electric carmaker Tesla Inc backed off its plan to close all of its US stores in a blog post and instead will raise prices of its high-end vehicles by about 3 percent on average, as it strives for profitability.

The company said late Sunday that it would now be closing only about half as many stores than initially planned in a widely criticized move earlier this month to cut overhead and shift its whole distribution network online.

Over the past two weeks we have been closely evaluating every single Tesla retail location, and we have decided to keep significantly more stores open than previously announced, the electric carmaker said.

As a result Tesla will need to raise vehicle prices by about 3 percent on average worldwide.

Separately, Chief Executive Officer Musk has until the end of the day on Monday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for recent tweets that U.S. securities regulators say violated a September fraud settlement.

The case is the latest major challenge by authorities to Musks leadership as Tesla seeks to make good on his promises to Wall Street that it will soon by consistently profitable and will not need more capital.

The three percent increase on its top-end cars would be the first hike in prices after a series of cuts over the past year aimed at offsetting a reduction in green tax credits and the impact of rising tariffs overseas.

Tesla said the worldwide price increases would apply to the more expensive versions of the Model 3, Model S and Model X, and that there will be no price increase to the $35,000 Model 3.

The 3 percent price increase announcement still indicates ... strong demand, said Ivan Feinseth, an analyst with Tigress Financial Partners.

The carmaker said potential buyers can place orders until March 18 at the old prices. Currently, the Model S and Model X models are priced starting at $79,000 and $88,000 before savings, respectively.

Shares of the company, among Wall Streets most volatile in recent months, were roughly flat in early trading on Monday.

Cost savings from store closing will be only about half the expected amount as the company will close only half the number of stores planned, it said. A few stores in high-visibility locations that were closed because of low throughput would be reopened with a smaller Tesla crew and would carry fewer cars in inventory.

Separately, Bloomberg reported on Monday that Tesla is in discussions with Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd on a deal for the production of rechargeable batteries for the Model 3.

In January, sources told Reuters that Tesla had signed a preliminary agreement with Chinas Tianjin Lishen to supply batteries for its new Shanghai car factory.

The talks come as Tesla looks to localize battery cell production and push forward with the 500,000-vehicle-capacity Shanghai plant, expected to be completed in May.
tech2 News Staff

If it weren't for the World Wide Web, would I be writing this article, to share with the world to read? How would I even share it?

Today, on 12 March 2019, Google is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the day the World Wide Web was born.

Three decades ago, when the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, was 33-year-old himself, submitted a proposal titled Information Management: A Proposal. The proposal envisioned "a large hypertext database with typed links," named Mesh, that could help the employees at CERN (a large nuclear physics laboratory in Switzerland) share information amongst multiple computers.

This was when Berners-Lees boss found the idea "vague, but exciting" and allowed him time to develop the working model of the World Wide Web. He used the HTML language, the HTTP application, and WorldWideWeb.app  the first Web browser and page editor.

As Google correctly highlights on the blog, the World Wide Web is not to be "confused with the internet, which had been evolving since the 1960s, the World Wide Web is an online application built upon innovations like HTML language, URL 'addresses', and hypertext transfer protocol, or HTTP."

via GIPHY

By 1991, the external Web servers were up and running, which soon revolutionised life as we know it. As of 12 March 2019, there are nearly 2 billion websites online. Whether you use these sites for email, social networking, gaming, or binging on videos of cute puppies, the World Wide Web's a part of your daily life.

March 12, 1989  The World Wide Web begins as a @CERN project called ENQUIRE, initiated by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee. When @timberners_lee first proposed the World Wide Web in 1989, his boss responded: "vague but exciting" pic.twitter.com/cDt1BfFAWl  Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) March 12, 2019

However, while 30 years down the lane, the Web has changed the lives of billions in many ways, this 'mesh' has also evolved in various aspects, some of which have displeased its inventor on many occasions.

In a letter published on Monday, that marked the webs 30th anniversary, Berners-Lee said he understands concerns that the internet is no longer a force for good. The fight for the web is one of the most important causes of our time, he wrote. He believes that the Web has become 'dysfunctional' with 'perverse' incentives.
tech2 News Staff

From 13 March 2019, this Wednesday, the UK government has made it illegal for anyone to fly a drone within three miles of an airport in the UK. Currently in effect is a 0.6-mile limit which will change from tomorrow.

The changes in the rule were first talked about a month ago. At the time, it was recommended that the drone-free zone around airports should be quadrupled.

As per a report in The Verge, these new laws are coming into effect to avoid situations like the shut down of UK's second largest airport, Gatwick, for over a day, and that too during the Christmas period.

The disruption took place due to some illegal drone activity near the airport.

This affected over 1,000 flights and around 140,000 passengers, but the police still haven't managed to find out who was responsible for this.

Both Gatwick and Heathrow airports have purchased anti-drone systems in the wake of the disruption.

Even drone manufacturer DJI announced stricter geofencing restrictions for its drones in Europe.

There are going to be a few more changes in the rules for using drones, which would take effect starting November. Users wishing to fly a drone weighing over 250 grams will be required to take an online safety test and register with UK's aviation authority. Any UK drone user who fail to register might end up getting fined up to EUR 1,000.

Similarly, the Indian government had introduced its new guidelines for remotely piloted aircraft or drones, which came into effect on 1 December 2018.
The Oppo F11 Pro is for buyers who are interested in owning a premium looking smartphone without the expensive price tag.

In the space of a year, Oppo went from embracing the notch to replacing it completely with a pop-up slider. And in a market literally flooded with phones, Oppo's bold design decisions have helped it stand out; the F11 Pro is no exception. It is indeed a refined design and can hold its own against the best in the segment.

Having used the Oppo F11 Pro as my primary device for a little under a week, it has become increasingly difficult to find any reasonable flaw that might deflect buyers from this device. The truth is that for a price of Rs 24,999, the F11 Pro is a device that looks and feels way more expensive. The internals may be lacking a little in comparison to the phones exterior, but this is not a device that has marketed itself as a performance beast. It is, as most of Oppos phones are, a camera-first device, and a very good example of one.

Should you buy this device? If you love cameras and have a budget of Rs 25,000, and have an eye for how a phone looks, then the Oppo F11 Pro is for you. If youre a PUBG fanatic, then you shouldn't be looking beyond the Poco F1. Allow me to explain.

Designed to impress

Oppo is not slacking off when it comes to design. Having reviewed the F9 Pro earlier, I was happy to note that Oppo took the design forward with the F11 Pro: the mesmering back panel of the F9 now has a triple-gradient, which looks quite lovely on the Thunder Black variant we received. This is a phone which is extremely premium to hold, although I would have preferred a glass finish over the polycarbonate unibody design given to us by Oppo.

The weight of the device is slightly on the higher side, but I dont think the few extra grams matter. The dual-camera setup is aligned centrally with the flash on the phones backside, and so is the pop-up camera on the top of the phone. The polished edges do not cut into my palm and also give a grippy feel. The fingerprint reader, the Oppo branding and the designed by Oppo text are all centrally aligned with the camera unit as well, giving the phone a very symmetrical look. Good job on the design, Oppo!

On the front of the device, we spot a notch-less display and next to no chin. Oppo touts a 90.8 percent screen to body ratio. The lack of a notch and a gigantic 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display always make for the best viewing experience in my opinion.

The phones display is neat and it leaves me with little to complain about. The colours are as accurate as Ive seen on an LCD display under Rs 30,000, though there appears to be a slight oversaturation of reds and yellows. Regardless, the colours seem more real than on the Nokia 8.1 (Review), which is its nearest competitor, and also the OnePlus 6T (Review), which has a very oversaturated AMOLED display.

The display is not as bright as I wouldve liked, but even in brightly lit sunny conditions, the display was quite legible. It also dims enough in the dark to not hurt my eyes. Oppo also provided a blue light filter for night-time phone browsing. Overall, the display is great.

The 48 MP camera does a splendid job

To put it bluntly, Oppos 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor has done a splendid job, but we must remind ourselves that the cheaper Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) has the same sensor and it too did a remarkable job of capturing images.

The F11 Pro has a 48 MP main camera and a 5 MP depth sensor, in which the latter is used only for background blurring to give DSLR-like pictures. By default, the phone uses a technique called pixel binning to produce relatively sharp, detailed 12 MP images from that 48 MP sensor. You can change camera settings to shoot at 48 MP if you prefer. I tried both modes and to be honest, I don't see much difference between the pixel-binned 12 MP shot or the 48 MP unbinned shot.

All this is not to say that the F11 Pro does not take great pictures. It does, and in fact, it captures better colour and dynamic range than the competing Nokia 8.1. However, the colours are slightly oversaturated, but this has been trademark Vivo and Oppo for years. Exposure in the shots are also up to the mark and nearly equal to the Nokia 8.1.

Video recording on the device is also up to the mark, with EIS on the device stabilising most of my shaky hand-held footage. The phone can only record 1080p and 720p a@30 fps.

Nightscape is something that Oppo had talked in its press briefing. In my opinion, the night mode on the F11 Pro was a hit and miss. While the phone can take photos which capture a lot of detail in low-light, there is a lot of noise in photos a well. The Nokia 8.1, while not having a dedicated night mode, captured more colour accurate photos even though exposure was understandably lacking. I expect that Oppo should improve Nightscape in upcoming future software updates.

The front camera on the device is a pop-up one and is very fast at that. It opens in a less than a second and takes the same time to go back down. Quality of the 16 MP front sensor is great, but you can see the Oppo brand of screen smoothing taking effect in almost every click. For those interested in a more natural facial look should look towards the Nokia 8.1.

Check out the Oppo F11 Flickr album for high-res images

Performance is mildly impressive

The Oppo F11 Pro has decent internal specs but, as with most smartphones in this range, cannot compete with the Poco F1's hardware. Poco sacrificed design and build quality for power to get the hardware in this price range, and Oppo appears to have taken the opposite approach.

Inside the Oppo F11 Pro is a Helio P70 MediaTek SoC which is also part of the much cheaper Realme 3 (Review). Apart from that, the phone gives you 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage with an option to expand using a micro-SD card.

Benchmarks show that the Oppo F11 Pro lags slightly behind the Nokia 8.1 and its Snapdragon 710 SoC, but in real-world use, both phones seemed equally fine to me. Chrome, Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other heavy apps ran perfectly well without a hiccup, as expected.

The PUBG Mobile experience on the phone was nice, although I couldnt play at max graphics settings due to processor constraints. As with most phones, including the liquid-cooled ASUS ROG phone, you start to notice a bit of lag after an hour or two of gameplay. It's not game-breaking, but it is noticeable. Asphalt 9, on the other hand, can run smoothly for longer periods of time.

The phone has a headphone jack (Thank you, Oppo). The single speaker at the bottom is not the greatest but is passable enough for in-room listening. Call quality was as good as expected and the earpiece functioned perfectly. Coming to authentication, the phone has a fingerprint reader which functions lightning fast. The face unlock system is no slouch either, with the phone unlocking itself long before the front camera finished popping up. Of course, the caveat here is that this is a single-cam face unlock, which means it's not secure and could be fooled by photos and video.

Software is a slight issue

While Oppo's software has improved greatly with ColorOS 6.0 (based on Android 9.0 Pie), there is still a lot that's in need of refinement. For instance, Im constantly bombarded with the "sign-in to your Oppo ID" notification, and there seems to be no option to turn that off.

There is little bloat as compared to the previous version of ColorOS, but the unnecessary Oppo App Store, an extra browser and a second messenger app are still there and can't be removed.

I do like the new UI however, with those big icons in the drop-down menu. There is also an app drawer, which is always a welcome feature for me. The point is that it may not be as clean as stock Android on the Nokia 8.1, but with time, you will get used to ColorOS.

Superb battery life

I saw nearly five-plus hours of screen on time and binged through half the third season of Hannibal (it's a great show). The 4,000 mAh battery is doing its job and it is doing it very well. Battery life while playing PUBG was a solid two hrs.

The phone comes with Oppos proprietary VOOC fast charging system, which can charge the device from 0-50 percent in 30 minutes, which is great for a 4,000 mAh battery. Fully charging the phone takes about an hour, which happens to be 50 percent faster than on the Nokia 8.1, which, do note, has a smaller, 3,500 mAh battery.

Verdict

Its easy to recommend the Oppo F11 Pro to buyers who are interested in owning a premium-looking smartphone but don't want to dig too deep. I mean, you could place it side-by-side with the Pixel 3 and I can guarantee those who are not aware of the Pixel 3 (Review) will choose the F11 Pro.

The camera, display, and battery of the device all receive heavy checkmarks, but the performance and software could do with some tweaks.

Get the Oppo F11 Pro if you're a sucker for looks and appreciate a great display and a great camera. For performance look no further than the Poco F1, and if it's clean software you seek, you have the Nokia 8.1.

The Oppo F11 Pro is retailing on Flipkart at a price of Rs 24,990.

Images: Omkar Godambe

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tech2 News Staff

Deep beneath some of the world's roughest seas live a mysterious species of killer whales that look very different from other orcas. For the first time after it was spotted off the coast of Chile, the killer whale, which could potentially be a new species altogether, is to be studied by an international team of scientists.

Many tourists and fisherman in Pacific waters along Chile's coastline have reported and captured photos of killer whales that look remarkably different than the others, according to a report in the Independent.

The research team threw down an anchor and waited a week on a ship near Cape Horn to encounter the unusual whales, which go by the name "Type D" for the time being.

Marine biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) managed to spot and collect three biopsies from the orcas to analyze, NOAA scientists said in a statement. The samples are currently being analyzed using genetic tests to find out whether the whales really are a new species.

Bob Pitman, a marine ecologist who was part of the team that spotted the whales, said that Type D killer whales could be the largest undescribed animal left on the planet, and "a clear indication of how little we know about life in our oceans."

Compared to better-known killer whales (Types A, B and C), Type D whales have a more rounded head, more pointed and narrow (dorsal) fins along their sides and a tiny white patch around the eyes.

Scientists initially speculated that the unique features of these whales might be because of a genetic mutation that only affected a handful of animals. But the same, odd-looking eye patches and rounded heads were seen in photographs of whales among other poaching catch from commercial fishing lines in 2005 in the southern Indian Ocean.

"Unlike types A to C, Type D killer whales are marginally smaller and thought to survive on fish rather than larger marine mammals like seals. The fact that we know so little about them could simply be a factor of distance," Pitman said.

The whales are hard to find since they live far south, away from shore, "in the most inhospitable waters on the planet", he added. "It's a good place to hide."
tech2 News Staff

The National Ganga Council headed by Prime Minister Modi tasked with the protection and upkeep of the Ganga river, has reportedly convened no meetings since it was first set up in 2016.

According to the National Ganga Council's (NGC's) own guidelines, members are to meet at least once a year, every year at its own convenience. A Right to Information query filed by The Wire has revealed that it hasn't delivered on that in the two and a half years since its formation.

The NGC is arguably the single largest committee overseeing the cleanup of river Ganga today, taking over from the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) in its role. The NGRBA, which was dissolved since the NGC came to be, was similarly chaired by the prime minister.

"If the prime minister is not able to convene even a single meeting, then the question arises if this is indeed a decisive body or just a copy, Ravi Chopra, an environmentalist that has worked extensively on the river Ganga's cleanliness, told The Wire. "This is the final deciding body on the Ganga. It should have had at least two meetings in a year."

Among the NGCs other councilmembers is the minister for water resources, river development and Ganga conservation as NGC's vice-president; the Chief ministers of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; and the Union ministers for the environment, finance and urban development.

In December 2017, an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the National Clean Ganga Mission (NMCG) called out and reprimanded the government for its lax treatment of the project. Some of the observable reasons for this were delays in cleaning the river, in the installation of sewage treatment plants and construction of toilets in homes by and around the river.

A parliamentary committee had expressed similar concerns in 2016, eventually leading to the NGC being formed. The committee stated, "It is a matter of great concern that the Ganga has become one of the ten most polluted rivers in the world. Due to unchecked urbanisation, excessive hazardous waste and domestic sewage in the river, the cleanliness of the Ganges has suffered huge losses. Regarding the lack of effective coordination between the plurality of institutions and stakeholders at the Centre and state level, the committee suggests that a comprehensive and empowered authority should be created for cleaning the river."

In response to nudges from both the CAG and a parliamentary committee, the government responded saying that its water ministry had prepared a multi-level plan at the national, state and district levels to clean up the Ganga  of which the NGC was simply the most prominent effort.

"The Ganga river has a heart disease, but a dentist is treating it," Rajendra Singh, a social worker and member of the disbanded NGRBA, said to the Wire. "The government is making ghats, a riverfront and waterways just anywhere. Under the Char Dham project, the entire Himalaya is being cut and deposited into the Ganga. This is a way to end the rivers life...

"Prime minister Modi does not think it necessary to talk to experts about matters related to the Ganga," Singh added. Despite lakhs of rupees being distributed in the name of the Ganga, the required work remains unfinished.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in its 2017-2018 Biological Water Quality Assessment of the River Ganga report, claims that the river's pollution levels fall in the medium-to-severe category prior to 2018 monsoons. More importantly, of 39 places that the Ganga passes through, cleanups were done only in one region after monsoons.

All the reported inaction of the current government with regard to maintaining the Ganga river has raised doubts as to the their seriousness about the project.
tech2 News Staff

Using gene editing to create sugarcane varieties especially for use in renewables and bioplastic industries could be the future.

University of Queensland Professor, Dr Robert Henry, said that sugarcane's reinvention as an "energycane" crop could sustain the industry in the face of falling global demand for sugar.

"The industry must think beyond just producing sugar, to also producing electricity, biofuels for transportation and oils to replace traditional plastics," Henry said in a statement.

The first gene-editing experiments in the world are currently being carried out by Professor Henry, also the Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) at UQ, to tailor sugarcane farming to the needs of the biofuel and bioplastics industries.

"It's about reinventing sugarcane as a crop with a wider range of end uses, and sugarcane is ideal for renewables because it is fast-growing with abundant biomass," he said.

Henry and a global team of geneticists are working to sequence the entire sugarcane genome under the US Joint Genome Institute project. Sugar is the last major cultivated plant to have its genome sequenced, and it will likely be fully-decoded by 2020, Henry said in a statement.

"Having sugar's genetic template will allow us to look at growing sugarcane as a biofuel and a source of 100 percent recyclable bioplastic, making it a substitute for petroleum in the production of countless items from cosmetics to car parts," he said.

Once sequenced and modified, the crop will allow for the existing sugar industries to cope with the falling demand for sugar around the world and lower environmental impacts. Ms Sheriden Morris, Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, agrees that biofuels and bioplastics are the future of the sugarcane industry.

Dr Henry, who has helped lead multiple breakthroughs in decoding the genome of sugarcane, said that the science was quickly developing to help growers tap into commercial opportunities in growing cane for renewables.

"Australia's sugarcane growers are facing a falling sugar price  driven by declining world demand and increased competition in India and Brazil. The industry must look to the future," Henry said.

The research team in Queensland is in a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi to study the different processes by which sugarcane fibre can be broken down to make bioplastics.
Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against Google, one that followed a published report of payouts the company made to executives accused of sexual misconduct

San Francisco: Court documents show Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal $35 million in an exit package when the exec was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation.

Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

Previously redacted portions of the lawsuit complaint were made available on Monday, including quotes from board committee meetings.

One portion of the minutes showed that Singhal received two $15 million payments and a payment of at least $5 million as part of a separation agreement. He left the company in 2016.

Google says that it has made changes recently to take a hard line against sexual misconduct.
Before her arrest, Nasrin Sotoudeh, 55, had taken on the cases of several women arrested for appearing in public without headscarves in protest at the mandatory dress code in force in Iran.

Tehran: Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to seven years in jail for security offences, a judge at Tehran's Revolutionary Court told semi-official ISNA news agency on Monday.

The seven-year verdict could be the tip of the iceberg in a much harsher sentence that amounts to 38 years in prison, according to a Facebook post by her husband Reza Khandan.

"Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to five years for colluding against the system and two years for insulting the leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)," said judge Mohammad Moghiseh to ISNA.

The case has since been referred to the court of appeal, he added.

According to Mohammad Moghimi, one of Sotoudeh's lawyers, she chose not to be represented in court because the case did not adhere to the "principles of a fair trial".

Sotoudeh is an award-winning rights activist who was arrested last June and told she had already been found guilty in absentia of espionage charges and sentenced to five years by the court.

While the sentences announced so far total 12 years, Sotoudeh's husband said Monday she had been condemned to "38 years in prison and 148 lashes".

"Five years of prison for the first case, and 33 years with 148 lashes for the second," Khandan wrote on Facebook.

He did not clarify whether the latter sentence referred to the case reported by ISNA on Monday, or additional verdicts not yet made public.

Before her arrest, Sotoudeh, 55, had taken on the cases of several women arrested for appearing in public without headscarves in protest at the mandatory dress code in force in Iran.

Sotoudeh won the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov Prize in 2012 for her work on high-profile cases, including those of convicts on death row for offences committed as minors.

She spent three years in prison after representing dissidents arrested during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed re-election of the ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Twitter users in India outraged over the fact that the leading US daily termed the Pulwama terror attack, which killed over 40 CRPF jawans, as a bombing. Twitterati was livid at the fact that NYT chose to use words like 'explosion' and 'bombing' to describe a serious terrorist suicide attack which saw escalation in India-Pakistan hostilities

Twitterati slammed leading US daily The New York Times for dubbing Pulwama terror attack as 'a explosion' in one of their articles. Headlined In Indias Election Season, a Bombing Interrupts Modis Slump and authored by Jeffrey Gettleman, Vindu Goel and Maria Abi-Habib, The New York Times article argues how the 14 February Pulwama terror attack came at a time when questions related to rising unemployment, agrarian crisis and a slow economic were making the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party vulnerable ahead of Lok Sabha election 2019.



Twitter users in India outraged over the fact that the leading US daily termed the 14 February attack, which killed over 40 CRPF jawans, as a bombing. Twitterati was livid at the fact that NYT chose to use words like 'explosion' and 'bombing' to describe a serious terrorist suicide attack which saw escalation in India-Pakistan hostilities. Following the Pulwama terror attack, Indian Air Force conducted a non-military, pre-emptive strike on Pakistan's Balakot where camps organised by terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed were flourishing.

The article notes: "The fact that Indias airstrikes probably missed their targets, and that a fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan, doesnt seem to matter to most Indians. Their country was hit, and Mr. Modi hit back."

Twitter was abuzz with comments:

In bizarre, Orwellian language, the NYT's editors describe a terrorist attack in India as an "explosion" (was it a gas cylinder?) and later quietly change it to "bombing" without correction or explanation pic.twitter.com/7RKNst1UJ6  Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) March 12, 2019

Suicide terrorist who killed 40 humans ....is rather more than an explosion.

Tell us @nytimes , is a prerequisite to calling it a terror attack is white people dead ? https://t.co/8lrSOmlRVg  Harini Calamur (@calamur) March 12, 2019

An explosion, I Guess going by NYTs lexicon the twin towers fell due to a mishap. American media outlets have lost the plot when it comes to reporting in the sub continent. https://t.co/Tt3eEZC8Ep  ishaan prakash (@ishaan_ANI) March 11, 2019

So for @nytimesworld #Pulwama was an just an explosion! And of course 9/11 must have been just a plane crash.... https://t.co/4JfzNkDMYq  Shannu Kaw (@ShannuKaw) March 12, 2019

If Pulwama Attack is just an explosion then 9/11 is just accident made by drunk pilot.  BHARATH KN (@BharathRF) March 12, 2019

If the incident in Pulwama was just an explosion, then 9/11 was a plane crash. My condolences to the Al-Qaeda workers who lost their precious lives just because of a stupid building.  Sanjay Gautam (@Sanjayg551) March 11, 2019

if pulwama was an explosion, 9/11 was a plane crash? it's very insensitive of NYT to make light of the losses we suffer from islamic terrorism!  vivek singh (@vivekbabaji) March 11, 2019

Troubling that @nytimes chooses to describe a terrorist suicide attack as an explosion. Whats next? Describing a beheading as loss of a human head? @gettleman @nytimesworld https://t.co/1qolfH4KAy  Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) March 12, 2019

The mastermind of the 14 February Pulwama terror attack was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Tral area, officials said on Monday. Jaish terrorist Mudassir Ahmed Khan was one of the two militants killed in the encounter in Tral's Pinglish area that started Sunday evening and went on till the early hours of Monday, they said.

The body of the second militant has not been identified yet, said the officials, who had earlier claimed he was Sajjad Bhat, a JeM operative whose car was used in the Pulwama attack. Bhat's brother refused to take the body, saying it was charred beyond recognition. Khan's body has been taken by his family members, the officials said. Khan was the "main conspirator" of the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama, Lieutenant-General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, General Officer Commanding, XV Corps, said at a hurriedly called joint press conference by the Army, state police and the paramilitary force.

With inputs from agencies
The talks between US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have gone on days longer than initially expected. The US had asked Pakistan to assist in its efforts to find a negotiated peace with the Taliban to end the longest war in American history.

Doha: Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said "progress has been made" at ongoing peace talks in Qatar between the Taliban and the US that have stretched over two weeks.

Qureshi spoke on Tuesday at a news conference with German foreign minister Heiko Maas in Islamabad.

Qureshi didn't elaborate, though he added: "Pakistan has encouraged all factions within Afghanistan to sit together and have a meaningful intra-Afghan dialogue."

The talks between US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have gone on days longer than initially expected in Doha, the Qatari capital.

The US had asked Pakistan to assist in its efforts to find a negotiated peace with the Taliban to end the longest war in American history. The Taliban refuse to negotiate with Kabul, which isn't taking part in the Qatar talks.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to make a three-day state visit to Malaysia to boost bilateral ties, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (right.) [File Photo: China Plus]

Moon is scheduled to meet with Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on March 12-14, the ministry said in a statement.

Among issues to be discussed will be the upcoming 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2020 and the enhancement of ties between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"This state visit is expected to further reinvigorate Kuala Lumpur-Seoul ties and lay the new groundwork for the bilateral relations to flourish," it said.

Moon, together with Mahathir, will witness the signing of four Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) involving industrial cooperation, transportation, the development of a smart city in Malaysia and the halal food industry.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown from 15.76 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 to 17.98 billion U.S. dollars last year, with South Korea becoming Malaysia's 8th largest trading partner globally, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said.




By Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday blamed Russia and Cuba for causing Venezuela's political crisis by supporting President Nicolas Maduro and said he had urged India not to help Maduro's government by buying Venezuelan oil. His comments came after the U.S

By Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday blamed Russia and Cuba for causing Venezuela's political crisis by supporting President Nicolas Maduro and said he had urged India not to help Maduro's government by buying Venezuelan oil.

His comments came after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russian bank Evrofinance Mosnarbank for helping Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA evade U.S. financial restrictions.

"This story is not complete without acknowledging the central role Cuba and Russia have played and continue to play in undermining the democratic dreams of the Venezuelan people and their welfare," Pompeo told reporters.

"Moscow, like Havana, continues to provide political cover to the Maduro regime, while pressuring countries to disregard the democratic legitimacy of the interim president Guaido," he added.

The Trump administration has taken several steps in recent weeks to ratchet up pressure on Maduro and bolster Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognised by the United States and more than 50 other countries as interim president.

However, Maduro, who has accused Guaido of a U.S.-directed coup attempt, retains the backing of Russia and China as well as control of state institutions including the military.

Earlier on Monday, Pompeo met with India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale at the State Department and among topics was India's purchases of oil from Maduro's government.

"We are asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime," Pompeo said, declining to give specifics of the talks.

"I am very confident in the same way that India has been incredibly supportive of our efforts on Iran, I am confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people," he added.

The Indian market is crucial for Venezuela's economy. It has historically been the second-largest cash-paying customer for the OPEC country's crude after the United States, which through sanctions against Maduro has handed control of much of the revenue to Guaido.

Earlier, the U.S. Treasury said all U.S. assets of Evrofinance, described as jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies, would be frozen and U.S. citizens prohibited from doing business with it.

Pompeo said Russian oil giant Rosneft was also defying U.S. sanctions by buying oil from PDVSA, which was sanctioned in January.

"Russia's state-owned company, Rosneft, continues to purchase crude oil cargoes from PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, in defiance of U.S. sanctions. And, Rosneft's CEO, Igor Sechin, continues to throw a lifeline to the regime," he said.

Washington has called on foreign banks to ensure that Maduro and Venezuelan government officials are not hiding financial assets abroad.

"Bankers: Do not help Maduro and his accomplices steal the assets of the Venezuelan people," U.S. national security adviser John Bolton wrote in a message on Twitter on Monday. "The United States is watching. The world is watching. The Venezuelan people are watching."

Evrofinance was set up in 2011 with Venezuela's National Development Fund, commonly known as FONDEN, taking a 49 percent stake in the bank, the Treasury Department said.

Russias Gazprombank and the Russian state bank VTB Bank each took a 25 percent interest in Evrofinance, which was founded as a bi-national bank to fund joint Russia-Venezuela oil and infrastructure projects, the department said.

Evrofinance was the primary international financial bank that helped finance a Venezuelan crypto-currency, the petro, which launched last year in an attempt to "circumvent" U.S. sanctions, the Treasury Department said.

Evrofinance said in a statement on its website that it was operating in a "stable manner" and will "fulfill all of its obligations towards clients and partners.

Gazprombank, which is Russias third biggest lender by assets and includes among its shareholders Russian state gas company Gazprom, said in a statement that the U.S. Treasury decision would not affect it.

Gazprombank has a minority stake in Evrofinance Mosnarbank, Gazprombank said. Gazprombank does not carry out operations on the accounts of companies that are sanctioned by the U.S. over Venezuela.

(Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and David Alexander in Washington; Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, Tatiana Voronova and Elena Fabrichnaya in Moscow; editing by Grant McCool and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, months after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia killing 189.

Singapore: Singapore's aviation regulator on Tuesday banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country's airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, months after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia killing 189.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months."

It comes as airlines around the world remove the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet.

Singapore's suspension will take effect from 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) on Tuesday, the authority said.

It said that SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Other airlines operating the planes to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.

The regulator said it was working with the city-state's Changi Airport  a major global hub  and affected airlines to minimise any impact on passengers.

"During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore," it said.

"The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Around 20,000 Iraqis in Syria, including women and children who fled Islamic State's last enclave, are expected to be sent home in weeks under an agreement with Baghdad, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday.

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - Around 20,000 Iraqis in Syria, including women and children who fled Islamic State's last enclave, are expected to be sent home in weeks under an agreement with Baghdad, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday.

Thousands of people - many of them the wives of Islamic State fighters and their children - have streamed out of the besieged enclave at Baghouz over the past weeks, forcing the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to delay an assault to wipe out the last vestige of the jihadists' territorial rule.

Most have gone to al-Hol in northeast Syria where some 65,000 people now live in an overflowing camp. Many are Iraqis who had fled after Islamic State lost territory in the neighbouring country, fearing retribution from Shi'ite militias.

"Among the people who reached al-Hol camp you have a significant number of people who are of Iraqi origin. Figures are not official but probably we are talking about 20,000 people, including women and children," Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC regional director for the Middle East, told Reuters in Geneva.

"The Iraqi government has expressed its will to bring those people back, but it's obviously a challenging situation. Those people are considered as a security threat, so it means that they will have to go through a screening process," he added.

There was "no official date" to his knowledge for the huge transfer, Carboni said. "But according to our understanding, it's a matter of weeks or months," he said.

Most are believed to be civilians, but they could include fighters, the ICRC said.

Iraq's military said two weeks ago that the SDF had already handed 280 Iraqi and foreign detainees to Baghdad.

At least 900 "unaccompanied" children are among the displaced at al-Hol camp who come from Europe, Central Asia and southeast Asia, Carboni said.

The ICRC conducts tracing and collects messages to try to reunite families. Many have seen their parents killed, he said.

Governments, especially in Europe, are grappling with how to deal with hundreds of suspected militants and their families seeking to return from the combat zone, especially when the trauma of attacks claimed by Islamic State is still raw.

"Obviously our approach is mainly a humanitarian approach, we don't ignore the security threats, or the political dimension of these returns," Carboni said.

"We are aware it is a difficult issue especially in Europe but we believe that on humanitarian grounds, even if you look at this through a security angle, the solution goes through a return of those children and mothers," he said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The United Kingdoms tortuous crisis over EU membership is approaching its finale with an extraordinary array of outcomes still possible, including a delay, a last-minute deal, a no-deal Brexit, a snap election or even another referendum. The country voted to leave the EU in a 2016 plebiscite.

London/Brussels: Prime Minister Theresa May clinched legally binding Brexit assurances from the European Union on Monday in a last ditch attempt to win over rebellious British lawmakers who have threatened to vote down her divorce deal again.

Scrambling to plot an orderly path out of the Brexit maze just days before the United Kingdom is due to leave on 29 March, May rushed to Strasbourg to agree on additional assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Brexiteers in May's party accuse her of surrendering to the EU and it was not clear if the assurances she agreed would be enough to win over the 116 additional lawmakers she needs turn around the crushing defeat her deal suffered on 15 January.

May has secured "legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration," Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, who is Prime Minister Theresa May's de facto deputy, told parliament. Lidington said the sides had agreed a joint legally binding instrument on the Withdrawal Agreement and Protocol on Northern Ireland that confirms the EU cannot try to "trap" the United Kingdom in the Irish backstop indefinitely.

The backstop, an emergency fix aimed at avoiding controls on the sensitive border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, was the most contentious part of the deal May agreed in November. "The EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally binding commitments that both sides have agreed," Lidington said. The EU and Britain have also agreed a joint statement to supplement the Political Declaration, Lidington said.

Sterling, which has see-sawed on Brexit news, jumped 0.8 percent to $1.3250 in Asian trade.

Brexit vote

The United Kingdoms tortuous crisis over EU membership is approaching its finale with an extraordinary array of outcomes still possible, including a delay, a last-minute deal, a no-deal Brexit, a snap election or even another referendum. The country voted to leave the EU in a 2016 plebiscite.

In January the British parliament voted to reject May's deal by 230 votes, the biggest defeat for a government in modern British history. May has promised lawmakers a vote on her deal on Tuesday. If she loses that vote, she has said lawmakers will get a vote on Wednesday on whether to leave without a deal and, if they reject that, then a vote on whether to ask for a limited delay to Brexit.

Many British lawmakers object to the backstop on the grounds that it could leave Britain subject to EU rules indefinitely or cleave Northern Ireland away from the rest of the United Kingdom. Brexit-supporting lawmakers said they would look at what May achieves but that she would have to show a clear way for the backstop to end. "Deal fever abounds tonight, but the crucial point is: will this backstop come to an end?" Conservative lawmaker Steve Baker said ahead of Lidington's statement to parliament.

Brexit will pitch the world's fifth largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will serve to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China. Supporters of Brexit say that while the divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it will allow the United Kingdom to thrive and also enable deeper EU integration without such a powerful reluctant member.
In its annual budget for the fiscal year 2020, beginning 1 October, the White House said the nation's future security, prosperity and leadership depend on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday proposed $1 billion funding towards advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific as he sent his $4.7 trillion budgetary proposals to the Congress. In its annual budget for the fiscal year 2020, beginning 1 October, the White House said the nation's future security, prosperity and leadership depend on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

As such the budget provides over $1 billion for the Indo-Pacific, reflecting the Administration's commitment to the region, it said. This funding supports democracy and good economic governance, private sector mobilisation and competitiveness, critical infrastructure standards and financing and security cooperation.

The new Development Finance Corporation's (DFC) work in the region will also advance US strategy by leveraging private sector capital in much needed, high-quality regional infrastructure, it said, adding that together, these programmes ensure that the US remains the preferred security and economic partner in the region.

In his budget, Trump calls for across the board five per cent cut in domestic spending and proposed a record $750 billion for defence, which is an increase of $34 billion from the previous year's $716 billion. The budget notes that the national debt currently more than $22 trillion remains a grave threat to America's economic and societal prosperity. This budget addresses the national debt crisis while still investing in critical American priorities that will allow America to further excel in the future. The budget reduces non-defence programmatic spending by five percent below the 2019 cap level. It proposes policies to shrink or eliminate Federal programmes that fail to deliver desired outcomes for the American people.

Proposing to reduce spending by $2.7 trillion over 10 years, shrinking the deficit from nearly five per cent of GDP in 2020 to under one percent of GDP in 2029, the budget puts the Federal budget on a path to balance within 15 years, the White House said. Among other things, the budget furthers the US' goal of a stable and secure South Asia by supporting the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against jihadist terrorist organisations. It requests funding for continued US training and assistance for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and enables US forces to conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Providing $533 million for assistance to Afghanistan, the Budget prioritises economic growth and reconciliation, investments to help Afghanistan to work toward peace. The Budget supports programmes that target private-sector-led economic growth, including by increasing the country's export capability and attracting international investment. It also supports education, health, governance, and other sectors that are necessary for a stable and thriving Afghanistan. The Budget requests the funding necessary to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.

Building on ISIS territorial defeat in Iraq and the liberation of ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, DOD will continue to work with partner forces to destroy remnants of ISIS, strengthen border security, retain territorial control, and disrupt ISIS' capability to attack the US homeland and America's allies. The Budget also requests funding for DOD to address the threat from ISIS branches outside Iraq and Syria, and to protect the United States against other terrorist threats.
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What happened

Shares of IAMGOLD (NYSE:IAG), a global leader in gold mining, dropped more than 11% last month, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Movements in the stock prices of gold miners are closely correlated with the rise and fall of the price in gold in general, so the stock's decline is unsurprising considering the price of the metal fell 0.31% last month.

But the market price of gold wasn't the only force motivating investors to shed their shares last month. The company's release of its Q4 2018 earnings report also had a palpable effect.

So what

Reporting attributable gold production of 882,000 ounces in 2018, IAMGOLD achieved its production guidance. But that level reflected no growth over the previous year. Similarly, the company achieved its annual cost guidance, reporting all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of $1,057 per gold ounce for 2018 -- at the upper end of its forecast range of $990 to $1,070.

And turning to the bottom line, investors found that the company generated net earnings, adjusted for one-time costs, of $29.8 million, representing an increase of $500,000 over last year.

Since there were no surprises in the headline figures, what irked shareholders so much about the company's earnings? For one, higher year-over-year capital expenditures at the Essakane mine in Burkina Faso contributed to the company reporting $302 million in capex for 2018, versus $221 million in 2017. This significantly hurt the company's cash flow. Whereas IAMGOLD generated $56 million in free cash flow in 2017, according to Morningstar, it generated negative $145 million in 2018. Investors found further cause for concern on the balance sheet as the company's net cash position shrank from $391 million in 2017 to $334 million at the end of 2018.

Check out the latest earnings call transcripts for the companies we cover.

Now what

Characterizing 2018 as a "transitional year" on its conference call, management attempted to inspire confidence that the road to the company's future is paved in yellow bricks -- one that will result in a "cash flow pipeline." The company's success in growing its proven and probable reserves 129% over the past three years is an auspicious sign, but investors will have to be patient.

Management forecasts gold production of 810,000 to 870,000 ounces, meaning that if the company achieves the midpoint of its guidance, it will report a 5% decline in 2019 compared with 2018. Similarly, the company forecasts AISC per gold ounce between $1,030 and $1,080 for 2019, comparable to what it reported in 2018.
What happened

For the second day in a row, Boeing ( BA -1.90% ) stock is plunging -- it's down 6.7% as of 12:05 PM EDT.

It's no great mystery why. On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed just minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 passengers and crew. This was the second crash of a Boeing 737 "Max 8" airplane in under six months.

So what

Multiple airlines around the world have grounded Boeing's 737 Max, with civil aviation authorities in Turkey, France, Austria, Ireland, the UK and Norway joining the crowd this morning. (Canada and the U.S., on the other hand, disclaim any intent to ground the planes...yet).

If that news wasn't already bad enough, President Donald Trump issued a pair of tweets today, expressing his own distrust of airplanes that are "too complex to fly." He didn't name Boeing outright, but taken in context, this was a vote of no confidence in Boeing stock from the highest power in the land.

Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019

Check out the latest earnings call transcript for Boeing.

He then added:

needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019

Now what

Nor are government entities the only ones voting no confidence. This morning, two stock analysts, at Germany's DZ Bank and America's Edward Jones, respectively, downgraded Boeing stock. Edward Jones is saying only that investors should hold pending further information about the Ethiopian crash -- but DZ is going right ahead and using the s word: sell.

It's shaping up to be another bad day to own Boeing stock.
a true glitch in the matrix?

So, I'd seen some folks make comments in threads referencing 1A Auto as a seller, and someone else chimed in about them on Amazon..... Sure enough, I found them and they had a bunch of 99 F350 parts in the list ... So ifigured I try them for the steering 'ball joint assembly'.....



So here's "The Comedy of Errors" that led to here & now. I hope you enjoy to funny oddity that follows. I sincerely still do, as I type this:





I learn of a auto parts comp. named 1A Auto, from Massachusetts in a FTE forum thread. found said company on Amazon. ordered the ball-joint steering assembly for the F350 at a very reasonable price. At nearly the same time.... Someone named Josh bought(via eBay) from 1A Auto; a pair of Eagle Eye headlight assemblies for a Honda Civic 96-98.

Today my package arrived with the complete shipping label to "Josh" in Missouri on the side of one of the headlight boxes.

after an odd call to Amazon customer service and they tried the 800 # for 1A Auto.... I got to hear the warning of "in excess of 10 minutes hold, select 1 for the system to keep your place in line & call you back at this number by the next available agent."

so Amazon sent them an email & finished my call with her.

I searched for 1A Auto's number & called them myself. got that same 10+ minute delay message. So, I selected #1 & waited for the call back.

somewhere about 10 minutes later a call came in. I told the CSR that stuff & they were surprised the system did this. I told them the "Josh sticker had a lot of info on it, including what seemed a order number." They put me on hold for a minute or two and came back saying that they would have one of those return shipping upstairs barcodes sent to me shortly & asked if 3-5 business days was okay to receive what I had ordered. I said I was hoping that it would be here before the weekend. I then told this CSR how I'd learned of them via a thread in the FTE forum.

They pleasantly surprised me with an expedited shipping to get here before the weekend.



yeah..... now. here's hoping the actual parts arrive as planned.(fingers crossed)
Komatsu Forest Oy and Dojus Group have made an agreement about Komatsu forest machine dealership including new and used machine sales and also spare part and service sales. The agreement is valid from April 1st of this year.

''Dojus company has excellent opportunity to serve forest machine customers and strengthen Komatsu brand in the Lithuanian and Kaliningrad market. Dojus Groups main business areas have so far been in agriculture machinery, but the company also has a special machine department for forestry machinery and equipment,'' said Audrius Kavaliauskas, Managing Director at DOJUS Group.

Dojus group employs 340 people in Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Kaliningrad having turnover of 115 MEur. Komatsu forest machine agreement covers Lithuania.

Komatsu Forest Oy has been re-organizing the Baltic dealership structure during the last two and half years. Sia Haitek Latvia started 2,5 years ago as Komatsu Forests Latvian dealer and the results have been positive. In the beginning of February this year, the machine sales agreement was signed with MFO OU in Estonia. Lithuanian arrangement with Dojus Group will be the latest in this rearrangement activity.

Komatsu Forest Oy, located in Pirkkala Finland is a daughter company of Komatsu Forest AB, one of the main forest machine manufacturers in the world. Komatsu Forest manufactures Komatsu forest machines in Umea Sweden and Chattanooga, USA. Komatsu Forests sales network covers the whole world where forestry is actively performed. Komatsu Forest aB is 100% owned by Komatsu Ltd.
Sola Salon Studios has announced the opening of its first location in South America. The new salon is located in Rio de Janeiro and is part of the brand's international expansion efforts. Sola plans an additional 50 salons in Brazil in the next 10 years.

More than 50 industry and media members attended the launch, with presentations by Rodrigo Miranda, General Manager of Sola Salon Studios in Brazil; Richard Klevenhusen of the Brazilian Association of Beauty Salons; and top management from the Sola Salon Studio corporate team. The new location is 4,915 square feet and offers 22 studios, a coffee shop, a reception area, and a waiting room for guests.

Brazil, one the largest, strongest, and most important beauty markets in the world was the natural choice for Sola's first initiative in South America.

"This expansion into Brazil is a significant milestone for us and underscores the success of our business model and concept. We are grateful and excited to be able to bring Sola to Brazil. We look forward to continued growth in Brazil and beyond," said Ben Jones, vice president of business development, who leads Sola's international expansion efforts.

Rodrigo Miranda, a former L'Oreal executive with extensive experience in the beauty industry, will lead the Sola's expansion plans in Brazil.

"We decided to bring this business model to Brazil after observing the difficulty that beauty professionals have relative to setting up and running a successful establishment here," said Miranda.

The brand, which employs 12,000 hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists, and related beauty industry professionals, has more than 400 locations in North America.
Hyatt Announces Plan For Park Hyatt Hotel And Residences In Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Park Hyatt Phu Quoc hotel and residences are poised to introduce the brands refined luxury and exceptional service to Vietnams emerging resort destination in 2022

March 12, 2019 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO - Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of BIM Group to develop a 110-key Park Hyatt Phu Quoc hotel as well as 65 residences. Slated to open in 2022, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer discerning travelers a sophisticated resort destination surrounded by pristine nature. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will join the award-winning Park Hyatt Saigon and is the luxury brands first resort in Vietnam.

As Hyatt grows its resort presence in Vietnam, we are delighted to bring the Park Hyatt brand to a remarkable destination such as Phu Quoc Island with its rich biodiversity, beautiful beaches and idyllic surroundings, said David Udell, group president, Asia-Pacific, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. We are pleased to embark on our relationship with BIM Group with this landmark project to bring the Park Hyatt brands refined residential and luxurious hospitality to Phu Quoc.

Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer guests an exclusive oasis, a sophisticated home-away-from-home with design inspired by traditional Vietnamese villages. Featuring exceptional, luxurious interiors with exquisite Vietnamese accents, all guestrooms, suites and villas will also offer stunning sea views.

Other resort facilities will include two dining outlets, a bar, a pool side barbecue, two swimming pools, a lakeside spa, a gym house with a lap pool, a Camp Hyatt kids village, more than 4,300 square feet (400 square meters) of event space and an organic farm.

Meticulously created with authentic local designs and craftsmanship, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc represents true luxury in Vietnam, said Le Minh Dung, vice general director, BIM Group. Located in one of the most exclusive locations in the country, the ultra-luxury resort and beachfront villas will provide guests with an exclusive sanctuary surrounded by breathtaking nature. We are delighted to work with Hyatt on this exciting project and confident that the companys international hospitality expertise will enable us to introduce a new kind of luxury and sophistication to Phu Quoc.

Situated on the southwestern tip of Phu Quoc Island, the hotel and residences will be positioned to offer guests and residents mesmerizing sunset views. The development will stretch across 160 acres of land bordered by an expansive mile-long white sand beach on one side and lush undulating hills on the other. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will be a 30-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport, with direct access via the main north-south highway, and 40 minutes from Duong Dong, the islands main town.

Phu Quoc is Vietnams largest island. Half of the island is within the confines of the national park and UNESCO World Heritage-designated Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest biosphere reserves in Southeast Asia. The reserve covers an extensive area of tropical rain forests, coral reefs and wetlands and is home to hundreds of species of plants and wild animals.

The term Hyatt is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, affluent business and leisure guests with elegant and luxurious accommodations. Guests of Park Hyatt hotels receive highly attentive personalized service in an intimate environment. Located in several of the world's premier destinations, each Park Hyatt hotel is custom designed to combine sophistication with unparalleled enrichment. Park Hyatt hotels feature well-appointed guestrooms, meeting and special event spaces for groups, critically acclaimed art, food and beverage programs, and signature restaurants featuring award-winning chefs. There are currently 40 Park Hyatt hotels in the following locations: Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Beaver Creek, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Busan, Canberra, Changbaishan, Carlsbad, Chennai, Chicago, Dubai, Goa, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Hangzhou, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jeddah, Maldives, Mallorca, Melbourne, Mendoza, Milan, Moscow, New York, Ningbo, Paris, Saigon, Sanya, Seoul, Shanghai, Siem Reap, St. Kitts, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto (under renovation), Vienna, Washington, D.C., Zanzibar, and Zurich. For more information, please visit parkhyatt.com. Follow @ParkHyatt on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and tag photos with #LuxuryIsPersonal.

About BIM Group

BIM Group is a diversified corporation in Vietnam, successfully establishing its mark in four main business fields namely: tourism development and real estate investment, agriculture - food, commercial services and renewable energy. BIM Land is BIM Groups business arm in the tourism development and real estate investment sector. It is one of Vietnam's largest real estate developers with dominant positions in key tourism-focused submarkets that benefit from robust urbanization, tourism growth and industrialization. As a prestigious business developer, BIM Group works together with other design houses, reputable construction contractors and top property management companies to implement all of BIM Groups real estate projects. The company is the partner of choice for global hospitality and retail brands by virtue of possessing the largest portfolio of high-end properties. Focusing on ensuring sustainable profitability over time on the basis of e?ective business policies, comprehensive development and abiding prestige, BIM Land has steadily established its stature as a valued pioneer in the business community, contributing to the countrys economic growth.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 19 premier brands. As of December 31, 2018, the Company's portfolio included more than 850 properties in 60 countries across six continents. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top colleagues, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company's subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa locations, including under the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, Joie de Vivre, tommie, Hyatt Residence Club and Exhale brand names, and operates the World of Hyatt loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued members. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the Companys outlook, estimated Adjusted EBITDA contribution of the transaction, estimated integration-related costs of the transaction, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business conditions, business trends and expectations, and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may, could, expect, intend, plan, seek, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue, likely, will, would and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the risks discussed in the Companys filings with the SEC, including our annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports, which filings are available from the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake or assume any obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Media Contact:

Angelina Hue

Hyatt - Asia Pacific

+852 2678 1323

Angelina.Hue@hyatt.com

Gloria Kennett

Hyatt

312-750-5506

Gloria.Kennett@hyatt.com

SOURCE Hyatt

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Some serious scooter gang rivalry could be about hitting our streets soon.

After five months with Lime as top dog of Auckland's e-scooter scene, a new competitor has emerged.

Wave scooters were formally welcomed to the city with a powhiri in Mangere, and will be on Auckland streets from Wednesday.

Wave scooter prices match Lime, with a $1 upfront cost and a 30 cents per minute charge after that, founder Albert Hoeft told the New Zealand Herald.

Hoeft and Wave have a permit with Auckland Council to operate 1000 scooters in Auckland, and will have 285 live at launch on Wednesday.

The new scooters will be used to test slower speeds in congested areas, with a 15km/h limit on Queen Street, Wynyard Quarter and Viaduct Basin.

The speed limit will be kept in check thanks to GPS technology that restricts the scooters in certain areas.
Embassies of Georgia will open in the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam - GeorgianJournal
Election Commission of India launches cVIGIL app ahead of Lok Sabha polls News oi-Priyanka Dua Flying Squads then investigate the matter and the Returning Officer takes the decision.

After announcing the dates of Lok Sabha 2019 polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced cVIGIL app as a pan India initiative.

The newly launched app provides time-stamped, evidence-based proof of Model Code of Conduct / Expenditure Violation, having live photo/video with auto location data. In fact, any citizen can lodge a complaint through this app.

Flying Squads then investigate the matter and the Returning Officer takes the decision.

The status of cVIGIL can be shared with the cVIGIL complainant within a specified time limit.

A CVigil User Manual and the EVM Management System User Manual was also launched.

"By using the cVIGIL app, citizens can record on his Android mobile and promptly to election authorities report any violation of Model Code of Conduct, any incident of intimidation or inducement within minutes of having witnessed them and without having to go to the office of the returning officer," said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, reports news agency ANI.

Besides this a new Android-based mobile app called 'Voter Helpline' was also launched to provide convenience to all citizens for finding their names in the electoral roll, submitting online forms, checking the status of the application, filing complaints and receiving the reply on their mobile app.

All forms, results, candidate affidavits, press notes, voter awareness, and important instructions are available through the mobile app.

A 'PwD App' to enable Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to request for new registration, change in address, change in particulars and mark themselves as PwD through the use of the mobile application was also launched. By simply entering their contact details, the Booth Level Officer is assigned to provide doorstep facility. PwDs can also request for a wheelchair during polling.

Use of the latest technologies by ECI has led to the spread of novel election activities, in addition to enhancing the existing election system. For effective conduct of elections, the ECI has found a way of integrating the use of Smart Technology in the day-to-day processes of elections.

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March 11, 2019

News Release

Press Operations

Release No. NR-048-19

Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan's Meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Acting Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Charles E. Summers Jr. provided the following readout:

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan met with His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today in Washington, D.C., to reaffirm the strength of the defense relationship between the United States and Jordan.

The leaders discussed a broad range of defense and security issues, including Jordan's contributions to the coalition to defeat ISIS.

Acting Secretary Shanahan thanked King Abdullah for his strong leadership and unwavering commitment to regional security and stability, and for our continued bilateral security partnership.

https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1676294/

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March 11, 2019

News

By Jim Garamone

Defense.gov

NATO Continues to Strengthen in Response to Great Power Competition

WASHINGTON -- NATO marks 70 years of existence next month and alliance members continue the mission of ensuring the organization is relevant and agile in a new era, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Poland over the weekend.

Stoltenberg was in Warsaw to mark the 20th anniversary of Poland joining NATO. He spoke at a conference sponsored by the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The secretary general discussed the changes experienced across Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union and dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary were the first tranche of former nations to join NATO. "It is hard to understand the impact of the enlargement of NATO, the importance, how it has transformed Europe," he said.

He said traveling in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall was a totally different world. "If anyone had told me back then that, not so much later, Poland and many other of the former Warsaw Pact members were going to be members of NATO, I would have regarded that as absolutely impossible," he said.

Shared Security

But it did, and now these nations  including Poland  contribute to shared security in many ways. "Poland is present in one of our battlegroups in Latvia, Enhanced Forward Presence," Stoltenberg said. "Poland is conducting air policing out from Lithuania. Poland is part of our tailored forward presence in Romania, and Poland is also contributing to different NATO missions and operations, including in Afghanistan, our training mission in Iraq and in Kosovo."

Poland also has hit the Wales Summit mark of investing 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.

Poland is on the forefront of the world of great power competition having a border with Russia. There are now NATO combat troops based in Poland and the Baltic Republics, the secretary general said. The United States has based a rotational armored brigade in Poland, and that force exercises regularly with Polish and NATO allies.

Growing Alliance

NATO has grown from 12 nations that signed the Washington Treaty in 1949 to 29. It will further grow this year when the accession protocol with North Macedonia is ratified in all the allied countries. And the door remains open, Stoltenberg said.

"The paradox is that despite that we are growing bigger [and] more countries are joining the alliance, despite that we have been the most successful alliance in history, we see questions being asked about the strength and the relevance of the trans-Atlantic bond, both in Europe and in North America," he said.

There are differences among the allies in many areas  trade, climate change, the Iran nuclear deal, burden sharing and other issues. "But the paradox is that despite these differences, North America and Europe are doing more together within NATO and on security and defense than they have done for many years," the secretary general said.

Readiness, Counterterrorism

The battle groups in the East are just one part. Alliance forces are increasingly ready, with a tripling of the size of the NATO Response Force. The alliance is pushing its "4-30s" initiative  meaning 30 battalions, 30 warships and 30 air squadrons ready within 30 days.

NATO is also playing a significant role in the fight against terror. "We have made enormous progress in the fight against Daesh," he said. "The global coalition -- NATO is part of that, all NATO allies are part of that -- it's a transatlantic effort."

NATO transformed its operations in Afghanistan from a combat mission to one focused in training, advising and assisting local forces.

U.S. Commitment

Stoltenberg said the perception of many Europeans is that the United States is reducing its presence in Europe, and he emphasizes this is not the case. "The United States is committed to the security of Europe," he said. "It's right that after the end of the Cold War, the United States reduced its military presence in Europe  and that was quite natural because tensions went down. But over the last years we have seen that United States is again increasing its military presence in Europe."

As part of the European drawdown, U.S. Army battle tanks were withdrawn from Europe in 2013. Less than a year later they were back, laying the groundwork for what has become a sizable rotational force.

"Now the United States is back with a full armored brigade, many battle tanks, in Europe," Stoltenberg said. "That's not a sign of weakened commitment, that's a sign of strengthened commitment."

Large numbers of American service members participated in NATO's Trident Juncture exercise.

The European allies are matching spending increases and more. European nations have added $100 billion extra for defense spending by the end of next year, he said. "This is also recognized in Washington," Stoltenberg said.

"So, yes, there are differences, yes there are disagreements on many issues," he continued. "But yes, when it comes to NATO, security, we're actually strengthening our partnership. And, for me, it is important to convey this because perception matters. If the perception is that we are not strong, if the perception is that we are not standing together, then we reduce deterrence.

"And the strength of NATO, the deterrence we are delivering every day, the purpose of that is to prevent conflict, is to preserve the peace. And if there is any misunderstanding about that, we are actually increasing the risk of conflict, miscalculations and attack against a NATO ally," Stoltenberg said.

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USS Kearsarge Departs Oman

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-18

Release Date: 3/11/2019 2:33:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Megan Anuci, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Public Affairs

SALALAH, Oman (NNS) -- The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) departed Salalah, Oman, following a port visit, March 9.

"We are proud of the opportunity to strengthen regional partnerships and demonstrate the flexibility to operate with other nations such as our gracious hosts in the Sultanate of Oman," said Capt. Jason Rimmer, Kearsarge's commanding officer.

Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

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(CNN)  China, Indonesia, Singapore and several airlines around the world have grounded the 737 MAX 8 after a second crash involving the best-selling Boeing aircraft in less than five months.

Chinese aviation authorities on Monday told airlines in the country to ground all their Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, citing the need for "strict control of safety risks." Regulators in Indonesia said that planes there would need to be inspected before flights resumed. And Singapore's government said Tuesday that it was temporarily suspending the use of the Boeing aircraft in and out of its territory.

Some individual airlines are also taking their own action to keep the planes on the ground in other countries.

All 157 people on board a 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday. In late October, a 737 MAX 8 flown by Lion Air went down off the coast of Indonesia.

Both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air planes were brand-new aircraft. And both crashed minutes into flight.

The situation threatens to tarnish Boeing's reputation for safety, and raise doubts about one of the company's most popular jets. Shares in Boeing plunged as much as 13.5% in early trade in New York on Monday before recovering some of their losses to close down 5%.

"A suspension in China is very significant, as this is a major market for Boeing," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at aviation research firm FlightGlobal.

Chinese airlines have 97 of the 737 MAX aircraft in service, more than a quarter of the total in operation worldwide, according to FlightGlobal.

Boeing is already taking steps to minimize the damage to its image. It has postponed the debut of its new 777X jetliner, which was scheduled for this week, as it deals with the fallout from Sunday's disaster.

Airlines take action

European Union regulators have said they are closely monitoring the situation, but they have not yet taken steps to inspect or ground 737 MAX fleets. And the US Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it has deemed 737 MAX planes airworthy, which means it will allow U.S. airlines to continue flying them.

But Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the US Transportation Department, said it would be a good idea for Boeing or the airlines to ground the planes ahead of any government mandate.

"There are huge questions about this plane. There are already just the website are just exploding telling passengers how to check to see if their plane is one of the these planes and how to get off of them," she said on CNN's New Day. "So by getting on top of it, they're way ahead."

Some airlines took action on their own, however, creating a patchwork of responses that could sow confusion among consumers over the safety of the Boeing planes.

Ethiopian Airlines announced it was grounding its fleet of 737 MAX planes as an "extra safety precaution." Other carriers who followed suit include AeroMexico, Aerolineas Argentinas, South Africa's Comair and Cayman Airways, the main carrier of the Cayman Islands.

At the same time, major airlines including American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, FlyDubai and Norwegian Air said they would continue to operate their 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing's blockbuster

The single-aisle Boeing 737 has been a workhorse on short- and medium-haul flights for decades. The 737 MAX is the latest version  and the company's bestselling aircraft by far. Airlines have ordered thousands of them.

The two-year-old 737 MAX 8 model in particular is hugely popular. The MAX 9 only recently went on sale and Boeing has not yet delivered the MAX 10.

Last year, 72% of Boeing's deliveries were 737 planes. Boeing plans to make 59 new 737s each month this year  more than four times the number of 787s, Boeing's next-best seller.

Southwest Airlines has the largest fleet of 737 MAX airplanes, followed by RyanAir and FlyDubai, according to Boeing. American Airlines and United also fly the MAX. Delta does not fly any 737 MAX variants.

Despite the negative headlines, Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, predicted that the fallout from the Ethiopia crash is unlikely to hurt Boeing's bottom line too much.

"Relative to the company's revenue base, this would not be overly burdensome by any means," he said.

Boeing delivered a record 806 commercial jets in 2018, and posted sales of more than $100 billion for the first time in its 102-year history. Before the Ethiopia crash, its stock had gained 31% this year.

The company said in a statement Sunday that it "is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302." On Monday, Boeing said it has no "basis to issue new guidance to operators."

Two crashes

The circumstances of the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes are under investigation, and Boeing has presented no evidence to suggest the two disasters are linked. The similarities may be a coincidence.

"A formal investigation will need to be conducted into this new crash. It's important not to speculate as to its causes. A final, conclusive report has yet to be issued in the case of the Lion [Air] crash," said Waldron.

"That said, having two crashes of a brand new type in a short time is an unprecedented state of events," he added. "It is inevitable that this will affect perceptions about the 737 MAX family."

The Lion Air crash is believed to have been caused by faulty data that suggested the nose was tilted higher than it was. But the new safety system installed in the 737 MAX 8 plane automatically pulls the plane's nose down.

Aboulafia said that if the same issues caused both crashes, Boeing might need to quickly implement a package of modifications to its planes and change the way 737 MAX 8 crews are trained.

A Boeing technical team will travel to the crash site to provide assistance to the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and US National Transportation Safety Board.

CNN Business' Daniel Shane contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Boeing crisis escalates as countries ground 737 MAX jets."
James E. Williams Assists Vessel in Distress off Florida Coast

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-14

Release Date: 3/11/2019 2:03:00 PM

From Carrier Strike Group 10 Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) aided in the rescue of 26 people from a vessel in distress off the Florida coast, March 8.

James E. Williams was conducting routine operations when the officer of the deck (OOD) heard over the ship's bridge-to-bridge radio about a vessel in distress approximately 30 nautical miles away.

"The OOD called me with his intentions to render assistance to the vessel in distress," said Cmdr. Joe Fals, commanding officer of James E. Williams. "I concurred with his plan and we set out to reach the vessel."

Once they were in the immediate area, crew members deployed in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat and checked on the welfare of the people aboard the vessel.

Several of the people reported not feeling well, Fals said. His crew provided bottled water and the Sailors remained with the vessel until the U.S. Coast Guard cutter U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton (WPC 1108) could arrive to pick up the passengers.

Once the cutter was in the area, the Sailors assisted in getting the passengers over to the cutter before sinking the vessel to prevent it from being a hazard to navigation.

"From start to finish, the James E. Williams crew demonstrated top-tier professionalism," said Fals. "They exercised mission command, quickly developing and communicating a solid plan which they smoothly executed. As a result, the boat crew performed extremely well. I couldn't be prouder of them."

The Norfolk-based James E. Williams is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, also known as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.

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Standing NATO Maritime Group One Flagship visits Rostock

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-11

Release Date: 3/11/2019 1:47:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Andrew Hays, Standing NATO Maritime Group One Public Affairs

ROSTOCK, Germany (NNS) -- Sailors from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and the flagship guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) departed Rostock, Germany after completing a scheduled port visit, March 5.

While in Rostock, Sailors were able to take a break from operations and enjoy some time off the ship, visiting local areas, taking tours and hosting a reception aboard SNMG1 ship, Polish frigate ORP General Kazimierz Pulaski.

"I went on a twelve-hour tour to Berlin," said Aerographer's Mate 1st Class Christopher Vallejos, MWR tour participant. "This was my first time in Berlin, I can't believe I was able to step foot in a city that played such an important role in the history of the 20th century."

In port, SNMG1 hosted a reception which included distinguished visitors and local military from the area in the hangar bay aboard ORP General Kazimierz Pulaski.

"One of the missions of SNMG1 is to strengthen the relationships we have among our NATO allies and partners," said Lt. Lyndsi Gutierrez, SNMG1 public affairs officer. "One of the many ways we accomplish that mission is through regularly scheduled port calls and engagements with our host nations, like this visit to Rostock."

During the reception Rear Adm. Edward Cashman, Commander of SNMG1, spoke to the guests about the reason of NATO's visit to Rostock.

"Rostock has a long history of being a maritime city," said Cashman. "Even today the sea plays an important role in trade and prosperity. The sea is not a barrier that divides people and places; it's a freeway, a great global common that connects them. The security of that global common is a primary mission of NATO, the Allied Maritime Command, and of SNMG1."

SNMG1 is currently composed of the U.S. flagship guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107), the German navy replenishment tanker FGS Spessart (A 1442), and the Polish guided-missile frigate ORP General K. Pulaski (FrR 272) and is one of four standing maritime task groups composed of ships from various Allied countries. These task groups form the core maritime capability of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). They provide a continuous maritime capability to execute NATO missions across the spectrum of operations, demonstrate solidarity, and strengthen diplomatic and professional links among Allied naval forces.

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Carl Vinson Earns 2018 Battle "E"

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-08

Release Date: 3/11/2019 1:30:00 PM

From USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Public Affairs

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) was awarded the 2018 Battle Efficiency "E" for West Coast-based aircraft carriers in an announcement released by Commander, Naval Air Forces, March 7.

Vinson's selection for the annual honor recognizes the crew's superior level of sustained proficiency and readiness throughout the ship's 2018 operations.

"I'm very proud of our team," said Capt. Matt Paradise, Carl Vinson's commanding officer. "2018 was a busy year and we responded well by executing all of our operational commitments, inspections and training with excellence. This award reflects the entire crew's hard work above, on and below the flight deck each day."

Last year, USS Carl Vinson completed a three-month deployment to the Western Pacific that included a visit to Vietnam, the first visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier in more than 40 years. The ship also participated in Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2018 with more than 50 surface ships and submarines from 26 nations.

In total, Carl Vinson spent 193 days operating away from its San Diego home at the time. In January 2019, the ship moved to Bremerton, Wash., for scheduled maintenance.

"It feels great to be recognized as a ship for the hard work we did in 2018," said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Derrick Johnson. "We spent a lot of time away from family and friends, and winning the Battle "E" shows that we really made the most of it."

The Battle "E" award recognizes exceptional shipboard performance during operations, inspections, certifications, assessments, and training events in a competitive cycle. A ship and its various departments must consistently demonstrate a high level of proficiency, safety awareness, operational risk management, and overall readiness in all phases of operations.

Carl Vinson is America's third Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship's namesake is one of the longest-serving U.S. congressmen in history who had a profound impact on developing America's modern naval force centered on aircraft carriers.

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Pacific Partnership 2019 Begins in Philippines

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-06

Release Date: 3/11/2019 12:16:00 PM

From Pacific Partnership 2019 Public Affairs

TACLOBAN, Philippines (NNS) -- Senior mission leadership, host nation and partner nation personnel attended the opening ceremony of the second Pacific Partnership mission stop in Tacloban, Philippines, March 11.

"We could not be happier to welcome the Pacific Partnership mission and its team to Tacloban," said Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense. "This mission has fostered friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and our partner nations for many years and I know it will do the same this year."

U.S., partner nation military members and non-governmental organization volunteers are scheduled to take part in a variety of projects while in Tacloban to include first aid training, preventative medicine training, various healthcare symposiums, veterinary services, engineering projects, disaster response seminars, and a variety of community outreach engagements with the overall goal of improving humanitarian and disaster preparedness in the Philippines.

"This is Pacific Partnership's eighth visit to the Philippines," said Capt. Randy Van Rossum, commodore, Destroyer Squadron 1, the mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2019. "Each visit is a testament to our enduring partnership and collaborative commitment to improving humanitarian assistance and disaster response in the region."

Pacific Partnership began in response to one of the world's most catastrophic natural disasters, the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia. The mission has evolved over the years from emphasis on direct care to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter expert and civil-military exchanges.

Working at the invitation of each host nation, Pacific Partnership is joined by partner nations that include Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom to strengthen disaster response preparedness around the Indo-Pacific region.

The Philippines is one of several host nations for Pacific Partnership 2019. The Pacific Partnership mission teams will also make stops in the Federated States of Micronesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Experts in the fields of engineering, medicine and disaster response will partner with each host nation to conduct civic-action projects, community health exchanges, medical symposiums, and disaster response training activities.

Pacific Partnership's mission is to work collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 14th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.

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U.S. 6th Fleet Commander Visits Naval Partners in Turkey

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-05

Release Date: 3/11/2019 11:05:00 AM

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

ANKARA, Turkey (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, traveled to Ankara and Golcuk, Turkey March 4-6 to meet with the Deputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff Lt. Gen. Metin Gurak, Commander of the Turkish Fleet Vice Adm. Ercument Tatlioglu, and other key Turkish Navy leadership to discuss opportunities for U.S. and Turkish Navy cooperation to ensure regional stability and security through combined maritime exercises and operations.

"The Turkish Navy is a strong partner of the U.S. Navy, and they also bring significant capability to the NATO Alliance, operating across the full spectrum of Maritime Warfare," said Franchetti. "The success of our exercises and operations demonstrates our shared commitment to regional stability and maritime security."

While in Ankara, Franchetti met with the embassy's U.S. Marine Corps Security Detachment and laid a wreath at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey.

U.S. and Turkish maritime forces have a long history of cooperation in multinational exercises such as BALTOPS and Sea Breeze, as well as combined operations in the Standing NATO Maritime Groups and Combined Task Force 151.

Additionally, U.S., Alliance, and partner forces regularly participate in Turkish-hosted exercises such as Mavi Balina and Dogu Akdeniz, anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. These exercises improve combined warfighting capability, increase operational capacity, and strengthen relationships among exercise participants.

Turkey also regularly provides expanded logistics support to U.S. assets working in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.

"Turkish logistics support, particularly from their replenishment assets in the Black Sea, is invaluable," Franchetti added. "They directly enhance and enable our ability to operate forward in this critical region. I look forward to operating alongside them in the years ahead."

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.

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USS Porter Arrives in Plymouth, England

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190311-04

Release Date: 3/11/2019 11:01:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner, Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

PLYMOUTH, England (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Plymouth, England, March 9 for a scheduled port visit marking the beginning of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) certification.

FOST is a three-week advanced warfare certification training event conducted with the Royal Navy designed to certify NATO ships in advanced warfare areas.

"We are happy to be back in Plymouth," said Cmdr. Craig Trent, commanding officer of Porter. "The next few weeks are going to be challenging, but I believe in this crew, and I know that this training will build relationships with our allies and forge Porter into a more professional and effective fighting unit."

FOST's training prepares all types of surface warships, submarines and auxiliaries for peacetime, peace-support, and war-fighting operations. Starting with basic alongside preparatory safety and readiness training, units progress through single threat and multi-threat scenarios.

During the certification, Porter will be assessed by FOST inspectors as well as the U.S. Navy's Afloat Training Group, Norfolk.

Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol 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.

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Azerbaijan starts large-scale military drills ahead of Baku-Yervan meeting

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 06:28PM

Azerbaijani military forces have launched large-scale military drills in the country, a move that is speculated to overshadow a planned first-time meeting between the country's President Ilham Aliyev and new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that the exercises would be held from 11 to 15 March, involving up to 10,000 troops, 500 tanks, 300 missile systems and aircraft as well as other military equipment.

"In the course of the drills, army units will accomplish various tasks aimed at preparing an offensive operation against a conventional enemy," the ministry said in a statement.

Azerbaijani troops will also test new weaponry systems during the five-day drills, according to the statement.

The military exercises are being conducted ahead of planned talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

No date has been set yet for the talks between Aliyev and Pashinyan over the disputed region, but both sides have expressed willingness for them to take place.

No talks 'under the barrel of a gun'

The large-scale drills in Azerbaijan were quickly denounced by Armenia as sabre-rattling ahead of the planned talks between Baku and Yerevan.

In response to the Monday announcement, Armenia's Foreign Ministry said the drills "do not contribute to the creation of an environment conducive to peace," and that Yerevan would not accept talks that took place "under the barrel of a gun."

International mediators to the Karabakh conflict, the so-called Minsk Group consisting of diplomats from France, Russia, and the United States, had earlier in the month welcomed Pashinyan's and Aliyev's "commitment to meet soon."

The Minsk Group, however, had called on both sides "to refrain from statements and actions suggesting significant changes to the situation on the ground, prejudging the outcome of or setting conditions for future talks, demanding unilateral changes to the format without agreement of the other party, or indicating readiness to renew active hostilities."

The Nagorno-Karabakh region is surrounded by Azerbaijan's territory but was seized by Armenian separatists in a bloody war that claimed some 30,000 lives in the early 1990s.

The conflict ended with a fragile truce in 1994.

The two former Soviet countries are technically still at war and have yet to reach a permanent peace agreement on the issue.

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Palestinians in besieged Gaza Strip receive new Qatari financial aid

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 04:21PM

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been receiving a new tranche of financial aid donated by Qatar, nearly two months after the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, said it would not accept Qatari funds following Israel's blockade of the delivery over unrest along the border between the besieged costal enclave and the occupied territories.

The cash grant of 5.5 million US dollars was to be distributed to 55,000 families all over the coastal sliver, with each receiving 100 dollars, according to a statement released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Development on Monday.

Thousands of Palestinians could be seen queuing early at post offices across the Gaza Strip. The Qatari ambassador to Palestine, Mohammed al-Ammadi, observed the distribution of financial aid to impoverished families in the enclave.

"I am here to receive $100, but $100 does not solve the crisis," 40-year-old Bassam Khalil Jaber said.

He added, "We need permanent solutions, and this grant is a temporary solution."

On January 24, Hamas turned down Qatari funds over Israel's change of conditions due to the unrest along the Gaza border.

"We refuse to receive the third Qatari grant in response to the (Israeli) Occupation's behavior and attempts to evade the agreement," the deputy Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, told journalists at the time.

Qatar has delivered $15 million a month into the Gaza Strip under an informal agreement struck last November. The funds to pay salaries of Hamas employees and support impoverished Gazans are in exchange for relative calm along the border fence between the strip and the Israeli-occupied territories.

Hayya did not elaborate on the specific conditions that were changed, but said Israel was playing politics with the funds ahead of upcoming legislative elections, scheduled for April 9.

The third aid tranche had been expected to enter the Gaza Strip in late January, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked it on January 22 after an Israeli soldier was slightly injured near the fence.

Palestinians have held weekly rallies on the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right for refugees to return to their homes they fled during the 1948 creation of Israel.

Nearly 270 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 this year 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, which condemned Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

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 8 votes against and 45 abstentions.

The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days "on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation," including "recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism."

It also called for "immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip."

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US envoy: Venezuelan president seems set on staying in power

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 04:20PM

The US envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams says there are no signs that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is willing to resign from office despite the growing US and Western pressure.

Abrams said it was unlikely that Maduro would negotiate with opposition leader Juan Guaido to end the political impasse, adding that Washington would lift US sanctions once Maduro agreed to step down.

Abrams also said there was a very low possibility that the Venezuelan president was ready to talk about his exit. "From everything we have seen, Maduro's tactic is to stay put," Abrams said in an interview with Reuters.

Abrams, a Jewish neoconservative who has long advocated an interventionist US role around the world, has served in the administrations of former US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

Referring to Cuba, the US envoy claimed that Cuba has been receiving free oil from Venezuela while offering intelligence and other protections for Maduro, describing Havana as "a parasite that has been feeding off Venezuela for decades."

"There are thousands of Cuban officers, and literally, physically, around him. In some ways they are the key advisers to Maduro," Abrams said of Havana's role.

Cuba has denied it has security forces in Venezuela and said statements like Abrams' were part of a campaign of lies aimed at paving the way for US military intervention in the South American country.

Separately, US National Security Adviser John Bolton, another veteran neoconservative and warmonger, said in an interview with ABC News that the "momentum" favors Guaido.

"I'm not certain of anything, but I do think momentum is on the side of Guaido," Bolton said, adding: "We'll see what happens"

Bolton has also waged a war of words against Maduro, tweeting far more about Venezuela in his time as national security adviser than any other topic

Most Western countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim head of state, but Maduro retains the backing of Russia and China as well as control of state institutions including the military.

The administration of US President Donald Trump considers Maduro's 2018 re-election a sham and recognized the 35-year-old Guaido as the country's acting president in January.

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UN: 10,000 civilians forced from homes in Myanmar's Rakhine since November

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 03:59PM

A United Nations (UN) human rights investigator says up to 10,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes in Myanmar's northwestern state of Rakhine since November last year as a result of continued violence and a lack of humanitarian aid due to government restrictions.

Yanghee Lee, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, made the revelation on Monday, calling on the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its atrocities against Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic minority groups in the conflict-ridden state.

"The situation in Myanmar must be referred to the ICC by the Security Council or a state party or group of state parties," Lee said, adding that, "Victims must not be forced to wait in purgatory of international inaction. If it is not possible to refer the situation to the ICC, the international community should consider establishing an independent tribunal."

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims were killed, injured, arbitrarily arrested, or raped by Myanmar's soldiers and Buddhist mobs mainly between November 2016 and August 2017, when the surviving members of the community started fleeing to Bangladesh en masse.

The Rohingya Muslims, who have lived in Myanmar for generations, are denied citizenship and are branded illegal emigrants from Bangladesh, which likewise denies them citizenship.

The United Nations has described the Rohingya as the most persecuted community in the world.

Partly because of the poor conditions in the camps, and partly because of the prospect of repatriation to Myanmar, the Rohingya Muslims have occasionally attempted to flee Bangladesh.

'New crisis' for Rohingya if moved to Bangladesh island

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than one million Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled Myanmar's deadly army crackdown and persecution since 2017.

The government in Bangladesh has for long been pushing a controversial plan to relocate thousands of Rohingya refugees to an isolated and flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, where they may be stranded forever.

Lee also expressed deep concern about Bangladesh's plan to move 23,000 Rohingya refugees from camps in Cox's Bazaar to Bhashan Char Island in April, saying the island may not be "habitable" and that the relocation plan would create a potential "new crisis."

The UN official paid a visit to the island in January.

"I had the opportunity to visit the island on my last visit to Bangladesh and saw with my own eyes the works that the Bangladesh government has undertaken. However, there are a number of things that remain unknown to me even following my report, chief among them being whether the island is truly habitable," Lee told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

"Ill-planned relocation, and relocations without the consent of the refugees concerned, have the potential to create a new crisis. It is incumbent on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that this is not brought about," she added.

Bhashan Char, whose name means "floating island," emerged from the silt about 20 years ago and is located about 30 kilometers from mainland Bangladesh. The island is flat, shape-shifting, and inundated by regular floods during the months of June and September every year.

Humanitarian groups and aid workers have on numerous occasions lashed out at the relocation plan, saying the island is vulnerable to frequent cyclones and cannot sustain the livelihood of thousands of people.

Myanmar widow pleads for peace

In a separate development on Monday, a Myanmar woman who lost her husband in a latest deadly attack by Buddhist rebels in Rakhine called on the army and militants to lay down arms, halt the violence and start peace talks.

Myanmar's armed forces are currently engaged in a conflict with the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist rebel group calling for greater autonomy for Rakhine.

During an attack in the northwestern state on Saturday night, nine people were killed and Ma Oo Khin's husband was among one of the victims.

"I want to ask both sides to negotiate with each other. I don't want to see anyone else die," she told AFP. "The AA is asking for their people's autonomy, but the police are serving the country too."

The area has been on strict lockdown since the attack.

The Buddhist rebel group conducted raids on police border posts on January 4, killing 13 people.

The clashes have added a new, complex dimension to the troubles in Rakhine, which has been the scene of communal violence since 2012.

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NEW DELHI (PTI): Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba will begin his four-day visit to the UK from Tuesday with an aim to further consolidate bilateral maritime ties and explore new avenues of cooperation.



During the visit, Admiral Lanba is scheduled to hold talks with the Chief of Defence Staff, UK and Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal Navy, the Indian Navy said.



Admiral Lanba is also scheduled to visit the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, RN Submarine Rescue Facility at Glasgow and interact with the organisers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh.



The visit of Admiral Lanba to the UK from March 12 to March 15 will consolidate existing maritime cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues for cooperation, the Navy said.



The Indian Navy has had traditional links with the Royal Navy (RN) of the UK.



With the constitution of the Indo-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) and the Military Sub Group (MSG) in 1995, a two-tier structure of cooperation was established for progress on various areas of defence cooperation.



In September 2004, the two countries inked a pact to embark upon a strategic partnership in which defence cooperation figured prominently.


Arms dealers complicit in Saudi war crimes in Yemen: Iran

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 02:34PM

Iran has censured the latest Saudi airstrikes in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah, saying the so-called advocates of human rights are complicit in Riyadh's crimes as they sell arms to the regime.

"The so-called advocates of human rights not only remain silent in the face of daily killings of women and children in Yemen, but they are also complicit in these crimes by selling weapons to the aggressors," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.

He criticized human rights organizations and circles for remaining tight-lipped in the face of inhumane war crimes committed by the aggressors against Yemen.

The Iranian spokesperson added that innocent defenseless Yemeni women and children, who have suffered from years of famine and the consequences of the human tragedy in the country, are falling victim in the most brutal manner to the arms donated and sold to the invaders by some Western countries, but their voice is not heard as long as they are alive.

However, their deaths will go down in history as proof of disgrace for those who falsely claim to be advocates of human rights, Qassemi said.

Saudi warplanes bombarded residential buildings in Talan village of Kushar district in Yemen's Hajjah on Sunday afternoon, leaving 9 women and 14 children dead, according to Arabic-language al-Masirah television network.

The channel quoted local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that the attacks leveled five houses to the ground. Saudi warplanes also reportedly targeted ambulances, preventing doctors and paramedics from reaching the area.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the Ansarullah movement.

According to a 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 war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The United Nations 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.

The UN in February warned that the situation in war-ravaged Yemen is further deteriorating as the Arab country is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world.

"The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a statement.

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Taliban founder lived short walk from US bases in Afghanistan: Book reveals

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 09:01AM

A new book says the late Taliban leader and co-founder, Mullah Omar, had long been living within walking distance of American military bases in Afghanistan as US forces were desperately searching for him in neighboring Pakistan, suggesting a failure of US intelligence.

The book entitled, Searching for an Enemy, by Dutch journalist Bette Dam, reveals that the longtime Taliban leader once lived in a secret room inside a building just a few hundred meters from a major US base  Forward Operating Base Lagman  in his home province of Zabul.

He later moved to a second building just three miles from another US base, the Forward Operating Base Wolverine, home to some 1,000 US troops.

Omar dared not move again amid fears of getting caught and died of illness in his hideout in 2013, according to the book.

Washington had put a 10-million-dollar bounty on the head of Taliban's one-eyed fugitive leader following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, accusing him of harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan that year under the pretext of "war on terror" and removed the Taliban from power. In the period between the invasion and Omar's death in 2013, Washington and the CIA spy agency used to believe that Omar, like bin Laden, had been hiding out in neighboring Pakistan.

According to the biography, US troops even searched his accommodation on one occasion, but failed to find the concealed entrance to the room built in the corner angle of a residential building.

Mullah Omar "never stepped foot in Pakistan," said the book. "The US, and almost everyone else, had it wrong," and that "the Pentagon and the CIA knew little about Mullah Mohammad Omar."

It is said that Omar was using an old Nokia mobile phone, without a sim card, to record his voice and got his news from the BBC's Pashto-language broadcasts in his hideout.

According to the book, despite claims by the militants that the Taliban was led by Omar, he had handed over the practical leadership of the group to his deputies after the fall of the Taliban. He ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001.

Omar was not able to run the group from his hiding places, but, according to the account, he approved the establishment of an office in the Qatari capital, Doha, where the Taliban are currently engaged in negotiations with US representatives over ending the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.

The book was published in Dutch last month, and a summary of some findings has been published in English by the newly launched Zomia think tank, which shared the report with the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal.

Dam's book was published in Dutch last month and is set to be available in English shortly.

The journalist spent five years researching and interviewing Taliban members for her book. She visited parts of the country controlled by militants and interviewed both Afghan officials and some of the most senior surviving Taliban members.

The journalist said she also managed to speak to Omar's bodyguard Jabbar Omari, who had protected the former leader since he went into hiding after the ousting of the Taliban regime in 2001 until his death from illness in 2013.

According to the account, Omari buried the former leader at the night of his death on April 23, 2013. He also captured a video of the burial for Omar's son Yaqub and half-brother Abdul Manan.

The two, who had not visited Omar since his hiding in his hometown, traveled to his hideout after his death. Two years later, The Taliban broke the news of his death to the militants and the world.

Allegations draw reactions

The Afghan government was quick to deny the claims.

"We strongly reject this delusional claim and we see it as an effort to create and build an identify for the Taliban and their foreign backers," tweeted Haroon Chakhansuri -- a spokesman for the Afghan presidency. "We have sufficient evidence which shows he lived and died in Pakistan. Period!"

Former CIA director and US military commander in Afghanistan David Petraeus also appeared skeptical, saying the Taliban leader's alleged decision to stay in Afghanistan would have been laden with risk.

"We had access, as needed, to anywhere inside Afghanistan, and I would be very surprised if Mullah Omar would have taken the risk that we could come calling some evening," said Petraeu, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"I have piles & piles of evidence which shows he lived & died in Pakistan," added Amrullah Saleh, who was head of Afghan intelligence from 2004-2010.

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Saudi war damages education sector in Yemen: UNICEF

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 03:35AM

The United Nations children's agency estimates that out of seven million school-aged children in Yemen over two million are not being educated amid a Saudi-led coalition's war against the impoverished Arab state.

"The situation of Yemen's education sector is daunting. Out of 7 million school-aged children, over 2 million children are already out of school," a regional director of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund said on Sunday.

"School infrastructure is badly damaged and learning materials are in short supply. One in five schools in Yemen can no longer be used because they are damaged or being used in the fighting or to shelter displaced families," said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Apart from education, the Saudi aggression has killed or endangered the lives of Yemeni children since 2015.

Last month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said tens of thousands of children under the age of five have died of starvation in Yemen ever since Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies launched their atrocious military aggression against the impoverished country nearly four years ago.

"Children did not start the war in Yemen, but they are paying the highest price. Some 360,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, fighting for their lives every day. And one credible report put the number of children under 5 who have died of starvation at more than 80,000," Guterres told a donor conference in the Swiss city of Geneva on Feb. 26.

The UN chief warned of the worsening health and humanitarian situation in Yemen, saying, "Over half of all health facilities are out of action, and nearly 20 million people lack access to adequate health care."

"In 2017, the worst cholera epidemic in history reached unprecedented levels as water supplies and sanitation and public health services collapsed Almost 18 million Yemenis still do not have adequate access to safe drinking water or sanitation," Guterres noted.

In the latest Saudi attack on Yemeni civilians, nearly two dozen women and a child were killed on Sunday, when Saudi warplanes bombarded residential buildings in Talan village of Kushar district in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah.

According to a 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 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.

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Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Reportedly Lived Near U.S. Base

By RFE/RL March 11, 2019

The late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar lived near a U.S. base in southern Afghanistan for years, a new book claims.

Searching For An Enemy, by Dutch journalist and writer Bette Dam, says the fugitive leader never hid in Pakistan as was believed by U.S. and Afghan officials.

Dam spent five years researching and interviewing Taliban members for the biography of the one-eyed militant leader, which was published in Dutch last month.

A summary of the findings was published in English by the U.S.-based Zomia think tank.

The Taliban held power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when the group was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion, and has waged an antigovernment insurgency since then.

A $10 million bounty was put on Omar's head after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.

According to Dam, Omar lived in Zabul Province's capital, Qalat, until 2004, when U.S. troops began building Forward Operating Base (FOB) Lagman, just a few minutes' walk from his hideout.

Omar then moved to Shinkay district, and the United States soon afterward started building FOB Wolverine just 5 kilometers away.

At the peak of the war, FOB Wolverine housed more than 1,000 troops from the United States and its NATO allies, but Omar did not move again, Dam says.

Omar could not run the Taliban group from his hiding places, but he is said to have approved a Taliban office in Qatar, where U.S. and Taliban negotiators have been holding peace talks in a bid to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

Dam managed to speak to Jabbar Omari, the man who effectively became Omar's bodyguard when he went into hiding.

Omari, who is now in the custody of Afghanistan's spy agency, said the Taliban leader died from illness on April 23, 2013.

A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Haroon Chakhansuri, "strongly rejected" the book, tweeting: "We have sufficient evidence which shows he lived and died in Pakistan. Period!"

The Taliban confirmed Omar's death in 2015 after Afghan intelligence revealed that the militant leader had died in a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and The Guardian

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-taliban- leader-mullah-omar-reportedly-lived -near-u-s-base/29814752.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.

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U.S. Remains World's Top Arms Exporter, With Russia A Distant Second

By RFE/RL March 11, 2019

WASHINGTON -- The United States remained far and above the rest of the world as the globe's leading arms exporter, with Russia a distant second, a leading research group says.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a March 11 report that the gap between the United States and the rest of the world widened further in the most recent five-year period of 2014-18, with American exports rising to 36 percent of the global total from 30 percent in the previous period.

"The U.S.A. has further solidified its position as the world's leading arms supplier," said Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program.

"[It] exported arms to at least 98 countries in the past five years; these deliveries often included advanced weapons such as combat aircraft, short-range cruise and ballistic missiles, and large numbers of guided bombs."

The report highlighted the widening gap between Washington and Moscow in arms exports.

"U.S. exports of major arms were 75 percent higher than Russia's in the 201418 period, while they were only 12 percent higher in 2009-13," SIPRI said in its report of global arms transfers.

"More than half (52 percent) of U.S. arms exports went to the Middle East in 2014-18," it added.

SIPRI said Russia's arms exports fell 17 percent in the 2014-18 period, with a reduction in arms imports by India and Venezuela the major factors in the decline.

The report said France (6.8 percent of the world total) was the third-highest arms exporter, followed by Germany (6.4 percent), and China (5.2 percent).

The top five countries accounted for 75 percent of the world total, the report said.

The combined total of European Union nations came to 27 percent of the global figure.

Among arms importers, Saudi Arabia was the leader, with 12 percent of the world total, up from 4.3 percent in the previous five-year period. Its total imports rose 192 percent in the most-recent period.

"Arms imports by some Arab states of the Gulf rose sharply [during the period]," the report said.

"Among the key reasons behind these increases were the mutual distrust between Iran on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and the [United Arab Emirates] on the other."

It also cited the conflict in Yemen, considered by many to be a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the hostilities between a Saudi-led Arab coalition against tiny Gulf state Qatar.

Pakistan was the 11th top importer with 2.7 percent of the global total, but it represented a sharp decline from 4.8 percent previously. Its main suppliers were China (70 percent), the United States (8.9 percent), and Russia (6 percent).

Its rival India was the second-largest importer, with Russia (58 percent), Israel (15 percent), and the United States (12 percent) the top suppliers.

In a report released in December 2018, SIPRI said arms exports by U.S. companies in 2017 amounted to $222.6 billion, while Russia had $37.7 billion in arms exports for that one year.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-lead-world -global-arms-exports/29814176.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.

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Baku Starts Military Exercise Ahead Of Planned Talks Between Azerbaijani, Armenian Leaders

By RFE/RL March 11, 2019

Azerbaijan has launched large-scale military maneuvers ahead of an expected first meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on March 11 that up to 10,000 troops, 500 tanks, 300 missile systems, aircraft, and other military equipment will take part in the five-day exercises.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry said the drills "do not contribute to the creation of an environment conducive to peace."

No date has been decided yet for the meeting between Pashinian and Aliyev over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but both sides have voiced a willingness for them to take place.

Mainly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Since 1994, it has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.

Internationally mediated negotiations helped forge a cease-fire in the region, which is not always honored, but have failed to produce a lasting settlement of the conflict.

James Appathurai, the NATO secretary-general's special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, welcomed Armenia's new approach toward easing tensions with Azerbaijan over the disputed region.

"We are encouraged by the fact that the new government is making new efforts in the political process," Appathurai told a news conference in Yerevan on March 11.

"NATO's indisputable assessment is that the conflict can be settled peacefully. This conflict cannot have a successful military solution," he added, noting Armenia's contribution to international security through its participation in the alliance's peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Pashinian on March 11 started a working visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, where he is scheduled to hold a meeting of Armenia's Security Council scheduled for March 12.

It is not clear why exactly the Security Council's meeting will be held in Nagorno-Karabakh, not in Yerevan.

Pashinian, a former anticorruption journalist and opposition lawmaker, became prime minister last year following peaceful protests that he spearheaded.

On March 9, international mediators from the OSCE's Minsk Group welcomed Pashinian and Aliyev's readiness to meet, but called on the sides "to refrain from statements and actions suggesting significant changes to the situation on the ground, prejudging the outcome of or setting conditions for future talks, demanding unilateral changes to the format without agreement of the other party, or indicating readiness to renew active hostilities."

With reporting by Interfax and RFE/RL's Armenian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/baku-starts-military -exercise-ahead-of-planned-talks-between-azerbaijani -armenian-presidents/29815397.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.

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U.S. Sanctions Russian Bank Over Dealings With Venezuela

By RFE/RL March 11, 2019

The United States imposed sanctions on a Russian bank over its dealings with Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia's state-controlled Rosneft of buying oil from the company.

The move by Washington on March 11 turns up the pressure on both Caracas and Moscow, which is one of the biggest financial backers for Venezuela's embattled leader, Nicholas Maduro.

President Donald Trump's administration has declared Maduro to be an illegitimate leader, and has backed opposition leader Juan Guaido to replace him.

In announcing the sanctions against the bank, Evrofinance Mosnarbank, the U.S. Treasury Department said its net assets had grown by over 50 percent during 2018, even as U.S. sanctions had increased.

"This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

In comments to reporters, Pompeo accused Russia and Cuba of helping to create the crisis in Venezuela, by allowing Rosneft to buy oil from Petroleos de Venezuela SA, known as PDVSA.

"Russia's state-owned oil company, Rosneft, continues to purchase crude oil cargoes from PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, in defiance of U.S. sanctions," Pompeo said. "And Rosneft's CEO, Igor Sechin, continues to throw a lifeline to the regime."

Founded in 2011, the Moscow-based bank is jointly owned by a group of Russian banks and Venezuela's National Development Fund.

Evrofinance Mosnarbank said in a statement on its website that it was operating in a "stable manner" and will "fulfill all of its obligations towards clients and partners."

Separately, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton issued a warning to international banks and financial institutions.

"Bankers: Do not help Maduro and his accomplices steal the assets of the Venezuelan people. The United States is watching. The world is watching. The Venezuelan people are watching," he wrote in a message on Twitter on March 11.

Gazprombank, which is Russia's third-biggest lender and includes among its shareholders Russian state gas company Gazprom, said the U.S. Treasury decision would not affect it.

"Gazprombank has a minority stake in Evrofinance Mosnarbank," Gazprombank said. "Gazprombank does not carry out operations on the accounts of companies that are sanctioned by the U.S. over Venezuela."

The United States and more than 50 governments recognize Guaido as interim president of the country. They say Maduro wasn't legitimately re-elected last year because opposition candidates weren't permitted to run.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions- russian-bank-over-dealings-with -venezuela/29815403.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.

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Pakistan affirms its support for Kingdom's right to defend its sovereignty

Saudi Press Agency

Monday 1440/7/4 - 2019/03/11

Islamabad, March 11, 2019, SPA -- Pakistan has noted with serious concern the drone attack by Houtis on the Saudi city of Abha, commending the government of Saudi Arabia, especially the Royal Defence Forces, for timely intercepting and destroying the drone before it could cause any serious damage.

In a statement on the incident, which took place yesterday, the Government of Pakistan said news of injuries among Saudis and other expatriates, as well as damage of properties, as a result of falling debris of the drone remains a matter of concern, praying for early recovery of the injured.

Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the leadership, the Government and people of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its territorial integrity and the two holy mosques, the statement said, adding that such attacks, targeting the unarmed civilian population, are a clear violation of international law and pose a serious challenge to regional peace and security.

We, condemn them in the strongest terms and stand in solidarity with the Saudi government in fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the statement concluded.

--SPA

16:59 LOCAL TIME 13:59 GMT

0023

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US, Jordan Confirm Strong Defense Ties - Pentagon

Sputnik News

23:59 11.03.2019(updated 00:18 12.03.2019)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Jordanian King Abdullah II confirmed their countries' strong defense ties and continued commitment to destroying the Daesh terror group, the Department of Defense said in a readout on Monday.

"Shanahan met with  King Abdullah II  today in Washington, DC, to reaffirm the strength of the defense relationship between the United States and Jordan", Acting Defense Department Chief Spokesperson Charles Summers said in the readout.

Shanahan and Abdullah discussed a broad range of defense and security issues, including Jordan's contributions to the coalition to defeat Daesh, Summer said.

Shanahan also thanked the king for his strong leadership and unwavering commitment to regional security and stability, and for his continued bilateral security partnership with the United States, the readout added.

Meanwhile, the White House disclosed in a readout of the meeting on Monday that Vice President Mike Pence met with Jordan's King Abdullah II to explore a regional anti-terror strategy as the US prepares to withdraw most ground forces from Syria and leave behind a residual force.

"The two leaders also discussed President [Donald] Trump's decision to maintain a residual US presence in Syria and opportunities to work more closely on countering terrorism in the region," the readout said. The residual force is intended to protect US-backed Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from the threat of a Turkish military incursion following the withdraw of about 2,000 American ground forces.

The meeting came as SDF forces battled Daesh terrorists in the Syrian town of Baghouz, the final patch of territory in Syria under Daesh control, according to media reports from the scene. During their meeting in Washington, Pence also assured King Abdullah of the Trump administration's commitment to supporting Jordan's economy, the readout said.

Jordan has said little publicly about its role in the US-led coalition fight against Daesh, but the kingdom has been active in the effort, flying sorties against Daesh targets, according to US officials.

According to media reports, Jordan also hosts about 1.5 million refugees from Syria, most of whom reside and work in large cities; however, tens of thousands still remain in refugee camps, awaiting for their return to Syria. Since the border between the neighboring countries was opened last year, several hundred Syrians have reportedly returned to their homes each week.

Last year, the global community reportedly provided Jordan $1.6 billion to help it respond to the Syrian refugee crisis.

As the Syrian government has regained control over most of the country's territories that had been seized by terrorists since 2011, it is now focused on creating favorable conditions for repatriating more than 5 million refugees who, according to the UN Refugee Agency, have fled to neighboring countries.

*Daesh, also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

 Sputnik

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Venezuela Parliament Declares State of 'Alarm' Over Blackout - Reports

Sputnik News

23:57 11.03.2019(updated 00:11 12.03.2019)

The blackout swept Venezuela last Thursday as national electricity supplier Corpoelec reported about "sabotage" at the major Guri hydroelectric power plant. Media subsequently reported about power outages in 21 out or 23 Venezuela's states.

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly declared a state of "national alarm" Monday over the "general calamity" caused by a blackout that has now lasted four days, according to AFP.

The lawmakers approved a decree proposed by its leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, who is seeking "international cooperation" to help resolve Venezuela's crisis.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed the United States for waging an energy war against Venezuela. Washington denied having a role in the crisis.

In particular, Maduro said that a cyber attack was carried out against one of the country's energy facilities on Saturday, which did not allow the authorities to restore the electricity supply interrupted earlier in the week. Maduro also accused the right-wing opposition of attacking the Venezuelan power supply system with the high-tech weapons.

Amid the blackout, Maduro has ordered to distribute food among the country's citizens starting from Monday. Separately, he ordered to provide assistance to hospitals across the country and to guarantee the delivery of drinking water to the houses of Venezuelans.

The political crisis in Venezuela escalated in late January, when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the country's interim president. The United States and some 54 countries have recognized Guaido, but Russia, China, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for constitutionally elected Maduro and his government as Venezuela's only legitimate authority.

 Sputnik

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WASHINGTON (PTI): Russia's arms export to India, the world's second largest importer of major arms, fell by a whopping 42 per cent between 2009-2013 and 2014-18, according to a SIPRI report.



As a result, Russia accounted for 58 per cent of total Indian arms imports in 2014-2018, compared with 76 per cent in 2009-2013, according to the report "Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2018" released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).



According to the figures released by the report, India's import of arms decreased by 24 per cent between 2009-2013 and 2014-2018.



This decline in India's import is also partly due to delays in deliveries of arms produced under license from foreign suppliers, such as combat aircraft ordered from Russia in 2001 and submarines ordered from France in 2008.



Still, India was the world's second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 per cent of the global total.



Israel, the USA and France all increased their arms exports to India in 2014-18.



Pakistan's arms imports decreased by 39 per cent between 2009-13 and 2014-18. The US has become increasingly reluctant to provide military aid or sell arms to Pakistan: US arms exports to Pakistan fell by 81 per cent between 2009-13 and 2014-18, it said.



Pakistan has instead turned to other suppliers. For example, in 2018 it ordered 4 frigates and 30 combat helicopters from Turkey, it added.



The decrease in India's arms import is significant given that the volume of international transfers of major arms in 2014-18 was 7.8 per cent higher than in 2009-13 and 23 per cent higher than in 2004-2008.



The five largest exporters in 2014-18 were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. The five largest importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and Algeria.



The US was the top arms exporter in 2014-18 and 2009-13. Its exports of major arms grew by 29 per cent between the two periods and its share of total global exports rose from 30 per cent to 36 per cent. As a result, the gap between the USA and Russia - the second largest exporter - continued to widen.



In 2009-13, US exports of major arms were 12 per cent higher than those of Russia, whereas in 2014-18 they were 75 per cent higher.



Russian exports of major arms decreased by 17 per cent between the same periods.



The fall was partly due to general reductions in Indian and Venezuelan arms imports - two countries that have been among the main recipients of Russian arms exports in previous years, the SIPRI said.



"Although India remained the chief recipient of Russian arms in 2014-18, Russian arms exports to India fell by 42 per cent between 2014-18 and 2009-13. Arms exports to Venezuela, which was the fifth largest recipient of Russian arms in 2009-13, decreased by 96 per cent between the two periods," it said.


Algeria's Bouteflika Declares Presidential Vote Postponement, Says Won't Run

Sputnik News

20:52 11.03.2019(updated 21:50 11.03.2019)

Algeria has recently been rocked by protests against the incumbent 82-year-old president's intention to run for another term, despite being wheelchair-bound and serving at the post for about two decades.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that the upcoming presidential elections would be postponed, adding that he will not run for a fifth term. He promised to set up an interim body that will oversee the organisation of new elections and the drafting of a new constitution. The new date for elections and a date for a referendum on a new constitution were not specified in his address.

At the same time, the cabinet, including Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, announced their resignation amid the wave of popular protests. While the president promised to present his reshuffled cabinet soon, he has already presented a new prime minister, Noureddine Bedoui, the former interior minister, and a deputy prime minister, Ramtane Lamamra, who will also serve as foreign minister.

Algerians have been protesting since 22 February following Bouteflika's announcement that he would run in the 18 April election. Amid the rallies, Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013 and has since been bound to a wheelchair, pledged that if he is re-elected, to call snap vote in which he wouldn't participate as a candidate in order to ensure a transition to a new president.

Bouteflika has been in power for 20 years, but has rarely been seen in public since he suffered the stroke. He recently returned from treatment that he underwent in Switzerland.

 Sputnik

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Treasury: US Targets Russian Bank in Venezuela Sanctions for Alleged PDVSA Links

Sputnik News

18:41 11.03.2019(updated 18:45 11.03.2019)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has targeted the Russian bank Evrofinance Mosnarbank in its latest round of Venezuela-related sanctions, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release.

"The following entity has been added to OFAC's SDN [Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals] List: EVROFINANCE MOSNARBANK", the release said.

The bank is linked to Venezuela's oil company PDVSA, the release added.

A separate Treasury Department release said that all Evrofinance Mosnarbank property, as well as any entities in the United States or in possession or control of US persons in which the bank has more than 50 percent ownership, are blocked and must be reported to the OFAC.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the release that the move demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain what he termed was the illegitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela entered a tumultuous political crisis in January after opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself to be the country's interim president.

The United States immediately recognised Guaido, after which some 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Turkey, Bolivia and a number of other states have said they consider Maduro's government to be the only legitimate authority in Venezuela.

Maduro, who was sworn in for his second presidential term on 10 January after winning the May 2018 election, has called Guaido a puppet of the United States and said that Washington attempted to stage a coup in Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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Kabul Denies Claims Dead Taliban Head Mullah Omar Hid Near US Base  Reports

Sputnik News

16:53 11.03.2019

The Taliban head Mullah Mohammad Omar was wanted in the United States for harbouring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and other terrorists following the 9/11 attacks.

The Afghan government has denied reports suggesting that Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Taliban's founder, had lived three miles from a major US Forward Operating Base in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, for years before he died in 2013.

"We strongly reject this delusional claim and we see it as an effort to create and build an identity for the Taliban and their foreign backers. We have sufficient evidence which shows he lived and died in Pakistan", presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said on Monday as cited by TOLOnews.

The comments came after Dutch journalist Bette Dam released a book, entitled "Searching for an Enemy", in which the author claimed that Omar never hid in neighbouring Pakistan.

"The story that emerges is that the US, and almost everyone else, had it wrong. He never lived in Pakistan. Mullah Omar never stepped foot in Pakistan, instead opting to hide in his native land  and for eight years, lived just a few miles from a major US Forward Operating Base that house thousands of soldiers. This finding, corroborated by the Taliban and Afghan officials, suggests a staggering US intelligence failure, and casts even further doubt on America's claims about the Afghan war", one extract read.

According to the book, Omar became ill in 2013 and refused to travel to Pakistan to receive treatment there, later dying in Zabul. Washington and Afghanistan have long maintained that Omar took refuge in Pakistan following the fall of the Taliban.

In 2015, Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, and the Afghan presidential office announced that Mullah Omar had died in a Karachi hospital.

"We knew he was in Pakistan. He was really generally down in Balochistan and would go to Karachi and that's where the hospital was, but we just didn't have the ability to operate in Pakistan, and couldn't get our Pakistani partners to go after him", said then-CIA Director David Petraeus.

 Sputnik

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Venezuelan Army Introduces Air Surveillance Over Power Lines After Blackout

Sputnik News

07:01 11.03.2019(updated 08:19 11.03.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Venezuelan Army has introduced an air surveillance system over the country's power lines to protect its energy system and prevent further incidents, Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said.

"The Venezuelan National Armed Forces launched an air surveillance system for power lines today, and since yesterday they have occupied all strategic facilities for physical protection at various levels in order to stabilise the system and prevent any other attacks", Lopez said Sunday as broadcast by the channel VTV.

A blackout swept Venezuela on Thursday as national electricity supplier Corpoelec reported of "sabotage" at a major hydroelectric power plant called Guri.

Media outlets have subsequently reported about power outages in 21 out of 23 Venezuelan states. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has blamed the United States for waging an energy war against Venezuela. Washington has denied having a role in the crisis.

 Sputnik

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Treasury Sanctions Russia-based Bank Attempting to Circumvent U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela

U.S. Department of the Treasury

March 11, 2019

Washington  Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Moscow-based bank that is jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies. As the Treasury has continued to escalate the use of sanctions against the illegitimate regime of former President Nicolas Maduro, the net assets of Evrofinance Mosnarbank (Evrofinance) bank grew over 50 percent during 2018. Today's action, taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13850, targets a foreign financial institution that has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PdVSA), which is itself an entity that has long been a vehicle for corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering by Maduro and his cronies. PdVSA, which was designated for operating in the oil sector of Venezuela on January 28, 2019, is a Venezuelan state-owned oil company.

"The illegitimate Maduro regime has profited off of the suffering of the Venezuelan people," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela."

Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Lifeline for the Illegitimate Regime

As the United States and over 50 countries have recognized Venezuelan Interim President and President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, Maduro is increasingly isolated and desperate for lifelines from Russia. Russia has been a long-time ally of Venezuela, dating back to Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez (Chavez). In 2011, Chavez bought a 49 percent stake in Evrofinance through the Venezuelan National Development Fund, or Fondo De Desarrollo Nacional Fonden SA, most commonly known as FONDEN. At the time of incorporation, Russia's Gazprombank, in which the majority Russian state-owned gas producer Gazprom is a shareholder, and Russian state bank, VTB Bank, which is Russia's second largest bank, each owned a 25 percent stake in Evrofinance. Evrofinance was founded as a bi-national bank to fund joint Russia-Venezuela oil and infrastructure projects. Gazprombank was added to OFAC's Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI) List on July 16, 2014, and VTB Bank was added to the SSI List on July 29, 2014.

While Venezuela is in the midst of a historic economic and humanitarian collapse caused by extreme corruption and mismanagement, and major U.S. and European-based financial institutions have cut off ties with the illegitimate Maduro regime because of the significant risks inherent in dealing with Venezuela, Evrofinance assets have soared and the bank continues to maintain its significant relationship with the illegitimate regime.

When the failed Venezuelan cryptocurrency, called the Petro, launched in 2018, Evrofinance emerged as the primary international financial institution willing to finance the Petro. Early investors in the Petro were invited to buy the cryptocurrency by wiring funds to a Venezuelan government account at Evrofinance. Evrofinance's involvement in the Petro demonstrated Maduro's hope that the Petro would allow Venezuela to circumvent U.S. financial sanctions.

For information about the methods that Venezuelan senior political figures, their associates, and front persons use to move and hide corrupt proceeds, including how they try to exploit the U.S. financial system and real estate market, please refer to FinCEN's advisories FIN-2017-A006, "Advisory on Widespread Public Corruption in Venezuela," and FIN-2017-A003, "Advisory to Financial Institutions and Real Estate Firms and Professionals."

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of this entity, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by this entity, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.

####

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Kabul Rejects 'Delusional Claim' Mullah Omar Died in Afghanistan

By Ayaz Gul March 11, 2019

Officials in Afghanistan are rejecting a new American investigative report that claims the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, spent his final years in Afghanistan, not in neighboring Pakistan.

Washington and Afghan officials have long asserted that Omar took refuge in Pakistan after a U.S.-led military coalition dislodged the Taliban from power in Kabul for harboring al-Qaida leaders accused of orchestrating the Sept. 2001 terrorist attacks.

"The story that emerges is that the U.S., and almost everyone else, had it wrong," says the report published by New York-based Zomia Center.

"After 2001, Mullah Omar never stepped foot in Pakistan, instead opting to hide in his native land  and for eight years, lived just a few miles from a major U.S. Forward Operating Base that housed thousands of soldiers," the report said.

The Zomia Center, an initiative of Arizona State University's Center on the Future of War and the Washington-based nonpartisan New America think tank, said its research is based on interviews with current and former Afghan government officials. The report said the authors also spoke with members of the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS).

U.S. officials had no comment on the report.

"We strongly reject this delusional claim and we see it as an effort to create and build an identity for the Taliban and their foreign backers," an Afghan presidential spokesman tweeted Monday.

"We have sufficient evidence which shows he [Omar] lived and died in Pakistan," Haroon Chakhansuri stressed.

The Afghan presidential office was the first to announce in July 2015, citing "credible information," that the reclusive Taliban chief had died two years before after a prolonged illness in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.

Days later, the Taliban also confirmed the news of the death of its founding leader, but insisted Omar died inside Afghanistan.

The American research group's report noted that Omar refused to go to Pakistan because of his "deep-seated mistrust of that country, and his involvement in the insurgency was minimal."

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the findings of the report were "factually correct," saying it also rightly identified the bodyguard who partnered and served Omar for 13 years in his place of hiding in the southern Zabul province.

"Mullah Omar throughout these years stayed in Zabul nearby an American military base and he also died there. He was conducting all his activities from that place and American forces once also raided it," Mujahid told VOA.

The Zomia Center report comes at a time when the United States is engaged in extensive peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar to seek a negotiated settlement to the Afghan war.

Omar's close associate and co-founder of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is supervising a team of insurgent leaders holding talks with American officials led by U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad. The dialogue has been continuing for the past two weeks in the Qatari capital of Doha, but both sides are tight lipped about the discussions.

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Houthi Rebels, Saudis Trade Blame Over Deaths of 20 Civilians in Northern Yemen

By VOA News March 11, 2019

Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition blamed each other on Monday for the deaths of more than 20 civilians in a village in northern Yemen over the past several days.

The victims include children.

The Iranian-backed rebels blame Saudi-led airstrikes while Saudi television says the Houthis killed the civilians when rebel fighters tried to stop an uprising against their movement by a local tribe.

Independent media have been unable to confirm the deaths.

A Saudi-led coalition has used airstrikes to help the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis. The rebels seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014, sending the Yemeni government into exile.

Both sides reached an uneasy cease-fire in the key port city of Hodeidah in December, but the Houthis still control most of the north and west.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands and has aggravated the misery for civilians already suffering from severe food and medicine shortages in one of the world's poorest countries.

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China, Vietnam Regularly Clashing at Sea Despite Diplomacy

By VOA News March 11, 2019

A capsized Vietnamese fishing boat that Hanoi says was hit by a Chinese vessel in contested waters is the latest in what scholars call a string of often unreported maritime mishaps between the two sides despite official efforts to get along.

The fishing boat carrying a crew of five capsized on March 6 near the Paracel Islands, a group of South China Sea islets claimed by both countries but controlled by China.

The National Committee for Incident-Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue in Hanoi says a Chinese vessel rammed the boat near Discovery Reef due east of Vietnam and southwest of Hong Kong, according to the news website VnExpress International. Another Vietnamese fishing boat rescued the crew, the report says. China rejects blame for the mishap.

Although the capsized boat is the biggest publicized incident at sea since a May 2014 mass boat ramming incident, Asian maritime scholars call it one in a series.

"This matter is not a special matter," said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. Each side stands ready to repel the other, he said, meaning ultimately boat crews get hurt.

"More or less, these things have happened before. Normally you'll see when relations are good, these things are covered up but when they're not, the incidents are made bigger," Huang said.

Maritime clashes, diplomatic repair work

China and Vietnam are the two most outspoken rival claimants to parts of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea that stretches as far south as the island of Borneo. The two communist neighbors also fought a land border war in the 1970s, causing long-term distrust between governments.

China and Vietnam got into two landmark, deadly naval clashes, in 1974 and 1988, over control of the sea that's prized for fisheries as well as fossil fuel reserves. The 2014 boat-ramming incident followed the placement of a Chinese oil drilling rig in the South China Sea.

Smaller clashes take place without causing much uproar, said Jay Batongbacal, international maritime affairs professor at University of the Philippines.

In 2011, for example, a Chinese patrol vessel "reportedly cut the exploration cables" of a Vietnamese seismic survey ship in Vietnam's exclusive maritime economic zone, according to a 2018 study by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Repair work

Communist party envoys often meet after incidents at sea to foster a period of calm. Each side depends on the other economically. China looks to Vietnam as a place to sell raw materials for manufacturing, while Vietnam counts China as its biggest export market.

But to prove their maritime sovereignty claim, Vietnamese authorities sometimes encourage fishing vessels to violate China's unilateral moratorium on fishing in disputed waters, said Trung Nguyen, international relations dean at Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Anti-China sentiment runs high among regular Vietnamese citizens too, and the government can tap into that when it needs a shot of public support.

Vietnamese news media initially did not identify China as a player in the March 6 mishap, Nguyen said. He suspects the Communist Party eventually gave the media a "green light."

"I think that the party-to-party relations have to figure out a way to solve the problem, otherwise similar incidents can happen in the future," Nguyen said.

Two-way relations are "not bad" at the moment, Huang said, noting Vietnam's recent inclusion under China's pan-Asian Belt-and-Road infrastructure development plan. The two sides also still live by a 2011 agreement to solve their maritime disputes through negotiations.

Code of Conduct

The March 6 incident may become a talking point between China and the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations as they negotiate a maritime code of conduct by 2021, analysts believe. Association members Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines vie with China over claims to the same sea. Vietnam is also a member.

A code would spell out how naval and coast guard vessels, including drones, can avoid accidents, Huang said, but it's unclear whether it would apply to private vessels. China and the Southeast Asian bloc have talked about a code since 2002, with China delaying it part of that time. Beijing has the strongest military position among claimants to the disputed sea.

Other countries would consider backing code proposals to stop incidents like the one March 8, Batongbacal said.

"I'm sure that this incident will be considered by other countries in discussing the code of conduct, so Vietnam's proposals I'm sure will have some bearing on that," he said.

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US Sanctions Bank Jointly Owned by Russia, Venezuela

By VOA News March 11, 2019

The U.S. on Monday sanctioned a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies for its support for Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro and the country's state-controlled oil industry.

The U.S. Treasury said it was targeting Evrofinance Mosnarbank, which was founded in 2011 to help provide financing for joint Russia-Venezuela oil and infrastructure projects, for allegedly trying to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.

"This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The U.S. and more than 50 other governments recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president in Venezuela. They contend that Maduro, who is clinging to power, was not legitimately re-elected last year because opposition candidates were not permitted to run.

The sanctions are the latest effort by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to try to force out Maduro.

The Treasury statement said that Evrofinance has been a key "lifeline" of Maduro's government. It supported the Maduro government's failed effort last year to create a new cryptocurrency, the petro.

"Evrofinance's involvement in the petro demonstrated Maduro's hope that the petro would allow Venezuela to circumvent U.S. financial sanctions," the statement said.

The sanctions prohibit Americans and U.S. businesses from conducting any transactions with Evrofinance, with the aim of ending Venezuela's access to international financial markets.

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Bouteflika Will Not Seek 5th Term as Algeria's President

By VOA News March 11, 2019

Algeria's presidency said Monday that longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika will not seek a fifth term as president, despite filing the paperwork to do so last week.

The presidency also announced that elections, initially scheduled for April 18, will be postponed.

Algerian media also reported that Bouteflika has named Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui as the country's new prime minister and charged him with forming a new government.

Bedoui will replace Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who resigned earlier Monday.

Bouteflika, 82, returned to Algeria Sunday after having spent two weeks in Geneva, receiving what his office called routine medical checks. But many have speculated that the health of the longtime president, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, is far more serious.

The president returned to a third consecutive week of protests against his previously announced bid to run for a fifth term.

Bouteflika, who has ruled the North African country since 1999, officially filed paperwork to run for a fifth term roughly a week ago, but had vowed that if he won he would only serve for one year before holding new elections.

France, Algeria's former colonial ruler, welcomed the news of Bouteflika's change of heart.

"Following large demonstrations, that took place peacefully and in a dignified manner across Algeria, France expresses its hope that a new dynamic that responds to the aspirations of the Algerian people can get under way quickly," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

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Introducing SciLinkR.com

A new website aims to bring together researchers and educators to promote science.

Suppose youre a teacher looking for a scientist to speak to your class. Where would you go to find one?



Suppose youre a scientist with a grant that requires you to publicize your research. How would you find an outlet, such as a museum or library, where you could deliver a lecture series?



Suppose youre a journalist who wants to find an expert on genetics. You could do a Google search, but then how would you choose from among all your options?



The answer to all of these questions is SciLinkR.com. A new national online platform launching on March 14, SciLinkR aims to be a meeting place for professionals interested in promoting and publicizing science. It will also enable users to document their outreach efforts.



While there are ways for these individuals to connect now, doing so can be burdensome and inconvenient. SciLinkR provides one central place for scientists, educators and science communicators to come together, creating new partnerships and enhancing the outreach already being done.



The overall objective is to create networks of individuals committed to educating the public about science, says Anique Olivier-Mason, who spearheaded the project.



SciLinkR will also emphasize connecting scientists with members of underrepresented groups in STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and math. This will be achieved by promoting the site with educators in underserved districts, who through participation in SciLinkR, can help their students become more aware, engaged and ready for professional preparation in those fields.



Olivier-Mason worked to develop SciLinkR with professors at Brandeis and Hampton University, a historically black university in Hampton, Virginia. Their work was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.



Olivier-Mason, the director of Education, Outreach and Diversity of the Brandeis Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), describes SciLinkR as OkCupid meets LinkedIn for science.



The OkCupid part will enable scientists, engineers, educators, librarians and science communicators to post profiles with information about their expertise, personal biography and location.



They can also indicate what they are looking for  for example, whether they want a cell biologist to talk to their kindergarten class or an aerospace engineer to speak at a planetarium.



The LinkedIn part will provide a way for users to network with collaborators in their area. Like LinkedIn, the site will recommend new contacts for users based on shared professional interests.



Meanwhile, scientists can input documentation of their outreach activities to the public.

The reports they file will be assigned a Digital Object Identifier, a string of numbers that permanently identifies a document and links to it on the web, so they can be shared and referenced by others. This will also ensure that scientists receive credit through documentation for what theyve done.



Currently, reports on public outreach are buried inside other reports that researchers make to grant agencies, Olivier-Mason says. SciLinkRs outreach reports will greatly broaden their impact and make sure this important work gets seen and promoted.



Finally, SciLinkR.com will allow users to upload public presentations theyve given so others can use them as well. This site feature will promote best practices by letting researchers reuse or adapt materials and approaches that have worked for others.



Right now, Olivier-Mason says, scientists often reinvent the wheel even though other researchers have likely given similar talks in the past.



SciLinkR is free for users and hopes to quickly build a national presence. By 2020, project organizers expect to have more than a thousand users.
Trump to seek another $8.6 billion for border wall in budget

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 02:40AM

US President Donald Trump is seeking $8.6 billion in fresh funding for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico when he submits his 2020 congressional budget on Monday, likely triggering another fight with Congress.

The 2020 budget request would surpass the $5.7 billion Trump demanded last year that led to funding standoff with Congress. It resulted in a 35-day partial shutdown of the US government.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed the move, warning Trump that another legislative defeat would await him.

"President Trump hurt millions of Americans and caused widespread chaos when he recklessly shut down the government to try to get his expensive and ineffective wall, which he promised would be paid for by Mexico," the Democratic leaders said.

"Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again," they added. "We hope he learned his lesson."

The request is in addition to the $8.1 billion Trump already has access to, which includes around $3.6 billion he wants to shift from military accounts after declaring a national emergency last month.

On February 15, Trump declared a national emergency to bypass congressional approval and secure funding for the construction of his controversial wall.

A few days later, lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted to revoke the president's national emergency declaration despite veto threats by the White House.

Congress had denied Trump's request for $5.7 billion for the wall and instead approved nearly $1.4 billion.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also expressed concerns that the new funding request would likely mean a renewed fight in Congress.

"I suppose there will be," he told "Fox News Sunday."

But Kudlow added the president "is going to stay with his wall. He is going to stay with his border security. I think it's essential."

Congress must approve funding for fiscal 2020 by October 1, or the government could shut down.

Trump will also seek $750 billion for defense as a boost for the military, but he will cut non-defense discretionary spending by 5 percent below the cap, according to an administration official.

The president had earlier called the Department of Defense's current budget of $716 billion "crazy."

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Hyundai Heavy Signs Deal to Take over Daewoo Shipbuilding

KBS World Radio

Write: 2019-03-08 17:04:56/Update: 2019-03-08 17:10:20

Hyundai Heavy Industries on Friday signed a formal deal with the state-run Korea Development Bank(KDB) on its takeover of rival firm Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

After the signing ceremony at 3 p.m., the two sides issued a joint statement and promised to maintain Daewoo's autonomous management system and ensure job security for its workers.

They also guaranteed to keep existing business relations with partner firms and parts suppliers of Daewoo Shipbuilding.

Hyundai Heavy and KDB added they will form a joint consultation group to gather opinions of stakeholders and will launch an organization to advance and restore the business environment for the shipbuilding sector.

They will also swiftly carry out necessary procedures for the takeover deal to be finalized.

Meanwhile, outside the Korea Development Bank, unionized workers of Hyundai Heavy and Daewoo Shipbuilding who object to the deal clashed with riot police as they attempted to enter the building and interrupt the signing ceremony.

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Don't Pass 'Fake News' Bill, Kremlin Human Rights Council Urges Parliament

By RFE/RL March 11, 2019

The Kremlin human rights council has urged Russia's upper house of parliament to reject bills that would outlaw online "fake news" and material deemed insulting to the Russian state or society.

If enacted, the bills would restrict the freedom of expression, the Russian Presidential Council on the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights said in a statement on its website on March 11.

It called for the upper house, the Federation Council, to send the legislation back to lawmakers in the State Duma, the lower house, which gave them final approval on March 7, to be reworked.

The bill would allow the authorities to block websites that publish what they deem to be "fake news" and penalize them for publications found to be insulting to state officials, state symbols, or Russian society.

The presidential council cited the European Convention on Human Rights in its statement, saying that people's freedom of expression cannot be restricted exclusively due to doubts about whether what is being expressed is true.

The council is an advisory body whose pleas often go unheeded by President Vladimir Putin, his government, and the Russian parliament, both chambers of which are dominated by the ruling United Russia party.

It also suggested that fines defined by the bills were too high and could lead to the closure of some media outlets in Russia.

The "fake news" bill would empower the state media watchdog Roskomnadzor to determine what constitutes fake news.

It would set fines for publishing "fake news" at up to 100,000 rubles ($1,515) for individuals, 200,000 rubles for public officials, and 500,000 rubles for companies.

The "fake news" bill says publications officially registered with Roskomnadzor, including online media outlets, would be given a chance to remove reports deemed as fake news before their websites are blocked.

It says websites that are not registered with Roskomnadzor would be blocked without warning.

The other bill would establish fines of up to 100,000 rubles for insulting the Russian authorities, government agencies, the state, the public, the flag, or the constitution.

Repeat offenders would face bigger fines and could be jailed for up to 15 days.

Websites would be given 24 hours to remove material deemed by Roskomnadzor as insulting, and those that failed to do so would be blocked, the bill says.

The three parties aside from United Russia that have seats in the Duma -- A Just Russia, the Communist Party, and the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party -- did not support the legislation.

If passed by the Federation Council, the bills would go to Putin for his signature.

With reporting by Snob.ru

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/dont-pass-fake- news-bill-kremlin-human-rights-council -urges-parliament/29815217.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.

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Russia Built 7.6 Mln Sq. Ft. of Military Infrastructure in Arctic - Defence Min.

Sputnik News

19:40 11.03.2019

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has built more than 470 facilities spanning 710,000 square metres (7.6 million square feet) in the Arctic over the past six years, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has revealed.

"In total, 475 facilities with an area of more than 710,000 square meters have been erected in the Arctic's Kotelny Island, Alexandra Land, Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt over six years", Shoigu said during a meeting of the Defence Committee in the Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma.

The facilities host servicemen and equipment, Shoigu explained.

Moscow has been actively boosting its capabilities in the Arctic region, erecting military bases, launching icebreakers and ramping up the air and coastal defences. The country has also repeatedly tested weapons and weapon systems that were specifically designed to be deployed in the northernmost part of Earth.

Apart from Russia, there are many other international players that express their interest in the Arctic. One of them is the United States which is also increasing its military activities in the area. In late 2018 reports emerged that Washington was eyeing to re-open a Cold War-era Adak naval air base on the Aleutian Islands. The facility, situated at close proximity to Russia's north-eastern border, was operational between 1942 and 1997.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the Arctic is an area where Arctic Council member states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) should work for constructive dialogue and conflict-free partnership.

 Sputnik

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Russian Army Tested Over 300 Models of New Weapons in Syria

Sputnik News

14:11 11.03.2019(updated 14:12 11.03.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian army has tested 316 models of advanced weapons during its participation in the Syrian conflict, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday.

"We have tested 316 models of modern weapons", the minister told the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Shoigu also stated that since the beginning of the Russian campaign against terrorists in the Middle Eastern country, the military has carried out at least 166 strikes with long-range cruise missiles.

The Russian military has been supporting the Syrian Arab Army in its fight against terrorism since 2015 at the request of Damascus. Addressing the operations in the region last year, the Russian Defence Ministry stated its forces have killed more than 86,000 militants and 830 gang leaders of various jihadist organisations, including Daesh*.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group, banned in Russia

 Sputnik

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Russian Defense Minister Says Army Now Capable of Remote Combat Missions

Sputnik News

01:17 12.03.2019

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian army can now fight in the remotest parts of the world, although just six years ago it did not have such an opportunity, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday, speaking at an extended meeting of the Russian lower house Defense Committee.

Shoigu explained how the situation faced by the country's Armed Forces in the beginning of the 2010s was improved. He also reported how many weapons the Russian army had tested in Syria, and how the missile capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces have increased. Shoigu's speech focused on Russia's defense readiness and related legal issues. The figures that Shoigu mentioned were related to the period after 2012, after he came to head the Russian Defense Ministry.

Syrian Experience

All military units of the Russian Armed Forces are now combat-ready, Shoigu said. He recalled that this was not always the case.

"In 2012, the composition of the stand-by forces included only 16 formations. Brigades were formed instead of divisions and were staffed 50-75 percent. The timing for bringing them to combat readiness in one hour was not reached", the head of the military department said.

Shoigu highlighted the opportunity for the Russian army to participate in operations in remote regions of the world.

"In 2012, the use of the Armed Forces in a remote region was out of the question. There was no one to fight and no weapons. At that time, the training to perform tactical operations was carried out with low intensity", he said.

According to Shoigu, as a result of the disbandment of the Main Directorate of Combat Training at that time, the unified leadership of the combat training process was lost. Since 2015, Russian troops have been taking part in operations against terrorist groups in Syria.

"In total, we have tested 316 types of modern weapons in Syria", the minister said.

New Missile

The Russian Armed Forces received 109 intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as 108 submarine-launched ballistic missiles in 2012-2018, Shoigu said.

"Over six years [2012-2018], the Armed Forces received 109 intercontinental Yars ballistic missiles; 108 submarine-launched ballistic missiles; three Borei strategic submarine missile cruisers; 57 spacecraft; seven submarines 3,712 new and upgraded tanks and other armored combat vehicles; more than 1,000 planes and helicopters; 161 surface ships", Shoigu said.

The minister noted that these supplies had allowed to rearm 12 missile regiments with Yars systems, 10 missile brigades with Iskander systems, 13 aviation regiments with MiG-31BM, Su-35S, Su-30SM, and Su-34 fighters, three army aviation brigades and six helicopter regiments with Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters. Twenty anti-aircraft missile regiments were rearmed with S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, 23 divisions with Pantsir-S complex, 17 divisions with Bal and Bastion missile systems.

Thanks to the Syrian experience, Russian troops received new light missiles of increased range (up to 15 kilometers) for helicopters. According to the minister, such missiles can be used without entering the kill zone of the enemy's air defense.

Shoigu said that Russia had increased the number of its high-precision cruise missiles 30-fold over the six years, and the number of their carriers had increased more than 12-fold. According to the information provided by the minister, in 2012 there had practically been no long-range precision weapons in the Armed Forces.

According to the minister, three units of unmanned aircraft in the Armed Forces were equipped with 91 outdated systems with unmanned aerial vehicles from the 1970s. "Their characteristics did not allow them to perform tasks in modern combat", he stated.

Armed Drones

The Russian army has received new opportunities for exploration and destruction of enemy targets with the help of drones, in the development of which a "qualitative leap forward" was made, Shoigu said.

"So, thanks to the laser illumination from the drones, it was possible to give a second life to the previously unclaimed high-precision explosive artillery shells Krasnopol. As a result, their consumption decreased  no more than two shells per one target, and the range of the use increased", the minister added.

The Russian army in 2019 will for the first time receive reconnaissance-shock drones, Shoigu said.

The minister noted that over the six years, 38 military units had been formed, which were armed with more than 2,000 modern unmanned aerial vehicles.

Less Failures

Shoigu also told how the army had managed to significantly reduce the number of weapon failures over six years. "Military representative offices have been revived in their modern form. Thus, the quality control of products by defense companies has been strengthened. The number of failures of new weapons and equipment has been reduced 2.7 times", the minister said.

He recalled that by the beginning of the 2010s, the staff of military representative offices had been greatly reduced, with their functions being partially transferred of the producers' own departments. However, their number began to increase again in 2013. In addition, Shoigu criticized the army's previous outsourcing system.

"In fact, outsourcing developed only where it brought a good income and there were no obligations", he added. Today, the situation has changed dramatically, Shoigu noted.

The work of the restored full-time military repair agencies saves about 1 billion rubles a year, the food control system in army kitchens allowed to save 3 billion rubles, equipping all military towns with utilities meters saved 5.3 billion rubles, he recalled.

"The repair shops restored at the arsenals in the current year alone brought back to operation 550,000 missiles and ammunition units. Their purchase would have cost the budget 63 billion rubles", the minister noted.

Growth of Army Confidence

Since 2012, the number of Russians negatively assessing the activities of the Russian Armed Forces has decreased to 7 percent from 31 percent, Shoigu said.

"Opinion polls conducted over the past 2-3 years show that about 90 percent of the country's population trusts the Russian army", he said.

The changing attitude also affected the growth in the number of contract servicemen in the Armed Forces. Since 2012, their number more than doubled almost to 400,000. According to Shoigu, now in each regiment and brigade, two battalions are staffed with contract servicemen, and the third with conscripts.

"At the same time, conscripts are not involved in the performance of combat missions", the general explained. A total of 136 battalion tactical groups in the Russian army are staffed by contract soldiers exclusively, Shoigu noted.

 Sputnik

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President Tsai lays out guidelines against 'one country, two systems'

ROC Central News Agency

2019/03/12 00:17:02

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () on Monday laid out several guidelines to help the government counter the so-called "one country, two systems" formula which China has proposed for unifying with Taiwan.

Speaking at a national security meeting, Tsai said China's proposal posed a serious national security challenge to the country.

In order to ensure that generations of Taiwanese will have the freedom to choose their future, she approved the guidelines for the national security team and administrative departments to follow in an effort to reinforce national security and prevent the country's economic and social order from being impacted by China, Tsai said.

Her remarks came after a speech made by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 2 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan."

In his speech, Xi said China must be reunified, and that the "one country, two systems" formula was the best approach to achieving reunification.

Beijing authorities have included the work to unify with Taiwan in their political agenda, Tsai said, warning this has sent the cross-strait relations into a severe and complicated phase.

Tsai's guidelines touched on several areas, including cross-strait relations, democracy and rule of law, economy, foreign relations, security, national defense, and social wellbeing.

Under the guidelines, cross-Taiwan Strait relations must be viewed in a positive way, but only when the principle of equal dignity is safeguarded, according to Tsai.

With regards to democracy and rule of law, Taiwan should push for the amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between People of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area and speed up completion of the legal framework to establish a network to protect democracy.

As for the economy, the guidelines required the government to work actively to push for Taiwanese investments that have gone abroad to return to the country, as well as to raise Taiwan's competitive advantage on the global supply chain.

In terms of foreign relations, the government must seek to link up with the international community to counter China's denial of the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan), according to the guidelines.

As for security, the guidelines stipulate that the government must closely monitor changes in China's political, economic and social conditions and take measures to prevent China's media manipulation targeting Taiwan.

Taiwan should also increase its defense budget and fully upgrade the military's capability, according to the guidelines.

In terms of social wellbeing, Taiwanese society should develop a consensus on cross-strait policy and unite to safeguard national sovereignty.

"As long as we stay united, national sovereignty, freedom and democracy will not be eroded, and 'one country, two systems' will not become the future of Taiwan," Tsai said.

(By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Ko Lin)

Enditem/cs

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Turkey summons Belgian ambassador over court ruling on PKK

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 05:56PM

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Belgian ambassador to the country, Michel Malherbe, to protest a Brussels appeals court decision that blocked the prosecution of people with alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.

"The Belgian ambassador was summoned to the ministry today to share our disapproval of the decision by the Belgian Chamber of Indictment on March 8," an unnamed source at the ministry said on Monday.

The source added, "Despite evidence submitted by the Federal Prosecutor of Belgium on the PKK's terrorist nature, this decision, as it stands, provides the terrorist organization with a very dangerous area of exploitation."

Belgian embassy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said it was possible to appeal the decision in the Belgium Court of Appeals.

"Turkey will continue its legal fight determinedly," he said. "We expect our ally Belgium to act in line with counter-terrorism responsibilities and take the necessary steps in the fight against the PKK terrorist organization in an effective manner," Aksoy noted.

On Friday, an appeals court in the Belgian capital city of Brussels ruled that "insufficient elements were provided to conclude that the PKK is guilty of terrorist offenses."

The court had already rejected federal prosecutor's request to send around 30 suspected PKK members to a higher criminal court, saying that "an armed campaign cannot be considered as an act of terror."

The defendants allegedly recruited young Kurds in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, and then took them to combat training camps.

The Belgian ambassador said last week that his country's position vis-a-vis had not changed. "The position of the state which I represent should be well noted: the PKK is a terrorist organization," he said in a statement.

But Malherbe noted it was "necessary to accept that" the Belgian judiciary and the Belgian government were independent of each other.

PKK militants regularly clash with Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq.

Turkey, along with the European Union and the United States, has declared the PKK a terrorist group and blacklisted it. The group has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984.

A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015. Attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since.

Over the past few months, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out operations against PKK positions in the country as well as in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria.

More than 40,000 people have been killed during the three-decade conflict between Turkey and the autonomy-seeking militant group.

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US Crossing Line With Remarks on Turkey's S-400 Purchase - Erdogan's AK Party

Sputnik News

14:19 11.03.2019

The statement comes just two days after a Pentagon spokesman warned Turkey of "grave consequences" if Ankara went ahead with the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system.

The United States is crossing the line over comments regarding Turkey's purchase of the S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, warned Omer Celik, a spokesman for the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party.

During a news conference, Celik said that Ankara decided to proceed with the acquisition of the Russian-made defence system after Washington failed to respond to Turkey's request for the Patriot missile system amid the Syrian crisis.

"NATO allies should have supported Turkey, whose air space became vulnerable", Celik said, adding that the country was left with no other choice but to buy the S-400s.

At the same time, he emphasised that the US did not oppose the purchase of Russian-made missile systems by other NATO members in the past.

"Why do they accept Greece having the S-300 system?" Celik added, pointing out the double standard used against Turkey.

The comments came on the heels of remarks by Pentagon spokesperson Charlie Summers, who warned Turkey against buying the S-400s.

"If Turkey takes the S-400, there would be grave consequences in terms of our military relationship, and the Patriots and the F-35s. They will not get the F-35s if they take the S-400".

Shortly after, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded that the S-400s "are not connected to the security of NATO, the United States or the F-35 in any way".

He also voiced hope that the issues in US-Turkey relations could be "resolved in the same way as it has on other issues".

Last week, a senior Pentagon general called on lawmakers from the Senate Armed Services Committee to block US deliveries of the F-35 fighter jets to Ankara if it doesn't give up on the acquisition of S-400s. He also warned that the Russian missile defence system posed a "problem to all our aircraft, but specifically the F-35".

In the meantime, Bloomberg reported last week that Turkey had rejected the US' $3.5 billion offer on the Patriot PAC-3 air defence systems in favour of the S-400s. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a potential deal last December.

Washington has on a multitude of occasions threatened to introduce sanctions against Ankara under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), a 2017 law drafted in response to Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, if Turkey purchased S-400s.

The Pentagon has been concerned by the possibility of Ankara acquiring Russian air defence systems along with F-35s, allegedly providing Russian experts with key insights into the radar's cross sections, flight profile and other sensitive data related to the jet's technology.

 Sputnik

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UK, EU talks on Brexit deal 'deadlocked': Downing Street

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:47AM

Negotiations are stalled between the UK and the European Union over the provisions of a deal setting out the terms of bilateral relations following Britain's upcoming separation from the bloc.

The two sides held "technical" talks in Brussels over the weekend, but a British government source told Reuters that the discussions were "deadlocked," the agency reported on Monday.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government has devised the deal, which was voted down at parliament in January.

The legislature is to vote again on the agreement on Tuesday, but the MPs have ruled out approving it unless the premier secured concessions from the EU.

The country is slated to leave the 28-nation bloc on March 29 as decided by the public during a June 2016 referendum.

Should parliament keep opposing the current Brexit deal or any amended version of it, the country will have to go through the divorce without an agreement.

Already, the referendum and its ensuing drama have cost the country to the tune of billions.

Last month, a senior economist at the Bank of England (BoE) said Britain had lost 40 billion ($51 billion) a year since Britons voted to leave the European Union. Also on Monday, the New Financial independent think tank said gearing up for the departure, more than 275 financial firms were moving a combined 924 billion ($1.2 trillion) in assets and funds and thousands of staff from Britain to the EU.

Some politicians, however, insist that a no-deal Brexit would still ratchet up such costs.

Writing in The Daily Mail, pro-Brexit Environment Secretary Michael Gove said while the prime minister's deal was a compromise, it should not be rejected "for that reason alone."

He appealed for unity among MPs and the country, saying, "We didn't vote to leave without a deal. That wasn't the message of the campaign I helped lead."

If it is rejected, MPs have been promised a vote on Wednesday on whether the UK should leave without a deal. If they then reject a no-deal Brexit, they could get a vote on Thursday on whether to request a delay to Brexit from the EU.

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Brandeis celebrates 60 years of the Wien International Scholarship Program

The first of its kind academic program for international students celebrated its anniversary with current and former Wien Scholars. Toshizo Tom Watanabe 73 also received the Alumni Achievement Award.

Brandeis University celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Wien International Scholarship Program over the weekend, bringing together 140 current and former Wien scholars, alumni, faculty and friends. The program encourages its scholarship recipients to use their Brandeis education to become engaged global citizens, and since its founding in 1958 by Lawrence A. and Mae Wien, 894 students from 115 countries have attended Brandeis.

Organized by a Wien alumni committee with support from the Division of Institutional Advancement and the International Students and Scholars Office, the celebration honored the vision and generosity of the programs founders by showcasing the scholars lasting commitment to Brandeis and to improving the world, long after they leave campus.

The weekend opened with a conversation among current Wien scholars, moderated by Jodi Hanelt, director of the International Students and Scholars Office. Small groups of students shared their perspectives on academic life at Brandeis, the clubs and organizations that are most meaningful to them, what they wish they knew before they came to Brandeis and what it means to be a Wien scholar in 2019.

Yasmin Bedair 19, a health, science, society and policy major and education minor from Egypt who hopes to become a teacher one day, spoke about the community she found through the Wien program. Being a Wien scholar today means celebrating our differences. From there, we could find similarities and shared experiences, she said.

When I first came [to Brandeis], I was very homesick...but with every Wien event we were able to connect on similar struggles, similar accomplishments, and for that Im very thankful.

Like many of us here today, I would not have been able to attend an elite university in the United States were it not for the wonderfully generous Wien scholarship, added Sonia Pavel 20, a philosophy and anthropology major from Bucharest, Romania.

I came here and I was surrounded by kindness and support and encouragement, particularly from faculty membersto pursue the mission that most of us feel as Wien scholars: to excel as scholars and to find what were passionate about. Pavel plans to pursue a PhD program next year.

Following the student perspectives, a panel of distinguished Wien alumni discussed the achievements of the program over the past 60 years, and how they are continuing to live out the vision of its founders. Vyjayanthi Rao 89, director of the Terreform Center for Advanced Urban Research, moderated the discussion.

Born to a Chinese family in Mozambique, Isabel Chiu 82 described her experience attending school in Swaziland to receive a multi-racial education not under Apartheid. It was there she first learned of Brandeis from another Wien scholar that had attended the same school.

Brandeis was a gateway to excellence in academia, a gateway to freedom, she said. We dont need to return to our home countries to make a difference. We need to be engaged citizens wherever we are, she said. To current and future Wien scholars, she said, You play a bigger role than you know. When I was at Brandeis, coming from Southern Africa, what struck me was how much Brandeis needed us. The prospective that Wien scholars offer to Brandeis is enormous.

Japanese entrepreneur and philanthropist Toshizo Tom Watanabe 73 received the Alumni Achievement Award at a gala Saturday evening. In presenting the award, President Liebowitz praised Watanabe, a former Wien scholar, as a proponent of cross-cultural understanding who carried forth the legacy of the Wien program by providing scholarships for students from Japan to attend Brandeis.

In November, Watanabe generously donated $10 million to his alma mater to establish the Toshizo Watanabe International Scholarship Program. The gift was the single largest that Brandeis has ever received from an international graduate.

In receiving the award, Watanabe reflected on the power of education. I hope that all of us take the wealth of our education, knowledge and experience, and go out into the world and live a life that matters, he said. My goal for the rest of my life is to support students who would not be able to receive a decent education without financial aid. To me, this is what matters.

The weekend concluded on Sunday with a faculty discussion about the impact of the Wien program in the classroom, moderated by Provost Lisa Lynch and featuring James Haber, professor of biology and director of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, and Suleymon Dost, assistant professor of Classical Islam.

Professor Dost reflected, "Diversity does not come just because you wish for it. Inclusiveness does not appear just because you put it in a mission statement. When I had [Wien] students in my classes, all from different parts of the Islamic world, it added so much taste and flavor to the classroom. That's what really matters."
30m boost to fast-track battlefield apps

Digital apps are set to redefine the battlefield as the Defence Secretary announces a 30m boost to fast-track agile software development technology

11 March 2019

The funding, drawn from the multi-million Transformation Fund, will spark a step change in the development of application software for the Armed Forces and allow the rapid adaption of the state-of-the-art technology to be used in extreme environments, from natural disasters to the frontline.

The crucial technology will also give the military the warfighting edge they need to outpace adversaries and combat emerging threats, allowing those on the ground to demand responsive software that can visualise and automate secure, critical information, tailored to their mission, anywhere in the world.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"From major natural disasters to the frontline on the battlefield, our Armed Forces are quick to react and even quicker to adapt. This technology matches that agility by enabling the creation of specialist digital applications that are tailored, secure and responsive."

"By deploying this technology into the hands of our military, from sailors serving in the Caribbean, to pilots working in the Middle East, we will ensure we have a fighting force fit for the future, equipped with state-of-the-art technology at their fingertips."

The new approach, championed by Joint Forces Command, will allow defence specialists to create and tailor applications rapidly to meet an operational commander's requirements, assure its robustness and security, and deploy it on military networks in a matter of days.

As a mission evolves and changes, the application will be able to be adapted and changed to keep step with the demands of the operation.

The capability, dubbed PREDA - Platform for Rapid Exploitation of Digital Applications - is similar to the technology being introduced by the United States Air Force (USAF) and US Marine Corps, which has already seen direct benefits from putting modern applications and decision support software directly in the hands of the war-fighter, when and where it is needed.

The USAF has already delivered 18 tailored applications to support planning, command and control functions at its Air Operations Centers. Further applications are being explored in budgeting and acquisition, cyber defence and logistics.

Whilst the approach is initially expected to provide tools to support decision making and command and control, the initiative could be rolled out to other disciplines, such as cyber defence, logistics and medical support.

The technology is expected to be in use on operations across the globe by the end of the year.

The funding for the innovative Application and Software Design comes after the Defence Secretary announced a 66m funding injection for military robotic projects last week.

As part of the Modernising Defence Programme, the Defence Secretary has dedicated millions of pounds to transforming defence, arming the British military with innovative technology through fast-tracking new projects.

The MOD is embracing transformation at an ever-faster rate and the Transformation Fund is focused on investments in truly high-tech innovation that will develop the Armed Forces of the future.

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New Gurkha battalion to be established as brigade grows

Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster has confirmed that a new specialist Gurkha battalion is being formed.

11 March 2019

The 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles will be established as a Specialised Infantry Battalion and will begin recruiting in 2019.

The 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles will join other members of the Specialist Infantry Group, to complete plans set out in the 2015 Defence Review to establish up to five Specialised Infantry Battalions. These specialised Infantry Battalions are designed to provide expert capacity building and training skills with a focus on niche capabilities or areas of the world.

For more than 200 years, Gurkhas have been an integral part of the British Armed Forces and have demonstrated exceptional military aptitude, with a 100% pass rate through basic training. Gurkha soldiers continue to make an exemplary contribution to the British Army through the unique skills they offer, including specialist language skills, which enable them to build longstanding relationships with the United Kingdom's global partners.

Alongside this new role, the Ministry of Defence will also be enhancing the support some Gurkha units already provide to the Army, for example the UK led NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and establishing additional Gurkha Engineer and Signals Squadrons . These are crucial capabilities to enable the UK to meet its global defence commitments.

The new units will allow Gurkhas to access more career opportunities, including promotion and increased chances to serve a full 24-year Army career within the Brigade of Gurkhas.

Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster said:

"The Gurkhas have built an outstanding reputation for their skill and bravery as soldiers through centuries of service and sacrifice."

"They bring unique expertise and perspective to the United Kingdom and British Army which makes them an ideal choice to form a third battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles as a Specialised Infantry Battalion."

Colonel of the Royal Gurkha Rifles Major General Gez Strickland DSO MBE said:

"The Royal Gurkha Rifles is delighted to be able to support the Army by creating a third battalion. The specialised infantry role is exciting and challenging and we look forward to learning new skills and making new partnerships around the world as we begin the new task. We are enormously proud of the Army's confidence in our ability to take this on."

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Brexit: Leap Into Dark or More Delay?

By Jamie Dettmer March 11, 2019

For Britain, leaving the EU with a transition deal will be wrenching enough, a seismic realignment that will tear apart business, economic, security, legal, cultural and political ties that have deepened over half-a-century, enmeshing Britain in Europe and Europe in Britain.

But crashing out without a withdrawal agreement will be even more painful  a real leap into the dark.

With less than three weeks to go before the country's March 29 Brexit deadline it still remains unclear whether the country will leave the bloc with a withdrawal deal or crash out without one, exiting even more chaotically and harmfully.

Or the British parliament could just delay the whole thing. Monday night Theresa May flew to Strasbourg for last-minute talks with EU negotiators.

For the three million continental Europeans living in Britain and a million-and-half Britons living in other EU member states these days are nail-biting. They fear for their jobs, health care and even their homes with their residency rights up in the air. EU citizens in Britain are being required to re-apply for residency  no matter if they've been settled in Britain for decades. The government says they'll be able to remain, but nothing is legally guaranteed.

Danish-born Tove MacDonald is dismayed about having to re-apply to stay in a country she's called home for more than half a century. The 87-year-old, who's married to a Scot and has raised two children, posted on the internet, "it makes me feel very sad because this has been my home for all these years and I feel more Scottish than Danish."

Belgian-born Corine Byron-Danuser says before the Brexit referendum she was "probably one of the proudest non-British Brits you could possibly imagine." The 46-year-old mother-of-one has been here for 15 years, and during her marriage to a British serviceman she sang gustily "God Save the Queen" with the other military wives.

But her "sense of belonging" has been shaken because of a rise in nativism, she told VOA. "It is really hard because the place you called home no longer is. You don't actually know any more where home is," she explained. She describes a recent date with a guy she thought "lovely" at first, until Brexit was broached. "Their followed a tirade against foreigners," she says. There was no second date.

Brexit has prompted a Brexodus with tens of thousands of EU nationals leaving. Net migration from the EU to the UK slumped in 2018 to a six-year low, according to government data, with only a 57,000 net increase. For many Brexiters that's cause for celebration, but not for farmers, or construction and hospitality businesses, nor for the bosses of Britain's under-staffed National Health Service.

On Tuesday, Britain's deadlocked House of Commons is due to vote for a second time on a transition deal Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to with the EU after more than two years of ill-tempered wrangling. But as of Monday, there was fifty-fifty chance she would postpone the vote. In January parliament rejected the deal in the biggest rebuff ever suffered by a British prime minister.

Whenever she calls for a vote, she seems on course for another trouncing, say lawmakers, with hardline Brexiters and pro-EU Remainers opposed.

What happens then is anyone's guess. A request for a Brexit postponement is the most likely scenario, but no one is ruling Britain crashing out of the EU without any transition deal. In a rare public admission of impotence, May has said, "no one knows what will happen."

The uncertainty is infuriating business owners, depressing economic growth and fueling anxiety. Firms have put investment on hold, adopting a wait-and-see approach. That's lowered productivity rates. Businesses have been warning for months about both the repercussions of a no-deal Brexit as well the damage being wrought by just not knowing how or when or if the country will break away.

Companies have been stockpiling everything they can  from airplanes to car parts  but have been running out of storage space. "We are facing a 'perfect storm' in the warehousing and logistics industry," the UK Warehousing Association has warned in a statement.

Fear of a no-deal Brexit has prompted supermarket chains to stockpile imported food; and the NHS and armed forces have been hoarding drugs. So, too, are consumers, fearing the price shock they'll face as a result of the reimposition of tariffs for goods, which will drive up shop prices and lead to delays and shortages in fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, say Britain's retailers.

Remainers have been painting ever more lurid depictions of economic breakdown and social stress. Brexiters dismiss the dire forecasts as fanciful, dubbing them "Project Fear," part of a naysaying vision offered by traitorous globalists. They say even if the country crashes out, it will thrive, and they point to how well foreign investment into Britain has stood up.

Foreign investment, indeed, has been inching up, and in the first full year after the Brexit plebiscite it did hit a record high. But the headline figure is deceptive, warn economists. The increase is far lower than in the three years before the referendum and is increasing at its weakest rate in almost a decade. More ominously, foreign investment has plunged by 19 percent for 'greenfield' projects, where an investor builds a business from scratch.

The British and EU governments have started to implement contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit. A taste of what that would mean for travelers and shippers came last week when France and Belgium tested new Brexit-style border arrangements, triggering two-hour long lines for disembarking rail passengers and lengthy gridlock for transport haulers.

"This will be what it is like after Brexit," mused a French port director.

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Trump Administration Interested in Extending New START Treaty - Undersecretary

Sputnik News

19:25 11.03.2019(updated 21:40 11.03.2019)

WASHINGTON, 11 March (Sputnik) - The Trump administration is interested in extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) beyond 2020, Undersecretary of State Andrea Thompson said at the 2019 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference on Monday.

"I'd also counter the narrative that the [United States] president isn't interested in the New START", Thompson said when asked about concerns regarding Trump's commitment to the treaty. "We've had discussions, we're in an inter-agency process now. We've had the discussions on the extension, what it means, where we are".

Thompson said she wanted to counter the notion that Trump does not want to renew the agreement.

"I would actually push back on that assessment", Thompson said when asked about what a moderator called "Trump's expressed disinterest in extending New START".

Thomson noted that the United States is continuing to abide by the treaty's terms, adding that "we met the central limits, as did our Russian counterparts last year".

US and Russian officials also continue to meet at the expert level, she said.

She noted that Russia and the United States still have two years to decide whether to extend the treaty, adding that Washington would make its final decision based on what would best uphold the safety and security of the American people.

The Russia-US New START Treaty entered into force in 2011 and covers a 10-year period with the possibility of a five-year extension. It is based on several previous joint non-proliferation arrangements and limits the number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, nuclear-armed bombers, and nuclear warheads.

 Sputnik

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Dublin, Feb. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Outlook to 2022 - By Sea, Air and Road Freight Movement; By International and Domestic Freight; By Express and Normal Delivery; By Flow Corridors and By End Users (Oil and Gas, FMCG, Construction and Others)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The growth of freight forwarding in Kuwait was supported by development in major industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, construction, agriculture and mining. Expanding FMCG sector, retail sector, food and E-commerce industry in the country has attributed to the growth of the freight forwarding industry in the country. The Kuwait market witnessed the entry of many foreign players as flexible policies were introduced by the government to boost the economic growth of the country. Entry of new players has further aided the demand in the freight forwarding market.



Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation

By Freight Movement

Sea (Inland Waterway and maritime) dominated in freight movement in freight forwarding market in 2017 due to major cargo transportation taking place through ocean such as oil and gas. The port of Shuwaikh is the major port used for sea freight and generates highest cargo volume.



Sea is favorable for shipments which have heavy items involving a longer transit time and is a safe means of transporting goods at a reasonable cost. The majority of the industries have been majorly operating near to Shuwaikh port which further drives the demand for industrial freight cargo in the country.



Air contributed second highest revenue share to the freight forwarding market majorly driven by the express shipments in the country. The international shipments also attributed to the freight movement through air. E-commerce market has driven the air freight market in the country. On the other hand, road contributed the least share and is generally used for the domestic shipments.



By Mode of Freight

International freight forwarding dominated the freight forwarding industry in Kuwait owing to the free trade agreements of GCC with European Free Trade Association and Trade and Agreement Framework Agreement with the US. Moreover, Kuwait has signed bilateral investment agreements with nations including Austria, Belarus, China, Croatia, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India and others which further boosted international freight forwarding sector. The freight movements prevalent in the international freight forwarding include air and sea for the products and services to be transferred internationally.



By Type of Delivery

Express delivery shipments are time sensitive and the cost is generally higher than the normal delivery. Commercial documents, transport documents, financial documents and government documents involved in international trade such as quotations, sales contract, shipping order, doc receipt and other bills of exchange were observed to be generally traded through express delivery shipment in Kuwait.



By Flow Corridors

Asia flow corridor is the largest contributor in terms of revenue in the freight forwarding market. This growth has been attributed on the account of strategic location and trade strategy of various companies trying to expand their operations in other Asia Pacific countries. It was followed by Europe, North America, GCC and other flow corridors.



By End-User

Oil and Gas industry dominated the end user segment in Kuwait freight forwarding market. Kuwait has been a major supplier and member in the OPEC group. Oil comprises approximately half of Kuwait's GDP. This positively increases the revenue contribution of oil and gas industry in Kuwait freight forwarding market, due to rise in export of crude oil has significantly drive the demand for sea freight and domestic freight in Kuwait. On the other hand, FMCG sector is the second largest end user segment in Kuwait freight forwarding market as Kuwait largely relies on importing goods from other countries rather than manufacturing which automatically increases the use of air and sea freight to import majority of the products from other countries.



Competitive Landscape

The freight forwarding industry in the country is moderately fragmented with the presence of both domestic and international players in the industry. Companies in the Kuwait have been focusing towards providing data oriented solutions and other services for operational excellence, timely customer support and the effective adherence of the consumers' expectations, thus providing customer satisfaction and retain customers.



Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Future Outlook and Projections

Kuwait will witness construction of many new roads and bridges which will aid against the traffic congestion problem in the country and positively affect the trucking industry, hence aiding the domestic logistics. The freight forwarding industry in the Kuwait will continue to dominate the overall logistics market in the coming years. The government of Kuwait has allocated USD 80 billion budget in the year 2015 for construction and transportation project in the country which will in future aid the cargo transportation industry.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Executive Summary



2. Research Methodology

Market Definitions

Abbreviations

Consolidated Research Approach

Variables (Dependent and Independent)

Correlation Matrix

Regression Matrix

Limitations and Conclusion

3. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Ecosystem

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Ecosystem - Supplier Side

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Ecosystem - Demand Side

4. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Timeline and Overview



5. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Volume Handled

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Volume Handled - Sea

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Volume Handled - Air

6. Market Size

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Size, 2012-2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by Freight Movement, 2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by International and Domestic Freight Forwarding, 2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by Type of Delivery, 2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by Flow Corridor, 2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by International and Domestic Companies, 2017

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation by End Users, 2017

7. Trends and Developments in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Industry Activities

8. Issues and Challenges in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market



9. SWOT Analysis for Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market



10. Government Role in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market

Government Role in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - Customs Clearance Process

Government Role in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - Documentary Requirements for Customs

Government Role in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - For Vehicles

Government Regulations in Freight Forwarding Market for Food Items

11. Competitive Scenario of Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market

Freight Forwarding Companies Operation in Kuwait

12. Directory of Major Players in Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market



13. Profiles of Major Freight Forwarding Companies

DHL Kuwait

ARAMEX Kuwait

Dolphin Shipping & Logistics

Leaders International Shipping

Enkay Express

Agility Kuwait

KGL Logistics Kuwait

CEVA Logistics

GAC Logistics

Hellmann Kuwait

UAGSCO Shipping & Logistics

Other Company Profiles

14. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - Future Outlook and Projections, 2017-2022

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - Future Segmentation by End User and Type of Delivery, 2022

Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market- Future Segmentation by Freight Movement and International and Domestic Freight, 2022

15. Kuwait Freight Forwarding Market - Analyst Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4f4tdd/kuwait_freight?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Washington, DC, March 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the New Civil Liberties Alliance filed an amicus curiae brief at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in support of the appellants in Guedes v. ATF and Correa v. Barr. Their preliminary injunction requests to stop the Bump Stock Type Devices Final Rule from taking effect were rejected by a U.S. District Court in Washington, DC late last month. NCLA filed the brief on its own behalf and on behalf of its client, Clark Aposhian, whom NCLA represents in a separate bump stock lawsuit pending in Utah.

The Final Rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) bans the possession of all bump-fire stocks and takes effect March 26th, turning an estimated 520,000 owners of bump stock devices into felons unless they destroy or surrender the accessory by that date.

NCLA is particularly concerned with the DC district courts decision to invoke Chevron deference in accepting the ATFs statutory interpretation. Because the statute is criminal in nature, not even the ATF asked the district court to defer. Nevertheless, the weight of deference doctrines caused the district court to improperly sustain the validity of the challenged regulation. The court should have applied the rule of lenity, interpreted any ambiguity in the statute in favor of criminal defendants, and struck down the new regulation.

In addition to arguing that judges cannot defer to agencies interpretations of criminal statutes under Chevron, NCLAs amicus brief points out that Chevron deference tramples judicial independence and violates the due process of law by requiring the judge to defer to the legal interpretation of one of the parties in the case. NCLAs brief also shows that dozens of previous federal court decisions have held that this statute is not ambiguous, which deprives ATF of the ability to rewrite it.

Whatever the merits of banning bump stocks, that decision lies with Congressnot the ATF, not the President, and not the courts. The courts duty is to say what the law is, not what the law should be. When courts defer to agencies using Chevron deference, they violate their duty as independent adjudicators, violate the due process of litigants, and subvert our constitutional system. Steve Simpson, NCLA Senior Litigation Counsel

After treating bump stocks as legal for more than a decade, ATF now wants courts to pretend that bump stocks were always machineguns and that ATF was always wrong about the statutes meaning. This about-face is right out of 1984. But even if the Ministry of Truth proclaims that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, that does not make it so. Caleb Kruckenberg, NCLA Litigation Counsel

About NCLA

NCLA is a nonprofit civil rights organization founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the administrative state. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unchecked power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. For more information visit us online: NCLAlegal.org
English French

OTTAWA, March 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadas unions welcome the federal government's release of the final report of the Just Transition Task Force for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities, along with the accompanying report: "What We Heard from Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities".

"The Task Force worked to put people and communities at the heart of climate policy by developing ten practical and concrete recommendations on how to support affected workers and communities through the transition away from coal-fired electricity, with worker involvement and local decision making at the centre," said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Co-chaired by Yussuff, the Task Forces mandate was to provide the federal government with recommendations for how to support a just and fair transition for Canadian coal workers and communities, as Canada meets its commitment to transition away from coal-powered electricity by 2030. It has been working since April 2018 and included strong representation from labour, as well as a former employer in the coal-power sector, a councillor from an affected municipality, and experts in workforce transitions and sustainable development.



"I want to thank the workers and community members who met with the Task Force. Learning about their jobs and their communities and hear directly about what they need to make this transition away from coal-fired power a just transition was key to crafting these recommendations," said Yussuff.

The task force met with workers and federal, provincial and municipal governments and other stakeholders in communities with coal power facilities across the four affected provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.



"It has been an honour to serve as a co-chair for this task force and look forward to working with the government to ensure meaningful action on implementing these much needed recommendations," said Yussuff. "Canadas unions will be watching next weeks federal budget for signs that the government will support workers and their communities as Canada works to address climate change."

For more information, please contact:
Clinical execution and advancement of our SARA program, including initiation of the SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial for sarcopenia

Launch of our MYODA program for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)

Expansion of operations in the U.S.

PARIS, France, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biophytis SA (Euronext Growth Paris: ALBPS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel treatments for age-related diseases, today announced annual 2018 financial results and provided an operational update. The Companys annual 2018 consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS were approved by the Companys Board of Directors on March 8, 2019. Audit procedures were completed by the auditors and the issuance of the audit report is pending and will be included in the Companys upcoming 2018 annual registration document.

Annual 2018 Financial Results

Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2018 were 14.4 million, a decrease of 5.5 million as compared to 19.9 million as of December 31, 2017. During 2018, cash used in operating activities and investing activities were 12.3 million and 0.1 million, respectively, which were partially offset by cash provided by financing activities of 7.1 million.



Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2018 were 14.4 million, a decrease of 5.5 million as compared to 19.9 million as of December 31, 2017. During 2018, cash used in operating activities and investing activities were 12.3 million and 0.1 million, respectively, which were partially offset by cash provided by financing activities of 7.1 million. Research and Development Expenses. Net research and development expenses were 9.5 million for 2018, an increase of 2.5 million as compared to 7.0 million for 2017. This increase in net research and development expenses was primarily related to the advancement of our lead drug candidate, Sarconeos (BIO101), including the SARA-OBS observational study and the SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial in sarcopenia, as well as preclinical and regulatory development of our MYODA program in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Net research and development expenses included research tax credits (French Credit Impot Recherche, or CIR) and other subsidies totaling 3.2 million in 2018 and 2.6 million in 2017.



Net research and development expenses were 9.5 million for 2018, an increase of 2.5 million as compared to 7.0 million for 2017. This increase in net research and development expenses was primarily related to the advancement of our lead drug candidate, Sarconeos (BIO101), including the SARA-OBS observational study and the SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial in sarcopenia, as well as preclinical and regulatory development of our MYODA program in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Net research and development expenses included research tax credits (French Credit Impot Recherche, or CIR) and other subsidies totaling 3.2 million in 2018 and 2.6 million in 2017. General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were 4.4 million for 2018, an increase of 1.5 million as compared to 2.9 million for 2017. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily related to the expansion of operations in the U.S. through our U.S. subsidiary and an increase in headcount.



General and administrative expenses were 4.4 million for 2018, an increase of 1.5 million as compared to 2.9 million for 2017. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily related to the expansion of operations in the U.S. through our U.S. subsidiary and an increase in headcount. Net Loss. Net loss was 14.0 million for 2018, as compared to 11.4 million for 2017. Net loss per share (based on weighted-average number of shares outstanding over the period) was 1.04 in 2018 and 1.24 in 2017.

The table below summarizes operating results.



For the Years Ended December 31, (amounts in thousands of euros, except share data) 2017 2018 Net Research and development expenses (7,043) (9,513) General and administrative expenses (2,865) (4,348) Operating Loss (9,908) (13,861) Net financial expenses (1,500) (198) Loss before taxes (11,408) (14,059) Income taxes benefit - 72 Net loss (11,408) (13,987) Non diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding 9,188,179 13,463,413 Basic and diluted loss per share (/share) (1.24) (1.04)

We are very pleased with the operational progress we made in 2018, including executing on our clinical objectives for our SARA program. We are currently enrolling patients in the SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial, which we believe is now the most advanced ongoing clinical trial in sarcopenia, a large disease indication affecting millions of elderly people worldwide, with no approved medication. We look forward to 2019 and beyond as we aim to advance Sarconeos (BIO101) into the clinical for Duchene muscular dystrophy and begin to deliver clinical proof-of-concept starting in 2020, stated Dr Stanislas Veillet, Chief Executive Officer of Biophytis.

Operational Update

SARA clinical program in sarcopenia . In 2018, we completed the enrollment of 218 patients in the SARA-OBS observational study at sites in Europe (Belgium, Italy and France) and the U.S., which commenced in 2017. Additionally, we commenced testing of the safety and efficacy of Sarconeos (BIO101) in an ongoing global, randomized, multicenter, doubleblind, placebocontrolled SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial of 334 patients. We currently have 11 sites open in Belgium and the U.S., and are primarily focusing our efforts on opening additional sites to deliver clinical proof-of-concept.



. In 2018, we completed the enrollment of 218 patients in the SARA-OBS observational study at sites in Europe (Belgium, Italy and France) and the U.S., which commenced in 2017. Additionally, we commenced testing of the safety and efficacy of Sarconeos (BIO101) in an ongoing global, randomized, multicenter, doubleblind, placebocontrolled SARA-INT Phase 2b clinical trial of 334 patients. We currently have 11 sites open in Belgium and the U.S., and are primarily focusing our efforts on opening additional sites to deliver clinical proof-of-concept. MYODA clinical program in DMD. In 2018, we focused on regulatory advancement of our clinical program for Sarconeos (BIO101) in DMD. We received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and held regulatory and scientific meetings with the FDA and EMA regarding our clinical plans. Our goal is to prepare and submit an investigational new drug, or IND, application to the FDA and clinical trial applications to the applicable regulatory agencies in Europe in the second half of 2019 to commence a clinical proof-of-concept trial.



In 2018, we focused on regulatory advancement of our clinical program for Sarconeos (BIO101) in DMD. We received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and held regulatory and scientific meetings with the FDA and EMA regarding our clinical plans. Our goal is to prepare and submit an investigational new drug, or IND, application to the FDA and clinical trial applications to the applicable regulatory agencies in Europe in the second half of 2019 to commence a clinical proof-of-concept trial. Increased presence in the U.S. Through our U.S. - based subsidiary, Biophytis, Inc., we opened offices in Cambridge, MA. We hired Dr Sam Agus, our Chief Medical Officer, and Daniel Schneiderman, our Chief Financial Officer to lead our growing financial, clinical and regulatory operations. We plan to continue to expand our efforts in the U.S. to support increased clinical and regulatory activity.



Through our U.S. based subsidiary, Biophytis, Inc., we opened offices in Cambridge, MA. We hired Dr Sam Agus, our Chief Medical Officer, and Daniel Schneiderman, our Chief Financial Officer to lead our growing financial, clinical and regulatory operations. We plan to continue to expand our efforts in the U.S. to support increased clinical and regulatory activity. MACA program for retinal diseases. In 2018, we focused on preclinical and regulatory development of Macuneos (BIO201) for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We aim to advance our regulatory strategy and hold scientific advice meetings with the applicable regulatory agencies in Europe in the second half of 2019 regarding clinical development.

About Biophytis

Biophytis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel therapeutics that slow the degenerative processes and improve functional outcomes for patients suffering from age-related diseases. Our therapeutic approach targets key biological resilience pathways that can protect against and counteract the effects of the multiple biological stresses that lead to age-related diseases. Our lead drug candidate, Sarconeos (BIO101), is for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases, including sarcopenia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our second drug candidate, Macuneos (BIO201), is for the treatment of retinal diseases, including dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt disease. Biophytis is headquartered in Paris, France, and has offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Companys ordinary shares are listed on Euronext Growth Paris (Ticker: ALBPS - ISIN: FR0012816825). For more information please visit www.biophytis.com.

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward looking statements, please consult the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration document and other regulatory filings filed with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), which are available on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org) and at www.biophytis.com. This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to securities of Biophytis in any country. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and estimates, which speak only as of the date hereof. Other than as required by applicable law, Biophytis undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release. This press release has been prepared in both French and English. In the event of any differences between the two texts, the French language version shall prevail.

Biophytis Investor Relations Contact

Daniel Schneiderman, CFO

dan.schneiderman@biophytis.com

Tel: +1 (857) 220-9720

U.S. Media Contact

LifeSci Public Relations

Cherilyn Cecchini, M.D.

ccecchini@lifescipublicrelations.com

Tel: +1 (646) 876-5196

Europe Media Contact

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Antoine Denry

antoine.denry@citigatedewerogerson.com

Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 32 84 78
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgilOne, the leading Customer Data Platform for enterprise B2C brands, today announced the speaker line-up for the first CDP Summit abroad in collaboration with digital agency Inspired Thinking Group (ITG). Registration is now open for the London CDP Summit, a free half-day event that will include interactive roundtable discussions and panels featuring marketing executives from retail and other B2C markets, including MCM Worldwide, Arcelik and Wickes. The London CDP Summit follows AgilOnes recent growth in the EMEA region, with the companys revenue increasing by 136 percent in the region from 2017 to 2018, with further growth projected in 2019. To support this rapid company growth, AgilOne has more than doubled its workforce in the UK and Europe.



The London CDP Summit will take place on March 27 at ITGs London office from 11:00-5:00pm, including a cocktail and networking reception. Registration is free of charge to all eligible marketing, customer experience, and BI professionals from enterprise brands.

Speakers include:

Brina Nash, Global Head of Customer Intelligence & CRM, MCM Worldwide

Hayley Clifford, Senior CRM & Loyalty Manager, Wickes

David Elliott, Senior CRM Manager, Wickes

Bora Cetiner, CRM & Retail Analysis Manager, Arcelik

Mark Brennan, CEO, ITG

Omer Artun, CEO, AgilOne

We are excited to speak at the AgilOne Customer Data Platform Summit, where well be talking about why a customer data platform is so important to so many aspects of the Wickes business, said Hayley Clifford, Sr. CRM & Loyalty Manager at Wickes. With AgilOne's increased focus in EMEA, we are able to get the focus and partnership from AgilOne we need to make our CDP initiative successful. Their CDP Summit in London is the perfect chance for us to showcase our successes and help educate our fellow marketers as to what is truly possible with a CDP.

The London CDP Summit will explore innovative ways customer data platforms can drive value. Presentations, panels and roundtable discussions will cover a wide range of topics and varied CDP use cases, including:

Leveraging first party data to build effective customer loyalty programs

Creating better customer support processes and programs with integrations into call center service clouds

How to use a CDP to create to increase customer lifetime value and retention

Embracing consumer data privacy regulations to create more relevant experiences

Transforming into a data-first, customer-centric organization

The European direct-to-consumer market has embraced the concept of a customer data platform, and we are very excited to bring our successful CDP Summit series to London, said Omer Artun, CEO of AgilOne. The London summit will feature presentations from experienced marketing professionals who are using first party data to create more effective relationships with customers across the entire customer lifecycle. Were looking forward to our first summit in London and hope to see you there.



Click here for more information about the London CDP Summit, and to view the agenda and register.

About AgilOne

AgilOne is the leading customer data platform for enterprise B2C companies. AgilOne's vision is to restore the personal relationships companies once had with customers before channel-specific marketing silos got in the way. AgilOne enables a single customer view through a best of breed identity resolution engine used on first party customer data. Machine learning and analytical algorithms enhance customer data and leveraged through real-time APIs and orchestrated across all touchpoints. AgilOne helps brands build authentic omni-channel customer relationships that maximize lifetime value. The AgilOne Customer Data Platform supports more than 150 brands worldwide, including lululemon, Hugo Boss, Tumi, Schwans and Travelzoo.

Contact:

Lori Scribner

pr@agilone.com
French English

Press Release





Gosselies, Belgium, 12 March 2019, 8am 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 the appointments of Olivier Godeaux, MD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and Benoit Moreaux, PhD, as Chief Scientific and Technology Officer (CSTO), further strengthening its executive management team.

Dr. Olivier Godeaux is a seasoned biopharmaceutical industry executive with a proven track record in advancing drug candidates through all phases of development to regulatory approval and commercial launch. Dr. Godeaux held various senior positions in clinical development at fast-growing biotechnology companies, clinical research organisations and global pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, GSK and UCB, where he led several complex, large-scale Phase III clinical studies involving 1,000+ patients in Europe, US and Japan. Olivier Godeaux received both his Doctor of Medicine and his Master in Public Health degrees from the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. As Chief Medical Officer, Olivier will be responsible for the development and execution of the Companys clinical development strategy, advancing its late-stage products through clinical development towards commercialisation, while playing a crucial role in the interactions with regulatory authorities, clinical experts and key opinion leaders.

Benoit Moreaux brings 20 years of industry expertise in strategic operations planning and execution, as well as global quality assurance. Most recently, Benoit Moreaux was Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director of Nikkiso Belgium, where he oversaw the Companys scientific and technical operations, and drove business growth through innovation and product launch. Prior to Nikkiso, he held senior positions at Baxter and Johnson & Johnson, where he was responsible for drug and medical device development towards global product launch. Benoit is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and holds a PhD in Veterinary Sciences from the University of Liege, Belgium. As Chief Scientific and Technology Officer, Benoit will lead the preclinical activities and the clinical and commercial manufacturing operations.

Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive Officer of Bone Therapeutics commented: We are very pleased to welcome Olivier and Benoit to our team at this exciting time when we are preparing the start of two late-stage clinical studies and have our proprietary, scalable cell therapy production process fully operational. Together with the recent appointment of Linda Lebon as Chief Regulatory Officer, we now have a highly experienced team in place to lead all technical, clinical and regulatory aspects of the registrational programs for our two core assets, ALLOB and JTA-004. I am convinced that the teams relevant industry experience will be crucial as we further exploit our innovative platform and advance our product pipeline, which, in return, will drive long term growth.





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.
The BMF All-Industry Conference in Dubrovnik in June will offer a choice of four interactive industry workshops to attend as part of the Saturday morning programme, each offering a thought-provoking platform for group discussions.

The format is based on the specialist BMF Industry Forums which are growing in both number and popularity. There are now more than 15 such Forums meeting on a regular basis serving various sector and functional interest groups within the building materials industry.

Delegates will be able to attend up to two of the following special interest workshops at the BMF All-Industry Conference.

Marketing Forum

Mark Mallinder, Marketing Director of EH Smith, is the guest speaker at this workshop, setting the scene before a Q&A session that is certain to consider the impact of Brexit on business development and marketing strategies. The session is chaired by Lucia Di Stazio, Managing Director of MRA Marketing, the sponsors of this forum.

Plumbing & Heating Forum

P&H is the longest standing of the BMF Forums and one of the best-supported. The guest speakers for this special Conference session are Andrew Harrison, CEO of Travis Perkins Plumbing Division and Jonathan Collier, MD of Monument Tools, who are sponsoring this workshop. The session will be chaired by Mark Bradley, Managing Director of Plumbase.

HR/Mental Health Forum

Award-winning mental health campaigners, Neil Laybourn (pictured right) and Jonny Benjamin MBE (pictured left), will follow up their presentation on the main stage on day one of the Conference by starting proceedings at this important workshop. They will be joined by Brian Dow, Managing Director of Mental Health UK and Deputy Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness. This workshop is sponsored by Isover Saint-Gobain.

Young Merchants Forum

The BMF Young Merchant Group supports and encourages those progressing in their careers. Setting an inspirational tone for this workshop is Oli France, an adventurer and professional expedition leader who has led teams through some of the worlds most dangerous and least visited countries. This session is jointly chaired by MKMs Glenn Paddison, the current chair of BMF Young Merchant Group, and John Ryszkowski, Divisional Managing Director of ACO, who are sponsoring this workshop.

The sold-out BMF All Industry Conference, sponsored by the Crystal Clear Group, takes place in Dubrovnik from 13-16 June 2019. Further details on the Forums can be found are on the Conference website, www.bmfconference.co.uk.
Lithuanian English

Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB identification code 302648707, registered office placed at Elektrines str. 21, LT-26108 Elektrenai, Republic of Lithuania. The total number of registered ordinary shares issued by company is 648 002 629; ISIN code LT0000128571.



Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba (hereinafter referred to as the Company) announces that on the 12th of March, 2019, it received a letter from Lietuvos Energija, UAB informing that after the approval of the Supervisory Board of Lietuvos Energija, UAB, Rimgaudas Kalvaitis has been nominated for the position of the Chief Executive Officer (hereinafter  the CEO) and member of the Board of the Company. Accordingly, on the same day R. Kalvaitis submitted his request to resign from his current position as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Company.



Within two weeks, the Supervisory Board of the Company will decide on the appointment of R. Kalvaitis as a member of the Board of the Company while the Companys Board will take decision on the appointment of Mr. Kalvaitis as the new CEO.



R. Kalvaitis has a degree in physics and is currently managing his own company Technology Competence Center. Mr. Kalvaitis has many years of experience in leading innovative technology businesses in international companies Ericcson, Teletower, and BOD Group companies. Over years, he has acquired know-how in smart energy solutions and development of both renewable and conventional energy projects.











Berta Jasiukenaite, Public relations project manager, +370 694 60771, berta.jasiukenaite@le.lt
Today, Haldor Topse Holding A/S and Temasek have signed an agreement for Temasek to purchase 30 percent of the shares in Haldor Topsoe A/S. Closing of the agreement is expected later this year. Haldor Topse Holding A/S, which is 100% owned by the Topse family, will remain the long-term majority shareholder.

Haldor Topsoe selected Temasek in recognition of the value that the global investment company would add through its deep insights and connections in Asian growth and other emerging markets.

We are extremely pleased to welcome Temasek as our new minority shareholder in Haldor Topse. As a commercial investor, Temaseks capital will further enhance our considerable growth potential organically and through potential acquisitions. In addition, Temasek is an experienced investor with significant insights and networks in Asian growth markets, including China. We look forward to truly beginning our collaboration when the agreement closes, says Jakob Haldor Topse, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Haldor Topse Holding A/S.

Topsoe is in a strong market position after some years of consolidation and restructuring. Now, we are ready for growth, and following a successful closing of this deal I am convinced that the collaboration between Topsoe and Temasek will be extremely beneficial for both parties, says Bjerne S. Clausen, CEO, Haldor Topsoe.

SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken) and Citi (Citigroup Inc.) are acting as financial advisors and Kromann Reumert is acting as legal advisor to Haldor Topse Holding A/S and Haldor Topsoe A/S on the transaction.

Nomura is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Plesner is acting as legal advisor to Temasek.

The transaction price is not disclosed.

****

More information

Svend Ravn, Media Relations Manager, Haldor Topse A/S

Phone: +45 22 75 43 58

Mail: svra@topsoe.com

About Haldor Topse A/S

Haldor Topse is the world leader in high-performance catalysts and proprietary technologies for the chemical and refining industries. Based on cutting-edge research and development, we help our customers achieve optimal performance in all phases from design to daily operations  in the most responsible way. Topse is headquartered in Denmark and serves customers across the globe. In 2017, our revenue was approximately 760 million US dollars, and we employ some 2,200 employees. www.topsoe.com

About Temasek

Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is a global investment company headquartered in Singapore.

Supported by a network of international offices in 11 locations in Asia, Americas and Europe, Temasek is the owner of a 191 billion (S$308 billion) portfolio as at 31 March 2018, with two thirds underlying exposure to Singapore and the rest of Asia. Its investment activities are guided by four key themes and the long term trends they represent: Transforming Economies; Growing Middle Income Populations; Deepening Comparative Advantages; and Emerging Champions.
Date: 12 March 2019





Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.





Danske Bank A/S.





Pre-stabilisation Period Announcement





BNP Paribas, contact: Rupert Lewis, telephone: 0207 595 8222 hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation EU/1052/2016 relating to conditions for buy-back programmes and stabilisation measures under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014).





The securities: Issuer: Danske Bank A/S. Guarantor (if any): Aggregate nominal amount: EUR tba Description: xx per cent Notes due 15 March 2024 Offer price: tba Other offer terms: n/a Stabilisation: Stabilisation Manager(s): ABN AMRO, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB,

Danske Bank and ING Stabilisation period expected to start on: 12 March 2019 Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 14 April 2019 Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of overallotment facility: The Stabilisation Manager(s) may overallot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: OTC

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may overallot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time9. Any stabilisation action or overallotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.
English French

QUEBEC CITY, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nemaska Lithium Inc. (Nemaska Lithium or the Corporation) (TSX: NMX) (OTCQX: NMKEF) (FRANCFORT: N0T) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors:

Mr. Jacques Mallette, President & Chief Executive Officer of Raymor Industries Inc., a high technology company specialized in manufacturing advanced carbon materials for batteries and electronics, and a seasoned director of companies; and

Mr. Luc Seguin, consultant, former senior executive of Investissement Quebec (IQ) and of its predecessor Societe generale de financement du Quebec (SGF), and a seasoned director of companies.

Mr. Mallette is a senior executive and director with considerable experience within international companies, publicly- or privately-held; he is also an entrepreneur-investor in a high technology enterprise. He was notably a senior executive of Quebecor Inc. from 2003 to 2007 and president & CEO of World Color Press from 2007 to 2009. He is a member of the Quebecs Order of Chartered Professional Accountants and graduated from lEcole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Montreal.

Mr. Seguin has a 25-year experience in operational and general management in the industrial sector, including eight years in Europe, followed by 12 years in corporate development and financing. He was notably senior vice president, mines, metals, energy & environment from 2003 to 2011 with SGF, and vice president at IQ from 2011 to 2015. He is a member of Quebecs Ordre des ingenieurs, graduated from lEcole Polytechnique in Montreal and is an administrateur de societes certifie (ASC  Certified Company Director).

Michel Baril, Chairman of the Board of Nemaska Lithium, commented: We are very happy to have Jacques and Luc joining us as directors. Their significant experience as seasoned executives will prove a great addition to the Corporation, especially in the context of the current review of financing and strategic alternatives. Their combined experience and expertise not only proves remarkable, but also complementary to those of the actual members.

About Nemaska Lithium

Nemaska Lithium is a developing chemical company whose activities will be vertically integrated, from spodumene mining to the commercialization of high-purity lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. These lithium salts are mainly destined for the fast-growing lithium-ion battery market, which is driven by the increasing demand for electric vehicles and energy storage worldwide. With its products and processes, Nemaska Lithium intends to facilitate access to green energy.

The Corporation will be operating the Whabouchi mine in Quebec, Canada, one of the richest lithium spodumene deposits in the world, both in volume and grade. The spodumene concentrate produced at the Whabouchi mine will be processed at the Shawinigan plant using a unique membrane electrolysis process for which the Corporation holds several patents.

Nemaska Lithium is a member of the S&P/TSX SmallCap Index, S&P/TSX Global Mining Index, S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Index, S&P/TSX Equal Weight Global Base Metals Index, and the MSCI Canada Small Cap Index. For more information, visit nemaskalithium.com or twitter.com/Nemaska_Lithium .

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release including, but not limited to, those relating to the Corporations long-term potential, constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws and are based on expectations and projections as of the date of this press release. Certain important assumptions by the Corporation in making forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Corporation being able to bring the Whabouchi mine and the Shawinigan plant to commercial production.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release including, without limitation, those related to the above About Nemaska Lithium paragraph which essentially describes the Corporations outlook, constitute ''forward-looking information'' or ''forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of certain securities laws, and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect.

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements and future events, could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors and future events could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in our other filings with the securities regulators of Canada including, but not limited to, the cautionary statements made in the Risk Factors section of the Corporations Annual Information Form dated October 10, 2018 and the Risk Exposure and Management section of the Corporations quarterly Management Discussion & Analysis. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Further information regarding Nemaska Lithium is available in the SEDAR database (www.sedar.com) and on the Corporation's website at: www.nemaskalithium.com .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Victor Cantore Wanda Cutler Investor Relations Investor Relations 514 831-3809 416 303-6460 victor.cantore@nemaskalithium.com wanda.cutler@nemaskalithium.com Gabrielle Tellier Media Relations 514 348-0466 gabrielle.tellier@nemaskalithium.com
Charlottesville, Virginia, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SafeGuard Cyber, the leading end-to-end platform for social media and digital risk protection, has been acclaimed by Frost & Sullivan as winner of the Technology Innovation Award for Social Media Security.





As one of the worlds leading market research and consulting organizations, Frost & Sullivan identifies and assesses key emerging and disruptive technologies from various industries. After thorough investigation of the market, Frost & Sullivan recognized SafeGuard Cyber for demonstrating innovation and best practices, having exceeded customer expectations by discovering threats and helping them mitigate those threats in their social media and digital accounts.

SafeGuard Cyber has succeeded in providing unmatched security to enterprises, against threats from a wide range of social media and digital channels. SafeGuard Cybers comprehensive coverage has enabled it to discover and mitigate threats ignored or missed by traditional cybersecurity solutions, said Frost & Sullivan analyst Hiten Shah.

Virginia-headquartered SafeGuard Cyber provides a cloud-based platform to detect, prevent, and remediate cyber threats such as data loss, brand damage, phishing attacks, insider threats, VIP exposure, and compliance violations in social media, mobile apps, and collaboration networks. Frost & Sullivan notes a key differentiator for SafeGuard Cyber is comprehensive coverage, including the newest channels impacting enterprise business, like WhatsApp and Slack.

Digital transformation is not a call from the CEO, but a mandate from the customer, noted SafeGuard Cyber CEO and Co-Founder Jim Zuffoletti. As more enterprises look to transform, were proud to help security professionals become digital leaders by applying scalable cybersecurity solutions that drive business outcomes.

For more information about SafeGuard Cybers award-winning capabilities visit https://www.safeguardcyber.com/

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CALGARY, Alberta, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solo Growth Corp. (the Company or Solo Growth) (TSXV: SOLO) is pleased to provide an operational update and announce the implementation of several corporate strategies aimed at enhancing long-term value for its shareholders. Highlights include:



Three of the Companys Alberta retail locations have been inspected by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC);

Four of the Companys additional Alberta retail locations will be ready for inspection by AGLC in the coming weeks;

Management changes and the evolution of the Companys corporate strategy aimed at enhancing long-term shareholder value in light of significant fluidity in the regulatory environment for cannabis; and

Name change to YSS Corp. and proposed change of stock trading symbol to YSS to better align the Companys corporate branding with its retail and consumer brand.

Operational Update

The Company is pleased to announce that AGLC inspections have been completed on its first three fully-constructed and completed stores in Lloydminster, Vermilion and Vegreville, Alberta. With inspections completed, the Company is prepared and excited to open these stores immediately upon granting of an AGLC license, which remains at the discretion of AGLC subject to the prevailing supply constraints in Canada.

An additional four stores, located in Calgary, Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain are near completion and are expected to be ready for inspection in the coming weeks. The Company will provide further updates once AGLC inspections for those locations have been completed.

Management Team Evolution

The Company is very pleased to announce that Mr. Theo Zunich has been promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective immediately, and has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Mr. Zunich has been directly involved with the Company since inception, first in an advisory capacity with Eight Capital, of which he was a founding Principal working in the Investment Banking group, and since August 1, 2018 as VP Corporate Development at the Company. Mr. Zunich has over ten years of investment banking experience and has been involved in numerous transformational transactions concentrating on the cannabis, energy and technology sectors. Since joining the Company, Theos vision and knowledge of the cannabis industry has been instrumental to the progress and development of the organization.

Concurrent with Mr. Zunichs appointment, the Company also announces the departure of Mr. Pali Bedi from the Company and the Board of Directors to allow him to focus on other initiatives, including his privately-owned liquor business.

On behalf of my fellow board members, I am very pleased to welcome Theo to his new role and to the Board, particularly at this crucial phase of the Companys evolution whereby we have expanded our focus from a solely organic growth model to one that also encompasses acquisitions and other potential innovative structures that contribute to our vision, said James Miller, Chairman of the Board. Theos strong capital markets, finance and corporate structuring experience are critical attributes as the Company pivots and the Board looks to his leadership through the Companys continued evolution.

Focus on Strategic Execution

In response to regulatory changes that have occurred across the industry, management has increased focus on strategic opportunities within the cannabis sector that will drive shareholder value. Such opportunities could include accretive strategic acquisitions, partnerships and/or other ventures designed to supplement the Companys organic growth profile. With a strong balance sheet, extensive relationship network and aligned management team, the Company is well positioned to withstand short-term challenges and capitalize on opportunities that may arise within the current landscape.

The first five months of the legalized cannabis market has been extremely encouraging from a consumer demand perspective but has also been largely overshadowed by market volatility and regulatory challenges, said Mr. Theo Zunich. Our strong team, supported by our board, are more excited than ever at the prospects this nascent industry offers for Canadian consumers as well as our shareholders, and we look forward to continuing to execute on strategic and organic growth opportunities that underpin the Companys drive to deliver compelling value for shareholders.

Name Change

The Company also announces its intention to change its name to YSS Corp. (the Name Change) to better align with the Companys retail brand which will also evolve to YSSTM. The Companys shareholders will be asked to approve a special resolution to change the name at the Companys next Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the Meeting), expected to be held in the second quarter of 2019.

Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, the name change will take effect immediately following the Meeting. In concert with the Name Change, the Company expects to change its trading symbol on the TSX Venture Exchange to YSS. The Name Change and new trading symbol are subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Corporate Update

Over the last few months the Company has added critical administrative, accounting and human resources personnel to the team. As a result, the Company has terminated the services agreement with Solo Liquor Stores Ltd. and has moved its corporate headquarters. These changes provide approximately $200,000 in annualized cost savings.

The Company has an estimated working capital position of $18.5 million. In keeping with a strict focus on cost control, while also advancing the necessary infrastructure to navigate the current operating environment, the Company intends to continue building out the team from an operational point of view, which may include the addition of an individual with strong retail operational experience. As milestones continue to be met and operational progress is made, market updates will be provided.

Additional Information

For additional information regarding Solo Growth please see the corporate website at www.sologrowth.c a and filings available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

About Solo Growth Corp.TM

Operating as YSSTM, the Company is a cannabis retailer with the vision to become a premier retailer and the trusted destination for cannabis in Canada. Since its launch in June of 2018, the Company has built a strategic portfolio of locations while managing financial commitments and has completed construction and AGLC inspections of three Alberta stores, with four more in the province nearing completion. YSS management brings excellence across capital markets, financial management and a strong commitment to deliver shareholder value by leveraging high-quality opportunities within this exciting new industry. The YSS retail experience is built on our five fundamental pillars: convenience, value, selection, team, and above all else, trust.

Investor or Media Contacts:

Theo Zunich

President, Chief Executive Officer

and Director

Phone: (403) 455-7656



Solo Growth Corp.

Suite 1000, 350-7th Ave SW

Calgary, AB T2P 3N9

investor@sologrowth.ca



OR



Cindy Gray

5 Quarters Investor Relations, Inc.

(403) 231-4372 or info@5qir.com

Stephanie Bunch, CA

Vice President, Finance and

Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (403) 455-7656

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This news release may include forward-looking statements including opinions, assumptions, estimates, the Companys assessment of future plans and operations, and, more particularly, statements concerning: Solo Growths retail cannabis business strategy, including organic growth, acquisitions and other strategic activities; the ability to build, own and operate retail cannabis stores; the receipt of necessary permits and licenses to open stores; ability to find qualified personnel with operational experience and the performance of existing personnel; the ability to capitalize on potential opportunities that may arise and the ability to exercise thereon; the Meeting; the timing and approval of the new name and new symbol; and enhancing long-term value for shareholders. When used in this document, the words will, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intent, may, project, should, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties and, although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to: regulatory and third party approvals not being obtained in the manner or timing anticipated, including AGLC inspections and licenses; the ability to implement corporate strategies; the state of domestic capital markets; the ability to obtain financing; changes in general market conditions; industry conditions and events; the size of the recreational cannabis market; the availability of cannabis-retail products from licensed producers; government regulations, including future legislative and regulatory developments involving recreational cannabis; competition from other industry participants; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities. Please refer to the Companys annual information form (AIF) for the financial year ended January 31, 2018 and managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and nine months ended October 31, 2018 for additional risk factors relating to the Company. The AIF and MD&A can be accessed under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com.

Except as required by applicable laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Pittsburgh, PA, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Confluence, a global leader in investment data management automation for regulatory, financial and investor reporting, today announced that Jory Wheeler has joined the firm as Senior Vice President of Engineering. In this role, he is responsible for managing all aspects of the software development process so that Confluence can continue to deliver industry-leading data management products for its asset, fund management and service provider clients. The role was created to streamline and strengthen the development process for Confluences data aggregation, management and reporting solutions that help optimize performance, regulatory reporting and investor communications for many of the worlds top financial companies. Wheeler reports directly to Todd Moyer, who was recently promoted to President.





Wheeler comes to Confluence with 14 years of experience in the financial services industry, leading teams as they delivered cutting-edge technology solutions. Wheeler spent the past 14 years at global financial services technology provider FIS (previously SunGard), where he most recently served as Vice President, Product Engineering. In this role, he led a team of 80 development and quality assurance professionals in the development of financial services software products, and supported audit and corporate compliance. At FIS, Wheeler also provided oversight of Database Administration and Performance Engineering teams and was the primary liaison with corporate security.

Confluence is known as a global leader in data-driven managed investment solutions, commented Wheeler. Faced with a constantly evolving regulatory landscape, our clients face unprecedented challenges that can only be met with the development of new technology. Im excited to be joining a team that thinks differently about the power of data and I am looking forward to leading the charge to continue to deliver the highest standard of products and services for our clients.

We are excited to welcome Jory to the Confluence team, said Todd Moyer, President and COO at Confluence. His extensive experience in application development and his proven track record of successfully delivering mission-critical enterprise software will be essential as Confluence continues to grow and expand our global offering.

As a proven leader delivering an innovative platform to put the data first in asset management, Confluence is leading the DataTech evolution for post-trade reporting. We focus on getting the data right, then reusing it across multiple regulatory, financial, statutory, performance and investor communications deliverables for speed, efficiency and control. Eight of the top 10 global fund administrators license Confluence products and the top 10 global asset managers have business processes automated through Confluence. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Confluence serves the international fund industry with locations in Ho Chi Minh City, London and Luxembourg.
BOSTON, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Risk Strategies , a privately held, rapidly growing national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced the acquisition of Krauter & Company LLC , widely recognized as the leading specialty firm focused on the risk and insurance needs of private equity firms and their portfolio companies nationwide. Terms of the deal remain confidential.



Founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City, Krauter & Company counts more than 185 private equity firms and thousands of portfolio companies among its client base. The companys staff, numbering over 70 nationally and averaging over 25 years in the insurance business, is well known for its experience, depth, and proficiency in working with private equity firms.

Private equity is a fast-paced, high stakes world where specialty knowledge is key to keeping deals on track and ensuring they work out as expected, said Mike Christian, founder and CEO of Risk Strategies. Krauter & Company has earned a top-tier reputation in this regard and its approach and expertise are well-aligned with Risk Strategies client focus and culture.

Krauter & Company is renowned as a pioneer in its work for private equity funds, with the company principals having designed and placed the first private equity portfolio program in 1988 for a top-tier private equity firm. The company today continues to lead the industry in the design and placement of tailored transactional risk products, such as Reps and Warranties coverage and Tax Opinion Insurance. The firm also excels at deep M&A due diligence, employee benefits analysis, and a keen focus on total cost of risk for its PE clients.

Ive watched Risk Strategies grow since Mike Christian founded it in 1997, said Neil Krauter, founder of Krauter & Company. His focus on building an experts-driven, highly collaborative firm meshes perfectly with my understanding of what clients need and want. Joining Risk Strategies creates a powerful combination with unmatched capability and benefit to clients and their portfolio companies.

Prior to starting K&C, Neil worked at Lloyds of London, Marsh, and AON, where he built out and managed the AON Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Active in the private equity community, he launched the Private Equity Principal Group in 2014, which currently has over 130 members, and also serves on the board of the Private Equity CFO Association (PECFOA).

In addition to working with private equity clients, Krauter & Company also engages with large, nationally recognized companies across a wide variety of industries including accounting, airlines, staffing, and restaurants.

Beyond its New York City headquarters, Krauter & Company maintains eight additional offices throughout the United States, including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Boston. Many K&C employees have won industry awards including Risk & Insurances Power Broker, Business Insurances Women to Watch, and have been named to carrier Producer Councils.
Raleigh, N.C., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Army awarded Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) a sole-source contract in January to integrate its patent-protected state-of-the-art Augmented Reality software (ARC4: Augmented Reality, Command, Control, Communicate, Coordinate) into current and future Army vision systems and Army vision device displays.



Successful execution of ground combat operations depends on gaining and maintaining situational awareness of terrain, friendly troops, control measures, weapon systems, and enemy forces. Existing tools require Soldiers to access data on smartphones and tablets in a heads-down posture, which distracts from close-combat tasks, potentially jeopardizing safety.



ARC4, the leading augmented reality technology for dynamic on-the-move environments, tackles this challenge. It enables the user to acquire time-critical geo-spatial information with their head up and eyes out on the environment, viewing geo-registered icons overlaid on the Soldiers real-world view. ARC4 allows teams to perform tasks with high awareness of their surroundings, in close coordination with each other, and with enhanced safety and speed.



ARC4 software integrates with a variety of hardware vision systems and runs on a variety of computing platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Android. ARC4 integrates with existing command and control utilities, including TAK and Nett Warrior.



Over the past decade, ARA has pioneered high performance augmented reality for the dismounted warfighter, said ARC4 Product Manager Dave Roberts, with ARAs Southeast Division. We continue to push the envelope with ARC4 capabilities and are excited to partner with the U.S. Army in providing this game-changing heads-up situational awareness technology to improve warfighter operational tempo, team coordination, and personnel safety.



To learn more about ARC4, visit https://www.ara.com/arc4.



About Applied Research Associates

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) was founded in 1979, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to offer science and engineering research to solve problems of national importance. ARA delivers leading-edge products and solutions for national defense, homeland security, aerospace, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. With 1,200 Employee Owners at locations in the U.S. and Canada, ARA offers a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, biomedical engineering, environmental technologies, and blast testing and measurement.
New York, NY, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

New York, NY.March 12, 2019: On March 14th, 2019, during the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations intergovernmental conglomerate official commission that focuses on for the advocacy and the human rights of and empowerment of women, there will be two events sponsored by the International Fellowship for Reconciliation and others entitled Catholics for Human Rights: Challenging the Holy See at the United Nations.

The events will highlight the history and current role of the Holy See at the UN. Theologians, lawyers and advocates will examine the effect that the Holy See has on rights-related policy, interrogating the present practices and failures of the HS to adequately address human rights of women and of young people, especially in light of current global abuse scandals situation, presenting a case for the removal of the Holy See from the CSW.

Said Sheila Peiffer, President of the National Board of the Womens Ordination Conference: On March 14, a coalition of Catholics for Human Rights and their allies will be calling for the Holy See to be removed from participation in the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.

The Holy See is not a member state but uses their Permanent Observer status to wield undue influence in many spheres. Many times they take part in UN activities and mechanisms like a state, while other times they want to exert moral authority as a religious denomination. Unfortunately, their interference in governmental matters often dilutes their authority in places where they could be a force for good. As the world watches the Catholic Church itself grapple with a systemic child abuse scandal, it is more than ironic that the Holy See has a place in the Commission on the Status of Women, established to protect and enhance the life of children and women.

The most fundamental principle of Catholic Social Teaching is the absolute dignity of the human person, which in turn, means respecting each persons conscience.

The Holy See at the CSW has consistently violated this principle of respecting womens and LGBTQ peoples rights to conscientious decisions about their own bodies and lives. The Holy Sees fixation on the word gender has stymied many important agreements and aid packages. Their homophobic attitude toward LGBTQ people and lack of support for womens mental and physical health foments violence and obstructs progress towards attaining the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women as well as UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Holy See does not merit inclusion in the Commission on the Status of Women.

Each year, the session brings together those representing UN Member States and civil society non-governmental organizations to further the advancement of gender equality and gender justice, working towards common goals for the betterment of womens lives around the world and the fulfillment of the universally approved UN sustainable development goals.

The second panel will be held at The Community Church of New York and will turn a critical eye towards the Catholic Church in an effort to illuminate abuses and consider practices and policies that work towards harm reduction and healing. Speakers will demand that the Holy See step down from the CSW. In addition to a report and written complaint that will be made available to attendees, they will publicly discuss the central role the Holy See has played in obstructing any progress by the CSW in many areas of human rights, including in sexual and reproductive rights, and how the Holy See as a religious body exceeds their powers at the CSW and at the UN., In part, this is manifested by not as well as not complying with treaties related to the treatment of women and children, as well as to condemning and denying rights of those the committee is dedicated to protecting, from women and children to LGBTQ people.

These events are especially timely given that they are occurring shortly after a highly criticized international gathering of Bishops in Rome, where Pope Francis hosted a four-day summit on clergy sexual abuse and the myriad abuses of men, women and children by Catholic clergy. These events speak to gender-related discrimination within the Holy Sees very structure and its failures to adequately promote rights of women and young people within and outside the UN system.

Catholics for Human Rights: Challenging the Holy See at the United Nations

Location: Church Center for the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza, Second Floor

Time: 10:30 AM to Noon

Speakers:

Mary Hunt: feminist theologian, an active Catholic, a lecturer, writer, and co-director of the Womens Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER).

Virginia Saldanha: Activist, Theologian and Writer. Former Executive Secretary of the Womens Desk, Archdiocese of Bombay; of the CBCI Commission for Women and the FABC Office of Laity, Family and Women. Presently Secretary of the Indian Women Theologians Forum & Ecclesia of Women in Asia.

Mary Anne Case: Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School, her scholarship to date has concentrated on the regulation of sex, gender, sexuality, religion, and the family; and on the early history of feminism.

Amanda Ussak: International Program Director at Catholics for Choice, Ussak implements and manages Catholics For Choice international activities including initiatives with global advocates, policymakers and reproductive health providers and other influencers to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.

Kate McElwee, Executive Director of the Womens Ordination Conference, the oldest and largest national organization that works to ordain women as priests, deacons and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Catholic church. Kate McElwee currently serves as the Executive Director of the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC), where she has worked since 2011. Founded in 1975, WOC is the the oldest and largest organization working to ordain women as deacons, priests, and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church. Kate attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts to study Religion and later attended SOAS - University of London, earning an M.A. in International Human Rights Law. Kate also serves on the Leadership Circle of Women's Ordination Worldwide and the Parish Council of Caravita Catholic Community in Rome, where she has lived since 2014.

Survivor Voices for Justice: Holding the Holy See Accountable at the United Nations

Location: The Community Church of New York, 40 East 35thSt

Time: 2pm-5pm

Moderators: Kate McElwee, Executive of the Womens Ordination Conference and Amanda Ussak, International Program Director at Catholics for Choice (bios above)

Speakers:

Barbara Dorris: has spent the past sixteen years working with leaders around the world as SNAPs Outreach Director before assuming the role of Executive Director in 2017. She has managed international and national conferences, worked with media, helped to prepare a case to present to the ICC and the UN committee on the Rights of the Child. She has talked with thousands of survivors, trained volunteer leaders and help to start dozens of support groups. In her role as executive director, she guided the organization into a new era, helping to build strategic partnerships, expanding SNAPs role in exposing institutional corruption in the cover-up of child sexual abuse in institutions.

Carla Rivera: Venezuelan lawyer who has been working since 1998 in the field of reproductive health and rights. She is currently the Executive Director of Grupo Parlamentario Interamericano sobre Poblacion y Desarrollo-GPI, (Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development), which is the Secretariat of a parliamentary network that seeks to promote and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the in the Americas.

Sara Oviedo: former Vice-president of the Committee of the Right of the Child of the United Nations (until Feb 28th, 2017) Sociologist specializing in research on childhood and the management of programs and projects on childhood and adolescence.

Pam Spees: a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights with a background in international criminal and human rights law. She has spent almost a decade working with survivors for accountability for rape and sexual violence by catholic clergy in international courts and human rights bodies.

-30-
POINT ROBERTS, Wash. and DELTA, British Columbia, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investorideas.com , a leading investor news resource covering hemp and cannabis stocks releases a snapshot looking at the growing number of cannabis companies expanding their CBD capabilities, following the major market trends for 2019.



Every company and investor in the cannabis industry is well aware of the hype surrounding the potential for CBD and hemp. You can find a plethora of articles flooding the news about this sector, and the hype seems well justified according to research from New Frontier Data .

The momentum of CBD is making everyone take notice and many cannabis companies are not wasting this momentum for CBD, investing in new partnerships and business changes to ensure a strong position for the future.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. ( TSX:TGOD ) ( OTC:TGODF ) recently announced that it has entered into a multi-year extraction services contract with Valens GroWorks Corp. to have the first organically certified hemp-derived CBD products for Canada.

TGOD has been working closely with Valens to help expedite the pathway to organic certification for Valens organic processing methodologies. Upon certification, TGOD will have exclusive access to services provided by Valens for certified organic extraction processing for a period of 1 year.

Being first to market in Canada with organically certified hemp-derived CBD products allows TGOD to capture the organic CBD market share, securing future growth in this newly legalized cannabinoid vertical.

Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. ( OTC: DVLP ), an emerging company in the cannabis and CBD space is also making progress in the CBD market, having just announced the completion of its acquisition of Infusionz, LLC (CBD Infusionz), a manufacturer of CBD based products.

"CBD Infusionz is a true leadership play in the CBD space, with rapidly growing sales and the best quality products in the industry. This is the company that developed and launched one of the first edibles in the legal marijuana space and now they have created the best acquisition in the CBD space. Our business is growing exponentially with massive upside with capital improvements and operational sophistication. We strongly believe this acquisition adds an enormous dose of value for DVLP and its shareholders," noted the Company's CEO, Stavros Triant.

Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ( TSXV: KHRN ), ( OTCQB: KHRNF ), a vertically integrated cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America is looking to introduce its CBD brand to new consumers and international markets, having announced that they will participate in Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, taking place March 14-17 in Bologna, Italy. Recognized as the largest and most important event in the beauty buyers' calendar, this event brings the Company's Kuida cosmeceutical portfolio to a global network of retail buyers and distributors.

Andres Galofre, Co-founder and VP Business Development, Khiron Life Sciences Corp., states, "Our participation in Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna marks an important milestone for Khiron as we bring the Kuida brand to the global market for the first time. As well, we will be educating beauty buyers about cannabis legislation in their jurisdiction as it applies to CBD-based cosmeceuticals, and increase awareness of the market potential in this fast developing category."

Launched in Colombia in October 2018 through retail, wholesale and online channels, Kuida will now target the global skincare market which, according to Euromonitor International, is expected to reach US$131 Billion in 2019.

SOL Global Investments Corp. ( CSE: SOL ) ( OTCQB: SOLCF ) is looking more into supply than brand awareness, having announced that it has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire three tracts of agricultural property totaling 568 acres of land in the States of Tennessee and Kentucky for the cultivation and production of raw hemp biomass.

The Company will assign the agricultural property to its hemp/CBD-focused subsidiary, Heavenly Rx Ltd, which will allow Heavenly to fill future national or international orders using its own farms and supply agreements, a key development in Heavenly's strategic plan to become a vertically-integrated leader in the hemp and CBD marketplaces.

CBD/Hemp seems to be taking the spotlight away from its THC/Cannabis counterpart, due mainly to the fact that it is non-psychoactive, healthy approved, now less regulated and generally less socially stigmatized against. More and more companies are planning their futures around this very change.

We may never see a high number of THC/cannabis products sold in grocery stores and pharmacies, but CBD products will certainly be hitting shelves near you soon, if they arent there already.

For investors following cannabis stocks, Investor Ideas has created a stock directory of publicly traded CSE, TSX, TSXV, OTC, NASDAQ, NYSE, ASX Marijuana/Hemp Stocks

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TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --





The Great Place to Work Institute of Central America and the Caribbean has judged that Dinant is one of the best places to work in these regions.

Ricardo Gamero, Director of Human Resources, received the prestigious award on behalf of Dinant at a ceremony held in San Pedro Sula.

The award was determined by a rigorous staff survey conducted in September 2018 and consisting of 58 questions on all aspects of the companys organization and culture, including respect shown by managers, credible leadership, the absence of discrimination, pride in the companys reputation, and a sense of family and teamwork. Of the more than 150 organizations surveyed, Dinant came out among the very best for the whole region.

Company spokesman, Roger Pineda, said, Dinant is very proud of its family of almost 8,000 talented, loyal and hardworking employees, and I am delighted that they have demonstrated their love for this wonderful company by voting us one of the greatest places to work in the Central American and Caribbean regions. Our staff do such incredible things on a daily basis  from building iconic brands, to protecting our beautiful natural environment, to volunteering many hours in local communities  and this award is testament to their hard work.

Dinant is renowned in Honduras for creating thousands of sustainable jobs with company pensions and compensation levels well above the national minimum wage, and by significantly improving the skills, education and general health of the workforce. Dinant provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants, and its workforce welcomes employees with a wide range of disabilities, including four members of staff that suffer from visual impairments. In April 2016, Dinant pledged to donate land to enable nearly 500 employees to build high-quality affordable homes under President Juan Orlando Hernandez CONVIVIENDA project.

About Corporacion Dinant

Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras in 1960. Its products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic. For more information, visit www.dinant.com.

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporacion Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

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English French

MONTREAL, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSXV: XBC) (OTC: XEBEF) (FRANKFURT: XB6) (Xebec), a global provider of renewable gas solutions has signed a CDN$6+ million contract for a landfill biogas upgrading plant in Italy, to be delivered in late 2019. Fully operational, it will produce ~5 million m3 of carbon neutral Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) annually, replacing the equivalent of approx. 5 million liters of diesel fuel.



Similar RNG projects are developing throughout the EU, driven by both environmental regulations and government incentives. The Italian Government recently set aside Euro 4.7 billion (CDN$7.4 billion) in incentives to aid large gas consumers as well as incentives for biomethane in transport. Since then, Italys gas operator, SNAM, has received more than 800 requests from potential biomethane producers to connect their upcoming biomethane production sites to the existing gas grid, indicating a market size for biogas upgrading equipment in excess of CDN$ 1.5 billion over the next 3 to 5 years.

The Landfill Gas-to-Energy market is undergoing a fundamental change, in as far as Landfill Gas-to-Electricity projects are today financially challenging. Solar and wind power projects offer electricity rates as low as 0.05 euros per kwh, a rate Landfill Gas-to-Electricity projects can no longer compete with. Consequently, more and more waste companies and developers are looking toward Landfill Gas-to-Fuels, especially to RNG as a low carbon fuel alternative with a much better value proposition than electricity and a significantly higher return on investment (ROI).

This project represents solid sales growth for Xebec Europe, positioning us as a key player in the energy transition space. It also highlights our proven technology capability in handling biogas upgrading with high nitrogen content.

 Dr. Francesco Massari, General Manager, Xebec Europe

Upgraded landfill gas to RNG is playing an increasingly important role in the deployment of low carbon fuels in transportation. We expect Xebec to be a fundamental change agent in this transition, as we move from a fossil fuel economy to a low carbon renewable energy future.

 Kurt Sorschak, President and CEO, Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Xebec is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this fast-growing global market as our innovative, proprietary, fast cycle adsorption technology is generating an increasing amount of customer interest, mainly due to lower initial investment costs, low operating and maintenance costs, flexible and stable performance, combined with high durability and reliability.

 Dr. Prabhu Rao, COO, Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Related links:

https://www.xebecinc.com

For more information:

Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Sandi Murphy, Director, Marketing and Investor Relations

+1 450.979.8718 smurphy@xebecinc.com

About Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Xebec Adsorption Inc. is a global provider of gas generation, purification and filtration solutions for the industrial, energy and renewables marketplace. Its customers range from small to multi-national corporations and governments looking to reduce their carbon footprints. Headquartered in Montreal (QC), Xebec designs, engineers and manufactures innovative and transformative products, and has more than 1,500 customers worldwide. With two manufacturing facilities in Montreal and Shanghai, as well as a sales and distribution network in North America, Europe, and Asia, Xebec trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XBC. For additional information on the company, its products and services, visit Xebec at xebecinc.com .

Cautionary Statement

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. Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, the expectations and/or claims of management of Xebec with respect to information regarding the business, operations and financial condition of Xebec. Forward-looking information contained in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Xebec or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect forward-looking information contained in this press release. When used in this press release, such statements use such words as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "will" and other similar terminology. These statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this presentation. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.
WINTER PARK, Fla., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ruth's Chris Steak House will hold its second dinner in the 2019 TasteMaker series by showcasing Belle Glos Wines. The TasteMaker series provides guests with the rare opportunity to sample some of the finest wines in the world alongside several courses thoughtfully crafted by Ruth's Chris executive chefs.

On select dates in early April, locations nationwide will host an exclusive five-course dining experience featuring pairings from the California winery. Belle Glos is part of the Copper Cane Wines & Provisions family of brands, which is owned by fifth generation winemaker Joe Wagner  well known in the wine industry for his signature style of bold and complex Pinot Noirs.

The April dinner with Belle Glos Wines is the second event in the 2019 series. Belle Glos showcases distinctive Pinot Noirs produced from Californias most noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions. While each Belle Glos vineyard lies near the Pacific Ocean, the climate differences, varying amounts of fog, wind, sunlight, and soil type at each site create uniquely different expressions of the Pinot Noir grape.

"We are thrilled to partner with Belle Glos Wines for this TasteMaker Dinner showcasing some of the worlds best Pinot Noirs," said Abdiel Aleman, Vice President of Culinary Development for Ruth's Chris Steak House. "Joe Wagner and the winemakers of Belle Glos have been able to showcase a variety of different flavor profiles of the Pinot Noir varietal. Their dedication and innovation inspired us when creating this menu for our guests to enjoy.

Alemans favorite dish on the menu is the evenings main course: Filet Mignon topped with gorgonzola and caramelized onions, paired with a glass of Belle Glos Dairyman. Aleman shares, The caramelized onions in this dish are actually reduced using 'Dairyman'. This is a technique called bridging which brings depth into the complementary flavors of this pairing. Accompaniments to the main course will be Pearl Barley Risotto, and Roasted Spring Vegetables.

Leading up to the main course, guests will first enjoy a glass of Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc Oeil de Perdrix, a limited-offering rose made from Pinot Noir grapes, paired alongside a Roasted Heirloom Carrot Salad with quinoa, goat cheese and beet dressing. Next in the lineup is a glass of Belle Glos Clark & Telephone. The flavors of a Chorizo, White Bean and Spinach Soup will bring out the fruity aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry and cedar in this wine. The third course is a Baked Goat Cheese Crostini topped with apple, fennel and maple-glazed bacon. The rich complexity of this dish is enhanced by a glass of Belle Glos Las Alturas, a wine whose abundant fruit is beautifully balanced by firm acidity.

The evening will conclude with a Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownie, topped with Cherry Belle Glos Eulenloch Coulis, vanilla ice cream and almond bark. Dessert is paired with a glass of Belle Glos Eulenloch, a lush Pinot Noir with ripe fruit and low acidity. With dessert, guests can also enjoy their selection of coffee or tea.

Seating for each dinner is limited so guests are encouraged to plan ahead. For reservations and more information about upcoming Ruth's TasteMaker Dinners, please visit www.ruthschris.com/TasteMakerDinners .

The remaining wineries in Ruths 2019 TasteMaker Dinners series include:

May The Prisoner Wine Company June Duckhorn Vineyards August Veuve Clicquot October Wagner Family of Wine November Stags Leap Winery

ABOUT RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

Ruth's Chris Steak House was founded by Ruth Fertel 50 years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ruth had a recipe for everything  from how to prepare her signature sizzling steaks to how to treat her guests. This timeless formula is a testament to how one neighborhood eatery has become the largest collection of upscale steak houses in the world, with more than 150 restaurant locations around the globe. Ruth's Chris remains true to its heritage, helping guests make their best memories on 500-degree sizzling plates. Ruth's Chris Steak House. This is how it's done.

ABOUT BELLE GLOS WINES

Founded in 2001 by fifth generation winemaker Joseph Wagner, Belle Glos showcases distinctive Pinot Noirs produced from Californias most noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions. For more information on Belle Glos, visit www.belleglos.com .

ABOUT COPPER CANE WINES & PROVISIONS

With a focus on innovation and genuine craftsmanship, Copper Cane Wines & Provisions houses a collection of brands that are crafted to offer a touch of luxury for everyday indulgence. The current portfolio includes: Elouan, Belle Glos, Napa Valley Pinot Noirs from prime California coastal vineyards, Quilt Napa Valley Cabernet and Chardonnay, Boen Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay from California, Steorra  a Brut sparkling wine from Sonomas Russian River Valley, and Beran Zinfandels of CaliforniaSteorra, and Beran. Copper Cane is also home to Avrae, a premium line of cigars. For more information on Copper Cane Wines & Provisions, visit www.coppercane.com .

Contact: Carey Jester

Phone: 321-236-0102

Email: cjester@uproarpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8745c4df-860d-40d1-9618-5c22c0f6ee63
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoOum Corp's (OTCMARKETS: SOUM), an international, physical commodities trading company, mission reduces the scarcity of goods and commodities across the globe. Management of SOUM would like to provide a general business update.



Recently, SoOum Corp announced a new company division, Global Sales and Distribution. The divisions objective seeks to aggressively expand operations into new lines of business in countries, such as Nigeria, and to manage existing business relationships better.

In the past year, the Company negotiated the sale of USDA beef to the Island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. After some delays and renegotiating, the Company proudly announced the first shipment totaling US$56,000 which left port via Maersk shipping, arriving in Marsaxlokk, Malta in the next 25 days. Shipping beef into Malta makes SoOum Corp the first to ship 100% USDA prime beef from the United States in over 35 years.

SoOum management said it continues to make advancements on SoOum.com, the company's web-based platform for international trade. The designed platform acts as an integral tool for the professional importer, exporter or international arbitrage trader; geared towards bringing International trade to the public in an easy to use format. The company's goal would allow even the inexperienced public worldwide to get involved in International physical commodities trade.

The Company remains determined to grow revenues not by subscription fees, but by actually boasting a success ratio in completed transactions among all its free memberships . Instead of taking a registration fee from members, SOUM intends to assist arbitrageurs and traders in increasing their success rate in the system. Revenues can then grow much more rapidly and sustainable.

SoOum.com uses cloud technology, capable of finding arbitrage based transactions of physical commodities through advanced data searching and scraping. The systems design helps to take these transactions from origination to closing.

Furthermore, Management continues to pursue different avenues to enter the quickly rising cannabis markets by preparing the platform to facilitate the legal shipping of cannabis and cannabis-related products. Currently, about 35 countries allow the legal importation of cannabis-related products. International purchases of imported cannabis oils alone totaled US$2.7 billion in 2017.

The Companys management also added they would begin filing financials in the coming weeks to remove the "STOP" sign on OTC Markets.

About SoOum Corp

SoOum Corp, a publicly held (OTCPINK: SOUM) International Physical Commodities Trading company, specializes in arbitrage based transactions of Physical Commodities, as well as offering a web-based International Trading Platform - www.sooum.com.

For more information regarding this press release, please contact SoOum Corp Investor relations - investors@sooum.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release regarding the Companys business are not historical facts but forward-looking statements that involve some risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions that various factors, including the factors described under the caption forward-looking statements in the Companys annual report on Form 10-K, could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements contained herein. These factors include the following: business conditions and volatility in the commodities market, and the general economy; competitive factors including compressed gross profit margins; shifts in market demand; product availability; reliance on key customers; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; income tax legislation; and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Companys reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Steve Messina

646-801-3772

investors@sooum.com
TAMPA, FL, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  Enviro-Serv Inc. (USOTC: EVSV) (EVSV), as announced in October 2018 as part of its planned initiatives to aggressively enter into the 10 Billion dollar Hemp industry, proudly announces its formal plans to farm hemp in Wisconsin commencing in May 2019 and unveils those plans in detail herein.

Chris Trina, Chairman and CEO of Enviro-Serv, Inc., has these comments about todays announcement, Today marks a huge day for the shareholders of EVSV as we aggressively move forward to planting and harvesting CBD Hemp in the coming months ahead as we take a strong foot hold in Wisconsin a state that is very proactive in Hemp cultivation. Please see timeline and details of the progression of the operation below:

January 28th, 2019- Applied for Industrial Hemp Growers license with the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture

February 6th, 2019- Received Industrial Hemp approval license # 477788 from Dept. of Agriculture (usually takes 8 weeks we were successful in fast tracking the approval)

February 7th, 2019- Successfully raised $100,000 of direct investment capital for the funding of the Wisconsin Hemp Project

February 14th, 2019- Met In person with prominent Beaver Dam, WI. Businessman and farm land owner Dick Cromheecke to discuss a land lease of his available 29 acres to grow hemp (Mr. Cromheeckes Dad grew hemp in Beaver Dam in the 1940s he was very excited to partake)

February 24th-26th, 2019- Attended the U.S. Central Hemp Expo in Rochester MN. To find quality seed procurement and consulting partners

February 27th, 2019- Visited farm land in person and spent time in Beaver Dam meeting with local Farming Co-ops and viewing available warehouse and office space-retained real estate agent

March 6th, 2019- Signed legal formal land lease with Dick Cromheecke to retain 29 farm-able acres for the purpose of Hemp cultivation in Beaver Dam Wisconsin pursuant to acceptable upcoming soil testing results

March 12th, 2019- Enviro-Serv, Inc. announces the hiring of Thomas Conine (see below)

Enviro- Serv is proud to announce the hiring and on-boarding of newly named Vice President-Midwest Farming operations Mr. Thomas Conine of Whitney Farms in Perronville, MI.

Chris Trina stated this about his new member of the team, Thomas and I spent a great deal of time together brainstorming at the recent Rochester, MN hemp expo and I quickly realized we need a man like him to run the everyday operations of our hemp farming efforts in Beaver Dam. Thomas carries with him the knowledge, dedication, and work ethic to make this a hugely successful endeavor. Although I will be up there personally full time commencing in May through the harvest season I couldnt have found a more perfect fit for the Wisconsin puzzle.

Mr. Conine had this to stay to the investing public, I am very impressed with Mr. Trina and happy to learn about Enviro- Servs initiatives in different states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida. I am very excited that they are publicly traded and to my knowledge were the only publico at the entire Hemp expo. I also love the ambition Enviro- Serv has and the ability to not just get these programs quickly up and running, but the efficiency and sustainability they have ingrained into the business for the long term.

Conine also added, Mr. Trina and I have been working and collaborating closely with one another since we met at the Central US Hemp Expo in Rochester, MN. We started talking hemp and we both knew we were on to a tremendous opportunity working together and taking the companys new Hemp motto Go Farm Hemp-Lets Grow Together to a whole new level. Im very excited to see what 2019 will bring us here at Enviro Serv. and look forward to hitting the ground running in April.

Mr. Trina ended his shareholder comments by saying, This is the biggest most monumental achievement to date at Enviro-Serv, Inc. and I am very proud of todays announcement. We have been extremely busy on all fronts including pest control and we are hitting on all cylinders to be certain. The company will have much more to announce about our Wisconsin endeavor and other states as well as this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

-GO FARM HEMP - LETS GROW TOGETHER-

In conjunction with the companys new strategy comes an updated shareholder communication strategy. EVSV will add a dedicated website (under construction) devoted entirely to our Hemp Farming operations in Wisconsin.

Please visit the companies Twitter account feed to see a picture display of all formal legal documents pursuant to this announcement @EnviroServInc

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor:

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Better Choice Company, Inc (OTCQB: BTTR) (OTC QB: SENZ) (the Company) today announced the launch of 9 new hemp-based canine cannabidiol (CBD) product SKUs as the integration of TruPet and Bona Vida continues to accelerate.



The new CBD products will be available online at www.bonavida.com shortly, and include the following SKUs:

Relaxation & Heart Support CBD Chews

Muscle & Joint CBD Chews

Skin & Body CBD Chews

Freeze Dried Beef Topper with CBD

Freeze Dried Duck Topper with CBD

Freeze Dried Turkey CBD Chews

Freeze Dried Beef CBD Chews

Freeze Dried Duck CBD Chews

Freeze Dried Whitefish CBD Chews

We are excited to announce this significant corporate milestone for Better Choice as we continue to expand within the global hemp and CBD market, said Damian Dalla-Longa, Co-CEO of BTTR. Our corporate finance, operational and regulatory infrastructure is creating the worlds leading animal health and wellness platform and we are excited about the companys very near-term growth prospects.

With the introduction of 9 new hemp-based CBD canine products, Better Choice continues to deliver on our corporate mission of developing products that create longer, better lives for pets, and peace of mind for pet parents, Said Lori Taylor, Co-CEO. Our ability to bring high quality CBD products to market quickly emphasizes the power of our consolidated platform with TruPet and Bona Vida. We are building a transformational business within the CBD industry and look forward to watching Better Choice grow globally over the next 24 months.

On March 1, 2019 the Company announced definitive agreements to acquire TruPet LLC and Bona Vida, Inc, and on March 5, 2019 the Company announced the appointment of Damian Dalla-Longa and Lori Taylor as Co-CEOs of the Company.

About Better Choice Company, Inc.

At the foundation of Better Choice is the belief that good health practices and nutrition contribute to and promote a higher quality of life. Recently, Better Choice entered into definitive agreements to acquire TruPet an online seller of pet foods, flea and tick products pet nutritional products and related pet supplies and Bona Vida, an innovative emerging CBD platform, focused on developing a portfolio of brand and product verticals within the animal and human health and wellness space. For more information, please visit https://www.betterchoicecompany.com .

About TruPet, LLC.

TruPet, LLC and TruDog, a division of TruPet, were founded in 2013 by Lori Taylor. The family-owned animal health company based in Ohio currently employs 52 animal-loving employees. The company began after founder Lori Taylor lost her Great Dane, Truman, to cancer at an early age. Determined to find out why her vibrant dog developed cancer, she set out to learn the truth about pet products. Through her research, she discovered that most commercial products simply do not provide the level of nutrition and quality that dedicated pet parents demand, so she developed her own brand of freeze dried, biologically appropriate raw products for dogs. TruDog is the first division of TruPet LLC, which is currently launching lines of food, supplements, and pet care products for dogs, cats, and horses. The company is named in honor of Truman, the Great Dane who sparked the search for better pet products.

About Bona Vida Inc.

Bona Vida is a developer of a portfolio of brand and product verticals within the animal and adult health and wellness space and plans to become the preeminent player in the hemp-derived CBD industry. Importantly, Bona Vida will only be sourcing CBD from industrial hemp. Bona Vida is developing and operating in the hemp-derived CBD space and will focus on the following markets: Pets (dogs and cats), veterinary, livestock and human health and wellness. For more information, please visit: www.bonavida.com . Bona Vida can be reached at: info@bonavida.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding TruPet and Bona Vidas plans to expand its business and goals including the proposed acquisition of both TruPet and Bona Vida. The words believe, may, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, should, plan, could, target, potential, is likely, will, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Some or all of the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include our inability to reach a definitive agreement with the principal TruPet and Bona Vida investors, the ability to complete a financing future short-term market for our common stock and the market for microcap companies in general. Further information on our risk factors is contained in our filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Company Contacts:

Better Choice Company, Inc.

Damian Dalla-Longa, Co-CEO

267-608-6603

Better Choice Company, Inc.

Lori R. Taylor, Co-CEO

513-404-7070
Baltimore, Maryland, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



March 12, 2019 - Baltimore, Maryland - The Honorable David Shulkin, M.D., has joined the ArmadaHealth Clinical Advisory Board as a Special Advisor to the Company.

Dr. Shulkin will be a featured keynote speaker at the World Health Care Congress (WHCC ) in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 28th, sponsored by ArmadaHealth. He will be interviewed by the healthcare journalist and Visiting Fellow at Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University, Susan Dentzer, on the topic: Lessons for Leaders on How to Navigate Health Policy While Ensuring a Climate for Innovation in their Organizations.

Dr. Shulkin brings to ArmadaHealth a distinguished career of leadership and accomplishments through his many roles in health systems, academic institutions, clinical practice, and government service, highlighted by a demonstrated focus on quality in healthcare. Most recently, Dr. Shulkin served as Secretary of the Veterans Administration (V.A.) under President Donald Trump and as Under Secretary for Health, having been appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate under both administrations. Prior to appointments at the V.A., Dr. Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive having served as chief executive of leading hospitals and health systems including Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center in northern New Jersey.

Dr. Shulkin is a pioneer in leveraging quality to drive better outcomes, commented Steve Schaefer, CEO of ArmadaHealth. ArmadaHealth was created to address the fact that our healthcare eco-system lacks objective mechanisms to match physicians to the needs and preferences of consumers. With the lack of transparency about healthcare providers, consumers struggle to access the right care. Dr. Shulkin is helping us fix these problems. His dedication to our mission and extensive experience is a welcome and valuable addition.

In the late 1990s, Dr. Shulkin founded and led DoctorQuality, an innovator in pay-for-performance, referred to as a Quality Benefit Management (QBM) company. It was one of the first consumer sources of information for quality and safety in healthcare. DoctorQuality also had a similar mission to ArmadaHealth, leveraging a data-intensive, quality-based platform to connect consumers to providers.



Im pleased to be working with ArmadaHealth and continuing my professional goal of helping empower consumers with tools to obtain high quality healthcare, commented Dr. Shulkin.



In addition to his esteemed career as a health system leader, Dr. Shulkin has also held numerous clinical leadership roles including the Chief Medical Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University Hospital, and the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Shulkin has held academic positions including the Chairman of Medicine and Vice Dean at Drexel University School of Medicine. He continues to work with academia, health systems and healthcare companies to provide guidance in national health policy and strategy.

About ArmadaHealth

ArmadaHealth is a rapidly growing data science and services company focused on healthcare quality transparency. We connect people to the right doctor through our consumer-facing solutions: SpecialtyCare Connect and TopDoc Connect. These High Tech. Right Touch.SM services are powered by our AI-enabled, evidence-based, physician-patient matching platform, S.I.E.N.A.SM, and can be leveraged through private-labeled services to enhance consumers experience in accessing healthcare. Our platform affects results that include: improved health outcomes, reduced healthcare expenses, more efficient networks, higher-performing providers and exceptional consumer experience. Please visit ArmadaHealth.com for more information.

Press Contact: Teresa OKeefe, tokeefe@armadahealth.com | (410) 308-6782
Boston, USA., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The leadership team of the asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program, a joint venture between Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), announced today they will be creating the inaugural Amber Tringale Memorial Award.

This Award is named in memory of Amber Tringale who lost her life to asthma. Amber lived most of her life with moderate asthma and died very unexpectedly of a severe asthma attack in 2018. She was 48 years old when she passed away, leaving behind her husband as well as five children aged between 12 and 21.

Ambers brother Mike Tringale was a former AAFA executive who with ASL was instrumental in setting up the Certification Program in the USA. Mike said, We were devastated to lose Amber to an acute asthma attack and hope this travel award will ultimately support research so patients and families in the future have more information, treatments and resources to overcome asthma.

The Amber Tringale Award of $10,000 will support an Irish or US health care professional for transatlantic travel to present scientific data at a top level scientific meeting that has specific focus on education and prevention around acute exacerbation of an asthma attack and emergency room management. The Award will also include one years membership in the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) as well as the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).

The Certification Program Team announced the launch of this Award on the occasion of the presentation of 2019 St. Patricks Day Science Medals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge MA, by Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, Professor Mark Ferguson. The Medals were presented by Irelands Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton TD and Prof Mark Ferguson to Mr Michael Mahoney, CEO and President of Boston Scientific and Prof Eamonn Quigley, Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Houston Methodist Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. As guests of Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, ASL and AAFA also attended a Global Ireland Lunch hosted by the Consul General of Ireland, Fionnuala Quinlan.

The Certification Programs mission is based in science and education for illness prevention. This research award will highlight these key areas of overall asthma management, said Dr. John McKeon, ASLs Chief Executive Officer. We are delighted that the announcement of our award today coincides with the presentation of the other prestigious awards."

Kenneth Mendez, Chief Executive Officer of AAFA said Over 3,000 people die each year from asthma and Ambers death was particularly devastating as it reached deep into our AAFA family. We hope that this award in Ambers memory, will magnify the impact of our workits importance and urgency.



Prof. Ferguson said Todays event is all about the strong connection and scientific excellence between Ireland and the USA. This travel bursary is another example of how closely our two scientific communities can work together, to produce research and opportunities that can positively impact society and the lives of many.

---------- ENDS------------

About the asthma & allergy friendly  Certification Program

The asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program is a unique, groundbreaking collaboration between the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Allergy Standards Limited. The program tests and certifies products to prove their suitability for people with asthma and allergies. The program works with retailers and manufacturers to offer consumers products for a #healthierhome. CERTIFIED products include air cleaners, dehumidifiers, paints, bedding, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, stuffed toys, cleaning services and more.

Visit aafa.org/certified for more information on the Certification Program.

Visit allergystandards.com/travel-award/ for more information on the Bursary.

Attachments
Lithuanian English

Lietuvos Energija, UAB, (hereinafter  the Company) identification code 301844044, registered office placed at Zveju str. 14, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania. The total nominal value of issued bonds 600 000 000 EUR; ISIN codes XS1646530565; XS1853999313.

Company signed a Loan Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement) on 12 March, 2019 with its subsidiary company UAB Lietuvos Energijos Tiekimas for up to EUR 27 million loan granting. Proceeds from this loan will be used to finance of the public supply of electric energy from AB Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius. The contractual maturity date of commitments is no later than 29 March, 2024

This agreement does not provide any other additional obligations (guarantees, suretyship, pledges, etc.) to enforce obligations.

On 21 September 2018 AB Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius concluded a transaction on sale purchase of business segment whereby ESO as of 1 October 2018 transfered the business segment of the public supply of electric energy with the related assets, rights and duties to UAB Lietuvos Energijos Tiekimas, (hereinafter  LET).

As it was informed earlier the value of the Business segment being sold was determined by an independent property valuer UAB Ernst & Young Baltic. According to the revised opinion of the independent valuator the market price of the Business segment was set at EUR 27,441,351 .

The Company owns 100% of UAB Lietuvos Energijos Tiekimas share capital.

Arturas Ketlerius, Head of Public Relations, tel. +370 620 76076, e-mail. arturas.ketlerius@le.lt
Vancouver, CA, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Tortooga S.A de C.V. (Grupo Tortooga), based out of Puebla Mexico, and BlocPal International Inc. (BlocPal), with headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, are pleased to announce their strategic partnership to jointly develop and release the Tortooga digital wallet in Mexico.



The partnership between Grupo Tortooga and BlocPal has been formed as part of GMMs strategy to offer its 40 million customers and 60 thousand merchant partners in Mexico with a new upcoming suite of digital financial services.



Guillermo Hernandez Rojas, CEO of Grupo Movil Mexico (GMM) said Grupo Movil Mexico is excited about integrating BlocPals platform with its new venture, Tortooga, whose goal is to provide GMMs customers a digital suite of financial and payment services. BlocPals solution is a big step forward in this process.



Matt Hoffar, CEO of Grupo Tortooga, said We are thrilled about building a successful long-term partnership with BlocPal and GMM to bring digital solutions to both the banked and unbanked in Mexico.



Grupo Tortooga will work together with BlocPal to deliver key initial features for the Tortooga digital wallet, enabling digital payments for pre-paid airtime, mobile data and utility bills. The development plan for the Tortooga digitial wallet will involve solutions for micropayments and remittances across North America and will support international currencies including MXN, USD and CAD. The Tortooga digital wallet will serve as a key platform for additional financial services to be developed and offered to GMMs customers and partners. Planned, new features to be integrated will include more options for deposits and withdrawals and support for new currencies, including major digital currencies.



Nick Mellios, CEO of BlocPal, said The partnership with Grupo Tortooga to serve Grupo Movil Mexicos customers is a perfect fit with BlocPals vision to help bring financial power to everyone while building out support for the digital currency community. We couldnt have asked for a better partner or opportunity to showcase our technology.



About Grupo Movil Mexico

GMM, a prepaid airtime, data and bill payments provider in Puebla, Mexico, has over 40 million customers and 60,000 point of sale kiosks. The company has successfully operated for over 10 years throughout Mexico. GMMs mission is to support the micro-business economy by providing its customers with the technological tools that allow them to achieve banking and formality, strengthening their competitiveness in the face of large national and international franchises. The current operations of GMM do not fall under the supervision of the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission.



About Grupo Tortooga

Grupo Tortooga is a digital extension of Grupo Movil Mexico, the second largest prepaid airtime supplier in Mexico. GMM and DAP Management jointly invested to create Grupo Tortooga in 2018, with the goal to provide digital services and products to the existing GMM user base, enable lower transaction fees, speed-up cross border payments, and help the unbanked and underserved. Tortooga has offices in the city of Puebla and in Mexico City. Tortooga intends to fully comply with all applicable laws and is committed to continue to do so as the regulatory framework in Mexico evolves.



About BlocPal International Inc.

BlocPal believes in contributing to a financial world that is powered by everyone and open to everyone. The company has developed a digital financial platform to empower consumers, merchants, and enterprise customers to transact with any currency or asset in a simpler, faster and more secure way. At the core of BlocPals service is its decentralized blockchain which has been designed to enable any currency or asset to be digitally signed and traded while complying with financial regulations. With its suite of applications, white label solutions, software development kit and integrations to financial networks, BlocPals ecosystem supports multiple touchpoints in the transaction process. These touchpoints include point-of-sale terminals, e-commerce solutions and financial applications, thereby enabling any user, merchant and enterprise partner to easily and safely trade however they choose.



For further information, please contact:



Grupo Tortooga

Brodie Gunning, Investor Relations

info@tortooga.com.mx





BlocPal International

Elan Amir, Director of Marketing

info@blocpal.com



Investors are cautioned that actual results may differ substantially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, economic and political factors, product prices and changes in international and local markets, as well as the inherent risks of a FinTech related business. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.



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LONDON, Ontario, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada Foundation for Innovation



The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, will be at Western University to announce funding for research infrastructure and equipment at universities and research hospitals across Canada.

The Minister will be joined by the Canada Foundation for Innovations President & CEO, Roseann OReilly Runte, The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport and to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, and Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre.

Following the announcement, media will have access to Minister Duncan as she joins scientists and students who will showcase their ground-breaking projects and research.

Media are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes early.

Date: March 13, 2019 Time: 8:45 a.m. EST Location: Western University Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB) WIRB 3000 (announcement) WIRB 2156 (tour) 1151 Richmond Street North London, ON





For more information:
HOUSTON, TEXAS, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ( via Blockchain Wire ) Since its formation in late 2015, TapJets has consistently introduced innovative technologies to simplify booking of private jet charter. Today TapJets is the World's only platform that allows clients to book a private jet directly from jet operating companies instantly. TapJets has managed to "Uber-nize" private jet bookings by connecting clients directly to available aircraft using both mobile apps and software for air carriers that are connected in real time.

"Our ability to book a private jet faster than you can get an Uber ride is simply revolutionary, said Eugene Kesselman, CEO of TapJets, we leverage Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, and predictive modeling to connect our clients to jets that are ready to take off".

TapJets business model of using scalable technology and charging a modest fixed fee for its services. So far resulted in 81% year-over-year growth in sales and an overall outstanding financial performance. TapJets growth is driven by the simplicity of use, quality of services, and 98% client rebooking rates.

"TapJets early adoption of Blockchain to secure each flight, and their acceptance of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple, in addition to traditional payments, shows their ability to be innovative and cutting edge," said Michael Terpin, advisor and Blockchain expert.

TapJets Offering is available to qualified investors in the United States, and non-U.S.A. investors. True to TapJets mark, investments will be issued as recorded Blockchain security (a digital version of a stock certificate). TapJets accepts both traditional funds and cryptocurrency from investors who will get an opportunity, unlike the ICO's of the past, to be real shareholders of the company.

About TapJets

TapJetsis the world's only true on-demand private jet booking platform. TapJetsfocuses on the entire user experience of private travel. They begin by offering a simple, easy-to-use app that handles the routing, booking, and all other details. From there, all guests have to do is show up. You can learn more aboutTapJetshere, and its platform available through the Apple and Google Play store, as well as its website.

About STO Offering

This press release contains information about an offer of securities by TapJets Holdings Inc. TapJets Investment Opportunity ("Offering") is only available in the United States to "Accredited Investors", as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Investor outside of the United States, the Offering is made in strict compliance with Regulation S.

The securities in TapJets Offering are offered in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. TapJets is not required to follow full disclosure requirements that apply to the offering of registered securities under the Securities Act. Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state regulator have passed upon the merits of or given its approval to the securities offered in the TapJets offering. Nor have passed the terms of the offering, the accuracy, or completeness of any offering materials. For more information visit www.tapjets.io.

Contact:

Sergey Baroyan



PR Liasion

TAPJETS

8885004385

sto@tapjets.io




NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone Bassuk, a leading New York-based real estate finance advisory firm, today announced the closing of a $36.5 million construction-to-permanent loan made to an affiliate of Grubb Properties, Inc. (Grubb Properties).



The loan is a 20-year, fixed-rate construction-to-permanent mortgage originated by Aegon Real Assets US (Aegon RA) through their correspondent, Bellwether Enterprise, to finance the development of Link Apartments Grant Park, a 5-story, 246-unit luxury multifamily rental apartment project located at 750 Kalb Street SE in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta, GA. Link Apartments Grant Park will consist of a Class A apartment building wrapping a 265-space parking deck plus a 3-story townhouse building with individual parking garages situated adjacent to the main structure. The Project will include a comprehensive suite of amenities including a resident clubhouse, game room, fitness center, yoga center, outdoor terrace, and pedestrian esplanade.

Greystone Bassuk, headed by President Drew Fletcher, served as exclusive advisor on behalf of Grubb Properties. Executive Managing Director Paul Fried and Vice President Matthew Hirsch led the Greystone Bassuk team on the transaction.

Grubb Properties is one of the premier developers in the Southeast, combining creativity and forward-thinking design with decades of construction and management expertise, said Mr. Fletcher. Link Apartments Grant Park is the most recent example of Grubb Properties commitment to delivering high-quality, multifamily housing in targeted urban markets throughout the Southeast. We are extremely proud to have represented Grubb Properties on this transaction and contributed to the continued development of the Link Apartments brand.

Grubb Properties is excited to have worked with Greystone Bassuk and Aegon RA on this transaction, said Henry Lomax, Chief Financial Officer of Grubb Properties. We have deepened our relationship with Greystone and their team has delivered an execution that far surpassed our expectations. The loan required drive, effort, and careful coordination with all parties, and it is the first of many transactions we hope to complete with Aegon RA.

About Greystone Bassuk

Greystone Bassuk is a real estate capital intermediary and advisory firm serving a select group of the most prominent real estate owners and developers in New York City and across the U.S. Greystone Bassuk is an affiliate of Greystone, a leading national provider of commercial real estate loans and financial services, including Agency, bridge, and mezzanine loans as well as equity financing solutions.

About Greystone

Greystone is a leading commercial real estate lending, investment and advisory company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance. Its range of services includes commercial lending across a variety of platforms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS, FHA, USDA, bridge, EB-5 and other proprietary loan products. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc., Greystone Funding Corporation and/or other Greystone affiliates. All securities sold through Greystone Broker Dealer Corp., member FINRA and SIPC. For more information, visit www.greyco.com .

About Grubb Properties, Inc.

Grubb Properties, founded in 1963, creates exceptional real estate environments and provides premier customer service for our residents and tenants through the repositioning of office buildings and the development of multifamily communities under our nationally registered Link Apartments brand. Our fully integrated management team identifies strategies that create long-term value for our clients. Grubb Properties growth is primarily funded through real estate investment funds with long-term horizons. People who care. Places that matter. For more information, visit www.grubbproperties.com .

About Aegon Real Assets US

Aegon Real Assets US is the primary real assets investment center in the US for Aegon Asset Management, a leading global investment manager with $361 billion (as of December 31, 2018) in assets under management/advisement. With over 30 years of experience, Aegon RA provides yield-oriented private debt and equity strategies and specialty solutions for its institutional nonaffiliated clients and insurance company affiliates including tax credit equity, energy private equity, real estate private equity, commercial mortgage loans, and mortgage loan servicing and special servicing. For more information, visit www.aegonrealassets.com .

About Bellwether Enterprise

Bellwether Enterprise provides flexible financing solutions for clients covering the entire spectrum of commercial and multifamily real estate. For more information on Bellwether Enterprises services, visit us at: www.BellwetherEnterprise.com .

Bellwether Enterprise is a national, full-service commercial and multifamily mortgage banking company. As a subsidiary of Enterprise Community Investment, Bellwether Enterprise has production offices across the country and an integrated servicing platform based in Cleveland. With local market expertise, national lending relationships and financing structure experience, Bellwether Enterprise provides competitive, creative solutions to complex financing needs. Bellwether Enterprise has a wide variety of lending resources, including life insurance companies, pension funds, commercial banks and CMBS lenders and is a Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS) lender, Freddie Mac Multifamily Licensed Seller / Servicer for Conventional and Targeted Affordable Housing Loans, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) approved Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 538 Rural Development lender.

PRESS CONTACT:

Karen Marotta

Greystone

212 896-9149

Karen.Marotta@Greyco.com
Charlottesville, Va., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Virginia Nudge4 Solutions Lab is partnering with state agencies in Virginia, Tennessee, and Indiana to develop scalable strategies to improve educational and economic opportunities for state residents.



Through the initiative, Nudge4 Solutions and its state partners will build the agencies capacity to apply advanced analytic strategies to state data, with the goal of identifying residents most in need of support and to connect these individuals to tailored educational and workforce resources and pathways. The results of these analyses will lead to the design of pilot interventions that will connect students and adults to tailored education and employment opportunities and support residents -- youth and adult -- to access relevant state policies and programs, such as state financial aid programs or workforce training opportunities.



The private sector uses data and behavioral science techniques to shape what we buy, what we watch, and who we interact with. Through these state partnerships, well put those same strategies to work for the public good, supporting people in Virginia, Tennessee and Indiana to follow through on their educational and career goals and to connect to beneficial state programs and opportunities, said Dr. Ben Castleman, UVA professor and director of the Nudge4 Solutions Lab.



The multi-year initiative is funded by the Lumina Foundation and Overdeck Family Foundation. The state partners are the Virginia Community College System, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.



The availability of data today provides a unique opportunity to strengthen educational outcomes, said Anu Malipatil, VP Education, Overdeck Family Foundation. Were proud to support Nudge4 Solutions Lab in their efforts to apply data analytics and behavioral science to impactful and cost-effective interventions that help students past and present reach their potential.



This initiative is an important step to help states pull together data from different state agencies in a cohesive way, said Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundations vice president of Strategic Impact. Lumina is excited to support Nudge4 Solutions efforts to build the capacity of states to use data science and analytics to improve educational outcomes among todays students.



The Nudge4 Solutions Lab-state partnerships will both be customized to each states policy priorities and unique context, and will pursue analyses and projects of common interest across the participating states. Nudge4 Solutions and state partners will jointly hire and manage data and behavioral scientists through the initiative, who will participate in ongoing workshops to share analyses, best practices for working with state administrative data, and pilot strategies to connect residents to well-aligned education and job pathways.



Common areas of focus for the initiative include increasing credentials for unemployed and underemployed individuals; enhancing employee use of employer-funded tuition reimbursement; and increasing degree attainment for military veterans.



A central mission of the UVA Data Science Institute is to solve real-world problems and make a positive impact on society, said Institute Director Phil Bourne. By creating partnerships with government agencies, we are able to bring the incredible insights offered by data science to the community and ensure we build a diverse and inclusive digital future.



Virginia

The partnership with Virginia will support several of the Commonwealths goals including:

Supporting 60.5% of working adults earn a college degree by 2030

Elevate Virginia, a public-private partnership to create a network of high-quality, agile, and responsive workforce development programs

Credits2Careers.org, an interactive, web-based tool which allows veterans to view how their military experience translates into college credits

Tennessee

The partnership with Tennessee will advance the states strategic priorities including:

Drive to 55, a state-wide initiative with the goal of increasing the share of the Tennessee workforce with a college credential to 55% by the year 2025;

TN Promise, a new scholarship program which offers new high school graduates up to five semesters of free community college;

TN Reconnect, a new initiative that offers tuition-free community and technical college to adults to complete unfinished degrees or pursue degrees they have never earned.

Indiana

The partnership with Indiana will advance several state priorities:

Next Level Jobs, an initiative to create a better-skilled workforce ready to meet the changing needs of Indianas economy

The Workforce Ready Grant, a financial aid program for students pursuing professional certificates in high-demand and high-paying career fields

21st Century Scholars Grant, a scholarship program for low-income students which includes participation in a college preparation program while in high school

You Can Go Back., a campaign focused specifically on Hoosiers who left college without completing a degree

Our ultimate goal is to boost the work already happening in these states in a way that enhances states capacity to independently leverage data and behavioral science strategies to achieve their policy goals, Castleman said.

###

About Nudge4 Solutions Lab

The Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the University of Virginia partners with public agencies and organizations to design and test scalable strategies to drive educational and economic opportunity for all Americans.

About Lumina Foundation

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. The foundation envisions a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nations need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Luminas goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and for success in a global economy.

About Overdeck Foundation

Overdeck Family Foundation is a family foundation that aims to measurably improve outcomes at scale for all children in the U.S. by strengthening learning in and out of the classroom. The Foundations goal is to provide all children the opportunity to unlock their potential.




SAN ANTONIO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- bioAffinity Technologies, a privately held biotech company, today announced the formation of a Scientific and Medical Advisory (SMA) Board to provide independent expert advice and counsel on the Companys research and development of innovative cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, including CyPath Lung.



M. Patricia Rivera, MD, professor of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, joins the bioAffinity SMA Board as chairperson. Dr. Rivera is director of the UNC Lung Cancer Screening Clinic, which works with patients at high risk of developing lung cancer. Dr. Rivera initially joined UNC in 1995 to develop a multidisciplinary thoracic oncology program. Her clinical focus is on the screening, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

We are proud to welcome Dr. Rivera to our Advisory Board, bioAffinity President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Zannes said. Her groundbreaking work in lung cancer screening and early diagnosis of the disease directly complements bioAffinity Technologies mission to provide innovative products for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer when patients have the best prognosis for survival.

bioAffinity is currently conducting a test validation trial for CyPath Lung, a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) for the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer. The porphyrin-based CyPath assay preferentially binds to cancer cells in bodily fluids, such as sputum or urine, and causes them to fluoresce in contrast to non-cancer cells.

We continue to make great advances in the field of lung cancer, Dr. Rivera said. But the majority of lung cancers are still diagnosed at an advanced stage when the five-year survival rate is extremely low. The key is better screening for at-risk patients and early diagnosis when treatment options offer the best outcome. bioAffinity is using its proprietary technology to develop tools to do both.

Zannes said that Dr. Riveras standing among her peers will give bioAffinity the opportunity to recruit top lung cancer researchers and clinicians to its SMA Board. We look forward to collaborating with the best of the best to improve our products for the benefit of patients around the world.

About bioAffinity Technologies, Inc.

bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. (www.bioaffinitytech.com) is a privately held development-stage company addressing the significant unmet need for non-invasive, early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment. The Company develops proprietary in-vitro diagnostic tests and targeted cancer therapeutics using breakthrough technology that preferentially targets cancer cells. Research and optimization of its platform technology is conducted in bioAffinity Technologies laboratories at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). The Companys platform technology will be developed to diagnose, monitor and treat many cancers.
DENVER, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One woman learned she was pregnant just before her husband was to be deployed in the military. Another feared for her future as the father of her child descended into addiction.



Confronting these daunting challenges is all in a days work for the team at Nurse-Family Partnership , which provides specially-trained registered nurses who make home visits for the first two years of a childs life to first-time moms facing poverty and some of the toughest problems life can throw their way.

Nurse-Family Partnership is a 40-year-old evidence-based community health program that helps mothers experience healthy pregnancies and improved birth outcomes, and teaches parenting skills, child development and strategies to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The Parent Ambassadors, who are graduates of the national Nurse-Family Partnership program, will engage policymakers and the public on the local, state and national levels to build awareness and understanding of the benefits of the program to families and communities.

We are excited to have our Parent Ambassadors in the field sharing their experiences and creating greater understanding for how dramatically lives can be changed with the support of Nurse-Family Partnership, said Sarah McGee, chief policy and government affairs officer at Nurse-Family Partnership. They are proof of the effectiveness of this program for families and communities.

These Parent Ambassadors will serve as advocates for NFP families and work to increase access to the program nationwide. They also will be a sounding board for leaders at NFP to ensure that the program is continuously responsive to the changing needs of families, and will help spread the word about the program through social media and personal outreach.

Parent Ambassadors also will work closely with NFP alumni, a group of about 400 graduates of the program who remain in close contact with leaders across the country, and provide support and advocacy for expanding the program.

Each cohort of Parent Ambassadors will serve for two years. The inaugural group includes:

Allison Pierre , 24, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who sought help from NFP when she was 19 and living with her childs father who was sliding into drug addiction. With the help of her NFP nurse, she took charge of her life, finished high school and enrolled in nursing classes. In August 2016, she graduated from NFP, which is now based at UPMC Pinnacle in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.



, 24, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who sought help from NFP when she was 19 and living with her childs father who was sliding into drug addiction. With the help of her NFP nurse, she took charge of her life, finished high school and enrolled in nursing classes. In August 2016, she graduated from NFP, which is now based at UPMC Pinnacle in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Amber Hill , 32, of Sacramento, California, was able to overcome barriers to access mental health care services and learned to advocate for her child and herself with the guidance of her NFP nurse. She graduated from NFP at Sacramento County Department of Health Services in Sacramento, California in January 2018.

, 32, of Sacramento, California, was able to overcome barriers to access mental health care services and learned to advocate for her child and herself with the guidance of her NFP nurse. She graduated from NFP at Sacramento County Department of Health Services in Sacramento, California in January 2018.



Asia Wallace , 30, of St. Louis, Missouri, who was struggling financially when she discovered she was pregnant seven years ago. Thanks to support from her NFP nurse, she returned to school, found work and learned how to take care of herself and her son with skill and confidence. She graduated from NFP at St. Louis County Department of Public Health in St. Louis, Missouri in February 2014.



, 30, of St. Louis, Missouri, who was struggling financially when she discovered she was pregnant seven years ago. Thanks to support from her NFP nurse, she returned to school, found work and learned how to take care of herself and her son with skill and confidence. She graduated from NFP at St. Louis County Department of Public Health in St. Louis, Missouri in February 2014. Lisa Warmels , 30, of Eugene, Oregon, who felt unprepared for motherhood when she and her partner found out she was pregnant. Her NFP nurse helped her to manage her postpartum adjustment, gain confidence, encouraged her to go to college, and helped her partner find employment. She graduated from NFP in Lane County in Eugene, Oregon in May 2018.



, 30, of Eugene, Oregon, who felt unprepared for motherhood when she and her partner found out she was pregnant. Her NFP nurse helped her to manage her postpartum adjustment, gain confidence, encouraged her to go to college, and helped her partner find employment. She graduated from NFP in Lane County in Eugene, Oregon in May 2018. Megan Farrar , 32, of Garland, Texas, who was unmarried, unprepared and about to become unemployed when she learned she was pregnant. Thanks to the support of her NFP nurse, she was able to provide an incredible early childhood education to her infant. Today she is working on starting her own business with her husband. She graduated from NFP at WiNGS in Dallas, Texas in June 2018.



, 32, of Garland, Texas, who was unmarried, unprepared and about to become unemployed when she learned she was pregnant. Thanks to the support of her NFP nurse, she was able to provide an incredible early childhood education to her infant. Today she is working on starting her own business with her husband. She graduated from NFP at WiNGS in Dallas, Texas in June 2018. Gayle Geeter, 28, of Nashville, Tennessee, whose husband was about to be deployed in the military when she learned she was pregnant. Through personalized counseling from her NFP nurse, she acquired the skills to ensure a healthy pregnancy, learned how to be a successful single mother throughout her husbands absence, and she and her husband were prepared for a successful transition into the familys life after he returned home. She graduated from NFP at University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas in October 2016.

The Parent Ambassadors began their work with a training session in Denver in February.

About Nurse-Family Partnership

Nurse-Family Partnership  changes the future for the most vulnerable babies born into poverty by giving a first-time mom trusted support from her own personal nurse throughout the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy until her childs second birthday. Nurse-Family Partnership serves over 34,000 low-income, first-time moms in 41 states, U.S. Virgin Islands and many Tribal communities. Participation is free and voluntary for the mother. Nurse-Family Partnership is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Follow NFP on Twitter @NFP_nursefamily , Facebook at facebook.com/nursefamilypartnership and Instagram at www.instagram.com/nursefamilypartnership/ .

Media Contact:

Fran Benton

303.865.8408

fran.benton@nursefamilypartnership.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/664eb583-a751-427e-878c-f925b08df4ad
SUDBURY, Ontario, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supreme Metals Corp. (the Company or Supreme) (CSE: ABJ) (FSE: A68) today announced the preliminary results of geophysical modeling on its Bloom Lake East Property in Labrador.



The Companys consultant geophysicist, Dr. Alan King, P.Geo., of Geoscience North generated unconstrained 3D geophysical inversion models from the new drone magnetic data collected over the Main and North Zone using Geosoft Voxi magnetic inversion software. Being aware of this the reader should bear in mind that the following range of quantities and grades is an exploration target and that the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in these geophysical targets being delineated as a resource. So, using a minimum magnetic susceptibility of .01 SI or greater, to a depth of 300 metres, a magnetic volume of 3.7 billion cubic metres was determined for the Main Zone magnetic anomaly. For the more magnetic North Zone a minimum magnetic susceptibility of 0.25 SI was used to determine a volume of 110 million cubic metres of magnetic material. To be conservative on the volume calculations, a cutoff depth of 300 metres was used despite the inversion model suggesting a total depth extent of the magnetic anomalies of at least 1,000 metres. Modeling was confined only to the area flown in the recent drone survey and did not evaluate the additional staked area.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5b82fe6b-d8e4-4e4a-8f48-e6e3fc6e5d6c

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9716e6c5-f337-4420-a2b3-b587d21b489c

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea654ab5-c07f-429f-974e-d04cf8b8abc3

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/606d96a1-781f-410e-aa22-8b2621ee9de1

In addition, another calculation was done using a 0.1 SI magnetic susceptibility shell on the Main Zone which yielded a volume of 408,000,000 cubic metres for the Main Zone as displayed in the image linked above.

Supremes CEO, Bob Komarechka, P.Geo, commented:

The Company is intrigued by the recent targeting of a large strong magnetic anomaly exhibiting characteristic signatures of an iron formation located in the area of historic grab samples from the Nip West showing yielding assays from 3.63% to 59.9% soluble iron.1 Note that grab samples are selected samples and the value of 59.9% soluble iron is unusually high and should not be considered as representative of the average iron mineralization on the property. Having this anomaly fortuitously located less than 3 kilometres from Champion Iron Mines active mill site and being near the operating Bloom Lake open pit mine that indicates geologic continuity, is very exciting.

Supreme is very fortunate to have secured the geophysical modeling services of geophysicist Alan King of Geoscience North Ltd. Alan King was the Manager of Geophysics with responsibility for global exploration for INCO and subsequently Chief Geophysicist for Vale Global Exploration which included geophysical applications for iron exploration.

It is important to note that the ratio of nonmagnetic hematite to magnetite is not precisely known on the property nor is the amount of gabbro or magnetic remanence that may exist, so the magnetic susceptibility volume derived from the drone magnetic survey cannot be used to directly infer any iron grades. Any potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in these geophysical targets being delineated as a resource. As a result, aside from the historic samples, no reference to grades will be given. While it is recognized that these magnetic volumes do not in any way represent a resource, at this time, they do indicate the potential for significant sized magnetic bodies that need further exploration. The recent signing of a Joint Exploration Program with Champion Iron Limited on this property further substantiates this need and the potential of the Bloom Lake East Property.

Supreme would also like to acknowledge the Newfoundland Labrador Natural Resources Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program in their financial support of the drone survey that collected the magnetic data on the Bloom Lake East Property.

About the Bloom Lake Property

The Bloom Lake East Property is located near the Labrador, Newfoundland Quebec border between the Bloom Lake iron mine of Champion Iron Mines in Quebec and the Wabush iron Mines of Iron Ore Company of Canada (managed by Rio Tinto) in Labrador.

The property, previously held by Rio Tinto, was initially acquired by Supreme for its cobalt potential with the presence of numerous iron occurrences in the area being recognized. New high resolution drone magnetic surveys and geophysical modeling on the new data has been completed. On review of the drone magnetic data and geophysical modelling additional claim acquisitions in the area were undertaken. Currently Supreme holds 14 claims in the area totaling 126 cells consisting of 3,150 ha.

Previous exploration work on the property consisted of rudimentary regional mapping, regional aeromagnetic surveys and the drilling of several drill holes in the western 2 blocks. The result of the earlier mapping had indicated the presence of the iron ore bearing Sokoman/Wabush Formation on the East Bloom Lake Property. This is the formation from which the iron is mined by the two major mining companies in this area.

A Joint Exploration Agreement on this property was entered into on January 18, 2019 with Champion Iron Limited, as described in a press release dated January 21, 2019.

Qualified Person

Mr. Robert Komarechka, P.Geo. a Qualified Person under NI43-101 regulations, and chief executive officer of Supreme Metals Corp., has supervised the scientific and technical information that forms the basis of the written disclosure.

About Supreme Metals Corp.

Supreme Metals Corp. (CSE: ABJ) (FSE:A68) is a Canadian based exploration company with a focused approach in the area of green and energy metals in the Western World adjacent to anticipated downstream manufacturing projects that will have a significant need for these metals.

On Behalf of the Board,

Bob Komarechka

CEO

bkomar@fibreop.ca

Tel: 705 690-8118

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. There is no assurance the private placement, property option, change of board or reinstatement of trading referred to above will close on the terms as stated, or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements.

__________________________________

1 Newfoundland Labrador Mineral Database, National Mineral Inventory Number: O23B14/Fe 016, Record Number: 4133, Deposit Name: Nip Lake West, Metal Mineral Content.

(Note that the value of 59.9% soluble iron should not be considered as representative of the average iron mineralization.)
PORTLAND, Ore., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaya Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: KAYS) announced today that it has retained the law offices of Garfinkle Biderman LLP of Toronto to marshal an agreement to franchise its Kaya Shack brand of cannabis dispensaries in Canada. The Company is currently in the final stages of talks with a leading Ontario based franchise-consulting group to lead the sales effort, and expects to enter into an area representative agreement calling for a multi-year structured rollout of up to 75 Kaya Shack Retail Marijuana locations throughout Canada, subject to market conditions.



We have always viewed our activities in Oregon as our learning ground, allowing us the opportunity to develop our business and operational models in one of the more competitive and dynamic cannabis markets. To paraphrase a famous phrase, we figure if we can make it in Oregon we can make it anywhere, commented Craig Frank, Kaya Holdings CEO. We have learned quite a bit in our nearly 5 years of operations and we have the structure (manuals, training, etc.), the operational methodologies, and a joyful, feel good concept that is well suited for Canada. We look forward to serving the Canadian market, and utilizing the experience to perfect our franchise infrastructure so we can consider it as a basis for growth in the United States, should regulations permit.

About Kaya Holdings, Inc. ( www.kayaholdings.com ) and the Kaya Shack brand ( www.kayashack.com ) of licensed medical and recreational marijuana stores.



KAYS (OTCQB: KAYS), through subsidiaries, produces, distributes or sells legal premium medical and recreational cannabis products, including flower, concentrates and oils, and cannabis-infused foods. In 2014, KAYS, became the first publicly traded company to own and operate a Medical Marijuana Dispensary. Since that time KAYS has expanded and presently operates four Kaya Shack OLCC licensed marijuana retail stores to service the legal medical and recreational marijuana market in Oregon ( www.kayashack.com ).

Additionally, in late 2017 KAYS acquired a 26-acre parcel in Lebanon, Oregon which it has targeted for development of the Kaya Farms Marijuana Grow Complex, and has completed the recent purchase of the Eugene, Oregon based Sunstone Farm Facility which holds OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) Licenses for both the production (growing) and processing of medical and recreational marijuana flower and cannabis concentrates/extracts/edibles.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: KAYS is planning execution of its stated business objectives in accordance with current understanding of State and Local Laws and Federal Enforcement Policies and Priorities as it relates to Marijuana (as outlined in the Justice Department's U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Memo dated January 4, 2018, and subsequent commentary from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Billy Williams), and plans to proceed cautiously with respect to legal and compliance issues. Potential investors and shareholders are cautioned that KAYS and MJAI will obtain advice of counsel prior to actualizing any portion of their business plan (including but not limited to license applications for the cultivation, distribution or sale of marijuana products, engaging in said activities or acquiring existing Cannabis production/sales operations). Advice of counsel with regard to specific activities of KAYS, Federal, State or Local legal action or changes in Federal Government Policy and/or State and Local Laws may adversely affect business operations and shareholder value.

Forward Looking Statements



This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar expressions. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, acceptance of the Company's current and future products and services in the marketplace, the ability of the Company to develop effective new products and receive regulatory approvals of such products, competitive factors, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

For more information contact Investor Relations: 561-210-7664
Dallas, TX, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TownSq (pronounced Town Square) was honored to recently sponsor students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Externship Program, which connects current students with alumni in workplaces worldwide during MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP).



The externships are temporary opportunities in a variety of fields that offer long-term benefits. Externships can lead to summer internships, full-time employment, and meaningful connections with alumni and sponsor employees. Externships last four weeks, and offer students access to a wide variety of industries at large companies, start-ups, labs, and universities.



TownSq, a groundbreaking, all-in-one app and integrated services company, sponsored two MIT students for an externship with the global development team across Brazil and the United States. This sponsorship allowed them to experience a fast-paced technology start-up where they gained the knowledge and skill-set to develop their future career goals. The externship was beneficial to both the students and the TownSq employees. During the program, each student worked to create the initial prototype of a new disruptive TownSq product focused on optimizing efficiency for large management companies.



The MIT externship program is a fantastic initiative that pushes TownSq technology to the next level while giving our team the opportunity to mentor the next generation of top developers, stated Luis Lafer-Sousa, TownSqs U.S. regional director. We will soon be releasing the new product built during the externship which will revolutionize the way management companies interact with their associations. We are grateful to MIT as partners in the program, and look forward to participating again in the future.



TownSq is available now, on iTunes and Google Play.



About TownSqTownSq is the leading, global solution for better community living. Designed as the single source of truth for managing communities, TownSq delivers the most complete, mobile community experience by helping you connect, collaborate and stay informed on everything happening in your community  from daily management and ongoing maintenance to community programs and events. Our communities use TownSq to empower community management teams, board members and residents to experience community their way www.townsq.io.
Local Investing YYC the first corporation to access Albertas new tax credit.

The cooperative is central to a new program disrupting traditional investment methods.

Albertans could see a 2-4% return with a 5-year investment in local entrepreneurs.

CALGARY, Alberta, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alberta is the epicenter of Canadas thriving entrepreneurial spirit. Some 384,000 small businesses1 in the province rub shoulders and compete with national and international giants. Yet how do these small businesses attract investors in a risk averse and recovering economy, while remaining true to their local community? A Calgary based, for-profit cooperative might just be the solution.

Local Investing YYC focuses on providing capital to growth-oriented Calgary entrepreneurs and small businesses that generate financial, social and environmental returns. This means that Albertans can invest in selected local businesses through Local Investing YYC and see the impact of that investment right before their own eyes in their own community, as opposed to investing in portfolios traded on Wall Street and Bay Street.

We are on the cusp of a paradigm shift in investing; one that moves beyond the boxed idea that there are trade-offs when considering the social context, yet we have only begun to explore the potential of community capital in realizing this shift, explains Erin Poeta, founding member of Local Investing YYC at their investment round offering event in February 2019. Local Investing YYC will initially invest $500,000 in 3 locally owned businesses. Investors are eligible for a 30% tax credit as Local Investing YYC is the first Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) to be approved in the province since the Government of Alberta launched a 3-year program in October 2018.

The cooperative business model at the core of the fundraising plan makes the new investment mechanism unique in Alberta. Becoming a member-investor in Local Investing YYC is a three-way-win for Albertans. Not only do co-ops return profits back to members, investors receive a 30% tax credit and their shares are RRSP/TFSA eligible, explains Michele Aasgard, Executive Director of the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association (ACCA). The association is witnessing rapidly growing interest from entrepreneurs and municipalities in starting an  Opportunity Development Cooperative  since securing their inclusion in the Governments CEDC program.

How It Works

Contact one of the Local Investing YYC board members or email info@localinvestingyyc.ca to gain access to additional details. Become a member of the Local Investing YYC cooperative by purchasing a member share for $250. Complete the forms to purchase any of the 104 investment shares of $5,000. Drop the forms and a cheque at 1 of 4 Servus Credit Union branches in Calgary. Mount Royal, Creekside, Sunridge and McKenzie Towne. Local Investing YYC invests in screened and selected Calgary businesses. Members vote on which businesses Local Investing YYC will invest in future investment rounds. Local Investing YYC applies for 30% tax certificate on behalf of its members. Investors receive targeted annual return of 2-4% per share.

A challenge Erin identified when starting Local investing YYC, was the need to build credibility and improve accessibility for local investing. Not everyone is comfortable with sending cheques for $5,000 in the mail, and that is where trusted financial cooperative Servus Credit Union stepped in.

Servus Credit Union has always been supportive of the cooperative sector and its work to facilitate new business development in Alberta," said Taras Nohas, Senior Vice President Strategy and Governance at Servus. "With our branch network and the expertise of our employees, we saw an opportunity to provide secure and easy transfer of share purchase documents and funds from investors to Local Investing YYC."

At a prime time of year where Albertans have topped up their RRSPs, savvy investors from the Calgary area took the hyperlocal investment opportunity offered by Local Investing YYC. With the 104 available shares all snapped up by March 1, the co-operative and their member-investors are safe in the knowledge that they are giving locally owned businesses in the city the best chance to scale and grow.





About Alberta Community and Cooperative Association (ACCA)

The ACCA is a not-for-profit provincial trade association for cooperatives and credit unions in Alberta. Founded in 2005, ACCA provides cooperative education and development services to support its members who collectively serve 1.7m Albertans. For more information, email wmcglynn@acca.coop or visit acca.coop .

About Servus Credit Union Ltd.

Servus Credit Union is a member-owned financial institution serving members from more than 100 locations in 59 communities. Servus aspires to build a better world - one member at a time  by shaping member financial fitness to help Albertans feel in control, financially resilient and able to pursue opportunities. For more information, call toll-free 1.877.378.8728 or visit servus.ca .

About Local Investing YYC: Founded in 2018, Local Investing YYC is a for-profit opportunity development cooperative who provide capital to Calgary-based entrepreneurs that generate financial, social and environmental returns. For more information, visit localinvestingyyc.ca

____________________________________

1 As of June 2018, according to Statistics Canada Business Registry.
PORTLAND, Ore. and DURHAM, N.C., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cambia Health Solutions (Cambia) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) today announced a strategic affiliation between the two not-for-profit companies. The goal of the affiliation is to improve quality, lower costs, and deliver an exceptional experience for consumers.



We have to do something different to make health care better, simpler, and more affordable for the people we serve, said Dr. Patrick Conway, President and CEO of Blue Cross NC. By sharing resources, innovations, and best-in-class services we can fundamentally transform the way individuals and families experience the health care system.



People and their families are hurting every day in the current health care system, longing for care focused on their needs, said Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Cambia Health Solutions. Together, we have the power to accelerate transformation, be a model for what is possible, and positively impact the lives of those we serve.



Blue Cross NC and Cambias health plans, which include Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueShield in Washington, Regence BlueShield of Idaho, and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, will continue to be subject to all state regulations and requirements in their respective states, including rate review, to ensure consumer protection.



Two Not-For-Profits, One Shared Vision



The affiliation builds on the two companies shared values and cultures. Both are not-for-profits with a Blue Cross Blue Shield history. The affiliation also builds on the success of their existing relationship, Echo Health Ventures, launched in 2016. Echo Health Ventures invests in, builds, and grows tomorrows great health care companies.



Cambia is a total health solutions company with a 100-year legacy of transforming the industry and the way people experience health care. The company is a national leader for innovation, technology and digital experience for consumers.



Blue Cross NC has an 85-year history of offering high-quality health insurance at a competitive price. The company is a national leader in the transformation of health care through value-based payment models, in which the payer and provider share in the total cost and quality of care. Blue Cross NC has also demonstrated its commitment to North Carolina through its service to the individual market in all 100 counties and its recent award to serve the states Medicaid population.



Both Cambia and Blue Cross NC have a strong history and tradition of community investments and charitable support to their states, through the corporations and their foundations.



The Affiliations Structure



Cambia and Blue Cross NC will enter into a long-term management services agreement, adopting best-in-class services from both companies. Specifically, the companies have agreed to share management, administrative, operational, and other corporate services, under the Cambia Health Solutions name.



Cambias Board of Directors will be made up of 10 members from Blue Cross NCs current Board of Trustees and nine members from Cambias current Board of Directors. Blue Cross NC will retain its own separate Board of Trustees and name. Blue Cross NC and Cambia will retain their separate, tax-paying, not-for-profit corporate structures.



As part of the affiliation, Ganz will serve as the new Executive Chair of Cambias Board of Directors, and Conway will serve as Cambias new CEO. Conway also will remain CEO of Blue Cross NC. Headquarters will be in Durham, NC, and Portland, OR.



The strategic affiliation also will maintain the separate health plans in five states, all locally led and regulated. Through the transition to the strategic affiliation, members, employers and providers will continue to receive the same high-quality service they have come to expect. The strategic affiliation is subject to regulatory approval in North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah.



To learn more, visit www.HealthCareDoneDifferently.com



###



About Cambia Health Solutions

Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming health care. We are a family of more than 20 companies that work together to make the health care system more economically sustainable and efficient for people and their families. Our company reaches more than 70 million Americans nationwide, including more than 2.6 million people in the Pacific Northwest who are enrolled in our regional health plans, which have served the region for more than 100 years. To learn more about us, visit CambiaHealth.com or Twitter.com/cambia.



About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities through innovative health care products, insurance services and information to more than 3.7 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at bcbsnc.com or Twitter.com/BlueCrossNC. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Attachment
LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information was made available today for donors interested in joining David Delrahim to contribute funds to Israels Medical Miracles, an exciting new educational series. Produced by award-winning content creators Windsor Broadcast Productions, Israels Medical Miracles will air on PBS to more than 100 million viewers. The series will inform and educate about this small countrys impressive advancements in medicine, opening up opportunities for viewers to support this ground-breaking documentary.



Initial necessary funds were provided by board members of the Jewish Federation and proud supporters of The Water Project in Israel, David Delrahim, who currently serves as the President and CEO of Platinum Energy, a customer-focused fuel distributor, gas station and convenience store operator with 150 locations throughout the West Coast.

David Delrahim notes, Israel does more research and development than any other country in the world providing lifesaving technologies that touch all our lives, and it is a pleasure to be a small part of helping share these stories with the world.

Hosted and narrated by three-time Emmy award winner, Hal Linden, this documentary will explore the historical and modern-day commitment this small nation has long wanted to share with the world. Focusing on the untold stories of 8 medical research companies who have agreed to share their discoveries in the fields of cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic devices and the latest in stem cell research.



This initial funding has been allocated to Windsor Broadcast Productions content research, scripting, and satellite assignments for the 2019 filming calendar. Roland Perez, President of Windsor Broadcast Productions and Executive Producer of the documentary, plans to shoot the entire 60-minute production on-location in Israel with eight companies who are in the development stages of innovative devices and/or procedures.

Those interested in contributing to this production are directed to 501c3 The National Healthcare Media Organization.
DOVER, Ohio, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building on the success of 2018s successful pampering-focused charity event, Dr. David Hartman and his team at Fine Arts Skin & Laser are welcoming guests to Girls Night for Good 2.0, this year scheduled for Thursday evening, 5 to 8 p.m., March 14, at Fine Arts Skin & Laser in Dover. As a Dover-based plastic surgeon serving Akron, Ohio , and beyondincluding Canton and New PhiladelphiaDr. Hartman is opening the doors of his practice to locals and visitors alike. Attendees are invited to explore local signature services and goodssuch as spa care, beauty treatments, outstanding hors doeuvres, wine tasting, and live musicwhile benefitting Harbor House, a shelter for those fleeing domestic violence.



Fine Arts Skin & Laser is working with Shy Cellars, Park Street Pizza, Breitenbach Winery, Mukha Cosmetics, Colorescience , Environ, Liv Calm massage services, The Head Shop beauty salon, Globody by Ariel, and musician Ren Rocks to create this amazing evening of self-care and fun.

The event is free for guests to attend, as long as they bring a donation for Harbor House. While monetary gifts are always appreciated, attendees are also encouraged to donate anything from household goods to personal care items. Suggested items include:

paper towels, toilet paper, and other paper goods

tampons, pads, and other feminine products

batteries, light bulbs, etc.

diapers, baby shampoo, and other infant care items

pain relievers, antibiotic creams, etc.

pillows, blankets, and sheets

towels, washcloths, and more

pencils, pens, papers, and school supplies

cleaning supplies

lamps and lampshades

crock pots, toasters, and other kitchen appliances

food staples

Dr. Hartman has suggested assembling a Basket of Hope filled with Mainstays brand items from Wal-Mart that total around $150 (or more!). For example, consider getting an extra large laundry basket and adding two bath towels, two washcloths, two dishtowels, a floor lamp, flatware, a plastic dish rack, a queen-sized sheet set, a kitchen gadget set, and a 16-piece Corelle dinnerware set.

Remember that gift cards for gas, phone, or groceries can also be helpful.

Donors can drop off larger items directly at Harbor House, such as beds and mattresses, dressers, tables, chairs, couches, TVs, vacuum cleaners, and more. Please arrange such donations ahead of time.

As for the event itself, last year saw a curl bar from The Head Shop, wine tasting, live music, and specials on cosmetic services. This years event promises more of the same, plus new surprises. In addition to the free services available, guests will also be able to reserve an appointment for certain paid or pre-paid services.

Girls Night for Good 2.0 is set up as an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Fine Arts Skin & Laser office: 335 Oxford St., Dover, Ohio. Attendees must RSVP . Get more information on the event at the Fine Arts Skin & Laser Facebook page .

CONTACT:

330.364.5656
SAN DIEGO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nationally recognized securities attorney Andrew J. Brown, founder of The Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown, announces an investigation into legal claims against the officers and Board of Directors of Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE:BPI).



More information can be found at www.thebrownlawfirm.com .

The securities fraud class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California (San Diego) on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Bridgepoint Education, Inc. securities between March 8, 2016 and March 7, 2019 (the Class Period).

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made misrepresentations regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Bridgepoints processes for recording revenue for its FTG program were inaccurate; (2) Bridgepoint maintained deficient internal controls; (3) due to the foregoing deficiencies, Bridgepoint was prone to and did commit material accounting errors which resulted in the overstatement of revenue and expenses.

These alleged false and misleading statements made by the defendants caused investors to suffer substantial losses as shares fell more than 34%.

Based upon the allegations in the filed class action complaint, the Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown is investigating legal claims involving violations of state and federal securities laws by the Companys Officers and Directors. The Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown is an investor and consumer-dedicated litigation firm with more than 20 years of experience in complex consumer and securities class action litigation. www.thebrownlawfirm.com

If you are a Bridgepoint Education, Inc. shareholder and want to learn more about the investigation and pending lawsuits, contact Andrew J. Brown at info@thebrownlawfirm.com. There is no cost or fee to you. If you wish to be appointed lead plaintiff of the proposed class you must make the request no later than May 10, 2019.

Andrew J. Brown

Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown

501 W. Broadway, Ste. 1490

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 501-6550

www.thebrownlawfirm.com

Attorney Advertising: Prior results do not predict or guarantee a similar outcome.
English Norwegian

S&P Global Ratings has today published an update on the rating of Bank Norwegian. S&P Global Ratings confirms the long-term rating of "BBB" and a short-term rating of "A-2", with a "negative outlook".

See attached news release from S&P Global Ratings.

Contact person:

CFO Pal Svenkerud; phone +47 93403904; psv@banknorwegian.no

Head of treasury Mats Benserud; phone +47 95891539; mbe@banknorwegian.no





This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

Attachment
First underground development ore delivered to ROM pad (shallow G2HW lens resource)



Underground development advance exceeding plan

Hydraulic mining commissioning well advanced

Overall process plant completion at 98% end February

Process plant commissioning at 63% end February

First concentrate production now scheduled for early Quarter 2

SYDNEY, Australia, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heron Resources Limited (Heron or the Company) is pleased to provide the market with an update on its Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project as it continues towards its production milestone.

Underground Mine

The underground operation has made steady progress with 913m of development completed to date (Figure 1). On 10 March 2019 development reached the shallow G2HW lens with the ore being delivered to the process plant ROM pad in readiness for processing. This represents the first underground production from the mine (see Figure 2).

Monthly development meterage has steadily ramped up since the start of underground operations in September 2018 and is now exceeding budget levels (Figure 3). Ground conditions remain as expected with no significant adverse areas. A specialist contractor is now established on site to construct a 5m diameter raise to setup the primary ventilation for the underground.

Hydraulic Mining

The hydraulic mining circuit commissioning is well advanced and ready for full production once the process plant is available. Final hand-over of the plant is in progress and expected to be complete in the coming months after a final performance test. Operator training, production readiness and ramp-up continues under the guidance of Paragon Tailings. Initial tailing mining to the base of the dam has demonstrated an extremely good level of control that provides high confidence in achieving (and possibly bettering) planned material recovery (tonnage) and dilution assumptions which underpin Ore Reserve calculations. Good progress is being made in removing a thin low-grade cap on Tailing Dam South. This cap removal project was identified by Herons process team and is expected to improve processing performance and recoveries.

Figure 1 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9e5ff47-c4f6-43ff-8be9-ba7ba8b644e4

Figure 2 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ca052d3-ef7a-403c-9b91-26725e598499

Figure 3 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9494012d-874f-40f2-b849-aa037abd7af0

Figure 4 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cadf92c7-336c-46b3-bf42-f57077d840ca

Project EPC Works: As previously announced (Process Plant Wet Commissioning Commences at Woodlawn, March 4, 2019) the Company is fast approaching the end of the project development process. Herons EPC contractor, Sedgman Pty Ltd, a wholly owned CIMIC Group Limited company report the Project as being 98% complete at the end of February and commissioning at 63%. Site construction activity has reduced and workforce numbers have followed accordingly. The EPC Contractor personnel are progressing Woodlawn through the wet commissioning stage to be followed by ore commissioning, ramp-up and performance testing.

Figure 5 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5939b258-041a-4f60-80d8-54686beae640

Operational readiness: The Company has essentially completed recruitment of operational and commissioning staff with a handful of specialist roles being covered by contractors. Supply activities are nearing completion with the store fit-out and receipt of reagents, consumables and maintenance spares to support the operations. Mobile plant (Figure 6) is operational and concentrate logistics are ready. The newly constructed site assay laboratory (Figure 7) is operational and the water treatment plant is complete with commissioning being in its final stages.

Figure 6 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f324b043-f1fc-4051-9b1b-8e6a93a6f101

Figure 7 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca92ab8e-4c87-4fb7-8b12-3acab11c920e

Project Development Schedule: At the start of March, Heron was advised by Sedgman that the anticipated date for first ore to be fed to the process plant will be delayed. After seeking clarification on the extent of the delay, the Company now expects the start to ore processing to commence early in the second quarter with first concentrates ready for shipment in May.

Managing Director Wayne Taylor said, Heron has been very committed to delivering on dates at every milestone of the Woodlawn Project development. As announced on March 4 2019, feeding ore through the plant is the only remaining step in commissioning the project and once completed Heron will transition to becoming Australias newest producer of base metal concentrates. We are naturally disappointed by this delay to our development timeline and remain committed to reaching our production milestone with our on-site team continuing to prepare for this.

About Heron Resources Limited (ASX:HRR)

Heron Resources Limited (ASX:HRR) is engaged in the exploration and development of base and precious metal deposits in Australia. The Companys primary focus is on its 100% owned, high grade Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project located 250km southwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with production due in early 2019. In addition, the Company has a number of significant high quality, base and precious metal tenements regional to the Woodlawn Project.

For further information, please visit www.heronresources.com.au or contact:

Mr. Wayne Taylor

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Tel: +61 2 9119 8111

Email: heron@heronresources.com.au




$600 million total project value will deliver 2.5 million tonnes of CO 2 e reductions

EDMONTON, Alberta, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An innovative clean technology to transition Albertas diesel-powered transit buses to electric is getting a boost in funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA). eCAMIONs first-of-kind charging system is expected to reduce e-bus impact on the electrical grid and lower installation and operating costs, which should allow for broader and faster adoption across the province. A trial of this fast-charge technology will take place in partnership with the City of Edmonton.



This is just one of the projects selected through ERAs BEST Challenge, a $100 million funding opportunity for biotechnology, electricity, and sustainable transportation innovations. The combined value of these new clean technology projects is $600 million. If successful, these innovative clean technology investments will lead to cumulative GHG reductions of more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO 2 e by 2030  equivalent to the GHG emissions from 530,786 passenger vehicles driven for one year. These projects will reduce operating costs, the cost of energy and create new economic opportunities.

Innovation is a key part of Albertas economic and environmental success, and our industries continue to show tremendous leadership on this front. Clean technology investments lead to made-in-Alberta solutions that support jobs, protect our environment, and point Alberta toward a healthy, prosperous future.

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister responsible for the Climate Change Office. Our BEST Challenge is about accelerating the most promising clean technology solutions across multiple sectorsfrom new solar opportunities in coal-impacted communities to electrification of bus fleets to energy storage and bold new uses for hydrogen. These projects will help demonstrate and scale-up innovative technologies that can be adopted in communities across Alberta and around the world. They support economic growth, community health and demonstrate environmental leadership on a local, national and global scale.

Steve MacDonald, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta. This funding, along with our purchase of 50 electric buses, the single largest purchase in Canadian history, puts ETS at the forefront of bus electrification in Canada. ETS is fully committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, leading the way toward a lower carbon economy, and helping the City of Edmonton achieve its climate resilience goals.

Eddie Robar, Branch Manager, Edmonton Transit Service.

Projects announced include:

Biotechnology

LanzaTech, Inc.: Carbon Sequestration via Next-Generation Bioreactor Technology

Carbon Sequestration via Next-Generation Bioreactor Technology Shell Canada Energy : Shell Alberta Bioenergy Project

: Shell Alberta Bioenergy Project Sultech Global Innovation Corp.: Production of Micronized Sulphur and Formulation of a Sprayable Elemental Sulphur Fertilizer.

Electricity

TransCanada Energy: Saddlebrook Solar and Storage

Saddlebrook Solar and Storage ENMAX Generation Portfolio Inc.: ENMAX Midstream Industrial Solar and Storage

ENMAX Midstream Industrial Solar and Storage AltaLink Management Ltd.: Whitecourt Transmission Deferral Battery

Whitecourt Transmission Deferral Battery FortisAlberta Inc.: FortisAlberta Waterton Energy Storage

FortisAlberta Waterton Energy Storage ATCO Ltd.: Hanna Solar

Hanna Solar Longspur Developments: Drumheller Solar and Battery Storage

Drumheller Solar and Battery Storage Natel Energy: Bow River Irrigation District (BRID) Drop 5 Hydro.

Sustainable Transportation

Alberta Newsprint Company: GHG Reduction for Supply Chain Improvements for Oil & Gas Hydraulic Fracturing

GHG Reduction for Supply Chain Improvements for Oil & Gas Hydraulic Fracturing ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd.: First of Kind Commercial Deployment and Demonstration of 100 Class 7 or 8 Commercial Compressed Natural Gas/Renewable Natural Gas Powered Vehicles

First of Kind Commercial Deployment and Demonstration of 100 Class 7 or 8 Commercial Compressed Natural Gas/Renewable Natural Gas Powered Vehicles eCAMION: Demonstration of Battery-Based Bus Charging Routes

Demonstration of Battery-Based Bus Charging Routes ENMAX Generation Portfolio Inc.: ENMAX E-Fleet Pilot

ENMAX E-Fleet Pilot City of Calgary: Electric Bus On-Route Charging Deployment

Electric Bus On-Route Charging Deployment Alberta Motor Transport Association: Alberta Zero Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration.

The Whitecourt Transmission Deferral Battery project can save Alberta ratepayers $37 million over the cost of building a new transmission line and will eliminate the associated land impacts that a new line would bring. Innovative energy storage projects like this one will be critical to making the transmission grid more flexible and responding to the changing energy needs of our province.

Gary Hart, Chief Operating Officer, AltaLink. At ENMAX, we are actively exploring technology advancements and the potential they can create for our customers and our communities. The funding received from ERA will enable us to implement an E-Fleet pilot and a Midstream Industrial Solar Storage pilot, and these first-in-Canada demonstrations will test innovative and environmentally-responsible technology in real life environments, providing learnings that can be transferred to broader applications in support of a lower carbon future.

James McKee, Executive Vice President, Energy Services, ENMAX. This is a very exciting project for the AMTA and our member companies. This initiative is primarily about moving freight on Albertas highways with zero emissions, but it is also about the future of the Alberta economy. Alberta is in the transportation fuel business, and that business is changing. The AZETEC project demonstrates that Albertas commercial transportation industry is leading the transition towards innovative, zero-emission transportation that meets the provinces unique needs.

Chris Nash, President, Alberta Motor Transport Association.

ERA received 180 expressions of interest in September 2018 through its BEST Challenge. Twenty-four were shortlisted and invited to submit Full Project Proposals and made in-person presentations. Projects were selected through ERAs competitive review process. A team of experts in science, engineering, business development, commercialization, financing, and greenhouse gas quantification conducted an independent, rigorous, transparent review overseen by a Fairness Monitor. The ERA Board approved funding recipients in February of 2019.

All recipients are required to produce a final outcomes report shared publicly for the broader benefit of Alberta. All projects involve field piloting, demonstration, or commercial deployment of technology within Alberta, including Fort McMurray, Crossfield, Rimbey, Whitecourt, Hanna, Calgary, Edmonton, Waterton, Drumheller, Aldersyde, and Fox Creek.

ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA (ERA):

The Alberta government provides grants to ERA from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund. ERA takes action on reducing emissions and supporting economic growth and diversification by investing the carbon levy paid by large industrial emitters directly into later-stage clean technology solutions that reduce GHGs, attract investment, and create jobs in Alberta. To date, ERA has committed more than $572 million in funding to 164 projects with a total value of approximately $4.3 billion. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative GHG reductions of 43 million tonnes by 2030.
TORONTO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, workers at the call centre for the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) voted overwhelmingly in favour of unionization with UFCW Canada (United Food and Commercial Workers Union). By winning their union certification vote, the workers have become the first union members attached to Ontarios rapidly growing cannabis sector.

The fundamental issues which drove the employees to support unionization were lack of hours, lack of consistency in scheduling, and the need for job security and just cause protection. Workers first contacted UFCW Canada after learning that the union already represents thousands of workers in the cannabis sector in Quebec and the United States.

The call centre is operated by Line One Contact Centres Inc., a company based out of Calgary, Alberta. Workers at the call centre, located in downtown Toronto, provide important customer support and mail tracking services for Ontarios online cannabis store.

UFCW represents cannabis production and retail workers in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico. UFCW Canada represents the first unionized cannabis retail workers in Canada, at SQDC locations in Rosemont, Rimouski and Mirabel, Quebec.

The union is also single-handedly leading a legal challenge to the Ontario governments exclusion of agricultural workers from the Labour Relations Act. In 2015, the Ontario Labour Relations Board issued a decision deeming cannabis production workers as agricultural workers. Ever since the Mike Harris government in 1995, agricultural workers have been excluded from the Act and thereby do not have a clear path to unionization. UFCW Canada will continue to fight for all workers involved in the cannabis sector.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) is one of Canadas largest trade unions, representing more than 250,000 people across the country, and 1.3 million internationally, who work in every aspect of the food chain, health care, security, and many other key economic sectors. To find out more about UFCW and its ground-breaking work, visit www.ufcw.ca.

CONTACT:

Kevin Shimmin, National Representative

UFCW Canada

416-806-7039

kevin.shimmin@ufcw.ca

www.ufcw.ca




FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nova Southeastern Universitys(NSU) Shepard Broad College of Law Health Law program has been ranked 1st in Florida, 56th nationally and the Legal Research and Writing program is ranked 2nd in Florida and 20th nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Schools in the specialty rankings are ranked based solely on the number of nominations received from U.S. law school faculty who teach in that specialty.

These successes are due to the teaching, scholarship, and broad interdisciplinary engagement of the NSU Law faculty and staff and NSU leadership. Our faculty have developed exemplary national programs in both these specialties, said Jon M. Garon, Dean of the law school. They bring their national expertise into the classroom and community on a daily basis. As experts in their field, the faculty in these two programs continue to focus on student success through engaging research and national symposiums, conferences and publications.

The Health Law program at NSU emphasizes the main areas of the health law practice and offers a diverse and varied curriculum for students to become health law practitioners and policy makers. NSU Law continues its interprofessional collaboration with the NSU health professions colleges in providing engaging research between disciplines as well as commitment to community efforts to effect legislative issues.

NSU Law Legal Research and Writing offers a student-centered approach to legal writing instruction that integrates legal analysis with practical skills and professionalism. Our exceptional LRW faculty members have diverse practice expertise and are active leaders with the Legal Writing Institute and the Association of Legal Writing Directors. In addition to LRW, faculty members teach a wide array of courses, including experiential and doctrinal classes. Like all NSU Law faculty, they pride themselves on their commitment to student and community involvement.

For additional information, contact Kathleen Perez at Kperez1@nova.edu or 954 262-6295.

###

Shepard Broad College of Law: Nova Southeastern Universitys College of Law offers a cutting edge, skills-centered academic program in three-year full-time and four-year part-time divisions. With its recently redeveloped clinical programs, every NSU Law student is guaranteed a live-client experience. In-house clinical studies are supplemented by full-time field placement opportunities practicing law in Florida, across the United States, or select locations throughout the globe. To solidify student success after graduation, NSU Law pioneered a curriculum on the business of lawyering through the NSU Law Leadership Academy. NSU Law students have a myriad of curricular opportunities, including a rich, diverse curriculum, concentrations in International Law, Health Law or IP, Technology and Cybersecurity; dual degree programs abroad in Rome, Barcelona, or Prague; dual degree programs at many of NSUs other 17 colleges; and much more. For more information, please visit law.nova.edu.

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Ranked among U.S. News & World Reports Top 200 National Research Universities and located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa Bay, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegies Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Educations criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit http://www.nova.edu/ for more information about NSU.





Attachment
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. or DigitalAMN ( OTCMKTS: DATI ), a Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI), announced today that the Company intends to provide more investment capital and other business development resources to Top-10 rated ( https://bit.ly/2LYRnDB ) equity crowdfunding portal operator, TruCrowd, Inc. (TruCrowd). This, to further DigitalAMNs increased support of Regulation CF (Reg. CF equity crowdfunding  Title III of the JOBS Act) as part of the Companys PAI ecosystem.

With additional assistance, TruCrowd will have the ability to expand the reach of both its cannabis-focused portal Fundanna.com, as well as CryptoLaunch [focused on startups developing crypto and/or blockchain related ventures], while also being able to develop and launch other industry-specific equity crowdfunding portals, in areas such as music, biotech and clean energy, stated Ajene Watson, CEO of Digital Asset Monetary Network. By increasing our overall interest in TruCrowd, wed both protect and help ensure the continued growth of our investment, which has already seen an estimated 15x increase in value . This, while strengthening the infrastructure of the PAI ecosystem, making us a viable platform for startups and everyday people to transact.

Management believes that as TruCrowd continues to emerge as an industry leader in equity crowdfunding, DATIs value and position as a market leader in the accelerator and incubator marketplace will simultaneously improve. Likewise, DigitalAMNs client-companies will likely be able to raise more money, faster and more efficiently; thereby supporting DATIs revenue model, while building stronger shareholder confidence.

DigitalAMN plans on (i) injecting roughly 2x to 5x more capital into equity crowdfunding during 2019 than in 2017 and 2018 combined, and (ii) provide an array of services to assist with further development of the equity crowdfunding model. Investments may include additional office space, human capital and equity, professional/consulting services, cash for operations and marketing; as well as possibly expanding the portal operators relationship with InvestorsHub.com, Inc. and other prominent advertising platforms.

Watson concluded, When an investment makes a 15x contribution to the increased value of our equity portfolio, which also happens to be of greater value than our entire average market cap (year-to-date) , wed be absolutely foolish not to pay close attention to the Reg. CF market and that investment. Wouldnt you agree [ give us your thoughts on this ]?

TruCrowds estimated enterprise value has grown approximately 3000% since becoming a DigitalAMN equity portfolio company and its portals play an equally important role in the development of DigitalAMNs PAI ecosystem, as it does to the growing value of our equity portfolio and revenue model. Remember, our client-companies, most of which will ultimately become part of DATIs equity portfolio, will likely raise their first significant round of capital via equity crowdfunding. Their second, more significant round, could be via a Reg. A+. In both cases, utilizing TruCrowds portals. Most important, both capital raises support the client-companys ability to execute their business plan and pay DigitalAMN for its ongoing services.

The overall increase in DigitalAMNs interest in TruCrowd should result in the current investment relationship transitioning into a formal client-company arrangement  aggressively moving TruCrowd through the accelerate phase and into the incubate phase of DigitalAMNs four-phase process [Accelerate, Incubate, Acquire, Spinout].

For Information on how a single investment surpassed our entire market cap, see: SWEET!  So What Does It Mean?

For Information on The Comparative Analysis, see: THE VALUATION  Arriving At An Enterprise Value for TruCrowd & The Future of PAI

ABOUT Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc.

Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. ( OTCMKTS: DATI ) is the first company to utilize the Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI) model, with the intent to follow the global success of accelerators and incubators around the world, adding niche opportunities to both the microcap and startup communities. As a PAI, Digital Asset Monetary Network will develop and acquire innovations that solve problems through digital platforms and other electronic applications.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OTC_DATI

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digitalamn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalamn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalAssetMonetaryNetwork/

For investor and general information, please email info@DigitalAMN.com

ABOUT TruCrowd, Inc. (owner/operator of truCrowd.com)

Located in the heart of the financial district of downtown Chicago, TruCrowd is a FINRA member equity crowdfunding portal operating under Regulation Crowdfunding (Title III of JOBS ACT); connecting startups and emerging businesses with non-accredited and accredited investors. Built on the belief that not all businesses and investors are alike, we pride ourselves on delivering a personalized and professional funding experience through industry-leading technology.

Website: https://us.trucrowd.com/

Website: https://www.fundanna.com/

For investor and general information, please email info@DigitalAMN.com

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking.
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States

TORONTO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX.V-VIT) (Victoria or the Company) has announced today that it has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by BMO Capital Markets, under which the underwriters have agreed to buy on a bought deal basis, a combination of common shares (the Common Shares) and flow-through common shares (the Flow-Through Common Shares and together with the Common Shares, the Securities) to provide the Company with gross proceeds of at least approximately C$30 million (the Offering). The Common Shares will be offered at a price of C$0.44 per Common Share, with minimum gross proceeds of C$30,008,000 and maximum gross proceeds of C$33,429,600. The Flow-Through Common Shares will be offered at a price of C$0.57 per Flow-Through Common Share with up to C$15,002,400 of gross proceeds. In the event that no Flow-Through Common Shares are subscribed for, the Underwriters have agreed to buy the number of Common Shares to provide the Company with gross proceeds of approximately $30 million. The Company has granted the Underwriters an option, exercisable at the offering price for a period of 30 days following the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Common Shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The Offering is expected to close on or about April 2, 2019 and is subject to Victoria receiving all necessary regulatory approvals.

The net proceeds from the sale of the Common Shares will be used for construction and operations of the Eagle Gold Mine and general corporate purposes.

The gross proceeds from the sale of the Flow-Through Common Shares will be used for expenditures which qualify as Canadian Development Expenses ("CDE") within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)). The Company will renounce such CDE with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2019.

The Securities will be offered by way of a short form prospectus in each of the provinces of Canada, excluding Quebec and may also be offered by way of private placement in the United States.

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 press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About the Dublin Gulch Property

Victoria Gold's 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property is situated in central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year round, and is located within Yukon Energy's electrical grid.

The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company's Eagle Gold Deposit. The Eagle Gold Mine is under construction and is expected to be Yukon's next operating gold mine. The Eagle and Olive deposits, include Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.7 million ounces of gold from 123 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 0.67 grams of gold per tonne, as outlined in a National Instrument 43-101 feasibility study entitled Report for the Eagle Gold Project and dated October 26, 2016. The NI 43-101 Mineral Resource for the Eagle and Olive deposits has been estimated, as at December 5, 2018, to host 208 million tonnes averaging 0.66 grams of gold per tonne, containing 4.4 million ounces of gold in the "Measured and Indicated" category, inclusive of Proven and Probable Reserves, and a further 20 million tonnes averaging 0.64 grams of gold per tonne, containing 0.4 million ounces of gold in the "Inferred" category.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this discussion, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, anticipated completion of mine construction, anticipated metal production, internal rate of return, estimated ore grades, commencement of production estimates and projected exploration and capital expenditures (including costs and other estimates upon which such projections are based) and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include metal prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing (including the flow-through financing outlined above), unfavourable weather conditions, delays in the delivery of materials to the mine site, and general economic, market or business conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information Contact:

John McConnell

President & CEO

Victoria Gold Corp

Tel: 416-866-8800




CALGARY, Alberta, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Founders Advantage Capital Corp. (TSX-V: FCF) (the Corporation) reports that it has suspended its quarterly dividend of $0.0125 per share to provide the Corporation with more flexibility to pay down debt and allow certain investees to retain more cash to take advantage of growth opportunities. The Corporation also reports that it has entered into an amending agreement (the Amending Agreement) with Sagard Holdings Manager, LP (Sagard) to amend its USD $42 million credit facility (the Sagard Facility). The Amending Agreement provides the Corporation with the ability to repay debt at par with all excess free cash-flow. For greater certainty, this will enable the Corporation to repay the Sagard Facility from available free cash flow without having to pay any make-whole amounts which are currently required under the Sagard Facility.



The initial dividend policy was adopted in November, 2016 and the Corporation has paid eight consecutive quarterly dividends of $0.0125 per share and has returned $0.10 per share to shareholders during that period. However, when the dividend policy was adopted, the capital markets for small-cap diversified issuers was more robust and the Corporations business plan was to raise equity and complete multiple acquisitions per year. Over the last two years, the capital markets for small-cap diversified issuers has weakened considerably and we do not believe the trading price of the Corporations shares reflects the underlying intrinsic value of the Corporations four investments. As such, the Corporation does not foresee completing any further additional platform investments (other than further add-on investments by our investees) while our equity is at the current value as any equity raise would be dilutive to shareholders. We note that we paid an aggregate of $145.6 million for our four assets, have debt owed under the Sagard Facility of approximately CAD $56 million and have 38.2 million common shares outstanding. Further, we note that the initial cost of our assets does not reflect any growth that has occurred since the date of acquisition.

The Corporation remains focused on further growing and optimizing its four existing investments. In particular, we expect Dominion Lending Centres (DLC) to complete one or more add-on investments in 2019 and Club 16 Trevor Linden Fitness (Club16) is opening a new club in Langley, British Columbia in Q3, 2019. As such, the Corporation anticipates retaining more cash in its investee entities to enhance the growth of the overall portfolio.

In addition to focusing on the growth of our investee businesses, we would also like to de-lever and pay down our existing corporate debt from available excess free cash flow. As the total cost of capital on the Sagard Facility is currently in excess of 11%, we would like to reduce our debt burden and our related interest expense. In addition to providing the Corporation with the ability to repay debt with no penalty from excess cash flow, the Amending Agreement also provides the Corporation with more flexibility under certain financial covenants within the Sagard Facility.

James Bell, President and Chief Executive Officer commented: While we understand that cutting a dividend is not normally viewed positively by market participants, we believe using our excess free cash flow to pay down our corporate debt and further grow our investees will maximize shareholder value over the long-term. We believe in the strength of our four businesses and are committed to making good business decisions today in an effort to maximize shareholder value over the longer term.

In consideration for the amendments, the Corporation has agreed to pay Sagard a cash fee of 1.5% of the principal loan balance and reprice its existing 2,078,568 lender warrants to $1.4375 per share (half of which were previously exercisable at $3.508 per share and half were exercisable at $3.965 per share).

The Corporation's Common Shares are listed on the TSXV under the symbol FCF.

For further information please refer to the Corporation's website at www.advantagecapital.ca.

Contact information for the Corporation is as follows: James Bell Amar Leekha President and Chief Executive Officer Sr. Vice-President, Capital Markets 403-455-2218 403-455-6671 jbell@advantagecapital.ca aleekha@advantagecapital.ca

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, will, expect, plan, schedule, intend, propose, or similar words suggesting future outcomes or an outlook. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to:

DLC will complete one or more add-on investments in 2019 and Club16 will successfully open a new club in Q3, 2019;

the Corporation will retain more cash in certain investees in 2019;

retaining cash in investees will enhance the growth of the overall portfolio; and

that the suspension of the dividend will result in additional value to shareholders over the longer term.

Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made with respect to the following matters, in addition to any other assumptions identified in this news release:

that DLC will be able to negotiate one or more add-on investments on terms acceptable;

that construction of Club16s new club will proceed as planned and will not be delayed;

that retaining additional cash in select investees will help accelerate growth of the overall portfolio; and

that the four investee entities will continue to perform as expected.

Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as the Corporation can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information is based on expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Corporation and described in the forward-looking information. The material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:

business risks associated with the operations of our four existing investees;

general market conditions for the Corporation and its four investees; and

the market value of the Corporations four investees declining.

The foregoing list of risks is not exhaustive. For more information relating to risks, see the section titled Risk Factors in the Corporation's current annual information form. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable securities law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.




GALLATIN, Tenn., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With spring around the corner, the disaster recovery specialist SERVPRO encourages property owners to be prepared for potentially severe weather. Spring weather can be unpredictable, with wide temperature swings and extreme weather changessometimes within a 24-hour period. Thunderstorms along with the lightning, tornadoes and flooding they can bring, cause most of this severe spring weather. Thunderstorms can occur anywhere in the U.S., even in spots that dont experience them often.

Home and business owners need to be aware that severe weather conditions can develop rapidly and hit unexpectedly, so its important to plan ahead, says Sue Steen, CEO of Servpro Industries, Inc. By the time you hear about an approaching storm, you may have little or no time to prepare for it. The time to prepare is now, before severe weather occurs.

The National Weather Service (NWS) also stresses the importance of individual and community preparedness for extreme weather events. Their National Seasonal Safety Campaign seeks to inform the public about seasonal weather hazards during the time they are most common. For the NWS Spring Safety Campaign that means the period from March 1 to June 1, encompassing Hurricane Preparedness Week from May 5-11, 2019. For each season and its related threats, the NWS provides no-fee Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to a users WEA-capable phone when severe weather is expected (Warning) or possible (Watch) at or near the phones location. For the spring season, these alerts include thunderstorms, tornadoes, flood and excessive heat along with tsunami warnings and rip-current statements for coastal residents and visitors.

As disaster remediation specialists, we know how important advance planning and preparation can be not only for surviving an unexpected event, but also for recovering from it once the threat has passed, says Steen. Follow the advice of the experts: prepare an emergency kit that includes an emergency evacuation or shelter plan, a first aid kit, a three-to-five day supply of water and food, personal hygiene items, medications, blankets and pet supplies, if you have pets. Be sure to include important contact, insurance, utility and medical information stored in a reliable and accessible place like the SERVPRO Ready Plan App or other readily available spot. Having these critical items available to grab and go in both your home and car allows you to quickly move to safety and then take immediate steps toward recovery once the emergency is over.

While its important for families and individuals to heed the safety advice of the NWS as the spring severe weather season approaches, its also important for businesses to prepare for the threats of the new season. For businesses, advance planning for severe weather and other unexpected events can mean the difference between surviving or closing their doors forever, according to Steen. As many as 50 percent of businesses close down following a disaster, unable to survive long periods of business interruption caused by a disaster and its aftermath. To help address this problem, SERVPRO developed their Emergency READY Profile (ERP).

Business owners work with their local SERVPRO franchise professional to implement their ERP, beginning with a no-cost facility assessment and employing online tools to document critical facility, contact, and line-of-command information. Having this information in a central, easily accessible location helps facilitate the prompt, appropriate and efficient response that SERVPRO knows is critical to getting a business back in business as quickly as possible.





SERVPRO is an industry leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services. For more information, please visit https://www.servpro.com/

###

About SERVPRO

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO Franchise System is a leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPROs professional services network of more than 1,700 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss events. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.

SERVPROs Disaster Recovery Team mobilizes from across the country, as needed, to support large storm events. SERVPROs Disaster Recovery Team has responded to large loss and storm events across the country, including: 2018 California Wildfires, 2018 Hurricane Michael, 2018 Hurricane Florence, 2017 Hurricane Irma, 2017 Hurricane Harvey, 2016 East Tennessee Wildfires, 2016 Hurricane Matthew, 2016 Louisiana Flooding, 2016 Houston Flooding, 2015 Siberian Express, 2014 Mid-Atlantic Flooding, 2014 Polar Vortex, 2013 Colorado Floods, 2013 Alberta, Canada Floods, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, 2012 Hurricane Isaac, 2011 Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of BrightView Holdings, Inc (NYSE: BV) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws. To obtain additional information, go to:



https://www.zlk.com/pslra-1/brightview-holdings-inc-loss-form

or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, California, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The firms attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
BOULDER, Colo., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brewers Association (BA)the not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewerstoday released its annual lists of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 40 were small and independent craft brewing companies.1



Although the market has grown more competitive, particularly for regional craft breweries with the widest distribution, these 50 small and independent brewing companies continue to lead the craft brewing market in sales through strong brands, quality, and innovation, said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.

View & Download Map of Top 50 Producing Craft Brewing Companies

For a complete list of brewing company brands, please visit the Brewers Association website .

A comprehensive State of the Industry report will be delivered during the 2019 Craft Brewers Conference , held from April 8-11 in Denver, Colorado. The associations full 2018 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual breweries, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer , available in May 2019.

1 Figure based on companies that met the craft brewer definition for all or part of 2018. An American craft brewer is a small and independent brewer. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Brewer: Has a TTB Brewers Notice and makes beer.

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 4,800-plus U.S. breweries. The BAs independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup , Great American Beer Festival , Craft Brewers Conference  & BrewExpo America , SAVOR : An American Craft Beer & Food Experience , Homebrew Con , National Homebrew Competition , and American Craft Beer Week . The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine, and Brewers Publications  is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com  and about homebrewing via the BAs American Homebrewers Association  and the free Brew Guru mobile app. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4eb94428-df80-43be-b465-34b997e8b04a

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c1d21094-f44e-4dc6-b90f-b990bc90e829
TORONTO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wilmington Capital Management Inc. (Wilmington or the Corporation) reported a net income attributable to shareholders for the three months ended December 31, 2018 of $1.8 million or $0.17 per share compared to a net loss of $0.1 million or ($0.01) per share for the same period in 2017. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Corporation recognized net income attributable to shareholders of $1.4 million or $0.13 per share compared to a net loss of $1.9 million or ($0.19) per share for the previous year.

2018 HIGHLIGHTS

The financial highlights of the Corporation and those of its associated entities are set out below. Investments in associated entities, where the Corporation is deemed to have significant influence account for the majority of the financial results and are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Investments in entities where the Corporation does not have significant influence, are recorded at fair market value and the results of the investees are not recorded by the Corporation.

Self-storage facilities (Real Storage Private Trust  41.3% Ownership)

On February 5, 2019, the Corporations board of directors approved a definitive agreement entered into with StorageVault Canada Inc. (the Purchaser) and other vendors, whereby the Purchaser will purchase all of the equity interests in the Trust, Real Storage GP Inc. and 2242907 Ontario Inc. and related self-storage entities (the vendor).

The gross purchase price payable to the vendors is $275 million which is subject to holdbacks of $4.25 million and customary adjustments. Repayment of indebtedness of the Trust and related entities of approximately $106 million will be paid out of the proceeds on closing which is expected in mid-April 2019. The Corporations share of net proceeds after tax proceeds is estimated at approximately $48 million.

The closing of the transaction is subject to Competition Act approval and the approval of shareholders of Wilmington.

Private equity

Northbridges assets under management amounted to approximately $31.9 million; a decrease of $8.2 million from December 31, 2017, due to the payment of a $0.7 million distribution and a decline in the valuation of the underlying investments in certain funds.

Special Situations (Maple Leaf Partnerships  18.15% Ownership)

Maple Leaf Partnerships paid distributions of $1.04 million to the limited partners during the year ended (Wilmingtons share - $188,000), representing an annual return of 6% of invested capital.

The Corporation earned management fees of $147,000 from the Maple Leaf Partnerships during the year ended December 31, 2018.

As at December 31, 2018, Wilmington had assets under management in its operating platforms of approximately $204.4 million ($67 million representing Wilmingtons share).

OPERATIONS REVIEW

Self-Storage Facilities

Real Storage Private Trust

The Trusts revenues increased 10% year over year, primarily due to the impact of revenues generated from acquisitions completed in 2017 and 2018 and improved ancillary revenues. Funds flow from operations increased 5% compared to 2017 due to the increase in revenues, offset by an increase in financing costs.

During the year, the Trust generated net operating income of $11.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, an 11% increase year over year. Rental activity in Western and Eastern Canada increased, helping to improve occupancy levels.

In August 2018, the Trust acquired a self-storage facility in Ontario for total consideration of $1.8 million and in June 2018, the Trust acquired a facility in Alberta for total consideration of $4.0 million.

Private Equity

Northbridge Capital Partners Ltd. (Northbridge) and Northbridge Fund 2016 Limited Partnership

The Northbridge Fund 2016 value decreased 19% in 2018 due to the decline in the value of the underlying energy investments. Northbridge Fund 2016 has approximately $4.7 million of undeployed capital remaining as at December 31, 2018.

The Corporations expects the Network 2012 Fund maturity date to be extended up to December 31, 2019, with its remaining share of invested capital of $1.0 million to be realized within that timeframe.

Special Situations

Maple Leaf Partnerships

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Maple Leaf Partnerships successfully leased approximately 80% of its marina slips (under previous ownership - 66%). Maple Leaf Partnerships are also focused on improving its service department performance in 2019.

A re-development plan for the Bay Moorings Marina was initiated which calls for the former 344-boat slip marina to be re-developed into a water-front residential community. The re-zoning application is expected to be approved in the spring of 2019.

The Corporation owns 33.3% interest in Marina Asset Manager, which has entered into an asset management agreement with the Maple Leaf Partnerships. The Marina Asset Manager is responsible for oversight of the operations of and strategic planning for the Maple Leaf Partnerships. The Corporation has received $147,000 in management fees during the year ended December 31, 2018.

OUTLOOK

The transaction involving the sale of the Corporations interest in the Trust represents a compelling valuation for the Corporation and is in keeping with its strategy of seeking undervalued investment opportunities and optimizing the timing of realization. Post-closing, the Corporation will have the financial flexibility to continue to add value to its remaining operating platforms and to actively seek out additional investment opportunities where it can add value.







FINANCIAL RESULTS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)

For the three months ended December 31, For the year ended December 31, (audited) (CDN $ Thousands, except per share amounts) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Management fee revenue 29 --- 147 --- Interest and other income 124 20 293 100 153 20 440 100 Share of net income (loss) from equity accounted investees: Real Storage Private Trust 217 96 671 810 Northbridge Capital Partners Ltd. 10 --- 17 (47 ) Network 2012 Limited Partners 382 (1,923 ) (23 ) (1,949 ) Marina Asset Manager Inc. --- 11 (11 ) 11 Gain on ownership change in Northbridge Capital Partners Ltd. --- 31 19 31 Expenses General and administrative (306 ) (311 ) (939 ) (935 ) Stock-based compensation (53 ) (53 ) (257 ) (122 ) Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax 403 (2,129 ) (83 ) (2,101 ) Income tax recovery 1,423 245 1,510 275 Net income (loss) from continuing operations 1,826 (1,884 ) 1,427 (1,826 ) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax --- 3,041 --- (126 ) Net income (loss) 1,826 1,157 1,427 (1,952 ) Net income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to: Owners of the Corporation 1,826 (1,884 ) 1,427 (1,826 ) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to: Owners of the Corporation --- 1,797 --- (75 ) Non-controlling interest --- 1,244 --- (51 ) --- 3,041 --- (126 ) Net income (loss) per share from continuing operations: Basic 0.18 (0.19 ) 0.14 (0.18 ) Diluted 0.18 (0.19 ) 0.14 (0.18 )







CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(audited) (audited) As at December 31, December 31, (CDN $ Thousands) 2018 2017 Assets NON-CURRENT ASSETS Investment in Real Storage Private Trust 13,953 13,884 Investment in Northbridge Capital Partners Ltd. 250 233 Investment in Northbridge Fund 2016 Limited Partnership 811 600 Investment in Network 2012 Limited Partnership 1,021 1,304 Investment in Maple Leaf Partnerships 3,530 3,530 Investment in Marina Asset Management Inc. --- 11 Deferred income tax assets 2,158 623 21,723 20,185 CURRENT ASSETS Accounts receivables and other 164 1,626 Cash 3,077 1,642 3,241 3,268 Total assets 24,964 23,453 Liabilities CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable and other 624 633 Total liabilities 624 633 Equity Shareholders equity 24,340 22,820 Total equity 24,340 22,820 Total liabilities and equity 24,964 23,453









CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(audited) For the three months ended December 31, For the year ended December 31, (CDN $ Thousands) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Net income (loss) 1,826 1,157 1,427 (1,952 ) Other comprehensive income Items that may be reclassified to net income (loss) Share of other comprehensive income from equity accounted investees --- 1,932 --- 1,849 Income tax relating to these items --- (259 ) --- (258 ) Items that will not be reclassified to net income (loss) Change in fair value of Northbridge Fund 2016 (196 ) --- (189 ) --- Share of other comprehensive loss from equity accounted investees (387 ) --- --- --- Income tax relating to these items 78 --- 25 --- Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (505 ) 1,673 (164 ) 1,591 Total comprehensive income (loss) 1,321 2,830 1,263 (361 ) Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to: Owners of the Corporation 1,321 1,586 1,263 (310 ) Non-controlling interest --- 1,244 --- (51 ) 1,321 2,830 1,263 (361 )

Executive Officers of the Corporation will be available at 403-705-8038 to answer any questions on the Corporations financial results.







STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements included in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, include statements regarding the operations, business, financial conditions, expected financial results, performance, opportunities, priorities, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of the Corporation and its investee entities and contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", or similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.

While the Corporation believes the anticipated future results, performance or achievements reflected or implied in those forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Corporations control, which may cause the actual results, performance and achievements of the Corporation to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.

These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: the ability of management of Wilmington and its investee entities to execute its and their business plans; health, safety and environmental risks; uncertainties as to the availability and cost of financing; general economic and business conditions; the possibility that government policies or laws may change or governmental or regulatory approvals may be delayed or withheld; risks associated with existing and potential future law suits and regulatory actions against Wilmington; and other risks and uncertainties described in Wilmington's filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

The foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on the forward-looking statements, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are effective only as of the date of this document.

This new release contains natural gas volumes which have been converted on the basis of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent. Barrels of oil equivalent (boe) may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet to one barrel of oil is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bermudas industry groups have pledged support for the markets long-respected record on compliance and tax-transparency and are backing the Bermuda governments efforts to expedite the islands removal from a European Union list of non-cooperative jurisdictions.



Bermuda is a world-respected platform for business that has always adhered to the gold standard, said Roland Andy Burrows, CEO of the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA). We stand firmly behind that reputation, and we commend our governments consultative approach with the EU to date. Our industry stakeholders are committed to working with the government and regulators to ensure Bermuda is recognised as fully compliant. We look forward to a positive result as soon as possible.

Patrick Tannock, Chair, Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC):

ABIC has been supportive throughout this process and is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with other industry groups to support the Bermuda government in its efforts to meet EU requirements.

John Huff, President & CEO, Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR):

We have every hope todays EU determination will prove temporary. While ABIR understands there is no immediate tangible impact to Bermuda or its markets, we are appreciative of the Bermuda governments commitment to remedy the designation as soon as possible. There is bipartisan and industry consensus in Bermuda to meet international standards.

The Bermuda re/insurance market is a valuable partner in the EU and has paid over USD$72 billion to EU policyholders and cedents over the past 20 years. ABIR is confident policymakers will act in the best interests of consumers to ensure continued level-playing-field access to our markets claims-paying capital and risk-management expertise.

Craig Bridgewater, Chair, Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) network in Bermuda

As the advocate for Bermudas asset management sector, the AIMA network in Bermuda fully affirms this jurisdictions efforts to consistently meet the highest global standards on tax cooperation and transparency. We support the Bermuda governments determination to have that long-standing reputation recognised and to achieve a positive EU designation for Bermuda.

Sylvia Oliveira, Director, Bermuda International Long Term Insurers & Reinsurers (BILTIR):

The government of Bermuda assures us it is working at the highest levels to rectify the unfortunate placement of Bermuda on the EUs list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. As a staunch member of Bermudas global business market, BILTIR stands firmly behind the islands top-tier reputation. Our collective view is that Bermuda is a leader in tax transparency and compliance and continues to be a great place to do business.

Kathleen Bibbings, President, Bermuda Insurance Management Association (BIMA):

Bermudas captive insurance sector, like other industry partners throughout our market, has a long, proven track record of cooperation and transparency, and as a jurisdiction, well work with the EU to meet requirements. We remain confident that Bermudas full compliance will be confirmed shortly.

Keith Robinson, Chair, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Bermuda:

The Bermuda trust industry is well-regulated and Bermuda rightly regarded as a leading trust domicile. Our industry will continue to support the efforts of the government of Bermuda to see Bermuda removed from the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions at the first opportunity.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rosemary Jones

Head of Communications & Marketing

rosemary@bda.bm

441 278-6558

441 337-4696

CONNECTING BUSINESS

The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e0c95f6-3700-4919-99b9-21de03bf5ab8
South Africa: SA seals SKA Observatory deal

South Africa has signed the international treaty establishing the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) as an intergovernmental organisation tasked with building and operating the world's most powerful radio astronomy telescope.

Science and Technology Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, who signed the Convention Establishing the Square Kilometre Array Observatory on behalf of the South African government, is in Rome, Italy, today.

The signing ceremony was presided over by Italy's Minister of Education, Marco Bussetti, and witnessed by ministers, ambassadors and other high-level representatives of countries participating in the SKA project.

Seven countries, South Africa, Australia, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, signed the treaty concluding four years of negotiations by government representatives and international lawyers, and kicking off the legislative process in each of the seven countries.

India and Sweden, who also took part in the multilateral negotiations, now have one year to sign the treaty. These nine countries will then form the founding members of the new intergovernmental organisation.

The treaty establishes the SKAO as only the second intergovernmental organisation dedicated to astronomy in the world, after the European Southern Observatory, and will ensure strong governance of the SKA project.

"South Africa's signature on the establishment of the SKAO as an intergovernmental legal entity to oversee the construction and operational phases of the SKA project is a crucial milestone and one which should be celebrated," Kubayi-Ngubane said.

"What makes this particularly unique is the fact that, for the first time, Africa, Asia, Australasia and Europe have committed at inter-governmental level to collaborate on a large-scale science project as equal partners. This represents the start of a new era for global science governance," the Minister said.

The treaty has been named the "Rome Convention" in recognition of Italy's role in the negotiation process.

It will come into force once it has been ratified by the legislatures of five signatory countries, including all three SKA hosts (South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom).

"International cooperation in science plays a crucial role in fostering international friendship and solidarity and bolstering commitment to multilateralism, which will assist our world in addressing global challenges like poverty, inequality and climate change.

The signing of the convention puts science diplomacy into practice," Minister Kubayi-Ngubane said.

"South Africa has delivered on the MeerKAT, a pathfinder to the SKA, and our government looks forward to the next phase of the global initiative to build this extraordinary scientific instrument," the Minister added.

In 2012, following a nine-year bidding process, South Africa, together with eight African partner countries, and Australia were named as co-hosts of the SKA  one of the most ambitious international scientific projects of our time.

A collection of radio telescopes spread over long distances, the SKA will be built in South Africa and Australia, with later expansion planned for both countries as well other African states.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  The Philippines trade balance continues to be in a deficit.

According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the trade deficit in January was at $3.76 billion, 19 percent wider than the $3.16 billion recorded in the same month last year.

The deficit is the result of dipping exports against rising imports.

Total export sales in January was at $5.28 billion, 1.7 percent lower than the $5.37 billion recorded in January 2018. Electronic equipment and parts, the nation's top export commodities, declined by a hefty 37.9 percent, netting $2.79 billion in earnings that month.

Metal components, gold, machinery and transport equipment also reported a decline in earnings that month.

On the other hand, exports in bananas grew by 127.8 percent, and earned $160.7 million in January, making it the country's fifth export earner. Exports in wiring sets used in vehicles, cathodes, electronic products, and chemicals also increased that month.

Japan is the top destination of exports, making up 16.8 percent or $885.95 million of January's export income. This was followed by the United States of America, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, South Korea, the Netherlands and Taiwan respectively.

But what the country made in exports was almost double what it bought in imports.

In January, the Philippines imported $9.03 billion worth of goods, a 5.8 percent increase from the $8.54 billion imported for the same month last year.

Imports in cereals and cereal preparations, a sub-index that includes staple like rice, had the highest increase in January, when the country imported 82.5 percent more than it did last year, for a total of $414.8 million.

Imports in transport equipment, plastics, telecommunication equipment, other foods and live animals, industrial machinery and equipment, and electronic products also grew in January, while imports in iron, steel, mineral fuels and lubricants shrank.

China continues to be the Philippines' top import source, at $2.01 billion or 22.1 percent of the country's total import bill. This is also almost a quarter more than the $1.61 billion imports from China recorded in January 2018.

Rounding up the top ten import sources are South Korea, Japan, United States of America, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

An analyst from ING Bank said that the Philippine export sector should take advantage of the government's aggressive infrastructure program to strengthen itself in the coming months.

"The ongoing trade war means that the Philippine export sector will need to continue to build on sector-changing reforms to help boost productivity, by enhancing supply chains and increasing standards. With the government's "build build build" initiative seen to help boost efficiencies, perhaps the export sector can take advantage of this push and we can see the export renaissance that we've all been waiting for," said Nicolas Mapa, senior economist for ING.
Une rue de Bamenda, le 15 novembre 2017 au Cameroun AFP/Archives/-

The upsurge of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon has led to humanitarian and economic loss, which has in recent months, pushed stakeholders to come up with several commissions to broker peace between government and the secessionist movement, Ambazonia.

However, these commissions had failed in bringing all partners on board to begin peace talks. Reason why the North West/ South West Peace Commission, now known as the Anglophone Peace Commission (APC) has been created, with two top regime sympathisers.

The member of Parliament for Momo West in Menchum division, Honourable Enwe Francis and Honourable Mbile from Ndian division in the South West, are members of the Cameroons People Democratic Movement(CPDM) party, which is not trusted by many Anglophones.

" I do believe its the time, for any rightful thinking Cameroonian, rightful thinking sons of the North West and South West, to put their thinking cap and reflect on peace. We have put in place a plan of action, which if followed as it is, we are very optimistic that violence should cease Im the two regions. Our only worry is the openness from all to receive this team, the MP stated.

Many critics are wondering why of all political parties, these two would be at the helm of a commission as such, stating it would be difficult to convince an Anglophone population who feels tormented by same person both parliamentarians are working for.

However, in an interview on a local radio station in Douala, Honourable Enwe Francis pleaded on the entire Anglophone community to give them the chance to work.

Few minutes after the commission was created, Ambazonia activist Mark Bareta lashed at it, but the Secretary General of the team, Dr. Nick Ngwanyam was quick to reassure him and other Anglophones.

" I, Dr. Nick Ngwanyam, do give you Anglophones my word that these principles shall be respected at all times. I will do my best to keep a watchful eye on them and would ring bells of caution if I notice the contrary. We shall collectively do our best as a winning team, said Dr. Ngwanyam.

Before this commission, Anglophones have been expecting the Anglophone General Conference AGC of Cardinal Emeritus Christian Tumi, to serve as a crossing line to peace. The commission has however failed to organise the said general conference, with some members quitting the initiative.

Government on its part created the Bilingualism Commission which has been described as a toothless bulldog. It further created the Disarmament Commission headed by Fai Yengo Francis.hThis commission's role was to disarm separatists but recently Ambazonians are raising funds for more arms.

The question on how this newly created commission will be different, is dominating debates in Anglophone regions. Ambazonians want total independence, Government believes in a decentralised Cameroon, while others think federalism is the best option.
Maurice Kamto Archives

The arrest and detention of Cameroons opposition leader ,Maurice Kamto, keeps drawing the attention of the world and international organisations, all asking for his immediate release.

After the European Union, the US Assistant Secretary of State, Tibor Naguy, the US House representative Eliot L. Engel, chairman of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, this Monday, called on the US State Department to address troubling crackdowns on freedom of expression in Cameroon.

In a letter to Tibor Naguy who is expected in Cameroon on March 17, Eliot Engel said Kamto is being held at a location (Kondengui), which has drawn international condemnation for harsh conditions and overcrowding.

She congratulated the diplomat, on his recent interviews on French media organs last week , on the Maurice Kamto issue case.

" I appreciated your March 4th interview on Radio France Internationale, in which you stated that the Cameroonian government should release Mr. Kamto due to the perception that he has been incarcerated for his political actions. I hope that you continue to challenge the merits of his arrest with President Biya and other government officials during your time in Cameroon. In your meetings, I hope that you also raise the fact that the Government of Cameroon has clearly violated the rights of Mr. Kamto and other political prisoners to assemble freely and express and disseminate their opinions, which are encapsulated in the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which Cameroon ratified three decades ago, Eliot writes.

She further regretted Cameroons current state of affairs, following an ongoing crisis in the Anglophone regions, the ban on protests and public demonstrations, while hoping that the United States will keep partnering with Cameroon, Africa, and Europe, in order to secure a brighter future for Cameroonians.

Eliot's voice, comes to add to several others who have called for the unconditional release of the President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Maurice Kamto and some members of his party, arrested in January, for staging a nationwide protest against bad governance and electoral fraud.i
Rene Emmanuel Sadi, ministre de la communication, porte-parole du gouvernement archives

A press release issued by the government of Cameroon, through its spokesperson Rene Emmanuel Sadi, attempts to throw more light on the detention of Maurice Kamto and the continuous unrest in the Anglophone regions, while dismissing earlier concerns raised by the European Union last week, who called the actions, illegal.

The European Union in a communique on March 5, 2019, frowned at the arrest and detention of Cameroons opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, and some members of his CRM (Cameroon Renaissance Movement) party in January, describing the countrys political atmosphere, uncomfortable. The EU further regretted that the increasing unrest in Anglophone regions had greatly witnessed both humanitarian and economic losses.

Rene Emmanuel Said and his government didnt appreciate these remarks from the EU, claiming they lacked a mastery of facts. Mr. Sadi on Monday, March 11, 2019 press release, stresses on the fact that Maurice Kamto and co, were arrested because they bridged the law and not for personal reasons. He further indicates that Kamto wanted to lead the country by antidemocratic ways.

Reiterating on Kamto's charges which include insurrection, hostility, rebellion and destruction of public property, the Minister of Communication said it is right, Kamto be tried in a military tribunal. The minister further told the EU that Cameroon has a comfortable room for political ideologies, which is welcomed, as long as the laws of the country are respected.

As concerns the North West and South West regions, he blamed the raising insecurity and human rights violations on separatists but reassured the EU that all was under control and things are getting to normal.

He finally made a call to the EU and the world at large, to better understand the problems Cameroon is currently going through, while expecting that EU as a partner, would trust the efforts it has put, and is still investing on, to see life return to normal in Cameroon.

Cameroon has been on the spotlight, since the Anglophone crisis escalated in 2017. Many have been killed as a result of the crisis , with many businesses shut down. It is alleged that the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has stripped off Cameroon's membership, over non-payment of its contribution, amounting to over FCFA 180 million. The government is yet to comment on this.

Few days ago, Minister Sadi reacted to similar comments made by the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Tibor Naguy, as he claimed the diplomat knew very little about what happened with Kamto and what is happening in the Anglophone regions.
Assemblee Nationale A. N.

It was a sad opening for the March ordinary session of the National Assembly, with Parliamentarians paying homage to two departed members, and the devastating effects of the Anglophone crisis raised.

The eldest member of Parliament, Honourable Enow Tanjong, launched the session with a minute of silence in loving memory of Hon. Sense Pierre, UPC MP of Nyong and Kele, in the Centre region, as well as that of Hon.Abba Malls Boukar, MP with the ruling party for Mayo Savannah in the Far North region.

The House Dean, Enow Tanjong expressed regrets over the Kumba Hospital attack on the 10th of February, which he declared was undertaken by some misguided compatriots. He condemned the burning of the hospital, which to him should serve as a safe haven to many in times of war.

Kumba district hospital was attacked by suspected separatist elements with several units of the facility affected by the inferno, killing four patients.

The first ordinary session of parliament , saw Honourable Enow Tanjong, appealing to the international community to demonstrate greater solidarity, understanding and objectivity, in governments approach towards solving the Anglophone crisis.

For quite sometime, law makers from affected Anglophones regions recommended the topic be discussed in session but all fell on deaf ears. From every indication, this ongoing parliamentary session will focus on finding solutions to the crisis and ameliorate living conditions of those residing in affected areas, as well as the fight against corruption.

The Upper House of the National Assembly is meeting later this Tuesday, where session is expected to start with the election of a new bureau.
Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana Archives

The Cameroon National Union of Consumers with its French acronym, RNC, has declared its intention to drag beer producing companies to court rooms in Cameroon, if they continue to disrespect laws related to the recent increase on beer prices.

Francis Eyalla of RNC in a press conference this Monday in Douala, said the companies declared an increase without consulting the Ministry of Trade nor consumer rights groups. He said they were appalled when brewery companies started releasing documents with an augmentation of 50FRS on Beer products and not the stipulated 32FRS inscribed in the new finance law. He revealed that companies were to make that increase to cover up the required tax, which government hadnt started collecting yet from the companies.

Mr Eyalla insisted he had more than 150 investigators in the Littoral with an experienced detective who has informed them that these companies still went on with the increase ,despite the other of Trade Minister Luc Margloire Mbarga Atangana , to follow the stipulated price.

"They producers didnt care about consumers when they went adding prices. We call on government to apply the law. This has to be done urgently. The problem lies on both producers and government. You cant explain how someone sits and writes a communique, without contacting the government first, said Mr Eyalla

Producers had increased the prices of beer to 650FRS, instead of the recommended, 635FRS.

On related issues to consumer rights, he condemned governments recent decision on imported diapers, which to him wasnt consulted or proven harmful, anywhere. To him, the ministers communique acknowledging and recognising some diaper companies was simply a Cinema. He wondered how government took two weeks to prove that the diapers it authorised were save for consumers.

On another development, the consumer group revealed it was nursing plans to propose or hold accountable mobile technology producerss or distributors over the continuous sale of mobile phones with an exaggerated level of radiation emitted. Francis Eyalla said 90% of phones sold in Cameroon are poorly fabricated and not in conformity with the law which states that consumers should be exposed to at most 0.6% radiation emitted from phones.

Mondays press conference marked the start of weeklong activities to commemorate the 34th edition of the International Consumer Rights Day, organised by the association, RNC, in Douala.
According to a new report from Adamas Intelligence, China became a net-importer of several rare earth oxides (or oxide equivalents) in 2018. The report, Rare Earth Recap 2018: Global Production, Trade and Prices, provides an overview of global primary and secondary production by country, oxide (or oxide equivalent) and value in 2018, as well as global monthly trade of key rare earth materials originating from China and other important regions.

The report also assesses prices of over 50 commonly-traded rare earth materials, including oxides, chemicals, metals, alloys and more than 25 grades of sintered NdFeB magnets.

Among the findings of this years report:
ExxonMobil Catalysts and Licensing LLC and Axens have signed an alliance agreement for the sublicense of ExxonMobils Sulfuric Acid Alkylation technology.

Under agreement, Axens and ExxonMobil will market and deliver all technologies associated within a refinery alkylation block, which includes Axens feed preparation, or Alkyfining, n-Butane Isomerization and ExxonMobils Sulfuric Acid Alkylation. The technologies will be offered under a single license and engineering agreement to be provided by Axens.





Based upon the success of the current ParamaX alliance to maximize paraxylene production, the new alliance leverages collective expertise to meet customer needs by providing a streamlined solution to produce high octane gasoline.
| BY Ricki Green |

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has today announced that Jeff Goodby (right) and Rich Silverstein (left), founders of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, will be honoured with the Lion of St. Mark Award at the 2019 Festival.

Says Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions: The Lion of St. Mark is a special award that honours those who have made a significant and outstanding contribution to creativity in advertising and communications over a lifelong career. Jeff and Rich have had such a profound influence, not only through their much celebrated and creatively ground-breaking work but also by inspiring others to create great work too. Their legacy is truly remarkable, and were delighted to celebrate and reward them for their achievements.

Both men started their careers in journalism, Goodby as a reporter and illustrator at The Boston Herald American, Time Magazine, and Mother Jones, and Silverstein as an art director in the heyday of Rolling Stone Magazine. After meeting at Ogilvy & Mather under Hal Riney, they started GS&P with Andy Berlin in 1983 and won their first Cannes Lion for the Mill Valley Film Festival. They went on to win numerous Lions across all metals and brand categories, encompassing an unprecedented variety of styles. Campaigns included: Got Milk?, the Budweiser lizards, Invent for Hewlett-Packard, the E*Trade chimpanzee, Polaroids See What Develop, NBAs I love this game, Skateboarding for Nike and campaigns for Sega Games.

Since 2000, the agency has excelled at creating work that transcends media. Most recently GS&P received Gold Lions for I am a Witness (the first emoji for a social cause), the Dreams of Dali VR experience, Chevrolets Sonic Launch with OKGO, and Cheetos Museum.

Much of GS&Ps work has entered into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Commenting on the award, Goodby credited GS&Ps staff and culture: The people who have gone through GS&P have changed our industry more than Rich or I could ever have on our own. A spirit of humanity and forgiveness has made this place a launching pad for things never done before, over and over, always with new people. We are proud of the ideas weve incubated, the friendships that have been formed, the clients met and the families that have been made possible by 35 years of this stuff.

Named Adweeks Executives of the Decade, Goodby and Silverstein have had an effect on advertising that can be seen particularly in the leaders they have created and mentored, many of whom have successfully started their own agencies. GS&Ps creative alumni include Gerry Graf (founder of Barton F. Graf), Fred Raillard and Farid Mokart (of Fred & Farid), Paul Venables (founder of Venables Bell & Partners), Jamie Barrett (founder of barrettSF) and leaders like Chris Beresford-Hill (CCO of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York), Steve Simpson (CCO of Ogilvy & Mather North America), and Karin Onsager-Birch (CCO of FCB West).

Says Silverstein: This is an amazing honor. What makes Jeff and me most proud is that weve provided a respectful space for so many talented people to make intelligent work, raise families and have fun all at the same time.

In 2005 Goodby was jury president of the Titanium Lions Jury, he presided over the Film, Press & Outdoor Lions Jury in 2002 and served on the Film Lions Jury in 1993. In 2009 Silverstein served on the Titanium and Integrated Lions Jury.

Both Goodby and Silverstein will take part in an interview hosted by Philip Thomas during the Festival in Cannes, and the presentation of the Lion of St. Mark will take place during the final Awards Show on Friday 21 June. Further information about the Festival is available at canneslions.com.

Previous Lion of St. Mark Winners

2018: Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director Ogilvy South Asia and Prasoon Pandey, Director, Corcoise Films

2017: David Droga, founder and Creative Chairman, Droga5

2016: Marcello Serpa, former Partner, AlmapBBDO

2015: Bob Greenberg, Founder, Chairman and CEO, R/GA

2014: Joe Pytka, Director, PYTKA

2013: Lee Clow, Chairman, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Director of Media Arts, TBWA\Worldwide

2012: Dan Wieden, Co-Founder and Global Executive Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy
| BY Ricki Green |

Future Lions, AKQAs global student competition to unearth the next generation of talent, is now open for entries.

An undergraduate competition and showcase for inspirational thinking, Future Lions, is run in collaboration with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

This years Future Lions theme is a call to action for students all over the world to reject their inner barriers and Break Through. Ego, self-doubt and fear of failure kill creativity, but these limits only exist in the mind. Students are encouraged to venture out into the unknown which is the birthplace of creative change.

Celebrating the competitions emphasis on creativity, AKQA is proud to announce VSCO and WIRED as official partners for Future Lions 2019.

Says Tesa Aragones, CMO, VSCO: At VSCO, our mission is to help everybody fall in love with their own creativity. This years Future Lions theme of Break Through echoes what we provide for our community members at VSCO. It is an invitation to young creatives to embrace their creative curiosity, create without self-doubt, and along that journey build their creative confidence.

Winning ideas will be honoured at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 11:15 CET in the Debussy Theatre at Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.

Competition entries are invited from students across the globe at www.futurelions.com

Entries close on Monday, April 15th.

Last years Future Lions was the most successful to date with 2,290 participants from 386 school across 55 countries.

The school with the highest number of shortlisted entries will be named Future Lions School of the Year. In 2018, this accolade was awarded to the Berghs School of Communication for the fifth year in a row.
| BY Ricki Green |

Independent digital marketing agency Sparro has won a handful of new clients in a fast start to 2019.

The agency has won the Aon Australia digital account. Sparro has also won accounts with Brandenburg Orchestra, and retailer The Beauty Chef.

The client wins add to a roster that includes longtime partners Webjet, Catch, Estee Lauder Companies, TAFE NSW and Dominos Pizza.

Says Shane Karutz, digital marketing manager, Aon Australia: Sparros team of channel experts stood out in the process, showcasing a deep understanding of our business, including the full user journey and purchase cycle. They presented a clear strategy, which aligns with our overall business goals and objectives.

We are confident this will be a great partnership, and we are looking forward to working closely with Sparro.

Sparro will manage inbound marketing for the brands  covering paid search, display, video, onsite optimisation and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

The wins come after a huge 2018 for the independent digital marketing agency, managing $65m in ad spend and picking up a host of awards.

Sparro was a finalist in five of the six Google Premier Partner Awards and won the Search Innovation and Video Innovation awards. The business also won two Premier Partner Awards in 2017, making them Australias most Google-awarded agency.

The agency was also named in The Australian Financial Reviews Top 100 Most Innovative Companies list last year, ranked at no.12.

Says Morris Bryant, co-founder and partner, Sparro: The market is changing. Inhouse digital teams are more skilled than a few years ago, and theyre expecting more from their agencies. They want to be challenged, they want agencies to deliver more than just a channel solution, and they want transparency and value, most of all.
A pair of bills allowing commercial hemp farming in Connecticut have cleared their first hurdle, winning unanimous approval from the legislatures environment committee.

Advocates were emboldened by the move, but acknowledged the measures still have a long way to go.

Definitely, we feel encouraged, said Jeff Wentzel, head of the Connecticut Hemp Industry Association, an advocacy group. This has a good shot, but theres still going to be some heavy lifting.

The legislation, which made it out of committee on Friday, would authorize a pilot program for the production and sale of hemp. It also calls for the states agriculture department to submit regulations to the federal government for licensing, growing and processing industrial hemp. The agriculture department would be required to come up with regulations for tracking and inspecting farm land.

Hemp is considered a booming industry because the plant, a type of cannabis, produces a non-intoxicating substance known as CBD oil, which is used to treat inflammation, pain and anxiety. Entrepreneurs have incorporated it into lotions, pills, tinctures and candies.

The Connecticut Farm Bureau Association has estimated that an acre of hemp could generate 500 to 1,500 pounds of dried flowers and pull in profits of $37,500 to $150,000.

Bryan Hurlburt, head of the association, hopes farmers can begin planting hemp seeds in early June.

Im very optimistic, he said. If were looking for ways to stabilize and expand opportunities for Connecticut farmers and for the next generation to be interested in agriculture, we need to have products and crops people are interested in growing and that can be sold.

Revenue projections tied to hemp have made the plant a game changer, he said.

Federal legislation passed in 2014 allowed states to issue hemp-growing permits for research. Last year, a Farm Bill legalized hemp at the federal level.

So far, 43 states have authorized hemp production, including North Carolina, California, New York and Pennsylvania.

In Connecticut, about 200 of the states more than 6,000 farmers have expressed an interest in growing hemp, Hurlburt said.

We want to make sure that we get access to this opportunity just like the other states, he said. Supply is outweighed by demand, so there is still room in the marketplace for more hemp to be grown and processed.

Lawmakers urged swift movement on the bills so state farmers could take advantage of the upcoming growing season, which begins in June.

Here we have a chance to create an entire industry, but thus far weve been falling behind, said Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, a co-chairwoman of the environment committee. We will create opportunities for our struggling dairy farmers to utilize their land and save their farms while also enticing budding farmers to join a flourishing market.

The bill will head to the Senate for a vote.
| BY Ricki Green |

PHD has announced the promotion of Stephanie Douglas-Neal from executive director and head of HR to chief client officer and head of HR.

Douglas-Neal has over 15 years agency experience within the industry. Her passion for agency life stems from her fascination with people (both as consumers and professionals) and her curiosity to find a better way to solve client business challenges.

Having joined PHD in Oct 2015 to help onboard a key client account, Douglas-Neals remit has now expanded to support the delivery and implementation of best practice client solutions and service across the entire business. Douglas-Neal will continue to sit on the PHD executive with responsibility for HR and its PepsiCo and Bayer client relationships.

Douglas-Neal has been fundamental in the development of PHDs enviable people program which was recognised at the Australian HR Institute awards in late 2018, bringing home the gold for Best Talent Management Strategy, beating iconic heavyweights including Telstra, Qantas and IBM.

Says Mark Jarrett, managing director, PHD: Stevie has been an incredibly positive influence across a number of our client relationships during the past 3 years, whilst also simultaneously driving a fantastic people development program at PHD. This promotion couldnt be more deserved and Im excited to have her helping us further develop long-term sustainable client partnerships in the years to come.
GREENWICH  Four Greenwich High School students will take the national stage in Albuquerque to present their science projects, which range from saving the bee population to curing specific kinds of cancers.

More than 100 students from across the state submitted videos of their projects to the Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

Only 12 were selected to give oral presentations at the University of Connecticuts UConn Health center in Farmington on Saturday. Each student got 12 minutes to speak and three minutes to answer questions  and the top four received awards, prize money and the chance to go to nationals. Another 20 defended posters of their research, and the first-place presenter advances to nationals.

Four of the five heading to Albuquerque this April come from GHS.

Thats the best you can possibly do, said their honors science research teacher, Andy Bramante. It is unheard of. It really is.

Last year was the first time four students from GHS qualified for nationals.

We seem to be hitting our stride, Bramante said.

Junior Raina Jain came in first for her honey bee hive entrance that kills off a mite that has been linked to the worldwide colony collapse disorder affecting bee populations. She received the UConn Academic Excellence Award, which is a four-year, half-tuition scholarship to the University of Connecticut, or $2,000 for any school.

Sophomore Hannah Goldenberg has spent two years studying the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. She has determined what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, where in the body these chemicals end up, and has linked exposure and smoking to progressive lung diseases. She received $1,500 in prize money.

Senior Collin Marino won fourth place for his oral presentation but will be competing in the poster division at nationals along with junior Hiba Hussain. Since his freshman year, Marino has worked on developing a system that kills off cancerous proteins within a cell. This year, he got one step closer.

Marino modified an enzyme made of DNA so that it detects mutated molecules that are coding cancerous proteins within a cell. The enzyme creates another molecule that, rather than killing the proteins, kills the whole cells.

He has already patented part of his process, so the next step is to develop a method for getting this enzyme into cells. He said dreams of people using his system for treatment and for researchers to be able to tweak his DNA enzymes for their own projects.

The senior said he had bad luck in the past because of how he explained his project. Its the first time Ive gone to a national fair with it, which is really exciting, Marino said.

Hussain created a substance that dissolves plaque sealing up an artery  a novel approach to unclogging the blood system. Currently, surgeons expand clogged arteries rather than clear the blockage. Hussains nanotherapy dislodges plaque, which is made from fat, by converting fat into harmless fatty acids, which dissolve.

Bramante said his students perform well at science fairs because they work from September until March  after school, nights, weekends and on holiday breaks.

Thats a very different amount of effort than if you went to a lab and plugged inf or three or four weeks, he said. All of the experiences are great, but maybe thats the key,

The triumph for Bramante is not the win, however.

The best part for me is watching them talk, he said. Youre seeing how these kids act like scientific adults.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com
| BY Ricki Green |

Team One, Publicis Groupes Los Angeles-based fully integrated media, digital and communications agency for premium brands, has hired advertising veteran and Kiwi expat Kirsten Rutherford as executive creative director on Expedia.

In her new role, Rutherford leads all Expedia global creative workoverseeing creative talent at Team One as well as global teams in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Tokyo. She is responsible for the continuity of the Expedia brand voice, ensuring work is consistent across all continents.

Says Chris Graves, chief creative officer, Team One: We feel really fortunate to have Kirsten here to lead this team. Her global pedigree, creative talent and boundless energy make her perfect for the role, and a great fit for the culture here at Team One. Were all excited about the potential of this brand and the passion that Kirsten will bring to it.

Says Rutherford: As a Kiwi turned Brit living in America, Im thrilled at the opportunity to help the worlds leading travel brand go places. Throw Chris Graves, perhaps the nicest man in advertising, into the mix and Team One has given me the perfect ingredients to make the world a better place through kindness and creativity.

Prior to Team One, Rutherford was creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, where she led brands like Intuit QuickBooks, Persil, Southwest Airlines, Viking Cruises, the LA Mayors Office and TrinityKids Care Childrens Hospice. Her work for Gatorades Sisters In Sweat campaign, encouraging young women to keep playing sports, was awarded at Cannes and One Show in 2018, as well as awarded the Grand Clio for social good.

Rutherford began her career in her homeland of New Zealand in 1997, working for DDB, M&C Saatchi and FCB. In 2005, she moved to London, working at Saatchi & Saatchi, before heading to Brothers and Sisters. In 2011, Rutherford joined Wieden+Kennedy London, creating work for clients like Honda (now part of MoMAs permanent collection), Fondazione Prada and Tesco. In 2013, she crossed the Atlantic to join 72andSunny where she was the lead creative for Target, Starbucks and Tillamook.
It has been one year since the Stamford March for our Lives Rally in Mill River Park when we stood in front of 3,000 people, united in purpose, gathered to demand action to protect our community from gun violence. We listened and were inspired by the powerful words and music of our local students and were awed by a surprise performance of The Sound of Silence by Paul Simon. In the distance, a makeshift clothesline held 96 T-shirts billowing in the wind, a stark reminder of the 96 lives lost to gun violence every day. Along the pathway, students lay on the frozen ground holding up names of victims of school shootings. Amidst the crowd, a memorial wall rose reminding us of the unnecessary tragedy of gun violence.

As we reflect upon our involvement in March for our Lives, we realize what a pivotal moment it was for us as organizers. Our group of five women met each other for the first time just two weeks prior to the rally at a Moms Demand Action meeting in Stamford. Wanting to give a voice to our students after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., we decided to put together our own event in Stamford. We had no idea that this rally, along with more than 800 others across the country, would become such a powerful force, elevating and sustaining a national call for greater awareness and thrusting us into a new world of advocacy.
Even in an IMAX theater, it wouldnt be easy to see the big picture when it comes to assessing the tradeoffs of luring moviemakers to Connecticut.

Back when he was still mayor of Stamford and the likes of John Travolta and Uma Thurman were drawing crowds to the citys streets, former Gov. Dannel Malloy was dubious about whether generous tax credits produced a hit or a misfire for the state.

More than a decade later, Connecticut has been focusing on investments in digital and television productions, as related projects can become business anchors while big screen shoots vanish faster than Robin Hood did from multiplexes in November.

Some lawmakers, though, seem to believe the 2006 tax credits are due for a reboot. H.B. No. 6267 , An Act Restoring the Film and Digital Tax Media Program, has been introduced by Representatives Joseph Gresko (D-Stratford), Joe de la Cruz (D-Groton, New London), Alphonse Paolillo (D-New Haven) and Christopher Rosario (D-Bridgeport).

Heres a plot twist: It has bipartisan support from lawmakers in Greenwich, which has been a primary beneficiary with the presence of Blue Sky Studios.

Blue Sky is Connecticuts star, producing hits such as Ice Age, Rio, The Peanuts Movie and Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who! and enticing young wannabe filmmakers into the digital animation industry.

Its doubtful Blue Sky would have moved from White Plains, N.Y., in 2009 without the 30-percent credits, and its massive success was unpredictable.

Thats the kind of gamble that makes the credits irresistible to some lawmakers. Back when the state was promoting the cause in 2007, Jim Amann was speaker of the House of Representatives. He moved on to become a lobbyist representing hundreds of filmmakers in hopes one would become the next James Cameron and open a studio in the Nutmeg State.

Theres a lot to like about reviving this franchise. Connecticut could do with some starry-eyed residents and tourists, and we support the notion that using towns and cities as temporary sets can boost several local businesses, including housing, dining and hardware stores.

But Connecticut has to rewrite the script. The original initiative was polarizing for a few reasons. It didnt help that most of the films were duds (three from Robert DeNiro alone).

The bigger issue is whether the state gets a return on its investment. Its impossible to do precise accounting, given the potential for trickle-down benefits.

More concerning was that the original 30-percent credit was sometimes enough to offset a productions tax liability. There was also a provision that permitted producers to sell unused credits to other entities. Lawmakers need to read such fine print.

We like the idea of promoting the growth of the film industry in Connecticut. It would be naive not to recognize film as one of Americas most successful exports. Connecticut colleges have launched film-making programs, and the state should nurture career pathways that dont lead elsewhere.

That would be a Hollywood ending.
Latin America's two biggest economies are in their first 100 days under new management. During the presidential campaigns in Brazil and Mexico, democracy's champions worried most about Brazil, given Jair Bolsonaro's nostalgia for military rule. Yet today it is Mexico's democracy that is under greater threat: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, is systematically concentrating power in an already strong executive.

From the start, AMLO has undermined democratic norms and checks and balances. Despite controlling a constitutional majority in Mexico's Chamber of Deputies and sizable majority in its Senate, he has often chosen to work outside the formal legislative process. Instead he has relied on dubious public "referendums," sampling small and politically skewed groups to set agricultural policy, boost pensions, authorize infrastructure projects and create scholarships.

He has attacked and stacked the courts. He quickly moved to cut judges' salaries and take control of court officials' evaluations and promotions. His first nominations to the highest bench include the wife of a favored contractor and party loyalists.

He is taking on the islands of independence within the government, slashing the budgets of the electoral institute, the transparency agency and many sectoral regulators. He and his political allies are using the bully pulpit, congressional inquiries and the tax authority to go after commissioners who have dared to question his methods, whether for granting big contracts without an open bidding process or nominating unqualified candidates to technical commissions.

The same goes for Mexico's "deep state": Salary cuts and widespread firings are weeding out the technically minded and non-partisan within the civil service. AMLO has also gone after outside organizations, preferring to shutter women's shelters rather than provide funds to independent NGOs.

Throughout it all, AMLO's public opinion ratings are record-high, giving him domestic room to push forward. A decimated political opposition has yet to regroup.

This power grab has been complemented by an aggressive expansion of his political base. He's sacrificed education reform to gain the loyalty of a teachers' union that is more than one million strong. He is building a parallel labor confederation to challenge the Mexican Workers Confederation, long allied to the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He's offering price supports on rice, beans, corn and wheat to rural farmers. And he is doling out cash-lots of it: monthly stipends for nearly 10 million retirees, more than 5 million students and 2 million other young people, and to 4 million disabled.

He's even reached out to the military, departing from his campaign rhetoric by handing over national security to a militarized national guard and giving the armed forces their own independent sources of revenue through the construction and operation of a new Mexico City airport and other real estate.

AMLO's calculated strategy isn't a new Mexican playbook. It harkens back to the PRI's heyday, when the party maintained economic and political control of businesses, labor, the countryside and any semblance of civil society.

Then the PRI amassed such power using the billions of dollars flowing into government coffers from its own oil as well as from loans from international banks awash in petrodollars. With energy production and revenues falling, AMLO will see no such financial largesse. He needs to find other ways to fund his ambitious political project.

This may be his undoing. Cancelled contracts, ratings agency attacks, and announcements of new unfunded programs and projects are eroding domestic and international investor trust, slowing if not freezing the tens of billions in investment dollars needed to grow the economy by funding infrastructure, factories and salaries. White elephant projects and poor planning (such as buying expensive, inefficient trucks to move gasoline around the country in an effort to curb pipeline thefts) are increasing the government's costs.

In the end, money will allow him to succeed or to fail. Even with the destruction of democratic counterweights, vote-getting patronage networks require financial glue. With enough funds, he can solidify his growing political base for years to come. Without money his star will fade, as financial crises rarely treat even the most popular of politicians well. Tragically, what will last is the damage to Mexico's fragile institutions: democratic checks and balances are much harder to build than to break.

- - -

Shannon O'Neil is a senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
HARTFORD  David Lehman, the former Wall Street wunderkind whos taking criticism for the burst housing bubble that led to the Great Recession of 2008, is working intensely this week to woo enough support from state senators to become Gov. Ned Lamonts economic development commissioner.

While hes not on the Senate agenda this week for a possible confirmation vote, the former Goldman Sachs executive has scheduled private, face-to-face meetings, particularly with Democratic senators who publicly remain neutral but may be pushing back against the 41-year-old from Greenwich.

I dont know what to think, said state Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven. At this point, I dont know if I should say yes. I dont know if I should say no. I have members of the public who take issue with his nomination.

Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, supports Lehmans nomination based on what she knows now, but if new information came to light she might re-evaluate her position. She met with Lehman and his wife for coffee a few weeks ago.

I think it has yet to be determined whether he made decisions, whether the company made decisions that were imposed on him, I dont have those details, nor would I speculate as to what they were, Bergstein said last week. Really, this comes down to judgment. What is someones judgment and their values. Until you know someone really well or until theyve been tested, it is hard to know.

This is not just about numbers and balance sheets, this about peoples lives, said Bergstein, who recently approved Lehmans nomination in the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said his staff has been involved in a deep dive into Lehmans former role in the financial meltdown.

Given the controversial actions of Goldman Sachs, we have to do a pretty careful vetting process, Looney said Monday. If nothing turns up that directly undermines, contradicts or conflicts what he said to the committee under oath, then the presumption of a favorable vote on the governors nomination would carry the most sway.

Lamont, in Stamford on Monday, reiterated his support for Lehmans candidacy to head the state Department of Economic and Community Development, stressing that he is taking undue criticism for the recession, from which the state has struggled to extricate for the last 10 years.

Speaking after a transit-related news conference, Lamont said hes still pushing for Lehmans confirmation.

Absolutely, the governor said. Hes the guy thats going to bring jobs to the state; help to grow jobs. Hes really focused on the cities  help(ing) new entrepreneurs get going. Hes the perfect background we need. Very different than usual guys for DECD. Get the state growing.

Lamont said Lehman, who would also be his top economic policy adviser, is continuing to reach out to senators. Democrats have a 22-14 Senate majority, but opposition from Republicans has not emerged. It would be unusual for a nominee of a first-term governor to be rejected, but several Democrats have voiced skepticism.

I think theres going to be a vote very soon, Lamont said. I think hes going to talk to the Senate caucus. Hes calling and talking to all the legislators. You know, hes not from the old Hartford political class. He comes from a different background, hes going to have to introduce himself. Hes going to be a great economic development leader for us.

Meanwhile, opponents are circulating an online petition opposed to Lehmans candidacy on the Change.org. platform

Lamont has said repeatedly that Lehman was not culpable in the financial crisis of 2007-08, when the mortgage market collapsed. During that time, Lehman was co-head of the Goldman Sachs department that created Goldmans controversial collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), packages of mortgages the bank sold to others, and bet against at the same time.

A U.S. Senate investigation from 2011 described he practice  which Lehman and others at Goldman called routine hedging  as a conflict of interest.

The Goldman Sachs case study focuses on how it used net short positions to benefit from the downturn in the mortgage market, and designed, marketed, and sold CDOs in ways that created conflicts of interest with the firms clients and at times led to the banks profiting from the same products that caused substantial losses for its clients, the U.S. Senate report said.

Staff writer Emilie Munson contributed to this report.
Apple to hold an event on March 25 at Steve Jobs theater in Cupertino

Apple has announced that it will be holding an event on March 25. The event will take place at the company's new Steve Jobs theater in Cupertino, California.

Apple event March 25 pic.twitter.com/BkaJyXCkYS  John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) March 11, 2019

The event should more or less focus entirely on the company's upcoming online services. A video streaming service is expected, which will feature original programming from Apple along with content from other companies such as HBO.

Another thing that's expected is a focus on a new subscription model for Apple News, where customers will be able to subscribe to the service and get access to all the content from major publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, and more. Think Netflix, but for journalism.

Other things expected are AirPods 2, AirPower, and possibly an update to the 6th generation iPad but we won't be holding our breath for that.

You can watch the livestream of the event here.
(CNN)  Cultural immortality belongs to a very few, a subject that comes up in a pair of documentaries this week devoted to 20th-century icons, John Lennon and Richard Pryor.

The A&E presentation "John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky" is the more intimate of the two  a deep dive into the making of Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's "Imagine" album in 1971, which feels like must-see TV for rock fans. Later in the week, Paramount Network will air "I Am Richard Pryor," the latest in a series of "I Am" biographies devoted, frequently, to those who died too soon.

Culled in part from an extensive trove of home video  including never-before-seen footage shot around Lennon's place in Tittenhurst Park, England  with up-to-date interviews, "John & Yoko" provides a glimpse of Lennon in his studio/home, interacting not only with his wife but in recording sessions with fellow Beatle George Harrison, guitarist Eric Clapton and producer Phil Spector.

Much of the documentary focuses on the romance between Lennon and Ono, while acknowledging the vicious and often bigoted response elicited by the perception that she "broke up" the Fab Four.

There's also a strong sense of the idealism that informed Lennon's solo work and his forays into politics, which as detailed here includes the decision to return his Member of the Most Honorable Order of the British Empire medal, or MBE, to the Queen in 1973 as a form of protest. Separately, the special contains an unsettling illustration of the burdens of fame, as Lennon patiently and calmly deals with an obsessive fan who has shown up unannounced at his home.

At one point Lennon talks about recording the song "So This is Christmas" as something that will "last forever," but friends note that when recording "Imagine" he didn't fully recognize its enduring significance, which activist Tariq Ali describes as "a utopian manifesto for a progressive movement."

Although "John and Yoko" focuses somewhat narrowly on a very specific moment in time, it provides a vivid portrait of Lennon, Ono and what brought them together, creating a poignant reminder of what they accomplished, as well as what was lost.

As son Julian Lennon puts it, the allure of "Imagine" was "We all really want what he's singing about." It's a thought that takes on a more sobering dimension contemplating how this champion of peace died in an act of violence at age 40, extinguishing all that brilliance and passion with so much sky above him, and so much life ahead of him.

"John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky" premieres March 11 at 9 p.m. on A&E.

"I Am Richard Pryor" premieres March 15 at 10 p.m. on Paramount Network, after a March 12 premiere at the SXSW Festival.

This story was first published on CNN.com "'John and Yoko' offers intimate look at the making of 'Imagine'"
| BY Ricki Green |

Experiential content agency Spinifex created two immersive activations using ground-breaking large scale 360-degree dome projections for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and House of Kitch Communications that took visitors to Avalon 2019 on a journey into the future of the Air Force.

Spinifex created content for two immersive dome experiences using the relatively new medium, 360-degree dome projection on a scale not seen before in Australia.

The brief was to create two exhibits for the keenly anticipated Avalon 2019  Australian International Airshow  by showcasing the sophisticated technology that is shaping the RAAF of tomorrow.

The first installation, the Jasper Dome, involved transforming a compelling 169 animated film into a large-scale, multi-user experience within a 15m dome. Spinifex leveraged the award-winning animation developed by Animal Logic Academy in collaboration with RAAFs Plan Jericho to bring the compelling story of Jasper and her dream to fly to life. It was designed to inspire children with aviation and other STEM careers. Spinifex created the content to be experienced in real time, so Jasper could interact with her live audience.

The second exhibit, the 5th Gen Edge Experience, delivered dramatic storytelling through a 360 projection within an 8m dome to demonstrate the power of RAAFs transformation into a fifth-generation Air Force. Spinifex and WGCDR Chris McInnes created a three-chapter script where the same incident is seen from three different viewpoints, demonstrating how the incident would take place in current-state in comparison with how it would be addressed in a fifth-generation Air Force. Perspective and angles needed to be made to work for viewing from below. Understanding how to draw focus to the important story points while keeping the rest of the dome activated was critical to success and Spinifex used a combination of green screen filming, CG environments, 3D models and motion graphics overlay to create a dynamic, filmic view of each scene.

Says Group Captain Jerome Reid, director of Plan Jericho: We needed to engage the audience on an emotional level and thats where the idea of the immersive dome projections came from. Ive had a long military career, I have never seen anything like this.

Says Tracey Taylor, APAC managing director, Spinifex: Immersive domes with internal projections have never been done on this scale before in Australia. This made the domes a compelling attraction at the Avalon Airshow, providing Defence Force VIPs, internal audiences, government officials and the public with a very different viewpoint of the future of the RAAF.

The activations made complex concepts accessible to visitors, according to strategic communications consultancy House of Kitch Communications founder Samara Kitchener: Part of Plan Jerichos vision is about inspiring a whole new generation of talent to be part of creating Australias aerospace future; and inspiring our existing talent to push the edges of the fifth-generation force. By stretching the boundaries of creativity and technology with these immersive domes, we are able to use storytelling on steroids to convey concepts that would otherwise be very difficult to communicate.
Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play launching in the US on March 22 and April 5

Motorola announced its G7 lineup in Brazil back in February where it outed the Moto G7 along with three additional variants.

Its been over a month since the G7 announcement and Motorola is now outlining availability for two new variants in the US. The G7 became available earlier this month for the United States market but it wasn't clear if any of the other ones were going to make it.

First up is the Moto G7 Power with its 5,000 mAh battery which Motorola says can last you three days off the charger. The G7 Power is going to go up for presale on March 15 with a starting price of $249 and becomes officially available on March 22.

Moto G7 Power

The G7 Power has a 6.2-inch IPS LCD screen an HD+ resolution (720x1570 px). Theres alsof a single 12MP camera and 8MP selfie camera. The phone itself is powered by an ultra-efficient Snapdragon 632 and 4GB of RAM gives it plenty of multi-tasking power.

Next up is the Moto G7 Play with a lower starting price of $200. The Moto G7 Play is going up for pre-order on March 29 for $199 and will officially go on sale on April 5.

Moto G7 Play

This is the entry-level model for the Moto G7 family with a main 13MP camera, 8MP selfie camera, a 3,000 mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 632 powering the UI. The display is also a bit smaller than the G7 Powers at 5.7 and with HD+ (720x1512 px).

Both the Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play can be pre-ordered from Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Motorola.com on their respective dates. Both phones will also be available on Amazon starting on their respective launch dates.
Samsung announced the Galaxy A50 mid-ranger last month at MWC, and now it's almost ready to launch in Europe. A Lithuanian carrier, Tele2, has spilled the beans regarding the phone's price and release date.

If you want to buy one outright, you'll need to shell out 349, but you can also opt for a 52 downpayment followed by 24 monthly installments of 12.37.

The handset is up for pre-order now, with deliveries for the black version starting on March 18, for the blue and white hues on March 25, and for the pink color on April 1 (and hopefully that's not a joke).

Of course this information may not translate 100% to what's going to happen in other EU countries, but at least we now have an idea what to expect. The A50 features a 6.4-inch 1080x2340 AMOLED touchscreen, the Exynos 9610 Octa chipset, and in Tele2's configuration comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

You get a triple rear camera system with one 25 MP f/1.7 sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide snapper, and a 5 MP depth sensor, while on the front there's a single 25 MP f/2.0 shooter for selfies. The phone runs Android 9 Pie and comes with a 4,000 mAh battery.

Source (in Lithuanian)
Google may drop the first developer preview of Android Q anytime now, but there are companies like HTC that are still trying hard to roll out Android Pie. The Taiwanese maker has now announced that it will release the latest OS for three of its smartphones before June 2019.

We wanted to share the status on the Android 9 update. HTC is currently working on ensuring the update is compatible with our phones & we anticipate a release for U11, U11+ & U12+ customers starting Q219. Exact timing defers to operators availabilities in different countries.  HTC (@htc) March 11, 2019

Once the trio receives Android Pie, it will join the HTC U11 Life (Android One) that received the platform update back in November 2018. It is currently the only HTC smartphone with the latest OS and we sure hope HTC will deliver the promise by the end of the second quarter of the year.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Some 50 units, including 43 floats, are scheduled to roll through downtown Ocean Springs Friday night as the Ocean Springs Carnival Association (OSCA) holds its 11th annual Mardi Gras night parade.

Greg Gipson of Ocean Springs will serve as the Grand Marshal. Gipson works with Merit Health in Biloxi and is a member of Macedonia Baptist Church. He has been heavily involved in the Ocean Springs community and he and his wife, Shari, are the parents of a daughter, 21-year-old Whitney, and a nephew, Troy Thornton, 10.

The OSCA King and Queen for 2019 are Eddie Allen and Starr Cartrett, respectively.

Allen is a native of Ocean Springs and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He is employed as an operator with Chevron Pascagoula. Allen and his wife Melanie are the parents of two sons, Garrett and Emmet. Allen and his family enjoy outdoor activities and he serves as a Cub Scout Leader for Pack 271.

Cartlett is a native of Biloxi and graduated as valedictorian from D'Iberville High School. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of South Alabama, a Master's degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and a doctorate from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

She works as an anesthesiologist at the Biloxi VA Medical Center. Cartlett joined the OSCA four years ago "to become involved in our commitment to enhancing the lives of local citizens through networking, fundraising and good will."

For Heather Eason, now in her sixth year as the OSCA Parade Captain, this year's parade is somewhat bittersweet in that she has announced this will be her final year as captain.

"It is a little bittersweet," said Eason, a charter member of the OSCA. "I'm staying on with OSCA and I'm going to help with the parade, but I'm not going to be the head-honcho. We're going to divide the responsibilities out between four or five people to put on the night parade."

Instead, Eason wants to focus her energies on the fledgling Christmas parade, which was an immediate success in its first year this past December. The holiday parade is sponsored jointly by the OSCA, Ocean Springs Elks Lodge and Krewe Unique.

"We started the Christmas parade this year and I was so overcome by it," Eason said. "I felt there was so much magic in it, it's got so much potential and a family atmosphere. Seeing the kids' faces light up -- that's where I want to put my energies because I think it can be a really special thing."

The parade is set to roll at 7 p.m., rain or shine. It will follow the traditional Ocean Springs parade route -- starting on Front Beach Drive, making its way up Porter Avenue, turning north on Washington Avenue, then east on Government Street until it disbands at Ocean Springs Upper Elementary.

Streets in the downtown area will close at 6 p.m., with barricades beginning to be placed along the route at 8 a.m. Friday. The street closures are:

Porter Avenue from Ocean Springs Yacht Club to Washington Avenue

Washington Avenue from Porter to Government Street

Government Street from Washington to Holcomb Boulevard

Southbound traffic on Washington from U.S. 90 will be diverted via DeSoto Street.

Streets will be opened at the discretion of the Ocean Springs Police Department, once officers on the scene have determined it is safe to do so.
Dr. Chris Duke

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- It was early 1983 when a 25-year-old Chris Duke arrived in Ocean Springs to begin work as a newly-minted veterinarian, fresh out of vet school at Auburn University.

He joined the staff of Dr. John Broussard's practice on Bienville Boulevard (U.S. 90), but within months, any thoughts he may have had of "easing into" his career quickly ended.

Broussard was shot and killed that spring during a visit to Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Duke continued to work at the clinic as an employee of the family until Memorial Day weekend of 1984, when he purchased the practice from the Broussard family and renamed it Bienville Animal Hospital.

And for the next 35 years, he has remained right there, caring for Ocean Springs' pets, mentoring other young veterinarians and, in the process, becoming a fixture in the community.

"It (Broussard's death) brought me into having to be my own man and get into business for myself a little faster," Duke said. "I'll always be grateful to the Broussard family and especially Dr. Broussard's clients, who stuck with me when I was 25-years-old."

Last weekend, Duke's 35 years of dedicated service to his community and profession were recognized when the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association named him its "Veterinarian of the Year" for 2019.

Duke said in an interview with The Mississippi Press Wednesday that he was at home when he received an email from the MVMA about two weeks before the award ceremony in Starkville that he would be this year's recipient.

"I got off the computer and went into the den and told my wife (Ann) 'You're not going to believe this, but I just got an email from the MVMA that I'm the veterinarian of the year and have to go to Starkville to accept the award.'

"My wife just smiled and said 'Well look at you!'"

The MVMA was founded in 1906, but only began awarding the Veterinarian of the Year honor in 2009. Duke is the 11th winner. True to his nature, he was humble in accepting the award.

"There are lot of men and women in this state who do a fine job, day in and day out, of being a veterinarian," he said. "I don't do anything special they don't do. They not only represent the profession well, but the mentor the next generation.

"I got some credit during the introduction for the award for the mentoring I do, but the truth is a lot of my peers do that."

Bienville Animal Medical Center now employs five full-time veterinarians and two part-time and has a total staff of 46. The facility was expanded in 1990. In 2005, Dr. Michael Dill became Duke's co-owner.

Duke, 60, was asked what keeps him going after 35 years in practice.

"I love this profession," he said. "I'm having more fun and getting more joy out of veterinary medicine than I ever have, because all those things I worried about as a young man I have come to realize over the years are part of the job.

"I still get tough cases, tough scenarios sometimes, but hopefully, when things don't turn out the best for our veterinary clients, I do a good job communicating, consoling and comforting in situations like that."

Duke also said he has found some specialties within his profession about which he is passionate, including heartworm prevention. To that end, he has served on the board of directors of the American Heartworm Society for the past three years.

"That has added to my travel, but we we are in such a hot pocket of heartworms here on the Gulf Coast -- my technicians in my office joke about me being the 'heartworm evangelist,' because if you get me on the hot-button topic, I won't stop talking about it."

Duke noted that the MVMA award banquet fell just a day before he was already scheduled to fly to a professional conference. As a result, he was away from his office from last Friday until Thursday of this week.

"There's a certain irony that the Veterinarian of the Year hasn't been to work in a week," he said, laughing.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- After a nervous night of rain and fog, organizers of the 2nd annual rescue dog show, this year dubbed 'Krewe de Critters', were greeted by sunny skies and cool temperatures as the event got underway Sunday.

By the time the day-long event had ended, roughly 25 rescue dogs had found homes. For organizer Linda Bock, that's what it's all about.

"We had a lot of support," Bock said. "Everything went really well. We had a beautiful day and a lot of dogs found forever homes."

Several local shelters/rescues participated, with an estimated 60 dogs at the event, held in the parking lot of Ocean Springs Lumber on Government Street. Forty of those participated in the show, with Ocean Springs Mayor Shea Dobson selecting two "Best in Show."

The male winner was JoJo of Just Cause Rescue, with locations in Ocean Springs and Gulfport; and the female winner was Noelle of Tired Dog Rescue in Gulfport.

"Overall, it went really well," Bock said. "I think the storms the night before may have deterred a couple of our vendors and possibly some of the public. But we're still really pleased with how it went. We raised about $300 and we're still selling t-shirts which will add to that."

Among those who were not deterred were the staff and volunteers from the Jackson County Animal Shelter, participating in the rescue show for the first time after a scheduling conflict kept them out of last year's event.

"It was a really good event," said Maridee Mallett, the shelter's Adoption Coordinator. "We had nine adoptions. It was fund for the animals and good exposure for rescues and the shelter.

"Along with the exposure, it was good to let the dogs get out and about and socialize, as well as get some adoptions. We'll definitely participate again."

In addition to the show, a Mardi Gras-themed parade was held, with both rescues and dogs with their owners participating.

"The parade was fun," Bock said. "The kids really loved that. The dogs were dressed to the nines -- they were really cute."
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- A 21-year-old Tulane University student died Tuesday when a tire from an 18-wheeler struck her as she and her friends were stopped at an Interstate 10 rest stop.

Gautier Police Capt. Casey Baxter said the victim, later identified as Margaret Kathleen Maurer, and her two friends had stopped at the eastbound rest area to use the restroom and were returning to their vehicle when the accident occurred.

The westbound 18-wheeler lost two tires, both of which bounded across the median and eastbound lanes, into the rest stop on the south side of the roadway.

Reports indicate the driver of the 18-wheeler, seeing emergency vehicles arriving at the rest area, turned around and stopped nearby.

Maurer was a senior at Tulane, majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and was due to graduate this year. A top student in her field, Maurer spent a semester abroad in 2018 studying in Ecuador.

She also served as an undergraduate fellow, assisting in teaching biology courses. Maurer was also a research assistant to Dr. Katherine Jack and a scientific illustrator in Tulane's Sherry Laboratory.




Haiti - Politic : Gary Bodeau talks about investments and electricity with the Ambassador of Taiwan





On Monday in Parliament, the Deputy of Delmas Gary Bodeau, Speaker of the Lower House, spoke with the accredited Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) in Haiti, Hu Cheng-hao about bilateral cooperation and how to attracting Taiwanese investors to Haiti, informed Gary Bodeau.



Hu also took the opportunity to review the $147 million loan agreement signed with the Haitian government. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26457-haiti-politic-government-borrows-$150m-from-taiwan-for-electricity.html for the strengthening and construction of an electricity grid in Port-au-Prince to alleviate the problems of electricity supply, agreement which should be submitted soon to the legislative body for ratification.



Note that this project will be entrusted to a Taiwanese construction company, and will include the construction and renovation of substations as well as transmission towers including training in maintenance of local staff. The project will be under the responsibility of the Overseas Engineering and Construction Co of Taiwan and could take about two years to complete according to estimates from reconnaissance missions https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25139-haiti-flash-taiwan-will-build-an-electricity-grid-for-port-au-prince.html



Recall that the progress of this grid project had been temporarily suspended by Taiwan on February 19 last https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26983-haiti-taiwan-the-project-to-build-an-electricity-grid-in-port-au-prince-temporarily-suspended.html because of the socio-political troubles that crossed the country since February 7, before being reactivated again end of February https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27056-haiti-news-zapping.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27056-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26983-haiti-taiwan-the-project-to-build-an-electricity-grid-in-port-au-prince-temporarily-suspended.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26457-haiti-politic-government-borrows-$150m-from-taiwan-for-electricity.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25139-haiti-flash-taiwan-will-build-an-electricity-grid-for-port-au-prince.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24648-haiti-politic-electricity-taiwanese-experts-in-haiti.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Japan : Signature of a $3.6M grant agreement for rice purchase





On Monday, March 11, under the Food Assistance Project (KR 2018) a grant agreement of approximately US $3.6 million (400 million Japanese yen) was signed between Bocchit Edmond, Foreign Affairs of Haiti and Mitsuaki Mizumo, Ambassador of Japan accredited to Haiti.



This donation will be used to buy rice, which will be sold at preferential prices by the Office for Monetization of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD) in order to stabilize the local market and contribute to the food security of the Haitian people. The fund accumulated by the Haitian Government through the sale of rice as a counterpart fund will enable it to carry out social projects, such as the construction of roads and schools, or the purchase of medical equipment.



The Japanese Government, through this donation, decided to support the strengthening of food security in Haiti while at the same time accompanying the Haitian Government in its efforts to increase agricultural products through the training of agricultural technicians and the granting of fertilizer.



Recall that in the context of food security, Japanese cooperation in Haiti is upstream and downstream.



Upstream, with the food assistance project which, in the short term, will temporarily but necessarily mitigate the dangerous effects of the food insecurity of the most vulnerable.



Downstream and with longer-term results, agricultural equipment such as agricultural tractors will arrive at the earliest, in December 2019 under the "Program for Economic and Social Development", signed between the two governments in October 2018, and also through the technical assistance provided through the planter capacity building project set up since 2010 and still ongoing.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















| BY Ricki Green |

Target has launched a new fashion campaign via AJF Partnership, a GrowthOps business, that celebrates the fabric designed for Australian conditions: denim. Shot in stunning locations around Victoria, the diversity of Targets new denim collection is reflected in the varied environments.

Says Kenton Elliot, general manager, marketing, Target: We want women all over the country to reassess Target denim. Because when they do come back in, theyll find on- trend, quality jeans at a great price.

Directed by Rob Stanton-Cook from Collider, the campaign will be seen on multiple channels including TV, OOH, online, and social media.

Says Josh Stephens, ECD, AJF Partnership: As Australians, Denims part of our DNA, so its an exciting space to play in with an iconic Australian brand like Target.

Client: Target Australia

General Manager, Marketing: Kenton Elliot

Head of Brand Communication and Customer Experience: Nicole Gillard

Head of Creative and Brand Design: Nunzio Miano

Brand Marketing Manager: Laurelle Esse

Campaign Manager: Lauren Conte

Agency: AJF Partnership, a GrowthOps Business

Executive Creative Director: Josh Stephens

Head of Strategy: Jacqueline Witts

Group Account Director: Emily Pockley

Creative Director: Georgia Arnott

Senior Copywriter: Melanie Stevens

Senior Art Director: Lauren Doolan

Senior Account Director: Tess Porter

Senior TV Producer: Liesel Haug

Strategic Planner: Hayley Read

Production: Collider

Director: Rob Stanton-Cook

Producer: Annie Schutt




Haiti - News : Zapping...





J-C Moise rejects the new UN mission

Jean Charles Moise, the leader of the radical opposition of the "Pitit Dessalin" platform, rejects the next special political mission in Haiti of the UN (which has received the approval of the Haitian Government) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27118-haiti-politic-un-recommends-the-creation-of-a-special-political-mission-in-haiti.html and will be installed in Haiti on October 16, 2019 the day after the end mission of Minujusth. J-C.Moise calls on the population to mobilize against the presence of a new UN mission in Haiti.



Arrest of Max Roodolph

Max Roodolph accused of gaving opened fire in the direction of the presidential motorcade on October 17, 2018 was arrested in the district of Pont Rouge.



Elections last Sunday of October

On Monday, Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant, during a visit to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced that the legislative and municipal elections will take place on the last Sunday of October 2019, ensuring that these elections will be held in good conditions.



Artibonite : completion of roadworks

The engineer Blondo Odivin the new Director of the Departmental Direction of Public Works in the Artibonite installed on January 18, 2019, confirms the completion of the road construction sites for a long time including concrete of streets in Gonaives, Saint Marc and Marchand Dessalines in progress, the asphalting of certain neighborhoods in Gros-Morne commune in the near future as work progresses on the Newfoundland Highway.



Preparation of the agricultural campaign

The Ministry of Agriculture is actively preparing for the big agricultural campaign 2019. Initiatives will be taken throughout the country to facilitate its success. It is planned to accompany producers as it always is. This year, some sectors will however be prioritized. Minister Jobert C. Angrand spoke about 10 important sectors in order to reduce the country's food dependency. In addition to the funds already channeled for this purpose, an additional envelope of three billion gourdes will be available to the authorities to support the sector.



Former Minister Pieriche requests the departure of the PM

The former Minister of Haitians Living Abroad (pro Martelly) Olicier Pieriche, President of the Party Rebuild Haiti, in a letter addressed to President Jovenel Moses, in which he accuses her of "stubbornness in the maintenance of Prime Minister Ceant", he asks "to solicit the ultimate support of your presidential majority in the 'sine die' dismissal of Prime Minister Ceant" which he considers "incapable of transforming into an objective reality your promises and solemn commitments of electoral campaign. "



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Kang Ha-neul has expressed his thoughts about his participation at the encore run of musical Shinheung Military Academy.

Advertisement

At the musical's press showcase at Kwanglim Arts Center BBCH Hall on March 5, Kang Ha-neul said, "This is such a good project. I feel honored to continue [to perform at the musical]. The original production was single cast and I had good rapport with Ji Chang-wook. This time, with the addition of Go Eun-sung and Onew, there is an opportunity to create new synergies. The encore run is just as enjoyable and pleasant as the original production".

The newly promoted sergeant added, "I haven't studied history since high school. I didn't know much about Shinheung Military Academy until I read the script. I've learned a lot this time. During the original run, the audience learned many things about Shinheung Military Academy. With the new cast, it would be great if you could come again".
| BY Ricki Green |

Marcel Sydney has been awarded as the global creative agency for [yellow tail] wine. Part of Casella Family Brands, [yellow tail] is the fifth largest wine brand in volume globally and one of Australias most famous wine exports.

Marcel Sydney won the account in a competitive pitch that included four Sydney based creative agencies, as well as the incumbent agency in the US. Bringing a fresh perspective to the brand will begin immediately.

Through the Power Of One positioning, Marcel Sydney has also created a Publicis Groupe agency network throughout key markets to help bring the [yellow tail] brand story to life and to meet local market nuances.

Says Ryan Bernal, managing director of Marcel Sydney: We are thrilled to be working with a global alcohol brand and particularly one that is known for disrupting its category. The [yellow tail] team have been fantastic partners throughout the process and are looking to improve their already impressive results. With creativity at the heart of the brand, were looking forward to helping them redefine [yellow tail] across the world.
Will mean Canadian, U.S. sides run at different hours

After nearly two decades of an international committee comprising members from Montana and Alberta trying to get the hours and status ugraded at the Port of Wildhorse north of Havre on the Canadian border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it is going the other direction on other ports.

CBP said in a release Friday that the agency will adjust the hours of operation at the Ports of Raymond, Opheim, Scobey, and Morgan beginning April 14.

Very low traffic volumes during these proposed reduced hours along with fiscal responsibility with taxpayer money are a determining factor fo...
School buses rerouted today

Water and ice flow down a blocked-off Ninth Street after the water tank at the top of the hill sprung a leak and flooded much of the surrounding neighborhood Tuesday in Havre. Public Works employees are working to fix the issue and clear the slushy streets.

A major water leak detected yesterday at 3 p.m. in the water tank located on the east end of Havre and has shut down streets and rerouted Havre Public Schools buses.

Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson said the water is leaking from a new manway, a metal access port.

Public Works recently finished Phase Two of the city water tank maintenance plan, recoating the east water tank last year and recoating the west in 2017.

Peterson said his department does not yet know what caused the leak.

The east tank is a 3.5 million gallon tank, Peterson said, with 56 feet of water. He said this m...
From Montana State University Extension

Often it is difficult to pinpoint health care services in our area. As a rural state, Montana is limited with resources available to us, yet we have more in our community than we might be aware of.

Health in the Hi-Line is an event funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region. The goal of the event is to expose the Hill County community to different health care services and health care fields.

Health in the Hi-Line is scheduled for Thursday, March 28. It is a free event to the community. The event will begin a...
This past week was transmittal week for the Legislature, which is kind of like spring break for Senators. Judy and I spent a couple days enjoying home in Chester and then came back down to Helena, as the Montana State Senate was back in Friday and Saturday. The House was out until Monday, Feb. 11.

I attended a learning session in my tax committee regarding the Senate Bill 239. Sen. Jason Ellsworths bill would put a five-year moratorium on new taxes for companies installing new fiber optics cable in the ground.

The bill changed some from the original, but its general intent is to give...
Its helpful to be at the same line of work long enough to be able to be proven wrong. Ive been working with NAMI Montana to improve Montanas mental illness treatment system for the past 10 years. Weve been really active on the local, state and national levels. That amount of work has brought plenty of opportunities to be wrong and we havent been able to avoid them all.

One of the biggest times that I was wrong was on Medicaid Expansion during the 2015 legislative session. NAMI Montana fully supported Medicaid Expansion, but I personally didnt believe that it would be hel...
County inches closer to an SRO in every school

Sheriff Lowell Griffin speaks to the School Board about school resource officers.

The Henderson County sheriffs office has closed the gap in the countys goal of protecting every school with an armed deputy, reducing the vacancies from 11 to five with a couple more SROs in the pipeline.



Sheriff Lowell Griffin, who was sworn in to the job in December, reported to the School Board on Monday night that 18 of the 23 school campuses are covered (the Early College and Career Academy share the Innovative High School. Although five schools  all elementary schools  are without an on-site SRO, supervisors in the division are available to respond to emergencies.

Weve actually identified applicants that are in the process or in training that are not even listed here so our deficit is definitely shrinking, Griffin said. It is a challenge to keep identifying officers because I dont want somebody in the schools that just wants a job. I want the right people in the schools guarding the most precious asset that this county has. Weve got some real quality folks in this division and we want to keep moving forward with that.

Just over a year ago, in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shootings, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners, School Board and then-Sheriff Charlie McDonald committed to putting an armed guard in every school. Commissioners also increased funding for counselors and social workers. Those changes, Griffin said, have been effective.

SROs are working closely with the schools' mental health counselors and the social workers to identify the youth that are at risk, he said. That interaction has already paid dividends in identifying and mitigating a potential incident before it even developed. That dialog is huge.

Shortly after his election, Griffin restructured the department to put SROs under command level leadership, elevating them from being a unit under support services. He promoted veteran SRO Jesse Blankenship to lieutenant and put him in charge of the division, and added Sgt. Stephanie Cantwell and Cpl. Jonathan Tankersly to the supervisory team.

Theyre top notch anywhere you put them, Griffin said. They chose to want to work, want to serve in the school resource division. They would be outstanding anywhere in the organization but Im glad to have them looking after the schools.

Filling an SRO opening takes time. Once the department has identified a hire, background checks, physicals and other processes consume about two months; field training adds another three months.

By the time they walk through the doors as an SRO, we could be looking at about five months, Griffin said. We have been working to fill a lot of voids but we have been working at a breakneck pace to try to get SROs in all of our schools.

Griffin drew chuckles from the board when he clarified the title of armed officers in schools.

In the past it got kind of confusing because we tried to change the name to school resource deputies instead of school resource officers, he said. Heres the thing. Theyre officers. If it talks like a duck and walks like a duck its probably a duck. These folks that are employed in these positions are school resource officers.

School Board member Blair Craven thanked Griffin for the progress he had made in lowering the number of uncovered schools to five, from 11.

Thank you for making this a priority because its been a priority for us, Craven said.

The next challenge, the sheriff said, takes place in December, when North Carolina's so-called Raise the Age law goes into effect.

Its going to be pretty significant going forward, Griffin said.

Outside the meeting, he said the new law means that young people 15-18 years old committing a variety of lesser offenses will be charged as juveniles and not as adults. Officers will have to take them to a juvenile detention center outside the county once theyre booked. The state is in the process of certifying counties that have the capacity and ability to segregate the teenagers from adult inmates, he said, and so far has not announced where those will be.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 8:59AM

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

New York, NY- HP today unveiled a series of multifunction printers that are designed around the needs of small businesesses and startups. The new OfficeJet Pro printers were shown off recently at the Three Seat Espresso and Barber shop in New York's trendy East Village.

The idea was to show how the latest OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Premiere printers can integrate into a small business while solving many problems for entrepreneurs. It all starts with the design, the latest HP OfficeJet printers are up to 40 per cent smaller yet pack the same high-speed inkjet printing capability as older models.

The printers also have a lot of mobile functionality with a companion app, including the ability to use a smartphone's camera as a scanner for receipts which can be organized on the printer.

Director of Global Marketing at HP Ladd Martin explains the advantages of HP's Instant Ink subscription

Aside from being more compact, the OfficeJet printers are visually more exciting and designed to be shown off, not hidden. Some models even come in trendy hues as well as aluminum finishes. Where most office printers are hidden away because they are either large or unsightly, the new HP OfficeJet models can be placed front and centre where they are most useful.

Another advantage of HP's OfficeJet offerings are that many can be bundled with HP's Instant Ink subscription, which uses the smart printer's connected nature, to automatically order new ink cartridges before the current stock runs out. The ink is delivered for free saving business owners another thing to worry about.

The entry-level OfficeJet Pro 8025 costs just US $170 and is capable of speedy printing (up to 20 pages per minute) printing. There's an easy to use 2.65-inch touchscreen interface plus a 225-page paper tray. The OfficeJet Pro 8035 costs $200 with attractive basalt (gray), oasis (teal), or coral (pink) accents, these models, coming in May, feature a USB port, and an 8-month supply of ink.

HP's Ladd Martin explained the advantages of HP's Instant Ink service, specially for small business and consumers. The system works for the small inkjet cartridges that have colour and black and white options but isn't yet available for laser printer products as toner sizes tend to be larger. HP's latest OfficeJet printers are now available for in various markets.
This is the moment a gunman roamed through a north Dublin suburb randomly firing shots from a deadly machine gun.

The incident sparked a massive garda alert in the Ballymun area yesterday afternoon during which notorious criminal Derek 'Bottler' Devoy was arrested.

A machine gun and grenade were also discovered after a brief stand-off at a house in the area.

The extraordinary incident lasted around 10 minutes and began at 4.40pm, when a member of the public reported seeing a man armed with a suspected machine gun near the Centra store at Poppintree.

Shots

The eyewitness told gardai that this individual was indiscriminately letting off shots, and armed units were dispatched.

Footage of the dramatic incident then shows the gunman walking through a Ballymun housing estate while hiding the weapon behind his back.

He turns and pulls out the weapon to his side before running in the opposite direction.

Members of the local drug unit - who were not carrying firearms - were first at the scene and pursued the suspect to nearby Carrig Road and on to a house at Crannogue Road.

It was here that 'Bottler' Devoy was found holed up inside the bathroom.

Gardai broke through the door and arrested the 39-year-old, with no injuries reported.

During the arrest, a number of shots were discharged but it is not believed any direct attempt was made to fire at officers.

A machine gun and grenade were also discovered.

The property was evacuated and members of the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit were rushed to the scene under a garda escort and carried out examinations of the device.

A large cordon was put in place around the property on Crannogue Road as the bomb squad dealt with the device.

Other footage shows over a dozen gardai surrounding 'Bottler' after he was taken from the house and arrested.

The notorious criminal was being questioned at Ballymun Garda Station under firearms legislation last night.

Sources said that he appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant during the shocking drama.

"He seemed to be completely off his head," a senior source said last night.

No one was injured during the gun drama, which is just the latest firearms incident in the troubled suburb.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris praised the actions of the unarmed gardai at the scene.

"The gardai involved showed great bravery in ensuring the safety of the public," Mr Harris said.

Devoy is suspected of being "in the middle" of a number of dangerous feuds in the Ballymun and Coolock areas, and he has also been involved in a brutal disagreement with north inner city associates of the Hutch mob.

Horror

It is this north inner city mob which is suspected of murdering Devoy's innocent sister Antoinette Corbally (47) and his pal Clinton Shannon (30), who suffered multiple fatal gunshot wounds in a horror attack at his family home on Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun, on August 16, 2017.

Bottler's innocent niece Andrea (18) was also injured in the horrific unsolved crime in which he was the intended target.

Innocent Clinton Shannon, a friend of Devoy, had just dropped him to the street when the machine gun fire rang out.

Devoy, who was carrying a child in his arms, dropped the youngster and fled through the house to escape the hail of bullets.

'Bottler' was uninjured in the attack, which was said to have "driven him crazy".

Just 24 hours before his sister's funeral, a topless 'Bottler' was photographed by the Herald at her wake while wearing just tracksuit bottoms and trainers. He was also seen comforting a woman at the scene.

Gardai said that 'Bottler' had been going around topless in a show of defiance against his gangland enemies.

One of the north inner city hitmen suspected of being involved in the double murder was Jason 'Buda' Molyneux - who was himself shot dead near his home in January 2017.

Molyneux was also the chief suspect and was twice arrested over the gruesome killing of Bottler's older brother Michael 'Mad Mickey' Devoy in Tallaght in 2014.

Bottler's most serious previous convictions are for the attempted armed robbery of a post office in Balbriggan in 2006 and for the non-fatal drive-by shooting at two of his neighbours in Ballymun in September 2005.
Gardai seized computers and documents from Patrick Quirke's property less than three weeks after the body of DJ Bobby 'Mr Moonlight' Ryan was found, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Detective Sergeant John Keane said that when gardai arrived, the accused asked him what they were looking for so he handed him a copy of the warrant.

After Mr Quirke read it, Det Sgt Keane noted that the accused said to him that the media was wrong when it said Mr Ryan's clothes and wallet were found in the tank with the body.

Det Sgt Keane also noted that Mr Quirke asked him how Mr Ryan died.

The garda told Mr Quirke he could not tell him.

Mr Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ryan.

Mr Ryan went missing on June 3, 2011, after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry's home at about 6.30am.

His body was found in an underground run-off tank on the farm owned by Ms Lowry and leased by the accused at Fawnagown, Tipperary, 22 months later in April 2013.

The prosecution claims that Mr Quirke murdered Mr Ryan so he could rekindle an affair with Ms Lowry (52).

Det Sgt Keane told prosecution counsel Michael Bowman SC that he had obtained a warrant to search Mr Quirke's home and land from Tipperary District Court on May 13, 2013, and executed it on May 17.

The search began at 9.30am and gardai left at 4.45pm.

The witness was in charge of searching the house and another team searched the lands. During the search, Det Sgt Keane's team's attention was brought to items in another house in the farmyard.

Seized

He said Mr Quirke also gave gardai permission to search lands he had more recently started renting on a neighbouring farm.

During the search gardai seized a computer, electronic devices, documents, green overalls, a red portfolio and other items of that nature, the witness said.

They also took possession of a Ford pick-up truck and a trailer.

Det Sgt Keane agreed with defence counsel Bernard Condon SC that the accused made his comment about the media being wrong in relation to what was found in the tank after reading the warrant, which stated that gardai were looking for those items.

Earlier, the jury heard from contractor Patrick O'Donnell, who said that around March 2013, Mr Quirke asked him for a loan of a tractor and agitator, a device used to stir slurry so that it can be sucked into a tanker and spread on the fields.

He said this would be a normal request and, as neighbours, people would often lend things to one another.

The trial continues.
Travelling to Syria is not a crime in itself, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said, as he confirmed the Irish woman detained in the country on suspicion of Islamic State (IS) membership will be allowed to return.

Mr Varadkar said it was the "compassionate thing" to do.

The Taoiseach has moved to assure the public that a full security assessment will take place before Lisa Smith is allowed back into the country.

However, he said that as an Irish citizen she will not be left to fend for herself in one of the world's war-torn regions.

At the weekend, the Herald revealed the extraordinary story of Smith, who was a member of the Defence Forces before converting to Islam and emigrating to Syria.

Following the death of her husband, whom she met abroad, Smith (37) now wants to return to Ireland with her two-year-old child.

Mr Varadkar said the case would have to be treated on its own merits but said it was the policy of the Government not to revoke citizenship without good reason.

"Going to Syria or going to live in what was called Islamic State is not in itself an offence or a crime, so we will need to carry out an investigation," he said.

"I know the authorities there will want to interrogate her to see if she has been involved in any crimes there. But it's very possible that she wasn't a combatant."

Irish officials are in contact with US authorities, who - along with Kurdish forces - are believed to be holding Smith in northern Syria.

Syrian authorities are expected to carry out a security assessment to see if they will seek to prosecute the Dundalk native for IS membership.

Prosecution

"But ultimately this is an Irish citizen and we don't believe that removing an Irish citizen's citizenship from her or her family, rendering them stateless, would be either the right or compassionate thing to do," Mr Varadkar said.

"As an Irish citizen, she will have the right to return to Ireland, as will her child. But as an Irish citizen it's not just as simple as coming here and proceeding as if nothing had happened."

Asked whether there was a legal basis for prosecuting Smith here, he said it would depend on what happens in Syria first.

"There may need to be a prosecution there. And we'll make sure that if she returns to Ireland, she isn't a threat to anybody here either," he said.

Smith joined the Defence Forces in 2001. At one point she served in the Air Corps, a role which saw her work as a flight attendant on the Government jet.

This brought her into close contact with former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who has said she should be allowed home.

Mr Ahern said Smith was an "engaging and kind person".

"I remember thinking it was strange that she left suddenly, because usually people would stay on for a long time once they got into the Air Corps," he said.

"I'm not sure what she was up to, but I do think the Consular Service should get her home.

"If she is an Irish citizen she should be brought home. She has a kid. Get her home and then decide what to do."
Gardai are still hunting for the person responsible for the desecration of the crypt at a Dublin church after a man arrested over the incident was released without charge.

Senior sources said the man, aged in his 20s, is no longer considered a suspect in the theft of a skull and the head of an 800-year-old mummy at St Michan's Church.

"Investigations established the man arrested on Thursday is not the same individual that was seen on CCTV," a senior source said.

"The investigation is still very much active and ongoing," the source added.

The arrest happened two days after the mummified head of a crusader and another skull which had been taken from the tomb at St Michan's Church were returned.

They were discovered together in a bag on the grounds of the northside church last Tuesday after apparently being left back at the location overnight.

The lone suspect was caught on CCTV walking along the quays with the head and another skull in a shopping bag at around 11.30pm on Saturday, February 23.

The man responsible gained entry to the crypt by using an iron bar to break through a steel door and a metal gate, and detectives believe he had visited the church in the past.

Substantial damage was caused to the tourist attraction and the head of an 800-year-old mummy was stolen. The remains of a 400-year-old nun also suffered damage.

A skull which had been placed on a coffin in the tomb had also been taken.

"After the crime, the suspect is seen wandering around and then walking on Ormond Quay into the direction of the city centre," a source said.

Graffiti was discovered scrawled on the inside of a coffin but was proving "difficult to decipher".

"You are talking here about seemingly random letters sketched or carved into a piece of wood.

"It is very difficult to make out any meaning at all," the source added.
Ronan Ryan and Pamela Flood will not have to pay any of the 1.2m debt

Restaurateur Ronan Ryan says he and his wife Pamela Flood have received "threats and hate mail" after it was agreed they can walk away without paying any of the 1.2m debt owed against their north Dublin home.

Mr Ryan and the former Miss Ireland star were told that they will also not have to pay the legal costs incurred by two banks while trying to repossess their family home at Mount Prospect Avenue, in leafy Clontarf, Dublin 3.

Mr Ryan said the story "looks horrific" when you only have one side of it.

"It's just one side [you hear in court]. It looks horrific... It looks like we sat in a house for nine years looking for a free place to live, but we were paying interest all along until we were told not to," he said.

"We've got the threats and the hate mail and the hate messages and the Twitter pile-ons, but both sides of the story weren't told. I wasn't allowed to speak, I wasn't in the court, but look, it is what it is."

Vulture

Mr Ryan said the "real story is how a vulture fund buys a loan at a discount and sells it for three times the amount".

He said they tried to sell the house on three previous occasions but "the offers weren't high enough".

"Different people have had the loan over a different period of time," he said.

"We would have been gone in 2011, 2013 and 2016, only they wanted the asset to appreciate, which it has massively.

"Now they walk off into the sunset with the money.

"I have no animosity towards them but this is the fourth time we've tried to sell the house.

"We had to pack our bags and take my pregnant wife out of the house every Saturday so people could view it the first time around, but they weren't happy and wanted the asset to appreciate, and we were told to remain in the house."

The couple gave the American-owned Tanager bank an undertaking they and their children will have vacated the property by July 9.

"We're looking around elsewhere. As soon as we have something else, we'll be out," Mr Ryan said.

The businessman was critical of how the couple were unable to give their version of events in the Circuit Civil Court.

When asked to give his side today, he said: "That's a bit like knocking someone down and saying afterwards I could have blown the horn."

The court heard on Friday how the couple had been living in their family home rent-free for the past nine years.

Ms Flood and Mr Ryan, who had taken out a 1.1m mortgage with Bank of Scotland just before Christmas 2006, had consented to the court granting Tanager an order for possession against them.

The bank said it would undertake to limit the couple's indebtedness to whatever it could recover from the sale of the property - no legal costs, no repayment of 374,000 arrears they had built up since 2010 and no liability for the 1.25m outstanding on the mortgage.

The court heard how the bank had agreed to a stay on the execution of the order for four months on condition the couple delivered up vacant possession of the house, worth up to 800,000, along with "all keys, fobs, electronic access devices and alarm codes" and an undertaking to co-operate with an auctioneer to show off the property.

Under the agreement, the couple - after a period of two weeks following the court case - will facilitate house sales representatives having access to their home for the purpose of photographing and assessing the property for inclusion in sales brochures.

Mr Ryan said when the couple first tried to sell the house, it was worth "around 500,000".

They now have up to four months to find alternative accommodation for themselves and their four children.

The court heard earlier that Mr Ryan had not paid anything off his 1.1m mortgage since August 2010.

His wife (47) had not been named on the 2006 mortgage documents with Bank of Scotland but had been joined as a notice party to the proceedings following her marriage to Mr Ryan in 2014.

Tanager, described as a US-owned vulture fund, has a registered office at Clanwilliam Square, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin.

It snapped up more than 2,000 distressed Irish home loans almost 10 years ago at heavily discounted rates from Bank of Scotland.

Arrears

More than 90pc of those loans were two years or more in arrears.

Ryan used to own three restaurants, which were hit by the financial crash of 2008.

Flood, a former host of the Off The Rails television series and several RTE shows, was to have presented a TV3 documentary series about older mothers but this was shelved after Virgin Media took over the station.

The former model and now mother-of-four won the Miss Ireland pageant 26 years ago.

She has said in the past that despite her own career difficulties and those of her husband, their marriage was rock solid.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  Reigning Miss Universe Catriona Gray has met Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Gray, along with winners and contestants of the Puteri Indonesia beauty pageant, paid a courtesy call to Widodo on Monday.

Widodo was giggly and looked giddy with excitement when he came face-to-face with the Filipino-Australian beauty queen.

Gray was one of the beauty queens who was invited to attend the Indonesian pageant, which picks the country's representatives for Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss Supranational.
Can the Babri masjid title suit be settled through a court ordered mediation? The strictly legal answer provided by the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court (SC) is: Yes. There is no legal bar to the SC referring the appeal from the Allahabad High Court judgment to a panel of three mediators (notwithstanding the problematic inclusion of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar). The feeble legal ground raised by some of the parties to the appeal opposing such mediation has no basis in the law as the court correctly pointed out.

There are, however, deeper questions that arise when a representative suit such as the Babri masjid title suit is referred to mediation. Mediation is an out-of-court process in which parties are encouraged to set aside their animosities in a non-adversarial setting and arrive at a binding settlement to resolve their differences amicably. Theoretically, all civil cases can be referred to mediation and, in the hands of a skilled and patient mediator, there is no reason why parties cannot work out their concerns in a non-confrontational and amicable manner.

In India, mediation is largely resorted to in matrimonial cases and family disputes within the court system. We have also seen an interstate boundary dispute being referred to a panel of mediators, which included Sriram Panchu who is on the present panel. Recently retired Justice Kurien Joseph famously was a fan of mediation, whether it involved matrimonial issues or even corporate disputes. The success or failure of such a process can depend on the willingness of parties to walk that extra mile and the wisdom of the mediator in helping them along the path.

However, with a representative suit such as this, where the parties are not claiming the property for their personal use and benefit but on behalf of larger communities and interests, valid questions can be raised as to whether such a dispute can be settled through mediation at all. Whereas a representative suit merely makes the person filing it make legal and factual claims on behalf of a group of people, asking such a person to go through mediation requires something quite entirely different. It asks the person filing the suit to not just make legal arguments, but also be a spokesperson on behalf of the people represented and also protect their interests in the mediation itself. This is an expansion of the role of the parties to the suit that the parties may not be willing or able to take up.

While the cause title of the Babri masjid suit may have the names of M Siddiq, Mahant Suresh Das and others, it is really a dispute between Hindus and Muslims over the land in question. While the parties mentioned may be legal representatives of these groups in court on a legal question, can they, outside the court, claim the authority and legitimacy to arrive at a settlement on behalf of the groups? They are not elected or appointed under any process known to law that might have given them such legitimacy. There is no mechanism by which the parties can assess whether a settlement theyre agreeing to is acceptable to the community that they claim to represent.

While the SC may have been well intentioned in attempting to ensure the settlement of the Babri Masjid dispute through mediation, it has put the parties in a piquant situation not of their choosing, potentially dooming the mediation right from the start. Even assuming that the mediation is limited to the main parties to the dispute (not including the numerous intervenors and plain busybodies), and the mediators attempt a resolution in good faith, it is hard to see this end in an amicable conclusion without questions being raised about its legitimacy.

Alok Prasanna Kumar is a Senior Resident Fellow and heads the Bengaluru office of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

The views expressed are personal
In the recent interim Union budget, the finance minister introduced a scheme called Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. The scheme, backed by hefty budgetary allocation, envisages an annual transfer of 6000 to all the small farmers with land holding less than two hectares. The launch of the scheme has renewed interest in the broader idea of cash transfers (CTs). Interestingly, the principal opposition party is also promising a cash transfer scheme, with some variations in details.

Though the specific scheme is in its embryonic form and many implementation challenges remain, cash transfer is an idea whose time has come. Given the potentially profound impact on the political economy of India, the genesis, evolution and broader dynamics of the idea of cash transfers should be understood.

There are many reasons which have expedited the adoption of cash transfers. First, the development of the technological infrastructure. For the first time in history, we have a combination of technologies such as increased access to mobiles, biometric identification and improved access to banking. The so-called JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, mobile) trinity has taken care of most of logistical problems involved in cash transfers.

Second, there is a latent demand for such a redistributive scheme as the GDP growth has failed to generate gainful employment, a phenomenon known as jobless growth. Both these factors, one on the supply side and the other on the demand side, have made some form of the cash transfer politically very attractive. A recent research paper published by British think tank Overseas Development Institute found that cash transfer schemes are immensely popular in countries as different as Pakistan, Brazil and Philippines.

Third, there has been an ideological component to cash transfers as well. Economists on the Left perceive it as a way of expanding the scope of the welfare state. Those with more libertarian tendencies like the minimum leakage and more efficient delivery of the subsidies. Milton Friedman was one of the first economists to advocate a negative income tax to replace the myriad welfare programmes.

What are the political and economic implications of cash transfers? It should be realised that the scheme launched by the finance ministry is likely to be the first iteration of cash transfer schemes. Cash transfers can take various forms: they can be conditional or unconditional, universal or targeted. It is reasonable to assume that in the future, different political parties will come up with different flavours of the scheme.

Moreover, they will also compete by promising a higher amount of such transfers. For example, if one political party promises an annual transfer of 6,000, another party would try to promise 6,500 or even more to appeal to voters. Such competition is likely to be very intense, as the cash, unlike other public goods and services, is both easily quantifiable and has a more is better character. Such political competition is likely to lead to a dramatic expansion of cash transfers schemes in a short span of time. But as basic economics suggests, there is no free lunch. If the cash transfer schemes expand, resources must be diverted from somewhere.

The future cash transfers are likely be financed by a combination of increased taxation and reduced expenditure on other public goods and services. Both these options have their share of problems.

Taxation can take a variety of forms. Unless there is a natural tax buoyancy due to increasing growth, most forms of taxes have a welfare cost. Some taxes are highly distortionary and wealth destroying. For example, any tax that impedes innovation and entrepreneurship is likely to be very costly in the long run. Other form of taxes, say a tax on carbon emission and resource rent, may not be that costly. For financing cash transfers, economists and tax administrators will have to find novel ways to increase government revenue with minimal distortion and welfare cost.

Financing cash transfers by slashing public expenditure will be problematic in a different way. Public provision of goods and services is necessary in case of inadequate private supply. This can happen due to multiple reasons. It is unlikely that only cash transfers can act as a substitute to the full range of public services such as healthcare, education and food security. However, there is definitely some scope for the rationalisation of government expenditure. Better targeting and reduced leakages due to technological measures may provide additional resources.

Cash transfer is here to stay. Like most powerful ideas, it can both be a source of good and evil, depending on the specifics and implementation details. A properly designed cash transfer scheme will help alleviate poverty, provide support for tiding over income shocks and reduce, if not eliminate, leakages and corruption. A badly designed scheme would be fiscally onerous and counterproductive. Much will depend on finding a modus vivendi that satisfies both the voters and the experts.

Avinash M Tripathi is associate research fellow (economics) at Takshashila Institution.

The views expressed are personal
Pesticide poisoning is the most common method of deliberate self-harm in India. The majority of deaths are due to ingestion of highly hazardous pesticides (HHP). The Government of India banned 18 HHPs in August 2018. Twelve are to be removed immediately; the remaining six will be done away with over a period of two years. The ban follows the 2015 Anupam Verma report that recommended the review of 27 pesticides by 2018. This ban is indeed a welcome step. However, there are 99 pesticides that are banned in other countries but still in extensive use in India.

In 2017, activist Kavitha Kuruganti and others launched a PIL in the Supreme Court urging the government to ban HHPs banned in other countries. The government has responded that any negative consequences of pesticide use are due to misuse or indiscriminate use of such products by farmers. It also argued that some HHPs are still used in the high-income countries and that pesticide toxicology findings are location specific, meaning that not all HHPs need to be banned in India.

Some high-income countries such as the US use many HHPs. However, in the US only 2% of the population is directly employed in agriculture and the sector is highly mechanised, reducing the contact of farmworkers and farming households with pesticides. This reduced contact between humans and pesticides in US agriculture allows the use of more HHPs. This is the reason for the continued registration of a few hazardous pesticides in the US and other industrialised countries.

In India,a vast number of households are dependent on agriculture. Most of these households are small-land holders, who perform farming without mechanisation. There are many manual operations in agriculture in India, including weeding, harvesting, and pesticide spraying that result in much greater direct contact between pesticides and farmers and labourers. The accidental exposure to pesticides of farmers is due to lack of education, affordable protective equipment, user regulation and enforcement and safe storage.

Recognising this situation across low and middle-income countries, the United Nations International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management states that the handling and application of such pesticides that require the use of personal protective equipment that is uncomfortable, expensive or not readily available should be avoided, especially in the case of small-scale users and farm workers in hot climates.

While decisions to use or ban a pesticide is location-specific, the findings from studies of toxicity of specific pesticides even from other settings are useful in assessments of the risks of pesticides to health by national regulatory agencies in India. For example, the USA Environmental Protection Agencys factsheet on monocrotophos reports that this pesticide has been shown to be highly toxic to birds, fish and mammals. They recommend that occupational use requires the wearing of respirators. These findings have resulted in monocrotophos being banned in the US and this is highly relevant to the Indian situation where it a common cause of pesticide poisoning and death.

Progressive judicial action has also been shown to rapidly reduce pesticide poisoning deaths. Endosulfan poisoning has long been a problem in India, with around 30% of poisoned patients dying. A legal case filed by endosulfan-affected communities led to a Supreme Court ban and virtual disappearance of endosulfan poisoning over the last five years. Bans of 15 pesticides by the state of Kerala in 2006 and 2011 has resulted in a remarkable 83% reduction in the number of pesticide suicides each year (from 1,934 in 1995 to 327 in 2015).

For these reasons we advocate the ban of HPP as a public health strategy to reduce deaths in the young and active working population to protect life and contribute to the health of the country.

Anand Zachariah is Professor of Medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Michael Eddleston is professor of clinical toxicology and director, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, University of Edinburgh

The views expressed are personal
Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, who was recently seen in the first trailer of Romeo Akbar Walter alongside John Abraham and Mouni Roy, has claimed his son Tiger Shroff stays clear of malice and revealed the Baaghi stars routine. The veteran actor also spoke about his sons relationship with Disha Patani.

Speaking to Mumbai Mirror in an interview, Jackie spoke about Tigers relationship with Disha. While the two have not spoken about it publically, they are often spotted together. Tiger found his first friend who is a girl at 25, till then he never looked around, Jackie said, in answer to a question, They share the same passions, dance and workout together. She comes from a family of army officers, so she understands the value of discipline. Who knows they may get married in future or remain friends for life, for now they are just friends.

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God is kind, what else can you expect from your child! Tiger is setting an example for other kids to follow. He sleeps by 10.30 pm and is up by 6 am He respects people and focuses on his craft He steers clear of malice and is a man on a mission. Even for a porcupine his child is soft, so I wont say more. Children love him and so do mothers, and grandmothers. I hope it always remains thats way, Jackie added.

He also revealed about his first meeting with Salman Khan, who plays Jackies son in Bharat: I met Salman during his growing up years while filming Falak whose dialogue was penned by his father, Salim Khan saab... Salmans still a teenager for me, a child, his eyes shining with his love for me and reflecting his awe.

Jackie, 62, plays a senior officer in Romeo Akbar Walter who recruits Johns character and makes him undergo a rigorous training for a special mission, which according to the trailer could change the course of history for India.

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India became the first nation to put a spacecraft in orbit around another planet in its very first attempt. However, as someone has said, The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.

Recently, there was a scene in the Bollywood movie, Zero, where a wheelchair-user scientist Aafia  who was credited with finding water on Mars  was challenged to pick a pen off the floor while she was invited to give a talk at a function. There are many such Aafias, who dream of leading India not only on planet earth but beyond it. The only problem is that our society discriminates with them in living independently and being included in the community.

When was the last time you ever saw a wheelchair-user walking independently on the pavements or on the 55-crore skywalk at ITO? Have you ever seen a blind person safely crossing the road independently or with generous help from acoustic traffic signals? As per the World Report on Disability, one in seven globally experiences some form of disability. People with disabilities are the worlds largest minority. Yet, they are unseen and unheard.

People like Aafia and I only have impairments (cerebral palsy in the formers case and polio in mine) but its the society that makes us disabled by its physical and attitudinal barriers. The physical barriers include lack of accessible pavements and crossings.

Almost all bus stops in Delhi mocks disabled citizens as they proudly display International Symbol of Access. Its a different matter that majority of them neither have kerb cuts nor pavement height less than 150 mm. Despite the transport departments repeated pleas to use public transport, I am forced to use my own modified vehicle to live an independent life of dignity.

India was one of the major nations that ratified the United Natoions Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which was the first legally binding human rights instrument of the 21st Century. Accordingly, we have amended our disability legislation into the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

As per Section 41(1)(c) of this law, it is the duty of the government to provide accessible roads to address mobility necessary for persons with disabilities. Rule 20(1)(a) of the Delhi Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2018, makes it pretty clear so that there is no ambiguity on what standards to follow.

Unlike the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, we havent seen efforts among our society to embrace the Accessible India Campaign, which was, again, launched by our Prime Minister.

This is surprising as #RightToWalk is equally applicable to temporary abled-bodied citizens such as the elderly, pregnant women, fractured individuals and infants.

Disability is a continuum of diversity, yet we see attitudinal barriers to embrace this diversity.

We accomplished the great Mangalyaan feat on a tiny budget. We are paying cess for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. We spent crores on escalators which are not means of egress for disabled persons and thus, we fail to address the basic need of right to walk in our own communities. Despite paying taxes, I am unable to reclaim my pavements and crossings.

Recently, I was in Delhi Vidhan Sabha, where a training programme was done for the MLAs on the new Disability Act. Disability Commissioner appealed to the MLAs to promote the concept of disability-inclusive constituency and it was heartening to see MLA Timarpur expressing his desire to make his constituency disabled-friendly. If the PM can launch Accessible India Campaign, the Delhi govt can launch Mohalla Clinic, why cant we bridge these two initiatives to start afresh from accessible Mohallas?

We need both top-down and bottom-up approach to leave no one behind. Will the commissioners, MLAs of these constituencies in Delhi take up this challenge to #MakeDelhiWalkable? Believe me, if a disabled person can walk independently with dignity on these roads, everybody else can. The Agenda 2030 (Sustainable Development Goal 11) will remain an elusive dream until and unless we involve people with disabilities.

(Dr Satendra Singh is a professor at University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi)
In what may spell bad news for Congress leader and former chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Monday announced his decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Solapur constituency.

Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), was expected to contest from Akola. I have decided to contest from Solapur, he said.

Ambedkar, who has good following among Dalits in the constituency, may give a tough competition to Shinde, who is planning a comeback. In the 2014 polls, Shinde was trounced by Sharad Bansode, who was called the giant killer for defeating the veteran Congressman, who was then the Union home minister.

Ambedkar has been refusing to join Congress-NCP led opposition coalition. He had initially demanded 12 seats, which was refused by the combine, who were ready to part with just two. He has also tied up with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi. The Congress asked Ambedkar to snap its ties with AIMIM, as it termed it a communal outfit, which Ambedkar refused

Ambedkar, who then gave the Congress-NCP a deadline of February 28, announced that he would contest all 48 seats in the state. Now, he is saying he could reconsider the alliance, if the VBA is given 22 seats. A senior Congress leader said Ambedkar was deliberately resorting to such tactics as he is not keen to join the Opposition coalition.
For the first time in the May 12 general elections, Delhi could get some all-women polling stations, to be operated entirely by women  women polling personnel and women security officials  Ranbir Singh, chief electoral officer of Delhi, said on Monday.

Efforts are on to provide pick-up and drop facilities to persons with disabilities (PWDs). And along with all other states, this will be the first time that Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines are deployed in all polling stations.

The district election officers have been asked to identify areas where all-women polling stations can be set up. The number of such booths hasnt been fixed yet, said Singh, adding that pink polling booths have been used in other elections, such as the Karnataka polls last year.

These booths have all-women staff, including presiding officers, polling officers, micro observers and security personnel. HT had earlier reported that efforts were being made to provide transport facilities to the persons with disabilities for the first time.

Transport facility will be provided to differently-abled residents who otherwise have no means to travel to polling booths. The differently-abled can also enrol themselves through a special app launched for them and mark their location, he added.

In another first, all 13,816 polling stations across 2,696 polling premises would have VVPAT machines. The VVPAT is like a printer that forms a part of the EVM along with the ballot unit and control unit.

If a voter alleges that the paper trail of the VVPAT is showing the name of a political party for which s/he didnt cast her/his vote, a test vote would be done in front of them by the presiding officer. If the allegations are found to be false, an FIR would be lodged against the voter, he added.

The CEO held a meeting with the district election officers, civic bodies and Delhi police earlier in the day and issued instructions regarding conduct of elections. Instructions have been issued to remove posters, banners and pictures of political figures from public places within 48 hours. Defacement would also have to be removed. The MCC (model code of conduct) should be fully enforced, said Singh.

Citizens, for the first time, would be able to lodge complaints and flag violations of the model code through a mobile app cVIGIL, said Singh. The poll panel will take 100 minutes to resolve a complaint.

Citizens can upload pictures and videos, preferably not more than two minutes long, to flag model code violations such as distribution of gifts and liquor to bribe voters, political banners and posters being put up in public places, liquor being distributed among voters, hate speeches detrimental to society being given by politicians and incidents of muscle power among others.

The photos and videos would have to be uploaded within five minutes of capturing them. The app will reject any photo or video captured more than five minutes before it is uploaded, officials said. The complainant may choose not to disclose their identity.

Within seconds the complaint would reach the returning officer and would be forwarded to the flying squad. At least 210 such squads would be deployed, said Singh.
When 54-year-old Gurmeet Singh returned to Delhi from Dubai early last year after working there in the furniture business for years, he brought with him a bluish-green suitcase  to be used exclusively to keep the valuables the family owned.

On Saturday, when a police team embarked upon a search operation to find Gurmeet, who had been missing for over two weeks by then, they found his body inside a drain and stuffed in the same suitcase.

My father kept some cash, a lot of jewellery and our property documents in that suitcase. He really valued it, said Gurmeets son, Pradeep Singh, who works as a chef in Kuwait.

Investigators have arrested Gurmeets 26-year-old daughter, Davinder Kaur alias Sonia, and her boyfriend for killing him and his wife, Jageer Kaur.

My sister not only killed our parents, she also insulted our memories of them, said Pradeep at a crematorium on Monday. During my brief interaction with her, she smiled and said she had given mukti to our parents, Pradeep added.

According to Seju P Kuruvilla, deputy commissioner of police (outer Delhi), Sonia and her 29-year-old boyfriend, Prince Dixit alias Vikram, had killed the couple to usurp their house in Chander Vihar in outer Delhi.

The revelation, however, did not come as a surprise to the family. Police said that several weeks ago, Sonias family had caught her forging her fathers signature in an attempt to usurp the property. She is also suspected to have stolen the cash and jewellery, worth 7- 8 lakh, from the same suitcase earlier.

She had forged my fathers signature, but had done it in English. My father signs in Punjabi. She had also got the spelling of his name wrong, said Pradeep. He claimed his parents had reported the matter to police, but police denied receiving any such complaint. Sonias relatives, however, are unable to understand how she would have grabbed the familys property, as alleged by police. Sonia is the oldest of four siblings  two brothers and a sister. She has always taken wrong decisions in life. Had she realised she wouldnt have got the property, our parent would have been alive, said Sonias sister, Harjinder Kaur.

A senior police officer said Sonia banked upon several factors when she allegedly planned to grab the property. The parents had disowned one of her brother for marrying against their wishes. Another brother is settled in Kuwait. Her sister lives in Punjab. She thought killing her parents would allow her to transfer her property in her name, said the officer.

She allegedly hoped to at least take a loan by keeping the property mortgage, police said. All through, Vikram, who had allegedly been guiding her, used the services of a Delhi-based property dealer to go about the grabbing business, police said. But the property dealer wasnt party to the murder plot, police added.
In a closed-door meeting on Monday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal told Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders that he would burn the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) 2014 election manifesto for taking a U-turn on the issue of full statehood for Delhi. Kejriwal also asked his partys legislators and senior office bearers to do so, senior AAP leaders who participated in the meeting told Hindustan Times.

This was the first such meeting organised by Kejriwal, also the AAP national convener, after the announcement of the general election schedule. Delhi is scheduled to go to the polls on May 12. Mondays meeting was attended by all ministers of Delhi government, AAP legislators, the six candidates fielded by the party in Delhi so far and the partys senior office bearers.

The chief minister has said that he will burn the BJPs 2014 manifesto as a mark of protest, said Atishi, AAPs candidate from East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, who was present in the meeting that started around 6pm at Kejriwals residence and lasted for around two hours.

AAP legislator Madan Lal, who was present in the meeting, said: The CM has told us that he himself will burn the BJPs manifesto on March 13 [Wednesday]. The MLAs have been asked to burn BJP manifestos in their respective constituencies on March 15 [Friday] and ward in-charges have been asked to do so on March 17 [Sunday].

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, BJP had included in its manifesto the promise of full statehood for Delhi, where it had lost all seven seats to the Congress in the previous Lok Sabha polls.

The developments in Mondays meeting were confirmed by three more senior AAP leaders who did not wish to be identified. In the meeting, Kejriwal reiterated that the party is going to fight the general election in Delhi with the prime agenda of full statehood and that all other promises would revolve around that theme, AAP leaders present in the meeting said.

Delhi is considered an exception under provisions of the Indian constitution. In Delhi, the elected government does not get power over certain departments, including public order, police and land.

AAP leaders present in Mondays meeting further said a video was shown in the meeting in which Kejriwal elaborated on the benefits of full statehood for Delhi, connecting the idea with issues that concern law and order, jobs, education and development. Kejriwal also explained in the meeting how all issues in Delhi that include health and education too could be linked with full statehood. The MLAs have been instructed to carry forward this message in their constituencies ensuring that the message reaches every household, they said.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said: Every political party is free to protest or campaign against other political parties but while doing so, basic political decorum should be maintained. Aam Aadmi Partys announcement of burning the BJP manifesto is nothing but a cheap gimmick to be in the news. Arvind Kejriwals sudden love for full statehood has nothing to do with Delhis development. It is just an alibi to cover up developmental and administrative failures for four years.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
Students in Lucknow was of the view that CBSE class 12 Chemistry question paper was pretty straight forward and even the difficulty level of the questions were average.

Students of GD Goenka Public School, Lucknow, Eshan Mishra said paper was straight forward. Pranav and Suhani said All questions were from previous 10 years sample papers which we have already practiced well really helped.

Umang and Kartikey of same school found all questions from NCERT textbook and thus the paper was easy.

My preparation and practice was enough for todays exam. After the difficult Physics exam, I am pretty sure of scoring great marks said Tushar Yadav.

The students of Lucknow Public School, South City, came out with contended faces from the examination hall. Ayush Priyadarshi Verma of the school said, Paper was completely from the syllabus but one of the numerical was difficult one.

Another student Prateek Chandra of LPS said, Logical paper with numerical. Nancy Batra also remarked, Paper was from NCERT questions were good covering all the topics.

A Senior teacher of Lucknow Public School, South City Neena Mishra said, The question paper had direct as well as indirect questions which were a bit twisted and all the numerical were from NCERT.

She also remarked, Organic portion was difficult and over all paper is also difficult for average students.

Campion School student Naman Sharma said, The overall paper was so easy. I found a few questions especially from organic chemistry directly from the NCERT book. I am expecting good marks.

Bank Officers Public School student Muskan Shakya said, I completed my paper before time. I found the pattern similar to the last year. It was a scoring paper.

Kendriya Vidhyalaya no 1 student Aman Vyas said, Barring a few numerical questions, it was an easy paper. Like other questions, I found numerical questions a bit tricky.
Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined Congress in Ahmedabad in the presence of its president Rahul Gandhi and other top leaders in Gujarats Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Three years after he made the whole nation take note of him by leading the Patidar agitation, which reopened the debate around caste based reservation system in India, the firebrand leader now has to wait and watch, before he can make his next big leap  entry into electoral politics.

For live updates, click here

A conviction in a rioting case and two years sentence, unless stayed by a higher court, could pose hurdles in his political career.

I am just a 25 years old. I still have time on my side, he said, when asked about contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2015, fame came suddenly and unexpectedly soon after college for the young man born to a Kadva Patidar middle class family . But now, Hardik, who hails from a Viramgam town near Ahmedabad, needs to walk the tight rope in carving out his path to Delhi.

For one, stir is over. The NDA governments big move of clearing 10% reservation for economically weaker sections of non-reserved category is expected to pacify the angry Patidars.

Secondly, the ground support that he enjoyed from the community during the peak of the agitation is a matter of past. Except a grand reception in July 2016 given to him upon release from nine-month imprisonment in Surat Lajpore Jail in connection with two sedition cases, his subsequent programmes in the past two years have failed to regenerate the magic of the August 2015 Ahmedabad rally.

His efforts to revive the agitation through hunger strike in August 2018 got lukewarm response. Recently, his Kadva Patidar community invited PM Modi for inauguration of religious and educational complex to come up at a cost of 1,000 crore, signalling that BJP has wooed back its traditional vote bank.

Luxurious lifestyle, sprawling home in posh areas, swanky cars, branded watches and expensive phones that Hardik acquired soon after the Ahmedabad 2015 rally , led accusation against him of siphoning off community funds. A luxury resort sojourn and big fat wedding ceremony for his sister, further dwindled the support as his dictator like style of functioning alienated him from other founding members of the agitation. So when he opted for a low-key event for his wedding earlier this year, it was seen as well thought out strategy.

A closed-door meeting ahead of December 2017 in an Ahmedabad-based luxurious hotel he had with Gandhi, was the last blow to his then already cracking team.

While the Patidar businessmen and industrialist-fund providers of the agitation are being wooed back by the BJP, the youth  his core supporters  are apparently disillusioned by his conflicting claims and moves as he is set to join a political party after projecting himself apolitical.

The BJP has been calling him and his agitation a design of the Congress. Hardik who? asked BJP state chief Jitu Vaghani when his reaction on the matter was sought. The BJPs strategy has been to ignore him publicly.

Hardiks outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has supported the Congress in past two elections  2015 local body polls and the 2017 assembly elections. On both the occasions, the Congress made inroads into BJPs rural Patidar dominated bastions. The urban fortress of BJP, however, has remained intact.

Hardik, if he will contest, has been on the lookout for a seat where the caste arithmetic goes in his favour, like Jamnagar or Amreli. Though Amreli is Patidar dominated, a divide between to sects  Kadvas and Leuvas  can result in complications, especially for an outsider like Hardik.

If Jamnagar, as suggested in some media reports, will be his choice, the BJP has already made it a difficult battle for the Congress. For, before the Congress could formally include Hardik Patel in the party, two of its MLAs from Jamnagar  Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Vallabh Dharaviya  have defected to the BJP.

In the Gujarat politics, he will now be just any other Congress leader, unless he proves himself to be an extraordinary, said political analyst Hari Desai.

Time, which Hardik says is by his side, will prove.
An All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) functionary was expelled on Monday after police in Pollachi near Coimbatore registered a case and arrested him in a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the state.

The ruling AIADMKs Amma Forum secretary of Pollachi town, A Nagaraj, was booked by police for allegedly threatening and assaulting the brother of a college student, who is a victim of sexual assault.

Nagaraj, who allegedly tried to protect an accused, was removed from the primary membership of the party.

A Nagaraj is being terminated from all responsibilities in the AIADMK for bringing disrepute by acting against the principles of the party...He is removed from the primary membership of the AIADMK, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam said in a statement.

According to police, the four accused befriended the college student through Facebook, and lured her to a nearby area in a car on February 12. The four allegedly sexually assaulted her and made videos of the act. They abused her several times, threatening that the videos would be uploaded on the internet if she spoke out.

She told her family about the ordeal and lodged a complaint against Thirunavukkarasu (25), Sabarirajan (25), Sathish (28) and Vasantha Kumar (27). In the complaint, her brother alleged that Nagaraj came to the defence of Thirunavukkarasu.
The Rajasthan high court has issued notices to Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and a local resident, Dushyant Singh, in connection with the hunting of two blackbucks in 1998.

The state government had filed a leave-to-appeal in the high court against the acquittal of the five accused.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan is accused of poaching two blackbucks at Kankani village in Jodhpur in October 1-2, 1998. Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam and Dushyant Singh were charged with instigating Khan to poach the animals.

Salman Khan was sentenced to five years imprisonment by the chief judicial magistrate court (Jodhpur district) on April 5 last year. Co-accused actors and the local resident were given the benefit of the doubt and acquitted.

The leave-to-appeal was filed against acquitting the five co-accused. We told the court that the trial court in its judgment has admitted that the five co-accused were with Salman, the main accused, during blackbucks hunting, but they were acquitted by giving them benefit of doubt, said additional public prosecutor Mahipal Vishnoi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the 89th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhis Dandi march to attack the Congress on Tuesday, saying the opposition party was representative of a culture that was an anti-thesis of Gandhian thought.

In a blog to mark the anniversary of the march Gandhi led in 1930 to protest against a steep tax levied by the British on salt, the prime minister said, Gandhi Ji taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person we have seen and think about how our work impacts that person.

I am proud to say that in all aspects of our Governments work, the guiding consideration is to see how it will alleviate poverty and bring prosperity. Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture, he wrote.

Gandhi opposed misgovernance and corruption, and his Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has done everything to punish the corrupt, Modi said. But, the nation has seen how Congress and corruption have become synonyms. Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam-- from defence, telecom, irrigation, sporting events to agriculture, rural development and more, he wrote in the blog on his website.

Gandhi spoke about detachment and staying away from wealth, Modi said. However, all that Congress has done is to fill their own bank accounts and lead luxurious lifestyles at the cost of providing basic necessities to the poor.

Modi said Gandhi despised dynastic politics but Dynasty First had become the Congresss way. The PM referred to Gandhis commitment to democracy, and said the Congress, ironically, imposed an internal emergency on the country. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values, Modi wrote.

Modi said Gandhi understood the Congress culture well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after India independence in 1947.

In 1937 itself, Gandhi said, I would go to the length of giving the whole Congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant, Modi wrote.

Hours after the blog, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel hit out at the PM, saying that some people were the writing blogs in Mahatma Gandhis name for political advantage.

Following truth and religion, 89 years ago, Bapu had embarked on the Dandi March, Patel said. For the past 5 years, some people are writing blogs in the name of Bapu for political advantage, but I would like to remind them that when the march was being undertaken, their teachers had opposed it, he added.
A Delhi court on Monday sought a response from Tihar jail authorities on a plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) to interrogate Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam. The ED has sought two days to confront Michel with some more documents in the judicial custody.

The court also directed the Tihar jail authorities to produce Michel before it on Tuesday after his lawyers Aljo K Joseph and Vishnu Sharma moved a plea seeking to change his cell.

Michel, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since December 19, 2018, had submitted a letter to the Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar contending that he has been given an isolation cell in a jail full of 27 prisoners from Kashmir. He added when he was lodged in jail number 7, he was kept with other white collar accused.

His lawyers submitted that he is allowed to come out of the cell for one hour a day.
A 53-year-old woman who was waiting on a roadside in Delhis Janakpuri area was dragged by two men on their bike as she tried to stop them from snatching her purse, a video of which has gone viral.

On Friday around 4 pm, Shobha Kanwar was waiting outside a residential colony in Janakpuri area after getting down from a cab. While she was on phone, confirming the address she had to visit for a meeting, two men came on a bike and tried to snatch her purse, police said.

As Kanwar held on to the bag, she fell down and was dragged for about 20-25 metres. However, the bike-borne men managed to flee with the bag, which had about 20,000 in cash, police said.

Kanwar alleged that no one came to her help despite the incident happening in a posh residential area of the national capital in broad daylight.

A CCTV footage of the incident has gone viral on social media websites.

In the video, several onlookers could be seen unmoved by the incident even as the woman gets dragged on.

Police have registered a case and is on lookout for the accused, who have been identified.

Kanwar, who runs a pre-nursery school in Najafgarh, claimed she lost a few essential documents, which were in the bag.

She sustained severe injuries on knees, hands, waist and face, officials said.

However, she immediately dialled police helpline number 100 and also lodged an e-FIR.

A case of theft was initially registered. However, the e-FIR was later converted and sections of robbery have also been added, Sameer Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) said.

Police said the woman was initially hesitant in filing a case thinking of the process that it takes.
A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed officers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to interrogate Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the 3,600 crore deal for 12 AgustaWestland helicopters, for two hours each on Wednesday and Thursday, in the morning and in the afternoon.

The court also granted permission to Michels counsel to be present for half an hour during each slotted interrogation.

Michels lawyers Aljo K Joseph and MS Vishnu Sankar, who have filed an application to move Michel from a high security cell to a normal cell in Tihar jail, opposed EDs plea to interrogate Michel on grounds that he was in isolation for 21 days and was not in a condition to be questioned.

Michels counsel submitted that he is allowed to come out of the cell for only one hour each day. For the remaining 23 hours, he stays inside the same cell watching the walls, which is sufficient to destabilise the mental balance of a person, they said.

The court directed the jail authorities to produce the jail records as well as CCTV footage of the previous five days Michel has spent in his cell and ordered them to get Michel medically examined before his interrogation. Michel told the court that former chief of Central Bureau of Investigation officer Rakesh Asthana, when he met him in a Dubai jail, had threatened to make his life hell if he did not cooperate with the probe into the AgustaWestland deal.

In May 2016, when CBI official Rakesh Asthana met me in Dubai, he had threatened that he would make my life hell in jail. Thats what is happening. My next door inmate was?? Chhota Rajan. I dont understand what crime I have committed to be put (in jail) along (with) those who have killed several people, Michel said.

Special public prosecutor for ED, NK Matta, said Michel had moved the application to be relocated as an afterthought and that he had not informed the jail superintendent about any problem faced by him in jail.

ED and CBI are probing allegations of corruption and money laundering in the 2007 contract for the purchase of 12 luxury VVIP helicopters for use by top leaders, including the President, Prime Minister and former prime ministers. The deal was cancelled on January 1, 2014 over the allegations of wrongdoing.
The Cyberabad police in Hyderabad on Tuesday busted a multi-level marketing scam worth Rs 1,000 crore involving a Noida-based company eBiz.com Private Ltd , arrested ta man who allegedly ran it and froze its bank deposits worth more than Rs 70 crore.

Cyberabad police commissioner V C Sajjannar told reporters that the company had duped more than seven lakh people across the country. We have arrested Hitik Malhan (31), who looks after the company activities and are on the lookout for his parents Pavan Malhan, managing director of the company and Anita Malhan, its director, he said.

The police booked cases against the accused under Sections 406, 420 and 506 of Indian Penal Code and also under other sections of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act of 1978.

Sajjannar said the promoters attracted mostly students, women and retired persons luring them with easy means of making money. Each person would join paying Rs 16,821. Each member would in turn, had to enrol more members who would be part of the chain. After paying the money the new comer would get some products/e-learning courses/holiday package and the promoter got commission. The new representatives were required to enrol three more members. As the number of persons increased down the line the older recruits would get more money as commissions, he said.

However, as finding new members becomes difficult, the chain gets broken somewhere and the scheme collapses at one point of time. All those who invested in the form of deposits, would lose their money, the police commissioner said.

The Cyberabad police, acting on a complaint by a 20-year old student from Hyderabad, probed the case and busted the scam. The scheme is rampant in cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and States of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa, he said, adding that a detailed investigation was being done into the whole scam.

In September last year, the Cyberabad busted a similar scam worth Rs 1,200 crore. Police had arrested two men belonging to Hissar in Haryana and seized Rs 200 crore from them.
India late on Tuesday night grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in light of Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board on Sunday, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

A DGCA official had earlier said that a ban was likely on the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 by Indian airlines and a final decision would be taken by Wednesday.

DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet.

Earlier on Monday, Indias aviation regulator said it had imposed additional interim safety requirements for ground engineers and crew for the aircraft but stopped short of ordering their grounding.

SpiceJet and Jet Airways are the only two domestic airlines which operate Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. SpiceJet has around 12 737 Max 8 planes in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five.

SpiceJet said it has put in place all the additional precautionary measures issued by the aviation regulator following the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Also read: More Boeings grounded amid global probe into Ethiopia crash

SpiceJet had said it is actively engaged with the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) and the aircraft manufacturer on the issue.

Jet, which recently grounded many aircraft due to its financial woes, said earlier that none of its five B-737 MAX aircraft was in operation.

Many countries including Britain, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Norway on Tuesday joined a rapidly growing number of countries grounding or closing airspace to a new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster as a global team of investigators began looking for parallels with a similar crash just five months ago.

Australia, Brazil and Singapore on Tuesday joined China and Indonesia to ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft .
An assessment report put together by the Indian Air Force and intelligence agencies, which includes satellite photographs, shows that Indian fighter jets destroyed most of the targets they went after in the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot, Pakistan, but is silent on the number of casualties. Hindustan Times has seen a copy of the report.

There has been intense speculation about the efficacy of Indias February 26 pre-emptive strike on the Jaish facility to prevent the terrorist group from carrying out more suicide attacks in India after the February 14 one in Pulwama that killed 40 Indian troopers.

Among the targets destroyed were a guest-house where Maulana Masood Azhar, his brothers Adul Rauf Azhar and senior functionaries of the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) usually stayed while visiting the camp and a Markaz or hostel for JeMs trainee terrorists, according to the report. The airstrike was so precise that a mosque at the center of the 0.67 Sq Km complex was untouched because India didnt want it to be destroyed.

The Markaz adjoins a firing range where to be JeM terrorist were taught to handle weapons, and make and trigger Improvised Explosive Devices, (IED). IAF has backed the satellite images with Radar and Electro-optical imagery, a senior officer in the security establishment said, asking not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Also read | We kept quiet, but Pakistan began crying at 5 am: PM Modi on Balakot strike

Other satellite photographs, dating several days after the strike show the two targeted buildings being repaired. Journalists, prevented from going to the JeM facility till now, will soon be allowed, a second senior official in the security establishment said on condition of anonymity. Hours after the strike, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry denied the aerial strikes were effective and said journalists would be allowed to visit the facility once the weather improved. To date, no journalists have been allowed to visit the Jaish camp.

The satellite pictures that are part of the report (and seen by HT) show entry holes of the Israeli made S-2000 bombs fired by the French made Mirage -2000 fighters from the Line-Of Control (LoC) in the assault that lasted 160 seconds only. They (the fighters) took 160 seconds, they got into position, released the weapons and turned around, a third senior official familiar with the assessment report said.

The Markaz, a U-shaped single storey building seems to have taken the maximum punishment according to the pictures . The bulding, with three separate areas, was hit by at least two S-2000 bombs and all three were hit, according to the report.

Each S-2000 bomb used had over 100 grams of explosives in the tail for activating the warhead after it penetrated the concrete. Each carried about 76 Kg of Net Explosive Quantity. The debate about whether the building should have collapsed because of the impact is irrelevant, it depends on the kind of explosive used and what kind of weapon was fired, the third official added.

Our assessment shows that there was clear hit and weapons did the job, the third official said.

If we plan to hit the target we hit the target, otherwise why would (Pakistan) have responded; if we dropped the bombs in the jungles, why would (Pakistan) respond, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said on March 4 when asked whether IAF hit the targets.

Also read | Balakot strike was done for sole purpose of winning Lok Sabha elections: Farooq Abdullah
Beds of six-inch long iron spikes put up in an Army cantonment in Guwahati to keep wild elephants out may have been the reason for the death of at least one pachyderm this month and injuries to several others in the past, said forest officials who had flagged this cruel effort to keep the elephants at bay in December 2018.

According to records with the Guwahati wildlife division, the carcass of a 9-10 year, 1500-kg male elephant was found near a stream from the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary in Guwahati on March 4.

The post-mortem report noted externally there are various punctured wounds on right fore and hind legs. The report said the wild elephant died of septicemia.

The Armys cantonment in Narengi in Guwahati where the iron spikes have been in place since 2003 in the periphery of a major supply depot in its campus, borders the Amchang wildlife sanctuary home to at least 59 wild elephants, according to officials.

The carcass was found close to the cantonment and the nature of the injury shows that the wound was caused by the spikes, said Pradipta Baruah, Divisional Forest Officer, Guwahati.

The foot pads of elephants are very sensitive, said BK Gogoi, the forest veterinary officer, Zoo division, Guwahati. The circumstantial evidence and the post mortem suggest that the injury was caused by those spikes. How can you put these spikes? he said.

This Army Base is bordering the wildlife sanctuary which is an elephant habitat, and they do venture into it frequently searching for food, said Kaushik Baruah, a conservationist who serves as the Honorary Wildlife Warden, Guwahati.

Army officials living in the cantonment claim raids by elephants on army depots are routine and often in the evening herds of pachyderms are seen in the campus.

In December 2018, another elephant was injured by these spikes. Baruah said two elephants died of septicemia in 2018.

On December 27, 2018, after receiving a report from the local range officer, Baruah wrote a letter to the Colonel in-charge of administration, Narengi cantonment noting, On December 25 at about 2 am one wild elephant injured at supply depot of Narengi Army Cantonment while the elephant cross the pointed iron spikes driven to the ground with the sharp points facing the sky fixed at supply depot by Army personnel.

In the letter Baruah asked the Army to do away with these types of measures. This type of cruel effort to keep the elephants at bay is definitely going to defeat the very spirit of wildlife protection and preservation, he wrote.

The letter according to Baruah, led to a discussion between the Army officials, the forest officials, and experts from the WWF among others in January. Baruah said measures like solar fencing and trenches were suggested to the Army.

An army spokesperson in Guwahati denied any elephants getting killed and said directions have been received recently to remove the spikes and measures suggested by WWF officials and forest officials have been disseminated to all individuals in the cantonment.

The spokesperson said that the spikes have been there since 2003. As far as we are aware, there has been only one instance of injury to an elephant in 2005, the spokesperson said adding that the incident in 2005 led to the Army digging ditches and subsequently also using ultrasonic buzzers to keep the elephants out.

The spokesperson said the spikes have been put in areas where operational materials are being stored and shortage of them will cause operational exigencies. According to a defence source, the supply depots in Narengi store rations for the defence forces in the Northeast.

Its understood that the Army is trying to protect its installations but such barriers are detrimental to the survival of elephants in that area and there have been deaths due to septicemia which they got after injuries from these spike. They should take steps to remove these barriers, said Kaushik Baruah.

Apart from protecting the country, the Army also has the responsibility of preserving and protecting the wildlife, he said.

In Assam, human-elephant conflict is a routine phenomenon. According to state government records recently placed in the Legislative Assembly 249 elephants were killed since 2010 which include 20 instances of poaching, 54 deaths in train accidents, 91 which were electrocuted, 38 died of accidental reasons, 30 were poisoned, and 15 died of injuries.
A 20-year-old man allegedly stabbed and set on fire a woman because she refused his marriage proposal in Kerala on Tuesday, police said.

The incident happened on a busy road in Kottayam district when the woman, who too is 20 years old, was on way to her college in the morning. The woman is pursuing a diploma course in radiology at a private institute in Thiruvalla.

Passersby caught hold of the suspect, who was later arrested. The woman has been admitted to a hospital with 70% burns, where she is reported to be in a critical condition.

CCTV visuals from a nearby spot showed the woman and the accused, Ajin Rei Mathew, walking together and engaged in an argument. Stabbed, she fell and he poured petrol on her and set her afire, said Pathanamthitta SP C Jaydev.

It is a planned attack, Jaydev said, adding that Mathew will be booked for attempt to murder (Section 307) and other charges. Police have also recovered a petrol bottle from the spot.

According to a report in news agency PTI, police said the accused was a classmate of the woman in school. The accused told police that the two had been in a relationship since school, but the woman refused to marry him.

The accused, Ajin Reji Mathew, was arrested from the scene. He was the girls classmate in grade 12, PTI quoted a police official as saying.

Police said they will get a clearer idea of the case after taking the statements of the womans family.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has once again made it clear that her party will not ally with the Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

It is being made clear again that the Bahujan Samaj Party will not have any electoral alliance with the Congress in any state, Mayawati said in a statement.

On her alliance with Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party, she said it was based on mutual respect and is perfect to defeat the BJP, especially in Uttar Pradesh.

Mayawati was addressing party leaders from various states, excluding Uttar Pradesh. She said several parties were eager to forge an alliance with the BSP, but she would not do anything for mere electoral gains as it could harm the BSP movement.

The BSP chief had targeted the Congress earlier and said it was no different from the BJP.

Mayawatis attack on the Congress follows her ally Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadavs comment that the Congress was also in alliance with his party along with the BSP.

Also read: Mayawati compares Congress with BJP, says they are no different

Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati announced the SP-BSP tie-up for the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh in January this year. The two parties agreed to contest 38 Lok Sabha seats each in the state while maintaining that they would not put up candidates at Amethi and Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituencies represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Akhilesh Yadavs comments were seen as an outreach after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed as the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh East. Her appointment is being seen by many in the party as a game changer move ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Priyanka Gandhi had played a key role in 2017, when the SP and the Congress joined hands to contest UP assembly elections against the BJP. The tie-up did not yield favourable results in the polls as the BJP won a huge majority in UP. The alliance, subsequently, fell apart.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday named absconding diamantaire Nirav Modis wife Ami as an accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) money laundering case for the first time.

In its latest supplementary charge sheet, the ED said Ami had used an international bank account to move $30 million ( 209 crore approximately). We have established her role in money-laundering, said a high-ranking ED officer. The funds were siphoned off using fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) issued from PNBs Brady House branch in Mumbai, the officer said.

The central anti-money laundering agency will now issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN)  an international arrest warrant  against Ami, who is believed to be living in the United States. Last week, UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph released a video showing a different-looking Nirav Modi on the streets of London, where he has had a diamond store since 2014.

ED sources said the funds that Ami laundered were used to buy property in the plush Central Park area in New York. In the United States, the agency traced two immovable properties, both of which have been attached earlier .

In the supplementary charge sheet filed on Monday, ED also claimed Nirav Modis brother Nehal Modi bribed the director of one of their dummy companies to give false testimony to judicial authorities in Europe. The ED said Ashish Lad, the director of one of the group companies called Unity Trading FZE, said in his statement that Nehal Modi had threatened the employees too. Lad was paid 2 million in lieu of tendering false testimony before judicial authorities of Europe, the ED said in its charge sheet.

The ED said Lad also claimed the family threatened to kill him or book him in false cases, if he revealed anything to agencies. The agency said that once agencies started probing Nirav Modi and his empire over money-laundering and corruption charges, Nehal Modi got personally involved in influencing witnesses and destroying accounts and records. It said Nehal Modi siphoned off 50 kg gold from Firestar Diamonds Dubai branch and 150 boxes of pearls from the Hong Kong companies, apart from cash. The agency claimed Nehal Modi also got funds to the tune of $48.1 million ( 335.95 crore).

Nehal Modi, along with another aide of Nirav Modis Mihir Bhansali, threatened the employees not to reveal anything and even asked them to shift to Cairo, the ED said.

ED also said Nirav Modis sister Purvi Mehta played a crucial role in layering and laundering money from the Dubai and Hong Kong companies to various accounts in the US. The funds laundering through Purvi and other family members were used to acquire properties in foreign countries, the ED said in its charge sheet. It has also found a money trail from Nirav Modis father, Deepak Modis account. We have found money trail in Deepak Modis account. We are investigating where the money has gone, said the officer adding, Deepak Modis role has been established through his personal account and dummy companies. There has been layering of funds.

ED has accused Deepak Modi of intentionally participating in assisting in money-laundering, and destroying evidence. The supplementary charge-sheet has pegged the value of the entire scam as 6,500-crore; the agency has attached and seized properties worth 2,500 crore.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday set his partys tone for the Lok Sabha elections at the Congress Working Committee meeting in Gujarats Ahmedabad. Gandhi hit out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party saying they follow the ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness.

Gandhi said the CWC has resolved the defeat the RSS/BJP ideology. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won, Gandhi wrote on Twitter following the Congress strategy meet.

The Congress presidents comment comes amid talks for alliance with other opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are contesting the Lok Sabha polls together in Uttar Pradesh. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is also part of the grand-alliance.

Follow live updates here

There have been talks over accommodating the Congress in the alliance to keep the anti-BJP vote in Uttar Pradesh intact. Similarly, the Aam Aadmi Party has been calling for an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, which has seven parliamentary seats.

The Delhi Congress leadership is not in favour of having a tie with the AAP. The Delhi unit has rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals call for an alliance. However, the AAP has kept its options open for fighting the Lok Sabha elections with the Congress to challenge the BJP, which had won all the parliamentary seats in 2014 in Delhi.

At the Congress strategy meet in Gujarat, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the party should highlight the achievements of the UPA government that was in power at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he plays victim card but the people of this country are the real victims of his policies. She stressed that the Congress should move forward with a new vision.

The Congress has been trying to corner the Modi government over a range of issues including demonetisation, rollout of the goods and services tax (GST), Rafale deal, agrarian distress and unemployment.

Idea of India Under Attack: CWC

Addressing a press conference after the CWC meeting, Congress leader Anand Sharma said the party adopted a political resolution expressing concern over attempts by the ruling party to challenge the values enshrined in the Constitution.

Sharma said, The Congress believes that the values enshrined in the Constitution and the rights given to people are under constant onslaught under the present government.

The idea of India, envisaged by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehruis being challenged in a way to replace the values that are against the principles espoused by the makers of the Constitution, he said targeting the BJP.

The CWC resolution, Sharma said, condemned the attempts to take political mileage by the ruling BJP out of recent strike by the Indian Air Force on a terror camp in Pakistans Balakot in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack. Entire blame goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Sharma told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

The Prime Minister is playing with the emotions of the people only to take mileage in the elections. We condemn it, said the Congress leader briefing about the CWC meet in Gujarat.

Congresss Counter to BJP

The CWC was held at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Ahmedabad. The choice of venue was being seen as a Congresss bid to counter the Bharatiya Janata Partys repeated allegation that the main opposition party has undermined the political legacy of the former deputy prime minister.

The Congress strategy meet that began this morning was the first meeting of the highest decision making body of the party to be hosted in Gujarat in almost six decades. The last CWC meeting was held in Gujarat in 1961. This was also the first CWC meeting to be attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who took a political plunge in January.

Priyanka Gandhi was appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East in the view of upcoming Lok Sabha elections. She is considered key to partys success in Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of members (80) to the Lok Sabha.

The Congress meeting in Gujarat also marks the launch of historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi. It was on March 12 in 1930 that Mahatma Gandhi began his march from his Sabarmati Ashram to protest tax on salt levied by the British colonial government.

The CWC meeting was originally planned for February 28 but it was put off in the wake of heightened tension between India and Pakistan following violation of Indian airspace by the Pakistan Air Force on February 27. Earlier on February 26, the Indian Air Force had carried out a strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistans Balakot in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The Jaish-e-Mohammed took responsibility for the February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Two weeks after Indias air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is on full operational alert with an entire squadron of F-16 fighters deployed along its eastern front even as independent American satellite imagery with the Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed direct hits on the camp, top defence and government officials said on condition of anonymity.

According to them, while Pakistani air space restrictions continue along the countrys borders with India, the Rawalpindi headquartered 10 Corps along with a Special Forces brigade from Sialkot of the Pakistan Army have been deployed all along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

We have confirmed reports that PAFs F-16 acquired from both US and Jordan are on high alert all along India-Pak borderfrom Hyderabad in Sindh to Skardu in Northern Areas. The Pak Army deployment including radars and air defence system along the LoC was strengthened immediately after the February 14 Pulwama attack as they expected Indian retaliation similar to that of the surgical strike, said one of the officials, referring to Indias 2016 counterstrike on terror installations within Pakistan after the terror strike on Uri, also by JeM.

Also Watch: Pulwama key conspirator killed in encounter in Kashmirs Tral

The officials say Pakistans immediate reaction to the February 26 strike was to intensify shelling on that day itself. According to the collated data, the Pakistan Army targeted Sunderbani, Naushera, Poonch, Bhimber Gali and Krishnaghati sectors repeatedly through heavy mortars and 120 mm artillery guns after the air strike. Data accessed by Hindustan Times shows that there were 19 ceasefire violations on February 26, 16 on the day PAF retaliated and 26 on February 28, 2019. There have been a total of 467 ceasefire violations in the past two months with February accounting for as many as 251. While there were 971 violations in 2017, the number rapidly increased to 2140 in 2018.

Senior South Block officials said that Pakistan Director General Military Operations (DGMO) did not pick up the routine Tuesday telephone call from his Indian counterpart on February 26. The Indian DGMO unsuccessfully tried to call his Pakistani counterpart the following day also after Islamabad dramatically accused India of launching nine missiles.

The first DGMO level conversation took place only on March 5 with the Pakistan DGMO asking for de-escalation along the LoC as the Indian side had replied in equal measure to cross-LoC firing. Since then, there has been a lull in cross-LoC firing.

The officials did not provide details of the Indian deployment along the LoC but said that the Indian military is also not taking any chances and is ready to response to any exigency.
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the sex scandal in Pollachi near Coimbatore which is threatening to snowball into a major controversy ahead of the general elections with the opposition DMK already using it to target the AIADMK.

Coimbatore police chief R Pandiyarajans clean chit to politicians earlier in the day raised the hackles of the DMK whose Rajya MP Kanimozhi staged a protest in Pollachi and alleged that a big network was behind the sex scandal..

According to government sources, a CBI probe was recommended considering the wider ramifications of the sex scandal. The move to transfer the probe to the CBI came hours after Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) T K Rajendran ordered the transfer of the investigation from the local police to the CB-CID.

Earlier Tuesday morning, actor-turned-politician and founder of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party Kamal Haasan met the DGP and gave him a petition seeking stringent action against the accused.

Also read: AIADMK expels worker arrested in sexual assault case

So far eight people have been arrested in the case and Goondas Act invoked against the four prime accused, including the kingpin Thirunavukkarasu, an engineering graduate.

The scandal involves a Pollachi-based gang which befriended college girls through Facebook and lured them to nearby locations where they sexually abused and videographed with mobile phones. The girls were then frequently abused and extorted with the threat of uploading the videos on the internet.

The issue came to light when a survivor of sexual assault approached the police and lodged a complaint leading to the arrest of a quartet: Thirunavukkarasu (25), Sabarirajan (25), Sathish (28) and Vasantha Kumar (27). Later, the AIADMK functionary, A Nagaraj, was arrested on the charge of assaulting the sex abuse survivors brother. Subsequently, he was expelled from the party.

Though the local police initially maintained that several such videos of sexual assault of girls were there, Coimbatores superintendent of police (SP), R Pandiyarajan said that were only four such videos.

Only four video clips are available. That there are several videos running into hundreds is a rumour. There is no involvement of wards or relatives of politicians, he told the media in Coimbatore.

But the SP ruling out involvement of politicians or their wards has created a furore. The alleged kingpin of the racket, Thirunavukkarasu, had released two audio clips before his arrest claiming that he would soon expose the politicians involved in the scandal.

While the opposition has been accusing the government of attempting to sabotage the probe, Deputy Speaker of TN Assembly Pollachi N Jayaraman has charged the opposition with targeting him to gain political mileage ahead of the elections. Jayaraman who is from Pollachi is an AIADMK heavyweight.

The DMK has been targeting me in view of the upcoming election. The accused have been given refuge by some DMK functionaries. Now, they are trying to drag my name into this, he told the media.

Earlier in the day, DMK Rajya Sabha member, Kanimozhi was arrested along with party workers for staging a protest for which permission was denied in view of the election guidelines which have come into force.

Speaking to the media, Kanimozhi alleged that a big network was behind the sex scandal and the government should bust it and bring all the guilty to the book. Media reports indicate that this has been going on for seven years. Young women and girls have been lured and sexually abused besides being extorted. This could not have continued without a very big network being engaged in this. Justice should be given out to the affected women, she said. Tamil Nadu recommends CBI probe as DMK targets AIADMK over Pollachi sex scandal
It will be an opposition-less upper house in Telangana at least for now, as the K Chandrashekhar Rao led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Asaduddin Owaisis Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) bagged all the five MLC seats. The elections were held on Tuesday where 22 MLAs belonging to the Congress, TDP and BJP MLAs abstained from voting.

The winners were Mohd Mahmood Ali, Seri Subhash Reddy, Satyavathi Rathod and Yegge Mallesham (all from TRS) and Mirza Riyaz ul Hasan Effendi of MIM. The five MLCs were elected under MLAs quota.

The Congress, which has 19 MLAs in the assembly, fielded PCC treasurer Guduru Narayana Reddy. It had hoped he would be elected with the support of two TDP legislators. Reddy required votes of 21 MLAs for a straight win.

But over the last week, four Congress MLAs -- Rega Kantha Rao from Pinapaka, Atram Sakku from Asifabad, Haripriya Naik from Yellandu and Chirumarthi Lingaiah from Nakrekal, besides TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah from Sattupalli, announced their support to the TRS, which fielded the fifth candidate on behalf of the MIM despite lacking adequate numbers.

Realising that it does not have enough strength to win the seat, the Congress on Monday announced that it was boycotting the MLC elections to protest poaching of its MLAs by the TRS leadership. Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka issued a whip to all the party MLAs asking them not to take part in voting in the MLC elections.

Similarly, Telangana TDP president L Ramana also issued a whip to its two legislators  Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and Mecha Nageshwar Rao  to stay away from polling. Lone BJP member T Raja Singh also decided to abstain from voting, as he opposed the TRS fielding the MIM candidate for the fifth seat.

Following the issuance of whips, four Congress MLAs and one TDP MLA who shifted their loyalties were also forced to abstain from voting as they feared they would be liable for disqualification from their assembly membership if they voted for the TRS in violation of the whip.

As a result, only 98 MLAs, including nominated Anglo-Indian MLA Elvis Stevenson, took part in the voting for the MLC elections. The TRS followed the second-preferential voting method to make up for the lack of adequate number of MLAs for the contestants and ensured that all the five MLCs were elected without any hassle.

Meanwhile, another Congress MLA and former home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy, who met TRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday and decided to join the TRS along with her son Karthik Reddy, deferred her plans after getting a call from the Congress leadership.

I have been asked to come to Delhi on Wednesday to meet party president Rahul Gandhi. I will take a decision after discussing with my followers, Sabita said.
The US paraglider pilot, who got stuck on snow-covered Dhauladhar mountains overlooking Utrala in Baijnath sub-division of Kangra district was rescued on Tuesday.

The pilot identified as Max Kent McGowan was marooned for nearly 40 hours before being rescued by a helicopter borne rescue team around 11:45 am.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Santosh Patial, who holds the charge of Kangra Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), told that a local youth Rahul was para dropped at the 4200-meter peak where McGowan was stranded.

McGowan was then airlifted while Rahul stayed back as helicopter could take one person at a time.

Rahul was airlifted by the helicopter on its second sortie, said Patial.

The pilot has been taken to Baijnath for a medical checkup.

McGowan took off from Billing on Sunday and got stranded on the high peak after he lost his way. He made an attempt to return to Bir landing crash landed at snow-covered peak due to strong velocity winds and poor thermals.

On Monday, he informed the hotel owner, where he was staying, about his situation through radio, who informed the police.

A helicopter was sought from neighbouring state Uttrakhand for his rescue but it could not reach Baijanth due to bad weather on Monday.
About 600 companies of paramilitary and state auxiliary forces would be deployed across polling booths in Jharkhand during the upcoming elections, said police officials.

Additional director general (operations) Ashish Batra said that 30% of the forces would be deployed in very sensitive booths, while 25% would be positioned across sensitive polling pockets. The rest of the additional forces would be deployed in the remaining areas, he said. The forces include the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP), and a special task force named Jharkhand Jaguar. Voting would be conducted in the Maoist-affected areas from 7am to 3pm, he added.

As per the police, 13 districts  Khunti, Gumla, Latehar, Simdega, Bokaro, West Singhbhum, Ranchi, Dumka, Giridih, Palamu, Garhwa, Chatra, and Lohardaga  are categorised as most sensitive during the elections. The sensitive districts are Seraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, Hazaribag, Dhanbad, and Godda. The districts of Ramgarh, Pakur, Jamtara, and Koderma are categorised as less sensitive areas. Deoghar and Sahebganj districts have not witnessed Maoist activities recently.

Meanwhile, special training programmes were being conducted for the security forces to prepare for the impending elections, said additional director general (operations) ML Meena. He said that while details of the training programme could not be revealed, it included the establishment of better communication facilities, besides improved co-ordination with forces of neighbouring states. Anti-Maoist operations would continue, and forces are on high alert. Every security directive, as issued by the chief electoral officer, will be followed, said Meena.

Police officials said that a communication grid to facilitate better communication with the neighbouring states was being established, while forces in each district were given special training modules to detect improvised explosive devices and landmines. District police forces were also asked to rope in residents to help identify Maoists and other criminal elements.

The tribal heartland of the state, the Santhal Pargana region, saw eight people killed in an explosion in Dumka, triggered by Maoists in the 2014 elections. An IED explosion in April 2014 killed three polling officials and five policemen at Shikaripada in Dumka district. During elections in Bokaro district, Maoists had attacked security personnel at two places, injuring four CRPF personnel. A railway track and school building were also blown up by explosions. The districts of Dumka, Latehar, Palamu, East Singhbhum, and Giridih saw incidents of Maoist violence during 2009 elections.
Asserting that the country is safe under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Tuesday accused the Congress of weakening the fight against Jehadi terrorists, and wondered if the party could be trusted by voters in the upcoming general elections.

In a blog, Jaitley said the Congress party is one with the government on condemning Pulwama terror attack resulting in death of 41 CRPF jawans, but is disturbed about air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan.

He said the Congress has repeatedly rubbished the surgical strikes of September 2016 and contends that they have either taken place in the past also or alternatively they never took place under Prime Minister Modi.

On the air strikes, their conduct is even more dubious, the minister said.

Also Read| Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Less than 20% of Uttarakhands first time eligible voters registered by EC

While giving lip sympathy to the Indian Air Force for the first two days, the Congress started a multi-pronged attack and questioned the success of the strikes.

The grand old party, Jaitley said, started demanding proof that terrorists had died at Balakot and even contended that the strike had taken place not against terror but to ensure BJPs victory in the forthcoming elections.

This was a self-goal by the Congress in domestic politics. This was also playing into the hands of Pakistan where statements of Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were played out on television channels in Pakistan.

Pakistan Government cited these statements to bolster their own falsehood, Jaitley said in the blog titled Agenda 2019  Part - 2: Prime Minister Modis Evolving National Security Doctrine. He further said the Congress had no structured plan during ten years of UPA on how to deal with the problems of Jammu and Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited this as a legacy issue. He experimented the conventional method of trying to soften the relationship with Pakistan in a hope that wiser sense would prevail, but Pakistan responded with Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama.

He encouraged the mainstream political parties of the Valley to be a part of the national coalition in Kashmir but unfortunately the double talk of support from Delhi and the pressure from the Jamat-e-Islami were to the detriment of anti-separatists policy, Jaitley said.

The finance minister also said the BJP-led government, both at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh, had a consistently strong position against the Left wing extremism.

Read More| Lok Sabha election 2019: Assams Tezpur seat may give BJP a headache

From JNU to Chhattisgarh, the Congress has struck a deal with them. There are increasing instances of Left wing extremists actively encouraging the Kashmiri Jehadis in the Kashmir valley.

The Congress does not oppose the idea of a pro-active approach in destroying terror at its point of origin. It is disturbed with regard to the political fallout of this pro-active approach on the image of Prime Minister, he said.

At a time when India is battling ultra-Left and Jehadi terrorists, facing with serious threat of cross border terrorism, Jaitley wondered if electorate could trust those who have weakened the fight against terrorism.

This is a choice before the electorate in the 2019 general elections. Can an over-ground ally of Left wing extremism be put in power at New Delhi? Can those who have weakened the battle against terror for the cause of vote bank politics be trusted? Should not those who have played into the Pakistani hands be taught a severe lesson in these elections? Unhesitatingly the answer to the above question is a big yes. This country is safe and secure under the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Modi, he said.

The Modi-led NDA government will be seeking a second term as 900 million people are expected to vote in the Lok Sabha elections beginning April 11. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.

Several non-BJP parties like the Congress, SP, BSP, and TMC have joined hands to form a grand coalition Mahagathbandhan to take on Narendra Modi-led NDA in the forthcoming elections.

The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country.

In 2014, Modi-led BJP had won 282 seats out of 543 constituencies in the Lok Sabha, handing out a crushing defeat to the 10-year-rule of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress.
Late last week, the West Bengal government completed an exercise of reaching out to as many as 86.7 million beneficiaries of Khadya Sathi (food security) scheme with letters carrying the signature of chief minister Mamata Banerjee who stated she was extremely delighted to deliver the benefits to them.

According to the state food and supplies minister, Jyoti Priya Mallick, the exercise started in the third week of February and was completed by March 8.

Inaugurated in January 2016, the Khadya Sathi scheme that entitles an individual to 5 kg of rice/wheat per month at the rate of 2 a kilo, has the biggest number of beneficiaries.

Around 86.7 million people were benefitted by the Khadya Sathi scheme and the chief ministers letter has reached each beneficiary. This scheme has covered more than 90% of the states population, said Mallick.

Incidentally, Bengals population was 91.3 million according to the 2011 census.

Almost 85% of the letters are written in Bengali and the rest in Hindi, Urdu and Nepali, said officials.

The letter also said that she hoped the scheme helped raise the overall standard of living of the beneficiary and that she would continue to serve him/her further with such schemes.

Similar letters were sent to beneficiaries of more than a dozen schemes such as the old age pension scheme, Swasthya Sathi (people treated at state-run hospitals for free), Manobik (assistance for the differently-abled), Kanyashree (girl child welfare project), Sabuj Sathi (gifting cycles to school students), Rupashree (grant for wedding of daughter), Sikkhashree (scholarship scheme for SC students) and Yuvashree (financial assistance for the unemployed).

I am a beneficiary of both Khadhya Sathi and Yuvashree. It was a pleasant surprise to get a letter from the chief minister about 10 days ago, said Tapu Giri (29), an unemployed man of Belda in West Midnapore district.

The state government has simultaneously also explained how these welfare schemes benefit more than 90% residents of Bengal.

Officials said the idea of sending the letters probably had its roots in the Narendra Modi governments flagship healthcare assistance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, from which the West Bengal government withdrew, after Mamata Banerjee alleged that the beneficiaries of the jointly funded (Centre 60%-state 40%) project were getting letters with pictures and signatures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ayushman Bharat letters were written in eight languages.

Opposition parties in Bengal described the exercise as Trinamool Congresss propaganda funded by public money.

While the state government denied the people the benefits of the Union governments Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, they are spending public money for the ruling partys political propaganda. Such a shameless step can be expected only from this government, alleged BJPs Bengal unit general secretary Sayantan Basu.

The state government claims that they are unable to pay the differential dearness allowance because of lack of funds. But they have the money to waste in such fruitless exercises, said Sujan Chakraborty, CPI(M) MLA and leader of the Left parties in the state assembly.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to explain how it will deal with people who make it to the voters list in Assam but are excluded from Assams final citizens register. We are not concerned with elections, Chief Justice of India Rajan Gogoi said.

The court, which is overseeing implementation of the citizens register in the state, was approached by two petitioners who complained that their names were taken off the voting list because they didnt make it to an early version of the citizens list.

The judges also asked election officials to come back with Assams electoral rolls for the last three years to explain how the commission had gone about updating the voters list relating to deletion and addition of names.

The top court also asked the election commission to explain how it intended to reconcile the list of voters with the citizens register in Assam.

Two Assam-based residents, Gopal Seth who hails from North 24 Parganas in West Bengal and Susanta Sen of Sibsagar district in Assam had petitioned that they had voted in previous election. According to the petition, their names had been deleted from the draft national register of citizens.

The petitioners have said that deletion of their names is erroneous as they have already filed their objections with the state coordinator for NRC who is finalising the list. They argue that deletion of their names from the voters list for Sibsagar district on the basis of the NRC amounted to a violation of their constitutional right to vote.

The right to vote of a citizen is a statutory right and the freedom of voting is a part of the freedom of expression protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The voters participation explains the strength of democracy. Non-participation causes frustration and disinterest, which is not a healthy sign of a growing democracy like India.

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Hardik Patel, who led a movement for reservation in government jobs and education for Patidars in Gujarat, joined the Congress party in presence of its president Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi and other top leaders are in Gujarat for a meeting of its working committee.

Hardik Patels outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, which was at the forefront of agitation for reservation benefit in government jobs and college admissions, had declared its support to the Congress party in the local body elections in 2015 and assembly polls in 2017.

Also read: Adulation, jail, criticism: At 25, Hardik Patel has seen it all

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called him an agent of the Congress since the beginning of the quota agitation in July 2015.

Patel has indicated that he wants to contest the Lok Sabha election 2019 from the Jamnagar seat.

The 25-year-old leaders plans to contest the Lok Sabha election, the schedule of which was announced by the Election Commission of India on Sunday, may be possible only if he clears legal hurdles. He has been convicted and sentenced to two years in a riot case connected to the 2015 Patidar quota agitation, which bars him from contesting polls.

The Congress is focussing on Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and had given a tough fight to the ruling party in the last assembly polls in the state.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra while addressing a public rally in his home state, Gujarat saying the institutions of the country are being attacked under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre. Gandhi said the judges of the Supreme Court are seeking justice complaining that they are not being allowed to function.

In todays India the judges of the Supreme Court seek justice in front of peopleThis is not happening only with the Supreme CourtThe institutions are under attack everywhere, said Gandhi hitting out at the Modi government.

Watch: Rahul Gandhi launches fresh attack on PM Modi at his home turf in Gujarat

For the first time in history, four judges of the Supreme Court went to the press and said we are not being allowed to work, and take the name of judge (Brijmohan) Loya immediately after that, Gandhi said at the Jan Sankalp rally of the Congress in the Gujarat capital.

CBI judge Loya was hearing a case pertaining to alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh at the time of his death in 2014. His death led to a huge political row last year following a media report claiming foul play behind his death. BJP president Amit Shah was an accused in the case.

The Congress president said the government doesnt talk about the real issues. The biggest issue in the country is unemployment, which is at 45-year high but the government doesnt talk about this, he said.

Gandhi made the remarks at an election rally in Gujarats Gandhinagar after attending the Congress Working Committee meet at Ahmedabad. He said the decision to hold CWC meet in Gujarat after nearly six decades was taken in the view of the fight between two ideologies in the country.

Both ideologies are seen here in Gujarat. On the one hand, there is an ideology of Mahatma Gandhi that ideology has built this nationToday, the other powers are trying to weaken this country, said Gandhi.

The highest decision making body of the Congress met in Ahmedabad earlier in the day to prepare final strategy for the Lok Sabha elections that will be held between April 11 and May 19 spread over seven phases. This was the first CWC meeting in Gujarat since 1961. It was also the first CWC meeting attended by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

At the Congress strategy meet, the party leadership decided to corner the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance over the issues of demonetisation, GST (goods and services tax) rollout, unemployment, agrarian distress and corruption. The Congress has alleged corruption in Rafale deal.

At his election rally, Gandhi reiterated his charge that PM Modi scrapped the Rafale deal being negotiated by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and signed a new agreement with France to benefit his friend Anil Ambani. Both the government and Reliance Defence have, on several occasions, denied the allegations levelled by the Congress and Gandhi.
A day after Lok Sabha poll dates were announced, the Bharatiya Janata Partys ( BJP) brass on Monday began discussing their election preparedness and strategies, with party chief Amit Shah meeting office bearers and Home minister Rajnath Singh holding talks with members of the manifesto committee.

The Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 while counting of votes in 543 constituencies will be taken up on May 23.

The BJP manifesto committee, headed by Singh, met at his residence with defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union ministers Radha Mohan Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, general secretary Bhupendra Yadav and other members attending. The 20-member manifesto committee had set up 15 sub-committees to work on the 2019 Sankalp Patra, or manifesto.

The BJP has already launched a campaign Bharat ke mann ki baat, Modi ke saath last month to seek suggestions and voters expectations for a new India from 10 crore families across the country before giving a final shape to its election manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls.

Based on public suggestions, the BJP will prepare its manifesto. Later in the evening, BJP chief Shah also discussed poll preparedness with top party leaders and office-bearers. Finance minister Arun Jaitley also held a meeting with party spokespersons at the party headquarters. Jaitley, one of the chief election strategists of the party, has been regularly visiting party offices and holding discussion with leaders.

The ruling partys meetings came on a day when the Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly destroying the economy through demonetisation.

The Congresss fresh attack against Modi on demonetisation came following revelations that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had contested the impact of the move, particularly in the context of its stated objective of curbing black money and counterfeit notes.

Citing the minutes of the RBIs central board of directors meeting held just prior to Modis November 8, 2016, announcement, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government imposed demonetisation on the RBI and termed it a huge money lacquering scheme.

The minutes of the RBI board meeting attended by the then Governor Urjit Patel were obtained and made public by RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak.

The fact that the directors were not convinced by the objectives which the government sought to achieve, particularly the impact on black money and counterfeit notes, proves that the demonetisation decision was imposed on the RBI which ultimately devastated the Indian economy, Ramesh told the media here.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has favoured regulation of fake and paid news, but opposed changes in rules to extend the 48-hour silent period ahead of elections to door-to-door campaigns and print media, contrary to the position taken by most of the political parties, the Umesh Sinha Committee report said.

Print media should not be included within ambit of section 126. Fake news should be stopped, and there should be measures to deal with paid news. Door-to-door campaigning should be exempt from purview of section 126, the report said quoting the BJP. A copy of the report has been reviewed by HT.

Section 126 of the Representation of People Act prohibits advertising and campaigning on TV and other electronic media during the silent period.

Most political parties, including the Congress, the Janata Dal (United), the All Jharkhand Student Union, the Shiv Sena, the Trinamool Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party favoured extending ban to all media , the report said.

The BJP did not respond to HTs queries.

The Umesh Sinha Committee was constituted by the Election Commission (EC) on January 8 last year to suggest changes in the Section 126 and other sections of the Representation of the People [RP] Act, 1951 in order to address the challenges in the wake of expansion and diversity of media platforms.

Some parties, such as the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the National Conference wanted more deliberations on this matter among the stakeholders before taking a view, said the report, which was submitted to EC on January 10, 2019.

While announcing election dates on Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said that the implementation of Umesh Sinha Committee report, which recommended amendments to the Section 126, was pending in the law ministry.

Section 126, at the moment doesnt apply to print media and social media... And for that a committee was appointed. That committee gave its report two-three months back and they have recommended certain things... That proposal has been sent to the ministry of law because it involves amendments in the rules, Arora said on Sunday.

According to the report, the Congress party said, It is constitutionally incompatible to suggest that an advertisement that could be in violation of electoral norms when broadcast electronically does not attract the same penalties when published in a print newspaper.

One of the BJPs allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), raised some practical issues. The party is of the view that the practice of ban on campaign during last 48 hours before conclusion of polling through public meetings should continue but ban on communications technology is not possible during the multi-phase poll, the report said, quoting the SAD.

In its submission to the commission, the Shiv Sena, another ally of the BJP, said, Exclusion of print media from the ambit clause B of sub Section 1 of section 126 of RP Act 1951 has been proving a regulatory anomaly.

The BSP in its response also suggested banning campaigning in constituencies adjoining poll-going constituencies during the silent period. Both the CPM and the CPI sought more airtime on private channels for all parties.

The committees recommendation has been submitted to the ministry of law and if it is accepted then it can be implemented during the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls that begin on April 11, said a person aware of the development who asked not to be named.

The committee suggested that print, electronic media, even intermediaries, such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Whtasapp should be brought within the purview of Section 126 to ensure voters are not unduly influenced and are afforded a period of reflection to examine their political choice.

The report said that during the silent period, there are many indirect and direct methods adopted by candidates and political leaders, which may directly or indirectly influence the mind of the voters in favour or against some party/candidate.

In its response to the committee, the AIADMK suggested extending the 48-hour period to 96 hours and restricting websites and WhatsApp groups from posting election-related material during this period. The SP suggested holding elections in a single phase in a state to overcome the problem of election-related material from being broadcast during a multi-phase election.

The committee, headed by deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha, included nine officials from various ministries, the Broadcasters Association and the Press Council of India. It also suggested that the poll panel should write to all political parties to observe the silent period on all forms of media.

In a multi-phase election, the prohibition period may be in effect in certain constituencies and while campaigning is ongoing in other constituencies. In such event, there should not be any direct or indirect reference amounting to soliciting support for parties or candidates in the constituencies observing silence period, the report said.

During the December 2017 Gujarat state polls the EC asked a private channel to not broadcast an interview of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as it violated the silent period.

Trilochan Sastry, founder member, the Association for Democratic Reforms, said the rules should apply equally to social media.
Politics makes strange bedfellows. The Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency in western Maharashtra is an example.

Once bitter critics of Sharad Pawar and his policies, the Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha, the political arm of the Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghatana (SSS), is now exploring an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), themselves a joint force in Maharashtra.

The nomenclature aside, to the small land owner in western Maharashtra, Swabhimani Paksha and Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghatana are one and the same; the part of, by, and for the farmer.

Shetti, a friend-turned-foe of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wants NCP and Congress to leave three seats free for the Paksha/SSS, to contest. If the Congress and NCP fail to agree, Shetti has vowed that the SSS will contest at least 10 seats in the state on its own.

A sitting member of Parliament (MP) from Hatkanangle, Shetti, left the NDA in September 2017 and has since, become a staunch critic of its policies.

Part of Kolhapur district, Hatkanangle is a rural constituency with a large number of sugarcane producers. Shetti, a two-time MP from here, has been leading the cane growers agitation for the past decade demanding a higher support price for the produce.

Shetti carried out violent agitations against cooperative sugar mills controlled by Congress-NCP leaders, demanding higher prices for sugarcane.

Reacting to one of his agitations in November 2012, Pawar accused Shetti, a Jain by caste, of deliberately targeting factories owned by the Maratha community.

Rationalising his stand to attempt to go with the Congress, Shetti said, Congress certainly has not been able to clear itself of all of its sins in the past. However, it is currently the best available option in the political scenario in the country. We have expressed our desire to contest from the Wardha and Buldhana Loksabha constituencies, along with Hatkanangle. While talks are in progress, we will form a pre-poll alliance only if these two seats are given to the SSS.

From the BJP-Shiv Sena, Dhairyasheel Mane, son of former NCP MP Nivedita Mane, is doing the rounds. Mane recently joined the Shiv Sena, which according to the seat-sharing formula, will field its candidate from Hatkanangle. On the other hand, Congress has decided not to field any candidate from Hatkanangle in support of Shetti.

Nivedita Mane said, The pre-poll alliance with the BJP will help us defeat Raju Shetti in the upcoming general elections. With the help of Sada Bhau Khot, who will be our star campaigner, we will defeat Shetti by a record margin.

Dhairyasheel Mane has been in the public field for very long and people in Hatkanagle constituency have accepted his leadership, she added.

Dhairyasheel is successful in mobilising young voters, along with voters who belong to the Bahujan Samaj, which will be instrumental in his victory in the elections, said Mane.

Political observers feel it will be interesting to see how much Shetti can convince his vote bank to back the Congress-NCP, against whom his own party, the SSS, has been fighting for more than a decade.

The challenge before Shetti will be to convince small land-holders to vote for NCP-Congress leaders, who in turn control the sugar factory lobby in western Maharashtra.

For over a decade, Shettis Swabhimani Shektari Sanghatana (SSS) has been fighting against the sugar factories. Now, politics will espouse the strange bedfellows.
Hours before the model code of conduct came into effect, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government made a last-minute move to placate its disgruntled allies, appointing 15 of their cadres to various bodies and corporations in Uttar Pradesh.

In all, 72 people, including 15 of the allies, were appointed to various bodies and corporations.

The BJPs two UP allies are: Apna Dal, which comprises kurmis, an OBC sub-caste of big political importance, and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which has support of Rajbhars, another OBC sub-caste whose voters are spread evenly in several east UP constituencies.

BJP has made an honest attempt by taking a step towards us. We will take two, and of course, contest the 2019 LS polls together, said SBSP chief Om Prakash

Also read: How the political landscape changed in the last 5 years

Rajbhar, who hoped that there would be an amicable seat sharing arrangement.

We are satisfied with the BJPs gesture, said Arvind Sharma of Apna Dal, adding that the appointments to backward classes commission were important for it would help them raise issues related to backwards more effectively.

Both the parties had openly been critical of BJP and the appointment of several of their cadre to plum positions in corporations and other government bodies is being viewed as a BJP gesture to placate them.

The BJP had inked a pact with Apna Dal in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and had even got its leader Anupriya Patel, now a union minister, to accompany the then BJPs PM candidate Narendra Modi for his nomination to convey that BJP had the support of kurmis in Varanasi, Modis LS seat.

Also read: Lok Sabha election 2019: Here is all you need to know about Uttar Pradesh

Similarly in 2017 UP polls, BJP inked a pact with SBSP, given its strategic presence in several east UP seats.

Apna Dal had two MPs from UP and its nine candidates won in 2017 UP polls, while four SBSP candidates became MLAs in a tie-up with the BJP.

On Sunday nine Apna Dal members were accommodated to various government bodies. Two of them, Ram Lakhan Patel and Rekha Verma, have been given minister of state rank and two others have been appointed members of state backward classes commission.

The Apna Dal had two factions -- one led by union minister Anupriya Patel and the other by her mother Krishna Patel. It split again recently with one of its two MPs, Harvinash Singh, announcing the launch of All India Apna Dal. All three are vying for the legacy of Anupriyas father Sone Lal Patel, who launched the Kurmi-based Apna Dal in 1995.

Now, we are happy and with the government. Seat sharing details are yet to be finalised but we will surely be with the BJP, said Rajbhar.

Rajbhars party is reportedly lobbying for two LS seats and there are reports that the BJP would accommodate its demand.

SBSP members, including Arvind Rajbhar, son of Om Prakash Rajbhar, has been made head of Small Industries Corporation while Rana Ajeet Singh has been made head of Seed Development Corporation, both positions that are equal to minister of state.

The BJP also appointed several important party hands like JPS Rathore, the UP BJP vice president, as chairman of UP Pollution Control Board. Rathore is a member of partys election management cell and is also the in-charge of Awadh region.
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the BJPs Uttarakhand unit is set to chalk out the next phase of its campaign strategy under which its frontal organisations will be mobilised to reach out to all sections of society, including Dalits, farmers, youth, tribals and minorities.

Hundreds of workers associated with our partys all seven frontal organisations will carry out an intensive campaign to reach out to all sections of society, BJP state unit general secretary Naresh Bansal said on Monday, adding the fortnight long campaign would continue till March end.

During that period our party workers will publicise the pro-poor schemes introduced by our government at the Centre among all sections of society, he said.

Bansal said workers belonging to all seven wings of the BJPs state unit catering to women, youth, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), minorities and farmers would be involved in the election campaign.

The party will chalk out the programmes in an organisational meeting to be held in Dehradun on March 12. The day-long meeting will be attended by BJP national joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash and the partys state in-charge for the Lok Sabha polls Thavar Chand Gehlot.

Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and all senior leaders of the partys state unit will also attend the meeting.

As part of those programmes conventions would be organised across the state for different sections of society. In these conventions our party workers will explain in detail a series of pro-poor schemes introduced by the central government for each segment of society, he said referring to women, youths, SCs, STs, OBCs, farmers and tribals.

The activity aims to expand our mass-base among all sections of society ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Sharing programme details, Bansal said a convention each would be organised in all the 70 assembly seats for the SC and Dalit communities. Similarly, district wise conventions would be organised for women, youths and other communities.

Referring to conventions to be organised for Dalits, he said during such interactions they would be explained that the Central government had developed Panch Tirths or five pilgrimage centres associated with Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar.

They will also be reminded that the Dalit leader was conferred the prestigious Bharat Ratna posthumously under the BJP regime, Bansal said.

We will also tell them that the Congress conferred no such honour on the Dalit icon despite having ruled the country for decades since Independence, he said drawing strong rebuttal from the opposition party.

MD Joshi, chief spokesperson of the Congress state unit, accused the ruling party of playing vote bank politics over the Dalit icon. Why do they forget that he authored the constitution when the Congress was ruling the country? he said referring to Ambedkar.

Joshi also accused the BJP of failing to clear the backlog of vacancies in government departments meant for Dalits.

Bansal, however, said Dalits would also be informed about all pro-poor centrally funded schemes such as Jan Dhan, Ujjawala (under which free cooking gas connections are distributed) and Saubhagya (electrification of rural areas) were meant for them.

Similarly, OBCs would be told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that the OBC Commission got constitutional validity.

And in conventions to be organised for farmers they would be briefed about Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman (PM-KISAN) Yojna under which they are given financial assistance of Rs 6000 they need for sowing all three seasonal crops namely Rabi, Kharif and Zaid.

They will also be briefed about the interest free loans of 1 lakh and 5 lakh each being given by the state government to individual farmers and farmer groups respectively.

Some 70% Muslim women availed loans under the Mudra loan scheme, Bansal said adding minority communities also availed of all other schemes like Ujjawala and Saubhagya.

Congress spokesperson Joshi dubbed all such claims as baseless. All pro-poor schemes they (BJP) brag about are the recycled versions of the schemes that were introduced by the previous UPA regime.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is all set to roll out the partys road map and formally sound the bugle for this summers Lok Sabha elections at a key meeting in Gujarat on Tuesday.

The meeting, which has started in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah two days after the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha poll dates, is expected to send an oust NDA (National Democratic Alliance) message to the party cadre.

It will talk about the critical issues of unemployment, agrarian distress, price rise, Rafale jet fighter deal, alleged banks frauds involving fugitives Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). (Follow live updates)

Apart from discussing the progress made in forging alliances in different states, the partys highest decision-making body will also deliberate on demonetisation in the context of the details that have emerged from an RTI reply suggesting that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s board had objected to the note ban move.

There are serious and very basic fundamental livelihood issues  there is farm distress, demonetisation; there is the issue of how badly GST has been implemented in order to destroy small and medium businesses. How MGNREGA programmes have been completely subverted, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the CWC agenda.

The CWC will also endorse party chief Rahul Gandhis proposal of minimum guarantee income for the poor if his party is voted to power. This will be the first CWC to be hosted by Gujarat in six decades  the last was held in 1961  and also marks the debut of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the partys highest decision making body. In January, Priyanka Gandhi was made the partys general secretary and incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The meet will be followed by an election rally in Gandhinagar, which, apart from Rahul Gandhi, is expected to be attended by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Priyanka Gandhi, and the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states besides senior leaders.

The meeting  held to mark the launch of historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi from the Sabarmati Ashram in 1930 -- will adopt resolutions related to prevailing political and security conditions in the country.

The CWC meeting was earlier scheduled for February 28 but was postponed in view of escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan due to the February 26 air strikes by the air force in Balakot, an operation that was a response to the February 14 attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 security personnel.
In a major embarrassment to the Congress, Sujay, the son of the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. Sujay had made his intention to contest the Ahmednagar constituency, his home turf, clear nearly two months ago, but the seat was in the quota of ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The NCP refused to swap this seat with the Congress despite requests made to the party chief, Sharad Pawar.

So far, there has been no formal comment from the Vikhe Patils, but the BJP has announced this decision.

With Sujay set to quit Congress, there is speculation in political circles that his father and mother, Shalini Vikhe Patil, also party district president, may quit the party ahead of the Assembly polls.

The decision is said to have been taken even as Congress tried its best to stop Sujay from joining BJP, including making a last-ditch attempt by All India Congress Committee (AICC) Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders to intercede with NCP on Monday. This was done even as Vikhe Patil met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi late in Delhi.

Sujay Vikhe Patil will join the BJP on Tuesday around 1pm. So far, formal decision on handing him the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha ticket has not been taken, but thats a given. Since we have a sitting MP from Ahmednagar, there is bound to be some discomfort over this move, but the Chief Minister and state president will handle this, said a state BJP minister.

Sujay met BJP minister Girish Mahajn, considered to be a close aide of Fadnavis last week.

The internal unease over importing a candidate from Congress was evident at the BJP party meeting in their Dadar office, when MP Dilip Gandhis supporters shouted slogans in front of Fadnavis.

NCP chief Pawar made the partys stance clear earlier in the afternoon at a press conference in Pune. He questioned the need for NCP to sacrifice a seat for Sujay, who had no contribution for the Congress-NCP alliance.

He said, The Ahmednagar seat has been with the NCP. We have two of the six sitting legislators in this Lok Sabha constituency, while Congress has none. There is a strong likelihood that we can win this seat. I dont think there will be much of a difference even if Sujay joins BJP.

Pawar reminded the Congress that the seat had gone to NCP after the party candidate defeated Sujays grandfather Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. It is being said that Pawars refusal stems from enmity between him and the Vikhe Patils, but Congress leaders also suggested a way out of the logjam, of Sujay contesting on a NCP ticket, which had also been denied by the latter.

Congress state president Ashok Chavan had worked out via media to let Sujay contest on a NCP, ticket but he refused to join the party. He said he would either contest as an independent or join the BJP, said a senior Congress leader.

The enmity between Pawar and Balasaheb Vikhe Patil goes back to 1991 polls, when the latter had filed a petition against Yashwantrao Gadakh, Congress MP, and accused Pawar of corrupt electoral practices.

Pawar had faced strictures from the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court in this case, but was later given a clean chit by the Supreme Court.

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had made an emotional appeal to Sharad Pawar urging him to end the decade-old feud as his father was no more. Pawarsahebs enmity was with my father. He should leave it behind after the demise of my father, Radhakrishna had said.

Earlier in the day, Chavan had said that Dr Sujay should wait patiently as party leaders were trying their best for the ticket. He was reacting on the reports of Sujay planning to join BJP.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday announced former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Jagir Kaur as the party candidate from Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat.

Her candidature was declared by Sukhbir at the partys first election rally here after the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission.

Jagir Kaur, who was elected MLA thrice from Bholath constituency in Kapurthala district, is the first candidate to be announced by SAD for the general elections.

Notably, Jagir Kaur had to resign as a minister in the SAD-BJP government in 2012 after a CBI court in Patiala awarded her a five-year imprisonment in the death case of her daughter Harpreet Kaur. But the Punjab and Haryana high court, in December last year, acquitted her of the charges of forcible abortion and abduction of Harpreet before her death in April 2000.

Her tenure as SGPC chief had also been controversial as she was excommunicated in 2000 by the then Akal Takht jathedar Giani Puran Singh for adopting Nanakshahi calendar developed by a Canada-based Sikh. However, her excommunication was later revoked.

The SAD has decided to contest 10 of the 15 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, leaving the remaining three for its alliance partner BJP.

HT had reported on Monday that SAD will field Jagir Kaur as its candidate from Khadoor Sahib, an Akali citadel, which has been electing party candidates since 1977 (except in 1992 when the party boycotted the polls).

We have chosen her name for the Panthic seat after consultations with the partys senior leadership and Sikh sangat. She will be the voice of the Sikh Panth in Parliament, Sukhbir said.

Notably, SAD senior vice-president and incumbent MP from Khadoor Sahib Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, along with former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan and former MP Rattan Singh Ajnala, formed a new political outfit, Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali), in December 2018.

Brahmpura didnt open his mouth in parliament

Taking on Brahmpura, Sukhbir said the MP did not deem it fit to open his mouth even once in Parliament. You elected Brahmpura Sahib but he did not raise a single issue of your area or the state in Parliament for five years.

Sukhbir also targeted the Congress by raking up issues such as Operation Bluestar and the 1984 riots. He said, People should not vote for the Congress as it the same party which attacked the Golden Temple while using tanks and guns. It is also responsible for the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, during which innocent Sikhs were brutally killed.

He said, When Narendra Modi became the countrys Prime Minister, an SAD delegation led by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal met him and demanded re-opening of the 1984 cases. The PM immediately formed a special investigation team to give justice to the Sikhs. Due to the efforts of the Modi government, a key accused in the anti-Sikh riots, Sajjan Kumar, has been convicted.

He said, Recently, the Centre had decided to open the Kartarpur Corridor, which has been the long pending demand of the Sikh community.

Earlier, Jagir Kaur and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia also targeted the Congress over anti-Sikh riots and Operation Bluestar.

Later, Sukhbir and Majithia also addressed a party workers meeting at Bhikhiwind, which was organised by former SAD MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said Tuesday that former prime minister Manmohan Singh was never in the reckoning, rejecting reports that the Congress may field him from Amritsar in the Lok Sabha polls.

He also denied any alliance talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or any other party for the polls in the state.

The Congress did not need any alliance in Punjab, nor was it in talks with any party on the same, he said.

Earlier in the day, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said in Delhi that his party and a breakaway outfit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are in talks for an alliance in Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls.

Also Read| Lok Sabha elections 2019: Gujarats Anand constituency is a Congress bastion that BJP won in 2014

Amarinder Singh, who turned 77 on Monday, described his meeting with the former prime minister in Delhi as a courtesy call, during which he briefed him about Congress plans in Punjab.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was never in the reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections, the chief minister said here.

He along with partys in-charge for Punjab affairs Asha Kumari and state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar had met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Sunday and according to some reports, they urged him to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar.

Although some reports suggested that Manmohan Singh was not inclined to contest polls because of his age.

Exuding confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, Amarinder Singh said the party was gung-ho about these polls, as was evident from the fact that it had chosen Ahmedabad -- the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- for the CWC meeting.

Read More| Lok Sabha election 2019: Congress Gaurav Gogoi to defend Kaliabor seat

In response to a question on the Punjab Congress candidates, Amarinder Singh said the next meeting was likely to be held in Delhi around the end of this week.

Asked about the partys star campaigner in the state, the chief minister said it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections.

On whether the IAF air strike across the LoC would prove beneficial to the ruling BJP at the Centre, Amarinder Singh, who was an Army captain, said with Indian soldiers continuing to be killed every day, the air strike had clearly not proved to be a deterrent so far against Pak-backed attacks on India.

He reiterated that no attempts should be made to politicise the Indian forces.

The armed forces are apolitical and are above the petty considerations of caste, religion and political affiliations, the chief minister said.

Amarinder Singh expressed happiness at the fact that the Kartarpur Corridor project had remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border.

Islamabad had also clarified that the latest events will not have any adverse effect on the project, he said, adding that the corridor was something that people on both sides wanted. PTI CHS VSD SNE SNE
In a blow to the prospects of an opposition grand alliance to take on the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, BSP chief Mayawati Tuesday said her party will not have an election tie-up with the Congress in any state.

Mayawatis statement drew a sharp retort from the Congress, with its Uttar Pradesh unit spokesperson saying, We dont need her. In a statement, Mayawati said, It is being made clear again that the Bahujan Samaj Party will not have any electoral alliance with the Congress in any state. Referring to her partys pre-poll alliance with Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati said it is based on mutual respect and honest intentions.

The SP-BSP alliance is perfect enough to defeat the BJP, especially in Uttar Pradesh, she said.

Also Read| Lok Sabha elections: SAD fields ex-SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur from Khadoor Sahib

The SP and the BSP have stitched together an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, keeping the Congress out, though the two parties decided not to field any candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi, the traditional strongholds of the grand old party.

Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the SP will contest 37 and the BSP 38, leaving three for the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and two for Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli) and Rahul Gandhi (Amethi).

Mayawatis remarks came on a day when the highest policy-making body of the Congress -- the Congress Working Committee (CWC) -- met in Ahmedabad, led by party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

UP Congress spokesperson Rajiv Bakshi said it was not up to Mayawati to decide whether the Congress wanted to enter an alliance with her party.

Read More| Lok Sabha election 2019: BJP may replace sitting MP in Assams Jorhat

She doesnt have even a single seat in Parliament. How can she decide if the Congress has to come on board or not? We are fighting the election alone and do not want an alliance. We dont need her, he told PTI.

Instead of speaking about the Congress, she needs to first work on her coalition with the SP, which is breaking up. Wait for 15 to 20 days and see how things unfold, he said.

He added there was no discussion on a coalition with the BSP at any level in the Congress.

They are desperate, he said, referring to Mayawatis party.

Asked about Mayawatis remarks, Congress partys west UP in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia told a TV news channel, We respect the views of every party. This view also we respect. Earlier, he has said the Congress will fight the general election in Uttar Pradesh on its own strength, arguing that the path of his party may be different from that of the SP and the BSP but their objective is the same.

The BSP chiefs statement comes on a day the Income Tax Department searched a dozen properties in Delhi and Lucknow linked to retired IAS office Net Ram, who served in top positions during Mayawatis tenure as UP chief minister, in connection with an alleged tax evasion case.

Addressing party leaders from various states, excluding Uttar Pradesh, in New Delhi, Mayawati has said while several parties are eager for an alliance, the BSP would not do anything for mere electoral gains as it could harm the BSP movement.

The Lok Sabha polls will pit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) against a combination of opposition parties -- including the Congress, the Left and several regional forces -- that are still trying to forge a grand alliance to minimise the division of votes.

The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections begin on April 11.
Ananth Kumar Hegde, the Union minister of state for skill development, was involved in yet another controversy after a video of his speech in his constituency surfaced that showed him asking how Congress president Rahul Gandhi got his surname, despite being a Muslims son.

Hegde was speaking at a function at a temple in Bhatkal taluk, which comes in his Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, on Saturday, local MLA Sunil Naik confirmed.

The union minister attacked Gandhi for asking for proof that the air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, where over 40 CRPF personnel were killed, had hit the intended targets.

The whole world is talking about our courage and America, too. But some people in our country have doubts. Apparently, they want proof of the attack, Hegde said. But can a Muslims son provide proof as to how he became a Gandhi, a Brahmin? Can this outsider born to a Muslim father and Christian mother give proof of how he became a Brahmin? Will he give DNA proof?

The union minister also claimed that the practice of sending home dead soldiers bodies was started by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Before [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee became prime minister the bodies of soldiers were not sent back to their homes. For the first time, after Vajapayee became PM, the bodies were sent back to their homes, he said.

Earlier the Congress didnt even have the capacity to send bodies back home. Since we started sending bodies back home these suspicions have been raised, he said. All these days, when soldiers died their bodies werent returned, and there were only talks after the deaths. First round of talks, second round, third round there was nothing other than that, Hegde said.

He claimed that no leader would even visit the families of the dead to express their condolence earlier. When I went with the body [of a soldier killed in Pulwama] to Tamil Nadu, the soldiers wife, who was one-and-a-half months pregnant, held my hand and said Jai Hind. That woman said her daughter was saying she had to be made CRPF and she has to go attack Pakistan.

Hegde said this drive did not exist earlier. Today it is not the India of tears, in fact those who bring tears to us are crying now, that is todays India. India has changedThis is how you build a country on minds of steel, Hegde said, adding that this was because of the central government, which was ensuring that would become the third superpower in 10 years.

However the BJP has distanced itself from Hegdes remark on Rahul Gandhi. Responding to Hegdes comments, BJP state general secretary N Ravikumar said it was not right to make such remarks. It is not correct to make such statements, he said. We have informed him and the leadership, lets see what happens, he added, when asked if the party would take action against Hegde.

State social welfare minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge said it was condemnable that a union minister was repeatedly making such comments. He has such an important ministry of skill development at a time when jobs growth has been low. Maybe because he does not want to talk about that he is resorting to making such personal comments against another, he said.

Kharge said the signal contribution of the central government over five years was not Make in India but manufacturing lies. The message seems to have come from the top rungs of the BJP and Sangh Parivar to indulge in conspiracy theories and come out with distorted alternative versions of history, he said.
Rebel BJP MP from Patna Shahib Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday said he would reveal on March 22 which party he would contest from in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections but insisted that he would fight only from the constituency that he had won twice.

Voting in Patna Sahib will take place on May 19.

Just wait and watch. No more speculations required. It will be clear on March 22.My stand is clear that I will contest the 2019 general election from Patna Sahib constituency. I will continue to stay among my brothers and well-wishers here, said Sinha.

Maintaining that he would not change his constituency under any circumstance, the two-time MP claimed he could win an election from anywhere, but Patna Sahib remained close to his heart due to his long association with the people.

The actor-turned-politician had comfortably won the Patna Sahib seat in 2014 defeating the JD (U) candidate Gopal Prasad Sinha by almost four lakh votes. While Sinha received 4,85,905 votes, his rival could fetch only 91, 024 votes.

In 2009, Sinha had defeated television host Shekhar Suman who had contested from the Congress party. Out of total 5521293 votes polled, Sinha received 316, 472 votes while Suman got only 61,308 votes.

Also read: Broad hints in Shatrughan Sinhas courtesy call on RJDs Rabri Devi

The BJP had distanced itself from Sinha a long time ago following his anti-party barbs from public platforms. The state organization in Bihar neither involved him nor invited him to the various party programmes including the March 3 Sankap rally where Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the NDAs election campaign. Despite being sidelined, Sinha has so far desisted from quitting the party.

The Bihari Babu, as SInha is popularly known, has been in talks with both Congress and RJD for his candidature from Patna Sahib. But he is weighing his options keeping in mind the winning potential of the two parties from the constituency.

Both Sinha and former BJP MP from Darbhanga, Kirti Azad shall need full support of the RJD if the grand alliance doesnt break ahead of the polls to retain their seats they earlier won as BJP candidates. Azad officially joined Congress in New Delhi last month after meeting party president Rahul Gandhi.

The NDA too is yet to finalise its candidate from Patna Sahib. Several names including that of Sushil Modi and Ram Kripal Yadav have cropped up in the recent past as the potential candidate to contest the prestigious seat.

Shatrughan Sinha was a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was first appointed as union minister for health and family welfare in 2003 but within a year his portfolio was changed and he was given shipping ministry. He was also anointed head of the BJPs cultural and arts department in 2006.
Around 25 women students of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) fell ill after consuming food and sweets at a mess in their hotel, late on Saturday.

The students were admitted to a hospital located inside the college campus on Sunday after they complained of stomach aches and nausea.

Most were discharged the same day after receiving treatment.

The womens hostel mess was shut immediately for sanitisation purposes. The cause of the poisoning is still unclear, said an official from the institute.

The incident took place on Saturday night, when one by one, several students residing in Hostel 10 started complaining of nausea and stomach ache. By midnight, the hostel warden had to be informed about the rising cases, said an IIT-B student.

By Sunday morning, all students of the hostel who ate at the mess were requested to report to the IIT-B Hospital for a routine check and most were discharged by Sunday evening.

Most students were feeling better after medication. The hostel mess has been sealed off since Saturday night, said the student.

An official from the institute said the food sample served on Saturday night at Hostel 10 has been sent to a laboratory for tests.

Around 25 students fell ill after eating dinner on Saturday night and were administered prompt medical care. Some had to be admitted and later discharged after a thorough check-up, said a spokesperson for the institute.

Apart from the food samples being sent for testing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also inspected the hostel mess.

We are yet to ascertain the cause for the food poisoning, but accurate steps will be taken to avoid such an incident in the future, said a BMC official on condition of anonymity.
After over two years of complaints from south Mumbai residents, Wilson Gymkhana on Marine Drive finally took down all four of its high-mast floodlights over the last four days.

HT had reported in November last year that the city collector, Shivaji Jondhale, had asked the gymkhana to remove the floodlights, making it the first such action taken by the state against light pollution in Mumbai.

The collector said the floodlights were illegal as we did not have the required permission. We used a crane to take down the lights over the past four days and then dismantled them said Amin Pawar, senior manager, Wilson Gymkhana.

As of now, we have complied with the directions. But we will approach this legally in order to reinstall the lights, said Pawar.

From 2017, Nilesh Desai, a resident of Kalbadevi, had filed over 100 complaints with the district administration and police citing light pollution from the gymkhanas floodlights.

Light pollution is the term used to describe excessive or obtrusive man-made light. In extreme cases, long-term exposure to excessive light could cause hallucinations, sleep disorders, and even lead to psychiatric problems. Desai said the removal of floodlights is a major victory for residents.

Residents are no longer confined to curfew-like situations owing to the high-intensity blinding lights. Citizens visiting the promenade opposite Wilson Gymkhana can enjoy their evening by the sea without fearing eye injuries from the light glare, Desai said.

On January 20, 2018, Awaaz Foundation had released a light pollution readings report, where 84,800 lux (unit for light) was recorded at Wilson Gymkhana and 14,100 lux at Police Gymkhana. According to doctors at KEM Hospital, the human eye should not be exposed directly to lux levels exceeding 50-60 lux.

An official from the district collectors office said that apart from Desai, police and representatives from few political parties had also approached them with complaints. After the November 2018 order, we had sent two reminders to the gymkhana. Our circle officers will visit the site to check overall compliance of the order, he added

HT has been reporting about complaints of light pollution and follow-up action over the past two years. It is a welcome move as these high-intensity lights could be a main cause for accidents along the stretch at Marine Drive, said Dr Arjun Ahuja, head of ophthalmology department, KEM Hospital, Parel, adding, We are witnessing increase in patients with vision disorders, eye irritation, redness, headaches, and all these are directly related to light pollution.
India is no longer the worlds largest importer of weapons, a position it held for over a decade, with Saudi Arabia topping the global share of arms imports between 2014 and 2018, a leading Stockholm-based think tank that measures weapons imports over five-year periods said in a new report on Monday.

Saudi Arabia accounted for 12% of the global share of arms imports in that period, followed by India in second place with a 9.5% share, reveals the new data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). With imports pegged at 4.2% of the global share, China is the worlds sixth-largest buyer of weapons.

Indian arms imports fell 24% between 2009-13 and 2014-18, the report said, adding that this was partly because of delays in deliveries of fighter jets and submarines produced under licence from Russian and French original equipment manufacturers.

While India has been trying to reduce its reliance on imported weapons, experts said the development could be considered noteworthy only if India stopped importing a particular weapon system because it was being manufactured locally under the Make in India initiative.

The rider that imports may have fallen due to delayed deliveries cant be ignored. It will be a little premature to start believing that the indigenous defence manufacturing activity has taken off, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

Russias arms exports to India fell 42% between 2009-13 and 2014-18, the report said. Russia, the countrys top arms supplier, accounted for 58% of Indias arms imports during the last five years, compared to 76% in the previous five-year period (2009-13), according to the report. Russia accounted for 70% of Chinese arms imports in 2014-18.

Russias arms sales to India have fallen in recent years with India looking to diversify its arms purchases and also seeking specialised weaponry. India has also started buying more from the US as strategic relationships between the two countries have improved.

Sipri said the US, Israel and France increased their arms exports to India in 2014-18.

Pakistan recorded a 39% dip in arms imports in 2014-18 compared to 2009-13, with the US becoming increasingly reluctant to provide military aid or sell arms to Pakistan, the report said. US arms exports to Pakistan fell 81% between 2009-13 and 2014-18. Pakistan has instead turned to other suppliers. For example, in 2018 it ordered four frigates and 30 combat helicopters from Turkey, it said, adding that Pakistan was the main recipient (37%) of arms from China during the last five years. China has become the primary exporter of unmanned combat aerial vehicles, it said.
China and Pakistan have begun upgrading their jointly developed JF-17 fighter jet, the current version of which was reportedly used by the Pakistan air force (PAF) in the dogfight against Indian fighter aircraft near the Line of Control (LoC) last month.

The development and production of the JF-17 Block 3 are underway, Yang Wei, a Chinese legislator and chief designer of the China-Pakistan co-developed fighter jet, was quoted as saying by the state media.

Watch: Opinion I Pak dictating Chinas decision on UN sanctions on Masood Azhar?

The F-16 was part of the two dozen fighter aircraft that PAF had scrambled during the dogfight with the IAF.

The current version is said to be a contender of Indias indigenously developed Tejas aircraft.

Yang said his aim is to enhance the jets informatised warfare capability and weapons or the use of cutting-edge communication technology in modern warfare.

All related work is being carried out, Yang was quoted as saying by the nationalistic tabloid Global Times at a press conference held on the sidelines of Chinas ongoing Parliament session.

The JF-17, or the FC-1, is a single-engine multi-role light fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan for export, according to the website of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Read more| Pakistan air force, army on high alert; lines border with F-16 fighters, troops

Yang added that the development and batch production for the JF-17 Block 3 aircraft were going on simultaneously.

The third block will see the JF-17s informatised warfare capability and weapons upgraded, Yang said.

Pakistan, the main user of the JF-17, could further share information between the fighter and other platforms, taking advantage of the whole combat system to effectively defend against strong opponents like India, a military analyst Wei Dongxu was quoted as saying.

Wei explained how the upgraded version would be put to use against the IAF.

JF-17 Block 3 is expected to be fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, which can gather more information in combat, enabling the fighter jet to engage from a farther range and attack multiple targets at the same time. A helmet-mounted display and sight system could also allow pilots to aim whatever he sees, Wei said.

Once the new upgrades are ready, they can be fitted on the airframe very fast, ensuring a quick delivery time, Wei added.

According to the tabloid, the JF-17 is often described by its manufacturer and military observers as an advanced but also a cost-effective fighter.

It is currently contending with Indias Tejas and South Koreas FA-50 in Malaysias new fighter jet purchase plan, with the JF-17 being the most competitive option, Wei said.

Myanmar and Nigeria have reportedly purchased the Chinese-Pakistani warplane.

Read more| India, US call for Pakistan to take concerted action to dismantle terror network
President Donald Trump weighed into the controversy engulfing Boeing Co.s 737 Max on Tuesday, saying airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly.

The comments came just minutes after the UK joined other nations across the world in grounding the 737 Max aircraft in response to a second crash of the model in five months on Sunday.

While investigators are still piecing together why an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max plunged to the ground minutes after takeoff Sunday, regulators across the globe opted for caution, even as the US Federal Aviation Administration has said the jet model remains airworthy.

Earlier, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia closed their air space to 737 Max planes, and on Monday, China and Indonesia also halted flights.

Boeing shares slipped 3.7 in New York, after logging the biggest drop among S&P 500 Index members the prior day.
The fate of the EU withdrawal agreement remained uncertain after Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker secured legally-binding and mutually acceptable changes in a last-minute meeting before Tuesdays key vote.

The meeting in Strasbourg led to a series of documents published in London and Brussels on what is called a joint legally-binding instrument, which is intended not to trap the UK indefinitely in the controversial Ireland-Northern Ireland backstop.

The late-night developments prompted a series of reactions as MPs and ministers prepared to debate on Mays improved package to be introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday, with voting scheduled in the evening.

Leader o the opposition Jeremy Corbyn said: This evenings agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised Parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for.

Since her Brexit deal was so overwhelmingly rejected, the prime minister has recklessly run down the clock, failed to effectively negotiate with the EU and refused to find common ground for a deal Parliament could support. Thats why MPs must reject this deal tomorrow.

MPs said they would wait for the attorney-general to present his opinion before deciding on voting for the agreement or not. There was little indication on Monday night that minds had been changed in the wake of the new developments.

Also read | Brexit: British PM Theresa May faces another defeat after deadlock

The agreement was resoundingly voted down in January on the issue of the backstop is intended to avoid a hard border between Ireland (EU state) and Northern Ireland (part of UK), but many see it as an EU ploy to keep in the UK within the customs union and the single market.

May said after meeting Juncker: The attorney general will set out in legal analysis the meaning of the joint instrument and unilateral declaration to Parliament. Tomorrow, the House of Commons will debate the improved deal that these legal changes have created.

I will speak in more detail about them when I open that debate. MPs were clear that legal changes were needed to the backstop. Today we have secured legal changes. Now is the time to come together, to back this improved Brexit deal, and to deliver on the instruction of the British people.

Also read | UK to raise new battalion of Gurkha Rifles, hails their bravery, sacrifice
The Theresa May government in United Kingdom on Monday announced plans to establish a new battalion of Royal Gurkha Rifles, which has a history dating to the East India Company, and saw action in the two World Wars and several contemporary conflicts.

The 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles is to be established as a Specialised Infantry Battalion and will begin recruiting this year, the ministry of defence announced. All Gurkha soldiers are recruited in Nepal.

The battalion is part of plans to set up five Specialised Infantry Battalions that are designed to provide expert capacity building and training skills with a focus on niche capabilities or areas of the world, officials said.

For more than 200 years, Gurkhas have been an integral part of the British Armed Forces and have demonstrated exceptional military aptitude, with a 100% pass rate through basic training, a release of the ministry of defence said.

Besides, the ministry said it would also enhance the support some Gurkha units provide to the British Army  for example the UK-led NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps  and establishing additional Gurkha Engineer and Signals Squadrons.

Minister for the armed forces Mark Lancaster said: The Gurkhas have built an outstanding reputation for their skill and bravery as soldiers through centuries of service and sacrifice.

They bring unique expertise and perspective to the United Kingdom and British Army which makes them an ideal choice to form a third battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles as a Specialised Infantry Battalion.

Colonel of the Royal Gurkha Rifles major-general Gez Strickland added: The specialised infantry role is exciting and challenging and we look forward to learning new skills and making new partnerships around the world as we begin the new task.
The United States continued to mount pressure on Pakistan Monday calling upon it on to take meaningful steps against terrorism, doubling down on a call earlier from Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and the visiting Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale for concerted action.

Spoke with Pakistani FM Qureshi to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan, US national security adviser John Bolton wrote on Twitter about his call with Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, referring to Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit that claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

He added: The FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to deescalate tensions with India.

Boltons tweet followed Pompeos meeting with Gokhale, at which they called upon Pakistan to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups operating from its soil.

At a news briefing later, Pompeo acknowledged gingerly to bringing up Indian purchase of crude oil from Venezuela, a top priority currently for the Trump administrations national security team  the president appears not as engaged on Venezuela as his advisers, despite scripted pronouncements that lack his signature commitment.

This conversation found no mention in readouts of the meeting issued separately by the two sides, and not coordinated as they are most times. Only because, it was not an issue  the secretary mentioned it briefly and the Indian side responded that Indian state refineries had stopped buying from Venezuela and the private refineries, it seemed apparent, would not risk being alienated from the US financial system, said a person close to the negotiations.

Boltons tweet was seen as a significant boost for Indias case against terrorism emanating from across the border in Pakistan just two days ahead of a UN security council decision on a proposal moved by France, US and UK to designate Masood Azhar, founder of Jaish-e-Mohammad.

India and the United States remain leery of the current Pakistani crackdown on terrorist individuals, groups and their assets in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

Islamabad has staged this show before, say skeptics.

Most of those arrested in the previous crackdowns were kept in luxurious accommodations, often at home under house arrest, and returned to their routine activities when the worlds attention shifted away.

The foreign secretary will meet his US counterparts Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson later during his visit.

The ministry of external affairs has described the foreign secretarys visit as part of a regular high-level dialogue mechanisms to review bilateral relations, exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments and coordinate respective positions on issues of common interest.
The Confederacy failed to take advantage of railroad technology

O n April 12, 1864, Robert E. Lee implored Secretary of War James A. Seddon to address the management of railroads in the Confederacy. Problems of supply plagued the Army of Northern Virginia, and Lee wanted all obstacles to deliveries removed. I earnestly recommend that no private interests be allowed to interfere with the use of all the facilities for transportation that we possess, he wrote, until the wants of the army are provided for. The railroads should be at once devoted exclusively to this purpose, even should it be found necessary to suspend all private travel for business or pleasure upon them for the present.

More than half-a-century later, historian Charles W. Ramsdell emphasized that the Confederacy never overcame the railroad-related troubles Lee had mentioned to Seddon. It would be claiming too much to say that the failure to solve its railroad problem was the cause of the Confederacys downfall, stated Ramsdells pioneering July 1917 article in The American Historical Review, yet it is impossible not to conclude that the solution of that problem was one of the important conditions of success. Ramsdells piece inspired no other scholar to produce a full-scale treatment of the subject, and in 1939 Douglas Southall Freemans The South to Posterity: An Introduction to the Writing of Confederate History listed a study of the Southern railroads as one of the topics deserving attention.

Robert C. Black IIIs The Railroads of the Confederacy filled the glaring gap in the literature. Published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1952, and reprinted in paperback in 1998, it remains, after more than 65 years, a superior overview that has been augmented but never superseded. Modern readers will find a few anachronistic elements of the book. For example, Black subscribed in significant measure to Frank L. Owsleys thesis in State Rights in the Confederacy (1925); namely, that John C. Calhouns glorification of the individual state carried over into the war and proved inimical to waging a successful defense against a powerful opponent.

Black also consistently used the term War Between the States, which Lost Cause writers embraced in the years after Appomattox, to describe conflict. Yet he largely succeeded in his determination not to bring any preconceived notions to bear and to allow the politicians and soldiers and railroaders of the Confederacy to speak for themselves.

Failure to build badly needed new lines hurt the Confederacy

Blacks well-researched, comprehensive book expanded on many of the themes in Ramsdells article and cited substantial evidence to reach similar conclusions. Did Southern railroads figure prominently in the Confederacys failure to secure independence? To this question the author can only answeryes, insisted Black: Railroad transportation in the Confederacy suffered from a number of defects, all of which played a recognizable part in the southern defeat.

Black explored how insufficient mileage, gaps between key lines, inability to repair and maintain tracks and rolling stock, differences of gauge, and the failure to build badly needed new lines all hurt the Confederacy. Beyond such physical difficulties, he argued, the Confederates by no means made the best use of what they had. It is men who are most at fault when a war is lostnot locomotives, or cars, or even economic geography. Numerous maps, including one in foldout format locating all the railroads and their gauges in June 1861, greatly enhanced the value of the text.



Rebel Tracks: A section of the map contained in Railroads of the Confederacy reveals the authors copious research. (The Railroads of The Confederacy)

Black isolated two principal shortcomings that yielded pernicious results for the Confederacy. First, national needs went unmet because the railroads owners, managers, and even employees were unwilling to make serious sacrifice of their personal interests. In terms of the railroading sector Black found an absence of overriding national sentiment.

Second, Jefferson Davis administration and the Congress in Richmond proved loath to enforce the kind of transportation policy the war effort demandedthe kind Lee, a committed Confederate nationalist, urged to Seddon in April 1864. Overall, concluded Black, the South lacked the wholehearted public cooperation and the government coercion necessary to wage a modern war.

During the decades following its publication, The Railroads of the Confederacy enjoyed an elevated reputation. Noted bibliographer Richard B. Harwell placed it among his 200 essential titles on the Confederacy, one that demonstrated how the collapse of the Confederate railroad service was of immense importance in hastening the breakdown of the Confederacy.

In 1981, the editors of Civil War Times Illustrated included it on a roster of essential books compiled from over thirty consultants. More recently, a major analytical bibliography termed it a soundly documented study that details how Confederate military authorities failed to use effectively the valuable interior railroad lines scattered throughout the South that were available to support numerous campaigns.

Anyone who consults Blacks book will better appreciate accounts that discuss the Confederate rail system. Typical is artillerist Edward Porter Alexanders handling of the frustrations James Longstreets First Corps experienced in traveling from Virginia to reinforce Braxton Braggs army in northern Georgia in September 1863. In those days the Southern railroads were but lightly built & equipped, explained Alexander, &, now, for two years they had been cut off from all sorts of supplies of railroad material but what their own small shops could produce. Naturally, therefore, the movement of our corpswas very slow. Alexander reckoned the entire journey by rail had been about 852 miles in about 182 hoursan average of just more than four and one-half miles an hour. Such a poor performance mattered in a conflict that, according to Black, to its last weeks, remained a railroad war. 
Mary Borden was born in 1886 with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth: Her father, a prominent Chicago lawyer, had struck it rich as one of the lead investors in a fabulously successful silver-mining venture in Colorado. After graduating from Vassar College in 1907, Borden embarked on a chaperoned trip around the world and met George Douglas Turner, a Scottish lay missionary. The two were married in 1908 and later settled in London, where Borden joined the suffragette movement and was arrested during a demonstration in Parliament Square. While living in London, Borden met Percy Wyndham Lewis, the English writer, painter, and critic, and became his lover and patron. Using the pseudonym Bridget MacLagan, she wrote an autobiographical novel (The Mistress of Kingdoms) and a play based on it.

In July 1915, following the outbreak of World War I, Borden tapped her sizable inheritance to equip and staff a frontline field hospital at Rousbrugge, Belgium. She would go on to run military hospitals at Bray-sur-Somme and Mont-Notre-Dame (the French government would recognize Bordens wartime service by awarding her the Croix de Guerre). While in France she had an affair with Captain Edward Louis Spears, a British liaison officer who served with the French army on the Somme. In 1918, following the dissolution of her marriage to Turner, Borden married Spears, and the two settled in Paris.

After the war, drawing on her experiences as a nurse on the front lines, Borden published The Forbidden Zone, a collection of poems and short stories. She became a prolific, best-selling author and high-profile advocate for womens rights and otheroften controversialcauses.

With the onset of World War II Borden once again ran mobile hospitals on the French front, and in 1940 she barely managed to escape from France as it fell to Nazi Germany. She went on to serve with Free French forces in the Middle East and, toward the end of the war, in eastern France. After the war she resumed writing, publishing her last novel at age 70. She often returned to United States and in the 1950s helped Democratic senator Adlai Stevenson II of Illinois, her nephew-in-law, in his two presidential campaigns, writing some of his speeches. She died in England in 1968 at age 82.

The following poem was one of three published in the English Review in 1916 under the general title At the Somme and reprinted in the American magazine Current Opinion the following year.

The Song of the Mud

This is the song of the mud,

The pale yellow glistening mud that covers the hills like satin;

The grey gleaming silvery mud that is spread like enamel

over the valleys;

The frothing, squirting, spurting, liquid mud that gurgles

along the road beds;

The thick elastic mud that is kneaded and pounded and

squeezed under the hoofs of the horses;

The invincible, inexhaustible mud of the war zone.

This is the song of the mud, the uniform of the poilu.

His coat is of mud, his great dragging flapping coat,

that is too big for him and too heavy;

His coat that once was blue and now is grey and stiff

with the mud that cakes to it.

This is the mud that clothes him. His trousers and boots

are of mud,

And his skin is of mud;

And there is mud in his beard.

His head is crowned with a helmet of mud.

He wears it well.

He wears it as a king wears the ermine that bores him.

He has set a new style in clothing;

He has introduced the chic of mud.

This is the song of the mud that wriggles its way into battle.

The impertinent, the intrusive, the ubiquitous, the unwelcome,

The slimy inveterate nuisance,

That fills the trenches,

That mixes in with the food of the soldiers,

That spoils the working of motors and crawls into

their secret parts,

That spreads itself over the guns,

That sucks the guns down and holds them fast in its

slimy voluminous lips,

That has no respect for destruction and muzzles

the bursting shells;

And slowly, softly, easily,

Soaks up the fire, the noise; soaks up the energy

and the courage;

Soaks up the power of armies;

Soaks up the battle.

Just soaks it up and thus stops it.

This is the hymn of mudthe obscene, the filthy, the putrid,

The vast liquid grave of our armies. It has drowned our men.

Its monstrous distended belly reeks with the undigested dead.

Our men have gone into it, sinking slowly, and struggling

and slowly disappearing.

Our fine men, our brave, strong, young men;

Our glowing red, shouting, brawny men.

Slowly, inch by inch, they have gone down into it,

Into its darkness, its thickness, its silence.

Slowly, irresistibly, it drew them down, sucked them down,

And they were drowned in thick, bitter, heaving mud.

Now it hides them, Oh, so many of them!

Under its smooth glistening surface it is hiding them blandly.

There is not a trace of them.

There is no mark where they went down.

The mute enormous mouth of the mud has closed over them.

This is the song of the mud,

The beautiful glistening golden mud that covers

the hills like satin;

The mysterious gleaming silvery mud that is spread like

enamel over the valleys.

Mud, the disguise of the war zone;

Mud, the mantle of battles;

Mud, the smooth fluid grave of our soldiers:

This is the song of the mud.

This article appears in the Spring 2019 issue (Vol. 31, No. 3) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Somme Song

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!
Seriously wounded Army infantryman Doug Greenlaw now leads the Purple Heart organization, dedicated to all who spilled blood for their country.

Its commonly known that the Purple Heart is the oldest American military decoration, proposed by Gen. George Washington as the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 to honor soldiers who performed gallantly during the Revolutionary War. But many people may be surprised to learn that the award went away soon after the fight for independence endedand did not re-emerge until 1932.

That year, 137 World War I veterans received Purple Hearts by order of the Armys chief of staff, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Those medals, which honored every species of meritorious military service, went only to Army troops. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Purple Heart for members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and designated the award specifically for troops wounded or killed in action.

If you shoot yourself in the foot, you dont get a Purple Heart. If the enemy shoots you in the foot you get a Purple Heart, said Doug Greenlaw, National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, or MOPH, a 46,000-member veterans services organization founded in 1932. It has to come from the enemy. Theres usually blood involved. If you get wounded by the enemy, you get a Purple Heart.

Some 1.7 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to service members since the United States entered World War II, including about 350,000 to troops who served in the Vietnam War. Greenlaw was wounded twice in an action-filled tour as a first lieutenant in Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. The Michigan City, Indiana, native joined the Army in 1965 after two years of college. He completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Jungle Expert School in Panama, then was shipped to Vietnam, arriving in August 1967.

That fall, platoon leader Greenlaw was wounded during a big firefight on Hill 63 just west of Da Nang. As his unit was being overrun by the North Vietnamese, Greenlaw called in airstrikes on his own position. His soldiers, as well as the enemys troops, suffered heavy casualties. The wounded Greenlaw stayed with his platoon until all of the men were accounted for and evacuated. In November, he was awarded the Silver Star.

I had a light wound in my right leg, which took about three or four weeks to heal in-country, Greenlaw said. And then in December I went back out.

In April 1968, Greenlaw, who had been promoted to Delta Company commander, was severely wounded when his point man tripped a booby trap while the company was on patrol. Greenlaw was medevaced to a MASH unit, a mobile army surgical hospital, where they gave me the last rites, he said. I was wounded really seriously in the face and neckmainly the neckand had a compound fracture in my right leg. And I lost my left kneecap. A piece of bamboo nailed my left arm to my chest. I was a mess.

Greenlaw indeed was a mess, but he survived.

I was 23 and in really good shape, he said. They stopped the bleeding. Then they sent me in a helicopter to the [95th Evacuation] Hospital in Da Nang and put me back together. Then they put me in a body cast and sent me to Yokohama, Japan, for plastic surgery and repairs. They put my leg back together and did some experimental surgery, from what I understand, on my face and nose and the left side of my jaw.

Greenlaw was sent back to the States for more rehab and recovered from most of his wounds at Fort Sheridan near Chicago. He was honorably discharged with a medal collection that included two Bronze Stars in addition to the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.

The Army veteran returned to college and earned a bachelors degree in communications from Indiana University. Greenlaw embarked on what became a successful career as a media executive, including president of sales and promotional marketing for Viacoms MTV Networks, which encompass MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Night and TV Land, and CEO of Multimedia Inc., whose holdings included print, radio, TV and cable properties. Today, he lives in Greenville, South Carolina, where he is chairman of Community Journals, a publishing company he founded.

In 2008, Greenlaw co-founded and led the Greenville chapter of MOPH, which has its national offices Springfield, Virginia, a Washington suburb. He was the 2015-16 South Carolina state commander and was elected 2018-19 national commander at MOPHs convention in August 2018.

Full membership in the MOPH, which receives most of its funding from grants, is open to active duty and discharged individuals who have received the Purple Heart for wounds suffered while serving in the military of the U.S. or any foreign country during combat against an armed enemy of the United States. Like other congressionally chartered veterans services organizationssuch as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Vietnam Veterans of Americathe MOPH operates a nationwide service officers program that helps veterans obtain their earned federal benefits and a Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services program that coordinates the activities of member volunteers in more than 100 VA medical centers across the nation. MOPH also has an active lobbying presence on Capitol Hill.

A good deal of MOPHs work is done by its 478 local chapters. It all boils down to our chapters, where the rubber meets the road, and our service officers, Greenlaw said. We have 70 service officers across the country who are very busy consulting and working with vets to work through the bureaucracy of the VA and whatever problems they might have.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, is a major issue among Purple Heart recipients. I believe that every combat-wounded vet, 100 percent, has PTSD to one degree or another, Greenlaw said. I have just a little bit. It doesnt really bother me. But if I have 2 percent, some have a hundred percent. They need service dogs. They really struggle through life. PTSD is real.

Wounded Vietnam War veterans make up about two-thirds of the nations 500,000 living Purple Heart recipients (and about the same percentage of MOPH members), and many are helping their fellow wounded veterans. About 80 percent of Vietnam vets are retirement age, Greenlaw said. The good news is that about half of them are healthy. Since theyre retirement age, theyre empty nesters, or whatever else it might be, they have time to work with the MOPH. Thats a good thing.

He added: Theres a special bond that combat-wounded vets haveits sort of a blood thing that we all share. Its real. Its a brotherhood.

While its important to honor the troops killed in action, dont forget the guys that are wounded, Greenlaw urges. Were not cut by razor blades; were cut by jagged shrapnel and bullets. Its a rough businessreal rough.

When he speaks to groups, the MOPH national commander makes sure people understand what the survivors of a war have gone through.

I talk about the reality of war, what its like to be on the ground, he said. I was an infantry officer. I talk about what goes on in real war. I tell people what its really like to be a grunt, a leg, a gravel grinder, a ground pounder.

Journalist and historian Marc Leepsons latest book is Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and Wars of Army Sgt. Barry Sadler. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1967-68 with the 527th Personnel Service Company in Qui Nhon. He is arts editor, columnist and senior writer for The VVA Veteran, the magazine published by Vietnam Veterans of America.
T his week the London property world  developers, councils, planners and architects  have decamped to Cannes in the South of France for the annual MIPIM real estate conference.

With just two weeks to go to Brexit the atmosphere is tense but positive, with 28,000 professionals and politicians taking advantage of the global networking opportunities to mix and match with developers and investors in a bid to secure deals in a less than secure world.

Most years the London Stand at MIPIM is the setting for the unveiling of new large-scale projects.

The uncertainty of Brexit has meant that this year a lot of boroughs and developers are keeping their powder dry.

One of the stars of the London Stand is Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking & Dagenham council, who recently warned developers: If youre coming to my borough and doing something my people dont want, youre no friend of mine. I didnt fight the BNP to let developers run all over us.

A fresh plan for Barking

No one could accuse Darren of being in developers pockets but he is keen to attract investment to his borough, whether its from the City of London or mainland China. And MIPIM is a good place to start.

Steve Curran, Labour leader of Hounslow council, says such investment is essential: In these uncertain times, with no clear direction regarding Brexit, we have to look for investment wherever we can find it.

Fresh plan for Barking: new homes and regeneration 1 /12 Fresh plan for Barking: new homes and regeneration Fresh and funky Central to the new vision for Barking is a plan to replace Vicarage Field shopping centre, a depressing Eighties mock-Victorian mall, with a funky-looking mixed-use scheme featuring about 855 flats in towers of up to 36 storeys. Vicarage Fields A spokesman said that at least 10 per cent of the properties will be sold at a 20 per cent discount to buyers priced out of the local market. The five-acre site will also have space for a new primary school, a 300-capacity music venue, a cinema and a hotel. More eateries At present Vicarage Fields holds about 50 shops. The new development will have slightly fewer, to make space for more restaurants and cafes. Interesting mix The aim is to attract a generally more upscale and interesting cross-section, mixing well-known high street brands such as Foot Locker and Pret A Manger with boutique chain restaurants such as Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims, as well as plenty of opportunity for start-ups and locals. On the waterfront New flats and houses at Fresh Wharf on the River Roding are now on sale. Fresh Wharf Homes went on sale in January and the first residents will move in during autumn next year. The development will be completed by 2026. Born and bred in Barking For Hassan Munir, 24, change cant come quickly enough to Barking. Born and bred in the area, he and his friend Waqas Javaid, 26, left, set up their own digital agency, helping local firms with social media, marketing and advertising, in 2016. Juliet Murphy Local area needs more Hassan lives with his family in Barking and says there is not enough to do. There are a few places to eat and a couple of coffee shops but if you want to go shopping or go out, then Westfield in Stratford is really the nearest place youd want to go. Juliet Murphy Change for the better Hassan welcomes the coming new shops, restaurants and local businesses  the big chains for convenience, with independents to turn the area into a destination. Juliet Murphy

If the borough is to grow and develop to meet the aspirations of our residents, then it is essential that we actively engage in promoting the investment opportunities that Hounslow offers.

Darren Rodwells profile in Cannes is heightened by the absence of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the fact that he is also representing Londons councils  the association for all the boroughs  Tory, Lib-Dem and Labour.

The Mayor avoids Cannes because he is sensitive to the views of the Left. However, he is now facing increasing criticism from the developers and councils who are trying to build the 66,000 homes he wants for not engaging more actively with them.

The focus is very much on councils delivering their own developments with Barking & Dagenhams regeneration company, Be First, showing its new Gascoigne East housing scheme, designed by Swedish firm White Arkitekter, bringing Scandinavian experience to the borough of modular construction, sustainability and public spaces.

London's other developments

Croydons housing company Brick by Brick is building infill housing as well as larger developments in the centre of the borough.

Outer London is increasingly a focus for new development with Harrow, Hounslow, Ealing, Enfield, Havering and Merton, as well as the Cambridge Corridor, in the limelight.

In the absence of the Mayor the promotion of London is being driven by London and Partners, his official promotional agency, who talk about Londons ability to constantly reinvent itself; about the innovative architects, engineers, designers and planners that work in London.

They cite schemes such as Kings Cross, Croydon town centre, Old Oak Common and Here East at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford as examples of powerful collaboration between councils, industry and universities.

This all makes London the worlds top real estate market. Last year 27 billion in commercial real estate investment flowed into the city, the highest of any in the world.

The deputy mayor for planning, Jules Pipe, is in Cannes meeting with both London and international designers, developers and investors.

Hes meeting with deputy mayors from other major cities to learn from their experience and to tell them about Londons policy of good growth by design which highlights standards of architecture, spaces between buildings and the size of homes.

It also focuses on how to build more homes, faster, without losing quality. Darren Rodwell thinks we need to do more.

Look at the Isle of Dogs and Stratford. Youve got the haves and the have-nots and they dont intertwine. Stratford was supposed to be a legacy. But for whom?

In the past, planning was just about buildings. Today the discussion is increasingly focused around people.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 13)  The lawmakers' meeting with the President was meant to resolve the impasse between the two houses of Congress on the 2019 budget, but no consensus has been reached.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III told reporters Wednesday evening that President Rodrigo Duterte opened the dialogue between Senate and House of Representatives (HOR) leaders by reminding them that he will not sign the budget if Sotto refuses to do so.

"After some words from both sides, Sen. (Ping) Lacson suggested that the HOR recall the enrolled copy they sent and revert back to the bicam report that both houses approved," Sotto said.

The Senate President said members of the executive department concurred, while House lawmakers seem to have "acquiesced."

"We have yet to see if they will follow (the) agreement," he added.

But House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro said Wednesday that Duterte told lawmakers to "finish the budget in a manner they are comfortable." He added that members of both chambers of Congress said they will follow the President's suggestion.

Castro also said that Lacson initially suggested that Duterte himself itemize lump sum amounts in the budget approved by the bicameral conference committee, but the President was reportedly not receptive to this as he does not want to be involved in allocating projects.

Castro added that House Appropriations committee chair Rolando Andaya found this suggestion to be unconstitutional.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the President asked the lawmakers to pass the budget so that government programs will continue.

"We still met while the president had left but there's still no consensus unfortunately," Zubiri told reporters.

Others present at the meeting were Senators Loren Legarda and Gringo Honasan, and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was also present at the meeting, along with House Appropriations Committee Rolando Andaya, and House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro, among other congressmen.

The passage of the 3.757 trillion 2019 budget has already been delayed over allegations of anomalous insertions, and government is currently operating on a reenacted budget since the start of the year.

But following Congress' ratification of the General Appropriations Act in February, Andaya said that both chambers itemized lump sum amounts in the 2019 budget bill. Senators have denied tinkering with the ratified budget bill  a move which they said is illegal and unconstitutional.

Duterte said in a speech Monday night that he would not sign an illegal budget bill.

Delays in the budget have caused government's failure to pay for advanced payments for key railway projects such as the MRT-3 rehabilitation and the construction of the Metro Manila subway.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The international economic group that oversees a global anti-bribery convention is monitoring the allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interfered in a criminal prosecution against SNC-Lavalin.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development working group on bribery said in a statement Monday that it is "concerned" by accusations that Trudeau and staff in his office tried to get former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to let the Quebec engineering giant negotiate a remediation agreement rather than pursue the firm on criminal charges of bribery and fraud.

SNC-Lavalin is accused of bribing Libyan officials between 2001 and 2011 to win business there.

Canada is one of 44 nations that in 1999 signed the legally binding Anti-Bribery Convention, which established international standards to criminalize the bribery of foreign officials. The idea was that all signatories  including all 36 OECD nations as well as eight others such as Russia and Brazil  would punish their own citizens and companies for trying to undermine governments elsewhere.

The working group is tasked with monitoring the implementation and enforcement of the convention. It wrote to the Prime Minister's Office to express its concerns about the SNC-Lavalin matter and says it is keeping a close eye on investigations by the House of Commons justice committee and the federal ethics commissioner. It says Canada has pledged to update the group on the matter at the working group's June meeting.

The statement says Canada's commitment under the convention is to "prosecutorial independence in foreign bribery cases," and that political factors such as national economic interests and the identities of the company or individuals involved should have no influence on the prosecution.

Adam Austen, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, said Canada "firmly supports" the OECD and noted Canada was a founding country in the Anti-Bribery Convention.

"We acknowledge the concerns raised today by the OECD working group on bribery," he said in a written statement. "We will continue to work with and update the working group on the robust and independent domestic processes currently underway in Canada, which the working group has recognized and encouraged."

Last year, the Liberals introduced a new law to allow the director of public prosecutions to use what are known internationally as deferred-prosecution agreements. These agreements shelve a criminal prosecution of a company in exchange for the company admitting wrongdoing, paying fines, giving up any money it earned in the commission of the crime it is accused of and agreeing to be monitored for a period of time.

If the company fulfils the terms of the agreement, the criminal penalties can be dropped. If the company fails to keep its end of the bargain, the charges can still go forward.

Last fall, the director of public prosecutions in Canada decided SNC-Lavalin was not eligible for a remediation agreement. Wilson-Raybould, then the attorney general, decided not to use her authority to overrule that decision.

Wilson-Raybould says that after that, multiple people from Trudeau's office, the finance minister's office and the Privy Council Office all put sustained, improper pressure on her to change her mind. She says that when she wouldn't do so, she was shuffled out as minister of justice and attorney general, to the lower-profile job of minister of veterans affairs. She ultimately resigned from cabinet entirely a few days after the Globe and Mail newspaper first reported on the allegations.

Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet last week, citing a lack of confidence in how Trudeau had handled the matter.

Trudeau's principal secretary, Gerald Butts, resigned his own post Feb. 18. He said last week he resigned not because he had done anything wrong, but because he felt if he stayed on after Wilson-Raybould resigned it would look as though Trudeau was choosing him, a longtime friend, over a minister.

Trudeau and his staff deny anything improper occurred, saying they only wanted to make sure Wilson-Raybould had information about the potential effect a prosecution and conviction could have on SNC-Lavalin's viability and wanted her to seek an outside expert opinion on remediation agreements  a brand-new tool in Canada's criminal law.

Last week, Trudeau blamed the problem on a breakdown in trust between Wilson-Raybould and his office and committed to hiring outside experts to advise the government on interactions between political and public-service staff on justice files.
Pipeline

11 March 2019

The 123-room Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero is scheduled to be the first Canopy by Hilton to open in France. Slated to open in mid-2020, the hotel is located in sight of the place du Trocadero and Palais de Chaillot in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, a cultural hotspot with several galleries and attractions such as the Palais Galliera and Palais de Tokyo museums.

Construction has already started on the property, which is being transformed into an open and inviting space in touch with Canopy's local design influences.

Canopy by Hilton hotels are thoughtfully curated to appeal to travellers seeking a locally inspired experience, with unique interiors that are influenced by the culture and history of the neighbourhood. Guests are welcomed by friendly Enthusiasts with expert local knowledge and recommendations and are invited to immerse themselves in the experience with local food and drink tastings and use of the complimentary Canopy by Hilton bicycles to explore the city.
Now Open

12 March 2019

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, a leading upper midscale hotel brand, today announced the opening of Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, New Orleans I-10 East, LA located at 5801 Read Blvd. The hotel features an updated exterior, refreshed guest rooms and a newly-designed lobby. The hotel is conveniently located near Interstate 10, making it the perfect resting stop for guests visiting downtown hotspots such as the French Quarter or Bourbon Street. Additionally, visitors of all ages and interests will be sure to enjoy the hotel's nearby attractions, including the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas or local airboat swamp tours. Business travelers will also have easy access to nearby companies such as Textron Systems, Folgers and NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

The hotel offers 128 guest rooms and suites. Guests have access to a 24-hour business center, fitness center, seasonal outdoor pool, complimentary parking, laundry services and free Wi-Fi. The hotel's onsite meeting facility is perfect for guests hosting small gatherings or business meetings. The meeting room can accommodate up to 30 guests and includes access to tables and chairs and audio-visual equipment. Before heading out for the day, guests are welcome to stop by the lobby for a complimentary, hot breakfast served on real dining ware. Freshly baked cookies, along with coffee and tea are also available in the lobby throughout the day.
Renovation

12 March 2019

The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin today announced the culmination of its 40 million euro renovation. This meticulous refurbishment, largely funded by its ownership Beisheim Group, heralds in a new era of elegance through refreshed guestrooms and suites, conference, wellness, lobby and lounge areas and the addition of POTS, a new restaurant. Each space evokes a vision of Berlin in the 1920s, with guests encountering creative details and thoughtful references to the golden era of German cinema.

A Cinematic Legacy Brought to Life

The hotel's imaginatively redesigned guest rooms and suites are the work of G.A. Design's London team, as is the grand entrance guests experience in the lobby upon arrival. An ornate sweeping marble and ironwork staircase makes a statement, while sparkling crystal chandeliers evoke the flurry of flashbulbs that punctuate the annual Berlinale Film Festival. Radiating 1920s flair, one wall gleams with stylised champagne glasses while guests will find one of the recurring motifs of the new design at reception: an abstract representation of a screen, reminiscent of film star's cloakrooms.

In the style of early 20th century literary salons, the spacious lobby is the ideal place for guests to relax, exchange ideas or enjoy a game of chess. An eye-catching marble fireplace replaces real flames with a bold sculpture, while She Represents, a 1928 painting by artist Jeanne Mammen, hangs above the mantelpiece - a declaration of love for the vitality of Berlin women. The adjoining space, flooded with daylight, features views of Potsdamer Platz, providing an ambience of a retreat where guests can take a break from the bustling city.

The lovingly redesigned guest rooms and suites of The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin are epitome of modern luxury. Day meets night in the contrasting colours of full-height headboards, while geometric patterns symbolise the historical significance of Potsdamer Platz. As with the lobby, the rooms also echo the city's great film heritage. Elegant wash and make-up tables suggest the wardrobes of early silver screen icons while the sleek honour bar offers a nod to their classic wardrobe boxes". State of the art technology is also thoughtfully woven into the experience, including touchscreens controlling all in-room electronics and convenient charging stations built into seating. In the Carlton Club Suite, shades of blue represent the moon and Berlin nightlife and in The Ritz-Carlton Suite, warm golden tones are a nod to the city's sunny sides.

New Gastronomic Experiences

The Lounge creates the heart of the hotel, shining in new splendour with dazzling mirror accents across its marble floor. Culinary delights include afternoon tea accompanied by a live pianist and served by specially-trained tea sommeliers with the highest level of personal service.

A completely new culinary venue, the POTS restaurant features an exciting young kitchen team that serves German classics with a modern twist. It offers cosy seating niches, an additional room for group gatherings, and an open-kitchen that epitomises its "sharing food" ethos. The restaurant's name is a fun play on both Potsdamer Platz and the many pots resting on the kitchen stoves. Beaten and brushed copper accents, used throughout the interior design, reference the heavy kettles in which German beer is traditionally brewed. In the summer, its newly-designed terrace overlooks the adjacent Sony Center and Henriette-Herz Park for light lunches or relaxed dinners.

The Curtain Club bar presents a stylish mix of Art Deco elegance and Latin American playfulness. Designed in the style of a South American hacienda, a Living Room lies in the heart of the bar with a stage for live music. Multiple award-winning mixologist and Chef Arnd Heissen and his team take guests on a fascinating culinary journey across the South American continent, creating unorthodox drinks relying on Latin American flavours, extravagant ingredients and precious essences.

A vision in red and gold, the Fragrances Bar is home to the high art of mixology, centred around scents and where Heissen enthrals guests with his "fragrant" cocktail creations. An interactive experience, guests choose their favourite cocktails from a walk-through bar menu, the Hall of Fame, where each drink is inspired by a top-quality gourmet perfume. The bar's design is based on elaborate perfume flacons with ingredients and spirits arranged in pharmacy bottles, reflecting the mixologist's experimental work. Dark mirrors underscore the sensual approach and mystical character of the space, with six avant-garde Golden Age-inspired drawings by local artist Tina Berning lining the walls.

A Wellness Oasis, Meetings in Style

Re-envisaged by interior expert Carbone Design, the hotel's newly modernized wellness space brings a hint of glamour to the workout and wellness experience. Guests can also take advantage of two saunas, a cosmetic treatment menu and state-of-the-art fitness equipment.

The divisible ballroom of the Beletage conference area is ideal for lavish parties as well as corporate events. Inspired by the 1920s nightlife, Czech lighting designer Lasvit created large Bohemian glass lamps in striking shapes, giving special dimension to the space. Seven additional event rooms featuring state-of-the-art technology have a total area of 1,800 square metres.
Pipeline

12 March 2019

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of BIM Group to develop a 110-key Park Hyatt Phu Quoc hotel as well as 65 residences. Slated to open in 2022, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer discerning travelers a sophisticated resort destination surrounded by pristine nature. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will join the award-winning Park Hyatt Saigon and is the luxury brand's first resort in Vietnam.

Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer guests an exclusive oasis, a sophisticated home-away-from-home with design inspired by traditional Vietnamese villages. Featuring exceptional, luxurious interiors with exquisite Vietnamese accents, all guestrooms, suites and villas will also offer stunning sea views.

Other resort facilities will include two dining outlets, a bar, a pool side barbecue, two swimming pools, a lakeside spa, a gym house with a lap pool, a Camp Hyatt kids' village, more than 4,300 square feet (400 square meters) of event space and an organic farm.

Situated on the southwestern tip of Phu Quoc Island, the hotel and residences will be positioned to offer guests and residents mesmerizing sunset views. The development will stretch across 160 acres of land bordered by an expansive mile-long white sand beach on one side and lush undulating hills on the other. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will be a 30-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport, with direct access via the main north-south highway, and 40 minutes from Duong Dong, the island's main town.
Appointment

12 March 2019

Lars Wagner has been appointed General Manager of the emblematic Genevan house, succeeding the functions of Mr. Alexandre Nickbarte-Mayer, who has been appointed Managing Director of the Beau-Rivage S.A Geneva Board of Directors.

Originally from Germany, Lars Wagner has traveled the world through professional experiences that have made him known to both Genevois and international circles. The latter has indeed contributed to the influence of many renowned institutions around the world: in the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok and Ritz-Carlton in Chicago as Director of the restoration, before getting closer to his native lands / Europe by running Four Seasons hotels, in Provence and Prague, and then managing the Mandarin Oriental in Munich for five years.

Finally, between 2013 and 2018, Lars Wagner held the reins of the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, making him a key figure in Geneva's place in the world of luxury hotels. A rich and brilliant international experience that has led him to adapt to different cultures in a spirit of respect and openness essential to any function in the world of luxury hotels.

Driven by a passion for hospitality and unflagging dynamism, Lars Wagner has always put customers and his staff at the center of his concerns. For them, he never stops developing innovative solutions thanks to a spirit of creativity that has made the success of his career, and that he will now have at heart to put at the service of the development of 13 quai du Mont-Blanc .
Appointment

12 March 2019

Cambria Downtown Dallas, located in the historic Tower Petroleum building and managed by Filmore Hospitality, announces the appointment of Zach Lybbert as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Lybbert joins Cambria Dallas Downtown with over 15 years of experience in hotel sales and marketing and has held various positions throughout the United States. Most recently, Lybbert served as the Director of Sales and Marketing at The Curtis Hotel in Denver, where he lead a dynamic team of sales professionals. Previously to his position in Denver, he served as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Embassy Suites DFW South and the Director of Sales and Marketing for the DoubleTree North DFW.

Lybbert has been awarded various awards throughout his career, including the 2013 Sales Team of the Year Award and the 2013 Director of Sales of the Year Award during his time with Richfield Hospitality.

In his new role, Lybbert will be responsible for building Cambria's brand awareness, spreading the message about the iconic Petroleum Tower building remodel and driving the chic brand of the beautifully restored art deco hotel, Cambria Dallas.
Appointment

12 March 2019

Outrigger Hospitality Group has named Julia Davidson vice president, brand strategic planning and development.

er role encompasses development of Outrigger's global brand strategy, brand marketing campaigns and brand resources, including tools and systems as well as oversight of the brand intranet environment. She also supports the brand-related needs of property operations and project management teams.

Davidson has 13 years of hospitality and marketing experience working at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and InterContinental Hotels Group, and was most recently the director of marketing for IHG Army Hotels.
Photo: The Canadian Press

An extensive study of caribou herds across British Columbia and Alberta suggests a way to reverse a long and steady decline of the endangered species  kill more wolves and moose and pen pregnant cows.

"It's go hard or go home," said Rob Serrouya, a University of Alberta biologist and lead author of the study released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Unfortunately, it's that black or white."

Another study released within days of Serrouya's suggests another way. And wildlife advocates worry Serrouya's findings could be misused, illustrating the complexity of what he calls the "toughest conservation challenge in North America."

Serrouya and his colleagues looked at 18 caribou herds ranging over more than 90,000 square kilometres. At the study's start in 2004, 16 herds were declining.

Restoring habitat damaged by oil, gas and forestry activity is too slow, said Serrouya. Herds don't have the decades that takes.

The scientists compared four government-run management programs  killing wolves, protecting pregnant cows, moving caribou between ranges and culling moose that attract predators. Six of the herds were not managed.

By 2018, the unmanaged herds remained unchanged. But eight of the 12 managed herds improved. Half of them had either stabilized or begun increasing. One almost doubled over three years to 67 from 36 animals.

"That's almost unprecedented," Serrouya said.

"It doesn't mean recovery, but it means some of these herds have turned around. It's the first study to show management has turned around sharp declines of caribou on such a broad scale."

Herds with the best growth rates were linked to both maternity pens to protect pregnant cows during calving and extensive wolf kills. Ranges with the best herd growth had the most intense cull.

Those five ranges saw a total of 144 wolves killed every year, mostly by aerial gunning and strychnine. A cull that large over the entire study area would result annually in nearly 650 carcasses, although Serrouya said that's not being recommended.

Removing moose at the same time would allow managers to kill up to 80 per cent fewer wolves, he said. Still, moose numbers in any one range would have to be reduced by up to 83 per cent.

Jonah Keim, an independent biologist and consultant, offers a different solution. In research published in the British Ecological Society's journal, he suggests caribou can be adequately protected by making it tough for wolves to get to them.

"What we need to do is reduce the encounters between wolves and caribou," he said. "You can do that without reducing the number of wolves."

Between 2011 and 2014, Keim studied what would happen if it weren't so easy for wolves, deer and moose to follow cutlines and forestry roads into caribou habitat. Over an 800-square-kilometre area, researchers dropped 200 cubic metres of tree debris every 200 metres.

The rate at which wolves stopped using the paths dropped 70 per cent, the study found.

"It was unbelievably effective at reducing wolf use," said Keim.

Serrouya applauded Keim's paper, but questioned its practicality on a landscape with 350,000 kilometres of linear disturbance.

"To block 350,000 kilometres would take years and years," he said. "What would happen in the meantime?"

Four herds vanished between 2004 and 2018.
Press Release

12 March 2019

London UK/Spokane WA - Magnuson Worldwide's global hotel brand is proud to announce the addition of the Atelier Boutique Hotel located in Humble to the collection.

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Formerly a Best Western Plus, the property is located off Highway 59 just two miles east of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The hotel provides a free shuttle service. For a day out, the Jesse H. Jones Park is 2.85 miles away, Old MacDonald's farm is 3.53 miles away and the Humble Museum is 1.48 miles away.

Guests start every day with a free newspaper and enjoy complimentary hot breakfast. In-room desks with free Wi-Fi are good for the corporate traveler. Their rooms all have five-star pillow top beds and flat screen 42-inch LCD televisions equipped with 140 plus HD channels.

Take a dip in the pool or visit the fitness center on-site. The meeting facility is perfect for events accommodating up to 40 people.

Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worldwide says: "We are delighted to be welcoming the team at the Atelier Boutique Hotel IAH to the Magnuson family."
Supplier News

12 March 2019

IDeaS Revenue Solutions and its global ecosystem of partners strive to deliver better revenue management solutions to hotels all over the world. During ITB Berlin on March 7, 2019, partner representatives were recognized and awarded by their IDeaS peers for their exemplary levels in four categories: Innovation, Client Focus, Results Focus and High Performance, and Team Spirit and Leadership.

For the third year, IDeaS Global Partner Ecosystem Awards recognizes individuals fiercely committed to driving mutual client success, dedicated to pricing and revenue management excellence and who power the industry forward through innovation.

Winners of the 2018 IDeaS Global Partner Ecosystem awards include:

Innovation

Matthew Lane, Springer-Miller Systems

Client Focus

Andrew Buttigieg, RMS Hospitality Solutions

Valerie Katz, TravelClick

Caryn Babstock, Maestro

Results Focus and High Performance

Nick Clarke, Guestline

Michelle Roycroft, Amadeus

Shane McPhail, RoomKeyPMS

Team Spirit and Leadership

Ana Gloria, Host Hotel Systems

Rachel Pelikan, Oracle Hospitality

Helen Chiuriri Mpayah, res:harmonics

Neil Ramsey, res:harmonics

Amjad Mohammed, res:harmonics

Valerie Katz, reservation solutions, implementation manager, TravelClick, said: "I am honored and very appreciative to be the recipient of this award. Reading all of the nomination notes was incredibly heartwarming and reinforces the reason I love what I do. I also wanted to acknowledge my wonderful team that supports me and strives to be client focused every day."

Matthew Lane, senior software developer, Springer-Miller Systems, said: "I think this award is a reflection of the approach to integration shared by Springer Miller and IDeaS. The key to success is finding the solution that works the best for both applications."

Joseph Martino, senior vice president and chief business development officer, IDeaS, said: "IDeaS always looks forward to this annual event during ITB Berlin. Anytime we can recognize the high-performing individuals transforming the hospitality industry, we will seize that opportunity. Their continued passion for technology and the well-being of our mutual clients keeps the industry moving, onward and upward."

For more information on becoming a Global Partner Ecosystem member, click here.
Press Release

12 March 2019

The Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), which is the premier tourism and hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers, will return to the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa in the last week of September, 23-25, 2019. AHIF was previously held in Ethiopia's capital city in 2014 and 2015; the following two years, the conference moved to Kigali and last year to Nairobi.



Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of Bench Events, which organises AHIF said: "Our delegates, sponsors and investors will all be pleased to return to Addis because it is an extremely well-connected, dynamic, developing destination."



For the past 15 years, Ethiopia has been blazing an impressive trail when it comes to economic performance, with GDP growth being in the high single digits. According to the IMF, Ethiopia's current GDP growth rate is 8.5%, surpassing every other country in Africa, except Libya. Its tourism sector has been growing strongly too, aided by enlightened immigration policies. Last November, Ethiopia relaxed its visa regulations to enable all Africans to gain a visa on arrival and, later in the same month, ForwardKeys revealed that Addis Ababa's Bole International airport had overtaken Dubai as the main gateway to Sub Saharan Africa. Three months later, in February 2019, a new airport terminal building was opened, doubling capacity to 22 million passengers a year.



The country is blessed with a few significant assets which make it attractive to investors in hotels and other tourism related businesses. In addition to its strong economy and hub airport, Addis is the headquarters of the African Union, which makes it the most important destination for political and intergovernmental meetings in Africa. Indeed, hosting international meetings is a huge generator of foreign currency revenue. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Ethiopia's travel & tourism industry is responsible for 35.2% of total exports. It is also a sector that WTTC predicts will continue to grow at 4.0% per annum over the coming decade.

By moving location every year or two, AHIF has provided direct economic benefits to various African cities. A recent economic study by Grant Thornton revealed that hosting AHIF brings, on average, $1m in direct benefit to the local economy, an additional $1.4m in indirect benefit and a substantial six-figure sum in tax to the government. The study also estimated the value of deals done at the conference to be $4.4bn.

AHIF is organised by the global event organiser Bench Events, which has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Market leading annual conferences include the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai, now in its 14th year, the South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (SAHIC), the Aviation Development Conference (AviaDev) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF). Earlier this year, Bench launched the Forum de l'Investissement Hotelier Africain (FIHA), a sister event to AHIF, designed to appeal to the Francophone countries of North and West Africa, in a bid to develop their economies and support hotel and hospitality investment.

About the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF)

AHIF is the premier hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers. It is organised by Bench Events (www.benchevents.com), who has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Bench Events' mission is enabling prosperity by facilitating growth, networking, and thought leadership in the hospitality industry worldwide.

www.benchevents.com.

Sponsors of AHIF are: Platinum Sponsors: Accor, Hilton, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group; Gold Sponsors: Aleph Hospitality, Cabo International Partners, Citymax Hotels, Dream Hotel Group, Drees and Sommer, Grant Thornton, Hotel Partners Africa, Insignia, IHG, JLL, Munich RE, PrideInn, STR, Stuart and Partners, TIME Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Supplier News

12 March 2019

WATERFORD, CT - RobertDouglas announced today that it advised both parties in the merger of the Waterford Hotel Group, a leading hospitality management company, and Waterton, a Chicago-based real estate investor and hotel operator, to form a new venture to strengthen and grow their hospitality portfolios. With Waterford Hotel Group ("Waterford") driving operational success for hotel assets, Waterton will concentrate efforts on continued real estate investment strategies including growing the hotel portfolio.

"The combined resources, scale and experience of both organizations will accelerate growth of the management business while increasing the investment pipeline and access to institutional capital," notes Rob Stiles, Principal & Managing Director of RobertDouglas.

"This merger between our organizations will serve as a catalyst to grow our hospitality portfolios in a strategic manner," said Len Wolman, Chairman and CEO of Waterford. "More importantly, it presents greater opportunities for all of our stakeholders, including value add for ownership groups, strengthened brand relations, and increased talent attraction and career growth for our associates."

Waterford has assumed management of eight hotels previously operated by Waterton. Waterford's portfolio grew to 41 properties in nine states, representing more than 6,200 keys. The new additions to the portfolio complement Waterford's existing diverse portfolio of full service, select service, and independent hotels as well as a convention center. The properties that were transitioned total more than 1,600 guestrooms in Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts; six of which are full service hotels.

Waterton partnered with Waterford based on the firms' 30+ years of hospitality expertise and track record of increasing market share and profitability through operational efficiency, which complements Waterton's investment and asset management expertise. The new venture gives Waterton a platform to leverage the combined asset management and operational acumen of the two firms.

"Our investment management expertise and Waterford's operational expertise represent a powerful combination which is sure to be attractive to brokers, sellers and investors in the hotel space," said David Schwartz, CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder of Waterton. "Combining our hotel assets with Waterford allows Waterton to remain in the hotel business with a more strategic focus on asset management and acquisitions, while creating a larger portfolio with greater synergies for our assets and growth opportunities for our operations professionals."

About Waterford Hotel Group



Since 1986, Waterford and its affiliates have been involved in developing and operating hotel, gaming and venue properties totaling more than $3 billion. Waterford Hotel Group is an approved operator for the leading hotel brands and experienced with virtually every type of hotel product, including full service, select service and resort properties, as well as convention centers. The company has owned and/or managed more than 100 properties nationwide, ranging from large multi-use projects to small independent inns. For information, visit www.waterfordhotelgroup.com.

About Waterton

Waterton is a real estate investor and operator with a focus on U.S. multifamily, hospitality and seniors housing properties. Founded in 1995, Waterton executes value add strategies and manages a national portfolio of multifamily and hospitality properties on behalf of institutional investors, family offices and financial institutions. Waterton is privately held and is headquartered in Chicago with regional teams throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2018, Waterton's portfolio includes approximately $4.9 billion in real estate assets. Visit Waterton's website: www.waterton.com.
Press Release

12 March 2019

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), an international nonprofit association and producers of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), has sold all exhibit spaces for the upcoming HITEC Europe 2019. A floor plan with a list of participating companies is available on the HITEC Europe website. HITEC Europe will take place from April 9-11 at the Palau de Congressos in Palma, Mallorca, Spain.

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For companies who were not able to reserve a booth in time, a waiting list for booth space is available with placement given on a first-come, first-served basis. HFTP also offers exhibitor supporter packages for non-exhibiting companies, which grants access to many of the same perks HITEC exhibitors receive - the next best thing to having a booth. Exhibitor supporters receive two full conference registrations, recognition in the HITEC mobile app, as well as recognition at the conference.

"HITEC Europe in 2019 will be located in the premiere travel destination of Palma, Mallorca a locale with hundreds of hotels and headquarters to numerous hospitality companies," said Carl Weldon, HFTP COO - Europe. "Not only is the island a draw due to its large hospitality market, but the program for HITEC Europe will be a cannot miss event for industry professionals who are involved in the technology operations at hotels, resorts and more."

HITEC Europe 2019 brings together thought leaders, practitioners and vendors to cover hospitality technology trends and practices. A highlight to the program is the keynote presentation on Wednesday, April 10 by award-winning futurist Rohit Talwar. Talwar is an entrepreneur and specialist advisor on business transformation, disruptive strategies and radical innovation. Profiled as one the top 10 global future thinkers by the Independent newspaper, his controversial and inspiring keynote speeches enable teams to think differently, act fast and be first to the future.

For exhibiting companies, sponsorship opportunities are available for companies to stand out and have their organization name seen by the thousand plus attendees before and after the show. See which opportunities are available and download the marketing kit by visiting the event website.

For more information about supporter packages, contact HFTP Sales and Accounts Manager Matt Chambers at [email protected] or +1 (512) 220-6443.

HITEC Europe will be the first of three HITEC events in 2019. The larger HITEC Minneapolis will take place June 17-20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. HITEC Dubai will take place in November 12-13 at The Festival Arena by Intercontinental at Dubai Festival City in Dubai, UAE.
Performance

12 March 2019

Hotel profit plummeted in the Middle East & North Africa in January, as oversupply and struggling oil prices took a toll, sending GOPPAR to a 13.9-percent year-on-year decrease, according to the latest data tracking full-service hotels from HotStats.

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The decrease is part of a continued story for the region, which saw GOPPAR decline 6 percent YOY in 2018; it marked the fifth consecutive month of YOY decline in this measure at hotels in the region.

The drop in profit was led by a 7.5-percent YOY decrease in RevPAR and a 2.9-percent drop in non-rooms revenues, which fell to $81.27, equivalent to 41.0 percent of total revenue.

Although hotels in the region were able to maintain room occupancy levels in the month, at 69.5 percent, achieved average room rate fell further in January, dropping by 7.5 percent YOY to $116.96.

Falling ancillary revenues included declines in Food & Beverage (down 5.5 percent) and Leisure (down 6.5 percent). One silver lining was a 0.3-percent uplift in Conference & Banqueting revenue, on a per-available-room basis.

As a result of the revenue movement across all departments, TRevPAR fell by 5.7 percent to $198.23. Whilst this was 1.1-percent above the TRevPAR recorded at hotels in the region in the rolling 12 months to January 2019, at $195.99, it was almost $25 below this measure in January 2016, at $222.82, illustrating the widening gulf between historic and current performance levels.

Declining total revenue was exacerbated by rising costs, including a 1.7-percentage-point increase in payroll levels as a percentage of total revenue to 27.3 percent, as well as a 1.8-percentage-point increase in overheads as a percentage of total revenue to 25.2 percent.

Profit margin was recorded at 38.5 percent in the month.

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators - Middle East & Africa (in USD)

January 2019 v. January 2018

RevPAR: -7.5% to $116.96

TRevPAR: -5.7% to $198.23

Payroll: +1.7 pts. to 27.3%

GOPPAR: -13.9% to $76.28

"We are now almost five years down the road from when the oil crisis began in the Middle East and there has been little respite from the resultant decline in performance for hotel owners and operators in the region," said Michael Grove, Director of Hotel Intelligence and Customer Solutions, EMEA, at HotStats. "With the oil market likely to be the dominant economic driver once again in 2019, the sharp decline in price towards the end of 2018 will undoubtedly be a cause for concern for regional hoteliers."

For hotels in Dubai, the YOY decrease in profit per room in January represented the seventh consecutive month in which GOPPAR has dropped in the UAE's most populous city.

The 13.9-percent decline in profit came despite the city hosting the 21st edition of the Intersec, Security, Safety & Fire Protection conference, which attracted close to 35,000 delegates with 1,202 exhibitors from 54 countries.

Hotels suffered significant declines in top-line revenue, which included a 2.2-percentage-point drop in room occupancy to 85.2 percent, as well as a 9.4-percent decrease in achieved average room rate, which fell to $248.48. It resulted in an 11.6-percent drop in RevPAR.

Non-rooms revenue fell to $132.20, equivalent to 38.5 percent of total revenue, and contributed to an 8.2-percent decline in TRevPAR.

The plummeting revenue levels were further exacerbated by rising costs, which included a 1.0-percentage-point increase in payroll levels as a percentage of total revenue to 23.3 percent.

In line with the regional market, profit conversion at hotels in Dubai is under pressure. Having been recorded at 48.6 percent of total revenue in January 2016, it fell back to 44.5 percent in the month.

"The oversaturation of the Dubai hotel market is no more clearly illustrated than in months like this, when an additional 35,000 people in the city fail to spur an increase in top- and bottom-line performance," said Grove. "Against a backdrop of challenging economic conditions, profit decline is likely to continue at hotels in Dubai for some months to come."

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators - Dubai (in USD)

January 2019 v January 2018

RevPAR: -11.6% to $211.45

TRevPAR: -8.2% to $343.65

Payroll: +1.0 pts. to 23.3%

GOPPAR: -13.9% to $152.96

One bright spot in the region was Alexandria, where profit per room soared by 40.3 percent YOY in January to $38.23. The city continued to benefit from the recovery in the wider Egypt economy.

Growth in profit was fuelled by increases across all revenue centres, which contributed to the 27.3 percent increase in TRevPAR to $96.63.

This was the 31st consecutive month of profit growth for hotels in Alexandria and as a result of the robust increase this month, profit conversion in January was recorded at 39.6 percent of total revenue.

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators - Alexandria (in USD)
Plenty of hotels, resorts, and other businesses in the hospitality industry have brochures and guides for guests conveniently packaged into one hyper-valuable PDF. They list everything from resort amenities and pricing to events happening at the hotel to what to do in the area, and so much more. Now, thereAs a chance to have those PDFs featured prominently on Google in a way that can help you increase brand awareness and connect with new guests.

Plenty of hotels, resorts, and other businesses in the hospitality industry have brochures and guides for guests conveniently packaged into one hyper-valuable PDF. They list everything from resort amenities and pricing to events happening at the hotel to what to do in the area, and so much more.

Now, theres a chance to have those PDFs featured prominently on Google in a way that can help you increase brand awareness and connect with new guests.

Google has just announced that theyll be pulling content from online PDFs to use in their featured snippets section of position zero. This presents an enormous opportunity for hotels and resorts to maximize search visibility, which can directly lead to more traffic and an increase in reservations.

Ready to take advantage of this for your business? Were going to show you exactly how to create and optimize content so it has a shot at snagging that prime placement.

Googles Position Zero: What It Is And Why It Matters for Hotels & Resorts

Googles Position Zero is also known as their featured snippet block, where a searchers question is answered in a concise way. These answers are featured above the rest of the search results for maximum visibility, and users can click for more information to be taken to the source.

Historically, only HTML links were used as sources for featured snippets, but now content from online PDFs (the key word here being online) will be used, too.

Its not uncommon for hotels and resorts to already have a number of PDF resources available for their guests, and now theres an opportunity for those already-existing resources to be used to increase search visibility. Brands also have the option to create content that is specifically written with featured snippets in mind, providing value to potential guests right from the very first interaction.

How to Rank for Googles Position Zero with PDFs

You know you want to rank for Position Zero to increase brand awareness and hopefully get plenty of clicks and links back to your site. Heres how you can do it.

Optimize PDFs for Featured Snippets

You have the best shot of appearing in a featured snippet if content within your PDF is, in fact, optimized for that purpose. Consider what questions your guests ask frequently, because these are questions theyll likely search for online, too. Then create succinct, concise answers for each. Opt for simple but actionable statements, and use bullet-point lists if needed.

For the hospitality industry, examples of content that may do well include addressing questions like what to do in an area or what standard checkout procedures are in a resort.

Remember, the better youre able to directly answer these questions in a search-friendly way, the more likely you are to get a shot at that featured snippet.

Consider SEO-Friendliness

As youre optimizing your content, take careful consideration of SEO into account. I recommend using tools like SEMrush to look for question-based keywords that generate a large number of traffic, and use headlines or subheads in the PDF using these same keywords. Asking the question in the PDF and then immediately answering it can help you get results.

Publish that PDF Online

Dont just feature a landing page with the actual PDF and require users to download it before accessing the content, because this will prevent it from being crawlable. And if Google cant access the information, they cant share it.

You can have your PDFs available on your own site, giving them their own page, and still offering users the ability to download the content if they choose.

PDF aggregators will also likely eventually find their way to you, featuring your content on their site. This increases the number of backlinks to your site (as long as theyre linking to you and giving you permission), which can increase both your domain authority (which gives you a better shot at ranking higher in the SERPs) and site traffic, helping you get closer towards that goal.

Tips to Maximize Guest Contact from Your PDFs

To maximize the amount of site traffic you get from your PDFs, consider the following for best results:

Offer valuable information. This is what people are typically looking for and what shows up in featured snippets.

Create PDF headlines that relate to the searches you want to appear in.

Keep SEO and keywords in mind when creating and organizing your PDF; answer questions immediately instead of dragging out the answers.

Add links! This is the most important step. Add links to your site including your homepage and resources like your blog so that readers can end up coming back to you. Without this, youre leaving a lot of potential on the table.

Conclusion

Many brands have everything from lead magnet ebooks to travel brochures online available to connect with guests and improve their experience along the way. Optimize your content moving forward with the featured snippet potential in mind, because the potential search visibility and resulting traffic could be an opportunity too good to pass up.

About Lodging Interactive

Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, Lodging Interactive is a full-service digital marketing, social media engagement and reputation management agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry. The Company provides cost-effective Internet marketing services to hundreds of branded and independent properties as well as management companies, restaurants and spas.

commingle:engage has established itself as the largest provider of reputation management services for the hospitality industry, handling over 200,000 guest review responses annually. The Company also offers a full suite of comprehensive social media marketing services.

Lodging Interactive is an HSMAI Adrian Award winner and has won awards from the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, Web Marketing Association, Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and Travel Weeklys Magellan Awards have recognized Lodging Interactive as an industry leader.

The Companys Founder & CEO, DJ Vallauri, formerly served on the Board of Directors of HSMAIs New York Chapter and is a Forbes.com Agency Council contributor. For more information, please contact sales@lodginginteractive.com, 877-291-4411 or visit the companys website.

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Hotelogix, a leader in cloud-based Property Management Systems has announced that the adoption of its PMS has helped The Luxus Boutique Hotel in Canada witness a 10% increase in its revenue.

Hotelogix, a leader in cloud-based Property Management Systems has announced that the adoption of its PMS has helped The Luxus Boutique Hotel in Canada witness a 10% increase in its revenue.

Located in St. Johns, The Luxus Boutique Hotel is the perfect destination for travelers looking to experience luxurious hospitality. With plush interiors, well-appointed rooms, a highly recommended lounge, and top-class guest services, the boutique property has garnered positive reviews and ratings on all major travel and hotel booking portals.

The management of the property adopted Hotelogix PMS in 2017. Since then, they have been able to automate the process of online inventory distribution quite efficiently. Updating OTAs happens instantly now and so, we dont have an issue with overbooking through these channels, says Chris Woodley, General Manager of The Luxus Boutique Hotel. The hotel has seen benefits like 10% increase in revenue, 20% increase in OTA bookings and savings of numerous man-hours weekly.

Before adopting Hotelogix, the management was manually handling operations at the property. Due to this, managing daily operations was a time-consuming process and led to errors. They couldnt access the property data on the go, and had to be present physically to keep track of everything. With Hotelogix cloud system and mobile app, they are now able to manage and monitor everything on the go.

Speaking about his experience with Hotelogix so far, Woodley goes on to say, I've been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years now. And Ive used plenty of software at different branded hotels. I can guarantee you that Hotelogix is the easiest software Ive used.

About Hotelogix

Hotelogix provides a robust cloud-based Hotel PMS that helps hotels to automate and manage their end-to-end operations with ease. It also assists hotels to drive growth, increase revenue and to enhance their online reputation. The PMS is hosted on Amazon Web Services, and thus offers the much-needed stability and security to hoteliers. The company has rich experience in serving global markets with customers in 100 plus countries including North America and Europe.

Media Contact

Debi Prasad Sarangi

Corporate Communications

Ph: +91 9986496849

Mail: debiprasad.sarangi@hotelogix.com

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The upcoming Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom," originally slated to release this Saturday, March 16, has reportedly been pushed back a couple of weeks.

According to Sole Collector, the "Sail/Black-Phantom-University Red" AJ1s will now be launching via Nike SNKRS and other Jordan Brand retailers on March 30.

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)

The all-new 1s, priced at $160, are highlighted by a red stitching that stands out against the neutral, sail colored upper. As seen in the official images provided by Nike, university red also handles the ankle collar, while the black detailing appears on the tongue and wings logo.

Click here for a rundown of some of the other highly anticipated sneakers dropping in March, and scroll down for additional photos of the upcoming Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom."

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)

(Air Jordan 1 High OG "Phantom": Image Via Nike)
UFC star Conor McGregor was back in Jail on Monday night/early Tuesday morning, after he reportedly destroyed the cellphone of a fan who tried to take a picture outside of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel.

McGregor was charged with one count of strong-arm robbery and one count criminal mischief of $1,000 or more. He was released shortly after being booked, after posting the $12,500 bond.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1105307554391961601



The former two-division champion took to instagram shortly after being bonded out of jail with a quick message to his fans: "Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on. I love my fans dearly. Thank you all ai"

McGregor also posted a photo of a Miami Beach police cruiser on his IG story upon being released.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5lQ7rjH28



Per CNN:

"The fan and McGregor were leaving the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel Monday morning when the fan tried to take a picture with the fighter with a cell phone, according to a police report. McGregor then slapped the phone out of the fan's hand and stomped on the phone several times."

Worth noting, McGregor has already completed his community service in New York stemming from the dolly-throwing incident at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, so this most recent arrest in Miami won't affect his plead deal in NYC.

McGregor is still suspended from UFC due to the post-fight brawl at UFC 229, but he is eligible to return to the octagon starting April 6.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1105250115286167559


Photo: Contributed

A room in the pediatric ward at Penticton Regional Hospital is a little bit brighter thanks to a partnership between local firefighters and an artist.

The Penticton Professional Firefighters Union local 1399 hold several charitable events each year and vote within the membership on what to spend the proceeds on.

Last year the union allocated $1,000 to beautify a pediatric room at PRH and approached local artist/illustrator Alexandra Brooke (aka Belleartiste) to collaborate. She and her family spent quite a bit of time in the pediatric ward when their son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Brooke donated her time, while the firefighters' union covered the supplies.

Hospital visits can be terribly distressing and intimidating for both children and their families. Rooms can feel barren, lifeless and clinical. By creating this illustrative artwork for their wall I hope to provide a fun, cheerful focal point to help brighten and lift their mood and bring comfort with a colourful, playful distraction, Brooke said in an email.

I believe children need both emotional and clinical treatment. Art in hospitals has shown to reduce anxiety by 75 per cent and pain by 60 per cent . The power of art to heal is very real. Im very grateful to have been given the opportunity to create an art piece that can have therapeutic response on our communitys young patients.
There has been cause for both celebrations and tears for Juelz Santana and Kimbella. In January, the two finally tied the knot after a decade long, on-again-off-again relationship. Meanwhile, Santana's court drama has been played out for Love & Hip Hop New York fans as he was convicted on weapons charges and recently began his 27-month prison sentence. The pair have been preparing their family for Santana to leave his household and they've openly spoken about how difficult it's been on their relationship. Yet, on tonight's LHHHNY reunion special, the happy couple revealed that they are expecting their third child together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1k4_gHrk0



Kimbella wanted to wait until the reunion aired before confirming the news on social media, but she pretty much spilled the beans on Twitter when she wrote, "Tune in tonight for the LHHNY Reunion part 1 @ 8pm, Ive got a special surprise that I cant wait to share with you all!! " On the reunion, host Nina Parker commented to Kimbella about how she beautiful she looked, and that's when Kimbella stood up, unbuttoned her blazer, smiled from ear-to-ear, and rubbed her belly a la Beyonce at the 2011 MTV VMAs.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1105176595885641728



The couple didn't officially announce if they were having a girl or a boy, but Kimbella did refer to the baby as a "he." Immediately after the reunion special aired, Kimbella shared her six-month pregnant baby belly to the world on Instagram. "Super comfy in my @fashionnova fit at 6 months pregnant!," she wrote. "I couldnt wait to share with you guys!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu45qmQlQJP


Kyrie Irving and the media have had a pretty topsy turvy relationship this year. Ever since reports came out that Irving would leave the Celtics in the offseason and go to New York, Irving has gotten pretty testy with media members. Add in the fact that the Celtics have struggled at times this season and you've got a perfect storm on your hands. Irving is changing his tune a bit though. After defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday by a score of 120-107, Irving spoke to the media and the challenges he's had this year.

The way Ive handled things, it hasnt been perfect, Irving told Yahoo Sports. Ive made a lot of mistakes that I take full responsibility for. I apologize. I havent done it perfectly. I havent said the right things all the time. I dont want to sit on a place like Im on a pedestal from anybody. Im a normal human being that makes mistakes. For me, I think because of how fixated I was on trying to prove other people wrong, I got into a lot of habits that were bad, like reading stuff and reacting emotionally. Thats just not who I am.

Irving also explained how he realizes that his status as one of the league's best players makes him susceptible to media scrutiny.

Being one of the top guys in the league, this all comes with it, Irving said. Its a responsibility that I have to make sure that I know who Im doing this for and know why Im doing this. Its for the players that are coming behind me who will be in this league and setting an example for them on how to handle things and how to evolve within your career (...) Im still learning, bro. I come from a suburb of New Jersey. Im not used to all this [attention]."

The Celtics are currently fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-27.
UPDATE: Lupe Fiasco's sister has been found. The artist confirmed the news on Twitter.

Earlier today, Lupe Fiasco took to his social media channels to inform everybody in Atlanta to keep an eye out for his little sister. The 16-year-old was reported to be missing today after she was last seen in West Atlanta yesterday. Her name is Keziah and in an effort to get her home safely, Lupe shared as much information as possible on social media.

He posted photos of his little sister and listed her height and her weight in hopes that somebody recognizes her and alerts the Atlanta Police Department. "This is my little sister Keziah," wrote the rapper. "She was Last Seen yesterday in West Atlanta. If you have any information please contact the Atlanta Police Department. ASAP."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6e-lVg8g3



According to TMZ, the missing person report notes that Keziah left her home at 2:30 PM yesterday and when her mother got back from work, Keziah was not at the house. The teenager has reportedly never run away before and nothing unusual has happened in the last few days. Her mother has said that, since they are new to the area, she doesn't know where Keziah would go. She also does not have a cell phone.

If you have any information on Keziah's whereabouts, please immediately contact the Atlanta Police Department. We're hoping for her safe return. Pray for Lupe Fiasco and his family.
If there is one warehouse that has a ton of valuable sneakers laid away inside of it, it would most definitely be the GOAT app warehouse. The GOAT app allows people to buy and resell shoes which are legit checked by GOAT themselves. It's a service that currently rivals that of Stock X with the only difference being that GOAT allows you to sell used shoes. Since October of 2018, GOAT has had a little bit of a problem on their hands as $50,000 worth of sneakers have gone missing from their warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey.

According to Sole Collector, authorities arrested a man who they believe is responsible for the burglaries. The man's name is Daqwuan Ralls and is apparently a former employee of the sneaker reselling app.

He is facing multiple burglary, weapons, and theft charges in relation to these alleged crimes. Police say there were four separate burglaries which are all being investigated. Ralls was caught during a burglary attempt on Sunday, March 10th where he was found wielding a knife in the stairwell of the warehouse. As reported by the police, 50 pairs of shoes were recovered from Ralls although we're not sure which sneakers he actually took just yet.

GOAT has yet to comment on the situation.
UFC fighter Conor McGregor is known for having some random outbursts at inopportune moments. Last year, McGregor was arrested for throwing a dolly at a bus carrying UFC fighters and last night, McGregor was arrested in Miami for allegedly stealing the phone of a fan and smashing it. According to reports, the fan was taking pictures of McGregor without consent, which led McGregor to the alleged altercation. Since then, McGregor has been released from jail and some people are looking for a stiff punishment. One of those people is comedian Michael Blackson who spoke to TMZ Sports about the incident.

"Somebody should call Donald Trump and get I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and get him deported. He needs to be deported," Blackson said. "He's a very violent man. If it was me, I'd be deported by now. I.C.E., forget 21 Savage, go get Conor McGregor right now. Send him back to his raggedy country right now."

As for McGregor, the UFC Champion took to Instagram to provide an update for his fans, saying "Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on. I love my fans dearly. Thank you all"

McGregor's next fight hasn't been announced yet but many are speculating that it will be against Cowboy Cerrone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5lQ7rjH28


Ever since Wendy Williams returned to television, she's been making up for lost time with the Hot Topics segment. We've heard her give her opinion on Jussie Smollett, R. Kelly, and more. Recently, she spoke about a few of the biggest stories from over the weekend. She touched on YBN Almighty Jay's attack, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez' engagement, and Nicki Minaj's cancelled shows. Unfortunately, Nicki Minaj was forced to cancel her show in Bordeaux, France at the very last minute. Fans were already in their seats, getting amped for the performance. While it's never nice to hear that the show you're about to watch has been cancelled, Wendy Williams believes that the folks chanting Cardi B's name after the announcement was made were in the wrong.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1104514035331022849



"That was unnecessary," said the host. In Nicki's explanation, she said that the building she was set to perform in did not have the power that she needed to perform her show. Williams says that if she were in Nicki's position, she would have still gone on stage to address the crowd herself. She would have told them that they could get refunds, inviting them to the next performance which would be "bigger and better." While she would have addressed the situation differently, Wendy does believe that Nicki made the right decision by cancelling the show.

"She couldnt have performed last night [the day after the cancellation], that wouldnt have been fair," said Wendy. "Nicki wouldve had a less-than show and that wouldve passed to a less than show in London [on Monday.]"
Gov. Greg Abbott wants the U.S. Space Force headquarters to be at Ellington Airport.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Abbott said Texas has the universities and human capital needed to support a Space Force and pitched the location next door to NASA's home for human spaceflight.

"Houston has supported the aerospace, aviation and defense industries for decades, giving it a workforce that can get the Space Command headquarters up and running as fast as possible," he wrote.

At HoustonChronicle.com: Ellington's history spans two world wars and the final frontier

Ellington's long military history dates to May 21, 1917, when it became an official training facility during the First World War. It went on to become integral in training military personnel for war, securing the airspace around nearby ports and refineries, practicing lunar landings, rescuing civilians from rough seas and welcoming U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries on trips to Houston.

Today, it remains home to the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, which has units of the Texas Army and Air National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard.

Ellington became home to the country's 10th FAA-licensed commercial spaceport in June 2015.

"Houston, Texas, home of the Astros and the Rockets, has earned its 'Space City' nickname," Abbott wrote. " ... I hope you will agree with me that the Space Command belongs in Space

City."

At HoustonChronicle.com: Ellington on the cusp of a new frontier

Trump signed Space Policy Directive-4 on Feb. 19, calling on the secretary of defense to develop a legislative proposal establishing the Space Force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces. The Space Force will initially be established within the Department of the Air Force.

The Department of Defense has since sent a bill to Congress. According to CNN, the bill seeks 200 people and $72 million to establish a headquarters for the Space Force.

Arturo Machuca, general manager of Ellington Airport and the Houston Spaceport, was pleased to have Ellington considered for the headquarters.

"It's just great to see the governor and the state of Texas feel that strong about potentially hosting the command for Space Force," he said.
A Washington investment firm is making a $400 million bet that will allow Corpus Christi to regain and keep its status as the top U.S. crude oil exporter.

The Port of Corpus Christi was the location of the first U.S. crude oil export in December 2015. The South Texas waterway remained the top U.S. crude oil export hub until last month, when recently completed pipeline projects allowed the Port of Houston to claim the title.

During a Tuesday morning panel discussion at CERAWeek by IHS Markit, Carlyle Group Managing Director Ferris Hussein said the firm is investing $400 million into a project that will catch a wave of new Permian Basin to Gulf Coast crude oil pipelines that are expected to come into service over the next year and a half shifting exports back to Corpus Christi.

"Corpus Christi will surpass Houston as the export hub of the U.S.," Hussein said.

Supersize Me: Moda Midstream has VLCC-sized plans for exports

With three pipeline projects poised to move more than 2. 3 million barrels of crude oil per day from the Permian Basin to Corpus Christi coming into service by mid-2020, the Carlyle Group is partnering with the Port of Corpus Christi to develop a crude oil export terminal near Port Aransas on Harbor Island that will accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers. Known in the industry as VLCCs, the supertankers can haul 2 million barrels of crude oil in a single load, making them attractive to exporters.

However, a fully-loaded VLCC requires 75 feet of water. The port is deepening and widening the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to 54 feet deep that will allow partial loading of VLCC at facilities along the ship channel. But the Carlyle Group is providing $400 million to further deepen the waterway to 75 feet along a three-mile stretch from the mouth of the ship channel to Harbor Island. If approved by regulators, the Harbor Island crude oil export terminal will be able to accommodate 20 VLCC tankers per month as soon as October 2020, Hussein said.

"We'll have 54 feet in about 10 months and then we'll move from 54 feet to 75 feet in about a year, it's just a question of when we get the dredging crews in the water," Hussein said.

Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox

Harbor Island will have to compete with the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port and several offshore VLCC crude oil terminals that have been proposed along the Gulf Coast. Three of the proposed offshore export terminals are near Houston where the Houston Ship Channel has a depth of 45 feet.

"Houston is never going to have 75 feet of water," Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge said. "It's economically unviable because of its distance to the continental shelf. Corpus Christi, on the other hand, is much more economically feasible. It's only another three miles to extend our approach."
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking in an interview last week, questioned the strength of European support for Russias controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline as the Trump administration works to expand U.S. liquefied natural gas exports to the continent.

In a wide ranging discussion, Pompeo said the shale boom that has made the United States the worlds biggest oil and natural gas producer is reshaping diplomatic relations with allies and adversaries alike, allowing the nation to act as counterbalance to countries that would use energy as a strategic weapon.

He singled out the Russian pipeline project as one that would weaken European energy security, despite support from both the French and German governments. The pipeline, running under the Baltic Sea, would transport Russian natural gas to Germany.

You should know, and I cant say much more, that what countries tell us privately is often different from what they state publicly, he said. Theres still a great deal more we can do.

On HoustonChronicle.com: In geopolitics, Texas shale gas could play a role

Pompeo, a former CIA director and congressman from Kansas, is in the middle of an American speaking tour that on Tuesday will bring him to Houston, where the leaders of the oil and gas world are gathered for the annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference.

New flexibility

Pompeo said his appearance at CERAWeek provides an opportunity to promote American energy, touting new LNG export facilities, as well as hydraulic fracturing and other technologies that have nearly made the United States energy independent.

We no longer are in a place where we have the risk of gas lines, and thats good news for the American people. It gives us degrees of freedom not only in the Middle East, but it gives us degrees of freedom all around the world, he said. And it gives our allies and friends enormous capacity, too. No longer are they forced to be price takers without anyone else showing up in the market to offer other alternatives.

That flood of American oil has also allowed the Trump administration to take action abroad that in an earlier time might have driven up oil prices and roiled the U.S. economy. Among those actions: supporting Venezuelas opposition party against President Nicolas Maduro and pulling U.S. troops out of Syria.

Since renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran went into effect last year, Iranian oil production has fallen from 2.7 million barrels per day to around 1 million barrels per day, but prices have held steady. Pompeo said the administration remained cautious around actions that might drive up oil prices, but would not say whether the administration was satisfied with the existing Iranian sanctions.

Waivers from those sanctions, which were granted to some of the worlds biggest energy consumers, such as China, India and Japan, are up for review in two months.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Perry says Poland, other European nations interested in U.S. LNG

We have not yet achieved our outcome, which is a change in the terrorist behavior of Iran. Thats the objective, he said. There is enormous pressure on the revolutionary regime there, and the United States policy is to continue to apply that pressure until the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran changes.

The aim of using Americas quickly growing oil and gas production to increase U.S. influence is hardly new - the Obama administration pushed a similar philosophy. But it leaves Pompeo and his staff at State Department headquarters with a lengthy punch list of international energy conflicts to address.

Pompeo rattled off some of the concerns plaguing him at the moment. Iraq is too dependent on Iran for electricity. The Czech Republic relies on Russia for around 40 percent of its gas supply, but doesnt have the infrastructure in place to shift to LNG. China is laying claim to oil and gas fields off the coast of the Philippines.

Direct threat

In the waters off of Asia, there are multiple claimants for a number of different locations where there are believed to be significant resources, energy resources, he said. The United States wants to make sure that the widely recognized legal system is honored and that those nations who are in possession of resources arent extorted by China.

Near the top of that list is Nord Stream 2, which is being developed by the company Gazprom, in which the Russian government owns a majority stake. The Trump administration sees the project as a direct threat to not only European energy security, but the United States own burgeoning LNG industry.

Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox

Last week, U.S. officials warned that companies engaged in building the pipeline, investors in which include Royal Dutch Shell, could face sanctions. Pompeo declined to discuss that possibility, but he said he was optimistic that in time opposition to the project in Europe would grow.

We are, in every European capital, talking to them about what the completion of Nord Stream 2, what paying money to Gazprom and the Russians will do, two, five, 10 years down the line, he said. If its NATOs mission set to work to ensure European security, then it is unambiguous that the completion of Nord Stream 2 diminishes that security.
Hanif Abdurraquib was first drawn to A Tribe Called Quest as an adolescent in Columbus, Ohio. He could tell the members of the cerebral Queens hip-hop giants were a little off the beaten path, a little different from what the rest of the rap game was doing.

They felt like kindred spirits.

When youre young, its kind of easy to convince yourself that youre an outsider, says Abdurraquib, whose new book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, celebrates the group he loved above all. There werent a lot of places where weirdness and cool intersected, and A Tribe Called Quest really did that for me. They gave me a kind of mirror I could see myself in and feel good about what was looking back at me.

A poet as well as a critic, Abdurraquib originally set out the write a somewhat linear account tracing the group from its rise in the early 90s to its acrimonious breakup in 1998. But a standard format didnt conform to his sensibility, which mixes autobiography and cultural observations to convey Tribes importance to himself and to hip-hop.

RELATED: Andrew Dansby's talks to author Hanif Abdurraquib

More Information Hanif Abdurraquib discusses Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest 7 p.m. March 21 at Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet. For more information visit brazosbookstore.com. See More Collapse

Abdurraquib ended up writing some chapters as missives to the individual members, Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He riffs on the changing ways we consume music, from the challenges posed by cassette tapes (all that spooling and unspooling) to the ease of the streaming age. And he waxes poetic on the importance of having a crew.

I hung with the kids who were not entirely uncool but who were also decidedly not the cool kids, he writes. Theres a lot of currency in the space between immensely cool and not at all cool. If theyre lucky, a crew can define coolness on their own terms, because in the larger ecosystem of popularity, they are often forgettable.

Few groups defined coolness on their own terms quite like Tribe. Q-Tip forged new paths in the interpolation of jazz into hip-hop. Phife was the sports-obsessed punch line master whose dedication to the group was never as all-consuming as Q-Tips. Ali was the perfect sonic counterpart to Q-Tip. Together they made three of the greatest albums in hip-hop history: Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), The Low End Theory (1991) and Midnight Marauders (1993). These works remain undisputed masterpieces of the genre.

If Abdurraquib stopped there, with his thoughts and feelings about Tribe, Go Ahead in the Rain would be a fine book. But he doesnt. He goes deep into 90s hip-hop, perhaps the genres most fertile era. He compares Tribes mastery of jazz samples to the haunting underground noise of the Wu-Tang Clan, and to the brutal collision of samples employed by the Bomb Squad production team on albums by Public Enemy and Ice Cube. He examines the effect of the lawsuits that made producers more hesitant to mine older music for samples. Go Ahead in the Rain packs a lot into its 206 pages.

As I was writing I couldnt help myself but to explore anything that resting beyond Tribes music, which is a lot Abdurraquib says. It felt unfair to me to only tell the story of the group and not the whole world they existed in.
Photo: AP

A witness to the Ethiopian Airlines crash says smoke was coming from the rear of the plane before it hit the ground.

"Before falling down, the plane rotated two times in the air, and it had some smoke coming from the back then, it hit the ground and exploded," Tamrat Abera told The Associated Press. "When the villagers and I arrived at the site, there was nothing except some burning and flesh."

Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation into the crash, assisted by the U.S., Kenya and others.

The crash was similar to that of a Lion Air jet of the same model in Indonesian seas last year, killing 189 people. The crash was likely to renew questions about the 737 Max 8, the newest version of Boeing's single-aisle airliner, which was first introduced in 1967 and has become the world's most common passenger jet.

Boeing said it did not intend to issue any new recommendations about the aircraft to its customers. It plans to send a technical team to the crash site to help investigators and issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew" on the jetliner.

Ethiopian Airlines said the senior pilot issued a distress call and was told to return, but all contact was lost shortly afterward. The plane plowed into the ground at Hejere near Bishoftu, scattering debris.

"I heard this big noise," resident Tsegaye Reta told the AP. "The villagers said that it was a plane crash, and we rushed to the site. There was a huge smoke that we couldn't even see the plane. The parts of the plane were falling apart."

The plane was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in November. The jet's last maintenance was on Feb. 4, and it had flown just 1,200 hours.

The 737 is the bestselling airliner in history, and the Max, the newest version of it with more fuel-efficient engines, is a central part of Boeing's strategy to compete with European rival Airbus.
Could you be a little less supportive?

Not exactly an affirmation, but not quite an accusation either, that question cuts to the core of the film A Bread Factory, making its Houston debut at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this weekend. The person who says it is sincere, even as she understands the person shes addressing will always be totally supportive (and is secretly glad about it). The line comes nearly four hours into filmmaker Patrick Wangs two-part exploration of the nature of performance, the permeability of art, and the enduring value of community.

Wang, who was raised between Alief and Sugar Land and then went on to major in economics at MIT, says he originally wanted to do a mini-series a la Ingmar Bergman (Scenes From a Marriage) or Werner Fassbinder (Berlin Alexanderplatz). Almost by accident, he landed on these two films that make for rather unusual bookends: Part 1 a dramatic showdown between earnest small-town performers and irony-drenched contemporary artists; and Part 2 a quasi-musical farce that juxtaposes Greek tragedy and small-town gentrification.

REVIEW: 'A Bread Factory' delicious inventive

I always knew it would be bigger than one movie, which is why I wasnt afraid to jump in with more characters, Wang explains by phone from Glasgow. But then when I started writing it, the divisions never happened. I didnt want to just cut things up; I wanted them to really achieve some feel of an episode, [and] make that feel like the right form.

A Bread Factory with Patrick Wang When: "Part 1: For the Sake of Gold": 7 p.m. March 15, 2 p.m. March 17; "Part 2: Walk with Me Awhile": 7 p.m. March 16, 5 p.m. March 17 Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet Details: $9; www.mfah.org. Friday's 7 p.m. post-screening Q&A discussion is moderated by the Chronicle's theater critic Wei-Huan Chen, Saturday's 5 p.m. post-screening discussion is moderated by filmmaker Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. Sunday's 2 p.m. post-screening discussion is moderated by Joshua Starnes of the Houston Film Critics Society. Sunday's 5 p.m. post-screening discussion is moderated by the Museum of Fine Art, Houston's Marian Luntz. See More Collapse

And it never came together that way  but what happened was there seemed to be this line right down the middle, Wang continues. I didnt think [the films] would be that equal in time, but they are, and thats really nice.

Wait? Theres music?

A Bread Factory revolves around an older lesbian couple in Checkford, a kind of quaint blue-state town . (Wang and his crew shot in Hudson, N.Y., about 120 miles from New York City.) Played by Elisabeth Henry-Macari and Tyne Daly of Cagney & Lacey, Greta and Dorothea run a multipurpose arts center  the kind of place that hosts theatrical performances, school-board meetings, and classes where a filmmaker tells her students everybody cries when they make movies.

Wang isnt above putting his tongue squarely in cheek, but he seems more interested in letting his characters discover their true purposes. The waitress at the local diner turns out to be a gifted actress. The lady who runs the local paper upends a school-board meeting with an especially well-timed question. Then she abruptly vanishes, leaving the paper in the hands of her teenage apprentice.

He, in turn, causes a stir with an expose of sorts on May Ray, the well-funded celebrity performance artists whose arrival in Checkford is the first domino Wang topples over. A Bread Factory is filled with people who arent who they appear to be, or at least who they will yet become. Sometimes they make bad decisions. Sometimes they up and disappear.

But when confronted with calamity  even singing tourists  people in Checkford tend to carry on with their lives.

Early in Part 2, a white school bus disgorges a load of people armed with selfie sticks in front of Greta and Dorotheas building, as their guide gushes about Americas first parking lot. Showing off the charming inn up the street, she notes its where Abe Lincoln had intimate relations with vampires. All the tourists dialogue is sung, the remnants of Wangs idea of making a musical.

I saw that it was a great way to align the way that they tear at the fabric of the town to let them kind of tear at the realism of the film, the director explains. So that that style change aligns with the content of whats happening, and lets us feel it in a way.

Additionally, when you start to have such big changes in style and format, the effect is that it feels like contemporary living, continues Wang. Where we go from watching this music video to [a] political speech  the way we jump around from thing to thing, I think that having those kind of louder changes of register really help it feel modern to me.

A clutch of blazer-clad realtors, busy showing off the suddenly booming Checkford, also sing. Other visitors erupt into spontaneous fits of texting and tap-dancing. Meanwhile, Dorothea and her actors continue rehearsing Euripides Trojan-war tragedy Hecuba; their performance takes up most of Part 2s second half.

Two types of tragedy

Before beginning production on Bread Factory, Wang had been planning to direct a radio drama of Hecuba. Even though it fell through, he kept noticing subtle connections between Euripides play and his characters. Hecuba became an essential anchor for Part 2, Wang says, because you have a lot of very distracting, fragmented things going on in Part 2, and you cant do that for two hours.

You need a counterbalance where you can focus, and Hecuba lets us focus, he adds.

The ancient play also works as a counterpoint to May Ray, whose bizarre performances decry the hierarchy of furniture and sound like Gary Numan on steroids. This allows Wang to comment on the way people tend to gravitate toward certain types of art at the expense of others, which he thinks is a false choice.

I think theres another kind of tragedy in this story, in that these two types of groups that seem to be pitted against each other, and seem to be fighting [over] which is the more important or true art, he says. I think they would have a lot to say to each other if they werent separated by this aisle, separated by class. I think that they would enjoy each others company, would enjoy each others art, [and] would take something from it.

He also says his background in economics plays a part. Im sure we can find pieces of the economist in me, because theres a lot about commerce and how it changes and affects our social structures, he says.

Our daily Bread

Wangs films exhibit a preternatural lack of artifice  even the performance-heavy A Bread Factory, which was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at last months Independent Spirit Awards. Eight years ago the same organization nominated his debut In the Family, about a gay man attempting to re-enter his young sons life after his partner is killed in an accident, for Best First Feature. In between came The Grief of Others, in which young parents attempt to regain some sort of equilibrium after their baby dies within days of being born.

When Wangs tour for In the Family reached Hudson, he screened it in a place much like the center run by Dorothea and Greta. He easily recognized some kindred spirits.

It helped me realize, You know, actually in this film I dont need to solve peoples problems  thats great, because I cant, laughs Wang. I couldnt figure that out. But what we can do is we can put up this picture of struggle that I think has value, and that [helps] people see theyre not alone, which is one of the hardest elements of struggle.

Greta and Dorotheas building has parallels in many other fields where youre making these independent choices, and when youre trying build [a] community, Wang adds. Thats one of the reasons in the film the place is called The Bread Factory, but the films are called A Bread Factory: theres a version of this Bread Factory everywhere.

The New York-based Wang self-released A Bread Factory; he lacks a distributor, but overwhelmingly positive word of mouth  its at 100 per-cent on Rotten Tomatoes as of early March  has led to screenings like this weekends at MFAH. Any direct influence of his Texas childhood on his work might be pretty diffuse at this point, he admits.

Instead, the new film allowed him to synthesize a whole range of experiences.

It does feel like a lot of different strands in my life came together in this film in a way that was very unexpected for me, says Wang. After I made this filmusually I have an idea of what Ill do next, and now I just feel like I said so much itll take another lifetime of living before [I] absorb enough material for something like this.
Halfway through A Bread Factory, Patrick Wangs wondrously moving, thoughtful and inventive new movie opening Friday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Dorothea (Tyne Daly), who runs a community arts center in the fictional town of Checkford, N.Y., takes a call from someone requesting a ticket to an upcoming performance. Confirming that the caller indeed wants to see Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Dorothea notes, I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were in for.

Theres relief in her voice, perhaps informed by years of watching less savvy patrons storm out of her theater in disgust, confusion or boredom. The Bread Factory, so named for being housed in a reconverted bakery, is in the business of exhibiting what some might uncharitably term artworks of antiquity, which can mean such works as a series of Howard Hawks films or, in this case, a production of a 1930s Brecht-Weill opera. The publics growing disregard for this work is one of the worrying themes of the movie, which laments a society in which hype, sensation and corporate-branded mediocrity increasingly set the cultural agenda.

INTERVIEW: Director Patrick Wang talks about 'A Bread Factory'

A Bread Factory, Part One: For the Sake of Gold Rated: Unrated Running time: 122 minutes ****1/2 (out of 5) 'A Bread Factory, Part Two: Walk With Me a While' Rated: Unrated Running time: 120 minutes ****1/2 (out of 5) Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet When: Friday-Sunday Details: $9; www.mfah.org See More Collapse

Since most of us, despite our better efforts, are susceptible to that agenda and the complacency it encourages, its only fair to let you know what youre in for if you see A Bread Factory, which unfolds in two parts, runs four hours and earns every minute. It offers further confirmation, after In the Family and The Grief of Others that Wang is an unusually gifted and criminally undersung talent in independent filmmaking.

His latest is a warm and prickly humanist triumph that features no movie stars, disperses its attention across a large ensemble and feels meticulously handcrafted in every respect. The amicable spirits of Robert Altman, Jacques Rivette and Edward Yang hover over the talky, leisurely and casually intricate story, as does the equally loquacious influence of Richard Linklater, evident in the movies free-flowing conversational rhythms and determined embrace of small-town eccentricity.

The two films, which can be seen separately but work best as a double bill, together examine a series of economic and larger existential threats that assail the Bread Factory, which is partially subsidized by the local school board. Chief among those threats is a slick, better-funded Chinese conceptual-art duo called May Ray whose pseudo-edgy, utterly vapid performances receive the brunt of the movies contempt. (May is played by Janet Hsieh, Ray by George Young.)

The first picture, Part One: For the Sake of Gold, follows Dorothea as she fights a school budget proposal that would put the Bread Factory out of business. Her closest ally is her longtime professional and romantic partner, Greta (Elisabeth Henry), herself a seasoned stage actress. Also on their side is Jan (Glynnis OConnor), a dogged reporter who begins investigating May Rays shady corporate backers, and a city council member, Mavis (Nan-Lyn Nelson), whom they can count on to vote in their favor.

But while the budget battle provides a measure of suspense, Part One is more meaningfully structured around the Bread Factorys upcoming production of Hecuba, based on a fresh English translation by a local scholar, Elsa (Nana Visitor). And Wang, weaving deftly in and out of his ensemble and revealing the characters interconnected relationships in piecemeal fashion, shows how the bonds of community and activism intersect, not always conveniently, with those of love and family.

Elsas husband, a school union rep named Jason (James Marsters), turns out to be sleeping with Mavis, whose own husband, Sam (Milton Craig Nealy), runs a cafe that serves as a popular local hangout. The affair is unwittingly echoed, much more innocently, by the feelings that develop between Jasons teenage son, Max (Zachary Sayle), and Mavis daughter, Julie (Erica Durham).

Max works as an intern at Jans newspaper, while Julie, an aspiring actress, has taken a role in Hecuba. She and Greta will share the stage with a veteran actor named Sir Walter (Brian Murray, who died in August), who in turn is nursing a decades-old grudge against a local critic, Jean-Marc (Philip Kerr), revealed in one of many scenes that show a barbed but generous appreciation for every step in the process of making, delivering and consuming a work of art.

But A Bread Factory doesnt go out of its way to manufacture intrigue, and its most moving moments  as well as its frequently tart, tetchy humor  arise from a spirit of observation rather than contrivance. Its chief concern is the collaborative and often counter-intuitive energies that go into a stage performance, and Wang, shooting on grainy 16-millimeter film with the cinematographer Frank Barrera, draws the viewer in with unhurried long takes that subliminally re-create the unmediated quality of live theater.

The camera is content to sit for minutes on end as Dorothea, Greta and Mavis strategize before a board meeting, or when a visiting filmmaker (a typically sharp-tongued Janeane Garofalo) delivers a send-up of post-screening Q&As that briefly lifts the film into its own comic stratosphere. But Wang shows equal patience when Sir Walter takes the stage and proceeds to recite a scene from Hecuba  and the viewer, perhaps inclined to sift eagerly for thematic connections between Euripides and the movie itself, would do well to sit back and savor the moment for its own sake.

The pleasures of theatrical performance become more pronounced, playful and complex in Part Two: Walk With Me a While, which, as its title hints, takes a meandering but fascinatingly surreal turn. The budgetary threat has been temporarily held at bay in Part One, but as Part Two suggests, May Ray is merely an outward manifestation of a broader and more insidious cultural threat, an ethos of laziness and self-interest that has all but seeped into the atmosphere.

The boundaries between art and life, always porous to begin with, are now miraculously traversed. In one sequence, the patrons at Sams cafe burst into a synchronized tap-dance routine without breaking eye contact with their phones. In another, Dorothea is visited by real-estate agents who take the form of an a cappella quartet, musically imploring her to sell a barn on her property that shes using to store theater sets. The rapacious forces of capitalism and technology, it seems, have become good at co-opting the mechanisms of art to their advantage.

But Wang, striking a tone both elegiac and good-humored, critiques this shift in the atmosphere without entirely denouncing it. His splendidly individuated characters, anchored by Daly as the theaters most tireless defender, wrestle in distinct and unpredictable ways with the changes that are upon them. A Bread Factory itself acknowledges that such evolution is unavoidable and in some respects necessary, even as it maintains unswerving allegiance to  and beautifully embodies  the kind of art that threatens to be dismissed in its wake.

In one of the films finest sequences, Dorothea and Greta run through a few lines from Hecuba with a new actress, Teresa (an excellent Jessica Pimentel), who has replaced Julie in the cast. Its a lovely example of the alchemy that takes place when a few actors connect in a scene, and its also an expression of faith in the notion that a new generation of artists and patrons will always find fresh meaning in the classics of old. Provided, of course, that a director is skilled and attentive enough to tease it out, whether on a stage or behind a movie camera.
Look for a bight patch of yellow sunshine in Montrose and that's where you'll find Cafe Bustelo, a new pop-up coffee shop that runs through May 25 in Houston.

Housed in a bright, canary yellow shipping container, the pop-up java hut opens Tuesday and will run daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. dispensing a variety of Cafe Bustelo's rich espresso drinks.

Houston was chosen by the coffee brand as the first city for a multi-city outreach to bring Cafe Bustelo awareness to key cities. Although the other cities have not yet been named, Houston proved to be an ideal metropolis to launch the traveling pop-up series, said Eduardo Merino, senior brand manager for Cafe Bustelo.

Now Playing: Cafe Bustelo opens a pop-up location on Montrose Blvd in Houston, TX on March 12, 2019. Video: Houston Chronicle

On HoustonChronicle.com: Alison Cook on Houston's golden age of carrot cake

"Houston is an important market for us. The brand lives and breathes Latin culture," Merino said. "There's diversity in every corner in Houston and we want to be a part of that diversity."

To that end, a portion of coffee sales through the pop-up run will be donated to MECA Houston (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts) and HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities). Cafe Bustelo also intends to engage with local artists and offer activities and programming during the run of the pop-up.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Inside Montrose's new unicorn-themed dessert shop

The 8-foot-by-40-foot shipping container has been fashioned into a two-level cafe with a 500-square-foot retail area selling not just coffee (cafecito, colada, cortadito and cafe con leche) and pastries (empanadas and pastelitos) but Bustelo-branded items such as mugs, t-shirts and coffee products. It's located on a vacant lot at 3615 Montrose at Marshall near Bacco restaurant. There is parking behind the pop-up.

Cafe Bustelo was founded in New York in 1928 and became popular among Cuban exiles; today the full-bodied coffee brand, which is owned by J.M. Smucker Co., is favored within the Latin community.

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.
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview that she opposes moving to impeach President Donald Trump, even though she believes he is unfit for office - her most definitive statement on ousting the president and one that stands to alienate some members of the Democratic Party.

"I'm not for impeachment," she said in a March 6 interview conducted for a future issue of The Washington Post Magazine.

"This is news," added Pelosi, D-Calif. "I haven't said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I've been thinking about this, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it."

Pelosi's remarks drew swift rebukes from some liberals who have been clamoring to begin impeachment proceedings over controversies ensnaring the Trump administration, with several House committees launching investigations.

Other Democrats on investigative committees were surprised that the speaker would all but rule out impeachment just as they were starting their investigations.

"I don't think it's something we decide whether or not its 'worth it,' " said House Progressive Caucus co-chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. "If [our investigations show] a consistent pattern of abuse of power, of obstruction of justice . . . then that to me seems like it will be impeachable."

Moderate Democrats, however, welcomed what they considered a politically pragmatic response, especially with no bipartisan support for impeachment and Republicans controlling the Senate, which would have to convict Trump to remove him from office.

Democrats also recognize that moving toward impeachment would energize core GOP voters ahead of the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. Pelosi's comments come as Republicans are seeking to portray Democrats as radicals beholden to the far left, unwilling to respect democratic norms.

In the interview, Pelosi said she does not believe that Trump is up to the job of running the country. Asked whether he was fit to be president, she countered: "Are we talking ethically? Intellectually? Politically? What are we talking here?" When a reporter said all, she said he was not.

"All of the above. No. No. I don't think he is," she said. "I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I don't think he's fit to be president of the United States."

But Pelosi suggested that her opinion on whether he is worthy of his office may not matter if the public - and at least some Republicans - don't support impeachment.

Most House Democrats agree that they should give the chairmen of investigative committees the space to conduct their probes before engaging in serious impeachment discussions. But Pelosi's suggestion that she doesn't support movement toward impeachment because Trump is "just not worth it" won't sit well with some in her caucus, while infuriating some on the left.

In an interview with The Washington Post on Monday, pro-impeachment billionaire Tom Steyer said Pelosi "correctly analyzed the problem" in concluding that Trump is unfit to be president. "But," he continued, "she's not willing to do what's necessary to solve it for political reasons, and that seems to me to be the essence of what's wrong in Washington, D.C."

Steyer, who did not take a direct shot at Pelosi personally, added, "It is the Congress's job to hold the president accountable and to uphold the Constitution of the United States."

Pelosi's comments are likely to provide cover to House Democrats from more moderate districts, especially those who beat Republicans in 2018 by campaigning on reforming health care, preserving Social Security and Medicare, and cleaning up Washington. While liberal firebrands have won an outsize share of media coverage, the House Democratic majority was captured largely because of freshmen who ran to the center, said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - and many of them are uncomfortable with impeachment talk.

"We've got 31 Democrats who serve in districts that Donald Trump won, and I'm one of them," Bustos said. "When I go home, I don't have people asking me about impeaching him. That is just not something that I hear. They consistently ask about health care and rebuilding our country and figuring out how to work together."

Pelosi "wants to get the work done," she added. "She says we have to focus on results, and I have a great appreciation for her saying that, because that works in any congressional district in America."

But even some more traditional Democrats disagree. Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said Pelosi's comments were probably "designed to remind people that loose talk about impeachment is not helpful, that it distracts from our agenda and even from the intrinsic value of the oversight hearings." But while he agreed, he said, she may have gone too far.

"I felt that her statement didn't leave much wiggle room, and on that part, I respectfully demur," Connolly said. "I took an oath to the Constitution, not to the Democratic Party. . . . If I feel that I have a constitutional obligation to follow that procedure, then I have a legal and moral obligation to do so, even if no Republican wants to do anything."

On the GOP side, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California said Pelosi's remarks were "a smart thing for her to say. I mean, there's nothing to impeach."

But many Republicans viewed her comments through a political lens, saying Pelosi was merely trying to protect her caucus's moderate members.

"I think they have to put up a front saying they're not going there, but everything behind the scenes says differently," said the House Judiciary Committe's ranking Republican, Doug Collins of Georgia. "I think they have a part of their conference they can't say no to."

Pelosi's comments came days after the House Judiciary Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over impeachment proceedings, issued document requests to more than 80 people and entities affiliated with Trump's administration, campaign and businesses. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the committee, called the requests the first step in a larger probe into possible obstruction of justice and abuses of power by the president.

Meanwhile, other House committees are beginning to investigate payments that Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen made during the 2016 campaign to silence women who alleged affairs with Trump, as well as Trump's plans to build a tower in Moscow and how he managed his private company.

For months, Pelosi has treated the possibility of Trump's impeachment delicately, publicly noting the need for bipartisan support and significant evidence of wrongdoing before pursuing the president's removal.

"If and when the time comes for impeachment, it will have to be something that has such a crescendo in a bipartisan way," she said, for instance, in a CBS News interview in early January.

She echoed that bipartisan requirement in the Post interview.

However, given congressional Republicans' unwillingness to push back on their leader in the Oval Office over the past two years, some Democrats disagree with Pelosi's assessment that any impeachment proceedings must have support from the GOP. House Democrats, they argue, have a job to do in holding the president accountable - regardless of the GOP's stance.

Steyer, for instance, noted that Republicans don't believe in climate change. Should the party turn a blind eye to that serious matter, too? he asked.

"If we're not allowed to tell the truth until the Republicans give us a signature that says it's okay, then we're not going to tell the truth about a lot of things," he said.

Pelosi has, at times, referenced the failed 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton by congressional Republicans as a formative experience in her thinking - an argument she renewed in the interview.

"There's no question that that was horrible for the country. It was unnecessary and the rest," she said. "But in terms of where we are, as Thomas Paine said, the times have found us. And the times have found us now. We have a very serious challenge to the Constitution of the United States in the president's unconstitutional assault on the Constitution, on the first branch of government, the legislative branch. . . . This is very serious for our country."

Meanwhile, members of Pelosi's caucus have been outspoken about their desire to impeach Trump. This month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., marched on Capitol Hill with impeachment supporters, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., has discussed impeaching the president in numerous interviews.

Two House Democrats, Reps. Al Green of Texas and Brad Sherman of California, have already drafted articles of impeachment. Green moved in December 2017 to force the House to consider impeachment articles; the effort was killed on a 364-to-58 vote.

And outside the Capitol, Steyer has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars on an effort to impeach Trump, forming a group called Need to Impeach that has taken out television ads and constructed a grass-roots network to push the issue. Steyer has also vowed to target the chairmen of House panels investigating the president to ensure that they do their jobs, as his organization has said.

"He's brought us to the brink of nuclear war," Steyer said in one nationally televised ad. "Obstructed justice at the FBI. And in direct violation of the Constitution, he's taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth. If that isn't a case for impeaching and removing a dangerous president, then what has our government become?"

Sherman said Monday that he understood Pelosi's position, and he declined to criticize her remarks but said that there were "very intense, very impatient people" in the Democratic caucus who might.

"It is clear to me the things Trump did that are felonious in the first months of his presidency are not politically sufficient to remove him from office," he said, adding, "I will not be attacking the speaker for a decision not to officially begin the impeachment process at a time when there is no bipartisan support for it."

But Sherman defended his decision to introduce articles of impeachment, as well as others who have raised the issue: "Imagine what Trump would have done over the last two years if he thought he was immune. . . . Think of the hundreds of things that have crossed his mind that he hasn't done.
Days after two masked men stormed into a Shell gas station in northwest Houston and murdered the store clerk, law enforcement officials are asking the public for help finding the suspects.

Detective David Crain with the Harris County Sheriffs Office said he suspects these two men are connected to at least five to 10 other burglaries in Harris County, including one in February at a Subway sandwich shop in the 600 block of West Mount Houston.

Now Playing: Harris County Sheriff's investigators were looking for two men wanted in the killing of Donna Pena while she worked at a Shell station on FM 1960 and Perry Road. Video: Harris County Sheriff's Office

Friday nights murder of 31-year-old Donna Pena, however, has heightened concerns of authorities, who say as far as they know this is the first homicide the two men have committed.

"Its clear the suspects violence has escalated to a frightening level," said HCSO Chief Deputy Edison Toquica, who said the suspects will be charged with capital murder. "Getting these men off the streets is a top priority for us."

RECORDS: 58 arrested in Central Texas on felony drunken driving charges in February

At 9:45 p.m. on Friday, two black men wearing hoodies and with bandanas covering their faces stormed into the Shell gas station at FM 1960 and Perry Street, fatally shot Pena and fled northwest by foot. They were only in the store for about 25 seconds.

The main suspect, Crain said, is the taller, slimmer man wearing a blue hoodie with the word "navy" printed in large font on the back and in smaller font on the front left chest. The suspect was wearing the same hoodie, Crain said, when robbing the Subway on Feb. 8. In that robbery, the suspect was masked but his partner-in-crime was not, and his face was identifiable in the retrieved surveillance video.

Pena had been working at the Shell gas station for three days when she was killed. Her two children, ages four and 15, will be taken care of by her sister, authorities said.

"Its a sad day when somebody whos responsible to hold a job goes to work to support their family, and their family and loved ones are left with a memory of them not coming back," Toquica said. "Were going to work this case relentlessly to bring closure to the family."

Penas family has started a GoFundMe to raise money for her memorial service.

massarahmikati@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.
A former Houston restaurant employee is speaking out after the owner admitted to calling her the N-word in a text message last week.

The former employee, Dominique Schneckenburg, had been the general manager at two Pho Shack locations in Sugar Land and Katy. She was at the Sugar Land location last Friday when she called one of the owners, Danh Le, and told him she wanted to quit.

She said everything was fine over the phone, but Le used the N-word in a follow-up message to Schneckenburg and another owner.

"F**k the N****r," Le said in screenshots of the messages obtained by Chron.com. "Don't like that b***h attitude anyways."

Le said he didn't intend to include her in the group message and acknowledged that he made a mistake by saying the word.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Racially charged encounters in Houston area leave some residents scared

Schneckenburg said she had worked at the Pho Shack for more two years. She had previously asked the owners to stop saying variations of the N-word around her because it made her uncomfortable, she said.

Aside from the occasional slip-up, she said the offensive language subsided.

Then, when she got Le's message, she said she flipped over a table in anger.

"When I read it out loud, it kind of smacked my head like 'Oh this is real,'" she said.

Le said he called Sugar Land Police later that night when he saw damage to the restaurant. Sugar Land police spokesman Doug Adolph said Schneckenburg wasn't on the scene when they arrived at 10:03 p.m.

Le said she flipped tables over and broke glass, but he ultimately declined to press charges, according to Adolph.

Le called police again the next day, reporting threatening text messages. Adolph said Le didn't specify who was sending the messages during the call. Police also didn't file an incident report because Le again declined to pursue charges, Adolph said.

Police responded by increasing patrols at the business.

"He simply called us and indicated he was receiving messages and he was concerned for his family and his safety," Adolph said.

Schneckenburg denied causing serious damage from one overturned table. She said she also never sent threatening messages.

"I never spoke to him after Friday," she said.

Le told Chron.com that he's "not a racist at all."

"If the employees at the Pho Shack knew I was racist, they wouldn't work there," he said.

OUT OF A JOB: School fires teacher who went on racist tirade at Houston Kroger

He added that he's no longer affiliated with the restaurant.

"I lost everything," he said. "I'm not ever saying that word ever again. I learned a very valuable lesson."

One black employee, Anthony Stewart, who's worked there for five months, said he doesn't plan to quit because of the incident.

In a three way conversation with Le and a Chron.com reporter, Stewart expressed his support for the former owner.

"He looks out for us," Stewart said of Le. "He's not racist at all."

Le said he never intended to hurt anyone in the black community.

"I just made a dumbass mistake, and I'm very sorry about it," he said.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | 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.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is urging President Donald Trump to name Houston's Ellington Field as United States Space Command headquarters.

In a letter to the president dates March 4, Abbott argues that Houston is the best spot for the new Space Command headquarters, particularly Ellington Field with its spaceport designation from the Federal Aviation Administration and proximity to NASA's Johnson Space Center.

"As you know, Texas has a long and proud history of supporting our military," Abbott said. "We also have the resources, universities, and human capital to support something as important to the Nation's future as the Space Command and Space Force."

MISSION MOON: How 50 years of space exploration defined Houston

He noted that Ellington Field is already home to the Texas Army and Air National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard, as well as NASA flight operations.

"Houston has supported the aerospace, aviation, and defense industries for decades, giving it a workforce that can get the Space Command headquarters up and running as fast as possible," Abbott said.

The Space Force would live within the Department of the Air Force, if approved by Congress.

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
During the Cold War, at age 23, I was an officer in charge of a crew privy to top secret information.

It was located under lock, key and codes, and revealed routes for Canadian CF-104 fighter jets armed with atomic warheads to fly, in the event of hostile activity, to hit targets in Russia, China, East Germany and elsewhere.

I was completely familiar with the attack procedures and was to interpret incoming messages and alert senior officers of impending dangers.

To abet the enemy with operational sympathy or secrets, thereby joining with them, would have made me a vile traitor to my country. To murder my colleagues to provide information to the enemy would have invoked the death penalty. I was fully aware of the consequences of violating the trust placed in me.

Canadians who joined ISIS knew exactly what they were doing when they signed up to kill our allies and murder innocent men, women and children, tens of thousands of whose bodies they left to rot after they beheaded them.

Now that they have been defeated, and only because of defeat, 32 or more of these pathetic psychopaths want to have freedom in Canada until they can act out their vicious barbarity at a future date. Our prime minister may bring them back to Canada.

If allowed to return, they will teach their corrupted ideology to their children. When beckoned by their so-called spiritual leaders, they will gladly lop off the heads of infidels (Canadians) if asked to do so. They are traitors to Canadians and to our way of life. They betray freedoms that Canadians value.

Canadian ISIS soldiers are traitors to Canada. Killing our allies and causing tremendous suffering to a multitude of innocent people comes from deranged and hateful minds.

It is unfathomable that our government would even hesitate to deny them access to our land. Welcome traitors back to Canada? I think not.

They should be held accountable for their actions. Trudeaus cabinet paid over $40 million of our tax dollars to four traitors for Canadas supposed negligence that allowed them to suffer after being captured by our allies. One additional ISIS participant has applied for his $10 million. This is justice for treason?

Garry Rayner, West Kelowna
Last August, Harris County voters did an extraordinary thing. Not only did voters approve an unprecedented $2.5 billion bond package for flood mitigation, they embraced equity as a guiding principle for how the county will invest in flood infrastructure moving forward.

Like last years Commissioners Court, which unanimously passed the equity language included in the bond, voters understood that not every community is starting from the same position when it comes to resiliency, recovery or rebuilding. And despite uneven starting positions, we must end at the same destination: a strong, resilient Harris County, where every neighborhood has the same level of protection from storms and flooding and the ability to recover and rebuild.

Equity is key to achieving this goal. For decades, federal funding for flood control projects has come with strings attached and been based on a formula that weights property value over people when determining what projects will be funded. Under this matrix, an area with higher property values and fewer people would be selected over an area with more people living in less expensive homes, even if there is a dangerous, higher risk of flooding.

Let that sink in.

Because weve had to rely so heavily on these federal dollars, our flood control investments have largely been based on the principle of property over people.

When people learn about the federal benefit/cost ratio used by the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies to fund critical infrastructure projects, it shocks the conscience.

Why is inequality built into a federal funding formula that should prioritize protecting people over property?

Why should wealth determine who is protected?

Families like those living in the Halls Bayou watershed, which includes northeast neighborhoods around Aldine, East Little York/Homestead, Mesa/Tidwell, Eastex-Jensen and others, deserve answers to these questions. Harris County Flood Control District has identified flooding as a persistent hazard for people along Halls Bayou; it can flood with just six inches of rain. The persistent, chronic flooding has left thousands of these families locked in a cycle of vulnerability, struggling to recover from one flood and bracing for the next. But the watershed has never qualified for desperately needed federal dollars because of the discriminatory effect of the federal formula and will only now receive protection because of the flood bond.

When inequality guides the process for how flood control projects are prioritized and funded, it creates gross disparities in our infrastructure, undermines flood risk reduction strategies and hinders resiliency. This became achingly clear in Harveys aftermath, especially for people living in underserved, vulnerable areas that have been passed over repeatedly for flood mitigation funding despite experiencing multiple floods that predate Harveys devastating rainfall.

And its not just about what happens during a flood, its about the ability to recover and rebound afterward. Lets be clear  recovery is a challenge for any family impacted by flooding. But every credible report done after Harvey has found that low-income communities are struggling to recover at a much slower pace than their wealthier neighbors. Harvey may not have discriminated against rich or poor, but it exacerbated the underlying inequality that existed long before Harvey ever made landfall.

After Harvey, recognizing that discriminatory investments in infrastructure had left many communities vulnerable, there was consensus that we had to take action to ensure an adequate level of flood protection for all of Harris County. The Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium urged an equity framework, noting that some of our most vulnerable populations live in the most flood-prone areas. The hard-working folks at the Flood Control District shared their frustration with the benefit/cost ratio, which effectively prevented many needed flood control improvements in high-risk flood areas because the property values didnt stack high enough to warrant protection from rising waters.

Last year, every member of Commissioners Court decried the formula, agreeing it was unfair that so many poor neighborhoods were left out. Thats why the $2.5 billion bond proposal put before the voters required equity guidelines be established to offset the decades of harm done by inequitable flood control funding at the federal level. The voters approved, overwhelmingly.

So, its more than a little perplexing to hear from the critics-come-lately who are using divisive, class-baiting rhetoric to launch a sideways attack on the equity framework currently being developed by the Flood Control District with stakeholder input. Over the past few weeks, there have been cynical and misleading attacks on a process that is not finalized, and neighborhoods are being needlessly pitted against one another. Those who suggest equity has never been a part of this process are woefully uninformed.

Equity isnt about bumping any project off the list  all projects will be completed  its about making sure that every project makes it on the list. Its about recognizing that while natural disasters may not discriminate, public policy often can and does. Its about righting past harms and preparing for future storms. Its about committing to a process for flood mitigation that leaves no one out or behind because were all in this together.

Ellis is the Harris County Precinct One Commissioner.
More than two years have passed since Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya admitted to deliberately causing millions of dollars in damage to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The duo said they never threatened human life nor personal property, while ironically confessing to numerous acts of sabotage, including setting fire to heavy construction equipment and using a blowtorch to burn holes in exposed sections of the pipeline.

During the months that followed, Reznicek and Montoya attained celebrity status through interviews and a speaking tour.

Unfortunately, this alarming story is not isolated.

Over the last several years, activists have demonstrated an increasing willingness to abandon the virtues of civil disobedience for a more aggressive set of tactics.

Deliberately tampering with or destroying critical infrastructure is not a form of protest. These are reckless criminal acts that endanger the lives of others and could disturb our natural environment.

While eco-extremists claim to be saving the planet, the reality is they are doing far more harm than good. In fact, recent history shows firsthand how severe the consequences can be when direct action is taken against critical infrastructure.

Take, for instance, the tragic events that unfolded in Mexico last month when vandals illegally tapped into a pipeline, triggering an explosion that killed at least 114 and injured many more. Meanwhile, communities in northern Canada lived in state of fear for much of 2008 and 2009 as eco-extremists carried out a series of bombings targeting natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

Thankfully, a disaster of this magnitude has been avoided in the United States  so far. The acts carried out against the Dakota Access Pipeline could have ended far differently had there been oil flowing.

Likewise, the outcome of a recent incident in northern Minnesota could have been devastating had pipeline operators and emergency responders not acted so swiftly.

The activist group, known as the Four Necessity Valve Turners, said it acted in celebration for the beauty of the earth when it broke into a secure facility and attempted to close the valves controlling the flow of oil through several pipelines.

This follows a coordinated attack in 2016 during which vandals aligned with the Climate Disobedience Center simultaneously closed valves on multiple pipelines.

A security alert issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration after the incident condemned activists for creating the potential for serious infrastructure damage and significant economic and environmental harm, as well as endangering public safety.

Equally alarming to these actions are the guerrilla-style attacks targeting pipeline construction sites. Last month, arsonists caused more than $500,000 in damage after they set fire to construction equipment at a Mountain Valley Pipeline worksite in Virginia. Last year, eco-saboteurs targeted a Mariner East 2 pipeline construction site in Pennsylvania that also resulted in costly damage to heavy machinery.

The response to this illegal behavior  both in the media and in the courtroom  would be vastly different had the attacks been carried out by foreign-based terrorists. Instead, they are barely noticed. Perpetrators are lauded as heroes in the environmental community and afforded lenient punishments  many even have their charges dropped.

This is a disturbing trend, but thankfully policymakers across the country and in Washington are increasingly intolerant of this destructive behavior. The issue has received bipartisan support from federal lawmakers. In fact, a little over a year ago, 84 members of Congress urged then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take a harder line with individuals who knowingly damaged pipelines.

The right to peacefully protest is foundational to our democracy and an important facet to driving participation in the public policy process. Sabotaging critical infrastructure is not a form of protest  it is an illegal act that should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Marks is a retired U.S. Army major general and strategic adviser to the GAIN Coalition. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
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iciHaiti - Education : Cooperation projects with UNICEF





Friday, March 8, Josue Agenor Cadet the Minister of National Education met with Maria Luisa Fornara, Representative in Haiti of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) around the main projects of cooperation between the Ministry and the Ministry of Education. the UN organization.



The management of natural risks, the fight against violence at school, preschool and new initiatives for the finalization of the 10-year Education and Training Plan were, among others, discussed during this meeting.



The leaders of both institutions renewed their joint commitment to continue their cooperation for the benefit of the educational community, especially children.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Israeli forces shoot and detain four fishermen and confiscate their boat

At 9am on Friday, 8 March 2019, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Al-Sudania area in the west of North Gaza district. The Israeli forces circulated and attacked a boat carrying four fishermen: Yaser Bakr, 31, Tamer Bakr, 27, Walid Bakr, and Yosri Bakr, 22all of them residents of Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. The four fishermen were working at a distance of about two nautical miles off the coast of Al-Sudania when they were shot with plastic-coated steel bullets and then detained. Their boat and fishing equipment were also confiscated.



Later in the evening of the same day, the four fishermen were released. When they arrived at Erez crossing, they were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment of injuries sustained in various parts of their bodies.



Documentation by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights shows that from the start of 2019, Israeli forces have carried out 61 attacks on fishermen, injuring nine fishermen and detaining 13 others, and confiscating six fishing boats. In the meantime, Israeli authorities continue to impose restrictions on the entry into Gaza of fishing equipment and materials needed to repair damaged boats. Israeli authorities restrict fishermen to a zone of between three and nine nautical milesand frequently still target them regardless of whether they are working within the permitted zone.



Al Mezan condemns the violence against fishermen and stresses that the constant harassment, detention, and shooting is part of an unlawful closure policy that amounts to a prohibited collective punishment. These attacks are unwarranted and compound the dire conditions of the fishing community in the Gaza Strip, 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line. Israels policy to hinder fishermens access to Palestinian territorial waters restricts their enjoyment of Palestines natural resources. Preventing the fishing community from working safely and freely stifles what would otherwise be a viable sector in the Palestinian economy.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Photo: Capt. Jason Boyd, CFB Esquimalt

The U.S. Navy's most high-tech destroyer arrived in Greater Victoria, Monday, sailing into CFB Esquimalt.

The modern, stealth-designed guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt departed San Diego on Friday. It's the largest and deadliest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy, CTV News reports.

The Zumwalt can carry up to 80 Tomahawk and Sea Sparrow missiles, three military drones, two Sikorsky Seahawk helicopters, and has two MK46 cannons and a complement of defensive torpedoes.

It has a crew of 147, plus 28 more in its aviation detachment.

Meanwhile, the Te Mana, a New Zealand Navy frigate, is also en route to Esquimalt.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: The Canadian Press

Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal $35 million in an exit package when he was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation, according to court documents released Monday.

Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit targets the board of Google parent Alphabet, charging that its members had a duty to protect the company and its shareholders from risk and reputation damage. Instead, it says, the board agreed to pay off and otherwise support male executives facing misconduct charges  opening the company to reputational and financial damage by doing so.

Previously redacted portions of the lawsuit were made available Monday, including quotes from Alphabet board committee meetings.

One portion of the minutes showed that Singhal, a senior vice-president of search who left the company in 2016, received two $15 million payments and a payment of between $5 million to $15 million as part of a separation agreement. The total payment could have been up to $45 million.

Singhal was one subject of a New York Times investigation last year that revealed Google paid Android creator Andy Rubin $90 million in a severance package after the company found allegations of sexual assault against him were credible. Rubin has denied the claims.

Singhal has also denied the claims against him, saying in a statement to the AP in 2017 that he had not been accused of harassment before and that he left Google on his own terms. Singhal did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

But the New York Times, citing three people briefed on the incident, reported that an employee claimed Singhal groped her at an off-campus event. A Google investigation found her claims credible, according to the Times.

Previously, the Times reported Singhal was paid "millions" in an exit package. Singhal later joined Uber, but left after just five weeks. News reports at the time said he failed to tell Uber he left Google because of a sexual harassment allegation.

Google acknowledged the unredacted claims in the lawsuit Monday and said in a statement that there are "serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google."

"In recent years, we've made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority," the company said in an emailed statement.

The company was pressured to make changes by employee action last year. After news of Rubin's massive payout, tens of thousands of Google workers around the world walked out of work in November to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct claims.

Google promised to be more forceful in handling such cases and ended mandatory arbitration in cases of sexual misconduct.

But the backlash has continued. Google Walkout organizers are still fighting the company on specific demands, and high-profile engineers have quit the company.

Last month, Google ended mandatory arbitration for all employee complaints in response to pressure from Walkout organizers.

The lawsuit, brought by shareholder James Martin, also references board minutes and emails that reportedly show Rubin was awarded $150 million in equity compensation shortly before he left the company. The suit claims Alphabet CEO Larry Page awarded the grants, and only later received board approval.
Photo: Kirk Penton Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau chats with a local stakeholder Monday at BC Tree Fruit Market.

Its not often a group asks the federal government for a specific sum of money and ends up getting every penny.

BC Fruit Growers Association, along with others in the industry, found themselves in that enviable position on Monday in Kelowna, where the countrys new agriculture and agri-food minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced $4.2 million in funding over five years.

About one-third of the money will go to the Summerland Research and Development Centre, which will work on developing new varieties of apples and cherries to export around the world.

Its a lot of money. Its a ton of money, SRDC research and development manager Erin Wallich said. They were pretty generous with us. There was a lot of pushback on us. They didnt really want to fund us to the full extent that they did, but they actually came around.

I think they realize A, the value of tree fruits and B, just how long it takes to develop a new variety. Its a 30-year proposition and a huge investment on the part of not only the federal government, because theyve got the breeding program, but industry as well. Its a very expensive undertaking.

When money from industry sources is included, Bibeau said there will be more than $6 million in seed money for Canada to create new fruit varieties that will then be marketed internationally.

For more on this story, visit Okanagan Edge.
Photo: The Canadian Press Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019.

A team of U.S. aviation experts has arrived at the site where an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner crashed, killing 157 people on a flight to Kenya.

A Federal Aviation Administration statement said the American agency's people were at the crash site outside Ethiopia's capital on Monday with representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board.

They are joining an Ethiopian-led investigation that includes authorities from neighbouring Kenya and elsewhere.

The new Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner went down six minutes after takeoff from the airport in Addis Ababa in clear weather on Sunday.

The FAA says it plans to soon issue an update to operators of that Boeing model. Boeing will be part of the investigation.

A witness to the Ethiopian Airlines crash says smoke was coming from the rear of the plane before it hit the ground, killing 157 people on board.

Tamrat Abera tells The Associated Press the plane rotated twice before crashing and exploding. Smoke rose high into the sky.

An international team of investigators led by Ethiopian authorities is looking into the cause of Sunday's crash. Several countries and companies grounded their Boeing 737 Max 8 fleets out of caution.

A U.N. official says thousands stood in silent tribute to victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash at the opening of the U.N. Environment Program's Assembly in Nairobi on Monday. Some people who had been travelling to the meeting were among the 157 dead.

Assistant Secretary-General Satya Tripathi tells reporters that "there's a lot of grief that's not just for the U.N. colleagues but ... because there have been losses on the side of member state delegations, the civil society community and others as well."

Tripathi said there is a "renewed resolve" to do what more than 4,700 attendees had come to do: "preserve the cause of the environment and the planet."

The U.N. secretary-general and presidents of France and Kenya are expected to attend this week.
HOUSTON, USA  Dr Fatih Birol, the IEAs Executive Director, met with Argentinas Secretary of Energy Gustavo Lopetegui today at CERA Week in Houston. Following discussions on the IEAs outlook for the global energy sector  including Oil 2019, the IEAs newly released detailed analysis of developments in global oil markets and forecast to 2024  Dr Birol and Secretary Lopetegui signed a renewal of the joint programme of work between the IEA and Argentina and agreed to develop stronger institutional ties.

The IEA is very pleased to work closely with Argentina, an important energy producer with enormous potential, especially in unconventional oil and gas as well as energy efficiency and renewables, said Dr. Birol. This new programme shows our strong commitment to continue and to expand our cooperation.

The renewal of the joint programme of work for 2019-2020 continues years of collaboration on energy data and statistics, including work with regional organization OLADE on updated energy data collection standards. The new programme builds upon the close interaction between the IEA and Argentina in the context of Argentinas G20 presidency in 2018, by adding collaboration with Argentina in the context of regional activities under the IEAs Clean Energy Transitions Programme. Additional areas of cooperation will include energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Last year, the IEA produced two reports to support Argentinas G20 Presidency 2018: Energy Transitions in G20 Countries - Energy Data Transparency and Market Digitalization, and Energy Transitions in G20 Countries - Energy transitions towards cleaner, more flexible and transparent systems.

These two reports served as key inputs for the activities of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group.
The IFJ Asia-Pacific office represents 30 affiliated unions and associations in the Asia-Pacific region.

IFJ Asia-Pacific works with national journalists unions and associations to improve the conditions of journalists and the quality of journalism through training programs and advocacy campaigns in defense of media-related rights, including the right to safety and decent working conditions, the right to freedom of expression, the right to a free media, the right to access information, the right to freedom of association and the right to justice and fair legal proceedings.

IFJ Asia-Pacific also runs actions and international campaigns on journalists safety, press freedom, public service values, editorial independence, ethics, gender equality and decent working conditions at the request of affiliates, associates and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. This work ranges from emergency missions to draw international attention to immediate crises to long-term training, campaigning and institutional support.

IFJ Asia-Pacific aims to:

Strengthen the organisation and leadership of journalists unions and professional bodies.

Improve journalists working conditions.

Assure journalists of safety and protection.

Defend freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

Enable quality journalism to thrive.

Ensure the media and journalists organisations are open to participation by all.

In South Asia the IFJ works with its affiliates defending rights of journalist and freedom of expression under the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN). SAMSN was launched in 2002 as a platform for joint strategy and action that builds solidarity. The SAMSN Digital Hub hosts all of the work the IFJ and its affiliates do in South Asia.

In South East Asia the IFJ and its affiliate work together under the South East Asia Journalist Unions (SEAJU) promoting press freedom, impunity and better working conditions. SEAJU was launched in 2013 in Cambodia and in 2018 the IFJ and SEAJU released the first IFJ South East Asia Media Freedom Report - Underneath the Autocrats.
Imperial Valley News Center

Former Cisco Systems Employee Arrested

San Francisco, California - Prithviraj R. Bhikha, a former employee of Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco), was charged in a criminal complaint with wire fraud, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The criminal complaint was unsealed last Monday following Bhikhas arrest on Friday, March 1, 2019, at the San Francisco International Airport.

According to an affidavit filed by a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bhikha, 50, of San Francisco, was employed until mid-2017 by Cisco as a director in its global supply unit in San Jose, Calif. That unit was in charge of working with suppliers and vendors to obtain parts for Cisco products. In or about 2013, Bhikha is alleged to have begun advocating within Cisco for the approval of a new project, of which he would be in charge, the goal of which was for Cisco to retain third-party vendors to negotiate savings with manufacturers on small parts used in Cisco products. The complaint affidavit alleges that Bhikha devised, participated in, and executed a scheme to defraud Cisco by establishing overseas business entities, then directing and approving Cisco contracts to these entities pursuant to the aforementioned project, and failing to disclose his ownership interest in the overseas entities. The affidavit alleges that Cisco wired approximately $6.5 million to one of these entities and approximately $2.8 million to another. The affidavit also alleges more than $8.5 million was wired from bank accounts associated with these two overseas entities to U.S. bank accounts either controlled jointly by Bhikha and his wife or by his wife alone.

The complaint affidavit also alleges that, when Cisco employees became suspicious regarding one of Bhikhas overseas entities in 2016, Bhikha and another Cisco employee worked together to create documentation to send to Cisco employees regarding that company. The other Cisco employee is also alleged to have asked a third party to pose as the CEO of the overseas entity in a meeting with Cisco employees in July 2016. Bhikha is charged with one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1343.

Bhikha made his initial appearance this morning in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero. Magistrate Judge Spero released Bhikha on a $3,000,000 bond and scheduled his next court appearance for March 18, 2019, for preliminary hearing or arraignment.

A criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted on the charge in the criminal complaint, the defendant would face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C.  3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Waldinger is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon and Bridget Kilkenny. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Imperial Valley News Center

FBI Warns the Public of the Dangers of SIM Swapping

San Francisco, California - The San Francisco Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking to warn potential victims of SIM swapping. Criminal actors engage in SIM swapping for the purpose of gaining access to the victims digital currency accounts. Most of the individuals targeted are heavy investors in or early adopters of cryptocurrency.

The FBI has seen an increase in the use of SIM swapping by criminals to steal digital currency using information found on social media. This includes personally identifying information or details about the victims digital currency accounts, said Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett of the FBI San Francisco Division. The FBI wants to help individuals make themselves harder targets and, if they are victimized, to quickly regain control of their accounts to mitigate any potential harm. The FBI and our local law enforcement partners will investigate the culprits behind SIM swapping and bring these criminals to justice.

Generally, the attackers follow this pattern:

Identify the victim: Identify a victim likely to own a large amount of digital currency, particularly cryptocurrency. Identify the victims mobile telephone number and the mobile phone carrier.

Swap the SIM card: Socially engineer a customer service representative from the mobile phone company in order to port the victims phone number to a SIM card and phone in the control of the attackers.

Password resets: Initiate password resets on the victims email, cloud storage, and social media accounts (password resets usually accomplished by text messages to the victims telephone number).

Access accounts: Gain access to the victims accounts and identify digital currency keys, wallets, and accounts that may be stored in them. Defeat any SMS-based or mobile application-based two-factor authentication on any accounts with control of the victims phone number.

Steal currency: Transfer the digital currency out of the victims account into accounts controlled by the attackers.

The FBI recommends that the public take these measures to prevent becoming a victim:

Protect your personal information: Avoid posting personal data online, such as your mobile phone number, address, or other personal information. Bad actors often do significant information gathering before attempting to compromise a target. Do not leave important documents or information in your email account (e.g., digital currency private keys, documents with your social security number, or photo copies of a drivers license).

Protect your financial information: Avoid posting information online about your financial assets (including cryptocurrency), especially on any social media websites and forums.

Take precautions with your mobile service provider: Call your mobile service provider and place a PIN on your account; only individuals with the PIN should be able to make any changes on the account. In addition, place a note on the account that mandates any change to the account must be done in-person at a physical location.

Use unique passwords: Secure online accounts with unique passwordspreferably passphrasesand do not re-use the same password across each account.

Use two-factor authentication apps or physical security keys: Activate two-factor authentication on every online account when possible; preferably using a standalone authentication app such as Google Authenticator instead of SMS. A physical security key is even better.

If you suspect that you may be a victim of SIM swapping, the FBI recommends that you take several steps to mitigate any harm and report the incident to law enforcement:
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  Leaders of both houses of Congress will head to the Malacanang for a dinner meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte over the 2019 budget amid an impasse between both chambers following the House's admission that they itemized lump sum amounts in the budget after its ratification.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Loren Legarda, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya are expected to join the meeting with the President at 8 p.m.

"It is a good opportunity to resolve whatever differences there are pertaining to the 2019 budget," Lacson said in a text message. "We won't be there to quarrel but to resolve the issues surrounding the budget."

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo expects that Duterte will serve as a "moderator" between leaders of Congress, whose members have been at odds over whether it is proper for the House to itemize lump sum amounts in the budget after its final version has been approved.

Panelo added that they are hoping for the best in Duterte's meeting with congressional leaders.

"They will be settled kasi alam nila na [because they know that] any reenacted budget will affect the operations of the government," he said.

Sotto has threatened that he will not sign the budget if the House made changes to the bill after its ratification. This would effectively block the transmission of the budget bill to Duterte for his signature and further delay its enactment into law.

Duterte said in a speech last night that he would not sign an illegal budget bill.

However, Panelo, who also serves as presidential legal counsel, dodged questions on what exactly Duterte found to be illegal in the budget. He also did not answer if what the House did is indeed illegal, as asserted by senators.

Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara told CNN Philippines' The Source that only corrections of clerical errors can be made to the budget after it has been ratified. Anything more than this is not allowed, he said.

But Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr. maintained that their itemization of lump sum amounts in the budget is legal and was done "to be very specific about the law and be constitutional about it."

Andaya has said that he and Legarda have agreed in a meeting to itemize lump sum amounts in the budget. He also presented documents supposedly showing that senators also itemized lump sums, countering assertions by senators that they did not make any changes in the budget after its ratification.

The government has been operating on a reenacted budget since the beginning of the year after Congress failed to pass the 2019 budget on time due to delays over allegations of allegedly anomalous insertions.

Due to this, the government failed to pay for the advanced payments for key railway projects  the rehabilitation of the MRT-3, the Metro Manila subway and the Philippine National Railway Tutuban-Malolos railway.

CNN Philippines' Joyce Ilas, Eimor Santos, Xave Gregorio and Alyssa Rola contributed to this report.
Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE: 9:15 a.m.

Britain, France and Germany on Tuesday joined a rapidly growing number of countries grounding or closing airspace to a new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster, as a global team of investigators began looking for parallels with a similar crash just five months ago.

Pressure grew on the United States to take action over the Boeing 737 Max 8 as Asian, Middle Eastern and then European nations and carriers gave in to concerns. Some cited customers frightened by the sight of Sunday's crash in clear weather that killed all 157 people on board.

Ethiopian Airlines had issued no new updates on the crash as of the evening as 35 countries that lost citizens waited for answers. Some insights into the disaster and its cause could take months, aviation experts said.

British regulators said they based their decision on the fact that "we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have." An Ethiopian Airlines official has said one of the jetliner's two flight recorders was partially damaged in the crash.

UPDATE: 7:35 a.m.

Britain joined a growing number of countries grounding a new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster as a global team of investigators began picking through the rural crash site on Tuesday.

Some airlines cited worried customers for grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8, as experts chased details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing all 157 on board.

Ethiopian Airlines had issued no new updates on the crash as of late afternoon as families around the world waited for answers. Some insights into the disaster and its cause could take months, aviation experts said.

Oman, Norwegian Air Shuttle and South Korean airline Eastar Jet also were the latest to halt use of the Boeing 737 Max 8. Malaysia, Australia and Singapore suspended all flights into or out of their countries.

The U.S.-based Boeing, however, has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies, and it does not intend to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Its technical team joined American, Israeli, United Arab Emirates, Kenyan and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

ORIGINAL: 5:34 a.m.

A growing number of airlines grounded a new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster as a global team of investigators began picking through the rural crash site on Tuesday.

Some airlines cited worried customers for grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8, as experts chased details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing all 157 on board. Answers could take months.

South Korean airline Eastar Jet was the latest to halt its use of the plane. Australia and Singapore suspended all flights into or out of their countries.

Boeing, however, has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. It does not intend to issue any new recommendations about the aircraft to its customers. Its technical team joined American, Israeli and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another new Boeing 737 Max 8 in October, and update training requirements and related flight crew manuals.

The Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed in clear weather six minutes after taking off for Nairobi.

One witness told The Associated Press that he saw smoke coming from the plane's rear before it crashed in a rural field. "The plane rotated two times in the air, and it had some smoke coming from the back then, it hit the ground and exploded," farmer Tamrat Abera said.

It should take five days before any victims' remains are identified, Ethiopian Airlines spokesman Asrat Begashaw told the AP.

Investigators on Monday found the jetliner's two flight recorders at the crash site. An airline official, however, told the AP one recorder was partially damaged.

Safety experts have cautioned against drawing too many comparisons too soon with last year's Lion Air crash of the same model that killed 189 people in Indonesia.

Ethiopian Airlines grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8s until further notice as "an extra safety precaution." The carrier had been using five of the planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

Airlines in China and Indonesia, Aeromexico, Brazil's Gol Airlines, India's Jet Airways and others also have temporarily grounded their 737 Max 8s.
Imperial Valley News Center

Man Suspected in Recent Credit Union Robberies Arrested and Charged

San Diego, California - A man suspected of robbing several credit unions between December 2018 and March 2019 was arrested on March 5, 2019, announced Acting Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Suzanne Turner of the FBIs San Diego Field Office and San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit.

Karl Doron, age 44, was charged in a complaint filed Thursday in San Diego Superior Court with seven counts of bank robbery; two counts of attempted bank robbery; and one count of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place.

On March 5, 2019, Doron entered the Navy Federal Credit Union located at 6755 Mira Mesa Boulevard, demanded and received cash from the credit union employees. Based on a joint investigation by agents and detectives, information was developed that identified Doron as the suspect in several robberies in the San Diego area. As a result, a team of officers and agents were actively surveilling Doron on March 5th, 2019. Immediately upon exiting the credit union, Doron was arrested without incident by the law enforcement team. A search incident to his arrest revealed that Doron was carrying a loaded handgun.

Dorons initial appearance was scheduled for March 8, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. in San Diego County Superior Court.

This investigation was conducted by the San Diego Police Department and the FBIs Violent Crime Task Force. Significant assistance was provided by the Chula Vista Police Department.
Imperial Valley News Center

Murder suspect captured by El Centro Police Department

El Centro, California - On Saturday, at approximately 1 pm, the El Centro Police Department received information regarding an at large murder suspect from Kern County California. The initial phone call came from the Imperial County Sheriffs Office who was following up on information provided by the Kern County Sheriffs Office. The suspect, Ricardo Tapia (33 of Kern County), was believed to be in El Centro and was possibly driving a white, 2012, Chevy, Impala.

Tapia was also believed to be in the company of a wanted female, Melissa Avila (33 also of Kern County). The vehicle was believed to be at a local hotel in the area of 1500 Ocotillo in El Centro. Law enforcement personnel entered the license plate of the suspect vehicle into our regional Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system. Just prior to 2pm, ECPD dispatch advised patrol units the vehicle was detected by the cameras on Main and Imperial traveling northbound. The Vehicle was located in the area of 800 North Imperial Avenue where it was parked and unoccupied. The patrol units surveilled the area and were later able to confirm both wanted suspects were inside a Restaurant in the area. Officers entered the restaurant and located and arrested both Tapia and Avila without further incident. The murder warrant for Tapia and the Flight/Escape warrant for Avila were confirmed and both suspects were booked in Imperial County Jail. This case represents a larger cooperative effort between the Imperial County Sheriffs Office, Kern County Sheriffs and the El Centro Police Department in taking both suspects into custody safely while minimizing the risks to all involved.

Any inquiries about the case involving Tapia and Avila should be referred to the originating agency. The El Centro Police Department is not in possession of the facts and circumstances in this case nor would we be in a position to release any information without the consent of the Kern County Sheriffs Office. Interagency cooperation and action is a crucial tool used in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution in an untold number of cases and is vital to a larger effort of community service. The booking numbers below correspond with the booking information for both suspects in this case.
Los Angeles Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Obtain Fraudulent Commercial Driver's License

Los Angeles, California - Rahim Mahboob, 67, of Los Angeles, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to two years and three months in prison and a $58,500 fine for conspiring to commit bribery, identity fraud, and unauthorized access to a computer, and a separate count of identity fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Mahboob conspired with former DMV employee and codefendant, Lisa Terraciano, to pay her money to alter DMV records that caused commercial driving permits to be issued for Mahboobs clients. Mahboob was responsible for the issuance or attempted issuance of no less than 39 fraudulent commercial licenses, including permits, for which he paid Terraciano.

This case was a part of a series of ongoing investigations by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosanne L. Rust prosecuting the cases.

Mahboob was ordered to self-surrender to begin serving his sentence on June 3, 2019.
Long Beach Man Arrested on Federal Charges for Bombing Aliso Viejo Spa that Killed Ex-Girlfriend

Santa Ana, California - Law enforcement authorities associated with the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force on Sunday arrested a Long Beach man on federal charges stemming from an explosion last year that destroyed a day spa in Aliso Viejo, killed the mans former girlfriend, and caused serious injuries to two spa clients.

Stephen William Beal, 59, was arrested pursuant to a federal criminal complaint filed on Friday that charges him with malicious destruction of a building resulting in the death of Ildiko Krajnyak.

This was a horrific intentional attack that killed an innocent woman and severely injured two others who will live with the physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives, said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. We will do everything we can to obtain justice for these victims and hold the perpetrator accountable.

The FBI and the Orange County Sheriffs Department, with the assistance of many JTTF partners, brought full forensic resources to bear on the case in order to process an enormous amount of evidence recovered from the crime scene and related searches, said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office. Though Mr. Beal has been charged, our work will continue to ensure justice is done in this case for the victims who continue to endure the loss and the pain of this horrific attack.

During this extensive investigation, we have worked seamlessly with our local and federal partners, said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. We are grateful for the many dedicated agencies who worked together to meticulously investigate and arrest the suspect. This will provide much-needed closure to our community.

The charge against Beal relates to the May 15, 2018 explosion at the Magyar Kozmetica spa in Aliso Viejo. When first responders arrived on the scene, they discovered human remains outside of the building and noted major damage to building, according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint. A woman who survived the blast told investigators that the explosion was the result of the spas owner/operator, Ms. Krajnyak, opening a cardboard box.

Later that day, Beal contacted the Orange County Sheriffs Department and identified himself as the co-owner of the spa that was operated by his ex-wife. Sheriffs deputies and FBI personnel responded to Beals residence, where he consented to a search that led to the discovery of chemicals used to manufacture explosives, according to the affidavit. Pursuant to a search warrant obtained the day after the explosion, investigators recovered approximately 130 pounds of explosive precursors.

Further investigation at the scene of the bombing led to the recovery of a partially destroyed battery and bits of wire that the FBI laboratory determined were part of the explosive device, according to the affidavit. FBI laboratory personnel determined that there were no meaningful differences between the bits of wire recovered from the explosion site and wire removed from a homemade device found at Beals residence, according to the affidavit. Investigators determined that Beal purchased a battery consistent with the partially destroyed battery found at the blast scene at a store in Long Beach one week prior to the explosion. And, eight days before the explosion, Beal purchased three cardboard boxes very similar to the box the deceased victim was opening when the bomb detonated.

Furthermore, chemicals detected at the explosion scene were similar to those detected inside Beals car, which he purchased only three months before the incident and which he drove to Magyar Kozmetica spa four days before the blast, the affidavit states.

In addition to the forensic evidence, the affidavit outlines statements of three friends of Ms. Krajnyak. One of those witness told investigators that Ms. Krajnyak said that her boyfriend was jealous, controlling, and possessive of her, and she was scared because he would threaten her. While that witness did not know the name of the boyfriend, Ms. Krajnyak had sent her a photo of the boyfriend, which was identified as Beal.

Beal is expected to make his initial appearance in this case this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If he were to be convicted of the crime of malicious destruction of a building resulting in death, Beal would face a potential sentence of life without parole in federal prison.

This matter is being investigated by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes special agents with the FBI and deputies with the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Task Force members who participated in the investigation included IRS Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Irvine Police Department; the Anaheim Police Department; and the Orange County Fire Authority.

The case against Beal is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Takla and Annamartine Salick of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section.
Convicted Felon Sentenced To Seventy-Six Months In Prison For Possessing A Firearm And Ammunition

Oakland, California - James Robert Lewis was sentenced to 76 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for violating the terms of his supervised release, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The sentence was handed down today by the Honorable Phyllis J. Hamilton, Chief United States District Judge.

Lewis, 35, of Richmond, California, pleaded guilty to the felon-in-possession charge on December 14, 2018. In pleading guilty, Lewis admitted that on August 26, 2018, he was a convicted felon and was not eligible to possess a firearm. He fled from a Richmond police officer and discarded a loaded semiautomatic handgun into the bed of a pickup truck. The firearm had an extended magazine, with a thirty-round capacity, and was loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition. Lewis further acknowledged that on August 26, 2018, he was on supervised release pursuant to a conviction in 2013 for a separate firearms offense.

On September 27, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Lewis, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  922(g)(1). Lewis pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that the crime was also a violation of the terms of his supervised release. Chief Judge Hamilton ordered the defendant to serve a combined 76 months for both violations.

In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Hamilton ordered Lewis to serve a three-year term of supervised release to begin at the conclusion of his prison term.

Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Lloyd-Lovett is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Elyza Delgado. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Richmond Police Department.
Former Glendale Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Taking Bribes, Obstructing Justice and Lying

Los Angeles, California - A former Glendale police officer was sentenced Friday to 21 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to a series of charges and admitted that he provided information to the Mexican Mafia that allowed an associate of the prison gang to escape justice for a time and that he also repeatedly mislead investigators who were probing his connections to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.

John Saro Balian, 46, of Seal Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter.

Balian pleaded guilty last July to federal charges of bribery, obstruction of justice and making false statements.

When he pleaded guilty, Balian admitted that he agreed to accept $10,000  and actually received a $2,000 down payment  from a convicted felon who wanted Balian to locate individuals responsible for stealing property from the persons business. As a result of the payment, Balian caused law enforcement resources to be expended as he attempted to locate the suspected burglars.

Balian also admitted that he obtained information about a task force takedown targeting street gangs under the control of the Mexican Mafia. After receiving the information, Balian contacted associates within the Mexican Mafia and informed them that authorities were planning on arresting the shotcaller of one of the targeted gangs. As a result, that gang member  who was the lead defendant in a federal racketeering indictment  fled and was a fugitive for a month before he was taken into custody. Balian acted corruptly with the specific intent to subvert the due administration of justice for the purpose of enhancing his reputation with the Mexican Mafia, he admitted in a plea agreement.

In relation to the false statement charge, Balian repeatedly lied to special agents with the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), who, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, were investigating the relationship between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime, a probe that was also looking into several murders. Among other things, Balian denied receiving money from the convicted felon, denied having a criminal business relationship with a Mexican Mafia associate, and covered up a close relationship with a member of the Mexican Mafia.

Balian had a successful career as a law enforcement officer and small business owner, but then made a conscious decision to turn to a life of crime and join forces with Armenian Organized Crime and the Mexican Mafia, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. [Balian] blatantly disregarded his sworn oath to protect and serve, and instead chose to subvert law enforcement, place other officers at risk, and live the life of a gang member.

The case against Balian is the result of an investigation by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which is made up of special agents with the FBI, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, as well as officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the Glendale Police Department, the Burbank Police Department and the California Department of Health Care Services.

This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Mitchell of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Morocco's Repatriation of Foreign Terrorist Fighters From Syria

Washington, DC - The United States commends the Kingdom of Morocco for repatriating eight Moroccan foreign terrorist fighters from Syria. Morocco is a highly capable partner in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and we appreciate its commitment to countering terrorism.

Moroccos actions should encourage other nations to repatriate and prosecute their citizens who have traveled to fight for ISIS. Repatriating foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin is the best solution to prevent them from returning to the battlefield.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of State extends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302. We can confirm that at least eight U.S. citizens were among the victims.

Our embassies in Addis Ababa and Nairobi, in coordination with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, are working with the Government of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Airlines to offer all possible assistance. Our teams in Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Washington, DC are working tirelessly to provide all appropriate consular assistance to families of the victims at this difficult time.
Assistant Secretary Marie Royce Travels to Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey

Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce will travel March 9-17 to Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey to promote and strengthen the State Departments cultural and educational diplomacy efforts in Europe.

While in Hungary, Assistant Secretary Royce will meet with government officials and representatives from the U.S. Fulbright Commission and EducationUSA. She will also meet with alumni of U.S.-government sponsored exchange programs and local high school students.

In Serbia, Assistant Secretary Royce will meet with government officials, business leaders, and members of the Womens Mentorship Program. She will also speak at a conference on American culture and society and attend a local cultural performance. Finally, she will host several sessions with Serbian alumni of U.S. exchange programs, and will also host a meeting on the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Finally, in Turkey, Assistant Secretary Royce will deliver remarks at the reception marking the 40th Anniversary of the Humphrey Program in Turkey.
Disney has released a new look at its Aladdin remake, including first clips from the new renditions of beloved songs Friend Like Me and A Whole New World.

The film, directed by Guy Ritchie and featuring a script by John August (Corpse Bride, Big Fish), will be a live-action take on Disneys own version of the classic folktale of One Thousand and One Nights fame, in which street orphan Aladdin pretends to be a prince in order to win the hand of Princess Jasmine.

The original 1992 animated film, which featured the voice of Robin Williams as Genie, won two Academy Awards and earned $504m worldwide.

The cast features Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Will Smith as Genie, Billy Magnussen as an unnamed character, and Nasim Pedrad as Mara, Jasmines handmaiden.

Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history Show all 7 1 /7 Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history Walt Disney described his park on television in 1954 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history The original Disneyland sign on Harbor Boulevard welcomed guests from 1958 to 1989. Its bold colors, shapes, and kinetic exuberance make it an icon of midcentury design Collection of Dave DeCaro, davelandweb.com Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history The drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty Castle was lowered for the rst time on opening day, and only once since: when the redesigned Fantasyland opened on May 25, 1983. The castle sits at the center of Disneyland and is one of the worlds most recognizable structures, with spires that rise as high as 77 feet (about 24 m), but it wasnt the rst concept Walt had in mind. A palace for Cinderella and a castle for Robin Hood were considered in the planning stages Getty/The LIFE Picture Collection Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history In good company  Walt Disney is joined in 1964 by some of his most adored characters. Many starred in what Walt called classic stories of everyones youth that, in Fantasyland, had become realities for youngsters of all ages to participate in. Lawrence Schiller, Polaris Communications Inc Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history The buildings of the Rainbow Ridge mining town were designed by art director and set designer Bill Martin, who recalled they were a favorite of the Disneys: I remember that Walt and Lilly would often walk along the pathways between those little buildings when they stayed at the park overnight. Although the attraction is long gone, the little town can still be seen in the queue to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Collection of Dave DeCaro, davelandweb.com Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history Monstro the Whale, from Pinocchio, guards the entrance to the Storybook Land Canal Boats. His giant blinking eye and spouting blowhole sometimes surprised guests posing for photos 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc Walt Disneys Disneyland: A visual history Walt Disneys Disneyland  40 Taschen

The live action version of the 1992 animated film has been directed by Guy Ritchie and follows up successful live action versions of The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast.

It will be swiftly followed by live action versions of Dumbo and The Lion King, while other animated films getting the same treatment include Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Lady and the Tramp, Snow White and Pinocchio.

Aladdin will be released in UK cinemas in May.

Additional reporting by agencies
Photo: The Canadian Press Pall bearers carry the coffins containing the remains of Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes past a crowd of thousands gathered outside City Hall, in Rio de Janeiro.

Police on Tuesday arrested two suspects in the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, a brazen assassination that shocked and angered Brazilians and sparked protests in several countries.

The arrest of the men comes two days before the anniversary of the killings on March 14, 2018. While police had questioned many people, before Tuesday nobody had been arrested or charged in the shooting of Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes.

Two men, both former police officers, were taken into custody early Tuesday, a police spokesman told The Associated Press. Per agency protocol, the spokesman asked that his name not be used.

Police identified the suspects as Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz. Lessa allegedly shot Franco and De Queiroz allegedly drove a car involved in the shooting, the spokesman said. Franco and Gomes were returning from a meeting Franco had attended on empowering black women when their car was attacked.

Franco, who was black, lesbian, and grew up in one of Rio de Janeiro's roughest neighbourhoods, cut a stark image in Brazil, where most politicians are white men. She had been a frequent critic of police violence, particularly in poor neighbourhoods called favelas.

Marches were planned for Thursday, the anniversary of the killings.

Police and politicians in the state of Rio de Janeiro have been under intense pressure to solve the case, which apparently involved sophisticated planned by the assassins, right down to making sure surveillance cameras were shut off on the street where the attack happened. Months after the hit, police even went to the trouble to recreate the crime scene, shutting down a large swath of downtown Rio for a day in attempts to gather clues.

Throughout the investigation, there have been numerous media leaks and optimistic statements by authorities about getting close to solving the case, drawing sharp criticism from the family of Franco and human rights groups that argued such actions lowered the chances of getting justice.

Marcelo Freixo, a state legislator and friend of Franco from the same left-leaning party, told Globo TV the arrests were an important step, but the case "has not been resolved."

"Who sent them (to kill Franco)?" Freixo said. "We don't accept the version that these people were motivated by passion and hate when they didn't even really know who Marielle was."
The majority of people are "too busy" to clean their homes, according to a survey of 2,000 British adults, only half of whom said they set aside time each week to hoover, dust and tidy up.

The demands of modern life, such as balancing working hours with looking after children, means a third of respondents said they struggled to find time for the housework.

Three in 10 only managed to squeeze in a few chores at the weekends.

It also emerged the traditional spring clean, once carried out once a year by many, is dying out according to 38 per cent of adults and 45 per cent believed previous generations had more time for household chores.

With such busy modern lives housework isnt a priority for many of us anymore," said Keval Shah from home appliance brand Beko, which commissioned the research. "While we all like to be house-proud, its difficult to find the time. Our research shows time saving is an important issue, especially with people working longer hours than in the past and enjoying busy social lives.

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 a result, traditional housework is taking a back seat. Thankfully, modern technology is helping us to save time in all aspects of our daily activities, including cleaning."

The study found almost half of those polled believed the kitchen was the room in the house which took longest to clean, followed by the bathroom and living room.

And around two thirds wished there were more time saving solutions for cleaning.

One in five also said being able to control appliances via their smartphone was a huge time saver.

Technological development helps to save time, according to 36 per cent of respondents, with self-cleaning ovens, self-cleaning litter boxes for pets and steam cleaners among the gadgets now being used in UK homes.

In total, 40 per cent said the dishwasher saved them the most time, relying on it four times a week.

 UK government doesn't understand how EU works, says its former ambassador to Brussels

The survey also found that 40 per cent blamed hectic work lives on the fact they have no time to clean.

But while the average respondent spent about four hours a week on sprucing up their homes, one third spend just an hour or two.

Cleaning windows was the task most likely to be neglected due to a lack of time, along with wiping down skirting boards and cleaning kitchen appliances such as the oven and fridge.

Meanwhile least loved chores include cleaning the oven and the toilet.

SWNS
St Patricks Day honours the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

The annual day of celebration originally marked the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and was made an official religious holiday by the Catholic Church in the early 17th century.

While traditional festivities saw communities gather at church services and family feasts, it has since become a notoriously boozy affair.

A 24-hour suspension of the Lenten restrictions on eating and alcohol consumption, as well as indulging in traditional Irish foods and wearing head-to-toe green, many celebrate Sunday 17 March by sipping on one of the countrys most iconic exports  Guinness.

A stout beer made from roasted barley, hops, yeast and water, the black stuff has been enjoyed at every St Patricks Day since Arthur Guinness set up his brewery in 1759.

St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Spectators in fancy dress and face paint line the streets during the St Patrick's Day parade. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Participants take part in the St Patrick's day parade as it makes it's way down O'Connell street in Dublin. PA St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Star Wars actor Mark Hamill cheers as the annual Saint Patrick's day parade takes place. Getty Images St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A street performer dressed as St Patrick poses for pictures with spectators. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A spectator shows off her hat as the annual Saint Patrick's day parade takes place in Dublin. Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers make their way down O'Connell street. Dublin hosts the largest Saint Patrick's day parade in the world with a route spanning 2.5 km. Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures People sit on a statue to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade. Reuters St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers take part in the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers take part in the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A participant during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. Reuters

Well known for its dark colour, creamy head and characteristic caramelised flavour, theres no better way to celebrate than sipping on the most famous of all Irish drinks.

If youre looking to switch things up this year, you could consider new ways to serve up the dark, creamy brew by experimenting with your mixology skills.

From an Irish twist on an Old Fashioned to a malty Bloody Mary, check out these Guinness cocktail recipes for St Patrick's Day:

Wilde Oscar

 Guinness: Wilde Oscar Old Fashioned

A simple cocktail that takes just five minutes to make, the Wilde Oscar is a modern take on the Old Fashioned. A traditionally saccharine drink, the addition of bitter stout beer helps to offset some of the sweetness as does using a bourbon with lots of spicy character.

Ingredients  serves one

1.5oz bourbon

1oz Guinness Extra Stout

0.5oz rich simple syrup

Dash of botanical bitters

Guinness Bloody Mary

 Guinness: Bloody Mary

A take on the traditional Bloody Mary, this recipe uses seafood seasoning, black pepper, hot sauce and Worcester sauce combined with tomato juice and stout beer to give it a malty flavour.

Ingredients  serves one

1.5oz vodka

3oz tomato juice

2 pinches celery salt

2 pinches pepper

Seafood seasoning

2 dashes hot sauce

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 squeeze lemon

2oz Guinness Draught

Parts Unknown

 Guinness: Parts Unknown

This drink is a combination of a traditional Guinness cocktail and a more tropical Tiki-style cocktail that combines stout beer with blackcurrant liquor to balance the bitterness and compliment its natural dark fruit flavours.

Ingredients  serves one

1.5oz rum

0.5oz lemon

0.75oz Creme de Cassis

0.25oz Orgeat

Guinness Draught

St Jamess Flip

 Guinness: St James's Flip

Named after the St Jamess Gate Brewery in Dublin, this is a traditional old-style cocktail thats made using a whole egg. For best results, use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Ingredients  serves one

1oz rum

0.5oz sweetened condensed milk

1/2 of a fresh egg

1.5oz Guinness Foreign Extra Stout or Guinness Draught

Grated nutmeg

Newly Minted

 Guinness: Newly Minted

A combination of stout beer and white creme de menthe, the two ingredients pair really well together to create a warm chocolatey character. The trick here is to use lots of ice and serve with a sprig of mint.

Ingredients  serves one

1 fluid oz White Creme De Menthe

Guinness Extra Stout or Guinness Draught

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For everything you need to know about this year's St Patrick's Day, click here.

To read about the 10 most popular cocktails for 2019, according to top bartenders, click here.
North Korea has amassed upwards of $670 million worth of bitcoin and other currencies, according to a panel of experts reporting to the UN Security Council.

Their report, set to be published this week, revealed how North Korea is stockpiling cryptocurrency in order to circumvent strict economic sanctions.

The panel said cryptocurrencies "provide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with more ways to evade sanctions, given that they are harder to trace, can be laundered many times and are independent from government regulation."

Cyber attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions have helped North Korea boost its illicit funds, while blockchain technology has helped conceal its actions from foreign governments.

The report, first obtained by the Nikkei Asian Review, appears to substantiate other investigations into how North Korea uses the technology to support its regime.

Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins  the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images

In October, researchers from the cyber-threat intelligence firm Recorded Future linked two separate cryptocurrency scams to a network of "North Korea-enablers" in Singapore, each reportedly designed to funnel funds into the country by conning investors.

"Broadly, these types of cryptocurrency scams fit the template of low-level financial crime described by defectors," the report stated.

"It is a natural step for both a group of actors that has been so embedded in the cryptocurrency world for years and for a network that is being forced to innovate new funding streams to counter the effects of international sanctions."

Another investigation by security researchers at AlienVault uncovered a so-called crypto-jacking campaign, whereby state-back hackers allegedly hijacked foreign computer networks in order to secretly mine cryptocurrency.

The latest report's publication comes just one month before North Korea plans to hold an international blockchain and cryptocurrency conference, which will see industry experts invited to the reclusive state to discuss the technology's potential.

The Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference offers delegates an all-inclusive stay in North Korea, though citizens of Israel, Japan and South Korea are not welcome.

Journalists are also forbidden from attending, with the conference's website stating: "Any mass printed propaganda or digital/ printed material against the dignity of the Republic is not allowed."
The old adage that life begins at 40 seems to be true, so far as Gwyneth Paltrow is concerned.

The 46-year-old actor spoke about embracing her age during a panel discussion at film and music festival South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas on Monday.

I am no longer in my 20s and 30s, I am 46 and I love being in my 40s, Paltrow said.

I think there is this incredible freedom that comes with a woman in her 40s and understanding that this is who I am and Ive stopped worrying so much about what people think of me.

The Goop founder opened up about how content she is feeling with her life right now, revealing she tries to make the most of the time she gets with her two children, 14-year-old Apple and 12-year-old Moses.

Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes Show all 7 1 /7 Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On healthy eating 'I'd rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can' Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NBC Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On hitting 40 You can still find yourself at a party at 3am, but you also know enough about who you are and how that informs the choices you make. Steven Henry/Getty Images Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On maintaining a close relationship with ex husband Chris Martin: Were still very much a family, even though we dont have a romantic relationship. Hes like my brother. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On her travel routine: When I land [from a flight] I try to find a sauna to sit in for 20 minutes to help me sweat out all the germs from the plane. Getty Images Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On the Hollywood Gender Pay Gap: Your salary is a way to quantify what youre worth. If men are paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty. Getty Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On not caring what people think: I dont hold on to fear as much as I used to, because Ive learned a lot about genuinely not caring what strangers think about me. Its very liberating, Its very empowering. Getty Gwyneth Paltrow in quotes On the Met Gala (2013): Im never going again. It was so un-fun. It was boiling. It was too crowded. I did not enjoy it at all. Getty

I have two incredible children who give me a full run for my money every day, Paltrow said.

The Oscar-winner also revealed how focusing on her health and lifestyle brand, Goop, has impacted her life, adding: I have this incredible company, I love my role and I love my team.

I love the challenges that come with it. I wake up every day [and] my days are very challenging but I feel like I have a lot of agency and I feel so thrilled by all of the challenges and so excited.

Paltrow described her 40s as a really fun time before speaking about her relationship with American Horror Story producer Brad Falchuk.

Plus I married a really hot guy in September, you know, she said.

The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at Paltrows house in the Hamptons, alongside friends and family.

She was previously married to Chris Martin for 11 years before consciously uncoupling in 2014.

This isnt the first time Paltrow has opened up about embracing her age. In November 2018, the actor revealed that she was experiencing symptoms of the perimenopause  a precursor to the menopause in which the ovaries gradually begin making less oestrogen.

I think when you get into perimenopause, you notice a lot of changes, Paltrow said at the time.

I can feel the hormonal shifts happening - the sweating, the moods.

Youre just like all of a sudden furious for no reason."
Italian food is officially the most popular cuisine in the world.

An international YouGov study asked more than 25,000 people across 24 countries which of 34 national cuisines they had tried and whether they liked or disliked them.

The figures revealed that pizza and pasta were among some of the most popular dishes in the world, with Italian cuisine receiving an average popularity score of 84 per cent across all the countries surveyed.

Naturally, the biggest fans of Italian food were the Italians themselves, with 99 per cent saying they enjoyed their national dishes, followed by the Spanish (94 per cent) and French (92 per cent).

Chinese food came in second place, which received an average popularity score of 78 per cent.

The 20 best food scenes in film Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 best food scenes in film The 20 best food scenes in film Lady & the Tramp Who would have guessed one of the most romantic scenes in cinema would involve two dogs eating scraps in an alleyway? And, yet, the iconic spaghetti kiss from Disneys 1955 animated film has been oft imitated but never surpassed, as the two pups indulge in an Italian delicacy, all soundtracked to Sonny Burke and Peggy Lees Bella Notte. And, as Tramp proves, theres no greater act of chivalry than offering your date the last meatball Moviestore/Rex The 20 best food scenes in film Babette's Feast Gabriel Axels Oscar-winning 1987 Danish film is a visual treat for any self-confessed gourmand. The story sees two pious Protestant sisters offer refuge to a French woman fleeing the political tumult in Paris after the collapse of the Second Empire in 1871. They agree to hire her as a housekeeper, discovering later that shes the former chef of one of Pariss best restaurants. When she wins the lottery, she uses the funds to whip a meal to remember for her kindly hosts. The 20 best food scenes in film Hook All the very best chefs know that a dash of pure imagination is key to creating a true culinary wonder. Its a lesson well-taught in Steven Spielbergs 1991 classic, Hook, as a grown-up Peter Pan (Robin Williams) looks on in disbelief as the Lost Boys tuck into what appears to be nothing at all. Its only when he truly believes that he can see the brightly colour feast laid out before him. And what childish feast would be complete without an old fashioned food fight? Sony The 20 best food scenes in film Breakfast at Tiffany's Sure, the 1961 films title may be a little misleading. Its protagonist, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), in reality only has breakfast outside of Tiffanys, popping out of a cab in the early morning light to peer into the jewelry shop window, all while enjoying a pastry and some coffee in a paper. The moment has still remained the peak of glamour, decades later, so who cares if its all a little white lie? Keystone Features/Getty Images The 20 best food scenes in film The Godfather Its a classic scene that proves to be surprisingly instructional. Francis Ford Coppolas 1972 film has a full-blown recipe tucked within its elegant drama, as Vito Corleones close associate, Peter Clemenza (Richard Castellano), offers his version of the perfect pasta sauce. As he explains: You start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; you make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs. And a little bit of wine, and a little bit of sugarthat's my trick." Rex Features The 20 best food scenes in film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Although the 1971 musical is, as a whole, a sugary delight, its hardest to resist the temptation of Willy Wonkas Fizzy Lifting Drinks, a soda described as so bubbly that it lifts anyone who drinks it right off the ground. Its no wonder that it was the one stop on the tour that ended up tempting the pure-hearted Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) and his grandfather (Jack Albertson). Now, the real question is: does it come in different flavours? Getty The 20 best food scenes in film Eat Pray Love For anyone who considers pizza to be the true love of their life, Ryan Murphys 2010 romcom is a perfect cinematic match. Its hard not to relate to the moment Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) bites into a piece of authentic Italian pizza, during the Naples stop on her global adventure of self-discovery, and declares: Im in love. Im in a relationship with my pizza. Rex Features The 20 best food scenes in film Beauty & the Beast Although we might not fully be convinced that the grey stuff is delicious, the dinner and show approach to Lumiere (Jerry Orbach)s hospitality is something we could certainly get used to. In Disneys 1991 animation, Belle (Paige O'Hara) is presented with a whole cavalcade of sumptuous dishes: including beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding "en flambe". And theres a sage piece of advice to go with it all, too: If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest! Indeed. Disney The 20 best food scenes in film Steel Magnolias While theres been a growing fad of ambitious, unusually themed cakes  you need only look at the success of the TLC reality series Cake Boss  there are few cinematic cakes that quite stick in the memory like Jackson (Dylan McDermott)s armadillo-shaped groom cake from 1989 comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, a spin on the tradition from the American South of having another cake separate to the main wedding cake. And did we mention that its red velvet on the inside? REX FEATURES The 20 best food scenes in film Marie Antoinette When it came to director Sofia Coppola conjuring the ultimate image of decadence for her 2006 biopic on the French queen, there was no more perfect treat than Ladurees famous macarons. Delicate and pastel-toned, the meringue-based confection has long been the speciality of the French bakery, first established in 1862. A new flavour was even created in honour of the film, with the Marie Antoinette offering a combination of rose and anise flavours. Columbia Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film The Hundred Foot Journey Food is often regarded as one of the best ways to understand a culture, and The Hundred-Foot Journey is wonderful for showing the efforts the talented, self-taught novice Hassan (Manish Dayal) goes to in order to comprehend that. During a picnic he reveals he has mastered the five mother sauces of French cuisine, and the delicate tasting process that follows demonstrates just how important food is to France. The 20 best food scenes in film Goodfellas In prison, dinner was always a big thing. So much so that the Wise Guys ate better than most people on the outside. Beyond the Sea plays in the background as the gangsters prepare their meal: Garlic sliced so thin with a razor blade that it would liquefy in the pan with just a little oil, meatballs in a tomato sauce thats a little too oniony, steak cooked medium rare, iced lobsters, prosciutto, salami, cheese, red wine and good Scotch. Maybe crime does pay after all. The 20 best food scenes in film Chocolat There are few pleasures in life more fulfilling than that of cooking for others. In Chocolat  based on the book by Joanne Harris  a slow-motion scene where dinner party guests tuck into the feast created by expert chocolatier Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche) is full of warmth and laughter. AP The 20 best food scenes in film Pulp Fiction In a world where people seem more than happy to fork out 15 for some mushy avocado on toast, $5 for a milkshake doesnt seem too unreasonable. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) takes his boss wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out to Jack Rabbit Slims for a burger, where she decides she wants the $5 dollar shake. You dont put bourbon in it or nothing? a bewildered Vincent asks the waiter. When it arrives, Mia takes a long sip: Yummy. I gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like, Vincent says. He takes a sip. Then another. Goddamn, thats a pretty f***ing good milkshake. Miramax/YouTube The 20 best food scenes in film Julie & Julia Nora Ephrons feature film based on the intertwining stories of chef Julia Child and Julie Powell, the blogger who rose to fame after documenting her pledge to cook all 524 recipes in Childs cookbook, is all about the joy one can find in food. It is some of the earlier scenes that capture this best, like when Julia (Meryl Streep) and her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) arrive in Paris and stop at a French restaurant, where Julia is served a sizzling platter of sole. It looked so mouth-watering in the final edit that Ephron wanted to call up Martin Scorcese and say, youve never shot a fish like that before. Rex The 20 best food scenes in film Ratatouille Fearsome critic Anton Ego takes a bite of ratatouille and is transported back to his childhood, where it was a favourite comfort food, in the best scene from Pixars wonderful animated film. The detail is superb, from the process of Remy the rat preparing the dish to the moment Egos pen falls to the ground as he remembers the power of a favourite meal in evoking memories we thought were lost. YouTube screengrab / Jeugos para ninos / Disney Pixar The 20 best food scenes in film Spinal Tap I dont want this, I want large bread but I can rise above it, Im a professional. The miniature bread catastrophe is a beautiful parody on every self-absorbed rock star to have kicked off over something as ludicrous as the food theyre served backstage. Guitarist Nigel Tufnell sits next to a tray of sandwiches looking baffled as his manager walks over. "Look," he says, picking up a sandwich. "This, this miniature bread. It's like... I've been working with this now for about half an hour. I can't figure it out. Let's say I want a bite, right, you've got this..." "Why do you keep folding it?" Ian asks. Nigel looks down at the broken bits of bread, then tries again: "This. I don't want this." He throws the sandwich to the ground, disgusted. "I want large bread!" Embassy Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film The Help After all the trauma she has been through  at the hands of her abusive husband and a racist ex-employer  Minny (Octavia Spencer) arrives at her employer Celia Foote to find a beautiful dinner cooked for her as a thank you for everything she has done for Celia and her husband. You see the care that has gone into it as Celia lays everything out on the table, from a mile high meringue to the fried chicken Minny taught her how to make. That table of food gave Minny the strength she needed, the narration explains. She took her babies out from under Leroy and never went back. AP Photo/Disney DreamWorks II, Dale Robinette The 20 best food scenes in film Five Easy Pieces Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) just wants some toast to go with his omelette, but the waitress is stubbornly sticking to the diners no substitutions rule. Ill make it as easy for you as I can, goes the famous order. Id like an omelette, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast. No mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce and hold the chicken. Columbia Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film Big Night It was a scene that helped propel a revolution in American dining. Il Timpano, a dish inspired by the notoriously tricky-to-make Italian meal, is the star of a moment in Big Night where chef brothers Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) prepares it as the centrepiece for a feast attended by their rival, Pascal. Goddamit, I should kill you, he screams, throwing his fork down after tasting Il Timpano. This is so f***ing good, I should kill you.

The figures showed the cuisine was liked by 95 per cent of Chinese people, followed by diners from Singapore (94 per cent) and Hong Kong (91 per cent).

The worlds third most popular cuisine was revealed as Japanese, scoring an average of 71 per cent.

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British cuisine however didnt prove a popular choice across mainland Europe.

Despite 91 per cent of Britons saying they liked their own national cuisine, less than half of those in other European countries agreed.

Diners from Germany, Spain, Denmark and France held British food in particular contempt, with just 25 to 28 per cent saying they enjoyed it.

However, British cuisine was more warmly received further afield with 76 per cent of Singaporeans and 71 per cent of Australians admitting to liking the cuisine.

As for the types of food Brits enjoy, 91 per cent said they liked Italian food the most, followed by Chinese (86 per cent) and Indian (84 per cent).

Italian food is the most popular cuisine in the world (YouGov)

According to the survey, the least popular cuisine in the world is Peruvian, receiving an average score of just 32 per cent, scoring only fractionally higher than Finnish food.

The lowest opinion held by a country for another's cuisine was Japan towards Saudi Arabian food, with just 11 per cent of Japanese diners stating that they liked it.

In fact, the survey found that Japanese people were the harshest critics overall with 23 out of the 34 countries scoring less than 50 per cent among respondents.
If travelling to Ireland is out of the question this St Patricks Day, the good news is youll still be able to celebrate - as the US hosts a variety of events for the annual holiday this weekend.

This year, major cities across the country will be home to some of the biggest celebrations and parades. St Patrick's Day is on Sunday, but many will celebrate on Saturday.

But even in the smaller cities such as Washington DC, youll be able to celebrate the holiday with green beer and green clothing.

These are the five best places to celebrate St Patricks Day in the US.

New York City, New York

Home to one of the oldest St Patricks Day parades in the country, New York City is one of the most festive places to celebrate the annual event.

The first parade was held in 1762 and has remained a beloved tradition in the city ever since.

This year, 200,000 people are scheduled to march up 5th Avenue on Saturday - with more than two million people expected to watch from the sidelines.

St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Spectators in fancy dress and face paint line the streets during the St Patrick's Day parade. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Participants take part in the St Patrick's day parade as it makes it's way down O'Connell street in Dublin. PA St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Star Wars actor Mark Hamill cheers as the annual Saint Patrick's day parade takes place. Getty Images St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A street performer dressed as St Patrick poses for pictures with spectators. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A spectator shows off her hat as the annual Saint Patrick's day parade takes place in Dublin. Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers make their way down O'Connell street. Dublin hosts the largest Saint Patrick's day parade in the world with a route spanning 2.5 km. Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures People sit on a statue to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade. Reuters St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers take part in the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures Performers take part in the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. AFP/Getty St Patrick's Day 2018: in pictures A participant during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. Reuters

Chicago, Illinois

As major landmarks are transformed green for St Patricks Day, Chicago takes the tradition one step further with the dyeing of the Chicago River.

On Saturday, March 16, the city will turn the water of the river a bright emerald green as part of a tradition dating back more than 50 years.

After the river has been dyed, the city hosts a three-hour parade.

Boston, Massachusetts

If you plan to celebrate St Patricks Day in Boston, expect to see major crowds at this years parade on Sunday, March 17, as Amazon is sponsoring the annual tradition.

The parade is expected to have 20,000 participants.

Or, if you want to go the more historical route, you can participate in a guided walk of the Irish Heritage Trail - which shows participants over 200 years of Irish history in the city.

New Orleans, Louisiana

While New Orleans is best known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, the city also hosts a large week-long celebration in honour of St Patricks Day.

Apart from three parades, the citys most popular celebrations are in the form of block parties - which see the streets fill with people dressed in green and drinking green beer.

For a full list of St Patricks Day celebrations, click here.

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is also recognised for hosting one of the oldest St Patricks Day parades in the country - with 2019 marking the citys 177th parade on Sunday.

This year, the city expects more than 500,000 guests to join in on the celebrations.

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The city also puts an emphasis on food - with various pubs offering the Americanised tradition of serving corned beef and cabbage.
Evan Rachel Wood has opened up about resorting to self-harm after suffering from domestic abuse.

On Monday, the actor shared a photograph on Instagram of herself on the set of a photoshoot alongside a caption which detailed her experience of abuse.

The day of this photoshoot, I was so weakened by an abusive relationship, Wood began the caption. I was emaciated, severely depressed, and could barely stand. I fell into a pool of tears and was sent home for the day.

Moments later, the actor later shared a photograph - which has since received a sensitive content warning from the social media platform - alongside a caption that recounted her self-harm during a previous relationship with an unnamed partner.

*trigger warning* 2 years into my abusive relationship I resorted to self harm, the actor captioned the image of herself.

In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Show all 28 1 /28 In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters

The 31-year-old continued, recalling incidents when she would self-harm to stop the abuse, but to no avail.

When my abuser would threaten or attack me, I cut my wrist as a way to disarm him, Wood wrote.

It only made the abuse stop temporarily. At that point I was desperate to stop the relentless abuse and I was too terrified to leave.

The actor concluded both posts with the hashtag #IAmNotOk.

Inspired by Wood, several Twitter users have used the hashtag to share their own stories of domestic abuse. The actor has since retweeted several of their posts.

I spent my entire childhood unsafe, suffering at the hands of a twisted, evil terrorist in our own house & wondering if my mom would be alive when I got home from school, wrote one user.

Before and after escaping, we were re-victimized by those supposed to help. We need to do better. #IAmNotOkay.

Another wrote: #IamNotOkay I was told every day that I wasn't enough, that I needed to hold my feelings in, that I needed to be prettier, skinnier, quieter. 31 years later and I can still hear her voice in my head telling me I will fail.

I'm still damaged from my emotionally abusive relationship. #IAmNotOk, tweeted another.

Celebrities including fashion designer Ally Hilfiger and actor Linda Perry also included the hashtag in posts to raise awareness of domestic abuse in the US.

I am not OK with the fact that 20 people per minute are abused by an intimate partner in the USA. @iamnotokMVMT #iamnotOK, tweeted Perry.

Hilfiger added: #iamnotOK with the current statue of limitations for domestic Violence survivors.

Hours later, Wood posted a video on Instagram in which she details how she struggles to feel safe.

I think about it every day in one way or another, she says in the clip. Im not OK because no matter how much work I do, how much work Ive done, Im still searching for some kind of peace. Im still searching to feel safe. And Im still trying to put all of this behind me. But I dont know if Ill ever be able to fully do that."

Fighting through tears, Wood continues to say that she is unable to remember a time when she didnt feel scared.

Recommended Evan Rachel Wood opens up about suicide attempt

The actor's comments follow her appearance on the latest episode of Dax Shepard's podcast, Armchair Expert, in which she spoke about her experience of domestic abuse.

In the interview, the actor said that following abuse: You lose a sense of self, and your sense of reality, because youre stuck in this nightmare.

In February 2018, Wood gave a testimony in front of a House Judiciary Subcommittee in Washington D.C to advocate for Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights Act in all 50 states.

During the hearing, the actor opened up about being raped, tortured and mentally abused by a former partner and her struggle with self-half to the point of two suicide attempts, which resulted in her checking into a psychiatric hospital.

This was, however, a turning point in my life when I started seeking professional help to deal with my trauma and mental stress, Wood said.

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But others are not so fortunate, and because of this rape is often more than a few minutes of trauma, but slow death.

Earlier this year, Wood wrote about her mental health struggles in an essay for Nylon magazine.

Looking back, it was the worst, best thing that ever happened to me, the actor wrote of a suicide attempt aged 22 before she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Actor Evan Rachel Wood speaks during the 2019 Women's March Los Angeles on 19 January 2019 in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images)

I had felt worthless, and like the world was better of without me. But it turned out I had helped myself in a way I never thought was possible. I gave to someone who then gave back to me, she wrote.

Wood continued, writing: Depression isnt a weakness, its a sickness. Sometimes a deadly one.

And sometimes all people need is to know that they are loved and that others are there for them.

The Independent has decided not to include one of Wood's Instagram posts for sensitivity reasons.

For confidential support with mental health you can contact The Samaritans on their free, 24-hour phone support by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org.

You can also contact mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393, texting 86463 or emailing info@mind.org.uk.
Chidera Eggerue, professionally known as The Slumflower, is an author and social media influencer.

The writer is best known for penning the bestselling book, What a time to be alone, which is a guidebook for young women focusing on the topic of self-love.

Eggerue is also famed for founding several social media movements, including #SaggyBoobsMatter and #BlockHimParty.

The 24-year-old recently came under fire for responding to a tweet that highlighted the importance of high male suicide rates by writing in a now-deleted post: Men are murdering us and abusing children and you think I have time to theorise on why they cant cry? Lmao not me hun [sic].

The author's comments prompted a furore on the social media platform, with many accusing her of making light of a serious issue.

Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin AFP/Getty Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures New York Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Washington Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures New York Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London EPA Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Washington REUTERS Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures New York Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin AFP/Getty Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Washington Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures New York AFP/Getty Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Washington REUTERS Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Washington Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin Getty Images Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin Getty Images Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin EPA Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin EPA Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Reuters Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin Getty Images Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures Berlin EPA Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019  global protest in pictures London Angela Christofilou/The Independent

Read on for everything you need to know about Chidera Eggerue.

Who is Chidera Eggerue?

Eggerue was born and raised in Peckham, south London. Her family is from Nigeria and she often references her Igbo heritage via proverbs in her book.

After attending the Brit School for Performing Arts and Technology, where alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse, Eggerue started a fashion blog at the age of 18. She then went on to study fashion design at University of the Arts London, but "failed" in her final year due to an ongoing battle with depression.

Recalling the experience on Twitter in 2018, she wrote: "It was too late for me to quit the course and too late for me to extend my deadline. I did my best but Im glad it happened."

In a subsequent tweet, Eggerue explained she wanted to share the story to show her followers that "failure isn't a dead end".

The writer has been blogging and gaining social media prominence ever since and now has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram and 73,000 on Twitter.

In 2018, the BBC named her as one of their 100 women of 2018.

How did she acquire the name The Slumflower?

The Slumflower is the name Eggerue chose for her blog, which she launched as a platform to discuss affordable and trend-driven fashion with a focus on championing diversity.

The writer also used her blog to discuss topics including sexism, friendship, feminism and racism.

The blog's name is in reference to a short film created by creative agency Street Etiquette and revolves around the concept of a rose growing out of concrete. Eggerue now uses the name professionally across her social media profiles.

What is #SaggyBoobsMatter?

Eggerue started the #SaggyBoobsMatter movement in 2017 in a bid to challenge societal expectations surrounding breasts.

The hashtag surged in popularity and soon became viral, propelling Eggerue into the heart of the body positivity movement, making her a key spokesperson.

The social media influencer has since launched several other viral social media campaigns, such as #BlockHimParty, which Eggerue started to celebrate women who have recently left toxic relationships with men.

What is What a time to be alone about?

The title of Eggerues book, which was published in 2018, is a play on words of the mantra what a time to be alive. The writer previously explained that she wants the book to empower young women and encourage them to celebrate their individuality.

I wanted to use this book to make solitude great again, she told British Vogue when it was released.

There is a massive world full of people and its really easy to get caught up in feeling like youre not an individual, but its vital to recognise that you have so much to contribute without even realising. You have a story to tell and the journey that youve been on. Every single person on this planet has something to contribute to the larger conversation.

Controversies

In March, Eggerue was widely criticised for remarks she made on Twitter with regards to feminism and high male suicide rates.

The writer explained how "a white woman" recently approached her after a talk she'd given on feminism in tears and said she agreed with her views "but some young men have it so hard".

Eggerue disputed the claim, writing in a tweet that has since been deleted: "Until young men are being married off at the age of six and having acid thrown in their faces for declining sexual advances, you can't change my mind."

One person responded by suggesting that the woman in question might've been referring to high male suicide rates, to which Eggerue wrote: "Men are murdering us and abusing children and you think I have time to theorise on why they cant cry? Lmao not me hun [sic].

Eggerue added: "I don't have time to think about the reasons why the system you created at my expense to benefit you is now choking you. If men are committing s*icide because they can't cry, how's it my concern?"

Some Twitter users describe her remarks as abhorrent while fans expressed disappointment at what she'd written. Writer Reni-Eddo Lodge said she found the writer's comments disturbing.

Eggerue has since responded to the criticisms, telling The Independent: Feminism has so many branches and values to different people and I am one womans voice.

If you have been affected by the tragedy of male suicide, this isnt directed at you. There are some wonderful mental health support groups and charities for those that need, but this conversation isnt about male depression  my points run deeper and Im requesting that we create a dialogue about the bigger issue of patriarchy.
Elizabeth Warren, the liberal Democratic senator, and Rupert Murdoch? If you asked one about the other theyd probably use some variation on the devil incarnate.

Trying to put them on the same team? Its a bit like suggesting Liverpool and Manchester United field a joint entry into the Premier League for a season.

Yet, on the subject of big tech, if nothing else, its happened.

Warrens opposition to the likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple youve probably heard about. Its one of the centrepieces of her run at the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket.

Last week she unveiled a plan to prevent big companies like these from owning both an online marketplace, exchange or platform and any of the companies competing on it.

The ambitious Massachusetts senator is just one of several candidates in an increasingly crowded field to take on Donald Trump. A bid to break up big tech is one way of keeping her very much in the publics  and critically the medias  eye.

Facebook could scarcely have been more helpful with that on Monday. It briefly blocked some of her campaign ads.

Curious why I think FB has too much power? Lets start with their ability to shut down a debate over why FB has too much power, she tweeted in response. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isnt dominated by a single censor. #BreakUpBigTech"

For the record, Facebook explained that the ads in question violated its policies over the use of its corporate logo and said it had restored them in the interests of robust debate.

It has also been pointed out that other Warren anti-tech ads were active during the period when they were suspended. But the PR damage was done.

A matters of hours later, big tech faced a second attack when Murdochs News Corp joined the party, focussing its fire on Google.

The media groups Australian division said in a submission to that nation's Competition & Consumer Commissions inquiry into digital platforms that Google owner Alphabet should be forced to divest its search function from its other businesses. It has also lobbied for tougher controls on Facebook, the other digital ad kingpin.

This rather puts it at odds with Murdochs Fox Business Network, owned by the rump broadcasting part of the empire. The latter has often taken shots at Warren, who has repeatedly sparred with Trump, its hero. In the latest, courtesy of an opinion piece on its website, her plan was described as an attack on innovation and consumer choice".

Itll be most interesting to see how its coverage of the issue develops from hereon out. It does rather looks like the broadcaster has missed the way the wind is blowing.

Notwithstanding the efforts of Margrethe Vestager, Europe's chief competition watchdog, the US is crucial to resolving the debate over the way these companies operate and were some way out from anything actually happening.

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.

However, its notable that chants of break them up with a similar rhythm to the way Trumpkins chant build the wall were reportedly heard at the live recording of a podcast at a US tech event at which Warren appeared.

I doubt it will be the last time we hear that.

Rupert Murdoch on the same side as Liz Warren is either confirmation that we are indeed living in a surreal dystopian sci-fi show on Netflix, or this is an idea whose time has come.
Facebook reinstated three campaign adverts by Elizabeth Warren calling for the break up of big technology firms on Tuesday after temporarily taking them down.

The Democratic senator and 2020 US presidential candidate said Facebooks actions had proved the point made in her adverts: that the social media giants power must be curtailed.

"Curious why I think FB has too much power?" Ms Warren tweeted.

"Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor. #BreakUpBigTech."

Facebook said it had removed Ms Warrens campaign adverts calling for Facebook to be broken up because they broke the platforms ad rules. Spokesperson Andy Stone said the ads "violated our policies against use of our corporate logo."

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

"In the interest of allowing robust debate, we are restoring the ads," Mr Stone said in a statement.

Ms Warren wrote that companies turning over $25bn or more should not be able to own a public online marketplace or platform that they also sell on.

She also promised to take steps to unwind "anti-competitive mergers" including Facebook's acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.

"Three companies have vast power over our economy and our democracy. Facebook, Amazon, and Google," one of Ms Warren's ads read.

 10-year-challege: Facebook accused of using meme to mine user data

"We all use them. But in their rise to power, they've bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field in their favor."

Pressure is ramping up on a number of fronts for the worlds largest technology companies who are accused of allowing their platforms to spread disinformation, propaganda and hate speech, as well as damaging competition.

This week Rupert Murdoch's News Corp called for Google to be broken up to end its overwhelming market power and safeguard the worlds news media.

The news organisations Australian arm demanded an enforced break-up of Google which dominates the online search and advertising businesses.

In an 80-page submission to the Australian government, News Corp, which has itself faced allegations of monopolistic behaviour, said Googles search engine and third-party advertising platform should be separated to allow publishers to compete for ad revenues.

Publishers have seen revenues decline sharply in recent years, forcing many to axe staff or shut down altogether.

Facebook and Google now hoover up more than 60 per cent of all internet ad spending; a proportion that is expected to continue to grow.
Photo: The Canadian Press A workman prepares a Confederate staute for removal, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

A construction crew was preparing to take down a Confederate statue in a North Carolina city Tuesday morning, a rare move in a state where such monuments are largely protected by law.

Two cranes were set up on either side of the statue in Winston-Salem and traffic was blocked on a main downtown thoroughfare.

At one point, a worker on a cherry picker was raised up to the top of the statue and appeared to be looking at how to attach a chain or harness.

"Work has started and hopefully it will be removed by end of the day," City Manager Lee Garrity said in an email.

Several onlookers were out, and temporary concrete barriers were blocking traffic in several directions.

Standing across the street from the statue, Howard Snow said the city was wasting money by taking the statue down and that the money could be put to better use.

Winston-Salem had more leeway than most North Carolina cities because the old courthouse property had passed into private hands. A 2015 North Carolina law all but prohibits the permanent removal of Confederate statues from public land.

In January, judge denied a request by the United Daughters of The Confederacy for a temporary restraining order to prevent the removal of the statue. Winston-Salem city officials had given the group until the end of that month to move the statue from the grounds of the building that now houses apartments, or the city would remove the monument itself. The mayor has proposed moving it to a cemetery.

North Carolina has been at the forefront of the debate over what to do with Confederate monuments as one of three southern states with the most statues, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. A state tally shows Confederate monuments are located at contemporary or historic courthouses in about half of the state's counties.
The UK economy grew faster than expected in January after bouncing back from a weak December, the latest official figures show.

But 0.5 per cent expansion in January couldnt make up for sluggish growth over the last three months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In the three months to the end of January, the UK economy expanded just 0.2 per cent with weakness showing in several sectors as uncertainty over Brexit drags on.

Rob Kent-Smith, head of GDP at the ONS, said: Across the latest three months, growth remained weak with falls in manufacture of metal products, cars and construction repair work all dampening economic growth. These were offset by strong performances in wholesale, IT and health services.

This sluggish growth came despite the economy bouncing back from a weak December.

The 0.5 per cent January growth rate outstripped the 0.2 per cent predicted by analysts, however, monthly gross domestic product (GDP) estimates tend to be more volatile than quarterly figures and more likely to be revised.

It came after the pound jumped to its highest in almost two years against the euro following an announcement that Theresa May had secured legally binding assurances from the EU on the Irish backstop.

Under the agreement, the UK cannot be locked into the Irish backstop on an indefinite basis.

Andrew Wishart, of Capital Economics, said the latest figures on the economy were a reassuring sign ... that the UK economy was weathering the political crisis at home and slowdown overseas pretty well.

All of the major parts of the economy  services, construction and manufacturing  expanded in the month.

Manufacturing grew 0.8 per cent, ending six consecutive months of contraction. The services sector, which includes hospitality and banking, grew 0.3 per cent.

 Theresa May says Britain and EU have 'secured legal changes' on Brexit deal

Mr Wishart added: Of course, the data may deteriorate in February and March if Brexit has caused consumers and firms to reach for the handbrake.

But note that even if monthly GDP growth is zero in February and March, the economy would still grow by 0.4 per cent in Q1.

Dean Turner, UK economist at UBS Wealth Management, commented: Looking beyond the month-on-month volatility, the overriding message emerging from todays release is an economy struggling under the weight of uncertainty.

Brexit is a key factor, but manufacturing also looks to be feeling the effects of a weaker global backdrop. On the bright side, the service sector is helping to offset some of the weakness elsewhere.

Ahead of todays second meaningful vote, the GDP data wont be of much relevance to markets, as evidenced by the muted reaction of the pound. However, the numbers should highlight the importance of the vote for the economy. If, for whatever reason, the chronic uncertainty about how and when the Brexit process will end does persist, economic growth is likely to remain subdued.
Some children are more likely to be criminalised for carrying a knife on the basis of their academic record or background rather than the risk they pose, education watchdog Ofsted finds.

A report, which looks at knife crime in London, reveals that schools decisions about whether to call the police to knife-carrying incidents can be based on irrelevant factors  such as a childs prior attainment.

Ofsted warns that an inconsistent approach to police involvement risks bias.

Children who have a certain demeanour, a particular type of relationship with their teacher or a type of background may likely be criminalised for the same actions that other children would not, depending on which school they go to, and even within the same school, the new research says.

Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of Ofsted, has called for headteachers to be given more information and guidance on how to respond to knife-carrying and knife offences to provide clarity.

The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Show all 21 1 /21 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo, 18, was killed in a fight in Chislehurst on 10 January 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Hasan Ozcan Hasan Ozcan, 19, was stabbed to death on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking on 3 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Sabri Chibani Sabri Chibani, 19, was stabbed fatally in the chest in Streatham on 11 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Promise Nkenda Lord Promise Nkenda, 17, was stabbed to death in Canning Town on 14 February 2018 Facebook The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lewis Blackman Lewis Blackman, a 19-year-old rapper from Kentish Town, was stabbed to death in Kensington on 18 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Abdikarim Hassan Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Camden's Peckwater estate on 20 March - less tahan two hours before another man was stabbed to death nearby Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Kelvin Odunuyi Kelvin Odunuyi, a 19-year-old rapper known as DipDat and Lampz, was shot dead in Wood Green on 8 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lyndon Davis Lyndon Davis, 18, was chased down and stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath on 14 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham on 2 April PA The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Amaan Shakoor Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow on 2 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Israel Ogunsola Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death in Hackney on 4 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a 17-year-old rapper and aspiring architect, was shot dead in a Kennington Street on 5 May Handout The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jordan Douherty Aspiring rapper Jordan Douherty died of his injuries outside a birthday party in Romford on 23 June Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Katrina Makunova Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed to death in Camberwell on 12 July 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Latwaan Griffiths 18-year-old Latwaan Griffiths was fatally stabbed on 25 July and died in hospital after being thrown off the back of a moped in Camberwell Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Guled Farah Guled Farah, 19, was shot in Walthamstow on 22 September Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Ethan Nedd-Bruce Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, died after he was shot outside a party at a flat in Greenwich, south-east London, on 22 October. He had also been stabbed, but the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jay Hughes Jay Hughes, 15, died was fatally stabbed outside a chicken shop in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Malcolm Mide-Madariola Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was found suffering from a stab wound outside Clapham South Tube station on 2 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 John Ogunjobi John Ogunjobi, 16, died in front of his parents after he was stabbed in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on 5 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Aron Warren Aron Warren, 18, was found stabbed in a flat block in Greenwich on 8 December and died at the scene Metropolitan Police

The report  which looks at how more than 100 schools, colleges and pupil referral units in London are protecting children from knife violence  concludes that schools do not have the resources or ability to counter the complex societal problems behind the rise in knife crime.

It says the issues need to be tackled by a range of partners, such as the police, local authorities and policymakers, as a lack of partnerships is adding to inconsistencies in the way schools respond.

Ms Spielman said: Some schools are valiantly trying to fund school-based early help services or other services that were once provided for free. But we cannot allow responsibility for this to be landed on schools in the absence of properly funded local services.

She added that some heads are concerned they will be seen as a problem school that parents should avoid if they educate about knife crime, the risks of grooming and exploitation by gangs.

And some schools and colleges are not conducting knife searches to ensure they do not send the wrong message to families, the report says.

Ms Spielman added that there was a harmful narrative developing that exclusions must cause children to join gangs or carry knives.

But she said the issue was too complex to be reduced to binary arguments.

Her comments come after police chiefs linked rising knife crime to the exclusion and off-rolling of pupils.

The Ofsted boss said: There is evidence that points to a correlation between the two, but of course this does not prove causation.

 Owen Jones speaks about the UK's knife crime crisis on Question Time

It seems just as likely that exclusions and knife crime are two symptoms of the same underlying problems, exacerbated by cuts to local authority childrens services.

However, the Ofsted boss also warned that decisions to exclude pupils for bringing knives into London schools do not always take the best interests of that child into account.

Diane Abbott, Labours shadow home secretary, said: The governments policy of cuts has failed vulnerable children in particular and Ofsted has now said that this could be one of the factors driving the rise in knife crime.

A government spokesperson said: The issues surrounding knife crime, gang culture and bad behaviour at school are complicated. We should not draw a simple causal link from exclusions to crime  as Ofsted themselves argue.

Any form of violence in a school is completely unacceptable and we have strengthened teachers powers so they can take action, including searching pupils, if they suspect a pupil has brought a prohibited item  such as a knife  into school.

No headteacher ever takes the decision to exclude a pupil lightly  but it is right that a school has the ability to permanently exclude when that last resort is needed.

The report came as Sara Thornton, the outgoing chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, called for concerted action at a national level on school exclusions and other issues making children vulnerable to crime.

She told the Home Affairs Committee that police alone cannot solve the many and complex drivers of serious violence, following outrage over a wave of stabbings seeing teenagers murdered in the street.

Ms Thornton warned: A lot of the organisations involved in prevention and diversion are just not there in the way they were five or 10 years ago.

She called for additional funding to help officers control knife crime in the short term, including through increased stop and search and high-profile policing in known hotspots.

We do not think that policing is the only solution, we think that when violence is getting to the level it is we need to immediately suppress it, she added.

There is a little bit of levelling off in London but outside virtually all the indicators are still going up.

The senior officer warned that although the home secretary had publicly backed a public health model to prevent crime, the government had not given the funding or leadership to implement it.

Ms Thornton said the 970m funding increase for 2019-20, generated mainly through council tax, was not enough to increase capacity and that other areas of policing were suffering because of the response to violent crime.

Despite Theresa Mays claim that there was no direct link between the loss of 20,000 police officers across England and Wales and rising violent crime, Ms Thornton said: There are fewer officers, there is a lot less policing happening and there is more crime  where we have so many young people dying in our streets we need a much more concerted response from government.

Police chiefs have presented ministers with details of the resources they need for a surge in capacity to combat the rise in violent crime, following a meeting with Sajid Javid last week.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: I think police resources are very important to deal with this. Weve got to do everything we can.

Im absolutely committed to working with the police in doing this. We have to listen to them when they talk about resources.
It is often said of an unpopular politician that history will be kinder to them. For some time we assumed that this would be true of Tony Blair, but it is now apparent that such a verdict will not be clear-cut. Will posterity see him as brilliant? Probably. Will it see him as tricky? Also likely. But will the overall verdict be positive or negative? We are not sure. As prime minister, he was popular enough to stay in office for 10 years and to leave pretty much on a date of his own choosing.

Since then, however, his reputation has failed to recover, as the Iraq war, the financial crisis and immigration became the dominant themes of his record. Although Blair won the 2005 election two years after the invasion of Iraq, the belief that he deceived parliament and the nation in making the case for the invasion has become firmly established. The financial crash of 2008 has cast a shadow over the golden economic record of the previous decade. And, as the free movement of workers became the focus of the campaign to leave the European Union, Blairs decision to allow the citizens of new member states to come to the UK from 2004 without the delay imposed by Germany and France has often been cited as a reason for the vote to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

We had thought, all the same, that a more balanced assessment of the Blair period would assert itself in time. Instead, history became less kind to him. When Robert Tombss bestselling The English and Their History was published in 2014, it repeated all the negative readings of the countrys most recent period. New Labour, Tombs said, was authoritarian; it was too attentive to the rich in general and to Rupert Murdoch in particular; it was responsible for bypassing parliament, subverting normal administrative methods (such as taking minutes of meetings), and tending to politicise or bypass civil servants; it used the press as an instrument of politics and was guilty of spin; and it achieved a settlement in Northern Ireland only at a cost.
The last woolly mammoth populations died out just over 4,000 years ago, but the prehistoric giants could soon be back and plodding about just like they were during the ice age.

Scientists in Japan claim to have taken a significant step towards bringing the extinct species back to life, after they transplanted cells extracted from the carcass of a mammoth into a mouse, where they subsequently recorded positive biological activity.

The cells were taken from the 28,000-year-old mummified remains of a woolly mammoth, named Yuka, found in Siberian permafrost in 2010. The animal, which died when it was about seven-years-old, is one of the best preserved mammoths known to science.

The team extracted tissue samples from the animals bone marrow and muscle, which they described as well preserved.

They then began searching for cell nuclei remains. In total, 88 nucleus-like structures were collected from the muscle sample.

Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo Show all 8 1 /8 Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-1.jpg Reuters Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-2.jpg Reuters Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-3.jpg Reuters Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-4.jpg Reuters Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-5.jpg Reuters Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-6.jpg Getty Images Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-7.jpg Getty Images Woolly mammoth found in Siberia to be displayed in Tokyo mammoth-8.jpg Getty Images

The structures were then injected into mouse oocytes  a cell in an ovary which can undergo genetic division to form an egg cell.

The team said following the procedure a pronucleus-like structure budded from the injected  mammoth nucleus.

They also found possible signs of repair to damaged mammoth DNA.

These results indicate that a part of mammoth nuclei possesses the potential for nuclear reconstitution, the scientists said, in a paper published in the journal Nature.

Workers carry the body of Yuka, the mammoth used in the study, to the start of an exhibition of the Russian Geographic Union in central Moscow in 2014 (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Despite the successes, the scientists did not observe the further cell division necessary to create a viable egg, possibly due to the extensive DNA damage in the transferred nuclei.

This marks a significant step toward bringing mammoths back from the dead, researcher Kei Miyamoto, one of the studys authors told Japans Nikkei news outlet.

We want to move our study forward to the stage of cell division, he added, but acknowledged we still have a long way to go.

Most mammoth populations died out between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago. The last mainland population existed in the Kyttyk peninsula of Siberia until 9,650 years ago.

But the species survived for another 5,000 years on Siberian islands, which became cut off from the mainland by retreating ice following the last ice age.

The last known population remained on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean until 4,000 years ago  well beyond the dawn of human civilisation, but finally becoming extinct around the time of the construction of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

There is no scientific consensus on the chief cause for the creatures demise, but climate change significantly reduced habitable parts of the globe for mammoths, and they were also hunted by humans.
A group calling itself the IRA has claimed responsibility for package bombs sent to targets in London and Glasgow.

A statement was sent to a media outlet in Northern Ireland using a recognised codeword on Monday, police said.

It said five bombs had been sent out, but only four have been discovered, at Heathrow, London City Airport, Waterloo railway station and the University of Glasgow.

The claim was allegedly made on behalf of the IRA, a spokesperson for Scotland Yard added.

The investigations into these devices continue and relevant enquiries are being made in relation to the claim that has been made.

Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Show all 7 1 /7 Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to The Compass Centre at London Heathrow Airport. The package burst into flames upon opening AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to London City Airport AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to London's Waterloo train station AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Emergency responders are seen outside Glasgow University after a suspicious package was found Lilli Schlossbach/Reuters Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Counter-terror police investigated a suspicious package at Heathrow on Tuesday 5 March AP Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain London's Waterloo station was closed after a suspicious package was found on Tuesday 5 March PA Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Counter-terror police investigated a suspicious package at London City Airport on Tuesday 5 March PA

Given the packages received last week bore similarities to devices sent in the past which were linked to dissident groups associated with Northern Ireland-related terrorism, officers were already looking at this as a line of enquiry. However, we continue to keep an open mind and enquiries continue.

The Irish News said the statement claimed that three package bombs were sent to commercial targets while the remaining two  including the Glasgow University package  were directed to British army recruitment officers.

The location of the fifth device is unknown.

Images of the parcel bombs suggested they had been sent from the Republic of Ireland, with false senders addresses in Dublin written on the outside.

The identical packages were addressed by hand, with stamps from a limited 2018 Valentines Day range produced by Irelands An Post service, featuring the words Love Eire.

The IRA fought a paramilitary campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland and has launched deadly bombing campaigns on the British mainland that culminated during the Troubles.

It previously targeted British army recruitment centres in February 2014, when devices were sent to seven offices across the southeast of England.

The most recent incarnation of the republican terrorist group, the New IRA, was also suspected of being behind a car bombing that struck Derry in January.

Police officers secure the scene at Waterloo (Reuters) (REUTERS)

Police Service of Northern Irelands Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton described the faction as small, largely unrepresentative and determined to drag people back to somewhere they dont want to be.

The Metropolitan Police said extensive advice has been issued to armed forces personnel, businesses and the transport sector to be vigilant for potential suspicious devices.

The discovery of four devices last week sparked a wave of evacuations and security alerts, but only one device partially detonated and no one was seriously injured.

Police said the packages were all A4-sized white postal bags and contained small improvised explosive devices that were capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened.

The first device was reported at the Compass Centre, an office building in the grounds of Heathrow airport, shortly before 10am on 5 March.

The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate and burst into flames, but no one was injured.

The second device was reported at 11.40am, when British Transport Police were called to investigate a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo railway station.

The third device was reported shortly after midday at Civil Aviation House, an office building next to London City airport in east London.

On Wednesday, the fourth package was received at the University of Glasgow and destroyed in a controlled explosion.

Detectives from Scotland Yards Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation into the three packages received in London, whilst Police Scotland is investigating the package received at the University of Glasgow.

There have been no arrests.
A woman who was jailed last year for making 31 fraudulent medical claims following the Manchester Arena attack, including one in which she said her daughter had sustained serious injuries in the explosion, has been ordered to pay back 139,000.

Susan Pain, 51, from Liverpool, was sentenced to two years in prison in September last year for fraud by false representation.

Pain was ordered to pay 89,000 within three months or face an additional 12 months in jail on top of her current sentence. The remaining 40,000 will be taken from her pension when she is 55 years old.

The City of London Polices Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) initially began investigating Pain after a referral by the insurance company AXA.

Officers discovered a string of fraudulent insurance claims dating between March 2010 and July 2017.

Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Show all 10 1 /10 Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trail in St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trail in St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Embracing Manchester Exhibition at St Ann's Church was created by artist Ghislaine Howard after being inspired by Muslim video blogger Baktash Noori who, after the attack spent days in the city centre trying to win the trust of the public. Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes

Pain was working as a director at an insurance broker and had abused her position to make the claims, in which shed used the names of friends and family, and had pretended to have a daughter in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack.

She also made some claims in her own name, believing that she would avoid detection because she was known professionally by her former name Susan Raufer.

The majority of the claims were for unexpected overhears encountered by medical professionals, according to the police.

IFED financial investigator Simon Styles said: The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Departments work doesnt stop at the conviction of insurance fraudsters and this case is a prime example. My job is to ensure that Pain does not benefit from her despicable actions.

Were pleased that she will now be paying the price, not just through her prison sentence, but also in having to pay back the money she gained illegally.

This will hopefully have the effect of deterring other people thinking of committing insurance fraud and show them that crime doesnt pay.

In the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017 a radical Islamist detonated a home-made bomb as crowds of people left an Ariana Grande concert, a killing himself and 22 other people and injuring 139  more than half of them children.
A group calling itself the IRA has claimed responsibility for a number of package bombs posted to targets in London and Glasgow last week.

Scotland Yard said on Tuesday a media outlet in Northern Ireland received a statement purportedly from the group using a recognised codeword.

It said it was behind devices sent to Heathrow and London City airports, Waterloo station and the University of Glasgow, while claiming a fifth bomb had not been discovered.

Although the group calls itself the IRA, it is commonly known as the New IRA and is an offshoot of the Provisional IRA active during The Troubles.

What is the New IRA?

The New IRA is a republican paramilitary group based in west Belfast but also active in the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which aims to bring about a united Ireland.

UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Show all 14 1 /14 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Oxford Street terror plot Lewis Ludlow was jailed for life in March 2019 for planning a 'spectacular multi-victim attack' on Oxford Street in London. He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey last year to plotting an attack in the UK and funding Isis abroad EPA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Rosie Cooper MP plot Jack Renshaw admitted plotting to kill his local Labour MP with a machete in June 2018. Renshaw bought a 19in machete intending to use it to kill Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire. His plan was foiled by whistleblower Robbie Mullen, who heard of the plot in a meeting of alleged and convicted National Action members in the Friar Penketh pub in Warrington Hope Not Hate UK terror plots that were foiled by security services 'Poppy terror plot' Nadir Ali Sayed, his cousin Yousaf Shah Syed, and Haseeb Hamayoon, were charged with terrorism offences over an alleged plot to behead a member of public. The trio were arrested in London and High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire on 6 November - three days before Remembrance Sunday in 2014 PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services National Action arrests Following the arrest of six men in 2018 on suspicion that they were members of the banned far-right terror group National Action, two were jailed. Christopher Lythgoe was found to be leader of the banned group and jailed for eight years, while Matthew Hankinson was jailed for six years. While it was found that Lythgoe did not encourage Jack Renshaw's plot to kill a Labour MP, the judge noted that he "did nothing to stop or discourage" the attack PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Shane Fletcher A self-described 'loner', Fletcher planned to kill members of the public at a football match in his home town of Workington. He had been referred to the government's Prevent programme nine moths prior to his arrest after stating that he dreamed about "shooting up a mosque" PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Heathrow airport arrests A 19-year-old from Coventry man was arrested at London's Heathrow airport on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism in November 2014 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Extradition of Abu Hamza Radical muslim cleric Abu Hamza was extradited to the US in 2014 after having been jailed in the UK for 7 years for 11 offences under the Terrorism Act Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services South East Counter Terrorism Unit arrests Six people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a series of dawn raids in the south of England in October 2014. Three men and three women were detained separately in two properties in Portsmouth, one in Farnborough and one in Greenwich following an operation by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit. Counter-terror officers said they had disrupted what was believed to be the early stages of what could have turned into a significant plot PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services October 2014 arrests Three men were arrested in central London on 13 October as part of an investigation into Islamist-related terrorism. The arrests come nearly a week after five men were arrested in dawn raids that Whitehall officials said may have foiled the early stages of a plan to attack the UK Peter Macdiarmid/Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Anjem Choudary arrest Anjem Choudary, the radical activist and co-founder of the banned al-Muhajiroun group, was arrested in September 2014 as efforts intensify to disrupt the ideological backers of young British Muslims travelling to fight in foreign conflicts. Mr Choudary was among nine men held on suspicion of supporting a banned terrorist group and encouraging terrorism. The arrests came shortly after Mr Choudary fired off a series of angry tweets after David Cameron called on MPs to back air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria Oli Scarff/Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services North West Counter Terrorism Unit funds seizing Police seize 250,000 of cash intended to fund Isis at Manchester Airport and north-west ports. Using powers under the Terrorism Act, the money was confiscated by officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit in Ocotber 2014 Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Tarik Hassane arrest A medical student who was offered a place at a London university has been named among four men who are being questioned by counter-terror police after a series of raids across the capital. Tarik Hassane, 21, is believed to have been Tasered when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a "significant" Islamist terror plot on 7 October 2015 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Abu Qatada removed from UK Radical preacher Abu Qatada will not be returning to the UK after being cleared of terror charges in Jordan in 2013 Reuters UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Haider Ahmed knife plot Teenage Isis supporter Haider Ahmed purchased a 15ins hunting knife and threatened to launch a stabbing attack on the Tube. Prosecutors said he may alternatively have been planning to rob someone with the weapon to fund his travel to fight for Isis in Syria He was jailed for preparing an act of terrorism in June 2019 Counter Terrorism Policing South East

The group can trace its lineage back to the Real IRA, which was formed following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members who rejected the 1997 ceasefire.

It was reported in 2012 the Real IRA had merged with several smaller Republican militant organisations and  although the group calls itself as the Irish Republican Army  became widely referred to as the New IRA.

What are their objectives?

The New IRAs primary goal is to bring an end to British rule in Northern Ireland through the use of paramilitary violence.

The group rejects the Good Friday Agreement, which effectively brought about the end of The Troubles by setting out both Northern Irelands status within the UK and its relationship with the Republic of Ireland.

Have they carried out attacks in the past?

The New IRA has been linked to a number of incidents in recent years. In 2014 the group sent seven letter bombs to British Army recruitment offices in southeast England  the first Republican attack on the mainland UK since 2001.

In May 2016, the group were blamed after three men were shot in paramilitary-style attacks in Republican areas of Belfast in less than 24 hours, leaving two injured and one dead.

The New IRA is considered the main line of enquiry in a car bomb attack on a courthouse in Derry, which took place in January this year.

How big are they?

Being a designated terrorist organisation, there are no concrete figures for how many members the New IRA currently has.

However, MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) believe the group remains small, focussed around a core of no more than a few hundred people.

How much of a threat are they?

Although the Real IRA was known to target the UK mainland with car bombs and incendiary devices, the group remains most active in Northern Ireland.

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MI5 says although the risk of attacks by dissident republicans persists, the vast majority of Northern Irish people can go about their daily lives untroubled by terrorism.

The Security Service currently deems the threat of Northern Ireland-related terror to be severe in Northern Ireland.

The threat level in Great Britain had been lowered from substantial to moderate a week before the first letter bombs were found at London transport hubs.
The controversial Brexit backstop has not been rewritten or undermined by new clarifications secured by Theresa May on Monday evening, the Irish prime minister has said.

Speaking in Dublin Leo Varadkar reassured the Irish media that the accords  presented by the British government as significant legally binding changes  were simply guarantees and further reassurances to the United Kingdom of our good faith and intentions.

It does not reopen the withdrawal agreement or undermine the backstop or its application, Mr Varadkar told the press, adding that weve insisted that withdrawal agreement cannot be rewritten, and that the backstop agreement, while intended to be temporary, must continue to apply unless and until its replaced by future arrangements that can achieve the same objective  namely no hard border.

But he added: Weve also said that wed be prepared to offer guarantees and further reassurances to the United Kingdom of our good faith and intentions. Indeed weve offered such reassurances on many occasions.

The instrument agreed yesterday puts those reassurances on a legal footing and represents an unambiguous legal statement of what has been agreed. It does not reopen the withdrawal agreement or undermine the backstop or its application.

Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Show all 12 1 /12 Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Derry, Londonderry A garage door displaying unionism, bolted shut, like a visual representation of Brexit Britain, locked to outsiders, safeguarding whats inside Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Derry, Londonderry Rossville Street, the site of Bloody Sunday, where messages demand a severance with England. From this perspective, Britain is England in sheeps clothing, the real empire, the centre of colonial power Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Bangor A political message in paint not yet dry, still forming, setting, adjusting, or in old paint finally eroding, melting away Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Bangor Moral judgement frames a residential view. The message seeks to make everybody involved in the religious narrative: those who dont believe are those most in debt Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Castlerock The beach is sparse and almost empty, but covered in footprints. The shower is designed to wash off sand, and a mysterious border cuts a divide through the same sand Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Belfast Two attempts to affect and care for the body. One stimulated by vanity and social norms and narratives of beauty, the other by a need to keep warm in the winter night Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Belfast The gate to an unclaimed piece of land, where nothing is being built, where no project is in the making, where a sign demands the creation of something new Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Derry, Londonderry Under a motorway bridge a womans face stares, auburn and red-lipped, her skin tattooed with support for the IRA and a message of hostility to advocates of the Social Investment Fund Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Derry, Londonderry The Fountain Murals, where the curbs and the lampposts are painted the red, white, and blue of the Union Flag. A boy walks past in the same colours, fitting the scene, camouflaged Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Coleraine A public slandering by the football fields, for all to see or ignore. I wonder if its for the police or for the community Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Belfast A tattoo parlour, where the artist has downed tools, momentarily, bringing poise to the scene, which looks like a place of mourning, not a site of creation Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain Before Brexit: Northern Ireland Derry, Londonderry A barrier of grey protects the contents of this shop, guarding it from the streets outside, but it cannot conceal it completely, and the colours of lust and desire and temptation cut through Richard Morgan/The Independent

Mr Varadkars comments, pitched to his domestic audience that is worried about the strength of the backstop, are likely to be unhelpful for Theresa May, who is trying to present last nights agreement as a major victory for UK negotiators that assuages the concerns of Tory MPs, ahead of a crunch vote on the plan today.

The Taoiseach said he hoped the House of Commons backed the agreement, and that the additions would eliminate doubt or fears, however unreal, that the goal of some was to trap the UK indefinitely in the backstop. He said Brexit was a dark cloud over us that a positive vote this evening could remove.

The reassurances obtained by Ms May do not touch the actual withdrawal agreement, but instead take the form of other assurances by the EU that it will not seek to trap Britain in the backstop against its will. The fundamental functioning of the agreement has not changed, however  with the only legal way to escape the backstop permanently being negotiating a trade agreement that resembles membership of the single market and customs union.

The maths in Westminster is not on the governments side, with some Brexiteers having already rejected the plan, arguing it does not address their fundamental concerns. These MPs do not want a permanent customs union with the EU, which they fear the backstop will become, and are worried about the imposition of checks on the Irish sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said in a joint press conference with Ms May on Monday evening in Strasbourg that there would be no third chance and that the EU would offer no further negotiations whatsoever.

The Irish backstop is a policy within the withdrawal agreement, aimed at making sure no hard border appears between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland  in order to preserve the Good Friday Agreement. The backstop keeps the UK inside an EU customs territory and applies some single market rules to Northern Ireland in order to remove the need for border checks. The current version of the backstop was demanded by UK negotiators after the prime minister said she could not accept an early proposal, which applied only to Northern Ireland.
Theresa May claims to have secured significant changes to her Brexit deal in a last-minute dash to Europe just hours before she must put her plan to a critical vote in parliament.

In a late night statement on Monday in Strasbourg she argued the new-look deal meant Britain could not be trapped in the Irish backstop so hated by Eurosceptic Tories and her DUP allies, but major doubts remain over whether it is enough to win their backing on Tuesday.

The prime ministers deputy David Lidington warned that if her deal is rejected for a second time by MPs it will plunge the country into a political crisis.

European leaders warned there would be no third chance, but Conservative Brexiteers insisted there are still very worrying features to the agreement, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said MPs must reject this deal tomorrow.

The announcement came after another dramatic day in Westminster on Monday, which began with talk of Ms May potentially delaying Tuesdays vote on her deal after a seemingly fruitless weekend of talks.

But speaking an hour before midnight, she said: MPs were clear that legal changes were needed to the backstop. Today we have secured legal changes.

Now is the time to come together, to back this improved Brexit deal, and to deliver on the instruction of the British people.

The backstop is an arrangement in the existing withdrawal agreement that comes into play if the EU and UK fail to agree future trading arrangements by the end of 2020, thus keeping the Irish border open, but also locking the UK into a customs union with the EU on a potentially indefinite basis.

Europe Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the new additions to the agreement provided meaningful clarifications and legal guarantees on the backstops temporary nature.

He went on: In politics sometimes you get a second chance. It is what you do with this second chance that counts  because there will be no third chance.

In politics sometimes you get a second chance. It is what you do with this second chance that counts  because there will be no third chance European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker

There will be no further interpretation of the interpretations, and no further reassurances on the reassurances if the meaningful vote fails tomorrow.

In a commons statement Mr Lidington revealed that the UK had secured two new documents, a joint legally binding instrument on the withdrawal agreement and a joint statement to supplement the political declaration on future relations.

There is also a third element  a unilateral declaration from the UK setting out what actions it would take if it felt the backstop is being abused by the EU.

Mr Lidington said the new legal instrument confirmed that the EU could not try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, because commitments they had made to not do so were now legally binding.

 Jean-Claude Junker: 'There will be no third chance' for Brexit negotiations

The cabinet minister argued that this commitment from the EU could also now be used as the basis of a formal dispute through an independent arbitration, which could lead to the suspension of the backstop.

Furthermore, he said the UK had won a commitment to find an alternative arrangement to the backstop by 2020, something set out in the joint statement.

Critically the legal instrument looks like it will be enough to allow attorney general Geoffrey Cox to change his legal advice to parliament, which previously said the backstop could be indefinite.

Mr Lidington said: Tomorrow will be a fundamental choice. To vote for the improved deal or to plunge the country into a political crisis. If we vote for this improved deal, we will both end the current uncertainty and have delivered Brexit.

The house was clear on the need for legally binding changes to the backstop. Today we have secured those changes.

To win the vote on Tuesday, Ms May must convince not only backbenchers in the European Research Group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, but also Northern Irish MPs in the DUP who prop up her Commons majority.

 Irish deputy prime minister Simon Coveney: Theresa May going to Strasbourg for further Brexit negotiations

Both groups have previously called for the backstop to be removed or replaced altogether, saying anything less would be unacceptable, though this position has been softened in some DUP statements and in comments from individuals in the ERG.

But to underline the challenge Ms May faces, the ERGs deputy-chair Steve Baker said he did not believe Ms Mays changes would go as far as he and many other Brexiteer colleagues had demanded.

He said: Its not for the first time that David [Lidington] has had to put a good gloss on something that falls short of what was expected.

It had looked on Monday morning as if Ms May would enrage all sides of the Brexit debate by trying to either delay or downgrade the vote on Tuesday after failing to win concessions at the weekend.

 Jeremy Hunt admits: 'There is a risk and a possibility that we end up losing Brexit '

Downing Street was forced to deny claims that the EU had made an offer of sorts on Sunday only for it to be turned down in London, but they did reveal Ms May had called a string of EU leaders over the weekend including German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron.

There was also a further call with Mr Juncker, following one that had taken place over the weekend, a further sign of movement.

Then shortly after lunch Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said he believed Ms May would travel across the channel for discussions, though Downing Street still refused to confirm it.

Meanwhile, Ms May attended a ceremony to commemorate Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey in which she read out a bible passage from Corinthians which began the body is not made up of one part but of many, which some saw as a message to Tory rebels to get behind her.

It was at about 5pm, as she headed to the airport, that Number 10 let it be known she was finally going to Strasbourg though they continued to play down suggestions that a deal had been struck.

Things suddenly began to move more quickly, with the DUPs leader Arlene Foster travelling to London for a meeting with her partys MPs, while the Irish cabinet were also called in for a meeting, as a spokesman confirmed the Taoiseach had also spoken to Mr Juncker.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, confirmed he and the parliaments president Antonio Tajani also met Ms May on Monday night.

The face-to-face meetings took place in the Strasbourg parliaments Winston Churchill building, while in London Ms Mays senior ministers were called into the cabinet office to be briefed by Mr Liddington ahead of his statement.

Mr Corbyn said: The prime ministers negotiations have failed. This evenings agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for.

Since her Brexit deal was so overwhelmingly rejected, the prime minister has recklessly run down the clock, failed to effectively negotiate with the EU and refused to find common ground for a deal parliament could support.
Jacob Rees-Mogg and other Brexiteer Tories have signalled they will again vote down Theresa Mays deal, in aggressive questioning of the Brexit secretary.

Stephen Barclay was given a rough ride as he struggled to defend the prime ministers claim to have secured significant changes to allow the UK to escape the Irish backstop.

John Whittingdale, a former cabinet minister, said the attorney generals refusal to change his legal advice that the UK could still be trapped was pretty terminal, adding: Nothing has actually changed.

Peter Bone, another leading Brexiteer, said ministers were asking him to support a deal that was not the right to pull out of the Irish backstop.

And, most significantly, Mr Rees-Mogg, told Mr Barclay: This has been advertised as a unilateral ability [to escape the backstop]  its not unilateral.

Recommended Hammer blow for May as government lawyer says UK can still be trapped

Its back to square one  we cant leave without the EU agreeing.

Mr Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the hardline European Research Group of Tory MPs, said the UK  despite Ms Mays claim of legally-binding changes  could still only ask to leave the backstop.

That has been blindingly obvious to everyone. The ability to ask is not the ability to [leave]  is it? he told Mr Barclay.

In response, the Brexit secretary said: I don't accept that. This is both a question of legal interpretation and political interpretation.

But he acknowledged that the UKs ability to end the backstop would rest on it proving bad faith by the EU  and ducked an opportunity to state a precedent for proving that in international law.

Mr Barclay said the agreement reduces the risk of being trapped in the backstop but did not eliminate it because one has to prove bad faith.

To say it eliminates it ignores the fact that one has to prove bad faith, he told the Commons Brexit committee.

Mr Barclay also fell back on arguing that the starting point for this is that neither side wants to go into the backstop, there are safeguards to prevent it.
Photo: The Canadian Press Music producer Phil Spector's mansion on Grand View Drive in Alhambra, Calif.

The hilltop Los Angeles-area mansion where music producer Phil Spector killed actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 is for sale at $5.5 million.

The Daily News reported Sunday that the walled French-style chateau known as "Pyrenees Castle" sits on 2.5 acres (1 hectare) in Alhambra.

Spector is serving a sentence of 19 years to life after his second-degree murder conviction in Clarkson's death. The 40-year-old actress  star of the 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen"  was found shot to death in the foyer of the 8,700-square-foot (808-square-meter), nine-bedroom home.

Jurors were taken to the castle to inspect the scene of the crime during two trials. The first ended in a mistrial.

The 79-year-old Spector is known for his "Wall of Sound" recording technique developed in the 1960s.
Business leaders reacted with frustration to the continued uncertainty caused by MPs rejecting the Brexit deal.

The Commons defeated Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement by a majority of 149, with further votes expected this week on whether to back a no-deal Brexit or delay the UK's departure beyond 29 March.

Industry leaders urged the Commons to reject the possibility of a no-deal Brexit this month, but stressed the need to find a way out of the impasse.

Confederation of British Industry director general Carolyn Fairbairn called on MPs to "stop this circus" and said people's jobs depended on a new approach.

"Enough is enough. This must be the last day of failed politics," she said. "A new approach is needed by all parties. Jobs and livelihoods depend on it. Extending Article 50 to close the door on a March no-deal is now urgent. It should be as short as realistically possible and backed by a clear plan.

Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Show all 15 1 /15 Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Pork There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cheese There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including 22.10/100kg of cheddar, 19.10/100kg of processed cheese and 18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Milk There will be no tariffs in place on milk Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Car Parts There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe PA Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cars However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6% Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Alcoholic drinks There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks - except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Beef There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fish There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fruit and vegetables There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Chocolate There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Poultry There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Ceramics There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Steel There will be no tariffs on steel Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Coal There will be no tariffs on coal Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Lamb/Mutton There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers Getty

"Conservatives must consign their red lines to history, while Labour must come to the table with a genuine commitment to solutions. It's time for Parliament to stop this circus."

Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "It is profoundly obvious that neither Government nor many businesses are ready for a disorderly exit - and this must not be allowed to happen on 29 March, whether by default or by design. Businesses have been failed over and over again by Westminster in recent months, but allowing a messy and disorderly exit on March 29 would take political negligence to new extremes."

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: "Today's vote leaves us perilously close to the cliff edge. No-deal would be catastrophic for the automotive industry. It would end frictionless trade, add billions to the cost of manufacturing and cost jobs. UK automotive businesses will be put at immediate risk.

"Parliament must reject no-deal and take it permanently off the table."

Edwin Morgan, interim director general of the Institute of Directors, said: "Our politicians have yet again failed to find a way to break the impasse. They are becoming adept at saying what they don't want, but it's still hard to see where the desire for compromise lies."

Trade union leaders also raised concerns about the continued uncertainty.

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GMB leader Tim Roache said: "The Government can continue to flog a dead horse, or finally choose to be honest with the public about what can realistically be achieved."

He added that the only way to "break the logjam" is a second referendum.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "Two months may have passed since the last vote, but the PM's bad deal remains the same. Her failure to negotiate a better deal risks a catastrophic no-deal Brexit that would crash the economy and harm public services. Thanks to her Government's negligence, working people are still no closer to knowing what Brexit means for them, their families, their jobs or the public services many help provide."

Press Association
The fate of Theresa May's Brexit deal hangs in the balance as Tory Eurosceptics and the DUP weigh up whether to support the plan.

The prime minister is waiting to hear whether some of the staunchest critics of her Brexit strategy have been won over by the new concessions announced in a dramatic late-night statement yesterday.

Ms May travelled to Strasbourg last night to sign off new guarantees from the EU that the controversial Irish backstop, which would keep the EU in a customs union with the bloc, will not be permanent.

After frantic last-minute talks, the government published three new documents: two new legally-binding agreements with the EU and a unilateral statement from the UK outlining how it would leave the backstop.

However, it is unclear whether the changes will be enough to overturn the historic 230-vote defeat Ms May's deal suffered when it was put to MPs in January.

The chances of the revised deal being passed when MPs vote on it tonight will be determined by the prime minister's Brexiteer backbenchers and her Commons partners in the DUP.

The sizeable European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Eurosceptics is yet to take a position on the new deal, saying it is awaiting the verdict of a committee of parliamentary lawyers that the group set up to scrutinise the government's plans. The decision of the panel, which is meeting this morning, is expected to be a highly significant in influencing other ERG members.

The attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, will also publish his legal opinion this morning on whether the changes secured by Ms May have altered his previous assessment that the backstop could "endure indefinitely".

Many Tory MPs who opposed the deal in January are waiting for those two rulings before announcing how they will vote tonight.

ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said he wanted to hear the opinion of the group's legal "star chamber" before coming to a decision, telling BBC Radio 4 Today: "The reason we haven't jumped to a conclusion is that there is a lot of detail in this. I'm not a lawyer, so that's why I'm waiting for lawyers to explain to me exactly what it means."

He added: "I'm not sure that the agreement with the EU are a major change - that they continue to be promises of goodwill.

"So my focus will be on whether the unilateral declaration is genuinely unilateral. That's the point that I want to be satisfied."

Mr Rees-Mogg said many Tory MPs would also be "heavily influenced" by the DUP.

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

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds sits on the ERG's legal committee and will play a key role in determining whether or not Ms May's deal is passed.

Another DUP MP, Sammy Wilson, said Ms May's announcement last night "seems to fall short of what she herself has promised" but said the party would "give due diligence" to the new documents and would await Mr Cox's verdict.

As the prime minister hailed a last-gasp breakthrough in Strasbourg last night, all eyes turned to her backbenchers and the MPs who so comprehensively defeated her agreement two months ago.

Some senior figures who previously opposed Ms May's deal said they were now minded to support it.

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, told talkRADIO that if Mr Cox confirms the new documents are legally binding, it would "make this just about acceptable to me".

He added: "This is a way to deliver a proper Brexit - its a lot worse than what I would have hoped for - its significantly better than what was presented in December."

 Theresa May arrives in Strasbourg for meeting with EU

The government is hoping that the new assurances on the backstop will be enough to get its exit deal over the line. Ms May has promised that, if her deal is rejected a second time, she will allow the Commons to vote on whether to pursue a no-deal Brexit or delay Britain's departure from the EU.

Urging MPs to back the plan, environment secretary Michael Gove told Today: "We have an improvement on the Withdrawal Agreement that was presented to the House of Commons in January. That improvement ensures that we have additional legal weight behind our position.

"It also ensures that, as in any agreement or any contract, if it is the case that one side - in this case the EU - seeks to act in a way that is not in accordance with their commitments then we can go to court and we can win.

"We have also made a declaration as a nation that, should the EU behave in that way, that is exactly what we will do."
MPs will vote tonight on an improved Brexit deal after last-minute negotiations in Strasbourg, Theresa May has insisted.

Tuesday evenings Commons showdown  the second meaningful vote after the prime ministers first attempt was defeated by a margin of 230  comes just 17 days before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.

The prime minister said she "passionately believed" her Brexit deal addressed concerns raised by MPs who feared the backstop  the legal guarantee to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland no matter the outcome of negotiations  would keep the UK in a customs arrangement with the EU indefinitely.

But how is the latest iteration of her agreement different to the one rejected by MPs in January, and what happens next?

What are the changes?

Ms May has agreed three new documents with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

The first is a "legally binding joint instrument" relating to the Withdrawal Agreement  the nearly 600 page document that, if it is approved by parliament, will set out the terms on which the UK will leave the EU.

The government states the new document "reduces the risk that the UK could be deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely and commits the UK and EU to work to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020".

The second new document is branded a "unilateral declaration by the UK" which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily".

The final text is a supplement to the Political Declaration  the document setting out in broad terms how the UK's relationship with the bloc after Brexit will look  "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

What did Ms May promise after her last Commons defeat?

On 29 January, MPs, including the prime minister, voted for an amendment put by the Tory backbencher Sir Graham Brady that instructed the government to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements.

Immediately after that vote, the EU shot down any hopes of that being achieved. The backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and the withdrawal agreement is not open for re-negotiation, a spokesperson said.

On Monday night, the de facto deputy prime minister, David Lidington, said the new documents gave "confirmation that the EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally-binding commitments that both sides have agreed".

But critics of Ms Mays revised deal were quick to claim she had failed to deliver a replacement to the backstop, as promised.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said: This evenings agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for."

Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said he would be surprised if the changes were enough to allow the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, to change his legal advice relating to the backstop  a key measure Brexit-backing MPs have said will inform how they will vote on Tuesday evening.

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And hardline Tory Eurosceptic Steve Baker said: "Even by the government's own standards I think this falls very far short of what the government whipped us to vote for."

Others have been more equivocal.

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said the revised deal was "just about acceptable to me" but depended "very, very heavily on a robust, clear response" from the attorney general.

What comes next?

If MPs back Ms Mays deal tonight, the UK will leave the EU on or close to 29 March 2019, dependant on the speed with which the necessary legislation can be passed.

If MPs vote the deal down, the scale of the defeat is likely to influence what course Ms May takes.

It is too early to say what this would be, aside from a promise to consult MPs on whether they support leaving the EU at the end of this month without a withdrawal agreement or framework for a future relationship in place.

That vote on a no-deal Brexit will take place on Wednesday, the prime minister has said.

The following day, MPs will be given a vote on whether to ask the EU for a short, limited extension to article 50, delaying Brexit.

But neither of these two subsequent votes will offer any solutions to the fundamental question of how  or whether  the UK should leave the EU.

There had been a number of machinations talked about as potential options for Ms May under these circumstances, including a possible third meaningful vote.

However Mr Juncker was clear on Monday evening that this revised settlement would be the last and that the EU would not agree to any further changes.

 Jean-Claude Junker: 'There will be no third chance' for Brexit negotiations

There will be no new negotiations. It is this, he said.

"In politics, sometimes you get a second chance. It is what we do with the second chance that counts. Because there will be no third chance.

"There will be no further interpretation of the interpretations and no further assurances on the reassurances.

"Let us be crystal clear about the choice - it is this deal or Brexit might not happen at all."
The frontrunner to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as the next European Commission president has urged Labour to back Brexit and vote for Theresa Mays withdrawal agreement.

Manfred Weber, the lead candidate for EUs dominant political group and an ally of Mr Juncker said it was absolutely unacceptable that Jeremy Corbyns party was opposing the government.

Labour says it cannot back the deal unless Theresa May agrees to soften Brexit and link the UK into the customs union and single market  as some other EU figures have suggested. The party says it will back a second referendum if it cannot secure these changes.

But Mr Weber, who leads the European Peoples Party in the European Parliament, said on Tuesday: This is the last chance to reach a reasonable agreement on Brexit. There departure date cannot be postponed  a two-month long technical transitional period is the maximum we can accept.

Jeremy Corbyn and Labour should finally take responsibility for their country and support this compromise. Their purely tactical behaviour and electoral calculations are absolutely unacceptable.

Barring a major upheaval at the coming European Parliament elections in May, Mr Weber is likely to become the next Commission president, which would see him deal directly with the UK.

The vast majority of Labour MPs are expected to vote down Mays Brexit deal at the behest of the leadership later on Tuesday, with just a handful defying Mr Corbyn and supporting the exit plan.

Without Labour votes it would be very difficult for the Government to pass its Brexit deal  with many Tory Brexiteers still opposed and the DUP yet to come onside.

Other EU figures have been more supportive of Labours position in recent weeks. Udo Bullmann, the leader of the socialist group in the European Parliament, praised Mr Corbyn in February after his party backed a second vote.

That's the announcement we were waiting for: Jeremy Corbyns plan or second referendum. UK Labour on the offensive, Mr Bullmann said.

Manfred Weber leads the European People's Party, the largest group in the European Parliament (EbS)

European Council president Donald Tusk and others have also called on the UK government to consider Labours proposals for a softer Brexit in order to compromise and win their support.

Theresa May has refused to adopt any of the Labour proposals, however  for fear they would turn yet more of her MPs against her.

If MPs reject the Brexit deal on Tuesday evening the will be asked to vote on ruling out a no-deal exit on Wednesday, and then whether to ask for an extension of Article 50 on Thursday.

Though Mr Weber said the EU would only agree a short extension to Article 50, other EU figures have suggested a longer extension could be possible as long as it was in aid of a new policy or approach from the UK side.
At least 535 people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo as intercommunal violence resulted in potential crimes against humanity, according to a new United Nations report.

The massacre took place over three days in December, not long before the countrys long-delayed presidential election.

Violence erupted in Yumbi between the Banunu and Batende communities after a dispute over the burial of a Banunu chief.

Witnesses told UN investigators that village chiefs helped to plan the violence.

The attacks followed strikingly similar patterns and were characterised by extreme violence and speed, leaving little time for people to escape, the UN said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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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. 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Banunu villagers were targeted with firearms and petrol, the investigation found.

The death toll is likely to be higher because many victims bodies are believed to have been dumped in the nearby Congo river, the UN said.

The similarity in the way the attacks were carried out indicated prior consultation and organisation, the report said.

Certain chiefs of Batende-majority villages were cited by many sources as having taken part in the planning of the attacks.

The UN investigators expressed concern that not enough had been done to prevent the violence and the risk of conflict remains.

Provincial authorities appear to have failed in their responsibility to protect the population, the report said.

In spite of clear signs of rising tensions and an increased risk of violence, no steps were taken to reinforce security ahead of the attacks.

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The countrys electoral commission barred voting in Yumbi because of the massacre.

Additional reporting from agencies
Six members of the same were among those killed when an Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashed.

Fourteen-year-old Ashka and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit were among the 157 who died, along with their parents and grandparents, when the Boeing 747 went it came down shortly after it took off from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Sunday.

Their 37-year-old mother Kosha Vaidya, 45-year-old father Prerit Dixit, 71-year-old grandfather Pannagesh Vaidya and 63-year-old grandmother Hansini Vaidya also died.

The Canadian family were travelling to a safari holiday.

The mothers brother, Manant Vaidya, said the family holiday to Kenya would have been the first time his sister had visited her birthplace in decades. He added that the teenage girls were excited to see all of the animals without cages during the safari.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

They were among killed 149 passengers and eight crew members from 33 different countries, who died in the disaster.

Nine Britons were also killed. Sam Pegram, 25, from Lancashire, was named as one of the UK victims.

Described as very special by his parents, the aid worker, who had been based in Geneva since January, worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council. He was on his way to Nairobi, in Kenya, with a colleague to deliver a training programme.

Joanna Toole, 36, from Exmouth, in Devon, was on the plane heading to Nairobi to attend the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Manant Vaidya is joined by his wife Hiral, left, as he speaks about losing his two parents, sister, brother-in-law, and two young nieces in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner 10 March 2019. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press via AP)

Irishman Michael Ryan was among seven dead from the UNs World Food Programme (WFP), which distributes huge amounts of rations every year to those in need.

The Rome-based aid worker and engineer, known as Mick, who was formerly from Lahinch in Co Clare, was believed to have been married with two children.

Joseph Waithaka, a 55-year-old who lived in Hull for a decade before moving back to his native Kenya, also died in the crash.

Polar expert Sarah Auffret died on the flight as she made her way to Nairobi to talk about a Clean Seas project, her Norway-based employers Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) said.

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Norwegian media reported that the University of Plymouth graduate was a French-British dual national.

Anton Hrnko, a lawmaker from Slovakia, shared his deep grief after his wife, Blanka, and two grown children, Martin and Michala, died in the crash.

Jared Mwazo Babu, who founded a Nairobi-based marketing agency, and his wife, Mercy Ndivo, both died, leaving behind a 15-month-old daughter.

Husband and wife Aleksandr and Ekaterina Polyakov, who both worked for Russias Sberbank, were among at least three Russians on board.

The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed just six minutes after taking off from the capital

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Aa aid worker from Lancashire has been identified as one of nine Britons who died when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed.

Sam Pegram, 25, who worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council, was on his way to Kenya's capital Nairobi, when the Boeing 737 Max 8 came down shortly after taking off, killing all 157 people on board.

The aid worker, who had been based in Geneva, had previously helped refugees in Jordan.

Mr Pegram's former school, Penwortham Priory Academy, tweeted: Unfortunately and with great sadness, we have been informed that Sam Pegram, a former pupil of Priory, was one of the Ethiopian airline passengers. Staff who taught Sam will remember him with great fondness and our deepest condolences go to Sams family at this difficult time.

Mr Pegrams parents described their son as so very special and said they were devastated by his death.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

Also among the British victims on board the flight was Joanna Toole, 36, from Exmouth, in Devon, was on the plane heading to Nairobi to attend the UN Environment Assembly.

Irishman Michael Ryan was among seven dead from the UNs World Food Programme (WFP), which distributes huge amounts of rations every year to those in need.

The Rome-based aid worker and engineer, known as Mick, who was formerly from Lahinch in Co Clare, was believed to have been married with two children.

Personal effects lie in a pile after being gathered by workers during the continuing recovery efforts at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 on 11 March 2019 in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. (Getty Images)

Joseph Waithaka, a 55-year-old who lived in Hull for a decade before moving back to his native Kenya, also died in the crash.

Polar expert Sarah Auffret died on the flight as she made her way to Nairobi to talk about a Clean Seas project, her Norway-based employers Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) said.

Norwegian media reported that the University of Plymouth graduate was a French-British dual national.

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AECO said in a statement: Sarah was on her way to Nairobi to talk about the Clean Seas project in connection with the UN Environment Assembly this week.

Words cannot describe the sorrow and despair we feel. We have lost a true friend and beloved colleague.

The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed six minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage.

While the cause is not yet known, the crash shared similarities with last years Lion Air jet crash in the Java Sea, which killed 189. That also involved a 737 Max 8 crashing minutes after take-off.

Several airlines serving UK airports are continuing to fly the aircraft model involved in the deadly crash, despite it being grounded in several countries including China, Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The body of an English woman found dead in Guatemala showed signs of trauma, according to the doctor performing a post-mortem examination.

Miguel Angel Samayoa said he found apparent blows to the body of 23-year-old Catherine Shaw, who went missing last week, and whose remains were found on Monday.

The doctor added that there were no apparent bullet or stab wounds and that he expected to conclude the autopsy by the end of the day on Tuesday.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been helping Ms Shaws family, issued a statement urging people not to speculate about her death since not all of the facts are known and saying it may have been a tragic accident not involving foul play.

The charity added that Ms Shaw had been fasting for days before her disappearance and disposing of possessions, including clothing.

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
Authorities were conducting a routine inspection aboard the MSC Carlotta last month when a teal shipping container caught their eye: The pins that held the containers doors in place appeared to have been doctored.

The Carlotta, a container ship, had just arrived in Newark, New Jersey, from Buenaventura, Colombia, and the container was supposed to contain dried fruit. Instead, officers opened the doors to find 60 tightly wrapped bundles of white powder, each the size of a small trunk.

The bundles turned out to be 3,200 pounds of cocaine, the largest drug shipment to be intercepted at Port Newark in a quarter-century, a bounty worth $77m (60m) on the street, authorities said.

The discovery of the shipment underscored the reality that legal ports of entry remain the main channel through which illicit drugs flow, even though Donald Trump has contended drugs are pouring over the unsecured sections of the southern border.

The seizure on 28 February also suggested the citys market for cocaine was resurging, officials said, after several years during which heroin and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, had dominated New Yorks illicit drug scene.

Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Show all 12 1 /12 Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park The Stadium, one of the most impressive geological formations of the Serrania de Chiribiquete. Colombian Amazon Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Forest burns due to the colonisation front near the northern border of Chiribiquete National Park, Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Grandpa Marcelieno and his son, of the indigenous Araracuara people, with sacred plants from the region: mambe and ambil. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Cattle ranching at the agricultural frontier near the northern border of the Chiribiquete National Park Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Oil palm monoculture, Puerto Concordia on the Ariari River, Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Preparation of traditional sugarcane-based beverage by the indigenous Barasano people of Pacoa, on the Apaporis River, near the southeastern border of Chiribiquete National Park Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Tapir in the community of Buenos Aires, Apaporis River. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park (Left) Pictograms over 20.000 years old found on stone in the Chiribiquete National Natural Park FCDS Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park The main maloca of the Mutanacua indigenous community of Pacoa, on the Apaporis River, near the southeastern border of Chiribiquete National Park. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Vigilant Grandfather, one of the Chiribiquete National Parks representative tepuyes. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Aerial view of one of the park's waterfalls FCDS Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Ajaju River, Chiribiquete National Park. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez

Ray Donovan, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York City, said dealers have begun combining fentanyl with cocaine, creating a new and deadly product. He said the giant cocaine shipment was a sign traffickers were pushing to build an emerging customer base of users mixing cocaine and fentanyl".

Investigators from the Department of Homeland Security were trying to determine where the drugs came from, and how they ended up in Newark. Authorities said no arrests had yet been made.

 1.6 tonnes of cocaine seized from boat in Cornwall

The port in Newark is one of the countrys largest and is a hub for illicit drugs from China and Mexico to enter the United States.

Cocaine has taken a back seat in recent years to opioids like heroin and fentanyl, officials said. Heroin is often cut with fentanyl to make it more potent, a trend that has caused an increase in overdose deaths.

The Washington Post
A Detroit rapper was hit with credit card fraud charges last week after bragging about committing the crime in his tracks and could face up to 20 years in jail.

Selfmade Kash, whose real name is Jonathan Woods, was charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of unauthorised access devices, the Detroit Times reported. He is currently being held in custody.

Some of the 25-year-old rappers tracks include In Swipe I Trust and Swipe God Freestyle.

In the latter track, Mr Woods raps the following lyrics: I got them in they feelings / Off these swipes I made a killing / I made 10 aint have to split it.

Federal prosecutors dissed the young rapper in a statement on Thursday, saying that the rapper isnt as skilled at credit card fraud as he claims to be in his music.

Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks Show all 11 1 /11 Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258553.bin AP Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258538.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258539.bin Reuters Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258543.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258546.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258547.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258548.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258549.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258550.bin Getty Images Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258551.bin Reuters Ten tips to avoid crafty credit card tricks 258552.bin Getty Images

Woods claimed to be sophisticated at credit card fraud when, in fact, he is not, prosecutors said. Woods frequently posts pictures and videos on Twitter and Instagram containing large amounts of money, credit cards, and credit card skimmers to promote his proclivity for credit card fraud.

According to NME, the prosecutors also said the alleged credit card fraud is dated back to May 2017. They claim that Woodss social media accounts to influence followers on how to engage in credit card-related crime.

Mr Woods has also been accused of selling 36,400 of his Instagram followers information on how to find the best bank identification numbers on the dark web.

Woods, in turn, sells information on how to commit identity theft and credit card fraud, the prosecution wrote in their indictment, before citing that the information the rapper sold were worthless and many of the BINs were nonexistent.
Photo: The Canadian Press "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett leaves Cook County jail following his release in Chicago.

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett is expected at a Chicago hearing to discuss whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during his disorderly conduct case.

A spokeswoman for Smollett's attorneys says the actor is expected to attend Tuesday's hearing in Cook County criminal court.

A grand jury indicted Smollett last week on 16 felony counts accusing him of lying to the police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two masked men in downtown Chicago.

Police allege that Smollett, who is black and gay, staged the Jan. 29 attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career. He is free on bond and has another hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Smollett's attorneys have called the charges "prosecutorial overkill" and say the actor maintains his innocence.
The Arizona zoo where a jaguar attacked a woman attempting to take a selfie with the animal has promised that the large cat will not be put down.

The Wildlife World Zoo said on Twitter that the attack was not the jaguars fault, as there were proper barriers in place before the attack.

We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar. Shes a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe- not a wild animal's fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family, the zoo said.

The woman was attacked on Saturday after crossing a barrier to take a selfie with the jaguar, and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment after the mauling.

The woman later apologised to the zoo, telling officials there that she feels horrible about the bad publicity the zoo is getting regarding the incident.

Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Show all 8 1 /8 Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Jennifer Nelson, senior keeper at Zoo Miami, leads a cheetah named Koda to a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Ryan Martinez, a trainer at Zoo Miami, places an Eurasion Eagle Owl into a crate AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Brown pelicans and an American white pelican take refuge in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African crested porcupine is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami A macaw parrot looks out of it's cage after being put into a shelter REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African grey parrot is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Cheetahs are photographed in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif

The visitor sustained non-life threatening injuries to their arm from one of our female jaguars. At the request of the family, paramedics were called. At no time was the animal out of its enclosure ... please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight, the zoo tweeted following the incident.

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The woman is reportedly in her 30s, but her identity was not immediately made public.
The US Department of Agriculture has announced a recall for thousands of Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour products, citing a possible salmonella contamination.

The voluntary recall was issued by Hometown Food Company and impacts a total of 12,185 cases of flour.

The impacted flour was distributed by popular grocery chains like Publix and Winn-Dixie.

Publix warned the public about the recall in a statement reading, These products should be thrown away of returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

Winn-Dixie also encouraged customers to discard their flour if it had been recalled, though it noted in a statement there had not yet been any cited illnesses.

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 recall includes Pillsbury lot codes 8 292 and 8 293 with best if used by dates of 19 April 2020 and 20 April, 2020 respectively.

The announcement marks the second nationwide flour recall amid fears of salmonella.

General Mills was forced to recall about 10,000 unbleached flour products in January.

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Food is the leading source of infections from salmonella, which reportedly causes nearly 450 deaths a year in the US, according to the US Centres for Disease Control.
Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say.

Its estimated another 155,000 or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing, and thousands of results have yet to be linked to suspects. Many who have been identified cannot be prosecuted because of legal time limits and other factors.

Still, we have begun to rectify what has been a tragic failure of government and law enforcement at all levels  a decades-long, systematic denial of equal rights for women in the justice system, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr said in a statement on Tuesday while releasing results of his $38m (29m) investment in testing outside his own turf.

Law enforcement and lawmakers have faced growing calls in recent years to eliminate whats known as the rape kit backlog  swabs and samples collected in sex assault cases but never tested for DNA. Victims advocates see the untested kits as signs that sexual assaults werent taken seriously enough.

Mr Vance, who took office after New York City cleared its own testing backlog, and the Department of Justice have worked in tandem since 2015 to help other places tackle theirs.

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 two agencies have paid to send years-old kits to labs from dozens of states and communities, ranging from Flint, Michigan, to Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas.

Some cities also have mobilised on their own. But the big grants from Manhattan and Washington infused this movement with resources, says Ilse Knecht of the Joyful Heart Foundation, a sexual assault victims advocacy group that has spotlighted the backlog.

Theres a lot more to do, she said, but this was the right thing to do.

The backlog built up over decades, partly due to the cost of tests which can be $1,000 (760) or more.

But victims advocates also say many sex assault cases simply got sidelined over the years by police and prosecutors who unduly disbelieved or downplayed victims allegations.

 Sexual assault survivor explains how difficult the legal system makes getting justice

New York City worked through a 17,000-case backlog between 2000 and 2003, an effort that yielded more than 200 prosecutions. Mr Vance, a Democrat elected in 2009, offered other places money to attack their own backlogs and negotiated discount rates with labs.

His programme  financed with $38m from settlements in banking-related cases  dispatched more than 55,000 rape kits to testing labs. The results have yielded 186 arrests and 64 convictions to date, with more investigations and prosecutions still underway, according to a report released Tuesday.

In Riverside, California, arrests included a suspect in the rape of a teenage girl asleep on her couch in 1996, the report said. The Tempe Police Department in Arizona assigned two cold-case investigators to work full-time on rape kit cases there. North Dakota cleared its entire backlog of 210 kits.

Meanwhile, another nearly 45,000 rape kits have been sent to labs through the Justice Department program  and its produced almost 900 prosecutions and almost 500 convictions and plea bargains, according to data the agency provided on Monday to The Associated Press.

The Justice Department has put $154m (117m) over three years into its sexual assault kit initiative, which includes other things besides testing.

DNA testing is far from a surefire way to close cases. Only some rape kits have sufficient DNA to generate a profile of a potential suspect. Just some of those match any profile in the FBI databank  and sometimes its just a match to DNA that turned up at another crime scene, with no name attached unless the person gets arrested in the future.

Even when DNA matches a known offender, prosecution is sometimes impossible because the legal time clock has run out, the suspect has died, the victim is unavailable to testify or other reasons.

But authorities and victims advocates say arrests arent the only measure of the impact of getting the tests done.

It means that the criminal justice system cares what happened to you, Mr Knecht said.

Associated Press
Two sex workers stormed a demonstration by women opposed to a bill which would decriminalise sex work in New York.

Lawmakers have announced plans to introduce a piece of legislation which would make New York the first state in the US to decriminalise sex work.

The bill, which is scheduled to be introduced in the New York State Senate this session, would remove all criminal penalties for the consensual sale of sex between adults.

But members of the National Organisation for Women (NOW), the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and other anti-trafficking organisations came together to stand against the bill.

They argue the legislation would transform New York into a Las Vegas of the Northeast  enabling pimps and customers to exploit women without ramifications.

In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris A protester (R) holds a sign reading 'Prostitutes with fists raised against the penalisation of clients!' during a demonstration by sex workers and supporters near the French National Assembly in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris A protester wears a hat rimmed with red roses during a demonstration by sex workers and supporters near the French National Assembly in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Sex workers hold signs during a protest against new bill against prostitution and sex trafficking In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Transgender sex workers protest against a parliamentary vote to enforce the penalisation of solicitation, near the Assemblee Nationale (French parliament) in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris A protester wears a mask during a demonstration by sex workers and supporters near the French National Assembly in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Protesters wear masks during a demonstration by sex workers and supporters near the French National Assembly in Paris, as French lawmakers take part in a final debate on a bill that would make it illegal to pay for sex. French lawmakers were poised on April 6 to pass a controversial law that makes it illegal to pay for sex and imposes fines of up to 3,500 euros ($3,970) on prostitutes' clients In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Protesters hold up their fists and chant slogans during a demonstration by sex workers and supporters near the French National Assembly in Paris In pictures: Sex workers protest in Paris Protesters hold a banner reading 'Don't liberate me, I'll take care of it myself!'

The demonstration, outside of City Hall, was disrupted by two sex workers who carried placards which said Listen to sex workers and Consensual sex workers against sex trafficking.

Listen to sex workers. Nothing about us without us. This is my city. Decrim now, shouted one of the counter-protesters.

One of the original protesters could be heard shouting Kill the bill in the background.

As always I protest peacefully, one of the counter-demonstrators, who goes by the name SXNoir, tweeted.

Several women felt the need to physically attempt to block me and my message. Thankfully I stand tall with the support of my community. If your feminism does not include sex workers, it aint feminism #RightsNotRaids #RightsNotRescue.

She added: "Shortly after this my sign was forced out of my hands without my consent and taken from me. I was doing nothing outside of what anyone else was doing. But my voice was not respected or important enough to be heard apparently."

NOW was criticised ahead of the actual rally on Monday  with Womens March Inc co-president Bob Bland urging the organisation to cancel the demonstration.

International Womens Health Coalition President Francoise Girard tweeted: This is terrible @NOW_NYC. These policies hurt sex workers and lead to their arrest and further harassment by the police. Time to decriminalise all sex work and ensure sex workers enjoy labour protections.

A leading British campaigning group, which supports the decriminalisation of prostitution, applauded the actions of the sex workers who crashed the protest in New York.

Niki Adams, a spokesperson for the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), said: We are delighted with their efforts in New York City. Criminalisation undermines safety. We have been demanding a change in the law here so sex workers can work together  both from premises and on the street. They are currently prevented from working together in safety. Even though their job is legal, prostitution laws prevent women from working together.

The ECP recently launched a campaign called Make All Women Safe for the decriminalisation of sex work. They argue sex workers often have to choose between keeping safe and possible arrest, or avoiding a criminal record and putting themselves in danger.

Ms Adams applauded the bravery of the counter-protesters for storming the demonstration, and said: You have to do that if you feel like your needs and demands are being overlooked.

Sex workers have had a struggle to be listened to, she added. For too long, policy and law on prostitution has been dealt with without sex workers. But we have a crisis  on one hand, the number of women going into prostitution is increasing and on the other hand, there is an increase in violence.

She is hopeful that the anti-decriminalisation position is becoming obsolete among the younger generation of feminists.

It is going to be washed away by the younger feminist movement who are not hostile to sex workers and who realise you should listen to the person affected, she said. They will change the terrain and wash away the old guard.

The anti-decriminalisation protest, which featured a written statement of support by famous American feminist Gloria Steinem, also included members of OBJECT, a UK-based organisation that advocates against prostitution, pornography, and transgenderism.

A statement on the groups website says it is concerned by the dangerous impact transgender ideology and practice has on women and children, and that transgender acceptance is in direct opposition to the views of feminists.

Im not surprised the trans community was targeted here, Mateo Guerrero-Tabares, a trans advocate and Decrim NY Steering Committee member, said in a statement. We fight to decriminalise the sex trades because it is a matter of survival for our community.

Both NOW and Democratic US representative Carolyn Malone, the only legislator to speak at the protest, denounced OBJECTs message on Twitter.
New audio recordings have emerged purporting to show Fox News host Tucker Carlson calling Iraqis semi-literate, primitive monkeys and questioning Barack Obamas identity as a black man.

The Tucker Carlson Tonight presenter can be heard saying white men deserve credit for creating civilisation and using a homophobic slur while joking with radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge.

Media Matters for America (MMFA), a self-declared watchdog of conservative misinformation, said the clips originated from between 2006 and 2011.

It comes less than two days after the left-leaning group posted audio of Mr Carlson comparing primitive, basic women to dogs.

Addressing the initial recordings the 49-year-old refused to show ritual contrition for saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

On his programme on Monday night he said he had been a victim of the great American outrage machine. He added: Its a bewildering moment, especially when the quotes in question are more than a decade old.

Theres really not that much you can do to respond  its pointless to try to explain how the words were spoken in jest or taken out of context, or in any case bear no resemblance to what you actually think.

Fox News supported him, he said, adding that we will never bow to the mob and asking: Why are the people who considered Bill Clinton a hero lecturing me about sexism?

In the fresh audio Mr Carlson is heard to say, during what MMFA said was a discussion about Canada: Iraq is a crappy place filled with a bunch of, you know, semi-literate primitive monkeys, thats why it wasnt worth invading.

But Canadas a solid place with good-looking women and good fishing. We should invade.

Speaking further about the war in Iraq, he says: I hate the war. You know, Im not defending the war in any way, but I just have zero sympathy for them or their culture. A culture where people just dont use toilet paper or forks.

During a 2006 call-in to the Bubba the Love Sponge Show, Mr Carlson discusses Mr Obama with the hosts. How is he black, for one thing? he asks of the then-senator. He has one white parent, one black parent. I mean, why isnt he white?

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And a few months later, he jokes with them about appearing on the programme. One asks him: Tuck, how do you like coming on with us? Because I like you. I mean Im not trying to fa* out on you or nothing, but I like you.

Mr Carlson replies: Well I like you too. You always say, I mean that in a non-fag way, but I actually mean it in a completely f****t way.

The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.
Democrat Beto ORourke is to campaign in the politically crucial state of Iowa  the latest indication the former congressman who soared to international prominence will run for the presidency in 2020.

A spokeswoman for Mr ORourke confirmed he will visit the state this weekend and campaign with Eric Giddens, who is running in a special election for a state senate seat.

Beto will be in Waterloo on Saturday to kick off an afternoon of canvassing, [get out the vote] and grassroots organising for state senate candidate Eric Giddens, tweeted Mr ORourkes communications director, Chris Evans.

Earlier, Mr Giddens had tweeted a video of the 46-year-old Texan wearing a University of Northern Iowa hat and encouraging students to support the fellow Democrat in the upcoming race.

Supporting him for state senate is the way that we get Iowa, and by extension, this country, back on the right track, Mr ORourke says. Were counting on you, and were looking forward to seeing you soon. Adios.

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

Mr Giddens, until a few weeks ago merely just another local politician trying to get elected, has in recent weeks become the focus of extraordinary national attention  simply because he is running in Iowa. The Associated Press reported that recently, California congressman Eric Swalwell called to congratulate him the day he won the nomination for a surprise special election, and senator Kamala Harris followed up the next day.

Elizabeth Warren this month helped him launch his campaign, while Montana governor Steve Bullock, who is also considering a possible 2020 run, drank a beer with him at a bar at the University of Northern Iowa.

In addition to Mr ORourkes presence on Saturday, presidential candidates Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker are also planning events. Kirsten Gillibrand and others are sending their campaign staff to canvass for him.

It feels kind of normal, in a weird way, Mr Giddens told the AP of his special visitors. Theyre just  theyre just people.

Iowa, which holds its primary, or caucus, in January 2020, the first in the nationwide election cycle, is a crucial test for anyone seeking the presidency, as it the first time voters cast actual ballots on candidates.

It has been the making of many campaigns  Donald Trump ran a narrow second to Ted Cruz there in 2016  while it has also been a graveyard for others. In the same cycle, Bernie Sanders campaign was boosted when he almost beat Hillary Clinton  she won 49.8-49.5  while Martin OMalley, a governor of Maryland whom many believed was an attractive candidate, dropped out to the race after winning barely 0.5 per cent of the vote.

Mr ORourke secured headlines around the world when he fought a hard race to dislodge Ted Cruz in the 2018 senate seat in Texas. While Mr Cruz held off the challenge, Mr ORourkes charismatic campaigning and willingness to address even the most sensitive issues earned him praise from many.

A recent poll of potential candidates collated by Real Clear Politics put Mr ORourke in fifth place among the Democrats, some distance behind Joe Biden, Mr Sanders, Ms Harris and Ms Warren. But his numbers are likely to soar, if and when he declares he is running.

 'Walls do not save lives, walls end lives', says Beto O'Rourke at El Paso rally

Most pundits believe Mr ORouke will be among the crowded field of Democrats looking for the nomination to take on Donald Trump.

Sources close to ORourke say he is very likely to run. It makes sense to me. He might get the vice president nomination or a cabinet post out of it, Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, told The Independent.

Its more than 10 months to the start of Iowa. ORourkes meandering trip means nothing. Hes a hot property, and whatever it is in politics, ORourke has it. That doesnt mean hell win the nomination, but it does mean hes going to bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the campaignand large numbers of young people.

Last month, Mr ORourkes staff said he did not intend to challenge Republican John Cornyn for the senate seat in Texas, another indication he had his eyes on higher office.

In a statement at the time, in which he referred to his wife, he said: Amy and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country. We are excited to share it with everyone soon.

To date, Mr ORourkes campaign has been marked by its lack of orthodoxy. He has been driving across the country in a van, publishing Instagram images and posting podcasts. Many have found his approach refreshing and appealing.

At the same time, some have questioned whether he, as a white man, is receiving special indulgence to be so elastic and seemingly unpressured, in a way that a woman or a person of colour, would not.

The New York Times said female Democratic strategists had become increasingly frustrated as they watched watched Mr ORourke cycle, or read emotional road trip posts.

Imagine, they say, if Beto were Betsy. What would the reception have been if a female candidate left her three small children home and spent several weeks travelling the country, posting stream-of-consciousness diary entries, it said. Or if she chose to forgo a Senate race that would provide a greater opportunity for victory?

Christina Greer, professor of politics at New Yorks Fordham University, said Mr ORourkes behaviour was an example of peak privilege. I am not interested in seeing you having your teeth cleaned, she said, referring to a livestream the Texan conducted from his dentists chair. I want to know how youre going to bridge your formerly moderate politics with your new found progressive policies, because the progressive Beto is new.

She added: Can you imagine a woman being allow to drive around finding herself and leaving her three children at home?
Former Vice President Joe Biden has, once again, teased a potential run in the 2020 presidential election while speaking to a crowd of firefighters this week.

As he comes down to his final stages of mulling over a possible White House bid, the Delaware Democrat delivered a speech at the International Association of Fire Fighters annual legislative conference on Tuesday morning where he was greeted with boisterous chants of run Joe run!

I appreciate the energy you showed when I got up here. Save it a little longer, I may need it in a few weeks, Mr Biden teased to the crowd of firefighters. Be careful what you wish for.

This isnt the first time the former vice president teased about running for president in 2020. Last month, Mr Biden told University of Delaware students at a speaking engagement that he is very close to announcing his decision on vying for the Democratic nomination. He revealed that his family is on-board with a 2020 presidential campaign.

The first hurdle for me was deciding whether or not I am comfortable taking the family through what would be a very, very difficult campaign, the 76-year-old Democrat said during a moderated conversation with presidential historian Jon Meacham. No matter who runs. Its a very difficult campaign. The primary will be very difficult. And the general election, running against President Trump, I dont think that hes likely to stop at anything, whomever he runs against.

Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES

In February 2019, several sources revealed Mr Biden has been making preparations for an anticipated presidential run. His staffers were told to be ready at a moments notice to make a formal announcement.

Mr Biden has also been increasing the number of public appearances in the past several months where he has postured himself as the best hope the Democratic Party has in beating President Donald Trump.

Delaware Senator Tom Carper, Mr Bidens longtime friend and former colleague, even offered an early endorsement for the Democratic hopeful. He has the best chance of beating Trump, hands down, Mr Carper said, referring to the former vice president. On a scale of one to 10, thats probably about a 12 for us.

Mr Trump made some pre-emptive attacks on Mr Biden and his potential 2020 run. Before delivering the State of the Union last month, the president said Mr Biden is dumb, and that he wished he gets to run against him in the general election.

I hope its Biden, Mr Trump said at a private lunch for television anchors on February 5. Biden was never very smart. He was a terrible student. His gaffes are unbelievable. When I say something that you might think is a gaffe, its on purpose; its not a gaffe. When Biden says something dumb, its because hes dumb.

The 76-year-old politician is also facing criticism from progressives. In 2020, Biden-style centrism will become a toxic and losing brand of politics in Democratic primaries, Waleed Shaheed, a left-wing activist who worked in Cynthia Nixons New York gubernatorial campaign, said.

Mr Biden pushed off criticism from progressives by stating that he is trying to decode what appetite exists for a centrist who is unapologetic about wanting to work more with Republicans, and who will turn 78-years-old two weeks after Election Day 2020

The former vice president also received backlash last week when a resurfaced video showed the then-Senator Biden pushing for a tough crime bill in 1993, which has been credited with leading an era of mass incarceration of African-Americans, with a speech on the Senate floor warning of predators on our streets.

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We have predators on our streets that society has in fact, in part because of its neglect, created, Mr Biden, who fervently advocated for the bill it has been referred to as the Biden Bill, said.

They are beyond the pale many of those people, beyond the pale, he added. And its a sad commentary on society. We have no choice but to take them out of society.

In hindsight, Mr Biden said he regrets pushing for the racist bill.

It was a big mistake that was made, he said of the bill, which disproportionately targeted and locked up African-Americans. We were told by the experts that crack, you never go back, that the two were somehow fundamentally different. Its not. But its trapped an entire generation.

Although Mr Bidens friends and colleagues say it is likely for the 76-year-old to launch a presidential campaign, a formal announcement for his candidacy is not expected to come before April.
Are you a conservative who is wary of dining out while wearing your red "Make America Great Again" hat? Do you wish you knew where you could freely sport a "Trump 2020" shirt while running errands?

There's an app for that.

Earlier this month, an Oklahoma developer launched "63red Safe," described as "an app to keep conservatives safe as they eat and shop." The idea, according to founder Scott Wallace, is to "simply get these politics out of restaurants and businesses" - by gauging whether they would be friendly to conservatives.

"Reviews of local restaurant and businesses from a conservative perspective, helping (ensure that) you're safe when you shop and eat!" reads the app's description in the Google Play store.

Mr Wallace, who describes himself as a lifelong Republican, said he conceived of the idea in November, when he was out with his youngest child and considered buying "one of those MAGA hats." Then he wondered whether it would make them targets for harassment, even in Oklahoma City.

Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Show all 16 1 /16 Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Anti-Trump protesters gather outside of the rally Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A supporter of the president waiting for the rally Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Anti-Trump protesters wield picket signs Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A Trump supporter outside of the Mckenzie Arena in Chattanooga prior to the President's appearance Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Anti-Trump protesters gather outside of the rally with signs Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A t-shirt for sale at the rally Lucy Gray Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A crowd gathers in waiting for the rally Lucy Gray Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A Trump memorabilia stand outside of the rally EPA Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Trump supporters cheer as the President arrives to the rally AP Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee President Trump stands with Lee Greenwood as he sings 'God Bless the USA' to commence the rally Reuters Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee A supporter listens as President Trump speaks EPA Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee President Trump addresses supporters AP Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee President Trump thanks Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn after her speech EPA Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Supporters of the president wield signs during the rally Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee Trump supporters cheer during the rally AFP/Getty Inside a Make America Great Again rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee President Trump exits the stage AP

Just a few months before, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had been asked to leave the Red Hen, a restaurant in western Virginia, because she worked for President Donald Trump, he noted.

"I thought, 'Maybe this isn't the right thing to do,' " Mr Wallace told The Washington Post in a phone interview Monday, talking about displaying his support for Trump. "That was very uncomfortable for me. I don't want to be a nation where putting Che Gueverra on a T-shirt . . . or wearing a MAGA hat . . . makes you a target."

 Texas teenager attacked for wearing Make America Great again hat 2

So he and two associates set out to develop something like a Yelp app, one that would evaluate establishments on four questions:

- Does this business serve persons of every political belief?

- Will this business protect its customers if they are attacked for political reasons?

- Does this business allow legal concealed carry under this state's laws?

- Does this business avoid politics in its ads and social media postings?

"The questions, as you read through them, are designed to be apolitical," Mr Wallace said.

But he admits that the aim is ultimately to help identify whether businesses are "safe" for conservatives.

"The truth is, from a political standpoint - not talking religion or race or sexuality - conservatives are under physical attack," Mr Wallace said, citing an altercation in which a conservative activist was punched at University of California, Berkeley. "The best way to describe it, to me, is there's sort of a general unease among conservatives right now. And whether it's real or imagined, I don't know. . . . I want to call out those local businesses" where an attack against conservatives does or could manifest.

 Man shows up to the Santa Fe high school shooting, with an American flag and a gun, says make America great again

Mr Wallace said the reviews will be crowdsourced and rely on "the honour and trustworthiness of the reviewers themselves," much like Yelp does.

"Fox & Friends" featured the app in a segment Monday morning, dubbing it "Yelp for conservatives." Shortly afterward, the "63red" servers crashed because of overwhelming interest, Mr Wallace said. The company accused Facebook, the source of the app's location data, of cutting it off because of its conservative politics.

"Apparently, 'Doing business while #conservative' is a real thing," 63red's Twitter account posted Monday morning. "Thanks to Facebook, where we get our location info, 63red Safe can't get any data. Our sincere apologies while we call Congress and try to break up this tech monopoly . . . "

The tweet was later deleted. Mr Wallace said that it was "a mistake made in annoyance" and that he vowed to work with Facebook to resolve the issue soon.

"Here's how I view this. There's Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft . . . at every one of these companies, there are 'low-level functioners,' people who have the levers and switches to get things done but aren't up there in the vice presidential level," Wallace said. He said he suspects there are "socialist embeds" operating as those "low-level functioners," who actively worked against conservatives.

"When I have a little trouble at the lower levels, they're happy to work with me at the higher levels," Mr Wallace added.

Facebook representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

On Monday, the ratings for "63red" on Google Play and Apple's app store hovered around 2.5 out of 5 stars, thanks to dozens of polarised reviews. Some praised its aim: "Finally, I am able to avoid places which don't respect America and US Constitution. Eat your heart out, snowflakes," wrote one user who rated the app five stars. Others promised to use it to identify MAGA-friendly establishments for a contrary purpose - "so you know what business to avoid and boycott," according to someone who rated the app one star.

Mr Wallace said he is ignoring the hate mail and "annoyed tweets" the company has received and is focusing on a bigger picture: creating apps under the "63red" umbrella aimed at younger conservatives so the brand can "be a factor in the 2020 elections, both at the local and national level."

He also emphasised that there is no hidden message or conspiracy theory behind the app's name, which he chose at random.

"Everyone asks. It means nothing at all, absolutely nothing," he said. "It's a good-looking logo. It's a unique name."

The Washington Post
Anderson Cooper called out White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders this week for leaving the factual world behind when she addressed President Donald Trumps accusation that Democrats hate Jewish people.

The host of CNNs Anderson Cooper 360 said Ms Sanders was quite simply not telling the truth when she said we, as in Republicans, called it out by name when Republican Rep. Steve King publicly defended white nationalism.

She made those remarks during a press conference on Monday morningher first in 42 days.

Mr Cooper argued that her comments pinpoint the exact moment when Ms Sanders left the world of the factual or, even to be generous, the arguable behind.

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. 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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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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He pointed out that although the press secretary called the Iowa Republican white nationalist rhetoric abhorrent, President Trump, himself, never said a word about it.

Mr Cooper also noted the president failed to condemn neo-Nazis for their acts of violence and terror in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The president can be remarkably selective in his criticism, Mr Cooper added. However, he paints with a far broader brush when it comes to the Democrats.
Donald Trumps daughter-in-law is warning the presidents from competing in the 2020 election, casting any effort as a waste of money.

Lara Trump  who's husband is Eric Trump  told Sky News in an interview that she is not worried anyone would beat her father-in-law, and that she does not understand why anyone would try.

Honestly, I am not worried about anybody that has gotten into the race, and I do believe that Donald Trump is going to win by more in 2020 than he did in 2016, she said. I think the reality is it will be so stupid for people to spend their money, to waste their money and time and effort right now, to try and run against him.

She continued: I actually don't understand why there are so many people that have gotten in the race on the Democrat side. I always want to tell them - wait until 2024. Wait till he's out. You're not going to beat Donald Trump.

A burgeoning field of Democratic challengers has formed to compete amongst themselves in order to have a chance to take on Mr Trump in 2020.

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

Among those candidates are Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran in 2016 but failed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

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Mr Sanders is seen as a leading contender to win the nomination, but Ms Trump said she is not concerned with the progressive wave he embodies.

Some of the policies he wants to implement would cause us to move in a direction like Venezuela and that is very scary to people, she said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Six members of an Ontario family, spanning three generations, are being remembered as wonderful, loving people after they were identified as being among those who were killed in a devastating plane crash in Ethiopia that claimed the lives of 18 Canadians.

The family from Brampton, including 13-year-old Anushka Dixit and her 14-year-old sister Ashka, were travelling on the doomed Ethiopian jetliner when it crashed moments after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday, a relative said.

The girls and their mother, 37-year-old Kosha Vaidya, father 45-year-old Prerit Dixit, and grandparents 71-year-old Pannagesh Vaidya and 63-year-old Hansini Vaidya, were on their way to Kenya for a safari, said Manant Vaidya, Kosha's brother.

"I miss them a lot," said Manant, adding he and his wife and kids got together every weekend with his sister's family.

"I don't really believe this has happened. I'm still in the shock phase."

Manant said his parents were from Gujarat, India, but they lived in Kenya for several years and Kosha was born there. The family later returned to India, and Kosha moved to Ontario in 2004 after marrying her husband, who already lived in Canada, he said.

Their family vacation to Kenya was supposed to be her first visit to her birthplace in decades, and the teenage girls were excited to go on safari, said Manant.

"They wanted to see what was it is like to see all the animals on the ground, without any cages. It was really going to be a great experience for them," he said.

The girls were strong students who excelled in science and technology courses, Manant said. The elder daughter, Ashka, had a beautiful singing voice while Anushka was talented in dance, learning a traditional Indian form called khattak, he said.

He said his brother-in-law worked as a medical lab assistant for LifeLabs and also held a job at Ontario's Ministry of Health. His sister used to work for the Canadian Hearing Society, he said.

Manant said a friend of his father who lives in Nairobi phoned to tell him of his family's deaths.

"This was the most lovable family," he said at his home, sitting next to his wife with a photo of the family nearby. "I hope that they're always going to be remembered in (our) hearts ... even though they are not here."

The Peel District School Board issued a letter to attendees of Ashka's high school, saying the tragedy has brought "great sadness" to students and staff.

"Even students who did not personally know Ashka may be affected by this loss."

Across the country, tributes poured in for the other Canadians killed in the crash that claimed the lives of all 157 people on board. They included humanitarians, environmentalists and aid workers who had dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres recognized the impact of the crash on the international aid community, noting 21 UN employees from around the world were among the victims.

"A global tragedy has hit close to home and the United Nations is united in grief," he said Monday. "(The victims) all had one thing in common  a spirit to serve the people of the world and to make it a better place for us all."
The Trump administration denied a green card application for a Muslim immigrant who accused Border Patrol of serving him pork sandwiches for more than six days, it has been claimed.

Two years ago, Adnan Asif Parveen filed a green card application after marrying an US citizen. He did not receive a decision from US Citizenship and Immigration Services until days after he was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas on January 11.

Although Mr Asif had a work permit allowing him to legally work in the country while his green card application was pending, Border Patrol detained the Pakistani immigrant for six days.

I feel like its simply because hes Muslim, Jennifer Asif, his wife, told HuffPost. All we have tried to do is be a family and be legal. Every step of the way has been completely complicated. Its hard not to be discouraged.

Mr Asif said that while he was under Border Patrol custody, he was fed only pork sandwiches. Islamic practice prohibits Muslims from consuming pork. He said he was served a pork sandwich every eight hours, which he had to refuse as a practising Muslim. Since the agents offered no other option, Mr Asif picked off the meat of the sandwich and only ate the bread.

Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban Show all 11 1 /11 Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty

He also said that two Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) questioned him about potential terrorism ties and interrogated him about possible anti-American sentiment at his mosque.

I said, no, the mosque is where you go to pray, he recounted to HuffPost.

As of right now, Mr Asif is detained at Port Isabel Detention Centre in South Texas. He faces possible deportation.

Recommended American Muslim woman catches moment man asks for her green card

Democratic Rep. Grace Meng wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security to investigate these allegations and to explain the reasoning for Mr Asifs detention despite having a work permit.

According to HuffPost, several lawyers and advocates, including Mr Asifs attorney Cathy Potter, believe the detainees religion might have a role in the rejection of his green card application.

A lawsuit in 2012 discovered that USCIS places additional scrutiny on green card, visa and citizenship applications from nationals of select Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, which is Mr Asifs nation of origin.

The agency declined to discuss Mr Asifs case to HuffPost citing privacy concerns, but in general, USCIS does not tell the reasons why a persons application was flagged, stalled or denied.

Mr Asif moved immigrated to Spain from Pakistan as a child. He was granted citizenship in Spain. Then in 2014, he visited the US to visit his uncle and cousins in New York City. When he travelled to Columbus, Ohio, where his uncle owns and operates a gas station, Mr Asif met Jennifer and began dating. Rather than returning back to Spain, Mr Asif stayed to continue dating her which left him undocumented after three months in the US.

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The couple married in 2016, and subsequently filed paperwork with USCIS to adjust Mr Asifs immigration status. Within one year, USCIS scheduled an interview with Mr Asif, which is the final step in the green card application process.

But USCIS cancelled the interview, citing it needed more time to conduct a background check. Mr Asif and his wife repeatedly attempted to follow-up with the agency, but did not receive further explanation.

Mr Asifs application has been pending for almost two years by the time Border Patrol detained him in January 2019. It wasnt until HuffPost published its original post on February 27 about his treatment by Border Patrol and ICE agents did USCIS made their decision on his green card application.

Last week, Ms Asif received a letter from USCIS dated March 1 requesting her to visit the agencys office in Ohio to discuss her husbands application. It made no reference to a decision on his case.

But then, the day after HuffPost published its article, Ms Asif received a second letter dated February 28, informing her that USCIS denied her husband's green card application.

In the letter, it claimed Mr Asifs application had significant adverse factors that show discretion should not be exercised in your favour, citing ICE ordered to remove him on January 17.

It is uncertain what will happen next to Mr Asif. His lawyer filed a federal lawsuit this week seeking for his release and plans to take further legal action in response to the rejection of his green card application.

I feel like I cant give up on this, his wife said. I cant lose him.
Donald Trump has repeated the false claim that climate change is not real and that the science demonstrating the crisis is "fake".

The president appeared to be tweeting a statement he heard from Fox News on Tuesday morning, writing, Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace: The whole climate crisis is not only Fake News, its Fake Science. There is no climate crisis, theres weather and climate all around the world, and in fact carbon dioxide is the main building block of all life.

He then tagged the conservative networks morning show, Fox and Friends, adding, Wow!

However, Mr Trumps tweet is misleading in more ways than one.

For starters, the Greenpeace organisation rebukes Mr Moores claims that he is an environmental expert and has said he was not responsible for creating the group.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Patrick Moore often misrepresents himself in the media as an environmental expert or even an environmentalist, while offering anti-environmental opinions on a wide range of issues and taking a distinctly anti-environmental stance, the group said in a statement. He also exploits long-gone ties with Greenpeace to sell himself as a speaker and pro-corporate spokesperson, usually taking positions that Greenpeace opposes.

While Greenpeace noted Mr Moore played a significant role in Greenpeace Canada for several years, the organisation said he did not found Greenpeace.

Moreover, the president's misleading claims surrounding climate change contradict his own administration's findings that global warming is "intensifying across the country" and will lead to increased destruction worldwide.

The government-funded National Climate Assessment's report urged immediate action to combat climate change in an effort to avoid substantial damages to the US economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades.

When asked about his governments report on climate change, Mr Trump responded, I dont believe it.

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Right now were at the cleanest weve ever been and thats very important to me, the president said in November of last year.

He added, But if were clean, but every other place on Earth is dirty, thats not so good  so I want clean air, I want clean water, very important.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke a few Democratic hearts during a Q&A with the Washington Post Magazine on Monday when Ms Pelosi said in definitive terms that she does not support pursuing impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Ms Pelosi, like many Democrats in leadership, has been reluctant to hop on the impeachment bandwagon and crank it into top gear because she sees a far easier path to the same outcome in beating Trump at the ballot box in 2020.

The 22 or so months remaining in Trumps terms may feel like a long time to wait for the rank-and-file, especially with Robert Muellers report expected to be completed at some point (soon?), but Pelosi told the Post that getting political revenge at the polls remains her preferred route.

She said: Im not for impeachment. This is news. Im going to give you some news right now because I havent said this to any press person before.

But since you asked, and Ive been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And hes just not worth it.

Criminals who worked for Trump Show all 5 1 /5 Criminals who worked for Trump Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Cohen Former lawyer for Donald Trump was sentenced to three years in prison on counts involving evading income tax, false disclosure of the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and another hush money charge Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Paul Manafort Former campaign manager for Trump Manafort was found guilty in February 2018 of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The crimes occurred prior to his appointment in Trump's campaign Getty Criminals who worked for Trump George Papadopoulos Former Trump campaign adviser Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in October 2017. He had lied about making contact with a professor who claimed that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Flynn Former White House National Security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in December 2017. He had lied about conversations that he had with the Russian ambassador to the US during Trump's Presidential campaign. He was not given prison time due to his "significant assistance" to the Mueller investigation Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Rick Gates Deputy chairman of Trump's presidential campaign Gates pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in February 2018 AFP/Getty

Ms Pelosis approach is a political, rather than constitutional calculation.

When pressed on the issue of impeachment later in the interview, and whether President Trump was fit for office, the House Speaker said he was not.

I dont think he is. I mean [hes] ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit, she said. No, I dont think hes fit to be president of the United States.

This could, of course, all change depending on what the Mueller investigation ultimately turns up, but impeachment proceedings have historically been bruising, hyper-partisan affairs.

 Nancy Pelosi says President Trump doesn't understand financial insecurity that federal workers face during the shutdown

Then theres always the chance trump will invade California or something, which, you know, will probably chance the impeachment calculation.

The prospect of the process of impeachment is thought to be fraught enough that the GOP itself has pushed the possibility that Democrats might try to impeach Trump as motivation for Republican voters to head to the polls.

Then theres a chance that impeachment hearings will erode the middle political ground that has been looking left in the era of Trump.

The New York Times
 Close White House refuses to rule out Manafort pardon

The White House has refused to rule out Donald Trump issuing a presidential pardon to his ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort after the latter was sentenced last week to 47 months in prison for bank and tax fraud, crimes uncovered by FBI special counsel Robert Mueller during his Russia investigation.

With Manafort facing a further to 10 years behind bars when he is sentenced by a second court in Washington on Wednesday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders used her first briefing in six weeks to tell reporters: The president has made his position on that clear  hell make a decision when hes ready.

Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi has meanwhile said she believes the impeachment process is too divisive and Mr Trump just not worth it, while veteran Vermont senator Bernie Sanders attacked the presidents new budget plan as dead on arrival and intended for the military industrial complex, for corporate CEOs, for Wall Street and for the billionaire class.

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Donald Trump has launched an extraordinary attack on planes too complicated to fly after a Boeing 737 crashed in Ethiopia on Sunday.

Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT, Mr Trump tweeted. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better.

Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I dont know about you, but I dont want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!

Automatic flying controls have existed since the early 20th century, according to experts.

Automated flight controls go back into the 1920s, and through World War II they had rudimentary autopilots, Michael Wiggins, who serves as the the chairman of the aeronautical science department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, told the New York Times last year.

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. 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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. 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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 idea was that the automation would relieve the pilots of very routine flying and monitoring tasks, he added, and would allow them to focus on situational awareness and other monitoring duties they have to take care of.

British regulators have grounded all Boeing 737 Max aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement on Tuesday that though it had been monitoring the situation, it had as a precautionary measure issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

Some five 737 Max aircraft are registered and operational in the United Kingdom, while a sixth had planned to commence operations later this week.

Several countries have now grounded the planes.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and have launched an international investigation into the crash. Answers could take months, however, as agencies look at a number of variables, including weather, mechanical issues or possible criminal wrongdoing.

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Sundays crash shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa killed all 157 on board.

Additional reporting by AP
A texting outage affected Verizon customers on the East Coast on Tuesday morning.

The communication providers customer support service confirmed the situation on Twitter.

We have confirmed there is a texting outage on the East coast, the service said in response to a customers tweet around 8am.

Our technicians a fully aware we have a ton of customers that are being effected, and were working non-stop to get this matter resolved as soon as possible.

Several customers shared screenshots of their phones on Twitter to demonstrate their failed attempts at sending text messages.

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

Later on, shortly before 9am, Verizons customer service told another customer on Twitter: We are aware of an issue impacting texting services for some customers.

Our engineers are aware of the issue and are working diligently to resolve it.

Verizon later said the issue had been resolved and that texting services were set to resume.

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The providers customer service advised several people on Twitter to restart their phones in order to help remedy the situation.

Verizon didnt immediately say what could have caused the network issue.

The company told The Independent in a statement: We experienced an issue impacting texting services for some customers this morning. Our engineers were able to identify and resolve the issue quickly. Service is now fully restored.
A woman who was mauled by a jaguar at an Arizona zoo said she was in the wrong but that the zoo should consider moving the fence.

The woman, identified as Leanne, was visiting the Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix on Saturday when she decided to take a selfie with a black jaguar.

According to Leanne, it was a good opportunity for pictures, as the cats were pressed up against the cage.

To take the photo, Leanne leaned over the security barrier with her camera  allowing the cat to reach through the wire fence and scratch her.

Following the incident, the woman, who is in her 30s, told CBS: The black jaguar was up against the fence and we happened to be walking by and we said: Hey lets get some good pictures.

First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Show all 30 1 /30 First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo The first pictures have been released of a polar bear cub that was born in Berlin's Tierpark Zoo on December 1. AP First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo The pictures were taken after the cub's first veterinary examination which revealed that the 11-week old is a female. AP First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo She is yet to be named and the zoo says that a name will not be announced until the cub and her mother Tonja are ready to make their first public appearance. AP First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo In recent years Tonja has given birth to two other cubs, though both died in infancy. Tierpark director Dr. Andreas Knieriem says that "infant mortality in polar bears is extremely high, especially within the first ten days of life. However we are all staying positive and keeping our fingers crossed for Tonja." AP First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo The pair have been living together in a birthing den where Tonja can raise her cub in privacy for the first few months. AP First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut, a polar bear at the nearby Zoo Berlin became hugely famous in 2006 when he was rejected by his mother at birth. He was able to survive by artificial incubation and developed a close relationship with his keeper. Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays at the Berlin Zoo in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays at the Berlin Zoo in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays at the Berlin Zoo in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut rests in his den at the Berlin Zoo in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays with his minder during his first public outing on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Photographers struggle to get a view of Knut at his first public appearance on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut on his first public outing on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut on his first public outing on March 23 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays with his minder during his first public outing on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut nuzzles with his minder during his first public outing on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays with his minder during his first public outing on March 23 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut in March 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut in March 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut at six months old plays with his keeper on June 22 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut at 11 months old in November 2007 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut on his first birthday on December 5 2007 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut bathes, January 2008 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut plays in hay in January 2008 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut at two years old in September 2009 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Polar bear Giovanna joins Knut in his enclosure in September 2009 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut and Giovanna, on loan from the Munich Zoo, play together in January 2010 AFP/Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut and Giovanna nuzzle in January 2010 Getty First pictures of the polar bear cub born in Berlin Zoo Knut Knut and Giovanna nuzzle in January 2010 Getty

She then acknowledged she was in the wrong for leaning over the barrier, but thinks maybe the zoo should look into moving their fence back.

Recommended Jaguar attacks woman after she steps into enclosure for photo

Anybody can reach out, she continued. Im not the first, and if they dont move the fence, Im probably not going to be the last.

The woman also said she never expected this but that were all human and shes learned her lesson.

After the incident on March 9 sent the woman to the hospital with non-serious injuries, she originally apologised to the zoo for the bad publicity.

According to the zoo, which assured the public that it would not be putting the animal down, the sole issue was the disregard for the barriers.

We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar, the zoo tweeted the day of the incident. Shes a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe  not a wild animals fault when barriers are crossed.

Still sending prayers to her and her family.

According to CBS, a three-foot barrier is in place around the jaguar exhibit.

Last summer, a similar attack involving the same animal occurred, with zoo visitor Jeff Allan requiring several stitches after reaching into the enclosure.

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At the time, Allan hired an attorney to persuade the zoo to implement additional safety measures, according to ABC15.

The case never went to court.
China has denied it is running concentration camps in the far western region of Xinjiang and has instead claimed the buildings are boarding schools.

The country has faced calls to close what it says are vocational training centres in the province which is home to millions of Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities.

The United States called conditions the facilities completely unacceptable.

Activists claim more than a million people are being held in mass detention camps in the region as part of a crackdown which Beijing says is needed to stem the threat of Islamist extremism.

Xinjiang governor Shohrat Zakir said there had not been any violent attacks in more than two years and three months since the government adopted a series of measures to combat terror and extremism.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He told a parliamentary briefing earlier this week: Some international voices say Xinjiang has concentration camps and re-education camps. These kinds of statements are completely fabricated lies, and are extraordinarily absurd.

Mr Zakir said the facilities were the same as boarding schools and that the personal freedoms of the students were guaranteed.

The US government has weighed up sanctions against senior Chinese officials in Xinjiang. Chen Quanguo, the region's most senior Communist Party official could be among those targetted.

Shohrat Zakir, chairman of China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, (AP)

Mr Quanguo, who attended what was one of the most eagerly anticipated briefings of Chinas parliamentary session by foreign media, did not answer questions on the camps.

Former detainees, however, have given accounts claiming to have been tortured during interrogation at the camps, and to have lived in crowded cells and been subjected to a brutal daily regimen of party indoctrination that drove some people to suicide.

They have also claimed they were forced to consume pork and alcohol while inside.

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US officials have claimed China has made many aspects of religious practice and culture criminal in Xinjiang, with punishments being handed out for teaching Muslim texts to children and parents banned from giving their children Uighur names.

Academics and journalists have documented grid-style police checkpoints across Xinjiang and mass DNA collection, while human rights advocates have decried martial law-type conditions there.

Shortly after Chen Quanguo took the top post in Xinjiang in 2016, mass anti-terror rallies were conducted in the regions largest cities involving tens of thousands of paramilitary troops and police.

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is seeking access to China to verify continuing reports of disappearances and arbitrary detentions, particularly of Muslims in Xinjiang.

US ambassador for religious freedom Sam Brownback said the situation in Xinjiang was completely unacceptable and that sanctions against Chinese officials under the Global Magnitsky Act remained a possibility.

This would give the US executive branch power to impose targeted sanctions or visa bans on individuals who have committed human rights violations anywhere in the world.

China has warned that it would retaliate in proportion against any US sanctions.
At least 12 people are missing after two collisions between ships and fishing boats off the southeast coast of China.

In Zhejiang province, local authorities said 14 people aboard a fishing boat fell into the water after their boat was hit by a ship and sank at about 1am.

Two were rescued and ships in the area were called in to help search for the others.

To the south, a search was underway for crew members of a fishing boat that collided with an oil tanker in waters off Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police said the fishing boat sank after the collision on Tuesday morning.

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

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the fishing boat and how many were missing.

Police said all 13 crew members on the Chinese-registered oil tanker were safe.

The collision happened southeast of Hong Kong's Lamma Island.

In January, at least one person died in a fire on a Vietnam-registered oil tanker as it prepared to refuel off the same island.

AP
Speaking to an almost exclusively female audience of police and army staff, Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte called them bitches and crazy women, who he said were depriving me of my freedom of expression.

At the event on Monday, which was being held to celebrate outstanding women in law enforcement and the national security of the Philippines, Mr Duterte began by saying in English: Puta (bitches), you know you women are depriving me of my freedom of expression. You criticise every sentence or word I say, but that is my freedom to express myself.

He said his remarks were designed to bring them to the limits of despair, after he was strongly criticised last week for warning women to stay away from Catholic priests who he said could corner them.

Mr Duterte has focused on the Catholic church which has been critical of his bloody war on drugs, in which over 5,000 are believed to have been killed. He has singled out priests and last year offered to resign if anyone could prove god exists.

Last week he said: The women should refrain from going near the priests because when you are near him, he will just smell the scent of your body.

The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me  AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA

And if he corners you in the church, you're in trouble, he will court you.

Do you know why? It's because he is a man. God gave him a penis. What will they do with that?

Will they slap it against the door every morning? God was the one who made a mistake there, not us, he said.

But on Monday Mr Duterte also told the crowd he loved women. I love women, he said. Thats why you see I have two wives. That means I like women.

The countrys left-leaning Gabriela Women's Party described Mr Duterte as a macho-fascist president [who] would be the last person who could give decent advice on how women can stay away from or fight abuse".

Mr Dutertes verbal attack is the latest in a long list of misogynistic statements. Last year he told soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.

Tell the soldiers there's a new order coming from the mayor. We won't kill you. We will just shoot your vagina, he said.

 Rodrigo Duterte forces woman to kiss him on stage

And while running for office in 2016, he said of a 1989 Australian gang-rape victim: I was angry because she was raped, that's one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.

Despite his aggressive sexism and violent crackdowns on drugs, the presidents popularity is sky high.

Public satisfaction with the performance of Mr Dutertes government rose in December to the highest level on record since one of the countrys top pollsters started conducting opinion surveys in 1980s, Reuters reported in January.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Transport Minister Marc Garneau says "all options are on the table" with regard to the country's fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, but that the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.

"We will continue to evaluate the situation," Garneau told reporters Tuesday.

"All options are on the table. That could include grounding the planes, but at the same time I will evaluate all possibilities and not jump to conclusions before we can clearly evaluate the situation."

Garneau's comments came within minutes of announcements from the U.K., Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

The moves come on the heels of similar moves by Australia, Singapore, Ethiopia, Indonesia and China.

It was not clear immediately what the growing wave of groundings and air space restrictions would mean for Air Canada and WestJet, both of which have service to Europe.

Meanwhile, customers looking to cancel or change their plans in order to avoid flying on a 737 Max 8 are running into resistance.

Flight Centre travel agency has said Canadian airlines are not waiving flight-change or cancellation fees for passengers who want to switch to another aircraft.

The stance from Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd., which collectively tout 37 Max 8s in their fleets, comes amid a wave of requests from worried travellers so far excluded from goodwill policies.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed all 157 people on board  including 18 Canadians  has raised concerns over parallels to a Lion Air crash of the same model of aircraft in Indonesia last October that killed 189 people.

Garneau said Monday that his department is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority to determine if action is required. Boeing said the FAA has told the U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer it must install safety-related software updates to the 737 Max 8s.
A woman and her baby died after she attempted to deliver her baby herself by watching YouTube clips, as she feared being stigmatised for being a single mother, Indian police said.

The 26-year-old unmarried woman was in the full-term of her pregnancy when she attempted self-delivery at her rented accommodation in the city of Gorakhpur in India, while watching a child delivery video online.

Both, the woman and her child, a boy, died in the process, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in the citys Bilandpur area, under Cantonment police station, on Sunday night, station house officer Ravi Rai said.

He added that the likely reason behind her self-delivery attempt was fear of social stigma attached to being an unmarried mother, reported the Hindustan Times.

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

Rai said the matter came to light when the womans neighbours informed her landlord about blood flowing out of her room on Monday morning.

Her landlord Ravi Upadhyay broke open the door and found the woman and a newborn baby boy lying dead, said Rai.

He immediately informed the police, who reached the site and sent the body for post-mortem.

Her smartphone revealed that she was watching how to deliver baby by self and other similar safe delivery processes on YouTube.

A pair of scissors, a blade and some thread was found near the womans body.

The unnamed woman, a native of the town of Bahraich, had taken the rented accommodation just four days earlier. Her relatives were informed about the incident, who confirmed that she was unmarried, Rai said.

Unmarried women in India often face shame and social exclusion over pregnancies and feel unable to seek help from doctors for fear of exposure in the conservative country.

Apparently the woman was living in Gorakhpur for the past four years.

After post-mortem her body was handed over to family members who have refused to lodge FIR (first information report) against anybody, Rai said.
Almost every North Korean citizen voted in the countrys latest elections, state media has claimed, but in a surprise move Kim Jong-un was not on the ballot.

Turnout in the rubber-stamp polls  in which voters were presented with just one state-sanctioned candidate per seat  was 99.9 per cent, according to the official KCNA news agency.

The figure  unimaginable in a Western democracy - is an increase on the 99.7 per cent turnout reported in the previous elections in 2014.

North Korea's elections are used by Pyongyang give its rule a veneer of legitimacy, but the vote is internationally condemned as a sham.

Candidates for the Supreme Peoples Assembly are selected by the ruling Korean Workers' Party and other smaller coalition parties that have seats in the legislature but exercise little independent power.

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

Voters cast their ballots to show their approval or, very rarely, cross the candidates name out to show disapproval.

One hundred per cent of the votes in Sundays election were in favour of the named candidates, according to KNCA  the same proportion as five years ago.

Turnout fell short of 100 per cent because people abroad or working in oceans were unable to take part, the agency claimed.

Mr Kim was not among the 687 candidates, marking the first time a North Korean leader has not sat on the assembly.

It is unclear why he did not run, but analysts have suggested the omission could be part of Mr Kims attempts to project himself as the leader of a legitimate democratic state with a separation of executive and legislature.

South Koreas Yonhap news agency suggested it showed that his grip on power is slipping.

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Mr Kim's younger sister, Yo-jong, was among the newly elected assembly members, reported Yonhap, citing Pyongyang's state media. Foreign minister Ri Yong-ho and his deputy Choe Son-hui, who have led nuclear talks with the US, are also thought to have been among the candidates.

The fully assembly generally meet just once or twice a year, usually in March or April, to approve policies already hashed out by the ruling party, which is headed by Mr Kim.

A much smaller group of members meets more often and is more closely involved in the actual functions of the government.
A runaway freight train travelled 56 miles with no driver after maintenance workers mistakenly applied brakes to the wrong locomotive, an investigation has found.

Mining company BHP's 268-car iron ore train had to be deliberately derailed after hurtling away at speeds of up to 101mph in a remote area of Western Australia.

The crash south of Port Hedland on 5 November destroyed two locomotives, 245 freight cars, and 1.2 miles of track. No one was hurt.

The accident began after communication was lost between the front locomotive and a monitor at the rear, according to a preliminary investigation report published by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

This triggered an automated emergency brake, causing the train to stop. The driver also applied an independent brake and exited the cab to manually apply handbrakes to the trains 268 ore cars, while awaiting assistance from an emergency ground crew, the regulator said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Another empty train came to a stop on an adjacent track, before the ground crew arrived 30 minutes later and were asked by train control operatives to start applying brakes from the rear of the train and work towards the driver.

An hour after stopping, the first train's driver noticed air venting from the brakes and saw the train move forward and roll away. A number of penalty brake applications were triggered but were ineffective, the report noted.

Four minutes later, the driver of the empty ore train advised train control the ground crew had mistakenly applied handbrakes to his train, it added.

The runaway train, fully laden with iron ore, was travelling at 89mph an hour when it was derailed. The lead locomotives ran on for a further mile before coming to a stop, the ATSB said.

The investigation is continuing and will look at a number of factors including the design of train braking systems used by the operator and procedures in the operators safety management system, the regulator added.

BHP, which lost an estimated $55m (30m) a day until the tracks were repaired following the derailment, said its own investigation had found the incident was due to procedural non-compliance by the driver and issues in integrating the electronic braking system with the rail network.

Prior to exiting the cabin of the lead locomotive the driver did not apply the automatic brake handle to the emergency position as required, said Edgar Basto, asset president of BHP Western Australia Iron Ore. If that brake had been applied the train would not have rolled away, he added.

The ATSB expects to release its full findings later this year.
Footage has been released showing the moment a light aircraft crashed into a Ferris wheel at an Australian funfair.

Pilot Paul Clarendon Cox was flying his Cheetah Sierra 200 with his son-in-law in the passenger seat when it hit the ride at the Old Bar Beach Festival in 2011.

The collision was filmed by Amber Christine Ardell, then 13, who was on the ride with her younger brother Jessie.

In the video released by the New South Wales Supreme Court on Monday, she can be heard screaming in fear as the aircraft heads towards them.

"Oh look, Jessie, a plane. We're going to watch a plane. Oh god, it's going to crash, it's going to crash, it's going to crash. Oh my god," Ms Arndell says in the video before a loud bang is heard.

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

Her younger sibling can then be heard screaming for his mother before asking his sister Are we going to drop?

Ms Ardell does her best to reassure him that they will be OK whilst begging staff below to let them off the ride.

The video is being used as part of her lawsuit against the Greater Taree City Council.

She claimed the council owed her a duty of care and she suffers from psychological issues as a result of what happened.

Mr Cox is also suing the council for negligence, saying it failed to close the airstrip when it knew allowing the Ferris wheel to be erected nearby would be potentially hazardous.

The council also failed to identify that the ride's location caused a potential obstruction, he stated.

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Although he was physically injured, court documents state that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, specific disorder and depression as a result of the crash.

He said has also developed an obsessional fear of sharp objects, which leaves him afraid that pens will hurt him, the lawsuit added.
Australia, South Korea and Singapore have joined a growing list of countries and airlines to ground Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after the companys latest model suffered its second deadly crash in less than five months.

Indonesia and China also suspended their Boeing 737 MAX fleets after the Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashed minutes after take-off, killing all 157 people on board.

But the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to say it is safe to fly the planes, issuing a continued airworthiness notification for the 737 MAX on Monday to assure operators

The FAA also said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Lion Air in October, and update training requirements and related flight crew manuals.

Boeing said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies, issuing a statement to say it had been working with the FAA in the aftermath of the Lion Air crash to develop enhancements to flight control software, which will deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in coming weeks.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

Investigators in Ethiopia have located two black box flight recorders that will provide information about what happened in the final moments before the plane plunged into farmland six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa's Bole airport.

Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said the pilot had sent out a distress call and was given the all-clear to return to the airport shortly after take-off.

Senior captain Yared Getachew had a commendable performance having completed more than 8,000 hours in the air, the airline said.

The plane suffered its first fatal accident in October last year, when a 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

There has been no information so far linking the two crashes.

 Ethiopian airlines crash news: What we know so far and what investigators will be looking for

Nearly 40 per cent of the in-service fleet of 371 Boeing 737 MAX jets globally is grounded, according to industry publication Flightglobal, including 97 jets in the biggest market, China.

Ethiopian Airlines, which has four other 737 MAX 8 jets, said it was grounding them as a precaution.

Gol in Brazil temporarily suspended MAX 8 flights, as did Argentinas state airline Aerolineas Argentinas and Mexicos Aeromexico.

Singapore Airlines, whose SilkAir brand operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, said it has temporarily withdrawn its fleet and would re-accommodate affected customers.

Other airlines that operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Singapore  China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air  are also affected.

Australia said Fiji Airways and SilkAir would be affected by its temporary suspension.

 Ethiopian Airlines crash

This is the second Boeing 737 Max 8 to crash in a few months  both were in the same phase of flight and new aircraft, allowing Boeing to certify successor models through limited testing, shortcutting the typical, arduous testing process, said Mike Slack, a licensed pilot, former Nasa engineer and aviation attorney with Slack Davis Sanger.

There is something about the Max 8 that is defeating the best efforts of experienced pilots in emergency situations like Lion Air and Ethiopian Flight 302.

Mr Slack said airlines operating the MAX 8 should voluntarily ground the planes, adding: The circumstances of both MAX 8 crashes suggest a possible design problem.

Additional reporting by agencies
An ambitious plan to build a vast railway tunnel under the Baltic Sea to connect Finland and Estonia looks set to go ahead after the project secured 15 billion in funding.

The tunnel, which is supported by both countries governments, would connect the Finnish capital of Helsinki with the Estonian capital of Tallinn  cutting a two to three hour ferry crossing to just 20 minutes by train.

If completed the infrastructure would be the longest undersea tunnel in the world, eclipsing the Channel Tunnel that connects England with northern France.

The new funding comes from Chinese investment Touchstone Capital Partners, with one third provided as private equity and two thirds as debt financing, according to a memorandum of understanding signed with developers. Late last year the project also secured a 100m investment from Dubai-based ARJ Holding.

A feasibility study on the project conducted last year estimated the cost of the project at 13-20bn but found it would have a huge positive impact on the economies of both countries  effectively creating a major metropolitan area spanning the Baltic sea.

As well as bringing the two cities closer together, the scheme would also link Finland to Rail Baltica  an EU-backed plan to build a high-speed rail line through the Baltic states to link them to the European network.

We are very pleased with the negotiations and the agreement reached. Touchstone has extensive experience in financing similar large private infrastructure projects, says Kustaa Valtonen of FinEst Bay Area Development.

Our goal is to also secure European, Nordic and Finnish capital investments in addition to the already agreed financing arrangement. We are looking for a sustainable and fully balanced financing solution for the project.

Finlands minister of transport and communications Anne Berner last year said of the project: The tunnel would together with the Rail Baltica railway project and the Arctic railway line connect the Arctic region with the heart of Europe via Finland.

The tunnel could thus be a significant project for all of Finland and Europe, not only for Helsinki and Tallinn.

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

Planners envisage direction connections from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in the Finnish capital's northern suburbs, a station at Pasila the city's second largest station, and a stop at Helsinki central. In Tallinn the train would stop at Ulemiste, near the city's airport, where it would link to Rail Baltica.

Overland journeys between the two cities currently require a significant detour around the Baltic Sea, via Russia.
Italian parents could face hefty fines and see their children banned from school if they cant prove their kids are properly vaccinated.

The new so-called Lorenzin law, designed to combat the rise in measles cases and the plummeting rates of children getting immunisations, came into force across the country on Tuesday.

Under the new policy, children under six can be turned away from nursery schools if they have not been vaccinated against common infectious diseases including chickenpox, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella.

Older children aged between six and 16 cannot be banned from school, but their parents may still face fines if they do not get the right vaccines.

Parents risk receiving fines of up to 500 (425).

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

According to the BBC, the local authority in Bologna has sent letters of suspension to the parents of some 300 children, and a total of 5,000 children do not have their vaccine documentation up to date.

Health Minister Giulia Grillo told La Repubblica newspaper: Everyone has had time to catch up.

Although former doctor Andrew Wakefield's link between the MMR vaccine and autism was discredited in the early 2000s, healthcare professionals in Italy are still trying to re-establish public confidence in vaccinations.

Recent data revealed that Italy is failing to meet the 95 per cent vaccination rate recommended by the World Health Organisation.

According to EU health officials, 165 measles cases were reported in January. In December 2018 76 cases of the preventable disease was reported.

Last month, an eight-year-old cancer survivor was unable to attend school in Rome because of the risk unvaccinated children pose to his comprised immune system.

After Five Star formed Italy's first coalition with the League in May 2018, it threatened to overturn the mandatory vaccination law before backing down.
A suspected Isis member will be allowed to return to Ireland with her child, the country's prime minister has said.

Lisa Smith is currently being detained in Syria where she has been accused of being a member of the extremist group.

The Irish national from County Louth was previously a member of the Irish Defence Forces before she converted to Islam and emigrated.

As an Irish citizen, the 37-year-old "will have the right to return to Ireland as will her child, who is an Irish citizen," Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said.

He added: "I know the authorities there will want to interrogate her to see if she has been involved in any crimes there. But it's very possible that she was never a combatant.

Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Show all 6 1 /6 Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Oil spills in Qayyarah, northern Iraq Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Plumes of black smoke from burning oil wells hung over Qayyarah for several months Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq The burning of oil wells and oil spills have caused long term damage to the environment in Iraq Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Experts still do not know the extent of the damage from Isis's burning of oil wells and polluting of rivers Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq Soil and water pollution is high in northern Iraq and impacting agriculture Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX Isiss scorched earth tactics damaged northern Iraq There are fears if environmental damage is not taken seriously agriculture in northern Iraq could be destroyed Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

"We really need to get to the bottom of the facts here, carry out a security assessment to see if the Syrian authorities want to carry out a prosecution or not. But ultimately this is an Irish citizen and we don't believe that removing an Irish citizen's citizenship from her or her child and rendering her stateless would be either the right or compassionate thing to do."

Mr Varadkar stressed that Ms Smith's potential return would not be "as simple as coming here and proceeding as if nothing had happened".

He said: "There will need to be an interrogation by the authorities [in Syria]. There may need to be a prosecution there. And we'll make sure that if she returns to Ireland, she isn't a threat to anybody here either."

Carol Duffy, who helped Lisa Smith convert to Islam nine years ago, told the RTE broadcaster that she believed the 37-year-old had been brainwashed.

"People are judging her now from what they see but the Lisa Smith I knew was a genuine, nice girl.," she said. "She was very funny and very approachable and from a nice family. I think what has happened to Lisa is a level of brainwashing that we will never be able to comprehend. I think she was promised a great life and I think she believed them. She is very vulnerable and is guilty of being naive."

Asked whether she think Ms Smith should be allowed to return to Ireland, Ms Duffy said: "I was very conflicted by all of this because in one way I'm very adamant that anyone who gets involved in that kind of carry on needs to be punished. The other thing is we have no proof she has done anything.

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"The Lisa I knew was not confrontational, (she) would never physically hurt anyone. The idea that she would be over there doing something? No, I don't believe she lifted a gun and killed anyone. I don't even believe she was sympathising with them, I think she was looking for something in life and it didn't turn out that way."

Mr Vardakar's comments on the case come as debate in the UK rages over the status of Shamima Begum, who travelled to Syria in 2015 and married an Isis fighter shortly afterwards.

The British government has stripped the teenager of her citizenship over her actions.

A lawyer representing her family has written to the Home Office, asking the department to show the teenager "mercy" by reinstating her British citizenship.

Additional reporting by agencies
A Slovenian woman has been arrested after allegedly sawing off her own hand in a bid to falsely claim around 400,000 (340,000) in compensation.

Police say the 21-year-old conspired with relatives to make the fraudulent insurance claim by deliberately cutting off her hand above the wrist with a circular saw.

The woman was rushed to hospital by family members, who told doctors she hurt herself while sawing branches at her home in Ljubljana, according to BBC News.

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

Detectives say the group left the severed hand behind hoping to ensure the disability was permanent. However, medics were able to recover it in time and reattach it.

The suspect recently took out injury insurance and stood to gain monthly payments of around 3,000 (2,555).

Four members of the family were detained earlier this year, but two were later released.

The woman and a relative each face up to eight years in prison if convicted.
Algerias embattled and ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced in a dramatic statement that he would not run for a fifth term and would postpone presidential elections to a later date while the country sorted out its next steps, creating a hazy interim period where he would remain in charge.

I undertake, if God grants me life and help, to hand over the offices and prerogative of the president of the republic to a successor freely elected by the Algerian people, he was quoted as saying in a statement that was met by cheers among thousands of demonstrators demanding his resignation for weeks. There will be no fifth term, he said, citing his health and his age, but vowing to help shape a new Algerian system.

The 82-year-old has not made a notable speech or more than a few public appearances since 2013, when he suffered a massive stroke. The wheelchair-bound Mr Bouteflika had been seeking medical care for weeks in Geneva, returning late Sunday, the first day of the Algerian work week, as calls for a general strike were being heeded.

His statement appeared designed to meet the demands of hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protesting for weeks against his extending his 20-year rule.

But if embraced by the public and the young protesters demanding his departure, Mr Bouteflikas plan also carves out breathing space for him and his loyalists to tighten their grip on power, regain control of the streets, and muzzle a press that has been giving sympathetic attention to the peaceful demonstrations.

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

It remains unclear if Algerians will see the plan as a genuine attempt to hand over power, or yet another scheme to buy more time and prevent a gathering storm of labour strikes that could cripple the regime and further limit its options. If accepted by protesters, it could at least give authorities time to settle on an successor to Mr Bouteflika within rival business, security, and regional networks that make up Algerias elite

Though the protesters have demanded Mr Bouteflika not run for a fifth term and a postponement of the elections, constitutional changes were not among their top requests.

Facing discontent around the time of the Arab Spring uprisings, Mr Bouteflika had promised to rewrite the constitution and hand over power to the youth, only to backtrack. He used similar rhetoric about the youth in his latest missive.

I give up on a fifth term, but Ill instead do a fourth term of 10 years, said a political cartoon sketched by the caricaturist Dilem Ali.

The statement said an inclusive and independent national commission will draw up a national charter by the end of this year, and submit a new constitution to a popular referendum afterward.

But no exact timeline was specified for any of it.The drawing up of a new constitution will take months and ratification of the charter via a referendum could take more time.

Algerias wily leadership figures could calculate that such a period would give them time to let the steam run out of the protest movement, or even the opportunity to create a crisis that would allow Mr Bouteflika and his adherents to continue ruling and cutting lucrative energy deals unfettered by a protest movement.

That he announced that elections will be postponed and that he will dissolve the government means that he will stay in power beyond his term, Lina Khatib, Middle East and North Africa chief at Chatham House, told The Independent. Its a game so he can be de facto president and indefinitely delay prospects for change.

Before Fridays massive protests, Mr Bouteflika had offered to run for president and serve for a year before handing over power, a gesture rejected by protesters. The latest offer appears to be a repackaging of that same offer, minus the elections on 18 April.

It remained unclear how gathering a bunch of politicians and jurists to begin the painstaking process of rewriting the constitution could resolve any of Algerias problems, which include corruption, a stagnant hydrocarbon dependent economy that fails to provide jobs for young people yearning to flee for opportunities abroad.

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Mr Bouteflika also announced a cabinet reshuffle, appointing Noureddine Bedoui as prime minister and asking him to form a new cabinet to replace one led by Ahmed Ouyahia, in another frequent move used by authoritarian Arab regimes to address discontent.

He also fired the president of the Independent High Authority for the Elections and its members and promised the creation of a new independent election commission as demanded by opposition parties.

But his statement gave no indication that he would relinquish or hand over power during the transition period, instead vowing that he would oversee the process of handing over power that he has designed to ensure its full success while overseeing the government.
Canadian Press/file photo

An organized crime group is shipping stolen high-end vehicles to Africa, Victoria Police say.

The nationwide group recently surfaced in Victoria and fraudulently purchases cars with fake IDs and credit cards, CTV News reports.

"They are being shipped to Africa, including the Republic of Congo, and Senegal," Police Chief Del Manak told Victoria council.

After a Victoria car dealership alerted police to a fraudulent purchase last August, VicPD eventually tracked the vehicle to Senegal.

Police have recovered a couple of vehicles, but say it's not known how many might have been stolen.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
A transgender woman arrested in Egypt last week for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests has been subjected to a forced anal examination that amounts to torture, a rights group has claimed.

Malak el-Kashef, 19, was detained on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organisation, a reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. She had reportedly taken part in anti-government demonstrations sparked by a deadly train crash in Cairo.

Following her arrest last Wednesday, rights groups had expressed concern that she may be targeted because of her gender. Ms Kashef has undergone gender reassignment surgery, but is still officially registered as a male in Egypt.

Those fears appear to have been well founded. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said Ms Kashef was forced to undergo a body cavity search at a government hospital over the weekend.

These types of examinations are a cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners and amount to torture, it said.

The group called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately cease such degrading practices against Ms Kashef and other transgender people, release her unconditionally and drop all charges against her.

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

Egypts LGBT+ community has been on the receiving end of a harsh crackdown for the past few years, which escalated following the unfurling of a rainbow flag at a concert in 2017.

While homosexuality is not technically illegal in Egypt, the country uses so-called debauchery laws to criminalise same sex relations. More than 70 people were arrested last year under the laws, according to Bedayaa, a Cairo-based LGBT+ rights organisation.

In the wake of her arrest, a number of rights groups expressed concern for Ms Kashefs safety.

Malak al-Kashef appears to have been detained solely for peacefully exercising her rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

Due to her gender identity, Malak is at increased risk of torture by the police, including rape and sexual violence, as well as assault by other detainees, she added.

Despite the dangers she faced, Ms Kashef has spoken publicly about her transition and the difficulties of being transgender in Egypt. In a 2018 interview with Erem News, she said she had attempted suicide because of the pressures she faced.

According to Egyptian news site Mada Masr, citing the same interview, she said he had written in her suicide note: Im not killing myself because Im trans. Its society that has killed me, because you rejected me, hurt me, hit me, detained me.

Her arrest follows the detention of more than 70 people last week for taking part in small and scattered anti-government protests sparked by a deadly train crash.

Twenty five 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.
A senior military general has backtracked after appearing to draw parallels between horrifying events in Europe in the 1930s and modern Israeli society.

Major General Yair Golan, the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) Deputy Chief of Staff, was speaking at a Holocaust memorial service when he made the unexpected statement.

However, following strong criticism of his comments, he has since denied he was attempting to make a direct comparison between Israel, its armed forces and Nazi Germany.

Recommended Read more IDF soldier charged with manslaughter for shooting unarmed terrorist

"It's scary to see horrifying developments that took place in Europe begin to unfold here," Maj. Gen. Golan told an audience of politicians and dignitaries.

"Because if there is one thing that is scary in remembering the Holocaust, it is noticing horrific processes which developed in Europe  particularly in Germany  70, 80, and 90 years ago, and finding remnants of that here among us in the year 2016."

"The Holocaust, in my view, must lead us to deep soul-searching about the nature of man. It must bring us to conduct some soul-searching as to the responsibility of leadership and the quality of our society. It must lead us to fundamentally rethink how we, here and now, behave towards the other."

"There is nothing easier and simpler than in changing the foreigner," the officer said, according to the Jerusalem Post and other reports. "There is nothing easier and simpler than fear-mongering and threatening. There is nothing easier and simpler than in behaving like beasts, becoming morally corrupt, and to act sanctimoniously."

"On Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is worthwhile to ponder our capacity to uproot the first signs of intolerance, violence, and self-destruction that arise on the path to moral degradation," Maj. Gen. Golan said.

In a further striking comment, he also appeared to criticise certain members of the IDF, while defending the organisations record for its ability to investigate severe incidents without hesitation.

While not directly referencing it, many believed the Major General was referring to the case of 18-year-old Sgt Elor Azaria. The soldier was charged with manslaughter after shooting dead an apparently wounded and unarmed Palestinian attacker. The consequent fallout has polarised Israel.

Watch the video of the shooting below (Warning: contains graphic footage)

 Palestinian man shot by Israeli soldier as he lies on the ground

"We very much believe in the justice of our cause, but not everything we do is just," Maj. Gen Golan said. "We are certain of the high level of morality in the IDF as an organization, and we do not ignore exceptions by individuals."

The IDF has recruited a top lawyer to work on the prosecution of Sgt Azaria. The attorney, Nadav Weisman, is a senior partner on one of Israels most prominent legal firms and experienced in military legal cases, Israel National News reported.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

The Major General continued: "On Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we remember the six million of our people who were slaughtered in Europe, it is incumbent upon us to remember the 6.5 million, those living now, and to ask ourselves what is the purpose of our return to our land, what is appropriate to sanctify and what is not, what is proper to praise and what is not."

He later told IDF radio he had no intention of comparing Israel and its security services with events in Nazi Germany, i24News reported.

"The comparison is absurd and lacks any foundation, and there was no intent to draw such a parallel or to criticize the civilian leadership, Maj. Gen. Golan said.

The IDF is a moral army that maintains a purity of arms and respects human dignity.
An exiled Saudi prince has launched an opposition movement calling for regime change back home, and has vowed to protect critics fleeing Saudi Arabia, after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by officials last year.

Prince Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud, who escaped Saudi Arabia himself over a decade ago, told The Independent he wants to see a constitutional monarchy in place, with elections to appoint a prime minister and cabinet, in order to fight what he called endemic human rights abuses and injustice in the country.

The Germany-based exile hopes the opposition group, dubbed the Freedom Movement of Arabian Peninsula People, will provide those fleeing Saudi Arabia with lawyers, specialist translators and access to the media to help them seek asylum in Europe.

The idea was formed amid an apparent crackdown on regime critics after Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi in the countrys consulate in Istanbul in October. Some Turkish and US intelligence officials, as well as US lawmakers, believe the killing could only have been ordered by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi authorities, who launched an investigation, have repeatedly denied the princes involvement and instead have said rogue Saudi officials were behind the gruesome death.

Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Show all 7 1 /7 Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi Washington Post journalist who was critical of the Saudi regime and the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he was murdered on 2 October in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul AFP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder, with US officials claiming that he must have known of the plot AFP/Getty Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures 15 man hit squad Turkish police suspect these 15 men of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, issued 10 October, 8 days after the journalist disappeared EPA Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saud al-Qahtani Aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani is claimed to have ordered Khashoggi's murder Saud Al-Qahtani/Twitter Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb A former diplomat who often travelled with the Crown Prince, Mutreb was initially claimed to be the leader of the hit squad and is pictured here entering the Saudi consulate on the day of the murder AP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Mustafa al-Madani First implicated in the 15 CCTV photos released by the Turkish police, al-Madani was later found to have been used as a body double for Khashoggi, leaving the Saudi consulate dressed in his clothes on the day the journalist was killed CNN Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi (L) Son of the murdered journalist met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 23 October EPA

We need a new system in Saudi Arabia like other democracies, where the people have the right to elect a government, to create a new Saudi Arabia, the 41-year-old Prince Khaled told The Independent.

We have a vision for the judicial system, for human rights and accountability, but right now we need to focus on the constitution and on activism to help Saudis in Europe.

He said the royal family, the House of Saud, would remain the diplomatic and symbolic heads of the country, much like the queen is in the UK, but power would ultimately be held by the people.

The idea was also inspired by the plight of Saudi citizen Rahaf al-Qunun, 19, who was forced to barricade herself in an airport toilet in Bangkok in January while trying to flee her allegedly abusive family on a trip to Kuwait.

She was finally granted asylum by Canada but only after attracting global attention by tweeting about her plight when the Thai immigration police refused her entry to the country.

Prince Khaled, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2007, said the group will offer legal and other types of support to citizens, so they do not have to rely on social media.

I had to leave Saudi in 2007 when I was warned there was an order for my arrest because I was critical of the state, he told The Independent.

I felt this suffering myself. I want to help others who faced the same problems as me. When you make calls against the government you need help, he added.

The royal rebel is part of a wing of the royal family that has clashed with Mohammed bin Salman. He said his own father and sister remain under house arrest in the country.

Prince Khaled had previously revealed to The Independent that he believes the Saudi authorities had planned to kidnap him just 10 days before Khashoggi disappeared in October.

In eerily similar circumstances, the prince, whose mother is Egyptian, claimed he was promised a large cheque and millions of dollars if he agreed to fly to Egypt to meet regime officials at the Saudi consulate in Cairo.

The prince refused, believing it to be a ruse to lure him back to Saudi Arabia, as part of an escalating crackdown orchestrated by Mohammed bin Salman to silence his critics.

Saudi Arabia, under the de facto leadership of Mohammed bin Salman, has faced mounting international criticism for its rights record amid accusations it had repeatedly drugged and extradited regime critics, including princes, back to the country. In January a group of British MPs called for access to a group of a dozen womens rights activists who were arrested and reportedly tortured. They remain in captivity.

This is despite the fact that Mohammed bin Salman has launched a high profile reform drive, including scrapping a controversial driving ban on female citizens.

Apart from pushing for regime change in Saudi Arabia, Prince Khaled aims to support citizens who have fled injustice, torture and harm in Saudi Arabia, by helping them seek asylum in Germany and other European countries.

He has now teamed up with Saudi activists across Europe and enlisted the support of immigration lawyers and translators in Germany to create the network.

 Marco Rubio says Saudi crown prince has 'gone full gangster'

It also hopes to cooperate with international media to highlight alleged attacks against Saudi citizens and will establish a commission to lobby for the release of those unjustly arrested within Saudi Arabia.

I am so far the only royal family member in this movement but I hope others will join me. Jamal Khashoggi is one of thousands of citizens who have been killed unjustly. We want to rise up against his injustice to save the country from collapse, he added.

Prominent Saudi regime critic Abdul-Aziz Amoud, who has been based in Dublin since 2014, joined the movement after setting up an initiative in Ireland to protect vulnerable Saudi women fleeing abusive families in the country, where they are subject to controlling male guardianship laws.

The most important role of Saudi opposition outside of the country is to help others. And one of the most effective ways to make changes is through international pressure and helping asylum seekers, he told The Independent.

I am so far the only royal family member in this movement but I hope others will join me Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud, Saudi prince

Women in particular are super-vulnerable. The Saudi authorities have repeatedly used their embassies to work against people, even in the case of domestic issues like Rahaf.

Essen-based legal translator Dr Abdel-Salam Ismail is among those who will be a part of the team helping Saudis seek asylum.

Khaled has taken a very important step to break with the royal family in order to restore democratic freedom to the people of Saudi Arabia, he told The Independent.

We will not only be engaging lawyers who are specialised in asylum cases but employing people to take care of things like bringing family members over and integration including applying for schools, Dr Ismail said.
The UK has banned all arrivals, departures and overflights involving the aircraft type that was lost in Sundays crash in Ethiopia, the Boeing 737 Max 8.

As investigators urgently seek to understand why the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has joined Australia, Singapore, China, Indonesia and Malaysia in banning the jet.

A spokesperson for the CAA said: As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder, we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

The UK Civil Aviation Authoritys safety directive will be in place until further notice.

We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and industry regulators globally.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

All 157 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 were killed when it crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, on a routine flight to Nairobi.

TUI Airways has five of the aircraft based in the UK, mainly in Manchester, and uses them on a wide range of longer European and north African links  recent destinations including Funchal in Madeira, Paphos in Cyprus, and Agadir and Marrakech in Morocco.

The other leading operator of the aircraft type from the UK is Norwegian, which has 18 of the variant and another on order. Research by The Independent on flights over the past week show that Gatwick-Helsinki is the most frequent UK service using the jet, but London and Edinburgh to Oslo and Edinburgh to New York (Stewart) are also popular.

The jet is also used for transatlantic services from Dublin.

In addition, some foreign airlines operate services to the UK using the Max 8, including Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Birmingham and back.
Boeing 737 Max aircraft have been banned from flying in Europe, following the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people onboard.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a statement that it was suspending operations of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft across Europe.

It added that it would also ban all commercial flights by third-country operators in its airspace.

EASA is continuously analysing the data as it becomes available. The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident, it said.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

Countries including China, Singapore and Australia today moved to ban the jet from their airspace.

The UKs Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) banned the Boeing 737 Max from its airspace earlier on Tuesday, saying: As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder, we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

The UK Civil Aviation Authoritys safety directive will be in place until further notice.

We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and industry regulators globally.

Two Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jets were turned round in mid-air after the ban was imposed.

The ban comes as Boeing issued a statement saying that it had full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max and that safety was its number one priority.

We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets, the planemaker added.

The US Federal Aviation Authority, which has a team in Ethiopia working on the investigation, is now one of the only nations to not ban the aircraft from its airspace.

In a statement issued yesterday, the American aviation watchdog said it was safe to fly the jet, issuing a continued airworthiness notification to reassure airlines. It said that if it found an issue that affected safety it would take immediate and appropriate action.

Dallas-based airline Southwest and American Airlines are two of the biggest operators of the aircraft in North America.
Investigators into the deadly plane crash near Addis Ababa will urgently analyse the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to try to discover what caused the loss of the Ethiopian Airlines jet.

All 157 passengers and crew onboard died when the Boeing 737 Max 8 hit the ground at high speed shortly after takeoff from the capital of Ethiopia on Sunday morning.

Investigators are considering a wide range of possible causes for the loss of flight ET302, from mechanical malfunction to a criminal act.

But with dozens of Boeing 737 Max aircraft grounded in Ethiopia, Indonesia and China, attention is growing on the anti-stall protection that the manufacturer has deployed in its most modern twinjets.

Fluctuations in the vertical speed of the aircraft in the Ethiopian incident show some similarities with the performance of the Lion Air 737 Max 8 which crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta airport in October.

All 189 people onboard the Indonesian domestic flight perished when the plane plunged into the sea.

Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Show all 15 1 /15 Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia People stand near collected debris at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage lies at the crash site of the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 near Addis Ababa EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris at the site of the crash near Addis Ababa Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam inspects the crash site AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Debris from the crashed aeroplane AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia UN staff observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash. 19 UN workers were killed in the crash AFP/Getty Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same type of aircraft that crashed EPA Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Members of the search and rescue team work at the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia A boarding pass at the scene of the crash Reuters Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Rescuers remove body bags from the scene of the crash near Addis Ababa AP Plane crash kills 157 in Ethiopia Wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopia Airlines flight AP

The Max version of the worlds most commercially successful aircraft has its engines further forwards and higher than on earlier variants.

That shift has aerodynamic consequences. When Boeing was developing the Max, it introduced some software  known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System  as a safety measure.

The airlines that have grounded Boeing 737 Max jets following the Ethiopian Airlines crash (Statista)

The aim is to protect against stalling. One of the most fundamental elements in aviation is the angle of attack, which measures the angle between the wing and the airflow. If it increases beyond a certain point, then the lift produced by the wings is insufficient to keep the aircraft flying.

Boeings stall-protection measure is designed to respond when the angle-of-attack sensor indicates danger.

It will automatically nudge the nose downwards, by operating an elevator in the tail, even if the pilots are flying manually rather than on autopilot.

The pilots are then expected to take action to address the potential stall issue.

But an emergency airworthiness directive issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shortly after the Lion Air crash warned: If an erroneously high single angle of attack sensor input is received by the flight control system, there is a potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of the horizontal stabiliser.

This condition, if not addressed, could cause the flight crew to have difficulty controlling the airplane, and lead to excessive nose-down attitude, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain.

The directive ordered airlines to advise pilots about how to deal with the phenomenon should it arise.

The FAA said the issue is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.

Many pilots have expressed concern that Boeing had failed to communicate what they see as a very significant change to the way the 737 flies.

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Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the American Airlines pilot union and a 737 captain, told The New York Times: Were not far off the time when we were being told that new equipment on the Max wasnt disclosed. We have that memory to work with. He said it was too early to draw any conclusions about the loss of ET302, but added: Boy, are we watching.

In a statement, Boeing said: We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew onboard and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team.

A Boeing technical team will be travelling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and US National Transportation Safety Board.
Algerians have got what they asked for. They have finally forced the ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to back down on his plans to run for president for the fifth time. Instead (and under the weight of the pressure from mass protests), he has decided to postpone the upcoming election while extending his fourth term.

This was Bouteflikas intention from the beginning. He suffered a severe stroke which has forced him out of the spotlight since 2013, and since then his brother Said, and a very close circle around him (including army generals), are in effect running the country. Last week, it was reported in Switzerland, where he was being kept in intensive care unit, that he had lost the ability to speak and was close to death.

In the meantime, hundreds of thousands had taken to the streets asking him not to run in the election, which was supposed to take place in April. Yet it felt like Algerians, who suffered a bloody civil war between extremists and the army throughout the 1990s, were choosing their demands carefully. Hesitance could be sensed in protesters attitude and slogans. The Algerian people were not asking for regime change, however corrupt, outdated and incompetent the regime is. They were simply asking for a president with a different name.

Watching the celebrations and joy in all Algerian cities recalled the Arab Spring mood. Arabs, for the first time since 2011, appeared to be able to decide what their future should look like through a dash into the lions den. Throughout the past eight years, rulers in Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and Tunisia could not help but use the fate of Syria, Yemen and Libya as part of a project fear. And it paid off.

The Algerian Spring is different to those previous uprisings. This nation has always maintained some sort of power balance between the regime and the people. There is a national anxiety towards challenging the government, based on the dark decade experience. Algerians endured an inert political reality under Bouteflika without protest for longer than their Arab cousins were able to  but that has finally changed. While young people in neighbouring rival Morocco are opening up to western culture, technology consumption and economic growth, Algerians were left behind to live in the past. Little has changed since the 1990s in the country under Bouteflika, who is part of the respected and long-lasting old warriors.

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

What we witnessed in the past three weeks is a healthy nation waking up  the street protests a limited but well-calculated bargain. It left no choice for the government but to accept its terms.

In Egypt, where the government seemed most rattled by developments in Algeria, it is a completely different story. Egypt is the hotspot where all attention turns to once people decide to take their demands to the streets anywhere in the region. It is the central gravity of change in the Middle East and North Africa. People who want revolution in the region look to Egypt for inspiration. They all know well they will inevitably be next.

But the people of the Arab Spring axis (Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and Yemen) are exhausted. They have experienced how their gutsy adventures can end up. They have witnessed vicious atrocities, bloody military conflicts, economic breakdowns and seen refugees disappear by the millions. None of the revolutions have truly achieved meaningful change. In fact, most of them have stumbled onto an even greater level of authoritarianism. A new brand where people are commonly killed or simply disappear.

Being tired of asking for change is the enemy of real transformation. Standing alone without assistance from abroad is another obstacle.

The Arab Spring was a spontaneous reaction to the figure of US president Barack Obama. The rise of a democratic and human rights defender to the White House can create a storm in the Middle East: the butterfly effect in action. Donald Trumps existence in the White House is similarly heavily felt in the region. Activists are being locked up, tortured and losing their jobs. Trump is no inspiration for those in the Arab world.

In Algeria, Bouteflika has wrestled back the momentum. Last week his campaign manager announced, on behalf of the president, that after winning the fifth term he would stay in power for a year so as to help put a new regime and constitution in place, and maintain the countrys stability. In reality, he means the regimes stability.

After further pressure he announced the big news late yesterday that the president is not going to run for a fifth term. The Algerian people have forced a concession but the outcome will not be that different from the presidents initial promise. Instead of cutting the fifth term down to a year, he is just extending the fourth term by a year.

This is not Arab Spring 2.0. While key nations are in turmoil and occupied by a sense of uncertainty and fear, it could take quite some time before another all-out mutiny in the Middle East and North Africa.

The fact that nothing has changed since 2011 still irritates young Arabs, but luckily, for their rulers, they still seem tired  at least for now.
Theresa May did not look like a leader who had won the breakthrough she needed. In Strasbourg, with her voice hoarse, her face drawn and her manner serious, she claimed to have secured legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement. But she didnt sound as if she believed it herself.

In fact, she has achieved significant changes. Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission president, expressed it rather better than she did. The new joint instrument  a document attached to the withdrawal agreement and of equal legal weight  would ensure that the Irish backstop will never be a trap, he said. If it were ever to be used in that way, it could be brought to an end.

That does suggest a shift towards the British demands for the right to exit the backstop  the insurance policy designed to ensure an open border in Ireland. But, as the government motion to be put to the vote on Tuesday night says, it only reduces the risk the UK could be deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely, it does not eliminate that risk entirely. It will be interesting to see what form of words Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, uses in his legal opinion.

But in the end it wont be the words that matter, it will be what 116 MPs think they mean. The prime minister has to persuade that many MPs to change their vote from last time, when she was defeated by a margin of 230 in January. That means she has to persuade the DUP  thats 10 votes  plus about 73 of the Tory rebels and 33 Labour MPs.

That does not look possible on the basis of what was achieved in Strasbourg, although if she could reduce the margin of defeat to 20-40 it is possible that, whatever Juncker said about no third chances, there could be another vote in a few days time. In the meantime, though, she would have to press ahead with the two further votes in the House of Commons that she has promised.

If the improved Brexit deal is rejected on Tuesday night, then the Commons will vote on Wednesday on whether it wants Britain to leave the EU without a deal. There is no doubt about the outcome of that vote, as only 50-60 Conservative MPs (and Kate Hoey) want that. Then on Thursday MPs will have to vote on whether or not Brexit should be postponed. At this point, it is possible that they would vote against that option as well, in which case that might be the chance for May to try a third time to get her deal through. Eventually MPs will have to decide to vote for her deal or delay, and delay seems more likely.

The problem with delay is that once Brexit has been postponed once, it could be postponed again, and we might never leave. That may be music to many peoples ears, but there are a lot of MPs, Conservative, Labour and DUP, who might think again if they thought that was going to be the outcome. They dont have much longer to reconsider.
Justice minister Charlie Flanagan has expressed concern following a fire at the Midlands Prison. (Brian Lawless/PA)

Concern has been voiced after a fire broke out at one of Irelands largest jails.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan expressed concern over the blaze which broke out at Midlands Prison in Portlaoise on Monday night.

No one was injured in the fire which started in the attic of E Division.

Minister @CharlieFlanagan expresses concern over fire at Midlands Prison. Read more here https://t.co/aNx5O8GBre  Department of Justice  (@DeptJusticeIRL) March 12, 2019

However a number of prisoners had to be moved due to power outages.

Thankfully no one was injured and I commend the fire brigade and all those who responded to the fire in order to extinguish it, Mr Flanagan said.

I am also reassured by the confirmation I have received from the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that all relevant safety systems worked as expected.

Some non-residential areas of the Division have, however, been damaged.

I am of course concerned that the fire broke out in the first placeCharlie Flanagan

I understand power has been restored to many of the affected areas and I know the IPS are working to keep disruptions for prisoners to a minimum.

I am of course concerned that the fire broke out in the first place.

Early indications suggest the fire started as a result of an electrical wiring fault however I am expecting a full report on the incident from the IPS in due course.
The Irish deputy leader has told the Dail the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement remains unchanged.

During Leaders Questions at the Irish Parliament on Tuesday, Tanaiste Simon Coveney reiterated Taoiseach Leo Varadkars earlier statement that only further legal assurances around the intentions of the EU in future negotiations were agreed on Monday night in Strasbourg.

When asked if the Irish Attorney Generals advice has changed, Mr Coveney said there are no changes to the backstop.

At the moment, the only guarantee to reassure people on this island is the backstopSimon Coveney

There are no changes to the backstop, what is significant and different, and has legal effect, is around the reassurance of the temporary nature of backstop, he said.

This is an insurance policy that nobody wants to use.

There is now a timeline of a year for both sides to consider alternative arrangements, seriously, to see if they can replace backstop.

If they stack up then well that will be agreed, if they dont, alternative arrangements must be worked on.

The test is still an actions-based test, unless and until that something can do the same job can replace it, but the commitment and processes have been outlined in much clearer language yesterday that have legal effect.

Mr Coveney added serious alternative arrangements to the Irish protocol would be considered by the Irish Government and they would not stand in the way if an extension was required.

If alternative arrangements work, they can replace the backstop as long as they protect the Good Friday Agreement and avoid a hard border and so on, he said.

We now have a clear timeline to consider those alternative arrangements during the transition period.

We have good faith on both sides to continue to work on those arrangements.

Of course the EU will act in good faith and consider fully alternative arrangements, and suspect they may well offer ideas themselves.

At the moment, the only guarantee to reassure people on this island is the backstop but that doesnt mean alternatives cant be found.

It was noted by both Simon Coveney and opposition leader Micheal Martin that Theresa May is dedicated to Britains responsibilities to the Good Friday Agreement.

Its important to say it is very clear in the UKs unilateral declaration that they talk about their obligations in the Good Friday Agreement in all circumstances and avoiding a hard border so its important to recognise that because it is of huge importance to this house, Mr Coveney added.
Photo: Contributed

The importance of agriculture to the local economy was reinforced when Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau met with members of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce.

Stakeholders included food producers, processors and local government representatives.

Tony Dyck of Okanagan Spirits told the new cabinet minister that distilleries are charged an excise tax on their product that is a brake on private sector investment and job creation.

Small distilleries across B.C. and Canada need some help, he said.

Melissa Dobernigg, owner of The BX Press Cidery, offered a similar message.

Alcohol production is a way to revitalize the family farm and agriculture. Its a way to add value to (culled) fruit that no longer has value, said Dobernigg.

On the subject of labour, Sukhpaul Bal, president of the B.C. Cherry Association, suggested Ottawa allow growers to hire people visiting the Okanagan on tourist visas.

There are a lot of people who want to work here for the short fruit season, but dont have the (work) visa, said Bal.

Local producers are also concerned about Canadas trade relationship with China, particularly because 75 per cent of B.C.s cherry exports (not including the U.S.) go to that country.

Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming urged the federal government to help communities address a lack of housing, which is impacting the economy.

We have the employees, but we need the housing, he said.

Others at the roundtable included the Regional District of North Okanagan, B.C. Fruit Growers Association, 4-H, Salade Excetera and MP Mel Arnold.

A strong and vibrant agricultural sector is critical to the North Okanagans economy," said chamber GM Dione Chambers. "The sector has considerable potential for job growth.

We will continue to lobby the federal government to support that growth, and our chamber is actively developing policy related to distilleries and the excise tax.
The Government has acknowledged challenging conditions for Defence Forces members (Aaron Chown/PA).

The Government has acknowledged challenging conditions for Defence Forces members.

Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe visited soldiers at Coolmoney Camp, Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow.

They will be deployed to Syria on UN duties and are entering a final phase of training.

Mr Kehoe said: We have challenging conditions, I have seen this at first hand.

Previously, the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association said members were paying to leave the forces in large numbers.

The minister said he took on board concerns raised with him by members of the military.

He said: That is why the Government prioritised the defence section for the Pay Commission.

He said the body would make recommendations soon and ministers would consider them.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will have a final roll of the Brexit dice today after securing a 'fudge' on the Irish backstop.

After a day of frantic activity in Dublin, London and Strasbourg, the UK government boasted of achieving "legally binding" changes that "strengthen and improve" the Withdrawal Agreement.

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The backstop which ensures no return to a hard Border on the island of Ireland remains unchanged - but there is a vision of an "alternative arrangement" being found by December 2020.

As revealed by the Irish Independent last week, Mrs May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker negotiated a 'package' consisting of three elements.

Brexiteers said they were "keeping an open mind" about the revised deal ahead of a crucial vote today.

Mrs May returns to the UK to win over her detractors with a warning that the EU will not move further and, if the deal does not pass muster, Brexit may not happen at all.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close 11/3/19 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar leaving Government Buildings following a Cabinet meeting on Brexit. Picture:Arthur Carron 11/3/19 Minister Shane Ross leaving Government Buildings following a Cabinet meeting on Brexit. Picture:Arthur Carron / Facebook

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The package includes:

A legally binding statement that makes clear neither side will negotiate after Brexit with the aim of "indefinitely" keeping the backstop;

An extended political declaration on the future ties;

And a document written by the UK side containing fresh legal advice on why the UK will not be 'trapped' in the backstop.

The legally binding statement will set out that the backstop is intended to be temporary.

It commits the EU to using "its best endeavours to negotiate and conclude expeditiously a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop". A date of December 31, 2020 is prescribed.

Sources in the Irish Government told this newspaper last night that they "can live" with the additions to the original agreement if it helps Mrs May get it passed by the House of Commons.

The 'unilateral' statement prepared by the UK was the focus of most attention in Dublin last night. It sets out the UK government's official interpretation of the backstop - but it will not be signed by the EU side.

Mr Juncker was in contact with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last night to get his blessing for the document.

A senior source in Dublin said: "Any country can say here's 'what we think'. But they can't needle us. A unilateral statement is fine but it can't say that either side can leave the backstop unilaterally."

Mrs May told a press conference in Strasbourg that the avoidance of a hard Border in Ireland was "absolutely right" but if the backstop ever came into force, "it cannot become a permanent arrangement".

Asked about Britain walking away from the backstop, she replied that the backstop was seen by all sides as an "insurance policy" with the intention it would never be used.

"We've secured in this a very clear timetable that allows the backstop to be replaced by alternative arrangements," she added, in reference to the December 2020 target date.

The UK says that while it could ultimately 'dis-apply' the backstop if it believed it was being used in bad faith it will uphold its obligations under the Good Friday Agreement "under all circumstances and to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland".

At the same press conference, Mr Juncker stressed that "we want to preserve peace on the island of Ireland" and that the Taoiseach would be prepared to back the new approach.

But in pointed remarks, he warned Britain: "In politics sometimes you get a second chance, it's what you do with this second chance that counts, because there will be no third chance."

He later added: "There will be no new negotiations. It is this."

Mrs May's chances of success in selling this deal now rest with Geoffrey Cox, the UK attorney general, who will today issue fresh legal advice on whether the UK could be trapped forever in the backstop if it came into force as a result of failed trade talks.

Mr Cox had previously said the backstop could "endure indefinitely". But if he changes his mind it may persuade significant numbers of Brexiteers to back the deal, which was defeated by a record margin when it was first put to the vote in January.

Mr Cox, who did not travel to Strasbourg, will need to be convinced that the revisions amount to a legally binding assurance that the backstop is finite in order to change his legal opinion.

The position of Northern Ireland's DUP, which props up Mrs May's government, will also be central to her chances of getting the vote across the line.

DUP leader Arlene Foster is understood to be meeting with senior Conservative Party MPs to discuss the situation.

The DUP's deputy leader Nigel Dodds said everything will need to be taken together and analysed carefully.

Sources in Dublin insisted the package being provided to the UK "does not remove the backstop".

The Cabinet met this morning to receive a final update on Brexit before ministers jet off on their traditional St Patrick's Day trips.

A decision had been taken for Mr Varadkar to fly to Washington yesterday so that he would be on the ground to watch the House of Commons vote. His official programme in the United States doesn't actually begin until Wednesday.

However, while some of his officials made it as far as Dublin Airport, Mr Varadkar decided to stay put shortly before he was due to leave Government Buildings.

Sources said he still fully intends to meet US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, but his travel plans are "fluid".

Tanaiste Simon Coveney has already curtailed his planned visits to Paris, Brussels, The Hague and Berlin.

The Cabinet was called to an emergency session at short notice yesterday evening, leaving a number of ministers scrambling to get back into the city centre.

Ministers have been told to be "extremely cautious" with their public commentary, amid fears that a triumphalist tone from Dublin would immediately derail any progress Mrs May hopes to make within her party.

After discussing the situation in broad terms, the Cabinet broke up to allow the Taoiseach to take a phonecall from Mr Juncker.

Talks between the EU and UK collapsed over the weekend after Mrs May's cabinet rejected the original outline of what is now on the table.

Geoffrey Cox believed it did not go far enough to convince him that the backstop would not "endure indefinitely".

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said parliament must reject the deal today, adding: "The prime minister's negotiations have failed.

"This evening's agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised Parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for."

The Irish Government will watch eagerly in the hope that Mrs May can gain support for the deal in today's vote.

However, a number of ministers privately told the Irish Independent that the best outcome at this stage would be a delay.

If Mrs May's deal is defeated again, she has promised two more votes this week: one to rule out leaving the EU without a deal and another which would give her permission to seek a delay of Article 50.

Ireland has repeatedly said it would not block a postponement of Brexit beyond March 29 - but Mr Varadkar was nuanced when speaking to reporters earlier yesterday. He warned that the EU will not allow a delay if it merely creates for a "rolling cliff-edge".
Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the Brexit debate in the House of Commons, London Credit: House of Commons/PA Wire

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to Parliament after the results of the vote on Brexit deal. Photo: REUTERS

A group of Conservative MPs including Jacob Rees Moggs have joined forces with the DUPs Nigel Dodds to formally propose that Brexit be delayed until May 22.

They have tabled an amendment to the motion planned by British Prime Minister Theresa May later this week.

Their amendment states that this will allow businesses time to prepare for the operation of tariffs.

Significantly the date chosen coincides with the start of the European elections.

Mrs May was defeated in a Brexit vote this evening on her plans to leave the European Union, by a 149 majority.

MPs voted against Mrs May's amended Brexit deal by 391 to 242 as her last-minute talks with EU chiefs ultimately proved fruitless.

The hoarse prime minister said that she "profoundly" regrets the decision and continues to believe that the best outcome by far is an orderly exit with Brexit.

She said she is passionate about delivering the result of the referendum and is equally passionate that the best way to leave is with a deal.

If the House of Commons declines to approve a no-deal Brexit, a vote on extending Article 50 will take place on Thursday, said Mrs May.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said that it was now time for a general election.

Mrs May will reveal how her government intends to deal with the border between Northern Ireland the Republic tomorrow ahead of yet another vote on her approach to Brexit.

Speaking after her deal was rejected again tonight Mrs May said: "This is an issue of grave importance for the future of our country."

She said that unless a deal is approved by the House of Commons the "default" will be that the UK crashes out with a deal.

In preparation for such a scenario, Mrs May has promised to reveal details of the tariffs that will be applied to goods from the EU in the event of no-deal tomorrow.

She also said a plan is being prepared for how to deal with the border in Ireland. This will be carefully watched by the DUP and other MPs who are vehemently opposed to the backstop.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly committed herself to avoid a hard border.

Following the publication of document on no-deal, the House of Commons will be asked to vote on whether it wants to leave without a deal.

Mrs May said: "The deal weve negotiation is the best and only deal available."

Tanaiste Simon Coveney has said a crash out Brexit looks closer now than it did a few hours ago as he insisted the focus must remain on London where the crisis is.

He said he is "deeply disappointed" with the outcome of the meaningful vote in Westminster tonight.

Avoiding a crash out Brexit cannot be done without the UK parliament "agreeing something" he said, adding a no deal would be a "lose, lose, lose" scenario for everyone.

Ireland and and the EU has worked over the past number of months to try to offer the "flexibilities and the assurances and clarification that the British government were looking for in order to get this deal ratified".

"It hasnt been possible to do that this evening. So the onus is now on the British government and the British parliament to come up with solutions," he said.

"I think the British Prime Minister outlined very clearly this evening that the parliament in London faces hard choices now."

"The focus has to be on London. Thats where the crisis is. Thats where the problem is and thats where the solutions need to come from," he said.

The House of Commons' second rejection of the EU-UK Brexit deal has "significantly increased" the risk of a damaging "no-deal" divorce, a spokesman for European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"We regret the outcome of tonight's vote," the spokesman said. "On the EU side, we have done all that is possible to reach an agreement ... it is difficult to see what more we can do."

"With only 17 days left to 29th March, today's vote has significantly increased the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit ... Should there be a UK reasoned request for an extension, the EU27 will consider it and decide by unanimity."

Yesterday, Mrs May rushed to Strasbourg to agree legally binding assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

It was a last-ditch bid to save her withdrawal agreement, days before the United Kingdom is due to leave on March 29.

May had announced three documents - a joint instrument, a joint statement and a unilateral declaration - which she said were aimed at addressing the Irish backstop.

The European Research Group said its verdict was that the assurances did not deliver legally binding changes to the Brexit deal or the backstop, nor an exit mechanism over which Britain had control.

However, Britain's attorney general, Geoffrey Cox said the assurances Mrs May had been given still meant the UK could be locked in the bloc's orbit after Brexit.

"The legal risk remains unchanged," Cox said. "However, the matter of law affecting withdrawal can only inform what is essentially a political decision that each of us must make."

Earlier, EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that Britain will not get a post-Brexit transition period unless the House of Commons ratifies the divorce package.

"Listening to debate in House of Commons: there seems to be a dangerous illusion that the UK can benefit from a transition in the absence of the Withdrawal Agreement," he said said on Twitter.

"Let me be clear: the only legal basis for a transition is the WA. No withdrawal agreement means no transition."

The Brexit spokesman for Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party Sammy Wilson told Reuters that Mrs May must go back to the EU after she loses the vote on her deal to demand radical change to her Brexit deal.

"We need radical change .... and we need to see some steel in her stance," he said.

Wilson said the DUP decided to vote against May's deal as soon as they read the legal advice by Britain's attorney general, which, he said, showed nothing had changed after Monday's revisions to the deal.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Ireland will not oppose any UK application for a Brexit extension  but London must have a plan to use the extra time, the Tanaiste has told the Dail.

But Labour Leader, Brendan Howlin, said he believed the Irish border backstop will have to be called into use. Mr Howlin said did not believe a long-term EU-UK trade deal can be completed within the allowed time of two more years to replace the backstop.

Replying to questions about Monday nights EU-UK updated deal, Tanaiste Simon Coveney said there are no legal changes to the text of the withdrawal agreement.

But Mr Coveney said the overall package agreed on Monday night between British prime minister Theresa May and the EU is different from the arrangements in place. What is different is the language, he said.

What is different is the reassurance and the process around that reassurance, the Foreign Affairs Minister added.

He said it was possible to replace the border backstop in full or in part - as long as the replacement arrangements continued to deliver the same effect which is the avoidance of a hard border.

Mr Coveney stressed that there was now a legal agreement enforcing political guarantees already granted. There is good faith on both sides to prevent a backstop in the first place but if it is triggered - that it would be temporary, he said.
Key Irish and French farming associations have strongly supported the EU27 position on Brexit.

In both Ireland and France, farmers represent a powerful lobby which politicians in both nations are keen to keep onside.

The Irish Farmers' Association and the French farmers' union FNSEA held a bilateral meeting in Dublin.

They want to see a deal that does the least possible damage to Irish and French farmers and EU agriculture.

IFA president Joe Healy and the president of FNSEA, Christiane Lambert, said safeguarding the integrity of the EU single market and customs union is an essential element of any outcome.

"A no deal would be very detrimental to Irish and French farmers, but the EU must remain firm on the Withdrawal Agreement.

"After all, this was agreed with the EU by the UK government," the two presidents stated.

"But, if we end up in a no-deal scenario, we expect the Commission to stand by their commitment to support European farmers in the strongest possible way," they said.

They re-affirmed their commitment to the backstop and acknowledged the steadfast position of EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and the solidarity of the other member states.

Mr Healy acknowledged the solidarity of French farmers, who have stood with Irish farmers at critical times during our membership of the EU.
ANY doubts or fears that politicians in the UK had about being trapped indefinitely in the Irish backstop can now be put to bed, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

In a measured response to the latest version of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal, the Taoiseach urged MPs to study it carefully and support it in the House of Commons tonight.

He said Ireland and the EU were always prepared to offer assurances of our good faith and intentions.

Mr Varadkar described the new 'package' of measures as complimentary to the Withdrawal Agreement and said that the new deal does "not undermine" the original agreement.

But in comments that will attract the most attention from those who oppose Mrs Mays deal, he emphasised that the backstop must still stay in place unless and until alternative ways of avoiding a hard border are found.

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It [the new deal] does not call into question that the backstop will apply unless and until an alternative is agreed, he said, adding that the EU would work in a timely way to find those alternatives.

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Brexit has been a dark cloud over us for many months. We now need to see the WA ratified by Westminster and the European Parliament without further delay, he said.

Cabinet ministers met until midnight last night but Mr Varadkar decided to wait until this morning to make a statement about the developments. The Irish Government now intends to say little or nothing further about the situation until the House of Commons votes tonight.

Mr Varadkar said he hoped the assurances given to Mrs May in Strasbourg last would be basis on which we can move forward again.

She returned to the UK with a warning that the EU will not move further and, if the deal does not pass muster, Brexit may not happen at all.

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The package includes:

-A legally binding statement that makes clear neither side will negotiate after Brexit with the aim of indefinitely keeping the backstop

- An extended political declaration on the future ties

- And a document written by the UK side containing fresh legal advice on why the UK will not be trapped in the backstop

The legally binding statement sets out that the backstop is intended to be temporary.

It commits the EU to using its best endeavours to negotiate and conclude expeditiously a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop. A date of December 31, 2020 is prescribed.

Attention now turns back to Westminster where the deal will be put to a vote around 7pm tonight.

Mr Varadkar said: I hope and trust the Withdrawal Agreement will be endorsed by the House of Commons.

The DUP, who prop up Mrs Mays government, continues to study the new documents. Their next move is seen as crucial and will hold significant sway over hardline Brexiteers in the Conservative Party.

MPs are also eagerly awaiting the views of Attorney General Geoffrey Cox who previously warned that the UK could be trapped in the backstop indefinitely.

This morning, he denied speculation that he was ordered to validate Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal assurances against his will.

British broadcaster Jon Snow tweated he had heard that Attorney General Geoffrey Cox did not validate May's tweaked deal and had been told to find a way to validate it.

Cox, who is due to give a legal opinion on May's assurances, replied with one word on Twitter: "Bollocks".
The UK Government has secured "legally-binding" changes to the Brexit deal after Theresa May made a last-minute dash to Strasbourg for talks on the eve of a crucial vote in the House of Commons.

In a joint press conference with EU chief Jean Claude Juncker, Mrs May said she stands by what the Brexit deal stands for, and that the deal sets the UK on course for a good future with the EU.

"Having an insurance policy to guarantee that there will never be a hard border in Northern Ireland is absolutely right - it honours the UK's solemn commitments in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement," she said.

"But if we ever have to use that insurance policy, it cannot become a permanent arrangement and it is not the template for our future relationship."

Mrs May said that she has secured what parliament asked for on the backstop and that she will speak in more detail in parliament tomorrow.

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Jean Claude Juncker told the press conference that he has spoken with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar who has agreed to support the approach taken by the EU tonight.

In a letter to EU summit chair Donald Tusk, Mr Juncker said that Mr Varadkar is willing to support the agreement "in the interest of securing an overall deal".

Mr Juncker said the backstop is an insurance policy and that the intention is that it is not to be used, and if it is used, it will never be used as a trap.

He said that Britain must leave the European Union by the time EU voters elect a new European Parliament on May 23-26.

"The United Kingdom's withdrawal should be complete before the European elections that will take place between May 23-26 this year," he wrote to Mr Tusk.

"If the United Kingdom has not left the European Union by then, it will be legally required to hold these elections."

As revealed by the Irish Independent last week, Mrs May and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker negotiated a 'package' consisting of three elements.

Brexiteers said they were "keeping an open mind" about whether to back a revised deal and will decide whether to support it in the all-important "meaningful vote". The package includes:

- A legally-binding statement that makes clear neither side will negotiate after Brexit with the aim of indefinitely keeping the backstop;

- An extended political declaration on the future ties;

- And a document written by the UK side containing fresh legal advice on why the UK will not be trapped in the backstop.

The legally-binding statement will set out that the backstop is intended to be temporary.

It commits the EU to using "its best endeavours to negotiate and conclude expeditiously a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop". A date of December 31, 2020 is prescribed.

Sources in the Irish government told Independent.ie they "can live" with the additions to the original agreement if it helps Mrs May get it passed by the House of Commons.

The DUPs Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds said everything will need to be taken together and analysed carefully.

The UK prime minister's de facto deputy David Lidington gave the update to MPs earlier as Mrs May and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay were meeting with EU leaders.

Mr Lidington said: "Tonight we will be laying two new documents in the House; a joint legally-biding instrument on the Withdrawal Agreement and protocol on Northern Ireland and a joint statement to supplement the political declaration.

"The first provides confirmation that the EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally-binding commitments that both sides have agreed."

And he said the "joint instrument" reflects the commitment to "replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020".

Mr Lidington added the Attorney General would be publishing advice ahead of Tuesday's debate, but needed time to consider the new changes.

"The Attorney General will publish his legal opinion," he said. "That will be available in good time before the debate.

"I think the house would expect the Attorney General to consider very carefully rather than rush an opinion out to meet the deadline for this statement this evening."

Earlier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delayed travelling to Washington for the St Patricks Day festivities as the future of Brexit hangs in the balance.

After a day of frantic activity in Dublin, London and Strasbourg, British Prime Minister Theresa May spent the evening in last-ditch negotiations with EU chief Jean Claude Juncker.

The Cabinet met this morning to receive a final update on Brexit before ministers jet off on their traditional St Patricks Day trips.

A decision had been taken for Mr Varadkar to fly to Washington yesterday so that he would be on the ground to watch the House of Commons vote.

His official programme in the United States doesnt actually commence until Wednesday.

However, while some of his officials made it as far as Dublin Airport, Mr Varadkar decided to stay put shortly before he was due to leave Government Buildings.

Sources said he still fully intends to meet US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday but his travel plans are "fluid".

Tanaiste Simon Coveney has already curtailed his planned visits to Paris, Brussels, The Hague and Berlin.

The Cabinet were called to an emergency session at short notice this evening, leaving a number of ministers scrambling to get back into the city centre.

Ministers have been told to be "extremely cautious" with their public commentary, amid fears that a triumphalist tone from Dublin would immediately derail any progress Mrs May hopes to make within her party.

After discussing the situation in broad terms, the Cabinet broke up to allow the Taoiseach take a phonecall from Mr Juncker.

Talks between the EU and UK collapsed over the weekend after Mrs Mays Cabinet rejected the original outline of what is now on the table.

The view of the UKs Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was that it did not go far enough to convince him that the backstop would not "endure indefinitely".

Ireland has repeatedly said it would not block a postponement of Brexit beyond March 29  but Mr Varadkar was nuanced on the idea when speaking to reporters earlier.

He warned that the EU will not allow a delay if it merely creates for a "rolling cliff-edge".

"Nobody across the European Union wants to see a rolling cliff edge where tough decisions just get put off until the end of April and then to the end of May and then maybe until the end of July.

"The uncertainty around Brexit is already worrying citizens. It is damaging business confidence, it is effecting our agriculture in particular. It will affect other industries as well as the week goes on. I really think if there is going to be an extension it has to be with a purpose, that extension," he said.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe met with senior officials from the NTMA, Revenue Commissioners and Central Bank early today to discuss preparedness for a no-deal scenario.

He said the country is in a good position but "a departure of the UK from the EU without an agreement or transition period, would have a sudden, immediate and negative impact on our economy".

The Government plan is to allow the public finances "absorb the shock" this year  but the strategy Budget 2020 would change.

"The strength of the public finances will allow us to support economic activity through the operation of the automatic stabilisers on tax revenues and social transfers.

"This will support economic growth in the short-run and provide the economy with a safeguard against the most immediate negative impacts that would arise," Mr Donohoe said.

He added: "As the situation becomes clearer, the strategy for Budget 2020 will be based on an appropriate response to the economic circumstances."

Additional reporting from PA
Photo: BC Gov Flickr

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.

The provincial government says Premier John Horgan will be making an announcement at the Structurlam plant in Okanagan Falls Wednesday morning prior to his meet-and-greet with members of the local NDP at the Barking Parrot.

Horgan will be joined by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson, to announce changes to the B.C. building code "that will benefit the forestry sector."

Check Castanet for coverage of the Premier's visit.

ORIGINAL 11:30 a.m.

Premier John Horgan will be in Penticton Wednesday on NDP business.

The Penticton NDP constituency association is hosting Horgan for a meet-and-greet lunch at the Barking Parrot from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The leader of our party is coming to town and we want to celebrate the amazing strides our NDP government has made to make BC better for all of us, reads a notice on the local contingency offices Facebook.

Horgans visit likely is to coincide with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities board meeting underway this week at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.
The Congress praised the "great legacy" between Ireland and America. Pictured: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar greets US President Donald Trump on St Patrick's Day (Photo: PA)

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will set out Irelands position on Brexit when he meets US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday.

Mr Varadkar delayed his departure to the United States amid last nights crunch Brexit talks between the UK and EU in Strasbourg.

A Government spokesman has confirmed that the Taoiseachs St Patricks Day programme in Washington DC will begin tomorrow as planned.

The visit is said to be an opportunity to deepen Irelands strong bilateral relations with the US, and to build even stronger transatlantic relations between the US and the EU.

Mr Varadkar will tomorrow hold a series of meetings with Irish and US companies investing on both sides of the Atlantic to promote economic ties.

US companies employ 155,000 people in Ireland while Irish firms have more than 100,000 American workers Stateside.

The Taoiseach will also attend the annual Ireland Funds Gala Dinner, and visit an exhibition entitled Blazing a Trail: Irish Women in America.

Thursday begins with a breakfast hosted by US vice-president Mike Pence before Mr Varadkar goes to the White House for his Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump.

Mr Varadkar will also attend the annual Speakers Lunch on Capitol Hill, and meet with senior members of Congress.

The Taoiseach will use his meetings to emphasise the strength of Irish-US relations, to recall the important role of the US in supporting peace and the Good Friday Agreement, and outline Irelands position on Brexit.

He is also to press the case for resolving the situation facing the undocumented Irish in America.

The traditional Shamrock Ceremony will take place in the White House on Thursday evening.

Mr Varadkar travels to Chicago on Friday and he will march in the citys St Patricks Day parade the following day.
Irish calf exporters have received approval by the French Authorities for an increase in the holding capacity of one of the lairages at Cherbourg which facilitates the processing of animal exports to the EU.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed welcomed the announcement of additional daily capacity for 400 animals which based on current ferry sailing schedules, provides increased capacity of some 1,200 animals per week.

The provision of such lairage facilities is a matter for private industry, however staff from the Department of Agriculture have had on-going contacts with the exporters in Ireland, lairage owners in France and the French authorities over recent months to explore options to facilitate further trade.

Minister Creed had also raised the matter with the French Minister for Foreign Affairs when they met in Dublin recently.

One of the constraints faced by exporters has been the limited lairage capacity at Cherbourg. I welcome the initiative of the lairage owner in France to expand his facilities which has now been approved by the French Authorities, said Minister Creed.

I would like to acknowledge the responsiveness of the French Authorities, who understanding the significant importance of this route for Irish exports, have moved quickly to approve the facility. This will provide some welcome additional capacity for those exporting animals to Europe.

Minister Creed emphasised the absolute need for exporters to ensure strict adherence to the transport regulation to ensure the welfare of the animals at all times.

Exporter John Hallissey from JH Livestock Exporters stated this week that around 20 exporters have agreed to meet in the coming days to discuss setting up an export body to represent the trade.

He said key issues they would be looking at ranged from health issues to commercial matters like lairage.
Farmers have raised concerns that the seemingly likely delay in the rollout of a new CAP will undermine low-income farmers.

Between Brexit, EU elections, a post-2020 budget stalemate and growing fears about the avalanche of paperwork the new CAP will bring with it, MEPs and EU agriculture ministers are taking their time over the talks.

With ongoing uncertainty around Brexit there is stated INHFA President Colm ODonnell the real possibility of any new CAP deal, not starting until 2021 or even 2022.

In this eventuality he continued farmers with low Pillar 1 payments who are often depending on additional income support from Pillar 2 Schemes such as GLAS or AEOS will need to be protected.

When previous CAP Programs did not start up as expected measures were put in place to roll over schemes and stated ODonnell our Government needs to commit to this and get clarity in Brussels on it if required.

Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed recently said of the Commission's bid to kickstart the new CAP next year that he doesn't think it's going to be achievable.

"I think the timeline is challenging, and therefore you're going to be looking at a requirement to roll over existing schemes for a while," he told this newspaper.

Under the new rules, EU governments will be required to submit "CAP strategic plans" each year, setting out how they intend to use EU money (which will require prior approval from the Commission). They will also have to provide "performance reports" to show they are meeting nine EU-wide targets, which all have climate-related elements.

MEPs in Parliament's agriculture committee are currently arguing amongst themselves over the new measures, adding close to 5,000 amendments to the Commission's draft proposal.

They won't vote on their final position until April. And with the European elections threatening to see in more Eurosceptic MEPs in May, a deal could be even more difficult to get later on in the year.

Farm ministers, meanwhile, have spent their regular monthly meetings treading old ground, not yet exchanging negotiating texts.

What's clear from those meetings is that while there is a majority of EU countries against the CAP budget cuts - France and Ireland are in the lead here - it is less clear how the Commission's root-and-branch reform of direct payments will play out. And at least 23 EU countries want to delay the new progress reports, or at least space them out every two years rather than annually.

On the money itself: The Commission wants future subsidies to "converge" towards an EU average across countries, to "redistribute" aid from bigger to smaller farms, and for direct payments to be capped at 100,000.

Agriculture ministers have had interminable discussions on each of these issues, but it has largely involved reading out convoluted speeches rather than engaging in any real debate.

The Irish Government alone has received 164 written submissions from farming organisations on the post-2020 CAP. "That's a direction of travel that we don't really have a difficulty with, but, always, the devil is going to be in the detail of how it is worked out," Mr Creed said.

Still, the budget talks are where he will be concentrating most of his energy. "We're asking for more money for the CAP, and that is one of the critical battles that continues to be waged at different levels," he said.

He has no qualms, he said, about asserting Ireland's new-found weight as a net contributor to the EU budget. "We're putting more, financially, into Europe than we're getting out, and I think that point shouldn't be lost," he said.

Ireland can count on the support of France and Germany in the budget talks, as well as CAP stalwarts Spain and Portugal. Even budget hawks like Austria and Finland want to see an adequately funded CAP, as they have plenty of remote regions to cater for. But publicly, Austria - along with the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark - is pushing for budget cuts across the board. And a decision requires the unanimous approval of the soon-to-be 27 EU countries.

Ask any seasoned Brussels watchers, however, and they'll tell you that the budget talks are likely to be simpler and quicker to deal with than the CAP reform, with EU leaders aiming to reach a preliminary "political" agreement on the budget this autumn.

And with Ireland asking for financial assistance to deal with the effects of Brexit, any extra asks on the CAP may be harder to achieve.

Though Mr Creed says the two issues are completely separate. "I don't see any reason why we should be cowed in terms of our asks in the context of CAP, simply because we're also asking in the context of Brexit."
On guard: An Irish Customs Post stands along the Border in Tully. Photo: Getty

Farmers could face further difficulties in getting vets to call out to their farm as the Department of Agriculture's invitation to vets to register for Border Inspection Posts (BIP) with them as part of Brexit contingency planning could exacerbate the shortage of large-animal specialists.

The Department yesterday launched an initiative which would see vets deployed at Dublin and Rosslare Ports should the need arise. It told the Farming Independent that the number of vets needed to fill the BIPs would depend on the outcome of Brexit.

But ICSA general secretary Eddie Punch warned that the move would only lead to further shortages in large-animal vets and add pressure on the industry.

"A lot of the best vets have already gone to work for the Department. We need to ask ourselves how we can work to remunerate large-animal vets," he said.

"Further to this, suckler farmers aren't earning nearly enough to afford some of the high vet fees that are out there because of the shortage that is there. It is a problem that will get worse before it gets better."

IFA animal health committee member Bert Stewart pointed out that many large-animal vet practices in Ulster are having to recruit vets from eastern Europe as it is a "real struggle" to recruit domestic large-animal vets.

Conor Geraghty of Veterinary Ireland said he would prefer if the positions were filled by existing temporary veterinary inspection officers, rather than recruiting new vets.

Meanwhile, farm organisations have warned that the recent move to increase the three-year state aid limit from 15,000 to 25,000 would barely cover the costs already incurred by the struggling beef sector.

ICSA president Patrick Kent said beef price is already down up to 200 a head for bull beef.

"If there is a no-deal Brexit and the UK applies full WTO tariffs to beef imports, then the state aid announcement will not even remotely cover beef losses," he said.

"In that case the Irish Government will have to demand a comprehensive EU package to add to extra state aid."

IFA president Joe Healy said significantly more funding would be needed in a worst-case scenario.

Mr Healy said in a no deal Brexit, state aid limited to 8,300 per year will not be enough given the losses that farmers have already encountered and will be facing in such a scenario.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said Ireland is looking for aid under existing EU rules as well as "exceptional aid" to deal with the Brexit fallout - whether there is a deal or not.

Triggered

"The Commission says all options are on the table," Mr Creed said. "All of those instruments can be triggered, but they will want to have quantifiable evidence as to what the impact of Brexit is. They stand ready to come to the assistance of the industry."

He said the EU is not allocating a financial envelope for Ireland up front, but that all options were on the table, including state aid relief.

Last week the European Commission raised the minimum level of state aid governments can award without seeking prior approval from Brussels.

Mr Creed said Ireland has plenty of "aces to play" in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The UK will want to secure EU access for its banking sector and airspace industry, the minister said, providing Ireland and the EU with useful trade-offs.

"The UK will face a judgement," Mr Creed said. "They will face difficult choices and we have significant chips to play in that game."

Dairy Industry Ireland welcomed the European Commission's move to give State Aid approval of West Cork-based Carbery's 78m move to expand its production facility at Ballineen to diversify from cheddar cheese into other types such as mozzarella.

However, DII's Conor Mulvihill said: "We strongly urge and continue to work with government to pull every lever possible to protect the sector - robust actions such as financial instruments, tariff rebates, loans, activation of EU schemes such as aid for private storage and intervention, export supports and training funding all need to be put in place to mitigate the effects of a potential 'cliff edge' no deal."

The Department of Agriculture here has estimated the cost of tariffs for the sector as a whole would amount to 1.7bn, based on Irish agri-food exports to the UK of 4.8bn in 2016.
Churchtown in Cork is well known as the birthplace of the legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien. Many good horses have also hailed from here, the latest being Commander Of Fleet, who is a firm favourite for honours at next week's Cheltenham Festival for his owner Michael O'Leary and trainer Gordon Elliott.

It was back in 1902 when the first Churchtown-bred horse, St Brendan, rose to prominence when winning the Irish Derby at the Curragh for his breeder Edward Flannery.

The Irish Derby title also went south in 1919 thanks to Loch Lomond who was bred at Churchtown House Stud by the Cowhy family. On that occasion, his owner Bessie Cowhy became the first female owner of a horse to win this prestigious race.

Churchtown House Stud is now owned by Tom and Michael Gaffney and, for the past number of years, has bred and produced winners both in national hunt and on the flat.

Among these is the Group 3 winner Raise A Grand and Celestial Halo, winner of the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2008.

Another Churchtown man, Jack Moylan, was a leading flat jockey during the late 1920s, 30s and 40s, while there have been many celebrations held there in recent years owing to the successes of former jockey and trainer Jim Culloty and his superstar Lord Windermere. Between them, they have four Cheltenham Gold Cups to their name. A native of Kerry, but a resident of Churchtown now for many years, Culloty was best known for his association as jockey of Best Mate when a three-time winner at Cheltenham from 2002-2004. He was later famed for sending out Lord Windermere to win the same race in 2014.

Not surprisingly, the village of Churchtown has also been the home to many dual-purpose winners, including Solford, winner of the Irish Cambridge at the Curragh in 1939 when trained by Vincent O'Brien's father Dan at Clashganniff House. He was later sold to Dorothy Paget and won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham the following spring.

In the late 30s, O'Brien was supervising the training of the horses at Clashganniff, although the licence was held by his father up to his death in May 1943. Vincent got his licence to train shortly after and that was the start of a glorious period of success.

Clashganniff is now owned and run by Vincent's nephew, Noel O'Brien.

One Churchtown man who worked there for over 40 years was Danny O'Sullivan. He rode Cottage Rake to his first victory at Limerick Races on St Stephen's Day in 1945.

Strong

Another was Jimmy Gordon, who still takes a keen interest in racing through his friendship with Mike Winters. More recently, the Coghlans of Annagh, Churchtown, have been linked to some good horses too - in particular, their home-bred Commander Of Fleet who is among a strong entry for trainer Elliott at next week's festival.

Winner of the Grade 1 Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last month, the five-year-old will be one to watch when he runs in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud.

His named breeder Patricia Coghlan comes from a strong farming family who have kept a nice band of broodmares over the years.

"My father Pat rode in point-to-points back in the day and we always had a few horses here. One of our first mares was Collopys Cross. We bought her unbroken from Geoffrey Thompson and she was lucky for us with two bumper wins in Limerick and Killarney."

Collopys Cross was well bred being a half-sister to the useful dual purpose winner Shannon Spray, so when she got injured in 1990, she was sent to stud.

She went on to produce nine foals, among them Coonagh Cross, winner of a bumper in 2009. She too was retired to stud and produced her first foal, a colt by Presenting, in 2012. Later named Boston Spray, he is now in training with Joseph O'Brien.

In 2013, Patricia sent Coonagh Cross to Fame And Glory and the resulting progeny was Commander Of Fleet.

Sold by his breeder as a foal for 35,000, he was picked up by Mags O'Toole for 47,000 at the 2017 Goffs Land Rover Sale before going on to win that lucrative bumper the following year.

Now 16, Coonagh Cross is still breeding and is shortly due to foal to Walk In The Park.

Of Commander Of Fleet's chances at Cheltenham, Coghlan said: "It's like winning the lottery to win there. I hope to go over, but I don't want to be superstitious. The only time he didn't win - at Fairyhouse - I wasn't there."
Customers were right to be sceptical initially when large companies introduced corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, according to Carmel McQuaid, head of sustainable business for Marks & Spencer.

The Dundalk woman, who was back in Ireland for an M&S International Women's Day event, said: "They were quite right to be sceptical at the beginning. It's very easy for anyone to say 'we're going to do this' or 'we believe in that'.

"But I think that's changed now. People are now seeing it wasn't a fad, they can see a difference in the shop, they can see a change to the products."

She said that a lot of startups have also entered into areas such as social awareness and sustainability, including Irish company Foodcloud.

"They bring a freshness and authenticity to it," said McQuaid. It also prompts consumers to ask what companies such as M&S are doing.

The retailer tracks which issues are high on consumers' agenda and she said that environment was now in focus for the first time in a decade. During the recession, people were more focused on issues such as social affairs as people struggled economically. "People were worried about jobs and that sort of thing and they are still worried about those things but because people see the environmental break down around them, it's now become more top of mind."

McQuaid, who trained as a chemical engineer before moving into management consulting, took up a job with M&S 11 years ago.

She said her decision to study chemical engineering was inspired by growing up nearby the Harp brewery. A degree in chemical engineering would have been required to become head brewer - at one point an aspiration of hers.

However, McQuaid was later drawn to environmental issues and climate change in particular.

Areas which she covers at the company include gender equality, mental health, climate change, environment and social issues.

She said customers' key demand now is transparency, which equates to information such as the origins of particular products and the conditions for people producing the products.
Big server: The data centre has been described as a game-changer for Ennis and for Clare. Stock image

Members of Clare Co Council yesterday rezoned lands for a 400m one million sq ft data centre on the outskirts of Ennis, in spite of local residents' concerns.

It will be the largest data centre in the west of Ireland. A planned 200,000 sq ft Apple data centre for Athenry did not go ahead after it was delayed.

Clare County Council has been advancing the Ennis project over the past year to facilitate a planning application to be lodged by Dublin-based firm, Art Data Centres Ltd.

In varying their County Development Plan, the councillors rezoned a 51-hectare (126-acre) site on the Tulla Road leading out of Ennis off the M18 as an enterprise zone that will be data-centre specific.

Ahead of the councillors adopting the rezoning, the council's director of economic development, Liam Conneally, described the project as "a game-changer" for Ennis and for Clare.

According to Mr Conneally, the planned data centre will provide 1,000 construction jobs over five years and lead to 200 permanent data centre jobs. Mr Conneally said that the project will also lead to an additional 150 indirect jobs.

The council received 17 submissions in relation to its proposed rezoning.

One of those was from a 40-strong local residents group which stated that the rezoning didn't have regard to the numbers of homes that would be adversely impacted by the proposed development.

The residents' group said they were strongly objecting to the rezoning and that the council should investigate alternative 'brown-field' sites.

Other submissions stated that the developer of the centre has not put forward "any package" to property owners to address all the negative impacts the project will cause.

In his written response to the residents' specific concerns, the council's chief executive, Pat Dowling, stated that the residents can raise their concerns at the planning application stage.

The rezoning now allows the application for the centre to be lodged with An Bord Pleanala.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said his airline will not rush to judgment after the fatal crash of the Ethiopian Airlines flight, as the Irish carrier prepares to take a delivery of similar jets.

"We wouldn't take any action at the moment," he told the Irish Independent in an exclusive interview.

Shares in US-listed Boeing fell as much as 13pc yesterday after the second deadly crash in five months involving one of its new 737 Max jets.

Norwegian Air's shares also fell sharply including on investor concerns about the potential impact of the crash on the airline, which has 18 737 Max jets in service and more on order.

Ryanair has 135 of the planes on order - but none in service.

Sunday's crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 shortly after leaving Addis Ababa bound for Nairobi resulted in the deaths of 157 people.

It followed the loss of 189 passengers and crew when a Lion Air jet crashed in Indonesia last October.

Ryanair's orders for 135 of the 737 Max - with a list price of around 18bn - make the Irish airline a key customer for Boeing, so any action could have big repercussions.

Mr O'Leary said he was "not particularly" concerned as yet in relation to the order.

"We need to wait and see what the outcome of the investigation will be," said Mr O'Leary yesterday.

"They've recovered the black box this morning, I understand, so we'll wait and see what Boeing and the safety agencies [say].

"We're into the realms of speculation," he added. "There's a reasonable understanding of what the issue was with the Lion Air.

"I think Boeing and the FAA [the US Federal Aviation Administration] are looking at some software modifications, which I understand may or may not have been made. Again, the problem with this is you're into the realm of speculation and we're not speculating."

Ryanair is due to take the delivery of one of the new 737 Max jets from Boeing next month, two in May and two in June.

He said he expected an outcome to the Ethiopian Airways crash before Ryanair took delivery of its first new aircraft.

"There will be some detailed feedback or at least an understanding of the causes in the next days or week or two," he said. "Our first delivery is at the end of April. Like all other airlines around the world, we will follow whatever guidance comes out from Boeing and EASA [the EU Aviation Safety Agency] on the European side."

Dublin-based Norwegian Air, which has 18 of the 737 Max in service, said it was "in close dialogue with Boeing and follow both their and the aviation authorities' instructions and recommendations".

Norwegian, which operates flights from Ireland to the United States, received its first delivery of the 737 Max 8 in June 2017.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said there were 13 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on the Irish aircraft register, a tally likely to include aeroplanes owned by leasing firms headquartered here. Irish regulators have not grounded any planes, saying they will follow a common European approach.

US and European Union authorities certify Boeing models, with a single certification in force across the EU, including Ireland.

"As safety is paramount to passenger and aircraft operating crews, the Irish Aviation Authority will issue notification to all operators of Irish registered Boeing 737Max as soon as any further information becomes available," it said.

In the US, the FAA said it was "closely monitoring developments" after the incident.

Ethiopian Airlines grounded its remaining Max 8 aircraft, although the cause of the crash was yet to be determined. Its chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said the operator was "one of the safest" in the world, adding: "At this stage we cannot rule out anything."

Ethiopian Airlines said it had contacted the families of all victims, who came from 35 nations.
Homeowners with tracker mortgages and younger borrowers are at risk when the European Central Bank rates rise.

Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says that any rise in ECB rates would be immediately passed through to those on tracker rates. It points out that younger households, on lower incomes and at an early stage of their mortgage, are most at risk.

The research paper advocates those on tracker rates overpay on their mortgages, if they have spare funds.

It warns those in the at-risk group may find themselves in arrears if rates rise, although this is not expected to happen for a year or two.

Conor O'Toole, ESRI researcher, said the market had recovered considerably from the financial crisis, but "our research points to vulnerabilities for particular groups of households".

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that "loss-making trackers" were one of the reasons mortgage rates are so high in this country.

Mr Donohoe was commenting on a new report from the Department of Finance that looks at why mortgage rates here are second only to those in Greece.

The Central Bank has repeatedly found that new borrowers here are charged multiples of the rates imposed in the rest of the eurozone.

The Department of Finance research says the reason rates are so high is because any bank operating in Ireland has to hold up to three times the amount of capital reserves against mortgages as the European average.

This is due to the massive mortgage arrears crisis since the crash, and the difficulty for banks repossessing homes, according to a Department of Finance report.

Mr Donohoe also insisted prevalence of what he referred to as "loss-making" trackers on the books of banks was a key reason mortgage rates have not come down further.

"Irish mortgage rates are higher than the European average for a number of reasons, including the fact more than four in every 10 mortgages in this country are still loss-making trackers," he said.

However, experts said banks were no longer losing money on trackers. This is despite the key ECB lending rate for banks being at 0pc.

Banking analyst at Goodbody Stockbrokers Eamonn Hughes said banks were not making a lot of money on trackers - but were generally not losing on them. He said most banks were probably breaking even on them.

Permanent TSB chief executive Jeremy Masding revealed recently the bank's trackers are yielding 1.1pc, contrary to some claims that banks lose money on trackers.

The Department of Finance report also found foreign banks are reluctant to enter the mortgage market here because of stiff regulatory rules on the amount of capital they have to put aside when they issue a home loan.

Mortgage lenders in this market that do not have a banking licence are not required to meet the same criteria on capital provisioning.

These non-bank lenders offer the greatest hope of driving down Irish mortgage rates, the department's report stated.

Non-bank lenders include the likes of Finance Ireland and Dilosk, with An Post also expected to enter the home-loans market.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  The Supreme Court did not tackle petitions against the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) days before it takes effect, a source from the high court told CNN Philippines on Tuesday.

Tuesday was the last full court session day to rule on the ICC withdrawal before it takes effect on March 17.

There are two petitions questioning the country's withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty forming the ICC. Six senators -- the Liberal Party's Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, and Leila de Lima, Akbayan Party's Risa Hontiveros, and Antonio Trillanes of the Nacionalista Party -- filed the petition on May 16.

Another petitioner, the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, also filed a petition against President Rodrigo Duterte's unilateral withdrawal from the treaty.

But even if the withdrawal takes effect on March 17, the SC source said this doesn't mean the petitions are moot.

"Not moot because if Senate concurrence is required then withdrawal is ineffective," the source added.

On March 17, 2018, Duterte pulled the country out of the ICC after the international court announced a preliminary examination on alleged extrajudicial killings in the country. The preliminary examination will determine whether there is cause to go on a full-blown investigation.

Lawyer Jude Sabio's communication against Duterte filed before the ICC prompted the examination.

Duterte has repeatedly said he will not submit to ICC jurisdiction and even threatened its prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, that she will be arrested if she continues with proceedings without basis.

Malacanang had argued that the treaty was not published in the Official Gazette, the government's website. The Palace said this meant that the statute did not take effect.

The Philippines is a signatory to the Rome Statute in 2000. The country ratified the statute in 2011 and became its 117th State Party.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft following two recent deadly crashes.

The grounding applies to all European Union airspace.

The crash in Ethiopia on Sunday came five months after an Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean.

EASA said in its emergency airworthiness directive Tuesday that "at this early stage" of the most recent investigation, "it cannot be excluded that similar causes may have contributed to both events."

It adds that "based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models."

It says companies may make one non-commercial flight to return their planes to a location where they can be inspected.

Turkish Airlines says two Britain-bound Boeing 737 Max flights were returning to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said there will be a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash Sunday of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 airplane in which 157 people died.

"The Ethiopian Airlines crash will be studied in detail. The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world," said Abiy at a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Our technical team is conducting a detailed study," said Abiy. "These types of accidents broke everyone's heart. I hope we will learn from this crash."
I attended the recent Irish Tax Institute's black tie bash with over 1,000 other tax consultants where Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe gave a speech covering many issues, recognising that the pace of change in the Irish tax code in recent years has been immense.

He explained that Ireland is particularly exposed to external international factors which were beyond his control; while confirming how we react and adapt to face those challenges was within his control as minister for finance. I've said something similar many times in these pages using Bruce Wayne's "It's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us".

He covered a wide range of issues but there were two that stuck with me.

The first was Transfer Pricing (TP) and the ongoing public consultation. TP deals with the price required to be charged between related companies for goods and services provided between them. It requires an arm's length price be charged and its justification documented.

Right now, TP doesn't apply to SMEs (an enterprise with fewer than 250 employees and either a turnover of less than 50m or assets of less than 43m on a consolidated basis). The consultation asks if SMEs should be subject to this regime.

Say an entrepreneur sets up one company for one activity, for example selling goods, and another company to make those goods. Aside from the goods transfer the seller company allows the maker to use the seller's building.

If the law was amended then an "arm's length" rent may have to be charged. This is because the consultation asks whether TP should apply to all income between companies, eg rental income, etc, and not just trading transactions as is currently the case.

That resulting rental income could be taxed at 25pc (with a potential surcharge on top of that) in the seller's hands whereas the goods-maker would see a tax deduction at 12.5pc for its payment.

This brings an increased tax charge to the entrepreneur's corporate structure. The rationale for not applying TP rules to SMEs is generally to avoid a whole heap of administration, particularly in the area of documentation requirements.

The OECD TP Guidelines note that SMEs entering the area of TP and "the number of cross-border transactions is ever increasing. Although the arm's length principle applies equally to small and medium-sized enterprises and transactions, pragmatic solutions may be appropriate in order to make it possible to find a reasonable response to each transfer pricing case".

EU and other jurisdictions often apply less onerous documentation requirements for SMEs, completely exempt them from documentation requirements subject to specific conditions, or publish tailored guidance for them. So consultation is critical, given the additional resource and possible cost effect it may have for many business models.

The other area in the minister's speech that stood out for me was the rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). The Minister was not for reducing that. He noted the cost of reducing the rate "which assuming no behaviour change is estimated to be 36m for each 1pc decrease" and continued that it was not obvious that there was a need to incentivise the sale of all assets in a period of full employment and increasing asset prices. You can see his point, but I'd argue that a change in the rate would change behaviours, maybe even just a little bit of history repeating.

The CGT rate is currently set at 33pc. It was previously 20pc having come down from 40pc before that. When the rate dropped to 20pc that tax yield increased exponentially. So as an alternative, why not bring down the rate for a specific period of time so that assets (including the scarce resource of property) could be freed up.

People may not be selling property because of this 33pc rate and adopting a wait-and-see approach. Not trying to be morbid, but right now there's no CGT on death so one option would be to hold the assets and let then to pass to the next generation at their market value.

That would allow any gain to potentially fall within the realm of Capital Acquisitions Tax, and that's a whole different ball game. So why not reduce the rate for a limited period and allow for the clearing and utilisation of any available stockpile?

The passing on of the business to the next generation or getting out of that business is a problem that many entrepreneurs have to look at some time.

That night Donohoe committed to undertaking a review of the CGT Entrepreneur Relief in the coming months with a view to assessing the relevance, cost, impact and efficiency of this relief.

If an entrepreneur builds up a business then he can avail of entrepreneur relief which reduces the CGT rate to 10pc on the first 1m of gains on disposing of the business. To qualify, among other conditions, an individual must own at least 5pc of the business and have spent a certain proportion of their time working in the business as a director or employee for three out of the previous five years, prior to disposal.

This incentivises bringing about feasible businesses which benefit all concerned including the Exchequer.

The review of this relief is welcome given the Minister recognised that the UK's equivalent Entrepreneur Relief has a higher threshold of 10m compared to our 1m threshold. That's just huge.

We need to be in a position to encourage entrepreneurs in every way through getting in, building up and getting out of a business. Any obstacle in any part of that life cycle might present a barrier to entry to a suitably informed entrepreneur before the business even gets going.

I'm reminded of Freddie Mercury's line in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody where he was jokingly admonished for saying that the band would punch a hole in the roof of a particular stadium (it didn't have a roof). He corrected it with "Then we'll punch a hole in the sky". Is that not what entrepreneurs should be allowed do without having to deal with administrative work as well?

Tom Maguire is a tax partner in Deloitte
Dominos Pizza said its progress in Ireland was "steady" last year, with a much stronger second half compensating for a slow start to the year.

During the year the company opened one new store here, taking its total to 50, achieved like-for-like growth of 4pc, according to its annual results.

"We still see ample opportunity to raise store numbers to 75 over time: the Irish economy has recovered strongly and the casual dining market is booming," the group said.

In November last year Dominos reached agreement to invest 12.5m for a 15pc stake in Shorecal, the Dominos franchise business owned by the Caldwells, the largest Dominos franchisee in Ireland.

This was part of a wider transaction in which the group invested alongside a private investor that took a 34pc stake.

Shorecal will open 10 new stores on the island of Ireland (of which six will be in the Republic of Ireland) over the next four years.

Overall, and the group's results showed a mixed performance, with the woes in its international arm offsetting an otherwise robust showing from the UK and Ireland, where like-for-like sales rose 4.6pc in the two markets.

The group posted a 22pc plunge in annual pre-tax profits to 61.9m (72m) after suffering "growing pains" in its international business.

On an underlying basis pre-tax profits dropped 1.1pc to 93.4m (108m) for the year to December 30.

Domino's warned in January that profits would be at the lower end of expectations following weaker international sales and business integration challenges in Norway.

But chief executive David Wild said he expects the international division to break even in 2019.

The international arm saw underlying losses of 4.1m (4.7m) in 2018, with Switzerland, Norway and Sweden all continuing to be loss-making.

(Additional reporting PA)
Probe: Bill Browder said the Baltic nations and Cyprus are the entry point to the EU for money laundering

First it was subprime mortgages, then European debt. Now, it's money laundering.

In Denmark, where the latest crisis first grabbed the public's attention thanks to Danske Bank, the government has some worrying observations on what went wrong and what the scandal might mean for European ambitions to build a single market for financial services.

In an interview in Copenhagen, Danish Business Minister Rasmus Jarlov said confidence in doing business across borders suffers when efforts to police suspicious money flows fall short.

"It obviously doesn't do a lot of good for the trust between banks that operate in different markets [when you have] cases like this," he said. "One of the problems with free trade is that something that starts one place spreads to other countries," Mr Jarlov said.

It's slowly dawning on legislators in Europe that a money-laundering crisis they thought was limited to the Baltic and Nordic countries has spilled into the rest of the EU. A picture is emerging in which criminals, mostly from Russia, sought out the weakest links in the chain surrounding the EU to gain access to the wider Western financial system.

Mr Jarlov said legislators struggle to keep up with the perpetrators. "The financial system is so complex that there could be so many ways of exploiting it that we have not even thought of."

According to Bill Browder, the co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management who's best known for his work chasing Russian money launderers, their entry point into the EU is the Baltic countries and Cyprus - the transit zone, as he characterises it. From there, the dirty money makes its way to the rest of Europe.

"It's going to places where people want to spend it,"

Mr Browder said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. He says the UK has traditionally been a magnet for such funds.

Though many banks all across Europe have now been implicated, Danske remains at the centre of the scandal. Its tiny Estonian branch allegedly handled about $230bn in questionable funds between 2007 and 2015. Danske recently announced a full retreat from the Baltics and Russia.

Steen Lohmann Poulsen, deputy permanent secretary for financial affairs at Denmark's Business Ministry, says they never expected to be dealing with a massive money-laundering scandal. "Not in our wildest dreams," he said. "That was a huge shock."

But it was also "a shock at the European level", he said.

Bloomberg
Mothercare UK is to sell its Early Learning Centre business to the owner of toy chain The Entertainer for up to 13.5m (15.6m) as it seeks to cut its debt pile.

It said it had agreed the deal with TEAL Brands, which is the holding company of The Entertainer, but will retain around 6m (7m) of Early Learning Centre stock to offload.

The net proceeds from the disposal and inventory sales will be used to reduce the group's bank debt by around 17.5m over the next year.

Mothercare said its recovery plan was set to see 57 stores in the UK shut by the end of March to cut its estate to 80, which it said was ahead of schedule.

Mark Newton-Jones, chief executive of Mothercare, said: "We have made significant progress in recent months as we continue our strategic transformation to deliver a sustainable and profitable future for Mothercare.

"This disposal of Early Learning Centre provides a further step towards eliminating our bank debt, and our new concession arrangements with The Entertainer will bring our customers an even stronger Toys offer, both in stores and online."

In Ireland a separately owned business has the right to trade under the Mothercare brand.

Mothercare Ireland, a family-run business, started by David Ward in 1992 and now run by his two sons, Jonathan and Ben, and daughter Laura, said it remains a franchisee of the Early Learning Centre business and will therefore remain unaffected by the sale in the UK.

(Additional reporting PA)
Jeans therapy: Levi Strauss patented the first pair of blue jeans in 1873. Photo: Getty Images

Step aside, yoga pants: Levi Strauss' IPO plan shows jeans are back in the game.

The iconic American apparel company, which patented the first pair of blue jeans in 1873, filed a plan for an initial public offering Monday that would raise as much as $587.2m (522.8m).

The company would sell 36.7 million shares, priced at $14 to $16 apiece, according to the regulatory document.

Denim has been fighting for its share of the casual clothing market with leggings and "athleisure".

It's been tough, with imports of elastic knit pants surpassing those of denim for the first time in 2017.

But the one-time staple of American closets has recently staged the beginning of a comeback: The jeans category in the US grew 2.2pc to $16.7bn in 2018 after four straight years of declines, according to data.

Bloomberg
Claudia Winkleman (left) and Tess Daly have started their attempt at the longest ever Danceathon in Red Nose Day history Comic Relief)

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have started their attempt at the longest ever Danceathon in Red Nose Day history.

The Strictly presenters hit the dancefloor at 7.15pm on Monday to Beyonces Crazy In Love, the first song on their extensive playlist.

The pair will dance non-stop for 24 hours to raise money for Comic Relief.

A few hours into the challenge, the duo have already received support from family  such as Dalys husband Vernon Kay  and celebrity friends.

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Former Bake Off star Mary Berry treated the pair to chocolate cake in the studio, and comedian Susan Calman joined them on the dancefloor and showed off some of her best Strictly moves.

Angela Rippon passed on some words of wisdom from her own dancing days with Morecambe and Wise, while Jake Quickenden and the cast of Hair the Musical stopped by to dance Gangnam Style.

Choreographer Arlene Phillips also dropped by to give Daly and Winkleman some advice on keeping moving.

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The stars have pledged to dance for over 24 hours to raise cash for Comic Relief to support vulnerable people and communities both in the UK and around the world.

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Visit comicrelief.com/danceathon to show your support. You can also text DANCE to 70210 to donate 10 or DANCE to 70220 to donate 20.

The entire challenge is being broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 and the BBC Red Button.
Comedian Tommy Tiernan was reported to police over political jokes he made during his Belfast show on Sunday night.

Tiernan (49) is currently touring the UK and Ireland with his new stand-up show, Paddy Crazy Horse, which he performed at Belfast's Ulster Hall.

It is unclear which specific jokes caused offence, but DUP councillor Dale Pankhurt tweeted on Sunday night that he had "received numerous calls from Unionists who had to get up and leave the Tommy Tiernan concert (actor in Derry Girls) in the Ulster Hall due to comments made regarding contentious issues."

"Understand some have asked for a PSNI investigation to be started," he added.

The PSNI has confirmed to Independent.ie that a single complaint was made to police about Tiernan's comments during the March 10 show but said that they did not constitute a criminal offence.

Some fans took to social media to express their disappointment in some of the comedian's politically themed comments.

One wrote on Facebook, "Went to see the show last night at the Ulster hall. Really disappointed in the political stuff. I didnt think you done all that. Only made bearable by the fact the sound system was awful and we could hardly hear. We left half way through."

Tiernan, originally from Navan, Co Meath, has been doing stand-up all over the world for 23 years.

Other fans have leapt to his defence on social media, stating that Tiernan is know for getting "close to the bone" with his material.

"Who goes to a Tommy Tiernan gig with out realising that his humor is very close to the bone. A bit like going to a Wolfe Tone' s concert and be offended at hearing a rebel song," wrote one.

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Another user added, "It's well known that Tommy Tiernan likes to balance on the edge of what's a bit too much. If you tend to get easily offended then don't go see him. If offended then get up and leave and forget about it, not whinge and look to get the law involved."

The Ulster Hall show on Sunday night was one of three sold-out shows in Belfast over the weekend.

Tiernan, who is currently also starring Channel 4 hit Derry Girls, recently announced extra dates on the tour due to demand.

Having sold out his first 17 dates at Vicar Street in Dublin he added an extra ten nights. He is also due to perform two more sold out shows in Belfast on March 22 at the Waterfront Hall and March 29 at Whitla Hall and he is also booked to play four shows at Derry's Millennium Forum.

Paddy Crazy Horse is billed as a show in which Tiernan 'rants and raves'.

"He tries to be very silly and very serious at the same time," reads the promotional blurb for the show. "He mixes a love of comic rebellion and a refusal to be conscripted into a rational view of the world with a deep gra for talking and the poetry of everyday speech.

"Using high theatricality and lots of dirty words, this is a fast paced and exuberant celebration of everything thats wild, wrong and wonderful about being alive right here, right now. It is by turns clever and then really stupid."

Independent.ie has reached out to Tommy Tiernan's management for comment.
Five of Sean Quinn Snr's children received no legal advice in relation to share pledges and guarantees, court hears

The five children of former billionaire Sean Quinn say they received no legal advice in relation to share pledges and guarantees they signed related to 2.34bn in loans from Anglo Irish Bank.

The High Court has heard they often only got a signature page to sign and not the entire document.

The court heard that although the sums were advanced to the children, as shareholders in Quinn Group ROI, they were not consulted about drawing down the funds and these were used to cover losses endured by their father while investing in Anglo shares through financial instruments known as contracts for difference (CFDs).

Their counsel, Bernard Dunleavy SC, said as far as the children were concerned, Anglo wasnt just a bad bank, it was the worst.

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He said that if they had been advised by the bank of the dire circumstances in which they would find themselves, they would never have signed.

An action by the five children, Sean Jr, Ciara, Colette, Brenda and Aoife Quinn, against Anglos successor Irish Bank Resolution Corporation and its liquidator Kieran Wallace opened today in the High Court.

The case, in which the children deny any liability for the loans and claim the security on them was invalid and unenforceable, is expected to last six months.

Mr Dunleavy outlined to the court the huge size of the Quinn business empire in the 2000s. It involved 95 associated companies with a wide range of interests, including insurance and hospitality.

Quinn Group ROI was the main holding company and the shares in this were held by the five children.

Mr Dunleavy said that on paper at least from 2002 onwards, the children might have been viewed as among the wealthiest in the country and controlling a massive business empire.

But he said that perceived state of affairs was not the reality.

The plaintiffs, he said, had modest lives. While they enjoyed some indulgences, these were always in the gift of their father.

Mr Dunleavy said that what Sean Quinn Snr said went. The possibility of refusing a request from their father was not something any of the children could contemplate. The barrister said this was a state of affairs known by Anglo.

The court heard how Sean Quinn Snr began investing in CFDs in September 2005 through Bazzely, a company in Madeira.

Using CFDs, it is possible for someone to invest in the performance of shares without actually owning them.

Mr Dunleavy explained there was a huge degree of risk involved.

When the share price went up, the profits to be made could be enormous. But when they went down, the losses could be colossal, he said.

After a period, Bazzely began to invest almost exclusively in Anglo shares.

Mr Dunleavy said Sean Quinn Snrs problem was not just that he invested in CFDs, but he also put all of his eggs in one basket.

Anglos share price would fall so precipitously, he had to go back to the bank to fund the margin calls he had to pay.

Mr Dunleavy said in doing so, he gambled with his childrens property and not his own. The barrister said he gambled with their future and that was why they were in court today.

The bank agreed to loan massive sums as it wanted to support its own share price.

Mr Quinn and the bank were engaged in a process where they had to run and run to keep up, but no matter how much they ran, they could not keep up with the falling share price, said Mr Dunleavy.

The barrister said that in total some 2.3bn was advanced by the bank from September 2007 onwards. But no one, he said, explained the transactions to the children.

Mr Dunleavy said there was an after the fact effort to make it appear they had received sufficient legal advice, but this was not the case.

Various security documents were signed by the children in connection with the loans.

One of the central issues in the case is the validity of share pledges and guarantees given to Anglo as security for the sums loaned to Quinn companies.

The Quinn children allege negligence and breach of duty by the bank. They claim the bank's conduct involved intentional infliction of economic harm on them.

The claims are denied by IBRC.

The court heard how during one six day day period in April 2008, sums of 50m, 20m, 220m, and 60m, were drawn down to fund margin calls as Anglos share price fell.

Sean Quinn Snrs CFD position in Anglo reached 28pc of all the banks shares at one point.

As the share price continued to plummet, Anglo demanded the Quinns reduce the CFD position and most of the CFDs were unwound into shares.

One portion of those was purchased by a group of investors known as the "Maple Ten" and the rest by the Quinn Group.

The Quinn shares were transferred to six Quinn-owned Cypriot companies which ultimately received 498m from Anglo.

Mr Dunleavys opening statement to Mr Justice Garrett Simons is expected to last over three days.

Up to 49 witnesses are expected to be heard from, including former Anglo chief executive David Drumm, who is currently serving a six year jail sentence for conspiracy to defraud.
A consultant who did not inform a woman for nearly two years of the audit results of her smear slides which showed they had been incorrectly reported as negative has told the High Court he forgot to do so.

Consultant obstetrician, Dr Matthew Hewitt, said when he met the now terminally-ill Ruth Morrissey (37) in July 2016, soon after getting the information in a letter from CervicalCheck on the audit results, he forgot about the letter filed in the patients notes.

I did not turn back the notes to see the letter to remind me, he said.

Asked by Ms Morrisseys counsel Jeremy Maher how he simply forgot, Dr Hewitt said he has hundreds letters coming all the time relating to cancer diagnosis.

I cant say I remember every single letter.

Counsel put it to him that if she had been told about the audit results in 2016, Ms Morrissey would have got a scan and treatment and in all probability, would now be facing life rather than death.

Dr Hewitt disagreed. I dont believe the cancer would have been necessarily visible or present," he said.

Earlier, Mr Maher asked Dr Hewitt if he would like to say anything to Ms Morrissey. Dr Hewitt replied: "I completely acknowledge it is awful she has had a recurrence.

Asked what prompted him to tell Ms Morrissey in May last year of the audit results, Dr Hewitt said there were instructions from the HSE to tell patients immediately.

He said when the first letter came from CervicalCheck in January 2016, there were no clear instructions and he did not feel it necessary to tell patients and it was a screening test not a diagnostic test.

He said he changed his mind later as he became uncomfortable with having the information.

Asked did he accept that Ms Morrissey had raised the possibility of a scan on three occasions, Dr Hewitt said it would not surprise him because patients frequently asked.

He said if he felt it was affecting their patient doctor relationship or the well being of the patient he would do a one off scan, but not for clinical reasons but to reassure the patient.

He said there was no evidence MRI or CT scans were of any benefit in such cases.

This was for a number of reasons. It could give false positive results which could lead to patients having potentially invasive, unnecessary procedures.

He did not think we can ascertain exactly when Ruth Morrissey had the recurrence.

He didnt believe Ms Morrissey was at a higher risk of recurrence based on the fact that the original tumour was small and the depth was not one to make her high risk.

Scans are not part of a routine follow up, he said.

Asked by HSE Counsel Patrick Hanratty if the manner of his follow up in Ms Morrissey's case departed from international guidelines, Dr Hewitt replied "none whatsoever."

Earlier Ms Morrissey broke down in tears as she told the court how she had put her trust in her consultant to monitor her after she had surgery to remove her first bout of cervical cancer.

She said her consultant should have spotted the recurrence of her cancer which was diagnosed last year but he did not see it for over three years.

She said she trusted Dr Hewitt of Cork University Hospital to give her the required surveillance and she on three occasions had asked for scans, ultrasound or other imaging.

I put my trust in the consultant to monitor me. He did not see it for three and a half years.

Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey of Kylemore, Schoolhouse Road, Monaleen, Co Limerick have sued the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Ireland and Medlab Pathology Ltd.

It is claimed there was an alleged failure to correctly report and diagnose and there was an alleged misinterpretation of her smear samples taken in 2009 and 2012.

The HSE has admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey while the laboratories deny all claims.

The case continues.
A student who was expelled from a secondary school over videoing and posting on social media a classmate snorting white powder - which turned out to be sugar - has brought a fresh High Court challenge.

The student, who is due to sit his Leaving Certificate this year, was one of two students who last year were formally expelled by their school after the video went up on social media.

Last December the students got injunctions against the school board of management allowing them attend school for the academic year pending full and final determination of their proceedings.

In the High Court this week, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan was told both students had appealed the decision to expel them and brought their cases to the Department of Education.

Two independent three-person committees were set up under Section 29 of the 1998 Education Act to hear their appeals in late January.

In the case of one of the students, a committee decided to uphold his appeal. In the case of the second student, his appeal against expulsion was turned down.

The court heard the appeal committee accepted the second student he was not responsible for the wide dissemination of the video which had been copied by a third student.

In his challenge against the decision of the committee, the second student is seeking an order quashing its decision to disallow his appeal against expulsion.

It is claimed he had co-operated with the school, showed contrition and was willing to engage in a programme of voluntary work.

It is also claimed that if one appeal was allowed, then the other appeal should also have been allowed. Both appeals should have been heard by the same committee, it is also claimed

Mr Justice Noonan granted leave for the student to bring the judicial review following a one side only represented application.

The school is a notice party to the latest proceedings.
Photo: Castanet Staff Canada Day celebrations in Gyro Park 2017

The City of Penticton is taking over the management and full cost of running a series of civic events previously run by the Downtown Penticton Association.

Celebrations for Canada Day, BC Day and the Santa Claus Parade will go ahead as scheduled through 2019, but will be run and funded by the city.

The City has some big shoes to fill in taking over these important events, said the citys director of recreation and facilities, Bregje Kozak.

We have an experienced event team that is excited to take this on and ensure that these key civic events continue in our community. Stay tuned for more information as our event team gets up to speed on the detailed planning and implementation requirements. We will keep the community informed of our progress and event details going forward.

The Downtown Penticton Association was previously before council asked for more money to run the civic events. Last year, the city contributed $20,000 in cash and in-kind support for the events, which made a small dent in the $141,000 spent by the DPA.

How is having a Canada Day event  how does that actually benefit the business community? DPA executive director Lyn Allin asked council last week The benefits are not really black and white."

Kozak told Castanet Tuesday the total budget for the three events has not been determined yet and will being brought before council at a later date.

The value of these events for our city guided the outcome, and our community wont be disappointed given the talented City staff wholl be leading the transition, Allin said in a news release Tuesday. The DPA continues to work closely with the City on multiple shared initiatives aimed at creating a vibrant and energized downtown core.
An ongoing recruitment campaign for the Defence Forces, to replace the current stop-go system, will be launched today by Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe.

The switch is being made at the request of military management in a bid to restore numbers, which continue to fall well below the establishment figure of 9,500.

The aim is to target an additional 800 personnel in the new-style recruitment drive this year.

The campaign gets under way as military officers warn that the reduction in strength is spiralling out of control and placing the future viability of the Defence Forces under threat.

Since 2017, there have been two general service competitions annually but candidates will now be able to apply for a job on a continuous basis.

The new approach has been recommended by the military and adopted by Mr Kehoe and is intended to improve numbers and facilitate those making career decisions at any time of the year.

It is understood the ongoing model will be applied to the Army and Naval Service.

The starting pay for a newly qualified three-star army private is 27,759, inclusive of military service allowance, with scope for further income from duty allowances.

While previous recruitment campaigns have been successful in attracting new candidates, the major problem facing the military is retention of personnel.

The military is still awaiting the outcome of a Government-ordered review of pay and conditions, which was expected to be produced last year by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform but is not now likely until this summer.

Last September, the Irish Independent revealed that the strength of the military had dropped to 8,923, the lowest number for decades.

An analysis over an 11-month period showed that while the Defence Forces recruited 699 personnel, it lost 632 members - a net gain of 67 people, or 0.7pc.

The latest figures, obtained yesterday, show the current strength is 8,921 - but this includes 531 personnel in training.

After carrying out a survey of its members, RACO, the representative association for officers in the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, said yesterday that 79pc of recently inducted officers were planning to leave early due to the lack of a viable career path, due to Government policies.

RACO general secretary Comdt Conor King said the current retention crisis would worsen unless the Government took decisive action.

"Any objective person can see that the Department of Defence policies are failing our members and failing the State. The cost benefit of retention over unsustainable recruitment has yet be realised by the department," he added.

The 622 officers surveyed criticised the changes in terms and conditions for those who joined the Defence Forces since 2013 and, particularly, the policy that forced officers to retire early without adequate pension entitlements, unlike other parts of the public service.
Travelling to Syria is not a crime in itself, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

He has confirmed the Irishwoman detained in Syria on suspicion of Isil membership will be allowed to return home because it is the "compassionate thing" to do, he added.

Mr Varadkar has moved to assure the public that a full security assessment will take place before Lisa Smith is allowed back into the country.

But he said that, as an Irish citizen, she will not be left to fend for herself in one of the world's worst war-torn regions.

At the weekend, the Irish Independent revealed the extraordinary story of Ms Smith, who was a member of the Irish Defence Forces before converting to Islam and emigrating to Syria.

Following the death of her husband, whom she met abroad, the 37-year-old now wants to return to Ireland with her two-year-old child.

Mr Varadkar said the case would have to be treated on its own merits but it was the policy of the Government not to revoke citizenship without good reason.

"Going to Syria, or going to live in what was called Islamic State, is not in itself an offence or a crime. So we will need to carry out an investigation.

"I know the authorities there will want to interrogate her to see if she has been involved in any crimes there. But it's very possible that she wasn't a combatant," the Taoiseach said.

Irish officials are in contact with US authorities who, along with Kurdish forces, are believed to be holding Ms Smith in northern Syria.

Syrian authorities are expected to carry out a security assessment to see if they will seek to prosecute the Dundalk native for Isil membership.

"But ultimately this is an Irish citizen and we don't believe that removing an Irish citizen's citizenship from her or her family, rendering them stateless, would be either the right or compassionate thing to do," Mr Varadkar said. "As an Irish citizen, she will have the right to return to Ireland, as will her child. But as an Irish citizen, it's not just as simple as coming here and proceeding as if nothing had happened."

Asked whether there was a legal basis for prosecuting Ms Smith here, the Taoiseach said it would depend on what happens in Syria first. "There may need to be a prosecution there. And we'll make sure that if she returns to Ireland, she isn't a threat to anybody here either."
Around 30,000 patients will be removed from public hospital waiting lists this year without being treated.

The move is part of a controversial "pruning" exercise to erase the names of people who may have passed away, opted for private care, or recovered from their illness.

All patients on surgical waiting lists for more than six months will be written to, as will everyone on an outpatient list for longer than nine months, to ask if they still need treatment.

If there is no response in two weeks, a reminder is sent. If there is no reply to this in another two weeks, the patient's GP is written to about the patient's removal.

The target is contained in the HSE's national waiting list plan published yesterday - but GPs have been critical of the "two strikes and you are out" rule, which they say is seeing many desperate patients being dropped from the queue.

They criticised the method of communicating with patients, particularly the elderly who can find themselves struck off if they fail to respond.

In many instances, GPs are having to write back to the hospital involved to reinstate the patient to their original slot.

The HSE has defended the clean-up saying it means patients who continue to need treatment are seen more quickly.

A special validation unit has now been set up to unclutter waiting lists.

The most recent figures show that 71,205 patients were waiting for an appointment for surgery.

Some 541,899 patients were in a queue for a first hospital outpatient consultation. Of these 164,644 are waiting more than a year and of these 99,433 have been on a list since summer 2017 at least.

Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly said the overall outpatient list "is almost equal to the population of Connacht".

The plan will see around 100,000 removed from public hospital lists this year, 70,000 of whom will be treated under the State-funded NTPF, which will buy private slots for these patients free of charge.

It has 58m to spend. Up to 25,000 public patients who have been on a waiting list for surgery longer than six months will be offered the free private option.

Some 40,000 on the outpatient list will be offered a free consultation with a specialist and 21,423 public patients who are waiting for gastrointestinal scopes will get a paid-for private procedure.

Health Minister Simon Harris said that due to a number of factors, planned waiting list activity for January and February this year is behind target and they are higher than projected in the plan.

"The challenge now will be to catch up on lost activity and meet the targets... The HSE and the NTPF are fully committed to meeting these targets and I look forward to progress in this regard.

"Irish patients want and deserve timely access to hospital procedures and appointments. This NTPF-purchased care will happen in either a private hospital or a public hospital with spare capacity, according to the HSE plan.

"It is aimed at supplementing the regular surgery carried out in public hospitals which can be the victim of cancellations and curtailment due to pressure on beds due to the trolley crisis," he said.

At the end of this year, there will still be 60,000 waiting for surgery, 510,000 on outpatient queues and around 16,500 in need of a gastrointestinal scope.
Micheal Ryan embraced life and wanted to make a difference in the lives of the marginalised and downtrodden, his mother said.

Christina Ryan led the tributes to her son, who was due to turn 40 later this month, after his death in the plane crash in Ethiopia on Sunday.

Speaking on Clare FM's 'Morning Focus' programme yesterday, she told broadcaster Gavin Grace her son had worked in "dangerous situations" before, and the news that he lost his life in a plane crash came as a terrible shock.

Micheal (39), from Lahinch in Co Clare but living in Cork, had been working as an engineer for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in recent years.

A father of two children aged three and seven months, he was married to wife Naoise. The family was due to relocate to Rome in the next few weeks for Micheal's work.

He was travelling with six colleagues from the WFP aboard the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft bound for Nairobi, when it crashed just six minutes after take-off from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Expand Close Workers comb the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines flight near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, yesterday. AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene / Facebook

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Whatsapp Workers comb the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines flight near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, yesterday. AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene

Ms Ryan told the Clare FM programme she was contacted by her daughter-in-law Naoise on Sunday morning about the crash. "His wife Naoise, who's in Cork at the moment with their two children, rang me in the morning and she was in a state and she said that Micheal's plane, she thought it had gone down, and she thought he was on it.

"And I had heard earlier on, I knew he was going to Nairobi, and I had heard earlier on that a plane had gone down but I just forgot about it because I said surely he can't have been on it.

"There are other planes going out. And I just didn't, I didn't think he could be on it and that such a thing would have happened," she said.

"We couldn't believe that actually it had happened. We were waiting to hear that he wasn't on the plane, but then we got confirmation. We knew that there were no survivors and we became aware of that. Unreal," she said.

She paid tribute to her son, citing the work he had done in the fight against Ebola and his work to help the Rohingya people in Bangladesh. She said his family and his work were his main passions.

Footsteps

"It was a passion. His work was a passion. And his family was a passion. He loved his wife and kids and was always there for them. And he embraced life with a passion."

Ms Ryan said her son kept her fully informed about his work. She said she last spoke to him the day before the crash, and he had told her that he hoped his three-year-old daughter would follow in his footsteps in that she would dream and travel a lot, helping people.

"The whole thing was about helping people and making a difference in society. And helping the marginalised and the downtrodden internationally," she said.

"And he did that. He did a lot. He did as much as he could within a very, very short life.

"I mean, he's been in Afghanistan, he's been in a lot of dangerous situations.

"We didn't realise this trip to Nairobi was going to be fatal. He has been in earthquake zone regions and he's been in situations that have been very difficult. And he survived all of those. And this took him and we didn't expect it, you know. We didn't think this was really a big danger area.

"He was brilliant with his family and his kids. He lived for his family and his kids and he was so enthusiastic with them.

"And Naoise, who was always there ... and she was great in that she managed the kids while he went off and followed his dream and their dreams, in that it was her dream as well as his."

Ms Ryan said they had been looking forward to celebrating her grandson's christening and her son's 40th birthday in Rome next week.

"We were supposed to be going over next week to Rome for his 40th birthday and Christening of [their baby son]. We had our flights and everything to go.

"We all loved him. All our lives, we loved him. Even as a child growing up, he was different.

"He was just different. He was just a different child than anybody else, as far as I'm concerned.

"There for all his family. There for his immediate family. There for everybody. His friends.

"He was just available. He wanted to give, and give, and give, to do of all of this. And he felt he was making a difference."
The email details information about the proposal, for an app called 'Consent', which would "allow for others to quickly verify their consent prior to sexual activities".(stock photo)

THE head of the computer science department at University College Dublin (UCD) apologised to students this morning after an email sent regarding a proposal for a 'consent app' sparked outrage on social media.

Screenshots of an email sent by a UCD medicine student show correspondence to the School of Computer Science, asking if they could forward their request for a mobile app developer to help with their idea.

The email details information about the proposal, for an app called 'Consent', which would "allow for others to quickly verify their consent prior to sexual activities".

It says that users could "electronically sign/verify pre-made contract before sex, to ensure consent is recorded".

However the proposal has been criticised by students over claims that it could "fight the ever-growing fear for men to be sued post-intercourse".

"Due to consent not being recorded/denied/retracted the life-destroying ramifications that follow, as well as allowing for a clear opportunity if the other, for instance female, does not wish to continue with the act - and leaves out the lack of communication which is responsible for the destruction of thousands of lives each the year," the email continues.

The email, which was marked as "urgent", was sent to the computer science department yesterday afternoon, who forwarded the email to all postgraduate, third year and final year students in the department "which may be of interest" to them.

However this morning, the head of the school of computer science, Professor Padraig Cunningham, issued an apology to all students and said the email should not have been forwarded on.

In emails seen by Independent.ie, Prof. Cunningham said: "An email you received on Monday, March 11, 2019 with the subject heading "Fwd: Urgent" was not reviewed and approved by the UCD School of Computer Science before it was forwarded to our students.

"The School emailing lists should not have been used to circulate this email. It was issued in error. Please disregard the email.

"On behalf of the School, I would like to sincerely apologise to the students who have received this email and for the offense it has caused.

"The School of Computer Science will review and improve its approval process for all proposed emails to be sent to students on our lists to ensure that this can not happen again."

Jade Wilson, a student at UCD and the Student Union's coordinator for gender equality campaigns this year, said she was "appalled" to hear that the email was sent to hundreds of students.

"It indicates a culture of nonchalance around consent and womens safety. Its clear that the developer of the apps primary concern is not the safety of women nor is it to ensure that all sexual encounters are consensual. The primary concern is to protect men from accusations of rape," Ms Wilson told Independent.ie.

"Coming from a medical student its even more disappointing. Not only is he deeply uneducated about ongoing consent, as he thinks consent cant be revoked, but also clearly lacks in the compassion you would expect a doctor to give if a victim were to disclose to him about assault.

"Both morally and legally the proposal is unacceptable and quite clearly based on misogyny."

Ms Wilson added that she believes legal and GDPR issues could come into play should such an app be introduced.

"I cant think of one woman who would be okay with having her sex life indefinitely tracked online where the information can be hacked, leaked, or used as blackmail," she said.

"Someone can easily consent on the app on your behalf, and if youre intoxicated the contract wouldnt work either."

UCD's Students' Union said they were "appalled" by the email and said the proposed app wouldn't resolve "consent related issues".

UCDSU President Barry Murphy said in a statement: "We understand that the message of consent can be a difficult one to grasp, which is why we provide education campaigns as well as lobby the government for better consent education from a young age.

"This app will not solve any consent related issues.

"Consent goes a lot further than the click of a button, or two clicks, or three.

"It is about having conversations with people we have sexual experiences with, its about mutual respect and understanding that everyone's boundaries are different and that feelings can change from moment to moment.

"If you focus on a victim/perpetrator dialogue, as this app appears to, you are not advocating for consent.

"Never mind that a person could be coerced into agreeing to consent via an app, you are also misinforming the perpetrator and telling them that once they have a click they have consent-which is not true.

"You will in fact create more perpetrators and worse still they wont understand why they have done something wrong," Mr Murphy said.

"To put this into an example; sexual acts vary, you may consent to having sex and once it begins the person could do a wide range of unwanted sex acts and claim it is OK because you consented to having sex at the beginning.

"It is also not possible in an app to retract consent. This is each persons right.

"Consent is something which must be maintained throughout the experience and each person can stop at any point."

Mr Murphy added that he feels we need to have an open dialogue about consent from an early age.

"Consent is quite simple and quite difficult all at once. It needs to be part of our early building blocks when we are developing as children.

"We need to learn early on about how to interact with one another better.

"Through our families, in our homes, with our friends, in our schools and in all aspects of community involvement.

"A consent app will not solve this issue, instead, I have no doubt it will do nothing but further the it.

"I implore those involved in creating the app to find another avenue to promote the message of consent."

Other students described the proposal as "toxic masculinity at it's finest".

Independent.ie has contacted the medicine student for comment.
The leader of the Irish Church has expressed concern over the "current deadlock" and "state of politics" in Northern Ireland, warning that it is damaging the peace process.

On Tuesday evening, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin commented to the Irish Independent, "You cant put the peace process in the freezer  it gets damaged; it is getting damaged every day."

He was speaking after he delivered the annual Trocaire Lecture on the theme At the Service of Justice and Peace at St Patricks College Maynooth.

In his address, Dr Martin paid tribute to those who "rose above the prejudice of their own communities, who led people to the Northern Ireland peace process and who showed that peace was possible."

He commented afterwards, "Any programme of peace or mediation requires people to rise up above the prejudices of their own tribe or their own grouping and that was an important element in the Northern Ireland peace process."

"The current deadlock" he stressed "says something about the state of politics in Ireland" and he suggested something of the previous leadership which secured the peace deal was missing today.

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin also underlined that "the problems of Northern Ireland are the problems of the South" and are of concern to everyone on the island of Ireland.

He likened those who had forged the peace in the North to the founders of Europe and the European Union, who felt after the Second World War that they needed to "rise above the damage they had inherited and to move forward in a courageous way".

These "forerunner" changed public opinion, he said, and were "men and women of intuition and innovation, of courage and conviction who are prepared with determination to take a stand and to take a principled stand and to take an uncompromising stand".

Elsewhere in his address, Dr Martin called for "modern day Marshall Plan style programmes of investment in developing countries" and said migration had been a source of enrichment of culture and society for centuries.

"It is also about people who have nothing, who are exploited in the roots of their humanity. The way we treat migrants and especially refugees is a barometer of our humanity," he said.
A man missing from Dublin has been found safe and well.

Gardai have thanked the public for their assistance and said no further action is required.
AN Irish woman has died following a road traffic collision in the Netherlands.

The young woman, named locally as Aoife O'Connell (21) from Co Cork, was killed in a crash in Utrecht around 4.30am on Saturday morning.

Local media reports said that she was discovered by passersby and died of her injuries before an ambulance arrived.

A police spokesperson told Independent.ie that the driver left the scene before later handing himself in to police.

"A 21-year-old woman was killed in this fatal accident on Saturday morning. She was living in Utrecht," the spokesperson said.

"It was an accident where the driver didn't stop, he left the place of the accident. A 37-year-old man from nearby town of Zeist reported himself to police later."

Ms O'Connell, who was from the Ballintemple area in Cork, was a BA (Economics) International pathway student at University College Cork (UCC). She was on Erasmus in HU University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht.

A spokesperson for UCC told Independent.ie that they are providing assistance to her friends and families and expressed their condolences.

"UCC wishes to extend its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Aoife O'Connell, who sadly passed away in the Netherlands at the weekend," they said.

"UCC is providing support to Aoife's family and friends at this difficult time."

The Department of Foreign affairs said they are "aware of the case and providing consular assistance".

It is understood that Ms O'Connell's family hope to bring her body home to Ireland as soon as possible.

Local Fine Gael councillor Des Cahill described the news as "shocking".

"I'm from the same parish as her, the whole community is in shock," Mr Cahill told Independent.ie.

"It's very sad news and everyone's thoughts are with her friends and family."
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale began a three-day visit to the US on Monday during which he will meet senior officials of the Trump administration and exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments, officials said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Gokhale is visiting Washington in connection with bilateral foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with his American counterparts.

During his visit, Mr Gokhale is also likely to meet with senior leaders in the US administration and US Congress, he said in response to a query on the foreign secretary's visit.

The foreign secretary's visit to the US comes in the backdrop of growing tension between India and Pakistan.

"Foreign Secretary is visiting Washington DC on March 11-13 in connection with the bilateral foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with his US counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson respectively," Mr Kumar said.

"These are regular high-level dialogue mechanisms to review bilateral relations, exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments and coordinate respective positions on issues of common interest," he said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations next day. However, the IAF thwarted their plans.

The Indian strike on the JeM camp was carried out 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

-PTI
ALL Boeing 737 MAX aircraft have been suspended from flying within EU airspace, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

This follows Flight ET302 crashing shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on Sunday morning, killing all 157 people on board, including Irishman Michael 'Mick' Ryan.

The EASA said they are "taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers."

"The accident investigation is led by the Ethiopian Authorities with the support of the National Transportation Safety Board, as the aircraft was designed and built in the United States. EASA has offered their assistance in supporting the accident investigation.

"EASA is continuously analysing the data as it becomes available. The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident," an EASA spokesperson said.

This comes after the Irish Aviation Authority announced earlier today that the Boeing 737 MAX has been temporarily banned from flying into or out of Irish airspace.

There are 13 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on the Irish aircraft register and the IAA said that concerns over the "safety of passengers and flight crew" prompted their decision.

They said in a statement: "The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has decided to temporarily suspend the operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Irish airspace, in the light of the two fatal accidents involving the aircraft in recent months.

"This decision has been taken based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew, which is the IAAs number one priority. "

The IAA's temporary suspension came into affect from 3pm today.

"The IAAs decision has been made taking account of the unprecedented loss of two Boeing 737 MAX in recent months.

"The IAA has been closely monitoring the situation, however, as we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any flights on Boeing 737 MAX from any operator arriving, departing or overflying Irish airspace.

"During the temporary suspension, the IAA will continue to work closely with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the manufacturer Boeing," the IAA spokesperson said.

There are about 387 of the 737 Max 8 aircraft in service around the world, including 74 in the United States and 55 in Europe. Scandinavian airline Norwegian has a number of the aircraft types in service that are registered in Ireland.

Norwegian Air, which flies from Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports to the US, has temporarily suspends flights with the Boeing 737 Max.

"Following the decision by the relevant aviation regulatory bodies to temporarily suspend operations of Boeing 737 MAX, Norwegian will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice. We remain in close dialogue with the aviation authorities and Boeing, and follow their instructions and recommendations."

Norwegian has 18 of the 737 Max in its fleet, which is mostly made up of 110 Boeing 737800 aircraft not affected by the suspension.

Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegians acting chief operating officer said the airline not use its 737 Max until further notice from safety regulators.

"In response to the temporary suspension of Being 737 MAX operations by multiple aviation authorities we have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type, until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities. We would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenienced caused, however, safety will always remain our top priority."

During the past two days, the UK, Australia, Ethiopia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Mexico, South Korea, India, Caymen Islands, Brazil have grounded their Boeing 737 Max fleets.

157 people were killed when the jet crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday morning, including Michael Ryan, an Irish father-of-two based in Rome with the UNs World Food Programme, which distributes rations to people in need.

As many as 19 UN workers were feared to have been killed in the crash, the number being so high because of its environmental forum which started on Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will not ground the Boeing 737 MAX that has been involved in two fatal crashes since October despite a growing number of countries ordering the planes to stop flying.

Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell said its "review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft." He added that no foreign civil aviation authorities have "provided data to us that would warrant action."

He added if any safety issues are identified during the ongoing "urgent review" of Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash it will "take immediate and appropriate action."
WHEN Pompeia, the wife of Julius Caesar, secretly snea- ked a man dressed as a woman into a Roman religious ceremony, her husband divorced her.

It was only a girly prank, but the discovery of the man celebrating the mysteries of Bona Dea in the male-free temple scandalised Ancient Rome and led to rumours that Pompeia was having an affair.

Pompeia hadn't committed adultery, but it didn't wash with Caesar, who kicked her to touch and insisted that his wife 'must be above suspicion'.

Judges, like Caesar's wife, must also be above suspicion.

And the fundamental principle that there should not even be a hint of bias or prejudice in the judicial process is as vital today as it was 118 years ago when Lord Bowen famously compared judges to Caesar's wife.

Perhaps it was the possible undermining of public confidence in the judiciary which was foremost in the minds of the Supreme Court when it decided that its leader, Chief Justice John Murray, was objectively biased when he rejected an appeal from the High Court in a case which involved his brother Hugh's architectural firm.

The Supreme Court didn't rule that the Chief Justice, who sat with two other colleagues to hear the case, was biased.

It found that judges, like Caesar's wife, must be above suspicion and set aside one of Murray's rulings which he made as a then ordinary member of the Supreme Court.

For his part, Judge Murray's impartiality was compromised -- and the test of "objective bias" met -- when he dismissed an appeal by a man who had grievances, amongst many things, against an architectural firm founded by his brother, Hugh Murray.

The Supreme Court was keen to point out, in a succinct five-page ruling, that Hugh Murray, a director in Murray O'Laoire architects which designed a student accommodation block in Dublin -- which has been the subject matter of litigation -- had no involvement whatsoever with the development in question.

Moreover, the architects were not a party in the protracted litigation; they were only a witness.

James Kenny, the company director who made the complaint of "objective bias" against the Chief Justice, did not claim that he was personally biased.

And he accepted that the judge would have recused himself from the case had he been alerted to the potential conflict of interest.

But despite such reassurances, the Supreme Court set Judge Murray's ruling aside, allowing Mr Kenny to continue his legal action.

There have been numerous cases involving accusations of "objective bias" against judges and other adjudicating bodies before.

And in most cases, where an allegation of objective bias is made, the courts err on the side of caution.

They are right to do so. The slightest whiff of bias, even if unfounded, can damage the integrity of the judicial system.

Public confidence in judges depends on impartiality, both real and perceived.
A scrappage scheme aimed at getting motorists to switch from petrol and diesel cars to electric vehicles should be explored as part of the State's bid to tackle climate change, TDs and Senators says.

A draft report by a cross-party group of politicians has been probing how the Government can encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint.

There has been disagreement over proposals for carbon tax, but a scrappage scheme is believed to have widespread support among members of the Joint Committee on Climate Action.

Previous scrappage schemes have been hugely successful, with one in the mid-1990s resulting in as many as 65,000 new cars being sold.

More recently, a scheme introduced during the economic crash to boost the motor industry resulted in the sale of more than 26,000 cars with lower carbon emissions.

Under that scheme, car buyers could avail of up to 1,500 in discounts in Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) when trading in a car that was more than 10 years old. Some car dealers added further discounts themselves.

The draft report includes recommendations on supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicles and encouraging their early adoption.

Change

One recommendation would require the Department of Transport to "examine the possibility of scrappage support" for petrol and diesel vehicles. A source said it could be a "tangible" measure among an array of supports to encourage behavioural change, including the retrofitting of family homes to make them more energy efficient.

Another committee member said that while the terms of such a scrappage scheme have not been discussed by the committee, they couldn't see anyone opposing the idea.

A fourfold increase in carbon tax to 80 per tonne is another recommendation being considered by TDs and senators, but Sinn Fein and People Before Profit members of the committee oppose this.

Options set out in the draft report for using increased carbon tax revenues include using it to fully compensate those likely to suffer from fuel poverty and using the balance for climate action funding like retrofitting schools.

Another option would be to return the proceeds in a dividend to all households, similar to the 'carbon cheque' idea previously floated by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The effect of this would be to encourage households to gain from the dividend by reducing their carbon footprint.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have clashed over the timing of finalising the report, but the committee could vote on which recommendations to adopt at a public meeting that may take place as early as this week.
I'm sitting on a sun-warmed boulder, applying an undercoat of factor 50 to face, neck and limbs, when the first dollops of a downpour send me rummaging for my waterproofs.

It's late October in southern Portugal, so a drop of rain is to be expected on the 75km Fishermen's Trail, Europe's most scenic coastal walking route.

This is the continent's occasionally wet Wild Atlantic Way. Compared with its 2,500km Irish namesake, it's a stroll in the park - in this case, the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park.

Mercifully, the rain relents after half-an-hour and I don't see it again until five days later, when I step off the plane in Dublin.

The Fishermen's Trail is a four-day walk with stages from 15km to 22km that snake across pristine beaches, up and down hill-sized dunes, along close-to-the-edge clifftop paths and through eucalyptus, acacia and pine-scented forests.

According to the guidebook, the daily treks range from five to seven hours, but it's wise to add an extra 60 minutes for snack breaks and pauses to take photos and empty the sand from your boots.

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Some stages are described as "somewhat difficult", but apart from a couple of scrambles up steep-sided ravines and traversing those stamina-sapping dunes, it's generally easy-peasy.

The best times to set out on this car and bike-free stretch of the 450km Rota Vicentina are spring, when wildflowers are in full, fragrant bloom, and autumn. Forget July and August when it's 30C-plus - walking in that heat is asking for trouble.

Unlike the many busy ways of the famed Camino de Santiago, the never-crowded Fishermen's Trail isn't a pilgrimage route; there's no religious element to it, though the scenery has me often uttering: "Oh my God!"

Millions of years of seismic activity, volcanic eruptions and wind and tidal erosion sculpted this coast where, unique in the world, storks build nests the size of rear tractor tyres on towering sea stacks.

Rippled layers of differently-coloured rock from several geological periods are evident in the cliff faces.

Just offshore, mini Skellig Michaels display the same contrasting bands, once horizontal and submerged, but thrust nearly vertical from the deep by almighty upheavals.

It's 24C in the early afternoon, but the sweat trickling down my forehead is cold as I shuffle as close as I dare to the lip of a scarily sheer drop.

Far below, waves the height of a double-decker bus rush into a narrow cove. They batter off the sides and are funnelled towards the back with such force that the sea is churned into a bubb- ling white emulsion, like boiling milk.

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A 15-minute saunter takes me to the next cove - there are dozens on each day's journey - which embraces a small beach where a single set of footprints in the sand leads from some discarded clothes into the brine.

Momentarily alarmed, I picture Reggie Perrin running buck-naked into the sea, ostensibly to end it all, until a bather in his birthday suit emerges from the foam and reclaims his belongings.

More alarming, and to be ignored at your peril unless you're wearing a parachute, are the regularly-spaced signs that warn: "Beware! Crumbling cliff. Not for people with vertigo."

The Fishermen's Trail gets its name from the centuries-old tracks that zig-zag down from clifftops and out on to the seemingly inaccessible, sea-sprayed rocky outcrops that provide the best pitches from which to cast a line.

Here, solitary anglers - half-man, half-mountain goat (I'd have to be half-cut to stand in such hazardous spots) - risk being washed away to reel in big fat bream, bass and dory.

These are the fish-dish favourites of weary walkers in small-town restaur- ants at the end of each day's trek, and they're remarkably cheap.

Every evening, my two friends and I enjoy three-course dinners with plenty of wine and beer and do a double-take when the bill comes in at around 60 for the lot.

That's also the average B&B price for two sharing in a good hotel, though many of the solo trekkers we encounter - mostly young German women who are clearly no strangers to the gym - opt for more modest hostels for about 20 a night.

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Despite being burdened with heavy rucksacks that would have Sherpas seeking a word with their union rep, the fit-as-a-fiddle frauleins overtake us as if in a hurry.

We've opted to have our luggage collected every morning by a man with a van, and it's in our rooms when we arrive at our next digs. This allows each of us to carry only a small backpack containing rain gear, camera, a litre of water and midday snack.

Our first day on the go began early in the seaside village of Porto Covo in Alentejo province, where we'd stayed the night after a two-hour drive south from Lisbon.

We were heading down the coast, though others fly to Faro on the Algarve and walk up the way from Odeceixe; however, as our route revealed increasingly spectacular scenery with every passing hour, north to south is recommended.

Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes (20km) is the beaches and dunes stage, and the most challenging - walking for seven hours on yielding sand is tough on the legs, but the views act like Deep Heat on aching muscles.

From Vila Nova, which sits on the north bank of the Mira where it flows into the ocean, to Almograve is a journey of 15km that takes five hours, or 12km and just over four hours if the little cross-river ferry is running.

This is the shortest stage, making for a leisurely half-day of beach and clifftop walking.

The problem with arriving early in Almograve is deciding whether to go for a dip in the sea or spend the afternoon on the terrace of the cafe at the roundabout. It was hot, the beer was 2 a pint and, well, you know yourself.

At 22km, Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar is the longest stage, mostly along clifftops, but the seven hours fly by and we get our postponed swim at our hotel, which has a lake.

Zambujeira to Odeceixe (18km) is the last leg and the most rewarding, thanks to the view from the Ponta em Branco headland of Odeceixe beach, which is bordered east and north by the River Seixe and on its western edge by the sea. It's the most photographed sight on the route.

We added an extra day's walk (followed by a rest day) across farmland and through cork oak forests on the inland Historical Way to the riverside town of Aljezur (18km, six hours), where we ate, drank and compared blisters before flying home from Faro.

Back in Dublin, a howling wind buffets me as I step off the plane, but I take it in my stride - when you've been blown away by the unrivalled coastal scenery on the Fishermen's Trail, a tornado at Terminal Two wouldn't even ruffle your hair.

How to get there

Tom was a guest of Camino Ways (caminoways.com), which offers self-guided walking tours on the Fishermens Trail from 545pps, including B&B, daily luggage transfers and 24/7 support number (flights extra). Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly to Lisbon and Faro. See also visitportugal.com.

Where to stay

Porto Covo: Porto Covo Hotel Apartamento; Vila Nova de Milfontes: HS Milfontes Beach (hsmilfontesbeach.com);

Almograve: Natura Maris Dunas; Zambujeira do Mar: Sardanito da Frente (herdadedosardanitodafrente.com); Odeceixe: Casa

Celeste; Aljezur: Vicentina Aparthotel 4* (vicentinahotel.com)

What to pack

Bring swimming togs for a dip in the sea, and insect repellent to keep the midges at bay. Sunscreen is a must year-round. Most trekkers use a smartphone to take photos, so keep it safe from rain and sea spray in a zip-seal freezer bag.

Best feet forward

Boots should be well worn-in. Bring blister pads, plasters and antiseptic cream. Give feet and insides of footwear a blast of anti-bacterial spray each morning.

Read more:
Ten countries have now temporarily prevented Boeing Max 8 planes from entering their airspace amid growing international concern over the aircraft.

Flight ET302 crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning, killing all 157 people on board.

It was the second deadly incident involving the new model of Boeing passenger jet in less than five months, prompting concern over its safety.

CAAS temporarily suspends operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore. Read more here. https://t.co/zax5CPHgoC  SingaporeCAAS (@SingaporeCAAS) March 12, 2019

Australia's civil aviation safety authority suspended Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft from flying to or from Australia this morning.

"This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia," Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority CEO Shane Carmody said in a statement.

During the past two days, Ethiopia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Mexico, South Korea, India, Caymen Islands, Brazil have grounded their Boeing 737 Max fleets.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said that it is liaising "very closely" with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) "as the facts of this incident are established" and will notify the public if the position changes.

"Additionally, we await further information from the accident investigation team and the manufacturer Boeing on the circumstances of this accident," a spokesperson said yesterday.

There are 13 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on the Irish aircraft register.

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157 people were killed when the jet crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday morning, including Michael Ryan, an Irish father-of-two based in Rome with the UNs World Food Programme, which distributes rations to people in need.

As many as 19 UN workers were feared to have been killed in the crash, the number being so high because of its environmental forum which started on Monday.

In the US the Federal Aviation Administration said the Boeings 737 Max 8 were safe to operate, although it had a team on the ground in Ethiopia to assist with the investigation and was continuously assessing the safety performance of the aircraft.

This process is validated for European Union countries by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Expand Close Framed photographs of seven crew members are displayed at a memorial service (Samuel Habtab/AP) / Facebook

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority said it was liaising very closely with EASA.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, whose airline is expecting to take delivery of several new 737 Max jets from Boeing in the coming months, said it would wait and see what the outcome of the investigation would be.

"Our first delivery is at the end of April. Like all other airlines around the world we will follow whatever guidance comes out from Boeing and EASA on the European side," he told The Irish Independent. yesterday.

Ryanair has 135 of the planes on order, but none in service.

Several other airlines serving UK airports are continuing to fly the aircraft model involved in the deadly crash, despite it being grounded in several countries including China, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

We have no indication that we can't operate our 737 Max in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our networkSpokesman for Tui

Tui Airways has the only five 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by a UK-based airline, and is due to begin flying a sixth later this week.

Asked if the airline would take any action in response to the crash, a spokesman for parent company Tui said: We have no indication that we cant operate our 737 Max in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network.

Scandinavian airline Norwegian, which serves London Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK, has 18 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

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A number of airlines have grounded their fleet of the aircraft model, including Royal Air Maroc, Cayman Airways, Mongolian Airlines and Comair, which is a British Airways franchise in southern Africa.

The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed six minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage.

While the cause is not yet known, the crash shared similarities with last years Lion Air jet crash in the Java Sea, which killed 189. That also involved a 737 Max 8 crashing minutes after take-off.

Updated Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302: https://t.co/0jyiFuGHIE pic.twitter.com/Unl92SYykI  Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 10, 2019

Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said the pilot had sent out a distress call and was given the all-clear to return to the airport.

Senior captain Yared Getachew had a commendable performance having completed more than 8,000 hours in the air, the airline said.

Accident Bulletin no. 6

Issued on March 11, 2019 at 01:40 PM Local Time

The Digital Flight Data Recorder(DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered.  Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) March 11, 2019

Chicago-based Boeing is facing pressure to guarantee the safety of its 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The firms chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said it was providing technical assistance to the Ethiopian government and regulatory authorities in their investigation.

The passengers killed in Sundays crash came from 35 nations, including 32 from Kenya and 18 from Canada.
Theresa May's Grimsby speech offered no new plan to break the Brexit gridlock. This week is crunch time for her deal and the speech only confirmed the need for parliament to chart a way through.

For months, the British prime minister has hammered home the message that passing her deal is "in the national interest". But amid the endless analysis of textual shenanigans and parliamentary hullabaloo, we have completely lost sight of what that means. If the deal passes this week it will soon become clear to all sides of the debate that it is the very opposite.

Conservative MP for West Dorset Oliver Letwin captured the mood in the UK on the withdrawal bill's last pass of the Commons. "I'm past caring what the deal is we have," he said. And who can blame him?

After three years of cakeism, and presented with the real trade-offs, no-dealers see the national interest as represented by regaining some lost pure sovereignty, whatever the cost to the UK's prosperity, social cohesion and standing in the world.

Meanwhile, a growing majority tell pollsters they now think Brexit was a mistake.

Many Remainers think revoking Article 50 is in the national interest because it would stop the damage to the UK's reputation and revive the economy, despite the undeniable force of the June 2016 mandate.

Amid such polarisation, pragmatists are inevitably tempted to take Letwin's view that it is in the national interest to sign up to May's deal whatever she comes back with. It would, after all, discharge the referendum mandate while securing the economic lifeline of a steady-state transition period. This is profoundly mistaken.

All sides, particularly many pragmatists, misconstrue what's in the UK's national interest. Moving to a free trade agreement, a Norway-style arrangement, or remaining in the EU would all have very different implications for the UK's sovereignty, prosperity and global influence. But there is something even more important to worry about.

The country is riven. Angry Brexit supporters harass ministers and MPs. And the Final Say campaign has shown it can turn out hundreds of thousands of marching Remainers, increasingly cross at being ignored. Brexit has divided families and friends and feelings are raw. The biggest challenge will be holding the country together, whatever the outcome.

Tensions are high because the government's handling of Brexit has robbed it of legitimacy for three reasons. First, May's deal has already gone down to defeat in parliament by a record-breaking margin, leaving her trying to ram the deal through with threats of economic calamity and bribes to biddable MPs with extra cash for their constituencies.

Second, since the current vision for the UK's new relationship with the EU consists of just a few pages of fudge, parliament is being asked to commit to fundamentally reshaping the constitution and economy with little idea of what that final shape will be.

Third, with the prime minister likely to be ditched by her party in favour of a Brexit "true believer" once the UK is out, her deal facilitates what in 2016 would have been considered the hardest of Brexits. Yet there has never been much evidence of a majority in the country for such an extreme interpretation of the result.

What is the way out? Neither hard Brexiters nor Remainers are likely to be convinced that they are wrong in their beliefs. But one thing reasonable people should all agree on is that for democracy to function effectively there must be a way that people on all sides can accept the outcome. To achieve that, the process matters as much as the destination.

Achieving closure will require the government to address the problems with its current myopic approach. First it needs to stop the threats and coercion. For any deal to be durable, it has to have been approved by MPs on its merits. Second, the government must work with the European Commission to agree the major components of its preferred Brexit destination before the UK leaves. Something the government should have spent the past year doing, this will now require a significant extension to Article 50. But no legitimate Brexit can be built on hoodwinking the public about what the future relationship will look like.

Finally, the ultimate deal will only stick if it is confirmed by a second referendum. Such a commitment will force the government to pursue a version of Brexit that's likely to command broad support and prevent it being hijacked by fanatics as the process to date has been. But, crucially, ratification would also make it hard for subsequent governments to uproot the arrangement, putting the issue to bed for a generation one way or the other.

While hardliners have sought to undermine the idea, going back to the people at some stage is inevitable. Whether this year, next year, or after a decade of further exhausting argument, and dissatisfaction with the new relationship with the EU, the Brexit issue will not rest until the outcome is seen as legitimate.

The headlong rush to bundle the UK out of the EU by fair means or foul threatens the stability of UK democracy. Pragmatic parliamentarians and leave-inclined Labour MPs should reject May's short-term comfort blanket and reset the Brexit process to avoid poisoning British politics for years to come.

Ian Mulheirn is executive director for renewing the centre at the Tony Blair Institute ( Independent News Service)
It's all about finding a formula of words to effectively assure people that the "temporary" backstop will not "endure indefinitely".

Thus Theresa May flew to the beautiful French city of Strasbourg, on the border with Germany, to meet the EU bosses last night in a five-to-midnight effort to somehow overturn a 230-vote defeat last time - and find a way to lug her unloved EU-UK divorce deal through the Westminster parliament this evening.

And in the capital of that often disputed French province of Alsace, a new-looking formula was unveiled to help Mrs May turn things round at Westminster. In essence, it looks like this:

A legally binding agreement by both the UK and EU that neither side would negotiate Brexit with a view to keeping Northern Ireland inside the backstop indefinitely;

There are additional words of comfort appended to the Withdrawal Agreement around talks on a new EU-UK post-Brexit deal. But contentiously the UK will append a declaration reserving the right to unilaterally quit the Backstop in extremis.

There are undoubtedly many lawyerly devices to give legal status to political assurances. So, the first point does not look too difficult. The second one does pose problems - and will be looked at carefully by Ireland.

It has taken almost three years, since that fateful Brexit vote on June 23, 2016, for some semblance of progress to emerge.

On Sunday, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier joined Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the Aviva Stadium to see his French side go down against the Ireland rugby XV.

When the pair, and various others, had dined the previous evening, it was largely a social occasion. But there was of course a bit of Brexit business talked.

The Taoiseach's comments yesterday were noticeably less accommodating about likely UK demands to extend Brexit talks beyond the March 29 deadline. The EU line, backed by member states like France, was that London would have to explain what would change during any such extension. There could not be more of the same two years of disputatious sclerosis.

All signals in London, Brussels and Dublin were that ongoing weekend talks between UK and EU in Brussels were "deadlocked" by Sunday night. Then yesterday, Mrs May spoke on the phone with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and by teatime she was in Strasbourg where the EU's top brass had moved from Brussels to attend a plenary session of the European Parliament.

Everybody wants the Border backstop to be replaced by something better. But the nub of Mrs May's problem was that her ultra-Brexiteer party colleagues wanted very specific terms for ending it.

Has she got that in their eyes? Many in UK and EU political circles will doubt it very much.

All will be revealed later today at Westminster.
Why are the people of the North of Ireland still being held to ransom by DUP politicians and continually waiting now over two years for a power-sharing executive and devolved assembly to be reinstated at Stormont?

At Hillsborough Castle we have the British PMs appointed secretary of state and MP Karen Bradley continually making political gaffes.

At Westminster, no doubt to the dismay of many within the Conservative Party, the DUP is trying to milk the British exchequer for every penny, including parliamentary expenses, apparently for the good people of Northern Ireland.

However, for some reason neither the British government nor its coalition partner the DUP seems at all remotely concerned or perturbed at how the optics now look to the public that the people of the North are still without a devolved government.

The North now has civil servants trying to run ministerial departments with the ministerial in-trays and in-boxes replete with numerous administrative paperwork and emails needing to be addressed by ministers.

The UK government may be busy dealing with Brexit issues and the EU but what seems totally incredulous is that at Westminster some of these elected DUP parliamentarians are now seemingly quite happy only to leave the lights on at Stormont.

The current Irish Government and all those concerned parties are to be congratulated in trying to seek agreement and a new way ahead to break the political impasses currently at Stormont between the DUP and Sinn Fein. But it is now abundantly clear that there is no political goodwill or incentive for these two parties to park their differences for the good of the people.

Whatever public opinion is regarding former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former prime minister Tony Blair, they both put the GFA and the institutions enshrined within the international treaty document as their top priority.

Patrick Clarke

Castlewellan, Co Down

Discarding Jacksons music sends out a strong message

Caoimhe McQuillan speaks very eloquently of censorship in a situation I see more as democratic process (Letters, Irish Independent, March 11).

Before I start, I have to admit to being a big Michael Jackson fan with my hard-won pennies spent on a brand new copy of Thriller.

Each day, we wake up and make decisions to buy or not buy products based on, advertisers would say, emotional choices.

We are not putting Michael Jackson on trial, we are making a decision of whether his product aligns with our personal brand of morals.

He is dead and Im sure his children have enough of a fortune to keep them.

Ive reluctantly decided that I must discard Michaels musical product because I do believe the multiple people who made these accusations.

Ive also made it for a very simple reason. Michael may not have cared about these kids. But he loved his music, it is his legacy.

Over a large number of years, he made the choice to sleep with small children who were not related to him in any way. Even when he was told it was not appropriate. Even when, as video evidence presents, the children were reluctant.

Currently, there are other artists who have access to children. They also do not care about the children but do about their fame and artistic work.

If they know the price of acting on this is to remove their work from public consumption, maybe theyll think twice about behaving inappropriately with or abusing a child.

Pauline Bleach

NSW, Australia

Hitler was raised a Catholic but wouldnt answer to God

Gerard ORegan wrote Opening files on Hitlers Pope would be major U-turn by secretive Vatican (Irish Independent, March 9). Adolf Hitler was born and raised a Roman Catholic. Even in his younger years, he was acutely aware how a certain approach to the Church of Rome could help him achieve the power he craved. However, on a personal basis he had ditched all Christian beliefs by his early teens. Nazi ideology would not answer to any god.

Michael McPhillips

Ballymun, Dublin 9

Heaney exhibit is an honest tribute to a literary great

On Saturday afternoon I spent a blissful time visiting the Seamus Heaney Listen Now Again exhibit in Dublin. As well as telling his life story through his works, letters and family photographs, the exhibit is a true, honest tribute to Heaney, the man and poet. Together with the display areas and calming colours, it is an oasis of calm and tranquillity.

A sincere thank you to his family and the National Library of Ireland.

Patrick Kavanagh

Rathgar, Dublin
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for a visit to honour military personnel serving overseas

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive at RAF Akrotiri to meet with serving personnel, families living on the base and members of the local community during an official visit on December 05, 2018 in Akrotiri, Cyprus

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is greeted as she and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive at RAF Akrotiri to meet with serving personnel, families living on the base and members of the local community during an official visit on December 05, 2018 in Akrotiri, Cyprus

Kate Middleton is nothing if not predictable and it's this consistency that is part of her enduring appeal.

But Britain's Duchess of Cambridge jumped miles away from her comfort zone in a purple silk pussybow blouse by Gucci and a pair of high-waisted Jigsaw trousers - a bold move considering it's news when she wears trousers of any kind. She debuted the oversized flares in Cyprus last year, a marked departure from her uniform of pleated skirt skirts and coat dresses and an indication she's taking more than a little influence from Meghan Markle's style. instead of her preferred clutch, she recycled an Aspinal of London bag - the vintage style croc print leather bag with a top handle, another nod to some Meghan influence.

She was the guest of honour at the Henry Fawcett Centre in Kensington, London, this morning to learn about the work done by local organisations to support young children and their families. This unusual personal style choice can be put down to any number of reasons - the first being that her normal stylist Natasha Archer is on maternity leave and she's taking the time to experiment, the second that she is sending a message of unity with her beleaguered sister-in-law through fashion.

Given that royals are often seen and not heard, they use their clothing choices to send a message: Meghan prefers championing brands with an ethical message and Kate, as future queen consort, wears nearly exclusively British labels, but Kate, who is rarely criticised after so many years of adjusting to life in the royal fishbowl, is legitimising the styles Meghan has adopted and it's these subtle choices that could quell persistent reports that Meghan is disruptive to royal protocol.

Expand Close The Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to the Henry Fawcett Children's Centre in Kennington, London / Facebook

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She has been criticised for dressing too casually at times, with a particular appreciation for flared jeans, something which Kate has taken note of.

Later this evening, it will be a quick change to the the Portrait Gala 2019 where she will meet members of the gallery's Youth Forum and view artwork produced by some of the National Portrait Gallery's outreach programmes.

It is the third gala she has attended and will raise money to support the gallery's work.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday assured her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that her government would never allow the country's soil to be used by any terrorist organisation under its "zero tolerance policy".

Dhaka was firmly committed to stamp out terrorism from the South Asian region through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation, she said after jointly inaugurating four projects of associated to healthcare, drinking water supply, public transport in Bangladesh with Prime Minister PM Modi through video-conferencing.

Terming the spread of radicalism as a "grave threat" not only to the two countries but to the entire region, India and Bangladesh last year resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation.

"We remain steadfast in our resolve to root out the scourge of terrorism from our region and beyond through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation," Ms Hasina said.

The Bangladesh premier said her government would never allow Bangladesh soil to be used by any terrorist organisation under its "zero tolerance policy" against terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations".

Ms Hasina also expressed her "utmost sympathy" for the family members of the Indian paramilitary police personnel who were killed in last month''s terror attack in Pulwama in Kashmir.

"We reiterate our strong condemnation of this dastardly act," she said.

A suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, the incident led to flaring up of tensions between India and Pakistan.

Ms Hasina said that the relations between Dhaka and New Delhi is now a "role model" of good neighbours for the rest of the world as a result of multi-faceted and multi-dimensional cooperation.

"I strongly believe this momentum will continue," she said.

The Bangladesh premier said over the last decade, two countries have witnessed remarkable progress on cooperation in different conventional and unconventional areas like security, power, trade and commerce, energy, connectivity, infrastructure development, environment, renewable energy, education, culture, people-to-people contact and health.

She said at the same time, the two countries have expanded cooperation in new areas like blue economy and maritime cooperation, peaceful uses of the nuclear energy, cooperation in outer space, internet bandwidth sharing, cyber security etc.

The two prime ministers joined the video-conferencing from their offices in Dhaka and New Delhi and jointly inaugurated the four projects by unveiling the e-plaques.

The four projects launched on Monday include, supply of Double Decker and Single Decker AC and Non-AC Buses and Trucks to Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (under the second Line of Credit); 36 Community Clinics in five north and northeastern Bangladesh districts bordering India with an aid from Indian government; setting up of 11 Water Treatment Plants in two southwestern cities and the extension of India''s National Knowledge Network (NKN) to Bangladesh.

The NKN is a multi-gigabit National Research and Education Network (NREN) which provides a unified high speed network backbone for educational institutions in India.

Apart from Ms Hasina and PM Modi, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj also spoke through video-conferencing.

Ms Swaraj said the four projects, inaugurated by the two prime ministers "symbolise the breadth and depth of our partnership" and also an reaffirmation of our "Neighbourhood First Policy".

She said both the countries should set more ambitious targets which are aimed at preserving the special character of India-Bangladesh ties, as she had earlier said "Neighbours first, and among neighbours, Bangladesh first of all".

-PTI
(L-R) Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L), talks with Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (R) as Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, stand by attending the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2019

Princess Eugenie arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday May 19, 2018. See PA story ROYAL Wedding. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Princess Eugenie arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Gareth Fuller - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (L) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, (R) walk the aisle to leave after attending the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2019

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after attending a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in central London, on March 11, 2019

The pillbox hat is nearly 100 years old and as such, it has gone through corresponding highs and lows in fashion history.

Jackie Kennedy, one of the 20th centurys most beloved style icons championed the style in the 1960s, so much so that the accessory is now synonymous for the former US first lady.

Meghan Markle, an American elevated to a similarly global role, is clearly taking some inspiration from the late legend, who was a fan of the pillbox style because hats were required as part of the dress code of the day and it sat neatly on her perfectly coiffed hair.

The coverage of Britains Duchess of Sussexs post-wedding makeover could fill a library, but she made her most interesting choice yet - accessorising a chain print Victoria Beckham dress with a white pillbox hat at Westminster Abbey on Monday for Commonwealth Day on Monday. On occasions where headwear is required, Meghan has tried it all - wide brim, delicate berets and oversized where appropriate - but its this classic option that is proving particularly exciting.

Expand Close Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Service on Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey on March 11, 2019 in London / Facebook

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In 2014, Vogue advocated for its return when Kate was pictured kicking off her tour of New Zealand and Australia in a red Gina Foster piece, which, coincidentally, she coordinated with a Catherine Walker red coat she recycled for yesterdays event.

Royals around the world have a well-documented appreciation for the pillbox hat: The Netherlands Queen Maxima has more than a few hanging in her wardrobe, Kate Middleton wore a brown version to Easter service in 2017 and Princess Eugenie wore a sky blue style to Meghans wedding to Prince Harry last year. But the pillbox is still somewhat elusive among the practical set of wedding guests and racing enthusiasts who replicate royal style in real life.

Milliner Carol Kennelly, who is based in Tralee, Co Kerry, says, The pillbox has always been one of my big sellers because the majority of the styles I do are very classic and timeless. When its worn by a young woman, to me, it looks playful and edgy, which is what Meghan is, but its also very popular with mother of the bride customer.

Both herself and Kate... so many of their fashion decisions are inspired by Princess Diana, but this was showing her American roots by showing influence by Jackie O. I think she got it so right on this one, but I really admire her style overall.

In particular, the way shes positioned the hat, is trend-setting enough to distinguish her from her royal colleagues. It tends not to be the most common way to wear it because its a difficult position to hold it in place, but I think when worn right, its so beautiful, Carol tells Independent.ie Style. Like pearls, the pillbox is a classic and wont date. Its proven to have stood the test of time.

Freya Oatway, the founder of Dublin-based FAO Millinery, says the pillbox is an exercise in modernising headwear after years of the fascinator - and its many feathers - dominating the market.

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It hasnt been around but its very much a style on the way back. People are going towards more hats than fascinators, she explains. I quite like it with the hair up. It elevates you and gives you more height, it also allows you to hug and kiss with the way its placed. You have a fresh face with the pillbox.
A man holds passengers' passports found at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa

Families of those killed aboard Ethiopia Airlines flight 302 must wait at least five days to begin receiving some victims' remains, the company said, though the identification of others is expected to take much longer.

Trailing smoke and sparks, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged into a field minutes after take-off on Sunday from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people aboard.

"The process of identifying the victims will take at least five days," Ethiopian Airlines spokesman Asrat Begashaw told reporters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

"Families will be notified."

Due to the impact and ensuing fire, the identification of some remains could take weeks or months and may need to be done via dental records or DNA, an industry expert told Reuters.

The process will be complicated because the passengers came from more than 30 countries and Ethiopia has limited forensic capabilities, the expert added, asking not to be named.

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Irishman Micheal Ryan, who was due to turn 40 later this month, was killed in the crash. A book of condolence has opened at Clare County Council in memory of the Lahinch father-of-two.

Noordin Mohamed, a 27-year-old Kenyan businessman, said his family had no information about when they might be able to bury his brother and mother, who is a dual British-Kenyan citizen.

"We are Muslim and have to bury our deceased immediately. Now we cannot even recover any bodies," he told Reuters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. "Losing a brother and mother in the same day and not having their bodies to bury is very painful."

Black box recorders recovered on Monday should help piece together the plane's last moments. Ethiopian Airlines' Begashaw did not comment on where they would be investigated.

The plane had roared low over the field, spewing white smoke and debris, before swerving sharply and crashing, witnesses at the scene told Reuters.

A team from the Israeli volunteer rescue service ZAKA was hoping to join the crash site on Tuesday and help identify bodies, said Opher Dach, consul of Israel's embassy in Ethiopia.

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The 737 line, which has flown for more than 50 years, is the world's best selling modern passenger aircraft.

The new MAX 8 variant, with bigger engines designed to use less fuel, entered service in 2017 and were intended to become the workhorses for airlines around the globe for decades.

But the Ethiopia disaster followed another crash involving the same model in Indonesia six months ago. The Lion Air plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off, killing 189 people.
People celebrate on the streets after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he will not run for a fifth term. Photo: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

More than 1,000 judges said they would refuse to oversee Algeria's election if President Abdelaziz Bouteflika contests it, and clerics defied any state role in their work, in a double rebuff to an ailing leader fighting for his political survival.

Mr Bouteflika, who returned to Algeria on Sunday after medical treatment in Switzerland, has watched one long-time ally after another join mass demonstrations calling on him to step down.

Now in their third week, the protests have seen Algerians demonstrate in towns across the country against Mr Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term.

The judges added their voice to the protests by announcing the formation of a new association "to restore the gift of justice".
Grief: Members of the Ethiopian Airline Pilots Association mourn at a memorial service for the victims of the crash. Photo: REUTERS

Law students, tourists, writers, academics and a large number of aid workers and employees of the United Nations were among those who died in Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The 157 victims represented 35 nationalities, a testament to how international the route between East Africa's two premier cities has become.

Addis Ababa, home to the African Union, has been called the political capital of the region, while vibrant Nairobi is the commercial capital. Both host the regional headquarters for several international institutions and large populations of expatriates.

Kenya suffered the biggest loss among the countries represented on the flight, losing 32 of its citizens. The United Nations, which has major operations in both Kenya and Ethiopia, was the hardest-hit organisation.

Many of the 19 UN staffers on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were travelling to Nairobi for a UN environmental conference, which opened yesterday with flags at half-mast and a minute of silence for the victims.

"The environmental community is in mourning today," the UN Environment Programme said in a statement, describing the loss of "seasoned scientists, members of academia and other partners".

The United Nations' Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP), which takes the lead in feeding millions of people across the world and in the Horn of Africa, lost seven employees including Irishman Micheal Ryan.

"As we mourn, let us reflect that each of these WFP colleagues were willing to travel and work far from their homes and loved ones to help make the world a better place to live," Executive director David Beasely said in a statement.

"That was their calling, as it is for the rest of the WFP family."

Two Italians working with WFP, Virginia Chimenti and Maria Pilar Buzzetti, were also killed.

At least seven British citizens also died. One of them was Joanna Toole, who worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome and was on her way to the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. ( Washington Post Service)
The UN Security Council was warned that the conflict in Yemen has escalated since November (PA)

Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 22 civilians, including women and children, in a village in northern Yemen, the United Nations said.

Medical sources quoted by the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen said the attacks in Kushar district, in Hajja Province, killed 10 women and 12 children and wounded 30 people, including 14 under the age of 18.

"Many of the injured children have been sent to hospitals in Abs district and in Sanaa for treatment and several require possible evacuation to survive," the U.N. Coordinator in the country, Lise Grande, said in a statement.

The Houthis' Al Masirah television said the air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition had killed 23 civilians.

A coalition spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for a comment, but Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said the Houthis were behind the attack.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than two million and driven the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country to the verge of famine.

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Iran-aligned Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014, saying they were fighting a revolution against corrupt politicians and Gulf powers in thrall to the West.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government to power. It has conducted thousands of air strikes targeting the Houthis, and has often hit civilians, but it denies doing so intentionally.
Aldermore Bank reported higher profits as it warned that Brexit uncertainty is weighing on an already fiercely competitive banking industry.

MPs are set to vote on a tweaked version of Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal on Tuesday, having rejected an earlier version of the agreement. Failure to get the deal through Parliament risks Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal.

The challenger bank said: As we await the outcome of the UKs Brexit negotiations, there is a high degree of uncertainty in terms of the economic outlook.

Competition among banks is intense and the operating environment is expected to remain challenging, with bank margins under continuing pressure.

Within this environment, we will continue to focus on maintaining a high-quality diversified portfolio.

The lender made a pre-tax profit of 74.7 million in the six months ended December 31 compared with 62.8 million in the same period a year earlier.

Aldermore increased its loans by 4% to 9.4 billion and maintained a net interest margin  the difference between what a bank pays savers and charges borrowers  of 3.6%.

Return on equity, a key measure of a banks profitability, grew to 16% from 13%.

Chief executive Phillip Monks said: In a competitive market we have achieved good profitability and returns while managing risk appropriately. We have a balanced portfolio of assets that has served us well.

The results come ahead of the banks 10th birthday in May with the lender having grown rapidly over the past decade from just 30 employees to more than 1,000.

It floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2015 and last year was bought by South African giant FirstRand for 1.1 billion.

Mr Monks, a former Barclays executive, said: Ten years ago, many small businesses were losing a battle for survival as the banking establishment pulled up the drawbridge.

Founded as a start-up in 2009, Aldermore was the first of a new breed of challenger banks to offer a strong alternative and Im proud of the additional choice we have made available to businesses, homeowners and landlords.
People collect water released through a sewage drain that feeds into the Guaire River in Caracase, Venezuela, yesterday. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Venezuelans yesterday converged on a polluted river in Caracas to fill water bottles and held scattered protests in several cities as a growing sense of chaos took hold in a country where people have had little power, water and communications for days.

A three-year-old girl with a brain tumour languished in a Caracas hospital, awaiting treatment after doctors started surgery but then suspended the operation when nationwide power outages first hit on Thursday, said the girl's fearful mother, who only gave her first name, Yalimar.

"The doctors told me that there are no miracles," said Yalimar, who hopes her daughter can be transferred to one of the few hospitals in Venezuela able to finish the complex procedure.

The girl's story highlighted an unfolding horror in Venezuela, where years of hardship for millions of people got abruptly worse after the power grid collapsed, intensifying the country's long-running misery.

Yesterday, schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few petrol stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power. Generators have alleviated conditions for some critically ill.

There were also acts of kindness: people whose food would rot in fridges without power donated it to a restaurant, which cooked it for distribution to the poor and hospitals.

Information about developments across the country was difficult to gather because communications were unreliable. Engineers restored power in some areas, but it often goes out again.

There have been a few protests in the Venezuelan capital, and reports of similar shows of anti-government anger in the cities of Maracaibo and Maturin. Opposition leader Juan Guaido tweeted about reports of looting in some cities, but the reports were difficult to confirm.

In Caracas, some people reported sightings of "colectivos" - armed groups allegedly operating on behalf of the state to intimidate opponents. While President Nicolas Maduro and government officials say they are working hard to restore power and provide basic necessities, the mood in Caracas is desperate.

Marian Morales, a nurse working for a Catholic youth group, and several colleagues handed out nappies and food from their car, parked near a hospital. Police and men in civilian clothing ordered them to leave, saying they didn't have permission.

Ms Morales said the needy are cautious about approaching to collect the handouts because of the security forces.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly debated the power cuts and declared that the situation was an emergency, a largely symbolic move aimed at pressuring Mr Maduro. Mr Guaido criticised the government's handling of the outages and called it a "sadistic regime".
Home: Siti Aisyah laughs during a news conference at the airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday. Photo: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan

An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the estranged half-brother of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, arrived back in Jakarta yesterday after a Malaysian court suddenly dropped the murder charges and released her.

A smiling Siti Aisyah (27), who had been facing the possibility of a death sentence in Malaysia in the morning, was by evening rushed by officials through Jakarta's main airport to her emotional parents.

Ms Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong (30), from Vietnam, had been charged with killing Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017.

The pair were accused of smearing lethal VX nerve agent on his face, but both claimed that they were duped into believing they were taking part in a reality television prank show and knew nothing of the plot to kill him.

Four North Koreans, believed to be the plot's masterminds, fled Malaysia after the murder and remain at large.

Both women had been in custody for more than two years until the surprise decision yesterday.

No reason for Ms Aisyah's release was given but the announcement from Tommy Thomas, the Malaysian attorney general, revealed that the judgment was made "taking into account the good relations" between the countries.

The young woman, who had first arrived in Kuala Lumpur as an impoverished migrant worker, was "overwhelmed".

"I am surprised and very happy," she said. "I didn't expect that today will be the day of my freedom."

Ms Aisyah's release raises questions about the fate of the remaining defendant, Ms Doan, also from a modest background in rural Vietnam.

Ms Doan was due to testify yesterday after months of delay but the trial was adjourned after her lawyer said she was "traumatised" to learn she now faced the charges alone.
Several climbers are feared to have been caught up in an avalanche on Ben Nevis Photo: Google Maps

Three people have died and one other person was injured after an avalanche on Ben Nevis, the UKs highest mountain, Police Scotland said.

Police said a climbing party was in the area at the time but could not confirm if anyone was trapped or injured.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We were made aware of an avalanche on Ben Nevis shortly after 11.50am this morning.

"Police Scotland is currently co-ordinating the mountain rescue response to this incident and is supporting partners at the scene.

"No further details are available at this time".

A police spokesman said: "Police Scotland is currently co-ordinating a mountain rescue response following reports of an avalanche on Ben Nevis this morning.

"Police were informed that the avalanche had occurred in Number 5 Gully area at around 11.50am.

"We can sadly confirm that three people have died and one person has been injured.

"Volunteers from Lochaber and Glencoe mountain rescue teams remain at the scene and were assisted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Scottish Ambulance Service."

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "This is absolutely tragic news. My thoughts are very much with the bereaved and injured. And my gratitude as always for the work of our emergency services, Mountain Rescue and Coastguard."

A hiker who reached the summit of Ben Nevis on Friday said they were "very lucky" to complete the expedition, after three climbers were killed and one more was injured in an avalanche on the mountain.

Ambre Boucher and a group of friends set off from a local youth hostel, taking the mountain track to hike to and from the summit between 9am and 5pm.

"It was cold, heavy winds, snow flurries," the 41-year-old nurse from South Wales said.

"There was a whiteout at the top which got a bit scary, our footprints were being covered, but we managed to find our way down with another climber.

"There was an announcement over the weekend, I believe.

"We saw the risks yesterday. We still went and we were very lucky."

After hearing the news on their way back to Wales, she said the group are "thanking our lucky stars" and "hope (the missing climbers) are all accounted for now".

Ben Nevis, near Fort William in the western Highlands, is a popular destination for experienced climbers, attracting 125,000 visitors each year.

Tuesday's incident follows two recent fatal accidents on the mountain which at 1,345m is the UK's highest.

On New Year's Day, a 21-year-old German woman, who was a student at Bristol University, died after she fell from a ridge she had been climbing with three other people.

She had been hiking on what is known as the "ledge route" when she fell around 500ft.

In December, Patrick Boothroyd, 21, from West Yorkshire, died after falling in the Tower Gully area.
The body of a British tourist found dead near a Guatemala lake popular with travellers shows signs of trauma but no apparent gunshot or stab wounds, a doctor performing a post-mortem examination has said.

"In the preliminary findings, there are no wounds from bullets or sharp weapons," Miguel Angel Samayoa told the Associated Press, adding that he expected to conclude the examination of Catherine Shaw's body later in the day. "There are blows to the body."

Dr Samayoa did not speculate as to what may have caused the trauma.

Ms Shaw, from Witney, Oxfordshire, was last seen before dawn on Thursday in the town of San Juan La Laguna, on the shores of Lake Atitlan.

Police announced on Monday that her body had been found unclothed and in a state of decomposition in undergrowth near a mountain overlook.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been assisting Ms Shaw's family, issued a statement urging people not to speculate about her death and saying it may have been a "tragic accident" not involving foul play.

It added that Ms Shaw had been fasting for days before her disappearance and "disposing of possessions, including clothing".

"She was very much a nature lover and adored sun rises, so it seems quite conceivable that she went up the mountain to greet the sunrise, shedding clothing as she went, and due to her lack of intake of food and fluid may have passed out or fallen, causing the wounds to her body," the statement added, cautioning that not all the facts are known and nothing can be ruled out.

"Catherine just loved mountains and sun rises," the family was quoted as saying. "She died doing what she loved."
The property of Geoffrey Crossland with the bunker complex beneath the outbuilding to the left. Photo: North Yorkshire Police/PA Wire

A 70-year-old man who amassed one of the largest known hauls of indecent images in England and Wales has been jailed for more than 12 years.

Officers found a vast collection of more than 2.2 million indecent images on SD cards, laptops and tablets - as well as a "secret underground bunker" containing weapons and ammunition - when they searched the home of Geoffrey Crossland in North Yorkshire.

Crossland, of Padside Green Farm in Harrogate, was sentenced to 12 years and eight months at York Crown Court yesterday as judge Andrew Stubbs QC said the "scale of the depravity" the images depicted was hard for the public to understand.

"Your criminality was unearthed, almost literally, on October 18 last year, when officers searched your house for images of children," the judge said.

"One issue which is not forgotten is that these images capture real life people, and at the same time real life sexual abuse being carried out on them."

A court heard how the pensioner had "painstakingly categorised" the images and had written himself lists of the best websites from which to access sexual pictures and videos of children.

Prosecutors told how Crossland had demonstrated a "long-standing interest in children", with the earliest images dating back to 1998.

The material was discovered when officers scoured his home on October 18 last year, at which point they discovered what has been described as a "secret underground bunker" containing weapons and ammunition.

Included in the facility was a shooting range and an area designed for the manufacture of ammunition.

The judge heard how the former business manager, who ran a company that manufactured electronic components for vehicles, had an "arsenal of weapons" in the bunker.
Busy day: Theresa May waits to give a reading at a Westminster Abbey service in London yesterday before she travelled out to Strasbourg in France. Photo: PA

Theresa May has returned from meeting EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker with what she insists are the "legally binding" changes to her Brexit deal that were requested by Parliament.

As she prepares to present the new deal to MPs ahead of a crunch vote, here are some key questions about the developments answered:

- What has the Prime Minister achieved?

Three new documents were agreed with Mr Juncker on Monday night. The first is a "joint instrument" that relates to the Withdrawal Agreement. The PM said it reduces the risk that the UK could be "deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely". The second is a "unilateral declaration" by the UK which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily". The third is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

- What does all that mean?

The joint instrument gives Britain the ability to suspend the backstop if the EU is deemed to have deliberately applied it indefinitely, although the UK would have to win the backing of an independent arbitration body to do so. The unilateral declaration is a statement on the record that the UK can "instigate measures" to remove itself from the backstop if talks break down. This could carry legal weight if it is lodged with the United Nations without formal objection by the EU. The supplement to the declaration states the intention that both sides will set about finding an alternative to the backstop as soon as possible.

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- Will it satisfy those who opposed the deal first time round?

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) rejected the deal before over fears the backstop, if activated, would create a customs border between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain. The European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteer Tory MPs also rejected it because they feared the backstop would keep the UK too closely bound to the EU and unable to strike trade deals with non-EU countries. They demanded the backstop was either removed completely from the Withdrawal Agreement or subject to a time limit. Neither of those demands have been met, although the UK does now have the ability to suspend the backstop with the arbitration body's agreement.

- What have they had to say about it?

The DUP said they will be taking "appropriate advice" and "scrutinising the text line by line" before forming their own judgement. The ERG's lawyers will be doing the same. Tory MP Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister and member of the group, told the BBC that "even by the Government's own standards I think this falls very far short of what the Government whipped us to vote for".

- Are they likely to reject it again?

For the DUP it is important that any Brexit deal does not effectively separate Northern Ireland from the UK, while Brexiteers want to leave the EU and take advantage of the ability to trade freely with non-EU countries. For the DUP the backstop could present an existential threat, while for the Brexiteers it would hobble what they see as an opportunity for a more prosperous life outside the bloc. The DUP may stick to their red line as a matter of principle if they deem the PMs changes to be insufficient. Brexiteers could also reject the changed deal on grounds that the alterations do not go far enough. However doing so could imperil the thing Eurosceptics want overall - to leave the EU - as rejection could lead to a delay to Brexit and raise the chances of second referendum.

- How about Labour and The Independent Group (TIG) of MPs?

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Prime Minister's negotiations had failed as the new agreement does not contain "anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised Parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for". He said MPs "must reject this deal". TIG MP Chris Leslie said it was tabling an amendment to the motion that will force the PM to seek an extension to Article 50 for a so-called People's Vote.

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- What about the Irish government?

Last night sources told the Irish Independent that they "can live" with the additions to the original if it helps Mrs May get it passed by the House of Commons.

- Will the EU consider any more changes or allow Brexit to be delayed?

On Monday Mr Juncker stated that there will be "no third chance" for more negotiations. He did, however, leave open the option for an extension to Article 50 - although only until European Parliament elections are held in late May.
CONOR McGregor has spoken out this morning after he was released from a US jail last night.

McGregor was released from a Miami jail shortly after he was arrested when he allegedly "slapped" a phone out of a fan's hand and "stomped on it".

The Dublin fighter was arrested and charged with 'Strong-Arm Robbery and Criminal Mischief' by Miami police at 6pm Miami time yesterday.

The MMA star was seen leaving Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center a few hours later when he was released from jail after allegedly posting a $12,500 bond.

Taking to Instagram this morning, McGregor shared a snap of him leaving the correctional centre wearing a t-shirt that said: "When I say something is going to happen, it's going to happen- McGregor is back".

He thanked his fans and said that his patience is something he is continuing to work on.

"Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on," he said.

"I love my fans dearly. Thank you all."

McGregor's attorney Samuel Rabin, of Rabin and Lopez PA, issued a statement saying that the Crumlin native was giving his "full co-operation".

"Last evening Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement," Mr Rabin said in a statement issued to MMA Fighting via spokesperson Karen Kessler.

"Mr McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full co-operation."

McGregor is alleged to have walked away with the phone in the aftermath of the incident, which is said to have occurred after a fan tried to take a photo with him.

According to the police report, seen by Independent.ie, the incident occurred while McGregor and the complainant had been exiting the Fontainebleau Hotel.

"The victim and the defendant were exiting the Fontainebleau Hotel and the victim attempted to take a picture of the defendant with his cellphone," the report read.

"The defendant allegedly slapped the victims phone out of his hand, causing it to fall to the floor.

"The defendant then allegedly stomped on the victim's phone several times, damaging it.

"The defendant then picked up the victim's phone and walked away with it, depriving him of it."

The complainant had stated in the police report that the phone was worth $1,000.

McGregor and family members have been in Miami for several days, celebrating his mother Margarets 60th birthday.

The UFC star has posted a stream of photographs on Instagram showing the family partying at the $1,000-a-night Versace Mansion.

One series of pictures showed the fighter wrestling an alligator, and managing to grab the animals tail.

In another picture showing the family sitting down to dine in colourful suits, he waxed lyrical about his mothers love of Italian silk.

Thank you for gifting me this life mother! I love you with all my soul, he wrote.

His father Tony, sister Erin and long-time partner Dee Devlin are among those on the trip.
Rescuers work at the scene of the crash

The UKs Civil Aviation Authority is banning any commercial passenger flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft from arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace temporarily, it has announced.

The UK is the 11th country to have now temporarily prevented Boeing Max 8 planes from entering their airspace amid growing international concern over the aircraft.

Expand Close Micheal Ryan was killed when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed shortly after take-off. Photo: World Food Programme/PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Micheal Ryan was killed when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed shortly after take-off. Photo: World Food Programme/PA

Flight ET302 crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning, killing all 157 people on board.

It was the second deadly incident involving the new model of Boeing passenger jet in less than five months, prompting concern over its safety.

CAAS temporarily suspends operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore. Read more here. https://t.co/zax5CPHgoC  SingaporeCAAS (@SingaporeCAAS) March 12, 2019

Australia's civil aviation safety authority suspended Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft from flying to or from Australia this morning.

Expand Close A man holds passengers' passports found at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa / Facebook

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Whatsapp A man holds passengers' passports found at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa

"This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia," Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority CEO Shane Carmody said in a statement.

This comes as Norwegian Air, which flies from Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports to the US, has temporarily suspends flights with the Boeing 737 Max.

Following the decision by the relevant aviation regulatory bodies to temporarily suspend operations of Boeing 737 MAX, Norwegian will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice. We remain in close dialogue with the aviation authorities and Boeing, and follow their instructions and recommendations.

Norwegian has 18 of the 737 Max in its fleet, which is mostly made up of 110 Boeing 737800 aircraft not affected by the suspension.

Expand Close Passengers' personal belongings are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa / Facebook

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Whatsapp Passengers' personal belongings are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa

Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegians acting chief operating officer said the airline not use its 737 Max until further notice from safety regulators.

In response to the temporary suspension of Being 737 MAX operations by multiple aviation authorities we have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type, until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities. We would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenienced caused, however, safety will always remain our top priority.

During the past two days, Ethiopia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Mexico, South Korea, India, Caymen Islands, Brazil have grounded their Boeing 737 Max fleets.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said that it is liaising "very closely" with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) "as the facts of this incident are established" and will notify the public if the position changes.

"Additionally, we await further information from the accident investigation team and the manufacturer Boeing on the circumstances of this accident," a spokesperson said yesterday.

There are 13 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on the Irish aircraft register.

Expand Close SilkAir has temporarily grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft (Wong Maye-E/AP) / Facebook

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The European Commission said they are following the situation closely" and cannot yet predict if the aircraft type will be grounded in Europe, according to Henrik Hololei, the director general of the EC's director general for mobility and transport.

We are in touch with the Ethiopian authorities, he said in Madrid. We want to have the full disclosure of how the investigation has evolved.

At the same time, we are closely in touch with the FAA [the US Federal Aviation Administration] in particular and the NTSB [the US National Transportation Safety Board].

Mr Hololei noted that the FAA had this week issued a continued air worthiness notice for the Max 8 jet following the crash in Ethiopia.

I expect the European Aviation Safety Agency to issue a notice in relation to the situation, he said.

There are about 387 of the 737 Max 8 aircraft in service around the world, including 74 in the United States and 55 in Europe. Scandinavian airline Norwegian has a number of the aircraft types in service that are registered in Ireland.

At this moment, we are gathering more information to make an educated decision, said Mr Hololei. I would not be in a position to say at this stage whether that will also include the grounding of the planes. The work is on-going.

157 people were killed when the jet crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday morning, including Michael Ryan, an Irish father-of-two based in Rome with the UNs World Food Programme, which distributes rations to people in need.

As many as 19 UN workers were feared to have been killed in the crash, the number being so high because of its environmental forum which started on Monday.

In the US the Federal Aviation Administration said the Boeings 737 Max 8 were safe to operate, although it had a team on the ground in Ethiopia to assist with the investigation and was continuously assessing the safety performance of the aircraft.

This process is validated for European Union countries by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Expand Close Framed photographs of seven crew members are displayed at a memorial service (Samuel Habtab/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Framed photographs of seven crew members are displayed at a memorial service (Samuel Habtab/AP)

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said it was liaising very closely with EASA.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, whose airline is expecting to take delivery of several new 737 Max jets from Boeing in the coming months, said it would wait and see what the outcome of the investigation would be.

"Our first delivery is at the end of April. Like all other airlines around the world we will follow whatever guidance comes out from Boeing and EASA on the European side," he told The Irish Independent. yesterday.

Ryanair has 135 of the planes on order, but none in service.

Several other airlines serving UK airports are continuing to fly the aircraft model involved in the deadly crash, despite it being grounded in several countries including China, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

We have no indication that we can't operate our 737 Max in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our networkSpokesman for Tui

Tui Airways has the only five 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by a UK-based airline, and is due to begin flying a sixth later this week.

Asked if the airline would take any action in response to the crash, a spokesman for parent company Tui said: We have no indication that we cant operate our 737 Max in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network.

Scandinavian airline Norwegian, which serves London Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK, has 18 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

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A number of airlines have grounded their fleet of the aircraft model, including Royal Air Maroc, Cayman Airways, Mongolian Airlines and Comair, which is a British Airways franchise in southern Africa.

The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed six minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage.

While the cause is not yet known, the crash shared similarities with last years Lion Air jet crash in the Java Sea, which killed 189. That also involved a 737 Max 8 crashing minutes after take-off.

Updated Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302: https://t.co/0jyiFuGHIE pic.twitter.com/Unl92SYykI  Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 10, 2019

Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said the pilot had sent out a distress call and was given the all-clear to return to the airport.

Senior captain Yared Getachew had a commendable performance having completed more than 8,000 hours in the air, the airline said.

Accident Bulletin no. 6

Issued on March 11, 2019 at 01:40 PM Local Time

The Digital Flight Data Recorder(DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered.  Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) March 11, 2019

Chicago-based Boeing is facing pressure to guarantee the safety of its 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The firms chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said it was providing technical assistance to the Ethiopian government and regulatory authorities in their investigation.

The passengers killed in Sundays crash came from 35 nations, including 32 from Kenya and 18 from Canada.
People collect water from a leaking pipeline above the Guaire River during rolling blackouts (Fernando Llano/AP)

The United States is withdrawing its remaining staff from its embassy in Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation in the South American nation.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision as Venezuela struggles to restore electricity following four days of blackouts around the country and a deepening political crisis.

The US has led an international effort to oust socialist president Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold a new presidential election.

The U.S. will withdraw all remaining personnel from @usembassyve this week. This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 12, 2019

Mr Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Mr Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.

Mr Maduro had ordered all US diplomats to leave Venezuela in late January because of its support from Mr Guaido, but he retreated and allowed them to stay.

The US still withdrew dependents of embassy personnel as well as some of the staff, and the secretary of state said the remaining diplomats would be out of Venezuela by the end of the week.

The move came after another day of chaos as power outages that began on Thursday evening continued to cause problems for Venezuelans, leaving them with little power, water and communications.

People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas, and scattered protests erupted in several cities.

Expand Close A taxi with a message on the windshield the reads in Spanish Venezuela wants peace (Eduardo Verdugo/AP) / Facebook

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A three-year-old girl with a brain tumour languished in a Caracas hospital, awaiting treatment after doctors started surgery but then suspended the operation when nationwide power outages first hit on Thursday, said the girls fearful mother, who only gave her first name, Yalimar.

The doctors told me that there are no miracles, said Yalimar, who hopes her daughter can be transferred to one of the few hospitals in Venezuela that would be able to finish the complex procedure on Tuesday.

On Monday, schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few petrol stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power.

Generators have alleviated conditions for some of the critically ill.

President Nicolas Maduro said on national television Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power in Venezuela.

He also said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.

Mr Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled congress, and the United States say Mr Maduros claims that the US sabotaged the power grid with a cyberattack are an attempt to divert attention from the governments own failings.
Nicolas Maduro: Venezuelan leader is under pressure to step down. Photo: Reuters

The United States is withdrawing its remaining staff from its embassy in Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation in the South American nation.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision as Venezuela struggles to restore electricity following four days of blackouts around the country and a deepening political crisis.

Venezuelans yesterday converged on a polluted river in Caracas to fill water bottles and held scattered protests in several cities as a growing sense of chaos took hold in a country where people have had little power, water and communications for days.

Schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few petrol stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power. Generators have alleviated conditions for some critically ill.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close People collect water released through a sewage drain that feeds into the Guaire River in Caracase, Venezuela, yesterday. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Juan Guaido speaks to supporters during a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela (Eduardo Verdugo/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp People collect water released through a sewage drain that feeds into the Guaire River in Caracase, Venezuela, yesterday. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

The US has led an international effort to oust socialist president Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold a new presidential election.

Mr Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Mr Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.

Mr Maduro had ordered all US diplomats to leave Venezuela in late January because of its support from Mr Guaido, but he retreated and allowed them to stay.

The US still withdrew dependents of embassy personnel as well as some of the staff, and the secretary of state said the remaining diplomats would be out of Venezuela by the end of the week.

The move came after another day of chaos as power outages that began on Thursday evening continued to cause problems for Venezuelans, leaving them with little power, water and communications.

People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas, and scattered protests erupted in several cities.

A three-year-old girl with a brain tumour languished in a Caracas hospital, awaiting treatment after doctors started surgery but then suspended the operation when nationwide power outages first hit on Thursday, said the girl's fearful mother, who only gave her first name, Yalimar.

"The doctors told me that there are no miracles," said Yalimar, who hopes her daughter can be transferred to one of the few hospitals in Venezuela that would be able to finish the complex procedure on Tuesday.

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Whatsapp Juan Guaido has declared himself the countrys interim president (Fernando Llano/AP)

On Monday, schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few petrol stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power.

Generators have alleviated conditions for some of the critically ill.

President Nicolas Maduro said on national television Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power in Venezuela.

He also said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.

Mr Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled congress, and the United States say Mr Maduro's claims that the US sabotaged the power grid with a "cyberattack" are an attempt to divert attention from the government's own failings.
By Acee Agoyo

A federal appeals court will be hearing arguments this week in a case that tribes say goes to the very heart of their sovereignty and their government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The case, known as Brackeen v. Bernhardt , is being closely watched across the nation. The outcome will determine whether the Indian Child Welfare Act can continue to protect tribal children, who are removed from their homes at higher rates than their peers.

"Native children have the inherent right to remain with their family, and all that his or her tribe has to offer," Chief Bill John Baker of the Cherokee Nation said in a column on Indianz.Com on Monday.

'As we have seen through centuries of broken treaties, our sovereignty as a tribal nation is all too often ignored, the rights of our citizens trampled, compromising our very existence as a tribe," Baker continued.

"The breach of ICWA in the Texas v. Bernhardt decision is no different. It targets the very lifeline of tribes: our children," Baker said, pointing out that the states of Texas, as well as Louisiana and Indiana, are trying to undermine ICWA by claiming it is based on "race" instead of the unique legal and political relationship between tribes and the U.S.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. Photo: Anadisgoi / Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee Nation is one of five tribes playing a role in the case, which will be heard by 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday. Arguments are taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the hearing is going to be a lengthy affair

The court previously expanded the argument time for the plaintiffs and the defendants to 30 minutes each, up from the usual 20 minutes. But a dispute arose when Department of Justice , as a defendant, requested nearly all of the 30 minutes to defend the constitutionality of ICWA and the legality of Bureau of Indian Affairs regulations that were written to strengthen compliance with the law

According to a February 25 letter from Eric Grant , a deputy assistant attorney general at DOJ, the "United States should be allocated the majority of the time allotted to appellants  22 minutes  in order to fully present to this court the United States defense of the challenged statute and agency rule. The remaining 8 minutes of the appellants time may be allotted to the various Indian tribes that have intervened as defendants, who may share their experience as governmental entities affected by the statute and the rule."

The tribes objected a day later. Leaving just 8 minutes for the interests of their diverse governments is "unwarranted" and treats them like "second-class litigants," their attorney argued in a follow-up letter

"While the Department of Justice has a general interest in supporting federal statutes, the tribes in this case are litigating for their 'continued existence and integrity,'" Adam Charnes , who is representing the Cherokee Nation, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians , the Oneida Nation and the Quinault Nation in the case. "For this reason, they deserve a full share of argument time."

The Navajo Nation , whose government also has been granted a role in the case, objected as well. The tribe agreed to have Charnes represent its interests at the hearing, only to see the U.S. to try to claim all of the allotted time.

Native families & communities across Indian Country are being brought together by #ICWA news. Tune in tomorrow @ 10:00 am PT to @180099native. Hear NICWA's executive director, Sarah Kastelic, join friends who feel the positive impact of ICWA firsthand. https://t.co/UYv4705cg5  NICWA (@NativeChildren) March 10, 2019

According to Paul Spruhan, the Navajo Nation's assistant attorney general, the five tribes "have unique arguments relevant to the substantive legal issues in the case separate and apart from the federal defendants. These include the Nations arguments related to its two treaties, and the unique obligations the United States assumed in those treaties that are reflected in the Indian Child Welfare Act."

"Therefore, tribal appellants role in oral argument is not simply to 'share their experience as governmental entities affected by the statute,'" Spruhan wrote on February 26 , quoting from the DOJ letter that appeared to downplay the interests of the five Indian nations.

But rather than pick sides, the 5th Circuit to expand the argument time, again. The result is an even longer hearing -- each side will get 44 minutes on Wednesday, ensuring Grant gets 22 minutes for the government and Charnes, who has argued cases at the appellate level across the nation, gets 22 minutes for the tribes.

The development, however, also means the plaintiffs in the case, the ones who went to court with the hopes of invalidating ICWA, also get 44 minutes to share their theories with the court. That's not exactly something tribal advocates are looking forward to as the future of the law hangs in the balance.

"The fact is ICWA has become a cause celebre among conservatives who feel that Indians are run amok with special rights and non-Indians are the ones paying the price, attorney Edward Ayoob told leaders of the United South and Eastern Tribes as they met in Washington, D.C., last week.

"That's just the political reality we have to deal with, and it's infected the courts," Ayoob said last Tuesday during USET's Impact Week in the nations capital.

The drama started last October, when a federal judge struck down ICWA as a statute based on "race." The decision from Judge Reed O'Connor , who works in a district where no tribes are based, went against decades of precedent In Indian law and policy cases.

The tribes and the federal government immediately appealed in order to defend ICWA, which became law in 1978 to address the high rates of Indian children being taken from their families and their communities. But even they are successful at overturning the lower court ruling, an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court , whose majority tilts toward the conservative side, is expected.

"For over 40 years, ICWA has acknowledged the inherent right of tribal governments and the critical role they play to protect their member children and maintain the stability of families," the National Indian Child Welfare Association , the National Congress of American Indians , the Association on American Indian Affairs and the Native American Rights Fund said in a joint statement after the final briefs were filed with the 5th Circuit but before the dispute over the argument time arose.

"Child welfare experts across the country are working together with tribes, states, and allies to continue implementing and protecting ICWA as the gold standard in child welfare law and ensuring Native children and families receive the services they deserve," the organizations added. "Striking down ICWA would not only be wrong as a matter of law; it also would have devastating real-world effects by harming Native children and undermining the ability of child welfare agencies and courts to serve their best interest."

The 5th Circuit will post audio of the oral argument in Brackeen later in the day on Wednesday. The recording will be available on ca5.uscourts.gov

ICWA and Congress

In passing the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, Congress reacted to a crisis of Indian children being taken from their communities at high rates, often without input from their families or their tribal governments. Key findings from the law:

 "[T]here is no resource that is more vital to the continued existence and integrity of Indian tribes than their children and that the United States has a direct interest, as trustee, in protecting Indian children who are members of or are eligible for membership in an Indian tribe"

 "[A]n alarmingly high percentage of Indian families are broken up by the removal, often unwarranted, of their children from them by nontribal public and private agencies and that an alarmingly high percentage of such children are placed in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes and institutions"
Three secrets found in the Trump budget

The big picture: The White House budget has no chance of becoming law, but the federal government is on track for more chaos, even another government shutdownBy Mark TrahantIndian Country Today

President Donald J. Trump has outlined his budget for fiscal year 2020

It would slash funding for virtually every domestic program, add money to the military budget, and of course, build a border wall. The document is titled:  A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First . The presidents budget would save nearly $2.7 trillion, more budget cuts proposed than any administration in history. And, the White House said, the budget will balance in 15 years.

Only Congress, not the president, decides how money will be spent in the federal system. At best the administration writes a budget that initiates a conversation. The real work of the budget occurs in the Senate and House appropriations committees.

Not that presidential budgets are totally worthless. As the White House said a year ago the budget is a messaging document. Last years budget assumed Congress would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a block grant. As I wrote a year ago: The votes are not there for that. Its fantasy.

And that was when Republicans controlled Congress. The House is now under Democratic Party control turning the dial even more toward government.

So its not useful to get excited about the numbers in this White House budget (probably any presidential budget for that matter) and instead focus on the larger issues -- three secret

Messages embedded into the budget debate.

The first secret is not so secret: President Trump hates government.

So this budget is a messaging document that makes that clear on issues ranging from environmental protection to housing. The budget would make poverty more widespread, widen inequality and racial disparities, and increase the ranks of the uninsured. It would also underfund core public services and investments in areas that are important for long-term growth, both in 2020 and for the next decade. And at the same time that it calls for these extensive budget cuts reportedly out of concern for the deficit, it provides costly tax cuts tilted to those at the top, according to Paul Van De Water, Joel Friedman, and Sharon Parrott of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities . The budgets major themes are clear  and disturbing.

But the president does not hate all government. One of the tricks in this budget is to limit Defense Department increases in the regular spending plan by funding key operations outside of the budget. The idea here is to limit the impact of the Budget Control Act of 2011 , a spending limit that Congress put on itself for the decade ahead. Add it up and the Pentagon (which already saw an increase of $719 billion in fiscal year 2019, would reach $750 billion in spending.

But if Trump hates government (except for the military and the wall), Congress does not. Even Republicans ignored the last budget and thats where the debate about spending starts.

The second secret: Congress has its own budget problems. To pass a budget there has to be agreement among the Senate, the House, and the president. That process broke down over a continuing resolution resulting in the longest government shutdown in history.

Last year, by the deadline of October 1, when the budget is supposed to be enacted, Congress had only passed five out of 12 appropriations bills. This years process is already behind schedule.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said: Congress often doesnt even pass a budget, and the numbers our leaders put out often seem to be pulled out of thin air. The entire process is broken, and this is no way to run the worlds leading economy.

The committee posts a running list of fiscal deadlines -- including a lifting of the debt ceiling that was supposed to happen on March 2 -- that could result in even more chaos and shutdowns. Currently the Treasury Department is using extraordinary measures to avoid that debt limit, basically pretending some obligations do not apply. But that cannot go on forever. Sooner or later Congress and the president will have to agree on a new debt limit (or a permanent removal of the limit, a process that was included in a House budget plan).

The big picture is that Congress and the president must reach a deal on spending under the Budget Control Act or there will be budget cuts of more than 11 percent on the existing budget figures (Defense and Domestic programs are cut about the same under the sequester  an idea to make it easier to reach a deal).

This is the economic version of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly . A three-way gunfight, or a truel . Those who hate government, especially domestic programs, want money for the military. Those who would like to significantly spend less on the military, but add dollars for domestic federal programs. And then the President of the United States is a wild card. (At least in the movie the wild card character fought without actually having a loaded gun.)

The third secret might be the most important: Congress knows this chaos is expensive and bad management. There might be enough votes around to fix the process, particularly for programs involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.

National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel, Chickasaw, in the State of the Indian Nations speech last month said the government shutdown was a pointless crisis wreaked financial havoc on millions of Americans, including a disproportionate number of Native people."

"It represented a gross dereliction of duty by our leaders in Washington, who are sworn to uphold the federal governments legally mandated trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations by providing adequate, stable funding for programs that serve our people, Keel said in the speech

Tribes met that funding challenge by stepping up in a variety of ways ranging from paying federal workers to feeding their families. Tribal nations took these steps because as responsible governments, we take care of our communities, no matter what. We certainly dont manufacture crises to avoid doing so, he said. And with it likely to take months, perhaps years, for us to fully recover from this shutdown, Indian Country cannot afford  and America should not stand for  another one.

The solution is for Congress to appropriate funds for key programs, such as those that provide services in Indian Country, at least a year in advance. This is already happening for many education programs and there is growing support for Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs advance funding from members of both Democrats and Republicans.

The presidents latest budget proposal is an attack on the health & well-being of the American people. The Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee has already begun fighting back by gathering public testimony to shape our funding bill. https://t.co/ALwwoewZxR pic.twitter.com/SUTPptKKoh  Rep. Betty McCollum (@BettyMcCollum04) March 12, 2019

One bill ( H.R.1128 ) co-authored by Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota, and Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, has the support of the bipartisan Co-Chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation, and Rep. Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico, Pueblo of Laguna.

During the government shutdown, basic everyday needs like health clinics, tribal justice services, and social services for children, families, and seniors went unfunded, putting Native American communities at risk, McCollum said . These programs are critical to life, health, and safety in these communities, and the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure funding for our trust and treaty responsibilities is not interrupted. Advance appropriations for Indian Country is a promising avenue for making good on our commitments to our Native American brothers and sisters.

Alaska Native and American Indian communities have historically been short-changed when it comes to receiving high-quality health care to meet their unique needs, Young said. The goal of these bills is simple: enable Congress to appropriate funding for the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Education one fiscal year in advance.

Given the increasing budget uncertainty  this might be the year to make it so.

Mark Trahant is the editor of Indian Country Today . He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes . Follow him on Twitter @TrahantReports

This story originally appeared on Indian Country Today on March 12, 2019.

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Two homicide investigations within 24 hours

Michael Mayweather and Emmanuel Hinton victimsBy Ernestine Chasing HawkNative Sun News Today Staff Writer

RAPID CITY  Two weeks ago Rapid City Police Department reported that they were investigating what they believed were 2 homicide cases in less than 24 hours. Both Northeast Rapid incidents happened within a 7 block radius of each other.

However the second case originally deemed a homicide was later reclassified as an unattended death investigation.

According to the RCPD shortly after 8:00 p.m. on February 26, they received a report of a male subject who had just been shot and who was being transported to the Rapid City Regional Hospital.

The shooting victim who later died at the hospital was identified as 17-year-old Emmanuel Hinton of Box Elder.

After the police made contact with witnesses, they learned that the incident took place in an alleyway behind the 700 block of Blaine Avenue.

Michael Mayweather was only 20 years old when he passed away in Rapid City, South Dakota, on February 27, 2019. He is seen here in a photo on social media.

According to the RCPD they learned that the occupants of the vehicle had made contact with two males who were standing in the alleyway behind Blaine Avenue. At one point during the interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, one of the males in the alleyway produced a handgun and shot inside the vehicle, striking Hinton. The vehicle departed the scene to the hospital. Both suspects from the alleyway fled the area on foot.

The suspects are identified as 19-year-old Andre Martinez and 19-year-old Cole Waters, both of Rapid City.

Waters was taken into custody voluntarily earlier on the morning of February 27. Martinez was taken into custody at his residence in the 300 block of Denver Street following a brief callout of the Rapid City/Pennington County Special Response Team to the address.

The investigation into the shooting is open and ongoing. At this point, homicide and robbery charges are pending against Martinez and Waters.

These arrests are the result of many hours of diligent work on behalf of detectives, working in tandem with patrol officers and Investigators of the Pennington County Sheriffs Office, says Captain John Olson, Commander of the RCPD Criminal Investigations Division. Thanks to the help of the dedicated law enforcement professionals of the RCPD and PCSO, these two murder suspects will be held accountable for their actions.

The next day, February 27, shortly before 3 p.m. the RCPD reported they were called to 314 Adams Street where they located a male just outside the residence with an obvious gunshot wound to the head. The individual was declared deceased on scene.

The deceased was identified as 20-year-old Michael Mayweather of Rapid City.

Contact Ernestine Chasing Hawk at staffwriter@nativesunnews.today

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

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The Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora announced the dates for Lok Sabha polls on Sunday. The elections will be conducted in seven phases starting April 11. The last day for voting is May 19 and the counting will be done on May 23.

As the election season kicks in, political parties are planning mega rallies in all cities. Reportedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold 100 rallies while BJP President Amit Shah is expected to hold around 200 rallies.

A former Director General of Police (DGP) from Uttar Pradesh and an ecologist have urged the Supreme Court of India to direct the Election Commission to ban road shows and bike rallies during polls, PTI reported.

Photo: BCCL

Former DGP Vikram Singh and environmentalist Shaivika Agrawal said in their complaint that these road shows not only violate the EC code of conduct but were also harmful for the environment. The plea was mentioned in urgent listing on Monday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

The petitioners have alleged that bike rallies and road shows lead to a lot of air and noise pollution and traffic jams which cause a lot of inconvenience to the general public. Advocate Virag Gupta has drawn up the plea which mentions that as per the instructions issued by the Election Commission with regard to roadshows and political processions mandate that vehicles must be registered and a convoy cannot have more than 10 vehicles.

Photo: BCCL

Further, two convoys must maintain a distance of at least 200 metres, the number of vehicles and persons joining the roadshow have to be intimated to authorities in advance.

The petition argued that most of these rules remained only on paper. Political parties were using raths to carry out protests which violated Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

Photo: BCCL

The statement said that these modified vehicles could accommodate almost luxurious facilities including cabins, kitchen, toilets, hydraulic lifts, TV and often surpassed the election expenditure which is allowed by the EC.

The plea highlighted the larger cause of security saying that roadshows make VVIPs vulnerable to terrorist attacks. It has asked EC to ban roadshows during elections.
Since the countdown to Lok Sabha elections has begun, the dates of voting are still awaited. Many schedules have surfaced on social media that give bogus details of the election. Many media reports even cited that some of these schedules are from the 2014 elections.

Keeping in mind the consequences the fake schedule can have on the people, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has asked the city police to investigate fake news regarding Lok Sabha polls.

ECI has asked the police to identify the source of fake news and take action against the unnamed persons. The false schedule has been surfacing on Facebook as well as on WhatsApp for the last one week.

"It is brought to your kind notice that fake news related to the schedule of general election 2019, has been found in circulation on various social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp etc" the letter reads.

PTI reported that Delhi CEO said that such fake schedules were causing serious confusion among the public and creating public nuisance and mischief. EC in return has also asked Delhi CEO to further inform them of the action taken in this regard.

The fake list was shared by many people on Facebook last week that read that elections in almost all states will commence from either April 09 or April 10. However, the Election schedule is usually announced the Election Commission of India via a press conference and an official press release on its website.

Meanwhile, the ECI held a two-day Conference on 11th & 12th January, 2019 of the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to review poll preparedness of the forthcoming General Elections to the Lok Sabha, 2019.
Canadian author Margaret Atwoods classic novel The Handmaids Tale depicts a dystopian, totalitarian society where authorities control womens bodies. In the book and popular TV series, an oppressive government tries to correct an extremely low birth rate by forcing women to become handmaids, essentially prisoners kept to bear children.

Scary enough, the situation seems to be coming close to reality in China.

Over the weekend, a Chinese data exposed 1.8 million women that listed their names, physical addresses, phone numbers and one potentially more troubling status: whether they were breed ready.

The scariest part is it is still unknown who is behind this database. The IP address of the database was in China and most of the women included in the records were located in Beijing.

Getty Images

Victor Gevers, a Dutch internet expert from the non-profit group GDI Foundation, found this controversial data while searching for open databases in China. He later posted a series of screenshots of the terrifying data.

We still do not know how the owner was or what the database was actually designed for. When we do we will share this, he wrote on Twitter.

In China, they have a shortage of women. So an organization started to build a database to start registering over 1,8 million women with all kinds of details like phone numbers, addresses, education, location, ID number, marital status, and a BreedReady" status?  pic.twitter.com/fbRKsbNHPJ  Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) March 9, 2019

The youngest girl in this database is 15y old. The youngest woman with BreedReady:"1" status is 18y. The average age is a bit above 32y, and the most aged woman with a BR:1 is 39 and with a BR:0 is 95y. All are single [89%], divorced [10%] or widow[1%]. About 82% lives in . pic.twitter.com/qCP7FvFMB7  Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) March 9, 2019

The unprotected database is not reachable anymore for the last 5 hrs. We will keep an eye on that IP address for a while to make sure it doesn't come back online. We still do not know how the owner was or what the database was actually designed for. When we do we will share this.  Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) March 11, 2019

This last update about this case. If we find the owner of the database and it becomes clear what the real function of the database is then I will share that here. https://t.co/T336SQHmTD  Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) March 12, 2019

After the data started making rounds on internet, China swiftly withdrew it. Falling birthrates and gender imbalance arising from government policies and cultural biases is a matter of great concern in China.

Chinas one-child policy came to an end in 2016 and the country is facing its repercussions. The policy has resulted in an older-age skewed population and a huge imbalance in the number of men to women. In 2018, there were 112 men to every 100 women aged 15-29.

Many on the internet drew similarities between the contentious data and Atwoods The Handmaids Tale where women are considered valuable cattle and bartered for as resource. Some say that the database could be just data from a dating app.
Amit Singhal was the senior VP of Google and head of search operations when he retired back in 2016.

He didn't leave because he was old by any means, but because he was accused of sexual harassment. And it seems Google paid him a tidy sum for his acts.

In 2015, Singhal was accused of groping a female employee while drunk at an office party. After subsequent internal investigations, he agreed to resign from the company. However, it seems his deal to leave the company and keep the incident quiet involved Google paying him a $45 million exit package.

If it seems like you already read something like this recently, you absolutely did.

Also Read: Google Paid Android's Creator Rs 660 Crore, After Kicking Him Out For Serious Sexual Misconduct

It was November 2017, when The Information uncovered previously hushed complaints regarding Android creator Andy Rubin. Over his years at the company, Rubin was accused of multiple counts of sexual misconduct, including coercing an employee to give him oral sex in a hotel room. After an investigation following that last incident, he was forced to resign in 2014, but not before Google agreed to pay him a whopping $90 million, the last installment of which was given to him in 2018.

After the news emerged, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and VP of people operations Eileen Naughton, expressed their sorrow over the incident, calling it difficult to read. Google released platitudes in memos to employees, promising change and stricter guidelines to protect its female employees. For their part, Googlers made sure their employer knew they were taking no shit, walking out of offices across the world in protest.

Amit Singhal/Twitter

So it's almost cliched at this point to hear that Google had already done the same thing multiple times. At the very least, if management was sincere about its apology to the women at Google, they would have volunteered this information about Singhal at the time.

Also Read: Google Employees Are Walking Out Of Their Offices, Want Stricter Action On Sexual Misconduct

The court complaint that revealed this latest piece of news was filed by Google shareholder James Martin in Santa Clara county last October, and they confirm reports by the New York Times then. In it, he accused Google of continuing its practice of covering up for loose-handed executives, even going so far as to state Singhal left to focus on philanthropic activities.

There's a worse point to consider here though. When Andy Rubin was kicked out in 2014 with a sackful of sexual harassment and a boatload of money, Larry Page was CEO of Google. Alphabet was only formed a year later in 2015. And when that happened and he took over leadership of the umbrella company, a certain Sundar Pichai took over as CEO of Google.

That means, though he could claim ignorance or helplessness regarding the treatment of Andy Rubin, Pichai has no excuses with regards to Amit Singhal. He officially became CEO on October 24, 2015. Amit Singhal finally stepped away from Google only on 26 February the next year.

Some might say that's too little time to change anything about the situation. Otherwise would say that's a convenient excuse. I say, that's still an intentional decision to not reveal this information during a time when your employees were discussing specifically this situation and how your company dealt with it.

The apparent guilt shows a measure of conscience, even if it was ignored. Use it Mr Pichai.
Delhi government had earlier announced its plans to incorporate a total of 1000 electric buses in the citys transportation network. An effort towards curbing the air pollution in the capital region, the government has now floated global tenders for 375 electric buses out of these under two clusters.

The move comes as the first phase of the transition towards electric vehicles for the public transportation in the city. The decision to bring in 1000 low-floor electric buses was announced last month, with plans to roll-out the e-buses in a phased manner starting June-July 2019.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

Also read: Make In India Push On EVs: Makers To Produce At Least 50 Percent Components In India To Avail Incentives

The e-buses form a part of a major overhaul of the citys transportation means planned by the Delhi government. For this, the government allocated a total of Rs 100 crore fund to the State Electric Vehicle Fund in in the Budget for 2019 to 2020. The goal is to have 25 per cent share of Battery Electric Vehicles in new registered vehicles by 2024.

State transport minister Kailash Gahlot took to Twitter to announce the release of tenders for the e-buses. As per his tweet, the cost of the RFQP document is Rs 75,000 (plus CST@18%). The pre bid meeting will be held on March 22, 2019.

The move comes right after the centre has announced the second phase of its FAME scheme, wherein it is offering subsidies to the EV makers in the country as well as incentives to the buyers to propel the transition towards electric vehicles in the country.
With the Lok Sabha general elections just around the corner it's time to make sure your voting details are in order, and your name is on the voter list for 2019.

After all, you want your vote to matter if you're trying to change things? So here's how you can register and check all your registration details and voter ID status conveniently online.

How to check your name in voter list

If you're previously registered to vote, you need to visit https://electoralsearch.in/ to see if your name is registered on the electoral rolls. If your name appears in the list, you are eligible to vote, otherwise you need to register.

Also Read: 900 Million Voters, Including 38,000 Transgenders & 1 Million Polling Stations: What Makes 2019 Elections Different

How can I apply for voter ID online?

If you're registering online for the first time you'll need a scanned version of a passport-sized photo, age proof (like your birth certificate or PAN card), and address proof.

To apply, first visit the website of the National Voter's Service Portal here. Click on the option for "Apply online for registration of new voter/due to shifting from AC". This will open up the Form 6 application in a new tab (Form 6A if you're a non-resident voter). It appears in Hindi by default, so make sure you select your preferred language at the top as per your needs.

Obviously, you need to make sure you fulfill the requirements to be registered, i.e. you're an Indian citizen, and you need to have attained the age of 18 years by January 1 this year. You also need to be a resident of the polling area of the constituency where you want to be enrolled, and not otherwise disqualified from being an elector.

How can I check my voter ID status?

Once you hit submit, a post of it will appear on the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) notice board, inviting any objections for a week. After that, your name will be included in the electoral roll and you'll receive an SMS notification on your provided number.

Also Read: What Is The Model Code Of Conduct? Here Are The Do's And Don'ts For The Political Parties

To check the status of your application after filing, simply go to the tracking page here and plug in your reference ID. If it shows it as processed, you can instead visit the electoral search portal and plug in your details to search. Once your result can be found there, you're eligible to vote.

On the chance some of your details in the electoral roll are wrong, the same website allows you to make a change. This time, simply click on the option reading "Correction of entries in electoral roll", which will open up Form 8 for you. You have till about 3 weeks before polling dates to register or make any changes

Can voter ID card be downloaded online?

No, unfortunately, you can't download your voter ID card online. This is because the card is printed with a hologram by the government in order to prove its authenticity. You can at least see all the details pertaining to your voter ID by logging on to the website http://electoralsearch.in/ .
Wildlife can be very unpredictable, however cute and adorable they look, you never know when they might punch you in the face.

YouTube

Like this hapless paraglider who fell victim to the wrath of a Kangaroo.

After a smooth landing at the Orroral Valley Space Tracking Station in Australia, a paraglider was greeted by two kangaroos.

Watch the moment a paraglider makes a safe landing only to then be attacked by a kangaroo. Straya! pic.twitter.com/nqStQnV9gk  SBS News (@SBSNews) 8 March 2019

Just as he said "What's up skip?" the animal barged and rained down an unexpected blow.

Take a look at the video below:

Jonathan Bishop landed at Orroral Valley in Namadgi National Park in Australia. Bishop, who caught the strange incident on camera, had no idea why the creature tried to hit him multiple times.

"I had been paragliding cross country for two hours near Canberra and had reached a position where I had to land," Bishop explained in the video description.

"I was concentrating on the landing and didn't notice the kangaroo until after I landed. As it ran towards me I thought it was being friendly so I said, 'What's up, Skip?' It then attacked me twice before hopping away. I packed up my paraglider and had to walk several kilometres to get phone reception and call a friend to come and collect me."

Probably a cue to never call a Kangaroo 'Skip' - seems they get really offended!
File photo of people shouting slogans and waving the national flag near the India-Pakistan border in Wagah on Mar. 1, 2019, as they wait for the return of an Indian Air Force pilot being returned by Pakistan. Indian American Congressman Ami Bera says in an op-ed piece: The United States strongly condemns terrorism. Pakistan must hold those responsible accountable. (Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images)
Funds to the tune of $50,000 were raised by the New Jersey chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin at an event March 3 to help the families of the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terrorist attack. (photo provided)
A three-percentage-point cut to the rate of value added tax that Chinese manufacturers of metals and minerals pay will have little effect on export markets, traders said.

Market sources claim that the low levels of VAT exporters pay now will make the reduction more theoretical than actual.

The Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang announced the tax cut on March 5. The top rate of VAT, which is levied on manufacturers - including producers of industrial minerals - will fall by 3 points to 13%. The total value of these tax cuts is estimated at $90 billion per year.

This follows a one-point cut to the top rate of VAT to 16% in May 2018.

A portion of the VAT can be rebated for some exported goods, but there is no remittance on mineral exports. This means that, in theory, the cut could deliver a saving of 3% on the pre-tax price of any material bought from China.

China is a major exporter of a large number of metals and minerals, including antimony, bismuth, refractory materials, pigments and ceramics.

But traders downplayed the effect of the cuts, noting that a large volume of mineral sales already avoid VAT.

The Chinese government unveiled a massive overhaul to the existing export system in 2018 to cut down on tax avoidance.

Although many exporters are still getting around the tax, market participants reported to Fastmarkets.

"A lot of material is coming from alternative channels, there are different ways to avoid VAT, I'm not sure what impact this [3% increase] will have," an antimony trader said.

A refractories trader noticed the same pattern in the alumina and bauxite markets, with little impact on price expected.

"On the face of it, youd think prices would be lower," the trader said, but many producers already get around the VAT restrictions, for example, by shipping from the special economic zone in Shenzhen, he added.

"There will be a little relief for a short time but 3% is not such a big number," a European trader said, adding that a potential increase to tariffs in the United States could be more important.

A number of Chinese exports, including bismuth, cobalt, and titanium dioxide currently attract a 10% tariff on entering the US, a tariff that could rise again if trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing do not bear fruit. Antimony was initially included on the list of proposed tariffs but was removed in September 2018.

"The big number is the 25% increase on tariffs and that is the big deal," the trader warned. We have to look at the tariffs."

But the response to the news was more positive from bismuth exporters.

"For some enterprises that are fighting a shortage of cash flow, the tax cut could be a relief," one Chinese bismuth exporter said. "Because they bear less of a tax burden, therefore the profit of the company will be increased, the cash flow will be improved as well," the exporter said.

"The tax cut is undoubtedly a good thing for the export enterprises," a second Chinese bismuth trader said.

While an antimony exporter noted the move could be good for domestic demand for the material.

By William Clarke, Cristina Belda and Huaqing Fu



This article was first published on March 8 and was corrected to reflect that antimony was excluded from the list of Chinese materials facing a tariff when imported to the US.
By Alice Mason

The new London Metal Exchange alumina cash-settled contract, which was launched on Monday March 11, will provide the market with a new hedging tool after a year of dramatic price movements.



With Norsk Hydros Alunorte refinery in Brazil still producing at just 50% capacity, the alumina market is susceptible to more extreme volatility in the year ahead.



The LME alumina contract is settled against Fastmarkets MBs benchmark daily fob Australia alumina index in a basket alongside CRUs alumina index. Equal weighting is given to each index.



The contract will give traders a new opportunity to hedge their risk against price movements and to trade the alumina forward curve.



"The alumina market remains unstable due to Alunortes curtailment. A single deal can move the market price by $200 per tonne at a time. People need to cover themselves," a trader said.



In March 2018, Hydros Alunorte alumina refinery declared force majeure after it was ordered by Brazilian national authorities to reduce output by 50%. It has been operating at 50% capacity since then, which has led to a large reduction in the number of available alumina cargoes.



Consequently, Fastmarkets benchmark daily alumina index fob Australia reached $707.75 per tonne in April, the highest level since the index was launched in August 2010 and 75% higher than at the start of 2018.



Liquidity indicator of the Fastmarkets fob Australia index





Source: Fastmarkets



Traders had to pay record fees to secure material and aluminium smelters ran at a loss with margins squeezed.



"It hurt because people werent prepared," a consumer said. "We were exposed to the price moves, and nobody in their wildest dreams at the start of 2018 thought that alumina would trade at $700 per tonne."



Throughout 2018s rally in alumina prices, the LME aluminium price became disconnected from the market.



Instead of rallying alongside raw materials, the three-month price remained flat, trading between $2,000 and $2,100 per tonne. On some occasions, alumina was trading at 30% of the outright aluminium price.



Smelters report that when the alumina price trades at more than 19% of the aluminium price, they start to lose money.



"You can no longer look at the LME aluminium price for alumina. It is its own market, and the disconnect between the two made some people lose a lot of money," a second trader said.



"It caused a lot of trouble for smelters when they were paying $600 per tonne for alumina, and aluminium was only selling at $2,000 per tonne. The maths doesnt make sense," he added.



Historically, the alumina market was priced as a percentage of the outright aluminium price on the LME, but physical contracts have since changed to being based on price-reporting agency (PRA) indices.



Some companies, however, remain bound to long-term LME-based contracts, which have caused them to lose money.



Rio Tintos most recent earnings report from February 17 said it has legacy contracts which are fixed to the LME price until 2030, which had a negative effect on its corporate results.



"We are exposed to approximately 2.2 million tonnes of legacy alumina sales contracts which have a fixed linkage to the LME price. These contracts date back to 2005 or earlier, and the majority expire between 2023 and 2030," Rio Tinto said.



"The negative effect on Ebitda [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] of these legacy contracts, following significant escalation in the alumina index due to industry supply disruptions, was $460 million in 2018. This was $300 million higher than in 2017," it added.



A further escalation in the alumina index is not unlikely, with the timeline for Alunortes return still uncertain. The majority of the alumina market remains cautiously bullish.



"Everyone remains on edge. One announcement can change everything in either direction. There is a lot at stake," a third trader said.



The new LME contract will also mean that traders can hedge themselves against downside risk should Alunortes return send alumina prices plummeting.



September 2018 showed how quickly the alumina market can change. The fob Australia index hit a high of $652.92 per tonne on September 17 before dropping by 28% to a low of $468.40 per tonne on October 1, due to a number of cargoes trading lower.



Price change percentage in the Fastmarkets fob Australia index



Source: Fastmarkets



The end of a workers strike at aluminium producer Alcoas operations in Western Australia and the extension of the US deadline on sanctions against Russian producer Rusal, which helped to push the index higher alongside the Alunorte issues, added to the bearish sentiment.



"The reality is that we could wake up tomorrow morning to a Hydro press release that says 'Alunorte is back at full capacity and things will fall off a cliff," a fourth trader said.



The index was assessed at $391.38 per tonne on Friday March 8, with the most recent 30,000-tonne tender from Nalco concluding at $390 per tonne.



The year 2018 showed how quickly a market can change, due to sanctions, strikes or force majeures, and showed the need for further hedging tools.



"Last year was a learning curve for a lot of people," the first trader said. "But now we have to be a bit more sensible, and look at the bigger picture, because one little thing can turn the market on its head."



You can see the LME alumina contract specifications here.



Fastmarkets will host a free webinar with the LME on March 18 to introduce the new Fastmarkets-settled alumina and European duty-unpaid aluminium contracts. You can register for this webinar here.
Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic...
BEC attacks usually consist of attackers initiating or intercepting communication with an executive or an employee that is authorised to release or transfer money to pay for services or other aspects of normal operations. As BEC scams rely on social engineering tactics and the emails do not contain malware, traditional cybersecurity measures may fail to catch them, Trend Micro said, adding that the global number of BEC attacks rose by 28% globally in 2018. These attacks are less common but more elaborate than traditional phishing scams and cost targets an average of SG$177,000 per attack.

Read more: EY examines the huge proliferation of successful phishing campaigns

Meanwhile, Singapore is also a hotbed for hosting malicious URLs among Southeast Asian countries, with 68.1% of attacks originating there. However, Singapore only accounted for 19.8% of malware attack targets, or second in the region. Neighbouring Malaysia was the leader with 29.3% of malware attacks.

According to Nilesh Jain, vice-president of Southeast Asia and India at Trend Micro, cyber attackers have become more deliberate in their operations, targeting specific individuals or organisations rather than the general public.

Enterprises need to strengthen their cyber defences at every touch point, namely, on the endpoint, in the cloud, and at the network layer, he said.
Prior to the appointment, Wood was CIO for Westpac International Bank. He also served as CIO for Westpac Retail and Business Bank and CIO of Lloyds International.

Wood brings with him exceptional experience and expertise in IT operations globally and locally, Krawitz said. Mike joins us at a particularly important time as we are implementing significant change across Allianzs IT delivery to improve both our customer and employee experience. Mikes extensive experience aligning business goals with IT strategy and leading cross-divisional teams will make him an instrumental member of our leadership team.

Wood will replace current CIO Thomas Ruedesheim, who will be returning to Europe in May to take a new role with the Allianz Group.
Gallagher said every business is a potential target  no matter their type, size, or industry  due to the connectedness between these organisations and their suppliers, customers, peers, and competitors.

Read more: Cyber risk knows no boundaries

Cyber risk is now so present in almost all aspects of business operations that it is impossible to protect against completely, but exposures can be mitigated, said Robyn Adcock, cyber technology practice leader at Gallagher. Business operators need to change their mindsets to adjust to this new reality.

Cyber criminals are harnessing ever-evolving technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet of things connectivity, cryptocurrency transactions, and cloud security, to launch their attacks. But the Verizon report noted that it is still the human factor that poses the biggest threat to cyber security, with exploitation of user credentials the most common tactic employed by cyber criminals.

To protect their business, Gallagher said business owners should invest time and money to identify what needs to be protected, carry out their risk management plan, and implement practical cyber mitigation measures, including cybersecurity training and taking up insurance cover.

Cyber insurance is designed to meet a variety of different challenges that can arise in the event of a data breach, Adcock said. We can help businesses proactively manage their risk exposures.
Is over-50s insurer Saga Plc letting go of its leisure businesses Titan Travel and Destinology? If Sky News sources are to be believed, it looks like the Kent-headquartered enterprise is exploring that possibility.

Consultancy firm Duff & Phelps has reportedly been called in to see whether there are likely takers for the non-Saga brands.
If the families pursue legal claims, especially in the US court system, those payouts could be much higher, said Clive Garner, head of law firm Irwin Mitchells travel litigation group in London.

If there were to be anything defective in terms of the plane or any of its components, then it would be possible to bring a claim against the manufacturer as well as the airline, he explained.

Eight US citizens were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which increases the chances that litigation on behalf of all victims families could be heard by a US court, said Justin Green, a New York-based aviation lawyer who has represented families in cases against Boeing.

Moreover, legal compensation payments for crash victims could run around $2 million to $3 million per person in the US. Calculations by Reuters based on the Montreal convention estimate that initial compensation costs for all 157 passengers who died on the flight could be around $25 million.

The Montreal convention offers a maximum of 113,100 special drawing rights, worth $1.39 right now, for the death or injury of each passenger involved, but not all countries are a part of the convention.

Willis Towers Watson was the insurance broker for Ethiopian Airlines, and Chubb was the lead insurer, according to reports.
However, the decision to put a cap on the subsidy program would force farmers to pay a larger share of crop insurance premiums  52% instead of 38%.

The White House said in its 150-page summary that through the cuts, it would optimize crop insurance and farm subsidies by eliminating subsidies to higher-income farmers and reducing overly generous crop insurance premium subsidies to farmers and payments made to private-sector insurance companies.

The federal government also plans to cut farm program benefits from individuals with an adjusted gross income above $500,000 a year. Currently, the programs cutoff is individuals earning $900,000 AGI.

Successful Farming reported that the budget cuts are similar to Trumps previous proposals for fiscal 2018 and 2019, which also sought to reduce crop insurance subsidies. Congress turned down both previous proposals.
Read more: Specialist insurance agent charged over fraud

According to records from the Rhode Islands US Attorneys Office, Levesque  who owns Equine Insurance Services and Randall Levesque Agency  overcharged his clients credit cards. In some cases, Levesque even charged his customers twice as much for premiums due to his insurance agencies, for policies clients did not request or agree to finance.

Levesque also collected premiums on insurance policies issued by at least two insurance companies. However, after receiving the premiums from customers, he did not forward the payments to the insurers, court documents said.

Court documents also said that Levesque financed premiums and received funds on behalf of customers  without their consent or knowledge. He also submitted financing agreements to finance companies for fabricated customers.

Over a period of 14 months, Levesque managed to steal more than $1,200,000 from insurance companies, financing companies, and credit card companies, a 2015 government filing said. He did so deliberately and methodically, creating false documents, misusing identities, and devising fictitious insureds. He abused the position of trust in which he was placed and misused his license.

The Boston Globe reported that Levesque had an annual salary of about $500,000.

Prosecutors mentioned that even after he was caught, his businesses were dissolved, and his license was surrendered, Levesque attempted to sell insurance without a license as the criminal investigation into his fraud ensued.

Records show that Levesque will remain free until he has to turn himself in on April 30.
Boeing Co.s insurers face big claims from families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, coming less than six months after the crash of the same type of Boeing aircraft in Indonesia, insurance and aviation sources said.

An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet bound for Nairobi crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, raising questions about the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, a new model that also crashed in Indonesia in October.

While the initial insurance payments will be made by Ethiopian Airlines insurers, they may look to recoup their money from Boeings insurers if they can prove that the aircraft was faulty, the sources said.

Initial payments to the passengers families are bound by the Warsaw and Montreal conventions, but those payouts could be much higher if families pursue legal claims, particularly through U.S. courts, said Clive Garner, head of law firm Irwin Mitchells travel litigation group in London.

If there were to be anything defective in terms of the plane or any of its components, then it would be possible to bring a claim against the manufacturer as well as the airline, he added.

Insurers typically form a consortium to share the risks of large claims, with the lead insurer taking a larger proportion of the risk. The insured value of the plane itself was likely around $50 million, according to industry sources.

Willis Towers Watson was the insurance broker for Ethiopian Airlines, while Chubb was the lead insurer, a Willis spokeswoman said on Monday. A Chubb spokesman declined to comment.

Britains Global Aerospace was the lead insurer for Boeing and also for Lion Air, which operated the plane that crashed in October, said Global Aerospace Chief Executive Nick Brown.

Marsh was Boeings insurance broker, two sources told Reuters. None of the sources gave financial details of the policies.

Boeing shares fell 5.6 percent on Monday.

U.S. Lawsuits Possible

Boeing self-insures an initial layer of coverage before the Global Aerospace coverage kicks in, said Justin Green, a New York-based aviation lawyer who has represented families in cases against Boeing. Boeing declined comment on its insurance cover.

It is not uncommon for the planemaker, which is headquartered in Chicago, to face lawsuits in the United States, where legal compensation payments for the crash victims could run around $2 million to $3 million per person, depending on the law applied, compared to about $200,000 in Ethiopia, said Green.

U.S. courts often throw out such lawsuits, given the difficulty of finding witnesses overseas, but the fact that eight U.S. citizens were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash increases the likelihood that litigation on behalf of all victims families could be heard by a U.S. court, Green said.

Initial compensation costs for all 157 passengers who died on the flight could be around $25 million, according to Reuters calculations based on the terms of the Montreal convention.

The Montreal convention provides for a maximum of 113,100 special drawing rights, currently worth $1.39, for death or injury of each passenger, although not all countries are joined up to the convention.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru and Carolyn Cohn in London and Suzanne Barlyn in New York; editing by Rachel Armstrong and Bill Rigby)

Related:

Topics Carriers USA Claims Aviation Aerospace
Yvonne Steiner has been named head of Property for Zurich Canada.

Steiner will be a member of the Zurich Canada executive team and will report to Zurich Canada CEO Saad Mered. Her first day at Zurich will be April 15.

Steiner will be responsible for leading the management of a diverse set of first-party insurance portfolios, driving profitable underwriting results, developing a customer-led mindset, leading innovation and proposition evolution, and creating sustainable talent management strategies for Zurich Canadas Property unit. She will lead a team of market-facing underwriters in commercial property, energy, construction and marine. She will also work closely with other Zurich Canada executives to coordinate effective execution of portfolio management, distribution management, risk services and claims management.

Steiner comes to Zurich with nearly 20 years of diverse experience in brokerage operations, risk management and underwriting. Most recently, she was RSAs head of Global Specialty Lines, Canada. Previously, she held positions of increasing responsibilities at Finning International and GCAN Insurance Company (formerly Gerling Global) and Swiss Re. During her 11 years at Swiss Re, Steiner worked in the international market while based in Zurich and led the property and energy team while in Canada.

Source: Zurich Canada

Topics Property Canada
Luxembourg said it is very pleased that about 50 asset managers, insurers, and other financial firms have looked to the Grand Duchy as a foothold in the European Union once the U.K. leaves the bloc.

We are very pleased with what has happened in terms of asset managers, insurance companies, fin-tech companies, Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said Tuesday in an interview with Maria Tadeo on Bloomberg Television in Brussels. Quite a few have chosen Luxembourg.

The list of insurers, funds and banks that are selecting Luxembourg as a post-Brexit site for operations includes insurance giant American International Group Inc., private-equity firm Blackstone, RSA Insurance Group Plc, U.S. insurer FM Global, Lloyds of London insurer Hiscox Plc and asset manager M&G Investments. JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to move some London-based bankers to Luxembourg.

Its about 50 companies that have decided for Luxembourg, Gramegna said.

He said the EU has gone the extra mile in helping U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May to make the divorce agreement more palatable to the British Parliament ahead of a key vote on Tuesday.

Were now in a situation where we might face a situation of no-deal, which is bad for both sides, Gramegna said.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Europe Uk
An Iowa safety regulator is blaming a company for not adequately training a worker who was killed in a Marshalltown construction accident.

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing to fine Bridge City Construction, of Ottumwa, nearly $3,900. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports that 37-year-old Bridge City employee Chris Ehrenhard, died in a December accident at a Marshalltown construction project.

The agency says the way Ehrenhard was operating an aerial lift pinned him against a beam and controls of the aerial lift, causing fatal injuries. The agency says Bridge City did not provide effective training to employees regarding hazards that were associated with the job site, such as ground conditions and overhead hazards.

Bridge City Construction owner Jason Blunt has declined to comment about the proposed fine. Its unclear whether he will fight the penalty.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Iowa Construction
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says dairy barns collapsing due to heavy snowfall are threatening the states economy.

Walz and Sen. Tina Smith met with dairy farmers near Altura in southeastern Minnesota on Saturday. Dozens of barn roofs have collapsed in Minnesota because of heavy snow, with farms in the southeastern part of the state especially hard hit.

Walz calls dairy farms the bedrock of the economy and their communities.

Smith says the damage to barns and herds is following low prices for dairy products. She calls it a double whammy.

The Post Bulletin report s a bill in the Legislature would help get loans and insurance payments to affected farmers as soon as possible.

But farmer Rob Kreidermacher says hes not sure how much money his family can afford to borrow.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Agribusiness Minnesota
Sean Enrique OKeefe said he started out as a humanistic attorney, but he became a mercenary and then a criminal who netted $700,000 a year by sending San Diego workers compensation claimants to dirty medical providers.

OKeefe last Wednesday morning apologized to an audience of fraud investigators and claims administrators at the Combined Claims Conference. Then he gave an eyewitness account of life inside an organized crime syndicate that started with an offer in 2011 by hospital owner Michael D. Drobot to pay him $15,000 for each patient he referred for spinal surgery at the Pacific Hospital of Long Beach.

OKeefe said insurers paid bills from Drobots hospital for years thinking they were getting a discount.

You all approved the surgeries and when Mr. Dorbots office called you to pay the bills, his bills were 15 percent to 20 percent less at his shoe box hospital than they would have cost you if they had been done at U.C. Irvine, he said.

OKeefe was brought down as part of Operation Backlash, an investigation in Southern California capping schemes led by the U.S. Justice Department that had yielded 30 convictions so far. He was also involved in a separate referral scheme with Drobot, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to bribing former state Sen. Ron Calderon in order to preserve an odd California rule, since repealed, that allowed hospitals to bill insurers for the full cost of hardware used in spinal surgeries.

Drobot and Calderon are now both serving time in federal penitentiaries. The Justice Department said the spinal surgery scam cost insurers $500 million over a 15-year period.

Former California Hospital Owner Sentenced in $600M Workers Comp Scheme

OKeefe said crooked doctors and lawyers get the most attention, but 85 percent of the people involved in capping schemes are not licensed professionals. The real action is done by marketers, what OKeefe called the sign-up guys.

To the syndicates, doctors and lawyers are just high wage earners, he said.

OKeefes first sign-up guy was Carlos Arguello, who went to work at his San Diego law practice at the tender age of 19. He said he had to let Arguello go about a year later because 80 percent of the clients he brought to his office could not even articulate an industrial injury. That was bad for his practice because doctors who treat injured workers dont get paid if a claim is denied. They would quickly stop treating his clients, he said.

But OKeefe said what he failed to understand at the time was that Arguello wasnt concerned about the doctors getting paid. He went on to operate another scheme that bilked carriers by billing for unnecessary copy services.

Arguello had his hand in bogus medical bills as well. He was the founder of Centro Legal Internacional, a mill that the Orange County District Attorneys Office says had worked with 20 to 30 workers comp and personal injury attorneys to gin up medical bills.

OKeefe was among them. He said the scheme was designed to generate bills in as many ways as possible. The medical provider that he worked with mostly, San Diego chiropractor Steve Rigler, would enter a patients information into a computer program that automatically generated referrals for diagnostic testing, durable medical equipment and pharmaceutical services. Rigler was also arrested and pleaded guilty as part of Operation Backlash.

As it happens, Arguello on Wednesday was testifying as a cooperating witness five miles away at the Orange County courthouse. There, the trail of the first of 10 attorneys and six others involved in the alleged billing scam, which the Orange County District Attorneys Office said defrauded insurers out of $300 million. Prosecutors say the network generated 33,000 fraudulent workers compensation claims.

OKeefe said after he was confronted by investigators, it took him about 10 seconds to decide to cooperate.

My cooperation began like most cooperators: I was afraid of going to jail, he said. But along the way, I met people with extraordinary integrity who showed me exactly how far I had fallen afield.

He will soon pay his price. OKeefe was sentenced in February to serve 13 months in prison and must report to U.S. marshals on May 29. He also owes $300,000 in restitution and $200,000 in taxes, which I dont have.

Teena Barton, a senior investigator with ICW Groups special investigations unit, persuaded OKeefe to tell his story. She said OKeefes presentation at the Combined Claims Conference was his sixth or seventh in a mea culpa tour, of sorts. OKeefe said he isnt paid any speaking fees. He wants to make amends.

Barton said carriers need to understand that the medical mills are relentless and quickly replace any fraudsters who are caught.

This is a Cali thing, you might say. They are moving east and we know where they are right now, she said.

Related:

Topics California Workers' Compensation Fraud
The Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari in northwestern Arkansas has agreed to pay a $75,000 fine and plans to reopen this weekend after taking action to resolve a U.S. Department of Agriculture complaint that it violated the Animal Welfare Act.

The January 2017 complaint accused the safari in Gentry of 68 violations from 2012 to 2016. It says the safari failed to provide sufficient veterinarian care and kept animals in dirty or otherwise insufficient conditions, and accused it of not providing adequate distance and/or fences between animals and the public.

The Animal Welfare Act regulates the treatment of animals in research and exhibition.

The department subsequently suspended the 400-acre safaris Animal Welfare Act license for 60 days beginning Jan. 1, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The suspension was to continue until the safari passes inspections.

Charles Wilmoth, the safaris animal and park manager, said the safari passed those examinations but it remains closed to complete additional maintenance work, primarily to roads inside the park. The projects included fixing barriers and upgrading flooring in the chimp barn.

The safari is home to more than 800 animals including tigers, monkeys, kangaroos and wildebeests. Visitors can drive along a four-mile loop and walk through some areas where they can interact with animals.

Wilmoth said they hope to reopen the facility this weekend, the beginning of spring break for Arkansas and Oklahoma public schools. Its the safaris busiest week of the year, according to the owners.

Every week we made a punch list of things to do, said Linda Hook, business manager.

Its the longest the safari has been closed since it opened to the public in the early 1970s, according to Hook.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The former CEO of Palo Pinto General Hospital in Palo Pinto, Texas, has pleaded guilty to defrauding three major insurance providers  BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, CIGNA Texas, and United Healthcare  out of millions of dollars, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox announced.

According to his plea papers, Palo Pinto General Hospital CEO Harris Brooks, along with his co-conspirators, used PPGHs in-network contracts with large health insurance companies to engage in pass-through billing for laboratory services, a scheme that lasted from September 2017 through June 2018.

Using PPGHs national provider identification number, Brooks and his co-conspirators submitted claims to insurance companies for allergy and genetic testing purportedly performed at PPGH, Harris admits. In reality however, PPGH did not have the equipment on-site to perform the tests for which it submitted claims, and the patients for whom claims were submitted were receiving treatment at various spas and clinics throughout Texas and elsewhere, not PPGH. The patients did not know about the pass-through charges using PPGHs insurance contracts.

Over the nine-month period, Brooks and his co-conspirators submitted claims to health insurance providers for laboratory services totaling more than $55 million, the vast majority of which were fraudulent. As a result of these claims, the insurance companies paid PPGH more than $9 million.

The purpose of the scheme was to receive higher rates of reimbursement from the insurance companies, Harris said.

According to his plea agreement, Brooks faces up to five years in prison and will be required to pay restitution to those he defrauded.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation; Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Fahey prosecuted the case.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas

Topics Texas USA Fraud
Police in Tennessee say eight children were taken to hospitals for evaluation after their church bus overturned on a highway during heavy rains.

News outlets report the bus with a driver and 11 passengers was returning from a conference in Chattanooga when the accident occurred Saturday along Interstate 840 south of Nashville.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the driver lost control and the bus struck a median and flipped on its side.

The children were from Bolivars Parrans Chapel Baptist Church, which had borrowed the bus from a sister church. Parrans Chapel says in a statement the children were released after being evaluated.

The driver was not injured.

The accident remains under investigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Tennessee
A feud between Kentuckys top two elected officials  and potential adversaries in this years governors race  spilled over into the state Supreme Court on Thursday as lawyers argued about who controls the states lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of highly addictive opioid painkillers.

Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear has hired a group of private law firms, led by Florida based Morgan & Morgan, to sue nine drug companies for their role in the opioid epidemic that kills 23 out of every 100,000 people in Kentucky, or nearly double the national rate. So far, the group has sued nine companies, including retail giant Walgreens and pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.

But Republican Gov. Matt Bevins administration is trying to cancel that contract, arguing it does not do enough to protect taxpayers in the event of a multimillion-dollar judgment or settlement for the state.

Complicating matters is the political feud between Bevin and Beshear, who could face each other in the November election for governor. Bevin is running for a second term in a contested primary, and Beshear is one of four candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to oppose him.

Kentucky is one of several states suing opioid manufacturers. But its one of the few states where leaders cant agree on how to pursue those lawsuits. In Louisiana, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry went to court over who would manage that states opioid-related lawsuits. The two men eventually agreed to let the attorney general take the lead.

Bevins attorney Steve Pitt tried to frame the case as Beshear insisting he can spend public money without oversight from anyone else in state government. But Justice Lisabeth Hughes characterized the dispute as a tug of war between Bevin and Beshear over who would control, and get the credit for, the states lawsuits against opioid companies.

The one thing everybody in the courtroom can agree on is we have an opioid crisis in this state. And on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth, we need people to work together responsibly to pursue legal action on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth, Hughes said. Youre going to have these tug-of-wars and the people of the state are going to be sitting back waiting for the tug-of-war to be decided.

Pitt said the case was not a fight for power between the governor and attorney general, adding we are all for the attorney general.

No one in this courtroom, or in this building, I dare say, is against suits against the opioid manufacturers to the extent they are justified, Pitt said.

But Pitt said the contract with the law firms is bad because it does not cap the fees the lawyers could get if the state wins the case. Since Beshear awarded the contracts, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a law capping attorneys fees for these type of contracts at a maximum of $20 million.

Beshears attorney, J. Michael Brown, called the Bevin administrations attempt to cancel the contract an attack on the Constitutional powers of the Attorney General. He noted Bevins Finance and Administration Cabinet approved the contract, but then reversed itself after a panel of state lawmakers asked it to reconsider.

Brown said that kind of whiplash would hurt the Attorney Generals efforts to bring lawsuits.

Are we turning over the control and supervision of a constitutional officer to another branch of government, to the governor in fact, Brown said. If we turn this litigation control over, there could be delay to no end.

Pitt noted the governor and attorney general are not separate branches of government. They are both members of the executive branch of government, although they are elected independently of each other. Still, Pitt said state lawmakers decided to give oversight over all executive branch spending to the Finance and Admini

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Manufacturing Kentucky
A proposal to legalize the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana through state-run stores in New Mexico is advancing in the state Legislature.

A Senate panel on Saturday endorsed the House-approved bill that would allow possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational use by people 21 and over, while applying taxes of up to 17 percent on sales.

Bill supporters include advocacy groups for criminal justice reform including defense attorneys and the ACLU. Businesses associations and medical marijuana businesses are worried about state involvement in sales and a potential plunge in marijuana prices.

Bipartisan sponsors say their bill establishes a tightly regulated marijuana market that guards against childhood use, helps identify impaired drivers and allows employers to maintain zero-tolerance policies and drug testing of employees.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cannabis Mexico
March 12, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) An energy company focused on finding and exploiting unconventional sources of oil and gas reserves in the SCOOP region of Oklahoma reported a large increase in 1P reserves.

BNK Petroleum Inc. (BKX:TSX; BNKPF:OTCQX) reported that an independent reserves evaluation of its Caney formation property increased the company's proved reserves from the prior year by 26% on a barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) basis.

The evaluation, conducted by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, using NI 51-101 standards, found total Proved (1P) reserves of 33.8 million BOE, a 26% increase over 2017; Proved plus Probable (2P) reserves of 53.3 million BOE, an 11% increase over 2017; and Proved plus Probable plus Possible (3P) reserves of 78.5 million BOE, a 6% increase over 2017.

In oil and gas exploration, the 1P Reserve number represents "Proved" reserves with a 90% probability. "Probable" reserves are an estimate of recoverable oil with a 50% to 90% probability. The 2P number represents Proved plus Probable reserves. Below 50% probability is termed "Possible" recoverable oil; 3P represents the total opportunity of Proved plus Probable plus Possible.

In BNK Petroleum's reserve report, the independent firm Netherland, Sewell & Associates calculated the 1P Net Present Value (NVP) discounted 10% and before taxes of $376.9 million, a 31% increase over the 2017 estimate. Realizing 2P value would result in an NPV of $521.4 million, a 7% increase over 2017, according to the report, and the stretch 3P number puts the potential value at $690.3 million, an 11% decrease over 2017.

"We are very pleased with our proved reserve increases of 26% on a BOE basis and 31% on a NPV basis compared to the prior year. These increases were primarily due to our 2018 drilling program, as well as our existing producing wells outperforming the previous year's forecasts," BNK President and CEO Wolf E. Regener, a 29-year veteran in unconventional E&P, said. "We are also excited that the estimated ultimate recovery (EURs) from the existing wells increased from the prior year, continuing the trend of the last few years. This continued year-over-year improvement of our proved reserves demonstrates the favorable performance of our wells and the long life we anticipate from our field."

The company noted that the Proved reserves are attributed to "17 of the Caney wells already drilled, four Woodford wells (4.9% working interest for the Company) and the drilling of 55.76 net additional wells over the next 3 years. The Probable reserves are attributed to the drilling of 28.91 net additional wells."

The Caney formation is in BNK's Tishomingo acreage, which is located in Oklahoma's SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province), a highly sought after region.

"BNK Petroleum started in the Woodford shale formation of the Tishomingo Field in Oklahoma with about 12,500 acres," Regener told Streetwise Reports. "Exxon bought up about 280,000 acres around us and we were the last holdout, eventually selling in 2013 to Exxon subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. for $147 million. We sold all of our rights to the Woodford shale but retained rights to the Caney shale, which is about 350 feet shallower, and to the Upper Sycamore formation."

Regener compared the Woodford formation with the Caney shale. "Woodford was only producing about 15% oil for us with the rest being gas and natural gas liquids. We currently have 16 wells operating in the Caney shale formation. We're producing around 85% oil in our recent wells, resulting in a higher net back per barrel and thus leading to better returns. In addition, our oil is priced at West Texas Intermediate (WTI) with trucking costs that are about $2, so we don't have the big differential that you see with Permian operators."

BNK Petroleum has acquired a total of just under 18,000 acres in Oklahoma, up from about 12,000 total acres, over the last few years. Other major operators in the SCOOP Basin are Exxon Mobil's subsidiary XTO Energy, Continental Resources and Newfield Exploration.

Given BNK's experience to date, Regener said the company is seeking to expand its Caney drilling operations. "The biggest change for the company has been the participation of XTO Energy as a partner in the Brock 4-2H Well. We hold a 77% interest in the well and XTO has the balance. We have a one mile lateral that just came into production. The well continues to clean up and we should have some updated flow rate reports soon."

"We have a two-mile lateral drilled, that we participated in with XTO Energy who is the operator, for our newest well to come on to production, the Anderson 1-15H. We have a 33% interest there. The Caney formation in our field is about 9000 to 11,000 feet vertical depending on location," Regener added.

"Our goal is to secure a slightly larger line of credit to pick up the pace of drilling," Regener stated. "We generate revenue and our third quarter cash flow was $3.5 million. We could drill on our own but a larger line would be best to speed our drilling operations. Debt also doesn't dilute the shareholders and we're all shareholders."

"BNK Petroleum is excited about the oil production growth potential of the Caney shale formation in the Tishomingo field. Our 2019 drilling program is focused on proving repeatability, adding to cash flow, and proving the reserves through operations," Regener concluded.

"The goal is to operate the Caney wells and once we generate solid operating data, we have an asset that we can monetize as we did with the Woodford Shale project in 2013 that we sold for $147 million," Regener stated.

Analyst Bill Newman of Mackie Research has a Speculative Buy recommendation and CA$0.60 target price on BNK Petroleum. The shares are currently trading at CA$0.27.

BNK Petroleum trades on the TSX under symbol BKX. Shares outstanding are approximately 232.7 million with a market capitalization of approximately CA$63 million.

Disclosure:

1) Katherine Brinck compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: none. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: BNK Petroleum. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with BNK Petroleum. Please click here for more information.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of BNK Petroleum, a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from Mackie Research, BNK Petroleum Inc., January 3, 2019

RELEVANT DISCLOSURES APPLICABLE TO COMPANIES UNDER COVERAGE

Relevant disclosures required under Rule 3400 applicable to companies under coverage discussed in this research report are available on our web site at www.mackieresearch.com.

ANALYST CERTIFICATION

Each analyst of Mackie Research Capital Corporation whose name appears in this report hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed in this research report accurately reflect the analyst's personal views and (ii) no part of the research analyst's compensation was or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific conclusions or recommendations expressed in this research report.

Mackie Research Capital Corporation, its directors, officers and other employees may, from time to time, have positions in the securities mentioned herein.

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While in west Cork last week I came across some high-quality shellfish produced by Glenmar Seafood.

That company is actually owned by a local farmer-owned co-op  Lisavaird  and it should encourage debate among co-ops country-wide about their potential role in combating the economic threats to rural Ireland.

Lisavaird is one of four long-standing farmer controlled co-ops that form Carbery Milk Products, a significant processor of milk that has its key facility based in Ballineen, Co Cork.

Decades ago Lisavaird and the other three co-ops operated creameries in each of their respective geographic regions while also providing farm inputs including feed and fertiliser.

Changes in the way milk is processed, and in particular the need to improve efficiency, has forced co-ops all around the country to explore rationalisation options to reduce costs and protect farm gate milk prices.

In west Cork, this evolved to a point where the four co-ops have centralised milk processing in Ballineen.

While they retain the role of collecting milk from farms and providing farm inputs the core dairy operations are focused on a single site.

This arrangement leaves the four co-ops with their own boards of directors and the ability to consider alternative investments to dairy processing. In Lisavaird this has included investments in a variety of businesses including shellfish.

Lisavaird Co-op has invested in a range of food-related businesses over recent years, diversifying from sole dependence on dairy processing.

Those investments include bakery, seafood and food service activities that create financial returns for the co-op and its members while generating jobs and economic activity.

Alongside the three other west Cork co-ops Lisavaird has also invested in wind farms.

If Lisavaird can do this it begs the question what other investments could agricultural co-ops all around the country contemplate in the fight to create economic activity in rural Ireland.

I should emphasise this thought is not advanced through some misty-eyed notion of co-operatives providing an alternative to capitalism.

Rather, Im arguing hard-nosed investment decision making should lie at the core of any move in this direction.

It is a fact that many farmer controlled co-ops exist across Ireland.

It is also a fact that all of these will inevitably have to consider further steps towards consolidating the dairy industry in future as it scales up and encounters ever greater competition from gigantic global milk companies and co-ops.

As this process unfolds these co-ops have to weigh up the opportunity for them to invest in other activities that create financial returns for their members while also supporting initiatives that can support and create jobs.

Given the challenges facing rural Ireland as it competes for investment how far-fetched is it to imagine farmer co-ops playing a greater role in devising opportunities that exploit the cost benefits of operating from rural Ireland while targeting physical and online markets in Ireland and beyond?

I have been reading RA Andersons brilliant book written in 1935 about his work encouraging the establishment of co-ops in Ireland.

If you want an insight into the challenges faced by someone like Mr Anderson and Horace Plunkett trying to convince farmers to work together this is a good read.

It illustrates well how hard it is to challenge conventional wisdom.

Right now it is conventional wisdom that rural Ireland is in structural decline and that trend cannot be reversed.

The shellfish and bakery products produced by Lisavaird Co-op are small but important signals of resistance to such thinking.

Rural townlands need champions to take on those who prefer to facilitate migration towards the large cities in Ireland.

The long-standing agricultural co-ops have an important role to play in that debate.

Joe Gill is director of origination and corporate broking with Goodbody Stockbrokers. His views are personal.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  The Agriculture secretary had put in an order to begin cloud-seeding operations in a bid to mitigate dwindling water levels in dams.

In a post on his social media page Monday, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Manny Pinol said he sent a directive to Ariel Cayanan, operations undersecretary of the DA, to coordinate with the Philippine Air Force to start efforts to induce rains over Bulacan, Pampanga, and Rizal to fill up La Mesa Dam, where water levels are at its lowest in 12 years.

He added that as early as last year, funds had been transferred to Regional Offices and the Air Force for cloud-seeding operations in preparation for El Nino.

Pinol said he coordinated with Archie Po, a veteran helicopter pilot and a friend of President Rodrigo Duterte, on what would be the best time for cloud-seeding.

"Dapat tamang timing para kapag nasa taas ng La Mesa Dam ang clouds, tirahin na para bumuhos ang ulan," said Po.

[Translation: It should be when the clouds are over La Mesa Dam so the rain would fall there.]

In January, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) said they were partnering with the PAF for cloud seeing operations "to counter drought."

"Under Executive Order No. 116, the BSWM is the mandated as the lead agency of the Department of Agriculture to undertake rain-making project to offset the effects of prolonged drought on the watershed and agricultural areas," said the BSWM.

CNN Philippines is reaching out to the Department of Agriculture for additional information.

Manila Water has listed areas in Metro Manila and Rizal feeling the brunt of the water shortage, with some places having to endure 22 hours without water.
The High Court has given summary judgment for 1.59m against a daughter-in-law of well-known developer Paddy Kelly over loans primarily related to the purchase of units in a commercial building in Sandyford, Dublin.

AIB sought a judgment against Joanna Sloan, wife of Simon Kelly, son of Laois-born Paddy Kelly who was at one time one of the country's most successful developers.

It related to loans advanced in 2007 for the purchase of units in Sandyford Apex Centre and for the release of equity in two of the units there.

Mr Justice Seamus Noonan ruled Ms Sloan had not demonstrated a fair or reasonable probability that she had a bona fide defence to the bank's claim.

The judge said in 2006, Paddy Kelly and others were loaned 8m by AIB to buy ten units in the Apex Centre which was owned by a company called Daleridge Ltd, of which Mr Kelly and Simon Kelly were shareholders along with others.

Daleridge was liquidated and the shareholders subsequently acquired some of the individual units in the Apex.

After the liquidation of Daleridge, Ms Sloan bought two of the units with loans from AIBin 2007 including a sum for releasing equity.

Security for the loans was a legal charge by Ms Sloan over the two units while her husband Simon provided a letter of guarantee for her obligations for 3.42m.

The total amount of the loans sanctioned was 3.42m. A receiver appointed over the units sold them off and the proceeds went to reduce her outstanding debt to 1.59m.

There was default on the loans and the bank demanded repayment which was not made and judgment was sought.

Mr Justice Noonan said there was no dispute the money was drawn down by Ms Sloan, that there was a default and repayment demands were not met.

Among her claims were the loan agreement was not signed by her. The judge said the fact that the agreement was not executed did not mean there was no agreement.

The monies were drawn down and this amounted to implicit acceptance of the terms of the loan, he said.

She also claimed it was not her signature and that the loan was "for the full benefit of my husband rather than me".

The judge said this was later contradicted by her when she claimed she had not received independent legal advice "at the point at which I executed the liabilities in question".

She stopped short of alleging the signature was a forgery but, the judge said, no other inference could be drawn.

Her assertion she knew nothing about the loan in question "is simply not credible in the light of the documentary evidence which in my view is all to the contrary", he said.

A bare assertion that a signature was not hers did not amount to an arguable defence, he said.

He also rejected her claim about not receiving independent legal advice and that AIB brought its case outside the six-year legal time limit. A 12-year time limit applied in this case and it was therefore not statute barred, he said.
The Garda Commissioner has praised three gardai who responded to reports of shots being fired in Dublin's Ballymun yesterday evening.

The alarm was raised when a man was seen armed with a sub-machine gun and firing randomly into the air.
Update March 14: Karen Joseph Holland has been found safe and well. Gardai have thanked the public for their help in this matter.

Earlier: The parents of a 35-year-old man who is missing since yesterday are said to be concerned for his safety.

Karen Joseph Holland is missing from Lucan and was last seen on the morning of March 11.

Mr Holland is described as being approximately 5 6 tall with short brown hair and a beard.

When last seen he was wearing a hi-vis vest below-waist workmans jacket and/or a camouflage jacket, blue Jeans and t-shirt, black runners, and carrying a blue/black backpack.

Gardai are seeking the publics assistance in locating Mr Holland.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station on 01 6667300, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Britain's attorney general Geoffrey Cox has severely undermined the chances of the latest Brexit deal being backed by Britain after saying it does not entirely remove the "risk" of the backstop trapping the UK.

In a detailed statement this morning, Mr Cox contradicted British prime minister Theresa May's Monday night claims she had won what Britain wants, saying while the new deal downplays the backstop risk it does not remove it completely.

His comments mean it is highly unlikely the DUP or hard-line Brexiteers will back Ms May's deal in a key House of Commons vote today, a situation that will push Britain towards either a crash out Brexit or a deadline extension.

"The legal risk remains unchanged that if through no such demonstrable failure of either party, but simply because of intractable differences, that situation does arise, the UK would have no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocol's arrangements, save by agreement," Mr Cox said.

"I now consider that the legally binding provisions of the joint instrument and the content of the unilateral declaration reduce the risk that the UK could be indefinitely and involuntarily detained within the protocol's provisions at least in so far as that situation had been brought about by the bad faith or want of best endeavours of the EU.

It may be thought that if both parties deploy a sincere desire to reach agreement and the necessary diligence, flexibility and goodwill implied by the amplified duties set out in the joint instrument, it is highly unlikely that a satisfactory subsequent agreement to replace the protocol will not be concluded

"But as I have previously advised, that is a political judgment, which, given the mutual incentives of the parties and the available options and competing risks, I remain strongly of the view it is right to make.

"However, the legal risk remains unchanged that if through no such demonstrable failure of either party, but simply because of intractable differences, that situation does arise, the UK would have, at least while the fundamental circumstances remained the same, no internationally lawful means of exiting the protocol's arrangements, save by agreement," he said.

Ms May's chances of securing support for the latest EU-UK deal hinged on her hopes of being backed by Mr Cox in her view Britain's right to make a "unilateral" statement saying it could leave the backstop if it chooses was legally secure.

Ms May sought the plan in meetings with European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker in Strasbourg, France, on Monday night, initially demanding that the EU agreed to this position.

However, after a number of hours of talks, Ms May had to limit her position to the UK saying it would be able to release a "unilateral" statement on the backstop while the EU and Ireland noted this was the UK's position without agreeing to it.

DUP sources have said it is now highly unlikely they will support Ms May's deal in a House of Commons vote on Tuesday, while hard-line Brexiteers are almost certain to also oppose it based on Mr Cox's comments.
The deal struck between EU President Jean Claude Juncker and Theresa May does not undermine the Withdrawal Agreement, Government sources said.

The British Government insisted it had secured legally binding changes to the deal, whereas the EU and the Irish Government all that was agreed were legally binding assurances, which complement rather than undercut the Withdrawal Agreement.

It is a unilateral statement from the UK, Ireland is comfortable with that. It is in addition to the Withdrawal Agreement, a government source said.

In a letter addressed to European Council president Donald Tusk, Mr Juncker said that "our hand must remain outstretched" to the UK and that "we should continue to support the efforts of Prime Minister May to ensure an orderly withdrawal".

"While fully respecting the principles defined unanimously by the European Council we should - following the request of Prime Minister May - now give one last push to get the Withdrawal Agreement over the finishing line," said Mr Juncker in the letter.

He sent Mr Tusk the text of an instrument relating to the Withdrawal Agreement and a joint statement supplementing the Political Declaration, agreed between him and Mrs May and endorsed by the European Commission.

He said that Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had informed him that he "would be prepared to accept this solution in the interest of securing an overall deal".

Mr Juncker recommended that the leaders of the 27 remaining EU states give their endorsement to the documents at the European Council summit of March 21-22 in Brussels, subject to them having been approved by that time by the House of Commons.

"I believe it is high time to complete the withdrawal process in line with the wishes expressed by the Government of the UK and to move on as swiftly as possible to the negotiation of our future partnership," wrote Mr Juncker.

The Commission is ready to start talks on the future partnership "immediately after the Withdrawal Agreement is signed", he said.

Mr Juncker said that the UK's withdrawal should be complete by the time of the European Parliament elections of May 23-26.

If it was not complete, the UK would be legally required to take part in the elections, he said.

The British Government released the text of the motion for Tuesday's Commons vote, which asks MPs to approve five documents - the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and Political Declaration agreed in November along with three others finalised in Strasbourg on Monday.

The motion defines the first new document as "the legally binding joint instrument" relating to the WA "which reduces the risk that the UK could be deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely and commits the UK and EU to work to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020".

The second new document is described as a "unilateral declaration by the UK" which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily".

The final document is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

Ministers to return for late-night Brexit talks after cabinet meeting adjourned

Government ministers will be hauled back into a late night emergency cabinet meeting after 10.30pm tonight due to fears Britain could undermine two years of Brexit talks by seeking a "unilateral" right to walk away from the backstop.

Sources told the Irish Examiner the late night discussions will take place in Dublin city centre just after 10.30pm tonight after a two-hour emergency cabinet meeting was earlier adjourned.

Despite holding an earlier scheduled general cabinet meeting this morning, ministers who were preparing to travel across the globe for the St Patrick's day festivities were ordered back to Government Buildings for an emergency cabinet meeting at 6.45pm.

This was because of major developments on Brexit, with British prime minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker preparing to meet for last ditch talks in Strasbourg.

It is understood these talks centred on three points:

Confirmation the withdrawal agreement will not be re-opened

An agreed joint statement between the EU and the UK on how to interpret the backstop

British demands to be able to "unilaterally" walk away from the backstop

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave an update on developments in the preceding hours when the emergency cabinet meeting began at 6.45pm.

After discussions described as "full and frank, with lots of interaction" from ministers, he then adjourned cabinet at 7.45pm to take a phone call from European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker.

During this phone call Mr Juncker updated Mr Varadkar on his initial discussions with British prime minister Theresa May.

The Taoiseach returned to inform ministers of the updated situation, saying there are no concerns about the withdrawal agreement changing or an agreed joint statement on how to interpret the backstop.

However, he said Britain wants to be able to publish a "unilateral" declaration on their view of the backstop which the Government has yet to see - an issue that could cause serious problems for Ireland's Brexit safety.

A source told the Irish Examiner this is a key concern, as the wording has the potential to undermine two years of Brexit talks.

The Government decided at approximately 8.30pm to adjourn the emergency cabinet meeting until 10.30pm in order to allow time for Mr Juncker and Ms May's talks in Strasbourg to conclude.

However, it is understood Government ministers will be given a likely agreed wording of the "unilateral" declaration on the backstop the UK is seeking before the cabinet returns tonight, leading to yet another make or break Brexit moment.

One source said while it is "too early to say if a deal is here, you could see a direction towards a deal and further progress tonight".

As the political drama took place in Dublin, Ms May was understood to be preparing to give a statement just after 10pm in Strasbourg.

Similarly, the hard-line Brexiteer Conservative party group the European Research Group is meeting in London and DUP leader Arlene Foster is understood to be in London meeting senior Conservative party members and UK government officials.

The European parliament Brexit negotiation group is also believed to be meeting in Brussels to discuss the ongoing developments.

At the time of publication, the planned three days of Brexit votes in the House of Commons - existing deal on Tuesday, ruling out no deal on Wednesday and voting on a potential extension on Thursday - are still scheduled to take place.
The Irish woman detained in Syria will be offered full consular assistance by the Government.

Defence Minister Paul Kehoe says Lisa Smith will be treated like any Irish citizen who finds themselves in trouble abroad.

The 37-year-old and her young son are being held at a camp on suspicion of being a member of so-called Islamic State.

The Dundalk native was a member of the Irish Defence Forces before converting to Islam and emigrating to the war-torn country in 2015.

Minister Paul Kehoe says she will be treated like any other Irish citizen, and gardai are ready to investigate further if required.

"Both the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste have stated over the last number of days that should a person come forward they will be offered full consular and diplomatic assistance as all Irish citizens are who get in trouble or have difficulties overseas.

"Should this person come back and should there be questions to be answered then that will then be a matter for Garda Siochana to investigate," he said.
A child psychiatrist and drug addiction expert has warned the State against decriminalising the possession of cannabis, or any drugs, for personal use.

Dr Bobby Smyth, who works with teenagers who have problem drug-use, spoke as a high-level State working group is due this month to report to the Government on the issue.

Dr Smyth told the Irish Examiner that all the risks associated with liberalising drug laws were on the downside.

He said public attitudes towards cannabis had softened at a time when the harm caused by it had exacerbated. He said that was reflected in sharp rises in treatment figures.

An analysis of new cases (the best indicator of current trends) for the treatment of cannabis as a main problem drug, gathered by the Health Research Board, shows:

An 81% rise in cases among those under the age of 18, from 216, in 2006, to 391, in 2016;

An 85% jump among those aged 18-24 year olds, from 344 to 635;

A 50% increase among 25-34 year olds, from 187 to 280;

A 76% rise among all age groups, from 813 to 1,452.

Dr Smyth, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist in the HSEs Adolescent Addiction Service, said the decriminalisation of possession of cannabis for personal use would more than likely increase health problems. He said that studies on the impact of decriminalisation indicated that in half the countries there was no change, but that in the other half there was an increase in usage.

Most teenagers do factor in the consequence of use, he said. My belief is that this would cause some kids on the borderline of using or not using, or who have tried and are deciding whether or not to continue, that the impact of removing criminal sanction would nudge them towards use.

He said this would also apply to teenagers who had decided not to use only because it was a criminal offence. All of this would have the effect of pushing up prevalence and the inevitable result is an increase in the number of teenagers addicted to cannabis and developing mental health problems, he said. All the risks are on the downside. More than likely, it will increase health problems and, as a doctor, I have huge difficulty supporting something that would increase health problems.

He said concerns over societal harm caused by criminalisation could be dealt with by other measures, such as erasing criminal convictions after a period of time. Dr Smyth said the campaign for decriminalisation and for medical marijuana had made people confused and had fuelled misunderstanding of the dangers of the drug.

Public attitudes have softened, at a time when the harm has exacerbated, he said, adding that his experience with young people was that cannabis was the only drug that, routinely, young people demonstrate classic addiction patterns.

He said this included use first thing in the morning and last thing at night and where the young person is very distressed if he doesnt have it.

No-one is talking about it, he said. The public is completely misinformed and politicians are actively ignoring it.

Last week, Amnesty joined community and voluntary organisations in the #SaferFromHarm campaign, in calling for the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal use.
Students going on a J1 trip to the US are being warned of websites overcharging for a visa.

It usually costs around 12 for an ESTA form, which is required for any Irish person going to America.
The type of plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes in the past five months has carried thousands of passengers to and from Ireland  and aviation authorities have no plans to ground 737 Max aircraft.

China, Ethiopia, and Indonesia grounded Boeings 737 Max planes following the crash that killed 157 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on Sunday, and five months after a Lion Air flight plunged into the sea off Indonesia minutes after taking off in October, killing 189.

Norwegian Air International is among the airlines that use Boeings 737 Max, flying thousands of passengers from Irish airports to the US east coast over the past 18 months, including Corks first ever transatlantic flights to Providence, Rhode Island.

The airline said it has no plans to ground the planes, which are coming under scrutiny from experts across the world.

Ryanair is due to take delivery of its first 737 Max next month, a plane it has described as a game-changer for its modern capabilities including fewer emissions and more fuel efficiency.

Ryanair has options of up to 210 aircraft in the coming years, while Boeing has taken over 5,000 orders from airlines across the world.

The Irish Aviation Authority said: We await further information from the accident investigation team, the manufacturer Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Aviation Safety Agency on the circumstances of this accident.

There are a small number of 737 Max aircraft on the Irish aircraft register. As safety is paramount to passenger and aircraft operating crews, the IAA will issue notification to all operators of Irish-registered 737 Max as soon as any further information becomes available.

At one point yesterday, Boeing shares fell the most since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The Defence Forces are facing a mounting crisis in their officer ranks after a survey revealed 79% of those inducted since 2013 are planning to quit ahead of mandatory retirement, because they are on reduced pension terms compared to other public servants.

The findings are contained in a survey of 622 young officers  mainly lieutenants and captains  conducted by Amarach Research on behalf of the Representation Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO).

They all joined the Defence Forces in or after 2013 when pension schemes were changed for all public servants. The rest of the public service will be allowed to retire at the age of 68 from 2021. But officers will still be required to leave at 58, meaning they will be 10 years short of attaining a full pension.

RACO has said this flagged exodus of junior officers comes on top of many senior personnel leaving the Defence Forces for the private sector due to poor pay and conditions. During the last four years, an average of 80 officers per year have left the Defence Forces. Around 80% of them have gone before the mandatory retirement age.

Recent figures presented to the Public Service Pay Commission show officer strengths in Army operational units are down to 55%, at 78% in the Naval Service and 77% in the Air Corps.

RACO general secretary Commandant Conor King said the lack of retention of officers was spiralling out of control with the future viability of the Defence Forces under threat. He said that crisis was well documented, but the latest survey shows the situation will get worse unless the Government takes decisive action to address it.

The results show that a majority of officers do not see themselves serving beyond their 30s, at a time in their careers when officers would normally fill command leadership roles and be called upon to drive strategy development and formation implementation in Defence Forces headquarters, Comdt King said.

RACO deputy general secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Derek Priestly said a majority of young officers feel they have no long-term future in the Defence Forces. These are the people who should be leading the development of modern defence capabilities such as counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and cyber defence. Instead, our brightest and best are being forced to leave, he said.

Comdt King said the lack of adequate pension provision for the post-2013 cohort of officers means that a significant majority of them feel that they cannot afford to stay long enough to develop and progress up the ranks and populate the chronic shortages at middle management level.

The Defence Forces cannot simply go to market to replace its middle and senior management and leadership. If the Government doesnt incentivise these officers to stay, then the organisation is in serious trouble, he added.

Ireland has the lowest percentage of GDP spend on defence in the EU and is 142nd out of 148 countries internationally that have a defence budget.

Also, the average pay of Defence Forces personnel is the lowest across the public and civil service.
Sean Quinns five adult children unknowingly put their heads in the noose for a very significant liability of more than 415m - 83m each - as a result of guarantees signed by them concerning loans made by Anglo Irish Banks to Quinn companies, the High Court has been told.

Mr Quinn had gambled with his childrens property and future when Quinn group companies got 2.34bn in loans from Anglo during 2007 and 2008 to fund margin calls on Contracts for Difference (CFD) positions held by Mr Quinn in Anglo, Bernard Dunleavy SC said.

From 2002 onwards, the five children were, on paper at least, among the richest people in the country as they owned 95 companies in the Quinn group, he said.

The reality was their father was in total operational control, ran the companies without reference to the children and Anglo knew neither they or anyone else in the Quinn companies could "refuse him".

Sean Quinn's children, Sean Quinn Junior, Colette Quinn, Aoife Quinn, Ciara Quinn and Brenda Quinn arriving at High Court today. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Anglo also knew the children had no knowledge of, and no independent legal advice about, the disastrous consequences of their signing securities and share pledges after Mr Quinn was forced to unwind the CFDs, he said.

Mr Quinn's problem was he not only gambled on CFDs but, by investing almost exclusively in Anglo, chose to put all his eggs into one basket "except they were not his eggs" and he had gambled with his children's property, not his own.

The children's situation is unique, where hundreds of millions were being loaned by Anglo to "secretly support" its share price when no one had met with them or explained the transactions to them, he said.

The children will raise issues including about signature switching and being asked to sign only the execution page of a document without seeing the full document, he outlined.

Multi-million euro funding for one margin call was arranged on November 9, 2007, the day of Ciara Quinn's wedding, he also said.

The children are now being pursued for some 83m each under guarantees they would never have signed if the relevant documents were explained to them, he said.

They maintain they are not liable under the guarantees and share pledges on grounds of their fathers influence over them and the banks knowledge of that influence and its failure to act appropriately.

Anglo had disguised and consistently misrepresented the true purpose of the 2.34bn loans and was well aware of all the factors that made the transactions unconscionable from the childrens viewpoint, counsel said.

Anglo was not just a bad bank, it was the worst bank.

At the time of the transactions, the children were employed at a low level in Quinn companies, earning about 25,000 annually and with no personal wealth beyond the shares they legally owned in companies which shares were already charged to Anglo, he added.

Mr Dunleavy, with Ciaran Lewis SC, has begun opening the children's action against Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), Anglos successor in title, and receivers appointed over their share pledges.

Aoife, Brenda, Ciara, Colette and Sean Quinn Junior were all in court today.

In their proceedings before Mr Justice Garret Simons, the children contend the guarantees and share pledges are invalid and have no legal effect.

The transactions arose out of a fall in the price of Anglo shares in 2007 when the bank advanced funds to Quinn companies to allow them to meet CFD share commitments - agreement to exchange the difference between the current and future price of shares in Anglo.

The children signed security documents relating to the CFDs and say they did so without legal or financial advice and with no knowledge of the effects of those documents.

When Anglo's share price continued to drop in 2008, the bank demanded the Quinns reduce the CFD position and most of the CFDs were unwound into shares.

One portion of those was purchased by a group of investors known as the "Maple Ten" and the rest by the Quinn Group.

The Quinn shares were transferred to six Quinn-owned Cypriot companies which ultimately received 498m from Anglo.

The childrens core claim is the securities provided by them are invalid on grounds including undue influence, "unconscionable bargain", negligence and breach of duty by the bank to them, especially to advise them.

They also claim the bank's conduct involved intentional infliction of economic harm on them.

They dispute IBRCs claim they have liability under guarantees for some 83m each or under share pledges concerning their shareholdings in Quinn Group (ROI) Ltd.

IBRC previously obtained a judgment for 120m against their mother Patricia over securities provided by her. As she is bankrupt, she is no longer involved in the case.

The children's claims are denied.

The case continues tomorrow.
British prime minister Theresa May's future is in serious doubt after the House of Commons voted against her latest Brexit deal by a massive 149 vote majority.

MPs on Tuesday evening voted by 391 votes to 242 against the current EU-UK deal, despite Ms May's pleas that doing so risks preventing any chance of a coherent Brexit taking place.

After a previous vote in January which saw the deal rejected by 230 votes and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warning there would not be a third chance, Ms May was widely considered to be in the last chance saloon.

However, despite her pleas for support, they rejected her latest deal by 391 votes to 242 - a crushing 149 vote loss.

The result has not only called into serious question any possibility of resurrecting the current agreement and has brought into doubt Ms May's future as prime minister.

While she survived a previous no confidence vote within the Conservative party at Christmas, a separate parliamentary vote can be tabled by other parties which could see her forced out of office.

It has been widely speculated in Britain this afternoon that any loss of around 150 votes would risk ending Ms May's tenure and throwing Britain into further chaos.

In a statement to the House of Commons immediately after the vote result - which had been delayed for five minutes due to the number of MPs attending the no vote ballot box - Ms May said she will go ahead with a vote on Wednesday to rule out a crash-out no deal Brexit.

Crucially, she said this will take place under "free vote" rules for MPs in government, meaning they can vote whatever way they want to and will not be whipped into a particular position.

Ms May said the Wednesday vote outcome will decide Britain's government policy, and urged a no deal Brexit to be ruled out.

Noting a further planned vote on Thursday on whether to seek a Brexit deadline extension - a vote that will only take place if a no deal Brexit is ruled out - Ms May told MPs neither option will "solve the problem".

The British prime minister asked parliament rhetorically if it wants a second referendum, before being drowned out by "yes" cheers and just as fervently moments later by "no" shouts.

Hitting out at Ms May's comments, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "The prime minister has run down the clock, and the clock has run out on her. Maybe it's time we had a general election."
The most senior Government health adviser advised against a review of CervicalCheck the day after Vicky Phelan called for an investigation into the screening programme.

Instead, Tony Holohan, Department of Health chief medical officer (CMO), urged the health minister to opt for a report which Dr Holohan himself would prepare. He advised Simon Harris that the appropriate way forward was to state that you have asked me to provide a report on the matter, including whether further actions or steps are required.

He added: I strongly advise that you do not commit to a review of CervicalCheck arising from the recent court case.

His warning was issued the day after Ms Phelan stood on the steps of the High Court and said publicly that CervicalCheck had essentially failed her and she now had terminal cancer.

Her solicitor, Cian OCarroll, also made public the discovery that other women had smears incorrectly read, and, like Ms Phelan, had not been told of an audit that discovered the errors.

Ms Phelan said at the time: I truly hope some good will come of this case and there will be an investigation in the CervicalCheck programme as a result of this.

Dr Holohan warned the minister that to announce a review could unnecessarily undermine public confidence in CervicalCheck when there was no evidence at this stage that there are quality or patient safety concerns with the CervicalCheck programme.

The minister ignored Dr Holohans advice and announced a review that day.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner last night, Ms Phelan said Dr Holohans attempt to prevent a review did not surprise her.

It doesnt surprise me one bit, she said.

From my experience, the approach is to try and sweep things under the carpet. There was an attempt to gag me during the court case with a non-disclosure agreement and this is more of it.

An internal review would not have got to the bottom of what happened at CervicalCheck. An external review was essential.

In the Freedom of Information (FoI) correspondence, the minister said he had discussed the prospect of a review with Tony OBrien, then director general of the HSE, who believed it would be beneficial.

Dr Holohans advice to the minister is contained in an email dated April 26, 2018, the day after mother-of-two Ms Phelan settled her case for 2.5m.

Ms Phelan sued after it emerged her 2011 smear test, which showed no abnormalities, was found, in a 2014 audit, to be incorrect. She was not told of the audit until 2017. As a result of her court case, it emerged more than 200 other women who went on to develop cervical cancer had suffered a similar fate and had been kept in the dark about the same retrospective audit, which identified errors in previous smear results.

Mr Harris yesterday announced the establishment of an ex-gratia scheme, due to get up and running shortly, where the 221 women affected can seek compensation without going to court. Payment levels will be determined by an independent assessment panel.

Ms Phelan is credited by Gabriel Scally, the man who ultimately carried out a review of CervicalCheck, with bringing the crisis into the public domain through her refusal to be silenced.

This story was amended on April 11, 2019

Footnote:

The role of senior civil servants, including the Chief Medical Officer, is to advise the Minister on the appropriate course of action. For senior civil servants to decide on the most appropriate course of action in any circumstance, they need to establish all relevant facts and information before advising the Minister. Hence, the initial advice provided by the Chief Medical Officer to the Minister for Health on 26 April regarding the emerging issues relating to CervicalCheck was to allow a short time for him and his team to establish the facts. These facts would then be used to determine what if any, further investigation was required and what action should be taken. This is the same approach as the response to the tragic deaths of newborn babies at Portlaoise Hospital, revealed in January 2014, where a report was completed by the Chief Medical Officer in three weeks. This report was strongly critical of the patient safety practices in Portlaoise maternity services and it recommended, and led directly to, a large HIQA investigation.

The advice of the Chief Medical Officer to the Minister on 26 April to conduct an initial report preceded the decision to embark upon the Scally process. It is important to emphasise that it was the work of the Chief Medical Officer, other officials in the Department of Health, and the Serious Incident Management Team established at the direction of the Department which uncovered additional facts in response to which the Scally review was put in train.

Dr Scallys report in September 2018 affirmed that there was no evidence that the rates of discordant smear reporting, or the performance of the programme, fell below what is expected in a cervical screening programme. Dr Scallys report was clear that the crisis arose because of a failed attempt to disclose the results of a retrospective audit to women who had already developed cervical cancer. He found no evidence of a coverup by the Department.
Tributes have been paid to Aoife OConnell, a 21-year-old Cork student who has been killed in a road traffic collision in the Netherlands.

Aoife was from Ballin-temple in Cork City. She was studying in the Dutch city of Utrecht.

Local media in Utrecht reported that a 21-year-old woman was hit by a motorist while travelling on Biltsestraatweg in the city in the early hours of Saturday morning. The motorist did not stop but later handed himself into police for questioning.

It is understood that Aoifes parents John and Deirdre have travelled to the Netherlands.

Aoife was a third-year BA (economics) International Pathway student at UCC. She was on Erasmus in HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht.

UCC wishes to extend its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Aoife OConnell, who sadly passed away in the Netherlands at the weekend. UCC is providing support to Aoifes family and friends at this difficult time, said a spokesperson for the university.

Councillor Des Cahill, who lives in Ballintemple, said the neighbourhood was in shock at the news.

The whole neighbourhood is extremely upset by this shocking news. Our thoughts and prayers are with Aoifes friends and family and I would ask that people respect the familys privacy at this time, he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the department is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.
A notorious Dublin criminal fired a submachine randomly into the air in a built-up Dublin suburb in broad daylight on Monday evening before being pursued into a house by three unarmed gardai and subdued.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris praised the gardai and said they showed great bravery in ensuring the safety of the public in Ballymun.

The commissioner visited the scene in north Dublin and along with Acting Assistant Commissioner for Dublin, Orla McPartlin, met the three gardai.

The unarmed officers, a sergeant and two garda members, were said to have been in a state of shock after disarming the gunman.

Garda sources said the criminal also fired shots after the gardai entered the house he had barricaded himself into, but it is not clear if the shots were aimed at the officers or fired into the air.

No one was injured in either of the discharges, which happened before 5pm.

We could be dealing with a different situation, otherwise, one garda source said.

The Cranogue Road area of Poppintree in Ballymun was sealed off by gardai after a suspect device, thought to have been a grenade, was spotted at the house.

The Army bomb squad was called in to inspect the device and carried out a controlled explosion at around 7.45pm.

The crime boss sent locals on the Cranogue Road area scarpering for safety after he fired a number of shots from, what is thought to have been, an MP6 submachine gun.

He was out in the open and fired a number of shots into the air, but he was not targeting anyone, said a garda source.

A major garda alert was issued and local unarmed members, attached to the drugs unit based in Ballymun Station, were first on the scene.

The Armed Support Unit was also responding.

The criminal entered a house and barricaded himself in. A sergeant and two garda members, all unarmed, made a decision to enter the house.

Sources said further shots were fired, but it was not clear were they directed at the gardai or were they also fired into the air.

The unarmed gardai overpowered him and arrested him, said a garda source.

It is not clear what preceded the shootings, but sources said the criminal was heavily medicated when he was brought into custody.

Gardai sealed off the house and the road, pending the arrival of the Defence Forces EOD team.

Garda bosses will examine the entire incident, including the garda response.

Commissioner Harris said: "The Gardai involved showed great bravery in ensuring the safety of the public."

The criminal was associated with the victims of a botched gun attack at his home in Ballymun in August 2017, in which two innocent people, Antoinette Corbally-Devoy and friend Clinton Shannon, were shot dead.

A Garda statement said: At approximately 4.45pm this afternoon Gardai were called to a report of a male armed with a firearm in the Poppintree area of Ballymun. Garda Armed Support Units and local units were dispatched to the scene.

A male in his 30s was arrested shortly afterwards by unarmed Gardai and a firearm recovered at a house on Cranogue Road, Ballymun.

The statement said the man was conveyed to Ballymun Garda Station where he was being detained under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

It said the area was sealed off in order to allow for an examination by the Defence Forces EOD team.

Gardai are appealing to any witnesses who may have been in or around the area at the time of the incident to contact Ballymun Garda Station on 01 6664400, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Changes to the Brexit deal do not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement or undermine the backstop the Taoiseach has said.

Speaking in Government Buildings this morning, Leo Varadkar said he hopes and trusts that the Withdrawal Agreement will now be endorsed by the House of Commons.

After late night discussions British prime minister Theresa May secured "legally binding" changes with the EU.

Mr Varadkar was yesterday forced to delay his St Patricks trip to the US after an emergency Cabinet was called last night.

Speaking this morning he said that in discussions with the UK, the Government has worked hand in hand with our EU partners and EU institutions and they have insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be rewritten.

However we have also said that we would be prepared to offer guarantees and further reassurances to the United Kingdom of our good faith and intentions, indeed we have offered such reassurances on many occasions.

The instrument agreed yesterday puts those assurances on a legal footing and represents an unambiguous statement by both parties on what has been agreed.

It does not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement or undermine the backstop or its application, it says we will work together in good faith in pursuit of a future relationship that ensures the objective of the protocol, particularly the need to avoid a hard border is met.

Minister for Europena Affairs Helen McEntee TD & Tanaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney TD during the Taoiseach's remarks this morning. Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins

Mr Varadkar said the Government are also committed to exploring alternatives in a timely way in the event that the overall future relationship cannot be concluded in a satisfactory and timely manner.

But he said this does not call into question that the backstop will apply unless and until better arrangements are agreed.

The Taoiseach said MPs in Westminster must now be given the time and space to consider what is now on the table.
Actor-turned-activist Rose McGowan talks to Prudence Wade about supporting female filmmakers and how shes been represented in the media

Rose McGowan has something of a reputation for being hard and angry. This is what made chatting to her so surprising - she might be angry about some things, but theres also a lightness about her which is rarely represented in the media.

You might know her as Paige from the TV series Charmed, or perhaps more for her involvement in the #MeToo movement. She was one of the first women to speak out against Harvey Weinstein, although he denies all allegations of sexual assault.

After years of frenzied media attention, McGowan has released a memoir called Brave, and seems to have found a new equilibrium in life. Shes now supporting female filmmakers, and is the executive producer of The Call Centre - Louisa Connolly-Burnhams debut short film, currently raising money for production on Kickstarter.

The importance of supporting female filmmakers

The Call Centre  about an introverted young woman called Paige, bored in her day job and longing for intimacy and connection  is a female-led film with a lot of women involved behind the scenes too, and this was particularly important for both McGowan and Connolly-Burnham.

I directed and produced a short film, and I didnt really have anybody helping me that came on as an exec producer, McGowan says. So I thought I could lend my name and some extra cheerleading, because I believe in the power of women filmmakers.

With McGowans troubled experiences in Hollywood, she wants to empower other women. Her advice? Know your worth. Even if you dont think youre worthy of a seat at the table, you definitely are, she says. If there isnt a table you can invent a new one  Hollywood was built on illusion.

She also wants to tackle the myth of the tortured artist, saying: Know that times have changed  just because you want to create art doesnt mean you have to suffer.

How #MeToo has changed things

Even though McGowan has detached herself from the Hollywood machine, shes still tentatively hopeful about the state of things for women. I dont really work within Hollywood any more, she says. But from what Ive heard, women writers are being heard in writers rooms, they now have intimacy advisers on set, and I think overall theres a lot more awareness.

Nowadays, McGowan is more interested in what its like for women as a whole  and this really does fill her with hope. I go all over the world and give talks, and I talk to both women and men, she says.

And I definitely know theres been a real change.

It might seem like McGowans name will be permanently associated with Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, but shes looking beyond this. My book, Brave, is about changing the social structure of what we think has to be a certain way, when it actually doesnt, she says. Thats more where my interests lie, rather than binary sexual harassment.

The importance of reading

McGowan seems surprisingly level-headed about the state of the world  just as long as she can indulge in her two main forms of self-care: baths and reading.

I read in the bathtub, thats pretty much all that goes on, she says, laughing. Reading is probably my best form of therapy. Getting into other lives and other voices  thats the way to stay sane and show its not all about you. I take my inspiration from a lot of places, Ive been on a World War II kick lately, which is probably not what you expected to hear!

McGowan also confesses to a love of history books. Theres definitely something to learn from a lot of the freedom fighters that came before us, she says. I re-read the Autobiography of Malcolm X  its beyond enervating and energising. Im sure he wouldnt have liked me, but I very much like him.

She adds: I relate to being branded as angry when you have a right to your anger. The media likes to paint you in one way, with a lack of nuance. When you get angry about injustice, thats righteous anger and should be allowed.

McGowan describes her general portrayal as wearying, saying: Its like a way of making me scary to the world, so people dont listen.

On taking control of her own image

Even though shes not always thrilled about how shes represented, escaping Hollywood has given McGowan the opportunity to take control of her appearance.

Im just a punk, Ive always been a punk! she says. Ive been a long time in Hollywood where acting and being famous was my day job, so I had to wear stupid evening gowns because thats what I was expected to wear. Now Im done with acting and I can just look like me, I basically look the same as I did when I was 12... except a whole lot older, unfortunately.

Shes now instantly recognisable for her closely cropped hair, and this is a conscious decision. McGowan says this was all about letting go of societal expectations and letting go of the idea that youre supposed to be hot, when in fact I think its better to be cool.

The traps of social media

The Call Centre is in part about the lack of intimacy in modern life, and our desperation to connect with others. Connolly-Burnham says: You can look at someones Twitter or Instagram and think youre up to date with their life, when you actually have no idea whats going on. With social media at the moment, were lacking real-life connection.

To overcome this, McGowan says she has a simple trick when tweeting. I always imagine theres only one person on the other end of the tweet Im sending, and then I forget Ive just invited the world to have an opinion on what I wrote, she says.

Twitters hard, but it has its benefits and negatives. It gives you a voice when you couldnt have had a voice.

However, the one thing she doesnt like is Instagram. I feel like its so much pressure, it feels like a job to me, she says.

At the end of the day, McGowan is far more preoccupied with making a difference. Honestly, I dont even care, she laughs. I care about my voice being out there, I dont care about a picture.

The Call Centre is Louisa Connolly-Burnhams debut film as writer, director and producer, with Rose McGowan as executive producer. You can help fund the film on Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com/projects/louisacb/the-call-centre) until March 17.
Ben Affleck may have been battling his own demons, but he also impresses in his new Netflix action film, writes Ed Power

EVERY so often Ben Affleck pauses to pop another square of cinnamon nicotine gum into his mouth. Its the only indication the actor has recently had addiction issues, having entered his third stint in rehab last August. Otherwise, the 46-year-old tanned, relaxed and healthy-looking as he sits down to discuss his new Netflix movie, Triple Frontier.

The film, an ensemble drama about former marines trying to steal a drug lords fortune, is the latest staging post in Netflixs attempt to become a force in movies. It arrives amid controversy, with the Hollywood establishment aghast at how close the Netflix-backed Roma came to winning best picture at the Oscars. Steven Spielberg is even now reportedly campaigning to have movies released on streaming services shunted off to the Emmys.

Its important to distill this discussion, says Affleck. A part of it has to do with movie awards. Thats not something Im focused on. When you do a movie, its who you get an opportunity to work with [that is the draw]. The other stuff is more after the fact. How does it get distributed what cities are they putting it into? It gets very technical. Im only smart enough to focus on my jobYou can get very byzantine.

Oscar Isaac, who stars alongside Affleck, notes one major difference between Triple Frontier and a studio picture. There is less interference from above. The whole first 20 minutes are in Spanish. Im not certain that would have been a possibility had it been a theatrical release.

Triple Frontier is an enjoyable, if flawed, heist caper. But the behind the scenes story is even more epic. The film has been in development since 2010, when Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks were to star and Kathryn Bigelow to direct. Later, Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Channing Tatum were rumoured to be coming on board. But then, weeks before the cameras were set to roll, Paramount pulled the plug. Enter Netflix, which acquired the project. Shooting began in March  months before Affleck returned to rehab. He has since spoken out about his alcoholism, describing it as something about which he must be eternally vigilant.

I think a lot of people look at addiction and say, Its over, he did it. Its like cancer, hes cured. Hes done. But it is a lifelong battle for you, he told Americas The Today Show. Yeah, I mean, some people are sort of uncomfortable. It doesnt really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. Its part of my life, something that I deal with. It doesnt have to subsume my whole identity and be everything, but its something you have to work at.

CHALLENGING TIMES

It has been a challenging spell for Affleck, who seemed to have bounced back when winning an Oscar for Argo in 2012. But his marriage to Jennifer Garner broke up in 2015 and they divorced in 2017. And there was a fan backlash against his casting as Batman, though he brought an agreeable curmudgeonliness to his portrayal of an older superhero (he has since announced he is hanging up his bat-cape).

Afflecks character in Triple Frontier has his demons too. He plays a military veteran struggling to adapt to civilian life. When we make his acquaintance, he is eking a living an estate agent. His wife has left him, he chugs beer while dropping his eye-rolling teenage daughter to school. His life is a mess.

Which is why he allows himself to be sucked back for the stereotypical last big payday. He agrees to lend his expertise to an old military pal, portrayed by Star Wars star Isaac. They set off to raid a drug lords cash stash and are ultimately bogged down in a very lively rumble in the jungle. Also along for the ride are their old army compadres portrayed by Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, and Garrett Hedlund.

The burden on [returning army veterans] is huge, says Isaac. In the movie, some of the characters]are suffering at least one or two catastrophic injures that are near debilitating. They come back and are expected to go right into civilian life. Theyre at a vulnerable place in their lives. Which is why this idea of a heist, something against their personal or ethical or moral code becomes a possibility.

Affleck agrees: Imagine going from a world where youre the best of the best  you continue to excel, are part of more and more elite segments of your profession. And then, at 40, youre told to start over, develop new skills, try to jury-rig the skills you do have. One can imagine that might be quite difficult. Being excellent in this particular field might not translate to another. What does that do to a person who was part of the elite. I would imagine that would be a significant challenge.

MODERN MASCULINITY

Adria Arjona and Oscar Isaac in a scene from Triple Frontier, out tomorrow.

Triple Frontier is also a comment on modern masculinity. Afflecks character is tempted back for one final payday in part at least because he feels emasculated by not being able to provide for his family.

They do this thing that is very reliant on their masculinity, says Oscar Isaac. When that goes away, theyre feeling a bit of an existential crisis.

If youre inclined to look and draw parallels in a meta wayit asks questions about how these soldiers feel their skills are being obviated and are less relevant, says Affleck. There are men who look at a changing society and feel challenged in a similar way. They feel less relevant These are questions that challenge ones sense of self.

The crunch point comes an hour in when Afflecks marine surrenders to greed and places the entire mission in jeopardy.

It is a parable about temptation, says the actor. It is very literally a movie about greed and how these things that challenge our value systems can corrupt us. Through the movie youre brought along with the characters. They have a point at the start. You find that the rationalising of moral equivocations leads you often times to a very unpleasant place.

Triple Frontier is released on Netflix tomorrow (Wednesday, March 13)
WHAT is it about Co Cork, and costly castles?

A river Blackwater castle, done up to host fishing parties on the famous angling river, along with a more modern Georgian manor farmhouse with swimming pool in a converted stable block, has just landed an overseas buyer for about 1.8 million.

The c 1.8m 'catch' is the part-restored 16th-century tower house, Carrigacunna and the adjacent period house near Mallow, Co Cork. It has been owned by a couple from the UK, who bought it in 1996 and who invested steadily, and heavily, in its restoration.

Coincidentally, it's the second Co Cork castle to sell in recent weeks for a multi-million euro sum. A month ago, the quite luxurious Kilfinnan Castle in West Cork's Glandore harbour, sold for 6m, for the estate of the late UK/Irish developer, Bernard McNicholas, to a couple with mixed West Cork and Far East roots.

While at that top 6m sale in Glandore harbour was for a coastal hot-spot, the successful sale of Carrigacunna on the renowned salmon angling river the Blackwater shows, once more, that Irish waters, be they oceans or rivers, are a key to unlocking multi-million euro property values.

It's understood the buyer of the river-set property on 50 acres is from the US, with a background in real estate: Carrigacunna went for sale in summer 2018, through joint agents Michael H Daniels in Cork, and Sotheby's, with a guide price of 1.85m.

Carrigacurra now appears as 'sold' on Mr Daniels website, but he has declined to confirm the price, thought to be very close to the 1.85m guide, or to identify the buyer, reported to be US-based with Irish connections.

By a coincidence of timing, the Blackwater's Carrigacunna came to market around the same time that dancer and entertainer Michael Flatley cut the asking price on his private Co Cork pile, Castlehyde, down to 'just' 12.5 million via Sotheby's.

Michael Flatley's Fermoy mansion, Castlehyde, price dropped from 20m in 2015 to 12.5m in 2018

He slashed 7.5m off the price ask three years after he had first launched it at a hefty 20 million.

Now four years on the market, the lavishly restored (Michael Flatley says 30m was spent) mansion with swimming pool remains unsold, but sources say there may be moves afoot to land a buyer too for Castlehyde, a Palladian mansion on 150 River Blackwater acres near Fermoy, just a few miles downriver from Mallow and the just-sold Carrigacunna.

The 500-year-old historic tower house scanning about a kilometre of Blackwater river frontage, is now weatherproofed and secured for future centuries.

However, while it has been used to hose dinner and fishing lunch parties, it's not been fully to a habitable state, although its has water and a power supply.

The castle, plus renovated 7,000 sq ft private home, had attracted mostly overseas interest, with UK inquiries more muted given Brexit concerns, and Sterling's weakness.

Carrigacunna was the home for over 20 years of former graphic designer Rod Springett, and his wife Ros, an artist.

Among Co Cork's more famous castle owners is actor Jeremy Irons, who restored the far more ruined 15th Century Kilcoe Castle near Skibbereen, in the late 1990s, just after the Springetts bought Carrigacunna.

And, in a continuing trend of castle salvation, the rescue of Belvelly Castle, near the Fota Estate on Cork harbour's Great Island, is set to feature in the RTE series Great House Revival, after a recent, appreciative visit by architect Hugh Wallace.

Coincidentally a previous owner of Belvelly Castle was UK architect Peter Inston, who had advised Michael Flatley on Castlehyde's restoration but who didn't spend any further sums himself on Belvelly, which he had bought as a shell.
Nicky Henderson believes the professionalism of Angels Breath can come to the fore and help him secure a fourth success in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival today.

After running away with a Grade Two contest at Ascot on his debut, the five-year-old suffered an odds-on defeat at the same level on his most recent outing, in last months Dovecote Novices Hurdle at Kempton.

With the stiffer two miles expected to be in his favour, the Seven Barrows handler, who will also saddle Mister Fisher, is confident Angels Breath can leave that defeat behind and show his true colours in the Festival curtain-raiser.

Henderson said: Angels Breath got beaten the other day, but that doesnt worry me one iota. He only had one previous run at Ascot and they only jumped four hurdles because of the wind.

Although he got beaten, it was over a sharp two miles which bears no relation to what we are going to be doing on Tuesday. It was a sound performance and we had a fair bit of time off after the Kennel Gate.

He has had only two runs in his life, but I think he is very professional and Ive got to say he is a talented young horse. Mister Fisher is very talented, but I would have been surprised if Nico (de Boinville) hadnt gone for him.

Having steered Mister Fisher to Grade Two glory at Haydock last time out, jockey James Bowen hopes Mister Fisher can provide him with the perfect 18th birthday present.

He said: Mister Fisher has shown a lot at home and I cant wait to ride him. He won well last time and I think there is more to come from him. I think the big field will be fine.

He has got a lot of pace, but he is a good traveller and that is what you want in a race like the Supreme. He probably would have preferred a bit better ground, but he will probably get away with it as it is the first race of the meeting.

Its my 18th birthday (on Tuesday) and if he wins that would be the best birthday present ever.

Nigel Twiston-Davies is keeping his fingers crossed Al Dancer, who will earplugs as opposed to a hood, can back up his impressive Betfair Hurdle victory by going three places better than his stablemate Ballyandy, who attempted the same double in 2017.

Twiston-Davies said: He was very good last time, so lets hope he can do it again.

I was very pleased with the Betfair Hurdle run and this is the sort of race that should be run to suit him. The ground will be fine, as he has won on heavy and good.

We just thought we would use the earplugs as they seem to help settle him more at home than the hood. I dont think having course form and having already run in a big field will be an advantage.

Although Fakir DOudairies ran riot over his rivals in a Triumph Hurdle trial at the track in January, his trainer Joseph OBrien has no issues in switching targets, with stablemate Sir Erec favourite for the Triumph.

OBrien said: Ive no problem running the horse in any race - if youre not in you cant win.

I dont think there have been many four-year-olds to actually do it (run in the Supreme), as far as legitimate contenders are concerned - I believe Binocular and one or two others have been placed in it.

Im up for giving it a shot and to have a Cheltenham winner for JP (MccManus) would be a dream.

It has been eight years since Al Ferof gave 10 times champion trainer Paul Nicholls his second victory in the race but in Grand Sancy he believes he has a worthy contender to end his recent drought.

Nicholls said: We think we have a great chance with him in what looks an open race. He has just done nothing but improve.

He is in the form of his life at the moment and is versatile regarding the ground.

The faster they go the better for him. I dont know why he is the price he is, as he has got really good form.

Willie Mullins has two chances in his quest to register a sixth triumph in the race, after declaring both Klassical Dream and Aramon, who finished first and second respectively at the same level at Leopardstown last month.

Assistant trainer Patrick Mullins said: There wasnt much between them at Leopardstown and I dont think the prices are an accurate reflection of their respective ability.

I suppose the slightly slower ground and the uphill finish will suit Klassical Dream and hes open to improvement Aramon is in good form as well. Hes run in three Grade Ones and has finished in the first three each time, so hopefully he has a good chance of picking up prize-money again.

Elixir De Nutz was due to represent Colin Tizzard, but was declared a non-runner late yesterday.

Assistant trainer Joe Tizzard said: Unfortunately Elixir De Nutz wont be running in the Supreme Novices Hurdle as hes lame this evening.
Hard to recall a Tuesday card at Cheltenham as difficult as todays but Benie Des Dieux can be the punters pal on the opening day to the 2019 Festival by proving a class apart from her rivals in the OLBG Mares Hurdle.

On ratings she has very little in hand, but she has only had two runs over hurdles since joining Willie Mullins, the first of which was in this race last year.

She followed up with a more impressive display at the Punchestown festival and despite not being seen since there is no reason to believe she wont be at her peak today.

The race is likely to be run at a fast pace, which should suit Rich Riccis mare and, as was the case last year, she can come through late to land the spoils and, in the process, give her trainer a tenth victory in 12 runnings of the race.

Roksana makes plenty of appeal as an each-way alternative and in the market without the favourite. The Dan Skelton-trained seven-year-old made her track debut at the end of the 2017 season but quickly developed into a very smart sort.

As a novice last season, she won a Grade 2 at Newbury and finished a close second behind Santini in a Grade 1 at the Aintree festival. She has run only once this season and was pitched in deep on that occasion. She was no match for Buveur Dair or Vision Des Flos but ran a promising race. That should have put her spot-on for the return to mares company and a big run can be expected.

Apples Jade can become the fifth mare to put her name on the Champion Hurdle trophy. Bidding to follow in the footsteps of African Sister, Dawn Run, Flakey Dove and Annie Power, the Gordon Elliott-trained mare has looked better than ever this year and can make the most of the 7lbs she receives from dual champion Buveur Dair.

She seems best going right-handed and its arguable that even her victory in the Mares Hurdle here in 2017 is not a fair reflection of her ability, but the form she has shown this season, winning a Grade 2 and three Grade 1s by an aggregate winning distance of 73 lengths, is a long way clear of her previous form.

It wouldnt be a surprise if she got an easy lead and her jockey, Jack Kennedy, can wind up the pace from a long way out to make use of her stamina and to blunt the speed of Buveur DAir.

The last-named was workmanlike in victory in 2018 and hasnt impressed this season, though there have been mitigating circumstances. This looks a tougher test than last year or 2018 and hell need to be at his very best to pass it.

Laurina was brilliant here last year but this is, by a considerable margin, her toughest task to date. It would be no surprise were she to prove up to the task, but she seems more likely to come up a little shy.

Sharjah is hard to fault on this seasons form, though the anticipated rain wont do anything for his chance. In contrast, Espoir DAllen would appreciate prevailing conditions and a big run from him would be no shock.

Ok Corral and Ballyward look the two to concentrate on in the National Hunt Challenge Cup, with marginal preference for the former to confirm last years novice hurdle form with his old foe.

The pair contested last seasons Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle and the selection finished three lengths in front of Ballyward. The latter was given a patient ride and moved to join Ok Corral after the last but didnt find as much in the final climb to the line.

Ok Corral comes from a family of strong stayers and has a sporting chance of getting the four-mile trip, the only concern being that he can race keenly.

But Derek OConnor is the right man to have in the saddle and he should be able to keep a lid on his mount before delivering him late to mount what can be a winning run.

The Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle looks difficult, but should the rain arrive, as has been forecast, we could see an improved performance from Vision Dhonneur, who makes each-way appeal at double-figure odds.

The Arkle Chase looks no easier though if there is a standout performer in the race it is likely to be Lalor, whose win here In December marks him out as the one to beat. He has disappointed since but has been given plenty of time and should be suited by the way the race will be run.
Its fair to say day one of the 2019 Cheltenham Festival had a bit of everything. Driving rain in the hours before the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle, the traditional curtain-raiser for the biggest week of the racing year, dampened bodies but not enthusiasm.

Maureen Mullins is the ultimate example of that. Wife of legendary trainer Paddy and mother of legendary trainer Willie, she has been coming to this meeting for no less than 66 years and her grandson, jockey Danny, reports his nan to be as enthused as ever.

She comes two or three days early for fear they bring it forward a day, he joked. She definitely wont miss it and shell probably stay for a week after in case anything else happens. Shes unbelievable, shes flying up and down the roads in the car, not a bother on her, and wouldnt miss Cheltenham for anything.

She didnt have to wait long for something new to celebrate. Willie Mullins saddled the winner of both the Supreme and the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase.

Irish Examiner columnist Ruby Walsh was the man of the saddle for Klassical Dreams Supreme victory and, like Maureen Mullins, the passage of time has not diminished his affection for this week.

Its great to be back, its a wonderful place, we dont get to do this often enough as jockeys. To ride in front of these crowds in this atmosphere  its unique. As for the conditions, the jockey with the most wins in Festival history was characteristically blunt.

Its a National Hunt game, it should be played in National Hunt weather. One Willie Mullins winner became two when Duc Des Genievres powered to victory in the Arkle in the hands of Paul Townend.

The days main race, the Unibet Champion Hurdle was billed as a three-horse race with Irish mares Apples Jade and Laurina looking to thwart the hat-trick-seeking Buveur DAir.

But the glorious unpredictably of sport  this one in particular  is it rarely runs to script and this certainly didnt.

Buveur DAir fell as early as the third obstacle, Apples Jade never recovered from hitting the second and Laurina faded into fourth from the second last.

Ultimately, it was Espoir DAllen, trained by Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell, who prevailed at odds of 16-1, ahead of 20-1 shot Melon with Silver Streak back in third at 80-1. The bookies couldnt believe their luck.

It got even better for the enemy 40 minutes later when Benie Des Dieux evoked memories of Annie Power in 2015 when falling at the last with the OLBG Mares Hurdle seemingly at her mercy.

Things took a turn for the better in the next race as Rachael Blackmore, currently locked in battle with Paul Townend to become Irelands Champion trainer, became only the third professional female jockey to win at the Festival when steering 5-1 favourite A Plus Tard to an emphatic victory in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.

Its fantastic to get a winner here  its what every jockey dreams about and Im just so grateful to get to ride a horse like him and just steer him up the hill.

By then the clouds had cleared and the sun was breaking through. Given the uplifting tale that had just unfolded, that was fitting.
There is no safe type or quantity of alcohol for a foetus and the result of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is incurable brain damage, says Aisling Foley

A BABY crying because of drug withdrawal symptoms is distressing to see.

A baby struggling to go cold turkey suffers from headaches and convulsions, as its tiny body tries to adapt to life without the drug it has become reliant on over the nine months in the womb.

We are all familiar with what are colloquially known as crack babies.

Now, countries like the US are also facing an opioid abuse epidemic of babies born to mothers addicted to over-the-counter medicines.

Is there another, more dangerous drug lurking in our society and in our homes? The most socially acceptable, legal drug in our society is more dangerous than any illegal drug.

It is alcohol.

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, in the US, reported that alcohol causes 88,000 deaths per year (in such forms as accidents, violent assault, heart or liver disease, road deaths, suicide, and various types of cancer).

All other illegal drugs combined only cause 30,000 deaths per year.

How does something that we associate with relaxing after a long day at work cause so many deaths? As alcohol is legal, it must surely be safer than illegal street drugs? Not so, according to British scientists, who rated alcohol as three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco.

Alcohol is ever-present in our society.

Imagine an Irish wedding without alcohol.

We go out to the supermarket, to a restaurant, or to a house party and alcohol will, without a doubt, be present.

We switch on our televisions and see advertisements for alcohol, proclaiming that it will make us the most desirable person at the party.

Drug dealers would surely love to have such opportunities to advertise their products so publicly.

I came across the life-changing damage that alcohol can cause when I moved to South Africa 10 years ago.

I started working with a charity in Cape Town that cares for abandoned and abused children.

The children have learning and behavioural issues that cannot be explained solely by their circumstances.

After many months of research and review of the childrens histories, it became clear that the majority of children in the charitys care were suffering from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

FASD is permanent and incurable brain damage, caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.

Alcohol is a toxin that goes straight through the placenta and into the foetuss bloodstream.

The foetuss liver is one of the last organs to fully develop.

The result is that, whereas the mothers body may be capable of processing the alcohol, her babys body cannot.

Some of the children I began to work with have brains that are one-third smaller than they should have been, due to FASD.

This brain damage manifests itself in aggressive behaviour, learning difficulties, hyperactivity, bad concentration, and bad memories.

The future for these children, if they do not receive help or support, is one of crime, drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, unemployment, and, eventually, either prison or death.

In the place I now call home, South Africa, we experience the highest rate of FASD in the world.

Approximately 60,000 children are born in South Africa each year suffering from FASD.

Although it is worse than an epidemic, very little is known about the disability.

I have just returned from a week-long trip to the Eastern Cape province.

The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest and most under-resourced parts of South Africa.

Here, we see the real Africa of children walking 1.5 hours to get to school.

One of the towns in the Eastern Cape has the highest rate of FASD in the world: 13% of children suffer from it.

Here, like in many parts of South Africa, women use alcohol as a form of escapism.

Unemployment, domestic violence, rape, and murder are part of everyday life.

Ten years of living in South Africa, daily reading about murder and sexual assault, has desensitised me.

It is the norm. It would, however, be wrong for me to judge these women who drink alcohol during their pregnancies.

Some of them suffer from FASD themselves. Access to rehabilitation facilities for alcohol abuse are few and far between and hope for their childrens futures is often non-existent.

FASD is not something I leave behind in South Africa when I make my annual pilgrimage to Ireland.

In 2017, this very newspaper published the shocking statistic that Ireland has the worlds highest rate of women drinking alcohol while pregnant (60.4% of pregnant women continue to drink).

Why do these women drink, when the risk of harm to their developing foetus is so high? Is it lack of knowledge or a belief that it wont happen to their baby? We sometimes think that FASD only affects children of alcoholics, but there is no known, safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

A developing foetus doesnt distinguish between fancy French wine or cheap beer.

To the foetus, all types of alcohol are toxic.

f you want to protect your child fully from this disability, then go without alcohol if youre pregnant or suspect you could be pregnant.

I sometimes wish I could show women the life sentence imposed by FASD.

I have watched children grow from babies to teenagers and witnessed the challenges they face every day.

Nobody would ever want to inflict FASD on their child. Daily tasks, like getting dressed and concentrating in school, can be challenging for them and these challenges escalate as they struggle to become independent adults. The children I work with are the fortunate ones.

They are surrounded by people who understand their disability and try to support them through it.

Sadly, though, for them it will remain a lifelong disability with no cure. We all have choices about alcohol use.

For many children, however, they live with the consequences of choices made by their mothers during pregnancy. Lets encourage and support mothers to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy. As we say in South Africa, A pregnant woman never drinks alone.

Aisling Foley is a development worker for Viatores Christi/Misean Caraworks with Home of Hope in Cape Town, South Africa.
Update: Britain's former Brexit secretary Boris Johnson said the British Prime Minister and Attorney General had merely sowed an apron of fig leaves to cover the embarrassment of the Brexit deal.

The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP said: The result is like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden  they have sowed an apron of fig leaves that does nothing to conceal the embarrassment and indignity of the UK.

Update: Conservative MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley told the Press Association: Weve got the legal text and the Attorney Generals advice which makes it clear that the risk has reduced for being tied to something permanently, but it is not totally gone.

The deal doesnt fulfil everything weve asked for but we have to weigh things up with balance. To me, the reduced risk of being tied into something is preferable at this point to the ever-increasing risk of delay or no Brexit at all.

Parliament is determined to make this as difficult as possible and Im now at the stage where if we are going to leave on the 29th the only way thats going to happen is with this deal. I dont like it but we are going to have to play the ball where it lies as we speak and just get things done.

I really fear for what could happen. It seems as though this wont pass tonight, or tomorrow when Parliament may have to extend Article 50, which my constituents wont be happy with.

The best course of action now is to pass the deal and leave, then we can think about the long term relationship and live to fight another day.

Britain's Defence minister Tobias Ellwood said Tory Eurosceptics should support the latest version of the Prime Ministers deal.

He said: This has been a long journey. This is the mother of all parliaments and the mother of all votes. The clock is ticking down, and she [Theresa May] has provided some assurances.

Its now turned more political than it has legal, where individuals are looking for ladders to climb down from the positions they have taken.

The bottom line is, if we dont get this deal across the line then we head towards a lighter, softer Brexit or potentially no Brexit at all, and that must be the wake up call for any individual thinking of voting against the Prime Minister.

Earlier: 'Very likely' MPs will delay Brexit if Theresa May's deal fails, says Sammy Wilson

The DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said it was very likely that there will be probably successful attempts to delay Brexit if the British Prime Ministers deal is rejected.

He told Sky News: It looks very likely that on Thursday if the vote doesnt go through tonight, on Thursday there will be attempts in the House and probably successful attempts in the House to extend the time in which we stay within the EU.

Mr Wilson said if an extension of Article 50 was voted through the Commons that after the end of June we will have to leave the EU because we have not participated in the European elections.

Update: ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said he had not yet decided which way to vote and would await a meeting of the Eurosceptic group at 5pm before making up his mind.

Mr Rees-Mogg said that abstention on such a serious issue was not a realistic prospect for many British MPs.

The question we really have to look at is When the Prime Minister says the risk of not voting for her deal is that we dont leave, is that a serious risk or is that a phantom?' he told Sky News.

My current view is that it is basically a phantom and, therefore, it is safe to vote against this deal again tonight and look to leaving on March 29 without a deal.

But what she said has to be taken seriously and considered. Its not a risk I would like to take if it is a real one.

Mr Rees-Mogg played down the prospect of Mrs May being forced out by a heavy defeat, saying: If it is less than 230, the Prime Minister will be able to say she is making some progress, so I wouldnt worry about the Prime Ministers position.

Mr Corbyn said: If this deal narrowly scrapes through tonight, I dont think it will, but if it did, we believe the option should be to go back to the people for a confirmatory vote on it, if that is the case, but we do not believe it should go through.

He said: The Prime Minister set herself a series of objectives, she hasnt met any of those objectives, shes brought back exactly the same deal and expects us to vote on it again, I hope the House rejects it.

The Prime Minister is stuck in a groove that believes only her deal is the thing that should be voted on, she wasnt listening to what we were saying or what was included in our letter, and that is really the problem. The documents in front of us offer no clarity and no certainty.

He went on: Its simply not good enough to vote for a blindfold Brexit, so we will vote against this deal tonight as I urge all members to do.

Its simply not good enough to vote for a blindfold Brexit, so we will vote against this deal tonight as I urge all members to do.

Update: Responding to Mrs May, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said not a single word of the Withdrawal Agreement had changed.

He said: After three months of running down the clock the Prime Minister has, despite very extensive delays, achieved not a single change to the Withdrawal Agreement  not one single word has changed.

In terms of the substance, literally nothing has changed  There is no unilateral exit mechanism, there is no time limit, there are no alternative arrangements.

Mr Corbyn accused the British Government of trying to fool its own backbenchers and the British people over its Brexit deal.

He said: The unilateral statement is a weak Government trying to fool its own backbenchers because the EU has not even signed up to it.

So @jeremycorbyn didnt mention #PeoplesVote once in his 25 minute speech....

Terrible to see @uklabour leadership colluding in the drift towards such a disastrous #Brexit  Chris Leslie (@ChrisLeslieUK) March 12, 2019

He continued: The Government is in real problems because they are trying to fool the people into somehow believing that somehow or other the deal she has offered is the only one that is available.

It is not and they very well know that.

Mrs May urged MPs to back the deal, saying: It was not this House that decided it was time for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, it was the British people.

Pro-Brexit supporters outside the British parliament today.

It falls to us here to implement their decision, their desire for change, their demand for a better, more open, more successful future for our country.

Today is the day that we can begin to build that future.

The PM added: Let us show what this House can achieve when we come together, let us demonstrate what politics is for.

Let us prove beyond all doubt we believe democracy comes before party, faction or personal ambition.

She finished by saying: The time has come to deliver on the instruction we were given. The time has come to back this deal and I commend this motion to the House.

Update: After the DUP announced they would not be supporting the deal, Britain's Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry tweeted: "The government will not get their deal through parliament tonight. The only question is, how big will the defeat be?"

The government will not get their deal through parliament tonight. The only question is, how big will the defeat be? https://t.co/0WWJwcbKkx  Emily Thornberry (@EmilyThornberry) March 12, 2019

Former UK Brexit secretary David Davis said many MPs would prefer a circumstance where the UK could have unilaterally withdrawn from the agreement, and this did not apply following remarks from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.

He said: That means were going to a circumstance where thered be a deal of trust with respect to how we resolve the backstop, and in particular over the issue of whether the alternative arrangements prove acceptable to the European Union and the Republic of Ireland.

Some of those alternative arrangements were ones that were previously rejected by the union and Republic of Ireland. Can she tell the House whether she has detected any change in mood on the part of the EU and the Republic (of Ireland) with respect to a constructive outcome in dealing with the Northern Ireland border?

Mrs May replied: Yes, I think what has been obvious is a change in willingness from the EU to be actively working on those alternative arrangements.

It was not possible to complete that work in time for the timetable we currently have re March 29.

But the firm commitments have been given in the documents  show that willingness on their side to be actively working with us to find those alternative arrangements and find them in a way that means the backstop can indeed be replaced.

On the political declaration, Mrs May said: Im sure we can all learn lessons from how we approach this first phase of the negotiations as we move onto the second.

For my part, Ive no doubt that the Government does need to build a strong consensus in the House before we go onto negotiate the future relationship. Not least to ensure the process of ratification is smoother than that for the withdrawal agreement.

Theresa May addressing Commons this afternoon.

Thats why weve committed to give a much stronger and clearer role for this House, and for the other place during the next phase. Not just a consensus in parliament either, businesses, trade unions and civil society must all play a much bigger part contributing their expertise in a collective national effort to secure the very best future relationship with the EU.

That new approach will start with the withdrawal agreement Bill if the deal passes tonight, notice of presentation will be given tomorrow and the Bill will be introduced on Thursday.

Update: Mrs May reeled off a list of core elements she said were delivered by the deal.

She said: It sends a message to the whole world about the sort of country the UK will be in the years and decades ahead  To our friends and allies who have long looked up to us as a beacon of pragmatism and decency and a message to those who do not share our values and whose interests diverge from ours. It says this: the UK is a country that honours the democratic decisions taken by our people in referendums and in elections.

She added: I believe that we should be delivering on the vote of the British people in 2016, but I also believe it is important that we give businesses  the certainty for their future, and there is only one certainty if we do not pass this vote tonight, and that is that uncertainty will continue for our citizens and for our businesses.

We are a country where passionately-held views do not stop us from making compromises to achieve progress. Were a country that values both our national sovereignty and the unbreakable bonds of a shared history.

A bad deal would be even worse than no deal, but best of all is a good deal, and this is a good deal.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: We welcome the progress the European Commission and the British Government have made on the withdrawal agreement.

The SDLP welcomes the continued protection for the backstop and the recommitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland.

We are hopeful that the deal passes tonight to ensure exiting without a deal is avoided.

Update: The DUP has indicated that the party will not support Theresa Mays deal saying in a statement that sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time.

A DUP spokesman said: The Prime Minister set out a clear objective for legally binding change which would command a majority in the House of Commons in line with the Brady amendment.

"We recognise that the Prime Minister has made limited progress in her discussions with the European Union. However, in our view sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time.

Theresa May addressing Commons this afternoon.

Having carefully considered the published material as well as measuring what has been achieved against our own fundamental tests, namely the impact of the backstop on the constitutional and economic integrity of the Union of the United Kingdom, it is clear that the risks remain that the UK would be unable to lawfully exit the backstop were it to be activated.

The Attorney Generals legal advice is clear in his last paragraph the legal risk remains unchanged that if through no such demonstrable failure of either party, but simply because of intractable differences, that situation does arise, the United Kingdom would have, at least while the fundamental circumstances remained the same, no internationally lawful means of exiting the protocols arrangements, save by agreement.

We want to see a deal which works for every part of the United Kingdom. We will support the right deal which respects the referendum result and Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

The European Union has been intransigent. It is possible to reach a sensible deal which works for the United Kingdom and the European Union but it will require all sides to be reasonable and in deal making mode.

Had the PM not spent all her energy trying to appease ERG/DUP and instead tried to find a compromise founded on a recognition that two of four nations and 48% overall in UK voted to remain, she might not be where she is now. https://t.co/UPzf2NBpxB  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 12, 2019

Theresa May, battling a croaky voice and with husband Philip watching from the gallery, told MPs that Brexit could be lost if her deal is rejected.

The British Prime Minister told the Commons:

The danger for those of us who want to have faith in the British public and deliver on their vote for Brexit, is that if this vote is not passed tonight, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost.

Update: Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) asked: (He) has pointed out that much of what is being said is political as well as legal. Could he, therefore, set out for the House what penalties there might fall upon this country if a future parliament, which obviously cannot be bound, were to decide to resile from the commitments under the backstop?

Mr Cox replied: Well he will know that as an Attorney General I simply couldnt give countenance to the idea that this country would break its international legal obligations.

He added: A sovereign state has the right to withdraw if a treaty is no longer compatible with its fundamental interests or (its) fundamental circumstances putting it a different way have changed.

So I would say that apart from that, of course, this country could resile from its commitments, it would be unwise and it would not be in the tradition of this country to do so, and in those circumstances its perfectly true that the only remedies that the Union would have would be to take counter-measures and no doubt it would pollute the atmosphere for fruitful relationships between us.

Which is precisely why this country will never do it and neither would the EU.

Update: Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said defeat in the meaningful vote would lead to a general election.

He told BBC Radio 4s World At One: If it doesnt go through tonight, as sure as night follows day, there will be a general election within a matter of days or weeks.

It is not sustainable, the current situation in Parliament.

Mr Walker, who is chairman of the Commons Procedure Committee, said: The country deserves more than this. It elects Members of Parliament to make decisions.

We need to make a decision tonight and that has to be to let this deal pass.

Update: Sky News is reporting that the DUP have said they "cannot support" Theresa May's revised Brexit deal in tonight's Commons vote.

All this teeth-nashing on the backstop comes courtesy of those hubristic Leave campaign leading figures who thought they could hoodwink everyone about exiting the EU and maintaining an open Irish border simultaneously.



This #Brexit pretence has finally unravelled.  Chris Leslie (@ChrisLeslieUK) March 12, 2019

In response to Mr Dodds, Mr Cox said: My opinion has changed in connection with the ability of this country to prove bad faith if it occurred.

There is now a new conditional framework for judging whether the other party is using best endeavours or good faith.

And he said given that a specific work-track has been laid out with a timetable to replace the backstop, it would be unconscionable if the EU never agreed to use a single one and refused every proposal.

The Attorney General said he believed that would give the UK a case to unilaterally leave the backstop, and addressing the DUP Westminster leader he added: He knows I wouldnt say it if I didnt mean it.

Its there in my written statement, I urge him to consider it.

Update: The Leave-backing European Research Group has recommended MPs do not back Theresa Mays Brexit deal after its so-called Star Chamber determined that the Governments new Brexit agreement does not meet the tests set for it.

Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash, a member of the European Research Groups Star Chamber, said: In the light of our own legal analysis and others we do not recommend accepting the Governments motion today.

The ERGs Star Chamber released conclusions which said: Yesterdays documents considered individually and collectively do not deliver legally binding changes to the WA (Withdrawal Agreement) or to the (backstop) Protocol.

They fail to fulfil the commitment made by Government to the House in response to the Brady amendment to obtain legally binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement.

Mrs Mays Strasbourg agreements do not provide any exit mechanism from the Protocol which is under the UKs control, said the Star Chamber group, made up of legally-trained Tory MPs Sir Bill Cash, David Jones, Dominic Raab, Suella Braverman, Michael Tomlinson and Robert Courts, the DUPs Nigel Dodds and QC Michael Howe.

The DUP's Nigel Dodds said: Would he agree that in relation to the reduction in risk of being held in the backstop in relation to the EU acting in bad faith or want of best endeavours, does he agree with his previous advice of paragraph 29 that all the EU would have to show good faith will be to consider the UKs proposals  even if they ultimately reject them  this could go on repeatedly without such conduct giving rise to bad faith or failure?

And on the point about if it isnt a question of bad faith but if its just a question that the two sides cant reach agreement, he is saying in paragraph 19 that his legal opinion is the legal risk remains unchanged.

We know already from the Irish government and others what they see as the ultimate destination for Northern Ireland  the backstop is the bottom line.

From what the Attorney General is saying today, provided there is no bad faith, the fact is that Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom could be trapped if its a question that the EU does not agree with the United Kingdom to a superseding agreement.

For all the chaos, confusion and noise, fundamentally nothing has changed about Theresa Mays bad #Brexit deal.



With Parliament in gridlock, the only way to make progress is to withdraw Article 50 and give the British public the final say.#PeoplesVote  pic.twitter.com/qegvXMpJWS  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 12, 2019

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan posted on Twitter: For all the chaos, confusion and noise, fundamentally nothing has changed about Theresa Mays Brexit deal. This has always been a bad deal that would cause huge damage to our economy, reduce opportunities for the next generation and weaken our standing in the world.

He continued: The government needs to urgently withdraw Article 50. As Parliament is in gridlock, the only way to make progress is to give the British public the final say on one of the biggest decisions in our nations history.

I urge all MPs to act in the best interests of their constituents and reject this bad deal. And over the coming days, MPs should vote to remove the risk of a catastrophic no-deal Brexit and extend Article 50 to give us the time we need to fix this mess.

The Attorney General said he had never claimed there was an ultimate unilateral right out of this arrangement.

He said: The question is whether there is a likelihood, politically What this document does is address the risk that we could be kept in the backstop by the bad faith and deliberate manipulation of the EU.

He continued: It would be a good thing if we could hear from the Labour Party occasionally more than just political shenanigans but some sincere engagement with the real issues this Withdrawal Agreement now raises.

Update: The Financial Times is reporting a DUP source has told them that they cannot see a way to support Theresa May's deal.

Eurosceptic Conservative MP Michael Fabricant tweeted that tonights vote all hinges on the DUP.

If its good enough for them, itll be good enough for me. If they dont support it, the motion will fail tonight in any event.

The Attorney General is now in the Chamber and explaining his reasoning.

I think tonight now it all hinges on the #DUP.

If its good enough for them, itll be good enough for me. If they dont support it, the motion will fail tonight in any event.  Michael Fabricant  (@Mike_Fabricant) March 12, 2019

Update: Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has confirmed that the legal risk remains "unchanged" that the UK would have no legal means of exiting the backstop without EU agreement.

Mr Cox said Britain cannot leave the backstop by itself as it still needs the EU to agree.

In his statement to the Commons on his Brexit legal advice, Mr Cox said: They are not about a situation where despite the parties properly fulfilling the duties of good faith and best endeavours they cannot reach an agreement on a future relationship  such an event, in my opinion, is highly unlikely to occur and it is both in the interests of the UK and the EU to agree a future relationship as quickly as possible.

Were such a situation to occur, however, let me make it clear  the legal risk, as I set it out in my letter of November 13, remains unchanged.

The question for the House is whether in the light of these improvements, as a political judgment, the House should now enter into those arrangements.

He went on to tell the House of Commons that the joint instrument in the agreement confirms that the EU cannot pursue trying to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely. He said it also reflects the commitment to replace the backstop by alternative arrangements by 2020.

Mr Cox went on to explain what the changes do achieve, saying: As I set out in my opinion the joint instrument puts the commitments in the letter from Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker of the 14th of January 2019 into legally-binding form.

And provides in addition useful clarifications, amplifications of existing obligations, and some new obligations.

The Attorney Generals advice is clear. Nothing has changed. We would still not have the power to independently leave the backstop arrangements and the process could go on indefinitely. This is why I wont be voting for the withdrawal agreement as it stands. pic.twitter.com/xiQ3JLwlGb  Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) March 12, 2019

The Attorney General said the document confirms that the European Union cannot pursue an objective of trying to trap the United Kingdom in the backstop indefinitely.

He said it makes it explicit that this would constitute bad faith and form the basis for a case at the arbitration panel on such matters.

Mr Cox added: This means ultimately that the protocol could be suspended if the European Union continued to breach its obligations.

Mr Cox said the documents confirm work will take place to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020.

But he was heckled by Labour MPs who laughed when he said that if an agreement has not been concluded within one year of the UKs withdrawal efforts must be redoubled.

He went on to say: In my view, the provisions of the joint instrument extend further than mere interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement, and represent materially new legal obligations and commitments which enhances its existing terms.

He added: The clarifications and amplified obligations contained in the joint statements and the unilateral declaration provide a substantive and binding reinforcement of the legal rights available to the United Kingdom in the event that the union were to fail in its duties of good faith and best endeavours.

Mr Cox said he had set out the legal effect of the new documents, but added: However, the law affecting withdrawal can only inform what is essentially a political decision that each of us must make.

This is a question not of the Governments lawful action, but of the prudence as a matter of policy and political judgement of entering into an international agreement on the terms proposed.

He then told the Commons that the time has come to vote for the deal, saying there is a clear pathway to the termination of the backstop.

Chancellor Philip Hammond tweeted: @theresa_may has secured significant new legal assurances to what was already a good deal. Now is the time to #BacktheBrexitDeal. Lets get this done and focus on building Britains brighter future.

@theresa_may has secured significant new legal assurances to what was already a good deal. Now is the time to #BacktheBrexitDeal. Lets get this done and focus on building Britains brighter future.  Philip Hammond (@PhilipHammondUK) March 12, 2019

Earlier: New Brexit deal 'needs the DUP'; Attorney General to make statement

Britain's former international development minister Grant Sharps said the vote would be close and needed the DUP.

He said: One colleague said he was looking for her to bring back a rabbit but she had only managed a hamster  but he said that was good enough for him.

Now is the time to back the PMs deal. We must fulfil our promise to the British people to leave the EU on time and do it smoothly. This deal does just that. And lets get out there & seize new opportunities for our great nation  Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) March 12, 2019

I think that was Charlie Elphicke.

Some colleagues are coming across.

A member of the hard Brexit European Research Group (ERG), Mark Francois, has said he was wholly unconvinced by Mrs Mays improved deal.

He said: Question after question after question was directed at her on the legal advice and particularly on paragraph 19 of the Attorney Generals statement where he makes the critical observation however the legal risk remains unchanged.

Colleague after colleague asked about that.

Its for individual colleagues to judge and obviously they will listen to what the Attorney General says in his statement at 12.30

Speaking purely and entirely for myself I regret to say I found the Prime Ministers answers ultimately unconvincing.

Earlier: New Brexit deal 'strengthens' protections against EU 'trapping' UK, says UK Brexit Secretary

Brexiteer former Cabinet minister John Whittingdale suggested the Attorney Generals advice was pretty terminal.

He told Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay that the advice reads very much as if nothing, actually, has changed.

Appearing at the Brexit Select Committee, Mr Barclay said: I dont accept that because one has got to look at this as a package, not in isolation.

Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay.

I accept the point that if both sides are negotiating in good faith, that is what the final paragraph (of the Attorney Generals advice) is referring to and therefore there will need to be an arrangement.

But he said there has been a strengthening in protections against the EU acting in bad faith to trap the UK and the Attorneys advice recognises it.

The Brexit Secretary told Mr Whittingdale: It does not go as far as you would like, I accept that. But it does allow for this issue of bad faith and the UK being trapped, and that is the issue that politically kept coming up in the Chamber.

Jacob Rees-Mogg repeatedly pressed Stephen Barclay on whether the UK could unilaterally pull out of the backstop and suggested we cant leave it without the permission of the EU.

He added: The unilateral declaration doesnt add anything because it simply says we could ask to leave the backstop. Weve always been able to ask to leave the backstop, that is not in any sense an improvement or a development.

Mr Barclay told him I dont accept that, adding: This is both a question of legal interpretation and political interpretation.

The starting point for this is that neither side wants to go into the backstop, there are safeguards to prevent it.

The British Prime Minister Theresa May swept past waiting journalists outside 10 Downing Street with a tight smile but made no comment.

Members of the hard Brexit European Research Group (ERG) led by Jacob Rees-Mogg said they were keeping an open mind.

Mark Francois said: Im going to listen to what the Prime Minister has to say.

Steve Baker said: No comment.

ERG member Andrew Bridgen said: Im going to see what she says.

He then said nothing has changed as he left the meeting after about five minutes.

Update: In his legal advice on Theresa Mays Strasbourg agreement, Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said that new provisions reduce the risk of the UK being indefinitely and involuntarily held in the backstop, but said that the legal risk remains unchanged that the UK would have no legal means of exiting without EU agreement.

Para 19 of @Geoffrey_Cox's letter is a brutally clear answer to the question that @DLidington failed to answer last night. "The legal risk remains unchanged" pic.twitter.com/oIdyRol54d  Owen Paterson (@OwenPaterson) March 12, 2019

He wrote in his legal advice on the Strasbourg agreements: "I now consider that the legally binding provisions of the Joint Instrument and the content of the Unilateral Declaration reduce the risk that the United Kingdom could be indefinitely and involuntarily detained within the Protocol's provisions at least in so far as that situation had been brought about by the bad faith or want of best endeavours of the EU.

"It may be thought that if both parties deploy a sincere desire to reach agreement and the necessary diligence, flexibility and goodwill implied by the amplified duties set out in the Joint Instrument, it is highly unlikely that a satisfactory subsequent agreement to replace the Protocol will not be concluded.

"But as I have previously advised, that is a political judgment, which, given the mutual incentives of the parties and the available options and competing risks, I remain strongly of the view it is right to make.

"However, the legal risk remains unchanged that if through no such demonstrable failure of either party, but simply because of intractable differences, that situation does arise, the United Kingdom would have, at least while the fundamental circumstances remained the same, no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocol's arrangements, save by agreement."

You can read his legal advice in full here.

Attorney General confirms that there have been no significant changes to the Withdrawal Agreement despite the legal documents that were agreed last night.



The Governments strategy is now in tatters. pic.twitter.com/xBKJPy5WbL  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 12, 2019

Earlier: Labour MP tweets photo of Theresa May's 'contrick Brexit'

Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox will make a Commons statement on his legal opinion on the Brexit package at around 12.30pm.

@duponline Leader Arlene Foster says she has sympathy with those suggesting todays vote should be delayed until tomorrow to allow more time to examine latest developments @rtenews pic.twitter.com/xzpsgKnfHL  Fiona Mitchell (@mitchefi) March 12, 2019

The Chief Whip of the DUP, Jeffrey Donaldson, says that his party has not come to a decision yet on new EU backstop measures.

We will have to take time to study it and look at the legal consequences, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

We await the Attorney Generals response, we certainly need greater clarity.

We will take our own counsel. His (Attorney General) interpretation is important, his role is to give the legal view. But in the end, we will take our own counsel and come to a decision.

Mr Donaldson said he wants to see if the British Attorney Generals legal advice has changed from the position he took previously in relation to the backstop.

When asked if the vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons today should be deferred, Mr Donldson said we could do with more time to come to a definitive agreement.

Labour MP Owen Smith tweeted an image of the latest printed version of the Withdrawal Agreement alongside the one rejected by MPs in January.

He wrote: "The 'new' Withdrawal Agreement' is half the size of the 'old' one! Not a single word in it has changed... but they've pathetically altered the pagination to make it look different.

"The perfect symbol of Theresa May's contrick Brexit," he added.

Conservative MP John Redwood says he still believes that the UK leaving the EU without an agreement on March 29th is the best option.

The withdrawal agreement is not the best option for the UK, he told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke. He believes that even if there is no deal when the UK leaves the EU there will not be a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Stressing that he was speaking in a personal capacity, not as a member of the European Research Group, Mr Redwood said that he would await the advice of the Attorney General along with the advice of the groups own team of lawyers, led by Bill Cash.

The withdrawal agreement is wrong and leaves too much power in the hands of the EU and the European Court of Arbitration, he added.

Mr Redwood said his colleagues are very fair-minded and he is certain they will stick to what they believe.

If the withdrawal agreement has not changed it will be difficult to vote for, he said.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, said he had not decided which way he would vote on Mrs May's deal, but added "there must be a chance" of a further renegotiation with the EU.

"I would never take the EU saying 'there will be no change' at face value, because they said there would be no second round, and there has been," he said.

"Ultimately it has to be decided by the Council of Ministers. So I think this is closer to the deal, but if the Prime Minister was to ask for more, there must be a chance, yes.

"I don't operate on gut feeling. We've got to decide legally whether this works or not.

"We're [the ERG] a very collegiate body. We're not like the government, where the Prime Minister decides and then the whips go out and tell people what to do. We'll have a meeting at 6 o'clock and we will debate the issues surrounding this.

"I think on this issue, in reality, MPs will make up their own minds."

In a legal opinion, Lord Anderson QC, Jason Coppel QC and Sean Aughey said: "It is crystal clear that the measures do not alter the fundamental legal effect of the backstop, as previously and correctly explained by the Attorney General."

The advice, commissioned by the UK's People's Vote campaign for a second referendum, added: "The backstop will endure indefinitely, unless and until superseded by another agreement, save in the extreme and unlikely event that in future negotiations the EU acts in bad faith in rejecting the UK's demands."

My legal opinion on last nights #Brexit developments, jointly written with Jason Coppel QC and Sean Aughey, is here: https://t.co/rGXTc6t4af pic.twitter.com/5kUi0kTbaE  David Anderson (@bricksilk) March 12, 2019

Former British attorney general Dominic Grieve said: "I have had the chance to look at the document produced last night and I'm quite clear in my mind it does not allow the UK to terminate the backstop in the event of a breakdown in negotiation; it does not allow the UK to terminate the backstop at a time of its own choosing. The advice issued today from Lord Anderson, Jason Coppel and Sean Aughey reinforces my view.

"In Parliament today I will continue to argue that the agreement does not bear any relationship to what we were offered in the last referendum of 2016. It is significantly different and therefore it should go back to the people - they have a right to vote on this and decide whether to go ahead."

Earlier: Theresa May 'seems to fall short' of her promises, says Sammy Wilson

Sammy Wilson has said Theresa May's agreement with the EU from last night "seems to fall short" of what she had promised.

It comes after Mrs May returned from meeting EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker with what she insists are the legally binding changes to her Brexit deal that were requested by the UK Parliament.

Mr Wilson told a UK radio station, LBC: "We had made it quite clear we expected legally-binding changes which would ensure our government solely had control over any backstop, that those legally-binding changes would ensure that in the future arrangements with Europe we would have control over our trade, laws and money. And that those legally-binding changes would ensure the integrity of the union.

"I have got to say if you look at what the prime minister has said so far it seems to fall short of what she herself had promised."

"She is simply saying it reduces the chances of us being kept in the backstop.

Mr Wilson said he wanted listen to advice from the UK's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and the "best people" in order to give "due diligence" to what changes had been made before tonight's vote.

"But we want to hear the views of others," he said.

Earlier: DUP not averse to postponing today's vote, says Sammy Wilson

By Vivienne Clarke and Press Association

The DUPs Sammy Wilson says his party is not averse to the postponement of todays vote in the House of Commons about the withdrawal agreement.

If the government wants full scrutiny and not to be accused of rail roading this through, then there is the option to put the vote off, we wouldnt be averse to that, he told BBC Radio Ulster.

Sammy Wilson

The DUP will listen to the British Attorney Generals advice, talk to colleagues across Northern Ireland, members of the Conservative Party and will also seek independent legal advice, he said.

We will give it a fair hearing. All those things will go into the mix before making a decision.

.@duponline MPs will measure the latest text against the Brady amendment and the Prime Ministers own commitments to the @HouseofCommons  pic.twitter.com/Nz2maXi4Vp  Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) March 11, 2019

We have set out our criteria to back any deal, if they are not met then we will vote against it.

Mr Wilson said that the decision was not be the DUPs responsibility alone. At the end of the day it will be a collective decision.

We have to gain control over our laws and trade, if the agreement doesnt give us that then we wont support any agreement.

He added that it was reasonable for some to point out that todays vote should be deferred because there is so much to be examined.

Tory pro-European Dominic Grieve said he would vote against the deal because it "bears no resemblance" to what was debated in the 2016 referendum, and that the "proper thing" to do was back a second people's vote.

The former UK attorney general told BBC Breakfast: "To drag the country out of the EU on these terms seems to me a very unsatisfactory and undemocratic thing to do.

"If the public want to leave on these terms... so be it. But for us to leave on these terms, which I have to say take us into a second-rate relationship for the future and one which I think will do this country economic harm, I am unwilling to do without the public confirming their view."

He added: "I'm not prepared to see someone sign off something which in my view is going to be very damaging for our country's future."

However, Brexit minister Kwasi Kwarteng said the latest deal is a "huge improvement" on the original one, adding that he is hopeful the DUP will support it and other MPs will follow.

He told BBC Breakfast: "I'm hoping that the DUP are looking at it, they haven't rejected it out of hand, they've said that they're going to consider what's happened and I think once they consider it I'm very hopeful that they will actually support the deal and I think if they do support the deal many of my colleagues in the Conservative party, ERG members and others, will be able to support the deal."

Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group of Brexiteer MPs, said the "Star Chamber" of lawyers was about to examine the deal.

"I'm not sure that the agreements with the EU are a major change, that they continue to be promises of goodwill, and we have heard what the Irish have to say," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"So my focus will be on whether the unilateral declaration is genuinely unilateral."

He added that "many Conservatives will be heavily influenced by the DUP's view".

Mr Rees-Mogg also said the process had been "desperately rushed" and called for the vote to be delayed until tomorrow to give more time to examine the documents.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "These changes were hard fought for. They preserve the UK's right to act unilaterally in our sovereign national interest. PM has listened to parliament's concerns so time to back to deal and avoid risk of customs union or no Brexit."

These changes were hard fought for. They preserve the UKs right to act unilaterally in our sovereign national interest. PM has listened to parliaments concerns so time to back to deal and avoid risk of customs union or no Brexit  Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) March 12, 2019

British Environment Secretary Michael Gove said it was "make your mind up time" for MPs on the "new, improved deal".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We have an improvement on the Withdrawal Agreement that was presented to the House of Commons in January. That improvement ensures that we have additional legal weight behind our position.

"It also ensures that, as in any agreement or any contract, if it is the case that one side - in this case the EU - seeks to act in a way that is not in accordance with their commitments then we can go to court and we can win.

"We have also made a declaration as a nation that, should the EU behave in that way, that is exactly what we will do."

That declaration of intent has "political and legal standing", he added.

Rejecting the deal could result in Brexit being "delayed or diluted", he said in a message aimed at Tory Eurosceptics.
Latest: British MPs have rejected Theresa Mays revised Brexit deal by 391 to 242, a majority of 149.

This evening's vote was the second time the British Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement has been decided on in the House of Commons.

Although the 149 margin was reduced from the record 230-vote defeat of the first meaningful vote in January, Mrs May was left far adrift from a majority with just 17 days to go to the scheduled date of Brexit on March 29.

The division list showed 235 Conservative MPs voted for the deal, three Labour and four independents.

It added 75 Conservative MPs voted against along with 238 Labour, 35 SNP, 11 Liberal Democrats, 10 DUP, four Plaid Cymru, 17 Independents and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.

MPs are now due to vote tomorrow on whether they are willing for the UK to leave the EU without a deal on March 29.

If they reject no-deal as most Westminster observers expect, a third vote will follow  probably on Thursday  on authorising Mrs May to request an extension of the two-year Article 50 negotiation process.

It is expected that a plan for the Irish border in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as well as the no-deal tariff schedule, will be published tomorrow morning.

An extension requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining member states, and Mr Juncker has warned that it cannot stretch beyond May 23 unless the UK takes part in the European Parliament elections starting on that date.

European Commission president Mr Juncker had already warned that if MPs turned down the package agreed in Strasbourg on Monday, there would be no third chance to renegotiate.

Mrs May said that the choices facing the UK were unenviable, but because of the rejection of her deal, they are choices that must be faced.

She said she profoundly regrets the decision this House has taken tonight and that she continues to believe "that by far the best outcome is the UK leaves the European Union in orderly fashion with a deal".

And that the deal we have negotiated is the best and indeed only deal available.

British Prime Minister @theresa_may responds after her #brexit proposal is rejected pic.twitter.com/2De5Vzo2dM  RTE News (@rtenews) March 12, 2019

Mrs May stressed her responsibilities for Northern Ireland, where Stormont is still suspended.

She said: Im conscious of my duties as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the potential damage to the union that leaving without a deal could do, when one part of our country is without a devolved government.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Commons: After three months of running down the clock the Prime Minister has, despite very extensive delays, achieved not a single change to the Withdrawal Agreement.

Not one single word has changed. In terms of the substance, literally, nothing has changed.

Responding to tonight's defeat for the British PM, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the impasse can only be solved by the UK.

In a tweet he said: "The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line. The impasse can only be solved in the #UK. Our no-deal preparations are now more important than ever before."

The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line. The impasse can only be solved in the #UK. Our no-deal preparations are now more important than ever before.  Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) March 12, 2019

The European Parliament's Brexit Coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said that instead of taking back control, the UK "spiralled out of control".

He wrote on Twitter: "Brexit was about taking back control, instead the UK spiralled out of control. Only cross-party cooperation putting Country first, can end this mess. If this happens we will fully engage. #BrexitDeal".

Brexit was about taking back control, instead the UK spiralled out of control. Only cross-party cooperation putting Country first, can end this mess. If this happens we will fully engage. #BrexitDeal pic.twitter.com/kseavUwYnp  Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) March 12, 2019

British MPs due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal

British MPs will decide shortly whether to back Theresa May's Brexit deal two months after it suffered the biggest UK government defeat in history.

Sky News analysis suggests the British Prime Minister's agreement will be defeated by over 100 votes.

The DUP and some Conservatives say they will not support it because they still have concerns over the Irish backstop.

Earlier, former Brexit secretary Boris Johnson said Mrs May and Attorney General had merely sowed an apron of fig leaves to cover the embarrassment of the Brexit deal.

He warned that her deal has "reached the end of the road" as he argued the UK should leave the EU without an agreement.

The Conservative former Cabinet minister said the British Prime Minister's deal should be "put to bed" if it is rejected by MPs and instead the Government should "face up to the reality" of the situation.

Mr Johnson claimed the UK would then be left with the choice to either pursue a no-deal Brexit despite its "short-term" difficulties or risk "humiliation" by accepting further changes that limit the "disruption" but are to the benefit of the EU.

His intervention came hours after Attorney General Geoffrey Cox insisted the "entire continent of Europe" would be allowed to move on if MPs backed the Brexit deal.

Mr Cox faced Eurosceptic opposition as he made a last-ditch plea in the Commons while answering questions about his legal advice on the effect of changes secured by the Prime Minister.

The British Government's chief legal adviser said MPs have a "political decision" to make on the deal after confirming the changes reduce the risk the UK could be trapped in the Northern Ireland backstop - although this outcome has not been entirely removed.

The DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said it was very likely that there will be probably successful attempts to delay Brexit if Mrs May's deal is rejected.

He told Sky News: It looks very likely that on Thursday if the vote doesnt go through tonight, there will be attempts in the House and probably successful attempts in the House to extend the time in which we stay within the EU.

Mr Wilson said if an extension of Article 50 was voted through the Commons that after the end of June we will have to leave the EU because we have not participated in the European elections.

The DUP indicated that the party will not support Mrs Mays deal saying in a statement that sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time.

PA & Digital Desk
Update: Speaking alongside Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini at the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker told MEPs: "I'll let you into a secret. I didn't sleep much last night because of Mrs May, but long enough to be able to dream of Slovakia."

Mr Juncker added: "We reached an agreement last night with the British Government on the terms of Brexit, and I said yesterday evening - or anyway during the night - that it was a second chance, but there wouldn't be a third chance.

"I would therefore like British MPs to support the measures, which are both British and European and which have taken form in agreed texts, an agreement at EU level."

European Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen said if the deal was rejected the prospect of a hard Brexit moved closer and his advice was fasten your seatbelt.

He told reporters in Strasbourg: Depending on the vote in the Commons, we are either moving forward to orderly withdrawal or hard Brexit is closer again, more close than ever it has been.

So, keep your hands on the wheel, look forward and fasten your seatbelt.

Earlier: Dutch Prime Minister claims 'there is no alternative' to last night's Brexit deal

Dutch Prime Minister has said "there is no alternative" to the deal agreed in last-ditch talks in Strasbourg last night ahead of a crunch vote in the UK Parliament tonight.

British Prime Minister Theresa May insists she has secured legally binding changes to the Brexit deal which ensure the Irish backstop cannot be permanent.

Mrs May said she passionately believed her Brexit deal addressed concerns raised by MPs who feared the backstop would keep the UK in a customs arrangement with the EU indefinitely.

Theresa May (left) and Mark Rutte in December 2018.

Mark Rutte said he hoped MPs at Westminster would back the deal, adding: "An orderly Brexit is crucial for both the EU and the UK.

"I hope that the House of Commons will support the agreement reached by Theresa May. There is no alternative."

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said he hopes "common sense will prevail".

"We have done everything possible to reassure the United Kingdom. We look forward to a positive vote in the Commons," he tweeted.

Mr Tajani met with Mrs May in Strasbourg last night.
Cabinet Office minister David Lidington has told MPs that "legally-binding" changes that "strengthen and improve" the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration have been secured.

Mr Lidington said the Attorney General would be publishing advice ahead of Tuesday's debate, but needed time to consider the new changes.
Business Chin State Investment Fair Starts Saturday

Ethnic Chin woman perform a traditional dance at the Mizo Festival in Mizoram, India, on April 10, 2017. / Mizoram State Portal

YANGON  The Chin State Investment Fair gets underway at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon on Saturday to stir up foreign interest in one of the least developed parts of the country.

The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations is partnering with U.K. Aid and private businesses to host the two-day event as part of the governments efforts to counteract a significant decline in foreign direct investment.

Together they intend to raise awareness of the business opportunities in Chin State, said U Wunna Aung, director of investment promotion at the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). He said panel discussions will address both the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the region.

Situated in western Myanmar along the border with Bangladesh and India, Chin State has a mountainous terrain that has hindered infrastructure development. Road upgrades and renewable energy projects are in the works, but much more investment is needed, in particular to improve roads and energy supply.

The state plans to use the fair to highlight infrastructure and urban development projects in Hakha, Falam, Tedim, Paletwa and Mindat townships; agriculture, organic farming and traditional weaving projects in Falam, Hakha, Kanpetlet, Mindat and Paletwa townships; tourism projects at Khonumsum National Park, Rih Lake, Kimo Wildlife Sanctuary, Seinmu National Park and the Khuado Festival; and hydro and wind power projects in Manipur, Lay- Myo, Bawinu, and Tedim townships.

We hope to increase investment in the tourism and infrastructure sectors in Chin State, U Wunna Aung said.

Investors from the U.S., Canada, China, India, Australia, France, Germany, Belgium, Israel and ASEAN countries including Brunei and Vietnam are registered to attend, according to DICA. But the agency said it was too soon to say how many people would attend or which countries were showing the most interest.

Chin State also joined the first Invest Myanmar Summit in Naypyitaw in January, showcasing 38 tax-exempt projects including 10 in the tourism industry and 28 in the energy sector.

The Chin State Investment Fair is part of the governments Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan, launched last year. Foreign investment has tumbled over the past two years, and the plan aims to attract more than $200 billion over the next 20 years from responsible and quality businesses abroad.

With the plans help, Myanmar hopes to become a middle-income country by 2030. It calls for reforms to improve investment transparency and project oversight, business support, human capital and competition.

In February, the government hosted the Rakhine State Investment Fair in the beach resort town of Ngapali and showcased six priority projects there.
Asia China Official Says West Using Christianity to 'Subvert' Power

The Chinese national flag flies in front of a Catholic underground church in the village of Huangtugang, Hebei Province, China, on Sept. 30. / Reuters

BEIJING  Western forces are trying to use Christianity to influence Chinas society and even subvert the government, a senior official said, warning that Chinese Christians needed to follow a Chinese model of the religion.

Chinas Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

The government has cracked down on underground churches, both Protestant and Catholic, even as it seeks to improve relations with the Vatican.

In a speech on Monday, Xu Xiaohong, head of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China, said there were many problems with Christianity in the country, including infiltration from abroad and private meeting places.

It must be recognized that our movements surname is China and not Western,' Xu said, according to remarks reported on Tuesday by the United Front Work Department, which is in charge of co-opting non-communists, ethnic minorities and religious groups.

Anti-China forces in the West are trying to continue to influence Chinas social stability and even subvert our countrys political power through Christianity, and it is doomed to fail, he said, speaking to Parliaments largely ceremonial advisory body.

For individual black sheep who, under the banner of Christianity, participate in subverting national security, we firmly support the country to bring them to justice.

Only by eliminating the stigma of foreign religion in Chinas Christianity can its believers benefit society, he added.

Only by continually drawing on the fine traditions of Chinese culture, can Chinas Christianity be rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture and become a religion recognized by the Chinese themselves, Xu added.

Only by continuously carrying forward and practicing the core values of socialism can our Christianity truly be suited to socialist society.

China has been following a policy it calls the Sinicisation of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.

Restrictions on religion have attracted particular concern in the United States. Last week, during a visit to Hong Kong, the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom called on Beijing to end religious persecution.

What China calls a de-radicalization program in its restive far western region of Xinjiang has also caused widespread opprobrium in Western capitals and among rights groups, who say authorities have been placing Muslims there in internment camps.

The government says they are vocational training centers where the Uighur people who call Xinjiang home and other Muslims are sent to learn about the law and the Mandarin language, and has defended the practice.

Yang Jie, an imam from Xinjiang, told the same advisory body on Monday that some adherents had poor religious and civic awareness, which made them vulnerable to the temptation and incitement of religious extremist forces.

They mistakenly believed that their religion came before their citizenship, and that certain illegal acts were a firm expression of faith, Yang said.

This wrong view and behavior has seriously affected social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony, and has vilified the social image of the Muslim community and must be resolutely stopped.
Burma Govt Spokesman Says Fighting in Rakhine a 'Cause for Concern'

Government spokesman U Zaw Htay. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  Union government leaders are concerned about the escalating fighting between the Myanmar military and rebel Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, a government spokesman said.

It has become a cause for concern not only in terms of security and development, but also in terms of the democratic transition. Leaders will review it and do their best. They have been holding talks, U Zaw Htay told reporters in Naypyitaw on Monday.

In the latest incident, the AA killed nine police officers and injured two during an attack on the Yoe Tayoke police station in Ponnagyun Township on Saturday. It was the second-deadliest AA attack since the fighting erupted last year; the rebel group killed 13 officers and injured nine in a coordinated attack on four police posts in Buthidaung Township on Jan 4.

Government sources say authorities are likely to impose a curfew in affected areas soon.

U Oo Hla Saw, secretary of the Arakan National Party, blamed the fighting on government mismanagement, the lack of jobs and the stalled national peace process and said civilians were bearing the brunt of the violence.

There are no job opportunities in Rakhine and democratic reforms have failed. And because the Union government has failed to handle the Rakhine issue effectively, radicalism is on the rise, he said.

If people have a lot of trust in democracy and the Panglong [Peace] Conference, the armed revolution will fall. This is happening because there is little trust, he added.

U Zaw Htay said the government remains open to peace talks with the AA but insists that the rebel group promise to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, which 10 other armed groups have signed to date.

Only with that promise can we move forward. We have made that clear, he said.

The AA launched its offensive in Rakhine in November, shortly after it released a statement offering to lay down its arms and join the formal peace process along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Taang National Liberation Army.

People are in a state of panic in Rakhine State. Now students are sitting the matriculation exam, and I heard that they are shocked [by the latest AA attack] and dont feel safe. We are sorry to hear that U Zaw Htay said.

AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha could not be reached for comment.

The fighting has spread to Rathaedaung, Buthidang, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun and Mrauk-U townships and displaced about 10,000 people.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Mining Company Accused of Assaulting Journalists Sues for Defamation

Copies of the Myitkyina Journal are displayed at the Journals office on March 12, 2019. / Myitkyina Journal

YANGONA mining company in Kachin State has filed a defamation lawsuit against two editors and a reporter from the Myitkyina Journal over their coverage of local residents concerns about a controversial Chinese tissue-culture banana plantation in Waimaw Township.

The case follows the Journals own lawsuit against the managing director and five other employees of the mining company. The Journal opened cases at the Waimaw Police Station on five counts relating to the alleged detention and assault of two Myitkyina Journal reporters in late February.

The director and employees of Tha Khin Sit Mining, Import and Export Co., a Chinese joint venture, are accused of forcibly taking two reporters, Mun Mun Pan and Ahje, from the news outlets office a day after it published a story about local residents plans to stage a protest against the company, which is carrying out site clearances for banana plantations in Waimaw Township.

The two reporters said they were detained in separate rooms in the mining companys compound. They said a company employee slapped Mun Mun Pans face with a copy of the Journal, while Ahje was forced to do 300 sit-ups. The two reporters were only released after the Journal contacted Waimaw Township Police Station, which sent police officers to surround the company.

According to the Myitkyina Journal, the company filed a case under Article 500 of the Penal Code against reporter Mun Mun Pan as well as two of the news outlets editors, executive directors Brang Mai and Zau Hkun, alleging that the story damaged the reputation of company.

Brang Mai told The Irrawaddy, We expected this kind of response. We were prepared for it.

Brang Mai said the companys name was not mentioned in its story.

Police on Monday summoned the Journal employees to appear in court.

Mun Mun Pan told The Irrawaddy, Its a public interest story. I simply reported how people on the ground are suffering because of the banana plantations.

Controversial China-backed banana plantations have been the target of a backlash from local residents in Kachin State for more than two years. Operators are accused of unfairly taking over land previously leased from the authorities by locals, many of whom have been displaced by conflict.

According to the state Agriculture Ministry, there are more than 60,000 acres of banana plantation in the state. However, civil society organizations put the figure at more than 170,000 acres. A report by the CSOs found that 85 percent of the banana plantations are owned by Chinese or joint-venture companies. Local lawmakers have also pointed out the discrepancy between government data and information on the ground. They are calling for action to be taken against those behind the cultivation of tissue-culture bananas.

Last Wednesday more than 50 farmers from multiple villages in two townships of Myitkyina District told the media how the China-backed plantations were causing suffering in local communities. The famers also said they have been threatened by the Chinese companies for opposing the banana plantations near their villages.

According to a Lisu environmental report, the companies are using insecticides, weed killers and fertilizers and disposing of them carelessly. This has led to the pollution of water supplies in these areas, in turn causing soil damage and killing fish and livestock.

The Irrawaddy attempted to contact Tha Khin Sit managing director Ding Sau, but his phone was switched off.
Burma Racially, Religiously Discriminative Lesson to be Dropped from National Curriculum

Elementary students line up for class at a school in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONThe Ministry of Education has ordered the removal of a lesson from the civic education subject in the elementary curriculum of both government and private schools which has been the subject of complaints for its racism and religious discrimination.

In December, more than 100 civil society groups wrote an open letter to President U Win Myint to complain that a civics education lesson taught in elementary schools includes discriminatory phrases such as, Mixed blood is a hateful wrongdoing, and the race will be extinct. Such phrases have been taught in schools since the early 2010s.

Those lessons seem to attempt to indoctrinate the innocent minds of children with discriminatory practices, it said.

The letter was also copied to the State Counselors Office, the Ministry of Education and parliamentary speakers.

The directive issued by the Ministry of Education to stop teaching the lesson and remove it from the curriculum was recently circulated on social media.

Deputy Education Minister U Win Maw Tun confirmed the decision to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. He said they decided to remove it as it goes against with the ministrys no-discrimination policy.

We really thank the Ministry of Education for the decision, said Daw Kathleen Thein, who chairs Inngyin May Hindu Womens Network, which also signed the letter.

The ministrys decision came following a meeting with representatives from the civil societies last month.
Burma Scandal-Hit Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Fired

Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Daw Lei Lei Maw at her office in 2018 / Zue Zue / The Irrawaddy

YANGONThe Presidents Office on Monday announced the dismissal of Tenasserim Region Chief Minister Daw Lei Lei Maw, who has been charged under the Anti-Corruption Law.

The regional minister for resources and environmental conservation, U Myint Maung, is serving as the acting chief minister.

Daw Lei Lei Maw and three officials of Global Grand Service (GGS) Companymanaging director U Thein Htwe and directors U Aung Myat and U Thura Ohnwere remanded and sent to Dawei Prison on Monday, according to Police Colonel Sein Win of Tenasserim Region Police Force.

Inspector U Than Zaw Oo of the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a complaint with Dawei Police Station on Sunday against the four under the Anti-Corruption Law.

Daw Lei Lei Maw allegedly awarded business contracts to GGS Company, which is reportedly owned by her relatives.

On Sunday evening, the Anti-Corruption Commission released a statement saying that it had conducted an investigation from Feb. 4 to March 6 in Naypyitaw, Yangon and Dawei in response to complaints about the chief minister.

The regular session of the Tenasserim Region Parliament is scheduled to start in the first week of April, but the parliament will hold an emergency meeting due to the dismissal of the chief minister, regional Parliament Speaker U Khin Maung Aye said.

The investigation will be conducted as the Anti-Corruption Commission has said in its statement, Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy.

Since U Aung Kyi took charge, the commission has worked effectively. And U Aung Kyi has been given a mandate in line with the law. We have said that we will practice zero tolerance for this [corruption and bribery], U Zaw Htay said.

The Anti-Corruption Commission said Daw Lei Lei Maw abused her position and awarded many contracts to GGS in exchange for bribes, in violation of financial regulations and the instructions of the Union government.

GGS Co. produces electricity from gas purchased from the government. The company owes over 8 billion kyats for gas supplied between July 2017, when it launched its power supply service, and late 2018.

Daw Lei Lei Maw, who is charged under Article 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law, faces up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine if convicted.
Burma Shan Rebel Group Demands Release of Detained Fighters

RCSS, military and government delegates meet at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Naypyitaw on Monday. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) is demanding the release of 31 fighters is says the Myanmar military detained recently so that they can continue implementing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

RCSS Chief of Staff Gen. Pao Khay made the demand during a meeting with the government and military at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Naypyitaw on Monday.

Such arrests and detentions are the main reasons why the implementation of the NCA is being delayed, so we would like the NRPC to consider it seriously, he said.

The general said NCA implementation was also being hampered by restrictions the military was imposing on the public meetings ethnic groups are supposed to hold as part of the peace process, making it impossible for them to join the Panglong Peace Conference sessions.

Gen. Pao Khay said the fighters were mistakenly detained as suspected drug traffickers and that the RCSS would like to cooperate with the government and military to tackle northeast Myanmars drug trade.

NRPC Vice Chairman U Tin Myo Win called for frank discussions between the government, military and RCSS to clear up any misunderstandings and doubts.

RCSS and military leaders met again in Naypyitaw today.

On Feb. 12, about 50 RCSS members collecting money from motorists on the highway between Mong Ping and Kengtung in eastern Shan State stopped a vehicle with two military commanders and seized the military equipment on board.

The next day, the military fired artillery at an RCSS position near the groups headquarters in the town of Loi Tai Leng, according to the RCSS. It returned the military equipment it had seized that evening.

The RCSS has signed up to the NCA but has not engage in official peace talks with the government since October. It is currently fighting with the Taang National Liberation Army, Shan State Progress Army and Pa-O National Liberation Organization.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
World UN Envoy Fears New Crisis for Rohingya if Moved to Bangladesh Island

A view of the island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh photographed on February 14, 2018. / REUTERS

GENEVAA United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar voiced deep concern on Monday over Bangladeshs plan to relocate 23,000 Rohingya refugees in April to a remote island, saying it may not be habitable and could create a potential new crisis.

Bangladesh says moving refugees to Bhasan Charwhose name means floating islandwill ease chronic overcrowding in its camps at Coxs Bazar, which hold some 730,000 Rohingya. The U.N. says the Muslim minority fled mass killings and rapes committed during an army crackdown in Rakhine State since August 2017.

Some humanitarian groups have criticized the relocation plan, saying the island in the Bay of Bengal is vulnerable to frequent cyclones.

There are a number of things that remain unknown to me even following my visit, chief among them being whether the island is truly habitable, said Yanghee Lee, U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar, who visited the island in January.

Ill-planned relocation, and relocations without the consent of the refugees concerned, have the potential to create a new crisis, she told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Shah Kamal, secretary of Bangladeshs Disaster Management Ministry, said the government was in talks with U.N. agencies on the issue.

[The agencies] have agreed. Now were finalizing with them how to move them (the refugees) and all other factors. Everything is ready Housing, power, healthcare, communication, storm surge embankment, cyclone shelter centers and all other facilities, he told Reuters in Dhaka.

There is absolutely no reason to be concerned about floods because we have built an embankment. And no one will be moved there against their will.

Systematic genocide

Lee, who is banned by Myanmars government from visiting, told the Geneva forum that up to 10,000 civilians were reported to have fled their homes in Myanmars Rakhine State since November due to violence and a lack of humanitarian aid.

For decades we faced a systematic genocide in Myanmar. They took our citizenship, our land, they destroyed our mosques, Mohib Bullah, a Rohingya refugee from the camps who is documenting name-by-name those killed in Myanmar, told the Council.

Over 120,000 Rohingya still live in concentration camps in Myanmar, others outside live in fear of violence, he said. We want to go home to Myanmar, with our rights, our citizenship, and international security on the ground.

A U.N. fact-finding mission last year said Myanmars 2017 military campaign that pushed out the Rohingya was orchestrated with genocidal intent. Myanmar denies allegations of mass killings and rape and says its offensive was a legitimate response to an insurgent threat.

Lee urged the U.N. Security Council to refer alleged atrocities in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and encouraged Yangon to accept its jurisdiction.

But Myanmars ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun said The Hague-based court had no jurisdiction over Myanmar whatsoever.

Myanmar is fully committed to ensuring accountability where there is credible evidence of human rights violations committed in Rakhine State, he said.

The most pressing task is to focus on a speedy start to repatriating the refugees, he said, without using the word Rohingya who are mostly stateless in Myanmar.
Analysis N. Shan Residents Live in Fear as Rights, Security Situation Deteriorates

Displaced ethnic Ta'ang residents of Mann Lee village in northern Shan State arrive in Hsipaw town last week. / Shar Htat Paing / Facebook

If you lived in northern Shan State, how would you describe the current conditions, in which the human rights situation has deteriorated dramatically? And would you dare to speak out? Two men were shot and killed in Kyaukme Township this month. The first, a retired Myanmar Army captain, was murdered in the town, while another local man was murdered at his house. Some locals describe Kyaukme as a murder town, one where the killers are never caught.

There have been a lot of human rights abuses in northern Shan. The people are afraid to speak out, as they are worried they will be killed. Among the media, it is difficult to find someone who dares to criticize the rights abuses in the region. Last week, I talked to a member of the Taang Womens Organization, and asked her about the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) detention of 10 ethnic Taang people in Namtu Township.

She asked me not to use her name in my news story if possible. I can understand her request, but Myanmar is undergoing political reforms, and more people are daring to criticize the government and the Myanmar Army. If I left out her name, my story would lack credibility among my readers. So, I just told herdont be afraid to speak.

Northern Shan has various ethnic groups, and various ethnic armed groups too. There are Shan, Burmese, Taang, Kachin, Lisu, Lahu, Wa and Kokang. Trust between the groups has broken down since armed conflict flared in the region. Ethnic people look at Burmans as spies who provide information to the Myanmar Army. This was apparently why the former captain was killed, as some locals believed he was a spy.

Again, the Shan and Taang have no trust in each other. When a Shan sees a local Taang, they suspect him or her as a person who provides information to the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Taang people view Shan the same way. This is how northern Shan descended into a state of violence, with fighting escalating and more and more people becoming IDPs.

About 40 ethnic Taang have disappeared in Namtu since fighting broke out between the TNLA and the RCSS in the region in 2016. The families victims have no ideas where their loved ones are. Local Taang people accuse the RCSS of killing them. Otherwise, those persons would have come back to their families, they say. But the families have not been able to solve the killings.

Let me describe one more type of ongoing rights abuse. If you have a strong armed force, you would not have a problem fighting back against the Myanmar Army. So, firstly you have to recruit more troops from among your people, then build up a strong armed force. This is the idea that ethnic armed groups have in Kachin and Shan states.

Forcing someone to join your armed group is a human rights violation, according to international law. But some ethnic armed leaders say they have a duty to protect their people. If you do not protect your ethnic group from the Myanmar military, they say, it will disappear soon.

So, youths have come to wonder whether they should join their ethnicitys armed group or try to find an income for their families. Many people do not want to serve in ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), as they do not like war. But when your family members are recruited, you have to keep silent about it. If not, you will be accused by nationalists of betraying your people. Many people dare not say so to the media, but they hate the words You have a duty to protect your people.

There is daily fighting day between the Myanmar Army and ethnic rebels in northern Shan. Rival ethnic armed groups are also fighting every day. So, northern Shan State has no peace, no days on which local people can travel freely, or grow food freely. Local people are recruited into their ethnic armed forces sometimes despite not wanting to join the fighting.

Northern Shan State has become a war zone where local people are forced to flee almost every day. Buddhist monasteries are meant as places where people go to pray and meditate. However, they have become IDP camps. The same goes for Christian churches, where many Kachin IDPs have taken refuge. Meanwhile, 2,000 IDPs in Hsipaw have fled fighting in Namtu and Hsipaw townships.

Tatmadaw plays EAOs off against each other

All ethnic armed groups have been warned to remain within their bases since Feb. 12, according to an order from the Myanmar Army. If not, the Army said it would take action against those armed groups who fail to heed the order.

However, the RCSS continues to be active in Hsipaw and Namtu townships, despite being based in Loi Tai Lang, in southern Shan State. The Myanmar Army has not said anything to the RCSS despite the deadline having passed already.

Before the RCSS arrived in northern Shan State, the TNLA and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) only fought the Myanmar Army, and conditions in the region werent as bad as they are today. The RCSS moved into northern Shan State after signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015.

The TNLA has clashed over 100 times with the RCSS, according to its annual reportfewer than with the Myanmar Army. Sometimes, the TNLA is joined by the SSPP in attacking the RCSS.

As a joint force, the TNLA and SSPP continue to fight the RCSS with the intention of kicking it out of northern Shan State. Both armed groups said that the Myanmar Army backs the RCSS in the fightingif it did not, they say, the RCSS would have to leave northern Shan.

In the latest example, Major Sai Than Aung of the SSPP told The Irrawaddy that his troops spent two days fighting against the Myanmar Army in Hsipaw Township on March 9 and 10. One local man was killed and two were wounded, he said.

The Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw) intensified its attacks, using helicopters on March 10, he said. He said the incident began when tensions heightened between the two Shan groups over an apparent RCSS plan to attack an SSPP base.

The Myanmar Army secretly entered the area with the help of the RCSS, he said.

Brigadier-General Tar Phone Kyaw from the TNLA told of a similar incident where a joint force attacked the RCSS in Pan Loa village, Kyaukme Township. That fighting has been ongoing for almost a week. When the RCSS left the village, the Myanmar Army occupied it, he said.

The RCSS consistently denies accusations from the TNLA and SSPP that it cooperates militarily with the Myanmar Army.
On This Day Looted Throne Comes Home

President U Ba Oo (second from left) and his daughter pose with U.S. President Richard Nixon and his wife in Myanmar in 1953.

On this day in 1948, Lord Mountbatten, the governor-general of India, returned the Thihathana Palin  the Lion Throne  to Myanmars first president, Sao Shwe Thaik. Mountbatten originally intended to return it on Jan.4, the day Myanmar gained independence from Britain. However, due to difficulties disassembling the giant chair, it could only be returned in March.

There were eight types of thrones in the royal court, of which the Lion Throne was the most important, representing sovereignty. The throne was placed in the royal assembly and used when the king received foreign envoys, accepted presents from vassals and issued royal decrees.

After the British moved the Myanmar royal family to Ratnagiri, India, on Nov. 29, 1885, General Harry Prendergasts forces looted Mandalay Palace and took the Lion Throne there as well. The throne was then put on display at the India Museum in Kolkata in 1902. When Myanmar was on the verge of independence, Mountbatten discussed returning the throne with King Gorge. It finally made its way back to Myanmar on this day in 1948, after spending more than 50 years abroad.

Once back home, the throne was taken to the presidential residence on Ahlon Street in Yangon. Myanmars presidents used it to received international dignitaries including Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon.

On September 12, 1959, the throne was moved to the National Museum in Yangon for public display and remains there to this day.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Tuesday, March 12th, 2019 (2:46 pm) - Score 7,172

The Broadband Forum has today announced that the first five G.fast devices running at 212MHz have successfully completed their certification program, which tested the kit at speeds of up to 1.45Gbps and copper line distances of up to 400 metres from the distribution point (cabinet/remote node etc.).

At present most of the G.fast (ITU G.9700/9701) hardware that has been deployed in the wild by telecoms operators (e.g. Openreach in the UK) tends to only make use of up to 106MHz of spectrum frequency, which works best at up to around 200-300 metres from a distribution point (beyond that the signal degradation rapidly kills performance).

However the technology has always had the potential to harness 212MHz of spectrum and a few years ago this was formally adopted into the standard via an ITU-T amendment (no.3). Sadly adopting 212MHz isnt so much about improving G.fasts limited reach as it is about boosting speeds to faster than Gigabit levels of performance on the shortest of copper lines.

Back in 2017 Openreach tested a Fibre-to-the-distribution-point (FTTdp) based G.fast setup that hit 1.66Gbps aggregate at the distance of 40 metres using 212MHz (here). In theory this approach could deliver an aggregate speed of around 1Gbps when installed up to 150 metres from a property.

Geoff Burke, Chief Marketing Officer at Broadband Forum, said: Delivering higher performance and gigabit speeds over a wider range of deployment scenarios, 212 MHz Gfast holds huge potential for operators. Demonstrating interoperability through Broadband Forums certification program gives operators confidence that the technology can be delivered at scale, reducing test time and accelerating mass deployment.

Lincoln Lavoie, Senior Engineer at UNH-IOL, added: Operators are well-versed in the benefits of Gfast which enables ultra-fast speeds to the underserved Multi Dwelling Unit (MDU) market and is a powerful complement to fiber network buildouts. The advent of 212 MHz Gfast takes these services over copper to another level, aligning the copper service offerings with those of full fiber and further simplifying the operations of broadband networks. This new certification program will help operators deploy this new groundbreaking technology quickly and more cost-effectively.

Apparently the first hardware to pass through the forums new certification program, which is supported by the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), comes from manufacturers including ADTRAN, Intel, NetComm and Nokia. More kit is expected to be approved as the year progresses.

In the UK all of this is fast becoming irrelevant. The local market has somewhat altered course over the past two years to focus on Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) style deployments, which are more expensive and slower to build but offer significant advantages in terms of potential future speeds, maintenance and reliability.

Openreach has similarly scaled back their own G.fast deployment plan from 10 million to c.5.7 million premises by the end of 2020 (done so they can focus on bringing FTTP to 3 million premises by the end of 2020) and take-up of the new hybrid fibre technology is still very low (here). Admittedly the roll-out hasnt been going for very long and ISPs arent putting much effort into marketing it.

Suffice to say that it remains to be seen whether Openreach will ever adopt 212MHz into their network, particularly with the focus now shifting so dramatically toward full fibre deployments. We did ask and will update if a response arrives.
Tuesday, March 12th, 2019 (8:35 am) - Score 1,604

The Welsh Government have changed their processes in order to make it harder for professional lobbyists to access ministers, which occurred after a misunderstanding resulted in lobbyist Daran Hill attending a meeting between the Economy Minister, Ken Stakes, and UK fibre optic broadband ISP Cityfibre.

Under the rules ministers are not supposed to have formal meetings with commercial lobbyists like Daran Hill of Positif, although unlike other parts of the UK there is no official register for such individuals or groups. Assembly members are instead expected to voluntarily publish their meetings with lobbyists and interest groups (the job of a professional lobbyist is to influence government policy).

In this case the BBC reports that Ken Skates AM held a formal meeting with Cityfibre to discuss an unspecified broadband issue in June 2018 (weve asked for a comment on this and are awaiting reply). Daran Hill is then understood to have arrived alongside other scheduled attendees, although he had not himself been invited to the event.

Mr Hill has since apologised for putting the Welsh Economy Minister, who he says did not know of his attendance, in an awkward position and has complained that he was unaware of the opaque rules that have never been properly laid out.

A Welsh Government Spokesperson said: In June the then economy secretary met an assembly member and an external company to discuss a broadband issue. It became apparent that one of the party had brought a guest with them who had not been on the attendee list. We recognise that this persons attendance at the meeting was not in line with usual Welsh Government procedures and have since changed our processes to prevent such a misunderstanding from happening again.

So far Cityfibre has predominantly tended to focus their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and Dark Fibre style deployments on urban areas in England and Scotland, although they do manage a smaller public sector focused 7km Community Safety Network in Newport (Wales) alongside Logicalis (this connects about 50+ sites).

The operator is also in the process of investing 2.5bn to roll-out a 1Gbps home broadband network to cover 5 million UK premises by the end of 2024 (here), which is being done alongside support from ISP partner Vodafone. But at present this doesnt appear to include any cities or towns in Wales. No doubt a lot of people would love to see Cityfibre doing more deployments in Wales.

UPDATE 1:50pm

Cityfibre has kindly provided us with a comment.
The US Government has threatened to withhold intelligence from Germany if Berlin uses equipment from Chinese telecommunications vendor Huawei Techologies or other Chinese firms in its 5G networks.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the American envoy to Germany, Richard Grenell, had written to German Economy Minister Peter Altmeier, saying that if any Chinese vendors were allowed to supply equipment for the 5G networks in Germany, then the US would cut down on its intelligence co-operation with Berlin.

The newspaper said it had seen the letter, which was dated 8 March.

The news comes a few days after Germany announced that it was tightening security criteria for all telecommunications vendors who wish to supply gear for its 5G netyworks.

As iTWire reported, the German rules, outlined by its Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur or BNetzA), said that equipment for all critical communications networks should be vetted by the country's cyber security watchdog, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), and undergo security checks by a BSI-approved testing body.

Berlin has beenfrom the US for some time now to ban Huawei equipment from its 5G rollout. Washington has been pushing countries it considers allies to avoid the Chinese vendor's gear.

Only Australia and New Zealand have fallen in line with the wishes of the US, but Wellington has now indicated that the initial refusal for telco Spark to use Huawei gear is not the end of the matter. Huawei sued the US last Thursday, seeking to be reinstated as a telco supplier in the country.

The WSJ said that Grenell's letter said secure communications were needed for sharing defence and intelligence secrets and claimed that companies like Huawei and ZTE could compromise security.

The envoy was also said to have claimed that the code in 5G equipment would need frequent updates and was complicated to the extent that the insertion of backdoors or malware could not be ruled out. No indication was given of the technical source from which Grenell had derived this information.

Some officials in other countries have repeatedly claimed that there is no separation between the 5G core and radio access network and that this was a reason to ban Chinese equipment. Among these people are the head of the Australian Signals Directorate, Mike Burgess, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and UNSW Canberra Cyber director Nigel Phair.

This claim has been shown to be false with a 5G edge separation between the core and the radio network demonstrated in New Zealand in 2018 by the telco Spark, using Cisco evolved packet core and Huawei 5G NR and radio access network.

iTWire has contacted Huawei for comment.
Online advertising in Australia hit $8.8 billion in the calendar year 2018, an increase of 11.6% on the previous year, figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau on Tuesday show.

The IAB's Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report, published by Price Waterhouse Coopers, said growth in digital advertising was an outcome of the shift to media consumption online.

It said Australians each now spent nearly 100 hours a month on desktop PCs, smartphones and tablets and about five million people used the Internet on their TVs each day.

General display advertising reached $3.3 billion for 2018, an increase of 15.8% on the previous year, which meant it accounted for 37% of the total online advertising.

Search and directories came in at $3.4 billion, an increase of 9.2% on 2017, while classifieds grew by 9.5% to reach $1.6 billion spend in 2018.

According to a preliminary ACCC report on digital platforms issued last year, about 80% of this advertising spend goes to Google and Facebook.

For the final quarter of 2018, the general advertising category grew 5.4% to $2.3 billion, and new data points, captured for content publishers for the first time, showed that 51% of this was bought through media agencies using either an insertion order or another non-programmatic method.

Of the remainder, 34% of general display advertising was bought programmatically with either fixed CPM or guaranteed inventory (9%) or a variable CPM based on real-time bidding through an exchange or private market place (25%), while 9% of all display advertising was bought directly.

As far as mobile advertising went, it continued to drive strong growth in both the general display and search and directories, reaching $4.2 billion in 2018, a 34.9% increase year on year. Mobile advertising now makes up 63% of total general display advertising.

Video advertising grew 26.2% to reach $1.4 billion in 2018.

IAB Australia chief executive Gai Le Roy said: Marketers continue to reinvest their budgets in a range of digital advertising options because they know it helps grow their businesses. [The year] 2019 will see the IAB demonstrate to marketers how they can increase the effectiveness of their spend across a wide range of digital formats and how it can work together efficiently with other media channel investments.

Graphic: courtesy IAB
Alcatel sales went in the right direction in 2018.

Australia's smartphone shipments fell by 9% in 2018 compared to the previous calendar year, the analyst firm IDC said, adding that this was the largest decline seen so far. But Alcatel claims it bucked this trend, selling almost a million devices.

Smartphone shipments were just below 8.2 million for the year, IDC said.

It said there had been fluctuations in recent years with data showing a 6.6% year-on-year fall in shipments in 2016, followed by growth of 6.5 in 2017, the latter mainly due to uptake of the iPhone X.

Alcatel said its success had been due to the affordable, high-quality options it offered.

An overall lack of innovation and improvement in smartphones in recent years is extending replacement cycles, said John Riga, market analyst for mobile phones at IDC.

This is in line with the trend seen in other developed markets, where many consumers are holding off on upgrading to the latest device.

"At a local level, economic factors also drove this decline, with falling consumer sentiment indicating lower demand and minimal real wage growth limiting household disposable income."

However, Alcatel vice-president and regional managing director for South East Asia & Pacific, Sam Skontos, said the fall in sales had nothing to do with innovation and everything to do with sky-high pricing.

The pricing on smartphone devices is simply getting ridiculous and consumers are now clearly seeing that highly-featured phones do not need to cost the same as a large screen 4K television or a round-the-world airfare," he said.

"This is only reinforced by the fact that while the market overall decreased significantly, we experienced a record year off the back of bringing affordable innovation to Australians.

Alcatel is recognised by IDC as the number three smartphone vendor by volume in the Australian market, a position it has held 3-1/2 years, or 14 consecutive quarters.
"2019 is a big year for wireless" as it sees the start of the rollout of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, as well as being the 20th anniversary of Wi-Fi, Cisco APJC senior vice-president of engineering Anand Oswal says.

Wi-Fi 6 and 5G take advantage of similar fundamental technological building blocks, allowing high density, low latency and other improvements, Oswal said at the recent Cisco Live 2019 conference in Melbourne.

He expects Wi-Fi to continue to be the access mechanism of choice in homes, offices, stores and so on, with 5G being used largely outdoors.

Work is underway to make 5G and Wi-Fi work better together, with capabilities such as unified security, unified policies, and seamless transitions from one network to another.

Wi-Fi specific improvements include making it easier to connect to a new network. This currently involves selecting an SSID, entering the password, navigating captive portals, and so on. "At Cisco, we believe we can do better."

Joining a Wi-Fi 6 network could become as easy as joining a cellular network. For example, Galaxy S9 users at MWC 2019 were connected to the Wi-Fi network completely automatically. "That is the experience you want," he said.

5G and Wi-fi 6 will provide "unprecedented low-latency and bandwidth possibilities", said Cisco senior vice-president and chief of operations Irving Tan.

5G has particular significance for machine-to-machine communications, including medicine, agriculture, and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure.

Indoor penetration is an issue for 5G signals, so it makes sense to use Wi-Fi 6 to distribute connectivity within buildings. Also, systems that use regulated spectrum (eg, 5G) are expensive, so there's a good reason to use fixed-line connections to premises with Wi-Fi 6 for local reticulation, switching to 5G when off-premises.

But it's not quite that simple. Cisco service provider sales vice president and CTO Colin Kincaid pointed out that while consumers don't care about ultra low latency, it does makes a difference in applications such as factory automation. So it is likely that some industrial equipment will be connected by 5G.

The company also looks at 5G from the telcos' perspective.

Cisco APJ service provider business vice-president Sanjay Kaul pointed out that migrating to 5G isn't simply a matter of adding 5G radios. Instead, it is necessary to also address the core, transport and backhaul networks.

Cisco global service provider segment senior vice-president Michael Glickman added "We've always been radio agnostic" and are staying that way.

"This is a very interesting space", one that provides carriers with opportunities to become more profitable by meeting customers' needs. One example of this is Verizon's 5G SD-WAN service for connecting branch offices.

Glickman also pointed out that "this part of the world [Korea, Japan and Australia] is at the cutting edge" of 5G.

"5G is full of promise," not just hype, said Kincaid. "What's possible is changing", but at this stage we don't know which new services will actually "stick."

Cisco senior vice-president and general manager of enterprise networking Scott Harrell said, "5G is going to have a massive impact", but there is a need to determine how to bring 5G and Wi-Fi 6 together "in meaningful ways."

Cisco is determined to get the economics of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 right, said Tan.
Tony Jarvis: "Many are quick to want to attribute an attack to the responsible party. While this has its advantages, some recommend avoiding the 'attribution trap'."

The increasing frequency of cyber attacks is leading to mass complacency, the chief technology officer of the APAC operations of an Israeli firm has warned, adding that this is contributing to an apathetic mindset that the worst has already happened, which is extremely dangerous.

"In fact, it has been brewing for a while, as research by ISACA in 2017 found that only 50% of CIOs and IT leaders took any meaningful action towards improving security following the WannaCry ransomware attack," Tony Jarvis, the CTO for Asia Pacific at Check Point Software Technologies, told iTWire during an interview.

"Many are using their security budgets to meet compliance requirements and avoid fines, while we should be striving to turn the situation around."

Jarvis' role includes educating audiences about the risks associated with cyber threats and he also provides thought leadership about challenges that cyber attacks pose to businesses.

Before joining Check Point, Jarvis was threat assessment manager for Asia Pacific and Japan at FireEye.

Having had a background in leadership and experience in network security, he claims to have a comprehensive understanding of how organisations can successfully adopt cyber security solutions that align with their business objectives.

With more than 15 years' experience in the IT industry, Jarvis says he can translate complex issues into clear messaging that enables organisations to confidently understand their security posture. He was interviewed by email, about some issues highlighted in the company's latest security report and also a few general topics.

iTWire: Can you comment on the accelerating cyber threats, such as banking trojans?

Tony Jarvis: Looking over the statistics prepared by our research team for 2018, one thing is clear. The prevalence of threats in Asia Pacific, when analysing the number of infections based on malware families, is either on par with the global average or even higher.

There are good reasons for this. The Asia Pacific region is a business hub, with multinationals setting up global headquarters in the area. Attackers want access to proprietary information, intellectual property, customer databases, and more. Additionally, we have witnessed an increase in the disposable incomes in many of these countries. That means for specific attacks such as ransomware, chances are higher that victims would pay the ransoms demanded.

While the number of attacks may change between geographic regions, the categories of attacks themselves do not. Asia Pacific, the Americas and Europe/Middle East/Africa all reported cryptomining as the number one threat for 2018. Far more than a nuisance due to attackers taking over CPU cycles of their victims, it has the potential for services hosted in the cloud to result in unexpected and significant costs.

When CPUs reach 100% in the cloud, additional virtual servers get spun up, which the user is then charged for. Knowing that an attacker has a backdoor into compromised machines should also alarm businesses, as the type of malware being deployed could change at the attackers discretion.

Mobile devices were another significant attack vector throughout the previous year. All too often, businesses fail to deploy protections for mobile devices. We are increasingly seeing cyber criminals target mobile devices to get their initial foothold into an organisation, and from there, they are able to spread to other workstations, servers, data centres and cloud services.

Banking trojans are a mainstay in the threat landscape today, with attackers devising new ways of gaining access to individuals accounts. Ransomware is another similar attack that is intended to deliver financial profits over a short window of time.



What about the increased vulnerability of cloud computing?

Whenever there's a major breach, you hear the same advice every time. "Reset your passwords", they always say. Part of the reason behind this is to protect you from others logging into that breached service with those stolen credentials. But you need to go further than simply resetting the password on the affected site. You also need to go out and change your passwords for every service using those same credentials.

This is because credential stuffing is a very real, and very successful form of attack. Attackers get hold of the usernames and passwords from a breached database and try to use them to log into other sites and services.

As organisations are shifting apps to the cloud, phishing and credential theft are becoming a bigger problem. These attacks pave the way for account hijacking. According to studies, 54% of data breaches on SaaS platforms are due to account takeovers. With the challenge of detecting bot activity behind credential stuffing, it becomes harder and harder to identify true insider threats.

According to a report titled "Cyber Security Generations Survey among IT Professionals", from March 2018, 76% of organisations have experienced attacks against more than one vector, such as PCs, on-premise data centres, cloud, mobile and IoT devices. However, only 3% of those surveyed had a full suite of protections, leaving them vulnerable to such attacks.

How does the rise of malware-as-a-service empower individuals without the skills to create or deploy their own malware?

Many have asked why cyber attacks have ramped up so quickly. Weve moved past the traditional method whereby talented individuals slave away creating malicious code and figuring out ways of getting it to their victims. That whole model has changed.

Instead of having a very skilled person creating and then using their own exploits, that person may now simply create the infection method and then rent it out to others who use it as a service. This is actually called malware as a service. It means the average person on the street can pay a relatively small fee, download a tool and then use that to carry out their campaign. All the work in the back end is managed by an organised criminal group who get a cut of the profits.

Indeed, the line between nation state adversaries and regular cyber criminals is blurring. With the release of NSA exploits and other leaks, tools that exploit zero-day vulnerabilities capable of doing significant damage are now widely available to those willing to leverage them.

So while the most elite of hacks used to belong to nation states who would carefully and selectively use them against hand-picked targets, we now have a situation where regular cyber criminals with quite low skill sets are able to use these powerful weapons however they see fit. We also see a change in the attack model being used.

Nation states would typically find a way into an organisation, usually through a zero day, and then take their time as they stealthily find the information they are after, and gradually exfiltrate it. Hackers with lower skillsets would typically prefer to speed up the process, in what we call a smash and grab, meaning they usually make themselves known as they dont fly under the radar. Their objective is to get in and out quickly, or perhaps encrypt files, or even delete them.

What are the biggest security issues in 2019 and how can companies be better prepared and protect themselves and their assets?

If I was pushed to put one prediction for 2019 at the top of my list, it would be this: we are about to enter an era of mass complacency. Headlines around data breaches were previously met with shock and concern, though today they are increasingly becoming the norm. No longer are data breaches isolated events. We are now seeing cases of individuals having their personal data compromised for the second or third time.

Companies themselves are being hit successfully with subsequent attacks. All of this will contribute to an apathetic mindset that the worst has already happened, which is extremely dangerous. In fact, it has been brewing for a while, as research by ISACA in 2017 found that only 50% of CIOs and IT leaders took any meaningful action towards improving security following the WannaCry ransomware attack. Many are using their security budgets to meet compliance requirements and avoid fines, while we should be striving to turn the situation around.

At the same time, 2019 will herald in a raft of laws aimed at alleviating the situation. [The year] 2018 has been a significant year from a regulatory perspective. The GDPR came into effect and certain countries have begun bolstering security requirements around critical infrastructure. California has witnessed the introduction of a Privacy Act similar in nature to the GDPR, and has upped the ante by being the first state in the US with an Internet of Things cyber security law.

The proliferation of such laws is needed not only because new technologies necessitate guidance around their lawful use, but also to compel organisations to meet certain minimum requirements. Perhaps the largest surprise from a regulatory perspective throughout 2018 relates to mandatory disclosure laws. These laws, which require organisations to disclose details around data breaches, have been blatantly ignored by those whod prefer to keep such attacks out of the public eye. Knowingly violating the law is a practice that we can only hope will decline as social pressure to notify of such breaches ramps up.

Finally, the year ahead will see many organisations fumble in terms of deciding what security initiatives to invest in. Those paying attention would have noticed that industry trade shows and conferences have seen an explosion of niche vendors offering their products and services. For some, this will make sense, but for the majority, its fair to say that security teams are grappling with an army of products that are hindering their efforts rather than helping.

Industry analysts often recommend consolidating existing security solutions for a variety of reasons, one of them being simplicity. Complexity is making the job of keeping organisations protected more difficult than ever. As decision-makers evaluate the options available, confusion may lead them to ultimately adopt the same projects as their peers, or perhaps even fail to invest at all. For those finding themselves in such a situation, it may help to ask what business problem each option is intended to address, and whether it is the highest priority at the current time.

Every year, many security companies issue detailed reports of increasing threats and gloom and doom. Would you agree that this has become the best marketing tool for this industry?

I would personally treat such resources as sources of information, though it is true they are at times used as marketing material. The job of decision-makers in charge of security operations is to analyse the information available, relate it to their own risks and needs, and determine which actions to take. Threat trends are one of those tools that they can leverage in performing this function.

In terms of marketing efficacy, I believe the cyber security industry has the wisdom of experience. Weve seen the fear tactics used before, and it doesnt serve organisations well as the industry has collectively been desensitised to such practices. We believe that it is far more beneficial to be honest with clients, understand their situation, provide them with factual data that they can validate themselves, and build a long-term relationship built on trust.

When will the security industry act to root out the snake-oil salesmen from within? Here is a classic case.

Such cases do happen, and when they do, it becomes general knowledge fairly quickly. Bloggers, journalists, and well-respected industry experts on LinkedIn all weigh in with their opinions on the matter. It effectively becomes water-cooler gossip the following day, and is never good for a companys reputation. For that reason, companies who take the ethical high ground do tend to be well respected.

Security companies have increasingly become political players. CrowdStrike and FireEye are two companies that come to mind. Given that attribution is the most difficult part of any investigation, why did so many companies (and that includes Trend Micro and SecureWorks apart from the two named) provide attribution for the DNC hack?

I cant comment on behalf of the vendors listed, but I can share Check Points stance on the matter of attribution. Many are quick to want to attribute an attack to the responsible party. While this has its advantages, some recommend avoiding the "attribution trap". Forensic efforts should be aimed at profiling the attacker only to the extent necessary to understand their intent and techniques. Defences can then be adjusted as necessary in order to bolster security.

The problem with attribution is that it is incredibly difficult, and the advantages it offers may not justify the time and expense involved. Just because the comments in malware code are made in a specific language, it doesnt mean the authors of that code were native speakers of that language. Often, they may intentionally attempt to make it appear to originate from a different part of the world to avoid attribution themselves and point the finger elsewhere. The same is true of IP addresses and domain names  these can be falsified, so we need stronger evidence.

There is a difference between attribution and speculation. Unless you can be extremely sure of the origin of the attack, it may more likely be a case of speculation. And for the victims of such attacks, their time and effort may be better spent trying to clean up the mess left behind by the attack instead of asking where it originated from. This is especially true if it happens to come from a country that does not co-operate with international law enforcement agencies.

Lastly, Check Point does, and has in the past, attributed attacks to cyber criminal groups or nation states. However, we only do so if we are very sure of the evidence.

Why did no security companies speak up when Kaspersky Lab was being hounded for doing its job and unveiling details of malware released by the one entity that should be guarding people  the US Government?

Unfortunately, this question falls out of my remit and I dont want to talk out of turn. Im able to address questions specifically around cyber security, but am not knowledgeable enough nor have the facts required to make political commentaries.
Publishing behemoth News Corp Australia has called on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to consider the break-up of Google's local business, in order to "correct the market structure" as part of solving the issues faced by local publishers in competing in the online space.

In a submission made as a response to the ACCC's preliminary report from its digital platforms inquiry, News Corp, which owns about three-quarters of the print media in Australia, said the competition watchdog should also consider imposing a fee for use of content by either Google or Facebook.

The ACCC had concluded in the preliminary report that Google had substantial market power in online search, search advertising and news referral while Facebook had similar clout in markets for social media, display advertising and online news referral.

ACCC chair Rod Sims said at the time: "Organisations like Google and Facebook are more than mere distributors or pure intermediaries in the supply of news in Australia; they increasingly perform similar functions as media businesses like selecting, curating and ranking content. Yet, digital platforms face less regulation than many media businesses.

The ACCC considers that the strong market position of digital platforms like Google and Facebook justifies a greater level of regulatory oversight."

News Corp also backed the ACCC's recommendation, made in its preliminary report, to regulate news and advertising in the digital sphere.

"News Corp Australia also commends the ACCC's findings as to market power, including that Google has substantial market power in relation to general search services, the supply of online search advertising, and the supply of news media referral services; and that Facebook has substantial market power in relation to the supply of social media services, the supply of online display advertising and the supply of news media referral services," the submission, published online by the ACCC on Tuesday, said.

"This substantial market power underpins the harms perpetuated by digital platforms against publishers such as News Corp Australia."

News Corp also suggested the creation of a digital platforms unit within the ACCC, to accumulate the necessary knowledge to monitor competition among digital platforms and respond to concerns voiced by consumers, publishers or advertisers.

On Tuesday, the Interactive Advertising Bureau released figures for online advertising in the country, showing that the spend had grown to $8.8 billion in 2018. The ACCC has said in the past that about 80% of the online ad spend in Australia goes to Google and Facebook.

News Corp said some of the recommendations made by the ACCC were not as important as others and tended to decrease the focus on recommendations that were central to tackling the issues at hand.

"The inquiry should focus on competition issues arising from the identified market power of digital platforms in the markets for media and advertising services, in particular in relation to the supply of news and journalistic content, as per the terms of reference," it said.

The company identified some other recommendations which it did not oppose but which it questioned the extent to which they provided any meaningful and material solutions.

"For example, improving consumers' news literacy shifts the burden to consumers and does not address the underlying cause of harm (ie, digital platforms' market power)," it said.

"Similarly, preventing the default installation of the Google Chrome browser on devices and Google Search within browsers is unlikely to have a significant impact on Google's entrenched market power in online search."

When it issued the preliminary report on 18 December, the ACCC had said it would issue a final report by June this year. Last month, ACCC chair Rod Sims said he was seeking more data from the advertising industry about the conclusions reached in the preliminary report.

iTWire's report on News Corp's initial submission to the inquiry is here.
Database giant Oracle Corporation has no stake in the online media business in Australia as far as is known, but the company has nevertheless taken the chance to have a hefty whack at its old foe, Google, through a submission to the ACCC's digital platforms inquiry.

In a 72-page submission in response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's preliminary report, Oracle made no secret of what it was taking aim at, saying, "In providing this submission to the ACCC, Oracle Corporation wishes to focus primarily on the activities of one digital platform, Google, and the way that Googles actions in a number of different areas have had, and continue to have, a detrimental impact on Australian consumers and small businesses.

"This submission will focus upon how Google exploits consumers and small businesses and in doing so forecloses competition in advertising markets. This, as is further explored in the Preliminary Report, has had follow-on negative impacts in the media sector in Australia."

Thus far, the strongest words uttered in submissions to this report have come from News Corporation, but that company has a big stake in Australian media.

The ACCC published itsin December last year. It concluded that Google had substantial market power in online search, search advertising and news referral while Facebook had similar clout in markets for social media, display advertising and online news referral. It invited submissions on this report for consideration before the final report was issued.

The watchdog has been releasing submissions since 4 May and put out a fresh batch on Tuesday, Oracle's among them.

Oracle said it was of the belief that the inquiry should reveal to Australians the extent of collection of personal information by Google, "how it is gathered and how it is used (including how Google combines information to infer other personal information that the consumer did not intend to provide)".

"Without this understanding it is difficult for consumers to determine the value of their personal information or make informed and real choices. Such investigations and independent analysis, as has been undertaken by the ACCC, also demonstrate how Google, by acting in an unconstrained manner, creates barriers to competition that need to be addressed in a timely manner to the benefit of consumers and the competitive process, the company said.



Oracle and Google have been butting heads in a nine-year-long court battle, with the case having been taken to the Supreme Court by Google in January order to try and get the highest court in the US to hear its plea, and declare that the more than 15,000 lines of Java code that it used in its Android mobile operating system constitute "fair use".

In its submission, Oracle said that based on the recommendations made in the preliminary report, action should be taken against Google.

"The recommendations and the guidance provided by the outcome of the investigations will also assist in ensuring that, in future, no other company will be able to abuse substantial market power obtained from its dominant position, in the manner that Google has been able to in the relevant online markets," Oracle said.

"This is important as Googles anti-competitive behaviour has resulted in such negative impacts for Australian consumers and small business as well as for the competitive process."

Google has already been fined numerous times for alleged privacy violations and monopolistic practices. In January, France fined the company 50 million (US$56.8 million) for violations of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.

In July last year, the EU fined Google 4.3 billion for allegedly breaching anti-trust rules over its Android mobile operating system. Google has challenged this fine.

And in June 2017, Google was fined 2.42 billion by the EU for allegedly abusing its search engine dominance to give illegal advantage to its own comparison shopping service. The company has appealed against this fine too.

A third fine is said to be in the EU pipeline, this for alleged anti-business practices involving Google's AdSense advertising system.

The EU has also floated the idea of breaking up Google into a number of smaller units, with EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager saying the political bloc harbours "grave suspicions" about the firm's dominance of the search market.

Brussels is not the only one to fine Google for anti-business practices. In February 2017, the Competition Commission of India fined the company 135.86 crore rupees (about US$21.1 million) for "abusing its dominant position in online general Web search and Web search advertising services in India".
NBN Co, builders of the national broadband network, has launched its annual STEM program, this year focusing on helping young Australian students develop a combination of STEM and entrepreneurial skills.

The NBN "STEMpreneur" initiative has been designed to help young Australian students prepare for what NBN Co describes as the new world of work.

Eight schools across the country, from Cairns in the far north to Alice Springs in central Australia, will participate in the 12-week virtual learning initiative designed to give students an understanding of how technology can help them develop STEM and entrepreneurial skills, critical for the future work force.

Delivered in partnership with the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN), the initiative kicked off on Tuesday in Hobart with a workshop and briefing for students on how to apply STEM and entrepreneurial skills to develop a new idea for a social enterprise which will benefit the local community.

AlphaBeta research commissioned by NBN Co into the future of education and jobs has found that STEM and entrepreneurial skills are highly sought-after capabilities by employers and by 2030, three in four Australians will spend more time using STEM and entrepreneurial skills in the workforce.

NBN Co says the world of work is changing with high-touch and high-skill jobs growth on the rise while lower-skill, routine jobs are declining.

The research found that digital economy jobs, in particular, are growing 10 percentage points faster than all other jobs and by 2030 more than 90% of Australias workforce will be either using, configuring or building digital technology at work.

Kathrine Dyer, chief network deployment officer at NBN Co, said: We see the NBN STEMpreneur initiative as an innovative and exciting way to equip students with STEM and entrepreneurial skills by leveraging technology and opening up a world of online learning opportunities.

Digital infrastructure is becoming more critical to both learning and career opportunities for Australians. Access to fast broadband is driving growth in Australian entrepreneurship and is forecast to create 31,000 jobs by 2021, including 19,000 in regional Australia.

We are committed to help open up opportunities for todays and the futures business leaders to stay local, no matter where they live, to take their goods and services to Australia and the world.

Entrepreneurialism is a vital mindset for the next generation. Whether these young people will start their own businesses or work in established organisations, having the skills and mindset to come up with innovative ideas, and persevere to bring them to reality creates enormous opportunity for them. Technology and broader STEM skills will be critical for the future workforce, so we are very excited to put these elements together, said Allegra Spender, chief executive at ABCN.

Technology is also creating the opportunity to augment and change offline learning with online tools and approaches, and it is great to be partnering with nbn at the forefront of this.

Robotics expert and STEMpreneur ambassador Marita Cheng said: Technology is the future of business and I am an advocate for young Australians who are curious and driven to solve real-world business challenges creatively, through innovation.

I believe age and background should not be a barrier to entrepreneurialism. Young people from all over the country, from Hobart to Alice Springs and even Cairns where I grew up, are destined to be inventors and business leaders with the power to generate real and positive change.

Following a workshop tour by NBN Co and ABCN, each team will have two months to develop their idea, and the program will culminate in an opportunity to pitch their business concept to a panel of industry experts who will determine the winning idea.

The judging panel will include Dyer, Spender and Cheng, with the winning school receiving a STEM-themed tech prize pack.

The participating schools are:
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Tuesday said he will recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte an investigation on the corruption allegations against former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan.

In a media briefing, Panelo noted he will write a memo to the chief executive, in response to Balutan's request of an "impartial investigation" regarding his case.

"I told him I will write a memo to the President and request the President to grant your request for an investigation. Okay naman sa kanya (he was in favor of it)," Panelo told reporters in Malacanang.

"Definitely, we're interested kung merong corruption sa parte ng PCSO. Kahit sino sa kanila," he added.

[Translation: Definitely, we're interest if there has been corruption in the part of PCSO. Anyone of them.]

Panelo, for his part, said he wants the Ombudsman to facilitate the probe on the alleged corruption.

"Depende kay Presidente. Pwede kasing Ombudsman eh. Pero siguro ako, ang rekomendasyon ko ay ibigay na lang sa Ombudsman para independent," the spokesman stressed.

[Translation:It depends on the President. It can be the Ombudsman. But personally, my recommendation is for the Ombudsman to investigate so that it will be independent.]

Balutan's stint as the general manager of the PCSO was marred by accusations of improper spending, especially on the government agency's Christmas party at luxury five-star hotel EDSA Shangri-la. Balutan admitted that they spent 6.3 million for the party for their 1,580 employees and guests.

The Commission on Audit, in its 2017 audit report, also flagged the "extravagant expenditure" for the Christmas party, saying the state lottery firm could have held it at a much cheaper venue. The state audit agency also found that the PCSO's 5.89 billion charity fund was not used for charity programs and was overspent by officials.

Fired or resigned? 'Not a big deal'

The spokesperson likewise shrugged off criticisms on how the Palace seemingly flip-flopped on its statements regarding Balutan's case.

He reiterated that Balutan's resignation letter came a day after the initial statement of Malacanang was released.

Panelo on Monday clarified that Balutan quit "out of delicadeza"-- and not resigned as he previously stated.

"Si Presidente naman, ayaw niya ng whiff of corruption. Since marami nang nagrereklamo, minabuti niya (na magresign). Ang problema lang, nahuli yung kanyang resignation eh," Panelo relayed.

[Translation:The President does not like any whiff of corruption, and since many people have been complaining, he (Balutan) made it a point to resign. The problem is, the resignation came in late.]

"Kumbaga, whether he was fired on that basis, at nagresign siya (or he resigned) on that basis, iisa pa rin ang naging basis (there was only one basis). There is a serious allegation of corruption. On his side, he wants to have an investigation and he would not want to be viewed as clinging to a position when there are serious allegations of corruption to him," he added.

Panelo also admitted the release of the "firing" statement wasn't made upon the orders of Duterte, but of "someone from the Office of the President." He urged citizens not to make a big deal out of it as the two parties have already talked it out.

Panelo confirmed that the chief executive has yet to select Balutan's replacement.

CNN Philippines' Alyssa Rola and Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.
TORONTO, March 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (hereinafter, The Company) (TSX: TNX) (NYSE MKT:TRX) is pleased to announce that it has posted on the company website a video presentation from the 2019 AGM by Ulrich Rath, Technical Director, about the Buckreef Project and the dual objective drill program currently underway.

Please follow the link below to view:



https://www.tanzanianroyalty.com//2019/03/11/agm-2019-video-playback/

Respectfully Submitted,

James E. Sinclair, Executive Chairman

Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation

For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations at 860-248-0999, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain of the statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward- looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified using words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof 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. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited to the Positive Feasibility Study on Buckreef, the timing and the results of the proposed drilling program.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information and even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; mining operational and development risk; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign investment; currency fluctuations; speculative nature of gold exploration; global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; and defective title to mineral claims or property, as well as those factors discussed in the sections entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018.

There can be no assurance that 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. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward- looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securitys regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S.

Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

The terms "Mineral Reserve", "Proven Mineral Reserve" and "Probable Mineral Reserve" used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on August 20, 2000 as may be amended from time to time by the CIM. These definitions differ from the definitions in the United States Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") Guide 7. In the United States, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made.

The terms "Mineral Resource", "Measured Mineral Resource", "Indicated Mineral Resource", "Inferred Mineral Resource" used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instruction 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the CIM Standards. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For a detailed discussion of Buckreef resource and reserve estimates and related matters see the Company's reports, including the Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018 and technical reports filed under the Company's name at our website at: www.tanzanianroyalty.com.

Cautionary Note to US Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

Note to U.S. Investors. While the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource," "indicated mineral resource", and "inferred mineral resource" are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not defined terms under standards in the United States and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. As such, information contained in this report concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S companies in SEC filings. With respect to "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" there is a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and a great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "indicated mineral resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - Bayhorse Silver Inc., (TSXV: BHS) ("Bayhorse" or the "Company") has completed the sale of 1,320 ounces of .9999 refined silver from the current testing/refining program. As disclosed in the Company's new release BHS2019-06, silver is available for future sales and delivery.

The Company made available for future sales and delivery the first 1,000 ounces of .9999 fine silver in 10 ounce bars, on a first come, first served basis from the current test processing/refining program. Within 24 hours of the news release, requests for silver totaled 1,320 ounces in 10 ounce rounds. The Company honored all requests for silver received during that first 24 hour period.

Sale of the rounds, each 10 ounces (311 grams) of .9999 fine silver at US$15.10 per ounce, generated gross proceeds of US$19,932..

The Company delivers high grade concentrate to Mineral Solutions LLC, (Minerals), a Joint Venture between Irish Metals LLC and Liberty Refiners LLC, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where they use a non-smelter process for final processing and refining.

The company plans to sell additional .9999 silver recovered as a result of our ongoing testing and refining process and will announce availabilities as they arise. The Incidental proceeds from sales generated during the testing program will be netted against costs of production prior to declaration of commercial production

Bayhorse CEO Graeme O'Neill comments, "Every Company looks forward to the time when the first sale is made. We are very pleased to have taken this step. With the cooperation of Minerals Solutions LLC, we have eliminated the need, and associated costs, of shipping concentrate to overseas smelters."

The analytical method used for the silver analysis consists of 1 Assay Ton (AT) samples subjected to fire assay with gravimetric finish.

Subject to TSX-V Exchange approval, the Company has closed a second tranche consisting of 1,100,000 Units, for gross proceeds of $110,000, of its previously announced non-brokered private placement for up to 7,500,000 Units at $0.10 per Unit, and is extending the PP closing until April 15, 2019.

Each C$0.10 Unit consists of one (1) common share and one (1) transferable common share purchase warrant, with each warrant exercisable into one (1) common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.15 cents, exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

The securities distributed under the placement are subject to a four month hold.

In addition to any other exemption available to the Company, participation in this non-brokered financing is also open to all existing shareholders, even if not accredited investors, under the "existing shareholder" exemption of National Instrument 45-106 as promulgated in Multilateral CSA notice 45-313 in participating jurisdictions.

The funds raised are for the purpose of optimizing the silver recovery from the upgrading, processing and refining of silver mineralization delivered to Mineral Solutions LLC, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, (BHS2018-36) from the Bayhorse Silver Mine, as well as for general and administrative costs.

Insiders of the Company subscribed for 1,000,000 of the Units of the placement.

The Company is not basing any decision to produce on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, and also advises there is an increased uncertainty and specific economic and technical risk of failure with any production decision. These risks include, but are not limited to, a drop in price of commodities produced, namely silver, copper, lead and zinc, from the pricing used to make a production decision. Failure of grades of the produced material to fall within the parameters used to make the production decision and increase in mining costs due to changes within the mine during development and mining procedures. There are also metallurgical recovery changes that cannot be anticipated at the time of production.

This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Bayhorse Silver Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. Dr. Stewart Jackson, PGeo., a Qualified Person and Consultant to the Company has prepared, supervised the preparation of, and approved the technical content of this press release.

On Behalf of the Board.

Graeme O'Neill, CEO

604-684-3394

Bayhorse Silver Inc., a junior exploration company, has earned 100% interest in the historic Bayhorse Silver Mine, Oregon, USA. The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive exploration and mining expertise.

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.
MONTREAL, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sama Resources Inc. (Sama or the Company) (TSX-V: SME | OTC.PK: SAMMF) is pleased to announce results from a downhole geophysical survey performed on the first deep drill hole at the 100%-owned Yepleu Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Palladium Project in Cote dIvoire, West Africa.

In the first week of March 2019, the Company conducted a downhole geophysical survey at the first deep hole drilled in December 2018 (YE29-556043). The survey used a geophysical system called Mise-a-la-Masse to follow-up on the mineralized intersection announced February 14, 2019. The "Mise-a-la-Masse" method injects an electric current into a mineralized zone intersected by drilling. It aims to assist in delineating the mineralized zone and is based on mapping the distribution of electric potential lines measured on the surface or in boreholes. SAGAX Africa SA based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, completed the survey.

Results from the Mise-a-la-Masse survey match precisely with the initial Typhoon electromagnetic geophysical survey (Typhoon) interpretation in terms of size and location of the conductive target. (please see Figure 1).

In order to quickly test the combined Typhoon/Mise-a-la-Masse targets, Capital Drilling will mobilize a second drill rig to complement the one on the current 6,000-m drilling program designed to test high-conductivity targets defined by Phase 1 of the Typhoon survey. The drilling program is targeting semi-massive and massive polymetallic sulphide anomalies located between 600 m and 900 m from surface.

The first deep drill hole (YE29-556043) intersected semi-massive sulfide mineralization with a combined 5.2 meter (m) intersection grading 1.16% nickel, 0.62% copper, 0.24 gram per ton (gpt) palladium and 0.21 gpt platinum (using a cut-off-grade of 0.8% nickel) within a larger interval of 37 m of disseminated sulphide mineralisation grading 0.41% nickel, 0.31% copper, 0.23 gpt palladium and 0.17 gpt platinum. The mineralization encountered in the hole is characterized by aggregates of the nickel, copper and iron sulphides pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, respectively. Pentlandite occurs together with pyrrhotite, while the chalcopyrite is either mixed with the pentlandite and pyrrhotite or occurs as late millimetric to centimetric sulphide veins cross cutting the pentlandite and pyrrhotite. Contacts between the semi-massive sulphides and the mineralized pyroxenite and gabbroic host rocks are irregular but sharp and often show brecciated textures. This indicates that these sulphide lenses have intruded the host rocks and originated from a source that is yet to be discovered.

The first drill rig continues progressing on hole YE45-348726 aimed at testing an electromagnetic response located 3.1-kilometer south-west from hole YE29-556043. The Typhoon response begins at approximately 750m from surface, with a core at 950m, and appears to be open at depth.

About HPX

HPX is a privately-owned, metals-focused exploration company deploying proprietary in-house geophysical technologies to rapidly evaluate buried geophysical targets. The HPX technology cluster comprises geological and geophysical systems for targeting, modelling, survey optimization, acquisition, processing and interpretation. HPX has a highly experienced board and management team led by Chief Executive Officer Robert Friedland; President Eric Finlayson, a former head of exploration at Rio Tinto; and board member Ian Cockerill, a former Chief Executive Officer of Gold Fields Ltd. For further information, please visit www.hpxploration.com.

About SAGAX Africa SA

SAGAX Afrique SA is a contractor and consultant in ground geophysical surveys applied to mineral exploration in West Africa. It has served the West African mining industry for 24 years now. Its head office is located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and has logistical bases in Ivory Coast and Mali. It serves all countries in the region

About Sama Resources Inc.

Sama is a Canadian-based mineral exploration and development company with projects in West Africa. On October 23, 2017, Sama announced that it had entered into a binding term sheet in view of forming a strategic partnership with HPX TechCo Inc., a private mineral exploration company in which mining entrepreneur Robert Friedland is a significant stakeholder, in order to develop its Cote dIvoire Nickel-Copper and Cobalt project in Cote dIvoire, West-Africa. For more information about Sama, please visit Samas website at http://www.samaresources.com.

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, P.Geo and President and CEO of Sama, and a qualified person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

SAMA RESOURCES INC./RESSOURCES SAMA INC.

Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, President and CEO

Tel: (514) 726-4158

OR

Mr. Matt Johnston, Corporate Development Advisor

Tel: (604) 443-3835

Toll Free: 1 (877) 792-6688, Ext. 5

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein are "forward-looking statements" or forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the availability of financing for activities, risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results and the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, metal price fluctuations, environmental and regulatory requirements, availability of permits, escalating costs of remediation and mitigation, risk of title loss, the effects of accidents, equipment breakdowns, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in exploration or development, the potential for delays in exploration or development activities, the inherent uncertainty of cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, expectations and beliefs of management and other risks and uncertainties.

In addition, forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are based on various assumptions. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - ArcWest Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AWX) (the "Company", formerly Sojourn Exploration Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Barresi, PhD, PGeo and Nigel Luckman, BASc, PGeo, to the Company's board of directors.

Dr. Barresi is an economic geologist with over fifteen years experience exploring for, and conducting researching related to, mineral deposits in the Canadian Cordillera. In 2006 he was awarded the Mary-Claire Ward Geoscience Award by the Geological Association of Canada (GAC) and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) for his PhD, which focused on the interplay between island-arc evolution and metallogenies in northwestern British Columbia. Tony specializes in volcanogenic massive sulfide, porphyry and epithermal deposit exploration and also has experience exploring for rare-earth-element, Mississippi-valley type, iron-oxide-copper-gold, skarn, orogenic gold, and diamond deposits. Tony is currently the Vice President of Exploration for Triumph Gold Corp. where he has been focusing on exploring the Freegold Mountain property, resulting in the recent discovery of the high-grade, gold-rich, Blue Sky Porphyry.

Nigel Luckman currently serves as the Company's Chief Operating Officer and joined the Company on September 14, 2018 in connection with the Company's transaction with Seven Devils Exploration Ltd.

Nigel has worked in the mineral exploration industry since 1988 with a number of companies including Reliance Geological, Southwestern Resources, Canabrava Diamonds, as VP Corporate Development for Paget Resources, Chief Operating Officer for West Cirque Resources and Senior Geologist with Kaizen Discovery. He has varied expertise in project management, placer mining, permitting, logistics, software development, geophysical interpretation, data management and resource modelling and has worked throughout North and South America. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BASc in geological engineering and is a Professional Geoscientist with APEGBC.

ArcWest Exploration President Tyler Ruks stated: "We are pleased to welcome both Tony and Nigel to ArcWest's board of directors. At Triumph Gold's Freegold Mountain property, Tony has played an integral role in the discovery of the Blue Sky zone, the richest porphyry Cu-Au discovery in the Yukon to date. In addition, his work at Triumph has played a key role in securing significant investments in the company from some of the largest players in the gold mining sector today, including Goldcorp. Nigel played a key role in the Blackwater-Davidson discovery, which was later acquired by New Gold in a transaction valued at $550 million. Tony's and Nigel's experience and track records of discovery in the mineral exploration sector will complement our current board, further positioning ArcWest for success in 2019 and beyond."

The Company also announces that it has entered into an option agreement (the "Agreement") to acquire a 100% interest in mineral claims totaling 55 hectares, known as the Eagle property (the "Property"), located in northwestern British Columbia. Under the terms of the Agreement, ArcWest may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by making a cash payment of $5,000 on signing and issuing 100,000 common shares to the vendor, Steven Scott.

For further information please contact: Tyler Ruks, President and CEO at +1 (604) 638 3695

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 accuracy or adequacy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) ("Ridgestone Mining") is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing for gross proceeds of up to $1,120,000 (the "Financing"), which is expected to consist of units (each, a "Unit"), with each Unit comprised of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant") at a price of $0.14 per Unit, or such other price per unit determined by Ridgestone Mining management in compliance with TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") pricing regulations. Each Warrant will be exercisable for one additional common share of Ridgestone Mining at a price of $0.25 per share for a period of eighteen months following the closing of the Financing.

The expiry of the Warrants may be accelerated by Ridgestone Mining at any time following the date that is four months and one day from closing of the Financing (the "Closing Date"), and prior to the expiry date of the Warrants if, at any time following the Closing Date, the closing price of the Company's common shares on the Exchange is equal to or exceeds $0.50 for any 10 consecutive trading days. In such event, Ridgestone Mining may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice to holders of Warrants and issuing a news release announcing the reduced Warrant term whereupon the Warrants will expire on the 10th calendar day after the date of such news release.

Ridgestone Mining intends to pay finder's fees of up to 6% in cash and 6% in finder's warrants in connection with the Financing. Certain directors, officers and insiders of Ridgestone may participate in the Financing. Net proceeds from the Financing are expected to be used for ongoing working capital requirements relating to the Rebeico gold-copper project in Sonora, Mexico.

Completion of the Financing is subject to Exchange acceptance, and all securities issued pursuant to the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four months as required under applicable securities legislation.

The securities referred to herein will not be or have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed junior mineral exploration company with offices in Taipei and Vancouver, B.C. The Company's focus is on precious metals and copper in Sonora, Mexico, and specifically the Rebeico Gold-Copper project.

For further information, please contact:

Erwin Wong, Director

Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Telephone: 604-377-8758

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to the expected use of net proceeds and anticipated insider participation in the private placement. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's Prospectus dated February 9, 2018 available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

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 PDAC conference had over 25,000 people attend even though they charged daily admission for the first time. American Creek had a very busy booth and was also invited to give a corporate presentation at the conference.

There were two noticeable differences observed by Company representatives at the PDAC conference this year. One was a palpable excitement in general for precious metals, more particularly gold and silver. The overall sentiment amongst "the experts" giving presentations and the investors we interacted with was one of optimism and expectations for a rise in both gold and silver prices as the year progresses.

The second, and of particular significance to American Creek, was the impressive amount of exposure and recognition that B.C.'s Golden Triangle has achieved. Exploration in that region now equals the rest of the province put together. The experts, analysts and letter writers were all talking about it, and most people who we interacted with knew about or were planning to invest in Golden Triangle companies and projects. It appears that a new Golden Triangle "gold rush" may be in the making. As American Creek has operated in the Golden Triangle region for almost 15 years and has three noteworthy projects there, we are well positioned to benefit from this building excitement.

Having the Treaty Creek JV property with a fully carried interest next to the Brucejack/Valley of Kings (VOK) mine (Pretivm) and the largest undeveloped gold deposit in the world by reserves (Seabridge) with similar geology, geophysics and structure positions American Creek for potential significant growth.

Investors were impressed with and excited about Ken Konkin (former head geologist for Pretivm and instrumental in the discovery and development of the Brucejack / VOK mine) now heading our JV partner Tudor Gold's geological team to develop Treaty Creek. Many shareholders were able to talk with Mr. Konkin at the PDAC conference. In discussions with Mr. Konkin, the three items concerning the Treaty Creek project that he is most excited about are:

The geology, geophysics and structure are showing potential for similar scale to the rest of the Sulphurets Hydrothermal System, and the drilling to date is confirming.





Generally speaking, the string of porphyry related deposits running through the Sulphurets Hydrothermal system have stronger gold equivalent grades the further north you go. The Goldstorm deposit on our Treaty Creek property is richer in gold and total gold equivalent than the KSM deposits further to the south.





Treaty Creek is "on the right side of the hill" where there is direct access to highway 37 and the high-power transmission line making logistics markedly better than for deposits further south.

Investors were also excited to learn that American Creek owns 100% of the former operating high-grade Dunwell mine located just 8km from the shipping port in Stewart, B.C., with highway and power lines running through it. The Bear River valley is quickly becoming a hotbed of activity including many recent mergers and acquisitions and our Dunwell property has the richest historical grades and production in the valley. There is also now an opportunity to provide a nearby soon to open mine with mill feed from the Dunwell. In addition to investor interest, we presently have serious interest in the project from several different companies. American Creek is planning on commencing drilling at the Dunwell project within the next 90 days. The objective of that program will be to confirm that under the old workings there are additional significant high-grade extensions of the previously mined gold/silver ore body.

As mentioned in our previous release, American Creek granted Tudor an additional extension for the previously announced option to buy out the Corporation's 40% interest in the Electrum Project Joint Venture located near Stewart, British Columbia. Tudor paid American Creek a non-refundable payment of $50,000 upon entering the original agreement. If the option is exercised by Tudor, a further payment of $2,650,000 will be made to American Creek on or before April 15, 2019.

The combination of American Creek working on the Dunwell while its JV partner develops Treaty Creek, and either receiving an additional $2,650,00 or retaining 40% of the Electrum property puts American Creek in one of the strongest positions in the Golden Triangle, which didn't go unrecognized by both analysts and investors alike.

Gold Hill Project Update
Airborne electromagnetic survey to be flown over Grootfontein mafic complex targeting magmatic Ni-Cu and carbonate-hosted lead-zinc-vanadium deposits

Favourable stratigraphy and structure for orogenic Otjikoto-type gold deposits identified at Grootfontein and at Otjiwarongo; soil sampling completed at Otjiwarongo (results pending) and planned soil survey to follow at Grootfontein

Kunene Phase 1 drilling program completed; additional drilling required to follow up and test remaining target areas

Preliminary metallurgical test work indicates potential to significantly upgrade Lofdal heavy rare earths and Epembe tantalum-niobium mineralization using XRF and XRT sorters

HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NMI") (TSXV:NMI) today provided an update on a number of project activities from their diversified critical metals portfolio. The Company has received further drill results from its Kunene cobalt-copper project and has initiated gold exploration programs at the Otjiwarongo and Grootfontein projects. An airborne electromagnetic survey has been contracted to SkyTEM Surveys ApS ("SkyTEM") and is planned to be flown over the Grootfontein mafic complex in April to assist in the detection of magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralization as well as to explore for Mississippi Valley type lead-zinc-vanadium deposits similar to the neighboring Berg Aukas Mine. The Company has also received preliminary comments on results of metallurgical test work on mineralized samples from the Area 4 heavy rare earth deposit at Lofdal and from the Epembe tantalum-niobium project using XRT and XRF ore sorting technologies.

Don Burton, President stated, "Exploration on the Kunene Co-Cu project has yielded encouraging drill results for follow-up and a number of key targets remain to be tested. However, given the ongoing low price of cobalt, management sees this is an opportune time to re-focus exploration on other related commodities of interest such as gold, nickel, copper, zinc and vanadium in our diversified critical metals portfolio. We will therefore allocate more of our available resources to the Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo projects."

Grootfontein Project (Ni-Cu, Pb-Zn-V, Au)

Grootfontein is an early stage project which offers a number of opportunities for discovery of:

magmatic nickel-copper type deposits within the Grootfontein mafic complex;



Mississippi Valley Type ("MVT") carbonate hosted lead-zinc-vanadium deposits and



gold deposits of the Otjikoto type where B2Gold has an operating 2.75 million ounce gold mine1.

The entire area is poorly explored due to the extensive cover of Kalahari sands and calcrete. The first two deposit types are ideal electromagnetic ("EM") targets and the Company is planning to fly the first airborne EM survey over the mafic complex at flight line spacing of 400 meters and over the Berg Aukas target area at a flight line spacing of 200 meters (Figure 1).

Figure 1  Grootfontein Project area (EPL 6561 and EPL 5992) showing magnetic response from buried mafic complex, location of the Berg Aukas mine to the north and magnetic anomalies in favourable structural setting and stratigraphy to the south to be tested for gold potential. Planned airborne EM survey flight path showing varying flight line spacings for different targets (flight lines over gold targets cover a strike length of 28 kilometers for scale) (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Based on historic drill holes and airborne magnetic survey interpretations, Grootfontein constitutes a huge mafic complex covering 360 km2 with the potential to host magmatic nickel, copper, vanadium, platinum group elements and chromite mineralisation as cumulates or late magmatic disseminations and stockworks. Two shallow drill fences (total of 1,386 m) were drilled by Anglo American in 1988 and more recent work by Ongopolo Mining proved that the main intrusive phases are depleted in nickel and copper. The Company's exploration model therefore assumes that metals were likely fractionated as sulphides during the intrusive phase, gravitationally accumulated in the magma and intruded in the adjacent, pre-existing rocks.

1 B2Gold disclosure (Company website) of Otjikoto Probable Reserves = 0.99M oz (19.5 Mt @ 1.57 g/t Au); Indicated Resource = 1.51M oz (35.4 Mt @ 1.33 g/t Au); Inferred Resource = 0.25M oz (4.6 Mt @ 1.70 g/t Au)

Immediately north of the mafic complex there is potential for Mississippi Valley Type lead-zinc-vanadium mineralisation as evidenced by the Berg Aukas mine. Berg Aukas is a dolostone-hosted deposit which according to historical records, produced 1.6 Mt of ore grading 4.0% Pb, 16.8% Zn and 0.9% V2O5 during the period 1967-1975. The Grootfontein project area hosts favourable stratigraphy for this deposit type immediately west of Berg Aukas.

The Damaran Gold Belt which hosts the Otjikoto gold deposit (2.75 million ounces gold, B2Gold) stretches over the southern half of the Grootfontein license block. The orogenic gold mineralization is typically associated with hydrothermal alteration and pyrrhotite mineralization which form magnetic anomalies. The Company has purchased and interpreted 200 meter line spacing magnetic survey data from the Geological Survey of Namibia. The magnetic anomalies are interpreted to occur within the same stratigraphic and structural setting which hosts the Otjikoto Gold Mine. This area is also completely covered and will be explored using soil geochemical survey methods.

Otjiwarongo (F, Rare Earths, Au)

Otjiwarongo is another early stage conceptual target based on geophysical data. Circular anomalies will be tested for potential mineralizations associated with alkaline intrusive complexes such as niobium-tantalum, fluorspar and rare earths. Typical examples for these mineralizations are the Okorusu fluorspar deposit and the rare earths mineralization at the Eisenberg complex. The circular anomaly measures one kilometer in diameter and can be easily tested by drilling to determine if in fact a carbonatite body is the source and what styles of mineralization might be associated with it (fluorspar, rare earths, tantalum, niobium etc.).

The magnetic anomalies of interest at Otjiwarongo are also situated in favourable stratigraphy and structural setting of the Damaran Gold Belt and may be associated with gold mineralization similar to that at B2Gold's Otjikoto gold mine (Figure 2). As at Grootfontein, the area of interest is largely hidden by cover. The Company has already collected 925 soil samples on a 200 x 100 meter grid over the key magnetic anomalies in the western portion of the project area. Samples have been submitted to Activation Laboratories for multi-element ICP and for gold fire assay analyses and results are pending.

Figure 2  Otjiwarongo Project area (EPL 5847) showing magnetic responses in favourable stratigraphy with potential for Otjikoto-type mineralization. Circular magnetic features may also be related to alkaline intrusions similar to the carbonatite complex which hosts the Okorusu fluorspar deposits. Image on right shows distinct magnetic signature of B2Gold's Otjikoto deposit. (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Kunene Project (Co-Cu)

As was previously announced (Company press release dated December 18, 2018) drilling at Kunene indicates the continuation of the Dolomite Ore Formation ("DOF") which hosts the Opuwo Co-Cu-Zn deposit which is under development by Celsius Resources Ltd., on to Namibia Critical Metals' land holdings. In addition to the Co-Cu horizons, two vanadium-enriched horizons were intersected within the same stratigraphic sequence in the NMI drill holes. Results from the first three reverse circulation holes on the Okanihova Central Target were also previously reported and indicates widespread copper mineralization in the sedimentary strata in the hanging wall of the Okanihova lineament. Additional results have been received from five other target areas (Figure 3) and all drill results are now reported (Table 1 and Table 2).

Figure 3  Kunene Co-Cu Project Area showing drill target areas tested to date (white ovals) and remaining target areas recommended for drilling (yellow ovals). NSM = no significant mineralization. Cobalt soil anomalies are shown on SkyTEM airborne EM conductivity layer (Con13 = approximately 70 vertical meter depth) and satellite topography image. (To view the full-size image, please click here)



*Width is down-the-hole length in meters. True widths cannot yet be determined with the available information

*Width is down-the-hole length in meters. True widths cannot yet be determined with the available information

All drill hole analyses were carried out under strict QAQC protocols including the insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates. Sample preparation was carried out by Activation Laboratories (Windhoek, Namibia) and ICP analyses with appropriate acid digestions were carried out by Activation Laboratories (Ancaster, Canada).

The Phase 1 drilling program has tested seven target areas with a total of 1,481 meters of diamond drilling in 8 holes, and 4,283 meters of reverse circulation drilling with 19 holes. Significant results requiring additional drilling were realized at DOF East (DOF Extension target), at Okanihova Central, at Malachite Mountain and at Malachite Mountain North. No significant mineralization was intersected at Okanihova Southwest, Olulilwa or at DOF West (DOF Extension target).

Further work at Kunene is required to follow up on:

the DOF mineralization (Co-Cu) intersected at DOF East (Table 1);

vanadium-enriched horizons intersected at DOF East (Table 1);

widespread copper mineralization over seven kilometers on the Okanihova Central trend (Table 2) and

widespread copper mineralization at Malachite Mountain (Table 2).

The DOF and vanadium horizons require further testing along strike and down dip. The results from drilling along the Okanihova lineament and at Malachite Mountain require further evaluation in order to identify higher grade structures within the widespread low grade mineralization encountered to date.

Remaining target areas (Figure 3) recommended for drilling are:

Western magnetic and induced polarization ("IP") anomalies;

Northwestern sedimentary horizons delineated by airborne EM;

Africa EM anomaly and

Olulilwa Southwest EM anomaly

Lofdal and Epembe Metallurgical Test Work (Heavy Rare Earths and Ta-Nb)

The two most advanced projects in the Company's portfolio are the Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project and the Epembe Tantalum-Niobium Project. At Lofdal, a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") was completed in 2014 and following completion of an environmental impact assessment ("EIA") in 2016 the project was provided with Environmental Clearance Certificates from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in 2017. Mineralization at the deposit is dominated by xenotime which is highly enriched in heavy rare earths (most notably terbium, dysprosium and yttrium). An application has been made for a mining licence which remains pending.

Epembe hosts a well defined mineralized carbonatite dyke with over 11,000 m of drilling and preliminary metallurgical studies completed to investigate processing options for the mineral pyrochlore which hosts the tantalum-niobium-uranium-phosphate mineralization.

The Company has allocated a modest budget to focus on maximizing efficiencies of ore sorting technologies to which both the xenotime and pyrochlore mineralizations are amenable. Upfront sorting can provide significant benefits to operating and capital costs by eliminating internal waste from run-of-mine feed ("ROM") thereby minimizing volumes to milling and downstream chemical processing. The Lofdal PEA incorporated x-ray transmission ("XRT") sorting into the beneficiation flowsheet and made recommendations that x-ray fluorescence ("XRF") sorting be investigated as a further means of upgrading the ROM. Preliminary investigations into the amenability of Epembe tantalum-niobium to XRT and XRF were also positive.

In order to efficiently evaluate the sorting technologies, bulk samples were taken from both deposits and first stage testing of selected particles at various size and grade ranges has been completed (Figure 4). This data is needed to develop the sorting algorithms that will be used in the bulk sample tests. The bulk samples (18 tonnes from Lofdal and 25 tonnes from Epembe) have been delivered to the Light Deep Earth test facility in South Africa and sorter tests will be conducted by Mentanza Metallurgical Laboratories using a Rados XRF sorter and by IMS Engineering using a Steinert XRT sorter.

Figure 4  a) Rados XRF particle test unit with XRF analyser in lid can test static or multiple particles on rotating disk at speeds to simulate full scale unit belt speeds b) rotating disk loaded with individual particles for analysis c) Steinert XRT unit at IMS Engineering facility in Johannesburg also used for NMI particle tests (To view the full-size image, please click here)

Results from the Rados XRF particle tests have concluded that both deposits are amenable to full scale sorting and have recommended that algorithms be developed for Lofdal using yttrium, iron, calcium and thorium, and for Epembe using niobium and iron. Previous test work with Tomra Sorting Solutions in Germany confirmed the amenability of both Lofdal and Epembe to upgrading with XRT sorting and the current test work with IMS will compare efficiencies with Steinert XRT machines. The bulk samples will be coarse crushed and screened to appropriate size limits for the respective machines by Light Deep Earth, pending delivery to Mentanza and IMS for bulk sample testing.

Donald M. Burton, P.Geo. and President of Namibia Critical Metals Inc., is the Company's Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved this press release.

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Namibia Critical Metals Inc. holds a diversified portfolio of exploration and advanced stage projects in the country of Namibia focused on the development of sustainable and ethical sources of metals for the battery, electric vehicle and associated industries. The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI".

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.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Don Burton, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking information relating to the future performance of Namibia Rare Earths Inc. Forward-looking information, specifically, that concerning future performance, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR

FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goldsource Mines Inc. (Goldsource or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with PI Financial Corp. which will be leading a syndicate of agents (collectively, the Agents) in connection with a private placement of 41,666,700 units of the Company (the Units) at a price of Cdn$0.12 per Unit for gross proceeds to the Company of approximately Cdn$5.0 million (the Offering). Each Unit will consist of one common share of Goldsource and onehalf of one common share purchase warrant of Goldsource (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one common share of Goldsource at a price of Cdn$0.20 for 24 months from the closing of the Offering.

In addition, Goldsource has granted the Agents an option (the Agents Option), exercisable, in whole or in part, up to two days prior to the closing of the Offering to increase the size of the Offering by up to 15% solely to cover over-allotments, if any, and for market stabilization purposes.

Goldsource is also pleased to report that Eric Sprott has advised of a proposed lead subscription in the Offering for 25,000,000 Units for a total subscription of Cdn$3.0 million.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from this Offering to; drill-test extensions of the recent high-grade Salbora discovery at its Eagle Mountain Gold Project in Guyana, complete an updated resource, continue its Pre-Feasibility Study inclusive of the Salbora discovery, and for general corporate purposes.

The Company will pay a commission to the Agents of 6% of the gross proceeds of the Offering (including from any exercise of the Agents Option). The Company has also agreed to issue to the Agents nontransferable compensation options (Compensation Options) equal in number to 6% of the aggregate number of Units sold under the Offering (including from any exercise of the Agents Option). Each Compensation Option will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of Cdn$0.12 per share for 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about April 10, 2019 and is subject to regulatory approval. Resale of the securities distributed in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day following the closing date of the Offering.

It is anticipated that certain directors, officers and other insiders of the Company will acquire Units under the Offering. Such participation will be considered to be related party transactions within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61101Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61101) adopted in the Policy. The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61101 in respect of related party participation in the Offering as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, is expected to exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization (as determined under MI 61101).

NO U.S. REGISTRATION

The securities referred to in this news release 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 applicable securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws of the United States or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities within any jurisdiction, including the United States.

Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos

President & Director

Goldsource Mines Inc.















For Further Information:

Goldsource Mines Inc.

Contact: Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, President

Fred Cooper, Investor Relations

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1760

Fax: +1 (604) 694-1761

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA)

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.goldsourcemines.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

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.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forwardlooking statements concern expected subscriptions and closing of the Offering, net proceeds from the Offering, the intended use of proceeds. Such forwardlooking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; timing and amount of capital expenditures; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forwardlooking statements as a result of risk factors including: the availability of funds; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; and general market and industry conditions. Forwardlooking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Companys management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2019) - Transition Metals Corp. (TSXV: XTM ) ("Transition" or "the Company"), is pleased to announce that it has executed an Option and Joint Venture Agreement with Battery Minerals Resources Limited ("Battery") whereby Battery can earn a up to an 80% interest in the Gowganda Gold project located 75 kilometres southwest of Kirkland Lake.

To earn a 60% interest, Battery must provide option payments totalling $600,000 over 3 years that includes a $75,000 payment upon execution of the Agreement and $25,000 that was received earlier by the Company upon execution of a binding term sheet. In addition, Battery must complete $3.4 million of exploration expenditures over 3 years including a commitment of $400,000 during the first year. Upon vesting a 60% interest, Battery may increase its interest to 80% by delivering a Feasibility Study within three years subject to certain time extension provisions. After earning its 60% or 80% interest in the Property as the case may be, a Joint Venture would be formed, with each party funding its proportionate share of future work programs or suffering dilution of interest.

Company CEO and President, Scott McLean commented, "We are pleased to have a new partnership with Battery Mineral Resources. As a project generator, Transition focuses on generating quality exploration projects and developing partnerships to advance them toward production. The Gowganda property is prospective for both Archean lode gold and Proterozoic cobalt deposits, which will be both targeted in the upcoming exploration program."

About the Gowganda Gold Project

The Project is located adjacent to the town of Gowganda, Ontario in Nicol, Haultain, and Van Hise townships, in the Larder Lake Mining District. Geologically, it hosts inliers of Archean greenstone south of the Round-Lake Batholith in the south-western part of the Abitibi greenstone belt but is partly overlain by Proterozoic sediments of the Cobalt Embayment.

The claims host widespread visible gold mineralization hosted by stockwork veining in altered syenite ranging from nil to 3.5 g/t over significant widths in channel samples and drilling as well as up to 97 g/t Au over short channel widths (0.4 metres) within quartz veins (see Transition news release of September 8, 2011). Reported drill intercepts include 2.37 g/t over 7.06 metres, up to 82.5 g/t Au over 0.4 metres (see Transition Metals news release of December 1, 2011) and 1.63 g/t Au over 11.52m (see Transition Metals news release of April 6, 2017).

In addition to the prospective gold mineralization, cobalt-silver mineralization occurs across the property within the overlying Cobalt Embayment rocks. The Big Four showing includes a series of trenches, pits, and a 7.6 m deep shaft located on the Property. Samples collected by the Company from the waste dump included cobaltite-rich carbonate material returning up to 3.04% Co and 31.6 g/t Ag from grab samples (see Transition Metals news release of August 21, 2018).

Qualified Person

The technical elements of this press release have been approved by Mr. Greg Collins, P.Geo. (APGO), a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. All analytical work performed on samples was conducted at ALS-Chemex with sample preparation completed in Sudbury, Ontario and analyses completed in North Vancouver, B.C. The quality system used by ALS-Chemex complies with international standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:2005.

About Transition Metals Corp

Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity project generator that specializes in converting new exploration ideas into Canadian discoveries. The award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience in established, emerging and historic mining camps and actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, which often allows the company to acquire properties inexpensively. The team is rigorous in its fieldwork and combines traditional techniques with newer ones to help unearth compelling prospects and drill targets. Transition uses the project generator business model to acquire and advance multiple exploration projects simultaneously, thereby maximizing shareholder exposure to discovery and capital gain. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution. The Company has an expanding portfolio that currently includes more than 25 gold, copper, nickel and platinum projects primarily in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

About Battery Mineral Resources Limited

Battery Mineral Resources Limited ("BMR") is an Australian-based, multi-commodity resource company engaged in the exploration and development of minerals critical to the rechargeable battery market and energy storage sector in Canada, USA and South Korea. The Company has assembled a diversified portfolio of cobalt, lithium and graphite projects in stable geo-political jurisdictions, designed to supply growing market demand and deliver maximum leverage to the sector. Upon successful delineation of mineral resources, BMR intends to develop these projects and become a significant, low cost battery materials producer, and secure long-term strategic alliances with supply chain partners, battery manufacturers and other end users.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.

Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting:

Scott McLean

President and CEO

Transition Metals Corp.

Tel: (705) 669-0590
March 12, 2019 / TheNewswire / Vancouver, BC - Dajin Resources Corp. ("Dajin") (TSX-V: DJI) (OTCQB: DJI) (Frankfurt: C2U1) reports that on March 8, 2019 at a Special Meeting of the shareholders of LSC Lithium Corporation a special resolution was passed approving a statutory plan of arrangement whereby Pluspetrol Resources Corporation B.V. will acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of LSC Lithium Corporation for a cash consideration of approximately CDN $111 million. All regulatory approvals that are required relating to the final closing of the transaction are expected to be received on or about March 15, 2019.

Dajin Resources S.A. ("Dajin S.A."), is presently partnered with LSC Lithium Corporation who has an earn-in agreement to spend CDN $2,000,000 in exploration expenditures to earn a 51% interest in Dajin S.A. 's. concessions while building a significant presence in Argentina.

Dajin S.A. holds concessions or concession applications in Jujuy Province, Argentina that were acquired in regions known to contain brines with Lithium, Potassium, and Boron values. These concessions exceed 93,000 hectares (230,000 acres) and are primarily located in the Salinas Grandes and Guayatayoc salt lake basins. During the initial exploration program brine samples from of a portion of the holdings covering an area of 550 hectares (1,359 acres) in the northwestern corner of the 4,300 hectares (10,621 acres) San Jose ? Navidad minas were taken. Lithium brine concentrations ranged from 281 mg/l to 1,353 mg/l, averaging 591 mg/l.

About Pluspetrol: (www.pluspetrol.net)

Pluspetrol is a private, international energy company with over 40 years of experience in the exploration and production of oil and gas. Pluspetrol is the third largest hydrocarbons producer in Argentina. With operations in Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Netherlands, Peru, United States and Uruguay. Pluspetrol promotes energy development and fosters activities at an international level. With a view to the future, Pluspetrol is making significant investments in Argentina. Pluspetrol has created the company Litica Resources to enter the business of "battery metals".

About Dajin: (www.dajin.ca)

In Nevada Dajin holds a 100% interest in 403 placer claims covering 7,914 acres (3,202 hectares) in the Teels Marsh valley of Mineral County, Nevada. These claims are known to contain Lithium and Boron values and are adjacent to the birth place of US Borax Corp's first borax mine. Dajin has entered into an agreement with Cypress Development Corp whereby Cypress can earn a 50% interest in 145 placer claims covering 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) in the Alkali Spring valley of Esmeralda County, Nevada, located 10 miles (15 kilometers) northeast of Albemarle's Silver Peak Lithium brine operation in Clayton Valley.

ON BEHALF OF DAJIN'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Brian Findlay For further information please contact Dajin:

President & CEO 604-609-6151 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE/ FRANKFURT:1A9) (Asante or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a new mining technique, Sustainable Mining by Drilling (SMD), is currently under review by the Company for its future application at our Kubi Gold project in Ghana.

SMD is a two-stage drilling method that enables direct mining of narrow deposits. The technology is being developed and commercialized by Anaconda Mining Inc. (Anaconda), in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland, and utilizes technology proven in other industries. Anacondas SMD technology placed second in the Goldcorp Inc. #DisruptMining1 challenge held at the PDAC in Toronto on March 3, 2019.

According to Anaconda, This concept is a complete surface mining option with a drilling rig as a main surface piece of equipment used in conjunction with several field proven down hole technologies. The mining process would be divided into two campaigns: drilling the pilot holes and accurately mapping the vein, then enlarging the pilot holes to predetermined sizes to recover the ore. Using an inclined mast drilling rig an inclined pilot hole is to be drilled along the center line of the vein (equidistant between the hanging wall and foot wall) with directional drilling system. Steering the pilot holes live with survey tool will determine the current orientation and to refine 3D model of the vein used to plan the pilot hole enlargement. Once the pilot hole has been drilled, progressively larger hole-openers can be used to drill along the pilot holes trajectory up to 2m.2

Anaconda notes that the SMD technology is a disruptor in that it reduces the cost to extract ore by 50% over conventional UG narrow mining techniques; it places the operator in a safe location on the surface; it can access areas not open to conventional mining; reduces the environmental footprint; and bypasses the crushing and grinding circuits by moving the +-2mm drill cuttings in a slurry direct to the mill, see: Click Here

Douglas MacQuarrie, President & CEO, states, The new SMD mining technique slashes the mining costs, development time and capital required to take near surface gold deposits to production. Our Kubi Main Zone* gold resource is located in one of the best and safest gold mining destinations in the World, is road and power accessible, has an average width of 2m, is near vertical, and appears to be well suited for the application of this technique. Previous metallurgical tests on Kubi mineralization gave 35% to 40% recovery of the contained gold by gravity concentration from a coarse grind, which suggest a similar recovery might be expected directly from the SMD drill cuttings, giving a potential source of early cash flow. We are looking forward to the development and commercialization of the SMD technology and its potential application at Kubi.

"Douglas R. MacQuarrie"

President and CEO

1https://disruptmining.com/, 2019.

2https://www.anacondamining.com/narrow-vein-mining, 2019.

Scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Douglas R. MacQuarrie, P.Geo. (B.C.) Geology & Geophysics, the President and CEO of the Company, who is a "qualified person" under NI 43-101. *Kubi Main Zone has a current NI 43-101 resource estimate, completed by SEMS Exploration Services Ltd. of Accra, Ghana: Measured Resources 0.66 million tonnes @ 5.30g/t for 112,000 ounces; Indicated Resources 0.66 million tonnes @ 5.65g/t for 121,000 ounces; and Inferred Resources 0.67 million tonnes @ 5.31g/t for 115,000 ounces, which is filed on SEDAR. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Vancouver, Canada / TheNewswire / March 12, 2019 - Nexus Gold Corp. ("Nexus" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NXS, OTCQB: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce the appointment of J. Ian Stalker as Non-Executive Chairman. Mr. Stalker, currently a Director with the Company, has more than 45 years of development and operational mining experience in countries around the world, including over a decade working in West Africa.

Among his many senior executive positions, he was Managing Director of Ashanti Goldfields Co. Limited (later to become AngloGold Ashanti); Vice President of Gold Fields Ltd., at one point the world's fourth largest gold producer; and Chief Executive Officer & Director of Brazilian Gold Corp., among others. He was also Chief Executive Officer of UraMin, a publicly-listed uranium company, from 2005 through 2007, when it was acquired by Areva for $2.5 billion.

Among his current titles, Mr. Stalker, President & CEO of LSC Lithium, and Director with K92 Mining Inc., a TSXV listed company that is operating a high-grade gold mine in Papua New Guinea. In January 2019, LSC Lithium announced it had accepted a $111 million buyout offer.

Mr. Stalker has successfully managed over ten mining projects through feasibility study, development and construction phases. Among those companies he has held senior management positions he has overseen significant market cap growth. Over the past decade he has been active in multiple M&A initiatives and has been directly involved in the raising of over $500-million in capital investment for mining projects around the world.

"We're happy Ian has accepted our invitation to increase his role with the Company," said president & CEO, Alex Klenman. "His experience, knowledge and guidance will be of great benefit to the Company, and of even greater importance as the next few years are critical in our growth cycle. Having Ian on board in a more prominent and active position with Nexus is something our shareholders can be excited about. His track record in helping to grow company evaluations is impressive," continued Mr. Klenman.

Debt Settlement

The Company also announces that it has reached an agreement with an arms'-length creditor to settle outstanding indebtedness totaling $90,562.50, through the issuance of 787,500 units (each, a "Unit") at an effective price of $0.115 per Unit. Each "Unit" consists of one common share of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant, exercisable to acquire a further common share at a price of $0.18 for a period of twenty-four months. Completion of the settlement remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the settlement will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Option Grant

The Company also wishes to clarify certain information surrounding grants of incentive stock options disclosed in the Company's news releases of February 19th and 28th, 2019. The Company confirms that it did proceed with the grant of 1,300,000 incentive stock options, exercisable at a price of $0.15, on February 19, 2019. The Company completed a further grant of 1,300,000 incentive stock options, exercisable at a price of $0.13, on February 28, 2019. Subsequently, the Company has arranged to cancel all of the options granted on February 19, 2019. As a result, the only incentive stock options granted are 1,300,000 options granted on February 28, 2019, exercisable at a price of $0.13 for a period of sixty months.

About the Company

Nexus Gold is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company with four projects in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and two more in Canada (Bridge River Mining Camp, BC, and Red Lake, Ontario). The company is currently concentrating its efforts on establishing a compliant resource at one or more of it's four current Burkina-based projects which total over 560-sq kms (56,000+ hectares) of land located on active gold belts and proven mineralized trends. Fore more information please visit www.nexusgoldcorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

NEXUS GOLD CORP.

Alex Klenman

President & CEO

604-558-1920

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.nexusgoldcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release 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.
Rwanda, which has accused France of complicity in the 1994 genocide that killed some 800,000 of its citizens, said Tuesday it had invited President Emmanuel Macron to attend the 25th anniversary of the massacre on April 7.

Kigali has long insisted that France supported the Hutu regime and helped train the soldiers and militiamen who carried out the killing of minority ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

President Macron has been invited to the 25th commemoration of the 1994 genocide, Rwandas state minister for foreign affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, told AFP.

Macron has not indicated whether he will attend the event in the Rwandan capital.

If he accepts, Macron will become only the second French president to visit the country since the genocide, which still poisons relations between the two nations.

Nicolas Sarkozy was the first to visit Kigali in February 2010, when he admitted France had made serious errors but gave no apology.

Paris has consistently denied any involvement in the massacre, which the UN says claimed about 800,000 lives in 100 days between April and July 1994.

In December, French judges dropped a long-running investigation into the killing of former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana in April 1994, the event that sparked the blood-letting.

The probe represented a major source of tension between the two countries after seven people close to President Paul Kagame were charged in the French investigation.

Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu, was killed in a missile strike on his plane near Kigalis airport.

The first judge to lead the French probe, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, backed the theory that it was Tutsi militants from the former rebellion led by Kagame, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR), who shot down the plane.

However, a Rwandan commission in 2009 found Hutu extremists were responsible for the assassination of Habyarimana

Kagame had already invited Macron to visit Rwanda, when he was in Paris in May last year for the first visit of a Rwandan head of state to France since 2011.
France and Rwanda have had stormy relations since the 1994 genocide in the east-central African nation, which has now invited President Emmanuel Macron to attend commemorations on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in April.

Here is a chronology of those relations:

 1994: Genocide 

On April 6, 1994, Rwandas Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana is killed when his aircraft is shot down over Kigali.

The next day the genocide begins. From April to July 4, according to the United Nations, around 800,000 people are killed, most of them from the Tutsi minority, as well as moderate Hutus.

The Tutsis are accused by the Hutu-dominated regime of colluding with rebels from the Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR), who had entered northern Rwanda from Uganda since 1990.

Some 500 French paratroopers evacuate more than 1,000 French citizens and foreigners.

 Operation Turquoise 

On June 22 the United Nations gives France the green light for Operation Turquoise, a military operation in Rwanda with humanitarian ends.

The mainly Tutsi FPR accuses France of seeking to save the Hutu regime and the perpetrators of the genocide.

The operation mobilises up to 2,500 French soldiers and creates a safe humanitarian zone in the south west, effectively hindering the FPRs advance. On July 4 the FPR seizes the capital Kigali, ending the genocide.

 1998: French probe 

In December 1998 a French parliamentary mission exonerates France from involvement in the genocide, but says it bears some responsibility due to strategic error and institutional disfunction.

Rwanda accuses France of being guilty of genocide in the country.

 2006: Relations broken 

In November 2006 French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere recommends Rwandan President Paul Kagame be prosecuted by the UN-backed tribunal trying Rwandas genocide suspects for suspected participation in Habyarimanas assassination. He signs nine arrest warrants against Kagames aides.

Rwanda breaks off all diplomatic relations with France.

Relations are not restored until November 2009.

 2010: France admits mistakes 

In February 2010 then French president Nicolas Sarkozy acknowledges France made mistakes during the genocide and pays homage to the victims.

However, he stops short of apologising during the first visit to Rwanda by a French president since the genocide.

In September 2011 Kagame makes his first official visit to France.

 2014: French genocide trials 

In March 2014 a French court sentences a former Rwandan army captain to 25 years in prison in the countrys first trial linked to the genocide.

In July 2016 two former Rwandan mayors are sentenced in France to life in jail.

 New Rwandan accusations 

In April 2014 on the 20th anniversary of the genocide commemorations are held in Kigali without a French representative.

On the eve of commemorations Kagame again accuses France of participating in the genocide.

 2018: Detente 

In May 2018 Macron hosts Kagame in Paris, saying the normalisation of relations is under way but will no doubt take time.

In December 2018 French judges drop a long-running investigation into the killing of Habyarimana.

The probe had been a major source of tension between the two countries after seven people close to Kagame were charged.

Kagame says he wants relations between the two countries to have a fresh start and has not ruled out the return of a French ambassador to Kigali, the post being vacant since October 2015.
It might sound like the storyline of a bad thriller (dibs can be claimed to the author if Black Mirror is interested). But this is real life at the international courts. Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former Congolese vice-president and erstwhile warlord has been trying, since he was acquitted of crimes against humanity and war crimes last year at the International Criminal Court (ICC), to get his assets back, and to pay his debts.

Bemba asks for a third of the ICCs budget

His lawyers Peter Haynes and Kate Gibson have gone back and forth with courts administrators and judges. But now, theyve up the ante and their client has filed for compensation, saying the Court acted negligently in seizing and freezing his property but failing properly to manage it or even account for it and asking for no less than 68.6 million EUR: 26.2 million for damages and legal costs and for 42.4 million for damage to his property. All told its more than a third of the courts annual budget. His lawyers allege the trial itself was a parody of justice, citing a judgment littered with mistakes, the prosecution bringing a case it knew to be untrue and the way that the witness tampering case against Bemba and his first set of lawyers was handled by the judges removed any objective appearance of fairness.

 to become an ambassador for peace in CAR

But wait for the plot twist: He proposes to give any compensation for losing ten years of his life, to victims in the Central African Republic (CAR), his lawyer Peter Haynes told JusticeInfo, to provide meaningful reparations for victims of this conflict and become an ambassador for peace.

It was back in May 2008, as the Congolese politician was being arrested, that Bembas property and bank accounts in Belgium, Congo, and Portugal were frozen on orders from ICC judges. The property reportedly included bank accounts in his own and his wifes name, their home in Brussels, a villa and a boat in Portugal. Other property seized but not frozen included six planes in Kinshasa, a couple more villas, a Boeing 727 aircraft and a river cruiser.

Thijs Bouwknegt researcher at NIOD Institute and assistant professor at Amsterdam and Leiden universities, isnt too surprised by the extent of the ICCs haul  Bembas father was very rich with reported Heineken brewery connections. In various court documents, many details are redacted. But theres enough detail in there to for most Hollywood directors.

During the trial, the courts Registry, which deals with practical matters, was ordered by judges to give an advance to Bembas defence team  about EUR 30,000 a month  because he couldnt access his own frozen wealth. Later Bembas lawyers said that their client was able to access some accounts and even cooperated with the court: in May 2014, 2 million was transferred to the Registry from Bembas bank account in Cape Verde, which hadnt been frozen since the country wasnt an ICC member. Now his team point out that the court was required to properly manage other assets to preserve their value. If not for him, then for the victims who would have been paid if he were convicted.

Mr Bembas assets? Simply allowed to rot

The ICCs own reports detailed by Bembas lawyers show lack of clarity over details of the property, lack of expertise and lack of follow-up: they note that the ICC itself acknowledges overlaps and inefficiencies and a lack of clarity as to internal processes when dealing with cooperation requests involving complex legal issues. Mr Bembas assets over a ten-year period were quite simply allowed to rot says Mr Haynes.

Last November the judges rejected Bembas request to order Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Portugal to simply unfreeze his assets. They also decided not to order the Registry to give Bemba all the information they have on his frozen assets. The Registry had argued the situation was complicated because Bemba owes the court money which had already been paid to his lawyer, and a EUR 300,000 fine for witness tampering. More juicy plot lines.

So, does B have any chance realistically of getting compensation?

First of all, as Bouwknegt notes, at the ICC, money is tight: This comes a bit at a delicate and uncomfortable time, when judges are demanding more pay and better pension schemes, there are ongoing cases of damage claims [before the International Labour Organization] by former and current personnel over financial injury suffered from the ICCs reorganization, and then there is of course the Trust Fund for Victims that operates on a shoestring.

Haynes though points to article 85 of the ICCs own statute: when this court was set up, it was set up knowing that it might have a liability to pay out sums to people who were wrongfully convicted or victims of miscarriages of justiceif they havent got insurance for this then frankly that is shockingly negligent.

International justice commentator based at the university of Luxembourg, Owiso, says its important to see the two aspects of the claim separately  firstly on the assets: International courts/tribunals dont have a lot of useful experience dealing with frozen assets and management of assets generally and, the secrecy and general lack of transparency with which the Registry has treated the question of Bembas assets leaves a lot to be desired. So, depending on what the response is to that part of Bembas claim, there could be a serious problem for the court.

Unlikely to succeed

But Owiso is more skeptical when it comes to a compensation claim about the trial and the provisional detention. Bemba would have to prove that his prosecution was malicious, and also perhaps that the trial chamber went along with it and considering that the appeals chamber has already said that the trial chamber indeed misapprehended and misapplied the law but did not say the trial chamber or the prosecution was out to maliciously convict Bemba, any claim for compensation, says Owiso, is unlikely to succeed.

Bouwknegt agrees. Although in Dutch courts, he says, you would actually make a big chance for some kind of reparation, even if it was only the fees for lawyers etc., if you were detained for a decade. But examples from other international courts are not encouraging. Rwandan businessman Protais Zigiranyirazo (known as Mr. Z) was acquitted at the ICTR. He tried to argue that the court should give him a million dollars in compensation for detention time. His claim was denied. Former Rwandan minister Andre Rwamakuba, who was acquitted after eight years in detention also had his request for damages rejected (although he was awarded a small amount for a violation of his rights).

After Bemba, what are Gbagbo et Ble Goude going to demand?

And of course, there would be a potential domino effect says Bouwknegt: If Bemba gets money, and if it is a lot, this will open up an expensive precedent at the ICC. What are [former Ivorian president] Gbagbo and [youth leader] Ble Goude going to demand if the appeals chamber upholds their acquittal? So, even if youre acquitted, even if youre allowed to leave the Hague, even if you declare yourself an ambassador for peace, it doesnt matter whether youre rich and powerful or not, in this thriller, there will be always be a plot twist.
Two years after Gambias former dictator Yahya Jammeh left power and took asylum in Equatorial Guinea, British freelance photographers Jason Florio, Helen Jones Florio and American Katherine Taylor have compiled dozens of photographs documenting several categories of abuse under the former ruler. On March 7, the pictures were displayed at the first photo exhibition of the Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations at their headquarters in Kololi, 25 minutes drive from capital Banjul.



The Victims Centre has been established by Gambian activists to coordinate and organize victims of the military dictatorship (1994-2016). The photo exhibition was held to help Gambians put faces to the names of people whose rights have been abused by Jammeh, Programme Officer at the Victims Center Ayesha Jammeh told JusticeInfo.Net.

Portraits to remember

The opening of the exhibition, titled "Portraits to remember", was attended by several prominent Gambians including Hassoum Ceesay, the curator and executive director of the National Centre for Arts and Culture and Baba Galleh Jallow, executive secretary of Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission.
Trust in charities is highly variable between different countries, with the US currently possessing high levels of trust, while the Netherlands and South Korea have much lower levels.



Not only is trust geographically effected, but trust can rise and fall rapidly, an example of which is Ireland, where trust has gone from very high levels to comparatively low, dropping from 74 per cent to 48 per cent across only six years.



In the UK, trust resides at 52 per cent, joint second with New Zealand to the US (56 per cent), and ahead of Australia (51 per cent), Canada (49 per cent), Ireland (48 per cent), Germany (45 per cent), Netherlands (46 per cent) and South Korea (26 per cent).



These are some of the key findings in a report from nfpSynergy and Australias More Strategic that analyse the global attitudes towards charity. The report, Fundraising Around the World, considers the factors affecting public support for charities and fundraising across nine countries, finding patterns of similarity as well as differences.



The impact of different causes varies greatly between countries, with environmental charities standing out as being more prominent in non-Anglophone European Germany and the Netherlands, where trust is in general also lower.



However across all countries, one repeating pattern is that women and higher social grades tend to be stronger supporters of charities, while men are likely to be significantly more annoyed by fundraising tactics. Likewise, older people and higher value donors are in a place of dynamic tension, with high enthusiasm for donating and high levels of giving, but often also feeling hugely under pressure and overwhelmed by the requests they receive.



Particularly considering the UK, where trust in charities has been highly volatile over the period considered (six years) in contrast to high-trust institutions such as the armed forces or low-trust ones such as political parties.



Trust remains a vital indicator of fundraising success. An overwhelming majority of those from the US (79 per cent) reported that donating made them feel good, compared to around half in Germany (47 per cent) and the Netherlands (50 per cent). South Korea appears to be an outlier here, with a high percentage enjoying giving, but with low trust levels.



However in most countries there is a feeling that donors are overwhelmed by the number of requests  with Australia, the UK and New Zealand donors likely to be most sensitive to this and representing over half of the respondents. Only in Germany and South Korea is this less than a majority.



A part of the trust issue might also appear to be linked to communication, with a significantly higher proportion of those from the US likely to say that they feel charities respect them and keep them informed about where their money goes when compared to other countries. This would imply that charities around the world can learn from the example of US charities in their treatment of donors and in their communication of their impact.



Of course, controversies will have an impact upon trust. Take Ireland, for example, which has had a striking drop in trust in recent years and is a reflection of the confidence that Irish people have in how charities themselves are run. Just 30 per cent of respondents in Ireland believe that charities are ethical and honest, compared to over 50 per cent in the US, Australia and New Zealand.



Causes will, naturally, have an impact, and this too varies geographically, but to a far lesser degree than might be predicted. There was a substantial level of similarity between countries with cancer tending to be the most popular cause in most countries (with the exception of the US and especially South Korea and Germany), while children/young people was often the second most popular cause for favourite charities, with animals also tending to be high on the list.



Equally interesting is how armed forces are very popular in the US and the UK, but not Canada, New Zealand or Australia, despite the shared military history in many of the twentieth centurys major armed conflicts.



Trust is vital, it might vary, but achieving it is not only about possession of ethics and efficiency, but also an issue of communication. Although there are differences between the structures in the countries surveyed, there are similarities that allow each to learn from each other.

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American Airlines said it would work to rebook customers as quickly as possible. American operates 85 flights per day on average on its 24 Max 8 aircraft, or about 1.3 percent of all its departures. American said it does not typically use the 737 Max on flights through Chicago, though its possible there could be cancellations at OHare in response to the disruption.
A: I had never heard of that trick, but I am sure it works. I wonder if a microwave also would work, or if it would set the oil on fire! To keep the peace at home, perhaps you should have invested in a crappy used oven to keep out in the garage for oil heating. By the way, our neighbor who has a home in Anchorage just dropped off a fresh blueberry pie to thank us for plowing her driveway.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  Dutch Bros coffee locations in Klamath Falls are working together to support two local teens battling bone cancer, the company announced on Tuesday.

On Friday, March 15, five locations in Klamath Falls will donate $1 from every drink sold toward medical funds for Cameron Caldwell and Quiana Cundell. The two teens each have different forms of the devastating illness.

"Klamath Falls is a small, tight knit community and were so thankful to be part of it. When families come together to support each other it really makes our beautiful little city shine, said Kristen Von Tersch, owner of Dutch Bros Klamath Falls. These two amazing young people have made positive impacts all around. We are happy to send some support to Cameron, Quiana and their families during this difficult time.

The drive goes all day on Friday for each of the following locations:

201 S 6th St., Klamath Falls, OR 97603

3041 S 6th St., Klamath Falls, OR 97603

2568 Campus Dr., Klamath Falls, OR 97601

3600 Washburn Way, Klamath Falls, OR 97603

5805 S 6th St., Klamath Falls, OR 97603
RUCH, Ore. 

UPDATE 5:30 PM:

Applegate Valley Fire District confirms the fire grew to 12 acres. To give you some perspective a football field is just over one acre.

Today was a burn day and fire danger levels are as low as they can be. Wind and the strong sun caused the fire to spread quickly. The district says this fire is still under investigation including damages caused by the fire.

---

Fire crews from several agencies responded to a small wildfire in the Applegate Valley, fire officials confirmed on Monday afternoon.

Austin Prince with Rural-Metro Fire estimated that the fire had grown to about 10 acres, as more firefighters headed to the scene of the fire.

But by 3 p.m., Melissa Cano with Medford Fire-Rescue said that the flames had been knocked down by, though crews remained on-scene. Officials later adjusted the estimated size of the fire down to between two and five acres damaged.

The area of the fire was about halfway between Ruch and Buncom along Upper Applegate Road. Officials confirmed that it was caused by a burn pile that had spread due to stiff winds.

This is a developing story, and NewsWatch 12 will be issuing updates as more information emerges.
CENTRAL POINT, Ore.  One displaced pup who wound up at a Northern California animal shelter following the series of unfortunate events that has wracked the region was set to be euthanized  but according to the Southern Oregon Humane Society (SoHumane), he now has a new lease on life.

Dubbed "Odin," the chihuahua mixed-breed dog was one of many animals who ended up at a shelter following the summer's devastating fires, a series of storms and flooding. Lost power caused some shelters to close, worsening an already serious problem.

Because of the sheer number of recovered animals, SoHumane said that several shelters that were generally "no kill" had to start a euthanasia list. Odin, suffering from a painful blind eye, was one of the animals who ended up on such a list.

"They sent out SOS emails to other humane societys asking for help with the excess numbers of animals in hopes to save them from being euthanized," SoHumane said in a statement.

Through SoHumane's "Saving Train" program, the local shelter was able to send down two vans and bring back 28 dogs  including Odin. The organization said that it chose Odin specifically because of his special needs, feeling that he would have a better chance of adoption in the Medford area.

We knew the community would want us to save him, said Karen, executive director of SoHumane.

Dr. Bliss, a local veterinary ophthalmologist, donated her time to examine Odin and prepare him for a surgery to remove the dog's ailing eye. Together with veterinarian Dr. Jessie Holley of Brookings, Dr. Bliss planned to get Odin fixed  in both senses of the term.

"He will recover from both surgeries at the same time, which means he will be that much closer to meeting his forever home," SoHumane said.

According to SoHumane, Dr. Bliss has offered to donate the full cost of Odin's surgery, but hopes the community will consider donating to support the organization's Saving Train program.

"The success of the Saving Train at securing a caring and committed home for all of the animals brought to SoHumane relies on the local communitys support. Because as a no-kill shelter the animals now have all the time they need to find a new home," SoHumane said.

SoHumane is hosting a special adoption weekend on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. People will have a chance to meet the Saving Train dogs, or check out the felines in Catville.
ASHLAND, Ore.  Uber will soon begin service in Ashland, the company confirmed on Tuesday  a process that has been months, if not years in the making.

An Uber representative said that the company had shared the news with drivers on Tuesday as well. Service in the city is set to begin on March 21 at 9 a.m.  with drivers now able to both pick up an drop off riders within the city limits.

"Up until now, drivers have only been able to drop off riders there," said Nathan Hambley with Uber's Communications team.

NewsWatch 12 reached out to Lyft on Monday to see if the company had any plans to begin service, but Lyft's response left plenty of room for ambiguity:

Lyft applauds the City of Ashlands efforts to bring more efficient and reliable transportation options and expanded economic opportunities to their residents and visitors. We look forward to beginning operations in Ashland soon and won't stop working to bring ridesharing to all of Oregon.

Ashland approved an ordinance allowing rideshares in the city in February, despite a "friendly" veto issued by the Mayor following a previous vote. This time, the ordinance held  signalling that the city was ready for rideshares like Uber and Lyft, assuming the companies agreed to the proffered terms. It now appears that Uber, at least, has done just that.

This is a developing story, and NewsWatch 12 will update this article with more details as they emerge.
The latest Fairgrounds (1330 W. Fulton Market) will be on whats now the western fringe of the booming Fulton Market restaurant corridor. We think its an emerging market, similar to when we opened our first location in Bucktown, and everyone said we were on the wrong side of Damen Avenue, said founder Michael Schultz. Theres nothing around (the new location) as far as food and beverage goes, but things move so quickly in this city, itll look very different a year from now. Im certain the energy will continue to push west, and I believe in our brand, and our hospitality, and especially our people.
If you want to get more out of your life, start by getting more out of your beer, then-brewmaster Greg Hall said over a peppy bluegrass soundtrack. Honkers Ale is one of the first beers we made at Goose Island and now its the one weve brewed the longest. Weve made close to 100 different beers and learned a lot about brewing. First off we learned to leave Honkers alone.  Ive dedicated a lot of my life to this beer. If youre looking to get more, you may find it in a pint of Honkers Ale.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  The Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) has filed a defamation case against the central bank of Bangladesh for "baseless allegations" in connection with the $81-million bank heist in 2016.

In a press release Tuesday, the Yuchengco-led RCBC said it filed the complaint last March 6 at the Makati Regional Trial Court, accusing the Bangladesh Bank of "vicious and public attack" of its reputation.

"It is public knowledge that Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a massive ploy and scheme to extort money from plaintiff RCBC by resorting to public defamation, harassment and threats geared towards destroying RCBC's good name, reputation, and image, all with the intention of getting RCBC to pay Bangladesh Bank money that RCBC does not have in its custody or possession and which it does not owe to Bangladesh Bank," the RCBC said.

Reports in February said the Bangladesh Bank filed a case against RCBC in a U.S. court over its alleged involvement in the multimillion-dollar bank heist.

RCBC denied any hand in the theft, saying the suit "is nothing more than a political stunt to try to shift blame from themselves to RCBC."

"Bangladesh Bank had lost the US $81 Million the minute it left defendant Bangladesh Bank's account at the NY Fed (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) and way before it had even reached the Philippines. there is absolutely no act attributable to RCBC that caused the payment instructions to reach the NY Fed and the Correspondent Banks," RCBC's complaint read.

In February 2016, hackers breached the Bangladesh Bank systems to steal the credentials. A total of $101 million was stolen  $21 million of which went to Sri Lankan accounts while $81 million ended up in the Philippines. The $81 million involved in the bank heist was later withdrawn, converted to pesos, then gambled in a number of casinos in the Philippines before authorities could track it.

On January 10, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 149 found former RCBC manager Maia Deguito guilty of money laundering. RCBC's Jupiter Makati branch, where Deguito served as a manager, allegedly processed the money stolen by Chinese hackers from the Bangladesh government through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Deguito, who was sentenced to four to seven years imprisonment for each of the eight counts of money laundering and a fine of $103 million, has a pending appeal for her conviction.
Markham native Scruggs, who is also a company member in Red Clay and part of a new collective called Ground Rhythm Dance Project, is presenting Rebuke It, a project shes developing with dancer Dedrick Banks. The piece is about how people shift their language based on their situation, shape-shifting, as she called it, in certain spaces, or relaxing into a common vernacular in others. Scruggs and Banks use text and repeated movements to portray the idea that the same exact expressions in different spaces and contexts can hold different meanings, noting how our more comfortable language patterns are an expression of our most authentic selves. The duet, which Scruggs will also present this summer as a Co-Mission fellow at Links Hall, is set to a wide-ranging score which includes an upbeat drum line and a John Coltrane song.
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Rudolf Virchow, a pioneering physician of the 1800s, once wrote that politics is nothing but medicine on a large scale. Over a century later, this nexus is as apparent as ever, and many doctors engage as practitioners of both.

Twitter erupted this past fall with photos of soiled scrubs, resuscitation room floors and surgically-removed bullets  all crimson with blood and tagged #ThisIsOurLane. This was in repudiation of an invidious tweet from the National Rifle Association, the organization that presides over the 14,500 annual firearms homicides in the United States. In early 2017, medical students nationwide organized a grassroots movement to protest the Republican partys bad-faith efforts at health care reform, a euphemism veiling their endeavor to take health insurance away from 15 million Americans. Spurred by the structural racism and police brutality that kills young black men like Trayvon Martin and Philando Castile, medical students have marched in solidarity against such injustice under the banner of White Coats for Black Lives.

While non-exhaustive, these examples illustrate the types of issues that galvanize the engagement of medical professionals. Injustice and the disproportionate distribution of death and disease define these prominent American problems. In turn, they compel us to don our white coats and take action.

To us, such activism is unsurprising. In our recently published study of medical students across the country, we report that nearly 9 out of 10 future doctors consider advocacy an inextricable part of their professional duties.

Of course, the idea of the doctor-advocate was not conceived by our generation. Physicians pledge in the Hippocratic Oath to prevent disease whenever [we] can and to fulfill special obligations to all [our] fellow human beings. Virchow, quoted in the opening sentence, further wrote, physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them. Several contemporary medical organizations have also articulated stances on physician advocacy in their mission statements and professional codes. The American Medical Association, for example, requires physicians to advocate for social, economic, educational and political changes that ameliorate suffering and contribute to human well-being. And of course, we would be remiss if we failed to acknowledge the pioneering physician-activists whose legacies inspire us still: Drs. W. Montague Cobb, Anatoly Koryagin, and Muthulakshmi Reddy comprise a non-exhaustive list of physicians who used their insight and influence to correct societal wrongs and advocate for justice for the patients they served.

Nevertheless, we believe that our generation of physicians will abide by a more expansive interpretation of our professional responsibilities relative to our predecessors and that the findings of our study herald the ascension of an activist generation of physicians. The reasons for this are likely myriad and complex  we posit a few of them below.

First, the typical applicant and matriculant to medical school may be changing. She may be more liberal and more inclined to view health as a human right, rather than a privilege conferred upon those who can afford it. Subscribing to such a rights-based framework carries with it a moral imperative to engage the laws, structures, and traditions that may withhold or attenuate these rights for certain groups of Americans.

Secondly, it is possible that more and more medical students are gaining a propensity for advocacy and awareness of social injustice in medical school. Many of us recognize the power and privilege physicians wield in our society, and seek to use both to dismantle structural inequities. Our clinical training sharpens this awareness, as we medical students become acquainted with the embedded societal and political factors that predispose our patients to excess disease and suffering. Intimate interaction with these injustices likely drives many students to seek out ways to correct them. Several medical schools have even integrated formalized advocacy training into their curricula to facilitate such activism. Elsewhere, students organize such training themselves, planning conferences and workshops to strategize advocacy efforts.

Thirdly, medicine is changing. While we still treat the individual patients whom we encounter in our exam rooms and hospital beds, more and more we are asking how we can address the variegated political and social factors that make them sick. In other words, we are shifting our focus from treating disease to improving health, which demands a proclivity for prevention, interprofessional partnership, systems-thinking, and political action.

Why does this matter? For the policymakers in our country, as long as our laws and embedded societal structures propagate the inequities that cause needless suffering, we will speak forcefully and persistently outside your door. For industry and interest group leaders who value personal gain over the livelihoods of workers and fellow Americans, we will pressure you: issues like gun control, climate change, health care reform, and police brutality have measurable and preventable public health effects, and thus are well within our lane as physicians. For the short-sighted individuals and networks who seek to advance agendas by debasing fact and fomenting mistrust of science, as trusted communicators we will raise our collective voice in defense of scientific truth.

Finally, for those of us in the medical community, these changes may usher in an era in which our aptitude as care providers is assessed differently. We will still train to take excellent care of our patients, to be excellent researchers and to be excellent leaders in the medical community. Yet, we believe more will be expected of excellent physicians. To borrow from an influential mentor, the right question may very well be, did we put on our superhero capes today?

Well, will we? That may make all the difference.

Jake Fox, Alec Feuerbach, and Jordan Rook are medical students.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
EUGENE, Ore.  Brownie is a friendly, 12-year-old Australian Shepherd mix ready to leave the animal shelter and join a family.

Brownie came to First Avenue Shelter when her owner could no longer care for her. She is looking for a laid-back family that will understand the needs of an older dog. She could live with another calm dog and possibly a cat.

She enjoys going for walks and getting affection.

Brownie ended up at the shelter when her family could no longer care for her. She weighs 45 pounds and her adoption fee is $85. This includes This includes the cost of vaccinations, microchip identification, spaying or neutering, a certificate for a free veterinary exam and more.

Every Tuesday, KEZI showcases homeless pets on the Midday newscast at 11 a.m. If you are interested in Brownie or other animals at First Avenue Shelter or Greenhill Humane Society, click here.

Greenhill Humane Society is currently undergoing a renovation, and during this time all adoptable dogs are available at First Avenue Shelter.

All cats, kittens and small animals are at Greenhill Humane Society.

First Avenue Shelter is located at 3970 W. First Avenue in Eugene. The phone number is (541) 844-1777. Its hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

Greenhill Humane Society is located at 88530 Green Hill Road. The phone number is (541) 689-1503. Greenhill hours are Friday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Wednesday and Thursday.

To ensure a good match is made, potential adopters must go to the animal shelter in person to meet with the animal and kennel staff.

All family members should be present to ensure the dog is compatible with everyone in the household.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Pfizer has agreed to a $975,000 settlement with Oregon's attorney general after an investigation found the pharmaceutical giant misled consumers with deceptive coupons.

The company promised consumers would "pay no more" than a certain amount of money for a given drug. But customers who used the coupons found they were paying much more.

The Oregon Department of Justice found that 371 people paid $40,000 more than the amount promised by the coupons.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said $620,000 of the settlement will go to two local nonprofits that help those without insurance afford health care. The rest will go to the Department of Justice and be used to refund consumers who used the misleading coupons.
Set in 1965, Bridges is a deceptively difficult show to stage. Being as it concerns a brief but torrid affair between a handsome wandering photographer (Robert Kincaid, played here by Tommy Thurston) and the aforementioned transplanted denizen of rural Iowa, a woman who has subsumed her sensual self, the piece has one foot in steamy pulp fiction. And it needs to be a sexy show to work. But neither Marsha Normans book nor Browns music and lyrics wanted to dwell entirely there. Rather, they tried to pull out the deeper themes languishing in both the original Robert James Waller book and the Clint Eastwood movie  the thrilling pull of illicit passion versus lifelong marital obligation, the loneliness of an immigrant far from the home she loves, the deadening but comforting normalcy of marriage, the brevity of all our lives with their choices that turn out to be irrevocable, if only by default.
Social media and #MeToo has changed all that. The modern news cycle waits for no man, and folks who unexpectedly find themselves in the middle of a media storm one afternoon may find themselves on the morning shows the next day. After the racist comments he made in an interview were published last month, Liam Neeson showed up on the morning shows the next day, where he found himself explaining, clarifying and apologizing rather than promoting his movie. For better or worse, Good Morning Americas Robin Roberts landed the first interview with Jussie Smollett after he alleged he had been attacked. (The fact that two black women landed big interviews in a short period of time apparently confused Fox News host Jesse Watters, who thought King had conducted both.)
Bank of Ireland is urging businesses in Kilkenny to be more aware of the potential impact of Brexit on their bottom line as the clock ticks down to the UKs EU departure date on March 29th. The Bank has published a Prepare for Brexit Checklist to guide businesses through the existing regulatory and commercial landscape, with a number of options outlined and detailed advice available to customers seeking more clarity.

The Prepare for Brexit Checklist is broken down into the following seven areas;

 Supply Chain

 Route to Market

 Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers

 Cashflow

 Currency Risk Exposure

 Efficiencies

 Market Diversification and Opportunities

Small businesses can also avail of the Banks free online financial health check tool** specifically designed to help them gain a deeper understanding of the financial wellbeing of their business. By responding to ten practical questions, businesses are reviewed on an individual basis and offered a range of supports to assist in areas such as cash flow, strategy and planning, competitor analysis and sales forecasting.

These supports follow on from Bank of Irelands recent announcement of a 2bn Brexit fund, dedicated to help businesses prepare for the UKs departure from the EU.

Pierce Butler, Head of Sectors, Business Banking at Bank of Ireland said: Many businesses in Kilkenny may have delayed making Brexit preparations in the hope that a resolution to the impasse in negotiations would have been achieved by now. We want all our customers to have the clearest view possible on how to deal with the challenges Brexit poses, on the terms that best suit them. By reviewing the Prepare for Brexit Checklist, businesses can learn more about areas that could have direct implications for their own business. They can also line up potential opportunities to capitalise upon once the Brexit picture becomes clearer.

At Bank of Ireland our teams are always on hand to provide expert advice and discuss how to help a business develop and improve its financial wellbeing. While Brexit brings its own challenges for Irish businesses, it can also provide new avenues for revenue and opportunities for growth.

Businesses can start planning by visiting the Bank of Ireland Brexit portal at www.bankofireland.com/brexit. In addition to the Prepare for Brexit Checklist and access to the free online business health check tool, businesses can avail of a range of supports and make the most of the time left to make a substantial difference to their levels of Brexit readiness ahead of the March deadline.
With many students in Kilkenny planning their J1 trips to America and holidaymakers travelling Stateside, MEP Deirdre Clune has warned them to be aware of fake overcharging websites.



Irish people travelling to America must register for an Esta (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) form before they embark on their trip. However despite the Esta costing $14 on the official Esta website, a flurry of other websites have been set-up which are charging up to $150 for the form.



Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune said: People travelling to America under the Visa Waiver Program must register for an Esta form to enter the country. This is a programme run by the Department of Homeland Securitys Custom and Border Protection Service. People have to be very careful when booking their Esta form as many sites are charging ten times the price being charged on the official website. Many sites are charging very high processing fees at the last minute and people might think this is standard but it is not. This has been going on for quite some time but I feel it is very important to highlight this to people - many of whom could be travelling to America for the first time and may not be aware of this.



The US Embassy in Dublin recommends that people use the official ESTA registration website which is: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/



According to the US Embassy in Dublin a number of third-party websites will complete the Esta on your behalf and may charge fees that are significantly higher. They have urged travellers to check carefully before submitting any information or payment to a third-party website. I would urge people to be cautious when booking their Esta as this could easily result in paying a lot more than you need to for the form.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A Montana man dubbed the AK-47 bandit and accused of holding up banks in several states has pleaded guilty to robbing a bank in Nebraska.

Richard Gathercole could face up to 35 years in prison after admitting Monday in federal court that he used an AK-47 to rob a Nebraska City bank in 2014. The 40-year-old Gathercole also pleaded guilty to a 2017 carjacking that led to his arrest.

Gathercole is suspected of robbing the Iowa Heartland Credit Union in Mason City in 2015. He has not been charged in Cerro Gordo County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods says the plea deal stipulates that Gathercole won't be prosecuted by other jurisdictions for other violent crimes, including the shooting of a Kansas state trooper in 2017 and bank robberies in California, Idaho, Iowa and Washington state.

Some of the crimes had passed the five-year federal statute of limitations.

Gathercole is scheduled for sentencing in June.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  Charges have been dismissed against a man accused of hitting a child in the head with a frying pan.

Barth Joseph Lemke, 52 of Charles City, was arrested in June 2018 and charged with child endangerment. The arrest came after a 10-year-old was interviewed at the Child Protection Center in Waterloo.

The Floyd County Sheriffs Office filed to drop the charge, citing insufficient evidence to justify prosecution and conviction. Lemke agreed to pay court costs in this case.
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A guilty plea is entered in a Winnebago County embezzlement case.

Amy Lynn Richter, 49 of Titonka, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 1st degree theft. She was accused of using company credit cards and other means to steal $51,408.51 from Eddys Glass and Door in Forest City between May 2017 and June 2018.

Richter is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 21.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man accused of severing his roommates ear is pleading not guilty.

Miguel Arturo Erives, 24 of Rochester, is charged with 3rd degree assault and two counts of domestic assault. Police say Erives had an argument with his roommate on November 17, 2018, and wound up punching the roommate, throwing glass bottles at him, and hitting him with a guitar.

Pollice say the argument began over Erives claiming his victim owed him $3,000.

No trial date has been set. The roommates ear had to be stitched back on his head.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A summer road rage incident ends with half a deferred judgment.

Theodore Robert Schultz, 63 of Mason City, was accused of pulling a gun from his vehicle on June 24, 2018, and walking toward and yelling at other people. Authorities say Schultz was angry about being passed on the street and had a blood alcohol content nearly twice the legal limit at the time.

He eventually pleaded guilty to intimidation with dangerous weapon and OWI-1st offense. On Monday, Schultz was given a deferred judgment and three years of supervised probation for the intimidation charge. That means if he successfully completes his probation, that conviction will be removed from his record.

Schultz was also given two days in jail for the drunk driving charge, with credit for time served, and must pay a $625 fine and a $750 civil penalty. The OWI count will remain a part of Schultz criminal record.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A vehicle found to have defective brakes is being blamed for an accident that hospitalized an elderly female.

The Olmsted County Sheriffs Office said 48-year-old Marvin Sawyer, of Elgin, was driving a logger truck that was eastbound on 48th St. on Monday morning when he slid through an intersection and hit a car driven by Phillis Jacobs, 87, of Rochester.

The Minnesota State Patrol inspected the 1993 Mac logger truck and found the brakes to be defective.

Jacobs was taken to St. Marys Hospital via Gold Cross Ambulance.

Sawyer is facing a charge of failure to stop.
OSAGE, Iowa  A Mitchell County man is going to prison for assaulting a teenage girl.

Timothy Eugene Hines, 44 of Osage, was arrested in April 2018 and accused of attacking a 14-year-old female. As part of a plea deal, Hines entered an Alford plea to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and a charge of 3rd degree kidnapping was dismissed.

On Tuesday, Hines was sentenced to five years in prison and must be on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for 10 years.

Authorities say his victim was riding in Hines car when he began touching her leg. The girl told law enforcement that when she got out of the car, Hines pushed her into a ditch and assaulted her.

An Alford plea means Hines does not admit guilt but concedes he could be convicted at trial.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A Presidential candidate looking to win support in the 2020 election stopped at Hy-Vee East this monring to talk with voters.

Andrew Yang is a 44 year-old entrepreneur from New York state is running on the Democratic ticket. He shared his idea for the country if elected, talking about issues such as Medicare for all, human-centered capitalism, and a universal basic income called 'The Freedom Dividend.'

The dividend would give American adults over age 18 $1,000 a month to help with paying bills, spend time with their children, and other reasons, with the goal of ending poverty and to offset the loss of jobs to automation. It would be funded through consolidating some welfare programs, a Value Added Tax on companies that benefit the most from automation, and through new revenue generated by the dividend itself.

William Heathershaw was in attendance at today's event, coming back from St. Louis and caught word of Yang's visit.

"I got to hear Andrew the first time two months ago, and because of that, I became such a passionate guy for his campaign because he makes an incredible amount of sense."

Because of Yang's background as an entrepreneur and his alternative ways of solving problems, Heathershaw feels it could it give him a leg up over others currently running.

"He says 'well, we have these assumptions of these issues, but let's really think about these issues in depth. And once we have a holistic idea, let's think about how to solve these problems.'"

Yang feels that his message can resonate with not just Democrats, but also those on the other side of the political spectrum, and in between.

"I think that America is looking for a different approach to solve the problems. We've had this sinking feeling that our government is falling behind the curve, and I'm running for President to hopefully modernize us and get us caught up for the 21st century."

Regardless of what side one sits politically, Heathershaw is encouraging voters to check out his platform.

"There are quite a few Youtube videos that you can look right now that has Andrew on Fox News programs where a lot of these people that comment on these videos that are quite supportive of Andrew's candidacy. A lot of folks will say, 'I voted for Trump, I've been traditionally been a Republican, but I think Andrew makes a lot of sense because he wants to empower the individual.'"

Yang is also visiting other locations in Iowa this week, including Waterloo, Des Moines and Iowa City.

Yang is one of 13 Democrats running for the Oval Office.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration is proposing to allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol, seeking to calm a dispute between the oil industry and corn farmers.

The proposal Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency fulfills a pledge that President Donald Trump made to U.S. corn farmers, who see ethanol as an important driver of demand for their crops.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued the following statement on the proposal:

This proposed rule is a huge victory for Iowa farmers and the ag economy as it keeps the process moving forward to expand the use of E15 to year round. I commend EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and President Trump for following through on their promise to get a year-round E15 proposal done by this summer. We look forward to submitting comments and continuing to engage in the process to bring the final rule over the finish line by June 1st. Iowa is the countrys number one producer of ethanol, and this announcement brings greater stability to our ag economy.

Oil refineries have been seeking exemptions from government requirements to include ethanol in their fuel mixes. The dispute between the industry and farmers and lawmakers from Midwest states sparked a billboard campaign and at least one tractor rally in the Midwest last year. Beyond increasing the amount of ethanol allowed in vehicle fuel, the EPA is proposing regulatory changes in the ethanol program.

Environmental groups say they expect court challenges.

Curt Mether, president of The Iowa Corn Growers Association, issued the following statement on Tuesdays developments:

The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is excited to hear the EPA released the proposed rule of permitting year-around sales of E15. This moves the rule in the right direction in hopes it is ready by the summer driving season beginning June 1. Year-round E15 sales would be a win for Iowa corn farmers and Iowa drivers. We need to better understand the language included about Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS) and the impact that it would have to our farmers. We will review the details and will be asking our leaders and ICGA members to engage on the rule making.
Marsha Floyd, a certified wound care nurse, works with Dr. Joseph Asaro at Williamsburg Regional Hospital to decide the appropriate treatment for patients. Floyd has been with the hospital for 22 years.

Photo by Michaele Duke
Spring fairs enliven towns throughout Spain, but I've found that nobody does it bigger or better than Sevilla, the capital of Spain's Andalucia region. If you come in April, you'll find one of the most exuberant and colorful festivals in a country known for fiestas -- the gigantic Feria de April (April Fair).

The fair is a vibrant and secular indulgence that comes two weeks after Holy Week and Easter, which is also an epic event -- especially in Sevilla -- that stirs the soul and captivates all who participate. After catching their communal breaths, cities like Sevilla use the fair to greet spring. For seven days, Sevillians gather at a huge fairground for a round-the-clock party that would leave the rest of Europe exhausted -- and travelers are more than welcome to join in.

People parade around in their peacock finery, and springtime flirtations fill the air. It seems everyone knows everyone in what feels like a thousand wedding receptions being celebrated all at once. It's also a celebration of Andalusian heritage. That means fiery flamenco music, fine horses, artful bullfights and flamboyant clothes. Everyone seems to indulge in the driest of sherries and an unquenchable obsession for thinly sliced ham.

Any time of year, Sevilla pulses with Iberian passion. But in spring, the weather is ideal. The trees are covered with white and purple blossoms, and the air is heavy with the scent of orange and jasmine. It's a short window of time when southern Spain is at its peak.

The fair is also Sevilla's peak social event of the year. Women sport outlandish, brightly colored flamenco dresses that would look clownish elsewhere, but are somehow brilliant here. A matching, folding fan completes the look -- it's not merely to cool off; it's also a crucial part of flamenco dancing, and can be used to flash coded messages in the flirtation rituals. Men wear the traditional caballero outfit -- a short jacket and wide-brimmed hat (though nowadays, many wear business suits and ties or formal wear).

Over a thousand tents, called casetas, pop up in a large fairground across the Guadalquivir River from downtown Sevilla. Each colorfully striped tent hosts a private party for a family, club or association. Though it's supposed to be a private affair, casual tourists can have a fun and memorable evening by simply crashing the party -- it's not unheard of to strike up an impromptu friendship and be invited in.

Inside, the sherry spritzers flow freely. Each caseta is well stocked with a bar and buffet at the back filled with tapas -- hors d'oeuvres speared with a toothpick, or atop a piece of bread -- and traditional gazpacho (zesty cold tomato soup), among other regional delicacies. The most treasured is jamon -- cured ham that's artfully sliced and savored with religious zeal.

Some of the larger tents are sponsored by the city and open to the public, but I find that the best action is in the streets, where party-goers from the livelier casetas spill out.

Festival mornings are sleepy and relaxed. Around noon, the promenading starts. You can enjoy the parades of horses (nearly as dressed up as the people), the locals in colorful costumes, and amusement park rides. The parading tradition has been part of the fair since it began in 1848. Back then, the festival was basically a county fair where livestock breeders showcased their animals. In keeping with the tradition, today's riders continue on to the bullring, where they meet up with other breeders.

As the sun sets, the bullfights end. The horse-and-fashion parade winds down, the streets are cleared of horses, and two-legged party animals take over. By midnight, the fino is flowing freely, and the casetas are rocking. Music is everywhere. Most casetas have their own soundtrack, whether a stereo, a live band, or just a friend who plays guitar. People take turns dancing flamenco. Bystanders clap along, play castanets, and cheer on the dancers with whoops and shouts. It's not unusual for entire families -- adults, grandparents, and little kids -- to stay up feasting, singing, and dancing until sunrise.

It all builds up to the weekend. As the fair reaches its close, the skies are lit up with a dazzling fireworks show, a tradition that dates back over a century. For the kids, the whole scene creates memories that will be replayed in the next generation.

Travelers love Spain. While filled with history, high art, and culture, Spain also knows how to celebrate, and Sevillians in particular do it with gusto. Festivals like April Fair help Spaniards maintain their cultural identity, with pageantry stoking local, regional, and national pride.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

(c)2019 RICK STEVES DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
Editor's Note: Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news stories and expert opinions that moved the precious metals and financial markets. Sign up here!

(Kitco News) - With the mining industry finally entering its good times phase, the next major problem on the horizon is the increasing metal deficits, according to Wood Mackenzies research director Mike Sinden.

The state of the mining industry is quite strong. Over the past few years weve seen financial discipline, return of dividends, shareholder buybacks, and a lot more scrutiny around sustaining CapEx. Today, we are back to good times. We returned to high-margins in the industry, Sinden told Kitco News on the sidelines of The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) held annually in Toronto.

But, looking ahead, the next big concern is the lack of investment in the mining industry due to years of cost-cutting measures, Wood Mackenzies research director pointed out.

Because of this financial discipline, weve seen a lack of investment. We dont see enough supply on the horizon, we see increasing market deficits and we are thinking that we are probably going to enter a period where we will need to see a lot more supply come online, he noted.

For zinc, the industry is already seeing severe deficits. We are down to 26 days of consumption in inventories, which is critically low for a market like zinc, Sinden said.

Copper is in its third consecutive year of deficits, which is expected to continue unless theres more mine supply. Nickel is also seeing deficits for a fifth year in a row, despite significant inventories, the research director added.

In terms of gold, Sinden highlighted a lack of new projects on the horizon. We are going to see mine supply tailing off in gold. We do need to see more supply come on just to maintain where we are today.

Deficits are of course good for prices, added Sinden, explaining that prices are likely to shoot up if the deficits are not addressed in time.

Our price forecasts across the board are pretty constructive and are backed up by these deficits. Our zinc price will hit $3,700 a ton by the end of the year. Copper as well, we expect prices to get above $3.30 a pound this year. For nickel, fundamentals point to prices going up as well, he said.

The actual amount of investment needed just to sustain the current levels of output in mining equals to about $200 billion, with copper requiring $115 billion, gold needing $41 billion, and nickel short of $23 billion.

Overall, the industry will need about $200 billion of CapEx that is currently not-committed over the next decade to meet deficits, Sinden explained.

From a historical perspective, these levels are not unusually high, but the mining industry is really behind in terms of new projects, warned Sinden.

The difference this time is that we are not seeing enough investment for where we are in the cycle. We are seeing a lot of deficits right now and not seeing nearly enough positive signs, he said.

As an advice to mining investors, Sinden suggested to take a long-term view and look past the cycles.

Now is the time to invest to meet all these deficits that we are expecting. The problem with investors and miners is that they havent looked through the cycles. Theyve been investing at the wrong time, he said. The main mistake here is market timing and getting caught up in short-term sentiment.

This is especially relevant now, when investors are getting spooked by the U.S.-China trade war as well as other geopolitical uncertainties, such as Brexit.

Last year we got into this tit-for-tat trade war with China and the U.S. and that undermined confidence in the sector in general. We also had Brexit, and sanctions on aluminum and steel. That trend undermined confidence in general and people got caught up in what is the short-term, Sinden stated.

The problem is not with lack of good deposits, but rather with getting the right type of funding, which is why the mining industry has been seeing increased M&A activity, added the research director.

There is no lack of deposits, there is a lot of gold out there. But, the issue in the Western world for gold is that a lot of these deposits are generally in the hands of small producers. And it is very tough for these small mining companies to raise capital. Thats why we are starting to see some M&A activity in order to shore up balance sheets and get scale in order to begin a new cycle of growth, he pointed out. It will probably go further down the chain to mid-tiers and maybe even smaller mines.

But, the capital and opportunities are out there, according to Sinden. Weve got all kinds of money out there  traditional lenders, such as the banks, non-traditional investors like mine finance companies, credit investors. There is money out there looking for a place to invest, he said.

The minerals to keep on your radar this year are nickel and metallurgical coal, Sinden added.
(Kitco News) - It is all about getting the silver direction right, according to one analyst, who says he is uber-bullish on silver at the moment.

I really like the silver set-up. It is not because I am a silver bug. I am perfectly agnostic when it comes to metals, The Independent Speculator principal analyst and editor Lobo Tiggre told Kitco News on the sidelines of The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).

Tiggre pays close attention to the precious metals cyclicality, advising investors to buy low and sell high, noting that 2019 is looking more and more like silvers year.

Silver bugs rejoice, I am very bullish on silver this year because I am bullish on gold. And where gold goes, silver follows. When the precious metals break out, gold leads and then silver goes off, he said.

Investors must also keep in mind that silver is more volatile than gold, Tiggre added. And if gold is going to go up, silver will go up more. Im uber-bullish on silver.

All the ingredients for a price breakout are there, the analyst pointed out. 2019 could be the year we finally break out of this range that weve been in  in gold terms, between $1,200-$1,400. We have both the fear trade and greed trade potential playing into precious metals this year, he said.

Tiggre is not setting a specific target either, stating that it is all about getting the direction right, while adding that the gold-silver ratio has zero predictive power in terms of price direction.
Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will not negotiate Brexit again, it said on Tuesday, after Britains parliament rejected the divorce package for a second time in a vote that made a chaotic no-deal scenario more likely.

The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line, Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said after the House of Commons vote.

The impasse can only be solved in the UK. Our no-deal preparations are now more important than ever before.

In coordinated statements, European Council President Donald Tusk and the blocs executive European Commission said the EU had done all that is possible to reach an agreement ... it is difficult to see what more we can do.

The bloc insists the divorce deal - already rejected by parliament in January - will not be revisited.

It expects Prime Minister Theresa May to ask for a delay to Brexit to avoid economic disruption should Britain leave with no plan in place.

With only 17 days left to March 29, todays vote has significantly increased the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit, the EU said.

Should there be a UK reasoned request for an extension, the EU27 will consider it and decide by unanimity. The EU27 will expect a credible justification for a possible extension and its duration, it said, adding that any Brexit delay must not interfere with EU parliamentary elections due on May 24-26.

EU envoys from the remaining 27 member states were due to meet at 0800 GMT on Wednesday to discuss next steps.

While a short Brexit delay is acceptable to the EU, few in the bloc believe it would be enough to break the deadlock in Britains government, parliament and the wider country, all split in half on Brexit.

Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday Britain must leave on May 23 at the latest or would have to take part in the EU elections.

Typical of the exasperation felt in Brussels, one EU diplomat said: What credibility does she (May) have left? Why would EU leaders engage with her again after yet another failure? This really needs to end.

But there were some more sanguine voices too, with Irelands foreign minister calling for patience and another national EU diplomat saying: There is still more drama to be had - and then well see.

An EU lawmaker dealing with Brexit, Philippe Lamberts, said the UK needed a second referendum or make a U-turn and seek to remain in the EUs customs union after Brexit to break the deadlock.

The EU has gone to every length to try and accommodate the UK governments red lines, he said.

We cannot continue to witness Theresa Mays traveling circus of CO2 and hot air to Brussels, London, Dublin and Strasbourg, so long as Westminster is unable to agree with itself.

Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Robin Pomeroy
(Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Tuesday he hopes the United States and China are in the final weeks of talks to secure a deal that will ease a trade war between the worlds two largest economies.

Our hope is we are in the final weeks of having an agreement, Lighthizer said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, though he cautioned that issues remained.

If those issues are not resolved in favor of the United States, we wont have a deal.
* Galenica jumps 7.5 pct after earnings beat expectations

* Geberit falls after results

(Updates prices, adds quotes, graphic)

By Helen Reid

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Irish shares outperformed the rest of the euro zone on Tuesday after Britain and the European Union agreed tweaks to Britain's withdrawal agreement that eased some fears of no-deal Brexit on March 29.

Dublin's ISEQ climbed 1.4 percent, set for its biggest gain since Feb. 5 and outdoing a 0.1 percent rise in the STOXX 600. The DAX erased early gains to trade flat by 0930 GMT.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1 percent as a surge in sterling after British Prime Minister Theresa May won last-minute assurances from the European Union weighed on the multinational exporters that dominate the index. In euro terms, the FTSE 100 has been outperforming European peers.

British lawmakers who rejected May's withdrawal agreement in January are due to vote on the Brexit deal again on Tuesday.

"It's difficult to say if this will be enough to see the deal passed tonight, but at least the probability has been increased by this addition to the existing contract," said Britta Weidenbach, head of European equities at German asset manager DWS.

"The market will probably only react to this in a more positive way once we know what the outcome is going to be."

Hopes of a smooth outcome to the long Brexit divorce process boosted British housebuilder and bank shares, with Lloyds, RBS and Persimmon among the top European gainers.

With earnings season nearing an end, results were down to just a trickle.

Swiss drug retailer Galenica led gains, jumping 7.2 percent after full-year earnings and dividend beat the market's expectations. German carmaker Volkswagen fell 0.6 percent after reporting a decline in operating margins for its core VW brand and announcing it would introduce almost 70 new electric models by 2028. French engineering firm Spie rose 4.4 percent after reporting stronger-than-expected net income.

Dutch payments firm Adyen dropped 5 percent after pre-IPO investors sold 2.5 million shares at a 9 percent discount. Shares in Swiss toilet and plumbing supplies maker Geberit fell 2.3 percent after the company said it saw a challenging 2019 because of Brexit and political uncertainty in Italy. Overall, the fourth-quarter earnings season has been underwhelming. Over the past four months, analysts have cut their earnings growth expectations for 2019 from 9 percent to just 5 percent.

Outside results, Telecom Italia shares fell 3.5 percent to the bottom of the FTSE MIB as a battle between two of its top shareholders, Vivendi and Elliott, ramped up ahead of an AGM later in the day. Construction materials group Saint-Gobain got a boost from Barclays upgrading it to "overweight", while Finland's Konecranes rose 5.4 percent after UBS raised it to "buy".

Among small-caps, German steel trader Kloeckner & Co climbed 12.4 percent after saying it expects higher sales and core earnings this year. Swiss baked goods firm Aryzta jumped 10.9 percent after it reported its U.S. margin grew for the first time since 2014. But shares in Italian luxury goods company Tod's fell 3.2 percent after it reported a 26 percent decline in profit as marketing costs rose.

(Reporting by Helen Reid, editing by Larry King)
(Adds context, graphic, updates prices)

By Tom Finn

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - The pound rallied on Tuesday after British Prime Minister Theresa May secured assurances from the European Union that could break a deadlock over Brexit before a key parliamentary vote on her withdrawal deal.

Sterling added more than three cents from its Monday's lows at one point, as traders bet that May would eventually secure the support of sceptical colleagues for her agreement, leaving Britain with a more orderly Brexit process.

Against the euro the pound hit a 22-month high.

Investors are braced for a vote at 1900 GMT that could decide how, and if, Britain leaves the EU in less than three weeks.

The uncertainty has seen the pound swing wildly this week and a gauge of the currency's overnight volatility on Tuesday rose to its highest level since the June 2016 Brexit vote. Lawmakers had been expected to reject, for a second time, May's agreement on Tuesday, but the legally binding assurances secured from Brussels meant there was a chance it could pass and that was lifting sterling.

"The pound's recent declines have been associated with the risk of a disorderly Brexit .... so any alternative outcome, including a rejection of May's latest deal, could be viewed as sterling supportive," said LMAX Exchange analyst Joel Kruger.

Britain's parliament voted down May's deal by a record 230 votes in January, and sterling is likely to be sensitive to any signs the prime minister can chip away at those losses and convince colleagues to back her in the vote.

UK bookmakers had marked up the probability of the Brexit withdrawal bill passing through parliament to 30 percent from 10 percent late Monday, "which is probably a fair reflection of what is priced into sterling," said Adam Cole, a currencies strategist at RBC Capital Markets.

Analysts said sterling was strengthening because whether lawmakers vote for or against May's deal on Tuesday, the likely outcome will diminish the chances of a potentially chaotic no-deal scenario.

Sterling was up half a percent at $1.3208 in early London trading, off the highs of $1.3290 touched overnight.

Against the euro, the pound was up marginally to 85.40 pence.

If May loses Tuesday's vote, she will face another vote on Wednesday on whether parliament wants to leave the EU without a deal, with a majority expected to refuse the "no-deal" scenario as economically disruptive.

A third vote would then be held on Thursday on whether Britain should request from the EU a limited extension of the March 29 Brexit date.

"Approval of the withdrawal deal would be a huge surprise tonight and could send GBP/USD to $1.35. Elevated levels of short-term volatility suggest that is possible, though perhaps not likely," ING analysts wrote to clients.

While fears of a no-deal Brexit have receded, investors still do not know on what terms Britain will exit the trading bloc.

Sterling's strength was also due to increased bets on Brexit being delayed and a no-deal or economically damaging "hard" Brexit being averted.

Traders are expecting big swings in the currency around this week's votes, according to a sharp rise in one-week implied volatility. One-week implied volatility measures demand for options to hedge against big currency swings. A higher percentage reflects greater expectations of currency movements over the next seven days.

(Additional reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Sujata Rao; Editing by Jon Boyle)
* UK top lawyer says legal risks unchanged* Lawmakers to vote on PM May's Brexit deal at 1900GMT* Pound swings wildly in dramatic session* Sterling volatility surges on uncertainty (Adds details, quotes) By Tom Finn LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Sterling fell in volatile trading on Tuesday as investors waited for the outcome of a vote in the British parliament where concerns have grown that lawmakers may vote against Prime Minister Theresa May's tweaked deal. Hours before the vote, May had failed to win over the main Brexit faction in her own party, while Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up her minority government, said it would vote against her. The failure to win political support prompted traders to dump the pound after it scaled a 22-month high versus the euro overnight after May rushed to Strasbourg on Monday to agree legally binding assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

But Britain's attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, dealt a blow to May's plans, saying the assurances she had been given still meant the United kingdom could be locked in the bloc's orbit after Brexit, the most controversial issue for Brexit-supporting lawmakers. The pound tumbled nearly a percent after the news as markets had expected him to revise his view of the deal and help win over eurosceptic lawmakers in May's Conservative Party before Tuesday's parliamentary vote on her withdrawal agreement. It later recouped some losses and was trading down half a percent before the Parliament vote began at 1900 GMT. Nobody is confident enough to carry spot positions during the votes," said Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist & CIO at Saxo Bank. "People are hoping for a last-minute deal but we advocate having insurance on the downside with sterling puts at a strike price of 1.27-1.28, around the support seen last time." The barrage of news over the last few hours over the progress of Brexit negotiations sent derivative markets into a tailspin with overnight gauges of expected moves in the pound spiking to its highest levels last seen immediately after the Brexit referendum vote in June 2016. The pound stabilised around half a percent lower at $1.3084. It had rallied as much as $1.3290 in the Asian session but fell to the day's low of $1.3005 in volatile trading. It plummeted more than one percent versus the euro to 86.53 pence after earlier trading as high as 84.755 pence. It was last trading 0.9 percent weaker at 86.24 pence. "With GCox saying May's new legally binding text doesn't change legal risk on backstop...it is probably safe to say game-over for sterling climbing above $1.33 on deal getting through Parliament today," said Viraj Patel, a currency strategist at financial advisory firm Arkera.

Britain's parliament voted down May's deal by a record 230 votes in January.

If May loses Tuesday's vote, she will face another vote on Wednesday on whether parliament wants to leave the EU without a deal, with a majority expected to refuse the "no-deal" scenario as economically disruptive. A third vote would then be held on Thursday on whether Britain should request from the EU a limited extension of the March 29 Brexit date.

Traders are expecting big swings in the currency around this week's votes, according to a sharp rise in one-week implied volatility. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ GBP down, volatility surges before Brexit vote ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Dhara Ranasinghe,Sujata Rao and Josephine Mason; Writing by Saikat Chatterjee; Editing by Jon Boyle and Ed Osmond)

thomas.wilkes.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Editor's Note: Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news stories and expert opinions that moved the precious metals and financial markets. Sign up here!

(Kitco News) - Weaker U.S. economic growth, weighing down the U.S. dollar, will ultimately drive gold prices to $1,400 an ounce by the end of the year, according to analyst at Natixis.

In his latest research report, Bernard Dahdah, precious metals analyst at the French Bank, reiterated his bullish forecast for gold prices to average the year around $1,330 an ounce and averaging 2020 around $1,395 an ounce.

The biggest factor to drive gold prices, along with other commodities, is a weaker U.S. dollar, Dahdah said.

Although the risks of an outright recession remain low, economists at Natixis expect nominal global GDP to expand 2.5% this year; at the same time the U.S. economy is expected to grow 2.4%.

It promises to be a tricky year, with multiple risk factors (i.e. trade war) still prevalent that could prove disruptive, Dahdah said. Uncertainty is the only certainty.

Along with slowing economic growth, Dahdah said that an end to the Federal Reserve rate hike cycle and the growing U.S. budget deficit should also weigh on the U.S. dollar, driving gold prices higher.

The impact of the tax cut is starting to turn negative, with the budget deficit widening to -4.4% from -3.5%, he said.

Dahdahs comments come as renewed momentum in the gold market tries to push prices through critical psychological $1,300 an ounce. April gold futures last traded at $1,297.70 an ounce, up 0.51% on the day.

Although Dahdah is optimistic on gold prices for the year, he noted that the market is not without its risks.

The biggest downward risk facing gold is the amount held in physically backed ETFs, which is almost equal to the annual production of the metal," he said. "Should investment sentiment turn against gold, we could see large amounts of gold being sold. Back in 2013, 850 tonnes were sold, which contributed sharply to the collapse in gold prices.
Hamish Rutherford writes:

There is a degree of rough and tumble in journalism and, if youre going to give it out, you have to take it.

But this week vague claims were made which were quite troubling.

On Monday, in an interview with Morning Report, Shane Jones, possibly the most forceful personality currently in New Zealands Parliament, described me as a bunny boiler.

Whatever he means by that, I would have happily let that pass. Much of the reaction has been fun. I never imagined I would have to explain those sort of cultural references to my parents, themselves avid RNZ listeners.

Friends, colleagues, and others I barely know, have taken delight in sending weird and wonderful messages.

But Jones also described me as unethical, a more serious claim which he has not clarified, despite implying that he might use parliamentary privilege to say more  an ancient right MPs have to say literally whatever they want without legal repercussions, so long as they say it in the House.

It is an ancient and important right. But I understood, at its core, was the need to promote free speech, not to stifle it.
All the work seeks to live up to the shows mantra, an ode to visionary thinking from author and literary critic Samuel R. Delany: Without an image of tomorrow, one is trapped by blind history, economics, and politics beyond our control.  Only by having clear and vital images of the many alternatives, good and bad, of where one can go, will we have any control over the way we may actually get there in a reality tomorrow will bring all too quickly.
PARIS -- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney reportedly tore into current Vice President Mike Pence at a retreat on Sea Island, Georgia, last weekend in front of an exclusive audience of Republican donors. The annual retreat is sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute, where President Donald Trump 's current national security adviser, John Bolton, had been mothballed for several years as a "senior fellow" while cranking out comments encouraging first-strike bombings of North Korea and Iran.

Cheney, who helped spearhead conflicts in the Middle East earlier this century that still haven't ended, chastised Pence over Trump's attempt to scale back America's foreign engagements, according to the Washington Post. Cheney lamented that Trump had canceled the regularly scheduled military bicep-flexing exercises with South Korea -- a ritual that primarily served to annoy China.

The former VP also expressed his distaste for a new Trump policy idea that, according to a Bloomberg News report, "would insist that the Germans, the Japanese, and the South Koreans pay total cost for our deployments there, plus 50 percent on top of that." Cheney said that it sounded like a "New York real estate deal."

The bigger concern for interventionist neoconservatives like Cheney should be the possibility that allies seize the opportunity to kick U.S. troops out of their countries by using cost as an excuse. It's kind of like the kid you can't eject from your basement demanding that you raise his allowance or else he'll leave.

Nowhere has it been reported that Cheney took issue with the Trump administration's political interference in Venezuela, or with Bolton's constant stream of tweets advocating regime change. Nor did Cheney criticize Pence's recent trip to Europe, where the vice president aggressively advocated Iranian regime change in front of European audiences that were visibly unsupportive of idea.

Why is it that these confabs sponsored by big donors to the Washington establishment usually showcase the advocacy of foreign interference and almost never raise the possibility of a pivot away from military engagement in favor of economic and diplomatic efforts? Are these genuine opinions about what's best for America, or are such viewpoints being pushed by self-serving interests?

Americans have a right to know the sources of cash behind think tanks and the people within them who attempt to steer foreign policy, particularly if any of that money comes from foreign sources. The work these people do doesn't exist in a vacuum. This is the pool from which those who end up in positions of power are typically chosen. Trump said during his campaign that he would depart from the common practice of appointing such people, but that has not yet been the case.

The regulatory measures in place to register the foreign interests that lurk behind establishment figures and the institutions they serve are wholly inadequate. The special counsel investigation into possible foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election has been a case study on the subject.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has already scored indictments of several individuals in the Trump orbit who were apparently willing to risk punishment for a substantial payday in fronting for foreign interests. And why not? The penalty for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act is a fine that typically represents only a fraction of what they were actually paid by the foreign client, and the maximum five-year prison sentence might be deemed worth the risk, since the Justice Department pursued only seven FARA cases from 1966 to 2015, according to a 2016 Department of Justice inspector general's report.

It has been widely reported that at least one of the sitdowns at Trump Tower in the summer of 2016 was a meeting between members of the Trump campaign and agents of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Even if it's unclear what that meeting was about, it gives the American public cause for concern about the optics and potential meddling. Any incentive for pursuing such meetings needs to be quashed, if only because they call into question foreign policy decisions made by the administration.

The solution is simple. Foreign governments that pay Americans to further their political interests should be sanctioned and their U.S.-based assets frozen. Any American accepting money from foreign governments to peddle their interests to U.S. politicians should be sanctioned and their assets seized.

Of course, there is a flip side: Other countries might then adopt the same anti-interventionist measures to keep American money out of their own elections and domestic affairs. If there's one issue that Pence and Cheney didn't dispute in their debate, it's America's implicit right to meddle.

( Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist and former Fox News host based in Paris. She is the host of the syndicated talk show "UNREDACTED with Rachel Marsden" Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern: http://www.unredactedshow.com. Her website can be found at www.rachelmarsden.com.)

(c) 2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
While an estimated 99 percent or more of ethylene oxide was captured by pollution-control equipment at the Willowbrook plant, permits allowed some to be released into the air  an amount reported by the company to be more than 5,000 pounds in 2014. The emissions released through the back vents at the facility have been called uncontrolled by a federal agency and the Illinois attorney generals office because the emissions did not go through the pollution-control equipment. The company modified its plant in 2018 to route those emissions through its pollution-control equipment.
I said, I got to see this guy,  said Cecere, who added that her own grandson is a police officer in Schaumburg and her son is a retired member of the Secret Service. Its so frustrating. He is so young. I hope God blesses this beautiful family.
Butler, IN (46721)

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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. Low near 35F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. Low near 35F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Angola, IN (46703)

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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. Low 33F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

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I was just blown away by his mind and the way he thought, Wilson said. He was always very driven and he motivated me to not limit myself when it came to life. He told me the sky was the limit, I could accomplish anything that I wanted to.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

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Cloudy this evening. Fog developing late. Low 34F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy this evening. Fog developing late. Low 34F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Auburn, IN (46706)

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Cloudy skies during the evening with areas of fog developing after midnight. Low 34F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy skies during the evening with areas of fog developing after midnight. Low 34F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The outmigration trend continues to increase, and that means were not only losing students to out-of-state colleges and universities, were likely losing them to other states for good. We want to educate our states students and see them flourish in jobs here in the Land of Lincoln.
The actor, who is African-American and openly gay, has said he was walking from a Subway sandwich shop to his apartment in the 300 block of East North Water Street about 2 a.m. Jan. 29 when two men walked up, yelled racial and homophobic slurs, hit him and wrapped a noose around his neck.
He said a better solution would be to focus on the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which is in charge of inspecting and licensing kennels. Budget cuts have meant that inspections have become less frequent, he said, so unsafe facilities can go undetected no matter what the regulations say.
Lightfoot said that considering the next mayor will take office in late May  its important to first deal with community violence, which seems to intensify during the warm weather months. If she wins April 2, the first thing shell do is call Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to meet with him and his executive team, she said, to make sure that we have a true and robust plan, to make sure were tackling violence and keeping people safe. She said that violence is the framing issue for other policy issues to fall into place. We cant have great neighborhood schools, were not going to be able to get business to invest, were not going to be able to address the outrageously high unemployment, the lack of jobs and other things that are plaguing the South and West sides in particular if we do not have a robust plan to address violence.
The victim, who suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was listed in serious condition, and pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m., according to a police spokeswoman and the Cook County medical examiners office.
There are no words to sum up a man who meant so much to me and to so many others. My only wish is to have a world where we stop hating each other. I am overwhelmed with the support I have been given from people everywhere these past few days. I see you. You are good just like my husband was. I will keep that in my heart forever. No matter who you are, every person has a story and people who love them. Every person has hopes and dreams. We need to accept and thrive on our differences. Its what our country was built on. Its what Jake believed in, even after everything he had seen. Its what I believe in. He saw the worst of the worst every day but still had so much love in his heart. He was true and loyal. We all need to show each other love. Lift each other up. Its the only way to stop this unconscionable madness.
The woman, who is not affiliated with the university, was at the intersection of St. Clair and Superior streets when someone came from behind and knocked her down, according to an emergency alert from university police. While the woman was on the ground, a second person grabbed her purse with her wallet and cellphone inside, according to the university. She tried to hold onto the purse and a struggle ensued, the university stated in the alert.
Pritzker, repeating talking points he used last week when launching his tax proposal, said the plan would help the state address its $3.2 billion budget deficit, $8.4 billion backlog of unpaid bills and $134 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. He presented two alternatives: across-the-board spending cuts or an increase in the current flat tax rate. The governor so far has ruled out extending the sales tax to consumer services or taxing retirement income, moves that would put Illinois more in line with other states but are politically unpopular.
The City Council Budget Committee approved an $85 million construction and design contract for AECOM to build the facility for police and fire department training in West Garfield Park, as Emanuel tries to lock down the project before he leaves office in May.
Emanuels idea is to allow chairmen to recuse themselves because of such conflicts of interest just three times per year. More than that, and they would need to either give up their chairmanships or divest of the financial relationships that caused the conflicts. And aldermen couldnt preside over matters where they would need to recuse themselves from votes, as Burke often has.
South Africa: SA reiterates support for new Zimbabwe

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated South Africas commitment to work with Zimbabwe in addressing the socio-economic challenges experienced by the two neighbouring countries.

President Ramaphosa made the commitment in his opening remarks of the SA-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Tuesday.

The President is in the country for the third session of the South Africa-Zimbabwe BNC with his counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The visit is part of efforts to strengthen mutual cooperation and deepen the implementation of 45 bilateral agreements during the Bi-National Commission (BNC).

The BNC is preceded by a ministerial session, which was held on Monday, to consider and adopt the draft agreed minutes and joint communique negotiated by senior officials on 7 and 8 March 2019.

During his address, President Ramaphosa said he is encouraged that the two countries are both committed to adhering to the BNC agreement signed in April 2015, which stipulates that the two countries should meet annually.

Although our BNC is only just over three years old, our relations date several decades. Through steadfast servicing of this BNC, our two countries will be able to consolidate the bilateral cooperation existing between our countries and to explore other areas of cooperation, the President said.

He saluted the new administration for its efforts through the Programme of Action to take Zimbabwe out of its current difficulties and make it a viable partner for South Africa, the region and other development partners.

In support of your commendable efforts, in February of this year at the World Economic Forum, South Africa made a call to the international community to assist Zimbabwe and lift sanctions. We are pleased that the European Union heeded the call and in February 2019 decided to lift sanctions on the current members of your administration, he said.

President Ramaphosa said this is the first of many steps needed to support Zimbabwes recovery.

South Africa stands ready to render support to Zimbabwe within our means in your quest for economic renewal. It is our wish that, using the BNC mechanism, we should at our level strive to provide the strategic impetus to drive the bilateral relations to a significantly higher level.

The President said South Africa and Zimbabwe should work together to explore a variety of issues to further deepen cooperation. This includes deepening the social ties between the two countries and the region through greater people-to-people cooperation.

The two countries already work together in many critical areas, such as economic cooperation and infrastructure development, energy production, mining, defence, health, transport, migration issues, and information and communication technology. This is through the signed 45 agreements that are being implemented by State departments.

I am encouraged by the participation of South African business in various sectors of the Zimbabwean economy such as engineering, construction, banking, retail, hospitality, mining exploration and services, among others. There are undoubtedly good prospects for both of our countries, but there is a need to ensure ease of doing business and elimination of trade barriers, President Ramaphosa said.

This should include, he added, the urgent conclusion of all outstanding work on the Beit Bridge One Stop Border Post for facilitation of free movement of persons, goods and services.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said threats against clergymen are a cause for concern and that the police should protect critics of the government.

Angara, who is running for re-election backed by the administration-aligned Hugpong ng Pagbabago and Duterte's party, said Duterte should not be directly blamed for the death threats.

"I don't know, just 'cause there are death threats, I don't know if that should be thrown automatically at the feet of the President," Angara told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday. "If anyone should be protected, it should be the critics of the government to show that we are a democracy and we value freedom of speech and expression."

Angara was reacting to allegations by priests Robert Reyes, Albert Alejo and Flavie Villanueva that they have received text messages containing vulgar words and death threats against them and Bishops Socrates Villegas and Pablo David.

But the three priests themselves suggested that Duterte could be behind the threats aimed at them, with Reyes even saying that they are only afraid of God and not the President.

Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima also blamed the President in a statement for the threats aimed at priests.

"Ganito ang impluwensya at epektong nagagawa ng mga gaya ni Duterte, na sobra na ang kademonyohang pinapasok sa kaisipan ng mga Pilipino. Binabatikos na nga ang Simbahan, ultimo ang Diyos tinawag pa niyang estupido," De Lima said.

[Translation: This is the influence and effect of people like Duterte, who is inculcating exceedingly evil things into Filipinos' minds. The Church is being criticized and even God has been called stupid.]

Malacanang blamed the threats on "anti-Duterte trolls" who want to put the President in a bad light or on personal enemies of the priests.

The President himself has called for violence against clergymen, once calling for the killing of "useless" bishops who do nothing but criticize his administration. He later cautioned against harming Catholic priests.

Reyes, Alejo and Villanueva shunned getting police protection, as assured by PNP chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Albayalde to Manila Archbishop Luis Cardinal Tagle.

The priests said that the police are better off protecting the poor and that they would rather get the help of the Catholic community for their protection.

CNN Philippines Multi-platform Writer Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.
Among the terms that have been added to the lexicon of our post-truth world is gaslighting, defined as a form of psychological abuse designed to make someone doubt their own sanity.

For a possible example, consider the response filed Monday by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk to the Securities and Exchange Commissions motion for a federal judge to find him in contempt.

The document, which is part of Musks ever-escalating battle with the SEC over his tweets about Tesla affairs, was signed by his lawyers but has his fingerprints all over it. And its goal seems to be to introduce the SEC staff to an alternative reality.

The reply brief effectively rewrites the companys policy requiring that Musks tweets be preapproved by attorneys of his electric car company  a policy that was mandated by a legal settlement Musk accepted in September. It claims that his 1st Amendment rights are being infringed by the SEC, and that the agency must be aiming at retaliation and censorship of Musk because it has been embarrassed by his relentless taunting.

Advertisement

The tweet simply was not news. Tesla Inc.

Lets deconstruct whats happening here. (Note for film buffs: Though the term gaslighting has a modern feel, it derives from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which Charles Boyer tries to drive his wife, played by Ingrid Bergman, off her rocker so he can steal her family jewels.)

The SEC sued Musk last year over a tweet in August declaring that he was intending to take Tesla private for $420 per share, a substantial premium over its price at the time. The tweet said funding for the transaction was secured.

In fact, there was no funding, and Musk had taken no significant steps toward any such deal. His tweet set off a brief trading frenzy in Tesla stock, which got the SECs attention.

In September, Musk and Tesla both agreed to pay $20 million to settle the SECs lawsuit over the tweet. Musk agreed to step down as Tesla chairman, though he remains as CEO. The company agreed to add two independent directors to its board as a means of reining Musk in. And Musk agreed to submit for preapproval all tweets that contain, or reasonably could contain, material information about the company.

Tesla didnt actually formalize the preapproval policy until Dec. 11, or two days after Musk appeared on CBS 60 Minutes boasting that he hadnt submitted any tweets thus far for preapproval and portrayed the policy as an infringement of his free speech.

Fast-forward to Feb. 19. That evening, Musk put out a tweet stating that Tesla would manufacture about 500,000 vehicles in 2019. A few hours later, after a Tesla lawyer in an apparent state of panic bearded Musk at Teslas Fremont, Calif., factory, he issued a second tweet stating that he meant to say that by the end of 2019, the company would be producing cars at an annualized rate of 500,000 a year, and that delivery of 400,000 cars was the official estimate for 2019.

The SEC then asked the New York federal judge overseeing its lawsuit to declare Musk in contempt of court for violating the settlement agreement. The agency hasnt said what punishment it seeks to impose, but surely tightening the reins on Musks tweeting would be on the menu.

Now lets examine Musks remarkable response.

Generally, he argues that he hasnt violated the pre-examination policy even one little bit. The policy, he asserts, allows him to determine for himself whether a tweet contains, or reasonably could contain, material information. If Elon Musk decides that an Elon Musk tweet isnt material, he hits the send button.

Yet the policy, as written, gives Musk no explicit authority to make that judgment about his tweets  though it doesnt say whos supposed to prejudge a tweet for preapproval. This vacuum is one that Musk has sailed through. If a tweet appears that looks material, he can just say, It didnt look material to me, and therefore he cant be said to have violated the deal. This might work in the case of a CEO genuinely determined to live up to the terms of a settlement, rather than looking for its loopholes, as Musk seems to be doing.

Musk and Tesla have acknowledged that not a single tweet has been submitted for preapproval since Dec. 11. The Feb. 19 tweet was the first one that tested the policys terms, and from the SECs standpoint, it failed the test.

Was the tweet, in fact, material  meaning, did it contain information that might have affected the average investors view of the companys operations? Musk and Tesla say no.

Even though projections, forecasts, or estimates regarding Teslas business are specifically mentioned by the preapproval policy as items that might be material, Musk and Tesla say the tweet didnt contain anything new. Tesla had released production forecasts as early as January, they say. Musk was simply repeating their essence. The tweet simply was not news, the company brief says.

But thats not quite true. The companys official disclosures suggested that by the end of 2019 the company would be operating at a rate that would produce perhaps 464,000 vehicles in 2019, not 500,000. In a Jan. 30 earnings conference call, Musk said Tesla might reach a weekly production rate of 10,000 vehicles  or close to it, by the end of the year. Again  not 500,000 for 2019, but an annual rate of 500,000 by the end of 2019.

The company brief also asserts that no one should have taken Musks Feb. 19 projection as gospel. It was aspirational and forward-looking on its face, non-specific, and a statement of pride and optimism, not of guidance. Anyway, the brief implies, since Musk had tweeted that the figure was about 500,000, actual production of 460,000 or even 400,000 was still close enough to 500,000 to not really matter.

The fact remains that Teslas legal counsel thought the distinction was important enough that he or she sat down with Musk on Feb. 19 and wrote the second tweet to correct the first.

The brief argues that the first tweet must not have been material after all, since it didnt move Teslas stock. This isnt a great argument, since the tweet was issued after hours on a Tuesday and was clarified within four hours, long before the markets reopened for trading on Wednesday morning.

Finally, theres Musks claim that the SEC is so annoyed with him that it wants to infringe his freedom of speech. The SECs interpretation of the settlement is a de facto gag on a broad spectrum of statements implicating Tesla, the company asserts.

This is the most eye-catchingly ludicrous assertion in the brief. Musk and Tesla agreed to the preapproval policy. It doesnt prevent them from issuing any statement they wish, but only requires Musk to place a tweet under the eyes of two company attorneys or executives before sending it out. If they approve, no problem. If they disapprove, then it has to be rewritten to conform with, you know, the truth.

And if the final version is still materially misleading, then the SEC has all sorts of weapons at its disposal to punish companies and executives who lie, whether via Twitter or otherwise. And those weapons have not been successfully challenged as unconstitutional.

Its best to view the response brief in its entirety as yet another taunt by Musk to the SEC, which he has said he doesnt respect. Hes saying, in effect, that the settlement he agreed to with the agency doesnt amount to a hill of beans, because hes the one who decides when it applies.

Hes saying that he can squeeze his production numbers until they scream for mercy because his investors know hes just being aspirational, not disclosing actually actionable facts. And hes thumbing his nose not only at the SEC but at federal Judge Alison J. Nathan of New York, who approved the September settlement and is still presiding over the case. (She gave the SEC until March 19 to file a response to Tesla.)

How long can Musk get away with treating the securities laws as a personal playpen? The signs are that investors are wearying of his act, especially as evidence emerges that Tesla sales and financial results may be disappointing.

The companys shares closed Tuesday at $283.36, a 25% fall since Dec. 13, a few days after he taunted the SEC on 60 Minutes. Maybe shareholders are beginning to feel that a CEO whose company has a challenging operational landscape in front of it shouldnt be picking a fight with its regulators and a federal judge.

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.
The person to lead California utility giant PG&E Corp. out of the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history may be Bill Johnson, the outgoing chief of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally operated utility.

Johnson is PG&Es top pick for chief executive, people familiar with the situation said, while cautioning that the company hasnt made a final decision and is still discussing the potential hire. The California utility  which is the parent company of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.  is also close to picking new directors for its board, they said, asking not to be identified because the information wasnt public.

PG&E has been searching for a new chief since Geisha Williams resigned in January, two weeks before the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to deal with an estimated $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires that its equipment may have ignited. State officials and PG&E investors alike have been pressing the company for a management overhaul.

PG&E declined to comment. Johnson, who announced his retirement from TVA in November, wasnt immediately available for comment. He is expected to step down to make way for a new chief executive at TVA who begins in April. TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said in a statement that the utility was unaware of Johnsons plans after his departure.

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Johnson is perhaps best known as the man who served as CEO of North Carolina power giant Duke Energy Corp. for less than a day. He was appointed as part of the companys $17.8-billion takeover of Progress Energy in 2012 but was replaced eight hours later with James Rogers, the former CEO of Duke who was supposed to become executive chairman. Johnson was appointed that same year to his post at TVA, a federal agency that supplies electricity to power companies serving 10 million people in the Southeast.

While nailing down a CEO pick, PG&E is also nearing an agreement with investors represented by law firm Jones Day that could see the companys board revamped in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said. They said the investors hold about 40% of PG&Es stock and have discussed nominating at least nine members to the companys board.

The new board probably wont include candidates from a competing slate proposed by activist investor BlueMountain Capital Management, said the people. PG&E and Jones Day may announce an agreement by next week, they said, while cautioning that talks are ongoing and may still fall apart.

Representatives for Jones Day didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. BlueMountain declined to comment.

The investors represented by Jones Day and BlueMountain have been wrangling for control of the utilitys leadership for weeks. BlueMountain nominated 13 directors, including Jeff Ubben, CEO of activist investor ValueAct Capital Management. Earlier on Tuesday, PG&E delayed the deadline for nominating new directors for the fourth time, giving shareholders until March 19 to propose candidates.

Californias chief utility regulator, Michael Picker, told interim PG&E CEO John Simon in a phone conversation Monday that the company will have to explain to the state why specific board members were selected. Picker said in a filing that he had called the company to emphasize the critical importance that PG&E be led by people who can ensure it is operated safely and can manage the dynamic risks posed by climate change.
A lawyer representing a man who says Bayers Roundup weed killer caused his cancer urged jurors to imagine the scales of justice ever so slightly tilted in his favor, as if weighted by a feather, and said that would be enough to advance his trial to the next and final phase.

This isnt like those shows on TV where you have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, Aimee Wagstaff, an attorney for Edwin Hardeman, told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday.

Roundup, not hepatitis, caused Hardemans cancer, his lawyers argued at a crucial juncture in the companys second U.S. trial over the popular herbicide. Hardemans exposure to Roundup was a real factor, it doesnt have to be the only cause of his cancer, Wagstaff said. It doesnt have to be the only cause of his harm, even if they determine hepatitis may have played a role, she added.

The outcome of the trial underway in federal court in San Francisco has implications for thousands of similar cases filed across the U.S. Jurors started deliberating Tuesday in the first phase of a two-part trial after both sides presented their final arguments in the case. Jurors first duty will be to decide whether Hardemans exposure to Roundup was a substantial factor in causing his non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

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Bayer argues that the hepatitis Hardeman suffered for decades is the primary cause of his disease. If the jury agrees with the company, the trial is over. If not, the trial advances to a second phase to determine Bayers liability and damages.

Brian Stekloff, a lawyer for Bayer, attacked Wagstaffs analogy that the jury could make a decision based on a feathers weight of difference.

We didnt start at 50-50, we started at zero, Stekloff told jurors. They started at zero and have the burden of proof to demonstrate that Hardemans cancer was more likely than not caused by Roundup.

Stekloff reminded jurors of Hardemans medical records showing he had cirrhosis of the liver caused by hepatitis C but added that they shouldnt view the case as Roundup versus hepatitis C.

Theres no way to know what caused his non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Stekloff said, highlighting the testimony of two doctors, one of them a cross-examined witness for Hardeman, to support his argument.

Hardeman, 70, sprayed more than 6,000 gallons of Roundup, according to Wagstaff, some of it mixed from concentrated formulation, for 26 years on weeds growing on his large plot of land in Sonoma County, about 60 miles north of San Francisco.

Thats a lot of Roundup, Wagstaff said.

The decision will have ripple effects beyond Hardemans case. Bayer says 11,200 U.S. plaintiffs have sued the company in state and federal courts over claims Roundup caused their cancer. Hardemans suit is the second to go to trial and will be the first jury verdict in federal court, after Bayer last year lost what ended up being a $78.6-million verdict in state court in California.

Hardemans case serves as a bellwether for 765 similar cases filed in federal courts across the U.S. and collected before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco. The judges rulings will shape those cases as they go to trial, and the outcome of Hardemans trial is being watched by investors as an indication of whether the company will continue to fight the lawsuits or move closer to a settlement that analysts estimate could cost $5 billion.

The jury, reduced to five women and one man after others had to quit, must reach a unanimous verdict for Hardeman to win.
Batman turns 80 this year, and fans are in for a wicked, big-screen surprise.

Warner Bros. announced Tuesday that all three of Christopher Nolans The Dark Knight films will return to five Imax theaters, starting in Los Angeles later this month.

The first back-to-back screenings of Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) will take place March 30 at Hollywoods Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk. Nolan will join the audience for a moderated Q&A to discuss the blockbuster hits between the second and third films.

The trilogy will then head to New Yorks AMC at Lincoln Square and San Franciscos AMC Metreon 16 on April 13 before screening at Cinesphere Ontario Place in Toronto, and Imax Theatre at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis on April 20. All screenings will feature footage of Nolans Los Angeles Q&A.

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All five showings will screen on 70 mm, Nolans favorite high-resolution format. The director shot The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight with Imax cameras.

Christopher Nolan broke new ground with the Dark Knight Trilogy, and this is a rare chance for todays audiences to experience these extraordinary films as they were meant to be seen, said Jeff Goldstein, president of Warner Bros. domestic distribution, in a press release.

To have the added privilege of hearing Chris insights firsthand makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he added.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday at 9 a.m. Pacific. Fans who purchase tickets to all three films will get a lanyard and a special trilogy collectible.
Its 4:30 in the morning, and Anthony Guardian has a problem: His cooking oil is frozen.

Hes getting ready for the 19th edition of the Worlds Largest Matanza, an annual fiesta in the small city of Belen, N.M., that celebrates the states historic nose-to-tail hog-slaughtering festivals. Sixteen teams from across the state will gather in Eagle Park on this chilly late January day to feed traditional New Mexican matanza dishes  carne adovada, chicharrones, carnitas, red chile and more  to an estimated 9,500 attendees wholl pay $15 for all they can eat.

Guardian and his squad, the Rio Grande Matanzeros, are the reigning Peoples Choice winners  and are aiming for Grand Champions this year. But right now, in windy 20-degree weather and with only generator-powered floodlights for illumination, the 43-year-old is scrambling.

The Matanzeros are busy chopping mesquite wood or laying out knives and ingredients to tackle the 12-hour day ahead of them. So he jukes around the pit fires, propane gas tanks, cauldrons, smokers and skillets behind the team tent and searches for a solution.

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A lamp  I need a heating lamp! Guardian shouts. Someone finds two and places them around the jugs of cooking oil.

We gotta get the advantage, he says in a gravelly voice. Hes dressed in two jackets, overalls, a cowboy hat topped by a rattlesnake, and python-skin boots, a dagger around his neck. Were always the first team putting out food, and the last.

Benjamin Valencia, center, looks on as the Rio Grande Matanzeros break down a pig. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

He looks around. No other team has yet arrived. By the time they start cooking, he cracks, itll be noon!

Towns in the Land of Enchantment have held matanzas for centuries, ever since Spanish settlers brought the tradition from Europe. These all-day affairs see men and women break down pigs and use every part, from the blood to the bung. In the United States, only Cajun boucheries can compare in terms of a communal feast to revere the animal  and to express gratitude by pigging out.

This is what our people live and breathe, says Kevin Otero, program director for KANW-FM 89.1, an Albuquerque NPR station that specializes in New Mexican cultural programming. Families would have matanzas every weekend. Its not like that anymore.

As agricultural traditions fade across the country, the decline particularly stings in New Mexico, a state where many residents proudly trace their lineage back to the conquistadors and grumble at Americans who view the state only as a land of turquoise and Breaking Bad.

Carne adovada is one of the traditional dishes at a matanza, a traditional New Mexican pig slaughter. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Its heritage, its community, its ritual, its economics, its culinary, its celebration, says Tey Marianna Nunn, visual arts program director at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. It really is a performance art form.

Knowing its drawing power, the Hispano Chamber of Valencia County started what evolved into the Worlds Largest Matanza in 2000 as a fundraiser for high school students.

We can have a banquet, says current board secretary Rita Garcia, but isnt a matanza more fun?

New Mexican music legends such as Al Hurricane made regular appearances to play the states unique sound, a horn-heavy genre in which the band can go from Brown-Eyed Girl to a Los Tigres del Norte classic and not miss a beat, mess up an accent or lose the dance floor.

Alexis Guardian stirs chicharrones at the Worlds Largest Matanza, held Jan. 26 in Belen, N.M. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

The sun is beginning to rise, just in time for the first snack of the day: pork sausage stuffed with cheese and sour cream, enveloped in red chile hash browns.

Meanwhile, Guardian works on his liver dish, mincing pre-marinated lumps alongside bell peppers, purple onions and shredded carrots. He puts everything into egg roll paper and fries the results.

Next up are lonjas, fatback that will be fried into chicharrones.

Guardian has a torn rotator cuff, so helping him stir the chicharrones is his 20-year-old daughter, Alexis. She has accompanied him to matanzas most of her life, so she knows the procedure: Wait for the raw pork to cook to the point that it jiggles, then flip it with a massive paddle from the edge of the cauldron to the bottom. Repeat.

Its fun, she says. I might be the last generation that cares. But hopefully not.

Strips of lonjas (fatback) hang before they get turned into chicharrones. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Crowds flock into Eagle Park once the gates open at 7 a.m. Mesquite smoke spreads across the park, along with the smell of fried, smoked and cooked pork. Benjamin Valencia, who was previously tasked to observe his father and uncle lead the butchering, has a new job: Hes wearing a pig mask and welcomes people to the Matanzero booth.

Lines form so people can gorge on breakfast: spicy red chile pancakes, red chile flecked with pork, and breakfast burritos, among other items.

All the teams are now chopping and cooking  save for one. In an embankment that overlooks the field where the Worlds Largest Matanza is happening, brothers Bruce and Steve Gallegos wait for a 55-gallon oil drum filled with water to boil. Theyre the last team allowed to fully butcher a pig at the event, an honor that Steve cracks went to them because doing it the old way is hard  and were old.

A 275-pound pig ready to be broken down at the Worlds Largest Matanza. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Before them is a 275-pound sow on a table, its hooves up in the air, its tongue sticking out. Congealed blood hangs from its snout; a hole on the side of its neck is where the pig was stabbed earlier that morning. (Although matanzas historically involved killing the animal on site, teams competing in the Worlds Largest Matanza use pigs already slaughtered.)

Teams at the Worlds Largest Matanza broke down full pigs until 2012, when USDA officials required them to work with pre-prepped pigs from a facility approved by the government agency because the Matanza served food to the public for a fee  and the feds argued that meant the event was now under their jurisdiction.

Its great now, but it was a better event back then, one Chamber member said.

A crowd gathers around the Gallegos booth, staring at the prone pig. Oh wow, thats creepy! a young boy says.

Older people immediately begin to share stories about past matanzas, along with hog-killing tips: whether you stun the pig with the blunt edge of the axe, or the blade. Whether you kill it with a bullet two inches above the eye, or behind the head. Whether you bleed it out with a stab to the heart, or to the jugular.

Ronnie Bonney drove nearly four hours from Clovis so his wife could see her first matanza.

The Matanzeros strain out lard from chicharrones. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Shes not matanza, he roars. Shes Albertsons!

A group of five men assist Steve Gallegos by grabbing gunny sacks and spreading them over the pig. Someone pours scalding water over it. After a short wait, the men begin to shave off the bristles.

Gallegos cuts off the feet, then puts them on a grill. After the pig is shaved to his liking, he makes a deep slit into its chest and cracks it open.

The crowd whips out smartphones. Gallegos first pulls out the liver and heart and hands them off to his butchers. He then cuts around the intestines, taking care to not nick the bloated, purple sacs lest their contents spill out and spoil everything.

Anthony Guardian of Rio Grande Matanzeros doing his best Salt Bae impression over chicharrones. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

The Worlds Largest Matanza unfolds without any hitches, with attendees including military veterans, motorcycle club members and DEA agents. The temperature never exceeds 50 degrees, but no one seems to mind. The bands blast through their sets, with an announcer urging attendees to dance off those chicharrones.

By early afternoon, only a couple hundred people remain, mostly teams and their friends and family waiting to hear the winners in 10 categories such as carnitas, bizcochitos (an anise-flavored sugar cookie) and the Iron Pig, in which teams were tasked with cooking pork alongside a surprise ingredient: polenta. (Maybe its not an exotic ingredient in Southern California, says the head of judging. But it is around here.)

An eater holds plates of carne adovada and enchiladas at the Worlds Largest Matanza, an all-day festival celebrating New Mexicos hog-slaughtering traditions. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Before the winners are announced, a Hispano Chamber member reveals the most important stats for the day: 43 pigs cooked, 300 gallons of chile used, 22,000 tortillas handed out and tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships raised.

The Rio Grande Matanzeros dominate. Guardian wins first place for his liver and Iron Pig entrees; his mothers red chile recipe earns third. Two other team members get first and third in the tortilla category, and the Matanzeros win the Peoples Choice once more.

But the Grand Champion title eludes the 20-person team yet again: The winner is one of the main sponsors of the Matanza.

The Rio Grande Matanzeros in front of their booth, along with their trophies; Guardian is kneeling at center. (Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

I dont know what more we can do, Guardian says. He takes off his sunglasses to wipe away tears. I cant ask anything more of our team. We just gotta keep going.

The other Matanzeros, though, are ecstatic. They gather for a team photo as Guardian gathers his composure. He puts on his sunglasses again and smiles.

As long as Im able to, he says, Ill be doing matanzas until God calls me home.

gustavo.arellano@latimes.com

Twitter: @GustavoArellano
As investigators probe this weekends slaying of USC student Victor McElhaney, the victims mother told reporters Tuesday that her son was not a statistic, or just another black boy gunned down in South Central Los Angeles.

Standing with a dozen family and friends at a news conference at USC, Oakland City Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney said her son was a promising young musician and the light of her life.



For the record: An earlier version of this report referred to USC lecturer Aaron Serfaty as Sefarty and student Sarah Toutant as Tousant.

Victor was my sunshine, the councilwoman said as tears pooled in her eyes. And I prayed like every mama, every day: Please dont take my sunshine away.

Victor McElhaney was drumming before he could walk or talk, she said, and played at weddings and funerals and bat mitzvahs as a kid. The 21-year-old was a lifelong son of Oakland and a recent son of USC, where he had been studying jazz percussion at the Thornton School of Music since fall 2017.

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He was the only baby shed ever met that cried to be put down when she held him too long, his mother said. He needed his space, she said, but he also needed to see her.

McElhaney was shot outside a liquor store about a mile and a half from USC at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. At the news conference, Los Angeles Police Capt. Billy Hayes said the victim and a group of eight friends were approached by three or four men who attempted to mug them, shot McElhaney and fled in a dark blue or gray sedan.

No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon. LAPD detectives plan to review any security camera footage from businesses close to the shooting scene they can find, Hayes said.

Clarence McElhaney, the dead students father, implored anyone who might have information about the shooting to contact authorities.

Dont be silent. Silence is worse than the actual bullet that killed my son, he said, before speaking to the suspects directly. Respect life, be a man and step forward and take responsibility for your actions.

One of McElhaneys instructors at Thornton, Aaron Serfaty, told reporters that McElhaney just had a concert last Monday.

He was so happy, Serfaty said. I had never seen him play that well.

The day after the concert, Serfaty gave McElhaney two new pieces to play. McElhaney was so excited that he began jumping on his seat.

Victor was a brilliant musician first and a drummer second, Serfaty said. But most of all, he was an amazing human being.

On Tuesday, as he spoke to reporters, Serfatys eyes drifted towards McElhaneys parents, who had taken seats in front of him.

I cant look at you, Serfaty said, bursting into tears. He looked exactly like you.

The professor walked off stage without closing remarks and embraced the McElhaneys.

Sarah Toutant, a USC graduate student and friend of McElhaneys, spoke of his kindness, authenticity and courage. He was outspoken and challenged everyone around him in a way that would advance our culture, she said.

Seeing someone so free made you question why you couldnt do the same, she said.

Toutant said McElhaney was there for her when her father died recently.

He told me nothing he could say would make me feel better, so he wasnt going to attempt to try, she said. He promised to check in on her, and thats what he did.

Vic, we promise to do the same  check in on your family and friends and come together to celebrate your life, Toutant said.

Campus representatives emphasized their commitment to keeping students safe on and around campus. John Thomas, chief of USCs Department of Public Safety, said his office has been working tirelessly on the case with the Los Angeles Police Department.

I am quite confident that with help from the community, these individuals will be brought to justice, Thomas said.

McElhaneys death comes just a few years after his family lost another loved one, 17-year-old Torian Hughes, to gun violence. Torian, whom McElhaneys parents helped to raise, was shot and killed during a robbery in West Oakland in 2015.

At Tuesdays news conference, Councilwoman McElhaney said that shes dedicated her lifes work to eradicating the violence that is too pervasive in our communities of color.

Statistics show black and brown boys and young men are much more likely to die from gun violence than their white counterparts, she said.

Too many mothers know this pain, she said. Too many, too often.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday sealed Californias participation in a landmark Colorado River drought management plan, agreeing to shoulder more of the states future delivery cuts to prevent Lake Mead from falling to dangerously low levels.

With California signed on, the plan can move to Congress, which must approve the multi-state agreement before it takes effect.

The MWD board took the step over the objections of the Imperial Irrigation District, which holds senior rights to the biggest allocation of river water on the entire length of the Colorado.

The sprawling Imperial Valley agricultural district has refused to sign the drought plan until the federal government provides $200 million for restoration of the Salton Sea, and its intransigence has forced California to miss federal deadlines for joining the pact.

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Nearly two decades of drought have depleted the river and the big reservoirs that supply farms and cities from Colorado to Southern California. Federal water managers have repeatedly warned that the time is approaching when they will have to formally declare a shortage, triggering a cascade of river rationing.

MWD executives have said it is vital that the drought plan go into effect as soon as possible to prevent Lake Mead from dropping to levels that jeopardize Hoover Dams hydropower production and, eventually, water releases. They worry that if a shortage is declared, the agency would lose access to its substantial Lake Mead reserves.

Under the drought contingency plan, Arizona and Nevada would be the first to reduce their withdrawals from Lake Mead. If the huge reservoir drops farther, California would cut back, spreading its reductions across the MWD, Imperial and other agencies that use the river.

With no federal funding for the Salton Sea on the immediate horizon, MWD leaders said they would assume responsibility for Imperials share of the cuts to push California across the finish line.

Imperial protested and raised the threat of legal action in a letter it sent to the board on Monday.

Noting that the MWDs river rights are junior to Imperials, Imperial General Manager Henry Martinez argued that the move amounted to a major change that should trigger an environmental review.

It is an unbelievable assumption ... that only one minor modification will be needed for a lower priority water rights holder to sign multiple agreements on behalf of a senior priority water rights holder, Martinez wrote. By changing  in a way that the public cannot readily understand or see  the project description  at the last moment, MWD has violated both the letter and spirit of Californias Environmental Quality Act.

Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger told the board Tuesday that agency attorneys had reviewed Imperials letter and said no environmental review was necessary. Without any discussion, the board then unanimously approved a motion to finalize Californias part of the shortage deal.

However well-meaning MWDs action is intended, it is simply unworkable and unacceptable to take the IID and the Salton Sea out of the [drought plan] equation, Imperial board President Erik Ortega said in a statement after the vote.

The seven states that rely on Colorado supplies have been working on the drought plan for years.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman recently pressured the states to finish, saying the Interior Department will develop its own shortage directives if the states dont soon agree and send the plan to Congress.

In a Saturday letter to the Colorado River Board of California, the six other river states urged California to immediately approve the shortage plan. All six have agreed to it, although Arizona is still completing its documentation. According to Kightlinger, reclamation bureau attorneys said the MWD could sign for California.

Imperial leaders have said they intend to join the pact but wont ink the final documents until the federal government commits to funding Salton Sea restoration.

The Salton Sea is sustained by irrigation runoff from the Imperial Valley. As the district has sold some of its river water to San Diego, both irrigated acreage and field runoff have declined, causing the lake to shrink.

As the shoreline recedes, parts of a lakebed laced with agricultural chemicals and other pollutants have turned to dust, fouling the air. The lake has also grown increasingly salty, worsening its already bad water quality.

All that was anticipated when the San Diego water sales were agreed to more than a decade ago. The state and federal governments promised costly restoration programs. But they have been slow to materialize.

The Imperial Irrigation District is not seeking to delay the [drought contingency plan] process, Martinez wrote. IID only requests that we address the Salton Sea before proceeding with the [drought plan] rather than kicking the can down the road one more time.

Burman has supported federal funding for Salton Sea restoration, but has declined to link it to the drought plan.

If Imperial later signs the shortage documents, the MWD says it would be relieved of picking up Imperials share of the cuts.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall
Relations between the United States and Venezuela appeared all but collapsed Tuesday after the leftist government in Caracas set a 72-hour deadline for American diplomats to leave the country and the State Department said it was removing all U.S. Embassy staff.

Although the two nations did not formally sever diplomatic ties, the move signaled growing tensions as the Trump administration and its allies sought to oust Venezuelas embattled leader, Nicolas Maduro, and install an opposition leader in his place.

In a statement, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said he had ordered all remaining U.S. diplomatic staff to leave Venezuela this week because their presence had become a constraint on U.S. policy.

Trumps gamble in Venezuela offers opportunity but could backfire badly 

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The Maduro government said it had ordered U.S. diplomats to leave after negotiations to establish a diplomatic interests section  a kind of de facto embassy  had collapsed.

Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, said the Trump administration did not recognize Maduro as president and so his government could not hold talks or expel diplomats.

We dont believe the regime has the ability to tell us when to leave, and we dont believe [it] is able to provide security to U.S. diplomatic personnel, Abrams told reporters at the State Department.

In a series of interviews, Pompeo said he had ordered the withdrawal, in part, to protect U.S. diplomats.

Their security is always paramount, and its just gotten very difficult, Pompeo told a radio station in Houston.

They may not think the Venezuelan authorities can guarantee their safety any longer, said Adam Isacson, a security expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, a research and advocacy group.

They may fear a hostage situation  or looting  the general chaos, he said.

The State Department announced on Jan. 24 that it had ordered dependents and nonessential embassy staff to leave Venezuela. Officials declined to say how many Americans stayed after that, but the number was small.

That was several days after the White House officially recognized Venezuelas opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as interim president.

Guaido declared himself president after claiming Maduros reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries now have recognized Guaido as interim president.

The U.S. diplomatic withdrawal comes as Venezuela continues to slip into turmoil, battling its sixth day of widespread blackouts that have brought new suffering to a country already in crisis. Schools, banks and businesses were closed while hospitals and other critical facilities struggled to provide services.

Long lines of cars waited at gas stations as motorists sought fuel. Crowds pushed into sparsely supplied supermarkets searching for food that didnt need refrigeration. Some Venezuelans were forced to collect water from a polluted canal.

Maduro accused U.S. agents and his political opponents of causing the blackouts with a cyber-attack. The Venezuelan attorney generals office opened a criminal investigation into whether Guaido was responsible.

U.S. officials denied any involvement, blaming Maduros government for failing to keep the lights on through neglect and incompetence.

Guaido and the National Assembly that he heads  and that is ignored by Maduro  declared a state of alarm over the blackouts and other shortages. He called for more of the street protests that had galvanized the opposition.

Nothing is normal in Venezuela, and we will not allow this tragedy to be considered normal, which is why we need this decree of a state of alarm, Guaido told the assembly.

The latest diplomatic clash follows dozens of trade and finance sanctions that Washington has imposed on Maduros government, adding to the countrys economic woes.

On Monday, the Treasury Department added a Moscow-based bank owned jointly by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies to the blacklist of firms and individuals barred from doing business with U.S. citizens.

Evrofinance Mosnarbank was helping Venezuela circumvent U.S. sanctions and move money for Maduro, the Treasury Department said.

Venezuela, which sits on the worlds largest known oil reserves, has become a priority cause for the Trump administration, in part because of Cubas widespread influence there.

Nicolas Maduro promised Venezuelans a better life in a socialist paradise, Pompeo said. He delivered on the socialism part. ... The paradise part, not so much.

Beyond sanctions and political isolation, the White House has few clear options. Officials may be waiting for sanctions imposed on Venezuelas all-important petroleum company to bite.

Most Latin American countries support the Guaido-led opposition, and there appeared to be little appetite in the region for direct negotiations with Maduro.

Negotiations in the Venezuelan context have an extremely bad name, Cynthia Arnson, Latin America director at the nonpartisan Wilson Center think tank, testified to Congress last week.

The question is whether in todays circumstances a true hurting stalemate is at hand, she added.

Times staff writer Wilkinson reported from Washington and special correspondent Mogollon from Caracas.

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
They are two chief executives with a motivated political base, a seemingly unending supply of criticisms and a love of social media.

Other political stories may be more important, but few are as entertaining as the rivalry  or perhaps its more an odd political symbiosis  between President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

OF GRANDSTANDING AND HYPE

The two went at it in recent days over Trumps national emergency on illegal immigration, an action Newsom criticized during a last-minute decision to travel on Thursday to the border community of San Ysidro.

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His hosts told the governor theres no crisis in their San Diego enclave. We allow politicians with political agendas to advance the debate, Newsom chimed in. He also promised additional state help to refugees who cross the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum.

On Saturday  soon after a CNN story on Newsoms visit hit the airwaves, Trump took to Twitter. I hope the grandstanding Governor of California is able to spend his very highly taxed citizens money on asylum holds more efficiently than money has been spent on the so-called Fast Train, the president wrote, getting that extra jab in on the states high-speed rail project. (And you can bet that topic is one were going keep hearing about throughout the year.)

Trumps tweet came one week to the day he told an audience of conservative activists that Newsom had phoned recently to praise him as a great president and one of the smartest people Ive ever met. Californias governor has yet to comment, though you have to believe he wont remember anything remotely like that.

In short, the two men offer each other nothing but political upside. Trump will continue to find plenty in liberal-leaning California to criticize and Newsom has devoted a sizable portion of his first-year agenda on enhancing the states role as a counterweight to the presidents policies. And Newsom, so far, is much more willing to mix it up than was former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Both men seem to know exactly what theyre doing. And in singling out Newsom, Trump raises the California Democrats stature that much more.

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NATIONAL LIGHTNING ROUND

-- Trump is poised to request at least an additional $8.6 billion in funding to build more sections of a wall along the border, setting up a fresh battle with Congress.

-- If Border Patrol agents dont change how they watch the barrier, said some Arizona ranchers who have backed Trumps plans, it wont work.

-- Confirmation that the U.S. government has compiled dossiers on activists, journalists and lawyers interacting with the migrant caravan in Mexico has reignited a clash between civil liberties and government authority.

-- Amid a crowd of senators running for president, governors are now entering the field, arguing they are doers not talkers, executives with real experience.

-- A big chunk of the 2020 Democratic field made Texas an unlikely early-state stop Saturday and pushed back on big tech in front of young, social-media savvy crowds.

-- In 1960, John F. Kennedy launched his presidential campaign about two months before the New Hampshire primary. Now candidates campaign years in advance. What changed?

BECERRAS TOUGH SPOT ON POLICING AND RECORDS

Few California politicians have been able to more consistently control their public persona during the Trump era than state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. After all, hes the guy who can rightly claim to have sued the presidents administration almost four-dozen times since 2017. Democrats of all stripes have applauded Becerras stance.

But now, the Sacramento native and former L.A. congressman is finding the sledding particularly rough among some liberal groups when it comes to the power of police officers and law enforcement unions. The attorney general has sounded cautious notes in siding with a Republican district attorney in declining criminal charges against officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year.

And hes hesitated on enforcing the states new open records law on police personnel files  even threatening action against journalists who he insists were wrongly sent a copy of some internal documents.

A Democratic attorney general, in particular, is kind of torn between two worlds  the law enforcement entities and officials with which he or she must work and build credibility with, and Democratic constituencies that are highly suspicious of, if not downright hostile to, law enforcement, said Garry South, a longtime Democratic political consultant.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- In a trend that stems from lax enforcement of the cap on vacation accrual, more and more state workers are able to retire with massive payouts for unused vacation and other leave. Last year, the state paid its employees nearly $300 million for banked time off.

-- California privacy advocates and industry lobbyists are gearing up for a new legislative battle over a historic law that allows users to opt out of having their personal data collected and sold.

-- California state legislators accepted $810,000 in gifts and overseas trips in 2018, according to new economic disclosure documents.

-- A political consulting firm billed Orange Countys toll roads agency for 1,300 hours of reading emails of news.

-- Whether living in cars, on couches or outside, homelessness is a persistent problem across Californias 114 community college campuses  a symptom of a larger crisis of affordability for the states most vulnerable higher education students.

-- The once-a-decade process of political redistricting will offer a unique opportunity for the dwindling ranks of California Republicans to be on equal footing with Democrats.

LOGISTICS

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Few California Democrats have garnered more praise from the partys various constituencies than Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, who has led the states charge against the administration of President Trump with 47 lawsuits on issues including immigration and healthcare.

But in recent months, Becerra has come under criticism from progressives and civil rights leaders for his reticence to support legislative checks on police use of force. That blowback could have ramifications for an ambitious politician who seems primed for ever-higher offices.

On Tuesday, Becerra announced that his office would not seek criminal charges against two Sacramento police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed African American man.

While that decision was not unexpected, it built on another recent controversy in which Becerra was sued by civil rights groups for not releasing use-of-force records. He later outraged many progressive allies by threatening legal action over police misconduct records he said were improperly released to the media.

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Becerra has long walked a line of presenting himself as both a civil rights defender and a friend of law enforcement. But has also disappointed some supporters for not taking a stand in support of legislation that would toughen use-of-force rules as well as a proposal that the state Department of Justice routinely provide independent investigation of police shootings.

A Democratic attorney general, in particular, is kind of torn between two worlds  the law enforcement entities and officials with which he or she must work and build credibility with, and Democratic constituencies that are highly suspicious of, if not downright hostile to, law enforcement, said Garry South, a Democratic political consultant.

Becerra is now caught between these two constituencies in a pretty public way, said South, who managed Gov. Gray Davis 1998 and 2002 campaigns that portrayed Davis as a law-and-order Democrat. Sen. Kamala Harris faced the same pressures when she was attorney general, South said.

Capitol watchers see Becerra as a possible contender some day for higher office, including governor or U.S. senator if one of those jobs opens up.

But Becerra risks alienating key voters by his handling of the Clark case and his refusal to take a position on legislation making it easier to prosecute police officers, said the Rev. Shane Harris, a civil rights activist who has long served as a delegate for the California Democratic Party.

He needs to realize that if he wants to be governor someday, he is going to need black votes and brown votes, said Harris, president of the Peoples Alliance for Justice. If he has any aspirations, they just went out the window for now. This right here really took him backwards when it comes to the black vote in the state of California.

Harris said Becerra could regain ground with minority voters by supporting tough reform legislation and embracing calls for the attorney generals office to independently investigate all fatal police shootings.

Then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Becerra as attorney general in 2017 after he served 12 terms in Congress  a perch that provided little opportunity to be involved in state discussions of law enforcement oversight. Many activists did not know where he would stand on policing matters.

He won election last year with strong support from police groups, including big campaign checks from the California Statewide Law Enforcement Assn. political action committee, the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs PAC, the Long Beach Police Officers Assn. and the Oakland Police Officers Assn. PAC.

Becerra is too close to the law enforcement community, said Melina Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State L.A. and a member of the Black Lives Matter movement.

I think the complete unwillingness of the attorney general to intervene in the murders of black people by law enforcement  even under the most extreme circumstances, like Stephon Clark  demonstrates either a completely failed moral compass or a shameful submission to political cowardice, Abdullah said.

On Tuesday, Becerra defended his actions in police use-of-force cases as by the book and based on the evidence.

He resisted the idea that his office should routinely parachute in, as he calls it, and investigate officer-involved shootings that are now reviewed by prosecutors in each of the states 58 counties.

I dont have the capacity and the resources to try to take over the work of 58 different D.A.s in this one shop, Becerra said.

He said local prosecutors are far closer to what is going on in their communities.

He said he knows the African American community feels hurt by the shooting of Clark, but added I think there is a lot of hurt in the Police Department too, because they are under a microscope and two of their fellow officers are now under a microscope.

The attorney generals actions on law enforcement issues have frustrated some people who supported his election last year, including civil rights attorney John Burris, who represented Rodney King in his civil rights lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department.

Im disappointed, Burris said after Becerras announcement in the Stephon Clark case. I supported him wholeheartedly [during the election]. I think I had higher hopes for him in the beginning.

Burris said he has asked Becerra in the last few years to look at other police shootings and the attorney general has always sided with the local district attorneys in not pursuing action against officers.

At the end of the day, the attorney general is law enforcement, and they have to work with law enforcement throughout the state, Burris said. Thats what makes it very difficult for him and others to be very critical of the local police unless the evidence is overwhelming.

The Clark decision was not the only action that concerned some Becerra allies.

Becerra is under criticism from groups including the First Amendment Coalition, which sued him last month after he refused to release records related to investigations of shootings or confirmed cases of sexual assault by officers.

The lawsuit alleges that Becerra is required to turn over the documents by a law  SB 1421  that was approved last year. Police unions have sued to keep records from being released.

The ACLU of Southern California is very disappointed that Becerra is refusing to make public records ordered released by the state Legislature, said Melanie Ochoa, a staff attorney for the group.

It is unfortunate that the states top cop is sending a message that it is OK for agencies to deny the public access to information about serious police misconduct and uses of deadly force  particularly when we already have numerous courts that have decided that agencies must release this information, Ochoa said.

Becerras actions on the release of records are defended by Robert Harris, a director with the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Harris praised Becerra for withholding such records in the Justice Departments possession while court cases deciding whether the law applied to investigations of incidents that occurred before this year were pending.

I think thats an appropriate decision until we have a definitive answer, Harris said.

Becerra defended his actions on the release of police misconduct records, citing privacy laws.

My progressive values are still there, Becerra told The Times.

If I have your Social Security numbers, and theres a good chance I do in one of my databases  you would not want me to disclose it lightly, Becerra added. My job is to protect that privacy.

In January, in response to a group of journalists in Berkeley, the states Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training released a list of 12,000 names of police officers and job applicants who had been convicted of crimes.

Becerra later said the state office made a mistake in releasing the names to reporters for the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

In a letter, he told the reporters to destroy the records, arguing that possession of the data was a criminal offense.

Becerra said this week that his letter to Berkeley was part of due diligence to enforce the law.

Someone needs to ask the folks that are in possession of information that they are unauthorized to possess or use, what dont they understand about the law that says, You are in possession of information that you shouldnt have. Its like stolen property, he said.

The attorney general also finds himself in the center of a storm of controversy over possible legislative measures to reduce excessive force.

Becerra refused Tuesday to take a position on pending legislation by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) that would make it easier to criminally prosecute law enforcement officers who kill civilians.

Police unions and chiefs are supporting a separate measure that would instead focus on internal department policies and training.

Becerra said he has withheld taking a position on the two use-of-force bills because he has not read them yet and he wanted to first complete the investigation into the Clark shooting, which he wanted to be seen as independent and fair.

I have not gone through the bills to the point of making decisions, Becerra told reporters at a news conference on the Clark shooting.

I will get involved because its important, he said. I dont intend to be AWOL when it comes to the discussion of how we write this new chapter.

Coverage of California politics 

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99
A Costa Mesa man has put down his apron and chefs hat for a new venture: walking across the country.

Thomas Curran, a longtime restaurateur who last operated Taco Brat, a now-closed German-Mexican fusion concept on Harbor Boulevard that combined tacos and bratwurst, is using his adventure of self-discovery to raise $60,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

Accompanied by his dog, Wink, and a modified three-wheel, double-wide jogging stroller, Curran hopes to end the roughly 3,200-mile journey in September at the Newport Pier. The stroller features yellow stickers clarifying No baby on board.

The transcontinental effort, which hes dubbed Moving on West, started Feb. 2 in Holden Beach, N.C. He chose that spot partially because his son is named Holden.

When I caught up with Curran by phone on March 5, he was staying in Crawford, Ga., a small town about 85 miles east of Atlanta. He was holed up in the Chicken Coop Bed n Breakfast, a rare luxury because he normally camps in his tent.

One person in, and theyre full, Curran said of his quaint accommodations.

As of that day, he had walked 366.8 miles and taken 825,300 steps. He was on his second pair of shoes.

Thomas Curran, a former Costa Mesa restaurant owner, plans to walk from Holden Beach, N.C., to Newport Beach with his dog, Wink, and a modified three-wheel double-wide baby jogging stroller with yellow stickers clarifying No baby on board. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Curran)

Things didnt get off to the easiest start. On his second day, some people accused him of trespassing and discouraged him from using the road. The entire encounter left him on edge.

But five hours later, a big, friendly man made a generous gesture.

 `Im not gonna presume that youre homeless,  Curran recalled him saying, `but I used to be homeless, and I wandered with my dog. I saw you a couple of hours ago. I went home, and my wife and I made you some cookies and sandwiches. 

They talked over Bud Lites. The man also gave Wink some dog food.

That was a real shift in feeling in such a short period of time, Curran said.

Fortunately, for the most part, hes been experiencing amazing humanity.

Every single day people meet me out on the street somewhere with food, money, Curran said. They find out where I am. People drive out to find me and say hello.

Curran has also stayed at two Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.

Politically, ideologically, religiously, I have nothing in common with the people there, he said. But it didnt matter at all. There is no red. There is no blue. There are just really good people who wanted to hear my story, let me camp out with them and drink beer. That has been awesome.

What hasnt been awesome? The effects on his 50-year-old body.

My body hates me every day, no matter how much I trained, he said. I was in the restaurant business  on my feet. But that was nothing compared to walking 20 miles a day, controlling a dog, figuring out food, pushing a 150-pound cart. Its really done amazing, good things for my body, but  it was a rough go for the first couple weeks.

Wink is Thomas Currans 60-pound rescue dog from Mexico. The beagle mix is accompanying him on a roughly 3,200-mile walk across the country. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Curran)

Wink, a 60-pound beagle and German shepherd mix rescued from Mexico, has been fine. A vet checked him out prior to the trip.

Curran is keeping himself to some rules, one of which is calling his parents daily.

They are just so insanely worried about me, he said with a laugh.

If its 45 degrees and raining, he doesnt walk. If its above 85 degrees, hell likely not walk. He wont walk in pain and has equipped himself with some wilderness survival and first aid training. He tries to log 19 miles a day.

Currans daily routine revolves around the sun. He sets his alarm to an hour before sunrise. He goes to bed about an hour before sundown, avoiding any travels in the dark.

When youre out here doing this, you kind of lose track of days and time, he said.

Curran, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu and has worked for Umami Burger and California Pizza Kitchen, plans to meet fellow chefs, dishwashers and servers along the way.

In the blog hes keeping to document his journey, he called himself almost like a cross-country chef walker who drops in and cooks with strangers to get to know like-minded people across the U.S. His trainer told him that sounded like a Netflix series.

After Atlanta, he plans to go through Alabama, up to Memphis, Tenn., through Oklahoma City, then follow Route 66, with possible detours in Utah and Las Vegas.

You can follow Currans journey by visiting movingonwest.com and checking out his Instagram page, @movingonwest.
An inaugural International Womens Day Summit hosted last Friday by the Downtown Glendale Assn. marked a milestone in an ongoing discussion about gender balance, according to Kendyl Young, one of the events breakout session leaders.

Real change doesnt happen overnight. If it did, Id be suspicious, said Young, an owner of a local real estate brokerage, at CBREs downtown Glendale office, where the summit was held.

The fact that the city is focusing on female leadership, will organically create resources, will create networks, will create support, that will eventually bring us to that society that were hoping to have, she added.

Drawing nearly 120 attendees, the first of what organizers expect to be an annual event included an all-female local-entrepreneur panel discussion followed by smaller group conversations, as well as appearances by local and state elected officials.

Attendee Christine Park, who owns a local State Farm insurance office, said she hoped to find lasting connections.

It sounds so granola, but I wanted to meet more like-minded, career-minded women and build each other up, said Park, who came across the event on Twitter.

There seemed to be consensus among the panelists that sometimes even a high-powered womans biggest stumbling block is herself.

Growing up, Samantha Luu, an employment-branding specialist with the start-up firm Service Titan, said she often fell victim to unconscious gender biases.

I admired all these women, but then I indirectly attributed success to men, she said. Trying to figure out my identity I [want to] make sure that Im not letting that bias get to me and that I am just as good as everybody here.

While Portos Bakery co-owner and Cuban emigre Betty Porto said her parents instilled in her a sense of confidence, she agreed that sometimes a womans biggest barrier can be herself.

So what I try to do as a mother is instill the same thing my parents instilled in me, said Porto, after detailing a hard life under the Cuban Communist regime.

Because, if you believe in yourself, you might have to knock on the door twice, you might have to kick the door down, but in the end, if you believe in yourself, you can get whatever you want in life, she added.

Another recurring theme during the panel discussion was the importance of a strong work ethic.

Helen McDonagh, owner of Massage Envy Glendale, said she was often the first person to arrive and the last person to leave at the tech company where she worked before becoming a business owner.

Pointing to an example set by her mother and grandmother, Age of Learning senior vice president Miriam Lewis said she learned early on that you work for what you want, period. No excuses. If you want it, go get it.

Elissa Glickman, chief executive of Glendale Arts, the organization that manages the Alex Theatre, tailored her advice for those in leadership positions, who are responsible for their employees growth, as well as their own.

Think about really where you want to lead [your employees] to and who you want them to be when they come out of this adventure, Glickman said.

While International Womens Day was established about 100 years ago by a socialist group in New York  and is celebrated around the world  it has only recently gained traction in the United States, summit participants pointed out.

According to state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), of the 18 cities he represents, Glendale was the only one that held a Womens Day event.

lila.seidman@latimes.com

Twitter: @lila_seidman
Nearly 600 people attended Las Candelas biannual boutique, luncheon and fashion show last week at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel.

The March 4 event, the clubs major fundraiser, was hugely successful and so well done. The organizations mission is to provide volunteer and financial help to youths who are in vulnerable situations. This very colorful event helped fill the coffers earmarked for the clubs philanthropic goals.

Pattie McCormick and J.C. Byer were benefit chairs, with wonderful support from the clubs president Nancy Stone and 33 active members.

It was a fascinating shopping morning, as guests wandered through the nine vendor shops offering gorgeous things such as handcrafted jewelry from Bali, unique handbags, one-of-a-kind pillows with secret pockets and the latest of spring fashions.

When the doors opened to the ballroom, guests sat down to enjoy a lovely lunch beginning with a spring salad with sliced strawberries, a main course of chicken Wellington on a bed of baby roasted veggies and a dessert of baked Alaska. It was fun to see the waiters serve the desserts from trays with lit sparklers  it was quite a presentation.

Nancy Stone welcomed the guests, and co-chair ladies JC Byer and Pattie McCormick added their greetings too. Deacon Ron Baker, husband of club member Patti Baker, gave the invocation.

Before dining, a Frank Sinatra tribute artist, vocalist James Brewster, sang several Sinatra songs to get the guests primed for the event that was themed Memories Are Made of This.

After dining, the fashion show began featuring the beautiful designer collection of Lourdes Chavez. As always, the cadre of stunning female models was accompanied by three handsome men. Eliciting admiring sighs and ahhs was a regal black standard poodle who was fashionably coiffed for his walk down the catwalk with his blond model, who led him on a purple leash.

Guests bought raffle tickets for a special drawing for a $1,500 gift certificate from Lourdes Chavez, a $3,000 shopping extravaganza, or a Mammoth Mountain luxurious townhome for five days and four nights valued at $2,500.

Active Las Candelas members helping to make this such a success, in addition to those already mentioned, were Patricia Aleman, Carolyn Beaton, Pauline Beebe, Anna Brewer, Fran Buchanan, Marilyn Butler, Joan Campbell, Jeri Benton Clark, Margaret Cline, Marian Corbert, Carole De Paul, Jeannie Flint, Bobbi Gangi, Marion Graydon Greene, Debbie Hinckley, Diane Johnson, Ann Jones, Glady Kabateck, Cathy Keen, Mary Lane, Rosina Maize, Lynne Naeve, Teresa Nall, Sally Perkins, Liz Reynolds, Diane Russell, Ellyn Semler, Monica Sierra, Ginny Simpson, Suzanne Slaughter, Karen Swan and Ann Ways.

***

Last Thursday night I was invited to go see the musical Ragtime at the Pasadena Playhouse. It was one of the most powerful productions Ive seen in a long time. Im sorry the show has closed so that more people cant go see it.

Ragtime opened two decades ago at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles before it went on to Broadway and garnered 13 Tony nominations. I think this is quite possibly one of the most ambitious productions the Pasadena Playhouse has done  I would like to see more just like this.

Jane Napier Neely covers the La Canada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.
Year-end crime statistics for La Canada Flintridge indicate 2018 wasnt such a bad year for residential burglaries and violent offenses but did bring an increase in the number of property crimes overall, particularly thefts.

The Crescenta Valley Station logged a total of 231 larceny incidents last year, compared to 162 in 2017. Lt. Mark Slater, acting captain for the local station, attributed some of the nearly 43% increase to the addition of about 30 backlogged self-reports filed by citizens in previous years but not tabulated until 2018.

Larceny includes grand and petty theft, vehicle burglaries, shoplifting and incidents of identity theft that result in loss to victims  all of which are fairly common in cities like La Canada, Slater said.

I think the type of community we have is a target, the lieutenant said Thursday. Its an upper scale, affluent community. People see dollar signs.

Statistics on the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments website show the Crescenta Valley Station logged 13 violent crimes last year (rape, robbery and aggravated assaults) compared to 16 the year before. Property crimes including burglary, larceny and grand theft auto, came in at 330, a nearly 15% increase from 287 reported incidents in 2017.

Despite what seemed like a rash of residential burglaries to hit La Canada last year, particularly in the month of December, there were 19 fewer home break-ins in 2018  or 86 reports  compared to the 105 reported in 2017.

Slater said the year-end reports give a snapshot of criminal activity in a city that can be tracked from year to year and provide deputies and station officials with insight into where further attention might be applied.

It gives you a good indication of whats going on in your community, he said. With burglaries, we can look at [the numbers] and start to identify patterns and crime trends and see if we can combat these.

While La Canadans made strides in protecting their neighborhoods by joining watch groups and taking advantage of city rebates for Ring video doorbells, there were still some areas for improvement.

Himself a victim of identity theft in 2016, Slater advised La Canada residents to guard their personal items and information dearly.

If you have an alarm, use it. If its not working, get it fixed, he said. Zip up your purse, and dont leave it in those carts or on the back of chairs. Lock your car at night and get rid of the valuables from inside  and bring in your mail at night.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine
Many things can stand between a student and the ability to learn well. Physical causes are usually obvious, but emotional and social issues can be just as great barriers and are often harder to diagnose.

As educators and parents, we all need to remember that we are working with a whole child. That means we need to teach not only the mind but also the social and emotional side of students. This can be a moving target. Which child do we have on our hands today? The kind gentle child, the raving banshee, or the quiet sullen sibling? Swings in mood are hardly unknown among healthy teens and preteens, but there is usually a degree of consistency. When the consistency is lacking, or the moods are extreme, its time for a closer look.

Many factors can upset the emotional equilibrium, as pointed out in an Oct. 11 New York Times Magazine article, Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety? by Benoit Denizet-Lewis. (Excellent read, by the way.) When children are concerned about mom and dads relationship, a dying relative or pet, or have a sense of being bullied, its going to be very hard for them to stay focused on schoolwork. And dont underestimate the impact if they sense a lack of friendships or feel they are outsiders. Research has shown that a lack of good friendships is one of the biggest causes for emotional distress in young people today.

What are some of the signs your son or daughter may have an emotional problem rather than a learning disability? Lack of interest in things that used to interest them, trouble focusing, an abrupt change in friends, trouble sleeping or being restless, appearing more angry or frustrated, coming home late without calling, a blatant disregard for house rules, isolating themselves, and of course greater alcohol and drug involvement.

When there is an emotional or social problem affecting school, all the learning aides and tutors wont help because it is not an educational issue. So what do you do? A good first step is contacting a school counselor, letting them know what you think, and seeing if they concur, based on their observations. An alternative is to contact a licensed therapist, seeking one who specializes in children and adolescents and the family. Cognitive therapy can help children and adolescents understand what they are thinking or feeling and how to change it.

Finding the right therapeutic match isnt always easy. Personal referrals are a good start, but what works for one teen doesnt necessarily work for another, so dont hesitate to interview several until you find someone whos a good match. Give it some time. It can take a few weeks to establish a relationship, especially if the student isnt excited about going to a psychologist. With that said, the therapist should not make an endless project out of the patient.

Once the emotional and social issues are addressed, your students education will get back on track. Children are pretty resilient, but they do best with your support, guidance and love.

ROBERT FRANK is the executive director of the Hillside School and Learning Center in La Canada. He holds a masters of science degree in special education and has more than 40 years of teaching experience. His column appears on the last Thursday of each month. He can be reached at frank@hillsideforsuccess.org.
Sham Hock did not lead a charmed life. Sham Hock, also named Pig O My Heart, was a 12-foot-by-20-foot inflatable pig that marched in Ventura's annual St. Patricks Day parade.

The origins of Sham Hock are mentioned in a March 13, 1990, Los Angeles Times article. The Times reported that former [Ventura] Mayor James L. Monahan, the grand marshal, will set the mood by carrying Paddy's Pig, a green-dyed piglet, as the parade travels south along Main to its final destination at Ash Street.

The Times article added that the pigs nontoxic coloring can easily be washed off.

Animal rights activists objected. The live green pig idea got replaced. The grand marshal carried a green toy pig.

The March 17, 1991, Los Angeles Times reported that: This year, the parade committee raised $2,500 to buy a 25-foot inflatable green pig. But the generator that blows up the balloon stopped working as the parade began to move, and the air went out of the idea, committee member Ralph Noll said.

Also for the 1991 parade, a name-the-pig contest tied with Sham Hock and Pig O My Heart as the winners.

After 1991, Sham Hock appeared in several St. Patricks Day parades. But a March 25, 1998, Los Angeles Times article reported:

For better or worse, Saturday's 10th annual St. Patrick's parade was the last year of the giant green pig.

"We're finally going to shred it up," said parade chairman and City Councilman Brian Brennan.

Although the inflatable swine has evolved into the unofficial mascot of the Main Street parade over the last decade, The reality is, it's a racial slur, Brennan said.

Organizers would like the annual parade and festival in honor of St. Patrick's Day  to be celebrated nationally on Tuesday  to aim for a loftier image, instead of being associated with a fat, garbage-eating farm animal.

Perhaps next year, the parade's mascot will be the stocky Connemara pony, Brennan said. Connemara is a small Irish neighborhood near Galway, where Brennan grew up. It is known for its literary community, Brennan said.

The pig's retirement promises to disappoint some tradition-minded parade-goers, who come annually to see the giant float.

"We always look forward to the green pig," said Deborah Navaro, of Thousand Oaks, who was at the procession with her husband, Jesse, and their children, Joseph, 10, Joshua, 8 and Joslyn, 7. But Brennan hopes that St. [Paddy] lovers will understand the parade committee's decision. 

After this Los Angeles Times article, there was no mention of Sham Hock in further Times coverage of Ventura St. Patricks Day parades. But Sham Hock lived on. According to the Ventura County Star, he marched in parades for 26 years.

In 2015, the pig was stolen from a storage facility, but found in a crate on Ventura Boulevard in Ventura.

In 2017, Sham Hock deflated again. This time, he was given a funeral procession to raise money for a replacement.

In 2018, Sham Hock 2 appeared in the St. Patricks Day parade.

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
Selling arms to rebels in Yemen, Libya and Sudan. Smuggling coal and oil from ship to ship in the middle of the ocean. Diplomats and ship captains carrying bulks of cash. Cyberattacks, including one involving more than 14,000 ATM withdrawals in 28 countries.

Those are just some of the increasingly brazen and sophisticated methods North Korea has used to skirt international sanctions designed to pressure the isolated country into giving up its nuclear program, according to a U.N. Security Council report released Tuesday.

The 378-page report comes on the heels of last months meeting between North Koreas Kim Jong Un and President Trump, in which Kim sought unsuccessfully to get the sanctions lifted, making the case that they were hurting the livelihood of his people.

Trump said he wanted to take off the sanctions so badly but the concessions offered by North Korea just werent enough.

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According to the U.N. report, North Korea has found plenty of workarounds.

North Korea, mixing pleas and provocation, asks for food aid while hinting at rocket launch 

Since 2006, the United Nations has imposed several rounds of increasingly restrictive sanctions on North Korea as punishment for its nuclear program, cutting the nation off from the international financial system, banning key exports such as coal, iron and seafood and limiting imports of crude oil and petroleum products.

But North Korea is getting better and better at avoiding detection and dodging sanctions enforcement to illicitly export arms and coal for cash, and import oil and luxury goods, according to the panel of experts who wrote the report. Particularly adverse to the international pressure campaign against North Korea is its ability to sell coal and obtain oil at sea, the panel found.

The nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea remain intact and the country continues to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal, the experts wrote, referring to North Korea by its official name. These violations render the latest United Nations sanctions ineffective.

North Koreas sanctions violations are creative and multipronged, according to the report. North Korean entities are believed to have explored developing a 40,000-acre gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pyongyang is also believed to be involved in military buildups in Iran, Syria and Sierra Leone. North Korea also appears to have illegally sold fishing rights in its waters; at least 15 Chinese fishing vessels were caught with North Korean fishing licenses.

A major moneymaker: cyberattacks on banks and cryptocurrency exchanges.

These more recent attacks show how the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has become an increasingly sophisticated actor in cyberattacks for financial gain, with tools and tactics steadily improving, the experts wrote. One advanced, well-planned and highly coordinated operation managed to bypass three layers of Interpol protections, according to the report.

All the while, the country is managing to illegally import luxury goods including fancy cars and vodka, the panel found. Among them is the Mercedes-Benz limousine that carried Kim to his meetings with Trump in Singapore, according to the report.

At the same time, North Korea continues to protest that the sanctions are inhumane and oppressive.

Kim Song, North Koreas ambassador to the United Nations, wrote to the U.N. secretary-general this week complaining that sanctions appeared to be attempting to destroy modern civilization and turn the society back into a medieval dark age, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency.

He urged the U.N. to lift sanctions that run counter to the prevailing situation and public sentiment of the world, according to the KCNA.
The hip-hop hit A Lot, by the rapper 21 Savage, boomed through the speakers at Phnom Penhs Cool Lounge, the rapid-fire verses spilling from the bar onto the Cambodian capitals hectic streets.

Been through some things, but I couldnt imagine my kids stuck at the border, rapped the British-born artist who was recently detained in the U.S. on suspicion of overstaying his 2006 visa.

The lyrics and the Atlanta-based rappers story, perhaps foreign to most Cambodians, resonated with the bars clientele, which included some of the more than 700 Cambodians deported from the United States over criminal convictions since a 2002 repatriation agreement.

During his second term, President Obama prioritized removing migrants with criminal convictions. The Trump administration has since ramped up deportations, including of Cambodians and Southeast Asians, expanding the list of targets and the acts for which they can be removed, some for cases more than a decade old.

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But sitting inside the Cool Lounge on a recent afternoon, a tattooed, soft-spoken California man who was deported in 2014 to Cambodia  a country hed never set foot in  was preparing to embark on a journey that had given other deportees hope.

Veasna Meth, 30, spent the last five years apart from family members in Sacramento, including wife Sandy Ho and their children  son Jorden, 12, and 1-year-old Lily.

Now Meth is one of the first Cambodians to be allowed to return after the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Sessions vs. Dimaya, which struck down part of a broad federal immigration law that mandated the removal of noncitizens, including longtime green-card holders, who were convicted of a crime of violence.

The court determined that the statutes language was vague, voiding the deportation order of a Philippine man who had twice pleaded guilty to breaking into an unoccupied California house.

As a 19-year-old, Meth and his friends broke into an empty house. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to residential burglary, then served one year in prison. A court initially ruled that it was not a crime of violence and therefore not an aggravated felony under the federal law, which would have required the cancellation of his green card.

But in 2013, the Department of Homeland Security appealed the decision and won, raising Meths conviction to an aggravated felony that invalidated his green card.

Meth said that, months later, immigration authorities came to his mothers house, asking where he was. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent eventually called him, posing as a parole officer.

They said they wanted me to sign some paper. And I was like, OK, Im at work, you wanna meet me here?  he recalled. Twenty minutes later, three cars showed up.

Authorities picked him up from his job as a fabricator, where he made signs and boxes out of acrylic, and in January 2014 deported him.

His story is typical of Cambodian deportees, the overwhelming majority of whom arrived in the U.S. as children, their parents having fled the country in the 1970s when the Khmer Rouge began its genocidal campaign that killed nearly 2 million people.

Some deportees were born in refugee camps in Thailand or, like Meth, the Philippines; most had lived in the U.S. for decades and obtained green cards. Many, like Meth, had never been to Cambodia before they were deported and had few if any relatives still living there.

Meth emigrated to the U.S. as a 5-month-old and grew up in California, in low-income communities in Long Beach, Modesto and Stockton, often surrounded by gang violence.

He said he and his parents didnt understand the importance of pursuing U.S. citizenship, believing his permanent residency to be genuinely permanent.

After arriving in Cambodia, Meth for the first time met his aunt, the only member of his family remaining in the country. And although he speaks Khmer, he cant read or write in Cambodias language.

Native Cambodians, he said, view deportees as suspicious foreigners. They dont like us with tattoos, he said in a California accent as West Coast rap played over the speakers at the Cool Lounge. They say that were the bad guys.

Learning to live in Cambodia was a culture shock, he said. And then depression, because my son was still young and my wife was there by herself.

Ho, an accountant who visited him in Cambodia nearly every year, had to support their family on her own.

Im just in disbelief how the system worked and my husband was wrongfully deported, Ho said. Like literally, at that point, what do I do?

Meth was living alone, without a Cambodian identification card required for him to work legally. His situation became even more complicated when he suffered a serious motorcycle crash that left him paralyzed for months  a common occurrence in Cambodia, where road accidents are the leading cause of death.

Friends and family raised money for his surgery, but the dearth of quality medical providers in Cambodia stunted his recovery, leaving him with a pronounced limp and unable to lift heavy objects.

Other deportees have been less fortunate: Sophorn San of Providence, R.I., who arrived in Cambodia in December, died in a gruesome motorcycle crash last month.

While recovering from his crash, Meth contacted the legal aid organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice  Asian Law Caucus. In May, one month after the Supreme Court decision, lawyers filed a motion to reconsider Meths deportation.

We all dream of bringing deportees home. Veasna is hopefully just the beginning. Kevin Lo, one of Veasna Meths lawyers

The high courts 5-4 ruling was the result of an unlikely alliance between its liberal justices and Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trumps first appointee to the court. In a partially concurring opinion, Gorsuch wrote that the statutes vagueness left judges to their intuitions and the people to their fate.

Immigration advocates hailed the ruling, saying it would spare thousands of legal residents from deportation. But the Trump administration has pushed back against individual cases.

Department of Homeland Security lawyers opposed Meths repatriation, according to court documents reviewed by The Times. Contacted for this article, a representative referred to an earlier statement by the department that the Supreme Court ruling allows our nation to be a safe haven for criminals and makes us more vulnerable as a result.

But in November, an immigration judge sided with Meth, declaring his removal order erroneous and restoring his green card.

Advocates hope the Dimaya ruling will open doors for the return of other noncitizens.

We all dream of bringing deportees home, said Kevin Lo, one of Meths lawyers. Veasna is hopefully just the beginning.

But others warn that immigration judges retain vast discretion and can refuse for any reason to reopen cases, even those involving the crime of violence convictions addressed by the court. Individual cases such as Meths do not set a precedent, they say.

Bill Herod, the American founder of the Khmer Vulnerability Aid Organization, a Phnom Penh-based assistance group for deportees, urged Cambodians removed from the U.S. not to get their hopes up.

Those considering legal action permitting their return to the U.S. will have our cooperation, he said in a statement. But as the process may be lengthy and uncertain, we hope this will not interfere with the hard work they are now doing in building new lives of freedom and responsibility in Cambodia.

Veasna Meth holds the hand of his wife, Sandy Ho, upon his arrival at San Francisco Airport late last month. They are flanked by his lawyers Melanie Kim and Kevin Lo. (Kevin Lo)

Meth never thought he would get back to the U.S. and seemed in disbelief even days before his flight.

Coming here, its always in the back of my mind that I want to go home, he said. While you keep going with your life, you try something. If it work out, it work out. It doesnt matter how long it take.

Meth sat at the Cool Lounge with a group of friends munching on takeout Mexican food, a cuisine that reminded them of California. The bar draws a large clientele of deportees  its owner was also sent back from the U.S.  and Meth was struggling to shake a kind of survivors guilt.

Youre here for a certain time and then you bond, you become brothers because thats all you got, he said. Im blessed, man. Its hard to explain the feeling because, at the end of the day, I got friends here with kids and no chance of going home.

On Feb. 27, Meth departed Phnom Penh for San Francisco, carrying physical and emotional scars from Cambodia: He wore a shirt depicting San, the deportee killed in the recent crash, flanked by graffitied angel wings.

Im excited to see my kids and to be back on American soil, Meth said in a text message after landing. I dont quite know how to express it, but I just want to go outside and kiss the ground or something.

Dunst is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Shashank Bengali in Singapore contributed to this report.
A prominent Iranian lawyer who defended women arrested for protesting the countrys mandatory head scarf law has been sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes, according to her husband.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been imprisoned since being taken from her home in June, is already serving a five-year sentence.

The 55-year-old human rights lawyer was sentenced to an additional 33 years  and the 148 lashes  after being convicted of several more national security crimes this month, her husband, Reza Khandan, wrote on Facebook on Monday.

But the semiofficial Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a judge at Tehrans Revolutionary Court said Monday that in addition to the five years of Sotoudehs earlier sentence for colluding against the system, she was sentenced to two years for insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report did not clarify which cases the judge spoke of, but a rights group said one appeared to be the 2015 conviction.

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Sotoudeh told her husband in a brief phone call from prison that she was informed she faces 38 years and the lashes, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Khandan told the New York-based advocacy group that it is unclear what additional charges Sotoudeh had been convicted of and that his wife had not received the verdict in writing.

I dont know how many years she got for each of the charges because my conversation with Nasrin only lasted a few minutes and we didnt get to the details, Khandan said, according to a statement on the groups website.

I only know that the biggest sentence was 12 years for [encouraging] corruption and prostitution, he said, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

.@statedeputyspox: We condemn #NasrinSotoudehs sentencing in the strongest possible terms and call on all of our partners and allies to speak out and demand the release of this courageous #humanrights defender and all of those arbitrarily detained immediately. #Iran pic.twitter.com/Gu46W9cFLZ  Department of State (@StateDept) March 12, 2019

Hadi Ghaemi, the centers executive director, said lashing is an unusual sentence for someone charged in a security case. He said it showed Iran is escalating its crackdown on human rights defenders.

Sotoudeh is asking for rule of law. It shows how much [authorities] are afraid of her, Ghaemi said in an interview Tuesday.

Human rights groups and lawmakers denounced Sotoudehs sentencing.

Sotoudeh must be released immediately and unconditionally and this obscene sentence quashed without delay, said Philip Luther of Amnesty International.

The U.S. State Department also demanded her release and called the sentence barbaric. The European Union released a statement demanding authorities review Sotoudehs sentence and ensure her right to appeal. The European Parliament awarded Sotoudeh the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2012.

The European Union notes that the right to protest peacefully, as well as the right to express opinion in a non-violent manner, are cornerstones of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party, the statement read.

In the decade following Irans disputed 2009 presidential election, more than 40 lawyers who defend political activists have been arrested.

But the Iranian judiciary intensified its clampdown in January 2018 after the country was rattled by its biggest anti-government protest in nearly a decade. The protests were set off after a woman was arrested in Tehran for removing her head scarf in public.

After the wave of unrest, authorities arrested at least seven human rights attorneys, including Sotoudeh, and announced that defendants held on political charges are only able to choose lawyers from an approved list.

Human rights lawyer Mohammad Najafi was sentenced in October 2018 to three years in prison and 74 lashes for publishing falsehoods and disturbing the state.

This isnt the first time Sotoudeh has been imprisoned. She was arrested in 2010 for what Iran said was spreading propaganda against the system.

Sotoudeh was kept in solitary confinement during some of her time in prison and reportedly went on a hunger strike in October 2012 to protest how authorities were treating her family and for being denied the opportunity to see her daughter and son. She was released in 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani granted her a pardon.

Iran cracks down on womens rights activists as leader offers his solution to sexual harassment, assault: Cover up 
- Made Men Music Group boss, Ubi Franklin, has denied claims that he betrayed his former music partner, Iyanya

- Ubi did this shortly after Iyanya revealed in an interview that he quit the label upon discovering that his name was not on any forms

- Ubi has now accused Iyanya of lying to the world to make himself look good

Business is sometimes sweet and productive when like minds gather their resources together to make profit. However some business relationships have turned awry for one reason or the other.

Former Made Men Music Group (TripleMG) partner, Iyanya, accused his ex-business associate, Ubi Franklin, of betrayal. According to the Kukere crooner, he was in a partnership with Ubi but he quit after discovering that his name was not on any forms.

This was obviously a big allegation and Ubi Franklin has taken to social media to share his side of the story.

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Ubi Franklin debunks claims that he betrayed his former partner Iyanya, shares proof

Source: Instagram

He totally debunked the claims, labelling them as false and he even shared documents in his bid to prove that Iyanya had lied in the interview. He posted series of forms which showed that Iyanya was clearly named.

Ubi Franklin debunks claims that he betrayed his former partner Iyanya, shares proof

Source: Instagram

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Ubi Franklin debunks claims that he betrayed his former partner Iyanya, shares proof

Source: Instagram

In his caption, the TripleMG boss further revealed his disappointment that someone he took as a brother would lie to make himself look good.

See his post below:

Nawa o.

Meanwhile Legit.ng previously reported that Ubi Franklin recently celebrated his former wife, Lilian Esoro, on her birthday.

He wrote: "Happy Birthday Mama Jay God bless you always #SOAR Thank you for a Drama Free Life Proud of all you have been doing Thank you for holding it down for Jayden always. Posterity will judge you fairly".

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Top 5 Richest Nigerian Musicians: Who Are They? | Legit TV

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the incumbent governor of Taraba state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Darius Ishaku, as the winner of the Taraba state governorship election.

Premium Times reports that the INEC returning officer, Shehu Iya, made the announcement around 3.50am on Tuesday morning, March 12, at the INEC office in Jalingo, the state capital.

READ ALSO: LIVE UPDATES: Official INEC collation of governorship results (Day 3)

The official stated that Governor Ishiaku scored a total of 520, 433 votes to defeat his closest contender, Sani Danladi, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) who recorded 362, 735 votes across the 16 local government areas of the state.

INEC announced the Taraba governorship election after the electoral commission earlier postponed the announcement of the final result following reported delay of the result in some local government areas in the state.

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In another report, the Adamawa chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the result of Saturday, March 9, governorship election in some local government areas in the state.

Mustafa Salihu, the APC national vice chairman, north east, announced the rejection on Monday in Yola on March 11, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Salihu, who was the state collation officer of the presidential and governorship elections, alleged that the governorship election that was declared inconclusive by INEC was full of irregularities.

He listed the areas where he alleged the irregularities took place to include Demsa, Lamurde, Numan ,Guyuk, Michika and Madagali local government areas.

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Protect your vote to make it count - PDP Guber Candidate | Legit TV

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- The Nigeria police said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Honourable Temitope Olatoye (Sugar)

- The late lawmaker popularly known as Sugar was assassinated during the governorship and state assembly election which held on Saturday, March 9

- According to the police, the incident is not directly connected with the elections

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Monday, March 11, announced the arrest of one person suspected to be involved in the killing of Oyo lawmaker, Honourable Temitope Olatoye.

Olatoye, popularly known as Sugar was murdered on Saturday, March 9, during the governorship and state assembly election in Ibadan, the state capital of Oyo.

The police, however, said Olatoye's death is not in anyway connected to the election, Tribune reports.

READ ALSO: LIVE UPDATES: Official INEC collation of governorship results (Day 3)

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone Eleven, Leye Oyebade and commissioner of police in Oyo state, Shina Olukolu, on Monday said the police had enough evidence to arrest the suspect.

AIG Oyebade said: "We have got a suspect but we cant reveal all the details. I was at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan with the Oyo state commissioner of police on Saturday. The Chief Medical Director of the UCH was also with us.

From that point, we picked up the investigation. I want to assure members of the public that the IGPs mandate is that no stone should be left unturned in unravelling the cause of the incident.

But the incident is not directly connected with the elections, going by the venue of the incident and the information we gathered of what happened prior to the incident."

The police claimed that none of the Saturday's deaths in Oyo state was connected to the election.

Police commissioner Olukole said the two suspects arrested in connection with the incident claimed they had a previous issue with the deceased. He said a fight broke out again on the day of election during which Sugar collapsed and died.

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The third person that died was when a distress call indicated that about 15 hoodlums, who were armed, stormed a polling unit, approaching the venue with the mind of causing mayhem, snatching ballot boxes and inflicting injuries on members of the public.

A team of patrol men were deployed and there was a response. A shot hit one of the hoodlums and he died. A shotgun was recovered, indicating that these people did not mean well for the entire society. We are working on it; whatever the circumstances are, all these cases are being investigated by the police to determine what happened exactly and appropriate actions would be taken," he added.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara mourned the death of Olatoye Temitope, the lawmaker representing Lagelu/Akinyele federal constituency of Oyo state.

Dogara described the killing as barbaric saying the country was still stuck in the dark uncivilised age.

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2019 elections: Do you still trust INEC to conduct fair elections? - Nigerians speak| Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Kano residents have been warned avoid anything that might lead to break down of law and order in the state

- The state police command gave the warning following the declaration of the governorship election inconclusive

- According to the commands public relations officer, anybody caught violating the order would be arrested and charged to court

The Kano state police command has warned residents of the state against acts capable of breaching the existing peace in the state following the declaration of the governorship election inconclusive.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commands public relations officer, Abdullahi Haruna, gave the warning in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, March 11, in Kano.

Haruna stressed the need for the people of the state to remain calm and avoid anything that might lead to break down of law and order.

READ ALSO: INEC declares Governor Ishaku winner of Taraba governorship election

The police spokesman warned that the command would not fold its arms and allow some disgruntled elements to breach the peace over the outcome of the polls.

According to him, anybody caught violating the order or trying to cause trouble would be arrested and charged to court.

Haruna said: The state police command wishes to warn residents of the state, especially the youth, to desist from acts capable of causing disaffection among residents.

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"The police in the state will not hesitate to deal ruthlessly with anyone caught trying to cause trouble."

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared the governorship election held on March 9 inconclusive.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Muhammad Abdullahi Sugar, a political associate of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, described the Kano state police commissioner, Mohammed Wakil, as the hero of the 2019 general elections.

Sugar urged the acting inspector general of police, Mohammad Adamu, to single out the Kano police commissioner for commendation for the way he carried out his duties during the 2019 general elections.

He implored other police officers in the country to emulate Wakil, noting that their duty is to work in the interest of the country.

Sugar also insisted that Atiku won the presidential election but noted that the results were rigged in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Frustrated Nigerian man says 'nobody cares about you' | Legit TV:

Source: Legit
- The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) accuses politicians of threatening the country's democracy with their actions

- Francis Ezeonu alleges that some officials of INEC were held hostage in the home area of Governor Rochas Okorocha

- Ezeonu adds that some other officials of the electoral body were forced to sell their appointment letters

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo, Francis Ezeonu, has accused politicians in Nigeria as the biggest threat to the countrys democracy.

Ezeonu made the claim during the collation of the governorship election in the state.

The Cable quotes Ezeonu as lamenting the many challenges that resulted in the delays that were experienced in the announcement of the final result.

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Ezeonu said: Politicians are the greatest threat to democracy.

The REC revealed how some supervising presiding officers from the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, were hijacked by politicians while others were forced to sell their appointment letters.

According to the REC, all the supervising presiding officers found culpable were dismissed and new ones were appointed from the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike.

He said the new appointment was to make it easy to collate results at ward levels.

He further lamented that there were cases of violence and malpractices across different local government areas in the state.

Ezeonu noted that such violence was recorded at Ngor Okpuala, Ideato north and Ideato South local government area, the home town of Rochas Okorocha, the state governor.

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He added that the electoral officers of Ideato north and south were held hostage and that based on the reports from Nkwerre local government area, where Uche Nwosu, Okorochas son-in-law, is from, results from the place had been cancelled.

Ezeonu also said results from Isiala Mbano local government area were cancelled because hoodlums attacked adhoc staff and destroyed electoral materials.

The REC further noted that some fake policemen were arrested after they were hired to disrupt the election had been arrested.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Imo governorship election.

Prof Francis Otonta, the returning officer of INEC announced the final results at the Imo governorship election collation centre in Owerri, the state capital on Tuesday, March 12.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Election not a do or die affair - Sanwoolu | Legit TV

Source: Legit Newspaper
- United States of America observers have decried the lack of progress in election administration in Nigeria

- The International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) also bemoaned the conduct of political parties in Nigeria

- The institutes expressed disappointment at the conduct of the 2019 general elections

The International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) have regretted what they described as the lack of progress in election administration and conduct of political parties in Nigeria.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, March 11 Abuja, the African Regional Director of IRI, John Tomaszewski, expressed the disappointment of his delegation at the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He stated that opinions of Nigerians on the entire exercise pointed to retrogression, as the country had not made any significant progress since the 2015 outing.

READ ALSO: Politicians are the biggest threat to Nigerias democracy - Imo REC

According to him, the secrecy of the ballot was not uniformly protected in polling units observed, adding that insufficient physical space within some of the units meant citizens marked and cast their ballots in very close proximity to party agents, polling and security officials as well as the public.

He also called for a national conversation on progress made and vulnerabilities that must be overcome to further strengthen the credibility of electoral process and safeguard the nations democracy.

He urged the federal government to expeditiously implement the reports of the Justice Mohammed Uwais and Senator Ken Nnamani panels raised in 2008 and 2017 to allow for the establishment of relevant institutions to oversee political parties and prosecute electoral offences and other responsibilities that currently impede Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC) focus on election management.

He noted that the Nigerian government had not given vent to the 35 per cent affirmative principle captured in the 2006 National Gender Policy, adding that the National Assembly had continually bungled the opportunity to adopt legislation that supports greater participation of women in politics.

He further called on the National Assembly to prioritise legislation that would promote womens leadership and political participation, notably by the adoption of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill.

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Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has called for an independent inquiry into the conduct of 2019 general elections.

The group made the call at a press conference addressed by its convener, Mr. Clement Nwankwo on Sunday, March 10.

The group said the inquiry should address many issues that have bedeviled the conduct of the polls including procurement, logistics management, role of the military and abuse of process by INEC officials amongst others.

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Election not a do or die affair - Sanwoolu | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
A young Nigerian lady identified simply as Taiwo became a topic of discussion after she shared her experience with a job seeker. The lady had taken to popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter, to recount the experience.

The lady had revealed that she had called a job seeker rude after she interviewed him at the end of the interview because he complimented her by saying that she smells nice.

Legit.ng had reported that the lady began to trend after Nigerians trolled her for being mean and arrogant. Nigerians stated that the lady should have let the compliment go and just say thank you, instead of embarrassing the job seeker.

The thread that drove many reactions has now sparked fire unto another topic. A different thread on Nigerians discussing how Nigerian human resource agents act cruelly to job seeker.

READ ALSO: Nigerian man stops 2 lovebirds from kissing at a restaurant

Nigerians who joined the thread noted that human resource agents in Nigeria always behave like they are gods because they have the power to give someone a job.

Some even stated that many of Nigerian human resource agents have low self-esteem and inferiority complex.

Read tweets below:

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that 250 scientists have warned people about the risk of using wireless earphones. Scientists claimed that wireless earphones may pose higher risks to cancer.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better

Do you Like your Job? Top 7 Worst Jobs in the World - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The Senate on Tuesday, March 12 suspended plenary in honour of a member of the House of Representatives

- Honourable Temitope Olatoye lost his life during last Saturdays gubernatorial and house of assembly polls in Oyo state

- It is our culture of the National Assembly that when a member dies, the parliament adjourns plenary

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, March 12 suspended plenary in honour of a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Temitope Olatoye, who lost his life during last Saturdays gubernatorial and house of assembly polls in Oyo state.

Olatoye popularly known as Honourable Sugar was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on election day, March 9.

He was contesting for the Oyo central senatorial seat under the Action Democratic Party before he met his untimely death.

READ ALSO: We wont tolerate return of thuggery in Oyo state - Ajimobi warns

During plenary, Senate leader, Ahmad Lawan cited order 43 and made reference to the demise of Olatoye.

It is our culture in the Senate and National Assembly in general that when this kind of thing happens either in Senate or House of Representatives we observe a minute silence and adjourn plenary in honour of our late brother and friend. May his soul rest in peace, he said.

The Senate then observed a minute silence in honor of the deceased honorouble member.

Reacting, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki said: Our condolences goes to his family, the people and government of Oyo state. I hope we can address the issue of what happened to this colleague of ours and the circumstances in which he lost his life.

Afterwards, the Senate Leader moved that all items on the order paper be stood down to another legislative day.

The Senate plenary was subsequently, adjourned to Wednesday, March 13.

Meanwhile, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) have regretted what they described as the lack of progress in election administration and conduct of political parties in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: 2019 election: Nigerian Army begins probe of alleged interference by soldiers

Addressing a press conference on Monday, March 11 Abuja, the African Regional Director of IRI, John Tomaszewski, expressed the disappointment of his delegation at the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He stated that opinions of Nigerians on the entire exercise pointed to retrogression, as the country had not made any significant progress since the 2015 outing.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

2019 elections: Do you still trust INEC to conduct fair elections? - Nigerians speak| Legit TV

Source: Legit
- The Emir of Kano has asked the people of the state and Nigerians to remain calm over inconclusive elections

- The emir advised the people to allow INEC carry out its duty as it is the commission with the power to organise elections and declare result

- Emir Sanusi also said that inconclusive polls means that elections would be carried out again in affected voting units

The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, has called on the people of the state and Nigerians at large to be calm and allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to properly finish its assignment, concerning the inconclusive gubernatorial polls in some states.

While speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, March 12, at his palace, Emir Sanusi said only the electoral commission has the power to conduct and announce the results of election and should be allowed to carry out its task, Daily Trust reports.

READ ALSO: U.S observers decry election management in Nigeria, calls for reforms

Sanusi said INEC had already announced that the election held in Kano on Saturday, March 9, was inconclusive because there are still some polling units where the exercise would be re-conducted and it was after that the winner would be declared.

He said: We remind the public that INEC has already disclosed all the votes that were got by candidates of each political parties. Those votes are intact and nobody has been denied his votes.

In subsequent re-run, each candidate will have the votes that are given to him, added to what he has acquired. We should therefore, give cooperation to all security agencies for peace to continue reigning in Kano."

He also thanked the state's commissioner of police, Muhammad Wakili, and other heads of security agencies for their committed efforts to protect lives and property during the elections.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that INEC declared the results of last Saturday, March 9, gubernatorial election held in Kano state as inconclusive.

It was also gathered that the INECs returning officer in the state, Bello Shehu, disclosed this on Monday night, March 11, at the commission's head office in the state.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

2019 Election: Nigerians react to Saraki's loss as INEC releases more results | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng News
- Tanko Yakasai has urged President Buhari not to dismiss Atiku Abubakar from Nigeria's power equation

- Yakasai said Atiku should explore all opportunity available to him

- According to Yakasai, President Buhari only won political power while Atiku won economic power

A former president of the Shehu Shagaris Liason Officer to the National Assembly, Tanko Yakasai, advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to dismiss the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Yakasai in an interview with The Sun said there would be consequences in putting Atiku away in power equation of the country.

Speaking on plan by Atiku go go legal over the results of the just concluded presidential election which took place on Saturday, February 23, Yakasai said Atiku should explore all opportunity available to him.

He said: "I always support people to go to court because the court is the final arbiter. I do not want anybody to be shortchanged. He should go to the full extent of his opportunity."

READ ALSO: Emir of Kano speaks on inconclusive elections

Yakasai said President Buhari only won political power while Atiku won economic power of the nation.

"Even if Buhari is allowed to go the way it is, what he has only won, is political power and even if Atiku did not win the election he won economic power," Yakasai said.

"The economic base of Nigeria voted for him. The oil producing areas of Nigeria voted for Atiku. What I am saying is that Buhari should not dismiss Atiku.

"No Nigerian can dismiss the support base of Atiku. You know when the Niger-Delta militants were active, how revenue went down in Nigeria; every local government was affected, not to talk of federal government institutions.

So he needs to use that power of government very carefully. You cannot now order the military to go and shoot people in Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom at will. Whoever wants to do that, should think of the consequences," he said.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) have regretted what they described as the lack of progress in election administration and conduct of political parties in Nigeria.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, March 11 Abuja, the African Regional Director of IRI, John Tomaszewski, expressed the disappointment of his delegation at the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He stated that opinions of Nigerians on the entire exercise pointed to retrogression, as the country had not made any significant progress since the 2015 outing.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

Election not a do or die affair - Sanwoolu | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
The $1.3 billion sale of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem to the affiliate of an Alabama-based Indian tribe looks to be on track because Wind Creek Hospitality is asking for city approval to put its name onto all of the casino propertys signs.

On Thursday afternoon, the Bethlehem Planning Commission will review Wind Creeks application to remove the signature neon red Sands logo from the massive ore crane and replace it with Wind Creek. Since the new owners name is much longer, the ore crane sign will have to increase by 693-square-feet.

Wind Creek is also asking to alter the following signs:

Three main monuments, including signs at the entrances to the casino on Daly Avenue.

The hotel

The events center. Its sign will decrease in size.

Seven plaques

The outlet mall

The planning commission meets at 4 p.m. Thursday to vet Wind Creeks sign waiver requests, needed because the new signs are much larger than what city zoning allows --- 50-square-feet for wall and freestanding sings -- on the property. The Sands needed a similar waiver in 2009 for its ore bridge sign.

The applications gives the first public indication of just what Wind Creek is buying in the sale and represent their first official application to the city. Officials have declined to address any details of the pending deal.

Well control the site, Arthur Mothershed, vice president of business development for Wind Creek, said during a January interview with lehighvalleylive.com.

Sands casino spokeswoman Julia Corwin said Tuesday morning that Wind Creek continues to work with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on the licensing process for the sale.

While we do not have exact timing on approvals, the lead time for the production of such large scale materials is several months, Corwin said. By seeking approvals from the City of Bethlehem during March, we allow ample time for the production and installation of the new signage after the transaction has been approved by the PGCB and finalized.

Today, Las Vegas Sands is the majority owner of Sands BethWorks Gaming LLC, which owns the events center, casino and surrounding land totaling about 56 acres. Local attorney and developer Michael Perrucci, New York real estate developer Barry Gosin and their business partners have about a 10 percent share in BethWorks Gaming.

The rest of the land, almost 61 acres, is owned by Sands BethWorks Retail LLC, and ownership is split 50/50 between the Sands and Perrucci and his partners. BethWorks Retails holdings include the outlet mall, the blast furnaces, the Steel General Office building, No. 2 Machine Shop and several parking lots.

In review letters, the city planning bureau indicates it is generally supportive of the waivers since theyre only needed because Wind Creek has a logo on the sign and its a longer name than Sands. The city also notes that large signs on a 124-acre site dont look out of place as they might on a typical urban lot.

The city recommends the commission ask Wind Creek to change its hotel and events center wall sign to individual letter signs, which are currently in place, Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning Tracy E. Samuleson writes in her review letter.

Its been a year since Sands and Wind Creek announced that one of Pennsylvanias most lucrative gaming halls would be changing hands.

Once the sale is finalized, Wind Creek plans to immediately invest $190 million into a 300-room hotel expansion and development of the No. 2 Machine Shop, possibly into an indoor water park.

Sands employs about 2,500 people, who will all keep their jobs, and the hotel expansion is expected to add another 400 workers, plus an unknown number of construction workers. All of the existing restaurants, including Chef Emeril Lagasses eateries, will remain.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Fast food employees will soon have much more freedom to move between franchises of the same chain.

New Jersey and 12 other states on Tuesday announced agreements with Arbys, Little Caesars, Five Guys and Dunkin Donuts to end no-poach contracts.

The chains had contracts that prohibited employees from moving from one franchise location to another within the same chain. That raised concern that the agreements would limit low-wage workers from getting better-paying jobs, Attorney General Gurbir Grewals office said in a statement.

Convincing four major fast food companies to stop restricting their employees job options matters, not just for these workers, but for New Jerseys economy, Grewal said. No-poach contracts can restrict a workers future prospects, limiting his or her career mobility and earning potential.

The attorneys general in 13 states launched an investigation in July 2018 into eight restaurant chains. Since then, Wendys agreed to stop no-poach contracts, while Burger King, Popeyes and Panera are still being investigated.

As stated in the agreements, the AGs alleged that the no-poach provisions could constitute a violation of antitrust or consumer protection laws. The four chains which came to agreements Tuesday did so to avoid litigation and did not admit to any wrongdoing.

No-poach contracts have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, after a 2017 report from two Princeton University economists found that the contract provisions saved employers the cost and hassle of more frequently training new employees, but also trapped workers in one spot and lessened their bargaining power.

In July 2018, Washington state came to similar agreements with seven chains.

No-poach agreements commonly used in the fast-food industry unfairly bind workers to one employer by blocking them from seeking better-paying, more attractive jobs with competitors, New Jersey Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said Tuesday. Todays agreement is a victory for workers rights and a big step toward ending this exploitative practice.

The agreement also extends to the Five Guys, Arbys, Little Caesars and Dunkin franchises in Massachusetts, California, Washington D.C., Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Bethlehem Township police have ordered the evacuation of a street in the Madison Farms neighborhood for about an hour due to a gas leak.

A nixle alert went out at 12:07 p.m. Tuesday notifying the public that evacuations were underway at Emanuel Court.

A follow-up alert at 1:25 p.m. said the leak was contained and residents could return home.

The neighborhood includes a shopping center with a ShopRite supermarket, restaurants and retailers.

Companies currently operating at a large gas leak on Emanuel Court in Madison Farms. #btvfc17 #btvfc #nancyrunfire Posted by Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company on Tuesday, March 12, 2019

  EVACUATION UNDERWAY   Nancy Run and Bethlehem Township are currently operating at a gas leak in the Madison Farms residential complex. Please AVOID the area. Confirmation will be sent when the incident is resolved. Posted by Nancy Run Fire Company on Tuesday, March 12, 2019

The incident at Madison Farms residential complex has been resolved. 1411 secured a hydrant supply and stretched the front bumper line for the gas line strike this afternoon. Posted by Nancy Run Fire Company on Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
UPDATE: 2 injured, 1 seriously, in Route 33 crash that knocked tires off of cars

A major vehicle crash has forced authorities to close all lanes on Route 33 between the Route 512 and Belfast Road exits, according to the Slate Belt Regional Police Department.

The department posted an alert about the crash on its Facebook page at 4:09 p.m., less than an hour before the evening rush hour.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in an earlier alert, initially stated the southbound lanes were the only ones closed because of a multi vehicle crash.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.
It was a bizarre and gruesome scene as police officers in Montgomery County were called to check on a woman who hadnt been seen in days.

As Philly.com and 6ABC report, the officers encountered a brutal and bloody scene Sunday night, all amid a row of tidy homes on a bank of the Schuylkill in West Norriton Township:

Two women had been beaten to death, and a woman and her six-year-old son had been hiding out in the house for days  ever since the Thursday killings, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steeles statements to Philly.com.

The mother suspected in the twin killings is Naseema Sami. She is accused of brutally killing the two women, one of whom was her former landlord, in front of her 6-year-old son. The mother and son then remained in the house for days as Sami allegedly tried to clean up the killing scene, the DA tells Philly.com, which adds:

Sami, 43, of Folsom, Delaware County, was arraigned late Monday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Lila Frost, 78, and Lorraine Gigliello, 68, as well as criminal trespass, tampering with physical evidence, and endangering the welfare of a child.

An autopsy determined that Frost died of multiple injuries and Gigliello of head trauma, according to Steele. The manner in both was ruled homicide.

Officers found Frosts body in a bathtub, covered in a blanket. They later found Gigliellos under a kitchen table, wrapped in sheets or towels, the affidavit said.

(Story continues below)

#BREAKING UPDATE: Arrest made after 2 found dead in West Norriton Township, Pa. home. https://t.co/0urlJyeFlD  Action News on 6abc (@6abc) March 11, 2019

Cops were called to Frosts home Sunday night after one of her tenants said he hadnt seen his landlord for several days. The caller also told police that he had seen a stranger enter the first floor of the home, which Frost kept as her residence.

The officers found a very bloody scene, according to Steele. Then Sami emerged from her hiding spot under a bed, her 6-year-old in tow. She had what appeared to be dried blood on her hands.

Sami said she had driven to Frosts home, where she had rented an upstairs apartment 20 years ago, on Thursday night. She chose that spot, she said, because she desired a safe place to go, according to the affidavit.

However, authorities did not elaborate or provide any other information on her alleged motive in the killings.

(Story continues below)

MORE: Investigators believe the incident happened last Thursday. The boy and his mother were in the house with the victims' bodies since then, until last night when police arrived. https://t.co/09pIa5tqN1  Action News on 6abc (@6abc) March 11, 2019

The investigation continues.
In America, the acid drizzle of stomach-turning revelations might become a deluge now that 45 states' attorneys general have contacted Shapiro about possible investigations in their states. It is highly unlikely that the abuses and conspiracies of silence about them are confined to Pennsylvania. Asked if this might be, cumulatively, the worst crime in American history, Shapiro says: Perhaps, considering the power of the guilty institution, the scale and prolonged nature of the crime, and the "sophisticated criminal cover-up." He speaks of charging the guilty  when possible; many predatory priests have died, and statutes of limitations shield others  "the way you would typically charge the mob."
What started as a culture clash during a European party has morphed into a local filmmakers latest project.

Tess Forestieri, a graduate of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, is scouting spots for her film Flunkyball. At 26 years old, Forestieri has already directed several films.

I never felt such a fire than when I was directing, Forestieri said.

The film takes place in Austria but Forestieri plans to film on her native turf in the Lehigh Valley.

After graduating from Muhlenberg College in 2015, Forestieri backpacked through Europe where she visited her friend Lisa Maier, an exchange student from Germany who also attended the arts high school in Bethlehem. During Forestieris visit Maier threw a party, which would eventually become the premise for her film.

Everyone there was very liberal and open. They invited everybody in, Forestieri explained. However, when three male Syrian refugees arrived, the energy shifted.

There was a weird tension, Forestieri said. Difficulty communicating across culture lines led to misread behaviors and micro-agreessions, she said.

Flunkyball, named after a popular German drinking game, shines a light on otherwise hidden inner prejudices. Although the party attendees appeared inclusive, the film raises questions about their open-mindedness.

Wouldnt it be wonderful if good intentions were enough? Forestieri wondered.

The film will explore culture clashes, language barriers and the dangers of being a well-meaning bystander. She says learned social behaviors ought to examined, and niche groups formed as a result of that behavior can leave outsiders wondering why they arent a part of a group, she said.

Forestieri and producer Edan Laniado, also a Muhlenberg graduate, are close to reaching their project goal of $15,000. Flulnkyball is partially funded by Seed and Spark and IFP, platforms that help support the filmmakers fees. Crowdfunding on Seed and Spark and is at 83 percent of the goal.

To contribute, visit Seedandspark.com or fiscal.ifp.org and search Flunkyball by March 20. All donations are tax deductible.
Paul Manaforts light jail sentence (47 months) is just another reason for the American people to lose their belief in the American justice system. This pompous jerk stole tens of millions of dollars.

Just compare that sentence to Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowskis harsh jail sentence (15 years), for an offense that pales in comparison.

Tom Sedor Sr.

Northampton
Defenders call it a necessary subsidy to help Pennsylvania avoid the economic shock of closing aging nuclear plants, and to ensure a reliable, carbon-free source of power for the immediate future.

Critics call it a bailout of an industry that should be phased out in favor of renewable energy  and an unnecessary hit to electric ratepayers.

A proposed bailout bill, introduced Monday in the state House of Representatives, calls for $500 million in taxpayer incentives earmarked for green energy development to be transferred for nuclear operators, to extend the life of reactors scheduled for shutdown.

The prime sponsor, state Rep. Thomas Mehaffie, R-Dauphin, says it would raise the average residential electric bill by about $1.77 a month. He says a phaseout in the next few years would threaten 16,000 jobs connected to the nuclear industry.

Opponents, including the Environmental Defense Foundation, say the legislation would force ratepayers to buy higher-cost nuclear electricity when the market has cheaper options, at a time when the state should be promoting renewable energy.

Others point out that nuclear, despite its drawbacks, is a steady source of power  and unlike coal, gas and oil, doesnt add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Exelon Corp., the owner of the Three Mile Island plant in Middletown, is facing a June 1 deadline to begin shutting it down. TMI suffered a near-meltdown in 1979 and has been operating at a loss, but industry experts say three of the states five nuclear power plants are profitable, and there is no need to close all five immediately.

Under Mehaffies bill, nuclear plant operators would receive tax credits as zero-carbon emission generators under the states Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards. A companion bill is expected to be proposed in the state Senate.

What do you think? Is this a good investment for Pennsylvania and its electric consumers? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section.
The Eagles made a trio of big moves on Monday at the start of the NFLs legal tampering period to better position themselves for the rest of the offseason.

The Eagles addressed three of their biggest offseason concerns by adding stability at defensive tackle, wide receiver and offensive tackle. The team agreed on a contract with defensive tackle Malik Jackson, reportedly agreed on a trade for wide receiver DeSean Jackson and re-signed left tackle Jason Peters.

All three moves will help the Eagles prioritize other positions in free agency and the draft.

Heres how the three roster moves impact the Eagles offseason plans moving forward:

DeSean Jackson

With Jacksons arrival, the Eagles now have a legitimate deep-threat at wide receiver. Defenses will have to respect Jacksons speed.

The reunion between the Eagles and Jackson also adds depth to the wide receiver position. While Nelson Agholors future remains up in the air, the Eagles now have a boundary receiver to team with Alshon Jeffery on the outside. With Jackson in the mix and Agholor possibly being retained, the Eagles can now focus on other positions in free agency.

In the draft, the Eagles should hedge their bets by investing in another wide receiver. That said, with Jackson expected to sign a long-term deal, the Eagles dont have to force early picks at the position. The team can also look for receivers with other skills sets instead of just targeting speed options.

Malik Jackson

Jackson will take the place of former starting defensive tackle Tim Jernigan. The former Pro Bowl lineman will join forces with All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. The pair, on paper, form one of the better interior pass-rushing duos in the league.

The Eagles will probably avoid signing another defensive tackle in free agency. In the draft, the Eagles should be mindful of the position.

Prior to Jacksons arrival, defensive tackle was the teams biggest need and most likely spot to be addressed in the draft. With Jackson in the fold, the Eagles can focus on another position with the 25th overall pick. Still, it would be ideal for the Eagles target a defensive tackle early in the draft, perhaps with one of their two second-round picks, for depth reasons. The only other returning players at the position are Treyvon Hester and Bruce Hector.

Jason Peters

While Peters return is important, it shouldnt keep the Eagles from looking for a potential successor in the draft or free agency. The 37-year-old signed a one-year deal, so this may be his swan song in Philadelphia.

Peters played and started in all 16 regular-season games last season. However, he failed to finish multiple games due to various injuries and was replaced by Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who was mostly unimpressive.

The Eagles should have plenty of offensive tackle options in the draft and should try to find a developmental prospect that can compete with Vaitai and Jordan Mailata to become Peters eventual replacement.

The Eagles have avoided using a high pick on an heir apparent for several years. Now is the time.

Along with those three roster-building moves, the Eagles also reportedly decided to decline guard Stefen Wisniewskis 2019 contract option. The move will save $3 million in salary cap space, enabling the Eagles to allocate funds elsewhere.
Odor detection, odor recognition and nuisance odor levels were common topics Monday night, as the Plainfield Township Planning Commission continued to review the proposed sewage sludge processing plant.

Discussion at the planning meeting about the proposed Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center revolved around potential smells emanating from the operation and what to do about them.

Commission members have insisted the company behind the proposal, Synagro Technologies Inc., develop a plan to handle potential nuisance odors that might come from the plant that would convert sewage sludge into Class A biosolids. These biosolids can be spread on farms as fertilizer or burned as industrial fuel.

Synagro is seeking preliminary land development and subdivision approval for the proposed facility at Grand Central Sanitary Landfill on Route 512.

It is proposed beside the Green Knight Energy Center at the landfill. The plant's sludge-drying ovens would harness excess heat that Green Knight already creates by burning landfill gas, which is primarily methane.

Synagro representatives have been developing a Nuisance Mitigation and Control Plan with Material Matters, a consulting firm hired by the township that deals with biosolids issues.

Material Matters CEO Trudy Johnston said her group and Synagro have agreed on the bulk of the control plans parameters but there are several issues that remain unresolved.

Johnston said she recommends the plan include mitigation action if hydrogen sulfide or ammonia odors are detectable at the fence line of the property.

Pam Racey, Synagro vice president of product development, said she is concerned that Material Matters recommendations go beyond current industry standards. Common standards would deal with nuisance odor levels, which are higher levels than merely detecting an odor, Racey said

It's not standard for the detection standard to be the same as the nuisance standard, Racey said.

Planning commission member Robert Simpson argued that if he is in his backyard and he smells something bad, there would be no difference between detection and nuisance levels.

If I get a hint of hydrogen sulfide, that is a nuisance, Simpson said. Youre saying that is detection and that is not a nuisance, and I say it is.

Racey she said she agreed that odors reaching neighbors properties would be a nuisance that would be addressed with the control plan. She noted that Synagro operates similar facilities near residential areas in Florida and Hawaii, which have not received odor complaints.

Johnston said, in accordance with the plan, people who smell odors beyond the facilitys property line would be able to call the township or the heat centers hotline to complain about odors.

After a complaint, Synagro would bring in a certified odor assessor to track the source. If the odor is coming from the heat center, corrective action would take place, according to the plan.

Johnston said, if an odor assessor cannot detect the source of the complaint, a team of odor assessors could be brought in.

One task for any odor assessor would be to determine if nuisance odors are coming from the heat center or the landfill. Two class action lawsuits have been filed in the last month in Northampton County regarding odors at the landfill.

Township solicitor David Backenstoe said the plan should make clear that an odor assessors fee could be paid by Synagro but the assessor should work as an agent of the township.

Backenstoe also suggested that the plan mandate that unresolved nuisance odors would require the plant to shut down operations until resolved.

The Nuisance Mitigation and Control Plan is incredibly important, Backenstoe said. If it is not enforceable, it really doesnt do anybody any good.

Synagro Project Manager Jim Hecht said the control plan would be provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and be tied to that agencies permitting process.

The plan would not deal with trucks traveling through the area to the plant.

Johnston, from Materials Matters, said that from her personal experience, trucks containing sewage sludge could give off odors.

If you do follow a truck that has fairly stinky material in it, Johnston said, you will smell that truck.

Racey said the center could stop receiving trucks from sources that are causing nuisance odors.

The project review is set to continue at Aprils planning commission meeting.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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An electrical fault looks to have been the cause of fire at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise which has put an entire wing of the prison out of commission, according to the Irish Prison Service (IPS).

In a statement, the IPS confirmed that there was a fire in the attic area of the E Division of the Portlaoise jail. Crews from the Laois County Fire and Rescue Service were called and the fire early Tuesday morning, April 12 was extinguished.

It said there has been damage to some non-residential plant room area of the division which has impacted.

"There is currently no power to most of the affected area and the Irish Prison Service are taking all reasonable steps to rehouse prisoners that have to be moved as a result of the electrical power issue," it said.

While there were no injuries the prison service also insisted that safety systems had not failed.

"The Irish Prison Service can confirm that all the relevant safety systems worked as expected. The prison service is currently investigating the cause of the fire however, early indications would suggest the fire started as a result of an electrical wiring fault," it said.

Read also: TD WANTS ANSWERS FROM JUSTICE MINISTER ON FIRE

The prison service said no prisoners had to be transferred out of Portlaoise but the entire E division was put out of use. A spokesperson could not confirm who many prisoners were impacted our how many cells were put out of commission.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, expressed concern over a fire which broke out at the prison.

Thankfully no one was injured and I commend the fire brigade and all those who responded to the fire in order to extinguish it. I am also reassured by the confirmation I have received from the IPS that all relevant safety systems worked as expected. Some non-residential areas of the Division have however been damaged.

"I understand power has been restored to many of the affected areas and I know the IPS are working to keep disruptions for prisoners to a minimum. I am of course concerned that the fire broke out in the first place. Early indications suggest the fire started as a result of an electrical wiring fault however I am expecting a full report on the incident from the Irish Prison Service in due course, said the Minister.

It has been claimed that 160 prisoners were impacted. The prison has a capacity for 870 making it the biggest jail in the country. It shares a campus with Portlaoise Prison.
Portlaoise Electoral Area Candidate for Fine Gael, Thomasina Connell held a very successful launch night for her election campaign last Friday night. Thomasina is contesting the next elections for the Portlaoise Electoral Area seeking a seat on Laois County Council.

The event took place in Jeremiah Grant Bar and Eatery, Portlaoise on Friday, March 8, which coincidentally was International Womens Day.

The event was very well attended by members of the local community, Thomasinas friends and family and her campaign team. Also, in attendance was Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform, Charlie Flanagan T.D. who gave great support and encouragement on the evening. Sean Kelly M.E.P and Kate O Connell T.D. for Dublin Bay South were the guest speakers at the event and gave strong and resounding endorsement of Thomasina for the upcoming election.

Kate O Connell T.D. who has been a vocal and high-profile advocate in Dail Eireann since being elected in 2016, spoke strongly in favour of Thomasina as a strong candidate who could contribute in a meaningful way to Laois County Council. She encouraged the attendees to help Thomasinas campaign in any way they could because she was an excellent candidate and would run an energetic campaign.

Sean Kelly M.E.P. who had flown in from Warsaw to attend the event said, "Thomasina Connell is a well-informed, intelligent candidate and is very switched on; the people of Laois would do well to elect her to work hard for them on Laois County Council. Through her work in the courts she can make great strides in helping those in this county who are the most marginalised as she understands the challenges they face."

Thomasina herself spoke about how much she is looking forward to the campaign and meeting faces, both new and old. In particularly, she expressed gratitude for the many people who came out and voted for her in the last General Election in 2016 where she obtained almost 4,500 Number 1 Votes.

Thomasina highlighted a number of issues of priority for her including improving the lives of working families in particular the provision of childcare. She underlined the need to address crime in a meaningful and long-term way. She also set out the priority to support local enterprise and believes she can share her own experiences including as 2018 Laois Businesswomen of the year, in a significant way. She is honoured to have been selected by Fine Gael to run in the local election and looks forward to running an enthusiastic, young and vibrant election campaign.

There was great support expressed on the night from Fine Gael members, local community figures together with family, friends and colleagues alike who all wished her well in her endeavours.

Martin Deegan has been appointed as Thomasinas Director of Elections. Her former Director was Martin's Uncle, James Deegan from Stradbally and former Laois County Councillor.

Those on the evening were asking to email Thomasina on thomasinalaois@gmail.com or text/phone 087-6676218 if they would like to get involved in the campaign.
NASA satellite picture of Storm Gareth shows it is something to be concerned about.

A photograph from the space agency reveals the scale of the weather event due to hit Ireland on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The latest #satellite image from @NASA worldview shows #StormGareth, centred to the northwest of the UK pic.twitter.com/AGxFjQGDyQ  Met Office (@metoffice) March 12, 2019

Storm Gareth weather is set to bring sustained bitterly cold gale force winds of up to 130 km/h according to the latest from Met Eireann.

Read below Met Eireann detailed forecast issued at noon on Tuesday.

TODAY - TUESDAY 12TH MARCH

Becoming extremely windy, especially in Ulster and Connacht, with very strong westerly winds extending to all parts and reaching gale force in the north and northwest, with severe and damaging gusts. With high seas, there is also a risk of coastal flooding along Atlantic coasts. There will be some bright or sunny spells, but occasional heavy showers of rain and hail also, with some sleet, mainly over high ground and a risk of thunder. Highest afternoon temperatures 5 to 8 Celsius.

TONIGHT - TUESDAY 12TH MARCH

Tonight will be very windy, with very strong west to northwest winds, up to gale force in the north and northwest, with further severe and damaging gusts for a time, but winds will ease a little towards morning. There will be further showers also, a few of hail, with a continuing risk of thunder for a time, mainly in northern counties, but showers will become more scattered later. Minimum temperatures 3 to 6 Celsius.

TOMORROW - WEDNESDAY 13TH MARCH

Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be mainly dry and bright at first, with just a few scattered showers. More persistent rain will extend from the Atlantic during the afternoon and evening, affecting mainly Connacht, Ulster and north Leinster, but any rain further south will be patchy. Windy at first, with strong west to northwest winds, gradually easing for a time. Maximum temperatures 8 to 10 Celsius.

NATIONAL OUTLOOK



HEADLINE: Very unsettled and windy at times.

Wednesday night will be windy with strong and gusty west to southwest winds with gales along coasts. Spells of rain will occur with some heavy bursts particularly over the western half of the country. Lows of 6 to 10 Celsius.

Thursday will continue mostly cloudy with further spells of rain, the rain mainly affecting the south and west in the afternoon, but drier conditions in Leinster and Ulster in the afternoon and evening with just the isolated shower. Winds moderate to fresh west to northwest in direction but strong and gusty at times along southern coasts. Highest temperatures 8 to 13 Celsius. Outbreaks of rain and drizzle Thursday night with moderate to fresh southwest to west breezes. Lows of 5 to 11 Celsius, mildest in the south.

Friday: A band of rain will extend across the country Friday morning but clear into the Irish Sea by afternoon. Brighter and drier conditions will follow from the west later but possibly staying cloudier along southern areas. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 Celsius in moderate to fresh westerly winds. Rain will reach southern coasts Friday night and extend to much of Munster and South Leinster overnight, with some heavy bursts possible. There is the risk of the rain turning to sleet for a time. Lows of 1 to 4 Celsius.

Saturday: Heavy and persistent rain will affect much of Leinster and Munster , there will be some heavy bursts with a risk of hail. Some of the rain possibly turning to sleet, with snow on hills and mountains. Elsewhere it wil be drier with just a few showers, although some of hail. Cold with highest temperatures of 3 to 5 Celsius. Saturday night will become dry in most areas, but a few showers will persist in Atlantic coastal counties and a few will be wintry. Cold with lowest temperatures of -1 to +3 Celsius with frost and icy stretches.

At the moment Sunday St Patricks day is expected to be a bright and cold day with sunny spells and scattered showers, some of the showers wintry in the north and northwest. Highest temperatures 7 to 9 Celsius with a fresh westerly breeze.
Two Laois councillors are calling for the Minister for children Katherine Zappone to give Irish adopted people the right to their own birth records and medical history.

Sinn Fein councillors Aidan Mullins and Caroline Dwane Stanley tabled a joint motion to the February meeting of Laois County Council, on behalf of Aitheantas, a group campaigning for adoptee identity rights.

Unlike all other Irish citizens, adopted people have no statutory rights to their own birth certs. When asked for their family medical history, they have to reply I dont know. It affects their children and grandchildren. Access to your own birth cert is a matter of dignity and equality. This discriminating policy is in stark contrast to Northern Ireland where 30 years ago they were given the right to get their birth certs, said Cllr Mullins.

There is a widespread myth that birth mothers were promised confidentiality. Not a shred of evidence has ever been produced that this was the case. 95% of birth mothers want to meet their adult children, said Cllr Dwane Stanley.

The motion was seconded by Cllr Noel Tuohy.

There is so much that adopted people have to deal with. They deserve to know who they are, he said.

The Cathaoirleach Cllr John King agreed.

On the programme Long Lost Families it is hard enough for them to look up their families. When they do find them you see the joy in their hearts, he said.

Aitheantas is asking all county councillors to table motions to their local authorities to write to Minister Zappones Department of Children and Youth Affairs to give adopted people a statutory right to their birth certs, adoption files, medical history and family heritage, in line with equality of all other citizens.

Offaly, Cork, Donegal, and Clare county councils have all passed the motion.
At times these days, it feels as though Americans cant agree on anything. But cruelty to animals is one topic that unifies young and old, all races, Republicans and Democrats, red counties and blue cities, and even humans and other creatures. All 50 states make it illegal and treat some offenses as felonies. Most Americans cant bear to see animals abused or neglected, and that powerful sentiment has led to valuable protections for our fellow inhabitants.
The Minister for Justice is to be asked about a fire at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise which a Fianna Fail TD claims led to the evacuation of up to 160 prisoners.

Laois County Fire Rescue Service attended an incident in the Midlands Prison this morning (Tuesday, March 12) at 6.27 am.

Units from Portlaoise and Stradbally responded to the incident at the country's biggest jail.

A prison source claimed the incident has given rise to concerns over fire safety due to issues that may have been identified with the fire alert systems.

As a result, it is claimed that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) may face difficulties accommodating a substantial number of prisoners.

The Laois Fire and Rescue Service said issues arising from the fire are a matter for the Irish Prison Service. Regular meetings and training take place with IPS management and staff said the Laois Fire Service.

Fianna Fail TD Marc MacSharry is to put down a Dail question to the Minister for Justice and Laois TD Charlie Flanagan about the incident.

"In light of a serious fire at the Midlands Prison last night / this morning March 11/12 and the evacuation today of 160 prisoners in E Wing, can the minister confirm that this Fire was due to the failure of the safety system?

"Can he further confirm how many requests for maintenance were lodged by staff over the last three years, how many were acted upon, when was maintenance last carried out in the fire safety systems and if he will make a statement on the matter," said the question.

Read also: READ STATEMENTS FROM IRISH PRISON SERVICE AND MINISTER FOR JUSTICE CHARLIE FLANAGAN

Daily prison accommodation figures from the IPS show that there were 858 prisoners in the prison on Tuesday. It has a capacity for 870 inmates.
Kill man Dr Derek Coyle will launch a book of his original poems, Reading John Ashbery in Costa Coffee, Carlow, at Carlow College, St Patricks on Wednesday, April 10 at 7.30 in Cobden Hall.

A former student of Naas CBS and Maynooth University, Dr Coyle lectures in English Literature and Creative Writing at Carlow College, St Patricks.

The book is a dual language text consisting of original poems in English with their Swedish translation. Peter Nyberg has translated the poems into Swedish, and Magnus Grehn Forlag is the publisher. The President of Carlow College, St Patricks, Fr Conn O Maoldhomhnaigh, will host the evening and the writer Peter Murphy will launch the book.

Once you open the pages of this intriguing collection, you enter the surreal surroundings of a real and imagined Carlow. Here Mozart and Beethoven drink pints in Tullys bar. And a busy and preoccupied Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol work hard in New Yorks legendary Chelsea Hotel, but manage to miss the Tiger of Annam who travels past them and on through the tunnels of time to end up in Carlow.

Whilst there, he strolls past Woodies on his way to the Barrow in a continuing search for a true north. And in this Carlow you will find the Coyles fellow Kildare man Christy Moore jamming outside the local Tesco with three musicians from a Picasso painting, and dressed like Ziggy Stardust, in an impromptu protest against the invasive nature of contemporary capitalism.

Read also: Car targeted and phone stolen in Donadea forest park

Carlow is not the only location. You also encounter Tranas, a town very similar in style and character to Carlow, but buried in the heartland of Swedens lake and forest country, halfway between Malmo and Stockholm on the train line. In this Tranas, you will encounter the legendary Swedish poet Magnus Larsson who wrote about lonely whales and unlucky jockeys in poems that were the talk of literary society across Europe and beyond (even outer space).

Where life in this Swedish town shares similarities with life in rural Ireland in the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s. Here the shops close on Sundays, and fathers and sons spend their time fishing by the lakes, admiring the exploits of Ove Fundin, the world Speedway Champion, immortalized atop a bronze motorbike in a statue at the centre of the town.

In poems of touching delicacy, Coyle evokes a very human world of suffering, injustice and tragedy. The Shoulder recalls a tender moment shared between the German speaking Czech writer Franz Kafka and Milena Jesenska, both of whom would die tragically young; he from tuberculosis and she in a Nazi concentration camp.

The Charred Boots relates in an almost timeless way, the tragic loss of a child in a freak fire, as related by her ghostly voice, as she recounts the impact of this tragedy on her mourning parents.

The collections title poem, Reading John Ashbery in Costa Coffee, Carlow, whilst evoking the humorous presence of James Joyce, Gandhi and John Lennon, ends somewhat surprisingly with a reference to the ongoing Syrian conflict.

While the poems playfully engage with the possibilities opened up by contemporary physics, especially quantum theory, they are humane in a way that is timeless and challenging. Deeply engaged with contemporary reality, these poems constantly surprise, uplift and transform.

Derek Coyle has published poems in Ireland, Britain, Sweden and the U.S. He has been shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Award, been runner-up in the Bradshaw Prize and he has featured in the Poetry Ireland Poetry Introductions series. He represented Ireland at an international literary residency in Tranas in Sweden, as a guest of Kultivera, and he has featured in the International Poetry Festival in Jonkoping.

He is a founding member of the Carlow Writers Co-Operative.
Each week, Theresa Murray takes a look back at the Leinster Leader archives to find out what stories were making the news. This is an interesting one from 75 years ago.

I have the spirit of the devil in my new cottage, and he comes to me at night playing music on a strange instrument, up on the walls of the house, stated a tenant of a Board of Health cottage situated in Athy Rural District, in a letter which was read at the Athy Urban Council meeting on Monday night, the Leinster Leader reported on March 11, 1944.

He begins to curse me and my family the whole night long, the letter continued, and blackguarding me in an awful way.

He told me that if I took the cottage he would destroy me. And he is destroying me ever since. My body is terrified day and night because I cannot get my sleep. Think of it. He is under me in the bed, pinching me to make me cross.

I am in the best of health and striving to do my own business in my own sway, and it is an awful position I am in, having to put up with the abuse of the devil in this way.

Could I trouble a couple of the council men to come out to me any night, that I could tell them all about this dreadful experience? Any night you will be welcome. I am ashamed to mention all the things before the women of the council. I was thinking of putting it in the newspapers to let the whole world know of the awful occurrences that may happen to anyone.

When I told the doctor about it he gave me a bottle but I dont want medicine, for I am all right that way.

Chairman (Mr Carbery)  This is an astonishing case. I think we should write and ask the clergy to call on the man.

Mrs Doyle  This is not a matter for this council at all. It is to the County Council that this letter should have gone.

Chairman  Very well, the County Council can deal with it.

Meanwhile, the same paper reported from a meeting off the Naas Urban Council that in Wexford they were building houses at an all-in cost of 400 with a rental of 4s 6d. If they could do that in Wexford, why not do it here, asked Mrs Higgins.

Mr Taylor  How many rooms? One?

Mrs Higgins  Not the ordinary size cottage.

Mr Taylor  I dont know how they can do it.

Mr ODonoghue  I think we should make an ad miserecordiam appeal to the powers that be to do something for Naas in regard to housing  the town is in a deplorable condition. The shortage of houses here is a disgrace.

Mr Daly  Maybe the county manager might help us.

Mr ODonoghue  I know of no town that has been so badly treated in the matter of housing.

Mr Dowling  Or that could have been so well treated if the council had been doing its duty in the pre-war years.
Figure. 1 - strategy palette





What is our purpose for being?





Part 2 - Appreciative Inquiry as a strategic process will be published 19th March

Ronan Cox ( @ronancox2 ) - Business Librarian, Dublin City University.Change is an opportunity for transformation, not a crisisThe above quotation ( Hillenbrand, 2005 cited in Kelly, 2010, p. 164 ) is one heard in the past, yet it seems ever more important in the present. I noticed recently that Kristin Meyer, User Experience Librarian at Grand State Valley University in Michigan is hosting a workshop From Insight to action with Appreciative Inquiry at the 2019 UXLIBS conference . Such an event serves to highlight the dual function that appreciative inquiry can play, examining library operations at a wider strategic level while also focusing on improving customer experience. Having attended both the Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) and Dublin Business School (DBS) Library Seminars last year, the words of two speakers continue to resonate. John Cox, University Librarian at National University of Ireland Galway spoke very convincingly at both seminars about the need for strategic transformation within academic libraries in order to position themselves centrally within the institution. Marie ONeill, Head Librarian at Dublin Business School at the time, delivered the opening presentation at the DBS Library Seminar, speaking passionately about the importance for all libraries in writing a strategic plan and strategizing generally.Different, yet intrinsically linked. The common theme? Strategic thinking and the need to reframe our identity both as libraries and as librarians in order to remain relevant. This might seem overly negative or unnecessary scaremongering, yet this is not the intent. In fact, my approach is to frame this situation in an entirely positive way by applying the concept of appreciative inquiry.In the role of a business librarian within a university context, perhaps the default method of thinking is invariably from a business perspective. Similar to any business, the operating environment for academic libraries is constantly shifting. A necessary consequence: be very clear about strategy, strategic positioning and alignment to the environment. Cox (2018a) addresses this point extremely well in his literature review on the matter of positioning the library within the institution. The higher education landscape exists in a constricted marketplace with several competitors, both domestically and internationally. With this comes greater accountability, stronger competition, higher student expectations and the need for competitive differentiation.Operating in this environment, libraries are answerable to several key stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to; government bodies tasked with the delivery of national education mandates, the board of management at respective universities, local, national and international peers, and members of the public. Additionally, rapid technological developments, changes in the area of scholarly communication, data management and pedagogy are forcing libraries to develop new resources and service areas (Saunders, 2015, p. 285) Once formed, the perspective on the current environment generates the obvious question. How do libraries and librarians react strategically? There is certainly a large volume of literature available on various strategic approaches. Murray and Ireland (2018) provide a very interesting examination of provosts perceptions of academic library value; it is certainly worth a read. In general rather than library specific terms, I ask you to consider the example proposed by Reeves, Haanaes and Sinha (2015) . They illustrated the idea of a strategy palette consisting of three dimensions: predictability (can we predict and plan it?), malleability (can we shape it?) and harshness (can we survive it?). The resulting five environments (adaptive, shaping, visionary, classical and renewal) differentiate the strategy required for each (see figure. 1).It is possible to provide a strong argument that for the last decade, the prevailing dimension for academic libraries has been one of harshness with an accompanying renewal strategic environment. This argument is based upon my own experience, having worked in a previous academic library role during the years 2011  2017 when the full effects of the recession in Ireland were apparent, in addition to attending various external library committees during this time. Under a renewal environment, an organisation must recognise and react to the deteriorating environment, act decisively to restore its viability  economising by refocusing, cutting costs and freeing up resources to fund the next part of the journey.However, I suggest that academic libraries are on the brink of reaching a turning point in the strategy palette, moving from a harshness dimension to one of malleability. In order to strategically navigate this changing and increasingly flexible situation, now is the time for libraries to move from a renewal environment and begin to cultivate a shaping/visionary environment. Consider the following explanations of shapers and visionaries:Shapers focus beyond the boundaries of their own organisation, often by rallying a formidable ecosystem of customers, suppliers, and/or champions to their cause by defining attractive new markets, standards, technology platforms, and business practices. They propagate these through marketing, lobbying, and savvy partnerships. Like a shaping strategist, the visionary considers the environment not as a given but as something that can be moulded to advantage. Visionary strategists must have the courage to stay the course and the will to commit the necessary resources (Reeves, Love and Tillmans, 2012) Looking forward, ONeill (2018) correctly emphasises the need for a vision, mission and goals. Librarians at all levels need to recognise the currently operating environment, answer the strategic question concerning what kind of library they want to be and set appropriate performance goals and policies to achieve these in an agile manner. A vision statement guides organisational values and provides purpose. Therefore, library vision needs to link inextricably to strategic direction. A mission statement aims to provide employees and stakeholders with clarity about what the organisation is fundamentally there to do; and should address the following key question:Goals are how the library intends to achieve identified priorities. Of paramount importance, alignment with the overall goals of the university. Library goals simply cannot exist in isolation. As ONeill puts it, I would contest that libraries should be equal partners and influencers in the formulation of institutional goals. Collins and Porras (1996, p. 69) , argue that while an organisation might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, they cannot fulfil a purpose; like a guiding star it is forever pursued but never reached. The fact that purpose can never be fully realised ensures that the best organisations never stop stimulating change and progress. Give the innovative environment in which academic libraries operate, I believe they are unique positioned to take advantage of this.A well-written strategic plan should contain risk, innovation, originality and have transformative impact. ONeill (2018) raises the point about using tools such as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis or political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental (PESTLE) analysis in order to facilitate strategic planning. While I have used both of these tools in the past and recognise their practicality, there is potential danger hidden within. There is a risk of normative isomorphism, described as a tendency to replicate the plans of others, to look as others look and to approach problems in the same way (Maplas, 2015, cited in Dole, Dabbour & Kott, 2017) . Secondly, the use of the SWOT analysis in particular tend to emphasise problems and shortcomings rather than accentuating the positive. I argue that now is the time to shape the future of academic libraries by adopting visionary traits in order to gain an advantage and seek competitive differentiation. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, libraries and librarians should be encouraged to envision a preferred future without constraint.
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Resisting the trick of distraction means back to basics for journalists  and for their publishers, producers and editors. Follow up, have persistence, and focus on broken promises and unfinished stories. Take a day to substitute collaboration instead of competition with your colleagues. If one reporter asks a question that gets no answer, the next reporter should ask the same question again, and so on. If there still is no answer, or an attempt to change the subject, all journalists present should consider joint action such as a walkout, so the cameras can show the American people how they are being misled.
HURLINGS holy grail made a visit to another religious spot recently  St Marys Cathedral.

The Liam MacCarthy Cup was hoisted high above the 120-foot tower as it visited the Anglican cathedral, which marked its 850th anniversary just days after Limerick won the All-Ireland in Croke Park.

Students from the nearby St Marys National School provided the soundtrack to the day, singing Limerick, You're a Lady among other tunes.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, cathedral Dean Niall Sloane said: Today is about welcoming the most famous object in Limerick at the moment, the Liam MacCarthy Cup into Limericks oldest building. We will be taking it to the top of the tower so it can see the Gaelic Grounds.

And there was another first  as the western door of the cathedral was opened to welcome Liam MacCarthy.

It's normally only opened for the Bishop, but we decided we would be a bit mischievous and open it for the cup and the students, Mr Sloane explained.

It was nice in the same year as we were celebrating an anniversary, another anniversary was made for the Limerick hurlers, he said.

Mr Sloane had an unrivalled view when Limericks victorious hurlers returned home last summer, with the Cavan man able to witness the open-topped bus parade through the city from atop the tower.

It was absolutely amazing. It brought the whole city and county together. Here at the cathedral, we were very fortunate that our bellringers came out and rang a peal of bells in celebration of the cup being brought home. Being up in the tower and watching the bus with the team going across the bridge was a very moving occasion, he admitted.

David McNally, 10, from the Island Field, said: I'm very excited to get to see the cup today! It's just great to be here."

Eight-year-old Paul Glasheen from the Lee Estate added: Im very excited and happy to be in the building and be able to sing in this building. I like this building, it's got a good history.
Individuals and businesses across Limerick are being encouraged go the extra mile and to be kind in the community as part of the annual Festival of Kindness.

The festival, organised by non-profit organisation Pay It Forward Limerick, is now in its fifth year, with many businesses in the city getting involved.

Businesses such as Spin Southwest, Starbucks and Bus Eireann to name a few have made an effort this year with one goal  to create a chain of kindness across Limerick.

We want people to be kind in ways that are comfortable for them  we dont want kindness to feel difficult or cumbersome. We want to remind people its easy to be kind, says Mariah Hassett of Pay It Forward Limerick.

When were asking businesses for support, it can be in any way they can. Some businesses have made small donations to be made away, or are doing something kind for their employees such as catering a lunch. Even wearing the festival pins throughout the week spreads awareness and keeps kindness in everyones minds, she said.

The festivities kicked off on Saturday at a Family Fun Day at Bedford Row which brought together those are involved  from schools, churches and scouts groups.

Coffee morning This Friday, March 15 10am-12noon at Starbucks in Castletroy Shopping Centre. Free tea and coffee, Spin SouthWest Spinis, lots of prizes, fabulous company! #payitforward pic.twitter.com/Mh0dEwYgH1  Pay It Forward Limerick (@PIF_Limerick) March 11, 2019

Most of the people involved in Pay it Forward Limerick are mental health professionals, and its a really preventative organisation to try and stop people getting themselves into difficulty. Its when were in difficulty that we look for help, this is an opportunity to go upstream. said Michael OMahony chairman of PIFL.

Thats why we put a huge emphasis on young people, and its why we have over thirty schools involved. They do seasonal kindness, and have their own Kindness Committees. The kids run it, and we award them their Kindness Flag, Michael added.

Now in its fifth year, Pay It Forward Limericks ripple of kindness has spilled into other areas of the country.

People from all over the country are getting involved. Its a Limerick initiative but its exploding on us. The response has been unbelievable, says Michael.

We want people to get involved themselves, as well as businesses. People are kind and gentle and theres goodness in them. What were asking is for this week is to just be that little bit kinder. The universe will give you plenty of opportunities to be kind in all areas of your life, he added.

Were not a charity helping a specific group of people, its for everyone  kindness is across the board. Support the unsung heroes, go the extra mile for those who rarely get recognised for their work. Just go for it.

To get involved, contact Pay It Forward Limerick at piflmarketing@gmail.com or get in touch on social media.
TO MARK Engineers Week 2019, Cook Medical, global medical devices company, is educating students in local schools on medical technology engineering by using augmented reality (AR) hardware.

Starting with Mungret NS and Monaleen NS, students were given the AR Human Anatomy Challenge which has been pioneered to spark an interest in medtech and to show how medical devices are used to improve patient care.

The students also got to see demonstrations of medical devices that have been designed and developed at Cook Medicals Limerick base in Castletroy.

Cook Medical senior engineering manager, Triona Campbell, believes that exposing students to this technology, can spark an interest in engineering from a young age, encouraging students to join this workforce in the future.

Our team is delighted to support Stem education subjects in the local community. Bringing technologies like AR into the classroom broadens students minds and provides a varied learning experience, commented Campbell.

Engineering is very often only explored by students at secondary school level. Introducing it at primary level will help to boost understanding and better prepare students for further study of Stem subjects.

She said that the Castletory base company were excited to be working with local schools to promote innovation in healthcare.
Mumbai: Indias largest conglomerates are investing far less in the country than they used to. The top 20 conglomerates, based on aggregate turnover, contributed less than a third to overall private sector investments in the three years from fiscal years 2015-16 to 2017-18.

These companies accounted for more than half of all new project announcements at the turn of the century, a Mint analysis of capital expenditure (capex) data shows.

The data for the analysis is based on figures for new project announcements from the capex-tracking database of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The categorization of business groups by CMIE is largely based on the 1966 R.K. Hazari Committee report.

The analysis is based on data from FY98 till FY18 andgiven the lumpy nature of capex spendingconsiders investments in each three-year period. Data for business houses that have split in the period under consideration (including the Ambanis, the Jindals, and the Bajajs) have been merged to ensure comparability across the time period.

The data pertains only to domestic investments and does not take into account outward foreign investments by these groups. Although growth in fresh investments recovered in the last three years after hitting a record low in 2013-15, the improvement is largely due to the low base and the growth rate is still much lower than what it was in the early 2000s.

The 2012-15 period actually saw negative growth for this set of conglomerates, primarily because several of the large conglomerates were deep in debt during that period.

According to a 2015 report by Credit Suisse titled Still in the Woods, total debt at 10 of the biggest business groups climbed seven times in the eight years leading up to that year, adding up to 12% of the loans in the banking system and 27% of corporate loans. The Essar Group, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Godrej saw the sharpest declines in new investments during this period. L&T also witnessed the sharpest improvement in the subsequent three years, from FY2016-2018.

Other groups that led investment recovery in this period were companies under the former KK Birla Group, TVS and the Rajan Raheja group. The Ambanis (aggregate of firms owned by Mukesh and Anil Ambani), Bharti Telecom, and the Tatas witnessed the most sluggish investment activity in the same period.

Interestingly, over the last two decades, the three biggest business groupsAmbanis, Tatas and Jindalshave lost significant share in terms of their contribution to new investment projects.

In the financial years 1997-2000, the combined share of these three groups in new private sector investments was 33%. This has fallen to about 10% in recent years.

Even so, among the top 20, Jindals and Ambanis remained the biggest contributors to fresh investments in India. In fact, a comparison of the performance of new conglomerates (founded after 1970), such as Vedanta, Adani and the Ambani group, with older conglomerates (those founded before 1970), including the Tatas, Jindals and Godrej, shows that the contribution of the older conglomerates has fallen more in recent years.

The analysis also shows that manufacturing investments by the top conglomerates have been far more volatile than investments in services, which have been led by groups such as Larsen and Toubro, the Jindals, and the Ambanis (See chart 4).

An earlier Plain Facts column had highlighted how investments are now spread more equally among states. This analysis suggests that investments among firms are a bit more equal than they used to be.

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Off the coast of South Africa, dive tour operator Rainer Schimpf gets pulled into the mouth of a whale along with a mass of sardines.

While photographing a mass of sardines off South Africa's coast last month, a dive tour operator ended up on the wrong side of a whale  the inside.

Rainer Schimpf, 51, was in the water with a "bait ball," a swirling school of sardines surrounded by predators, when he suddenly felt the world go dark. He quickly realized he'd been scooped up by a whale, he told The Today Show.

"I held my breath," he said in an interview with Today, expecting the whale to pull him down. "I mean there was no other thing I could do," he added. "I mean, you can't fight a 15-ton animal." [8 Human-Animal Encounters That Went Horribly Wrong]

Whale encounter

Fortunately, the whale was likely as displeased about the situation as Schimpf and spit the swimmer out within a couple of seconds. Photographer Heinz Toperczer, who was working aboard a nearby boat, captured an amazing photo of Schimpf halfway inside the whale's mouth above the waterline, with only the diver's lower body dangling out. Live Science was unable to reach Schimpf for comment, but it seems that neither Schimpf nor the whale saw each other before one ended up in the other's mouth.

The whale was a Bryde's whale, pronounced Broo-dah's. These animals range throughout tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, said Tom Jefferson, a biologist and member of the scientific advisory board for Save the Whales. They're not so well-known, in part because they don't venture into polar regions and thus were never widely hunted by whalers, Jefferson said. Around South Africa, these whales average around 43 to 45 feet (13.1 to 13.7 meters) in length.

Despite the inevitable comparisons to the Biblical story of Jonah, Schimpf was never in danger of being swallowed by the whale, said Uko Gorter, the president of the American Cetacean Society. Bryde's whales are batch feeders. They lunge forward into schools of small fish, take in a wiggling mouthful of fish and water, and then strain the water back out through their floppy baleen plates before swallowing the remaining fish. Their throats are too small to swallow a human, Gorter told Live Science, though some baleen whales have been documented to accidentally swallow small birds.

Humpback whales, he said, have been found with Cassin's auklets in their stomachs, but those birds grow to only about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long.

Gentle giants

Though being scooped up by a whale was a new experience for Schimpf, it may have been old hat for the whale, Jefferson said. Because bait balls attract a lot of predators in a small area, it's likely the Bryde's whales accidentally scoop up inedible animals fairly often, he said. Perhaps prior experience is why the whale didn't hesitate to spit Schimpf out.

The only whale that would likely be capable of swallowing a human would be a toothed whale, the sperm whale, which eats prey such as giant squid. A sperm whale did ram and sink the whale ship Essex in 1820, but there are no reliable reports of a sperm whale ever eating a human. The only such report found floating around early 1900s newspapers involved the unlikely story of a sailor surviving 36 hours in a sperm whale's stomach, and that account proved, upon investigation in 1991, to be a fish tale.

While the incident off South Africa was clearly an accident on both man's and whale's part, the lure of going viral with photographs and video has often brought people much too close to whales, noted Maris Sidenstecker, the co-founder of Save the Whales. Divers, swimmers and boaters should admire from a distance, Sidenstecker told Live Science, to ensure that whales can feed, rest and nurture their young without interruption.

Originally published on Live Science.
Brexit means EUs economic centre will gradually move more towards Germany and the east, adding pressure on the Netherlands, believes ESC policy manager

Post-Brexit pan-European logistics strategies will gradually shift eastwards away from the English Channel, creating new challenges for shipping lines, hauliers and air freight logisticians, according to Rogier Spoel, air freight policy manager at the European Shippers Council (ESC).

As reported in Lloyds Loading List, multiple sources report that shippers and 3PLs are planning to shift pan-European distribution hubs and production out of the UK into continental Europe to avoid border delays and increased supply chain costs.

And Spoel said post-Brexit this could increase volume pressure on continental Europes air and port gateways as cargo is transferred away from UK ports and airport gateways.

In the longer term, youll probably see more pressure on the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany as the logistics wheel of Europe, he said.

Container shipping lines have all been downsizing the amount of calls theyre making, he said. Ships are getting bigger, but the amount of calls in Europe are getting smaller because they all sail towards Antwerp, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Hamburg, and drop off way more containers than they used to.

An Italian company I know complains that they no longer have any big ships coming there anymore and now need to ship via Rotterdam. After Brexit we could see less volumes for continental Europe arriving through Felixstowe or Southampton, shifting more volumes to the continental ports and increasing pressure.

When the UK drops out of the EU, the pressure might increase on Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg as the major port of calls for Europe which could hurt Dutch shippers.

There would also be a gradually migration of EU hub systems away from the coast. At present, the gateways of Europe are the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium and perhaps western France and Germany, but with the UK leaving, the economic centre of the European Union will gradually shift more towards Germany and the east.

Spoel, who is also policy manager for ocean and air freight for Dutch shipper body Evofenedex, said this could create more problems for the Netherlands as transit traffic increases.

Its actually not that good for the position of the Netherlands which was perfectly positioned between the UK, Germany and France, he said. Economic studies have shown how the perfect spot for pan-EU distribution now is near Venlo in the Netherlands, which has the best position within 500km of four major seaports and eight big airports. Thats where many European distribution centres are located, right on the edge of the Dutch-German border.

But with the UK leaving, youll probably see that concentration shift more towards Germany, more towards Frankfurt where the view is that many distribution hubs will in future focus.

Thats another reason we could also see more congestion here in the Netherlands because of the extra transit traffic.

Image: Shutterstock.com
Therefore I dont criticize her for bringing up these issues. They need to be vigorously discussed and debated. But shes not doing her party any favors by bringing them up now, in the heat of Washingtons polarized politics. As my late father might well have said of Omars agitation, Now shes done stopped preaching and gone to meddling.
The first full trailer of Disney's live-action "Aladdin" dropped Tuesday, providing our most detailed look yet at the Guy Ritchie-directed remake.

The movie, which comes out May 24, had been beset by delays and some minor casting controversies. Accusations of whitewashing flew about in 2017 when English actor Tom Hardy was mentioned as a possibility to play the main villain, Jafar, in a movie set in a fictional Middle Eastern kingdom.

Disney eventually cast Mena Massoud, an Egyptian-born Canadian actor, to play the titular character; Marwan Kenzari, a Dutch actor of Tunisian descent, to play Jafar; and Naomi Scott, of British and Indian descent, to play Princess Jasmine.

Will Smith plays Genie.

This new trailer opens with a scene reminiscent of the marketplace chase in the 1992 animated version. Here are nine other things we noticed.

- Will Smith is not blue the entire time.

Some fans were quite upset by the sight of Will Smith as a very blue Genie when a shorter trailer aired during the Grammys telecast last month.

This longer look at the movie reveals that Smith won't be blue the entire time. So, you know, balance.

- Not a lot of singing, huh?

Genie sings a snappy number, but the fan-favorite "A Whole New World" closes out the trailer and really goes heavy on the nostalgia factor.

But expect some new songs in the full movie, including a duet between Jasmine and Aladdin, as well as a Jasmine-centric song.

- Jafar is not creepy at all.

In Disney's original film from 1992, Jafar has a very sinister vibe. But when Kenzari was cast to play the Grand Vizier of Agrabah, many proclaimed that "hot Jafar" had arrived.

In these new scenes, Kenzari's Jafar definitely doesn't look evil. He kind of looks like my younger cousin (who's a good kid!). Is it weird that I'm sort of rooting for him?

- Abu, however, is.

Maybe a cartoon monkey will always be more delightful than any other version, but this CGI take on Aladdin's sidekick Abu has less of a sassy-and-sweet vibe, and more of a "Wizard of Oz" flying monkey vibe. What I'm saying is, I think Abu should put the trumpet down and find the rest of his monkey family.

- Everyone is very clothed.

Unlike the cartoon feature, Aladdin is wearing a shirt and DO NOT think I did not notice. Jasmine's bare midriff is covered, too.

- Aren't we missing some people?

You can't fit all of Agrabah into a few minutes, folks. Several key characters are missing from the trailer, but they seem to be in the full-length film.

Navid Negahban is expected to play Jasmine's dad, Sultan. And two new characters have been added to the remake, including Nasim Pedrad, who plays Dalia, a handmaiden to Jasmine. That addition means one more female character than the animated version had.

"She may be the handmaiden but they're best friends; they're so close because they've grown up together," Scott told the Hollywood Reporter. "So we wanted people to watch the movie and see Jasmine's relationship with another woman, and be like, 'Ah, that's what I'm like with my girlfriend,' or 'We would so do that if I was in that position.' That's something that's missing from the animation."

Billy Magnussen (whose casting received some backlash and questions about whitewashing as well) reportedly plays Prince Anders, a suitor of Princess Jasmine.

- And Iago?

You know Iago, the wisecracking, parrot sidekick of Jafar. Some will tell you he's a Top 5 character. But here we see no CGI parrot. Gilbert Gottfried, who voiced Iago in the 1992 feature film and subsequent "Aladdin"-related animated projects, apparently did not participate in the remake.

- Aladdin has excellent eyebrowns, and I'd like to know who threads these for him.

There are many very good eyebrows on display in this trailer, but those on Massoud's face rank as the best. (It's from threading, trust me.)
Chef Brandi Key has joined forces with Claire Smith, one of Houston's trail blazing chefs and restaurateurs, to act as operating partner and culinary director over Smith's Canopy, Woodbar and Alice Blue restaurants.

"It's a really exciting opportunity to get to work with someone whom I've looked up to for so long," said Key, who has enjoyed a long and successful career overseeing some of Houston's most popular restaurants. "You can look back at so many interviews in the past where I've referenced Claire as paving the way for chefs, especially female chefs, in this city. I'm truly honored she would want me to join her on this adventure."
The City of Cleveland and its Economic Development Corporation held the fourth annual Allies Day on March 6th at the Civic Center.

Allies Day was started as a means to introduce Cleveland to the rest of the world.

EDC president Brad Browder addressed the crowd during breakfast.

The EDC started these Allies Day events a few years ago, Browder said. The idea was creating an alliance with developers, relators and businesses from the area. One of our goals at EDC is to create jobs and prosperity for Cleveland and the area. Theres a lot of good going on in Cleveland and Allies Day is one of the many tools we use to let people know what is going on in the community.

Attendees were taken on a bus tour around the city of Cleveland that was highlighted by the new Houston development Grand Oaks Reserve, Industrial Park Cleveland West and Sharpe International.

Grand Oaks is a 600-acre mixed use development that could feature close to 1,000 homes in addition to condominiums. It is being developed in part by The McKinley Development Group.

The McKinley Group saw Cleveland as the diamond in the rough that it is, said Cleveland Mayor Otis Cohn. They recognized the potential, and I think Allies Day has had something to do with pushing that potential on out of town investors. I think they have noticed. Cleveland is going to take its place eventually among the important towns in Texas. As I said a while back, one day people will ask is it the one in Ohio or the one in Texas? I really do think that is our potential.

The attendees were taken on a tour of Grand Oaks Reserve to see the five modeled homes that are on display for customers. Homes, which begin in the $200,000-range should be available for purchase in about a month.

With growth on its way to Cleveland, people will need a place to raise their families, Cohn said.

Grand Oaks developers have brought that dream to Cleveland.

Thats certainly easy to describe as the showcase of the event, Browder said. Its been two years of absolute joy to see what has been going on at Grand Oaks Reserve. You can see the houses on the ground, and theyre starting to sell soon.

Cleveland West has warehouses built that are ready to provide for business and Sharpe International is in the process of cleaning up their site to begin their business.

Mayor Cohn addressed the crowd and reminded the attendees that Cleveland was not going to be left behind.

The town is growing, the town is prospering, said Cohn. People that live around here and travel around town can see things going on, and thats a good thing.

marcus.gutierrez@chron.com
London

On the eve of a critical parliamentary vote, Britain's prime minister, Theresa May, secured new legal pledges from the European Union in a last-minute effort to rescue her unpopular plan for exiting the European Union from a second, potentially terminal, defeat.

But it was unclear that the concessions agreed to by the EU negotiators would be enough to prevent another defeat of May's deal in Parliament on Tuesday  one that could threaten her control over the process, or even her job. The initial reaction of pro-Brexit hard-line lawmakers ranged from critical to cautiously positive.

Even for May, who has made a habit of pushing decisions to the wire, Monday night's agreement, struck in Strasbourg, France, came at the 11th hour.

It ended a day of political confusion, swirling speculation and high-wire negotiation with her European counterparts.

On Monday, after a telephone call with Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, May flew to meet him in Strasbourg, where the European Parliament is holding a plenary session.

Back in London, David Lidington, May's de facto deputy, told Parliament that the prime minister had won a legal pledge to reassure pro-Brexit lawmakers who fear that Britain could be trapped indefinitely inside parts of the European Union's economic rule book.

The new provisions in a "joint instrument" clarify the temporary nature of the Irish "backstop" provision, which is part of the withdrawal agreement. This provision is designed to prevent a hard border being created between Ireland, which will remain in the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

Tuesday's vote is seen as a pivotal moment in the endless withdrawal saga, known as Brexit, coming less than three weeks before the deadline for Britain to leave the European Union.

Speaking late Monday Lidington appealed to lawmakers to support May's deal, telling them the alternative was to "plunge this country into a political crisis."

If there is no agreement by March 29, Britain will depart the bloc without any deal. That could mean a brutal economic adjustment, as the terms of trade would change overnight, disrupting the flow of goods to and from the continent.

In January, the prime minister's Brexit withdrawal proposals were defeated by 230 votes in the 650-seat Parliament, one of the greatest defeats in British history.

Overturning that is a formidable task. But if May can at least limit the size of a second defeat, she might be able to kick the can down the road one last time.

Under that scenario she might seek one further concession at a summit of EU leaders on March 21, then perhaps hold a third  final  vote on her deal just before Britain's scheduled departure, offering it as the only alternative to delaying Brexit.

Lawmakers, however, are getting restive and are threatening to try to seize control of the process.

May has promised that if Parliament rejects her deal again Tuesday, it will be offered votes on whether to leave the bloc without an agreement, something that a majority of lawmakers oppose. If they decide against that, legislators would then be allowed another vote on whether Britain should request an extension of its negotiations with Brussels.

May is increasingly trapped between warring factions of her own Conservative Party.

One group is determined to prevent the prospect of a potentially chaotic "no deal" departure. But another faction wants to keep that option open in the hope that the threat of a disorderly Brexit would force a better deal out of European nations, whose economies would also suffer.

On Monday rumors surfaced that, facing certain defeat, May might use a parliamentary mechanism to wriggle out of the vote that she promised lawmakers for Tuesday. But she retreated when that provoked a backlash from some legislators. The focus then switched back to the last-minute negotiations with the European Union.

For days there had been deadlock over the Irish border issue, and the Brexiteers' demand for an exit clause or a time limit.
Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, known as a pro-business leader who tries to bridge partisan differences, said he'll join the large field of Democrats competing for the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020.

In a campaign announcement video released on Monday, Hickenlooper presented himself as a Washington outsider capable of both confrontation and cooperation.

"As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies," Hickenlooper says in his video. "I've proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver."

His record of bipartisanship in a battleground state stands in contrast with the nation's polarized electorate and a desire among progressives in the Democratic Party for confrontation over cooperation.

While Hickenlooper is the latest Democrat to announce his candidacy for president, another possible contender, former Attorney General Eric Holder, took his name out of contention in a Washington Post op-ed Monday. Holder said he'll remain involved in the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

Hickenlooper, 67, who completed his second term as governor in January, has a knack for political salesmanship and showmanship -- skills that could help in challenging a former reality TV star turned president. His unorthodox story and folksy personality could enable him to break through among Democratic contenders, though his wisecracking tendencies may also lead to campaign missteps.

On Thursday, Hickenlooper is expected to hold a kick-off rally in Denver before departing on a two-day tour of Iowa, where the first nominating contest of 2020 is scheduled to be held in 11 months.

He joins an already-crowded Democratic primary field that, among others, includes Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist senator from Vermont who lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

In 2005, during his first of two terms as Denver's mayor, Hickenlooper twice parachuted from a plane for a television commercial backing voter referendums in Colorado to permit government spending that he considered critical for the state's future.

Five years later, he appeared in a shower, fully clothed, for another TV spot. This one was in support of his candidacy for governor and a pledge to conduct a clean campaign as others engaged in dirty politics.

Born in suburban Philadelphia as the youngest of four children, Hickenlooper attended a private boys' academy on a scholarship and graduated from Wesleyan University.

After being laid off as a geologist during a slump in Colorado's oil industry, he co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company in a then-abandoned warehouse district in Denver, and later used a "running of the pigs" to celebrate anniversaries of the microbrewery and restaurant. Riding the craft beer craze, he went on to open 15 brewpubs and restaurants, mostly in the Midwest, according to his campaign.

Hickenlooper parlayed his business success into a winning 2003 bid to become mayor of Colorado's largest city. In that post, he streamlined government and persuaded voters to support tax increases for light rail and to help address homelessness. Time magazine named him one of the five best big-city mayors in 2005, and he won re-election in 2007 with 87 percent of the vote.

In 2010, then-President Barack Obama called Hickenlooper, who was mayor when Denver hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and asked him to run for governor. He won with 51 percent of the vote in an election against a Republican and a third-party opponent.

As governor, Hickenlooper promoted a business-friendly environment in a state that's been among the fastest-growing in the nation in recent years and has increasingly leaned more Democratic.

During his time as governor, Colorado became one of the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana, even though he opposed the ballot measure that started the process. He also supported an expansion in the state of Medicaid, and backed LGBT rights.

But Hickenlooper's record on energy issues and climate change could put him at odds with the Democratic base that dominates the nomination process. While he supported limits on methane and vehicle emissions and has said he believes the U.S. must move to a clean energy economy, Hickenlooper has also defended the energy industry and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Hickenlooper has appeared jointly with former Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich to promote shared positions on health care, trade and bipartisanship. Kasich unsuccessfully ran in the 2016 GOP presidential primaries and may be considering a long-shot bid to challenge Trump or run as an independent in 2020.

Clinton considered Hickenlooper as a potential vice presidential running mate before opting for a senator from another important swing state, Tim Kaine of Virginia.

Hickenlooper, former chairman of the National Governors Association, had previously formed a political action committee called Giddy Up.

Shortly after he was elected governor, Hickenlooper told the New York Times that he had no ambitions for higher office because he's too unorthodox a Democrat to be supported in a national race. That assessment will now be put to the test.
WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Monday she would no longer enforce a rule that bars religious institutions from providing certain taxpayer-funded services in private schools, saying the restriction ran afoul of a recent high-court decision.

Under the federal education law, private schools are entitled to many of the federally funded services that public schools receive, particularly if they educate children from low-income households or English-language learners. The rules, called equitable-services provisions, mean that public schools pay for professional development for private school teachers, or send a member of their own staff to provide reading help to a struggling child who is eligible for extra help.
Hal Blaine, a drummer who provided the seismic backbeat and cannon-shot snare on thousands of rock songs and scores of midcentury hits - so many that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dubbed him "the most recorded drummer in history" - died March 11. He was 90.

His family announced the death on Blaine's official Facebook page but did not say where or how he died. "May he rest forever on 2 and 4," they wrote, referring to the beats he accented while laying down the groove for acts including the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Simon and Garfunkel.

In the heady era of 1960s and '70s rock, few drummers were as busy or respected as Blaine, who kept a dozen identical kits ready to go at all times and used a roadie to hop between seven studios in a single day.

While few listeners knew his name (he was typically uncredited in the liner notes, even while filling in for Micky Dolenz of the Monkees or Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys), he played on some 35,000 recorded tracks, including 40 No. 1 singles and 150 top-10 hits, and was said to have covered the walls of his home with gold records.

"If music in the second half of the 20th century were the Empire State Building," Art Garfunkel once said, "Hal Blaine would be the ground floor."

Blaine trained as a jazz drummer before becoming a member of the Wrecking Crew, a loose collective of Los Angeles session musicians that helped create producer Phil Spector's "wall of sound," a dense, rich recording style that was employed or emulated on dozens of 1960s rock records, including the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."

The Wrecking Crew included guitarists Glen Campbell and Tommy Tedesco, bassists Carol Kaye and Joe Osborn, keyboard players Don Randi and Leon Russell, saxophonist Steve Douglas and fellow drummer Earl Palmer - but Blaine, "by virtually unanimous agreement, sat front and center as the unofficial dean of the whole bunch," according to Kent Hartman's 2012 history of the group, "The Wrecking Crew."

While older sidemen played jazz or pop standards in formal blue blazers, Blaine and his younger cohort embraced rock-and-roll and dressed in jeans and T-shirts. In 1997, he told The Washington Post he coined the moniker "Wrecking Crew" after hearing complaints from older session musicians: "They used to say, 'These kids are going to wreck the business!' Instead, we took it over."

Blaine played on his first No. 1 single in 1961, using a brush on the snare and a soft mallet on the tom-tom for Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." He went on to lay down the beat on the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and the Byrds' cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man," and he played on the bottom of his snare head to create an unconventional military sound for "Eve of Destruction," Barry McGuire's chart-topping 1965 protest song.

From 1966 to 1971, Blaine was featured on six straight Grammy Record of the Year-winning singles: "A Taste of Honey" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass; "Strangers in the Night" by Sinatra; "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension; and "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Despite his blistering recording pace, Blaine was rarely known to repeat himself and often experimented with new recording techniques and instruments. He added eight tom-toms to his kit to create a drum set known as "the Octa-Plus," beat on an empty water cooler for the Beach Boys' "Caroline No" and struck a trio of plastic orange-juice bottles for "God Only Knows."

For "The Boxer," Simon and Garfunkel's 1969 "lie-la-lie" single, he simply struck a snare drum during the chorus - but recorded next to an empty elevator shaft to make it sound more like a shotgun than a snare.

Blaine was perhaps best known for his drumming on the 1963 Ronettes single "Be My Baby," which begins with a powerful "boom ba-boom chack" bass-and-snare phrase. Produced and co-written by Spector, the song was ranked No. 22 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs and was described by Wilson as "the greatest record ever produced."

"Hal Blaine would have become a legend if he had only played on 'Be My Baby' and nothing else," drummer Max Weinberg once told The Post. But Blaine, who was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Percussive Arts Society's Hall of Fame in 2012, said the beat was actually a mistake.

"We rehearsed it with a regular backbeat on 2 and 4," he told PAS. "But then when we did the first take, I dropped my stick and missed the 2. So being the faker that I am, I just played the 4, and one of the things you learn is that when you make a mistake, if you do it every four bars it becomes part of the song."

Harold Simon Belsky was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on Feb. 5, 1929. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia, and the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, when Blaine was 7, after his father got a job with the Connecticut Leather Co.

Blaine - he changed his name soon after he began drumming professionally - used the dowels of a kitchen chair as his first set of sticks. His musical education began in earnest at the State Theater in Hartford, where he watched jazz drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich and sat so close to the stage he said he "could smell the powder on the performers."

He moved to Southern California with his family at age 14 and two years later dropped out of high school in San Bernardino to join the Army. Blaine played with a military band stationed in Korea, and after being discharged in 1948, he studied for two years at the Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion in Chicago, performing mainly at strip clubs.

He toured with musicians including Patti Page and teen idol Tommy Sands and by the early 1960s was living in Southern California, settling into an anonymous - but lucrative - studio life with the Wrecking Crew.

"I was living in a gorgeous mansion with my Rolls-Royce and my yacht," Blaine told The Post, "so who cared whether they knew my name or not? I didn't think that way because I was taking the money and running, while some well-known groups were living destitute."

He acquired some mainstream recognition with the help of a memoir, "Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew" (1990), and a documentary, "The Wrecking Crew!" (2008). By then, he had moved from recording rock songs to commercial jingles; he also led drum clinics and released a comedy album, "Buh-Doom!" (1998), that drew on jokes he told during his studio heyday.

Blaine was married at least six times. His daughter, Michelle Blaine, worked as an assistant to Spector, who was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. In addition to his daughter, survivors include seven grandchildren.

In a 2011 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Blaine said he was still drawn to the rock-and-roll songs that defined his career, although listening to oldies radio stations could be a dizzying experience. "It's an amazing ego trip since I'm on so many of the songs," he said. "But it has its drawbacks. You hear your youth. I hear a day at the office or a divorce."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 13)  Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chairman (BTC) Ghazali Jaafar has died at the age of 75.Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chairman Ghazali Jaafar has died.

This was confirmed to CNN Philippines by Moro Islamic Liberation Fromt (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim Wednesday.

"Our Brother Ghazali Jaafar just passed away around 1 a.m. this morning at Davao City," said Murad in a message.

Jaafar's last public appearance was at Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) oath taking ceremony in Malacanang in February.

Speaking to CNN Philippines New Day, Murad said Jaafar had been suffering from illness for a while.

"We are officially announcing the passing away of our brother Ghazali Jaafar, the first vice chairman of the MILF, at the same time the recommended speaker-to-be of the parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Kanina pong 1 a.m., dinala siya sa isang [at 1 a.m., he was brought to a] hospital sa Davao City...he has been suffering from some internal illness for a few months already," he said.

Murad said Jaafar's death is a big loss and the replacement for his position in the commission will be decided upon soon.

Jaafar spent decades in public service, and Ebrahim said the Muslim leader is "one of the biggest pillars" in the fight for Moro independence.

Jaafar's remains are now at his home in Brgy. Tapukan, Sultan Kudarat.

As for funeral preparations, Murad told CNN Philippines, "As with traditional Muslim practice, ther will be a gathering to express our condolence to the family and this will be done today until three days."

Outpouring of affection

Messages of condolences from government officials and other personalities are being shared, all remembering Jaafar's contributions to forward peace for Muslims.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Muslim leader was "a warrior of peace."

"The Palace takes this opportunity to send our heartfelt condolences to the family members and friends of Mr. Jaafar. He has fought many battles for peace and may Allah grant him a place in Jannah (Paradise)," said Panelo.

Susana Salvador Anayatin, a member of the BTA, expressed her "heartfelt appreciation and gratitude" to Jaafar.

"From your BTC, nakikiramay po kami. Rest in God's Peace now, rest assured we will continue the struggle for RSD of the Bangsamoro," she said in a Facebook post.

The BTC shared a photo of Jaafar from November 2018, showing him sitting under a banner bearing the commission's logo.

"May Allah reward him for his good deeds and grant him a place in Jannah," the caption said.

The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, said "From a worthy adversary to a partner in peace, Chairman Jaafar shared the PNP's aspirations for genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao."

Speaking on CNN Philippines' The Source Wednesday, Senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc said Jaafar was one of the people who made her consider running for senator.

"I texted him before I made a decision, and he gave me three reasons... He was very special to the BTC Kasi po yung Maguindanao... You know Murad, how it's very hard to unite Muslims? He did. Because He's kind of the old guy, kung sa Star Wars, siya pa yung wise man [in Star Wars, he is the wise man]. Si Yoda. He was that. He's very special," she said.

She added being a member of the central committee, it's hard to tell how his death will affect them.

While she calls his death "a big loss," she hopes young people of the BTA as well as its other members will "step up and unify the whole Bangsamoro."

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, who also confirmed Jaafar's death to CNN Philippines, said, "May Allah bless his soul."

In a separate statement, Galvez said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process mourned Jaafar's passing, calling him a "great Moro leader."

'As a Moro leader, Jaafar...showed us his determination in leading the Moro people through the passage and eventual ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law... Jaafar selflessly dedicated and devoted his life for others. Truly, he is a man of peace," he said.

Senatorial candidate JV Ejercito expressed his condolences on Jaafar's passing.

"This is sad news. With my deepest sympathies to Vice Chair Ghazali Jaafar whom I have talked to a lot during BOL deliberations. He together with Chair Murad welcomed me in Camp Darapanan which I will never forget. Again my deepest sympathies on his passing," he said on Twitter.

Journalist Karen Davila shared a photo of her and Jaafar, saying "he fought for peace."
1845 N. Orchard St., Chicago: $5,989,888 | Listed: Nov. 9, 2021



This six-bedroom home has six full bathrooms, two half baths, and a carved limestone and brick exterior. The Christopher Peacock kitchen has Waterworks fixtures, a farmers sink and two Subzero refrigerator/freezers. It also opens to the living room, which leads to an outdoor area with a full kitchen, seating areas, and a wood-burning fireplace. On the second floor, the primary bedroom suite features a dressing room and morning kitchen and an en suite bath with a separate shower and soaking tub. Three additional en suite bedrooms are also on the second floor. Other features include a wine cellar, a library, a media room with a Savant projection and audio system and an attached four-car garage with extra storage.



Agent: Carrie McCormick, @properties, 312-961-4612



*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.



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Washington Post photo by Katherine Frey.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican weighing a primary challenge to President Donald Trump, has accepted an invitation from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics to speak at the Politics & Eggs series at Saint Anselm College next month.

The Politics & Eggs series is a must-attend event for potential presidential candidates. Amelia Chasse, a spokeswoman for Hogan, said the governor will speak on April 23.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in praised North Korea's offer to dismantle a key nuclear production complex as an "irreversible" step to undercut its weapons program, breaking with the Trump administration.

In a meeting to discuss the summit last week in Hanoi between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Moon on Monday lauded North Korea's offer to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear complex. He also called for pushing ahead with inter-Korean projects currently hindered by sanctions and said the two sides discussed the "partial" lifting of sanctions -- backing North Korea's version of events.

"It would represent an irreversible stage in North Korea's denuclearization if the Yongbyon nuclear complex including its plutonium reprocessing facilities and uramium enrichment facilities are completely dismantled," Moon told senior aides Monday at a National Security Council meeting discussing the summit.

Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said they couldn't accept the proposal from North Korea to shut down the Yongbyon complex in return for complete sanctions relief because the regime still had hidden production facilities and missiles elsewhere that could threaten the U.S.

"That facility, while very big, it wasn't enough to do what we were doing," Trump said last week in Hanoi, referring to Yongbyon.

Moon has endeavored to serve as a bridge between Trump and Kim, and has staked political capital on bringing peace to the divided peninsula.

Yongbyon, long at the heart of the reclusive state's nuclear program, has seen its importance drop in recent years as North Korea turned to other secret facilities to produce fissile material for bombs and missiles that could carry a warhead to the U.S. mainland.

Trump said he was impressed that Kim was willing to lose a "very big" facility. But after the Hanoi talks broke down, he also said he had pressed Kim on other nuclear sites uncovered by American intelligence.

Trump also said in his closing press conference that Kim had insisted that sanctions be completely lifted. North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho later disputed Trump's claim, saying Pyongyang only asked that United Nations sanctions imposed during 2016 and 2017 be lifted. A U.S. official later countered that those represent the most serious sanctions on the regime.

"We hope the two countries would continue dialogue and the two leaders would meet again soon to reach an agreement that has been delayed this time," Moon said at the meeting on Monday.

Moon also again asked his staff and ministers to speed up agreed-to inter-Korean projects. A day after the summit, he said in a speech that South Korea will negotiate with the U.S. on ways to restart the frozen joint projects north of the border -- a mountain resort and a factory park where South Korean firms used North Korean labor to produce goods.

The facilities produce hard currency for North Korea's cash-starved economy and need approval from various bodies including the U.S. Treasury and United Nations Security Council to open up again.
WASHINGTON - A new proposal from President Donald Trump to slash Medicare spending puts Republicans in a political bind ahead of the 2020 election as Democrats are pitching an expansion of the popular health care program for all Americans.

Trump's 10-year budget unveiled Monday calls for more than $845 billion in reductions for Medicare, aiming to cut "waste, fraud and abuse" in the federal program that gives insurance to older Americans. It's part of a broader proposed belt-tightening effort after deficits soared during the president's first two years in office in part due to massive tax cuts for the wealthy.

The move immediately tees up a potential messaging battle between Democratic proposals for "Medicare-for-all" - castigated by Republicans as a socialist boondoggle - and a kind of Medicare-for-less approach focused on cutting back on spending, from the GOP.

Democrats, including some seeking to challenge Trump in 2020, seized on the proposed Medicare cuts Monday as an example of the GOP seeking to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly and the poor after giving broad tax breaks to the wealthy.

"Make no mistake about it: Trump's budget is a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a Democratic presidential candidate, said in a Monday tweet that highlighted Medicare cuts.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump broke from Republican orthodoxy by promising not to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. His budget, by contrast, calls for scaling back all three programs.

In states with large senior populations, such as Florida, political attacks over Medicare cuts have proved so effective that both parties have used them. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., won his seat after running ads last year accusing then-incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson of voting to cut Medicare.

Trump probably needs to win Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania and other states with large numbers of seniors if he is to secure re-election in 2020. Older Americans consistently vote at higher rates than younger Americans.

Since taking office, Trump has largely left untouched Medicare and other programs heavily used by seniors. Republicans have followed his lead, ditching previous proposals to raise the retirement age or impose other restrictions to save costs and reduce the $22 trillion national debt.

While announcing his presidential bid in June 2015, Trump said he would "save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts." He added that it was "not fair" to make cuts to a program that people had been paying into for many years, and that he would save it "by making us rich again" and cutting waste, fraud and abuse.

The White House said Monday that Trump's budget, which calls for changing hospital reimbursement rates and finding savings on drug prices, does not amount to cuts for Medicare or change the program structurally.

"He's not cutting Medicare in this budget," Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters Monday at the White House. "Medicare spending will go up every single year by healthy margins, and there are no structural changes for Medicare beneficiaries."

But Trump's proposed Medicare savings are more than three times as large as those in his previous budget, and industry lobbying groups said the reductions would hurt hospitals and seniors.

"The impact on care for seniors would be devastating," Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, said in a statement. "Hospitals are less and less able to cover the cost of care for Medicare patients; it is no time to gut Medicare."

Many prominent Democratic presidential candidates have embraced some version of a Medicare-for-all system, which would allow most Americans to be covered under the federal program.

Trump and his Republican allies had been on the offensive on health care in recent months, after several Democratic candidates struggled to answer questions about how they would pay for universal coverage and whether they would allow Americans to keep their private insurance.

"Just this week, more than 100 Democrats in Congress signed up for a socialist takeover of American health care," Trump said earlier this month at the Conservative Political Action Conference, claiming that a Medicare-for-all plan would "take away private coverage from over 180 million Americans."

Democratic strategists and officials argued Monday that Trump's budget proposal exposed how little credibility Republicans have in debating health care, and they showed signs of confidence that it would sharpen the contrast Democrats are seeking to make in the run-up to the 2020 election.

"It totally eviscerates any integrity to their already pretty flimsy attack," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "This assault on Medicare lays bare the real Republican agenda, which is to destroy the health care safety net. They have no shred of intellectual underpinning or integrity to their attack on Democrats if they make this kind of proposal."

Republicans and fiscal conservatives offered tepid praise for the president's proposal, which would not balance the federal budget until 2034. Republicans have long called for more significant changes to Medicare and other mandatory spending programs that are the biggest drivers of the national debt.

"President Trump has the right mindset regarding his proposed budget," said Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, a conservative group. "Congress, however, needs to make entitlement reform a priority if we are to address the nation's burgeoning national debt in the long term."

In last year's midterm elections, Democrats campaigned aggressively on health care, attacking Republicans over their failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The dynamic marked a shift from the two previous midterm elections, during which the GOP was the party mainly going on offense on health care, slamming Democrats over the creation of the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

"On one hand, you don't like handing the other side a potential campaign message at any point, and Democrats will inevitably try to make this into a 'Trump wants to cut your Medicare' argument," Republican pollster Chris Wilson said. But Wilson argued that the plan probably would not reverberate as the ACA repeal push did. "A proposed cut to entitlements in a budget proposal that has no chance of passing the House just isn't going to enter the public consciousness in the same way," he added.

The latest discussions about Medicare mark a new chapter in the partisan debate. Many Democrats are eager to continue putting health care at the forefront of the national conversation. Democratic presidential candidates "should be raising this issue morning, noon and night," said Blumenthal, who co-sponsored a Medicare-for-all proposal in the last Congress.

Democratic presidential candidates seized on Trump's budget framework Monday, singling out the Medicare cuts.

"This budget says a lot about the President's priorities: cut $845 billion from Medicare, while spending billions on his vanity project, the wall," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tweeted, referring to Trump's request for border wall funding. "This would hurt our seniors and is yet another piece of evidence for why we need a new president."

Trump's proposed Medicare cuts amounted to a "huge gift for Democrats," said Dan Pfeiffer, who served as White House communications director under President Barack Obama.

"It's a political fumble on the Republican part in the sense that this budget is going nowhere," he said. "The argument prior to this was the Democrats' plan versus the status quo. And now it's the Democrats' plan versus the Republican plan to cut Medicare."

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, tweeted: "One party wants to expand Medicare and Medicaid and the other wants to cut them. That's the end of my tweet."
A Roy Moore supporter refused to answer questions about an alleged bribery attempt aimed at boosting Moore's 2017 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama, claiming dozens of times while under oath that truthful responses might incriminate him, according to court records released Monday.

In the final weeks of the failed Senate bid, Bert Davi and another Moore supporter approached the lawyer for Leigh Corfman, who had accused Moore of touching her sexually when she was 14 and he was 32. The men offered the lawyer $10,000 to drop Corfman as a client and issue a statement to Breitbart News questioning her credibility, the lawyer previously told The Washington Post.

The lawyer, Eddie Sexton, declined to make the statement. In a Post story about the effort last March, an account that relied in part on audio and text messages, Moore and his campaign denied involvement, and Davi denied wrongdoing.

A transcript of a deposition filed in court Monday shows that, under questioning during closed-door testimony in November, Davi asserted his constitutional right not to incriminate himself 65 times when asked about the alleged offer.

In a brief phone interview Monday, asked why he invoked his right against self-incrimination, Davi said, "It's simple." He paused, then added: "You know what? I'm not going to comment."

Moore's attorney, Melissa Isaak, said Monday that "there was no participation by the Moore campaign or anybody associated with it."

The court case in Montgomery County, Alabama, began as a defamation lawsuit in which Corfman accused Moore of smearing her after she went public with her allegations. But it has delved deeply into the activities of a group of Moore supporters who sought to salvage his 2017 campaign, including employees of Breitbart, a website run at the time by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

Corfman's attorneys released Davi's deposition as part of a request for a subpoena to force Breitbart and two of its reporters to turn over records that might shed light on their interactions with the Moore campaign.

A spokeswoman for Breitbart previously told The Post that its reporters were not aware of any offer to Sexton.

Davi and a business partner, Gary Lantrip, attended a closed-door fundraising event for Moore in Washington on Nov. 1, 2017, and acted as his security guards two weeks later at a Moore campaign event in Alabama, video from the events shows.The two men, owners of a small construction firm and Sexton's clients in an unrelated case, also arranged for Sexton to meet the Breitbart reporters. Davi and Lantrip pressed Sexton to provide the reporters with a statement undercutting Corfman's allegations, according to text messages and recorded phone conversations.

In the deposition, Lantrip said he was not acting on behalf of Moore or his campaign. He said the $10,000 would have been a "loan" that Sexton had requested and that it was unrelated to the statement they asked him to make.

Lantrip also said that when he was pressing Sexton for the statement, Breitbart reporter Matt Boyle said the website was considering opening an Alabama office, adding "maybe we can get him [Sexton] some work down here." A Breitbart representative previously denied Sexton was offered legal work in exchange for any statement.

Lantrip said Sexton privately told the men he didn't believe Corfman, an allegation Sexton has denied. Moore's attorney said Monday she is seeking a subpoena for an audio recording of the meeting between the Breitbart reporters and Sexton. She said Boyle told her Sexton "disparaged Leigh Corfman throughout the meeting."

Boyle did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Moore said in a radio interview Friday that he is "seriously considering" running for Senate again in 2020 against Democrat Doug Jones, who defeated him in the 2017 special election.
Marijuana legalization isnt just about stopping arrests under War on Drugs-era laws for cannabis possession. In California, its also about clearing the records of thousands who were arrested during that era and still struggle with the stigma of a criminal record for actions that ara legal now.

With the help of a volunteer organization that uses technology to make governments more efficient, San Francisco officials plan to expunge records of 9,300 marijuana-related convictions that go back as far 1975. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon called expunging the records the morally right thing to do, according to the Los Angeles Times. He then added, If you have a felony conviction, you are automatically excluded in so many ways from participating in your community.

Related: Holy Smokes! Tel-Aviv's Cannabis Industry Is Lighting Up

No need to ask.

The district attorneys office has set up a process which allows people to ask for a conviction to be expunged, but only 23 people had applied, according to NPR. Gascon said that process was cumbersome and decided to just get on with it. The district attorney's office partnered with Code for America, a nonprofit group of coding volunteers who take on projects that make government more efficient. They focus on issues of criminal justice, the social safety net and workforce development.

For example, they are running pilot projects in five states to make social benefits more accessible to thousands of poor Americans.

In the San Francisco situation, the issue was criminal justice. Gascons people started about a year ago to go through cases by hand and had found about 1,000 to expunge. Volunteers with Code for America were able to create a program in minutes that searched through criminal records back to 1975 and found thousands more to clear.

San Francisco is the first to take on this issue in a substantive way (i.e., doing something rather than talking about it). Los Angeles may not be far behind. There have been about 40,000 felony convictions for marijuana-related offenses in Los Angeles County since 1993, many of which might be eligible, according to the Times.

Related: New Jersey Inches Closer to Legalizing Marijuana Without Voter Referendum

War on Drugs vs. Minorities

Politicians across the country are now arguing that marijuana legalization is a social justice issue because the War on Drugs disproportionately impacted minority communities. San Francisco provides a good example of how this played out, statistically.

The Cannabis Equity Report done by San Francisco (the city and county) found that in 2000, 7.8 percent of the population in San Francisco was black, but 41 percent of all marijuana-related arrests involved black suspects. By 2011, arrests involving black San Franciscans hovered around 50 percent of all arrests, according to the report.

In a statement on the issue from last year, Gascon said that a criminal conviction can be a barrier to employment, housing and other benefits, so instead of waiting for the community to take action, were taking action for the community.

To stay up to date on the latest marijuana-related news make sure to like dispensaries.com on Facebook

Related:

3 Compliance Risks Cannabis Dispensary Owners Can Eliminate Right Now

Volunteer Coders Partner With San Francisco to Clear 9,300 Marijuana Arrest Records

The Mooch Makes the Case for Cannabis Investment



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The U.S. Department of Justice will monitor Harris County elections, at county expense, for up to four years under the settlement of a federal lawsuit over inadequate access to polling places for voters with disabilities.

Commissioners Court approved the 15-page settlement during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. The item originally was designated for a closed-door executive session, but court members simply agreed to First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soards recommendation they sign off on the deal.

Under the agreement, Harris County will have to make minor accessibility improvements to as many as 300 of its 750 regular voting sites, hire two outside election experts to supervise balloting and designate an in-house Americans with Disabilities Act compliance officer. The county does not have to concede it has violated the ADA in past elections.

Its a fair settlement, Soard said. Its a reasonable way to conclude this litigation.

Toby Cole, a quadriplegic attorney who almost exclusively represents wheelchair users, said the settlement and extended federal supervision are essential because disabled voters often are reluctant to complain about problems they encounter.

They dont want to make a huge fuss, Cole said. So, you dont vote the first time, then the second time. We cut things out of our lives already, and voting is one more thing to say is too difficult.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo said after the meeting she is confident the county will be able to show the federal government much sooner than four years it is capable of running an election in which each polling place meets ADA guidelines.

Weve got a court, and a county clerk, and a county attorney that are committed to equitable access to elections, Hidalgo said. Were all working to make sure we adhere to that settlement.

Court members unanimously approved the settlement with minimal discussion during an uncharacteristically short, two-and-a-half-hour meeting. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said he appreciated no polling places would be closed by the settlement.

The Justice Department in 2016 argued that several Harris County polling locations failed to meet standards set by the landmark 1990 federal ADA. The DOJ said the sites had inadequate parking, cracked and crumbling sidewalks and inaccessible or absent ramps for wheelchairs, among other required accommodations.

Monica Flores-Richart, whom County Clerk Diane Trautman hired in January as the countys ADA compliance officer, said the office will re-examine each polling place. In most cases, she said problems can be identified and addressed quickly.

Were not talking about permanent improvements, Flores-Richart said. If theres a gap of a certain size in the sidewalk, you need to put a mat down. Those are the kind of things were talking about.

The settlement requires the county to submit a new ADA compliance plan to the Justice Department within 120 days. The county also must hire at least 20 contractors, or use county employees, to monitor each countywide election.

The settlement does provide Harris County with an alternate plan should the clerks office try but fail to bring a polling site into compliance. In those cases, the county is permitted to provide a curbside voting option to disabled residents, under strict guidelines. Those include: the disabled voter must be able to vote without being required to bring someone to assist; the voter must not be required to call ahead to be accommodated; and the voter must be provided the same access to candidates campaigning outside the voting location.

Soard said curbside voting must create the same balloting experience as voting inside a polling place.

Curbside is a possibility, but not the first preference, he said.

The county clerks office last week received approval from the Texas Secretary of State to operate countywide voting centers, allowing residents to cast ballots at any polling location on Election Day, rather than their assigned precincts. Assistant County Attorney Douglas Ray said the simultaneous settlement in the ADA compliance case was a coincidence, but added that disabled voters now have more venues from which they can cast ballots.

A spokeswoman for Disability Rights Texas, an advocacy group Justice Department lawyers consulted as they drafted the settlement offer, said the group is pleased with the agreement.

"We feel this will be a great opportunity for Harris County to proactively fix any compliance issues and are happy to assist the county in achieving their goal of making elections accessible for all Texas," said Molly Broadway, a voting rights specialist.

The Justice Department said Tuesday evening the agreement would greatly improve the experience of disabled voters.

I commend Harris County for its decision to enter into this agreement in order to achieve our shared goal of making polling places accessible to all eligible voters, Ryan Patrick, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in a statement.

Flores-Richart said the clerks office will hold more training for full-time staff and part-time poll workers over the next several months. A series of progressively higher-turnout elections will test the countys rollout of voting centers and ADA-accessible polls: this springs school board elections, Novembers municipal balloting, next springs primary contests and a general election next fall that likely will draw more than 1 million voters.

The goal is to do it well, Flores-Richart said. I dont want to be in this fight again in two years.

Reporter Gabrielle Banks contributed to this story.

Zach Despart covers Harris County for the Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at zach.despart@chron.com .
Director Peter Rasey described Follies as a very poetic show. It has interesting themes. Its both entertaining, because of the recreation of the old-time follies-type shows, and yet it also looks at personal relationships and the challenges that we face  who you are when youre 23 and who you are when youre 53, and how your life has changed in that time. You look at both the regrets you might have had but also the wisdom that youve gained.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is on track to bring the jail back into compliance with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards after submitting his plan to officials there, according to a letter sent by the state agency on Monday.

Salazar met with Brandon Wood, the executive director of the commission, on March 6 and presented a plan that addressed the jail inspector's findings that led to the facility becoming non-compliant in February.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

"I have full confidence in our new Jail Administrator, Deputy Chief Avery D. Walker," Salazar said in a statement. "He has already done an outstanding job by bringing his staff together and implementing the changes requested by TCJS."

Wood also expressed optimism about the situation in the letter he sent to Salazar on Monday.

"Based upon our discussions, it is evident that you have identified the catalyst for each issue and have already initiated corrective action to correct the issues and prevent future occurrences," Wood wrote. "We appreciate the cooperation demonstrated throughout this process as we reviewed each area of non-compliance to ensure that all involved fully understood the operations of the Bexar County Jail."

The Bexar County Jail was deemed non-compliant after jail inspectors discovered issues with inmate recreation practices, record keeping and using non-sworn employees to book and release inmates.

RELATED: Two high-ranking BCSO deputies forced out of leadership positions in administrative shakeup

Salazar made some changes immediately after the inspection, like reassigning civilian staff and directing deputies to book and release inmates, he said.

The state's jail inspection followed an internal audit carried out by the sheriff's office after jailers mistakenly released inmates and sent a drug offender to prison instead of a court-ordered rehabilitation facility.

That audit revealed 18 areas requiring improvement and appeared to highlight similar issues to the state inspection, including training certification and the jail's outdated classification system.

With the plan in place, Salazar is confident the jail will become compliant "far sooner than the deadline set by TCJS," according to the news release.

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
Breezy conditions are expected for the San Antonio area and Central Texas on Wednesday as a storm cell rolls eastward across the state.

As of 6:30 a.m., San Antonio has a 50 percent chance of rain, but areas around Austin and east of Interstate 35 have a greater chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm's most severe impacts hit Del Rio, the Rio Grande Plains and the Edwards Plateau after midnight. The possibility of isolated storms capable of producing tornadoes and large hail were highest at that time.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

According to Monte Oaks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, San Antonio and surrounding areas are on the "eastern periphery" of the threat.

"There will be a much thinner line of severe storms by that time, and the threat will be reduced," Oaks said.

The storm will leave the area with a breezy and warm afternoon on Wednesday. The greatest threat will be winds of up to 30 mph. Heavy rainfall could reduce visibility for commuters and could cause pooling on roadways.

TWO YEARS AGO: Photos show piles of wreckage after a record number of tornadoes tear through San Antonio

By 11 a.m., the storm should be east of San Antonio, allowing the city to "start drying out," Oaks said.

Temperatures could rise close to 80 degrees on Wednesday, but there will be a cooling pattern as the week progresses with lows in the 60s and highs in the 70s.

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
I Declare Before My God: The Brian and James Seery Story is the latest offering from Mullingar author and historian, Jack Kiernan. In it, he introduces us to, not one, but two tales of 19th century miscarriages of justice.

The accounts relate to incidents and events that happened 24 years apart and even on different continents. However, what draws them together is that they involved the deaths of a father and a son, both convicted and sentenced to hang in separate circumstances that were not just suspicious but aroused widespread public indignation and concern.

Brian Seery was executed in Ireland on 13 February 1846, outside Mullingar Gaol, having been charged and found guilty of the attempted murder of Sir Francis Hopkins, a local landlord. This was in spite of what a contemporary observer (the author, Charles Dickens) described as, "extremely questionable evidence and his own persistent protestations of innocence".

As Seery stood on the gallows, while raising his crucifix, he said in a calm, loud and steady tone, with an emphasis of awful and terrible solemnity:I declare before my God that I had neither act, hand, part or knowledge in the crime for which I am going to die here!

When Brian Seery died, he left behind a wife and a young family of five, including a son, James, who would later move to Australia, finding work in the goldfields of the Gippsland region of Victoria. Charged and found guilty of the murder and mutilation of a fellow mineworker, he was sentenced to death and executed on 14 November 1870, aged just 33 years.

James Seery, like his father before him, was sent to an early grave on the basis of evidence that was questionable, to say the least. In the view of author, Jack Kiernan, in the Ireland or Australia of today, neither case would get into court.

READ MORE: No to Derryadd Windfarm group push ahead with objection plans.

Once again, Jack Kiernan carefully assembles the available evidence in a manner that lets the reader decide while, at the same time, leaving no doubt as to how he views the matter. He also offers a stinging critique of the prevailing colonial mindsets and Ascendancy attitudes of the time, which resulted in so many travesties of justice.

I Declare Before My God by Jack Kiernan is published by The Manuscript Publisher and is on sale now. It is available to buy online here, as well as certain bookshops. RRP 19.99.
At the County Longford Historical Society AGM, held in the Longford Arms Hotel last Thursday, Camilla Kelly was elected as the new society chairperson.

There were approximately fifty people in attendance, with attendees updated on the events carried out by the group over the course of 2018 early on.

Camilla Kelly said, The agenda of the second part of the AGM was to elect a committee for 2019.

READ MORE: No to Derryadd Windfarm group push ahead with objection plans.

Camilla takes over the role of chairperson, succeeding Hugh Farrell who served for three years.

Hugh Farrell has served brilliantly during his term. He was an excellent chairperson.

Camilla added: I am absolutely delighted to be elected chairperson during this very important period in the history of Longford.

I aim to support the ongoing endeavours of the society around the commemoration of the most historical events in the burgeoning Irish Republic. 1919-1923 is a very significant period in Irish history and it is particularly significant to Longford.

Other positions filled included the position of vice chairpersons, which were taken by Pat Donnelly and Aidan OHara. The role of honorary secretary was filled by Martin Morris.
Several other officers came to the scene to help Brian. They were able to open the vehicle door and remove Martinez, who continued to resist the officers, according to a press release from the Kane County States Attorneys Office.
Jennifer Watts is this weeks newsletter sponsor in celebration of her latest release, Aloha in Love!!

For those that crave book about starting over or visiting a whole different part of the country (or another country altogether) this might just satisfy your fancy! Who doesnt dream of starting over in paradise? And I LOVE this premise!!! Plus, its got a huge, brooding, grumpy (but hot!!) landlord.

P.S. Fun fact number (see the list below) one will make envisioning this hero SO easy (and OMG YES PLEASE!!!) 

When twenty-seven year old Real Estate broker, Ashley Walsh, learns that her husbands business trips arent strictly for business she uproots her life and buys a one-way ticket to Hawaii. And what better place to start over than a sleepy little surf town on Mauis North Shore? Life in Paia moves at a different pace and surrounded by nothing but blue skies and crystal clear water Ashley receives a warm Aloha welcome from all of the locals. At least from all but one of them. One kamaaina in particular who seems to have no interest in bringing Ashley into the fold is her bossy and brooding landlord, Kane Keo. At six-foot-five inches of solid muscle, Kane has a temper almost as dangerous as the rumors that swirl around him. He wont let Ashley close but he wont let her out of his sight either

Oooomph!! Wanna know more?
An outside team of experts selected by Suffolk County District Attorneys office will examine an officer-involved shooting in Boston last month to prevent bias in the shooting investigation.

When I have an outside team that I can go to instead of going to my inside team, were just trying to be transparent and have a little bit of separation, District Attorney Rachael Rollins said outside Moakley Courthouse on Monday.

The panel, called the Discharge Integrity Team," will examine a police-involved gunfire exchange in Roxbury on February 22 that left a uniformed Boston officer injured and a suspect, 36-year-old Kasim Kahrim, dead.

The panels role is to review the state of the evidence in the case, examine procedural steps by investigators and review the direction and progress of the investigation, according to Rollins. The move aims to improve transparency and fulfill a campaign promise by Rollins.

The outside panel will be made up of experts with backgrounds in community advocacy and and law enforcement, including: Phillamoin Laptiste, a community advocate and executive director of the Bowdoin Street Health Center, David E. Meier, a former chief of the Suffolk County D.A. Homicide Unit and current partner at a criminal defense law firm, Detective Lieutenant Robert Murphy, commanding officer of the state police unit assigned to Rollins office and experience in homicide investigations, and Charles T. Spurlock, a retired judge who served in Roxbury District Court and superior court.

The team of experts will report back directly to Rollins to prevent the chance of bias, she said.

Rollins said on Monday that Boston police officers are excellent, and often work closely with the district attorneys office through court proceedings.

For that reason, she said, I dont want the community to believe that we are already biased in finding [police officers] not responsible, for example.

Rollins noted she is proud that the Discharge Integrity Team is probably one of the first in the nation and certainly the first in Massachusetts."
In increasing numbers, senior citizens in Massachusetts are turning to assisted living or living at home with assistance, and those choices are exacerbating problems in the nursing home industry.

"There will be additional closures," Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders told lawmakers at a fiscal 2020 budget hearing.

One in four nursing homes have occupancy rates of 80 percent or less, which she said is "not sustainable," and the average occupancy rate is 86 percent.

As the state's elderly population expands, state officials need to rethink nursing home rates and come up with a long-term plan while advancing a short-term $25 million package to stabilize nursing homes, Sudders said.

Demographic trends in Massachusetts mean more and more residents are facing choices about their care as they age, or the care of loved ones. Acting Elder Affairs Secretary Robin Lipson told state lawmakers that people are outliving their ability to drive by seven to 10 years, creating mobility challenges and concerns about isolation. And Sudders said the average life expectancy in Massachusetts rose to 80 years and eight months in 2016, bucking national trends.

Meantime, there's been explosive growth in assisted living, Sudders said, as older consumers take advantage of an alternative to nursing homes.

At a Joint Ways and Means Committee hearing on the fiscal 2020 budget on Monday, Rep. David Muradian of Grafton reminded Sudders that, in addition to the role they plan in caregiving, nursing homes are also major employers in the state and protecting the jobs of nursing home workers is a consideration for legislators.

Changes in the way Medicare is covering nursing home care are also having impacts, Sudders said, creating a "perfect storm" in the industry.

In his testimony, MassHealth Director Daniel Tsai said Medicare policy changes have decreased the use of nursing homes by 25 percent and reduced funding by $300 million in Massachusetts since 2011. Additional reimbursement changes are expected in October, Tsai said.

MassHealth increased its total nursing home spending from 2015 to 2017 by 1.4 percent even as the number of MassHealth members in nursing homes decreased by 3.2 percent. And in October 2018, MassHealth added $25 million more in annual funding to support nursing homes and maintained $38.3 million in funding for direct care workers.

However, Tsai warned that long-term reforms are needed.

"The current structure of the nursing home industry is not sustainable," he testified. "Long-term reforms are required to solve these challenges; increased MassHealth funding alone is not enough."

Regulatory changes have also been made to assist the nursing home industry, Sudders said, mentioning changes to streamline the closure process and a change that enables homes to use empty wings for other services.
LOS ANGELES -- When Jayson Tatum returns to the Boston Celtics starting lineup, the regular rotation will probably fall back into place. The starters, from which Brad Stevens has only wavered for injury since switching the lineup on Nov. 26 to great effect, will probably return to Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Al Horford and Tatum.

But on Monday, Jaylen Brown -- starting in place of Tatum, who sat with a sore shoulder -- made a strong case for himself, even in a 140-115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Brown dropped in 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while going 3-for-5 from behind the arc. In the second quarter, Browns defense was one of the few bright spots. In the third, Brown scored 11 straight for the Celtics, helping Boston stay within striking distance, even though the 11 straight points did nothing to close the gap -- the Celtics started the stretch trailing by 14 and finished it trailing by 14 thanks to the Clippers potent offense.

Brown, of course, wont replace Tatum as a starter. But as Marcus Morris (3-for-9, 1-for-4 from three) continues to struggle, Brown has quietly put together a case to rejoin the starters. Over the last five games, he scored 14.6 points per game, with a net rating of 6.2 and a true shooting percentage of 57.9, despite Mondays blowout loss.

What worked well for Brown on Monday?

Just playing fast, just getting up and down the court and playing fast, Brown said. Thats fun. If youre playing fast, the way we played in the third quarter, we played with a tempo and a pace. Thats the way we can play with all the guys we have. We can play like that and be successful.

The numbers back Brown up. The Celtics score 1.12 points per 100 possessions in transition, which is eighth in the NBA. Interestingly, while Brown is fine (1.03 points per possession), his fellow bench star Gordon Hayward has been devastating in transition -- 1.32 points per possession on 64.2 percent shooting, which is in the 88th percentile league-wide.

But Stevens has made it clear he plans to stick with his current starting lineup in the past, and theres little to suggest he would change his calculus at this point. Stevens appears to be rolling the dice on a return to the mean for Morris, who has struggled immensely as a shooter over the last few weeks, and Stevens generally likes the opportunities afforded to Brown and Hayward when they take the floor with the second unit.

Stevens downplayed his decision to start Brown pre-game.

I could have picked any number of guys, Stevens said. A lot to do with not only what we need to do to play well, but how they rotate.

Stevens isnt alone in preferring the bench for Brown, at least if the third-year wing is to be believed. He told MassLive last month it never felt like it was the right time to shoot it in that first unit, which could be an honest assessment or simply making the best of a bad situation.

Brown isnt an ideal fit for the first unit -- hes smaller than Morris and less likely to be able to guard up. Boston would need to run teams off the floor in that particular unit, with (essentially) three guards and Tatum at the four.

But Brown looked comfortable on Monday.

(I was) just trying to fill in, he said. Just trying to come out and help my team as much as I can. With JT out, guys need to step in and fill in. Tried to be dominant on both sides of the floor and add to winning, but we came up short.

Tatum will likely return to the starting lineup on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, and Morris will likely remain in it. But if Stevens decides to make a change, Brown continues to look like a starter, however the rest of the unit shakes out.
SPRINGFIELD  The state Cannabis Control Commission heard pleas Tuesday to reduce red tape and fees for new businesses, expand opportunities for minorities and women, and reduce product costs.

The five-member commission conducted a listening session at Western New England University Blake Law Centers Moot Court Room as it weighs potential revisions to current marijuana regulations. Approximately 60 people attended the session including marijuana industry advocates, business representatives, patients and other customers.

There were also attendees who spoke in favor of programs such as home delivery of marijuana products, and two people who urged the commission to expand education outreach to doctors and medical staff about medical marijuana in order to better understand patient needs.

One advocate said that the prohibition of discount programs in retail sales of marijuana "is a problem."

"It discourages consumer loyalty and it curtails our ability to support communities that may disproportionately benefit from access," one speaker said, listing veterans as an example.

"So we propose that we're allowed to set our own pricing, and extend discounts in compliance with the existing regulations for example, no free products," she said.

Eric Schwartz, co-founder of Farm Bug Co-op, a cultivator cooperative based in Somerville, said he is concerned there is not one cannabis cooperative licensed in Massachusetts.

For that to change, this commission and the attorney general office needs to get tough on municipal governments, Schwartz said. I am calling upon this commission to immediately end your relationships with municipal associations that have only two goals during this process  Number one, to stall the roll-out and number two, to protect the people that are targeting our people.

Schwartz also raised concerns that law enforcement still arrests cannabis farmers. He asked the state commission to not only oversee the emerging marijuana industry "but also to protect the people that are working so hard to emerge."

One woman suggested that registration, inspections and labeling could be simplified and integrated to ease the burden on businesses.

Peter Bernard, executive director of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, asked the commission to assist smaller businesses with and lower-tier businesses succeed in the market, due to the difficulty of competing with companies with deeper pockets.

He also said he loves the idea of home delivery and hopes the commission works to advance that program.

A woman from Holliston who said she was a medical marijuana patient, said there is a need to make marijuana more affordable to patients especially the disabled.

Another person, who said she was on regular medical use of marijuana, said she was told she could not have a medical procedure on her knee one day recently, because she had not stopped the use in the two days prior to the procedure. She said the doctor and staff did not seem to be properly educated on medical marijuana use.

James Jasper III of Springfield said he relocated to Massachusetts from Northwest, as an organic farmer, said that more needs to be done to promote marijuana cultivation in the healthy outdoors and greenhouses.

"Can't we just cut to the chase, and open the playing field to citizen-led small craft farmers,..asap?" Jasper said. "Since the big money players are already building out there.. mega grows."

He suggested making opportunities available to combat mass-produced, air radiated, toxicly grown Monsanto Franken-weed on the shelves.

Charles Payne, a representative for the New England Regional Council on Carpenters, called on the commission to have more oversight on construction of dispensaries and other businesses including some requirement for certified payrolls to help ensure proper wages and taxes.

He also urged the commission to ensure there are more opportunities for minorities and women in construction.

Commission members said the testimony was taped, and there would be formal hearings in the future. They said they were not commenting on the suggestions and recommendations this time, just listening in preparation for potential revisions of state regulations.
NORTH ADAMS - A Lanesboro man has been sentenced to six months in a Springfield substance treatment facility after he pleaded guilty for 5th time for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The Berkshire Eagle is reporting David Schilling, 55, was given a 2 year sentence as a result of his Feb. 20, 2018 arrest in Williamstown. All but six months of the sentence were suspended. Judge Jennifer Tyne ordered that Schilling serve those six months at the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center, a substance abuse treatment facility in Springfield that is operated by the Hampden County Sheriffs Department.

He will also have to surrender his drivers license for 2 years and pay a $2,000 fine, and spend two years on probation.

Schilling was stopped by police after he was spotted driving erratically. Police reported he exhibited signs of intoxication, and beer and whiskey containers were found in the car.
HOLYOKE  The Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts outlined plans to buy and demolish a former funeral home and apartments at a meeting of the Holyoke Historical Commission Monday.

Attorney Thomas Wilson, who represented MIFA at the commissions Monday meeting, said the organization wants to raze the former funeral home at 134 Chestnut St. and build a 5,000 square-foot annex that would connect to the Victory Theater.

MIFA must contend with a potentially hazardous-waste issue before the sale is finalized.

Wilson said an on-site gas pump once fueled the funeral homes hearses. An environmental study will be conducted to see if any fuel leaked.

MIFA purchased the city-owned Victory Theater for $1,500 in 2009. MIFA continues to cobble together financing and tax credits for the renovation project, which includes a fundraising component.

Sean Redfern, of DBVW Architects, said the new structure would contain dressing rooms, a loading dock, and offices. The commission reviewed the plans. MIFA has not filed a demolition request with the City of Holyoke.

Kathy McKean, MIFAs managing directors, said the organization continues to negotiate a final sale of the property. She said MIFA wanted to give the commission an update on the sale and the proposed demolition.

Tenants still occupy two apartments at 134 Chestnut St, which is zoned a mixed-use property.

McKean told the commission no demolition would occur to the theater only alterations. She added that the former funeral homes embalming room still exists. The rest of the structure was subdivided into apartments.

The theater's heating and cooling system will reside on the proposed annexs roof, which should maintain the Victory's original look.

Marcos Marrero, director of Planning and Economic Development, said the adjacent Dillon Funeral Home owns the property. DNLSH, LLC lists Donald Shrewchuk as principal owner.

Commission Chairman Richard Ahlstrom thanked MIFA for the update.

The 1,600-seat theater opened in 1920 and closed in 1979.

In January, the Holyoke Planning Board approved final designs for the renovation. Construction estimates range from $30 million to $45 million.

To date, MIFA has obtained $18 million in New Market and Historical Tax Credits.

In 2018, the Baker-Polito Administration approved $13 million in additional state funding.
Patriot Care Corp. has received permission to open a recreational marijuana store in Lowell as early as Friday.

The Cannabis Control Commission on Monday said Patriot Care Corp. is ready to become the 11th retail marijuana store to open in the state.

The companys website did not provide any information about when the store will actually open.

The store will be at 70 Industrial Avenue East in Lowell, at the same location where Patriot Care Corp. now has a medical marijuana dispensary.

Patriot Care Corp. also operates medical marijuana dispensaries in Greenfield and Boston. It has a license to open a retail shop at its Greenfield location, but that location has not yet gotten final approval to open.
Later in the meeting, board members Al Paveza and Tony Schiappa both recused themselves on routine votes concerning businesses they said had contributed to their campaigns in the past. In January, Mottl suggested board members could be compromised when voting on ordinances that benefited donors and he singled out Paveza and Schiappa out. On Monday, when the men recused themselves, he offered praise.
Chicago based Hometown Food Company has initiated a limited, voluntary retail-level recall on two specific lot codes of its Pillsbury Unbleached All-Purpose five-pound flour (UPC 51500-22241) because it may be contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella.

Only Best If Used By Dates APR 19 2020 and APR 20 2020 are impacted, according to a release on the company website.

Consumers should not consume the recalled product.

The company says recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

The company is offering replacement coupons for the product.

According to the company, roughly 12,245 cases of impacted Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour product were distributed through a limited number of retailers and distributors nationwide.

Other Best If Used By Dates and Lot Codes are not affected by this recall, the company has said.

There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with this recall, according to the company, that says the product is being recalled out of an abundance of caution and with the full knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths in the United States every year. Food is the source for about 1 million of these illnesses.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most persons recover without treatment.

In some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites.

In these cases, Salmonella can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness. Children under five are said to have higher rates of Salmonella infection that any other age group.

If you think you became sick from a food containing flour as an ingredient, the company advises a call to your healthcare provider.

The company advises flour is made from wheat that is minimally processed and that flour should not be considered a ready-to-eat product.

Consumers, it says, should wash their hands after handling flour or uncooked dough or batter and not eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour.

The number given in the release is 1-800-767-4466.
AMHERST  The school committee on Monday unanimously voted to seek state funds for a new school to replace two aging buildings. Now it is up to the Town Council to decide if that request should go forward.

The school board vote came after a half dozen public forums in the past two weeks, called listening sessions, that were also attended by town councilors and school committee members, to gauge whether a new school is something the community wants.

The school board vote authorized the district to submit two statements of interest (SOIs) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The SOIs reference a need to renovate or replace Fort River Elementary School and Wildwood Elementary School.

In order to move forward with the submission process, the Amherst Town Council must also vote affirmatively to authorize the submission of the SOIs, Superintendent Michael Morris and school board Chair Anastasia Ordonez said in a written statement on Tuesday.

The issue will be discussed by the Town Council at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Room at Amherst Town Hall, with a final vote expected at their meeting on April 1, they wrote.

Morris and Ordonez said a consensus has been reached that recommends replacing Wildwood and Fort River with one building for 600 students in kindergarten through grade five or six.

Their statement references 141 pages of documents related to the proposal.

Should the Town Council also say yes to the idea, the School Building Authority would then decide in the coming months whether to invite the Amherst school district into the program. The district could then be eligible for a reimbursement for more than half of the construction costs. That decision could arrive later this year

The school district says that should the School Building Authority invite them into the program, a feasibility study would then determine estimated costs for the project.
SPRINGFIELD -- An adult and two children were displaced after a fire damaged their kitchen Monday evening.

No one was injured in the fire that was reported at 6:23 p.m. at 617 Bay St., in the Springfield Housing Authoritys Reed Village complex, said Dennis Leger, executive assistant for Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames quickly, he said.

The fire caused about $15,000 in damage. An investigation by the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad determined it was caused by stove top cooking, he said.

Part of Bay Street was closed for about 45 minutes while firefighters extinguished the fire.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will speak to voters on a national platform this month about her run for president.

The 2020 Town Hall event will be held at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi and moderated by CNNs Jake Tapper. It will air on CNN at 9 p.m. eastern time on Monday, March 18.

Warren officially announced her 2020 White House campaign against the backdrop of Lawrences Everett Mills  the site of the Bread and Roses labor strike  in February. She laid out plans to prioritize working and middle-class people over the wealthy and well-connected.

We are here to take on a fight that will shape our lives, our childrens lives and our grandchildrens lives, just as surely as the fight that began in these streets more than a century ago. ... This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America where dreams are possible, an America that works for everyone. I am in that fight all the way, she said. And that is why I stand here today: to declare that I am a candidate for president of the United States of America.

Shes among a growing pool of hopeful Democratic presidential nominees, which also includes Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota.
U.S. House Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday that would protect and provide Dreamers, or individuals brought to the country illegally as children, and other immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California, joined Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and other chamber Democrats in announcing The Dream and Promise Act during a late-morning Capitol Hill news conference.

The Democratic leader cast the bill, which shields Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients, or Dreamers, individuals with Temporary Protected Status and immigrants covered by Deferred Enforced Departure from deportation, as an historic step to protect patriotic men and women."

Pelosi stressed that such protections, as well as a pathway to citizenship for these immigrants, are needed since President Donald Trump cruelly gutted DACA and gutted TPS and DED."

There should be nothing partisan or political in this legislation. Protecting Dreamers and TPS and DED Americans is about honoring and respecting the family that is at the heart of our faith and the heart of who we are as Americans," she told reporters. We look forward to a strong, bipartisan vote to pass this legislation and safeguard every child and familys right to pursue their American dream.

The speaker added that once this legislation is advanced, House Democrats will fight for a comprehensive fix to our broken immigration system, which embraces the contribution of all of our newcomers.

Specifically, the proposed bill would allow immigrants who came to the country illegally as children, including DACA recipients, to seek full U.S. permanent residency if they meet certain requirements. It also would let recipients of TPS -- which gives temporary residents to individuals from certain countries affected by war or natural disaster -- and DED to gain permanent lawful status, according to reports.

House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, lauded her colleagues for putting forth the legislation.

Democracy in action- and in song! Its a good day in the Peoples House, the congresswoman tweeted along with a video from the news conference.

Democracy in action- and in song! It's a good day in the People's House. #ProtectTheDream #HR6 https://t.co/Hk2sJ9LlmL  Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) March 12, 2019

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Boston, meanwhile, said shes proud to co-sponsor what she called a critical immigration reform bill that creates a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS recipients.

Dreamer and recipients of TPS and DED dont just call America home. It is their home, she tweeted. Its time to pass H.R. 6, Protect The Dream, and give these patriotic Americans a pathway to fully contribute to our country.

#Dreamers and recipients of #TPS & DED dont just call America home. It IS their home. Its time to pass #HR6, #ProtectTheDream, and give these patriotic Americans a pathway to fully contribute to our country.  Rep Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) March 12, 2019

Congresswoman Lori Trahan added that Dreamers and TPS recipients are essential members of communities across Massachusetts and the country -- working and living alongside us all.

We wont let them be torn away from our communities, she tweeted.

#Dreamers & TPS recipients are essential members of communities across Massachusetts and the country -- working & living alongside us all.



We wont let them be torn away from our communities. #ProtectTheDream #HR6 pic.twitter.com/sdRmXiV1VT  Congresswoman Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) March 12, 2019

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition officials, meanwhile, praised the states federal lawmakers for standing strong behind the legislation, which builds on the 2010 DREAM Act that failed to clear Congress.

The Dream and Promise Act is a breath of fresh air, MIRA Executive Director Eva A. Millona said in a statement. It sends a strong message to Dreamers and TPS and DED holders: We know this is your home. We know how much you contribute to this nation  and we stand behind you.

Excited to see Mass. Congressional delegation stand strong behind the DREAM and Promise Act! We need your leadership more than ever! #DreamAndPromiseNow https://t.co/wTtXX8nyoV  MIRA Coalition (@MIRACoalition) March 12, 2019

UFCW International Secretary-Treasurer Esther Lopez, whose national labor coalition represents 20 million workers, called the proposed bill an important step toward providing stability for so many who have already passed background checks, pay taxes, go to school and work hard every day to build a better future for all of us.

They work side by side with us, live in our communities and are dedicated members of our union family and countless others, she said in a statement. America was built by generations of immigrants who believed in the promise of this country and worked hard every day to build a better life for their families. Congress must honor that legacy and pass this bill.

The legislation is expected to face an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate and pushback from Trump, who has repeatedly called for tightening various immigration-related laws.

The White House announced in September 2017 that it would phase out the Obama-era DACA program over six months. Officials argued that the administration was forced to act due to impending legal challenges from Texas and other states.

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled in January that it is unlikely to review legal challenges raised against DACA during its current term, allowing the Obama-era program to remain in place.

Trumps administration has also drawn legal challenges for ending TPS for individuals from several countries, arguing that conditions have improved to the point that they are safely able to accept returnees.
AMHERST, MASS. -- U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, will discuss his work in Congress during a University of Massachusetts Amherst event next week, school officials announced Tuesday.

Neal, who took over the powerful U.S. House panels leadership in January, will speak at a Tuesday, March 19 forum in the Great Hall of Old Chapel on the universitys campus.

The 4:30 p.m. presentation, entitled The View from Washington D.C.," will be sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the School of Public Policy. It is free and open to the public, according to UMass officials.

As the new House Ways and Means chairman, Neal has pledged to enshrine protections for pre-existing health care conditions into federal law, shine a light on GOP-backed tax overhaul changes, address retirement savings shortfalls and push for an infrastructure investment package.

The congressman has also committed to using his newfound power to request the release of President Donald Trumps tax returns -- something which he told reporters last week is still being worked out with congressional counsel.

Some progressive groups, including Need to Impeach, however, have criticized Neals approach to seeking the presidents tax information and called on the Democrat to speed up his request.

A newly formed coalition of progressive groups from across Massachusetts 1st Congressional District, has also highlighted issues constituents want Neal to address in his chairmanship role.

Neal has served as a guest lecturer at UMass Amherst since 1998. He is also a trustee at Mount Holyoke College and a national trustee at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton will travel to New Hampshire and South Carolina in the coming days to meet with local activists, veterans and young Democrats as he mulls a possible 2020 presidential bid, campaign officials announced Monday.

The Salem Democrat, who has said hes seriously considering a White House run, will visit New Hampshire later this week before heading to Columbia, South Carolina for a pair of events with veterans and college Democrats.

Officials said the New Hampshire and South Carolina trips seek to allow the congressman to engage with activists, young Democrats and fellow veterans in intimate settings -- listening to their concerns, and talking about how we can move our party and country forward.

Moulton will begin his travel Saturday with a Pints and Politics event at The Barley House in Concord, New Hampshire, at 1:30 p.m. Hours later he is scheduled to join the Young Democrats of New Hampshire for a 4 p.m. pre-St. Patricks Day Party at Teatotaller in Somersworth, his campaign confirmed.

On March 19, the congressman will head to South Carolina -- another key early primary state -- where he is set to hold a roundtable discussion with former state Rep. James Smith and other veterans.

Moulton will then meet with college Democrats at the University of South Carolinas student union that evening, officials said.

The visit will mark the congressmans first to South Carolina since announcing that he was eying a possible presidential run, Moultons campaign noted.

News of the congressmans travel came just hours after U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate, announced three additions to her team in South Carolina.

Moulton is expected to announce whether he will join the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates in the next few months.
SPRINGFIELD  A Hampden Superior Court judge on Tuesday reduced the bail for a 38-year-old man accused of stealing building materials from a home owned by a West Springfield police officer that was under renovation.

Assistant District Attorney Janine Simonian said Marcus Copeland was arrested Sept. 25 after the officer, while on duty in the afternoon, spotted him at the site.

Copelands bail had been set at $2,500  but after hearing from Simonian and defense lawyer Jeffrey Weisser, Judge Michael K. Callan reduced his bail to $500.

Simonian said at the time of the alleged crime, Copeland was on probation in a case where he pleaded guilty to breaking and entering after breaking into the home of a 74-year-old woman and stealing jewelry. He was arrested after leaving a fingerprint on the mirror of her jewelry box, Simonian said.

Arrested with Copeland Sept. 25 in West Springfield was John Green, who posted $500 bail in the case. At the time of their arrest a West Springfield police Facebook page post said the home was near the intersection of Dewey Street and Old Westfield Road.

They are charged with larceny from a building and breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony.

The Facebook post read, The owner contacted the WSPD and was able to keep the men at the address until Police arrived. Both men were placed under arrest without incident at the scene.

Simonian said the West Springfield police officer was driving by the property he was renovating because there had been break-ins nearby. He saw two men in the driveway with the trunk of a vehicle ajar, loading copper pipes and metals, plus a coil of wire, Simonian said.

When the officer approached them they said the owner of the property had sent them over to clean. The officer pulled his weapon and ordered the two men to the ground, telling them it was his property.

Simonian said Copeland said, Oh s---.

She said some of the items were in a detached and open garage. She said Copeland is a career criminal whose criminal record starts when he was 11 years old with delinquency by larceny.

Weisser said Copeland was evaluated by the state Department of Mental Health and is in treatment in part for post-traumatic stress disorder from a gunshot wound some time ago. He said Copeland has been successful on probation for a past case, except for this.

Copeland was told scrap was at the location, Weisser said. He said none of the material was found in the garage. Copeland lives with his wife, seven children and two stepchildren and cannot afford the $2,500 bail, his lawyer said.

Weisser said the case is at most maybe trespass.

Simonian said as an adult Copeland has 20 convictions including larceny and assaults in Massachusetts and Virginia.

In November 2016 Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara, who took Copelands guilty plea in the larceny of jewelry, said he believed Copeland was getting a break because the state guidelines understate his out-of-state record.

Copeland at that time pleaded guilty to breaking and entering in the daytime to commit a felony and larceny over $250 from a person over 60.

Ferrara sentenced Copeland to two and one half years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, with one year to be served and the balance suspended with three years probation.

Simonian, who prosecuted the stolen jewelry matter, said at that time a crying Copeland said he was changing his life, but that did not seem to happen.
SPRINGFIELD  A city man was sentenced to six to eight years in state prison Tuesday after admitting that he fired a gun on a street in broad daylight and tried to use business cards to smuggle Suboxone into a county jail.

Jose Bermudez, 39, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in two different cases, including one in which he fired shots across Worthington Street in Springfield at about 3:40 p.m. on June 26, 2017.

In the other case he admitted twice trying to smuggle drugs into the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow by asking lawyers to give business cards with hidden Suboxone strips to their clients in courthouse lockups. The cards were from other businesses, not the attorneys themselves.

Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara adopted the sentence recommendation agreed upon by prosecution and defense, saying he found it reasonable albeit a somewhat lenient sentence.

He said that while no shots struck the two men on Worthington Street, the shooting created a great danger to the public.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas F. Prendergast said a woman called police to report that a bullet hit her car.

In that case Bermudez pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm with one prior violent or drug offense, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of malicious damage to a motor vehicle. Security video showed Bermudez firing the gun. The two men he was shooting at were never identified.

He had been charged with illegal possession of a firearm with three prior violent or drug convictions, but the charge was reduced to one prior violent or drug conviction as part of plea negotiations.

The prior conviction cited by Prendergast was a 2008 armed robbery in Chicopee.

In the second case Bermudez pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to deliver drugs to a prisoner and two counts of distribution of a class B substance (Suboxone), subsequent offense.

Prendergast said on May 22 Bermudez asked a lawyer to give a business card from another entity to his client in a holding cell in Springfield District Court. The card was intercepted by court security and found to contain Suboxone strips. The lawyer was able to identify Bermudez, who said he was a family member of the person in lockup, as the man who gave him the card.

On May 23 an email was sent by David Hoose of Lawyers for Justice to area bar advocates advising them not to pass along cards to clients.

A different lawyer had been given a card by someone  identified later as Bermudez  to pass to his client in lockup in Holyoke District Court. The lawyer took the card to police, who found it was two cards sealed together containing Suboxone strips.

Prendergast said the Hampden County Sheriffs Department reviewed calls between Bermudez, his brother Otoniel Bermudez and another inmate and found the three were working together to get drugs into the jail through the business card scheme.

Defense lawyer Edward R. Molari said Bermudezs motivation in both cases was helping his family. In the case of the shooting, Molari said, Bermudezs son was in danger from people in the area.

In the other case Bermudez was trying to get the Suboxone, used as a treatment for people addicted to opioids, to his brother, who was suffering from withdrawal in jail.

Ferrara said he didnt accept any argument that Bermudezs desire to help his family was a mitigating factor.

Mr. Bermudez does have quite a record, Ferrara said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12)  Authorities are offering a 100,000 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of suspects in the brutal killing of a teenage student whose face was skinned in Cebu province.

The police advisory council, composed mostly of Cebu-based businessmen has put up the bounty to help resolve the case, Ma. Aurora Rayos, spokesperson of the Central Visayas Police, said Tuesday.

Police are hunting down three suspects after a 16-year-old girl's lifeless body was found without undergarments in a vacant lot in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City on Monday. The Grade 9 student, whose skull was exposed, was also believed to have been raped.

On Tuesday, police revealed that the victim also sustained 20 stab wounds to her neck and body, according to the autopsy results. The forensic examination showed too that the girl was already dead before her face was peeled off by the killers.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said only men under the influence of illegal drugs can do such inhumane crime.

"Ang hinihinala natin ay ito ay kagagawan ng mga suspects na lango sa illegal na droga at ito ay magagawa lamang ng mga ganitong tao ang ganitong klaseng karumaldumal na krimen," PNP PNP Spokesperson Bernard Banac said.

[Translation: We suspect that this is the work of suspects who were high on illegal drugs since this disgusting crime can only be done by such people.]

The slay has triggered public outcry and calls for justice. The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday condemned the "barbaric murder" and called on authorities to hasten the arrest of the suspects.

"As the Department calls on the local government unit and the police to swiftly bring to justice the cold-blooded criminals, it likewise enjoins the public in the shared responsibility of protecting children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, and threat," it added.

It said the DepEd office in Lapu-Lapu City had issued a memorandum reminding all schools to strictly enforce measures to ensure the safety of students, including placing surveillance cameras to monitor them, restricting after-school activities to until 5 p.m., and requesting additional deployment of police and barangay watchmen.
Market Scenario

The global 3D cell culture market is predicted to demonstrate 25.50% CAGR during the forecast period (20172023) owing to its varying applications in the pharmaceutical industry. The 3D cell structure is referred to as a technique in which biological cells are allowed to interact and grow within their surroundings in all three dimensions. Medical science has achieved an enormous breakthrough in the past few years and is yet to flourish. The technology of tissue regeneration has further enabled the repair and growth of cells in the human body. As the 3D cell structure offers more accurate data along with more physiologically relevant information in vivo tests, it has become highly acceptable compared to 2D cell structure.

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Competitive Dashboard

Some of the key players in this market Becton-Dickinson and Company,Charles River Laboratories Inc,The Electrospinning Company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, Lonza, Corning Incorporated, Kuraray Co Ltd, Becton,Merck KGaA, and others.

Industry Updates

February 13, 2019: A team of scientists at the LiU has recently developed a new method which can produce hydrogels and hydrated materials, and bear the properties similar to the natural environment of the cells in the body. The material can be adapted for several requirements of difficult-to-culture cell types and produce organ-like structures on a microchip.

Global 3D Cell Culture Market: Segmental Analysis

The global 3D cell culture market has been segmented on the basis of product, technique, end-user, and application.

By mode of technique, the global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into scaffold-free 3D cell culture and scaffolds-based 3D cell culture. Among these, the demand for scaffold-free 3D cell culture products is predicted to increase due to the challenges faced in using scaffolds. Such challenges involve the interference of scaffolds with cell-to-cellular interactions and assembly of cell produced extracellular matrices (ECM).

By mode of product, the global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into instruments and consumables.

By mode of application, the global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into stem cell research, cancer research, tissue screening & engineering, drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and others.

By mode of end-users, the global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into contract research organizations, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, research & academic laboratories, and others. Among these, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies are predicted to dominate the global market due to the rapid adoption of such systems for toxicity screening, drug discovery, and development of regenerative medicine.

Market Potential and Pitfalls

As 3D cell structure has the capability of tissue and organ regeneration and can also provide drug toxicology screening, the market is considered to flourish throughout the assessment period. Factors such as increasing approval from the government bodies, increasing awareness regarding the 3D cell structure, augmenting demand for organ transplantation, the rising prevalence of cancer, and widespread application of 3D cell structure in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector are stimulating the market growth to a large extent. Additional factors triggering the market growth are an advanced technique in tissue and organ regeneration, and drug toxicity screening.

The 3D cell culture market has been identified as one of the fastest growing markets due to the growing prevalence of cancer across the globe coupled with the growing demand for organ transplantation due to organ failure. Moreover, the emergence of kits, 3D optimized assays, and protocols, coupled with the development of several assay techniques is likely to influence the market growth. The increasing use of microchips in order to integrate culture with the help of micro-fabricated tissue component is anticipated to provide the market with potential avenues.

On the contrary, the cost associated with such technologies and systems are high and more preference is given to the 2D cell cultures. Moreover, the simple understanding of the 2D cell cultures and its ease in measurement and observation are some of the major concerns vitiating the market growth throughout the assessment period.

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Regional Insights

Geographically, the 3D cell culture market span across regions namely, Europe, America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Among all the regions, the American region is considered to occupy the largest share in the global market. The growth is credited to the presence of key manufacturers, increasing the need for organ donation, the growing prevalence of cancer among the global population, and several other factors.

The European region is predicted to occupy the second largest market share in the global market. The growth is credited to the advanced technology and better healthcare infrastructure in this region.

The Asia Pacific region is predicted to expand at the fastest rate grabbing a CAGR of 26.17%. The growth in this region is attributed to the presence of technologically advanced nations such as Singapore and Japan. Technological advancements in nations like China and India are experiencing a steady pace mainly due to the less expenditure from the government on medical healthcare. High prevalence of chronic diseases in this region is further driving the market.

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MRFR is the Leading Brand in The Research Company who Recently Published Bone Densitometers Market Research Reports which includes Study of growth, Regional Analysis, Top Industry Players Formation, Major Drivers, Upcoming Trends and Forecast to 2022.

Market Overview:

The Global Bone Densitometers Market that anticipates aggrandizement for this market with 5.3% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) during the forecast period between 2016 and 2022. In terms of cash, the market is expected to rise to US $ 1.2 bn.

Analyzing the market structure, this report evaluates the future growth potential of the market. It observes the strategies of the key players in the market and follows the competitive developments like joint ventures, new product developments, mergers and acquisitions, research and developments (R & D) in the market.

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Key Players

The key players in the Global Bone Densitometers Market include Aarna Systems And Wellness Pvt. Ltd. (India), DMS Imaging (France), Echolight SPA (Italy), General Electric Company (USA), Hologic, Inc. (the USA), MedWrench LLC (USA), Osteosys Co. Ltd (South Korea), Schick Sirona (USA), Swissray (USA), and Tecnicare Healthcare Company (USA).

Segmentation:

The primary reasons for the growth of the global bone densitometers market are the technological advancement and growing population of senior citizens who are highly susceptible to bone-related ailments. This market has been segmented on the basis of end user, technology, type, and lastly, region. Based on end users, this market has been segmented into academic & research institutes, diagnostic centers, hospitals, specialty clinics, and others. The technology-based segmentation segments the market into dual-energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative computed tomography (QCT), radiographic absorptiometry (RA), single X-Ray absorptiometry (SXA), and others. High quality scanner machines are making these technologies more reliable. By types, the market has been segmented into central scanners, peripheral scanners, and others.

Regional Analysis:

The regional segmentation of the global bone densitometers market into the continent-based regional markets namely The Americas (North America & South America), Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The Americas segment is the largest regional market for bone densitometers because of technological advancement. North America as a market is bigger than South America due to the availability of more advanced technology. The American market for bone densitometers is expected to reach around US $ 650 mn by the end of the forecast period. In North America, the most powerful economy is the United States of America (USA). Dalios Denture and Hearing Clinic in Chatham and Starkey Hearing Technologies have donated $6,000 towards the Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliances Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Renewal Campaign. The funds will be used to purchase diagnostic medical equipment for Chatham-Kent that includes a bone densitometer, and a just-installed SPECT-CT scanner.

Europe is the second largest market. It has a high density of population, but in terms of technological advancement, it lags behind North America. The most important country-specific market are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK), followed by the rest of Europe. According to the report, Asia Pacific region is expected to be a fastest growing region in the bone densitometers market during the forecast period. The significant country-specific markets in this region are China, India, Japan, and South Korea, followed by the rest of the Asia Pacific region. In the Asia Pacific, there are few countries that are technologically advanced. In the MEA region, the market is limited. Reasons for the limited market growth in this region are lack of awareness, lack of education, lack of technological development, political instability, and healthcare not considered a priority by majority governments in this region.

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Introduction

Acupuncture is a medical practice in which thin needles are placed at specific points in the body. It is a healing process performed by a specialized doctor having in-depth knowledge of pulse diagnosis. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases, secondary lifestyle, gynecological disorders, obesity, and alcohol dependency have led to complications such as insomnia, body pain, and emotional disorders which drive the growth of the global acupuncture market. According to a study published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal in 2017, more than 100 million adults are living with chronic pain in the Americas. Additionally, factors such as advancements in acupuncture therapy and the growing geriatric population are also promoting the growth of the acupuncture market globally. Moreover, the increasing demand for complementary and alternative medicines and growing funding activities for acupuncture are likely to support the growth of the market during the assessment period.

The global acupuncture market is expected to reach to a market value of USD 55,323.8 million by 2023 from USD 24,551.6 million in 2017 and is expected to register a CAGR of 14.50% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023. In 2017, the market was led by Europe with a 32.7% share, followed by Asia-Pacific and the Americas with shares of 29.4% and 25.3%, respectively. The market growth of the European region is attributed to the rising acceptance of acupuncture therapy.

The global acupuncture market has been segmented based on product and service, application, end user, and region.

The global acupuncture market, by product and service, has been segmented into services and products.

The global acupuncture market, by application, has been segmented into pain syndrome illness, gynecological disorders, psychological illness, and others.

By end user, the global acupuncture market has been segmented into wellness centers, hospitals and specialty clinics, and research and academic institutes.

Key Players

Seirin Corporation, Kanson, Zepter International, Cymedics GmbH & Co. KG, schwa-medico GmbH, MKW Lasersystem GmbH, Wuxi Jiajian Medical Instruments Co., Ltd, 3B Scientific GmbH, Asia-med GmbH, Qingdao Great Fortune Co., Ltd, and AcuMedic Ltd.

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Study Objectives

To provide a comprehensive analysis of the acupuncture industry and its sub-segments in the global market, thereby providing a detailed structure of the industry

To provide detailed insights into factors driving and restraining the growth of the global acupuncture market

To estimate the market size of acupuncture from 2015 to 2023 for different regions. Wherein, 2015 to 2016 would be the historic period, 2017 shall be the base year, and 2018 to 2023 will be the forecast period for the study

To analyze the global acupuncture market, on the basis of four main geographies, namely, the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa

To compare the products with respect to various players in the market

To provide country-wise market value analysis for various segments of the acupuncture market

To provide strategic profiling of key companies (manufacturers and distributors) present across the globe, and comprehensively analyze their competitiveness/competitive landscape in this market

To provide distribution chain analysis/value chain for the acupuncture market

Target Audience

Medical Device Manufacturers

Medical Device Suppliers and Distributors

Government Research Institutes

Academic Institutes and Universities

Key Findings

The global acupuncture market is expected to reach USD 55,323.8 million by 2023 from USD 24,551.6 million in 2017 and is expected to register a CAGR of 14.50% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023

On the basis of product and service, the services segment accounted for the largest market share and is projected to register a CAGR of 14.26% in 2023

Based on application, the pain syndrome illness segment accounted for the largest market share and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 14.04% by the year 2023

Based on end user, the wellness center segment held the largest market share of 44.6% in 2017 and is projected to register a CAGR of 14.32% during the forecast period

Europe is expected to hold the largest share of the global acupuncture market at a CAGR of 13.53% in 2023

The Americas is the fastest growing market, which is expected to register a CAGR of 14.94% by 2023

Regional Analysis

Americas

o North America

US

Canada

o Latin America

Europe

o Germany

o France

o UK

o Italy

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia-Pacific

Middle East & Africa

o Middle East

o Africa

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The medical device market is extremely broad in its scope and covers devices as innocuous and simple as bandages and condoms, right through to highly sensitive, technologically advanced and critical devices such as pacemakers and implants. The medical device market has good opportunities ahead of it and excellent growth is being seen in neurology, diabetes and wearables as innovative new devices are providing solutions to problems that were previously considered unsolvable. However, the market has its incoming challenges too.

Many regions are seeing healthcare budgets fall or remain static and regulatory bodies are now highly involved in the efficacy process, taking choice away from doctors in many instances. These factors are putting pressure on medical device products, in many cases driving down the price, which is causing difficulty at the premium end of the market as new innovative products have much less time to earn profit before they are swamped with alternatives. Furthermore, some significant changes need to take place in terms of regulation, both to make products safer and to speed up approvals for innovative tech products, both of which will be very hard to achieve.

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Key Highlights:

 The medical device market is changing as pressure on healthcare budgets, regulation changes and high levels of competition are forcing players to think about new ways to present their products. Increasing numbers of non-clinical actors are involved in the procurement process and this means that in some countries, premium and highly specialized product are getting squeezed, while highly innovative breakthroughs are being copied and reworked quickly.

 All of these factors are forcing down prices in the market; while this is good for patients and buyers, medical device players are changing their business models to adapt. Increasingly they are using business to consumer strategies and bringing tech partners on board to help them. But they could go further still; there is a possibility that some medical device firms might create mega plays in the supply chain, absorbing distribution channels and even players themselves to create an all under one roof type of medical business.

 Wearable devices are the new hot topic within the medical device market. Much has been said and written about how smart devices, some intended for other purposes, can be adapted and developed to produce powerful new tools to measure all manner of health issues. The beauty of many of these solutions is that they can be consumer focused and sold retail, direct to the consumer in some cases, allowing manufacturers to completely bypass the traditional medical prescription structure. However, there are issues; many of the claims that some of these devices make are not regulatory body approved and, in some cases, can make consumers overly paranoid and confused by their results. Nevertheless, wearable medical devices provide a significant opportunity for manufacturers to spread their tech to a broad audience and provide useful analytical tools.

 Currently, the aims of brain computer interfaces are two-fold. The first is to use our greater knowledge of the brain to create devices that can assist and repair brains that have been damaged in some way. The second is to augment the ability of a brain to do much more than it already can. Scientists have made great breakthroughs in neuroscience using implanted neurons in the brain to help repair vision, hearing and paralysis. The next step is to develop less invasive methods of achieving the same goals with an eye by producing implants that can enhance a humans ability to input and output information from the brain, to achieve things such as brain-to-brain communication and enhancing the brains ability by connecting it to computers. The proponents of this technology see it as a necessary development in order for humans to keep pace with technologies such as AI. Neurology is actually the fastest-growing specialty area of medical devices, estimated to be expanding at a rate of 13.7% per year.

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Scope:

 Examine how the medical device industry is developing and what new business techniques players might use

 See what the emerging technologies are and how they are spreading

 Understand the impact of wearables in the medical device segment

 See how technology is improving neurological treatment

 See how regulation could be an issue in the industry and what might regulators do in future.

Reasons to buy:

 Is regulation in the US and EU unfit for purpose?

 Who are the biggest medical device players and who is spending the most on R&D?

 What are the most rapidly developing medical device sectors?

 How is technology unlocking new treatment possibilities?

Key Points from TOC:

Executive Summary

Medical devices: Very diverse market and new business models are emerging

Wearable Medical Devices: Segment is seeing significant technological innovation

Neurological Implants: Segment is seeing significant new growth for medical devices

Aging Demographics: A highly important segment for medical devices

Medical Devices: new business models are emerging to suit the changing regulatory environment

Medical devices are extremely diverse and compete in different segments

Class I includes low risk devices such as bandages and stethoscopes

Class II includes moderate risk devices such as wheelchairs

Class III devices include the highest risk devices, such as pacemakers or implants

US and EU regulatory pathways are only similar on the surface

Concerning cases of defective and dangerous medical devices have surfaced, leading to questions over regulation

FDA device regulations have been inadequate for a number of years

Competitors starting to move in on Medtronic over next decade

Constricted healthcare budgets mean players have to plan carefully

Blockbuster treatment areas are now becoming quite crowded

The medical device industry is changing, and players need to adapt

New business to consumer models are popular at present

Future business models might involve a mega play across the value chain

Amazon might soon become a significant competitor in healthcare

Growth of the Chinese medical device market is significant but western players are less welcome

Wearable Medical Devices: Segment is seeing significant technological innovation

Apple Watch and Apple Health App are strong market offerings acting as potential substitutes

Other companies can piggy-back on good wearable devices

Global levels of diabetes are expected to rise, providing a huge opportunity for medical device manufacturers

Guardian Connect from Medtronic is part of a new wave of wearable diabetes devices

Insulin pumps offer an advanced level of diabetes treatment

Remote monitoring becoming the new industry goal

Kardia Band from AliveCor is another device using wearables, but with a subscription business model

Remote monitoring can lead to patient disengagement

Simplicity could be a route to faster regulatory approval

Regulation for wearables has been obsolete for a number of years

The FDA itself is aware of this problem and is taking steps to improve the process

Neurological Implants: Segment is seeing significant new growth for medical devices

Assisting brains that need repair is a key aim of neural implants and BCIs

Cochlear implants are very common place, non-invasive and can restore senses

Deep brain stimulation can alleviate the symptoms of Parkinsons disease

Retinal implant technology is allowing the blind to see again through a bionic eye

Treatment of spinal injuries to allow patients with paraplegia to move again

Microfibers are becoming more advanced and this is opening up new possibilities

The next step for BCIs is human enhancement

DARPA has been working on this field for a number of years for defense purposes

Kernel is looking to find ways to improve human intelligence and cure disease

Neuralink is planning to create an AI interface between the brain and computers

Even successful programs have shown that side effects can be severe

Aging Demographics: A highly important segment for medical devices

New alert technology allows elderly people to stay at home, keeping many out of care systems

Internet of things is changing how care is delivered to an aging population

New medical devices coming to the market include bespoke artificial limbs

New generation of smart pacemakers could be susceptible to hacking

Nascent technology can radically improve the mobility of an aging population, creating new business

Toyotas Mobility Challenge means better solutions to lower limb paralysis are coming

Mobility presents growing business opportunities for innovation

Remotely taking doctors into homes: technology streamlines treatment of elderly patients

Communication technology designed for over 65 year olds is a growth industry

Many of the latest devices are perfect for seniors, but not marketed as such

Key Findings

Continued

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Outpatient rehabilitation services have been gaining increasing momentum in the recent years for people who are in the beginning stage of alcohol or drug addictions. The outpatient rehabilitation services tend to focus on techniques for overcoming addiction and therefore considered to be highly effective for early-stage addicts. Lower costs, short daily sessions, and access to support systems are the key factors influencing the development of outpatient rehabilitation services market. Some of the outpatient rehabilitation services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. These services provide beneficial practice for patients with range of conditions including neurologic conditions, recovering from injuries due to car accidents, or recently suffered a heart attack.

Rising number of geriatric population across the globe along with increasing incidences of various chronic disease is likely to accelerate growth of the outpatient rehabilitation services market. Key players operating in the outpatient rehabilitation services market are focusing on launching of newer and effective programs which may highly benefit the patients and in turn favor the market growth. Further, unhealthy lifestyle prevailing among the youth population is expected to increase the demand for physical therapy in the coming years which may positively impact the growth of outpatient rehabilitation services market.

Outpatient rehabilitation is a treatment program used primarily to treat alcoholism, depression or any drug abuse. Outpatient rehabilitation program varies from inpatient program where individuals are supposed to live in the rehabilitation centers for a period of minimum three months to one year under medical support. The duration of the outpatient varies according to the specific needs of the patients. Most of the recovering addicts require one to three months whereas more serious cases require more than a year. There are three primary classification of outpatient rehabilitation services: Physical Therapy- includes diagnosis and treatment of physical impairments and disabilities. Physical therapies also helps to treat various neurologic conditions Occupational Therapy  include treatment to restore functions that have been lost because of injury or illness.

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Speech-Language Pathologyinclude the treatment and diagnosis of the communication-related disorder. Specialized outpatient rehabilitation services such as oncology rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation services are also available for patients. Cardiac rehabilitation services includes exercise training, education for healthy-heart living, counseling to reduce stress. According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), patients using cardiac rehabilitation services were 53% less likely to suffer from any cause and 57% are less likely to experience any cardiac related mortality as compared to those who did not use cardiac rehabilitation services.

Outpatient Rehabilitation Service Market: Drivers and Restraints

An increase of unhealthy lifestyle among youths is one of the driver of outpatient rehabilitation service market. The rise in ageing population which are associated with speech and other physical and neurological disorders also increase the outpatient rehabilitation services market. An outpatient rehabilitation program is preferred by the patients over inpatient program. The benefits of outpatient rehabilitation program such as freedom to continue the career and proximity with the family members are the factors which mainly fueled up the outpatient rehabilitation service market. The increase of drug abusers is the prominent factor which helps in the increment of the market value of outpatient rehabilitation services. Lack of awareness and low facilities in healthcare infrastructure retarded the growth of outpatient rehabilitation services market. Moreover, untrained professionals in rural areas retarded the market growth. And additionally, high cost of services delayed the outpatient rehabilitation services market in the overall forecast period.

Outpatient Rehabilitation Service Market: Segmentation

The global outpatient rehabilitation service market is segmented on the basis of types, services and geography.

Based on types, outpatient rehabilitation service market is segmented into:

Physical Therapy Orthopedic physical therapy Pediatric physical therapy Sports physical therapy Neurological physical therapy

Occupational Therapy

Speech Language Pathology

Based on services, outpatient rehabilitation services are segmented into:

Outpatient Rehabilitation centers

Specialty clinics

Community health centers

Hospitals

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Outpatient Rehabilitation Service Market: Overview

A rise in the geriatric population increases the demand for physical therapies. Orthopedic therapy holds the largest market share due to the inclination of the elderly population towards this type of therapy. Rise in number of infants affected with congenital disorder increases the demand of various physical therapies. Outpatient rehabilitation services are in the great boom in regions where there are more public awareness and good healthcare facilities. High adoption of healthcare facilities by the end users in the developed countries robust the overall market of outpatient rehabilitation services.

Outpatient Rehabilitation Service Market: Regional Outlook

Geographically, global outpatient rehabilitation service market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding China and Japan, China, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Currently, North America is the leading market of outpatient rehabilitation services due to technological advancement and increase in the number of elderly population. Moreover, the number of key players providing the outpatient rehabilitation services are more in this region mainly in the US. Europe and Japan hold the second largest market of outpatient rehabilitation services due to advancement in healthcare infrastructure and public awareness. Asia Pacific market have been expecting the growth in the near future because of the rise in the geriatric population and increase in the patient pool. Middle East Asia and Africa show the delayed growth due to lack of availability of advanced technologies. Further, lack of awareness in these regions hinders the growth of outpatient rehabilitation service market.

Outpatient Rehabilitation service Market: Key Players

Some of the key players providing the outpatient rehabilitation services includes Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers, Ltd, AIM Health Group Inc. LHC Group, Inc., Select Medical Holdings, Physiohealth.in, Trilogy Health services,LLC., Senior Care Centers of America, Inc. and others.

The report covers exhaustive analysis on:

Market Segments

Market Dynamics

Market Size Analysis

Current Trends/Issues/Challenges

Competition & Companies involved

Value Chain Analysis

The regional analysis includes:

North America (U.S., Canada)

Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)

Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)

Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)

Asia-Pacific Excluding China and Japan (India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)

China

Japan

The Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)

The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.

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

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Ready-to-use laboratory test kits are gaining increasing demand from healthcare providers as these kits offer innovative solutions combined with technical support. The ready-to-use laboratory test kits are precise, easy to handle, and allow rapid diagnosis of various infectious diseases. Increasing demand for preventive management of infectious diseases caused by bacteria and fungus across the world is likely to contribute to the development of ready-to-use laboratory test kits market. In the recent years, diagnostic testing for malaria before treatment has increased significantly which has largely contributed to the adoption of ready-to-use laboratory test kits.

With rising scope of application in clinical testing, home-based testing, and veterinary testing, the ready-to-use laboratory test kits market is expected to witness significant growth in the recent years. Other major factors which could be attributed to the growth prospects of the market including increasing awareness about early diagnosis of diseases among wide range of populations. Further, technological advancements along with product innovation is expected to be highly impactful on the future expansion of ready-to-use laboratory test kits market. However, public unawareness of new medical kits in remote areas and high cost associated with these devices are likely to create hindrance in the growth of ready-to-use laboratory test kits market.

Ready to use laboratory test kits are the rapid diagnostic kits used for detecting various infectious diseases without the use of automated equipment and without any requirement of time-consuming laboratory procedures. These kits are used to perform the preliminary screening test by physicians to diagnose a wide range of infectious diseases. These kits are also referred as quick diagnostic kits as they provide results within minutes or hours which helps physicians in expediting the treatment process and prescribe patients with appropriate medications within the short period of time.

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Ready-to-use Laboratory Test Kits Market: Drivers & Restraints

Ready to use laboratory kits market is growing at a moderate pace and its demand will increase in the given forecast period for the management of various diseases and conditions. The growing incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, viral infections, gastrointestinal diseases and other infections are the key driving factors for the Ready to use laboratory kits market. Additionally, the Ready to use laboratory kits market is driven by factors such as improving healthcare facilities, growing demand for home healthcare and the overall rise in lifestyle induced disorder such as diabetes. Lack of public awareness, high cost, untrained professionals and lesser availability in the developing countries overall limits the growth of ready to use laboratory test kits market.

Ready-to-use laboratory test kits Market: Segmentation

The global market for ready to use laboratory test kits is segmented on the basis of application, technology, end users and geography.

Based on the application, ready to use laboratory test kits market is segmented into:

Clinical testing Infectious disease testing Cholesterol Monitoring Substance abuse testing

Home-based testing Blood glucose monitoring Pregnancy and fertility testing

Veterinary testing

Based on the technology, ready to use laboratory test kits market is segmented into:

Agglutination assays

Immune-chromatographic techniques

Immune-dot techniques

Immune-filtration techniques

Flow-through

Lateral Flow

Solid Phase

Based on end-user, ready to use laboratory test kits market is segmented into:

Hospitals

Clinics

Diagnostic Laboratories

Forensic Laboratories

Home Care Settings

Ready-to-use laboratory test kits Market: Overview

The global ready to use laboratory test kit market is expected to show noteworthy growth owing to increasing infectious diseases, the rise in the consumer awareness level about these ready to use laboratory kits. Moreover, change in the lifestyle also increasing lifestyle induced disorders such as diabetes rising the demand for the kits. These quick diagnostic kits provide results in the matter of minutes or hours and accelerate the treatment period. These kits are easy to use and can be used at home by an amateur without any medical background to monitor blood glucose level or to determine cholesterol level. The overall growth of ready to use laboratory test kits market is high but the lack of public awareness and high-cost limits the growth.

Ready-to-use laboratory test kits Market: Regional Outlook

Ready to use laboratory market is segmented on the basis of eight regions into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan and China (APECJ), Japan and Middle East & Africa (MEA). North America region is dominating the overall laboratory test kits market throughout the forecast period. The presence of better healthcare facilities, high patients awareness level, the high prevalence of infectious diseases are some of the leading factors accounting for the maximum market share in these regions. This is followed by Europe and Japan due to rise in the prevalence of infectious diseases. In developing regions such as Asia-Pacific, ready to use laboratory test kits market is expected to boost up over the forecast period due to rise in the lifestyle induced disorders and increasing awareness among the patients about these ready-to-use laboratory test kits. In addition, rise in the cases of infectious diseases in Africa is expected to grow the market of ready to use laboratory test kits over forecast period.

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Ready-to-use laboratory test kits Market: Key players

Some of the leading players operating in the ready to use laboratory kits market are F. Hoffmann La Roche, Abbott Laboratories, Siemens Healthcare, Novartis International AG, Abaxis, Bio-Rad Laboratories, QIAGEN, Becton Dickinson & Company, Zoetis, and Danaher Corporation.

The report covers exhaustive analysis on:

Market Segments

Market Dynamics

Market Size Analysis

Current Trends/Issues/Challenges

Competition & Companies involved

Value Chain Analysis

The regional analysis includes:

North America (U.S., Canada)

Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)

Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)

Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)

Asia-Pacific Excluding China and Japan (India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)

China

Japan

The Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)

The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.

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

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Market Outlook

The latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR) states that the sterilization technology market is poised to touch the valuation of USD 8,142.61 million by 2023, expanding at a moderate CAGR of 8.20% during the forecast period (2018-2023).

Sterilization refers to the process of completely eliminating any object or surface from bacteria or other pathogenic agents. Moreover, opting for a specific particular method of sterilization is dependent on various aspects like constituents of the sterilizing object, microbial load, type of application, classification and suitability of sterilization method and so on.

However, it is in the medical field that sterilization is given the utmost importance, for preventing the buildup of disease-causing pathogens and the spreading of diseases.

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Industry Update

January 2019  TSO3 Inc., company with the expertise in sterilization technology for medical devices in healthcare sector, announced that the company has received an order for the 100th unit of its industry-leading STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer. The bulk of this order is from US and Canadian customers, which is the highest order rate the company has ever received.

Market Drivers and Challenges

Rising incidences of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) along with the number of surgeries performed are boosting the sterilization technology market growth. Moreover, the growing usage of e-beam radiation sterilization, advancements in technologies like the use of gas plasma, use of NO2, peracetic acid sterilization, e-beam technology, supercritical CO2 coupled with the expanding healthcare infrastructure are opening new avenues for the sterilization market.

But with the cost of sterilization technology being on the higher side, the market could be negatively impacted to some extent in the future. However, the prominence of cosmetic surgical procedures to enhance the external appearance is resulting in the elevated adoption of sterilization technologies for creating sterile working conditions. This factor will play a significant role in the enhancement of the sterilization technology market in the coming years.

Market Segmentation

The global market for Sterilization Technology has been segmented on the basis of type, process, and end-user.

The types of sterilization technology in the global market are ionizing radiation, ethylene oxide, filtration, thermal sterilization, and others. Among these, the ethylene oxide segment is most likely to acquire a substantial market share by 2023 as a result of the strength of its radiation as well as the high penetration rate.

Process-wise, the sterilization technology market is segmented into physiochemical, chemical process, physical process, and synergetic process. Here, the market size of chemical process segment is touted to reach the valuation of USD 5,677.43 million by 2023.

The various market end-users in the global sterilization technology market are medical device manufacturers, hospitals & clinics, and pharmaceutical industry. Among all the sub-segments, the pharmaceuticals industry segment is going to be the biggest end-user by the end of the conjectured period on account of the rising demand for sterilization in a bid to avoid contamination of pharmaceutical ingredients.

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Competitive Dashboard:

The global sterilization technology market is inundated with various competing players, which include Advanced Sterilization Products Services Inc (USA), 3M (USA), Beta Star Life Science Equipment (USA), Donaldson Co. Inc. (USA), Sterile Technologies Inc. (USA), Atec Pharmatechnik GmbH (Germany), Steris PLC (UK), Feldmeier Equipment Inc (USA), among others.

Regional Insights

The regions where the sterilization technology market is prevalent are the Americas (North America and South America), Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East & Africa (MEA).

Cornering an estimated market share of 40.1%, North America led the global market with the largest share in 2017, with the market slated to retain its top position well into the forecast period. The region is inundated with well-developed countries such as the United States (US) and Canada that are contributing massively to this market growth. Furthermore.

The Europe market stands second in the global market, backed by the factors like increasing number of pharmaceutical, expanding food and beverages industry, growing investment for the development of healthcare infrastructure, and adoption of newer technologies in the sterilization process.

The Asia Pacific sterilization technology market has secured the third position globally, owing to the burgeoning aging population, growing healthcare expenditure, high pollution levels, expanding pharmaceutical industry, and thriving medical tourism. The expanding healthcare infrastructure in the region is creating massive revenue generation opportunities for the medical device manufacturers leading to adoption of sterilization products and services.

Lastly, increasing prevalence of hospital-acquired infections, coupled with the elevated number of surgical procedures, and government initiations for protection of the public health are bolstering the growth of the sterilization technology market in the Middle East and Africa.

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Analysis Period

Base Year  2017

Projection Period  From 2018 to 2023

Market Denomination  USD Million

Conversion Rate  Considered as per the respective financial years

For the scope of research, the report offers a comprehensive analysis of the global sterilization technology market.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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Lets face it, todays fast-paced and viciously competitive world has made stress inevitable. Our brains are constantly bombarded with tasks and distractions, leaving many of us worn out. Although it is known that meditation can help many of us to step away from all our stressors and give our overactive brains a break, starting and sticking with such a practice is easier said than done. Fortunately, Unyte Health, a Canadian digital health company, is trying to make this often-perplexing practice easier and more fun. Despite the fact that Unyte is a young company (less than two years old), it was actually built on top of a much older one, called Wild Divine. Anyone who is familiar with modern meditation would know that Wild Divine was a pioneer in technology-assisted interactive meditation, and that it has sold thousands of biofeedback devices over the last decade.

Unytes first product is a biofeedback device known as the iom2. When paired with the companys software, iom2 is designed to deliver interactive meditation to users. We at Medgadget were given the chance to try iom2 over the last few weeks, and below is our brief review.

Out of the Box

iom2 arrives in a simple cardboard box, which includes an ear-clip heart rate sensor, along with a USB charging cable. iom2 is a sleek, slim, rectangular product, the size of a compact mobile phone. It has a small OLED screen that appears somewhat rudimentary, though it is definitely sufficient to portray some helpful information, including the battery level. iom2s packaging and design are remarkably simple and embody the goal of helping a user relax.

Functionality

The primary function of iom2 is to measure the users Heart Rate Variability (HRV), which is simply a measure of the variation in the time intervals between heartbeats. Interestingly, HRV is regulated by our autonomic nervous system and seems to be impacted by our our state of mind. Contrary to what one would expect, the more relaxed a brain is, the higher the HRV. The idea behind iom2 is to use this biometric to give meditators instantaneous feedback on their mental state during meditation, and therefore help them adjust their technique accordingly.

Software and Usability

To embark on the journey of meditating with Unyte, you are asked to create an account on the companys website. The website offers a wide variety of meditation programs, or what the company calls journeys. These journeys were created by experienced meditation instructors and includes standard voice-guided sessions, as well as more gamified ones, where, for example, you use your mental clarity to fix a villa or blow into a horn that will free your soul. Furthermore, the company is releasing its first VR-enabled journey within the next few weeks.

Overall, most of these sessions were interesting and enjoyable. Their graphics werent mind-blowing, as in some of the recent HD games, but they were still visually pleasing. One drawback I found with Unytes software was its fragmentation. Each journey has its own app, which meant I ended up with seven different apps on my tablet, which took up a significant portion of its storage. It would definitely be more convenient if everything was put together in one app.

To start a meditation session with iom2, you simply clip the heart rate sensor to your ear, select your meditation session on your computer, tablet, or smartphone device, and then follow the instructions. All sessions display a breathing indicator and a resonance score that depicts your HRV, thus the effectiveness of your exercise; this is ideal for open-eyed meditation. However, for those who like to meditate with their eyes closed, these visual cues will not be as useful. After each session, you will be provided with your average resonance score, heart rate, and time spent on the session. Additionally, using your web-based dashboard, you can review your sessions and keep track of your progress.

Conclusion

We believe that iom2 might give people an opportunity to experience meditation in a more attainable way. We found iom2 to be well designed and easy to use. Unyte offers a wide variety of meditation programs, which helps keep the users engaged. However, when it comes to the way these programs were organized, there is definitely some room for improvement.

In terms of cost, iom2 retails for $149.99 on Unytes official website. To gain access to Unytes meditation programs, the company offers two subscription plans, an annual for $199 (including the iom2 at $139) and a lifetime for $349.99 (including the iom2 at $99.99).

Link: Unyte homepage
by Melynda Fuller , March 11, 2019



Following the dissolution of 15% of its staff earlier this year, BuzzFeed is outlining its plans for long-term survival, as outlined by CEO Jonah Peretti in a memo posted to the site on Friday and his keynote address at SXSW in Austin.

At a moment when many are skeptical about digital media, when some companies are pivoting away from the internet, we are focused on embracing the internet even more. This is what the platforms need right now, what the world needs, and what is best for BuzzFeed, Peretti wrote in his memo titled How to Save the Internet.

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Per his memo, BuzzFeed is prepping for the future with a multipronged approach: publishing across social-media platforms, creating high-quality content at low cost and focusing on in-house developed revenue streams.

During the CEOs keynote address at SXSW last week, he told the audience BuzzFeed made $100 million last year from revenue sources that didnt yet exist two years ago.

Some of the sources Peretti referenced included proprietary ad products and the companys food brand Tasty, which counts 100 million fans on Facebook, the biggest media brand on that platform. Almost all of its revenue comes from businesses weve needed to create on our own, he wrote.

Some of the products built around Tasty include product placements, Tasty ice cream and cookware, a creators program and produced shows.

Peretti outlined other areas where BuzzFeed expects to bring in more revenue.

They include a brand-safe video network created so marketers can buy across our trusted content and the creators program, which combines influencers with BuzzFeed networks digital reach. A new Shopping Showcase commerce product will connect our strong advertising business and fast-growing affiliate business.

Peretti wrote of the Shopping Showcase: Digital media is moving toward real world transactions and experiences, and this shoppable posts format will drive awareness and direct transaction for our partners.

According to the memo, BuzzFeed is also exploring new ways to work with advertisers across its original series and news programming.

The big tech platforms are important, but having websites and apps is a big source of our strength and making them the best place to experience BuzzFeed is a strategic imperative for us, Peretti wrote.

The company will continue to rely on Facebook, Google, Amazon and Netflix, but Peretti added: The first step is to make working with the big platforms financially sustainable. We are making real progress here, and so are other digital publishers.

In Q1 2018, BuzzFeed made around $500,000 in video platform revenue from Facebook. By Q4 of that same year, it made $3 million. BuzzFeed monetized less than 30% of views on YouTube in January of 2017, but by November 2017, was monetizing 70%.

Peretti stated that BuzzFeeds overall revenue garnered from the four platforms mentioned above has grown 12x since 2014.
by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, March 11, 2019

Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, SXSW, opens the conference.

Photo Credit: Steve Rosenbaum / MagnifyMedia



I only go to Texas once a year.

Lucky for me, my trip to Austin coincides with thousand of other people all traipsing through the Austin-Bergstrom Airport. Theyre arriving at an annual gathering known as South By Southwest -- or SXSW, for the folks who know the acronym.

Every year SXSW is different. Historically, some of the internet's biggest apps were launched here, among them Twitter and FourSquare.

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So, I go to Austin to do some on-the-ground trend-spotting. This year the trends were notable both for whos here, and whos not.

The international vibe of the conference is undeniable. At the panel I participated in, the audience questions came almost entirely from Latin American voices -- two of them from Brazil. And doing my reporter thing, I found languages in the elevator and on the streets more diverse than ever. This is a welcome change, a diversity of ideas and questions that was much appreciated.

Missing this year were the big brand activations -- thats industryspeak for any time a brand does a real-world physical event to reach out to customers. In years past, SXSW has seen big expensive brand events from Fedex, McDonald's, HBO, Gatorade, Oreo and more. This year, most of the big brands stayed home.

It's hard to know if this is a trend, or just a year to dial back.

At the same time, Austin is growing, with gleaming new hotels opening, and more on the way.

The big noticeable trend this year was a focus on issues, both practical and political. With the 2020 presidential race now on the horizon, SXSW was on the calendar of an all-star list of Democratic hopefuls.

In attendance: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.); former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Then there was Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. All but Schultz have declared they will be running in next year's presidential election. And if Schultz used Austin to test his message, he got a stiff cold breeze back. The crowd stayed silent during what he hoped would be an applause line.

Also attending: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who sold out a massive convention hall with a passionate and appreciative audience.

On the internet side of the convention, SXSW Interactive, it was a year of pensive navel-gazing. Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti told the crowd, We need to keep fighting to make the internet great -- without any sense of irony. "We cant just police bad content, we have to produce good content, said Peretti.

The point illustrates the challenge facing platforms like Facebook and Twitter: Its not just about banning Alex Jones, its about promoting the media companies that produce quality journalism, so more people are seeing thoroughly verified information.

No doubt, the questions being raised in Austin are relevant and timely.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 11, 2019

California's new privacy law poses a threat to loyalty programs that give consumers discounts in exchange for their data, the Association of National Advertisers said late last week in comments submitted to the state Department of Justice.

The California Consumer Privacy Act, set to take effect next year, allows consumers to learn what personal information about them is held by businesses, request deletion of that information, and to opt out of its sale. The bill contains a provision prohibiting companies from charging higher prices to consumers who opt out of data collection and selling. But the measure also allows businesses to offer "financial incentives" to consumers who allow their data to be collected and sold -- provided that the incentives are related to the data's value.

The ANA is now calling on state Attorney General Xavier Becerra to issue regulations specifically providing that loyalty programs are permissible under the new law.

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Without clarification, many loyalty programs could cease altogether when the CCPA becomes effective, the ANA writes in an 18-page letter sent on Friday.

California passed the measure last year, but in some ways it's still a work in progress. Partially, that's because California lawmakers tasked Becerra with crafting regulations implementing the new measure. He recently held a series of hearings across the state, at which ad industry representatives, privacy advocates and others weighed in on proposed revisions.

Last month, Becerra and state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced a bill that would expand the measure in ways that would make it less friendly to the industry. That proposal would allow consumers to sue companies that fail to provide consumers with their information, don't honor requests to refrain from selling the data, or violate other provisions of the law. Currently, the law only authorizes private lawsuits over data breaches caused by a company's failure to implement reasonable security.

Meanwhile, federal lawmakers are considering new nationwide legislation that could override California's bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday about privacy, with a focus on issues raised by California's law and Europe's GDPR.

In its Friday letter, the ANA makes numerous other requests for revisions in its comments. Among others, the organization wants the AG to clarify a portion of the related to opt-out requests. While the law generally requires companies to honor consumers' requests for deletion of their data, there are exceptions -- including one for data that is necessary in order to provide goods or services requested by consumers.

The ANA wants Becerra to say that exception applies to marketing messages that are reasonably anticipated and can be provided within the context of a businesss ongoing business relationship with the consumer. Subscription renewal messages would be one example, the ANA says.

The ANA also is asking Becerra to say that consumers can opt out from the sale of some data, but allow companies to continue to sell other data.

Consumers may wish to make granular choices regarding the use and maintenance of their data, and a regulation clarifying that such granularity is permissible should be issued, the ANA writes. Paradoxically, failure to take this step may undermine privacy protections because a consumer may decide not to restrict any use of his data by a company if the consumer is only concerned about specific limited uses of his information.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, March 11, 2019

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity said today that Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein, founders of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, will be honored with the Lion of St. Mark Award at the 2019 Festival in June.

The award is a lifetime achievement award for work in creative advertising.

After meeting at Ogilvy & Mather under Hal Riney, the duo started GS&P (with Andy Berlin) in 1983 and won numerous Lions since then for such campaigns Got Milk?, the Budweiser lizards, Invent for Hewlett-Packard, the E*Trade chimpanzee, Polaroids See What Develop, and many others.

Most recently GS&P received Gold Lions for I am a Witness (the first emoji for a social cause), the Dreams of Dali VR experience, Chevrolets Sonic Launch with OKGO, and Cheetos Museum.

Jeff and Rich have had such a profound influence, not only through their much celebrated and creatively ground-breaking work but also by inspiring others to create great work too. Their legacy is truly remarkable, and were delighted to celebrate and reward them for their achievements, stated Philip Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, March 12, 2019

With Australia and Singapore this morning joining China, Indonesia, Ethiopia and several airlines in grounding its new 737 MAX 8 aircraft from flying in and out of their airports, Chicago-based Boeing Co. is facing a mounting crisis of confidence in its most lucrative product.

The crash of a Boeing 737 MAX in Ethiopia on Sunday killed all 157 people on board. The latest incident follows another deadly accident in Indonesia last October, when 189 people were killed in a Lion Air flight crash, writes Amy Gunia for Time.

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Similarities between the crashes have called the safety of the aircraft into question. In both situations, the planes, which were new, crashed just minutes after takeoff after the pilots had requested to return to the takeoff airport after experiencing difficulties, she continues.

The 737 MAX is the newest version of the 737, the best-selling airliner ever. Since debuting in 2017, Boeing has delivered more than 350 of them in several versions that vary by size. Dozens of airlines around the world have embraced the plane for its fuel efficiency and utility for short and medium-haul flights, writes the APs David Koenig.

For Boeing, the MAX is its cash cow. Soon all the 737s assembled in its Renton [Wash.] plant will be MAXes, due to be pumped out later this year at a rate of 57 jets per month, Dominic Gates reports for the Seattle Times.

Being a new airplane, and with the tragedy in Indonesia a few months ago, they need to find out if there is a connection or not, John Cox, founder and CEO of Safety Operating Systems, tells Gates. Theres a sense of urgency.

The grounding by China, in particular, is very significant, as this is a major market for Boeing, Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at aviation research firm FlightGlobal tells CNN Business Chris Isidore. Chinas airline regulator said Sunday it had zero tolerance for safety hazards, Isidore writes.

Following the Ethiopia incident, Boeing released a statement saying it is deeply saddened by the news and added that a Boeing technical team will be traveling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jade Scipioni writes for Fox Business.

Last night, Boeing issued a statement saying that since the Lion Air crash, the company had been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer. According to the company, it has been working with the FAA to roll out the software updates across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks, the New York Times reports.

Southwest Airlines, which operates 34 of the planes, said on Twitter that the airline had completed 31,000 flights using the model and planned to move forward with them. American Airlines, which has 22 of the planes, doesn't plan to ground them, either, even as the union representing its flight attendants issued a bulletin detailing its concerns, Kristin Lam writes for USA Today.

U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry to take precautionary measures, she continues. Until the cause of the crash is known and its clear that similar risks arent present in the domestic fleet, I believe all Boeing 737 MAX 8 series aircraft operating in the United States should be temporarily grounded, Feinstein wrote.

But thats not happening, at least at present. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration yesterday tweeted that it also had a team at the crash site to collect data but that it was issuing a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) for Boeing 737 MAX operations.

Meanwhile, anxious passengers booked on the same model of plane  are being denied refunds or transfers if they are too scared to fly. Norwegian and TUI airlines are both continuing to run Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes and said its standard terms and conditions will apply to all passengers, with no special dispensation offered to those worried about safety, Chris Graham and Laura FitzPatrick report for The Telegraph in the U.K.

This international discrepancy -- in which some airlines are grounding their planes and others arent -- has prompted concerns from travelers, some of whom have taken to social media to correspond with airlines to identify the aircraft for their flights. Boeings stock dropped by 13% on Monday, but bounced back to around 5% by the end of the day -- hinting that the company may be facing a PR crisis, Nicole Karlis writes for Salon.

Id suggest that crisis has already happened.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 12, 2019

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) isn't the only person calling for the breakup of Google. On Tuesday, Rupert Murdoch's Australian media company said the U.S. tech company has too much power over news outlets.

A submission to Australian regulators published on Tuesday outlines why News Corp wants Google Search to separate from the rest of the company's businesses.

The calling follows Sen. Warrens blog post that explains why and how her administration will break up Amazon, Facebook, Google and other big tech companies.

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As the World Wide Web turns 30, the Internet Society speaks out about the politicians looking to impose rules that it claims slow innovation and create division that put users at a disadvantage.

Konstantinos Komaitis, senior director of Policy Development and Strategy at the Internet Society, believes politicians can mitigate these problems by encouraging decentralized collaborative approaches -- including international norms development processes -- to shape Internet-related laws and policies.

He suggests that these approaches can create better outcomes because they have broader participation and are more politically responsive and economically sustainable than some top-down approaches.

Komaitis defines hasty intervention as regulation that isnt informed, proportionate or focused, and could have unintended consequences.

At risk to an extent is the world economy, per the Internet Society. The development of new applications, services and businesses across the global economy is increasingly dependent on a small number of private platforms owned by the largest Internet companies, according to the 2019 version of The Internet is changing.

Under Warrens proposal, companies like Amazon would need to stop selling their branded products, like AmazonBasics. Some media outlets suggest consumers would become the loser because her plan eliminates less expensive options.

Even more interesting, Warren took contributions -- about $90,000 -- from employees of Amazon, Google and Facebook between 2012 and 2018, reportsPolitico. In September, Warren accepted a $2,700 contribution from Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks COO.

While we dont know whether this will help her win or lose the election, Sen. Warren is bringing awareness to what we refer to as Consolidation in the Internet Economy, Komaitis wrote in an email to Digital News Daily. While its tempting to reach for simplistic answers about the Internets future, our analysis shows questions surrounding this trend are more complex. Hasty interventions to consolidate could lead to unintended consequences and harm for the Internet and its users.
Hypnic jerks, which people also refer to as hypnagogic jerks or sleep starts, are involuntary muscle contractions that some people experience as they are falling asleep. Some hypnic jerks are mild and hardly noticeable. Others can be intense  anyone who has been close to falling asleep and then felt a sudden jerk that has woken them up has experienced a hypnic jerk. Hypnic jerks are common and occur randomly. The exact cause of these twitches is unclear, but some factors may increase their likelihood. In this article, learn more about hypnic jerks, how common they are, and how to reduce their frequency.

What is a hypnic jerk? Share on Pinterest Hypnic jerks occur when a person is transitioning to a sleeping state and may wake them up. A hypnic jerk is an involuntary twitch of one or more muscles that occurs as a person is falling asleep. It tends to happen just as the person is transitioning from a wakeful state to a sleeping state. Hypnic jerks are a type of involuntary muscle movement called myoclonus. Hiccups are another common form of myoclonus. The strength of a hypnic jerk may vary. Some people may not be aware of the twitches, and may only know that they experience them if a partner or caregiver notices the movements. Other times, the spasms can be strong enough to startle the person and wake them up. People may experience other symptoms alongside hypnic jerks, such as: feeling as though they are falling

rapid heartbeat

rapid breathing

sweating

dreaming about falling These sensations are not signs of any underlying health conditions.

Frequency The authors of a 2016 study noted that hypnic jerks occur randomly and affect both men and women of all ages. The researchers found that 60 to 70 percent of people experience hypnic jerks, usually just as they are about to fall asleep.

Causes In most cases, there is no clear cause of a hypnic jerk. They occur in most people without any underlying explanation. With that said, there are some ideas and theories about why these sleep starts occur. Possible reasons may include: Exercise: Exercising stimulates the body, so exercising late in the evening may make it more difficult for the body to relax in time for sleep. This excess stimulation may cause a hypnic jerk. Stimulants: Body and brain stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, or some drugs, may make falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night difficult. They may also increase the frequency of hypnic jerks. Stress and anxiety: A high-stress lifestyle or feeling very anxious can make it difficult to relax in preparation for sleep. An alert brain may be easier to startle, so a person may be more likely to wake up when these involuntary muscle twitches occur. Poor sleep habits: Irregular sleep patterns, sleep deprivation, or regular sleep disturbances may lead to hypnic jerks.

Hypnic jerks in children and babies Sleep starts can happen in people of all ages. However, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine note that adults are more likely than children to complain about frequent or intense hypnic jerks. The reason for this may be that many of the factors that sleep specialists associate with sleep starts are not generally relevant to children, such as: caffeine intake

emotional stress

intense physical exercise However, this does not mean that hypnic jerks are not possible in younger children or that they indicate a problem. They may simply be less common in people of this age.

Can hypnic jerks wake us up? Share on Pinterest A hypnic jerk may be significant enough to shock a person awake. It is possible to wake up from a hypnic jerk, but this does not always happen, as the strength of the muscle contraction that a person experiences will vary. Some people only have minor hypnic jerks and are very unlikely to wake up because of them. They may only be aware that they experience hypnic jerks if a partner or caregiver notices them. In other cases, a muscle contraction may be significant enough to shock the person awake. The strength of the contraction itself or the unsettling feeling that the person has from moving so quickly could cause this. In some cases, these large contractions can make a person feel as though someone else is pushing them off the bed. The other symptoms of a hypnic jerk may also wake the person up. Sometimes the person dreams that they are falling either out of bed, from a tree, or through a void. Although it is uncertain which sensation comes first, this can be enough to scare the person awake.

Preventing hypnic jerks While it may not be possible to avoid all instances of hypnic jerks, some people may notice that they have them less frequently when they make a few lifestyle changes. Tips that may help prevent hypnic jerks include: Avoiding late-night exercise Exercise is vital, but too much physical stimulation close to bedtime may increase the likelihood of these muscle twitches. Exercising earlier in the day instead can give the body plenty of time to relax and unwind before bed. Avoiding caffeine Caffeine sources, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate, may help a person wake up in the morning, but having caffeine later in the day can stimulate the body and brain too much, making it difficult to transition to sleep. Avoiding other stimulant drugs Other stimulating drugs, such as nicotine and alcohol, may lead to restless sleep, which can result in issues with sleep deprivation or disruptive hypnic jerks. Creating a bedtime routine Creating a bedtime routine may help the body relax and reduce stress. Some people drink calming teas or warm milk and read a book before bed. Others may prefer to do gentle stretches or listen to music. Turning down the lights Researchers know that light stimulates the brain to be more alert, which means that it can help a person wake up more easily in the morning but could make sleep more difficult. Blue light, which is the cold light from some light bulbs, televisions, computer monitors, and smartphones, tells the body that it is daytime. Turning down these lights or avoiding technology before bed will reduce the levels of blue light and may help a person relax. Relaxing meditations Some people use guided meditations or breathing exercises to help them relax. Something as simple as taking slow, deep breaths for 5 minutes may help a person reduce their stress levels.
When we sleep poorly, we may feel less inclined to participate in social activities. Now, researchers have found evidence that being sleep-deprived can not only make us less sociable, but it can also prevent our peers from seeking us out. Share on Pinterest Poor sleep can render us more unsociable and isolated, researchers warn. Sleep deprivation can contribute to a host of mental and physical problems, including depression, diabetes, and impaired cognitive functioning. Now, research from the University of California (UC), Berkeley has linked sleep deprivation to another effect: social isolation. According to the studys senior author, Prof. Matthew Walker, We humans are a social species. Yet sleep deprivation can turn us into social lepers. The findings  which appeared in the journal Nature Communications  indicate that, on the one hand, people who have experienced sleep loss are less eager to interact with others. On the other hand, the results also show that people who are sleep-deprived tend to come across as socially unappealing.

Sleep loss fuels self-isolation The UC Berkeley research team used functional MRI brain scans, as well as standardized assessments of a persons state of loneliness and innovative tests to see if sleep deprivation was linked to social withdrawal. The researchers recruited a cohort of 18 healthy adults, which they split into two groups. They instructed participants in one group to get a regular nights sleep, while those in the other group had to stay awake through the night. At the first stage of the study, the scientists monitored the participants brain activity as they watched short videos depicting individuals with a neutral expression walking toward the viewer. The participants had the option to stop the video when they felt that the person on-screen was getting too close. This allowed the investigators to gauge the participants levels of comfort with social proximity. First, the researchers observed that sleep-deprived individuals were more likely than their well-rested peers to keep people at a distance, stopping the videos to keep the walker 1860 percent further back than their peers. Then, the brain scans revealed that sleep-deprived people presented heightened activity in a brain circuit called the near space network, which lights up when we think that we perceive a threatening human presence. However, the same scans showed that sleep-deprived participants had lower levels of activity in the so-called theory of mind network, which normally assesses emotions and intent in the self and others. These two sets of findings put together suggest that sleep loss impairs a persons ability to correctly assess social situations, rendering the individual more likely to withdraw from social contexts. Its perhaps no coincidence that the past few decades have seen a marked increase in loneliness and an equally dramatic decrease in sleep duration, says the studys lead author, Eti Ben Simon, Ph.D., adding, Without sufficient sleep, we become a social turn-off, and loneliness soon kicks in.
How prevalent and preventable is death from sepsis? A new study, recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open, investigates. Share on Pinterest New research reviews the care that people receive when hospitalized for sepsis. Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition that develops from the bodys overactive response to an infection. According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences , over 1 million people in the United States develop severe sepsis each year, and 1530 percent of these people die as a result. Other studies estimate that sepsis may contribute to over 250,000 deaths every year. But what precisely is the role of sepsis in these deaths and how many of them are preventable? A team of researchers led by Dr. Chanu Rhee, a critical care physician at the Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, MA, set out to investigate. Dr. Rhee and colleagues carefully reviewed the clinical management of people who died with sepsis and reached some interesting conclusions.

Reviewing cases of sepsis death The researchers examined the medical records of 568 people from six acute care hospitals between January 2014 and December 2015. The individuals included in the study either died in the hospital or hospice care. Dr. Rhee and his team of clinicians used a standardized form to review the medical records of these patients. The researchers looked for the presence of sepsis, comorbidities, immediate and underlying causes of death, indicators of inadequate sepsis care, such as inappropriate or late administration of antibiotics, inadequate source control, and the goals of care for each patient. Using a 6-point Likert scale, the clinicians evaluated the preventability of each sepsis-related death. The scale ranged from definitely preventable to definitely not preventable owing to rapidly fatal illness present on admission or goals of care on admission that precluded aggressive care.

90 percent of deaths not preventable The study confirmed that sepsis is highly present in hospitals and that it contributes significantly to patient deaths. More than half of all terminal hospitalizations had sepsis, and the condition was the immediate cause of death in 198 people  almost 35 percent of them. Importantly, however, the analysis also found that almost 90 percent of the deaths that resulted from sepsis were unpreventable, at least from the point of view of hospital-based care. According to the review, only 1 in 8 sepsis-related deaths were deemed potentially preventable with better hospital-based care, and only 1 in 25 were judged moderately or definitely preventable. In the few cases where suboptimal care was the reason why sepsis turned fatal, the most common causes were late antibiotic administration or source control.
Shah Rukh Khan might be a Bollywood superstar, but his popularity and fan following has made its way beyond the borders of the subcontinent. However, amongst the many international celebrities who admire SRK and add to his colossal and loyal fan base, is Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin.

We all know that Shah Rukh Khan threw a bash in Chris' honour post the Coldplay Global Citizen India concert, and it seems Chris' admiration has only grown bigger ever since. So when recently, Coldplay ended their recent tweet with Shah Rukh Khan forever fans all over the world went crazy!

Over the weekend Coldplay's official Twitter account shared a list of songs that Chris was loving at the moment, which ended with the shoutout to King Khan. Shah Rukh has now responded to the tweet, and the virtual exchange is literally taking us back to school.

Will surely listen to the the music u are listening to my man. Will send u some Indian music too. Love to you & health and life Forever and more to you https://t.co/iAmPIb6sa7  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 11, 2019

SRK and Chris' Twitter exchange reminds us of the many times we have shared similar playlists with our buddies throughout school and college, and the sentiments this public representation evoked is damn strong.

We almost want to reach out to all our buddies and relive those easy moments when music said and set it all for the squad.

 Twitter

Coldplay recently performed at the recent pre-wedding celebrations of Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta in Switzerland, where Shah Rukh Khan was also in attendance besides many other Bollywood biggies. Videos from the grand celebrations that were shared online, showed Shah Rukh and other actors shaking a leg to Coldplay's music.
During the robbery, Larosa beat Hilton, breaking his jaw and hitting him in the face several times, then strangled him and left him for dead. Hiltons body was discovered four days later when a friend requested a well-being check on Hilton, when he didn't show up for an event.
The size of the tree canopy directly relates to the benefits trees provide, said Lydia Scott, director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. Trees produce oxygen , they clean pollution out of the air, they reduce flooding , they improve our property values , (and) improve our mental and physical health and provide an important habitat for the birds and other wildlife.
When you get on the other side of claiming Social Security as I am, you realize how precious the time is you have left and how you want to make each day count, she said. I hope that anybody else who even has an inkling that something of theirs might be lost would contact the state and see if they can reclaim that property.
The initial 911 call came through at 1:24 p.m. as an active shooter at an Aurora plant, according to audio. Kane County Sheriffs Deputy Nick Wolf was with a North Aurora police officer when the officer was dispatched to the scene on Archer Avenue; Wolf joined him and became one of the first responders on the scene, the sheriff said.
UPPER THUMB  There was a drive-by shooting reported to Tuscola County Central Dispatch at about 2 p.m. Saturday in the city of Caro.

The female victim, who owns a residence in the Northwood Heights subdivision on the east side of the city off of M-24, reported a shot had come through her picture window.

According to her, the suspect vehicle is a red Impala.

We are a victim of a drive-by shooting. The people shot a gun at us and it went through our front window. Thank God nobody was hurt, she said, noting a child inside the house was standing 2 feet away from the window when it was struck.

However during the investigation, it was determined it was not a bullet but a marble that came through the window, which caused damage and could have caused serious injury.

It was still pretty scary, said the victim.

I am the fourth house this happened to over the last few weeks.

Caro City Police received several calls regarding windows broken by suspects driving by and using a sling shot and marbles.

There also is speculation the marbles may have been fired from a paint gun.

The Tuscola County Sheriffs Department also handled incidents where windows of homes were shot out with marbles.

"We have identified the suspects and their parents have been contacted," according to Caro Police Chief Brian Newcomb.

Police departments are requesting others who were victims to call Tuscola County Central Dispatch at 989-673-8738 to make a complaint so a police officer can do a report.

Anyone with information about the case can enail rgaiser@carocity.net, or call Newcomb at 989-233-6565, or the Tuscola County Sheriffs Office at 989-673-8161.
BAD AXE  The recommendation was jail, but Huron Countys circuit judge ordered a Harbor Beach man to serve his sentence in prison for stealing little girls underwear.

What is extremely troubling about this case is about what was stolen  its disgusting, Judge Gerald M. Prill said to the defendant.  ... Mr. Beaudin, you are a very sick man.

Kyle W. Beaudin stood before Prill on Monday, shackled in chains and donning a prison jumpsuit, to be sentenced on one count of larceny in a building. He pleaded no contest in January.

Beaudin, 32, was arrested Dec. 10, 2015, after police discovered he stole pairs of little girls underwear and a Medicaid card from the victims residence in the Harbor Beach area.

Beaudin's DNA was found in at least three pairs of underwear, a Michigan State Police laboratory report shows.

At Mondays hearing, Beaudins defense attorney, Dawn Young, asked Prill to consider all of the evidence in the case when fashioning a sentence.

I wish you would follow the recommendations, Beaudin added, requesting any punishment he received to be concurrent with his active prison sentence.

Huron County Prosecutor Timothy J. Rutkowski informed the court Beaudin will be eligible for parole next January.

This wasnt the first time Mr. Beaudin has been in possession of little girls underwear, Rutkowski added in his closing statement.

Prill reiterated his troubles with the case while reviewing the sentencing guidelines. At minimum, Beaudin faced two months to a maximum of 17 months.

It was recommended Beaudin serve 365 days in the Huron County Jail. However, Prill departed from the guidelines based on information in a police report.

He said the items Beaudin stole were used for purposes that are very troubling.

Beaudin was sentenced to one year and five months  maximum four years  in the states prison system. He received credit for 56 days served and it will run concurrently with his existing sentence.

Prill ordered the Michigan Department of Corrections provide Beaudin with sex offender treatment.

Beaudin is currently lodged in the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Freeland from a 2016 Huron County theft-related case.
Stratfords Cutrufello building has been a fixture in the town for decades, and its new owner wants to make sure it stays that way.

Its a beautiful building and should be preserved, said Vivian Guttman Perez, who purchased the 20,000 square-foot space at 1390 Barnum Ave. with plans to renovate and bring it back to form.

A longtime tenant of a neighboring building, Perez, along with her sister, took over ownership of the building seven months ago, purchasing it from the Cutrufello family for $460,000, she said.

Since making the purchase, Perez has been refurbishing the building and make it look more like it did when it was the former Cutrufello Creamery.

I want to bring it back to its old glory, she added. There is a lot of history in it. Its Stratford history.

The building dates to the 1930s, and housed a Stratford-based business known for making Italian cheeses and pastas on the second floor.

Cutrufello Creamery closed a few years back, and the family went on to join Bridgeport-based Wades Dairy, which now produces his families products.

We never really had an opportunity to keep the building up to what we really wanted to keep it looking like, so it just made sense for us to sell that and go over with Wades, said Ben Cutrufello, whose grandfather started the creamery in Bridgeport in 1920 on Main Street before relocating to Stratford some 12 years later.

Perez was first introduced to the space in 2004, when she and her sister opened a laundry business across the street from the former creamery. Two years later, they relocated into a space in the building and built a 4,000 square-foot laundromat which is next to H and R Block.

The building currently features long-standing tenant Salernos Apizza as its anchor and several other businesses, including Kitchen by Coufar, a granite and marble countertop business with origins in Bridgeport; and the newly opened Brick Box restaurant, which serves waffle cones with hot wings and other foodstuffs inside. Brick Box opened last week.

Perez said she plans to turn a vacant space in the back of the building into a site for local artists to work.

Town officials said they are looking forward to the transformation along with added business on one of Stratfords main corridors.

The Cutrufellos Building is an iconic piece of architecture that reminds us of Stratfords storied history, and the celebrated Cutrufellos Creamery, Salernos Apizza and the new arrivals of Brick Box and Kitchen by Coufar, said Mayor Laura R. Hoydick in an email to Hearst Connecticut Media.

It is impressive and gratifying to see the level of care taken by Vivian Perez to preserve and promote this location  repurposing it for new and exciting commercial uses with an eye to its history and heritage, she said.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com
CROMWELL - A referendum vote March 20 will decide the fate of the proposed new town garage.

The town is seeking approval to build a 38,732-square-foot combination public works/Water Pollution Control Authority garage and office complex on 13.5 acres of town-owned property off County Line Road.

The project is estimated to cost $9.3 million and will be paid for by a combination of borrowing, money from the General Fund and fund balance (surplus) from the WPCA.

Town officials held a town meeting Monday to lay out the history of the project and its anticipated cost and to introduce the company that has bene chosen to act as a design and build contractor.

Officials had anticipated voting on the project following the meeting. However, the town councils three Democratic members - James Demetriades, Myron P. Johnson and Allan Waters - submitted petitions Friday to the town clerk to hold a referendum on the proposal instead.

Two hundred verified signatures were required to send the issue to a referendum. On Tuesday morning, Town Clerk Joan Ahlquist said her office had verified the signatures of 253 registered voters.

The referendum will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on March 20 in the high school gymnasium, Mayor Enzo Faienza said following Mondays meeting.

Waters said Tuesday afternoon that taking the issue to referendum was the smartest way for residents to decide when you are talking this amount of money. He also said it was the fairest way to decide the issue.

The taxpayers deserve to be treated like this, where you have the opportunity for two, three, four, or five hundred coming out to vote in a referendum instead of just the 50 people who came out Monday for the town meeting, he said.

During Mondays meeting, Town Engineer Jon Harriman laid out the history of the effort to replace the aging public works garage behind Pierson Park.

The first effort to replace the garage began in 2004, with a proposed 63,000-square-foot facility that would have cost $9.5 million. Town officials blanched at the projected cost.

However, in 2012, the WPCA  which rents space in a small building behind police headquarters  had exceeded its available space. WPCA officials contacted the town about merging the WPCA and the public works garage.

In 2013, the town proposed buying land from the fire district off Evergreen Road as the home of a new facility. That proposal was rejected by residents at a town meeting.

In 2016, the town received a state grant, which was used to widen County Line road and install water, gas and electricity.

Last year, when the Scannell Properties sought land to build a 400,000-square-foot warehouse off County Line Road, the company and the town worked out a land swap. That cleared the way for construction of the warehouse and opened the door for the town to build the garage.

The town is under orders from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to move and upgrade the transfer statio,n which adjoins the garage property.

Harriman said the town would also move the existing salt shed from the present garage site and install (and upgrade) it at the new garage.

The proposed garage would have a 25,500square-foot garage, a four-bay repair garage and an indoor washing station to clean salt off trucks and thus increase their usable life, Harriman said.

Director of Finance Marianne Sylvester said the town will issue a $7.5 million bond to pay the lions share of the construction costs. The timing of that sale will be closely monitored.

During the time of this project, a lot of debt will dropping off, she said, as the town pays down the last of the high school construction bonds.

In the meantime, continuing economic development in town should mitigate increases in the mill rate, she said. In and of itself, the project would add a third to four-tenths of a mill to the tax rate, Sylvester said.

Officials of the DAmato Construction Co. of Bristol, which has been chosen as the design/build contractor, estimated the work will take 18 months to complete.

jmill@middletownpress.com
(CNN)  Mel and Bennett Riffel were embarking on one last adventure before Mel's daughter was to be born in May.

The brothers from Redding, California were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash that left 157 dead on Sunday, and thousands in mourning and shock.

In their memory, parishioners of St. Joseph Church and School have been placing flowers at the base of a bell tower, CNN affiliate KRCR reported. The brothers attended the elementary school and their mother is the parish secretary, according to KRCR.

"The community, we've been through a lot of things this past year, this year," the church's pastor, Father Fred Gucor, told the news station. "Very supportive community, just this morning after the Mass, people are offering prayer, offering [the parents] help, anything, anything."

Mel and Bennet were the only children of Ike and Susan Riffel.

"We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community," the parents said through a spokesperson, according to KRCR. "We ask for continued prayers."

The Riffel brothers attended Shasta High School, where Bennett was in the school's Madrigal dinner, according to CNN affiliate KRCR.

The school's music teacher Gavin Spencer still remembers his performance.

"He was a knight in Madrigal dinner his senior year, and people were scared to death of him because he was a big guy, he had long dark hair and he did not smile, he had the perfect stone cold knight face," Spencer told KRCR. "Kids were very intimidated by him, but he was one of the nicer kids."

Illinois military captain died in crash

Antione Lewis, from Matteson, Illinois was also on flight ET302, according to CNN affiliate WLS.

Lewis was one of nine siblings, and joined the Army after high school, becoming a military captain, his family told WLS. He was stationed in Ottawa, Canada and was going on vacation to Ethiopia.

"He was also stationed in South Korea, he was a military rat, he loved it, he was moving up through the military," his father, Rodney Lewis told WLS. "He went in as an enlisted man and he got his undergraduate degree and his graduate degree."

He leaves behind his wife and 15-year-old son, the news station reported.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "A California man taking a trip with his brother weeks before becoming a dad was on the fatal Ethiopian Airlines flight."
Though Kalish says he is still determining which issues he will champion, it took him just over three weeks to become a co-sponsor of legislation increasing Illinois minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next six years.
WEST HAVEN  U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal appeared on the front steps of VA Connecticut Health System in West Haven Monday to convey an urgency to Washington D.C. officials in correcting surgical sterilization facility issues that have left the facilitys operating room at 30 percent capacity.

Blumenthal said veterans in many cases are having their surgeries delayed or outsourced to Yale New Haven Hospital or other facilities.

Thats unacceptable. The veterans deserve so much better, Blumenthal said. The veterans who depend on this facility deserve first-rate surgical care without delay.

The problems are in the Sterile Services Processing Unit, a facility that Blumenthal says has antiquated infrastructure, that breaks and prevents surgeries. There are plans for a new permanent facility to be completed in five years and a temporary mobile unit within a year, but Blumenthal has said its not good enough.

Blumenthal has been on the case for a year, but in a recent letter to Robert Wilkie, secretary of Veterans Affairs for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington D.C., the senator upped the urgency.

Blumenthal wrote: As my office continues to receive whistleblower reports regarding canceled patient operations due to SPS failings, there is an urgent, immediate need for you to personally intervene to expedite and rush both the installation of a mobile SPS unit and construction of a new SPS facility.

The VA issued this response to Blumenthals letter and call to action:

VA appreciates the senators views and will respond to him directly. Its important to note, however, that VA Connecticut Healthcare System is and has been providing continuous surgical care for West Haven-area patients both on campus and through nearby non-VA providers at government expense. As we work toward construction of the sterile processing service facility, VA Connecticut will continue providing the best possible care to Connecticut-area veterans  whether on or off campus.

Blumenthal said at the press conference that it wasnt done sooner because of, A lack of attention in DC management.

Last October, Blumenthal called for an investigation after hearing complaints regarding the policies and procedures for sterilizing surgical tools and equipment at the West Haven VA.

According to Blumenthal, the West Haven VAs sterilization facilities last year were shut down for three months, from November through January, as a result of a flood, with surgeries transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital as a result.

They have the money, which was part of $17 million Blumenthal requested last June for a new sterilization plant at the West Haven VA, but (delivery and installation) has to be expedited, he said. In order to get there, they have to do the design, have to make contract, and the process, done through the VA in Washington, moves very slowly, Blumenthal has said.

Blumenthal in his letter requested several pieces of information from Wilkie, including:

- A thorough update on the status of the two projects;

- When a mobile SPS unit be purchased and when it be installed;

- How soon the design phase of the SPS facility be done;

- The emergency procurement options available to expedite these two projects.
EAST HADDAM Goodspeed Musicals recently announced that Alexandra Olinyk is the first recipient of The Andrew A. Isen Prize at Goodspeed Musicals. This award is funded through a generous gift given by DC-based entrepreneur and musical theatre devotee Andrew A. Isen and was created to give young people who are in the early stages of professional development financial assistance and encouragement to focus on artistic excellence in musical theatre.

Upon learning of the decision, Olinyk, recently a journeyman carpenter at Goodspeed said, I am excited and honored to be chosen by the Goodspeed committee for the first annual Andrew A. Isen Prize. Thanks to Mr. Isens generosity I will be able to accomplish my goal of becoming a technical director by pursing an MFA in technical direction. This award will truly impact my future.

Isen served on the selection committee. This was our dream - to honor young theatre artists in the beginning stages of their career, especially those who are rarely recognized for their vital contributions, Isen said. Alexandra has demonstrated her passion for and dedication to pursuing a career in musical theatre. She is an outstanding young woman and I am delighted to support her in her goal of becoming a technical director.

Goodspeeds Executive Director, Michael Gennaro, said, It was a difficult selection process as we had so many truly outstanding applicants. In the end, Alexandras application stood out. We couldnt be more proud of her work at Goodspeed and see a bright future ahead for her.

We are grateful to Andrew Isen for sponsoring this award which directly supports our mission to develop and train young professionals to become future leaders in musical theatre, he said.

The Andrew A. Isen Prize at Goodspeed Musicals is the first-of-its-kind prize dedicated to supporting emerging musical theatre professionals across all disciplines. Given annually, this prize recognizes a young person between the ages of 20 and 29 who has demonstrated excellence in their work during the previous Goodspeed Musicals season. Chosen by a committee of theatrical professionals, the honoree will be awarded $5,000 to aid in their pursuit of a career in musical theatre. The establishment of this award with Goodspeed Musicals will also serve to enhance Goodspeeds efforts to recruit exceptional apprentices, technicians, designers and other theater professionals.

For more information about employment opportunities at Goodspeed Musicals, please visit www.gooodspeed.org.

Rockfall Foundation to hold environmental symposium

HADDAM  The Rockfall Foundation and UConn Climate Adaptation Academy will present Site Design and Green Infrastructure for Changing Weather Patterns on 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, local government officials including planning, zoning and wetlands commissioners, engineers, landscape architects, educators, health officials, and all concerned with climate change and effective community planning. Registration is $45, or $15 for students. Optional lunch following the program is available with pre-registration for $15, or $5 for Rockfall members.

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 mosquitos.

The 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 CT DEEP Wetland Habitat & Mosquito Management, and Michael Pascucilla, Director of Health at East Shore District Health Department. AICP continuing education credits are available for attendees.

Since 1986 The Rockfall Foundation has sponsored symposia on topics relating to balancing development and environmental conservation. Rockfall Symposia 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. To register for the 2019 symposium on April 12, visit www.rockfallfoundation.org.

Founded in 1935 by Middletown philanthropist Clarence S. Wadsworth, The Rockfall Foundation is one of Connecticuts oldest environmental organizations. The Foundation supports environmental education, conservation and planning initiatives in the Lower Connecticut River Valley through public programs and grants. In addition, The Rockfall Foundation operates the historic deKoven House Community Center, which offers meeting rooms and office space for non-profit organizations.

For additional information about The Rockfall Foundation and the symposia, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.rockfallfoundation.org or call 860-347-0340.

Cardboard box sled race set at Powder Ridge

Powder Ridge Park will hold the 2nd annual Card board box sled race on Saturday, March 16. Challenging family, friends and businesses to build the fastest sled and race it down the mountain for a great cause.

The race will benefit the John J. Nerden RTC Camp (Camp Nerden) in Middlefield. Camp Nerden serves the community and those with intellectual disabilities. "The camp is supported solely by donations from local businesses, civic organizations, service clubs, interested individuals, and requests for funding from the cities and towns we serve," explains Laurie Russell, President of the Board of Directors. "We love the idea of coming together with Powder Ridge and the community for this event."

Participants can be a part of the excitement by entering the Family Division, parents can help build but children must be the passengers, $20. Per sled or the Team division for businesses, friends and coworkers, $100 per sled. Sign up on line at PowderRidgePark.com. Purchase before March 1 and receive the early bird special. Enter coupon code boxsled for the team division and Sled for the family division.

This year event will have the addition of a costume Tubing race, $20. Register on site. Plus, a silent auction with gift baskets full of gift certificates, hotel stays and adventure passes to local attractions.
The chances that your startup will become a billion-dollar company are almost zero. But if you do somehow manage to create a unicorn, the odds are better than 1-in-10 that you or your co-founder attended one school: Stanford.

It's a remarkable statistic even considering its student population is overrun with go-getters -- people ambitious enough to apply and smart enough to get in. More unicorn founders and top venture capitalists attended Stanford than any other U.S. university, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and based on CB Insights' lists of top venture capitalists and unicorn companies. And while Harvard has spawned more alumni with self-made fortunes of at least $500 million, Stanford's are 11 years younger on average.

How do they do it? One obvious answer is location. Rather than create a bubble of academia within the heart of the world's tech mecca, Stanford has embraced its proximity to Silicon Valley to give students a powerful advantage.

Stanford and Silicon Valley are "inextricable," said alumna Heidi Roizen, a venture capitalist and co-leader of Stanford's DFJ Entrepreneurial Leaders Fellowship, where she's on the teaching team. "You have to look at them together."

While that bond provides students with unparalleled access to mentors, role models and funding, it also comes with problems: startups are prioritized over schoolwork and conflicts of interest arise when professors are also seed investors.

Bloomberg conducted dozens of interviews about Stanford's startup scene and its perks and perils. Here are some of the people who capture different aspects of the school's culture.

- - -

If you walked into Ryan Breslow's Stanford dorm room in the spring of 2014, you'd be forgiven for thinking no one lived there -- no pictures on the walls, no clothes in the closet, no comforter on the bed. That's because no one was supposed to be living there.

Breslow was a sophomore computer science student when he dropped out earlier that year to work on Bolt, his payment startup.

"I just became much more passionate about that than my classes," said Breslow, 24. He spent the rest of the school year squatting on campus, secretly living in the spare dorm room and getting meals with the help of a dining hall cook he had befriended. Today, Bolt is worth about $250 million, according to Adam Augusiak-Boro, a senior associate at EquityZen, a marketplace for trading employee shares of closely held companies.

At least three members of the computer science faculty are Bolt investors.

Breslow isn't the only successful Stanford dropout. Take Snap Inc.'s Evan Spiegel, who dropped out of undergrad, or Tesla Inc.'s Elon Musk, who lasted less than a week in his Ph.D. program before withdrawing. One notable alumnus, billionaire Peter Thiel, encourages it so much that he set up a fellowship offering young entrepreneurs $100,000 to put college on hold.

Dropping out is still the exception rather than the rule at Stanford, but taking a year off to work on a startup is so prevalent that there's a term for it: "stopping out." It's also common for students to take a light course load -- only two classes or so -- to spend more time on their startups, Breslow said.

- - -

Some companies are born in the classroom. Terry Winograd looks like an academic, with bushy white hair and a mustache to rival Einstein's. When the former computer science professor first went to work at Stanford in 1973, his intentions were academic, too. Getting crazy rich wasn't part of the plan, but as fate would have it, he was an adviser on Larry Page's graduate research project involving web search.

Winograd never invested in his student's startup, but he was invited to work at Google during a 2002 sabbatical and was largely paid in pre-IPO stock. The company, now called Alphabet Inc., went public in 2004 and is valued at $797 billion.

"I'm not a billionaire," he said. "But I'm comfortable."

Winograd recognizes that there's a downside to the cozy relationship between academia and industry.

"The negative side effects are cultural," he said. "If a student sees their fellow student getting really rich it's hard to say to them, 'Yes, but philosophy is important, too."'

- - -

Other computer science professors have taken a more direct approach to profiting from their students' ideas. David Cheriton, for example, was an early Google investor. The proceeds Cheriton has received from selling his Alphabet stock make up the bulk of his $4.3 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world's 500 wealthiest people.

Also in the department is Mehran Sahami, who still teaches at Stanford and famously had Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook Inc. co-founder, visit one of his computer science classes for Q&A sessions. Sahami has invested in several of his students' companies, including a mobile payments startup called Clinkle Corp. In early 2013, more than a dozen students in the computer science department dropped out to work with Clinkle founder Lucas Duplan. The company folded about two years later.

"My expectation for the students and Lucas Duplan, who was the CEO, was that they would graduate," Sahami said.

Sahami said he has invested in fewer than five of his former students' ventures. "It's a relationship that's been built up over years so when they're ready to do this venture or get funding, this discussion will happen."

Shortly after the Clinkle exodus, the university added a section to its conflict-of-interest policy, which requires any faculty member involved in a student's academic program to get permission from administrators before investing with that student.

That doesn't apply to everyone. "Since they do not have faculty appointments and are not paid by Stanford, our conflict of interest policies do not apply to adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, visiting scholars or visiting lecturers -- unless they have another type of appointment through which they are paid by Stanford," university spokesman E.J. Miranda said in an emailed statement.

- - -

In 2009, just after his junior year, Cameron Teitelman decided to do something about a problem he noticed on campus: a school with so many entrepreneurs had no structured setting for them to connect and work through common problems. His solution was StartX, an accelerator for Stanford-affiliated founders. In 2018, StartX was ranked in the top three accelerators in the country along with Silicon Valley powerhouses Y Combinator and AngelPad, according to the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project. StartX does not call itself an accelerator.

Teitelman, 30, also founded StartX to create a safe space for students who are first-time founders working in Silicon Valley's shark-infested waters. After hearing stories of students who had been offered unfair deals by their lecturers, many of whom were full-time venture capitalists, Teitelman wanted to help students avoid those situations, he said.

"Sometimes lecturers, I feel like, take advantage of students and it really pisses me off," Teitelman said. "Venture capitalists who play on information asymmetry to get more out of a startup that doesn't know anything, that's just wrong."

- - -

Peter Levine, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, introduces himself as an investor first and Stanford teacher second.

Around the same time that Levine started at the venture capital firm in 2010, the business school invited him to teach part time, and he eagerly accepted. More than a dozen venture capitalists are lecturers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

"It's an honor to teach there," Levine said. "It's about giving back and providing the expertise that I have."

Being a venture capitalist surrounded by smart and ambitious student entrepreneurs looking for funding is an added benefit, and he said they sometimes approach him to pitch startups while he's eating in the cafeteria.

"They know who I am and they know what we do," Levine said. "Everyone is involved together and they have very close access to investors."

Business school student Tadia James welcomes professors who want to invest in students.

"They are so generous and really believe in us," she said. "It's not at all uncommon for a professor to invest in one of their students, especially after a student has taken their class."

Teitelman, who studied management science and engineering, stressed the distinction between investments from part-time lecturers and full-time tenured professors.

"For the most part, tenured professors at Stanford are very careful," Teitelman said. "They first and foremost care about research and a student's education."

- - -

Even Stanford itself is taking a stake. In 2013, the school founded the Stanford-StartX Fund, which allows the school to invest in StartX companies.

"We train and house these creative minds, and it is only fitting that we invest in their future success," then-Stanford President John Hennessy said in a statement at the time.

StartX decided to participate in the fund to reach financial self-sustainability and it recently achieved that goal. For that reason the Stanford-StartX Fund will stop making new investments after June 30, according to a statement from StartX.

Stanford finance chief Randy Livingston said the school will continue to put money in the President's Venture Fund, which for the past decade has invested in new ventures that have licensed technology from Stanford. The school's Office of Technology Licensing collects royalties when inventions created on campus are successful.

The university has invested more than $150 million in the Stanford-StartX Fund through the end of 2018, Livingston said in an email, 50 percent more than he predicted in a 2013 interview with the New Yorker. That may seem like a relative pittance now for a $26.5 billion endowment, but the odds are good that Stanford is getting in early on the next Google.
The technology infrastructure that will support expansion of the Veterans Affairs Department's program for caregivers of injured veterans will not be ready until at least mid- to late 2020, delaying a program that would provide a stipend and health benefits to thousands who care for seriously injured pre-9/11 veterans.

VA officials said Monday that the information technology systems needed to widen the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, which missed an Oct. 1, 2018 progress deadline, will not be certified by the congressionally required deadline of Oct. 1, 2019.

Instead, VA is looking to the end of fiscal 2020 to have the system in place -- a requirement for expanding a program that has helped more than 38,000 injured post-9/11 veterans and their families.

The VA Mission Act of 2018 mandated that VA create and certify the IT system needed to support an expansion of the program to include veterans from earlier wars. Congress inserted the requirement into the law to prevent similar problems to those seen last year when thousands of veterans didn't receive housing payments related to the Forever GI Bill because of technology system challenges and an aging technology infrastructure at VA.

This delay means that caregivers of veterans the Vietnam War and earlier will not be able to apply for the program as expected starting Oct. 1. By law, applications were to be phased in with those veterans eligible first. Those who served from May 1975 through Sept. 11, 2001 were to become eligible two years later.

A VA official said the department is "doing something no one else in the world has done for caregivers" and asked that veterans, caregivers and the public understand the scope of the effort.

"My concern is that if the message out there is 'this is a delay in IT,' it infers that this is something easy to do ... this is a huge endeavor to expand this population as wide as we are doing," the official said during a briefing on the budget with reporters.

Caregivers enrolled in the VA program receive a stipend, health care coverage, training, counseling and access to respite care.

Last month, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and 10 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie voicing concerns over the delay and issues with the current program, which, in the past several years, has seen many caregivers pushed out of the program or their benefits downgraded. Veterans and their caregivers had reported arbitrary dismissals and inconsistent applications of the law across the VA.

VA is reviewing the program to ensure that it provides benefits to those who need them the most. It's also preparing for what could be an avalanche of applications. According to the VA, more than 38,000 caregivers have been helped by the program since it was established in 2011, at a cost of more than $900 million a year.

In December, VA suspended all discharges and downgrades from the program to review how VA health care facilities manage and implement the program nationwide.

The pause was the second since the program was created.

In their letter to VA, the senators said they commended the department for suspending the discharges and downgrades, adding that it was Congress's intention for veterans whose independence improved to graduate from the program.

But, they added, "documented evidence of wide-ranging inconsistency and clear inexcusable errors in VA's eligibility decisions must be corrected."

The senators also asked for an update on the status of the information technology program for expansion and urged VA to consider using a commercial off-the-shelf program.

"We urge you to immediately expedite these efforts," they wrote.

Murray said last week that VA had failed to respond.

The VA's proposed f$220 billion fiscal 2020 budget includes $8.9 billion to implement the Mission Act, to include providing community health care and urgent care for veterans as well as $150 million to expand the caregiver program.

The request fully funds the expected caregiver population once the IT is certified and ready, a VA official said.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime.
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- It started out as an average Sunday. He was at the gym in his North Kansas City apartment building working out with his girlfriend. His headphones were in, he had just finished lifting weights and was getting ready to start his cardio workout on the treadmill next to her. The music was playing and the sweat was running.

He looked up as he heard somebody yell something and saw his girlfriend and the three people working out suddenly stop in their tracks and look at the man who just ran into the gym. Pulling out his headphones, he looked around curiously as nervous apprehension filled the room. Everyone stood rooted to the spot, listening intently as the man told them that somebody out front had just been shot.

The first thing that went through his mind was "he's probably overreacting." Somebody probably got hurt out in the parking lot or in the grocery store nearby.

"There's probably nobody in the area who can immediately help someone who's hurt," he thought to himself. "Even though I'm not an EMT or a combat medic I can evaluate a casualty and provide immediate care."

He decided to check it out.

"I immediately left the gym, with my girlfriend following close behind me, and when I turned the corner into the lobby I noticed the broken glass and the obvious bullet holes in the glass entrance," he said.

"I realized then that this was a bad situation."

He turned around and urged his girlfriend to go upstairs to the apartment.

Time seemed to slow down and as he made his way closer he saw a man outside near the entrance at the top of the stairs holding a small compact pistol kneeling over a second man lying face down in a spreading pool of blood. A third man, the alleged shooter, lay on the ground at the bottom of the stairs with his hands spread and a pistol nearby.

The situation was tense.

At that time, a fourth individual with a weapon joined the scene. An older man with a holstered pistol. He had been waiting in his car in the parking lot while his wife shopped in the grocery store and had decided to step in to help. He urged everyone to stay calm and was instrumental in defusing the tense situation.

"I thought at this point that there were way too many people out here with guns," he said.

The bleeding man was probably dead but when he saw the man's back rise and fall he knew he was still alive and trying to breathe.

He saw the older man kick the pistol away from near the alleged shooter's hand and decided to run to his truck for his Individual First Aid Kit, which had a tourniquet, an Israeli bandage (a first-aid device used to stop blood flow from traumatic wounds), chest seals, gauze and plastic gloves.

He had put the kit together and kept it in his truck just in case something happened ... and something just had.

On that cold and overcast Sunday afternoon on Feb. 24, 2019, Maj. Karl D. Buckingham, 35, a Command and General Staff Officer's Course student, found himself in an unusual situation. A stressful situation that was not completely unfamiliar to a veteran of five combat deployments to the Middle East. He found himself providing first aid to a gunshot victim.

Buckingham, a Civil Affairs officer, rushed back to the wounded man and made every effort to keep the airway open and stop the bleeding.

According to Buckingham, a native of Camdenton, Missouri, the basics of evaluating a casualty kicked in. Check the airway. Is he bleeding and where from? What can be done to treat the problems as they're found? The training was there. After 18 years in the Army it was almost instinctual, he knew what to grab, what to look for, and how to react to what he was seeing.

"I went to roll the individual over and noticed an exit wound in his back but it looked like a lot of the bleeding was coming from the front," he said. "When I pulled his shirt up I realized he had three bullet wounds, two in the abdomen and one in the upper chest."

In an attempt to stop the bleeding, he bandaged the wounds with gauze and used the Israeli bandage.

Once the police decided the scene was safe, an officer helped Buckingham determine the man also had a sucking chest wound, a hole in the chest that makes a pathway for air to travel into the chest cavity.

Buckingham continued to provide first aid, making every attempt to treat the wounded man until an emergency medical team arrived on scene and took over life-saving efforts.

Buckingham, who graduated from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science in 2007 and is currently working on a Master of Science degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, said his father is a retired Soldier and there's one thing he always told him "never skimp out on first aid training because there's always something more to learn."

Though he did not speak of a specific situation, Buckingham said he had experience with gunshot wounds in the course of his five combat deployments. It was not something new, he had dealt with wounded Soldiers before.

However, he admitted that this situation was different.

"When you're deployed, whether on patrol or at the [Forward Operating Base], there's always a sense that something can happen, you're in a hyper vigilant state, everything seems like it's dangerous to you and you're ready to respond at a moment's notice," Buckingham explained. "What was different here is that I didn't wake up that Sunday morning expecting to be treating gunshot wounds in the afternoon right outside my apartment building."

He said that at one point the switch did flip and then it was time to act.

"I've been here before. I've seen this. I've trained on this. Let me get after this," he said.

His training as a Soldier helped him act confidently and decisively in an unusually tense circumstance.

"In a situation like this, I don't think being an officer or enlisted makes any difference, it was my first aid training as a Soldier that counted," Buckingham said. "I would hope that anyone who comes into a similar situation can keep a cool level head, evaluate the situation, make appropriate decisions and act on them."

Buckingham said he went through an emotional roller coaster after it was all over. He experienced what he called an "adrenaline dump" and did not sleep at all that night. He kept thinking about what he could have done differently.

"Knowing the individual didn't survive, a lot of things went through my mind. Should I have moved faster? Should I have sealed the front wound instead of the back wound?" he said. "At the end of the day I can honestly say that I did the best that I could. I like to hope that I gave him a better chance of survival."

Buckingham has words of advice for fellow Soldiers.

"The number one point I have for my fellow Soldiers is to be prepared. Something as little as having a first aid kit in your car can make a difference," he said.

Pay attention to TCCC, tactical combat casualty care, the Army's name for first aid. You'll never know when you'll need it, he continued.

"I never once thought that I would ever be treating gunshot wounds on the front steps to my apartment complex but I did pack my [Individual First Aid Kit] in my truck just in case I came up on an accident, at least I would have something to help out with first aid," Buckingham said.

Buckingham also said that it is not a sign of weakness to admit that a difficult situation shook you up or that you need someone to talk to about your experience.

"We tell ourselves, 'I'm okay.' 'I can tough this out,'" he said. "There's really no need for that. It's okay to ask for help. Let's not turn a blind eye, there are a lot of veteran suicides, there's no reason you can't come up and admit that you're shook up or having a bad time because you think you're tough and can handle it. As Soldiers we tend to put a stigma on ourselves."

Buckingham was recommended for a Soldier's Medal for his actions on that cold Sunday afternoon.

It may have started out as an average Sunday, but it didn't end that way.
The Pentagon's fiscal 2020 budget request offers some insight into plans for setting up the U.S. Space Force, the military's newest branch.

The Defense Department has requested funding for nearly 830 military service members and civilians to man the Space Force headquarters at the Pentagon, the Space Development Agency and U.S. Space Command, according to its fiscal 2020 budget request.

As previously disclosed, the Pentagon is requesting $72.4 million in fiscal 2020 to bring together manpower and resources at the headquarters level and $2 billion over five years to fund the Space Force.

While Space Force will fall under the Department of the Air Force, according to a directive signed by President Donald Trump in February, the service so far has oversight only over its initial creation, allocating dollars out of its budget as the first step in implementing the DoD's long-term vision.

The Pentagon is asking Congress for another $150 million for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and $83.8 million for U.S. Space Command, which will be the military's 11th unified combatant command.

"The [Defense Department] will transfer 587 military and civilian authorizations and funding from the National Space Defense Center, Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC), Joint Navigation Warfare Center [and] other organizations to USSPACECOM," the budget documents state. The command will get an additional 30 people, for a total of 617.

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Plans include transferring 20 people from other space organizations within the DoD to the Space Development Agency, and hiring an additional 30 for a total of 50 personnel.

The most important element, according to DoD officials, is to authorize 160 personnel for the Space Force headquarters at the Pentagon, "plus additional contractor and detailee" support. The DoD has identified 120 service members and civilians who currently have space-related jobs who could transfer into the new service and is requesting 40 additional, permanent individuals to help with the standup, according to budget documents.

While a unified combatant command -- a stepping stone to creating a U.S. Space Force -- does not need congressional approval to be established, the president must nominate and lawmakers must confirm a four-star general to lead the organization.

Under the proposed chain of command, the Air Force secretary will be "responsible for training and equipping two separate and distinct military services: the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force," according to the DoD. Like the Marine Corps, which exists under the Department of the Navy, a four-star would oversee the Space Force and have a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While a group of lawmakers is already lobbying to have U.S. Space Command in their home state, officials have yet to identify potential locations for either the SDA or U.S. Space Command.

Progression has stalled because of language in the last National Defense Authorization Act, according to a recent report from DefenseOne.

In the 2019 NDAA, Congress mandated that USSPACECOM become a subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command. In January, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, asking for the language to be removed, DefenseOne said.

The Pentagon wants the SDA to fall under the "authority, direction and control" of Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin, Space News said in January. The SDA would oversee satellite and other space equipment acquisition, taking on what the existing Air Force Space and Missile Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, already does.

But some elements of the setup remain unclear, according to the Air Force's top civilian.

"I have some concerns about what is the mission of [the Space Development Agency]," outgoing Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told reporters at the annual Air Force Association's Air and Space conference in Florida in February. "Why do we think it would be better than what we currently do, and what exactly would it be focused on?"

Wilson was one of the first Pentagon officials to predict the Space Force would be a mammoth undertaking. In a memo, she asserted that the Pentagon would need roughly $12.9 billion over five years to resource personnel and infrastructure for the branch.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
The Marine Corps is gearing up for a complex ground fight by adding hundreds more infantry squad leaders, special operators, cyber Marines and information warfare experts, according to 2020 budget documents.

The Corps wants $45.9 billion in 2020, a 6 percent jump from last year's $43.1 billion budget request. The service's plans support a Pentagon-wide push to "prioritize close-combat lethality and build a future force oriented on meeting potential peer or near-peer adversaries," the budget documents state.

The Marine Corps is in the process of adding 330 new infantry squad leader billets. That number won't add to the overall size of the service. Instead, it is using "internal structure realignments" to create those slots, which will place "more experienced and better-trained leaders within the infantry formations," according to the budget documents.

The Corps is already throwing big re-enlistment bonuses at infantry noncommissioned officers to get experienced grunts to stay. About 110 of the new slots have already been filled, Maj. Craig Thomas, a spokesman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Military.com.

"The remaining 220 [will] be filled through [fiscal 2020]," he said.

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The service's total end strength will increase by 100, up to 186,200 in fiscal 2020. Leaders want to fill those new positions with "Marines with special skills," the budget documents state, including those in special operations; intelligence operations; and electronic, information and cyber warfare.

"Our manning requires leaders with the grade, experience, technical and tactical qualifications associated with their billets, which is essential to the Marine Corps as a 'fight tonight' force," the documents state.

The service is also investing significantly in ground equipment, based on recommendations from the Close Combat Lethality Task Force, a group working to improve the survivability and performance of Army and Marine Corps infantry units.

The Marine Corps wants new 635 Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, which Military.com reported in 2017 would be coming to every infantry squad. The 84mm weapon is replacing the MK153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, or SMAW.

The Corps is also funding 18,142 squad common optics, which can be used with the M4 carbine, M4A1 and M27 infantry automatic rifle. And Marines will get 1,463 squad thermal sights, which allow them to see in the dark, fog or other obscureness.

Bigger-ticket ground items include 56 amphibious combat vehicles totaling $332 million. And the Marine Corps will continue to put big money into High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. The service wants to spend $100 million on new HIMARS in 2020.

Long-range rocket and artillery capabilities are a big priority for the service, as Marines face new threats in the maritime environment. Commandant Gen. Robert Neller warned in a 2016 operating document that the challenge will continue to grow as adversaries try to hold Marines at bay at greater distances, denying their ability to maneuver.

Marines also want to be able to shoot down drones as the threat of unmanned aircraft has grown on the battlefield with the proliferation of cheap, off-the-shelf products. The Marine Corps hopes to spend $176 million on Ground-Based Air Defense systems next year.

There are also plans to purchase 10 more F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, which can take off from and land vertically on ships, and 10 F-35Cs. The Marine Corps also plans to buy six more CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, down from eight budgeted last year.

Over the next five years, the service wants 110 F-35s and CH-53K King Stallions. The Marine Corps also wants three more MQ-9A Reaper drones.

And like the Navy, the Corps will purchase aircraft to prep its pilots for air-to-air combat. In total, the sea services plan to buy 22 F-5 Tiger IIs next year -- 11 for the Navy and 11 for the Marine Corps.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with more accurate budget figures from the Navy.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.
An Army infantryman who gave his life to shield other soldiers from an insurgent strapped with a bomb will receive the Medal of Honor on March 27, the White House announced Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Travis W. Atkins, an infantryman belonging to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, New York, was killed June 1, 2007, while deployed to Iraq.

Atkins was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second-highest award for valor. This award represents an upgrade.

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According to his earlier medal citation, Atkins had been conducting route security in the town of Abu Sarnak, Iraq, when he apprehended a group of suspected insurgents and began to search them. One of the insurgents resisted, charging Atkins, who grappled with him in hand-to-hand combat.

Soldiers kneel to pay their respects to Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins, who was killed June 1 by a suicide bomber near Sadr Al-Yusufiyah, Iraq, at a memorial ceremony held June 7, 2007 at Camp Striker. (U.S. Army/Spc. Chris McCann, 2nd BCT PAO)

"As Staff Sergeant Atkins attempted to subdue the man, he realized the insurgent was attempting to trigger a suicide vest which he wore under his clothing," the citation states. "Despite Staff Sergeant Atkins' efforts, the insurgent finally succeeded in reaching his vest. Staff Sergeant Atkins selflessly tackled the suicide bomber, pinning him to the ground and shielding his Soldiers from the imminent explosion."

While Atkins was fatally wounded in the blast, he saved the lives of three other soldiers, according to his citation.

Atkins, 31 at the time of his death, was a native of Bozeman, Montana. He enlisted Nov. 9, 2000, deploying to Iraq in 2003 and leaving the Army following the deployment as a sergeant. He would re-enlist in 2005 after attending the University of Montana. He deployed to Iraq again in August 2006 and was promoted to staff sergeant May 1, 2007, during his final deployment.

He is survived by his son Trevor Oliver and his parents John and Elaine Atkins, according to officials. Those family members will be in attendance at the White House Medal of Honor ceremony, officials said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The Navy Department wants more than $205 billion for thousands more sailors, new ships, unmanned vessels and aircraft that will help prep pilots to battle adversaries in the air. But the service also plans to send one of its aircraft carriers into retirement early.

The department's 2020 budget request, released Tuesday, includes $115 billion in base funding for the Navy and another $46 billion for the Marine Corps.

The Navy's end strength could jump from 335,400 in fiscal 2019 to 340,500 next year, according to the budget request. The bulk of the increase will be on the enlisted side. Sailors will also be part of a 3.1 percent pay increase next year, requested across the defense department.

The service will retire the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman as it invests in the Ford-class carrier. The 2020 budget request includes $2.3 billion toward its third and fourth Ford-class carriers.

"As part of this budget request, we made the difficult decision to retire the [Truman] in lieu of its previously funded refueling complex overhaul that was schedule to occur in [fiscal] 2024," the budget documents state. The funding will be bumped to more "diversified investments," according to the plan, including unmanned vessels.

As the Navy progresses toward a planned fleet of 314 ships by fiscal 2023, up from 289 today, it's also requesting a robust shipbuilding budget: $23 billion in total. The funds will include, among other vessels, the very first guided-missile frigate as part of the Navy's new FFG(X) program and two large unmanned surface ships.

The frigate, which follows the Navy's rapidly concluding littoral combat ship program, is expected to be able to tackle a variety of missions so larger combatants can spend time on bigger operations.

The unmanned surface ships are part of a broader Navy investment in unmanned vehicles. The budget request also includes three dozen unmanned undersea vehicles and two more MQ-4C Tritons, a high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle that conducts surveillance.

Plans include money toward a Ford-class carrier; three Virginia-class submarines; three destroyers, a guided-missile frigate; two John Lewis-class oilers; and a pair of towing, salvage and rescue ships.

The Navy is also investing in 11 F-5 Tiger IIs, tactical fighter and attack aircraft that provide simulated air-to-air combat training.

"The Department is procuring F-5E/F aircraft from the government of Switzerland in support of the [Navy and Marine Corps] adversary requirements," the budget documents state. "The F-5 is an agile, highly maneuverable, reliable supersonic fighter."

The Navy also wants 10 more F-35C Joint Strike Fighter jets and two dozen F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

A significant portion of the Navy's total budget request -- $45 billion -- is in the category of overseas contingency operations, or OCO, a bucket ostensibly reserved for warfighting.

However, $35.5 billion of that OCO funding is programmed as "OCO for base," meaning it will be used as part of the Navy's base budget. Due to sequestration budget caps that will take effect next year, all the military services are using uncapped OCO accounts to plus-up overall funding.

This story will be updated.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.
Patients at military hospitals and clinics can expect to see far fewer uniformed doctors when they go for appointments on base under a Defense Department plan to convert thousands of uniformed health care billets to civilian positions.

President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2020 DoD budget introduces a proposal to eliminate "roughly 15,000" uniformed health care jobs within the services, converting them to civil service positions.

The effort is part of an overall modernization strategy for the military health system, Pentagon officials said Tuesday while unveiling the department's $545 billion proposed base budget.

The budget includes $49.5 billion for military health, down 2.3 percent from the fiscal 2019 enacted budget, largely from a planned reduction in the number of military personnel assigned to the Defense Health Agency.

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Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon's comptroller, said the billets -- physicians, dentists, nurses, corpsmen, medics and administrative staff -- would transition to civilian jobs "to put those military billets back into lethality."

She added that the effort is part of health care reform intended to "deliver the same quality of health care but doing it a little more smarter and more efficient."

She declined to give specifics on the exact number of billets that would be converted, mentioning the 15,000 figure, or the types of jobs involved.

According to budget documents, the proposal represents "the most significant review of the military medical end strength portfolio since fiscal 2003."

The revised allocations were determined by the services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to "more adequately determine the wartime requirements for the medical force," the documents noted.

"The resulting reduction in active-duty military medical providers will ultimately provide a medical force appropriately sized and shaped to meet National Defense Strategy requirements and will allow the military health system to optimize operational training and beneficiary care delivery," according to the documents.

To some, however, the proposal to reduce uniformed staff by as much as 13 percent is worrisome. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas, an ear, nose and throat surgeon who serves as president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, said the conversions must be made surgically.

"After the end of every major combat window, you tend to downsize the force somewhat. There's a certain amount of health in that," Thomas told Military Update in February.

But he warned against making deep cuts that might affect medical services and capabilities.

Analyzing the effect of such cuts on the ability to perform the mission "is really what the services' medical departments are for. They need to take that and do the analysis," Thomas said. "They may come back and say, 'Hey that number's too large. I can't do it.' But I also think they are going to have to snap link this to a timeline. 'If you want me to attrite certain specialties or personnel numbers, how many of those then become civilians?'"

The Defense Department health system includes 49 hospitals, 427 clinics, 246 dental clinics, operational field units and all associated personnel. In addition to the reduction in the number of military billets, other systemic reforms are underway, to include transferring management of all medical facilities to the Defense Health Agency, or DHA.

Since Oct. 1, 2018, 31 medical facilities have transitioned to the DHA, with an additional 241 -- mainly military treatment facilities in the eastern U.S. -- transferring under the DHA in fiscal 2020.

Also in 2020, military health facilities will see the continued rollout of the MHS Genesis, the department's electronics health records system. Facilities expecting to receive the new interoperable system include Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, California; Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, Kansas.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime.
Airmen Have Five Days to Get Immunized After Vaccine Exemption Is Denied or They Face Punishment, Air Force Says

The service required all active-duty troops to become fully vaccinated by Nov. 2 after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in...
The U.S. Air Force is hoping to grow its total force by 4,400 airmen, add a new fighter to its inventory, and pump more money into weapon sustainment and ongoing research programs, such as the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber project, according to the service's fiscal 2020 budget request.

As anticipated, the Air Force will officially ask to fund eight brand-new F-15EX fourth-plus generation fighters at a cost of $1.05 billion to gradually begin replacing its older F-15C/D Eagle fleet, the budget documents reveal. Service officials recently disclosed the Air Force needs to boost its fighter inventory, but it had not expected to do so with an F-15X variant.

"We remain committed to the F-35 and its game-changing capabilities  [but the budget] balances readiness and modernization in the near-term by procuring eight F-15EX aircraft to refresh our [current] F-15 fleet, allowing us to benefit from foreign partner investments in the F-15 line," said Air Force Maj. Gen. John Pletcher. Pletcher, the deputy assistant secretary for budget at the Air Force's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and the Comptroller at the Pentagon, briefed reporters Tuesday.

The Air Force estimates it will cost $80 million per aircraft, but that cost could rise to roughly $125 million for each of the eight jets "to set up the line" and account for non-recurring engineering costs in the first year of procurement, he said. "And, of course, you have the spares and everything else as well."

By comparison, the cost of the Air Forces F-35A has dropped to $89 million per aircraft.

The service is requesting $204.8 billion, including "non-blue" dollars, which fall under the Air Force but are not managed by the service. Of that, the service would oversee $165.6 billion, a six percent increase from its fiscal 2019 request.

The Air Force would plus-up its active-duty end strength to 332,800 airmen, an increase of 3,700 airmen from last year's request, the documents show. Additionally, the service wants 700 airmen across its reserve force (600 in the Guard, 100 in the reserve).

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The budget request will maintain the service's current 312 squadrons, instead of adding units to meet the Air Force's overall goal of 386 operational squadrons over the next decade. Pletcher said the 386-squadron study was conducted at the same time officials began crafting the latest budget request, so movement regarding the proposed 74 additional squadrons "will happen in subsequent years."

"We must increase our capacity to evolve," he said. He added that the budget "does set the conditions for success" to field resources "faster and smarter," which will pave the way to 386 squadrons.

To sustain readiness levels, the service wants to invest more than $33 billion across maintenance, infrastructure and max executable flight hours, according to the Defense Department overview budget request. While the service aims to increase mission capability, total flight hours, including those supporting warfighting overseas, will decrease, from 1.46 million in 2019 to 1.33 million in 2020.

"This year's request was based on the flying hours we believe we will be able to execute based on historical usage," said service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.

The most striking change comes to the service's Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) budget. The Air Force is asking for $42.3 billion, as opposed to the $12.8 billion it originally intended to seek, the budget says. The increase, which is not subject to spending caps, is based on President Donald Trump's request to ask for more money in the warfighting account to bypass congressional spending limits.

The OCO hike does not change the Air Force's overall request. Instead, it shifts programs that would normally fall under procurement -- including new MQ-9 Reaper drones and weapons such as the precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions -- under OCO, per the budget documents.

The service hopes to make heavy gains in research, development, test and evaluation programs such as the B-21 Raider; its new T-X trainer to replace its T-38 Talon fleet; next-gen overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) satellites for missile detection; and especially its next-generation air dominance -- a potential sixth-gen fighter or "family of systems" -- programs. The service is seeking $35.4 billion for the efforts, a nearly 15 percent increase from last year's allocated funding.

Next-Generation Air Dominance could receive $1 billion in new funding, as opposed to the $430 enacted in the fiscal 2019 budget.

Additional highlights:

More pilots. The Air Force wants to produce 1,480 pilots in 2020, the documents show. Last year, the service said it will steadily ramp up its pilot training to produce 1,500 pilots a year by fiscal 2022.

The Air Force wants to produce 1,480 pilots in 2020, the documents show. Last year, the service said it will steadily ramp up its pilot training to produce 1,500 pilots a year by fiscal 2022. More F-35As. The service wants 48 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, down eight from the 56 it received last year at a cost of $4.9 billion. The service requested 48 in fiscal 2019, but got additional funding from lawmakers. The Air Force is supposed to plus-up its fifth-generation inventory to 54 aircraft per year beginning in fiscal 2021.

The service wants 48 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, down eight from the 56 it received last year at a cost of $4.9 billion. The service requested 48 in fiscal 2019, but got additional funding from lawmakers. The Air Force is supposed to plus-up its fifth-generation inventory to 54 aircraft per year beginning in fiscal 2021. More aircraft overall. The budget adds a total of 74 new aircraft across the service's total aircraft inventory to reach 5,500 planes.

The budget adds a total of 74 new aircraft across the service's total aircraft inventory to reach 5,500 planes. Another T-X. The service hopes to buy one new T-X trainer from Boeing Co. to have a total of three aircraft by the end of 2020.

The service hopes to buy one new T-X trainer from Boeing Co. to have a total of three aircraft by the end of 2020. Fewer KC-46s. The service will request three fewer KC-46 Pegasus aircraft -- 12 total -- as opposed to the 15 in last year's request. Pletcher said Congress added three additional aircraft in the fiscal 2019 request, so the Air Force is on track to have 15 by 2020.

The service will request three fewer KC-46 Pegasus aircraft -- 12 total -- as opposed to the 15 in last year's request. Pletcher said Congress added three additional aircraft in the fiscal 2019 request, so the Air Force is on track to have 15 by 2020. More bombs. The budget has funding for nearly 3,300 new bombs, including Small Diameter Bomb I and II variants, the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER), and AIM 120-D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), among others.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Army Activates New Infantry Training Battalion

As the Army extends entry-level infantry training to increase soldiers' discipline and professionalism, the service is launching a new infantry training battalion to assist with the demand. The 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, was established March 1 with a formal ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia, becoming part of the Maneuver Center of Excellence's 198th Infantry Brigade, which provides Infantry One Station Unit Training, or OSUT, for infantry soldiers, according to a recent release. The 3rd Battalion was created in 1999 but inactivated in 2013. The Army recently moved to increase the length of Infantry OSUT from 14 to 22 weeks, allowing trainees to spend more time on weapons familiarization and longer training in the field. Ultimately, the 198th Infantry Brigade will add three new battalions to accommodate demand; the 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry, is the first to stand up. Read more at Army.mil.

For more Army news visit Military.com.
Fort Hood Soldiers Test Army's Newest Robot

A new robot is being tested by the Army to help soldiers identify and dispose of chemical and explosive hazards without risking their own health or safety. The Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II has "modular mission payloads" that can be customized to support engineers, Special Operations forces, Explosive Ordnance Disposal troops and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) troops, according to a recent release. Units testing the new system include the III Corps, the 20th CBRNE Command and elements from 36th Engineer Brigade, 48th CBRN Brigade and 79th EOD Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. Testing will occur in realistic environments, day and night, using MTRS in place of the Army's current TALON II robots. MTRS will be used to locate, identify and neutralize simulated explosive hazards in a wide variety of tactical situations. Soldier feedback will ultimately be sent to Army Test and Evaluation Command for consideration. Read more at Army.mil.

For more Army news visit Military.com.
A long-time Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas volunteer was honored by the American Red Cross March 7 for more than 60 years of service.

Gretchen Barrett, BAMC patient transfer volunteer, received the Clara Barton Legacy Award during a ceremony in the hospital's Medical Mall. The 92-year-old began volunteering in 1958 in Stuttgart, Germany and continued her volunteer career in San Antonio in 1969 at the Beach Pavilion on Fort Sam Houston.

"This is a great opportunity to recognize someone who has volunteered for the Red Cross and the military for quite a while," said BAMC Commanding General Brig. Gen. George Appenzeller. "This is a phenomenal achievement and we are blessed to have people like this who really do wonderful things for our service members and their families."

The general put it in perspective by talking about other events that took place in 1958.

"Eisenhower was president; that's the year we signed Alaska into the United States; Elvis Presley was brought into the military; and most importantly, that was the year the hula hoop was first marketed," Appenzeller said with a smile.

Michael Vela, executive director, San Antonio Red Cross Chapter, presented Barrett with a plaque and a 60-year Red Cross lapel pin featuring a sapphire stone.

"It is my honor to present you with the Clara Barton Legacy Award for outstanding leadership and volunteerism," Vela said. "Like Clara, the founder of the American Red Cross, Gretchen has dedicated much of her life to the service of others, specifically our nation's military.

"Since the Civil War, American Red Cross volunteers have provided comfort and support throughout the world to military members and their families," he added. "Gretchen, thank you for your long, distinguished and dedicated service to the American Red Cross and to our nation's military."

Barrett said she began volunteering in Germany as a young military spouse and continued as she got older.

"My children were just babies when I started," she said. "My husband was in the infantry."

Henry Roper, regional program manager, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, presented Barrett with a Red Cross flag.

"I've been with the Red Cross for quite a while and I have never given out a Red Cross flag," Roper said, noting the honor it conveys.

Several other officials from the American Red Cross came to congratulate Barrett on her accomplishment, including Dudley Baker, Division Service to the Armed Forces director; Michael Chaison, Division Service to the Armed Forces manager; Wade Walrond, Service to the Armed Forces regional program director; Kate Koebbe, Service to the Armed Forces specialist; and Libby Castillo, regional communications officer.

"This is a rare day for someone who has given most of their life in service of others," Baker said. "It's truly amazing and I'm honored just to be here."
FORT POLK, La. -- Typically, an 8-year-old cannot enlist in the Army and then immediately pin four stars.

But that is exactly what took place March 1 on Fort Polk. Drake Quibodeaux, a youngster suffering from diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DPIG), a non-operable brain tumor, was given the oath of enlistment and the rank of general, complete with his own uniform, during a ceremony at the installation's Warrior Memorial Park.

Drake, accompanied by his family, friends, fellow Soldiers and Fort Polk leadership was given a tour of the post including demonstrations by 519th Military Police Battalion, Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department, a meal in the Guardian Inn Dining Facility and a visit to 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, where Drake pulled the lanyard to fire one of the unit's big guns.

Drake Quibodeaux, 8, from Vinton, La., gives a thumbs up before heading out for a ride with Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk during a visit to the installation March 1. Quibodeaux, who suffers from a brain tumor, and his family were invited to Fort Polk where Drake was made an honorary soldier. (US Army/Chuck Cannon)

Gen. Drake finished his day-long visit with a briefing from Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk Commanding General Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank.

Frank had his staff brief Drake on his Army's capabilities, and then asked if everything met his approval. Drake responded with a thumbs-up.

DPIG impacts bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, eye movement, eyesight and balance. While radiation can shrink the tumor, a child diagnosed with DIPG today faces the same prognosis as a child diagnosed 40 years ago. There is still no effective treatment and no chance of survival.

The Quibodeaux family was told by doctors that only 5 percent of children with DIPG survive for a year following their diagnosis, and less than 1 percent survive for 2 years. The median survival time is 9 months from diagnosis. Drake will soon pass the year mark from his diagnosis in March 2018 and is currently on hospice.

Children with DIPG commonly experience double vision, reduced eye movement, facial weakness or asymmetry, and arm and leg weakness. They also have problems with walking, coordination, speech, chewing and swallowing. As the tumor progresses, it also interferes with breathing and heartbeat, which ultimately results in the child's death.

Drake's mother, Danielle Quibodeaux, told those gathered for the enlistment ceremony how they learned of Drake's cancer.

"Just imagine your healthy son one day driving a boat, he has seizures, he becomes paralyzed for six weeks, and then being told by the doctor, 'Just go home and make memories, there's no hope,'" she said. "That's what we're living right now. The doctors in New Orleans said, 'Just go home. There's no sense in trying anything.'"

As for how Fort Polk entered Drake's life, Danielle said it was through a Soldier stationed in Korea who read Drake's story online, and then told Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Dodson, Fort Polk garrison command sergeant major, about his plight and Drake's request to have 190 Christmas cards sent to him.

Dodson reached out to the Quibodeaux family. On Dec. 19, Dodson, along with his spouse, Kim, and Cpl. Devon Douglas, president of Fort Polk's Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, made the two-hour trip to the Quibodeaux home in Vinton, Louisiana, bearing Christmas cards and presents from the Fort Polk Family.

During the visit, it was learned that Drake's dad, Christopher, had been stationed at Fort Polk and assigned to 5th Bn, 25th FA Reg. A bond developed between the Quibodeaux and Fort Polk Families resulting in the March 1 visit.

Drake Quibodeaux, 8, who suffers from diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a non-operable brain tumor for which there is no cure, receives a certificate and cap from Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, during a visit March 1. Quibodeaux was promoted to General of the Fort Polk Army for the day. (Chuck Cannon/US Army)

Christopher said he's grateful to Fort Polk for opening its arms to Drake and the entire Quibodeaux family.

"When they dropped the uniform off to us yesterday it brought back a lot of memories," he said. "Here I get a chance to make memories with my son, and some of my old Army buddies from back in the day have posted they wish they could be here to share this day with us. They think it's amazing.

"It means a lot. It's something I'll be able to cherish. It means a lot for Fort Polk to open its doors to us. They were caring."

On Jan. 25 the Quibodeauxs learned Drake's tumor had begun growing in a new area. It meant more radiation.

"Unfortunately, that's all they can do for us at this time," Danielle said. "We're on hospice now, so today is probably the last major thing we'll be doing. We're going to make the best of every day. This is something we couldn't do for Drake by ourselves, and now he's a four-star general. "No words can describe the experience or the memories that are going to be made today."

Danielle said it's days like the one spent at Fort Polk that help the family get through the tough times.

"The last couple of days Drake hasn't been able to move off the couch," she said. "He's been very nauseous and pretty much unresponsive. We called hospice and adjusted his meds. We need days like this to get through the hard days."

For her part, Danielle said she tries not to show her emotions in front of Drake.

"I don't cry in front of Drake," she said. "I'll tell him I'm going to take a bath. Dad cries all the time."

Christopher said he's not shy about hiding his tears.

"I don't hold it back," he said. "If he has questions, I'll tell him. We don't keep him out of the loop. Whatever he chooses to do, we'll do. He's strong. I told him I'd never leave him."

Danielle said the hardest part for her is realizing that Drake doesn't understand what's happening to his body.

"Three nights ago Drake said, 'Mom, I can't see out of my eye anymore,'" she said. "He cried. He doesn't understand, and for us that's the hardest. With DIPG, he'll still have his mental capabilities intact, but he'll lose his bodily functions, so you know he's frustrated. Sometimes he'll get so mad because even we can't understand him, and that's when we all cry. That's so hard."

Drake's older brother, Haiydn, said he struggles with his brother's suffering. "But I believe he's going to pull through it, I have faith that he will," he said. "That's all I can go on. The most difficult part has been realizing I'm not able to play with him like an older brother anymore. But I'm 16. I'm strong. I can handle it."

Although the prognosis for Drake is bleak, the family's faith is strong and they aren't ready to quit.

"We're going home and we're going to fight this," Christopher said. "We're not going to let this thing beat us. At the end of the day he's fought so hard. We're not going to live in a box. We're going to live life to the fullest while we can."

Danielle said they've learned to rely on faith, family and friends.

"And Drake," she added. "He asks us, 'Why are ya'll crying. I'm OK. God's got me. We'll get through this. When we're weak, there is always someone there to hold us."
Coming into free agency this year, the safety market was thought to be so strong and so deep at the top that some quality players would end up dropping in price, helping a team that somewhat has a need there like the Lions.

Through the first day of negotiations, that isnt the case. Safeties are flying off the board and for contracts bigger than expected. Following Eric Weddles signing with the Rams after he was released by the Ravens, Landon Collins shattered the market with $14 million a season over six years with the Redskins. Tyrann Mathieu then cashed in with his own $14 million-dollar average over three seasons from the Chiefs.

Kenny Vaccaro then pulled in $24 million from the Titans and LaMarcus Joyner signed a four-year pact with the Raiders for a price tag not yet announced.

The safeties arent coming cheap, and a few stout ones remain. The question for the Lions after a busy opening day is whether they feel they can afford the rates or if the market will turn.

Detroit has gone right at the defense already, spending $16-17 million per season on Trey Flowers to key the pass rush and $9 million a season for Justin Coleman to lock down the nickel cornerback spot. They bring established playmaking and help patch up a leaky pass defense, so the need for safeties narrow, but the Lions are always interested in bolstering that spot.

Detroit was reportedly in the mix for Mathieu before he signed with Kansas City. At $14 million per season, he certainly priced himself out of what the team has left to allocate to one player. Its impossible to know how much cap space the Lions have left until the structures of the deals become public, but the foursome of Flowers, Coleman, tight end Jesse James and wide receiver Danny Amendola will eat well over half of the $45 million the Lions had entering the day.

The Lions have been looking at running backs and also have a need at right guard and further needs at tight end and cornerback. They could go a number of ways with their remaining amount, and that involves finding a safety. Glover Quins departure left Detroit down a major player in its four-man timeshare, and Matt Patricia is always interested in finding more versatility in this area when he can. He has a building block in Quandre Diggs and a developing free safety in Tracy Walker, but he would love to play more.

The top safeties left on the market are Earl Thomas of the Seahawks and Adrian Amos of the Bears. Both are top-tier free agents, with Thomas bringing his All-Pro centerfield play and Amos offering 56 starts in a Vic Fangio defense, with last years two-pick breakout season. Thomas has largely been courted by the Cowboys and 49ers, with schemes similar to Seattles. Amos market has likely had to wait the men above him.

Thomas is likely out of reach, but Amos brings a steadiness and some steep NFC North experience Detroit could like. It could also go after Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who has played in deep safety sets and hails from an Alabama defense that holds similarities with Detroits. Both are under the age of 27. Tashaun Gipson, 28, is another safety with open-field experience, which is what Detroit could be looking to replace from Quin.

By starting out with a bang Tuesday, the Lions were able to cross some needs off the agenda, making now a time to measure remaining free agents against the draft pool. It could make sense to tap into this deep pool of safeties while some good ones remain, but only if the prices drop as expected.
ALLEN PARK -- Perhaps no one enjoyed a better start to free agency than the Detroit Lions. Which is really saying something when you consider just how much guys really dont want to play here.

Robert Klemko, the outstanding reporter for MMQB, recently polled 15 agents about their clients most and least desirable teams/cities to play for. Detroit ranked as the fourth worst destination with seven votes. Only Buffalo (12 votes), Oakland (11) and Cincinnati (8) were worse.

Some of the reasons Detroit ranked so poorly will not surprise you.

Rust Belt cities in general did poorly in our survey, Klemko writes. Cincinnati, Detroit and Cleveland all made the Bottom 5, and Indianapolis, despite having a healthy Andrew Luck and a seemingly upward trajectory on the field, received just three votes for the Top 5. Agents said each city is judged to have a boring nightlife, according to the players. Weather and (sex) are huge factors, one agent said.

(People have sex north of the Mason-Dixon line too, but I digress.)

But there were other, more Lions-specific reasons players didnt want to come to Detroit.

Klemko writes: The fourth-worst destination, Detroit, has the added knock of a locker room that appears dysfunctional to players looking in from the outside. Especially with Matt I think Im Belichick but I havent done s--- Patricia,' one agent said."

Brutal. But it also comports with a lot of what Im hearing. Matt Patricia can be a difficult guy to play for. Multiple players said training camp last summer was among the most intense they could remember. There were a lot of rules too, and a lot of yelling, and so on. There were guys openly wondering about him coming out of training camp, and a 6-10 finish didnt exactly win everyone over.

I think the word dysfunction is too severe to describe the locker room I saw and heard about, but theres also zero doubt the locker room took a hit from the Jim Caldwell years. There were some unhappy campers, and there were players on that team who had little desire to come back to Detroit. And stuff like that gets around the league in a hurry. I was hearing at the combine that Detroit could struggle in free agency because of it.

Of course, the Lions also had a huge day in free agency on Monday, reaching agreements with Trey Flowers, Justin Coleman, Jesse James and Danny Amendola. Then again, its interesting that Flowers, Coleman and Amendola are all alumni of the Patriot Way. James was the only player without a New England connection to agree to come to Detroit.

As Klemko says elsewhere in the piece, ultimately players are just looking for the most money and the most playing time, and if Detroit can offer that, its still going to land free agents. And if it starts winning, that will soothe over a lot of the other stuff. But if the losses continue to mount, itll be interesting to see how this anti-Detroit dynamic plays out in future free agencies.
Modified versions of bills to subject the governors executive office and the Michigan Legislature to open records laws cleared a procedural hurdle Tuesday, setting the legislation up for a vote on the House floor.

The House Government Operations Committee voted out House Bills 4007 through 4016 Tuesday morning after adopting substantial changes requested by the governors office and pro-transparency groups.

House Bills 4007 and 4008 would subject the governor, lieutenant governor and executive staff to the states Freedom of Information Act, and House Bills 4009 through 4016 create a new Legislative Open Records Act for lawmakers and their offices.

As proposed, the Legislative Open Records Act, or LORA, contains several exemptions, including for legislative negotiations, caucusing, active investigations and a sweeping exemption for constituent communications. At the governors request, lawmakers added a similar exemption to FOIA for executive branch constituent communications in the legislation, as well as exemptions for security plans and executive residence functions.

Lawmakers also added a 2-year retention policy for legislative documents subject to LORA, and exemptions for private cell phone numbers were added to both the FOIA and LORA legislation.

I am confident we now have a comprehensive plan to provide for even more transparency and accountability for our government, said Rep. Jason Sheppard, chair of the Government Operations Committee.

The bills do not change the basic structure of LORA, which supporters say needs to be a separate process from FOIA to avoid constitutional challenges for enforcement. One concern put forward by the group Progress Michigan was the lack of a judicial review option if a LORA request is appealed.

A representative from Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office noted the governor supports the package, although she maintains her belief in the importance of judicial review. Progress Michigan also supports the amended version of the legislation.

The bill package now heads to the full House for further consideration. Gideon DAssandro, spokesperson for House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said the bills could be taken up late this week or early next.

Currently, Michigan is one of the only states that entirely exempts the governors office, the legislature and the courts from public scrutiny. The state was ranked last in a nationwide 2015 government transparency report from the Center for Public Integrity.
President Donald Trump is seeking to cut a majority of funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for the third time, again attracting bipartisan opposition from Michigan lawmakers.

The White House unveiled its $4.7 trillion budget proposal for the next fiscal year Monday, which includes cutting $270 million from the $300 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Efforts to slash the funds have been among the Trump administrations funding priorities in fiscal year 2018 and 2019 budget proposals, but Congress fully funded the initiative through the Environmental Protection Agency.

The funds are used to target threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem, including cleaning up toxic substances, blocking invasive species, restoring habitats and reducing the causes of harmful algal blooms. Several Michigan lawmakers spoke out against the proposed cuts Monday morning, including Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force.

Huizenga, who represents Michigans 2nd Congressional District on the West Michigan lakeshore, said the GLRI is a critical program that helps clean pollution, restore habitats and prevent the spread of invasive species.

While there are several improvements in the Presidents budget proposal from last year, it fails to properly fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Huizenga said in a statement. "I will continue to work with both Republicans and Democrats to fully fund the GLRI and protect both the economy and the ecology of the Great Lakes.

Michigans Democratic senators Stabenow and Gary Peters also released statements criticizing the proposed cuts. Stabenow, co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, was a Senate co-sponsor of the bill to establish the initiative when it was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in 2009.

Just like last year, and the year before, the people of Michigan will make their voices heard and I will lead the bipartisan fight to restore every penny, Stabenow said.

Peters said cutting the funding to only $30 million would severely hurt the governments ability to helps protect the freshwater lakes from threats, including invasive species, pollution and climate change.

Just as I did before, I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure Congress fully funds the GLRI and that these proposed reductions never see the light of day, he said.

The GLRI initially committed $475 million but funding dropped to just under $300 million in 2011 and has stayed there since.

The 2020 cut was not highlighted in Trumps budget outline this year, instead reflected as a line item in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys 2020 budget brief. The 2018 presidential budget proposal included an explanation for the cut, stating that the move allows EPA to focus on its highest national priorities.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, also pledged to join colleagues to fight the Trump the administrations proposed cut. Putting GLRI funding on the chopping block is a terrible idea and will not stand, he said.

We have fought tooth and nail to stop these cuts before, Upton said in a statement. You can expect a strong, bipartisan, Michigan-led effort to once again protect every penny of this critical program, and we will prevail.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said the presidents budget proposal is not the direction the country needs to be going.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said the budget cut also jeopardizes" Michigans tourism, boating and fishing industries. Kildee is a member of the House committee on the Budget.

Trumps budget proposal requests $6.1 billion for the EPA, a $2.8 billion decrease from the fiscal year 2019 estimate.
ANN ARBOR, MI - A mural believed to date back to the 1800s has been hiding behind drywall inside a downtown Ann Arbor storefront for well over a century, and the owners are finally uncovering it.

The Peaceable Kingdom, 210 South Main St., hosted a partial unveiling of the mural Sunday, March 10. Mark Wilfong, the building owners son, uncovered a portion of the mural while renovating the space, and said the family plans to have Chicago-based Parma Conservation remove the wall and restore the mural in April.

The family purchased the property in 1986 and later converted the top two floors to apartments.

I view myself as a caretaker for the property, Wilfong said. We really tried to have retail. Really, really tried, and it just never worked out."

The Peaceable Kingdom closed in May 2017 due to declining sales and a change in downtowns landscape.

Weve got an eight-foot-by-eight-foot acrylic frame coming from Massachusetts and the idea is to conserve (the mural), protect it for the next 100 years and identify what we can do with the space," Wilfong said.

A German beer hall is believed to have been the first tenant of the building, and the mural features a king standing on a lion. The king is likely to have been a symbol of European beer and brewing, the owners believe.

After purchasing the building in 1986, Wilfongs mother Carol Lopez was given old photos of the space, and Wystan Stevens, an area historian who died in July 2015, told her about the mural. Because the business was in operation at the time, she didnt search for the mural then, Wilfong said.

With the business closed and renovations underway, Wilfong decided to hunt for the potentially historic piece of art.

I went looking for it. That large piece volunteered to come off, Wilfong said about discovering the mural behind a slab of drywall. I like to play history geek... we just wanted to share it with people.

The family aims to create a community space that will serve as a crown jewel for a beloved part of downtown Ann Arbor."

An online fundraising campaign for restoring the mural had gathered more than $800 as of Monday.

MLive photographer Mary Lewandowski contributed to this report.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- After spending 544 days in Iranian prison, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was released and authored a book, Prisoner," about his experience, which hell discuss in a Tuesday talk at the University of Michigan.

Rezaian was arrested in Iran in July 2014 on espionage charges, and was released in January 2016.

Hell discuss his time in Iranian custody and the significance of his release in a 4 p.m. talk Tuesday, March 12 at UMs Wallace House.

Detroit Public TV will be livestreaming the talk at dptv.org.

Rezaian served as a Washington Post correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016. He continues to write for Global Opinions at the Washington Post and contributes to CNN.

UM Wallace House offers programs geared toward promoting freedom of the press and supporting the careers of journalists from around the world.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan has maintained Its reputation of offering some of the best graduate school programs in the country, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

UMs graduate programs maintained a top-20 ranking in all six categories of the U.S. News rankings in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing. The university also earned high marks in some health school specialties and in public affairs, which were included in this years rankings, which were released on Tuesday, March 12. Check the rankings here.

UMs College of Engineering, ranked the highest among the universitys graduate school programs, tied for fifth overall in the rankings. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology topped the engineering list.

The College of Engineering had the No. 1 nuclear engineering graduate program in the country. It was No. 2 in industrial engineering, tied for fifth in both aerospace and mechanical engineering, tied for sixth in electrical engineering, seventh in civil engineering, eighth in material engineering and tied for 10th in biomedical engineering.

The universitys Ross School of Business maintained its spot in the top-10, tied for 10th for its full-time MBA program. For the first time, the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School took the No. 1 spot for full-time MBA programs. UMs part-time MBA program finished sixth in the rankings.

UMs School of Nursing masters program tied for eighth in the nation overall, while its doctor of nursing program was tied for 14th in the ranking.

In the law school rankings for full-time students, which were topped by Harvard University, UM was ninth.

In education, UM finished 11th overall among graduate school programs. It topped the rankings in education psychology programs, tied for second in secondary education, fifth in higher education, sixth in curriculum and instruction, ninth in education administration and 11th in education policy.

Michigan State University was ranked 23rd in the nation in graduate school education programs, including a No. 1 overall ranking in both elementary education and secondary education. It was ranked third in higher education, No. 5 in education administration, seventh in education psychology and policy and No. 12 among special education programs.

UMs Medical School tied for 16th in research and tied for sixth in medical school primary care. UM also received kudos for its specialty programs in the health field, including having the No. 1-ranked social work program. Its health care management program tied for third in the nation.

UMs Ford School of Public Policy was included in the newly-ranked public affairs category, tying for seventh with New York University and the University of California-Berkeley. The Ford School was rated No. 1 in both the social policy and public policy analysis specialty rankings.

According to U.S. News, the Best Graduate Schools rankings are based on expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a schools faculty, research and students.

The data for the rankings in all six disciplines come from statistical surveys of more than 2,054 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 22,018 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2018 and early 2019.
ANN ARBOR, MI  The University of Michigan may be close to an agreement to purchase renewable energy that could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission totals as it strives toward its goal of carbon neutrality.

The update on the universitys progress was provided by UM Presidents Commission on Carbon Neutrality Co-Chair Jennifer Haverkamp on Monday, March 11, during a discussion and question and answer session town hall on the commissions goals inside Rackham Auditorium.

Haverkamp said UM is working on an agreement to purchase renewable energy for the campus that would result in a significant reduction to its overall carbon footprint. The commission, which was announced earlier this year by UM President Mark Schlissel, has objectives include defining a goal for and clarifying what constitutes carbon neutrality and outlining a timeline and approaches for achieving that goal.

This is expected, said Haverkamp, who didnt provide further details on the nature of the agreement. (Schlissel) is confident this will ensure that we meet or exceed our goal of cutting the campus emissions by 25 percent by 2025, and actually, quite possibly in advance of the 2025 date.

In 2011, UM President Mary Sue Coleman set what was considered an ambitious goal, Simon said, of reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 25 percent on its campus by 2025. Progress toward that goal has been hard to come by, though, as the university approaches the midway point of its target with just 5.6 percent emission reductions since its 2006 baseline.

UM has instituted some measures that will help it approach that goal, including approving an $80 million expansion of its Central Power Plant in hopes of reducing GHG emissions by 80,000 metric tons per year. That would put it approximately half way to its emissions reduction goal when the project is expected to be completed in 2021.

The university explored biofuel as a fuel source for the power plant, but that option was dropped from consideration early on due to the lack of availability at the required scale and technological limitations, UM Director of the Office of Campus Sustainability Andy Berki said.

While it is not run on green energy technology, Berki said the power plants new turbine will increase the universitys capacity to generate more electricity on campus. In turn, it will allow UM to reduce the amount of utility-generated electricity it purchases, which is primarily coal-based and less efficient to produce, resulting in higher emissions.

Commission Co-chair Stephen Forrest made it clear they were looking beyond the universitys 2025 greenhouse gas reduction targets, though, zeroing in on Schlissels more ambitious new target of achieving net carbon neutrality.

The scope of Schlissels charge to the commission spans all three UM campuses and includes examining:

carbon emissions and sequestration;

energy sourcing;

technology development and policy change;

facilities, operations and mobility; and

behavioral change.

Reaching its goals will require the university finding solutions that are sensible, scalable, economically viable and socially just, Forrest said. The commission needs to continue in its mission of defining the box of what its responsibilities are in reducing Scope I and II emissions, which are related to owned sources of energy use and purchased sources of energy by the university, respectively.

He stressed that the president and other executives will make final decisions to the Board of Regents, but the commission will provide valuable input it hopes will involve the entire community.

Its incumbent on us to give them things that they will say yes to  that are important  that are good for the university, good for the student body and also, of course, good for the planet, Forrest said.

Haverkamp and Forrest responded to concerns expressed during the question and answer session that included whether the commissions targets were rooted in science and whether members of the commission had corporate interests.

Im a scientist and my life is based on demonstrable fact, said Forrest, the former UM vice president for research, who has extensive background in researching energy generating and conserving technologies. I think everybody on the commission feels the same way. Were not going to be making political decisions. We are going to base our recommendations on things we feel can be measured.
My sense is we are going to go through a period where were going to be put to sleep while they construct this, and then were going to see more noise then we have ever seen to date, Patterson said.
GENESEE COUNTY, MI  Multiple school districts went into secure mode Tuesday morning as police searched for an 18-year-old boy who allegedly stole weapons from his Linden home to sell.

Officers with the Linden Police Department received a call around 6 a.m. March 12 for a potential larceny of guns.

Linden police Chief Scott Sutter said officers spoke with a mother and father who noticed two handguns and two rifles were missing from their home. The weapons are owned by the couple.

The teen, who was not at home when police arrived, is a Lake Fenton High School student.

Sutter noted Linden police reached out to the schools resource officer -- a Genesee County Sheriffs deputy -- to try and find out if the teen was at school.

The Genesee County Sheriffs Office relayed some information to Linden police after speaking with acquaintances of the teen that included messages on social media about him selling guns, Sutter said.

It was also discovered the teen may have been hanging out with a friend in Holly. Officers in Holly began surveillance on an apartment in the village, an address provided by Linden police.

A Holly police officer arrested the teen upon leaving the apartment. A 9-millimeter handgun was found in the teens waistband, Sutter said.

Police later recovered the other handgun inside the apartment and the rifles from an Argentine Township residence where the teen spent a few nights.

The incident led to Lake Fenton, Fenton and Holly schools going into secure modes. The secure modes were lifted following the teens arrest.

Sutter said there were no threats at any of the schools or no threats made against any person.

He pointed toward the cooperation between Fenton, Holly, Linden, Argentine township police departments and the Genesee County Sheriffs Office in quickly handling the situation.

Just how they communicated throughout this they were able to follow up on leads and get the guy into custody without any harm to anyone, Sutter said. It wouldnt have been done with that. This happened at 6:30 in the morning. By 11 oclock or so, he was in custody and we got the guns.

The teen, whose name has not been released, is currently being held at the Holly Police Department, Sutter said.

Hell eventually be lodged in Oakland County Jail to await formal charges which will include carrying a concealed weapon and possession of stolen property.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The search for the next superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools is down to five people, officials announced Tuesday, March 12.

The candidates will be interviewed by the school board beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 16, in the auditorium of the district administration building, 1331 Franklin St. SE.

The school board met for three hours Monday, March 11, to review the 30 applicants from a national search to replace retiring Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal, discuss interview questions and his or her future contract.

I know how important this decision is and this is just the beginning," said Kristian Grant, school board president, noting the district had good pool of candidates. Their work sounds very interesting and I am excited to hear from them during the interviews."

There were no internal candidates. The five finalists and their interview times are:

9:00 a.m. -- Aaron Johnson , Associate Superintendent for Instruction at Farmington Public Schools in Michigan since 2014. Previously, he was director of Secondary Instruction for Grosse Pointe Public Schools from 2012 to 2014. Johnson was a high school principal in Farmington for four years and assistant principal for four years and taught in the classroom for five years in Detroit. He has a Bachelor of Science in English Education from Wayne State University, a Master of Education from Wayne State University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Wayne State University.

10:10 a.m. -- Adrian Talley , Director of Community Schools for Prince Georges County Public Schools in Maryland since 2018. Previously, he served as Executive Director for Student Services in the same district for three years. Also, he was Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director of Education for the Department of Defense Schools for three years. He worked as associate superintendent for one year, community Superintendent for five years, director of school performance for one year, and school principal for three years for Montgomery County Schools. He taught in the classroom for 12 years in Virginia and Maryland. He has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from University of Virginia, Master of Arts in High Education Administration from Boston College, and an Ed.D. in Administration and Policy from George Washington University.

11:20 a.m. -- Devon Horton , Chief of Schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky since 2018. Previously, he was deputy superintendent at the East St. Louis 189 School District for four years. Also, he was principal for three years, assistant principal for one year, and taught in the classroom for 10 years in Chicago Public Schools. He has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Jackson State University, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Chicago State University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Chicago State University.

1:00 p.m . -- Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard , founding Director EquiVisble and former superintendent in Albany, New York from 2012 to 2016. Previously, she served as deputy superintendent in Patterson, New Jersey for two years; executive director in Eden Prairie, Minnesota for one year; Chief Academic Officer in Racine Wisconsin for two years; Assistant Superintendent and Director of Achievement in Michigans Washtenaw Intermediate School District for three years; and Associate and Assistant Director in the Ohio Department of Education for three years. She taught music in Northview and East Grand Rapids for 10 years. Wyngaard has a Bachelor of Music Education from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Choral Music from Calvin College, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kent State University.

2:10 p.m. -- Darrell L. Williams, Assistant Superintendent for Beloit Schools in Wisconsin since 2015. Previously, he served as a Turnaround Principal for four years, principal for 12 years, assistant principal for three years, and teacher in the classroom for three years all in Milwaukee Public Schools. He has a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Rust College, a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership and Supervision from Marian University, and a Ph.D. in Administration and Supervision from University of Wisconsin.

The community is really counting on us,'' said school board member Kimberley Williams.

My focus is always to work on behalf of our children and those people who support them in their educational process.

The candidates are diverse in race and gender, have experience working in urban schools, taught in the classroom or have been an administrator, and have advanced degrees.

On Monday, March 25, the board will interview two or three finalists. The board members have said they would like to secure a new superintendent by April. Neal, who served seven years, last day is June 30.

During the Monday work session, the school board did not discuss the candidates by name, rather an assigned number. They voted on their top choices to interview. Four candidates had a clear majority. One candidate received eight votes and the other three five votes each.

Members sought a consensus on two others. However, only a fifth was added. The sixth candidate had a conflict and could not accept the interview, according to Rod Green, executive search consultant for the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB).

The school board hired MASB to help it conduct the national search.

In January, the school board established a preliminary salary range of $195,000 to $230,000 that includes a tax-deferred deferred annuity.

I hope that we will all be very open-minded, and we will make sure that our superintendent candidates at least have some education experience in the classroom as well as previous leadership, Michael Farage, a community member, told the board during public comment before the work session.

Mary Bouwense, president of the Grand Rapids Education Association, also attended the work session. She told MLive earlier that she wants the board to include interview questions about what the candidates relationship has been with unions and collective bargaining.

She said she also wants questions about their experience working in an urban school settings or training theyve promoted to assist educators in the environment.

Bouwense also said she hopes the board delves into their experience as a teacher and/or principal, not just their work as a superintendent or assistant superintendent because that experience is beneficial in making decisions.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  When she woke in the middle of the night, Tiara Moore walked to her childrens empty bedrooms and prayed.

Her kids, DeAsia Church, 8, and DeAndre Moore, 9, were with their dad.

The call that changed everything came an hour later, at 2:30 a.m.

They had been in a really bad crash and they said the kids are not doing too good, Moore said.

My heart tried to come through my throat.

She went to the hospital in Lansing. She didnt know what happened. She had trouble finding answers.

Finally, she said, They said it was my babies.

Both died at the scene of the crash Friday, March 8, on I-96 in Ingham County. Their father, Demarius Church, 29, of Romulus, was critically injured.

The crash happened around 9 p.m. on eastbound I-96 just east of Zimmer Road. Witnesses told police that Church was driving aggressively and attempting to pass vehicles on the shoulder of the highway when he lost control leaving the roadway backwards, striking a tree with the rear of the vehicle.

The children, in the back seat, died at the scene.

I cant begin to explain it or wrap my mind around it, Moore said Tuesday, March 12.

A spiritual woman, she has turned to her faith. She prays before she opens her eyes every morning.

Its unbearable, its unimaginable. But it is doable, she said.

She said the two children, so close in age, were inseparable. They attended East Kelloggsville Elementary School. They took part in Team 21, an after-school and summer program in Wyoming.

DeAsia was her mothers helper, the perfect daughter. Her son, who loved superheroes, always looked out for his sister.

Their stepfather, David Randall, who treated them as his own, is just so numb.

Many family members are devastated. When a young cousin was told about the losses, he refused to believe it. Then he asked: Why did they leave me?

Moore told him that her father would be waiting for them in Heaven.

In their grief, she and Randall have to be there for their younger children, DeAire, almost 3, and DeLilyah, 1.

Moore said she does not blame Church for the crash. She said that he was having problems with his car. They did not always get along but did in recent years. He would take the children to the east side of the state every other weekend.

He bought the children cell phones. His daughter loved taking photographs.

Moore looked through her own family photographs. She paused frequently. Sometimes, its too much.

I have my moments. Oh God, I have my moments, she said.

Her cousin, Taniya Hendley, started a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral costs.

Shes not doing well at all, traumatized, Hendley told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

Shes a very strong woman and (I) just want to assure her children gets the proper burial, Hendley said.

The families are at loss for words, please send all prayers their way.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A report from an independent evaluator hired to review special education programs after concerns from parents and staff presents a blueprint for improvement, according to Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff.

The review called for by the Kent Intermediate Superintendents Association last spring was conducted by consultant Beth Steenwyk, former deputy director of the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services for the Michigan Department of Education.

The Center (centralized) Programs serve nearly 1,400 students countywide who have cognitive and physical impairments and autism spectrum disorder that exceed the capacity of their local districts.

The purpose of the report was to help us get better, and to do that we had to identify areas that are problematic and need to improve, said Caniff, noting the findings revealed a thorough review was overdue.

From our perspective, it is about moving forward now and empowering staff and administrators within those schools to implement plans to get better.

Effective July 1, the Kent ISD is taking over operations of the programs from Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS).

The operation of such programs by ISDs is common elsewhere in the state and GRPS Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal said a collective commitment was required by all 20 districts that comprise the Kent ISD.

The special needs programs have generally been well regarded but there have been increasing concerns, and last year parents and staff complained repeatedly at school board meetings about management and leadership.

There were allegations that students were not getting the quality education they deserved. Online petitions sought the removal of Laura Lamore, executive director for special education and early intervention service, and Neal, when she declined to do so.

The objective of this report is not to pass judgment on past or current efforts of education professionals but rather to provide an objective yet candid review of the current situation and offer logical and pragmatic approaches to achieve desired results, Steenwyk wrote.

She conducted full-day onsite visits at all special need schools, held personal interviews with parents, administrators, teachers and other staff, as well as town hall style meetings and focus groups.

She also randomly reviewed three student IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) from every school building and used them as a foundation for questions around curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Some complaints last year were about inadequate staffing, safety, IEPs not being followed as written by teams, a decline in services, and poor communication.

Issues of safety and security, quality and consistency of services within and across programs, ineffective communication, staffing ratios and the reported reductions of fiscal resources were observed during the onsite visits, according to Steenwyk.

These concerns, expressed multiple times across all programs and within each stakeholder group session, have contributed to feelings of disenfranchisement for personnel and parents alike.

Steenwyk said these feelings were repeatedly voiced, and ranged in expression from anger to depression to a guarded hope that things could change if the programs were seen and supported as valuable assets to the educational community.

Specific findings and recommendations for each program will be addressed in separate building reports that Steenwyk recommends are included in school improvement plans.

However, she outlined five key pillars to improve the Center (centralized) Programs overall:

Development of a unifying core mission and a requisite set of guiding principles; Alignment of the guiding principles to fundamental and explicit expectations of staff performance and instructional practices; Safe, secure and well-maintained learning environments that promote learning and have access to current technology and specialized supports for students. Consistency across all programs in the use and implementation of curriculum aligned to high quality, evidence-based standards with customized professional development for staff; and, Rigorous and purposeful use of continuous school improvement processes to insure meaningful, sustainable program improvement based on data with efficient and effective use of educational resources.

While there is evidence that features of core educational practices exist within some of the Center Programs, the report points out they are not systemic across all programs, nor are all core practices evident within any program. The programs include:

Lincoln Developmental Center

Lincoln School

Pine Grove Learning Center

Grand Rapids Oral Deaf Program

Kent Educational Center @ Oakleigh

Kent Educational Center @ Beltline

Mary Bouwense, president of the teachers union (Grand Rapids Education Association), said none of the findings come as a surprise.

She said the report validates concerns raised that nobody was listening prior to the Kent Intermediate Superintendent Association pursuing a third-party, independent review.

She (Steenwyk) was thorough and did a good job, Bouwense said. The good thing about this is that our kids and staff are going to finally win.

Steenwyk also reported that when she inquired about the nature or existence of a shared purpose and vision for the Center Programs, individuals and groups alike responded in accord: there isnt one, but we need one.

Absent a unifying voice and purpose, programs and staff struggle to do their best to deliver consistent educational services to students with the most complex learning needs, according to the report.

Steenwyk said the resulting individuation across and within Center Programming has contributed to a pervasive variability across all aspects of the educational process.

"This presents challenges when addressing the needs of students who require consistency, intensive supports and unique learning situations,'' according to the report. This variability also influences and promotes perceived or at times real programmatic weakness.

Lily Schulting, a special education parent who founded the advocacy group Disability A-TEAM of West Michigan, said the report is a good starting point for addressing issues theyve been lobbying for because it provides a framework and assessment.

As parents, we have high expectations for our children to reach their full potential and become high functioning and that will require more resources and support, said Schulting, who has a 15-year-old, nonverbal autistic son.

She said a few things stood out in the report, including that while many of the staff express a strong desire for opportunities to grow and learn through exposure and practices, Steenwyk reports current cultures do not foster a mindset of high expectations and student potential.

Our teachers are amazing and have a heart for children but need access to training, specific professional development to better support students, Schulting said.

The report references a need for high quality and consistent access to professional development specific to those supporting the most complex learners.

Schulting and Bouwense also took note of Steenwyks remarks related to allegations parents and staff were merely disgruntled because they didnt like certain program changes.

The perception that stakeholder concerns were rooted in a difficulty in accepting change were not substantiated during this process, in fact stakeholders repeatedly voiced not only acceptance of change but a willingness to be part of it, according to the report.

Steenwyks program implementation plans will be developed, and implementation supports will be provided using key elements of current research around effective implementation practices within educational settings.

Program improvement and implementation plans will be accessible after each program has been given an opportunity to be included in the development process and provide input on priority areas, action steps and alignment with other improvement efforts.

Some additional highlights from the report on the Kent ISD website include:

Recommendations for ISD wide collaboration efforts for young children and post school age young adults:

It is recommended that two separate stakeholder groups be convened during the Spring/Summer of 2019 to begin exploring how services to young children, inclusive of the current Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE classrooms) and post school age young adults could be organized and coordinated and what an ISD-wide continuum of services should look like.

It is also recommended that these groups have appropriate and balanced representation from all county stakeholder voices inclusive of parents who are currently end users of the current system/s.

By the Fall of 2019 there would be an articulated set of recommendations for improvement that could be acted upon by administration and staff serving students within those age groups.

Recommendations for ISD wide educational services for complex learners:

Core mission and purpose and guiding principles for center programs

Explicit expectations

Safety and security

Effective implementation of essential components of education practice

Continuous school improvement process

Steenwyk was paid $70,000 for the two-phase evaluation. Caniff said school leaders now want to hire her to ensure improvements are implemented effectively.

The sole purpose of this review was to provide a lens by which we can improve and we will use this report as a foundation to grow going forward,'' said Caniff, who expressed gratitude to Grand Rapids schools for its professionalism in serving special needs students over the decades.

Last April, the Kent ISD School Board appointed Paul Dymowski as director of its center-based special education programs when it officially takes over operations in July.
JACKSON, MI  Jackson Police Officer Trent Marcum acted justifiably when he shot a man during a hostage situation in February, Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka has ruled.

In a statement released Tuesday, March 12, Jarzynka cleared Marcum of criminal wrongdoing for shooting parole absconder Corey Catlin in the neck on Feb. 2. Catlin, who survived, was holding his mother hostage at the time.

Catlin presented an immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to (his mother), Jarzynka wrote. Officer Marcum acted properly in defense of (Catlins mother) breaking down the front door and then firing at Corey Catlin.

At about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, police were dispatched to check on a person inside a home in the 100 block of W. Mansion Street where they heard a man and woman screaming inside, Jackson Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt said previously.

Calls to 911 from both Catlins girlfriend and sister indicated Catlin was intoxicated, suicidal and had mental health issues, according to the Michigan State Police investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

The callers also indicated Catlin wanted to be killed by police, the MSP report said.

After ignoring commands to open the door, Marcum, alongside three supporting JPD officers, kicked in the front door of the home and saw Catlin with his mother in a choke hold with his cellphone in one hand and a knife in the other, police said.

Catlin was broadcasting the incident on Facebook Live and screaming he was going to kill his mother, Jarzynka wrote.

As Catlin moved, appearing as if he was going to stab his mother, Marcum fired one shot striking Catlin in the neck, Jarzynka said. Police subdued Catlin and rushed his mother to safety, administering first aid until medical personnel took over, he said.

Catlins mother was taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Heath where she was treated for three stab wounds, one of which caused her right lung to collapse.

Catlin was treated for his injures and returned to the Michigan Department of Corrections for violating parole, records show.

No charges associated with the stabbing of Catlins mother have been filed yet, records show.
EAGLE TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 3-year-old boy has died two days after a vehicle crash that also killed his mother, according to police.

Clinton County Sheriff deputies responded at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, March 9, to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on westbound I-96 at Wright Road, according to a news release.

Ryan Lahaie, 38, was driving with his wife, Dana Lahaie, 36, in the front passenger seat and their 3-year-old son in the rear. An eastbound driver crossed the median and struck the Lahaie familys vehicle head-on, police said.

Dana Lahaie died at the scene of the crash, police said. Ryan Lahaie was critically injured, police said initially.

The child, whose name has not been released, was on life support at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing before he was pronounced dead Monday afternoon, Clinton County Sheriffs Office Lt. Jeff Clarke said.

The family is from Lowell, police said.

Thomas Hahn, 55, from Ottawa, Illinois, was driving the eastbound vehicle and was injured, police said.

The crash remains under investigation. Alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash, according to the news release from the Clinton County Sheriffs office.
KALAMAZOO, MI  A man is dead and a public safety officer is recovering after police and the suspect engaged in a shootout at a Kalamazoo business.

The 30-year-old man, an employee at Grifols Biomat plasma donation center, was killed Tuesday, March 12, after being struck by multiple bullets fired by police responding to the business, police said. Officers responded to the center in the 100 block of East Kalamazoo Avenue at 11:29 a.m. Tuesday.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon the first two arriving officers immediately entered the building having information on an active shooting. There, the man was standing just inside and was armed with a handgun.

The suspect fired a shot inside the building and told others who were there to call police, Thomas said. Then, he waited for them to arrive.

It appears that he entered the business with the intent to draw officers to the scene and then ambush them upon entry, Thomas said.

The suspect opened fire on officers, hitting a 2.5-year KDPS officer multiple times in the torso. That officers partner, who has served on the force for nine months, continued to engage with the suspect, striking him multiple times, until other KDPS officers arrived, Thomas said.

The suspect was killed. Both officers, who Thomas declined to identify Tuesday, are at home recuperating but are not on paid administrative leave, Thomas said. The officer who was injured has since been released from the hospital.

He was saved today by his bulletproof vest and the quick reaction of his fellow officer, Thomas said.

Thomas said the investigation is ongoing and will be handled by the Michigan State Police, KDPS detectives and the departments Office of Professional Standards. The case will be forwarded to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutors Office for review.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  U.S. District Judge Janet Neff has sentenced Tammy Sue Burdette, 52, of Battle Creek, to 36 months in prison and ordered her to pay $569,852 in restitution for filing false tax returns.

From 2009 through 2012, Burdette was employed as the office manager at VHC, PC, and stole more than $3 million, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge at the United States Attorneys Office in the Western District of Michigan.

Burdette wrote checks payable to herself from VHCs bank account and spent the money gambling. Burdette failed to account for the money on her income tax returns, the news release states.

The defendant, Tammy Sue Burdette, stole more than $3 million and willfully failed to report that income to the Internal Revenue Service. Her conduct deprived the American taxpayer of $569,852 in tax revenue, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Manny Muriel said in a prepared statement. As we approach the April 15 tax deadline, the public can rest assured that the special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to protect the U.S. tax system, ensuring everyone accurately reports their income and pays their fair share of taxes.

IRS Criminal Investigations handled the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler handled the prosecution.
KOCHVILLE TWP, MI - Author, columnist, political pundit and professor Michael Eric Dyson will visit Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, this weekend.

Dyson, a columnist for The New York Times and sociology professor at Georgetown University, is the keynote speaker for the SVSU-hosted Equity in the Classroom conference taking place at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.

Dyson lends his voice to social issues that include race, politics, religion and culture.

His books include: Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?, Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X and The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America.

Mamie T. Thorns, special assistant to the president for diversity programs, said Dyson is one of the nations preeminent thought leaders.

Whether you agree or disagree with what he is saying, he has a true talent to engage audiences and encourage meaningful discourse, said Thorns, who helped organize the event.

There is no cost to attend the event and it is open to the public.

For more information about SVSUs event, contact SVSUs Office of Diversity Programs at 989-964-4068.
The fallout from the second crash of Boeings newest 737 passenger jet has reached Australian shores as it becomes the latest country to ground the aircraft.

Australian civil aviation authority has followed the similar move announced by China, Indonesia, the Cayman Islands, Ethiopia, Mongolia and Morocco earlier this week.

On Tuesday, South Africa, Singapore and Vietnam also announced they are grounding the troubled aircraft. At the same time, Indias aviation regulator tightened norms governing the operation the jet.

The measures come days after Boeings latest 737 flying from Ethiopia to Kenia crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people.

The deadly crash occured less than five months after another brand new 737 MAX 8, belonging to Indonesian airline Lion Air, fell into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, taking the lives of all 189 on board.

Also on rt.com More global carriers ground Boeings newest 737 after another deadly crash

Earlier this week, the US Federal Aviation Administration reaffirmed the airworthiness of the Boeing 737 MAX. At the same time, the agency said that, while external reports are drawing similarities between the accidents, which killed 346 people in total, its too early to judge if a common issue is to blame.

US carriers continue to operate the aircraft despite the two recent crashes.

American Airlines has not grounded the 24 jumbo jets in its fleet, saying it would await the investigation into the crash.

Southwest, which operates 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said it remains confident in the safety of our fleet.

Shortly after the announcement, Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace group, pledged to upgrade the software on its 737 MAX 8 within weeks. The company has been reportedly working on the flight control software enhancement since the crash in Java Sea in October.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
I cant tell our neighbors why I couldnt do it for them when I did it for you, Bill Holder told the petitioner Feb. 11. I know we can do it, but Im hard-pressed to say why we should.
The fallout from the second crash of Boeings newest 737 passenger jet has reached Australian shores as it becomes the latest country to ground the aircraft.

Australian civil aviation authority has followed the similar move announced by China, Indonesia, the Cayman Islands, Ethiopia, Mongolia and Morocco earlier this week.

On Tuesday, South Africa, Singapore and Vietnam also announced they are grounding the troubled aircraft. At the same time, Indias aviation regulator tightened norms governing the operation the jet.

The measures come days after Boeings latest 737 flying from Ethiopia to Kenia crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people.

The deadly crash occured less than five months after another brand new 737 MAX 8, belonging to Indonesian airline Lion Air, fell into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, taking the lives of all 189 on board.

Also on rt.com More global carriers ground Boeings newest 737 after another deadly crash

Earlier this week, the US Federal Aviation Administration reaffirmed the airworthiness of the Boeing 737 MAX. At the same time, the agency said that, while external reports are drawing similarities between the accidents, which killed 346 people in total, its too early to judge if a common issue is to blame.

US carriers continue to operate the aircraft despite the two recent crashes.

American Airlines has not grounded the 24 jumbo jets in its fleet, saying it would await the investigation into the crash.

Southwest, which operates 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said it remains confident in the safety of our fleet.

Shortly after the announcement, Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace group, pledged to upgrade the software on its 737 MAX 8 within weeks. The company has been reportedly working on the flight control software enhancement since the crash in Java Sea in October.

The deadly crash along with the subsequent groundings across the world sent Boeing shares plummeting 12 percent on Monday, wiping out over $28 billion from the companys market value. Boeing stock bounced back slightly but is still down by around 5 percent in pre-market trading on Tuesday.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
Boeing's 737 MAX 8 is under investigation after two deadly accidents in less than five months. The US firm's reputation and billions of dollars are at stake depending on the results of the probe into the cause of the crashes.

The 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed six minutes after take-off on Sunday en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. The tragedy followed Indonesia's Lion Air 737 Max 8 crash in October that killed 189 passengers and crew.

The latest crash of the best-selling jet in the Boeing's 737 range might seriously challenge the unrivalled reputation of the aerospace giant. Despite the October crash the manufacturer could boast 5,011 firm orders from 79 customers for its 737 MAX 8 as of the end of January.

Also on rt.com Troubled Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes banned from UK airspace

The worst-case scenario may reportedly wipe out up to five percent of Boeing's annual revenue within several months. If the software problem causes full grounding of the jets and even suspension of deliveries, the company will lose around $5.1 billion, according to experts from Jefferies investment bank, as quoted by the Washington Post. The analysts say that the entire 737 program is projected to raise $32 billion for Boeing in 2019 alone.

Boeing stock continued sliding on Tuesday, down over five percent at 14:44 GMT.

Late on Monday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Boeing's 737 Max 8 model is airworthy. The agency declined to order airlines to ground the jet. The aerospace group said it is working on a software update on the aircraft in close cooperation with the FAA.

The FAA decision hasn't stopped global carriers and aviation authorities from grounding the jet until the results of a full investigation, which could take months. However, some regulators reject to the drastic measure, saying that mounting concerns over the jet's safety are far too premature.

Also on rt.com Australia bans Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights following second deadly crash

Who is grounding Boeing 737 MAX 8s?

The United Kingdom became the latest to announce a ban on Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from British airspace.

Ethiopian Airlines has grounded the remaining four Boeing 737 MAX planes in its fleet as an "extra safety precaution." The air carrier still has orders for an additional 25 same-model jets placed with Boeing.

China's Civil Aviation Administration has ordered all the country's domestic airlines to stop flights using the airplane. The regulator cited "zero tolerance for safety hazards" as grounds for the decision. According to Chinese media reports, the country's airlines are currently operating 97 of the planes in their fleets.

Indonesia joined the ban, having suspended the flights of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operated by its airlines. The step will "ensure that aircraft operating in Indonesia are in an airworthy condition," according to an official statement by the Directorate General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation.

Cayman Airways, which also flies the latest 737, said it was placing a temporary ban on flying the jets in the light of the latest accident.

Mongolia's Civil Aviation Authority has followed suit, ordering the national air carrier MIAT to temporarily suspend its Boeing 737 MAX flights.

Also on rt.com Boeing stock drops most in two decades after 2nd crash of its popular 737 passenger jet

Royal Air Maroc announced it is suspending all commercial flights carried out by the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore pledged to temporarily stop using "all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months." The ban will affect the carriers that fly into the country, including China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air, as well as Singaporean domestic airline SilkAir, which had previously rejected the grounding measure.

On Tuesday, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) temporary placed a ban on in and out flights carried by all Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets.

"This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia," the regulator said.

Australian carriers reportedly don't operate the 737 MAX, while two foreign airlines, including Singapore's SilkAir and Fiji Airways have been flying the jets into the country. SilkAir is barred from flying any 737 MAX by the Singaporean state aviation authority. However, Fiji Airways is not planning to stop flying the two 737 MAX 8s in its fleet.

Also on rt.com More global carriers ground Boeings newest 737 after another deadly crash

South Africa's Comair Airways announced plans to delete the 737 MAX 8 from its flight schedule, though the carrier hasn't received any official requirements neither from regulatory authorities nor from the manufacturer.

"While Comair has done extensive preparatory work prior to the introduction of the first 737 MAX 8 into its fleet and remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft, it has decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing and technical experts," the company's statement reads.

South Korea's lowcoster Eastar Jet also grounded its two 737 MAX 8 jets starting to "dispel the worry and concern of the people." The carrier vowed to resume flights when there are no more safety concerns.

Argentina's largest airline placed a temporary ban on commercial operations for the five 737 MAX 8s in its fleet.

Aeromexico, the flag carrier airline of Mexico, is temporarily grounding its six 737 MAX 8 planes "until more thorough information on the investigation of flight ET302 accident can be provided."

Norwegian Air temporarily suspended flights with the Boeing's plane, following recommendations by European aviation authorities. Norway's largest carrier had previously refused to stop operating its 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

"We are in close dialogue with Boeing and follow their and the aviation authorities' instructions and recommendations," Tomas Hesthammer, director of flight operations said. "Our passengers' safety is and will always be our top priority."

Also on rt.com China grounds its 737 MAX fleet after latest-gen Boeing jet suffers 2nd crash in 5 months

Who is still flying the controversial planes?

Without the FAA ban, US airlines continue to operate the aircraft despite the two recent crashes. The country's two major carriers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines refused to stop operations of 737 MAX 8 jets. Texas-based American Airlines expressed its condolences to the families of crash victims, pledging to further monitor the investigation. Southwest Airlines, which operates 34 of the aircraft in its fleet, is not planning to change its operational policies or procedures.

Canada's air carrier WestJet decided not to suspend using the 13 MAX 8s it has in its fleet.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident," WestJet said in a statement. "WestJet remains confident in the safety of our Boeing 737 fleet including our 13 MAX-8 aircraft first introduced in 2017."

Emirati airline Flydubai, that flies 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, said it "remains confident in the airworthiness of our fleet."

"We are monitoring the situation and continue to be in touch with Boeing... The safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority," the statement by Flydubai reads. "The aviation sector is highly regulated and Flydubai rigorously adheres to all regulations."

Germany's TUI Aviation Group also doesn't have plans to suspend the 15 aircraft it is operating.

"We do not comment on any speculation and we are, as always, in close contact with the manufacturer," the airline said in a statement. "We have no indication that we can't operate our 737 MAX in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network."

Icelandair, the flag carrier of Iceland, said its three Boeing 737 MAX jets have never been involved in any incidents. The company pledged to monitor further developments with the aircraft.

Also on rt.com Boeing cancels 777X launch event after Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 crash

"At this stage, Icelandair is not taking any action following recent events, but we will, however, follow any developments closely and continue to do all we can to ensure safety on board now as before," a statement reads.

Brazil's GOL Linhas Aereas, which operates seven 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, also refused to ground the jets.

"GOL continues to follow the investigations and maintains close contact with Boeing for clarification," the airline said in a statement. "The company reiterates confidence in the safety of its fleet."

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
US diplomats are undermining Venezuelan peace and stability, the nations Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said, setting a deadline for them to vacate the embassy in Caracas. Washington vowed to hurry the evacuation of its mission.

American diplomats must abandon Venezuelan territory in the next 72 hours, with the countdown starting at the zero hour on Tuesday, Arreaza wrote on Twitter.

Venezuela had earlier demanded that Washington clear the embassy in Caracas of any remaining personnel. The presence of American diplomats entails risks to the countrys peace, integrity and stability, the minister explained.

He accused the US of threatening the nation with military intervention and said that officials in Washington have systematically lied to the world regarding Venezuelan reality.

At the same time, Jorge Arreaza stressed that Venezuela stands ready to restart dialogue with the US, as long as the communication is based on equality and mutual respect.

As the deadline was issued, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the evacuation of the embassy in Caracas, which is set to be completed within a week.

The pullout was ordered due to the deteriorating situation in the country, he said.

The US and Venezuela have been locked in a renewed standoff since January when Washington openly backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, shortly after he declared himself interim president of the nation.

The current President Nicholas Maduro denounced Guaidos move and accused US leader Donald Trump of plotting a coup against him.

Washington imposed new sanctions on Venezuela and pressured its allies and other nations to follow suit. Some top US officials, and President Trump himself, refused to explicitly rule out the use of a military option against Caracas.

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Italian parents are being warned not to send their kids to school without vaccinations, or face a 500 fine, while children under six can be turned away altogether.

Following months of debate over the issue of mandatory vaccines in Italy, the deadline has been reached for parents to prove their children have received mandatory immunisations before attending school. Parents must now show their kids have been inoculated against chickenpox, polio, measles, mumps and rubella or be subject to the fine or suspension.

The so-called Lorenzin law requiring mandatory vaccinations was initially passed in 2017 following an outbreak of measles throughout Europe that got even worse the following year, but the deadline was suspended several times due to bureaucratic issues.

Authorities are striving to hit the World Health Organizations recommended 95% inoculation rate for measles, with the current rate for children born since 2015 sitting just below the target at 94%.

Health Minister Giulia Grillo told La Repubblica newspaper that the repeated delays have given everyone plenty of time to catch up, reportedly resisting efforts by Prime Minister Matteo Salvini to further extend the deadline.

No vaccine, no school, she stated bluntly. There is an epidemic in progress.

Despite the strong words, Grillo also expressed the need to convince citizens to do something positive for their health, not impose.

Nonetheless, the government has already taken action against families found not in compliance with the new order. In Bologna, authorities reportedly suspended some 300 children for failure to provide up-to-date vaccination records. Two parents were reported to the government for falsely claiming their children had been vaccinated.

Also on rt.com Measles surges to ALARMING levels in nearly 100 countries, consequences may be DISASTROUS  UN

Italys ruling coalition government that came into power last May initially expressed skepticism over the mandatory vaccination rule, and even threatened to overturn the law altogether. They eventually, however, backed down on the issue following pressure by experts and pro-vaccine petitions.

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The Pakistan Air Force has successfully tested a new domestically-built extended-range missile, said to be a smart weapon. It also vowed to respond with full force if subjected to any foreign aggression.

The weapon, which is apparently an air-to-surface missile, has been deployed by a JF-17 Thunder  a Chinese-Pakistani multirole fighter jet  the Air Force said on Tuesday. No characteristics of the new missile have been made publicly available, yet it is described as a smart weapon which has an extended range.

A short and grainy video of the test has been released, showing a fighter jet deploying the missile which then hits the designated area at a proving ground. Footage ends with a still showing the crater made by the missile.

The development and successful test of the new weapon has been lauded by the Chief of Air Staff, Mujahid Anwar Khan, who praised the country's engineers and scientists for this achievement.

Pakistan is a peace loving nation but if subjected to aggression by [an] adversary, we would respond with full force, the official warned.

READ MORE: 'We won't allow militant groups in our country': Pakistani PM vows to eliminate 'outside terrorism'

The test comes amid the standoff between Pakistan and India, which has continued between the two nuclear-armed nations since late February. The flare-up was triggered by a deadly suicide bombing in India's part of the Kashmir region, which killed some 40 paramilitary police. The attack was claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group, prompting India to perform cross-border air raids on the militant camps. Pakistan responded to New Delhi's operation by shelling and bombing targets in India.

Also on rt.com India knows identity of downed Pakistani pilot, sad that F-16 loss is denied  defense minister

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In Illinois, through the Peoria area, every signal has it (through) that whole district with IDOT, Nelson told the committee. Then in the Chicago area, Kane County's been doing it for a couple of years, McHenry County is going to start doing them this year, and we're going to be doing them in 2020, so it's starting to migrate into this area as well."
Osburn, who came to District 95 from Naperville Community Unit School District 203 in July 2016, has said the decision to leave Lake Zurich was among the most difficult in his career. But he said he couldnt pass up the opportunity to lead a school district where he was raised and currently resides.
(CNN)  A Greek man said he missed the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed just after taking off from Addis Ababa by mere minutes, in a Facebook post that has now been shared thousands of times.

In a post called "My Lucky Day," Antonis Mavropoulos shared an image of what appears to be his boarding pass and says he arrived at his gate just after boarding had finished on Sunday morning.

"When I arrived, boarding was closed and I watched the last passengers in (the) tunnel go in. I screamed to put me in but they didn't allow it," he wrote.

The flight crashed six minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board.

Mavropoulos says he was transferred to the next flight to Nairobi but was later told he was unable to board because security wanted to talk with him after discovering the plane had lost contact.

A security staff member "told me gently not to protest and say thank you to God, because I am the only passenger who did not enter the flight," Mavropoulos wrote.

The ill-fated flight was packed with humanitarian workers and international experts, many of whom were bound for a major United Nations environmental summit in the Kenyan capital.

Mavropoulos wrote that he texted friends in Nairobi trying to get news of the plane, before eventually receiving a message from a friend in Greece confirming the news.

"I collapsed because then I realized how lucky I was," he wrote.

Ethiopian Airlines said passengers from at least 35 countries were on the flight.

The crash has led to questions about Boeing's new 737 MAX 8 jet, which was also involved in the Lion Air crash that killed 189 people last October.

"At this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," Charlie Miller, Boeing's vice president of communications, said in a statement.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Man who missed Ethiopian Airlines flight shares emotional post"
The instructional shift is much like what has been adopted in science and in English language arts, where questions are crafted to spark inquiry and cultivate collaboration, Tucker said. In addition, it integrates reading, writing and speaking and encourages student to begin taking informed action, she said.
The Bandhan Bank's proposed 14.9 percent stake allotment to HDFC for merging Gruh Finance will test the Reserve Bank of India's regulations of 2016 on shareholding in private sector banks.

Gruh Finance, the affordable housing finance arm of HDFC, was taken over in January by Kolkata based Bandhan Bank in a share swap deal.

"RBI's approval had been sought for allotment of 14.9 percent stake of Bandhan Bank to HDFC post-merger. Though there is no apparent regulatory hurdle in this regard, this is the first case going through the RBI regulations of 2016," sources involved in the deal told PTI.

The deal will allow Bandhan Bank's promoter Bandhan Financial holding to come down to about 61 percent from about 82 percent, and HDFC to hold around 15 percent in the merged entity from about 57 percent in Gruh.

Meanwhile, Bandhan Bank has denied that it took control of Gruh in a costly deal.

"HDFC is not going to get any board berth and controlling premium in the deal," a top Bandhan Bank source said adding that analysts are not taking these factors into account

Moreover, both the companies (Bandhan Bank and Gruh Finance) are listed entities and the swap ratio was determined by exchange traded prices on which no one has any control, he said.

The swap ratio for the amalgamation will be 568 shares of Bandhan Bank for every 1,000 shares of Gruh Finance.
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British oil firm Cairn Energy Plc on Tuesday said its holding in Vedanta Ltd has dropped to just 0.1 per cent after the Income Tax Department sold most of its 4.9 per cent stake in the company to recover a retrospective tax demand. Besides realising about Rs 5,000 crore from selling the shares together with redemption proceeds on Vedanta Ltd preference shares, the Income Tax Department has also seized Rs 1,140 crore of dividend due to the British company as well as Rs 1,590 crore of tax refund in an unrelated case, Cairn said in its 2018 financial earnings statement.

The company reported a net loss of $1.1 billion in the year ending December 31, 2018 "resulting principally from a write-down of Cairn's investments in India", it said.

Cairn discovered India's biggest onland oilfield in Rajasthan in January 2004. It later sold the India business Cairn India to Vedanta in 2011 for $for $8.67 billion. It, however, held a small stake of close to 10 per cent in the company. Cairn India was in April 2017 merged into parent Vedanta Ltd. Subsequent to that Cairn Energy held a 4.9 per cent stake in Vedanta Ltd.

In the earnings statement, Cairn said it had in January 2014 received a notice from the Income Tax Department, requesting information relating to the group reorganisation done in 2006. Alongside, the Income Tax Department attached the company's near 10 per cent shareholding in Cairn India. In March 2015, the tax department sought Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on alleged capital gains made by the company in the internal reorganisation.

"In that notification, the tax department claimed to have identified unassessed taxable income resulting from certain intra-group share transfers undertaken in 2006, such transactions having been undertaken in order to facilitate the IPO of Cairn India Ltd in 2007. The notification made reference to retrospective Indian tax legislation enacted in 2012, which the tax department was seeking to apply to the 2006 Transactions," the statement said.

"In addition to attaching shares in Vedanta Ltd, the tax department seized dividends due to Cairn from those shareholdings totalling Rs 1,140 crore. The Income Tax Department has also notified Cairn that a tax refund of Rs 1,590 crore due to Cairn as a result of overpayment of capital gains tax on a separate matter in 2011, has been applied as partial payment of the tax assessment of the 2006 transactions," it said.

Cairn in March 2015 initiated an international arbitration against the actions of the income tax department, during whose pendency, the attached shares were sold.

"Between May and October 2018 the tax department sold off 99 per cent of Cairn's equity shareholding in Vedanta Ltd and seized the proceeds of $608.8 million. Shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from Rs 286.83 ($4.25) per share down to Rs 229.68 ($3.23) per share. The tax department also seized the proceeds of $104.3 million on the redemption of the preference shares in October 2018," the statement said.

Cairn is currently restricted from selling its remaining shares in Vedanta Ltd.

Cairn's principal claims in the arbitration, initiated under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty, are that the assurance of fair and equitable treatment and protection against expropriation afforded by the treaty have been breached by the actions of the tax department, which is seeking to apply retrospective taxes to historical transactions already closely scrutinised and approved by the Indian government.

"Cairn's plea is therefore that the effects of the tax assessment should be nullified and that Cairn should receive recompense from India for the loss of value resulting from the 2014 attachment of Cairn's shares in Carin India Ltd and the withholding of the tax refund, which together total approximately $1.4 billion," the statement said.

All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the arbitration tribunal is in the process of drafting its award.

Cairn said the assessment by the tax department of principal tax due on the 2006 transactions is Rs 10,247 crore plus applicable interest and penalties.

Interest is currently being charged on the principal at a rate of 12 per cent per annum from February 2017. Penalties are currently assessed as 100 per cent of the principal tax due.

"The Group has legal advice confirming that the maximum amount that could ultimately be recovered from Cairn by the tax department, in excess of the assets already seized, is limited to the value of Cairn's (India) assets, principally the remaining ordinary shares in Vedanta Ltd," it added.
Lalit Agarwal, Chief Managing Director of V-Mart Retail, spoke to CNBC-TV18 about the company's business plans and growth prospects.

"We saw some softness in the market during December and January. We have started seeing early pick up due to Holi," Agarwal said on March 12.

Talking about the Q4 same-store-sales growth, he said, "It should be somewhere around mid-single digit growth."

"Next year we are bullish because this year if we do not have too much of growth, we should have a good base to start from. So next year we should be bullish enough and we see a lot of activities even from the government side resulting into economic upcoming of people, a lot of work which has happened in the past 7-8 months and also things that will come up in coming days should add a lot of economic upswing in public consumption space," he added.

On the store expansion front, Agarwal said, "We continue our store opening plan. We have already opened 37 stores in this fiscal year and we are yet to announce some of the stores. We have opened 37 and we have a plan to open more in the remaining 18 days also and we will target more in next year also."

Source: CNBC-TV18
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Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) is seeking more than $70 million from Indivior as compensation for lost sales in the US for delaying the entry of its generic version of opioid de-addiction drug Suboxone sublingual film, according to a report filed by Reuters.

The company launched its generic buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual film, or Suboxone, which is used in the treatment of opioid dependence, 'at-risk' in the US after it got a final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) on June 15.

An 'at-risk' launch of a generic is when a company launches a drug for sale while the patent litigation is still ongoing.

Indivior, a spin-off of British drug maker Reckitt Benckiser, had managed to block sales of DRL's generic version of Suboxone Film through a court injunction since July on grounds of pending patent litigation.

Indivior is said to have posted a bond of $72 million to cover DRL's potential claim of lost profit while the injunction was contested.

Last month, US Supreme Court refused to uphold that injunction, allowing the company to resume sales of the drug.

But the damage was done, as the Supreme Court judgement paved way for three other generic entrants. DRL's lost major opportunity to boost its US revenue, where it is facing pricing pressure.
File image of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad

Malaysia Airlines may be sold or shut down, Malaysia's leader said on March 12, the latest bad news for a carrier that has been in crisis since suffering the loss of two planes.

The 71-year-old airline has been on the ropes since 2014 when Flight MH370 disappeared and MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile over war-torn Ukraine.

With the carrier teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, sovereign wealth fund Khazanah stepped in to take it over several years ago and major reforms were instituted, including cutting thousands of staff.

But it has continued to fare poorly and its performance was blamed in large part for a set of poor financial results released by Khazanah last week.

Responding to questions about the airline's future, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in parliament: "I think it is a very serious matter, to shut down the national airline.

"We will nevertheless be studying and investigating as to whether we should shut it down or we should sell it off or we should refinance it."

Official news agency Bernama reported that Khazanah last week posted a pre-tax loss of 6.3 billion ringgit ($1.54 billion) for 2018, compared with a pre-tax profit of 2.9 billion ringgit the year before.

Mahathir, 93 and in his second stint as premier, is seeking to reduce a mammoth national debt inherited from the previous, corruption-plagued regime.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement it had been "working closely" with Khazanah on the next phase of its turnaround plan since September.

The disappearance of Flight MH370, which was carrying 239 people, remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries, and successive searches have failed to find the plane.
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"Naresh Goyal is not going anywhere," said a senior executive at a leading budget airline, when asked about the rescue deal in the works at Jet Airways that may see its founder step down. Read: Naresh Goyal seeks Rs 750-cr lifeline from Etihad, warns delay may ground Jet Airways

Even if Goyal does step down, he will retain a significant stake -- though much lower than the present 51 percent -- in Jet Airways, and will be among the dominant shareholders along with banks and Etihad Airways. The Abu Dhabi airline at present holds 24 percent stake in its Indian peer.

Not just that, Goyal and his family may get to nominate up to two representatives on the board, and if he bargains hard, may even land an executive role for his son Nivaan.

"The deal draft that has been shared, is the nth one," added the executive quoted above, indicating that the final word hasn't been said.

Another executive in the industry added that Etihad and Goyal have agreed to invest in the distressed airline, but are parlaying for larger control over the company.

But time it ticking away for the airline.

Jet Airways urgently needs fund infusion, and has now defaulted twice. On March 11, the company stated that it has defaulted on repayments against an external commercial borrowing due to shortage of capital. In December too, it had missed a repayment schedule.

The company has a debt of about Rs 8,000 crore, and needs to repay Rs 1,700 crore by March-end.

One of its biggest priorities will be to bring back its grounded aircraft back to service. According to a PTI report on March 11, Goyal in his letter to Etihad mentioned that 50 of Jet's 123 aircraft have been grounded. While most of these planes were grounded after the airline failed to pay its lessors, some of the fleet has been kept out of service for want of spare parts.

The airline is also in a spot of bother as patience is running out among its pilots and engineers, who haven't been paid salaries.

While Goyal has always had a professional CEO running the operations, he has been deeply involved in the affairs of the airline.

"Top guys in all the departments, including revenue and sales, owe their appointments to Goyal. If a reconstituted board wants to start anew, it will have to make major changes along the rank and file," said an executive.

Even the pilots union, is said to be close to the present management.

In his letter to the pilots on March 1, Goyal had asked for time till March 18, by which he said that Jet's senior management would announce the resolution plan. With less than a week to go, approvals for the deal that Goyal mentioned in the letter, need to come fast.

And till then, the question will remain: "Who will manage Jet Airways?"
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan believes that the UK could benefit from leaving the European Union (EU) if the government gets the Brexit policy framework right.

Rajan, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who has also been tipped by some UK media reports as one of the candidates to succeed Mark Carney as the Governor of the Bank of England next year, said that the Brexit vote in June 2016 was as much a "cry" against London as it was against the EU.

"I don't think it will be resolved if power goes back to London but doesn't get diffused to communities. This [Brexit] is as much a cry against London as it is a cry against the EU, he told The Times'.

Asked if he thought Britain's future might be brighter outside the EU, he said: "It could be, but it does require a lot of things to go right. The big Brexit debate is, can you, in a short span of time, re-engage with the world on equal terms while getting more sovereign powers?

"I have no doubt that there is a scenario in which that can happen, and I have no doubt there are other scenarios where it flops miserably.

The 56-year-old, now based at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, was also critical of the profoundly undemocratic centralisation of power by the EU and called on Brussels to roll back its federalising agenda and relax its strict harmonisation of standards.

"Do you need the same regulations in every locality? So what if they follow slightly different regulations in Italy than in France," he said.

In reference to his most recent book The Third Pillar', he warned that capitalism was under serious threat and that governments cannot afford to ignore social inequality.

He said: "I think capitalism is under serious threat because it's stopped providing for the many, and when that happens, the many revolt against capitalism.

"It's [capitalism] not providing equal opportunity and in fact the people who are falling off are in a much worse situation," he said.

His remarks came as UK lawmakers are set to decide whether to accept the Brexit deal struck by Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU.

If lawmakers vote against the deal on March 12 evening, they will then get to vote on March 13 and March 14 respectively on whether the UK should leave the 28-member bloc with no deal or should request a delay to its departure, scheduled for March 29.
Markets regulator SEBI on March 12 withdrew the 20 percent limit on investments by Foreign Portfolio Investors in corporate bonds of an entity. In a notification, the regulator said the restriction is being withdrawn in accordance with a circular issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In June last year, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had mandated that no Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) shall have an exposure of more than 20 percent of its corporate bond portfolio to a single corporate.

However, the central bank in February lifted the restriction in view of market feedback.

To give effect to the directions of the RBI, the regulator said provisions of its June 2018 circulars with respect to exposure of more than 20 percent "stands withdrawn with immediate effect".
Uday Kotak; $11.3 billion

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday once again refused to give any interim relief to Kotak Mahindra Bank in its row with the RBI over a regulatory diktat to pare promoter's holding in the fourth largest private sector lender.

The court turned down the bank's plea for an interim protection from regulatory action saying the matter is not as simple as the petitioner is making it out to be, and posted the matter for further hearing to April 1.

When the petition came up for hearing before a division bench of justices AS Oka and MS Sanklecha, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the bank, sought an interim protection from the RBI directive and proposed capping voting rights of the promoters.

"We need interim protection. The RBI's concern is with regard to concentration of control of power. We will give assurance that till May 2020 promoters shall not vote in excess of 20 per cent," Salve told the court.

The court, however, shot down this suggestion and said, "It cannot be that simple."

Salve then said the RBI cannot force the bank's promoters to sell their shares.

The court adjourned the matter to April 1.

The bank had moved the court on December 10, 2018, challenging an RBI directive of August 13, 2018, which had directed it to dilute the promoter's shareholding from around 30 per cent to a maximum of 20 per cent of its paid-up voting equity capital by December 31, 2018 and to 15 per cent by March 31, 2020.

This is the second time that the bank failed to get any interim relief from the court. On the first day of the hearing on December 10, 2018, the bank had sought a stay on the December 31 deadline but it was rejected. In August 2018, the promoters had tried to lower the holdings through a complex perpetual non-cumulative preference shares sale but it did not make the regulatory cut.

Through this sale Uday Kotak, the founder and main promoter of Kotak Mahindra Bank, had said that his family's stake was coming down to 19.70 per cent from about 30 per cent.

However, within a few days, the Reserve Bank rejected the stake dilution method adopted by Kotak saying it did not meet its regulatory norms, something the private sector lender contested in its reply to the regulator.

Following this, in an unprecedented move, Kotak Bank had on December 10, 2018, taken the regulator to the Bombay High Court challenging the December 31, 2018 deadline to dilute the stake.

In the petition, the bank is seeking a widening of the definition of the paid-up equity capital to include these preference shares as well beyond the present equity voting capital. It is also questioning the laws related to capping of the shareholding at a more fundamental level, asking if there is a legal basis to have shareholding caps.

It can be noted that the Kotak shares are the most valuable banking stocks in the country today.

According to the bank's plea, the RBI had initially asked it to only dilute promoter shareholding of its paid-up capital. However, the impugned letter sought dilution of paid-up voting equity capital.

As per the plea, after receiving the letter from RBI, the bank wrote two letters -- one on September 4, 2018 to the RBI and the other on September 24, 2018 to the RBI governor -- seeking clarification, but did not get any reply.

On a previous hearing on December 17, 2018, RBI counsel Venkatesh Dhond had opposed the plea and had said the reason behind asking for promoter stake dilution was to ensure that the voting power is not in the hands of one single group.

The lender in its petition has termed the RBI's directive as "arbitrary, without any authority of law and contrary to the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, and Article 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution".

"Even assuming that the RBI has the power to issue directions requiring reduction of promoter shareholding in banking companies, the said power can only be exercised, and has always been exercised by the RBI, with reference to the petitioner's paid-up capital and not in relation to its paid- up voting equity capital," the petitioner has argued.

The bank has requested the court to quash and set aside the RBI directions on equity dilution.

It has also pleaded the court to declare that the reduction of promoter shareholding should be considered complied with, if it is achieved as a percentage of the paid-up capital and not the paid-up voting equity capital of the bank.
There may be some bit of euphoria, mixed with a pinch of nervousness in equity markets ahead of elections, but data indicates equities have delivered positive returns in most election years, said Tushar Pradhan, Chief Investment Officer, HSBC Mutual Fund.

India is gearing up for the 17th Lok Sabha elections to be conducted in seven phases starting from April 11.

The sentiment will matter for the fund house as it recently launched HSBC Large and Midcap Equity Fund, which will remain open for subscription until March 25. Pradhan believes volatility in equities can be kept under check with the stability of large caps, and midcaps can provide necessary high growth potential engine to a portfolio.

So, a mix of a large and mid-cap fund can deliver higher growth with lesser volatility.

When asked if it was an apt time to launch this fund as investors are currently jittery ahead of elections, he said: Elections have not shown conclusive evidence of negative impact on equity market performance during the last seven Lok Sabha elections, Pradhan said.

For instance, before elections in 2014 (December 2013-May 2013) the Sensex delivered 16 percent absolute returns. In 2009 (December 2008-May 2009) the Sensex delivered 61 percent absolute returns.

From December 1, 2018, until March 11, 2019, Sensex has risen 2.50 percent.

Speaking about sectors HSBC is betting on, Pradhan said in an environment of moderate to tight liquidity the fund house prefers banks over NBFCs due to the formers stronger liability franchise.

The NPA creation, as well as the (NPA) recognition cycle, have peaked and the NPA resolution process is well underway. As a result, the private corporate lenders will see a fall in credit costs, leading to improvement in return ratios, Pradhan said.

Within the NBFC space, the fund house is investing selectively and buying companies that have a retail focus, healthy capital position and ALM (asset liability management).

The fund house is also investing in consumer discretionary stocks, automobiles, auto ancillaries, and hotels.

Longer term attractiveness of the (consumer discretionary) sector remains intact as before, given that the overall consumption demand in the economy continues to grow on the back of increasing disposal income, Pradhan said.

Among materials, HSBC Mutual Fund is also looking at stocks in the cement sector in order to capture the improving capacity utilization along with the domestic cyclical recovery and to play the housing theme.

Within industrials, the fund house prefers to invest in construction, consumer industrial, and building materials as opposed to capital goods.

Near term sentiment for infrastructure has taken a hit due to a slowdown in orders, which is a usual phenomenon ahead of elections, Pradhan said.

However, he believes the governments focus on infrastructure development is expected to continue which will be positive for the construction companies. Also, building materials segment may also benefit from the shift to organised from unorganised.

As of end-December, HSBC Mutual Funds average assets under management stood at Rs 10,707 crore, down 10.24 percent a quarter ago.
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on Tuesday warned that capitalism is under "serious threat" of a "revolt" as the economic and political system has stopped providing for the people, especially after the 2008 global financial meltdown. Rajan, now a professor at the University of Chicago, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that governments across the world cannot afford to ignore social inequality when considering the economy.

"I think capitalism is under serious threat because it's stopped providing for the many, and when that happens, the many revolt against capitalism," the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

Rajan said he believes that capitalism is breaking down because it is not providing equal opportunities.

"It's not providing equal opportunity and in fact the people who are falling off are in a much worse situation," he said.

He said authoritarian regimes arise "when you socialise all the means of production".

"A balance is needed, you can't pick and choose - what you need to do is improve opportunity," he said.

Rajan, tipped by some as a possible successor to take over from Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England, said it was possible in the past to obtain a middle class job with "modest education".

But the landscape has changed in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and the resulting austerity.

"Now, if you really want to succeed, you need a really good education," he said.

"Unfortunately, the very communities that are hit by the forces of global trade and global information tend to be communities which have deteriorating schools, rising crime, rising social illnesses and are unable to prepare their members for the global economy," he said.

A recent report from S&P Global Ratings suggests another global credit downturn is possible, with a 50 per cent surge in worldwide debt since the global financial crisis.

It said since 2008, government debt has risen 77 per cent while corporate debt is up 51 per cent.

However, the analysts said the next downturn is unlikely to be as severe as the 2008 financial crisis.

In discussing the state of the global economy, Rajan also pointed to the challenges of putting limits on the trade of goods.

"If you put up those barriers, then down the line they'll put up barriers to our goods. How are you going to keep the goods flowing across those borders when we need to send them?" he asked.
Real estate company Embassy Group is expected to launch the countrys much-awaited first real estate investment trust (REIT) on March 12 to raise around Rs 5,000 crore, sources said.

Embassy Office Parks, a joint venture between the Bengaluru-based property developer and private equity firm Blackstone, has put 33 million square feet of office and hospitality assets under its proposed REIT comprising of seven business parks and four city-centric buildings spread across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Noida.

Out of the 33 million sq ft, about 24 million sq ft area is operational at 95 percent occupancy and yielding a rental income of over Rs 2,000 crore annually. Another 3 million sq ft area is under construction and 6 million sq ft area in the pipeline.

REIT is an investment tool that owns and operates rent-yielding real estate assets. It allows individual investors to make an investment in this platform and earn income. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had notified REIT's regulations in 2014, allowing setting up and listing of such trusts, which are popular in some advanced markets.

Embassy Office Parks' rental income is expected to rise by 55 percent in the next three years as it expects to lease area at a higher rent.

Sources said the REIT issue is expected to open on March 18 with a price band of Rs 299-300 per unit. The issue closes on March 20. The total issue size is 1,29,556,000 units.

Embassy Office Parks had in September last year filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with market regulator Sebi to launch REIT.

"We will launch our REIT in few weeks," Embassy Office Parks CEO Mike Holland was quoted by media reports as saying on February 24.

The JV firm has top MNC clients in its commercial projects. More than 50 percent of the rent comes from Fortune 500 companies. Clients such as Microsoft, Google, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan have their base in the office parks.

REITs are listed entities that invest in income-generating properties and distribute at least 90 percent of their income proceeds to unit-holders through dividends. After registration with SEBI, units of REITs will have to be mandatorily listed on exchanges and traded like securities.

Properties listed through a REIT are typically commercial assets -- primarily office spaces that can generate steady and lucrative rental income. Retail malls, hotels, hospitals, schools, student housing, and hotels. Even PSU buildings can be put under REITs.

REITs offer investors who have an appetite as small as Rs 2 lakh an opportunity to invest in the commercial real estate market. Like listed shares, small investors can buy units of REITs from both primary and secondary markets.

Market regulator SEBI had notified REITs norms in September 2014, but they never took off. REITs norms have been modified by five times since then.

REITs are a historical event for India's real estate sector. It shows the maturity of the Indian real estate market as only mature economies have a REIT structure in place. It will show that we too can transact as per international standards, Anshuman Magazine, Chairman  India and South East Asia, CBRE, had told Moneycontrol.

We do expect more institutional money to flow in which may include insurance companies and even pension funds. One thing is sure  this event (REIT listing) will ensure that hereon there will be an exit route in place for investors, he said.

REIT acquisitions touched $10 billion in the first half of 2018 and accounted for 17 percent share in the investment volume in Asia, according to a CBRE- CII Report Challenges to Opportunities. In 2017 alone, total acquisitions undertaken by REITs in APAC crossed $20 billion, with an approximate share of 15 percent in the overall commercial real estate acquisitions undertaken in the region.

The report noted that a successful REIT listing in India would prompt other prominent asset holding companies such as Xander, Brookefield and CPPIB to issue their own offerings, thereby widening the real estate investment scenario in the country. REIT listings are likely to substantially move from the office sector to retail and logistics sectors thereby resulting in a creation of quality assets across segments, the report said.

Sanjay Dutt, Managing Director of Tata Housing had told Moneycontrol earlier that there are many opportunities for investors, especially retail investors going forward. The shift is likely to be from capital appreciation to rental income.

If we see commercial REITs and going forward rental housing REITs and industrial REITs, a lot of trusts will get established with retail investors. Instead of buying hard assets as an option, they are likely to go for this as an alternative model. As the sector matures over time, you will see another five to six companies getting listed over next four-five years with a combined market cap of 4 to 5 million US dollars which will allow retail investors to have an institutional play, he had said.

The Blackstone Embassy REIT is poised to be one of the biggest milestones for the Indian real estate industry this year. The REIT will also be the first opportunity for retail investors to participate in investing into a single office asset platform with assets not only in Asias No. 1 city of choice for technology occupiers but also in the major office districts of India, said Joe Verghese, Managing Director, Colliers International India.

For the industry, it opens up a new avenue for the exit for institutional office assets investments as well as provides developers with a new avenue to gain more liquidity. Considering the buoyancy in the India office leasing market and the forecasted growth, it seems to be very well timed both for the existing investors as well as for the market, Verghese added.

According to Shobhit Agarwal, MD and CEO, ANAROCK Capital, "Being realistic in one's returns expectations from REITs is important. A realistic ROI (return on investment) expectation would be in the range of 7-8 percent annually, post adjustment of the fund management fee," he said, adding, this instrument is ideal for investors who want a steady income with minimum risks.While the first listing will be an important day for Indian institutional real estate, globally whoever has invested in India or is considering the possibility of investing in India would want to see how the REIT listing fares. Everybody would be keen to see how their exits will happen. The only alternative right now for investors is sell to another fund or go in for an offshore REIT listing, says Anckur Srivasttava of GenReal Advisers.

While the initial REITs would be to do with income generating commercial assets, eventually one may see REITs getting listed for hospitals, schools, warehousing, retail malls, residential properties not being sold but only leased out, student accommodation, industrial facilities, even companies owning cinema halls could consider making their properties REIT-able, according to Srivasttava.

"It is also an excellent avenue for corporates and PSUs to liquidate their assets and using the proceeds more productively for core businesses," he added.
State Bank of India (SBI)

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State Bank of India has put on sale six non-performing accounts worth Rs 2,337.88 crore, which will be auctioned on March 26.

The bank is looking to sell all the accounts on a 100 percent cash basis to banks, ARCs, NBFCs and other financial institutions, according to the auction notice on the lender's website on Tuesday.

The accounts are Indian Steel Corporation (outstanding debt Rs 928.88 crore), Jai Balaji Industries (Rs 859.33 crore), Kohinoor Planet Construction (Rs 207.77 crore), Mittal Corp (Rs 116.34 crore), MCL Global Steel (Rs 100.18 crore), Shree Vaishnav Ispat (Rs 82.52 crore) and Gati Infrastructure (Rs 42.86 crore).

The lender said except Mittal Corp and Shree Vaishnav, the auctions are under the Swiss Challenge method and will be conducted on March 26.

Last week, the bank had put on block six other NPA accounts worth Rs 1,307.27 crore-- Parental Drugs (Rs 429.72 crore), Kamachi Industries (Rs 365.68 crore), Jain Infraprojects (Rs 361.55 crore), MPK Ispat, MPK Steel and MPK Metals (Rs 53.86 crore), Balmukund Polyplast (Rs 50.12 crore) and Martina Biogenics (Rs 46.34 crore).

The auction these accounts will be conducted on March 22.
Large overseas fund managers like Templeton, Fidelity and BlackRock have expressed privacy concerns on Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)'s KYC database plans. According to the new idea, Sebi proposes to create a central database containing the personal information of all beneficial owners of offshore funds, as reported from reliable but unnamed resources.

The argument is that a database like this, held by an external agency in India would violate the law in their home countries. The Know Your Customer (KYC) data that Sebi holds will ask for and hold direct information on ownership and benefits for overseas investors.

In April 2018, Sebi had issued a circular that asked for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to identify the BO of a fund-based ownership as well as control. At that point, stiff opposition from FPIs, especially non-resident Indians (NRIs), on this issue forced Sebi to back down and the rule was watered down, restricting the new interpretation of beneficial ownership to KYC purposes. Under the new rule, FPIs will have to submit KYC documents of beneficial owners to custodian banks. These banks will share them with registrars.

Sebis request for registrars to create a centralized database of documents that can be accessed even by other market intermediaries (with consent from the FPIs), was met by no response from Templeton, Fidelity and BlackRock. The main reason for this seems to be the privacy laws in many countries - where employee data cannot be saved outside the home country. This is specially for investors from Europe, where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have come into effect, and data privacy is taking centrestage for all discussions.

These funds have complied with this requirement from Sebi in some other countries, so there seems to be no move from Sebi to back down on these requirements. They have also assured offshore funds that their data will be safe. Stiff penalties will be imposed against entities or individuals trying to access confidential information without the regulator's approval, and the license of such violators could also be revoked, Sebi has assured.

Given the distinct rise of data privacy in global subjects of concern, Sebi and RBI will need to provide better assurance and ensure they meet international privacy requirements and act upon more stringent laws, before this kind of data will be shared.
Social media platform Facebook on March 12 launched 'Facebook Hubs', an initiative to foster innovation and offer support for budding entrepreneurs.

Facebook Hubs will extend support for startup community by hosting mentor hours and conducting trainings, workshops, discussions across 20 locations.

The locations would be in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai and in Goa, it said in a statement.

The social media platform said it has partnered with 91springboard for a year-long programme to help startups and entrepreneurs scale their businesses.

The initiative includes co-working community hosting, planning and organising structured activities like learning and skill development programmes for budding entrepreneurs.

"We have already worked with hundreds of startups through our various programmes and by teaming up with 91springboard we hope to reach out to more, to fuel India's startup ecosystem with a vision to build businesses of tomorrow," Satyajeet Singh, Head of Product Partnerships, Facebook India and South Asia said.

Facebook Hubs will be part of a global network for training and mentoring facilities for startups, developers, small and medium businesses, creators, and job seekers, the statement added.
Charles Sy, whose talent was dance, ultimately took home the crown in the March 8 male pageant, which is an annual fundraiser hosted by Maine Easts Gifted Lyceum program. J.J. Sergy came in second place, and Josh Portillo finished third for the second year in a row.
Oyo

Moneycontrol News

SoftBank-backed Oyo on March 12 said it will invest $200 million (Rs 1,400 crore) in India and Nepal markets in the next 10 months, soon after closing $1 billion fund raise.

"The money will go in capex, technology and leadership," Aditya Ghosh, CEO India and South Asia of Oyo said in an interaction with reporters.

Oyo is currently available across 259 cities with 8,700 buildings and 173,000 rooms in India.

Oyo wants to further widen its presence across India while focusing on aggressive capacity building.

The company also announced the addition of Collection O hotels to its existing portfolio of the budget- to mid-segment hotel chain brands.

The company claims to be getting over 93% of its sales are from repeat or word-of-mouth customers.

Oyo last raised $100 million from China's Didi Chuxing in January which competed its $1 billion fund raise that was announced last year.

The company currently aims to focus on investing and franchise building to take advantage of the global $3.6 trillion accommodation market.

Globally, Oyo is now present in 10 countries and over 500 cities.

"With a strong balance sheet, today we can go to more places than ever, introduce new categories, invest in our assets, while maintaining our high-quality standards, without raising any further capital," said Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO.
Trade tensions between the US and China will hammer air cargo this year, an industry body warned on March 12, the latest sign the tariff slugfest is damaging the global outlook.

The world's top two economies have been locked in a trade war since last year, swapping tit-for-tat duties on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods and sending markets into a tailspin.

The fallout has gone far beyond their shores, with manufacturing in many export-dependent Asian economies taking a hit.

In the latest sign of the dispute's effects, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) sharply cut its forecast for air cargo growth this year, citing US-China tensions as a major factor.

It said air cargo volumes are expected to grow 2.0 percent this year, nearly halving its projection made in December for 3.7 percent.

Air freight traffic contracted 1.8 per cent in January alone, IATA director general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac told a conference in Singapore.

"We are facing a problem with world trade... Cross-border trade is weakening very sharply and that's the thing that's damaging our business in the cargo world," IATA chief economist Brian Pearce said.

The group said uncertainty over Brexit and general protectionism was also hitting air cargo growth.

US and Chinese officials have said they are making progress toward a resolution of the trade dispute but conflicting messages out of Washington and Beijing mean it is still not clear when a deal may finally be sealed.
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Banks are willing to take fairly large haircuts as lenders are in rush to make recoveries ahead of the close of the financial year 2018-19, according to a report by The Financial Express, quoting executives at asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).

Central Bank of India's reserve price for Alok Industries suggests an 84 percent haircut and IDBI Bank's reserve price for Reliance Communications (RCom) implies a 55.5 percent haircut.

According to the report, lenders are demanding cash payments through ARC sales to try and ensure their provisioning burden does not rise. "We are settling National Company Law Tribunal-related (NCLT) exposures lower in cases where we get cash," an executive with a mid-sized public sector bank (PSB) told the newspaper.

The bank is making it clear to buyers that they want cash in 60 days, the executive added. A cash deal often means taking a bigger haircut.

Lenders have put up bad loan accounts worth over Rs 27,000 crore for sale in the March quarter. Deal-making today is happening at a much faster pace compared to even 12 months ago, a senior executive with an ARC said.

"Banks that have gone through the NCLT process have at times received only 60 percent of what we were offering because they preferred cash," the executive explained.

Delays in resolution through the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) route may have also forced lenders to take this route, as per sector watchers.

Large exposures that have been put on the block include Bank of Baroda (BoB) and IDBI Banks exposures to RCom  Rs 1,838 crore and Rs 1,056 crore, respectively. Also, on the block are exposures worth Rs 4,438 crore of Bhushan Power & Steel and Alok Industries to Central Bank of India and United Bank of India. Both assets were named on the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) first list of large non-performing assets (NPAs).

If State Bank of India (SBI) had decided to go ahead with the sale of its Rs 15,431-crore exposure to Essar Steel, the value of NPAs put on the block would have been much higher. The bank is said to have shelved its planned sale of the account as it was not satisfied with the sole bid it received. Central Bank of India has also put up for sale its Rs 424-crore exposure to the steel firm.

According to the report, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) loans are also being offered for sale to ARCs. About Rs 8,453 crore of loans given to individuals or small and medium enterprises are put up for sale by SBI. United Bank of India, too, is selling retail NPAs worth Rs 115 crore in addition to the corporate NPA tranche of Rs 4,405 crore.
Some of the staff guiding planes at the country's air traffic control towers are not qualified to do so, according to a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released last month.

The AAIB was studying the reasons behind a near miss between aircraft belonging to IndiGo and Emirates in January last year over Nagpur airspace, according to a report in The Economic Times.

The AAIB, which was formed in 2012 to investigate serious air accidents by the Civil Aviation Ministry, found that "handling of aircraft by an untrained/unauthorised radar controller, who was only trained to handle air traffic in the non-radar environment/procedural/planning," was the main reason behind the incident.

The investigation bureau noted that this wasn't the first time its inquiries had uncovered the presence of untrained air traffic controllers (ATCOs) guiding flights. Earlier, 19 unauthorised ATCOs were found in Nagpur, 85 in Delhi and 20 in Varanasi.

The regulation of ATCOs in India has been one of the key concerns raised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), resulting in the lowering of the country's performance on key safety parameters in 2018.

"Detection of such a large number of untrained radar controllers guiding flights is a serious concern and should be looked into," a government official told the newspaper.

According to the report, the "unauthorised" ATC officer asked IndiGo plane at 33,000 feet to descend to 25,000 feet, bringing it close to the Emirates aircraft that was at 30,000 feet. This was despite the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) sounding on both vessels.

Another reason for the Nagpur incident was a failure of the radar controller to identify the conflict and take appropriate corrective action, the report said. It also cited the "casual attitude" of the controller in handling the aircraft and leaving the active channel frequently without a proper handover.

The report also revealed inadequate staffing levels. It said controllers were exceeding duty time limits  they are meant to take a 30-minute break after every two hours.

An air traffic controller, however, dismissed the suggestion that untrained ATCOs are handling planes, at least in the capital's airport. "These untrained ATCOs are never allowed to guide flights and they do not do it in Delhi. There seems to be a lapse in the case of the Nagpur incident," the official told the paper.

Earlier, ATCOs were being regulated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Owing to rising concerns, the government subsequently entrusted the regulation of air traffic controllers to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the BJP may emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to get a second term in office.

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

"BJP may emerge as the single largest party post parliamentary elections and will have to seek support of allies (to form the government). In that scenario, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to get a second term," Pawar said.

The former Union minister said he will meet some regional parties across the country on March 14 and 15 in New Delhi, where further strategy of 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) will be discussed.

When asked about some regional parties going away from the Congress and NCP alliance in Maharashtra, Pawar said, "I appreciate the PWP for extending support to the NCP in the Lok Sabha election. NCP has also held talks with the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna (SSS) for seat-sharing, but the farmers' front has some expectations from the Congress as well. It will be decided by these two parties."

On Monday, Pawar had said he will not contest next month's Lok Sabha election. The 78-year-old veteran politician had said as two members of his family are going to contest the polls, "somebody had to step back."

However, Pawar had earlier announced that his party workers wanted him to contest from Madha constituency in Solapur district, currently represented by NCP leader Vijaysinh Mohite Patil.

Reacting to Pawar's announcement of not contesting the Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis had said the NCP leader "sensed the change in the air", and decided to rethink on plans to contest Lok Sabha poll from Madha LS seat.

On the chief minister's remarks, Pawar said, "It is childish to call my decision as defeat as I have won elections 14 times, including the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections that I contested so far. On the other hand, late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and (BJP veteran) L K Advani had tasted defeat."
India's main opposition Congress party switched its campaign focus back to economic and social issues such as jobs on Tuesday as pollsters said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election bid has been boosted by hostilities with neighbouring Pakistan.

"How will the youth get jobs? How will women feel safer, and move forward? What will be done for farmers?," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in her first speech since joining the party as a general secretary earlier this year. "These are the election issues."

Her brother, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, called unemployment the most important issue in the general election, which starts on April 11. Thousands of party supporters clapped and cheered as the siblings spoke at a rally in Gandhinagar, the capital of Modi's home state, Gujarat.

Pollsters have said Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has an early advantage after India's armed forces clashed with those of arch-rival Pakistan last month.

Before then, the prime minister had been under pressure over unemployment and rising problems for farmers. India's unemployment rate shot up to 7.2 percent in February, the highest since September 2016, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

The BJP lost power in three states late last year.

The jobs numbers took a back seat after a Feb. 14 suicide car bomb that killed 40 Indian security personnel in the disputed region of Kashmir and that was claimed by a Pakistan-based Islamist militant group. In response, India said its warplanes bombed a militant camp inside Pakistan, which responded the next day with an aerial attack of its own.

Amid doubts about the success of the Indian strike, opposition parties including Congress said earlier this month they would launch a united attack on Modi for what they called his politicisation of the armed forces since the confrontation with Pakistan.

Pollsters had said questioning Modi on national security rather than focusing on everyday issues could backfire on the prime minister's opponents. BJP leaders have said the government's economic record and the tough stance on Pakistan will help it retain power.

Zakir Hussain, who travelled about 85 km (55 miles) to attend the Gandhinagar rally, said he voted for the BJP in the last general election in 2014 but was now impressed by Congress.

"Congress has fulfilled the promises it made before the elections," Hussain said, referring to the waiving of farm loans in three states where the party won back power from the BJP.

"So I will vote for Congress and they will form the government this time."

Results from the election in the world's second most populous country are due on May 23.
Image for representation

The duties of an Election Commissioner in this country are mighty. The onus of conducting free and fair elections, which practically makes for the foundation of a healthy democracy, lies with the election commissioner. And to ensure that they have to do it all  from setting down rules for elections, to determining constituencies and preparing electoral rolls, the EC has to man it all with an iron fist.

Lets take a moment to celebrate the lives and works of some of the best Chief Election Commissioners India has had.

Sukumar Sen: A civil servant, he was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, and stayed in office for more than eight years.

Ramadevi: An MA and LLM, she was the first female Chief Election Commissioner of India and was succeeded by the most celebrated CEC of the country  TN Seshan.

TN Seshan

Fondly remembered as the man who cleaned up polls in the country, TN Seshan was the most admired CEC. He lived a life mired in controversies for reforming the election scenario without cowering under the threats that came his way.

A former cabinet secretary, Magsaysay awardee remained unfazed through his tenure alongside improving the system step-by-step.

His policies, their implementation, coupled with his strict demeanour earned him the moniker "Al-Seshan (Alsatian)". Some electoral 'battles' that took place under his vigil were even dubbed "Seshan versus Nation".

Some of his key achievements as the CEC, would include strict implementation of the model code of conduct during elections, guaranteeing issuance of voter IDs for the eligible electorate, putting a cap on a candidates expenditure in his/her campaign. He also ended several malpractices such as the distribution of liquor during elections, use of official machinery for campaigns, inciting caste or communal violence, using places of worship for campaigns, etc.

It was said then that politicians feared only God or TN Seshan. His legacy lives on even to this day, and officials are told to aspire to become like him.

James M Lyngdoh

James M Lyngdoh, a Khasi from Meghalaya, is believed to be an inscrutable bureaucrat. Not one to be carried away by flattery, nor losing his reserve, the man had absolutely no political leanings.

The media-shy man proved his mettle twice during his tenure as the CEC. During the 2002 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, despite calls for boycott and rampant militancy, the EC held the elections successfully. The next crisis he dealt with was when the Gujarat government called for elections after the Godhra riots. Lyngdoh didnt allow it.

Another Magsaysay awardee, he proved that thrive in Indian bureaucracy, one doesnt need to straddle with politicians by their side. Lyngdoh went by the letter of the law, immune to any influence from anywhere.

Lyngdohs reputation for integrity and knack for discipline was seen as being "uncooperative" by many politicians. The tough talker had once dubbed all politicians a "cancer", further stating theres "no cure for it at the moment". He added if people are "exposed" to politicians too much of, they may be affected too.

Hitting out at politicians at yet another occasion, he had said: "There are very few who talk to you on equal terms as a human being. Either they have their noses stuck in the air or they prostrate at somebody's feet. There is nothing in between."

OP Rawat

A civil servant of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, Om Prakash Rawat was the 22nd CEC of India. He is credited to having pointed out that the primary reformation required in India at the moment pertains to the media, particularly social media. He outlined how fake news affects voting behaviour and how there are very few checks and balances present in the system to curb it.

A few years ago, while delivering a keynote address at the Consultation on Electoral and Political Reforms, the former CEC had spoken out openly against the degradation of politics in India.

He had said: Democracy thrives when elections are free, fair and transparent. However, it appears to a cynical common man that we have been scripting a narrative that places maximum premium on winning at all costs, to the exclusion of all ethical considerations The winner can commit no sin; a defector crossing over to the ruling camp stands cleansed of all the guilt as also possible criminality.

He is also very vocal when it comes to criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modis note ban. Demonetisation, he said, had "absolutely no impact" on black money.
Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way.

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision.

To this, the people said, "Yes".

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said when the Congress decided to postpone its rally, earlier scheduled for February 28, following the terror attack in Pulwama last month, the PM was busy addressing gatherings across the country.

The 25-year-old Patidar leader praised Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president is "honest".

"People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator," he said.

On BJP's charge of dynastic politics in the Congress, Patel said there was nothing wrong if a politician's son wanted to join the same field to serve people.

He asked the Congress cadres to get their act together to defeat the BJP in the next month's Lok Sabha polls.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a list of TMC candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats of the state, dropping 10 sitting MPs.

She also attacked the BJP and the Modi government, claiming she had information that "VVIPs" were using helicopters and chartered flights to transport money to bribe voters.

Releasing the list, the West Bengal leader assailed the Centre over a host of issues including the Rafale deal, farm distress and shrinking employment opportunities.

Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, said the outgoing TMC lawmakers whose names do not figure in the list will be drafted for party work.

She said 41 per cent of the nominees in the list are women.

The TMC, she said, will also contest some seats in Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Andamans.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi warned about "war-mongering" by Indian journalists during the latest confrontation with Pakistan.

The Indian activist, who won the Nobel in 2014 with Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, has organised a joint statement signed by 71 other laureates calling for nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to defuse tensions after skirmishes at their border.

Discussing the crisis, Satyarthi expressed relief that the worst confrontation between the countries since they went to war in 1999 had "calmed down", but he warned about the dangers of ultra-nationalism.

"Many people, not only ordinary people who are patriots and nationalists, but also the media suddenly crossed that line and started demanding fully fledged war," Satyarthi told AFP in an interview in Paris.

"Sometimes they enjoy these kind of situations. It is very unfortunate," he added.

"Luckily there are well-meaning people in journalism and politics who are working hard to de-escalate it, but there are a large number of people who crossed the line from patriotism to war-mongering."

"It has calmed down, and the tensions de-escalated, but a real problem of violent extremism and terrorism still exists (in Pakistan), and sometimes I feel that this is beyond the control of the Pakistani government as well because there are such powerful outfits no Pakistani government can easily function without them," Satyarthi said.
Maher is scheduled to share stories of her travel across the world and how she teaches her children and others about the importance of finding something in common with people, even  and especially  when you disagree, the church said.
Sujata Anandan

Last year, as the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) allies in Maharashtra began to drop off one-by-one, including the smaller parties such as the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, it looked like the only ally it would be left with was Ramdas Athawale, leader of his own faction of the Republican Party of India (RPI).

Athawale began his electoral career as an ally of the Congress, then switched to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In 2009, he switched back to the Congress to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the temple town of Shirdi, which had become a reserved constituency. He lost and switched to the Shiv Sena hoping to be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha. He finally got the nomination from the BJP, which made him a minister of state for social welfare believing Athawale could deliver the bulk of the Dalit votes from Maharashtra.

However, now the BJP has reviewed and revised that assessment. Across India, the party seems to have come to the conclusion that it is not worth allying with any party that cannot help bring it at least five seats to the Lok Sabha.

It begged, pleaded, threatened, cajoled and finally persuaded the Shiv Sena, which had determined to go solo, to ally with it precisely for that reason  the Sena could have damaged the BJPs prospects in at least 20 seats if they were not allies and now in alliance can benefit in about 10 seats. The two parties have divided the 48 seats between themselves  25 to the BJP and 23 to the Shiv Sena.

Athawale was asking for one seat for himself, but, the BJP believes that if he could not win his own seat while contesting on the ticket of a mainstream party such as the Congress, it is not worth giving him a chance. Thus, Athawale, a loyal ally to the BJP, has been thus left out in the cold and does not know which way to turn. He has burnt his bridges with both the Congress and the NCP and cannot hope the Shiv Sena will accommodate him when he is already a BJP ally.

The ruling party can afford to ignore Athawale for there has been a lot of unrest among Dalits about his alliance with the BJP given its recent run-ins with the community across India: from the Una unrest in Gujarat to their initial indifference to the Supreme Court modifying the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,1989, from the BJPs position on Bhima Koregaon where they gave support to the upper castes against Dalits, to their attempt to deny reservations in universities to Dalits (this was hastily corrected with an ordinance).

In Maharashtra, the only other Dalit leader of consequence is Prakash Ambedkar (the grandson of BR Ambedkar) who has fought the government bitterly over Bhima Koregaon and has a little following, though even that does not amount to much electorally. He has recently formed the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, an umbrella organisation for all deprived classes, and has an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-e Muslimeen (AIMIM).

The Congress and the NCP are willing to accommodate Ambedkar but he is overambitious. The Congress-NCP are proposing he contest from Akola in Vidarbha, which he represented in 1998. Then he was one of the three Dalit leaders  the other two being Jogendra Kawade and the late RS Gavai  who Sharad Pawar worked hard to have elected from open seats. Usually Dalits vote for upper castes but it is very difficult to get the upper castes to vote for Dalits. However, Pawar pulled off victories of all three Dalit candidates from open category seats. It was unprecedented and that is why remarkable.

Since then Ambedkar has contested Akola several times but failed to make the grade. Now while Athawale, the more firebrand leader among the two, might be content with just one or two seats, Ambedkar is demanding 22 from the Congress-NCP. Which even in an election that might be not as crucial as this one, would be ridiculous. Ensuring that Ambedkar wins from his own seat would be an uphill task for the Congress-NCP. Though the Congress-NCP alliance does not have a five seat policy like the BJP, it is unlikely that they would give away more seats to a party that cannot win a single seat on its own.

Ambedkars intransigence is now being seen as not just greed but a conspiracy in view of his alliance with the AIMIM, which is largely perceived as the flip side of the BJP, by cutting into the Congresss vote-bank.

Its an irony in Indian politics that while one Dalit leader (Athawale) whose demands are minimal is being spurned by a mainstream party (BJP), the other Dalit leader (Ambedkar) whose demands are exaggerated is trying to be accommodated by another mainstream party (Congress).

Sujata Anandan is a senior journalist and author. Views are personal.

For more Opinion pieces, click here
Challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his bastion, the Congress Tuesday pledged to expose his "betrayals and falsehoods" and accused him of "cynically exploiting national security for political gains".

At the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met in Ahmedabad after 58 years, the political symbolism was there for all to see as the party sought to project the 2019 elections as a battle of Mahatma Gandhi's idea of India versus Nathuram Godse's idea of India.

The CWC also reaffirmed its commitment to serve the country and the people in its endeavour for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.

"The CWC assures the people that the Congress party believes in what it promises and has proven its credibility on delivering the same," the party's resolution said.

The Congress also urged all democratic and progressive forces to unite and pool their energies to relentlessly fight and expose the BJP government, and not to allow the nation's political narrative be vitiated and focus deflected from the real issues that concern the people.

"An atmosphere of fear and insecurity is all pervasive particularly among women, students, academics, writers and the business community; there are deliberate attacks on the constitutional and other safeguards for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and minorities; and there is subversion of all institutions of governance," the strongly-worded resolution said.

The party said it seeks a "mandate for better governance and accountability, to repair the grave damage caused to our democratic polity, economy and society by the Modi government, a mandate for change to restore the health of the Indian economy, for job creation, social justice and harmony".

In his speech at the CWC meeting, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi underlined the need to fight such forces together and said, "On the anniversary of Gandhi ji's historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness."

In a tweet, earlier in the day, he said, "No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won."

He said Congress will not allow Modi to once again "mislead and befool" the people.

Before the CWC, the party top brass paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram from where he had commenced the Dandi March 89 years ago. Soon afterwards the Congress brigade moved to Sardar Patel Memorial Hall to conduct the CWC proceedings, reaffirming the CWC's commitment to the ideals espoused by the Mahatma and Patel later.

In her speech, Sonia Gandhi accused Modi of playing the "victimhood card" saying it were the people instead who were victims of his "wrong policies".

She wanted Congress to come out with a vision for the country going forward as also highlight the achievements of the UPA government. She also said the issue of corruption in the Rafale deal should be highlighted in a big way.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh talked about the agrarian crisis, hampered industrial growth and unemployment under the present regime at the Centre.

The meeting started with a two-minute silence in memory of the victims of the Pulwama terror attack.

The day also saw newly-appointed AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressing her maiden poll rally.

"This (read election) is no less than the struggle for India's freedom," she told a receptive gathering at Gandhinagar, urging the voice of change to be sent out aloud from Gujarat.

In her short speech, Priyanka also warned the voters against being swayed by irrelevant issues. "Vote is a weapon, use it cautiously. Take the right decision, ask the right questions," she said as the CWC earlier resolved to "not let PM Modi deflect attention of the people from the basic issues of joblessness, agrarian distress, low economic growth and poor security of women".

She also asked people to focus on issues concerning people and not allow the BJP to change the narrative.

While unequivocally backing any attempt against terror, the CWC accused Modi of "cynically exploiting the issue of national security, on which we are all united, to divert attention from his colossal failures, bogus claims and persistent falsehoods", the CWC said in its resolution.

The unstated reference was to the post Pulwama attack events.

The Congress also alleged that the five years of the Modi government has been a period of "false promises and betrayal of people's trust and confidence".

On whether the issue of alliances was discussed in the meeting, senior party spokesperson Anand Sharma later replied in the negative.

So far the alliance arithmetic has not worked to Congress' favour with the BSP announced it won't have any truck with the party and the AAP also declaring candidates in six out of seven LS seats in Delhi.

Sharma referred to the AICC Plenary which last year adopted a political resolution that said the Congress would strike alliances with like minded parties to keep the BJP at bay.

"CWC flows from the Plenary. The issue of alliances was discussed in the Plenary and the previous resolution stands," Sharma said.

Asked if that meant a reworking of Congress thought in Delhi, Bengal and UP, Sharma replied, "I cannot say."

While Congress sharpened its anti-BJP pitch, in Maharashtra, the son of the leader of the opposition and veteran Congressman RK Vikhe Patil joined the saffron party. In Gujarat too, the Congress has lost four MLAs to the BJP in recent days while Hardik Patel joined.
Stipends paid to apprentices are higher than minimum wages doled out across many sectors, according to a report. Vadodara-based TeamLease Skills University said the growing demand for skilled talent coupled with revisions in the Apprentice Act seems to be positively impacting the apprenticeship eco-system.

"The median stipend is around 41 per cent higher than the applicable minimum wages in majority of the sectors and cities," it said.

The findings are based on an analysis of data pertaining to more than two lakh apprentices.

"With a stipend that is 159 per cent higher than the minimum wages, Maharashtra topped the list as the highest paying state.

"Amongst sectors Construction & Real Estate (125 per cent), IT & ITeS (122 per cent), FMCG (110 per cent) and Automotive (82 per cent) were the top paying sector for apprentices," the report said.

Besides, stipends increase in proportion with the educational qualification.

"Manufacturing and Services sectors both pay fairly high stipends in the average range of Rs 9,000 - 10,000 per month," it noted.

As per the report, large businesses paid significantly higher stipends -- 12 to 34 per cent -- than others, while the difference in stipends between medium and small businesses is not very significant.
Hrishi K: Hello and welcome to NSE Presents: Invest  O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl. My name is Hrishi K and I'm your host on podcast, its all about getting your money to make better investments for you and help you get the financial independence that you want.

We are on the second part of our womens day special podcast today and todays podcast is especially designed for the working women, the women in corporate India and investment advice for them.

It is said, a lot of our problems with money are manifestations of problems in our life and problem in our relationships. Working on the money issues and many of the other problems will take care of themselves, or work on the other problems and the money problems will take care of themselves.

So if you are woman working in corporate India and you aren't where you should be financially, examine what drives you emotionally when it comes to money and try to figure out the psychological stumbling blocks that keep you from becoming financially independent.

Since we are celebrating women all this month, in todays episode of Invest  O- Cast we are going to be talking about investment and financial advice for women with an industry expert who is leading the way from the front in the financial world. Radhika Gupta, CEO Edelweiss Mutual Funds she is back with us for this special podcast dedicated to corporate India and women in corporate India today.

Hrishi K: National Stock Exchange (NSE) with the help of Invest  O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl is committed to breaking the limitations of geographical boundaries and reach investors across the country. In todays episode we talk about, investment advice for corporate women.

To help us with this, today on womens day, I have with me Radhika Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Edelweiss Mutual funds. It is her second time on the show and I am really happy to have her back. Radhika, is an asset management professional with global and India experience across asset classes, investor segments, and investment management and distribution. From 2017, shes been the CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management.

Hrishi K: Welcome back to the show what an excellent one it was the last time around and I am very happy to have you back especially this very special series on womens day Radhika. Tell us more about your journey as women in corporate India as especially for those who dont tune in to last time around.

Radhika Gupta: Thank you for having me again and again wishing everyone a fantastic Womens day. I think corporate India is a great place for women. I graduated from The US I lived abroad most of my life actually 4 different continents and I did my degree in Business and Engineering. I started out working on Wall Street, saw some very good time in 2005-06 and 07, saw the fantastic financial crisis also in 2008 and came back to India to start up my own investment firm called Fore-Front Capital ran that from 2009 to 2014 and then I sold that to Edelweiss financial services, since then I have been the CEO of the mutual fund business and you know like many women in India I love my corporate career. Although I think we can do with a lot more women in corporate India but I love what I do.

Hrishi K: I should have asked you this logically last time around which is your favorite country or place that you lived in that amongst all the ones you have been.

Radhika Gupta: So I have two one is Italy where I went to school and the second is actually Nigeria which is an unconventional choice because I have the best stories to tell from Nigeria.

Hrishi K: Wow! Radhika with your career spanning across a couple of decades in corporate India, talk to us about your personal investment habits, especially things that you would want other women to get inspired by and learn women in corporate India to know.

Radhika Gupta: So one is the thing good or bad is that when I started earning I was 22 and I started investing really early so with my first set of income I started investing early. Well, I think that is something what I ask all women to take away. I made a lot of mistakes early in my 20s and I am sure that I still make them now but I think starting early was a really big one for me. I know that I work very hard like many women in corporate India and I truly believe that my money should work as hard as I do. One thing I am very careful about with my money, is that I know what I want from my money, I know why I am investing and I am very clear what my goals are and I am ok if my goals are very different from somebody else - my friends, my father, my husband whoever, so I invest for myself, I invest keeping myself in mind and I think investing for me has been deeply personal. Because I invested in 22 I could start a business at 26 with the money I had invested, so I truly believe investing can help you fulfill a lot of dreams that you wouldnt think otherwise are possible, in my case thats been the reality.

Hrishi K: Lovely. Thanks so much for your thoughts on that one. You are listening to NSE Presents : Invest  O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl that is all about helping people learn about their finances on the goAnd today, for the womens day special and series, I am gonna ask Radhika to elaborate on the top 5 investment advice for corporate India and women in corporate India. So lets go one by one Radhika so 5 bits of advice that you would like to share for women in corporate India, what would number one be?

Radhika Gupta: Number one would be start early and be regular, I say this again and again but no amount is too small it could be 500 rupees a month. Investments is also about a good habit, it is a good lifestyle habit just like exercising or brushing your teeth. These are good habits and when you have start early you inculcate a lot of discipline, it also helps you keep a nice control on your expenses so start early, start at 22 and you know it will get bigger and bigger and bigger. No amount is too small dont think that 500 rupees a month is irrelevant because when you do that and when you do that regularly 5 years later you would be very surprised with what you have saved up.

Hrishi K: Lets move on to the number 2, the second thing that women in corporate India should remember?

Radhika Gupta: The second one I think is, do it yourself it is not that tough. You know money can be very very technical and there can be lots of jargons but you dont need to be a stock market expert to manage your own money. There are tons of resources out there thanks to people like MoneyControl, NSE and so many other platforms you just have to read and become money wise and I repeat its not that difficult. Dont leave the job of planning money to your father, friend, husband etc. You can seek counsel, you can seek advice but remember that you should know how to do it yourself leave it in your own hands.

Hrishi K: Lets move to the third bit of advice for women in corporate India.

Radhika Gupta: The third one is to have very concrete goals. Have short term goals, have medium term goals because goals will help you keep through the ride. You can have a 5 year goal that you know I want to save this amount of money for my business or I want to save this amount of money because I want to get educated or because I want to do something else. Once you have goals it will be easier to figure out how to manage your money. There are so many options in the investment world today; you can then tailor whether I want to do equities or whether I want to do bonds, depending on what your goals are. If you have 5 years goals you can afford to take a lot more risk than you have one year goals so have very solid goals.

Hrishi K: What would be the 4th most important thing on the list?

Radhika Gupta: The 4th one is to not worry I think markets go up and down that is a reality and you know you will lose money in this process, you are not in this journey to become a millionaire overnight and remember the journey from going from 100 rupees to a thousand rupees is one that is going to be with ups and downs just like life. In life you dont from strength to strength. There are pot holes, there are brakes so remember that and dont panic. You know learn from the mistakes that you make but dont become so conservatives that you would never take risk again; this is a business of taking smart sensible risks so markets will go up and down. Dont let it worry you be on the point.

Hrishi K: And finally the 5th bit of advice for women in corporate India, what must they remember?

Radhika Gupta: Be long term you know especially when you start early investing is not a business where you are going to earn a return in a day. I think I like to give the example that if you try to grow a banyan tree or something in your house you dont go check the plant everyday thinking how much this is grown. You give it time, you give it sun light, you give it water and it grows. Money is the same thing, dont be compelled to look into your portfolio everyday to find the answers every day, it is not something that is going to give you day on day satisfaction, money is not that. And when you are reasonably goal oriented by the way this will become less of a problem, so dont watch your portfolio everyday be reasonably long term.

Hrishi K: Ok, before we sign off lets have a last few words from you for women in corporate India most importantly helping them plan their financial future and motivated them and you do such a good job as far as that is concerned.

Radhika Gupta: I think the financial freedom is super important you know for years and years women have worked very hard to establish their place in corporate India as I said we work so hard to earn our money, we have to work hard to manage it. I think financial freedom and financial awareness, knowledge, investing these are life skills, we were often taught that managing your home, cooking, driving these are all life skill I mean it was not about becoming a millionaire these are life skills, I think managing money is a life skill but beyond being a life skill I truly think being smart about the money, it feels great to spend your money, it feels great to buy something with your own money, it feels great to be able to save your own money and start a business with your own money. That sense of empowerment and freedom I can tell you is something else. So money can be very powerful it is the gate way to a lot of dreams and remember that just when you are thinking, getting a little de-motivated or wondering why I should do that remember that money can make your dreams come true, your families dreams come true.

Hrishi K: Very well said, I am sure everything that Radhika has said will help a lot of people, especially women in corporate India in preparing for their investments and finances.



Start early; in fact invest your first salary



You have to be disciplined about your monthly income



Invest according to your own goals



Your money should work as hard as you do



Start small be regular, do it yourself



Have concrete short term, medium term and long term goals



Dont give up if markets fall and you make a mistake. Keep your focus on your goals.



Dont be compelled to watch your portfolio every single day. Think long term.



Its important to know that you are not going to become a millionaire over night, it is about life skills. Work on your life skills, your personal goals or starting a business.



Ok, I am going to take all of you through some key points listed by Radhika in our Wisdom in the bank segment. Hope you find them useful and will definitely implement them while planning your finances.

Radhika thanks very much for coming back on to this show and sharing your insights on todays podcast. I am sure a lot of people are happy especially women in corporate India and they will approach their finances investments in a better manner.

Radhika Gupta: Thank you so much.

Hrishi K: Ok, financial independence for todays working women is far easier than it used to be in the 80s or 90s, I mean just think of it, it may even be safe to assume that todays millennial women, can actually go on to becoming some of the most financially powerful women in history.

Working women today, have more control over their money and how they choose to spend it. While the road ahead may get smoother, its also important for women to have a clear understanding of what they need to do to maximize their financial lives. Investments is not a short term result but a lifelong journey where ones decisions & behaviours could either propel them ahead or keep them in the same place.

On the whole, millennial working women need to be more confident about taking charge of their hard earned money and display their money management skills beyond monthly budgeting and bill payments.

Lets not forget, one of the most effective ways to truly empower yourself is through financial independence

And that is a wrap on our show NSE presents Invest-o-cast! I'm 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 thats nseinvestocast@nw18.com . Please also reach out to us on Twitter @moneycontrolcom or Facebook @moneycontrol.com, do remember to use #nseinvestocast

Thank you for listening!

Disclaimer: The material on this show is for informational purposes only. Please consult a financial advisor before taking any financial decision
The BJP Monday latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad's head as "Masood Azhar ji" to throw "Rahul loves terrorists" barb at the Congress chief, as the opposition party hit back accusing its rival of deliberately twisting his comments made with sarcasm.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here, Gandhi attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."

Gandhi noted it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama in Kashmir on Feb 14.

Azhar's group JeM has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Targeting the Congress chief, BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Come on Rahul Gandhi Ji! Earlier it was the likes of Digvijay Ji who called Osama Ji and Hafiz Saeed Sahab. Now you are saying 'Masood Azhar Ji'. What is happening to Congress Party?"

Prasad said Gandhi has caused huge pain to families of martyrs and embarrassed the country with his comments.

Gandhi's remarks showed the Congress can go to any extent for votes, he said.

"The Congress on one hand insults our armed forces and Indian Air Force by seeking evidence of their valour but honours a murderer, a terrorist like Azhar," Prasad said. The BJP leader added India is working to have Azhar declared a global terrorist but Pakistan will now say even Indian leaders are giving the JeM chief respect.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP and a section of media of deliberately twisting Gandhi's remarks.

"Two questions to BJP & select Bhakt Media, who deliberately seek to twist the 'Masood' sarcasm of Rahulji- 1) Did NSA Doval not escort & release terrorist Masood Azhar in Kandahar? 2) Did Modiji not invite Pak's rogue ISI to investigate Pathankot terror attack?".

Another Union minister Smriti Irani also took a swipe at Gandhi.

"What is common between Rahul Gandhi and Pakistan? Their love for terrorists. Please note Rahul ji's reverence for terrorist Masood Azhar - a testimony to #RahulLovesTerrorists," she tweeted.

In turn, Surjewala used the hashtag "BJP loves terrorists".

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar formed JeM after his release from jail.

Since then, JeM, based in Pakistan, has been involved in terrorist attacks in India.

The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 in which nine security personnel and officials were killed.

On January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed.

JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on September 18, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest Pulwama attack.
Sounak Mitra

The Election Commission of India (ECI), which announced the schedule for the 17th Lok Sabha elections on Sunday, March 10, has said that the model code of conduct and its rules on political advertisements will be applicable to social media as well.

With this, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, Instagram, among others, will only be able to run political advertisements that are pre-certified, expenditure of those advertisements being shared with the ECI, abide by the 48-hour silence period norms, like it happens in case of advertisements on print, television, radio and other mediums of communication. Both political parties and their candidates, who will have to furnish details of their social media accounts at filing nominations, will have to abide by the code of conduct.

The whole point of bringing social media under the purview of code of conduct is to keep a check on political propaganda, use of social media as a tool to spread misinformation or fake news that may potentially mislead voters, especially keeping in mind the involvement of consulting firms such as Cambridge Analytica, which allegedly masterminded political machines, backed by social media and other tools, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Thus, it is obvious that the ECI will bring social media under scrutiny.

That happened despite that fact that the ECI had issued social media guidelines in 2013 before the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Despite the guidelines, social media did play a big role in Indias election in 2014.

Whats interesting is that there is almost nothing new in the guidelines this time, and theres a few things that the ECI has not clarified.

Most of the things posted and shared on social media are not classified as advertisements. Political parties and their contesting candidates will have multiple ways to use social media as an effective tool to reach voters with their propaganda without the so-called advertisements.

First, a post or a message or a statement shared on social media is not classified as advertisement. This is a loophole political parties, contesting candidates, and party workers are going to use. These also work better because these are not classified as advertisements.

Second, who authenticates the social media account details furnished by contesting candidates? There is a simple answer to this. The ECI has asked most of the social media companies to actively engage with it for the elections. However, what happens if a contesting candidate opens a new account and uses that for promotions, or uses an existing account, the details of which has not been shared with the ECI.

Third, what happens to promoted trends, promoted posts and promoted accounts which is another form of advertisements? Most possibly, the ECI will categorise them as advertisements, but there is no clarity as yet.

Fourth, one of the most important factor in the world of social media is influencers who have millions of followers and post statements for a fee. As pointed out in an earlier piece, political parties pay these social media influencers to spread propaganda. Besides, there are Bollywood celebrities who allegedly promote political parties across social media platforms for a fee. Will the ECI bring their accounts under scrutiny? If yes, how will these be identified?

Promotions by celebrities, influencers or even by political party workers or volunteers in any form are nothing but surrogate paid advertisements. Most of the times these tools are being used to spread fake news. Time reported in January on how the ruling BJP has been using its volunteers to spread fake news using WhatsApp.

By bringing social media under the scrutiny, the ECI is trying to control some of the issues that arise with the fast growth of social media. However, its clear that theres a lot that the Election Commission of India has left unaddressed.
The opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) in Mizoram and the Congress have forged an alliance to contest the Lok Sabha election and an Assembly by-poll, Congress sources said on March 12.

According to the understanding, which will be announced later, the Congress will field candidate in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state and the ZPM will contest the Aizawl West-I assembly seat.

Both the elections would be held together on April 11.

The Congress and the ZPM have five and eight legislators respectively in the 40-member assembly.

The Congress needs a new candidate for the Lok Sabha seat as its sitting MP, 84-year-old C L Ruala, would not contest because of old age.

Ruala had been elected to the Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms.

The by-poll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat was necessitated after the ZPM's chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma, who won from two constituencies vacated the seat.

Lalduhoma had defeated the then chief minister Lal Thanhawla in Serchhip constituency, and former minister K Sangthuama of the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Aizawl West-I in the assembly polls held on November 28 last year.

Meanwhile, the ruling MNF, the BJP and the People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) party had announced that they would go it alone in the polls.
The Congress on March 12 cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist.

The scathing attack by the Congress comes a day after the BJP latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to the Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief as "Masood Azhar ji".

The opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Gandhi's comments made sarcastically.

"Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision'," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

"Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now," he said in a series of tweets using the hashtag 'BJP Loves Terrorists'.

Surjewala also attached a link of Doval's 2010 interview with the tweets.

"Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval's 'clean chit certificate' to terrorist, Masood Azhar revealed," he said.

"1. Masood doesn't know how to fabricate an IED.

2. Masood is not a marksman.

3. After releasing Masood, tourism in J&K has gone up by 200%," Surjewala quoted Doval as saying in the interview.

Doval saluted the real "nationalistic policy of Congress-UPA to tacke terror, the Congress spokesperson claimed.

"UPA-Cong came with a categorical policy on hijacking. No concession, no talks," he quoted Doval as saying.

Why did the BJP government not show the same guts, Surjewala said.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here, Gandhi had attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."

He asserted that it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14.

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar formed the Pakistan-based terror group JeM after his release from jail.

Since then, the group has been involved in terrorist attacks in India.

The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 in which nine security personnel and officials were killed.

On January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed.

JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on September 18, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest is the Pulwama attack.
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Top Congress leadership on March 12 paid their respect to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram, ahead of launching the party's poll campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

Party leaders led by its chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country ahead of the general elections by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance.

Other party leaders like A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Tarun Gogoi, Harish Rawat and Oommen Chandy attended a prayer meeting at the Sabarmati Ashram.

Rahul while addressing Congress booth workers in Delhi on March 11 had said the upcoming general elections will be a battle between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one side and hate on the other.

March 12 also marks the anniversary of the famous 'Dandi March' started by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930 with a group of Satyagrahis.

"Today marks the anniversary of the #DandiMarch, led by Mahatma Gandhi, which played a pivotal role in India's struggle for independence. The march was a non-violent protest against the rigorous and oppressive British policies on salt," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

The Congress, at its meeting of the working committee-- the highest decision making body, later in the day will give the final shape to its strategy for the general elections.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is being held at Vallabhbhai Patel's national memorial here, with top party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and newly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in attendance. This will be the first official meeting of Priyanka after assuming an active political role in the Congress party.

Later, the party will sound the poll bugle from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, with a 'Jan Sankalp Rally', party leaders said.

The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee assumes significance as it comes barely two days after the declaration of the poll schedule.

Sources said the Congress is seeking to give a strong political message to the nation from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, with the party leadership holding the prayer meeting at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by the CWC meet at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel national memorial in the state.

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will join the Congress at the meeting in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Modi and the BJP on what it calls the "failures" and "unfulfilled promises" of the government.

The top Congress leadership led by Rahul, Sonia, Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders will deliberate on key issues for the national elections beginning April 11.

The party leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women's safety.

The party has maintained that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people rather than the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after the Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.

Sources said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues.

The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on the status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record.
The Election Commission of India announced on March 12 that Lok Sabha polls will be held in Assam in three phases beginning April 11 and ending April 23.

However, what is not clear is this  how many people in the state will actually get to vote?

This question holds water in the wake of the Assam government's update of the National Register of Citizens, the final draft of which excluded around 40 lakh people from the state.

The discrepancy creeps in when an individuals name is included in the voters' list in Assam, but the same individuals name is excluded from the final citizens register.

Drafting the citizens register is a court-monitored process. As a result, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Depak Gupta and Sanjiv Khana asked the Election Commission to provide data by March 28 about the addition and deletion of names from voters' list as revised in January for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Read Also | Citizenship (Amendment) Bills key question: Why are some illegal immigrants more equal than others?

The top courts order came in response to a clutch of petitions from locals who alleged that their names were taken off the voting list because they didnt make it to an early version of the citizens list. The petition claimed these people had voted in the last Lok Sabha election in 2014.

The plea also submitted that there was a second category of people whose names were not included in the complete draft of the NRC, but they subsequently filed claims for inclusion of their names. They were waiting for inclusion of their names on the voters' list.

Allaying the doubts of the 40 lakh people who were excluded in the NRC, that they wont be able to vote, Assams Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Sahu has said those who figure in the electoral rolls can vote.

The final NRC will be published on July 31. Assam sends 14 lawmakers to Parliament and is slated to go to polls in three phases. Counting is to be held on May 23.
Coulter told police that he had found the roll of copper at the side of the road and that he often finds wire and other items to take to the scrap yard at the side of roads, the affidavit states. Coulter said that he pulls wire from houses but denied stealing the wire from NIPSCO wires and denied taking anything from NIPSCO, according to the affidavit.
In a blog written to commemorate the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhis 1930 Dandi March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that Congress culture is the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought.

The fresh jibes at the Opposition come on a day when scions of the Gandhi family and members of the Congress Working Committee meet for a strategy session in Gujarat.

The PM began with an ode to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, stating he played a key role in planning "every minute aspect of the Dandi March".

Notably, for long, the Gandhi family has been accusing the saffron party of trying to appropriate Sardar Patel, a Congress stalwart and India's first home minister.

Listing out the differences between Congress culture and Gandhian thought, Modi wrote: In many of his works, Gandhi Ji said he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, the Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule."

He added: Gandhi understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted it disbanded, especially after 1947."

Quoted Gandhi he wrote: "I am sorry to have to say that many Congressmen have looked upon this item (Swaraj) as a mere political necessity and not as something indispensable.... I would go to the length of giving the whole Congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant."

Borrowing Gandhis thoughts on corruption, the PM said his government has "done everything" to punish the corrupt, " but the Congress hasnt. He added. Theres a Congress scam in every sector, ranging from defence and irrigation to sporting events and rural development.

He also accused Congress bigwigs of filling their own coffers to lead a luxurious lifestyle while denying basic necessities to the poor.

Quoting Gandhi again, the PM blamed the Congress of practicing dynasty politics although Mahatma Gandhi "despised" it.

Talking about stifling democracy and democratic processes, Modi referred to the 1975 Emergency imposed by former PM Indira Gandhi. "A firm believer in democracy, Bapu said, 'I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.' Ironically, Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values, Modi wrote.

While concluding his blog post, PM Modi said the incumbent government is "working on Bapu's path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!"
India and the US on March 11 agreed that Pakistan must take "concerted action" to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and deny safe haven to all terror groups on its soil as Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo here, the highest level meeting between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack that escalated Indo-Pak tensions.

Gokhale arrived in the US on March 10 for the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

During the meeting, Gokhale and Pompeo agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Pompeo was directly in touch with the leadership of India and Pakistan and monitored the developments after the Pulwama attack to ensure that the security situation in the South Asia region did not deteriorate.

Gokhale and Pompeo expressed satisfaction over the significant progress and the quality of the India-US Strategic Partnership since Pompeo's visit to India in September 2018 for the first ever Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue.

The foreign secretary conveyed the appreciation to the US Government and to Pompeo personally for the firm support that India received from the US in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

Secretary Pompeo expressed his understanding of India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.

"They agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory. They also agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable," the statement said.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said that in the meeting Pompeo affirmed that the US stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism.

They discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil, Palladino said.

They noted the strength of Indo-US partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counter-terrorism.

Gokhale and Pompeo also discussed other issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, US-India defence cooperation, and the growing US-India economic partnership, including joint efforts to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and reciprocal manner.

In response to Pompeo's reference to bilateral trade matters, the foreign secretary underscored the significant reduction in trade deficit in the last three years and conveyed India's willingness to remain engaged with the US for a meaningful and mutually acceptable package on trade issues.

The trade deficit between India and the US has decreased by nearly seven per cent to USD 1.6 billion in 2018 as compared to the previous year, according to the latest official figures.

President Donald Trump recently notified Congress of his "intent to terminate" trade benefits for India and Turkey under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria.

India recorded a decrease in the deficit from USD 22.9 billion in 2017 to USD 21.3 billion in 2018, according to the figures revealed by the Bureau of Economy Analysis.

The talks between Gokhale and Pompeo are considered significant in view of the escalated tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of India's preemptive air strike on the largest terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot in Pakistan and the subsequent developments.

Ahead of talks between Gokhale and Pompeo, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to US National Security Advisor John Bolton over phone and briefed him about the measures taken by Islamabad to de-escalate tensions with India following the Pulwama terror attack.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based JeM terror group killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district.

India has provided a dossier to Pakistan, detailing the role of JeM in the Pulwama terror attack. India has also said that Pakistan has failed to take any credible action against JeM and other terrorist organisations, which continue to operate with impunity from Pakistan.

Palladino, during his bi-weekly news conference last Tuesday, said Pompeo played an "essential role" in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

Protocol-wise, it is quite unusual for Pompeo to meet Gokhale, but over the last few years, the US Secretary of State has met the Foreign Secretary, including his predecessor S Jaishankar.

The foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with the US are regular high-level dialogue mechanisms to review bilateral relations, exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments and coordinate respective positions on issues of common interest. Gokhale's visit comes as India intensifies its efforts to declare Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist by the UN Security Council.

Last month, the US, the UK and France made a fresh bid at the UN to ban Azhar. JeM is already a UN-designated terrorist organisation.
Badruddin Ajmal, the chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), has said there is still no clarity on an alliance with the Rahul Gandhi-led Indian National Congress, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

Ajmal said his party is likely to field candidates in seven to eight seats of Assam. The north-eastern state has a total of 14 Lok Sabha seats.

There is no clarity. I cannot say that we have not spoken, neither can I say that we have because I do not trust them. If I say something, they will come out and deny, the newspaper reported Ajmal as saying.

We will keep in mind that not even one seat should go to the BJP because of us, Ajmal said, adding that he will contest from Dhubri. His brother Sirajuddin Ajmal, who is one of the three party MPs, is unlikely to contest this time because of health issues, the report added.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Ajmal also ruled out an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The perfume baron had won the Dubri Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 and 2014.

However, in the 2016 state election, Ajmal lost the Salmara South assembly segment in Dubri to the Congress. The election had seen BJP and its allies form government in Assam, ending Congress 15-year rule.

The AIUDF had opposed The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal immigrants (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan) eligible for Indian citizenship.

As the bill was already passed in Lok Sabha, it only had to be pushed through Rajya Sabha. However, as the 16th Lok Sabha concluded its final scheduled sitting on February 13, the bill now stands to officially lapse on June 3.

Also read  BJP's Look East policy | Saffron party's push for Citizenship Bill may upset leads in the northeast

Political observers had told Moneycontrol earlier that the protests against the bill could have an impact on the Lok Sabha polls.

Voting in Assam will happen over three phases: April 11, April 18 and April 23.

In 2014, BJP had bagged seven out of 14 seats. Congress and AIUDF won three seats each, while one seat was won by an independent candidate.
Rajesh Kumar

India will vote in seven phases, starting April 11 to elect the 17th Lok Sabha, which will pave the way for the formation of the next government. Votes will be counted on May 23.

According to a recent CVoter opinion poll, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to win 264 of the 543 seats in the lower house of the Parliament. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is likely to bag 141 seats. This should not be surprising as the NDA, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is widely seen to be in a stronger position. This is supported by the fact that the Congress and other opposition parties, so far, have not been able to pose a formidable challenge.

Though after the December 2018 assembly polls it looked like the momentum was shifting away from the BJP and towards the Opposition, public sentiment appears to have changed significantly after the Indian Air Force attacked terror base camps operated by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), deep inside Pakistan. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the terror attack on Indian security forces on February 14, which resulted in a loss of over 40 lives.

Aside from the national security angle, there are at least three big issues that are likely to work in favour of the BJP and limit the Opposition's chances.

First, as it did in 2014, the BJP will build a presidential-style campaign. According to the Lokniti research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Modis popularity remains intact. On the other hand, the Opposition doesn't have a face that can be officially projected to challenge him. In fact, declaring a prime ministerial candidate from the Congress or any other party could end up benefiting the BJP.

Second, the Opposition has not been able to present a credible alternative narrative to counter the incumbent. The Congress has promised a number of sops, including a guaranteed income programme for the poor. However, it has not given details in terms of who will benefit and how a scheme like this will be financed. The government, on the other hand, implemented an income support programme for farmers, retrospectively. Eligible farm households will receive Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each. The first instalment to a number of farm household has already been transferred.

To be sure, there are pain points in the economy, such as farm distress and lack of jobs, but the Opposition has not been able to capitalise on these to be able to corner the government. This is in sharp contrast to the way the BJP built its campaign in 2014 as a challenger. The Opposition is allowing the government to determine the narrative. If this continues for a few more weeks, it will hurt the Opposition.

Third, although the BJP will go with a presidential-style campaign, the importance of local factors and alliances cannot be ignored. Even on this count, the NDA seems to be ahead of the Opposition. For instance, the BJP agreed to even leave seats that it had won in 2014 for its alliance partner, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), in Bihar. It also has the seat-sharing agreement in place in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena.

Compare this with the Opposition. There is no grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan in sight. Further, the Congress has been practically left out of the main opposition alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the all-important state of Uttar Pradesh. The party is yet to finalise the seat-sharing agreement in states such as Karnataka and West Bengal. Also, it is not clear whether strong regional parties such as the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee would be willing to work with the Congress if the need arises.

Additionally, the expectation is that parties such as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress may be willing to work with the NDA if it falls short of a majority come May 23.

Therefore, as things stand today, the Opposition will have to cover a lot of ground to stop the return of the ruling alliance.
The 2019 Lok Sabha polls will sound the "death knell" for the BJP and bring an end to Narendra Modi's "reign of fear", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted Tuesday.

The Trinamool Congress supremo said the electoral battle will be between a "united India and some isolated people", as she mounted a scalding assault on the BJP and the prime minister.

"The 2019 Lok Sabha polls will sound the death knell for the BJP and give people freedom from the reign of fear of Narendra Modi. It will be a fight between a united India and some isolated people," she told a press conference after releasing a list of TMC candidates for all the 42 LS seats in the state.

She also claimed she had information that "VVIPs" were using helicopters and chartered flights to transport money to bribe voters ahead of the polls.

The West Bengal leader assailed the Centre over a host of issues including the Rafale deal, farm distress and shrinking employment opportunities.

Backing Congress president Rahul Gandhi's allegations against the government over the Rafale deal, the TMC boss said," I completely agree with what Rahul Gandhi is saying about Rafale scam. They (BJP) are threatening journalists like N Ram for speaking out the truth."

Ram had written an article in The Hindu saying at the height of the negotiations over the 7.87 billion Rafale deal between India and France, the Defence Ministry had raised strong objections to "parallel negotiations" conducted by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) with the French side.

She also demanded answers from Modi on why he went ahead with demonetisation despite the RBI brass's reservations.

The board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which included the present governor Shaktikanta Das as a director, had warned of short-term negative impact of demonetisation on the economy and observed that the unprecedented move will not have any material impact on tackling black money.

The board, according to minutes of a meeting disclosed by the RBI in an RTI reply, had met just two-and-a-half hours before Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,00 currency notes on 8 November 2016.

Banerjee said the coalition government of anti-BJP parties will create more jobs, bring about peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and "freedom from the pervasive atmosphere of fear".

The fiery West Bengal leader accused the BJP of pressuring the Election Commission to toe its line because of which the polling schedule was inordinately stretched to enable the prime minister to launch an extensive campaign across the country.

To back her claim, Banerjee said, Modi's constituency Varanasi was scheduled to go to poll in the last phase on May 19.

"The BJP is trying to influence the Election Commission as if the constitutional body belongs to them only. The EC belongs to every political party. They (the EC) should take action regarding advertisements of Narendra Modi being shown in various cinema halls. These should be removed immediately," she said.
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Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on March 12 attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 2014 promise of "depositing" Rs 15 lakh in the account of every citizen.

He was speaking at a rally in Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district, held after the Congress Working Committee meeting.

Gandhi also played to the gallery in the business- driven state by claiming that "Gabbar Singh Tax", his oft- repeated jibe for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was beyond the understanding of traders.

"Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) can't be understood by our traders even today (after its was implemented nationwide last year)," he said.

"Did people get Rs 15 lakh into their bank accounts as promised by Narendra Modi?" he asked at the well-attended rally.

Turning his attention on the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent air strike by India and the aerial engagement with Pakistan Air Force the next day, Gandhi said it was National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who has sent Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Massod Azhar to freedom in a "special plane".

"Who sent Pulwama terror attack perpetrator Masood Azhar to Pakistan?" he asked the crowd.

"Masood Azhar was sent in a special aircraft and NSA Ajit Doval accompanied him," Gandhi answered his query for the crowd.

The Congress leader, however, did not reveal if he had any proof to substantiate his claim that Doval accompanied Azhar on a special flight.

In the next month's Lok Sabha polls, truth will win and hatred will be defeated, Gandhi said.
Social media may swing four to five percent votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections, making it a key factor in constituencies with thin victory margin, IT industry veteran, T V Mohandas Pai, said on March 12.

Youngsters, particulary first time voters, are very heavy on social media, which is the primary channel of information for most of them, the former Chief Financial Officer of software major, Infosys Ltd, said.

"Social media may swing 4-5 percent of the votes, that's my view", Pai told PTI.

Forty to 50 percent of young voters could be swayed by social media because for most of them it's the primary channel of information, he claimed.

"Young people don't watch TV, they watch videos, they go to YouTube, they go to social media, they don't read newspapers, they are influenced by what they see on social media, not on print, not on TV", Pai said.

To influence young voters, political parties should find out what motivates them, what are the emotions they have, what they like, where they go and what's that they look forward to, he said.

"Messages should be based on their interest. Messages should be targetted as a group. The messages have to be positive, about bright future and optimistic," Pai added.

Citing an example, Pai said young people are very interested to know how India was treated globally. They have aspiration of working abroad. Stories about what the government has done to gain respect for India would be very good.

Asked which party he thought was ahead of the race on use of social media to influence voters, he said it's the BJP, adding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image among young people is "very, very strong".

On the other hand, Pai claimed that the Congress President Rahul Gandhi is not vibing with young people because he is "speaking the language of the 1990s".
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) did not produce any vehicle under the Fiat brand from its Pune-based plant in February raising speculations the company plans to exit India amid sustained poor performance.

According to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), FCA India produced zero Fiat-branded cars from the Ranjangaon, Maharashtra plant in February. However, the plant continues to make the Compass SUV under the Jeep brand, owned by FCA India.

Though there is no official comment from FCA India about the future of the Fiat brand, dealers have started to dole out unusually heavy discounts on Fiat cars in order to get rid of the inventory.

Company sales to dealers in December, January and February did not match with the production pattern in February. During these three months, Fiat-branded vehicles saw a 17 percent growth with dispatches in February alone growing 38 percent, as per SIAM data.

This should have ideally led to a spike in production during February as channel inventory was cleared to a significant extent. But contrary to this, production was brought down in February, thus fueling the possibility of Fiat brands gradual exit from the country.

Sources said Fiats management is concerned about the fate of the more than 80 operational dealerships, many of whom sell both Fiat and Jeep models. Fiats potential exit will closely follow that by General Motors, that was dragged to the courts by dealerships for the closure of operations.

FCA India was not available for comment at the time of publishing this article.

Falling sales

Sales of Fiat-branded vehicles in India recorded a 60 percent drop during April-February to 718 units as compared to the same period last year. To put this into perspective, Mercedes-Benz, Indias largest luxury car maker, clocks nearly 1,300 units sales a month.

FCA India has decided against investing in upgradation of its existing five-model portfolio to meet the upcoming safety and emission norms. The Mumbai-based company sells hatchbacks and a sedan in the price band of Rs 5.35 lakh to Rs 9.67 lakh under the brands Punto Evo, Abarth Punto, Urban Cross, Avventura and Linea.

Fiat does not offer airbags as standard in each of the variants on all the models. As per governments order, all cars produced from April 1, 2019, onward will have to offer at least the driver-side airbag along with other safety features such as antilock braking system, reverse sensors and seat belt reminder.

Companies are also investing in upgrading to Bharat Stage-VI emission norms from the current BS-IV norms. This new norm will kick in from April 1, 2020. Almost all companies have pruned their portfolio in view of the regulatory changes.

FCA Group has decided to keep Jeep (from the Chrysler portfolio) as the relevant brand for India given its greater acceptance despite its premium pricing. FCA is investing in at least two models for the Jeep brand that will debut by 2023 in India, as per company officials. Jeep sells four models in India, Compass, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SRT.
Representative image

With elections looming, it is not uncommon to see political ads in front pages of newspapers. However, it is surprising to see civic tech startups sporting front page ads in the run up to elections.

These startups, which are leveraging technology to give voice to citizens, are gaining popularity in the recent times. What best time to tap this interest than elections?

The 17th Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, 2019. The counting of votes will be held on May 23, when the results will be announced.

There are more than 50 mobile applications and web-based platforms that are planning to tap into the election fever. In the last couple of years, the space witnessed launch of applications such as Neta and Next Elections.

Antaraa Vasudev, founder of Civis, which helps citizens give feedback about policies and legislations, said: "As election nears, there is big spike in understanding of civic tech." The company works with not-for-profit organisations to reach out to citizens. It currently has 1000 citizens and 200 active users on its platform. Civis will come out with its app in July.

According to Vasudev, this spike in interest is thanks to increasing mobile penetration that has resulted in better awareness about civic technology. As technology adoption increases, so does citizens' interest to engage with the administrators and an opportunity to voice their opinion.

While Civis focuses on helping citizens give feedback, NextElection allows users to collectively discuss issues and channel the feedback to authorities and publicly rate them real-time. NextElection app is available in Android.

Another app Neta, which ranks politicians on a real time basis based on voters' feedback, is adding a million users per day since the announcement of election dates. The platform witnessed increased traction since the Pulwama attack.

Neta was first launched in August 2018 and was rolled out initially in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh during State elections. It now covers all constituencies in India.

Pratham Mittal, founder, said the platform has over 20 million voters and 7,800 leaders engaging users on a daily basis. With such a big sample size, Mittal said even political parties are using the platform's data for selecting candidates for different constituencies.

For politicians, a platform like Neta offers insights into the mindset of voters. In addition since the sample size is huge, experts say that the data is a lot more accurate.

Mittal said that based on the company's experience during Karnataka and Rajasthan elections, their results are accurate.

The platform has partnered with five media houses that has also made equity investment in the company. Apart from media, the company has also raised funds from venture capitalists and high net-worth investors. The company has raised funding of Rs 80 crore in total.

While Mittal's venture has received funding from media houses and private investment, funding is a challenge. According to a previous report, Civis depends on grants for sustaining the business while NextElection is exploring ad revenues.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives to attend a prayer meet during her visit to Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. (Image: Reuters)

Congress President Rahul Gandhi flanked by senior leaders Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in a group photo after the meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC), on the anniversary of Dandi March, in Ahmedabad. (Image: Reuters)

Workers prepare BJP party flags ahead of General Elections 2019, in Bhubaneswar. (Image: PTI)

Tibetan activists protest to commemorate the anniversary of 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, near the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. (Image: PTI)

World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee delivers a speech during an event marking 30 years of World Wide Web at the CERN in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland. (Image: Reuters)

Ethiopian police officers walk past the debris of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Image: Reuters)

A British Union Jack flag is seen on the desk of a member of the European Parliament, ahead of a debate on the future of Europe, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. (Image: Reuters)
If a way to keep sixth grade away from different grades isnt found, he would not be in favor of a move, he said. No decision was likely before its next board meeting in April, he said.
US President Donald Trump proposed USD 1 billion funding towards advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific as he sent his USD 4.7 trillion budgetary proposals to the Congress.

In its annual budget for the fiscal year 2020, beginning October 1 this year, the White House said the nation's future security, prosperity and leadership depend on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

As such the budget provides over USD 1 billion for the Indo-Pacific, reflecting the Administration's commitment to the region, it said.

This funding supports democracy and good economic governance, private sector mobilisation and competitiveness, critical infrastructure standards and financing and security cooperation.

The new Development Finance Corporation's (DFC) work in the region will also advance US strategy by leveraging private sector capital in much needed, high-quality regional infrastructure, it said, adding that together, these programmes ensure that the US remains the preferred security and economic partner in the region.

In his budget Trump calls for across the board five per cent cut in domestic spending and proposed a record USD 750 billion for defence, which is an increase of USD 34 billion from the previous year's USD 716 billion.

The budget notes that the national debt  currently more than USD 22 trillion  remains a grave threat to America's economic and societal prosperity. This budget addresses the national debt crisis while still investing in critical American priorities that will allow America to further excel in the future.

The budget reduces non-defence programmatic spending by five per cent below the 2019 cap level. It proposes policies to shrink or eliminate Federal programmes that fail to deliver desired outcomes for the American people.

Proposing to reduce spending by USD 2.7 trillion over 10 years, shrinking the deficit from nearly five per cent of GDP in 2020 to under one per cent of GDP in 2029, the budget puts the Federal budget on a path to balance within 15 years, the White House said.

Among other things, the budget furthers the US' goal of a stable and secure South Asia by supporting the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against jihadist terrorist organisations.

It requests funding for continued US training and assistance for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and enables US forces to conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Providing USD 533 million for assistance to Afghanistan, the Budget prioritises economic growth and reconciliation, investments to help Afghanistan to work toward peace.

The Budget supports programmes that target private-sector led economic growth, including by increasing the country's export capability and attracting international investment. It also supports education, health, governance, and other sectors that are necessary for a stable and thriving Afghanistan.

The Budget requests the funding necessary to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.

Building on ISIS territorial defeat in Iraq and the liberation of ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, DOD will continue to work with partner forces to destroy remnants of ISIS, strengthen border security, retain territorial control, and disrupt ISIS' capability to attack the US homeland and America's allies.

The Budget also requests funding for DOD to address the threat from ISIS branches outside Iraq and Syria, and to protect the United States against other terrorist threats.
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund on Monday approved a USD 4.2 billion fund to support Ecuador over the next three years. The arrangement was reached last month at staff level and required a final approval by the board. It allows an immediate disbursement of USD 652 million.

The IMF has said the agreement is part of a broader effort by the international community that totals USD 10 billion and includes financial support of almost USD 6 billion over the next three years from the Development Bank of Latin America, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Latin American Reserve Fund and the World Bank.

"The aim is to reduce debt-to-GDP ratio through a combination of a wage bill realignment, a careful and gradual optimization of fuel subsidies, a reprioritization of capital and goods and services spending, and a tax reform," IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said after the board discussion.

Ecuador's government faces a fiscal deficit of USD 10 billion, which has caused delays in paying government employees and suppliers.

Lagarde said that protecting the poor is another objective of the program, and that work is underway to increase benefits under Ecuador's social protection programs and to improve the targeting of those programs.

The agreement ends an estrangement that began with the South American nation in 2007, when then President Rafael Correa kicked out the IMF mission shortly after taking office.
Pakistan has assured the United states that it will deal firmly with all terrorists and take steps to de-escalate tensions with India, a top White House official said.

Such an assurance was given by the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a call with the US National Security Adviser, John Bolton, the latter said in a tweet.

"Spoke with Pakistani FM Qureshi to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan," Bolton said.

"The FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to de-escalate tensions with India," tweeted the US national security advisor.

Bolton's call with Qureshi came during the ongoing visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. On the first day of his official visit, the top Indian diplomat met the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The United States continued to maintain pressure on Pakistan, according to a readout of the meeting issued by the State Department.

"Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Secretary Gokhale discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the (Pulwama) attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said.

Pompeo affirmed that the United States stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism, he said.

"They noted the strength of our partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counterterrorism," Palladino said.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured Indian pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1.
The "trip of a lifetime" to a safari park in Kenya turned into a nightmare for six members of a family from India in Canada who perished when the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa. The Boeing 737 took-off from Bole International Airport on March 10 and lost contact six minutes later before coming down near Tulu Fara village outside the Ethiopian town of Bishoftu, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, including tourists and business travellers.

The victims included Pannagesh Vaidya, 73; his wife Hansini Vaidya, 67; their daughter Kosha Vaidya, 37; her husband Prerit Dixit, 45; and their two children  Anushka and Ashka  Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was quoted as saying by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. While the Surat-based Vaidya couple were Indian nationals, their daughter, husband and two children were Canadians of Indian-origin.

The family who were living in Canada, heading for a safari vacation, were about to experience "the trip of a lifetime" in Kenya when the tragic loss happened.

"This is an unbelievably tragic situation for this family," Brown said in a statement.

"As more details become known, I will provide a further update on how Brampton residents can assist this family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of sorrow and reflection."

The flags at city hall will remain at half-mast until further notice in honour of the family, Brown said in a message on Twitter.

"It's a huge tragedy," Manant Vaidya, son of Pannagesh, said.

"I lost my parents, I lost my sister. I don't have anyone else now."

Manant said his sister, who became a Canadian permanent resident in 2003, wanted to take her children to Kenya to visit her birthplace.

"They thought March break was the perfect time for them to go over there, have fun," he said. "It was going to be a really great trip for everybody."

"I asked my dad why he wanted to go and he told me that in his life he wants to go one more time."

The Peel District School Board said Monday that two of our students Ashka and Anushka Dixit along with their parents and grandparents were passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines plane that was involved in a fatal crash over the weekend.

This tragedy has brought great sadness to the students and staff at Centennial Sr. Public School and Chinguacousy Secondary School, the school board said.

"Tomorrow, the flags at @ChinguacousySS & @CentennialSrPS will be lowered to half-mast to remember and honour Anushka Dixit, Ashka Dixit, their parents and grandparents who lost their lives over the weekend," the school board tweeted.

Manant said he last saw his family on March 9 morning when he dropped them off at Toronto Pearson International Airport for their 10 am flight overseas.

Manant and his wife said they are currently speaking with consular officials overseas and waiting for more information on their family's remains, the report said.

People from 35 countries were reportedly on board the flight ET 302 when it ploughed into a field, 60-kilometer southeast of Addis Ababa.

According to the Indian Embassy in Ethiopia, four Indian nationals were killed and they have been identified as Pannagesh Vaidya, Hansini Vaidya, Nukavarapu Manisha, a doctor based in the US, and Shikha Garg, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consultant attached with the Environment Ministry.

Ethiopian Airlines said Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the US with eight each.

Britain and France each had seven people on board, Egypt six, and Germany five. Twelve countries in Africa and 14 in Europe had citizens among the victims.
Foxconn does not expect to suffer any loss as a result of a lawsuit filed by Microsoft Corp, the chief executive of the Taiwanese company, Terry Gou, said on Tuesday.

Microsoft has said it is suing Foxconn, the contract manufacturer that rose to global prominence as assembler of the Apple iPhone, for what it claims are unpaid patent royalties.

Gou said at a press conference in Taipei that Foxconn "will almost not suffer any loss" as a result of the lawsuit.
Sri Lanka is once again under international pressure to implement fully the measures identified by the UNHRC in 2015 to address human rights concerns after the United Kingdom and Germany on March 12 tabled a resolution at the UN body in Geneva.

The UN rights office calls for international investigations into alleged war crimes and encourages member states to prosecute Sri Lankans suspected of war crimes in accordance with universal jurisdiction principles.

Titled "Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka", the rollover resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

It also calls for presenting a written update to the UNHRC at its 43rd session, and a comprehensive report, followed by a discussion on the implementation of Council resolution 30/1, at its 46th session, a foreign ministry source said.

The resolution which Sri Lanka is expected to co-sponsor is termed A/HRC/40/L.1 and was also endorsed by Canada, Germany, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, according to the source.

The resolution follows the report submitted by the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Brachelet last week.

The report reviews the progress made by Sri Lanka since October 2015 and January 2019.

It assessed Sri Lanka's pledge on promoting reconciliation and human rights accountability.

Brachelet's report said that her office has been receiving credible information on cases of abduction, unlawful detention torture and sexual violence by the Sri Lankan security forces allegedly taken place from 2016 to 2018.

The report has acknowledged the government's progress in human rights issues and its engagement with civil society.

The Resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedure mandate holders in consultation with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka to continue to strengthen their advice and technical assistance on the promotion and protection of human rights and truth, justice, reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has resisted calls for international investigations citing constitutional constraints for foreign judges to operate in the island.

The UNHRC resolutions since 2013 had censured Sri Lanka on its alleged human rights abuses.

They called for probing of the rights abuses by both the LTTE and the government troops by setting up an international investigation.

The Tamil rights groups continue to pressurise the government for meaningful accountability process for human rights violations in order to achieve reconciliation.
Due to the coming Lok Sabha elections, the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI) has postponed and rescheduled the crucial Chartered Accountants (CA) exams for 2019, an official notification said.

The exams due to be held between May 2-17, will now take place between May 27-June 12, in view of the 17th Lok Sabha elections across the country spanning seven phases from April 11.

This would include Students Examinations, Foundation Course (under New Scheme), Intermediate (IPC) Course (Old Scheme), Intermediate Course (New Scheme), Final Course under Old and New Scheme, and Members' Examination, on various dates.

Accordingly, the revised dates for submitting examination forms are March 16 and with late fee, March 23, said the ICAI's notification on Monday night.

While there will be no exam on June 5 on account of Eid, the ICAI made it clear that there will be no further change in the examination schedule for any date in case of declaration of a public holiday by the Centre, state or local governments.

The CA examinations will be conducted at 144 centres, including five at foreign locations.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Swiss Bank accounts of Mumbai-based software services firm Geodesic Ltd, new owners of decades-old children's magazine Chandamama, is to come under scrutiny of Indian investigating authorities in an ongoing money laundering and financial irregularities case.

The development comes after Switzerland has agreed to provide "administrative assistance" of these accounts to Indian authorities, including Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax.

Geodesic is mainly known for acquiring 'Chandamama', the popular children's magazine started in July 1947. In 2007, Geodesic acquired the iconic 'Chandamama' magazine which enthralled children with Indian mythological stories.

As per an official document, the Switzerland Federal Tax Administration (FTA) on March 5 agreed to reveal Swiss Bank account data of 1982-incorporated Geodesic Ltd and its three directors --Prashant Sharad Mulekar, Pankajkumar Onkar Srivastava and Kiran Kulkarni. Geodesic and its directors are accused of stashing illicit funds in Swiss Bank accounts.

Details shared by the FTA about Geodesic could include investments made by its directors. The data could include banking details, transactions, and investments made in Swiss accounts.

The FTA would also share data related to Aadhi Enterprises, a Chennai-based realty firm established in 2014. The Income tax office raided offices of Sunil Khetpalia and Maneesh Parmar (linked with Aadhi) and alleged money laundering and benami holdings of several politicians.

As per the Swiss law, the FTA decision can be appealed within 30 days, provided the appellant is able to give sufficient ground to challenge it.

The FTA on October 30 last year had also decided to provide the administrative assistance in respect of Geodesic and its directors to India but that could not happen because of some legalities leading the organisation to again make new decision.

While the Swiss government documents did not disclose specific details related to the assistance sought by the Indian authorities regarding of Geodesic, its three directors and Aadhi Enterprises, such an "administrative assistance" follows submission of proof about financial and tax-related wrongdoings.

Directors of the Geodesic firm have been facing allegations of money laundering and siphoning of funds. The firm has already faced the wrath of capital markets regulator Sebi for multiple violations. Its shares have not been trading since August 2014 when its share price had dipped to as low as Rs 1.50 a piece.

Once known as a fast-growing company with cutting edge technology solutions, Geodesic does not have a functional website anymore and is also no longer a listed entity as trading in its shares has been suspended by stock exchanges for "procedural reasons".

Aadhi Enterprises is under probe for its alleged links to tainted politicians and for allegedly indulging in money laundering. The Income Tax department has conducted multiple raids on properties of the firm's promoters.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
In other matters, Safe Haven Foundation received approval to remove covenant language regarding impact to schools from its affordable housing for veterans project as a group of veterans watched. It was noted that the Merrillville School Corp., whose territory includes the proposed 7930 Iowa St. location for the project, was OK with the removal.
Police were called the morning of Jan. 30 to Sparks-Wade's home on Martin Luther King Drive in Gary for a welfare check, a probable cause affidavit states. Sparks-Wade told police the two had been arguing on Jan. 29, including when she told Washington that she was going to make another person her campaign manager, according to the affidavit.
Housing starts performances in Ontarios major markets continue to diverge from each other, according to the latest data released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation late last week.

Torontos total housing starts in February was a massive 72% lower compared to the same time last year, mainly due to the slowing pace of new condo construction and an observed consumer shift towards even more affordable housing.

Row and semi-detached home starts trended higher underlining their popularity among buyers looking for lower priced ground-oriented homes, the Crown corporation stated in its new report.
These places are more than just places of worship, they are landmarks in their communities, Pajot explained. Its not just about the buildings. It really is beyond the impact of the loss of a heritage building in the community. The places of faith really have been, for generations, centres of so much of community life. They play a de facto community hub role, community service role.

Read more: Report calls on Ontario government to update zoning bylaws

Among the leading factors driving this development are shrinking congregations (mostly due to age or outward migration) and increasing maintenance costs, which smaller church memberships are finding themselves unable to shoulder.

A notable example is in eastern New Brunswick. The locales Roman Catholic Archdiocese has forecast that 20 of its 53 parishes will likely shut down if said congregations cant ensure the long-term health of their coffers.

The 2018 report by the Diocese of St-Jerome near Montreal also predicted that more than 30 of 54 Catholic churches in the region will probably close if they cant find ways to raise more money.
A Colorado woman died after a wreck Sunday morning, 10 miles east of Midkiff in Glasscock County, according to a press release from the Department of Public Safety.

Camryn A. Gauger, 21, of Thornton, Colorado, was driving a 2005 Jeep Cherokee south on State Highway 137. According to troopers, she was a short distance behind a 2014 Freightliner, truck tractor (towing a semi-trailer). The driver of the Freightliner began to turn east onto Farm-to-Market 2401. At that point Gauger attempted to pass the Freightliner but failed to pass to the left safely and collided with the Freightliner, according to the release.
It's not a sight you expect to see in the driest spot in the country.

A massive lake formed in Death Valley National Park near Salt Creek last week after a storm packed with tropical moisture drenched Southern California, triggering flooding on several park roads.

Photographer Elliott McGucken was in Death Valley to photograph the storm and its aftermath; on March 7, he took images of the temporary, nameless lake.

McGucken was hoping to photograph Badwater Basin where he thought water might have also collected, but he couldn't access the area due to flooding and stumbled upon the lake.

"It's a surreal feeling seeing so much water in the world's driest place," said McGucken, who also writes books on physics. "There's an irony even though I couldn't get down to Badwater Basin. Overall, I think these shots are probably more unique."

McGucken said Death Valley is usually windy, and when he first arrived at the lake, blustery conditions were creating ripples on the water. "Then, the wind died down and it got really calm," he said.

The result was a collection of images with the rugged Panamint Range, its tallest Telescope Peak frosted in snow, reflected in glassy waters.

"Nature presents this ephemeral beauty, and I think a lot of what photography is about is searching for it and then capturing it," he said.

The exact length of the lake is unknown, but the park emailed a statement to McGucken estimating it's about 10 miles long: "I believe we would need aerial photos to accurately determine the size. From the road, it looks like it stretched from approximately Harmony Borax Works to Salt Creek right after the rain, which is a little less than 10 road miles. But, the road does curve a bit, so it's not an entirely accurate guess."

As of Tuesday, the park said the lake was still there but getting smaller.

Patrick Taylor, chief of education and interpretation, says he's never seen a lake of this size near Salt Creek in this six years he has worked in the park.

"It has formed before in smaller ponds, but I don't remember seeing it this large in this location before," Taylor said.

ALSO: Death Valley flooded by drenching rains: 'It's like putting water on concrete'

In a typical March, the Furnace Creek rain gauge in Death Valley records 0.3 inches of rainfall. In a 24-hour span running from last Tuesday to Wednesday, the same gauge measured 0.84 inches. In the surrounding mountains, the National Weather Service estimates 1 to 1.5 inches fell.

This might not sound like a lot of rain, but NWS meteorologist Todd Lericos explains the desert landscape doesn't easily absorb water. Rain in the mountains rushes down to the valley floor.

"The desert soils are dry and compact," said Lericos, who works in the NWS Las Vegas office. "It's like putting water on concrete."

This story was updated on March 12 at 1:30 p.m.
The County Council on Tuesday recognized Marilyn Garner, who is retiring at the end of March. Garner has been the councils secretary since 1998 and was the first African-American to hold the post, which she called a challenging one as she planned her life around council deadlines, meetings and budget session.
Other speakers included Nancy Moldenhauer, of Michigan City, who said for people like her  those with advanced degrees and white collar jobs  an increase will not affect them that much. But it would be a burden, she said, for people in the average or below income level. She told the IURC to not force them to have to choose between food and medicine or having to keep warm in the winter or cool in the summer.




Web development is all about using the tools that are available to reach the goals that have been set. When it comes to the top web development companies, social media marketing tools are always going to be a common topic of discussion. The best web development companies are well aware of the brave new world that businesses find themselves in.





That is why all businesses of all sizes need to embrace the benefits associated with social media marketing. These strategies require a certain level of web development assistance, though. The top web development companies allow their clients to tap into their true creativity with proficient social media management expertise.





To find out more about the benefits of social media marketing and how web development companies can help, be sure to take a closer look at the following guide:





Increasing Brand Awareness





A business that once had to spend big to make sure that their name was circulating can now use social media marketing to achieve the same goals . Any web development plan that does not include social media outreach is inherently flawed. This is a great way for a company to spread the word about the goods and services that they are offering the world.





Organically Increasing Web Traffic





The top web development companies can provide a business with an awesome looking site but a strong social media presence is what will increase traffic. By creating social media pages and linking them to the site, a business is able to increase their traffic without a significant increase in their spending.





Decreased Promotional Costs





After all, this is what it is all about, isn't it? Now that a business does not have to spend the same amount of time and money on reaching out to their target audience, they can invest these same resources into other areas of the company. This provides a wide range of benefits over both the short term and the long haul.





Receiving Feedback From Clients





Clients do not like to spend time on the phone or sending e-mails. They want to know that they can speak to a company directly as soon as they are experiencing issues. This is where social media marketing comes into play. A business is able to address various concerns as soon as they arise and speak directly to their clientele.





Social Listening





It is not enough to receive feedback from the clientele. A company must also take the time to engage in social listening. Social listening takes place when the company is willing to invest time into monitoring certain topics of discussion online. This lets a company learn more about the marketing trends that need to be dictating their decision making going forward.





Social media is an invaluable tool in this regard and web development companies will always stress the importance of it to their clients. Learning more about the struggles of clients is what allows a company to tailor their goods and services accordingly.





Telling Stories





Nowadays, no one wants to feel as if they are handing over their hard earned money to a monolithic company. They want to know that they are aligning themselves with a brand that has a mission. The best way to let audiences in on the story is by providing them with lots of images. Brands can also use these images to tell a greater story about who they are. This goes a long way towards creating a positive impact in the marketplace.





Gathering Data





Thanks to social media and digital marketing , a business can now gather information in real time and make improvements on the fly. Gone are the days of launching a complicated promotional blitz. Now, a business has the chance to use their social media platforms as a means of gathering data. Twitter and Facebook allow users to find out more about which posts travel the farthest as well. These actionable insights are then used for future promotional purposes.





Higher Levels Of Customer Loyalty





If a customer knows that they can reach out to a company and have their voice heard, they are far more likely to stick with them over the long term. Best of all, the company that utilizes social media marketing is able to enjoy these benefits free of charge. The customer that follows a company on social media after having a positive experience is more likely to remain loyal.





Creating A Call To Action





Social media sites can be used as a direct referral to the business site but a call to action needs to be created. What problem does the audience have that the company is going to be able to solve? With social media, a company is able to avoid certain urges.





Any business that is just getting started out has a tendency to become overbearing with their marketing. By posting judiciously and providing the customer with a clear call to action, this is something that can be avoided altogether. Don't ever make the mistake of overloading the audience with pointless posts.





Becoming An Established Authority





Any business that is not using their social media pages to establish themselves as an authority in their chosen niche is missing out. Content marketing is all about posting relevant content that allows followers to learn more about the subject at hand. As a page becomes more and more authoritative, the search engine ranking increases. The benefits that are provided from a search engine optimization standpoint cannot be understated.





Author Bio: Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, a mobile app development company in New York, USA and India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column. She also writes for top app development companies.









I hope you enjoyed this blog post about why every business should embrace the benefits of social media marketing for their branding.





Interested in more articles about social media marketing strategy?





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A bill calling for a 7-cent tax on all shopping bags  paper and plastic  has made it out of committee, but the sponsor said hell bring it back for changes.

Gov. J.B. Pritzkers budget proposal for the coming fiscal year relies on $20 million in revenue from a 5-cent tax on plastic bags.

Senate Bill 1240 was briefly heard in the Senate Revenue Committee. Chief sponsor Sen. Terry Link, D-Indian Creek, said he promised to bring the bill back to the committee for an amendment to get the measure into agreement with concerns from opponents and from the governors office.

The existing measure would create the Checkout Bag Tax Act and impose a 7-cent tax on all bags retail customers use. That would include single-use plastic, paper, or compostable bag provided by a retail establishment at the checkout, according to a synopsis of the bill.

Pritzkers budget team told reporters after last months budget address that his proposed tax on shopping bags would be five cents per bag and only tax plastic bags.

Illinois Retail Merchants Associations Rob Karr, who has raised concerns about how the tax would work with Chicago retailers and how retailers would track, tax and remit the revenue back to the state, told the committee SB1240 without an amendment is practically the same as what Chicago has in place.

The bill, as is, gives retailers and wholesalers a cut of the revenue. The synopsis of the bill says the retailer shall retain two cents per bag, the wholesaler shall retain two cents per bag, and three cents per bag would be deposited into the Checkout Bag Tax Fund.

The measure was opposed by some environmental groups.

Jack Darin, with the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, said while the tax is working to curb consumption of bags in Chicago, he had concerns about various exceptions to the law.

Link said he will work with the Sierra Club and other environmental groups and the governors office to bring an amendment to the committee for further consideration.
(CNN)  A police officer in Paris died after her colleague shot her in the head, in what police union leader Christophe Crepin called "a tragedy due to a mistake in handling a loaded firearm."

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the victim and the suspect were playing with their guns Sunday when the incident occurred. As yet, neither has been publicly named.

The victim was shot in the central offices of the Paris judicial police in the city's 17th arrondissement, where she and her male colleague were guarding the building. The newspaper reported that she was 27 and her colleague is 28 years old.

Crepin told CNN that the suspect has been suspended and taken into custody. The Paris prosecutor's office has launched an involuntary homicide investigation.

Le Parisien reports that the colleagues were "playing at drawing their weapon" when the officer was fatally shot, and that two other officers were present.

"There are regulations as to the handling of a firearm when the chamber is loaded and these were not followed," Crepin told CNN.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Policewoman killed by colleague 'playing' with gun"
One of these blind spots for too many of us is how we feel the need to out-woke each other all the time, Ansari noted, regarding divisive news stories and the inevitable outrage in their wake. What he means is that we take silly pride in being the first to know everything thats going on in the world, and then sharing it with others.
I have the blueprint to the ...
I am amazed that a writer would say that Quickly is "the largest perpetrator of fake news." Quickly printed your opinion. That should tell you something. We know that Trump supporters and loyalists are dwindling. Check the polls. Review the mid-term elections. You can't blame Quickly for the overwhelming opinions in opposition to Trump's administration. Quickly is just a medium or a mode. The people are doing the writing. You can't select what's not there or something that's totally ridiculous and self-serving. Remember three million more people preferred the Democratic candidate. Trump legitimately became president through the Electoral College. Quickly doesn't have that option of avoiding the wishes of the majority option writers. There is no Quickly Electoral College! Quickly must respond to the people in a fair and balanced manner. Whether my opinions are selected or not, I personally know that Quickly makes every effort to treat opinion writers objectively. Quickly is a real asset to this newspaper. Quickly forever!
Amiwala also said that although the district budget and spending is available online, the school board can do more by breaking it down into everyday colloquial language so people can understand where the money is being spent is where the differentiation lays. The people who come from immigrant families, non-native English speakers, can understand where the money is being spent.
The grant must fund a bike and pedestrian path and the project must be ready to go by September 2020. The greenway would be part of a larger plan for a linear park starting north of 47th street and winding southward to Flagg Creeks confluence with the Des Plaines River.
Murphys Irish Day View Photos

Murphys, CA  One of the biggest single day events in Calaveras County is coming up this weekend in downtown Murphys.

2019 marks the 27th anniversary of the Murphys Irish Day celebration, which will run from 10am-5pm, Saturday, along Main Street.

Michelle Plotnik, chairwoman for the event put on by the Murphys Business Association, says around 160 craft vendors will line the streets, selling a mix of homemade items and Irish themed goods. There will be live music in three different areas, in addition to other entertainers performing shows along the street. New this year, will be an area set aside specifically for kids, with miniature donkeys, pony rides, and performances by the Murphys School of Music.

There will also be a wide variety of food and beverage available, and many of the offerings will be Irish themed.

Plotnik notes that the event has exploded in popularity since its inception 27 years ago. It started out as a very small parade for kids, and it has grown exponentially over the years.

It is now one of the events that helps further put Murphys on the map as a major destination for tourism. While many of the businesses will see a boost on Saturday, she notes, We observe that when people come to Irish Day they generally have a really good time, and want to come back and see the town again when things are less busy. They can then wander, and have the opportunity to talk with winemakers and spend more time at the businesses.

In addition, the popular parade gets underway at 11am, and this year it will celebrate Ric Ryan, the Walking Man of Murphys, as the Grand Marshall. The Vietnam Veteran has raised over $125,000 for the organization Operation Mend. Ryan, 72, who had both knees and one hip replaced, embarked on a one-man fundraising campaign starting in 2008, donating 25-cents to the Veterans organization every time someone waves to him during his regular walks around Murphys. People soon learned what he was doing, and it led to more waves, and community donations. Some will pull over to hand him a check, while others donate at Operation Mend collection cans that are now dispersed around town. The gifts have ranged anywhere from $1-$5,000.

Another highlight of Irish Day is the pre-event pancake breakfast from 8-10am at the First Congregational United Church of Christ at the intersection of Algiers and Church streets.

If you are heading to Irish Day, the Murphys Business Association recommends parking at Ironstone Vineyards on Six Mile Road, as a free shuttle will run every 20 minutes, between 9:30am-5:30pm. Main Street will be closed to vehicles from 6am-6pm. In addition, there is no parking allowed during that time on Church, Algiers, Sheep Ranch, Scott, Jones and Six Mile Road. The Black Bart Playhouse parking lot will serve as a staging area for the parade, and will open for free parking immediately afterwards. When traveling to the event, you must take Highway 4 and not Murphys Grade Road. Handicap parking will be available at the Masonic Hall at 384 Church Street and at the Arbors parking lot at the intersection of Jones and Scott streets.
A man, wrapped in a shawl and wearing women's high-heel boots with red lipstick on his face, was tied up in the hands on a pole by a woman.



A thrilled audience stood up and gave enormous applause when Vanda, the female character, slapped twice in the face of the man and left the stage.

It is a scene from a private theater play on show in Istanbul, which was adapted from the Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's 1870 novel "Venus in Furs" that highlights gender inequality by revealing the most hidden desires of a man through an encounter with a woman.

The two-person play has been granted several awards in Turkey, getting significant appreciation from intellectuals, writers and the audience in terms of bringing to light gender labeling and sexuality so explicitly in a conservative society.

"The narrative is, of course, a bold one for Turkey, for a strong patriarchal country, where there is tremendous pressure on women and LGBT members," said Ersin Umut Guler, the actor and the director, referring to the groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

"The story is a striking one as it also displays a psychological journey toward the darker side of the psychology of our male protagonist, Thomas Novachek, exposing his suppressed intimate passions," he told Xinhua.

Known as father of masochism, Sacher-Masoch depicted in his book a man getting sexual pleasure from the feeling of pain, exposing his feminine side through the humiliation by a woman.

In the first episode of the play, Thomas lowers women and lesbianism in sexist dialogues. But later the traditional societal codes of women being slaves and men being masters shift places, said Guler.

And, Vanda, as a woman, starts to confuse Thomas's mind.

In the view of Pervin Bagdat, the actress, gender roles in Turkey define all the characteristics of individuals in classifying them as being feminine or masculine.

"Society casts a role for each of us, determining how to behave, what to do and not to do, or what to wear," she told Xinhua.

In her opinion, people sometimes are obliged to give up their own needs and desires to be in line with the societal codes and consume their lives without ever truly discovering themselves.

"So the play could be regarded as rule-breaking in that sense," she said.

The reactions of the audience, meanwhile, vary depending on their genders, according to the performers.

"I met with old ladies who squeezed my cheeks after the play, telling me that I have taken the revenge of suppressed women in society," said Bagdat.

For young women, they were impressed significantly by the dialogues, which forced them to think twice on the gender issue and on tapping the power within themselves.

The actress argued that women in the country are socially trapped, oppressed and constrained, subjected to sexist treatment in terms of language, work and families.

"And we are bored, as both men and women, we are bored from the fact that we are told how to behave, how to dress, and how to talk," Bagdat said.

In Guler's view, women could easily reach the power within themselves, but "for men it is a complicated process."

"They cannot comfortably reveal what they feel in deep down their personalities," he said, noting men are not ready to face with the notion of being humiliated by women or revealing their feminine energy.

Burak Coskun, an Ankara-based journalist, said the audience in Istanbul, the most populous city in Turkey, is more ready and open for such matters as revealed in a theater play than the rest of the country.

"Even in the capital Ankara, we do not see such bold topics in plays," Coskun said.

According to Guler, the reason is the scarcity of private theaters in Ankara and other cities.

"There is growing pressure from the government over the state theaters in the selection of plays and also costumes," Guler explained.

"Censorship and most importantly self-censorship are increasingly on the agenda," he stressed, highlighting the bans imposed currently by the state authorities on several theater plays and players in Turkey.

Guler noted that private theaters, numbering more than 200 in Turkey, are mostly in Istanbul and have more independence.

He established the private Yolcu Theather in 2013, and since then he has been staging plays which question wars, the exploitation of workers, and rape and torture in prisons.




You are here: Business

With both production and sales continuing to jump, the market of new energy vehicles (NEV) in China remained vigorous last month, a bright spot amid a lackluster automobile sector.

About 52,900 NEV cars were sold in February, up 53.6 percent year on year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Monday. The production also saw rapid expansion, with an over-50-percent increase.

China has intensified efforts to promote the use of NEVs to ease pressure on the environment, offering tax exemptions and discounts on car purchases. The government also encouraged carmakers to build more NEV factories and improve technology.

For years, China has remained the world's largest NEV market, with around 1.26 million cars sold in 2018.

Monday's data also showed the broader automobile sector maintained the downward trend as total sales decreased 13.8 percent from a year ago and 37.4 percent from January. The production in February also declined.

Chen Shihua, an assistant to the secretary general of the CAAM, attributed the drops in part to the week-long Spring Festival holiday falling at the beginning of February.
Dressed to the nines in evening wear or dressed down in denim and chanclas, hungry customers have lined the booths of Jim's Restaurants for more than 50 years.

The 24-hour diner has been San Antonio's go-to spot for late-night dates with buttermilk pancakes, politico parlays over hamburgers and anything in between ever since G. 'Jim' Hasslocher and his wife, Veva, opened the first Jim's Coffee House in 1963.



"'Meet me at Jim's' became a famous saying," Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, a longtime friend of the family, told the Express-News in a tribute to Hasslocher after his death in 2015 at the age of 92.
The all-time favorites at Whataburger are items your stomach craves and loves, but an A1 Thick & Hearty might actually make your heart skip a beat.

Items from the iconic Texas fast food restaurant can make up most of your daily recommended calorie intake - and that's without the drink and fries.
According to social media posts, the latest project from San Antonio restaurateur Chad Carey, a wine bar named Little Death, is now open.

Little Death is located across from Burger Boy inside a former Pierce Oil Co. gas station at 2327 N. St. Marys St. that dates to 1929. The buildings exterior is a wall-to-wall mural of bold colors and characters that belie a crisp white interior.
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's assertion that impeaching President Donald Trump would not be worth the ensuing political firestorm has exposed a long-simmering rift in the Democratic Party, upsetting some liberals and triggering a debate about the threshold to try to remove Trump.

But it also shines a spotlight on the California Democrat's cautious approach to oversight. Pelosi's allies believe her skepticism about impeachment protects her moderates in swing districts, gives her an exit strategy should special counsel Robert Mueller find no wrongdoing by the president, and could even strengthen her leverage if something serious arises and Pelosi reverses course to impeach him later.

Tamping down impeachment talk also enables Pelosi to keep the spotlight on the Democratic agenda, she told lawmakers in a private meeting Monday night. That's critical amid Republican efforts to cast Democrats as obsessed with ousting the president, Pelosi allies argue.

"Do we want to drag him down or do we want to lift people up?" Pelosi asked a group of her peers during a Monday night huddle, according to two people familiar with the remarks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made a similar point: "We did not run on impeachment. We did not win on impeachment. We are not governing with a focus on impeachment," he said.

At the White House, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders welcomed Pelosi's comments.

"I'm glad that she sees what the rest of us see, that there's no reason, there's no cause for impeachment. The president's done an incredible job in his first two years in office. The country is better than it's been in decades, and we're actually making progress on a number of fronts," Sanders said on Fox News.

For now, most House Democrats appear willing to trust Pelosi on the matter. During a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday morning - just hours after Pelosi's comments became public and despite unease among many liberals - impeachment never came up once, multiple people in the room said. Instead, House Democrats focused on their plan to reduce prescription drugs prices and passing legislation banning discrimination based on gender orientation.

But many House Democrats are privately wondering how long it will last. Already, some Democrats argue that the party should not worry about the political ramifications of holding the president accountable. And those voices could reach a crescendo as Mueller's report is issued and House Democrats dig into their own investigations of Trump.

Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said that, regardless of Pelosi's statements, she is drafting an impeachment resolution that she plans to file in the coming weeks.

"Speaker Pelosi and all members of leadership have always encouraged us to represent our districts, and this is something that was very important to my residents and still continues to be," she said Tuesday. "And so I'm going to move forward, obviously."

"That doesn't mean we're voting on it," Tlaib added. "It means we're beginning the process to look at some of these alleged claims, these impeachable offenses."

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, agreed, arguing that voters "really are angry about what is perceived to be happening in the White House" and that Congress has an "obligation" to see where the facts lead.

"I don't think it's something we decide whether or not it's 'worth it,' " Jayapal said Monday night. "If it's a consistent pattern of abuse of power, of obstruction of justice . . . then that to me seems like it will be impeachable."

The key question for Democrats is whether to proceed with impeachment hearings if Republicans refuse to join in that endeavor. Pelosi told The Post in a magazine interview conducted March 6 that impeachment would be divisive unless "there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan." Otherwise, she said, "I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it."

That view has wide support among House Democrats, ranging from Pelosi's leadership allies to moderate freshmen who unseated Republicans in last year's midterm elections.

"Impeachment right now is a complete distraction," said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "We have a very proactive agenda. . . . Why focus on impeachment when there's no way it's going to happen in the Senate?"

To oust Trump after a House vote for impeachment, the Republican-controlled Senate would have to convict the president, an highly unlikely outcome at this point.

"Her statement is pretty much in line with what I've always said - let's not start talking about impeachment before we even know what the evidence is," said Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., who won a GOP-held district last year. "It does alleviate some of the pressure."

Even Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is investigating controversies surrounding Trump, told reporters Monday night that "I support Speaker Pelosi."

"I think Pelosi realizes this: We can't spend all of our time concentrating on what we're fighting against," Cummings said. "We need to concentrate on what we're fighting for."

Illustrating Democratic leaders' desire to turn the page to more substantive matters, the discussion at Tuesday's caucus meeting centered on the White House budget request and prescription drug prices. Two ex-aides to former Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who led intense investigations of the pharmaceutical industry, discussed approaches to controlling drug prices.

Speaking to reporters Monday night, Pelosi noted that some Democrats had wanted her to consider impeaching President George W. Bush in 2007 and 2008 for invading Iraq on faulty intelligence purporting that the nation had weapons of mass destruction.

"I didn't believe in it then; I don't believe in it now," Pelosi said. "It divides the country unless there's some conclusive evidence that takes us to that place."

Pelosi said she also wants to keep Democrats' focus on the party's legislative agenda.

"We have run on a platform that talked about an agenda to lower health-care costs, by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and saving the preexisting-condition benefit . . . bigger paychecks by building the infrastructure of America, and cleaner government," she said. "That's our agenda. That's our focus. To take our eye off that ball is not worth it. And that's why I say impeachment is not worth it."

But other Democrats pointed to the GOP's refusal to challenge Trump over the past two years. They worry that compelling evidence of wrongdoing from Mueller - who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign - would not change Republicans' minds, and they say Democrats need to be prepared to act on their own.

"I took an oath to the Constitution, not to the Democratic Party," said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., a senior member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. "If I feel that I have a constitutional obligation to follow that procedure, then I have a legal and moral obligation to do so - even if no Republican wants to do anything."

And outside Washington, liberal billionaire Tom Steyer, who is funding ads pressing Democrats to impeach Trump, was aghast at Pelosi's assertion. The speaker, he said, has "prejudged" the findings in the Mueller report before it has been finished.

"I thought we were waiting for the Mueller report. I thought we were waiting to get the information," he said Monday, frustration apparent in his voice. "There's more than enough information to show that this president is the most lawless president. He has easily met any criteria for impeachment, and the question is: Are we going to do the right thing and stand up for the Constitution and American people?"

Republicans cast any move to impeach as Democratic overreach.

"In a land of law and order, the rule of law would be broken. I think Nancy Pelosi is smart to say there shouldn't be impeachment, because there's no grounds," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters Tuesday.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in leadership, sought to highlight the divide in the Democratic Party and Pelosi's management.

"I think she's dealing with the reality that she's not in control of her caucus. This is not a path she wants to go down, but she's not in charge it appears to us," Cheney said.

- - -

The Washington Post's John Wagner and Colby Itkowitz contributed to this report.
A San Antonio man was arrested after his wife found a hidden recording device in her bedroom three weeks after the couple separated, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Ricky Wray, 38, was arrested Monday on suspicion of invasive video recording, jail records showed.
China's draft foreign investment law is well received among foreign investors, who believe it will further improve the country's business environment.



A new draft of the law was submitted to China's national legislative session for a third reading last week, and has been deliberated by lawmakers and discussed by political advisors over the past few days.

The draft aims to improve the transparency of foreign investment policies and ensures that foreign-invested enterprises participate in market competition on an equal basis.

Stephan Kothrade, president functions Asia Pacific of German chemicals giant BASF, said the company welcomes the draft law, with the belief that it will help effectively address issues foreign investors face in China.

"For foreign companies in China, I think everyone is waiting for the draft law to be passed, as the law will create a level playing field where everyone can participate," said Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.

With unified provisions for the entry, promotion, protection, and management of foreign investment, the law is "a new and fundamental law" for China's foreign investment and an innovative improvement of China's foreign investment legal system.

The draft stresses more investment promotion and protection than the three existing laws, a positive signal for foreign firms in China, said Ma Zheng, vice president of the China subsidiary of the agricultural commodities trader Cargill.

Ma believes the law would provide stronger legal guarantees for foreign investors and companies to safeguard their interests. "It's going to make China's business environment more open, equitable and transparent for foreign firms," he said.

By the end of 2018, about 960,000 foreign-invested enterprises had been set up in China, with the accumulated foreign direct investment exceeding 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars.

China advanced to a global ranking of 46 in terms of ease of doing business last year, up from 78 in 2017, according to a World Bank Group report released last year.

"This shows the constant improvement in our business environment, and greater progress might be made this year," said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The new law will boost foreign investors' confidence in China since their rights and interests will be legally protected, said Cai Hua, a national legislator and director of Wisely Law Office in Tianjin.

"A country with a relatively complete legal system will be an ideal destination for foreign investment," Cai said.

"It will give more people confidence in China," said Adam Dunnett, secretary general of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. "If you're a foreign investor, and you're going to read a law about China, probably the first one you're going to read is the foreign investment law."
President Donald Trump has done his level best to tank his presidency. The trade and budget deficits are soaring, his legal woes are mushrooming, his North Korea policy collapsed, Democrats beat him on the border wall, and the Republican Senate is poised to rebuke him.

There is only one thing that can save him now: Democrats.

And, on cue, here they come. Democrats, after winning last year with vows to lower health-care costs, rebuild infrastructure and clean up corruption, are now being pulled toward costly and divisive plans for government-run health care, a Green New Deal and reparations for African-Americans. Some are agitating for impeachment even before special counsel Robert Mueller releases his report. And House Democrats just engaged in an ugly internal squabble over anti-Semitism.

The instigator, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said that Americans who support policies of the Jewish state are pushing allegiance to a foreign country. Previously, she apologized for suggesting that pro-Israel interests were buying off lawmakers.

But this time the far left rallied against House Democratic leaders plans to rebuke Omar, arguing: that others have said worse with impunity (true, but they are Republicans, who follow a lesser standard), and that American Muslims are the victims of far worse (also true, but not justification for challenging another minoritys patriotism). The anodyne resolution condemning religious bigotry generally wont end the matter, both because there is nascent anti-Semitism on the left and because Republicans, with rank hypocrisy, will exploit it.

Perhaps a refresher on such bigotry is needed. Call it Anti-Semitism for Dummies:

Kosher

Opposing Benjamin Netanyahus government. (Most American Jews do it!)

Criticizing Israeli policy, including the occupation.

Questioning U.S. support for Israel.

Meh

Suggesting the Israel lobby has too much influence, though ignoring the NRA and other groups that also have outsized influence.

Denouncing individual Jews as unscrupulous (Little Shifty Schiff), though non-Jews (Crooked Hillary) arent similarly labeled.

Oy

Suggesting people who support policies of Israel are disloyal to America.

Falsely suggesting Jewish or pro-Israel interests bribe politicians.

You should be ashamed

Telling Jews, Youre not going to support me because I dont want your money (as Trump did) or suggesting they are conspiring toward global domination (as Trump also did).

Denying the Holocaust or belittling it (as Donald Trump Jr. did) with loose talk of gas chambers.

Chanting, Jews will not replace us or speaking favorably (as Trump did) of people who do.

Rather than attempting to bury divisions with a feel-good resolution, I suggest Democrats resolve the following  not on the floor but in their hearts:

Whereas Trump tweeted an anti-Semitic image of a Jewish star atop a pile of cash, and hesitated to condemn a KKK leader and those threatening Jews and vandalizing Jewish property;

Whereas Trump told slanders about Muslims cheering the World Trade Center attack and Muslims being shot by bullets dipped in pigs blood, said Islam hates us, retweeted anti-Muslim propaganda and called for a total and complete Muslim travel ban;

Whereas Republicans have been mostly silent about Trumps bigotry and sometimes echoed it;

Whereas the only way to defeat Trump is for Democrats to unify behind an agenda embraced by voters;

And whereas pursuing impeachment without Republican support would not only fail but also would strengthen Trump;

Now, therefore, be it resolved:

That we denounce the bigotry unleashed by Trump and often ignored by Republicans.

That we vow to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

That we will stop questioning each others motives and loyalty to country.

That we will not insist on litmus tests and House votes on issues that split Democrats and have no chance of enactment under Trump.

That we will keep our powder dry on impeachment unless and until Republicans join us.

And that we will never again divert Trump from his steady march to self-destruction.
Special counsel Robert Muellers report, which is expected to be delivered to the attorney general soon, will end up being a great test of American democracy. How will we handle it? In a nakedly partisan fashion, or as a way to bolster our constitutional system?

It has been much noted that we are now in an era of illiberal democracy. Popularly elected governments and leaders  in countries as varied as Venezuela, Poland, Hungary, Turkey and the Philippines  are undermining independent institutions, violating important norms and accumulating unbridled power. In most of these nations, checks and balances have buckled as institutions that protect rights have been weakened, political parties have been craven, courts have been compliant, and the press has been subdued.

In America, the story is mixed. The political system has functioned poorly, checking President Donald Trumps excesses only along partisan lines. This is largely because the Republican Party has capitulated to Trump, even when party leaders have believed that he was undercutting democracy itself. Senators who had spent a lifetime railing against the executive branchs power grabs have quietly accepted that Congress central power, to spend money, can be subverted at will by the White House.

Some American institutions have pushed back. The judiciary has maintained its independence. The various branches of investigative authority  the FBI and the other organs of the Justice Department  have demonstrated that they serve the country and Constitution above the current occupant of the White House. The press has, by and large, been able to withstand the extraordinary pressure of a president who almost daily attacks and threatens its freedom and independence.

But the greatest check on Trump has surely been the public itself, placing some limits on the presidents behavior by voting in the midterms and expressing itself through opinion polls and protests. And ultimately this has to be the hope for the health and strength of any democracy  that in the words often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, you cant fool all the people all of the time.

My faith in people power has been strengthened in watching events 7,000 miles away in India. There, too, a democratically elected leader, Narendra Modi, has accumulated power in ways that were at times authoritarian. In this case, the pressure he exerted on the bureaucracy and the judiciary often worked. So did his intimidation of the press, which while once fiery and free has essentially become a handmaiden of the ruling party. Businessmen were coerced into supporting Modis party, the BJP, and loading it up with cash.

And yet the BJP recently received a drubbing at the ballot box. Despite commanding advantages with media coverage, money and local officials, Indias dominant party lost several key state elections a few months ago. Why? In a word, diversity.

In a new book on his quarter-century of observing Indian politics, Ruchir Sharma notes that the dominant reality of Indian politics is its diversity. India is comprised of dozens of different linguistic communities, ethnic groups, castes, tribes and classes. And these identities are meaningful, shaping peoples perspectives on everything from daily life to political preferences. Sharma cites the head of a large consumer products company who explained that his company divides India into 14 subregions because of its dizzying diversity, compared with the 20 countries of the Middle East, which get put by the company into just four groups.

This diversity has proved to be Indias greatest strength as a democracy, ensuring that no one party gets too big for its boots. For 40 years, the single best prediction in Indian elections has been that the incumbent will be tossed out.

Things have changed because of Indias military tit for tat with Pakistan, which Modi has used to push an aggressively nationalist line. With no evidence, he has labeled all opposition parties as being anti-national and pro-Pakistan. This strategy might work, but still, he will likely return to office with a reduced majority.

In their book How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt make the case that diversity helps forge the culture of compromise and tolerance that is crucial to democracys success. They argue, for example, that the Republican Party has become so rigid, intolerant and abusive of this norm in part because it has become an ethnically and racially homogeneous party.

Most Western countries are going to become more diverse. That is simply demographic reality. India demonstrates how that diversity  if embraced and celebrated  could actually help rescue and strengthen democracy.

comments@fareedzakaria.com
Bills filed to restore provisions of the Open Meetings Act struck down by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals merit bipartisan support. To do otherwise is to sanction secrecy, with the public operating in the dark when it comes to public agencies.

The legislation introduced by Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, tightens the language in the law that makes it a crime for government officials to meet in small groups to discuss the publics business through successive meetings. These are often called walking quorums.

Earlier this month, the states highest criminal appellate court found the section of Texas law dealing with those types of meetings unconstitutionally vague. The proposed bills address the issue by including more precise wording to remove any confusion or ambiguity.

In striking down a key provision of the states Open Meetings Act and punting the issue to the Legislature, the court dealt a crushing blow to transparency in Texas government. We have witnessed a slow chipping away at Texas open meetings and records laws in the courts and the Legislature over the past several years.

Texas open records law took a major hit following in 2015 when a Texas Supreme Court ruling in Boeing v. Paxton expanded on what can be considered a trade secret and can be legally exempt from public access. The Boeing decision allows keeping confidential information about tax dollars spent by private companies doing business with the government.

During the last several sessions, legislation has been passed that limits access to dates of birth in government records and police files that were once considered public. This trend must stop.

In todays political climate, we need more transparency when it comes to government activities, not less. Regrettably, not everyone is of the same mindset. Every session, there is legislation intended to provide more transparency and give the public better access to public documents, but it often gets held hostage in committee and never gets a vote.

Holding elected officials accountable starts with strong open meeting and open records laws.

The case that prompted this most recent ruling involved a Montgomery County judge, who, as a member of the county Commissioners Court, orchestrated private meetings on a county road project. The decision does not affect secret meetings of a board majority; those meetings remain illegal.

The issue before the states highest criminal appellate court dealt with successive meetings with less than a quorum among members of an elected body to discuss public matters to circumvent the Open Meetings Act.

The ruling lifting criminal penalties for violating the spirit of the Texas Open Meeting Act is a powerful disincentive for elected officials to remain transparent about their activities. The majority of elected officials operate in good faith and are open about their work, but there will be others who will push the law to the limits if they can.

The 7-2 court opinion written by Presiding Judge Sharon Keller, who was joined in that ruling by Justices Bert Richard and Barbara Parker Hervey of San Antonio, states the section of the law in question is potentially very broad and lacks any reasonable degree of clarity on what it covers and to give it a narrow interpretation would constitute legislating from the bench.

We do not doubt the legislatures power to prevent government officials from using clever tactics to circumvent the purpose and effect of the Texas Open Meetings Act, the court said.

The legislation filed by Watson and Phelan must be given priority.
The primary criterion to judge the success of a mission to North Korea is the return of the USS Pueblo.

Star Carey, Canyon Lake

Doesnt fit Trump

Re: Rangel gets MAGA boost from Latinos for Trump, by Gilbert Garcia, March 6:

I found perplexing the comments by Bianca Gracia, the national vice president of Latinos for Trump. Gracia is quoted in the column as saying, We are all about candidates who are pro-God, pro-family and pro-life.

Donald Trump has been married three times and cheated on his current wife with a porn star and a Playboy model. His policies regarding our southern border have only served to split up thousands of children from their parents and deny asylum to countless women and children fleeing violence in Central America.

Remind me again, Ms. Gracia, how Trump fits into this criteria of yours.

Felix Gonzalez

Churches hear them

Re: Using religion to discriminate an affront to the Gospel, by Andries Coetzee, Opinion, March 3:

It is not unusual to have someone appear at a church door asking if it is a safe place for them to worship. What must it feel like to be a person of Christian faith yet hear your churchly brothers and sisters speak out against people like you on the basis of how they interpret Jesus words?

I am grateful that churches like University Presbyterian Church and pastor Andries Coetzee know that now is a crucial time for each of our voices to be heard. Welcome to those who need a welcoming church  there are many of us in San Antonio.

Thomas L. Robison
"Hoarders" is back! Yup, the notorious A&E show has returned for Season 10, and its premiere episode trots out what we think may be the worst hoarder house you'll ever see.

The back story: In the episode titled "Andy & Becky," we meet Andy and Becky Otter, who own a house in Marysville, WA, that is so packed with junk, it has caught the eye of city officials, who insist that the couple must clean it out in 30 days or lose the house entirely.

Luckily, the Otters have the help of "Hoarders" experts Michael Tompkins, a licensed clinical psychologist, and Erica DiMiele, an extreme cleaning expert, who arrive at the house to help them cope with the all-encompassing avalanche in every room. In doing so, they teach us all a thing or two about hoarding that we never knew. Here's what we learned.

Hoarding is an illness

In every episode of "Hoarders," viewers are reminded that true hoarding is a type of sickness. A disclaimer at the beginning of each one explains that compulsory hoarding is a psychological disorder that effects as many as 19 million Americans. At the end of this episode, the severity of the problem is made especially clear when Andy asks Becky to get counseling and she agrees. (We think Andy could benefit from some counseling too!) Nonetheless, the moment is a reminder that hoarding is a mental illness, not a question of laziness, and should be treated as such, with the proper help and support of professionals.



Watch: Stop Before You Declutter These 5 Things



Hoarding is not a righteven on your own property

Andy kicks off the episode by looking into the camera and saying curtly: Im Andy, and Im a rebel fighting for my freedom. The Otters are constantly saying that they should be able to live as they wish and that the government, law enforcement, and their neighbors should have no say in the way they choose to keep their house.

But they are mistaken: Hoarding is a danger both to yourself and to your neighbors. It can lead to pest infestations, health and fire hazards, and a long list of other problems, and the government has a right to step in on grounds of public safety.

Can you guess which house has hoarders, based on the backyard? A&E

The hardest part is getting started

In every "Hoarders" episode, there is always a struggle to get people to finally start throwing things out. Someone sits over a pile of old takeout containers or a few hundred pairs of pants that are too small for them, explaining why they want to keep them all. For the Otters, this is especially difficult. Becky is so nervous about throwing away her stuff, she runs away from home the night before cleaning crews descend. This means the team is stuck. Sure, they could take this opportunity to throw everything into a truck and drive off before Becky can stop them, but Dr. Tompkins explains that will do no good. If she isn't there to learn how to throw things away, she won't learn anything from the experience, nor gain the skills she needs to keep her place free of clutter.

When Becky finally returns, later that day, she still keeps wandering away from the property, getting upset whenever she is urged to throw something away. Only after lots of encouragement does she open her mind to the decluttering process.

The Otters struggle to let go of their things. A&E

Cleaning is easier if you have help

Along with Dr. Tompkins, DiMiele, and the cleanup crew, the whole neighborhood comes to help clean up the house. The help they received from neighbors comes in handy, since they're running out of time to meet the city's deadline. Cleaning out a whole house of hoarded goods is hard work.

You always need at least two exits in your home

As members of the cleanup team approach the deadline, they focus on what they need to do to pass an inspection. One requirement is to allow for an alternative exit from the house for safety reasonssuch as fires or medical emergencies. If those things happen, the Otters need to be able to get out or be taken out. With all the piles in the house, this would be difficult, so they clear out a pathway to a back door.

Not much is growing in these greenhouses. A&E

Hoarders can get attached to some truly useless stuff

At one point, the couple's son Russ tries to winnow down the pile by challenging his parents to keep only items of sentimental value. Dr. Tompkins agrees that this is a good plan, but it doesnt work out as theyd like. When the team tries to convince Andy to throw away a case of Mountain Dew that expired almost four years ago, Andy argues that these bottles are, in fact, sentimental items. Seriously, dude? It takes some time and persuasion before he will let go.

Save some of it now ... or lose all of it later

As time grows short, Michelle (the couples daughter-in-law) levels with an uncooperative Becky, saying that she can either save some of her stuff now, or lose all of it in a few days when they lose their home. Once it's put that starkly, Becky realizes it's best to keep purging.

How do these hoarders end up?

In the end, Andy, Becky, and their cleanup team end up tossing out 160 tonsor 40 truckloadsworth of stuff. They save Andy and Becky from losing their home, assist them in getting the charges dropped, and help them feel more connected to their community. After a daunting task and a long few days, it's a happy ending all around. At least for now.

The post Here's the Worst 'Hoarders' House You'll Ever Seeand What It Takes to Clean It Up appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
President of Ideal Zimbabwe Tinashe Jonas who was supposed to take a walk of sacrifice to Munhumutapa building to arrest President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi was reportedly arrested.

Jonas, who announced last week that he was about to do the unthinkable against Zimbabwes big three where he was arresting the presidium so as to restore democracy, constitutionalism and human rights was picked up by plain clothes policeman near Jameson Hotel in Harare.

A source who witnessed Jonas being arrested said the self styled civilian policeman was arrested just before he embarked on his lone journey to Munhumutapa building, which houses the countrys first citizen and his deputies.

Revealed the source:

Jonasi was filmed while being arrested but the man who filmed him was also picked up by the police and taken away. They were both picked up by police details in plain clothes in unmarked cars.

Efforts to contact the police however proved futile.

Another source who is also privy to what transpired claimed that Jonas and the man who filmed him were both taken to office number 88 at Munhumutapa building where the later was instructed to format his mobile phone before being released.

More to follow 

 Zimbabwe Eye

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You are here: Business

Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor Corporation Limited saw auto sales fall 16.9 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2019 amid a wider sales slump in the world's largest auto market.



In a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange late Monday, SAIC Motor, partners of General Motors and Volkswagen, said vehicle sales in January and February totalled 974,447 units.

Sales at SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC General Motors fell 10.4 percent and 14.7 percent to 301,017 units and 277,674 units, respectively.

SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Company, which churns out its self-owned brands, saw sales down 16.7 percent year-on-year to 100,008 units. Sales at SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, a leading mini van maker, declined 27.1 percent to 259,012 units.

China's passenger car market remained sluggish in February, with sales down 18.5 percent year on year, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

China sold 1.19 million passenger cars last month, falling for the ninth straight month. The decreased rate in February expanded sharply from a 4-percent year-on-year drop in January.
Condolence Message following the sudden death of Cde Judith Tendesai Makwanya, 12th March 2019

On behalf of his Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, I wish to express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Makwanya Family on the passing on of Judith.

A seasoned and committed journalist, the late Cde Makwanya leaves behind a hard-to-fill gap in the Broadcast sub-sector of our media industry.

Many will remember her strident and passionate reports inspired by a deep love for her profession, country and her people.

It was this love and principled stance in defence of the National Interest which earned her the wrath of the West by way of punitive sanctions imposed on her.

As we mourn her sad and untimely departure, we are all challenged to harness our communication skills in defence of our Nation and its interests.

We will miss her so sorely.

May her soul rest in Eternal Peace.

George Charamba

Deputy Chief Secretary, Presidential Communications

Office of the President and CABINET

Meanwhile, exiled former Higher and Tertiary Education Minister professor Jonathan Moyo has also joined Zimbabweans in mourning the late veteran journalist Judith.

Writing on his Twitter handle Moyo said, Tragic news about Judith Makwanya. She was a committed media practitioner and an inspiring voice who challenged crude gender barriers in Zimbabwes fledgling broadcasting industry! #RIPJudithMakwanya

https://twitter.com/ProfJNMoyo/status/1105351601441640449

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Police have confirmed that William Chandler  the senior pilot from South African Airways (SAA) who had flown commercial airplanes for more than 20 years with a fake licence  has been arrested.

South Africa national police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said Chandler was arrested on Monday. He was charged with fraud, and appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court later that day.

He was released on R5,000 bail. The case was remanded to May 15.

SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said the carrier had opened the case after the airline uncovered discrepancies relating to his ATPL licence [Airline Transport Pilot Licence] .

Whilst he is in possession of a valid CPL and could operate a commercial flight legally, he made false representations to the airline about his ATPL and worked for the airline longer than he ought to have been at SAA.

Other pilots who did not have ATPL after five years of joining the airline as pilots had their employment terminated, Tlali told TimesLIVE.

According to the Mail & Guardian newspaper, Chandlers long-held secret was revealed during an investigation into a reportable incident that had occurred during one of his recent flights.

This was an act of dishonesty through which he sustained employment he was not entitled to.

The airline suffered financial prejudice through his conduct, Tlali said.

 TimesLive

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SENIOR medical practitioners in Zimbabwe today held a meeting at Parirenyatwa Hospital where they resolved to go on strike over a number of grievances.

The doctors say they will only be working on emergency cases.

At the same meeting, consultants in surgery and anaesthetics resolved to preserve sundries for emergencies and to demonstrate tomorrow citing working conditions and lack of surgical sundries.

Part of their statement read:

As consultants, our hearts bleed because of what is prevailing and feels that if we continue pretending we can offer full services we would be complicit in the deaths of our patients.

We have decided to rationalize use of the limited and very finite resources that are currently available.

We are now forced with immediate effect to further scale down the services which we are offering, to deal with dire emergencies only until the situation normalizes.

Check out the letter below.

To: The Group CEO Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Re: Service provision at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Dear Sir

Background of problems

As you are aware Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has been facing challenges since November 2018 with a prolonged industrial action. One of the major grievances which culminated into the industrial action was the persistent shortage of basic essential drugs, equipment and sundries. As consultants who were and are concerned with return to normalcy, we stepped in and persuaded the junior doctors to return to work in good faith that our parent ministry would improve the supply of the basic consumables. However, the situation with regards to medical consumables and equipment is now even worse than it was in December 2018. This has continued to cause severe compromise in the safety and working conditions of staff and a reduced capacity to deliver services to patients. We feel that these compounding factors have compromised patient care,

putting patients health and lives at risk at the very institution which is supposed to restore health and life.

Current service provision Since the beginning of the year we have been unable to resume normal service, especially in the areas of anaesthesia, surgery and critical care due to the above-mentioned constraints. We have tried to make adjustments to no avail. Currently most surgical firms are only operating on elective patients twice a month. Statistics show that for January and February this year, we have operated less than 20% of the elective cases that we were doing in same period in 2018. For emergencies, the time taken before the patient goes to theatre is now unnecessarily to long as their relatives have to privately source for the necessary supplies. Furthermore, patients with simple conditions like appendicitis and diabetic foot ulcers are going for days without the required antibiotics leading to unnecessary complications. This is just one simple example of the dire conditions patients are currently facing.

Way forward As the consultants of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, we have decided to rationalize use of the limited and very finite resources that are currently available. We are now forced with immediate effect to further scale down the services which we are offering, to deal with dire emergencies only until the situation normalizes. The currently available resources might not be able to sustain the emergency service provision beyond the end of the month.

We thank you and the clinical director for giving us some insight into your efforts to address the issues at hand. As consultants, our hearts bleed because of what is prevailing and feels that if we continue pretending we can offer full services we would be complicit in the deaths of our patients. In this vein we have urgently sort for audience with the Honourable Minister of Health and hope he will put efforts to address these grave concerns.

Thank you

Consultants of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Cc Dr 0 Moyo -The Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Gwinji  The Permanent Secretary of Health Mr S Makarawo The Principal Director Curative Services Mr N Madziva -The Clinical Director Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals The PNO  Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

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The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) says that the leader of Ideal Zimbabwe party, Tinashe Jonas will on Tuesday spend the second night in police cells.

Jonas was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of undermining the authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa during a televised programme broadcast with a South African news channel.

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, ZLHR said:

Tinashe Jonas, the leader of Ideal Zimbabwe political party will spend his second night in Zimbabwe Republic Police cells after he was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of undermining the authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa during a televised programme broadcast SA news channel.

A source who witnessed Jonas being arrested said the self styled civilian policeman was arrested just before he embarked on his lone journey to Munhumutapa building, which houses the countrys first citizen and his deputies.

 Pindula

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By JJ Jelincic, a former board member of CalPERS

The new CalPERS Private Equity Business Model (which used to be CalPERS Direct even if it never was) is in trouble.

It simply makes no sense. Both Marcie Frost, CalPERS CEO, and Ben Meng have acknowledged that they dont know if the model will work and even if the model works they are not sure CalPERS can execute it. For instance:

Staff has offered no explanation how small startup companies can find opportunities the major players with many more employees cannot find. Staff has offered no explanation how these startups, whose goal is to acquire assets i.e. get more private equity exposure, will show any price discipline. Staff has said Pillar IV (Warren Buffett style investing) will have higher costs and lower returns than traditional private equity. (Staff has said very little about Pillar III, late state venture capital. Does that reflect even greater ignorance about venture capital?) How does that lead to greater returns?

If you cant even offer a basis for expecting the model to accomplish its goals, why do it? Where is the payoff and who gets it?

The focus of Pillar Ill will be late stage venture capital in technology, life sciences and healthcare.. It is interesting to note that staff has not even claimed that Pillar III would have above market returns. This actually does make sense since the real gains in venture capital go to the early investors who take the risk. The staff has offered no theory why a developed company that is private only to avoid the exposure and scrutiny of the market is likely to have above market returns.

The agenda item now posted on the CalPERS website under Benefits and Risks, states:

Risks relate to the ability to identify partners that will ultimately be successful executing the strategies, the ability of partners to build adequate teams, reaching adequate scale to reduce the operating budgets below the typical management fee costs associated with typical partnerships and the potential capital concentration in the eventual investments.

It is worth noting that staff has found a venture capital plan and a private equity plan that have no risk that the underlying investment may fail. Or at least that the odds are so low they are not worth mentioning. Truly a miraculous development.

However, Attachment 1 does identify some risks and mitigation strategies.

Reliance on Key Partners Dependent on top-tier Partners who can further define and execute strategies

Must be able to build new teams from the ground up while having a successful track record (in some other venture someplace else?) To Mitigate Careful selection and diligence is essential

Must act quickly so CalPERS doesnt lose its future billionaires in waiting Investment timelines vs Partner Commitments Initial commitments will have fixed terms that are likely to be shorter than the time to realize returns on investment. To Mitigate Create permanent structural commitment to strategy

Align incentive with Partners to focus on long term performance Return Dilution Longer hold periods may ditute the high annual returns seen in short-hold gravitate equity To Mitigate Consider potential dilution in benchmark setting

Utilize longer-term metrics to supplement performance metrics

The attachment also notes that realized drawdowns and volatility are lower than the capital market assumptions. Staff has acknowledged, since at least the Private Equity Workshop in 2015, that these outcomes result from favorable accounting treatment. If you only mark to market quarterly and the marks are set by a manager getting paid, in part, based on assets under management one should expect lower write downs and volatility. On several occasions staff has acknowledged that observed volatility is a measurement problem. No rational investor believes that leveraged small cap equity is less volatile than a large cap index.

So look at what they are putting forward? A program based on misleading accounting. CalPERS needs to act NOW or the potential billionaires will go away. (I guess the staff forgot about Mengs presentation on stock pickers). CalPERS needs to make a structural commitment. (So much for a conceptual approval.) The CalPERS long term holds will not be long enough to realize returns so it must align incentives to focus beyond the investment period. (Neat trick. I wonder how?). Because of lower returns CalPERS will need to cut the benchmarks even further. How does any of this make sense?

At the February 28, 2019 California State Retirees Board meeting, Frost disclosed that she had been directed by Bill Slaton to bring the pending CalPERS Private Equity Model to the March Investment Committee for conceptual approval. That instruction appears to have been given in closed session.1

Over the last two years staff has repeatedly and publicly claimed that the Board had approved the new Private Equity model. When pushed by the Board, the press and/or constituents, the approval amounted to Well, they didnt tell us to stop.

Now not rejecting is no longer enough. Now the Board needs to give a blank check to staff and approve the model in concept. This is interesting since John Cole has already said staff could implement the new model within its current authority. The next time this issue comes before the Board, staff will rely on as you approved in March.

Why does Frost need this blank check? She says it is to convince the market that CalPERS is serious. As Frost said:

But what we need to do is signal the financial markets that CalPERS is interested in exploring this concept more, to see if we can actually execute it. Thats what we need to send out to the financial markets because the way that we make this successful is being able to find the right team to work with us and then talk about. And the reason that signaling the financial markets is important is that when were out looking for teams or looking for talent, we have to be serious about execution. And the way that we do that is that we have to have the board make a prudent public comment or take an action that says, Yes, we want to see if we can be successful.

As Dr. Ashby Monk, the executive and research director of the Stanford Global Projects Center, who was invited by staff to speak twice to the Board, said (my emphasis):

Because most people in the world today dont grasp the sheer sale  scale of the compensation weve paid to these external managers. Its often hidden in footnotes. Its often buried in NAVs. And that lack of transparency has limited the amount of innovation that weve had. That transparency project of you all have realized and has start here a few years ago when the true cost came forward, drove this Board to say is there another way? And that is the best thing we could have had happen. Because the fastest path to becoming a billionaire in America today is not starting a tech company, its starting as asset management firm, okay, by a factor of two.

So given that CalPERS is trying to create billionaires by setting up their companies for them, why does CalPERS need to signal the markets? Its because the market doesnt believe CalPERS. Every time this so called Private Equity Model is exposed to sunlight it changes. The result is neither the beneficiaries nor the market are sure what CalPERS wants them to believe.

It is possible that the market does not believe any fiduciary who has his or her personal net worth at risk would even consider:

creating a startup asset manager and giving it away,

agreeing to pay all expenses of the new firm,

setting up a non-owned LLC 2 to invest with that manager,

to invest with that manager, giving billions to the new manager while retaining no ownership of the assets,

not knowing when any cash may come back to the system, and

having no control of the assets.

Yet that is exactly the concept staff is asking the Board to approve. Have you ever wondered by public pension plans are often seen as dumb money?

If I asked to manage your money on those terms how long would it take you to throw me out? Yet the Board members are legally required to act as prudent experts  a very high standard.

The Law? What Law?

Dont forget what the California State Law which created and defined the trust says.

California Government Code  20120: The management and control of this system is vested in the board California Government Code  20170: The Public Employees Retirement Fund in the State Treasury is continued in existence. The Public Employees Retirement Fund is a trust fund created, and administered in accordance with this part, solely for the benefit of the members and retired members of this system and their survivors and beneficiaries. California Government Code  20171: The board has the exclusive control of the administration and investment of the retirement fund. California Government Code  20190: The Board has exclusive control of the investment of the retirement fund.

The Board may lack the legal authority to give away the assets of the fund.

Governance? What Governance?

Both Dr. Ashby Monk and Frost talked about the importance of governance.

Dr. Monk said:

Im encouraged that if you can get the governance right, if you can evolve this into a platform that can recruit the right talent, you can succeed over time.

Marcie Frost had also said:

Governance. Governance very important. And I know that weve been looking at governance structures for a bit of time and will continue to do so.

While the issue of governance is still undecided, it seems that given the law it is unlikely that proper governance is achieved by placing assets beyond the reach and control of the Board. Abdication is not governance. Yet this is what is being proposed.

When board member Margaret Brown asked about increasing the transparency of the plan to the Board and the beneficiaries, her answer came from Matt Jacobs, CalPERS General Counsel:

Well, at a high level, I suppose we could. I think that would defeat the entire purpose of the endeavor that the Investment Office is undertaking, which is that these are private investments, and theyre private for a reason, which is that the  the financial information needs to be private. And the people running them have these types of preferences.

Why should the trust beneficiaries care? It is only their money.

So staff is seeking approval in concept for a model that is still in the process of being defined.

Staff has asserted but offered no reasonable basis to claim the model will actually achieve the goals being set out. The model has still undefined controls and governance.

The model has not been submitted to a prudent person opinion which makes sense since it is impossible to opine on an undefined program.

The costs remain undefined. It may be a reasonable experiment if it costs $100,000 a year. It does not make sense if it costs $10 billion a year.

Staff has not refused to answer Board questions; it has simply found it easier to ignore the questions. After all the staff has already given the Board their marching orders.

Three months ago, I described how CalPERS staff was unable to present any payoff to beneficiaries from the proposed private equity plan, that, for instance, there was no clear payoff from higher net return and no clear payoff from putting the trust assets beyond the control of the Board. Today, we are still wondering who benefits. Given the continued failure to explain why this plan could rationally be expected to help CalPERS beneficiaries, staff should not be surprised that independent parties are wondering about bad motives, particularly in light of the Al Villalobos/Fred Buenrostro bribery scandal.

At best, it is way too early to approve this so-called model even in concept.

______________________________________________________

1 I must assume that Slaton will be pursuing discipline against the CEO. After all, he once sought to have me disciplined for a passing mention of a SEC investigation of CalPERS insider trading. He claimed it was attorney-client and closed-session privileged even though the Sacramento Bee had written about it three years earlier.

2 John Cole has said that CalPERS would be the sole member of the LLC it uses for these funds but will not own it. That makes no sense. The members of LLCs are all owners. In addition, an LLC must have a manager who may or may not be a member. According to LegalZoom:

Not all LLCs have a managing member; in a manager-managed LLC, the members own the company and the manager is a non-member employee who runs the company. A managing member of an LLC is an individual who holds an ownership interest in the company, participates in its day-to day management and has authority to contract on behalf of the company.

Cayman Islands law on LLCs is modeled on Delaware law, so theres not much reason to think there is a Caymans angle that would change this picture.

So it appears that CalPERS doesnt know what it is talking about even on this basic issue and is hiding important information, like who would manage the LLC(s).
Nature has manufactured the perfect machines. Only the fastest, toughest, and most cunning creatures have endured. We examine how animals have evolved and how we can benefit from their evolution.

Sundays from 8:30pm AEDT.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller participated in a commemoration ceremony in Prague on Tuesday (12 March 2019) to mark the 15th and 20th anniversaries of the Visegrad countries joining NATO. The Deputy Secretary General addressed the conference after President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic, President Janos Ader of Hungary, President Andrzej Duda of Poland and President Andrej Kiska of Slovakia.

In the afternoon, the Deputy Secretary General delivered a keynote speech on 20 Years of NATO Enlargement at the Defence and Security Conference in Prague. We are here today in celebration of freedom and security  and in recognition of unity and progress, she said. Gottemoeller noted that the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia joined NATO after decades of oppression, determined to forge a freer and more prosperous future for their citizens. NATO believes that every country must be free to choose its own path, including with regard to its security agreements. This is a sovereign decision for sovereign nations to take  and no one has the right to interfere, she said. Gottemoeller also outlined the Alliances current security challenges, including Russias breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and instability in the Middle East and North Africa. She stressed that investments in defence and Allied unity are essential to keep NATO strong and prepared to meet new challenges from wherever they may come.
(As prepared)

Thank you, Jakub Landovsky for that kind introduction.

It is such a pleasure to be here with you all to celebrate the 15th and 20th anniversaries of the Visegrad Countries joining NATO. 15 years for Slovakia, which joined in 2004, and 20 years for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, which joined in 1999.

After decades of oppression, you were determined to forge a better, freer, more prosperous future for your citizens, and membership of NATO and the European Union were major milestones on the way to that brighter future.

While the countries of Central and Eastern Europe had been forced to join the Warsaw Pact, these same countries voluntarily sought membership in NATO. NATO believes that every country must be free to choose its own path, including with regard to its security agreements. This is a sovereign decision for sovereign nations to take  and no one has the right to interfere.

When NATO was founded 70 years ago it had just 12 members. Today it has 29, with a 30th  the Republic of North Macedonia - already sitting at the table at NATO Headquarters as an invitee. This is testament to the deep and fundamental attraction of an Alliance that exists to protect and defend its members; that promotes the shared values of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law; and that respects national sovereignty.

Seventy years of NATO has brought 70 years of peace and stability among its members, almost unprecedented in the history of the European continent. For most of Europes history, a state of war was the norm, with countries great and small seeking to gain power and influence through violence and conquest.

NATO has provided the unifying mechanism to channel the political and military strength of its members to bring an end to that terrible cycle, and to create the conditions for security and stability throughout the continent. It has also helped to pave the way, through a stable security environment, for wider European integration and enlargement of the European Union.

***

But that is not to say that we have overcome all challenges. We all know how unpredictable and unstable the world has become in recent years. We face a wide range of challenges. Russias pattern of aggressive actions, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, a major military build-up from the High North to the Middle East, the use of a military grade nerve agent in Salisbury, and attempts to undermine our democratic institutions, all portray the challenge that unfortunately Russia has become.

Russias breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is part of this pattern of behavior. Russia has developed and deployed of a new intermediate range nuclear missile, the SSC-8. Allies have been raising concerns over this for the last 6 years, starting with the Obama administration. But our concerns have been ignored. This missile is mobile, easy to hide and can strike cities such as Prague in a matter of minutes. This development is incredibly dangerous, and all Allies call on Russia to destroy these missiles and associated technologies and to return to compliance with the INF Treaty.

Russias development, testing and deployment of the SSC-8 has prompted the United States, with the full support of all NATO Allies, to notify its intent to withdraw from the INF Treaty. There is still a window of opportunity for Russia to come back into compliance with the treaty. The withdrawal process will last until August and we very much hope that Russia will return to compliance in that time. In this context, it is regrettable that Russia has suspended its obligations under the Treaty.

So we have to prepare for a world without the INF Treaty, and with new Russian intermediate-range missiles deployed on our borders. Indeed, they are already there. Its important to remember this.

This is one of the many reasons why ongoing dialogue with Russia is so important. Ensuring that we have open lines of communication reduces the risk of actions on either side being misinterpreted and of events spiralling out of control.

That is why we hold regular meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, where we can discuss important issues with Russia, such as Ukraine, the INF Treaty, transparency and risk reduction.

We will continue to pursue dialogue, while we keep our defences strong: not to provoke a conflict  but to prevent a conflict and to preserve the peace.

***

While we face a number of challenges with Russia, it is not our only concern. Instability in the Middle East and North Africa represents a challenge to our security. As many people flee for their lives, there is a vacuum that can be exploited by terrorist groups. The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh, of which NATO is a part, has made significant progress. We must ensure that ISIS does not return. That is why we have launched a new mission to train Iraqi forces and help them build their security institutions, particularly to help them establish a network of educational institutions.

We also continue to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces  so that they can fight terrorism and create the conditions for peace. Let me pay tribute to those soldiers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia  and all others - who are serving or have served with such commitment and professionalism in Afghanistan, and to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. They served their countries, the Alliance, and the cause of peace with bravery and honour.

***

There are yet more challenges, and they are varied and unpredictable. This means we must be prepared for any threat coming from any direction. And to do that, we must invest in our defence. I am pleased the discussion this morning focused on this.

We are working to improve burden sharing across our Alliance. This includes cash, capabilities, and contributions to NATO missions and operations.

And we are making good progress.

In the last two years, European Allies and Canada have spent an additional $41 billion on defence and by the end of 2020, that figure will rise to $100 billion.

That money is strengthening our armed forces with more new equipment. We have increased the readiness of our forces and modernised our command structure. And we are doing far more to combat hybrid and cyber threats.

But there is still a long way to go. I know that there are always competing demands on national budgets. But our prosperity and our freedom are based on our security. Investing in the armed forces and security are the foundation of prosperity. And countries in this region know very well that we can never take our freedom or security for granted. So we must all continue to invest in our defence and keep our Alliance strong.

***

When the Visegrad 4 countries joined NATO in 1999 and 2004, it was on a wave of optimism. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and freedom and democracy were on the rise around the world.

Today, we face the most significant challenges in a generation. And some question the strength of our transatlantic Alliance.

Democracies will always have differences and engage open debates. This is a strength, not a weakness. Open debate is at the heart of what makes a democracy strong.

And the reality is, that despite our differences, NATO Allies have always come together to defend and protect each other. We have understood that this commitment to each other is in each of our national interests.

Today, we are doing more together than ever before.

***

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia joined NATO because they saw NATO as a family to which they rightfully belong. And you do. This family is stronger thanks to you. Our strength comes from our unity. If we remain united, we can meet new challenges from wherever they may come.

I started my career during the Cold War. I recall, as I know many of you do, how different this continent was when divided by the Iron Curtain. And so it is a particular honor for me to stand here with you today, in Prague, to celebrate the European family reunited. Our unity truly is our greatest strength, and it is thanks to so many people in this room today that we have such a strong foundation on which to build our future.

We are here today in celebration of freedom and security  and in recognition of unity and progress. It is our duty to build on this progress to ensure that we are able to enjoy continued stability and prosperity for the years to come.
(Natural News) Add as much coriander to your meals as you possibly can. Not only does it help bring out the flavor of other spices, but the dried seeds of the cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is a superfood that supports the normal functions of the cardiovascular, digestive, metabolic, and respiratory systems.

People who consume at least a tablespoon of coriander each day are much less prone to developing heart diseases, diabetes, and other disorders. They are also getting a lot of the nutrition they need on a daily basis. (Related: Easy ways to incorporate vegetables into your breakfast.)

Coriander prevents food poisoning and improves digestive health

Eating coriander seeds and cilantro leaves can protect the liver and kidney from the toxic effects of foreign substances. They prevent the harmful chemical reactions of food poisoning.

This is supported by the findings of a 2018 animal study by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). Rabbits suffering from chemically-induced liver poisoning were given sauces made from coriander and cilantro. The treated animals showed reduced levels of toxicity in their organs.

The dried berries also have a unique means of stopping inflammation. Eating coriander can relieve bloating, flatulence, and other symptoms of an inflamed digestive system. A single tablespoon of the spice not only calms your intestines, it also boosts your guts absorption of nutrients from digested food.

Eating coriander seeds regulates cholesterol levels and manages blood pressure

Furthermore, coriander contains several kinds of organic acids that control the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body. By keeping the levels of bad cholesterol to a minimum, the acids prevent the inner walls of blood vessels from getting thicker and more constricted.

Many cardiovascular diseases stem from high levels of LDL cholesterol that cause the blood vessels to thicken. So the consumption of coriander can help reduce the risks of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes.

At the same time, coriander increases the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood. This good cholesterol is a building block of beneficial organic compounds, such as the bile acids and neutral sterols produced by the liver.

In addition, coriander catalyzes a vital reaction between calcium ions and acetylcholine that naturally causes stiff blood vessels to relax. When paired with its ability to manage bad cholesterol, this relaxing effect is a boon for people who suffer from high blood pressure, a health disorder that can also lead to cardiovascular diseases.

A spoonful of coriander boosts the immune system and protects against diabetes

Beta-carotene, folic acid, and vitamin A are just some of the nutrients packed into each dried berry of coriander. The essential vitamins help strengthen the natural defenses of the body against the viruses that cause the common cold and influenza.

Another vitamin that can be found in large amounts in coriander is vitamin C. The antioxidant by which all others are measured, it works alongside the immune system to prevent infectious disease.

Thirty percent of the USDA-recommended daily intake of vitamin C can be provided by roughly one tablespoon of coriander. Three such servings ensures you are well-protected against cold and flu viruses.

Last but not least, coriander demonstrates that it can improve the effectiveness of insulin. It encourages the pancreas to release the important hormone and helps bring down sugar levels in the blood. By stabilizing the blood glucose levels, the seeds double-action effect greatly reduces the danger of diabetes, which develops from constant disruptions of metabolic functions.

To this end, it is recommended to drink coriander-infused water as much as possible. Soaking 10 grams of crushed seeds for every 10 parts water overnight creates a healthy and tasty drink that could help keep diabetes away.

Sources include:

FoorsForBetterHealth.com

EuropePMC.org

OAJI.net [PDF]
(Natural News) Parental rights have all but completely been thrown out the window for our child-rearing neighbors to the north, who at the behest of the Supreme Court of British Columbia (B.C.) no longer have a say in whether or not their underage children decide to undergo gender transition surgeries and associated chemical therapies in futile attempts to become the opposite sex.

This disturbing new precedent was set by a 14-year-old girl whom the government is referring to as Maxine in order to keep her true identity a secret. The state basically decided that Maxine can legally try to become a boy by having her body parts and hormones altered, and her parents arent allowed to say a word about it without committing an act of family violence, according to B.C.s so-called Family Law Act.

Despite the fact that Maxine is both underage and mentally ill  and the fact that her parents wholeheartedly object to Maxines wishes  the Canadian government has decided that shes somehow fully capable of making the life-altering decision to surgically alter her physical appearance, as well as hormonally damage her God-given biology, all in the name of tolerance and love.

Even though the vast majority of people who decide to become transgender later regret the decision, the Canadian government thinks children whose brains havent even fully developed yet should be allowed to permanently damage themselves in this manner, overriding the will of these childrens parents in the process.

These activists are taking over, and its not in the interests of our kids, Maxines father is quoted as saying about the LGBT mafia and its endless crusade to destroy the lives of as many people as possible. Its in the interests of self-promotion and the things that they want to do and accomplish.

For more related news, be sure to check out Gender.news.

The Cult of LGBT wants to destroy your children

While Maxines father continues to fight this insane ruling, as it currently stands neither he nor his wife are even legally allowed to continue referring to Maxine as she or her. In fact, if they do, the courts will declare that Maxines parents are abusing her, and they could face prosecution.

This Canadian court ruling officially declared dissent on transgender identity not only illegal but family violence,' writes Tyler ONeil for PJ Media, warning that Americans need to actively fight this type of insanity here in the United States before it takes similar root here.

If transgender activists succeed in the U.S., as it seems they have in Canada, using the correct pronouns for your own daughter could land you in jail, ONeil warns. In June, I will become the father of a baby girl, so this hits home for me. Americans must defend parental rights, and so should Canadians. If this case is appealed, Canadas Supreme Court should reverse the ruling.

What it all comes down to, besides just the sanctity of parenthood being under assault by tyrannical governments, is the fact that simple free speech is clearly no longer regarded as an inalienable right. Parents are no longer free to speak, guide, or otherwise influence the lives of their children, at least in Canada, on matters relating to their biological identities  an Orwellian notion that bodes ominous for the next generation of human beings.

In the meantime, parents everywhere should heed this warning  their right to speak the truth is under assault, ONeil says about the current situation. If the government can redefine reality to the point that calling your own daughter a girl is considered violence, where is the check on government power?

To keep up with the latest news on the LGBT mafias assault on humanity, be sure to check out LiberalMob.com.

Sources for this article include:

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com
An American ice cream parlour has said it has reached out to a Chinese company after the success of a wildly popular flavor raised accusations of intellectual property theft.



The White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream at Wanderlust Creamery in Los Angeles has been a social media sensation, leading to long queues outside the shop beginning in February.

The parlour began selling the White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream on Feb. 1 and intended to serve it until Feb. 28, but based on the overwhelming reaction from customers, it decided to continue serving the flavor until the end of March.

The popularity of the ice cream caught the attention of Shanghai-based Guan Sheng Yuan Group (GSY), the company that had made the iconic White Rabbit candy for the last 60 years. The candy is a household name in China.

In a statement sent to Xinhua on the weekend, GSY said the American parlour is not authorized to use the candy flavor in its product. Some media reports say the Chinese company has asked some IP protection organizations to investigate the issue.

The sudden success of the ice cream "reflects the consumers recognition and love for the White Rabbit brand, and on the other hand, we think it's an interesting innovation to make ice cream with White Rabbit candies as ingredients ... which for the time-honored brand White Rabbit is worth thinking and learning from," GSY said in the statement.

In its own statement last Thursday, Wanderlust said, "Our representatives have reached out to Guan Sheng Yuan to discuss forming a mutually beneficial relationship in an effort to further introduce the iconic White Rabbit Candy to the American consumer through our artisanal ice cream."

GSY started to make White Rabbit milk candies in 1959, which became a flagship product of the Shanghai-based company and a household name in China.

In its Facebook post, Wanderlust Creamery said the White Rabbit candy-flavored ice cream "encapsulates childhood reminiscence for many Asian Americans."

"This obviously mobilized a significant Asian American population in the US alongside non-Asians who had never heard of or had the White Rabbit candy," said Adrienne Borlongan, the chef and co-founder of the parlour, in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

The parlour started serving the special flavor to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and photos of its ice cream wrapped with White Rabbit candy paper went viral on social media, raising concerns of IP infringement.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the American parlour continued to promote the special flavor.

"Childhood on a cone. Yes, we still have 'The White' through March. Made from Shanghainese White Rabbit candies, milk & cream ... while supplies last. Limit 1 scoop per customer at Smorgasburg La." The creamery posted with a photo of a white toy rabbit placed beside a melting ice cream cone on the floor.
(Natural News) If you are often having problems with your urinary system, you should consider eating cranberries on a regular basis. The fruit contains phytochemicals that can prevent harmful bacteria from causing urinary tract infection.

Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (Rutgers NJAES) researcher Amy Howell explained that cranberries occupies an important place in the pharmacopoeia of Native American traditional medicine. Whenever a person in the tribe complained about an illness or got injured, he or she would be given cranberries to help the healing process.

As the centuries passed, the edible berry continues to be consumed for its ability to naturally support the normal function of the body as much as for its tart taste and nutrients. One particular use of cranberry that carried over from traditional medicine was the alleviation of bacterial infections in the urinary tract.

Modern studies show that cranberries contain large amounts of proanthocyanidins. These bioactive compounds are responsible for the vivid red color of the fruit. They are a class of polyphenols, micronutrients found in plants that support all kinds of natural bodily processes. (Related: Growing body of evidence supports eating cranberries for urinary tract health.)

Cranberries naturally prevent bacterial infections in the urinary system

In 1998, Howell and her colleague Nicholi Vorsa discovered that proanthocyanidins accounted for the efficacy of cranberries in treating urinary tract infections. Their study showed that polyphenols stopped bacteria from attaching themselves to the walls of the urinary tract.

Unable to remain in the urinary system for long, the bacteria could not increase their numbers. This prevented them from causing infections in the urinary tract. And since they were not being harmed, the bacteria could not develop any resistance to the slippery effect of the proanthocyanidins.

The findings of the Rutgers NJAES study inspired more studies on the healthy properties of cranberries. The accumulated research indicated that consuming cranberries as regularly as possible helped stop infections by similar bacteria.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Stopping an infection from taking place will remove the need for expensive antibiotics. In turn, decreasing the amount of antibiotics used to treat various bacterial infections would help reduce the rate at which pathogens develop resistances to commonly-used or overused antibiotics.

The compounds in cranberries may contribute to inhibiting the bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall without actually killing them, so they prevent infections without contributing to bacterial resistance problems, Howell wrote. Consuming cranberry products regularly can help prevent urinary tract infections but has also been implicated in suppressing bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.

Half a cup of cranberry sauce can protect you from heart diseases

Polyphenols  such as proanthocyanidins  are known for their antioxidant activities. And cranberries contain lots of both.

Antioxidants can lower the occurrence of oxidative stress, a harmful process that is connected to various chronic diseases. So reducing oxidative stress could help lower the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The antioxidants in cranberries help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and boost immunity, all of which are important not only in preventing urinary tract infections but in improving heart health, Howell explained.

The cranberry compounds not only prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol and managing inflammation. They also raise the levels of good cholesterol and reduce the stiffness of arteries. All in all, these effects improve cardiovascular health.

For people who are wondering how much cranberry they should take each day, Howell recommends the following servings that maximize the fruits protective benefits:

Half a cup of dried cranberries or sauce

10 ounces of juice with at least 25 percent cranberry content

Dried cranberry supplement capsules

Sources include:

NewsWise.com

URMC.Rochester.edu
(Natural News) Empowered by electoral gains during the 2018 midterms, Democrats around the country  but especially blue states where they now have super-majorities  launched an all-out assault on the Second Amendment, just like they said they would during their campaigns.

New gun control laws began springing up in states like Washington, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, and elsewhere. In cases where Democratic legislatures and governors didnt impose new restrictions, voters themselves did by supporting ballot initiatives aimed at infringing further upon a right that is supposed to be untouchable under the Constitution.

In Washington, for instance, voters approved legislation prohibiting anyone from buying a rifle under the age of 21 (though its 18 under federal law), mandating firearms safety courses prior to gun purchases, imposing new storage requirements, adding additional background checks for anyone seeking to buy an assault rifle, and new waiting periods.

In the past, citizens and local law enforcement officials meekly accepted each new firearms restriction  each new infringement on a constitutional right that specifically states shall not be infringed.

But not this time.

They took the idea from liberals

Left-wing Democrats in several states and jurisdictions appear to have overreached regarding their pet issue of gun control, and now a rebellion of sorts against these new infringements has been launched and is growing. And even more ironic: Efforts to set up gun sanctuaries are being modeled on Leftist Democrats decades-long practice of protecting people in the country illegally with sanctuary city policies.

No one  and I mean no one  is arguing that immigration sanctuary cities arent having an effect on federal immigration law. This bill in Texas uses the same approach of withdrawing resources and enforcement support, but it takes on federal gun control, said Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center. More conservative states should do the exact same thing.

As Reuters reported recently:

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.

The news service noted that resistance to the new laws has been especially prevalent in four states  Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Illinois  though they are controlled by Democrats.

If they want their own laws, thats fine

Several counties in Colorado are also declaring themselves to be Second Amendment sanctuaries. And legislation in Texas has been introduced to turn the entire state into a gun sanctuary.

As noted by The Free Thought Project, federal gun control laws are essentially unenforceable without state assistance:

The federal government relies heavily on state cooperation to implement and enforce almost all of its laws, regulations and acts  including gun control. By simply withdrawing this necessary cooperation, states can nullify in effect many federal actions. As noted by the National Governors Association during the partial government shutdown of 2013, states are partners with the federal government on most federal programs.

Partnerships dont work too well when half the team quits, Boldin said. By withdrawing all resources and participation in federal gun control schemes, the states can effectively bring them down.

Noted Dave Campbell, a member of the Effingham County Board in Illinois, in a comment to Reuters, If they want to have their own laws, thats fine. Dont shove them on us down here.

He told the newswire service that 63 jurisdictions in his state had already passed a firearms sanctuary policy, and more are liable to follow.

The reactions of Leftist Democrats have been as predictable as it is hypocritical: Anger and pompous disbelief.

In Washington, for example, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has come out firmly in support of his states new gun control ballot initiative, I-1639, which was passed by some 57 percent of voters. His Democratic attorney general, Bob Ferguson, has sent out a letter advising sheriffs around the state who have implemented gun sanctuary policies they could be held liable if they allow a dangerous person to obtain a firearm who later uses it to commit harm.

In the event a police chief or sheriff refuses to perform the background check required by Initiative 1639, they could be held liable if there is a sale or transfer of a firearm to a dangerous individual prohibited from possessing a firearm and that individual uses that firearm to do harm, Ferguson said in an open letter to the states law enforcement heads.

Will the rebellion spread?

But sheriffs are pushing back. Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer called the warning a bluff and said he has no plans to enforce I-1639.

Unfortunately for the governor and the attorney general, theyre not my boss. My only boss is the people that elected me to office, he told Reuters.

Leftist Democrats opposed to these new gun sanctuaries have no real standing to refute them. This is especially true in cities and states where sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants from federal immigration officials are in place or states that have legalized recreational pot use in contravention of federal law.

As The National Sentinel reports, the gun sanctuary rebellion could spread to California next, home to some of the most restrictive gun laws on the books. There, gun ownership has doubled within a decade, according to state figures, and given the push to split the state into thirds, a rebellious faction is already in place.

As gun sanctuaries spread  and they are certain to do so  there is a growing feeling that as one lawless act begets another, the countrys breakup may not be far off.

Read more about how the gun sanctuary movement is spreading at Guns.news and SecondAmendment.news.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

TheFreeThoughtProject.com

Reuters.com

CNN.com
(Natural News) Taking its anti-free speech agenda to a whole new level, the social media sharing site Pinterest is reportedly now blocking all pins about vaccines and vaccination that contain any information whatsoever in contradiction of the official government narrative that all vaccines are absolutely safe and always effective.

After earlier blocking all content specifically from GreenMedInfo, a well-known treasure trove of scientific information pertaining to natural health and living, Pinterest is now spreading its censorship reach and going after all independent sources, including the ever-popular Health Impact News website, that share unapproved information about vaccines.

Upon discovering recently that some of its pins were no longer being displayed on the sites Pinterest account, Health Impact News contacted Pinterest directly for an explanation. Health Impact News later received a response from someone at Pinterest named Tina, who offered the following statement, with no further indication as to which pins were censored:

One or more of your Pins about vaccines has been highlighted as containing medical misinformation. Per our policy, this content will remain available to you, but it will be hidden from circulation on Pinterest as it contains claims that are considered to be misleading or inaccurate by the medical community.

For more vaccine-related news from an independent perspective, be sure to check out Vaccines.news.

Did the pro-vaccine publishing group Elsevier pressure Pinterest into blocking all pins that question vaccination?

This digital pin-burning by Pinterest comes roughly a year after the pro-vaccine publishing group Elsevier published a commentary in the journal Vaccine about the problem of vaccine free speech.

Entitled, On pins and needles: How vaccines are portrayed on Pinterest, the authors of this opinion piece lamented the fact that the vast majority of the 800 pins about vaccines that they identified on Pinterest as part of their sample set  roughly 75 percent  contained some type of criticism about vaccines or official vaccine policy.

It would appear as though, following the papers publishing, these same individuals contacted Pinterest and pressured the company to remove or somehow censor these pins  which is exactly what ended up happening.

When organizations share anti-vaccine messages, the risk is that parents choose not to vaccinate their children out of fear, the paper complained.

This lowers the overall vaccination rate and puts vulnerable people at risk of disease, it added, contending further that, [t[heres a pressing need to improve vaccination rates globally.

Many doctors and scientists who are skeptical of vaccine dogma are also being censored on Pinterest

Even as fake news giant CNN, California Democrat Adam Schiff, and others pressure Amazon to engage in a digital book-burning of anti-vaccine content, Pinterest is going after not only GreenMedInfo and Health Impact News, but also a slew of doctors and scientists who similarly question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

These members of the medical community who dont march in lockstep with official vaccine dogma are having to bear the brunt of mass censorship on Pinterest as well, despite holding the same credentials as those who accept vaccine dogma, hook, line, and sinker.

The fact is that the medical community is not at all unified on their views of vaccines, as increasingly more doctors and medical professionals are beginning to question the Big Pharma and Government extremist position on vaccines, writes Brian Shilhavy for GreenMedInfo.

As we have reported in the past many times, medical professionals and scientists are seldom 100% anti-vaccine, or 100% pro-vaccine, but somewhere in the middle. Pinterest is, therefore, taking a position of censoring more than 75% of the content posted by its users (which would obviously include medical doctors, and scientists) on the vaccine debate, choosing to accept only the extremist pro-vaccine position.

Sources for this article include:

GreenMedInfo.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Our planet has experienced varying degrees of warmth and cold climates, including the extremes. The exact answers as to why Earth undergoes these changes has yet to be discovered, but some researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) may have found one of the reasons.

According to the DTU study led by Dr. Henrik Svensmark, and published in the Nature Communications journal, particles from space affects the climate on Earth. Researchers found that cosmic rays containing highly charged particles from stars that have exploded (supernovae) affects the Earths atmosphere by triggering a creation of seeds in our atmosphere that forms clouds around them. These particles are also thrown out by our own sun, but particles from exploding stars light years away can still reach us.

In the past, the Medieval Warm Period from 1000 A.D. was 1-2 C warmer than the early 20th century. The Little Ice Age of 1300 to 1900 A.D. was recorded to have had a drop of 0.6 C across northern Europe with glaciers advancing across the Alps in the middle of Europe. Both those periods were consistent with changes in solar activity.

In the study, the effect of cosmic rays on our planets atmosphere was simulated using a cloud chamber, which is a sealed container that replicates the Earths upper atmosphere. Then, 0.2 nanometer-sized ions were directed to enter the chamber, and resulted in condensation or formation of cloud nuclei or cloud seeds. The more cloud nuclei there is, the more clouds and a more cooler climate occurs.

How does it work?

The cosmic rays of high-energy particles that rain down on Earth knocks electrons out of the air molecules, which produces positive and negative molecules in the atmosphere called ions. These ions assist sulphuric acid and water molecules form, and stabilize against evaporation (nucleation). Another role of these ions is that they hasten the growth of aerosols into the cloud condensation nuclei which water droplets adhere to in order to make clouds. As mentioned above, the more nuclei there is, the more clouds there are. As can be observed by anyone without a scientific background, clouds that are heavy with water (rain imminent) are closer to the ground, making the Earths surface much cooler.

The sun, which is a cosmic ray producer, is a factor in the change in climate. When the sun is lazy, or magnetically weak, the more cosmic rays reach the Earth, therefore producing more clouds and a cooler climate. When the sun is active magnetically, fewer cosmic rays reach the planet and in the atmosphere produces less clouds (warmer climate). This is also exclusive of the elliptical orbit of the Earth which dictates the planets seasons  the farther the Earth is from the sun, the cooler the planet is, and vice-versa.

The implications of the study suggests that the process affects climate changes observed in the 20th century; that the cooling and warming of 1-2 C have occurred repeatedly over tens of thousands of years with the suns varying cosmic ray activities; and that the larger variations of up to 10 C may be associated with the fact the the solar system which includes the Earth and the sun is traveling across the galaxy, passing numerous exploding stars.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScienceDaily.com
(Natural News) The [un]Democratic Lefts quest to destroy America as founded continues as their efforts to chip away at our founding, our culture, our traditions, and our institutions proceeds apace.

The latest institution to suffer Left-wing infiltration is the Girl Scouts of America (GSA). According to Life News, the organizations once-subdued support for the biggest abortion provider in the country, Planned Parenthood, is now a bit more in the open. And how ironic, given that the majority of babies aborted are girls.

The group MyGirlScoutCouncil.com, which has monitored GSA for many years regarding its pro-abortion position, discovered recently that the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona honored a girl over her volunteer work regarding reproductive health justice.

Life Site news reported:

Meghna Gopalan, recently profiled in a Tucson publication, received the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts highest honor, for her work. Her project involved working with the pro-abortion Womens March and its affiliate in Tucson. She said her goal was to educate people about and destigmatize access to womens healthcare  euphemisms for abortion.

Im planning on hosting an event to educate people about and de-stigmatize access to womens healthcare, Gopalan said. Ive been working with El Rio Reproductive Health Access Project, and they offered ideas on reproductive health justice which would broaden the scope of the project a little bit. I got interested in the topic with the Supreme Court nomination of [Brett] Kavanaugh 

You remember that Democrat-sponsored clown show, dont you? Now-Justice Kavanaugh was the target of a vicious smear campaign in which a number of women claimed, variously, that he drugged them, raped them, and/or held them down while other boys took advantage of them. All of their stories were judged to be not credible, and in fact, some of them were referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution (which, of course, hasnt happened because the DoJ was thoroughly corrupted by Obama). Why the smear? Because Democratic Leftists convinced themselves that Kavanaugh will be the deciding vote someday when the Supreme Court overturns its 1973 decision legalizing abortion.

To this day, however, women like Gopalan still believe that he was guilty  not the women who wrongly accused him. And now, theyre becoming abortion activists who are being celebrated by the Girl Scouts.

GSA honors only pro-abortion women, it seems

As The Daily Wire notes:

Christy Volanski, co-editor of MyGirlScoutCouncil.com, said the Girl Scouts have a cozy relationship with the abortion industry. Former Girl Scouts CEO Kathy Cloninger even once admitted on NBC: We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with  Planned Parenthood organizations across the country.

GSA remains fairly close-mouthed about its abortion support, however, claiming that it takes no position on the issue. But Life News provides a much more complete picture, reporting that parents, churches, and pro-life activists have long complained of the pro-abortion slant of the Girl Scouts resources, role models, and affiliations.

In other words, the GSAs actions speak much louder than its words. (Related: Demoncrats willingness to murder children born alive (infanticide) exposes total fraud of vaccine mandates they claim protect children.)

For example, Life News noted, a 2013 national survey revealed that 17 GSA councils admitted they partnered with Planned Parenthood, while many other councils simply refused to answer the question. Of 315 GSA councils in the United States, 49 others said they did not have a relationship with the abortion provider. But an astounding 249 councils would not answer the question.

The same year, Girl Scouts USA shared a HuffPo article promoting pro-abortion Texas legislator Wendy Davis, a Democrat who challenged Greg Abbott for the governorship in 2016, as 2013 Woman of the Year on its official Twitter account.

Is there anyone you'd add to this list? Incredible Ladies Who Should Be Women Of The Year For 2013 http://t.co/r6MAzSH0ZK via @HuffPostWomen  Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) December 18, 2013

In addition, the GSA said that former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, an abortion supporter, is a woman with courage, confidence, and character. Fun reminder: Sebelius was forced to quit the Obama regime after she completely blew the multi-billion dollar Healthcare.gov Obamacare website rollout.

Read more about the Lefts cult of abortion support at LeftCult.com and Abortions.news.

Sources include:

LifeNews.com

TheNationalSentinel.com

DailyWire.com
(Natural News) Patrick Moore is the co-founder of Greenpeace, one of the best-known environmental groups in the world. Over the last week, Moore has lashed out against the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Green New Deal, explaining it would be the end of civilization and warning that half the population will die.

Patrick Moore: The Green New Deal will be the end of civilization

Moore recently appeared on Tucker Carlsons show with Fox News, saying:

The Green New Deal will be the end of civilization if 85% of the worlds and 85% of the US coal, oil and natural gas were fazed out over the next few years, like the next ten years. We do not have anything to replace them with Half of the population will die in a very short period of time. And as I also pointed out, there wouldnt be a tree left on this planet because that would be all there was to heat and cook.

Brighteon.com/6012832793001

In another interview with Breitbart News, Moore offers more details on how AOCs insane plan would collapse human civilization via mass starvation:

And so youve got the green movement creating stories that instill fear in the public. Youve got the media echo chamber  fake news  repeating it over and over and over again to everybody that theyre killing their children. And then youve got the green politicians who are buying scientists with government money to produce fear for them in the form of scientific-looking materials. And then youve got the green businesses, the rent-seekers, and the crony capitalists who are taking advantage of massive subsidies, huge tax write-offs, and government mandates requiring their technologies to make a fortune on this. And then, of course, youve got the scientists who are willingly, theyre basically hooked on government grants.

When they talk about the 99 percent consensus [among scientists] on climate change, thats a completely ridiculous and false number. But most of the scientists  put it in quotes, scientists  who are pushing this catastrophic theory are getting paid by public money, they are not being paid by General Electric or Dupont or 3M to do this research, where private companies expect to get something useful from their research that might produce a better product and make them a profit in the end because people want it  build a better mousetrap type of idea. But most of what these so-called scientists are doing is simply producing more fear so that politicians can use it to control peoples minds and get their votes because some of the people are convinced, Oh, this politician can save my kid from certain doom.

Moore is right. In fact, I put out this exact warning weeks ago in a story entitled, ANALYSIS: How AOCs Green New Deal would unleash a catastrophic food collapse and Venezuela-style mass starvation across America. In that story, I write:

[T]he Green New Deal appears to be a planned, engineered economic apocalypse plot to destroy America from within. No wonder so many Democrats have signed onto the plan, for it is exactly what they want to see happen: the complete economic destruction of the United States of America.

Heres the full infographic that accompanies the story:

Have no doubts: Democrats are here to destroy America and collapse human civilization

The Green New Deal is part of the deliberate plan by Leftists to end human civilization and destroy human life across the planet. Once you understand the astonishing truth of this insidious plan, everything the Democrats are doing suddenly makes sense:

Abortion and infanticide (population reduction)

Geoengineering and the deliberate pollution of the atmosphere (to collapse the global food supply by dimming the sun)

Gun confiscation (to make it easier for governments to carry out mass genocide against civilians)

Socialism and communism (to put control over all food production and distribution in the hands of a central government)

Mandatory vaccines (to force children and adults to be injected with the kill shot depopulation vaccine when the order is given)

Public water fluoridation (to dumb people down and make them compliant sheeple who will go along with anything)

Pesticides and herbicides in the food supply (to destroy honey bee pollinators and collapse the global food supply while poisoning food consumers)

Brighteon.com/5813005317001

Stay informed. Here are some websites to keep you informed:

CortezWatch.com  Exposes the lunacy and fraud of the Ocasio-Cortez regime that now controls the entire Democrat House of Representatives.

Climate.news  Real science and real news about climate change and global warming.

Environ.news  Honest environmentalism rooted in real science, not left-wing hysteria and propaganda.

Collapse.news  Breaking news about various collapse scenarios, from a global food collapse to economic collapse.
(Natural News) Natural News founder Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, appeared on recently on NewsmaxTVs Wayne Allen Root show to discuss a number of pressing topics including food and natural health freedom, liberty, and support for

We are all about freedom, health freedom, and at the same time, national freedom, Adams began.

You know, Im a Trump supporter, Im a patriot, and I believe in the Constitution, he continued, noting that it is imperative for Americans to believe in our founding document as well if they are at all concerned about having our food and health freedoms restricted or, worse, banned by big government and Big Pharma.

I want people to be free from being a slave of the pharmaceutical industry or being stuck in a cycle of disease, because the answers are out there, he said, noting that Natural News writers and researchers scan more than 1,300 medical and science journals daily to bring readers the most up-to-date news and information on a wide range of topics.

Root noted the irony of living in a country  America  which was founded on the principle of self-rule and individual freedom but today places so many restrictions on citizens ability to make their own choices when it comes to their health, the foods they eat, and the lifestyle choices they want to make.

Vitamins dont kill anybody, Root said. If five people a year died from vitamins, Id be shocked. And yet drug and doctor mistakes kill, what, 150,000 people a year? And yet, the ones [the government] persecute are the vitamins and not the doctors and not the drug companies and not the Big Pharmas.

Adams agreed, noting that due to the opioid epidemic, tens of thousands of Americans are dying each year, while other mainstream medical mistakes claim thousands more lives.

Food and health freedom is the only way out of the medical culture of death

Meanwhile, 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, as well as most Democrats in Congress, want to expand government control over our healthcare, not reduce it. As The National Sentinel reported, the last Democrat healthcare experiment that backfired big time was Obamacare, which gave Washington and state bureaucrats more control than ever before, with lousy results:

Wait times in E.R.s are still high; monthly premiums and deductibles are both higher; and healthcare costs have grown; and still not all Americans are covered by a health plan  all things that Democrats promised us Obamacare would fix. Amazingly, many Democrats ran on and won 2018 races complaining about the healthcare breakdown in the U.S. that their party created.

Adams, author of the No. 1 Amazon science bestseller Food Forensics, says thats the wrong way to go. Whats more, the current medical system, to which a Medicare for All system being pushed by Democrats and big government statists in D.C. would tie the entire country, is killing hundreds of thousands of Americans per year. (Related: Medical Mafia, insurance racket and Obamacare collaborate to control health, public ignorance and profits.)

Accidental deaths in hospitals combined with medical mistakes kill, according to some research, as many as 200,000 American a year, Adams said. So were talking about massive death  larger than the casualties in the Vietnam War, happening every year.

The Health Ranger also noted that most deaths that occur from non-sanctioned substances like steroids are minuscule in comparison  and again, he reminded listeners, those are banned.

Deaths from off-the-shelf supplements and things like that are basically zero, he said.

Root said hes been shopping for and eating wholesome, organic foods and taking vitamin supplements most of his life and Ive always been healthy. But, he said, the mainstream medical community want to fill you with pills, drugs, drugs, drugs.

Whats more, despite rule changes to the ways in which Big Pharma can market to physicians, they continue to bribe them anyway.

See the full interview here.

Read more about Big Pharma is corrupting the medical industry and how big government assists that process at BigPharmaNews.com and BigGovernment.news.

Sources include:

NewsmaxTV.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
Scientists are rethinking a major milestone in animal evolution, after gaining fresh insights into how life on Earth diversified millions of years ago.

Bursts of evolutionary activity that increased the number and variety of animals began earlier, occurred over a longer timeframe, and were more frequent than previously thought, researchers say.

Their findings challenge a long-held theory that suggests the huge expansion in the types of animals on the planet more than 500 million years ago was triggered by a single, rapid surge of evolution - known as the Cambrian Explosion.

Geoscientists from the University of Edinburgh re-assessed the timeline of early animal evolution by analyzing records of fossil discoveries and environmental change.

Until now, the Cambrian Explosion - which took place between 540 and 520 million years ago - was thought to have given rise to almost all the early ancestors of present-day animals.

Scientists say, however, that it was probably just one in a series of similar events, the first of which took place at least 571 million years ago during the late Ediacaran Period.

These bursts of evolutionary activity may have coincided with dramatic fluctuations in the levels of oxygen and essential nutrients in the oceans, the team says.

The review is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. It was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council. The research also involved the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Helsinki, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, and the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.

Professor Rachel Wood, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "Integrating data from the fossil record with that of environmental changes that affected the whole planet is revealing the patterns and drivers of the rise of complex life on Earth. We used to think early animals emerged rapidly following a single evolutionary event, but our findings suggest it actually happened in stages."
During the marine heatwave of 2014-16, scientists from the University of California, Davis, noticed creatures typically seen only in places like Baja California, Mexico, showing up outside the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. These included warm-water species of jellyfish, crabs, nudibranchs, fish and even dolphins and sea turtles.

Their study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, documents an unprecedented number of southern marine species moving northward into California and as far north as Oregon. Of 67 rare, warm-water species sightings observed by the authors and citizen scientists, 37 had never been documented so far north before.

Among the 37 with new northern range limits are tropical creatures like the striated sea butterfly, which had not been found north of Baja. This is the first record of them in the state of California.

Another unexpected visitor was the pelagic red crab, normally restricted to the waters off central and southern Baja. But during 2014-16, when water temperatures were 3.5 to 7 degrees F warmer than usual, the crabs were seen as far north as Newport, Oregon.

And the molt of a spiny lobster--an important fishery species in Baja--turned up in Bodega Bay.

"Against the backdrop of climate change, we hope southern species will track northward because that's necessary for their persistence and survival," said lead author Eric Sanford, a UC Davis professor of ecology and evolution. "It's perhaps a glimpse of what Northern California's coast might look like in the future as ocean temperatures continue to warm."

WARM WATER BLOB

"The Blob" of warm water moved from the Gulf of Alaska south along the Pacific coast, a major El Nino event worked its way from the equator north to California. Together, these events created unusually warm water conditions and one of the longest marine heatwaves on record.

Marine heatwaves temporarily open a door between lower latitudes and the northern coast. The longer that door is open, the greater the number of southern species that can step through it. The 2014-16 event was so long and warm, it allowed southern species to enter California and move northward. Current reversals, where water flowed northward from Monterey Bay, also aided the species on their journeys. This combination led to the record-breaking number of species moving northward, the study said.

NEW SETTLERS

Most of the visitors were ephemeral. The brightly colored nudibranchs, for instance, disappeared almost as soon as the water cooled. But some seem to have established a foothold in Northern California. These include the sunburst anemone, chocolate porcelain crab, a brittle star and some barnacle species.

Sanford said these southern species were absent or rare from Bodega Bay in the 1970s but are now fairly common in the area.

BAROMETER OF CHANGE

The marine ecologists and oceanographers who authored the study view such geographical shifts as an indication of how these communities may continue to respond to warming oceans, as more marine heatwaves are expected in the future.

"Before our very eyes, we're seeing the species composition shift to more warm-water southern animals in just the 14 years I have been at the Bodega Marine Laboratory," said Sanford. "That's a barometer of change for these ecosystems."
India and Russia signed a US$3 billion deal for the lease of a third nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) which is likely to be in Indian waters by 2025 at the earliest. While the exact lease period of the new submarine is not known, sources indicated that it will be in service with India for at least 10 years. The Akula-class Russian submarine will be named Chakra III after its predecessors, and will be fitted with Indian systems.

India and Russia signed a US$3 billion deal for the lease of a third nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) which is likely to be in Indian waters by 2025 at the earliest. While the exact lease period of the new submarine is not known, sources indicated that it will be in service with India for at least 10 years. The Akula-class Russian submarine will be named Chakra III after its predecessors, and will be fitted with Indian systems.

INS Chakra (Picture source: Indian Navy)

The submarine that will become Chakra III was mothballed and shipped to the port town of Severodvinsk in 2014, and sources said Russia will need to do extensive work to make it fit for operation again, including re-activation of the nuclear reactor that powers it and the installation and integration of Indian systems. In that sense, it will be just like a new vessel.

A large team from India will be in Russia as part of the project, and the experience gained is expected to come in handy for the indigenous SSBN program.

Negotiations are also on to extend the lease of Chakra II, which ends next year. Since the new submarine is only likely to arrive by 2025 at the earliest, both sides are looking to extend the Chakra II lease for at least five more years, sources said. Chakra II was inducted in 2012.

Based on open source information regarding the Akula II-class, the 8,140-ton Chakra III will have a submerged speed of 30 knots and an operating depth of 530 meters. It will hold a crew of 73. Furthermore, the SSN is armed with four 650-millimeter and four 533-millimeter launch tubes for firing Russian-made Type 65 and Type 53 torpedoes. The sub will likely use a 190 mW nuclear reactor for propulsion.
A Chinese company is to invest billions of US dollars into a railway project that connects Finland and Estonia through the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, reported the Russia Today TV.



China's Touchstone Capital Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Finland's Finest Bay Area Development Oy to finance the project, according to an announcement on the latter's official website on Friday.

Based on the memorandum of understanding, one third of the fund will come as private equity investment, with Touchstone Capital Group taking the minority share and the rest will be gained through debt financing. Further details on the financing will be decided by the two companies in the coming 6 months as the project proceeds.

The 103-kilometers-long railway tunnel, which is to link Helsinki-Vantaa airport and the Tallinn airport, will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe. The project is expected to cut the travel time down to about 20 minutes, instead of the current two hours by ferry.

It is been reported that at least one artificial island will be built along the route and the governments of Finland and Estonia have promised to fund that project.

The Touchstone Capital Group has been providing one stop financial solution services for 15 years and is a leading platform between China and international market for the One Belt One Road Initiative, according to its official website.
Fox News has distanced itself from critical remarks about Islam by one of its commentators and has received calls to fire one of its primetime hosts for comments that were criticized as misogynistic, adding to renewed scrutiny of the cable news channel, NBC News reported.

The liberal activist group Media Matters for America released recordings on Sunday and Monday of a variety of comments Tucker Carlson made during appearances on a radio show in which he disparaged sex workers in Florida and described women as being primitive. The Fox host credited white men for "creating civilization," called Iraqi people "semiliterate primitive monkeys," and said the Congressional Black Caucus "exists to blame the white man for everything."

Fox News declined to comment. Carlson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though he did tweet Sunday, "Media Matters caught me saying something naughty."

Separately, Fox News issued a statement on Sunday in which it condemned comments made by Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News host who questioned the loyalty of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., because of her Muslim beliefs and headscarf.

We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirros comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar," the company said in a statement. "They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly."
The Oakland City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled in the wake of the fatal shooting of Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney's 21-year-old son in Los Angeles over the weekend, Council President Rebecca Kaplan said on Monday.

Los Angeles police said Victor McElheney died Sunday morning, about 10 hours after he was shot in an apparent botched robbery near the University of Southern California campus.

NBC Bay Area

Victor McElhaney transferred in 2017 from California State University East Bay in Hayward to USC's Thornton School of Music, where he was a senior, according to USC Annenberg Media.

"I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence and my prayers go out to my colleague, Councilmember McElhaney, during what I can only imagine is the most trying time in her life," Kaplan said in a statement.

"Victor was a bright star and we were all following his success in school and in life. This is an unspeakable tragedy -- one I hope will renew our commitment to justice," Kaplan said.

Gibson McElhaney said in a statement that arrangements for her son's funeral in Oakland will be made as soon as his body is returned to Oakland.

Victor McElhaney's death is the second tragedy that Gibson McElhaney has had to endure in recent years.

On Dec. 20, 2015, 17-year-old Torian Hughes, who she considered to be her grandson, was fatally shot in the 900 block of Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.

The past several weeks, Gibson McElhaney has been attending the trial of Shiheim Johnson, who is charged with murder for his alleged role in Torian's death. Johnson was 19 at the time of the shooting and is now 22.

Alameda County prosecutors allege that Johnson directed a 15-year-old boy to shoot Hughes during a robbery.

Prosecutors said Hughes wanted to buy a gun from the 15-year-old and Johnson to protect himself because he had recently been assaulted on BART.

The teen who allegedly shot Hughes is being prosecuted separately in the juvenile court system.

Prosecutor Tim Wagstaffe and defense attorney Omid Khalilnaji presented their closing arguments in Johnson's case on Monday but Gibson McElhaney didn't attend the arguments.
Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal $35 million in an exit package when he was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation, according to court documents released Monday.

Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit targets the board of Google parent Alphabet, charging that its members had a duty to protect the company and its shareholders from risk and reputation damage. Instead, it says, the board agreed to pay off and otherwise support male executives facing misconduct charges  opening the company to reputational and financial damage by doing so.

Previously redacted portions of the lawsuit were made available Monday, including quotes from Alphabet board committee meetings.

One portion of the minutes showed that Singhal, a senior vice president of search who left the company in 2016, received two $15 million payments and a payment of between $5 million to $15 million as part of a separation agreement. The total payment could have been up to $45 million.

Singhal was one subject of a New York Times investigation last year that revealed Google paid Android creator Andy Rubin $90 million in a severance package after the company found allegations of sexual assault against him were credible. Rubin has denied the claims.

Singhal has also denied the claims against him, saying in a statement to the AP in 2017 that he had not been accused of harassment before and that he left Google on his own terms. Singhal did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

But the New York Times, citing three people briefed on the incident, reported that an employee claimed Singhal groped her at an off-campus event. A Google investigation found her claims credible, according to the Times.

Previously, the Times reported Singhal was paid "millions" in an exit package. Singhal later joined Uber, but left after just five weeks. News reports at the time said he failed to tell Uber he left Google because of a sexual harassment allegation.

Google acknowledged the unredacted claims in the lawsuit Monday and said in a statement that there are "serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google."

"In recent years, we've made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority," the company said in an emailed statement.

The company was pressured to make changes by employee action last year. After news of Rubin's massive payout, tens of thousands of Google workers around the world walked out of work in November to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct claims.

Google promised to be more forceful in handling such cases and ended mandatory arbitration in cases of sexual misconduct.

But the backlash has continued. Google Walkout organizers are still fighting the company on specific demands, and high-profile engineers have quit the company.

Last month, Google ended mandatory arbitration for all employee complaints in response to pressure from Walkout organizers.

The lawsuit, brought by shareholder James Martin, also references board minutes and emails that reportedly show Rubin was awarded $150 million in equity compensation shortly before he left the company. The suit claims Alphabet CEO Larry Page awarded the grants, and only later received board approval.
(CNN)  The deaths of children are a cause for misery, and new research suggests one of the gravest perils comes in the form of falsified and substandard drugs for treating malaria, pneumonia and other diseases. Hundreds of thousands of children each year are dying due to a surge of poor-quality or outright fake medicines, the report says.

"We're talking about 300,000  at least  children who have died because of murder-by-alleged-medicines distributed by criminals," said Dr. Joel Breman, a co-author of the report and senior scientific adviser emeritus at the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health.

The World Health Organization has defined three types of falsified and substandard medical products.

"Falsified medical products" deliberately misrepresent their identity, composition or source. "Substandard medical products" are regulated drugs that somehow fail to meet quality standards or specifications  for example, they have less than needed amounts of an active pharmaceutical ingredients. "Unregistered or unlicensed medical products" are untested and unapproved drugs.

Where is it happening?

The number of falsified and substandard medical products is on the rise, according to Breman and his co-authors on the report, published Monday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In 2008, for example, Pfizer Global Security, the drugmaker's team working to counteract counterfeit drugs, identified 29 of its products in 75 countries as being falsified. Just 10 years later, Pfizer found 95 fakes in 113 countries.

"Our focus was initially and still is on the poor countries because they have no control and a high burden of disease," said Breman, who is also president-elect of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

He said the "impact" of falsified and substandard drugs is estimated to be as high as 10% of all medicines, costing up to $200 billion, in low- and middle-income countries.

One of two primary areas of concern in these countries is antimalarials, which may be responsible for the deaths of more than 150,000 children each year, Breman said. Antimalarials and artemisinin combination therapy (often called ACT) are the best solution for treating malaria.

The ACT-watch program, a division within the health-focused nonprofit Population Services International, monitors these medications in eight African countries. The program found that a full quarter of ACTs available in the field were non-quality-assured. (In fact, the program found 185 manufacturers of non-quality-assured ACTs, compared with just 12 reputable companies making these approved combination therapies.)

A second key concern in low- and middle-income countries is antibiotics for treating childhood pneumonia, Breman said: Each year, antibiotics that are either fake or substandard cause as many childhood fatalities as fake antimalarials.

Beyond children, a new category of falsified and substandard drugs is on the rise: treatments for chronic conditions such as hypertension. The Pharmaceutical Security Institute, a nonprofit watchdog organization, finds that these account for more than 50% of all fake medicines.

The most common of these fake drugs, often peddled over the Internet and sometimes linked to organized crime and terrorist groups, include medicines for heart disease, erectile dysfunction, cancer and pain (prescription opioids).

Breman said he wouldn't "glorify" the illicit facilities that produce fake drugs and opioids in particular with the name "laboratory." "They're ridden with pests and equipment that is outmoded and filthy," he said, adding that the pills may be laced with fentanyl and other harmful substances.

In 2009, few online pharmacies could be found, but just seven years later an estimated 35,000 such pharmacies were operating around the globe, according to Breman and his co-authors. Meanwhile, access to the Internet is continuing to grow in emerging economies, placing more people in danger.

Drug companies are well aware of the problem. To test the online waters, Pfizer Global Security made 250 purchases of its drug Xanax from Internet providers and found that 96% were counterfeit. In some cases, even vaccines have been faked, Breman said, citing the report.

Over the past decade, academics and nonprofits have raised awareness of the issue, while the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Interpol and WHO have convened to address the problem of falsified and substandard drugs, he said.

"There seems to be a movement now, and leadership has slowly been put in the hands of the WHO," he said, adding that it is time to "put everything together. Not just identify the drugs but being sure that all countries have legislation, that they have standards of acceptance, that they have surveillance."

An international treaty may be necessary, the report's authors say. Technical issues also need to be addressed: For example, there's a need to identify "the best bedside method of testing drugs," Breman said, explaining that high-powered analytic tests exist, but the laboratories where such analysis is done are both distant and expensive.

Distribution of fake drugs means the specter of antimicrobial resistance also looms, he said. Low-quality drugs promote and spread resistance due to their inability to thoroughly kill bacteria as do drugs with no active ingredient, so called, "blanks."

International efforts are needed, WHO says

"Most of the cases that we see are falsified  so that means somebody has set out intentionally to deceive you that it's the real thing when it isn't," said Michael Deats, WHO's group lead of Substandard and Falsified Medical Products. "That's criminal activity."

Deats, who was not involved in the new study, said that falsified and substandard medicines have been a "really hot political issue" for years, but before 2012, "it got mixed up with protection of intellectual property rights versus protection of public health."

Since then, though, WHO arrived at clearer definitions and put in place "a work plan to prevent, detect and respond to substandard and falsified medicines."

Today, with a clearer picture of the problem, a coherent policy and a coordinated approach agreed upon by all the member states, WHO has begun to make progress, Deats said, "but there are still big challenges."

Low- and middle-income countries are particularly vulnerable due to porous borders and weak regulatory capacities. "One in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries, on average, failed quality testing," Deats said. A WHO technology working group is looking at handheld devices that would allow regulators and others in the field to do rudimentary product testing, but a technology, no matter how good, is not a "silver bullet," he added.

High-income countries are not immune to the problem, thanks to the Internet: both online unregistered pharmacies and "smartphone applications which allow you to order medicines without prescriptions and have them delivered by a guy on a motorbike that turns up at your home," Deats said.

The US Food and Drug Administration estimates that "about 80% of the medicines or a component of the medicines that are available in the U.S. come from outside the U.S.," Deats said. "It's really important that we have secure supply chains.

"Investing in the regulatory authorities is a key component in safeguarding supply chains," but "strong political will to tackle this issue, not just in the U.S. but throughout the world," is also necessary, he said.

"We need to collaborate," Deats said. Without partnerships across nations, in addition to public-private collaborations between nations and industry, "we aren't going to be able to tackle this issue."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Global 'pandemic' of fake drugs killing children worldwide, report says."
China plans to build five national parks in the Tibet autonomous region that collectively have been named after the high-altitude region's nickname: the Earth's third pole.



The Third Pole National Parks are to be part of the nation's growing effort to protect the environment while improving locals' livelihoods by boosting ecotourism on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The five locations encompass areas around Qomolangma, Bome and Medog counties, the Zanda Earth Forest in western Tibet, the Changtang Plateau and Serling Tso, which is Tibet's largest lake, according to Yao Tandong, honorary director of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who spoke with China Daily in an exclusive interview.

This year, park construction will start around the Gangdise mountain range in western Tibet, Serling Tso in southwestern Tibet and around Bome county in the southeastern Tibet city of Nyingchi, said Qi Zhala, chairman of the Tibet regional government.

In March, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said it will prioritize the creation of pilot national park programs for Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, and for Changtang Plateau, a natural habitat for rare animals including Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and black-necked cranes.

"The core purpose of building these national parks is to conserve and protect nature, not for tourism," Qi Zhala said. Yao added that plans for the national parks are in a preparatory phase, so most details are still in the works.

Scientists have a little more information for the national park in Serling Tso, saying it will likely cover around 38,200 square kilometers, home to 20,000 to 30,000 people, according to results from China's second scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, published last year.

The park is also expected to increase locals' earnings by four to five times, research found. "The Third Pole National Parks will have an exemplary effect on other Chinese national parks in the future, and facilitate international collaboration with parks from other countries, such as those in Nepal," Yao said.

China established the Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, the country's first natural reserve, in Guangdong province in 1956.

By the end of 2017, China had 2,750 natural reserves run by various levels of government. The number of national-level reserves increased to 474 last year, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

China began experimenting with national parks in 2014 with the launch of 10 pilot parks across the country from Qinghai to Zhejiang province.

The forestry and grassland authority defines national parks as those approved and managed by the State. Typically they are much larger than natural reserves and cover a wide range of biomes, landscapes and at times historical artifacts, like the Great Wall.

National parks are representations of a country's most iconic natural and cultural heritages, as well as habitats for wildlife species, said Zhou Zhonghe, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
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.
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg said Sunday night that he and Vice President Mike Pence have different views of their Christian faith and that he doesn't understand Pence's loyalty to President Donald Trump.

The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said his feeling "is that the Scripture is about protecting the stranger, the prisoner, the poor person, and that idea of welcome. That's what I get in the Gospel when I'm in church." He said Pence's view "has a lot more to do with sexuality, a certain view of rectitude."

Mayor Pete Buttigieg on VP Mike Pence: "This guy teamed up with the least, I mean by most of our measures, I think, the least Christian figure imaginable to be running for president." #SXSW #SXSW2019 pic.twitter.com/tEuqXZvrZG  The Hill (@thehill) March 11, 2019

Buttigieg said he is puzzled by Pence's strong support for the president.

"How could Pence allow himself to become the cheerleader of the porn star presidency?" and added, "Is it that he stopped believing in Scripture, when he started believing in Donald Trump?"

Buttigieg made the comments at a CNN town hall in Austin, Texas.

Pence is a former Indiana governor and congressman.

Whos Running for President in 2020?

The race for the 2020 presidential election is underway, and the field of Democratic candidates is packed. Those who have announced presidential bids include a vice president, senators, House members and three mayors. As for the GOP, a single Republican has announced his bid to challenge President Donald Trump for the party nomination: former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who ran for vice president (and lost) in 2016 on the Libertarian party ticket.

Click the photos to learn more
One of the 157 people killed in an Ethiopian plane crash on Sunday has been identified as a Chicago-area native.

Antoine Lewis, of south suburban Matteson, was a passenger on the Ethiopian Airlines jetliner when it crashed shortly after takeoff outside Addis Ababa, according to Lewis' family.

"Theres nothing else I can do. Ive screamed to the heavens to ask why but I already know the answer," said his mother Antoinette Lewis.

Lewis had a career in the military, his father said, and had studied at Chicago State University. He was married and had a 15-year-old son, according to his family, who said he was on vacation at the time of the crash.

"Captain Lewis was an outstanding person who engaged himself with many positive facets of the Matteson community," Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin said in a statement, adding that she had known the Lewis family for more than 20 years and identifying Lewis as a captain in the U.S. Army.

"Antoines death has been devastating to our residents, the village administration and moreover, his family," Chalmers-Currin's statement continued.

"Captain Lewis was raised by a patriotic family that has always shared a genuine concern for their neighbors, friends and fellow man," she said, adding, "The Village of Matteson will continue to keep the Lewis family in our hearts and prayers."

Lewis was one of 157 people from 35 countries who died in the crash, all killed just minutes into the flight from Ethiopia's capitol to Nairobi, Kenya.

Lewis had traveled to Africa to bring help to the area, according to his sister, who said he was building businesses and had planned on buying land.

"He was supposed to call us after he touched down," said his father Rodney Lewis.

Airlines in several countries, including Ethiopia, China, Brazil, Argentina and Indonesia, have temporarily grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the jetliner that crashed Sunday.

A flight of the same Boeing model crashed in Indonesian seas last year, killing 189 people.

The Federal Aviation Administration has given no indication that the agency would ground the Boeing passenger jets in the U.S., with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao saying that the department was "very concerned" and monitoring developments related to Sunday's crash.

Still, the crash has renewed questions about the 737 Max 8, the newest version of Boeing's popular single-aisle airliner, which was first introduced in 1967 and has become the world's most common passenger jet.

Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons between the two crashes until more is known about the disaster.

Chicago-based Boeing said it did not intend to issue any new guidance to its customers. It announced plans to send a technical team to the crash site to help Ethiopian and U.S. investigators, however, and issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew."

The 737 is the best-selling airliner in history, and the Max, the newest version of it with more fuel-efficient engines, is a central part of Boeing's strategy to compete with European rival Airbus.

"Safety is our No. 1 priority and we are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved," Boeing said in a statement.

The plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders were found in the field where it went down, Ethiopian Airlines said Monday. An airline official, however, said one of the recorders was partially damaged and "we will see what we can retrieve from it."

Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation into the crash, assisted by the U.S., Kenya and others.

"I'm full with the love that he left," said Lewis' mother. "His legacy is love."
The Chicago Board of Elections has opened an investigation into extremely serious allegations of vote-buying in the 25th Ward municipal election, the board said Monday, adding it will devote additional resources to the 25th Ward for the run-off elections.

Of the five candidates vying to replace Danny Solis as alderman of his Pilsen-area district, Alex Acevedo and Byron Sigcho-Lopez were the ones who made it to the runoff.

Acevedo said he has identified witnesses who saw workers for Sigcho-Lopezs campaign handing out Target gift cards on Election Day.

An election official at a Chinatown polling place said she saw it happen.

As soon as they voted, they demanded the wristbands to show proof that they voted so that they could get the $15, said the election official, who requested not to be named.

The election official said campaign workers for Sigcho-Lopez were bringing in voters to the polling place, some of whom were disabled or elderly.

The election official said the campaign workers removed their Sigcho-Lopez campaign gear because of electioneering rules, then requested affidavits to assist these voters with casting their ballots.

They were literally the ones doing the voting, the election official said.

Sigcho-Lopez denies the allegations.

My staff and my campaign has nothing to do with these allegations, Sigcho-Lopez said.

The Illinois Attorney General has also assigned two attorneys to investigate the alleged scheme, according to WBEZ.

Acevedo called on investigators to bring more resources to the investigation so more can be done ahead of the April 2 runoff election.

I want to stand up and make sure the people know our ward is not for sale, Acevedo said. [] This is very concerning, this is very problematic.
Note: Becki Keltner's letter can be read in its entirety below.

The wife of a McHenry County Sheriffs deputy killed in the line of duty last week penned an emotional letter Monday to share with the world the kind of man her husband was.

Becki Keltner, the wife of Deputy Jacob Keltner, said her husband was a "cop's cop" and "an amazing dad" to their two young sons. She asked that her letter be published in its entirety, which can be read in full below. [[506902862, C]]

Keltner was fatally shot while trying to serve an arrest warrant at a Rockford hotel on Thursday.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Floyd Brown, fled the scene after the shooting and was later apprehended after a lengthy stand-off on Interstate 55 in central Illinois.

A visitation for Keltner was scheduled for Tuesday at the DeFiore Funeral Home, located in the 10000 block of Dundee road in Huntley, according to the McHenry County Sheriffs Office.

Public visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m., and a formal law enforcement walk-through will be held at 6 p.m., according to the department. [[506871152, C]]

Keltners funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Woodstock North High School, located in the 3000 block of Raffel Road. Police encouraged the public to line the official procession route Wednesday to "show their support and honor Deputy Keltner."

A campaign was also launched to help pay off the mortgage of Keltner's home. If you wish to donate to the fundraising effort, click here.

Below is Becki Keltner's letter, in its entirety, about the husband she called "the love of my life."

I am writing this letter because my husband, Jacob Keltner, should be remembered not as another statistic but as a man, a great man, who sacrificed his life to protect others.

Jake is the love of my life. We met at Western Illinois University in January 2004 and were inseparable. We married in 2007 and soon after I got a teaching job and we both focused on our careers doing what we love. In 2012 we were overjoyed to add Caleb (who is going to be president someday) to our family and then Carson (my fiery red head) blessed us in 2014. Jake and I agreed that I would leave teaching to dedicate all of my time to raise our boys, and it has been the best time of my life and our marriage. We loved each other fiercely. He was a tough guy but a secret sweetheart. He surprised me with the best gifts, nights out, and heartfelt notes. He would do things he hated with me (like seeing a ballet) because he know how much I loved it. He supported every endeavor I ever took on and was there for me every second when my mom recently passed away. I was so lucky to have found a love so good and a man worth spending my life with.

He was a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan with me and we almost died watching the 2016 World Series together. He loved adventure. He would try anything- bungee jumping, zip lining, white water rafting and more with a huge smile on his face. Some of those he made me do with him, and he would hold my hand the whole time. He was brave and he made me braver.

My husband was a cops cop. He loved everything about his job and looked forward to going to work every day. He was a true patriot who wanted to protect the people of this country so I knew when he was selected for a position on the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, I couldnt have stopped him from taking the job if I tried. I knew it was dangerous, but he was smart, strong, and great at what he did. I knew he would protect his fellow officers like he protected our family.

Then I received the one phone call every police officer's wife has nightmares about, only this time the nightmare was real. Now I find myself a 33 year old widow, mother of two young boys who no longer have their daddy. It feels unreal. It's unfair. I have screamed. I have cried. Nothing can make this better.

He was an amazing dad. He always found ways to have fun with the boys. The night before he died he was teaching them how to catch and throw to get ready for little league. He built forts and set up family movie nights and boys nights with the kids. We spent our summers relaxing and swimming in the pool. Deemed the baby whisperer he was the only one who could get Carson to stop crying as a baby by singing to him. Telling my children he was taken from us was the worst moment of my life. They are innocent and pure and certainly do not deserve this. They will never know their daddy like they deserve. They wont know him as a jokester. They wont know his contagious smile and infectious laugh. He was taken from them far too soon.

Being a cops wife is not easy. Its long days and nights where you dont know when theyre coming home. Its the constant worry that something will happen to them. Its keeping the kids quiet when daddy needs to go to sleep for a few hours. Its going to events alone because they have to work and him always having to look over his shoulder when we were out together. But I am so very proud of him. He wanted to make the world a better place and he did make it a better place for my family. He was my rock. He supported me through thick and thin. He was my everything and we didnt have enough time. I need him and I dont know how to keep on going without him. I would give anything for one more hug, one more I love you, or one more joke from the man I love so much.

There are no words to sum up a man who meant so much to me and to so many others. My only wish is to have a world where we stop hating each other. I am overwhelmed with the support I have been given from people everywhere these past few days. I see you. You are good just like my husband was. I will keep that in my heart forever. No matter who you are, every person has a story and people who love them. Every person has hopes and dreams. We need to accept and thrive on our difference. Its what our country was built on. Its what Jake believed in, even after everything he had seen. Its what I believe in. He saw the worst of the worst every day but still had so much love in his heart. He was true and loyal. We all need to show each other love. Lift each other up. Its the only way to stop this unconscionable madness.
An Iranian woman who has lived in Chicago for 10 years said she is stuck in Canada, unable to enter the U.S. as her visa application remains pending.

Mona Rahimi is a teacher at a local university who traveled out of the country nine months ago for a conference and has yet to return, she said Monday.

Her husband Adam Schuman said the days have turned into weeks and the weeks into months with no end in sight.

I miss my wife," Schuman said. "Its challenging."

With the current administration, I was concerned, he added.

Rahimi said she applied for a temporary work and travel visa, as shes done in the past, but months later, her application is still pending, leaving her stuck in Canada and unable to enter the U.S.

Theres no harmony to it, said Schuman. She is being vetted but she has a job here and a husband here. She was living with me for five years. It seems a little excessive.

As their lives remain on hold, the couple said they reached out to Senator Dick Durbin for help.

His office reached out to the consulate but we have not gotten any more information, Rahimi said. Other than it's under administrative processing.

In the meantime, they remain hopeful that Mona will be back in the country soon.

The couple said they plan to re-evaluate their situation in August and decide if they should leave the U.S. and move to Canada.
An Amber Alert was issued in Wisconsin early Tuesday for a 2-year-old girl missing from Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Police Department said Dariaz L. Higgins, 33, did not return Noelani Robinson to her mother as planned by 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, according to the alert.

Higgins, also known as Dariaz Taylor and Dariaz Lewis, is believed to have Noelani and is considered armed and dangerous, the alert says.

Authorities said he was last seen driving a 2014 black Cadillac with a Florida license plate reading HVCZ95.

Police did not release a description of Noelani's clothing at the time she was reported missing, saying only that she is black and two years old.

Higgins was described as a black male, with brown eyes and brown hair, as well as multiple tattoos, including on his face.

Anyone with information on Noelani or Higgins' whereabouts was asked to call 911 or Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7022.
On a foggy November morning in 2015, a heavily intoxicated man showed up before dawn at the Dupont Circle Hotel, forked over $1,200 cash for a ninth-floor penthouse suite and kept drinking. His bender continued all day.

By the next morning, he was dead. Authorities concluded that he died of blunt force trauma, the result of repeatedly falling in his room and suffering at least one serious head wound.

Normally, such a case would be quickly forgotten. But Mikhail Lesin, 57, was no ordinary tourist on a drinking binge. He was one of Vladimir Putin's top lieutenants during Putin's rise to power in Russia. Speculation he was murdered has continued to this day.

Now a recent court ruling could shed light on the case.

On Feb. 13, a District of Columbia court ordered Washington's medical examiner to turn over Lesin's autopsy report and all related files. The order by Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo was in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is considering an appeal, saying it should be up to the family to decide what details of Lesin's death should be made public.

If the files are indeed released, they could provide new details about a case that has long been shrouded in suspicion.

There is no public evidence of foul play in Lesin's death. Police and the medical examiner's office stand by their finding that the death was accidental and Lesin's family has not publicly challenged it. Phone calls and emails to Lesin's two adult children, who live in Los Angeles, were unsuccessful.

Yet there is intrigue surrounding the case, fed by circumstantial evidence: It seems odd for someone Lesin's age to die of blunt force trauma while alone in a room. There is also a gap in security video footage for the hours after Lesin was last seen alive. The police report eventually released to the public has been heavily redacted.

Above all, there is a long history of high-profile Russians turning up dead or seriously ill in foreign countries. In 2006, former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died a few weeks after being dosed with a radioactive isotope in London; and in March 2018, former Russian spy turned double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia narrowly escaped death after being dosed with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.

Lesin had amassed a fortune operating one of Russia's first advertising agencies, then spent years as Putin's media czar. He helped bring independent media outlets under state control during Putin's rise to power. Later he founded the news network Russia Today. But he abruptly resigned in December 2014 and was believed by some Moscow-watchers to have fallen out of favor with the Putin government.

His death was headline news in Moscow. Russian media, citing the family, quickly reported the cause of death as a heart attack, but the medical examiner first listed the cause as "undetermined" and then later announced the "blunt force trauma" finding.

In December 2017, Washington's Metropolitan Police Department released its 58-page report on Lesin's death. It relies heavily on interviews with employees at two hotels where Lesin engaged in a 72-hour drinking binge. It also contains 14 pages of witness interviews that are almost totally redacted.

Still, it paints a grim portrait of a man drinking himself to death.

Lesin checked into the Four Seasons Hotel in the tony Georgetown neighborhood on Nov. 2 and immediately began drinking heavily. Over the next two days, Lesin was escorted back to his room multiple times after drunkenly wandering the hallways or lobby.

He repeatedly asked hotel staff to get him more alcohol and twice went behind the hotel bar to grab bottles. His behavior was so erratic that Four Seasons staffers essentially confined him to his room and conducted periodic "welfare checks," according to the police report.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 4, while still booked at the Four Seasons, Lesin took a taxi to the more downscale Dupont Circle Hotel. After paying for the penthouse, he returned to the Four Seasons where he was found wandering the hallways at 8 a.m. "in nothing but his underwear."

The Four Seasons staff eventually locked Lesin out of his room and he returned to the Dupont Circle Hotel, where the staff started doing their own welfare checks on the problematic guest.

Lesin was last seen alive while passed out on the floor of his room, at 8:15 p.m., and his body was found at 11:30 the next morning during another hotel welfare check. Security camera footage from the hallway outside Lesin's room had a 10-hour gap ending at 11:14 p.m. That means there was apparently no video covering the three hours after Lesin was last seen alive  and no way of knowing if anyone entered his room during that period.

The video gap and the redacted pages added to the online conspiracy theories . There was speculation, but no proof, that Lesin was killed before he could provide details of a Russian money laundering network and that police and the medical examiner either bungled the case or covered up the murder. There's no clear explanation, though, why American authorities would participate in such a cover-up.

Other more exotic theories suggest he faked his death and either went into hiding or entered the FBI's witness protection program.

A 2017 Buzzfeed investigation quoted unidentified FBI and intelligence officials who said they believe that Lesin was murdered. Those same officials said Lesin died the night before he was scheduled to meet with the Justice Department and that the DOJ was paying for his hotel. This could not be independently confirmed.

Buzzfeed's allegations were explosive, but with no officials speaking publicly and with Lesin's own family not feeding the flames, the issue became a bit of a cold case mystery for skeptics.

That was until Puig-Lugo's ruling. The medical examiner's decision to push back against the ruling and fight the release of information may only feed speculation of a cover-up.

But the chief medical examiner, Dr. Roger Mitchell, said in a statement that his office is "committed to protecting the medical confidentiality of the deceased in our possession."
Frustrated by a divided Congress and rifts within his own party, President Donald Trump is giving little indication in his latest budget proposal of any new policy ambitions for the coming two, or six, years.

Trump's budget plan increases spending on his border wall and the military but is light on fresh ideas heading into his re-election campaign. His budget for the next fiscal year, which has little chance of advancing in Congress, largely focuses on deep spending cuts and pushing more money toward established goals such as his long-promised wall, improving care of veterans and combating opioid abuse.

Budgets may offer a president's vision for the direction of the nation, but Trump's latest also offers an early window into his upcoming campaign.

With the Democratic race to unseat him heating up, Trump is contending with middling approval ratings, energized Democrats and political vulnerabilities in critical states. Like his predecessors, he'll soon be called on to complete the politically loaded phrase, "Send me back to the White House so that I can ..."

"I think, as he gets closer to 2020, he will need to lay out what a second term would look like," said Republican consultant Alex Conant. "Voters always want to know, 'What have you done for me lately?' If he doesn't paint a picture of what his second term will look like, then the Democrats will do it for him."

The White House argues that Trump isn't just advancing the same policies a second time over, he's enhancing them with more detail than his first go-round, particularly in the area of trade policy.

Following a State of the Union address that contained little new policy, the budget is hardly a surprise. Still, the budget can serve more than one political purpose, argued former Trump campaign aide Barry Bennett, who said the document highlights Trump's clashes with Democrats over border and military funding. He argued that the Democratic tilt to the left also will benefit Trump as he seeks to frame the argument.

Bennett said Trump's pitch can be: "If your paycheck likes what I've done, send me back. If you don't, they'll undo it all."

Trump has already addressed much of his laundry-list agenda from 2016, notching victories in many areas while seeking to minimize losses and mixed results. He has cut taxes, exited global accords and installed conservative judges on the courts, including two Supreme Court justices. He has not succeeded in replacing President Barack Obama's health care law, is still working on renegotiating trade deals and has struggled to secure all the funding he wants for his border wall.

In all, the efforts have largely pleased his political base, but satisfaction with past performance is hardly a reliable tactic for expanding your support.

Thus far, Trump's re-election campaign moves have been laser-focused on maintaining his most ardent supporters. It's a risky wager, laid down by the president himself, that he can overcome weakness with moderate and independent voters by turning out even more loyalists in 2020 than he did in 2016.

During his aggressive push to maintain the GOP's hold over the Senate during the midterm elections, Trump emphasized his hardline immigration rhetoric above all else. He has returned again and again to his long-promised border wall, even forcing the government to partially shut down in an effort to win funding. The latest budget also calls for repealing "Obamacare," limiting future federal spending on Medicaid for people with lower incomes, as well as breaking out the new Space Force as its own military branch.

"We believe that every budget is an opportunity to put forward our vision for the next 10 years," said acting budget director Russell Vought.

Trump's gamble has skeptics among some in the president's inner circle, who have pushed the president and the White House to embrace larger policy ideas designed to win over moderates and independents.

Aides point to Trump's cautious embrace of a family medical leave policy pushed by his daughter, Ivanka Trump, as the sort of proposal Trump's team should spend more time developing ahead of 2020. She is backing new funding for child care in the current proposal. A White House-backed infrastructure plan, the hobbyhorse of Washington election year policy, appears no closer to fruition than when Trump first raised it two years ago, with his budget allocation unchanged from previous years.

Trump's nascent re-election campaign has just begun staffing-up for 2020, with a focus on developing a more professionalized operation than 2016, but has yet to announce a policy staff.

Trump's light policy load is also a function of his increasingly strained relationship with Congress. Under divided control, the White House views it as unlikely that any new proposals can win legislative approval  and plan to be judicious about sending anything to Capitol Hill only to see it defeated.
The state of California will overhaul all of its emergency call centers with a new technology in hopes of improving its location accuracy and situational awareness.

RapidDeploy is a new, cloud-based system that will improve location accuracy and natural disaster awareness for responders with live data feeds for fires, earthquakes, flooding, traffic, and incidents.

The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) confirmed Monday it awarded a contract to RapidDeploy to install this technology across all 440 California 911 call centers will be updated with this technology.

Most technology that serves public safety and 911 today is at least one generation out of date  were talking 15 to 25 years out of date, said Steven Raucher, CEO and co-founder of RapidDeploy. They wouldnt know live traffic. They wouldnt be able to give turn-by-turn navigation. They wouldnt know the location of the handset thats calling 911.

Roughly half of all calls that come into 911 centers do not have a dispatchable address attached to them, Raucher said.

A lot of solutions we take for granted every day, right, like, Uber and meal delivery things can find you with an app seamlessly and 911 cant do that today, Raucher told NBC 7.

There are more than 6,000 different 911 call centers in the country, with major discrepancies between them, including differences in technology and governance.

Now, RapidDeploy and Cal OES are trying to change that in California, with the technology's "future-proof cloud architecture," according to RapidDeploy's blog.

Four pilot 911 centers have already begun using RapidDeploy in Northern California, and soon more centers will start using the new technology, according to Jamison Peevyhouse, president of the National Emergency Number Association.

We always say that 911 saves seconds and seconds saves lives. When you think about location accuracy and how long it takes us to actually find that person first before we can even send a resource to their need. Now, were cutting that time down by sometimes minutes, Peevyhouse told NBC 7. Were seeing lives being saved on a scale that weve never even dreamed.

The RapidDeploy rollout will be completed by fall 2019.

Ed. Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed information as from Cal OES. We have corrected the information from RapidDeploy and regret the error.
Betel nut producers in Hunan province - famous for its robust betel nut processing industry and widespread consumption - have been told to remove all forms of advertising this week.



In a notice issued on March 7 and circulated online, the Hunan Betel Food Industry Association ordered related enterprises in the province to halt advertisements by Friday. The ban encompasses all media channels as well as any form of promotion in public places.

Yang Xun, head of the association, said the ban aims to regulate the emerging betel nut industry in the province and enhance the self-discipline of producers, and is not tied to rising concerns about the betel nut's role in causing oral cancer, China News Service reported.

Lin Ye, vice-president of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology, said there is enough evidence to validate the connection between betel nut chewing and higher rates of oral cancer.

He said the date-shaped fruit is often taken with lime powder for better taste, and thus damages delicate tissue in the chewer's mouth and results in increased risks of developing malignant mouth tumors.

A World Health Organization study in 2003 found that the rate of oral cancer was highest in Asia, where chewing betel nuts is a widespread habit. The processed fruit has been classified as a carcinogen since then.

In China, the National Health Commission released an action plan in February to promote oral health, which called for campaigns to promote oral checkups in regions where the chewing habit is popular.

However, the concern has had little impact on betel nut chewers, especially in Hunan province, where the custom is time-honored - and generates massive profits.

Cen Shangyi, a resident in Changsha, said he chews two packs of betel nuts a day.

"The ban is unlikely to affect most consumers' habits, but it reminds me of the potential harm to my health," he said. "I will still chew betel nuts, but maybe cut down a bit."

More than 80 percent of fresh betel nuts harvested in the southern province of Hainan are supplied to Hunan, home to more than 4,000 processing plants and enterprises that distribute or sell betel nuts, according to an industry report released by Zhiyan Consulting group in 2017. The industry's output value is estimated to exceed 30 billion yuan ($4.5 billion).

Wang Di, a sales employee with the Jiuzong Betel Nut company, said he has seen no impact on sales so far, but in the long term the ban is sure to drive down sales in the province.
A New Britain murder suspect has been arrested in Georgetown, South Carolina after he was found hiding in a refrigerator.

Benjamin Morales, 43, is the suspect in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Alice Marie Figueroa on Elam Street on Feb. 4.

Authorities said Morales and Figueroa were dating and had two young children together. But family of the victim says Figueroa had broken up with Morales and tried to get a protective order against him.

Family and friends of Figueroa say they've lived in fear of what Morales might do next.

"It's terror. You live in total terror," said Yesenia, a close friend of Figueroa's.

According to New Britain police, US Marshals and local deputies from the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office took Morales into custody. The sheriff's office said he was found hiding inside a functioning refrigerator in a home.

"It will not bring her back, but it's a sense of relief that she's going to get the justice she deserves," said Yesenia.

Morales will remain in South Carolina until hes extradited back to Connecticut.

[[505613222, C]]

Several others have been arrested in connection with the case.
Gov. Ned Lamonts proposal for a paid family and medical leave policy in Connecticut saw a public hearing on Tuesday.

His proposal differs slightly from the one being pushed progressive Democrats in the General Assembly, as Lamonts would allow for an exemption for employers that provide a paid family and medical leave benefit to their employees that is separate from the state program thats under consideration.

Carmina Hirsch is a rarity at hearings on the issue, as shes a small business owner who supports the policy, saying it would not be a strain on her small law firm. Hirsch has two employees in her Shelton law office.

"When and if they need to take that time to care for themselves, a sick parent, spouse, a sick child, youre not paying that employee for the time theyre not working so you can hire a temporary worker for example from a temp agency," she told the Labor Committee Tuesday.

One of Lamonts senior advisors, Colleen Flanagan Johnson, told NBC Connecticut in a statement, In Connecticut, middle and upper-income individuals working for large employers are more likely to have access to PFML, but only about six percent of low-income workers do, often resulting in increased business turnover, as well as costs to the state for public assistance. The Governor is proposing residents earn paid leave by contributing a small portion of their pay toward a family and medical leave trust fund similar to insurance.

The proposal would have all employees deduct .05 percent of their earnings into a fund to pay for people to take time off.

Eric Gjede with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association says smaller employers are very worried about the consequences of such a mandate on businesses.

We still are deeply concerned about this thing being an unsustainable long-term liability for the state of Connecticut, he said.

He described Hirsch, the small business owner who testified in favor of the bill, as an outlier who does not speak for most employers. CBIA represents thousands of businesses in Connecticut.

I dont think that the money's they are going to take from employee wages to help fund the program is nearly enough and also I think that impact on small business in particular is going to be devastating, Gjede said.

Hirsch argues that Connecticut would become one of the more competitive and business-friendly states in the region with a policy like this, saying that employees would be valued more than they currently are.

Do you want your sick employee at work not being able to function and do their job because they have to be there or do you want do you want to give them the time to recover from the illness theyre going through, and come back full steam ahead and serve your business well?
Three cars were on fire in the lot in front of 89 Bronson Ave. in Meriden while residents and neighbors were still asleep on Tuesday.

Jaime Cannistras car was one of them and it is unrecognizable this morning.

At 3:30 this morning, I heard the alarm going off and I thought it was the lights flashing from the car alarm but no, woke up to it on flames, she said.

Cannistra believes someone set her car on fire intentionally, but she doesnt think she was the target.

I know its not personal because I dont hang with anybody. Work and family, thats it for me.

Just up the hill from the lot where Cannistras car was parked, Nora Peck watched the fire through her window until firefighters arrived to the scene.

Police are investigating multiple vehicle fires in two different locations in Meriden early Tuesday morning.

I thought it was something like electrical or somebody tried to fix something themselves, but then I saw that other cars were on fire so, I dont know, its pretty scary, said Peck.

Police said in a statement that there were three car fires on Bronson Avenue and one on Hanover Street.

A fifth vehicle was vandalized on Cook Avenue.

Were also calling our detective bureau to see if theres any kind of correlation between these, said Meriden Police Sergeant Christopher Fry. It certainly looks as though somebodys setting these fire intentionally. We are right now preliminarily assuming its the same group of people which we hope to be able to identify and hold them responsible.

In the meantime, Cannistra can drive her moms car to work. But she hopes whoever is responsible for destroying her car is caught.

I just want somebody to catch em and put em into jail because its not just me, its other people who theyve gone and done this too, said Cannistra.
A bizarre car crash occurred Monday morning in Massachusetts when a turkey flew through a driver's windshield.

Sandwich police say they were called to the scene around 8:30 a.m. by a report that a SUV driving east on Route 6A in East Sandwich hit a turkey while it was crossing the road.

"The call came in originally, came across the speakers as 'A bird hit the windshield,'" said Sandwich firefighter/paramedic Matt Thompson. "So we're like, 'OK.'"

The turkey crashed through the windshield and past the driver between the driver and passenger seats. It soared through the car, ultimately hitting the rear tailgate. It did not survive the crash.

The driver, only identified as a 43-year-old woman, received minor injuries from the shattered glass. There were no other passengers at the time.

"She said she was driving down the road when all of a sudden, the turkey broke through the windshield," said Lt. Robert Black with the Sandwich Fire Department. "It actually went through the windshield, through the vehicle and into the rear passenger compartment."

Police say solar glare may have contributed to the crash. The car had to be towed from the scene.
Since opening about a year and a half ago, Story and Soil Coffee has seen their customer base grow fast.

"People are starting to see, especially this neighborhood, as a destination," said Story and Soil Coffee employee Clara Logue.

They're one of several new businesses popping up on Capitol Avenue. For Aaron Gill and his wife, who own the building where Story and Soil Coffee reside, the progress is great to see.

"My wife and I have lived in Connecticut and Hartford for about ten years now, and for the last several years, it felt like we were the only one that knew of the secret of the gem that Hartford is and have really noticed over the last few years that the secret is starting to get out," said Gill.

It's economic development like that which Mayor Luke Bronin touted during his State of the City.

"If you look around Hartford today, youll see more neighborhood economic development than at any time in recent memory," said Bronin. "And theres much more progress we need to make. Were seeing more neighborhood investment than we have in a long time, but we have neighborhoods that have suffered from generations of disinvestment and neglect."

Bronin says the state of the city is the strongest it's been in decades.

"We made a plan, and weve stuck to that plan. And because of that, were on track to finish this year not only on budget, but able to set money aside to fund vital future capital investments and begin rebuilding our reserves," said Bronin.

But without the help from the state to cover some of the city's debt payments, the budget would not be balanced.

The mayor also discussed quality of life issues from the progress police have made cracking down on ATVs and dirt bikes on the streets to making multiple arrests for those illegally dumping in the city. The city is also hiring additional rodent inspectors to take care of the increasing rodent population.

"Like many cities, weve seen an increase in the number of rodents. Theres a lot of reasons for it, from climate to construction. But here we have to do more. This spring well be launching a public awareness and action campaign. Were hiring additional rodent inspectors now, so we can be ready when the weather gets warm," said Bronin.

Blight has also been an issue Hartford residents have complained about for several years.

"There should be not one building that's boarded up on our streets," said Hartford resident Hyacinth Yennie.

"Weve made it a priority to tackle blight, and our blight remediation team has gotten us on pace to get one hundred properties fixed up every year  and we want to do more, faster now that our land bank is set to begin work this summer. In a few weeks, we will conduct the first tax deed sale of unoccupied properties in years  helping to get those properties into new, productive hands," said Bronin.

One of the quality of life issues the city will work on is littering. Bronin says they'll kick off an anti-litter campaign this summer.

Bronin spent quite a bit of time talking about youth homelessness, youth violence, and chronic absenteeism. He says they've worked hard to address those issues and are determined to do more.

He spoke of a continued effort to combat all homelessness but to strongly focus this year on combatting youth homelessness.

Regarding youth violence, the mayor says they've put a system in place to help.

"Our Rapid Response Protocol is coordinated, immediate, and it addresses the unmet needs of the victim, their family, and the community, to reduce the likelihood of future violence," said Bronin.

The mayor says nearly half of kids in the city are or are at risk of being chronically absent from school and that they're focused on initiatives to address and reduce it.

Bronin says while there's still a lot of work left to do, that they're on the path to a stronger capital city.

"Right now we are a city with the chance to cast off the malaise and the stagnation and the doubt thats plagued Hartford for too damn long. We fought to build momentum and we've got it. We will not slow down, we will not stop, and we will not go back. Because we're just getting started," said Bronin.
People who live next to a busy facility owned by the city of Denton say heavy truck traffic and noise are affecting their quality of life. They're calling on the city to address their complaints.

Residents voiced concerns at a recent public hearing, on proposed zoning changes at the Denton Service Center of Texas Street. The city said it hoped to expand its fleet maintenance operation there, prompting the need for the hearings, and the rezoning request.

When the service center was built in 1980, it had about 100 employees. Now, there are 300, which has resulted in an increase in heavy truck traffic and noise.

"I've complained about it," said Leonard Chavez, who has lived in a house just down the street from the service center for 50 years. "You have a lot of dump trucks come through here early in the morning. Quite a bit of noise from the trucks."

Last month, Chavez and other neighbors went to the planning and zoning commission with their complaints. The city of Denton is now working to address them -- including worries about trash and rodents near the site.

"Over the years the facility has grown as far as the number of trucks, the number of employees," Denton assistant city manager Mario Canizares said. He added increased truck traffic was a product of Denton's growth. City officials are considering several potential solutions.

"We're taking their concerns under consideration," he said. "And we're looking to make some modifications to the site to help mitigate some of the complaints, noise, light, etc."

Denton leaders said possible solutions included barriers and landscaping around the service center site to reduce noise and light. Canizares said city employees would also be asked to drive those big trucks on routes that don't cut through city neighborhoods when possible.

Denton's planning and zoning commission will hold another public hearing Monday on the service center rezoning. Chavez, who said he's complained about the traffic and noise for years, said he'll keep doing it until concerns are addressed.

"Hopefully they do something soon," Chavez said. "I'm hoping they do."
Much of the world, including the entire European Union, grounded the Boeing jetliner involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash or banned it from their airspace, leaving the United States on Tuesday as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

The Federal Aviation Administration's acting head Daniel K. Elwell said in a statement Tuesday that it is still reviewing "extensively" data and safety performance reports.

"Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft. Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action," the statement said.

He echoed the agency's previous statements that if issues are found in its investigation the "FAA will take immediate and appropriate action."

The European Aviation Safety Agency took steps to keep the Boeing 737 Max 8 out of the air, joining Asian and Middle Eastern governments and carriers that also gave in to safety concerns in the aftermath of Sunday's crash, which killed all 157 people on board.

Referring to the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people last year, European regulators said that "similar causes may have contributed to both events."

British regulators indicated possible trouble with a reportedly damaged flight data recorder, saying they based their decision on the fact that they did not "sufficient information" from the recorder.

Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Norwegian Air Shuttle and South Korean airline Eastar Jet were among the latest carriers to halt use of the Boeing model. Ireland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore suspended all flights into or out of their cities.

A Turkish Airlines official said two Britain-bound planes returned to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S.-based Boeing has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. It does not intend to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Boeing's CEO Dennis Muilenburg also spoke with President Donald Trump and reiterated that the 737 Max 8 is safe, the company said. Its technical team, meanwhile, joined American, Israeli, Kenyan and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another new Boeing 737 Max 8 in October.

Some U.S. airlines expressed support for the Boeing model, and American Airlines and Southwest continued flying them. A vice president for American, the world's biggest carrier, which has 24 Max 8s, said they had "full confidence in the aircraft."

Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons too soon with the Lion Air crash in October. But others in the U.S. began pressing for action.

Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the U.S. should ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, just as his agency halted flights of another Boeing plane six years ago because of safety concerns.

LaHood was transportation secretary in 2013 when the department grounded the Boeing 787 because of overheating lithium-ion battery packs. The planes were idled for less than a month, until Boeing crafted new fire-resistant compartments around the batteries.

LaHood says current Secretary Elaine Chao should do the same thing, even if it means overruling the FAA, which has taken no action despite dozens of other countries banning the plane from their skies.

He says that Chao has the authority to suspend the 737 Max and require inspections by both FAA and Boeing personnel.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to "strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed."

Consumer Reports called on airlines and the FAA to ground the jets until a thorough safety investigation is complete.

Even President Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting that additional "complexity creates danger" in modern aircraft and hinders pilots from making "split second decisions" to ensure passengers' safety.

He did not specifically mention the crashes but said, "I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot."

The Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed six minutes after taking off for Nairobi, killing people from 35 countries.

A pilot who saw the crash site minutes after the disaster told the AP that the plane appeared to have "slid directly into the ground." Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the plane. The wreckage was discovered by Ethiopia's air force.

"There was nothing to see," he said. "It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!" He said it explained why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of debris.

Ethiopian Airlines, widely seen as Africa's best-managed airline, grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8s until further notice. The carrier had been using five of the planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

As night fell, the airline offered no new updates on the investigation. An airline spokesman said victims' remains should be identified in about five days.

Some insights into the disaster and its cause could take months, aviation experts said.

"The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Tuesday at a news conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. "These types of accidents break everyone's heart. I hope we will learn from this crash."

On Tuesday a group of officials from China, which also grounded planes, paused in their work at the scene to reflect with an offering of incense, fruit, bread rolls and a plastic container of the Ethiopian flatbread injera.

As the global team searched for answers, a woman stood near the crash site, wailing. Kebebew Legess said she was the mother of a young Ethiopian Airlines crew member among the dead.

"She would have been 25 years old but God would not allow her," she wept. "My daughter, my little one."

The British ambassador to Ethiopia, Alastair McPhail, visited the scene where at least nine of his countrymen died. "We owe it to the families to understand what happened," he said.

Meseret reported from Addis Ababa. Associated Press writers David Koenig in Houston and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
What to Know Severe storms decreased in intensity as they moved from west to east before sunrise.

Winds up to 80 mph were recorded as the line of storms moved from Tarrant into Dallas and Collin counties.

Always stay weather aware and download the NBCDFW app to get up-to-the-minute alerts.

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Live video from Texas Sky Ranger surveying storm damage will appear in the player above. From time to time the screen may go black -- this is normal and the stream will resume shortly.



A line of severe storms brought damaging winds and heavy rain to the Dallas-Fort Worth region Wednesday morning.

The storms lost their intensity as they moved west to east. NBC 5 Meteorologist Grant Johnston says the severe weather threat ended by about 7 a.m., but steady rain is expected through the morning drive.

Wednesday afternoon will be mostly sunny and breezy. Expect afternoon highs in the 70s with gusty southwest winds 25-35 mph and gusts to 45 mph. A Wind advisory will be in effect from noon until 7 p.m. today.

One area of Arlington got damaged including a large tree. Wind gusts ripped through Arlington and a fence was completely knocked over.

Reporter Courtney Gilmore was in Downtown Dallas as powerful rain moved through the area early Wednesday morning.

Storm Damage Reports

There were widespread reports of damage caused by strong winds.

@jocotx_em

Powerful winds blew the roof off a cargo facility near the north entrance to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Video taken at the scene showed twisted metal and debris mangled with several parked cars. There have been no immediate reports of injuries.

A Federal Aviation Administration building at DFW Airport was damaged along with ground-based radio transmitting equipment on the airport's east side, said Lynn Lunsford, FAA spokesman. Lunsford said operations are continuing as normal and backup systems worked as designed.

Grand Prairie police said there was significant damage to hangars and planes flipped upside down at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport. No injuries have been reported.

The Johnson County Office of Emergency Management said a woman was inside a mobile home in Cleburne when strong winds flipped the building onto its side and onto a car. She was transported to a hospital with unknown injuries.

Emergency officials said there were several other reports of houses being damaged in Godley.

Your Storm Photos - March 13, 2019

Arlington police dispatch reported overhead highway signs being torn down near the eastbound lanes of Interstate 20 at Matlock Road.

The latest video forecast from NBC DFW team of Weather Experts will appear in the player above. Keep up with the latest changes to the weather by downloading the NBC DFW smartphone App for iOS and Android!

Check back for updates.

Major damage to what we are told is an Amazon logistics facility near DFW Airport after strong storm overnight. #NBCDFWStorms @TXThunderTruck pic.twitter.com/fEvTfIP7uN  Larry Collins (@LarryNBC5) March 13, 2019

Minor damage to some homes and outbuildings in the @CityofGodley No injuries and the fire department continues to work the scene. Im in route to Hwy 4 south of Cleburne to a tiny house blown over with injury. pic.twitter.com/HPg4csRxhG  Johnson County EM (@jocotx_em) March 13, 2019

[[282620681,C]]

Power Outages

According to Oncor, more than 90,000 customers in North Texas were without electricity as of 6:20 a.m. Wednesday morning. By 9:30 a.m., the following counties had the greatest number of customers without power:

 Collin County: 5,175

 Dallas County: 45,678

 Denton County: 4,090

 Ellis County: 3,449

 Hunt County: 1,220

 Johnson County: 2,272

 Rockwall County: 4,577

 Tarrant County: 38,915

Once we get to Wednesday afternoon, the rest of the week and weekend look pretty good. It will be a little cooler than normal for that stretch, but it will also be dry.

Stay weather aware and download the NBCDFW app to get up-to-the-minute alerts and access to our S-band radar.

Get the latest forecast information from NBC 5's team of Weather Experts here.
A woman charged with stealing a car and kidnapping two young children who were inside was sentenced to more than a decade in state prison Monday.

A judge sentenced Leslie Saenz to 13 years in prison nearly a year after she jumped into a running car parked outside an Encanto beauty supply store and drove off toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

An 8-year-old girl and her toddler brother were in the car -- their father had left it running with the AC on while he ran into the store -- and were able to alert authorities of their whereabouts before Saenz crossed into Tijuana.

Saenz pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping in April 2018. Several members of her family spoke at Monday's hearing and pleaded for a lesser sentence, saying the incident was the result of her drug addiction.

"We beg that you please give her the minimum sentence," Saenz' cousin Isela Barios said. "She has never been convicted of any crime. She comes from a lovely family, however, drugs took her to a dark place, and she became a drug addict. She abandoned her family, her job and became homeless.

In a letter written to the judge, Saenz said she thought the car was empty. She said she wasn't in the right state of mind at the time, and has a history of mental problems and blackouts.

"Im relieved to know that no one is hurt, I apologize to the family for putting them in this situation," her letter read.

Prosecutors said Saenz scoped out the vehicle before jumping in and driving off.

A witness honked his horn to alert the children's father, Rodney Cole, to what just happened. Cole raced outside and saw his car being driven away.

The father gave chase on foot, but according to the prosecutor Saenz ran a red light, started driving erratically and took off on the freeway.

The 8-year-old victim told prosecutors she was banging on the car window to get peoples attention so they would call the police," and testified that Saenz threatened to crash the car into a freeway wall if she didnt stop.

Cole's daughter told prosecutors she was banging on the car window to get peoples attention so they would call the police," and testified that Saenz threatened to crash the car into a freeway wall if she didnt stop.

Soon the girl stopped seeing cars, and thats when she said she got out her phone and called 911.

While on the phone with a dispatcher, the little girl said she didn't know where she was exactly but that she was seeing freeway signs that said Mexico.

The lady threatened to drive into the freeway wall again, explained the girl.

How did that make you feel? asked the prosecutor.

Very scared. So, I gave her the phone, she said.

The dispatcher was able to ping the location of the girl's cellphone and officers gathered they were on the freeway headed south.

Saenz and the kids made it all the way to the San Ysidro Port of Entry before they were spotted by police.

Cole told NBC 7 in a previous interview that she made it to the secondary inspection area where officers could see the children in the back seat mouthing "help me."

Border Patrol agents removed Saenz and police officers and deputies took her into custody.

A protective order was issued against Saenz to keep her out of contact with the victims and their family. She will no be eligible for parole.
Michael Avenatti, who became famous as the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, said Tuesday that he no longer represents the porn actress who alleged she had an affair with President Donald Trump.

In the last year, the duo rose to become household names in their fight against Trump, dominating cable news shows for months and taunting the president in interviews. As conservative pundits hit back, Avenatti became Daniels' top protector and promoter, defending her life choices and job as a porn star, calling out hypocrisy against her and painting her as an American hero.

Avenatti said Tuesday that he told Daniels last month he was terminating their agreement and had made the decision after lengthy discussions. He would not provide details.

Daniels said in her own post that she's hired another attorney, Clark Brewster, who will "review all legal matters" that she's been involved in. Brewster did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Daniels has been a central figure in federal and congressional investigations surrounding the president and Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer pleaded guilty to criminal charges for buying her silence.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleged she had sex with a married Trump in 2006, an accusation the president has denied. She was paid $130,000 in a hush-money deal days before the 2016 presidential election to keep her from going public with her story about the alleged affair in a deal handled by Trump's then-fixer Michael Cohen.

Daniels sued to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement so she could discuss the tryst publicly and Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for arranging the payment to buy Daniels' silence. He said he had done so at Trump's direction.

Last week, a federal judge found the agreement wasn't valid as he tossed out the lawsuit. Though this effectively gave Daniels what she wanted, she had fought the dismissal of the case because she wanted to record sworn testimony from Trump and Cohen.

Before Avenatti began representing Daniels in February 2018, he was virtually unknown outside of the California legal community. But in months, he had become known as a no-holds-barred lawyer with a media style parallel to Trump's.

Avenatti had toyed with a 2020 presidential run, but ultimately ruled that out. He's also been involved in some of America's biggest cases in the last year, including representing dozens of parents whose children were separated from them at the U.S. border as a result of the Trump administration's immigration policies. More recently, he's been representing women who said they were sexually abused by R&B star R. Kelly.

But all the while, Avenatti has said he's been aggressively fighting in Daniels' case  and keeping his client out of legal trouble.

After Daniels was arrested at an Ohio strip club and accused of illegally rubbing undercover police officers' faces against her bare breasts during a performance, Avenatti met with prosecutors and they agreed to drop the charges hours later. They said an Ohio law prohibiting contact between strippers and customers applies only to someone who "regularly" performs at a club. In Daniels' case, it was her first appearance at the club.

But their relationship had rocky spots as well.

In November, Daniels told the Daily Beast that Avenatti had filed a defamation case against Trump "against my wishes" and alleged that he refused to give her an accounting of the funds collected by her supporters, would not tell her how the money was spent or how much was left in the crowdsourced legal defense fund.

Days later, she tweeted that they had worked it all out and that the "accounting is on the up and up."

Avenatti was arrested in November on a felony domestic violence charge in Los Angeles when a woman he was dating said he dragged her across the floor of his apartment after an argument over money. Los Angeles county prosecutors declined to file charges and kicked the case to the city attorney's office, which also declined to bring charges but said a hearing would be held in the matter.
 Flash

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State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the press last Friday to discuss a range of China's foreign policy positions, from the Belt and Road Initiative to relations with the U.S., Russia and Japan.
President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion budget on Monday, pushing the federal deficit past $1 trillion but counting on optimistic growth, accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into balance in 15 years.

Reviving his border wall fight with Congress, Trump wants more than $8 billion for the barrier with Mexico, and he's also asking for a big boost in military spending. That's alongside steep cuts in health care and economic support programs for the poor that Democrats  and even some Republicans  will oppose.

Trump called his plan a bold next step for a nation experiencing "an economic miracle." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called his cuts "cruel and shortsighted ... a roadmap to a sicker, weaker America."

Presidential budgets tend to be seen as aspirational blueprints, rarely becoming enacted policy, and Trump's proposal for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, sets up a showdown with Congress over priorities, especially as he reignites his push for money to build the U.S-Mexico border wall.

The deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, the highest in a decade. The administration is counting on robust growth, including from the Republican tax cuts  which Trump wants to make permanent  to push down the red ink. Some economists, though, say the bump from the tax cuts is waning, and they project slower economic expansion in coming years. The national debt is $22 trillion.

Even with his own projections, Trump's budget would not come into balance for a decade and a half, rather than the traditional hope of balancing in 10.

Titled "A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First," Trump's proposal "embodies fiscal responsibility," said Russ Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Despite the large projected deficits, Vought said the administration has "prioritized reining in reckless Washington spending" and shows "we can return to fiscal sanity."

The budget calls the approach "MAGAnomics," after the president's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

Some fiscal watchdogs, though, panned the effort as more piling on of debt by Trump with no course correction in sight.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said Trump "relies on far too many accounting gimmicks and fantasy assumptions and puts forward far too few actual solutions." She warned the debt load will lead to slower income growth and stalled opportunities for Americans.

Perhaps most notably among spending proposals, Trump is returning to his border wall fight. Fresh off the longest government shutdown in history, his 2020 plan shows he is eager to confront Congress again over the wall.

The budget proposes increasing defense spending to $750 billion  and building the new Space Force as a military branch  while reducing nondefense accounts by 5 percent, with cuts recommended to economic safety-net programs used by many Americans. The $2.7 trillion in proposed reductions over the decade is higher than any administration in history, they say.

On Capitol Hill, the budget landed without much fanfare from Trump's GOP allies, while Democrats found plenty not to like.

"Dangerous," not serious, a "sham," they said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called it an "Alice in Wonderland document."

The plan sticks to budget caps that both parties have routinely broken in recent years. To stay within the caps, it shifts a portion of the military spending, some $165 billion, to an overseas contingency fund, which some fiscal hawks will view as an accounting gimmick.

The budget slashes $2 trillion from health care spending, while trying to collect $100 million in new fees from the electronic cigarette industry to help combat a surge in underage vaping. It provides money to fight opioid addiction and $291 million to "defeat the HIV/AIDS epidemic."

It cuts the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 16 percent and Education by 10 percent, but includes $1 billion for a child care fund championed by the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser.

Trump is returning to old battles while refraining from unveiling many new initiatives. He re-opens plans for repealing "Obamacare," imposing work requirements for those receiving government aid and slashing the Environmental Protection Agency by about a third  all ideas Congress has rejected in the past.

The budget proposes $200 billion toward infrastructure, much lower than the $1 trillion plan Trump once envisioned, but does not lay out a sweeping new plan.

By refusing to raise the budget caps, Trump is signaling a fight ahead. The president has resisted big, bipartisan budget deals that break the caps  threatening to veto one last year  but Congress will need to find agreement on spending levels to avoid another federal shutdown in the fall.

Conservatives railed for years against deficits that rose during the first years of Barack Obama's administration as tax revenue plummeted and spending increased during the Great Recession. But even with Republican control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, deficits were on a steady march upward.

The Democratic chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, said Trump added nearly $2 trillion to deficits with the GOP's "tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, and now it appears his budget asks the American people to pay the price."

The border wall remains a signature issue for the president, even though Congress refuses to give him more money for it.

To circumvent Congress, Trump declared a national emergency at the border last month as a way to access funding. Lawmakers are uneasy with that and set to vote in the Senate to terminate his national emergency declaration. Congress appears to have enough votes to reject Trump's declaration but not enough to overturn a veto. The standoff over the wall led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

There's also money to hire more than 2,800 additional law enforcement officers, including Border Patrol agents, at a time when many Democrats are calling for cuts  or even the elimination  of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The wall with Mexico played a big part in Trump's campaign for the White House, and it's expected to again be featured in his 2020 re-election effort. He used to say Mexico would pay for it, but Mexico has refused to do so.
A Florida man showed up to a junior high school with a loaded AK-47 pistol after his son video-called him to say he was "slammed" by a teacher, according to police.

Christopher Freeman, 27, showed up to school visibly upset on Monday because of the alleged incident. He was arrested at Bear Lakes Middle School and charged with possession of a firearm on school property, aggravated assault and disruption of a school function, WPTV reports.

The school's assistant principal told police Freeman told him in an ambiguous threat during a call that "you're all dead" in relation to the incident with his son.

A school resource officer said he located Freeman in front of the school's main office with a gun sticking out of the front of his pants.

"I want to see the guy who slammed my son. I've got something for him," Freeman said, according to an arrest report.

Officers put the school on lockdown and searched Freeman  finding a loaded AK-47 Mini Draco pistol, according to police.

According to the arrest report, Freeman said he received a FaceTime call from his son at 3 p.m. He told police his son was crying, saying a teacher had slammed him.

Freeman, whose bond was set at $75,000, told police he was upset and came to the school, but didn't realize he was carrying the weapon because he carries it all the time for protection. Freeman told police he didn't intend to harm anyone.
What to Know Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited sums so long as they do not coordinate directly with the candidates they support.

The Federal Election Commission has fined a super PAC that supported Jeb Bush's failed 2016 Republican presidential bid for accepting $1.3 million in illegal donations from Chinese nationals, a violation of longstanding campaign finance law that forbids campaigns from accepting foreign money.

Right to Rise, which raised more than $121 million to support the former Florida governor's campaign, was fined $390,000 for soliciting the foreign contributions. American Pacific International Capital, a California business controlled by a majority Chinese-owned company, was fined $550,000 for giving the donation, records show.

The federal agency hasn't publicly announced the decision, but the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, which filed an FEC complaint that led to the fine, released agency documents on Monday that detailed the specifics.

"Today's action is a rare and remarkable step by the FEC, and a reminder that safeguarding our elections against foreign interference is in America's vital national security interests," said Trevor Potter, president of CLC, and a former Republican chairman of the FEC. "The fact that the FEC, which so often deadlocks and therefore fails to act in violations, could agree on this one highlights the very real danger this sort of activity poses to our democracy."

A Right to Rise spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited sums so long as they do not coordinate directly with the candidates they support. Still, Right to Rise was operated by longtime Bush loyalists and handled much of the advertising spending that supported Jeb Bush, who is the brother of former President George W. Bush and the son of former President George H.W. Bush.

The FEC found that another one of Bush's brother, Neil Bush, played a major role in collecting the foreign money. Neil Bush sat on the board of American Pacific International Capital and solicited donations for Right to Rise from owners Gordon Tang and Huaidan Chen, both of whom he knew were Chinese, records show.

He raised the possibility of the donation during a business trip to Singapore, which Tang said he was interested in doing so long as it was legal.

Right to Rise provided a legal memo indicating such a donation could, in fact, be above board.

The donation, which was routed through the American subsidiary, was handled by the company's executive director, who is an American citizen.

The FEC's report indicates that the company did not knowingly break the law.

Attorneys for Right to Rise told the FEC that the group "made good faith efforts" to prevent the "solicitation and receipt of foreign national contributions."
Describing China's internment of an estimated 1 million Muslims as a "horrific situation," a U.S. envoy on religion called Tuesday for an independent investigation into the detentions and for the release of those being held.

Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said China has done nothing to assuage concerns from the U.S. and others over the detention of Uighurs, Kazakhs and members of other Muslim minority groups.

"We've been putting out very clearly that this is a horrific situation that's taking place in Xinjiang," Brownback said in a telephone news conference with reporters, referring to the northwestern region that is home to most Chinese Muslims.

"It is just a very tragic and I think a horrific situation there," he said.

At the end of a three-day visit to Taiwan, Brownback met with Lee Ching-yu, the wife of Taiwanese pro-democracy activist Lee Ming-che, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in China on charges of subverting state power.

Lee Ming-che's physical condition has reportedly deteriorated markedly since his 2017 detention and Brownback said the meeting aimed to "try to highlight that and to call on the government of China to release him."

China last week angrily protested Brownback's earlier remarks made in Hong Kong that criticized Beijing's polices toward religious minorities and accused the country of being "at war with faith."

China's officially atheist Communist government at first denied the existence of the internment camps in Xinjiang, but now says they are vocational training facilities aimed at countering Muslim radicalism and separatist tendencies.

China says Xinjiang has long been its territory and claims it is bringing prosperity and development to the vast, resource-rich region. Many among Xinjiang's native ethnic groups say they are being denied economic options in favor of migrants from elsewhere in China and that their Muslim faith and unique culture and language are being gradually eradicated.

The camps sprang up over the past two years at extraordinary speed and on a massive scale, as monitored by satellite imagery. China maintains a massive security presence in Xinjiang and efforts to independently verify claims by Uighur activists are routinely blocked.

Brownback appeared undeterred by Beijing's complaints over his earlier comments, describing China's explanation of the reasons behind the camps as "completely unsatisfactory answers."

China is already listed by the U.S. among the worst violators of religious freedom, and Brownback held open the possibility of sanctions and other punitive measures "if corrective actions aren't taken."

While making no commitments, Brownback held open the possibility of action toward individuals involved in the internments under The Global Magnitsky Act of 2016.

The act makes it possible to impose entry bans and targeted sanctions on individuals for committing human rights violations or acts of significant corruption.

Brownback also contrasted Beijing's attacks on religion with the tolerant approach of liberal governments such as that of Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory. He said Washington would continue to push for dialogue among all faiths to promote religious freedom worldwide.

"The administration is serious about religious freedom matters and deeply concerned about what's taking place in China," Brownback said.
President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion federal budget for 2020 on Monday, relying on optimistic 3.1 percent economic growth projections alongside accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into promised balance in 15 years.

The deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, the highest in a decade. The administration is counting on robust growth, including from the Republican tax cuts  which Trump wants to make permanent  to push down the red ink. Some economists, though, say the bump from the tax cuts is waning, and they project slower growth in coming years. The national debt is $22 trillion.

Even with his own projections, Trump's budget would not come into balance for a decade and a half, rather than the traditional hope of balancing in 10.

Still, Trump contended the nation is experiencing "an economic miracle." He said in a letter to Congress accompanying the plan that the country's next step must be "turbocharging the industries of the future and establishing a new standard of living for the 21st century."

Presidential budgets tend to be seen as aspirational blueprints, rarely becoming enacted policy, and Trump's proposal for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, sets up a showdown with Congress over priorities, including his push for $8.6 billion to build the U.S-Mexico border wall.

Titled "A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First," Trump's proposal "embodies fiscal responsibility," said Russ Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Despite the large projected deficits, Vought said the administration has "prioritized reining in reckless Washington spending" and shows "we can return to fiscal sanity."

The budget calls the approach "MAGAnomics," after the president's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

Some fiscal watchdogs, though, panned the effort as more piling on of debt by Trump with no course correction in sight.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said Trump "relies on far too many accounting gimmicks and fantasy assumptions and puts forward far too few actual solutions." She warned the debt load will lead to slower income growth and stalled opportunities for Americans.

Perhaps most notably among spending proposals, Trump is reviving his border wall fight. Fresh off the longest government shutdown in history, his 2020 plan shows he is eager to confront Congress again over the wall.

Trump's budget proposes increasing defense spending to $750 billion  and building the new Space Force as a military branch  while reducing nondefense accounts by 5 percent, with cuts recommended to economic safety-net programs used by many Americans. The $2.7 trillion in proposed spending cuts over the decade is higher than any administration in history, they say.

The budget imposes work requirements for those receiving food stamps and other government aid as part of the cutbacks. The Department of Housing and Urban Development faces a 16 percent cut and for Education, a 12 percent reduction.

Trump's budget would re-open two health care battles he lost in his first year in office: repealing "Obamacare" and limiting future federal spending on Medicaid for low-income people. Under the budget, both programs would be turned over to the states starting in 2021.

The plan sticks to budget caps that both parties have routinely broken in recent years. To stay within the caps, the budget shifts a portion of the defense spending, some $165 billion, to an overseas contingency fund, which some fiscal hawks will view as an accounting gimmick.

Conservatives railed for years against deficits that rose during the first years of Barack Obama's administration as tax revenue plummeted and spending increased during the Great Recession. But even with Republican control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, deficits were on a steady march upward.

The top Democrat on the Appropriation Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said the budget is "not a serious proposal."

By refusing to raise the budget caps, Trump is signaling a fight ahead. The president has resisted big, bipartisan budget deals that break the caps  threatening to veto one last year  but Congress will need to find agreement on spending levels to avoid another federal shutdown in the fall.

The Democratic chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, called the proposed cuts to essential services "dangerous." He said Trump added nearly $2 trillion to deficits with the GOP's "tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, and now it appears his budget asks the American people to pay the price," the Democrat said.

While pushing down spending in some areas, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the proposal will seek to increase funding in others to align with the president's priorities, according to one official.

The administration would boost Veterans Affairs funding by $6.5 billion, or 7.5 percent, and says reducing veteran suicides would be a top priority.

The budget provides $291 million to "defeat the HIV/AIDS epidemic" with hopes of eliminating 90 percent of new infections within 10 years. It would also increase resources to fight the opioid epidemic with money for prevention, treatment, research and recovery, the administration said.

It provides $500 million in new spending over the decade on child cancer research.

The proposal will also include $1 billion for a child care fund that would seek to improve access to care for underserved populations, a White House official confirmed. The one-time allocation is championed by the president's daughter Ivanka Trump, who has focused on economic advancement for women in her role as a White House adviser.

It also provides $200 billion toward infrastructure, much lower than the $1 trillion plan Trump once envisioned. The plan says that money would be leveraged with private dollars, but Congress has largely panned that approach.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Trump's budget "points a steady glide path" toward lower spending and borrowing as a share of the nation's economy. He also told "Fox News Sunday" there was no reason to "obsess" about deficits, and expressed confidence that economic growth would top 3 percent in 2019 and beyond. Others have predicted lower growth.

The border wall remains a signature issue for the president and is poised to stay at the forefront of his agenda, even though Congress has resisted giving him more money for it.

Leading Democrats immediately rejected the proposal.

"Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. They said the money "would be better spent on rebuilding America."

In seeking $8.6 billion for more than 300 miles of new border wall, the budget request would more than double the $8.1 billion already potentially available to the president for the wall after he declared a national emergency at the border last month in order to circumvent Congress  although there's no guarantee he'll be able to use that money if he faces a legal challenge, as is expected.

Along with border wall money, the proposed budget will also increase funding to increase the "manpower" of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Customs and Border Patrol at a time when many Democrats are calling for cuts  or even the elimination  of those areas. The budget also proposes policy changes to end sanctuary cities, the administration said.

The budget arrives as the Senate readies to vote this week to terminate Trump's national emergency declaration. The Democratic-led House already did so, and a handful of Republican senators, uneasy over what they see as an overreach of executive power, are expected to join Senate Democrats in following suit. Congress appears to have enough votes to reject Trump's declaration but not enough to overturn a veto. The standoff over the wall led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

The wall with Mexico played a big part in Trump's campaign for the White House, and it's expected to again be featured in his 2020 re-election effort. He used to say Mexico would pay for it, but Mexico has refused to do so.
What to Know Two people were trapped and injured after the car they were in crashed into a light pole on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, police say

The crash happened early Monday near Tilden Avenue in East Flatbush; the stretch of road around the crash was closed to drivers

Authorities say it appears the 26-year-old driver was speeding and lost control of the vehicle, then smashed into the light pole

One person died and another was critically injured when their car smashed into a light pole in Brooklyn so forcefully it was barely recognizable as a vehicle, officials say.



The victims  a 26-year-old man and his 30-year-old passenger  were trapped in the fiery, mangled wreck after the one-car crash at Kings Highway and Tilden Avenue in East Flatbush shortly after 3:30 a.m., according to the NYPD.

First responders got them out; both were taken to hospitals in critical condition. The 30-year-old passenger was later pronounced dead, the NYPD said. His name wasn't immediately released.

Video from the scene posted to the social media app "Citizen" shows dozens of police officers surrounding the car. A neighbor's security camera video shows the car go up into flames upon impact.



Police say the driver appears to have been speeding and lost control of the vehicle. The speed limit on Kings Highway is 25 mph.

The aftermath of the wreck was captured on a nearby home's security camera and shows intense flames following the crash.

Once a good Samaritan somehow doused the flames, both car occupants were rushed to Kings County Hospital. Their identities have not been released.

Kings Highway was closed for hours in both directions between Snyder Avenue and Tilden Avenue, but has since reopened.
What to Know Ex-NJ priest and teacher who was credibly accused of sexual abuse was found shot to death in his Nevada home Saturday, authorities said

Clark County Coroners Office confirmed John M. Capparelli, 70, was found dead when Henderson Police Department conducted a welfare check

He is among the clergy listed by Archdiocese of Newark who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark."

A former New Jersey priest and teacher who was credibly accused of sexual abuse was found shot to death in his Nevada home over the weekend, authorities said.

The Clark County Coroners Office confirmed that John M. Capparelli, 70, was found dead Saturday when the Henderson Police Department conducted a welfare check in a residence around 9:30 a.m.

A preliminary investigation indicates the victim died in suspicious circumstances, and the incident is being investigated as a homicide, police say. They added that a suspect has not been identified at this time and police are following up on developed leads.

Capparelli is among the clergy listed by the Archdiocese of Newark who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark. Last month, the five dioceses in New Jersey released names of priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors in incidents that dated back to 1940.

The Archdiocese of Newarks list reports Capparelli as having had multiple victims. He was ordained in 1980 and was assigned to churches around New Jersey, including: Our Lady of Fatima, North Bergen; Oratory Prep, Summit; Holy Trinity, Westfield; and St. Theresa, Kenilworth. He was also a temporary chaplain at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, according to the archdiocese.

Capparelli was permanently removed from ministry and laicized, according to the archdiocese.

According to NJ.com, Capparelli was accused of groping teenage boys in the 1970s and 1980s when he was active in ministry as a Roman Catholic priest.

After he stopped working as a priest, Capparelli began working as a math teacher in Newark public schools in 1993 until allegations surfaced against him in 2011, NJ.com reported. The state ultimately revoked his teaching certificates.

In a statement Tuesday, the Archdiocese of Newark said: The Archdiocese of Newark has no information concerning Mr. Capparellis death or any investigation related to his death.
What to Know Jury selection is expected to start Tuesday at the retrial of a man accused of killing a runner near her family's New York City home

Chanel Lewis was accused of killing 30-year-old Karina Vetrano as she ran on a park trail in Howard Beach, Queens, in August 2016

A judge declared a mistrial last November when jurors couldnt agree on a verdict

Jury selection is expected to start Tuesday at the retrial of a man accused of killing a runner near her family's New York City home.

Chanel Lewis was accused of killing 30-year-old Karina Vetrano as she ran on a park trail in Howard Beach, Queens, in August 2016.

Prosecutors say Vetrano was sexually abused and strangled. Her father found her body.

Lewis, 22, was charged with sexually assaulting and strangling 30-year-old Vetrano in a park in Howard Beach in 2016.

A judge declared a mistrial last November when jurors couldnt agree on a verdict.

The Legal Aid Society stresses that Lewis "is presumed innocent."

It says jurors must scrutinize the accuracy and reliability of statements police say they obtained from the defendant, and the reliability of DNA evidence.

Legal Aid also notes that prosecutors have a "burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

The 2016 murder garnered attention. Vetrano was brutally strangled and sexually assaulted when jogging alone in Spring Creek Park, just blocks away from home.

Seven months later, the Brooklyn man was arrested and charged after being linked through DNA evidence found under Vetranos nails. The prosecutions case built on the alleged DNA and Lewis confession. However, the defense attorney said the mistrial went on to show that there were issues with the DNA, including quantity and quality.
What to Know New Jersey native Matt Vecere was on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 when it crashed, his employer IQAir says.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the loss of our friend and colleague Matt Vecere, IQAir says.

All 157 people on board the plane died after it crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa Sunday.

A South Jersey native with a passion for surfing, helping Haiti and improving the environment was among the 157 people who died in an Ethiopian Airlines crash in Africa over the weekend.

Matt Vecere was a passenger on Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, when it crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, his employer, IQAir, said Tuesday.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the loss of our friend and colleague Matt Vecere, IQAir, an air quality company, said on its website.

IQAir

Matt Vecere grew up in South Jersey working for his parents at various ranches and restaurants, says a 2014 post on MattVecere.com. He lived in Cape May Courthouse but Vecere spent his summers teaching surf lessons for Heritage Surf and Sport Shop in Sea Isle City, surf shop owner Brian Heritage said.

"At a very young age Matt always went out of his way to make sure if you were gonna learn something he was gonna take the time to teach you fully the right way," Heritage said.

On his site, Vecere says he studied ocean engineering in Florida after graduating high school. He would later return to New Jersey to study at Stockton University, according to his bio.

While living back in South Jersey, Vecere picked up writing, his bio says. Vecere moved to California in 2005 where he worked in the surf industry, his bio says.

His "heartbroken" family released a statement saying that he would "be missed by many."

"An avid surfer since his youthful days on New Jersey beaches, Matt has lived in California for more than a dozen years," the family said. "Matt was excited about taking the trip to Africa to attend the UN Environment Assembly for the first time."

A team of U.S. aviation experts arrived on site where an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner crashed on its way to Kenya, killing 157 people. The plane was a Boeing 737 Max-8. Now officials are investigating whether that jet suffered the same fate as another 737 Max-8 that crashed last year.

The UN opened its environment assembly on Monday with a moment of silence for the crash victims, which included 22 UN staff members, the assembly said.

Vecere was among those on the plane looking to learn more about environmental causes. He had a deep connection to environmental causes.

"Matt was passionate about the environment, civil rights, social and environmental justice, and advocating for those less fortunate," his family said. "His passion turned to direct action, rolling up his sleeves to serve causes where he could make a tangible difference. He volunteered countless hours with charitable organizations, at community events, and with numerous relief efforts after natural disasters."

Vecere worked as a writer for IQAir. They remembered him as dedicated and kind.

Matt was an amazing writer, an avid surfer, and a truly selfless person," IQAir said. We will miss his laugh, his wit, his sense of humor, but most of all, the kinship and friendship that he brought to everything he did.

Both IQAir and the Vecere family spoke of his dedication to helping the victims of a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

"Matt had strong connections to Haiti," his family said. "He served with various organizations and made several trips to the island, beginning after the devastating earthquake of 2010, after hurricanes, and again as recently as two weeks ago."

The news of Veceres death came as the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane that he died in comes under increased scrutiny. The same type of Max 8 plane crashed into the Java Sea off Indonesia in October. One-hundred-eighty-nine people died in that Lion Air crash.

Airlines in Ethiopia, Mexico, China, Brazil, Argentina and Indonesia have temporarily grounded their Max 8s. No American airlines have grounded Max 8s at this point.

The Flyers had a one-goal lead with just 14 seconds remaining, but the Bruins rallied for a 3-2 OT win and a critical two points in the standings.
The U.S. said late Monday that it is pulling its last remaining diplomats from Venezuela, saying their continued presence at the country's embassy in Caracas had become a "constraint" on U.S. policy as the Trump administration aggressively looks to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The announcement came from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a tweet shortly before midnight comes as Venezuela struggles to restore electricity following four days of blackouts around the country.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State updated its Travel Advisory on Venezuela  at "Level 4: Do Not Travel" since late January  by stating "U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Venezuela should depart."

The U.S. has led an international effort to replace Maduro with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold a new presidential election. Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba.

Maduro ordered all U.S. diplomats to leave Venezuela in late January because of its support for Guaido, but he later retreated and allowed them to stay. The U.S. still withdrew the bulk of embassy personnel, leaving a skeletal staff led by career foreign service officer James Story.

Pompeo said the remaining diplomats would be out of Venezuela by the end of the week but gave no indication of future policy steps despite past warnings that "all options"  including the use of military force  are on the table for removing Maduro.

The move came after another day of chaos as power outages that began Thursday evening continued to cause problems for Venezuelans, leaving them with little power, water and communications.

People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas, and scattered protests erupted in several cities

A 3-year-old girl with a brain tumor languished in a Caracas hospital, awaiting treatment after doctors started surgery but then suspended the operation when nationwide power outages first hit on Thursday, said the girl's fearful mother, who only gave her first name, Yalimar.

"The doctors told me that there are no miracles," said Yalimar, who hopes her daughter can be transferred Tuesday to one of the few hospitals in Venezuela that would be able to finish the complex procedure.

The girl's story highlighted an unfolding horror in Venezuela, where years of hardship got abruptly worse after the power grid collapsed. On Monday, schools and businesses were closed, long lines of cars waited at the few gasoline stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power. Generators have alleviated conditions for some of the critically ill.

President Nicolas Maduro said on national television Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power in Venezuela. He also said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.

Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled congress, and the United States say Maduro's claims that the U.S. sabotaged the power grid with a "cyberattack" are an attempt to divert attention from the government's own failings.

There have been acts of kindness during Venezuela's crisis: People whose food would rot in refrigerators without power donated it to a restaurant, which cooked it for distribution to charities and hospitals.

The blackouts also have hit the oil industry. The country hasn't shipped $358 million in oil since the power failures started, and "the whole system is grinding to a halt," said Russ Dallen, a Miami-based partner at the brokerage firm Caracas Capital Markets.

Two large tankers are sitting empty at the Jose offshore oil-loading dock, and at least 19 other ships are waiting their turns there, Dallen said.

Engineers have restored power in some parts of Venezuela, but it often goes out again. There have been a few protests in Caracas and reports of similar anti-government anger elsewhere. Guaido tweeted about reports of looting in some cities, but details were difficult to confirm.

Security forces in the city of Maracaibo dispersed "criminals" trying to take advantage of the power cuts, Mayor Willy Casanova told local media. However, numerous videos posted on social media that purported to be from Maracaibo showed crowds roaming the streets and people running from looted, damaged buildings with no police in sight.

In Caracas, some people reported more sightings of "colectivos," a term for armed groups allegedly operating on behalf of the state to intimidate opponents.

The mood in Caracas was desperate.

Marian Morales, a nurse working for a Catholic youth group, and several colleagues handed out diapers and food from a car parked near a hospital. Police and men in civilian clothing ordered them to leave, saying they didn't have permission.

Morales said the needy are cautious about approaching to collect the handouts because of the presence of security forces.

Early Monday, an explosion rocked a power station in the Baruta area of Caracas. Residents gathered to look at the charred, smoldering equipment.

Guaido said three of four electricity transformers servicing the area were knocked out. He has blamed the blackouts on government corruption and mismanagement.

Winston Cabas, the head of Venezuela's electrical engineers union, which opposes the government, disputed government allegations that the country's main hydroelectric dam was sabotaged last week. He blamed a lack of maintenance as well as the departure of skilled workers from the troubled country over the years.

"The system is vulnerable, fragile and unstable," he said.

Spain's airline pilots union asked for Spanish airline Air Europa to stop flying to Venezuela after one of its crews was attacked at gunpoint in Caracas. The Sepla union said two pilots and eight more crew members of a flight from Madrid were assaulted on Saturday while going from the airport to their hotel in the Venezuelan capital. None of the crew members was injured.

Air Europa responded by ordering the crews of flights to Venezuela to not spend the night in the country, according to the union.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies, alleging it tried to circumvent U.S. sanctions on the South American country. The U.S. said it is targeting Evrofinance Mosnarbank for supporting Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company previously targeted by sanctions in January.

Evrofinance said it was carrying out its activities normally despite the announcement and pledged to "meet its obligations to the clients and partners in full."

The U.S. and the other governments that recognize Guaido as Venezuela's interim president say Maduro wasn't legitimately re-elected last year because opposition candidates weren't permitted to run. Maduro says he is the target of a U.S. coup plot.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Torchia contributed to this report.
Police arrested a man accused of raping a teen girl in Delaware last month.

Xavier Aiken, 23, of Milton, Delaware, allegedly sexually assaulted, strangled and physically assaulted a 17-year-old girl at a home in Selbyville, Delaware, back on Feb. 22.

The incident led to an investigation and police identified Aiken as the suspect.

On Monday around 2 p.m., Aiken was found at a home on Reynolds Pond Road in Ellendale, Delaware. He was arrested and charged with first and second degree rape, kidnapping, assault and strangulation.

Aiken was arraigned and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $208,000 secured bond.




With just 17 days to go, Britain's departure from the European Union was thrown into chaos and doubt Tuesday as Parliament delivered a crushing double blow to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal and to her authority as leader.

Lawmakers rejected the deal 391-242, ignoring May's entreaties to back the agreement and end the political chaos and economic uncertainty that Brexit has unleashed. It was a narrower outcome than the historic 230-vote margin of defeat for the agreement in January, before May secured changes from the bloc  but not by much.

Top EU officials warned that the defeat had increased the chances of a chaotic "no-deal" British exit, which could mean major disruption for businesses and people in the U.K. and many of the 27 remaining EU countries.

The stinging 149-vote defeat stripped away May's control over the course of Brexit and handed it to Parliament, which is divided about what to do next.

A drawn and hoarse May admitted defeat  again  and confirmed that Parliament will vote Wednesday on whether to leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement. If that is defeated  the likely outcome  lawmakers will vote Thursday on whether to delay Brexit, something that needs to be approved by the EU nations too.

May warned lawmakers that "voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face."

"The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension. This House will have to answer that question. Does it wish to revoke (Brexit-triggering) Article 50? Does it want to hold a second referendum? Or does it want to leave with a deal but not this deal?

"These are unenviable choices," she said.

The EU, which had warned there would be no more changes or negotiations if Parliament threw out the deal, expressed exasperation at yet another Brexit crisis.

In a statement, the European Commission said the member states "have done all that is possible to reach an agreement."

"If there is a solution to the current impasse, it can only be found in London," it said, adding that "today's vote has significantly increased the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit."

European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted: "Brexit was about taking back control. Instead the UK spiralled out of control."

The defeat came after May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced changes Monday designed to overcome lawmakers' concerns about provisions designed to ensure the border between EU member Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland remains open after Brexit.

The mechanism, known as the backstop, is a safeguard that would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU until a permanent new trading relationship is in place. Brexit supporters in Britain fear the backstop could be used to bind the country to EU regulations indefinitely.

May said documents to be added to the deal provided "legally binding" assurances that the backstop would be temporary and that Britain would have a way to get out of it if the EU failed to negotiate in good faith. However, the text of the 585-page withdrawal agreement remained unchanged.

May's hopes the concessions would be decisive were dashed when Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said the changes "reduce the risk" Britain could be trapped inside EU regulations  but do not eliminate it.

In a written legal opinion , Cox said the U.K. could still not extract itself from the terms of the divorce deal unilaterally, a key demand of pro-Brexit British politicians. Afterward, hard-core Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party and the prime minister's allies in Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party both said they could not support the deal.

The DUP, which props up May's minority government, said "sufficient progress has not been achieved" on the key issue of the Irish border.

The European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservatives, which has dozens of lawmakers as members, said the amendments "do not deliver 'legally binding changes'" to the withdrawal agreement, as the government promised.

Other EU nations had urged British politicians to seize the chance to back the deal and ensure an orderly departure.

Delaying Brexit, the path Britain looks set to take, would need the approval from all 27 remaining EU countries. The EU Commission said it would "expect a credible justification" for the postponement.

Some British lawmakers had warned their Brexit-backing colleagues that rejecting the deal could lead to Britain's departure being postponed indefinitely, because a delay would give momentum to opponents of withdrawal.

"Today is our Hotel California moment. If we don't check out tonight, we may never leave," tweeted Conservative legislator Bob Seely.

The government's defeat will embolden politicians calling for a second referendum on whether to leave the EU or remain, though there is no clear majority in Parliament for that course.

It has also increased the chances that May's fragile government could fall, sparking a snap election.

"The prime minister has run down the clock and the clock has been run out on her," said Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. "It's time that we have a general election and the people can choose who their government should be."

More than two and a half years after the country voted to leave the EU  and with no certainty about when or how it will  many Britons are simply fed up.

In the staunchly pro-Brexit port of Dover in southern England, retiree Mary Simpson said she felt her voice as a "leave" voter had not been heard.

"I am actually considering never voting again, quite honestly, because I am beginning to feel that there is no point in it," she said.
Perhaps Lori Loughlin should have asked her daughter if she even wanted to go to college.

Olivia Jade Giannulli, the 19-year-old daughter of the Full House star who is facing arrest as part of a college admissions scheme, came under fire just last year for dismissive comments she made showing indifference toward attending the University of Southern California, where she is a freshman.

The comments, which Giannulli later apologized for, resurfaced as Loughlin faces charges for participating in a college admissions cheating scam.

In a YouTube video answering fan questions, the teen who has her own popular YouTube channel pondered how she would juggle academic life while flying to Fiji, New York, and other locations for work.

I dont know how much of school Im gonna attend but Im gonna go in and talk to my deans and everyone, and hope that I can try and balance it all, Giannulli said near the five-minute mark. But I do want the experience of like game days, partyingI dont really care about school, as you guys all know.

Users immediately took to the comment section to vent their frustration with the current University of Southern California students statements.

This video shows how shallow this girl is, one commenter wrote. There are legit kids having to work and sacrifice their entire childhood without an education, and here she is stealing spots in college from people who actually who want an education and benefit their future...so disappointed.

Other users called her spoiled and undeserving. Many described their own struggles to get into and succeed in college,

Wow, so many people cant even afford college, and youre going to a UC and paying 50K a year for "parties" and "game days, another user wrote, referring to the University of California campuses. Something like that may sound completely normal to you, but for most people, they can't even imagine it.

After two days, Giannulli posted an apology video, where she calls comments the comments super ignorant and stupid.

It totally came across that Im not grateful for college  Im going to a really nice school. And it just kind of made it seem like I dont care, I just want to brush it off, Im just gonna be successful at YouTube and not have to worry about school, Giannulli said in the black-and-white video. Im just really disappointed in myself.

On Tuesday, commenters have returned to point out the irony in the video in light of the charges against Loughlin, who is among 50 people charged in a $25 million college entrance exam cheating scheme.

Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly agreed to pay $500,000 in bribes to increase their two daughters chances of being accepted into the University of Southern California. The family allegedly faked photos of one of her daughters to falsely claim that she was on the L.A. Marine clubs rowing team, according to the NBC News report.

A spokesperson for Loughlin refused to comment on the charges when contacted by NBC News.

Loughlin has already been made the subject of memes on social media, with many based on Loughlins role as Aunt Becky in the ABC sitcom Full House.

If you squint, you can see Alcatraz. pic.twitter.com/InxC8mKmCo  Archbishop Deshaies (@HouCounterplot) March 12, 2019

Another familiar celebrity face, Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, paid $15,000 to get one of their daughters unlimited time for her SAT test, NBC News reported.

Both Loughlin and Huffman were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud.
A man accused of killing his stepmother in Mexico last month made an appearance in a Chula Vista courtroom Monday for unrelated charges.

Aaron Juarez, 20, is suspected by authorities in Tijuana of shooting his stepmother and burying her body in the backyard of her home.

On Monday, he pleaded not guilty to charges of violation probation and heroin possession in San Diego County.

"He brought a small amount of heroin into a jail setting," said San Diego Deputy District Attorney Robert Eacret.

Juarez is currently being held in jail on no bail.

"He is a known gang member in San Diego County," added Eacret.

Juarez is facing murder charges in Tijuana but not in the United States for the death of Fernanda Gonzalez, 32.

Gonzalez grew up in Tijuana and San Diego. She was found buried in her backyard in February 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

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.

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.

Aaron Juarez is suspected in the killing of his stepmother, Fernanda Gonzalez. Gonzalez was found buried in the backyard of her own home in Tijuana, Mexico.

"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.

According to the San Diego Police Department, gunshot wound victims are generally reported by the hospital to law enforcement and a report is taken by police. However, SDPD told NBC 7 by phone Monday no police report was taken.

Officers clarified that if the gunshot wound happened in Mexico, a report might not be taken by law enforcement in the United States because no investigation would take place.

NBC 7 also reached out to the California Highway Patrol Monday. They did not take a report on the unexplained gunshot wounds.

Aaron's father was in court in Chula Vista Monday and confirmed he was shot but would not elaborate.

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.

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."
Virginia State Police are conducting an exhaustive review of their "Do Not Sell" list for firearms after a man who shot a police officer in the head in 2013 was recently allowed to buy a gun legally.

Kashif Bashir, the man who shot Alexandria Officer Peter Laboy, was able to buy a gun because a "human error" was made in adding his name to a list of people barred from buying firearms, Virginia State Police said.

Bashir, 33, was re-arrested last month after he was found with guns and accused of setting fires, Prince William County officials said. For shooting Laboy, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and released from a mental health facility in 2018.

Gun ownership by an acquitted insane person is a crime in Virginia, and Bashir was supposed to be on the "Do Not Sell" list in the state. But a search warrant shows he got his hands on two guns and two suppressors. He bought one of the guns at a store in Manassas.

State police said an internal review "revealed a human error was made during the approval process by the FTC [Firearms Transaction Center]."

"The Virginia State Police recognizes the severity of this situation and is taking the necessary steps to address the matter," police said in a statement.

News4's discovery stunned Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter.

"I don't think there's any way to portray it other than a tragedy narrowly averted," he said.

"If one of these situations was able to fall through the cracks, of course I'm concerned that it might occur again in the future, or that there could be other similar cases that are in the same posture right now," Porter added.

State police are reviewing their records to make sure they have not missed any other defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity, a state police department spokeswoman said.

Bashir is behind bars in Prince William County and is set to appear in court this month.

Laboy was on motorcycle patrol in Old Town Alexandria on Feb. 27, 2013 when he tried to pull over Bashir for suspicious activity. Bashir shot Laboy in the head and then led police on a chase.

The officer suffered life-changing injuries and was forced to retire from the job he loved.
A husband is reeling from the loss of his wife and two children are missing their mother after a fiery crash on I-95 in Beltsville, Maryland.

Shana Subram, 57, was on her way to work about 4 a.m. Saturday when her Honda Civic crashed into three other cars and caught fire, sending plumes of smoke in the air, Maryland State Police said.

Subram was trapped in her car and died at the scene of the crash, police said.

"She's a good person. Giving," Subram's husband Hans Bergmann said.

Bergmann said Subram, the mother of their two children with autism, would always put others before herself.

She became a physician's assistant and chose to work with inmates at a jail in Baltimore.

Subram loved her job, but feared the long commute from their Rockville home.

"She wanted to leave this job for the longest time. It is very dangerous going there," Bergmann said.

Police suspected Subram might have been driving the wrong direction in the northbound lanes when she crashed head-on into a Mitsubishi Gallant and a BMW 325. Both cars smashed into a fourth vehicle, a Lexus RX350.

The BMW driver was partially thrown through the windshield, police say.

One person was taken to the hospital with burn injuries, police said.

The crash is still under investigation but Bergmann said he doubts Subram was driving the wrong way.

"Somebody hit her from behind and she started spinning around just at the exit," he said.

Police are still investigating.
A judge ruled Tuesday that cameras will be allowed inside the courtroom during a Thursday hearing for "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.

Smollett arrived in court just after 11 a.m. Tuesday. A spokeswoman for his attorneys said Smollett wanted to "show up and show respect to the court," though his appearance wasn't required.

"He wants to hold his head up high, show confidence in his innocence," Anne Kavanagh said, adding that he plans to "go the extra mile" to prove his innocence.

"He's not hiding from anything," she said. "He will do everything he needs to do."

Smollett's defense attorneys did not argue with the decision to allow cameras in court Thursday, saying there has been a lot of "misinformation" in the case and they welcome cameras during the hearing and all future proceedings. Prosecutors also did not object to the decision.

"We welcome cameras in the courtroom so that the public and the media can see the actual evidence and what we believe is actually going to be a lack of evidence against Mr. Smollett," Tina Glandian said after the hearing.

Glandian and another attorney for Smollet, Mark Geragos, filed motions Monday requesting to be allowed to represent Smollett in Cook County court, as neither are members of the Illinois State Bar Association.

A Cook County grand jury indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts Friday in connection with his reporting of the alleged attack he claimed to have suffered in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood on Jan. 29. Police alleged Smollett staged the attack, hiring two brothers who worked on "Empire" to execute it, because he was unhappy with his salary.

The lawyer for the brothers, Obabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, said Monday that the pair has evidence backing their claim that he orchestrated the assault.

Attorney Gloria Schmidt told Good Morning America that the brothers have "tremendous regret...over their involvement in the situation."

"I think once Mark Geragos and everyone starts looking into this situation, they're going to see really that my clients were just taken advantage of by someone that they trusted," she said.

When asked if the brothers had evidence to back their explosive claims that changed the trajectory of the case, Schmidt said "of course."

"And that's why when they went from persons of interest to suspects, they are free men and they are at home," she said.

In a later interview with Access Hollywood, Schmidt said her clients cooperated with Chicago police immediately and presented evidence that was investigated. That same day, the duo walked out of the police department. Schmidt said the brothers thought they were helping a friend who would in turn help their careers.

"The issue here is that they were in a position with a friend who said, 'Let's basically pay you for training and then do a favor for me,'" she said.

Smollett was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct in filing a false report on Friday, court documents show. All 16 counts are Class 4 felonies, the most serious of which carry a maximum sentence of one-to-three years in prison. Probation is also possible.

The indictment issued by the grand jury lays out two separate sets of charges against the actor. The first set alleges that Smollett lied to responding officers immediately following the reported attack.

Specifically, the charges allege that Smollett made false statements about the nature of the attack, telling officers that the attackers hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him, according to the indictment.

The second set of charges alleges that Smollett made false statements to detectives in a follow-up interview about the case.

"Allegations against Mr. Smollett are shameful and if proven, they are an affront to the people of Chicago who embraced him as a neighbor and respected him as a role model," Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. "We stand behind the work of our detectives."

Smollett's attorneys said they will "push back against" the charges filed against their client, with Geragos later releasing a statement saying the indictment was "not unexpected."

"What is unexpected however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie," Geragos said. "This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie's privacy in tampering with his medical records."

"Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption," he said.

Smollett was previously charged in February with one felony count of disorderly conduct in filing a false police report.

Chicago police said in a press conference announcing the initial charge that Smollett sent a "false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language" to himself and staged a hate crime attack in Chicago because he was "dissatisfied with his salary."

At the time, authorities investigating the reported attack as a hate crime said new information "shifted" their investigation of the alleged assault, in which Smollett told authorities he was physically attacked as he was returning home from an early morning stop at a Subway restaurant in late January.

"Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked," Smollett's legal team said in a statement when he was initially charged. "Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."

Smollett is due back in court on March 14.
Three major U.S. airlines said Monday they will continue flying the Boeing 737 Max 8 as aviation authorities in several countries grounded the aircraft after one crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board.

The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed shortly after it took off from Addis Ababa on Sunday, drawing renewed scrutiny of the plane just four months after a similar crash of the same model that killed 189 people in Indonesia.

Authorities in China, Indonesia and Ethiopia ordered airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Monday. American Airlines, Southwest and United said they stand by the new plane and are monitoring the investigation.

American Airlines, which has 24 Max 8 aircrafts in its fleet, said it has "full confidence" in the aircraft and no immediate plans to ground them. United Airlines has likewise said they have no plans to ground the 14 Max 9 planes on their fleet. Southwest also said all 34 of its Max 8 aircrafts remain in operation and the airline has "full confidence" in the "airworthiness" of the Boeing jet.

Chicago-based Boeing is planning to update training requirements and manuals along with proposed changes from the FAA, which said Monday that it expects to mandate design enhancements to the automated system and signaling on board the planes by April 2019.

The 737 is the best-selling airliner in history, and the Max, the newest version of it with more fuel-efficient engines, is a central part of Boeing's strategy to compete with European rival Airbus.

"Safety is our number one priority and we are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved," the company said in a statement.

Boeing's stock fell 7 percent to $391.80 in afternoon trading.

A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines, Asrat Begashaw, said the carrier had grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8 planes until further notice as an "extra safety precaution."

The airline had been using five new 737 Max 8s and awaiting delivery of 25 more. Asrat said the search for body parts and debris from the crash was continuing.

China's Civil Aviation Administration said that it ordered airlines to ground all 737 Max 8 aircraft, in line with the principle of "zero tolerance for security risks."

It said it would issue further notices after consulting with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

On Monday, the FAA said in a statement that the American agency's people were at the crash site outside Ethiopia's capital with representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board.

They are joining an Ethiopian-led investigation that includes authorities from neighboring Kenya and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the National Association of the Flight Attendants-CWA said passengers and airline crew members alike are expressing concerns about the safety of the Max 8. AFA-CWA president Sara Nelson said in a statement it is "vitally important that U.S. airlines work with Boeing, the FAA, and the NTSB to address concerns and take steps to ensure confidence for the traveling public and working crews."

The national president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants  which represents over 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants  issued a bulletin advising members who dont feel it is safe to work aboard the 737 Max, "you will not be forced to fly it."

Chinese carriers and leasing companies operate 96 Boeing 737 8 Maxs, according to the government, with dozens more believed to be on order. China Southern Airlines is one of Boeing's biggest customers for the aircraft.

Indonesia also grounded 11 737 Max 8s for inspections to ensure flight safety and that the planes are airworthy, said Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti.

Cayman Airways also said it was temporarily grounding two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft along with Comair, the operator of British Airways and Kulula flights in South Africa. A statement does not say how many of Comair's planes are affected.

Wrenelle Stander, executive director of Comair's airline division, says in the statement that Comair "remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft."

It's unusual for authorities to take the step of grounding planes, and it's up to each country to set standards on which planes can fly and how those planes are maintained, said Todd Curtis, an aviation safety analyst who directs the Airsafe.com Foundation.

"If there is a suspicion...that there's not only something inherently wrong with 737 Max 8 aircraft, but there are no procedures in place to cure the problem, then yes, they should either ground the plane, or there are several levels of things they could do," Curtis said.

For example, authorities could require that airlines check certain planes do not have a specific problem before they could fly, or they could require replacing parts or systems before the next flight, Curtis said. The FAA frequently directs airlines to ensure certain corrections are made within a specific timeframe, he said.

The FAA told airlines in November to update the plane's operating manual with information about the 737 Max 8's system that can automatically turn the plane's nose down, and inform pilots how to respond if the system kicks in.

Real time flight radar apps showed dozens of the aircraft still operating around the globe.

The head of Indonesia's national transport safety agency, Soerjanto Thahjono, offered to aid the Ethiopian investigation into Sunday's crash.

A witness to the crash told The Associated Press that smoke was coming from the rear of the plane before it hit the ground.

"Before falling down, the plane rotated two times in the air, and it had some smoke coming from the back then, it hit the ground and exploded," Tamrat Abera said.

The NTSB likewise said it was sending a team to help Ethiopian authorities. Boeing and the U.S. investigative agency are also involved in the probe into the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October.

Like the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which happened minutes after the jet's takeoff from Addis Ababa, the Lion Air jet that crashed off Indonesia had erratic speed during the few minutes it was in the air.

Safety experts cautioned, however, against drawing too many parallels between the two disasters.

"I do hope though that people will wait for the first results of the investigation instead of jumping to conclusions based on the very little facts that we know so far," said Harro Ranter, founder of the Aviation Safety Network, which compiles information about accidents worldwide.

The situation will be better understood after investigators analyze the Ethiopian plane's black boxes, said William Waldock, an aviation-safety professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. An airline official said Monday that the black box and cockpit voice recorder had been found, but the box was partially damaged.

Waldock said the way the planes both crashed  a fatal nosedive  was likely to raise suspicion. Boeing will likely look more closely at the flight-management system and automation on the Max, he said.

"Investigators are not big believers in coincidence," he said.

Boeing has delivered about 350 737 Max planes to scores of airlines and has orders for more than 5,000.

Alan Diehl, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, said reports of large variations in vertical speed during the Ethiopian jetliner's ascent were "clearly suggesting a potential controllability problem."

Other possible causes include engine problems, pilot error, weight load, sabotage or bird strikes, he said.

Ethiopian has a good reputation and the company's CEO told reporters no problems were spotted before Sunday's fight. But investigators also will look into the plane's maintenance, which may have been an issue in the Lion Air crash.

Days after the Indonesian accident, Boeing notified airlines that faulty information from a sensor could cause the plane to automatically point the nose down. The automated system kicks in if sensors indicate that a plane is about to lose lift, or go into an aerodynamic stall. Gaining speed by diving can prevent a stall.

The notice reminded pilots of the procedure for handling such a situation, which is to disable the system causing the automatic nose-down movements.

Indonesian investigators are examining whether faulty readings from a sensor might have triggered the automatic nose-down command to the plane, which the Lion Air pilots fought unsuccessfully to overcome.

The Lion Air plane's flight data recorder showed problems with an airspeed indicator on at least four previous flights, although the airline initially said the problem was fixed.

Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in December that the Max is a safe plane.

___

Associated Press reporter writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and AP Airlines Writer David Koenig in Dallas, Texas, contributed to this report.
For the second time in under four days, a bullet was found on public school property in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Mayor Michael Cahill told NBC10 Boston that a bullet was found in a school parking lot. School officials said the round was discovered Monday afternoon at the McKeown School, which houses preschool classes and administrative offices.

Friday morning, two fifth-grade students at Beverly Middle School found a live handgun round in the hallway, prompting a temporary shelter-in-place as police swept the building.

Police investigated and determined Friday there was no threat. Normal operations resumed, but police officers stayed at the school for the rest of the day.

Cahill said Monday that police were investigating the bullet found at McKeown School.

The superintendent's office said a press conference would be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Beverly City Hall.
Boston city leaders met Tuesday afternoon to discuss public safety in bars and nightclubs following the death of a mother who was abducted following a night out in the city's Theater District.

The kidnapping and death of 23-year-old Jassy Correia devastated her friends and family and shocked the community. She went missing after she and her friends went out to Venu Nightclub on Feb. 24 to celebrate her birthday.

Her body was discovered on Feb. 28 in the trunk of her alleged killer's car in Delaware. Louis Coleman, 32, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, resulting in death immediately after the discovery.

Boston Police Department Commissioner William Gross was among the city leaders at Tuesday's meeting in South Boston.

Police credit Venu Nightclub's mandatory device for helping them track Coleman. The nightclub requires all customers to allow them to scan their licenses with a device that saves their picture upon entry.
A 5-alarm blaze destroyed three buildings and sent two firefighters to the hospital Tuesday morning in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The fire was reported by a taxi driver around 9:30 a.m. on Newport Avenue by Beale Street, across from the Wollaston MBTA station.

Massive Fire Destroys 3 Buildings in Quincy

Video and photos tweeted out by Quincy Police showed heavy flames and thick, black smoke pouring from the building.

Fire on Newport Ave by Beale St. Avoid area https://t.co/4aVmUoQ4ux  Quincy Police (@quincymapolice) March 12, 2019

The fire was declared under control by noon, but firefighters remained on scene working to extinguish hot spots. Area residents were urged to avoid the area through the evening commute.

Newport Avenue was closed between Beale Street and North Central Avenue. Around 9:45 p.m., police said one southbound lane of Newport Avenue had reopened. Beale Street reopened around 4 p.m.

Quincy Fire Capt. Dan Gorman said dozens of firefighters battled the blaze, which started in a building undergoing renovations. The fire quickly spread to three other buildings. Within 10 minutes of crews arriving, the first building had collapsed. A second building partially collapsed a short time later.

Gorman said the wind hampered efforts by firefighters.

"It was blowing 20 to 25 miles per hour and it was going straight up the street so the fire just wanted to travel," he said. "It just wanted to take right off."

He said other than the building where the fire started, an unknown number of residents live on the second and third floors of the other buildings.

Gorman said at first, crews had a difficult time getting residents out.

"We didn't have control of the fire. So we didn't know how many people were in there," he said. "None of them were aware. People were knocking down doors. They didn't know the buildings were on fire. It could've been a different outcome."

Gorman said there could be as many as 30 residents displaced.

Among the many residents forced out of their apartments was Regina Timomina. She said she ran back inside to grab her passport.

"I left the building. I saw huge flames shooting up the sky," she recalled.

The firefighters who were hurt were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials said the same building burned in 2015.

One contractor told NBC10 Boston he was still doing renovations after that first fire and can't believe it happened again.

"I'm 90 percent done on the plumbing already. I was going to get payment on the building, now nothing," said the contractor, who did not give his name.

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents at the Quincy Parks and Recreation Building.
A judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a teen who drowned in a Massachusetts high school pool.

The Lowell Sun reports that a judge ruled that 17-year-old Eddie Gayyean was trespassing when he entered the pool area, and there is no evidence to support the city engaged in "willful, wanton or reckless conduct."

Gayyean was found dead in the Lowell High School pool in 2012.

His family sued the city for $100,000 in 2015, saying the city failed to maintain locks or keep them engaged at the pool.

The judge in his ruling said Gayyean, who did not know how to swim, should have known about the pool's danger.

Attorney Rachel Brown, who represented the city, says they are pleased with the lawsuit's results.
A Massachusetts school custodian appeared in court Tuesday for allegedly raping a student in Leominster.

Christopher A. Zayas, 32, of Leominster, was arraigned by video conference in Leominster District Court on three counts of aggravated rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Sentinel and Enterprise obtained court documents indicating the custodian worked at Samoset Middle School, and that there were three illicit encounters at a local motel with a 15-year-old girl.

Superintendent Paula Deacon said in a statement that Zayas was no longer with the school district.

"While we believe this is an isolated incident, these allegations are both disturbing and unacceptable. The employee is no longer actively employed by the district. While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential personnel information, safety is always our top priority and we strive every day to make sure our students are learning and thriving in safe, welcoming and supportive schools. Our primary concern is to provide any and all support to the victim of this disturbing situation."

The judge in the case set bail at $5,000 and ordered Zayas to stay away from and have no contact with the victim. He cannot have unsupervised contact with children under 16 and must report to the probation department twice a week.

Zayas is due back in court April 11.
Police in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, say a man went to extreme lengths to avoid capture.

Shawn Rich, 40, allegedly hid inside a covert compartment in a home which a tenant claimed was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, according to police.

Theres three levels, a large basement, multiple little closet spaces and hidey holesso there was a lot of places inside the residence that he couldve been in, Sgt. Mark Bickford of the St. Johnsbury Police Department said of the house on Spring Street.

Bickford told necn and NBC 10 Boston that a warrant was recently issued for Rich after the state said he didnt complete his time on a court-ordered work crew.

Rich was convicted last year of a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.

According to a late-2018 report in the Caledonian Record newspaper, Rich pleaded no contest to accusations he sent threatening messages when he felt he was owed money from a construction job.

Bickford said when the police investigation brought them to Spring Street, at first it didnt seem their guy was around until another tenant of the multi-unit residence told them a local rumor: that the 1840s home used to be a stop on the Underground Railroad, hiding escaped slaves.

After about 25 minutes of searching, Bickford said investigators discovered the suspect inside a disguised nook built into a closet.

You cant hide forever, the sergeant noted, smiling.

According to the initial press release from police, they also found a sleeping bag in the secret crawl space, along with a jar Rich apparently used as a bathroom.

Bickford said the front of the home was equipped with a camera that might have given Rich a heads-up to hide when the investigators arrived with a search warrant.

Peggy Pearl at the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center said she cant be sure if the home really was on the Underground Railroad, though others across Vermont certainly were.

They were lots of times, in the basement, Pearl said of known hiding spaces in properties on the Underground Railroad.

Pearl said she knew of another home in St. Johnsbury which was long rumored to have been a safe space for runaway slaves, but said the work wouldve been so top secret, it wasnt always documentedso questions remain.

Once anybody was onto that, if it got to the wrong person and you were exposedthat was it, Pearl said of the work by people who were a part of the Underground Railroad.

As for Rich, police said he is due in court in late April, along with a woman accused of helping him hide.

Another suspect acquainted with Rich was also taken into custody on a warrant, Bickford said, adding that work on the case is ongoing.

It is unclear if the subjects of the investigation have secured attorneys ahead of the April 29 court dates.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is calling on the FAA to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts until they can guarantee the planes will fly safely.

"Any necessary changes must be made before, not after, more flights occur and more lives are potentially endangered," Warren said in a statement Tuesday.

Warren cited suspicions that the aircrafts had been put out for use without necessary pilot training to save money and the decisions of other countries to halt using the airplanes.

"The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is a major driver of Boeing profits," said Warren. "Congress should hold hearings on whether an Administration that famously refused to stand up to Saudi Arabia to protect Boeing arms sales has once again put lives at risk for the same reason."

Warren's statement comes in response to a second deadly crash of a 737 Max 8 make of airplane this weekend in Ethiopia that has called into question the safety of aircraft.
Firefighters ripped through the ceiling of a building in Worcester, Massachusetts to gain access to a 3-alarm fire that was burning through a business overnight.

Fire crews responded to a blaze reported in the area of 271 Lincoln St., where smoke could be seen coming out of the building. First responders had to open the ceilings in order to access the fire, according to Worcester Fire Department District Chief, Tim Gardell.

Officials encountered heavy smoke on the first floor of the building and found a small fire in the basement. After officials knocked down that blaze, crews found a larger fire in the downstairs bathroom of a second building. Firefighters were able to douse that fire, as well.

Gardell said authorities believe the blaze began in the bathroom and the fire spread inside the building's walls.

No injuries were immediately reported in connection to the fire, according to Gardell. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
NTA has published the Quality of service of the mobile service providers, Ntc, Ncell, and Smart Telecom in some areas. The regulator had performed a drive test for the different areas on the month of Poush and Magh. The results are based on the analysis of the same drive test of the mobile operators (wherever available). Find the details of the Mobile network quality test performed by NTA below.

This is the second time NTA performed the drive test and published the report. Find the report of the first drive test here. This time, they visited different routes in Bhaktapur city, Pokhara city, Baglunj bazar and Prithvi Highway (Kathmandu to Kaski).

ALSO READ: NTA to prevent people from using SIM card registered in others name.

Drive Test

Drive test is a method in which testing tools (mostly mobile handsets) mounted on a moving vehicle collect some metrics of the cellular network by repeatedly making voice or data calls. They performed the measurement of all the mobile service providers (wherever available) at the location at the same time. They configure the Drive test tools in such a way that the testing tools select the mobile network (2G/3G/4G) for the operators as per availability.

The analysis of the measured data during the drive test provides the quality of service (QoS) report of the mobile operators. NTA published the same report in a tabular format for several areas where they performed the drive test.

Mobile network quality

From the Drive test report, NTA found the network metrics to cross the thresholds. They found a more or less similar quality of service of Nepal Telecom and Ncell. In the city areas, NTA found the better Call connection time and call drop in Ncell. Whereas HTTP Browsing delay, Ping test is better with Nepal Telecom. Nepal Telecom has a better quality mobile network in the Prithvi highway in terms of Call setup success rate, Call drop rate and Ping test. NTA also found Smart Telecom to be the poorest among the three Telcos.

ALSO READ: Nepal Telecom found to have the best mobile network quality: NTA study

Major parameters

NTA took the following major parameters out of the drive test, to measure the mobile network quality.

Call connection time: The time it takes to make a call which is measured in seconds. The lower the value of connection time, the better the experience of the calls to the user.

Call setup success rate: The ratio of success calls to the total no of call attempts, in percentage. Higher the value, better the experience to the user.

Call drop rate: The ratio of dropped calls to the total no of successful calls, expressed in percentage. Lesser the value of call drop rate, better the experience of the voice call.

Ping test: Ping is the time a data packet takes to travel from the user equipment to the server, expressed in mill seconds. Lower the value, better the experience of data.

Http browsing delay: The time or delay it takes to display a web page while browsing, expressed in seconds. The lower the value, the better the experience of browsing.

Download and Upload throughput: The amount of data transferred through the network in uplink and downlink in a second. Expressed in Mbps. Higher the value, better the experience of data. The latest test report finds Ncell to have the fastest mobile internet in Nepal.

Bhaktapur

Call setup success rate, call drop rate, Call connection time and download/upload speeds is found better in Ncell.

Pokhara

Call setup success rate, Ping test, Ping success rate, HTTP browsing display success rate is found better with Nepal Telecom.

Prithvi Highway (Kathmandu to Kaski)

The highway test only includes the Nepal Telecom and Ncell as Smart doesnt have continuous signal availability there.

Call setup success rate, call drop rate, Ping test, browsing delay is better with Nepal Telecom mobile network.

Baglung bazar

For Baglung bazar, call setup success rate, ping success rate, and HTTP browsing display are better with Ncell.

Verdict

From the QoS report, most of the mobile network metrics are below the benchmarks set by NTA itself for good quality. If we compare the metrics, there is no clear winner among the Telcos either NTC or Ncell. In some metrics and areas, Ntc is found better while the same with other metrics and areas in Ncell. Smart Telecom is found the poorest as before. Ntc, Ncell has more or less similar quality of service. For the mobile network test in the highway, Ntc is found a little better for the quality of service of the Mobile network.

However, NTA puts a remark that the report presented is just a sample of the network conditions of the operators on the specified places during the period of the drive-test. NTA also indicate that the mobile network quality and condition may differ in other areas.

ALSO READ: Advantages of fast internet

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Viber to get latest news, information about Ntc, Ncell, Smart Cell and phones in Nepal.



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1. Jan. 14.

Razzie Hancock , 39, was fatally stabbed in the side of the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute with by another man over the affections of a woman. Kenyon Gay, 41, of West Haven, was charged with murder, carrying a dangerous weapon and second-degree assault.

Police said both Gay and the victim had been in a relationship with the woman, Gay for nine years and Hancock for eight months.

2. Jan. 26

Eugene Rogers , 50, was found lying on the ground, motionless on Reservoir Avenue. He was bleeding from a bullet wound in his head, and police said he had a silver and black gun in his left hand.

Police went to the scene after 9 a.m. by the Bridgeport Police Departments Shot Spotter system to the Citgo gas station and Pitt Stop convenience store on Reservoir Avenue.

Jayvell Washington, was charged that same day with Rogerss death. Washington and members of the Rogers family have been engaged in a violent series of confrontations since the summer of 2017, according to police. That year, Washington shot Rogers twice in the abdomen. Rogers recovered from that shooting and Washington was charged with his attempted murder.

3. Jan. 27.

Eric Salters , 28, of New Haven, was shot multiple times around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26. He later died on Feb. 4. He was shot near the New England Tractor Trailer Training School at 510 Barnum Ave., where he was a student. Police said it appears that when Salters went to his car during class, he was confronted by a gunman, who opened fire on him. Salters was hit multiple times, including once in the head, police said

The the motive for the shooting was unclear.

4. Feb. 5.

Sujata Lee Edwards , 36, died after being shot through a second story window in her residence on William Street. Edwards was shot as she looked out the second-floor window while her 17-year-old daughter was walking to the teens fathers car.

Llesha OConnor. Edwards mother, said her daughters two children were with their mother when Edwards was gunned down. There had been a fight outside the home earlier in the evening, involving Edwards son and an ex-girlfriend who brought a large group of people with her, OConnor said. Once the fight ended, the group left, she said.

But the family suspects they came back later, armed.

Edwards was shot at least once in the torso.

5. Feb. 11.

Dyshon Williams , 19, was found dead on a city sidewalk about two hours after a call came in to a computerized system that shots had been fired in the area. The Cowles Street resident was shot around 10:45 p.m. Monday. He was pronounced dead after police found him roughly two hours later on Boston Avenue.

Police said Williams was shot in his vehicle and apparently staggered away before he collapsed, police said.

Williams died from a single gunshot wound to the torso with penetration to the neck, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

6. March 5.

Jerrell Gatewood , 34, of Bridgeport, was shot in the area of Connecticut Avenue and Fifth Street around 9:40 a.m. Years before the fatal shooting, Gatewood was shot in the chest on Sept. 8, 2013, while working on his car on Connecticut Avenue. An acquaintance brought him to Bridgeport Hospital. A day after that 2013 shooting, he was in stable condition at the hospital.

Police Chief Armando Perez said Tuesday detectives are looking into the 2013 shooting as part of Gatewoods homicide investigation.

7. March 10

Twenty bullets were fired into a car parked near a market killing Tyron Heard, 21, and wounding his 17- and 22-year-old companions.

According to police, shortly before 7:30 p.m., shots were fired at the vehicle in the area of 533 Hollister Ave.

The day after the killing, parents like Felipe Ramos dropped their kids off at the nearby Jettie S. Tisdale School.

Im moving out of Bridgeport, said Ramos as he watched his child enter Tisdale school. I live right near the corner store. Its just not safe anymore.
China's two most important annual political meetings  the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC)  famously known as the "Two Sessions" kicked off in early March. While presenting the Government Work Report during the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th NPC, Premier Li Keqiang stressed the need to increase support to tackle three major challenges: risk, poverty and pollution. Emphasizing the sustainable development of the nation, he said, "Promoting green development comes down to every single one of us. Its success hinges on action and commitment. We must all work together to create a beautiful and liveable environment for our people."



In line with this goal, the Government Work Report stated that "the country will strengthen pollution prevention and control, enhance ecological improvement, and make big strides in green development." The report further stated that China aims to reduce sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by 3 percent in 2019, while decreasing the density of PM 2.5 (a major particle pollutant) in all major locations including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Fenhe-Weihe River Plain area. Additionally, as per the draft budget report submitted to the national legislature, the Chinese central government plans to allocate 25 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) to air pollution control measures, marking a 25 percent year-on-year increase.

China has already proved itself a global leader in terms of its environmental protection initiatives and the steps it has taken to implement them in previous years. In 2018 alone, the average density of PM 2.5 in China fell by 10.4 percent year-on-year. The country has also significantly reduced the use of coal by phasing out almost 23,000 coal-fuelled small boilers across the nation, and by ramping up usage of clean energy. According to the National Energy Administration, by the end of the third quarter last year, the capacity of coal power generators with ultra-low emissions already reached more than 750 million kilowatts in China, accounting for over 75 percent of the country's total installed capacity of coal power generating units. The gradual transformation of coal power generators also resulted in an 86 percent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions, an 89 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides, and 85 percent less smoke dust from 2012 to 2017, according to the China Electricity Council.

Additionally, according to a report published by the Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the sustainable energy finance center in April last year, China made nearly half of the world's new renewable energy investment in 2017, totaling a whopping sum of US$279.8 billion. Also, solar cells' production in China has increased 100-fold between 2005 and 2014. Notably, China's renewable energy investment has swelled by 30 percent from 2016. This figure is almost three times that of the U.S. whose investment in the sector went down by 6 percent from 2016 to US$40.5 billion in 2017. In 2015, China surpassed the U.S. to become the world's largest market for electric cars. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the country witnessed total sales of approximately 1.03 million electric cars in the first eleven months of 2018, up 68 percent from the same period in 2017.



An action plan on clean energy consumption was also released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration (NEA) in February this year. According to the plan, China will spare no effort to increase the utilization rates of wind, photovoltaic and water power to an internationally advanced level of 95 percent by 2020.

It is also worth noting that China has already made significant progress in the use of clean energy, in order to fulfil its commitment in the Paris agreement to cut its greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent from 2005 levels. In 2018, the amount of wasted photovoltaic power in China dropped by 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours from 2017, while the amount of wasted wind power fell by 14.2 billion kilowatt-hours.

A recent report by NASA also highlighted the positive impact brought about by recent China's efforts in environmental protection. It stated that although China possesses just 6.6 percent of the planet's vegetated land area, it contributed to almost 25 percent of the total increase in vegetated land area. Afforestation and farming activities contributed 42 percent and 32 percent to this increase respectively. Last year, the Chinese State Forestry Administration also pledged to cover almost 23 percent of the country's total land-area with forests.



The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its recent report emphasized the impending dangers of climate change and pointed out the big difference in risks between global warming of between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. It states that technically, it is possible to limit warming at 1.5-degrees Celsius but this would require huge behavioral and lifestyle changes. This target can be realized by substantially lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through the decarbonization of electricity production and improving energy efficiency in different sectors such as transportation, industries etc. Looking at the level of ongoing investment in the areas such as clean energy, the determination of the Chinese government to cut down the use of fossil fuels such as coal as well as the strong regulatory policies in place, it is clear that China has been taking all the right steps towards building a green economy and achieving its dream of building a moderately prosperous nation with a safe environment for its people by 2020.

Rachana Gupta is an active blogger, poet and freenlance content writer.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, 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.
The Lake and Geauga county commissioners last month filed an amicus friend of the court brief regarding proposed redistricting and now it has been accepted by a federal court.

The brief was filed in response to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati last May by the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the ACLU of Ohio and other groups, in addition to private citizens.

The suit, which claims gerrymandering, seeks to change the current 14th Congressional District map prior to the 2020 election.

The existing district was created by Republican legislators in 2011.

Prior to the filing of the brief, commissioners from Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties held a press conference opposing the suggested redistricting.

The proposed plan, which is part of the lawsuit, would split Geauga County into two districts and remove Lake and Ashtabula counties from the current 14th District, placing them with Trumbull and a portion of Mahoning counties, including Youngstown.

The commissioners confirmed the current district has been in place almost continuously since the early 1950s.

Lake County Commissioner Jerry Cirino said the parties were late in the (filing) process and werent sure if the court would consider the contents of the brief.

Obviously, they saw merit with a lot of good information to, in fact, consider it; they felt it was credible enough to be accepted, he said. They found our brief not only constructed properly but also the argument compelling enough to be considered in their deliberations.

Hopefully, they are impressed with what weve presented to not have the current Congressional District 14 broken up.

Lake County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney David Hackman added the joint filing of the brief excluded Ashtabula County.

While Ashtabula didnt participate in the filing, the commissioners did adopt a resolution, Cirino said. They are incorporated in the brief to keep the district together.

Unless the judge requests further inquiries, no further activity is anticipated regarding the brief, Hackman said.
 Flash

Officials from the Ethiopian Airlines Group and Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday briefed envoys of countries whose nationals were killed in Sunday's plane crash.

The 157 people aboard the ET 302 flight from Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Kenyan capital Nairobi, included 149 passengers and 8 crew members. The victims were of 35 nationalities, including 32 from Kenya, 18 from Canada, eight each from China, Italy and the United States, seven each from Britain and France, six from Egypt, and five from Germany, among others, according to the airline.

Briefing envoys of countries whose nationals were involved in the deadly jet crash, Deputy CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group Esayas Woldemariam said that concerted efforts are underway so as to find out the major cause of the plane crash.

Woldemariam, noting "the devastating impact of the tragic accident," further expressed Ethiopian Airlines' commitment "to support and facilitate relatives and families of victims as they lost their loved ones."

Nebiat Getachew, spokesperson at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Ethiopian government is closely following ongoing investigations on the crashed aircraft. He also vowed to disclose findings of the investigation to the diplomatic community promptly.

Ethiopian Airlines disclosed earlier on Monday that both data and voice recorders on the crashed aircraft have been recovered.

The Nairobi-bound Boeing 737-8 MAX crashed Sunday near Bishoftu town, about 45 km from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, just minutes after take-off from Bole International Airport, killing all 157 people on board.

"Ethiopian has continued monitoring the situation closely with all stakeholders and is providing all the necessary support to the families of the deceased in its temporarily established family assistance centers in Addis Ababa and Nairobi Airports," the airline said.

Earlier on Monday, the company also announced its decision to suspend commercial operations of all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft.
Humans have been studying microorganisms for hundreds of years. The first compound microscope was invented by the Janssen brothers (Johannes and Zacharias) in 1590, and formed the basis for the many discoveries that followed.

nobeastsofierce | Shutterstock

The early days of microbiology

From the 16th century onward, many theories were framed as to the way microbes flourished and spread. Contact between infected individuals was proposed in 1546 or earlier.

Once Francesco Redi debunked the theory of spontaneous generation in 1665, the scientific world was electrified by Robert Hookes famous theory  that all living creatures are made up of cells.

The microscope developed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1674 was a significant milestone in scientific discovery as it magnified objects up to almost 300 times. He observed microbes (which he called animalcules) for the first time in droplets of pond water. He examined and described protozoa, bact, ria and fungi with accuracy.

Developing the first vaccine

In 1796 an English surgeon, Edward Jenner, developed the concept of vaccination by immunizing an eight-year-old boy against smallpox using cowpox fluid. He later injected smallpox virus repeatedly into the boy, proving that he was indeed immune.

Jenner also showed that the cowpox vaccine could be produced from the blister of a human patient rather than just the cow host. This proved the value of protective immunization against the deadly disease, which killed 10-20 percent of the population at the time.

In 1840 the British government introduced free vaccinations, abolishing the previous unsafe procedure of variolation (inoculation with smallpox virus). Smallpox vaccination spread all over Europe and even to the New World, Southeast Asia and China. A true benefactor to mankind, he was honored by many countries during his lifetime.

Illustration of Edward Jenner (1749- 1823) vaccinating 8 year old James Phipps with cowpox to provide immunity against smallpox (Everett Historical | Shutterstock).

Antiseptic surgery

Joseph Lister pioneered antiseptic surgery in 1865, while still working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He did this by introducing carbolic acid, a harsh organic acid which killed most microbes, as a sterilization agent for surgical instruments and for cleaning wounds. The scientific acceptance of his work was based on the existing germ theory proposed by Pasteurs work.

In this, his fate was unlike that of the unfortunate Ignace Semmelweiss who reduced puerperal (post-childbirth) infection to less than 1% in 1847. He did this simply by making it compulsory for doctors to wash their hands with chlorinated lime before examining each patient in his maternity wards.

Semmelweis had observed that mothers attended by doctors rather than midwives alone were three times more likely to die of childbed fever, which he suggested that doctors were to blame, spreading infection from patient to patient. Due to a theoretical underpinning, the remarkable findings were rejected and sadly, this savior of mothers died in an asylum, just 14 days after a nervous breakdown.

As to why Lister chose carbolic acid, it was based on his observation that it reduced the foul smell from fields irrigated with sewage, but produced no adverse effects on the cattle allowed to graze there later. The massive reduction in post-operative surgery caused by this innovation has led to his being called the father of modern surgery.

Pioneers in parasitology

Major David Bruce was involved in the detection of the organism that caused Malta fever, in 1886, but it was Themistocles Zammit who actually found it, though Bruces name was attributed. He also discovered the cause of African sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei) and its carrier, the tsetse fly.

In 1897, Ronald Ross, an army major in the Indian Medical Service of the British Army, published an article simply titled On some peculiar pigmented cells found in two mosquitoes fed on malarial blood, which lead to him receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1902. Ross was the first British scientist to receive this prestigous award.

Ross discovered that the Plasmodium parasite lived within the stomach of the mosquito fly, which helped him establish a full life cycle and prove his hypothesis that the disease is transmitted through a small amount of saliva injected into the body during mosquito bite. This allowed the health community to come up with methods of controlling malaria by controlling the number of mosquitoes. In fact, Ross suggested the first practical method of doing so, by keeping the environment free of stagnant water containers.

Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte in blood smear (Pingpoy | Shutterstock).

Antibiotics for the masses

Marjory Stephenson is another British biochemist who carried out basic research on bacterial metabolism, developing fundamental research techniques in this field. She worked with Stickland to isolate a bacterial enzyme for the first time in history, and brought to light enzyme adaptation, among other bacterial processes. She wrote more than twenty papers and one of the most important early textbooks in this field. She became the first female Fellow of the Royal Society in 1945.

In 1929 Alexander Fleming, a Scotsman, discovered penicillin. The fungus Penicillium notatum was accidentally growing on a culture of Staphylococcus aureus and inhibiting the growth of the bacterium. He examined the growth further and found that it kept many bacteria from growing.

Ernst Boris Chain, a German who migrated to Britain, earned the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945, the year World War II ended, sharing it with his Australian colleague, Howard Florey, and with Fleming, for discovering, characterizing and developing penicillin as a drug.

The science of microbiology is still developing rapidly, and research is going on rapidly to explore the use of microbes in the treatment of cancer, to address waste management issues, and for the industrial production of many substances.

Further Reading
Microscopy is the scientific field dedicated to the analysis and imaging of materials too small to be viewed with the naked eye.

The simplest of all optical microscopes is the brightfield microscope, however, scientific advances has lead to the development of more complex, modern technologies that fire photons at a sample and analyze the light scattering patterns in order to generate an image of the sample.

False colour transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrograph of a mitotic cell (blue) surrounded by interphase cells. The chromosomes (red) appear as dark clumps. (Jose Luis Calvo | Shutterstock).

Electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy, which emit electrons or electromagnetic radiation, respectively, are commonly used alternatives to optical microscopes, as electrons possess a much smaller wavelength than photons and thus generate an image of far greater resolution.

X-ray microscopy lies between electron and optical microscopy in terms of resolution, though has the advantage of being usable on living biological samples. Finally, scanning probe microscopy utilizes a physical probe to scan the surface of a sample, detecting minute changes in height on the surface of a sample.

Early microscopes

The first real microscopes were developed in the late 16th century. Several inventors of the microscope have been suggested, including various eyeglasses manufactures in the Netherlands and Italian scientist Galileo Galilei.

In 1665, English scientist Robert Hooke published a book on microscopy called: Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses. With Observations and Inquiries Thereupon.

The book contained a significant number of illustrations of samples observed using a variety of magnifying lenses, including many insects and plants, and even contained the first occurrence of the word cell.

Aside from biological samples, Hooke also examined the fine edge of a razor and needle points, noting that the seemingly perfectly sharp razor was in fact jagged, while the needle appeared blunt at such a scale.

Charles Darwin also made great use of optical microscopes in the late 19th century. He undertook major research work on barnacles, using microscopy to describe their internal structure.

Darwin was considered an expert on microscopy during his lifetime, and even sold a microscope of his own design. Darwins microscopy work formed a key part of his theory of speciation, categorizing various extant and extinct species of barnacles, using fossils, into groups. Darwin went on to compare these barnacles with crustaceans, providing compelling evidence regarding the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Modern microscopes

The first scanning electron microscope was created for commercial sale by English scientists Professor Sir Charles Oatley and Dr. Gary Stewart in 1965, working at Cambridge University. They built the original instrument from scratch in the mid 1950s to study the mechanisms of ion sputtering.

Over the next decade various improvements were made by Oatleys team, including the incorporation of magnetic lenses to better aim and focus the electron beam.

Electron microscopes possess a resolution of as low as 0.1 nm, allowing for the imaging of objects such as virus and even strands of DNA. Electrons are produced and emitted from an electron gun, which passes through several lenses and apertures to focus the electron beam before reaching the sample. The whole chamber containing the electron beam and sample are kept at low pressure in order to minimize interference from gas molecules.

Konstantin Kolosov | Shutterstock

Further Reading
DNA testing company 23andMe will soon release a DNA test that can predict an individuals' risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The company wants the test to be available to all, despite concerns from experts.

xsense | Shutterstock

The motto of the company is Everyone has a right to their genetic information. The latest announcement was made this week at the SXSW festival in Austin.

This week, a spokesperson for the company said millions of users of 23andMe would receive information about their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Risk would be determined by a polygenic score, which combines the associated risk from multiple genes that have been linked to diabetes.

23andMe explained that the test would look at 1,244 distinct locations in a persons gene and then calculate the risk of getting diabetes. They speculate that 80 percent of the users would be able to asses if they have an average risk of diabetes while 20 percent would know if they are increasingly likely to get diabetes. Those at high risk would be given predictions such as 3 in 5 lifetime risk of getting diabetes, says 23andMe.

Meet Your Genes: HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 Play

Peter Kraft, an epidemiologist at Harvard Universitys school of public health, said that he would be worried about such predictions being released to consumers, as there are still many unknowns in this field and thus, tests may not be accurate.

In 2013, the United States Government stopped a large number of tests by 23andMe including polygenic predictors because their accuracy could not be proved. One of these tests was that for type 2 diabetes. The report then had said that such predictions may lead to medical measures that may not be really necessary.

At present, says 23andMe diabetes predictions could be part of phone apps that are certified under general wellness and are not real medical advice or diagnoses. This means that they can escape stricter regulations.

Its a common shortcut, but it smashes down the level of risk you can convey to people. Ali Torkamani, The Scripps Research Translational Institute

Ali explained that for some individuals who appear healthy but actually are not underneath, this test may be of help. If they dont know anything about how their blood glucose levels are responding to food, they may have no idea of an underlying issue that could devolve into type 2 diabetes later on, he said.

Like all of our reports, we hold this report to high scientific standards. Its built using data from 2.5 million individuals, which we believe to be the largest cohort ever used to develop a genetic model for type 2 diabetes. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe CEO
For more than two decades, mutations in a gene located in the DNA of mitochondria have been classified as a mitochondrial disease and linked to a particular set of symptoms. However, according to new findings from researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), mutations in this gene, which encodes an essential part of the mitochondrial motor known as ATP synthase that generates cellular energy, are much more variable than previously thought. This prompts the need to develop more precise clinical tests that can better determine the course of treatment for patients affected by mitochondrial disorder. The study was published online on February 14 in the journal Human Mutation.

Mitochondria are structures found within human and animal cells that are responsible for energy production. Mitochondria contain 37 genes encoded in their own DNA (mtDNA) that are separate from the DNA found inside the nucleus of the cell. Variations in more than 350 different genes located across both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA are responsible for causing mitochondrial diseases, which can typically cause more than 16 different symptoms in each patient and affect multiple organs.

Mutations in the mtDNA-encoded ATP synthase membrane subunit 6 gene (MT-ATP6) are found in between 10 and 20 percent of cases of Leigh syndrome, a progressive brain disorder long recognized as a form of mitochondrial disease, and another recognizable condition known as neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa (NARP) syndrome.

"We went into this study wanting to look at the more than 200 reported cases of mitochondrial disease with a MT-ATP6 mutation to better understand the clinical presentation of its many variants," said study leader Rebecca Ganetzky, MD, an attending physician in the Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program at CHOP, and an assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Patients with an MT-ATP6 mutation not only vary significantly in what symptoms they develop, but there has also been extensive variability in biochemistry analyses of their cells and tissues, making it difficult to apply any sort of universal diagnostic or treatment strategy for these patients."

Ganetzky and her colleagues reviewed all of the 218 published cases of MT-ATP6 mitochondrial disease to-date to assess their variants and compare those findings with clinical and biochemical features of the disease. The authors also presented a new clinical case series of 14 additional patients with MT-ATP6 variants of uncertain significance or relation to their medical problems.

What the researchers ultimately found was that despite those having one common mutation, this is a particularly heterogeneous disease in terms of the sequence variations and clinical symptoms that may occur. The study identified a total of 34 variants within the MT-ATP6 mutation, where surprisingly no single biochemical feature was shared by all individuals with these variants.

"This study provides an important point of reference for patients in whom MT-ATP6 variants are discovered in diagnostic testing, as we now recognize just how variable this disease may be," Ganetzky said. "We need to develop better ways to test for this disease, since the classical clinical syndromic presentations of NARP and Leigh syndrome are not sufficient to capture the problems present in all of these patients."

Ganetzky said that future studies are needed to systematically evaluate the functional significance for all of the MT-ATP6 variants. The authors recommend a multi-pronged approach to assessing biochemical diversity, including development of a common community resource of all gene variants along with their biochemical and clinical features. Additionally, a project supported by the National Institutes of Health is under way led by CHOP Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program executive director, Marni J. Falk, MD, to expertly curate MT-ATP6 variants that cause Leigh syndrome. CHOP also offers and continues to investigate a variety of advanced testing techniques for mitochondrial disease, including those that will help better understand mitochondrial energy production effects in patients with MT-ATP6 variants.
The World Health Organisation has said that the world is not prepared for a global flu pandemic and that resources are inadequate. They followed by saying that a global pandemic of flu is a matter of when and not if. The news comes after the WHO released a global influenza strategy.

Kateryna Kon | Shutterstock

In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the influenza pandemic was a threat that is "ever present and the risks are often underestimated. He added, We must be vigilant and prepared - the cost of a major influenza outbreak will far outweigh the price of prevention.

The new development is part of the WHOs Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 to prevent seasonal outbreaks of flu as well as to prevent the spread of flu and its pandemics. The strategy was released earlier this week.

The last flu pandemic was caused by the H1N1 strain of influenza A in 2009 and 2010. During the H1N1 pandemic, at least one in five persons across the world were infected within the first 12 months and overall, there were between 100,000 and 400,000 deaths worldwide.

According to health officials at the WHO, the present risk of the flu pandemic is more deadly because the virus has become deadlier and can spread from animals to humans and mutate to infect thousands of individuals.

Seasonal outbreaks of the flu can affect billions of people annually worldwide. The rapid mutation of the virus makes predicting and preparing vaccines challenging. Of the billions of infections, around 3 to 5 million can turn serious and there are between 290,000 and 650,000 respiratory deaths due to seasonal flu.

The WHO recommends that all individuals need to be vaccinated against flu annually. This is especially true for the vulnerable population including the elderly, young children, those with a compromised immunity and health care workers.

The strategy devised by the WHO suggests that the world's population should be given maximum possible protection from the annual flu outbreaks as well as protection from the pandemic. The strategy also includes surveillance and adequate response to flu alerts across the world.

The WHO urges all the governments to strengthen means for early detection, prevention of occurrence and spread and control and treatment of flu. This includes adequate supply of vaccines and anti-viral drugs.

The three major pandemics before the last one were the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-19 that killed 20 to 50 million individuals, the Asian flu pandemic and the Hong Kong flu pandemic that killed one to four million people each.

With the partnerships and country-specific work we have been doing over the years, the world is better prepared than ever before for the next big outbreak, but we are still not prepared enough. This strategy aims to get us to that point. Fundamentally, it is about preparing health systems to manage shocks, and this only happens when health systems are strong and healthy themselves. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

Source:

WHO launches new global influenza strategy. World Health Organisation (WHO) news report. 11th March 2019.
Until recently, physicians had generally assumed that older adults benefit from keeping their blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg. However, researchers from Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin have now found that this assumption does not apply to all patients with high blood pressure. The reality is, in fact, quite the opposite: lower blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of death in adults over the age of 80, and in adults who have previously had a heart attack or stroke. Results from this study have been published in the European Heart Journal*.

Approximately 70 to 80 percent of 70-year-olds have high blood pressure - a condition which, over the long term, can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke. Physicians refer to professional guidelines when deciding how to treat a person with high blood pressure. In order to protect against cardiovascular disease in people over the age of 65, the European guidelines recommend a target blood pressure of below 140/90 mmHg. While the same target values apply in persons over the age of 80, additional factors, such as an individual patient's comorbidities, should be taken into account. Professional associations in the US even go so far as to recommend a target value of under 130/80 mmHg for all patients aged over 65. The scientific debate over which target values produce the best outcomes in older patients with high blood pressure remains ongoing.

Using an observational study design, Charite researchers were able to show that blood pressure-lowering (antihypertensive) drugs administered to achieve target levels of under 140/90 mmHg do not always have a protective effect. Results were even more pronounced for target levels below 130/80 mmHg. These findings are based on epidemiological data from more than 1,600 men and women, all of whom were receiving treatment for high blood pressure and were aged 70 or over at the beginning of the study in 2009. The researchers found that mortality was 40 percent higher in 80-year-olds with blood pressure levels below 140/90 mmHg than in those whose blood pressure exceeded 140/90 mmHg. Observations were similar in participants who had previously had a heart attack or stroke. Notably, mortality was 61 percent higher among patients whose blood pressure was under 140/90 mmHg than in patients whose blood pressure remained above this level despite antihypertensive treatment. "Our results show clearly that, within these groups of patients, antihypertensive treatment should be adjusted based on the needs of the individual," explains the study's first author, Dr. Antonios Douros of Charite's Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. He adds: "We should move away from the blanket approach of applying the recommendations of professional associations to all groups of patients."

The epidemiological data used were collected as part of the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS), which is led by Prof. Dr. Elke Schaffner, Deputy Director of Charite's Institute of Public Health. At two-yearly intervals, researchers asked participants about their medical conditions and medicines, measured their blood pressure and kidney function, and analyzed both blood and urine samples. After six years, the data were statistically analyzed to determine whether and to what extent blood pressure might have an effect on mortality. This analysis took into account other potentially relevant factors, such as gender, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, diabetes and the number of antihypertensive drugs. "As a next step, we want to study which groups of patients actually benefit from antihypertensive treatment," remarks Prof. Schaffner.
Defining the stability of a pharmaceutical product is critical to ensuring patient safety and the desired clinical outcomes. Both the presence of toxic degradation products and the loss of efficacy can have fatal consequences. Stability testing is thus routinely performed on pharmaceutical products at each stage of development.

 igorstevanovic/Shutterstock.com

Such testing is essential to ensure that the drug product maintains the desired efficacy and purity after transportation and storage. Various constituents of the pharmaceutical product, including the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), have the potential to undergo physical changes as the result of impact, vibration, abrasion, fluctuations temperature and humidity, microbiological changes or degradation reactions. Such changes may in turn reduce its potency, or lead to the formation of toxic degradation products.

Rigorous testing is conducted to provide confidence that pharmaceutical products maintain post-production quality levels until the time they reach consumers. The results of stability testing are used to provide an indication on the product label of the time up to which it is guaranteed that the medicine will be safe and effective.

Such testing is now governed by strict regulations, and stability testing data are required for a new drug or formulation to receive regulatory approval. All ingredients and products of enforced degradations must be separated and individually characterised using validated methodologies.

Stability testing is thus a complex process as the effects of a variety of factors that may influence stability must be assessed. In addition, drug entities are becoming more and more complex, posing more challenges to achieving reliable separation and identification of all constituents. This has driven the demand for increasingly sensitive and cost-effective analytical methodologies.

Stability-Indicating Test Development

A stability-indicating test must be specifically tailored for each drug product so that the content of active ingredients and degradation products can be accurately measured. Since there is no single assay or parameter that can characterize complex pharmaceutical products, the manufacturer is required to propose a stability-indicating methodology and demonstrate that it is adequate to detect changes in the identity, purity and potency of their product.

At Pittcon 2019, Kim HuynhBa of Pharmalytik will be discussing the importance of accuracy and precision in stress testing methodologies and the key aspects to consider in the development and validation of stability-indicating methods in her presentation entitled Key Factors to Develop Stability-Indicating Methods for Pharmaceutical Products.

A time-consuming systematic method development process must be followed on discovering a novel drug candidate to identify an appropriate analytical strategy. Licensing applications must include data proving that the proposed techniques meet proper standards of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility and are suitable for their intended purpose.

Michael Dong of MWD Consulting will be describing further ways to accelerate UHPLC method development, including a 3-pronged method template approach, in his presentation at Pittcon 2019 entitled UHPLC in Method Development of Stability-Indicating Methods.

In addition, Margaret Maziarz of Waters Corporation, will be presenting a systematic protocol that enables quick development of UHPLC methodologies for screening active pharmaceutical ingredients in a presentation entitled Streamlined Method Development for Screening Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Cough and Cold Medication Using a Systematic Protocol.

Choosing the Correct Chromatography Configuration

Advances in liquid chromatography technology over the last decade have enabled a tremendous increase in the separation performance achievable, for example by pressure increases from HPLC to UHPLC. There are now myriad combinations of techniques to choose from and it is important to choose the correct configuration for optimal results. As Ken Broeckhoven of Vrije Universiteit Brussels will explain in presentation at Pittcon 2019 entitled Guidelines to Make Optimal Use of Ultra-High Pressures in Pharmaceutical Analysis, for some applications HPLC with a different particle type or column length will be more advantageous than a conversion to UHPLC.

The options are further extended by the recent development of multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) that uses a series of chromatographic columns connected in sequence to allow different separation stages. This novel strategy for characterizing new drug entities will be detailed by Kelly Zhang of Genentech in her presentation at Pittcon 2019 entitled Recent Advances in Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography for Pharmaceutical Analysis. Such a strategy is particularly useful for the separation of compounds with multiple chiral centers.

Selecting a Spectroscopic Detection Technique

Once separated by chromatography, the pharmaceutical ingredients and degradation products must be characterised and quantified. The non-destructive nature and high accuracy of spectroscopy makes it the analytical method of choice for stability testing analyses. Spectroscopy is used throughout pharmaceutical production to confirm levels of APIs and impurities.

Until recently visual ultraviolet (UV-vis) spectroscopy was typically used for this purpose, but today near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) is more commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. It has the benefit of allowing individual tablets to be analysed with high accuracy and is associated with less-important variability.

NIRS instrumentation can be integrated into the manufacturing process so in-line analysis can provide real-time assessment of quality. The use of spectroscopic techniques, including NIRS, for in-line monitoring of pharmaceutical oral solid dosage will be explored by Benoit Igne of GlaxoSmithKline in his presentation at Pittcon 2019 entitled Progress and Challenges for Low Dose Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Formulations.

is a powerful tool for providing detailed spatial and spectral chemical information, will also be presented at Pittcon 2019 in the presentation Accelerated Confocal Raman Imaging by Dynamic Sparse Sampling of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients delivered by Zhengtian Song of Purdue University. The supervised learning approach to dynamic sampling (SLADS) enables images to be taken only of data-rich areas so quality images can be obtained from fewer data points.

Find out more at Pittcon 2019

Pittcon 2019 will expand on the technologies highlighted here and provide insight into the analytical advances likely to further enhance pharmaceutical screening in the future. Check out the Pittcon 2019 guide to learn more about the planned presentations, symposia and short courses.

Numerous market-leading producers of bioanalytical technologies, products and services, including Advion, Bruker, ThermoFisher and Waters Corporation, will also be present at Pittcon 2019 to discuss the latest additions to their capabilities and address your specific analytical requirements.

References

About Pittcon

Pittcon is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science.

Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, kindergarten through adult. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries and museums.

Visit pittcon.org for more information.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
(CNN)  The U.S. has underscored to Germany its threat to limit intelligence sharing with countries that use Chinese tech giant Huawei to build their 5G communications networks.

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell sent a letter to the German government last week threatening to curtail German access to U.S. intelligence if Berlin decides to issue contracts to Huawei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

"The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy has indeed received a letter; there is no comment on its content from their side. There will be a quick reply," said Matthias Wehler, spokesperson at the German embassy in DC. Germany announced March 7 that it wouldn't ban any company from bidding on 5G contracts.

The letter, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, echoes a steady drumbeat of warnings by top US officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, who flagged Huawei's alleged connections to Chinese intelligence and its ability to compromise national security by selling equipment with "backdoors" that could allow for unauthorized surveillance.

A potent irritant

CNN reported Monday that even as major US wireless carriers and the federal government shun Huawei over national security concerns, its technology is widely deployed by a number of small, federally-subsidized carriers that buy cheaper Chinese-made hardware to place atop their cell towers  in some cases providing exclusive coverage to rural areas close to U.S. military bases.

As the U.S. lobbies against Huawei, now the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, the issue is straining U.S. ties with some allies and is becoming a potent irritant in a U.S.-China relationship already strained by trade friction.

China and Huawei have vigorously pushed back on the US charges and the telecom giant has announced plans to file suit against the US over the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which bans U.S. federal agencies from buying Huawei products.

The 5G network is the next generation of wireless networks that promises to be 100 times faster and more reliable than current technology. It is a market that will be worth billions, as 5G will require compatible new phones and communications equipment.

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. And mobile operators around the world have said the U.S. campaign is complicating their efforts to upgrade their networks.

Germany's March 7 announcement that it will not bar any companies from bidding to build the country's 5G networks follows a similar decision by the United Kingdom. Both countries argue they can mitigate any risks and their decisions could make it harder for Washington to convince smaller countries to follow suit.

The State Department has not replied to request for comment about Grenell's letter, but a National Security Council spokesperson outlined how Huawei's 5G networks could pose a constantly evolving and shifting threat.

"Because 5G networks are largely software-defined, updates pushed to the network by the manufacturer can radically change how they operate," Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told CNN. "The 5G networks our allies buy won't be the networks that they eventually operate, as the software could be changed on a moment-to-moment basis by the manufacturer."

'Every place I go'

The public U.S. pressure campaign on allies to reject Huawei follows the Trump administration's request for Canada to arrest Huawei's deputy chairwoman Meng Wangzhou for Iran sanctions violations.

The U.S. has pushed for a ban on Huawei technology with the UK, Australia, Poland, the European Union, the Philippines and a slew of other countries. Security concerns have led Australia to completely ban the company's technology and New Zealand has moved to partially restrict it.

In February, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the costs of adopting Huawei technology explicit to European colleagues.

Speaking in Hungary, the top U.S. diplomat said that if allies choose Huawei equipment and it "is co-located where we have important American systems, it makes it more difficult for us to partner alongside them."

In March, he fleshed that out, telling students in Iowa that "every place that I go, countries that are considering putting Huawei technology into their government infrastructure."

Noting that the company is state-owned and has "deep connections" to intelligence services, its founder was an engineer with the People's Liberation Army, Pompeo said there's a real risk "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."

Earlier this year the German government discussed the need to ensure security if Huawei was used. Chancellor Angela Merkel said they were trying to make sure that the company would not hand over all of its information to the Chinese government.

"We need to talk to China to ensure that companies do not simply give up all data that is used to the Chinese state," Merkel said. She added that "safeguards" were needed to protect data.

Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, struck a defiant tone in the face of US attempts to curb his company's international reach and prosecute his daughter. "There's no way the U.S. can crush us," Ren said in a BBC interview that aired Tuesday. "The world needs Huawei because we are more advanced."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US warns Germany that using Huawei tech will come at a cost."
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A new attack by the armed men killed 16 people on Sunday in a village in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna, local police said Monday.

Yakubu Sabo, a state police spokesperson, who confirmed this to reporters in Kaduna, said the armed men entered Barde village under Maro town in Kajuru area and started shooting sporadically which led to the death of 16 people.

He said upon receiving information, the police mobilized teams of operatives alongside military personnel with a view to apprehending the perpetrators and restoring normalcy to the area.

The spokesperson added that operation was ongoing and the situation has been brought under control.

Sabo appealed for calm and extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were affected by the recent carnage. Local police have launched an investigation into the incident, he added.

Kaduna state is one of the states witnessing a number of attacks recently. Unidentified gunmen attacked eight villages in Kajuru area of Kaduna on Feb. 15, leading to more than 130 deaths. Local authorities confirmed on Feb. 27 four villages in the same area were attacked by gunmen, with 29 people killed, including a policeman.
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U.S. President Donald Trump presented to Congress on Monday a budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 that contained stiff spending cuts across non-defense federal agencies, and a hike in defense money.

According to the 4.7-trillion-U.S.-dollar budget proposal, the Trump administration plans to cut domestic spending by 5 percent over the next year, or a nearly 30-billion-dollar reduction, involving programs on education, health care and environment protections, among others.

The budget blueprint, designed for fiscal year 2020 that starts on Oct. 1, proposes 2.7-trillion-dollar spending cuts over the next decade, including 1.9 trillion dollars in cuts to mandatory programs, a senior administration official told a briefing Monday.

The official said the budget "will have more reductions in spending than any president in history has ever proposed."

The budget plan foresees a 1.1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and a 1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2022. The Trump administration predicts that the United States will return to budget balance in 2034.

In addition, the U.S. national debt has exceeded 22 trillion dollars, according to the budget document, which said "Washington must fix its longtime spending problem."

The White House projected that the government will pay 482 billion dollars on interest payments for the debt next year. "If nothing is done, interest payments alone on the Federal Government's debt will double by 2023 and exceed spending on the U.S. military by 2024," the budget document asserted.

The budget roadmap would increase defense spending by nearly 5 percent to 750 billion dollars from 716 billion in fiscal year 2019.

It also seeks 8.6 billion dollars for constructing additional sections of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico -- 5 billion dollars in funding for the Department of Homeland Security and 3.6 billion dollars for the Department of Defense's military construction funds.

The administration official said the White House believes it is important to engage the appropriators in the national defense authorization process in a transparent manner, and "to be able to transparently put forward money that we would anticipate being drawn down from military construction accounts."

Other highlights of the budget proposal include making the Republican tax cuts permanent, and a 200-billion-dollar funding for infrastructure that, according to the official, involves not only surface transportation but also broadband.

The budget also requests 6.1 billion dollars for the Environmental Protection Agency, down 2.8 billion dollars, or 31 percent, from the estimate for fiscal year 2019. The administration official said that "6 billion dollars at a time of 1-trillion-dollar deficit is something that is affordable for the country."

The Trump administration will provide a federal tax credit of up to 50 billion dollars over 10 years for donations to scholarship programs elementary and secondary students seeking state-level public or private education. It is part of the "school choice initiative."

The budget proposes a welfare reform setting more stringent work requirements for working-age individuals, a move the administration said would save 327 billion dollars.
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Two-thirds of German voters would like to see Chancellor Angela Merkel govern until the end of the legislative period in autumn 2021, according to a poll conducted by Forsa Institute and published on Monday.

Voters of all political parties in Germany except the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) would like Merkel to stay in office, Forsa said. Only 29 percent of all respondents polled on behalf of German television stations RTL and n-tv wanted Merkel, the head of Germany's government, to resign early.

Merkel has been German chancellor for 13 years. She resigned as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) back in October but expressed her intention to remain chancellor until 2021.

The Forsa poll showed that her popularity has since increased, with 67 percent of Germans wanting Merkel to remain in office until 2021, compared to 55 percent in 2018.

At 80 percent, Merkel's highest approval ratings came from supporters of her CDU party and potential voters for the Green Party. Unlike the government coalition, many German cities and states are already ruled by so-called black-green coalitions (CDU and Greens).

Support for Merkel to finish her final term as German chancellor was almost equally strong among supporters of the German Social Democrats (SPD), the Christian Social Union (CSU), traditional voters of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and even Germany's Die Linke (Left Party).

Meanwhile, a huge majority of AfD supporters -- 75 percent -- were in favor of Merkel's premature replacement as chancellor.

The Forsa poll also found that if Merkel were to resign before the end of her term, 56 percent of Germans would be in favor of new national elections.

However, the respondents were uncertain about what result they would seek from early elections. Only 12 percent would want a continuation of the current governing coalition, while 17 percent would support a coalition made up of the CDU-CSU, the FDP and the Greens.

Merkel's announcement last year that she was resigning as leader of the CDU led to much discussion among Germany's political parties about who should lead the country in future, particularly if Merkel were to resign earlier as chancellor.
Marvel Comics will make a star of What If?'s Captain Carter in March

Captain Carter, one of the breakout stars of the animated What If...? breaks into her own Marvel Comics solo title this spring
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The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing held the first ever Pakistan Students Forum at the embassy on March 10. Around 400 students, including a large number of female students from 42 universities in China, participated in the event.

Welcoming the students, the Ambassador of Pakistan Masood Khalid lauded their performance and appreciated their efforts and role in positive projection of Pakistan through academic and cultural pursuits.

Mentioning that over 25,000 Pakistani student community is the third largest in China and it is also the top recipient of Chinese scholarships, the Ambassador described it as a manifestation of growing cooperation in education sector.

He highlighted the importance present government was giving to education and said that educational cooperation was now an important component of bilateral ties between Pakistan and China. The Ambassador also referred to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which has opened up new opportunities for job creation and skill development of Pakistani youth.

The Ambassador termed the students as an asset for Pakistan and urged them to work hard and observe unity in their ranks to be effective goodwill ambassadors of Pakistan in China.

Earlier officers of the Pakistan Embassy gave detailed presentations on the status of current cooperation between Pakistan and China in educational, scientific, and cultural fields. The presentation on Consular and Community Services being rendered by the Embassy were also part of the program.

The students actively participated in the interactive session and appreciated Embassy's outreach efforts in providing an opportunity for sharing their views on various aspects of student life in China.
New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump on Monday presented to Congress a budget proposal for fiscal year 2020. The plan seeks billions more in funding for the controversial border wall. In budget blueprint, the Trump administration plans to cut non-defence domestic spending by 5 percent over the next year, or a nearly 30-billion-dollar reduction, involving programs on education, health care and environment protection. The budget roadmap would increase defence spending by nearly 5 percent to 750 billion dollars from 716 billion dollars in fiscal year 2019.

The proposals are likely to resistance from Democrats, especially coming off a partial shutdown triggered by a border wall dispute that only ended when Trump declared a national emergency over immigration.

In the last two years, President Trump and this Administration have prioritized reining in reckless Washington spending. The Budget that we have presented to Congress and the American people, A Budget for a Better America, embodies fiscal responsibility, and takes aim at Washingtons waste, fraud, and abuse, said Acting Director Vought. Our national debt nearly doubled under the previous Administration and now stands at more than $22 trillion. This Budget shows that we can return to fiscal sanity without halting our economic resurgence while continuing to invest in critical priorities. President Trumps Budget for 2020 will balance in 15 years, end runaway spending, and secure prosperity for future generations, according to the White House press release.

The budget plan foresees a 1.1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and a 1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2022. The administration predicts that the United States will return to budget balance in 2034.



The White House projected that the government will pay 482 billion dollars on interest payments for the debt next year. "If nothing is done, interest payments alone on the Federal Government's debt will double by 2023 and exceed spending on the U.S. military by 2024," the budget document asserted.

The administration official said the White House believes it is important to engage the appropriators in the national defence authorization process in a transparent manner, and "to be able to transparently put forward money that we would anticipate being drawn down from military construction accounts."

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New Delhi:

Civil Aviation Secretary on Tuesday said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is monitoring the Ethiopia plane mishap situation very closely following the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash. They are in touch with the manufacturers (Boeing) and FAA and are also keeping a watch on the action taken by other countries. Earlier, Singapore grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, according to reports. The investigators recovered one of two black box recorders on the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 that crashed just outside Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew, Ethiopian state media reported.



The Ethiopian Airlines CEO and Kenya's transport minister said Indians, Canadians, Chinese, Americans and others are among the many nationalities among the victims of Sunday morning's deadly plane crash after takeoff from Addis Ababa.



Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office tweeted it "would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning."

Aviation watchdog DGCA has issued strict safety instructions for flying Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes by SpiceJet and Jet Airways, including that the pilot-in-command should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience, a day after an aircraft crash that killed 157 people in Ethiopia. "The minimum experience level of crew operating B737 Max aircraft to fly as PIC (Pilot-in-Command) is 1,000 hours and co-pilot is 500 hours on Boeing 737 NG aircraft type," the regulator said. Besides, SpiceJet and Jet Airways have been asked to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX 8 planes.



China on Monday ordered domestic airlines to suspend commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. According to an aviation website The Air Current, Chinese airlines make up fully one-third of all 737 deliveries and is Boeings most important and strategic customer. In another related development, Cayman Airways have also suspended the Boeing operations.

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Washington:

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India will supports its efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the "authoritarian" Maduro regime. The issue was discussed in a meeting with the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference in Washington, without providing insight into it. "We are asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: Do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime. So we talked about (Venezuela) I certainly won't characterize the conversations; they're private conversations," Pompeo said in response to a question.

"In the same way that India has been incredibly supportive of our efforts in Iran, I'm confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people. We had a good conversation around that," Pompeo said.

At a news conference, Pompeo said the nations that support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are, by the nature of this "illegitimate" regime, carrying out the very foreign interventionism of which they accuse others.

"Today, the United States is drawing a clear line between those who aid the forces of repression and those who give life to the Venezuelan people's democratic dreams. There is no ambiguity here about the truth," he said.

Similar kind of warning to other nations was issued by US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

"The United States will not stand idly by while foreign financial institutions facilitate illegitimate transactions that benefit Maduro and his cronies, and perpetuate the corruption that has devastated Venezuela," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Treasury sanctioned a Russia-based bank attempting to circumvent US sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA. It sanctioned Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russia and Venezuela, for being involved in facilitating illegitimate transactions that prolong Maduro's usurpation of democracy, it said.

"The illegitimate Maduro regime has profited off of the suffering of the Venezuelan people," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela," he said.

In another tweet, Bolton asked international banks not to have relationship with the Maduro regime.

"Bankers: Do not help Maduro and his accomplices steal the assets of the Venezuelan people. The United States is watching. The world is watching. The Venezuelan people are watching," he said.

Maduro is facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido who declared himself acting president in January.

The US views Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader and has imposed sanctions on the country's oil sector besides taking other actions targeting top government officials.

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New Delhi:

Dressed in super-expensive ostrich leather jacket, absconding diamond merchant Nirav Modi was spotted in London recently. His calm demeanour may have ruffled some feathers back home in India. But a latest report says that India had chance to arrest the PNB accused, but allegedly inaction on part of officials in Delhi meant that Modi was roaming free in the UK. According to an NDTV report, the UK officials had offered to arrest and extradite Modi to India. But no communication on part of Indian officials resulted in UK agencies putting the case on backburner.

The report says that the Serious Fraud Office in London had contacted Indian officials first time in February, 2018. This was the time when Delhi was frantically trying to locate the diamantaire. In March, 2018, the UK had confirmed that Modi was in London. By August, 2018, two more alerts were sent to Indian officials. UK had appointed Barry Stancombeon this case. His team sough additional information to arrest Modi. Allegedly, there was no response from Indian side. The report says that by December, 2018, the UK officials stopped pursuing New Delhi for more papers on Modi.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday filed a fresh chargesheet against PNB scam accused Nirav Modi under the anti-money laundering law, officials said. They said the chargesheet or the prosecution complaint has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai.

This is a supplementary chargesheet against the diamantaire and few others and the agency has recorded additional evidences gathered in the case and attachments made, they said. Further details about the contents of the chargesheet are awaited.

The development comes two days after a British daily reported that Nirav Modi, accused in the $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, is living in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is now involved in new diamond business.

The ED had said on March 9 that the United Kingdom's home secretary has recently referred India's request for extraditing the tainted businessman to a court for initiating legal proceedings against him. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed the first charge sheet in this case in May last year.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi:

In a first of its kind move, Peer to Peer lending start-up PaisaDukan has opened its first rural operations office in Madhubani of Bihar in a bid to enable last mile credit facility to under-served citizens of rural areas.

We aim to break such barriers and take the first step to introduce an option for rural borrowers by operating within the boundaries of the regulations institutionalised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the PaisaDukan said in a statement.

As the Indian economy hugely depends upon financial inclusion especially in the rural areas, we are committed to extend our business operations to unserved and financially deprived areas of the country with our first rural operations office in Madhubani district of Bihar. We believe that unless we dont reach out to last mile population to include the financially excluded community, we cannot dream to become an economic super power, said Rajiv M Ranjan, Founder and CMD of PaisaDukan.

PaisaDukan was the first new entrants to receive the Certificate of Registration from Reserve Bank of India in May 2018 to operate as NBFC-P2P company.

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New Delhi:

Aviation watchdog DGCA has issued strict safety instructions for flying Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes by SpiceJet and Jet Airways, including that the pilot-in-command should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience, a day after an aircraft crash that killed 157 people in Ethiopia. Taking serious note of the second deadly crash involving a 737 MAX plane globally in less than five months, the civil aviation ministry also ordered a "safety assessment" of these aircraft and the watchdog is also holding consultation with safety regulators around the world. In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said interim safety measures are being taken with inputs available at this stage.

"The minimum experience level of crew operating B737 Max aircraft to fly as PIC (Pilot-in-Command) is 1,000 hours and co-pilot is 500 hours on Boeing 737 NG aircraft type," the regulator said. Besides, SpiceJet and Jet Airways have been asked to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX 8 planes.

These include conditions that Minimum Equipment List (MEL) would not be released for operating an aircraft in case dual auto pilot mode and certain other parts are inoperative.

Any error which comes across would have to be rectified before releasing the aircraft for line maintenance as well as ensuring that angle of attack' (AOA) is in null position.

Generally, AOA is crucial in determining the angle at which an aircraft flies relative to the direction of air.

"The DGCA will continue to closely monitor the situation and may impose/ take any other operational/ maintenance measures/ restrictions based on the information received from accident investigation agency/ FAA (Federal Aviation Administration/ Boeing," the statement said.

The operators have to ensure that no MAX aircraft in their fleet is operated without compliance with DGCA's latest directions with effect from 1200 hours on March 12, the statement said.

In a statement, cash-strapped Jet Airways said Monday it is not currently operating any of the five 737 MAX planes in its fleet.

There was no comment from SpiceJet regarding the 737 MAX aircraft. Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has asked aviation watchdog DGCA to undertake safety assessment of Boeing 737 MAX planes operated by domestic airlines.

"Safety of the passengers is our utmost concern. Directed Secretary and DGCA to take appropriate action immediately," Prabhu said in a tweet. Jet Airways has placed orders for 225 737 MAX planes with Boeing and some have already been delivered.

SpiceJet, which has embarked on ambitious expansion plans, has a deal with Boeing for up to 205 aircraft, including at least 155 737 MAX 8 planes. The 737 MAX is the fastest selling airplane in Boeing's history.

Currently, SpiceJet has 13 737 MAX 8 planes, as per data available with planespotters.net website. On Sunday, 157 people, including four Indians, were killed when a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines' 737 MAX aircraft crashed after taking off from Addis Ababa.

This was the second time in less than five months that a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane crashed. In October 2018, an aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed killing over 180 people in Indonesia. Last December, the DGCA asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet to immediately report any "abnormal" issues related to the MAX plane's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), following the Lion Air crash.

MCAS is a kind of stall-recovery system that is used in Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and generally alerts the pilot in case there is stalling of the plane or fall in speed, among others. Prior to that, the DGCA, in November 2018, asked the two carriers to take corrective action to address possible issues with their 737 MAX planes that could lead to "significant altitude loss" of the aircraft.

In the wake of the Ethiopia accident, various jurisdictions and airlines have initiated actions, including grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has asked its local carriers to stop commercial flights with 737 MAX 8 planes and Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its fleet of such aircraft. After the crash in Ethiopia, Boeing, on Sunday, said it was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane.

"The 737 MAX is the fastest selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating nearly 4,700 orders from more than 100 customers, worldwide," according to Boeing website.

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New Delhi:

Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday lunched a scathing attack against the Centre over complete statehood demand for Delhi and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer the 2014 promise, where BJP had guaranteed statehood for the National Capital. Addressing media in Delhi, the Chief Minister said that both PM and Home Minister have no time to meet or address the concerns of Delhis citizens. He lamented that despite giving Rs 1.5 lakh crore as taxes, the Centre has been creating hurdles for the National Capital.

Talking about policing in the National Capital, Kejriwal alleged that the law and order has collapsed under the BJP leadership. He claimed that the Centre has been unfair to people of Delhi. According to Kejriwal, an internal survey says that the Aam Aadmi Party will lead on all seven seats in Delhi. The AAP has set up seven war rooms for each constituency in the National Capital, which will have legal teams, campaign teams. Kejriwal said that in the Lok Sabha Elections, Delhi will vote for complete statehood. AAPs national convenor announced that 85% jobs and university seats will be reserved for Delhis young men and women after it attains full statehood.

Earlier, Kejriwal had termed the Congress "arrogant" and claimed that its candidates would lose their deposits in the polls. At a public meeting, Kejriwal claimed his party tried persuading the Congress to forge an alliance, but "it did not understand".

Recently, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit had said there's unanimity in the party against an alliance with the AAP for Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.

"Congress (candidates) will lose their deposits in Delhi in Lok Sabha elections," Kejriwal claimed.

The Delhi CM, while addressing the gathering in minority-dominated Mustafabad, requested people to make sure that votes don't get split between the Congress and the AAP.

"Vote for the AAP in Delhi because only it can defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Speculation over a pre-poll alliance between the Congress and the AAP still persists, even as Rahul Gandhi has already said the Delhi unit of his party is against it.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj has demanded the Lok Sabha ticket from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh and warned the aconsequences may not be positivea if he is not given a ticket to contest. Sakshi Maharaj has registered a resounding performance from the Unnao constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In a letter to BJP state unit president Mahendra Nath Pandey, Sakshi Maharaj said: "I want to get your attention to the Unnao constituency. In this seat, I had won by three lakh fifteen thousand votes. Congress and BSP had to forfeit their deposits. SP was placed second. As per the SP-BSP alliance, this seat has been given to SP."

"If from Unnao, the party decides to field any other candidate, then this would hurt crores of my workers in the state and across the country. Its consequence won't be positive."

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj in a letter to Mahendra Nath Pandey, UP BJP Chief: Therefore, I request you to approve my candidature from Unnao constituency once again for the upcoming #LokSabhaElection2019 https://t.co/jZNkufPTGW a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2019

The BJP leader has also urged that he should once again be allowed to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Unnao constituency. He also claims that he would defeat his rivals by four to five lakh votes. "I would further like to add that I have no intention of fighting the election from any other constituency. I am confident that you would understand my emotions and will not allow any injustice to happen."

Last year, Sakshi Maharaj had dared Congress president Rahul Gandhi to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls against him, saying he will leave politics if he defeats him.

"I challenge Rahul Gandhi to contest the 2019 general elections against me (from Unnao). I will leave politics if he wins, but if he loses, he should leave (India) for Italy," the BJP MP had said.
New Delhi:

The Congress is making a huge statement by holding the key CWC meeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home turf in Gujarat. But all eyes will be on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The star campaigner of the Congress, who have been assigned the responsibility of 41 seats, will address the party workers shortly. The last CWC meet in Gujarat was held 58 years ago. The "Sankalp Rally", to be held at Adalaj, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, 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.

Here are highlights of the meeting:

16:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI director was sacked within hours because he was going to begin an inquiry into Rafale deal, alleges Rahul Gandhi

16:39 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In First time in history, 4 Supreme Court judges went to press and said they are not allowed to work. Generally, people go to SC for justice but in todays Hindustan, SC judges are going to public and asking for justice, says Rahul Gandhi

16:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Modi lauds the IAF but does not tell the country that he stole Rs 30,000 crore from the Air Force and gave it to Anil Ambani, says Rahul Gandhi.

16:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In After years, CWC meeting has taken place in Gujarat. We conducted the meeting here, because there's fight between two ideologies in the country & in Gujarat you will find both the ideologies, says Rahul Gandhi

16:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We waived farm loans within 10 days of coming to power in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, says Rahul Gandhi

16:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In







Rahul asks why the BJP government is not waiving farm loans













16:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Issues which should be raised must comprise as to what is most important for you and how can you move forward. How will youth get jobs, how will women feel safe, what will be done for farmers. These are the issues for elections, says Priyanka Gandhi

16:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In You will have to think what exactly is this election. What are you going to choose in this election? You are going to choose your future. Useless issues should not be raised, says Priyanka Gandhi

16:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In This country is made on the foundations of love, harmony & brotherhood. Today whatever is happening in the country is very sad, says Priyanka Gandhi

16:16 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Priyanka Gandhi slams BJP government on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pre-poll promise of Rs 15 lakh in each bank account.

16:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Addressing CWC meeting, Priyanka Gandhi launches a scathing attack on the BJP government, questoning it over women's security.

16:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Atmosphere of fear, insecurity pervasive particularly among women, students, academics, and business community, says CWC resolution

15:50 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CWC sends unequivocal message to India's enemies that the country stands united to defeat their nefarious agenda: Resolution

15:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM seeking to divide nation, questioning patriotism of his and BJP's political opponents ahead of polls, says Anand Sharma

13:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Patidar leader Hardik Patel has reached Sardar Patel Smarak. He is likely to join the Congress in presence of Gandhis.



12:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Prior to the meeting, the top leadership went to Sabarmati Ashram to pay their tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
New Delhi:

The Congress on Tuesday sent out a strong message to its political rivals for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections next month as party chief Rahul Gandhi said that ano sacrifice is too great in this endeavour.a Setting the tone of the General Elections, Gandhi took to Twitter and said that, aOn the anniversary of Gandhi Jias historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger & divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won.a

A

On the anniversary of Gandhi Jias historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger & divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won. pic.twitter.com/w6PhAIbYMs a Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 12, 2019

The CWC meet, which was led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was held in Ahmedabad. Apart from Singh and Gandhi, the CWC meet was attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior leaders.A

Meanwhile, there are reports that meeting of the Central Election Committee of Congress party will be held on March 14. This meeting will be scheduled to take place at the residence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The UPA chairperson also slammed the Modi government during the CWC meet and said that, aPMaModi plays the victim card, but the people of this country are the real victims of his policies.a

The Congress made a huge statement by holding the key CWC meeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modias home turf in Gujarat. But all eyes were on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The star campaigner of the Congress, who have been assigned the responsibility of 41 seats, will address the party workers. The last CWC meet in Gujarat was held 58 years ago. The "Sankalp Rally", to be held at Adalaj, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, 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.
New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Sunday announced that the Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 and the counting of votes will be held on May 23. Also, the poll panel announced that the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh will be held simultaneously along with the Lok Sabha polls. However, the EC did not mention about holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. As far as poll campaigning is considered, the model code of conduct and its pre-certified political advertisement rules will apply to the social media as well. The Election Commission has expressed its concern over the impact of fake news and inflammatory content on social media on poll outcomes.



"The Internet and Mobile Association of India, in consultation with the Election Commission, is formulating a set of code of ethics for intermediary online platforms. This is work in progress," said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.



To check for fake news, social media platforms have been asked to appoint officers and take action against offenders. These "grievance officers" will take "necessary and prompt actions against the contents published on their platforms", said Arora.

All major social media platforms  Facebook, Twitter, Google, WhatsApp are committed to accepting only pre-certified political advertisements, sharing expenditure on it with the Election Commission (EC) and adhering to the silence period that comes into effect 48 hours before the polls. "The [Election] Commission has also asked that print and social media be brought within the ambit of Section 126(1) of the Representation of the People Act so that the concept of 'silence period' is honoured and opinion polls are restricted," he said.



However, there is no mention of WhatsApp by the ECI. There is an end-to-end encrypted in WhatsApp and the chats cannot be accessed.



No political party or candidate can display photographs of defence personnel on social media for campaigning purpose.
New Delhi:

Lone MLA of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, Sharad Sonawane on Monday returned to his parent party Shiv Sena in Mumbai. Sonawane, who represents Junnar assembly constituency in Pune district, was the only saving grace for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2014 assembly polls, which saw a sharp decline of the party in Maharashtra politics.

Sonawane, along with his supporters, joined Sena in presence of party president Uddhav Thackeray. The MLA said he spoke to Raj Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis before joining the Sena. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in October this year.

Junnar assembly segment is part of Shirur Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently represented by Sena MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil.

The Shiv Sena on Monday said patriotism is not the monopoly of a single party and falsely calling people "anti-national" just because they are political opponents is nothing but suppression of freedom of expression.

The party's remarks come amid a row over politicisation of the air strike. "Patriotism is not the monopoly of a single party...we wonder when politicians will understand that the action (air strike) was part of duty (of soldiers) and not a task asked to be carried out," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

Those demanding proof of the air strike and the ones seeking votes donning military fatigues are equally wrong, the Sena said, referring to Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari who wore military fatigues at a recent rally.

The Sena said it was an insult to the soldiers and their courage. "Why act frivolously by wearing soldiers' uniforms which they have obtained after rigorous training and hard work? It supports the allegations of the Opposition that the BJP is politicising the air strike," said the Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

The terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed was more serious than the air strike and images of the carnage in Kashmir could be used by the Opposition to corner those in power, the editorial in 'Saamna' said.

"We have basically failed to prevent the casualties of our soldiers, but some wear the camouflage (outfits) and campaign for political reasons. It doesn't look good when the Election Commission has to intervene and ask the political parties not to use images of jawans in political campaigns," it said.

The Sena lauded the "real courage" shown by wives of slain Army officers Colonel Santosh Mahadik and Major Prasad Mahadik, Swati Mahadik and Gauri Mahadik respectively, for their decision to undergo rigorous training and join the armed forces to serve the country.
New Delhi:

In this election season, half the battle is won if a party has won the perception midgame. The Congress is making a huge statement by holding the key CWC meeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home turf in Gujarat. Congress President Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi have reached the venue. But all eyes will be on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The star campaigner of the Congress, who have been assigned the responsibility of 41 seats, will address the party workers shortly.

Days after her foray in active politics as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyankas address will be closely watched by all parties. After years of speculation, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra finally entered active politics last month as she was appointed the Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East. Jyotiraditya Scindia was appointed the general secretary for Uttar Pradesh West. Congress president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi, 47, has always confined her role in politics to the constituencies of her brother Rahul and mother Sonia Gandhi, Amethi and Raebareli, till now. Her appointment is a key development because Uttar Pradesh, the biggest state in the Lok Sabha with 80 seats, is likely to see a triangular contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, Samajwadi-Party-Bahujan Samaj Party combine and Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Also, the fact that Prime Minister Narendra and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath both hold constituencies in eastern UP, makes the job tougher for Priyanka.

The CWC meet will brainstorm on the poll strategy. The last CWC meet in Gujarat was held 58 years ago. The "Sankalp Rally", to be held at Adalaj, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, 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 February 28 meeting of the CWC, the highest decision-making body of the Congress, will be followed by the rally the same day.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh is also attending the rally, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda told reporters here.

"I am glad that Rahul Gandhi accepted our proposal to hold the CWC meet here to mark the 150thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi," he said. The last CWC in Gujarat was held in 1961, he added.

Senior Congress leaders will attend a prayer meet at the Gandhi Ashram here before attending the CWC meeting, to be held at Sardar Patel memorial building Thursday morning.

This will be Rahul Gandhi's second Gujarat visit this month. On February 14, he had addressed a rally at Dharampur in Valsad district.

In the 1961 CWC meeting held in Bhavnagar, the party had passed a resolution to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system and to take up balanced development through the third Five-Year Plan. The resolution also talked about strengthening unity in the country, Chavda said.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi:

Ending days of speculation and negotiations, Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Patel joined the Congress during the ongoing CWC meeting in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

Patel is likely to contest from the Jamnagar constituency which is currently ruled by BJP's Poonamben Maadam.

However, Patel's plans to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the schedule of which was announced by the Election Commission of India on Sunday, may be possible only if he clears legal hurdles.

He has been convicted and sentenced to two years in a riot case connected to the 2015 Patidar quota agitation, which bars him from contesting polls.

"To give shape to my intentions to serve society & country, I have decided to join Indian National Congress on 12th March in presence of Shri Rahul Gandhi & other senior leaders," Patel tweeted Sunday.

"I would also like to state that if there is no legal hindrance and party decides to field me in electoral politics, I would abide by the party's decision. I am taking this step to serve 125 crore citizens of India," he said in another tweet.

In July last year, the sessions court of Visnagar in Mehsana district had sentenced him to two years imprisonment for rioting and arson which took place in Visnagar town in 2015.

While his jail term has been stayed by the court, his conviction has not been suspended.

Patel has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court.

Earlier, on Friday, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had given the go-ahead to Patel to join the Congress.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday penned down a blog as a mark of tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the 89th anniversary of the historic Dandi March. In the blog, titled, 'When a handful of salt shook an Empire!', PM Modi lauded Mahatma Gandhi for fighting against the injustice and inequality perpetrated by the British.

With this blog, the prime minister slammed the Congress party and the culture. Calling it an "anti-thesis of Gandhian thought, PM Modi said that the worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule.

PM Modi also praised Sardar Patelas organisational skills and pointed out that he played a key role in organising the Dandi March against the British rule. aDid you know who had a key role in the planning of the Dandi March?The great Sardar Patel. The organisational man that he was, Sardar Patel planned every minute aspect of the Dandi March, down to the last detail,a PM Modi said in his blog.

Tributes to Bapu and all those who marched with him to Dandi in pursuit of justice and equality.



Sharing a few thoughts on the Dandi March, the ideals of Bapu and his disdain for the Congress culture in my blog.https://t.co/QVuDNCZoXL a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2019

Talking about the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, PM Modi said that his government is working to fulfill Gandhias dream of getting India rid of Congress culture.

aThankfully, today we have a Government at the Centre that is working on Bapuas path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!a PM Modi said.

PM Modi took to Twitter to share the link of his blog and also said, aTributes to Bapu and all those who marched with him to Dandi in pursuit of justice and equality. Sharing a few thoughts on the Dandi March, the ideals of Bapu and his disdain for the Congress culture in my blog.a

Hereas the blog penned by PM Modi:A

Today, 89 years ago, Bapu embarked on the iconic Dandi March. Though aimed at protesting unfair Salt Laws, Dandi March shook the foundations of colonial rule and became a strong symbol of fighting injustice and inequality.

Did you know who had a key role in the planning of the Dandi March?

The great Sardar Patel.

The organisational man that he was, Sardar Patel planned every minute aspect of the Dandi March, down to the last detail. And, the British were so scared of Sardar Sahib that they arrested him a few days before the launch of Dandi March hoping it would scare Gandhi Ji. However, none of that happened. The larger cause of fighting colonialism prevailed over everything else!

Last month I was in Dandi, at the exact spot where Bapu lifted a handful of salt. A state-of-the-art museum has also come up there, which I urge you all to go see.

Gandhi Ji taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person we have seen and think about how our work impacts that person. I am proud to say that in all aspects of our Governmentas work, the guiding consideration is to see how it will alleviate poverty and bring prosperity.

Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture.

Bapu said, a...through realisation of freedom of India I hope to realise and carry on the mission of brotherhood of man.a In many of his works, Gandhi Ji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, the Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule.

Bapu said in 1947, aIt is the duty of all leading men, whatever their persuasion or party, to safeguard the dignity of India. That dignity canat be saved if misgovernment and corruption flourish. Misgovernment and corruption always go together.a We have done everything to punish the corrupt. But, the nation has seen how Congress and corruption have become synonyms. Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam- from defence, telecom, irrigation, sporting events to agriculture, rural development and more.

Bapu spoke about detachment and staying away from excess wealth. However, all that Congress has done is to fill their own bank accounts and lead luxurious lifestyles at the cost of providing basic necessities to the poor.

While interacting with a group of women workers, Bapu said, aI have been receiving complaints that some so called eminent leaders of India are making money through their sons, that nepotism is on the increase as also is corruption and that I should do something about it. If it is true all one can say is that we have reached the limit of our misfortune.a Bapu despised dynastic politics but the aDynasty Firsta is the way for the Congress today.

A firm believer in democracy, Bapu said, aI understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.a Ironically, the Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values.

Gandhi Ji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947.

He lamented, aI am sorry to have to say that many Congressmen have looked upon this item (Swaraj) as a mere political necessity and not as something indispensable.a He also added that Congress leaders are only busy making communal adjustments. In 1937 itself he said, aI would go to the length of giving the whole congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant.a

Thankfully, today we have a Government at the Centre that is working on Bapuas path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!
New Delhi:

Amid buzz over Puri, latest media report says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to stick with Varanasi for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. It should be noted that the temple town of Uttar Pradesh was the parliamentary constituency, which PM Modi had retained in 2014. Fiver years ago, on May 16, 2014, with over five lakhs votes, the Prime Minister registered a stunning victory. According to an NDTV report, the BJP feels that PM Modi contesting from Varanasi will also help the party in overall performance in the state.

In 2014, BJP had won 71 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. PM Modis 2014 victory margin happened to be his first electoral attempt anywhere outside Gujarat. It was also the highest ever for the Lok Sabha seat.The NDTV report also said that its not PM Modi, but BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra who will contest from Odishas temple town. Varanasi will vote on May 19, in the last round of seven-phase polls that start on April 11. The results will be declared on May 23.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought people's "blessings" for the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls, saying his government has made possible what was earlier deemed impossible, but opposition parties said voters will throw it out of power for "wasting" its historic mandate and practising "all talk no work".As the Election Commission declared a seven-phase general election starting April 11, political parties welcomed the much-awaited announcement with the ruling alliance making a pitch for its re-election while its rival expressing confidence of unseating it.

Seeking people's support for the BJP, its president Amit Shah said the Modi government has taken bold decisions for their welfare in its first term and will ensure India's giant leap to make everyone "happy and prosperous" in its second.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government has achieved "phenomenal results" in various spheres of governance during this term, he said, citing a number of its welfare initiatives.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi:

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, addressing her maiden rally after making the political plunge, on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government over a host of issues ranging from women's safety to the BJP's pre-poll promise of 2 crore jobs.

"Where is the Rs 15 lakh that was promised to the people? What happened to the promise of assuring safety to women? Where are the 2 crore jobs?" she said.

"I realised that this country is built with love and harmony. I feel sad at the current situation of the country. There is no better nationalism than being aware. Your vote is your weapon," she added.

RELATED



She was addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairpersonSonia Gandhi were present at the rally near Adalaj village ofGandhinagar district.

Priyanka said the Modi government did not fulfil its promises of providing jobs to crores of people in the country.

"Our institutions are being destroyed. Wherever you see, hatred is being spread. Nothing matters more to us that you and I protect this nation, work for it and move forward together," Priyanka alleged.

Appealing to the voters to make a wise choice in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, she said: "Do not get distracted with unwanted issues. You should realise what benefits you, how you will get employment, how women can be safe. I appeal to you to take your decision with caution."

Amid slogans comparing her with Indira Gandhi, she made a short speech in a conversational style in Hindi, saying this was her first visit to Gujarat.



"When I went to the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, I was almost driven to tears," she said, adding that it was "crucial that the message about real issues should go out from this land of the Mahatma.

Amid slogans comparing her with Indira Gandhi, she made a short speech in a conversational style in Hindi, saying this was her first visit to Gujarat.



"When I went to the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, I was almost driven to tears," she said, adding that it was "crucial that the message about real issues should go out from this land of the Mahatma.

Priyanka Gandhi said the real India was not about spreading hatred everywhere.



"The true nature of India is love and compassion towards one and all, not hatred. It is this very ethos which is being destroyed," she said.

The Congress held a rally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to sound its poll bugle for the crucial Lok Sabha elections.
New Delhi:

Akash Ambani got married to Shloka Mehta in a star studded wedding last week that was an epitome of oppulence and grandeur. After the glamorous apperance of all the Bollywood celebs dressed their best in traditional attire made news now inside videos of the ceremony are making people go ga-ga over the wedding of Ambani scion.

Here's a video that witnessed the grand entry of Shloka Mehta dressed as a bride in a red lehenga and heavy diamond and emerald jewellery to the mandap. As she sets her first foot forward, the groom Akash is taken aback by her beauty and his reaction recorded by the paparrazi is epic.A Not just couldnat he contain his excitement but he also made gestures to her to come to him and join him without further delays. Check out this super cute video of the lovebirds.

A

The couple is childhood sweethearts and their camaraderie is visible in this video. There is no denying that every woman dreams of a wedding like the Ambani and deserves a man in her life who looks at her the way Akash looked at Shloka in the video above.

Akash and Shloka tied the knot on March 9 and Bollywood biggies like Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karisma Kapoor and other emminent personalities like Sundar Pichai, Tony Blair among others attended the ceremony.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Netflixs fourth season of The Crown is in all likelihood set to ruffle a few feathers in the Royal Family as the makers are reportedly looking for an actor to play Princess Diana as a desperate and a lonely self-harmer. According to The Mirror, The Crown's creator, Peter Morgan, believes that these are the characteristics required to make the Princess 'believable', and the struggle of the young princess as she tries to fit in with her in-laws.

The criteria placed on the advert to fit into Princess Dianas s shoe states that they are looking for someone aged 18-22, who is a "staggeringly talented young actress, and they need to be a, "mesmerising new young star with extraordinary range."

The advert reportedly states, "She has to play charming comedy, flirt and social exhibitionist on the world stage, desperate and lonely self-harmer at her lowest ebb and the kind of psychological intensity of Mia Farrow in Rosemarys Baby.

With the advert TV insiders say that Diana's portrayal in the series could 'ruffle a few feathers'. Just last week, the Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace have spelled out the policy banning offensive, hateful and racist language for the royal household. Hence, we are expecting a retaliation with Princess Dianas role.

A TV insider told The Sun, Peter is not going to hold back on how Diana impacted the Royal Family, just as he didnt when he wrote The Queen. It could ruffle a few feathers.

The Crown is on floors for the third season which stars which Oscar winner Olivia Colman as the older in place of Claire Foy, Queen and Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret. The third Netflix series of The Crown will be released on Netflix in July.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Who knew Shah Rukh Khanas charm is even among the highlights of the popular rock band, Coldplay? Well, we do now with the bandas tweet! A Just a few days ago, the Coldplayas Chris Martin took to Twitter to share a list of songs he is currently in love with at his official Twitter handle with the ending "Shah Rukh Khan forever".

This tweet has of course, not gone unnoticed by SRK fans and by SRK himself. Responding to Chris Martinas tweet King Khan responded, aa aWill surely listen to the music u are listening to my man. Will send u some Indian music too. Love to you & health and life Forever and more to you.aA

Will surely listen to the the music u are listening to my man. Will send u some Indian music too. Love to you & health and life Forever and more to you https://t.co/iAmPIb6sa7 a Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 11, 2019

Interestingly enough both Shah Rukh Khan and Coldplay were present at the recent pre-wedding celebrations ofA Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta in their lavish Winter Wonderland themed bash in St Moritzas in Switzerland, Coldplay was flown in to entertain the Ambani guests with their soulful music and belting voice.A

Other bands of musician that were flown in were the Chainsmokers who took the stage at the pre-wedding bash. The pre-wedding party was also attended by Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar, among other celebrities.

This isnat the first time Chris Martin and Shah Rukh Khan shoulder-buddied each other. In 2016, when Coldplay performed for the first time in India at the Global Citizen Festival, Shah Rukh hosted an after-party for the band in his Mumbai bungalow, Mannat.

A







For all the Latest Entertainment News, Music News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Los Angeles:

Rapper Drake has quietly dropped a track of Michael Jackson from his UK tour after the resurfacing of allegations of child abuse against the King of Pop. The 32-year-old rapper kicked off his Assassination Vacation Tour in Manchester on Sunday, ahead of dates across the UK and Europe to support recent album Scorpion.

The rapper's performance at the Manchester Arena did not include the track "Don't Matter to Me" from the album. The song featured vocals recorded by Jackson in 1983 in a session with Paul Anka.

The track featured on his US tour last year, reported Variety.

Drake has not yet commented on why the song was dropped but it follows the release of "Leaving Neverland", a documentary that features interviews with two men -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- who have alleged they were abused by Jackson when they were minors.

Jackson's family has denied all the allegations made in the documentary.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Music News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's life story is all set to be the subject of a web series, which is based on Hindol Sengupta's book The Man Who Saved India. The web series, to be produced by Bohra Bros, will provide a well-rounded perspective on Sardar Patel's life, the makers said.

"The web series will follow how Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel becomes one of the most crucial figures of Indian politics. Patel begins as an ordinary young man from Gujarat with minimal education, who later aces the toughest British law exams.

"Upon his return to India from Britain, he resigns from his job at the beckoning of Mahatma Gandhi and joins India's fight for independence. This is how Patel ultimately earns the title of 'Sardar? from the father of the nation, himself," Sunil Bohra said in a statement.

Sengupta said the "larger-than-life story" needed a faithful retelling and Bohras were the right people to adapt it for the screen.

"This is one such story which is truly larger than life and I believe that Sunil is the right person to give this story the visual mounting that it requires - and the distribution muscle that it can enthral a new generation around the world as the story of Gandhi once did," Sengupta said in a statement.
New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 1.03 crore belonging to businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali, a Kashmiri businessman in a money laundering case related to funding of terror organisations in Jammu and Kashmir. ED has attached 25 properties in the matter of terror financing by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa) and Mohammad Yusuf Shah (Head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen). Watali is being investigated by the agency for allegedly handling Hafiz Saeed's finances in India, according to reports. The NIA in its chargesheet had alleged Watali received money from ISI in Pakistan, the Pakistan High Commission. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Watali in August 2017 on terror-funding charges.



The agency has issued a provisional order for attachment of assets of Watali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case is based on a charge sheet filed by the NIA as part of its probe against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, official said.

NIA probe revealed that the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) instigate the people to observe strikes and issue directives to the masses to hold anti-India protests. "This is done willfully to create such circumstances which will arouse disaffection among the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards the Government of India," official said quoting the ED order.

Earlier, the NIA had on February 26 carried out searches at premises of separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz, in connection with the case related to the financing of terrorist and separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA team, accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, searched residences of some of the separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz, Naseem Geelani and Ashraf Sehrai, the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

The houses of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yaseen Malik, Shabir Shah, Zaffar Bhat and Masarat Alam were also raided. Barring the Mirwaiz and Sehrai, all other leaders were jailed for some time.

The NIA had questioned two maternal uncles of the Mirwaiz - Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat - and his close aides last year. Both Manzoor and Shafat are retired senior government officers.

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Mumbai:

Rahul Gandhis oft-repeated chowkidar chor hai jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi has miffed the security guards association, which has demanded the Mumbai police to file a case against the Congress president.

The Maharashtra Rajya Suraksha Rakshak Union submitted an application at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police station in Mumbai Monday, claiming the remark was an "insult" to security guards, PTI quoted a police official as saying.

The association has claimed that during his rally at the MMRDA grounds here earlier this month, Gandhi said that "chowkidar chor hai" (the guard is the thief), police said.

The Union president Sandeep Ghuge said police should register an offence against Gandhi to stop "such kind of slogans insulting the security guards."

Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor hai" jibe at Modi to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Security forces have detained a man on suspicion of espionage activities near the International Border between India and Pakistan in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. According to reports, the man arrested has been identified as Nawab Khan, a resident of Sam area.

aActing on credible intelligence inputs, Nawab Khan was detained on Sunday on suspicion of being involved in espionage activities,a an official said.

According to officials, Khan - who works as a driver - used to provide cab facilities to tourists visiting the state and this is how he was monitoring army activities. During the interrogation by a joint team of security agencies, Khan reportedly revealed that he was working for Pakistani army official and used to send information in code languages on WhatsApp.

aNawab Khan, a resident of Jaisalmer's Ganga village for spying in the border areas of Rajasthan for Pakistani Handling Agency. The man used to send information to the agency in code language through WhatsApp/Voice Call,a tweeted ANI.

Rajasthan police: CID (Special Branch) has arrested a man - Nawab Khan, resident of Jaisalmer's Ganga village for spying in the border areas of Rajasthan for Pakistani Handling Agency. The man used to send information to the agency in code language through WhatsApp/Voice Call. a ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019

aLast year too he had gone to Pakistan and there is a possibility of him being in touch with ISI,a according to officials interrogating Khan.

Pakistani officials used to assign tasks to him and pay for every information he shared. Indian officials said that further action will be taken following the detailed interrogation.

Indian security forces are on high-alert ever since the attack on CRPF jawans in Pulwama in which 40 personnel lost their lives. Pakistan-based proscribed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack. Following this, the Indian Air Force (IAF) targeted Jaishas terror camp across the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot.

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New Delhi:

It was because of the United States putting pressure on Pakistan through high-level military channels that Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardhaman was released a day after being captured on February 27, according to an Economic Times report.

US Centcom Commander Gen. Joseph Votel spoke to Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa encouraging him to release Wing Commander Abhinandan at the earliest, making it clear that it was the only way to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, the report added.

Centcom Commander establishes a direct communication channel between the US and Pakistan Army chief and also facilitates diplomatic effort to engage the Taliban. While Gen Votel was handling the channel with the Pakistan Army, US National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was in regular touch with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.

According to the report, the US message was reinforced by the United Kingdom, which has deep influence with the Pakistan Army.

Economic Times quoted sources saying that there was considerable pressure from within the Pakistan system not to give in as a captured Indian pilot was a prize catch in a war-like situation.

However, the US told Pakistan Army that it would not encourage the use of Wing Commander Abhinandan as a bargaining chip, they added.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir on February 14 by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad(JeM).

Amid mounting outrage, Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was 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.

Varthaman was in one of the eight MIG-21s that took on the invader and shot down an F-16, according to officials. During the dogfight, his plane was hit and he bailed out, landing in PoK, where he was taken into custody by the Pakistani army.

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New Delhi:

World Wide Web turns 30 today. Thirty years ago, 33-year-old software engineer Tim Berners-Lee submitted a proposal to his boss that would set the technology world on fire by his World Wide Web idea. Google is marking the day with a special doodle. the browser was released outside CERN in 1991, first to research institutions, and then to the general public in August 1991. WWW has been central to the development of the age of information. It is the primary tool people use to interact on the Internet, according to reports.



By 1990, Tim had developed the outline and the main technology that is the basis of the web  HTML (the language of the internet), URL (the addresses of web pages) and HTTP (something that allows for linked sources to be retrieved). The web was then further and more fully developed when Tim moved from CERN to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994 and funded the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).



Berners-Lee's proposal contained the basic concepts of the web, including ideas like HTML, URL, and HTTP, but it would be another couple of years before he could demonstrate his idea.



"Not to be confused with the internet, which had been evolving since the 1960s, the World Wide Web is an online application built upon innovations like HTML language, URL 'addresses,' and hypertext transfer protocol, or HTTP," it reads. "The Web has also become a decentralized community, founded on principles of universality, consensus, and bottom-up design," Google wrote in a blog post.



World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web is an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).








Lahore:

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Tuesday awarded death sentence to 20 gangsters for killing six policemen in the country's Punjab province. The court also imposed a fine of PKR 6.2 million on each of the convicts. The Multan court awarded the death sentence to the notorious Chotu gang members of Rajanpur Kutcha area, some 400 km from Lahore, for killings six policemen and injuring several others in 2016.

The convicts included its ring leader Ghulam Rasool alias Chotu who had become a "symbol of terror" in the district and adjoining areas. Two minor convicts -- Qasim and Abdul Samad -- were awarded life imprisonment.

On April 13, 2016, a police team conducted an operation against the Chotu gang in a forest area. The teams, however, came under attack from the criminals, in which six policemen were killed and eight were injured.

Twenty-four other policemen were taken hostage by the gangsters following which the Pakistan army was called in rescue the hostages. Army helicopters and over 2,000 army personnel were involved in the operation to free the 24 hostages and arrest the gangsters.

The Chotu gang used to kidnap wealthy people of south Punjab for ransom.

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New Delhi:

After China and Singapore, Australia has also banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in their airspace following a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia on Sunday. Hours later, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority followed Singapore's lead with a temporary suspension to review the risks, citing the best interests of safety. Airlines around the world have removed the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet. Singapore's suspension will take effect from 2pm local time (06:00 GMT), the authority said.

Earlier, Singapore's aviation regulator on Tuesday banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country's airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend. The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, months after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia killing 189.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months."

It comes as airlines around the world remove the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet. Singapore's suspension will take effect from 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) Tuesday, the authority said.

It said that SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Other airlines operating the planes to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air. The regulator said it was working with the city-state's Changi Airport -- a major global hub -- and affected airlines to minimise any impact on passengers.

"During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore," it said.

"The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."

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New Delhi:

Malaysia on Tuesday barred Boeing 737 MAX planes from its airspace, joining a host of countries which have blocked the model after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash at the weekend.

Ahmad Nizar Zolfakar, CEO of Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), said the announcement was made in reference to two fatal aircraft accidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in less than five months.

The developent comes a day after an aircraft of similar model operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Addis Ababa killing all 157 passengers and crew, including 10 Indians and Indian-origin Canadians. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has also banned Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace.

The crash of Ethiopian Airlines plane came five months after another Boeing 737 MAX 8 of Lion Air crashed in Indonesia that killed 189 passengers and crew. Reports said there were similarities between the Ethiopian and Indonesian air crashes as they both occurred during take-off, involving new aircraft that had just been delivered.

Before Malaysia, China, Argentina, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia have also announced the suspension of Boeing 737 MAX 8 operations.

CAAMs move echoed that of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which earlier today temporarily suspended the operations of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX flying into and out of the republic.

SilkAir, which operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, will be affected by the temporary suspension, CAAS said.

Other airlines that deploy the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.

According to reports, Cayman Islands flag carrier, Cayman Airways, had also halted the use of the aircraft for its operations.

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New Delhi:

A growing number of countries around the world have barred Boeing 737 MAX 8 from their airspace following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that claimed 157 lives on Sunday.

The crash of Ethiopian Airlines plane came five months after another Boeing 737 MAX 8 of Lion Air crashed in Indonesia that killed 189 passengers and crew. Reports said there were similarities between the Ethiopian and Indonesian air crashes as they both occurred during take-off, involving new aircraft that had just been delivered.

As investigators probe the latest deadly crash, US President Donald Trump weighed in Tuesday with his own explanation: modern planes are too complicated for pilots.

Despite a wave of countries grounding the Boeing aircraft involved in another deadly crash, US authorities on Tuesday said it would not make any decision until it has more evidence.

France

"Given the circumstances of the accident in Ethiopia, the French authorities have taken the decision, as a precautionary measure, to ban all commercial flights of Boeing 737 MAXs into, out of, or over French territory," the French civil aviation authority said.

Germany

German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer told n-tv television safety is the priority, and until all doubts are cleared up, I have ordered that German airspace be closed for the Boeing 737 Max with immediate effect.

United Kingdom

The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passenger airlines using the aircraft will not be allowed to operate in or over UK airspace "as a precautionary measure" until further notice.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been closely monitoring the situation, however, as we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace, a CAA spokesperson said.

Australia

Australia has announced a temporary ban on flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft, although none of its airlines currently operate them. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Tuesday that the ban will affect two foreign airlines  SilkAir and Fiji Airways  that use them for flights to Australia. The authority said Singapores SilkAir has already grounded its 737 Max jets, and that it is working with regulators there and in Fiji to minimize disruptions. It said that Fiji Airways has two 737 Max 8 jets in its fleet. The airline had hoped to continue flying the jets to Pacific destinations.

Malaysia

"The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia with immediate effect is suspending the operations of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft flying to or from Malaysia and transiting in Malaysia until further notice," said a statement from the aviation regulator's chief executive Ahmad Nizar Zolfakar.

China

China said that Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes will not be allowed to fly until their security is guaranteed, as it ruled out any politics behind its decision to ground nearly 100 such aircraft after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash.

India

India is likely to ban the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by the country's airline companies and the decision on the issue may be taken on Wednesday, a senior official of aviation watchdog DGCA said Tuesday. Earlier, Jet Airways said it is in contact with the manufacturer of Max 8 jets and has grounded five of them starting Monday. Indian airline SpiceJet also uses the aircraft, but its unclear if those planes are grounded.

Indonesia

Indonesia said it would temporarily ground Max 8 jets to inspect their airworthiness. Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti said the move was made to ensure flight safety.

Ireland

Irish aviation authorities have suspended flights by all variants of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Irelands airspace. Irish authorities say they made the decision based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew.

Mexico

Mexican airline Aeromexico has suspended flights of its six Max 8 jets. Aeromexico said it fully trusts the safety of its fleet but ordered the grounding to ensure the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers. It said other planes will take over the routes usually flown by the Max 8.

Icelandair

Icelandair said it had suspended flights of its three Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. "Icelandair Group has decided to temporarily suspend operations of its three Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft until further notice," it said in a statement.

Singapore

Singapore has temporarily banned Max 8 jets  and other models in the Max range  from entering and leaving the country.

South Korea

South Korean airline Eastar Jet said it would suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes and replaced them with Boeing 737-800 planes starting Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand.

Turkey

In a statement on Twitter Tuesday, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said all Boeing 737 Max flights are suspended until the uncertainty affecting safety is cleared. He added that passenger safety was the companys priority.

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New Delhi:

Pakistan promises to crack down on terrorist groups attacking Indian rule over Kashmir, President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said on Monday. Bolton tweeted that he had spoken with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and "the FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to deescalate tensions with India." India has long accused Pakistan of covertly backing attacks by guerrillas in Kashmir.

On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's 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.

Bolton said that during his talks with Qureshi he'd set out "to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan."

The latest Pakistani reassurances came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Washington with the Indian foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, and urged Pakistan to take "meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil," Pompeo's spokesman said.

Pompeo's spokesman said that during the secretary of state's talks with Gokhale they "discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the (February) attack to justice."



Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale began a three-day visit to the US during which he is scheduled to meet senior officials of the Trump administration and exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments, officials said. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Gokhale is visiting Washington in connection with bilateral foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with his American counterparts.

During his visit, Gokhale is also likely to meet with senior leaders in the US administration and US Congress, he said in response to a query on the foreign secretary's visit.

The foreign secretary's visit to the US comes in the backdrop of growing tension between India and Pakistan. "Foreign Secretary is visiting Washington DC on March 11-13 in connection with the bilateral foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with his US counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson respectively," Kumar said.

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New Delhi:

The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) has moved into a full operational alert after Indias Air Strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot. The Pakistani Air Force has deployed the entire squadron of F-16 fighters along its eastern front of the LoC even as independent American satellite imagery with the Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed direct hits on the camp, top defence and government officials said to the Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity.

According to the officials to the Hindustan Times, while Pakistani air space restrictions continue along the countrys borders with India, the Rawalpindi headquartered 10 Corps along with a Special Forces brigade from Sialkot of the Pakistan Army have been deployed all along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to Indias 2016 counterstrike on terror installations within Pakistan after the terror strike on Uri, one of the officials said, We have confirmed reports that PAFs F-16 acquired from both US and Jordan are on high alert all along India-Pak borderfrom Hyderabad in Sindh to Skardu in Northern Areas. The Pak Army deployment including radars and air defence system along the LoC was strengthened immediately after the February 14 Pulwama attack as they expected Indian retaliation similar to that of the surgical strike, said one of the officials, referring to Indias 2016 counterstrike on terror installations within Pakistan after the terror strike on Uri, also by JeM.

Earlier, the Indian Air Force gave the government radar and satellite images showing bombing of the "intended targets" at the JeM terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot and "causing significant damage" to it, sources in the security establishment said. The source-based information about the "evidence" comes in the backdrop of a report by a foreign news agency claiming that satellite images of the Jaish-e-Mohammad Madrasa in Balakot showed the facility is still intact and buildings are standing.

The government was given on Sunday all the "evidence" of the February 26 strike on the JeM camp, including radar and satellite imagery, which showed that the S-2000 laser-guided munition hit the intended targets causing significant "internal damage", sources said. S-2000 smart bombs penetrates the targets and cause a blast inside, as per sources.

They also said that the IAF has collected from independent sources satellite imagery of the site of the JeM camp after the strike to assess the impact of the operation, and these images have also been handed over to the government. The news report, which drew a comparison between an April 2018 image of the camp with that of an image taken on March 4, 2019, to show it is practically unchanged, also comes amid raging debate over the number of human casualties in the Balakot air strikes.

Briefing reporters last week, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale 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.

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New Delhi:

India and the US on Monday agreed that Pakistan must take "concerted action" to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and deny safe haven to all terror groups on its soil as Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo here, the highest level meeting between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack that escalated Indo-Pak tensions. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale began a three-day visit to the US on Monday during which he will meet senior officials of the Trump administration and exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments, officials said. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Gokhale is visiting Washington in connection with bilateral foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with his American counterparts.

During the meeting, Gokhale and Pompeo agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Pompeo was directly in touch with the leadership of India and Pakistan and monitored the developments after the Pulwama attack to ensure that the security situation in the South Asia region did not deteriorate.

Gokhale and Pompeo expressed satisfaction over the significant progress and the quality of the India-US Strategic Partnership since Pompeo's visit to India in September 2018 for the first ever Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue.

The foreign secretary conveyed the appreciation to the US Government and to Pompeo personally for the firm support that India received from the US in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

Secretary Pompeo expressed his understanding of India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.

"They agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory. They also agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable," the statement said. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said that in the meeting Pompeo affirmed that the US stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism.

They discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil, Palladino said.

They noted the strength of Indo-US partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counter-terrorism.

Gokhale and Pompeo also discussed other issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, US-India defence cooperation, and the growing US-India economic partnership, including joint efforts to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and reciprocal manner.

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New Delhi:

Singapore to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Ethiopian Airlines crash, a media report said. Yesterday, the investigators recovered one of two black box recorders on the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 that crashed just outside Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew, Ethiopian state media reported.

"#BreakingNews: The black box voice recorder from Ethiopian Airlines aircraft which crashed yesterday has been recovered: #Ethiopia," FANA Broadcasting Corporate said on its Twitter page.

On Sunday, a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including four Indians, tourists, business travellers, and "at least a dozen" UN staff.

Ethiopia declared a national day of mourning for on Monday amid a global stream of condolences for loved ones, many of whom gathered in tears at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

"The House of People's Representatives have declared March 11, 2019, a national day of mourning for citizens of all countries that have passed in this tragic accident," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said on Twitter.

Identities of the victims from 35 countries started to emerge as foreign governments and the United Nations reacted with shock. "Deeply saddened by the news this morning of the plane crash in Ethiopia, claiming the lives of all on board. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims - including our own @UN staff - who perished in this tragedy," tweeted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The passengers included "at least a dozen" UN-affiliated staff headed for an annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme, which opens in Nairobi Monday with some 4,700 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, senior UN officials and civil society representatives, a UN source told AFP.

Some of the UN staff were from the World Food Programme and UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the agencies said. Slovak MP Anton Hrnko was among the bereaved.

"It is with deep sorrow that I announce that my dear wife, Blanka, son Martin and daughter Michala, died in the air disaster in Addis Ababa this morning," he wrote on Facebook. Flight ET 302 ploughed into a field 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa on what the airline's CEO Tewolde GebreMariam labelled a "very sad and tragic day".

An eyewitness told AFP the plane came down in flames.

"The plane was already on fire when it crashed to the ground. The crash caused a big explosion," Tegegn Dechasa recounted at the site, littered with passenger belongings, human remains, and airplane parts around a massive crater at the point of impact.

"The plane was in flames in its rear side shortly before the crash. The plane was swerving erratically before the crash." The Boeing 737-800MAX was brand new, delivered to state-owned Ethiopian Airways on November 15, said the carrier, Africa's largest.

The plane is the same type as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October, 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Ethiopian Airlines said the plane had taken off at 8:38 am (local time) from Bole International Airport and "lost contact" six minutes later.

It came down near Tulu Fara village outside the town of Bishoftu. The carrier, which changed its logo on Twitter to black and white from its trademark green, yellow, and red, said "there are no survivors".

"We can only hope that she is not on that flight," Peter Kimani, who had come to fetch his sister at Nairobi's JKIA, told AFP after news of the disaster reached those waiting in the arrivals hall. Loved ones were later brought to the onsite Sheraton Hotel where they were debriefed and offered counselling. Journalists were not allowed in, but could hear sobbing from inside.

Ethiopian Airlines said Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the United States with eight each. Britain and France each had seven people on board, Egypt six, and Germany five, according to the airline. France's government later said there were eight French victims though there was no explanation for the discrepency.

Twelve countries in Africa and 14 in Europe had citizens among the victims. African Union commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat spoke of "utter shock and immense sadness", while Mahboub Maalim, executive secretary of the IGAD East African bloc, said the region and the world were in mourning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and his British counterpart Theresa May both described the news as "devastating".

Sympathy messages also came from the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Britain, Germany, France and the United States.

GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg earlier Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was "despatched with no remark", meaning no problems were flagged. Asked if the pilot had made a distress call, the CEO said "the pilot mentioned that he had difficulties and he wants to return. He was given clearance" to turn around.

Ethiopian and American investigators will probe the crash, said GebreMariam. For one family member in Nairobi there was a happy ending. Khalid Ali Abdulrahman was waiting for his son who works in Dubai and feared the worst when a security official told him the plane had crashed.

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The Kingdom has ambitious plans to explore renewable sources to meet the energy requirements in the future, said Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza yesterday, during a briefing with members of the media. The ministers statement comes in line with the Economic Vision 2030, which gives maximum importance to exploring renewable sources of energy. There is considerable potential for undertaking energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives in Bahrain, which will extend the lifetime of oil and gas reserves, and enable long-term sustainable development, he said.

Bahrains Economic Vision 2030 puts special emphasis on providing incentives for reducing and managing electricity demand, and investing in clean energy technologies; promoting energy efficiency standards to ensure sustainability; and ensuring better energy and water demand management. We are betting big on green power and of them exploring solar energy remains the top priority. Thirteen companies have been tasked with installing solar panels across the country.

A comprehensive plan is in place. All bridges, government and private buildings will have solar panels installed, which will boost the Kingdoms energy security plan. Dr Mirza said that, as of now, the BDF and King Hamad Hospital obtains nearly 40 per cent of its energy requirements from solar panels. There are plans to introduce laws that would ensure that all home appliances sold in the Kingdom are energy saving. This would be particularly applicable for air-conditioners. The minister said that a National Action Plan has been devised for the conservation of energy and a blueprint is ready in this regard. Dr Mirza also highlighted the significance of water and energy conservation.

The Electricity and Water Authority is carrying out many awareness campaigns to alert the public on conservation of water and power. The Kingdom was one of the first countries to install utility-scale wind turbines on a new commercial development, the iconic World Trade Center in 2008; and Bahrain was the first country in the GCC to have a district cooling system. There are already several private sector renewable energy systems in operation; and a number of initiatives are underway to facilitate more efficient energy use.

All plans proposed by the EWA align closely with the framework of the UN Secretary Generals Sustainable Energy for All Initiative that supports universal access to modern energy services, acceleration in energy efficiency improvements, and the increased use of renewable energy in the energy mix.
The appeals of two Asian men against life imprisonment sentences were rejected by the Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal. The men were previously found guilty in a case that involves smuggling 3.5 kg of marijuana into the Kingdom. The details of case show that the first defendant was arrested at Bahrain International Airport, while attempting to enter Bahrain with the substance stashed in his luggage.

He was detected by the Customs Department officer, who suspected oval-shaped wooden frames placed inside the mans luggage. They were later proven to be containing marijuana. During police interrogation, the man told that he brought the frames with him, apparently not knowing whats inside of them, as per a request from a friend here in Bahrain. He explained that it was delivered to him at the airport of his country.

The police officer in charge ordered the man to call his friend to the airport and to agree that he will deliver the frames to him in the parking lots of the airport. The second accused was arrested red-handed receiving marijuana from the first accused. Third and fourth defendants in the case were handed down one year imprisonment along with a fine of BD1,000 each.
The average wholesale electricity price in 2018 rose over the previous year, New Englands regional grid operator reported Tuesday, an indicator that could mean higher electric bills for Connecticut next winter, according to state officials.

The preliminary total value of New Englands wholesale electric energy market in 2018 was $6 billion, up 34 percent compared to previous years near-record low value of $4.5 billion, according to officials with Holyoke. Mass. based ISO-NE, which runs the regional electric grid and oversees the wholesale energy auctions require for electric power procurement. The energy market value in 2017 was the second-lowest since the current wholesale markets were implemented 16 years ago, according ISO-NE.
RIDGEFIELD  When the Board of Finance reviews next years school budget in the coming days it will have two options to consider  the districts $98.4 million request or the selectmens $97.9 million version.

The Board of Selectmen has offered the finance board $460,000 in suggested cuts to the school districts proposed spending plan. The selectmen also sent along a $38.3 million budget for town departments  the 0 percent increase theyd been working on.

The board also approved a $4.5 million capital budget and $11.3 million in payments for next years debt service on past borrowing.

School board members, however, voted Monday to pass on their full proposed $98.4 million budget  a 3.6 percent increase  to the Board of Finance for review anyway. Superintendent Dr. William Collins told the school board he would seek cuts in the budget to lower the requested increase.

Like a lot of Connecticut towns, were facing a tough budget year, as we have for a number of years, said BOE Vice-Chairman Doug Silver Monday night. It would be wise of us to at least start talking about things that were considering, where to ask the superintendent ... to start considering as they look for [cuts].

Thats a change, by the way, he added, normally, I think at this point in the process, I would not be advocating for that.

Finding reductions

At the budget meetings last week, selectman Bob Hebert calculated that the recommended school reduction would bring the projected mill rate increase needed to support next years budget down from a 3.14 percent to a 2.79 percent tax hike. That is assuming the finance board makes no adjustments to spending or to revenue of its own.

The finance boards proposed 2019-20 budget package will then go to voters in May at the annual town meeting and the budget referendum.

The selectmen also made reductions to the town budget  including a reorganization that meant the loss of some job positions, as well as some incentivized retirements  with savings found in the highway department, assessors office, parks and recreation department, town engineers office, building department, mapping department, tax collectors office, and in administrative positions in the police department and fire department, according to First Selectman Rudy Marconi.

Were cutting to the bone, Hebert said. So, the schools should also do some cutting, he said.

In a $98 million budget with an about $3.5 million increase, he said of the school boards request, ...I just cant believe they cant find some efficiencies to help us out.

School board chairwoman Margaret Stamatis said officials were aware of the selectmens aggressive effort to reduce the town departments budget, and had undertaken similar efforts on the school side to reduce their budget increase from initial requests approaching 6 percent to the 3.6 percent increase proposal that was passed on to the selectmen and finance board.

Like the town, we did eliminate positions [a full team at East Ridge Middle School], she said. We also had a successful negotiation with the teachers bargaining unit this fall that included a plan design change for the teachers health benefits that included managed care type elements designed to hold down the growth in health insurance premium costs for the district.

Outside factors

An uncontrollable factor the selectmen discussed as underlying their recommendation for a school cut was the still-developing plan in Hartford to save the state money by having towns share in the cost of teacher retirement pensions.

The teacher retirement seems to be alive  not a lot of opposition, said First Selectman Rudy Marconi, whod been to Hartford to testify on various bills.

The selectmen expressed concern that some potentially sizable teacher pension costs will likely be passed down from the state to the towns. They also questioned the potential impact of Gov. Ned Lamonts idea to have the state claim automobile taxes that currently go to towns.

For us, it would be approximately $8.1 million, Marconi said. His proposal is the state would collect it, and redistribute it according to need. We all know where that leaves us.

The finance board has a public hearing on the budget set for Monday, March 25, with work sessions scheduled March 26, 27 and 28. The final session will focus on the school budget.
Norm Cummings / Norm Cummings

Two local businesses have received facade grants from the Corporation for New Milford Economic Development.

Michael Gold, who owns the building and is also a Town Council member, said he plans to use the $2,500 grant to repair and preserve the Edwarian slate roof at 42 Main Street. The building was built around 1852 and has housed the Geron Nursing & Respite Care, Inc. since 2005.
A lawyer for Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that she would welcome cameras in the courtroom during the "Empire" actor's trial on charges accusing him of lying to the police, saying there has been a lot of leaked misinformation and cameras would allow the public to "see the evidence and the lack thereof."

Attorney Tina Glandian made the comments during a brief hearing Tuesday in Cook County criminal court during which both sides agreed that cameras would be allowed at the next hearing in the case, which is scheduled for Thursday. During that hearing, the case will be assigned to a trial judge who will then likely ask Smollett to enter a plea.
The March 2019 issue of Rolling Stone features Connecticut 5th District Congesswoman and Hearst Connecticut rock star Jahana Hayes alongside fellow Congressional rookies Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I no longer consider gracing the cover of Rolling Stone an honor after the University of Virginia rape story fraud and subsequent multi-million dollar payouts to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and former UVA dean Nicole Eramo.

Lets start unpacking this cover with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a.k.a. AOC.

AOC is now omnipresent in the media  manna from clickbait heaven.

She is Americas crazy ex-girlfriend. Lots of men my age can look back and see a version of her in their past who ultimately left them a smoldering wreck in a roadside ditch. If your college-aged son hooks up with his own model, youll likely end up waiting for the ultimate implosion hoping that there may be a bonding moment for the both of you over a craft brew once the smoke clears.

On a more serious note, AOC is the apotheosis of a dumbed-down educational system churning out left-wing minions with zero critical thinking skills and an emotionally based worldview.

Now weve found out her chief of staff/former campaign manager allegedly funneled nearly $900,000 of PAC money into a number of LLCs as detailed in a Federal Elections Committee (FEC) complaint from the National Legal and Policy Center (NPLC).

Tom Anderson, director of NPLCs Government Integrity Project made the following statement: In all my years of studying FEC reports, Ive never seen a more ambitious operation to circumventing reporting requirements.

Bear in mind that in our state, a former Governor and Congressional candidate went to prison over campaign finance disclosure issues.

And then theres Rep. Ilhan Omar.

As a Somali refugee elected to Congress from a district loaded with Somali expats, she has made waves due to her anti-Semitic statements and history. She kind of semi-apologized for her behavior before doubling down on her bigotry in short order along with her tag-team partner, the congenitally angry Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

As to where her heart really is, look to a letter she wrote as a State Rep. in Minnesota to a judge presiding over the sentencing of men convicted of conspiring with ISIS.

She wrote, The best deterrent to fanaticism is a system of compassion if we truly want to reflect change, we should refocus our efforts on inclusion and rehabilitation.

On the day of his sentencing one of those terrorists, Abdurahman Yasin Daud, made this statement. Im certainly not being persecuted for my faith. I was certainly not entrapped. I was not going to there to pass out medical kits or food. I was going strictly to fight and kill on behalf of (ISIS).

Ms. Omar, what sort of a regimen of yoga and art therapy is going to rehab that toxic mindset?

Regarding Ms. Pelosi, I actually feel badly for her.

As detestable as Ive found her words and deeds in the past, I see a woman falling apart in front of us.

She is 79 years old and for the past several years weve seen her stumble through the public spotlight with facial spasms, slurred speech, and incongruous public statements that have caused many, myself included, to believe she isnt up to the task of her job or being third in line to the Presidency.

After caring for my late mother during the long goodbye that is Alzheimers Disease, I wonder how long Congressional Democrats will allow this sad spectacle to continue.

Oh, Jahana Hayes, what a tangled web we weave.

Youve played along with AOC on her silly Pokemon Go-looking stunt looking for Sen. Mitch McConnell and support her delusional Green New Deal and its inanities.

But actually you had me at My Truth. My truth was what you called the ad chronicling your life that Sen. Chris Murphys donors paid for.

Referring to YOUR truth is pretty unseemly for a history teacher and the wife of a police detective whose job is to uncover REAL objective truth.

Unfortunately, all that matters to your supporters is looking good and reciting your talking points with the right inflection.

However, some of us expect a modicum of substance and were not going away.

Todd Peterson is a resident of Washington Depot.
(CNN)  The inventor of the world wide web has called for global efforts to tackle state-sponsored hacking, criminal behavior and abusive language on the internet, in an open letter marking the 30th anniversary of the revolutionary technology.

Tim Berners-Lee acknowledged that "many people feel afraid and unsure if the web is really a force for good," in a letter published for his World Wide Web Foundation on Monday.

"While the web has created opportunity, given marginalized groups a voice, and made our daily lives easier, it has also created opportunity for scammers, given a voice to those who spread hatred, and made all kinds of crime easier to commit," the letter added.

Berners-Lee, who has previously rallied for improvements to the technology, said the "fight for the web is one of the most important causes of our time." He added: "You can't just blame one government, one social network or the human spirit....To get this right, we will need to come together as a global web community."

The computer scientist submitted his first proposal for an "information management system" on 12 March 1989 -- plans that his boss called "vague but exciting."

Thirty years later, around half the world's population is online -- but tech giants that dominate the internet, including Google, Facebook and Twitter, have been criticized in recent years for failing to stem the spread of misinformation and harassment on their platforms.

Berners-Lee identified three major "sources of dysfunction" affecting the web: deliberate malicious intent, system design and unintended negative consequences of benevolent design.

The first, he said, resulted from issues like state-sponsored hacking and criminal behavior; the second from entities like ad-based revenue models "that commercially reward clickbait and the viral spread of misinformation"; and the last produced problems such as "the outraged and polarized tone and quality of online discourse."

He urged governments, companies and citizens to "ensure the other half (of the world) are not left behind offline, and that everyone contributes to a web that drives equality, opportunity and creativity."

Berners-Lee launched a campaign called "Contract for the Web" at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal, last year.

More than 50 companies and organizations, including Facebook, Google and the French government have signed the contract, which will be published in full in May 2019.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee calls for 'fight' against hacking and abuse on its 30th birthday"
Made from ASC-certified salmon with the addition of MSC-certified cod, IKEA salmon balls are both sustainably-sourced and responsibly-produced. By optimizing a process that takes the smaller sections of salmon that cannot be used as fillets, but are just as tasty and high quality, the IKEA salmon ball makes the most of the raw material and cuts down on food waste within production. Seasoned with seaweed and lemongrass, IKEA's salmon balls capture the fresh taste of the Nordic sea in one tasty ball. IKEA salmon balls will be accompanied with seasonal side dishes such as mashed potatoes and tomato spinach ragout, all for an everyday low price of $6.99.

"At IKEA, we want to inspire and enable Canadians to live a healthy and sustainable life, within the limits of the planet" said Danielle Beauchesne, IKEA Canada Food Manager. "With the IKEA salmon ball, we are able to offer a delicious new plate inspired by our Swedish roots, with a carbon footprint that is approximately seven times lower than the traditional meatball."

Driven by the IKEA vision to create a better everyday life for the many people, the addition of the salmon ball to the (m)eatball range means IKEA can continue to meet the food and taste preferences of all Canadians  vegetarians, flexitarians, seafood lovers, and classic meatball fans.

With a long tradition in Swedish and Scandinavian kitchens, the salmon ball is a natural addition to the IKEA Food range. Today, IKEA stores offer various responsibly sourced salmon products, including salmon fillets, cured salmon, and cold smoked as well as hot smoked salmon. In addition to the IKEA Restaurant, salmon balls will be available for takeaway purchase in the Swedish Food Market later this year.

In 2015, IKEA introduced veggie balls  a healthier and more sustainable option to join the company's iconic Swedish meatballs. Most recently, IKEA Canada launched the veggie hot dog as a new plant-based alternative to Bistro locations nationwide.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA

IKEA Group is a leading home furnishing retailer with 357 stores in more than 29 countries worldwide, which are visited by 817 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 14 stores, an eCommerce virtual store, five Pick-up and order points and 17 Collection Points. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 30 million visitors to its stores and 104 million visitors to the IKEA.ca website. Founded in 1943, IKEA's business philosophy is to offer a wide range of products of good design and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit: www.IKEA.ca.

SOURCE IKEA Canada

For further information: Kristin Newbigging, IKEA Canada, Public Relations Manager, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.ikea.ca


Additionally, 3 Boys intends to open its first two dispensaries in the State of Florida in April of 2019, with an additional six locations in development and expected to be fully operational by the end of the fiscal year. The eight initial dispensary locations are located in prime medical and retail corridors throughout Florida, including St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee, Tampa, and North Miami. The dispensaries will be unique in concept, providing a customized patient-centric experience including innovative educational tools highlighting tailored benefits of CBD and medical cannabis products.

3 Boys also intends to commence extraction and processing operations at its new GMP farm and laboratory facility in Indiantown, Florida by the last week of March 2019. The new facilities include 60,000 square feet of indoor space and 50,000 square feet of greenhouse. Cultivation at the new facility is expected to commence in the 4th quarter of 2019. This new branch will add onto the already robust production capacity of the 3 Boys network which currently harvests 350 pounds of premium-quality cannabis flower per month out of their Ruskin facilities.

The Florida Department of Health's approval for the transfer of assets follows news that the Florida Senate has passed a bill that would legalize smokable cannabis flower in the state. If and when the legislation is signed into law, the market for premium cannabis flower products is expected to see explosive growth. Florida is emerging as one of the largest and fastest-growing medical cannabis markets in the U.S., with one of the highest patient-to-license ratios in America. Total annual market revenue of medical cannabis in Florida is expected to reach an estimated $2.5 billion by the year 2025. Additionally, Florida is considering legalizing recreational use of cannabis, a move that would result in estimated 2025 annual revenues of $5.5 billion.

"3 Boys Farm is well-known for creating the best cannabis flower products in Florida and we couldn't be happier that they will join our other premiere cannabis assets under the SOL Global umbrella," said Brady Cobb, CEO of SOL Global. "3 Boys is led by a first-class cultivation team including Master Grower Chris Keller. The quality of production and the team's collective knowledge and passion for the cultivation process ensures a top-rate product. Once smokable flower is legalized, you would be hard pressed to find better flower in the state of Florida."

With authorization to cultivate, process and dispense medical cannabis in accordance with Florida law, 3 Boys' operation consists of 40,000 square feet of fully-operational greenhouses located on an eight-acre parcel of land. The existing facilities include a two-acre odor mitigation space that is run 100% with harvested rainwater, solar pumps and repurposed high-volume chilled air from the cultivation greenhouses  a true zero-carbon footprint. 3 Boys' innovations, including alternative energy use, greenhouse cooling designs, and rainwater harvesting, were recognized and honored by the Governor's Environmental Leadership Award.

About SOL Global Investments Corp.

SOL Global is an international investment company with a focus on, but not limited to, cannabis and cannabis related companies in legal U.S. states, the hemp and CBD marketplaces and the emerging European cannabis and hemp marketplaces. Its strategic investments and partnerships across cultivation, distribution and retail complement the company's R&D program with the University of Miami. It is this comprehensive approach that is positioning SOL Global as a future frontrunner in the United States' medical cannabis industry.

Cautionary Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "likely", "should", "would", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "potential", "proposed", "estimate", "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. Some of the forward-looking information contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's proposed acquisition of CannCure; 3 Boys' strategic plans; and the Company's expectations regarding the Florida medical cannabis market.

Forward-looking information is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. While we consider these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to management, there is no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

By their nature, forward-looking information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, including known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this press release. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to comply with all applicable governmental regulations in a highly regulated business; investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are engaged in activities currently considered illegal under US federal laws; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; inconsistent public opinion and perception regarding the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry; and regulatory or political change. Additional risk factors can also be found in the Company's current MD&A and annual information form, both of which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and is based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management on the date such forward-looking information is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent such registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities.

SOURCE SOL Global Investments Corp.

For further information: SOL Global Investments Corp.: Brady Cobb, CEO, Phone: (212) 729-9208, Email: [email protected]; For media inquiries, please contact: Daniel Nussbaum, AMWPR, P: 212.542.3146, E: [email protected]
The Saturn V rockets used to take man to the moon had the largest payload capacity to low earth orbit. They could take 118 tons into low earth orbit. China is planning to build the Long March 9 rocket that would have 20% more capacity. China is also planning to mass produce about ten super heavy Long March 9 rockets every year from 2030 to 2035. This would end up being sixty or more rockets. The White House just submitted a budget which could defer the US super heavy Space Launch System rocket.

If the SLS budget could defer construction of the larger Block 1B version. It would be far better for NASA and the USA to back the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship.

Li Hong, deputy general manager at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, said the Long March 9 super heavy-lift carrier rocket will be capable of lifting 140 metric tons of payload into a low-Earth orbit, or a 50-ton spacecraft to a lunar transfer orbit. It would have a 44-ton payload to a Mars transfer orbit.

Long March 9s carrying capacity is five times that of the Long March 5-currently the strongest member of Chinas carrier rocket family. The Long March 5 has a payload capacity of 25 tons to a low-Earth orbit.

Li also noted that the Long March 9 will have a length of nearly 100 meters and a diameter of 9.5 meters, and will be propelled by a new-generation liquid oxygen/kerosene engine with 500 tons of thrust power.

The Long March 9 has passed internal technical reviews by experts at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and is awaiting government approval, said Shang Zhi, head of the companys space exploration programs. Engineers are testing key parts.

The company estimates that about ten Long March 9 rockets will be needed each year from 2030 to 2035 in China to meet the nations robust demand in heavy-lift rockets at that time.

SOURCES- China.org.cn, Space.com

Written By Brian Wang
Most people fear plane crashes, airplane terrorism and nuclear power accidents. However, these fears have resulted in stupid policies that increase deaths.

Planes are far safer than cars. The TSA and anti-terrorism pre-flight checks are ineffective at catching terrorism and create delays that cause people to change to driving for short and medium flights. People driving instead of flying likely causes an extra 200 deaths per month. A 2005 study places a lower conservative estimate of 300 additional deaths per year from TSA avoidance, air crash, and air terrorism fears.

The TSA in the USA costs about $8 billion per year.

All of the passengers and crew of airplanes know that they cannot allow terrorists to take control of the plane. 9-11 hijackings were already solved on the same day when the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 fought back to prevent terrorists from controlling the plane.

The main increase in safety and reduction in terrorist attacks comes from operations against countries and organizations that launch terrorist attacks.

In order to reduce traffic deaths, airplane security needs to be recreated with a focus on speed and convenience.

There also should be increased usage of the tens of thousands of smaller airports. This would allow faster loading and more direct commuter flights. Usually, large airports are poorly placed for short haul business commuters.

Nuclear Energy Already Saves 50,000 Lives Every Year From Air Pollution Avoidance and Could Be Increased to Save 400,000 Lives per Year

Similarly, nuclear energy is far safer than coal, natural gas and oil.

Nuclear power is generating 2500 Terawatt hours per year of clean energy. This displaces a mix of mainly coal and natural gas power generation. Air pollution from Natural gas causes 10 to 15 deaths per terawatt hour and air pollution from coal causes 30 to 70 deaths per terawatt hour. Existing nuclear continues to save 50,000 lives per year from air pollution avoidance.

New nuclear reactor designs that can be factory mass produced and have increased safety and efficiency would allow a rapid scaling of nuclear energy to provide 20,000 Terawatt hours per year of clean energy within two to three decades. This would save 400,000 lives per year and reduce global warming gases by about 30 to 50%.

Specific Accidents

The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident was caused by a tsunami washing away the diesel fuel tanks to keep the reactors and nuclear fuel cooling operating. This resulted in 2202 deaths mainly from evacuating old people out of the potential radiation zone and one false claim of Fukushima related cancer. The radiation generated was not that much and if the radiation is below the level that is fatal then it takes a decade or two for high levels of radiation to cause cancer and for cancer to kill. The old people in Japan who were evacuated would have died from old age before any radiation-caused deaths if they ended up getting exposed to radiation levels far higher than what Fukushima caused.

There was a financial settlement to the family of a Fukushima worker who claimed his cancer was from the accident? The award was given because of politics and guilt and not scientific evidence.

The Chernobyl was a terrible reactor design that had no containment dome. Chernobyl caused about 200 deaths and might eventually shorten the lives of another 160 people by about 18 months.

Cutting the TSA and Jump Starting New Nuclear Power Build

If the TSA was cut then the funds could be used to effectively jump start advanced nuclear reactor power. A mix of research funding and subsidies with the $8 billion per year would enable nuclear to get rolling again.

SOURCES  Forbes, Wikipedia, Cornell University

Written By Brian Wang
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.

Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.

A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
HAMDEN  After a student reported she was the victim of hate speech at an elementary school, her mother thought the school was dropping the ball when she didnt hear from the administration. But she said the incidents timing, not school policy, is what interfered.

The students mother, Rhonda Caldwell, called for reform at Spring Glen Elementary School Saturday when it appeared the school wasnt taking action on the incident. But when Caldwell met with the principal and teacher Monday to discuss what happened, they explained how the timing of the incident impaired the schools communication with Caldwell.

Caldwells daughter, a fifth-grader at Spring Glen Elementary School, told her mother that during a disagreement with a classmate Friday, the student told the young black girl she should be hanged.

Caldwells daughter left the classroom in tears and ran into the bathroom, after which the teacher came in to suggest she go to the nurses office and take time to calm down. She returned to class, and  after being spoken to by the teacher  the other student apologized.

After she failed to hear from the school, Caldwell called the Register about it Saturday. On Monday morning, Spring Glen Principal Howard Hornreich saw the incident report on his desk and met with Caldwell and her daughters teacher that afternoon.

It was no fault on anybodys part, Caldwell said. It was the timing. Theyre great people and they have their hands full. Im not a public school teacher, but Im the daughter of one and I know its a tough job.

Caldwell is a community organizer for the Anti-Bias Anti-Racism parents group thats working to include more reading materials by diverse authors in the school curriculum as well as promote inclusivity.

She said the school has a thorough process to deal with hate speech incidents but this one time, the process broke down. Since the incident happened so late in the school day Friday, the administration didnt have a chance to escalate it to the principal before the day was over, she said. So when Caldwell found out about it without hearing from the school, she thought they werent doing anything.

News of the incident had already gotten to the media before the teacher called Caldwell and it was the administrations plan to address it Monday, she said.

When she met with the Hornreich and the teacher, Caldwell said they showed her and other ABAR members the documentation used to report incidents and shared some of the ways the district is working on it.

Theyre being really progressive about addressing it, Caldwell said. The only thing I was mad about was the break down of process.

Caldwell said she and her daughter never had a problem with a teacher or student since she started second-grade. While Caldwell and the school were concerned about her daughter, the school is also concerned about the student who made the comment as the outburst may be a cry for help, she said. Caldwell said shes satisfied with the outcome.

This school is run very well, she said.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo said the district is collaborating with groups and organizations to bring professional development to staff and information to students around bias, discrimination and inclusivity.

Its a much larger picture, Melillo said. We have a lot of work to do as a district, a community, a nation and were invested in doing that work. Any type of positive progress comes through education and its our job as educators to ensure our students are ready for their future.

Melillo said the district had already planned a meeting for Wednesday with the Anti-Defamation League before Caldwells daughter reported the incident, but now it will also be part of the conversation.

The district is also working on increase recruiting of minority candidates internally and externally, Melillo said, and a positive behavior intervention system that would find ways other than suspension and expulsion to address behaviors and help students understand their actions.

Were working with the community, he said. We hear whats going on. We can either put a blind eye to it or meeting head on and were meeting it head on.

mdignan@hearstmediact.com
NORTH HAVEN - Police have identified the woman who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver as Maureen Munzner, 57.

Police said at 5:30 p.m. Monday, a red Ford Fusion struck Munzner, who was walking with her two children on Ridge Road.

Munzner lived on Norway Road, about a block away from where the accident happened.

Munzner was pronounced deceased a short time later.

Police said investigators located and seized the vehicle as evidence, and the driver has been identified.

The South Central Connecticut Traffic Unit is investigating this incident.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the 57-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a motorist, North Haven police posted on their Facebook page hours after her death.

News of Munzners death drew several comments on the police departments Facebook page.

I cant even imagine her children having to witness this terrible tragedy. This is a huge loss to the North Haven Community, wrote Amy Veilleux Votto. I have known Mrs. Munzner since our children were in kindergarten together. She was always very involved with school, and I hear continued to be until the day she died. My daughter told me she saw her just last week working with the high school kids on their costumes, getting them ready for their play of Beauty and the Beast.

Absolutely heartbreaking. A whole family destroyed because of a negligent driver, posted Cassey Walsh Leblanc. It was so noce out yesterday afternoon i wanted to take my kids for a walk too.! Drivers need to share the road respectfully. I will pray for the Munzer family.

Prayers to her family, unfathomable, wrote Megan Gosney.  I cant believe the person would drive away seeing her children with her. My heart is broken for her boys and husband.

Many also complained about speeding drivers on Ridge Road with some asking for police enforcement and stop signs and speed bumps.

I walk on Ridge Road often and its horrifying how fast people drive and many on their phones, wrote Martha Kelleher Maresca. Stop the nonsense people!
Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney answered questions from voters Tuesday in New Hampshire.



The former Maryland congressman spent an hour answering questions as part of WMUR's "Conversation With the Candidate" series.

Voters wanted to know if Delaney is joining the rest of the field of Democratic presidential candidates in a hard charge to the ideological left. Delaney called himself a problem solver and said the discussion of socialism versus capitalism is a distraction.

"Pure socialism, in its pure form, which is government controlling production, is a terrible idea, and it's the wrong answer to every question," he said.

Colby-Sawyer College junior Bronsen Stevens pressed Delaney on the issue of student debt, asking how he would make college more affordable.

"This is what I would do. Let's start with public education broadly," Delaney said. "Right now. we have K-12 as the basic public education system in this country. I think that should be pre-K through 14."

In addition to expanding public college, Delaney said he has a plan for shoring up Social Security.

"It is a problem," he said. "It's not as big of a problem as people want to scare you into thinking, but it is a problem. And again, coming back to this theme of working together, I have the only bipartisan bill in the Congress that actually deals with it."

Becca Budrock, of New London, asked about making food supplies more local, and Delaney had an answer, saying U.S. farm policy needs to catch up with technology to expand urban farming.

"I think it's really important that he had it on his radar," Budrock said. "I loved his answer."

Based on the current field of announced and potential candidates, primary voters will have a lot of choices in 2020. Lyn Healy, of Bedford, said she thinks Delaney is headed in the right direction.

"We need to come back to the center and be a little bit more moderate," she said.
WEST HAVEN  The city will hold a public workshop focusing on the future of the Allingtown section of the city and how it can reach the goals of the recently adopted Plan of Conservation and Development, a city press release states.

The workshop is scheduled for April 1 at 6 p.m. in the Notre Dame High School auditorium, 1 Notre Dame Way.

The workshop is sponsored by the city Planning and Zoning Commission and the Allingtown Steering Committee, an ad hoc committee formed by the commission to help develop a plan for the Allingtown neighborhood.

Zoning Chairwoman Kathleen Hendricks said in the release the commission hopes to attract a wide range of participants for the workshop, including neighborhood residents, area businesses, University of New Haven students, community leaders, church groups and representatives of school organizations.

The commission also hopes that Allingtowns young people will attend to provide fresh ideas for the plan, Hendricks said.

Assistant City Planner David W. Killeen, the workshop will include a presentation highlighting items of the POCD vision as well as general areas the committee plans to address, such as making Allingtown more pedestrian- and bike-friendly; promoting the redevelopment of underutilized and vacant commercial properties; improving community facilities, parks and open space; enhancing connections between UNH and the neighborhood; and improving housing and property maintenance, the release states.

The workshop will include opportunities for participants to share ideas in small group sessions, the release states.

There is strength in groupthink, Hendricks said. This was a very effective approach when we updated the Plan of Conservation and Development in 2017, and it gave the commission the confidence that we were making decisions based on direct input from the community.

Killeen said the commission will schedule an additional workshop to cover the draft recommendations under consideration for the plan, the release states.

The concept for the Allingtown plan was first envisioned in the POCD, which was adopted by the commission in June 2017.

For more information, call the Department of Planning and Development at 203-937-3580.
WEST HAVEN  Lawyers for the national charitable arm and local fundraising group of Fisher House  a place where veterans families stay while loved ones are being treated at a VA Hospital  are trying going to recoup a large sum of money they allege went missing through the hands of Attorney Kevin Creed of Litchfield, founder and former CEO of Fisher House in West Haven.

Attorneys for Fisher House Foundation Inc. and Friends of Fisher House Connecticut Inc., are due to appear in court April 8 to ask a judge to appoint a receiver to take over the finances of Creeds law firm in order to repay the money that a judge ruled Creed owes the organizations.

Neither attorney Monte Frank on the plaintiffs team nor Creeds attorney, Joseph Fournier, would comment on the pending case.

Creed, whose law firm is located in Bristol, has not been criminally charged.

The parties on both sides agreed Monday while at a court appearance in Superior Court in Litchfield to share the books and records of the law firm before the April 8 appearance.

The court action states the foundation honors and supports our nations military personnel, veterans and their families by building Fisher Houses nearby to military hospitals and Veterans Affairs medical facilities in the United States and Europe, for family use while a loved one is a patient.

The purpose of the friends group is to raise money to support the Fisher House in West Haven, which was built by the foundation.

A spokesperson at Fisher House Foundation released a statement Tuesday: Fisher House Foundation is extremely disappointed that anyone would betray donors trust and misuse funds earmarked for veterans and their families and has never encountered an issue like this in its 29-year history.

Fisher House Foundation continues to remain focused on the important work of serving our military and veteran community and hope this matter can be resolved swiftly and appropriately.

Creed, who is a veteran and has a strong history of supporting veterans, established the friends group as a Connecticut nonprofit and operated it out of his law firm. Creed has since disconnected any affiliation, sources said.

The court filing claims: Unbeknownst to the plaintiffs, Creed did not observe corporate formalities, misrepresented who its board members were, and misappropriated approximately $1.4 million.

On Dec. 20, 2018, the court granted a prejudgment remedy for $4.3 million, consisting of the $1.4 million Creed allegedly misappropriated, trebled damages based upon the statutory theft claim, and attorneys fees.

A previous court judgement authorizes the friends group to attach Creeds assets, but according to the recent court action, they have been unable to attach assets to satisfy even a small fraction of the prejudgment remedy. Attaching Creeds residence and bank accounts were not fruitful, the court filing claims.

The Friends group only found one bank account with any funds in it  and the amount was $3,000, the legal action states.

Defendant Creeds interest in the Creed Law Firm, LLC is the only presently identifiable asset Creed has that could potentially result in a recovery of any significance to Friends and/or other creditors, the court filing states.

As the sole member of The Creed Law Firm, Creed maintains complete control of the financial accounts and other corporate mechanisms of the LLC, the filing states.

Defendant Creeds prior conduct establishes sufficient exigency in this case to appoint a temporary receiver, or person to run the finances of his firm, the court action states.

According to the recent court action, in 2014 Creed was the subject of a professional disciplinary proceeding, arising out of the commingling his and clients funds. 

The receiver is necessary to assume control of the books and records, and financial accounts of The Creed Law Firm, LLC, and would be well-positioned to ensure that any funds The Creed Law Firm, LLC receives by way of legal fees earned for the provision of legal services, including contingency fees from its personal injury cases, shall be held for the benefit of Friends and/or other creditors, after payment to clients the funds due them.

The filing by Franks team goes on to state:

To be clear, this motion to appoint a receiver is not requesting any significant infringement on Defendant Creeds ability to practice law. However, the ugly circumstances presented in this case requires extraordinary relief, including the appointment of a receivership to protect Friends and/or other potential creditors interests, and to safeguard the funds which are owed to the law firms clients.

Fisher House Connecticut offers free, private housing to families of patients at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

A source involved in the case said any actions by Creed did not affect Fisher House functioning or services.

Construction of the 16 suites cost $6 million and was 100 percent covered by donations. Operational costs for the suites will be covered by the facility budget.
NEW HAVEN  What a difference a year makes.

With no proposed tax rate increase, fewer than a dozen members of the public attended the first public hearing on the proposed $556.6 million budget for fiscal 2019-2120 as the city continues to project an $8 million surplus for the current year.

Acting Budget Manager Michael Gormany and Controller Daryl Jones presented the budget document, which also includes a two-year capital projects portion that is proposed at $70 million, but increases to $86.8 million with state, federal and other grants.

The tax rate is expected to remain steady at 42.98 mills. The Board of Education had asked for a $30 million increase but Harp has said there would be a slight increase, $750,000, to the education budget.

This year the Board of Alders increased the tax rate by 11 percent after less funding was issued by the state, although state Senate Pro Tempore Martin Looney said recently that the city was warned that funds would be cut.

Jones told to the Finance Committee of the Board of Alders Monday that the city will save the cost of borrowing in the second year of the capital budget, which can be as high as $500,000 a year.

Gormany assured Alder Anna Festa, D-10, that they will keep tight administrative controls as the capital projects roll out so funding doesnt get used up in the first year.

The budget is increasing 1.75 percent next year, or $9.6 million. They tax rate will remain steady despite the $15 million drop in the grand list, mainly due to Yale Universitys converting what was commercial office and lab space to classroom usage at Science Park

The Educational Cost Sharing grant drops by $272,323 coming in at $142. 5 million, but the the Alliance Grant went up by $2 million.

The city ends up with a plus balance in state funds, despite having to pay a projected $183,768 contribution to the teachers retirement fund, which Gov. Ned Lamont is asking municipalities to do for the first time.

Additional revenues will come from increased police towing fees; residential parking permits as well as traffic permits for a total of $600,000. For the first time the city will get a payment in lieu of taxes from the Ninth Square development of $667,000; budget officials estimated that it will get some $1.1 million by selling city properties.

Yale University will pay $500,000 more to cover fire service after the city recalculated the agreed-upon formula. Interest on accounts is up $700,000; the city expects to bring in more payments in lieu of taxes that will realize $4.8 million next year; Gormany said made its goal of $6.1 million this year. Building permits will go up $6 million based on a Yale New Haven Hospital project at the St. Raphaels campus.

Interim Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said the Strong School is definitely on the list of properties to sell; the rest will be discussed later.

The city wants to make some position changes with a full-time position in corporation counsel to answer Board of Education questions. The budget adds 13 new full-time positions and two part-time jobs. The new positions are in the library, parks, police, Fair Rent departments, as well as traffic and parking and the Commission on Equal Opportunities.

Of the four residents who spoke, Dennis Serfilippi had the most questions.

He wanted to know why the budget was not available in excel so it can be easily analyzed; he asked how much of the capital budget is being used to generate efficiencies in the departments do more with less and do it better.

He also asked asked how the city can prepare a budget for the New Haven Fire Department and for the New Haven Police Department without a study of what their actual staffing needs are.

Serflippi asked why it takes $25,000 a year to educate one student in its public school system; he asked why the $400 million education system still does not have a chief financial officer; he wants to know if there is money for operational audits for any of the departments; was there money in the proposed budget to pay the young police officers a bigger salary to keep them from leaving after they are trained. The polices contract is in binding arbitration.

He asked how much the mayors police protection costs; he also inquired about money to improve the main thoroughfares of Whalley, Dixwell and Grand avenues. Serflippi asked about the 5-year budget is. If it is available, he wants to see it in excel. He didnt get his answers at the budget hearing.

A question from another resident was continuing concern over the $700 million shortfall needed for pension payments.

Gormany explained that the IT budget maintenance contracts will increase by almost $1 million with $450,000 to maintain body cameras for police. To be more transparent, the city will combine all the utility costs and maintenance into one budget item; the school system will get $750,000 more from the city.

The next public hearing on the budget will be April 8, at 6 p.m. at the Hill Regional Career High School, 140 Legion Ave,; the last one is May 8 at City Hall at a time to be announced.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN - A local restaurant is appealing the state Department of Consumer Protections decision to revoke its liquor license.

The consumer protection agency revoked the liquor license at Roosevelts, 838 Whalley Ave., on Feb. 26, according to a departmental memorandum posted through the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

An owner at Roosevelts admitted buying liquor from a package store, rather than a wholesaler, while speaking with a special agent investigating a complaint in April 2018, according to the memo.

Liquor bought from a package store was again found at the business in August 2018, the memo indicates. Sanitation issues were also noted at the time.

A hearing was held by DCP on Feb. 14, according to the memo. No representative of Roosevelts was in attendance, the DCP said.

More News 16 New Haven restaurants fail health inspections - then pass

Roosevelts has filed a motion for the Liquor Control Commission to reconsider the revocation of its permit, allowing it to remain open for the time being, according to Lora Rae Anderson, the departments director of communications.

This step is possible when a permitee does not appear at the DCPs hearing, Anderson said in an email.

While the motion is pending, the establishment in question can continue to operate, Anderson said. She said the commision is expected to make a decision within 25 days.

Staff at Roosevelts directed a request for comment to the owner.

Theodore Hines, listed on health records as the owner of the establishment, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

Roosevelts also failed two regular health inspections in August and September 2018 according to health department inspection reports, but then passed with a 90 out of 100 on Dec. 12. Restaurants must score at 80 or above to pass and must have no four-point health violations, which are considered the most serious.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
This is written in response to the New Haven Register article Health department missing the mark, published on March 4, to add additional facts and provide clarity.

First and foremost, food safety is, and has always been, a top priority for the East Shore District Health Department.

The ESDHD, like all local health departments across the state, is steeped in the project of reassessing their food licensing and inspection program to prepare for the long overdue new state FDA Food Code requirement that was scheduled to begin on July 1, 2018. A state memorandum was issued to all local health departments on June 23, 2017, directing us to prepare for the new code starting on Oct. 1, 2017, with a hard implementation date for the new code beginning on July 1, 2018. We created an FDA Food Code safety preparation course and offered free in-person training classes. We also held discussions/evaluations and conducted a multitown, district-wide customer service survey with our food operations to provide them an opportunity for open and honest dialogue to make business-friendly improvements and technology enhancements to our food-licensing and inspection program.

More for you Is your health in jeopardy? You wouldnt know due to 90 missed inspections

These FDA training courses were very successful, and drew hundreds of restaurant owners, operators and their staff, with some attendees coming from outside the health district. We were one of the few health departments in the state to offer transitional in-person training classes. The training served several purposes: they were an opportunity to redefine our professional relationships with our food establishment businesses and to provide a forum to understand/ask questions regarding the new 700-plus page food code. Together we moved forward to support the restaurants in their preparation for the implementation.

We implemented a business-friendly approach that assisted our local food businesses and partners for a smooth transition. To do anything less than train and educate, rather than regulate and enforce, would be unfair and a less-than-friendly local business approach. In short, we believed there needed to be a balanced and fair process to the implementation of the FDA Food Code to support Connecticut s local food business economy.

The transition has been a very time-consuming process with hundreds of hours spent by field staff members and administrative employees. We embraced this challenge as an opportunity to improve our organization and assist our local food business stakeholders to advance our food licensing and inspection program.

During these trainings, program development and transition to the new code, we prioritized restaurant inspections based on past food safety performance and held our other inspections until our community understood the new requirements. At the same time, in addition to training our local food businesses, we needed to reclassify and change our inspection database and policies and, therefore, we chose to take this opportunity to enhance our restaurant licensing and inspection program to include an updated online application process with online forms and we now take credit cards for payments.

ESDHD has also been meeting with local health department colleagues across the state for over a year on this matter and we have agreed to share the food database upgrades and cost of mobile technology if funding sources allow and when the FDA Food Code is implemented. In fact, we just signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work collaboratively and share the cost of the database upgrades required for the implementation of the new FDA Food Code, all at our costs with reduced state funding.

The FDA Food Code, while welcomed by Connecticut and its municipalities, is still another unfunded state mandate with no state support or resources; in fact, 20 percent less funding from the state to local health departments is scheduled for the next fiscal year. Over the past 10 years, state funding contributions to local health departments has steady declined, and since 2009, there has been no funding provided to any jurisdiction with a population less than 50,000. With respect to staffing, a health inspector retired, and we have had two staff members on statutory leaves.

The decision I made with my team and board of directors was to implement the new code regulations and educate and assist our local businesses first on this new FDA Food Code before moving full-force with the inspection program that was our local obligation to our communities. Now that the new FDA Food Code implementation is in place and understood by our communities, the ESDHD local health department is ready to move forward with inspections.

Michael A. Pascucilla is director of health for the East Shore District Health Department.
Newsfrom Japan

Nagano, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Cumberland Japan Co. on Monday released a new trailer-home model to be offered for use as temporary housing in the event of disasters.

The producer and seller of trailer homes based in the central Japan city of Nagano plans to build 100 units of the model, Grandee, this year.

Cumberland Japan supplied a total of some 30 trailer homes to Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, hit by heavy rains last year, and Abira and Atsuma, Hokkaido, after a powerful earthquake rocked the northernmost prefecture also last year.

"We hope we'll be able to quickly provide warm accommodation," said President Hideyo Harada.

The new trailer home, which is 11 meters long and 3.5 meters wide, is equipped with a toilet, a bathroom and a kitchen. It houses up to eight people.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Newsfrom Japan

Taipei, March 11 (Jiji Press)--A ceremony was held Monday at Japan's de facto embassy in Taiwan to remember victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and to thank Taiwan for its massive assistance.

The disaster served as an opportunity to reaffirm the special bond between the two economies, with Japan receiving over 20 billion yen in aid from Taiwan, said Mikio Numata, head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association's Taipei office.

The de facto Japanese ambassador to Taiwan expressed gratitude for the massive support during the event, held on the eighth anniversary of the disaster.

The ceremony, cohosted by the Taipei office and a major group of Japanese living in Taiwan, was joined by Taiwanese diplomats and others.

After observing a moment of silence for the victims, participants placed flowers at an alter set up at the ceremony venue.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
The state Supreme Court has tossed the obstruction conviction of a man who refused to unchain his apartment door for police investigating a domestic violence report.

The justices found that not taking an action didnt amount to physical obstruction.

Cliffside Park cops knocked on Andrew J. Fedes door in March 2014 while investigating a call about a potential domestic violence situation, according to the ruling issued Tuesday.

Fede partially opened the door, leaving the chain lock secured. He repeatedly refused to remove the chain when the officers explained they wanted to come inside and check on the well-being of anyone inside. Fede told them he was alone and asked if the officers had a warrant.

They had no warrant, the officers explained, but were permitted to enter under the community care-taking doctrine.

Officers even gave Fede the phone number for their supervisor, who also explained they had a right to enter. Fede still refused, according to the ruling.

Concerned that someone could be in danger, the officers broke the chain and entered the apartment. They asked Fede to wait in the hallway while they searched for occupants and he did as he was told, the justices noted.

The officers found no one else in the apartment, but arrested Fede for obstruction for failing to remove the chain lock.

Fede was convicted and he appealed. The appellate court upheld the conviction and Fede took the case to the Supreme Court.

Writing for the unanimous court, Justice Walter Timpone found that Fedes refusal to remove the already-fastened chain was not an act of obstruction, since it required no actual effort on his part.

His use of the ordinary door-chain-lock was his standard practice, not a circumstantial reaction to the officers knock, Timpone wrote  Fede did not try to prevent the officers from breaking the chain, offering no physical resistance once the officers broke the chain and entered.

The justices found Fedes behavior unwise, but not illegal.

Although his refusal to remove the lock to allow the officers to perform their necessary, lawful and focused search is not an advisable course of action and could have escalated the situation, it was not criminal, Timpone concluded.

The justices reversed the appellate court finding and vacated Fedes conviction.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A Marlton man has been arrested after a national child welfare group tipped police that he was using online search engines to find pictures of pre-pubescent girls, according to authorities.

Scott J. Lucas, 61, of the first block of Sheffield Drive in Evesham Township, was charged Friday with endangering the welfare of a child, according to a statement Monday from the Burlington County Prosecutors Office.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the prosecutors High-Tech Crimes Unit about Lucas alleged surfing for child porn, the prosecutors office said.

Unit detectives executed a search warrant at his home Friday and arrested him after finding child pornography files on his personal electronic devices, the press release said. Jail records indicate he is no longer in custody.

The investigation was led by BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit Detective Kevin Sobotka, with assistance from Evesham Township police and Homeland Security Investigations Cherry Hill Office, the release said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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UPDATE: We are heartbroken. Family remembers N.J. native killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash as passionate, selfless

A writer from South Jersey, who dedicated much of his life to helping earthquake victims in Haiti, was among the 157 people who died in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner on Sunday.

Matthew Vecere, 43, grew up in Cape May County and later moved to California. His employer, IQ Air, announced his death on Twitter Monday afternoon.

Matt was a great writer and an avid surfer with a passion for helping others. Our hearts are with Matt's family and all who lost their lives in this tragedy, the company tweeted.

IQAir is greatly saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Matt Vecere who was on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Matt was a great writer and an avid surfer with a passion for helping others. Our hearts are with Matt's family and all who lost their lives in this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/WPOqbHfNc9  IQAir (@IQAir) March 11, 2019

The Boeing 737 Max 8 went down in clear weather shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing everyone on board.

A witness to the crash told The Associated Press that smoke was coming from the back of the plane before it hit the ground.

Before falling down, the plane rotated two times in the air, and it had some smoke coming from the back then, it hit the ground and exploded, Tamrat Abera said.

Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation into the crash, assisted by the U.S., Kenya and others.

Airlines in Ethiopia, China, Indonesia and elsewhere grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner Monday after the second devastating crash of one of the planes in five months.

According to a bio he posted online, Vecere grew up in Sea Isle City where he learned to surf. He worked for his parents at various businesses before moving to Florida to escape New Jerseys miserable winters.

Vecere attended the Florida Institute of Technology before transferring to Stockton University in Atlantic County where he studied biology and writing. After college, he worked for a time with the elderly at The Shores United Methodist Home in Ocean City, according to his bio. It was there that he learned a new appreciation for life, death, and everything in between.

Vecere moved to California in 2005 to work in the surf industry and nonprofits. Five years later when the earthquake hit Haiti, he went there to see if he could help.

Material from The Associated Press contributed to this report

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Living in New Jersey is pricey and for those who can afford a second home  or even first home  at the Jersey Shore, its usually even worse.

But one Jersey Shore town has bragging rights that beat out all the other coastal communities.

North Wildwood has the lowest average property tax bill out of more than 40 municipalities with coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean.

Situated on the north end of the last barrier island before you hit Cape May City, North Wildwood is home to about 3,900 year-round residents.

Unlike some Shore towns that boast multi-million dollar homes, the average property assessment in North Wildwood is just $305,367.

And the tax bill for a property of that value? Just $3,867 last year  less than half the states average.

It was the lowest for any municipality along the Jersey Shore and the 18th lowest out of 565 municipalities in the state, according to figures released by the Department of Community Affairs.

North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said the combination of the housing options, infrastructure and recreation improvements, and efforts by the previous and current administrations and councils to pay down debt service has kept expenses down.

Investment is one of the reasons why our values are so strong in North Wildwood, said Rosenello. The property values have continued to go up, and people want to be here. They see that investment coupled with a very low property tax rate and it keeps that train moving forward.

The 1.7-square-mile town boasts more than $2.5 billion in ratables  taxable property that includes homes and businesses, some of which line the infamous Wildwood boardwalk.

Although the city operates its own police department, full-time and volunteer fire department and EMS squad, public works, and recreation department, Rosenello says North Wildwood creates agreements with other nearby towns that help keep costs low. Some of those towns share the Wildwood name, including Wildwood Crest, Wildwood City and West Wildwood (Yes, four Wildwoods, four municipalities, one island.)

Its a good circle, said Rosenello. "If youve ever applied for a mortgage, the mortgage companies are looking at the bottom line, so the lower your taxes, that means more money can be freed up.

The other Wildwoods tax bills arent that far off, ranging from an average of $4,300 in West Wildwood to $5,100 in Wildwood City.

According to the tax data, North Wildwood residents pay $825 in county property taxes and $2,191 in municipal taxes. When it comes to school taxes, residents pay $851 because the shore town sends its high school students to Wildwood High School after spending time in the North Wildwood School District kindergarten through eighth grade.

The municipality of North Wildwood  where the bulk of the tax bill goes  employed 68 full-time and 88 part-time workers in 2018, according to its budget.

Every year were looking to make sure that we are properly staffed, and that we are not overstaffed, the mayor said. We look for shared services where they exist, and were pretty active with that with Wildwood Crest and Wildwood.

Of the $29 million spent on municipal services, about $11 million is paid through fees, grants and other revenues.

Unlike most shore towns, that revenue isnt made up of beach badge fees. The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority imposes a 1.8 percent tourism tax, which the municipalities split. The money funds beach maintenance expenses in each town.

Parking meters help, too. North Wildwood made $800,000 off them last year.

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
Rich Fitter wasnt sure how he was supposed to feel when his phone started lighting up late Monday night with the news that the former priest he said sexually abused him and other young boys for years was dead -- shot to death in Nevada.

But Fitter said he knows one thing: John Capparelli, the former New Jersey priest and teacher who was dogged by abuse allegations for years but never prosecuted, will never be able to hurt anyone again.

The world is a safer place without him, said Fitter, of Sparta. The guy had a 40-year record of abuse. Whatever lead to his death, its a certain amount of karma.

Capparelli, 70, was found shot to death in his house in Henderson, Nevada, Saturday morning after police were asked to conduct a welfare check, local law enforcement officials said.

Preliminary investigation indicates the victim died of suspicious circumstances, and the incident is being investigated as a homicide, local police said in the statement. A suspect has not been identified at this time and police are following up on developed leads.

Capparelli was one of 188 priests and deacons in the state who had been credibly accused of child sexual abuse, according to a list released by New Jerseys five Catholic dioceses last month. But the allegations against him were well known.

He was accused of groping, photographing and brutalizing young boys, often asking them to wrestle in tight swimwear. He was also linked to a fetish website he allegedly ran. He was removed from ministry in 1992 and eventually defrocked by the Catholic Church.

However, he was able to get a job as a public school teacher in Newark until a report by The Star-Ledger detailed his past. He eventually surrendered his teaching licenses in New Jersey and moved to Nevada.

Despite multiple accusers who came forward with similar stories of abuse, Capparelli never admitted to any wrongdoing.

Fitter filed a civil lawsuit against him and the Catholic Church in 2011 in part to hold the former priest accountable for the alleged abuse that he never had to answer for in criminal court. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Richard Fitter speaks to the media at a protest of priest sex abuse victims in front of the Statehouse in 2011. They called for New Jersey to lift its statute of limitations on sex abuse civil lawsuits.(Star-Ledger file photo)SL

Fitter, who works as a personal trainer and writer, said he did not know Capparelli had moved to Nevada. He wants to know if the former priest continued his pattern of alleged abuse or had any contact with young boys in his new state.

I cant see a change, Fitter said. Ill be very interested to see what police find in his house . . . I dont see that type of sociopath and predator changing.

Fitter said he is still processing the news of the death of the former priest he says haunted his dreams for decades. But, his thoughts keep returning to one explanation.

Its karma, he said. I do think theres a certain karma.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Sean McIlmail, 26, died from a drug overdose six years ago, but what killed his spirit was living with the nightmare of how a priest in the familys Philadelphia parish began sexually assaulting him at age 11, his parents said.

His parents, Deborah and Michael McIlmail, asked a panel of state lawmakers in Trenton on Monday to reflect on their sons pain and give sexual abuse victims and their families broader legal leeway to sue the perpetrators and the nonprofit institutions which employ them.

My sons life of abuse did not have to happen, Michael McIlmail told the state Assembly Judiciary Committee, choking back tears. Twenty years before my son was born, (Father Robert) Brennan was transferred to multiple parishes. A 2005 grand jury report described Brennan, who has been defrocked, as a serial offender.

After more than two hours of tearful testimony, the committee voted 4-0 with two abstentions to approve a bill that would allow adult sexual assault victims seven years to file a civil lawsuit, instead of the current two-year time limit.

The legislation (S477) also would allow adults who were sexually assaulted as children to bring a civil suit against an individual or institution up until the age of 55 or seven years after they make the discovery" connecting their emotional and psychological injury to their abuse.

Victims who previously could not file lawsuits because of the statute of limitations would have a two-year window  from Dec. 1, 2019, to Nov. 30, 2021  to file their cases, including if they are over the age of 55.

Catholic leaders, who have fought changes to the law for nearly 20 years, oppose the bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union. But they have taken steps more recently to pay restitution and acknowledge responsibility.

Last month, New Jerseys five Catholic dioceses released the names of 188 priests and deacons credibly accused of abusing children over multiple decades. The New Jersey Compensation Fund for Victims of Church Sexual Abuse of Minors, funded by the dioceses, is scheduled to begin taking claims from victims of priest sex abuse starting in July.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill, which is scheduled for a vote of the full state Senate on Thursday. The full 80-member Assembly is scheduled to vote on the bill March 25, said state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, also a sponsor.

Both the Senate and Assembly have to pass the legislation before Gov. Phil Murphy decides whether to sign or veto it.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Editors Note: This story was updated in February 2020 to indicate the remains were found in Lawrence Township, not Downe Township, as originally reported by police in 2019.

He was a young man, somewhere between 17 and 25 years old, when he died in the 1970s.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and his death was labeled a homicide.

No one had reported him missing and no one stepped forward when his remains were found in a wooded area in Cumberland County.

Did anyone mourn his loss?

Somewhere, he had parents, maybe brothers and sisters, a few friends and a life.

He also had a name. We just dont know it yet.

New Jersey State Police are asking for the publics help in cracking the 40-year-old mystery of this man whose remains were found in Lawrence Township.

Residents cutting laurel in a wooded area off a dirt road called Hall Avenue near County Road 629 stumbled across his skeleton on Nov. 21, 1979. Hall Avenue, which was located between Factory Road and French Avenue, doesnt appear on current maps.

Detectives figured he had been there for a matter of years, given the condition of the remains.

Were not sure on an exact date or time of death, said Detective John Weber, with the state police Homicide South Unit.

In a newspaper report days after the discovery, police initially theorized that the remains, all found above ground under leaves, were of a woman. Bones were found in a 20-foot radius. The skull was found first.

Its not clear if he was killed where he was found or dumped at that spot.

Technology of the time was limited, but a sketch of what the victim may have looked like were created and shared in hopes of identifying the victim. No witnesses stepped forward and no one reported seeing or hearing anything.

The case went cold.

Over the years, as technology improved, the case received fresh attention from the Southern Regional Medical Examiners Office in Woodbine, Weber explained.

In 2009, the skull was sent to the forensic lab at the world-renown University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where DNA was obtained and entered into a database in hopes that a match would eventually be made. That quest continues.

Technological advances allowed investigators to conclude he may have been bi-racial or of Mediterranean descent.

Further efforts were made in recent years to develop a fresh rendering of the victim.

The skull was recently sent to Virginia Commonwealth University, where it was scanned and a new image of what the man may have looked like was developed.

Its in stark contrast to some of the sketches that were done back in 1979, Weber said. We wanted to get that out there with the hope that this is probably the more likely rendering of what this guy would have looked like.

The state police posted that image and a write-up on Facebook last week.

The discovery apparently didnt receive much attention back in 1979.

In the week since the post went up on social media, Weber says he hasnt received a single tip, but he remains hopeful that the new image and widespread online exposure will catch someones attention.

Investigator realize theyre racing the clock when it comes to finding living loved ones of someone who died more than 40 years ago.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Weber at 609-561-1800, ext. 3355 or the Southern Regional Medical Examiners Office at 609-861-3355. Tips may be left anonymously.

State Police Seeking Publics Assistance with 39-year-old Homicide Cold Case The New Jersey State Police Homicide... Posted by New Jersey State Police on Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The Eagles kicked off free agency with a bang on Monday, making the first signing of the day in defensive tackle Malik Jackson and keeping things going later in the day by agreeing to a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for DeSean Jackson.

That was only Day 1. Or, at least, Day 1 for when teams can negotiate with teams and free agents before things become official on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Dont expect things to slow down on Tuesday.

The Eagles still have cap room to spare and positions of need to fill. Even after the initial wave of free agency, there are plenty of intriguing players still on the open market.

Here 16 players in particular that the Eagles should still be targeting in free agency, broken into two categories: top targets and worth considering.

TOP TARGETS (OR SHOULD BE)

RB Mark Ingram (Saints): There wasnt much running back action on Monday outside of short deals for Frank Gore (Bills) and Mike Davis (Bears), and might not be until the big chip (LeVeon Bell) makes his decision. After Bell and Falcons Tevin Coleman, Ingram is the next best running back on the open market and an ideal fit for the Eagles offense considering his power running/pass-catching skillset. He shouldnt be too expensive, either.

LB K.J. Wright (Seahawks): The Eagles dont spend a lot of money on linebackers, so if Wright is expecting a Kwon Alexander-level deal, he wont be coming to Philadelphia. Like Alexander, Wright is coming off an injury that cost him most of 2018, though hes older (30). If Wright is seeking a one-year prove it type contract, he would be an upgrade over Jordan Hicks (and Kamu Grugier-Hill, really) at linebacker and would be an intriguing buy-low investment for Roseman.

S Jimmie Ward (49ers): In a deep safety market, not everyone is going to get paid like Landon Collins. Ward has flown under the radar, largely because hes missed 21 games the last three seasons due to injury, but hes an ideal fit for the Eagles defense thanks to his versatility. Ward can become the teams No. 3 safety and perhaps eventually replace Rodney McLeod.

CB Ronald Darby (Eagles): Its been a robust market for cornerbacks and Darby could garner a huge payday. If the market isnt to his liking, though, the Eagles would likely welcome him back on a short-term deal that would allow Darby to hit the open market again in 2020 or 2021.

WORTH CONSIDERING

DE Bruce Irvin (Raiders): The veteran is best suited as a rotational pass rusher at this stage of his career, but that makes him a solid fit as a reserve in a group that already has Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and, most likely, Chris Long. He has experience in a Wide-9 defensive scheme, too.

LB Jordan Hicks (Eagles): The Eagles severely lack for depth at linebacker and Hicks is a highly-regarded figure in the Eagles locker room, hes just injury prone and unlikely to garner a multi-year deal from the team that drafted him. At a discount, theyd seemingly welcome him back.

RB Latavius Murray (Vikings): If the Eagles go the cheaper, short-term veteran route, Murray is a solid option. He has experience both as a starter and in a rotation and is a decent pass-catcher.

RB C.J. Anderson (Rams): Anderson would be a LeGarrette Blount-esque signing, and that includes in playing style. Anderson is fresh off a stellar end-of-season run with the Rams and would do well in a Blount-esque complimentary role for the Eagles on a small, one-year deal.

RB T.J. Yeldon (Jaguars): Yeldon is talented but more of a pass-catcher than pure runner. He is young, though, and would seemingly come cheaply and fill a role the Eagles were missing last season as an option out of the backfield.

CB Darqueze Dennard (Bengals): If the Eagles felt like they needed to add another cornerback after, potentially, losing Darby, Dennard would be an intriguing fit. Hes a sound tackler, still only 27 and flying under-the-radar in this free agency class.

LB L.J Fort (Steelers): Hes primarily been a special teams standout, but when called upon to start late last season he acquitted himself well and would be a low-cost option for a position of need.

LB Josh Bynes (Cardinals): Bynes had 75 tackles in only 11 games last season. He can be the teams No. 3 linebacker and a special teams contributor at a low cost.

TE Maxx Williams (Ravens): The Eagles need a low-cost No. 3 tight end, ideally one who thrives in protection. Williams is more of a blocker than receiver and has ties in the Eagles organization to Joe Douglas.

OL Ty Nsehke (Redskins): The Eagles both announced theyd be bring Jason Peters on Monday and decided to part ways with Stefen Wisniewski. As such, the Eagles lack depth on the offensive line, and a good place to start would be with Nsehke, an intriguing swing tackle who would be an upgrade over Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

DE Vinny Curry (Buccaneers): The ex-Eagles defensive end was released recently. He obviously knows the Eagles defense well, played well under Jim Schwartz for two seasons and is best suited as a rotational defensive end at this stage of his career, which is what the Eagles need right now.

S Clayton Geathers (Colts): The 26-year-old had 89 tackles in just 12 games and would be a young, cost-effective option to compete with Tre Sullivan to become the Eagles No. 3 safety.

Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZackBlatt. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Jerseys latest school grades are out, giving parents in every community a snapshot of what the state thinks of their local schools.

The state Department of Education on Tuesday released the new scores, which are graded on a scale of 0-100 and consider standardized test results, graduation rates and other factors.

The scores, which critics have dismissed as oversimplified, are weighted to give the performance of minority and economically disadvantaged students equal importance as a schools overall performance, making the grades somewhat less correlated to overall demographics.

The Edward H. Bryan School, a elementary school in Cresskill, received the highest score, a 97.5. The Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark, a city all-boys school, received the lowest scores, a 1.4.

But you shouldnt necessarily panic if your schools score is low (or celebrate too much if the score is high).

State officials have downplayed the significance of the school grades, saying they dont tell the whole story of a schools performance.

Thats a just a piece of the puzzle, Diana Pasculli, an assistant education commissioner told the state Board of Education last week.

Schools that have third grade and higher received a score from 0-100 and well a percentile rating, which shows how they compare to other high schools or other middle/elementary schools. A 50th percentile rating is considered average.

Use the lookup tool below to see the score and percentile rating for each school.

How the ratings were calculated

Schools were scored on a several factors, including many required by the federal government. Heres what counted:

High schools: Four-year graduation rate (20 percent), five-year graduation rate (20 percent), progress toward English language proficiency (20 percent) English proficiency (15 percent), math proficiency (15 percent), chronic absenteeism (10 percent)

Elementary and middle schools: English language arts growth (20 percent), math growth (20 percent), progress toward English language proficiency (20 percent), English language arts proficiency (15 percent), math proficiency (15 percent), chronic absenteeism (10 percent)

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Carla Astudillo may be reached at castudillo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @carla_astudi. Find her on Facebook.

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Newarks Amiri Baraka is a towering figure of twentieth century theater and art, not to mention one of the states most legendary figures. His influence on the city where he was born and died is still felt, not least of which is because his son Ras Baraka has been Mayor of Newark since 2014.

After bursting onto the 1960s downtown New York theater scene with the fearlessly polemical plays Dutchman and The Slave, he soon changed his name from LeRoi Jones to Amiri Baraka and launched a career of unwavering dedication to black art, culture and society. He organized arts collectives and schools; penned poetry, drama, and fierce op-eds; marched and led political movements. Through it all, he was complex and mercurial, resisting simple classification or understanding.

Larry Muhammads new play Looking for Leroy, now having its world premiere off-Broadway in a New Federal Theatre production at the Castillo Theatre, looks at times with idolizing eyes on Baraka as a man and an artist, and at others seems deeply vexed by Barakas winding path of identity and mission. From beatnik to black nationalist to communist, Baraka resisted easy conscription, a condition by which Muhammad seems equally fascinated and frustrated. A two-hander set in 2002, the play opens with Baraka as the confident, dignified man of letters, and his intern as a wide-eyed worshipper. But power soon shifts, putting Baraka in a position of weakness, needing to defend himself and his art to an upstart with an attitude.

The play focusses on Baraka (Kim Sullivan) as he labors over what would turn out to be his final play, Most Dangerous Man in America (W.E.B. Du Bois), deciding to hire an intern, Taj (Tyler Fauntleroy), to help with the writing process. Taj introduces himself as someone who can recite Barakas poems like people quote Shakespeare. The first half of the play proceeds as a history and dramaturgy lesson, as the two talk through Barakas career and theories of theater. This is useful for audiences unfamiliar with the plays title character, but comes off as labored exposition on stage.

Something peculiar happens about midway through: the student seems to grow weary of the master, angry perhaps that he cannot easily categorize Baraka as a certain type of artist and intellectual. Taj grows aggressive and accusatory, taking Baraka to task for the myriad inconsistencies in his work and life.

The transition is abrupt, and its execution throughout the plays second half is often baffling: Who in the ever-loving world is this kid to be talking to Amiri Baraka this way? What could Amiri Baraka possibly owe him, and why would the distinguished artist ever feel the need to defend himself against an intern in his own home?

At one point, Baraka chastises Taj for reading the characters in Dutchman too literally, insisting that Clay and Lula are symbols for movements and ideas much larger than individual people. Along these lines, it might be productive to read Taj as a symbol of the vast, multifaceted public that treated Baraka with significant frustration as he consistently refused to meet their expectations. Taj might not just be Taj, but rather a stand-in for generations of Barakas audience.

That is a generous reading for which Muhammads play allows, but does not ensure. Under the direction of Petronia Paley, Looking for Leroy seems mostly an extended and peculiar Oedipal clash. As Taj grows less starry-eyed, Fauntleroy fills him with gumptious but still seemingly groundless indignation  Stop yelling at Amiri Baraka so that you can listen for a few minutes and maybe learn! one wants to scream. Sullivans Baraka, who began the play so confident and assertive, shrinks under the barrage.

From Red to Topdog/Underdog and beyond, we have seen this master/student two-person play before, and Looking for Leroy does little to challenge the genres conventions. As an artist and intellectual, Baraka deserves the sort of inspection and amplification that this play offers him  it is perhaps essential viewing for any student of theater unfamiliar with this important figure  but it is no doubt a cluttered and clunky 90 minutes.

Looking for Leroy

Castillo Theatre

543 W. 42nd Street, New York

Tickets: available online at www.castillo.org/looking-for-leroy-2019. Running through March 31.

Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
UPDATE: Its karma, says alleged victim of former N.J. priest found shot to death in Nevada

A former New Jersey priest and teacher who was accused of groping young boys was found shot to death in his Nevada home over the weekend, authorities said.

Police conducting a welfare check Saturday found the body of a John Capparelli, 70, in the house he owned on Bonner Springs Drive in Henderson, Nevada, authorities said.

Capparelli had been shot once in the neck. His body was found in the kitchen about 5:10 p.m., according to the Clark County Coroners Office.

Last month, Capparellis name was included a list of 188 priests and deacons in the state who had been credibly accused of sex crimes against children. New Jerseys five Catholic dioceses released the names while under mounting pressure to identify clergy accused of sexual misconduct.

Accused of groping and brutalizing teenage boys, Capparelli was suspended from the ministry in 1992. Nearly two decades later, after The Star-Ledger revealed he was working as a public school teacher in Newark, the state revoked his certificates.

Though he was never convicted of a crime, multiple accusers said Capparelli made them wrestle in swimwear while he took photos. He was also linked to a fetish website that he allegedly ran from his home.

Capparelli worked at Our Lady of Fatima in North Bergen, Oratory Prep in Summit, Holy Trinity in Westfield, St. Theresa in Kenilworth and Temporary Chaplain - Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

In the years following the accusations, Capparelli moved from New Jersey to Nevada. Public records show he purchased the home in Henderson, a city of 300,000 residents just outside of Las Vegas, in 2016 shortly after selling his home in Belleville.

Former priest John Capparelli in an undated photo. (NJ.com and The Star-Ledger file)SL

Police in Nevada declined to say how Capparelli died, but they categorized the death as their third homicide of the year.

Preliminary investigation indicates the victim died of suspicious circumstances, and the incident is being investigated as a homicide, police said in the statement. A suspect has not been identified at this time and police are following up on developed leads.

A Henderson police spokeswoman said the case was an active investigation and that police would not be commenting further on Capparellis death.

An assistant in the coroners office said Capparellis body remained in the morgue and had not been claimed as of late Tuesday morning.

A neighbor in Henderson told KTNV-TV that Capparelli kept to himself and was often seen walking his dog near his home.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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With its effort discover unsung talent, the inaugural 14C Art Fair in downtown Jersey City is offering more than 50 exhibitions rooms with artists, galleries, and organizations for its first show. Taking place from March 15 to 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the art fair includes artists from the U.S., Japan, Brazil, and Russia, as well as some 150 regional artists.

The 14C Art Fair is an initiative of the 501(C)(3) nonprofit Jersey City Arts Council making the fair a not-for-profit showing. Displayed over two floors of the Hyatt, the main show floor will feature over 50 rooms from leading galleries and artists. The name 14C comes from the what exit? joke from Joe Piscopo, who satirized his home state of New Jersey as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1981.

14C was created when we began asking how do we help artists and art dealers alike, when such a huge percentage of art sales are happening at fairs, which are out of reach for most small and medium sized galleries, as well as individual artists? said Robinson Holloway, executive director, Art Fair 14C.

A juried show solely for NJ artists showing off their work will also take place. The Juried Show portion will include 39 solo presentations from artists such as Edward Fausty, Dolores Poacelli, Irene Christensen, and Dror/Forshee. Artists representing Jersey City include Heidi Gluck, Allison Green, LeAndra LeSeur and Woolpunk.

The 14C Art Fair competition roster was selected by a committee of jurors comprised of artists, gallery owners and executives championing the arts. Some include Ivy Brown of Ivy Brown Gallery; Jacquie Grande, Director of Reveal Art Fair; Jonathan LeVine of Jonathan LeVine Projects; and Susan Mumford, CEO of the Association of Women Art Dealers.

Among the many exhibitors that will be present at 14C, 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace will be in room 805 and featuring the works of three Jersey City artists: Cheryl Gross, Andrea McKenna and Philip A. Robinson, Jr. 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace will be open at 14C from noon to 8 p.m. on March 16 and from noon to 7 p.m. on March 17.

Also participating as an exhibitor is Jersey Citys Drawing Rooms, which will be featuring the works of 23 artists specializing in painting, drawing, collage, and photography in room 831. Artists include: Alejandro Rubin, Anne Trauben, Bill Leech, Bruce Halpin, Caroline K Burton, David French, Eileen Ferara, Geoffrey Sokol, Ibou Ndoye, Iris Kufert-Rivo, James Pustorino, Jill Scipione, Jodie Fink, Mona Brody, Sandra DeSando, Robin Feld, and William Stamos among others. Formerly located in downtown Jersey City, Drawing Rooms recently moved into the Topps Building in the Journal Square area.

This is our first art fair experience, said James Pustorino, Drawing Rooms executive director. Were gearing up for our comeback after moving into the Topps. First we go to the fair and then in May well have our grand opening.

Drawing Rooms will be open to the public at 14C from noon to 8 p.m. on March 16 and from noon to 7 p.m. on March 17. A complete list of exhibitors can be found at artfair14c.com/exhibitors.

Tickets for the 14C Art Fair can be bought at eventbrite.com/e/art-fair-14c-tickets-54937371156?ref=ebtn. The Hyatt Regency Hotel is located at 2 Exchange Place in downtown Jersey City.
JERSEY CITY  Scott Hahn, the man accused of causing the traffic deaths of Timothy ODonnell and his 5-year-old daughter three years ago, is expected to testify in his defense this week.

The Hamilton resident is on trial in Hudson County Superior Court and faces decades in prison. He will likely be questioned and cross-examined Wednesday.

Since the trial began, assistant prosecutors Leo Hernandez and Lynne Seborowski have used a number of witnesses to allege Hahns recklessness caused the tragic deaths of ODonnell and his daughter Bridget, of Bayonne.

On the afternoon of Feb. 22, 2016, ODonnell was driving westbound on the New Jersey Turnpikes Hudson County Extension  with Bridget in the backseat  as he pulled up to a ticket lane in the 14C toll plaza.

Hahn, who told authorities he had not slept in more than 24 hours, rear-ended ODonnells Chevrolet Malibu in the toll lane going 55 mph in a 5 mph zone, which propelled ODonnells car into oncoming traffic and into a McCabe ambulance vehicle.

ODonnell, a 48-year-old teacher at County Prep High School, died at the scene, while Bridget was pronounced dead later at Jersey City Medical Center.

On Tuesday, the defense tried to stymie this portrayal of the crash by calling witnesses that questioned the legitimacy of blood samples taken from Hahn the day of the crash.

A blood test revealed he had speed, methamphetamine and the strong depressant GHB, also known as the date rape drug, in his system, authorities have said. He also admitted to law enforcement officials that he had been given 10 Adderall pills the day before.

Heather Harris, a forensic chemist who reviewed one of Hahns blood samples, said the amount of blood that was taken and analyzed was not sufficient to conclusively determine whether Hahn had GHB in his system  among other deviations.

"It is my opinion that the analysis was an unreliable analysis," she said.

She did not, however, test the samples that authorities say showed Hahn had taken speed, methamphetamine, and Adderall.

The trial will continue Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in the Hudson County Administration Building.
SDA sophomore named 2019 Miss Colleen

Saint Dominic Academy sophomore Megan Dunne, of Kearny, has been named the 2019 Miss Colleen by the Saint Patricks Day Committee of Jersey City. Dunne received her sash at the Honorees Investiture held at Saint Patricks Church in Jersey City on Feb. 20. Her first official appearance as Miss Colleen was Friday, March 1 at the Jersey City Irish Flag Raising at City Hall.

On Wednesday, March 6, Megan attended the Hudson County Irish Flag Raising at the Brennan Courthouse. She and the other 11 honorees attended the Parade Committee Honorees Awards Dinner on Friday, March 8 at The Atrium at Harborside Financial Center. On Sunday, March 10 prior to the parade, Dunne participated in the Captain Michael Flynn Hullings Jersey City Firefighters Memorial Walk Wreath Laying. Her activities continue as she participates in the Det. Michael Santiago JCPD Memorial Walk Wreath Laying and the JCPD Det. Marc. A. DiNardo St. Patricks Day One Block Parade, both on Friday, March 15.

Landlord charge forces Horizon Health to close site

Due to a recent change in ownership of the property upon which the Bergen Ave. Horizon Health Center has been located for the past 50 years at the request of the new develop/owner, Horizon Health Center Inc. has been forced to close its Bergen Avenue site on March 31, located at 706-714 Bergen Ave, Jersey City. They will continue to serve clients medical needs at their Christopher Columbus Location.

Alliance Community Healthcares patients will be able to continue their care at the other Jersey City location, at 115 Christopher Columbus Drive, 1st Floor. Alliance will offer transport services to patients in Bergen Hill communities and surrounding neighborhoods, who may need assistance with transport getting to the 115 Christopher Columbus Ave. location. The same doctors will be available for continued care.

For those who wish to retrieve medical records, call 201-209-2319 or log on to the Alliance Community Healthcare website at: www.allianceCH.org and click on Patient Portal tab and signing in with your password to securely access your health record.

Roundtable discussion focuses on oral health

Metropolitan Family Health Network and Horizon BCBSNJ recently led a roundtable discussion on the importance of good oral health for both mothers-to-be and their soon-to-be born children. The roundtable was followed by a tour of the facilitys Obstetrics and Dental services.

Metropolitan Family Health Networks new program, Oh Baby, What Great Teeth Youll Have, was made to educate mothers-to-be about how poor oral care during pregnancy can impact not only their own overall physical health, but also the birth and subsequent oral health of their babies. The program was awarded a $62,500 grant from Horizon BCBSNJ through the Kids Oral Health Program, a two-year initiative of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey to fight dental disease among children in pockets of the state where the need is most acute.

Explore Middle School hosts Olympian and fashion designer

Explore Middle School recently hosted United States Olympian Gail Marquis and former Ebony Fashion Fair Commentator Audrey Smaltz at a Black History Month Celebration on Thursday, Feb. 28. An opening reception took place at 9 a.m. with the program following. The students recited "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" and performed musical numbers. Also in attendance were Acting Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez and Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.

Students graduate; make deans list

The following Jersey City residents recently graduated from the New York Institute of Technology: Manisha Chandra, Priyanka Vishwanath Mahantashettar, Yash Babubhai Kheni, Rishika Nakul Shah, Ruchita Rajesh Mistry, Abhinav Moturi, Ankit Arora, Arun Kumaresan Sarasam, Dhruva Choudhary Jampani, Feral Jitendrakumar Patel, Gunjan Ravindra Shete, Hitarth Bhatt, Maulik Trivedi, Shivani Tarunkumar Patel, Shreya Motilal Kahar, Bhavikkumar Bharatbhai Patel, Niravkumar Patel, Shivkumar Devegowda, Aldrich Vincent Christopher, Jaymin Shah, Bhavinbhai Ganeshbhai Lakhani, and Abhimanyu Arjunbhai Patil.

Yessica Marleny Moronta of Jersey City received a Masters of Science degree in occupational therapy from Clarkson University on Dec. 15, 2018.

The following Jersey City residents were recently named to the Deans List of Seton Hall University for the Fall 2018 semester: Wadalla Abogabl, Rochelle Ann Acebedo, Abdulrafay Amir, Nicole Boodhoo, Iulian Cernatinschi, Marlene Da Cruz, Jayvee Dacasin, Mariangelica Decastro, Massarath Fatima, Karissa Mae Gabot, Sherry George, Jeffrey Heredia, Rhania Kamel, Atithan Kingsawat, Karima Laidoui, Geraldine Ligon, Justin Melendez, Muhammed Mirza, Kamille Moise, Michael Pardal, Ashen Quiambao, Mikayla Reilly, Maylin Rivera, Jason Santos, Mohamed Shedeed, Sebastian Valbuena, and Sarah Villarin.

The following Jersey City residents were recently named to the Deans List at University of Sciences for the Fall 2018 semester: Gretchen Casingal, Mohamed Elhakeem, and Mowda Fadl.

The following local residents were recently named to the Deans List at Boston University for the Fall 2018 semester: Melitza Cuellar, Rachelle S. Hegarty, Tapan Patel, and Runsheng Wang, all of Jersey City, and Christine Jimenes of Bayonne.

Community organization launches eco-ambassador program

Local community organization Sustainable Jersey City (SJC) has refreshed its flagship education program to include new learning modules in Holistic Approaches to Life & Work, Green Infrastructure, Energy Efficiency, Waste Streams and Permaculture, for residents and businesses. CEUs may be available from the US Building Council.

Nine instructors from the region will teach the 10-week course that starts on Monday March 18, with consecutive Monday evenings, ending May 20. Each Monday night session takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Hudson County Community College, 70 Sip Ave, Jersey City.

For more details and to Register for the Certificate Program In Urban Sustainability visit SJCs Event page on their website: https://www.sustainablejc.org/events/2019/3/18/sjc-certificate-program-in-urban-sustainability-spring-2019.

HCCC to host seventh annual Mardi Gras fundraiser

The HCCC Foundation North Hudson Scholarship Committee hosted a Mardi Gras Celebration Fundraiser with a tricky tray and a buffet on March 7. Dishes were provided by more than 12 restaurants in the area. Proceeds from the event provide scholarships to deserving Hudson County Community College (HCCC) students from Guttenberg, Hoboken, North Bergen, Secaucus, Union City, Weehawken, and West New York.

Saint Peters University honors two of its past members

Saint Peters University plans to honor two members of the University community at Hearts & Minds: The Saint Peters University Scholarship Celebration on May 3 at the Mac Mahon Student Center. Niurka Nikki E. Mederos 07, 10 will be presented with the Service to Community Award and Eugene T. Paolino, Esq. 69 will be presented with the Professional Achievement Award. Hearts & Minds celebrates integrity, leadership and service to others with proceeds supporting the Universitys General Scholarship Fund.

Mederos is the director of the external affairs/outreach community at Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen. She has organized dozens of community health fairs and health screenings for thousands of members from the community. Mederos received her bachelor of professional studies from Saint Peters University in 2007.

Paolino is a partner at the law firm of Genova Burns LLC with offices in Newark and Jersey City, specializing in commercial real estate transactions and redevelopment law. A Jersey City native, he has practiced law throughout New Jersey for more than four decades, working on numerous projects in Jersey City and played a role in obtaining government approvals and financing real estate projects along New Jerseys Hudson River Gold Coast, in Journal Square and elsewhere in Jersey City.

HCCC names new VP for human resources

Hudson County Community College President Dr. Chris Reber announced that Anna Krupitskiy has been named Vice President for Human Resources, a new leadership position at the College. Krupitskiy began working in her new role on March 1.

Krupitskiy was born in Ukraine and emigrated to the United States when she was a child. She earned Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration degrees from Pace University. She also holds a Master of Law degree from University of Essex in the United Kingdom, and a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. She served as Director of Faculty Appointments at City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) since 2015.

Catholic War Veterans recognize Bayonne youths

State Commander Michael Embrich announces that the Catholic War Veterans Youth Service Award will be presented to Bayonne students Anthony Rubino and Natalie Ramos. The award recognizes students who display a commitment to their studies and to public service.

Rubino, a Junior at Bayonne High School, has served in the Bayonne Police Explorer Program since 2015, where he has accumulated over 200 hours of community service. In July of 2018, Anthony was promoted to Sargent, and he acts as a leader and mentor to other Police Explorers. He has completed the third phase of the New Jersey Law Enforcement Explorer Academy where he received first place in Marksmanship, second place in Arrest & Search Techniques, and placed in Motor Vehicle Stops, Burglary in Progress, and Motor Vehicle Investigation.

Ramos, an eighth-grade student at Nicholas Oresko School, is part of the Gifted and Talented Program as an inventor where she invented a device that stops chemicals and trash from entering waterways. She volunteers her time at the Liberty Science Center, the Bayonne Soup Kitchen, and her CCD Program. She also served as a mentor in The 100 Book Challenge, which encourages good reading habits among children in the school district. She has also been a Girl Scout for 6 years, where shes earned over 90 Junior Ranger Badges from the National Park Service, National History Parks, and National Battlefields.

Non-profit prepares for Autism Awareness Month

With Autism Awareness Month approaching this April, Colors for Autism is preparing several events for the month. The non-profit organization has been running a fundraising street fair for four consecutive years in downtown Jersey City with the goal of raising awareness, education, and donations for research and to help find a cure along with ways of helping families to get aide for their children who may be diagnosed with autism.

The following events are taking place this April: Light it up Blue (April 1). The event will give 20 families of 3 a chance to win a free brunch at the Hard Grove Cafe. Colors of Autism Dinner Party (April 18). A fundraiser dinner by Colors of Autism at The Ashford on the Newark Ave. Pedestrian Plaza from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Smile Preschool & Nursery or Everbrite. Brunch at the Hard Grove Cafe (April 25).

The 20 families of 3 will win a brunch at Colors of Autisms 1st Annual Autism Family Brunch from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Hard Grove Cafe.

HCCC welcomes associate dean of STEM

Hudson County Community College has named Dr. Burl Yearwood the Colleges Associate Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Dr. Yearwood earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Alabama, and Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

He conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Kentucky. A member of the American Chemical Society, his interests have included the examination of the preparation of precursors for the production of semi-conductors, as well as the combination of chemicals in marine paints. Dr. Yearwoods current research involves the analysis of environmental toxins in Newtown Creek River, a federal Superfund site located in Long Island City, NY.
JERSEY CITY  Gov. Phil Murphy visited Jersey City Tuesday to announce that his administration is taking aim at gun-makers in an effort to lessen gun violence in New Jersey.

But will pressure on Smith & Wesson from the state of New Jersey do anything to curb street violence in places like Jersey City, where four high school students were shot dead last year? Reaction is mixed, with praise for Murphys actions from Democratic officials and more muted support from local activists.

Pamela Johnson is an anti-violence advocate who visited the Bethune community center on Martin Luther King Drive to watch Murphys announcement that he is joining the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign. The nationwide anti-gun violence initiative asks gun-makers to stop working with dealers who sell guns to straw purchasers and to widely adopt smart gun technology.

Johnson said shes happy about any steps to address gun violence but questions whether putting pressure on gun manufacturers will do anything to stop violence on the citys south side.

We face greater issues on the south side that cause gun violence, Johnson told The Jersey Journal. And so until those issues are addressed, until we have more opportunity, until we have more resources and services, until we address the economics on the south side ... its not just about guns.

Johnson noted she is happy about a bill Murphy supports (A-4801) that would establish a statewide violence intervention program.

Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal also said on Tuesday that the states regular reports on guns used in the commission of crimes will now break down the guns by manufacturer.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who said police here removed one gun off the street almost daily in the last two years, applauded the move. Fulop said gun manufacturers should be targeted because the types of guns used in crimes in New Jersey are low-level, cheap guns and their makers know they are not made for sporting or self-defense.

Hopefully this is the start of a change not just in New Jersey but nationally because we know action isnt going to happen in Congress, Fulop said.

Paterson had 12 homicides last year, eight from people using guns. Its mayor, Andre Sayegh, told The Jersey Journal hes happy with any statewide attempt to lessen gun violence.

My common refrain is, guns just dont grow legs and get into our cities, Sayegh said. So were looking to name and shame these manufacturers and every bit helps as far as controlling the flow.

Michael Griffin works with Johnson on violence issues in Jersey City. Griffin said only federal legislation can stop the flow of guns into New Jersey from states with lax gun laws. Pressuring Glock wont do anything to stop street violence, he said.

You have guns thats been in our community for decades that are still being used, Griffin said. Its not all about the new guns.

The Rev. Alonzo Perry Sr. is pastor at Jersey Citys New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Perry was on stage with Murphy on Tuesday and told a story of hearing gunfire outside his church office last year while providing pre-marriage counseling to his son and daughter-in-law.

He lauded the governors announcement while acknowledging its a first step. Perry said advocates like Johnson and Griffin may not see a major impact immediately, but putting pressure on gun manufacturers is a necessary move.

The issue is multi-faceted and this is just one step in a whole lot of steps," he said. Its only part of a bigger picture.

Perry is part of the advocacy group New Jersey Together, which is a member of the group leading the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The talents of hundreds of middle school and high school students will be showcased at the Del Val District Music and Art Festival, to be held at Delaware Valley Regional High School on Thursday, March 21.

Works in fine art, instrumental music, vocal music and woodworking by students from Del Val and Hunterdon County Polytech will be represented at the show. But the middle schoolers from Frenchtown, Milford, Holland, Alexandria and Kingwood will not be mere spectators. Their art will be displayed in the library, their vocal and instrumental contributions will augment the choir and band.

The art show will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with special guest exhibitor John Reinking, a ceramicist. The library will become a gallery for up to 300 art objects -- paintings, drawings, photos, sculptures, masks, pottery, furniture and more. Art teachers Jason Farnsworth and Sarah Ruppert will be on hand to meet future students and their parents.

At 6:30 p.m., Del Val vocal music teacher Dan Wells will direct Vox Blue, the a cappella group; Vox Auri, the chamber ensemble; and the Concert Choir, which will be joined by the middle schoolers for several numbers.

At 7:30 p.m. in the Hutch Gym, the Del Val Jazz Band will perform, as will the Concert Band, which will be joined by the middle schoolers. There could be as many as 300 musicians. Del Val music teacher T.J. Hayden said, Theres something special about making music in a mass setting. Theres no choice but to be totally enveloped in the sound. Its a magical moment to be present in the music in such a large group.

Principal Adrienne Olcott said, This festival is a shining moment of our school year. Come to support your favorite student, but stay to marvel at the arc of talent and skill from middle school through senior year. And be sure to bring your middle schoolers; it will be an eye-opener for them!
Nearly a decade after Red Bank middle school social studies teacher Jonelle Melton was brutally murdered in her own home, her killers were found guilty of all charges in her death Tuesday by a Monmouth County jury after a lengthy trial.

For years, Meltons 2009 killing went unsolved.

But in 2015, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said Melton, 33, was gunned down by three men who were trying to burglarize a specific apartment at Brighton Arms in Neptune City. They broke into Meltons apartment by mistake, bound her and shot her in the head when they realized she was not their intended target.

Investigators identified Ebenezer Byrd, 30, Gregory Jean-Baptiste, 39 and Jerry J. Spraulding, 41, as her killers. A fourth man, James Fair, 30, pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiring to commit burglary, but insisted he had nothing to do with the killing.

Fair is serving an 82-year prison term for his role, and 79 other crimes he was convicted of as a part of Operation Dead End, an investigation targeting gang members in Monmouth County.

Gregory Jean-Baptiste

James Fair

Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelson argued during the trial, which started in January and lasted through closing statements on Mar. 5, that Melton was not the intended target.

Pls be advised the 3 defendants were found guilty on ALL COUNTS!! #mcponj  Monmouth Prosecutor (@MonCoProsecutor) March 12, 2019

Byrd, Jean-Baptise and Spaulding were each found guilty of felony murder, robbery, conspiracy, burglary and weapons charges.

Byrd and Jean-Baptiste were also found guilty of witness tampering.

During the trial, Meltons husband recounted to the jurors how he found his wife, whom he was separated from, bound and bloodied in her apartment. He said hed gone looking for her when she didnt show up to school that day.

She was a beautiful girl, Michael Melton said on stand in late January. She loved me and cared for me so much.

Melton was an active member of the school community, serving as a member of the school improvement team, the leadership program at Red Bank Regional High School, and selected to serve as a student council advisor, prosecutors said.

Today, the jury has delivered another element of closure for Ms. Meltons family, friends, her students and her community, Monmouth Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said after the verdict was announced.

Byrd, Jean-Baptise and Spaulding are scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, May 23 and May 16, respectively.

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.

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Bearing Witness: Nurturing a Culture of Life Through Love and Encounter

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network

March 12, 2019



WASHINGTON, March 12, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and the Catholic Information Center are pleased to present Catherine Hadro, host of EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, and Mary Schindler, co-founder of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, for an evening of prayer, remembrance, and hope on March 27, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Event Details:



Where: Catholic Information Center

1501 K Street NW, Suite 175

Washington, DC 20005



When: March 27th, 2019



Schedule: 5:30 PM  Mass

6:00 PM  Cocktail reception

6:30 PM  Conversation

7:00 PM  Q&A

"Bearing Witness: Nurturing a Culture of Life Through Love and Encounter," honors Terri Schiavo's memory, in recognition of the 14th anniversary of her death due to lack of food and water. The national controversy that erupted over the court-ordered decision that ended Terri's life by removing her feeding tube in 2005 has since been channeled into a positive effort of awareness, education and advocacy through the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope, which has provided critical assistance to thousands of patients and families.



This event will begin with a mass to be celebrated in memory of Terri Schiavo and all victims of what Saint John Paul the Great termed the "culture of death." Following Mass, Catherine Hadro and Mary Schindler will sit down for an intimate conversation, sharing positive and life-affirming stories from the fight for the life of her daughter, Terri Schiavo, a prominent victim of the culture of death. Catherine Hadro will speak on her experience as host of EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, sharing some of the most touching personal stories she's experienced after hosting 100+ episodes of Pro-Life Weekly, and closing with reasons for hope amidst a culture indifferent to the intrinsic dignity of human life.



Bobby Schindler, President of Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and brother of Terri Schiavo, will also be in attendance. All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the book, "A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo, A Lesson for Us All."



SOURCE Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network



CONTACT: Tom Shakely, Executive Director, Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, 855-300-4673, tshakely@lifeandhope.com



Related Links



www.lifeandhope.com/



www.cicdc.org/


As a growing list of foreign countries and airlines choose to ground an airplane model involved in two major crashes in the last six months, the United States continues to allow the planes to fly.

That means that three U.S.-based airlines  including Newarks flagship tenant United Airlines  can continue to use the controversial planes.

The model in question is the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was involved in the Sunday crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that killed 157 people, including a New Jersey native. In October, 189 people died in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610, which was the same aircraft model.

At least 10 nations, led by China and including the United Kingdom and Australia, have banned the operation of the jets, according to the Washington Post.

But that has yet to happen in the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community, in which the agency said it was investigating the Ethiopia crash but has not yet recommended any action.

The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft, the agency said in a statement Monday. If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action.

Boeing maintains that the 737 MAX models are safe.

Safety is Boeings number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX, the company said in a statement on Tuesday morning. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. Well continue to engage with them to ensure they have the information needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. The [FAA] is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators.

According to the FAA, there are 74 737 MAXs registered to U.S.-based airlines and a total of 387 of the planes in the worldwide fleet.

There are 59 airlines around the world that fly 737 MAX jets, according to the FAA, including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines.

Rachael Rivas, a spokeswoman for United, said the airline has 14 of the 737 MAX 9 jets in its fleet. The jets involved in the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air accidents were 737 MAX 8 models, but the FAA included both the models in its Monday notice. United continues to operate its 737 MAX jets, which make up a fraction of the airlines 343 total aircraft in the 737 series. United does not use 737 MAX aircraft for routes to and from Newark.

We are proud to say that we have the best pilots in the industry, and we have complete confidence in their ability to fly this aircraft safely, Rivas said.

Southwest has more of the planes than any other U.S.-based airline, with 34 of the 737 MAX aircraft currently in its fleet. The airline said that it uses the 737 MAX jets interchangeably with other aircraft in its fleet, meaning they can serve a variety of airports and they are not based with any particular city or region.

We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of the (737 MAX) Southwest said in a statement. We dont have any changes planned to our (737 MAX) operations.

American Airlines said that it continues to operate all 24 of its 737 MAXs, but none are used for flights to or from Newark.

We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry, American Airlines said in a statement.

Flyers can visit SeatGuru with their flight number to look up whether or not their flight is on a 737 MAX.

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A Connecticut university is denying wrongdoing in the choking death of a student during a pancake eating contest on campus in 2017.

Lawyers for Sacred Heart University in Fairfield blamed Caitlin Nelsons own actions for her death, in court documents filed Tuesday in response to a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Nelsons mother.

The 20-year-old junior social work major choked on the pancakes during a charity fundraiser in March 2017 and died three days later at a New York City hospital.

Her mother, Rosanne Nelson, of Clark, is seeking an undisclosed amount of money and accuses the Catholic school of approving the contest despite the dangers, and failing to provide adequate medical personnel.

Caitlin Nelsons father, police officer James Nelson, died in the Sept. 11 attacks in Manhattan.

A mass was held following her death at the campus channel that was attended and the universitys flag was flown at half mast.
Albert J. Alvarez, the former top Gov. Phil Murphy aide who was accused of raping a campaign supporter, said Tuesday that the governors top lawyer agreed to help him find a new job after being told he should leave the administration.

In his first public remarks since the allegations against him were made public five months ago, Alvarez said Murphy Chief Counsel Platkin advised me my continued employment was untenable," but that he would help me secure  employment.

That contradicts the sworn testimony of Platkin on Jan. 18 hearing of the legislative committee investigating Alvarezs employment.

Platkin testified then that he told Alvarez in a June meeting that the allegations leveled by Katie Brennan were too serious, even though Alvarez never faced criminal charges. He could not keep his job. He denied extending Alvarez any offer of assistance, but he also said it was possible Alvarez could have made that assumption.

Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin asked: "Did you try to help Mr. Alvarez get a job somewhere else, maybe to help facilitate his departure?

Platkin asked her to clarify. Youre asking if I personally tried to get him a job?

Pintor said yes. Not that theres anything wrong with that -- just to try to facilitate his exit towards, you know, out of the Administration.

Platkin replied: No. I informed Mr. Cammarano that Al had applied for a job at Rutgers; and ultimately we found out that he never actually applied of that job.

Upon follow-up questioning by committee Attorney Michael Critchley, Platkin added: "Is it possible he left with that impression? Sure, its possible. But I dont recall saying, I will offer you assistance at Rutgers, according to the hearing transcript.

Alvarez made a similar statement in his claim for unemployment insurance that prompted denials from Platkin and former Chief of Staff Pete Cammarano.

Although the accusation had been investigated by local law enforcement, and no charges have been found, the governors office felt that if the accuser went public with the allegations, it would reflect poorly on the administration, Alvarez wrote in his application. "At that time in June, I requested additional time and assistance in finding a new job before resigning. Both the governors office and the Schools Development Authority agreed to that request.

Alvarez said Platkin later called to ask about his job search and Alvarez provided an update that hed applied for a job at Rutgers University. Cammarano has said that he called Rutgers at Platkins request to learn the status of Alvarezs application.

Internal communications obtained by NJ Advance Media show the university, following the call from the administration, agreed to interview Alvarez, despite questioning whether Alvarez had the kind of experience it was seeking.

A Rutgers official said he never felt any pressure to hire Alvarez. However, the university was never told that the governors office was seeking to push Alvarez to leave, or that he was facing allegations of rape that had already roiled the front office.

While Rutgers has said that it had no record of Alvarez applying for any position, Alvarez said Tuesday he submitted an application through the universitys online portal and received a rejection letter indicating the position had been filled.

Alvarez was told twice last year he needed to vacate his job as chief of staff for the Schools Development Authority after Brennan accused him of sexual assault in April 2017. Alvarez, however, didnt leave until a reporter started asking questions on Oct. 2.

In his January testimony, Platkin said he had told that he should leave state government. "He informed me in clear terms that he would do so, but since he was the caretaker for two minor children, he needed some more time to find other employment so that he could continue to support his family.

When asked Tuesday to describe his job hunt prior to October, Alvarez said: I may have looked, but was it a thorough search? No.

Albert J. Alvarez (center) appears with his attorney Stacy Ann Biancamano (right) as he testifies Tuesday before state lawmakers at the Statehouse in Trenton.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Alvarez also testified that he was never unequivocally told to quit.

No one told you you must leave, said Michael Critchley, one of the committees attorneys who led the questioning.

Thats right, Alvarez replied. They wanted me to leave.

Implicitly, you understood that you could stay, Critchely said. "That is completely contradictory to what Mr. (Pete) Cammarano said, referring to the governors former chief of staff.

OK, Alvarez replied.

Michael Critchley Sr., an attorney for the committee, asks a question to Albert J. Alvarez on Tuesday.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In a brief opening statement, Alvarez said his career and the lives of his family have been devastated by Brennans false allegations and the publicity surrounding them.

I stand by my previous statement that the sexual contact between myself and Ms. Brennan was consensual," he testified.

Alvarezs attorneys gave a trove of investigative records and video recordings from the Hudson County Prosecutors Office and the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office to Politico New Jersey, which published a story Monday night. In perhaps the most stunning revelation in the excerpts posted by Politico, prosecutors tell Brennan that the DNA evidence they collected did not match Alvarez, which contradicted Brennans testimony.

The files from the Hudson and Middlesex County Prosecutors Offices corroborate my account and will assist in exonerating me in the eyes of the public, Alvarez said.

In a statement Tuesday morning, Brennan said the Politico report is based on only a partial review of the records.

Mr. Alvarez has presented a deceptive and incomplete story to Politico, Brennan said." I look forward to the full story finally being laid bare in the months to come as I continue to fight for the justice I have been denied to date.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
More than 600 pounds of marijuana bound for New Jersey was seized from a shipping container at the Port of Philadelphia last week, the second major East Coast drug bust announced by customs officials in as many days.

Its the largest marijuana seizure in the Area Port of Philadelphia since the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection were formed in 2003, spokesman Stephen Sapp said.

A drug sniffing dog on Thursday alerted investigators to the presence of narcotics in a shipping container that arrived from Puerto Rico with packages of rice addressed to North Jersey, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.

Officers then checked a bundle that contained a green, leafy substance which tested positive for marijuana, customs officials said. Homeland Security officials arrived and helped customs officials remove the remaining weed - 252 bricks that contained just under 614 pounds of marijuana. The pot, which has a street value of about $2.5 million, will be destroyed.

Inspectors checked the container when inspectors discovered anomalies concealed inside the container floor. The rice shipment addressed to North Jersey was a legitimate commodity, authorities said.

On Monday, authorities announced they seized more than 3,200 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $77 million inside a shipping container that arrived at Port Newark last month.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized nearly 614 pounds of marijuana concealed inside a shipping container destined for New Jersey.

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A New Jersey birth mothers quest to get back the newborn she gave up for adoption appears to be over after more than a year of court battles that raised questions about the states adoption process.

The state Supreme Court declined last month to hear Gloria Romans appeal of the case that argued she was misled by an adoption agency when she agreed to give up her son for adoption days after his 2017 birth, the adoptive familys attorney said.

A family court judge ruled early last year that Roman should be given back her son, agreeing that the adoption agency violated the law by not adequately explaining that the birth mother, then 19, had options other than permanently giving up her baby. At the time, Roman said she was a scared teenager hiding her pregnancy from her family, working a minimum wage job and recently evicted from her house.

But a three-judge appellate court overturned the judges decision last summer, saying they were not convinced Roman was mislead by the adoption agency. The appellate judges also said it might be harmful for an adopted child to be abruptly removed from the only parents and only home it has ever known, placed in the hands of a virtual stranger.

The state Supreme Courts decision not to take the case means the out-of-state couple who adopted the boy, called Baby J in court papers, can move ahead with finalizing the adoption of the baby they have raised since days after his birth.

We think our story is important for other adoptive parents to hear, the unnamed adoptive couple said in a statement released through their attorney. We are just grateful to our legal team of Matheu Nunn and Deb Guston for all they have done to help us formally adopt our son after 19 months of being his mom and dad.

Neither Roman, who was working as a receptionist and had recently moved into her own house in Roselle Park when she filed her case, nor her attorneys responded to requests to comment. But they released a statement last summer calling the appellate courts 49-page decision denying the birth mother her baby a travesty of justice.

This decision does not protect Baby J, but rips a child from his natural parent who, in a time of crisis, made an uninformed decision and desperately wants her child back. The procedures and the rules were put in place to avoid such a decision as this, Romans attorneys said.

A child should be with its natural mother, the statement concluded.

Roman said her babys birth father was not part of the case and did not want to be involved with the child after she told him she was pregnant.

The legal case provided a rare glimpse into how newborns are given up for adoption in New Jersey and what happens when an adoption goes wrong.

In New Jersey, the law says a birth parent must wait at least 72 hours after a babys birth to sign the surrender documents to give up a baby for adoption.

Unlike many other states, there is no grace period for a birth mother to change her mind in New Jersey. The surrender is irrevocable unless the birth mother goes to court and proves the papers were signed due to fraud, duress or misrepresentation, according to the law.

Adoption agencies are required by law to tell pregnant women other options to adoption, including abortion, getting financial help from social services programs or placing a newborn in foster care with the option of getting the baby back at a later date. However, no official in New Jersey verifies that adoption agencies are honoring those rules.

Cases, like Romans -- where birth mothers go to court to try to get the documents in which they surrendered their babies thrown out because they say they were mislead -- are extremely rare, adoption advocates say.

Officials at the Monmouth County adoption agency Roman used, A Loving Choice, said last summer they were happy the appellate court found the agency did not violate the law in the Baby J case.

A Loving Choice Adoption Associates is very pleased with the ruling of the appellate court. We will not be commenting further and wish to stress the importance of honoring the privacy of the adoptive family, the Shrewsbury-based agency said in a statement.

Domestic adoptions through private agencies usually cost between $25,000 and $50,000 in fees and other costs, adoption agencies say. Birth mothers get no money, though adoptive parents can help pay for their health care or expenses while they are pregnant.

In Romans case, she said she took no money from the couple who adopted her baby.

Though her case is over, Roman continues to raise money to pay her legal bills, which she estimated could be as much as $90,000. A GoFundMe page set up for Romans legal expenses has raised nearly $6,000.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A 64-year-old motorcyclist from New Jersey was killed Sunday in Florida when his bike was struck from behind by a driver police suspect was impaired, authorities said.

Ralph Napoli, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford, was riding in the left lane on Interstate 95 in Brevard County at about 7:45 a.m. when the speeding car failed to slow and rear-ended the motorcycle, Lt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol said. Napoli, who was wearing a helmet, was forced off the road, where he struck a tree.

The car briefly caught fire after the crash, which left the passenger, a 22-year-old Titusville, Florida man seriously inured. The driver, a 21-year-old Titusville man suffered minor injuries, officials said. The Florida Highway Patrol drew blood from the driver and is awaiting the results of toxicology test before potentially filing charges.

Napoli was riding among a group of motorcyclists, according to Montes.

Editors note: This post has been updated to correct that Napoli was wearing a helmet during the crash.

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After NJ Advance Media partnered with Rutgers University-New Brunswick to invite some of Americas leading political philosophers to share possible ideas for reforming American government, readers had plenty to say.

We asked for these ideas because for decades, voters have said they feel alienated from their representatives in Washington and the state capitals, and have wondered whether their vote really makes a difference, or whether there was some way our government could be more effective.

We asked political scholars from Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics to analyze those ideas and present positive aspects and reservations for each. The project can be found here: nj.com/democracy-upgraded

Heres what NJ.com readers said about the philosophers ideas:

Njblech said:

Election Lottery: No

Digital Democracy: Maybe

Proportional Voting: Yes

Direct Democracy: Yes.

Basic Income: Doesn't welfare and SNAP sort of do this already?

A main issue not addressed is corruption and ethics in government. NJ is a joke because there are no serious laws against corruption and for ethics in this system What few state laws we do have are weak and rarely enforced. The federal laws are vaguely written and almost never enforced. Political bosses run the show in the state, some making millions at the government trough, while the average NJ property tax bill is now over $8000.

Yogi-8 says of the idea of paying people a guaranteed basic income:

Why would anyone bother to work at minimum wage when they could sit home and collect a government stipend of about the same amount?

Cantretireyet said:

There are easier things to do such as term limits for ALL elected officials (for the very same reasons the Presidency has them) as even the Founding Fathers believed politics should not solely define a person. They are all, despite their political leanings, able to earn a living outside of politics and this would also save taxpayers on pensions for politicians. And if the politicians wont do it, the voters should with a simple vote for someone else - even IF it requires you to cross part lines. You can simply vote OUT the next person at the next election if they do nothing to help the voting, taxpaying public good. But even with the ideas presented here, too many voters - like the politicians, themselves - are only for party over the general good. And, unfortunately, that leaves us with the same tired, old people on BOTH sides of the aisle keeping the quagmire called the swamp in place. The other thing would be that the many people who do not even bother to vote at all should cast their ballots as well.

Leonbnj said:

None of these ideas of academics will be acceptable to real voters. The big problem is balancing the 1st Amendment as to political speech and campaign donations. Until we end the concept that those that give the most campaign donation money means more access to our politicians and their demands, nothing will change.

The other big problem is that we dont develop good leadership in government anymore. We need academic programs that will seek out and create potential new leaders.

Rintrah22 said:

Seems to me that a quicker fix would be to repeal Citizens Action, thus taking the big money out of politics. But the fact is that public opinion hasnt mattered in our politics. Majorities have, for instance, supported a nationalized health insurance system for decades, but the body politic rejects the notion. The views of wealthy people and corporations are acted upon by the Congress, and thats why we have the tax system we have, and thats why we spend trillions on losing wars and unnecessary military toys.

Lets start with expanding the House so that the more populous states are more represented. We havent added any membership to the House since 1921. The powers that be like it that way.

To the idea of having a digital democracy, Enchootche says:

I have been saying similar things for years. What I would like to see is a system where every registered voter acquires an anonymous account where they can share their thoughts on issues and ideas to make government work better. The caveat for me is that they must divulge Citizenship. We cannot have American voters diluted by imported voters. Additionally, I would like to see a national system that the states control the data, metadata if you will, The supervision should be of a federal employee, preferably a judiciary branch group to assure integrity. All politicians and voters will have the ability to view, vote, and comment on ideas and proposals under consideration. From my perspective, it is more equitable than letting Social Media, Main Stream Media, and the Data mining corporations run amock and sway public opinion by filtering the data to suit their agenda.

Heres what Syrinx2112 said about the idea of electing leads at random:

I prefer term limits to a lottery.

Jim_N says:

Stability is critical. The Constitution is the framework upon which our laws are hung. Every change to the framework can have catastrophic results. Decades and even centuries of settled law could be washed away in the blink of an eye. The Constitution can be amended, but by design this is a very difficult accomplishment. We can pass laws within the framework to address the issues we face. If the law fails the test, then it is removed, if sentiment is strong enough then an amendment can pass.

Smugwump says:

The primary system, and the two party system need to be changed. A small number of left-wingers vote in the Denocratic primary and a small number of right-wingers vote in the Republican primary. The result is a left-wing candidate against a right-wing candidate and the 60% of Americans who are moderates are disenfranchised.

About the idea of a guaranteed minimum income FedUpTaxPayer said:

History has already proven that guaranteed income aka welfare doesnt work. The recipients end up in a vicious circle of poverty, babies, crime, poverty, babies, crime... I think a jobs corps would be more helpful to the poor similar to the new deal in the thirties, unfortunately, there are forces that wont let that happen without getting their share.

To which JosieMB responded:

Reply to @fedUpTaxPayer: As a practical matter, people living on UBI still would be at the bottom of the totem pole. They would have the least money and the worst credit ratings. Landlords would raise rents and favor people with jobs (and additional income) when leasing apartments. In real life, people value what they have gained through work. It gives their lives meaning. You only have to meet one or two trust-fund neer-do-wells to see this dynamic in action.

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By David Keating and Amol Sinha

When policy harms the people, our democracy relies on civic and advocacy organizations to mobilize and hold government accountable. Unfortunately, a bill in the New Jersey Legislature threatens to upend that fundamental check on power and silence many of the voices that speak truth by interfering with privacy and exposing personal information.

The legislation, S1500, would publicize names, home addresses, and employment information of donors to any New Jersey nonprofit that speaks on issues of public concern, such as discussing legislation with lawmakers, speaking to community members about grassroots causes, or publishing factual legislative scorecards.

The purported purpose of the bill is to increase transparency of dark money in politics. However, as currently drafted, the bill goes well beyond that purpose by impacting thousands of nonprofit advocacy organizations. The narrative around the bill implies that there is something nefarious about giving to nonprofits. As a result, if the bill passes, issue advocacy groups that help make the state and nation better, and indeed help make government more accountable, could lose funding or choose less effective ways to speak.

Additionally, this legislation would provide ammunition for retaliating against those who organize. By outing those who associate with civic groups, the bill would arm powerful people with potentially damaging information that could jeopardize donors and activists lives.

This is neither far-fetched nor an abstraction. Consider Saily Avelenda, whom former Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen targeted in a fundraising letter to her employer based on her involvement in NJ 11th for Change, which was trying to secure a town hall meeting with the Congress member. One of the ringleaders works for your bank! the letter said. Ms. Avelanda later resigned from her job.

But the effects could also go undetected. A potential employer could search for your name in the government database. If he or she didnt like the group you supported, you might never get the interview. And many people give funds for philanthropic reasons to better government, but either dont want others to solicit them for money or wish to keep their privacy for religious reasons.

Thats not a win for transparency or good government.

Nonprofits are an invaluable resource for improving government. These groups often have expertise in specific policy areas and can quickly assess whether a government proposal is well-founded. When these groups speak freely about public policy, especially about controversial causes, everyone is better off.

Disturbingly, S1500 would go beyond exposing current nonprofit donors. It would even require organizations to retroactively disclose their donors, despite peoples understanding that their identities would be kept confidential. This not only violates privacy, but betrays a bedrock trust. New Jerseyans may think twice before supporting causes in the future, even charitable ones. The question of whether your contribution will be private or public should be settled before giving.

S1500 has passed the Senate and now awaits consideration by the Assembly. According to reports, the Assembly is thoughtfully considering appropriate amendments to the bill.

If the Assembly decides there is indeed a need for more disclosure in New Jersey, then the bill should be narrowly tailored to target only those groups with close ties to candidates for office. Most groups that speak about lawmakers or public policy have no such ties. A blanket rule exposing supporters personal information would punish private individuals for the actions of politicians. As currently written, S1500 is incredibly broad  it takes a sledgehammer to a problem best solved by a scalpel.

The way to counter corruption and check the influence of entrenched power is not to pry open the donor files of organizations, but to increase participation in democracy  including by protecting the identities of people involved with advocacy organizations. Rather than discourage giving to nonprofits, the state should consider making it easier for New Jerseyans to support the causes of their choice.

The most significant social movements of the last century  for civil rights, racial equality, and LGBTQ rights, to name just a few  were powered by the ability of like-minded people to join and support groups, and to do so privately. Our society would not be where it is today without this fundamental right.

The equation for democracy is government transparency with individual privacy. Lets work hand-in-hand to ensure the right balance.

David Keating is the president of the Institute for Free Speech. Amol Sinha is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

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Many of the potential Democratic presidential contenders are being pressured to support Medicare for all.

That might be a nice pitch in the primaries. But anyone who believes it might work in the 2020 general election should consider the example of a certain Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey and his Florida eye-doctor pal.

Dr. Salomon Melgen is now sitting in federal prison because of his penchant for exploiting a key flaw in Medicare, the lack of a so-called gatekeeper.

In private health plans, the gatekeeper is the person who decides which services will be covered. Its different with Medicare. The doctor just sends in the bills and Medicare pays them. If the doctors honest, that works out fine.

But if the doctor is more concerned with having a private jet so he can take his senator friend to the Caribbean, then he can submit bills to his hearts content.

In 2012, Melgens heart wasnt content until he charged Medicare almost $21 million. Thats an average of more than $80,000 per working day  or $10,000 an hour.

Any politician who cared to keep Medicare affordable would have wanted a guy like Melgen to be put in prison, which is where he now sits after having been convicted of defrauding Medicare of a total of $73 million.

But U.S. Senator Bob Menendez instead lobbied with the Department of Health and Human Services to have them drop an effort to recoup $8.9 million of the money Melgen stole.

Was that a crime? Nope. A trial ended in a hung jury. The charges were later dropped.

This may be a rather extreme example, but it shows how the lack of a gatekeeper makes it impossible to keep Medicare costs down. And thats a key reason it is impractical to extend Medicare to all Americans.

Back in 1964 when Medicare was began as a single-payer health-care system for those over 65, there were relatively few senior citizens. The idea of giving them open-ended health care didnt sound that expensive.

But there are now 58 million Americans on Medicare. An additional 270 million people would be added to the rolls under Medicare for all.

Do the math and you find out that Medicare for All would cost about $3.2 trillion a year. That math comes courtesy of Charles Blahous of the Mercatus Center. His study estimates that wed have to double income taxes as well as corporate taxes to come up with that kind of money.

Health-industry analyst Michael Cannon of the free-market Cato Institute recently did a podcast with Blahous in which they discussed the practical problems of the plan.

The average household would take about a $19,000 hit to income, Cannon said.

That would create pressure to cut Medicare reimbursements, which are already well below what private health insurance pays, he said.

You can imagine a world where they pass Medicare for all and then imagine they cut reimbursements, he said. It becomes Medicaid for all.

Medicaid is the federal program for the poor that offers bare-bones coverage. You could argue that its only fair for everyone to get the same coverage. But I for one would not want to make that argument before an audience packed with older people.

We saw how seniors reacted when Obamacare was before Congress in 2010. Even though Obamacare didnt represent much threat to Medicare, they came out in droves to protest even minor cuts in Medicare Advantage, the popular program that permits Medicare recipients to get coverage from private health-insurers.

That protest was symbolized by that quote from a guy who supposedly told his Congressman Keep your government hands off my Medicare!

The problem for the Democrats running for president is a simple one: They dont need Medicare for all. They need a time machine.

If they could just go back to 1964, they could remake Medicare from the start as a program that covered all Americans, not just the elderly. Of course then it would have required gatekeepers, competition among provides and other cost-saving measures.

But theyre stuck with Medicare. And theyre stuck telling the 175 million Americans who now have private health insurance that if they vote for a Democrat in 2020 they will be forced into a government-run health-care plan.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed that 56 percent of Americans support Medicare for all  until they learn that private health insurance would end. Then support drops to 37 percent.

Perhaps thats why U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota stands out from the crowd by declining to support Medicare for All. She joins moderate Democrats who want to reform Obamacare instead.

Someone in authority in the party should tell the rest of the presidential wannabes that hers is a far more promising position in the general election.

Maybe Bob Menendez will volunteer for that task.

He certainly understands Medicares weaknesses.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps proposed $4.7 trillion budget should worry many New Jerseyans.

The president wants to slash aid that helps poor New Jerseyans pay their home heating bills, federal dollars for urban projects, and funding that helps low-income families pay for health insurance. And there are cuts to both Social Security and Medicare.

Trumps budget proposal for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1 seeks to reduce future deficits after he signed a tax law projected to increase the federal debt by $1.9 trillion over 10 years.

The president would keep the tax law in place, spend more money on the military, and try to reduce the deficit by targeting federal programs that help the neediest Americans.

Here are seven ways New Jersey would be hurt by Trumps budget.

1. Obamacare. The budget would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with legislation originally proposed by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham. R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., which would cut billions in health care spending and transfer billions more from New Jersey and other states that expanded Medicaid to Republican-controlled states that refused federal aid to insure more of their residents.

That bill was proposed in September 2017 after an earlier GOP attempt to repeal the ACA failed by one vote in the Senate. It would leave 32 million more Americans uninsured after 2026, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care, and cost New Jersey $10 billion during its first six years, according to Avalere Health.

The health care law repeal and other proposed Medicaid cuts would end or shrink coverage for 2 million residents in the state, said Ray Castro, health policy director for New Jersey Policy Perspective, a progressive research group.

President Trumps budget takes New Jersey in the wrong direction by making life much harder for those already struggling to make ends meet," Castro said. It would take health coverage away from millions, worsen poverty, and deepen economic and racial inequity.

2. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. During the campaign, Trump promised not to cut Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. He broke the Medicaid promise when he embraced the Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which included $800 million in reductions. Over 10 years, his budget would reduce projected Medicaid spending by almost $1.5 trillion, Medicare by $845 billion and Social Security by $25 billion.

Instead of investing in the middle class, the presidents budget would create permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and substantially cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, said Alyana Alfaro, a spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Murphy. "The governor believes the federal government must work collaboratively with states to invest in infrastructure, education, health care, and environmental protection in order to grow the middle class.

3. Gateway. The budget includes no funding for the Gateway Tunnel project critical to New Jersey, which Trump has opposed but recently indicated he was interested in revisiting.

Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen said New Jersey and New York have failed to come up with their share of the project, even though they have publicly committed more than $5 billion.

These are projects that those communities themselves have thus far chosen not to fund, Rosen said Monday on a call previewing Trumps transportation budget proposals. While we occasionally hear reports that officials from those states say they are going to do something, there is not yet any discernible path forward."

Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, criticized the absence of Gateway funding.

If the Trump administration truly wanted to invest in a better America, the federal government would contribute its fair share to the Gateway Project," said Payne, D-10th Dist.. Instead, the presidents budget continues to play political games, putting lives and the economy at risk.

State officials also said Trumps proposed 22 percent cut in the transportation budget could shrink the federal funding for NJ Transit, already suffering from service problems.

4. Home heating aid. Trump again will try to eliminate the low-income heating assistance program, known as LIHEAP, which helps poor New Jerseyans pay their winter heating bills. The state received $124 million last winter. Congress rejected his two previous attempts.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. discuss offshore drilling in Belmar in 2017. (Tom Brenner | For NJ Advance Media)Tom Brenner | For NJ Advance Med

5. Food stamps. In legislation renewing agricultural and nutrition programs, House Republicans sought to impose new restrictions on those receiving food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They included work requirements and new rules on eligibility.

The Senate refused to go along, and the new requirements never made it into the final bill, saving up to 35,000 New Jersey residents their food stamp benefits. But Trump embraced those proposals in his budget.

6. Less money to clean up contaminated sites. And it supports offshore oil drilling. Trump, who has called climate change a Chinese hoax and named a former coal industry lobbyist to run the Environmental Protection Agency, has proposed slashing the EPA budget by 31 percent, more than any other agency.

The funding cuts will make it harder for the state Department of Environmental Protection to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater and bring enforcement actions under the federal law, officials said.

The budget included his efforts to consider opening the waters off the Jersey Shore to offshore oil drilling.

7. Aid to cities. Trump again has proposed eliminating the annual community development block grants that go to urban areas for housing and economic development. New Jersey and its localities received $78 million in community development block grant funding in the 2018 fiscal year.

A Republican-controlled Congress rejected most of the presidents budget proposals two years in a row, and with Democrats now in control of the House, its even more unlikely that this budget will ever become law.

This budget proposal is a sham and has absolutely no chance at ever becoming a reality," said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Its clear President Trump and his administration learned nothing from the government shutdown.

Trump asked for $5 billion for the southern border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for, plus $3.6 billion in military construction funds he would divert by declaring a national emergency after Congress rejected his funding request.

His refusal to sign a spending bill without wall funding and the refusal of Congress, then controlled by Republicans, to approve money for the project, led to a record-long, 35-day partial government shutdown.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the budget reflects the Trump administrations separation from reality and puts our country at risk of a another costly shutdown."

The budget is being released in two parts this year, with most of the specifics to be announced next Monday.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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THE LATEST: Ex-Murphy official accused of rape couldnt tell you who hired him to $140,000 job

Katie Brennan, the state official who has accused a former top Gov. Phil Murphy aide of raping her, said her alleged attacker, Albert J. Alvarez, has laid out a deceptive and incomplete story in an explosive new report.

Politico New Jersey late Monday night posted portions of videos obtained by Alvarezs attorneys that provide the most extensive look so far into Alvarezs side of the story. He vehemently denies raping Brennan.

In maybe the most stunning part of the story, the website reported prosecutors told Brennan that DNA evidence collected did not match Alvarez and that the case would be difficult to prosecute.

The report comes as Alvarez is set to speak in public for the first time since he was forced to resign as chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority in October, when the scandal began to engulf Murphys administration. He is scheduled to testify before state lawmakers at the Statehouse on Tuesday morning.

But Brennan released a tersely worded statement Tuesday morning.

Mr. Alvarez has presented a deceptive and incomplete story to Politico," said Brennan, who is chief of staff to the New Jersey Mortgage and Housing Finance Agency.

The article, as the writers themselves acknowledge, relies on only a partial review of the case file presented to them, she added. "I look forward to the full story finally being laid bare in the months to come as I continue to fight for the justice I have been denied to date.

Politico said Alvarezs attorneys provided video and audio of prosecutors interviews with witnesses, but the website was not able to review all the files because of time constraints.

Brennan has accused Alvarez of raping her after a Murphy campaign gathering in April 2017, when she was a campaign supporter and he was a top campaign official.

Alvarez was later hired for his state job even though members of Murphys inner circle knew of the allegations.

Alvarez claims the incident was consensual. Two county prosecutors have declined to charge him with a crime.

He will testify at 10:30 a.m. before a special legislative committee investigating how Murphys team responded to Brennans accusations and how Murphys administration has hired its employees.

But the panel has limited his testimony to Murphys hiring practices, and Alvarez is not allowed to discuss the alleged attack or the investigations.

The hearing could help solve one of the biggest mysteries in New Jersey politics: Who hired Alvarez and did they know he had been accused of rape?

Over the last few months, numerous senior Murphy aides have testified they dont know who tapped Alvarez for the schools authority jobs. But lawmakers are expected to ask Alvarez directly Tuesday.

Watch a live feed of the hearing here:

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WASHINGTON  Attacking journalists or threatening them would be a federal crime under legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.

Menendez, D-N.J., joined U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., introducing the Journalist Protection Act at a time when President Donald Trump has called the media enemies of the American people, 

Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., assaulted a journalist during his campaign, and a Trump supporter at a Texas rally featuring the president attacked a BBC cameraman.

The bill was proposed during Sunshine Week, an annual event designed to call attention to the need for access to information about the government.

Despite the dangerous rhetoric coming from the Trump administration, and yet another disturbing attack on a journalist covering a MAGA rally, a free press will never be the enemy of the people," Menendez said.

A free and independent press  a strong Fourth Estate  is essential to the American people and our democracy, ensuring an informed public and holding those in power accountable.

The legislation would make it a federal crime to intentionally cause physical harm or threaten physical harm to a journalist on the job.

Under this administration, reporters face a near-constant barrage of verbal threats, casting the media as enemies of the American people and possible targets of violence, Blumenthal said. "This bill makes clear that engaging in any kind of violence against members of the media will simply not be tolerated.

Despite the Trump Admins dangerous rhetoric, a free press will NEVER be the enemy of the people. In the spirit of #SunshineWeek we must work to make govt more transparent and to protect the journalists dedicated to holding those in power accountable. https://t.co/ueQjIfSnTz  Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) March 12, 2019

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WASHINGTON  With Election Day still 20 months away, almost six in 10 U.S. voters do not want to see President Donald Trump re-elected, and in a crowded field, former Vice President Joe Biden stands out as the preferred nominee among Democrats, according to a poll released Monday.

In the Monmouth University poll, 57 percent of registered voters said they opposed giving Trump a second term, while 38 percent, supported his re-election.

To take on Trump, Democratic voters and whose who lean toward supporting the party prefer Biden, who twice unsuccessfully sought his partys nomination and has not announced whether he will run a third time. He polled 28 percent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the runner-up for the Democratic nod in 2016, was second with 25 percent.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was in sixth place with 5 percent, but was one of only seven candidates or potential candidates polling more than 1 percent.

The findings are identical to a January Monmouth poll that also had 57 percent opposing and 38 percent supporting Trumps re-election. Biden led all Democrats in that survey as well.

In the earlier survey, Democrats, by 56 percent to 33 percent, said they would prefer a candidate who had a better chance of beating Trump but disagreed with on most issues than one they agreed with most of the time but would be a weaker challenger.

The poll of 746 registered voters was conducted March 1-4 and had a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points. The subset of 310 registered Democrats and those leaning Democratic had a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.

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Albert J. Alvarez, the former Gov. Phil Murphy administration official accused of rape, will speak publicly Tuesday for the time since he was forced to resign in October, but new documents released by attorneys may have a big impact on the long-awaited hearing before the legislative committee.

Politico New Jersey posted portions of videos obtained by Alvarezs attorneys hours before he was scheduled to testify before state lawmakers, casting a new light over the allegations made by Katie Brennan last fall. (Watch a live feed of the hearing above.)

Brennan, the chief of staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, claims that Alvarez, a former member of the administration had raped her after a gathering of campaign workers at a Jersey City bar in April 2017.

In perhaps the most stunning revelation, Politico reported that prosecutors told Brennan that DNA evidence they collected did not match Alvarez, and that the odds of prosecuting the case were slim.

Im sure as you know its very hard in he-said, she-said cases. Thats why we look for DNA, Assistant Prosecutor Jane Weiner of the Hudson County Prosecutors Office told Brennan in the October 2017 videotaped interview viewed by reporters for the political news site. Were not suggesting this didnt happen. Im not suggesting that we dont believe you. Theyre just very difficult to prosecute.

In the video, according to Politico, Brennan questioned the conclusions of prosecutors.

I mean, I dont know who else it could be, Brennan said about the DNA. There is no chance that it would be anybody elses but his, she told prosecutors in the recorded interview.

Politico said Alvarezs attorneys provided video and audio of prosecutors interviews with witnesses. But the website said it was not able to review all the files because of time constraints.

Brennan released a statement Tuesday morning, accusing Alvarez of presenting a deceptive and incomplete story to Politico.

The article, as the writers themselves acknowledge, relies on only a partial review of the case file presented to them," Brennan said. I look forward to the full story finally being laid bare in the months to come as I continue to fight for the justice I have been denied to date.

Albert J. Alvarez, the former Murphy administration official who was forced to resign, and Katie Brennan, the state official who alleged he raped her.

On another portion of the video, Alvarezs attorneys tells prosecutors: I felt bad mostly because she felt bad. She is a married woman. She clearly felt bad about that.

But at no point, he said, did he feel uncomfortable with anything that they did together.

Everything, everything, everything in her body language, even her verbal," Alvarez told prosecutors. She never said stop until the very end. She said stop. She never said to me Al, this is uncomfortable. Al, you are hurting me. She never went to strike me, she never went to push me away or move away from me at any point. Even when we were on the couch. And she has a small couch.

He told them he didnt get any impression it was uncomfortable for her.

I didnt get the impression we were doing anything inappropriate sexually. No. It was all just consensual touching and feeling but again, all over the clothes, Alvaez said on the video.

Brennan, by contrast, said she fought him off.

I said why are you doing this? Stop doing this," she said on the video. Why are you doing this? I got very clinical about it. I even said It was very out-of-body at this point. This is actually happening. This is crazy. This is actually happening to me. I literally uttered the phrase, this is not consensual. How many times do I need to say no? I am going to utter something that is so clear. This is not okay."

There were other contradictions, as well. After the Middlesex County prosecutor declined to charge Alvarez, Brennan said the prosecutors failed to interview her husband, whom she said she called immediately after the alleged assault, and a friend, whom she said came to her apartment to stay with her afterward. Both had been interviewed by Hudson County prosecutors, the released files showed.

And Brennan had told The Wall Street Journal that prosecutors had found DNA and saliva, but had deemed it not strong enough evidence. Testifying in December before the Joint Legislative Select Oversight Committee, she said prosecutors found DNA that helped fuel her optimism that Alvarez would be charged.

They had given me a kind of small hint over the phone that was contradictory, she told the committee, referring to what Alvarez had told prosecutors. It was one of the things that fed into my optimism of, Oh, you know, because there was some DNA found, that seems contradictory to what [Alvarez] said.

Politico said it had not reviewed everything it was given.

Alvarez lost his $170,000-a-year job as chief of staff of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority after her allegations came to light.

The new disclosures are just the latest turnabout in a political drama that has been marked so far by Brennans emotional testimony in December before the Legislature about the alleged rape, and until now, the silence of Alvarez.

Alvarez held trusted positions in Murphys campaign and administration, although no one will admit to hiring him or can explain why he kept his job months after he was told to leave.

And Tuesday, Alvarez was poised to speak only about his job. He was not going to talking about the rape allegations, which through his lawyers has long denied, saying the incident was consensual. State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, the committees co-chair, said the panel and Alvarezs attorneys had agreed not to rehash Brennans allegations or the criminal investigations, which are the subject of a civil lawsuit Brennan filed in January.

Instead, Weinberg, D-Bergen, said the testimony would be focused on the Murphy administrations hiring practices, telling NJ Advance Media the testimony should be instructive because Alvarez is the centerpiece on issues around hiring and terminating personnel, and what went wrong.

The latest revelations does not change the committees mission today, Weinberg said Tuesday morning.

Our committee was put together to examine hiring practices and issue a report, and that is our plan, she said.

Weinberg did not specifically say whether the committee would ask Brennan to return to the committee to testify.

This was always in the realm of he said-she-said, and we were not privy to the investigatory background, Weinberg said. The attorney for the Hudson County Prosecutors Office went to great lengths to tell us we were not. When Katie Brennan testified, she, too, did not testify to the actual incident. That was the agreement.

Last week, Alvarezs attorneys went to court, seeking an order for the release of the investigative files of the Middlesex County and Hudson County prosecutors offices which had both looked into Brennans allegation and had each declined to charge him with a crime.

In her filing, attorney Stacy Ann Biancamano said Alvarezs guilt has become a foregone conclusion and the truth has become inconsequential, questioning the validity of Brennans allegations.

The origin of the committee is undoubtedly rooted in the predetermined conclusion that Mr. Alvarez committed the alleged sexual assault on Ms. Brennan. As demonstrated throughout the hearings, the committee has readily assumed that Mr. Alvarez is guilty of the accusations, praising the credibility of Ms. Brennan and vilifying the decision by not one, but two county prosecutors not to file charges against Mr. Alvarez, Biancamano wrote. Mr. Alvarezs ability to defend himself is severely hampered by the fact that neither he nor the committee have reviewed the files of the HCPO (the Hudson County Prosecutors Office) and the MCPO (the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office).

After Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas signed an order to show cause to release the files, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office said they had already been turned over to Alvarezs attorney.

Brennans attorney, learning belatedly of their release, had protested the decision to release the files to Alvarez without a hearing.

Clearly, Mr. Alvarez has sought the MCPO (Middlesex County Prosecutors Office) file in order to publicize it during his March 12, 2019 committee testimony and to smear Ms. Brennan, wrote Kathryn McClure, who represents Brennan.

That turned out to be prescient. Before McClure had even raised her objections, Politico said it had already been given the files and video recordings by Alvarezs attorney.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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THE LATEST: Ex-Murphy aide accused of rape said governors top lawyer agreed to help him find a new job

An unsolved mystery.

Albert J. Alvarez, the former top aide to Gov. Phil Murphy accused of raping another official in the administration, testified Tuesday that while he had several conversations with top aides about becoming chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, even he couldnt say who hired him.

This question of who hired Alvarez to the Murphy administration has intrigued state lawmakers who for months have questioned members of Murphys inner circle but still are unable to crack the case.

Alvarezs testimony Tuesday didnt answer this nagging question.

He said he told then-income Chief of Staff Pete Cammarano and the transition chief, Jose Lozano, that he had his sights on becoming CEO of the schools authority, which carries a $225,000 salary, but that Lozano informed him the sitting CEO would be staying on. The chief of staff position, however, was available, Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he briefly discussed the jobs pay with Lozano, who told him that he should meet with the CEO if he was interested. Alvarez said he believed it was a done deal after meeting with the then-CEO of the Schools Development Authority, Charlie McKenna. Then he received a formal offer letter, Avarez said.

I never had a conversation with Mr. Cammarano where he sat me down and interviewed me and said you want the job of the chief of staff, youre hired. I never had that conversation with him, never had that conversation with Mr. Lozano. No one ever said to me, youre hired, Alvarez said as he appeared at the Statehouse on Tuesday to testify before the special legislative committee investigating how Murphys staff responded to the rape allegations.

Neither Lozano nor Cammarano  who both had been made aware that Alvarez was accused of sexual assault  tried to discourage him from seeking the chief of staff position, Alvarez said.

I spoke to all those individuals about my interest in this job. No one ever told me that I was not qualified or I should not seek that position, Alvarezs said.

His testimony seems to confirm theories that Alvarez was hired by no one in particular.

Alvarez is the man at the center of a legislative inquiry into how Murphys transition team and administration handled Katie Brennans rape allegation. Brennan, chief of staff to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, has said he raped her after a campaign gathering in Jersey City in April 2017.

Months of testimony revealed that Alvarez was brought into state employment even though three officials knew he was accused of sexual assault, and that he stayed in government employ until he was contacted by the Wall Street Journal in October, even as Brennan alerted more and more senior officials.

But all have denied playing a role in actually hiring Alvarez, complicating the legislative committees aim of improving the states hiring practices.

Most recently, the director of personnel for the transition, Lynn Haynes, testified that one of three top aides must have hired Alvarez, but she did not know which.

The three aides  Lozano, Cammarano and Chief Counsel Matt Platkin  all testified they didnt hire Alvarez and did not know who did.

Of those three, an attorney for the Legislature asked, Who hired you?

I couldnt tell you, Alvarez said.

Albert J. Alvarez testifies Tuesday before state lawmakers at the Statehouse in Trenton.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Both Lozano and Cammarano testified that Platkin oversaw hiring for the states various authorities, but Platkin testified he was not involved in the process for hiring Mr. Alvarez.

Alvarez said he never had a conversation with Platkin about his desire to join the school authority but Alvarez believed Cammarano had a say in all hiring decisions, including his.

Haynes said that Alvarezs placement at the SDA seemed like a natural progression for a loyal aide who was involved in the campaign and transition, had a long-standing relationship with the governor, friends on the campaign and experience as deputy chief of staff for a previous administration.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
A Covington lawyer pleaded guilty to 26 child pornography charges and was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison, the North Shore district attorneys office said Tuesday (March 12).

Victor R. Loraso, 38, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of distribution of pornography of children under 13, one count of distribution of pornography of children under 17, 13 counts of possession of pornography of children under 13, and eight counts of possession of child pornography under 17. State Judge Martin Coady sentenced Loraso at the parish courthouse in Covington.

Loraso had been listed as a partner in a Baton Rouge law firm but lives in Covington, authorities said.

The investigation began in Canada in 2017, when police arrested an individual, seized his computer, and determined that he had been exchanging pornography with someone in the United States, the DAs office said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security then turned the investigation over to the Louisiana Attorney Generals Office, which tracked the pornography to a computer owned by Loraso.

The computer also revealed online accounts, which Loraso admitted belonged to him, in which he was chatting with pedophiles about the desire to molest children, authorities said. Loraso was arrested in 2017.

The case was investigated by Brian D. Brown, supervisory special agent of the Attorney Generals Investigation Division.

Assistant District Attorneys Elizabeth Authement and Michael Cochran prosecuted the case.

Covington lawyer faces additional child porn charges
New Orleans police are searching for five women accused of attacking a woman with mace and a box cutter at a gas station in Pines Village.

The attacked woman told police that the five woman followed her to a gas station in the 5800 block of Chef Menteur Highway (map) just before noon Saturday (March 9). They then sprayed her with mace and cut her face with a box cutter, according to police. Sharlinda Hayes, 22, Robertnisha Hayes, 18, Shalinda Hayes, 42, and Rajohna Moore, 22, are wanted for simple battery, while Shadasher Hayes, 20, is wanted for aggravated battery.

Police believe they were driving a black Audi SUV, bearing Louisiana license plate #527CYB, and a white Nissan Versa, bearing Louisiana license plate #310BC4, before the attack.

Anyone with any information regarding the pictured subjects whereabouts should notify 7th District detectives at 504-658-6070. Citizens with information that can help solve crimes are asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.
A Houma man wanted on a murder charge was arrested Monday (March 11) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Hattiesburg American reports.

The report says police arrested Kevon Southall, 23, after pulling him over for driving a vehicle that was reported being used without authorization. Two firearms were recovered, the report says.

He was booked on warrants for murder and attempted murder.

Southall is one of five suspects accused in the death of Alex Morena, 20, of Galliano, according to the report. Morena was found shot to death inside his vehicle in Thibodaux.

Read the Hattiesburg Americans full report.
The mother of a 9-year-old boy with autism is seeking answers after her son was handcuffed to a chair at Winnsboro Elementary School, KLFY-TV reports.

The TV station reported last week that Zykayden Henderson tried to headbutt and hit teachers, and Winnsboro Police Chief Willie Pierce told the station that prompted his officer to take the appropriate actions, even though the department lacks a policy for handling special needs students.

A Louisiana teen with disabilities needed help. Why was he accused of trying to kill a cop?

The childs mother, Shrena Henderson, told the TV station her traumatized child was suspended for five days and shes now planning to homeschool him. Zykayden told the TV station the incident started after he didnt want to do his math assignment.

"I had started throwing stuff and writing on a table then they called the principal and the principal called the police," Zykayden told the TV station on March 6.

Located more than 200 miles away from New Orleans, Winnsboro Elementary School is a C-rated school located in Franklin Parish, according to the Louisiana Department of Education. Enrollment data on the public school shows a total of 566 students, and 98 percent of them are economically disadvantaged.

Read KLFYs full story.

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a plea Tuesday (March 12) to members of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to support a multi-year effort to bring Louisianas teacher pay up to the average of the southern regional states.

Edwards asked the Administration and Finance Committee of BESE to support that pay raise process, beginning with a good faith down payment by enacting a $1,000 across-the-board pay raise for teachers this year. Edwards also asked the committee to endorse a $500 salary hike for school support workers. School employees deserve more money than that, he said, but he stressed the state is going to continue to fall behind in teacher pay if they dont take any action at all.

I know that our teachers and our support personnel need and deserve more, but I want you to know this is just a start to get to the southern regional average, Edwards said.

Salary data from 1989 to 2016 from the Southern Regional Education Board showed an average Louisiana teachers average salary was as high as $51,381 in 2012-13. However, their average pay plunged to $49,745 by 2015-16. The average for teachers in the South that year was $50,955, and the national average was $58,363.

The average K-12 Louisiana teacher currently makes anywhere between $40,180 to $49,220 per year, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Bureau of Statistics in May 2017. Edwards also asked BESE to increase the statess per pupil funding by 1.375 percent under Louisianas Minimum Foundation Program, or MFP, to fund raises for the 2019-20 school year. The Louisiana Department of Education uses the MFP formula to assign funding to school districts based on enrollment.

Historically, Louisiana has approved a 2.75 percent increase in allocations to the MFP. Even so, the state hasnt allocated additional dollars into the formula since 2009, according to Larry Carter, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. BESE member-at-large Doris Voitier, superintendent of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools, said volatile changes in the economy have harmed Louisianas ability to raise MFP funding consistently on an annual basis.

However, Louisiana is estimated to see as much as $300 million in new general state tax revenue projected to be available next year. Edwards, a Democrat seeking a second term and backed by the teacher unions, submitted a budget proposal to lawmakers for the year that begins July 1 that recommends a $140 million spending bump for elementary and secondary education.

Edwards stressed school districts could use the MFP increase to purchase more classroom supplies. Teachers are currently spending their own funds to purchase these supplies, Edwards added.

Its overdue, its critically necessary and we have this opportunity to move Louisiana forward, Edwards said. Show our teachers and support workers we appreciate them and also make sure were investing in our children and the future of our state.

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John White says the governor left early childhood care out of budget proposal

The governors comments were lauded by Voitier, who is Edwards BESE appointee, and District 4 BESE member Tony Davis, who echoed Edwardss stance that educators need and deserve more.

Edwards addressed the committee minutes before they discussed two action items on their agenda related to an MFP funding increase. The Minimum Foundation Program Task Force  which includes representatives from the state Legislature, BESE, and the superintendents and school boards associations  also recommended a 1.375 percent per pupil increase in the MFP formula. State Education Superintendent John White instead recommended a 1.25 percent increase in the MFP formula, but he also wanted to dedicate funds specifically to dual enrollment as well as career and technical education programs.

The recommendations spurred a lengthy debate on the merits of funding education, but everyone agreed upon the need to provide more funding to teachers and support staff. Ultimately, the committee voted 6-3 to approve the MFP formula for fiscal year 2019-2020 to include the $1,000 and $500 pay raises, as well as a 1.375 percent increase in the base per pupil amount.

Pending passage of the committees action by BESEs full board tomorrow, the state Education Department will have to submit the proposed MFP formula to the Legislature by March 15, BESE spokesman Kevin Calbert said. The Legislature can approve or reject the formula but not make changes to it, and Calbert added that BESE is requesting the Legislature return the formula to BESE in the event additional funds are approved or changes are desired.

New Louisiana budget fights emerge in 2019

NOLA.com state politics reporter Julia O'Donoghue contributed to this report.

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.
Honda is recalling 1.1 million Acura and Honda vehicles in the United States to replace Takata replacement driver-side front airbag inflators that may rupture if an airbag deploys in a crash. The vehicles involved in the recall were previously repaired using Takata replacement inflators or entire replacement airbag modules, but "those replacement inflators are now deemed defective,'' Honda says in a press release dated Tuesday (March 12).

"Honda initially became aware of a potential issue after a single-vehicle crash involving a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The vehicles driver front airbag deployed and the Takata PSDI-5D replacement inflator ruptured, causing an injury to the drivers arm.

If a recalled driver front airbag deploys in a crash, its inflator may rupture, potentially shooting sharp metal fragments at the driver and passengers.

Honda will replace the inflators for free. The company says it is encouraging owners to schedule repairs at an authorized dealer as soon as possible. A free rental car is available to the owner for the day of the recall repair or longer if a replacement part is temporarily unavailable. Mailed notification to owners of recalled vehicles will begin in early-April. Automobile owners may also check their vehicles recall status now at www.recalls.acura.com and www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (888) 234-2138.

Since this recall involves replacement inflators installed in vehicles previously subject to recall, the total number of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by Takata recalls does not change with this action. The total number of recalled inflators does rise to approximately 21 million in approximately 12.9 million Honda and Acura automobiles that have been or now are subject to recall for replacement of a Takata driver and/or passenger front airbag inflator in the United States. In addition, approximately 4,540 Honda Gold Wing motorcycles are subject to recall for the replacement of the Takata airbag inflator module. No motorcycle products are involved in the recall announced today.

Acura and Honda models included in the recall are:

2003 Acura 3.2CL

More Airbag Inflator Recall Information, including a detailed fact sheet can be found at www.hondaairbaginfo.com.
Verizon Wireless customers in several states were having problems sending and receiving text messages on Tuesday morning (March 12), according to multiple reports, including Tennessean.com.

The outage doesnt appear to include New Orleans, according to a map from DownDetector.com. The map shows outages in New York City all the way to Miami. Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta and parts of Alabama also are reporting outages as of 8:45 a.m., according to the map.

As of 7:44 a.m., Verizons customer service Twitter account said text messages werent working for a ton of customers because of a wireless network issue in many eastern areas.

Were working non-stop to get this matter resolved as soon as possible, Verizon tweeted.
Its difficult to pinpoint the most impactful time Louisiana failed to care about Cadarius Johnson.

Was it when, as a boy growing up with a developmental disability in Claiborne Parish, he was left at home, hungry, and once was even mauled by a family dog?

Was it when, at 15, he was found by police, drunk, with his own mother? Was it one of the times he was left alone, even after his mom was arrested for improper supervision?

Or was it when, because some people in the state court system thought it might be best for his long-term care, he was charged as a 16-year-old with attempted first-degree murder of a police officer?

In Cadarius heartbreaking story, told by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayunes Katherine Sayre, an embarrassing image emerges of just what, exactly, can go wrong when a state mental health system has been so stripped of whats needed to provide basic care for adults and juveniles  and whos most likely to be hurt by it.

In July 2013, for reasons that are, like many things in this story, still unclear, Cadarius called 911 four times, hanging up on each call. When Claiborne Parish Sheriffs Deputy Jeff McNeill responded, he found Cadarius, holding what appeared to be a knife in his hand. When, McNeill said, Cadarius ran toward the deputy, he trained the red laser point of a Taser on the teens chest, and Cadarius dropped to the ground.

McNeill wasnt injured. And though, McNeill said, Cadarius told him I was going to kill you, the young deputy got the sense the teenager wasnt registering in his brain that this was serious.

From there, everything gets more and more muddled. Because medical and juvenile court records remain private, there are a lot of unanswered questions.

A Louisiana teen with disabilities needed help. Why was he accused of trying to kill a cop?

What we do know is prosecutors knew the 16-year-old Cadarius was not competent to stand trial, but they still charged him as an adult. The move, according to Judge Jenifer Clason, who handles both juvenile and adult cases in Claiborne Parish, was because we were able to make sure he was safe and properly cared for.

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In interviews with Sayre, former Claiborne Parish District Attorney Jonathan Stewart agreed. The former Claiborne Parish prosecutor who worked on Cadarius case, Tandy Causey, agreed. So, too, did Dr. George Seiden, the Shreveport psychiatrist who effectively sealed Cadarius fate by declaring him incompetent to stand trial.

You could call each of these people an advocate for Cadarius, someone who may have wanted what was best for him even if their options to provide it were limited by state resources and the facts of his case. Perhaps thats true, but they had the privilege to walk away from this broken story, to move on.

But not Cadarius.

So, with few options on the table, what happened to the teenager Louisiana failed?

Cadarius was sent to the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System for treatment. Well, sort of. Thats an adult facility, so first he had to wait  in prison, in an isolation cell with just a window and a tray hatch, for more than a year  before he would turn 18 and legally become an adult himself. That happened in 2014.

Hes still there, spending his days in a facility designed not for long-term treatment for people with developmental disabilities but for those looking for rehabilitation to eventually stand trial. That means Cadarius, formally charged with a violent crime but neither tried nor convicted of one, is still in state custody today with little hope for a way out.

Perhaps the most painful part of Cadarius story is that its not clear he knows whats happened to him, that hes just another casualty of Louisianas crumpled mental health care system.

In an interview with Sayre, his mother, Janice Johnson, recounted her most recent conversation with Cadarius, in which he repeated a sentence shed heard often before: Im ready to come home, momma.

Its time to figure out how to get him there.
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy was fighting the good fight last week in offering a reasoned response to Sen. Rand Pauls attack on government-mandated vaccinations as an infringement of individual rights.

Although Paul noted that he and his children are vaccinated because he believes the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks, the libertarian-minded Kentucky senator said that a government mandate "is not consistent with the American story, nor is force consistent with the liberty our forefathers sought when they came to America.

The founders views, however, were not informed by the knowledge that vaccines could help wipe out smallpox, chickenpox, measles, malaria and a host of other diseases that ravaged populations in the New World.

Sen. Kennedy wont second-guess sentence for sleazoid Manafort

"I'm not here to say don't vaccinate your kids," Paul told the Senate health committee hearing Tuesday (March 5). "If this hearing is for persuasion, I'm all for persuasion. I vaccinated myself, I vaccinated my kids. For myself and my children, I believe that the benefits of vaccine greatly outweigh the risk, but I still do not favor giving up on liberty for a false sense of security."

Paul, who is an ophthalmologist, said immunization mandates have "run amok," arguing that seasonal influenza vaccines are sometimes "completely wrong" for the strain of the flu that develops.

He said it is "wrong to say there are no risks to vaccines. Even the government admits that children are sometimes injured by vaccines, drawing applause from anti-vaccination advocates at the hearing.

That is where Paul crossed a line, feeding into the anti-vaccine conspiracy theories that are responsible for a measles outbreak that has affected 228 people in 12 states.

No one says there are no risks with vaccines, only that the benefit far outweighs the dangers of being vaccinated. And the impact of a major disease outbreak can be enormous.

Measles is highly contagious and can cause serious health problems in children, including pneumonia and swelling of the brain. The infection can be fatal in rare cases.

A measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s and U.S. health officials declared that the disease had been eradicated in this country in 2000. That was until recent outbreaks linked to unfounded fears about the vaccine. There were 17 outbreaks nationwide last year, primarily concentrated in three states.

The overwhelming conclusion of medical literature indicates that the benefits of vaccines dramatically outweigh the limited risks. The most outlandish claims, including supposed links of vaccines to autism, have been discredited.

That's why Paul's position drew a strong rebuke from Cassidy, who is also a doctor, a gastroenterologist.

If you are such a believer in liberty that you do not wish to be vaccinated, Cassidy said, then there should be a consequence and that is that you cannot infect other people. Your liberty stops somewhere short of everyone elses epidemic.

Cassidy said he had seen firsthand what a lack of immunization can do.

You may or may not know that Im a physician," he said. "And Ive seen people who have not been vaccinated, who require liver transplantation because they were not. Or ended up with terrible diseases if for no other reason that they didnt understand vaccination was important.

Cassidy said hospitals know all about these problems and routinely require employees to be vaccinated against the flu because of the risks to others. If the nurses aide is not immunized, she can be a Typhoid Mary, if you will, bringing disease to many who are immuno-compromised."

This is called common sense. People who choose to exercise their liberty not to be inoculated, should surrender the liberty of close contact with others in places like hospitals and schools.

There should be a consequence, and that is you cannot infect other people, Cassidy said.

Although all 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students and children going into daycare, Louisiana is among 17 states that allow exemptions for medical or religious/philosophical reasons.

Cantrells lack of transparency still a chief concern

The Louisiana Department of Health website says, "The childs parent or guardian may request an exemption in writing for medical or religious/philosophical reasons. ... There is no requirement for the document to be notarized, and all requests are granted."

That would seem to put Louisiana firmly in Pauls libertarian camp. But Im thinking the first report of measles at a school or daycare is going to quickly bring parents around to Cassidys point of view.

Tim Morris is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write to Tim at tmorris@nola.com.
An ugly fight over an audit that found the city of Zachary paid two vendors $3.5 million without having contracts in place has died down some, but the city councilman most upset about the matter has made clear he is not giving up on his quest for 
(CNN)  The son of a woman who was a "true fan" of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder, who made it a "necessary part of our hygienic routine," testified before lawmakers on Tuesday, asking for help for women like his mother, who died of ovarian cancer after regularly using talc-based powder.

"I ask that this body use whatever power in its disposal to assist in bringing about justice for my mother," Marvin Salter said.

Salter's mother, Jackie Fox, sued J&J after she was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer in 2013. She did not live to see the trial in 2016, but a jury awarded her family $72 million. The decision was later overturned.

Salter testified before the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, which wanted a closer look at the science that may link talc to cancer.

Talc is found in cosmetics, powders and personal care products. It's also widely used in paints and industrial materials.

Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, opened the hearing by citing the actions of accessories company Claire's, which recalled three of its own-brand cosmetics Monday after the Food and Drug Administration detected tremolite asbestos in them. The products contained talc, a mineral that is often found near asbestos when it is mined and that can become contaminated, according to the FDA website.

"Let's be clear: There is no question that exposure to asbestos is hazardous to human health," Krishnamoorthi said. Labeling the FDA's regulatory power "weak" and in need of reform, he added, "the FDA cannot order any manufacturers to recall these personal care or cosmetics products that potentially contain asbestos. The question is, why? Because a loophole in the statute that empowers the FDA to regulate personal care products and cosmetics does not allow the FDA to require necessary recalls."

By law, companies don't have to tell customers if there have been adverse events related to their cosmetic or personal care products. Recalls and warning labels are all done on a voluntary basis. These products do not need to be reviewed or approved by the FDA.

"To be clear, there are currently no legal requirements for any cosmetic manufacturer marketing products to American consumers to test their products for safety," outgoing FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement last week. The agency routinely monitors the market for any public health risk, he added. It found no asbestos contamination in a 2010 survey of 34 cosmetic products that used talc.

Gottlieb said his agency will continue to work with the industry to make sure it is safe. Krishnamoorthi said at Tuesday's hearing that customers are taking action with or without the government.

"Juries across America are not waiting for Congress to act," he said.

Lawsuits are making their way through the courts on behalf of people who claim that talc-based powders are contaminated with asbestos and that powder has caused them to develop mesothelioma.

In some cases, lawyers have argued that J&J, the company that makes Baby Powder, knew that its products were contaminated with asbestos for decades and have introduced internal company documents to that effect. J&J says its products do not contain asbestos. Since the 1970s, talc used in all consumer products has been legally required to be asbestos-free.

In December, Johnson & Johnson's stock fell 10% after a Reuters report said the company knew for decades that asbestos was in its Baby Powder.

Thousands of separate but related lawsuits were filed by women who claim that they got ovarian cancer after using talc-based powder as part of their daily feminine hygiene routines. Krishnamoorthi thanked several of those women and their families who went to Tuesday's hearing.

The debate over a link between talcum powder and cancer has been growing in the scientific community. Some studies have found that women face an increased risk of ovarian cancer with the use of talc in the genital area, but others do not. Most suggest that more research is needed.

In an SEC filing in December, Johnson & Johnson said it would cooperate with "government inquiries" and subpoenas to produce documents related to the matter from the Department of Justice, the Securities Exchange Commission and Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

At Tuesday's hearing, Dr. Anne McTiernan said she believes that "increasing the amount of exposure to talcum powder products in the genital area resulted in an increasing risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer."

McTiernan is a witness in one of the multidistrict lawsuits against the makers of talcum powder and conducted a systematic review of the science involving talc and cancer.

Looking at 38 studies conducted over the past 40 years that included 14,000 women with cancer and a greater number without cancer, McTiernan found that the women had a statistically significant (22% to 31%) increased risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer compared with women who did not use talcum powder in the genital area.

She believes that talc use may cause an inflammatory response and that the inflammation may be one pathway for cancer to develop.

"Women need to know about the risks of using talcum powder products in their genital areas," McTiernan said Tuesday. "All consumers need to be warned about the contents of these products, including asbestos and fibrous talc, so that they can make informed decisions about use."

Testifying on behalf of the nonprofit nonpartisan environmental organization Environmental Working Group, Scott Faber said that there is "always some risk that the products produced with talc contain this dangerous carcinogen."

Faber, the group's vice president of government affairs, said his organization has found 2,000 cosmetic and personal care products that contain talc. But, he added, makeup it tested contained 88 chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm in men and women.

"Cosmetics have fallen into a regulatory black hole," Faber testified.

Johnson & Johnson was not called to testify, nor were any cosmetic companies asked to speak.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of consumers and maintaining their trust in our products," Ernie W. Knewitz, vice president of media relations for J&J, said in a statement Tuesday. "We have long supported legislation to modernize the U.S. FDA's regulatory authority over cosmetics and personal care products, and believe this reform is essential to enabling the agency to increase their ability to protect the public. We are committed to continuing to work with Congress and the FDA to advance meaningful change.

"As it pertains to today's hearing, the testimony was biased with a majority of witnesses being connected to litigation against our company. As a result, decades of studies concluding that Johnson's Baby Powder is free of asbestos and safe to use were not discussed, and the subcommittee did not hear the preponderance of evidence that supports the safety of our product," he wrote.

"For decades, global independent laboratories and health authorities have tested Johnson's Baby Powder and have never found asbestos. In 2010, the U.S. FDA surveyed a range of cosmetic products, including Johnson's Baby Powder and the source talc used in the product, and confirmed that it did not contain asbestos. In a March 5, 2019 statement, the FDA reaffirmed these findings stating the results 'found no traces of asbestos contamination using the most sensitive techniques available.' "

This story was first published on CNN.com "Talc cancer concerns get their day in Congress"
Concerns have been raised by a group of scientists about the possible carcinogenic effects of electromagnetic radiation emitted by modern devices. Of particular concern are wireless headphones like Apples popular AirPods as they sit in the ear canal exposing fragile tissue to potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

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Ever since Apple banished the headphone jack on its iPhone 7 line, it has sold millions of its wireless AirPods. In fact, Apple has sold an extraordinary 44 million pairs of them which doesnt come as a surprise given how ubiquitous they seem to have become. However, a group of some 250 scientists have joined a petition to the UN led by the International Electromagnetic Field Alliance (IEMFA).

The scientists have raised serious concerns about the risks to people exposed to non-ionizing radiation including extremely low frequency fields (ELF) used for electricity and radio frequency radiation (RFR) used in wireless communications. This includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular data. In other words, exactly the sort of wireless connectivity found in abundance in our smartphones and related wireless tech like AirPods and Samsungs new Galaxy Buds.

According to studies, ill effects of exposure to these types of radiation has resulted in cancers in animals. The petition calls for action by the UN to take leadership of the potential health issue on a global level. What makes wireless headphones that sit within the ear canal more risky is because they sit right next to more delicate tissue. The researchers think that current guidelines permit levels of exposure that might still be dangerous.

Although there is no conclusive evidence of the potential dangers of electromagnetic radiation at current exposure levels, the scientists who have signed the petition call for further studies and testing before new, higher frequency, technologies like 5G become ubiquitous.
Huawei's Mate 20 phones may have given up their position as the best flagships on the market to the Samsung Galaxy S10 devices, but they've already sold in massive quantities. According to Huawei CEO Richard Yu, the company has shipped 10 million units of the devices, barely five months after they were launched.

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Huawei unveiled its Mate 20 lineup back in October, five months ago. The devicesthe Mate 20 Pro, in particularwere hailed at the time for being some of the most impressive pieces of smartphone hardware ever made. All of those accolades appear to have translated into sales, too, as the company has now confirmed that it has shipped 10 million units so far.

While 10 million unit shipments may pale in comparison to Apple and Samsungs flagship numbers, its still a ridiculously impressive figureespecially since its barely been five months since the devices were launched. For some comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S9 phones have sold about 30 million units since they were launched.
NEW YORKThe U.S. government on Friday, March 8, announced criminal charges against a top official in Nicolas Maduros government for violating sanctions imposed two years ago when the official was accused of drug trafficking.

Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, Venezuelas industry minister, was accused of evading the February 2017 sanctions by hiring U.S. companies to provide private jet services, including for a Feb. 23 return trip to Venezuela from Russia.

Venezuelan businessman Samark Jose Lopez Bello, an El Aissami associate also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, was also criminally charged, as were several other defendants.

A lawyer for El Aissami could not immediately be located. Lopez Bellos lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Venezuelas Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

El Aissami and Lopez Bello, both 44, were each charged with five counts of circumventing sanctions and violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which targets people believed to threaten U.S. economic and foreign policy interests.

Each count carries a maximum 30-year prison term.

The sanctions against El Aissami were the first by the Trump administration against a top official in Maduros government for alleged money laundering and drug trafficking.

El Aissami was accused of helping arrange drug shipments out of Venezuela, including to the United States and Mexico, through his control of a Venezuelan airbase and shipping ports.

Enforcement of these sanctions is critical to the national security interests of the U.S., Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan said in a statement.

The White House no longer recognizes Maduros government.

Fridays charges accuse El Aissami and Lopez Bello of illegally using services provided by American Charter Services LLC of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and SVMI Solution LLC of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Justice Department said these services included travel to or from the Dominican Republic and Turkey, as well as Venezuela and Russia.

Victor Mones Coro, 41, who established ACS, and Alejandro Miguel Leon Maal, 51, who established SVMI, were charged with the same counts as El Aissami and Lopez Bello.

Mones Coro appeared on Friday in the West Palm Beach federal court. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Leon Maal could not immediately be located.

ACS and SVMI were not charged, and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

By Jonathan Stempel
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The uncertainty over the cause of the latest crash has put Boeing on the defensive. The 737 Max is the companys best-selling jet ever, and it is expected to be a major driver of profits in the future. Around 5,000 of the planes are on order, with a list price of $120 million for the Max 8 version.

Shares of the company fell 5 percent on Monday, as pressure mounted from various corners.

The Association of Flight Attendants sent a letter to the F.A.A. on Monday calling for a review of the 737 Max. We need help from the regulators when the entire world is looking at two catastrophic incidents that happened on the same aircraft type within five months of each other, said Sara Nelson, the president of the flight attendants union. Our system is so safe that these things dont happen today. That is why people are questioning what is going on here.

Pilots also raised questions about the safety of the plane. Were very concerned about why two brand-new aircraft suddenly pitched over and nosed into the ground, said Rory Kay, a former top safety official at the worlds largest pilot union and a senior pilot and pilot trainer at a major United States airline. This is not the dawn of aviation. Weve evolved, planes have evolved.

Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the American Airlines pilot union and a 737 pilot, said that the Lion Air crash hurt the reputation of the 737 Max in the eyes of some of his members and that the Ethiopian accident had prompted new questions from them. I think there needs to be further review into the certification process for the aircraft, Mr. Tajer said. Everybody should be looking at this.

In Washington, two senators, Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, went a step further, calling on the F.A.A. to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8s until the investigation into the Ethiopia crash was complete.

Some passengers tried to rebook their flights to avoid a 737 Max 8. Carriers that hadnt grounded the plane sought to reassure customers, providing information about the jets safety.
[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

ALBANY  After a measles outbreak in Brooklyn and Rockland County and amid growing concerns about the anti-vaccine movement, a pair of state legislators are proposing allowing minors to receive vaccinations without permission from their parents.

The bill would allow any child 14 years or older to be vaccinated and given booster shots for a range of diseases including mumps, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, influenza, hepatitis B and measles, which seemed to be the primary reason for alarm after the recent outbreaks.

We are on the verge of a public health crisis, said one of the bills sponsors, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, a Democrat from Albany, citing lower-than-recommended inoculation rates in some communities, spurred by unconfirmed suspicions about vaccines causing autism. Weve become complacent over the last couple of decades.

[Your questions on measles and its vaccine, answered.]

That sentiment was amplified recently by the World Health Organization, which listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the Top 10 global threats. In Rockland County, officials are reporting 145 confirmed cases of measles, with the vast majority of those afflicted aged 18 and under. Of those, four out of five have received no vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella.
On Friday, The Herald reported that Yang attended a Super Bowl party at Trumps West Palm Beach country club, where the president was cheering on Krafts team. It turns out that Yang was something of a regular in MAGA-land, posing for selfies with Trump, his adult sons, Kellyanne Conway and others. According to The Herald, she and her relatives donated $42,000 to a pro-Trump political action committee and more than $16,000 to Trumps campaign. Last February, she was invited to the White House for an event put on by Trumps Asian-American and Pacific Islander Initiative , an advisory commission.

Now, theres nothing new about donors paying for photo ops. But Yang was more than just a hanger-on. Both Mother Jones and The Herald found evidence that Yang, who emigrated from China, ran a business, GY US Investments, selling Chinese executives access to Trump, his family and Republican officials. According to Mother Jones, she claimed to have gotten her clients into the most recent New Years Eve party at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort. The Herald reported that Yang arranged for a group of Chinese businessmen to attend a Trump fund-raising event in 2017 in Manhattan at which tickets, which foreigners cant legally pay for, started at $2,700. Her Chinese-language website, which appears to have been taken down, said she was hosting a conference at Mar-a-Lago later this month; Trumps sister was listed as the guest speaker.

News that the owner of a chain of dubious massage parlors was brokering foreign access to the president of the United States should be a big deal. It has the potential to be a sex scandal, an intelligence scandal and a financial scandal all at once.

There are profound national security implications to this kind of relationship, Jeffrey Prescott, a senior director on the National Security Council under Barack Obama, told me. It goes to the obvious opportunities that foreign governments and interests are going to see to have influence over this president because of the way that hes arranged his business practices.

Mother Jones has reported that Yang is an officer in local branches of two groups tied to the Chinese government: the Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China and the Chinese Association of Science and Technology. Its hard to know what to make of these connections. Chris Lu, a former deputy secretary of labor who was a co-chairman of the White House Asian-Americans initiative during the Obama administration, cautions against casually imputing dual loyalty to Yang or anyone else.
Last weeks story on the statements made by Representative Ilhan Omar, and the Democrats response to them, clearly resonated with readers. We got over 100 emails, covering views on all sides of the issue and coming from across the country (and even a few from around the globe).

Some readers felt that Ms. Omars statements, regardless of possible anti-Semitism, addressed an issue that is in dire need of serious political debate.

Jean Davis, Washington State:

I am horrified that the moderate, older Dems wanted to rebuke Ms. Omar. Her comments were perhaps ill-advised, but why should she be singled out when comments made by other public figures are much more ugly and yet are let slide? People of different generations were raised with completely differing views of Israel  my generation, the baby boomers, were taught to revere the strong new state of Israel, while people now in their 20s and 30s see the damage Israel is causing the Palestinians. Ms. Omar is of that generation and also an immigrant, and must be given some slack. Above all her First Amendment rights must NOT be trampled by Democrats!

Malcolm Burnstein, California:

Here is an 85-year-old Jew who strongly supports Ms. Omar, and who agrees with her that the Israeli and Aipac policies are racist and anti-Arab. If Aipac was not so cash heavy, Congress would judge its policy on the merits, and it would have little weight; and, likewise, Israeli discriminatory policy towards its Arab citizens and neighbors would merit criticism and not acceptance. At my age I witnessed the Nazi policy of murder toward Jews and I had hoped that the Jewish state would know, as no one else, how wrong and muddle headed those policies were. Alas, the Jewish state seems to have learned little from the far-to-recent past.

Many others felt that Ms. Omars statements were plainly anti-Semitic, and that the Democratic reaction was not strong enough.

Rachel Reiss, New York:

Passing a resolution condemning all hate in response to a specific instance of pointed anti-Semitism, especially in the midst of an undeniable and disturbing upswing in anti-Semitic attacks both globally and nationally, is like passing a resolution that all lives matter in response to police violence against black men; it says the exact opposite of what it purports to say.

David Friedland, Nevada:

As a lifelong Democrat, I was upset at Ilhan Omars blatantly anti-Semitic, age-old canard about Jewish people having loyalty to another country. And I am equally upset at my party cowering to an increasingly tyrannical minority and failing to pass a specific resolution to a specific comment. Does not Congresswoman Omar know about Goebbels and his usage of propaganda such as the insidious international Jewish financiers, or the danger of Jewish penetration of law, medicine, property, and the arts. Has she not studied history and the power of the spoken word on a national platform? No bigotry should ever come close to being tolerated. Nor should hesitancy in unequivocally condemning a specific outburst of bigotry such as displayed by Congresswoman Omar ever be tolerated as well.

And then there were those whose concerns were not the content of Ms. Omars statements, but the political fallout that they could have.

Dave Stoller, Arizona:

I applaud the enthusiasm of the congressional newbies. However, I say to each of them, be guided by this reality: you dont know everything, you cant do everything, especially all at once. You are the new kids on the block. You each need to learn how to be an effective legislator, how to communicate, how to work with other legislators, even those with whom you often disagree. Succeeding in Congress may require compromise, even with those you dont like.

Arnie Serota, Hawaii:

The Democrats need to get their act together and stop infighting on divisive issues. The number one theme, for the time being, should be the defeat of Donald Trump and the far right.

If you want to share your thoughts, send us an email: onpolitics@nytimes.com.

____________________

What to read tonight

 With a tough election looming for Benjamin Netanyahu, The Times digs into the mutually beneficial feedback loop between him and President Trump.

 Silicon Valley searches for an IRL monument of its own.

 No trash is as glorious as Mardi Gras trash. Bloomberg Businessweek on what, exactly, happens to all those beads.

____________________

 Seriously

Last week, President Trump called Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, Tim Apple. It seemed like a lighthearted gaffe, the internet chuckled for a moment, then everyone moved on. Well, apparently not everyone.
WASHINGTON  Presidential budgets are by tradition declared dead on arrival even before the details reach Capitol Hill, and President Trumps $4.75 trillion budget for the 2020 fiscal year received that greeting in spades on Monday.

But with a new Democratic majority in the House, the release of Mr. Trumps budget blueprints marked the start of a consequential budget season. House Democrats must now work out a blueprint for governing that will define the partys vision in clear terms  and answer burning questions on health care, taxation, climate change and other policy matters that have dogged the new majority since it took control.

In short, it is time for the Democrats to show their cards.

We have a very different set of values and priorities, Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters on Monday. Ours will be a very realistic budget resolution.

The budget is a nonbinding document, and with Republicans controlling the Senate, it may be impossible for the two chambers to work out their differences. Faced with that prospect, Democratic leadership on Monday discussed not holding a vote on the budget, according to a leadership aide. The meeting, first reported by Politico, did not end with a decision.
Any airline disaster demands explanation, but the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday  the second in less than five months by the same new model of plane  raises more than the usual questions and fears.

Shortly after the Boeing 737 Max 8 took off from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, bound for Nairobi, Kenya, the pilot sent a distress call and received permission to return to the airport. Six minutes after takeoff, the jet plunged to earth, killing all 157 people aboard.

Here is a look at what we know about the disaster  and what we still dont.

[Read our latest updates on the Ethiopian Airlines crash.]

What caused the crash?

It is much too soon to say why the plane went down, or to rule out possibilities like pilot error, mechanical breakdown, maintenance problems or terrorism.
MEXICO CITY  As a candidate, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico promised to remake Mexico, vowing to end corruption and impunity, attack inequality, pacify the country and disrupt a status quo that, he said, favored the few  the wealthy and powerful  and marginalized everyone else.

On Monday, in a confident speech marking his first 100 days in office, he insisted that transformation was firmly underway.

We have already begun to write the prologue of the great work of national transformation, he declared. We will continue to build, among everyone, the beautiful utopia. We are going to continue walking toward that great ideal of living in a new, free, fair, democratic and fraternal homeland.

Most Mexicans seem to agree, giving their folksy, man-of-the-people president stratospheric approval ratings. Some recent surveys put his support above 80 percent.
The museum is very accessible, and we expect in its new location it will attract a lot more visitors, said Mr. Fausel, who has a Welsh springer spaniel named Gemma. Some museums may seem too highbrow, but with the Museum of the Dog, you can just pack up the family and go.

On a tour, Mr. Fausel pointed out the crowd-pleasing attractions, like a virtual-reality station that lets you train Molly, a digital dog. But his face lit up when he showed off the fine-art exhibition he has curated, which includes such classics as The Totteridge XI, an 1897 painting of 11 smooth fox terriers by the British artist Arthur Wardle, and Silent Sorrow, a 1910 painting of Caesar, the wire fox terrier who was a favorite of King Edward VII of England. Caesar, who is shown resting his head on his late masters chair in apparent mourning, was painted by Maud Earl, a British-American painter who is considered one of the leading lights of the dog art world.

Edward VIIs mother, Queen Victoria, set off a craze for dog paintings within the British aristocracy, starting in about the 1840s, said William Secord, an expert on the genre, who owns an art gallery in New York and a Dandie Dinmont terrier named Rocky. She would have as many as 75 dogs in her kennels, and she would commission artists to paint the ones who were her favorites, said Mr. Secord, who was the founding director of the American Kennel Clubs museum in the 1980s. What the queen did, everybody wanted to do, he added.
I think what it demonstrates is that public art is now a contender rather than an afterthought, she said.

For a long time, that hadnt been the case. Public art was considered second- and third-generation modernism, she said, referring to sculptures of geometric abstraction often in front of office buildings. The field of public art is at a time right now when the most distinguished artists working today want to bring their work outdoors.

Ms. Rapaport has given artists including Diana Al-Hadid, Arlene Shechet and Leonardo Drew their first opportunities to do just that. In a significant departure for Mr. Drew  known for his wall-size, grid-based assemblages stuffed with weathered objects  he will orient a new work horizontally across the central lawn of Madison Square Park and introduce new materials including multicolored sand. Opening June 3, City in the Grass will be a sprawling undulating carpet stretching more than 100 by 30 feet, with a panoramic cityscape built on top of the colors and patterns of a Persian rug.

This is a beautiful challenge, said the artist, 58, explaining that the public invasion of the park is testing how far hes willing to let people physically interact with his work. Brooke is daring, and thats why she will ask artists to realize outdoor works when theyre not outdoor-work artists. It does take a leap of faith. Shes there before youre there.

For Ms. Al-Hadid, the experience of conceiving multiple sculptures for the park in 2018 for Delirious Matter has changed her work deeply. It was really about how to think of the movement of people through the park  how they might experience one work to another, how it might surprise them, said the artist, 38, who built a mountainous figure over a fountain, for instance, and framed wall fragments with planted hedgerows to create an outdoor room. Shes now pursuing new ideas for incorporating natural materials in outdoor commissions.
PENDLETON, Ore.  In the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon, a short drive from the rodeo town of Pendleton and about 200 miles east of Portland, is the only professional print house on an Indian reservation in the United States.

The Crows Shadow Institute of the Arts, known as C.S.I.A., is a nonprofit on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and has become a hub for contemporary Native American artists nationwide.

For more than 25 years, some of the biggest indigenous names in contemporary art  Rick Bartow, Marie Watt, Jeffrey Gibson, Kay WalkingStick, Wendy Red Star  have flocked to its printmaking residency program, housed in the ground floor of an old Catholic mission schoolhouse.
Marney Penn, a tour guide for the museum, said that it was important to integrate discussions about modern incarceration into the museums story since Eastern State helped make the prison system what it is today.

Sometimes you do need to shock people to attention, Ms. Penn said. If youre coming here for a historic tour, thats great. But at the end of your tour, its like, surprise, we have all this really serious information for you.

Art installations in the cells have long been a feature. There are also family weekends with a program that works with inmates to train shelter dogs; visitors can meet the dogs and learn about Pep, Eastern States famous canine prisoner. There have been on-site tastings of Nutraloaf, a composite food product served in prisons.

Since 2012, Eastern State has marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by hosting readings of Dr. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail in its historic synagogue.

You could easily take the tour, peer into the cell where Al Capone stayed for a few months in 1929 and leave, Mr. Kelley said. That might be all visitors want to see, and thats O.K.

But its hard to miss the 16-foot Big Graph sculpture in the prison yard at the end of the tour. It illustrates the number of people incarcerated in the United States over the decades on one side, with the racial breakdown on the other.
Free people of color, or gens de couleur libre, were highly educated, though their occupations didnt always reflect that. Some held prominent positions  as composers, artists, artisans  but their primary occupations were carpenters, cigar makers, shoemakers, laborers and deliverymen. They also played a notable role in the citys sugar industry in the early 1800s, after thousands of free people of color arrived from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now Haiti.

In this area, free people of color left their fingerprints on everything, said Beverly Stanton McKenna, a newspaper publisher who founded the museum in 2008 with her husband, Dwight McKenna.

In the museum, the history is told through rooms hung salon-style with documents, paintings and photographs that shed light on the French and Spanish colonial eras and enslavement, the Civil War and Reconstruction. Alongside sculpture in the museums front parlor stands a sizable portrait of Louis Charles Roudanez, the pioneering Paris-educated physician and Civil War-era publisher whose spirit guided the McKennas vision for the museum.

Despite the grandeur of the setting and its deep history, the museums name reflects the humiliations that free people of color, no matter how wealthy, endured before the Civil War. In documents, their racial status was abbreviated in lowercase letters: f.p.c. They couldnt vote or hold public office, couldnt establish organizations without permission. In many of the painted portraits women wear tignons  head wraps that a Spanish governor began requiring of all women of color in 1786  as a way of indicating inferior status.
WASHINGTON  Imagine a business-minded artist on deadline, working in a studio with an army of assistants to produce huge works.

Hes savvy about publicity and about developments in technology that make it easier for him to get his images out into the world. Hell agree to an impossible deadline on a project to make sure a rival doesnt get it first.

If that sounds like a superstar artist of today, maybe so. But it also describes Jacopo Tintoretto, the Venetian painter born 500 years ago who stormed the Western world with his emotionally resonant religious scenes, mythological canvases and revealing portraits.

Tintoretto (1518-94) came in the last wave of the Italian Renaissance. A bit overshadowed in art history by Titian, the supremely talented local elder, Tintoretto is famous but may not register as clearly as other painters of the age.
FULTON, Mo.  Walking around the campus of Westminster College with Tim Riley is like going back in time.

He can point out the exact spot where Winston Churchill got out of his car when he visited in 1946. In the colleges gymnasium, he points out the metal pole still strung to the buildings rafters, where a special backdrop was hung for the occasion. Standing outside the old university presidents house he recounts, as the story goes, how Churchill commented during their lunch: Madam, I believe the pig has reached its highest state of evolution in the form of this ham.

Mr. Riley is the director and chief curator of Americas National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. As such, he leads the efforts to preserve the legacy of Churchills visit to the town, about 90 minutes west of St. Louis.
Among the few who lingered were three tourists from Britain. Its the most beautiful art I have ever seen in an airport, said Judith Wolfram, who had lived in India for seven years as a young woman and had returned for a two-week visit with her daughter and daughters boyfriend. Ms. Wolfram was so impressed by the airports all-India art collection that when their flight was delayed, she decided to give the younger generation a quick tour of Indian art history.

Sanjay Reddy, the vice chairman of GVK, the family-led conglomerate that built the museum and terminal and has managed them since they opened five years ago, said he knew it would be a challenge to create an art museum in a place where people are always in transit. But he said he had wanted to do it anyway to introduce the countrys artistic heritage to Indians.

Even if we are able to catch one out of 100 people, we have done our job, said Mr. Reddy, who hired the Delhi artist Rajeev Sethi to select and arrange the works. A lot of this is subconscious. When you go through any place, it becomes a part of you.

Indeed, art and architecture go together in the terminal, which has 4.7 million square feet of built-up space, more than double the footprint of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The airports check-in hall, for example, is covered by a giant canopy in the shape of a peacocks tail, with skylights to let in natural light and small nooks where passengers can sit before going through security.
For example, the tenacity required to endure and challenge slavery is explained through audio recordings of slave stories, piped into the small cottages where they lived on South Carolinas Hermitage Plantation.

Visitors can tour Thomas Edisons Menlo Park laboratory and see how the inventors first experimental electric-lighting system was put into use at the Sarah Jordan boarding house, where his lab workers lived.

Exhibits like these provide a unique immersive educational experience, Ms. Mooradian said. Dont ignore the power of an artifact. When I can put my hands on something, that memory stays with me.

Visitors can interact with the exhibits by watching wool be spun or by moving around the village in a historic steam train. Sometimes, museum presenters explain the artifacts using iPads and other technology and prod people to consider how they, too, can contribute to society.

Our whole museum is about the future, Ms. Mooradian said. So when visitors are impressed by someone in the past, they can think, I can do that, too.

Carillon Historical Park

Greenfield Village may also own the original home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Daytons most famous sons, but Carillon Historical Park has the 1905 Wright Flyer III, the brothers first practical airplane.
Raynham Hall plays a central role in the story of George Washingtons spy ring, said the historian Alexander Rose, whose 2006 book, Washingtons Spies, provided the basis for the TV series, for which Mr. Rose was also a producer. A lot of the action centered around this house, which is beautifully preserved.

Yet, while it hosts about 10,000 visitors a year  nearly half of them schoolchildren  the house, which is owned by the Town of Oyster Bay and operated by the nonprofit Friends of Raynham Hall, is relatively obscure.

Like a good intelligence agent, it manages to project its own false identity: When Samuel Townsend bought the house in 1738, it was a two-story, four-room structure. By the time of the Revolution, it had been expanded into an eight-room saltbox. In the 1800s, it was restructured into a Victorian manor with a tower and a stained-glass skylight. When the town acquired Raynham Hall from the D.A.R. in 1947, it removed the tower and rebuilt the facade of the home to resemble its appearance in the 1700s.

While the genuine-appearing Colonial front of the house was actually built during the Truman administration, the rear of Raynham Hall and the floorboards and walls are original. And the homes rooms feature period items owned by the family  although visiting Turn fans expecting to find Robert Townsends cipher book or bottles of the invisible ink used by the ring to write messages, will be disappointed. Townsend did much of his snooping from his merchant familys store in Manhattan, which he managed. He did not leave a paper trail  certainly not one that would lead straight to his family home.

We were behind enemy lines here, said Claire Bellerjeau, director of education at Raynham Hall Museum.
But Toledo, on Lake Erie just across the Ohio-Michigan border, has had its own connection with the industry for nearly all that time. It is home to the big Jeep plant run by Fiat Chrysler, on a site where vehicles have been produced since 1910. General Motors has built transmissions here since 1916, and the city is home to, and surrounded by, scores of smaller parts plants.

However, the museum itself owes its existence to an industry that was around before cars: glass. Its benefactors were Edward Drummond Libbey and Florence Scott Libbey, members of the family that founded what was to become the Libbey Glass Company in 1818.

Portraits of the museums founders hang everywhere in the sprawling main museum building, while a separate building devoted to glass is across the street. In all, there are more than 30,000 works of art, a third of them paintings, a third works on paper, and a third glass objects.

Mr. Libbey had ambitions that were very, very grand, said the museum director, Brian Kennedy.

The 40-acre museum campus sits on Monroe Street, surrounded by large, gracious homes and apartment buildings  and the constant rush of traffic.
The president of the library, Anthony W. Marx, hopes that people will ask such questions when the library puts these treasures on display next year in a new gallery, along with a sizable list of other intriguing items that it has acquired over the years. Among them is a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  specifically, the copy that Dickens carried on an American tour in the mid-19th century, with notes he scribbled in the margins about passages he read aloud during lectures.

Want more Dickens? The gallery will have his letter opener, made from the paw of his cat Bob, to whom the curators say Dickens was passionately devoted.

Want a dog rather than a cat? The gallery will have Elizabeth Barrett Brownings notebook. Amid drafts of poems is a page with a sketch of her dog Flush.

Also going into the gallery will be a copy of The Green Book, the guide for black travelers in the days of Jim Crow that was made famous by the 2018 film starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. At the Academy Awards on Feb. 24, the film won best picture, and Mr. Ali won best supporting actor.
Vincent van Goghs visceral, vibrant paintings and difficult life, which led him to kill himself at age 37 in 1890, have had an enduring hold on the public.

He is an unusual combination of someone whose art has an instant appeal to people and a human interest story that is astonishing, said van Gogh expert Martin Bailey, author of Starry Night: Van Gogh at the Asylum. You can see the enormous appetite for van Gogh growing certainly by the decade and almost by the year.

At least nine exhibitions on the Dutch artist are in the works at museums around the world, including three opening this month in Houston, London and Amsterdam. This confluence has exacerbated the difficulty curators have always had in getting loans of prized van Goghs.
Olson writes with verve and a historians authority. Fourcade, she tells us, was beautiful and liked men, but she was obsessed with defeating the despised Boches. A master of disguises, she frequently changed her hair color, and sometimes used distorting dentures and other theatrical tricks.

Image

Her personal life was  even by French standards  complicated. Fourcade was married, with two young children she didnt see for years at a time. Her estranged husband is barely mentioned. Before long, however, she fell in love with a French Air Force pilot, Leon Faye, who joined her network as her deputy. Even after she became pregnant with Fayes child, she continued to take jaw-dropping risks. (Fourcades treatment of her children struck me as shockingly cold.)

Olsons narrative might have been tighter had it focused on fewer and more fleshed-out characters. In a long list of dramatis personae worthy of a Russian novel, one of the more memorable is Fourcades agent Jeannie Rousseau. A 20-year-old recent graduate of the prestigious Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Rousseau, like her boss, benefited from men underestimating her. When the Germans set up their Brittany headquarters, Rousseau, who spoke fluent German, applied for a job as a translator. Remarkably careless around this pretty young woman, the Wehrmacht officers peppered their conversations with two strange words: Peenemunde and raketten. In answer to Jeannies seemingly innocent query, an officer showed her a drawing of a rocket and a testing station, on an island off the Baltic coast, Peenemunde. Rousseaus report on this exchange was an astonishing piece of intelligence. It revealed to the Allies the existence of a new superweapon, the V2 rocket.

In late 1942, 200,000 Wehrmacht troops marched unopposed into the former Vichy-governed free zone. Now, with the Gestapo in full charge, Fourcade was often mortally afraid. Reluctantly, she accepted evacuation to London, where she found a different but still vicious war between two titanic exiled French leaders: Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud. Fourcade refused to be drawn into this internecine battle and made herself suspect in the eyes of many French exiles by working too closely with the British.

Collaborating with British intelligence confronted Fourcade with a familiar challenge: sexism. When the head of MI6, Cmdr. Claude Dansey, first met Fourcade, he behaved with exaggerated gallantry, presenting her with a bouquet and remarking, So this is the terrible woman who has had us all scared! Though anxious to return to her agents in France, Fourcade was told, essentially, not to worry her pretty little head. Youve gone on long past the safety limits, the Englishman admonished her. According to the law of averages, an underground leader cant last more than six months. Youve lasted over two and a half years. Its sheer witchcraft. As Olson relates, behind her back he referred to her as Cohens bitch  a reference to Fourcades close friend Cmdr. Kenneth Cohen, the MI6 official in charge of French intelligence during the war. Fourcade eventually returned to France and to her agents in the field.

Awaiting capture by the Gestapo, expecting torture and execution, Fourcade requested permission from a priest to take the cyanide pills she carried  suicide being a mortal sin in her Catholic faith. She shouldnt have any scruples about this, the priest assured her. It would not be suicide, but instead a means of resisting the enemy. But, as always, she survived, living to the age of 79, dying in 1989.

Will the brutal Nazi occupation of Europe ever stop churning up new material? Probably not. Nor should we ever cease our attempt to fathom two unfathomable questions regarding the 20th century: Just how did Hitler nearly fulfill his murderous vision, and why did so few resist his monstrous plans? Marie-Madeleine Fourcade certainly did, and with this gripping tale Lynne Olson pays her what history has so far denied her. France, slow to confront the stain of Vichy, would do well to finally honor a fighter most of us would want in our foxhole.
I write science fiction set in the near future, so Im constantly testing my own powers of prophecy. I once wrote a story about a germaphobic couple who want to have sex without touching. They purchase the TouchFeely  my nod to the Feelies in Aldous Huxleys Brave New World (1932)  an apparatus that includes an electrified dildo and a sheath that respond remotely to each other. The year after the story came out, I learned about Hera and Zeus, the worlds first internet-enabled sex toys. These teledildonic devices uncannily resemble my fictional invention. I was a little disconcerted. My story is a satire about bourgeois disconnection. My characters each start affairs with the bot. One ends up choking on the dildo. But Ill confess: I felt a perverse pleasure, too. It was as if I had conjured something into existence  the dream of every artist.

More recently, I did some research on H.I.V. vaccines for my novel, The Old Drift. With some help from a biologist at New York University, I came up with one that uses a particular technique to target a specific gene sequence. I felt a strange, and, again, perverse, mix of horror and wonder when I read a couple months ago that Chinese scientists had used the exact same mechanism for their AIDS vaccine development project, also known as the CRISPR babies, the first genetically modified humans. Ive started to worry that, before long, the Moskeetoze(TM) microdrones that I designed for the novel will buzz to life too. Raymond Z. Galluns 1936 short story The Scarab got there first, but the TV series Black Mirror introduced robo-bees into the popular imagination just in advance of their emergence in the real world: Last March, Walmart filed a patent for a fleet of pollination drones.

This is the dark side of science fiction prophecy. Wow, I was right! can turn quickly into Yikes, I was right! You almost envy Cassandra, the Trojan princess who was doomed by the gods to be always correct yet disbelieved. I was never able to predict, William Gibson demurred in an interview with GQ. But I could sort of curate what had already happened. When it was brought to his attention that the global disasters he had envisioned in his 2014 novel, The Peripheral, seemed to be happening even before it was published, Gibson admitted: That makes me very uncomfortable.

What if you dont just predict a bad idea but inspire it? Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1818), widely considered the first science fiction novel, tried to forestall this: Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge. But while science fiction aims to warn, humans are teenagers at heart: We love doing what were told not to. Our modern-day Frankenstein, Michael Crichtons Jurassic Park (1990), may even have spurred researchers to try to recover dinosaur DNA. Should the makers of sci-fi quit indulging this desire to peer into the future?

Well, no. First of all, our predictions are off a lot of the time. No ones floating around in jet packs and hovercrafts just yet. Huxley presaged genetic engineering  his test tube babies are the true precursors of CRISPR babies  but so far weve passed on his multisensory Feelies and stuck with the good old-fashioned movies. For some reason, theres a slew of older sci-fi films that happen to be set in 2019  Blade Runner, The Running Man, The Island  so we have new proof of our flubs. The IGN piece detailing these failures of prophecy is titled The Sci-Fi Movies That Predicted 2019  and Got It Wrong.
Reminder: Chinas sweeping detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities has elicited widespread condemnation around the world, including from the U.S., Turkey and the United Nations.

Foreign experts, citing satellite imagery and government documents, have estimated that as many as a million people are held in these camps without trial as part of an effort to turn them into loyal supporters of the Communist Party.

Heres what else is happening

1MDB: The U.S. Federal Reserve banned two former Goldman Sachs executives from the banking industry because of their roles in the global, multibillion-dollar fraud involving a Malaysian government investment fund.

K-pop: Lee Seung-hyun, who performs under the name Seungri for the immensely popular boy band Big Bang, has been accused of arranging for investors to receive sexual favors at a nightclub. He has denied the allegations but said he would retire to protect the reputation of the band.

Google: Alphabets board of directors agreed to pay Amit Singhal, a former top executive at the search giant, as much as $45 million when he resigned in 2016 after being accused of groping an employee. His payment was revealed in a shareholder lawsuit filed this week that accuses Alphabet of shirking its responsibilities and paying executives instead of firing them for just cause.

Nissan-Renault: The Japanese and French carmakers vowed to preserve their alliance and move past the removal of their former chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, whose arrest cast doubt on the future of the auto industrys most successful partnership. Questions remain about how the two sides will overcome long-running tensions.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, the two carriers in the United States that use the 737 Max 8, also said they remained confident in the safety of the planes and planned to continue flying them. Both airlines have said they have analyzed data from their thousands of flights with the jets and found no reason to ground them.

The Canadian transport minister, Marc Garneau, has indicated that Canada will not ground the plane until American regulators have determined the cause of the latest crash. But he also opened the possibility for a change in thinking.

Ive canceled all my meetings and public events today in order to meet with my Civil Aviation Expert Panel, he said on Twitter. All evidence is being evaluated in real time and were considering all potential actions.

[Read our continuing coverage of developments related to Sundays crash.]

One overarching concern among regulators around the world is whether the system suspected of playing a role in the Lion Air crash had contributed to the latest accident.

Indonesian and American authorities have raised the possibility that a new system in the 737 Max  and pilots lack of familiarity with it  could have contributed to the Lion Air Flight 610 crash. The planes so-called maneuvering characteristics augmentation system, known as MCAS, was a new version that could automatically change the aircrafts trajectory.

The similarities, with both planes crashing minutes after erratic takeoffs, are driving authorities to order the groundings. Despite Boeing and American authorities standing behind the plane, regulators and carriers elsewhere are opting to ban the plane in the absence of clear information.
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Elon Musk fights back against the S.E.C.

The Tesla C.E.O. responded to the accusation that he violated a fraud settlement with the S.E.C. by declaring that the regulator was trying to muzzle him.

The S.E.C. asked for Mr. Musk to be held in contempt of court over a tweet about Tesla production volumes, which it says infringed a settlement that put limitations on his social-media use. Tesla conceded that lawyers didnt review the tweet before it was sent.

That response smacks of retaliation and censorship, Teslas lawyers argue. They say the regulator is asking a court to trample on Mr. Musks First Amendment rights, perhaps because its embarrassed by criticism. And they contend that Mr. Musk has cut his Tesla-related tweeting by nearly half.

They also say the tweet was innocuous, simply Musks shorthand gloss on and entirely consistent with prior public disclosures detailing Teslas anticipated production volume.
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday barred two former Goldman Sachs executives from working in the banking industry because of their roles in a multibillion-dollar fraud involving a Malaysian government investment fund.

One of the executives, Tim Leissner, who was one of Goldmans top investment bankers in Asia, has pleaded guilty in a federal criminal investigation of the fraud and has been ordered to forfeit about $44 million. The other executive, Roger Ng, has been charged in the United States with participating in money laundering and bribery, but is in custody in Malaysia.

Goldman Sachs helped the fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, commonly known as 1MDB, sell more than $6 billion of debt to investors, ostensibly for projects that would benefit the Malaysian people. But federal prosecutors contend that at least $2.7 billion of that money went to fuel the lavish lifestyles of several people close to a former Malaysian prime minister, including the flamboyant financier Jho Low.

Prosecutors have said some of the money raised for the fund went toward paying bribes to secure business for Goldman Sachs.
On Tuesday, the three companies said they would set up a new operating board that would replace a cluster of organizations that currently manage different aspects of the alliance. One of those organizations, a company called Renault-Nissan B.V., is the subject of a joint investigation by Nissan and Renault into potential misuse of alliance funds for Mr. Ghosns personal use.

The new board will have four members and seek to operate on the basis of consensus, according to a memorandum outlining the decision. It will be weighted toward Renault: Mr. Senard and Thierry Bollore, its chief executive, will fill two of the slots. Nissan and Mitsubishi will each fill one slot.

The new organization is likely to do little to resolve questions about whether Renault would push Nissan to develop closer ties. While Renault has argued that closer ties would help them better work together and share costs, some Nissan executives and others in Japan have worried about the companys independence and cultures. Renault owns a 43 percent stake in Nissan, which in turn owns a 15 percent stake in the French automaker, though the Japanese company doesnt have voting rights.

The new arrangement has nothing to do with the shareholdings and the cross-shareholdings that are still in place, Mr. Senard said, responding to a question from Japanese news media about whether he would be able to guarantee that Nissan would not be subsumed by the French company.

Still, Mr. Senard pledged that he would not seek to be chairman of Nissan.

I will respect, of course, the new governance of Nissan, he said.

The chief executives of the three companies and Mr. Senard, a top executive at the tire-maker Michelin with a reputation for having a soft touch in handling industrial relations, sought to assuage concerns about the groups future.

The potential is huge, Mr. Senard said. The three companies together are going to increase dramatically the way they are able to efficiently work together.
WASHINGTON  Timothy J. Sloan went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to convince members of Congress that Wells Fargo had become a better bank.

By the time he left, it was clear that few believed him.

Mr. Sloan, the banks chief executive, fielded intense criticism during four hours of testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Democrats and Republicans alike grilled Mr. Sloan, whose bank has tried to recover from a series of scandals in 2016, when it was revealed that Wells had been opening phantom bank accounts in customers names and forcing unnecessary fees and products on some of them.

His responses managed to draw ire even from officials who werent in the room: A spokesman for the banks primary regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, released a statement on Tuesday saying officials were disappointed in the bank.

Mr. Sloan was the first in what is expected to be a parade of bank executives summoned to testify before the committee about the health of the industry now that Democrats control the House of Representatives. But their Republican counterparts also pulled few punches.
The best way to enter the Albanian restaurant Cka Ka Qellu, if not the most direct, starts on Arthur Avenue. Arrive before the fish shops along this famous, not-quite-faded Italian strip in the Bronx take in the iced clams and octopus for the night. Across from Dominicks, turn into the indoor market that Fiorello La Guardia ordered up. Move on past the hand-rolled cigars and the T-shirts reflecting various tenets of Bronx philosophy. Keep going beyond the scamorza, the soppressata and the ready-to-go heroes, and walk out the door on to Hughes Avenue. Just to the right is a spinning wheel that looks old enough to have been Rumpelstiltskins and next to it, another door. Open it, walk inside.

The short trip seems to have taken you back in time. The spinning wheel turns out to be just one piece in Cka Ka Qellus collection of antique tools, stringed instruments, yokes, brass coffee mills, manual typewriters, dishes of hammered metal and embroidered costumes that the owner, Ramiz Kukaj, brought over from the old country. Some, he says, go back to the 18th century. The floors and walls seem to have been airlifted from an Albanian farmhouse, and the speakers play wistful folk tunes on traditional instruments, not the modern, globally aware wake-up calls of the brass band Fanfara Tirana. The restaurant is soaked in nostalgia.

The other reason for the walk from Arthur Avenue is that it recapitulates a pattern thats repeated throughout this neighborhood, where the signs and menus facing the street are still written in Italian but many of the people in the back rooms, seasoning the sausages and frying the veal cutlets, are Albanian.
Mr. Redzepi has long challenged the parameters of restaurants, and food itself. With his work at Noma, he became the global avatar of the naturalistic New Nordic movement. Starting in 2003, he herded famous chefs from around the world into the wilderness for Cook It Raw, an annual hunting-gathering junket into the wilds of places like Japan, Lapland and the Lowcountry of the American South. He closed the original Noma in 2017, then recreated versions of it in Japan, Australia and Mexico before reopening in Copenhagen in 2018.

Since MAD was formed in 2011, its Symposium has brought chefs, farmers, academics and activists to Copenhagen every two years for a meeting that has become a kind of Davos for the food world, with admission by application only. Each gathering incorporates not only lectures and workshops on subjects like carbon-footprint reduction, but also events like singalongs, Vedic breathing exercises, live-chicken decapitation and endless waves of innovative food like cauliflower ceviche tostadas, raw abalone, pork cracklings and goat-milk ice cream.

The Gastro-Akademi is an outgrowth of the nonculinary side of the Symposium, where talks have grown ever more grave in recent years, addressing sexual harassment, glacial melt, the behavioral economics of tipping and mental illness. MAD has also collaborated with Yale University on a leadership summit, and some of the same chefs who have participated in the Symposium  David Chang of the Momofuku restaurants, Kylie Kwong of Australia and the transplanted American Rosio Sanchez  are advisers on the development of the academy.

One, Jessica Koslow of Sqirl in Los Angeles, said MAD sessions have shown that the restaurant industry, which used to be intensely nationalistic, has become global in its outlook and concerns. Some things about the industry are the same no matter if youre cooking in Turkey or India or Italy, she said.

You can be an amazing chef, but if you cant lead, or lead by example, there should be questions about your work, she said. MAD is asking the tough questions that you dont ask when youre a chef and all you think about is checking off your list of what you need to cut.

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Leverage Pinterest, but dont go overboard.

Pinterest can be a treasure trove of ideas for invitations, cake design, table centerpieces and other wedding needs. A survey commissioned by Pinterest and published two years ago noted that its user base conducts 378 million wedding-related searches on the website each year.

Megan Hiltbrand, a wedding and event planner in Syracuse, suggests that instead of pinning a ton of photos to a master board (which many people do), you should curate your favorite photos by creating boards for each wedding category  like hair and makeup, flower arrangements, specialty cocktails. By having your photos organized in this fashion, and selecting no more than six photos for each category, Ms. Hiltbrand said, youll be better prepared to present your ideas to vendors. Photographers, decorators, florists and other vendors can also gain a better understanding of your vision for the wedding by viewing your pared-down Pinterest boards.

Theres one caveat. Many of the images shared around on Pinterest are either from high-end events or styled photo shoots, where its really cost prohibitive to replicate for a 200-plus- guest wedding, Ms. Hiltbrand said. By looking at the individual attributes of the images, you can single out elements of them  a certain flower, gold flatware, wooden chairs or taper candles  to incorporate that gets you closer to the image you pinned without blowing up your budget.

Use this fast and easy way to collect guest addresses.

Rather than spending hours texting and calling wedding guests to get their mailing addresses, you can save yourself time by using Postable.com, Ms. Meeks said. The website will create a customized link that you can email to your guests that allows them to add their mailing information directly into a digital address book that only you can access. The site will also let you export the addresses to Excel, which is a nice feature considering a number of wedding invitation companies require couples to provide addresses in an electronic spreadsheet.

Create an email account for wedding-related communication.

You will send and receive an unbelievable amount of emails with regards to your wedding day during the planning process, said Alyssa Thomas, a wedding planner in Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio. She advises couples create an email account thats strictly designated for wedding planning (like JohnandJaneWed2019@gmail.com), such as email correspondence with vendors. Having one inbox solely dedicated to this project will save you time and unwanted stress, she said, meaning that email chain with your caterer wont get lost in your personal or work email account.
Were in the era of middle-class uncertainty, Dennis Gephardt, an education analyst at Moodys, told me.

Theres nothing like going someplace to truly understand it, so I drove to Hampshire in a blinding snowstorm, eager to see what it was like. My first stop was a 7:30 a.m. breakfast with Hampshires president, Miriam Nelson, known as Mim by students and faculty members at the college. She has been president for less than a year and seemed understandably distressed at being blamed for a crisis that has been years in the making.

The buildings are functional Modernist, not ivy-covered, which seemed appropriate. There is a sustainable building with recycled toilet waste. The students I encountered were decidedly quirky and passionate about their school. It is a place where, one student, Daya Mena, told me, were trained to question everything.

In that questioning spirit, Hampshire allows for a student member of the board of trustees. The current trustee is Ms. Mena, a first-generation college student from a Puerto Rican-Dominican family in the South Bronx. If Hampshire had not accepted her, she said, she would probably have gone to community college in New York City.

At Hampshire, she has been able to take classes at surrounding colleges, which are part of a consortium. Her favorite was Smith, the all-womens college, where, she said, sounding truly awed, the women were absolutely brilliant. The arrangement enabled her to explore courses that might lead to medical school, she said. Still, she wanted to make sure I understood that she considered her Hampshire education rigorous. Her final project, she said, was on using mathematical modeling to predict the impact of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing on the viral dynamics of H.I.V. I spoke to Ms. Mena for about an hour. She said being at Hampshire had changed her ideas about biology.

As night fell, I ended up in Mims office. It was occupied by students protesting her handling of the financial crisis. She was not there. Students lounged on sleeping bags, did their homework and chatted. Two alumni who live nearby arrived bearing food. One of them, Mary-Moore Cathcart, assured the students that they were not alone.

There have been thousands of people on the outside of here working on this, she said. We are you, 20, 30, 40 years from now.

I had the feeling that the students could not really imagine that she was ever like them. But in Hampshire fashion, they exchanged hugs.
Norman Rockwells Four Freedoms series presented an image of America intended to bolster patriotic spirit during World War II. Based on a 1941 speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in which he extolled the global right to freedom of speech and worship, freedom from want, and the freedom from fear, Rockwells canvases were a celebration of Americana.

It was, however, a selective celebration.

When Rockwell made these paintings in 1943, Japanese-Americans were imprisoned in internment camps while African-American soldiers who grew up under Jim Crow fought in segregated units. At that time in America, it seems what it meant to be American was white Anglo-Saxon, said the photographer and conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas. We want to shine a light on the fact that artist s work is often political and shapes culture and society.
Get ready for a lot of rules, says Carli Jones, a court clerk from Kansas whose boyfriend of two years is serving a life sentence in an Ohio prison. Look online to find the regulations dictating what you can send, wear, say and do inside your loved ones prison. Jones, 32, writes her boyfriend five-page letters almost daily and talks to him by phone and video chat multiple times a week. She sent her first letter to a prisoner as a college assignment; she wrote to the man who is now her boyfriend after graduation, and within weeks the two were in love. Fifteen months later, they met for the first time in a visitation room and were allowed one kiss and one hug.

Prison staff censor or monitor all communication and prohibit sexually explicit language and contact. Build intimacy by chronicling and sharing other parts of your life. Jones often takes a photo of her shopping cart at the grocery store, for example, and sends it to her boyfriend. Shell never wake up next to him, but she can ask him to describe the minutiae of his morning routine. You have to work on your communication, she says, because its pretty much all you have.

Your financial contributions will most likely be unequal. Many prisoners work, but wages can be less than 20 cents an hour. Jones transfers about $100 a month to her boyfriends account so he can buy food and supplies from the prison commissary, as well as credits for phone calls. Its your choice if you want to help them out financially, she says.

Almost everyone will ask about your partners crime. Dont feel obliged to share that information. Its important to know that youre not alone, says Jones, who volunteers with the support group Strong Prison Wives & Families. Dating a prisoner, she says, will change your assumptions about the 2.2 million people currently incarcerated in the United States. Jones studied criminology and for a long time conceived of the criminal-justice system as good law enforcement versus bad people. Love muddled that equation. These arent just criminals on paper, she says. These are fathers, brothers and sons, and they want to love and be loved just like the rest of us.
At a Chinatown restaurant we go to for lunch, there is a lunch menu and a dinner menu. Whenever a Chinese person comes in, he or she is automatically given the lunch menu. When a non-Chinese person comes in, he or she is usually given the dinner menu. The dinner menu is considerably more expensive and does not have the low-cost luncheon choices. We know this, and so we always ask for the lunch menu, which they bring without a problem. However, a majority of other non-Chinese (usually foreign tourists) who come in do not know about the lunch menu and spend more than they need to. I am always tempted to tell them to ask for the lunch menu. Would that be an ethically sound decision? Or should I just butt out?

Dr. Stephen Feld, New York

In the scenario you describe, the restaurants Chinese staff members are partial to their Chinese neighbors. They give them special treatment. They dont have anything against non-Chinese, as they show by happily giving you the lunch menu when you ask for it. So theyre motivated by in-group preference, not by out-group hostility.

Some people think that giving preferential treatment to members of your own ethnic kind is as bad as hostility to outsiders. Others even deny that such a distinction can be drawn. I think thats wrong. In my experience, African-Americans, especially in small towns, often smile and nod at black passers-by and not at white ones. You can have that as a reflex without ever glowering at a white person or refusing to smile back if a person who isnt black smiles at you. Partiality neednt be prejudicial.

Granted, wed feel very different about white servers favoring white customers. But thats for two reasons. One is a suspicion that, in our society, behavior of that sort would in fact be motivated by negative feelings toward nonwhites  that is, by racism. Another is that whites are a majority in this country. Partiality to your own kind, for minorities, is to some degree a response to the sense that you need to stick together against majority prejudices. White people in America seldom have a reason to respond that way.
Thats a question for Marvel. Ive met with those guys and weve had some conversations, but Ive never been offered anything. I would totally be open to it. That genre is becoming really fascinating to me, and that kind of physical storytelling is something that Im really enjoying. So get with it, Marvel!

Is there any physical change you wont make to play a role?  Lanie, San Antonio

Theres nothing so far that a director has asked of me that Ive said no to. But for [the 2018 movie] Tully, I had gained all this weight and it was really, really hard in my 40s to lose it. I did a lot of damage to my body and I definitely went through a period of full frustration where I was like, I will never do that again. And then of course I know, if the right material came around, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The film industry seems to be making progress with more complex female acting roles (although there is still a lot to be done). But the industry still does not have nearly enough female directors. Why do you think it is so difficult for female directors to succeed?  Cristina Salazar, Baltimore

Weve gone through a very long period where women werent supported in that job, and so now were in the recovery process. Its great because of film festivals like South by Southwest and Sundance and Telluride. There are more platforms for filmmakers who havent had the opportunities in the last 20 or 30 years. And I also think the industry now understands the benefit. This stuff is not always generated by good thoughts and big hearts. The industry is realizing that there is something to be monetized here and that women are actually tapping into storytelling in a way that is really good for our business.

You said in an interview that you were stalking the incredible director Lynne Ramsay. Is it working?  Joao Xara, Lisbon, Portugal

Not yet. I have to amp up my game a little bit more. We had a really nice period where she was in L.A. writing and not living far from me. We got to hang out a little bit. She has a little girl and our kids got together. Shes an absolutely lovely person and Im such a fan of her work. But she moves by the beat of her own drum, and unless shes going to be inspired by something, none of my stuff is flattering enough for her to change her process, which is what I admire most about her.
The illustrated memoir Rezo, directed by Leo Gabriadze, combines documentary and animation to tell the story of Gabriadzes father, Rezo, a polymathic artist whose career has included work as screenwriter and as the founder of a marionette theater in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The imagery, drawn by Rezo himself and animated by Sveta Matrosova and Elizaveta Astretsova, has a charmingly personal quality. Although this Russian-language feature covers a tumultuous period in history, primarily from World War II until Rezos unexpected, career-starting introduction to the power of art, it never once resembles a checklist of sweeping events.

The narrative teems with eccentric details. We learn how Rezo, as a boy, read books in a kerosene-heated library with a rat to keep him company. Lenin and Stalin emerge from portraits at his school to discuss whether his tardiness should get him expelled. Filmed in sepia-toned interviews, the now 82-year-old Rezo remembers living with his grandparents in Georgia, where the back of an outhouse had a spectacular view and a pit full of plankton became a treasured swimming hole.
Other critics were more positive about Mr. Loussiers playful style, including Robert Sherman, who reviewed another Carnegie Hall performance by the trio in The Times in 1966.

Mr. Loussier is a man with a fertile imagination, excellent musical instincts (given the basic premise of his transcriptions) and a powerhouse technique, Mr. Sherman wrote. The snippets he played straight, or reasonably so, showed flair and intelligence, and even when poor old Bach was left far behind, Mr. Loussiers volatile pianism was never less than compelling.

The Jacques Loussier Trio broke up in the late 1970s, and Mr. Loussier went on to compose original works, including music for French films and television.

In 1985, the 300th anniversary of Bachs birth, Mr. Loussier rebuilt the trio with Andre Arpino on percussion and Vincent Charbonnier on bass. The new trio embraced other composers in its jazz adaptations, including Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Vivaldi and Beethoven, and released more albums. His last new release, on the Telarc label, was a version of Schumanns Kinderszenen, in 2011.

Mr. Loussier was born on Oct. 26, 1934, in Angers, in western France, to Rene Loussier, who worked in a bank, and Marguerite (Duvat) Loussier, a homemaker. He started playing the piano at 10, and later said that his distinctive approach to Bach developed while he practiced the Prelude in G Minor.

I played it 100 times or so, he said. Then one day I started to change the melody, then the left-hand harmonies. It was a natural instinct.
The year 1989 is often remembered for events that challenged the Cold War world order, from the protests in Tiananmen Square to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is less well remembered for what is considered the birth of the World Wide Web. In March of 1989, the British researcher Tim Berners-Lee shared the protocols, including HTML, URL and HTTP that enabled the internet to become a place of communication and collaboration across the globe .

As the World Wide Web marks its 30th birthday on Tuesday, public discourse is dominated by alarm about Big Tech, data privacy and viral disinformation. Tech executives have been called to testify before Congress, a popular campaign dissuaded Amazon from opening a second headquarters in New York and the United Kingdom is going after social media companies that it calls digital gangsters. Implicit in this tech-lash is nostalgia for a more innocent online era.

But longing for a return to the internets yesteryears isnt constructive. In the early days, access to the web was expensive and exclusive, and it was not reflective or inclusive of society as a whole. What is worth revisiting is less how it felt or operated, but what the early web stood for. Those first principles of creativity, connection and collaboration are worth reconsidering today as we reflect on the past and the future promise of our digitized society.

The early days of the internet were febrile with dreams about how it might transform our world, connecting the planet and democratizing access to knowledge and power. It has certainly effected great change, if not always what its founders anticipated. If a new democratic global commons didnt quite emerge, a new demos certainly did: An internet of people who created it, shared it and reciprocated in its use.
Of course the analogy is imperfect  dont come at me with Bernie never governed a major state and Reagan was a New Deal Democrat and had a whole celebrity career before he went into politics, Im well aware. But its an interesting echo, at the very least. And the parallels between the arguments used to dismiss Sanders and the Reagan-cant-win assumptions of late-1970s pundits have kept me moderately bullish on the Vermont socialists 2020 chances.

With Sanders officially in the race, the reasons for bullishness have grown. Whether he is technically the front-runner or not depends on how you assess the impressive poll numbers of the undeclared Joe Biden: Are those a real signifier that the Democratic Partys moderate wing is ready to have the former vice president as its champion, or just an artifact of name recognition that will collapse once Biden starts having to answer for his record?

But every normal metric makes Sanders a front-runner, and a stronger-looking candidate than all his declared rivals: His fund-raising is impressive, his crowds are big, and his early poll numbers give him both the expected 20-25 percent floor and room to grow. (In the weekends poll of Iowa, he would claim almost a third of Bidens supporters if the ex-vice president decided not to run.) And hes facing a field sufficiently large that the advantages of having a core of unshakable supporters are likely to be magnified.

Meanwhile his campaign so far is suggestive of the ways  again, like Reagan  that a long history of ideological extremism can actually be helpful to a presidential candidate. Precisely because Sanders is a known quantity, because nobody doubts his commitment to left-wing policies, there may be less pressure on his campaign to embrace every idea floated by reporters or touted by activists. (Its probably a good sign, for instance, that he was just attacked from the left by Julian Castro for insufficient zeal on reparations.)

Nor does he need to adopt the strident tone of younger would-be revolutionaries or the politicians pandering to them to prove his socialist bona fides. As the conservative writer Ben Domenech noted recently, the truth is that Sanders, despite his socialist label, seems to have a less harsh vision of politics than many others within the party. Because his record is what it is, he wont always have to be the most zealous candidate on stage  and like Reagan, he might even be able to promise certain kinds of moderation while keeping his base secure in his fundamentally revolutionary intentions.

Of course this last possibility is just a hypothetical, and Sanderss rumpled-professor style of socialism (and all those Soviet-friendly video clips lurking on YouTube) might ultimately inspire more backlash than Kamala Harris running hard to the left or Elizabeth Warren filling in all the policy details that Sanders leaves a little hazy. To argue that Sanders has qualities in common with Reagan is not to argue that hes necessarily the most electable Democrat, or that in nominating him the party wouldnt be taking a substantial risk  as Reagan really was a risky choice in 1980, and his victory by no means foreordained.

But it is to argue that if you want a new president to be transformative  as, obviously, many people on the left desire  there are clear advantages in electing somebody whose entire career is associated with an ideological insurgency, and whose victory would shock the more adaptable sort of politician into understanding themselves as inhabitants of a new political reality, in which no matter what poll numbers show on any given issue, its taken for granted that the former world has passed away.
LONDON  What happens when historic defeats become commonplace?

Yet again, Prime Minister Theresa May has dragged her Brexit plan in front of the House of Commons. Yet again, she has been historically defeated: 242 votes for it, 391 against.

When it comes to Brexit, the only issue that has occupied her since she took office in July 2016, Mrs. May is completely and utterly powerless. And yet her most dangerous enemy is not an obstinate European Union or even the opposition Labour Party but the fanatical right wing of her own Conservative Party. Her most vicious detractors sit behind her during votes in Parliament and then tour television and radio studios merrily denouncing her the rest of the time.

Her last historic defeat was in January, when a nearly identical deal outlining the terms of Britains exit from the European Union was crushed. Since then, she has delayed again and again in bringing the matter before a vote, hoping something might change.

For a brief time on Tuesday morning, it looked like it might. Maybe Brexit would finally move on to its next phase instead of endlessly stalling. On Monday, Mrs. May had bundled herself off to Strasbourg, France, the seat of the European Parliament, to beg for enough concessions and assurances from the Europeans that she might be able to persuade the rebellious Conservatives to vote for a new version of the same Withdrawal Agreement that they historically defeated in January. That evening, she appeared at a hastily thrown together news conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announcing the supposed changes, while back in London one of her deputies went to Parliament to sell the plan.
This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday.

Gene Sperling has been the common denominator of Democratic economic policymaking over the past three decades. After joining Bill Clintons 1992 presidential campaign, he spent eight years working in the Clinton White House and, later, five years in the Obama administration. Name a major Democratic policy push related to the economy  anti-poverty programs, taxes, health care  and Sperling has been involved.

Yesterday, he published an essay in the journal Democracy reflecting on the single biggest lesson hes learned. It is the power of economic dignity  which, he argues, should be the singular end goal for economic policy.

Its an important essay, because many leading Democrats are now talking directly about dignity or about ideas related to it. Sperling tries to offer a framework for the subject. He explains the history of economic dignity in the American context, from colonial days to Martin Luther King Jr. to todays progressive activists. He also offers a three-part definition: being able to care for ones family; having the opportunity to reach ones potential; and being free from domination and humiliation.
To the Editor:

Re Crisis for Boeing as Safety Worry Grounds New Jet (front page, March 12):

I urge the Federal Aviation Administration to call for the immediate grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Imagine my dread upon learning that the American Airlines plane tickets I bought weeks ago for my familys vacation are on this very plane. Im now faced with the choice of changing our tickets and incurring significant financial penalties, or canceling our vacation altogether.

While the F.A.A. still has no data to draw any conclusions or take any action , and American Airlines reassures its customers about the safety of the aircraft, the families of the 346 people who have died since October while flying on Boeing 737 Max 8 planes grieve.

Does it not make the most sense given the two similar tragedies to ground the entire fleet first, then resolve what is potentially a life-or-death problem?

Rachel Kueny

Brooklyn
To the Editor:

I was born at a time when swimming pools and movie theaters closed over concerns about polio outbreaks. As a survivor of childhood polio, I know firsthand the trauma of vaccine-preventable disease, which is why vaccine hesitancy terrifies me.

I have visited more than 10 countries taking part in polio eradication efforts. And now, I must do even more in my own country, where diseases of bygone eras are again afflicting communities.

This week I am testifying in front of the Maine Legislature on behalf of a bill to end nonmedical exemptions for childhood vaccinations, and I encourage readers to support similar bills in their own communities.

I wish those who are hesitant to vaccinate their children here and across the globe could talk to some of the mothers Ive met during my travels  mothers whose children have been paralyzed by polio who wish they had made a different choice. To your readers who do have a choice, I implore you to vaccinate and protect your children.

Ann Lee Hussey

South Berwick, Me.

To the Editor:

Re The Anti-Vaxxers War on Truth, by Frank Bruni (column, March 10):

I read and respect Frank Brunis opinions the majority of the time, but his description of anti-vaxxers is a bit off course. Surely, there are many extreme anti-vaxxers, but there are also many who are not extreme, like me, who feel that the vaccine schedule for children has gotten a bit out of hand.

I have four healthy adult children who received all of the required vaccines as infants and children in the early 1980s. I never questioned it then, but I question it now. The vaccine schedule has almost tripled from when they were born to today. On top of this increase is the law that protects pharmaceutical companies from any liability associated with the manufacture of administered vaccines, enacted in 1986 .

How much testing has gone into this increase in vaccines? We are asking quite a lot of these little bodies whose immune systems and brain development are in the early stages. Its not that we dont need lifesaving vaccines; its that we dont need so many, so soon.
BANGKOK  In the fall of 2015, I witnessed a late-night kidnapping. The perpetrators werent seeking cash, gold or any kind of ransom. They didnt bother to wear masks.

They belonged to a Baptist vigilante crew sworn to bring wrath upon drug users. Sure of their righteousness, the men let me tag along and observe their crimes: home invasions, assaults and the abduction of a gaunt day laborer with a speed habit.

We were in the Himalayan foothills of Myanmar, near the border with China, the heart of the worlds largest methamphetamine trade. It is here that drug lords continue to churn out one of the Southeast Asian underworlds top-selling products: little candy-pink pills, packed with methamphetamine, that smell a lot like vanilla frosting.

The pills are becoming more popular in the region than heroin or even marijuana. Armed syndicates produce roughly two billion of these speed tablets a year  more than triple the number of coffees Starbucks sold worldwide in 2015. The rampancy of meth in Southeast Asia has convulsed the people and politics of the region, roiling it with social upheaval with maxed-out prisons, police killings and vigilantes.
It was at one of those lunches, in 2012, that the two hatched a plan that would come to define both her career and contemporary art in the city. Their conversation had swerved, as it often did, to how Corbetta should open her own gallery. She glanced up mid-bite at the restaurants front window, 1.3 feet deep and 7.6 feet high, and joked about opening an exhibition space in it. Why not? Cattelan said. The owner had become a friend, so it wasnt hard for Cattelan to convince him that he should turn over the small nook to her. Within a month, the curator installed her first show, for which the Milan-based artist Serena Vestrucci hung some pieces that inspire her practice on elastic bands  scrawled notes, headless plastic animals, necklaces  and every two weeks or so Corbetta mounted a new installation in the window, which Cattelan called Il Crepaccio: the crevice. Over the next four years, she showed some 130 artists, many of whom she found at local fairs and through her own research; others she learned about from artists once Il Crepaccio gained momentum. For each opening, the quiet sidewalk and street outside the window became a party and occasionally an impromptu performance stage, mixing locals  who initially were completely confused about why people were coming to see this crazy stuff suspended in a restaurant window, she says  and art-world denizens. It was the opposite of the white box.

Corbetta collaged an elaborate invitation for each opening and sent them digitally, but she kept her identity secret for almost a year; most insiders assumed the installations were orchestrated by Cattelan himself. The tiny gallery began making it into travel guides, and the fashion e-commerce site Yoox partnered with Il Crepaccio for a pop-up at the 2013 Venice Biennale. When the restaurant was sold in 2016, the new owners wanted to continue, but Corbetta felt it was time to move on (she has since migrated the gallery to an Instagram account, @ilcrepaccio, where she curates weeklong solo shows of original commissioned work). The whole thing was imprecise, full of flaws, but it was also full of soul, she says. Still, you need to evolve.
[On Wednesday, Canada was the latest country to ban Boeing 737 Max planes from its airspace. Read the latest about the bans here, or read more updates on the Ethiopian Airlines crash here.]

As he waited on Tuesday morning to board Southwest Flight 2315 from Oakland to Los Angeles, William Gonzales learned that the plane that he was about to board was a Boeing 737 Max 8.

This is the Max? Mr. Gonzales asked, his eyes widening. Im not getting on that plane if its the Max.

The model, which on Sunday was involved in a fatal crash for the second time in five months, had by Tuesday been banned from the national airspace of China, Australia and countries in the European Union. At least 34 airlines around the world have grounded their planes since Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed on its way from Ethiopia to Kenya, killing all 157 people on board.
The archdiocese of Baltimore said on Monday that it had barred two bishops from performing priestly duties and referred their cases to the Vatican after an internal investigation into allegations that they had sexually harassed adults, including one claim that was dismissed by church investigators a decade ago.

The announcement shined a light on the alleged abuse of adults, an often overlooked corner of the Catholic Church abuse scandal, and drew parallels to the downfall of Theodore E. McCarrick, a former cardinal and archbishop of Washington, who was expelled from the priesthood last month after the church found him guilty of abusing children and adult seminarians.

When you have a situation like this, usually there is a power imbalance where the victim feels compelled to do what the priest is telling them to do, said David Lorenz, an abuse survivor and local leader in Maryland with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. That was the case with Cardinal McCarrick and the seminarians.
The family of a black Tennessee man who was shot and killed by a white police officer in Nashville in July sued the officer and the city on Monday, saying that its Police Department discriminates against black people and that its officers are too quick to use lethal force.

The 34-page suit, filed in United States District Court, states that Officer Andrew Delke of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department had internalized a police culture of fear, violence, racism, and impunity that in part motivated his fatal shooting of the man, Daniel Hambrick, 25.

The lawsuit, which seeks $30 million in punitive damages, said police officers in Nashville are trained to be paranoid and believe that without constant police vigilance and the threat of police violence Nashvilles black community would degenerate into violence and anarchy.

Joy S. Kimbrough, who is representing Mr. Hambricks family, said at a news conference in Nashville on Monday that what was done to Mr. Hambrick was beyond some misconduct. She added, We want the responsible party to be responsible for their actions.
WASHINGTON  Senate Republicans introduced a measure Tuesday night that would curtail future presidential emergency declarations in a last-ditch effort to save President Trumps current border wall emergency from an embarrassing rejection by senators charging constitutional overreach.

Four Republican senators have publicly said they will support a House-passed resolution of disapproval when it comes up for final passage in the Senate on Thursday. That would be just enough to ensure passage of a measure overturning the national emergency that the president declared to secure border wall funding over Congresss objection.

But that near certainty appeared to shift on Tuesday as Vice President Mike Pence pressed Senate Republicans at a closed-door meeting before their weekly policy lunch. A measure sponsored by Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, and supported by more than a dozen Republican senators, would curtail the presidents powers under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, requiring a congressional vote of approval for any new emergency declaration after 30 days.

And one of the Republicans who said he favored the resolution of disapproval, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, appeared to be wavering, according to multiple people at the policy lunch. Without him  and barring any other defections  the resolution would fail to reach the presidents desk.
WASHINGTON  Television crews have been positioned outside the offices of the special counsel, the federal courthouse and, at least before they were asked to leave, the McLean, Va., home of the new attorney general, William P. Barr.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are so desperate for hints that they are asking aides to call Justice Department contacts to beg for morsels.

Publishing houses are scrambling to produce instant books of the findings. Newspapers are deploying small armies of reporters. At bars, restaurants, cocktail parties and street corners, people are asking one another the same question.

When is it coming out?

Washington  jittery, full of rumor, like a becalmed ship in the dead air before a coming storm  is waiting for the report of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump or his aides conspired in the effort or obstructed justice. It may or may not be the report of the century, it may or may not be ready soon, and it may be only a few pages long. But it is unquestionably one of the capitals most anticipated documents since the Starr Report on President Bill Clinton arrived by the truckload on Capitol Hill in September 1998.
Good Tuesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

_____________________

 Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who has played down talk of impeachment for months, ratcheted up her objections to trying to remove President Trump from office, saying that hes just not worth it. She believes Democrats are better off trying to beat Mr. Trump at the polls in 2020.

 Mr. Trump sent Congress a record $4.75 trillion budget request that calls for increased military spending and sharp cuts to domestic programs like education and environmental protection for the 2020 fiscal year. The blueprint is a declaration of Mr. Trumps re-election campaign priorities and the starting skirmish in the 2020 race.

 The presidents budget proposal brims with confidence that the United States economy will continue to grow at a rapid pace, despite recent data suggesting economic growth is slowing.
Even if you dont call it a litmus test, this is what defines us: a willingness and a courage to make bold changes  not to just follow when its all said and done, she said.

The impact on the race has already been palpable. Candidates who might have dodged questions on hot-button policies in the past are now finding themselves discussing once-audacious ideas in public forums, sometimes awkwardly so if they are caught off guard.

[Check out the Democratic field with our candidate tracker.]

Lesser known candidates are also using the emerging issues as an opportunity to differentiate themselves, as Mr. Buttigieg did with his response on court packing.

My purpose is to get people thinking about what an ambitious agenda actually looks like, Mr. Buttigieg said in a telephone interview this week, and to remind everybody that structural reform is an option  whether its this, or the Electoral College, or any of the other stuff.

The former housing secretary Julian Castro called for a federal study of reparations for black Americans, even as several top-tier candidates waffled on their support, and during an interview on CNN over the weekend Mr. Castro called out Mr. Sanders by name for declining to support reparation payments. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington has made the elimination of the Senate filibuster a major theme of his candidacy.

While the world burns, the Senate will sit in total inaction because of an antiquated vestige of a bygone era, Mr. Inslee said in an interview, referring to the filibuster. Were in an internet age and this is something from the steam engine.
WASHINGTON  The Senate will vote Wednesday on whether to cut off American military assistance for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen, preparing again to rebuke President Trump for his continued defense of the kingdom after the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Yemen vote sets up something of a one-two punch for senators hoping to defy the president. The second punch may land Thursday, when the Senate has the chance to give final passage to a resolution overturning the presidents declaration of a national emergency to secure funding for his border wall.

Passage of the measures would prompt the first vetoes of Mr. Trumps presidency.

The resolution we will vote on in the Senate tomorrow to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen is enormously important and historic, Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, said Tuesday in a statement. This war is both a humanitarian and a strategic disaster, and Congress has the opportunity to end it.

Supporters of the Yemen resolution have faced a long and grueling road to get the legislation onto the presidents desk. The Senate  led by the resolutions authors, Mr. Sanders, Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, and Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut  first passed the measure 56 to 41 in December, but Paul D. Ryan, the speaker at the time, refused to take up the resolution.
WASHINGTON  On Friday, the White House announced that Karen Pence, the second lady, would lead a delegation to the United Arab Emirates in support of disabled American athletes at the Special Olympics. On Monday, the White Houses budget proposed striking $17.6 million in grants to expand the event.

What a difference a few days can make.

The Trump administrations annual budget proposal on Monday envisioned a series of cuts that contrasted with the presidents own words of support for both programs and people  including some groups that make up his political base. To help make way for more military and border spending, it would slash programs large and small, from Medicaid and Medicare  which President Trump as a candidate promised to protect  to safety nets for farmers.

Democrats, who control the House, immediately announced the budget proposal dead on arrival, and many of its ideas stand little chance of passing Congress. But it lays down a marker that could help chart the political course ahead, albeit a course that sometimes seems at odds with Mr. Trumps own pronouncements.

Here are a few of the more visible contradictions:

Cuts That Would Affect Farmers

On Twitter and in speeches, Mr. Trump has made much of the bright future he believes he is securing for farmers.
Democrats have been pressuring the Trump administration to be more hawkish on China and not to settle for a quick deal to end the trade dispute. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the committee, tried unsuccessfully to get Mr. Lighthizer to commit to keeping tariffs in place until China had demonstrated that it could keep its promises. Mr. Lighthizer refused to reveal whether the United States was pushing for such a policy, or whether it would lift its tariffs altogether once the deal was struck.

The United States wants China to commit to lowering trade barriers, ending the forced transfer of intellectual property in deals with American companies and scaling back subsidies of state-owned enterprises. It also wants China to promise to end competitive devaluation of its currency and be more transparent on foreign exchange matters.

While Mr. Trump and other top economic advisers like Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, have expressed optimism that a deal is close, Mr. Lighthizer has been far more cautious in his assessment of the negotiations.

Last month, Mr. Mnuchin said in the Oval Office that an agreement was reached on currency, but Mr. Lighthizer said that while there had been progress on that front, nothing had been finalized.

Nothing is ever done until everything is done, he said.

Lighthizer offers a far more grounded prognosis of the likelihood of success than President Trump and others in the administration recently have, said Henrietta Treyz, director of economic policy at the investment advisory firm Veda Partners. Without fail, Lighthizer makes sure to acknowledge that failure and success are both options with China.

Mr. Lighthizer told lawmakers on Tuesday that China was pushing hard for all American tariffs to be removed, but that no decision had been made yet. The United States wants to maintain the right to impose tariffs if China is not living up to its commitments, raising the prospect that Mr. Trump could again levy taxes on Chinese goods if he grows unhappy with Chinas behavior.

Figuring out how to enforce the trade agreement continues to be one of the biggest obstacles. Mr. Lighthizer on Tuesday outlined a situation in which American and Chinese officials would meet throughout the year and raise concerns of companies in their respective countries. The Trump administration had been pushing an approach that would force China to abdicate its ability to retaliate against new American tariffs. However, Mr. Lighthizer suggested that either country could impose tariffs if obligations created by the agreement were not being met.
The turning point in the case, which highlights how DNA technology is increasingly being used to solve old homicides, came in 2009, Chief Burns said. That was when Michael Webb, a detective at the department, took the lead in pursuing the investigation using technology and databases that were not available to his predecessors.

[Why the arrest of a Golden State Killer suspect set off alarms among some scientists and ethicists.]

The case was cold, Detective Webb said at the news conference, but it was never closed.

We dont forget about these cases  we never do, he said. You work pretty hard when it is a child case.

Ms. Bentaas is being held on murder and manslaughter charges, but the final charges will be determined by a grand jury or in a preliminary hearing on March 26, Crystal Johnson, a prosecutor working on the case, said in an interview on Tuesday. Ms. Bentaas is being held in Minnehaha County Jail with bail set at $250,000, according to records from the county sheriffs office.

She had an initial appearance in front of a judge on Monday, Ms. Johnson said.

Raleigh Hansman, a lawyer for Ms. Bentaas, declined to comment on Tuesday, and calls to Ms. Bentaass family members were not answered.
The Trump administration is preparing to shutter many of its immigration operations abroad, cutting back on a key support system for those applying overseas to relocate to the United States.

The director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, told senior staff members this week that the international division, which has operations in more than 20 countries, would close down by the end of the year, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting.

Agency officials said the move was intended to provide more staff resources to handle the lengthy backlog in asylum applications from tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border every month. But it could come at the expense of legal migration, which President Trump has said he favors: Some agency staff members said closing overseas offices will make it more difficult and time-consuming to apply to immigrate from abroad, especially for refugees already in the United States who hope to bring other family members to join them.

This is another instance of the Trump administration halting legal immigration by denying people the opportunity to file for immigration benefits in the most expedient manner, said Margaret Stock, a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and an immigration attorney who frequently handles such cases.
Initial euphoria over the Algerian presidents decision to give up his candidacy for a fifth term quickly gave way on Tuesday to skepticism and anger among opposition figures who called the move a trick to save his troubled government.

Hundreds of youthful protesters returned to the streets of Algiers and other cities a day after the government canceled the April election, and the countrys independent news media gave voice to a sense that the elderly and infirm president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was maneuvering to extend his mandate under the guise of reform.

Independent television in Algeria broadcast images of demonstrators holding signs with messages like No extension, game over and System, give it up, using one of the names Algerians commonly give to the ruling circle.

The way forward in this giant, oil-rich North African country, four times the size of its former colonizer, France, is unclear. What is nearly certain, though, is that the anti-government demonstrations that have repeatedly hit cities and towns from the coastal north to the desert south will continue.
 Pressure escalated inside the United States for a grounding of the Boeing 737 Max model that has crashed twice in the past six months. But the Federal Aviation Administration reiterated its position that the plane is considered safe and that it has no basis to order grounding the aircraft.

 The European Union suspended all flight operations of the Boeing 737 Max model in question. The action came as more than a half-dozen other countries grounded the plane, and was the most sweeping regulatory action taken so far in the two days since the crash of a Max 8 that killed 157 people on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya.

 President Trump had a telephone conversation with the chief executive of Boeing, who made the case that the 737 Max 8 should not be grounded in the United States, according to two people briefed on the conversation.

 Mr. Trump also said on Twitter that commercial airplanes had become overly technical, but said nothing about the Boeing Max.

 At least 34 airlines have now grounded the Max 8, which means roughly two-thirds of the Max 8 planes in operation are now idled. The major outliers are Southwest and American in the United States, and Air Canada.

 Boeing stands by the airworthiness of the plane, but said it planned to issue a software update and was working on changes to flight controls and training guidelines following the first crash, of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia last October.

[Read more about the latest developments in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.]

 Boeings stock price, which fell 5 percent on Monday, fell 6 percent on Tuesday.

 Investigators from the United States and elsewhere are at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Much of the investigation will focus on the voice and data recorders recovered on Monday. The airlines chief executive, interviewed by CNN, said the pilots had told air traffic control they were having flight control problems.
GENEVA  United Nations investigators said on Tuesday that hundreds of men, women and children were slaughtered and thousands driven from their homes in attacks by one ethnic group on another in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year, and that the assaults may have amounted to crimes against humanity.

The attacks took place in December near Yumbi, a town in western Congo, Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the United Nations human rights office in Geneva, told reporters on Tuesday, citing the investigators report.

Ms. Shamdasani said that villagers of the Batende ethnic group, armed with hunting rifles, machetes, bows and arrows and gasoline, killed at least 535 villagers during attacks on a Banunu community. The death toll was likely to have been much higher, she added, echoing earlier United Nations reports that close to 900 people had died.

In January, United Nations investigators traveled to the region on a two-day mission and interviewed 90 people. They determined that around 19,000 people had fled the violence, about 16,000 of whom crossed the border into the neighboring Republic of Congo, Ms. Shamdasani said. The attackers also destroyed close to a thousand buildings, mostly houses but also including 14 churches, 17 schools and several health centers.
MEXICO CITY  Emma Theissen Alvarez says she will never forget the faces of the three men who came to her Guatemala City house that day in 1981 looking for her daughter, a student leader who had escaped from her military captors. When they did not find their target, they grabbed her 14-year-old son, Marco Antonio, instead.

She never saw her boy again.

For years, the family said nothing, mute in its pain. But when Ms. Theissen and her three daughters finally went to court, helping secure the convictions of retired military commanders of crimes against humanity, they found a sort of healing.

One feels that one is doing something to bring a little justice to Marco Antonio, said Ms. Theissen, who is now 84.

Now that justice is in peril.

In a reversal that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago, Guatemalan lawmakers are moving forward with a proposal to grant amnesty for war crimes committed during the countrys brutal 36-year civil war.
South Africa: Commercial farmers proposing models to implement land reform

Deputy President David Mabuza says as government pursues inclusive land reform, commercial farmers have already come forward with proposed models of how the programme can be implemented successfully.

He also said that one-stop service platforms will go a long way to ensure that commercial farmers receive their much needed support promptly and efficiently.

Mabuza was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Successful and progressive commercial farmers have already come forward to present various models of how we can deepen transformation as well as the provision of mentorship in the agricultural sector. In short, our commercial farmers have made themselves available to support emerging farmers, he said.

He said this was an indication that the land reform programme was gaining traction and that South Africans were willing to work together to ensure that the programme is implemented successfully.

He said this as Parliament is also ceased with a process of finalising a bill that will make it possible to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to pave the way for the expropriation of land without compensation.

Addressing members of Parliament on Tuesday, he said that government has expressed, on a number of occasions that it is committed to undertaking land reform in an orderly manner, a manner that will respect and uphold the constitution and ensure that the administrative action that is taken is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair.

One-stop platforms to assist emerging farmers

The Deputy President said, meanwhile, that government is focussing on enhanced institutional coordination to ensure responsiveness to service delivery and support to farmers at local level.

One-stop service platforms are necessary to provide the necessary comprehensive suite of farmer support services and ensure that resources that are earmarked for farmers reach farmers promptly and efficiently.

This will foster integration and alignment in project execution, delivery of infrastructure mechanisation and funding support for farmers, he said.

Land reform programme to address past injustices

Mabuza said pursuing the land reform programme is equivalent to pursuing justice for all, especially for those people who were dispossessed of their land.

He said this speaks to the national commitment of addressing the historical injustices of land dispossession by giving land back to those who were forcefully deprived of it.

addressing the land question requires that we ensure equitable access to land as part of the national imperative to build and inclusive and cohesive society, he said.

Mabuza said as patriotic South Africans wanting to be part of the solution, there's a need to guard against those who want to use the land question to divide the nation by framing land reform as a race-based punitive act against white citizens who own land. He said this was far from the truth.

"Our people must have access to land for agricultural use, human settlements and for economic development. It is this reality that inspires us to resolving the land question to ensure that land is accessible and available to all

He said the land question requires all relevant stakeholders to work together. He says on a daily basis, government is engaging farmers who are pledging to donate land for redistribution.

He said some business leaders in the mining sector have donated land as their contribution to addressing government's land reform programme.

Government is releasing land that is in the hands of the state to advance the objectives of land reform, he said.

Mabuza said as part of building sustainable human settlements, there is a renewed focus in investing in key infrastructure that will support growth, mobility and connectivity. He also said land redistribution must be accompanied by investments in infrastructure like water and roads.

He said a well-managed land reform programme would pose no threats to the agricultural sector and the economy in general. He said it would, instead, broaden access to land and participation by new entrants in the sector will unleash additional productive capacity to enhance agricultural output and create jobs.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RIO DE JANEIRO  Law enforcement officials on Tuesday morning arrested two former police officers suspected of executing a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman  a breakthrough in a brazen political assassination that has haunted Brazilians for nearly a year.

Shortly before dawn, homicide investigators took into custody the two former military police officers, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz. In a statement, the authorities said Mr. Lessa opened fire on a car in which the councilwoman, Marielle Franco, was riding in downtown Rio on March 14, 2018. Mr. Vieira de Queiroz was driving the vehicle from which Mr. Lessa fired, the authorities said.

The arrests offer the most concrete sign yet that Ms. Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were targeted by members of a criminal underworld run by former and current law enforcement officials. Allies of Ms. Franco have long suspected that such groups, known as militias, may have targeted the councilwoman in retaliation for her activism against police brutality and her defense of human rights.
The United States has imposed sanctions to cut off Venezuelas oil revenues and against banks, including one in Russia. It has canceled the visas of officials in the Maduro government and talked to nations about taking in others who might seek asylum or a safe haven. And it maintains that all options are on the table  even while assuring allies that military intervention, of the kind that the United States has had a long and ugly history of carrying out in Latin America, is not really being considered.

But Mr. Maduro remains, to the surprise of many in the Trump administration.

Now, Mr. Trump faces the same problem that his predecessor, Barack Obama, confronted after saying in 2012 that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria would be severely punished if he used chemical weapons  the dangers of making a tough declaration that the United States is unwilling or unable to enforce.

Its a tough situation with no clear end in sight, and momentum appears to be moving in the wrong direction, said Fernando Cutz, a former senior White House official on Latin America policy in the Obama and Trump administrations.

The move to vacate the United States Embassy in Caracas was a significant setback for the Trump administration. American officials had previously vowed to keep diplomats in Venezuela to legitimize Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who declared himself the interim president in January.

The decision was difficult for Mr. Pompeo to explain.

The diplomats in Caracas have done great work, Mr. Pompeo said in a television interview on Tuesday in Houston, where he was attending an energy conference. But it was time for them to come back. Their security is always paramount. And its just gotten very difficult.
CARACAS, Venezuela  The Venezuelan authorities on Tuesday began investigating the leader of the opposition and detained a prominent journalist, claiming they had played a role in the supposed sabotage of the countrys electrical system. Government critics said it was an effort to deflect blame for a four-day national power failure.

Attorney General Tarek Saab accused Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who leads a parallel government backed by the United States and about 50 other countries, of masterminding the blackout. He provided no evidence.

Hours earlier, intelligence police detained a prominent radio producer and social media activist, Luis Carlos Diaz, as he rode his bike home from work, according to his wife, Naky Soto. He was charged with inciting violence and freed on parole a day later.

Mr. Guaido, who has not been detained or charged, brushed off the accusations as baseless, and spent Tuesday addressing small flash protests around the capital, Caracas.
The Taliban continued an internal meeting after the American negotiators left the resort in Doha, where the talks have taken place under tight security.

This round of talks saw extensive and detailed discussions taking place regarding two issues that were agreed upon during January talks, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said in a statement. Those two issues were the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and preventing anyone from harming others from Afghan soil.

He added: Progress was achieved regarding both these issues. For now, both sides will deliberate over the achieved progress, share it with their respective leaderships.

The sides are expected to meet again later this month in the hopes of finalizing a deal.

But the lack of a clear breakthrough in talks right before spring, when fighting usually intensifies, raises concerns of another bloody year ahead. The war has taken the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, more than 100,000 Afghan and Taliban fighters combined, more than 2,400 Americans and more than 1,000 forces from other members of the military coalition that invaded Afghanistan almost 18 years ago.

In the negotiations, the Americans have been trying to achieve the United States initial goal in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda: the prevention of terrorist attacks launched from Afghanistan against the United States and its allies. At the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, which was controlled by the Taliban.
BEIJING  A senior official from Chinas far west said on Tuesday that the internment camps for Muslim minorities there were like boarding schools and that their numbers of inmates would shrink, as the government pushed back against international criticism of the mass detentions.

Chinas sweeping confinement of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region has drawn condemnation from foreign governments and international bodies, including in recent weeks. A United States envoy called it part of a war with faith. Turkey, once quiet about the detentions, has become critical. The United Nations high commissioner for human rights recently demanded answers.

[Update: Leaked documents show Chinas Internment Camps Ruled by Secrecy and Spying.]

Yet at the annual meeting of Chinas national legislature, which began last month, Communist Party officials from Xinjiang appeared serenely unbowed about the policies.

Foreign experts, citing satellite images and government documents, have estimated that the camps have held without trial as many as a million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslims in a program that tries to turn them into loyal, Chinese-speaking supporters of the party.
MELBOURNE, Australia  George Pell, an Australian cardinal who was the Vaticans chief financial officer and an adviser to Pope Francis, was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday, for molesting two boys after Sunday Mass in 1996.

The cardinal was convicted on five counts in December, making him the most senior Catholic official  and the first bishop  to be found guilty in a criminal court for sexually abusing minors, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

Cardinal Pell, who stood stone-faced with lips pursed when his sentence was read aloud, will not be eligible for parole for three years and eight months.

I would characterize these breaches and abuses as grave, the chief judge in the case, Peter Kidd, said during the sentencing. Speaking directly to Cardinal Pell, he added: Your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance.
The result is an unusual dichotomy. Australias Catholic Church is financially stronger than its counterparts in many countries. It is also more spiritually abandoned. And Cardinal Pell, 77, a domineering figure who was until recently the Vaticans chief financial officer, shaped both trends in ways that many Australians are now questioning.

[Sign up for the Australia Letter to get news, conversation starters and local recommendations in your inbox each week.]

As archbishop of Melbourne in October 1996  two months, it turns out, before the incidents that led to his recent conviction  Cardinal Pell set up what would become a firewall for the churchs finances and reputation. He called it The Melbourne Response.

On paper, it was an alternative resolution process for abuse survivors. Cardinal Pell said it aimed to make it easier for victims to achieve justice outside the courts. But it capped payments, initially at 50,000 Australian dollars, or $35,000, and usually forced victims to keep their traumas confidential.

Cardinal Pell brought a similar approach to Sydney, where he served as archbishop from 2001 to 2014. He fought hard to discourage victims from going to court, even as he could often be heard condemning homosexuality and raising money for conservative causes and politicians, like the former prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard. Both men expressed support for Cardinal Pell after news of his conviction became public.

Most notably, he led an aggressive defense against a former altar boy, John Ellis, who said he had been raped and abused as a child by a priest in Sydney, the Rev. Aidan Duggan.
============================================= LUKE: An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scottishman walk into a bar. The Englishman wants to leave, so everyone has to leave TOUTS: music This paranoia ,... TITLE: DISPATCH FROM NORTHERN IRELAND TOUTS: Singing KASSIE: How was Northern Ireland considered when this was - MATTHEW CROSSAN / LUKE MCLAUGHLIN - I dont think it was considered at all. JASON FEENAN: Brexit is the exit of the United Kingdom based on the wishes of Great Britain. MATTHEW: (When Article 50 was actually triggered) The exact words that Theresa May used was that because of the wishes- THERESA MAY file: Under accordance with the wishes of the British people, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union MATTHEW: Great Britain consists of Scotland, England and Wales. And the United Kingdom consists of Scotland, England and Wales and Northern Ireland. (MAP) So even in her language it shows that definitely when it first happened there wasnt much thought. MATTHEW: I am struggling to see any positives for the North of Ireland. But that didnt last long. The question of Northern Ireland and its border has frustrated negotiations over Brexit. We came here to find out why. And to understand the consequences for people who live here. For the last century, Northern Ireland has had to wrestle with its identity- torn between Protestants who consider themselves British Unionists and Catholics who mostly identify as Irish Nationalists. The divide has brought years of conflict. In 1968 the Catholic minority rose up against Unionist and British control, spurring 30 years of brutal sectarian violence known here as The Troubles. In 1998 both sides came together under the Good Friday Agreement, It created a somewhat unique reality here. Northern Ireland would continue to be a part of the UK, but also, open its border completely with the rest of Ireland. But the history of The Troubles is inescapable. Murals are everywhere. And Neighborhoods are color coded along sectarian lines. Here in Londonderry, or Derry, depending on whom you ask, there are walls that separate Protestants from Catholics. And the gates are locked every night. For punk band Touts, this us and them mentality, has informed more than just their music. LUKE: Ive lived here 22 years - me whole life, basically and theres places in Derry Ive never been, or Ive never walked to. I think thats crazy. MIRIAM WHYTE: Well its kind of rough,cause theres the Bogside - the mostly Catholic area then theres here, which is clearly the more Protestant area, but very divided, even though theres trying to do more what is it called when they like - integration or something. People told us those divisions have deepened since the Brexit vote. Under Brexit, Northern Ireland would leave with the UK, and the Republic of Ireland would remain in the EU. An idea that appears to overlook the reality on the ground here. We headed east, thinking we could drive along the border - but it wasnt so simple. In part because the border is mostly invisible. To get from one town in Northern Ireland to another, we crossed into the Republic of Ireland multiple times - without even realizing it. The roads continuously zigzag across international lines. Nat sound Kassie: Oh! We just crossed. Speaker: Ah good morning everyone, my name is Florence and welcome to our cross-border conference, Brexit and Young People, Can You Hear Us? These high school students live in border communities. Many commute seamlessly from one side to the other to attend school. SPEAKER: The project recruits young people from both Protestant and Catholic communities on both sides of border. LARRY: Now does anyone have some strong views on that like how would you see yourselves different than someone in the north? GIRL: If you have an Irish passport, in my mind youre Irish, doesnt matter where youre parents are from, doesnt matter what background you have, if you carry an Irish passport, youre Irish. Its part of the Good Friday agreement: residents of Northern Ireland can choose a British or Irish passport. Or both. DOIRE FINN: People living in Northern Ireland are allowed to have a British passport and an Irish passport and I think I identify as Irish but I mean I hold a British passport so really, for my identity isnt ever something that in my family was a massive issue. My parents kind of said, You identify as how you feel and I think that that was a really nice way to bring us up. DOIRE: The census that was happening here you could either say you were Irish or British my mum wanted to identify as European and they were like, Well, youre not allowed and she was like, No, Im identifying myself as European. And they were like You have to pick. By aiming to separate the UK from the EU, Brexit could interrupt the free flow of people and goods - and violate the Good Friday Agreement. ALAN (walking with Kassie) - I hope, I hope when youve got photographs my cows now, that we finish up getting a better price for these cows. Alan Mc Farland raises cattle and sheep a few miles north of the border. But he gets his feed from a distributor in the South. Its a transaction that happens regularly, without border checks, customs duties or tariffs. ALAN McFARLAND: No one knows what the final result is yet going to be - we just approach our business each and every day having made an assumption that post-Brexit we will be trading with the same people on the same terms. KASSIE: Did you feel strongly about staying or leaving? ALAN: I was actually undecided in the matter, to the extent that I didnt vote at all. But having that said in Northern Ireland the majority of the vote was remaining in the E.U. **GRAPHIC of vote breakdown** ALAN: But one thing I would say you always have the right to change is to change your mind - I would be in favor of a second referendum, to do away with the ambiguity. Thats because many people here remember the border as a source of hostility and violence. And a whole generation since then has grown up without one. HARD BORDER MONTAGE FARMER: NO HARD BORDER GIRL: HARD BORDER LEAD TO TROUBLE SOMEONE ELSE: IT JUST MAKES THINGS HARDER But when Prime Minister Theresa May tried to introduce a provision.. MONTAGE: BACKSTOP BACKSTOP ..that would guarantee an exit without a hard border in Northern Ireland, hardline Brexiters rejected it...arguing an open border would essentially keep the UK tethered to the EU. So no hard border, no deal, and so far no Brexit. ... Also, no sense of where all this could lead. ALAN: I think there should be a second referendum FR. McVEIGH (287_2358.MFX 09:08): I want to see Ireland reunified. Because I think its the only hope for this island. Economically, culturally. ANGLICAN: We need to stay with England for their money And while everyone saidsays they didntdont want a return to violence, the uncertainty seems to be threatening what is already a fragile peace. //testing the countrys fragile peace. (i think that can cover the pessimists and optimists) Police are investigating a recent bombing outside the courthouse in Londonderry reminder that the past is not far behind. ANGLICAN: We were in the sun and now Brexit destroyed the sun SIOBHAN: If there is a hard Brexit I think there will be damaged but we will have to be OK at the end of it. And weve been through harder times than this before. FIRST NAME, LAST NAME Siobhan is a mental health expert who studieds? the effects of the countrys history on mental health. SIOBHAN: Well, weve got to adopt a trauma-informed approach and think about everything from the perspective of those whove been a victim of violence. We have no way of describing it. We have no common narrative. And its going to take a while for us to generate those materials. TOUTS: This paranoia, when will it end, Ive heard it all before and Im hearing it again. DAOIRE: I think Im just really scared about the future of Northern Ireland. I love living here and I think its a lovely place to be. The craics really good and everyones really friendly and I dont want that to be dragged backwards into a past that was really, really dark for so many people. And I think, you know, theres so many good things about Northern Ireland and I just dont want those to go away. (credits with funny tag of Farmer asking about our Mexican border) Producer Kassie Bracken Cinematography Souki Mehdaoui Editor Shane ONeill Senior Producer Mona El-Naggar Graphics Aaron Byrd Nicole Fineman Dave Horn Archival Research Dahlia Kozlowsky Archival Footage Tktktk Tktktk Tktktk Aerial Cinematography Adithya Sambamurthy Executive Producer Marcelle Hopkins SIOBHAN: In 2008 we studied the Northern Ireland population and we asked people whether they had witnessed violent events that were related to the troubles such as bombings and shootings and we found that 39% of the population had. Theres some evidence that biological changes that happen in response to trauma, that thats passed to the next generation and in effect its programming the next generation to be able to respond more quickly and rapidly if theres a bombing or a shooting or whatever. But of course when a child has that it increases the risk of mental illness. Um, thereve been more deaths by suicide since the signing of the Good Friday agreement than there were through the whole of the troubles through violence. END!!!******* BENCHWARMERS SIOBHAN ONEILL: I mean the hard border is very symbolic I think if that happened theres a place to attack theres a place to focus that anger. Siobhan ONeill is a leading mental health researcher who has studied the legacy of the Troubles SIOBHAN: Part of the GFA was that British forces that were there that that would no longer be the case and that there would be free movement. Anth the remove of the border was an amazing think and now if you pass through the border theres absolutely no evidence of it. You would maybe see that the signs that the speed limits were miles and then kilometeres and that would really be it. Or Its called bomb scare We grow up with it, not as bad as it used to be Match shots of Northern Ireland today Match shots of The Undertones with the Touts <But I also think things can regressyou get a groundswell and everything moves forward 10 or 15 years and then one thing kicks in and it backslides Kassie: is that Brexit?> OPEN BEAT ONE - INTRO TOUTS An afterthought during the Brexit referendum in 2016, Northern Ireland and how do deal with its Southern Border if and when it leaves the EU has been the main issue threatening the entire deal. (MAYBE A MAP HERE THAT SHOWS REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (E.U) and NORTHERN IRELAND (U.K) But to understand why this remains unresolved two years later, and whats at stake in the decision you need to know a bit about recent history in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland was created in 1922. But since its creation its been characterized by conflict between two groups, each claiming the In 1968 hostilities intensified during the period known as the troubles An afterthought during the Brexit referendum in 2016, Northern Ireland and the unresolved issue of how do deal with its Southern Border when it leaves the EU now threaten the deals collapse. (MAYBE A MAP HERE THAT SHOWS REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (E.U) and NORTHERN IRELAND (U.K) But to understand why this remains unresolved two years later, and whats at stake-you need to know a bit about the history of Northern Ireland and the border itself. In Derry, The Touts singer and drummer werent old enough to vote in the referendum, but they live in the country many expect to be most impacted by the deal. We drove The singer and drummer werent old enough to vote in the referendum, but they live in the country many expect to be most impacted by the deal. Theirs is the generation that grew up after the good Friday agreement that ended decades of sectarian violence has only known relative peace in the region. ASSEMBLY 031019 - KASSIE NOTES Notes - I think we need in the narration a sense that, despite the fact this generation is defined by growing up in peace, there are still deep divides and conflict. Brexit has already impacted this by exacerbating polarization and creating economic uncertainty and anxiety that violence could return. I would love to try to use the Touts/kids in park/Derry to establish the us v them nature of Northern Ireland - I agree the piece is not about sectarianism per se, but it sets up and personalizes the visual sense of place - the dispatchy-ness - peace walls and murals, and also then might have more impact when we see that it seems most young people are united in the feeling like they werent considered. Also, Brexit was prompted in large part by the us v them mentality in England, but in NI, as compared to the rest of UK, they already have their own us v them which continues today. **** Its here in Derry where many say The Troubles began, in 1968, - when the predominantly Catholic community protested against housing and employment discrimination. A civil rights march was brutally shut down by police/army. It led to roughly 30 years of sectarian violence between the predominantly Catholic Nationalists who consider themselves Irish, and the Unionists, who consider themselves British, the majority, Protestant. BEAT TWO: THE BREXIT Generation in Northern Ireland - Youth/Derry/Recent History - fear of retriggering violence felt most acutely by people nearest the border BEAT THREE: YOUNG PEOPLES CONFERENCE Challenging Identity, Good Friday - which allowed people to claim Irish or British citizenships - the idea that the fluidity of movement will be stopped BEAT FOUR: along the actual border between the countries, it is much more complicated - interwoven - FARMER BEAT FIVE: The members of Touts call Derry their home. Many say its here where the period known as the The Troubles began, in 1968, - when the predominantly Catholic community protested against housing and employment discrimination and unfair voting policies under British rule. But some claimed it to be a cover for paramilitary actors, and a peaceful civil rights march was halted by police in a brutal crackdown. 30 years of deadly sectarian violence followed between the predominantly Catholic Nationalists who consider themselves Irish, and the Unionists, who identify as British - the majority, Protestant. Sound up on Touts Touts may have grown up in the comparatively peaceful era marked by the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. But their city, called Derry by nationalists and Londonderry by unionists remains fractured. The tensions never way and in fact many say Brexit has exacerbated it TOUTS: Line about divisions still there Schools are still mostly segregated along sectarian lines. As are neighborhoods. A TKTK fence/wall helps secure the border between a Catholic community and a Protestant community. Every night, it is locked for protection. TOUTS Line about impact of Brexit already? Or line about Brexit? Just 100 feet away from the wall, in the mostly Protestant community The Fountain, we spoke with a group of teenagers about TKTK MIRIAM: Nearly everyone I spoke with mentioned/agreed the same worst case scenario HARD BORDER MONTAGE To impose a hard border, with check points and official crossings would cause headaches both practically and symbolically. And thats where the Irish backstop comes in. THERESA MAY: The Irish backstop was the UKs provision to ensure that Brexit would not Sounds good, but The problem is, Northern Ireland is in a customs union that requires a customs border PROTESTANT PRIEST: WE had a number of years that we thought we were seeing the sunshine, and now with Brexit its as if the sun has gone behind the clouds. GIRL: Its going to become again a situation of us and them. LARRY: Who is them and us? GIRL: LIke Catholics and Protestants or Irish people and people from Northern Ireland, were not going to see each other as the same country LARRY youre saying were both live in the same country, in my mind thats true, but yet I live under a British jurisdiction, Kassie: they have a lot to be fucked about Cut to: kids workshop Yeah, these kids are confused because this shit is confusing. Brexit, and Northern Ireland itself. 45 second history lesson of Northern Ireland And this is the legacy theyve inherited. NOW made worse by Brexit! Borders are usually about keeping people in or keeping people out, In this case, But its about something more nuanced and complicated, like the border itself DRONE SHOT OF MEANDERING BORDER And Ireland, with its taste for storytelling and humor has a singular relationship with its own border People wandering in and out, funny smuggling stories. LOYALISTS EQUANIMOUS STATEMENT ABOUT BREXIT (maybe from mental health professor) CONCLUSION: AT THE BAR IN DERRY WITH THE TOUTS (with compelling TOUT SOT) One of the other key stipulations of the Good Friday agreement was a free border with the south. Now, Brexit is threatening this. Its the thing people I spoke with said worried them most. HARD BORDER Montage. Before I got here Id planned to drive along the border - it wasnt so simple. Heres the border. On my TKTK mile journey from TK to TK, I crossed international lines/crossed TKTK times. THIS SECTION TBA BASED ON GRAPHIC I often didnt even realize Id crossed. Thirty years ago, this crossing would have looked more like this: FR. McVEIGH (287_2356.MXF 03:23)): The hardline Brexit people are determined to leave without a deal if necessary, or with a deal without a backstop - (thats the only thing thats going to satisfy them, and the DUP who are propping up the London government) 04:50 The Brexiteers in London dont care all that much. Father Joe McVeigh grew up along the border and remembers the checkpoints as violent hotspots. Sound up: Fr. McVeigh shows Kassie photos of the border But this bridge at the border in Belleek shows none of the vestiges of Thats help spur a new momentum for a united Ireland. 13:35 If the Brexit people want to continue their line, they have to consider whats going to happen to us. We needed to be treated separately and differently. The fear of a hard border, with all of the economic and practical implications has given rise to another potential outcome. FR. McVEIGH (287_2358.MFX 09:08): I want to see Ireland reunified. Because I think its the only hope for this island. Economically, culturally. (08:54 It has to happen, it just has to happen 09:45 Partition has run out of road. ) FARMER: Voted to remain in the EU. So leaving the EU would go against the voting majority of Northern Ireland. But leaving the UK altogether would go against the wishes of some of Northern Irelands Protestant majority. ANGLICAN: Protestant people would certainly be nervous of any changes. Theres a huge amount of money that comes from Westminster and London. Ironically, the hardline Brexit position has revived some calls for a United Ireland FR. McVEIGH : I want to see Ireland reunified. Because I think its the only hope for this island. But positions like Friar McVeighs arent very popular, especially among Protestants in Northern Irelands 6 counties, who would become a minority overnight if they joined Irelands 26 as one country. So maybe they could have a political border that remains somewhat relaxed. Thats called a Soft Border or an Irish Backstop. Theresa May: Irish Backstop montage But no one really knows how that would work or what it would look like, which is why its been such a bee in the bonnet of the Brexit process. Some hardline Brexiters are calling for the re-establishment of a hard border, a fringe position that proved very unpopular with most of the people I met while I was here: HARD BORDER MONTAGE The hard border was both inconvenient and psychologically fraught. TO SIOBHAN Leaving the United Kingdom altogether would mean losing money from England. The DUP advocates it effectively mean keeping the And thats why the Irish backstop came up and failed?. THERESA MAY: BACKSTOP MONTAGE. When May tried to introduce a deal that said no hard border, hard brexiteers, including forcing Britain to play by the rules of a single European market even after it separates from the EU, it wouldnt pass. It was meant to guarantee that there would be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK separates from the EU. But then, how and where would goods undergo checks as they travel between the UK and the EU. Theres no easy answer? The backstop provision says Britain should continue to play by the rules of a single European market until politicians can agree on how and where goods will undergo checks as they travel between the UK and the EU. But how can the UK leave without violating the terms of the peace treaty that calls for an open border here? Which is, in part, why politicians do not agree on the terms of the backstop, and its unclear if they ever will. They didnt want to feel tethered to the EU. It leaves the question of Brexit unsolved and opens up new questions for Northern Ireland. It all leads to this renewed interest among some people for a united ireland. Of leaving the UK altogether. Siobhan ONeill is a leading mental health researcher who has studied the legacy of the Troubles, And the border debate has, somewhat ironically, revived an old argument (for reuniting the north with the south) Is FR. McVEIGH (287_2358.MFX 09:08): I want to see Ireland reunified. Because I think its the only hope for this island. Economically, culturally. The present is more closely tied to the past here than Theres been a fragile peace here for 20 years but Brexit Well, weve got to adopt a trauma-informed approach and think about everything from the perspective of those whove been a victim of violence. We have no way of describing it. We have no common narrative. And its going to take a while for us to generate those materials. But despite 20 years of fragile peace And Brexit has also had a real psychological impact on the citizens of Northern Ireland For a country that is only a generation away from one of the most bitter conflicts in modern history the tumult How will Northern Ireland SIOBHAN: LINE ABOUT HOW BREXIT HAS ALREADY HAD AN IMPACT
Eason has announced Ella Morrissey as this years winner of the County Offaly Eason Spelling Bee Final.

Ella, who is a pupil at Coolderry Central National School, Offaly came out on top after stiff competition from her fellow spelling enthusiasts and will go on to compete in the Leinster Provincial Spelling Bee in May.

Ella is an avid reader and loves reading a lot of books in her spare time.

Now in its ninth year, the Eason Spelling Bee is the very definition of fun for school kids, encouraging them to read more, expand their vocabulary and fall in love with literacy.

Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing at Eason, said; Were now in the ninth year of the Eason Spelling Bee and were incredibly proud to see it going from strength to strength annually. Each year, the children involved continue to impress us with their level of spelling skill and its wonderful to see schools across the country continuing to support this competition.

Along with the prestigious title of Eason Spelling Bee 2019 Champion, the winning speller will also take home a collection of books for their school library, worth 7,500 as well as a personal collection of books worth 500.

This year, 900 schools around Ireland will take part in the nationwide contest. Eason are partnering with Today FM for a fourth year and, in early summer, presenter Alison Curtis will host the Provincial and All Ireland Spelling Bee Finals.

Keep up-to-date with all the 2019 Spelling Bee buzz on www.easons.com/spellingbee and @easons #EasonSpellingBee
Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label.
Pollachi sex scandal: 4 arrested, case transferred to CB-CID

Chennai

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Chennai, Mar 12: In a shocking incident reported from Coimbatore, a group four men from Pollachi were arrested for allegedly sexually harassing and blackmailing 50 women across Tamil Nadu. The accused were arrested and remanded under Goonda Act.

The matter came to light on February 24 ago after the four accused, all in their 20s, were arrested in February for allegedly blackmailing and sexually harassing a 19-year-old girl. The girl had lodged a complaint with Pollachi East Station police, alleging that her friends took her in a car and sexually harassed her and robbed her gold chain

Andhra Pradesh: Class 2 girl allegedly sexually abused by teacher

Mobile phones seized from the accused allegedly contained over 40 video clips of women being sexually abused.

The incident took political turn as one of the accused was member of ruling AIADMK. According to Indian Express, the AIADMK removed A Nagaraj, one of the accused in the case, from the party's primary membership after his photo with an AIADMK minister was circulated on social media.

MK Stalin, chief of the Opposition DMK party, asked on Twitter whether the ruling AIADMK was colluding with the perpetrators of the crime.

Tamil Nadu DGP T K Rajendran told news agency that Pollachi women harassment case has been transferred to CB-CID (Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department).

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 15:44 [IST]
7th Pay Commission: With all hopes dashed, what CG employees can expect now

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: The last cabinet meeting dashed the last hope of Central Government employees who were awaiting some good news on the 7th Pay Commission.

The model code of conduct is today in place, which means that there would be no major announcements as a result of which nothing can be expected on the hike in basic minimum pay. Further the government has no forum today to make any announcement to this effect.

With no forum remaining, the only hope now for the CG employees is to wait for the manifestos to be released by the political party. The BJP is unlikely to mention anything in its manifesto, sources say. If they wanted to resolve this issue, they would have done it long back. After all they had over 2 years time to resolve this issue.

7th Pay Commission: Will basic minimum pay be increased, here is the latest update

However officials say that the reason why no hike in basic minimum pay was announced was due to the current financial condition. Government and officials kept toying with the idea, but never took any concrete action. What was doled out instead was a hike in Dearness Allowance, but that was not sufficient for the CG employees.

Many employees are frustrated and infuriated with the government as they feel let down. Some employees had hoped till the last date that there would be an announcement, but their hopes came crashing down.

The 7th Pay Commission had recommended a hike of Rs 18,000, but the CG employees have been demanding that the basic minimum pay be fixed at Rs 26,000.
BJP may emerge as single largest party, but Modi won't be next PM: Sharad Pawar

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Mar 12: A day after Sharad Pawar said that he will not be contesting the upcoming general elections, the NCP chief on Tuesday said that Narendra Modi will not become the next Prime Minister of India.

Pawar said that the BJP will not get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. He said that teh BJP would need the help of other parties to form a government in which case "they will have to look for a new PM".

"From what I can understand a little about politics, I can say that I don't think Modi ji will be the Prime Minister after these elections. I am not an astrologer but I think that they will not get the required number of seats," he said, as per news agency ANI.

"I think BJP will not get a clear majority, they will get less number.of seats. They might be the single largest party. After being the single largest party, they won't have a desired PM. They will have to seek other parties help and if that happens they willl have to look for a new PM," he added.

[NCP chief Sharad Pawar won't contest Lok Sabha polls, says '2 family members are contesting']

Last week, Sharad Pawar had held a meeting with the top leaders of his party to chalk out the election strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The names of probable candidates, including those for the Aurangabad and Nagar seats, were also discussed during the meeting.

[Mamata, Rahul, Kejriwal meet at Pawar's residence, agree on 'common minimum programme']

Congress party and National Congress Party (NCP) have reached a consensus on December 24 sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. However, his decision to not contest elections was not clear then.

[Not in the race for the post of PM, says Gadkari]

He previously served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on three separate occasions and held the posts of Minister of Defence and Minister of Agriculture in the Government of India. Pawar hails from the town of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha where he leads the NCP delegation. He holds a position of prominence in national politics as well as the regional politics of Maharashtra.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 21:53 [IST]
Centre renames 2 prominent institutes after Sushma Swaraj on the eve of her birth anniversary

'Can follow English of all accents and grammar': Sushma Swaraj's prompt reply on Twitter

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 12: Sushma Swaraj is perhaps the most 'millennial' minister the Indian government has ever had. The External Affairs minister can now understand English of all accents and grammar, thanks to the top role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

Swaraj was replying to a tweet from an Indian man in Malaysia who tweeted, seeking her help to send his friend back to India.

The man's tweet had grammatical errors. Commenting on the grammar, another man asked him to write to the MEA in either Hindi or Punjabi.

There is no problem. After becoming Foreign Minister, I have learnt to follow English of all accents and grammar. https://t.co/2339A1Fea2  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 11, 2019

This is when Swaraj responded. "There is no problem. After becoming Foreign Minister, I have learnt to follow English of all accents and grammar," she tweeted.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP meet on Mar 18 to finalise candidates

Swaraj has travelled across the world and has interacted with leaders and diplomats from various countries.

There is no denying that our External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is one of the most active ministers on social media. And she is, by far, the most easily approachable minister we've ever had.

There have been umpteen occasions where she has proven to be just the type of minister our country needs.
Christian Michel levels serious allegations against former CBI chief Rakesh Asthana

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: In a serious allegation against Rakesh Asthana, AgustaWestland chopper scam case accused Christian Michel told a Delhi Court that the former CBI special director threatened to make his life hell inside jail if he did not toe the line of the agency.

Michel reportedly said that Asthana had met him Dubai and told him that his "life would be made hell". Michel further added, "that's what is going on."

"Sometime back Rakesh Asthana met me in Dubai and threatened that my life would be made hell and that's what is going on. My next door inmate is (gangster) Chotta Rajan... I don't understand what crime I have committed to be put along with those who have killed several people," he said, as per a PTI report.

AgustaWestland case: ED issues order to attach Paris-based property of Michel's ex-wife

Michel, who was present in the courtroom, also told the court that he was put in the prison with 16-17 Kashmiri separatist leaders.

The statements were made by Michel before Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate him inside Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The court said the agency will quiz him tomorrow and the day after.

A jail official will remain present and Michel's lawyer is also allowed a limited access during interrogation, for half an hour in the morning and in evening, it said.

The court took note of Michel's submission alleging mental torture inside the jail and directed Tihar jail authorities to produce the CCTV footage and reports by Thursday based on which he was shifted to a high-security ward.

On Monday, the court asked the jail authorities to submit their reply on the agency's plea and issued a production warrant for Tuesday for Michel after his lawyer alleged mental torture inside the jail.

Michel was arrested by ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.

The court previously lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it does not get a proper response.

Christian Michel seeks judicial inquiry for keeping him in solitary confinement

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the chopper scam by ED and Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The ED had on Monday said it had issued an order to attach a Paris-based property worth Rs 5.83 crore of the former wife of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman arrested in the VVIP choppers scam case, under the anti-money laundering law.

Michel had last week sought judicial inquiry over the Tihar Jail authorities having allegedly kept him in solitary confinement. He had reportedly claimed that it was a violation of his human rights.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 20:03 [IST]
High alert ahead of Amarnath Yatra: Here is how the pilgrimage is being guarded

94 civilian and 52 deaths of security personnel: Reds were most violent in 2018

Combat casualty drugs in making to save lives of security personnel

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: With 90 per cent of gravely wounded security personnel succumbing to injuries within a few hours, DRDO's medical laboratory has come up with a range of 'combat casualty drugs' that can extend the golden hour till the trooper is shifted to hospital.

The spectrum includes bleeding wound sealants, super absorptive dressings and glycerated salines, all of which can save lives in the event of warfare in jungle and high altitude areas as well as in terror attacks, scientists said.

J&K: 260 terrorists gunned down as 100 security personnel made supreme sacrifice

Citing the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama where 40 CRPF soldiers were killed, they said the medicines could have brought down the death toll.

According to developers of the drugs at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, chances of survival and minimum disability are highest when effective first aid care is given within the golden hour.

Scientists at INMAS, entrusted with research and development in a number of areas concerning the defence sector, said the main battlefield emergencies are excess bleeding, sepsis, shock, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume) and pain.

DRDO's indigenously made medicines will be a boon for paramilitary and defence personnel during warfare, said A K Singh, director general of life sciences at the organisation.

"These medicines will ensure that our brave soldiers do not suffer from unwanted blood loss while being taken to a better healthcare from war zones," he told PTI.

The challenges are many. There is only one medical person and limited equipment to take care of soldiers during combat in most cases. This is compounded by battlefield conditions such as forests, hilly terrain and inaccessibility of vehicles, experts said.

Among the drugs developed is glycerated saline, a battlefield intravenous fluid that does not freeze till -18 degrees Celsius and is useful in handling trauma cases in high altitude areas.

According to Manju Bala Popli, senior scientist at INMAS, glycerated saline, unlike normal saline, reduces inflammation. The drug can be life saving, particularly if the traumatic edema, collection of fluid in tissues and cavities of the body, is in the brain or lungs.

"Glycerated saline has life saving capacities as it gives more time to the medical personnel to shift the wounded patient to a higher care facility," Popli said.

INMAS has also developed a special medicated dressing material which is 200 times more absorptive than normal dressings during bleeding wounds.

Amit Tyagi, another senior scientist at INMAS and part of the team behind developing the drug, said the cellulose fibre-based dressings are more effective in stopping bleeding and keeping the wound clean.

Additionally, antiseptics, antibiotics and curcumin can be impregnated in the dressing which acts as a slow drug release system, said a note prepared by INMAS on the medicines developed by it.

J&K: Number of security personnel martyred in 2018 is highest in ten years

"Normal cotton dressing used for bleeding wounds has sub optimal absorptive capacity and is soiled after sometime. In heavily bleeding wounds, putting a normal dressing can actually enhance the bleeding by sucking out the blood," said INMAS scientist Gaurav Mittal.

"It is safer and more effective to put in a long stuffed absorptive strip rather than individual gauge pieces. It has four-five times higher capacity to absorb blood," he said.

Then there is Chitosan gel, which helps in preventing blood loss by forming a film over the wound. Coupled with platelets and red blood cells aggregation, it stops the bleeding. Its antibacterial and wound health properties are of added benefit.

"Chitosan gel is suitable for sealing wounds by twin action: haemostasis by chemical action and filing action. It can be used for wounds on the limbs and also cavities such as abdomen and thorax," INMAS Director Tarun Sekhri told PTI.

The gel is poured onto the wound and held with physical pressure for few minutes till the bleeding stops, he said.

"It is topped by Chitosan wound cover. If the wound is deep, filters like silk and cellulose granules may be used after Chitosan gel," he explained.

The products developed for jungle warfare are at the stage of implementation, said Aseem Bhatnagar, additional director of the institute.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended the cost-effective drugs to be inducted into their paramilitary forces while efforts are on with other forces for induction," he said.

Part of the range is hypocholorous acid (HOCL), a disinfectant for troopers involved in jungle warfare.

It is helpful in treating necrotising fascitis, a rapidly progressing bacterial infection of soft tissues. Bacterial toxins cause local tissue damage and necrosis, as well as blunt immune system responses.

In such cases, pure 0.01 per cent HoCL has both broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and can rapidly neutralise bacterial toxins.

Bhatnagar said jungle warfare wounds have significant infection risk. The standard approach is to treat them with antibiotics. However, overuse and misuse of antibiotics often leads to breeding resistant strains of superbugs.

"A safe and effective alternative method for managing infected wounds is by using a more non-traditional cleansing agent. While the use of HOCL does not obviate the need for antibiotic, it augments treatment and speed of wounds healing. Undesirable side effects and antibiotics resistance gets reduced," Bhatnagar said.

INMAS scientists have also discovered a new route for administering the Nalbuphine injection to reduce pain during mutilating war injuries.

The scientists have discovered that 10 mg injection of Nalbuphine hydrochloride is more effective for an injured trooper if it is given through the submental/sublingual route instead of intra-muscular or intravenous route.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 7:08 [IST]
A win for AAP in Punjab would cost it Rs 12,000 crore a year: Here is why

Highly radicalised terrorist arrested in Punjab and not surprisingly link goes back to the UK

Reply to our demands by today: Punjab farm leaders to Centre

Now a Tiranga Yatra by AAP: This time in Punjab

Congress eyeing to win 10 seats in Punjab, may field Manmohan Singh

India

oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi

New Delhi, March 12: The Congress Party is eyeing to win Punjab's 10 seats out of 13 in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

As per the 2019 Lok Sabha election schedule announced on Sunday, Punjab will vote on May 19 in the seventh phase.

Punjab is one of the states where the Congress is ruling, and the party wants to add seven seats in its tally of 2014.

1n 2014, the Congress had won three seats in Punjab that were five seats short than the 2009 Lok Sabha election results.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: Punjab Democratic Alliance announces 7 candidates

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections were held at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were heading the state government.

"Since the Congress government is in Punjab, the party is expecting to win at least 10 seats. It also aims to snatch seats from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)," a source told One India.

It is notable that the presence of AAP in 2014 had dented the Congress very badly. It had snatched Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, and Patiala Lok Sabha seats from the Congress.

The Congress wants to settle the score by winning all the three seats that it lost in 2014.

Punjab Congress leaders are not leaving any stone unturned to win as many seats as possible in Punjab.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is learned to be demanding that former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan should contest elections from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, which the party is considering as a 'secure' seat.

Captain Amarinder Singh had won from Amritsar at a time when there was Modi wave in 2014. The party also won Amritsar bye-election that was necessitated due to the resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh after he became Punjab Chief Minister.

Sources, however, say that Dr. Singh is not keen to contest due to health reasons.

"Party President Rahul Gandhi will decide about former prime minister's candidature," said sources.

It is notable that Dr. Singh has contested only one Lok Sabha election in 1999 from South Delhi, but had lost.

He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1991 and re-elected in 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2013.

BJP-Akali Dal to continue 2014 equation in 2019 LS elections

If Dr. Singh agrees to contest from Amritsar then the party will have to compensate current Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla.

The two other sitting Congress Lok Saba members- Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu- are likely to be fielded from their seats only.

According to the sources, Preneet Kaur, wife of Captain Amarinder Singh, from Patiala, and young Jaiveer Shergill are likely to contest from Anandpur Sahib.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 11:28 [IST]
Mamata, Pawar want to keep Congress at bay: Devendra Fadnavis

Election expenditure: How much did BJP, Congress, DMK, CPI, TMC, AIADMK receive funds and spent during polls?

Opposition front not possible without Congress: Shiv Sena leader Raut after meeting with Rahul Gandhi

Mamata Banerjee's TMC gives yet another jolt to Congress in Meghalaya; 11 members switch sides

Unemployment more important than terror, says Rahul Gandhi after key Congress meet

India

oi-Deepika S

Ahmedabad, Mar 12: Gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday held a meeting in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to give a final shape to its poll strategy.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has been given the charge of the party's fortune in 41 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, will address the CWC for the first time.

The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, assumes significance as it comes barely two days after declaration of poll schedule for the general elections.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP meet on Mar 18 to finalise candidates

The Congress is seeking to give a strong political message to the entire nation from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, with the party leadership scheduled to hold a prayer meeting Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by the CWC meet at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel national memorial there.

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

Congress CWC meet Highlights



Newest First Oldest First "We will focus on unemployment and not terror. Terror is not the main issue for the 2019 polls," Rahul Gandhi was reported by News18 has having said. Patidar leader Hardik Patel joins Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi. Congress reaffirms its fight to uphold values espoused by Gandhiji and fellow freedom fighters of an inclusive India, says Congress leader Anand Sharma after CWC meeting. The meeting of Central Election Committee of Congress party will be held on 14 March at the residence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, according to ANI. PM Modi plays the victim card, but the people of this country are the real victims of his policies, says UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at CWC meeting, stresses the need to move forward with a new vision. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for highlighting UPA achievements during the Lok Sabha election campaigning. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won, Gandhi wrote on Twitter following the Congress strategy meet. Congress President Rahul Gandhi who chaired a meeting today of the party's highest policy-making body in Gujarat's Ahmedabad tweeted that the party had "resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred", saying the "this battle will be won". Sonia Gandhi hits out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CWC meet in Ahemdabad. Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will also join Congress at the meeting in presence of the party chief Rahul Gandhi. He has arrived at the Ahmedabad CWC venue. CWC meeting begins, Rahul Gandhi, party leaders discuss Lok Sabha elections. Prayer meeting ends at Sabarmati Ashram. Congress members leave for CWC meeting. Besides, 2019 is also being celebrated as the 150th birth anniversary year of the Father of the Nation. Ahmedabad: Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attend prayer meet on anniversary of 'Dandi March' at Sabarmati Ashram pic.twitter.com/JYuEkRUORV  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019 Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attend prayer meet on anniversary of 'Dandi March' at Sabarmati Ashram. The party has been alleging that Modi has "fooled" the people with his "false propaganda" and "boastful claims" and has not delivered on his promises. It has also alleged that the Modi government has inflicted pain and misery on the poor, the unemployed and the farmers during its five years of power, which needs to be made an election issue. After the CWC meeting, senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, as well as current and former party chief ministers will attend the 'Jan Sankalp' rally'. The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record. Reports said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues. The party is of the view that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people of the country, from what its leaders see as the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan. The party leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women safety. Top Congress leadership, led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders will deliberate on key issues for the national elections beginning April 11. Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP on what they call "failures" and "unfulfilled" promises of the government. The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics. The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961. The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, assumes significance as it comes barely two days after declaration of poll schedule for the general elections. Congress is all set to launch its 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bastion Gujarat today. Congress is all set to launch its 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bastion Gujarat today. The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, assumes significance as it comes barely two days after declaration of poll schedule for the general elections. The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961. The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics. Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP on what they call "failures" and "unfulfilled" promises of the government. Top Congress leadership, led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders will deliberate on key issues for the national elections beginning April 11. The party leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women safety. The party is of the view that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people of the country, from what its leaders see as the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan. Reports said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues. The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record. After the CWC meeting, senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, as well as current and former party chief ministers will attend the 'Jan Sankalp' rally'. The party has been alleging that Modi has "fooled" the people with his "false propaganda" and "boastful claims" and has not delivered on his promises. It has also alleged that the Modi government has inflicted pain and misery on the poor, the unemployed and the farmers during its five years of power, which needs to be made an election issue. Ahmedabad: Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attend prayer meet on anniversary of 'Dandi March' at Sabarmati Ashram pic.twitter.com/JYuEkRUORV  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2019 Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attend prayer meet on anniversary of 'Dandi March' at Sabarmati Ashram. Besides, 2019 is also being celebrated as the 150th birth anniversary year of the Father of the Nation. Prayer meeting ends at Sabarmati Ashram. Congress members leave for CWC meeting. CWC meeting begins, Rahul Gandhi, party leaders discuss Lok Sabha elections. Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will also join Congress at the meeting in presence of the party chief Rahul Gandhi. He has arrived at the Ahmedabad CWC venue. Sonia Gandhi hits out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CWC meet in Ahemdabad. Congress President Rahul Gandhi who chaired a meeting today of the party's highest policy-making body in Gujarat's Ahmedabad tweeted that the party had "resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred", saying the "this battle will be won". No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won, Gandhi wrote on Twitter following the Congress strategy meet. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for highlighting UPA achievements during the Lok Sabha election campaigning. PM Modi plays the victim card, but the people of this country are the real victims of his policies, says UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at CWC meeting, stresses the need to move forward with a new vision. The meeting of Central Election Committee of Congress party will be held on 14 March at the residence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, according to ANI. Congress reaffirms its fight to uphold values espoused by Gandhiji and fellow freedom fighters of an inclusive India, says Congress leader Anand Sharma after CWC meeting. Patidar leader Hardik Patel joins Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi. "We will focus on unemployment and not terror. Terror is not the main issue for the 2019 polls," Rahul Gandhi was reported by News18 has having said.








As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP

What exactly is home ministry doing: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre over Nagaland incident

Defence personnel, Congress workers censure Rahul over Masood Azhar Ji

India

oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi

New Delhi, March 12: Defence personnel on Tuesday censured the Congress President Rahul Gandhi for terming Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as "Masood Azhar ji ".

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here on Monday, Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed him over there in Kandahar."

Doval, who was a senior officer in the Intelligence Bureau in 1999, led the four-member negotiating team to Kandahar to negotiate Azhar's release.

Don't get misled, your vote is your weapon, says Priyanka Gandhi in maiden poll address

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from an Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Noted defence analyst Colonel Jaibans Singh (Retd.) said Rahul Gandhi is prone to commit such faux pas.

"It is one of the many faux pases Rahul Gandhi is prone to make during his speeches. It shows his lack of preparedness when he comes to address the mass gathering," said Colonel Jaibans.

He also said that strategically there is no point in investing the idea of Islamist fundamentalism on to a single person.

"When Masood Azhar dies a natural or unnatural death does not mean that the system of Islamic fundamentalism is going to break as many others would carry it forward. What is more important for India is to fight the idea of religious fundamentalism emanating from the soil of Pakistan. Militants are not responsible but the ones who protect them," said the retired Colonel.

He also said the decision to release Azhar was taken by the government of the day as per the wishes of most of the Indians back in 1999.

"Whatever a particular government had decided as per the circumstances need not be spoken off after a decade and a half. Moreover, Doval was a government servant in 1999 who was merely performing his duty. So to equate his job as a government servant with the political appointment of National Security Advisor (NSA) is like stretching things too far," said Colonel Jaibans.

Group Captain MS Deshpande (veteran) was highly critical of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

"It speaks about the president of a national party. His expression of aadara (respect) for an international terrorist speaks about the legacy of the entire party. It also shows how the party must have dealt with terrorists in the last six-seven decades. It indirectly indicates that the party might have encouraged or be complacent with terrorist activities. It also indicates how unsafe would be India in the hands of such a party," said Deshpande.

'No sacrifice too big to win battle', says Rahul Gandhi after key Congress meet

Brigadier SK Chatterji (Retd.) termed Rahul Gandhi 's statement as weird.

"It is weird that you start using ji for a killer and terrorist that is being used since ages for addressing respectable persons. Surprisingly, this has come from a person heading a major political party, " said Brigadier Chatterji.

On Monday evening, this scribe interacted with few common Congress workers at the Party headquarters posing as a Congress supporter.

The gist of the interaction with a dozen of normal Congress workers was that Rahul's statement will definitely benefit the BJP, and senior leaders of the party must learn to understand the mood of the nation.

It is worthwhile to mention thoughts of a Congress worker whose leader is seeking Lok Sabha ticket from Rajasthan.

"yeh Rahul ji kyon hamare liye musibat khadi kartey hai? Kya jarrorat thi Masood Azhar key saath ji lagane ki? Bhagawn jaaney apney senior netaao ko kyo lagta hai ki aatankwaadiyon ko izzat deney sey musalman khush ho jaayengey? Hum abhi tak Osama bin Laden ji aur Hafeez Saeed Saab ka khamiaza bhugat rahey hain aura ab Masood Azhar ji aur jud gaya! Ab BJP waaley humko buri tarah dhoyege. Rafale ko Masood Azhar ji khaa jaayega," he told this scribe while sipping tea at the Congress office's canteen.

The rough English translation of his observation is: Why does Rahul ji create problems for us? What was the need to add ji with Masood Azhar? God knows why do our senior leaders think that if they respect terrorists then Muslims will be happy? We are still paying the price of Osama ji and Hafeez Saeed sahib and now Masood Azhar ji has been added! Now the BJP supporters will beat us black and blue. Masood Azhar ji will eat up Rafale issue.

It is notable that senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has been targeted by the BJP and common Indian for addressing Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden as "Osama ji " and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed as "Hafiz Saeed sahib ".

As expected, Rahul is also being trolled on the social media by senior BJP leaders, supporters, and commoners for "Masood Azhar ji".

Union Minister Smriti Irani took to Twitter to say that Rahul Gandhi and Pakistan have one thing in common - their love for terrorists.

Another Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted: "Come on Rahul Gandhi Ji! Earlier it were the likes of Digvijay Ji who called Osama Ji and Hafiz Saeed Sahab. Now you are saying Masood Azhar Ji. What is happening to Congress Party? (sic)"

Even BJP's Twitter handle posted a video of Rahul Gandhi referring to the terrorist as 'Masood Azhar ji'.

The topic #Rahullovesterrorists has also been trending across Twitter ever since he made the comment.

The Congress that seemed on the front-foot over Rafale is now on the back-foot and answering BJP's salvos by saying Rahul used "Masood Azhar ji" sarcastically.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "2 questions to BJP & select Bhakt Media,who deliberately seek to twist the Masood' sarcasm of Rahulji - 1) Did NSA Doval not escort & release terrorist Masood Azhar in Kandahar? 2) Did Modiji not invite Pak's rogue ISI to investigate Pathankot terror attack (sic)?"

Rahul had stepped up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rafale after the government told the Supreme Court that stolen information from the Defence Ministry was the basis of The Hindu story on Rafale.

The Congress should introspect if even the Congress workers did not understand Rahul's statement then what kind of sarcasm was it.

It was not sarcasm but blunder in the digital age where a certain portion of a speech can be used as a video clip to turn perception against you. For, politics is all about perception.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 23:00 [IST]
DGCA reviews safety norms in existing Boeing 737 Max fleet, issues list of dos and don'ts

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 12: After 157 people, including four Indians, were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, India's aviation watchdog, the DGCA or Directorate General of Civil Aviation , has reviewed on Tuesday safety norms in existing Boeing 737 Max fleet.

The DGCA has also issued a list of dos and don'ts that must be followed and reviewed the implementation of guidelines issued post Lion air crash.

The DGCA has directed Indian carriers to ensure that pilots have 1,000 hours and co-pilots 500 hours of flying experience on the 737 MAX 8.

Earlier, the DGCA had sought information from Boeing and Indian carriers operating the model, according to the official. These include Jet Airways and SpiceJet.

[Now, Singapore to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Ethiopian Airlines crash]

Multiple airlines around the world, along with the countries of China and Indonesia, have decided to ground Boeing 737 Max-8 planes in the wake of a crash on Sunday that killed 157 people.

Earlier in the day, Singapre will ground Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. Sunday's crash of a new Boeing 737 Max aircraft is the second fatal crash of the type since October last year when an Indonesian Lion Air jetliner crashed with 189 onboard. The Boeing 737 Max has been the company's best selling plane ever. More than 350 Max jets have been delivered.

Officials at Ethiopian Airlines are still trying to determine what caused yesterday's crash; the plane's black box was recovered today, though it's reportedly damaged.

Boeing said on Monday the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash is in its early stages and there is no need to issue new guidance to operators of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft based on the information it has so far.

The 737 MAX 8 is a new model from the US aircraft manufacturer's best-selling 737, which has been operating since 1967. More than 350 Boeing 737-MAX planes have been delivered and more than 5,000 have been ordered worldwide since 2017.
EC wants to help NDA in Bihar, opposition alleges

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: Opposition parties in Bihar on Monday questioned the Election Commission's decision to spread Lok Sabha polls in the state over seven phases and alleged that voting has been staggered with a view to enabling extensive electioneering by the ruing NDAs main crowd-puller - Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state has only 40 Lok Sabha seats and as per the schedule announced on Sunday, only four parliamentary constituencies each will go to polls in the first couple of phases followed by five each in the next three phases. Votes will be cast in the remaining 17 in the last two phases.

With poll dates announced, what candidates can or can't do on social media

It is strange that the number of phases over which voting will be held in Bihar is the same as that of the neighboring Uttar Pradesh where the number of seats is twice as many. In West Bengal too, which has only 42 seats, polling will be held in seven phases, RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwary said here.

He said even in a state like Karnataka, where voting was held in a single phase five years ago, this time there are two phases. It appears the EC has worked out its schedule keeping in mind the convenience of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the NDAs main crowd-puller and needs to campaign extensively in states where the BJP is not on a very strong footing. Be that as it may, this raises a question on the impartiality of the poll panel.

Echoing similar views, Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra said in a state having 40 seats, voting could have been completed easily in four phases. Such a staggered poll schedule seems irrational. The only purpose it may serve is to enable the Prime Minister to reach out to a larger number of constituencies.

A statement to this effect was also issued by former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha, which quit the NDA and joined the Grand Alliance spearheaded by the RJD-Congress combine last year.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections polling was held in six phases in Bihar and in five phases in West Bengal out of a total of nine phases.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: From tackling fake news to monitoring spending, the EC has its hands full

However, chief minister Nitish Kumars JD(U) an NDA ally dismissed the opposition charge.

JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh said there is no scope for ifs and buts once the EC has announced the polls. The opposition is jittery as it is devoid of issues. So sometimes they raise questions on the armed forces and sometimes on the Election Commission.

A tireless campaigner, Modi is known to hold the people in thrall through his oratory. He had made a record of sorts in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which he fought as the BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate, holding rallies in more than 400 constituencies and over 5,000 public interfacing events which included Chai pe charcha programmes held through video-conferencing as also addresses to the public through the use of 3D holograms.
Mamata, Pawar want to keep Congress at bay: Devendra Fadnavis

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Opposition front not possible without Congress: Shiv Sena leader Raut after meeting with Rahul Gandhi

Mamata Banerjee's TMC gives yet another jolt to Congress in Meghalaya; 11 members switch sides

Patidar leader Hardik Patel joins Congress, may contest Lok Sabha polls

India

oi-Deepika S

Ahmedabad, Mar 12: Firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined the Congress party on Tuesday in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi. He is likely to be fielded from the Jamnagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat.

In Jamnagar, where Satvara, Patels, Ahirs, Muslims, Dalits and Kshatriyas are important caste constituents, the BJP is working on a plan to gain their support.

The constituency in the Saurashtra region has nearly 2.5 lakh Patel voters, and the Congress intends to give the BJP a tough fight by fielding him.

All this forms the backdrop for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to be held in Ahmedabad on Monday to mark the historic Dandi March.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP meet on Mar 18 to finalise candidates

There will be a public rally after the CWC meeting in which Mr Patel will formally take the plunge into politics.

The influential Patidar leader had on Sunday announced that he will join Congress on March 12.

He has been convicted and sentenced to two years in a riot case connected to the 2015 Patidar quota agitation, which bars him from contesting polls.

In July last year, the sessions court of Visnagar in Mehsana district had sentenced him to two years imprisonment for rioting and arson which took place in Visnagar town in 2015.

While his jail term has been stayed by the court, his conviction has not been suspended.

Patel has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court.
Chandrababu Naidu cries at press meet; vows to step into Assembly again only after returning to power

In Andhra, Naidu has explaining to do, while Jagan chugs along

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Hyderabad, Mar 12: The simultaneous contest in Andhra Pradesh would be a crucial one to watch out for. The April 11 contest would be a fierce one between the Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party.

A TDP win could give the federal front a boost in Delhi, while a victory for the Jagan Mohan Reddy led, YSRCP could prove favourable for the BJP as he has not been averse to supporting the party.

While the equations in Telangana and AP may be different, Naidu begins with a disadvantage. His party tied up with the Congress to fight the Telangana elections. The TDP won just 2 in comparison to the 16 it had bagged in 2014.

Chandrababu Naidu said that every vote that goes to the YSRCP, got into the account of the TRS. Do the people want a government that will protect their interests or submit to the government of a neighbouring state, he asked.

4 states to have assembly elections, Lok Sabha polls simultaneously

Naidu also faces a big challenge of explaining the alliance he had entered into with the Congress. The alliance ended with the Telangana elections, but he would find it hard to explain about the same on the national front.

The other issues daunting Naidu is why he settled for a special package rather than press for a special category status. His u-turns with alliances would also be another factor that he would need to explain.

In 2014, the TDP and BJP fought together both in the state and Lok Sabha segments. The TDP bagged 103 of the 175 seats, while the BJP got 4. The YSRCP on the other hand bagged 66 seats, while the Congress failed to open its account. In the Lok Sabha segment, the TDP won 15 of the 25 while the BJP got 2. The remaining were bagged by the YSRCP.

The YSRCP, which has not formed an alliance is riding on the popularity of Jagan Mohan Reddy. He recently concluded a 3,648 kilometre long padayatra, which covered 13 district over a span of 348 days. This coupled with the fact that Naidu has backtracked from the special category status are two major issues that the YSRCP would be banking on during this election.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 11:05 [IST]
India grounds Boeing 737-MAX planes

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Mar 12: India became the latest country to ground Boeing 737-MAX planes, days after a similar model of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia killing all 157 on board. India's aviation regulatory authority, DGCA, today said these planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.

India joins UK, Singapore, China, Malaysia and Australia, in grounding the jets after all 157 on board such an aircraft with Ethiopian Airlines died in a crash on Sunday. It was the second fatal accident involving the 737 Max 8 model in less than five months - the previous crash involving a Lion Air aircraft in Indonesia in October last year when it crashed into the sea off Indonesia and killed all 189 on board.

"These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety," a statement issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

[We have full confidence in the safety of 737 MAX aircrafts: Boeing]

In a tweet on Monday, civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu had said that he directed the DGCA to undertake safety assessment of Boeing 737-MAX planes being flown by domestic carriers.

SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five, which are currently grounded.

DGCA had on Monday tightened norms governing the operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. DGCA on Monday ordered additional maintenance checks for the planes operating in the country.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation or DGCA has directed Indian carriers to ensure that pilots have 1,000 hours and co-pilots 500 hours of flying experience on the 737 MAX 8. Full service carrier Jet Airways and low-cost carrier SpiceJet own and operate these aircraft in India.

Earlier in the day, Boeing issued a statement saying that safety is the company's number one priority.

"Safety is Boeing's number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of 737 MAX. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets," the statement said.

"We will continue to engage with them to ensure they've info needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. US Federal Aviation Administration isn't mandating any further action at the time and based on information available, we don't have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," it added.

France and the United Kingdom also banned 737 MAX aircraft from operating in their airspace today. The French civil aviation authority said on Tuesday it had banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from France's airspace after a deadly crash of an Ethiopian plane of the same model.

[UK, Malaysia ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace after deadly Ethiopia crash]

The UK on Tuesday became yet another country to ban the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from its airspace in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the model. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passenger airlines using the aircraft will not be allowed to operate in or over UK airspace "as a precautionary measure" until further notice.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement earlier today that it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months."

The Boeing 737 Max fleet of aircraft are the latest in the company's successful 737 line. The group includes the Max 7, 8, 9 and 10 models. By the end of January, Boeing had delivered 350 of the Max 8 model out of 5,011 orders. A small number of Max 9s are also operating, a BBC report said.

The 737 MAX 8 was launched in 2017. Boeing has delivered more than 370 MAX planes to 47 customers, including leasing firms that place the jets with airlines around the world.

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Story first published: Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 1:06 [IST]
Intelligence assessment shows four intended targets at Balakot were hit

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: The assessment conducted in the aftermath of the Balakot air strike suggests that most of the intended targets were destroyed by the Indian Air Force.

The assessment clearly indicates that only parts of the terror training facility were hit and there was absolutely no civilian casualty.

Sources tell OneIndia that in the aftermath of the strike, not a single journalist was allowed inside the facility of the Jaish-e-Mohammad. Pakistan only allowed journalists selectively around the site.

In Balakot hit, JeM lost a training camp, seminary and two rooms that accommodated terrorists

Pakistan has been citing weather related issues to deny journalists entry, the source also confirmed. Currently most parts of the facility are being repaired, the source also said.

Even those journalists who had visited the site had said that they were prevented from climbing a hill in north-eastern Pakistan to the site of the camp. This Indian officials say has been done by Pakistan as this is the area which was hit by the IAF.

Pakistan has only allowed the media to view selected areas and these do not constitute where the actual terror facility is located. Further a sign with the name of the Jaish-e-Mohammad too has been removed.

The IAF had hit four targets during the air strike. Further it was said that the buildings were hit by 5 S-2000 precision guided munition that were fired from the Mirage 2000. The evidence that was collected us under the classified category and it was entirely up to the government whether or not to release the information. India collected evidence in the form of Synthetic Aperture Radar, which suggested that the four buildings that were selected as targets were hit. Further, following the strike, Pakistan took journalists to the spot and were selectively shown around. No journalist was allowed into the facility, Indian officials have learnt. Moreover the JeM facility was not accessible to anyone, officials also said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 16:24 [IST]
Omicron 1st case in Maharashtra: What we know about it so, far? 12 facts

Omicron in Maharashtra: State adds 2 more cases on Monday to take total tally to 10

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Prakash Ambedkar to fight elections in Maharashtra independently

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 12: Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday declared that he will fight elections in Maharashtra independently. After calling Congress a soft Hindutva party, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Ambedkar has now decided to fight without them.

Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Monday said that the option of him contesting from Solapur is still open.

[In Maharashtra, Congress in talks with Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar]

Confirming at no alliance, Ambedkar told ANI that there will be no alliance between VBA and Congress for coming Lok Sabha elections and VBA will contest on all 48 seats in Maharashtra.

He also said,''VBA announced 22 candidates. Prakash Ambedkar says they'll announce rest 26 candidates by Mar 15.VBA is alliance of Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, AIMIM & JD(S) in Maharashtra.Ambedkar says they offered a formula to Congress but it didn't accept,so alliance couldn't happen.''

Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has expressed his desire to contest from Solapur. The seat is currently held by Bharatiya Janata Party's Sharad Bansode.

Ambedkar, who has good following among Dalits in the constituency, may give a tough competition to Shinde, who is planning a comeback. In the 2014 polls, Shinde was trounced by Sharad Bansode, who was called the giant killer for defeating the veteran Congressman, who was then the Union home minister.

Ambedkar has been refusing to join Congress-NCP led opposition coalition. He had initially demanded 12 seats, which was refused by the combine, who were ready to part with just two.

Ambedkar, who then gave the Congress-NCP a deadline of February 28, had initially announced that he would contest all 48 seats in the state.
Omicron 1st case in Maharashtra: What we know about it so, far? 12 facts

Omicron in Maharashtra: State adds 2 more cases on Monday to take total tally to 10

Major embarrassment for Congress: Son of Maharashtra Opposition leader joins BJP

India

oi-Deepika S

Pune, Mar 12: Sujay Vikhe Patil, son of the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, just a month before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The move comes after NCP chief Sharad Pawar, whose party is in alliance with the Congress in the state, rejected Sujay's request to contest the polls from Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat.

Sujay's father, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, is said to have met Pawar multiple times over the last few days regarding his request, news agency PTI reported.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP meet on Mar 18 to finalise candidates

"Ahmednagar seat was always our seat, there was no point in giving that seat to anyone else. If you look back, NCP even defeated late Balasaheb Vikhe Patil from there and I personally had to face legal case in court from Vikhe

Patil following that. Joining our party was an open option but at no point of time that seat could have been taken away from NCP," Pawar said, as per the news agency.

The BJP was trying hard to persuade both the Vikhe Patil father-son duo to join the party, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

On the other hand, in more troubling news for the Congress, even as party president Rahul Gandhi chaired the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, four Congress MLAs in Telangana reportedly quit the party.

On Monday, Pawar had announced that he will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and had instead decided to launch his grand nephew Parth from Maval constituency.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 13:36 [IST]
Mayawati seeks to reorient BSPs image, describes it as sarv samaj party

BSP implodes ahead of critical UP polls next year: What lies ahead for Mayawati?

BSP to fight solo in UP, Uttarakhand, no tie-up with Owaisi's AIMIM, says Mayawati

'Should not be misled': Mayawati reaches out to Brahmins before UP polls

Congress prime opposition to BJP in UP, will win without SP, BSP alliance: Ajay Kumar Lallu

UP 2022 assembly election survey result: Yogi's government likely to defeat SP, BSP in next polls

Mayawati's former secretary raided by Income Tax dept

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Mar 12: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's former secretary was raided by the Income Tax sleuths on Tuesday over suspected tax evasions amounting to Rs. 100 crore.

The raids are going on at 12 location in Lucknow and Delhi. A retired IAS officer, Net Ram held a key post in Mayawati's government between 2007 and 2012, reported NDTV.

According to reports, Net Ram who was preparing to contest the Loksabha elections in BSP ticket. Net Ram 1979-batch officer, retired as Director General, Uttar Pradesh, Aeronautical Training Institute (ATI), Lucknow.
NIA charges 5 Hizbul operatives for planning terror strikes in Assam

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against five persons associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen for hatching a conspiracy to carry out terror strikes in Assam.

Kamruj Zaman had joined proscribed terrorist organization Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in J&K and was imparted 9 months weapon training in the jungles of district Kishtwar, J&K. On 8 April 2018, a photograph of his brandishing an automatic AK-47 rifle emerged on social media, which was posted by Mannan Wani, slain terrorist of the outfit on his Facebook account.

Samjhauta blast verdict: Special NIA court defers verdict till 14 March

He later escaped to Bangladesh fearing his arrest. After returning from Bangladesh, he conspired and recruited his associates namely Sahnawaz Alom, Saidul Alam, Omar Faruk and others as members of Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen, to raise an HM module in Assam. Further, they conspired to procure arms and ammunition with intent to strike terror in the minds of people. Investigation revealed that they were planning to carry out terrorist acts by way of bomb blast and armed attack in Assam.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 5:54 [IST]
BSP to fight solo in UP, Uttarakhand, no tie-up with Owaisi's AIMIM, says Mayawati

'Should not be misled': Mayawati reaches out to Brahmins before UP polls

No alliance with Congress in any state, says Mayawati

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 12: BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday ruled out any alliance with the Congress in any state for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

"It has been reiterated once again that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will not have any alliance with Congress party in any state, to contest the upcoming elections," Mayawati was quoted by ANI as saying.

The clarification by the BSP chief comes days after days after three of the party leaders - Pradeep Ahirwar, Devdutt Soni and Satyaprakash Sakhwar - shifted loyalty to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier, Congress party's west UP incharge Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the party will fight the general election in Uttar Pradesh on its own strength, asserting the path of his party may be different from that of the SP and the BSP but their objective is the same.

Hardik Patel joins Congress, may contest Lok Sabha polls

Scindia also said that as far as talks for alliances are concerned, "like-minded parties should also think in a like-minded way".

The BSP and SP had already announced an alliance in UP, minus the grand old party.

The BSP will be contesting on 38 seats, while the SP will be fielding candidates on 37 seats. The RLD will be fielding candidates on three constituencies, while two seats of Amethi and Raebareli were said to be left out for the Congress, without any pre-poll understanding.
As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP

What exactly is home ministry doing: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre over Nagaland incident

'No sacrifice too big to win battle', says Rahul Gandhi after key Congress meet

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 12: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said no sacrifice was too great to defeat the RSS and BJP ideology of "fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness".

"On the anniversary of Gandhi Ji's historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger & divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won," Rahul Gandhi, 48, tweeted.

At the Congress Working Committee meet in Ahmedabad, Rahul Gandhi and his mother, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, led discussions on key issues ahead of the April-May national election.

PM Modi wrote today in a blog that anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is Congress culture. Mahatma Gandhi, said the Prime Minister, had understood the Congress culture very well, "which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947".

"In many of his works, Gandhi Ji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, the Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule," PM Modi wrote in the blog, listing a point-by-point contrast of Gandhi's thoughts and "Congress culture".

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.'

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 16:16 [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

NYT refers Pulwama terror attack as 'explosion', Twitterati ask was '9/11 just a plane crash?'

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 12: Twitterati wasn't happy with the New York Times for calling Pulwama attack an 'explosion' and tweeting wrong spelling of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Headlined In India's Election Season, a Bombing Interrupts Modi's Slump and authored by Jeffrey Gettleman, Vindu Goel and Maria Abi-Habib, The New York Times article was about how the 14 February Pulwama terror attack came at a time when questions related to rising unemployment, agrarian crisis and a slow economic were making the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party vulnerable ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019.

The NYT had tweeted: After an explosion in Kashmir and weeks of brinkmanship with Pakistan, many Indians are rallying behind Prime Minister Narandra Modi as elections approach".

Pulwama avenged: From electrician to top terrorist, what we know about Mudasir Ahmed Khan

Twitterati was livid at the fact that NYT chose to use words like 'explosion' and 'bombing' to describe a serious terrorist suicide attack which saw escalation in India-Pakistan hostilities.

However, after the backlash, NYT had deleted the tweet. The article was reshared with an equally tone-deaf insensitive headline.

It still referred to it as 'bombing' even though it was terror attack carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terror organisation thriving on Pakistani soil.

The Indian social media users responded angrily to the twitter post, which was later corrected but the word explosion in relation to Pulwama suicide attack remained.

Here's how Twitterati reacted:

In bizarre, Orwellian language, the NYT's editors describe a terrorist attack in India as an "explosion" (was it a gas cylinder?) and later quietly change it to "bombing" without correction or explanation pic.twitter.com/7RKNst1UJ6  Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) March 12, 2019

So for @nytimesworld #Pulwama was an just an explosion! And of course 9/11 must have been just a plane crash.... https://t.co/4JfzNkDMYq  Shannu Kaw (@ShannuKaw) March 12, 2019

If Pulwama Attack is just an explosion then 9/11 is just accident made by drunk pilot.  BHARATH KN (@BharathRF) March 12, 2019

Suicide terrorist who killed 40 humans ....is rather more than an explosion.

Tell us @nytimes , is a prerequisite to calling it a terror attack is white people dead ? https://t.co/8lrSOmlRVg  Harini Calamur (@calamur) March 12, 2019

if pulwama was an explosion, 9/11 was a plane crash? it's very insensitive of NYT to make light of the losses we suffer from islamic terrorism!  vivek singh (@vivekbabaji) March 11, 2019

If the incident in Pulwama was just an explosion, then 9/11 was a plane crash. My condolences to the Al-Qaeda workers who lost their precious lives just because of a stupid building.  Sanjay Gautam (@Sanjayg551) March 11, 2019

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 17:30 [IST]
Sonia ji unwell, Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress chief: Siddaramaiah as party preps up for CWC meet

CWC: Sonia Gandhi likely to continue as interim chief till full fledged party elections take place

We must fight diabolical campaign of BJP/RSS ideologically: Sonia Gandhi at AICC meet

People are real victims of Modis policies: Sonia Gandhi at Congres CWC meet

India

oi-PTI

New Delh, May 12: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing the "victim card" as she said people of the country were the victims of his "wrong policies".

She was speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel National Memorial here.

According to sources, the senior Congress leader in her address lashed out at the Modi government for 'politicising' issues related to national interest.

Don't get misled, your vote is your weapon, says Priyanka Gandhi in maiden poll address

She also called for highlighting the achievements of the previous UPA government along with emphasising on the need to move forward in providing a new vision for the country.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who also addressed the meeting, talked about the agrarian crisis, hampered industrial growth and unemployment under the present regime at the Centre.

The meeting started with a two-minute silence in memory of the victims of Pulwama terror attack.

The top Congress leadership paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram here.

The day also marks the anniversary of the famous 'Dandi March' started by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930.

'No sacrifice too big to win battle', says Rahul Gandhi after key Congress meet

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.'

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 16:55 [IST]
PM-Kisan 10th installment to roll out by next week: How to check your status and name in beneficiary list?

PM Modi lauds UP govt for the work done for the benefit of sugarcane farmers

PM Modi targets Congress on the anniversary of Dandi march

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wrote a blog paying rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and his supporters on the 89th anniversary of the iconic Dandi March or Salt March and asserted that his government has been carrying out all its works in the true spirit of the guidance of the Father of the Nation.

As an act of non-violent civil disobedience in colonial India, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Dandi March on 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930 to produce salt from the seawater in the coastal village of Dandi (now in Gujarat).

In his blog, he shared some thought on the Dandi March and ideals of 'Bapu'.

The Prime Minister also targeted the 'Congress culture' in his blog, calling it an "anti-thesis of Gandhian thought."

[Congress to sound poll bugle from PM Modi's turf today; Priyanka Gandhi's debut speech]

Taking to Twitter, Modi also shared the link of his blog and also said, "Tributes to Bapu and all those who marched with him to Dandi in pursuit of justice and equality. Sharing a few thoughts on the Dandi March, the ideals of Bapu and his disdain for the Congress culture in my blog."

Here's the blog:

Today, 89 years ago, Bapu embarked on the iconic Dandi March. Though aimed at protesting unfair Salt Laws, Dandi March shook the foundations of colonial rule and became a strong symbol of fighting injustice and inequality.

Did you know who had a key role in the planning of the Dandi March?

The great Sardar Patel.

The organisational man that he was, Sardar Patel planned every minute aspect of the Dandi March, down to the last detail. And, the British were so scared of Sardar Sahib that they arrested him a few days before the launch of Dandi March hoping it would scare Gandhi Ji. However, none of that happened. The larger cause of fighting colonialism prevailed over everything else!

Last month I was in Dandi, at the exact spot where Bapu lifted a handful of salt. A state-of-the-art museum has also come up there, which I urge you all to go see.

Gandhi Ji taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person we have seen and think about how our work impacts that person. I am proud to say that in all aspects of our Government's work, the guiding consideration is to see how it will alleviate poverty and bring prosperity.

Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture.

Bapu said, "...through realisation of freedom of India I hope to realise and carry on the mission of brotherhood of man." In many of his works, Gandhi Ji said that he does not believe in inequality and caste divisions. Sadly, the Congress has never hesitated from dividing society. The worst caste riots and anti-Dalit massacres happened under Congress rule.

Bapu said in 1947, "It is the duty of all leading men, whatever their persuasion or party, to safeguard the dignity of India. That dignity can't be saved if misgovernment and corruption flourish. Misgovernment and corruption always go together." We have done everything to punish the corrupt. But, the nation has seen how Congress and corruption have become synonyms. Name the sector and there will be a Congress scam- from defence, telecom, irrigation, sporting events to agriculture, rural development and more.

Bapu spoke about detachment and staying away from excess wealth. However, all that Congress has done is to fill their own bank accounts and lead luxurious lifestyles at the cost of providing basic necessities to the poor.

While interacting with a group of women workers, Bapu said, "I have been receiving complaints that some so called eminent leaders of India are making money through their sons, that nepotism is on the increase as also is corruption and that I should do something about it. If it is true all one can say is that we have reached the limit of our misfortune." Bapu despised dynastic politics but the 'Dynasty First' is the way for the Congress today.

A firm believer in democracy, Bapu said, "I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong." Ironically, the Congress gave the nation the Emergency, when our democratic spirit was trampled over. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values.

Gandhi Ji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947.

He lamented, "I am sorry to have to say that many Congressmen have looked upon this item (Swaraj) as a mere political necessity and not as something indispensable." He also added that Congress leaders are only busy making communal adjustments. In 1937 itself he said, "I would go to the length of giving the whole congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant."

Thankfully, today we have a Government at the Centre that is working on Bapu's path and a Jan Shakti that is fulfilling his dream of freeing India from the Congress Culture!

Meanwhile, Congress is all set to launch its 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bastion Gujarat today. The principal opposition party has charted out a day long program - which is fully loaded with a "political message" in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
Pulwama avenged: From electrician to top terrorist, what we know about Mudasir Ahmed Khan

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Mar 12: The mastermind of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel was killed in an encounter on Monday. He was killed by security forces in the Tral area of South Kashmir.

The encounter in Pinglish area of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district lasted past midnight in which Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) terrorist Mudasir Ahmed Khan alias 'Mohd Bhai' was among the three terrorists killed, the officials said.

An official note said, it is further informed that one of the two killed terrorists has been identified as Mudasir Ahmad Khan son of Farooq Ahmad Khan resident of Midoora Tral .The incriminating material recovered from the site of encounter, it is understood that the other killed terrorist was a Pakistani national codenamed Khalid. Search in the area is still underway .

Pulwama attack done with a toy, now brace for more warns Jaish-e-Mohammad

Khan had joined the Jaish-e-Mohammad in 2017. He was initially an over ground worker for the JeM, but was later drawn into the mainstream of the outfit by Noor Mohammad Tantrey, the man behind the revival of the terror group in Kashmir.

Khan was in constant touch with the Pulwama bomber, Adil Ahmed Dar and had helped in the logistics as well.

Apart from the Pulwama attack, Khan was also involved in the attack at the army camp in Sunjawan in February 2018 in which six personnel were martyred and a civilian was killed. He was also involved in the Lethapora attack on the CRPF camp in January 2018 in which five CRPF personnel were martyred.

According to the police records, both the killed terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM and were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities. Many terror crime cases were registered against them.

Moreover both terrorists were involved in planning and executing several terror attacks in the area particularly Mudasir who was involved in Case FIR No 150/2018 pertaining to attack on CRPF camp in Lethpora last year and Case FIR No 08/2018 under section 18,19,20 ULAP Act. Pertinently thr investigation so far conducted revealed that Mudasir was one of the key conspirators of the recent Pulwama NH convoy attack.

After Tantray was killed in December 2017, Khan disappeared from his home on January 14, 2018 and has been active since then.

Pulwama attack avenged: Mastermind gunned down by security forces

Suicide attacker Adil Ahmed Dar , who blew his explosive-laden vehicle next to a bus in a CRPF convoy on February 14, had been in constant contact with Khan, officials said.

After completing his graduation, Khan did a one-year diploma course as electrician from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI). The eldest son of a labourer, Khan is also believed to be involved in the terror strike at the army camp in Sunjawan in February 2018, in which six personnel and a civilian were killed.

His role has also come under lens in the Lethpora attack on a CRPF camp in January 2018 that left five CRPF personnel dead.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the February 14 terror attack, had carried out searches at the residence of Khan on February 27.

The 23-year-old electrician behind the Pulwama attack

A Maruti Eeco minivan was used in the Pulwama terror attack and it was bought by another JeM operative just 10 days before the suicide attack.

The JeM operative, identified as Sajjad Bhat, a resident of Bijbehara in south Kashmir, has since been on the run and is believed to have become an active terrorist now, they said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 16:38 [IST]
Pune schoolchildren hold mock elections ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2019

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Pune, March 12: The Election Commission has blown the poll bugle for the Lok Sabha election 2019 and the build-up to the mega political exercise has begun. Almost 900 million people are expected to cast their ballots this time. Though it's only people with an age of 18 or above who are eligible to cast ballots in election in India, young children who are still some years from casting their first vote, have also shown much excitement about the exercise.

For instance, children at Abhinav Pre Primary School in Pune on Monday organised a mock election process to get a taste of how the entire thing works, CNN reported. They promoted a leader, held the voting and counting and came up with the result of the election.

Rajasthan: 15 schools to be named after martyrs

Holding such mock procedures helps the future generation of the country to get an understanding of the system of which they will become a part one day. It is a sign of a healthy democratic culture and being the biggest democracy of the world, India and its people have the responsibility of educating the upcoming generations.

Almost 900 million people are expected to cast their ballots in this election.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 11:13 [IST]
Representation of People Act, 1951: What are electoral offences?

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Voters should know what are the corrupt practices and electoral offences as Lok Sabha elections are approaching fast. The Representation of People Act, 1951 has provides for the conduct of election of the Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Legislature of each State, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses, the corrupt practices and other offences at or in connection with such elections and the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with such elections.

It was introduced in Parliament by law minister Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The Act was enacted by the provisional parliament under Article 327 of Indian Constitution, before the first general election.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea that sought a minimum punishment of two years for electoral offences, including bribery, false statement, undue influence, by candidates and political parties. In 2018, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra refused to entertain a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay that sought to make electoral offences cognisable. In his plea, Upadhyay had alleged that since 2000, apart from general and state assembly elections, bribes were also given to garner support for particular political parties and candidates in by-polls.

Bribery : Sec 123 (1) under The Representation of People Act, 1951

'Bribery', that is to say, -

(A) any gift, offer or promise by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent of any gratification, to any person whomsoever, with the object, directly or indirectly of inducing -

a person to stand or not to stand as, or to withdraw or not to withdraw from being a candidate at an election, or an elector to vote or refrain from voting at an election, or as a reward to -

a person for having so stood, or not stood, or for having withdrawn or not having withdrawn his candidature; or an elector for having voted or refrained from voting;

(B) the receipt of, or agreement to receive, any gratification, whether as a motive or a reward

'Undue influence', that is to say, any direct or indirect interference or attempt to interfere on the part of the candidate, or his agent, or of any other person with the consent of the candidate or his election agent; with the free exercise of any electoral right

Promoting enmity between classes in connection with election: S ec 125 of RPA Act 1951, 153 A of 1960

Any person who in connection with an election, under this Act promotes or attempts to promote on grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language, feelings of enmity or hatred, between different classes of the citizens of India shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or with both.

Restrictions on the printing of pamphlet, posters, etc: Sec 127 A of RPA Act 1951

No person shall print or publish, or cause to be printed or published, any election pamphlet or poster which does not bear on its face the names and addresses of the printer and publisher thereof.

No Person shall print, or cause to be printed any election pamphlet or poster -

Unless a declaration as to the identity of the publisher thereof, signed by him and attested by two persons to whom he is personally known, is delivered by him to the printer in duplicate; and

Unless, within a reasonable time after the printing of the document, one copy of the declaration is sent by the printer, together with one copy of the document printed to such officer as may be authorised by the State Election Commission in this behalf.

Penalty for Government servants or servants of a local self Government institution for acting as election agent, polling agent or counting agent: Section 129 of RPA Act 1951

If any person in the service of the Government or of a local self Government institution acts as an election agent or a polling agent or a counting agent of a candidate at an election, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine or with both.

Prohibition of canvassing in or near polling stations: Section 130 of RPA Act 1951

No person shall, on the date or dates on which a poll is taken at any polling station, commit any of the following acts within the polling station or in any public or private place within a distance of two hundred metres of the polling station namely: -

canvassing for votes; or

soliciting the vote of any elector; or

persuading any elector not to vote for any particular candidate; or

persuading any elector not to vote at the election; or

exhibiting any notice or sign (other than an official notice) relating to the election.

Offence of booth capturing: Sec 135B of RPA Act 1951



Whoever commits an offence of booth capturing shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to three years and with fine, and where such offence is committed by a person in the service of the Government or a local authority, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 17:17 [IST]
RRB ALP, Technician CBT 2 results to be out soon

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) will soon release the notification regarding the exact date and time of the declaration of result for RRB ALP & Technician (CBT 2) on the official website. All those who appeared for the exam will be able to check the result once it is uploaded on the official website.

Earlier, the result was expected to be released in the month of February as per media reports but there is no official confirmation yet on the official website of RRB. Candidates are advised to keep a track on the RRB's Website for latest updates.

RRB Group C Assistant Locomotive Pilot (ALP) and Technician 2018 Second Stage Exam was held between January 21 and January 23, 2019 at various exam centres to recruit a total of 64,371 posts in Indian Railways.

RRB Group D Results 2018: Check score card, answer key released

Steps to download RRB ALP & Technician CBT 2 Result 2019:

Visit the official website.

Click on the link 'RRB ALP & Technician CBT 2 Result 2018-19' flashing on the homepage.

Enter the required credentials and click on the submit button.

The result will be displayed on the screen.

Candidates can download and take a printout of the result for future reference.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 16:10 [IST]
SSC Constable GD 2018: Result on this date

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 12: Staff Selection Commission has announced the result dates for various recruitment examinations which are conducted by the commission. As per a notice posted on the official website, the results for the SSC Constable GD 2018 exam is expected to release on May 31 at its official website.

The SSC concluded the Constable (GD) in CAPFs, NIA, SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination, 2018 yesterday. The exam started on February 11, 2018 and was conducted in 18 schedules.

52,20,335 candidates had registered for the SSC Constable GD examination. Out of these, 30,41,284 candidates appeared for the computer based test, the overall percentage of attendance being 58.26 per cent.

SSC Stenographer 2018 exam results to be out on this date

In a note, SSC has informed that GD Constable recruitment exam was held 54 shifts with three shift per day. There were 297 exam centres available in 125 cities.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 17:03 [IST]
Terror funding: ED attaches plush property of Kashmir separatists fund manager

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: Taking the fight to the separatists and furthering its probe in the terror funding case, the Enforcement Directorate has attached a plush property belonging to Zahoor Watali.

His immovable property in Gurugram, Haryana was attached by the officials of the Enforcement Directorate under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The attached property is valued at Rs 1.3 crore.

Watali was arrested in August 2017 by the National Investigation Agency. He has been accused of being the fund manager to several persons who parked their funds which were received from across the border. The money was being used to cause unrest in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

To hit them where it hurts, ED set to attach plush properties of Kashmiri separatists

ED officials tell OneIndia that they are in the process of identifying more properties belonging to the separatists. The ED has identified properties that are based in Kashmir and New Delhi. In Delhi, the properties identified are at Vasant Kunj, ED sources said.

NIA sources say that during the raids, they had seized incriminating material. The NIA had questioned two maternal uncles of the Mirwaiz - Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat - and his close aides last year. Both of them are retired senior government officers.

The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the financing of terrorist activities, including those who pelted stones on security forces, burnt down schools and damaged government establishments.

The case names Hafeez Saeed, Pakistan-based chief of Jamaat-ud Dawah, the front for banned Lashker-e-Taiba, as an accused, besides organisations such as the Hurriyat Conference (factions led by Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq), Hizbul Mujahideen and Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

The ED on the other hand is in the process of verifying these properties. Some are directly linked while some indirectly, the ED official said. Once the verification is completed, the properties would be attached, the official also added.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:26 [IST]
Three years on, why the elections in Anantnag, J&K would be staggered

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir has been vacant since 2016. The seat held by Mehbooba Mufti was vacated after she became the chief minister of the state.

The elections to be held in this constituency would be staggered. The seat comprises four districts-Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama in South Kashmir. The polls will be held district wise.

Anantnag district will poll in the third phase of the elections on April 23, while Kulgam will go to polls in the fourth phase ie April 29. On May 6 in the fifth phase, the districts of Pulwama and Shopian would go to polls.

The decision to conduct the election in phases was taken on the basis of the feedback by the security forces. Security officials explained the difficulty in conducting the elections in Anantnag. The districts of Shopian and Pulwama are swarming with terrorists. The recent suicide strike at Pulwama was also cited as one of the reasons.

J&K: Militants attack Shairbagh police station with grenade, seven injured

In the elections held in 2018, Anantnag recorded a voting percentage of 28 per cent. In the 2009 polls, this constituency had witnessed a polling percentage of 29.

After Mehbooba vacated the seat, the Election Commission of India had announced that by-polls would be held on April 12 2017. However violent protests that led to the death of seven civilians had led to the polls being postponed. The polls were deferred to May 2017, but owing to the deteriorating situation, the polls later deferred indefinitely.

During the various meetings, security officials said that conducting the elections here would be a great challenge. The challenge would not only be to deal with terrorists, but also to prevent any protests and ensure that there are no civilian casualties.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:40 [IST]
What's new in Purvanchal in 2019: Development board, Priyanka Gandhi and SP-BSP alliance

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru Mar 12: The political battle in Purvanchal has become closely watched contest in the country after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been appointed General Secretary Uttar Pradesh (East). Purvanchal is going to polls in the 7th and last phase of the elections on May 19.

There are 22 districts in the Purvanchal region known for fertile rice-growing plains, dense population, communal polarization and under-development.

In 2014, Purvanchal was swept away by the Modi wave. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) were nowhere in the picture and Congress led by Rahul Gandhi was clueless. In 2019, the BJP has enough issues in its arsenal such as IAF strike after Pulwama attack, Ayodhya dispute and 10 per cent quota to economically weaker sections of the society. Yet, political ambience is not completely in BJP's favour as the SP-BSP alliance will take on the mighty BJP.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: Candidate photos, with party symbols to feature on EVMs

With Lok Sabha elections round the corner, local organisations had been demanding separate statehood for Bundelkhand and Purvanchal with renewed fervour. But, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has contained the discontent to some extent in 2018. The UP Cabinet constituted separate development boards for the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions, both of which chaired by the Chief Minister.

Before the Election Commission announced poll dates, Yogi Adityanath appointed a former Congress-loyalist Dr. Dayashankar Mishra 'Dayalu' as vice-president of Purvanchal Development Board. In fact, Dr. Mishra had joined the BJP in 2014 and before the 2019 elections he has been appointed to Purvanchal Development Board.

According to Avanindra Singh, who runs a news portal in Varanasi, "Out of 22 only three districts have received much attention the region. PM Modi's Varanasi/Banares, Union Minister Manoj Sinha's Ghazipur and Anupriya Patel's Mirzapur have received a lot of attention as far as development is concerned."

"Also, Dr. Dayashankar Mishra 'Dayalu' has been appointed vice-president of Purvanchal Development Board before the elections." He further said that though Congress yet to make significant progress in the region, but old Congress workers have come together after Priyanka's entry.

"Priyanka Gandhi has won the hearts of people by calling off her maiden press conference after the Pulwama attack. Her rapport with people in the region is improving. In the last general elections, there was discontent among party workers. Old Congress workers have come together, " said Avanindra Singh.

News is doing rounds that former Congress MP Rajesh Mishra likely to be Congress candidate from Varanasi, however, the party still hasn't announced the candidate.
Till when does a father have to take responsibility of his child: SC clarifies

Why no mechanism to track unnatural income of netas, SC asks Govt

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Supreme Court has asked the government why it has not set up a permanent mechanism to track the unnatural increase of assets of candidates. The court has sought a response on this issue from the legislative department secretary and sought for a report in 2 weeks.

The court said that there has been no mechanism to track the unnatural increase in the assets of candidates in the last few years.

Not now say SC on plea challenging 10 per cent quota for economically weak

The court also asked why the Form 26 which every candidate is required to fill doe not contain a declaration by the candidate that he or she does not suffer from disqualification under any provision of the Representation of Peoples Act.

The matter will be taken up for hearing after two weeks.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 11:36 [IST]
Going slow on Hafiz Saeed, looking up to Azhar, Pak is only worsening its case at FATF

Did Pakistan ever act against Azhar? Intel reports show, he remained protected always

From plotting a hijack to creating the JeM, why Pakistan guards Masood Azhar so much

With hours to go before Masood Azhars listing, China keeps all guessing

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 12: New Delhi has reached out to key players ahead of listing of Masood Azhar by the United Nations Security Council.

India reached out to Saudi Arabia, the US, UAE and Turkey to gain support to list the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief as a global terrorist. Foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale met with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in Washington and discussed the issue.

On the other hand, Saudi minister, Adel al-Jubeir concluded his trip to India after meeting with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj.

Ban on Masood Azhar: UNSC likely to take up matter on Mar 13; China wants 'responsible solution'

The US in fact would play a crucial role in shaping China's position on the issue. China has time and again blocked the ban on Azhar. The US would reach out to Saudi, Turkey and UAE. All are partners of Pakistan and the stand taken by these countries would be crucial.

China on the other hand has said that it has adopted a responsible attitude and followed the rules and procedures of the UNSC Resolution 1267 sanctions committee. China's position on the designation of a terrorist by the 1267 committee is consistent and clear.

China adopted responsible attitudes, follows rules and procedures of this committee and takes part in these discussions in a responsible manner, China had also said.

On being asked at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang said that China has engaged in mediation efforts on both sides and helped talks to promote easing of tensions.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:11 [IST]
Capitalism is 'under serious threat', warns Raghuram Rajan

International

pti-PTI

London, Mar 12: Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan Tuesday warned that capitalism is under "serious threat" of a "revolt" as the economic and political system has stopped providing for the people, especially after the 2008 global financial meltdown.

Rajan, now a professor at the University of Chicago, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that governments across the world cannot afford to ignore social inequality when considering the economy.

"I think capitalism is under serious threat because it's stopped providing for the many, and when that happens, the many revolt against capitalism," the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

Rajan said he believes that capitalism is breaking down because it is not providing equal opportunities.

UK revokes citizenships of two more IS brides, both sisters

"It's not providing equal opportunity and in fact the people who are falling off are in a much worse situation," he said. He said authoritarian regimes arise "when you socialise all the means of production".

"A balance is needed, you can't pick and choose - what you need to do is improve opportunity," he said.

Rajan, tipped by some as a possible successor to take over from Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England, said it was possible in the past to obtain a middle class job with "modest education".

But the landscape has changed in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and the resulting austerity. "Now, if you really want to succeed, you need a really good education," he said.

"Unfortunately, the very communities that are hit by the forces of global trade and global information tend to be communities which have deteriorating schools, rising crime, rising social illnesses and are unable to prepare their members for the global economy," he said.

A recent report from S&P Global Ratings suggests another global credit downturn is possible, with a 50 per cent surge in worldwide debt since the global financial crisis.

It said since 2008, government debt has risen 77 per cent while corporate debt is up 51 per cent. However, the analysts said the next downturn is unlikely to be as severe as the 2008 financial crisis. In discussing the state of the global economy, Rajan also pointed to the challenges of putting limits on the trade of goods.

"If you put up those barriers, then down the line they'll put up barriers to our goods. How are you going to keep the goods flowing across those borders when we need to send them?" he asked.

PTI
China: Drunk man on bike quarrels with street dog for 30 minutes; loses eventually

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Beijing, March 12: There is nothing drunk men cannot do. A man in Changshu city in Jiangsu province of China recently had the most bizarre experience of his life when he got into an intense argument with a street dog and lost it too!

It happened in the night of March 3 when the man, riding his motorbike back home after a night of drinking, confronted the dog that barked and chased after him as he vroomed down an empty road, Shanghaiist reported. The man, inebriated, was not in a mood to retreat and he stopped his vehicle and started shouting back at the dog. The man was identified with a surname of Shao.

With hours to go before Masood Azhar's listing, China keeps all guessing

The man-animal verbal duel went one for half an hour and even though the dog was more intelligent to give it up and return inside the gate of a compound, Shao was not giving up yet. He drove his motorbike forward apparently aiming to break open the gate.

People inside the gate were alerted at this and they called the police who soon came and detained the man.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:31 [IST]
China: Robber sees victim has no more money in her account; returns stolen amount

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Beijing, March 12: He came to rob some money but the human in him prevailed at the end. A robber received praise online for returning the money he stole from a woman after finding that she had no money left in her bank account. The interesting incident happened in the city of Heyuan in China's Guangdong city.

Surveillance camera footage from an ICBC Bank in a night last month showed a woman, surnamed Li, withdrawing money from an ATM when a man with a knife came behind her. The terrified woman handed over 2,500 yuan (almost Rs 26,000) she had just withdrawn.

China: Drunk man on bike quarrels with street dog for 30 minutes; loses eventually

Aiming for more, the robber then asked her to show him her bank balance. When she showed him that she had no more money left in her account, the robber returned her stolen amount and left with a smile, Shanghaiist reported.

However, the man was later traced and his charity did not save him from facing the law. He was taken by the police to custody.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:55 [IST]
UK, Malaysia ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace after deadly Ethiopia crash

International

oi-Vikas SV

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 12: After China, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia, Malaysia has now banned the Boeing's 737 Max 8 planes from operating in its airspace. And as per latest reports, even the United Kingdom has now banned Boeing's 737 Max 8 frpom operating in its airspace.

This comes after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Max 8 crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. Sunday's crash was second fatal accident involving Boeing's 737 Max 8 plane in less than five months.

A Lion Air 737 Max 8 crashed in October 2018, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

DGCA reviews safety norms in existing Boeing 737 Max fleet, issues list of dos and don'ts

Even India's aviation regulator DGCA has tightened norms governing the operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. DGCA on Monday ordered additional maintenance checks for the planes operating in the country.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation or DGCA has directed Indian carriers to ensure that pilots have 1,000 hours and co-pilots 500 hours of flying experience on the 737 MAX 8. Full service carrier Jet Airways and low-cost carrier SpiceJet own and operate these aircraft in India.

Several airlines and regulators around the world have already grounded the Max 8 model following the crash.

Ethiopian Airlines grounds Boeing 737 MAX fleet after deadly crash

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), of the United States, told airlines on Monday that it believes Boeing's 737 Max 8 model to be airworthy, despite the two fatal crashes, said reports.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement earlier today that it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months."

The Boeing 737 Max fleet of aircraft are the latest in the company's successful 737 line. The group includes the Max 7, 8, 9 and 10 models. By the end of January, Boeing had delivered 350 of the Max 8 model out of 5,011 orders. A small number of Max 9s are also operating, a BBC report said.

Now, Singapore to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Ethiopian Airlines crash

The 737 MAX 8 was launched in 2017. Boeing has delivered more than 370 MAX planes to 47 customers, including leasing firms that place the jets with airlines around the world.

Boeing said on Monday the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash is in its early stages and there is no need to issue new guidance to operators of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft based on the information it has so far. The 737 MAX 8 is a new model from the US aircraft manufacturer's best-selling 737, which has been operating since 1967. More than 350 Boeing 737-MAX planes have been delivered and more than 5,000 have been ordered worldwide since 2017.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 19:23 [IST]
UK woman lost ability to talk after stroke; years later, she develops Russian accent

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

London, March 12: Often, a stroke paralyses human capacity to walk and talk. A woman in the UK also faced a similar ordeal and was told by her doctors that she would not be able to walk and talk again. She though has regained her speech but there is something strange that has happened to her accent and voice.

Rose Griffiths, a resident of Liverpool, was delighted to get her speaking ability back. However, to the amazement of her friends and families, she has developed a strong Russian accent!

"At first I wasn't able to communicate with the outside world and it was very frustrating. I always thought I would be like this, but knew I wanted to get better. When my speech came back, at first I had a Russian accent although I was born in Liverpool City Centre," 69-year-old Rose was quoted as saying by Metro, UK.

UK revokes citizenships of two more IS brides, both sisters

Medical experts said Rose's change of accent showed that she had a Foreign Accent Syndrome, a condition that sees a drastic change in a person's speech pattern.

Rose had a stroke in 2014 while she was working. She lost the ability to move her right side and was unable to read, write or speak, Metro added. The doctors said there was little hope of her getting back to normalcy though to their surprise, Rose regained her speech with a foreign accent a few years later.

Her strong Liverpudlian accent though has completely disappeared.

Rose is though not concerned much. "I'll never get my own accent back. As long as I am able to speak again, I don't care what accent I have. My daughters were marvellous and never gave up on me, they helped me to get to where I am now," she said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 10:05 [IST]
We have full confidence in the safety of 737 MAX aircraft: Boeing

International

oi-Vikas SV

New York, Mar 12: In the wake of several countries grounding 737 MAX 8 aircrafts after the Ethiopia plane crash on Sunday, the manufacturer of these aircraft, Boeing, has issued a statement saying that safety is the company's number one priority.

"Safety is Boeing's number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of 737 MAX. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets," the statement said.

We will continue to engage with them to ensure they've info needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. US Federal Aviation Administration isn't mandating any further action at the time and based on information available, we don't have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," it added.

France and the United Kingdom became the latest countries to ban 737 MAX aircraft from operating in their airspace. The French civil aviation authority said on Tuesday it had banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from France's airspace after a deadly crash of an Ethiopian plane of the same model.

[UK, Malaysia ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace after deadly Ethiopia crash]

The UK on Tuesday became yet another country to ban the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from its airspace in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the model. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passenger airlines using the aircraft will not be allowed to operate in or over UK airspace "as a precautionary measure" until further notice.

Norwegian Airlines, which flies planes out of the UK, has also suspended flights of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The UK joins Singapore, China, Malaysia and Australia, in grounding the jets after all 157 on board such an aircraft with Ethiopian Airlines died in a crash on Sunday.

It was the second fatal accident involving the 737 Max 8 model in less than five months - the previous crash involving a Lion Air aircraft in Indonesia in October last year when it crashed into the sea off Indonesia and killed all 189 on board. US officials say the aircraft are still safe to fly.

[DGCA reviews safety norms in existing Boeing 737 Max fleet, issues list of dos and don'ts]

But the largest operator of 737 Max 8s in the US, Southwest Airlines, is offering passengers scheduled to fly on one of the Boeing planes the chance to change their bookings. Boeing said it had been developing a flight control software enhancement for several months since the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster last month.
Delhi: Cops busts online racket, arrests 6 for cheating

New Delhi

pti-PTI

New Delhi, March 12: The Delhi Police has arrested six persons for allegedly cheating people, mostly residing in the US and Europe, on the pretext of providing them online technical assistance, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Mohit Bansal, Udit, Yashwant Singh, Guraman Singh, Rohit Chauhan and Pfokreni Kayio, ran an illegal telephone exchange and used a foreign Internet Protocol (IP) address to lure their victims, they added.

Cash worth Rs 7.40 lakh, information technology equipment including several servers, routers, SIM box, hard disks, SIM cards used by them have been seized from them, the police said. On March 7, police received a tip-off regarding the racket being operated from Anupam Building in Pitampura.

[Beaten by friend for debt of Rs 1,000, man returns 3 years later to kill him]

They raided the location and found that the place was being used to run an office from where the accused made and received international calls using dialer through VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Throwing light on the modus operandi, Rajiv Ranjan, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), said the victims comprised the customer base of Google, Facebook, Paypal, Apple who would seek help with their passwords and other technical hindrances. During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused registered themselves on Google Search Engine's paid services licence for helping customers in troubleshooting, the police said.

They would increase their online presence by keeping them on the top slot of search result, they said.

"This coaxed the unsuspecting customer to call the prominently available number on the first page. The customer did not doubt as the helpline number provided by them was on the top of the search result," the officer said.

He added that they received nearly 50 calls per day and would get around USD 50 for every call.

"When the customer would call the given customer care number, the same was routed to them in India by their counterparts based abroad. It was then, the less savvy customer were lured to buy Google Play cards and divulge the other details including bank account numbers on the pretext of fixing their technical issues," the officer said.

[Godmother of crime in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar caught: Police]

They would then redeem the cards online, each mostly worth USD 50, through a Chinese company.

"The security code of Google Play Card provided by the customer was given to the blocker who would offer higher rate. The blocker based somewhere in India or abroad would get it redeemed online from China and the money was routed through illegal monetary transactions to them in Delhi," the officer said.

Rajan added that they were bypassing the legal International Gateways and purchasing the VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) minutes from unauthorised Internet Service Providers and their act was causing a "huge loss" to the government exchequer.

"The potential loss caused by them is being assessed. Most of the victims were from the United State of America and other European countries," the police said.

PTI
Opalesque Industry Update - The Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index gained 0.86% in February, supported by the global equity market which continued to rebound over a potential resolution of the US-China trade friction. Hedge fund managers focusing on developed markets and Asia posted gains during the month, while Latin America and Eastern Europe mandates languished into the red. North American fund managers gained 1.46% during the month, while those focusing on Asia ex-Japan generated 2.77% returns. On a year-to-date basis, the two mandates were up 5.01% and 5.32% respectively. The market anticipation over the end of the trade war resulted in a strong boost for the Chinese equity markets, with most of the major Chinese equity indices recording double-digit gains over the month. The Eurekahedge Greater China Hedge Fund Index gained 7.04% in February, bringing its year-to-date return to 11.94% over the first two months of 2019. Roughly 65.6% of the underlying constituents of the Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index posted positive returns in February. Fund managers utilising equity long-biased strategies topped the table with their 8.03% gain over the first two months of the year, while on the other end of the spectrum long volatility strategic mandate was down 6.47% year-to-date as market volatilities remained suppressed throughout January and February. Key highlights for the month of February 2019: - Hedge fund managers returned 0.86% in February, bringing their year-to-date gains to 3.22% as global equity markets continued to rebound during the month. The MSCI ACWI (Local) was up 3.03% in February and 10.61% year-to-date. - On an asset-weighted basis, hedge funds were up 0.30% in February, as captured by the Mizuho Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index (USD). The index was up 1.90% year-to-date after registering a loss of 4.30% throughout 2018. - North American fund managers gained 1.46% in February, as the region's equity markets reacted positively to the dovish tone of the Fed and hopes that the US-China trade relations could improve. - The Eurekahedge European Hedge Fund Index gained 0.26% in February, as signs of slowing economic growth persisted within the Eurozone. - The Eurekahedge Commodity Hedge Fund Index gained 2.06% during the month, with managers citing the strength in energy sector and industrial metals as return drivers. - Fund managers utilising AI/machine learning strategies were up 0.60% in February, bringing their year-to-date returns to 2.96%. The Eurekahedge AI Hedge Fund Index was down 5.26% in 2018. - The Eurekahedge Crypto-Currency Hedge Fund Index gained 12.74% in February, recording its best month in nearly a year. Roughly half of the underlying crypto-currency hedge funds managed to outperform Bitcoin which gained 9.65% during the month. - The Eurekahedge ILS Advisers Index slumped 0.39% in February, bringing its 2019 year-to-date return to 0.11%. ILS fund managers ended 2018 down 3.92% as the catastrophic losses suffered during the year's Atlantic hurricane season weighed on their returns. Regional Indices North American fund managers gained 5.01% as of February year-to-date, recovering from the losses they suffered over the last quarter of 2018. The cautious tone of the Fed and anticipation over the US-China trade talk outcome as they entered the final phase of the negotiations helped equity markets gain during the month. The Eurekahedge European Hedge Fund Index gained 0.26% in February, as the risk-on sentiment among investors was dampened by signs of weakening growth. Asia ex-Japan mandate continued to rebound in February, as the US-China trade talk supported a strong rally in the Chinese equity markets. The Eurekahedge Asia ex Japan Hedge Fund Index was up 2.77% during the month. Strategy Indices Returns were mostly positive across strategic mandates in February. The commodity hedge fund mandate outperformed most of its peers with a 2.06% return over the month, owing to the strong recovery of oil prices, which resulted from OPEC's production cut decision. Event driven and long/short equities strategies benefited from the upward movement in the equity markets around the globe and ended the month up 1.33% and 1.28% respectively. Fixed income fund managers gained 0.69% in February, as the dovish stance of most central banks from developed economies led to lower bond yield during the month.
What are the New Trends and Advancements in the MVNO Market? | Global Key Player: Asda, AT&T, Etisalat, MTN, O2, Orange, SK Telecom, Sprint, T-Mobile, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Three., U.S. Cellular, Verizon, Vodafone

MVNO Market

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Growing number of customers opting for cost-effective services is driving the MVNO market. Companies that offer voice & SMS services, limited data, and inexpensive devices are increasing. These companies are targeting and successfully attracting the price-conscious customers using traditional marketing channels such as physical stores and limited budgets. This allows the companies to generate profits, encouraging the new players to enter the industry.View Complete Summary :Rising trend of M2M connectivity and IoT is expected to drive the MVNO market with a number of IoT devices in use projected to reach about 20.5 billion by 2020. These devices require connectivity to leverage their full potential, creating opportunities for the players in the industry. High degree of agility and high innovation capabilities of these players make them an attractive option in the IoT connectivity space. Due to this, the players have a tremendous growth potential, particularly in the connected cars and smart cities applications. Companies such as PodM2M, a player in the industry catering to the mission-critical connectivity solutions, are collaborating with industries and institutes to provide customized services. PodM2M provides IoT connectivity to the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) to connect 20,000 weather monitoring stations across the African sub-continent.MVNO Market, By Business Model1. Full MVNO2. Light MVNO3. Service Provider MVNO4. Branded ResellerRequest for Sample Copy of This Report @The light MVNO market is anticipated to witness growth at over 12.5% due to the increasing adoption and consumer focus on low-cost services. The business model requires low investment, allowing a large number of players with low budgets to enter the industry. Also, the players with this business model can focus on niche customer segments that are difficult for an MNO to address. Increasing demand for customized offerings will provide growth opportunities to the light MVNO market.The Germany MVNO market has witnessed a significant growth with revenue of around USD 11.0 billion and over 48 million subscribers in 2017. As a part of the consolidation wave in Europe in 2014, the industry witnessed the consolidation of E-Plus and O2, resulting in the price competition. To regulate the competition, the regulators imposed the access of about 30% joint network capabilities to the MVNOs in the country, thus increasing the penetration of these services. Furthermore, the consolidation of 1&1 Telecommunications SE and Drillisch will provide viable growth opportunities to the providers.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @The China MVNO market is expected to grow at CAGR of 16% from 2018 to 2024 with over 59 million subscribers due to the imposition of favorable regulations. In 2014, the Ministry of Industry and Information of China issued 37 MVNO licenses to increase the competition in the mobile sector. In 2018, the government announced the issue of formal licenses to private firms that resell mobile services as virtual networks. The industry in China is characterized by low ARPU and high focus on low-end prepaid users.Some of the key players in the MVNO market include Asda, AT&T, Etisalat, MTN, O2 (Telefonica UK), Orange, SK Telecom, Sprint,T-Mobile, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Three.,U.S. Cellular, Verizon, Vodafone.Industry News: -The MVNO market is characterized by intense competition among the players due to the highly fragmented nature of the industry. Frequent partnerships and collaborations among the companies are witnessed across regions to develop innovative solutions. In Australia, Network Communications and Optus have collaborated to form Charity Mobile, an MVNO that creates a social impact by donating five percent of their bill to charitable organizations. In the UK, Vodafone and O2 have established Green Mobile that allows customers to donate five percent of their bill amount to green charities such as World Land Trust.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:
Cosmetics & Toiletries in China Market Growth Rate, Volume Analysis by Category, and Top Market Players-L`Oreal S.A., Amway Corporation, C.F.E.B. Sisley S.A.S.

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Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently broadcasted a new study to its broad research portfolio, which is titled as Country Profile: Cosmetics & Toiletries in China provides an in-depth analysis of the Cosmetics & Toiletries in China with the forecast of market size and growth. The analysis includes addressable market, market by volume, market share by business type and by segment (external and in-house).The research study examines the Cosmetics & Toiletries in China on the basis of a number of criteria, such as the product type, application, and its geographical presence.The whole supply chain of Cosmetics & Toiletries in China has been explained with statistical details with a special emphasis on various upstream and downstream components. The current trends pertaining to the demand, supply, and sales of Cosmetics & Toiletries in China, together with the recent developments have been given here to provide an exhaustive picture of this market.Request for sample copy of this reportCountry Profile: Cosmetics & Toiletries in ChinaSummaryThe Chinese Cosmetics & Toiletries industry is led by the Skincare sector in both value and volume terms while the Haircare sector is expected to register the fastest value growth during 2017-2022. Hypermarkets & Supermarkets is the leading channel for the distribution of Cosmetics & Toiletries in the country. Flexible Packaging is the most commonly used package material in the industry. L`Oreal S.A., Amway Corporation and C.F.E.B. Sisley S.A.S. are the leading market players in the Chinese Cosmetics & Toiletries industry.GlobalDatas Country Profile report on the cosmetics & toiletries industry in China provides insights on high growth categories to target, trends in the usage of package materials, category level distribution channel data and market share of brands.What else is contained?- Industry data: Overall industry value and volume data with growth analysis for 2013-2023.- Sector coverage: Value and growth analysis for feminine hygiene, fragrances, haircare, make-up, male toiletries, oral hygiene, personal hygiene, skincare and suncare with inputs on individual segment share within each sector and the change in their market share forecast for 2018-2023.- Distribution data: Percentage of sales within each sector through distribution channels such as hypermarkets & supermarkets, health & beauty stores, department stores, convenience stores, drugstores & pharmacies, cash & carries and warehouse clubs, dollar stores, variety store & general merchandise retailers, vending machines, e-retailers, chemists/pharmacies, parapharmacies/drugstores, direct sellers, and other general retailers.- Leading players: Market share of brands and private labels in value terms in 2018.- Packaging data: consumption breakdown for package materials and pack types in each sector in terms of percentage share of number of units sold. Pack material data for flexible packaging, rigid plastics, rigid metal, glass and others; pack type data for: Bottle, tube, aerosol, tub, bag/sachet, and jar.Scope- The per capita consumption of cosmetics & toiletries was higher in China compared to the regional level in 2018- Skincare is the largest sector in the cosmetics & toiletries industry in China- Hypermarkets & supermarkets is the leading distribution channel in the Chinese cosmetics & toiletries industry- Mary Kay is the leading brand in the Chinese cosmetics & toiletries industry- Flexible packaging is the most commonly used pack material in the Chinese cosmetics & toiletries industry- Mid-Lifers account for the leading share in the consumption of Cosmetics & Toiletries in China.Reasons to buy- Identify high potential sectors and explore further market opportunities based on detailed value and volume analysis.- Existing and new players can analyze key distribution channels to identify and evaluate trends and opportunities.- Gain an understanding of the total competitive landscape based on detailed brand share analysis to plan effective market positioning.- Our team of analysts have placed a significant emphasis on changes expected in the market that will provide a clear picture of the opportunities that can be tapped over the next five years, resulting in revenue expansion.- The packaging analysis report helps manufacturers, in identifying the most commonly used packaging materials in the industry.- Analysis on key macro-economic indicators such as real GDP, nominal GDP, consumer price index, household consumption expenditure, population (by age group, gender, rurral-urban split, and employed people and unemployment rate. It also includes economic summary of the country along with labor market and demographic trends.Browse Full Report with TOCTable of ContentsReport scopeExecutive summaryChina in the global and regional contextChina in the global and Asia-Pacific cosmetics & toiletries industryChina compared to other leading countries in Asia-PacificPer capita consumption and expenditure - China compared to Asia-Pacific and global levelIndustry analysis - cosmetics & toiletriesCountry snapshot - cosmetics & toiletries industry in ChinaValue and volume analysis - cosmetics & toiletries industry in ChinaCross sector comparison - value and growth rateChange in sector share by valueCross sector comparison - volume and growth rateChange in sector share by volumePer capita consumption analysis by sectorSector analysis: feminine hygieneCategory analysis (in value terms): feminine hygieneCategory analysis (in volume terms): feminine hygieneTo be continue@@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like retail market research and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
Small Gas Engines Market 2019-2022 Worldwide Overview, Growth, Analysis By Prominent Players Like Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yamaha Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Kohler Co., Briggs & Stratton Corp, Subaru Ltd.

Small Gas Engines Market

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The market for small engines is uniquely subjected to changes in the factors of the housing market and weather conditions. The boom in the housing market leads to increase in lawn and maintenance products which use small engines and therefore drives demand whereas in the case of weather, optimal weather conditions help along in maintaining the lawns and other related fields where small engines are employed thereby positively contributing to demand. Small gas engines have numerous applications ranging from to machines used in the landscaping sector to ATVs, go-karts etc. Due to this the market is seeing a strong demand surge. The market for small engines has grown very well since the start of industrialization. As technology progressed the engines got better with the power and features of such engines undergoing an enormous upgrade.Prominent PlayersKawasaki Heavy Industries (Japan), Yamaha Motor Corp. (Japan), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Japan), Kohler Co. (U.S.), Briggs & Stratton Corporation (U.S.). Some of the other important players in the segment are Generac Power Systems (U.S.), Subaru ltd. (Japan), Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine Company (U.S.)Get Free Sample Report @Industry News May 2017 Sunbelt Rentals, one of the largest equipment rental companies in North America with a branch network of more than 600 locations has recently invested in nearly 700 pieces of equipment powered by KOHLER Engines. Aug 2017 The Engines Division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. is expanding its distribution network and is supplementing it with 15,000-square feet. The unit is known for its distribution of gasoline engines for landscape, industrial, and consumer markets. Oct 2017 The KOHLER 5400 Series which has been designed to bring easy starting and quiet, smooth operation to lawn tractor applications with the new single-cylinder engine line includes models between 17 and 19.5 hp.Competitive AnalysisWith the entry of industry players in the global small gas engines segment, a trend of solid, volume-driven growth has been observed in the market with the development of different varieties of engines. With companies aiming to capture a considerable share of the market segment as early as possible, they are competing and experimenting with various advantage points. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies.Intended Audience Small gas engine manufacturers Distributer & Supplier companies End Users consultants and Investment bankers Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesGlobal Small Gas Engines Market  SegmentsThe global small gas engines market has been segmented on the basis of engine displacement, equipment, application and by regions.On the basis of engine displacement, the global small gas engines market segmented into 20-100cc, 101-400cc and 401-650cc.On the basis of equipment, the global small gas engines market segmented into lawnmower, chainsaw, screed, pressure washer, trimmer and othersOn the basis of application, the global small gas engines market segmented into gardening, industrial, construction and othersOn the basis of region, the global small gas engines market segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific And Row.Small Gas Engines Regional Market AnalysisAs per the report, the market has been divided into following regions which includes Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and Latin America. North America is the largest region in the small gas engines market due to the increase in the number of golf course in the region which drives the demand for small gas engines. The developed countries in the region are focusing on construction of smart and green buildings which lead to need of maintain gardens near buildings. This maintenance of gardens requires machinery such as lawnmowers and others which further drive the market of small gas engines in the region.Access Full Research Report @MAJOR TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope Of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Network Solution2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size Estimation3 Market Dynamics3.1 Introduction3.2 Market Drivers3.3 Market Challenges3.4 Market Opportunities3.5 Market RestraintsContinueAbout 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 Components, Application, Logistics 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.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Aircraft MRO Industry (Market) growth Analysis by Top Key Players | 2019-2024

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Aircraft MRO is the description of maintenance repair and overhaul to aircraft, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is a key activity in the lifecycle of aircraft. Because of the typically long operational lifetimes expected from these costly assets, MRO is necessary to maintain these systems in a safe and functional condition, so that they can fulfill the operational role that they were designed for. This report mainly covers four market segments: Airframe, Engine, Component and LineScope of the Report:Request Sample At:This report focuses on the Aircraft MRO in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversLufthansa TechnikGE AviationAFI KLM E&MST AerospaceMTUAARSR Technics (Mubadala)SIA EngineeringDelta TechOpsHaecoAmeco BeijingIberia MaintenanceANAJAL EngineeringKorean AirKAIEnquire About Report@Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth 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)Market Segment by Type, coversAirframeEngineComponentLineAccess Full report@Our prime objective is to cater to research requirements of organizations, investors, stakeholders, and new entrants by serving them with appropriate reports within their budgetary constraints. Our advanced search algorithms on the website will guide you in finding the reports you are looking for through a systematic approach. Along with offering appropriate research studies that align with the growth targets and strategies, we closely work with clients to understand their customization needs and publishers to convey the requirements and serve better.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
Car Wash System Market World Technology, Development Status, Industry Size & Share, Segments And Forecasts 2019-2023

Car Wash System Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Car Wash System Market World Technology, Development Status, Industry Size & Share, Segments And Forecasts 2019-2023.Car Wash System Industry 2019Description:-This report analyzes the car wash system market by type (gantry car washes, conveyor tunnel system, self-service car washes), process (cloth friction, touch less), components (brushes, jet spray, dryers, sensors, controllers, pump), applications; it also studies the top manufacturers in the market.The car wash system market is projected to grow a CAGR of around 3% during the forecast period.The major players in car wash system market include: WashTec AG (Germany) Daifuku Co., Ltd (Japan) Otto Christ AG (Germany) Istobal, S.A. (Spain) Ryko Solutions, Inc (U.S.) MK SEIKO CO., LTD (Japan) D&S Car Wash Equipment Company (U.S.) PECO Car Wash Systems (U.S.) Washworld, Inc. (U.S.) Autoequip Lavaggi S.R.L. (Italy)Get a Free Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe market revenue and share have been analyzed with respect to the following regions and countries:AmericasNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeU.K.FranceGermanyItalyRest of EuropeAsia-PacificChinaJapanIndiaRest of Asia-PacificRest of The WorldOn the basis of type, the car wash system market has been categorized into the following segments: Gantry Car Washes Conveyor Tunnel System Self-service Car WashesOn the basis of process, the car wash system market has been categorized into the following segments: Cloth Friction Touch lessOn the basis of components, the car wash system market has been categorized into the following segments: Brushes Jet Spray Dryers Sensors Controllers PumpOn the basis of applications, the car wash system market has been categorized into the following segments: Passenger car Commercial vehicle.Enquiry About Report @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Executive Summary2 Scope Of The Report2.1 Market Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Definition2.2.2 Research Objective2.2.3 Assumptions2.2.4 Limitations2.3 Research Process2.3.1 Primary Research2.3.2 Secondary Research2.4 Market Size Estimation2.5 Forecast Model3 Market Landscape3.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis3.1.1 Threat Of New Entrants3.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers3.1.3 Threat Of Substitutes3.1.4 Segment Rivalry3.1.5 Bargaining Power Of Buyers3.2 Value Chain/Supply Chain Analysis4 Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Market Drivers4.3 Market Restraints4.4 Market Opportunities4.5 Market Trends5 Global Car Wash System Market, By Type5.1 Introduction5.2 Gantry Car Washes5.2.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20235.2.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20235.3 Conveyor Tunnel System5.3.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20235.3.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20235.4 Self-Service Car Washes5.4.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20235.4.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20235.5 Others5.5.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20235.5.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20236 Global Car Wash System Market, By Process6.1 Introduction6.2 Cloth Friction Car Washing6.2.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20236.2.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20236.3 Touch Less Car Washing6.3.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20236.3.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-2023ContinuedBuy 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.
Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market 2027 Rising Trends and New Technologies Research Report with Novartis AG, Pfizer, Merck and Co., Glaxosmithkline, Astrazeneca PLC, Aegis Therapeutics, Aptargroup

Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market to 2027

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Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market - Global Analysis to 2027 is an expert compiled study which provides a holistic view of the market covering current trends and future scope with respect to product/service, the report also covers competitive analysis to understand the presence of key vendors in the companies by analyzing their product/services, key financial facts, details SWOT analysis and key development in last three years. Further chapter such as industry landscape and competitive landscape provides the reader with recent company level insights covering mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations, new product developments/strategies taking place across the ecosystem. The chapters also evaluate the key vendors by mapping all the relevant products and services to exhibit the ranking/position of top 5 key vendors.MARKET INTRODUCTIONAdministration of drug through nasal route is an alternative of parenteral route which is also known as nasal drug delivery system. The nasal drug administration has been used as an alternative route for the systemic availability of drugs that are restricted to intravenous administration. This technology provides easy to administration, patient compliance, low dose requirement, bypass first pass metabolism, excellent penetration rapid absorption and gives desirable effects. Many drug delivery devices for nasal application of liquid, semisolid and solid formulation are investigated to deliver the drugs to the treat most CNS diseases such as, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.Ask for a Sample of this Report Now at:Key Benefits- To provide detailed information regarding the major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and trends) influencing the growth of the global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market To forecast the size of the market segments with respect to four major regional segments, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (Latin America and the Middle East & Africa)MARKET SCOPEThe "Global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market Analysis to 2027" is a specialized and in-depth study of the pharmaceutical industry with a special focus on the global market trend analysis. The report aims to provide an overview of nasal drug delivery technology market with detailed market segmentation by systems, containers, dosage form, therapeutic application, end user and geography. The global nasal drug delivery technology market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading nasal drug delivery technology market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.MARKET SEGMENTATIONThe global nasal drug delivery technology market is segmented on the basis of systems, containers, dosage form, therapeutic application and end user. Based on systems, the market is segmented as, unit dose, bi-dose and multi dose. On the basis of containers, the market is segmented into, pressurized containers and non-pressurized containers. Based on the dosage form, the nasal drug delivery technology market is classified as, nasal powders, nasal gels, nasal drops & liquids and nasal spray. On the basis of application, the global nasal drug delivery technology market is categorized as, allergic & non-allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion, vaccinations and other applications. Based on the end user, the global nasal drug delivery technology market is segmented into hospitals and home health care.Dont miss out on business opportunities in Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market. Speak to our analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow.MARKET PLAYERS Novartis AG Pfizer, Inc. Merck and Co., Inc. Glaxosmithkline PLC Johnson and Johnson Services, Inc. 3M BD Astrazeneca PLC Aegis Therapeutics, LLC Aptargroup, Inc.REGIONAL FRAMEWORKThe report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global nasal drug delivery technology market based on various segments. It also provides market size and forecast estimates from year 2017 to 2027 with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The nasal drug delivery technology market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 18 countries globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Get Discount on this Report@The report segments the global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market as follows:Global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By Systems Unit Dose Bi-Dose Multi DoseGlobal Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By Containers Pressurized containers Non-pressurized containers Global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By Dosage Form Nasal powders Nasal gels Nasal drops & liquids Nasal sprayGlobal Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By Therapeutic Application Allergic & non-allergic rhinitis Nasal congestion Vaccinations Other applications Global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By End-User Hospitals Home health careGlobal Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market  By Geography North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe UK Germany France Asia Pacific (APAC) Japan China India Middle East & Africa (MEA) U.A.E Saudi Arabia South Africa South and Central America (SCAM) BrazilWhat Report Provides Full in-depth analysis of the parent market Important changes in market dynamics Segmentation details of the market Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value Assessment of niche industry developments Market share analysis Key strategies of major players Emerging segments and regional markets Testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the marketDirect Purchase a Copy of this Report at:About UsThe Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services.We are committed to providing highest quality research and consulting services to our customers. We help our clients understand key market trends, identify opportunities, and make informed decisions by providing market research solutions at an affordable cost.Contact usThe Insight partners,Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comHome:
Online Retailing in The Netherlands Summary & Forecasts to 2022 | Cool Blue, Wehkamp, Bol.com, Albert Heijn, Amazon, Vandijk.Nl, Kruidvat, H&M, Media Markt, Jumbo

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Online Retailing in The Netherlands Summary & Forecasts to 2022"Online Retailing in The Netherlands, Summary & Forecasts to 2022", report provides a detailed analysis of both the historic and forecast market data of retail sales of different product segments in online channel in The Netherlands. In addition, it provides an overview of changing shopping trends, the influence of various economic variables on the online retail industry, technology trends and the competitive landscape across product segments. The report also details major online retailers in each category group with their product proposition analysis and market positioning in 2017 along with recent key developments. In-depth analysis of the latest trends in online shopping, covering the factors driving online shopping, consumer insights, market dynamics (covering 26 product categories).The online channel is expected to increase its share in overall retail sales considerably over the next five years. Its share reached 9.5% during 2017 and is expected to gain 4.6 percentage points to reach 14.1% by 2022. The increasing popularity of m-commerce, shopping festivals and events, secure payment options, and other value benefits provided by online retailers are the major factors propelling online sales in the market.Get Sample Copy Of this report:Companies Profiled in this report includes: Cool Blue, Wehkamp, Bol.com, Albert Heijn, Amazon, Vandijk.Nl, Kruidvat, H&M, Media Markt, Jumbo, Zalando, BCC, Expert, Dell, IKEA, Vente-exclusive.com, Praxis, Zooplus, Gamma, Van DitmarScope- The Netherlands online retail market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% during 2017-2022- Online penetration will grow from 9.5% in 2017 to 14.1% by 2022- M-commerce and social media to accelerate growth- Festive seasons and special discount days drive online sales growth- Electricals sector has the highest online penetration- Electricals remains the sector with the highest online penetration- Clothing & footwear is the largest sector- The top 20 online retailers commanded a market share of 42.8% in 2017- Cool Blue is the leading online pureplay retailer in the Netherlands.Get Discount of this report:Reasons to buy- Gain comprehensive knowledge on 26 product categories in The Netherlands online retail market and develop a competitive advantage around consumer behavior trends from the start of your supply chain- Explore novel opportunities that will allow you to align your product offerings and strategies to meet demand by analyzing the vital economic and population trends, and key consumer and technology trends influencing the online retail market- Investigate current and forecast online trends in each category to identify the best opportunities to exploit- Analyze the recommended actions to align your marketing strategies with the crucial online trends influencing consumer behavior- Understand the fastest-growing categories in the market with insights on the performance of individual product categories online from 2012, with forecasts until 2022.Table of Content:Drivers and inhibitorsKey trendsMarket contextOnline retail in the countryClothing & accessoriesFood & groceryElectricalsHealth & beautyHomeOthersDefinitionsComplete Report:Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comCompany Name: ReportsWebWebsite: Reportsweb.comPhone: +1-646-491-9876Request for Customization:Any special requirements about this report, please let us know and we can provide custom report.About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com 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.533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Coal Handling System Market Prospects and Growth Assessment Up to 2028 | Key Players are FLSmidth & Co. A/S, Metso Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., etc.

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In order to study the many forthcoming movements and patterns prevailing in the global market, FactMR has included the latest Forecast report on Coal Handling System Market to its vast database. The delivered study offers significant figures about the leading regions and applications which are functioning in the global coal handling system market forthcoming trends by 2028, along with their market production, consumption, revenue, upcoming industry trends and forecasted market share details. Further, the accomplished market research report also anticipates that the concerned market would grow at a constructive CAGR until 2028.Request for a Free Sample Report -The coal handling system market is a fragmented landscape with presence of major and small scale players across the globe. The top six companies, including ThyssenKrupp AG, FLSmidth & Co. A/S, Metso Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., FAM Forderanlagen Magdeburg and IHI Transport Machinery Co. Ltd., collectively account for over 35% share in coal handling system market. Presence of leading market players is majorly concentrated in the European countries. These major players in the coal handling system market are focusing on tapping Asia Pacific region owing to its high potential in the thermal power space.The main strategy of these key players includes sales of coal handling system through contracts and agreements, and strategic partnerships with local players. For instance, in 2016 Metso Corporation extended its agreement with Sever Minerals in a bid to strengthen its presence in Russia.Coal Consumption continues to remain robust in power generation, characterized by their low price/calorific value, thereby sustaining sales of coal handling systems worldwide. Imperativeness of coal handling system in effective management of operations in power generation plants has spurred the emphasis of relevant industrialists on efficiency and emission control apropos of coal-based power.HELE (High Efficiency Low Emission) technology has witnessed an increased adoption in the recent past, as the technology has been deemed to enhance capacity of the plant, while keeping the carbon dioxide emissions in check. Relatively lower consumption of coal per unit of electricity produced, reduced environment footprint, and favorable results apropos of coal-fired power generations efficiency, are key attributes of HELE plants which are likely to foster their future penetration into the industry.Browse Global Market Report Facts with TOC Here -Coal handling system being a central aspect in material flow in plants, attention toward optimization of coal handling system has been witnessed recently. Companies are now involved in enhancing the overall coal supply chain by adopting new technologies in a bid to provide efficient coal handling system that feature low power consumption. Coal handling system advancements include pile visualization, monitoring, material tracking and automated stockyard management, to name a few. Automated stockyard management can offer a real-time information on quality of coal stacked on conveyor belts and other coal handling system that can result in safe and efficient supply of coal to coal-fired power plants.The demand for coal handling system in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in the emerging economies such as China and India, is expected to be on an upswing on the back of growing port capacity expansions. For instance, existing coal handling operations at Mormugao Port are being pushed further enhancing the coal handling capacity of the port. Likewise, the expansion of Matarbari port is the offing. The coal terminal in Matarbari port would handle huge amounts of coal owing to growing coal-powered plants in Bangladesh. This factor continues to remain instrumental in driving the demand of coal handling system, enhancing the lucrativeness of the Asia Pacific region.In addition, sale of coal handling system in Asia Pacific is also influenced by rising coal production in South East Asian countries that are home to huge coal reserves. Majority of coal reserves are located in Vietnam, India and Indonesia. Against this backdrop, development of new power plants are being commissioned in the region. For instance, India has commissioned 13 GW thermal plants since January 2017 till august 2018 regardless of pollution concerns. In light of these events, coal handling system manufacturers can grasp potential growth opportunities in Asia Pacific in the forthcoming years.To Purchase this Report, Click 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 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:
Smart Home Medical Device Market Foreseen to Grow With Key Companies Like ViVO Smart Medical Devices Ltd., Health Care Originals, Hocoma AG, VitalConnect, Proteus Digital Health, Cyrcadia Health, Qardio

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Post-discharge care plays an extremely important role in ensuring speedy and effective recovery of the patient. This is especially a matter of concern for the elderly as well as pediatric population who mostly spend their time at home and are usually dependent on someone else to ensure continued care. However, due to busy lifestyle of the populace in developed and emerging economies, post-discharge care is often hampered. This concern of family members as elderly people living alone is expected to favor growth of the market for smart home medical devices, such as fall detection system, bathroom sensors, monitoring and detecting systems and assisting systems. According to a Welfare Ministry Survey, in 2016, there were around 6.24 million people aged 65 and above were living alone in Japan. The increasing lonely deaths in the region is also a vital factor that is expected to favor the smart home medical device market.Growing internet penetration favors growth of smart home medical devices market:Smart home medical device is latest and futuristic approach towards making life easier and secure. This revolutionary step by the medical devices company has affected the healthcare industry and the adoption rate for such technology in a positive way. While most consumers and healthcare organizations were skeptical about the technology, the scenario is rapidly changing, with higher adoption rate of such devices, a trend that is expected to continue over the forecast period. Furthermore, the wide availability of the smart home medical devices is a crucial block to fill the loop hole for acceptance of such devices and services. Easily available personal monitoring system and other electronic devices are expected to favor rise in adoption of smart home medical devices. Smart home basically defined as the residence that uses controllers to integrate the functions of the device installed at home. The controllers are connected through a computer that is connected via internet and the data of the respondent is recorded on cloud or on-premises data bank, which can be further monitored by the physician or caretaker accordingly.Get HOLISTIC Request Sample Copy Of This Business Report:Growth in adoption of health caregiving is expected to underpin the smart home medical device marketAccording to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), in 2016, around 80% growth has been observed in the medication management segment in the health caregiving market, which in turn is expected to support growth of the smart home medical device market in the near future. Medical technology utilized in home care settings, where the caregivers are active, ranges between complex and simple materials that are also used for administering first aid to sophisticated devices and advanced medical treatment. The products involved in home care settings can vary from tiny wireless devices to massive machines. Smart home medical devices such as blood pressure measuring equipment, sugar level measuring equipment and devices are widely used.Highly fragmented market due to dominance of ICT organizations in smart home medical device manufacturingThe global smart home medical device market is highly fragmented market as encompasses pharmaceuticals, healthcare and information and communication technology industries. Growth in internet of things segment and its acceptance globally is expected to support the market for smart home medical device. Although, it is a difficult task to align the technology to the human vitals, incorporating the appropriate features into a medical device that are utilized by the patient or the care recipient at home is the most challenging factors for such devices. Major players involved in the smart home medical device market include ViVO Smart Medical Devices Ltd., Health Care Originals, Hocoma AG, VitalConnect, Proteus Digital Health, Cyrcadia Health, Qardio, Inc., and Neurometrix.Get Customized Report in your Inbox within 24 hours @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr.ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email:sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Polyester Staple Fiber Market Precise Analysed By MRRSE || Key Player - Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Toray Industries Inc., China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.

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The expanding database of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been recently updated by the addition of a new study which is titled as Polyester Staple Fiber Market Precise Analysis and Forecast Assumptions till 2025. The fact based research report on global Polyester Staple Fiber Market covers various aspects such as trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities that have an influence on the growth and expansion of the global market. All these factors are analysed across key regions of Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle and Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific. In order to provide an accurate forecast, analysts have presented the current market, which forms the basis on how the metal caps and closures market is expected to develop in the future.Request Free Sample Report @Polyester staple fiber is a synthetic fiber solely comprising of a polyester. It is made from PTA & MEG or PET Chips or from Recycled PET Bottle Flakes. PSF made from PTA & MEG or PET Chips is known as Virgin PSF and PSF made from Recycled PET Flakes is called Recycled PSF. Polyester staple fiber has emerged as the fastest-growing fibre amongst all types of manufactured fibers. It widely used in textile, automotive and furniture industries.The report estimates and forecasts the polyester staple fiber market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2017 and 2025 based on volume (Kilo Tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2016 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market.Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage.The study includes drivers and restraints for the polyester staple fiber market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the polyester staple fiber market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources.The report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the polyester staple fiber market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for polyester staple fiber between 2017 and 2025.The study provides a comprehensive view of the polyester staple fiber market by dividing it on the basis of end-use and geography segments. The polyester staple fiber market has been segmented into apparels, automotive, home furnishing, filtration, construction, personal care & hygiene and others based on application. Applications segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for polyester staple fiber in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for application segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual applications in all the regions and countries.The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report includes Alpek S.A.B. de C.V., Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Toray Industries, Inc., China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Reliance Industries Limited, W. Barnet GmbH & Co. KG, Far Eastern New Century Corporation, Tongkun Group Zhejiang Hengsheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hengyi Group Company Ltd., Jiangsu Sanfangxiang Group, ICI Pakistan Limited, XINDA Corp, Komal Fibres, Bombay Dyeing, Nirmal Fibres (P) Ltd., and Ganesha Ecosphere. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).Browse Complete Report with TOC @Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.The global polyester staple fiber market has been segmented as follows:Polyester Staple Fiber Market  Type AnalysisSolidSemi-dull Optical WhiteBright Optical WhiteBlack Dope DyedColored Dope DyedOthers Semi-dullOthers BrightHollowPolyester Staple Fiber Market  Origin AnalysisVirginRecycledBlend of Virgin & RecycledPolyester Staple Fiber Market  End-user AnalysisApparelAutomotiveHome FurnishingFiltrationConstructionPersonal Care & HygieneOthersPolyester Staple Fiber Market  Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEnquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Water Purifier Market is expected to reach US$ 471 Mn at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2014 to 2020

Water Purifier Market

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Future Market Insights (FMI) announced the release of a latest report titled, POU Water Purifiers Market: MENA Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 - 2020. FMI estimates that the Point of Use (POU) water purifier market in Middle East and North Africa is expected to reach US$ 471 Mn at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2014 to 2020.Residential water purification system includes point of use water purifiers (POU), point of entry (POE) water purifiers, portable water purifiers. Moreover, the demand for POU water purifiers is high among consumers in MENA region as compared to POE and portable water purifiers. In the POU water purifiers market, products with high purification capabilities such as combination of reverse osmosis (RO) and Ultraviolet (UV) technologies are more preferred. It has also been observed that a majority of the demand is coming from urban centres in GCC when compared to the entire MENA region.Get Sample Copy of Report @Market SegmentsThe POU water purifiers market is segmented on the basis of technology which includes RO, UV and media-based. RO technology based water purifiers segment is estimated to account for slightly over 40% of the total POU water purifiers market in MENA region in 2014. Media-based water purification, which is a conventional water purification technology has also witnessed technological advancements, and is estimated to display a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period, in terms of volume. The third technology, UV based water purifiers, is estimated to exhibit a sluggish growth rate during the forecast period due to its limitation in removing only organic contaminants from water. Additionally, UV-based water purifiers are also priced higher in comparison to media-based water purifiers and hence the product preference for UV based water purifiers is comparatively low.Region-wise, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Algeria are the promising markets for POU water purifiers. In addition, a cumulative scenario has been highlighted for rest of MENA (includes smaller countries like Kuwait, Jordan etc.). Among the aforementioned regions, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is estimated to be the prominent market for POU water purifiers, followed by Turkey, due to its growing population and rapid urbanization, and increasing awareness for safe drinking water forecast period. In addition, penetration of bottled water is a challenge for the POU water purifiers market in Anatolia. As a result, Anatolia is estimated to demonstrate a sluggish growth rate in the near future. Furthermore, POU water purifiers market in UAE is anticipated to reach 149.2 thousand units by 2020, exhibiting a CAGR of 10% between 2014 and 2020.Purchase This Report @Drivers and RestraintsDeteriorating water quality, rising cost of bottled water, increasing population coupled with increasing per capita income are some of the prominent factors which will catalyse the point of use water purifiers in the region. Though the MENA market is attractive in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, low awareness about safe drinking water and product unavailability are major challenges for the MENA POU water purifier market.Competitive LandscapeKey players operating in the MENA water purifier market are LG, Eureka Forbes, Strauss Water, Panasonic, WaterLife and Coolplex. The report sheds light on their key growth strategies and recent developments. In addition, the report also discusses the value chain followed by multinational companies in MENA for POU water purifiers.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705
Cosmetics & Toiletries in Brazil, Market Demand, Upcoming Trends, On-going Demand, Scope and Opportunities

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This research study added to the broad database of Market Research Hub (MRH) focusing on the Country Profile: Cosmetics & Toiletries in Brazil delivers an in-depth outlook to present information about executive summary and key performance indicators. Furthermore, readers can gather knowledge about the economic status, demographics and competitive landscape which is prevailing in the concerned industry during the review period. Overall, the purpose of this assessment is to present a clear picture highlighting the transformations expected to occur in the Cosmetics & Toiletries in Brazil driven by major trends and opportunities.Get Sample Copy of This Report @Country Profile: Cosmetics & Toiletries in BrazilSummaryThe Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry is led by the haircare sector, while oral hygiene is forecast to register the fastest growth in value terms during 2018-2023. Hypermarkets & supermarkets is the leading channel for distribution of cosmetics & toiletries products in the country. Flexible packaging is the most commonly used pack material, followed by rigid plastics and paper & board. Unilever, Natura Cosmeticos S A and Procter & Gamble are the leading players in the Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry.GlobalDatas Country Profile report on the cosmetics & toiletries industry in Brazil provides insights on high growth categories to target, trends in the usage of package materials, category level distribution channel data and market share of brands.What else is contained?- Industry data: Overall industry value and volume data with growth analysis for 2013-2023.- Sector coverage: Value and growth analysis for feminine hygiene, fragrances, haircare, make-up, male toiletries, oral hygiene, personal hygiene, skincare and suncare with inputs on individual segment share within each sector and the change in their market share forecast for 2018-2023.- Distribution data: Percentage of sales within each sector through distribution channels such as hypermarkets & supermarkets, health & beauty stores, department stores, convenience stores, drugstores & pharmacies, cash & carries and warehouse clubs, dollar stores, variety store & general merchandise retailers, vending machines, e-retailers, chemists/pharmacies, parapharmacies/drugstores, direct sellers, and other general retailers.- Leading players: Market share of brands and private labels in value terms in 2018.- Packaging data: consumption breakdown for package materials and pack types in each sector in terms of percentage share of number of units sold. Pack material data for flexible packaging, rigid plastics, rigid metal, glass and others; pack type data for: Bottle, tube, aerosol, tub, bag/sachet, and jar.Scope- The per capita consumption of cosmetics & toiletries is higher in Brazil compared to both the global and regional levels in 2018- The oral hygiene sector is expected to gain the maximum share, in value terms, during 2018-2023- Hypermarkets & supermarkets is the leading distribution channel in the Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry- Gillette - Prestobarba and Nivea are the leading brands in the Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry- Private label penetration is highest in the oral hygiene sector- Flexible packaging is the most commonly used pack material in the Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry- Consumption of Cosmetics & Toiletries is high among women compared to men in Brazil.BROWSE Full Report NOW @Table of ContentsReport scopeExecutive summaryBrazil in the global and regional contextBrazil in the global and Latin American cosmetics & toiletries industryBrazil compared to other leading countries in Latin AmericaPer capita consumption and expenditure - Brazil compared to Latin America and global levelIndustry analysis - cosmetics & toiletriesCountry snapshot - cosmetics & toiletries industry in BrazilValue and volume analysis - cosmetics & toiletries industry in BrazilCross sector comparison - value and growth rateChange in sector share by valueCross sector comparison - volume and growth rateChange in sector share by volumePer capita consumption analysis by sectorSector analysis: feminine hygieneCategory analysis (in value terms): feminine hygieneCategory analysis (in volume terms): feminine hygieneSector analysis: fragrancesCategory analysis (in value terms): fragrancesCategory analysis (in volume terms): fragrancesSector analysis: haircareCategory analysis (in value terms): haircareCategory analysis (in volume terms): haircareSector analysis: make-upCategory analysis (in value terms): make-upCategory analysis (in volume terms): make-upSector analysis: male toiletriesCategory analysis (in value terms): male toiletriesCategory analysis (in volume terms): male toiletriesSector analysis: oral hygieneCategory analysis (in value terms): oral hygieneCategory analysis (in volume terms): oral hygieneSector analysis: personal hygieneCategory analysis (in value terms): personal hygieneCategory analysis (in volume terms): personal hygieneSector analysis: skincareCategory analysis (in value terms): skincareCategory analysis (in volume terms): skincareSector analysis: suncareCategory analysis (in value terms): suncareCategory analysis (in volume terms): suncareDistribution analysisDistribution channel share analysis: cosmetics & toiletriesDistribution channel share analysis by sectorCompetitive landscapeBrand share analysis by industryBrand share analysis by sectorPrivate label share analysis by sectorGrowth of private label compared to branded productsDegree of consolidation/fragmentation by sectorPackaging analysisPack materialPack typeClosure typePrimary outer typeConsumergraphicsThe Brazilian cosmetics & toiletries industry - demographic analysisMacroeconomic analysisEconomic summary, labor market trends and demographic trendsGlobaldata country risk index (GCRI)MethodologyDefinitionsAppendixMore Information@@@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like retail market research and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
Europe And Asia Pacific Herbal Beauty Products Market Segmentation, Dynamics, Market Size, Supply & Demand, Competition & Companies, Drivers, Restraints and Technology

Herbal Beauty Products Market

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market in its upcoming outlook titled, Europe & Asia Pacific Herbal Beauty Products Market: Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20162026. In terms of value, it is expected that the Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market will register a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period due to various factors, on which FMI offers vital insights in detail.Consumer preference for clean label beauty care products is shifting significantly due to increasing awareness regarding the benefits of herbal and natural ingredients. Consumers are increasingly opting for greener products owing to presence of toxic ingredients in synthetic cosmetic products, which are known to cause various adverse effects. Moreover, consumers are currently more informed regarding the benefits of using herbal products through promotions, advertisements and activities on various social media platforms. Herbal skin care products improve skin texture, tone and appearance owing to presence of nutrients required to enrich overall skin health. Increasing consumer demand for eco-friendly personal care products has prompted companies to enter into the herbal and natural personal care products market and develop new and advanced products. Manufacturers are continuously launching herbal personal care products with remedial properties and long-term benefits, which is resulting in addressing existing consumer requirements and aiding in expanding customer base.Get Sample Copy of Report @Segmentation analysisOn the basis of end-use, the Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market is segmented into male and female. Female segment is estimated to account for the largest share by 2016 end. Male segment is expected to account for substantial growth over the forecast period. Increasing inclination of male consumers towards personal grooming and outward appearance among is expected to support growth of the male segment over the forecast period.Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market is also segmented on the basis of distribution channel which includes supermarket, specialty stores, departmental stores, drugstores, online/direct selling, and beauty salons. Among all these segments, supermarket segment is expected to account for relatively higher value share during the forecast period. Specialty stores segment has been estimated to occupy the second largest share accounting for 21.1% value share in 2015.As far as the types of herbal beauty products are concerned, Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market is segmented into skin care, hair care, oral care, and fragrance. Among all these segments, skin care type segment has been estimated to represent 45.7% value share in 2016 and expected to remain dominant over the forecast period.Increasing acne issues owing to increasing humidity and pollution levels is expected to drive growth of the skin care type segment in the market during the forecast period. Skin care segment is sub-segmented into cream & lotion, cleanser & toner, facewash & scrub and others. Among these sub-segments, cream and lotion is expected to account for major value share over the forecast period.Hair care segment is expected to occupy second largest position on the pie in terms of revenue contribution. The Hair care segment is sub-segmented into powder, hair oil, conditioner, shampoo, and others. The Oral care segment is likely to represent substantial growth over the forecast period. The segment is projected to represent 3.1% CAGR in terms of value growth by 2026 end.Vendor insightsThis report covers detailed profiles of key players in Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market, which includes key strategies, key developments, product offerings and others. Key companies profiled in this report are Bio Veda Action Research Co., VLCC Personal Care Ltd., Surya Brasil, Dabur India Ltd., Himalaya Global Holdings Ltd., Lotus Herbals, Hemas Holdings Plc, Sheahnaz Herbals Inc., and Herballife International of America Inc.If You Have Any Query, Ask The Analyst @Regional analysisThis report discusses trends driving growth of each segment and offers analysis and insights of the potential of the Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market in specific region including Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe. Markets in APAC are expected to record high growth rates in terms of value between 2016 and 2026. Japan has been estimated to be the largest consumer of herbal beauty products followed by China in 2015 across the APAC region.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705
Leukocytapheresis Device Market Insights and forecast, 2018 to 2028(Based on product type, leukocytopheresis devices market is segmented into: Adacolumn Cellsorba)

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Leukocytapheresis device is used in a nonsurgical treatment to reduce the quantity of white blood cells in the bloodstream. It may be indicated in patients with leukostasis which is resulted from microvascular obstruction by the white blood cells and may lead to hemorrhage in various tissues and organs. Leukocytapheresis device is increasingly adopted in the treatment for leukostasis to quickly reduce the white blood cell count. Additionally, the leukocytapheresis device is used to reverse the symptoms of severe inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohns disease caused by the release of inflammatory leukocytes. These key factors have led to the development of leukocytapheresis device market.Adacolumn and Cellsorba are two product types identified in the leukocytapheresis device market. Greater clinical efficacy of these products compared to conventional therapies is likely to increase the demand for leukocytapheresis devices. Growing number of patient pool suffering from Crohns disease is along with high adoption rate of advanced treatments, especially in the developed nations will possibly fuel growth of the leukocytapheresis device market. Various initiatives taken by the government and private companies for the development of advanced medical devices and for the delivery of effective treatment have been envisaged to shape the future of leukocytapheresis device market.Request Free Sample Report@Leukocytapheresis device is used in a nonsurgical treatment to reduce the quantity of white blood cells in the bloodstream. It may be indicated in patients with leukostasis which is resulted from microvascular obstruction by the white blood cells and may lead to hemorrhage in various tissues and organs. Leukocytapheresis device is increasingly adopted in the treatment for leukostasis to quickly reduce the white blood cell count. Additionally, the leukocytapheresis device is used to reverse the symptoms of severe inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohns disease caused by the release of inflammatory leukocytes. These key factors have led to the development of leukocytapheresis device market.Adacolumn and Cellsorba are two product types identified in the leukocytapheresis device market. Greater clinical efficacy of these products compared to conventional therapies is likely to increase the demand for leukocytapheresis devices. Growing number of patient pool suffering from Crohns disease is along with high adoption rate of advanced treatments, especially in the developed nations will possibly fuel growth of the leukocytapheresis device market. Various initiatives taken by the government and private companies for the development of advanced medical devices and for the delivery of effective treatment have been envisaged to shape the future of leukocytapheresis device market.Leukocytapheresis, also known as white blood cells removal is therapy to reduce the number of white blood cells in the bloodstream. White Blood Cells (leukocytes) are the part of immune system. They help the body to fight infections. There are three types of leukocytes which are involved in the inflammation of bowels. They are granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes. It was found that inflammatory bowel disease is caused by the release of various cytokines from white blood cells, resulting in inflammation of the bowel. Ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease are the most chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Leukocytapheresis is a method helps at ameliorating symptoms in patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease. In leukocytapheresis therapy, the leukocytes involved in inflammation are removed from the blood using extracorporeal treatment unit. During therapy, blood is pumped from the vein of arm or leg through leukocyte removal filter and leukocyte-reduced blood is returned in the body through opposite vein. Leukocytapheresis aims to reduce the number of leukocytes that are involved in inflammation to dampen the inflammatory reaction. According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, 1.6 million Americans are affected yearly with inflammatory bowel disease.Leukocytapheresis Device Market: Drivers & RestraintsConventional therapy to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as pharmacotherapy involves substantial adverse effects and the chance of recurrence is more. Leukocytapheresis therapy overcomes such problem which drives the market of leukocytapheresis devices. Increasing prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases is the prominent factor responsible for the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market. Leukocytapheresis therapy mainly involves adult patients therefore growing elderly population responsible for the robust the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market. Leukocytapheresis therapy is more expensive than conventional therapy which degrades the leukocytapheresis devices market growth over forecast period. Furthermore, lack of awareness among patients in the under developing economies may deter the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market.Request/View TOC@Leukocytapheresis Device Market: SegmentationThe global Leukocytapheresis devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, end user and geography.Based on product type, leukocytopheresis devices market is segmented into:AdacolumnCellsorbaBased on end user, Leukocytapheresis devices market is segmented into:HospitalsSpecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersLeukocytapheresis Device Market: OverviewExcellent clinical efficacy of Cellsorba and Adacolumn increases the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market in Japan and other regions. The effectiveness and safety of leukocytapheresis therapy over conventional therapy increases the leukocytapheresis devices market growth in the overall forecast period. Leukocytapheresis therapy has adverse side effects, simple extracorporeal procedure, requires approximately lesser time compared to conventional therapy. The above all factors increases the wide adoption of leukocytapheresis therapy worldwide and hence increases the overall market growth. Favorable reimbursement policies allows the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market in low economic regions.Leukocytapheresis Device Market: Regional outlookGeographically, global leukocytapheresis devices market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding China and Japan, China, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Currently, Japan is the leading market of leukocytapheresis devices because of leading manufacturers in this region. This is followed by North America due to higher adoption among the patients and technological advancement. Moreover, increase in geriatric population also increase the market growth in this region. Europe held the third position in leukocytapheresis devices market due to increase in healthcare expenditure per capita. Asia Pacific region has been expecting the growth in near future due to increase in the patients pool. Middle East Asia and Africa show the delayed growth due lack of awareness in these region hinders the growth of leukocytapheresis devices market.Leukocytapheresis Device Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players involve in the leukocytapheresis devices market includes: Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd., JIMRO Co. Ltd. are some of the leading manufacturers of leukocytapheresis devices.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsMarket Size AnalysisCurrent Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedValue Chain AnalysisThe regional analysis includes:North America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia-Pacific Excluding China and Japan (India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)ChinaJapanThe Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent marketChanging market dynamics in the industryIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and valueRecent industry trends and developmentsCompetitive landscapeStrategies of key players and products offeredPotential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective on market performanceReport Analysis@About USFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; thats why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsRohit BhiseyFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:Read Industry News at -
Food & grocery Retailing in Peru Market Shares Summary and Forecasts to 2022

Food & grocery Retailing in Peru

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Food & grocery Retailing in Peru, Market Shares, Summary and Forecasts to 2022Summary"Food & grocery Retailing in Peru, Market Shares, Summary and Forecasts to 2022", provides data for historic and forecast retail sales, and also includes information on the business environment and country risk related to Peru retail environment. In addition, it analyzes the key consumer trends influencing Peru food & grocery industry.Request a sample copy of this report @Food & grocery is the largest sector in the Peruvian retail industry with the highest share of 59.7% of total retail sales in 2017. This growth is attributed to rising disposable income and growing household expenditure.What else does this report offer-- In-depth analysis of the latest trends in consumer shopping, covering the factors driving shopping, consumer insights, market dynamics- The report also details major retailers in food & grocery category group with their product proposition analysis and market positioning in 2017 along with recent key developments- Market insights based on consumer trends, changing economic and demographic factors, technology innovations, and other macroeconomic factors- Retail sales and the fastest-growing product categories in food & grocery sector- Qualitative and quantitative insights of changing retail dynamics in food and grocery sector.Scope- Peru retail market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 7.0% during 2017-2022- Rising wages and recovering economy set to boost growth during 2017-2022- Specialists is the largest retail channel but share is projected to decline in the future- Online sales are producing the fastest growth due to rising internet penetration- Tottus is the market leader, supported by an expanding store count in Peru- Expanding footprint and value price positioning aided Mass' sales growth in 2017.Reasons to buy- Gain a comprehensive knowledge on food and grocery sector in the Peru retail market and develop a competitive advantage from the start of your supply chain- Investigate current and forecast behavior trends in food and grocery category to identify the best opportunities to exploit- Analysis of key international and domestic players operating in the food and grocery market- Explore novel opportunities that will allow you to align your product offerings and strategies to meet demand by analyzing the vital economic and population trends, key consumer and technology trends influencing the food and grocery market- Analyze the recommended actions to align your marketing strategies with the crucial trends influencing consumer behavior- Analysis of key international and domestic players operating in Peru retail market - including store counts and revenues that give you a competitive edge and identify opportunities to improve your market share.Inquire Before Buying @About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com 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.Contact Us:Name: Sameer JoshiOrganization: ReportsWebEmail: sales@reportsweb.comPhone: +1-646-491-9876
Construction Equipment Monitoring System Market is thriving Worldwide with Komatsu Australia Pty Ltd(Australia), Bruel and Kjr Vibro GmbH(Germany), Maven Systems Pvt. Ltd.(India) and More...

Construction Equipment Monitoring System Market

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Market Industrial Forecasts on Construction Equipment Monitoring System Market:Construction companies need to manage and maintain their equipment such as tractors, skids, excavators, dozers, backhoes, generators, etc. Monnit makes it affordable and easy to monitor this equipment by allowing builders to locate equipment, track usage, maintain equipment, avoid theft, and much more.Download Research Study With Latest Advancement Trends and Application @According to this study, over the next five years the Construction Equipment Monitoring System market will register a xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ xx million by 2024, from US$ xx million in 2019.This study considers the Construction Equipment Monitoring System value generated from the sales of the following segments:Segmentation by product type:Remote Monitoring SystemMachinery Protection SystemConstruction Equipment MonitorSegmentation by application:Earth Moving EquipmentConstruction MachineryStone CrushersExcavatorsBulldozersWheel LoadersCrusherRMC TrucksThe report also presents the market competition landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/manufacturers in the market. The key manufacturers covered in this report:Komatsu Australia Pty Ltd(Australia)Bruel and Kjr Vibro GmbH(Germany)Maven Systems Pvt. Ltd.(India)Moschip Semiconductor(India)Monnit Corporation(USA)Spark Tech Labs Inc.(USA)GPS TRACKIT IS A DIVISION OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS,LLC(USA)RAVEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION(USA)Honeywell International Inc.(USA)RAVEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION(USA)TREKKER TRACTOR(USA)What to expect from this Report of Construction Equipment Monitoring System Market?Design the developmental plans for the business gaining knowledge of the value of the production, cost of the production, value of the products, and more for the coming years.A comprehensive overview of regional distributions and an outline of popular products in the Construction Equipment Monitoring System market.How do leading companies and mid-level manufacturers reap profit within the Construction Equipment Monitoring System market?Look forward to the break-in for new and upcoming players who want to enter the Construction Equipment Monitoring System market.All-inclusive research on the overall expansion inside the Construction Equipment Monitoring System market that helps to decide the product launch and asset developments.Access Full Report Description, TOC, Figure, Chart, etc. @The index of Chapter the Construction Equipment Monitoring System Market:Construction Equipment Monitoring System market product overviewsResearch methodologyExecutive summaryGlobal Construction Equipment Monitoring System market analysisConstruction Equipment Monitoring System market size, share, and forecastConstruction Equipment Monitoring System market segmentationConstruction Equipment Monitoring System market company profilesSupply chain analysisConstruction Equipment Monitoring System market dynamicsConstruction Equipment Monitoring System market trends and developmentsPolicy and regulatory landscapeCompetitive landscapeStrategic recommendationThe report can be customized according to the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@reportsmonitor.com) and they will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get separate chapter wise section or region wise report versions like North America, Europe or Asia.About Us:Reports Monitor is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics-driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Prime focus is to get reliable data, Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact Us:Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-591481 (U.S.), +44 203 318 2958 (U.K.)
Global Power Rental Market to witness remarkable growth by 2025 :Top keyplayer are Aggreko PLC, Catrpillar Inc, Ashtead Group PLC, Cummins, Inc, Kohler Corporation, Hertz Corporation

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Global Power Rental Market valued approximately USD xxx million in 2017 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than xxx% over the forecast period 2018-2025. The Power Rental market is developing and expanding at a significant pace considering the global scenario. The Power rental is referred as plant hire offering flexibility, reliability, speed, and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, The power on rent delivers complete operating power packages along with delivers scalable components within the large power station installations to various industrial applications on the global scenario. The market growth is primarily driven by rising demand for power across the world. Additionally, growth in consumption of power, rising construction and development of power infrastructure are further propelling the growth of the market. Moreover, surging power demand in developing economies represents significant growth opportunities in the near future. However, increasing expenses associated with transmission & distribution and several strict regulation emission regulations are expected to hamper the market growth.Request For Free Sample@The regional analysis of Global Power Rental 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 fastest growing region across the world in terms of market share. Whereas, owing to the countries such as China, Japan, and India, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to be the dominating region over the forecast period 2018-2025.The leading market players mainly include-Aggreko PLCCatrpillar IncAshtead Group PLCCummins, IncKohler CorporationHertz CorporationThe 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:Buy Now@By Fuel:DieselGasOthersBy Power Rating:11-50 KW51-200 KW201-500 KW501-1,001 KW1,501-2,000 KWAbove 2,000 KWBy End User:UtilitiesOil & GasEventsConstructionMiningShippingOthersBy Regions:North Americao U.S.CanadaEuropeUKGermanyAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of the WorldFurthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year  2015, 2016Base year  2017Forecast period  2018 to 2025Target Audience of the Global Power Rental Market in Market Study:Key Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers (VARs)Third-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestorsRead More@About Kenneth ResearchKenneth Research is a reselling agency providing market research solutions in different verticals such as Automotive and Transportation, Chemicals and Materials, Healthcare, Food & Beverage and Consumer Packaged Goods, Semiconductors, Electronics & ICT, Packaging, and Others. Our portfolio includes set of market research insights such as market sizing and market forecasting, market share analysis and key positioning of the players (manufacturers, deals and distributors, etc), understanding the competitive landscape and their business at a ground level and many more. Our research experts deliver the offerings efficiently and effectively within a stipulated time. The market study provided by Kenneth Research helps the Industry veterans/investors to think and to act wisely in their overall strategy formulationContact Us1412 Broadway,21st Floor Suite MA111,New York, NY 10018Name:DavidEmail:sales@kennethresearch.comPhone: +1 313 462 0609
Bioadhesives Market Developing Trends, CAGR Analysis and Top Key Companys (3M, Arkema, Ashland, Henkel, Paramelt, Dow) | Global Business Outlook Till 2022

Bioadhesives Market

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New report on: Global Bioadhesives Market 2019-2022. The report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends. The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.This Report covers the Major Players data, including: shipment, revenue, gross profit, interview record, business distribution etc., these data help the consumer know about the competitors better. This report also covers all the regions and countries of the world, which shows a regional development status, including market size.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Bioadhesives is a characteristic polymeric material which is utilized as cements (substance connected to the surfaces of materials that ties them together and opposes detachment) between two separate materials. Bioadhesives are for the most part used to portray stick which is utilized to tie the substance and oppose detachment between two materials.Bioadhesives are mostly applied in the healthcare sector in biomedical application, as it can interfaces with living tissues and biological fluids within the human body. Other major applications of bioadhesives are in the field of personal care and paper & pulp industry. Healthcare sector is expected to dominate the market in the forecasted period.An increasing preference towards sustainable packaging coupled with increasing awareness towards bio-based adhesives in the packaging industry is expected to impact market growth positively. Increasing penetration in packaging application such as printed sheets lamination, cigarettes & filters, flexible packaging and specialty packaging are expected to bolster bioadhesives demand over next seven years. Growing packaging & paper industry in emerging economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America is projected to augment global market growth.Key Players:1 3M Company2 Arkema3 Ashland4 Henkel5 Paramelt6 Dow Chemical Company7 Adhbio and more................Purchase this report online with 125 Pages, List of Tables & Figures and in-depth Table of Contents on Global Bioadhesives Market Outlook 2019-2022 @The report covers the Segments and sub-segments of the Global Bioadhesives Market by:Regions:1 North America Country (United States, Canada)2 South America3 Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)4 Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)5 Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Product Types:1 Plant-based bioadhesives2 Animal-based bioadhesivesIndustry Segmentation:1 Packaging and paper2 Construction3 Furniture and wood4 Personal Care5 MedicalGrab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @Key questions answered in the report include:1 What are the key factors driving the Bioadhesives market?2 What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global Bioadhesives market?3 What are the challenges to Bioadhesives market growth?4 Who are the key vendors in the global Bioadhesives market?5 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Bioadhesives market?6 What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global Bioadhesives market?Table of Content:1 Bioadhesives Product Definition2 Global Bioadhesives Manufacturer Share and Market Overview3 Manufacturer Bioadhesives Business Introduction4 Global Bioadhesives Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Bioadhesives Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)6 Global Bioadhesives Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Bioadhesives Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Bioadhesives Market Forecast 2019-20229 Bioadhesives Segmentation Product Type10 Bioadhesives Segmentation Industry11 Bioadhesives Cost of Production Analysis12 ConclusionAbout us:BusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. 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.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune  Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940
Syngas-Global Market Product Introduction, Application and Specification Analysis Forecast to 2025

Syngas, Syngas Market, Syngas Industry, Syngas Market Analysis, Syngas Market Growth, Syngas Market Share

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This comprehensive Syngas Market research report includes a brief on these trends that can help the businesses operating in the industry to understand the market and strategize for their business expansion accordingly. The research report analyzes the market size, industry share, growth, key segments, CAGR and key drivers.Syngas is a fuel gas fusion that consists of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. It is an adaptable intermediate used for manufacture of methanol, ammonia, and SNG. The compositions of materials within syngas vary depending leading to the chemical composition of the feedstock. Syngas is formed from several hydrocarbon feedstocks, via reaction among both steam and oxygen.Request a sample copy @Syngas in its database, which provides an expert and in-depth analysis of key business trends and future market development prospects, key drivers and restraints, profiles of major market players, segmentation and forecasting. A Syngas Market provides an extensive view of size; trends and shape have been developed in this report to identify factors that will exhibit a significant impact in boosting the sales of Syngas Market in the near future.The following manufacturers are covered:Dow Chemical, BASF, KBR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Oxea, Methanex.Segment by Regions:North America, Europe, China, Japan.Segment by Type:Coal, Petroleum, Natural Gas, Biomass and Waste.Segment by Application:Chemicals, Power Generation, Liquid Fuels, Gaseous Fuels.Browse full table of contents and data tables @Moreover, the research report assessed market key features, consisting of revenue, capacity utilization rate, price, gross, growth rate, consumption, production, export, supply, cost, market size & share, industry demand, export & import analysis, and CAGR.Table of ContentsExecutive Summary1. Syngas Market Overview2. Global Syngas Market Competition by Manufacturers3. Global Syngas Production Market Share by Regions4. Global Syngas Consumption by Regions5. Global Syngas Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type6. Global Syngas Market Analysis by Applications7. Company Profiles and Key Figures in Syngas Business8. Syngas Manufacturing Cost Analysis9. Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers10. Market Dynamics11. Global Syngas Market Forecast12. Research Findings and Conclusion13. Methodology and Data SourceTable of Contents ContinuedOrder a Purchase Report Copy @About Us: - MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on World industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact us: - Mr. Jeet Jain, Sales Manager, sales@marketresearchnest.com ;+1-240-284-8070, +44-20-3290-4151;Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Medical Pendants Market 2024 Top Key Players: BASF Heal Force, Hunan Taiyanglong Medical Tech, Hutz Medical, Berika Teknoloji Medical, Johnson Medical and More...

Medical Pendants Market

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Global Medical Pendants Market report detailed by major player (Heal Force, Hunan Taiyanglong Medical Tech, Hutz Medical, Berika Teknoloji Medical, Johnson Medical and more), Types, Applications. The report shows the industry chain structure, Research Methodology Data Source (Primary, Secondary) and market forecast 2024.The report offers a chance to unlock wide insights with regard to the world Medical Pendants Market and assists to create intelligent strategic selections. The analysis discloses a number of the many parameters that has got to be taken into thought before going in the Medical Pendants Market.Get Free Sample PDF Brochure and 30 Mins Free Consultation!Following Top Companies are mentioned in this Medical Pendants Market Report:Heal Force, Hunan Taiyanglong Medical Tech, Hutz Medical, Berika Teknoloji Medical, Johnson Medical, Skytron, STERIS, Megasan Medical Gas Systems, SURGIRIS, Tedisel Medical, TLV Healthcare, TRILUX Medical, Oricare, Pacific Hospital, Medical Technologies LBI, Pax Medical Instrument, Modul technik, AND MOREMarket Segmentation:Global Medical Pendants Market Research Report 2019 include all basic information related to the global Industry and forecast till 2024. The Medical Pendants Market research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every aspect of the market, including regional markets, technology, types, and applications. The objectives of this study are to define, segment, and project the size of the market based on company, product type, end user and key regions.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoCeiling-mounted, Wall-mounted, MobileOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users,Hospital, ClinicThe Report Covers Following Regions: United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Central & South AmericaRequest For Special Discount:Initially report provides information about Medical Pendants Market Scenario, Development Prospect, Relevant Policy and Trade Overview to current demand, investment and supply in the market. It also shows future opportunities for the forecast years 2019-2024. The Market analysis report expresses the growth rate of the global market up to 2024 by revenue, chain structure, manufacturing process, and market entry strategies. The report next half additionally sheds explore the gap between supply and consumption. Apart from the mentioned industry growth rate of the market in 2024 is also explained. In addition, type wise and application wise consumption tables and figures of Medical Pendants market are given.The Highlighted Points of the Market Report: Meticulous study of business strategies for development of the Medical Pendants market-leading players. In-Detailed Information of Medical Pendants market specific drivers, constraints and major micro markets. Complete evaluation of all risk and market opportunities in the Medical Pendants Market. Beneficial Market Effect inside crucial technological and market latest trends striking the Medical Pendants market. Global study about the growth of Medical Pendants market for upcoming years. Medical Pendants market current market scenario and innovations and major events.Table of Content:Part 1 Market Overview1.1 Market Definition1.2 Medical Pendants Market DevelopmentPart 2 Global Market Status and Future Forecast2.1 Global Market by RegionPart 3 Asia-Pacific Market Status and Future Forecast3.1 Asia-Pacific Market by CompanyPart 4 Asia-Pacific Market by GeographyAnd moreView Complete Report with Table of Content:About 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.Contact Person: RohanEmail: sales@inforgrowth.comUS: +1-909-329-2808UK: +44 (203) 743 1890Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USA
Managed Security Service Market Report Presents A Through Study on the overall Market by Application and Vendors: CNPC, Sinopec, ExxonMobil, Sasol, Shell, LUKOIL, PDVSA, IGI, Petrobras, Hansen & Rosenthal etc.

Managed Security Service

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Managed Security Service Market 2018 report gives distinctive insights worldwide market competition for Managed Security Service. Focusing on objectives of this report is to categorize dynamics of the market and to supply latest updates like mergers and acquisitions, numerous technological developments, new entrants within the market, that create an impression on totally different segments of the Managed Security Service market.The Global Market for Managed Security Service to 2023 offers detailed coverage of Managed Security Service industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand and production forecasts, end-use demand details, price trends, and company shares of the leading Managed Security Service producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the Managed Security Service.For In depth Information Get Sample Copy of this Report @The following companies are profiled in this report:CNPC, Sinopec, ExxonMobil, Sasol, Shell, LUKOIL, PDVSA, IGI, Petrobras, Hansen & Rosenthal etc.#Managed Security Service Breakdown Data by Type:Crude Scale, Semi-refined, Fully-refined, Others#Managed Security Service Breakdown Data by Application:Packaging Materials, Cosmetic Ingredients, OthersReport Table of contents HighlightsIndustry Value Chain- Managed Security Service Industry Value Chain Analysis- Upstream Raw Materials- End-users & Customers- DistributorsMarket Drivers- Rising Demand- Entry Barrier- Economic/Political EnvironmentalCompetitive Landscape- Global Managed Security Service Sales & Share by Company (2013-2018)- Global Managed Security Service Revenue & Share by Company (2013-2018)- Price Trends- Competitive TrendsCompany Profiles- Product Offered- Business Performance (2013-2018)Segmentation by Type- Global Managed Security Service Sales Volume by Type (2013-2018)- Global Managed Security Service Revenue by Type (2013-2018)- Global Managed Security Service Price by Type (2013-2018)Segmentation by Application- Global Managed Security Service Sales Volume by Application (2013-2018)- Global Managed Security Service Revenue by Application (2013-2018)- Global Managed Security Service Price by Application (2013-2018)Market Forecast- Global Managed Security Service Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)- Global Managed Security Service Sales Forecast (2018-2023)- Global Managed Security Service Revenue Forecast (2018-2023)- Forecast by RegionGeographically Managed Security Service Market comprises of (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries): North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, and Korea), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy), Middle East Africa (Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran) And MoreIf you have any special requirements, please let us know @Report Answers Subsequent Questions: Which are most dynamic companies with portfolios and recent development within Managed Security Service industry till 2023? What are the important R&D factors and data insights to responsible for growing market share? What are future investment opportunities in the in Managed Security Service landscape analysing price trends? What are key factors that will influence growth, including future revenue projections? What are market opportunities and potential risks associated with Managed Security Service by analyzing trends? How is the market projected to grow in the upcoming years?About Us:Worldwide Market Reports is your one-stop repository of detailed and in-depth market research reports compiled by an extensive list of publishers from across the globe. We offer reports across virtually all domains and an exhaustive list of sub-domains under the sun.Mr. ShahWorldwide Market ReportsTel: +1 415 871 0703Email:sales@worldwidemarketreports.com
Veterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market 2019 Compressive Research On Zoetis Inc., Bayer, Bimeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, CEVA, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi, Virbac , Nuovo Biologics, LLC,

Veterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market

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Clostridium vaccines provides immunity against for a variety of ovine and bovine clostridial diseases such as tetanus, black disease, pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia), and blackleg. These vaccines can inhibit clostridial disease problems in beef cattle in California. These diseases can result in the rapid death of affected cattle.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report@Veterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 494.65million in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 715.37 million by 2026 registering a CAGR of 4.72% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. This rise in the market can be attributed to the rising in animal adoption, increase in occurrence of injuries and diseases in animals, and the technological advancements.Key Developments in the Market: In May, 2018, Zoetis acquired Abaxis, a Leading Global Provider of Veterinary Point-of-Care Diagnostic Instruments to enhance its presence in veterinary diagnostics, This will increase its presence in veterinary diagnostics approximately 10% compound annual growth over the last three years and this can also provide a new platform for growth that Zoetis can accelerate with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In June, 2016, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim signed an agreement Sanofis Animal Health and Boehringer Ingelheims Consumer Healthcare Business. After this acquisition, Boehringer Ingelheim becomes the second largest animal-health company and it will bethe top provider worldwide of parasiticides and vaccines for both production animals and pets.Veterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market Top Competitors:- Bayer AG, Bimeda, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH., Ceva , Eli Lilly and Company, Intervet Inc., a subsidiary of Merck & Co. Inc., Sanofi, Virbac, Zoetis, Inc., Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., ARKO Labs, CanFel Therapeutics, CEVA Logistics, Hygieia Biological Laboratories, Nuovo Biologics,LLC, Valneva SE,.Veterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market Competitive Analysis:The global veterinary clostridium vaccine 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 veterinary clostridium vaccine market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.Speak To Industry Experts, Request For Details Report@Market Drivers: The demand for clostridium vaccine is increasing by the increased awareness relating to zoonotic diseases and the increase occurrence rate of clostridium family diseases Technology advancement Increasing consumption of Animal-derived ProductsMarket Restraints: High cost of treatment works as a obstacle for the market growth Strict Regulations acting as a major market restraintVeterinary Clostridium Vaccine Market Segmentation: Animal Specieso Bovineo Ovineo Caprineo Swineo Poultryo Others Distribution Channelo Veterinary Clinico Veterinary Hospitalo Veterinary Research Instituteo Retail Pharmacy Geographyo North Americao South Americao Europeo Asia-Pacifico Middle East and AfricaRequest For Customization of Research 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
Business Growth on Global Hotel Market Intelligence Software Market by 2026 Included Key Players are Transparent Intelligence, Benchmarking Alliance, FASTBOOKING, HotStats, Octorate, RateGain, RateMate

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Hotel Market Intelligence Software is used to collect day-to-day information about the company's market by specially gathering and analyzing for accurate and confident decisions when determining market opportunities, market penetration strategies and market development indicators.Global hotel market Useful reports on the intelligence software market are recently published in a massive database by QYReports to help you make informed business decisions. It is a complete source of information on various attributes of companies such as market size, growth and stock. The study further identifies some key market segments such as Hotel Market Intelligence Software.Request for sample copy of this report here:Important key players are: Transparent Intelligence Benchmarking Alliance FASTBOOKING HotStats Octorate RateGain RateMateAccording to the research report, the global market of Hotel Market Intelligence Software continues to appreciate due to technological advances that are having a major impact on consumer behavior and the patterns of purchasing. In addition, rising penetration of the Internet and a surge in mobile surfing are expected to increase demand for global products.Request for discount copy of this report here:Following key questions are answered through this report: What are the restraining factors in front of the businesses? Which factors are driving the market growth? What are the recent trends in the global market? What are the global opportunities for getting new clients rapidly? What are the key regions for expanding the market globally? What are the threats and challenges in front of the businesses? Who are the key players in the global Hotel Market Intelligence Software market?While editing this report, you can use graphical presentation techniques such as information graphics, charts, tables and illustrations to create a strong foundation for a more detailed analysis of the latest trends and technological advances in the hotel market intelligence software market. In addition, it provides local wise productivity with clear details. It also provides information on the market share of several hotel market intelligence software market industries. A variety of effective market channels and business strategies have been appropriately described in the report to establish the best strategy for the reader.Globally, several regions such as North America, Central and South America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa have been surveyed based on productivity and manufacturing bases. Researchers in this report use other terms, such as Hotel Market Intelligence Software. The Competitive Areas section of the report covers solutions, products, services, and business overviews. This Global Hotel Market Intelligence Software Research Report covers several dynamic aspects such as drivers, constraints and challenges. Various leading companies have been profiled to gain clear insight into the company.Finally, researchers illuminate the various dynamics of markets such as drivers, redemption and opportunities. It also provides comprehensive information on new products, development and investments.About QYReports:We at, QYReports, a leading market research report published accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers includes prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SMEs and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into the analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsName: Jones JohnContact number :+(1) 786-292-8164204, Professional Center,7950 NW 53rd Street, Miami, Florida 33166sales@qyreports.com
Handlebars may come off Where is the problem? Due to incorrect information concerning torques written in the belonging mounting instruction and the use of screws with a wrong grade it is possible that the anti-twist protection of the handlebar at the tube might not be sufficient anymore. Thus, the handlebar could come off. Moreover, screws which have been tightened with a torque too high could break uncontrolled, so that the stability of 
Honda will recall more than a million vehicles in the U.S. to replace a batch of faulty air bag parts as part of the largest auto safety recall in history.

A driver in Maryland was injured in a January crash when a 2004 Honda Odyssey driver-side air bag inflator, made by the now-defunct Takata Corp., ruptured, Honda said in a statement.

The inflator that failed was a replacement installed in 2015 under the terms of a prior recall. The vehicle was included in one of Honda's earliest campaigns to replace Takata air bag inflators that contained a propellant that can become unstable and explode in a crash, a defect linked to more than a dozen deaths and at least 220 injuries worldwide.

Check your vehicle to see if it is in the latest recall

The Maryland incident is the first reported injury linked to a Takata air bag made with a chemical additive known as a desiccant that absorbs moisture to prevent the ammonium nitrate propellant from becoming unstable.

The addition of the additive and was thought to be a solution to the problem with the original air bags that were been found to activate with too much force in a crash, spraying the interior of vehicles with metal parts and leading to the recall of some 37 million vehicles in the U.S.

Honda said it suspects the desiccant was improperly handled at a Takata plant in Mexico, allowing the additive to become saturated with moisture when it was used to make the inflators. In a statement, the automaker noted that a definitive root-cause had not yet been identified.

The type of inflator covered by the recall announced Tuesday "contains substantially more desiccant than other desiccated inflator types, and it appears that the excessive moisture contained in the desiccant introduced humidity into the sealed inflator during assembly, accelerating propellant degradation over time," Honda spokesman Chris Martin said in an email.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said drivers should check their recall status at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls, noting that not all Honda and Acura vehicles that have received replacement air bags under recalls are affected by the latest recall.
Seven Portland students were taken to hospitals after suffering minor injuries in a bus crash Tuesday near Sandy, an official said.

Lt. Brandon Paxton, a Clackamas Fire District No. 1 spokesman, said the Alice Ott Middle School students bus was involved in a crash with two other cars at U.S. 26 and Southeast Orient Drive. The three drivers were taken to trauma hospitals.

The bus driver needed to be extricated, Paxton said.

Paxton didnt know what caused the crash, which temporarily closed the highway. The Oregon State Police is investigating.

Update: Hwy 26 open. 3-vehicle involved. Several students were transported for minor injuries, along with all 3 drivers. OSP is asking for #PublicAssistance, if anyone witnessed the crash to contact Sr. Trooper Reel via *OSP from your mobile phone. pic.twitter.com/7xT4QOHA8I  Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) March 12, 2019

Alice Ott Middle School is part of the David Douglas School District, which covers 12 square miles in east Portland.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

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Millions of dollars in grants to 20 states from the Manhattan District Attorneys Office led to the testing of more than 55,000 old sexual assault kits and the addition of more than 18,800 DNA profiles to the FBIs national databank, including 882 profiles from Oregons kits.

The DNA profiles from Oregon cases in Multnomah, Marion and Lane counties led to 448 so-called hits, or matches to other DNA profiles already in the federal database. The matches so far have resulted in six prosecutions in Multnomah County and one in Lane County.

A summit Tuesday in New York City highlighted the progress made from the kit-testing initiative.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said the $38 million in three-year grants awarded in 2015 helped rectify a tragic failure by law enforcement and "a decades-long denial of civil rights'' to sexual assault survivors from across the U.S. whose kits were ignored. The money came from asset forfeiture through his offices prosecution of foreign banks.

Vance also credited the advocacy group Joyful Heart Foundation and how it "awakened the national consciousness on this issue.'' Joyful Heart estimates there are at least 250,000 old sexual assault kits that remain untested in the nation.

"Testing every kit is our best practice and our moral imperative,'' Vance said.

Oregon has had its own shoddy record on allowing sexual assault kits to languish.

Multnomah, Marion and Lane counties got $1.9 million under the grant program and sent 2,913 old kits to a private lab for testing to see if any of the swabs yielded traceable DNA. The three counties made up more than half of the states backlog.

DOCUMENT: Manhattan District Attorneys Office report

In 2016, Oregons Legislature passed Melissas Law, which directed police agencies to adopt rules for processing untested kits by the start of 2017. The law didnt provide a time frame for the state lab to test kit evidence but allowed the state labs forensic scientists to prioritize their testing.

The state also mandated annual audits of untested rape kits and guidelines requiring all new kits be sent for testing within 14 days of collection.

Melissas Law was named for Melissa Bittler, a 14-year-old Portland girl attacked and killed by a serial rapist as she left for school in 2001. Detectives tracked down her murderer by testing old kits that they discovered among more than 1,000 sitting in their evidence warehouse. Police and prosecutors vowed then not to let the kits - and all the unprocessed DNA -- gather more dust.

But more than a decade later, The Oregonian/OregonLive found that untested kits more than doubled despite the public promises by police leaders to eliminate the stockpile.

The grant helped Oregon clear its backlog of untested sexual assault evidence, becoming one of at least seven states funded through the Manhattan District Attorneys Office that have eliminated or are close to eliminating their kit backlogs.

One of the kits that sat in the Portland Police Bureaus warehouse belonged to a woman who was 25 when she was sexually assaulted in a Jantzen Beach condo in 2010. She had a forensic exam done at a local hospital emergency room shortly afterward. She later described to investigators how terrifying the exam was. She said she was taken to a room that looked like a closet in the ER and told to strip down and leave her clothes for the nurse, according to the grant report.

She still tries to push those memories away. Upon leaving the hospital, she said, I felt blank. Blackness.

Her kit went untested for six years until Multnomah County got the grant money. The results came back in 2016, prompting Portland police to reopen their investigation and arrest Steven Tubbs. Police said Tubbs sexually assaulted the woman who was mentally incapacitated and physically helpless at the time, passed out while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after partying at his home.

Tubbs was sentenced in September to eight years and four months for first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill was among those set to speak on a panel about legislative reforms at the New York summit.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. held a news conference Tuesday morning in New York, celebrating the testing of old sexual assault kits through his office's and federal grants awarded since 2015.

According to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, 32 jurisdictions in 20 states received grants to test 55,252 old sexual assault kits between 2015 and 2018. As a result, 18,803 DNA profiles were uploaded in the FBIs Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS, leading to 9,228 hits in the federal databank. The hits led to 165 new prosecutions across the United States. Of those, 160 were for felony sexual assaults and one for a homicide. So far , there have been 64 convictions, of which 47 were felony sexual assaults.

Jon Adler, director of the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, said the federal government also has offered about $154 million in grants to police agencies in 35 states to test old kits since 2015. He described the case of a serial rapist and killer, Samuel Little, who confessed to 93 rape-homicides in the past year. Forty-nine were corroborated, many through the testing of old sexual assault kits, allowing 11 different cities to close cold cases. Little is serving life without parole in California for three murders.

A woman sexually assaulted in 1996 in Flint, Michigan, said shes now waiting to testify at her alleged attackers trial. She had kept checking with police but got no answers about her case over the years and found the suspect years later herself.

Im hurt. Im disgusted, she said during a news conference at the summit. Hopefully we will not have to have a meeting like this again.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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Concerned about the rise in hate crimes reported in Oregon without a corresponding increase in arrests or prosecutions, Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum urged lawmakers Tuesday to update the states intimidation statute and rename it the bias crime law.

Oregons 1981 intimidation statute focused on the number of people participating in a hate crime, rather than the nature of the harm done, she said.

Its currently a felony, for example for two people to spray racist graffiti on a home, yet its a misdemeanor when someone beats another person based on the color of their skin.

The proposed Senate Bill 577 would make a violent offense or the immediate threat of violence based on a persons membership in a protected class a felony.

Gender identity would be added as a protected class, and the name of the offense would change from intimidation to first-degree or second-degree bias, Rosenblum said.

Victims who report encounters that dont rise to a hate crime that can be prosecuted will be referred to local services, a hate crimes hotline or a hate crimes response coordinator in the state Department of Justice. And county district attorneys will be required to track and report their bias crime prosecutions and outcomes to the state.

The attorney general convened a task force that has met monthly since July to identify gaps in investigating hate-related crimes and support for victims. The group also held meetings in Portland, Eugene and Medford to hear from community members, including many who complained that officers minimized or ignored their complaints.

Since 2016, Oregon has exceeded the national average of hate crimes reported per capita, Rosenblum said. The Southern Poverty Law Center ranked Oregon 11th in total hate crimes reported in the 10 days following the 2016 election. Statewide, hate crimes were up 60 percent in 2016 from the previous year, according to FBI statistics.

One thing we do know theyre consistently under-reported, Rosenblum said. I hear repeatedly nothing will happen anyhow, so theres no point in making the calls.

In 2018, Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Bend reported no hate crimes in their cities. During the same period, Eugene reported over 50 hate crimes. That difference doesnt reflect an epidemic of hate in Eugene, but rather a more committed approach by Eugene police to track all reports, even if they dont result in arrests, said Aaron Knott, legislative director in the Attorney Generals Office.

The bill would require all police agencies to better document reports of alleged hate crimes, even if they dont result in arrests, and share that material with the state Criminal Justice Commission. District attorneys offices would have to track their hate crime caseloads and report to the state who is prosecuted, who is convicted, the sentences issued and rates of recidivism, Rosenblum said.

Gresham resident Demetria Hester told the committee how a man hurled racial slurs at her as she was riding a Portland MAX train home from work on May 25, 2017, and then assaulted her on the MAX platform while dozens of people around her watched and did nothing.

The next day, the same man, Jeremy Christian, was accused of berating two African American girls on another MAX train and stabbing three men who came to their aid, killing two. Christian is awaiting trial in the cases.

Please change the law to make people who do these things out of hate, to stop it, said Hester, 45. No one wants to live a life of fear every morning you get up because of your race.

Nancy Haque, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, said many LGBTQ residents in Portland have told her theyve been physically attacked because of their gender identity within the past month, causing fear throughout the community, yet theyve been reluctant to go to police.

If victims do not believe their experiences will be treated with the appropriate gravity and response, how can they be expected to report? Haque asked.

Mona Hassan, a Somali refugee who works in Corvallis, told the committee how her mother was spit on and called a terrorist by children while walking in her full Muslim garb and how she herself was called the n-word when she refused to give money to a panhandler.

Jerry Moore, Salems police chief speaking on behalf of the Oregon Chiefs of Police Association and the Oregon Sheriffs Association, said not every alleged hate crime can lead to an arrest or prosecution.

When this is the case, people feel law enforcement is uncaring or not taking their situation seriously and that is a difficult position for law enforcement to be in, he said. This bill provides law enforcement with the opportunity not only to address a persons concerns, but also to provide a resource that hasnt been available previously.

-- 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 federal judge on Monday sentenced Ronald Stover to two years of home detention, five years of probation and ordered the Tualatin man who acknowledged he used investors funds for his own use to repay $3.2 million in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Maddux called Stover a maestro of manipulation and an undeterred swindler who repeatedly made promises to repay investors loans but never did.

The defendants entire income came from diverted investors funds, Maddux said.

She urged the judge to bar Stover from soliciting money from anyone for any purpose while on probation.

Defense lawyer Mark Dzarnoski dismissed Madduxs characterization of his client as a career criminal, pointing out that Stover has no prior convictions and that previous investigations by the FBI in Los Angeles and Nevada resulted in no charges filed against him.

Stover, his lawyer argued, didnt set out to rip off investors but was retained to come up with a business and financial plan to keep a Texas company afloat after it appeared at risk of closing its doors and laying off 242 employees.

He needed capital and he needed investors in order to implement this business plan, Dzarnoski said in court.

In November, Stover, now 65, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. Under the plea deal, the government agreed to drop all charges against Stovers son, Jeffrey Stover, who also had been indicted on wire and bankruptcy fraud charges in 2016 in the alleged scheme.

Stovers lawyer read an email the FBI agent in the case wrote to Maddux, which indicated he thought Ron would fall on his sword if the son were indicted.

Maddux later said the federal agent in the same email also wrote that he believed the government had a strong conspiracy case involving the son.

The government supported a five-year probationary sentence for the senior Stover, largely because he suffers from advanced stage cancer.

The elder Stover billed himself as someone who helped turn around companies in financial distress and worked to secure private investment for a company called Tri-Core Funding Group and for another company called Xtreme Iron, the indictments said.

Xtreme Iron owned a fleet of Caterpillar and John Deere heavy equipment in Frisco, Texas, and maintained an office in Oregon in Wilsonville. Stover lived lavishly off the proceeds of his fraud, paying mortgages on million-dollar-plus homes for himself and family, according to the U.S Attorneys Office.

In May 2012, for example, Ron Stover solicited money from a California man to help buy heavy equipment from Caterpillar. The man wired $175,000 to Tri-Core Funding Group, which was owned and controlled by Stover, and Stover promised repayment plus interest through a 30-day loan note without acknowledging his long history of defaulting on such promissory notes, Maddux said.

Stover used investors money to make more than a years worth of mortgage payments on his Tualatin home, which was on the brink of foreclosure, and he never repaid the California investor, according to Maddux.

Stover often convinced investors that they either needed to send him more money or theyd lose their entire investment, the prosecutor said.

Exactly, muttered another of Stovers victims, Byron Shenk, of McMinnville, as he sat in the first row of the courtrooms public gallery and heard Maddux recount Stovers method of operation.

In another case, a Nevada investor dipped into the trust account of his special needs son to send money to Stover and desperately tried to recoup the money during the last year of his life before dying at age 48 in June 2013, Maddux said.

Stovers family, Maddux said, engaged in unrestricted spending funded by investors,' which included paying for housekeepers, landscapers and gym memberships.

Stover tried to use a bankruptcy filing in 2014 to avoid the debt he owed to investors, attorneys and others. Claims filed by creditors against Stover totaled $41 million from 40 people who invested with Stover since 2004, according to Madduxs sentencing memo. Stover later withdrew his bankruptcy filing, after a U.S. trustee alleged that Stover concealed property interests and income from investors and falsified records.

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken asked if Stover had anything to tell her, and he initially declined.

Really? the judge responded.

Stover then stood and acknowledged that he didnt use the money invested by the California man as promised and will work to repay the loans of the Nevada and California victims. He asked for the chance to work while on home detention so he could start to pay back the money owed.

I dont believe I victimized anybody, or anybody needs to be protected, he added.

A longtime friend of Stovers who lives in Mexico and runs a design company in Cabo San Lucas has reached out for Stovers help to expand his business, Stovers attorney said. He asked that his client be allowed to pursue that work while on probation.

The judge ordered Stover to find a job while on home detention and for his federal probation officer to ensure what youre doing is legitimate.

Im not going to let you hold peoples finances in your hands until theres some checks and balances, Aiken said. Stover will need to earn that privilege, she added.

Shenk, who said his family lost about $610,000 from Stover in the 1970s and came to court after reading about Stovers indictment and plea, wasnt pleased with the outcome. Im so disappointed because hes a lying career criminal, Shenk said.

Stover was ordered to pay $100 a month in restitution during his home confinement, but that amount will increase after two years.

The best thing you can do for the rest of your life is to pay a chunk of that restitution off, the judge said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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Straight tries very hard to be a breakthrough work about struggling with bisexuality. Tonally, structurally, the formulaic 2016 one-act, now at Triangle Productions Sanctuary theater, has a lot more in common with an indie-coming-out flick, circa 1985.

You can easily envision John Cusack starring as Ben, the awkward and closeted investment banker at the heart of Straight. Playing Ben's hopelessly clueless girlfriend, Emily: Jennifer Jason Leigh. And as Chris, the cocky, way-too-worldly younger hunk Ben's crushing on? Well, newcomer Robert Downey Jr., of course.

Luckily for Triangle Productions, director Don Horn has assembled an equally, extraordinarily likeable cast. Zachary Warner (Ben), Colin Kane (Chris) and Jennie Spector (Emily) zap vital spring into each comedic step, every melodramatic turn of an otherwise tired romantic triangle  albeit spiced up with fresh polemics on post-gay-marriage America.

After hooking up through a dating app, Bostonians Ben and Chris continue meeting at Ben's apartment. It's a dangerous down-low relationship. Emily has Ben's key, and the two dudes are so indiscreet they might as well be beaming a webcam show to her phone.

Coming out for Ben is tough. Seemingly bisexual, he's (pardon the imagery) straddling two tribes: straight and gay. Ben hates labels, yet won't consider the possibility of sexual fluidity. Freewheeling as he is, Chris also hides his orientation from his friends and family. The irony, playwrights Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola remind us, is that Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2004.

"I wish we didn't have  all this pressure to be one thing or another," Ben confesses to Chris.

Why is Ben so terrified of identifying as gay? Was a gay classmate bullied in middle school? Does he fear disappointing his parents? Is he conflicted because of his faith?

Any armchair Dr. Ruth or Dan Savage can see there's deeper pathology at work here. But we're provided precious little backstory for Ben, or any of the trio.

It may be a regional thing. Ben's argument that coming out "subsumes" your entire identity doesn't feel so convincing here in Portland where people are equivalently defined by their favorite IPA and coffee roaster. (Honestly, the uptight Northeasterner just needs to spend a Saturday night in Portland sampling Oregon edibles and our gender-fluid burlesque scene.)

In any case, the overall lack of specifics doesn't help the play prove its point that coming out today remains complicated and painful  a missed opportunity as that's sadly, likely true.

All the more reason to admire Horn's gifted, thespian Brat Pack.

As Ben, Warner sweats palpable lust and affection for both his lovers. Ben is, essentially, a self-centered, right-swiping, two-timing swine. Vulnerable notes sneaking through the actor's thick baritone voice can't help but make the guy sympathetic.

A biogenetics grad student, Emily is literally the scientist who can't see what's going on in front of her face. Spector gradually develops a sweet desperation in Emily, lifting the character beyond cliche.

Chris is fun-loving and quick-witted, and Kane keeps up with his character's snappy sarcasm without crossing into snark. The actor ably takes his party animal into an absolutely gut-wrenching monologue. Kane also gets the funniest line of the night: "Not every gay guy, like, burps glitter."

Strengths: The final scene is a breath-grabbing bombshell. If only there were more such original plotting throughout the previous 75 minutes.

Weaknesses: "Straight" skates over the issue of infidelity; which would open up a great opportunity to develop Emily. You have to wonder, too, if including a woman on the playwriting team would have given Emily additional perspective and depth.

The back-and-forth between Ben and Chris over contemporary sexuality sounds forced in that stiff, often unavoidable way problem plays lay out their problems. Elmegreen and Fornarola rely heavily on the phrase "Or  whatever" to colloquialize Ben's various arguments. They still roll out like abstracts from academic studies.

Memorable moment: Not the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics or Bruins. When Ben and Chris finally consummate their love, it's under an Oregon State Beavers blanket. A sexy, wily way to note the play's Northwest premiere.

Takeaway: Sexual revolutions still leave behind confused casualties.

***

Straight"

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through March 23.

Where: The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza, 1785 N.E. Sandy Blvd.

Tickets: $15-$35, trianglepro.org or 503-239-5919.
Oregons snowpack made a remarkable recovery last month, significantly improving the states water supply outlook, according to a report.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service said snowpack and streamflow forecasts lean towards an adequate water supply situation for many areas of the state as of March 1. The coming weeks and months will determine the states spring and summer water supply outlook, however.

The agency said several storm systems and unseasonably cold temperatures that lasted for most of February replenished an early-season snowpack deficit.

Seven of the states long-term snow monitoring sites, for example, broke March 1 snowpack records. And more than 30 percent of those sites had their highest February snow accumulations on record.

Snowpack throughout the state now sits above normal in nearly all areas, though the snowpack in the Hood, Sandy, and Lower Deschutes basins around Mount Hood is slightly below average.

Unseasonably cold temperatures and ample moisture in February were welcome signs of improvement for Oregons water supply and drought situations, Scott Oviatt, Snow Survey supervisory hydrologist, said in a statement.

A wet February didnt completely wipe out drought concerns, however. Nearly 64 percent of the state is in moderate to severe drought, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data available.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service said spring and summer streamflow is expected to range from near normal to well above normal in most Oregon basins. Streamflow forecasts for parts of the Deschutes River basin and Mount Hood region hovered about 5 to 20 percent below normal as of March 1, however.

The weather over the next few months will greatly affect the summer water supply story for this year, but the current trajectory is looking positive for the states streams and rivers, the agency said in its March 1 report.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

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A Portland economist and outspoken critic of the project to widen Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter said Monday that it would be a tragic error, and would serve as a lesson to other cities and states if the freeway project is built.

Joe Cortright said on his blog that opposing the estimated $500 million project, which would add merging lanes and wider shoulders on I-5 through the Rose Quarter in the heart of Portland, is important to the future of cities everywhere.

A wider freeway will induce more traffic and pollution (and ironically, worsen traffic congestion), runs directly counter to the city and states goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, does nothing to improve safety, especially for those walking or biking, and disproportionately benefits higher income commuters from outside the city, while imposing social and environmental costs primarily on lower income households and people of color, Cortright wrote on his City Observatory blog.

His comments come a day before the city and state transportation departments will hold a public hearing on the project, and they set the stage for what will likely be a lengthy and contentious hearing.

Elected officials are expected to attend the hearing and speak as well.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the transportation bureau, has so far taken a measured tone on the project. In a January blog post, Eudaly said a project solely to benefit cars would be unacceptable.

It should make it dramatically easier and safer for people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving in the Rose Quarter, she said in an email. Her chief of staff, Marshall Runkel, later told The Oregonian/OregonLive that while she may have different priorities for large infrastructure projects, she doesnt have the professional expertise to second guess the technical analysis of PBOT and ODOT engineers.

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty opposed the project during her campaign, and she told the Portland Tribune last week she believes the money would be better spent on bike and pedestrian projects.

Last month, the two local governments released a 108-page environmental assessment of the project, in which the governments stated the freeway project would actually slightly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve safety both on the freeway and on surface streets.

Runkel, Eudalys top aide, said the project had evolved and improved, and would be unlikely to have any meaningful impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Cortright argued a similar freeway project on I-5 completed in 2010, which adds merging lanes between Lombard and Victory Boulevard in North Portland, resulted in an increase in traffic crashes  not a decrease.

Oregon transportation officials said the stretch of I-5 through the Rose Quarter had 881 crashes from 2011 to 2015, with most being fender benders on the southbound stretch of the highway near the merge with I-84.

Cortright, who has argued the state should first implement variable freeway tolls to manage congestion before moving forward with any large-scale infrastructure projects, also said hes dubious has the ability to keep the final price tag under control.

The state in 2017 agreed to set $30 million every year for the project starting in 2022. That money, according to the state statute, will be spent until the project is completed or bonds issued to pay for construction have been repaid. The agency expects to issue anywhere from $420 million to $450 million in bonds for the project over a 20- or 25-year period.

The actual price tag is squishy, too, as engineering costs are preliminary, but the estimate now hovers around $500 million.

Cortright said ODOT had a record of cost overruns on major infrastructure projects, and none have rivaled the size and scale of the Rose Quarter. The most prominent example, a 5.5-mile new stretch of U.S. 20 between Newport and Corvallis, ballooned from an initial approved spending plan of $145 million to $365 million, according to state records.

The public hearing is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 12. People can sign up to speak starting at 4:30 p.m. and up until 6 p.m.

The state and city plan a brief project presentation followed by public comment. Elected officials will be asked to comment first, followed by other residents. The meeting is at the Oregon Convention Center in Room A108, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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During a murder trial this week and last, a prosecutor hinted that the reason an African American teenager started scuffling with a white man at a Gresham 7-Eleven was because the man was blatantly advertising his white supremacist affiliation.

Russell Courtier was wearing a European Kindred cap with the initials of the white supremacist group and its shield prominently displayed on the front when he encountered 19-year-old Larnell Bruce Jr. at the convenience store, prosecutor David Hannon told jurors during opening statements on Thursday.

On Monday, the prosecutor called on a nationally recognized expert on racist prison gangs who testified that the meaning of the initials EK and the shield have become well-known symbols of white supremacy among certain segments of the population.

The EK shield and the swastika kind of go hand in hand for a lot of people, said Randy Blazak, who has spent his career studying hate groups and prison gangs and is working on a book about the subject.

The latest developments in the trial have provided jurors with the first prosecution explanations of what might have led to the violent clash in August 2016 that left Bruce dead and Courtier charged with a racially motivated murder. The prosecution has hinted that Bruce might have noticed Courtiers racist hat just before the two started brawling, followed a moment later by Courtier jumping in his Jeep and intentionally driving into Bruce.

Russell Courtier wore this EK shield hat to the 7-Eleven on the night he killed Larnell Bruce Jr., the prosecution has said. (Beth Nakamura/Staff)

Defense attorneys Kevin Sali and John Robb, however, have worked to discredit the prosecutions theory that Courtier, 40, is an avid believer in the ideals of the white supremacist gang. Rather, Courtiers defense extensively questioned Blazak about why a white inmate might want to join the European Kindred.

Blazak said some inmates join because they are true white supremacists, while others join purely for protection. Blazak said prison can be a violent place, with other inmates stabbing each other with makeshift knives called shanks, sexually assaulting each other or strangling each other with cords. Its reasonable, Blazak said, that a new inmate would be afraid because correctional officers cant always protect them. As a result, inmates turn to prison gangs that are often divided up by race for protection.

You are surrounded by an environment that is ever predatory, Blazak said.

While Blazaks testimony might seem to support the defense theory that Courtier wasnt motivated by white supremacy, Blazak said in response to the prosecutions questions that he thought Courtier was entrenched in the group because he chose to wear the EK hat to the 7-Eleven.

Thats much different than Courtiers decision to have the gangs logo tattooed onto his calf: The tattoo was a requirement of joining the gang in prison and isnt easily removed, Blazak said.

You dont take off a tattoo, but you put on a hat, said Blazak, who has a Ph.D. in sociology. So it shows a continued allegiance to the group outside the prison. And also kind of a calling card to let people, maybe other former inmates who are affiliated with EK, know that youre representing on the street.

33 Murder trial begins in the death of Larnell Bruce Jr.

Even when inmates are released from prison, it can be quite difficult for them to sever ties with the gang, especially given the likelihood they will end up back in prison again, Blazak said.

Courtier is not on trial alone: His girlfriend, Colleen Hunt, also is charged with aiding and abetting him in the alleged murder. But the prosecution has agreed that Hunt was not a member of European Kindred, and Mondays testimony didnt focus on her.

The trial is scheduled to last through March 22.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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By Jennifer Rubin  The Washington Post

Get ready for the Buttigieg boomlet. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg had a stellar showing on CNNs town hall with him Sunday night, confirming a dispiriting truism about our politics.

With eight years as mayor, military service and direct, substantive answers to questions, he is not considered a front-runner, but consider that a former congressman whos yet to give a meaty policy address is about to enter the race and sprint near the top of the pack.

Could voters actually listen for an hour, hear Buttigieg and decide, Hey, maybe celebrity status isnt a qualification or even a desirable trait in a candidate. Maybe I should go with the guy who has something to say about important issues and has run something?

Yes, Buttigieg gave a great sound-bite about Vice President Mike Pence  wondering he stopped believing in scripture when he started believing in Donald Trump. But, that wasnt the best part of his appearance.

Buttigieg was impressive because he spoke directly. He actually answered questions and he had a comfort level with policy that many other candidates dont.

He was asked about Venezuela. I think that the Maduro regime has lost its legitimacy, he said. Thats why its not just the U.S. but 50 countries that have declined to recognize the legitimacy of that regime.

He continued, That being said, that doesnt mean we just carelessly threaten the use of military force, which is what it appeared the national security adviser was doing at one point, kind of hinting that troops might be sent to South America.

He took a swipe at national security adviser John Bolton (I dont understand how somebody who was involved in leading us into the Iraq War is allowed that near to the Situation Room to begin with) but then answered smartly, We need to support democratic outcomes in that country. And so to the extent that sanctions can be targeted and can be focused on trying to bring about new free and fair elections so that there can be self-determination by the Venezuelan people, that puts in a government that I think has that legitimacy, then we should do our part not through force but through the diplomatic tool kit.

That might be the best answer on Venezuela Ive heard from any Democratic candidate.He gave a similarly cogent answer on health care.

Noting that we have millions of uninsured and underinsured people, he said we needto move in the direction of Medicare-for-all. The best way to do that is through what you might call a Medicare-for-all-who-want-it setup. In other words, you take some flavor of Medicare, you make it available on the exchange as a kind of public option.  So if people like me are right that thats ultimately going to be more efficient over time and more cost-effective, then you will see that very naturally become a glide path. 

We as a country pay out of our health-care dollar less on patient care and more on bureaucracy than almost any other country in the developed world. And so its very clear that weve got to do some unglamorous technical work. 

Weve also just got to broaden access to it until everyone has health care. I just refuse to accept that when citizens of just about every developed nation in the world enjoy this, that we should settle for less.

Maybe that sounds really smart only because weve gotten so used to such half-baked answers. But campaigns are graded on a curve. If he sounds more informed and sensible than others, he deserves support. He addressed the Arent you too young? question a couple of times, but the real answer should be this: Hes a lot smarter than many people in the race and, coming from a red state, has a real understanding and respect for Republicans.

Heres how he talked about impeachment: I would like to see this president and the style of politics that he represents sent off through the electoral process, decisively defeated at the ballot box. He went on: There are a lot of people who voted for him and also voted for me and also voted for Barack Obama. So these things are complicated. But part of how it happened was a lot of people felt that the system was letting them down and, frankly, kind of voted to burn the house down. And thats, in some ways, what we got. I dont think that he put forward a real program for how to turn our country into a better direction, though. And so I think that the best way to defeat and end this is through an election. However, Buttigieg correctly observed that Congress still has a job to do: These investigations may return information that Congress just morally cant ignore, and it may well be the case that theyre left with no choice, just in the name of justice, than to begin impeachment proceedings.

Finally, he sounded like someone who knew how to make sober, fact-based decisions: I first got my understanding about the power of big data when it was my job to crunch millions of lines of data related to grocery prices, but I also began studying the way data gets used. We need a comprehensive data law that will establish the rights we have over the value that is being extracted from data that is collected about us, including the right to be forgotten and certain rights over understanding how our data is used and who is accessing it. 

We do need to work to make government more efficient. One of the things we did when I came in, in South Bend as mayor was  kind of a banned phrase around the county city building was, We do it this way because weve always done it this way.

We subjected everything we do to rigorous analysis, because at the city level, I dont get to print money. We legally have to balance the general fund budget. And if I want to do more, we just have to figure out a way to do what were doing more efficiently or else well have to do less of something else. And sometimes thats the right answer, too.

Buttigieg is still the longest of long shots. However, he deserves to be taken seriously. If we want a celebrity or someone whos never had an original thought in his life or someone who thinks we can have unicorns and rainbows, well, then shame on us.

-- Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion from a center-right perspective for The Washington Post.
One of two nordic skiers rescued March 6 after becoming lost and sheltering in a tree well near Bend has died.

Ted Gifford, 69, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, died March 8 at St. Charles Medical Center, according to the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office.

Gifford and Robert Skill, 73, had embarked March 5 on a multiday, back-country nordic ski trip and had planned to stop overnight at warming shelters. They became lost, however, and could not find a shelter on their first night out. They took cover instead in a tree well, according to the sheriffs office.

The pair also lost one of their cell phones, and their remaining phone had questionable service. They tried to call for help a number of times without success, according to the sheriffs office, before getting through to 911.Gifford and Skill were found March 6 in the Happy Valley area northwest of Tumalo Falls.

Skille, who lives in Silverton, was treated at St. Charles and released, according to hospital spokesperson Lisa Goodman.

 The Bulletin
A 32-year-old man who threatened to harm his ex-girlfriend was shot in the groin by her while breaking into her Grants Pass home early Monday and later arrested, police say.

Michael L. Fouch was taken to a hospital for treatment and then booked into the Josephine County Jail on suspicion of fourth-degree assault and menacing, according to the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety.

The 31-year-old woman called 911 around 1 a.m. when Fouch arrived at her home and was still on the line when Fouch forced his way into her bedroom, where she retreated with her child, police said. She fired one shot soon after.

Police said Fouch had been threatening the woman before going to her home. He was found wounded in the driveway when paramedics arrived.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

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Lawmakers have proposed eliminating the states piece of the popular mortgage interest deduction for second homes and reducing it for high earners.

Eliminating the write-off in those cases would raise $150 million. Senate Bill 3349 calls for that money to be directed to programs that promote homeownership or prevent homelessness.

The bill is sponsored by Democratic members of the Legislature, including the chairwomen of both chambers committees that deal with housing. It had its first hearing Monday.

The mortgage interest deduction is the nations biggest housing subsidy, but critics say it primarily benefits higher income households. Some lower-income homeowners realize no benefit at all because they dont itemize their deductions. Thats grown more common after 2017s federal tax reform, which increased the standard deduction.

Oregons bill would allow residents to claim the deduction for state taxes only for their primary residence. It also phases out the deduction for people who earn more than $200,000, or $250,000 for couples who file jointly. The changes would begin with the 2019 tax year.

This isnt a new tax, said Daniel Hauser of the left-leaning think tank Oregon Center for Public Policy. What it is is a shifting of our subsidies in a more equitable and more effective way to actually boost homeownership and really help (homeless) families.

But Realtors and homebuilders say eliminating the subsidy could undermine homeownership efforts. Ellen Miller, a lobbyist for the Oregon Homebuilders Association, said it could reduce the incentive for homeowners to move up to more expensive homes, freeing up the stock of starter homes.

Our concern is due to the potential impacts on upward mobility in homeownership and building equity, Miller told lawmakers.

The deduction is very popular, even among those who dont use it.

A 2017 nationwide poll by Economist/YouGov related to tax reform found that only 20 percent of respondents supported eliminating the deduction in exchange for a larger standard deduction. Support outweighed opposition even among homeowners who dont itemize their deductions  and even renters. (The poll included 1,500 U.S. adults in a web-based interview.)

James Marshall, who owns a home and several rental properties in Marion County, told lawmakers they would be taking away one of few tax benefits available to common Americans.

To change this midstream for all of us who made the decision to purchase based on the tax advantage that was available ... would be devastating to me personally and would probably cause me to sell my investment properties and perhaps my principle residence as well, he said.

The bill, currently before the Human Services and Housing Committee in the Oregon House, is expected to see amendments before it advances. It will also go before the House Revenue Committee, which deals with taxes.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus

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SALEM  Gov. Kate Brown is pressing Oregon lawmakers to pass a measure paying for prepaid postage on mail-in ballots, a move she says would boost voter turnout in a state that boasts one of the highest electoral participation rates in the country.

"While Oregon's vote by mail system is one of the most innovative ways any state has increased voter access, it's also hobbled by something less modern: the postage stamp," the governor testified on Monday.

California and Washington state have already passed measures requiring election officials to provide prepaid mail ballots.

Oregon became a leader in voting accessibility after switching to a vote by mail system 2000. The state also became the first to implement a robust automatic voter registration system that automatically signs people up to vote when they get a driver's license.

But the governor notes that postage stamp can still act as a "functional barrier" for some people, particularly low-income and young people who are less likely to have stamps.

Currently, voters who can't afford stamps can turn in their ballots for free at their county clerk's office or at a ballot drop box. The United States Postal Office has also said that it will still deliver mail-in ballots without a stamp, and it will leave election offices to pick up the bill.

Brown said that drop boxes can still be a hurdle for people with disabilities and for rural voters who may have to travel great distances to turn in their ballots.

Although the governor has made prepaid ballots a top priority in her budget plan last year, House Speaker Tina Kotek said that the state may not be able to afford it. Legislative budget leaders are recommending a 5 percent cut across nearly all state programs to pay for its Medicaid debt and struggling school system.

"The question is: Will we have money for it at the end of the day?" Kotek told reporters on Monday. "I don't know."

An official from the Secretary of State's Office testified it would cost the state between $1.5 million and $3 million for the prepaid postage, depending on how many voters actually send in the ballots.

Brown, who recently took a trip to Washington, D.C., to champion the states leadership in voter access, said that the price is worth it and that the state needs to take further actions to maintain a strong democracy.

 AP
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Monday criticized how local prosecutors and his own Police Bureau handle street violence among political factions.

In a wide-ranging press conference, Wheeler called for a change to rules and laws if they do not allow police officers to arrest brawlers and vowed that anyone fighting on Portland streets will not escape unpunished.

Wheeler, animated, baffled and exasperated at times, said it defies belief that left- and right-wing protesters who slug each other on Portland streets can evade arrest and prosecution with impunity. Yet he said that is exactly the advice his aides have received from Multnomah County prosecutors.

Wheeler made particular reference to an Oct. 13, 2018 fight outside the Kellys Olympian bar in downtown Portland. On that night, members of Patriot Prayer and Antifa used their fists, batons and even bear mace to bloody and blind each other outside the popular establishment.

Portland police officers were present but did not attempt any arrests. Video footage of the fight went viral, drawing international news coverage that cast the Rose City as a lawless town.

Wheeler said officials in the office of Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill told mayoral aides that prosecutors could do nothing because the law allows for mutual combat between people fighting.

That was an unacceptable answer for me, Wheeler said Monday.

Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for Underhill, said the prosecutors office will continue filing charges against people who fight in public. We continue to investigate the violence that has recently unfolded and will hold the perpetrators accountable, Weisberg said.

Weisberg said the prosecutions are incredibly complex and some elements have been oversimplified by individuals other than prosecutors. Sometimes prosecutors cannot determine the initial aggressor, he said, making it legally and ethically questionable to file charges.

For his part, Wheeler said that when he watched video of the fight, he could not reconcile how what I was seeing on that tape could possibly be sanctioned or legal.

In the months since, news coverage has questioned the mutual combat standard, probing if Underhills office was correct in its assessment and showing that Joey Gibson, the Patriot Prayer ringleader, believed mutual combat laws would keep his followers from prosecution.

I found it useful when people started raising the question of whether mutual combat was a thing at all, Wheeler said. Turns out, guess what, it's not.

State law bans mutual combat and physical fighting in general.

As prosecutors have declined to file charges, police have declined to make arrests. Wheeler said that left him wondering, Why arent you arresting these people?

In what city is it legal to engage in a street brawl? the mayor asked. Cmon folks, were overcomplicating this. Youre not allowed to fight on the streets of the city.

Wheeler went on: How am I supposed to explain this to my 12-year-old daughter? That we allow adults to fight on the streets of our city. Is there anybody who actually thinks this is a good idea? I dont.

Berk Nelson, a senior adviser to Wheeler on police matters, said officers consider the totality of the circumstances, such as their own safety, before moving to arrest people fighting in the streets.

City Attorney Tracy Reeve declined to discuss if her office has done any analysis of the mutual combat standard or arrest practices, citing lawyer-client privilege.

Wheeler said he has not directed Police Chief Danielle Outlaw or other officials to change their approach to arrests. But he said he has made his frustrations eminently clear to all parties involved.

If the law doesnt allow for arresting street fighters, it must be changed to untie our hands, he said.

In cities across the country theyre looking at us like, What the heck? Wed arrest these people.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

GFriedman@Oregonian.com
A 25-year-old man whose family believes was the victim of a January severe beating and robbery in Southeast Portland has died, according to Portland police.

Cody Denney was hospitalized after he was found unconscious Jan. 25 around 7:50 a.m. near Southeast 92nd Avenue and Knapp Street.

Portland police asked for the publics help in identifying him on Jan. 26 and released a sketch and details about his tattoos. The Police Bureau announced the next day that investigators had identified him and were looking into what happened, but didnt release his name to the public.

Police didnt confirm Denneys death until Monday, when asked by the The Oregonian/OregonLive. The agency hasnt released any new information about the case. No arrests have been announced.

According to an online fundraiser created by a person who identifies herself as Denneys relative, the attack caused Denneys brain to swell and he was in a medically induced coma before he died. The page described Denney as usually the quiet kid in the corner just taking it all in.

Anyone who knows Cody knows he would give the shirt off his back to someone in need, the page said. He is an old soul, often times referred to (as) an old hippy born in the wrong era.

The Portland Police Bureau asks anyone with more information on what happened to Denney to call detectives at 503-823-0400.

Jamie Hale of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
Portland police is seeking the publics help to find a person accused of stabbing a woman apparently at random as she was walking in a Northeast Portland neighborhood late Sunday.

The woman was walking home from a friends house when she was stabbed several times around 11:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of Northeast 78th Avenue, according to police. The woman, who hasnt been identified by police, remains hospitalized Monday and has life-threatening wounds.

The woman said she didnt know the person who attacked her, police said. No suspect description has been released by police.

The Portland Police Bureau asks anyone with information or video of the attack to contact Detective Jeff Sharp at 503-823-9773 or jeff.sharp@portlandoregon.gov.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
Portland planners publicly overstated by five times the number of new homes they expect a controversial infill plan could create over the next two decades.

City officials boasted that their plan projects the addition of 24,000 units in triplexes or fourplexes by the year 2035.

But the citys own forecasts paint a much different picture.

Planners expect a net of fewer than 4,000 new units to be built in residential neighborhoods citywide under their infill plan, according to numbers obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive and not previously disclosed by the city.

Whats more, the plan isnt expected to deliver those new homes to the inner eastside neighborhoods as planners have stated, an analysis of those numbers shows. Instead, it would disproportionately steer a majority of new units to poorer neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue, where the risk of displacing residents is high.

Its not clear which number might ultimately prove more accurate.

But planners have trumpeted the higher figure of new homes when they talk about ways to offer more housing options to keep prices affordable while using the lower figure to analyze specific neighborhood impacts and the potential that vulnerable residents could get pushed out to make way for the new homes.

The infill proposal could become official city policy by this summer. The citys volunteer Planning and Sustainability Commission is expected to vote on the proposal Tuesday before referring it to the City Council for final action.

While forecasting home construction is an inexact science, city officials acknowledge they havent adequately communicated their infill projections. Nothing in their work was intended to be misleading, they say.

We need to be more articulate, said Donnie Oliveira, a spokesman for Portlands Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

Planners say their overarching objective isnt to hit a quota for new infill but rather to create more choices about the types of homes available in residential neighborhoods.

Changing the zoning code is the only way to add new housing options, they say, even if it takes several decades for developers to build significantly more infill units.

Its a major step in removing the regulatory barriers, but not the market barriers, said Morgan Tracy, a lead planner on the project.

Infill map Portland neighborhoods would see disparate changes in new housing construction if a residential infill plan is adopted. Portland is already expected to add about 16,000 new units in neighborhoods zoned for single-family housing. But if the infill plan is approved, that number would grow to about 20,000  with areas east of 82nd Avenue taking more than half of the net gain. This map shows how the infill proposal would either increase or decrease new home construction, by census tract, above the current forecast.

Called the Residential Infill Project, the zoning proposal has been four years in the making.

Planners set out to revise zoning codes to discourage developers from demolishing an old home to make way for a single, expensive McMansion. It also aims to address Portlands missing middle, providing more housing choices for residents looking to live in something other than a detached single-family home or an apartment along a bustling commercial drag.

Planners devised a plan that would greenlight the construction of duplexes, triplexes and quads in leafy neighborhoods currently zoned to allow only single-family housing.

The concept is beloved among progressives who believe zoning constraints limit housing supply and exacerbate Portlands mounting affordability crisis. But residents from influential neighborhood associations, such as Eastmoreland and Multnomah, deride the project as a Trojan horse that would cram more people into neighborhoods and encourage demolitions of old homes.

In reality, the project could do neither.

***

Confusion about Portlands infill project can be traced to two numbers: one prominently displayed in a February city report and one that is nowhere to be found.

The city report spelled out the proposed infill zoning changes for the planning commission and general public.

The figure that the city emphasized in the report, 24,000 new infill homes, initially came from an economic analysis by an outside consultant, Johnson Economics. It analyzed redevelopment potential given previous development trends, underlying land values and projected sales or rental prices. It represented maximum growth in an unfettered market.

But the city didnt spell out results of a second, similar analysis that reached a much different conclusion: about 4,000 new units. That number never appeared in the report and could be found only by obtaining data used to draw the reports maps -- which The Oregonian/OregonLive did.

The two numbers are so disparate because the consultant and the planners used different projections to calculate population growth and movement.

Portland planners started with the assumption that the city would add about 123,000 housing units by 2035 -- a number already vetted and used in the citys comprehensive zoning plan. Most of those are projected to be built in high-density areas like downtown or busy commuter corridors. Portlands single-family neighborhoods would get 16,000 new units, according to the comprehensive plan.

With the adoption of the infill proposal, planners shifted some growth from apartments along corridors into single-family neighborhoods. They now project about 20,000 new households in residential neighborhoods  a 4,000-home net increase in those areas.

The planning bureau considers the 4,000 tally a more realistic view of projected infill growth, said Oliveira, the spokesman, though planners say the differing forecasts are intended to complement rather than compete against one another.

Theyre both valid in terms of providing a range of what the outcomes could be, said Tyler Bump, a senior economic planner for the city.

***

The infill plan likely would cause fewer new homes to be built in Portlands popular amenity-rich neighborhoods closest to downtown, The Oregonian/OregonLives review found.

Thats not what planners have stated publicly. New homes under the citys proposal would be distributed in neighborhoods across the city while inner Portland neighborhoods like Buckman, Richmond, Eliot, Humboldt and Northwest would see moderate increases in new housing units, planners wrote in their February report.

But a review of the citys forecast for 4,000 new homes shows the opposite.

Some of those same neighborhoods  Buckman, Richmond and Northwest Portland  could instead see no change, or even less development, because of the citys infill plan. Areas such as Sellwood-Westmoreland, Eastmoreland, Laurelhurst, Grant Park and Alameda would also see a decline in new houses.

And far from being distributed across the city, new homes under the infill plan would largely be concentrated only in a handful of areas: St. Johns in North Portland, Brentwood-Darlington and Mt. Scott-Arleta in Southeast Portland, Cully in Northeast Portland and many neighborhoods in east Portland.

In fact, areas east of 82nd Avenue stand to collectively gain about 2,000 new units, or more than half all of the units citywide projected under the infill plan. Thats because land prices are lower, increasing the odds a given lot will be redeveloped.

In an earlier version of the citys infill plan, from October 2017, officials specifically excluded much of east Portland and St. Johns from such development because those areas lack access to services, safe active transportation and transit connections, and they have poorer access to living-wage employment opportunities. Not steering additional growth to those would be consistent with city policies to prevent displacement, they wrote.

City planners say they are no longer worried.

Tom Armstrong, a supervising planner for Portland, said city leaders are committed to making necessary improvements in east Portland. As an example, he pointed to a 10-year-old action plan for the area that has helped spark city-funded improvements.

There has been renewed focus on investment, he said.

Tom Lewis, chairman of the Centennial Community Association, said hed gladly welcome more people but doubts the Portland City Council will spend more money in his outer eastside neighborhood.

Lewis bought his three-bedroom ranch house on Southeast 148th Avenue 46 years ago and has seen the city encourage the growth of thousands of new residents to the surrounding area.

For 30 years, the infrastructure has not come with the growth, he said. Thats my main concern. Weve lost grocery stores. Were a food desert. Weve just been run over on the boulevards left and right, with pedestrians being killed.

Meanwhile, city planners claimed in their report that west Portland neighborhoods would see minimal change in new housing units. In fact, neighborhoods collectively west of the Willamette River would see about 500 fewer units built because of the infill proposal, The Oregonian/OregonLive found.

Reductions on the westside are linked to new rules that would cap the square footage of new single-family homes, making redevelopment there less appealing for both buyers and builders.

I dont think its necessarily inequitable, Armstrong said of the projected disparities in growth between west Portland and neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue.

Michael Andersen, a senior researcher for the urban think tank Sightline Institute, who has supported elements of the plan that promote more housing, said the newsrooms findings appear to reflect the citys effort to find a compromise solution.

Advocates in Cully, east Portland and St. Johns have spoken to say they want the option to have these housing options in their areas, and its good that they may be getting some, he said. But the fact that so few might be built in general, and so few in high-amenity areas, is concerning.

***

If the infill project faces one daunting hurdle, it may be the risk of displacing low-income renters.

City planners say their infill plan would result in less displacement citywide by 2035 than by simply leaving existing zoning rules in place. About 600 low-income renters in single-family homes are at risk of displacement under current zoning but that number would drop to about 480 under the infill plan, according to the city.

But Portlands analysis is based on the proposal generating roughly 4,000 net new units. Planners say they havent run numbers to determine displacement if the number of new units built under the plan is higher, as the economic forecast suggested.

Its time-consuming work to do, Tracy said. And certainly if were asked the question were going to answer to the best our ability.

The potential for displacement is greatest in neighborhoods where development is more likely and theres a higher proportion of low-income renters, according to the citys analysis.

Virtually every neighborhood slated to add significantly more units under the infill plan -- including Brentwood-Darlington, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Cully, St. Johns and much of the area east of 82nd Avenue -- is considered by planners to be at risk for displacement.

Andre Baugh, a member of Portlands Planning and Sustainability Commission, has been critical in recent public meetings about the potential for the project to hurt low-income renters and communities of color in vulnerable neighborhoods.

I really worry that were being asked to displace certain populations faster than others, for this benefit of this greater good, he said at a public meeting last month. The greater good of more units is not benefiting everybody equally.

Baugh was more restrained in comments to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Theres risk here, he said, adding that he plans to press his case Tuesday. Im going to push it really hard, because its the last chance to do that.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus
The Legacy Center for Community Success will introduce a Youth Asset Builder tool this week at its parent town hall meeting.

The web-based tool, which will allow parents of middle and high school students to search for local youth programs in the Midland area, will be unveiled at TLC's Parent Town Hall: Assets & Youth Activities from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Community Room (downstairs). The event is free, but registration is required at www.drugfreemidland.org/events.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka.

Wednesday, March 6

9:06 p.m. -- A 34-year-old Jerome Township woman was assaulted by her 35-year-old husband. She sustained minor injuries, and her husband fled on foot prior to deputies arriving. Deputies checked the area and were unable to locate the suspect. The report remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office.

4:37 p.m. -- Officers responded to a minor personal injury accident in the area of East Patrick Road and Bayliss Street.

2:53 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Warren Township residence to speak with a 73-year-old man regarding damage to his mailbox. He said the mailbox is gone, and the top of the post is broken. There are no suspects.

2:50 p.m. -- A 56-year-old man reported a strange occurrence at his home, after a pair of his pants had split and he was unsure how it happened. The man suspected that an unknown suspect cut his pants while they were lying on his bedroom floor, though he had not left his residence and was unable to provide any possible suspect information. The man is a recurring patient of Community Mental Health for Central Michigan and has an extensive history of drug use. The deputy instructed the man to contact his case worker if similar situations happened in the future.

2:32 p.m. -- Officers responded to an animal complaint in the 4400 block of Campus Ridge Drive.

2:04 p.m. -- Officers responded to a civil complaint in the 1000 block of West Wheeler Street.

1:56 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash on private property in the 1500 block of South Saginaw Road.

7:45 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to the area of North M-30 near East Shaffer Road for a single-vehicle crash. The report was completed and the at-fault driver was insult a citation for violation of basic speed law.

2:34 a.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic crash near the intersection of Bay City Road and Gerald Court.

Tuesday, March 5

9:15 p.m. -- Officers responded to a parking violation in the 700 block of Village East Drive.

9:06 p.m. -- Officers responded to an aggravated domestic assault in the 2500 block of Isabella Street.

7:47 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Lincoln Township. There were no injuries.

3:24 p.m. -- A resident called in a report of an injured deer in his yard that appeared to have been struck by a vehicle. The deputy dispatched the deer, after which the man said he wished to keep it.

3:17 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident on the area of East Ashman Street and South Saginaw Road.

3:03 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash on private property in the 1000 block of Ashman Street.

2:25 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a residence for a report of an argument between a 29-year-old woman and her 32-year-old husband. Upon arrival, the subjects advised that they had been upset with each other because the husband works midnights and was woke up by his wife. They said there were no additional issues and agreed to stop arguing.

10 a.m. -- Officers responded to a case of fraud in the 400 block of Dartmouth Drive.

8:07 a.m. -- Officers responded to an assault in the 700 block of Wildes Street.

8:01 a.m. -- Animal Control received a complaint about a dog running loose in Homer Township. The animal was unable to be located at the time.

7:57 a.m. -- A deputy, along with MidMichigan Health paramedics, responded to a Lee Township residence for a 82-year-old man that had died. Family members present said he was suffering from a diagnosed heart condition.

1:50 a.m. -- While on routine patrol at nighttime, a deputy stopped to check on a vehicle with its interior lights on at a "park and ride" lot. The deputy made contact with the two occupants, young men aged 21 and 22. The deputy learned that the 21-year-old had been reported missing out of Detroit nearly a year ago. The Detroit Police Department was notified, which then contacted the young man's 42-year-old mother. Following contact with the mother, it was discovered that the man was no longer "missing." The mother was given instructions on how to contact the Detroit Police Department and have her son removed from the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network as a missing person.

Monday, March 4

9:03 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Geneva Township.

8:29 p.m. -- A 37-year-old Jerome Township man reported his 33-year-old future ex-wife was harassing him via text messages. He did not want the woman contacted, but wanted the incident documented.

4:57 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a traffic crash in Warren Township.

3:54 p.m. -- A deputy made contact with a 42-year-old Larkin Township man at the Midland Law Enforcement Center. He said he and his 41-year-old wife are going through a rough divorce and she had assaulted him. The woman was placed under arrest and transported to the Midland County Jail.

2:07 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident in the 2900 block of Rodd Street.

11:13 a.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage crash in the area of West Wackerly Street and eastbound US-10.

10:59 a.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident in the area of North Saginaw Road and Orchard Drive.

10:48 p.m. -- A deputy arrested a 30-year-old Jerome Township man on four warrants out of the 75th District Court for failure to pay fines, and a warrant out of the 42nd Circuit Court for non-support of a child. The man was arrested at the Midland Law Enforcement Center after he came in for an interview related to a hit-and-run crash. The man was transported to the Midland County Jail.

9:13 a.m. -- Officers responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2000 block of H.H. Dow Way.

Sunday, March 3

8:41 p.m. -- Officers responded to an animal complaint in the 4500 block of Quincy Drive.

7:57 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a residence in Coleman to assist the Mount Pleasant Police Department while an officer made contact with a 78-year-old woman who said she thought her 22-year-old grandson had stolen her license plate. She does not want to press charges and only wanted to have in the incident reported.

7:49 p.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 6500 block of Cinema Drive.

6:36 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a residence and made contact with a 54-year-old man who said his neighbor's dog has approached him many times when he attempted to get his mail, and appears to be aggressive. The man asked the deputy to speak with the neighbor about the issue. The owner said he would keep the dog tied up better, adding that the dog would soon be leaving the residence with his son.

4:14 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to the emergency room and made contact with a 37-year-old Homer Township woman who said her neighbor's dig had bitten her. An isolation notice was served to the 49-year-old owner of the dog. The victim did not want to press charges.

2:04 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Larkin Township residence for a death investigation involving a 41-year-old man. Upon investigation, it was determined the incident was a suicide.

10:40 a.m. -- Officers responded to a case of domestic violence in the 5200 block of Hedgewood Drive.

9:03 a.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Homer Township residence in reference to a domestic violence-type complaint between a 33-year-old man and 26-year-old woman. There was not enough evidence to clearly determine probable cause to make an arrest. A report was forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorney's office.

1:12 a.m. -- Officers responded to an intoxicated driver in the area of East Main Street and North Saginaw Road.

Saturday, March 2

10:21 p.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic hazard in the area of Rodd Street and East Grove Street.

9:26 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Lee Township.

6:43 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a residence in Jerome Township and made contact with a 58-year-old woman, who said she received an email from Amazon stating she needed to pay another $150 through Google Play Card. She later found it was a scam and she wished to have the incident reported.

1:48 p.m. -- Officers responded to a retail fraud in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard.

1:29 p.m. -- Officers responded to an animal complaint near the intersection of East Sugnet Road and Sharon Road.

12:43 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash resulting in an injury in Geneva Township.

10:50 a.m. -- Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation in the 2200 block of West Wackerly Street.

8:41 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash resulting in property damage in the area of North Saginaw Road and Drake Street.

Friday, March 1

11:39 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash resulting in minor injuries in Sanford. The at-fault was cited for disregarding a flashing signal.

11:09 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Ingersoll Township.

8:46 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a verbal dispute between a 70-year-old Greendale Township man and his roommate, a 54-year-old woman.

6:17 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a residence in Midland Township and made contact with a 57-year-old woman who said her neighbor, a 58-year-old man, hugged her and said sexually inappropriate things to her. The neighbor denied these allegations. A report of the incident was turned over to the Prosecuting Attorney's office.

2:52 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a business in Warren Township and made contact with the manager. The manager said an unknown man had driven away from the gas pump without replacing the nozzle and tore it away from the pump. The man did not return to the gas station and the manager needed a report for insurance purposes.

2:09 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash resulting in an injury in Mount Haley Township.

12:08 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a neighbor dispute in Jerome Township, where a 31-year-old man was complaining that his neighbor's children were trespassing on his land. The children were riding a snowmobile on his property and left a bag of unknown substance in his driveway with a note reading "have a nice lunch." The man did not want to prosecute at this time, but wanted the parents talked to about the situation. The deputy spoke with the suspects' father by phone since they were not there. The father said he will speak with the children and said that the snowmobile will be put away for the year.

10:24 a.m. -- Animal Control received a complaint of an ongoing loose dog issue in Edenville Township.

8:31 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a delayed report of a car-deer crash in Edenville Township.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  Attacks and counter-attacks in Kajuru, Kaduna State of northwest Nigeria appear unending as gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, again attacked two villages, killing over 100 people and burning over 30 houses on Monday
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's Deputy Interior Minister, Mohamed al-Cheibani, has called for the registration of migrants in a common system of anti-illegal immigration and coast guard bodies to identify the reception centres in which they are transferred
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  Several senior Libyan officials and their Italian counterparts took part in a conference on the role of women in municipalities and territorial governance
New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has extended his condolences to the families of flood victims across Malawi, where at least 23 have died in recent days
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - "New waves of violence could erupt "at any time" in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN rights office warned on Tuesday, unless the Government acts to ease tensions and resentment between the two communities involved
When any advertising agency is commissioned to shoot a Jamaican tourism commercial, theyll inevitably wend their way around to the same old hook: Bob Marleys One Love. Come and visit Jamaica, the land of All Right! Everythings all right, all the time here on the Jamrock! The ad people are just following the path most traveled (and perhaps even dictated by travel agencies and tourism boards), promoting Jamaica as a land of leisure and ease, where the sun shines, people smile, life is good, and no one wants for anything, especially spiritual assuaging.

Advertising may sell audiences on a Jamaican ideal, but with his documentary, Black Mother, director Khalik Allah achieves a goal far greater: presenting audiences with the truth, however lovely or hideous it may be. Allahs approach takes the form of a visual essay/tone poem. Its a fractured piece of work, a story about Jamaica the way that Hale County This Morning, This Evening is a story of Alabama. Allahs filmmaking functions as stream of consciousness. He eschews narrative documentarian traditions. This approach poses a challenge to the viewerBlack Mother is made in a language rarely spoken in cinema, be it multiplex or arthouse. Allah throws his audience into the ocean and forces them to tread water, soaking in the countrys textures and contradictions and trauma.

Through his lens, Allah presents a nation decayed by oppression, whether political, social or even religious, and a people forced to do whatever they can to sustain themselves. That doesnt mean Allah is committing poverty tourism. Instead, hes a character in the film, made invisible by the tool of his trade. But he lets the people he meets tell their stories in their words, and anchors those words to truth through imagery. Granted, he puts on display the same idyllic qualities captured in luggage company Tumis recent collaboration with Lenny and Zoe Kravitz: Jamaica really is a gorgeous countrybright, warm and verdant beneath the Caribbean sun. But Tumi casts Jamaicas ghosts in stunning repose. Theyre to be breathlessly ogled by people ignorant of what it is theyre actually ogling. Allah provides viewers proper context. No sooner does the film bask in Jamaicas natural bounty than its whisked away to monuments like Sam Sharpe square to hear a lesson on his assassination. (Plantation owners bumped him off in 1832 to avoid having to pay their slaves in 1838, the year slaves were given full emancipation under Britains Slavery Abolition Act.)

Black Mothers elliptical style is couched in a gestational structure: After the films opening minute, soundtracked to a vocal performance of Harry Belafontes Jamaica Farewell, Allah immediately cuts to a naked woman, the black mother of the title, who coolly dictates in voiceover, first trimester. Allah returns to her repeatedly throughout, each trimester another chapter in Black Mothers progression. She provides a bold, regal counterbalance to depictions of sex work, a dangerous profession in Jamaica as seen on camera and heard in audio interviews, where prostitutes talk frankly about their lives and the disrespect and peril they face every night. By contrast, the mother figure is filmed with humble worship. Shes revered. The black woman is most royal, a man proclaims from behind the lens. He calls women the nucleus of the strength of the black man, and orders that we give her all the credit.

That may be Allahs greater purpose here. Toward the end, the mothers baby is born into the world, squalling in protest at being so rudely displaced from the womb, by far the best accommodation any newborn can ask for. Allah intercuts her arrival with waterfalls and rivers, a source of life flowing over and through the Jamaican landscape. This child is the future of the country, heir to Jamaicas endlessly complicated legacy of enslavement and freedom, wealth and impoverishment, grandeur and ugliness. The combined effect of Black Mothers techniqueAllah shot on both 16mm and HDis dizzying to the point of overwhelming, but the discipline required to engage with it is rewarded by a singular moviegoing experience. As the mother births her baby, so does Allah birth new cinematic grammar.

Director: Khalik Allah

Writer: Khalik Allah

Starring: N/A

Release Date: March 8, 2019

Boston-based culture writer Andy Crump has been writing about film and television online since 2009 (and music since 2018). You can follow him on Twitter and find his collected writing at his personal blog. He is composed of roughly 65% craft beer.
In August of last year, a band from New Zealand called The Beths released their debut album, the honest, power-pop trip Future Me Hates Me. Later, we named them the best new band of 2018. Frontwoman Elizabeth Stokes and her high school friend, Jonathan Pierce, formed the band with mates Benjamin Sinclair and Ivan Luketina-Johnston while studying jazz in college. Stokes left her job as a music teacher to tour with The Beths.

On Monday, we hosted The Beths for a session at the Riverview Bungalow in Austin, Texas, in the midst of South By Southwest. They played acoustic, stripped-down versions of three songs from Future Me Hates Me: the title track, Little Death and Happy Unhappy.

Watch the entire session below. Read our entire list of 2018s best new artists right here.
Its difficult to figure out what exactly is going on in Venezuela right now, partly because there really are no good guys in this scenario. Nicolas Maduro is a tyrant who has impoverished Venezuela, but Juan Guaido has demonstrated some fascist tendencies and has the support of perpetual meddlers like the United States. If there is one thing we should have learned from our debacles in Vietnam and Iraq, its that meddling in other countries domestic affairs has limited upside (for those outside the centers of power like oil and government) and can catastrophically backfire. Yet here we are in Venezuela, on the precipice of disaster, led by smoothbrained simpletons like Marco Rubio who believe that German Dam is an actual dam and not the name of the reporter breaking news about a dam.

Sen. Marco Rubio tweets about "explosion at German Dam" causing blackout Doesn't realize "German Dam" is a human reporter. https://t.co/iq3Kd5gXULpic.twitter.com/ZiyrLyXrf1  Newsweek (@Newsweek) March 10, 2019

Late last night, the United States escalated tensions again, as recalling diplomats just before midnight is its own kind of message.

The U.S. will withdraw all remaining personnel from @usembassyve this week. This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 12, 2019

Pulling diplomats out of the country means one thing: the country is/will soon become too dangerous for diplomats to do their work. For example, the U.S. effectively closed its Iraqi consulate in Basra last year due to increasing threats from Iranian-backed militias. The question now is: why is Venezuela too dangerous for diplomats to do their work in?

Sure, conditions are deteriorating right now, but things have been bad for quite some time in Venezuela. Ignoring the firestorm of U.S. noise around this situation would be a folly given U.S. history in oil-rich countries like Venezuela. The most likely reason why the U.S. pulled diplomats out of Venezuela is because of the expectation that tensions will continue to rise. This comes at the same time that the United States is voicing full-throated support for the opposition leader while delivering aid thats led by a man who was caught using humanitarian aid as a Trojan Horse to funnel weapons to the opposition in 1980s Nicaraguanot to mention the conspicuously timed blackout just after U.S. aid arrived at the border.

This is not some tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory. International aid organizations, including the United Nations, are not joining with the U.S.s aid package in Venezuela, given our very open support for regime change. No one should believe the Trump Administrations word when they say that our ultimate goal is solely humanitarian in nature. History demonstrates that our aid is most likely covering for weapons and supplies being sent to Juan Guaido (who recently said that he would open up Venezuelas state-owned oil reserves to foreign investmentand yet we still have a gullible and credulous press who treats this blatantly obvious connection as some crackpot theory).

This is what empires do. We are an empire. And we are poised to prolong the suffering in a country desperate for some semblance of normalcy after decades of mismanagement. It is extremely rare when the United States militarily steps in to a domestic struggle and makes things better. As Iran, Libya, Iraq and countless other cursed oil-rich countries can attest, no state whose affairs the United States interferes in can ever truly be normal. Our colonialist profit motive wont allow it.

Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.
Patna: Patients and their family members at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) got a chance to see the same movie they have seen hundreds of times in the past wherein junior doctors, demanding more security for themselves, go on a lightning strike forcing patients to leave the hospital in search of other facilities as a few patients die in the lack of proper and timely medical care.

As reported, the junior doctors went on a strike on Sunday night after three of their colleagues were roughed up by family members of some patients.

At least one patient was said to have died due to the strike while many others were seen being transported to other hospitals in the state capital.

The strike, however was called off nearly 24 hours after it went into effect. Following assurance from the Medical Superintendent Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, another oft-repeated scene from the same film, junior doctors withdrew their strike on Monday evening with full service expected to be restored by late Monday evening.

Dr. Shankar Bharti, the president of the Junior Doctors Association (JDA), said the situation escalated on Sunday night after a patient, a victim of electrical shock, was brought in to the hospital after he had already died.
Patna: Police in Patna on Monday arrested six men in connection with the February 23 killing of Purushottam Gupta, the owner of Pal Sweets and Cakes on Dak Bungalow intersection, who was gunned down on Frazer Road during an apparent armed robbery attempt.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Garima Malik said that the criminals were nabbed after meticulously combing surveillance footages from Bakerganj area, where the victim lived with his family, and the roads leading to the crime spot on Frazer Road.

Arrested men were identified as Anshu of Pirbahore area, Vishal of Dariyapur, Monu of Kankarbagh Bypass, Mohammed Qasib of Khajekalan, Mohammed Parwez of Bakerganj, and Mohammed Zunaid, also of Bakerganj.

The SSP said it was Monu who pulled the trigger on Purushottam while Parwez was driving the motorcycle used in the commission of the crime.

Authorities recovered the motorcycle along with Rs. 1.10 lakh in cash, and eight bottles of foreign liquor.

Police also recovered a pistol, three magazines, one carbine, barrels, and 50 cartridges of different bores from Parwezs house.

Two other men are being sought by the police in Purushottam murder case.
Its a good time to head to King of Prussia.

The district in Upper Merion Township is hosting its King of Prussia Restaurant Week March 11 through 17. Restaurants around the area will be offering multi-course lunches for between $10 and $20, and multi-course dinners for between $20 and $40.

Its also for a good cause, with each of the participating restaurants donating a minimum of 2.5 percent of their proceeds during the week to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphias King of Prussia Specialty Care and Surgery Center. Over the past four years, restaurant week has raised $58,000 for the hospital.

So what does a restaurant week menu look like?

The $40 dinner menu at Mistral includes salmon poke or a beet salad for an appetizer. The entree selection includes short ribs that come with Brussel sprouts, mushrooms and pommes puree. The dessert choices are dark chocolate panna cotta or homemade ice cream. Mistral is located at the King of Prussia Mall, 160 N. Gulph Road. You can make reservations by calling 610-768-1630. For more information visit mistralkop.com.

The $35 restaurant week dinner menu at True Food Kitchen includes fig and onion tarts as an appetizer and a grilled salmon entree option that comes with caramelized onion farro, quinoa, arugula, roasted beets and cilantro pumpkin seed pesto. You can finish it all off with a chia seed pudding. True Food Kitchen is also located at the King of Prussia Mall, but just outside of the complex. You can make reservations by calling 484-751-1954. Visit truefoodkitchen.com/kingofprussia for more information.

The $30 dinner menu at North Italia has a plethora of options. You can choose between arancini, sausage and kale soup, caesar salad, Italian farm salad or prosciutto bruschetta for a starter. Among the main course options are chicken parmesan (with crushed tomato, aged provolone, mozzarella and parmesan rigatoni) and roasted mushroom tortelloni (with caramelized sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, hazelnuts and saba). Dessert options are a salted caramel budino or tiramisu. North Italia is at 350 Mall Boulevard, Suite 1000C in King of Prussia. You can make reservations by calling 484-751-9000 or visiting northitaliarestaurant.com/locations/king-of-prussia-pa.

You can see a full list of participating restaurants and their menus at visitkop.com/koprestaurantweek.
Looking to celebrate St. Patricks Day?

Youd best head to Pittsburgh.

VacationRenter has listed the Steel City as one of the best spots for celebrating the Irish culture festival. It was the only city in Pennsylvania to make the list.

Thats right, not Scranton -- which is home to one of the largest St. Patricks Day parades in the nation. Philadelphia, which has one of the oldest parades, also was missing on the list. And State Pattys Day also didnt make the cut, sorry State College.

Pittsburgh earned its spot for its family-friendly St. Patricks day event in Market Square, parade (featuring Finn the Irish Wolfhound) and Irish food options (VacationRenter recommends hitting up Mullaneys Harp and Fiddle).

The Pittsburgh St. Patricks Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. on March 16 at Liberty Ave. and 11th St. in Pittsburgh. Itll process down to Grant St., followed by the Boulevard of the Allies before ending at Commonwealth Place. Learn more about the parade at pittsburghirish.org.

As for the Market Square festivities, theyll be hosted by the parade organizers, the Irish Society for Education & Charity, Inc. The family-friendly entertainment will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 16.

Pittsburgh is in good company on the list. Other citys on VacationRenters list include New York City, Chicago, Boston, Savannah and Denver.

The list was made up through VacationRenters research into St. Patricks Day traditions, festivities, Irish pubs and parades in various cities.

VacationRenter is a website devoted to making renting vacation homes easier by letting you search various booking sites (including HomeAway, Booking.com and VRBO) all at once. You can learn more at vacationrenter.com.

St. Patricks Day itself is on March 17. You can learn more about St. Patricks Day in the link below.

Looking to celebrate St. Patricks Day elsewhere in Pennsylvania? Click here for information about the Harrisburg St. Patricks Day Parade and click here for information on the Philadelphia one. We also have a full listing of St. Patricks Day festivities in the Harrisburg-area here.

Julia Hatmaker may be reached at jhatmaker@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @JuliaHatmaker. Start your day in the know by signing up for our newsletter, Good Morning, Pennsylvania.

This story has been updated to correct information about the festivities in Pittsburghs Market Square.
TOWANDA -- A Bradford County man has been sentenced to 2 to 9 years in state prison for abusing a young girl and boy over a weeks period while he and his wife were babysitting them and two siblings.

The abuse last July in a mobile home in Rome included making the then 9-year-old girl drink urine off the hardwood floor and dog urine through a straw.

Jakayo Scott Frye, 23, Monday was sentenced by county Judge Maureen T. Beirne on charges of unlawful restraint, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering to which he had pleaded guilty in January.

Charges that included aggravated and simple assault, false imprisonment and terroristic threats were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

"It was tragic case," District Attorney Daniel Barrett said, citing the cruelty involved.

Besides the physical abuse, state police said the girl and her then 7-year-old brother suffered from dehydration and sleep deprivation.

An abusive childhood, drug issues and poor employment record affected Fryes judgment in making decisions about the children, Barrett said he believes.

His wife, Shyann Marie Hills, 22, is scheduled for trial in May on 21 counts alleging the same conduct as her husband. She is jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Another tragic aspect of the case, according to Barrett, is the divorced mother from Waverly, New York, was advised by Bradford County Children and Youth not to leave the children with the couple.

Frye and Hills of Towanda had babysat before for the woman, who paid them $100 to watch her four children while she vacationed in North Carolina beginning July 20.

She discovered the abuse when she returned a week later, police said. The two children each spent several days in Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre for what investigators called a severe case of abuse.

They have recovered and are living with their father, Barrett said. Frye's guilty plea eliminated the need for them to testify at his trial, he said.

The girl, according to arrest documents, alleged she was:

Tied to a dog cage by a belt while her hands were tied behind her back to the cage.

Hit by Frye while holding five-gallon water jugs over her head.

Not allowed to use the bathroom when she needed to.

Forced to run in place with a partially filled five-gallon water jug fastened to her stomach if she cried for her mother.

Lifted by her ears when she fell while standing with her back to a wall with her knees bent.

Not fed on some days and neither was her brother.

The boy told investigators the abuse he endured. It included:

Frye stranding on his back while he was in a pushup position causing his body to go limp. He passed out and Frye ran cold water over his head until he woke up.

Being struck by a metal handle off a stove.

The charges allege the other two children, girls 10 and 8 years old, were told to assist in the abuse at times.
Robert Rocky Anderson had just one thing to say Tuesday when a Cumberland County judge sentenced him to life in prison.

I put my faith in God, the Carlisle man said.

President Judge Edward E. Guido imposed that mandatory life without parole penalty less than a month after a jury convicted Anderson of first-degree murder for a June 2016 execution inside the Haines-Stackfield American Legion post in Carlisle. That same jury declined to sanction the death penalty in the case.

The jurors concluded the 42-year-old Anderson had walked into the post and shot a rival, Daniel DJ Harris, eight times before fleeing.

About 20 people were in the legion at the time, but during Anderson trial none of the witnesses specifically identified him as the gunman. Police said uncooperative witnesses made their investigation of Harris slaying difficult.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Metzger contended during the trial that Harris murder capped a long-running and violent feud between the families of the two men.

Defense attorney Heidi Eakin, who has vowed to appeal Andersons conviction, insisted police arrested the wrong man based on a flimsy investigation.

On Tuesday, Eakin noted that Guido had no choice but to sentence Anderson to perpetual imprisonment on the murder conviction. She asked the judge to run two other sentences for Andersons convictions for reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a firearm concurrently with the life term.

That is what Guido did.

Metzger made no comment during the 5-minute sentencing hearing. She said Harris mother, Charlene Gomez, chose not to speak, but had provided a written statement to the judge.

After Andersons conviction, Gomez made an impassioned plea against the snitches get stitches culture. She urged witnesses to crimes to come forward and assist police in solving crimes to increase the safety of their neighborhoods.
Jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday in downtown Harrisburg for the trial of a Pittsburgh-area police officer charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager last year.

Residents of Dauphin County are being picked as jurors for this case because of concerns it would be hard to find an impartial jury in Allegheny county, where the incident occurred.

The fatal shooting of Antwon Rose, 17, on June 19 sparked weeks of protests, including some that shut down Pittsburgh-area highways, with protesters focused particularly on race since the teen was black and the officer is white.

The empaneled jury from Dauphin County will be bused to Allegheny County and sequestered in a hotel for the duration of the trial, which is set to begin March 19.

The city of Pittsburgh was prepping downtown businesses for possible unrest over the trial, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Officer Michael Rosfeld, 30, was charged with a single count of homicide after he fired three gunshots at Antwon who had fled from a traffic stop. A bystander recorded part of the shooting on a cell phone video that went viral.

Antwon was hit by bullets in the right cheek, right elbow and in the middle of his back, according to court records.

Rosfeld, who had been sworn in as an East Pittsburgh officer just two hours prior to the fatal shooting, originally told police he thought Antwon had something dark that he perceived as a gun in his hand, but Rosfeld later clarified he wasnt sure what the teen had in his hand.

Two witnesses told police said that Antwan and another passenger who fled clearly had nothing in their hands when they ran away from the car, which had been previously linked to a drive-by shooting, according to court records.

Antwon Rose II

Jury selection is expected to take several days as prosecutors and the defense team each try to elicit information from prospective jurors.

Because a police officer is the one charged, prosecutors will be looking for a different type of juror than in a typical case when police officers are the witnesses, said Mark Calzaretta, a jury consultant and vice president of litigation for Magna Legal Services, based in Philadelphia.

Instead of looking for jurors who might hold police officers in a more favorable light, prosecutors in this trial will be looking to weed out those potential jurors instead favoring residents who may have had negative experiences with police, Calzaretta said.

The defense team, meanwhile, will be looking among prospective jurors for those who are more likely to be pro-police jurors, more conservative and rule-followers.

Former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, center, charged with homicide in the shooting death of Antwon Rose II, arrives at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, March 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)AP

If potential jurors reveal conflicts of interest or biases, the judge can remove them from the panel for cause. Each side of attorneys also will be able to make up to seven peremptory challenges, to remove jurors for no publicly stated reason.

But sometimes attorneys dont get to use all seven challenges if one side quickly agrees to a panel of jurors, Calzaretta said. The other side could create a bad impression with the jury by repeatedly pulling additional people from the panel while jurors wonder why only one side is unsatisfied with the jurors.

You have to be careful because you can put an impression on a jury before the trial even starts, he said.

Racial overtones and a national debate over policing tactics could make it hard for some jurors to open up during voir dire, or the jury selection process, Calzaretta said, because they might not be comfortable publicly sharing opinions they worry might be unpopular. Thats going to be a challenge for both sides, he said, to ensure prospective jurors are comfortable enough to share information about how they feel about policing and their own fear levels.

A potential juror with a bias could slip onto the jury if they dont divulge their true feelings.

Its going to be tough, Calzaretta said, because some of these are issues that people dont necessarily want to talk about. The trick is going to be to get them comfortable to talk.

This marks the second time a Dauphin County jury has heard a case of an on-duty officer charged with homicide since 2015. That year, a Dauphin County jury acquitted former Hummelstown Officer Lisa Mearkle of homicide after she fatally shot a 59-year-old man in the back as he lay on the ground after she repeatedly used a stun gun on him. She testified that he ignored her orders and concealed his hands at times.

This also marks the second time a Dauphin County jury has been called to assist Allegheny County since 2011. That year, a Dauphin County jury served as the outside jury for the trial of Richard Poplawski, who was accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers. Those jurors convicted Poplawski and found he should be sentenced to death.

Dauphin County is usually chosen by the Supreme Court to provide juries for high-profile Allegheny County cases due largely to the similar population demographics of the two counties.

At issue in this case will be whether the officer was justified in shooting the unarmed teen.

You do not shoot someone in the back if they are not a threat to you, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., said previously at a news conference.

Rosfelds attorney has said his client had cause to open fire after learning the car Antwan was riding in was used in a drive-by shooting.

Antwon was the front-seat passenger in a car linked to a drive-by shooting earlier that evening. Thirteen minutes later, Officer Rosfeld spotted the car with a shot-out rear window, according to the Post-Gazette.

He pulled the vehicle over and ordered the driver onto the ground. After that, Antwon and the back-seat passenger, Zaijuan Hester, got out and started to run away.

Police obtained video surveillance of the drive-by shooting that showed the back seat passenger wearing a dark shirt had his window down and fired a gun outside the window. Antwon was in the front seat, where the window remained closed during the entire shooting, according to the video.

Police later charged Hester in connection with the drive-by shooting that wounded a man.
The days of doling out state funding for public higher education in Pennsylvania with little thought beyond looking at what the schools received one year and how much money is available to spend in the next may be nearing an end.

A proposal being circulated in the state Senate seeks to form an 11-member commission to craft a higher education funding formula that factors in the college and universities performance on key measures.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County, is authoring the proposed legislation along with Senate Education Committee Chairman Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster County. Both of them would be members of the commission along with their counterparts in the House.

Joining them on the commission would be two legislators appointed by each the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore, a legislator chosen by each of the House and Senate Democratic leaders, and the state education secretary.

Browne began circulating a memo to his Senate colleagues on Monday seeking support for the proposal. In it, he offers examples of factors that could be used as performance measures including affordability, graduation and retention rates, student debt, student financial aid, and job placement and wages, among others.

Browne and Senate Education Committee Chairman Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster County, previewed their desire to establish a commission with higher education leaders during the recent budget hearings.

This is new territory for us, Browne said to the presidents of Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln universities. For this to be successful and for the efforts of all of you and others to be worthwhile, there needs to be an understanding well be looking at this differently.

Some institutions may get more than others and the schools will have to accept that for the formula to be successful, he said. Thats why getting state policymakers and higher education leaders to agree on the factors used to drive out dollars is key.

Whats more, Browne said it could lead to a bigger investment in higher education than the $1.8 billion that the state currently makes if lawmakers can see the money is being spent where its needed.

If theres more confidence in the model, theres more confidence in the money, Browne said.

Higher education leaders expressed an interest in working with the commission in crafting the formula.

Penn State President Eric Barron said he worked in Florida and Texas with performance funding models and voiced a willingness to help lawmakers identify a menu of possible performance measures to consider.

Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher went so far as to applaud the state moving in this direction with its higher education funding.

I think all of us would welcome something looking at the portfolio of higher education in the commonwealth, he said. Having something that looks at that comprehensively is a great idea.

Lawmakers created similar panels in recent years to create formulas for distributing new basic education funding as well as special education and school transportation dollars.

Brownes proposal gives the proposed higher education funding commission a year from the bills enactment to come up with a recommended formula that would be subject to the General Assemblys approval.

Aument anticipates it could take another year or two after that before the formula is used to distribute funding. But first things first. He said, The goal is to get the commission established and begin getting to work this spring.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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UPDATE: Verizon reports texting issues that affected East Coast have been resolved

Are you having trouble texting this morning? If you use Verizon for your cellphone service, youre not alone.

Verizon Wireless is experiencing a text outage Tuesday morning which is affecting much of the East Coast, the company confirmed on Twitter.

Details are limited, but an map on DownDetector.com shows nearly all of the east coast affected by the outage. That includes a heavy area in the Philadelphia and New York City regions.

Verizon is telling users on Twitter that it is aware of the issue and its technicians are working to resolve it. However, there has been no timeframe given for a resolution.
Verizon Wireless is reporting it has resolved the outage that left many of its East Coast subscribers unable to text Tuesday morning.

The company did not specify what the cause of the outage was, or how widespread the issue reached. However, the website downdetector.com showed outages spreading from Boston to Florida, with a heavy concentration in the Philadelphia and New York City areas.

Verizon has since tweeted in response to customers complaining of the issue that is has now been resolved. Customers who are still experiencing issues should try restarting their phones, the company said.

We experienced an issue impacting texting services for some customers this morning. Our engineers were able to identify and resolve the issue quickly. Service was fully restored as of 9:00AM ET. ^DLR  Verizon Wireless CS (@VZWSupport) March 12, 2019

In a statement to the Bradenton Herald, a Verizon spokeswoman said, We experienced an issue impacting texting services for some customers this morning. Our engineers were able to identify and resolve the issue quickly. Service is now fully restored.

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Editors Note: The editorial has been updated to correct the number of nursing homes currently on the list of Special Focus Facilities.

If there is one thing we can all agree on, its the absolute imperative of respecting and protecting the elderly.

Whatever your political persuasion, right, left or in between, this is a basic human value that should transcend all differences. And it is heartening to see two U.S. Senators set aside their political differences and cooperate to end neglect and abuse of the elderly in nursing homes in Pennsylvania.

In response to the recent PennLive investigation, Still Failing the Frail, U.S. Sens. Robert P. Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey have decided to work together to address apparent deficiencies in the oversight of nursing homes.

The senators have jointly penned a letter to Seema Verma, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, D.C., raising questions about a federal program tasked with improving persistently failing nursing homes.

As PennLive reporter Daniel Simmons-Ritchie documented in Still Failing the Frail, some of the worst nursing homes in Pennsylvania have continued to be plagued with problems  including chronically low staffing, insect infestations, and poor care that has harmed residents  despite ownership changes and promises of tougher oversight by the Wolf administration.

Among those homes, one is a current member of the federal governments Special Focus Facility (SFF) program. Nursing homes are selected as SFF if they consistently provide poor care.

A total of 85 of the nations 15,000 nursing homes have that designation (including four in Pennsylvania). Those homes are supposed to get extra scrutiny and can potentially lose their government funding if they dont improve.

Toomey and Caseys letter raises questions about the effectiveness of that program: many nursing homes have been on the SFF list for years, without any action being taken against them, as the federal dough continues to roll in.

Neglect and abuse of this nature is altogether unacceptable, Toomey and Casey wrote, and through a robust system of monitoring, oversight, technical assistance and enforcement, it should be entirely avoidable.

The senators are absolutely right. There is no reason nursing homes that do not properly care for their residents should remain open year after year, transferred from one shoddy owner to the next, treating our elderly as pawns in heartless business schemes that focus only on the bottom line.

In fact, there should be zero tolerance for negligence or abuse in any facility charged with caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. And Sens. Toomey and Casey shouldnt rest until that is indeed the case, and authorities at all levels are held accountable.

To reinforce the seriousness of their interest in the issue, the senators set a deadline of March 27 for the federal agency to respond. Thats a clear sign they mean business and will not let this matter rest until they get the information they need.

Once they get their answers, the next step will be for these senators to move with all due haste to end the apparent negligence that threaten the very lives of the people we have a duty to protect.

While solving many of the problems identified in the PennLives series rests with the Wolf Administration and the General Assembly, Casey and Toomey should be applauded for stepping up to help at the federal level in a show of bipartisan cooperation.

Working together, Senators Casey and Toomey must keep the pressure on those at the federal level who can help strengthen oversight of nursing homes, as they have vowed to do in their letter.

We hope more political leaders will take note of the power of bipartisan cooperation for the common good  as Sens. Toomey and Casey are now modeling. And its not a bad idea for approving constituents to send a strong signal of their gratitude.
It was disgraceful that President Trump traveled all the way to Vietnam, and NEVER once discussed with Vietnamese officials, the issue of our unaccounted-for POWs and MIAs from the Vietnam War.

As of last year, there are still over 1,500 U.S. military and civilian personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, yet neither the media nor the President ever mentioned these Americans before, during, or after the trip to Vietnam.

Many of these missing Americans were confirmed live captures by the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese military but were never released at the end of American involvement in Vietnam. Vietnamese government refusal to release all the MIAs and POWs was in response to U.S. denial of war reparations. The Vietnamese Government also held French Foreign Legionnaires captured at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu until the 1970s.

Its sad day when the President of the United States, in his haste to meet a Communist dictator, forgets our POWs, MIAs, and their families.

Shame on you Mr. President!

Rep. Thomas Murt represents the 152nd Legislative District. He is a veteran of the war in Iraq.
Like many Pennsylvanians, I have been watching with great interest the debate surrounding the future of nuclear power. Proposed legislation currently circulating within the Pennsylvania General Assembly would require electric utilities to purchase as much as 50 percent of customer demand from nuclear energy as part of a new mandate under Pennsylvanias Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act.

As president of one of the largest electric utilities headquartered here in Pennsylvania, I must respectfully ask the General Assembly to seriously consider the broad impact and the unintended ramifications this aggressive proposal would have on all 1.4 million customers served by PPL Electric Utilities.

The conversation surrounding how to achieve long-term market-based solutions to reducing carbon is essential to Pennsylvanias energy future. Our parent company, Pennsylvania-based PPL Corporation, supports efforts to advance a cleaner energy future and has committed reducing its carbon emissions 70 percent from 2010 levels by 2050. Additionally, PPL Electric Utilities has begun to undertake several projects that promote greater incorporation and growth of carbon-free energy sources, such as solar, onto our grid.

No one disputes that nuclear energy is carbon-free, but dont confuse narrow nuclear subsidy proposals with efficient and effective economy-wide, market-based efforts to move the state toward a low carbon future.

This proposal, if adopted, will make Pennsylvania less competitive, impacting every electric customer in Pennsylvania and raising the average price of electricity in the state for years to come. We have estimated that our customers, alone, will pay $130 million more each year to rescue a single energy source that already benefits from an existing robust market.

If electricity customers are asked to bear this burden, customers should expect, and legislators should require that regulators have oversight. As a regulated utility, PPL Electric Utilities is required to open its books to the states Public Utility Commission and demonstrate a financial need before we can adjust the rates we charge to customers. Nuclear plant owners who are asking our state government to give them customer-funded financial assistance should be required to do the same. Recent draft proposals do not include this much needed requirement and also provide a subsidy for plants that are profitable.

This issue has been the focus of limited discussions for well over two years. It is only recently that proponents have turned up the heat on the General Assembly to act swiftly. Lawmakers should not fall for the crisis label that has been intentionally created by the bill proponents.

I ask that lawmakers take their time in properly vetting this issue through the processhold hearings, call in all stakeholders and most importantly, demand numbers from those advocating for this measure. Consider seeking independent audits or financial verification from outside resources available to the General Assembly. In the end, strongly consider whether hiding a nuclear bailout in customers electricity bills is necessary and the best course to moving Pennsylvania forward.

Greg Dudkin is president of PPL Electric Utilities.
Student suspended, charged for making threat to Petoskey Public Schools

Petoskey Public Safety received information regarding a threat made on social media on Dec. 4, and a 12-year-old student has been charged.
A Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplane test its engines outside of the company's factory on March 11, 2019 in Renton, Washington. Boeing's stock dropped today after an Ethiopian Airlines flight was the second deadly crash in six months involving the Boeing 737 Max 8, the newest version of its most popular jetliner. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images/TNS). Read more

DALLAS  Pilots repeatedly voiced safety concerns about the Boeing 737 Max 8 to federal authorities, with one captain calling the flight manual inadequate and almost criminally insufficient several months before Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, an investigation by the Dallas Morning News found.

The Morning News found at least five complaints about the Boeing model in a federal database where pilots can voluntarily report about aviation incidents without fear of repercussions.

The complaints are about the safety mechanism cited in preliminary reports for an October plane crash in Indonesia that killed 189.

The disclosures found by the Morning News reference problems with an autopilot system during takeoff and nose-down situations while trying to gain altitude during flights of Boeing 737 Max 8s. While records show these flights occurred during October and November, information regarding which airlines the pilots were flying for at the time is redacted from the database.

Records show a captain who flies the Max 8 complained in November that it was unconscionable that the company and federal authorities allowed pilots to fly the planes without adequate training or fully disclosing information about how its systems differed.

The captains complaint was logged after the FAA released an emergency airworthiness directive regarding the Boeing 737 Max 8 in response to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia.

An FAA spokesman said the reports found by the Morning News were filed directly to NASA, which serves as a neutral third party for reporting purposes.

Tuesday evening, the agency issued a statement from Acting Administrator Daniel K. Elwell, saying that it "continues to review extensively all available data and aggregate safety performance from operators and pilots of the Boeing 737 MAX."

Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft. Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action, Elwell said in the statement.

A federal audit in 2014 said the FAA does not collect and analyze its voluntary disclosure reporting in a way that would effectively identify national safety risks.

U.S. regulators are mandating that Boeing upgrade the planes software by April but have so far declined to ground the planes. China, Australia and the European Union have grounded the 737 Max 8, leaving the U.S. and Canada as the only two countries flying a substantial number of the aircraft.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who leads a Senate subcommittee overseeing aviation, said in a statement Tuesday that U.S. authorities should ground the planes.

Further investigation may reveal that mechanical issues were not the cause, but until that time, our first priority must be the safety of the flying public, Cruz said.

At least 18 carriers  including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, the two largest U.S. carriers flying the 737 Max 8  have also declined to ground planes, saying they are confident in the safety and airworthiness of their fleets. American and Southwest have 24 and 34 of the aircraft in their fleets, respectively.

The United States should be leading the world in aviation safety, said John Samuelsen, the president of a union representing transport workers that called Tuesday for the planes to be grounded. And yet, because of the lust for profit in the American aviation, were still flying planes that dozens of other countries and airlines have now said need to grounded.

The fifth complaint from the captain who called into question the 737 Max 8s flight manual ended: The fact that this airplane requires such jury-rigging to fly is a red flag. Now we know the systems employed are error-prone  even if the pilots arent sure what those systems are, what redundancies are in place and failure modes. I am left to wonder: what else dont I know?

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, was included on the Max 8 model aircraft as a safety mechanism that would automatically correct a plane entering a stall pattern. If the plane loses lift under its wings during takeoff and the nose begins to point far upward, the system kicks in and automatically pushes the nose of the plane down.

After the Lion Air crash, the FAAs issued an airworthiness directive that said: This condition, if not addressed, could cause the flight crew to have difficulty controlling the airplane, and lead to excessive nose-down attitude, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain.

Officials have not yet determined what caused Ethiopian Airlines 302 to nosedive into the ground on Sunday, but many experts have noted similarities between this weeks crash and the one in Indonesia.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines told the Morning News that it hasnt received any reports of issues with MCAS from its pilots, nor do any of our thousands of data points from the aircraft indicate any issues with MCAS.

American Airlines did not respond to questions from the Morning News.

The FAA issued a statement to the Morning News on Tuesday afternoon that said that it is collecting data and keeping in contact with international civil aviation authorities as information becomes available.

The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft. If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action.

Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said in a news release Monday night: We fully support Southwest Airlines decision to continue flying the MAX and the FAAs findings to date.

Boeing, which posted a record $101 billion in revenue last year, issued a new statement Tuesday saying that no grounding of planes was necessary. Based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators, the company said.

Samuelsen of the transport workers union said its unconscionable that the FAA has not yet grounded the planes in the U.S., given the number of deaths that have occurred.

This pressure should not be on these pilots to overcome an engineering flaw that Boeing themselves acknowledges, said Samuelsen.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced Wednesday his office is opening a criminal investigation into construction of the Mariner East pipeline project, which in March caused sinkholes to form in the back yards of some homes near Exton. Read more

Chester County District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan announced Wednesday that his office is launching a criminal investigation into construction of the contentious Mariner East pipelines, putting the prosecutor directly into a political battle involving anti-pipeline activists and state officials he said have failed to step in to protect local residents.

Hogan accused Gov. Wolf and state agencies of failing to hold Sunoco Pipeline LP accountable, drawing curt responses from Wolfs office and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which have cited the company numerous times for environmental violations associated with pipeline construction and for safety concerns associated with the first Mariner East pipeline, which began operations in 2014.

Energy Transfer Partners LP, Sunocos parent company, called Hogans allegations baseless and questioned the legal grounds upon which he would base a criminal investigation.

We are confident that we have not acted to violate any criminal laws in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and we are committed to aggressively defending ourselves against these baseless allegations," Vicki Granada, an Energy Transfer Partners spokesperson, said in statement.

Sunoco Pipeline is building three adjacent pipelines to transport natural gas liquids like propane across state from the Marcellus Shale region to a terminal in Marcus Hook, where much of the material is being exported by ship. The $5.1-billion project is a major link in the states effort to promote Pennsylvania shale-gas development, but it has provoked fierce opposition from construction problems, and aroused fears about pipelines transporting highly volatile liquid fuel near homes, schools, and nursing homes.

Hogans announcement, which cited a litany of spills, contaminated water wells, sinkholes, and alleged bullying by Sunoco representatives, was posted on social media and lauded by anti-pipeline activists.

We expected the state regulators and the governor to step in and assure the safety of Pennsylvanians, the prosecutor said in a news release. "They have not. So now the Chester County District Attorneys Office will demand that every aspect of these pipelines be conducted safely, or we will bring into play all of the tools of the criminal justice system.

State officials bristled, saying the PUC and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have cited and fined Sunoco for the very problems that Hogan highlighted.

Gov. Wolfs spokesperson, J.J. Abbott, said the state agencies have provided unprecedented oversight of the project  DEP alone has issued more than 80 violation notices on Sunocos construction practices, and collected more than $13 million in penalties.

The commonwealth is living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits and our abilities under existing law. Abbott said in a statement. We welcome any partners who want to constructively talk about improving state oversight.

The PUC, which cited Sunoco most recently last week for a 2017 spill in Berks County, also listed a number of enforcement actions it has taken against Sunoco and its parent company, including shutting down the Mariner East 1 pipeline for nearly two months this year to address concerns about subsidence associated with sinkholes that developed in Exton.

The PUC has a number of active and ongoing investigations and cases involving Sunoco and the Mariner pipelines, including complaints brought by the PUCs Pipeline Safety Division as well as private citizens, PUC spokesperson Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said in a statement. "Our experienced investigators remain focused on the mission of enforcing Pennsylvanias safety regulations  which includes inspections, investigations and enforcement actions  and the commission will not hesitate to take appropriate action based on the facts, the evidence and the law. "

Sunoco announced plans in 2010 to repurpose an existing fuel pipeline to carry natural gas liquids to Marcus Hook, and took on the Mariner name to reflect its primary purpose as a virtual pipeline exporting gas liquids, used in petrochemical production. The project has attracted a litany of civil actions from residents and environmental groups led by the Clean Air Council, challenging the projects public utility status and its authority to acquire easements by eminent domain. Sunoco has prevailed in most actions.

Hogan, a Republican who was elected Chester Countys DA in 2011, said his attention was drawn to the Mariner East project recently after a September explosion of a natural gas pipeline owned by Energy Transfer Partners in Beaver County, near Pittsburgh, which he said changed speculation into tangible danger and destruction. He also visited the homes of residents near Exton in November that were affected by sinkholes in March. The concerns and fears of those citizens were both disturbing and heart-wrenching, he said.

The prosecutors newfound understanding of the project and the pipeline industry was reflected in the news release, which repeatedly referred to the material that Sunoco transports in the pipelines as natural gas. The materials are actually propane, ethane, and butane  also called natural gas liquids  that are legally petroleum products, which behave differently than natural gas, and are regulated under different laws.

Hogan did not spell out specifically which laws Sunoco or its officials may have violated.

Potential charges include causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, environmental crimes, and corrupt organizations, he said in a news release. Such offenses could include criminal charges directly against the individual employees involved, from workers on the pipelines through corporate officers.

Sunoco said it was surprised to learn that the district attorney believes there is a legal basis for conducting a criminal investigation into the company and the project. We vehemently deny any such wrongdoing and we take issue with the many factual inaccuracies contained in the district attorneys press release, it said.
A Rite Aid in Philadelphia. Rite Aid Corp. said it will part ways with its top managers and shed about 400 jobs, cutting about $55 million in costs as the drugstore chain tries to turn itself around. Read more

(Bloomberg)  Rite Aid Corp. said it will part ways with its top managers and shed about 400 jobs, cutting about $55 million in costs as the drugstore chain tries to turn itself around.

Chief Executive Officer John Standley, Chief Operating Officer Kermit Crawford and Chief Financial Officer Darren Karst will all step down, Rite Aid said in a statement Tuesday.

It is imperative we take action to reduce the cost of current operations and become a more efficient and profitable company, Bruce Bodaken, chairman of the companys board of directors, said in a statement. The board believes that now is the right time to undertake a leadership transition.

Rite Aid has gone from a bastion of the American drugstore landscape to a shell of its former self after selling a large chunk of its stores to rival Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. It has reported a loss for three quarters in a row, while analysts have cut their ratings. The stock now trades for less than a dollar  down from nearly $50 in 1998.

In the past two years, Rite Aid has seen multiple mergers fall through, leaving an uncertain future for the company with no clear end game. In 2017, a proposed tie-up with Walgreens fell apart amid antitrust scrutiny by U.S. regulators. In August 2018, another proposed merger, with supermarket chain Albertsons Cos., was called off after two prominent proxy advisers recommended that shareholders vote against it.

These are dark times for Rite Aid shareholders, said Ross Muken, an analyst at Evercore ISI. Given the elevated leverage levels and likely declining profit line, we think the outlook here is pretty dire.

In a statement after the announcement, Rite Aid spokesman Chris Savarese said that the changes aim at more closely aligning the structure and leadership of the company with the scale of its operations. The departures are not at all a result of any wrongdoing, he said.

The job cuts will eliminate about 20 percent of the corporate positions at the companys Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, headquarters and elsewhere. About two-third of the cuts will happen immediately, with the rest by the end of fiscal 2020. The changes will result in a $38 million charge.

Rite Aid shares were volatile in late trading on Tuesday, swinging between gains and losses. The shares have lost 60 percent of their value in the last 12 months.

Were not surprised the board decided that a fresh perspective is needed, said Jonathan Palmer, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. The departing management team distinguished themselves with two failed merger attempts while retail pharmacy market became increasingly more difficult.

(Updates with analysts comments starting in sixth paragraph.)

With assistance from Drew Armstrong.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Langreth in New York at rlangreth@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Drew Armstrong at darmstrong17@bloomberg.net, Timothy Annett, Mark Schoifet

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Sunoco's Mariner East pipeline, shown here on Boot Road in East Goshen, passes less than 75 feet from many structures in Chester and Delaware Counties. Read more

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and the Delaware County district attorneys office announced that they are conducting a joint investigation into Sunoco Pipeline LP and its parent company, Energy Transfer Partners, over allegations of criminal misconduct related to its Mariner East pipeline project.

The announcement Monday night by DA Katayoun M. Copeland follows a similar announcement in December by Thomas P. Hogan, the district attorney in neighboring Chester County. Hogan last month began empaneling a grand jury to investigate the pipeline companys activities, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.

Copeland said she requested the joint investigation with the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office because the 350-mile pipeline project touches 17 counties across the state.

Energy Transfer, which has previously been cited by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection, said there is no legitimate basis for conducting a criminal investigation into the company or the Mariner East project.

We have worked closely with commonwealth officials and inspectors to respond to citizen concerns as evidenced by the information that is readily available on the PUC and DEP websites, Lisa Dillinger, an ETP spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday. "We are confident that we have not acted to violate any criminal laws in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are committed to aggressively defending ourselves.

We look forward to opening a dialogue with the Attorney Generals and District Attorneys offices in the hope that we can bring this matter to an appropriate resolution, Dillinger said. The safety of all those who live and work along our pipeline is our first priority, and this project was planned and implemented based on that fact.

Sunoco Pipeline is building three adjacent pipelines to transport natural gas liquids such as propane across state from the Marcellus Shale region to a terminal in Delaware County, where Sunoco is a major employer. The $5.1 billion project is a key link in the states effort to promote Pennsylvania shale-gas development, but its construction has provoked sharp opposition from residents, and aroused fears about pipelines transporting highly volatile liquid fuel near homes, schools, and nursing homes.

Copelands evening news release was less florid than Hogans December announcement, which accused Gov. Tom Wolf and state agencies of failing to hold Sunoco accountable, sympathized with the disturbing and heart-wrenching accounts of residents, and denounced some subtle and not-so-subtle bullying of Chester County citizens by big corporate interests. Hogan continued bashing Sunoco in public, issuing a news release in January after a union pipeline worker who worked for a Sunoco contractor used an obscenity in a social media spat with an anti-pipeline activist.

Copeland did not mention the governor in her announcement, which said only that there is no question that the pipeline poses certain concerns and risks" to residents. "We want residents to know that we have heard their concerns, and we are willing to hear any new concerns that they may have about the pipeline by contacting my office, she said.

Both Copeland and Hogan are Republicans, who typically have been more supportive of fossil-fuel projects than Democrats. But local Republican officials in Chester and Delaware County have lost ground in some elections in which they were targeted by anti-pipeline residents for not taking a harder line on the project.

Sunoco Pipeline and its parent, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, were merged into Energy Transfer Partners in 2017, one of the final components of the family of companies linked to the storied Sun Oil Co. of Philadelphia that were absorbed by ETP following its 2012 acquisition of Sunoco. With the 2017 merger, the final remnants of Sunocos corporate headquarters were relocated to ETPs home office in Dallas.

In addition to the Mariner East project, Energy Transfer is building the Revolution Pipeline to transport natural gas in Western Pennsylvania, which exploded last year shortly after shipments began. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in February suspended ETPs work permits after the company failed to comply with an order following the explosion.

Kelcy Warren, ETPs chairman and chief executive officer, acknowledged that the company had made mistakes in its Pennsylvania operations during a quarterly earnings call last month with investment analysts.

We made some mistakes, and specifically now wed like to talk about Pennsylvania and were going to take our medicine and fix those mistakes and complete good projects from this point forward. Warren said. Not insinuated that everything weve done has been bad. Its just weve made some mistakes were not proud of. So youll see that improve and when we dont make those mistakes again, that our costs are going to improve and the predictability of those costs are likewise going to improve.

Copelands announcement was unclear about what alleged criminal behavior might be the focus of an investigation.

"Many residents in Delaware County have directly expressed concerns over the operations of the pipeline and made formal complaints and allegations of potential criminal misconduct, her statement said. "Residents have also expressed concerns regarding the potential of catastrophes and property damage. "
A Philadelphia-area restaurant chain claims Grubhub, the online food delivery and takeout platform, has stolen millions of dollars from small businesses by charging them for sham telephone orders." (Keri Wiginton/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Read more

A Philadelphia-area restaurant chain claims that Grubhub, the online food delivery and takeout platform, has stolen millions of dollars from small businesses by charging them for sham telephone orders, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit.

The suit, filed in federal court by a pair of Tiffin Indian food restaurants, alleges that Grubhub has charged commissions for phone calls that did not generate food orders. The Tiffin chain, founded by Wharton MBA and ex-investment banker Munish Narula, argues that Grubhubs actions ate into restaurants revenues for more than seven years.

Tiffin claims its bringing the case on behalf of the roughly 80,000 restaurants that Grubhub works with across the country. The case is seeking unspecified damages and restitution. The lawsuit also wants a judge to bar Grubhub from charging businesses for customer calls that dont result in food orders.

Grubhub, which declined comment on Monday, filed a motion last week to send the case to arbitration. In court filings, the Chicago-based company has said it did not act deceptively nor breach its contracts with the two Tiffin eateries named as plaintiffs. The two restaurants, located in Elkins Park and Mount Airy, are part of a chain of 10 Tiffin eateries in the region.

Tiffins lawyer, Catherine Pratsinakis, declined comment. Narula did not return a request for comment.

Founded in 2004, Grubhub allows customers to find local restaurants and place food orders through its online platform. Restaurants pay a commission, typically a percentage of the order (Tiffin pays 15 percent per order, court documents show). Grubhub, which recently expanded its Philadelphia presence with a Center City tech hub, competes with other food delivery services such as UberEats, and DoorDash.

Grubhub generated $1 billion in revenue in 2018, an increase of more than 46 percent from the $683.1 million collected in 2017. The company says it serves 17.7 million active diners.

According to the lawsuit, reported by Philadelphia Magazine in January, Grubhub also charges businesses when customers place orders using unique phone numbers found on its online platform. Grubhub tracks the calls and bills the restaurants accordingly, imposing a fee based on a monthly average of previous commissions charged to the restaurant, according to the complaint filed in December in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

But Grubhub does not verify whether the calls actually result in food orders and relies solely on the length of the phone call to justify charging commissions, the suit says. Tiffin cited examples of customers calling to ask about ingredients, existing orders, and hours of operation  calls that the eatery said resulted in charges from Grubhub.

In one case last year, a woman called a Tiffin restaurant through the phone number listed on Grubhubs platform, asking questions about the menu because she had food allergies, the complaint says. She proceeded to place an order through Grubhubs website, and Grubhub charged Tiffin twice for both the call and online order.

According to the complaint, a Grubhub worker told Narula, the Tiffin founder and president, that the platform charges commissions for calls that exceed 45 seconds, regardless of whether a customer places a food order.

In a 2013 post on Quora, Grubhub founder Mike Evans wrote that there are a few key indicators that show whether a call is an order.

Among them are time of call (during business hours), duration of call, exclusion of multiple call from same number, etc., Evans wrote at the time. It turns out to be possible to predict with a high degree of accuracy which calls are orders or not.

Making matters worse for small businesses, Tiffin argues, is that customers often place calls through Grubhub because an internet search for restaurants using Google could list Grubhubs ad before the restaurants website.

Tiffin said Grubhub orders make up nearly 15 percent of the Indian chains revenues.

Last week, Grubhubs lawyer asked a judge to send the case to arbitration, noting its contracts with the Tiffin eateries contain an arbitration clause with a class-action waiver. Tiffins lawyers have not yet responded to the motion.
 UPDATE: Trump: U.S. to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 planes after Ethiopian Airlines crash

More travelers are reaching out to U.S. airlines, especially Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, asking to change flights scheduled on 737 Max 8 jets, the type of aircraft that crashed in Ethiopia on Sunday and has since been grounded by a growing number of countries.

But so far, just a handful of Boeings new planes are arriving or departing from Philadelphia International Airport. The 737 Max 8 had one arrival and three departures, all on Southwest Airlines and scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to FlightRadar24.com on Tuesday afternoon.

These include Southwest flight #1029 arriving from Tampa at 5:40 p.m. Wednesday and a scheduled departure Thursday at 7:05 a.m., to Atlanta on flight #2348.

By Wednesday, Southwest was switching some of the flights to older aircraft in the 737 series.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane is safe, and so do the U.S. airlines using it. Southwest is running the largest fleet of 737 Max 8 jets, with 34 in service throughout its system, while American has 24 in its fleet. United Airlines flies a slightly larger version, the Max 9. More than 30 airlines operate a total of about 350 737 Max 8s.

A Week of 737 Max 8 Flights in Philadelphia From Feb. 28 to March 3, 19 flights using Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft departed or arrived at Philadelphia International Airport. All but two of the flights were operated by Southwest Airlines. Airline: Southwest American Chicago (Midway) Philadelphia 4 5 Denver 4 Nashville (Miami) 2 Atlanta Dallas (Love Field) Orlando Ft. Lauderdale Miami Airline: Southwest American Chicago (Midway) Phila. 4 5 Denver Nashville 4 2 Miami Atlanta Dallas (Love Field) Orlando Fort Lauderdale SOURCE: Flightradar24 JOHN DUCHNESKIE / Staff Artist

Several customers have asked on social media whether their Southwest or American Airlines flights were on the 737 Max 8 and looked to change them. But carriers do not offer fee waivers for switching flights and accommodations to travelers who want to avoid the Max 8.

Southwest announced on Twitter that its not offering any special deals to people who want to change their reservations to avoid the plane. If you would like to change your flight, there would be a difference in fare that would need to be collected for doing so, a Southwest representative said on the social-media platform.

American Airlines said in a statement that it will continue to collaborate with the FAA. "We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.

Aviation experts say customers should avoid booking flights with 737 Max 8 to avoid potential cancellations. If the Ethiopian crash was caused by the models new piloting software, as some observers suspect, the plane could be grounded worldwide until it is tested and revamped, if needed.

Paul Hudson, FlyersRights.org president and a member of the FAA Aviation Advisory Committee, said customers flying on the 737 Max should reschedule their flights if they feel more comfortable doing so.

The FAAs wait and see attitude risks lives as well as the safety reputation of the U.S. aviation industry, Hudson said. Even assuming this design defect should not by itself take the aircraft out of service, the failure to warn airlines and pilots of the new feature, and the inadequacy of training requirements, necessitate an immediate temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8."

Hudson said that serious questions over Boeings MCAS safety system need answers and the aircraft should be re-certified. Concerns include inaccurate or nonexistent information in Boeings training manuals and inadequate flight training requirements.

Airline pilots on at least two U.S. flights have reported that an automated system seemed to cause their Boeing 737 Max planes to tilt down suddenly, the Associated Press reported.

The pilots said that soon after engaging the autopilot on Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the nose tilted down sharply. In both cases, they recovered quickly after disconnecting the autopilot. As described by the pilots, however, the problem did not appear related to a new automated anti-stall system that is suspected of contributing to the deadly October crash in Indonesia.

With European aviation regulators grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 flights, about two-thirds of the global fleet is off-line after that type of aircrafts fatal crash in Ethiopia killed 157 people. Sundays crash marked the second time in less than five months that the new Boeing plane crashed and killed everyone on board. The previous crash occurred on a Lion Air flight over the Java sea.

Boeing planes have been banned in Britain, Australia, China, Indonesia, Morocco, and elsewhere in the last two days over safety concerns following the crash in Ethiopia.

The 737 Max has bigger engines than the original 737, which make it 14 percent more fuel-efficient than the previous generation. Experts say that issues with the 737 Maxs new piloting software, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (M.C.A.S.), and angle-of-attack sensors may have played a role in the two accidents, which both occurred after takeoff.

Boeing said Tuesday that the FAA wasnt requiring any further action and the company doesnt have any basis to issue new guidance to operators. The company said on Monday that it was in talks with regulators and airlines to discuss their concerns. We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX, CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a message to employees. Boeing said it wouldnt discuss any talks it was having with customers.

The FAA said it stood by the 737 Maxs safety performance and has not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions, such as grounding the model. The agency said it expected to mandate release of a software disk believed to have played a central role in the first plane crash, in Indonesia.
There are plenty of viruses and malware that can affect your business but ransomware is particularly concerning because its a moneymaker for the entrepreneurial computer hacker. Read more

Ever heard of GandCrab, Ryuk, BitPaymer, SamSam, or Matrix?

They are all different forms of ransomware, a type of computer virus that for the last few years has wreaked havoc on businesses and organizations  big and small  around the world and is not going away anytime soon. Its likely that your business has bumped into this problem. If not, you probably will.

There are plenty of other types of viruses and malware that can affect your business. But ransomware is particularly concerning because its a moneymaker for the entrepreneurial computer hacker. Just this last week, for example, a Georgia county paid more than $400,000 to get rid of a ransomware virus. Over the last few years, costly attacks have hit such big organizations as Merck, FedEx, Britains National Health Service, San Diegos ports, and a Connecticut school district. And those are the just some of the cases reported.

Most incidents, particularly those affecting small companies, dont make the headlines.

But that doesnt mean small businesses are unaffected. A 2017 study found that more than one in five businesses with less than a thousand employees had experienced a ransomware attack that caused them to stop operations in order to recover and caused an average of $100,000 in losses per incident due to the downtime, according to a CNN report.

Ransomware is a multi-billion dollar-a-year business and its growing. In 2018, security firm SonicWalls network reported 328.5 million ransomware attacks worldwide, a 120 percent increase from the prior year.

A ransomware virus can be easily downloaded as part of a file, a spam email, a click on a fake online advertisement or even by visiting a malicious website that appears to be legitimate. Once the virus is downloaded, it quickly spreads throughout a companys network and then encrypts, or locks up, all files. The makers then demand a ransom  usually a few hundred bucks in some form of digital currency such as Bitcoin  to get a key code that will unlock the data. Thats assuming theyll live up to their word.

So are you excited about the prospect of paying some hackers in Eastern Europe a ransom and then hope they will live up to their promise and send you a decryption code? Do you really think theyll never bother you again? I hope not. What you need to do is take these proactive steps to protect your business.

Update your security software: My company uses Malwarebytes but there are other good security applications, including McAfee, Symantec, Bitdefender and FireEye. Make sure the software is installed on all devices. Nowadays, these types of applications update themselves as long as you let them. Do that. And dont let your subscription lapse.

Get training: Multiple studies have shown that the biggest cause of security breaches is you. Oh, and your employees, too. Many of us inadvertently click on things we shouldnt be clicking or we browse to phishing and other dubious websites where malicious software is downloaded without our knowledge. Bring in an outside firm to conduct annual training for all of your employees. Consider using applications where customized security tests can be created that your employees must take (and pass) regularly.

Subscribe to an online backup application: These relatively inexpensive applications wont stop a ransomware attack from happening. But because theyre continuously backing up your applications concurrently from your devices and servers (both internal and hosted) youll be able to wipe everything clean if you are attacked and restore from your last good backup. Yes, you may lose a few hours or even a day of work. But in the end youll be up and running quickly with nothing paid out to the ransomware maker.

Upgrade your operating systems: If, for example and like millions of other small businesses, youre running Microsoft Windows, make sure youve got the most recent version installed on all of your devices. As I write this, there are tens of thousands of software bots that are secretly looking for older, more vulnerable computers running out-of-date operating systems that they can exploit. All they need is one out-of-date machine and they are into your network. A current operating system is a strong defense.

I admit that none of these tactics will guarantee that youll go unscathed by a ransomware attack. But employing them all will make it less enticing for a hacker to strike your business. Thats because with so many businesses that have such poor security, why should a hacker waste time with yours?

Gene Marks is a certified public accountant and the owner of Marks Group, a technology and financial management consulting firm in Bala Cynwyd.
Lambertville-based author James McBrides historical novel Good Lord Bird is coming to the small screen via Showtime, which has signed actor Ethan Hawke and director Anthony Hemingway to an upcoming limited eight-part series based on the book.

Released in 2013, the novel deals with 19th-century abolitionist John Brown and his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, which historians view as an instigating event for the Civil War, though it failed to begin the slave revolt that Brown had hoped. McBrides book follows former slave Onion, who joins Browns group during Bleeding Kansas, a set of violent, pre-Civil War battles fought over the legality of slavery in the burgeoning state. McBride won a 2013 National Book Award for the novel. McBrides most famous work, his memoir The Color of Water, has sold over 1.5 million copies.

Now, in the television version of the book, Hawke will star as Brown, as well as executive produce the series. Hemingway, known for his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning work on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, meanwhile, will direct.

This is just the right time for Good Lord Bird, McBride said of the series via a release. I wrote it to show we Americans are Family  dysfunctional, screwy, funny, even dangerous to one another at times, but still family nonetheless.

In addition to being an award-winning author, McBride is also a self-described choir dad, as he told the Inquirer in 2017. That year, his son, Nash, was featured in a Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale performance at the Kimmel Center that included a section focused on McBrides book, The Underground Railroad Records, which examines Philadelphias role in the Underground Railroad.

Whatever sickness slavery was, McBride told the Inquirer, it made slaves of us all, not just a few. By ridding ourselves of it, we all became free.
About six months ahead of expiration of the current labor contract between the Philadelphia Orchestra Association and its players, the two sides have reached an agreement on a pact that keeps the peace for the next four years.

The new deal includes further restoration of positions to the ensemble after its size was cut with the orchestras bankruptcy several years ago, and it provides modest raises for players over the term of the contract.

It also contains a significant enhancement for the listening public. Changes in work rules will increase the ability of the orchestra to schedule Sunday afternoon concerts, which are popular with audiences, to 18 per season from the current 12.

That the Philadelphia Orchestra is able to ratify a new labor contract now is notable given the fact that one of its peer ensembles, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is on strike.

After a bankruptcy filing by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association in 2011 shook public confidence and a brief strike on opening night in 2016, the organization was determined in this negotiating season to send a positive message to both donors and ticket buyers. Talks in February and March wrapped up about a week ago, and Tuesday a tentative agreement was brought to a vote by players.

The new, early contract agreement represents a significant win for Matias Tarnopolsky, who took over as the orchestras new president and CEO in August. It gives him an attractive calling card with donors, who look for continuity and organizational unity when considering where to direct their donations.

The new deal is expected to increase by 2 to 3 percent each year the amount the association must bring in through a combination of earned revenue and donations, said Tarnopolsky, who said the orchestras fund-raising prospects were now brightened.

We want to inspire both the donors of today and of the future with an exciting vision, and this agreement powerfully sets that stage.

Players are betting that Tarnopolsky can fill our hall and raise a lot of money, said violinist William Polk, chair of the musicians negotiating committee, who declined to release the contact vote count. The first year of the contract gives players a raise that is below the cost-of-living increase, he said, and I view that as giving him a little room to maneuver.

A four-year deal, he said, signals stability. It would be great to tell the Philadelphia community that we have our act together here and that at one of their flagship cultural organizations we are getting along with each other, Polk said.

The new agreement calls for the orchestras complement (the size of the full-time ensemble) to increase by two positions, with one added back in 2020-21 and another in 2022-23, from the current 97 players and two librarians to 99 players and two librarians.

Whenever we have an opening our artistic committee and [music director] Yannick [Nezet-Seguin] will decide which position will be filled, said Polk. The number of players was cut to 95 and two librarians with the bankruptcy, and full complement according to the contract would be 105 musicians and two librarians.

Base salaries will increase over the term of the contract by 2 percent in the first year, 2.5 percent in the second, 2.5 percent in the third, and 3 percent in the last year. Base salary in the current contract is $137,800 per year, though titled players and others earn significantly more.

The pact also includes additional income for players if the organization achieves certain surplus benchmarks.

Also among the work-rule changes is an article that increases by four the number of weeks in which the orchestra can have two double-rehearsal days, and only on weeks when Nezet-Seguin is conducting, to accommodate his conducting schedule at the Metropolitan Opera.

There were no changes in pension or health care, Polk said.

The Philadelphia Orchestras new contract runs from Sept. 16, 2019, through Sept. 10, 2023.
The controversy over old audio clips featuring Tucker Carlson using vulgar, homophobic language comes at a bad time for Fox News. Read more

On his Fox News show Monday night, Tucker Carlson pointedly didnt apologize after old audio clips emerged of the host making vulgar comments about women and offering a defense of statutory rape.

Weve always apologized when were wrong, and will continue to do that. Thats what decent people do. They apologize. But we will never bow to the mob, Carlson said to open his Fox News show Monday night.

Even as Carlson addressed the controversy over the comments, liberal media watchdog Media Matters released a second batch of audio clips from 2006 to 2011 of the popular Fox News host calling into the syndicated radio show of Bubba the Love Sponge. In those clips, Carlson credits white men for creating civilization and called Iraqis semiliterate primitive monkeys. He also used a pejorative term for homosexuals to express his love of Todd Clem, the shows host.

What struck me about a lot of these clips was not just the fact that theyre so consistent with the things that he says now, but the comfort in which he says it, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said during an appearance on MSNBCs All In Monday night. It sounds like youre actually getting to see the real Tucker Carlson.

So far, Fox News has remained silent about the controversy swirling around Carlson over his past comments. So have the networks news anchors and Howard Kurtz, its media critic. Despite that, Carlson said he had the networks full support.

Fox News is behind us, as they have been since the very first day, Carlson said.

Fellow opinion hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham defended Carlson on their own shows Monday night, and Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume sidestepped Carlsons vulgar comments by focusing on his television ratings in a tweet, adding, Doing well is the best revenge.

Bubba, who lives and records his syndicated radio show in Pasco County, Fla., told the Tampa Bay Times hes not surprised the old clips from his show have resurfaced. Carlsons last appearance on the show was in November 2018 to promote his book Ship of Fools, but the host said the two have spoken since the vulgar audio clips have gone viral.

He assured me hes not mad at me, and said were still friends, Bubba told the newspaper. I dont think this will affect Tucker one bit. Hes way too big of a star and a commodity for something said on a comedic forum to take him down. Remember, this was my show, it wasnt Crossfire with James Carville.

The controversy comes at a bad time for Fox News. On Wednesday, the network is hosting an event with advertisers to play down the controversy involving its opinion hosts and promote straight-news anchors like Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, and Shepard Smith.

Advertisers continue to avoid Carlsons show. According to Varietys Brian Steinberg, Mondays Tucker Carlson Tonight featured just four ad breaks and spots from just one major national brand  Bayer AG. Carlson has lost at least 33 advertisers since December, when he said allowing certain immigrants to enter the United States makes our country poorer and dirtier.

On Tuesday, bed linen company Sheex confirmed it was pulling its advertising off Carlsons show due to inappropriate statements of Tucker Carlson that have recently come to light. Sheex  founded by two former womens basketball coaches  was one of Carlsons largest remaining advertisers.
More than a century old, Irish potatoes are a Philadelphia tradition that can be found across the region in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day. The seasonal candy features a sweet, coconut-cream filling that's rolled in cinnamon. Read more

At Stutz Candy Co., candymaker Eriq Saldutti opens up a 50-pound bag of sugar and pours it into an electric cream beater the size of a baby swimming pool. A sweet mist quickly fills the air inside the Montgomery County kitchen.

With sugar-fogged glasses, Saldutti reaches his hands into the beater, knuckling the coconut batter like pizza dough as it spins round and round. Its the start of Irish potatoes, a popular treat for Stutz and other area candymakers.

Weve been making Irish potatoes since 1965, using the exact same recipe, same machines, and old-fashioned techniques since we started, says Stutzs vice president Kristie Knappik. People grew up with them, so customers get really excited every year when they return.

Irish potatoes are a Philadelphia tradition, one thats more than a century old. In the weeks leading up to St. Patricks Day, the cinnamon-coated, coconut cream spheres pop up in area candy stores, gift shops, and supermarkets.

Irish potatoes are kind of like the Mummers, says Dave Lamparelli, founder of Philadelphia-area candy company Oh Ryans, which sold more than 2.5 million pieces of the candy last year. Once you go to New York or Pittsburgh or Washington, they have no clue what they are.

What are Irish potatoes?

While the exact origins of Irish potatoes are vague, history has it that they were first made in Philadelphia in the 1800s  possibly by Irish immigrants, possibly not. (By 1860, Irish were the citys largest immigrant population as a result of the Great Famine in Ireland.)

Theyre said to honor the Irish, but I think there was a crazed candymaker out there who accidentally dropped a coconut cream Easter egg he was making into cinnamon, says Lamparelli. He looked at it and said, That looks like a potato, I bet I can sell that for St. Patricks Day. 

Knappik agrees that the timing of Irish potato season is convenient. The miniature spud look-alikes are sold in the lull between Valentines Day and Easter, both candy-centric holidays. Irish potatoes are one of Stutzs best sellers at its three retail shops; the Hatboro-based confectioner produces about 20,000 pieces per year.

What are Irish potatoes made of?

Besides a hefty dose of Amerfond fondant sugar (100 pounds for every 140 pounds of candy), Stutzs recipe calls for butter, desiccated coconut, vanilla extract, salt, and a house-made marshmallow-like fluff made from corn syrup, inverted sugar, and cornstarch. A splash of water is added as it all comes together in the beater, a step that perfumes the air with a sweet scent of fresh-baked macaroons.

Turned out onto a 60-year-old electric-crank cut roller, the creamy filling is piped out, sliced into bite-size hunks, and rolled smooth. The little white spheres travel down a conveyor belt until they reach a metal ramp. They glide down as if on a waterslide, splashing into a pool of cinnamon at the end.

Its inhaling all of the cinnamon thats probably the most challenging part of the job, says Stutz production manager, Kerwin Subero, a Stutz employee of 20 years and Trinidad native who loves the coconut treat.

Workers at the end of the Irish potato line wear masks and gloves as they hand-roll each sugary piece in the ground spice. Stutz also blends a touch of cocoa powder into its candy coating.

Irish potato recipes vary from shop to shop, but coconut and cinnamon are always the dominant flavors. Some places add pine nuts to mimic a sprouted potatos eyes. Many homemade recipes call for cream cheese, an ingredient eschewed by most manufacturers because it makes the candies less shelf-stable.

The tartness of the cream cheese helps offset the sweetness of the sugar, says Pavia Burroughs of Old Citys Shane Confectionery, one of the few shops to still use cream cheese. Shane sold nearly 1,500 Irish potatoes from its refrigerated candy case in 2018.

Of course, you dont need a commercial cream beater or a cut roller to make Irish potatoes. Recipes for the local treat abound online, requiring little more than pantry staples, a hand mixer, and a large bowl. (In the South, potato candy takes on an entirely different meaning; the no-bake, Great Depression-era confection combines real potatoes, powdered sugar, and peanut butter in fudgy, jellyroll-like slices.)

But for most Philadelphians, only store-bought Irish potatoes will do. They are only available for a limited time  St. Patricks Day generally marks the cutoff date for production. You can find them at many area candy shops and grocery stores, or order them online at places like the Italian Markets Anthonys Italian Coffee and Chocolate House or the Reading Terminals Pennsylvania General Store.

We get people whove moved away, and theyll call in, all eager to ask us if we can ship the Irish potatoes up to Massachusetts or New York, says Stutzs Hatboro store manager Kim Wengert. (Stutz will ship for customers who call in.) My 9-year-old nephew actually asked for them this year for birthday. He was surrounded by toys, but when he opened the [candy] box, he screamed louder than ever: Irish potatoes!

Where to buy Irish Potatoes in Philly

This article has been updated since it was first published.

 READ MORE: Live your best life in Philly: Read our most useful stories here
Judith Grisel, a Bucknell psychology professor, is the author of "Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction," which details her own battle with addiction along with how researching the brain can help us understand the disease. Read more

At 23, Judith Grisel was in a Minnesota rehab, grappling with the addictions that had defined her life for the previous decade. For the first time, she heard that addiction was a disease, not a moral failing.

As she entered recovery and eventually returned to school, she gravitated to neuroscience to understand her own response to drugs.

Now a psychology professor at Bucknell University, Grisel recently published Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, a narrative of her own addiction experience and a primer on how various drugs affect the brain. It cracked the New York Times top-10 list of bestselling science books this week.

She recently spoke with The Inquirer about her experience and her research.

How did your own history of addiction lead you to study neuroscience?

By the time I was 23, I had lost pretty much everything after about 10 years of avid use of pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. When I ended up in treatment and heard it was a disease, I, in a kind of naive way, I thought, Disease can be cured; Ill figure out a cure.

I felt like from my experience, that my response to drugs was different from other peoples. I had a roommate one time who would mete out cocaine like it was gold in a way that I could not understand. She would somehow moderate that. I seemed to have kind of a bottomless desire. I thought there must be some sort of biological explanation for my experience and response.

How can neuroscience help explain addiction?

Theres a correlate of brain activity to everything we do and everything we experience. What is the neural phenotype, or the brain state that predisposes you [to addiction], and how does the brain change as a result? I think understanding those things could help with interventions and preventions. At the very least it helps explain the inexplicable: How do people give up everything for a little baggie of stuff? How do they court death like this?

The first time you start taking any drug, your brain adapts. It does it immediately. That adaptation is always the opposite of the main effect of the drug. So as soon as I drink alcohol, my brain is making me more excitable and more anxious, so that when I get that sedative [from alcohol, the brain compensates].

The more the cells of the brain are bathed in a drug, the deeper the adaptation is. When I got to treatment, I was definitely understimulated in terms of reward and pleasure in that dopamine pathway that we always talk about. All I wanted to do was escape that sort of withdrawal state by getting more drugs. And every time I got the drug, I would make the adaptation stronger.

The longer you go with a drug, the more your brain adapts, and the longer you go without it, the more your brain adapts back.

Youre wary of opioid replacement medications like methadone and suboxone, which research shows give patients a better shot at recovery than abstinence-based treatment. Can you talk about that?

For me, I probably come down a little heavy-handed on the side of abstinence. For me, moderation, I think, is very unlikely. My sort of gold, pie-in-the-sky vision is that people would be able to sort of live [without any drugs]. I have a really rich, full, free life, I think, except that I just cant pick up [drugs].

My bias is toward the natural state, and this isnt natural to have [opioid replacement drugs]. So, even though [when you take methadone or suboxone] youre tolerant, so youre not getting the big highs, I dont think its anything like the state that you started with. And so thats my bias.

I dont think methadone is good, but its better than dying of an overdose of heroin. If these are the options, absolutely methadone is an advantage. But giving people a prescription for a substitute opiate and then doing nothing [else] is unconscionable. I think medication can be a big, big help. The goal is to get people to look at themselves and their choices and see if they want to change course.

What has experience with addiction meant for your career in the sciences?

I think being a scientist is a fantastic career for anybody, but especially for a recovering addict. What I sought was this sort of exciting, transcendent, never-know-whats-going-to-happen-next sort of life. I kind of get that in a research setting. Theres a lot of intrigue, theres a lot of uncertainty and mystery, theres a lot of reward. Its a good fit for people who are novelty-seekers.

I do think most people I know in drug and alcohol research, like, the vast, vast majority, are not in recovery. Which probably reflects the fact that its hard to recover -- I got lucky there. But I think that many of them are there because they had family members, they had some firsthand experience. A lot of people go into their fields because theyre trying to understand something personal.

How can neuroscience better help the public understand addiction?

Addiction is increasing, and the drive to escape is obviously an epidemic. So were all more or less on the same road. I think the factors that contribute [to the addiction crisis] are really deep and complex and systemic, internally and externally, and its in all of our best interests to look at those.
ADHD is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by inattention, concentration difficulties and problems with impulse control. Read more

One in three students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not receive any support services at their schools, according to a national study of U.S. schoolchildren.

The study  described as the largest of its kind  found that at least one in five students with ADHD receive no school-based services even when they experience significant academic and social impairment. The services gap appeared to be especially pronounced for adolescents from non-English-speaking or low-income families.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lehigh University, and the University of Maryland took part in the study. The findings, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, are based on data for 2,495 youths with ADHD aged 4 to 17 from the National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome.

Students from every state were represented, according to one of the chief researchers.

I would hope people who work in schools, or parents  really anyone concerned about these kids  would realize theres a gap between those students who need school support for ADHD and those who actually get it, particularly for students on the middle- and high-school level, said lead study author George DuPaul, a professor of school psychology and associate dean for research in the College of Education at Lehigh.

ADHD is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by inattention, concentration difficulties, and problems with impulse control. Federal estimates say 11 percent of children will receive a diagnosis, but many students with the disorder are missed, especially girls, whose symptoms may defy ADHDs largely male stereotypes. The disorder often continues into adulthood, with about 5 percent of adults diagnosed. It may be treated with medication or behavioral therapy.

The study findings are based on parent-reported data about the kinds of services their children have received at school.

The research article states, We found a critical gap in the percentage of students with ADHD who need school support due to academic or social impairment and the percentage of students who currently receive services.

Included in the one in five students with those impairments who did not get school-based services were children and youths with ADHD who had repeated a grade or been expelled from a school.

The study also found that less than 43 percent of the students with ADHD had individualized education plans (IEPs) for special education services and that less than 14 percent had so-called Section 504 plans, which, by federal law, allow some students with physical or mental challenges special accommodations such as additional time to take tests or complete assignments.

Children from non-English-speaking families were less likely than others to receive services, including accommodations and protections under 504 plans, the authors found. Secondary students with ADHD were also less likely to get school support than elementary school children, even if their levels of impairment were the same or greater than the younger children.

Children with ADHD may benefit from initiatives to proactively identify students with this disorder and directly target their specific impairments with evidence-based intervention approaches, the authors wrote.

They also recommended initiatives like more bilingual mental health workers to increase awareness of and access to effective school supports and interventions.
The women of Wanderfully Wild pose for a group shot at Maurice River Bluff Preserve before heading out on a 6-mile hike. Read more

This profile is part of four-week series on local womens groups in honor of Womens History Month. Read previous profiles here.

To celebrate her 30th birthday in February, Mindy Capitos husband asked her to pick a destination for them to venture to. Her answer was surprising  even to herself.

I chose the middle of the woods in Virginia, she says of their trip to the Shenandoah Valley. Ask me that last year, and we wouldve been on the beach, or maybe in Savannah, but theres no way wed have been hiking up a 3-mile mountain.

Capito joined Wanderfully Wild a little over a year ago. At the time, she had little trekking experience, but her involvement in this South Jersey womens group  devoted to inspiring and empowering its members to get outdoors  has changed that. Last fall, she signed up for a camping trip, her first since she was a kid.

Joining this group of all women, and learning how to make a fire, put up my own tent, buy the right repellent  it made me feel really independent and showed me how doable it is, Capito says.

From September through June, Wanderfully Wild curates two outdoor adventures per month  mostly hikes, but also bike rides, kayaking trips, yoga sessions, and, occasionally, a winery visit worked into a hike. The activities are held throughout New Jersey.

Ashley McPartland, 32, cofounded the group in fall 2017 with best friend and fellow hiking enthusiast Brittany McCreesh, 30. Since meeting more than a decade ago, they have logged thousands of miles traveling together.

We wanted to create a space where people could realize what theyre capable of accomplishing, and to join together with like-minded women to support and encourage each other to try new things," McPartland says.

McPartland has signed up for overseas service trips every year since she was 21. After one in 2016  an all-women expedition to Tanzania dedicated to clean water access  she felt the desire to create a project of her own closer to home.

I was getting to the point where it was time to settle down and buy a house, but I was anxious about falling into this work-home, work-home routine, says McPartland, a legal assistant in Egg Harbor Township. I thought, Why not just create something here that has a purpose and that can open the doors to women who might not have the opportunity or confidence to get out and adventure by themselves? 

McPartland texted McCreesh, who was traveling in Alaska at the time, about starting a hiking group. Within months, Wanderfully Wild was up and running.

At first, it was just our moms and our good friends coming out, says McCreesh, a kindergarten teacher who lives in Cape May County. But after a handful of events, word seemed to spread overnight on Facebook, and we had 50 or 60 women of all ages showing up to hike.

Wanderfully Wilds Facebook page currently has just over 450 members. The page is primarily used to share news of coming events, all of which are now ticketed to keep attendance manageable.

Smaller groups make it easier for us to maintain a leave no trace philosophy out in nature, McPartland says. The intimacy also enables us to really bond and connect and build relationships.

Depending on the activity and challenge level, Wanderfully Wild events are capped at 10 to 20 people. The free tickets are first-come, first-served, and are generally all spoken for within a day of going live.

Many members say the social component is one of Wanderfully Wilds most valuable aspects.

Im so, so grateful for this group  from the time I pull up until the time that I leave, Im literally always smiling, says TeddiLyn Welden, 41, of Newfield, N.J. Everyone cares about not only nature, but other women in nature. Were all there to create a safe and fun experience that empowers women to realize that they dont need a man out there to survive.

For Welden, the friends shes made through the group feel like a second family.

We Facebook and text each other," she says. "I feel like I always have other people to turn to when I want to go out and do something, whether its a strenuous hike on the Appalachian Trail or a stroll in the park.

I was always scared of falling, Capito says. But Ive learned hiking makes me feel strong and beautiful, and Im determined to keep challenging myself.

To expand the group, McPartland and McCreesh envision a future with multiple hikes per event, organized by level of difficulty. Theyre also eager to hold more overnight camping trips.

Wanderfully Wilds next event, on March 16, takes the group to the Maurice River Bluffs Preserve in Millville, N.J. On April 6, the group will hike around a lake in Wharton State Forest, followed by a trip to Shamong, N.J.'s Valenzano Family Winery. A bike ride in the Pinelands and beach yoga at Sea Isle City are also in store for spring. Look for event details, posted a couple of weeks in advance, on Wanderfully Wilds Facebook page.
HARRISBURG  A woman accusing State Rep. Brian Ellis (R., Butler) of sexual assault filed a formal complaint with House Republicans on Tuesday, saying she hopes the chamber rids itself of a member who is not deserving of the publics trust.

A spokesman for House Republicans declined to comment.

The complaint was addressed to an attorney who works for the GOP caucus and its members on the Ethics Committee, which has the power to recommend various sanctions, up to removing someone from the House.

Earlier this year, House Republican leaders called on Ellis to resign, and suspended him of his committee chairmanship pending the outcome of a criminal investigation by the Dauphin County District Attorneys Office.

Ellis has not publicly addressed the allegations and could not immediately be reached. The law firm representing him, Myers, Brier & Kelly LLP, said in a statement Tuesday evening that it believes the complaint was prepared by the accusers hired agents  and then instantly given to numerous media outlets  for one cynical reason: to generate sensational press coverage.

"The accusers latest self-serving repackaging of the 2015 allegations are just plain false," the firm added.

The woman wrote in her complaint that she did not immediately report Ellis actions because she was traumatized, ashamed, and confused, and feared what would happen to me professionally and personally if I came forward.

She added later: I have come to appreciate that the House, however, has the ability to hold Ellis accountable for his heinous actions.

In the five-page complaint, filed Tuesday, the woman said she went to a Harrisburg bar with a friend in October 2015 and believes she had less than two drinks.

I have scant memories of the next 10 hours, and was in a state of blackout, she wrote in the complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by The Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I woke up in pain, injured and naked, the next morning in the bed of Rep. Brian Ellis.

The woman wrote that she tried to get out of the bed, but struggled.

I was slow in processing information, and I actually thought maybe I had been hit by a car or sustained a serious injury to my head, given my state of disorientation. Before that morning, I had never experienced any type of cognitive or mental deficits like this, she wrote.

She wrote that she confronted Ellis, who told her, We had sex.

When she told him she never would have done that, he said he always knew we would, according to her complaint. She wrote that prior to that evening, he had made it known to me that he was interested in me sexually, and she repeatedly rebuffed him.

The woman wrote that she believed [she] was raped, and later went to a hospital, where she was examined and given medication. She wrote that she was at some point diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Inquirer and the Post-Gazette do not identify victims of alleged sexual assaults unless they ask to be named. The woman works in state government but not directly for Ellis.

Staff writer Angela Couloumbis contributed to this article.
Community College of Philadelphia faculty and staff advocate for more city funding at a hearing in City Council chambers Tuesday. Read more

As faculty and support staff at Community College of Philadelphia move closer to a strike, some city officials are looking at how the city funds the college and whether it should do more.

The city provides about 20 percent of the colleges $130.6 million operating budget. City Councilman David Oh said the city should cover a third, as planned when the state law establishing community colleges passed in 1963.

We fund lots and lots of things, but we are not funding what I think is one of the most important things we can do for the citizens of Philadelphia, Oh said. We have this wonderful asset, but its woefully under-resourced.

Where the city would come up with an additional $16 million is uncertain. Mayor Jim Kenney proposed a $1.3 million increase in the colleges funding for next year, for a total of $33.8 million.

The mayors budget proposal for the coming year doesnt mean hes not sympathetic to their needs, said Mike Dunn, the mayors spokesperson. But this is a city of very limited resources, so its a question of trying to make sure a great number of priorities are met.

At a public hearing Tuesday, City Council heard passionate speeches from students, faculty, and staff about the colleges importance and the need to better fund it. Among those testifying were former a prison inmate who has found the happiest time of my life pursuing a degree at the college; another student who said she had never been so challenged, so engaged, as at the college; and an alumnus who credited the college for his success.

The future of CCP seems personal to me, because it helped solidify my own future, said Justin Keller, an alumnus who was the colleges male athlete of the year in 2013. Its imperative, he said, for those like me who need a second chance, and especially for those who never got the first chance they deserve.

Many students had attended under-resourced Philadelphia public schools, come from low-income families  nearly two-thirds receive federal Pell grants  and cant afford to pay higher tuition, faculty said.

The School District of Philadelphia has failed so many students, and I dont think the city can afford to fail them again, said English professor Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela.

Oh said the testimony would be used to urge Kenney to further increase funding in his budget. If that fails, Council can fight for more during the budget process, he said.

Community College president Donald Guy Generals said he understands the city has lots of challenges.

To the extent the city can increase its contributions to the college and continue to move closer to the one-third contribution," he said, "it will alleviate the financial burden on our current and prospective students.

The college draws 54 percent of its budget from tuition and fees.

The college administration and faculty and support staff have been locked in tense negotiations for a new contract. The union recently announced members would vote March 27 on whether to strike.

Funding levels and methods differ at community colleges around the state. Some get local funding from school districts. Most are supported by their counties or, in Philadelphias case, the city. None gets the 33 percent from the local sponsor initially envisioned in the law, nor does any get 33 percent from the state as was intended. That means more than half the cost is covered by student tuition and fees.

Montgomery County Community College gets 19 percent of its operating budget from the county, 22 percent from the state, 54 percent from tuition and fees, and 5 percent from other sources, said spokesperson Diane VanDyke.

By comparison, Delaware Countys community college receives 9 percent of its operating budget from local school districts, about 26 percent from the state, about 53 percent from tuition and fees, and the rest from other sources, said spokesperson Anthony Twyman. Students from sponsoring districts pay reduced tuition, he said.

And in Bucks County, which calculates its percentages including capital contributions, about 18 percent is covered by the county, said college president Stephanie Shanblatt. The percentage is lower when looking at just operating costs, she said. The college gets about 28 percent from the state, 51 percent from students, and the rest in other revenue.

Shanblatt, who chairs the state commission on community colleges, said that every year the college asks the county for more money but has only received one increase in the last few years.

We work really hard to maintain that instructional quality, she said. Its challenging when appropriations are flat or almost flat from the state and county.
Daphne Goggins, a runaway train of a candidate for Philadelphia mayor who won the Republican City Committees endorsement, brought her campaign to an abrupt stop Monday.

The GOP ward leader withdrew from the race through a nine-minute Facebook Live video one day before the deadline to file nomination petitions to get on the May 21 primary ballot.

She had to give the speech twice. On the first run-through, static rendered much of it inaudible. What did come across was clear dissatisfaction with the local Republican Party, which Goggins said gave her no support as a candidate.

I began to realize the rumors about the Philadelphia Republican Party just might be true, said the partys first endorsed African American candidate for mayor. The Philadelphia Republican Party is not ready at this time to support a minority candidate. They have no plan on how to embrace and move into the minority community.

Goggins said she got only 731 signatures on her petitions because GOP ward leaders in South and Northeast Philadelphia would not circulate them. A candidate for mayor needs 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

Michael Meehan, chairman of the Republican City Committee, on Monday said Goggins had not told him of her plans. Meehan had called for a do-over vote on the partys endorsement last month, less than a week after Goggins won it.

That came after defense attorney Billy Ciancaglini, a Democrat-turned-Republican candidate for mayor, criticized Goggins for collecting federal disability payments since 2010. Goggins inadvertently fueled that controversy by telling The Inquirer that she would give up on the disability if she was elected mayor, sparking derisive social media posts.

Goggins then threatened to sue if the party voted to reconsider her endorsement. She survived the do-over and kept the endorsement when the ward leaders convened again. Meehan and Goggins, after that meeting, said her disability did not come up.

Less than a week later, Goggins gave an interview to the conservative news site the Daily Caller and said her disabilities were anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder that emerged after she gave up cocaine in 2005.

Republicans in Philadelphia were agog at things Goggins said in that interview, including that she truly believes that God disabled her to let her focus on volunteering in her community rather than working at a job. She also said she was not absolutely sure she was ready to reenter the workforce if elected but could rely on her cabinet, the people who mostly do the work.

Goggins first gained minor celebrity as part of CNN panels of supporters of President Donald Trump, where she shrugged off suggestions of inappropriate behavior toward women by the president and floated a conspiracy theory that a violent clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters that claimed a womans life in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017 was a hoax. She then declared CNN fake news for questioning her theory.
City Councilman Mark Squilla (left) checks in with Board of Elections administrator Joe Lynch on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, as the deadline looms for candidates to file petitions to get on the May 21 primary ballot. Read more

Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon has serious problems, but a Democratic primary challenger is not one of them.

Henon, who was indicted Jan. 30 along with six other leaders of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, is the only Democrat running unopposed for a district Council seat in the May 21 primary.

Only in Philadelphia.

Henon, who has vigorously defended himself against federal charges of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud, has said since the indictment that he would seek a third term.

Deborah Young and Patty-Pat Kozlowski had said they would run against Henon in the Democratic primary but failed to deliver the 750 signatures required to run by the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Pete Smith, former head of the Tacony Civic Association, filed papers to run as a Republican against Henon.

Eight of the 10 district incumbents  all Democrats  will face challengers. Councilman Brian ONeill, a Republican seeking an 11th term in the 10th District, has no primary opposition, but two Democrats filed to run against him.

Its good for democracy, Mark Squilla, who represents Philadelphias 1st District, said as he dropped off his petitions Tuesday outside the Board of Elections at City Hall.

Mayors race heats up, already

Mayor Jim Kenney officially has two primary challengers  former City Controller Alan Butkovitz and State Sen. Anthony H. Williams. The three wasted no time squabbling on petition day.

Kenney, through a campaign spokesperson, denounced Butkovitz and Williams as corporate shills for the multibillion-dollar beverage industry because they oppose the biggest achievement of his first term, a soda tax that pays for pre-K and other city programs.

A Williams campaign spokesperson returned fire, saying Kenney made nasty, misleading statements and noted the mayor won his first term with support from Local 98, raising the indictments as a political issue.

Butkovitz hit Kenney as bragging about his accomplishments while showing a blind spot about serious problems plaguing this city. He also poked fun at the mayor for a viral video of him dancing online, claiming, Im a better dancer than he is.

Billy Ciancaglini, defense attorney and former Democrat, was the lone Republican to file for mayor. The GOP-endorsed candidate, Daphne Goggins, dropped out Monday.

At-large slate stacking up

Mike Stack III, the former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor who lost a bid for reelection last year, filed to run in the crowded race for Council at-large.

Stack, a former state senator who lives in the Northeast, will be one of 34 Democrats vying for the job. Thats down from close to 60 who initially said they would run. Still, its the largest slate since 1983, when 57 Democrats ran. But its not the largest on record  101 Democrats were on the ballot for Council at-large in 1979.

Included in that tally are the three Democratic at-large incumbents. Republicans will have up to seven candidates on the ballot for Council at-large, including the two incumbents.

Most credit the high number of candidates to the two at-large seats without an incumbent defending the seat this year and increased interest in running for political office from Congress to the local level.

Traffic Court watch

With petitions filed, challengers will have until 5 p.m. next Tuesday to file suit seeking to knock candidates off the ballot for bad paperwork. The first legal challenge was filed 42 minutes after former Traffic Court Judge Willie Singletary filed petitions for an at-large seat.

Attorney Kevin Greenberg challenged Singletarys candidate affidavit, which affirms that he is eligible to hold office. The Pennsylvania Constitution bars felons from holding public office. Singletary, who served 20 months in federal prison for lying to federal investigators in a corruption probe, said his felony conviction does not bar him from holding a city office.

Two other former Traffic Court judges, Thomasine Tynes and Mike Lowry, generated petitions for Council but did not file Tuesday.

Sheriffs Office

Three Democrats filed to challenge Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams, who is seeking a third term while being dogged by sexual harassment allegations. Williams held a low-key campaign kickoff last week but has avoided the media. No Republican filed to run.

The citys Law Department last month agreed to pay $127,500 to a former Sheriffs Office employee who had sued, claiming sexual harassment by Williams caused emotional damage that prompted her to quit her job. Williams, through a lawyer, said at the time that he had been prepared to fight this more aggressively.

Another employees sexual harassment suit against Williams is still pending. The Democratic caucus in the Pennsylvania House in 2011 settled a sexual harassment suit for $30,000 against Williams, who represented the 197th District in North Philadelphia before becoming sheriff.

City commissioners

There was also a rush of candidates seeking a soon-to-be vacant seat on the Board of City Commissioners, the three-member body that oversees elections in Philadelphia. Democrat Lisa Deeley and Republican Al Schmidt are the incumbents. Twelve other Democrats filed to run for commissioner.

Commissioner Anthony Clark, a Democrat, is not seeking a fourth term. Clark has long faced criticism for a certain lack of attendance at his City Hall office and for not voting in elections.
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, amid growing expectations he'll soon announce he's running for president. Read more

WASHINGTON -- Before a cheering crowd of firefighters chanting Run, Joe, Run Joe Biden stepped to the brink of announcing a presidential campaign Tuesday morning, emphasizing his middle-class roots in a speech that previewed the message he could try to ride to the White House.

Early on in his speech to a firefighters union convention, Biden said he appreciated the energy in the room. Save it a little longer," he said. I may need it in a few weeks.

He quickly added, Be careful what you wish for.

The former vice president spoke to several hundred firefighters and their union officials at a Hyatt ballroom near the Capitol, where the International Association of Fire Fighters distributed signs reading Run Joe Run and Fire Fighters for Biden. He came on stage to the Bruce Springsteen song We Take Care of Our Own, which former President Barack Obama featured in his 2012 reelection campaign.

An opening video began with a quote that sounded like a campaign theme.

Middle-class American folks have never let the country down, Biden said in the clip. You have been the centerpiece of everything I have done.

Biden played up his blue-collar public image and the persona that supporters argue make him the Democrats best bet to win back white working-class voters in Pennsylvania and other Rust Belt states that swung the 2016 election to President Donald Trump.

The Scranton-born Biden told the audience that the room looks like my old neighborhood  were ready to take anybody on.

And he quickly sought to challenge Trumps hold on middle-class voters, blasting the president for proposing an $845 billion cut to Medicare in his latest budget, unveiled this week. Biden contrasted that proposal with the vast tax cuts Trump approved.

Who are they asking to pay for it? Middle-class families like you, the neighborhood I grew up in," Biden said.

In many ways, the speech echoed the themes Biden has touched on for months as he has campaigned across the country for fellow Democrats, often serving as a liaison to voting blocs who have increasingly turned away from the party.

I look around this room, I see the people who built this nation, Biden said, adding that it wasnt built by Wall Street bankers or executives.

The event came as Biden allies and donors have expressed rising confidence that the former vice president will soon join the Democratic primary, with many arguing that he represents the partys safest option to defeat Trump. Bidens supporters believe he has a broad appeal among Democrats, thanks to his close association with Obama, along with an ability to reach more moderate swing voters. They see Biden as a pragmatic alternative to a field of Democratic hopefuls who have largely embraced sweeping liberal proposals that have excited progressive voters but that critics see as impractical and open to easy attacks.

The union president, Harold A. Schaitberger, said the IAFF would endorse Biden if he runs and said that in his view Bidens mind was likely made up already.

Im looking at this as more strategical than really making the ultimate decision, Schaitberger said. This is about making sure your plans are made, making sure the boxes are checked, making sure the pieces of the puzzle are in place.

>>>READ MORE: For some 2020 Democrats, incrementalism is out. Bold liberal ideas are in. They come with risks.

With the hard-core bases of each party likely to show up in force no matter what, Schaitberger said Biden can win swing voters.

This is a guy that can bring civility back into the arena, Schaitberger told reporters, and its somebody who can speak to what I believe is the electorate thats going to decide the next election. Thats those states right down the heart of America and workers and working families in the places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, as well as Florida.

Early polling suggests Biden would enter the race as the Democratic front-runner, bolstered by decades in the public eye and eight years as Obamas vice president. A Monmouth University poll released Monday found that 28 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support Biden, placing him just ahead of 26 percent who would back Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).

A host of Pennsylvania Democratic insiders has pledged support for Biden if he does run, showing the kind of appeal he holds within the partys old guard and, potentially, in key states. Many early polls show Democratic voters are looking most for electability as opposed to any particular ideological position.

>>>READ MORE: Trump visits the county that helped swing Pa. to the right. Can Democrats win it back?

Still, Biden has run for president twice before with little success, and much of the Democratic debate so far has been driven by a younger, diverse generation calling for fresh faces and ambitious proposals, not middle-of-the-road safety.

If he does join the contest, Biden would face a field that includes women, people of color, and candidates several decades younger than the 76-year-old former vice president. His record has already faced renewed scrutiny.

But Biden might be one of the few Democrats speaking up for pragmatism.

At one point Tuesday he referred to the ire hes drawn from some liberals for praising some Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence.

Folks, thats not who we are, he said.
Philadelphia police on Monday identified the officer who shot a 25-year-old Ethiopian immigrant Wednesday in West Philadelphia.

Officer Kevin Pfeifer, a four-year department veteran working in the 18th District, fired multiple shots at Kaleb Belay in the 4900 block of Hazel Avenue, police said in a news release. Belay has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and possessing an instrument of crime.

Police said Pfeifer and his unnamed partner had responded to a radio call for a person with a weapon/report of a stabbing about 6:50 p.m. When they arrived, they spotted Belay emerging from behind a bush wielding a black-handled steak knife in his left hand, police said.

Pfeifer and his partner pulled out their handguns and started backing away from Belay, police said. The officers ordered Belay to drop the 5-inch knife several times, police said, but Belay continued to walk toward them carrying the weapon.

Pfeifer fired multiple times, police said, hitting Belay in the chest. The knife was recovered at the scene.

Online police records show no other shooting incidents involving Pfeifer. He was placed on desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the shooting, police said Monday.

Police drove Belay to Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition Monday.

Belay, a bookkeeper at Bookers Restaurant & Bar on Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia and a former Temple University student majoring in financial analysis and risk management, was on a breathing machine, his employer, Saba Tedla, said Monday afternoon.

His lungs have been compromised a lot, she said, adding that he could barely speak but is expected to survive. She said Belay enrolled at Temple in August and began working at the restaurant in October as a busboy before being promoted to a server and then to overseeing payroll.

He was a very interpretive, sharp guy, Tedla said. The thing that Im very concerned about is how he could be a threat to the police.

She said she also was concerned that the official police account omitted something a Police Department investigator had told her Wednesday  that Belay was the one who had called 911. We dont know the nature of why he called 911, but he is the initiator of the call, Tedla said.

She said Sgt. Jason Hendershot of the Internal Affairs division had told her Belay had placed the call. A police spokesperson declined to discuss Tedlas account.

The recent death of his father in Ethiopia had caused Belay to stop attending classes at Temple, said Nazareth Teklesenbet, a friend of Belays who owns several properties near the shooting scene. He was planning to attend Community College of Philadelphia to take supplemental classes and return to Temple next semester, Teklesenbet said.

The shooting caused a stir in Belays neighborhood, where he lived with a roommate. On Sunday afternoon, more than 100 of Belays neighbors and friends gathered at an Ethiopian community center in West Philadelphia to voice concern over the shooting.

An Ethiopian native standing Monday on the porch of a home fronting the sidewalk where the shooting took place said he was one of Belays two roommates.

Weve had plenty of talks here between me and him, so I cant explain this, said the roommate, who declined to give his name but said he recently graduated from La Salle University with a masters degree in clinical psychology. We all want to get to the bottom of this.

The roommate said of Belay: He was awesome. Normally our conversations were about school. He would ask me when I graduated, what the market looks like in terms of jobs, and so forth. He was talking about interning or working for Chase.

Frances Smith, 83, who has lived across the street from the shooting scene since 1962, said Wednesdays gunfire had rattled her.

I was peeping out the door when I heard the shots, she said Monday, sitting on her porch with a cigarette. I didnt go outside. You know how stupid people are, running out to see what happened. You could be shot yourself.

To try to lift Belays mood, Tedla and Teklesenbet brought balloons to his hospital room Monday afternoon. We were trying to get bright colors that were boy-looking, Teklesenbet said. They had a lot of pink, so I said, Lets try and find something manly. Something to cheer him up.

She said that police guarding the room wouldnt let them take cell-phone photos of Belay, but that they were among many community members who visited him.

Staff writers Mark Fazlollah and Jason Laughlin contributed to this article.
Last fall, the Pennsylvania ACLU sent a warning letter to Philadelphia court administrators, claiming the current practices around setting bail  often well outside court guidelines, and rarely with any consideration of a defendants ability to pay  are unconstitutional.

On Tuesday, the organization announced it has filed a class-action complaint in state Supreme Court, urging the justices to compel Philadelphia to follow the courts own rules on bail.

The system of bail in Philadelphia is clearly quite broken, said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

The rules say theres a presumption of pretrial release, and, before you can give someone cash bail, you have to evaluate their ability to pay, said Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

Roper said the ACLU has observed more than 2,000 arraignments over the last year, and discovered that those procedures are not being followed. Instead, she said, People have no meaningful participation in their bail hearings. The magistrates do not inquire into peoples ability to pay the bail. Weve seen them put bail on people who are homeless, on people who get Social Security, on kids charged as adults.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a group of 10 currently jailed defendants, along with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, which has raised more than $300,000 to post bail for 109 defendants since it started two years ago, and the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP), which works with youth charged as adults.

A spokesperson for the First Judicial District, which operates Philadelphias courts, said he could not comment on cases or filings. In October, the First Judicial District noted that it implemented numerous reform efforts, which have assisted in reducing the jail population, resulted in fewer people being detained on cash bail, expanded diversion programs, and early bail hearings  all without jeopardizing the safety of the community.

In Philadelphia, court magistrates oversee arraignments and assign bail in hearings held 24 hours a day, in rapid-fire sessions, in a hearing room in the basement of the Criminal Justice Center; defendants are linked in by video feeds from holding cells around the city. There is a public defender in the room, but often that attorney can be heard warning the defendants not to speak at all, because anything they say could be used in their prosecution.

Josh Glenn, who helped found YASP while he was incarcerated in a Philadelphia jail on $20,000 bail  he sat there for 18 months before his case was dismissed  barely remembers his bail hearing.

I didnt meet with anybody. It was just really fast, he said. I didnt know how it happened, who did it, why it happened.

Many young people the organization works with are assigned bail in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Glenn said hes supporting the lawsuit to shed light on their plight and so that what happened to him wont keep repeating.

The real idea of the lawsuit is to say that people from the community see whats going on, and we know we have power to try to change it, he said. It feels kind of good to be on the other end of holding somebody accountable, especially the system.

Roper noted that the law does provide an avenue for keeping a defendant locked up pretrial, if the court deems it unsafe to release him or her. But it requires real due process, she said.

Philadelphias procedure for setting bail isnt necessarily any worse than in other jurisdictions, she said. But Philadelphia generates more prisoners for the state of Pennsylvania than any other county, so this is a really important place to start.

Nyssa Taylor, of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, also noted that Pennsylvania has the legal basis in place for a system that protects civil rights. We see the Pennsylvania constitution as being pretty unique, and the rules as being much better than they are in other states, in terms of protecting innocents.

A study of Philadelphia courts by legal scholar Megan Stevenson found that bail resulted in the disproportionate detention of poor and African American defendants. She also found those incarcerated pretrial were 13 percent more likely to be convicted than those who were released, and served sentences that were, on average, 42 percent longer.

Candice McKinley, an organizer with the Bail Fund, said she has seen firsthand the impact of money bail on individuals, who have lost homes, jobs, and much more while incarcerated for inability to pay. One woman, she said, gave birth while incarcerated; the bailout enabled her to go to Family Court and fight to get her child back.

Reuben Jones, a Bail Fund organizer, said advocates want to work with the court to reform that process. Legal action is a last resort.

The First Judicial District has not been flexible," he said. "Weve been pushing, and very little ground has been given.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Sunday, March 10, 2019. (Gali Tibbon/Pool Photo via AP) Read more

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel's attorney general says he will only release material from the corruption investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the country's April 9 election.

The Justice Ministry said in a statement Monday that Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit agreed to delay handing Netanyahu's attorneys evidence in the corruption cases until after the elections out of concern over media leaks.

Mandelblit recommended criminal charges against Netanyahu in three corruption cases last month, shaking up re-election prospects for the long-serving Israeli leader.

Charges can only be filed after a hearing. The Justice Ministry said that would take place by July 10.

The charges include allegations that he accepted gifts from billionaire friends, and promoted beneficial regulations for a telecom magnate in exchange for positive coverage on a news site. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.
Rescuers search at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff. Read more

A man with ties to South Jersey was aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight on which dozens of passengers died in a crash Sunday shortly after its departure from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for Kenya.

Matt Vecere grew up in Sea Isle City before moving to California, according to his online profiles and multiple news outlets. He worked for IQAir, an environmental technology company headquartered in Switzerland, the company said.

IQAir is greatly saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Matt Vecere who was on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, the company wrote on Twitter. Matt was a great writer and an avid surfer with a passion for helping others. Our hearts are with Matts family and all who lost their lives in this tragedy.

Vecere, 43, helped earthquake victims in Haiti, according to NJ.com. He studied at the Florida Institute of Technology and later transferred to Stockton University before moving to the West Coast in 2005, according to his personal website.

Vecere attended Stockton from 1998 to 2002 and majored in biology, according to a university spokesperson. The school was saddened to hear of his death, the spokesperson said.

One of his Stockton instructors, biology professor Margaret E. Lewis, recalled her former student as kind and passionate.

Over the years I would hear about what he was doing in South Jersey and beyond, particularly as an advocate for social and environmental justice, she said in a statement. Everything had seemed to come together for him as he moved into ever more active advocacy for others.

On his website, Vecere also reflected on working for his parents at various ranches and restaurants in South Jersey, where he learned how to surf. While a student at Stockton, Vecere wrote, the author Mimi Schwartz was a mentor to him.

Matt, when I knew him at Stockton College, was so full of life and creative energy. He was talented, ambitious, caring, and very committed to writing authentically with truth and voice, Schwartz said in a statement to KYW. I was so pleased to see him convert college writing passions into a professional career. What a loss!

Some took to social media to reflect on their relationships with Vecere.

Matt Vecere as I fly over New Jersey where we met 15 years ago I have learned of your passing, one post on Twitter read. I gaze at this sunrise and star, and I reflected that you will always be a beacon of light and freedom. Miss you brother until Valhalla, fair winds and following seas. #ET302."

The Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Nairobi was carrying 157 people when it crashed six minutes after takeoff, leaving no survivors. The victims came from 35 countries, according to the Associated Press.

Many questions about the crash remain, and some airlines and regulators are grounding the Boeing plane model at the center of the incident as officials search for answers.

Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane, Boeing said in a statement. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team. A Boeing technical team will be traveling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Just a handful of 737 MAX 8 jets have been arriving at or departing from Philadelphia International Airport.
Naa'Irah Smith's father said the 25-year-old was a month away from graduating from cosmetology school when she was found dead inside a cramped apartment in Morrisville, Bucks County. Read more

TRENTON  The 11 years separating Keya Smith from her sister NaaIrah were never an obstacle to their relationship.

They were part of Rons Fabulous Five, Smith said Tuesday, an affectionate family nickname for the sisters. Even when Smith relocated to Georgia, she stayed close with NaaIrah, watching her grow into a woman whose smile and dimples were always present before the 25-year-old was found slain, along with four other family members, inside a Bucks County apartment last month.

She was beautiful inside and out, Smith said from a pulpit inside Shiloh Baptist Church in New Jerseys capital.

I know Im supposed to watch over all of my sisters  but the only way I can get over this is if I have an angel, and I know shes up there, watching over us, she added, fighting back tears.

The memory of NaaIrah Smith, 25, was honored by more than 100 people during a tear- and laughter-filled funeral service Tuesday. The budding cosmetologist  known as Nay Nay to loved ones  was honored by family from across the country, some of whom flew in to pay their respects.

Were here for all the relatives of the family whose lives were tragically taken. Were here for every member of this family that is grieving. Were here for every member of the family whose mind is discombobulated trying to comprehend what happened, said the Rev. Darrell Larue Armstrong, adding that "across the river, the unthinkable happened.

The bodies of Smith and four others were found Feb. 25 inside a unit in the Robert Morris Apartments in Morrisville, across the Delaware River from Trenton. Investigators in Bucks County say Smith was killed alongside her younger brother, Damon Decree Jr., 13; her aunt Jamillah Campbell, 42; and twin cousins Imani and Erika Allen, both 9.

Smiths mother, Shana Decree, 46, and younger daughter Dominique Decree, 20, have been charged with the deaths. The two confessed to the killings, saying the group wanted to die and talked about suicide. How the five were killed remains unknown, and county officials said Tuesday that the results of the autopsies have yet to be finalized.

Few clues were left behind. In her final weeks, Smith withdrew from her family and her fiance, according to her father, Ronald. Her final communications with him were riddled with cryptic references to demons and the pearly gates.

But there was no talk of that Tuesday, the first funeral service for any of the victims. Relatives said the arrangements for the other four were pending.

Instead, kinder, gentler memories held the day, with photos of Smith as a baby, a young woman, and a high school graduate dominating a slideshow projected in the church. One of the photos was a selfie of Smith and Damon Decree smiling widely into the camera.

During the service, friends and relatives remembered Smith as they best knew her. Sheronda Smith, her aunt, spoke about how she talked with NaaIrah on the phone every day from her home in Detroit. She bought an iPhone specifically for FaceTime sessions with her niece. Those long conversations covered everything from their workdays to how to prepare cornbread stuffing.

We spent a lot of time lifting each other up. It gave me a sense of wholeness, Smith said. We have to figure out how to love each other and hug each other, because the phone isnt enough.

Smith, according to an obituary read during the service, was a graduate of Morrisville High School, and was one month away from graduating with a degree in aesthetics from the Bucks County College of Beauty Culture in Feasterville. She used her talents to beautify others, the obituary read, and was just full of life and full of love.

Those she helped beautify, her extended family and scores of friends, walked with her one final time Tuesday, some dressed in burgundy to match the gown Smith was buried in. Together, they rode to Ewing Cemetery and said their final goodbyes.
Lifelike statues by Seward Johnson stand in a lot near 48th and Market streets in West Philadelphia. Read more

It seems as though a wormhole in time has opened up on West Market Street, and 10 figures from midcentury America have tumbled out right into the center of an empty lot beneath the Market-Frankford El.

There is a strolling professor, in a suit, reading an open chemistry text as he walks, utterly oblivious to the bikinied woman in a lounge chair over his left shoulder. Nearby are some besuited businessmen wearing black cordovan wing tips. A hot dog vendor holds a bun in his hand for no one in particular.

Around them  there are 10 figures in all  is a rubble-strewn lot between 47th and 48th Streets.

It looks real, said a woman, giving a quick look as she hurried past the chain-link enclosed lot. Im like walking up here and looking and its like, Why? Why? Whats going on?

Good questions.

As unlikely as it may sound, it appears that the 4700 block of Market Street has been targeted by a somewhat reclusive private foundation  the Daniel Veloric Foundation  as the site for a museum sometime in the future. The figures are all sculptures by Seward Johnson, the New Jersey-based artist of ordinary folks doing ordinary things.

There is no indication at the site what the figures are or where they might go. There is no indication that a museum is in the offing. Just painted bronze figures in suits and beachwear standing on dirt in West Philly.

A check of city records indicates that the Veloric Foundation acquired the entire block along Market Street in 2017. Two lots at the corner of Market and 48th were sold to Philadelphia Community College at below market value, according to the college, as part of a 63-acre parcel Veloric dealt to PCC. The college intends to use the land to expand its Automotive Technology Program.

But the rest of the block, now studded with the Seward Johnson figures, Veloric sees as a spot for a museum, classroom, and public meeting space and other community activities in West Philadelphia," according to the foundations 2017 federal tax return.

According to the tax return, the cost for the museum effort that year was more than $1.3 million. City records suggest that at least part of that expenditure went toward building demolition.

Veloric is the sole manager and trustee of the $84 million foundation, according to the tax return, which states no mission, an unusual omission according to nonprofit officials. (The Veloric Foundation is registered with the government as a nonprofit charitable foundation.)

Aside from the million-dollar-plus museum expenditures, the foundation gave away $50,000 in small donations in 2017, including $20,000 to Lankenau Hospital and $10,000 to PCC.

Veloric, unpaid, is the sole board member. The largest single contractor for the foundation, receiving $860,688 in fees in 2017, was Veloric Asset Management, an investment adviser based in Bala Cynwyd. It could not be determined what the exact relationship was between the operation of the foundation and the operation of the asset firm.

Veloric, who is 91, referred questions to his attorney, Albert S. Dandridge, III, a partner in the law firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis.

Dandridge was a bit vague.

Its an opportunity zone, he said of the location along Market Street. He said the statues are sort of a holding spot for now, and may not end up at that precise location.

I dont know exactly how they were acquired, Dandridge said.

Dandridge characterized Veloric as an entrepreneur who has labored in West Philadelphia his entire life, running multiple businesses, in the health-care and financial services industries. At a ceremony at CCP in 2017, Veloric said, I want to give everybody an opportunity," according to a news release from the school. "Education is a slam dunk.

Expanding opportunities is apparently the way he thinks about the museum, too.

The statues come from the Seward Johnson Atelier, according to notations on their bases. But whether they were purchased or leased could not be determined.

Officials at the Hamilton, N.J.-headquartered atelier  which produces authorized limited-edition castings of sculpture by Seward Johnson for both sale and exhibition, according to its website  did not respond to inquiries. Neither did officials at Grounds for Sculpture, the public sculpture park founded by Johnson in Hamilton.

Dandridge said that Veloric wanted the sculptures out in the open to be seen.

It gives the neighborhood hope, he said, describing Velorics thinking. People walking by are going to say: Oh my god. Somebody wants to do something here. All these years its just a vacant lot. 

Dandridge said he didnt have a timeline for the project, but he said Veloric has told him: Im 91 years old. Im in a hurry.

Dandridge said he thinks a museum will emerge sooner rather than later.

A man hurrying past the site Monday did not stop to talk about the future. He simply pointed to a Mural Arts Program sign painted on the side of a building on 47th Street overlooking the empty lot and its new population. The sign reads: For what I want I can wait. Ill wait 4800 years if I have to.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) seen here in November, objected to the Senate confirmation of Paul Matey to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia. Matey, a former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, was confirmed despite objections from both of New Jersey's senators, and will make Republican-appointed judges the majority on the circuit court. Read more

WASHINGTON  An attorney who helped Gov. Chris Christies administration handle fallout from the Bridgegate investigation was confirmed Tuesday to a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, based in Philadelphia, despite vigorous objections from New Jerseys two Democratic senators.

Paul Matey, a former deputy chief counsel under Christie, became only the second judge since at least 1979 to be confirmed while both of his home state senators opposed him  a further break with Senate tradition, which for decades has given deference to senators in both parties when it came to judicial nominees from their states.

Mateys confirmation to the Third Circuit means the panel now has a 7-6 majority of judges appointed by Republicans, with at least one more slot for President Donald Trump to potentially fill, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond professor who tracks judicial appointments. The shift illustrates how Trump and the Republican-led Senate are reshaping the federal judiciary.

The court handles cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is often the last word on major legal questions, since few issues reach the Supreme Court.

Matey, a member of the conservative Federalist Society, is the third judge Trump has placed on the court and the second one Senate Republicans have confirmed despite objections from home state Democrats. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) last year unsuccessfully tried to stop Judge David Porter from being seated.

New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker questioned Mateys legal views and said they were not consulted by the White House, but Matey was confirmed Tuesday in a 54-45 vote. One Democratic senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted in favor while all other senators stuck to their party line.

Republicans claim to be the party of conservatism. Yet theres nothing conservative about sweeping aside century-old norms for political gain," Menendez said on the Senate floor. The people of New Jersey have no appetite for a judge who served in Gov. Chris Christies administration.

Republicans have argued that it was Democrats who diminished the power of minority-party senators when they changed the rules for most judicial confirmations in 2013.

The day that you dealt yourself out as a minority to have a say about who gets on the court was the day that everything changed, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), the Judiciary Committee chairman, said at a hearing on Matey and other nominees in February. Judges are going to be more ideological, because you dont have to reach across the aisle to get anybodys input, and its going to have an effect over time on the judiciary that I very much regret.

Graham and others Republicans have also argued that individual senators should not be able to unilaterally block nominees to circuit courts, which serve multiple states, and that the Senates veto is more appropriate for district court nominees, who sit in just one state. The GOP has accused Democrats of seeking to obstruct Trump appointments.

GOP senators, however, frequently used the tradition to stall or block Obama circuit court picks they found objectionable, only to change the rules under Trump.

While the exact rules have varied under different committee leaders, almost all judicial nominees since the 1950s have been confirmed with support from their home state senators, who have returned blue slips, signed pieces of paper meant to signal a senators assent. The process was meant to weed out extreme nominees and force the White House to work with senators.

The custom was strictly followed by both parties under President Barack Obama and during much of the George W. Bush administration, according to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

From 1979 to October 2017, there were only three known instances of a judicial nominee receiving Senate confirmation while facing objections from one home state senator. Several such nominees, however, have advanced under Trump.

Republicans pushed the boundaries even further in late February when the Senate confirmed a circuit court judge from Washington despite the objections of both of that states Democratic senators. Matey followed the same path Tuesday.
A more-than-century-old Philadelphia tradition, Irish potatoes can be found across the region in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day. The seasonal candy features a sweet, coconut-cream filling that gets rolled in cinnamon. Read more

Halloween and Valentines Day are great, but for St. Patricks Day, Philadelphia gets its own candy. In the spirit of what feels like a weeks-long holiday in these parts, were diving into the magic that is Irish potato candy this morning. Prepare for a sugar craving. Also returning to the City of Brotherly Love? Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, apparently. Weve got updates on the Eagles latest moves  and there are plenty.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

 Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Coconut. Sugar. Cinnamon. A few simple ingredients make up the Philadelphia tradition of Irish potatoes.

The origins of the candy, sold in the lead up to St. Patricks Day, are vague, though its more than a century old.

But that hasnt stopped the region from buying them up each year, or local candy makers from churning them out the old fashioned way.

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson will soon come back to Philly, five years after his unceremonious release from the team. The Eagles will trade a 2019 sixth-round pick to Tampa Bay in return, and get back a 2020 seventh-round pick.

The Birds have also signed defensive tackle Malik Jackson to a three-year deal, signed left tackle Jason Peters to a one-year deal, and tendered a one-year contract to backup QB Nate Sudfeld.

One Bird whos flying south for ... ever? Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, who will sign a four-year, $88 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tuesday is petition day in Philadelphia. By 5 p.m., candidates for the citys May 21 primary must file their nomination petitions with the Board of Elections.

Its shaping to be an especially competitive election with crowded contests for mayor and City Council. At least one mayoral candidate, Republican Daphne Goggins, has already dropped out.

Typically ballot challenge season starts just after the petition deadline, but this year politicians got an early start in trying to knock their opponents off in court thanks to two judges-turned-inmates running for office.

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Opinions

How do you insult a beer? You call it watery or say it tastes like water. But at the end of the day, our beers are 90 percent made of water, so we heavily rely on access to a plentiful source."  Flying Fish Brewing Co. Gene Muller on why he is committed to protecting the Delaware River watershed.

Teens are riddled with anxiety about their futures. We can help by not stressing them out with career choice pressure, writes psychologist Janet Sasson Edgette.

After reading about the Fitler Clubs goal of a 40 percent female and 15 percent diverse membership, lawyer and consultant Kirkland Alexander Lynch writes that the social club should strive to accurately represent Philadelphia.

What were reading

A Daily Dose of | Illumination

The Philadelphia Museum of Art recently had a bright idea: to replace 11,000 lightbulbs and fixtures in its buildings with new lights that will better serve its treasures.
Angela Medina Trader with the memorial she maintains at the place in the Fairview neighborhood in Camden where her son, Troy Anderson, was shot and killed in 2014. She says she prefers it to his tombstone because it gives her a happy feeling. "It's a memorial to say he was here, he existed," says Trader. Read more

Jeryca Guzman remembers the detective as sounding apologetic on the phone.

Hed called a few weeks ago about the memorial to her murdered brother, Jovany Macho Torres  a sheet with his airbrushed likeness and a cluster of candles on the East Camden corner where he was gunned down last October.

The detective told her city workers were removing it, she says, because it was up too long. Honestly, I was hurt. It was the last place he was at. For Guzman, who doesnt have a car, it was also a place she could walk to in order to grieve.

In the three years since Jewels Colons son, Rafael RJ Vicente, was shot and killed at Haddon and Kaighns Avenues, shes never gotten a call like that, even though the flowers, stuffed animals, and pictures she places on the sidewalk disappear within a day or even hours. A memorial shows, Colon says, that people actually cared for that person who died.

 READ MORE: Makeshift memorials would be cleared after 15 days. Is that enough time to honor the dead?

For Angela Medina Trader, the dismantling of her carefully manicured memorial to son Troy Anderson at the Fairview intersection where he was gunned down in 2014 would induce outrage. If I came out and it was gone? she says. Its war.

At the Feb. 12 Camden City Council meeting, Council President Angel Fuentes introduced an ordinance that would regulate roadside memorials. It would prohibit them from obstructing public passage or including lighted candles or alcoholic beverages, and calls for their removal by the city after 15 days. The measure faces a final vote at Councils meeting Tuesday. Fuentes has said that the idea was driven by residents concerns about quality of life, property values, and traumatizing children.

It is also the latest attempt by city leaders to make Camden more palatable to outsiders at any cost.

When I began covering the city intensively in 2011, Camden was labeled a war zone, which was just as shallow a narrative as the cheerleading Camden Rising slogan is now.

At times  like in 2014, when homeless tents close to the city center were bulldozed to reappear in more remote enclaves, and in 2017, when the decision was made to move a methadone clinic out of downtown to a struggling neighborhood despite an outcry from residents  its been a matter of putting unpleasant things in places where fewer people will see them.

At others, the goal seems to be eradication. The citys successful needle-exchange van, which dispensed clean needles and tested for HIV and hepatitis, was displaced by Holtec Internationals new manufacturing plant, then disappeared for two years while lawmakers dragged their feet on approving other locations. Although the van reopened at a new location last fall, Martha Chavis, executive director of Camden Area Health Education Center, which oversees the program, says the revival is slow going.

Rutgers-Camden professor and city resident Stephen Danley calls these sorts of closures sanitizing.

Camden is deeply invested in attracting suburbanites, and any public art or facility seen as detrimental to that is swept under the rug, he says, even if its important to the community here.

He finds the citys war on graffiti particularly wrongheaded: The same thing were erasing here has become a tourist attraction in New Orleans."

Murder has been harder to hide.

City leaders need only remember the field of crosses planted next to City Hall in 2012 to mark the record-breaking homicide total that year  with residents gathering to grieve while politicians squirmed.

For Nyzia Easterling, who founded the nonprofit organization Saving Grace to support families scarred by violence, city officials are missing the point. She would rather they create after-school activities to keep kids out of gangs or build a community trauma center.

They want to paint a different narrative than whats truly here, she says. What are you putting in place to fix the things youre trying to hide?

In a difficult city, it is a question that lawmakers should have to answer before throwing away any more commemorative teddy bears.

April Saul is a photojournalist in Camden. Her work can be seen at www.facebook.com/aprilsaulincamden/
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Legislative Conference on March 12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Biden, considering a 2020 presidential run, has recently come under fire for decades-old comments about busing and school integration. Read more

Hey, did you hear the news? Joe Biden opposed busing!

Thats not news to historians, who have known about it for a long time. But an obscure 1975 interview with Biden  unearthed by the Washington Post last week  has revived debate over the politicians record on race, including his long-standing fight against busing children to integrate schools. Its also dredged up some ugly myths, which we would do well to discard once and for all:

Myth One: Busing harmed white people.

Myth Two: Black people opposed it.

Myth Three: It didnt work.

In 1975, Joe Biden was a first-term senator. He had won election three years earlier on a campaign favoring busing. But he quickly changed his tune, as more and more white constituents told him they didnt want it.

I do not buy the concept, popular in the 60s, which said, We have suppressed the black man for 300 years and the white man is now far ahead, Biden told a Newark, Del. newspaper, in the antibusing interview the Post quoted. In order to even the score, we must now give the black man a head start, or even hold the white man back. I dont buy that.

Translated: If white students are mixed with black ones, theyll suffer. But there was little evidence for that, then or since. Most recently, a 2015 federal study confirmed that white students scored roughly the same on standardized math tests regardless of the density of black peers in their schools.

Nor did black Americans reject busing as racist, as Biden suggested. What it says is, In order for your child with curly black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin to be able to learn anything, he needs to sit next to my blond-haired, blue-eyed son, Biden said. Who the hell do we think we are, that the only way a black man or woman can learn is if they rub shoulders with my white child?

Bidens comment prefigured Clarence Thomas 1995 Supreme Court opinion, which said court-ordered integration was based upon a theory of black inferiority. And surely African Americans have been divided on busing, which often required black students to move to white schools instead of vice versa.

But in a Harris poll from 1981, during busings heyday, 87 percent of parents whose children were bused to promote integration viewed the experience as either very satisfactory (54 percent) or partly satisfactory (33 percent); only 11 percent deemed it unsatisfactory. Black parents, especially, believed integrated schools would provide their kids with a better education.

And they were right. African Americans attending integrated schools have experienced higher rates of employment  and larger salaries  than peers of similar backgrounds who went to segregated schools. Theyre also less likely to have children as teenagers, or to be incarcerated as adults.

But our public schools are now more segregated than they were in the 1970s. So busing failed, right? Wrong. Busing sharply increased integration until the 1990s, when Thomas and other conservative judges began to loosen the pressure on school districts to desegregate. And, not surprisingly, schools resegregated after that.

Joe Bidens hometown of Wilmington is a case in point. In 1978, a federal court ordered the city school district to combine with 10 suburban ones so that kids could be bused between them. By the end of the 1980s, Delaware was one of the two states with the most desegregated schools in the nation.

But in the 1990s, as the Supreme Court turned away from school integration, Wilmington did the same. In 1995, a judge declared that the schools were integrated and hence freed from the prior federal order. Five years later, the state passed a measure requiring students to attend the school closest to their homes. By 2010, 64 percent of black students were enrolled in predominantly minority schools, a tenfold increase from 1989.

So busing didnt fail; instead, we failed to keep it going. But in his 2007 autobiography, an unrepentant Joe Biden insisted that busing was a liberal train wreck. Likewise, New York mayor Bill de Blasio recently warned against busing children outside their neighborhoods. In Boston, where de Blasio grew up, busing absolutely poisoned the well, he said. I think history is on my side here.

Actually, it isnt. In most places, busing didnt trigger the violence and controversy that Boston experienced. The train wreck happened afterward, when the nation turned away from the simple ideal that children of different races should attend the same schools. The real question is whether we can revive that dream. And, most of all, whether we have the will to do so.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author, with Emily Robertson, of The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools (University of Chicago Press).
White E-Z Pass transponder properly placed behind the rear-view mirror Read more

Some things you take for granted. Flip a switch and lights flash on. Turn the faucet knob and water flows. Cruise through the tollbooth and your E-ZPass records the right amount.

Except when it doesnt. That was an unpleasant surprise for John McNally.

The Quakertown software trainer last month consulted his E-ZPass statement to look for tolls he had paid while on the job, so he could be reimbursed.

He was surprised to find a number of $10 charges that should not have been there  10 in February and four in January.

When he mentioned this at his office, the first two coworkers he talked to checked their accounts and said they found similar unexplained charges.

They seem to come up when it doesnt read your transponder, McNally says. Instead of $2.80, which I usually pay, they were charging me $10.

Curious, McNally, 58, looked through his 2018 statements and found more unexplained charges, but in $5 amounts.

It seems like in 2019 they doubled the penalty for their equipment not working, McNally says with a laugh. He was right, in a way. The charge for a missed toll did double when turnpike tolls were raised at the start of the year.

E-ZPass technology is pretty remarkable. For customers, tolls are automatically paid when they drive through a tollbooth. For noncustomers, pictures are taken of the license plate and bills are mailed. But no technology is perfect.

While I was waiting for a callback from the E-ZPass people, I skipped around the internet.

Consumer Affairs, the website of Consumers Unified LLC, had myriad complaints about E-ZPass from New York to Hawaii. Most had to do with wrongful violations and billing errors.

A Pittsburgh TV station did a report on motorists who had been wrongly billed.

A New York TV station reported on E-ZPass readers that were not recognizing the credit cards on file.

In New Jersey, a married couple were being charged as if their cars were trucks with three axles.

When McNally called E-ZPass, the people I spoke to were great, they were very pleasant, he says. In short order, $312 had been placed in his account, wiping out the erroneous charges.

Im just wondering how many people are out there who dont have a clue they have been overcharged, says McNally.

There might be many, because Pennsylvania E-ZPass has 3.2 million customers, says Laura Quick, manager of electronic toll collection customer service operation. Over the years, she says, E-ZPass has found that 1 or 2 percent of customers have complaints. Thats a low percentage, but 1 percent of 3.2 million is 32,000 people.

Quick wasnt familiar with McNallys case but says most problems come from misplaced transponders, the device that customers are supposed to attach to the windshield, behind the rearview mirror. Typically [customers] say, My transponder isnt working, but when we take a look, lo and behold, its not mounted properly, says Quick.

Some customers hold them in their hands, others lay them on the dashboard. Neither will work efficiently, she says.

I always tell people they should routinely look at the charges, just as they would their credit card or bank statement, Quick says.

If you find a mistake, call the E-ZPass people and they will fix it.

Their willingness to do so was a pleasant surprise for John McNally.
Members of Climate Strike Philly prepare for Friday's protests. They will rally twice, at LOVE Park and again at City Hall. Read more

You cant blame Sabirah Mahmud, a 16-year-old living in Philadelphias University City, for getting more than a little annoyed when adults claim that teenagers like her dont know enough to take meaningful action on climate change. And its not just because shes learning the science of global warming as a sophomore at the citys Academy at Palumbo magnet school.

Shes also seen the danger first hand.

Not long ago, Sabirah was visiting family in Bangladesh when the low-lying South Asian nation was hit by massive flooding. I had to be carried across the water, recalled Sabirah, who said that many Americans dont know much, if anything, about the extreme risk to developing nations from worsening storms and rising sea levels.

On Friday, Sabirah will talk about the problems in Bangladesh  and here at home  in LOVE Park when she joins scores of other Philadelphia-area students whove pledged to protest rather than attend school as part of Americas first-ever Youth Climate Strike. Organizers are hoping that as many as 100,000 kids nationwide will strike on Friday, joining even larger throngs of students in 71 different nations, including in Europe where large turnouts for earlier actions have already jolted the environmental debate.

Sabirah and the other strike organizers  all teenagers  say the recent United Nations report warning of catastrophic climate change if the world doesnt take dramatic steps to reduce greenhouse-gas pollution by 2030 has convinced them that neither they nor the planet can wait until todays students are old enough to vote, let alone run for Congress.

She said shes heard the grown-ups argue that radical plans like the Green New Deal would wreck the economy. She counters: If youre not planning for a future with climate change, what future are you even planning for?...Telling a child that something is not possible is like saying your dreams will never come true.

Sabirah, as Philadelphia coordinator of the Youth Climate Strike (statewide, with rallies also planned for West Chester, State College, and Pittsburgh), said she knows that about 20-30 classmates at Academy at Palumbo are planning to strike Friday. She and the other teens whove been frenetically planning the Philadelphia activities since they learned of the climate strike just three weeks ago are hoping that as many as couple hundred might attend two events, a noon rally in LOVE Park and a later afternoon event nearby at City Hall.

Were very young, but our generation will have to face climate change, said Enya Xiang, a 16-year-old sophomore at Lower Merions Harriton High School whos friends with Sabirah from the Penn Museum, where they both intern, and is also helping organize the strike locally. Enya thinks another two dozen or so kids from Harriton will take part on Friday. She said she shares Sabirahs annoyance when some adults say that kids who protest for climate action through groups like the Sunrise Movement are somehow brainwashed by parents or teachers.

Its really frustrating when adults say we dont understand, said Enya, whose science teacher has been on expeditions to Antarctica and the North Pole and shown students pictures of where critical ice sheets are melting. It isnt that hard to understand that climate change is real and caused by humans and that we need to do something. Both teen Climate Strike leaders support the Green New Deal, the broad resolution before Congress that calls for America to wean itself off fossil fuels in just 10 years, a massive undertaking on the scale of 1960s moon missions or World War II  arguably, bigger.

The global Climate Strike movement is also something of a full circle for teens like Sabirah who got a taste of political activism this time last year with the March for Our Lives against gun violence, sparked by the 2018 massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Halfway around the world, a 16-year-old Swede named Greta Thunberg said last August she was inspired by the Parkland survivors and other U.S. gun-safety activists to launch a protest outside the Swedish Parliament accusing her country of not living up to its promises in the Paris climate accords.

Thunberg was not only invited to speak to world leaders at the recent Davos economic forum, but the student strike movement that she inspired  sometimes called Fridays for Future  has spread to dozens of nations and already attracted tens of thousands of participants. Here in the United States, leaders of the youth climate movement include a 13-year-old New Yorker, Alexandria Villasenor, and a 16-year-old Minnesotan, Isra Hirsi, whose mom is already known for activism and generating controversy  Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Instead of taking action on the imminent threat of climate change, our leaders play political games, Villasenor, Hirsi, and two other U.S. youth activists wrote recently in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, blasting politicians like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for fallacious arguments against the Green New Deal. Because adults wont take our future seriously, we, the youth, are forced to. And that is why we strike.

Even before Friday, youth climate activism has been generating controversy. Actions by campaigns like the Sunrise Movement have pegged both political parties for recent protests. Thats peeved some adult Democrats who say targeting the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein  pro-environment, but not moving as fast as young activists would like  is unfair, especially when a straight-up climate denier is in the Oval Office.

Sabirah had her own Feinstein moment when she recently wrote to Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey about the Green New Deal, and got back a lengthy rejoinder about jobs and how much that fossil fuels pump into the states economy. (She posted some of Toomeys response on Twitter.) Sabirah said she found the senators short-sighted view to be infuriating.

Im seeing people suffer, and you care about money, Sabirah said, her voiced laced with the frustration of knowing that her generation will be dealing with the climate mess deep into the 21st century, long after the Pat Toomeys of the world are gone from center stage.

Indeed, those who chafe at the idea that children can change the world are ignorant of history, including recent events. In Birmingham in 1963, the protest marches against segregation and job discrimination led by Dr. Martin Luther King were initially going nowhere, with many black adults reluctant to join in and so-called white moderate preachers telling King his timing wasnt right, prompting his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. In the end, it took a Childrens Crusade of several thousand kids who didnt want a segregated future to fill the jails, prompt the white supremacists to call on dogs and fire houses, and ultimately win the day.

Some 56 years later, we need a new Childrens Crusade to convince both oil-soaked patriarchs and the cowardly moderates of the 21st century that incrementalism to save the worlds livable climate is no longer morally acceptable. This late-stage Baby Boomer is ready for the solar-powered torch of leadership to pass to a new generation.

This months action: Time to ditch the K-cup? Ive promised this year to a) write every month about climate change (3-for-3...whoo-hoo!) and b) offer small everyday tips on things you can do that make in impact, with the idea that action shouldnt always be large and overwhelming. This months tip may be a little hard for us caffeine addicts: giving up our beloved K-cup coffee? But what if I told you 9 billion K-cups every year are filling our trash trucks and getting bulldozed under our landfills, burning up a decent amount of gasoline in the process? When it comes to coffee, maybe being a drip isnt so bad.
Under Pennsylvania law and the U.S. Constitution, a defendant cannot be held in prison pretrial without a full hearing to determine whether it's safe to release the person.

The reality in Philadelphia, though, is much different.

Conducted by video in a 24-hour courtroom in the basement of the Criminal Justice Center, the average preliminary arraignment hearing lasts less than 2 minutes  during which defendants are typically warned not to speak. Bail commissioners almost never consider a defendant's ability to pay, and routinely set money bail for people they've already identified as indigent. The result is, often, de facto pretrial detention.

That's according to the Pennsylvania ACLU, which observed 650 bail hearings this year and summarized the findings in a searing Sept. 11 letter to the leadership of the Philadelphia courts, also known as the First Judicial District (FJD).

"We believe the FJD's bail practices are unconstitutional," Pennsylvania ACLU's Mary Catherine Roper and Nyssa Taylor said in the letter.

Roper, the organization's deputy legal director, said the group has met with FJD leadership and hopes to collaboratively resolve the issue, though a federal lawsuit could be a last resort.

An FJD spokesman said by email that the court welcomes the feedback, but that the ACLU's report didn't account for changes already underway, "which have assisted in reducing the jail population, resulted in fewer people being detained on cash bail, expanded diversion programs, and early bail hearings  all without jeopardizing the safety of the community."

Even as Philadelphia has invested in pretrial services to improve its court-appearance rate to 95 percent  part of a $6.1 million investment ignited by a MacArthur Foundation grant to reduce the jail population  ACLU observers reported that four out of the city's six bail magistrates never referred defendants to such services, instead relying solely on money bail as a condition of release.

According to the ACLU's analysis of 2018 dockets, 42.5 percent of defendants still get money bail. Of those, one in four faced a bail of $50,000 or higher. The ACLU observed cases in which commissioners assigned bail amounts as high as $450,000 (for a person facing a robbery charge) to defendants they knew could not pay, without ever stating the reasons for the high bail. Nearly three-quarters of those assigned cash bail were deemed indigent by the court.

Defendants being arraigned generally appear by video conference from police stations around the city, so they typically have no opportunity to speak with the public defender, except in open court. That's why they're typically advised not to talk at all, even to try to make a case for lower bail. As part of the MacArthur initiative, the Defender Association has been running a pilot program to allow defendants to meet with advocates before arraignment, but it's limited in scope.

People who are locked up pretrial are more likely to be convicted and to face longer sentences; they are also more likely to commit future offenses, according to one analysis of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh bail systems. Researchers have found even a few days in jail can be destabilizing, causing people to lose jobs, housing, custody and benefits.

These practices are not new, said Joshua Glenn, 30, an advocate with the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project.

"At the age of 16, I was locked up and held as an adult for 18 months for $2,000 bail. Then, my case was dismissed," Glenn said. "By then I had to do a lot to pick up the pieces."

A 2016 Inquirer analysis found that bail commissioners routinely set bail for teens facing adult charges far above guidelines, at an average of $248,000, without considering holding a full hearing or considering the youths' ability to pay. In 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals' Third Circuit weighed in on the Lehigh County case of Joseph Curry, who was jailed for months on $20,000 bail for trying to scam a Walmart out of $130.27, and eventually took a plea deal so he could go home; the court described such bail practices as a "threat to equal justice under the law."

Recently, though, there's been pressure to reduce reliance on money in bail. The MacArthur initiative resulted in the creation of early-bail-review hearings, release valves for lower-level offenders who can't bail themselves out within five days. The District Attorney's Office in February announced it would not seek bail on a list of 25 minor charges.

To critics, that's a start  but it's not a solution.

In response, two community bail funds are now raising money to bring home those who can't pay their own way.

Cara Tratner, an organizer of the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, said the group had bailed out people who'd be locked up for days, weeks or even as long as two years, on bail amounts as low as $200. The "vast majority" of the more than 80 people they've bailed out have showed up for court.

"We have seen through the bail fund that people do not need additional monitoring pretrial in order to safely attend court dates. We've shown through our experiences that building community with people  simple things like transportation, two-way text messages, phone call reminders, mental health and addiction services  is what works," she said. "And a lot of people have attended court without seeking or needing any support."

This article has been updated to correct that Joseph Curry's case was in Lehigh County.
WASHINGTON  Nancy Pelosi stands up in her spacious office in the U.S. Capitol, walks past an enormous window with a commanding view of the Mall and the Washington Monument, and picks up a small plaque from her desk. A gift from Rep. Cheri Bustos (D., Ill.), the plaque has the familiar profile of a young Abraham Lincoln on one side. Pelosi returns to her chair holding the plaque on her palm and reads a quote from Lincoln etched on the reverse side: Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.

It was public sentiment, Pelosi says, that convinced her President Donald Trump would back down in the standoff over funding a border wall that partially shut down the government for 35 days earlier this year. And it is public sentiment, she says, that will guide her as she leads the House Democrats and seeks to use their powers as a check on a president she believes disregards the Constitution.

Pelosi, 78, never thought that Donald Trump would be elected president, but in many ways she has been preparing for this political battle all of her life. First elected to Congress in a special election in 1987 and now in her 17th term, she is experienced in all of Washington's various forms of combat, power and perseverance. She is the first woman to lead a political party in Congress and, in 2007, was the first woman to become speaker of the House. After Democrats won control of the House in November following eight years out of power, Pelosi fended off an effort by some in her party to replace her, and reclaimed the speakership.

Now in her fourth decade as an elected representative, Pelosi is at the outset of a term that will almost certainly be the most critical of her career. I spoke with her last week about her relationship with Trump, the rise of a new generation of women lawmakers, the Green New Deal, the prospect of impeachment and more.

Q: After eight years as minority leader, what does it mean for you to be back in this office?

A: Has it been eight years? [Laughs.] In some ways it seems much faster than that. Well, being in the majority always feels great, especially compared to the minority  So it feels good. I mean, it feels responsible. We have important work to do for our country. And Im very proud that we got here on a path for the people with a clear definition of our agenda. Lower health-care costs, bigger paychecks, building the infrastructure of America, cleaner government. We have H.R. 1 on the floor, and in the first 100 days we will have had introductions, hearings, markups or floor action on everything in our agenda: lowering health-care costs by lowering the cost of prescription drugs, building infrastructure, bigger paychecks. And then guns, dreamers, Equality Act, and equal pay.

Q: Is this the most divisive political climate in your 32 years in Congress?

A: Yeah, well, it's very divisive because of the person who is in the White House and the enablers that the Republicans in Congress are to him. It was terrible when we were here in the '90s and [Newt] Gingrich was speaker and impeached the president, Bill Clinton. There's no question that that was horrible for the country. It was unnecessary and the rest. But in terms of where we are, as Thomas Paine said, the times have found us. And the times have found us now. We have a very serious challenge to the Constitution of the United States in the president's unconstitutional assault on the Constitution, on the first branch of government, the legislative branch  This is very serious for our country. Forgetting politics, forgetting partisanship, just talk about patriotism. So in terms of divisiveness, that we don't see a commensurate  I don't want to say reaction, just action  on the part of Republicans to the statements and actions the president is taking, yeah, this is probably the most divisive and serious. Serious, because again it's about our fundamentals; it's not about our politics.

Q: For 2020, your goal is to keep control of the House and have a Democrat elected president.

A: And the Senate, the whole thing.

Q: Is this the most critical 20 months of your entire career?

A: Well, every election we say this is the most important election of our time. And it just gets to be more crucial every time. In '16, I never thought he would be elected president of the United States. How could it be? But then he was, so that made '18 more crucial. And we won that. And thank God, because we now have a lever; we have leverage against this assault on the Constitution. This election is very important. I don't think he'll be reelected, but it is important for us to elect a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate and Democratic House. So they only become more crucial. Not to diminish the importance of the others, but because of the actions taken by the person in the White House, disregarding the Constitution of the United States, disregarding our commitments to the world in terms of our commitment to NATO, to Paris climate, to our values.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with the president?

A: Is there a relationship? [Laughs.] How would I describe my relationship to the president? My relationship toward him is respectful, respectful of the office that he holds. Straightforward, just tell him what I think. And I always say you're not going to hear me saying anything publicly that I'm not saying here in the office. Hopeful that at some point we can find common ground that he'll stick to. So, yeah, respectful, honest and hopeful.

Q: Do you feel that he has done anything that has been good for America?

A: Hes been a great organizer for Democrats, a great fund-raiser for Democrats, and a great mobilizer at the grassroots level for Democrats. [Laughs.] And I think thats good for America.

Q: There have been increasing calls, including from some of your members, for impeachment of the president.

A: I'm not for impeachment. This is news. I'm going to give you some news right now because I haven't said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I've been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it.

Q: A lot of Americans are really anxious about where the country is right now, and some of them feel the nations institutions are in a perilous state. Do you share that concern?

A: No. Here's why I don't: Our country is great. It's a great country. Our founders gave us the strongest foundation  All the challenges we have faced, we can withstand anything. But maybe not two [Trump] terms. So we have to make sure that doesn't happen.

Q: So youre on the cover of Rolling Stone with Rep. Jahana Hayes (D., Conn.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.). Do you see in this new generation of women lawmakers, not just them, but this generation, do you see yourself in them, or do you not see much of yourself in them at all?

A: Here's what I see myself in them as: When I came to Congress I had no intention of running for office, shy person that I have always been. I was chair of the [California Democratic] Party, always advancing other people. I loved that because I cared about the causes of the Democratic Party, about fairness in our economy. My motivation is the 1 in 5 children who lives in poverty in America.

So what I see, and I say this to them: I was you. I used to carry the [protest] signs pushing strollers  And as an advocate, relentless, persistent, dissatisfied always. But when you cross over the threshold and come to Congress, you can bring those enthusiasms, those priorities, your knowledge, your vision, your plan. But you have to want to get results. You have to get results. Then, you were trying to impact others making decisions. Now you are that person. So [my] being a progressive, a liberal from San Francisco, they can't go any place I haven't been philosophically. [Laughs.]  So I think I have a good simpatico with a lot of them because, again, that's who I was. The young women today, though, coming in  the way they balance family and children and home, I'm in awe of them. I'm in awe of them.

Q: Is it harder to manage the demands of the more-centrist members who are going to face tougher reelections, or the more-progressive members who maybe feel a freedom to push a little more?

A: Understand this: There are a range of views in our caucus, and we respect that. But we are unified. People compliment me and they say, "Oh, you know, you can keep them all together." I don't. Our values unify us. And all of us, wherever we are, here or there, are all of one mind that we are here for America's working families to lower their costs, to raise their paycheck and give them more-honest government in a country where we have gun safety and respect for every person in our society. So there is no management of this. It's the vitality. We invite it. We're not trying to curtail it. We're excited by it.

Q: Has Twitter been good for American politics?

A: Are you including the president of the United States? I don't think that's been good. No. I think truth, fact, evidence, data  I think that's what's good for America. As long as that's being conveyed, I'm for it all. But when it's not, and I don't think that's what the president is conveying, I think that that does a disservice.

Q: Its Ash Wednesday, and youre a practicing Catholic. How does your faith guide you in this office?

A: I was born into a family that was devoutly Catholic, fiercely patriotic, proud of our Italian American heritage and staunchly Democrat. And we saw that connection between church and Democrats as the Gospel of Matthew. When I was hungry, when I was thirsty, when I was naked, when I was homeless, when I was in prison. And that was how we were raised, that we had a responsibility to other people. And that was our motivation. So that's why sometimes it's hard for me to understand  I have to admit this, that we were raised to say there's a spark of divinity in every person. That we're all God's children. And yet I see people of faith go down paths that so contradict what they say. For example, on the issue of immigration, so many people of faith, I guess they just don't think that there's a spark of divinity or that we're all God's children. How disrespectful they are.

Q: When Trump was asking for the money for the border wall, why was it so essential that Democrats not give in?

A: Because it was wrong. I mean, when the president was advocating for a wall, that was a tangible, visible sign of discrimination. He [was] in sharp contrast to every president before him in modern times. It might interest you to know that the president I quoted most on the campaign trail was Ronald Reagan  He talks about the Statue of Liberty and what it means to the world to see this beacon of hope, what it means to people who came here, people who are coming here. Then he goes on to say, the vital force of America's preeminence in the world is every generation of newcomers to our country. And when America fails to recognize that, America will fail to be preeminent in the world  Ronald Reagan, President George Herbert Walker Bush, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama all subscribed to the vitality of America being about a renewal of optimism, hope, determination to make the future better. Courageous to come here, to do it as newcomers, making America more American and subscribing to those values of our country.

Except this president used a message of fear against immigrants, against trade, against Hillary Clinton in his campaign, but his anti-immigrant issue is ongoing. It's the wall, and the wall is not even a campaign promise because he promised Mexico was going to pay for it. It's a campaign applause line of discrimination and bigotry. And it's just not right, and it doesn't do the job. So he wants us to spend billions of dollars when we have other needs to meet the needs of the American people. He wants us to spend tens of billions of dollars on a wall that doesn't serve the purpose and is a sign of discrimination.

Q: You said earlier you dont feel its worth it to pursue impeachment. Do you believe hes fit to be president?

A: Are we talking ethically? Intellectually? Politically? What are we talking here?

All- all of the above. No. No. I dont think he is. I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I dont think hes fit to be president of the United States. And thats up to us to make the contrast to show that this president  while he may be appealing to you on your insecurity and therefore your xenophobia, whether its globalization or immigrants  is fighting clean air for your children to breathe, clean water for them to drink, food safety, every good thing that we should be doing that people cant do for themselves. You know, I have five kids, and I think I can do everything for them, but I cant control the air they breathe, the water that they drink. You depend on the public sector to do certain things for the health and well-being of your family, and he is counter to that.

But again, this is coming across too negatively. I don't usually talk about him this much. This is the most I've probably talked about him. I hardly ever talk about him. You know, it's not about him. It's about what we can do for the people to lower health-care costs, bigger paychecks, cleaner government.

Q: One of the proposals that has drawn a lot of attention and some support from Democrats is this idea of a Green New Deal. What do you tell members who want leadership to get behind that plan?

A: I don't think anybody's ever told me to get behind the plan. Here's the thing: When I was speaker, the first time, my flagship issue was climate and energy. And working with President Bush to pass the biggest energy bill in the history of our country, the equivalent of taking millions of cars off the road by raising emission standards, the CAFE standards. He wanted nuclear. I want renewables. We came to a conclusion. We passed a big bill that was the basis for many of President Obama's initiatives to protect the environment and honor what we agreed to in Paris 

So the fact that the Green New Deal raises the profile of the issue, that's really important. But any proposal that someone has, has to come through the committee process. We see it for standards. What does it do in terms of public health, clean air, clean water? What does it do in terms of jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs? How does it keep America preeminent in the green technologies? What does it do in terms of our national security? And I think the generals came out again with a more-current statement of how the climate issue is a national security issue  And it's a moral issue if you believe, as I do, that this is God's creation and we have a responsibility to be good stewards of it  and even if you don't share that view, if you just believe that we have a moral responsibility to future generations to preserve the planet or pass it on to the next generation in a responsible way  So I've just said if you have an idea, put it forth, we'll send it to committee. It will be subjected to that review. But know that we all share the value of preserving the planet.

Q: [Your daughter Alexandra] said in an interview: She knows what shes doing. And that should make you sleep at night, knowing that at least somebody in this town knows what theyre doing. I want to ask: How well do you sleep at night?

A: It depends on how much chocolate I have eaten during the day. Now today I gave up chocolate for lunch  I mean for Lent. [Laughs.] It really was more for lunch because I'm off it already. I had a doughnut for breakfast. I totally forgot till I went to get the ashes that I wasn't supposed to have that chocolate doughnut for breakfast. Then, once I had the doughnut, I thought I might as well have the chocolate ice cream for lunch. Then my colleague came from Guam and brought chocolate chip cookies. What am I supposed to do? And out of kindness to my colleagues, to my staff and to my families, I don't think giving up chocolate for Lent is going to work.

Q: Well, that did not last long.

A: It didn't last long at all  What keeps me up at night is the concern I have about the lack of respect for the Constitution, for our values, for our responsibilities and the rest that exists in the White House. And how can we, because you have so many issues, how do we stay focused and just make sure the public knows this isn't, again, about politics, it's about who we are as a nation 

So its always about what keeps you up at night. The challenge and what are we going to do about it. And I have a pretty good feel for what we need to do, and, really, to be respectful of every point of view in our caucus. I consider myself a weaver. Like, every thread is important, and you have to just weave it all in. Every thread is important no matter how different  in fact, thats part of the strength of it. And that beautiful tapestry of what is the Democratic Party in Congress is strengthened by every different thread. So as I say to the members, and will close by saying to you: Our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power. Were about power.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
Jack Murray's living room is filled with antiques, including a secretary desk, circa 1820s, made by Anthony Quervelle. Read more

Built in 1850, the Greek revival rowhouse in Center City Philadelphia was probably occupied then by middle-class merchants.

No one knows exactly what the interior looked like, but the period still lives there, thanks to the efforts of a former museum official and his art teacher aunt.

The current homeowner, Jack Murray, 74, retired as exhibit director at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. His relationship with the house goes back to the mid-1950s, when it was occupied by two unmarried aunts.

Margaret and Clementine Canovaro had bought the four-story building in 1944  it had been converted to a rooming house  and Murray was there often.

I grew up with the house, he recalls. As a kid, Id come around and do things like sweep the sidewalk and scrub the marble steps. Who does that anymore?

Clementine wasnt that into interior decorating, Murray recalls, preferring to concentrate in the kitchen: The best Italian cook in Philadelphia in his unbiased opinion.

But Margaret was a devotee of antiques, and as she stocked the house, Murray learned from her. Some of the pieces came from her worldwide trips.

One favorite story he recalls is a joust with renowned British antiques dealer Phineas Mead at a gallery on Pine Street, then home to numerous antiques shops. Seeing Mead eyeing a sofa, Margaret poked him with her cane and said, Phineas, what are you looking at? Im buying that.

Mead quickly backed off, Murray said.

Perhaps the biggest change in Queen Margarets reign was the conversion of the food preparation room adjacent to the kitchen into a sitting room. A staircase leading to the upstairs dining room was walled off.

A Japanese screen along one wall dominates the room now. It was in my apartment, Murray says, and she usurped it. She wanted an intimate space for reading and listening to the radio.

Margaret also modernized the kitchen, replacing an ancient gas-fired refrigerator. She purchased tiles on one of her trips to Portugal and supervised the placement of each one on the kitchen backsplash.

Margaret died in 1984, and when she was finished, I began, Murray says. He moved into the house from his apartment in 1991 and inherited it in 1995 on the death of Clementine.

In the living room, he got rid of a historic 1830 New York sofa because it was uncomfortable, donating it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Margaret had added a Loud and Brothers (Philadelphia) pianoforte from about 1830 and an Anthony Quervelle secretary from the 1820s.

And there were bargains, including living room chairs for $5 each from the basement of the Freeman auction house. They were looking a little sad then, Murray says, but with expert care and new seat fabric are sturdy and surprisingly comfortable.

He painted the second-floor dining room red and added Duncan Phyfe chairs and a French Empire table.

In his bedroom, he installed a screen from the Japanese Edo period similar to the screen in the sitting room.

Original touches including the banisters and mahogany spindles and the marble vestibule were retained.

While his portion of the house  there are three apartments upstairs  seems filled, Murray isnt sure his antique buying days are over.

Its the curse of being a collector, he says. You dont know where to stop. Theres a fine line between sanity and insanity.

Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@phillynews.com.
The phone  by which I mean voice communication  puts travelers at a significant disadvantage when it comes to problem-solving. But theres a notable exception, a time when you should pick up the phone and then maybe hang up.

If you understand the difference, youre well on your way to resolving almost any travel problem.

The phone is still the preferred contact method for most travelers. A report by Invoca, a call-tracking company, found that 65 percent of consumers would rather use a phone than email to contact a business. A survey by Google showed that on any big-ticket vacation expense, which it defines as a purchase for more than $320, consumers prefer contacting an airline, hotel, or cruise line by phone.

Attitudes are slowly shifting, but for many travelers, the phone is still the primary means of contact when theres a problem.

Travelers favor the phone because its convenient and fast. I know thats true because almost every day, I receive voice messages from consumers who have called me to ask for help resolving their problems.

My consumer advocacy site (elliott.org) requires a paper trail like the one that Meg Aidekman, co-founder of District of Columbia tour operator Trip Tribe, advises her clients to keep. But many readers say they cant do that, offering excuses like, "Im not good with technology" or "Im a senior."

Travel companies seem to like the status quo, too. When theres no paper trail, it becomes much more difficult for you, the consumer, to resolve a travel complaint in your favor. Thats because when you contact a company about a service lapse or a delay, you have no evidence of your previous contact, no record of any response. Its the companys word against yours.

Bigger travel businesses, such as airlines and online travel agencies, have sophisticated call-center systems that record each customer service interaction. Its not likely that many consumers make their own recordings.

Whenever possible, get it in writing, and document everything, Aidekman says. We always advise customers to deal with issues in writing, as it leaves a paper trail. You can use it to follow up on and hold companies to their terms and conditions and promises made.

Customer service expert Chip Bell, author of The 9 Principles of Innovative Service, says putting communications in writing can help retrieve facts that both parties can innocently and easily forget: "We all say things that fade from memory as other facts crowd them out. Think of a written record as your reference library of what was agreed."

A written record is possible even when you have an immediate request that would generally require a call. "Use private digital channels like Facebook Messenger and Twitter Direct Message to seek issue resolution," advises Joshua March, CEO of Conversocial, a company that tracks airline performance on social media. "These channels are not only secure but offer a fast and convenient way to try to solve the issue while youre on the go."

You can store and retrieve Twitter DMs and Facebook messages when you need to remind a company what it promised. I just handled a case in which a consumer saved every online chat. When the company reneged on a promised refund, he showed it the chat transcript. It quickly offered the full refund.

But theres an exception to the hang-up-the-phone rule, and its equally important. Sometimes, a phone call is the best way to reach a company. For example, when youre planning a complicated cruise itinerary or trying to book an award seat. In both cases an agent can sometimes offer options in a real-time phone call that you might not know about if you were booking online.

And of course, after an airline flight cancellation, passengers instinctively dial the carriers toll-free number to rearrange their itineraries. Thats unlikely to change even if every passenger has a smartphone with the airlines app on it. The phone still rules.

"When you have a travel problem, call the company, and if you dont get it resolved, hang up," says Greg Trosko, an office manager from Princeton, N.J. "Call back later, and speak with someone different. Youd be surprised how often you get a completely different answer."

Trosko has used this strategy when trying to book an award ticket. One phone agent said no to his request, so he politely ended the call and phoned back. The second agent said yes.

"Whats the worst thing that could happen?" he asks. "The person says, No. "

The hang-up-and-try-again strategy is an oldie that we learn in Consumer Advocacy School. (OK, theres no such thing as Consumer Advocacy School, but if there were, that would be one of the lessons.)

Now that integrated caller ID systems provide corporate call centers with information that gets attached to your reservation and loyalty program number, theres a critical modification.

The big companies are on to you, so you cant just hang up the phone and try again. Thats especially true for travel insurance companies, which document every call. For smaller companies, though, if youre trying to negotiate a refund and find yourself talking to someone who is less than cooperative, the hang-up strategy still works. Unless the agent youve just spoken with documents the call in your reservation, you can start over. Restate your case, and see whether the company changes its answer. It just might.

Whether youre trying to negotiate a refund on an airline ticket or push for credit on a future cruise, the phone can be your best friend  or your worst enemy. It all depends on how you use it. If you know when to hang up, you might get what you deserve.

Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist, and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Contact him at elliott.org.
The driver of a car that crashed into a utility pole on a North Coventry highway in a collision that claimed the life of a well-liked standout high school wrestler has been sent to state prison to begin his sentence for the drunken driving fatality.
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By Mica Rosenberg and Kristina Cooke

(Reuters)  Christian Mejia thought he had a shot at getting out of immigration detention in rural Louisiana after he found a lawyer to help him seek asylum.

Then he was quarantined.

In early January, a mumps outbreak at the privately run Pine Prairie U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center put Mejia and hundreds of other detainees on lockdown. When there is just one person who is sick, everybody pays, Mejia, 19, said in a phone interview from the Pine Prairie center describing weeks without visits and access to the library and dining hall.

His attorney was not allowed in, but his immigration court case continued anyway  over a video conference line. On Feb. 12, the judge ordered Mejia deported back to Honduras.

The number of people amassed in immigration detention under the Trump administration has reached record highs, raising concerns among migrant advocates about disease outbreaks and resulting quarantines that limit access to legal services.

As of March 6, more than 50,000 migrants were in detention, according to ICE data.

Internal emails reviewed by Reuters reveal the complications of managing outbreaks like the one at Pine Prairie, since immigrant detainees often are transferred around the country and infected people do not necessarily show symptoms of viral diseases even when they are contagious.

Mumps can easily spread through droplets of saliva in the air, especially in close quarters. While most people recover within a few weeks, complications include brain swelling, sterility and hearing loss.

ICE health officials have been notified of 236 confirmed or probable cases of mumps among detainees in 51 facilities in the past 12 months, compared to no cases detected between January 2016 and February 2018. Last year, 423 detainees were determined to have influenza and 461 to have chicken pox. All three diseases are largely preventable by vaccine.

As of March 7, a total of 2,287 detainees were quarantined around the country, ICE spokesman Brendan Raedy told Reuters.

Ten Democratic members of Congress sent a letter on Feb. 28 to ICE acting Director Ronald Vitiello seeking more information about viral diseases at immigration detention centers in Colorado, Arizona and Texas. Lawmakers did not mention the Pine Prairie outbreak.

Pablo Paez, a spokesman for the GEO Group, the private prison operator that runs Pine Prairie under government contract, said its medical professionals follow standards set by ICE and health authorities. He said medical care provided to detainees allows the company to detect, treat and follow appropriate medical protocols to manage an infectious outbreak.

UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS

The first cases at Pine Prairie were detected in January in four migrants who had been recently transferred from the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi, according to internal emails.

Tallahatchie, run by private detention company CoreCivic Inc, has had five confirmed cases of mumps and 18 cases of chicken pox since January, according to company spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist. She said no one who was diagnosed was transferred out of the facility while the disease was active.

Tallahatchie houses hundreds of migrants recently apprehended along the U.S.- Mexico border, ICE said.

On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told reporters that changing demographics on the southwest border, with more immigrants from Central America traveling long distances, overwhelmed border officials and raised health concerns.

We are seeing migrants arrive with illnesses and medical conditions in unprecedented numbers, McAleenan said at a press conference.

However, vaccination rates in the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are above 90 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ICE detainees come from countries all over the world, with varying degrees of vaccination coverage.

HIGH-PROFILE REMOVAL

At Pine Prairie, staff members were at times at odds with the warden about how to manage the mumps outbreak, internal emails show. The warden decided not to quarantine 40 new arrivals from Tallahatchie in February despite concerns raised by the medical staff, one email showed.

The warden, Indalecio Ramos, who referred questions about the outbreak to ICE and the GEO Group, argued that quarantining the transfers would keep them from attending their court hearings, the facilitys health service administrator wrote in a Feb. 7 email.

In a Feb. 21 email, ICE requested that medical staff members at Pine Prairie clear a detainee quarantined for chicken pox and mumps for travel, calling him a high-profile removal scheduled for deport. In an email to staff later that day, warden Ramos wrote that medical staff had wanted to exclude the detainee from transfer but ICE wants him to travel out of the country anyway  Please ensure he leaves.

ICE spokesman Raedy said that travel is restricted for people who are known to be contagious but those exposed to diseases who are asymptomatic can travel.

Since January, the 1,094-bed Pine Prairie facility has had 18 detainees with confirmed or probable cases of mumps compared to no cases in 2018, according to ICE. As of mid-February, 288 people were under quarantine at Pine Prairie. Mejia said his quarantine ended on Feb. 25.

Detention centers in other states also have seen a rise in outbreaks.

There have been 186 mumps cases in immigration detention facilities in Texas since October, the largest outbreak in centers there in recent years, said Lara Anton, the press officer for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

In Colorado, at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility near Denver, run by the GEO Group, 357 people have been quarantined following eight confirmed and five suspected cases of mumps detected since February, as well as six cases of chicken pox diagnosed since the beginning of January, said Dr. Bernadette Albanese from the Tri County Health Department in Colorado.

Civil rights attorney Danielle Jefferis said court hearings for quarantined immigrants at Aurora were largely canceled.

At Pine Prairie on Feb. 12, Mejia said he felt confused and hopeless during his video hearing, with no attorney by his side.

After Mejias lawyers complained, attorneys were allowed to visit quarantined detainees on Feb. 13  one day too late for Mejia.

While he is appealing his case, his lawyers say he could be deported at any time.

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Julie Marquis, Paul Thomasch and Lisa Shumaker)
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A pro-Jeb Bush super PAC got the biggest fine in US history for foreign interference in an election by taking millions of dollars in illegal contributions from the Chinese.

According to the Campaign Legal Center:



A record fine was handed down by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) following an August 2016 complaint by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), concluding an investigation that found a Chinese-owned corporation and pro-Jeb Bush super PAC both broke the federal law that guards American elections against foreign interference.

American Pacific International Capital, Inc. (APIC) was fined $550,000 for violating the foreign national contribution ban, and the pro-Jeb Bush super PAC Right to Rise was fined $390,000 for soliciting a foreign national contribution. CLCs complaint cites the bombshell report by The Intercept in August 2016 that laid out smoking-gun evidence of the violation: the president of the Chinese-owned, California-based corporation admitted that he directed the corporations contributions, which totaled $1.3 million.

The Republican Party Is For Sale To Foreign Governments

Trump rightly gets all of the attention, because of his brazen behavior with Russia, Saudi Arabia, and likely many other foreign governments, but Trump wasnt the only one in his party out there fishing for illegal foreign dollars.

Jeb Bush supporters were happy to take money from China.

Todays action is a rare and remarkable step by the FEC, and a reminder that safeguarding our elections against foreign interference is in Americas vital national security interests, said Trevor Potter, president of CLC, and a former Republican Chairman of the FEC. This illegal $1.3 million contribution is unmistakable proof that Citizens United opened the floodgates to foreign money in the U.S., and it is surely the tip of the iceberg. The fact that the FEC, which so often deadlocks and therefore fails to act in violations, could agree on this one highlights the very real danger this sort of activity poses to our democracy.

The Citizens United decision has opened the floodgates and made it nearly impossible to follow all of the money. Right to Rise wasnt the only one taking illegal money. Theyre the ones who got caught.

Overturning Citizens United is a national security issue, as the future of our democracy depends on shutting the doors to foreign influence.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Trump sent Sarah Sanders out in front of reporters to say that Democrats hate Jews, but the briefing backfired when reporters challenged Sanders on Trumps racism and bigotry.

The Press Briefing Was Held Because Trump Wants To Run On Democrats Hating Jews

Things went wrong for the White House right out the gate with this exchange between ABCs Jon Karl and Sanders:

Q Sarah, the President said that Democrats hate Jewish people, according to a recent report. Weve also seen him tweet in the last couple of days that Democrats are the, quote, anti-Jewish party. Does the President really believe Democrats hate Jews?

MS. SANDERS: Look, the President has been an unwavering and committed ally to Israel and the Jewish people. And, frankly, the remarks that have been made by a number of Democrats and failed to be called out by Democrat leadership is, frankly, abhorrent and its sad. And its something that should be called by name. It shouldnt be put in a watered-down resolution. It should be done the way the Republicans did it when Steve King made terrible comments. We called it out by name. We stripped him of his committee memberships. And wed like to see Democrats follow suit.

Q But I ask  first of all, you mentioned Steve King. The President  correct me if Im wrong  has not condemned Steve King for what he said praising white supremacy. Has the President publicly come out and said anything to criticize or condemn?

MS. SANDERS: I speak on behalf of the President on a number of topics, and I have talked about that a number of times. And Id refer you back to those comments where I used words like abhorrent and unacceptable.

Video:

Sarah Sanders falsely claims that Democrats hate Jews, but crumbles when asked why Trump has condemned Steve King for his white supremacy. pic.twitter.com/YaYwaH2Gm7  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 11, 2019

Reporters wouldnt allow Sanders to lie about Democrats

It got worse for Sanders when Jim Acosta called her out for lying about Democrats:

Q And just to get back to Jon and Hallies question about the Presidents comments about Democrats and Jewish people, isnt that kind of rhetoric just, sort of, beneath everybody?

And do you think that the President has thought at all  going into this 2020 campaign  that the rhetoric just needs to be lowered, whether its talking about Democrats, the media, immigrants? Or should we just plan on hearing the President use the same kind of language that we heard in 2016 and all through the first couple of years of this administration?

MS. SANDERS: Look, I think that the real shame in all of this is that Democrats are perfectly capable of coming together and agreeing on the fact that theyre comfortable ripping babies straight from a mothers womb or killing a baby after birth, but they have a hard time condemning the type of comments from Congresswoman Omar. I think that is a great shame.

The President has been clear on what his position is, certainly what his support is for the people in the community of Israel. And beyond that, I dont have anything further for you, Jim.

Q Dont you think that just, sort of, drags down the rhetoric in the debate when youre saying something thats just patently untrue? I mean, obviously 

MS. SANDERS: Stating their policy positions is not patently untrue.

Q But Democrats dont  but Democrats dont hate Jewish people. Thats just silly. Its not true. So 



Video:

CNN's Jim Acosta called out Sarah Sanders for lying about Democrats hating Jews during the White House press briefing. https://t.co/qPmbFKIELv pic.twitter.com/QDglKD9pBW  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 11, 2019

Trump thought he would smear Democrats, but the press briefing backfired

The briefing had all of the fingerprints of a classic Trump bad idea. Trump thought that he could change the media coverage by sending Sarah Sanders out to proclaim that Democrats hate Jews.

The White House reporters werent buying it and took the opportunity to question Sanders about all of Trumps bigoted statements.

Trump thought that he could change the media narrative and put pressure on the Democrats, but his only accomplishment was highlighting years of his own racist and bigoted remarks.

Sarah Sanders held her first press briefing in 42 days, and the result was another terrible day for Donald Trump.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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The $4.75 trillion budget released by the White House on Monday may be dead on arrival when it comes to congressional approval, but it will have substantial and dire political consequences for Donald Trump.

As PoliticusUSA reported earlier via Reuters, the presidents new budget slashes $1.9 trillion in spending  many of those cuts coming from popular programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security  while boosting funding for the military and his unpopular vanity wall on the southern border.

In other words, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after the plan was released, Trumps budget is a roadmap to a sicker, weaker America.

Massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and more

Donald Trump is proposing massive cuts to three programs  Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security  that millions of Americans rely on. They arent just politically popular, but people literally rely on them to survive.

The plan guts $845 billion from Medicare, $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and $25 billion from Social Security.

As Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro pointed out on Monday, the proposal also takes a sledgehammer to home energy assistance, teen pregnancy prevention, SNAP, afterschool programs, & much more.

It would be a cold day in hell before I helped pass a budget like this, she said, echoing the thoughts of just about every congressional Democrat.

The #TrumpBudget is cruel and reckless, with billions in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, home energy assistance, teen pregnancy prevention, SNAP, afterschool programs, & much more. It would be a cold day in hell before I helped pass a budget like this. https://t.co/qreHcKzCWr  Rosa DeLauro (@rosadelauro) March 11, 2019

Trumps budget is a gift to Democrats ahead of 2020

No matter who the Democratic nominee is in 2020, this budget will be a gift to them. The ads will write themselves.

After all, during the 2016 campaign  when the president didnt have a record to run on  he promised that he wouldnt cut any of the three major social safety net programs.

I am the first & only GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid, he said at the time.

By releasing this cruel budget on Monday, Donald Trump can no longer claim that he will protect these three programs, all while each Democratic candidate will put forward proposals to boost and expand the social safety net.

It will be the political gift that keeps on giving for Democrats as 2020 approaches.

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After new audio footage surfaced of Tucker Carlson making racial slurs toward the Obamas, Muslims, Iraqis and others, the Fox News host threw a seven-minute tantrum at the beginning of his primetime show on Monday.

Carlson suggested that his comments were spoken in jest or taken out of context and said he would never bow to the mob of people criticizing him or calling for his firing.

Not only did Carlson again refuse to offer a simple apology, but he didnt even acknowledge the specific slurs released in the new audio footage.

Video of Carlsons tantrum:

Naturally, Carlson took the opportunity to attack his opponents on the left and even took the usual jab at the Clintons.

Why are the people who considered Bill Clinton a hero lecturing me about sexism? he asked. How can the party that demands racial quotas denounce other people as racist?

He even attacked Republicans for being too quick to criticize hateful rhetoric.

Republicans in Washington do a fairly credible imitation of an opposition party, Carlson said. But on the deepest level, its all a pose.

Tucker Carlson should be fired

As I wrote a short time after Carlsons latest spewings were released, the bar has always been pretty low for Fox News. But after more racist audio surfaced on Monday, even they should recognize that this is a guy who has no business being on television.

And despite what Carlson said during his meltdown, his comments werent taken out of context. This isnt some isolated incident. Regular viewers of his program know that he spews racism regularly.

Obviously, Fox News has long since stopped caring about maintaining any shred of credibility. That has only become more apparent in the Donald Trump era of American politics.

But as they continue to give a platform to people like Carlson and others, like Laura Ingraham, who consistently use their timeslots to spew bigotry, theyve gone well beyond their usual mantle of right-wing propaganda network. Theyve turned into a full-blown safe haven for white supremacist thought.

Fox News should fire Tucker Carlson. And while theyre at it, they should send Jeanine Pirro packing, too.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
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Adam Schiff said on Tuesday that given the evidence that is already available, Donald Trump should already be indicted.

The House Intelligence Committee Chairman said at a breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor:

Its very difficult to make the argument that the person who was directed and was coordinated should go to jail but the person who did the directing and did the coordinating should not, Schiff told reporters at a breakfast on Tuesday organized by the Christian Science Monitor.

The evidence therefore already in place argues very strongly in favor of indicting the president when he is out of office, he said.

When Will Trump Be Indicted?

Rep. Schiff is arguing that the evidence is already there to indict Trump. The big question is when should Trump be indicted? Any indictment of the president, while he is in office, is going to set off an epic court battle that it is possible Trump could win. Former prosecutor Schiff is going with the legally sound course of indicting Trump as soon as he leaves office.

It is well known that Trumps primary motivation for seeking reelection is that being president is the only thing standing in between Trump and a criminal indictment. The indictment of Trump is a given. A criminal indictment in the Southern District of New York for Trumps direction of the illegal payments hush money conspiracy to keep Stormy Daniels quiet is a looking more certain by the day.

If Trump loses in 2020, the minute he leaves office, he could be the first president to go from the Oval Office to federal prison.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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An exiled former friend of Vladimir Putin, wanted back in his home country of Russia for tax fraud, has been partying with other guests at Donald Trumps exclusive Mar-A-Lago resort in South Florida the Miami Herald reports this morning.

Sergey Danilochkin came to Florida after being forced to flee Moscow in 2010 fearing for his life over his role in a $170 million tax fraud case linked to the mobsters behind the Magnitsky affair corruption scandal.

The tax fraud and coverup prompted sanctions against Russian oligarchs implicated in the brutal murder of accountant Sergei Magnitsky, who exposed the conspiracy. The sanctions resulting from the Magnitsky affair turned then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton into one of Vladimir Putins most hated enemies.

Donald Trump Jr. discussed the possibility of lifting those sanctions in the infamous June of 2016 Trump Tower campaign meeting with a Russian government lawyer. The Russians offered the Trumps damaging information about Clinton in exchange for their commitment to lift the sanctions if Trump were elected president. As part of the bargain, they also promised to help Trump win the election.

Danilochkin came to the U.S. on a tourist visa and invested in residential properties during the recession, making a great deal of money.

He is now asking a federal court for political asylum, claiming whistleblower status. He has also sold most of his real estate and is now a YouTube journalist, writing under the name Serge Daniloff.

The exiled Russian ended up at Mar-A-Lago for a Jan. 26, 2018 fundraiser for the Young Adventurers charity, which he filmed and posted on his YouTube channel.

Also at the party was Li Cindy Yang, the former owner of a massage parlor caught up in a human trafficking investigation that involves New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Yang has been accused of selling access to the president and other government officials through her Mar-A-Lago membership.

Danilochkin claims he used to work for Kremlin-linked oligarch Oleg Deripaska, an associate of Paul Manafort for whom the Trump administration tried to ease sanctions.

Shady People Keep Showing Up With Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago

This latest report from the Miami Herald confirms what weve known for some time, which is that Donald Trump is connected to some very unsavory characters. These shady people not only appear to operate outside the law, but they also have connections to foreign adversaries of the United States.

Once Bob Mueller releases his report to Congress and the American people that shows the extent of Donald Trumps collusion with Russia  and his financial connections to other foreign countries  it will become very obvious that he should no longer be President of the United States. The longer he serves in that office, the greater risk he poses to the national security of our country.
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Panelists on MSNBCs Morning Joe television program were laughing out loud this morning after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that President Donald Trump was not worthy of impeachment.

In comments yesterday Speaker Pelosi dismissed the president as unfit for office, but she also said that impeachment was too divisive for the country. She said she didnt want to risk creating divisiveness due to Trump. Hes just not worth it, she said.

Pelosi was criticized by some of her fellow House Democrats for her comments, but the Morning Joe panelists agreed that the veteran lawmaker was making a shrewd political calculation.

They also said they believed that Pelosis comments would be driving Trump crazy.

Theres also some dismissiveness there that you kind of have to acknowledge, said Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent of the PBS NewsHour. Then she added:

President Trump, as much as he likes to beat up on the media, he likes to watch himself. He likes to watch people talking about him, and he likes the idea thinking of himself as this orbit, this sun that everybody is rotating around.

Nancy Pelosi saying, That guy in the White House, Im not worried about him, Im doing my own thing  that has to drive the president nuts.

Alcindor also said that the president appears to hold some respect for Speaker Pelosi, which probably made her words sting Trump even more.

Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski also said she approves of Pelosis political instincts, saying:

Again and again, Nancy Pelosi has proven that she is as clever as she is tough.

She has now dismissed both the lefts obsession with a dangerous and likely doomed effort to impeach Trump, and Trump himself, driving him crazy. Pelosi basically told the Washington Post this man is not worthy of the office he holds and you kind of just have to work around him, and hes not worth dividing the country over anymore. Its true  hes not.

Back in January Pelosi gave a television interview where she said with respect to impeachment that we have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report. We shouldnt be impeaching for political purposes.

Brzezinski also pointed out that two key Democratic House committee chairs  Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee and Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee  came out in support of the Speakers position.

The evidence is not there yet for impeachment, Schiff told NBC News.

CLICK HERE to watch the Morning Joe video.
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Under guidelines set out by the Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Robert Mueller must submit a report on his findings of criminal conduct to Attorney General William Barr. He may or may not release the so-called criminal report to Congress and to the public.

But former federal prosecutor Nelson Cunningham wrote for The Daily Beast that the Mueller will issue a second report that cant be shielded from either Congress or the public. And this report will deal with counterintelligence findings and whether or not there was collusion between Russia and Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

From the very beginning, Mueller has worn two hats and borne two missions relating to the Russia investigation, wrote Cunningham, a former prosecutor and former White House counsel.

The most public and familiar one is as a criminal investigator under the special counsel regulations, he continued. But Mueller has also carried a second charge, as a counterintelligence expert, with a much broader charge to determine and report the scope of any interference and any links to the Trump campaign  what Trump himself might refer to as collusion.

The Russia probe first began as a counterintelligence investigation. Later Mueller was given the additional task of uncovering whether any crimes were committed.

The central mission of a counterintelligence investigation is to produce a report, Cunningham argued, which will be shared with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and relevant agencies of the 17-member intelligence community.

One of those reports, Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections, was shared in early January 2017 with incoming President Donald Trump.

That particular report publicly revealed that Vladimir Putin had personally directed efforts to undermine Hillary Clintons campaign to aide Trump, and Muellers counterintelligence report would also become public.

Cunningham wrote:

Significantly, unlike a final criminal report, a Mueller counterintelligence report cannot be bottled up. By statute it must be shared with Congress.

The House and Senate intelligence committees are legally entitled to be given reports, in writing, of significant intelligence and counterintelligence activities or failures. Muellers findings will certainly qualify.

It is Muellers counterintelligence report we should really be anticipating.

It will provide a much richer, broader narrative description of Russias effort to interfere in 2016, the nature of any links or cooperation between the Russians and the Trump campaign, and whether Trump or his associates were witting or unwitting assets for the Russians (including by obstructing the investigation)as well perhaps as conclusions for action.

Neither the special counsel regulations nor Attorney General Barrs discretion will keep Muellers counterintelligence findings from Congress.

Muellers second report, with detailed findings and counterintelligence conclusions, will make its way to the intelligence committees.

And then, the final chapter of Muellers Russia investigationcongressional consideration of the implications for the Trump presidencymay begin.

Neither Trump Nor Barr Can Prevent Muellers Report on Collusion From Being Made Public

This article makes clear that the most critical elements of Robert Muellers report and findings will be seen by Congress and the American people. These elements deal with national security and intelligence risks posed by the Trump presidency.

The other elements of Muellers investigation  those that deal with the commission of crimes  might possibly be kept secret by William Barr. But in fact most of the criminal aspects of his probe have been farmed out by Mueller to federal prosecutors in other offices, such as the Southern District of New York.

In short, all of Donald Trumps crimes, including possible treason and conspiracy against the United States, will soon be known to the American people. And he will soon be paying the price for those crimes.
Russian authorities detained two U.S. citizens on March 2 for allegedly violating the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses, Article 18.8 (on violations of the border regime in a border zone"), part 2 (discrepancy between the declared purpose of entry into the Russian Federation and the activity or occupation actually carried out during a stay [residence] in the Russian Federation).

Both Russias Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow confirmed that the men being held in detention are American citizens.

The two young men are Mormons, volunteering in Russia, said Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Two of our volunteers serving in Novorossiysk, Russia were detained by authorities while engaged in a meeting at a local meetinghouse, Hawkins told Polygraph.info via email.

On March 2, a court in Novorossiysk, a city on the Black Sea coast in southern Russia, ordered that the two Americans pay a fine and be deported. While being processed for deportation, they are to be held in detention at a center for the temporary placement of foreign citizens in the town of Gulkevichi.

On March 7, a higher court for the Krasnodar region denied an appeal filed by the two Americans against the Novorossiysk courts decision.

While the two men are reportedly in good condition and are being treated well, we are troubled by the circumstances surrounding their detention, Hawkins said.

Russian officials have been quoted supporting the claim that the two American Mormon missionaries violated the conditions of their Russian visas.

For example, the mayor of Novorossiysk said there are no "Mormon meetinghouses" in his city.

The state-owned RIA Novost news agencyi reported last April that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had announced the construction of its first temple in Russia. There are reportedly some 23,000 people identifying themselves as Mormons in Russia, and the group is registered with Russian authorities as a religious organization.

The head of the missionary department of the Ekaterinodar and Kuban dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, Dmitry Kravchenko, said his church is very concerned about the Mormon presence in the Krasnodar region.

They begin with English lessons. These guys, as a rule, come from the United States; they are native speakers, which is how they attract, but after a few lectures they start including some religious topics in their texts, Kravchenko said.

Yet the Russian authorities accused the two Americans of doing exactly the opposite - of giving English language lessons while their declared purpose for visiting Russia was religious.

The issue, however, is more complex.

These guys did not violate either Russian law or the entry/stay regulations, Alexander Verkhovsky, director of Sova-Center, a Moscow-based NGO, told Polygraph.info in a phone interview. Unfortunately this story is very typical  a lot of religious activists have been deported from Russia based on this particular pretext.

He added: The official version was that they violated the declared purpose for their visit, which was religious activity, by giving English language lessons. But per our information, they only participated in an event where English was a working language.

The Russian attorney representing the two Americans, Sergey Glizunza, said the official evidence that they were teaching English was based on the testimony of a minor girl, who said that the Americans spoke with her in English on various topics.

Verkhovsky said deporting foreign religious activists on the basis of similar accusations has become a persisting practice in Russia.

It is not aimed against any particular foreign religion  theyve deported a lot of Protestants, rabbis and others, of course, with the exception of the Russian Orthodox Church, he said.

Agents of Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) are tasked with monitoring foreign religious groups, but they dont really understand what they are doing so they just go after anything they deem suspicious.

While this was reportedly the first recent incident involving the Mormons in Russia, other congregations have been targeted and persecuted.

Most notably, in 2017 a Russian court designated the Jehovahs Witnesses as an extremist organization and banned them from Russia the following year.

The main evidence used to accuse the Jehovahs Witnesses of extremism was forensic expertise involving the groups translation of the Bible into Russian.

The Russian experts concluded that the Jehovahs Witnesses translation of the Bible into Russian amounts to a justification for the necessity of overthrowing the constitutional order in the Russian Federation, since the Jehovahs Witnesses believe in the depravity of the existing state of affairs, the coming end of the world, the victory of Jesus over the devil, and the beginning of a new world order.

The Russian experts also concluded that the Jehovahs Witnesses' translation of the Bible includes calls for violating Russias territorial integrity because the Jehovahs Witnesses believe in the inevitability of the end of the world and the coming of new rulers.
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Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Meat clerk John Hooker walked past the local products section in Charleston's newest grocery store and made a point of singling it out.

"A lot of people will ask where that is," he said. "When they travel to see friends, they want to take something local from Charleston."

Local products such as Benne Wafers and jars of vegetable soup are among the Lowcountry specialties and thousands of other items neatly stocked at the new Publix supermarket on the peninsula.

Opening at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the full-service grocer will offer much more as well.

Located in the ground floor of the new 10 WestEdge building at Spring Street and Lockwood Drive, the 50,000-square-foot store has a small cafe for coffee and shakes, online ordering for prepared meal pickups and delivery trucks bringing fresh produce seven days a week.

"The large square footage also allows us to carry a wider selection of products, including a nice variety of local items," said Publix spokeswman Kim Reynolds.

With 110 employees, the expansive store includes a pharmacy, deli, bakery and all the other departments found in a traditional Publix supermarket, including a large wine selection and floral offerings. The deli is set up with more than 200 varieties of artisan cheeses from around the globe.

The store also includes daily-made sushi and gourmet soups along with a seating area with free Wi-Fi service. Customers also will find the company's Aprons cooking demonstration station, eight check-out stations and four self check-outs along with two check-out counters at the customer service desk and one each in the cafe and pharmacy.

The biggest thing that sets the store apart from any other Publix or its competitors across the Charleston region is parking.

Customers with cars will have to drive up the building's ramp off Horizon Street to the second floor parking deck and take the elevator to the ground level to enter the supermarket.

When exiting the garage, drivers can only turn left toward the new WestEdge street in front of the Publix entrance and then onto Lockwood Drive.

Until two weeks ago, the store was still empty except for its shelving, said district manager Charles Gainer.

"We have a tremendous group of people," he said. "They worked extremely hard with a lot of passion to get us ready for the opening."

With some employees putting last-minute items on shelves, assistant manager Natasha Emmerth showed firefighters around the store Tuesday so they could acclimate themselves with emergency exits and other safety features.

And, for the first time in three years, the new supermarket will become the peninsula's third full-service grocery store.

The downtown area is now served by Harris Teeter on East Bay Street and Food Lion on upper King Street. The middle peninsula was served by Bi-Lo, formerly Piggly Wiggly on Meeting Street, until it closed in 2016.

The store will become the Florida-based grocery chain's 13th in the Charleston region. Its first GreenWise organic store in South Carolina will open this summer in Mount Pleasant.

Three other Publix supermarkets are in the works around Charleston. They include two under development in Cainhoy Plantation off Clements Ferry Road in Berkeley County and another on Folly Road on James Island. A third is planned for the Summers Corner area south of Summerville.

For those wanting delivery service, Shipt shoppers pick up items for customers in the store, but Instacart is the official delivery agency for Publix, Reynolds said.

After a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, shoppers will receive free reusable bags while supplies last and find lots of food samples throughout the store. A booth will even be set up to instruct customers about ways to save money.

Niko Stahley, who has 13 years with Publix, is the new store manager. He comes to Charleston after serving as assistant manager in Simpsonville near Greenville.

While the new supermarket is ready to open, the 350 apartments under construction above it in the nine-story building are not.

The first units will be ready for move-in in May, said Michael Maher, CEO of the WestEdge Foundation.

"We hope to be finished in August  if there are no hurricanes," he said.

Of the new Publix, Maher called it "more than a grocery store. It's an anchor. This side of the peninsula was a food desert, so it becomes a synergistic component of the community."

Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the nation, has more than 200,000 workers. Its sales last year at 1,214 stores came in at $36.1 billion.
Charleston police officers are stepping up their patrols of the West Ashley Greenway after a woman on Monday evening said she was tackled to the ground and beaten by a stranger after she "waved and smiled" at the man.

The woman was running north along the Greenway shortly after 6:30 p.m., in the area between Canterbury Road and Markfield Drive.

During the course of her run, the woman, who The Post and Courier is not identifying, waved and smiled at a man on his bike headed in the opposite direction, according to an incident report.

The man then screamed at her and demanded to know what the woman was looking at. He then tackled her from behind, the report said, throwing as many as six closed-fist punches.

Police said the woman had lacerations on her neck, chest and her right ear. After the assault, the man  described as an African-American in his 20s with shoulder-length dreadlocks and a turquoise shirt  fled south on his bike.

He did drop several items out of a grocery bag he was carrying: a water bottle, a spoon and two food containers, according to the report.

Those items, police said, were collected as evidence.

Last year, police responded to multiple violent assaults  largely on women  who were using the Greenway, a popular fixture among runners, cyclists and dog-walkers.

In May 2018, Charleston police said a man punched a woman in the face, knocking her to the ground after she challenged him for riding a moped on the path, which is prohibited.

A passerby confronted the moped-rider after seeing the incident unfold from afar. When the moped-rider lost control of his vehicle, he pulled out a pocket knife and slashed the passerby's hands and arms, according to an incident report.

The Charleston Police Department has six officers assigned to the bike unit that patrols the area, agency spokesman Charles Francis said, adding that the group patrolled the Greenway for nearly 230 hours between July and December 2018.

In those hours, police said they made contact with upwards of 1,528 residents.
Michael Majchrowicz is a reporter covering crime and public safety. He previously wrote about courts for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts. A Hoosier native, he graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism.
Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category.
Mike Yianopoulos (foreground) of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, and Raleigh West III of The Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, check out the Revolutionary War outpost, Fort Fair Lawn, in Moncks Corner in 2016. Wade Spees/Staff
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
At the beginning of "Us," Jordan Peeles latest assault on your nerves and expectations, we learn that thousands of miles of empty tunnels  abandoned train routes, mine shafts and the like  run beneath the continental United States. If you still havent shaken off the spell of "Get Out," Peeles wickedly sharp 2017 directing debut, you might be reminded of "the sunken place," that surreal zone of physical and psychological paralysis that became a terrifying metaphor for black enslavement.

Theres a different kind of sunken place in "Us," but the less said about it the better, and not just because this movie cries out to be seen in as unspoiled a mindset as possible. The points of connection between "Us" and "Get Out" are worth acknowledging, though at the risk of overstating them.

Once again, the director draws upon the sketch-comedy gifts he honed on "Key & Peele" to achieve an artful, ruthless balance of horror and hilarity. "Us" is a tour de force of comic tension and visceral release, a movie that weaponizes our chuckles against us and reminds us that laughing, screaming and thinking are not mutually exclusive pleasures.

At the same time, Peele has no interest in exhausting the same bag of tricks. The twisted satire of racial animus that made "Get Out" such a conceptual triumph has no real equivalent here (it would hardly be as singular an achievement if it did). The fresh terrors that Peele inflicts on his protagonists  a black family of four on a less-than-idyllic vacation in sunny California  have nothing to do with the few white characters in their midst. The storys most disturbing implication, succinctly stated by its title, is that we are always our own worst enemy, susceptible to an evil that comes from within.

Mirror horror

This is a troubling if hardly original notion, but the genius of "Us" is that it explores and sustains the conceit in a way that is both amusing in its literal-mindedness and thrilling in its imaginative energy. It begins with a chilling prologue set in 1986, when a young girl (Madison Curry) visits a Santa Cruz boardwalk carnival and is left unattended by her parents. She wanders down to the beach and into a funhouse of mirrors, where she has an unexplained encounter that leaves her deeply shaken.

The story proper begins three decades later, when the fully grown Adelaide Wilson (now played by Lupita Nyongo) heads back to Santa Cruz for a summer holiday with her family. Shes still reluctant to return to that fateful beach, but any lingering trauma remains hidden by a veil of suburban normalcy. Her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), is an affable goofball. Their daughter, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), is a moody adolescent and rising track star. Their young son, Jason (Evan Alex), is an odd duck and a bit of a loner, fond of playing creepy games and hiding behind a mask.

The fun of this early stretch comes from watching the movie outline these characters (and set up future narrative payoffs with a few quick, incisive brushstrokes). It also comes from spotting the many cinematic references  a kid in a mask named Jason, a "Jaws" T-shirt on a crowded beach  from a filmmaker with an effortless command of the horror lexicon.

By the time Peele unleashes his piece de resistance, your mind may race, as mine did, toward home-invasion thrillers such as "Funny Games" and doppelganger freakouts such as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (The writer-director has claimed a classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "Mirror Image" as a key inspiration.)

Double trouble

One night, the Wilsons are confronted by another family standing in the driveway of their vacation home, a family to whom they bear an unsettlingly perfect resemblance. Who are these strange, menacing doubles? Why are they wearing red jumpsuits and wielding very large, very sharp golden scissors? What exactly is Adelaides evil counterpart (the end credits name her "Red," but I like to think of her as Badelaide) talking about when she speaks of "shadows" and "untethering"? Why does her halting, rasping delivery  one of the creepiest aspects of Nyongos sensational performance  sound like the voice of someone whose lungs have been crushed underfoot, who hasnt been able to breathe for years?

Peele gets around to answering most of these questions, some more obliquely than others, and he gives this mind-bending scenario the moment-to-moment intensity and jolting humor of a George Romero-inspired nightmare. He also elaborates on, and refines, his thriller technique: If "Get Out" consisted of a few well-timed shocks en route to a Grand Guignol climax, then "Us" feels pure and relentless in its grisly B-movie mayhem. Watch the shadows skittering in the background of Peeles beautiful widescreen images, the way he uses razor-sharp cutting and an elegantly swerving camera to keep the worst just out of view. (The picture was shot by Mike Gioulakis and edited by Nicholas Monsour.)

Like "Get Out," "Us" is an experience of extraordinary dread-soaked momentum, even if Peele is still learning to differentiate between his "A" jolts and his "B" jolts. There are one or two moments when the terror and the comedy dont fuse so much as fight each other, as Peele (knowingly) pushes his characters panic beyond the limits of what we might call reasonable horror-movie stupidity. But beyond the jittery mechanics of attack and pursuit, what lingers is the unnerving intimacy of the whole situation, the terrible and mysterious sense of kinship that binds the Wilsons to their malevolent alter egos. U.S.?

The themes at play in this movie  the return of the repressed, the duality of the self, the loss of personal identity  are not particularly hard to grasp, but they are open to considerable interpretation. The closing twists, one of which is no less satisfying for being detectable a few minutes in advance, demand an immediate re-viewing. The all-American setting  a beachside carnival under the California sun, a reference to the 1986 Hands Across America campaign  might lead you to wonder if the movies title should be more accurately read as "U.S."

But if Peele is indicting a nations coddled middle-class complacency, he is also wise enough not to squeeze his vision into a strictly political reading. And in this he is indebted, more than anything, to the unerring skill and emotional expansiveness of his actors.

They include Elisabeth Moss, pocketing a few superbly chilling scenes as a friend of the Wilsons hovering on the sidelines of their nightmare. Duke, so winning as MBaku in "Black Panther," has fun playing the bumbling paternal doofus, while Wright Joseph and Alex establish a poignant bond as two bickering siblings brought together by the unthinkable.

But the movie belongs rightly and effortlessly to Nyongo, and she sustains every moment by distilling innumerable emotional layers  the unshakable resolve of a mother and wife, the stricken gaze of a trauma survivor, the lingering incomprehension of a lost child  into a performance for the scream-queen history books. All of which would be mesmerizing even if Nyongo were not acting opposite a radically distinct version of herself, or so good at suggesting that the difference may not be so radical. There isnt a moment when she doesnt have "Us" in her grip.
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Oksana and Vitaly met 17 years ago, dated for six years, and then got married, already planning "little plus one" to their family in the nearest future. But life is unpredictable and in reality everything turned out differently  for 11 years this couple had been fighting for their happiness and finally succeeded.

Today, they are so happy that, without hiding or being embarrassed of rather intimate details of their lives, they share this story to inspire those people who dream of having children and sometimes lose faith in their happy ending.

Oksana, when did you start planning your pregnancy?

We were dating for quite a long time  for six years. In a meanwhile, many of our friends got married, had babies. And at some point, we realized we were the only ones who would come to friendly meetings without children. Therefore, we made a decision of having a baby as soon as possible, shortly after the wedding.

How did you find out about your problems and realize that you needed medical assistance?

A year after the wedding, we realized that something was wrong with us and it was about time to seek help from medical professionals. We did IVF three times and nothing happened. And then we came to the project, organized by our national broadcaster company STB, "One year after" and came to ISIDA clinic.

Vitaly, were you ready to do the donor program? A very brave decision for a man...

I really wanted a child, and what's the difference whose genes he have? The father is the one who nurses, who cares about the future of this child. And the fertilization process itself is not that important.

Oksana, how did you find out about your pregnancy?

Despite the fact that for 11 years we did not succeed in getting pregnant, despite three unsuccessful IVF attempts, this time we were absolutely sure of success. Probably, the confidence of our doctor and the entire clinic staff gave us this realization  this place didn't feel like a hospital, but more like a family where everyone wanted to help from the bottom of their hearts.

We were warned that in the first two weeks after IVF, there is no point of taking pregnancy test as the result may be false. Therefore, we waited patiently till the end of this period and went for our analysis. We did it at 8 o'clock in the morning, and when we entered the doctors office and I accidentally saw that my HCG level was over 300m I already knew my result was positive. The joy was overwhelming!

Vitaly, and what did you feel?

At that moment it seemed to me that I could lift up the entire ISIDA building in my arms, and then put it in place ... We waited for 11 years to hear this, so many doctors and clinics went by, we even tried alternative medicine. And this time  boom! And we are pregnant.

Oksana, how was your pregnancy flow?

I did not have any specific signs of pregnancy, therefore, to convince myself that I was pregnant, I did a test at home. I really wanted to see those two stripes. After some time we went to our first ultrasound, and saw out baby's heart beating on the screen. Two weeks later we went again. And the heart of our baby was already occupying half of the screen, roughly speaking.

Vitaly, do you remember this moment?

Yes, I do. But I remember much better the day when we learned that we would have a girl. We went to the ultrasound and for some reason I was sure that they would tell us: "You will have a son". And when they said we are having a girl, I could not believe it and asked the doctor to look again. I really wanted a daughter. And I couldnt believe that all of my dreams came true at once: theres a pregnancy and a daughter. I could not believe this full happiness...

What did you feel when you took the baby into the arms for the very first time?

The first thought was that I feel the same way as when my girl was inside of me. She also beats her knees, only it is no longer inside, but outside. And her eyes were so big! I could not believe that I finally, after so many years of waiting, became a mother. But that was also the moment I realized there is no longer just the two of us...

Oksana, what do you think became a guarantee of success in your case?

We wanted a child for so long, we believed so much that everything would work for us, it probably wouldn't happen otherwise. Everything turned out well in the end: we found a clinic where we received needed help. We found a doctor who convinced Vitaly to agree to manipulation, calmly and confidently sent us to get pregnant. Fate gave us wonderful obstetricians, an excellent anesthesiologist. We felt at ISIDA, like in a family circle. We were accepted, we were given treatment and we left this place absolutely happy.

What can you advise to those couples who, just like you, have been dreaming of children since the wedding day?

To believe that everything is possible. Do not despair, do not be afraid to take the first step  turn to fertility specialists, undergo a full examination, find the reason and start working on its treatment. If it fails the first time  well, it means that you need to do it again. You need to keep on looking for your clinic and your doctor. We have found ours. It means that this huge and happy chance is available for the others, too.

Contact us!

Phone: +380 (44) 455 88 14; (044) 490-95-24

Viber: +380 (67) 333 88 14

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Guam's internationally known Kmart has vowed to stay open despite its parent company's bankruptcy restructuring last year, but the retailer's land and building in upper Tumon have had a change of ownership.

Kmart Corp. sold its Guam land and building to TF Tamuning, Department of Land Management property documents recorded on March 8 show.

A bankruptcy judge had authorized Kmart Corp. in February to sell some of its assets as part of the bankruptcy reorganization.

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TF Tamuning is a Delaware-registered limited liability company, with its principal place of business in Florida. The company took on a mortgage on the Guam Kmart building and land for about $74.9 million under a loan agreement, Land Management records show.

The lender is JPP LLC, also a Delaware company that has the same Florida address as the borrower, TF Tamuning.
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Why is it that we Americans seem to need a war to be happy? Its not that we start the wars exactly, but we embrace them with a strange fervor Read more
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined today to say that President Trump has full confidence in Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. Instead, she told reporters that Acostas involvement in a 2007 plea deal with alleged serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is currently under review.

Ive been told that Acosta was the subject of a vigorous discussion involving Trump and some of his top advisers. At this meeting, according to what Ive heard, Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff, urged the president to fire Acosta. This advice apparently was echoed by at least one key domestic policy adviser.

Trump was said to be non-committal.

I cant really vouch for this report, but it seems consistent with what Sarah Sanders told reporters today about Acostas status.

In view of the ongoing scandal arising from the sweetheart deal Acosta gave pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and considering Acostas unwillingness to implement a conservative agenda at DOL (or even to reverse the leftist Obama administration agenda), its difficult for me to see Acosta hanging on much longer.

President Trump must like Acosta personally, as many people apparently do. But were at the point where the decision to sack Acosta is a no-brainer, and Trump may be coming to regard it as such.
During his speech at the recent CPAC conference, President Trump thrilled the crowd, many of whose members were college students, by announcing that he plans to issue an executive order to protect freedom of speech on campus. My friend Stanley Kurtz has devoted years to fighting for campus free speech. Who better to evaluate Trumps idea?

Writing for NRO, Stanley concludes that yes, there are many potential problems with federal intervention, but there is really no good alternative.

Voluntary action by colleges and universities is not the answer:

They are caught in a quicksand of their own creation and are well past the point of self-extraction. This isnt just a university problem either. The extremism of our politics; its historical naivete; the bitter mutual recriminations that dog our every debate; the countrys rising divisions along lines of religion, ethnicity, sex, and race; and the endangered liberties even of Americans well past college age; are all outcomes of the noxious spirits the academy has been injecting into the body politic for nearly six decades.

Moreover:

[I]t is. . .mistaken to treat campus free speech as just another case in which unfettered markets will flourish in the absence of outside interference. The campus is the opposite of a free market. Its protected from market forces by tenure, and further insulated from public dismay  and bursting economic bubbles  by hundreds of billions of dollars in annual government subsidies.

Public policy should be informed by colleges and universities as they are, not by the idealized classical liberal vision, once arguably compatible with reality, that justified the federal government in conferring benefits and privileges on them. That vision entailed a faculty selected based on intellectual merit rather than politics or identity that strives to present students with the best thinking from a wide range of sometimes conflicting perspectives, while avoiding ideological pressure and indoctrination. It entailed protection of the freedom of students and faculty to think and speak as they see fit, while taking care to instruct students in the fundamental principles of free speech. itself.

In exchange for fulfilling this mission, colleges and universities received loads of free money, the right to insulate faculty hiring and the content of courses from public pressure, and an informal but powerful cultural norm of public non-interference.

Todays college and universities dont just fail to live up to the idealized classical liberal vision; they reject it. As Stanley says:

In place of that liberal bargain there has grown a fundamentally illiberal perspective in which freedom of speech and the various liberties upon which our constitutional system rests are dismissed as smokescreens for oppressive power, white supremacy, heteronormativity, neo-colonialism, etc. From this new perspective, the principles of classical liberalism  free speech, disinterested study, the search for truth, universal standards of excellence, neutral interpretation of law and principle, due process rights, etc.  do not form a legitimate framework within which political contestation or authentic education can take place. They are instead sham excuses by which the dominant powers gull the oppressed into accepting their subordination. The new university takes its mission to be the stripping away of this liberal smokescreen, and the empowering of oppressed groups and their allies to resist the system that dupes and disadvantages them. This is the ideology of the students who shout down visiting speakers, pull down displays that they dont like, and in various ways ostracize and intimidate students who disagree with them. These supposedly oppressed students and their allies act without scruple, fully convinced that they are justified in suppressing the speech of others because they view the very ideas of individual rights or rule of law as flimsy cover-stories for white supremacy, and such.

Students absorb this ideology from their teachers. Administrators share it in some cases. In other cases, they lack the confidence and the courage to explain to bullying students the principles upon which liberal education rests.

The federal government should not subsidize colleges and universities that behave in these ways. Thus, as Stanley says, theres a conservative case for cutting federal funding entirely.

Stanley recognizes that this isnt going to happen. But strings can be attached to federal money that, during Republican administrations at least, will curb the worst campus excesses and perhaps cause colleges and universities to move closer to the classical liberal vision of an education.

In sum, President Trump is on the right track. Lets hope he follows through.
Antithrombotic drugs also have some concerns such as postoperative bleeding and a potential for significant drug interactions, which may hamper the demand for the antithrombotic drugs and restrain the global antithrombotic drugs market.

Antithrombotic Drugs Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:41:10

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Antithrombotic drugs are known as an agent which reduces the formation of thrombus or clot in the blood. A thrombus or clot is formed at the site of injuries, which can be a simple skin injury or the major intravascular injury. Normally it takes about 12-16 seconds to form the thrombus in normal conditions without use of any antithrombotic drugs. In the last decade, there have been substantial activities for research and development of new medications and drugs for treatment and prevention of complications by thrombotic drugs. There are two types of thrombosis  arterial thrombosis and venous thrombosis. This thrombosis can be treated with the use of antithrombotic drugs. The antithrombotic drugs are of three types which include thrombolytic drugs, antiplatelet drugs, and anticoagulants. An impressive number of antithrombotic drugs are introduced in the market in the recent past years as well as the prescription pattern for antithrombotic drugs in the medical practices is also increased extensively which drives the market growth. The major and branded antithrombotic drugs include Plavix, Pletal, Lovenox, Pradaxa, Xarelto, Effient, Activase, Aspirin and Cardio which contribute the leading shares in the global antithrombotic drugs market.The global antithrombotic drugs market is segmented on the basis of types, indications and end use.On the basis of types, the global antithrombotic drugs market is segmented into:AnticoagulantAntiplateletThrombolytic drugsRequest Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3206 On the basis of indications, the global antithrombotic drugs market is segmented into:Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)Myocardial infarction (MI)StrokeVenous thromboembolism (VTE)Peripheral arterial occlusion (PAO)othersOn the basis of end use, the global antithrombotic drugs market is segmented into:Thromboembolic disease treatmentProphylactic treatmentBlood clot preventionHyperlipidemia treatmentOthersThe global antithrombotic drugs market is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases worldwide leads to the thrombotic diseases and require long-term drug administration of antithrombotic drugs, which is the major factor boost the demand for the antithrombotic drugs and drives the global antithrombotic drugs market. The unavailability of any specific substitute for the antithrombotic drugs also propel the use of antithrombotic drugs and drives the global antithrombotic drugs market. The many drugs which are used as antithrombotic drugs are off- patented, and many companies entered into the manufacturing of generic versions of the antithrombotic drugs, which also propel the growth of the antithrombotic drugs market. The increasing research and development activities for the new drug development and up-gradation in the antithrombotic drug as well as the new product launches in the recent few years to the global market, also drives the growth of the global antithrombotic drugs market.However, sometimes the antithrombotic drugs medications do not significantly impact as of sedation or anesthesia. Antithrombotic drugs also have some concerns such as postoperative bleeding and a potential for significant drug interactions, which may hamper the demand for the antithrombotic drugs and restrain the global antithrombotic drugs market.On the basis of regional presence, the global antithrombotic drugs market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Currently, Asia Pacific is contributed the leading shares to the global antithrombotic drugs market in terms of revenue and volume and anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period due to the growing demand from the largest population of the Asia-Pacific. The North America and Europe have also contributed the significant shares to the global antithrombotic drugs market and expected to show a moderate growth over a forecast period in terms of revenue due to the increasing research and development activities for new drugs development. Latin America and MEA are at a nascent stage to the global antithrombotic drugs market and anticipated to register a decent growth to the market over a forecast period. Overall, the global antithrombotic drugs market is expected to show significant growth over a forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3206 Market: Key PlayersSome of the major market players in of the global antithrombotic drugs market include Sanofi, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., The Medicines Company, Pfizer Inc.
ASEAN Cosmetic Chemicals Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:17:38

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The growing beauty products market has been increasing the demand for value-enriched cosmetics. The market is flooded with various cosmetic chemicals. Cosmetic chemicals are the basic ingredients found in cosmetic products including soap, shampoo, lipstick, mascara, deodorants and other beauty products (excluding the products listed under therapeutic goods). At present, various cosmetic business enterprises use more than 5000 different chemical compositions to offer selected cosmetic products. Based on its end use applications, cosmetic chemical have been further divided into surfactants, emollients, conditioning polymers, and UV absorbers. These chemical-based products contain preservatives which hinder microbial growth and thereby offer longer shell life to the cosmetics. In addition, these chemicals contain a variety of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, herbs, hormones, and fragrances. This vast range of cosmetic chemicals allows business cosmetics to deliver different types of cosmetics in the market, thereby offering a vibrant market to cosmetic industries.Their use is widely found in personal care products. A wide range of applications ranging from anti-ageing cream to shampoo is driving the cosmetic chemical market to its zenith. Companies these days are focusing on organic grade cosmetic chemicals as they are considered to be a healthier option when compared to commodity surfactants and petroleum oils.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-as-31 The cosmetic chemicals market has been segmented into skin care products, make up products, hair care products and fragrance products. Among all its market segments, cleaning agents and foaming agents are the enduse applications that account for the largest percentage of the market. Skin care products accounted for 31% of global cosmetic market in year 2013. Though cosmetic chemicals offer many options to formulate cosmetics depending on different skin types, the market is shifting towards natural surfactants primarily because of the rising safety concerns of sulfate-based surfactants.Globally, North America is the largest market for cosmetic product consumption. It accounted for 21.2% of global market share in 2012. USA with US$ 54.89 billion in 2012 is the biggest cosmetic market. However, with the rising dominance of non-western beauty culture in Eastern region, the market share is set to shift towards ASEAN region. Ethnic and cultural diversity in APAC, and particularly in ASEAN region,are driving the cosmetics market vertically upwards. Growing consumer class in ASEAN region from 67 million population to 125 million population by 2025 will offer a lucrative market for various business cosmetic business channels. A large consumer base, ample natural resources, availability of cheap labor and easing of policies such as FDI by government, are the main driving factors for the cosmetic chemicals market in ASEAN markets.In the ASEAN region, the cosmetic market has been witnessing a double digit growth every 5 years. GDP at the constant price shows a vertically upwards trend in these regions. The rise in the middle class population in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Philippines is the major driving factor for the growth of this sector, while in Malaysia and Singapore, wealthy segments contribute largely to it. Skin care products are set to witness exponential growth in the ASEAN market, thereby offering lucrative business opportunities in the cosmetic chemicals market.There is a flood of suppliers in cosmetic chemicals which results in a fragmented market. However, the demand for premium personal care products has led to consolidation of the market, thus leading to high competitiveness among the dominant players in this market. The prominent players of cosmetic chemicals market include Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, Bayer AG, Givaudan SA, Merck KGaA, Shell Chemical and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-as-31 With the new emerging markets such as ASEAN, BRIC, and MEA, the future seems optimistic for cosmetic chemicals companies. Together, these regions offer a large market owing to the high population of youth in the age group of 15-39 years. Though the market seems promising in the long run, companies have to spend lump sum amounts on R&D to comply with the governments regulatory demands.
Asia-Pacific Underground Coal Gasification Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:41:47

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Global energy demand had seen an exponential growth over the decade due to changing lifestyle. At the time when natural gas prices witnessing fluctuation and coal resources are depleting, the world is witnessing a significant gap between demand and supply of energy. Though as per World Coal Association, global coal reserves are estimated to be 861 tonne and accounts to 42% of total world electricity production; the year on year growth for coal consumption was highest in FY 2013, making it the highest since 1970. The demand for coal consumption is increasing every year thereby leading to depletion of coal reserves at an alarming rate. Moreover, most regions are economically unviable to extract coal from its bed. It is due to this reason that companies are looking for alternative solution that can lead to harnessing the total potential of coal, without disturbing the ecological balance.Underground coal gasification (UCG) is an industrial process by which coal is gasified under intense heat and atmospheric pressure. This enables the production of synthetic gas, constituents of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which are extracted through a well and utilized in various sectors, ranging from power generation to biodiesel and fertilizer production. Though this concept is not new to the market, little progress has been achieved in this sector, primarily due to low R&D. However, with growing energy consumption and fluctuating oil prices, industries are focusing on UCG to offer clean, efficient and cost-effective energy to various industries.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-ap-173 Asia-Pacific is projected as the largest market for underground coal gasification over the next 5 years due to impressive growth in end-use industries ranging from power to chemicals. China along with India, and Australia are key markets for underground coal gasification projects. China is the largest producer as well as the largest consumer of coal based energy. It consumes almost half of the total coal production to meet its energy demand. China has conducted 17 UCG trials since 1991 to check the economic viability of UCG. Major power generating enterprise SinoCoking Coal is planning to harness coal reserves in Henan Province which was abruptly shut down because of strict environmental compliance set up by Chinese government. UCG is an environmental friendly approach that empowers companies to scale high power generation. With worlds most populated country, China offers a vibrant platform for energy sector companies to set up their base in China and thereby meet the growing demand of energy in China. Recently, China signed a whooping US $ 1.5 billion major pact with UK for commercial development of UCG in interiors of Mongolia.Next prominent market is India. In India, mining contributes 10% of Indias GDP. With vast coal reserves, India is looking towards harnessing coal without disturbing ecological balance. There are also some sites which are economically nonviable to mine. Though Indias untapped 88.6 billion tonnes of non-metallurgical coal is found at a depth of 300 to 1200 metre is economically nonviable; UCG makes it economically sound option. Coal India Limited is trying to push the UCG technology to harness the coal in Kaitha (Jharkhand) and Thesgora (Madhya Pradesh) area. These two promising region is expected to generate high return on investment (ROI) by FY 2025.Next prominent destination is Australia. In Australia, most companies are undertaking R&D to fully harness the concept of UCG. At present, three major UCG trials is being conducted by Linc Energy, Cougar Energy, and Carbon Energy at Queensland. Australian government is paying a vigil eye on these projects until the technology is commercially proven.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-ap-173 SinoCoking Coal, Cougar Energy, Carbon Energy, Linc Energy, and ONGC are key market players that have conducted pilot projects on UCG technology.Future is optimistic for underground coal gasification. With major innovations going around globally, it is expected to meet the needs of people in oil shortage region. Regions including APAC, and Africa will be a future market for underground coal gasification segments.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 12:10:03

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LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / Australis Capital Inc. (CSE: AUSA) (OTCQB: AUSAF) (''Australis'' or the ''Company'') is pleased to announced that Scott Dowty, Chief Executive Officer, and Michael Carlotti, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in this year's Spring Investor Summit to be held at Essex House in New York City on April 1-2, 2019, with a webcasted presentation on April 2nd at 2:30 PM EST.The webcast and presentation materials utilized during the conference will be available on April 1, 2019 at www.springinvestorsummit.com The Spring Investor Summit (formerly The MicroCap Conference) is an exclusive event dedicated to connecting small and micro-cap companies with high-level, institutional and retail investors. The upcoming conference will feature 200 presenting companies, 1200 institutional and retail investors, 2000 one-on-one meetings, expert speakers, and industry panels.To register and attend the event, please visit www.springinvestorsummit.com OTHER SPONSORSRegal ConsultingMSKProactive InvestorsMarcumIrth CommunicationsMZ GroupCoreIRPCG AdvisoryICRAbout AustralisAustralis identifies and invests in the cannabis industry predominantly in the United States, a highly-regulated, fragmented, rapidly-expanding and evolving industry. Investments may include and are not limited to equity, debt or other securities of both public and private companies, financings in exchange for royalties or other distribution streams, and control stake acquisitions. Australis adheres to stringent investment criteria and focuses on significant near and mid-term high-quality opportunities with strong return potentials while maintaining a steadfast commitment to governance and community. Australis' Board and management team have material experience with, and knowledge of, the cannabis space in the U.S., extensive backgrounds in highly-regulated industries, adherence to stringent regulatory compliance, public company, and operational expertise. In addition to the Company's expertise and strong execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes Rthm Technologies Inc., Body and Mind Inc., Quality Green Inc., Folium Biosciences and Mr. Natural Inc., Australis has developed strategic partnerships with companies such as Wagner Dimas.Australis' Common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol ''AUSA'' and on the OTCQB under the symbol ''AUSAF''.For further information about Australis, please visit the website at ausacap.com or contact the Company by e-mail at ir@ ausacap.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS''Scott Dowty''___Scott DowtyChief Executive OfficerContact:Michael J. CarlottiChief Financial OfficerIR@ ausacap.com Media Contact:Ashley Allardashley@ microcapconf.com Forward-Looking Information StatementThis news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect.Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor 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 statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including securities laws.SOURCE: Australis Capital, Inc.
Examples of some of the market participants in the global automated radiosynthesis module market identified across the value chain include General Electric Company, Siemens Healthineers, IBA RadioPharma Solutions, Synthra GmbH, Eckert & Ziegler AG, Sumitomo Corp, Sofie Biosciences Inc., Trasis and Scintomics GmbH.

Automated Radiosynthesis Modules Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:34:24

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Radiosynthesis modules are automated equipment used for radio pharmaceuticals synthesis and the molecular labelling. It is used for the formulation and production of radiotracers. Radioactive tracers are chemical compound in which atoms are replaced by radioisotope, radioactive decay mechanism is used to trace the path that is followed by radioisotope to form product. Mainly radioisotopes are manufactured in radiopharmaceutical units and laboratories. The half-life of radiotracers are limited, thus decreasing the performance in diagnostics and therapeutics. The scope of customization of production of radiotracer is decreased with the increase in time interval for the radiotracer to reach the end user. Radiosynthesis modules are easy to use and set and offers the scope for customization of the radiotracers. The product obtained from the automated radiosynthesis module can be used for both research and in the field of therapeutic nuclear medicine.Nuclear medicine therapy is performed differently for different indications. While treatment of thyroid cancer or overactive thyroid gland, nuclear medicine is swallowed in a capsule or liquid form. Patients are usually treated as outpatients where single dose is needed in most of the cases. During treatment of joint pain (Arthritis), nuclear medicine is injected into joint fluid under local anaesthetic post which the joint is immobilized with the help of bandage or light splint. Bones affected due to spreading of pain caused by cancer is treated by injecting radiopharmaceutical in a vein in the arms. Automated radiosynthesis module is used during Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging. It is the most common imaging techniques used in nuclear medicine.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3095 Automated Radiosynthesis Modules Market: Drivers & RestraintsAutomated Radiosynthesis Module market growth is expected to fuel by factors such as research and development on radiopharmaceuticals, increasing incidence of cancer cases, and rising awareness about SPECT, PET and nuclear medicine. Other factors such as use of PET probe for accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and hyperthyroidism, detection of cancer, monitoring the response to cancer treatment and to detect metastases and others are projected to favor the Automated Radiosynthesis Module market over the forecast period.Some factors such as high cost of the device, rise in the cost of the procedure associated with nuclear medicine and side effects associated with the use of nuclear medicine and low half-life of the radiopharmaceutical is expected to hamper the growth of global automated radiosynthesis market.Automated Radiosynthesis Modules Market: SegmentationAutomated Radiosynthesis Modules market is classified on the basis of end user and regionBased on End-User, the automated radiosynthesis modules market is segmented into the following:HospitalsDiagnostic LabsRadiology ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersAutomated Radiosynthesis Modules Market: OverviewAutomated radiosynthesis market is expected to expand at a significant growth rate across regions. Major players are functioning on research and development process to build superior quality radiotracer and increase their product portfolio. The increase prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases worldwide due to a large number of elderly population and sedative lifestyle, ease in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring by nuclear medicine is fascinating more patients globally, which is expected to boost revenue growth of global automated radiosynthesis marketAutomated Radiosynthesis Modules Market: Region-wise OutlookA geographic condition regarding automated radiosynthesis module market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and the Middle East & Africa.North America is expected to account for significant growth in automated radiosynthesis module market by revenue generation. Accelerated growth on development of new products and increased funding by governmental bodies for research and development in Western Europe proves the uplift of global automated radiosynthesis market. Rise in standards of health care services and increase in awareness towards the treatments in India and China is expected to favour the market for automated radiosynthesis modules in overall Asia Pacific region.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3095 Automated Radiosynthesis Modules Market: Key PlayersExamples of some of the market participants in the global automated radiosynthesis module market identified across the value chain include General Electric Company, Siemens Healthineers, IBA RadioPharma Solutions, Synthra GmbH, Eckert & Ziegler AG, Sumitomo Corp, Sofie Biosciences Inc., Trasis and Scintomics GmbH.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 09:43:29

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Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.comEmail: sales@researchreportinsights.comT.L6317214201

Today the market for any given product is governed by the awareness among the consumers. An average buyer concentrates on the personal priorities and needs, apart from the overall notoriety of the product. These factors often administer the commodities of personal hygiene like diapers to a great extent. The modern day parents analyse the products for the infants more soberly than ever before. The material, costing, comfortable level are significant factor for making a diaper brand popular. Thus research and development are imminent part of baby diapers manufacturing. Also, the market for baby diapers is rising at an enormous pace, following rise in global demand.In recent years, the demand for baby diapers has grown fixedly in various nations of East Africa.The report provides a thorough acument into the key market dynamics, emerging trends, recent design innovations, and competitive landscape. The study offers a detailed statistical analysis related to the market share and size of segments and analyzes the key factors configuring the competitive acts. Recent attempts by governments of various countries and private players in East Africa are highlighted and their impact on the costing strategies of vendors are evaluated.East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Trends and OpportunitiesRequest For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114564/Baby-Diapers-Market The East Africa baby diapers market is principally driven by a continuous slump in the toddler mortality rate in developing nations, an upswing in urban population with significant expendable incomes, and increasing awareness related to the hygiene of infants. Coupled with this, in-depth and persistent efforts made by several governmental and non-governmental organizations to create awareness among rural population have led to an increasing use of baby diapers to promote the healthy growth of infants.Increasing shift toward the use of eco-friendly and viable materials in manufacturing baby diapers has resulted in various product innovations. The onset of ultra-soft and hypoallergenic diapers made without the use of any supplements is expected to shoot the market over the forecast period. However, the growing run of parents embracing longer in-between changing times of diapers has resulted in skin rashes and bugs among babies. Various study reiterating the role of disposable diapers in causing testicular cancer among males are likely to hinder the growth of the market to an extent.East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Provincial VisionThe major countries considered in the research report are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Kenya becomes top lucarative market for baby diapers in East Africa. The dramatic demand for baby diapers in Kenya is driven by the significant rise in birth rate included a substantial decline in the infant mortality rate as compared to other developing nations of East Africa. After Kenya,Tanzania is the second largest revenue contributing country in the East Africa diapers market. Other Countries Involved are Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114564/Baby-Diapers-Market East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Companies InvolvedLeading players are also establishing feasible products made with biodegradable materials to entice parents who are vigilant of the environmental brunt of adapting diapers. Major manufacturers are making product modernization and operating boosting their distribution channels to centralize their presence across major countries. Key players accomplishing in this market include Johnson and Johnson, INDEVCO Group Procter and Gamble, Unicharm Corporation, SCA Hygiene Products GmbH, Mega Soft (Fujian) Hygiene Products Co. Ltd., and Interconsumer Products Ltd.This report gives you approach to definitive data such as: Market growth drivers, Factors hindering market growth, Current market trends and Market extensions for the coming decade.Key highlights of this reportOverview of key market forces propelling and forbiddingmarket growthUp-to-date analysis of market trends and technological advancementsPin-point analysis of market competition dynamics to offer you a competitive edgeAn analysis of strategies of major competitorsAn array of graphics and SWOT analysis of major industry segmentsDetailed analyses of industry trendsA well-defined technological growth map with an impact-analysisOffers a clear understanding of the competitive landscape and key product segments.Report Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114564/East-Africa-Baby-Diapers-Market
Carbon Nanotubes Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:40:51

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Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are nano-sized tubes made up of carbon atoms. Their properties depend on how carbon atoms are aligned to each other in a sheet. It is gaining prominence in various industry verticals primarily due to its varied applications as well as its durability. It is 100X times stronger and 6 X times lighter when compared to steel. Research is underway to explore its market potential in the auto mobile and electronics industries. It is a multi-billion dollar investment in technology when compared to other synthesized nanomaterial.Owing to its attractive features, it is penetrating various end use markets. The growing demand for nanotechnology is set to cater to the growing demands of energy, healthcare, environment, aerospace and electronics sector. Analysis of the growing market of carbon nanotubes (CNT), there has been a tremendous rise in CNT patents over the last 5 years.In the healthcare domain, it plays an important role in body implants, medical devices, and dental filling materials. Researchers have developed sensors using carbon nanotubes, which can be injected into the blood to know the concentration level of nitric oxide. It has potential in assessing critical illnesseslike oral cancer. In oil and energy sectors, it can play an important role in cleaning of oil spills. Besides the oil sector, it finds its usefulness in water purification plants. Compared to other alternatives, it is a cost-effective and reliable platform.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-78 Globally, North America and Europe are the biggest markets for the companies operating in nanotechnology. Together, they account for almost 70% of market share. Though the market for North America is seeing a declining phase after the recent economic downturn, it is expected to bounce back with potential investment in various business sectors. With a market share of 25%, APAC is third biggest and fastest growing regional market for carbon nanotubes primarily due to the inflow of FDI in energy and healthcare sectors as well as the growing demand for specialised materials. Growing industrialisation in China and India are the other major driving factors for carbon nanotubes.Electronics and transportation are the key market segments which will see a massive investment in the APAC region. China, being the global leader in electronics market, will witness a massive investment in carbon nanotubes in the future. India, on the other hand,is the market hub for automation industries. It contributes almost 22% of Indias manufacturing sector. With 100% FDI inflow in the automation sector in India, the market seems promising for enterprises operating their business in carbon nanotubes. Chinas electronics industry has witnessed a massive double digit growth since 2001. Though Chinese nanotube markets pace has been reduced by the 21stcentury economic downturn, it soon regained its growth momentum by 2009. With carbon nanotubes, it is expected that China will soon repeat its double digit growth in the next few years. Besides the transportation and electronics segments, APAC is set to witness a CAGR growth of 49.2% (2014-2018) in the field of nanotechnology for energy sectors. The aged population in India and China is the other key factor that is driving the healthcare market in the APAC region. Carbon nanotubes with its cost effective and reliable solutions is set to penetrate the healthcare market in APAC in the coming years.Nanocyl S.A, Arkema S.A. (France), CNano Technology Ltd. (USA), Bayer MaterialScience AG, Showa Denko K.K. and Hyperion Catalysis International Inc. (U.S.) are some of the leading companies in the carbon nanotube market. With rising popularity of carbon nanotube technology, global market will witness many new emerging players in this sector.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-78 Going through the potential benefits of carbon nanotubes, there is almost no doubt that this is the promising technology of the future. It is expected to grow at double digit CAGR over the next 6 years. Though the biomedical and automotive industries will be the leading end-use sectors for carbon nanotubes, automotive industries will see a massive surge in investment in coming days. Developed economies, i.e. USA, Japan and the European nations, are investing lump sum amounts in R&D to expand the commercial horizons of carbon nanotubes.
Coated Fabrics for Defense Market: Innovation in Clothing for Military Personnel to Boost Growth in Demand During the Forecast Period: Global Industry Analysis 2013 - 2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018 - 2028

Coated Fabrics for Defense Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 12:06:52

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Recent findings from a month-long deep sea exploration in the South China Sea have shown astounding results pertaining to new materials that can be used to manufacture military and aerospace equipment. The military seeks constant support of such developments to support their critical day-to-day activities. The impact of the recent developments taking place in the sector have impacted the coated fabrics market, as these fabrics are used for different products in the defense industry.The improved support by the government of various countries to provide better products to their military has facilitated a moderate revenue growth in the global coated fabrics for defense market, which is expected to reach a valuation of over US$ 5,200 Mn by the end of 2028. A recent forecast by Future Market Insights projects the market to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% during the forecast period. Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6762Thermoplastics to Emerge As a Viable Alternative to Rubber for Reducing Fabric WeightDifferent materials are being incorporated in various military products and equipment due to their special properties. Thermoplastics is now being given more preference in the global market over rubber as it is considered lighter and more durable. Thermoplastics is also considered to be more efficient as it possesses other special properties such as chemical resistance, strong environment sustainability and convenience in opening and folding. As a case in point, the U.S Army is working on a lightweight hot weather alternative to the current Army Combat Uniform (ACU), which weighs about 1.4 pounds and has a lot of pocket and multiple layers of fabrics.Adoption of Electronic Textiles Trending the Global Coated Fabrics for Defense MarketRevolutionary advancements have resulted in the implementation of new technology in many sectors of the global market. This implementation of technology is not just limited to the technical or electronic fields but also to the textile industry. The most evident example of this innovation can be seen in electronic textiles that are widely used by military personnel. This technology integrates miniature electronic components into the textiles used in different military products and equipment. The special features of these textiles such as ballistic protection, embedded sensors, etc. helps military personnel perform their daily operations efficiently. This innovation in military fabric technology is anticipated to boost the growth in demand for lightweight materials, eventually leading to a growth in revenue of the coated fabrics market.Privatization of the Defense Industry to Introduce New Companies in the Global MarketPrivatization of the defense industry will continue to be an important factor impacting the overall growth of the coated fabrics for defense market. Privatization has abolished several barriers to entry of new companies. These new companies will provide the necessary services support and will also lead to a change in the working of the global defense industry. Most of the companies are launching innovative products to sustain in the competitive market of coated fabrics for defense. By introducing new products, a business can target previously untapped markets.Need more information about Report Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-6762However , stringent emission norms for coated fabrics is expected to limit the growth of the global coated fabrics for defense market. These norms have resulted in plant closures and restructuring of ownerships and some of the companies have also gone bankrupt in the past.
The coronary guidewires market has evolved gradually and comprises of different varieties of guidewire used during coronary intervention procedures. The market is anticipated to grow with fastest CAGR due to increase in the prevalence of coronary artery disease.

Coronary Guidewires Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:40:14

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Guidewires is a thin flexible wire that act a guide for the subsequent placement of a catheter, endotracheal tube or central venous line. These guidewires have the properties of steerability, traceability, flexibility and opacity. Steerability is the ability of the wire tip to navigate vessels whereas opacity is the level of visibility under imaging technologies. Guidewires are made up of stainless steel and nitinol. Coronary guidewire is a guidewire used during coronary interventions. These guidewires passes beyond the coronary stenosis, providing a platform for the subsequent placement of the balloon catheter. Thus coronary guidewires are used for accessing the lesions and for crossing the lesion atraumatically. Coronary guidewires are selected based on the vessel anatomy, surgeons experience, catheter used and lesion morphology. These guidewires are selected depending upon the site and the nature of the lesion i.e. frontline cases, tortuous cases, subtotal occlusion cases, multiple lesion cases, extra support cases etc. Coronary guidewires are also categorized based on the coating of the guidewire such as hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Whereas these guidewires are also classified depending upon their tip flexibility such as floppy, intermediate and stiff.The coronary guidewires market has evolved gradually and comprises of different varieties of guidewire used during coronary intervention procedures. The market is anticipated to grow with fastest CAGR due to increase in the prevalence of coronary artery disease.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3199 Coronary Guidewires Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe primary factor for the growth of global coronary guidewires market is the increasing number of hospital admissions attributed to rising incidence of atherosclerosis patients, and rising prevalence of CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) worldwide. Secondly growing healthcare expenditure levels and the introduction of advanced technologiesin balloon catheter drives the market growth for coronary guidewires over the forecast period. Also increase in the number of new product launches also the drives the revenue growth of coronary guidewires market. However high cost of angioplasty procedures along with availability of anti-atherosclerotic drugs is expected to hamper the revenue of coronary guidewires market over the forecast period.Coronary Guidewires Market: SegmentationThis market is segmented on the basis of tip flexibility, coating, material and end userSegmentation based on tip flexibilityFloppyIntermediateStiffSegmentation based on coatingHydrophobicHydrophilicSegmentation based on materialStainless steelNitinolHybridSegmentation based on end userHospitalsASCsCardiac Catheterization LaboratoriesCoronary guidewires market is mainly dominated by trends such as availability of floppy and middle weight guidewires for left main PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention). Also availability of advanced treatment option such as drug eluting balloons, also drives the demand for coronary guidewires over the forecast period. However presence of different types of guide wires provides good number of options to the surgeons for selecting a guide wire for PCI procedures which in turn drives the market for coronary guidewires over the forecast period.Coronary Guidewires Market: OverviewDepending on geographic region, the coronary guidewires market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.Globally, coronary guidewires market is expected to witness healthy growth in the near future due to increasing prevalence of coronary artery disease and the rise in per capita expenditure on healthcare in the developing nations. North America is expected to hold major share of global coronary guidewires market followed by Western Europe owing to technological advancement, increasing number of players in coronary guidewires market and increasing awareness regarding angioplasty procedures. Also it has been analyzed that coronary guidewires have been widely adopted in clinical practice and is associated with improved clinical outcomes in Western Europe. Asia-Pacific market is expected to register fastest growth owing to the rise in geriatric population and increasing obesity, which ultimately gives rise to the number of patients suffering for coronary artery diseases over the forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3199 Coronary Guidewires Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in coronary guidewires market includes Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott Laboratories, Cordis, Ovalum Ltd., JOTEC GmbH, QXMedical, LLC etc. these players are entering into mergers & acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and product portfolio expansions, distribution agreements which are their key sustainability strategies. Secondly many local players have started entering in this lucrative market.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 17:17:32

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# 504 Words

42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, Ontario, CanadaT: +1-631-721-4201Email: admin@researchreportinsights.comWeb Site: http://www.researchreportinsights.comPhone - (+91) 7875758555Ethan Taylor+44-631-787-4201

Tapes are films which has adhesive on one or both sides and are broadly used to seal the cartons or other packaging materials. Some companies also uses these tapes for advertisements but such uses are countable. Most of the companies uses these tapes to ensure that if the packages are not being tampered the last seal has been done by the company itself. Further the companies also uses the printed tape as brand building by ensuring that every material used has the companies footprint. Custom tapes are less expensive than custom boxes printed with company logos. With adding security, these tapes also show that company is serious about making their position in the market.Report For Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124870/Custom-Printed-Tapes-Market With the motto of increasing sales all companies strive hard for larger brand recognition and do not let any scope of missing the opportunity to increase the brand visibility. Thus, the Custom tapes demand is not going to seen and downwind near soon and is expected to continue witness growth in coming years. Further The demand for attractive packaging and the continuous evolution of printing industry are the all set to drive the custom tape market.The cost of high quality printing and fading of ink are the only key restraining factors for this market. The opportunities in this market tends to grow as digital printing is evolving and custom tapes provide attractive packaging solutions with cost effectivity.The global Custom Printed tape market have the following segments: By Product Type: Hot melt carton sealing tape, Acrylic carton sealing tape, Natural rubber carton sealing tape; By Mechanism: Flexography, Lithography, Digital printing, Screen printing, Gravure, Others (Letterpress, Offset) By Material: Polypropylene, Polyvinyl chloride, Others (polyethylene, polyamide, and others) By Printing Ink: Water-based ink, UV-curable ink, Solvent-based ink By End-user Industry: Food & beverages, Consumer durables, Transportation & logistics, Others (construction, health care, cosmetics & toiletries, and others) By Region: Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, RoW (Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and others)Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/updiscount/120124870/Custom-Printed-Tapes-Market Polypropylene holds the largest market size in packaging tape printing market. Polypropylene has a melting point of 171 C, which makes it the best films for making tapes. Polypropylene exibits the property of strength, moisture barrier and are also temperature resistant. The versatile nature of Polypropylene, increases the ability to print over them.Geographically, Asia Pacific Region is the largest in terms of market size. In recent years, China emerged as a world`s largest manufacturer and supplier of every type of goods. With emerging product sells and logistics, the demand for tapes has increased drastically in this region. The developing countries like India and in rest of Southeast Asia also contributing in increasing the market of Custom Printed Tapes.The key players in the global market are: Uline, Inc., Mas Corporation, 3M Company, Sonoco Products Company, Custom Tapes, Inc., UK Industrial Tapes Ltd., Watershed Packaging Ltd and POLI-TAPE Klebefolien GmbHReport Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124870/Custom-Printed-Tapes-Market
On the basis of distribution channel, the global dermal fillers market is segmented into retail pharmacies and drug stores, clinics and hospital pharmacies, and online pharmacies. Online pharmacies are expected to be the fastest growing distribution channel segment for dermal fillers over the forecast period given the rapid adoption rate.

Dermal Fillers Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:50:37

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

The global dermal fillers market is traversing a path from the growth phase to maturity as companies are focussing on developing variants of products currently available in the global dermal fillers market. According to this new report titled Dermal Fillers Market: Global Industry Analysis (20122016) and Opportunity Assessment (20172027) that tracks the performance of the global dermal fillers market for a period of 10 years, the United States is a highly mature market with wide scale adoption of dermal fillers. This new report published by Future Market Insights discusses the high pricing competition and discounting practices between companies as well as physician practices that inflate margins and tend to hamper global adoption of the dermal filler procedure by patients.Global Dermal Fillers Market: TrendsIncreasing preference for non-surgical proceduresCelebrity endorsements and direct consumer marketingIncreasing popularity of anti-ageing treatments and active interest for dermal rejuvenationAdvanced process technology for newer formulation of fillers and several combination products in the pipelineRising expenditure on cosmetics and aesthetics proceduresIncreasing training programs for aesthetic practitioners and increasing foreign investmentsUse of three dimensional imaging techniques for assessment and emergence of online sales channelsBeauty service demand patterns and micro-injectable dermal fillers that results in better looking skinRequest to View a Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5699 Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by Product TypeOn the basis of product type, the global dermal fillers market is segmented into absorbable and non-absorbable. The non-absorbable product type segment  with a market attractiveness index of 0.01  is not expected to make a major impact over the forecast period. For example PMMA-based fillers are not as preferred, given their limited bio-compatibility.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by IngredientsThe ingredient segment comprises hyaluronic acid, poly-L-Lactic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, polymethyl methacrylate and collagen. Several manufacturers are developing newer, long-lasting formulations of hyaluronic acid-based fillers that are expected to lead to rapid adoption over the projected period. Collagen is expected to remain the least attractive ingredient in the global market in revenue terms with an attractiveness index of 0.02 over the projected period.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by ApplicationThe application segment includes aesthetic restoration, dentistry and reconstructive surgery. In 2017, the aesthetic restoration segment is projected to be valued at US$ 2,693.9 Mn and is estimated to grow significantly to reach a market value of US$ 3,646.1 Mn in the year 2027. This segment is likely to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% during the study period.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by Distribution ChannelOn the basis of distribution channel, the global dermal fillers market is segmented into retail pharmacies and drug stores, clinics and hospital pharmacies, and online pharmacies. Online pharmacies are expected to be the fastest growing distribution channel segment for dermal fillers over the forecast period given the rapid adoption rate.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by RegionNorth America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, APEJ, Japan and MEA are the seven regions included in this report. The dermal fillers market in North America is expected to be the most lucrative, with a market attractiveness index of 2.5. Major players in the dermal fillers market, including Allergan and Galderma, are focussing on improving the sale of hyaluronicacid-based fillers in North America. Companies are trying to exploit full market potential and get maximum returns on R&D till patents for their products are valid. The market in APEJ is expected to be the fastest growing among all regions.Request to Browse Report Customization @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-5699 Global Dermal Fillers Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players operating in the global market for dermal fillers are GaldermaPharmaS.A., Sinclair Pharma plc., Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Allergan plc., Anika Therapeutics Inc., Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA, SunevaMedical Inc., Teoxane Laboratories Inc., Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., Adoderm GmbH, Laboratoires Vivacy SAS, Fidia Pharma USA Inc.
Top key players of Employee Engagement Software Market like Gensuite, Quantum Workplace, TemboStatus, Transcend, VibeCatch, MyHub Intranet, Ultimate Software, OfficeTimer, Tap My Back

Employee Engagement Software Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 21:53:25

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10916, Gold Point, Dr, Houston, TX - 77064Sales Manager+1-888-631-6977

Employee engagement software is a category of application programs that organizations use to increase employee job satisfaction and retain talented workers. Most modern employee engagement software is administered by human resource (HR) departments and is sold on a subscription basis as software as a service.Request Sample Copy of this Report@:Top Key VendorsTeamphoria, Officevibe, Qualtrics, TechnologyAdvice, Gensuite, Quantum Workplace, TemboStatus, Transcend, VibeCatch, MyHub Intranet, Ultimate Software, Ving, Jive Software, WorkTango, Sparble, People Gauge, Jostle, Motivosity, Bloomfire, Key Survey, Pingboard, Vocoli, Zinda, Synergita, Bitrix, KaiNexus, OfficeTimer, Tap My BackEmployee Engagement software market is expected to grow into an important CAGR in the coming years as the scope and applications grow tremendously across the globe. Employee engagement software is a tool that measures employee behavior and generates revenue with good rewards and incentives. The Human Resources (HR) management team can use this software to rate employee feedback on websites such as company ratings.Employee engagement software market research reports provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of markets, critical segments, landscape and competition scenarios and recent developments. Detailed research has been highlighted on factors that can affect market growth and trends in consumer behavior.This report provides a summary of the key drivers, limitations and impact of popular trends in the Employee Engagement Software Market. These factors are studied both locally and globally to diversify the depth of market research. This report provides detailed analysis of market competition structure with detailed business profiles, project feasibility analysis, SWOT analysis and some other details about major companies operating in the employee participation software market.Market Segment:Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States EU Japan China India Southeast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split into Web-based On-premise Cloud-basedMarket segment by Application, Employee Engagement Software can be split into Small and Medium Enterprise Large EnterpriseGet Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:Major Factors about the Report:Global Employee Engagement Software Market OverviewEconomic Impact on MarketMarket CompetitionGlobal Employee Engagement Software Market Analysis by ApplicationIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersGlobal Market Effect, Factors, AnalysisGlobal Market ForecastReport Highlights:- The report provides a detailed analysis on current and future market trends to identify the investment opportunities- Market forecasts till 2025, using estimated market values as the base numbers- Key market trends across the business segments, Regions and Countries- Key developments and strategies observed in the market- Market Dynamics such as Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and other trends- In-depth company profiles of key players and upcoming prominent players- Growth prospects among the emerging nations through 2025- Market opportunities and recommendations for new investmentsFor More Information:
Energy Harvesting Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:25:08

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Energy harvesting, one of the most promising technologies to address the energy crises without altering the existing energy sources, is foreseen to witness staggering demand and innovation in the near future. The process of energy harvesting harnesses the power of ambient energy to use later in varied applications. With growing use of ambient energy and advent of the energy harvesting technology, the energy harvesting market is currently heading at a considerable pace globally.FMI extensive research indicates that the global energy harvesting market is anticipated to gain momentum and grow at a double-digit CAGR by 2020 end. A number of newly innovated efficient energy applications and widespread acceptance of renewable energy sources are expected to play a vital role in the growth of the global energy harvesting market during the forecast period 2014-2020.Key Drivers: Energy Harvesting MarketDuring the past decade, there has been growing demand for safe, power efficient, and enduring systems, which require minimum or no maintenance. This is a major driver of market growth, expected to continue pushing the demand for devices based on the energy harvesting technology. Growing applications of the energy harvesting technology in building and home automation is another key driver to the market growth.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-58 Moreover, industrial WSN demand energy harvesting on a large scale, which is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. The green energy trend is effectively governing the market, while favourable initiatives by various governments are also boosting the market on a global level.Abundance of renewable energy sources, including tidal, wind, and ocean energy provide a dependable platform for the innovation of energy harvesting applications. This is also an influential factor contributing to the growth of market.Key Restraints to Market GrowthThe technology based on energy harvesting is typically used off-grid or on-demand. However, both of these usage patterns possess some technological complexities, which may restrict the widespread demand for energy harvesting devices in the market. Another deterring factor includes inadequate awareness among consumers about the availability and usage of the devices based on harvested energy.Moreover, relatively higher initial costs associated with these devices are expected to curtail the growth of the market globally. The energy harvesting technology generates lower current, which makes it incompatible for the application in all types of energy domains.Global Energy Harvesting Market: SegmentationFMIs research on the global energy harvesting market provides a six-year forecast, segmenting the market on the basis of different energy sources/fields, applications, and geography.On the basis of different energy sources/fields, the energy harvesting market is segmented into radiation (solar, electromagnetic, and light), mechanical (fluid, elastic, kinetic, and potential), chemical (battery, fuel cells, and phase change), nuclear, magnetic, electric, thermal, and gravitational. Among these, electric and magnetic fields form the most common source for harvesting energy.Based on the application, the energy harvesting market is segmented as wireless sensor network (WSN), consumer electronics, industrial, building, bicycle dynamo, military and aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and others (research, animals, and farming). Among these, consumer electronics, including mobile phones, wrist watches, calculators, and piezoelectric gas lighters cover the maximum share of the global energy harvesting market, followed by military and aerospace-based applications. However, building and home automation is the fastest growing application segment in the energy harvesting sector. Energy harvesting is also an integral part in a wireless sensor network (WSN) these days.According to the geography, the energy harvesting market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, Americas are projected to remain the dominating markets in 2016, with a significant market share. However, Europe will be the fastest growing market, owing to burgeoning promotion and investments by The European Commission in R&D of energy harvesting and storage devices. North America and Asia Pacific will also account for remarkable market shares by 2020 end. In North America, the U.S. will dominate, whereas in APAC, Japan will reportedly contribute the largest share to the total energy harvesting market revenues.Notable Market TrendsBuilding and infrastructure, automation of lighting, security, and electronics at homes, and WSNs for bridges include some of the most sought after applications of energy harvesting since the past few years.The use of mmWave (millimetre wave) for 5G cellular networks has been a popular trend of wireless energy harvesting.The market is expected to gain traction from growing application of energy harvesting in wearable devices and mobile phones.Energy harvesting is estimated to find increasing applications in automobile industry in the near future.The advent of nanotechnology has offered ample of growth opportunities to the energy harvesting market. Since nanotechnology helps manufacturing of compact-sized devices, the emergence of portable devices based on energy harvesting technology is the most likely occurrence in the market.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-58 Key Players: Global Energy Harvesting MarketSome of the prominent players competing in the industry include ABB Limited, Arveni, Enocean, Fujitsu, Cypress Semiconductor Corp., Green Peak Technologies, Honeywell International, Inc., Levant Power Corporation, Marlow Industries, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., MicroGen Systems, Maxim Integrated, G24 Innovations Limited, Texas Instruments Inc., and STMicroelectronics.Other notable players include Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Siemens AG, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Mide Technology Corporation, Laird Plc., Lord Microstrain, EnOcean GmbH, Cymbet Corporation, POWERleap, Inc., Schneider Electric, Linear Technology, Microstrain, and Micropelt.
The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application and industry.

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 12:01:40

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The global fire suppression systems market is envisaged to gather pace with swelling demand from fire risk-prone industries such as energy and power, oil and gas exploration, and manufacturing. These industries could significantly up the demand for fire prevention and protection systems. The market could see strong growth rising on the back of the need to minimize human loss and safeguard structures. Organizations are largely adopting fire suppression systems with rising awareness about their advantages and benefits across different industry verticals. Improved fire safety standards supported by tight regulations are expected to set the tone for valuable growth in the market.Emerging economies witnessing a rise in the number of construction activities are envisioned to substantially contribute to the growth of the global fire suppression systems market. Mandatory building safety codes and increasing consumer awareness about fire safety could push market growth in the near future. The market is foreseen to gain impetus from the growing demand for sophisticated technologies used for the automation of fire safety systems. The automation process could be simplified with the use of wireless sensory networks in the construction of smart cities. Market growth is also foretold to propel as it rides on the increasing requirement of centralized protection system with modern detectors and sensors connected via WAN/LAN networks.Get Free Exclusive Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=597 Fact.MRs new report on the global fire suppression market provides a comprehensive market outlook during forecast period of 2018 - 2027. The report delivers an in-depth analysis of the past, current, and future trends of the industry which can assist stakeholders in assessing the opportunities in the market.Based on the extinguishing agents used to suppress the fire, the fire suppression systems are of three types -- water-based, chemical-based, or gas-based. Within these categories, based on specific requirements, different delivery systems are found such as water pipe, sprinklers, and manual or automated suppression systems. Apart from this, the fire suppression system also includes detection systems, alarms, and emergency control system.Fire incidences lead to several disastrous impacts such as threats to livelihood, destruction of public as well as private properties. To prevent such damage, fire suppression systems are highly adopted in the commercial sectors. The International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA) data suggested that approximately 135.8 million units of sprinklers were installed worldwide in 2016. Further, the highest installation was reported in Asia, followed by North America and Europe.Increased construction activities in commercial, residential as well as industrial sectors have contributed significantly in this record breaking installations. Increased industrialization and on-going construction of new infrastructures are set to influence the future adoption of the fire suppression systems market.Stringent Government Regulations Fuelling Adoption of Fire Suppression SystemAccording to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 1.3 million fire incidences were reported in the United States. These incidences caused over 3000 deaths and property loss of worth US$ 10.6 billion. Due to this, NFPA has enacted guidelines for commercial business infrastructures to deploy fire suppression system such as sprinklers and clean agent suppression systems. Further, NFPA has included two important requirements of regular maintenance and training of personnel of the clean agent fire suppression system. Moreover, IFSA has recently published an article that includes the FM Global data sheet that included technology updates for installation of sprinkler systems in automated storage facilities. Recently announced new US federal tax reform will support small business annually and large business entities over the span of five years for retrofitting of sprinkler systems. Such government reforms will enhance the adoption of fire suppression systems at larger geographical locations.Request Brochure of this Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=597 The Global Fire Suspension Market: Innovative Product LaunchVictualic VortexTM is a fire suppression system launched by Victaulic, a global provider of mechanical pipe joints, fire protection systems, and innovative engineering and construction solutions. This is a new hybrid fire suppression system that involves combination of water and nitrogen extinguishers that efficiently suppresses the fire.Other key companies in the global fire suppression market include Minimax, Lubrizol, Bristol Fire Engineering, Halma PLC, SFFECO, NAFFCO, TYCO, United Technologies Corporation, Master Fire Preventions Ltd., Firetronics, National Fire Equipment Ltd. and Amerex Corporation.As manufacturers are aligning their product launch to the evolving regulatory reforms and changing building infrastructures, adoption of advanced fire suppression systems is likely to grow. Further, a need for developing effective method of fire safety has led to the development of innovative solutions that are superior as well as environmental-friendly. In addition, technology innovations and integration of IoT and cloud-based solutions are driving the demand for fire suppression systems in the new smart building constructions globally.Overall, the report offers holistic analysis and insights on the global fire suppression systems market. Stakeholders can gain a wealth of information on the key factors likely to shape the market during the assessment period 2018-2027.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.factmr.com/report/597/fire-suppression-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 UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@ factmr.com Web: www.factmr.com/ Read Industrial News : http://insiderstribune.com/
Gas Leak Detectors Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:26:41

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A gas leak detector is a piece of equipment or a device that senses and detects the existence of gases in a particular area. These devices are used as a part of safety systems installed in factories, homes and commercial complexes. A gas leak detector system detects the gas leaked and generates a signal to take proper action. Industrially, gas detector systems are fitted with a sound alarm to evacuate the area in case of toxic gas leakage. The popularity of such devices is growing due to the influx of new chemical facilities across the world. Further, the growing gas storage facility network across the globe has deployed a significant number of gas leak detectors for safety systems.Due to their design modifications, gas detectors are broadly categorised on the basis of technology as electrochemical, infrared imaging, infrared point, ultrasonic, semiconductor and holographic. On the basis of product type, the global gas detectors market is bifurcated into portable gas detectors and fixed gas detectors.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-67 Portable gas detectors are widely used in lab application whereas fixed detectors find their maximum application in gas extraction and processing fields. Fixed gas detectors can also be used for residential applications such as using itin a bedroom. Further, industrial fixed type gas detector application includes SCADA monitoring.Gas detectors are used in applications such as gas turbines, building and construction, health care, food and beverages, water treatment, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, underground gas storage facilities, and others. The segments for refineries and chemical plants applications dominate the global market at present. Nevertheless, gas detectors are widely used in underground gas storage. The growing gas supply network is spurring the demand in this segment.One of the major driving factors for gas leak detectors market is the ever growing oil & gas industry. The increasing number of gas field explorations and widening gas supply network has been fuelling the demand for gas leak detectors. In addition, active government organizations have been imposing safety regulations on the industries. This, in turn, has propelled the demand for gas leak detectors. Further, Asia Pacific is likely to lead the league in terms of growth of the industrial sector, mining sector, medicine and healthcare sector, and construction sector. This is likely to create opportunities for the growth of theglobal gas leak detectors market. However, the market is facing strong competition due to the influx of new players in the market and frequent product launches.Multi-gas detector coupled with an analyzer system is one of the emerging trends in the global leaked gas detector market. This kind of detector is gaining popularity due to its compact designs and better features as compared to conventional gas leak detectors. It is expected that the after sales market is likely to develop further in future and a number of market participants will enter this segment. It is also expected that the gas leak detector manufacturers will expand their business to aftermarket sales through forward integration and strategic alliances.A number of product launches can be seen in the global gas leak detectors market. For instance, market participants such as Scott Safety, GE and RAE Systems recently launched a few new gas leak detectors. The global gas leak detectors market has also been witnessing strategic alliances such as that between Cbiss and Old Man Partner. To expand the business globally, a number of gas leaked detectors manufacturers have acquired other companies such as the acquisition of Edinburgh Instruments Ltd by Techcomp Group Ltd., the acquisition of RAE Systems by Honeywell International Inc. and the acquisition ofGroveley Detection Ltd by Emerson.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-67 Some of the prominent players in global gas leak detectors market are City Technology Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Mine Safety Appliances Co., Dragerwerk AG & Co., KGAA, Testo AG, ABB Ltd, Industrial Scientific Corporation, California Analytical Instruments Inc., Figaro Engineering Inc., Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Hitech Instruments Ltd, Ametek Inc., Emerson Electric Co.,Halma Plc, Trolex Ltd,GE Measurement & Control, Gasmet Technologies OY, Enerac Inc., Xtralis Pty. Ltd, Horiba Ltd and others.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 17:24:49

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With the constantly increasing number of data sources and the complexity of data generated within the healthcare organizations, which can be useful and also has the potential to increase revenue as well as profitability, the healthcare business intelligence market is shaping up. Overall this involves the aggregation, analysis, and use of clinical, financial, operational, and non-traditional data captured inside and out of the healthcare setting to directly inform decision-making. It has the power to positively impact patient care delivery, health outcomes, and business operations.Report For Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124876/Healthcare-Business-Intelligence-(BI)-Market The driver for this is the need for advanced analytics to support decision-making capabilities. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations require predictive modeling and data visualization tools from modern business intelligence software applications to gain insights regarding patient care and satisfaction, labor distribution, clinical operations, daily practices of physician and nurses, and administration and management. Healthcare is increasingly dependent on digital technology to support the operations of a functioning healthcare system. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations need an environment that supports the daily practices of physicians, administration, and all other healthcare personnel.The restraints has been the changing govt regulations which can prove too costly at times as it might result in overhauling the system and thus cost factor might result in stagnating the market. The opportunities has been in providing services to small hospitals and whose budget are low. Thus, custom solutions-based ion the budget of small hospitals is going to prove new avenue to explore. Further collaborations with govt for real time healthcare under the programs of e governance and digitizing the healthcare services sponsored by government is the arena where the BI can get an enormous Phillip.Based on the application, the healthcare business intelligence market is segmented into clinical analysis, financial analysis, and operational analysis. On the basis of deployment model, the healthcare business intelligence market is segmented into on-premise, hybrid, and cloud-based models. On the basis of the region, the healthcare business intelligence market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia, and the RoW.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/updiscount/120124876/Healthcare-Business-Intelligence-(BI)-Market North America is expected to account for the largest share of the market, followed by Europe. On-premise model segment is expected to account for the largest share of the healthcare business intelligence market, in the classification based on deployment model.Some of the major players in the market are Microsoft (US), IBM (US), Oracle (US), SAP SE (Germany), SAS Institute Inc. (US), Tableau Software (US), MicroStrategy Incorporated (US), QlikTech International AB (US), Information Builders (US), Sisense Inc. (US), Yellowfin BI (Australia), and BOARD International (Switzerland) are some of the leading payers in healthcare business intelligence market.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124876/Healthcare-Business-Intelligence-(BI)-Market
Some of the major market players in hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market globally include Tosoh Corporation, Pall Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., General Electric Company, Avantor Performance Materials, Inc., Merck KGaA, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Purolite Corporation and Repligen Corporation.

Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography Resins Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:41:57

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins is defined as a technique used for the process purification of biomolecules. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins is an alternative for the size exclusion chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography gives better results when the impurities are of a similar isoelectric point or have similar molecular weight. The hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins technique is utilized for the separation of proteins and peptides, separation of DNA plasmid. This technique is also used in purification of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), purification of glycoproteins with high carbon content, purification of plasmid DNA purification. The hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins have various benefits over other chromatography resins such as robust chemical stability between pH 1-13, temperature range stability 40 to 600 C and autoclavable at 1210 C, compatible with organic solvents, low non-specific protein binding, and superior recovery. The increasing monoclonal antibody research and genomic and proteomics studies boost the demand for the hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins.The global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market is segmented on the basis of types, ingredients and applications.On the basis of types, the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins is segmented into:Natural polymerSynthetic polymerInorganic mediaRequest Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3231 On the basis of ingredients, the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins is segmented into:AgaroseDextronSepharosePolystyrenePolyacrylamideSilica gelPolymethacrylatesAluminum oxideOn the basis of application, the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins is segmented into:PharmaceuticalsGenetic engineeringDrug discoveryDiagnosticsFood and beveragesWater and environment analysisOthersThe global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The increasing research and development activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is the major factor boost the demand of the hydrophobic interaction chromatography and drives the market. The growing demand of monoclonal therapeutic antibodies and biosimilars also increases the demand for the chromatography resins and drives the market. The efficient use of hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins in separation techniques in the food industry as well as water and environmental analysis also propels the demand for hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins and drives the market over the forecast period.However, the lack of skilled labor force to handle and operate hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins may hamper the growth of the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market. The increasing use of alternative ion-exchange and affinity chromatography resins may affect the demand of hydrophobic interaction chromatography and restrain the growth of the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market.On the basis of regional presence, the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Currently, North America is contributing the leading shares to the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market in terms of value and anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The Europe is also contributing the moderate shares to the market due to the increasing research and development activities in pharmaceutical and biotechnology. APAC is the most lucrative market for the hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins and expected to show a robust growth to the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market. MEA is at a nascent stage to the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market and anticipated to register a decent growth to the market over a forecast period. Overall, the global hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market is expected to show significant growth over a forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3231 Key PlayersSome of the major market players in hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins market globally include Tosoh Corporation, Pall Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., General Electric Company, Avantor Performance Materials, Inc., Merck KGaA, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Purolite Corporation and Repligen Corporation.
Some of the prominent players operating in the global anti- wrinkle treatment market is Laser & Skin, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, Allergan, Galderma Laboratories, L.P, Merz North America, Inc., among the others worldwide.

Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:46:34

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Injectable anti wrinkle are the treatment that are injected into the treatment area to reduce the skin lines and wrinkles. It can also fill the sagging skin and tighten the skin, reduce the frown lines, and lines under the eyes etc. The injectable anti-wrinkle treatment can help in rejuvenation of the skin without undergoing any surgery. The treatment is relaxing, it is quick and requires minimal downtime, painless etc. Furthermore the anti-wrinkle treatment also help in treating excessive sweating. The anti-wrinkle injection are mostly of two types firstly the muscle relaxants which use botulinum toxin that blocks the nerve impulse which leads to contraction and secondly, the dermal fillers which are used to fill up the wrinkles. The treatment may have side effects like headaches, bruising and minor pain at the sitInjectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: Drivers & RestraintsRise in concern about beauty and physical awareness among the people is one of the major factor attributing to the growth of the global injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market. Increase in geriatric population is another major factor contributing to the growth of the global market. The baby boomer population progressing towards the age of retirement is the major contributing group for the growth of the global market. Furthermore, less time consuming, effective results, lower side effects, rise in demand from consumers, non-invasive, technologically advance procedure, rise in obesity are the other major factor attributing to the growth of the global injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market during the forecast period.Higher cost of the treatment, safety and efficacy concern are the major restrains that can hamper the growth of the global injectable anti  wrinkle treatment market through 2027.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3073 Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: SegmentationThe global injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is classified on the basis of type, by skin condition treated.Based on type, the injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is segmented into the following:Muscle RelaxantsBotox injectionsOtherHyaluronic Acid Wrinkle FillerBelotero BalanceJuvedermPerlaneRestylaneOthersSynthetic wrinkle fillersRadiesseSculptraSiliconeCollagen Wrinkle FillersArteFillCosmodermEvolenceFibrelOthersAutologous Wrinkle FillersBased on skin condition treated, the injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is segmented into the following:Forehead linesFrown lines (between the eyes)Crows Feet (around the eyes)Bunny Lines (sides of nose)Upper lip lines (smokers lines)Sagging EyebrowsDimpled chinHyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)Based on geography, the injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is segmented into following:North America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, U.K, Spain, France, Rest of Western Europe)Eastern Europe (Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanMiddle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa)Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: OverviewInjectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is expected to expand at a significant growth rate across regions. Major players in this segment are operating strategies to develop a treatment with lower side effects, cost effective and highly efficient and long lasting. According to WHO, the number of aging population of age 65 years is estimated to grow from 524 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2050 which will propel the growth of the global anti-wrinkle treatment market in the forecast period.Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Market: Region-wise OutlookA geographic condition regarding injectable anti-wrinkle treatment device market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.North America is the dominating region in the global market in terms of value which is followed by Europe. The factors attributing to the growth of the market in North America are rise in awareness among people about signs of aging, increase prevalence rate of unhealthy lifestyle, new technological advancement etc. Asia Pacific is expected to anticipate a higher growth in the global market due to factors like new technology, rise in disposable income, and prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3073 Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players operating in the global anti- wrinkle treatment market is Laser & Skin, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, Allergan, Galderma Laboratories, L.P, Merz North America, Inc., among the others worldwide.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 08:09:08

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Military personal protective equipment has become a crucial and standard element of soldier equipment. One of the major factor driving the market is the increasing role of ground troops in different parts of the world such as Iraq, Afghanistan and India among others. The demand for military personal protective equipment is anticipated to be driven by modernization initiatives undertaken by several large defense spenders globally and various internal security threats, such as organized crime and terrorism among others.One of the major factor driving the market is the increasing role of ground troops in different parts of the world such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq among others. As of 2014, there were 8 active military conflicts and 10 official wars known by the United States. In addition, there were also other violent clashes relating 64 countries and 576 separatist and militias groups. In 2016, in wars between Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Lake Chad basin and Yemen helps the military personal protective equipment market to grow at a high CAGR which in turn is expected to boost the market.Body armor (IBA), improved outer tactical vest (IOTV), advanced combat helmet (ACH), pelvic protection systems (PPS), life safety jacket, military combat eye protection (MCEP) and others sectors are the various product types of the military personal protective equipment market. Among various product types of the military personal protective equipment market body armor (BA) is the held the major market share in 2015 and expected to be the same during the forecast period of 2016  2024.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market The military personal protective equipment market has been segmented on the basis of application into army, air force, navy and others. Among various application of the military personal protective equipment market army held major market share in 2015 followed by navy and is expected to be remain the same during the forecast period of 2016  2024. Several countries are focusing on manufacturing better military personal protective equipment such as lightweight under suits, ballistic inserts, combat helmets and advanced night vision equipment that provide the benefits of enhanced protection and comfort to ground, navy and air forces. In 2015, the market is expected to be dominated by North America followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. In addition, Asia Pacific occupies more than 20% of the global market share, is driven by developing economies such as India, South Korea, Japan and China among others which are performing soldier modernization programs.By geography, the military personal protective equipment market is classified into five regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. In 2015, North America holds the largest market share in the military personal protective equipment followed by Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. However, in 2024 Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the largest market for military personal protective equipment market followed by North America. China held the largest share for the military personal protective equipment market in Asia Pacific in 2015. It is also expected to experience healthy growth in the coming years. Growing research and development activities started by different research organizations acts as a driving factor of the market. In addition, growing concerns over the safety and protection of the forces is expected to propel the growth of the market.Request For Reprot discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market Key players profiled in this report include 3M Ceradyne (United States), ArmorWorks (United States), Eagle Industries Unlimited Inc (United States), BAE Systems (United Kingdom), DSM Dyneema (United States),Armorsource (United States), Du Pont (United States), Honeywell Advanced Fibres and Composites (United States), Revision Military Inc. (United States) and GentexCorporatio Corporation (United States) among others.The segments covered in the Military Personal Protective Equipment market are as follows:Global Military Personal Protective Equipment Market: By ProductType Body Armor (IBA) Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) Pelvic Protection Systems (PPS) Life Safety Jackets Military Combat Eye Protection (MCEP) OthersGlobal Military Personal Protective Equipment Market: By Application Army Air Force Navy OthersGlobal Military Personal Protective Equipment Market: By GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.K.GermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaChinaJapanRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin America Middle East and AfricaSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesRest of Middle East and AfricaReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market
The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.

Point-Of-Care Genetic Testing Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 14:37:46

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Point-of-Care testing is defined as the clinical testing performed at or near the site where clinical care is being given to the patient. It can be performed by patients itself or any personnel. Consecutively, analyzing the DNA and finding out the best treatment option based on the genetic makeup of the patient constitute Point-of-Care genetic testing. This isa fast and quick technique based on personal genomics so to allow the efficient functioning of the drug. The idea behind this point-of-care genetic testing approach is to reduce the diagnosis time, inconvenience faced by patients and to follow personalized medicine approach for specific patient. Generally, all the diseases are combination of various genetic factors, and current genetic testing techniques require a lot of time in analyzing the problem. As a result, the use of Point-of Care genetic testing systems is prevalent in quickly diagnosing and guiding the doctors to head in a right direction.Point-of-Care Genetic testing involves amplification of genetic material and then real-time analysis to detect the genetic variations among people. The first point-of-care version of a real-time nucleic acid detection system is the Cepheids Xpert system, going to be launched this year. It combines fully integrated sample preparation for amplification and detection process. This system is designed to purify, concentrate, detect, and recognize targeted nucleic acid sequences delivering diagnosis using unprocessed samples approximately within 30 minutes.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3138 Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe point-of-care genetic testing technology possesses convenient and immediate action for a therapeutic condition. The growth is likely to continue with the aim of providing less costly and closer to patients care. The use of genetics has become prominent nowadays in almost every pediatric condition, and this technology overcomes the limitations and challenges of current molecular testing techniques. Pressure on healthcare budgets and the trend to patient-centered care might be perceived as problems confined to the developed world. Moreover, the increase in population and westernization in the developing countries like China and India links it with the increase in the healthcare problems. Due to poverty and lack of sources, Point-of-Care genetic testing technology has a major scope in these countries by providing diagnostics available at low prices and at patients bedside. There are some technological limitations like failure to detect abnormal results, standardization, technological expertise, algorithmic & software complications, higher cost of maintenance & repair, poor tests result in case of contaminated samples, and sample specificity in the use of point-of-care genetic testing systems. In addition, the high cost of Point-of-Care genetic test and limited reimbursement support is hindering the growth of point-of-care genetic testing market.Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: SegmentationSegmentation by Product TypePOCT Cancer kitsMolecular POC kitsPOCT in Antibiotic TherapiesAssay CartridgeSegmentation by End UserResearch LaboratoryDiagnostic labsBio-Pharmaceutical IndustryAcademic InstitutionsSegmentation by ApplicationDrug discovery and researchTreatment AnalysisDiagnosisPoint-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: OverviewA global trends of making healthcare service more patient-centeric than the service provider shows an expanding growing opportunities for point-of-care genetic testing, as there are lots of funding available from multiple sources including NIH, US Department of Defence as well as various private foundations and biopharmaceutical companies. The point-of-care genetic testing market includes various types of testing includes diabetes, hematology, oncology, infectious disease, and others indications.Point-of-Care genetic testing is going beyond the laboratory, as FDA granted its first CLIA waiver to a nucleic acid based test. The Alere I Influenza A&B and cobas Liat System and Strep A from Roche have received a CLIA waiver in 2015. In the cardiovascular domain, Spartan Biosciences received the approval from Health Care Canada for their Spartan RX CYP2C19 system in 2014, a genetic test that can be used to govern whether patients receiving the antiplatelet medication clopidigrel (Plavix) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have CYP2C19 mutations that may weaken their ability to metabolize the drug.Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: Region-wise OutlookBased on geography, the point-of-care genetic testing market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan and Middle & Africa. Sustained implementation of point-of-care genetic testing requires that new technologies address the need of targeted settings. The combined power of microfluidics and smartphone technologies will be going to boost the market of point-of-care molecular testing. The US is recognized at the top country in the sector of Point-of-Care genetic testing market because of technological advancement, awareness among the population and high per capita income. In Europe, Germany is also recognized as the market player in this industry. Asia-Pacific is expected witness significant growth rate in the coming years due to increasing investment in cancer research, increasing awareness and funding by government to curb the prevalence of infectious diseases and active participation of corporates in the healthcare technologies.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3138 Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: Key PlayersCepheid, IQuum, Biocartis, Abbott, Idaho Technologies, ThermoFisher, Roche, Optigene, Lumora are some of the global key players in point-of-care genetic testing. In 2016, Biocartis Idyllas distribution rights were also granted to Thermofisher in the US. The Idylla platform is a fully integrated system enabling laboratories to perform a broad range of applications in oncology and beyond. But in 2014, Iquums Liat Analyzers rights were acquired by Roche Molecular Diagnostics.
Surface Mining Market

PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-12 05:28:08

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Surface mining refers to the mining technique where the overlying layer of soil and rock is removed, followed by the recovery or excavation of the underlying minerals. This method of mining provides considerably better recovery, safety, flexibility, environmental conditions and grade control as compared to other mining methods such as underground mining. The technique of surface mining gained momentum in the 16th century and has been widely prevalent at a global level, especially in North America.Factors such as lower injury rates, better recovery, flexibility and grade control serve as drivers for the global surface mining industry. However, from an environmental perspective, surface mining tends to have an extensive and more prominent impact on the surrounding environment as compared to underground mining. This is a disadvantage for the global surface mining industry. Hence, to counter this environmental impact associated with the surface mining operations, a safety zone needs to be placed around the mining area. Another disadvantage associated with the global surface mining industry is the relatively higher transport cost involved during the mining operation. For instance, the transportation cost of rock in open pit mining method accounts for about 50% of the total operating cost. Supporting regulations for surface mining such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 1977 in the US, and proper economic planning alongwith the establishment of safety zone near the mine surface have been introduced in recent times. These developments, the vast horizontal and low lying reserves and the surging demand of iron-ore, diamond, chromium and coal, will act as opportunistic factors for the global surface mining market.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-61 Market segmentation of surface mining can be done on the basis of mining methods, the type of mineral deposits and regions. On the basis of mining methods, the global surface mining can be categorised into 3 groups: strip mining, terrace mining and open-pit mining. Among these, strip mining is applied where both the surface of the ground and the ore body are relatively horizontal with a minimal depth under the surface. An example of strip mining is the coal mining operation at Mpumalanga. Terrace mining is opted for where the overlying layer is relatively thicker or the ore incline is too steep. Terrace mining is a multi-step method in which the entire mine moves over the ore reserve from one end to another. This type of mining is prevalent in Germany-based lignite mines, and in some of the coal mines in the UK and South Africa. Open-pit mining refers to the traditional cone-shaped excavation with a typical vein structure, and steeply dipping and stratified ores. This mining method is primarily used for the excavation of metals such as Sishen iron-ore and Palabora copper ore. However, at some places open-pit mining can also be used for the excavation of other types of deposits such as diamond ore at Finsch.On the basis of the type of mineral deposits, surface mining can be categorised as stratified and non-stratified. Stratified surface mining can be further sub-divided into horizontal and inclined. Non-stratified is divided into vertical vein, and massive stockwork or pipe.On the basis of region, the global surface mining market includes North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, surface mining is mostly prevalent in North America, followed by Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Surface mining accounts for about 85% of the overall mineral exploitation in the US. The major countries using surface mining include the US, Canada, Mexico, Peru, India, China, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Ukraine, Angola and Australia.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-61 Some of the prominent players of the global surface mining market include: Goldcorp, Teck, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Vale S A, Freeport-McMoran, Barrick Gold and others. With the adoption of safety measures, economical techniques and support from governmental legislations, the mining companies are expected to witness further positive growth, thereby contributing to a sustainable positive future for the global surface mining market.
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PARIS, FRANCE and CORAL GABLES, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2019 / The Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group is pleased to welcome Christel Thorson as Vice President of Sales for North America.Christel Thorson has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. She began her career in global business with major brokers such as Aon and Sedgwick. Christel Thorson spent the last 12 years in the IT sector, in charge of sales of reinsurance software at msg global solutions Inc.Christel Thorson brings her outstanding knowledge and experience in insurance and reinsurance to the Group. She will help to fulfill the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group's stake to create a major global InsureTech company, as she will be responsible for sales and expansion in North America for Prima Solution-Effisoft's WebXL reinsurance software and services.Christel Thorson, Vice President of Sales for North America"I am very pleased to join the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group, a major player in this industry. Having tracked the rapid growth of Effisoft for years, I am well aware of the company's commitment to customer service and to developing leading IT solutions for the reinsurance industry. I look forward to contributing to future successes within this extremely talented and innovative organization and this genuinely great team," Thorson said."We are very excited to welcome a proven sales leader to the Prima Solutions-Effisoft team. Christel's vast experience and connections within the industry will allow us to continue our rapid expansion and growth in the North American reinsurance market," stated Gregory Moliner, CEO of the Effisoft's American subsidiary.The consolidated group has more than 300 employees across the globe, servicing more than 300 customers across 5 continents. This nomination strengthens the position of the group in North America, as part of the continuing growth strategy of the Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group, following the merger of the 2 entities in December, 2018.Source: https://www.effisoft.com/en/News/WebXL/the-prima-solutions-effisoft-group-appoints-christel-thorson-vice-president-of-sales-north-america.html About The Prima Solutions-Effisoft GroupThe Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group is a global InsureTech Group which designs software solutions for insurance and reinsurance professionals in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.It covers all business processes: life and health insurance (group and individual), non-life, reinsurance, regulatory compliance and business intelligence, including predictive simulations and actuarial calculations.With more than 300 customers and a worldwide network of partners, Prima Solutions-Effisoft Group enables insurance companies to accelerate their digital transformation, thanks to its highly configurable and scalable web software platform available in the cloud.Media Contact: Henry Stimpson, Stimpson Communications, 508-647-0705, Henry@ StimpsonCommunications.com SOURCE: Effisoft USA
Activities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), for the second consecutive day, maintained bearish trend, dropping further by 1.02 per cent due largely to mixed 2018 earnings reports.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the market capitalisation on Tuesday, nosedive by N120 billion or 1.02 per cent to close at N11.677 trillion against N11.797 trillion on Monday.

The All-Share Index maintained the same direction, dropping by 323.30 points or 1.02 per cent to close at 31,313.36 compared with 31,636.66 posted on Monday.

The drop in market indices was contrary to expectations of some market analysts who were of the opinions that the market would rebound following relatively peaceful conduct of the general elections.

Commenting, Mr Ambrose Omordion, the Chief Operating Officer, InvestData Ltd., told NAN that the lull was due to low liquidity in the system.

Omordion said that the low liquidity was as a result of early exit of smart money in the market.

He said that some smart investors whose expectations were dashed exited the market shortly after the presidential election.

Omordion said that mixed numbers emanating from quoted companies for 2018 financial year contributed to the development.

Meanwhile, Mobil recorded the highest loss during the day, declining by N5.10 to close at N165 per share.

International Breweries trailed with a loss of N2.65 to close at N24.05, while Guaranty Trust Bank dropped by N1.80 to N35.50 per share.

NASCON dipped N1 to close at N20.70, while Dangote Cement also depreciated by N1 to close at N194 per share.

Lafarge Africa dominated the gainers table, gaining 50k to close at N13 per share.

United Capital followed with a gain of 13k to close at N3.28, while UAC Property added 13k to close at N1.95 per share.

Africa Prudential increased by 12k to close at N4.92, while Union Bank of Nigeria gained 10k to close at N7 per share.

FBN Holdings was the most active in volume terms, exchanging 60.14 million shares worth N493.12 million.

Zenith Bank followed with an account of 46.46 million shares valued at N1.05 billion, while Diamond Bank exchanged 14.47 million shares worth N35.32 million.

Access Bank traded 11.45 million shares valued at N68.46 million, while United Bank for Africa sold 8.53 million shares worth N64.66 million.

In all, a total of 219.37 million shares valued at N2.93 billion was traded by investors in 3,345 deals, representing an increase of 70.89 per cent.

This was against 128.37 million shares worth N2.39 billion exchanged in 2,752 deals on Monday.

(NAN)
Kannywood actor, Bello Muhammed, says he will cut off his trade mark hair in fulfilment of a promise to do so, if President Muhammadu Buhari is reelected.

Mr Muhammed disclosed this on his Instagram page, generalbmb4pmb, saying the hair cutting event will hold in Kaduna.

The Plateau-based actor, actively took part in campaigns and rallies for the APC, and is well known for his support for Buhari.

In a video he posted on insta page, he said that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State would witness the event on a date to be announced later.

In a post he made, I made a promise of cutting off my identity and pride, which happens to be my hair in appreciation of the return of President Muhammadu Buhari to power.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bello Muhammed was among many Kannywood artistes who ran voluntary campaigns for the president.

(NAN)
The 6 Division of the Nigeria Army based in Rivers State is enduring a simmering situation with the state police command after two soldiers were targeted in brutal attacks allegedly by cops, as well as thugs.

The thugs and policemen reportedly followed Governor Nyesom Wike to his Obio Akpor local government area collation centre on Saturday night, PREMIUM TIMES understands.

The two soldiers, Adams Salami, a captain, and Adeosun Adebayo, a corporal, are currently at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and the Military Hospital in Port Harcourt, respectively.

The press, led by the police, on Sunday afternoon, gained access to the two men.

The access followed an understanding between the army and the police that the police spokesperson for Rivers State, Omoni Nnamdi, would proceed from the hospital to address the press, stating what had happened the previous night.

Mr Nnamdi had invited journalists for the planned press briefing on the violence in Obio Akpor, before that programme was, however, suspended at the police office on Moscow Road in Port Harcourt. No reason was given.

Unsettling

According to a defence source, a Deputy Inspector General of Police and the police commissioner for the state, Usman Belal, had as early as 8 a.m on Sunday morning visited Bori Camp, the headquarters of the 6 Division of the army for a meeting with the General Officer Commanding there.

At the meeting, an agreement that the police should hold a press conference, lead investigations and accountability process was reached.

We are the victims, the defence source said. So, we decided to hand off everything for the police.

But while the police spokesperson started giving effect to the terms of the agreement by leading the press to the hospitals, he called off the press briefing, which now worries the Bori Camp.

No any statement  are you saying that nothing happened? Queried the source. Or nobody is responsible. Thats the question begging for an answer.

When interviewed on Monday night, Mr Nnamdi did not deny the said agreement between the police and the army over disclosure.

We are putting our house together, he said when asked why the press briefing was called off. Well call you when we are ready.

He said there was an instruction not to go ahead with the press briefing for which journalists already arrived and that the high command in Abuja would have to give a clearance for it to take place later.

When told about our finding that the CP and the DIG were with the army GOC to agree on the press briefing, he simply said: that would be resolved at the strategic level.

He confirmed the victims in the hospitals mentioned that they were attacked by police officers attached to Mr Wike. He, however, neither affirmed nor denied their claim.

Our officers shot soldiers? He queried, and then said, Okay when replied that that was the claim of the soldiers.

He declined to comment on whether any police officer had been arrested for any possible disciplinary action following the incident in Obio Akpor.

Dont let me preempt our work, he said. When we are done, we let you know.

The Violence

When visited by journalists, both soldiers receiving treatment at the hospitals, struggled for coherence to say Mr Wike was personally present at the collation centre in Obio Akpor LGA, and that trouble started upon his arrival.

A civilian source who was at the centre would later give a narrative similar to the armys.

Before the governors arrival, the source, who asked not to be named for security reason, said there had been a heavy presence of armed men wearing police uniforms, which he believes were fake, and a forced removal of people from centre.

Captain Salami at the hospital.

It was gathered that situation led to a confrontation involving soldiers who were trying to ensure calm and allow agents of other parties apart from the Peoples Democratic Party enter the collation centre.

But with the governors arrival, there were shootings by policemen who followed him, further aggravating the tension that had engulfed the centre, this newspaper gathered.

Then, one officer, Captain Salami, was trying to confront them to stop and he was shot by a security detail of Governor Wike, said the source already briefed about the incident. It was a point blank shooting. I saw something that was very scary in the hospital. The part of his intestine that was removed and put in a bucket and the part of his body cut during the surgery.

The other soldier, Mr Adebayo, a corporal, was said to have been macheted by a political thug.

Our civilian source said soldiers were humiliated, one of them was disarmed and they were using the butt of the gun to beat them a point made by the corporal at the hospital.

He also said: The governor came in with virtually all the policemen in the government house and militants. It was when they came that (they) now pounced on the soldiers.

Corporal Adebayo

He said the thugs were more than 150.

He further said Mr Wike had to personally intervene to help three civilians, including Lawrence Chukwu and Alex Wele representing the African Action Congress, avoid fatal consequences after being held and beaten by the thugs.

They would have been killed if the governor didnt intervene, he said.

The governor then took all the electoral officers and the materials  I dont know where they took them whether to the government house or wherever, he added.

Backstory

PREMIUM TIMES had on Saturday reported counting and announcement of votes scored by each party did not take place at Mr Wikes unit 7 ward 9 of Obio Akpor LGA in breach of the INEC guideline.

The spokesperson for the police, Mr Nnamdi, confirmed violence at the Obio Akpor collation centre but repeatedly declined to comment on details.

When first asked about the shooting of a soldier on Sunday afternoon, he said that was the basis of the press briefing, which did not hold later.

As it is, all the officers here, including me and the GOC, are still not able to come to terms with why that press briefing did not hold, said the source.

Wike, mum

The spokesperson for the state government, Emma Okah, did not answer calls to have him comment on this report.

He also did not reply a text message sent him. Mr Okah has been speaking for Mr Wike and the state government against the army since both sides started trading accusations, including an allegation the army wanted to assassinate the governor.

Mr Wike has, however, repeatedly accused the army of working for the All Progressives Congress in Rivers. Some electoral officers have also alleged brutality by soldiers in Rivers. On Monday, the British High Commission expressed concern about the role of soldiers in Rivers election.

The electoral process in Rivers State is currently on suspension after INEC headquarters received reports of violence and disruptions at collation centres.
The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, was absent at Tuesdays Code of Conduct Tribunal hearing on medical grounds.

Mr Onnoghen, who is facing charges of not declaring his assets, wrote the tribunal, informing it that he had tooth ache and could not attend the hearing due to a medical appointment he had with his doctors.

The lead counsel representing Mr Onnoghen, Adegboga Awomolo, presented a letter from the hospital where Mr Onnoghen is expected to be meeting with medical officials on the appointment.

Reading through the letter, the lead prosecution lawyer, Aliu Umar, said he would concede to the report that the defendant had a medical challenge.

According to Mr Aliu, the content of the medical letter showed that Mr Onnoghen was also battling a high blood pressure and that the CJN was ordered to remain on bed rest for the next 72 hours.

A three-member panel of the tribunal led by Danladi Umar therefore adjourned the matter till March 15, following a request for an adjournment by the prosecution.

In view of the medical report presented by the defendant and the fact that the request was conceded by the prosecution, the tribunal hereby adjourns matter till Monday, March 15 as requested by the prosecution, said Mr Umar.

Mr Onnoghen is facing trial on alleged false asset charges.

The tribunal had ordered a daily hearing of the matter on Monday, after reserving ruling in an application challenging its jurisdiction.
The electoral commission, INEC, has announced March 23 for supplementary elections in states and constituencies where elections were declared inconclusive.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how governorship elections were declared inconclusive in six states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau, and Sokoto.

The governorship race in each of those six states is between Nigerias two largest parties, APC and PDP.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said the supplementary elections will also be held for inconclusive state assembly elections.

The commission said there were several reason for declaring these elections inconclusive. These include discontinuation of use of the smart card readers, the failure to deploy them, over-voting, widespread disruption in polling units and the margin of lead principle.

In the affected states, the commission declared that the margin of lead was less than the cancelled votes.

In compliance with the Margin of Lead Principle derived from Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act mm (as amended) and paragraph 41(e) and 43(b) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines, the outcome of these elections could not be determined without conducting polls in the affected polling units, the commission said.

The commission promised to make available details of the constituencies including number of polling units and registered voters, on its website on Wednesday March 13.

Furthermore, the commission said it has also considered a report submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bauchi State and seen the need to investigate further.

Collation was disrupted at the Tafawa Balewa LGA collation centre, Bauchi State leading to the cancellation of results for the entire local government.

The Commission found that there are issues that need further investigation and has set up a team led by a National Commissioner to resolve them, INEC said.
The Independent National Electoral Commissions fact-finding committee on the suspended Rivers State elections has completed its work in Port Harcourt.

It has, however, left political actors and the public in anxiety and uncertainty.

They have finished everything, and they are going back to Abuja, said a senior official familiar with committees work at the commissions Port Harcourt office on Tuesday evening.

They did not tell us anything. They are reporting to Abuja, and that is where a decision will be taken.

Background

INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, who announced the suspension of the electoral process in Rivers State on Sunday, when contacted at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, said the committee members were being awaited at the headquarters in Abuja

The probe committee led by Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine, a national commissioner, is made up of senior officials deployed from the headquarters in Abuja.

The officials arrived in Port Harcourt on Monday and then grilled local staff, including electoral officers and collation officers at the various local government areas for at least eight hours.

They continued their inquiry today, Tuesday, and took submissions from the NYSC and the security agencies, a source at the Port Harcourt office of INEC said.

The committees assignment in Port Harcourt was announced on Sunday evening just as the INEC suspended the electoral process in Rivers State.

The commission, according to the announcement by the spokesperson Mr Okoye, said it had received reports from our officials in the field of widespread disruptions of Saturdays governorship and state parliamentary elections.

PREMIUM TIMES understands it was the state office leadership that had decided to report the incidents of disruptions and violence during voting and at collation centres to the Abuja headquarters following reports from local areas.

The commission asked its fact-finding committee to turn in a report today.

We appeal to the people of Rivers State, particularly the voters, for their understanding as we look into the circumstances of these disruptions and what further actions need to be taken, the commission had said in Mr Okoyes statement on Sunday evening.

Ruffled

Since the commencement of the inquiry yesterday, the two main parties in the elections, the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Action Congress backed by the All Progressives Congress, had dissipated energies to separate claims of leading the polls before the process was suspended.

INEC at the state level has not endorsed any result from any of the LGAs

This reporter interacted with actors from all sides at the end of the committees work on Tuesday.

They are reportedly gripped by anxiety and already contemplating possible outcomes.

INEC is expected to announce its decision after receiving the report of its committee deployed to Port Harcourt.

It will decide whether to have fresh polls and continue with the collation exercise even though security remains a concern in Rivers, PREMIUM TIMES understands.

Speaking from Abuja Tuesday night, Mr Okoye said the members of the committee have not reported to the commission.

All of us are still in the situation room, he said. We are still waiting for them.

He restated the expectation that the committee should submit its report in 48 hours, ending today.

Asked when the commission will state its decision, he replied: I cant say for now until we see the members of the committee and get their report. All of us are still in the situation room.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the death of three Nigerians in the Diaspora in the Ethiopian Airline crash on Sunday as sad and shocking.

The affected Nigerians in the ill- fated airline were Professor Pius Adesanmi of Carlton University, Canada, Abiodun Bashua, an ambassador and Karim Safi, who was based in Europe.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa in a statement on Tuesday by her media aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the death of the Nigerians was very painful at this crucial time of diaspora development in Africa.

They all died in the active service of helping and contributing to the growth of Diaspora not only in Nigeria but in Africa as a whole.

The sudden loss of our distinguished Diasporans in the Ethiopian airline is shocking, sad and devastating.

She said the distinguished Nigerians had contributed immensely to the development of Diaspora affairs in Nigeria and will be greatly missed.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa offered her condolences to their immediate family members, the Diaspora community and Nigerians in general.

She prayed God to bless the soul of the Nigerians and console the families of all who lost their lives in the crash and for their gentle souls to rest in perfect peace.

Our correspondent gathered that the deceased Nigerians were part of the delegates that were supposed to attend CIDO/ECOSOCC meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr Adesanmi was one of the few professors who taught about the AU and Agenda 2063; Mr Safi, one of the founders of African Diaspora Youth in Europe (ADYFE) while Mr Bashua was a retired, senior Nigerian diplomat with many years with the UN.

The trio were among the 149 passengers and eight crew members from 32 countries aboard the Ethiopian Airline from Addis Abba, Ethiopia that crashed on Sunday on its way to Nairobi, Kenya.
Losses from Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines is speculated to be between 50 million dollars and 60 million dollars, an insurance firm, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) said on Tuesday.

The aircraft heading to Nairobi crashed on March 10, after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all 159 passengers on board including two Nigerians.

WTW is an Irish-domiciled global multinational risk management insurance brokerage and advisory company.

The firm dates back to 1828 and is the third largest insurance broker in the world.

According to a Reuters report, the global insurance brokerage and risk management firm says it is the insurance broker for Ethiopian Airlines.

The Nigerian victims were identified as a popular Nigerian-born Canadian professor and writer, Pius Adesanmi, and Ambassador Abiodun Bashua, a former Joint Special Representative for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, Sudan.

According to an insurer, major insurance covers for aircraft are the hull all risks, passenger and passenger baggage legal liability, third party legal liability, and crew personal accident.

The hull all risks indemnify against accidental loss or damage to the aircraft, excluding when the aircraft is on the ground, taxing or is moored. (Reuters/NAN)
The Senate resumed on Tuesday, and held its plenary for a brief period.

Few minutes into the session, the lawmakers adjourned their sitting to Wednesday.

The adjournment followed a motion by the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, who prayed his colleagues postpone plenary in honour of a House of Reps member, Temitope Olatoye, who died on March 9.

Mr Olatoye, who represented Lagelu/Akinyele Federal Constituency in Oyo State, was shot in the eye by suspected thugs.

The incident happened in Elesu village in Ward 13, Lalupon, Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Saturday evening.

Mr Olatoye was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Centre of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.

The lawmaker, who is a member of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), had contested in the February 23, 2019 national assembly poll for the Oyo State senatorial district seat, but lost to Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Lawan also prayed his colleagues to observe a one-minute silence in honour of the deceased.

The motion was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi.

The senators after the minute silence adjourned the plenary at about 11:12 a.m. after a voice vote.

The senate president, Bukola Saraki, also announced that deliberation on the principles of the 2019 budget will hold on Wednesday and Thursday.

He further urged the ad-hoc committee set up to deliberate the national minimum wage to commence legislative work and have their report ready.
A non-partisan advocacy group, Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, has filed a freedom of information request to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking a state by state breakdown of card readers usage in the 2019 presidential and national assembly elections.

According to a copy of the FOI request, duly acknowledged by INEC and made available to PREMIUM TIMES, the group is seeking the numbers for full accreditation (card verification and biometrics) and partial accreditation (card verification).

The presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria held on February 23 across the 36 states and the federal capital territory.

The polls, however, were marred in some parts of the country by card reader malfunction, a situation that led to voters frustration.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo, for instance, was a victim of card reader malfunction on election day as the machine rejected his fingerprint seven times before the problem was eventually resolved.

The FOI request by the EiE noted that the card reader has been adopted as a means of accreditation for voting since the 2015 general elections.

The card reader was also adopted as a means of accreditation during the 2019 elections with the slogan  No PVC, No Voting, read the request signed by Seun Akinyemi, a research associate at EiE.

The accreditation process for the 2019 presidential and the national assembly elections has been the subject of intense public debate. Therefore, it is critical to study the accreditation patterns across the country to ensure the integrity of our electoral process.
Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State on Tuesday ordered the extension of the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on Jalingo, Taraba capital, to 24 hours.

This was contained in a statement by Bala Dan Abu, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Publicity, on Monday, in Jalingo.

The governor directed all security agencies in the state to ensure strict enforcement of the curfew.

According the statement, the curfew remains in force until further notice.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that wide jubilation greeted the declaration of Mr Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the governorship election.

The celebration quickly turned violent with the throwing of stones and destruction of property by hoodlums.

(NAN)
A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the director general of the National Broadcasting Commission, Ishaq Kawu, to appear before it in April, regardless of his health status.

The court, in a ruling on Friday, asked Mr Kawus lawyers to produce the defendant even if he has to come to court on a stretcher.

Mr Kawu and others are facing trial for allegedly diverting funds meant for the digital switch over system introduced by the Nigerian government.

He is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission (ICPC).

A statement from the commission on Tuesday, signed by its spokesperson Rashida Okoduwa, said the latest order on Mr Kawu was made by Justice Giwa.

Mr Kawu, who was to be arraigned alongside Lucky Omoluwa and Dipo Onifade, Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited and the Chief Operating Officer respectively, over their alleged complicity in the mismanagement of the N2.5 billion seed grant, failed to appear before Justice F. O. Giwa, saying he was on admission at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State.

The statement quoted Mr Kawus lawyer as saying that the defendant was on admission following recent medical challenges from a surgery he underwent a decade ago.

Mr Kawus lawyer requested an adjournment of the case.

The lawyer representing the ICPC, Henry Emore, did not oppose the application for adjournment but requested the court to note the repeated adjournments at the instance of the accused.

In a ruling, the commission quoted the judge, F. O. Giwa, as saying that the defendant must appear in court for the trial to proceed.

You must ensure that your client is in court even if he has to be on a stretcher; I am agreeing to this adjournment taking into cognizance his health issues, but the trial needs to go on, you must ensure he is in court next time, she said.

The judge further ordered ICPC to investigate the medical certificate and report back to the court, the statement said.
The Federal High Court Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) not to arrest Femi Fani-Kayode and Yinka Odumakin without following appropriate due process of the law.

Ruling on a fundamental rights suit filed by the duo, Justice John Tsoho maintained that such arrest by the EFCC, Department of State Services (DSS) or the Police, must be subject to processes being in accordance with provisions of the law.

Justice Tsoho also ordered that the EFCCs public declaration to arrest Messrs. Fani-Kayode and Odumakin on the basis of spreading false rumours was an infringement on their rights and a breach of their fundamental rights enshrined in Section 34(a) 35(1) (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

The judge further made an order enforcing Messrs. Fani-Kayode and Odumakins fundamental rights and ordered the EFCC, the DSS and the Nigeria Police to stop issuing threats of unlawful arrest.

The court, however, declined to grant the prayer compelling the EFCC, DSS and Police to tender an unreserved apology to the duo for infringing on their rights.

He also declined the prayer asking the security agencies to pay the sum of N20 million as damages for infringing on their rights.

Mr Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, and Mr Odumakin, the spokesperson of Afenifere, had sued the EFCC over an alleged plan to arrest them.

They joined the DSS and the Police in the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The applicants, through their counsel, Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, were praying the court to stop the security agencies from arresting them over alleged false information they spread.

They were also demanding N20 million as damages for the unlawful threat to arrest them from the applicants.

They further prayed for a declaration that the respondents public declaration to arrest them on the basis of spreading false rumours was an infringement of their fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 34 (a), 35 (1) (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

They said the threat to falsely imprison their liberty, safety, peace and security was a breach of their rights.

Messrs. Fani-Kayode and Odumakin prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from harassing, arresting or detaining them.

They also prayed for an order compelling the respondents to tender an unreserved apology to them for the infringement of their fundamental rights and for describing them in a demeaning manner.

The applicants said they and their families were living in fear as to what might happen if these respondents were not restrained by the court, coupled with their state of health.

According to them, the EFCC is biased and its invitation, which they said they have not received, is a disguised plan to incarcerate them and thwart the cause of justice.

Mr Fani-Kayode had claimed that EFCC operatives surrounded Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghens home, while Mr Odumakin shared a video to that effect.(NAN)
There was tension in Dutse Uku and Unguwan Rukuba in Jos, Plateau State, on Tuesday following the discovery of a dead body in a well.

Tyopev Terna, the police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.

He explained that security personnel have deployed to the area to ensure law and order.

According to Mr Terna, security personnel have dispersed the crowd gathering in the area to forestall a breakdown of peace.

The police got distress calls this morning that a young man was killed and dumped in a well. The Command quickly mobilised and got to the scene of the incident. On getting there, the police discovered a body and evaluated it.

The police dispersed people gathering in the area. Everything is calm and the place is under control, he said.

Meanwhile, the state Commissoner of Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, described the incident as a threat to the existing peace in the state.

Mr Dati appreciated the courage of people to resist the unprovoked action.

PREMIUM TIMES correspondent observed security personnel including the police and soldiers moving into the affected area.

Plateau is one of the states that are volatile and easily susceptible to violence.
About four gunmen kidnapped an expatriate engineer at Dangi roundabout in Kano at about 7.40 a.m. on Tuesday, witnesses and police said.

The gunmen were said to have shot dead the driver, before abducting the expatriate, who was working on a road construction in the area.

The identities of the victims were not immediately clear.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that policemen who arrived after the incident took the body of the driver to the mortuary.

The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the incident and said the police had commenced investigation.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has called on residents to desist from spreading rumours that can lead to violence following the declaration of the governorship election in the state inconclusive.

The monarch made the call while addressing a news conference at his palace in Kano on Tuesday.

He said the call was necessary so as to douse the tension generated in the city as a result of the declaration of the governorship election inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday.

He said the law empowers only INEC to announce election results stressing that, that should be respected by the people.

He warned those sharing results not released by the electoral body to stop, in order not to mislead people.

INEC is the only body given the power under the law to announce election results and it has done that by declaring the election inconclusive hence there will be re-run, he said.

The Emir also advised politicians not to heat up the polity by making comments that could lead to violence in the state.

Politicians should not see elections as war but rather a contest that should be conducted peacefully.

Mr Sanusi commended security agents in the state for their efforts at sustaining peace before, during and after the election.

He specifically commended the state Police Commissioner, Muhammad Wakili for restoring public confidence in the police.

The Police Commissioner, Muhammad Wakili is worthy of commendation in view of the fact that he has restored public confidence in the police,  he said. (NAN)
The Inter-Party Advisory Council and a coalition of political parties led by the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday expressed support for the Resident Electoral Commission in Rivers State, Obo Effanga, after calls erupted that the official be transferred.

Before now, a separate coalition of parties and the candidate of the African Action Congress in the Rivers governorship election, Biokpomabo Awara, had asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Mr Effanga from the oil-rich state.

They separately alleged that the official is conspiring with the Peoples Democratic Party to help Governor Nyesom Wike win re-election.

The All Progressives Congress joined the opposition to Mr Effanga on Tuesday, alleging that he was at the head of current concoction of results with Mr Wike.

But in their response, the PDP-led opposition, in a statement signed by IPAC chairman in the state, Precious Barido, and obtained on Tuesday said the call for Mr Effangas transfer was to create a space to manipulate results.

They said: These calls sponsored by the Minister of Transportation and the APC are aimed at creating the ugly atmosphere for the concoction of results and the rigging of the Rivers State Governorship election, which has been won by the Rivers State PDP Governorship Candidate, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.

We also strongly condemn the criminal use of the Nigerian Army by the APC to abduct electoral officers and snatch already collated results for the purpose of rigging the Governorship election in favour of the APC supported Candidate.

It is most unfortunate that the APC led soldiers of the Nigerian Army to invade the State Collation Centre at INEC Headquarters in Port Harcourt as captured on videos aired on Channels Television and AIT. The whole world saw how they planned to bring in cooked results to alter the will of Rivers people.
The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State on Tuesday said officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state were cooperating with Governor Nyesom Wike to announce concocted results from the Saturdays elections.

The party praised the military, which the Peoples Democratic Party, on the other hand, had accused of interference in the Rivers elections. The military on Monday denied the accusation.

It is the APCs first direct public involvement in the Rivers elections conundrum since it endorsed African Action Congress candidate, Biokpomabo Awara, to challenge Mr Wike of the PDP last week.

The party did not field candidates in the Rivers State elections due to a court order that barred it following its internal crisis.

INEC suspended the electoral process in the state on Sunday and the parties, as well as observers, now await the outcome of the commissions investigation of reports of disruptions that affected voting and collation of results on Saturday.

Read APCs full statement below

THE MILITARY DESERVE COMMENDATION FOR SECURING THE PEACE THAT ENABLED RIVERS PEOPLE TO CAST THEIR VOTES WIKE, INEC RE-WRITING UNIT RESULTS IN GOVT HOUSE  RIVERS APC

Firstly, it is important that I clarify that the Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, was an active stakeholder in last weekend elections and the reason is that we formally endorsed and adopted the AAC governorship candidate, Engr Awara Biokpomabo.

1. We are dismayed that critical stakeholders including those who witnessed the killing of over 40 persons on the 2015 governorship election day alone due to someones quest to become governor by all means, appear to be hoodwinked by the very same character to believe that security agents especially the Army should have stayed away to allow a repetition of what happened in 2015.

2. As a party that was solely at the receiving end of killings in Rivers State by the ruling PDP and their agents, the APC believes that the proactive steps taken by security agents to checkmate a repeat of the 2015 killings and destructions, is commendable and should be applauded by all peace-loving people. We believe that if such a step was taken before or during the 2015 elections and thereafter, prominent APC members such as late Chief Christopher Adube and his 5 children and driver would not have been murdered in one fell swoop by PDP agents in ONELGA in just one evening leaving the young son of Chief Adube consigned to the wheel chair to date. Hon. Monday Eleanya, Mr. Frankline Obi, his wife and son killed and beheaded; shooting to death of Mr. Ipalibo Black-Duke in Akuku-Toru, subsequent killings and beheadings of APC members in ONELGA; the gruesome killing of Dr Vincent Eeebee in Yeghe among several others too numerous to mention here would most probably have been avoided.

3. We are satisfied that the 2019 general elections is a clear departure from the orgy of violence and killings that characterised the 2015 elections. However, we send our heartfelt sympathy to the families of the slain INEC ad-hoc staff, Mrs Ibisaki Amachree, who died under curious circumstances while serving his fatherland during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. We also send our profound condolences to the families of the lieutenant of the Nigerian Army and other officers and men who were targeted and killed or injured by criminals in the state. We pray that God grant their souls eternal rest while giving their family members the fortitude to bear their losses.

4. We must establish our disapproval of the tendencies by a section of stakeholders in the polity especially some supposed local and international observers who appear not to appreciate the daunting and onerous task the security agencies are undertaking to ensure that Rivers people were able to come out and vote safely and their vote counted. This is the most unkind way to encourage or pay back those who have and are still risking their lives for the rest of us. We have attached herewith some photos of hospitalised army officers from attacks unleashed on them by agents of PDP while on duty during the elections. Perhaps it is pertinent to remind everyone that the Nigerian Supreme Court described Rivers State as a THEATRE OF WAR during the 2015 elections.

5. We very well recognise that the governor of Rivers State has successfully extended his penchant to bribe every soul under the sun to include observers of elections and other stakeholders in the polity with a view to unleashing highly mendacious blackmail on our hardworking security agents and the intention is to get them out of the way for him to kill his way to power the second time. This is very unfortunate!

6. We call on Rivers people and Nigerians not to be hoodwinked into believing that Nigerian security agencies interfered in the electoral process in Rivers State. That is only a clever narrative being planted in the media to particularly blackmail the military and the federal government into pulling out security agents from the state and returning it to the killing field many of us witnessed before, during and after the 2015 elections till date. Suffice to say that Rivers State has ever since 2015 become Nigerias headquarters of violence.

7. With regard to the governorship election in Rivers State, we have observed with keen interest the macabre dance between Gov. Wike and INEC in Rivers State to upturn the popular will of the people expressed last Saturday and wish to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to halt its macabre dance with Gov. Wike through its Rivers REC, Obo Effanga who plotted and engaged PDP card-carrying members as LGA Collation Officers just to skew the elections in favour of Gov. Wike and the PDP. It befuddles the mind how a self-confessed hater of President Buhari and his Change Agenda (Obo Effanga) will possibly serve as a REC in Rivers State and give everyone a fair chance. We call on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to redeploy Mr. Effanga from Rivers State without further delay in order to avoid possible crisis that may follow the organised crime being executed by Gov. Wike and Obo Effanga aimed at altering the result of the 2019 governorship polls in Rivers State.

8. From yesterday and throughout last night to this moment, Gov. Nyesom Wike, some PDP leaders, Obo Effanga and some INEC staff have been re-writing unit results, an action we believe must have been initiated on the advice of INEC insiders. The exercise which is taking place in the Banquet Hall of Government House Port Harcourt is still ongoing as I write.

Chris Finebone

State APC Publicity Secretary

12/3/2019
The police in Oyo State say they have arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of a member representing Akinyele/Lagelu in the House of Representatives, Temitope Olatoye.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone eleven, Leye Oyebade and the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Shina Olukolu disclosed this on Monday.

The duo while addressing journalists however disclosed that Mr Olatoyes killing was not in connection with the Saturdays gubernatorial and State House of Assembly election.

They said 18 persons where arrested in connection with various criminal activities while, six guns, nine live cartridges, axe and knives where recovered from the suspect.

Though, the police bosses did not reveal the identity of the suspect, they insisted that the police got enough facts and evidences that led to the arrest.

They said that the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) had been carrying out investigations on the matter.

Mr Oyebade said, We have got a suspect but we cant reveal all the details. I was at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan with the Oyo State Commissioner of Police on Saturday. The Chief Medical Director of the UCH was also with us.

From that point, we picked up the investigation. I want to assure members of the public that the IGPs mandate is that no stone should be left unturned in unravelling the cause of the incident.

But the incident is not directly connected with the elections, going by the venue of the incident and the information we gathered of what happened prior to the incident.

Mr Olukolu said that he got the information about the attack from the Divisional Police Officer at Iyana Offa while monitoring the governorship and state House of Assembly elections on Saturday.

I learnt that Sugar was ambushed and, in the process, sustained gunshot injuries in the head. He was immediately evacuated to the UCH for medical attention, but, unfortunately, he died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital while receiving treatment.

He added that the area where the incident occurred was cordoned, while he directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) to lead the team of investigators.

Other killings

Mr Olukolu while speaking on the deaths of other persons during the election, revealed the killing which occurred at Akanran in Ona Ara local government area was not related to the election.

The two suspects arrested in connection with the incident claimed they had a previous issue with the deceased, before fighting broke out again on the day of election, during which deceased collapsed and died. The vehicle they brought to the scene was also recovered.

The third person that died was when a distress call indicated that about 15 hoodlums, who were armed, stormed a polling unit, approaching the venue with the mind of causing mayhem, snatching ballot boxes and inflicting injuries on members of the public.

A team of patrol men were deployed and there was a response. A shot hit one of the hoodlums and he died. A shotgun was recovered, indicating that these people did not mean well for the entire society. We are working on it. Whatever the circumstances are, all these cases are being investigated by the police to determine what happened exactly and appropriate actions would be taken, the cop said.
Captain Houlian and Commander Hay of the HMAS Choules Joint Task Group were greeted with a guard of honor after berthing the navy ship at Port Vilas Lapetasi Wharf yesterday
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.




However, the Value of Data study, conducted by Vanson Bourne for Veritas, surveyed 1,500 IT decision makers and data managers across 15 countries including 100 from the UK, and reveals that data management challenges are having a severe impact on employee efficiency, productivity and the profitability of UK businesses. On average, employees lose two hours a day searching for data, resulting in a 16 per cent drop in workforce efficiency.

Conversely, UK organisations that invest in effective day-to-day management of their data have reported cost savings and better employee productivity as a result. Three-quarters (76 per cent) say they have reduced costs, while more than seven in ten (73 per cent) say their employees are now empowered to be more productive.

"Organisations have access to a wealth of data that can create significant opportunities if they use it intelligently. Unfortunately, employees waste precious time searching for useful, and potentially business-critical, data in fragmented IT environments," said Jasmit Sagoo, senior director, Northern Europe, Veritas. "Companies that invest in taking care of their most important digital asset  their data  will benefit from improved employee efficiency and productivity, giving them a valuable competitive advantage."

Data challenges = missed opportunities and lost revenue

Beyond productivity challenges, the wider consequences of poor data management can cripple UK businesses. Almost all (97 per cent) of the UK organisations surveyed believe they have missed valuable opportunities as a result of ineffective data management. In fact, nearly two in five (37 per cent) admit to losing out on new revenue opportunities while a third (33 per cent) say their data challenges have caused an increase in operating costs.

Alarmingly, UK respondents estimate that their organisation loses over 1.2 million ($1.5 million) a year due to challenges faced with managing their data.

Companies that fail to address their data management issues also risk significant longer term damage to their business. Those surveyed say their challenges with managing data mean their ability to make strategic decisions is hindered (37 per cent), they're less agile (31 per cent) and unable to compete successfully in the market (24 per cent). A fifth (19 per cent) are more vulnerable to data security threats, and a quarter (23 per cent) have experienced reputational damage.

"Many organisations face daily uncertainty over where their data is located and whether it is even protected. Unless addressed, they risk compromising business agility, exposure to security threats, reputational damage and lethargic decision making at even the highest of levels," added Sagoo. "In order to achieve success today's digital economy, businesses must implement technology and strategies that empower employees with complete visibility and control of their data. Only then will they be able to identify and action areas of risk and opportunity, unlocking the true value of their data."

Learn more about the key findings of this report and how Veritas can help global organisations harness the power of their data here. For more information on implementing a centralised data management strategy, visit www.veritas.com.

Methodology

A total of 1,500 IT decision makers and data managers were interviewed in October and November across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UAE, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

About Vanson Bourne

Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. Our reputation for robust and credible research-based analysis, is founded upon rigorous research principles and our ability to seek the opinions of senior decision makers across technical and business functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com.

About Veritas

Veritas Technologies is a global leader in enterprise data management  our software and solutions help organisations protect their mission-critical data. Tens of thousands of businesses, including 97% of Fortune 100 companies, rely on us every day to back up and recover their data, keep it secure and available, to guard against failure and achieve regulatory compliance. In today's digital economy, Veritas delivers technology that helps organisations reduce risks and capitalise on their most important digital asset  their data. Learn more at www.veritas.com or follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc.

Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change at the sole discretion of Veritas. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Veritas, may or may not be implemented, should not be considered firm commitments by Veritas, should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions, and may not be incorporated into any contract.

Veritas and the Veritas Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

PR Contacts

Veritas Technologies

Meera Lakhani-Patel

meera.lakhanipatel@veritas.com

+44 7824 122395

LEWIS

Charmaine Chan

veritasuk@teamlewis.com

+44 207 802 2630

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Related Links

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SOURCE Veritas Technologies
(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 technologies, 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

SOURCE Antalya Homes
For some time now, millennials have been in the spotlight, but this year the focus will shift. In 2019, Gen Z adults are set to surpass millennials as the most populous generation, forming approximately 32% of the world's population. Both generations are widely characterized as being tech-dependent and in need of instant gratification. Although some may be quick to regard the two as analogous, survey findings showcase that there are significant differences in how each generation approaches sex. Results reveal the following:

Social Butterflies: LifeStyles asked the respondents, "Would you rather give up sex or all social media for a full year?" Only 55% of Gen Z adults said they would give up social media compared to 67% of millennials. Gen Z is also using social media for sexting purposes with 54% noting that they have used direct messaging on social media to sext someone at least once.

LifeStyles asked the respondents, "Would you rather give up sex or all social media for a full year?" Only 55% of Gen Z adults said they would give up social media compared to 67% of millennials. Gen Z is also using social media for sexting purposes with 54% noting that they have used direct messaging on social media to sext someone at least once. Wrapping It Up: 65% of Gen Z respondents reported using condoms "all of the time" or "some of the time", while only 54% of millennial participants answered the same.

65% of Gen Z respondents reported using condoms "all of the time" or "some of the time", while only 54% of millennial participants answered the same. Losing It: Gen Z is losing their virginity earlier than their millennial counterparts, with the average age for virginity loss amongst Gen Z being 16 compared to 18 for millennials.

Gen Z is losing their virginity earlier than their millennial counterparts, with the average age for virginity loss amongst Gen Z being 16 compared to 18 for millennials. Fake It 'til You Make It: Gen Z is faking orgasms more frequently than millennials, with 10% reporting that they fake orgasms all of the time when having sex compared to 6% of millennials.

Gen Z is faking orgasms more frequently than millennials, with 10% reporting that they fake orgasms all of the time when having sex compared to 6% of millennials. Party of Three: 42% of Gen Z participants would consider having a threesome, in comparison to 30% of millennial respondents.

42% of Gen Z participants would consider having a threesome, in comparison to 30% of millennial respondents. Backup Plan: 16% of Gen Z participants reported having used an emergency contraceptive more than once in the last 12 months, compared to 9% of millennials.

In addition to questions related to sexual behaviors, the 2019 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey asked sexually active Gen Z adults and millennials across North America detailed information about their sex lives, including favorite positions, partner preferences, bedroom confidence, and more. Additional findings across both generations include:

Pisces Season: 30% of Pisces respondents indicated that they have been in an open relationship at least once.

30% of Pisces respondents indicated that they have been in an open relationship at least once. Sliding Into the DMs: 50% of respondents reported having used direct messaging on social media to "sext" someone. 55% of all bisexual participants indicate that they've done so more than once, while only 34% of heterosexual respondents answered the same.

50% of respondents reported having used direct messaging on social media to "sext" someone. 55% of all bisexual participants indicate that they've done so more than once, while only 34% of heterosexual respondents answered the same. Double Standards: Respondents on average reported having 12 sexual partners, yet only 12% of respondents said they'd be comfortable with their significant other having more than 5 previous sexual partners.

Respondents on average reported having 12 sexual partners, yet only 12% of respondents said they'd be comfortable with their significant other having more than 5 previous sexual partners. Let's Talk About Sex (More Often): 16% of respondents reported that they've never had a sex education class or training in school.

16% of respondents reported that they've had a sex education class or training in school. Go With The Flow: 30% of women indicated that they would be open to sexual experiences across genders, while only 21% of men answered the same.

30% of women indicated that they would be open to sexual experiences across genders, while only 21% of men answered the same. Some Like It Ruff: Doggy-style reigns supreme, with 65% of respondents saying it's their favorite sexual position, followed by missionary and cowgirl.

"Gen Z adults are fast becoming the majority of our customer base," says Jeyan Heper, Chief Executive Officer of LifeStyles Healthcare. "This year's survey has unveiled key learnings surrounding the sexual preferences, trends and desires of this growing demographic. These insights will ultimately serve to further drive innovation and help us continue creating products that heighten intimacy and promote better sexual experiences for every generation."

For more results from the 2019 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey, please contact [email protected]. To connect with the brand and discover condom giveaways, sex tips, stats and more, join us on Facebook and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/SKYNUSA and http://www.twitter.com/SkynCondomsUSA.

Survey Methodology

The 2019 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey was conducted by a third party among 2,000 nationally representative Gen Z adults and Millennials in U.S. and Canada, with 1,000 respondents per market, between January 30th and February 11th, 2019. The margin of error was +/- 2.2% for the overall sample, and +/- 3.1% for each market sample.

About SKYN Condoms by LifeStyles

Based out of Iselin, NJ, the SKYN brand of condoms was launched by LifeStyles in 2008 as the first-ever polyisoprene, non-latex condom that met all the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements for safety and efficacy. The SKYN collection is the latest extension of the LifeStyles brand portfolio, which was launched in the U.S. in 1985. SKYN is the leading non-latex condom brand, and LifeStyles' core latex brands, such as LifeStyles, Jissbon, MANIX, Unimil and Blowtex, have 120 collective years of history, deeply rooted in each local market globally. More information on SKYN condoms can be found at www.SKYN.com.

 and  are trademarks owned by LifeStyles Healthcare Pte Ltd 2019 LifeStyles Healthcare Pte Ltd Patents: www.lifestyles.com/our-patents

SOURCE SKYN Condoms by LifeStyles

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NEW ORLEANS, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 365 Connect, a leading provider of award-winning marketing, leasing and resident technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry, announced today that the company will participate in the inaugural Multifamily Women's Summit. The summit takes place March 2021, 2019, in Scottsdale, Arizona. 365 Connect is also a key sponsor of the event.

Launched by the founders of Multifamily Leadership, Patrick and Carrie Antrim, the Multifamily Women's Summit will feature important, relevant discussions conducted by leading experts of various fields within the industry, allowing women to strengthen their expertise, influence and professional network. The summit will also cater to men who want to better understand the vital roles women play as executives, associates and team members. The vision for the summit is to create a more inclusive space for women while encouraging those from all personal, professional and educational backgrounds to learn more about careers in the exciting, ever-changing multifamily housing industry.

"The multifamily housing industry is evolving at a rapid pace," explained Melinda M. Kirby, CAO of 365 Connect. "We must create new venues for industry professionals to gather and analyze industry problems with the intent to solve them with new, innovative ideas. All of this and more is possible through a thought-based public platform, which the Multifamily Women's Summit aims to be. I am excited to be a part of this historical event and look forward to discussing the emerging trends taking place in our industry with my peers."

The Multifamily Women's Summit hopes to advance women's leadership throughout every aspect of the industry  with the end-goal of sharing expert content through print-based materials, social media and a special segment on the current Multifamily Leadership Podcast. Attendees of the summit will participate in discussions concerning women's roles within the industry while delving into the reasons they'll continue to shape the future of the marketplace.

"We are not only excited to have 365 Connect join us as a sponsor during this historic summit, but we're honored to have its founders, Kerry and Melinda Kirby, serve on our board of advisors," added Carrie Antrim, co-founder of Multifamily Leadership. "Kerry and Melinda are innovators and accomplished entrepreneurs who are highly recognized for their philanthropic initiatives in tech-ed programs throughout the New Orleans area. Their participation in the summit amplifies our message that change is coming from those who are actively reshaping the future."

ABOUT THE MULTIFAMILY WOMEN'S SUMMIT: The vision of the Multifamily Women's Summit is to create a better future for women within the multifamily housing industry by elevating their personal and professional transformation. The summit will deliver a premier industry event with notable, thought-provoking speakers, informal peer-to-peer discussions and unparalleled educational content inside an exclusive networking environment. For more information, visit MultifamilyWomen.com.

ABOUT 365 CONNECT: 365 Connect was founded in 2003 with an unwavering commitment to transforming how apartment communities market, lease and retain residents. As a leading provider of award-winning technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry, we deliver a fully integrated suite of comprehensive solutions that automate marketing, simplify transactions and serve residents after the lease is signed. The 365 Connect Platform allows its clients infinite expansion, robust integrations and the ability to revolutionize user experiences. Explore: www.365connect.com

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SOURCE 365 Connect
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, AARP announced the launch of 'Stop Rx Greed,' a nationwide campaign aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. The goal of AARP's sustained campaign is to help drive down drug prices for Pennsylvanians and all Americans by advocating for a variety of legislative, executive, and regulatory actions at both the federal and state level.

"People of all ages depend on their prescriptions and unfair prices are putting their medicines out of reach," said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh.

As part of the campaign, AARP Research conducted a national survey of likely voters ages 50 and older. The survey found that significant majorities of self-identified Republican, Democrat, and independent voters shared concerns about the high price of drugs, and support common-sense policies that will lower prices. Survey findings include:

72 percent say they are concerned about the cost of their medications.

63 percent say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable.

90 percent support allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices.

80 percent report taking at least one prescription medication.

Nearly 40 percent say they did not fill a prescription provided by their doctor with cost being the most common reason.

"It's time to crack down on drug companies for charging Americans the highest prices in the world for the medicines they need," said Johnston-Walsh. "No one should have to choose between paying for medications and buying food to feed their family."

The Stop Rx Greed campaign will include national television, radio and digital ads, editorial content, emails to members, social media posts, ongoing advocacy and grassroots activity in D.C. and the states, and a petition calling on Congress and the Administration to take action now. As part of the campaign, AARP will push for support of a number of policy solutions at the national and state level to help lower drug prices, including:

Allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

Allowing states to negotiate lower prices with drug companies.

Giving state Attorneys General authority to crack down on outrageous price increases.

Clamping down on pay-for-delay and other loopholes that keep lower cost generic drugs off the market.

Capping consumers' prescription drug out-of-pocket costs.

Preserving state pharmacy assistance programs.

Establishing a Pennsylvania Commission examining prescription drug pricing.

Commission examining prescription drug pricing. Ensuring transparency on Pennsylvania prescription drug pricing.

For more about Stop Rx Greed, visit www.aarp.org/rx.

About AARP

AARP has 1.8 million members in Pennsylvania. Follow AARP Pennsylvania on Facebook at AARPPA and on Twitter @AARPPA.

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania

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SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lyte, the technology platform that puts the secondary market back in the hands of rightsholders and fans, has partnered with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the new wrestling promotion headlined by members of The Elite.

The partnership means professional wrestling fans who aren't able to secure tickets to All Elite Wrestling events will have an opportunity to purchase valid tickets from fans who have returned tickets because their plans changed. Fans are prompted to sign up and purchase tickets through Lyte.

"Tickets to pro wrestling events are historically sought-after, which makes them a target for the secondary market," says Lyte CEO Ant Taylor. "AEW is one of the most fan-centric organizations we've ever worked with. Together, we are offering a truly fan-centric ticketing experience with none of the threats of price gouging or fraudulent tickets that often find their way into popular sold-out events."

The process is simple. Fans interested in purchasing tickets to AEW events can visit www.allelitewrestling.com to make a reservation and be placed on a waitlist until a ticket becomes available. Wresting fans who have tickets but can no longer attend can return them for a fair market price. Returns are then offered to the next person in line as newly-issued tickets from the primary ticketer. It's an entirely automated, safe and affordable experience.

About All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling is a new professional wrestling promotion headlined by members of The Elite (Cody Rhodes, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson, Kenny Omega) and Chris Jericho. For the first time in many years, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a growing roster of world-class male and female wrestlers who are poised to bring new spirit and energy to the industry. For more info, check out BeingTheElite.com (YouTube), @AEWrestling (Twitter), /TheYoungBucks (Facebook) and @TheBrandiRhodes (Instagram).

About Lyte

Lyte makes it easier for fans to go to more live events. Founded in New York City and San Francisco by CEO Ant Taylor, our killer fan feature is returnability. In an industry where a "no refunds and no cancellations" policy is the standard, Lyte enables fans to return their event tickets, no questions asked, to the official point of purchase.

Lyte also provides a safe and official reservation booking system, offering fans who sign up a fair price for in-demand tickets. One hundred percent of the tickets bought and sold through Lyte are issued through our ticketing partners and delivered directly to fans. Lyte has delivered millions in fan savings  $1.8 million in 2018 alone. It's only getting better from here, thanks to our growing partnerships with bands, venues, promoters, ticketers and festivals.

For the industry, we function as a full inventory management solution, including a private-label secondary market to optimize event yield for event producers. Visit lyte.com.

SOURCE Lyte

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DUBAI, UAE, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th Global Family Office Investment Summit hosted by Anthony Ritossa wrapped up in Dubai with leading families from around the world representing $4 trillion+ in investor wealth gathering to discuss Investing in a New Age. Once again, the exclusive event exceeded expectations as most influential global family office gathering of all time and resulted in a record-breaking number of important global business deals funded that are guaranteed to improve the world economy.

In keeping with the Ritossa tradition, more than 450 elite family offices, prominent conglomerate business owners, sheikhs, royal families, private investment companies, international business moguls, sovereign wealth funds, and industry professionals from across the Middle East and around the globe convened at the Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach under the High Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. The 100+ speakers included influential UAE leaders, European royalty, award-winning global fund managers, cryptocurrency and blockchain experts, inspirational world peace leaders and many of the world's most important families who closed the event with a standing ovation.

"The Summit succeeded in furthering cooperation and collaboration between Middle East families and their counterparts in Europe, the United States, Asia and Latin America by presenting an opportunity for like-minded families to meet in a private, invitation-only, confidential and closed-door environment," said Anthony Ritossa, Chairman of Ritossa Family Office, a family business dating back 600 years to the Venetian Empire in Europe.

Following an initial meeting at the 6th Global Family Office Summit held in Dubai in March 2018, SmartCargo again met with The Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, UAE to sign a major partnership agreement, representing just one success story and example of the high level deals consummated at Ritossa Family Office Summits.

"I congratulate Mr. Anthony Ritossa for once again showing what an upper scale, high calibre family office Summit should look like. The 8th Summit was an outstanding edition which, in my opinion, was a special one as it added to the portfolio multiple other HNWI, family offices and royal family members. I was particularly happy and honored to present our most recent venture in the blockchain space with SmartCargo during my very interesting panel, as an official partner to The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum. Today, SmartCargo is known as the new technology layer that challenges the logistics industry issues and promises improvements in efficiency and operating cost-reductions," said Faris M. Al Tahtamooni, Associate Director - International Ventures, Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.

In addition to collaborative global partnerships, events and topics that were top of mind included:

World Tour for Peace  Summit attendees from 35 countries celebrated moments of peace in honour of the World Tour for Peace that will visit 100 countries across all continents over two years under the ambassadorship of Anthony Ritossa and other esteemed world leaders.

Cautious Optimism Set the Tone  Summit guests tended to agree that the best path forward is cautious optimism in light of concerns over a possible global economic slowdown and the challenges that may lie ahead.

Invest in Alignment with Values  Next generation investors increasingly seek returns that align with doing good for the world and future opportunities. Therefore, impact investing, philanthropy, social responsibility and ESG metrics are key themes in high demand. What is done with ones' resources has moral consequences and effective altruism is the best path forward. As an example, Justin Rockefeller outlined the example of Zero Mass Water which utilizes solar panels to create locally sourced water around the world.

Humanity-Driven Investment Decisions Rule - Big ideas reflective of what is needed for humanity represent prime investment opportunities  e.g. smart apps and Internet of Things (ioT) platforms.

Instill a Family Spirit of Dialogue - Future generations of families seek to shine on their own. Therefore, families need to communicate and have a vision to create something meaningful for the world. It is essential to know your family story, heritage and legacy and align it with a strong entrepreneurial vision that incorporates risk taking, creativity trust, chemistry and innovation.

Forex Markets Present Opportunity  Forex strategies that incorporate algorithms and a defense-first approach to investing such as those utilized by Mediatrix Capital are a compelling investment opportunity in today's dynamic business climate. Algorithms work better than humans as they can compute an input value or set of values, and produce a new value, or set of values as an output.

Blockchain + Business  Blockchain is changing best practices for business around the world. The right regulation will supercharge the future and radical changes are in store for every aspect of banking.

Dubai is Well Positioned as a World Leader  Dubai is in a unique position to continue to take the lead on the world stage as a result of its unparalleled innovation, trade agreements and seismic shift in investor mentality. The region leads in areas such as technology, AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, healthcare, financial services, and sustainability.

Buckle Your Seat Belt  Substantial families must prepare for events such as birth, death and divorce in addition to preparing for turbulence in the financial markets and it is always important to consider short and long term family goals. Families should live for today, remember yesterday and think of tomorrow as they prepare future generations to take the lead.

"The Global Family Office Summit event in Dubai was a crowning achievement for Anthony Ritossa and everyone who participated. The summit is recognised as the largest and most exclusive worldwide family office gathering of all time and it is an honour to provide patronage to such an illustrious event. Similar to past Summits, many prominent families from around the world gathered for high-level discussions on how to enrich the family legacy, grow, preserve wealth, and share ideas. We look forward to future events," said Mohamed Al Ali, CEO & Advisor, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum International Investments Enterprise, UAE.

"The summit is a good mix of families, of products and services. This sharing of current activities, and future trends is very important in such gatherings as a vehicle to move forward into 2019," said H.R.H. Prince Michel de Yougoslavie, Grandson of King Umberto of Italy & Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Monaco.

"For the past couple of years, I have chaired, moderated and spoken at many Family Office's and Investment Summits around the world, but this one has certainly raised the bar. It was an honour to Chair and Moderate Ritossa's Global Family Office Investment Summit," said Hussein Sayed, CNBC Arabia Anchor, & Chief Market Strategist, ForexTime (FXTM), UAE.

"This is the only global summit where affluence and influence combine synergistic forces to catapult groundbreaking platforms of commerce, wealth, and indescribable opportunities into disruptive global businesses of the future," said Sheila Barry Driscoll, Billionaire Foundation, USA.

"Your wonderful summit turned out to be the best conference I have been to. It's only because of your splendid efforts and management, that made it so successful, highly stimulating and beneficial for all participants," said Hadi Al Alawi, Chairman & CEO, Al Hayat Group, Kingdom of Bahrain.

"What makes these events exceptional is that they are organised by a family office for like-minded family offices," said Giuseppe Ambrosio, President, Monaco Single & Multi-Family Office International Association.

"Ritossa summits are the best in a perfect setting  we achieved US$360 million of investments," said Nick Ayton, Founder & CEO, Chainstarter & Family Office Crypto Advisor, UK.

For details on future events and the invitation-only 9th Global Family Office Investment Summit in Monaco June 18-20, 2019, please email [email protected] or visit www.MonacoSummit.org.

Pictured (left to right): Joze Oberstar, Founder/Attorney at Law, Oberstar Law Office; David Grozina, Co-Founder, SmartCargo; Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum & SEED Group; Gregor Humar, Founder/CEO, SmartCargo; Ahmed Ayman, Senior Manager - International Ventures, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum; Faris M. Al Tahtamooni, Associate Director - International Ventures, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.

Media Contact:



Charlotte Luer

+1-239-404-6785

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Family Office Summit

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The BC Cancer Breast Screening is a provincial program that provides screening mammograms for 275,000 women annually. In 2018, the BC Cancer Breast Screening program sought out an electronic structured reporting solution for screening mammography. Although the focus was on management of screening processes, there was also an opportunity to improve the diagnostic breast imaging workflow for some of the health authorities.

Additional goals included finding a scalable system that could expand the screening reporting system into diagnostic and interventional cases. Stakeholders were looking to reduce paper-based processes that could lead to potential data entry errors or delays in reporting. The software solution would also have to leverage the existing infrastructure and provide an enterprise-wide solution for the entire province.

To meet these needs, MagView is deploying integrated solutions with multiple RIS and PACS systems, structured reporting, PowerScribe and Fluency integrations, tablets to collect patient history in multiple languages, risk assessment models, and text messaging to notify patients of upcoming appointments and reminders. MagView also brings built-in system reports for monitoring physician performance and tracking patient outcomes.

The province will deploy MagView at 43 locations and three mobile vans across British Columbia. Part of the challenge will be integrating several different existing systems already in use, though this is not unusual for enterprise installations.

BC Cancer Screening Program selected MagView based on several key factors: "MagView was the solution chosen for our program due to the solution's flexibility, and its ability to integrate with the multiple RIS and PACS systems around the province. We are excited about moving from our cumbersome paper-based work processes to MagView," says Janette Sam, Program Director.

MagView is currently deployed at several of the Top 25 Cancer Hospitals in the United States, per US News & World Reports, and they service more than 2,500 facilities in the US alone. At 27 years in the industry, they are the first and longest serving MIS provider to the breast imaging community.

To learn more about how MagView is providing enterprise solutions for British Columbia and other institutions, visit their webpage www.magview.com.

CONTACT: Arthur Taylor, 301-421-1000 ext 121, [email protected]

SOURCE MagView

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VANCOUVER, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - CANNAMERICA BRANDS CORP. ("CANA" or the "Company") (CSE: CANA) (OTCQB: CNNXF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding letter of intent ("LOI") to create a joint venture (the "JV") with Sericea Labs S.A. de C.V. ("SERICEA") and CBDistribution Company Ltd. ("CBDC") with the intention of building a facility in Mexico for importing and warehousing licensed CBD products as well as CBD oils and tinctures destined for refining.

When and if permitted under Mexican laws, the Company, SERICEA and CBDC (the "JV Parties") also plan on acquiring, importing and cultivating industrial hemp biomass for extraction into CBD isolate to be used for multiple product lines which utilize CBD.

Subject to Board approval from the Company and completion of satisfactory due diligence, the JV Parties intend to enter into a definitive joint venture agreement (the "JV Agreement") on or before April 30, 2019. Under the LOI, it is anticipated that each of the JV Parties will receive the following portions of the shares in the JV in exchange for the contributions of each of the JV Parties as follows:

40% to SERICEA in exchange for performing all necessary steps in obtaining the applicable licenses in Mexico represented in the joint venture for: (i) importing and warehousing licensed products (as well as CBD oils and tinctures) destined for refining; (ii) cultivation; and (iii) acquiring, importing and cultivating hemp biomass for extraction of CBD; 40% to CANA in exchange for contributing operational expertise, sourcing the property, providing equipment for refining and extracting product, providing exclusive licenses for products destined to the Mexican market and establishing a written intellectual property licensing agreement of use exclusive to the JV for all current and future technology for oil extraction within the country of Mexico ; and, 20% to CBDC in exchange for sourcing of hemp biomass, branding, marketing and the sale of the finished product, including but not limited to CBD isolate in bulk.

Additionally, the Company agrees to contribute the following on the date the joint venture receives its Single Cannabis Registry in Mexico:

CANA agrees to issue to the shareholders of SERICEA such number of common shares in its share capital ("Consideration Shares") equal to CDN$2,000,000 at a per share price equal to the volume weighted average price of such shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange over a 15-day period ending on the day such Consideration Shares are required to be issued ("15 day VWAP"); and





at a per share price equal to the volume weighted average price of such shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange over a 15-day period ending on the day such Consideration Shares are required to be issued ("15 day VWAP"); and On the date the JV's cumulative gross sales of all hemp derived oil and other imported and licensed products exceeds USD$5,000,000 , CANA agrees to issue to the shareholders of SERICEA such number of Consideration Shares equal to $2 million at a per share price equal to the 15-day VWAP.

"We are very pleased to enter the Latin American region with our partners in Mexico. This marks an exciting step for our brand's expansion in the international CBD marketplace," said Dan Anglin, CEO and Co-Founder of CannAmerica. "Coupled with our partnership in Europe, global distribution of CannAmerica products is our key focus in 2019."

"SERICEA Labs welcomes the opportunity to enter into this LOI that will help pave the way for CannAmerica CBD licensed products to enter into the emerging Mexican cannabis market, with the same quality and processing standards expected by their customers", expressed the Board of Directors of SERICEA Labs S.A. de C.V. in an authorized statement.

For more information, please visit www.cannamericabrands.com.

On Behalf of the Board,

Dan Anglin

CEO and Director

(314) 495-4589

About CannAmerica Brands Corp.

CannAmerica Brands is a U.S. marine veteran founded and operated portfolio of cannabis brands with licensing agreements in the states of Colorado, Nevada and Maryland. The Company aims to maximize the value of its brands by employing strong brand management teams, marketing and licensing the brands through various distribution channels, including dispensaries, wholesalers and distributors, in the United States and internationally. The Company's core strategy is to enhance and monetize the global reach of its existing brands, and to pursue additional strategic acquisitions to grow the scope and diversity of its brand portfolio. For more information, please visit www.cannamericabrands.com.

About SERICEA Labs S.A. de C.V.

SERICEA LABS S.A. de C.V. is a corporation established by a team of talented global experts in the Microbiology, Government/Regulatory, Corporate Finance and International Business Development fields. SERICEA LABS value proposition is to offer customers, partners and investors: a "Secure Operational, Regulatory & Commercial Platform" for global companies to "engage early on" in Mexicos emerging cannabis sector. For more information, please visit www.sericealabs.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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws or forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, timing, assumptions or expectations of future performance, including the anticipated legalization of the cultivation of industrial hemp in Mexico, the intention of the Company and the other JV Parties to build a facility in Mexico for importing and warehousing CBD products, the intention of the JV Parties to begin acquiring, importing and cultivating industrial hemp biomass, the intention of the JV Parties to enter into the JV Agreement by the anticipated deadline, if at all, and the anticipated contributions of the JV Parties under the LOI and the JV Agreement, are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release, including that the cultivation of industrial hemp in Mexico will be legalized, the ability of the JV Parties to build a facility in Mexico for importing and warehousing CBD products, the ability of the JV Parties to begin acquiring, importing and cultivating industrial hemp biomass, the ability of the JV Parties to enter into the JV Agreement by the anticipated deadline, if at all, and the ability of the JV Parties to make the anticipated contributions under the LOI and the JV Agreement,. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary, include, without limitation, that the cultivation of industrial hemp in Mexico will not be legalized, the inability of the JV Parties to build or complete the anticipated facility in Mexico, the inability of the JV Parties to import and warehouse CBD products, the inability of the JV Parties to begin acquiring, importing and cultivating industrial hemp biomass, the inability of the JV Parties to enter into the JV Agreement by the anticipated deadline, if at all, and the inability of the JV Parties to make the anticipated contributions under the LOI and the JV Agreement. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or 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 statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE CannAmerica Brands Corp.
The first season of Contagious Conversations features a series of three in-depth interviews with experts who share their unique perspectives on today's toughest health challenges, including antibiotic resistance, global disease outbreaks, health equality and more. A second season will launch in Spring 2019.

"Contagious Conversations offers compelling insights and advice from individuals who dedicate their lives to the health and safety of America and the world," said Judith Monroe, MD, president and chief executive officer of the CDC Foundation. "Each episode takes listeners behind the scenes to learn more about leaders' career paths, their thoughts about protecting peoples' health and the power of working together for greater impact."

Current Contagious Conversations episodes include:

Episode 1: Outbreaks and Superbugs

Storytelling on the Frontlines with Journalist Maryn McKenna

Independent journalist and author Maryn McKenna describes her path to becoming a journalist, the value of storytelling in reporting complex public health issues, what it's like to report from the frontlines of emergency responses and the impact of antibiotics on the food we eat.

"The point of intersection between public health scientists and journalists telling stories about public health is finding that moment where big data sets can be translated into a narrative that makes sense for the mass audience."  Maryn McKenna

Episode 2: Infrastructure, Inclusivity and the ADA

New Pathways to Problem Solving with Dr. Lex Frieden

Lex Frieden, disability rights activist, architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act and 2017 Fries Prize for Improving Health recipient, shares his personal story, his dedication to independent living for people with disabilities and his memories about working closely with former President George H.W. Bush.

"We have to do everything we can to be inclusive in our planning for the workplace, in our planning for the community, and our planning for the world."  Lex Frieden, MA, LLD

Episode 3: All Lives Have Equal Value

Philanthropy, Optimism and Taking Risks with Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann explains how she came to lead one of the world's largest philanthropies, her thoughts about improving the lives of people everywhere and the power of public-private partnerships.

"A health threat anywhere in the world is a health threat everywhere. So no matter who you are, having a world where people have the chance for a healthy, productive life actually lifts all of us."  Sue Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH

To listen to Contagious Conversations, please subscribe or download on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcasting app. For more information, visit www.cdcfoundation.org/conversations.

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the sole entity authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has launched approximately 1,000 programs and raised over $800 million. The CDC Foundation managed nearly 300 CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 130 countries last year. For more information, visit www.cdcfoundation.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

SOURCE CDC Foundation

Related Links

http://www.cdcfoundation.org


MILWAUKEE, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Demand for skilled talent continues to grow as employers across the U.S. are reporting positive hiring intentions nationwide (+19%) across all 50 states, according to the Q2 2019 ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) Employment Outlook Survey. This is the seventh consecutive year of double-digit hiring Outlooks in the U.S., according to the survey of more than 11,500 U.S. employers. The Q2 2019 employment Outlook comes after the Bureau of Labor Statistics' January jobs report marked 100 months of consecutive job growth in America with approximately 19M gains since October 2010.

Employers in all 13 industry sectors report optimistic hiring plans with the strongest Outlooks reported in Leisure & Hospitality, Transportation & Utilities (both +25%) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (+24%) as consumers dine out and demand immediate delivery from groceries to fast fashion. Employers in Professional & Business Services have a +23% employment Outlook fueled by growing demand for knowledge workers with the right balance of human strengths including communication and collaboration and technical capabilities from coding to data analytics.

"As U.S. employers continue to report double-digit hiring Outlooks, demand for talent is growing across the board from cyber security experts and data analysts to delivery drivers needed to keep up with 24/7 online retail," said Becky Frankiewicz, President of ManpowerGroup North America. "It's a skilled worker's market. The best employers are reviewing the difference between what is desired in a role and what is required for a job. In the tech sector, we see a higher number of Java openings requiring computer science degrees than there are graduates. The most successful employers are re-evaluating the precise experience and education truly required to get the job done and as a result they're attracting the best, and often more diverse, talent to the organization."

View complete Q2 2019 survey results for the U.S: ManpowerGroup.US/MEOS .

Region Q2 2019 Quarter-over-Quarter Variation Year-over-Year Variation West 20% 0% +1% Midwest 19% +1% -1% South 20% -1% +2% Northeast 18% -2% +1%

U.S. Hiring Plans by Industry Sectors, Regions and Metro Areas/States

Nationwide, employers in all 13 industry sectors expect to add staff in Q2 2019. The strongest Outlooks are reported in Transportation & Utilities (+25%), Leisure & Hospitality (+25%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+24%) and Professional & Business Services (+23%) followed by Mining (+19%), Construction (+19%), Durable Goods Manufacturing (+19%) and Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing (+17%).

Both the South and the West have the highest regional Outlooks (+20%) in the country. Hiring prospects in the Midwest (+19%) are a close second with employers in the Northeast (+18%) not far behind. In the Midwest (+20%), Northeast (+18%) and West, the Outlook is up a percentage point (+20%) year-over-year and up two percentage points in the South.

Employers in Indiana (+33%), Maine (+33%), Alaska (+28%), Colorado (+27%), Kansas (+26%), North Carolina (+26%) and Oregon (+26%) report the strongest Outlooks nationwide. Of the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, the strongest job gains are expected in Greensboro, N.C. (+35%), Denver , Col. (+34%), Indianapolis, Ind. (+33%), Sacramento , Cal. (+32%), Albany, N.Y. (+31%), Deltona, Fla. (+31%) and Madison, Wis. (31%).

Complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey are available for download at ManpowerGroup.US/MEOS . The Q3 2019 survey will be released June 11, 2019.

*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands  Manpower, Experis, Right Management and ManpowerGroup Solutions  creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for 70 years. In 2019, ManpowerGroup was named one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies for the seventeenth year and one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the tenth year, confirming our position as the most trusted brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup

Related Links

http://www.manpowergroup.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CROP INFRASTRUCTURE CORP. (CSE: CROP) (OTC: CRXPF) (Frankfurt: 2FR) announced today that its Washington State tenant Wheeler Park ("The Park") has established a bulk cannabis customer relationship and its first 150 lbs of flower has been delivered at $400 per pound of its smaller flower and trim grown through the previous soil method.

The Park recently completed the final conversion to a 100% hydroponic facility and all the remaining soil medium material has been removed and all product has been sold. A perpetual harvest system is now being utilized with cannabis strains that have a 55-60 day flower cycle. The facility is designed to average 1,000 pounds per month.

Bulk sales compliment the tenant's ongoing sales strategy to establish itself as a premiere cannabis flower and extraction brand given the ongoing organic nature and high return THC level the company has seen in its lab testing. The company's Evolution Cannabis brand was recently featured on High Times' social media for its large bricks of THC honeycomb.

The strains included in the sale are Bubba Kush, Dutch Hawaiian, Ghost Train, Green Crack, Star Killer, WA Cookies and originating from the previous soil medium. Furthermore, the company has received additional tests results between 29%-31% THCA for its premium flower line that will be sold under the Evolution Cannabis brand.

Additionally, the 'Master Grower' has introduced new cloning and pruning regimes to promote healthier and more robust harvests. Also, a new growing medium is being tested for mother plants and clones that is showing promising growth pattern and more vigorous root development. This is expected to increase harvest yields and cloning viability.

CROP CEO, Michael Yorke, stated: "While testing results of our premium product continues to be outstanding, our tenant brand sales team is doing a fantastic job of using bulk sales to cover facility overhead and turn over older less desirable products. Perpetual harvest means the product is always fresh and maximizes throughput. The farm has the lowest cost power in North America at $0.02 per kWh, which is a huge advantage as it significantly reduces production costs."

About CROP

Crop is publicly listed company trading under symbol CROP.CSE. The company is focused on cannabis branding and real estate assets. CROP's portfolio of projects includes cultivation properties in California, two in Washington State, a 1,000-acre Nevada cannabis farm, 2,115 acres of Hemp CBD farms, and a growing portfolio of common share equity in upcoming listings within the cannabis space.

CROP has developed a portfolio of assets including Canna Drink, a cannabis infused functional beverage line and 16 Cannabis brands.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. 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. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the expected returns from the California Project; the technological effects of California Project; the intention to expand its portfolio; and execute on its business plan. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding the regulatory and legal framework regarding the cannabis industry in general among all levels of government and zoning; risks associated with applicable securities laws and stock exchange rules relating to the cannabis industry; risks associated with maintaining its interests in its various assets; the ability of the Company to finance operations and execute its business plan and other factors beyond the control of the Company. Such forward-looking statements should therefore be construed in light of such factors, and the Company is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release.

Company Contact

Michael Yorke  CEO and Director

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.cropcorp.com

Phone: +1-(604)-484-4206

SOURCE CROP INFRASTRUCTURE CORP.

Related Links

https://cropcorp.com/


AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cydcor , an expert in outsourced sales services, was recognized as an industry leader in corporate training by the ATD Greater Las Vegas Chapter (Association for Talent Development) taking top honors in the Training Delivery category, Cydcor President Vera Quinn announced today. Cydcor's Learning and Development team was presented with the honor at the Chapter's Tribute to Learning Awards held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Cydcor won ATD's award for Training Delivery for the team's outstanding strategy and execution of a complex technical training rollout to Cydcor's network sales offices.

"I'm proud of how Cydcor's Learning and Development team applied the latest industry learning practices to create an effective training program that is helping to grow our business," said Quinn. "The work of our Learning and Development Department and the results being achieved are examples of our commitment to innovative approaches to generate results for the independent sales offices and our clients."

The Chapter's annual awards honor companies leading the Learning and Development field, celebrating corporations for their creativity, innovation and futuristic approaches to learning. Cydcor's award in the Training Delivery area of expertise focuses on the ability to deliver effective training through the understanding of instructional design theory and methods, use of presentation techniques and tools for determining learning preferences, and incorporation of individual learning styles and cultural differences.

Award entries were reviewed by a team of CPLPs (Certified Professional in Learning and Performance) who evaluate submissions in 10 areas of expertise included in the industry-recognized ATD Competency Model .

"This impressive recognition for our Learning and Development team is one that everyone at Cydcor can be proud of," Quinn added.

"It was an exciting night for our members and guests of the ATD Greater Las Vegas Chapter and it was an honor, as President of the Chapter, to present Cydcor the Training Delivery award," said Sue Beyer.

Learn more about Cydcor on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn .

About Cydcor

Cydcor provides customer acquisition solutions to Fortune 500 and emerging companies in a wide range of industries. Through a unique combination of in-person sales, call center, and digital marketing services, Cydcor has mastered the power of building relationships with consumers while leveraging the advantages of technology to acquire, grow, and retain customers for its clients. Founded in 1994, the privately held company is based in Agoura Hills, California. For more information about Cydcor, visit www.cydcor.com .

SOURCE Cydcor

Related Links

http://www.cydcor.com


SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Diana Bailey, former Group Strategy Director at Hall & Partners, has joined Greenberg Strategy as Vice President of Strategic Planning.

Diana has worked in the industry for more than 15 years and has built and led high-performing research teams in North and South America. She brings a wealth of experience across the technology, hospitality and fashion sectors, along with a passion for elevating the strategic impact of insights within organizations.

Diana Bailey joins Greenberg Strategy as Vice President, Strategic Planning

Diana began her career in South America and has conducted on-the-ground research in over 25 countries. This cross-cultural perspective will contribute to Greenberg's growing global presence.

"Brands across the globe are facing similar challenges: Consumers value experiences over products, and increasingly care about both diversity and social responsibility. I'm excited to help companies navigate this changing mindset and to bring the cultural context to the insights."

Iwan Thomis, Chief Strategy Officer at Greenberg added, "We're delighted to welcome Diana to the Greenberg team. She has a strong strategic mind and we're excited about the energy and intelligence she will bring to the business."

Diana has a BS in Business and an MBA with a focus on Strategic Marketing from the University of Salvador in Argentina and the State University of New York.

Greenberg Strategy is a strategy and research consultancy focused on helping organizations identify the human patterns that impact their businesses. Our WholeHuman approach blends the art and science of tapping emotional, rational and instinctual responses to reveal the deeper truths that drive customer strategy and measurable, actionable business success. We specialize in both qualitative and quantitative research around customers, brand, communications, products and organization.

Media Contact:

Iwan Thomis

https://www.greenberginc.com/

510-446 8200

[email protected]

SOURCE Greenberg Inc

Related Links

https://www.greenberginc.com


NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Econscience, Inc., an American manufacturer of high-quality paperboard alternatives to single- and multi-use plastic products, has begun shipping the Great Lakes Straw: a 100-percent paper drinking straw made entirely with domestic materials and labor that lasts the length of a day in one or multiple beverages. Straws will be available for purchase through select distribution within the U.S. and abroad.

With plastic straws being phased out in major U.S. cities and single-use alternatives largely limited to low-performing paper offerings made overseas, the Great Lakes straw addresses the growing need for a durable alternative. "People want to shift away from single-use plastic straws," says Econscience President and CEO Jonathan Dudlak, "but with so many sub-par paper straws on the market, they're bound to have a bad experience that makes embracing that change difficult. We wanted to make a product that performs as much like the plastic option as possible, just out of compostable paper."

With almost three decades of experience in spiral-wound paper products prior to forming Econscience (pronounced like "conscience" preceded with an "e"), the ownership employed a mix of proprietary equipment and domestic materials to develop a straw that will last all day under normal use. "You may not need your straw to hold up the full 12-24 hours we've seen these show in testing," Dudlak says, "But the point is you won't have to worry about it coming apart in the drink that's on your desk at work all morning, with you in the car throughout the day, or getting refilled repeatedly when dining out. Having to change out your straw under any of these circumstances because it becomes too soggy to use is contrary to the whole mission of waste reduction."

Econscience says the Great Lakes brand is a nod to the best natural resource its home city of Chicago has to offer. "The oceans are getting a lot of attention as part of this movement against plastic straws," Dudlak says. "But we wanted to keep the focus local and remind our home region that we have resources in jeopardy right here, and an obligation to protect them." He says supporting this effort is a key part of the Great Lakes Straw brand: "We're donating 2 percent of all proceeds from sales of Great Lakes straws to local and national nonprofit groups that are aligned in this mission."

Popular sizes of straws will be available in white and black from stock but custom orders can be printed with food-grade inks in virtually any design. For more information, visit greatlakesstraw.com. Media inquiries: please contact [email protected].

SOURCE Econscience, Inc.

Related Links

http://greatlakesstraw.com


STUART, Fla., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Toolbase now includes Stem, Inc., the world leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven energy storage services. This addition gives project developers who use Energy Toolbase the opportunity to design and deploy solar + storage solutions based on Stem's industry-leading energy storage controls. With this integration, distributed energy providers can simulate project performance, analyze financial returns, and develop sales proposals informed by Stem's Athena AI platform and rich operating experience.

Stem Logo

Stem's AI platform, Athena, is the first of its kind for energy storage, performing real-time energy optimization that reduces energy costs and enables customers to access additional market opportunities via Stem's network. Stem has approximately 1,000 energy storage systems under contract across six U.S. states, Ontario, and Japan. Since 2012, Stem has captured data from its systems on a one-second basis to feed Stem's predictive analytics, machine-learning, and grid-edge computing AI. Stem partners with the strongest names among solar providers across the U.S. to unlock new value from solar projects for their customers, backed by performance guarantees.

The Energy Toolbase software platform specializes in the sales and analysis of solar and energy storage projects. Over 1,000 distributed energy companies nationwide use the application during the sales and development stage of their projects. Precisely calculating the savings and economics of behind-the-meter storage projects is highly technical. Energy Toolbase simplifies the complexity of modeling a customer's unique energy use profile, utility rate schedule, net energy metering rules and incentive programs. This enables users to more efficiently qualify their projects, optimize the system size, and create compelling customer facing sales proposal.

"We are thrilled to engage Stem's long experience operating storage across multiple U.S. markets and AI acumen in our financial modeling capabilities," said John Gurski, founder and CEO of Energy Toolbase. "Our users now have the ability to run Stem-validated savings simulations and work with one of the most experienced and reputable storage software operations company in the world."

The U.S. energy storage market is forecasted to grow rapidly over the coming years. According to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables' U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, total energy storage deployments will grow from 311 megawatts (MWs) in 2018 to 4,447 MW in 2024, more than doubling each year. To do so, storage developers will need to be highly-efficient in their project development activities, which this integration will enable.

"Solar project developers that are seeking to add storage need real-world performance simulation and market economic expertise, backed by long experience across a range of markets, to accurately estimate their customers' potential returns," said Alan Russo, Stem's Chief Revenue Officer. "Stem works to unlock new value from solar + storage by enhancing project economics, future-proofing against changing rates, and expanding sales opportunities. Moreover, these assets have the opportunity to participate in wholesale markets and utility programs, all orchestrated by our AI-driven software."

Energy Toolbase and Stem will co-host training opportunities to overview the functionality of their new integration. Register here to attend.

About Energy Toolbase

Energy Toolbase (ETB) is an industry leading software platform for modeling and proposing the economics of solar PV and energy storage projects. Over one thousand leading renewable energy developers worldwide utilize their software to accurately, objectively and transparently analyze their projects and create customer facing proposals. To learn more or request a free trial, visit: www.energytoolbase.com

About Stem, Inc.

Stem creates innovative technology services that transform the way energy is distributed and consumed. Athena by Stem is the first AI for energy storage and virtual power plants. It optimizes the timing of energy use and facilitates consumers' participation in energy markets, yielding economic and societal benefits while decarbonizing the grid. The company's mission is to build and operate the smartest and largest digitally-connected energy storage network for our customers. Headquartered in Millbrae, California, Stem is directly funded by a consortium of leading investors including Activate Capital, Angeleno Group, BNP Paribas, Constellation Technology Ventures, Iberdrola (Inversiones Financieras Perseo), GE Ventures, Magnesium Capital, Mithril Capital Management, Mitsui & Co. LTD., Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, RWE Supply & Trading, Temasek, and Total Energy Ventures. Visit: www.stem.com for more information.

For further information, please contact:

Tracy Fosterling, ETB

[email protected]

866-303-7786

SOURCE Energy Toolbase

Related Links

http://www.energytoolbase.com


CHICAGO, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Luck isn't needed to have fun on St. Patrick's Day. Follow the recommendations of the travel experts at The GO Group, LLC to celebrate everything Irish!

What started in 1724 by the Charitable Irish Society in Boston to honor Irish culture gained additional meaning when the British troops evacuated the city on March 17, 1776. Today, the oldest St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston honors both Irish-American culture and the Evacuation day holiday. Thousands flock the city to for a parade, marching bands and family filled festivities.

The Nation's capital brags that it hosts "the mother of all St. Patrick's Day festivals": Shamrock Fest. This year the fest will be held on March 23 at RFK Stadium with a day full of activities including carnival rides and more than 30 alternative rock bands.

Thousands will gather March 16 around the Chicago River to see the dyeing of the River. The tradition started in 1961 when the local plumbers union dyed their coveralls "Irish green" to celebrate St. Paddy's Day and the harmless solution was first dumped in the river in 1962. Afterwards, revelers can watch the 63rd annual Parade downtown and participate in one of the many Shamrock Pub Crawls throughout the city.

San Diego hosts the largest St. Patrick's Day celebration west of the Mississippi. ShamROCK fest in the Gaslamp district draws more than 20,000 people from across the US for an all-day party with Irish bands, green pints and steppers. For over 25 years visitors have transformed this legendary holiday into a 6-block outrageous experience for the green at heart.

Savannah may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of St. Patrick's Day, but on March 17th expect over 300,000 people, bagpipe players, Shriners, decorated floats, and Irish dancers. In addition to the parade, there is a weekend-long fest, dance parties, more than 350 marching band performances and even a fun run to work off the green beer.

The GO Group, LLC is the nation's largest airport transportation provider, offering shared rides, private vehicles, charters and tours, serving some 85 airports in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Australia and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year. Travelers can through GO's website, www.goairportshuttle.com.

SOURCE The GO Group, LLC

Related Links

https://www.goairportshuttle.com


WASHINGTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "I can't be the only female of color working at this level. That can't be right!" says Hannah Beachler, winner of the 2019 Oscar for Production Design. Beachler has dreamed up innovative visuals for productions such as Black Panther, Creed, and Moonlight, and is the first African-American to win an Oscar in that category. Beachler has repeatedly expressed that lack of diversity within her industry is due to lack of opportunities and low awareness amongst minority groups. Diversity and inclusion within technology and innovation are not new issues. Companies like Disney, Johnson & Johnson, and Mastercard are creating inclusion advocacy initiatives as part of their diversity advocacy. Federal agencies also are now confronting these issues with greater force.

Federal agencies are offering an unprecedented $130 billion in resources to encourage innovation and tech transfer agreements. The technology transfer process allows citizens to use existing federal resources and research to create new products and services. These agreements support dreamers, business owners, and innovators of all skill sets and experience levels. Two-thirds of game changing technologies in the past 50 yearssmartphones, autonomous vehicles, personalized medicine, and GPSwere made possible through tech transfer agreements, but these partnerships seldom included minorities.

Many minority innovators are unaware of these resources and how to use them to create jobs and build wealth. To remedy that, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) launched a 5-city tour to increase awareness of Federal laboratory opportunities among minority business enterprises. The 2019 MBDA InVision Tour began in Atlanta, and includes Houston, Oakland, New York City, and Detroit. Registration is now open for the Houston, TX stop of The InVision Tour, on March 21-22, 2019 at the TMC Innovation Institute. This tour will foster more innovation opportunities among minorities.

About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

MBDA, www.mbda.gov, is the only Federal agency solely dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority-owned businesses through mobilization and advancement of public- and private-sector programs, policy, and research. We provide greater access to capital, contracts, and markets, and better equip minority-owned firms to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues, and expand regionally, nationally, and internationally.

ISOM GLOBAL STRATEGIES

700 Pennsylvania Ave

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

Towan Isom (202) 841-9443

[email protected]

Website: www.mbdainvisiontour.com

SOURCE Minority Business Development Agency

Related Links

https://www.mbda.gov


HARRISBURG, Pa., March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com will offer free shipping to any FW&GS store for all orders of Irish whiskey placed between midnight on Friday, March 8, and 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 13.

FWGS.com offers customers an extensive product selection, as well as the convenience of delivery directly to homes, businesses, and FW&GS stores. Orders must be placed by March 12 to guarantee delivery in time for St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

There is no minimum purchase requirement to be eligible for free shipping to stores; however, additional items that are not Irish whiskey, but are purchased as part of the same order, will be subject to standard shipping charges. Free shipping does not apply to orders shipped to home, Special Order items, Limited-Release Lottery items, Wine Club subscriptions, and licensee purchases. Offer applies to items currently in e-commerce inventory, while supplies last. All other terms and conditions for purchases made at FWGS.com apply.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups and licensees. Taxes and store profits  totaling $16.5 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit lcb.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn M. Kelly, 717.783.8864

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Related Links

http://www.lcb.pa.gov


JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Be Agile (Pty) Ltd (in partnership with Agile Transformation, Inc.), based in South Africa, is excited to present the very first Enterprise Business Agility Strategist Certification Workshop in Africa. Be Agile is a leader in business agility consulting in the African market and its CEO, Myles Hopkins, was the first and currently only person to be certified by Agile Transformation, Inc. as an Enterprise Business Agility Strategist in Africa.

Cover page of brochure

This five-day workshop is intended for senior leaders and change agents who are actively transforming their organization to learn about the key pillars needed for successful business agility transformations. Delegates will walk away with concrete solutions and participate in activities tailored to their specific transformation challenges.

Transformation leaders will learn how to enable enterprise level business agility transformations including business areas and beyond the technology groups. Delegates will spend time exploring each of the seven pillars within the Enterprise Business Agility Model in detail, developing the skills necessary to lead a transformation within each pillar.

"Bringing this workshop and knowledge to South Africa is opportune as many large organizations in South Africa are well into their technology Agile journey and are now starting to hit a ceiling which they can't move beyond as they have not looked at Agile as an enterprise-wide transformation imperative," says Hopkins.

The workshop is accredited by the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile), allowing delegates to earn the ICAgile Certified Professional in Business Agility Foundations (ICP-BAF) certification. Offering this workshop in South Africa is a collaborative effort to bring top-quality, accredited courses to regions that are embracing business agility.

"ICAgile has been working with a number of organizations in South Africa along their agile journey and we are thrilled to see interest in the region moving towards true business agility," said Shannon Ewan, ICAgile's managing director.

Following the workshop, delegates will also participate in a safari in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, which is two hours outside of Johannesburg. This experience will ensure that delegates augment the rich learnings they acquire from the workshop with learning about themselves, leadership and teamwork while exploring the local attractions.

For further information on this once-in-a-lifetime event, please visit www.agilitysafari.com or contact Myles Hopkins at +27823364850 or [email protected]

About Be Agile

Be Agile is based in Johannesburg and partners with clients globally to craft and enable transformation strategies that allow the client to remain truly competitive in an ever-changing environment. Our main area of expertise is on our framework titled "Future to the Power of People" which focuses on leveraging the power of talent for organizations to flourish in their chosen future. Learn more at www.beagile.co.za.

About Agile Transformation, Inc.

Agile Transformation, Inc. is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., United States, and is an enterprise business agility enablement company that aims to accelerate the business agility journey. We help large enterprises define a transformation strategy with our Enterprise Business Agility model, measure and grow at every level with AgilityHealth, and accelerate the development of Agile talent. Learn more at www.AgilityHealthRadar.com/eba.

About ICAgile

Founded in 2010, ICAgile is a leading global agile accreditation and certification body that helps organizations design learning experiences that cultivate an agile mindset and enable sustainable organizational agility. ICAgile provides world-class learning tracks to guide organizations in the development of their curriculum. ICAgile's approach is not tied to any specific Agile methodology, thus giving people the flexibility to blend flavors in a way that make sense for their reality. Learn more at icagile.com.

Related Files

Enterprise Business Agility Strategy Safari Version 6 03052019.pdf

SOURCE Be Agile

Related Links

http://www.beagile.co.za


LAS VEGAS, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) announces that the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) through William B. Richardson, Vice President for Agriculture, today issued the following statement on allegations made by the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) that LSU AgCenter and its public-private partner, GB Sciences Louisiana, are in violation of Louisiana's medical marijuana law:

"The LSU AgCenter received written approval on February 28, 2019, from the Director of LDAF's Medical Marijuana Program to move into two rooms within the new main production facility. LDAF attorney Tabitha Irvin wrote to the LSU AgCenter:

'After careful consideration and in an effort to get the product to the pharmacies for the citizens of Louisiana, the commissioner of agriculture and forestry has decided to grant LSU AgCenter the authority to move plant material into the requested rooms (Mother room and Vegetative room) in the main facility.'

Relying on this written approval from the LDAF, the LSU AgCenter moved plant material into the two specific rooms on Friday, March 1, 2019.

The following Monday, a LDAF inspector issued a deficiency notice to the LSU AgCenter for doing what Commissioner Strain expressly approved the week before. Then Commissioner Strain made reckless and unsupported public accusations against the LSU AgCenter and GB Sciences Louisiana and threatened litigation.

The allegations made by Commissioner Strain are simply untrue.

The LSU AgCenter and GB Sciences Louisiana have provided all information requested by the LDAF regarding suitability and operations. Further, the LSU AgCenter and GB Sciences Louisiana have passed all inspections, benchmarks, and tests administered by the LDAF  all of which is fully supported by public documentation.

The state legislature approved Louisiana's Medical Marijuana Program three years ago. The LSU AgCenter conducted a thorough competitive public bid process to select GB Sciences Louisiana as its public-private partner, and has worked incredibly hard since then to get the program up and running. Commissioner Strain's actions are preventing thousands of patients from receiving the medical relief that they are anxiously awaiting and deserve.

The LSU AgCenter calls on Commissioner Mike Strain to immediately allow this program to proceed, so that the patients of Louisiana can receive the medicine to which they are legally entitled."

Ashley W. Mullens, Ph.D.

External & Governmental Affairs

Office of the Vice President for Agriculture

LSU AgCenter

101A J. Norman Efferson Hall- LSU

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

Office: (225) 578-2906

About GB Sciences, Inc.

GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) is a diverse cannabis company, focused on standardized cultivation and production methods; as well as biopharmaceutical research and development. The Company's goal is creating safe, standardized, pharmaceutical-grade, cannabinoid therapies that target a variety of medical conditions. To learn more about GB Sciences, Inc., go to: http://gbsciences.com.

About Louisiana State University Agricultural Center

The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center ("LSU AgCenter" or "AgCenter") is an institution under the supervision and management of the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (the "LSU Board of Supervisors"). The AgCenter's mission is to provide the people of Louisiana with research-based educational information that will improve their lives and economic well-being. The LSU AgCenter includes the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, which conducts Agricultural and Renewable Natural Resource-based research, and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, which extends the knowledge derived from research to the people of the state. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and consumer sciences, and community development programs.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain statements relating to future results or events, which are forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import may identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Further, information concerning the Company and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's business and financial and other results, are contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which we hereafter become aware.

Note: Although the Company's research and development activities are not illegal, the production and sale of cannabis products violate federal laws as they presently exist.

Contact Information

Corporate:

GB Sciences, Inc., 3550 West Teco Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89118

866-721-0297, or

Liz Bianco, Director of Publicity, [email protected]

SOURCE GB Sciences, Inc.

Related Links

https://gbsciences.com/


DUBLIN, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cosmetics and Perfumery Glass Bottles Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2019 - 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cosmetics and perfumery glass bottles market was valued at USD 1,745.91 million, and is estimated to witness a CAGR of 3.63% over the forecast period (2019-2024).



Urbanization, growing millennial population, and rising disposable incomes are the major contributors to this growth. Urbanization created several opportunities for the market players. Further, consumer awareness regarding the availability of different cosmetics is driving the demand for cosmetic products, and subsequently, packaging.



Key players in the fragrance and perfume market are focusing on developing natural-based fragrances, due to the rising consciousness about risks associated with synthetic fragrances. For instance, the Luxe brand positioned itself as a natural fragrance brand, and is collaborating with celebrities for product endorsement.



The increasing demand for personalized and natural fragrances is augmenting the market's growth. Key players are focusing on developing innovative fragrances and packaging to boost their sales across the world.



Furthermore, premium brands are gaining high popularity among consumers. Increasing consumer spending on luxury products, due to the rising disposable incomes (particularly in the Middle East and Europe) is instrumental in boosting the global fragrance and perfume market's growth.



Bottles have been a favored pack format for decades, constituting a majority share of perfume and cosmetic packaging, and thus demonstrating the popularity of this pack type. Bottles are the core pack types for majorly all applications in these products, and thus, there is no apparent shift in product launches.



Bottles, however, are facing fierce competition from tubes, and thus, in response to the same, companies are providing different kinds of applications and closures for bottles to make them suitable for on-the-go use.



Key Market Trends



Perfume Segment is Expected to Register Significant Growth



As glass bottles dominate the global fragrance and perfume market, the growing demand for perfume is also expected to increase the usage of glass bottles in the cosmetic sector.



Also, the demand for natural-based, fragrances instead of synthetic-based ingredients, is growing, due to growing consciousness about the risk of allergies and toxins. For instance, the US-based Luxe Brands, Inc. is positioning itself as a natural fragrance brand and is collaborating with celebrities for product endorsement.



According to industry estimates, the Indian perfume industry is valued at INR 2000 crore, estimated to grow by 50% by 2020. The current online perfume market is also estimated at INR 148 crore, and is expected to increase by approximately 120%.



Also, the increasing importance of personal grooming, coupled with growing demand from the millennial population, is forcing many luxury perfume companies to cater to local markets too.



For instance, Ahmedabad-based luxury perfume company, All Good Scents, was launched in 2014. The company introduced its luxury products in the local market and recorded a month-on-month average sales growth of 40% in 2016.



The Increasing Adoption of Advanced Technologies



The increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the United States for cosmetic packaging and growing trends of skincare products are some of the significant factors driving the market growth. Nail care and perfume products seem to be the biggest focus of consumers and retailers in the country. Due to the growing demand for cosmetic products, many cosmetic vendors are also adopting and innovating intelligent glass packaging solutions to improve customers' interests, as well as increase product safety.



For instance, in 2018, Verescence, with two production facilities in Atlanta, showcased its latest patented technologies in the United States, including unbreakable glass and mineral glass, as well as NEO infinite glass (the first premium clear glass composed of 90% recycled materials). It also introduced a wide range of stock bottles and many personalization techniques (colors, shapes, and decorations) that can transform La Collection bottles into customized creations.



The packaging vendors in the country are also producing airless pumps and glass bottles. These protect sensitive products, such as natural skin care creams, serums, foundations, and other preservative-free formula creams, by preventing them from excessive exposure to air, thus, increasing product shelf life up to 15%.



Competitive Landscape



The cosmetics and perfumery glass bottles market is highly competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. These major players with a prominent share in the market are focusing on expanding their customer base across several countries. These companies are leveraging on strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market share and profitability.



The companies operating in the market are also acquiring start-ups working on cosmetics and perfumery glass bottles to strengthen their product capabilities. For instance, in Sep 2018, Lumson acquired Leoplast to boost its strength in the prestige makeup sector. This acquisition is expected to help the company generate substantial investments and support its development in international markets as an excellent manufacturer of primary packaging for lipsticks.



Topics Covered



1 Introduction

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Rising Demand for Dropper Bottles

4.2.2 Increased Emphasis on Packaging for Product Differentiation

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Growth of Plastic Packaging as a Substitute for Glass Bottles

4.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis



5 Market Segmentation

5.1 Product

5.1.1 Perfumes

5.1.2 Nail Care

5.1.3 Skin Care

5.1.4 Other Products

5.2 Geography

5.2.1 North America

5.2.2 Europe

5.2.3 Asia-Pacific

5.2.4 Latin America

5.2.5 Middle East & Africa



6 Competitive Landscape

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Verescence Inc.

6.1.2 Vidraria Anchieta

6.1.3 Vitro SAB De C.V.

6.1.4 Zignago Vetro S.p.A

6.1.5 Piramal Glass

6.1.6 Pragati Glass Pvt. Ltd.

6.1.7 Roma International PLC

6.1.8 Saver Glass Inc.

6.1.9 SGB Packaging Inc.

6.1.10 SKS Bottle & Packaging Inc.

6.1.11 Stolzle-Oberglas GmbH

6.1.12 APG Group (Verbeeck Packaging Group)

6.1.13 Baralan International S.p.A

6.1.14 Bormioli Luigi

6.1.15 Consol Glass (Pty) Ltd.

6.1.16 Continental Bottle Company Ltd.

6.1.17 Dsm Packaging Sdn. Bhd.

6.1.18 Gerresheimer Group

6.1.19 Heinz-Glas Group Holdings

6.1.20 Lumson S.p.A



7 Investment Analysis



8 Market Opportunities and Future Trends



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vvwmpj/global_cosmetics?w=5

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Founded in 1936 in New York City, Goya has provided consumers with over 2,500 high quality, authentic, and affordable products ranging from everyday staples like olive oil and seasonings to classic ingredients like rice and beans; cultural foods that remind people of their native homes and often times, their grandmother's cooking. In essence, Goya has brought people of all cultures together through the food they produce and the many organizations they support, becoming an iconic and cultural symbol to the Hispanic community and a trusted American brand to all.

"We have always been proud of how near and dear Goya has been among Hispanic consumers and the success we have had among general market consumers. To receive this accolade is a true testament to what Goya means to so many people and to all those who are responsible for making Goya what it is today," said Rafael Toro, Director of Public Relations of Goya Foods.

Engagement Labs celebrates the performance of brand leaders in a variety of categories. Brands that are included in these awards are highly talked about brands online via social media and offline by consumer word of mouth. "The Goya brand is really breaking through in the food category, according to our TotalSocial data platform. Goya's improvement is related to continued strong performance with positive conversations, both online and offline, as well as more offline conversation among non-Hispanic consumers, including the most influential consumers who seem to have discovered the brand recently," said Ed Keller, CEO of Engagement Labs.

Goya is a company that celebrates diversity and authenticity; a community of passionate people making a difference through excellent-quality food and giving back to all those who have supported Goya for over 83 years. Through Goya Gives, the company's charitable arm, Goya has been a proud supporter of nearly 300 organizations endeavors, programs, scholarships, and events that promote culture and benefit overall community wellness. The company established Goya Gives as a way to bring awareness to national initiatives that demonstrated Goya's commitment to its communities through social responsibility, environmental initiatives, and company values, as well as to encourage others to help those in need.

For more information about Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com.

About GOYA: Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com .

About TotalSocial & the Awards: The awards are based on the Company's proprietary TotalSocial data and analytics, which continuously measures the online and offline social metrics that are proven drivers of business performance. These metrics, including both online and offline conversations against the following major conversation dimensions: net sentiment (the difference in the percent positive conversations minus negative), brand sharing (the extent to which people are sharing or talking about a brand's marketing or advertising), volume (a measure of how many conversations mention a brand) and influence (the extent to which an influential audience is talking about a brand). Over the next several months, Engagement Labs will announce awards for the highest scoring brands in each TotalSocial category. Our technology platform, TotalSocial, and the propriety analytical scoring system that drives it, are the basis for these awards.

For more information, contact:

Natalie Maniscalco

845.659.6506 / [email protected]

SOURCE Goya Foods

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NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank, a leading advisory firm specializing in the monetization of intellectual property assets, announced its acquisition of the assets of Tsu, a social network. The acquisition, which was finalized in early 2019, comes after Evacuation Complete, LLC filed for bankruptcy in 2016. The assets include its TSU.co domain name, the Tsu trademark, proprietary code, software and its database of registrants. Hilco Streambank is seeking a strategic buyer or partner for the assets.

Tsu was launched in October 2014 as a fully functional, globally scalable social networking platform available via the web and its iOS/Android application. The original founders built the platform with a vision to reward its users for the content they create. Unlike other social networking sites, Tsu differentiated itself by awarding content creators with a percentage of ad revenues based on their following and content engagement using a proprietary algorithm. In the months after initial launch, Tsu became one of the fastest growing social networks, achieving 3.5 million registered users in its first 6 months of public existence and registering 4.5 million users by its first anniversary.

The Tsu assets, including its revenue sharing algorithm, are being stored in databases under Hilco Streambank's control. "The technology associated with the Tsu platform creates an opportunity to build on top of a high-performance backend that could save a team several years of development work and the highly brandable tsu.co domain name that has considerable clout in the social networking space," explains Jack Hazan, EVP of Hilco Streambank.

To learn more about the acquisition of the Tsu social network, contact Hilco Streambank or visit tsu.co.

About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, private transactions, and online sales through auctions.ipv4.global, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments.

SOURCE Hilco Streambank

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BERKELEY, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stella Carakasi DTC Inc., a modern lifestyle company that creates unique and comfortable clothing that transforms the way women feel, is working to transform hearts and minds this March. In honor of International Women's Day, the company has launched a digital campaign to bring awareness to the gender funding gap facing women-led businesses. For Women's History Month, the company hopes to motivate women to make their own place in history by breaking barriers and inspiring women to support and invest in other women-led businesses.

According to Pitchbook, only 2.2 percent of all venture capital investment is going to female-led companies. Meanwhile, less than 10 percent of partners at the top venture capital firms are women. Most VCs (74 percent) don't have any female investors on staff at all.

"Women have been systematically pushed out of entrepreneurism, with the capital needed to create fast-growth startups withheld at every level. How can women looking for funding succeed when the deck appears to be stacked against them?" asked co-founder and Creative Director Stella Carakasi. "We decided the best way to make a difference was to address the current gender funding gap and encourage women to forgo traditional male-dominated venture capital boardrooms and forge a new path. Imagine the difference that we could make if women invest in businesses run by other women this month. Our campaign is really all about emboldening women to support one another."

Stella Carakasi and her brand have a long history of being progressive in the retail space. The company has been dedicated to sustainable supply chain practices since its inception, working directly with mills to develop soft, durable and eco-friendly fabrics and manufacturing in small batch productions to minimize waste. Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. is also a workplace committed to its employees, extending family-friendly work policies and offering opportunities for advancement within the company regardless of gender. Currently, 75 percent of the company's staff are women. Each employee defines their own role within the organization based on interest and skill set.

This spring, Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. made its boldest move yet. They launched a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg. CF) campaign on an equity crowdfunding platform. The offering, marketed to both accredited and non-accredited investors, gives regular people the opportunity to invest in Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. on the StartEngine funding portal.

Individuals interested in the Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. equity crowdfunding campaign can find more information by visiting https://www.startengine.com/stellacarakasi.

About Stella Carakasi:

Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. is the latest exciting iteration in a series of successful businesses driven by a team of fashion industry veterans boasting 25 years together. The brand is committed to a vision of sustainability, size inclusivity and accessibility to all women. Stella Carakasi, a division of Two Star Dog Inc., was founded in 2012. The direct-to-consumer brand Stella Carakasi DTC Inc. was incorporated in the state of Delaware in 2018 but maintains a principal office in Berkeley, California.

MEDIA CONTACT :

Blanc Communications

510-525-1100

[email protected]

SOURCE Stella Carakasi
MARION, Ind., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Indiana Wesleyan University, which has a generous transfer policy for adult and online students, has announced that it will offer a tuition discount and transfer in all credits for Argosy University students who are left searching for options after Argosy University announced on Friday that it was shutting down its academic operations.

To help Argosy University students impacted by the for-profit university's recent closure, IWU has agreed to transfer in all Argosy University credits (100-level or higher) in which at least a "C" or higher was earned according to each program's published transfer requirements.

Through March 2020, IWU is also offering Argosy University students a 15-percent tuition discount on all degrees offered through IWUNational & Global.

"We are looking forward to welcoming Argosy University students to IWU with open arms," said Matt Lucas, D.A., chancellor for IWUNational & Global. "We will work tirelessly to ensure the transition is as smooth and as efficient as possible for these students."

IWUNational & Global  a nonprofit, regionally accredited institution  currently has about 9,000 adult students attending classes either online or at one of IWU's 15 education centers located in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. IWU's online students come from all over the United States as well as other countries. The university has more than 90 online and onsite degree programs available through its Adult Enrollment Services.

IWU, the largest private university in Indiana, has a history of offering generous discounts and transfer policies to displaced students for the past several years.

Students who are interested in learning more about IWU's online or onsite degree programs may begin their transfer process by calling 1-866-498-4968.

Argosy University, based in Orange, Calif., announced Friday that, 18 years after its founding, it was closing its 16 different campuses in all 11 states.

About Indiana Wesleyan University

Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a Christian comprehensive university of The Wesleyan Church that is committed to global liberal arts and professional education. The university system includes IWUMarion, where about 3,000 students are enrolled in traditional programs on the main campus in Marion, Ind.; IWU National and Global, which includes more than 9,000 adult learners throughout the world who study online or at 15 education centers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio; and Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, which offers a practical and student-centered approach for busy, working ministers. IWU's DeVoe School of Business, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Educational Leadership, the School of Service and Leadership, and the Division of Liberal Arts are all housed within the National and Global campus. More information is available at www.indwes.edu.

Indiana Wesleyan University Contact:

Kate Lyons, Public Relations Manager

Marketing, IWU-National & Global

765-677-1689

[email protected]

SOURCE Indiana Wesleyan University

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WILSONVILLE, Ore., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Place to Work Institute has honored Infinity Rehab with a certification as a Great Place to Work.

Great Place to Work Institute has honored Infinity Rehab with a certification as a Great Place to Work.

The certification process considered more than 1,000 employee surveys from across Infinity Rehab's locations. Great Place to Work, an independent research and consulting firm, evaluated more than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job. These included employee pride in the organization's community impact, belief that their work makes a difference, and feeling their work has special meaning. Rankings are based on employees' experiences.

Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through its certification programs, Great Place to Work recognizes outstanding workplace cultures and produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" and Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists.

"We applaud Infinity Rehab for seeking certification and releasing its employees' feedback," said Dr. Jacquelyn Kung, of Great Place to Work's senior care affiliate Activated Insights. "These ratings measure its capacity to earn its own employees' trust and create a great workplace for high performance."

Infinity Rehab Division President JoLynn Munro calls out Infinity Rehab employees for contributing to this honorable title.

"We have wonderful team members throughout our organization," Munro stated, "and it's because of their commitment to quality, integrity, and respect for one another that makes Infinity Rehab a truly great place to work."

JoLynn named Infinity Rehab's professional development programs as one of the highlights of the company. Clinicians can advocate for change as part of their Practice Council, build their leadership skills in their Leadership Academy, and recognize fellow team members as a Shining Star.

"I'm proud to call Infinity Rehab a great place to work," Munro said. "I've always believed it, and I'm humbled our team feels the same way."

About Infinity Rehab

Based in Wilsonville, Oregon, Infinity Rehab began as an in-house physical, occupational, and speech therapies solution for the Avamere Family of Companies. Through the leadership of industry-recognized therapists, Infinity Rehab has grown to serve over 220 skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living communities across 16 states. Infinity Rehab employees are passionate about their mission: "To enhance the life of every person we serve."

They strive to follow this mission by paying attention to and acting on patient needs and wants, as well as continuing their education. Infinity Rehab is proud to be one of the largest providers of continuing education opportunities in the Northwest. For more information, please visit infinityrehab.com.

Infinity Rehab

25117 SW Parkway Ave, Suite D

Wilsonville, OR 97070

For press inquiries, please email [email protected].

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SOURCE Infinity Rehab

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SAN DIEGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Manscaped, Inc. has joined the prestigious Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the leading national trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry. Member companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality, and innovation and include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson, to name a few.

The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is the leading national trade association representing the global cosmetic and personal care products industry.

"As the first brand to address men's below-the-belt grooming and hygiene, we felt compelled to become members of the PCPC," said Co-Founder Steve King. "We strive to empower men to manscape so that they can be healthy, clean, and confident. We take this very seriously, grounding our product design and development in the best science and research available. PCPC will provide resources that support our company mission."

"We are pleased to have Manscaped, Inc. join our membership, adding to our personal care products portfolio of companies. PCPC is dedicated to educating consumers, legislators, regulators, NGOs, the news media, and all interested stakeholders about our industry's commitment to product safety and about how our products contribute to the well-being of families worldwide," said Mark Pollak, PCPC's Chief Operating Officer.

The Manscaped product line includes precision-engineered tools (including The Lawn Mower 2.0 electric trimmer with SkinSafe technology to prevent nicks and snags), unique pH-balanced formulations (such as The Crop Preserver, an all-in-one deodorant and anti-chafing moisturizer for the zone below), and accessories that have been specifically created for one job: to ensure a simple, safe, and effective below-the-waist manscaping routine. They have recently expanded their offerings to include The Foot Duster, a cooling anti-fungal foot deodorant.

For more information, please visit Manscaped.com and PersonalCareCouncil.org.

About Manscaped

Founded in 2017, San Diego-based Manscaped (as seen on Shark Tank) is the only brand dedicated to men's grooming and hygiene below-the-waist. The product line up includes precision-engineered tools, unique pH-balanced formulations, and accessories to ensure a simple and effective "manscaping" routine. For more information, visit Manscaped.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Personal Care Products Council

Based in Washington, DC, the Personal Care Products Council is the leading national trade association representing the global cosmetic and personal care products industry. Founded in 1894, the Council's 600 member companies manufacture, distribute, and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on every day, from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance, personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.

Media Contact:

Danielle Caldwell

Crier Communications

310-274-1072 x214

[email protected]

SOURCE Manscaped

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NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As rising costs associated with higher education continue to weigh heavily on students, McGraw-Hill is strengthening its commitment to students, educators and institutions to lower costs and increase student achievement. In 2019, McGraw-Hill will continue to expand its programs that in previous years saved students millions of dollars, while increasing student success and equity. In 2018, these initiatives saved students an estimated $55 million.

"The cost of college is one of the most pressing issues in higher education today," said Nana Banerjee, CEO of McGraw-Hill. "A college degree is critical for students seeking greater economic opportunity and a brighter future. It is particularly important for students at the bottom of the income quintile, where a degree raises their earning potential dramatically. As a mission-driven company, we want to lead in helping educators unlock the full potential of each learner, regardless of economic status. We know there's only one option. We must provide learning materials that are both high-quality and affordable. That's why we are doing all we can to partner with educators and institutions to lower costs and drive students' success."

Inclusive Access

In 2018, McGraw-Hill significantly expanded the number of institutions it works with on inclusive access programs, which enable students to have high-quality digital materials delivered to them by the first day of class at significantly reduced prices. McGraw-Hill now serves students through its inclusive access programs on more than 550 college campuses, saving them 50 to 80 percent off the cost of traditional textbooks.

"When colleges implement inclusive access programs, it's a win-win for students," said Simon Allen, President of the Higher Education and International groups at McGraw-Hill. "Not only do these programs save students money, but they also make it more likely students will succeed in their courses because they get access to course materials on day one of class. That's perfectly aligned with our deep focus on affordability and outcomes."

McGraw-Hill research into student performance on its learning platforms demonstrates that students with immediate access to course materials score 20 percent higher in academic achievement than those forced to wait two or more weeks for materials. For many students, the inability to pay for materials or the standard wait time to access funds from student loans can typically delay access to course materials and affect learning outcomes.

Rental Program

In addition to its focus on inclusive access, McGraw-Hill enters the second year of its textbook rental program with distributors including, but not limited to, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Education, Chegg, Follett and MBS Textbook Exchange. The rental program saves students up to 70 percent off the cost of traditional bound textbooks and provides favorable consignment purchasing terms for college bookstores  all in an effort to provide more access to students who need it most.

Enhanced Digital Solutions

Additionally, the company continues to innovate with its digital course materials. It recently launched a next generation version of the adaptive learning engine within the McGraw-Hill Connect digital learning platform, and has added tools to its digital programs that help students improve critical thinking skills, better prepare for the future workforce, and make it easier for instructors to identify students at risk of failing.

One of these tools, ALEKS Insights, part of the McGraw-Hill ALEKS adaptive learning solution, uses machine learning to help alert instructors to students who are at risk of failing or dropping out of a course. And a new feature added to McGraw-Hill SIMnet offers micro-credentials, which students can earn as they garner the skills they need to successfully enter the workforce.

Two recent reports recognized McGraw-Hill Connect and ALEKS as leaders in the market. An October 2018 report from industry research firm Outsell showed Connect to be used by more students than any other courseware solution. And a 2018 study published by BrightBytes showed ALEKS to be by far the most effective math learning app studied.

About McGraw-Hill

McGraw-Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that help students, parents, educators and professionals drive results. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw-Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 60 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Contact:

Tyler Reed

McGraw-Hill

(646) 766-2951

[email protected]

SOURCE McGraw-Hill

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IRVINE, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In the midst of a growth spurt that has propelled the company to the top of the boutique fitness industry, Club Pilates , the nation's largest and fastest-growing boutique Pilates franchise, announced today the signing of a Master Franchise Agreement for Japan. The massive development agreement will bring over 165 Club Pilates studios to the country over the next 10 years.

After making its international debut in Canada in August 2018, Club Pilates set its sights on further international expansion. With the boutique fitness trend rapidly gaining popularity across the globe, now is the perfect time to introduce a low-impact, niche fitness concept centered around a mind body connection to the Asia-Pacific region. The Japanese development will be led by newly-formed Club Pilates Japan Co. Ltd., comprised of franchise partners Naoki Shimabukuro, founder and CEO of Idea-Link Corporation, and Akira Onoue, COO of Idea-Link Corporation. The first Club Pilates location is expected to open in mid-2019 in Tokyo. After their initial launch in Tokyo, the franchise group plans to open at least 15 Club Pilates studios every year, across Japan, over the next 10 years.

"We are extremely excited to be working with Naoki Shimabukuro and his team to launch the Club Pilates brand in Japan," said John Kersh, Chief International Development Officer for Xponential Fitness LLC, parent company of Club Pilates. "I am confident the Club Pilates concept will be of great interest to Japanese consumers of all ages, and will be a compelling new franchise opportunity for Japanese entrepreneurs."

Naoki Shimabukuro, founder and CEO of Idea-Link Corporation and Club Pilates Japan Co. Ltd, and his investors, are young entrepreneurs with a passion for high-growth projects that improve the lives of the Japanese population. The new Club Pilates Japan team will be based in corporate offices in the Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building, across the street from Tokyo Station in Central Tokyo.

Club Pilates recently hit the 500-studio mark in the U.S. and projects the same aggressive growth trajectory through 2020. There are an additional 200 studios expected to open in 2019 and another 150 projected to open in 2020  further solidifying its spot as the largest and fastest growing Pilates concept worldwide. With its impressive domestic and international growth, Club Pilates was recently recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States, coming in at No. 95 on the Inc. 5000 list. In addition to its Top 100 ranking, Club Pilates was also named as the No. 7 Top Consumer Products & Services Company, No. 11 Top L.A. Company and No. 22 Top California Company.

"This is a landmark agreement for Club Pilates and we couldn't be happier to add Naoki and his team to our family," said company President Shaun Grove. "This expansion marks a new era for Club Pilates and we are looking forward to bringing our lifestyle brand and workout experience to Japanese customers and investors alike."

Since acquiring the brand in 2015, CEO Anthony Geisler has helped Club Pilates carve a niche in the crowded boutique fitness industry by providing consumers a tailored, high-end workout at an affordable cost. Strategic development is a key element to expanding the brand's modernized and premium group and private practice, state-of-the-art equipment including reformers and empowering atmosphere at an affordable price.

About Club Pilates:

Founded in 2007, Club Pilates is a boutique fitness studio that specializes in Reformer-based strength-training classes for anyone, at any age or fitness level. Based in Irvine, CA, the company is experiencing rapid growth and expects to have 650 locations open by the end of the year. Club Pilates is the first studio to create a 500-hour Teacher Training Program designed to thoroughly and safely teach group Pilates apparatus classes along with TRX, TriggerPoint, and Barre. Club Pilates is ranked as the Fastest Growing Fitness Franchise in Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 and 500 two years running and Entrepreneur Magazine's 2019 Franchise 500 for the third year running. To learn more about the Pilates franchise opportunity, visit https://www.clubpilatesfranchise.com .

Media Contact: Julianne Stevenson, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-945-1300

SOURCE Club Pilates

Related Links

https://www.clubpilatesfranchise.com


TEL AVIV, Israel and NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucleai, an AI company working with and for pathologists to improve diagnoses, announced it will be exhibiting at the 2019 United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), held at National Harbor, Maryland from March 16-21, 2019.

USCAP's annual meeting, organized by the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, is the largest pathology meeting in the US. With over 40 divisions of pathology covered in specialized committee meetings, seminars, presentations, short courses and more, the event provides the latest news and innovations in the field.

Nucleai is making cancer diagnostics more accurate, accessible and efficient through AI-based analysis of biopsies. With decades of cumulative experience in AI, machine learning and machine vision, the company's team has created clinically validated products to tackle the industry's greatest problem  the growing demand for biopsies alongside a shortage of pathologists. Nucleai offers a full line of products powered by AI that analyze biopsies in the GI, breast and prostate categories. With the company's easily integrated and cloud-based solution, pathologists benefit from increased efficiency and accuracy and the ability to suggest the most relevant path for patients.

"Nucleai is thrilled to participate in this event which brings together the greatest minds in the field of pathology," said Avi Veidman, CEO and founder of Nucleai. "USCAP's dedication to create a gold standard in advancing skills available to pathologists reflects our mission to improve people's lives and we are excited to contribute our complete solution to the field."

At the conference, the company will be unveiling its latest research exploring the potential of digital image analysis (DIA) to aid in the identification of HP in H&E stained pathological tissue specimens; the research can be found at Poster Board 232, March 19th, Exhibit Hall H, 1:00 - 4:30 PM. In addition, Nucleai will also be exhibiting a poster demonstrating the capability of artificial intelligence based digital image analysis (AIIA) to successfully categorize colonic polyps; this research can be found at Poster Board 70, March 20th, Exhibit Hall C, 9:30 -12:00 PM.

The pathology conference attracts leaders in the field from different countries and specialties, making the 108th Annual Meeting a prime networking opportunity for pathologists, investors, start-up founders and researchers to connect and benefit from modern pathology innovations.

If you would like to schedule a meeting with Nucleai at USCAP, please contact Arnon Horev, Chief Business Officer, at [email protected], or swing by booth 805 during the conference.

About Nucleai

Founded in 2017, Nucleai is an AI healthcare startup in the field of pathology making biopsy diagnoses accurate, efficient and accessible to improve the current standard of care in the field of oncology and to expedite the development of novel cancer treatments. Led by a highly skilled team of artificial intelligence experts and leading clinicians, Nucleai improves cancer diagnostics using machine learning, deep learning and machine vision technologies. Nucleai is the only company to provide a comprehensive suite of solutions for biopsies relating to gastro, breast and prostate analysis. Nucleai is supported by leading pathologists in Israel and in the US and has raised $5M in funding to date. For more information, visit https://www.nucleaimd.com/.

Media Contact

Orit Yogev

Headline Media

[email protected]

+1 516 725 9202

SOURCE Nucleai

Related Links

https://www.nucleaimd.com/


ARLINGTON, Va., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy announced it awarded PAE an IDIQ for Contracted Maintenance, Modification, Aircrew and Related Services in support of large-scale, whole-platform support of various aircraft. PAE, a leading provider of aircraft maintenance and other government support services, was one of 19 companies to win a spot on the $12.6 billion CMMARS contract.

"This is a large-scale, whole-platform support contract that constitutes the overwhelming majority of nonmanufacturing aviation support for the Navy over the next 11 years," said PAE CEO John Heller. "We have the global manpower, the depth of experience and the expertise to meet these kinds of broad demands to keep our armed forces safely in the air worldwide."

Task orders under this contract are mission-critical and high-value, Heller added, so the company is growing and expanding its capabilities to meet the demands of this and other major contracts.

"We're making critical investments in smart sustainment technologies and methodologies to improve customer readiness rates and reduce cost of service," Heller said. "An IDIQ of this size and depth is spurring growth and innovation on our end, which ultimately benefits our clients."

For more information, visit pae.com.

About PAE

For more than 60 years, PAE has tackled the world's toughest challenges to deliver agile and steadfast solutions to the U.S. government and its allies. With more than 20,000 employees on all seven continents and in more than 70 countries, PAE delivers a broad range of operational support services to meet the critical needs of our clients. Our headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia. Find us online at pae.com, on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

For additional information, please visit our website, pae.com, or follow us at @PAE_Company, LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.

SOURCE PAE

Related Links

https://www.pae.com


ROCKVILLE CENTER, N.Y., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation's leading full-service concierge medical service provider, today announced that Craig Johnson, MD, a Pasadena, California-based family practice doctor with more than 25 years of practice, has enrolled in the company's Hybrid Choice program - an enhanced service that allows for greater connectivity between doctor and patient. By enrolling in Hybrid Choice, he can now offer the patients at his practice, Sierra Spring Family Wellness Center, the choice of joining a concierge programthe latest, most personal trend in the healthcare industryor continuing with a traditional model of care.

For busy physicians like Dr. Johnson, CCP's Hybrid Choice offers significant advantages. Doctors are able to maintain their traditional practice -- seeing all of their patients and accepting insurance plans -- while adding a new, private and stable revenue source. Hybrid Choice also lets doctors spend more time with current patients who choose to sign-up for the program, as well as offer exclusive after-hours and weekend availability via direct cell phone and email. In addition, the program allows participating doctors to advocate for patients with specialists. Hybrid Choice is available for an annual membership fee, with pricing dependent on the program elements offered by each doctor.

"I have always strived to provide the utmost in personalized, compassionate care for my patients. Recently, as the healthcare landscape has continued to grow more and more confusing, I have found that some patients needed more support and service, more time with me to help them coordinate their care and understand their treatment regimens in the context of their whole health," said Dr. Johnson. "CCP's Hybrid Choice program allows me to offer that enhanced practice experience to those patients who need it, while I continue to care for all my patients."

Dr. Johnson graduated with honors from Stanford University and received his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He has won numerous awards for humanism in medicine and public service. He has dedicated much of his life to improving the health of underserved populations, providing health services as far as the outback of Australia, rural Alaska, Oaxaca, Mexico, Guatemala and the Kingdom of Nepal.

About Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP)

Dedicated to providing real options for patients and physicians, Concierge Choice Physicians is the largest private provider of the full range of concierge programs available todayHybrid and FullFlex. The company provides innovative, flexible and affordable models proven to work in medical practices of any sizefrom solo physicians to large medical practice corporationsboth independent and affiliated with hospitals or health systems. Headquartered in Rockville Centre, NY, the company has worked with more than 300 physicians in 26 states. For more information, please visit www.choice.md .

SOURCE Concierge Choice Physicians

Related Links

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ST. LOUIS, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Perimeter Solutions, the world's leading producer of fire retardants, foams, and water enhancing gels for managing wildland, industrial, and municipal fires, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Voltree Power, to enhance its wildfire prevention solutions for utilities, railroads and related industries. The announcement comes just months after investigators blamed several of the Northern California wildfires on utility system failures. Fire caused utility and railroad operations and equipment and system failures have become an increasing issue in California and other fire prone states in the Western US.

Perimeter Solutions, makers of PHOS-CHEK Long-Term Fire Retardant, used by the USDA Forest Service, CalFire and many other fire management agencies around the world, offers an effective, proven solution to help prevent fires from sparks caused by equipment failures and regular operations. Voltree Power, Canton, MA, provides practical, cost-effective and innovative sensing solutions to the natural resource preservation, environmental and agricultural industries. The company provides environmental monitoring for local susceptibility to wildfires. Most importantly, Voltree has developed a technology in stealth that provides real-time plant fuel-moisture, the holy grail of environmental monitoring, as well as dead fuels status through vegetative bioelectrical signals. These sensors measure moisture levels in live plants and trees along with providing definitive data of heated trees that although may appear alive, are actually dead fuel. Both fuel moisture and dead fuels are major contributing factors in determining the fire rating danger system and leading contributors to the most recent wildfires. Low moisture levels indicate a greater potential for fire. According to Perimeter Solutions, the technology monitors, in real time, high fire danger and is far superior to standard, map-based monitoring.

"Voltree Power's patented technology expands our ability to provide a complete fire prevention solution," explained Edward Goldberg CEO of Perimeter Solutions. "This technology provides, at a much more local level, the insights and data necessary to identify high fire danger levels and determine where the fuel treatment is urgently needed."

Perimeter Solutions will highlight the advantages of the integrated real-time sensing technology with Voltree Power at the upcoming Wildfire Technology Innovation Summit, March 20-21, in Sacramento, CA. Perimeter Solutions is a Gold Level Sponsor of the Summit.

The Summit will gather national and international thought leaders and practitioners from state and local governments, academia, industry and others to inform and engage each other about the challenges of wildfires and tools that can help us better manage these devastating disasters.

The Summit is designed to initiate an ongoing dialogue between the technology industry, academic researchers, utilities, and government on the challenges of identifying, responding to and recovering from today's wildfires and the potential technological solutions to address these challenges. Attendees will hear from leading experts, practitioners and entrepreneurs and to discuss innovative technologies, strategies and practical tools.

About Perimeter Solutions

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Perimeter Solutions operates as a leading specialty chemicals business, producing high quality lubricant additives and firefighting chemicals with a broad product offering across fire retardant and fire suppressant foam applications. Perimeter Solutions is the only company with fire retardant products qualified for use by the US Forest Service (USFS). Perimeter Solutions produces major brands known throughout the world like PHOS-CHEK and FIRE-TROL retardant, foam and gel products; AUXQUIMIA and SOLBERG foam products; and BIOGEMA extinguishing agents and retardants. More info: www.perimeter-solutions.com

About Voltree Power

Voltree Power integrates emerging technologies to provide smart, real-time, cost-effective and innovative sensing solutions that allow its customers to monitor, communicate and respond while being environmentally responsible. Voltree Power's new biosensor will provide a proprietary fuel moisture algorithm for granular terrestrial sensing while providing real-time analytics for the fire rating danger system, natural resource preservation, increased yield and crop management along with a forest/crop registry for predictive inventory and financial commodity modeling, and carbon credit trading applications. Their unique technology provides solutions for homeland security, environmental and agricultural monitoring, meteorology and climate science, residential and commercial fire detection and prevention. More info: www.voltreepower.com

Media Contact:

Dave Pelton

Sr. Director, Marketing

Perimeter Solutions

Tel: +1 314 705 1140

[email protected]

SOURCE Perimeter Solutions

Related Links

http://www.perimeter-solutions.com


"The G Suite training and certification program is delivered entirely online, allowing individuals to learn, prepare and certify from anywhere in the world, whenever they choose. Online proctoring provides convenience while also upholding the integrity of the exam experience," said John Grubbs, learning technology and innovation lead, Google Cloud. "We want to help people become more proficient in cloud-based productivity technology so that they can compete in the modern workplace. Google Cloud's G Suite Learning Center is a great way to get started with guides, tips, customer examples and other training resources readily available."

The G Suite certification will be monitored online using ProctorU Auto with Live Launch and Professional Review, an automated proctoring solution that uses artificial intelligence to learn and adapt to test-taker behavior over time. After an exam has been completed and logged, a ProctorU trained proctor reviews the entire session and reports any suspected dishonest behaviors back to the Google Cloud certification team.

"We are proud of the work we have done with the Google Cloud team to be able to offer remote proctoring for its certification exams through ProctorU. Test-takers wanting to earn the G Suite certification are now given the flexibility to choose the testing environment that works best for them," said ProctorU CEO, Scott McFarland. "We understand the importance of securing the certification process while also providing candidates the increased convenience of testing anytime, anywhere."

About ProctorU

ProctorU provides a suite of online proctoring and identity management solutions for education, professional development and credentialing organizations. With patented, 24/7 live proctoring and a fully-automated platform, both backed by artificial intelligence, ProctorU offers a powerful, convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional test centers. ProctorU increases access to online learning while ensuring exam integrity and accountability for any test-taker.

SOURCE ProctorU

Related Links

http://www.proctoru.com


CHICAGO and BOCA RATON, Fla., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, today announced that the company has established a new affiliate, R.J. O'Brien France S.A.S., that will open an office in Paris as soon as the end of March, pending regulatory approval. The initiative gives RJO its first foothold in mainland Europe and furthers its strategic global growth initiative, aimed at building on the company's core offerings.

Privately held RJO and its affiliates (the RJO Group), which have been steadily building on their presence globally, achieved record revenues and profits for 2018, according to RJO Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gerald Corcoran. Last year, RJO Group opened its first office in Dubai and moved into new, larger office space in London following its 2015 acquisition of The Kyte Group. In addition to offices in Chicago, New York, London, Paris and Dubai, RJO Group has grown its presence in Asia, with locations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul.

Corcoran said: "We've long had a plan to establish a presence in continental Europe that complements our UK offering, which is truly formidable following our work over the past five years. The office gives us another great opportunity to attract brokers and clients throughout the continent. Our record performance in 2018 reinforces that we are on the right trajectory  taking full advantage of our company strengths and scale. The next couple of years will be exciting, as we expect to continue on the path of acquisition and innovation to ensure we give clients breadth of products and creative new approaches to solving their challenges and managing their risk."

RJO Senior Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer Steve Brodsky said: "I joined RJO last year to help the firm grow even further strategically, finding new ways to leverage our strengths, partner with other organizations and explore additional acquisition opportunities. Many FCMs and industry players are facing daunting challenges, and we have scale, commitment and an unparalleled track record in client service  making us an extremely attractive partner for the right entities."

Building on the firm's agricultural roots, RJO's recent organic growth initiatives include "agri-tech" solutions, such as the launch of an over-the-counter (OTC) Agricultural Structured Products Group designed for commercial agricultural firms of all sizes across the globe. The bilateral OTC initiative utilizes a first-of-its kind proprietary software platform developed by the team's financial engineers to analyze client needs and then generate and quote a wide range of customized hedging strategies. Also recently introduced was RJO's Autohedge, a proprietary hedge management tool, developed in consultation with grain industry leaders. As a fully customizable technology solution, Autohedge helps to reduce risk and increase productivity for those involved in agricultural hedging activities.

Corcoran said the new Paris office will open with a team of experienced institutional brokers in addition to management and support staff, with the intention of adding more brokers who have the right mix of experience, expertise and passion consistent with the company culture.

About R.J. O'Brien & Associates

Founded in 1914, R.J. O'Brien & Associates is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, serving institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of 400 introducing brokers (IBs). Clearing more than 80,000 client accounts, RJO services the industry's most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every major futures exchange worldwide. RJO has received the FOW International Award for "Non-Bank FCM of the Year" for the past three years. Wealth and Finance International Magazine named the company's private client division, RJO Futures, "2018's Most Trusted Financial Brokerage Firm." At its 2019 U.S. Services Awards, CTA Intelligence named RJO the "Best Independent FCM"  the seventh honor bestowed by the magazine on RJO and its UK affiliate.

SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates
IRVINE, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its rapid development in the United States, Row House, a low-impact, high-energy indoor rowing concept, announced today its first international studio development in Canada. As the demand for unique, boutique fitness concepts grows in the country, the brand is well-positioned to succeed with its efficient and effective rowing workouts. The inaugural Canadian location is set to debut in Toronto, and is targeting an opening date in summer 2019.

Currently Row House has 16 locations open and 200 territories sold in the United States and is on track to have over 100 studios open by the end of 2019. The company's extensive domestic growth and success have led Row House to seek out international markets for expansion.

"Demand for this groundbreaking concept is incredibly high right now, so in Canada, we expect to see a trajectory of growth similar to what has occurred in the United States," said Ramon Castillon, President of Row House. "We're confident that our neighbors to the north will fully embrace the camaraderie, inclusivity and total-body results that Row House offers."

The Toronto studio will be owned and operated by local entrepreneurs Steven and Elena Gliosca. Steven has worked in IT for 20 years, developing startups in Eastern Canada, while Elena is the owner of a local portrait photography studio. They were immediately hooked on the Row House workout and strong sense of community after visiting one of the brand's New York locations.

"We are excited to bring the indoor rowing revolution to Canada with our Toronto studio," said Elena. "As our city's busy fitness scene continues to shift toward boutique offerings, we know that the population is going to fall in love with this well-balanced, structured and efficient workout."

Long recognized by the rowing community as one of the most effective forms of full-body exercise, Row House will provide Canadian citizens an alternative fitness regimen that focuses on the safety and longevity of their bodies. The modern studio welcomes members into an atmosphere centered on camaraderie and drive, where participants row in-sync on state-of-the-art Concept2 rowing machines. Used every day by Olympic athletes, cardiac rehab patients, individuals at home and every caliber of rower in-between, the Concept2 is the authentic choice for those looking to marry low-impact cardio and strength training into one workout.

Row House, backed by Xponential Fitness' team with more than 25 years' experience in fitness franchising, is actively seeking qualified and passionate franchise partners to capitalize on the emerging market success. Backed by a wealth of support, infrastructure and knowledge, the total investment fee to open a Row House is $231,600-$333,750. For more information on Row House and the franchising opportunity, visit www.therowhouse.com/franchise.



About Row House

Row House is a boutique indoor rowing concept offering a group fitness environment that brings the comradery and drive fostered by the sport of rowing. Founded in NYC in 2014, Row House offers a smart, effective, low-impact and high-energy fitness program meant to preserve the longevity of the body for all fitness levels. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, Row House is backed by Xponential Fitness, a curator of popular boutique fitness brands. To learn more about Row House, visit www.therowhouse.com.

Media Contact: David Robertson, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-945-1300

SOURCE Row House

Related Links

https://www.therowhouse.com


Accepting the award on behalf of the organization, co-president Kristyn Caserta was effusive in her praise for the entire Boston Direct team. "It's so gratifying to see our hard work pay off, and I'm proud that everyone had a hand in achieving this recognition," she said. "We look forward to continuing to work on producing optimal results for the client."

Applying proven methods of customer acquisition and retention, Boston Direct specializes in face-to-face interaction to initiate, grow, and maintain strong client relationships. Currently representing one of the most recognizable names in green energy, Boston Direct is large enough to provide you with the resources you need and nimble enough to act promptly to increase the likelihood of favorable results.

Boston Direct's highly trained sales force operates with integrity, and teamwork is a main ingredient of the firm's success. In addition, the company is active in supporting philanthropic causes throughout the year.

Like Boston Direct on Facebook.

About Boston Direct

Headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, Boston Direct is a leading outsourced sales and marketing firm that specializes in business-to-business and business-to-consumer campaigns. With integrity and professionalism, Boston Direct provides competitive, progressive solutions to clients seeking exponential growth. For more information, call 508-309-4750 or go to https://bostondirectinc.com.

Contact: Kristyn Caserta

508-309-4750

SOURCE Boston Direct

Related Links

https://bostondirectinc.com


"The Tastykake team cannot wait to share the Scoop Shop line with our sweet loving fans," said Tastykake brand manager Ashley Hornsby. "For more than a year, our bakery team has dedicated themselves to developing this line to help "Make Happy Happen" for our consumers, and we think we've found recipes that do just that. Consumer insights helped dictate what ice cream flavors and snack items to include in the Scoop Shop line ensuring the most enjoyment for our fans."

Leveraging trends in the snacking category, Tastykake Scoop Shop explores the crossover of two sweet snacks by borrowing flavor and forms from different categories. The first Scoop Shop item, Cookies & Creme Mini Donuts, blends one of the brand's top-selling product types with a proven favorite ice cream flavor. Phase two combines mint chocolate chip ice cream flavor with a creme-filled cookie for the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich. The new treats create a fun snacking experience that ice cream and sweet snack lovers will appreciate.

To help celebrate the launch in its hometown, Tastykake will partner with another Philadelphia icon and the nation's oldest ice cream company  Bassetts Ice Cream  a full-service frozen dessert distributor. With more than 250 years of combined history in the City of Brotherly Love, the two brands will help locals and visitors alike cool down their spring fever with a selection of limited-edition milkshake menu items using Scoop Shop items as ingredients. The shakes will be sold at Bassetts' original retail location in Reading Terminal Market starting March 22. The parlor, which still boasts the original marble countertops, is owned and operated by the founder's great grandsons.

Scoop Shop Cookies & Creme Mini Donuts are available everywhere Tastykake is sold for $2.99 per 9.5oz bag or $1.79 for the six-count single serve option. These tasty twists on classic treats provide the perfect indulgence to kick a craving or enjoy just for the fun of it. Visit www.tastykake.com or www.facebook.com/tastykake for more information.

About Tastykake:

A snack favorite since 1914, Tastykake offers a complete line of snack cakes, pies, cookies, and donuts available in supermarkets, mass merchandisers, convenience stores and other retailers. Celebrated for their freshness and quality, Tastykakes include such classics as Krimpets, Kandy Kakes and Juniors. One taste of a Tastykake and you'll know why they have been a favorite of many for more than 100 years. Tastykake is a brand of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO), one of the largest baking companies in the U.S. For more information on Tastykake or Flowers Foods visit www.tastykake.com or www.flowersfoods.com.

About Bassetts Ice Cream Company

A sixth-generation family business and a Philadelphia tradition since 1861, Bassetts Ice Cream Company is a full-service frozen dessert distributor, offering outstanding products and superior service. Bassetts Ice Cream is distributed in the Philadelphia region, as well as the New York metropolitan area, Washington, DC and Florida. Products can also be found internationally in China and South Korea.

For more information:

Tori Andrews | Greer Hackett

The Zimmerman Agency

[email protected] | [email protected]

SOURCE Tastykake

Related Links

http://www.tastykake.com


TD's survey revealed some concerning credit habits of millennials, including:

Twenty-three percent of millennials don't have a credit card, and they're the generation most likely to prefer cash (26 percent) while traveling

Half of millennials use between 31-90 percent of their credit limit, surpassing the recommended utilization rate of 30 percent or less

Nearly one-third (32 percent) of millennials don't pay their cards off in full each month, which can damage credit health and be costly in the long run, especially in a rising rate environment

A quarter of millennials do not know their credit score, which can be a setback when applying for credit cards or loans, getting approved for a mortgage, buying a car, or making other major purchases

"The data is a bit concerning  it shows that a significant knowledge gap exists for millennials when it comes to credit, especially compared to prior generations," says Mike Kinane, Head of US Bankcard at TD Bank. "We're relying less and less on cash, and while credit cards may not be a millennial's payment method of choice, it's still critical that they develop financial knowledge and habits to properly position themselves for sound credit health down the road."



The Outcome: Millennials spend more than their older counterparts, but don't use the rewards they earn

Despite being more likely than other generations to pay for a group outing in order to earn rewards, thirty percent of millennials have let their credit card rewards expire (more than Gen-X at 14 percent and Baby Boomers at 9 percent). This data point is surprising, given Millennials were the generation most likely to carry a balance on their credit card.

Additionally, millennials spent $2,447 annually on dining, more than Gen-X ($1,923) and Baby Boomers ($1,486). If they are using a card with 2 percent cash back on dining, they could be earning nearly $50 in rewards each year. That could pay for over two weeks of coffee1, or almost four months of a Netflix subscription.

The Long-Run: Millennials are leading the way in teaching their kids good credit habits

Millennials were the generation most willing to help their children establish credit through a secured card (45 percent) or help with student loans (40 percent).

That said, more than half (55 percent) of respondents overall say they are not willing to help their children establish credit. This is particularly true for older generations, with 70 percent of Baby Boomers saying that they are not helping their children establish credit.

"Perhaps born out of growing up during the financial crisis and feeling the impact of student loans, millennials are driven to set their kids up for financial success and teach them good financial habits," said Kinane. "Through education and options like secured cards, younger generations can learn the responsibilities of having a credit card and start establishing good credit at a young age. It's also worth noting that length of credit history is a significant factor in credit scores."

1 Based on the average cost of a cup of coffee in New York being $3.12, per a 2018 report by UBS.

Survey Methodology

MARU/Matchbox conducted an online survey for the first wave of this study between March 22 and March 28, 2017 and interviewed 1002 consumers. A second wave of this study was conducted between August 20 and August 30, 2018 using the Springboard America panel to speak with 1,000 consumers. Springboard America is one of the leading online market research communities in the US, giving Americans the opportunity to participate in surveys and discussions that influence brands, products and services used every day. Both waves had consumers representative of the national population. A random national sample of this size has a margin of error of +/-3.1%. The data has been weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the national population.

About MARU/Matchbox

MARU/Matchbox is a professional services firm dedicated to improving its clients' business outcomes. It delivers its services through teams of sector-specific research consultants specializing in the use of Insight Community and Voice of Market technology.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com . Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US .

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com .

SOURCE TD Bank

Related Links

http://www.TDBank.com


WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law (Pace Law) was ranked number one in the country for environmental law, a signature program at the school, by the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, released today.

Today's news is the latest major success for the program, which has consistently been rated among the strongest in the country. Recently, the environmental law program has recruited top faculty who are recognized scholars in climate change law, international human rights law and natural resources and food systems law.

"At Pace University, we prepare students to change the world," said Pace President Marvin Krislov. "Our environmental law program, which trains attorneys for this critically important field, has long done world-recognized work. It is fitting that it's now the top-ranked program in the country. Congratulations to our Law School's faculty, staff, and students on this much-deserved recognition, and thanks to the Haub family for their commitment to the environment and to the Law School."

"For the past four decades, our environmental law program has led the way in training environmental defenders and advocates who have gone on to serve in law firms, government agencies and NGOs across the globe," said Dean Horace Anderson. "We are proud that in our program's 40th anniversary year, the scholarship of our faculty, the quality of our teaching and the experiential learning opportunities we provide to our students has propelled us to the top of the field."

The Law School's newest clinic, the Food and Beverage Law Clinic, was established in 2017 to provide transactional legal services to small- and medium-sized farms, food and beverage entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations seeking to improve food systems across the region. These developments are ensuring that Pace's environmental law program remains top among its peers.

"We are proud of our work training practitioners, advocates and environmental defenders, but humbled by the challenges that lie ahead," said Jason Czarnezki, Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Associate Dean of Environmental Law Programs. "Our attention is focused on fostering the aggressive reduction of carbon emissions in light of the climate crisis, rebuilding our country's commitment to environmental law, and fighting for environmental, social and economic justice."

The environmental law program is unique in many ways. Notably, Pace Law is only one of two law schools worldwide to be a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The School's membership allows students to draft memoranda, debate issues and attend meetings, including the World Conservation Congress and U.S. National Committee meetings.

The Law School also has the distinction of being Co-Secretariat to the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, helping to build environmental legal education capacity and promote the conceptual development of environmental law internationally. Through the UN Diplomacy Practicum, students provide assistance to UN country Missions by attending meetings on behalf of the Missions and by preparing memoranda and/or research papers on a range of issues such as climate change, renewable energy, fisheries protection, and forest management. All of these opportunities provide Pace Law students with the tools they need to be leaders in environmental law.

Pace Law offers more than 40 environmental law courses. Students can research cutting-edge areas of the law through on-campus centers and institutes that focus on various areas of environmental law including the Pace Energy & Climate Center and the Land Use Law Center, and can represent public interest groups as a student practitioner in the Environmental Litigation Clinic. Students can choose from unparalleled opportunities to develop their skills internationally and through on-the-job practical externships. Pace Law also stands out from other top environmental law programs because of its proximity to New York City (less than 40 minutes by train) and Washington, D.C. (less than two hours by air).

Over the past several years, Pace's environmental law programs have received numerous recognitions and accolades in recognition of its excellence. In May, the program will be given the Hudson Hero Award by Riverkeeper, which works to preserve the environmental, recreational and commercial integrity of the Hudson River.

About the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University: Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law (Pace Law) offers J.D. and Masters of Law degrees in both Environmental and International Law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) in Environmental Law. The school, housed on the University's campus in White Plains, NY, opened its doors in 1976 and has over 8,500 alumni around the world. The school maintains a unique philosophy and approach to legal education that strikes an important balance between practice and theory.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University launched its Environmental Law Program in 1978; it has long been ranked among the world's leading university programs. Pace's doctoral graduates teach environmental law at universities around the world. Pace's J.D. alumni are prominent in environmental law firms, agencies and non-profit organizations across the U.S. and abroad. In 2016, the Law School received a transformational gift from the family of Elisabeth Haub, in recognition of its outstanding environmental law programs. For more information visit http://law.pace.edu.

About Pace University: Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University's Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.

From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and a Law School in White Plains.

SOURCE Pace University

Related Links

http://law.pace.edu


NEW YORK, March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited ("TPHL"), successor company to Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited ("Petrotrin"), has made available an investor presentation, available online to certain eligible investors at the link provided below, to update investors on recent developments and the state of the company since the restructuring announced on August 28, 2018.

https://dealroadshow.com/e/TPHL2019

For further information, please contact:

Arveon Prout

Telephone: +1.868.625.5240

Corporate Communications Department

THIS PRESS RELEASE AND THE INFORMATION IN THE LINK REFERRED TO ABOVE ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE OR A SOLICITATION OF CONSENT WITH RESPECT TO ANY SECURITIES. ANY PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES TO BE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES WILL BE MADE BY MEANS OF AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM, WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO BE OBTAINED FROM TPHL AND WILL CONTAIN DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS CERTAIN FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in the link referred to above contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature or which relate to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. No assurance can be given that the transactions described herein will be consummated or as to the ultimate terms of any such transactions. TPHL undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events or for any other reason.

SOURCE Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited
NYSE American: UEC

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE American: UEC, the "Company" or "UEC") is pleased to report, in accordance with NYSE American requirements, the filing of the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the six months ended January 31, 2019 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). This Form 10-Q filing, which includes the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements, related notes thereto and management's discussion and analysis, is available for viewing on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or on the Company's website at www.uraniumenergy.com.

About Uranium Energy Corp

Uranium Energy Corp is a U.S.-based uranium mining and exploration company. In South Texas, the Company's hub-and-spoke operations are anchored by the fully-licensed Hobson Processing Facility which is central to the Palangana, Burke Hollow and Goliad ISR projects. In Wyoming, UEC controls the Reno Creek project which is the largest permitted, pre-construction ISR uranium project in the U.S. Additionally, the Company controls a pipeline of uranium projects in Arizona, New Mexico and Paraguay, a uranium/vanadium project in Colorado and one of the highest-grade and largest undeveloped Ferro-Titanium deposits in the world, located in Paraguay. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with a recognized profile for excellence in their industry, a profile based on many decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining.

Stock Exchange Information:

NYSE American: UEC

Frankfurt Stock Exchange Symbol: U6Z

WKN: AJDRR

ISN: US916896103

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this letter constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this letter.

SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp

Related Links

http://www.uraniumenergy.com/


WASHINGTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today unveiled the 2020 Best Graduate Schools. Evaluating universities across six major disciplines  business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing  these rankings are designed for prospective students looking to advance their education interests and career goals.

Best Business Schools: Full-Time MBA

For the first time, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School takes the sole No. 1 spot for full-time MBA programs. Wharton moved up two spots after demonstrating high employment rates, starting salaries and bonuses for its graduates. Stanford University also improved its rank to come in at No. 2.

Harvard University  the previous No. 1 full-time MBA program for three years running  ties at No. 3 along with University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

Best Law Schools

Graduates from the top law schools have consistently high bar passage and employment rates, among other factors. Again this year, Yale University is the best law school in the country. Stanford follows at No. 2, and Harvard rounds out the top three.

Best Medical Schools: Research

Harvard, due to its strong research activity, maintains the No. 1 spot among Best Medical Schools: Research. Following at No. 2 is Johns Hopkins University, while University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine moves up three spots to tie with Stanford in third.

"Whether you're looking to pursue a degree in law, medicine or business, the Best Graduate Schools rankings offer the in-depth data and information you need to start your search," said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. "You can compare data on factors that most interest you  whether that's how many law students pass the bar and are employed at graduation, or the student-faculty ratio and research expenditures at engineering schools."

In the Best Education Schools, Harvard moves up to the top spot. MIT and Johns Hopkins remain the No. 1 schools in engineering and nursing, respectively.

Additionally, U.S. News issued new rankings of graduate programs in other popular academic disciplines. These include health care management, physician assistant, public affairs, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work and veterinary schools. Beyond the rankings, U.S. News publishes year-round advice for prospective graduate students, covering the application process, the GRE, paying for school and more. Because each graduate program is different, the rankings methodology varies across disciplines.

Along with the MBA rankings, U.S. News will feature the online and undergraduate business programs in the "Best Business Schools 2020" guidebook (ISBN 978-1-931469-92-0), to be published later this spring. The complete 2020 Best Graduate Schools rankings will be available on usnews.com, with extended rankings data exclusively in the U.S. News Graduate School Compass. Follow U.S. News on Facebook and Twitter for more information on the 2020 Best Graduate Schools.

2020 Best Graduate Schools Rankings

*See the rankings here

Best Business Schools: Full-Time MBA

1. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

2. Stanford University (CA)

3. University of Chicago (Booth) (tie)

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) (tie)

3. Harvard University (MA) (tie)

Best Law Schools

1. Yale University (CT)

2. Stanford University (CA)

3. Harvard University (MA)

Best Medical Schools: Research

1. Harvard University (MA)

2. Johns Hopkins University (MD)

3. University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) (tie)

3. Stanford University (tie)

U.S. News will also host the "Workforce of Tomorrow" summit May 22, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Committed to examining and advancing solutions for a STEM-skilled workforce, the U.S. News STEM Solutions Presents: Workforce of Tomorrow conference is the preeminent conference for leaders in education, policy and workforce development. To learn more, visit USNewsSTEMsolutions.com.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

Related Links

http://www.usnews.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WJ Partners, a Spartanburg, South Carolina-based private investment firm focused on growing lower-middle market companies, today announced it has closed its investment in Power-Utility Products Co. (PUPCO) and named Cameron Todd Chief Executive Officer.

Charlotte-based PUPCO, a distributor and servicer of strut channel, cable tray, fittings, and associated products used in electrical infrastructure, was founded in 1973 and had been owned and led by Ralph Turnage since 2003. With locations in Charlotte and Norfolk, Virginia, PUPCO serves a national customer base including power plants, data centers, solar farms, healthcare facilities, and industrial construction.

"Under Ralph's leadership, PUPCO has built a strong position in the marketplace with its commitment to excellent customer service and maintaining a large and diverse inventory to ensure product availability," said Jaime Wall, partner at WJ Partners. "We look forward to working with Cameron to accelerate growth as we build out the team and distribution infrastructure to expand PUPCO's ability to serve new and existing customers across the U.S."

Todd joins PUPCO from Ingersoll Rand (IR) where he was responsible for executing mergers and acquisitions across IR's business units including fluid management, HVAC, and compression technologies. Turnage will work with Todd to ensure a smooth transition.

"WJ Partners is a great fit for PUPCO because of its long-term investment horizon focused on sustainable, enduring growth and success," said Turnage. "I am excited about PUPCO's future with WJ Partners to expand on the solid foundation we have created over the past 46 years."

"PUPCO's greatest asset is its people who have built a company centered on trust, reliability, and an unwavering dedication to fulfilling their customers' needs," said Todd. "I am grateful for the opportunity to join WJ Partners and the entire PUPCO team as we work together to invest in the logistics infrastructure and enlarge the sales staff in order to realize this company's growth potential."

First Tennessee Bank provided debt financing to support WJ Partners' acquisition of PUPCO.

ABOUT PUPCO

Founded in 1973 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Power-Utility Products Co. (PUPCO) is a distributor and servicer of strut channel, cable tray, fittings, and associated components used in electrical infrastructure. With locations in Charlotte and Norfolk, Virginia, PUPCO serves a national customer base including power plants, data centers, solar farms, healthcare facilities, and industrial construction. PUPCO prides itself in consulting with customers to provide just-in-time, comprehensive product solution sets. Learn more at www.pupco.com.

ABOUT WJ PARTNERS

Founded in 2008, WJ Partners is a private investment firm focused on building lower-middle market companies in the consumer, specialty finance, and industrial and business services sectors. WJ Partners takes a long-term approach to investing due to its permanent capital source. The firm's mission is to create value by providing financial, strategic and management resources to capture growth opportunities and operational efficiencies. WJ Partners' team has an extensive track record investing in and building lower middle-market companies over the past 30 years, including such organizations as Pure Barre, Mobile Communications America, and Eggs Up Grill.

SOURCE WJ Partners
ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children will mark its 20th anniversary this May, at Gotham Hall in New York City, paying tribute to two decades of supporters as well as current heroes in the child protection field. Peter Alexander of NBC's Weekend TODAY, will host the 5th Annual Gala for Child Protection which will honor Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Federation for Internet Alerts (FIA). With their assistance ICMEC created the "GMCNgine," an artificial intelligence search engine and alerts system that tirelessly searches the dark and clear webs for missing children, broadcasts geo-targeted information about missing children, and links members of ICMEC's Global Missing Children's Network for real time collaboration on cases. "Public-private collaborations allow us to bring cutting-edge technology to organizations like ICMEC," said Teresa Carlson, Vice President, AWS Worldwide Public sector. "I am proud to support ICMEC as they work to make the world a safer place for children."

The Global Fund to End Violence Against Children will receive ICMEC's coveted Champion for Children Award, for its remarkable ability to unite voices, actions and resources in service to children around the world. ICMEC is proud to be a partner in the Fund's efforts, using a grant from the fund to bring new training opportunities to the Philippines, Jordan, Kenya, Peru and Tanzania.

Since inception, ICMEC has worked toward impactful advancements to make the world safer for children. On May 2nd ICMEC will gather some of the most influential names in health, finance, technology, real estate, and art - because protecting children unites all of us. "We see a world where child abduction, sexual abuse and the exploitation of children do not exist," said Dr. Franz Humer, Chairman of ICMEC's Board. "We are grateful to share our mission with so very many committed supporters from around the world."

About ICMEC

ICMEC is dedicated to ending child sexual abuse and exploitation, and the incidence of children going missing for any reason. ICMEC advocates, trains and collaborates with others to help make the world safer for children. For more information, please visit www.icmec.org.

Contact:

Laura Jennings

[email protected]

703.872.7467

@ICMEC_Official

SOURCE International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children

Related Links

http://www.icmec.org


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 81-c , an operating company that is pioneering entrepreneurship as an asset class, announces its launch today with a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg. CF) campaign on the nation's leading equity crowdfunding platform, StartEngine . 81-c is the industry-first entrepreneur-backed Security Token Offering (STO). Today the company is also naming Williams Grant Writing (WGW) as the first venture to be identified and onboarded in to the 81-c ecosystem.

The 81-c model is accessible to everyone from day one through the Reg CF campaign live now on StartEngine . To date, no other entrepreneur-backed STO has been offered on a public marketplace.

For 81-c's founders, Dan Abbate and Jessica Merrell, the newly formed company represents a solution that will contribute to the global challenge of financial inclusion by growing entrepreneur-led businesses that would normally never be available to the public. The problem is traditionally two-fold: retail investors cannot invest in private, entrepreneurial businesses, and private, entrepreneurial businesses do not have the resources to gain access to market capital outside of traditional and alternative lenders.

"81-c is about making value creation accessible to everyone. One of the greatest sources of value creation, across generations, is entrepreneurship," says Jessica Merrell, co-founder of 81-c. "Yet, it remains out of reach for most people to invest in this economic engine that powers the global economy. For entrepreneurs of SMEs, we provide access to the advantages of a public market where once there was none. Ultimately, we are creating a global community without financial prejudice or barriers so that everyone can live the life they choose."

First Business Unit to Scale

In addition to the availability of its Reg. CF offering , 81-c is announcing today the on-boarding of its first business unit to scale, Williams Grant Writing (WGW). WGW is a family-owned grant writing company based in South Florida founded by Kelly Williams. Incorporated in 2015, WGW is comprised of a team that works together to produce quality grant proposals and reports, research new grant opportunities, and help nonprofits meet their grant-getting potential. 81-c will support WGW by refining business processes, optimizing technology and identifying how WGW could grow through acquisition in the same or complementing verticals. With this first business unit selected and on-boarded, 81-c plans to add up to 20 business units into its operation by the end of 2020.

The future of Security Token Offerings (STO)

Tokenized securities are poised to be a game-changer for financial and business ownership models. 81-c will utilize a security token using blockchain technology as the issuance and management mechanism and is well positioned to take advantage of this relatively new approach to equity issuance and management, based on the JOBS Act from 2012. STOs are a federally regulated investment vehicle and are emerging as a valuable alternative to private equity and venture capital financing.

"With the launch of 81-c's regulation Crowdfunding offering, we are introducing the first entrepreneur-backed STO, creating a new model for everyday investors and entrepreneurs within our ecosystem of business units," says Dan Abbate, co-founder of 81-c. "Our company works through constant growth and expansion. By continually identifying new areas for our entrepreneurs to target for success, we're able to add capital and scale. Ultimately, our business model benefits three groups of people: our entrepreneurs, employees of our business units, and our investors."

Individuals interested in the 81-c equity crowdfunding campaign can find more information by visiting: https://www.startengine.com/81-c .

About 81-c

81-c is the first public company to pioneer entrepreneurship as an asset class enabling anyone in the world to invest in entrepreneur-led businesses through a security token offering (STO). Currently accepting investment through a regulation crowdfund (Reg CF) campaign on StartEngine, tokens will represent a share of equity in the entire 81-c portfolio of companies. Based in West Palm Beach, FL, 81-c is actively seeking entrepreneurs looking to scale or exit their business. Find more information at 81-c.com

SOURCE 81-c
CHICAGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Adwerx, the leading provider of automated digital advertising for the real estate industry, has created a new custom-tailored program for Luxury Portfolio International to provide digital listing ads that will retarget the affluent consumers who visit properties on the LuxuryPortfolio.com website.

Luxury Portfolio is the luxury division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and markets over 50,000 luxury properties each year. Over 200 independent brokerages around the world carry the Luxury Portfolio International designation.

Luxury Portfolio was seeking a way to better serve its members that have properties listed on their site as well as build brand awareness. The company's unique position as a community of global real estate brokerages required a customized approach. Adwerx, as a leader in real estate advertising innovation, was called in to build a solution to cater to their individual needs.

Ads featuring the property will be generated for all non-European-Union listings, immediately reminding luxury home shoppers of the property they previously viewed on LuxuryPortfolio.com as they browse other websites and social media platforms.

Luxury property ads are automatically created for new listings and will remain active as long as the listing is up on the site. Luxury Portfolio members will enjoy comprehensive advertising until the property sells or is removed from the market.

"As a company, we value innovation and finding solutions to our client's problems. Luxury Portfolio International is an expert at helping their members market their listings and we are excited to be partnering on this initiative," stated Jed Carlson, CEO of Adwerx. "This custom program combines some of the characteristics of our Enterprise Automated Listing Advertising Program along with our proprietary retargeting service to reach these affluent and engaged consumers with relevant information."

While retargeting is traditionally used in the retail space, it is seeing a new application for goods and services that have a longer purchase cycle. Retargeting is an excellent way to expand reach and increase awareness. Because interested buyers for luxury properties are located around the world, this service is particularly valuable for Luxury Portfolio's members because it allows them to capture the attention of these consumers after they leave the website.

"Digital advertising is an important part of our strategy to deliver value for Luxury Portfolio members," stated Stephanie Anton, President of Luxury Portfolio International. "In our industry, continued awareness is crucial. This always-on service works behind the scenes to achieve that goal and is available as long as agents need it. Retargeting makes sure that potential buyers are reminded of what they have viewed so that they can take a second look."

To learn more about how Adwerx can work for you, please visit www.adwerx.com .

About Luxury Portfolio International (LPI)

LPI ( luxuryportfolio.com ) is the luxury marketing division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the largest global network of premier locally branded firms dominated by many of the world's most powerful, independent luxury brands. LPI attracts a global audience of visitors from over 200 countries/territories every month and marketed over 57,000 luxury homes last year. Well Connected.

About Adwerx

Adwerx provides Brilliantly Simple Digital Advertising for real estate, mortgage, insurance, financial services, and other businesses. Ads powered by Adwerx have received billions of impressions on social media, mobile platforms, and the most widely read news sites. Adwerx has served over 150,000 customers across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies for two years in a row. To see how Adwerx can work for you, please visit www.adwerx.com. Plus, NAR members receive 15% additional impressions on Adwerx campaigns, which can be combined with other eligible discounts. This exclusive benefit is available through the National Association of REALTORS' REALTOR Benefits Program.

SOURCE Adwerx

Related Links

http://www.adwerx.com


LONDON and AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AJ Bell, one of the UK's largest investment platforms, has selected Blue Prism's market leading robotic process automation (RPA) software to increase operational efficiencies and enhance customer experiences. At the same time, the company is expanding its IT team, including the appointment of a new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role.

Blue Prism's connected-RPA software will enable AJ Bell to utilize digital workers (software robots) to automate labor-intensive and routine back office administration functions. This will reduce the risk of error, enhance the service customers receive and improve productivity, while ensuring compliance with regulations where necessary.

For example, a customer with a regular direct debit paying into their Individual Savings Account (ISA) can hit their subscription limit before the end of the tax year. If that happens the direct debit will be suspended for the rest of the tax year. This currently involves contacting the customer and manually suspending the direct debit. The digital worker can take over these routine tasks, thus reducing costs and importantly freeing up staff to do more value-added tasks that will be of greater value to the company and its customers.

In addition to the tie up with Blue Prism, AJ Bell is expanding its IT function as part of its continuing growth, with current expansion plans including the recruitment of 15 new roles in addition to the new CTO role.

The CTO will join AJ Bell's Executive Management Board, leading the development of the company's technology strategy and assuming responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the IT function.

Michael Summersgill, Chief Financial Officer at AJ Bell, comments:

"Robotics is a fascinating area that has the potential to automate processes that are important to ensure we deliver the right service to our customers but are currently quite labor-intensive. With the introduction of connected-RPA technology, we can get these tasks done quicker and with a reduced risk of error.

"Blue Prism's digital workers will be a great addition to our business, but it is important to understand that this is not about reducing staff numbers. The continued growth of our platform business means that we will need to continue to grow our workforce, in fact we are continually investing in our IT department and we are currently looking for a CTO to come in and lead the team through its next phase of growth."

About AJ Bell

Established in 1995, AJ Bell is one of the largest investment platforms in the UK with assets under administration of 44 billion and 204,000 customers (as at 31.12.2018).

We operate in both the advised and direct to consumer segments of the Platform market and our flagship platform propositions are AJ Bell Investcentre (adviser) and AJ Bell Youinvest (direct to consumer).

We offer SIPPs, ISAs and General Investment / Dealing Accounts. We aim to make it easy for our customers to invest by providing them with additional support in the form of various investment solutions and information. We offer a broad investment range including shares and other instruments traded on the major stock exchanges around the world, as well as all mainstream collective investments available in the UK and our own range of AJ Bell funds.

AJ Bell is headquartered in Manchester, UK.

About Blue Prism

In this digital era where start-ups are constantly disrupting markets, only the most agile and innovative enterprises survive and thrive. At Blue Prism, we pioneered Robotic Process Automation (RPA), emerging as the trusted and secure intelligent automation choice for the Fortune 500 and public-sector market. Now we bring you connected-RPA supported by the Digital Exchange (DX) app storemarrying internal entrepreneurship with the power of crowdsourced innovation.

Blue Prism's connected-RPA can automate and perform mission critical processes, allowing your people the freedom to focus on more creative, meaningful work. More than 1,000 global customers leverage Blue Prism's digital workforce, empowering their people to automate billions of transactions while returning hundreds of millions of hours of work back to the business. Visit www.blueprism.com to learn more about Blue Prism (AIM: PRSM).

Follow Blue Prism on Twitter @blue_prism and on LinkedIn .

SOURCE Blue Prism

Related Links

http://blueprism.com/


"The Symmetry Access Control integration with Suprema's biometric readers provides a powerful, yet flexible security option for our customers who demand multi-factor authentication security for highly secure areas such as data centers," said AMAG Technology, Vice President of Products and Partner Programs, Jason Schimpf. "We are pleased to continue our long and successful relationship with Suprema and are excited to provide our customers with a reliable biometric option for their security needs."

"Our partnership with AMAG and integration with Symmetry provides customers with a dependable and fast biometric reader that can operate in any environment," said Suprema, Managing Director, Hanchul Kim. "Our fast fingerprint matching provides a quick response for users, and customers will benefit from the two or three factor authentication available to them."

When integrated with Symmetry Access Control software, the Suprema readers provide end users with several options for access. In high-security environments, organizations can implement card+PIN+biometric to obtain access. In areas where a biometric is not needed, card+PIN is an option.

Biometric enrollment of Symmetry cardholders is performed within the Symmetry Access Control interface. The user can store the enrolled biometric templates in the Symmetry database or on the card. When the fingerprint is stored on the card, all authentication is performed at the reader, decreasing network traffic while delivering a more efficient system. The reader will operate if the connection to the server fails.

The BioLite N2 provides superior protection against moisture, dust and liquid in the harshest environments. Featuring Suprema's renowned fingerprint algorithm along with its latest optical sensor, the BioLite N2 also provides exceptional performance and highest level of security.

For more information about how you can get this integration to work for your organization, please contact your Regional Sales Manager. For more information about how you can become a Symmetry Preferred Partner, visit www.amag.com/partners. Information about AMAG and its Symmetry solution can be found at www.amag.com.

About AMAG Technology

AMAG Technology's Symmetry Security Management Solutions are deployed across a wide variety of market segments from commercial to government, education, healthcare, banking, transportation, utilities, plus many more. AMAG manufactures open solutions that include access control, visitor management, identity management, command and control, video management, intrusion management, and incident and case management. Headquartered in Torrance, California with sales and support located throughout the Americas, EMEA, APAC and LATAM, AMAG provides customers with industry leading unified security solutions. AMAG Technology is part of G4S plc, the world's leading global integrated security company which has operations on six continents and 540,000 employees. As the industry leader, AMAG focuses on delivering the latest technology to meet market needs.

About Suprema

Suprema is a leading global provider of biometrics and security. By combining world renowned biometric algorithms with superior engineering, Suprema continually designs and develops industry leading products and solutions. Suprema's extensive range of portfolio includes biometric access control systems, time & attendance solutions, fingerprint live scanners, mobile authentication solutions and embedded fingerprint modules. Suprema has a worldwide sales network in over 130 countries and is one of the world's Top 50 security manufacturers in its turnover (ranked in A&S's Security 50, 2010-2017). For more information, please visit www.supremainc.com.

SOURCE AMAG Technology

Related Links

http://www.amag.com


LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement of Southern California (JA SoCal) is very pleased to announce that it has received a $1.5 million gift from The Anderson Family Foundation. It is the lead gift in "Campaign4Kids," a five-year, $7 million initiative aimed at expanding the growth and impact of Junior Achievement programs in Southern California. This transformational gift is the largest in JA SoCal history.

Designed for grades K-12, Junior Achievement programs help students gain critical life skills, such as learning how to manage money, start a business and make the connection between what they learn in school and future career possibilities. JA SoCal's programs reach over 70,000 Southern California youth annually with the help of more than 4,000 local area volunteers.

Dr. Les McCabe, President & CEO of JA SoCal stated that, "In addition to expanding the impact of Junior Achievement programs locally, funds from the 'Campaign4Kids' will be used to continue the development and funding of JA Finance Park." The Mike Curb Free Enterprise Center JA Finance Park is a financial literacy laboratory nestled on the edge of Griffith Park. JA Finance Park allows 7th to 12th grade students to see, touch, and live the experience of personal finance in a real-life setting of stores, shops, and financial institutions, by basically becoming "an adult for the day."

"JA SoCal has been providing programs to youth in our community since 1954," said incoming Board Chair, John Tipton. He continued, "Research shows that Junior Achievement students are more likely to start a business, successfully manage their finances and achieve their educational goals. This transformational gift from the Anderson Family Foundation will help ensure that these important programs continue to have a life-changing impact on the young people of Southern California."

JA SoCal Board member Sam Sheth added, "The Anderson Family's support of business education and youth empowerment in Southern California has been longstanding and incredibly generous. We are so thankful that they are investing in the future of JA SoCal."

Bill Anderson, Executive Chairman of Topa Equities and Board Member of the Anderson Family Foundation stated, "Our family has been passionate about supporting educational opportunities, entrepreneurship and children's causes in Southern California for many years. We are proud to support the important work of Junior Achievement of Southern California and their dedicated Board of Directors, Volunteers, Educators and Students."

For information on how to get involved with Junior Achievement or the "Campaign4Kids," contact Les McCabe at [email protected] or Monica Farrell Bringleson at [email protected].

About The Anderson Family Foundation

The Anderson Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization through which the Anderson family supports educational, health care, and other community-based organizations including UCLA, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and many other organizations.

About Junior Achievement of Southern California

Since 1954, Junior Achievement (JA) SoCal has been the leader in inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. JA SoCal brings our local education and business communities together to invest in the success of K-12 students- the majority of which are considered socio-economically at-risk. With the support of nearly 4,000 volunteers, JASoCal provides relevant, hands-on learning experiences that connect what students learn in the classroom to the real-world and demonstrates how learning correlates to earning - knowledge critical to empowering students to own their economic success. Through a variety of programs and initiatives like, JA Connect2Tech, the organization is shaping the college and career-readiness conversation and playing an important role in Southern California's economic development. In 2019, JASoCal is expected to reach 70,000 students in 2,600 classrooms throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County and Kern County. For more information, visit jasocal.org.

About Junior Achievement USA (JA)

Celebrating its centennial in 2019, Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in 107 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

FB: @jasocal TW:@JasocalLA

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA

Related Links

http://www.JA.org


MEXICO CITY, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: ASR; BMV: ASUR) (ASUR), a leading international airport group with operations in Mexico, the United States, and Colombia, today announced that its General Annual Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting will be held on April 24, 2019 and announced the agenda for the meeting.

The following is the complete text of the call for the shareholders' meeting:

CALL TO ASSEMBLY FOR ORDINARY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE SHAREHOLDERS OF GRUPO AEROPORTUARIO DEL SURESTE, S.A.B. DE C.V.

By resolution of the Board of Directors adopted at the meeting held on March 12, 2019 and pursuant to the provisions of Articles 36, 37 and other provisions of the bylaws of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. (the "Company") and Articles 181 and 183 of the General Corporations Law ("Ley General de Sociedades Mercantiles"), the Company's shareholders are hereby called to attend the Ordinary Annual General Shareholders' Meeting (the "Meeting"), which will take place at 10 o'clock a.m. on April 24, 2019, at the Company's offices at Bosque de Alisos No. 47-A 4th floor, Colonia Bosque de las Lomas, 05120, Mexico City, Mexico, in order to discuss the following matters:

A G E N D A

I. Presentation and, if applicable, approval of the following:

a. Report of the Chief Executive Officer, in accordance with Article 172 of the General Corporations Law and of Article 44, subsection XI, of the Securities Market Law ("Ley del Mercado de Valores"), accompanied by the independent auditor's report, in connection with the operations and results for the fiscal year ended the 31st of December 2018, as well as of the Board of Directors' opinion of the content of such report;

b. Report of the Board of Directors in accordance with Article 172, subsection b, of the General Corporations Law, which contains the main policies, as well as the accounting and reporting criteria followed in the preparation of the financial information of the Company;

c. Report of the activities and operations in which the Board of Directors intervened, in accordance with Article 28 IV (e) of the Securities Market Law;

d. Individual and consolidated financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended the 31st of December 2018;

e. Annual report on the activities carried out by the Audit Committee of the Company in accordance with Article 43 of the Securities Market Law and report on the Company's subsidiaries. Resolutions thereon; and

f. Report on compliance with the tax obligations of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, in accordance with Article 76, section XIX of the Income Tax Law. Resolutions thereon.

II. Proposal on and, if applicable, approval of the application of the Company's results for the year:

a. Proposal for increase of the legal reserve;

b. Proposal by the Board of Directors to pay an ordinary net dividend in cash from accumulated retained earnings in the amount of $7.46 (seven pesos and forty-six cents, Mexican legal tender) and an extraordinary net dividend in cash from accumulated retained earnings in the amount of $2.54 (two pesos and fifty-four cents, Mexican legal tender) for each of the ordinary "B" and "BB" Series shares. Resolutions thereon; and

c. Proposal and, if applicable, approval of the maximum amount that may be used by the Company to repurchase its shares in 2019 pursuant to Article 56 of the Securities Market Law; proposal and, if applicable, approval of the provisions and policies regarding the repurchase of Company shares. Resolutions thereon.

III. Ratification, if applicable, of the administration by the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer for the fiscal year of 2018 and appointment or ratification, as applicable, of (i) the persons who comprise or will comprise the Board of Directors of the Company, once assessed as independent, as applicable, (ii) the Chairperson of the Audit Committee, and (iii) the persons to serve on the Nominations and Compensations Committee of the Company; determination of corresponding compensations. Resolutions thereon.

IV. Appointment of delegates in order to enact the resolutions adopted at the Meeting and, if applicable, to formalize such resolutions. Resolutions thereon.

Subject to the provisions of the paragraph immediately following this one, in order to have the right to attend the Meeting, the shareholders shall (i) be registered on the Company Shareholder Register, or provide other proof of ownership of Company shares or the corresponding certificates in accordance with the Mexican Stock Market Law. The Shareholder Register will be closed three working days prior to the date set for the Meeting, that is, on the April 17, 2019; and (ii) have obtained their admission pass.

In order to have the right to attend the Meeting, at the latest on the working day before the Meeting (i) the shareholders shall deposit at the Company's offices, with S.D. Indeval, S.A. de C.V., Institucion para el Deposito de Valores ("Indeval"), or with another financial institution, their share certificates or the receipts or other proof of deposit issued by any such institutions, and (ii) the brokerage houses and the other depositaries at Indeval shall present a list containing the names, addresses, nationalities and number of shares of the shareholders that they will represent at the Meeting. Upon receipt of such documents, the Company shall issue an admission pass to the shareholders and/or deliver the forms that they may use in order to be duly represented at the Meeting pursuant to subsection III of Article 49 of the Securities Market Law. In order to attend the Meeting, the shareholders shall present the corresponding admission pass and/or form.

The shares deposited at the Company by the shareholders for the purposes of attending the Meeting shall be returned when the Meeting has ended, upon the delivery of the deposit receipts issued to the shareholder or attorney-in-fact for such shares.

The shareholders may either attend the Meeting personally or be represented by a person or persons duly authorised in accordance with the terms of Article 49 subsection III of the Securities Market Law or by any other form of representation granted pursuant to the law.

Furthermore, please be advised that the supporting documentation for the adoption of the resolutions of the Meeting hereby convened, and the application previously mentioned, shall be placed at the disposal of the shareholders at the Company's offices fifteen days prior to the date of the Meeting.

Mexico City, March 12, 2019

Rafael Robles Miaja

Secretary of the Board of Directors

About ASUR:

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. (ASUR) is a leading international airport operator with a portfolio of concessions to operate, maintain, and develop 16 airports on the American continent. The company operates nine airports in the southeast of Mexico, including Cancun Airport located in the biggest tourist destination in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America; as well as six airports in northern Colombia, including Medellin international airport (Rionegro), the second busiest in Colombia. ASUR also holds a 60% stake in the capital stock of Aerostar Airport Holdings, LLC, operator of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The airport in San Juan is the main point of entry to the island for international flights and continental flights from the U.S.; it was the first and is currently the only airport in the United States to have achieved a successful public-private partnership under a pilot program implemented by the FAA. Based in Mexico, ASUR is traded on the Mexican Bolsa (BMV) under ticker symbol ASUR, and on the NYSE under the symbol ASR. One ADS represents ten (10) B-series shares. For further information, visit www.asur.com.mx

SOURCE Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V.

Related Links

http://www.asur.com.mx


TEL AVIV, Israel, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Azrieli Group ("the Company") (TASE: AZRG); announced today that it will release its annual financial results on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

On the same day, the Company will hold its interim conference call, hosted by Senior Management at 17:00 Israel local time / 16:00 Central European time / 15:00 United Kingdom time and 11:00am Eastern Time.

The call will include a review of the Company's Q4 and annual performance, as well as a discussion of the Company's strategy and its expectations for the future.

A Question & Answer session will follow the discussion.

To participate, please dial:

Israel 03-9180664

United States 1-888-407-2553

United Kingdom 0-800-917-9141

Netherlands 0-8000-2499-36

Canada 1-888-604-5839

A power point presentation will be available through the Company's website at www.azrieligroup.com under Investor Relations  Presentations .

A recording of the conference call will be available from 2 hours after the call and until March 27, 2019 at 8:00 AM (local time), on the following numbers:

Israel 03-9255939

US and Canada 1-888-295-2634

United Kingdom 0-800-028-6837

Netherlands 0-8000-2342-46

For Additional Information

The Company's financial statements and board of directors' report will be available on Azrieli Group's website at: www.azrieligroup.com, in the IR (Investor Relations) section. To be included in the Company's e-mail distributions for press releases, news and other company notices, please send your e-mail address to Mr. Moran Goder, Head of Capital Markets and Business Development Analyst, at [email protected] or [email protected].

About Azrieli Group

Azrieli Group Ltd. owns and operates one of Israel's largest portfolios of malls, shopping centers and office properties nationwide. The Company is publicly traded on the TASE under the symbol AZRG IT and is included in the TA-35 and TA-real-estate indices. It is the only Israeli stock included in the EPRA Index. As of December 31, 2018, the Company has an equity market capitalization of about $ 5.8 billion. The Company operates mainly in Israel, and owns and manages properties with a gross leasable area of approx. 1.2 million square meters; the Company had interests in 17 shopping centers comprising 334,000 square meters of leasable space across Israel, 14 office properties comprising 548,000 square meters of leasable space across Israel, 3 Senior Homes comprising 76,000 square meters and 8 properties overseas (mainly in Houston, Texas) comprising 246,000 square meters of leasable space. In addition, the Company has 10 projects under development comprising 680,000 square meters of leasable space in Israel. Approx. 90% of the fair value of investment properties and properties under development relates to domestic properties (in Israel).

The Group has been specializing in shopping center and office space development, acquisitions, and management for the past 35 years. For further information, please visit the Company's web site at www.azrieligroup.com.

Contact Info

Moran Goder, Head of Capital Markets and Business Development Analyst, Azrieli Group. Office: [email protected]

SOURCE Azrieli Group

Related Links

http://www.azrieligroup.com/


WELLESLEY, Mass., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the annual Best Graduate Schools ranking, U.S. News & World Report ranks the best business schools for entrepreneurship, and has consistently placed Babson College above the rest.

This year, ranked No. 1 above Stanford University (No. 2), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (No. 3), Harvard University (No. 4), and University of CaliforniaBerkeley (No. 5), Babson remains steadfast in educating entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value everywhere.

Babson Graduate School Ranked No. 1 for Entrepreneurship for 26th year by U.S. News & World Report

"For more than a quarter century, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Babson as the leader in entrepreneurship education," said Babson College President Kerry Healey. "As we celebrate our Centennial and look ahead to our second century, Babson is educating the workforce of tomorrow, preparing entrepreneurial leaders to create economic and social value simultaneously, and changing the way people do and see business."

In the overall ranking, Babson is ranked in the top 100 for both part-and-full-time programs.

Babson's New MBA

As part of its Centennial year, Babson has reimagined its renowned MBA.

With an eye toward customization, and a keen focus on what employers and employees seek, the Babson MBA is offered in a variety of full-time and part-time formats. And for the first time, no matter the track, everyone will complete the degree in 45 credits.

The most anticipated aspect of the new design? Two-thirds of the curriculum is made up of electives, meaning students can place even more focus on the topics that excite them the most.

Students entering Babson in May 2019 and beyond will enroll in a program that has been updated from top to bottom.

The Future of Work

According to a 2018 report by the World Economic Forum, the skills that will be in highest demand by 2022 include analytical thinking, active learning, creativity, complex problem solving, and emotional intelligence.

At Babson, we call this collective knowledge an entrepreneurial mindset, designed for the future of work.

With market-aligned courses, tight-knit relationships with some of the world's largest and most reputable employers, and versatile programming that allows for constant iterationBabson is preparing entrepreneurs of all kinds to succeed no matter the circumstance.

An MBA for Every Career Path

Earlier this year, the Babson MBA was named No. 2 worldwide for Career Progress by Financial Times.

In its Global MBA ranking, Financial Times touts Babson above such well-known institutions as Harvard Business School, MIT: Sloan, Yale School of Management, and Columbia Business School.

Babson's small size means that students, faculty, and career advisors have the flexibility to co-create a tailored experience to help students achieve their professional goals throughout their academic process.

"Employers continually tell us that Babson graduate students are scrappy and can deal well with ambiguity," said Cheri Paulson, senior director of Babson's Graduate Center for Career Development. "What that means for the employer is that our students are not afraid to do whatever it takes to get the job done. They are motivated by making impact . . . they dig in and solve problems by taking action."

"Being No. 1 in Entrepreneurship 26 years in a row is an impressive achievement unmatched in any other specialty ranking," added Keith Rollag, dean of the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson. "Given our closest competitors each year are Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, we are proud to be the small school underdog that has built a world-class reputation around entrepreneurship. We are constantly innovating to not only improve how we study and teach entrepreneurship, but how we can help other institutions do the same. Our mission is to develop entrepreneurial leaders of all kinds who drive economic and social change everywhere, because entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful ways to make our world a better place."

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

SOURCE Babson College

Related Links

http://www.babson.edu


CONCORD, N.H., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bear Brook, a podcast series from New Hampshire Public Radio, focuses on four unsolved murders from the 1980s near Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshirecold cases that went warm after new investigative techniques came into play.

In the podcast, NHPR reporter Jason Moon and producer Taylor Quimby explore a central question: How could a murdered family go missing and unidentified for so long? Now, the team behind Bear Brook will share perspectives on their multi-year investigation; the role of genetic genealogy in solving crimes; and the stories behind key players surrounding the casefrom family members to amateur sleuths to law enforcement.

In early May, Bear Brook will hit the road for its debut tourstarting outside the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and traveling to Baltimore; Asbury Park, N.J.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and finishing up in Boston. Join Moon and Quimby for a fascinating stage show as they discuss the stories behind their reporting, including:

How a one-time news conference assignment turned into a multi-year, long-form reporting project.

How the sprawling, intricate law enforcement investigation took shape.

The role of forensic technology and genetic genealogy in solving crimesand the science and ethics of both.

The team's personal impressions of various relevant sites to the case in New Hampshire , including the area where the bodies were found and the gravesites of the first two victims.

, including the area where the bodies were found and the gravesites of the first two victims. The story behind the podcast's original music, which was composed and performed by Moon and Quimby.

What's next for final resolution of the case?

Each of these special presentations will be moderated by NHPR's Rebecca Lavoie, also a creator and host of the popular true crime podcast Crime Writers On . At each show, there will be time for audience questions.

"The response from listeners around the world speaks to the quality of Jason Moon's reporting and storytelling," said Maureen McMurray, Director of Content Innovation at New Hampshire Public Radio. "His journalistic rigor and thoughtfulness moved people and inspired renewed interest in this heartbreaking case. The Bear Brook team is looking forward to bringing the podcast to the stage, as a way to bring fans behind the scenes of the production and connect with more listeners."

Since making its debut in October 2018, more than four million listeners have downloaded episodes of Bear Brook to learn more about the mysterious victims, an enigmatic killer and innovations in forensic technology that may forever change how murders are investigated. The podcast has been named to numerous "Best Of" lists, including The Verge, The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), BuzzFeed, and Vulture; it also earned a Top 10 citation as one of the "Best Podcasts of 2018" from The New Yorker.

TOUR LOCATIONS & DATES

Contact individual venues for more information and to grab your tickets.

The Birchmere: Alexandria, Virginia  Wednesday, May 8

Rams Head Live: Baltimore, Maryland  Thursday, May 9

House of Independents: Asbury Park, New Jersey  Friday, May 10

The Bell House: Brooklyn, New York  Saturday, May 11

The Wilbur: Boston, Massachusetts  Tuesday, May 14

WHERE TO FIND THE BEAR BROOK PODCAST

Subscribe: Listeners can hear Bear Brook by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever they access podcasts.

Website: www.bearbrookpodcast.org.

Soundtrack (featuring original compositions performed by Moon and Quimby): www.bearbrookpodcast.com/podcast-soundtrack

Social Media: Twitter  @bearbrookpod Facebook  @bearbrookpod

About New Hampshire Public Radio

Since 1981, New Hampshire Public Radio has shaped the media landscape in the Granite State and beyond. Our mission is "Expanding minds, sparking connections, building stronger communities." NHPR is broadcast from 14 different sites, making it by far New Hampshire's largest (and only) statewide radio news service. Every week, NHPR is the choice of 170,000 listeners as a primary source of in-depth and intelligent news coverage, with thousands more viewing NHPR.org, following our social media sites or listening to our podcasts. Each day, New Hampshire Public Radio delivers several hours of local news reported by its award-winning news team. Locally produced programs and podcasts include The Exchange, Word of Mouth, The Folk Show, Outside/In, and Civics 101, among others. NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in the Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait WaitDon't Tell Me!, and This American Life.

Contact: Patricia McLaughlin

New Hampshire Public Radio

[email protected]

1-603-223-2444

Sarah Burke

New Hampshire Public Radio

[email protected]

1-603-223-2445

SOURCE New Hampshire Public Radio
New entity will ensure its next-generation cybersecurity solutions and Spark platform are FedRAMP and ATO certified

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced the creation of BlackBerry Government Solutions, a new independent wholly-owned subsidiary that will accelerate the company's Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) initiatives and deepen ties with U.S. federal agencies.

BlackBerry Government Solutions is headquartered in Washington, D.C and has a separate corporate governance structure from BlackBerry Limited to comply with U.S. national security requirements. It is led by Rear Admiral Robert "Bob" E. Day, Jr., U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.) who joined BlackBerry in 2016. As the President of BlackBerry Government Solutions, Bob will continue to guide BlackBerry products through FedRAMP and Agency/Component Authority to Operate (ATO) certifications, as well as oversee the mandated continuous monitoring and maintenance of BlackBerry FedRAMP cloud services.

"A tidal wave of connected devices is in sight and I believe BlackBerry is uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government securely build and connect all 'things' from ATVs and drones to documents, emails, and the data that flows between," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. "This new subsidiary allows us to deepen our reach within the U.S. government sector by ensuring our next-generation cybersecurity solutions and Spark platform meet FedRAMP and ATO certifications, as well as provide our customers with a higher-level of service."

BlackBerry is the trusted provider of security and data privacy for nearly all of the Cabinet and federal departments, including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Department of Treasury, and Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal agencies use BlackBerry's end-to-end software stack to securely manage connected endpoints (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops and other IoT devices), as well as protect sensitive data sent via email, text messaging and voice calls. Notably, BlackBerry's crisis communication solution protects more than 70% of all U.S. federal employees.

To learn more about BlackBerry's products and services available for the government sector please visit www.blackberry.com/government.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) enables the Enterprise of Things by providing the technology that allows endpoints to trust one another, communicate securely, and maintain privacy. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company was founded in 1984 and operates globally. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:

Media Relations

(519) 597-7273

[email protected]

Investor Relations

(519) 888-7465

[email protected]

SOURCE BlackBerry Limited

Related Links

blackberry.com


"All of us at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicineour faculty and staff, our students, our donors and our great affiliated hospitalsare proud of this recognition of our school as an innovator in medical education, a leader in life-saving biomedical research and a force for improving health," said Pamela B. Davis, MD, PhD, dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the university's senior vice president for medical affairs. "We are grateful to the university for the vision and commitment that makes our contributions and our progress possible."

The medical school includes two programsa university program with entering classes of about 180, and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine program, with 32 students each year. Lerner College provides full tuition for all five years of its program, which includes a dedicated year for research. Last year, nearly 2,000 students applied for those fewer than three-dozen slots.

"We are extremely proud to be one of the unique medical school programs offered through our partnership with Case Western Reserve University," said James Young, Cleveland Clinic's Chief Academic Officer and former dean of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. "This collaboration makes each of us stronger and strengthens what we can do for Cleveland and the world as a truly interprofessional team of teams. The increase in the rankings recognizes the exceptional faculty and commitment to setting the highest standards for training the next generation of physician scientists."

This spring, the university and Cleveland Clinic will open the Health Education Campuswhich includes the 477,000-square-foot Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion as well a 135,000-square-foot dental clinic. Samson Pavilion will include students from the medical school, as well as Case Western Reserve's nursing and dental schools.

The rankings are based on statistical criteria, such as amounts of research funding and the qualifications of admitted students, and on peer assessments by deans and other leaders at medical schools.

"Our school has been a pioneer in medical education for 175 years, and we're just getting started," Davis said. "We're about to take another big leap by moving into a new state-of-the-art Health Education Campus this spring. It will bring together and facilitate collaboration across all our health education schools, and will incorporate some of the most advanced technology in the world."

The Health Education Campus will provide an important educational opportunity by bringing students and faculty from the university's schools of medicine, nursing and dental medicine under one roof.

"Our move into this new building further extends the University's national leadership in interprofessional education, and will facilitate learning for health-professional students with social work and other programs across campus," said Vice Dean for Medical Education Patricia A. Thomas, MD, FACP. "Students from these different disciplines will learn together and will be better prepared to provide the team-based patient care that is quickly becoming the standard for the future."

In addition, students will be able to take advantage of leading-edge educational technologies.

"To improve the efficiency of learning and sharpen students' diagnostic skills, we've updated our human anatomy curriculum to incorporate augmented reality, ultrasound and diagnostic imaging methods," Thomas said.

As reported by U.S. News, in 2018 the school's research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the primary source of support for biomedical research in the United States, was $336.3 millionan increase of $13.8 million over 2017.

"In addition to our education and research accomplishments, we're proud of our medical school's commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our community," Davis said. "Through our valuable collaborations with the schools' affiliate hospitals, our students acquire a deep understanding of the causes and remedies of health disparities and the experience and skills to deliver care in a community setting."

For more information about Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, please visit case.edu/medicine.

SOURCE Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Related Links

http://case.edu


CHICAGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC) announced today the availability of its 2019 Crash Course report, a data-driven look at the business drivers and technology trends impacting the automotive industry. In the report  titled RETHINK  CCC Industry Analyst Susanna Gotsch explores how the auto industry is reimagining and transforming itself to address fundamental shifts in vehicle technology, car ownership, and consumer demand for modern, self-directed experiences. Crash Course draws from a rich variety of resources and data, including nearly 200 million claims-related transactions, 50 billion miles worth of driving data, and more than 20 years of injury data processed using solutions offered by CCC and its affiliates. CCC is the leading Software as a Service provider to the automotive, insurance, and collision repair industries.

"Ride-sharing, ride-hailing, and vehicle autonomy are setting forth a new paradigm for personal transportation," said Gotsch. "Layer in the growing prominence of mobile technology, AI, telematics, and connected cars, and you get an industry that is advancing even further and faster than ever before. Long-accepted tenets or established truths like 'I own my car, I drive my car, and I call my insurer to file a claim on my car' are being challenged, causing every player in the automotive industry to rethink their business, their value, and their products and services. This year's report combines data big and small to help readers understand where the market is going and how to think about operating in our new world."

Key themes covered in 2019 Crash Course include:

Car ownership  As ride-sharing options grow and ADAS-to-autonomous vehicles mature, the one-vehicle to one-person model may be phasing out, causing the lines between key players in the vehicle lifecycle to blur.

 As ride-sharing options grow and ADAS-to-autonomous vehicles mature, the one-vehicle to one-person model may be phasing out, causing the lines between key players in the vehicle lifecycle to blur. Driving  While new technologies will forever alter the role of drivers, humans will remain involved and their experience with the car, the insurer, or a repairer  in the event of an accident  will need to meet new expectations for service, which is likely mobile-first.

 While new technologies will forever alter the role of drivers, humans will remain involved and their experience with the car, the insurer, or a repairer  in the event of an accident  will need to meet new expectations for service, which is likely mobile-first. Car insurance  Increased vehicle technology and consumer demand for speed and convenience are combining to create a more complex insurance process, from underwriting to claims and repair management.

 Increased vehicle technology and consumer demand for speed and convenience are combining to create a more complex insurance process, from underwriting to claims and repair management. Accidents  ADAS-equipped vehicles are altering accident and injury frequency and severity in expected and unexpected ways. For insurers and automakers, the minutes following an accident are key moments of truth for their brand and their commitment to drivers.

 ADAS-equipped vehicles are altering accident and injury frequency and severity in expected and unexpected ways. For insurers and automakers, the minutes following an accident are key moments of truth for their brand and their commitment to drivers. Repairs  More sophisticated vehicles are creating a constant need for repairers to have access to tooling, training, data, and parts to ensure quality, timely repairs.

In addition to these macro trends and topics, 2019 Crash Course also includes industry-level detail on new and used vehicle market dynamics, claims frequency, total loss and repair trends, parts utilization, and much more.

Download 2019 Crash Course.

About CCC

CCC, together with its affiliates, provides cross-industry solutions to support the vehicle lifecycle. Founded in 1980, CCC's solutions and big data insights are delivered through the CCC ONE platform to a vibrant network of 350+ insurance companies, 24,000+ repair facilities, OEMs, hundreds of parts suppliers, and dozens of third-party data and service providers. Annually, over 24 million estimates and 16 million repairs are processed on CCC's products and services, and CCC also provides access to car-related services for millions of consumers via carwise.com. Additionally, Auto Injury Solutions Inc.  a CCC company  provides customizable, end-to-end, casualty solutions to auto insurers for the handling of first and third-party claims. The collective set of CCC's solutions inform decision-making, enhance productivity, and help customers deliver faster and better experiences for end consumers. Learn more about CCC at cccis.com.

SOURCE CCC Information Services Inc.

Related Links

https://www.cccis.com


VANCOUVER, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Choom (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) ("Choom"), an emerging adult and medical use cannabis company that has secured one of the largest national retail networks in Canada, is pleased to announce it is entering the United States, starting with the state of New Jersey. Choom through its wholly owned US subsidiary, Choom Holdings USA Inc., has signed a letter of intent ("LOI") to purchase an equity interest in a New Jersey based (the "NJ Company") medical retail dispensary applicant in New Jersey's upcoming Request of Applications ("RFA") that also intends to enter into recreational cannabis retail upon legalization, which is anticipated in 2020.

The NJ Company is advancing on its retail store strategy in New Jersey with the intention of receiving licenses to operate the maximum allowable cannabis stores for medical and eventually adult use when formally approved by the State. With these licenses, the NJ Company intends to create a network of branded stores using Choom's medical brand, Clarity Medical Centres, or Choom ("Choom Brands") for its recreational retail stores in the future. Choom will assist the NJ Company in this highly regulated market for the buildout and operations of cannabis retail stores. Choom will receive a royalty from the NJ Company for the use of the Choom Brands. Choom's investment in the NJ Company includes pro rata rights to maintain its equity interest on future financings.

"This is our first step into the United States, and we are very excited for our partnership with this experienced group to have the Choom Brands in New Jersey." states Chris Bogart, President & CEO of Choom Holdings Inc. "New Jersey is home to over 9 million people currently being served by only 12 cannabis operators in its medical program. New Jersey is an exceptional market to expand the Choom Brands. We are very impressed with the progress they have achieved to date, and with our expertise in cannabis retail, we are confident we can help them successfully operate in the New Jersey market."

The terms are not material.

Say hello to ChoomTM

Choom is an emerging adult use cannabis company that has secured one of the largest retail networks in Canada. The Choom brand is inspired by Hawaii's "Choom Gang"a group of buddies in Honolulu during the 1970's who loved to smoke weedor as the locals called it, "Choom". Evoking the spirit of the original Choom Gang, our brand caters to the Canadian adult use market with the ethos of cultivating 'Good Times with Good Friends'. Choom is focused on delivering an elevated customer experience through our curated retail environments, offering a diversity of brands for Canadians across a national retail network.

"Chris Bogart"

President & CEO

Cautionary Statement:

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.



Forward-looking information

This news release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's proposed activities and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information relates to management's future outlook and anticipated events or results, and include statements or information regarding the future plans or prospects of the Company. Although management of the Company 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. These factors include risks and uncertainties associated with regulatory approvals, changes in state or US federal laws and policies governing medical or adult use cannabis sectors, the results of diligence investigations, developments in the cannabis sector, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required regulatory approvals and ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, reliance on key personnel, regulatory risks and delays and other risks and uncertainties discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of the Company's interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings, including the Company's Listing Statement, made with the applicable Canadian securities regulators. 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 forward looking information.

SOURCE Choom Holdings Inc.

Related Links

www.standardgraphite.com


Tickets Tickets (starting at $49) for the general public will be available for purchase beginning March 1, 2019 by visiting cirquedusoleil.com/volta or calling 1-877-9CIRQUE (1-877-924-7783). To better suit the needs of families, VOLTA 's show schedule has been tailored with weekly showtimes beginning at 7:30PM and weekend matinees as early as 12:30PM. Discover our Hennessy Black VIP Experience package which includes a cocktail reception with open bar and hors d'oeuvres inspired by the show, access to the best seats for greater comfort, complimentary parking and more!

The show

Energetic, urban and contemporary, VOLTA is a captivating voyage of discovery that showcases never-before-seen under the Big Top acrobatics in a visually striking world. Driven by a stirring melodic score and inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of street sports, VOLTA is a story of transformation. It is about being true to oneself, fulfilling one's true potential, and recognizing one's own power to make it possible. Ultimate freedom comes with self-acceptance, and with the liberation of the judgement of others.

The name VOLTA refers to a sudden about-face, a change in emotion or idea often used in poetry. It also speaks to the jolt of energy delivered through the show.

VOLTA Media Access Library

Get a sneak-peek of VOLTA here: https://cirk.me/VOLTA_promo_30sec_v3

Official Video B-Roll:

HD: https://cirk.me/VOLTA_B-roll_HD_FINAL

UHD: https://cirk.me/VOLTA_B-roll_UHD_FINAL

Show Photo Selects: https://bit.ly/2PNGXeb

Costumes: Zaldy / 2017 Cirque du Soleil Inc.

Social Media:

Facebook.com/VOLTA Twitter: @Cirque #VOLTA

Instagram: cirquedusoleil #VOLTA

Cirque du Soleil

VOLTA is Cirque du Soleil's 41st original production since 1984, and its 18th show presented under the Big Top. The company has brought wonder and delight to more than 190 million spectators in more than 450 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,400 performing artists from close to 60 different countries.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.

Media Contact: Ashley Arias | TAA PR | 202.246.1742 | [email protected]

SOURCE Cirque du Soleil

Related Links

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com


BOGOTA, Colombia, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Clever Leaves, a leading vertically-integrated Colombian licensed producer of pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis serving the global market has become the first cannabis company authorized by Colombian regulators to commercially cultivate cannabis for medical purposes.

The Ministry of Justice in Colombia issued a resolution granting Clever Leaves the first quotas for the cultivation of medical cannabis, consisting of 175 mother plants, which in turn could be used for the propagation of plants for commercial use. This unique quota award paves the way for the commercialization of medical products for patients in Colombia and other geographies around the world where medical cannabis is legal for sale.

"This is the result of teamwork and a commitment to creating a new Colombian industry focused on healthcare and wellness, creating high value-added products, and promoting scientific and technological innovation. We are trying to build a company that will set the standard for the rest of the industry and we are very pleased to have already created hundreds of new employment opportunities for the people of Colombia. Every day, we continue building the medical cannabis sector, representing a unique opportunity for Colombia's future," said Andres Fajardo, CEO at Clever Leaves.

According to Kyle Detwiler, CEO of Northern Swan Holdings, Inc. ("Northern Swan") the strategic capital partner behind Clever Leaves, "For those more familiar with the Canadian medical cannabis industry, this would be similar to becoming the first licensed producer receiving the license for sales, as opposed to the initial pack of licensed producers only licensed to cultivate. This is a tremendous milestone for Clever Leaves, once more demonstrating its leadership in Colombia as well as its potential to evolve into a global leader of the medical cannabis industry."

"Colombia has a favorable regulatory framework and the necessary political atmosphere for the sustained growth of the medical cannabis industry. The products that are currently being produced here have the enormous potential to revolutionize the industry and turn Colombia into the leading exporter of medical cannabis in the world," said Clever Leaves Co-Founder and Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Director, Julian Wilches.

Prior to obtaining the first commercial quota in Colombia, Clever Leaves also obtained research quotas for the cultivation of up to 30,000 plants as well as utilizing 514 kilograms of dried cannabis for the production of extracts. Clever Leaves was also the first Colombian cannabis company authorized by Health Canada to make an international shipment of medical cannabis, which it sent to Canada for testing in late February.

About Clever Leaves

Founded in 2016, Clever Leaves is cultivating medical cannabis in the first phase of a 1.5 million square feet agricultural production facility which is compliant with Good Agricultural and Collection Practices ("GACP"). The Company began operating an EU Good Manufacturing Practices ("EUGMP")-compliant extraction laboratory in November 2018 which anticipates securing EUGMP certification in late 2019. Clever Leaves will produce approximately 29,000 kg and 77,000 kg of dried flower product in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which will be processed into approximately 2,900 kg and 7,700 kg of medical cannabis oil extract in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Company is already recognized as a standard-bearer of job creation in Colombia with approximately 200 employees with plans to employ over 500 professionals by the end of 2019.

About Northern Swan

Northern Swan is an investment firm focused on transformative investments in the international cannabis industry in geographies where the sector is federally legal. With offices in New York, Toronto, Bogota, and Frankfurt, Northern Swan invests in and assists emerging companies develop low-cost production capacity and distribution capabilities to improve distribution globally and generate brand value. Prior to founding Northern Swan, its management team has collectively invested in excess of $3 billion of capital at Blackstone, KKR, and Och-Ziff.

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors.

SOURCE Northern Swan, Inc.
HALF MOON BAY, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Source Leadership Summit  The Cloud Native Computing Foundation  (CNCF), which sustains and integrates open source technologies like Kubernetes and Prometheus, today announced that 59 new members and end user supporters have joined the Foundation.

The industry is reaching an inflection point where cloud native technologies are not only being developed at a record pace, but many are becoming mature offerings. As the Foundation crosses the 375 member mark, open source leaders are meeting this week at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Leadership Summit , continuing to foster innovation, growth and partnerships among the leaders and corporations working in open technology development.

"Crossing the 375 mark is an incredible milestone for the Foundation, especially with more than 75 organizations in our end user community" said Dan Kohn, executive director of Cloud Native Computing Foundation. "Companies like NVIDIA, MemSQL and Mattermost are reaping real value from cloud native technologies, and we only expect this to accelerate as these technologies mature and solidify their place in the market. We remain impressed by the technical innovation and growth in the ecosystem and are happy to work with our members to support the thriving cloud native community."

These new members will join CNCF for the upcoming 2019 KubeCon + CloudNativeCon events, including KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU from May 20-23 in Barcelona and KubeCon + CloudNativeCon + Open Source Summit in China from June 24-26 in Shanghai.

About the newest Silver Members:

About the newest End-User Members & Supporters:

AuditBoard is the leading cloud-based platform transforming the way enterprises manage critical risks with a full suite of easy-to-use solutions for SOX, controls, operational audits, compliance and workflow management.

is the leading cloud-based platform transforming the way enterprises manage critical risks with a full suite of easy-to-use solutions for SOX, controls, operational audits, compliance and workflow management. Cambia Health Solutions is a family of over 20 companies working together to make the health care system more economically sustainable and efficient for people and their families; empowering nearly 70 million Americans nationwide, including more than 2.6 million Pacific Northwest health plan enrollees.

is a family of over 20 companies working together to make the health care system more economically sustainable and efficient for people and their families; empowering nearly 70 million Americans nationwide, including more than 2.6 million Pacific Northwest health plan enrollees. Curve is an operating system for all your money. It aims to be to money what Spotify is to music; our friendly app lets you magically use all your bank cards through one simple, secure Curve Mastercard.

is an operating system for all your money. It aims to be to money what Spotify is to music; our friendly app lets you magically use all your bank cards through one simple, secure Curve Mastercard. DoorDash is a technology company that connects customers with their favorite local and national businesses in 3,300 cities across the United States and Canada .

is a technology company that connects customers with their favorite local and national businesses in 3,300 cities across and . Globo.com provides internet related technological services and platforms for the Globo Group's companies

provides internet related technological services and platforms for the Globo Group's companies Granular is the leading software and data science company focused on the business of farming.

is the leading software and data science company focused on the business of farming. i3Systems provides Japan's long-running premier EMM solution CLOMO, a key enabler in the secure deployment of mobile in business.

provides long-running premier EMM solution CLOMO, a key enabler in the secure deployment of mobile in business. MUFG Union Bank and MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation provides a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, and retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers, as well as an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal and corporate trust, global custody, transaction banking, capital markets, and other services.

provides a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, and retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers, as well as an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal and corporate trust, global custody, transaction banking, capital markets, and other services. Mattermost helps make the world safer and more productive by developing and delivering secure, open source collaboration software that is trusted, flexible and offers fast time-to-value.

helps make the world safer and more productive by developing and delivering secure, open source collaboration software that is trusted, flexible and offers fast time-to-value. SimpleNexus is the leading digital mortgage solution that connects loan officers to their borrowers and Realtors to easily communicate and exchange data in a single location throughout the entire loan life cycle.

is the leading digital mortgage solution that connects loan officers to their borrowers and Realtors to easily communicate and exchange data in a single location throughout the entire loan life cycle. Testfire Labs develops enterprise productivity tools that modernize the way people work, so they can achieve more, faster.

These organizations join other end user companies including Box, Capital One, eBay, GitHub, Goldman Sachs, NCSOFT, The New York Times, Ticketmaster, Vevo, and Zalando in CNCF's End User Community. This group meets monthly and advises the CNCF Governing Board and Technical Oversight Committee on key challenges, emerging use cases and areas of opportunity and new growth for cloud native technologies.

Additional Resources

About Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Cloud native computing uses an open source software stack to deploy applications as microservices, packaging each part into its own container, and dynamically orchestrating those containers to optimize resource utilization. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) hosts critical components of cloud native software stacks, including Kubernetes and Prometheus. CNCF serves as the neutral home for collaboration and brings together the industry's top developers, end users and vendors  including the world's largest public cloud and enterprise software companies as well as dozens of innovative startups. CNCF is part of The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit organization. For more information about CNCF, please visit www.cncf.io .

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact

Natasha Woods

The Linux Foundation

[email protected]

SOURCE Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Related Links

http://www.cncf.io


LAS VEGAS, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients who live close to the hospital at which they have undergone total hip or total knee replacement are much more likely to visit the emergency room for follow-up care of pain, inflammation and other complaints than those who live farther away, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City and The Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. On the other hand, patients who live far from the hospital are much more likely to call their surgeon with questionsa more efficient use of health care resources.

"Intuition would say that they came to the ER because it's available," said Bradford Waddell, MD, a hip and knee surgeon at HSS, who led the study. "Everybody is hurting after knee and hip surgery, but if you have easy access to the ER you're just going to pop on in."

The impetus for the research was a relatively recent change in the demographics of surgery. A growing number of patients who require specialty procedures, such as knee and hip replacements, are referred by their local physicians to centers of excellence far from where they live. The result is that they may travel hundreds of miles for an operation but be unable to conveniently seek follow-up care at the same institution. Dr. Waddell and colleagues set out to evaluate how these patients were following up and communicating with the surgeon after their procedure.

As Dr. Waddell and his colleagues found by reviewing medical records that included addresses, these patients are far less likely to show up at the hospital where they underwent their joint procedures than those who live in the general area. Instead, they turned to the telephone, calling in with questions and, if necessary, scheduling appointments to come see their surgeonswhich is ideal, he said. "They should be calling us and coming to the clinic. We should try to avoid them showing up to the ER, which can be very expensive," Dr. Waddell said.

The findings point to a need for better communication with patients who undergo orthopedic surgeries, Dr. Waddell said. Surgeons should emphasize that pain and swelling after these operations are normal and rarely require urgent care. "They should be calling us and coming to the clinic rather than using the ER," he said.

The HSS researchers presented their findings at AAOS 2019, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

About HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery

HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In addition, HSS will be opening a new facility in Florida in late 2019. In 2018, HSS provided care to 139,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures, and people from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is the world's leading provider of education on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.

SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery

Related Links

http://www.hss.edu


PORTLAND, Ore., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Business Valuation Resources (BVR), in partnership with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), is thrilled to announce the release of the complete agenda and speaker list for the highly anticipated National Divorce Conference, May 8-10, 2019 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I am thrilled about being part of the great team responsible for organizing the National Divorce Conference, co-sponsored by the AAML and BVR," said David Levy (Berger Schatz), a member of the conference planning committee. "Beyond a doubt it will be the best CLE/CPE event in the country with cutting-edge sessions and a wealth of opportunities to network with the best lawyers and accountants in the field."

The AAML/BVR National Divorce Conference brings together 35+ leading matrimonial attorneys and financial experts to lead 30+ cutting-edge sessions covering divorce valuation and litigation issues to questions on complex financial analysis and development of expert witness skills. Some of the not-to-be-missed sessions include:

How To Be a Divorce Superstar: Top 10 Tips for Attorneys and Experts

Presenters: Joy Feinberg (Boyle Feinberg, PC), Tracy Farryl Katz (Gursey | Schneider LLP)





Presenters: (Boyle Feinberg, PC), (Gursey | Schneider LLP) Ethics Violations - How to Avoid the Letter No One Wants to Receive

Presenters: David Hofstein (Hofstein Weiner & Meyer, P.C.), Marie Ebersbacher (CBIZ)





Presenters: (Hofstein Weiner & Meyer, P.C.), (CBIZ) 25 Tax Issues that Impact Divorce Settlements

Presenter: Don Degrazia





Presenter: Demonstrative Evidence: The Brain Follows What the Eyes See

Presenter: Randy Wilhite





Presenter: Chocolate and Vanilla: The Double Dip Debate

Presenters: Don Degrazia , Kim Willoughby (Willoughby & Associates)





Presenters: , (Willoughby & Associates) Active/Passive in Divorce: Appreciate the Appreciation

Presenter: Bill Dameworth (Forensic Strategic Solutions)





"It is an exciting challenge to create so many sessions that engage both attorneys and financial experts who practice at this level, and I think one look at the agenda proves we met that challenge," said Jared Waters, Training Director at BVR.

Registration is now open for the conference. To learn more, reserve a spot for the live event or webcast, or become an event sponsor, please visit bvresources.com/NDC19 or contact Jared Waters at (971) 200-4848 or [email protected] .

About BVR

Top business valuation firms depend on BVR for authoritative market data, continuing professional education, and expert opinion. Our customers include business appraisers, certified public accountants, M&A professionals, business brokers, lawyers and judges, private equity funds and venture capitalists, owners, and CFOs, among others. For more information, please visit bvresources.com .

About AAML

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers was founded in 1962, by highly regarded domestic relations attorneys "To provide leadership that promotes the highest degree of professionalism and excellence in the practice of family law." There are currently more than 1650 Fellows in 50 states. The Academy Fellows are highly skilled negotiators and litigators who represent individuals in all facets of family law.

Contact:

Jared Waters, Training Director

Business Valuation Resources, LLC

Phone: 971-200-4848

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Business Valuation Resources

Related Links

http://www.bvresources.com


"This is a pivotal moment in our nation's history, when a highly diverse group of women are joining forces to demand equal opportunities and equal pay, and to prevent discrimination and sexual assault," said Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security , and formerly the nation's first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women's Issues. "The Georgetown Women's Forum will assemble our most notable alumnae from around the globe to share insights on significant issues facing women today, help address barriers to success, and empower the next generation to reach their full potential."

Evolving Role of Women in Global Peace Negotiations

Ambassador Melanne Verveer (I'66, MS'69, P'94), Uzra Zeya (F'89), Dr. Reem Al-ansari (L'15), and Rachel Milner Gillers will host a luncheon conversation about the role women play in peace negotiations. Women play a key role in advocating for and maintaining peace around the world, yet according to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, are largely excluded from conflict related negotiations, despite evidence that they are critical to achieving sustainable peace.

Congresswoman Lori Trahan (F'95) to Deliver Opening Keynote

Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), a member of the historic 116th Congress, is a member of the House Education and Labor and House Armed Services Committees and is focused on fighting for working families on issues such as affordable healthcare, quality public education, workforce development, the environment, and addressing the opioid crisis.

Book Signings by Talented Georgetown Authors at the "Book Nook"

New to the Women's Forum this year, the Book Nook will feature more than 100 titles by alumnae and female faculty authors. Attendees can stop by the book nook in the registration area to peruse the variety of books and pick up a limited edition Women's Forum bookmark. Several alumni and faculty authors will be available for book signings throughout the Forum including:

Soraya Chemaly (C'88), Rage Becomes Her

(C'88), Leslie Crutchfield , How Change Happens: Why Some Social Movements Succeed While Others Don't

, Mary Giuliani (C'97), Tiny Hot Dogs and The Cocktail Party

(C'97), and Allison Gilbert (C'92), Passed and Present

(C'92), Alycia Kelly (C'02), A Criminal Magic

(C'02), Lori Mihalich-Levin (L'05), Back to Work After Baby

(L'05), Chudney Ross (C'97), Lone Bean

(C'97), Christina Van-Houten (C'89), [email protected] and [email protected]

(C'89), and Melanne Verveer (I'66, MS'69, Parent'94), Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose

Georgetown University is leading efforts to address issues of gender, with the Women's Forum and programs such as the Institute for Women, Peace and Security (Walsh School of Foreign Service), the International Women's Human Rights Clinic (Law Center); and the Women's Leadership Institute (McDonough School of Business). Georgetown is one of 10 impact champions recognized by the United Nations Women's HeforShe campaign. In the classroom, programs such as the Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies give students the opportunity to explore gender dynamics globally, across multiple disciplines. Outside the classroom, Georgetown Women in International Affairs (GWIA) provides networks and resources for leadership development.

In addition to the opening keynote from Congresswoman Lori Trahan, panels will explore topics such as: Modern media with Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Alison Becker; the McKinsey & LeanIn.Org Women in the Workplace Report; the core principles of great change makers - past and present - with Jean Case; artificial intelligence and ethics; strategies for getting into the boardroom; and, many more.

Click here for more information and to register.

SOURCE Georgetown University Alumni Association
IRVING, Texas, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) (the "Company") today announced that management will participate in two upcoming investor conferences.

Randall C. Stuewe, Darling's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to participate in a fireside chat during the 31th Annual ROTH Conference being held at The Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Tuesday, March 19, at 1:30 p.m. PT and will host one-on-one meetings throughout the day. Randy will be joined by Brad Phillips, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Melissa Gaither, Vice President Investor Relations and Global Communications.

Additionally, Mr. Stuewe is scheduled to present at the G. Research 5th Annual Waste & Environmental Services Symposium on March 26 at 11:00 a.m. ET at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

The investor fireside chat and presentation will be webcast and accessible via the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. is a global developer and producer of sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients, creating a wide range of ingredients and specialty solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, food, pet food, feed, technical, fuel, bioenergy, and fertilizer industries. With operations on five continents, the Company collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into useable and specialty ingredients, such as collagen, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstocks, green energy, and natural casings. The Company also recovers and converts recycled oils (used cooking oil and animal fats) into valuable feed and fuel ingredients and collects and processes residual bakery products into feed ingredients. In addition, the Company provides environmental services, such as grease trap collection and disposal services to food service establishments. The Company sells its products domestically and internationally and operates within three industry segments: Feed Ingredients, Food Ingredients and Fuel Ingredients. For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

For More Information, contact:



Melissa A. Gaither, V.P. Investor Relations and Global Communications



251 O'Connor Ridge Blvd., Suite 300

Email: [email protected] Irving, Texas 75038

Phone: 972-717-0300

SOURCE Darling Ingredients Inc.

Related Links

http://www.darlingii.com


LEATHERHEAD, England, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 120 key stakeholders from the electronic nicotine delivery systems industry will convene at the Amba Hotel Marble Arch in London, UK on 4-6 June 2019 for the third edition of Smithers Rapra's ENDS conference.

As Europe's leading e-cigarette conference to cover scientific, regulatory and commercial developments in ENDS, it is truly unmissable for anyone working within this sector. This year's programme features a flavours workshop, four dynamic sessions, over eight hours of networking time and much more.

A fantastic line-up of speakers including MHRA, Department of Health and Social Care, Ecig Intelligence, Broughton Nicotine Services, Public Health England and UKVIA will share their insights on the latest hot topics from the role of ENDS in improving health outcomes for nicotine users, the role of science and regulatory updates, human factors, what the consumer wants and more.

Just some of the presentations attendees will hear this June:

E-cig regulation and policy for the future  Matthew Birkenshaw , Department of Health and Social Care England

, Communicating risk and responding to consumer demand, Doug Mutter , UKVIA

, Updates and overview of ENDS in the US: most recent FDA actions on flavoured vapour products, Patricia Kovacevic , Independent Consultant

, The long-term experience with snus in Scandinavia: impact on smoking behaviour and public health, Karl Lund , Norwegian Institute of Public Health

In addition to the exciting programme, there will also be a pre-conference flavours workshop, which is an exclusive opportunity to hear the latest science behind e-cigarette flavours, assess regulatory issues, and find out how flavours will play out commercially going forward. Workshop speakers include Cuts Ice, New Nicotine Alliance, Flavour Core, MI Vape and Hall Analytical.

For more information on ENDS 2019, visit www.ends-conference.com

Limited sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are available. For more information about sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact Steve Frier at +44 (0)1372 802000 or email [email protected].

About Smithers Rapra

Smithers Rapra is a global leader in rubber, plastics and polymer testing, consulting services, conferences, training, publications and market reports, focused mainly on the medical, industrial, automotive and consumer industries. Smithers Rapra also runs the successful Extractables and Leachables conference series.

Contact:

Katie McGowan

E. [email protected]

T. +44(0)1372-802020

SOURCE Smithers Rapra

Related Links

http://www.ends-conference.com/


PHILADELPHIA, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the Trump administration's plan to cut the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by 31.2 percent next year, American Federation of Government Employees Council 238 President Gary Morton decried the "dirty budget," and called on Congress to fully fund the EPA.

President Trumps proposal for next year continues a troubling trend of gutting Americas front-line defense of clean air and safe water, said AFGE Council 238 President Gary Morton, who represents nearly 8,000 EPA workers nationwide. Since his election, the president and his administration have set their sights on rolling back our life-saving work and starving us of the resources we need to succeed  and it must be stopped.

"President Trump's proposal for next year continues a troubling trend of gutting America's front-line defense of clean air and safe water," said AFGE Council 238 President Gary Morton, who represents nearly 8,000 EPA workers nationwide. "Since his election, the president and his administration have set their sights on rolling back our life-saving work and starving us of the resources we need to succeed  and it must be stopped."

The Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal follows prior years' plans to cut the EPA's budget by 31 and 30 percent in FY 2017 and FY 2018, respectively. The proposed cuts also arrived just weeks after the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which sent thousands of EPA workers home without pay  and kept many on the job for 35 days without compensation.

"Our sisters and brothers joined the EPA because they believe in the work we do, but the constant attacks on our agency and our livelihoods are crushing morale and hurting productivity," said Morton. "We just want to do the job we were hired to do and protect human health and the environment for our children and generations to come."

Under the 2020 budget, EPA staffing would be capped at 12,415, nearly 2,000 fewer than FY 2019 and a full 32 percent below the staffing levels Council 238 had recommended for 2020. Currently, staffing levels are lower than they were during President Ronald Regan's final year in office, making monitoring and enforcement of environmental protection even harder on the agency.

"The EPA is the front line of defense in protecting drinking water and clean air for every single American. This budget proposes to slash 2,000 positions, reducing the number of environmental emergency first responders nationwide at a time they are critically needed," said Morton. "We are the people who come to disaster sites like hurricanes to monitor the safety and toxicity of the water flooding local communities, and we save lives. Congress must fully fund our budget, and should be boosting our resources  not drastically cutting them."

Trump's budget comes at a time when the administration has already failed to fully spend down Congress' previous appropriations for the EPA, continuing the trend of underfunding the agency for more than 10 years.

"Year after year the Trump administration comes after our agency and the life-saving work we do," said Morton. "We are already cut to the bone, and now the president wants to gut us further. We need allies in Congress who believe in clean air and safe water to stand up to the administration and give the EPA the funding we need to protect the environment for generations to come."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.



SOURCE The American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

https://www.afge.org


PORTLAND, Oregon, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Food and Beverages Disinfection Market by Product Type (Chlorine Compounds, Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacid (PAA), Carboxylic Acid, Ultra Violet Systems and Ozone Oxidation System) and End User (Food Processing Companies, Beverage Processing Companies, Catering Kitchens, and Retail Distributors): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025". According to the report, the global food and beverages disinfection market is expected to garner $2.39 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period, 2018-2025.

The rise in incidences of myriad foodborne diseases, increased penetration of UV disinfection devices, and the availability of alternatives to chemical disinfectants drive the growth of the global food and beverages disinfection market. However, strict regulatory guidelines for chemical disinfection and limited usage among retail & foodservice establishments hamper market growth. Nonetheless, advancements in food disinfection equipment and increasing demand for packaged food products in the Asia-Pacific region is set to provide lucrative opportunities to emerging market players in the near future.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5178

Ultraviolet systems segment to encounter the highest growth rate

By product type, the ultraviolet (UV) systems segment is poised to grow at the fastest CAGR of 7.0% from 2018 to 2025. This is attributed to its low purchasing price & maintenance cost, easy deployment, and non-toxic nature, which assists the treatment of drinking water and helps in mitigating the spread of water-borne diseases. However, the chlorine compounds segment is expected to maintain its dominance through 2025, occupying more than two-fifths of the global share, owing to its ever-increasing adoption in retail food courts, service hotels, and other hospitality services due to its economical pricing and easy availability.

Food processing companies to remain the largest end user through 2025

By end user, the food processing companies segment occupied two-fifths of the global market share in 2017 and is expected to continue its dominance through 2025, owing to an increase in demand for processed food and growing awareness of hygiene among consumers. However, the catering kitchens segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 5.7% in the forecast period.

For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5178

Asia-Pacific market to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2018 to 2025

Regionally, Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the fastest growth through 2025, registering a CAGR of 7.2%, due to the implementation of various government regulations that address food and beverage hygiene. However, North America is set to remain the dominant region in the future owing to the emergence of new technologies that allow consumers to track the quality of their food and beverages from production to delivery.

Key market players

The key players analyzed in the report include Toshiba, Evoqua Water Technologies, UV-Guard Australia, Evonik, Trojan Technologies, Entaco, Solvay, CCL Pentasol, Halma, and Xylem. They have adopted different strategies including collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships, expansions, mergers & acquisitions, and others to gain a strong position in the industry.

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:

Organic Food and Beverages Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022





Food Robotics 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:

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
"Richard brings substantial and relevant industry experience and has built several mature technology businesses through a combination of growth, strategy, and marketing," said Shailesh Goswami, founder and CEO of Foyr. "Foyr is strongly positioned to solidify its leadership position in the 3D visualization space, and I am excited about the role Richard will play in driving the next phase of Foyr's journey."

Tarity is the first senior leader to join Foyr as they build out their business offerings in North America. "Foyr is well-positioned in the rapidly changing Proptech digital market," said Tarity. "Its people are passionate about building the business, and I look forward to helping champion the next phase of Foyr's growth in the US."

Doc Parghi, partner at SRI Capital, added, "We're excited to deepen our commitment to Philadelphia and creating jobs within the region. The growth in and around the Philadelphia region will serve Foyr's global expansion well. We are thrilled to have Richard as a key resource in building out our US operation and expansion into other US cities."

Foyr has over 80 employees globally and their offerings currently live in 21 counties including the US, Asia, Australia and Europe. Its patent pending platform combines high quality visualization with artificial intelligence to empower better decision making by "seeing things." The unique thing about Foyr's technology is proprietary compression algorithm which enables heavy virtual worlds to be recreated and run seamlessly on all devices including low powered mobile devices.

ABOUT FOYR

Foyr (www.foyr.com) offers a cloud-based 3D visualization platform for the real estate and design industry. Foyr has more than 100 Mn SF of space created on its platform delivering over 15,000 3D experiences across its subscribed customer base of 2500+ design and real estate professionals and 150+ property developers.

SOURCE Foyr

Related Links

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NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the British Parliament set to vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's latest attempt to create an orderly Brexit plan, The MoneyShow has invited Natasha Goodman, deputy head of FX for IG, to address its TradersEXPO New York audience via a live link from London.

TradersEXPO New York will present and live stream on the web: "Brexit: The View from London"at 2:30 p.m. EDT at the New York Hilton Midtown. Joining Goodman on the panel from New York will be Christopher Vecchio, senior currency strategist at DailyFX.com and Rupert Osborne, CEO of IG US.

No geopolitical event has had a greater impact on the foreign exchange marketsparticularly the euro and British poundthan Great Britain's decision to exit the European Union (Brexit) three years ago, and the ongoing negotiations on what form that Brexit will take.

While it is possible that we will know the results of the vote by the time Goodman addresses the largest retail conference for active traders, the impact of those results will play out over days, weeks, and months.

Will the plan be approved? If the plan is rejected, does that mean there will be a hard Brexit? What will that mean for May's future as Prime Minister? Will Parliament choose to offer May more time? Will the European Union choose to act punitively towards the UK if they once again fail to present a rational plan to leave the EU?

These are all questions that could have a great impact on forex markets and your portfolio. The MoneyShow has put together a team with the expertise to breakdown what this vote will mean to FX markets today, and in the coming weeks and months. Don't miss this live streaming event!

MoneyShow

The MoneyShow is the largest global network of investment and trading expert 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 attract more than 25,000 investors, traders, and financial advisors who gather with top market experts in dynamic, face-to-face, and online learning forums worldwide.

Related Links: http://www.moneyshow.com/

SOURCE MoneyShow

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DUBLIN, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market (2019 - 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The aerospace and defense telemetry market is expected to register a CAGR of 4.72% during the forecast period, 2019-2024, to reach a market value of USD 17.29 billion by 2024.

Growing usage of telemetry in military applications, like intercepted telemetry in guided missiles, land systems, armored vehicles, aircraft, marine ships, and UAVs is expected to augment the demand for telemetry during the forecast period.

Additionally, increase in defense spending due to various security threats imposed both externally and internally, increasing terrorist threats, the increasing interest of some nations toward world dominance, several border security issues, and volatile relations among nations are factors expected to support the growth of the concerned market.

Key Market Trends

Satellite Segment Projected to Grow at a High Pace

Satellite telemetry is crucial for commercial as well as military flight test missions. These systems help in monitoring the data, which has been collected from onboard instrumentation over an RF link. Real-time data, as well as analysis of the data, has been proved to be crucial for the safety of the test pilots, and this requires a reliable high throughput link.

Satellite communication is expected to witness a significant increase, primarily due to the growth in the usage of smart weapons as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Also, missions, such as the launch of 104 satellites inside a single rocket by ISRO (India), will likely boost the satellite telemetry market's growth during the forecast period.

Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa Expected to See the Highest Growth

Currently, North America dominates the aerospace and defense telemetry market, primarily due to high investment in the military and space sectors. However, the growth of Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacific is expected to be higher during the forecast period. Political tensions between Gulf countries have forced them to increase their defense spending for equipment modernization. Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar are revamping their commercial as well as military aviation sector.

Demand for unmanned aerial vehicles is also high in the region. Such developments will likely generate demand for telemetry system in the region. Emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, like India, China, and Japan are investing huge amounts in modernizing their armed forces. The modernization programs are further boosted by the increasing defense spending from these countries, which collectively, has a positive impact on the growth of the market.

Competitive Landscape

The aerospace and defense telemetry market is fragmented, with the top five manufacturers occupying more than 50% of the market share in 2018. The application of telemetry is vast, and its use in the field of navigation, communication, military intelligence, rocketry, space science, and flight testing is propelling its demand in the global market. As the players compete to receive contracts, the level of competition is intense.

In July 2018, BAE Systems and Goonhilly Earth Station (GES) signed a memorandum of understanding to supply two Tracking, Telemetry, and Command Processor (TTCP) systems to GES. The technology will allow GES to communicate and track a wide range of spacecraft, including future manned and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars. BAE Systems, L3 Technologies, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Cobham Plc dominate the market.

Topics Covered

1 Introduction

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study

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

5 Market Segmentation

5.1 By Type

5.1.1 Radio

5.1.2 Satellite

5.2 By Application

5.2.1 Aerospace

5.2.2 Defense

5.3 Geography

5.3.1 North America

5.3.2 Europe

5.3.3 Asia-Pacific

5.3.4 South America

5.3.5 Middle East & Africa

6 Competitive Landscape

6.1 Market Share Analysis

6.2 Company Profiles

6.2.1 BAE Systems PLC

6.2.2 Lockheed Martin Corporation

6.2.3 L3 Technologies Inc.

6.2.4 Safran (ZODIAC Aerospace)

6.2.5 Cobham PLC

6.2.6 Honeywell International Inc.

6.2.7 Thales Group

6.2.8 Kongsberg Gruppen

6.2.9 Orbit Communications Systems Ltd.

6.2.10 AstroNova Inc.

6.2.11 Curtiss-Wright Corporation

6.2.12 Leonardo S.p.A.

6.2.13 Raytheon Company

7 Market Opportunities and Future Trends

For more information about this report visit

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/shxmxq/global_aerospace?w=5

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Small Molecule Drug Discovery Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2019 - 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global small molecule drug discovery market was valued at USD 29,363.85 million in 2018, and is estimated to be valued at USD 46,882.22 million in 2024, witnessing a CAGR of 8.11%.



The increasing applications of small molecule drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases are leading to the increased demand for these drugs in the market. Moreover, due to the aforementioned factors, small molecule drugs dominate the biologics in the current healthcare market.



The preference of small molecules, along with the increasing disease complications and technological advancements, has led major players to increase their R&D expenditure, which is further acting as the major growth driver for the global small molecule drug discovery market.



The global small molecule drug discovery market is subject to impacts from political situations. The policy implemented by the government has the capability to either amplify or diminish the market.



Key Market Trends



Lead Optimization is Expected to Hold its Highest Market Share in the Process/Phase Segment



In the process/phase segment of the market, lead optimization is believed to have the largest market size and is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.93% during the forecast period.



The process of lead optimization is achieved by modifying the selected small molecule, in order to improve efficacy and therapeutic value. Once the pharmacophore, which consists of relevant groups on a molecule that interact with a receptor and are responsible for the biological activity, is identified, it is subjected to functional group modification. Various changes are made to the initial compound and the therapeutic index is measured.



Rapid usage of in-vitro experiments, accompanied with computation procedures in early drug discovery for selection of compounds with more promising ADME, i.e., absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, and toxicological profiles, is expected to drive the market studied.



The rise in cancer and other neglected diseases is encouraging investments in lead optimization for enhanced therapeutic value, in order to provide patients with efficient and targeted therapies.



North America Dominates the Market and is Expected to Follow the Same Trend in the Forecast Period



North America currently dominates the market for small molecule drug discovery and is expected to continue its stronghold for a few more years.



According to FDA, in 2016, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved 22 novel drugs, either as new molecular entities (NMEs) under New Drug Applications (NDAs) or as new therapeutic biologics under Biologics License Applications (BLAs). Overall, 31,468 patients participated in these trials. This shows that the United States is focusing on R&D activities to meet the increasing demands of its citizens for better and effective drugs.



The rising focus on the R&D in the country is expected to propel the market growth in the future.



Competitive Landscape



The small molecule drug discovery market is moderately competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. However, with technological advancements and product innovations, mid-size to smaller companies are increasing their market presence by introducing new ingredients with fewer prices.



Companies, like Pfizer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and GlaxoSmithKline, hold the substantial share in the market.



Topics Covered



1 Introduction

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Rise in Demand for Small Molecule Drugs

4.2.2 Dominance of Small Molecules in the Market

4.2.3 Increasing Number of Contract Organizations for R&D

4.2.4 Small Molecules in Treatment of Chronic Diseases

4.2.5 High R&D Expenditure in Small Molecule Drugs

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 High Drug Development Cost

4.3.2 Strict Regulations

4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5 Market Segmentation

5.1 By Therapeutic Area

5.1.1 Oncology

5.1.2 Central Nervous System

5.1.3 Cardiovascular

5.1.4 Respiratory

5.1.5 Metabolic Disorders

5.1.6 Gastrointestinal

5.1.7 Orthopedics

5.1.8 Anti-infective

5.1.9 Dermatology

5.1.10 Immunology

5.1.11 Other Therapeutic Areas

5.2 By Process/Phase

5.2.1 Target Id/Validation

5.2.2 Hit Generation and Selection

5.2.3 Lead Identification

5.2.4 Lead Optimization

5.3 Geography

5.3.1 North America

5.3.2 Europe

5.3.3 Asia-Pacific

5.3.4 Middle East & Africa

5.3.5 South America



6 Competitive Landscape

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Pfizer Inc.

6.1.2 Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

6.1.3 Merck & Co.

6.1.4 Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

6.1.5 GlaxoSmithKline PLC

6.1.6 AstraZeneca

6.1.7 Johnson & Johnson

6.1.8 Gilead Sciences Inc.

6.1.9 Teva Pharmaceuticals

6.1.10 Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.



7 Market Opportunities and Future Trends



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/djqcx6/global_small?w=5

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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JA BizTown is a fully interactive free-market lab where students in grades 4-6 learn what it means to be responsible business leaders, consumers, workers, and citizens by participating in this simulated economy. Students perform specific jobs within 18 different shops, including the H.B. Fuller Innovation Center, each of which offers a consumer product or service. In addition to H.B. Fuller's support, many of the other JA BizTown shops are sponsored by Minnesota's leading companies representing their industry or profession.

"At H.B. Fuller, we know that our business is best positioned to succeed when our communities are thriving," said Kimberlee Sinclair, executive director, H.B. Fuller Company Foundation. "We know that through our partnership with Junior Achievement, H.B. Fuller can help make a meaningful impact in the lives of many local students, ultimately strengthening our entire community."

"We're grateful to H.B. Fuller for their generous sponsorship of the Innovation Center," said Gina Blayney, JAUM President & CEO. "With their support, we're introducing today's youth to careers in Minnesota's greatest companies and providing them with an experiential learning opportunity that will prepare them to succeed in the workforce."

About H.B. Fuller:

Since 1887, H.B. Fuller has been a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products to improve products and lives. With fiscal 2018 net revenue of over $3 billion, H.B. Fuller's commitment to innovation brings together people, products and processes that answer and solve some of the world's biggest challenges. Our reliable, responsive service creates lasting, rewarding connections with customers in electronics, disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, aerospace, clean energy, packaging, construction, woodworking, general industries and other consumer businesses. And, our promise to our people connects them with opportunities to innovate and thrive. For more information, visit us at hbfuller.com.

About Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest:

Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest has been serving students in Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin since 1949. In 2019, the national organization, JA USA, celebrates its 100th anniversary, and we're celebrating 70 years in the Upper Midwest. During the 2017-2018 school year we reached more than 165,500 students in grades K-12 with financial literacy, career and college readiness, and entrepreneurship education. Our programs are implemented by more than 10,000 volunteers, mostly business professionals, who share their skills and experience to motivate and inspire students to succeed. Learn more at www.jaum.org.

SOURCE H.B. Fuller Company

Related Links

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ALBANY, New York, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The competitive landscape of the global green cement market is consolidated in nature, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR). This is mainly because key players hold a major portion of the market's share. Top players in the global green cement market are focusing on strategic alliances to expand their market presence. Some of the key players operating in the global green cement market are Heidelberg Cement AG, China National Building Material, Lafarge S.A., CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V, and Taiheiyo Cement Corporation. These companies collectively hold 51% of market share.

According to a research report by TMR, the global green cement market is anticipated to reach a valuation of US$38.10 bn by the end of 2024. The market is estimated to rise at healthy CAGR of 11.3% between 2016 and 2024. The analyst noted the green cement market at US$14.80 bn in 2016.

Request a Sample of Global Green Cement Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=11963

On a geographical standpoint, Asia Pacific is projected to gain momentum in the near future. This is mainly because of the increasing constructional and building activities in the region. On the basis of applications, residential sectors could lead the green cement market owing to the rising migration in urban regions.

Green Cement Market to Propel Owing to Less Carbon Emission Property

Cement is an essential element for building construction. Increasing demand of cement has an adverse impact on environment. Because of this, several environmentalists and government bodies oppose use of traditional cement in constructional singular plural. This increases the demand for green cement owing to its environmental friendly property. The rising adoption of green cement in residential and commercial applications is a major factor driving growth of the global green cement market. Apart from this, increasing urbanization & industrialization are also projected to fuel the green cement market.

Request For Multiple Chapters: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=MC&rep_id=11963

Additionally, rising government initiatives in favor of green architecture under energy and environment design (LEED) are anticipated to pose a positive impact on the growth of the green cement market. Apart from this, rising price of fossil fuels across globe is another factor increasing the demand of green cement. This has increased the inclination of builders from traditional concrete to green cement. Owing to this, use of green cement has increased the number of constructions such as bridges and pavements, nuclear power plants, and other infrastructure projects in the last few years.

Request For Discount On This Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=11963

Less Availability of Techniques to Control Product Quality Hinders Growth

The strength of green cement particularly depends on the type of industrial waste used for the manufacturing processes. Hence, this strength varies from material to material. For instance, the use of low calcium fly ashes result in lower strength and such building projects could lead to failure. This lack of authorizing bodies to define strength certainty of green cement is the biggest challenge in the growth of the global green cement market. However, increasing innovations and up gradations of raw materials backed by research and development activity being carried out by the market player holds lucrative avenue for the growth of the global green cement market.

Browse Press Release: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/green-cement-market.htm

This review is based on Transparency Market's Research report, titled "Green Cement Market (Product - Fly Ash-based, Slag-based, and Geopolymer; Application - Residential, Non-residential, Industrial, and Infrastructure) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024."

The global green cement market has been segmented as follows:

Product

Fly ash based

Slag based

Geopolymer

Others

Application

Residential

Non-residential

Industrial

Infrastructure

Browse Chemical and Materials Market Research Reports

Popular Research Reports by TMR:

Fly Ash Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fly-ash-market-2018-2026.html

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/autoclaved-aerated-concrete-market.html

Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/concrete-block-brick-manufacturing.html

About Us

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.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
MEDFORD, OR, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Grown Rogue International Inc. (CSE:GRIN | OTC: NVSIF) ("Grown Rogue" or the "Company"), a vertically-integrated, multi-state cannabis company, with licenses and operations in Oregon and California, is bringing its winning brand and business model which generated compound monthly sales growth of 14% during the 2018 calendar year in Oregon - one of the world's most competitive cannabis markets - into the newly legalized recreational cannabis market in Michigan. Grown Rogue anticipates gaining meaningful traction for its brand through its local partnership with licensed operators in the State of Michigan.

Oregon is among the most competitive cannabis markets in the United States based on total active cultivation and licenses per capita. According to an August 2018 report from Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), "Oregon has more than a thousand licensed recreational marijuana growers, with roughly 900 more in the queue to receive licenses. There's one licensed cultivation operation for every 19 consumers." Despite this competition, Grown Rogue launched its first cannabis products in late 2017 into the Oregon market and gained sales traction and market share as a result of high-quality products, unique branding and effective marketing. By the end of 2018 Grown Rogue branded products were available in more than half of Oregon dispensaries.

A number of factors contributed to Grown Rogue's overall success in 2018:

Optimization of cultivation and distribution teams;

Major increase in outdoor harvest from 2017 to 2018 by over 50% based on training and efficiency programs implemented in early 2018;

Accolades in product quality in Oregon by setting outdoor potency record and winning the prestigious Growers Cup in 2 of 3 categories;

by setting outdoor potency record and winning the prestigious Growers Cup in 2 of 3 categories; Established partnership with international award winning chocolatier;

Expansion into California with a 16,000 sq ft micro business facility with retail, processing, and distribution licensing.

"Launching Grown Rogue in Oregon required fastidious planning and execution in order to be successful," said Obie Strickler, Founder and CEO. "We properly navigated the regulatory environment for recreational cannabis and refined the preferred consumer experience around brands and product selection, and established innovations in product development and packaging. Operating in a State like Oregon that was early to legalize cannabis has provided a tremendous amount of intellectual, operational, and cultivation expertise. We also have significant understanding of the cannabis consumer and evolving cannabis products and formats. We are taking this expertise and applying it into new states and are particularly optimistic about the tremendous opportunity in Michigan."

Michigan is the first state in the Midwest to vote for the legalization of recreational cannabis . Michigan has the largest medical cannabis population per capita and is second only to California in total medical users. As a relative comparison, the state of Michigan has a population of approximately 10 million people and about 313,000 registered medical cannabis patients according to Michigan Live , or 3.1%, compared to Canada with a population of approximately 38 million, which had 342,103 registered medical patients at September 30, 2018 according the Health Canada , or 0.9% where cannabis is fully legal at both provincial and federal levels.

By any measure, Michigan has one of the most active medical cannabis markets in America which is a leading indicator in the potential size of the recreational market.

Number of legal medical marijuana patients in the U.S. as of May 2018, by state according to ProCon.org:

STATE # OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS STATE POPULATION # OF PATIENTS PER 1,000 RESIDENTS Michigan 269,553 9,9962,311 27.06 California 915,845 39,536,653 23.16 Colorado 88,946 5,607,154 15.86 Oregon 45,210 4,142,776 10.91 Washington 80,818 7,405,743 10.91 Massachusetts 48,265 6,859,819 7.04

Grown Rogue's current expected portfolio in Michigan includes two strategically positioned retail centers (known as provisional licenses) in Hazel Park and Midtown Detroit as well as a 19,000 sq ft cultivation center in Detroit. Additional license acquisitions are being reviewed.

"Our expansion into Michigan has the potential to add substantial value to the overall business. Our track record of growth to date should give current and future shareholders the confidence that we will continue to perform in the exciting Michigan market," added Jacques Habra, Chief Strategy Officer.

Grown Rogue expects Michigan operations to begin generating revenue in late 2019.

About Grown Rogue

Grown Rogue International (CSE: GRIN | OTC: NVSIF) is a vertically-integrated, multi-state cannabis company curating innovative products to provide consumers with the right cannabis experience. Each of Grown Rogue's products and strains are categorized and marketed based on unique effects and designed for the full range of a consumers' lifestyle. Grown Rogue is scaling the vertically integrated model into multiple states by incorporating best-in-class manufacturing facilities and a proprietary distribution platform based on Microsoft technology. Grown Rogue's diverse cannabis product suite includes premium flower, patent-pending nitrogen sealed pre-rolls, oil and concentrates, and edibles featuring a partnership with world-renowned chocolatier, Jeff Shepherd.

Subscribe to Grown Rogue investor news alerts.

This press release contains statements which constitute "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities. Forward looking information is often identified by the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" or similar expressions and include information regarding: (i) statements regarding the future direction of the Company (ii) the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business and financial objectives, (iii) plans for expansion of the Company into Michigan and securing applicable regulatory approvals, and (iv) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Investors are cautioned that forwardlooking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Company's management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning the business of the Company's future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forwardlooking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forwardlooking information are the following: changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and in particular in the ability of the Company to raise debt and equity capital in the amounts and at the costs that it expects; adverse changes in the public perception of cannabis; decreases in the prevailing prices for cannabis and cannabis products in the markets that the Company operates in; adverse changes in applicable laws; or adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and related costs, and other risks described in the Company's Listing Statement available on www.sedar.com.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forwardlooking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forwardlooking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) the Company's financing plans; (ii) trends affecting the Company's financial condition or results of operations; (iii) the Company's growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) the declaration and payment of dividends. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "intend" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including the risk disclosed in the Company's Form 20-F and 6-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational cannabis marketplace in the United States through its indirect operating subsidiaries. Local state laws where its subsidiaries operate permit such activities however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are disclosed in the Company's Listing Statement filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Grown Rogue International Inc.
ALBANY, N.Y., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Harris Beach PLLC, ranked as one of the country's largest law firms by The National Law Journal, is expanding its immigration law practice with the hiring of partner Leonard J. D'Arrigo and associate Brendan Venter. The expansion comes amid a changing political and regulatory environment surrounding immigration enforcement policy.

Leonard (L.J.) and Brendan, along with a team of professionals, have joined the Harris Beach Immigration Practice Group and will be working out of the firm's Albany/Saratoga Capital Region offices. The Immigration Practice group delivers legal services nationwide to ensure employers are able to hire, transfer and retain the brightest and best non-U.S. talent, with an additional focus on nonimmigrant petitions and family-based immigration processes.

L.J. assists a diverse group of U.S. and foreign multinational corporations, religious institutions, universities and other employers to obtain temporary and permanent visas for skilled or professional foreign national workers. These employees range from international executives, managers, engineers and researchers to skilled craft workers, medical personnel, scientists and university professors. At the same time, L.J. maintains one of the largest H-2A and H-2B visa practices in the country. He is a nationally recognized leader in the processing of H-2A and H-2B visas for agricultural employers, the landscaping industry and the thoroughbred racing industry, as well as in providing guidance to these employers on DOL and USCIS compliance issues. He has assisted in the drafting of legislation affecting the H-2B program and seasonal businesses.

Brendan focuses his practice on developing and managing global talent acquisition programs for large and small employers seeking to fill highly skilled positions in the United States. He places a particular emphasis on assisting foreign faculty, medical professionals and other professionals with complex immigration issues involving O-1 visas, J-1 waivers and permanent residency through the National Interest Waiver, Outstanding Professor/Researcher and Alien of Extraordinary Ability categories. Brendan also works extensively with investors, entrepreneurs and start-ups in securing investment-based nonimmigrant visas.

This is the second expansion of the Harris Beach Immigration Practice Group in three months and extends the team's footprint to include attorneys Danielle Rizzo in Buffalo, Russ Roberts in Rochester and Andrea Godfread-Brown in Syracuse. Harris Beach now has one of the largest employment-based immigration practices in New York.

"The challenges of immigration compliance have grown steadily in the past two decades and have intensified more recently," said Christopher Jagel, chief executive officer, Harris Beach. "Recognizing this, we're investing to broaden our practice to meet the diverse needs of employers, including universities, hospitals and science and technology organizations. At the same time, employees also need considerable assistance to retain their ability to work in the United States. Our practice focuses on ensuring full compliance."

The addition of L.J. and Brendan also continues the ongoing growth of Harris Beach in the Capital Region. The number of attorneys serving the region has increased more than 40 percent since 2016.

About Harris Beach

Founded in 1856, Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide a full range of legal and professional services for clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. Harris Beach is among the country's top law firms according to The National Law Journal and ranks as a BTI Elite law firm based on in-depth interviews of more than 600 corporate counsel at the world's largest and most influential companies. Clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately-held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals. Principal industries Harris Beach represents include education, energy, financial, food and beverage, health care, insurance, manufacturing, medical and life sciences, real estate developers, science and technology, veterinary medicine, and state and local governments and authorities. The firm's more than 220 lawyers practice among offices throughout New York state in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Melville, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Uniondale and White Plains, as well as in New Haven, Connecticut and Newark, New Jersey. For more information, go to www.harrisbeach.com.

SOURCE Harris Beach PLLC

Related Links

https://www.harrisbeach.com


CALGARY, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Horizon North Logistics Inc. ("Horizon North" or the "Corporation") (TSX: HNL.TO) announced today that the Corporation has entered into a binding purchase and sale agreement (the "Binding Purchase Agreement") with respect to the acquisition of NRB Inc. (Canada) ("NRB Canada"), a full-service modular construction provider based in Grimsby, Ontario.

Pursuant to the Binding Purchase Agreement, Horizon North has agreed to purchase (the "Purchase") all of the outstanding shares of NRB Canada for $16.5 million, payable in a mix of common shares of Horizon North ("Horizon Shares") and cash. The Binding Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of all necessary and required consents, including those from the Toronto Stock Exchange. The transaction is scheduled to close in early April 2019.

"The integration of these two companies means the unification of products and expertise that lead the way in Canada's modular construction industry," says Rod Graham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon North. "With this new base in Southern Ontario, Horizon North is leveraging the stability of our balance sheet to take the next step in our pan-Canadian growth strategy. Like our other locations in Kamloops, Aldergrove and Calgary, the NRB Canada manufacturing facility is strategically located near major transportation routes and a diverse labour pool, meaning we are now well-situated to provide our turn-key modular solutions across the country. Equal in importance to the growth in the territories we serve is the expansion in product portfolio that will be realized through this integration."

"Horizon North's expertise in wood-frame modular structures will expand to eastern Canada, providing solutions for affordable social, student, senior and First Nations housing, in addition to hotels, commercial space and single and multi-family homes," says Joseph Kiss, President of Horizon North's Modular Solutions business. "At the same time, NRB Canada's expertise in steel-frame non-combustible modular structures will be available to projects in western Canada, including facilities for health care, recreation, and education purposes, as well as retail, hospitality and utilities structures. Our pan-Canadian entity will be well-positioned to capture multiple end markets in modular construction."

"For the 40 years NRB Canada has been in business, we have been guided by values of teamwork, professionalism, innovation and integrity," say Bob and Craig McNeil, co-owners of NRB Canada. "Those values will remain unchanged as we embark on this next part of our journey with Horizon North. This integration expands our capabilities and expertise and represents an opportunity for our modular structures to serve customers across Canada. It also means continued stable employment for the employees who are part of our NRB Canada family and live in the Grimsby area."

About Horizon North

Horizon North is a publicly listed corporation (TSX: HNL.TO) providing a full range of industrial, commercial, and residential products and services. Our Modular Solutions business integrates modern design concepts and technology with state of the art, off-site manufacturing processes; producing high quality building solutions for commercial and residential offerings including offices, hotels, and retail buildings, as well as distinctive single detached dwellings and multi-family residential structures. Our Industrial Services business supplies workforce accommodations, camp management services, access solutions, maintenance and utilities. As a result of our diverse product and service offerings, Horizon North is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of our customers in numerous sectors, anywhere in Canada.

About NRB Canada

NRB Canada is a successful, customer-driven manufacturer of quality modular buildings and supplier of related products and services. NRB Canada has served the needs of the institutional, industrial, retail and commercial markets since 1979. From innovative design engineering through to off-site fabrication in our controlled environment to final on-site completion, NRB Canada builds modular buildings of impressive design, finish and performance. NRB Canada's projects range in size and scope, and include applications in the educational, retail, commercial, health care, industrial and institutional construction markets.

Corporate Information

Additional information related to Horizon North, including the Corporation's annual information form, press releases, financial statements and MD&A are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements or disclosures relating to Horizon North that are based on the expectations of its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Horizon North which may constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. All such statements and disclosures, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results or developments that Horizon North anticipates or expects may, could or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words "believe", "intend", "may", "would", "will" and similar expressions. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the following: the Binding Purchase Agreement and the terms thereof; the Corporation's completion of the Purchase and the timing and determining factors associated therewith; and the potential benefits and effects of the Purchase in respect of the business of Horizon North and its subsidiaries.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release reflect several material factors and expectations and assumptions of Horizon North including, without limitation: the ability of the Corporation to realize benefits from the Binding Purchase Agreement; that all necessary and required consents in respect of the Purchase, including those from the Toronto Stock Exchange, will be received; that Horizon North will continue to conduct its operations in a manner consistent with past operations; the general continuance of current or, where applicable, assumed industry conditions; availability of debt and/or equity sources to fund Horizon North's capital and operating requirements as needed; and certain cost assumptions in respect of the Horizon Shares.

Horizon North believes the material factors, expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable at this time but no assurance can be given that these factors, expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements including, without limitation: general economic, market and business conditions; the Corporation's future capital requirements; execution risk in connection with the Binding Purchase Agreement; demand for the Corporation's products and services; unforeseen legal or regulatory developments; and certain other risks detailed from time to time in Horizon North's public disclosure documents including, without limitation, those risks identified in this news release, and in Horizon North's annual information form, copies of which are available on Horizon North's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Corporation undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Horizon North Logistics Inc.

Related Links

www.horizonnorth.ca


MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Detroit chapter is helping communicators reveal their awards potential by offering a single application for two award programs. IABC Detroit is again partnering with its accomplice, Heritage Region, to give communicators a chance to compete at the local level (IABC Detroit's 2019 Renaissance Awards) as well as the regional level (Heritage Region Silver Quill) at the same time, using a single entry.

This year's mysterious Clue game-themed competition is designed to showcase the communication management skills, and problem-solving creativity of Michigan's finest companies, agencies and professionals. Early bird call for entries will open soon.

"Communicators are challenged daily to search for authenticity and solve multiple communication "cases" at a time,'" said Ed Walters, co-chair of the IABC Detroit Renaissance Awards program. "Our IABC chapter provides a fun, unique and interactive opportunity to have their work recognized at the local and regional levels."

Anna Cangialosi, co-chair, IABC Detroit Renaissance Awards, agreed: "Entrants will save time, money and gain the recognition of peers and other communications professionals who will be inspired by their abilities to decode communication challenges."

Don't let your well-played strategic communications moves go unnoticed. Get ready to enter your outstanding communications work in IABC Detroit's 2019 Renaissance Awards program and give your peers a clue to how it's done. Look for a call-for-entries coming soon!

ABOUT IABC DETROIT'S RENAISSANCE AWARDS

IABC Detroit's Renaissance Awards debuted nearly 40 years ago to recognize excellence in communications in southeast Michigan. Today, it is the premiere communications awards program in the state.

ABOUT THE HERITAGE REGION SILVER QUILL AWARDS

The IABC Heritage Region Silver Quill awards have been a hallmark of communications excellence for more than 15 years. Silver Quill recognizes outstanding accomplishments within its geographic area: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.

SOURCE IABC Detroit

Related Links

http://www.iabcdetroit.com


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The San Juan Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (SJMX) and the San Juan Mercantile Bank & Trust International Corp. (SJMBT) today announced that SJMBT has received its license to operate from the Puerto Rico Office of the Commission of Financial Institutions (OCIF). The license authorizes SJMBT to operate as an International Financial Entity (IFE) under the banking regulations of OCIF, subject to the rules of the Bank Secrecy Act, including all applicable Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.

Speaking on the announcement, Bo Collins, CEO of Mercantile Global Holdings, the parent of both SJMX and SJMBT, said: "This approval is a key milestone for us, establishing an end-to-end solution for institutional customers who seek a familiar, efficient and secure way to trade digital currencies."

SJMX has created a professional-grade trading environment that provides customers with access to a variety of digital asset liquidity venues. SJMBT will be integrated with all SJMX trading platforms. Customer balances on deposit with SJMBT will in turn inform real-time trading limits at SJMX, and SJMBT will settle all trades routed through SJMBT on a real-time basis. Customer fiat currency and digital assets will be held by regulated correspondent banking partners and approved digital asset custodians. Diversification of assets across multiple custody partners greatly reduces the need for physical movement of digital assets, improves security, reduces cost and results in faster processing.

Nick Varelakis, President and COO of SJMBT, said: "Our approval as a regulated bank under OCIF banking regulations was a critical step in our progress to launching our trading and banking platform. We believe the infrastructure we have developed will deliver immediate benefits to our clients by offering a more secure and efficient platform for the trading and settlement of digital assets."

"International Financial Entities like SJMBT are an important part of the developing financial infrastructure in Puerto Rico, designed to support the growing digital asset industry, which is a notable component of the government's economic development plan," said Manual Laboy, Puerto Rico's Secretary of Economic Development. "We welcome SJMBT as an innovator in this space. Puerto Rico offers the safety and soundness of U.S. regulated financial institutions, with a strong commitment to flexibility and innovation in the future."

About SJMX and SJMBT

San Juan Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (SJMX) and its banking entity, the San Juan Mercantile Bank & Trust International Corp. (SJMBT), are developing a professional-grade trading environment and integrated banking platform for trading digital assets. SJMX and SJMBT, subsidiaries of Mercantile Global Holdings, Inc. (MGH), will provide an end-to-end solution, from matching trades to clearing and custody of both digital assets and fiat currencies. By bringing together an experienced team of top-tier exchange professionals, bankers, technologists, and legal and compliance personnel, SJMX and SJMBT are bringing to the digital asset space what professional traders have come to expect from regulated exchanges and banks. For more information, visit: https://sjmx.global/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which may constitute forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "potential" "should," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "project," "estimate," "intend," "continue," or "believe," or the negatives thereof or similar expressions or terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. All statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this release. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security of SJMX or any of its affiliates or parent companies. Any such offer would be made by customary offering documentation, agreed to and signed by the relevant counterparties, and in compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and other applicable laws.

SOURCE San Juan Mercantile Exchange, Inc.

Related Links

https://sjmx.global


LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kate Somerville, a leader in prestige skincare, today announces a nationwide sweepstakes tied to their recent cruelty-free certification with PETA. The sweepstakes gives consumers the chance to win a year's supply of Kate Somerville products. One grand prize winner will also get a trip to Los Angeles, CA for the "Kate Somerville Ultimate Experience." A portion of the proceeds during the sweepstakes will be donated to PETA. For additional information, visit https://www.katesomerville.com/golden-ticket-sweepstakes.

Late last year, Kate Somerville was officially recognized as cruelty-free by PETA. This certification holds Kate Somerville to a commitment and binding responsibility that no products, formulations or ingredients are ever tested on animals.

"Formalizing our cruelty-free practices was an easy choice as it is crucial to the company's values as well as my own personal passion for animals. I've been transforming skin and healing lives for over 25 years. It's essential to me that my company does not test on animals in the process of doing so. Consumers can rest assured that we proudly stand by and adhere to PETA's standards of their cruelty-free program," says brand founder, Kate Somerville. "We are thrilled to bring cruelty-free skincare into the spotlight through this sweepstakes while also giving back to the cause."

To celebrate the brand's PETA cruelty-free certification, now through April 11th, 2019 consumers can enter the Golden Ticket Sweepstakes by purchasing ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment online at KateSomerville.com, in-store at Nordstrom and Ulta. Ten consumers, chosen at random, will find a golden ticket in the packaging of ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment, unlocking a year supply of Kate Somerville products. One of these winners will also win the grand prize - the "Kate Somerville Ultimate Experience," including airfare to and from Los Angeles and a two-night stay in a luxury hotel. During their stay, the grand prize winner will also receive a tour of Los Angeles, a skin consultation and a treatment at Kate Somerville's beloved clinic on Melrose Place.

About the Golden Bunny Sweepstakes:

This is a no purchase necessary sweepstakes. Void where prohibited. Open to United States residents 18 and over. State restrictions apply. For alternative entry options and guidelines, see full sweepstakes terms and conditions at https://www.katesomerville.com/golden-ticket-sweepstakes.

ABOUT KATE SOMERVILLE:

Clinic perfected. Visible results. Kate Somerville Skincare lives, breathes and embodies the intersection of clinical skincare and prestige beauty. The brand's targeted treatments and products originate from the transformative results created for clients in their Melrose Place Clinic in Los Angeles. As a company, the brand takes pride in using high-powered, efficacious ingredients actively balanced to deliver visible results without irritation or downtime. Kate Somerville is committed to treating skin concerns, doing so with conscious care for people, animals, and the planet. In addition to the company being certified Cruelty-Free by PETA, Kate Somerville is also part of the Plastic Oceans initiative committed to making all skincare packaging 100% recyclable by the year 2022.

For more information visit: https://www.katesomerville.com/golden-ticket-sweepstakes

SOURCE Kate Somerville

Related Links

http://www.katesomerville.com


DENVER and GREENWICH, Conn., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- L Catterton, the largest and most global consumer-focused private equity firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell CorePower Yoga (the "Company" or "CPY"), the fastest growing and largest yoga fitness studio operator in the U.S., to TSG Consumer Partners ("TSG"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

CorePower Yoga believes in the physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga and strives to make this combination of fitness and mindfulness accessible to everyone. Offering a variety of yoga classes, convenient schedules and reciprocity across all its studios, CorePower Yoga provides a challenging fitness-inspired practice rooted in the mindfulness of yoga that allows students to blend intensity with intention. With the mission of bringing the life-changing benefits of yoga to the masses, CPY is the recognized national leader in yoga.

"L Catterton's deep experience in fitness and extensive strategic and operational expertise made them the ideal partner for CorePower Yoga as we evolved nearly every facet of the Company to better serve our passionate and growing community," said Eric J. Kufel, Chief Executive Officer of CorePower Yoga. "We look forward to the future as we strive to share the benefits of yoga with even more people, continue on our strong growth trajectory and enter this new chapter. With our superior yoga experience, rapidly expanding studio base, transformational trainings, new offerings, and, most importantly, the thousands of teachers who help us live our mission everyday through their collective gratitude, passion and teamwork, CorePower Yoga is well positioned to continue to deliver on our important mission. We thank L Catterton for their support and many contributions to get us here."

Marc Magliacano, a Managing Partner of L Catterton's Flagship Buyout Fund said, "We are proud of the success and growth that CorePower Yoga has achieved over the past five years. Since partnering with the Company in 2013, CorePower Yoga has grown its footprint from 80 studios in 12 states to over 200 studios in 23 states, introduced new, innovative classes and improved its member retention through consistent superior quality and a unique consumer experience rooted in community. As the preeminent yoga studio operator, CPY is changing people's lives every day and will continue to do so on its exciting journey. We are pleased to have partnered successfully with Eric Kufel for the second time in growing an outstanding consumer brand and to have produced a positive investment outcome for CPY stakeholders. CPY's tremendous advancements are a testament to Eric's strong leadership and outstanding team, and we are grateful to the entire CPY community and team for their devoted partnership and for making this a successful investment."

L Catterton has significant experience investing in leading fitness concepts. Current and previous investments include Peloton, Classpass, Equinox, Bodytech  the second-largest fitness club operator in Latin America  and Will's Group  China's leading provider of membership-based fitness facilities and services.

BofA Merrill Lynch served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis as legal counsel to CorePower Yoga in connection with the transaction.

About CorePower Yoga

CorePower Yoga strives to show the world the incredible, life-changing things that happen when an intense physical workout is rooted in the mindfulness of yoga. Through a variety of yoga classes, convenient times and locations across the country, CorePower Yoga provides a highly intense and incredibly mindful form of fitness.



CorePower Yoga's passionate and encouraging certified instructors take a typical yoga practice and crank it up to 11, working every muscle and every emotion. The beautiful, spa-like studios are built to meet the highest standards of service and quality. CorePower Yoga was founded in 2002 and has over 200 studios in 23 states and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.corepoweryoga.com.

About L Catterton

With over $15 billion of equity capital across six fund strategies in 17 offices globally, L Catterton is the largest consumer-focused private equity firm. L Catterton's team of more than 150 investment and operating professionals partner with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad thought partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 200 investments in leading consumer brands. L Catterton was formed through the partnership of Catterton, LVMH and Groupe Arnault. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.

Contacts:

Eric Brielmann / Andi Rose / Kate Clark

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

SOURCE L Catterton
LONG BEACH, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Laserfichea leading global provider of enterprise content management (ECM) softwaretoday announced its sponsorship of Clippers SciFest SoCal. The event, which is hosted by the LA Clippers and the USA Science & Engineering Festival, will take place March 22-23, and feature student exhibitions, large-scale displays of STEM in action, hands-on activities from leading STEM organizations and live demonstrations.

Laserfiche is dedicated to empowering people, organizations and communities through innovative technology. #LaserficheCares, the company's corporate social responsibility program, focuses on driving positive change in the world, in part, by supporting the next generation.

"When we provide opportunities for young people to use their imagination and critical thinking skills, we position them to be the next generation of innovators," said Karl Chan, President of Laserfiche. "Laserfiche was founded on the idea that technology can transform lives, and there is no better way to catalyze that transformation than by readying our children for success. It is an honor to partner with Clippers SciFest SoCal to educate and empower today's youth to be tomorrow's tech leaders."

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is the nation's largest celebration of STEM. Based in Washington, D.C., the festival is a K-12 event that welcomes more than 350,000 attendees biennially. This year marks the first time that a STEM event of this caliber will take place on the West Coast. Laserfiche employees will host a booth at the Clippers SciFest SoCal where they will share their tech knowledge, as well as help children develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills through a sorting competition.

"The USA Science & Engineering family is excited to bring our unique brand of 'edutainment' and outreach to Southern California," said Marc Schulman, Executive Director, USA Science & Engineering Festival. "Expanding our festival to include a West Coast location is an ideal complement to the nation's largest K-12 STEM education and workforce development event. The support from Laserfiche as a local tech company is priceless as we expand the festival to the West Coast. The company's dedication to tech innovation and the next generation is highlighted through this partnership, and we are excited to celebrate STEM alongside our hometown partner."

To learn more about Laserfiche, visit laserfiche.com. For more information about Clippers SciFest SoCal or to register for this free event, visit usasciencefestival.org.

About Laserfiche

Laserfiche is a leading global provider of enterprise content management software empowering organizations to take control of information and business processes.

With intuitive on-premises and cloud solutions for document management and process automation, Laserfiche improves productivity, efficiency and strategic decision-making for organizations looking to transform into a digital workplace.

For more than three decades, Laserfiche has fostered an active user community that shares ideas and inspires solutions. To learn more, visit laserfiche.com/about-laserfiche.

Connect with Laserfiche:

Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

Laserfiche is a registered trademark of Compulink Management Center, Inc.

SOURCE Laserfiche

Related Links

http://www.laserfiche.com


PUNE, India, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Neeyamo is pleased to announce its association with the Global Payroll Management Institute (GPMI) in launching its maiden chapter in the APAC region. The launch took place at Neeyamo's Global Delivery Center in Pune on Feb. 26, 2019. The chapter had representative members from payroll practitioners including CHROs, CFOs, leaders among the global payroll fraternity and several other interested parties. The voluntary body is geared to share best practices in global payroll, and further provide a platform for its members to network.

Neeyamo Enterprise Solutions (P) Ltd.

As its first overseas venture, the GPMI India Chapter aims to propagate knowledge on Global Payroll for payroll professionals in India. The chapter will act as a forum for the payroll community to open up windows of opportunity for professionals to network, learn about newer developments in the field, share their knowledge & insights, discuss and identify common payroll barriers across industries and seek resolutions.

Dan Maddux, Executive Director, American Payroll Association said, "All of us at the Global Payroll Management Institute are ecstatic to have launched our first Chapter in the APAC region of the world. The official launch of the GPMI India Chapter is a significant milestone, as local Chapters are the heart and soul of professional organizations and we are thrilled that payroll professionals in India will reap the benefits of Chapter collaboration. Together, we will share and support the common goals of expanding global payroll knowledge and education to GPMI affiliates throughout India and the world."

Mary Holland, Global Director Strategy, Development and Training said, "I'm excited to work with the first GPMI chapter in India. I'm confident we will create a community where global payroll professionals can increase their knowledge, network with peers from around the world, and enhance their global payroll career."

Ranga Seshadri, CEO at Neeyamo and President of the India Chapter said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be joining hands with Global Payroll Management Institute in this initiative. It is going to be our constant endeavor to forefront initiatives that bring transformation in the payroll arena opening up windows of opportunity for professionals to network, learn about newer developments in the field, share their knowledge & insights, discuss and identify common payroll barriers across industries and seek resolutions."

About Neeyamo

With more than 1,500 professionals specializing in delivering Global Payroll and HR services across 150+ countries, Neeyamo is one of the world's foremost providers of HRO services for multinationals with operations spread across a Long Tail of countries. The Neeyamo solution has powerful capabilities and a unique delivery model for its HR service offerings to meet specific market requirements. Its service lines cover the entire pre-hire to the post-retire employee life cycle. For more information about Neeyamo, visit www.neeyamo.com.

About Global Payroll Management Institute

The Global Payroll Management Institute is a worldwide organization that provides top-quality education, training, and leadership to global payroll leaders. GPMI publishes Global Payroll magazine and offers numerous educational resources to help companies effectively manage the challenges of paying their employees around the world. Visit GPMI online at www.GPMInstitute.com.

Media Contact

Irene Jones, HRO Evangelist

[email protected]

SOURCE Neeyamo Enterprise Solutions (P) Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.neeyamo.com


MIAMI, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay, The Pre Settlement Funding Company, reports today that the ongoing legal saga concerning Takata airbags isn't over yet. Plaintiffs are still filing suit against major car manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, and Toyota, citing injuries that have resulted from faulty airbags in their vehicles.

The automotive giants have come under fire in recent years for manufacturing, distributing, and/or selling certain vehicles which contained allegedly defective air bags manufactured by the Takata Corporation. The faulty devices have ruptured upon inflation, causing damage to the vehicle and/or not deployed at all, causing injuryand in some cases deathto car occupants. Four major car manufacturers concluded a class action lawsuit against Takata with over $550 million in payouts in 2017, but additional lawsuits are currently being filed.

If you are a prospective plaintiff for that has sustained injuries due to faulty airbags or other car or truck accidents, Legal-Bay can help you.

Chris Janish, CEO of Legal-Bay, says, "The Takata Airbag cases have been lingering for some time. It is tragic that some of the car and truck accidents resulted in wrongful death cases, and it seems Takata is starting to take some responsibility. However, many personal injury cases requiring surgery are still moving through the court system throughout the country."

Legal-Bay, one of the leading lawsuit funding companies, along with their funding partners, remains consistent in their dedication to helping clients receive cash funding for their legal needs. Their ample, knowledgeable staff is available to quickly evaluate cases for the fastest pre-settlement funding in the industry.

If you are involved in a pending lawsuit and need cash advanced to you now, you may apply at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com.

Legal-Bay's programs are non-recourse lawsuit cash advances, also known as case funding, which means you only repay the settlement advance if you win your case. None of the programs should be considered to be a lawsuit loan, lawsuit loans, settlement loans, settlement loan, pre-settlement loans, or a pre-settlement loan.

To apply now for lawsuit settlement funding go to the company's website at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com or call the company's toll free intake line at: 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by.

SOURCE Legal-Bay LLC
KELOWNA, BC, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Liht Cannabis Corp. (CSE: LIHT) (OTCQX: LIHTF) or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an arm's length letter of intent dated March 11, 2019 with Trackloop Analytics Corp. ("Trackloop") for the purpose of testing and implementing Trackloop's technology in our Nevada cannabis operations. Trackloop's real-time tracking software will be used by the Company, to monitor the movement of all inventory throughout the supply chain, providing visual data mapping of temperature monitoring, real-time records of pick up/drop off, location tracking and full integration with existing inventory management and other Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

An integral component to the legal cannabis supply chain is the transporting of all cannabis products between cultivator, producers and retailers. We are interested in onboarding this all in one, real-time tracking and logistics solution because it addresses a key pain point that exists in cannabis logistics, which is tracking and monitoring the movement of product through the supply chain.

Further details regarding the proposed transaction and its terms and conditions will be negotiated and provided in a comprehensive press release if and when the parties enter into a definitive agreement.

ABOUT LIHT CANNABIS CORP.

www.lihtcannabis.com

Liht Cannabis Corp. is a publicly traded company investing in the medical and recreational cannabis space, since 2014. Liht has rapidly expanded to include cultivation, production and dispensary locations in the key North American states of Washington, Nevada, and California, and are seeking expansion opportunities worldwide.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

twitter.com

facebook.com

STOCK EXCHANGES:

Liht trades in Canada, ticker symbol LIHT on the CSE, in the United States, ticker symbol LIHTF on the OTCQX.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider, nor the OTCQX has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE nor the OTCQX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

MARIJUANA INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT:

Canadian listings (CSE) will remain in good standing as long as they provide the disclosure that is rightly required by regulators and complying with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by the applicable state in which they operate.

Liht owns marijuana licenses in California and Nevada. Marijuana is legal in each state however marijuana remains illegal under US federal law and the approach to enforcement of US federal law against marijuana is subject to change. Shareholders and investors need to be aware that adverse enforcement actions could affect their investments and that Liht's ability to access private and public capital could be affected and or could not be available to support continuing operations.

Liht's business is conducted in a manner consistent with state law and is in compliance with licensing requirements.

Copies of licenses are posted on Liht's website. Liht has internal compliance procedures in place and has compliance focused attorneys engaged in jurisdictions to monitor changes in laws for compliance with US federal and state law on an ongoing basis. These law firms inform any necessary changes to our policies and procedures for compliance in Canada and the US.

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which includes, entering into a definitive agreement with Trackloop and the benefits of the technology, the expected outcomes of its business, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur. Forward-looking statement are necessarily based upon a number of factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements express or implied by such statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, present and future business strategies, the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events, level of activity, performance or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: that laws and regulations may become more onerous; the ability of the Company to obtain necessary financing; the economy generally; the future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospectus and opportunities; changes in and the effect of government policies; demand for products; competition; anticipated and unanticipated costs; reliance on management; claims and legal proceedings; conflicts of interest; and market price and volatility of the Common Shares. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, the loss of key directors, employees, advisors or consultants, technology failures, failure to obtain a license from Health Canada or from other government agencies, failure to develop new and innovative products, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations and fees charged by service providers. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, litigation, global economic climate, loss of key employees and consultants, additional funding requirements, changes in laws, competition, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Investors 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.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, nor approved the contents of this news release.

SOURCE Liht Cannabis Corporation

Related Links

https://lihtcannabis.com/


SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA







SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND III QP, L.P.,

Master No.: 2:14-cv-2571-MCE-KJN SPECIAL SITUATIONS CAYMAN FUND,



L.P, and DAVID M. FINEMAN, Individually

Hon. Morrison C. England, Jr. and On Behalf of All Others Similarly



Situated,

CONSOLIDATED CLASS ACTION





Plaintiffs,

SUMMARY NOTICE OF



(I) PENDENCY AND vs.

CERTIFICATION OF



SETTLEMENT CLASS; (II) MARRONE BIO INNOVATIONS, INC.,

PROPOSED SETTLEMENT; PAMELA G. MARRONE, JAMES B.

(III) SETTLEMENT HEARING; BOYD, DONALD J. GLIDEWELL,

AND (IV) MOTION FOR AN HECTOR ABSI, ELIN MILLER, RANJEET

AWARD OF ATTORNEYS' FEES BHATIA, PAMELA CONTAG, TIM

AND REIMBURSEMENT OF FOGARTY, LAWRENCE HOUGH,

LITIGATION EXPENSES JOSEPH HUDSON, LES LYMAN,



RICHARD ROMINGER, SHAUGN



STANLEY, SEAN SCHICKEDANZ, and



ERNST & YOUNG LLP









Defendants.











TO: All persons or entities who or which purchased or otherwise acquired MBI common stock directly in or traceable to the Company's secondary offering pursuant to MBI's Form S-1 Registration Statement, dated May 16, 2014, and its Prospectus dated June 5, 2014, and were damaged thereby (the "EY Settlement Class").

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY. YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING IN THIS COURT.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, that the above-captioned litigation (the "Action") has been certified as a class action with respect to claims asserted against Ernst & Young LLP ("EY" or the "Settling Defendant") on behalf of the class, except for certain persons and entities who are excluded from the Settlement Class by definition as set forth in the full printed Notice of (I) Pendency of Class Action and Certification of Settlement Class; (II) Proposed Settlement; (III) Settlement Hearing; and (IV) Motion for an Award of Attorneys' Fees and Reimbursement of Litigation Expenses (the "Notice").

YOU ARE ALSO NOTIFIED that the Court-appointed Lead Plaintiffs, Special Situations Fund III QP, L.P. and Special Situations Cayman Fund, L.P. ("Lead Plaintiffs" or "The Funds"), on behalf of themselves and the other members of the EY Settlement Class, have reached a proposed settlement of the Action with Defendant Ernst & Young LLP ("EY" or the "Settling Defendant," and together with Lead Plaintiffs, the "Settling Parties") for $775,000 in cash (the "EY Settlement"). The EY Settlement, if approved, will resolve all claims in the above-captioned securities class action (the "Action") pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (the "Court") against EY. The claims asserted against EY are the only remaining claims in this Action and, therefore, if the EY Settlement is approved by the Court, the Action will be completely resolved subject to any appeals.1

A hearing will be held on July 11, 2019, at 2:00 p.m., before the Honorable Morrison C. England, Jr., at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Robert T. Matsui United States Court House, Courtroom 7, 501 I Street, Sacramento, California, 95814, to determine (i) whether the proposed Settlement should be approved as fair, reasonable, and adequate; (ii) whether the Action should be dismissed with prejudice against the Settling Defendants, and the Releases specified and described in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated January 14, 2019 (and in the Notice) should be granted; and (ii) whether Lead Counsel's application for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses should be approved.

If you are a member of the EY Settlement Class, your rights will be affected by the pending Action and the EY Settlement, and you may be entitled to share in the Settlement Fund. If you have not yet received the Notice and Claim Form, you may obtain copies of these documents by contacting the Claims Administrator at MBI EY Securities Litigation, c/o Epiq, P.O. Box 3219, Portland, OR 97208-3219, by toll-free phone at (855) 907-3227, or by email at [email protected]. Copies of the Notice and Claim Form can also be downloaded from www.MBISecuritiesLitigationSettlement.com.

If you are a member of the EY Settlement Class and previously submitted a Claim Form in connection with the Secondary Offering Class in the previously announced MBI Settlement in this Action, you do not need to submit a Claim Form again. Unless you properly exclude yourself from the EY Settlement Class, your earlier Claim Form will be considered for participation in this Settlement. If you are an EY Settlement Class Member and DID NOT submit a Claim Form in connection with the MBI Settlement, however, YOU MUST SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM , postmarked no later than May 6, 2019, to be eligible to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund (as defined in the Stipulation and the Notice). This is the only way to now be eligible to receive a payment from the Net Settlement Fund. If you are an EY Settlement Class Member and you remain in the EY Settlement Class, you will be bound by the EY Settlement as approved by the Court and you will give up any Released Lead Plaintiffs' Claims (defined in  43 of the Notice) that you have against EY and EY's Releasees (defined in  44 of the Notice), so it is in your interest to submit a Claim Form. If you are a member of the EY Settlement Class and have not previously submitted a Claim Form in connection with the Secondary Offering Class in the previously announced MBI Settlement in this Action and do not submit a Claim Form now, you will not be eligible to share in the distribution of the net proceeds of the EY Settlement. You will, however, nevertheless be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court in the Action.

If you are a member of the EY Settlement Class and wish to exclude yourself from the EY Settlement Class, you must submit a request for exclusion such that it is received no later than June 27, 2019, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Notice. If you properly exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you will not be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court in the Action and you will not be eligible to share in the proceeds of the Settlement.

Any objections to the proposed EY Settlement and/or Lead Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees and reimbursement of litigation expenses, must be filed with the Court and delivered to Lead Counsel and EY's Counsel such that they are received no later than June 27, 2019, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Notice.

Please do not contact the Court, the Clerk's office, EY, MBI, or EY's counsel regarding this notice. All questions about this notice, the proposed Settlement, or your eligibility to participate in the Settlement should be directed to Lead Counsel or the Claims Administrator.

Requests for the Notice and Claim Form should be made to:

MBI EY Securities Litigation

c/o Epiq

P.O. Box 3219

Portland, OR 97208-3219

(855) 907-3227

www.MBISecuritiesLitigationSettlement.com

Inquiries, other than requests for the Notice and Claim Form, should be made to Lead Counsel:

LOWENSTEIN SANDLER LLP

Lawrence M. Rolnick, Esq.

1251 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

(212) 262-6700

Dated: March 5, 2019

By Order of the Court

1 The current proposed settlement is in addition to another partial settlement -- the "MBI Settlement" -- previously approved by the Court, resulting in an aggregate recovery of $12 million, $3,869,616 of which was allocated and distributed (net of fees and expenses) to members of the EY Settlement Class. If approved, the proposed EY Settlement will constitute an additional and supplemental distribution of settlement funds to the EY Settlement Class.

SOURCE United States District Court for the Eastern District of California

Related Links

http://www.mbisecuritieslitigationsettlement.com


TOANO, Va., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL) today announced it has reached resolution with the government regarding its investigations into the Company's compliance with securities laws related to the Company's sourcing of Chinese laminate flooring.

The Company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve its charge of securities fraud in connection with the Company's Form 8-K filing in March 2015. The agreement with the DOJ stated this charge is deferred and will be dismissed after three years provided that the Company meets certain obligations, many of which the Company has already implemented.

The Company entered into a settlement of an administrative proceeding with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding violations of Sections 10(b) and 13(a) of the Exchange Act and applicable rules. Notably, neither the DOJ nor the SEC made any findings regarding the safety or quality of the Company's laminate flooring previously sourced from China.

As a result, Lumber Liquidators has agreed to pay a fine in the amount of $19.1 million, and restitution of $13.9 million, of which up to $6.1 million will be paid to the SEC in disgorgement and prejudgment interest. As part of its relevant considerations, the DOJ noted that Lumber Liquidators' "employees involved in wrongdoing either were terminated or resigned from the Company, and the Company replaced its executive management team with experienced executives who have displayed a commitment to building an ethical corporate culture."

Lumber Liquidators' Chief Executive Officer Dennis Knowles said the Company has made sweeping changes during his time as CEO and will continue to take steps with the new executive team to better Lumber Liquidators.

"We have cooperated with this investigation and are pleased to have reached a resolution with the U.S. Attorney's Office, DOJ, and SEC," said Knowles. "We appreciate that the government recognizes the changes in the company's leadership and the strengthened organization that we have built. Lumber Liquidators has undergone a significant transformation in recent years and today is a new company led by an entirely new management team that is committed to our customers, compliance, transparency, and accountability across our organization."

In the lead-up to these agreements, Lumber Liquidators has incorporated extensive remedial measures that include the implementation and enforcement of a comprehensive compliance, ethics, and reporting program, as well as training and guidance on relevant policies and procedures.

"While we will continue to improve our compliance processes, having these matters behind us," said Knowles, "allows us more resources to focus on our customers, great product lines, and our strategic vision."

About Lumber Liquidators

Lumber Liquidators is one of North America's leading specialty retailers of hard-surface flooring. The company features more than 400 varieties of floors in the latest styles, including solid and engineered hardwood, bamboo, cork, laminate, waterproof vinyl plank and porcelain tile. Additionally, Lumber Liquidators provides a wide selection of flooring enhancements and accessories to complement, install and maintain new floors. Every location is staffed with flooring experts who can provide advice, pro services and installation options for all of Lumber Liquidators' products, much of which is in stock and ready for delivery. All Lumber Liquidators products are backed by best-in-class warranties and a best-price guarantee.

Learn more about Lumber Liquidators:

Commitment to compliance, quality and the communities it serves: https://www.lumberliquidators.com/quality.

Corporate giving: LayItForward.LumberLiquidators.com.

Follow on social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For further information contact:

Investor Relations:

[email protected]

Tel: 757.566.7512

Media:

Clint Roberts  One Simple Plan

Tel: 612.677.2240

[email protected]

SOURCE Lumber Liquidators

Related Links

http://www.lumberliquidators.com


SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With 81 percent of marketers expecting the majority of their decisions to be data-driven by 2020, it's critical for organizations to build an integrated marketing technology stack that streamlines data collection and provides customer insights.

That's why today, ON24 , the technology leader helping companies create live, always-on and personalized digital experiences, is teaming up with Marketo, an Adobe company, to help marketers deliver an end-to-end demand generation solution by integrating the webinar channel. Building on the industry's most seamless and robust webinar data integration, this multi-year agreement will provide even more value to the thousands of customers who already use ON24 and Marketo to engage and understand their audience.

"Marketers use ON24 and Marketo to gain actionable insights into their prospects' buying journeys and convert them into lifetime customers," says Sharat Sharan, CEO, ON24. "We're excited to strengthen our relationship, and together, help marketers deliver digital experiences that captivate audiences and drive revenue."

Both Marketo and ON24 are committed to helping marketers move beyond superficial tactics toward experiences that form meaningful connections with their prospects. This relationship furthers that goal, enabling marketers to create data-rich ON24 webinars and content experiences, capture every interaction, and automatically transfer that intelligence directly to Marketo. By having these behavioral insights inside Marketo, marketers also gain a powerful way to accelerate and scale personalized and account-based marketing strategies.

"Data is integral to enabling marketers to deliver outstanding customer experiences and ultimately shareholder value," said Mika Yamamoto, VP Customer Success, Digital Experience, at Adobe. "Through our collaboration with ON24, we will be able to give marketers deeper insights into their customers, helping transform their funnel and positively impact their bottom line."

To deepen the engagement and data of their own marketing experiences, Marketo selected ON24 as the company's global webinar provider. Now, the company will use the behavioral intelligence provided by the ON24 Platform to help inform its own audience engagement strategy. ON24, a customer of Marketo for more than five years, will become a member of the Marketo Partner Advisory Board. And, the two companies formalized an agreement to work together to innovate their synergistic technologies, making it easy for marketers to adopt and realize the value of engagement data.

Yamamoto is giving a keynote address today at Webinar World, the industry's only conference dedicated to webinar strategy and execution. The conference is presented by ON24 and centers on the theme, "Engage for Action," calling on companies to redefine digital engagement as personalized, data-rich and audience-centric.

For more information about Webinar World 2019, go here .

About ON24, Inc.

ON24 is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences, powering interactive, data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions. Through the ON24 Platform, marketers can create live, always on, and personalized digital experiences, understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action. Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes -- including 12 million polls, 1.3 million surveys, 1.5 million conversations, and conversion of over 17 million resources -- marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel. Headquartered in San Francisco, ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions, including London, Munich, Singapore, Stockholm and Sydney. For more information, visit https://www.on24.com .

CONTACT: Keith Chapman, [email protected]

SOURCE ON24

Related Links

https://www.on24.com


IRVINE, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced several enhancements to its leadership team. Effective April 1, Masahiro Moro, current President and CEO of MNAO, will be appointed to Chairman and CEO of MNAO. In Moro's expanded role, he will oversee MNAO, Mazda Canada Inc. and Mazda Motor de Mexico.

"As Mazda moves forward with its next generation product, the company has made global leadership changes to further its path toward premium," said Akira Marumoto, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation, based in Hiroshima, Japan. "Mazda is a global business and both North America and Europe are vital to its continued growth. Masahiro has been a tremendous leader in the U.S., and we are pleased to expand his role."

Jeffrey Guyton, currently President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe (MME), will be appointed to President of MNAO, reporting to Moro. In this role he will oversee all aspects of the company's operations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including sales, marketing, parts and service, logistics, R&D, customer support and regional operations.

"The North American markets are crucial to Mazda's success globally, and we have made significant investments here, particularly in a new joint venture production facility in Alabama," Moro said. "Jeff will be instrumental in delivering significant business growth here in the U.S. During his 16 years at MME, Jeff successfully elevated both brand value and profit in Europe, and I know he will be a strong leader for MNAO as we continue on our journey to premium."

Also effective April 1, Masashi Otsuka, will be promoted to the new position of Senior Vice President of the Alabama business unit, reporting to Guyton. Otsuka will lead the new operations in Alabama where Mazda will manufacture its brand-new crossover SUV exclusive to the North American market by working with suppliers, handling logistics for the plant and managing quality assurance.

"The Alabama business unit is crucial for MNAO's success," Moro said. "I believe Masashi Otsuka's outstanding business acumen will lead us to a successful launch of the plant and the all-new crossover SUV."

Replacing Otsuka is Masaki Ueno, currently General Manager of the Vehicle Testing & Research Department at Mazda Motor Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan. As the new Vice President of Research & Development and Design, reporting to Guyton, Ueno will oversee management of the entire field of research and development, and design.

"Masaki Ueno is a phenomenal engineer who has spent time previously in the U.S.," Moro said. "He brings with him a wealth of valuable experience in safety technology."

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations

Related Links

http://www.mazdausa.com


WILMINGTON, Mass., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Micro Medical Solutions (MMS), an innovator in the field of microvascular interventions that improve clinical outcomes and quality of life, announced today that it has established distribution agreements for MicroStent in 15 countries in the European Union and Latin America. MicroStent is a vascular stent specifically designed to reduce below-the-knee amputations for critical limb ischemia (CLI) resulting from peripheral artery disease (PAD), conditions projected to affect 230 million people worldwide by 2020.

"In an exciting period of expansion for our company, each country we add to distribution of MicroStent is an important milestone, expanding access to this technology to millions more patients facing potential amputation," said Micro Medical Solutions CEO Gregory Sullivan. "As we continue to advance approval and commercialization of MicroStent for the worldwide market, we are confident that we can reduce the number of patients who experience the pain, complications, and impaired quality of life brought on by amputation."

MMS began signing distribution agreements in the EU following CE Mark approval in May 2018 and has continued to expand its reach there, as well as in Latin America, where the technology has gained regulatory approval in several countries. MMS has signed distribution agreements in Belgium, France, Italy and Germany in the EU. In Latin America, the company now has agreements in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

About Critical Limb Ischemia

Peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia (CLI) affect millions each year. It has been estimated that nearly 25% of CLI patients will undergo major amputation,1 and amputations due to CLI continue to escalate.2 For more information on CLI, visit www.micromedicalsolutions.net.

1. Henry AJ, Hevelone ND, Belkin M, Nguyen LL. Socioeconomic and hospital-related predictors of amputation for critical limb ischemia. J Vasc Surg. 2011 Feb;53(2):330-9.e1.

2. Baser O, Verpillat P, Gabriel S, et al. Prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of critical limb ischemia in the US Medicare population. Vasc Dis Mgmt. 2013:10;E26-36.

About Micro Medical Solutions

Micro Medical Solutions is on a mission to provide solutions to some of the most pressing unmet needs in microvascular intervention by helping to significantly reduce the rate of amputations, improve clinical outcomes and patient quality of life, and minimize the financial and human costs associated with the treatment of peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia. For more about Micro Medical Solutions, visit www.micromedicalsolutions.net.

CONTACT:

Peg Thornton

Director of Corporate and Market Development

732-616-9123

SOURCE Micro Medical Solutions

Related Links

http://www.micromedicalsolutions.net


PHOENIX, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Namecheap, the domain registrar, web hosting and online products/service provider of choice for more than a million web professionals, introduces its first ever 'Web Genius' sale and contest. The event celebrates all the developers, designers, entrepreneurs and online business owners that shape the Internet with innovative websites, blogs and online stores.

Kicking off today and running till March 18, Namecheap offers handpicked discounts for all web geniuses looking to build virtually any type of website. Kick things off with an enticing 27% off the newly-released .dev, or super savings on five other top TLDs.

Then, shape your online endeavour  whatever it is  with their packages including the tools needed to bring the idea to life. Customers can choose items from the suggested packages, or simply mix-and-match from ANY of the products on sale  with no limits on how many offers can be claimed.

Domain Deals

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About Namecheap

Namecheap is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar and technology company founded in 2000 by CEO Richard Kirkendall. Celebrating nearly two decades of providing unparalleled levels of service, security, and support, Namecheap has been steadfast in customer satisfaction. With over 10 million domains under management, Namecheap is among the top domain registrar and web hosting providers in the world. To learn more about Namecheap, visit namecheap.com .

Contact: Derek Musso, [email protected]

SOURCE Namecheap

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PHILADELPHIA, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Additional lawsuits have been filed by Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C. (SMBB) on behalf of active duty soldiers and veterans against the 3M Company regarding its defective Combat Arms earplugs. The complaints allege that the military-required earplugs, worn by troops from 2003-2015, were the direct cause of hearing damage, including deafness, to countless military service members. The allegations against Minnesota-based 3M are contained in the individual filings.

In 2018, 3M paid $9.1 million to settle a whistleblower fraud claim brought against it by the federal government. The lawsuits filed by SMBB seek compensation for the service members, who suffered hearing loss and tinnitus (commonly referred to as a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears), as well as punitive damages resulting from 3M's conduct in testing, manufacturing, and distribution of the earplugs.

Andrew R. Duffy, among the SMBB lawyers representing the plaintiffs, and a former Naval officer, stated, "Every one of these plaintiffs, who had no prior hearing impairment before their deployments, put their life on the line for our country, and the "reward" for their service is hearing loss because of 3M's defective earplugs." SMBB, which represents over three dozen plaintiffs seeking to hold 3M accountable for its conduct, is nationally recognized for representing victims in cases involving devastating workplace injuries, complex product liability, and catastrophic wrongful death, such as last July's mass-casualty duck boat disaster in Branson, Missouri.

The complaints were filed on behalf of:

U.S. Army Captain William Anderegg ( Anderegg vs. 3M Company, No. 2:19-cv-00772-BMS ), who remains on active duty. Prior to joining the Army, he served eight years in the U.S. Air Force. A veteran of several combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan , Captain Anderegg suffers from hearing impairment  the medical condition is known as tinnitus  in both ears. Like all the plaintiffs, he has had exposure to live fire and training with heavy artillery and rockets, among a variety of munitions.

( ), who remains on active duty. Prior to joining the Army, he served eight years in the U.S. Air Force. A veteran of several combat deployments to and , Captain Anderegg suffers from hearing impairment  the medical condition is known as tinnitus  in both ears. Like all the plaintiffs, he has had exposure to live fire and training with heavy artillery and rockets, among a variety of munitions. U.S. Army 2 nd Lieutenant (Ret.) Christopher Baca , ( Baca vs. 3M Company, No. 2:19-cv-00771-BMS ) served eight years, and his combat deployments included Iraq and Qatar . As a result, he now has hearing loss in one ear and tinnitus in both ears.

Lieutenant (Ret.) , ( ) served eight years, and his combat deployments included and . As a result, he now has hearing loss in one ear and tinnitus in both ears. U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant (Ret.) Peter Cordrey ( Cordey vs. 3M Company, No. Case 2:19-cv-00769-BMS ) served four tours in Afghanistan during his 20-year military service. He presently has partial hearing loss in both ears and has also been diagnosed with tinnitus in both ears.

( ) served four tours in during his 20-year military service. He presently has partial hearing loss in both ears and has also been diagnosed with tinnitus in both ears. U.S. Army Specialist (Ret.) Michelle Farren ( Farren vs. 3M Company No. 2:19-cv-00770-BMS) served from 2009-2013 ), including combat tours in Iraq where she supported field troops conducting interrogations. She suffers from tinnitus in both ears as a result of her use of the defective earplugs

( ), including combat tours in where she supported field troops conducting interrogations. She suffers from tinnitus in both ears as a result of her use of the defective earplugs U.S. Army Captain David Henderson , ( Henderson vs. 3M Company, No. 2:19-cv-00773-BMS ) is a West Point graduate and active duty reservist, and has been deployed to Korea, Iraq , and Afghanistan . He has significant hearing loss in one ear and tinnitus in both.

, ( ) is a West Point graduate and active duty reservist, and has been deployed to Korea, , and . He has significant hearing loss in one ear and tinnitus in both. U.S. Army Joseph Robert Junk (Junk vs. 3M Company, No. 2:19-cv-00768-BMS ) enlisted out of high school in 2008, following a long family tradition of military service. He served in an artillery division in Afghanistan before his discharge in 2011. He has been diagnosed with tinnitus in both ears and hearing loss in his left ear.

The lawsuits also allege that 3M, which was the government's exclusive supplier of combat earplugs, "made false representations with the intent of defrauding and deceiving the plaintiffs and other service members, and with the intent of inducing the government to purchase the Combat Arms earplugs" that were touted as leading-edge hearing protection."

The earplugs failed to protect the service men and women, according to the complaints, because they "had a dangerous design defect that caused them to imperceptibly loosen in the wearer's ear, thus allowing damaging sounds to enter the ear canal around the outside of the earplug."

Robert J. Mongeluzzi, of SMBB, stated, "3M's conduct establishes that they were more concerned with sales than service members and more concerned with profits than people. After learning of the defect in their product, they failed to correct it. Their silence was deafening."

Attorney Robert W. Zimmerman, of SMBB added, "3M served itself rather than the servicemen and women of this country. This lawsuit will serve as a reminder to all companies that bid for government contracts that their actions have consequences. We look forward to jurors deciding 3M's fate loudly and clearly."

SOURCE SMBB
ARLINGTON, Va., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New research released today provides guidance for physicians who treat patients with lung cancer. Three authors presented their findings in an online presscast today and during the plenary session Thursday, March 14, at the 2019 Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium, held March 14-16 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. To schedule interviews with study authors and/or outside experts in lung cancer, contact ASTRO's media relations team at [email protected].

Following are summaries of each study selected for the presscast:

Local consolidative therapy linked to improved overall survival for oligometastatic NSCLC (Abstract 1)

This summary includes updated data not in the abstract.

A new analysis of nearly 200 patients treated with local consolidative therapy (LCT) for oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) finds that the intensive treatment approach is associated with improved overall survival. LCT, consisting of radiation therapy or surgery, extended median survival by six months for patients diagnosed with three or fewer metastases outside of the lungs.

"Though not all people with stage IV NSCLC are the same, there are treatment options for those with limited metastatic disease," said Erin Corsini, MD, presenting author of the study and a clinical research fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "Specifically, in select populations of patients with oligometastatic NSCLC, local consolidative therapy to all sites of disease with surgery, radiation therapy or a combination of the two appears to show promise in prolonging overall survival. The patients who seem to gain the most benefit are those with more favorable disease characteristics, such as adenocarcinoma, early intrathoracic stage and absence of bone metastases."

For the study, researchers analyzed records of 194 patients treated for stage IV NSCLC at MD Anderson between 2000 and 2017. Eligible patients included those diagnosed with one to three synchronous metastatic tumors, with intrathoracic nodal disease counted as one site; most patients (70%) had two to three distant metastases. Nearly all patients (90%) received systemic therapy in addition to LCT.

Comprehensive LCT to all disease sites (i.e., the primary tumor and all distant metastases) was associated with improved overall survival. At a median follow-up of 52 months, the median overall survival was 29 months for patients who received LCT to all sites, compared to 23 months for patients who did not (p=0.03). The relationship held on multivariable analysis controlling for patient and disease characteristics (p=0.03).

LCT to the primary tumor was associated with improved control of local and regional recurrences. The rate of locoregional progression was 21 percent for patients who received LCT to the primary tumor, compared to 43 percent for patients who did not (p<0.01). LCT to the primary tumor also trended toward an association with improved overall survival (p=0.08), although this was not the case with LCT to distant metastases (p=0.21).

"Several recent clinical trials have shown that local consolidative therapy could provide a tangible survival benefit, and our results from evaluating a relatively large group of patients are not only consistent with, but arguably bolster, the previously reported findings," said Dr. Corsini. "Taken together, these studies make a strong case for local consolidative therapy in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC."

"As the evidence accumulates and we learn that there are options for patients with oligometastatic disease, it is important that providers, patients and families discuss these possibilities and how they align with their goals and priorities for treatment."

Structured exposure to NSCLC patient guidelines fosters smoking cessation, biomarker testing (Abstract 3)

A new clinical trial finds that exposing patients to tailored versions of nationally-recognized treatment guidelines for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can help drive smoking cessation, testing for potential biomarkers and, for early-stage disease, more patient-centered use of chemotherapy following surgery. Findings demonstrate how evidence-based decision and communication aids can improve cancer care.

"The process of making treatment decisions can be extremely stressful for lung cancer patients, as treatment options are nuanced and may change significantly over the course of their staging workup," said Susan Wu, MD, first author of the study and a radiation oncology resident at the University of California, San Francisco. "Educational tools can guide patients through the decision-making process and help them to synthesize the large amount of information available."

Patients in the trial used an interactive web-based tool that presented treatment options tailored to their clinical characteristics, such as tumor stage and margin status following surgery. Options were based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and included information about treatment sequencing as well as a timeline to help patients visualize the treatment trajectory. All 76 patients were introduced to the tool by a trained coordinator, who also used the tool to facilitate discussion during their consultation with an oncologist. A separate cohort of 159 patients seen at the same institution before the tool was available was used as a comparison group.

Structured exposure to guidelines was associated with several positive outcomes, including increased smoking cessation counseling/intervention among active smokers (80% vs. 4%, p<0.001) and increased molecular testing for EGFR and ALK mutations prior to systemic therapy among patients with metastatic disease (96% vs. 68%, p=0.01). Use of the tool was also correlated with decreased use of chemotherapy following surgery for stage IB-IIB NSCLC (0% vs. 50%, p=0.02), particularly among patients with negative margins following resection.

"We can empower patients to make decisions that align with their priorities and goals for treatment with evidence-based tools. For example, data from patients with breast cancer suggests that those who may derive limited benefit from adjuvant therapy are more likely to forego it. We similarly found that patients with completely resected early-stage NSCLC had a tendency not to pursue additional chemotherapy," said Dr. Wu.

Exposure to the guideline tool did not impact some outcomes, including the frequency of pathologic mediastinal staging performed prior to surgery (p=0.70) or nonsurgical treatment (p=0.55) in patients with stage III disease, nor did it influence the use of upfront chemoradiation therapy in stage III patients who were ineligible for surgery (p=0.55).

"Our goal was to help patients feel more comfortable making treatment decisions and become more active participants in the decision-making process," said Dr. Wu. "While implementing a decision support tool does require substantial resources, such as the time and effort to develop the tool and introduce it to patients, these tools can help empower our patients, and in some cases meaningfully impact their care."

Declining number of physicians use prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) for extensive-stage SCLC (Abstract 5)

This summary includes updated data not in the abstract.

A new survey of radiation oncologists points to a sharp decline in the use of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), indicating a rapid change in standard practice for the disease following publication of a major clinical trial in 2017.

"Small cell lung cancer has a tendency to spread past the lungs to the brain, and brain metastases substantially diminish a patient's quality of life. PCI is preventative radiation therapy given after first-line treatment to eliminate cancerous cells before they become symptomatic metastases," said Olsi Gjyshi, MD, PhD, first author of the study and a radiation oncology resident at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"Radiation oncologists largely adopted PCI for ES-SCLC following the 2007 publication of a randomized EORTC trial that linked its use to extended overall survival (Slotman et al., NEJM). However, with the recent publication of a Japanese trial showing no survival benefit from PCI compared to MRI surveillance (Takahashi et al., Lancet Oncology), it is important to come to a consensus on how best to treat these patients. Our survey indicates that most providers no longer routinely use PCI for patients with extensive-stage disease that responds to chemotherapy."

To determine the extent of practice changes, researchers surveyed attending radiation oncologists at academic cancer centers across the United States (24% survey response rate). Anonymous email surveys were collected in September 2018, more than a year after the Takahashi et al trial was published, and the same year National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines were updated to reflect its findings.

All 49 radiation oncologists who specialize in treating thoracic cancers were aware of the Takahashi et al trial, and two-thirds (67%) had altered their practice in response to its findings. Specifically, fewer than half of those who offered PCI for ES-SCLC prior to 2017 continued to do so after it was published (78% vs. 38%, p<0.001).

Researchers confirmed the trend of shifting away from PCI in a subsequent nationwide survey of radiation oncologists (N=431). The trend was consistent across private practices and academic centers. One-fourth of these physicians reported a decline in PCI referrals by medical oncology for patients with extensive-stage SCLC, and 12 percent also reported fewer referrals for limited-stage SCLC.

"With extensive-stage disease, PCI may best be reserved for patients who are likely to benefit from it, such as those with excellent performance status, younger age (<70 years) and excellent cognitive functions at baseline," said Dr. Gjyshi. "Caution should be used in extrapolating the Takahashi et al. data to patients with limited-stage disease, and further trials may be necessary to address this question."

"Declining PCI use could impact enrollment in future clinical trials, however, so careful consideration should be given to future studies and trials that plan to investigate the role of PCI in this patient population."

Attribution to the 2019 Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium requested in all coverage.

Study and Presentation Details

All three abstracts will be presented in the same presscast and scientific session

Presscast: Tuesday, March 12 , 11:00 a.m.  12:00 p.m. Eastern, http://bit.ly/thoracic19

,  Eastern, http://bit.ly/thoracic19 Plenary Session: Thursday, March 14 , 10:45 a.m.  12:15 p.m. Pacific, Indigo Ballroom Salons ABEF (Level 2), Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Resources on Lung Cancer and Radiation Therapy

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

The 2019 Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium is a two-and-a-half-day meeting that convenes radiation and medical oncologists, thoracic surgeons and all members of the treatment team for a practical and comprehensive examination of current thoracic cancer care. Scientific, interactive and case-based educational sessions will cover the latest research on multidisciplinary therapies, clinical applications and new treatment strategies, supportive care and toxicity mitigation. The meeting is cosponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

ABOUT ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world's largest radiation oncology society, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. The Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology  Biology  Physics, Practical Radiation Oncology and Advances in Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers; and created the nonprofit foundation Radiation Oncology Institute. To learn more about ASTRO, visit our website, sign up to receive our news and follow us on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

ABOUT ASCO

Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. As the world's leading organization of its kind, ASCO represents more than 40,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation. Learn more at www.ASCO.org, explore patient education resources at www.Cancer.Net, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

ABOUT STS

Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing approximately 7,200 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society's mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.

Liz Gardner, 703-286-1600, [email protected]

Jeff White, 703-839-7392, [email protected]

SOURCE American Society for Radiation Oncology

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexteer Automotive today reported annual results for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, with revenue reaching US$3.912 billion, an increase of 0.9% when compared with 2017. Profit attributable to equity holders for the year ended December 31, 2018 rose 7.9% to US$380 million compared with 2017. Nexteer generated US$97 million in total cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2018 which included the early paydown of US$43 million of debt balances under the company's disciplined capital allocation approach. Nexteer's backlog stood at US$25.2 billion at the end of 2018  a 5.4% increase year-over-year from 2017.

"Our strong 2018 financial performance and continued enterprise diversification among product lines, customers and regions demonstrate that Nexteer is well-positioned for the future," said Guibin Zhao, Chairman and CEO of Nexteer Automotive. "These results highlight our commitment to delivering long-term profitable growth for shareholders and long-term value for our customers, suppliers, employees and society."

In the past two years, the Company has added five new electric power steering (EPS) customers  bringing its total number of customers globally to more than 60. In addition to gaining new customers, Nexteer has increased product exposure with current customers. By leveraging strong relationships and consistent product quality and customer service, Nexteer secured several additional product applications at targeted customers during 2018.

Nexteer also continued expansion and diversification of its global footprint in regions strategically important to key customers. In 2018, Nexteer opened a new manufacturing facility in Queretaro, Mexico and broke ground on new facilities in Chennai, India; Kenitra, Morocco; and Wuhan, China. Nexteer also announced the addition of a software centre in India to support growing demand for software-enabled functionality in advanced steering applications. Both the India Software Centre and the Chennai, India manufacturing facility celebrated their grand openings in January 2019.

Nexteer's 2018 results also demonstrate the Company's focus on execution and innovation. In 2018, the Company successfully launched 22 new customer programs across multiple product lines, regions and customers, including the award-winning Fiat Chrysler Ram 1500 in North America. Working with global OEM customers and other industry partnerships, such as Continental and WABCO, Nexteer continued to strengthen its technology leadership and progressed the commercial readiness of new steering applications. Our dedication to relentless innovation enables us to differentiate Nexteer as we solve motion control challenges for today's world and an automated future, which makes us a leader in intuitive motion control.

"In addition to Nexteer's relentless efforts being rewarded in business performance, our 2018 efforts were also validated by prestigious customer awards and industry recognition for technology innovations, quality and supplier-partner relationships," said Zhao.

Some of the most notable customer awards that Nexteer received in 2018 were from two key customers  GM and Ford. In 2018, Nexteer received GM's top Innovation Award for its High Availability EPS that delivers advanced safety to enable Levels 3  5 ADAS capabilities in automated driving. Ford recognized Nexteer's manufacturing innovation and quality with two awards  the 2018 World Excellence Award and a Silver Award for Manufacturing Excellence. In addition, Nexteer also earned several industry recognitions  most notably Frost & Sullivan's Engineering & Production Technology Leadership Award for its virtual process simulations and real-time monitoring technologies that significantly reduce cost, optimize processes, enhance quality and improve product performance.

ABOUT NEXTEER

Nexteer Automotive (HK 1316), a global leader in intuitive motion control, is a multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business delivering electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems, as well as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving technologies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company has 25 manufacturing plants, three technical centers and 14 customer service centers strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The company serves more than 60 customers in every major region of the world including BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, PSA Group, Toyota and VW, as well as automakers in India and China. www.nexteer.com

IMAGES:

SOURCE Nexteer Automotive

Related Links

http://www.nexteer.com


VANCOUVER, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX: NDM; NYSE American: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") announces that it has entered into an agreement dated March 12, 2019 with Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation, as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of itself and a syndicate of underwriters including BMO Capital Markets, H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC. and TD Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters") to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 15,625,000 common shares of the Company (the "Offered Shares") at the price of US$0.64 per Offered Share (the "Issue Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of US$10.0 million (the "Offering").

In addition, the Company has agreed to grant to the Underwriters an over-allotment option (the "Over-Allotment Option") exercisable, in whole or in part, in the sole discretion of the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional 2,343,750 Offered Shares at the Issue Price for a period of up to 30 days after the closing of the Offering for potential additional gross proceeds to the Company of up to US$1.5 million. The Company has agreed to pay the Underwriters a cash commission equal to 6% of the gross proceeds of the Offering, including proceeds received from the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option.

The Offering is expected to close on or about March 18, 2019 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American. Proceeds of the Offering are anticipated to be used for (i) operational expenditures, including engineering, environmental, permitting and evaluation expenses associated with the Pebble Project and the advancement of completion of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Impact Study, (ii) enhanced outreach and engagement with political and regulatory offices in the Alaska state and U.S. federal government, Alaska Native partners and broader regional and state-wide stakeholder groups, and (iii) for general corporate purposes. It remains the Company's goal to partner the Pebble Project.

The Offering will be made by way of a prospectus supplement (the "Prospectus Supplement") to the Company's existing Canadian base shelf prospectus (the "Base Shelf Prospectus") and related U.S. registration statement on Form F-10 (SEC File No. 333-229262) (the "Registration Statement"). The U.S. form of Base Shelf Prospectus is included in the Registration Statement. The Prospectus Supplement has been filed with the securities commissions in each of the provinces of Canada (other than Quebec) and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The Canadian Prospectus Supplement (together with the related Canadian Base Shelf Prospectus) is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The United States Prospectus Supplement (together with U.S. Base Shelf Prospectus and the Registration Statement) will be available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Prospectus Supplement may be obtained, when available, upon request by contacting the Company or Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation in Canada, attention: Equity Capital Markets, 181 University Avenue, Suite 1500, Toronto, ON, M5H 3M7, email: [email protected] ; Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 499 Park Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, New York, 10022 or by email at [email protected].

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority, nor has any such authority passed upon by the accuracy or adequacy of the Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus or the Registration Statement.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership ("PLP"), is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. PLP is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.

Ronald W. Thiessen

President & CEO

Forward Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively referred to as "forward-looking information"). The use of any of the words "expect", "plan", "update" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. These statements include expectations about the likelihood of completion of the Offering, the amount of funds to be raised, the use of proceeds of the Offering, the anticipated closing date of the Offering, the finalization by the United States Army Corps of Engineers of the Environmental Impact Study, the ability of the Company to proceed with permit applications for the development of the Pebble Project, the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary federal and state permits for the development of the Pebble Project and the ability of the Company to secure required Canadian and US regulatory and stock exchange acceptances for the Offering. Though the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to future events and third party discretion such as regulatory personnel. For more information on the Company, and the risks and uncertainties connected with its business, Investors should review the Company's home jurisdiction filings at www.sedar.com and its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov .

SOURCE Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Related Links

www.northerndynastyminerals.com


COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S, CVR no. 26 52 77 67 ("the Company"), hereby convenes the annual general meeting in the Company which will be held on

Wednesday 3 April 2019 at 9 a.m. CET
PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Onkos Surgical, Inc. announced today a robust pipeline of innovative new product launches scheduled to launch in 2019. Since its inception in October 2015, the company has already supported over 200 surgeons and over 1,100 limbs have been saved using Onkos products.

"When we started the company, we had a clear vision of bringing much needed innovation to musculoskeletal oncology surgeons and the patients they treat," said Patrick Treacy, Co-founder and CEO. "Combining our vision with our customers' insights, we have focused our efforts in three key areas: furthering personalization, reducing complexity, and addressing the clinical challenges associated with tumor and complex revision surgery. This has translated into a strong pipeline generating several new product and service introductions scheduled for this year. For example, to better address the uniqueness of each patient, we are building on our digital platform and adding capabilities to our uDesign personalized surgical planning service. We are also utilizing our 3D printing capabilities to introduce new products with novel porous coatings for bone implant interfaces and soft tissue attachment sites. When you put it all together, Onkos will offer an approach to tumor resection and reconstruction that has the potential to usher in a new era of joint sparing surgery. We couldn't be more excited about how Onkos is delivering on our promise to provide the solutions that our surgeons and their patients demand."

Steven Gitelis, MD, Onkos Surgical Chief Medical Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Rush University said, "Onkos has been working diligently on products to address the clinical challenges that my tumor colleagues and I face daily. The Onkos advancements in porous metal manufacturing, 3D printed implant designs, and surgical planning may offer surgeons new options to address soft tissue attachment and aseptic loosening in limb salvage surgery. The goal is to provide surgeons with new technology options that may improve outcomes in this challenging patient population."

Onkos will be presenting at the 39th Annual Canaccord Genuity Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, March 12th at 1:30pm in Bally's Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, the company will be exhibiting in Hall D, Booth 6457 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons to be held in Las Vegas March 13-15, 2019.

About Onkos Surgical

Based in Parsippany, N.J., Onkos Surgical is a privately held surgical oncology company founded in 2015. We believe that individuals with cancer requiring surgery deserve solutions designed specifically for them. This principle is the driving force behind our Precision Oncology initiatives. Built on a digital platform, our solutions are rooted in unmatched expertise in patient imaging analysis, personalized surgical planning, and the latest advancements in 3D printing. At Onkos, we are passionate about reducing complexity for our customers and addressing the clinical challenges associated with tumor surgery. www.onkossurgical.com

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "future," "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "potential," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs, assumptions and current expectations but are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the possibility that regulatory clearance will be delayed or denied, market trends, launch delays, delays in regulatory clearance, distribution challenges, product efficacy and safety concerns, product or raw material availability and other supply constraints. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results. The forward-looking statements included are made only as the date of this release. The company assumes no obligation to update any information or forward-looking statement contained herein, save for any information required to be disclosed by law.

Media contacts:

Sean P. Curry

Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations

[email protected]

www.onkossurgical.com

(973) 264-5400

SOURCE Onkos Surgical

Related Links

http://www.onkossurgical.com


LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges Weyerhaeuser, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, is guilty of creating an unsafe working environment that led to severe injuries for one truck driver. The proceeding litigation also exposed an alleged attempt by Weyerhaeuser to suppress evidence showing that the company left a hired contractor for dead on its lumber yard.

In October of 2015, Peter Alfaro was dispatched to pick up lumber from Weyerhaeuser's Santa Clarita facility. While Alfaro attempted to secure the load for transportation, the entire freight fell on top of him, crushing him and pinning him to the ground. Making matters worse, the lumber trapped Peter for almost an hour before he was finally discovered. Peter continues to receive medical treatment and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.

Weyerhaeuser maintained security cameras on the property, but coincidentally claimed that the cameras did not pick up the incident and further refused to produce any footage. Both Weyerhaeuser and Cal/OSHA, the state agency which investigates workplace accidents, conducted an investigation into the incident. "We've consistently asked Weyerhaeuser for its incident report," said PARRIS Law Firm attorney R. Rex Parris. "Their attempts at hiding the report tell us there's something that they don't want coming to light," R. Rex Parris added.

On January 25, 2019, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Weyerhaeuser to turn over its investigative incident report among other relevant case materials "within 30 days." However, this order was ignored by Weyerhaeuser's attorneys who filed a petition to the court of appeals claiming the incident report was the work product of its attorneys and contained privileged information. On March 8, 2019, The Second Appellate District Court for the State of California ruled against Weyerhaeuser's petition to withhold the incident report.

"Weyerhaeuser is treating Peter as though he is some sort of nuisance as he attempts to find out how his injuries could've been avoided," said attorney Khail A. Parris. "Weyerhaeuser's attempts to withhold evidence, places an undue burden on someone who has already suffered enough," Khail A. Parris concluded. The case is Peter and Silvia Alfaro v. Weyerhaeuser Company, Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC646685.

Filed Complaint

Second Appellate District Court Decision

About The PARRIS Law Firm

PARRIS Law Firm has dedicated the past 34 years to representing families affected by catastrophic injuries as a result of someone else's negligent actions. The experienced team at PARRIS, a Los Angeles County based business, fight tirelessly against corporate defense attorneys to make sure their clients are fairly compensated for their pain and suffering. PARRIS has secured numerous multi-million dollar victories for their clients, including a historic, record-breaking defamation jury verdict in Los Angeles for $370 million, a $135 million wage-and-hour class action settlement, and a $56 million jury verdict for their client who was catastrophically injured in a big rig accident. Considered one of the top Personal Injury, Employment, and Environmental law firms in the country, the PARRIS Law Firm has the proven skill and track record to help families in need. Recognized by top publications such as U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyer's  magazine, Super Lawyers, and Top Attorney's in California, the PARRIS Law Firm has what it takes to make sure justice is served. For more information, visit parrislawyers.com.

Media Contact:

Dante Hickles [email protected] (661) 949-2595

SOURCE PARRIS Law Firm

Related Links

https://www.parrislawyers.com


To learn more, visit PaulMcInnis.com for details and bidding. Broker participation is welcome.

Paul McInnis LLC and Target Auction Company have teamed up to bring this opportunity to buyers. "This is an amazing opportunity for someone to easily purchase a gorgeous home but to also get it for a terrific price," said Jeff Hathorn, Executive Vice President of Target Auction Company.

Mid-Coast Maine Oceanfront Home

Popular Sailing and Recreational Destination on Penobscot Bay

193 ft. of Shorefront

Built in 2003, this 3,559 sq. ft. custom home is situated on a 1.36 acre lot with 193 ft. of ocean frontage on the shores of historic Penobscot Bay in the Mid-Coast region of Maine. One of six homes in the Harbor Pointe subdivision just off US Route One, this 5-bedroom, 4-bath beauty shares the neighborhood's panoramic ocean and island views.

Features include cathedral ceilings, wood flooring, an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, dining and living rooms, a spacious master suite with plenty of walk-in closet space, a two-car attached garage, and much more as previewed in the property video.

Mature landscaping and a lawn that gently slopes to the water's edge stand in stunning contrast to the rocky beach, only steps away. A large deck across the back of the house offers the perfect spot for watching sailboats or for simply soaking in the mild summer temperatures or vivid fall colors characteristic of coastal Maine.

"One of the best things about this place is its versatility," said Hathorn. "It's just as suited to year-round living as it is a vacation retreat. It's roomy enough to accommodate a growing family, yet cozy enough for a couple to share. Whether for residents or guests, this home can be anything you want it to be."

For interested potential bidders, Open House events are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 23, 24, 30 and 31, 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Target Auction Company specializes in auctioning homes, commercial developments, land and other high-value real estate throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.targetauction.com.

SOURCE Target Auction Company
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmMD, a leading healthcare technology company focused on medication adherence, has changed its company name to AdhereHealth. The new name reflects its vision of better health through adherence by resolving social determinants and other barriers to care.

AdhereHealth's proprietary technology platform, Adhere, targets an estimated $300 billion in annual unnecessary medical costs caused by gaps in medication adherence. The Adhere solution suite creates a unique and powerful combination that improves value-based care outcomes through medication adherence, medication therapy management (MTM) and pharmacy delivered to the home. This is key to improving value-based performance for commercial populations and government sponsored programs such as Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, Medicaid Pay for Performance (P4P), Commercial ACA Quality Rating System (QRS) and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). AdhereHealth currently works with seven of the top 10 health plans across the nation and touches nearly 10 million consumers.

For more than a decade, AdhereHealth has partnered with health plans and employers to improve quality measures and reduce medical costs. Typical program outcomes for clients include 1-2 Medicare Advantage Stars improvement per year for triple-weighted medication quality measures and a 4-to-1 medical cost reduction ROI for employers. AdhereHealth's offerings are available to clients as part of a full-risk partnership or through SaaS (software-as-a-service).

"The launch of the AdhereHealth brand marks a significant step in our company's evolution and growth," said Jason Z. Rose, AdhereHealth CEO. "Our Adhere platform provides a disruptive set of solutions to drive consumer adherence and value-based care outcomes through technology and engagement."

The Adhere platform uses advanced analytics, home-delivered pharmacy and AdhereHealth's national footprint of licensed clinicians to resolve gaps in care. This unprecedented combination enables a unique guaranteed fee structure for each consumer medication adherence conversion.

Technology-enabled solutions in the Adhere platform include Resolve, AdhereHealth's comprehensive medication adherence offering for quality measure improvement, and OptimizeMTM, an MTM offering that expertly navigates clinical workflow.

AdhereHealth's pharmacy, AdhereRx, provides home-delivered pharmacy to high-acuity consumers who need ongoing medication counseling for polypharmacy management. Adhere analytics are integrated into Resolve and OptimizeMTM clinical workflows to identify consumers who would benefit from AdhereRx's high-touch pharmacy. This data-driven approach creates a positive experience for the consumer and promotes medication adherence through a comprehensive engagement program that meaningfully improves healthcare outcomes.

Learn more about AdhereHealth at www.adherehealth.com.

About AdhereHealth

AdhereHealth is a healthcare technology solutions leader supporting health plans, self-insured employers and other risk-bearing entities for medication adherence insights and improved healthcare outcomes. The company's Adhere platform touches nearly 10 million consumers through advanced technologies, at-risk engagement services and home-delivered pharmacy. The integrated set of solutions address an estimated $300 billion of unnecessary annual medical costs attributed to medication adherence issues. The company is headquartered in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee. For more information, please visit www.adherehealth.com.

Contact:

Rachel Robbins

[email protected]

617-275-6521

SOURCE AdhereHealth

Related Links

http://www.adherehealth.com


PHILADELPHIA, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters Local 502 will kick off the creation of a new scholarship fund with a gala event at the recently revamped Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House next month to raise money to help fund post-secondary educational opportunities for children of members as well as Philadelphia public school students.

Local 502, also known as the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators (CASA), is hosting the April 4th event as a way of celebrating three decades of Teamster involvement in the city's public school system. Mike Clark, a long-time IBT representative based in the Philadelphia area, will be honored at the gala. CASA represents more than 550 school administrators who work in the School District of Philadelphia.

"The purpose of the scholarship fund is to promote the union's support of public education as well as to the sons and daughters of our Teamster members," said Dr. Robin Cooper, President of Local 502/CASA. "Improving educational opportunities, especially for inner-city students, is paramount."

Tickets for the event are $75, and can be purchased online via Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/2Hb4K2Y. For information on program advertising and donation opportunities, contact [email protected]. The first scholarships will be handed out later this year.

Contact:

Don Anticoli, (215) 858-8507

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 502
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP ("Pierce Bainbridge") has expanded again, adding as partners leading health care fraud lawyer, Susan Winkler to its Boston office, and distinguished commercial, securities, and white-collar litigators, Frank Velie and Jonathan Kortmansky to its New York office.

"With the addition of Susan, Frank and Jonathan, our white-collar capabilities have become truly unparalleled," said the firm's Managing Partner John Pierce. "Our firm's expansion and the growth and the depth of our bench of former United States attorneys and lawyers deeply versed in government practice is unprecedented."

Winkler joins Pierce Bainbridge from the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. She has over 30 years of litigation experience, specializing in complex health care fraud civil and criminal investigations and trials. Throughout her career, she handled some of the most scientifically challenging, high-stakes health care cases involving a wide range of issues. Under her leadership, the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Boston U.S. Attorney's Office investigated dozens of pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as individual providers and hospitals. The resulting prosecutions resulted in convictions and global resolutions recovering more than $10.8 billion in fines, damages, and penalties for wrongdoing. Among numerous awards for her work at the Department of Justice, Susan received the Attorney General's awards for Exceptional Service and Fraud Prevention. Susan has in-depth experience in corporate investigations, compliance, and interactions with DOJ, FDA, CMS, HHS-OIG, state Medicaid bureaus, and other regulators in the health care field.

"It is an honor to join Pierce Bainbridge as it opens the Boston office," said Winkler. After 25 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office, I was not looking to leave government practice -- but the opportunity to join these elite trial practitioners with their vision for effective and efficient top-flight litigation was too exciting to pass up. I am happy to be part of the team."

Velie and Kortmansky are both joining the firm from Sullivan & Worcester. Velie who served as Assistant Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, also has over 30 years of trial experience. His practice encompasses a broad range of commercial matters, including securities, products liability, white-collar criminal defense, domestic and international arbitration, employment law, accountants' and auditors' liability, insurance and bankruptcy. He has tried over 50 jury and non-jury trials and arbitrations in jurisdictions throughout the United States and served as both an arbitrator and a mediator.

Kortmansky has 25 years of experience representing clients in high stakes litigation and trials. He regularly advises senior management on litigation and regulatory risks. His clients include multi-national banks and corporations, high tech and fintech companies. Kortmansky regularly represent clients in criminal and regulatory proceedings commenced by the United States Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. His practice focuses on securities, products liability, bankruptcy, and white-collar criminal defense in addition to general commercial litigation.

"I am delighted to be joining Pierce Bainbridge and to be able to offer our clients the extraordinary advantages this dynamic firm offers. Pierce Bainbridge is stocked with talented, experienced litigators and, importantly, seasoned trial lawyers," commented Velie. "Pierce Bainbridge is at the apex of trial skills and innovation, and it is an honor and privilege to join a firm so prepared to meet the 21st century needs of its clients," added Kortmansky.

Velie and Kortmansky were both placed by Lee Presser of RPN Executive Search.

More information about Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP can be found on its website at www.piercebainbridge.com.

SOURCE Pierce Bainbridge

Related Links

www.piercebainbridge.com


DES PLAINES, Ill., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that Phu My Plastics Production JSC will use Honeywell UOP's C 3 Oleflex technology to produce polymer-grade propylene at its facility in Vietnam. The plant will help meet growing domestic demand for plastics in Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia. This is the first award for Honeywell's propane dehydrogenation technology in Vietnam.

Honeywell UOP will provide technology licensing for the Oleflex process, the process design package, proprietary and non-proprietary equipment, on-site operator training, technical services for startup and continuing operation, and proprietary catalysts and adsorbents.

Honeywell UOP's C 3 Oleflex technology uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert propane to propylene. Its low-energy consumption, low emissions and fully recyclable, platinum-alumina-based catalyst system helps minimize its impact on the environment. It is designed to have a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment compared with competing technologies. The technology's independent reaction and regeneration sections enable steady-state operations, improved operating flexibility, and high on-stream reliability.

"This Oleflex unit will use low-priced and widely available propane to make propylene, which can be made into polypropylene, one of the most important materials for making plastics," said Bryan Glover, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP's Process Technology and Equipment business. "This new capacity will enable Vietnam to meet its own rapidly growing domestic demand for plastics, supplanting propylene products that it currently imports."

Honeywell UOP, a leading technology provider for the oil and gas industry, also licenses C 4 Oleflex technology, which converts butanes to butylenes, the primary ingredient for making high-octane fuel additives and synthetic rubber. Including this project, Honeywell UOP's Oleflex technology has been selected for a majority of propane and isobutane dehydrogenation projects awarded globally since 2011.

Since the technology was first commercialized in 1990, Honeywell UOP has commissioned 30 Oleflex units for on-purpose propylene and isobutylene production. Global production capacity of propylene from Oleflex technology now stands at more than 7.3 million metric tons per year.

Phu My Plastics Production JSC is mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of plastic packaging. The company's leading products include laminated polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) bags, flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), as well as woven PP sheets, among others. These products are consumed in Vietnam, and exported to overseas markets, including Brazil, France, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com) is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.

Honeywell ( www.honeywell.com ) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom .

SOURCE Honeywell

Related Links

http://www.honeywell.com


LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- QPC Fiber Optic, a leading manufacturer of harsh environment fiber optic connectors, gave its Golden Distribution Partner Award to JOWO - Systemtechnik, AG of Delmenhorst, Germany to recognize them for exceeding $1 Million in product purchases in 2018. Mr. Karsten Grubert, QPC's Director of Sales and Marketing presented the award to Mr. Christoph Donath, CEO, and Mr. Michael Drenske, CEO, during a recent business trip to Germany. "We are pleased to reach this milestone with QPC, and we would like to thank the entire team at JOWO and QPC as well as our customers for making this possible. We are looking forward to continued growth and success in 2019 and beyond." said Mr. Christoph Donath, CEO, JOWO - Systemtechnik, AG.

QPC Presents Gold Distribution Partner Award to JOWO - Systemtechnik, AG QPC Presents Gold Distribution Partner Award to JOWO - Systemtechnik, AG

JOWO is QPC's Exclusive Value Add Re-Seller (VAR) in Germany. Under this model, they buy QPC's connectors and build full customized cable assemblies locally for European customers. QPC and JOWO first began working together in early 2015, and the business has increased every year since. "JOWO's product and market focus are a close match to QPC's. Their high level of service to customers and their ability to be a technical resource are also consistent with QPC's goals. This alignment has made for a very successful partnership." said Mr. Steve Wilkes, President & CEO, QPC Fiber Optic.

JOWO - Systemtechnik, AG, founded in 1995, is an innovative and flexible worldwide supplier of high-performance electrical and fiber optic connectors and cable assemblies for use in harsh environments. JOWO specializes in products for marine, offshore, and subsea applications and also offers products for defense technology, space & aerospace, hazardous areas (IECex/ATEX), heavy industry, and broadcast. For more information, please visit www.jowosy.de or call +49 4221-916 4950

QPC Fiber Optic is an optical technology company based in Southern California, serving customers worldwide since 1999. QPC designs and manufactures fiber optic connectors, cable assemblies, and custom products for use in harsh environments. QPC is one of the few companies in the interconnect industry that welcomes low volume custom product development projects. QPC draws upon its extensive design experience and in-house manufacturing capabilities to design, prototype, manufacture, and deliver solutions in weeks. QPC serves a diverse range of customer markets including Military / Aerospace (Air, Land, and Sea), Industrial (Oil & Gas, Mining, Marine, Scientific, and Medical), and Broadcast (Mobile Video Broadcast, and Pro-Audio). QPC is proud to design and manufacture in the United States. For more information, please visit www.qpcfiber.com or call (949) 361-8855.

Contact:

Diana Jenkins

9493618855

[email protected]

SOURCE QPC Fiber Optic, LLC

Related Links

http://www.qpcfiber.com


Home value perception continues to vary at a metro level, but remains in a relatively tight band. Of the metro areas that had average appraisals lower than expected, none of them were more than 2 percent lower than the owner's estimate. At the other side of the spectrum, Boston is the outlier with the average appraisal 2.51 percent higher than what the homeowner expected  which could add more than $11,000 in equity based on local median home prices. Charlotte follows closely behind, surprising the average homeowner with an appraisal 2.10 percent higher than what they estimated. In total, 62 percent of the metro areas are reporting average appraisals higher than expected.

"Even though the home value perceptions are declining at a national level, the majority of metro areas are getting appraisals at, or above, what the homeowner expected," said Bill Banfield, Quicken Loans Executive Vice President of Capital Markets. "This is particularly exciting news at a time when we are seeing heighted interest in cash out refinances. More and more, owners are choosing to invest in their home by making improvements instead of moving. If appraisals are higher than expected an owner could find it more comfortable to do those home improvements they always had in the back of their mind."

Home values were practically frozen in the height of winter. The National Quicken Loans Home Value Index (HVI), the only measure of home value changes based solely on appraisals, reported the average appraisal increased a mere 0.05 percent in February. Annual growth continues to be strong, with year-over-year growth of 5.47 percent  increasing at a higher clip than in January.

The regional appraisal changes are a mixed bag. No region saw appraisal values swinging more than half a percent in either direction. Appraisals were an average of 0.33 and 0.50 percent higher in the West and the Northeast, respectively. However, values dipped 0.25 and 0.56 percent in the Midwest and the South. On the other hand, all regions have year-over-year growth in common  ranging from a 3.72 percent increase in the Midwest, to a 5.60 percent jump in the West.

"Home values are still making modest annual gains, despite being practically stagnant when measured monthly. What everyone has their eye on is what will happen as the spring selling season kicks off," said Banfield. "Home prices, and in turn home values, are mostly driven by the balance of how many homes are on the market and the volume of buyers vying for them. Most of the industry is expecting the demand will remain high, like in years past, but what remains to be seen is how many owners will choose to list their home  creating availability for both first time and move up buyers."



HVI February 2019 January 2005 =

100 HVI February 2019 vs. January 2019 % Change HVI February 2019 vs. February 2018 % Change HPPI February 2019 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI February 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* National Composite 112.00 +0.05% +5.47% -0.50% -0.53%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.

Geographic Regions HVI February 2019 January 2005 =

100 HVI February 2019 vs. January 2019 % Change HVI February 2019 vs. February 2018 % Change HPPI February 2019 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI February 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception

of Value* West 135.5 +0.33% +5.60% -0.22% -0.32% South 113.74 -0.56% +5.28% -0.40% -0.58% Northeast 104.53 +0.50% +4.80% -0.48% -0.68% Midwest 91.17 -0.25% +3.72% -0.79% -0.55%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.

Metropolitan Areas HPPI February 2019 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner Perception of

Value* HPPI January 2019 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of Value* HPPI February 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* Boston, MA +2.51% +2.76% +2.00% Charlotte, NC +2.10% +2.24% +1.18% Denver, CO +1.98% +2.17% +2.22% San Jose, CA +1.63% +1.91% +2.71% Minneapolis, MN +1.50% +1.70% +1.20% Seattle, WA +1.48% +1.64% +2.01% Dallas, TX +1.09% +1.13% +0.58% Las Vegas, NV +1.02% +1.39% +2.72% San Diego, CA +0.93% +0.86% -0.07% Atlanta, GA +0.73% +0.74% +1.91% Kansas City, MO +0.67% +0.94% +1.30% San Francisco, CA +0.57% +0.60% +0.38% Phoenix, AZ +0.52% +0.73% +0.47% Washington, D.C. +0.46% +0.46% +0.84% Sacramento, CA +0.43% +0.76% +0.94% Portland, OR +0.26% +0.26% +1.01% Los Angeles, CA +0.06% +0.10% +0.81% Riverside, CA -0.02% +0.02% +0.75% Houston, TX -0.22% -0.37% -0.32% New York, NY -0.37% -0.27% +0.19% Miami, FL -0.40% -0.46% -0.58% Detroit, MI -0.46% -0.35% +0.83% Tampa, FL -0.48% -0.23% -0.85% Baltimore, MD -0.48% -0.47% -0.68% Philadelphia, PA -0.57% -0.69% +0.42% Cleveland, OH -0.70% -0.59% +0.43% Chicago, IL -0.79% -0.62% -0.55%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.

About the HPPI & HVI

The Quicken Loans HPPI represents the difference between appraisers' and homeowners' opinions of home values. The index compares the estimate that the homeowner supplies on a refinance mortgage application to the appraisal that is performed later in the mortgage process. This is an unprecedented report that gives a never-before-seen analysis of how homeowners are viewing the housing market. The HPPI national composite is determined by analyzing appraisal and homeowner estimates throughout the entire country, including data points from both inside and outside the metro areas specifically called out in the above report.

The Quicken Loans HVI is the only view of home value trends based solely on appraisal data from home purchases and mortgage refinances. This produces a wide data set and is focused on appraisals, one of the most important pieces of information to the mortgage process.

The HPPI and HVI are released on the second Tuesday of every month. Both of the reports are created with Quicken Loans' propriety mortgage data from the 50-state lenders' mortgage activity across all 3,000+ counties. The indexes are examined nationally, in four geographic regions and the HPPI is reported for 27 major metropolitan areas. All indexes, along with downloadable tables and graphs can be found at QuickenLoans.com/Indexes.

About Quicken Loans

Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's largest home mortgage lender. The company closed nearly half a trillion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states from 2013 through 2018. Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and its Family of Companies employ more than 17,000 full-time team members in Detroit's urban core. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix. Quicken Loans also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past nine consecutive years, 2010  2018, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past five consecutive years, 2014  2018.

Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list in 2019 and has been included in the magazine's top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 16 consecutive years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans "#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans."

For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/press-room.

SOURCE Quicken Loans

Related Links

http://www.QuickenLoans.com


PALM BEACH, Florida, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In both Canada and the U.S., the number of retail stores and dispensaries has been exponentially growing since the end of 2018. The number of restrictive regulations is diminishing while the legalization process has opened more markets. Licenses for not only growers and production facilities is also on the rise, but the raw number of retail outlets and dispensaries seems to be actually outpacing the available supply of product needed to fill their shelves! A recent article in Forbes said: "2018 was a momentous year for cannabis advocates as Canada legalized recreational marijuana use. Canadians and cannabis companies alike eagerly awaited legalization, but the rollout hasn't been as smooth as they would have liked. The most pressing problem facing the country's legal weed market is the fact that, in the majority of provinces, suppliers are unable to meet demand (leaving) many retailers with just a fraction of the promised products. In many areas, the supply shortage may last well into 2019. Active companies in the industry making moves to ready that include: Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE:CHOO) (OTC:CHOOF), Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB) (TSX:ACB), MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTC: MMNFF), Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (TSX-V: FAF) (OTC: FFLWF), Trulieve Cannabis Corporation (OTC: TCNNF) (CSE: TRUL).



Some experts say the bottleneck exists in the regulatory approval by Health Canada of Licensed Processors and Cultivators Health Canada has added significant resources to attempt to shorten the approval process, but the backlog is significant," (an industry insider) explained. "In the coming months, we expect to see this supply shortage ease. On the opposite end of a product shortage is strong product pricing for cannabis producers and retailers. A gram of high-quality cannabis in Vancouver, Canada, for example, sold for $189.69 an ounce. Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, where an overabundance of marijuana is begging to cross state lines, you could buy an entire ounce of similar high-quality cannabis for around $100."



Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE:CHOO) (OTCQB:CHOOF) BREAKING NEWS: Choom an emerging adult and medical use cannabis company that has secured one of the largest national retail networks in Canada, is pleased to announce it is entering the United States, starting with the state of New Jersey. Choom through its wholly owned US subsidiary, Choom Holdings USA Inc., has signed a letter of intent ("LOI") to purchase an equity interest in a New Jersey based (the "NJ Company") medical retail dispensary applicant in New Jersey's upcoming Request of Applications ("RFA") that also intends to enter into recreational cannabis retail upon legalization, which is anticipated in 2020.

The NJ Company is advancing on its retail store strategy in New Jersey with the intention of receiving licenses to operate the maximum allowable cannabis stores for medical and eventually adult use when formally approved by the State. With these licenses, the NJ Company intends to create a network of branded stores using Choom's medical brand, Clarity Medical Centres, or Choom ("Choom Brands") for its recreational retail stores in the future. Choom will assist the NJ Company in this highly regulated market for the buildout and operations of cannabis retail stores. Choom will receive a royalty from the NJ Company for the use of the Choom Brands. Choom's investment in the NJ Company includes pro rata rights to maintain its equity interest on future financings.

"This is our first step into the United States, and we are very excited for our partnership with this experienced group to have the Choom Brands in New Jersey." states Chris Bogart, President & CEO of Choom Holdings Inc. "New Jersey is home to over 9 million people currently being served by only 12 cannabis operators in its medical program. New Jersey is an exceptional market to expand the Choom Brands. We are very impressed with the progress they have achieved to date, and with our expertise in cannabis retail, we are confident we can help them successfully operate in the New Jersey market." Read this and more news for Choom at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-choo/





Additional industry related developments from around the markets:

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB) recently announced that it has commenced sales of cannabis oils to German pharmacies following receipt of all necessary approvals from the Canadian and German regulatory authorities. Pedanios 5/1 drops have become the first extract derived oil product compliant with the German monograph for in-pharmacy preparation. Aurora is the medical cannabis market leader in Germany. The Company has supplied the German market with dried cannabis flower via Aurora Deutschland (formerly Pedanios) since December 2015, and with Canadian-grown Aurora products since September 2017. Aurora has established a strong brand as a trusted supplier among prescribing physicians, dispensing pharmacies, and German patients. As one of few companies able to sell oils in this rapidly growing market, Aurora is well positioned to establish brand leadership in the European derivatives market.

MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN.CN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) recently released its consolidated financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2019. All financial information for the 13-week period ended December 29, 2018 is reported in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated. "Our strong second quarter results support MedMen's commitment to drive strong retail and sales performance, while efficiently scaling the Company and executing on our growth strategy," said Adam Bierman, MedMen chief executive officer and co-founder. "As we emphasized last quarter, we are in a new phase of growth, one focused on continuing to operationalize our industry-leading retail footprint and increasing our profitability. We are confident in the team we've built to drive our success."

After going public almost one year ago, MedMen has established a track record of growth and success. With approximately 7% market share in California, the largest cannabis market in the U.S., the Company is planning to open 16 new locations across the U.S. in calendar 2019. Of the 16 new locations, 12 will be based in Florida, where MedMen is licensed for up to 30 locations. Additionally, four retail sites in Florida are expected to open in the next 90 days in the following locations: Key West, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and St. Petersburg.

Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (TSX-V: FAF.V) (OTCPK: FFLWF) recently signed an agreement with Lift & Co. This agreement, which takes effect April 1, 2019, brings together Fire & Flower's industry-leading, education-focused retail expertise with Lift & Co.'s extensive database of product reviews and partner benefits. Fire & Flower has engaged Lift for a series of initiatives, including listing Fire & Flower as a premium retailer on the Lift platform in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Lift members will be able to share their Fire & Flower cannabis experiences in both product and business reviews, which earn Lift Points that may be redeemed within the Lift platform for gift cards, exclusive promotions and invite-only industry events.



"Fire & Flower is excited to bring Lift & Co.'s users a trusted cannabis retail experience," says Chris Bolivar, vice-president of brand and marketing at Fire & Flower. "Our organizations are a great fit with shared principles on the importance of data science driving consumer education and personalized service through a commitment to responsible marketing."

Trulieve Cannabis Corporation (OTCPK: TCNNF) (CSE: TRUL.CN) recently announced it was opening the doors of its newest location on Monday: a new dispensary at Clearwater, Florida.

"Trulieve is and always has been focused on the patients it serves and is consistently working to provide a great experience when they visit our dispensaries. This new, updated Clearwater location is larger, provides easier access to patients, and delivers an even more pleasant and comfortable experience to our patients. We will continue to provide patients with the same high-quality products and natural relief to which they are accustomed," said Kim Rivers, Trulieve CEO. "We are confident that patients will enjoy the improved experience."

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated forty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued above by Choom Holdings Inc. by a non affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Contact Information:

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SOURCE FinancialNewsMedia.com
NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), one of the largest banks in the Philippines, announced today it filed a lawsuit against the Bank of Bangladesh (Bangladesh Bank) in a Philippine civil court for defaming RCBC and its executives with baseless allegations of complicity in the $81 million cyber heist of Bangladesh's central bank in 2016.

The complaint was filed March 6 with the Regional Trial Court in Makati City, Manila. In the filing, RCBC says its "reputation has come under the vicious and public attack by Bangladesh Bank since 2016. It is public knowledge that Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a massive ploy and scheme to extort money from plaintiff RCBC by resorting to public defamation, harassment and threats geared towards destroying RCBC's good name, reputation, and image, all with the intention of getting RCBC to pay Bangladesh Bank money that RCBC does not have in its custody or possession and which it does not owe to Bangladesh Bank."

The suit was served to Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hasan, Deputy Governor and Head of Bangladesh Bank Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the other members of Bangladesh Bank delegation that arrived in the Philippines this week for meetings with banking officials. Bangladesh Bank sued RCBC last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Tai-Heng Cheng, RCBC's lead lawyer and a partner at the New York office of law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP said, "Bank of Bangladesh's claims are baseless and have harmed RCBC's reputation as one of the best banks in the Philippines. Bangladesh's suit is nothing more than a political stunt to try to shift blame from themselves to RCBC. The action taken today by RCBC finally puts the case in a court where -- at the very least -- the alleged crime took place."

RCBC's defamation suit references Bangladesh's failures to secure its network and disclose those failings on a timely basis. The complaint also refutes Bangladesh Bank's allegation that RCBC played a premeditated role in the cyber theft. "Bangladesh Bank had lost the US $81 Million the minute it left defendant Bangladesh Bank's account at the NY Fed and way before it had even reached the Philippines. there is absolutely no act attributable to RCBC that caused the payment instructions to reach the NY Fed and the Correspondent Banks," the complaint says.

Thea Daep, partner at the Manila law firm of Villaraza & Angangco said, "RCBC had nothing to do with the theft of the funds and has cooperated fully with every investigation into the matter. We will prove in the Philippine court that Bangladesh's defamation is nothing more than a blatant attempt to shift the blame and cover up their own liability at RCBC's expense."

About RCBC:

RCBC is a leading financial services provider in the Philippines offering a wide range of banking and financial products and services. RCBC in engaged in all aspects of traditional banking, investment banking, microfinance, retail financing (auto, mortgage and housing loads, and credt cards). Remittance, leasing, foreign exchange, and stock brokering. RCBC is a member of the Yuchengo Group of Companies (YGC), of the oldest and largest conglomerates in South East Asia. For more information please visit https://www.rcbc.com

SOURCE Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC)

Related Links

https://www.rcbc.com


VANCOUVER, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Rubicon Organics Inc. (CSE:ROMJ) (OTCQX:ROMJF) ("Rubicon Organics" or the "Company") a super-premium, organic cannabis producer with operations in Canada, Washington and California, is proud to announce that its 125,000 sq. ft. licensed facility in Delta, B.C. (the "BC Facility") has commenced preparation for its European Union - Good Manufacturing Practices ("EU-GMP") certification. The EU-GMP certification is given to companies who demonstrate a high degree of precision and consistency in their manufacturing procedures, and is a requirement for the import of medical cannabis products into the European market.

Working with Q&C, GMP consultants who have extensive experience across cannabis and international pharmaceutical industries, the BC Facility recently completed a trial audit as the first step in ensuring the correct controls and compliance are in place for European sales.

"We expect access to EU-GMP certified organic cannabis will be a game changer for medical markets both locally and internationally," said Jesse McConnell, Co-Founder and CEO of Rubicon Organics. "With Q&C supporting our process, we look forward to providing access to our extensive genetics and top-tier terpene profiles around the world."

Achieving the required EU-GMP certification will further enhance Rubicon Organics' reputation as a leading organic producer providing global access to pharmaceutical grade organic cannabis.

Rubicon Organics anticipates the first harvest at its BC Facility in Q2 2019.

ABOUT RUBICON ORGANICS INC.

Rubicon Organics Inc. ("Rubicon Organics" or the "Company) (CSE:ROMJ) (OTCQX:ROMJF) is a Licensed Producer focused on building super-premium organic cannabis brands* with operations in Canada, Washington and California. Rubicon Organics' flagship Canadian facility is a 125,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouse with industry leading LED lighting and is located on a 20-acre property in Delta, British Columbia. The Company's Washington facility is a newly constructed, 40,000 sq. ft. hybrid greenhouse and extraction facility. Rubicon Organics has commenced production in both facilities with a combined Phase I capacity of 15,500 kg per year, including 4,500 kg leased to a Washington State licensed operator applying Rubicon Organics' proprietary organic cultivation methods*. The Company also owns two award-winning U.S. cannabis brands: 1964 Supply Co.TM in California and Doctor & Crook Co.TM in Washington.

* Organic certification pending from FVOPA

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, statements regarding Rubicon Organics' plan to cultivate, timing and estimates of production for its facilities, are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans" or "is expected", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results are "to begin", "ramping up to", "imminent", "set to" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.

The forward looking information in this press release is based upon certain assumptions that management considers reasonable in the circumstances, including that its capital needs will be as currently projected, that Rubicon Organics will be able to successfully obtain all necessary permits and approvals to conduct its business as currently proposed to be conducted, that Rubicon Organics will not be prosecuted in the U.S. for its involvement in the cannabis industry.Risks and uncertainties associated with the forward looking information in this press release include, among others, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including acquiring and renewing state, local or other licenses and any inability to obtain all necessary governmental approvals licenses and permits to complete construction of its proposed facilities in a timely manner; engaging in activities which currently are illegal under U.S. federal law and the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution; regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, particularly in California, due to inconsistent public opinion, perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry, bureaucratic delays or inefficiencies or any other reasons; any other factors or developments which may hinder market growth; Rubicon Organics' limited operating history and lack of historical profits; reliance on management; and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and the need to secure and maintain corporate alliances and partnerships, including with customers and suppliers. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although Rubicon Organics has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. Rubicon Organics assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason except as required by law.

SOURCE Rubicon Organics
CHICAGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sciaky, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI), and leading provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, announced today that it has joined the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) to expand adoption of its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) technology in aerospace and other sectors.

Sciaky EBAM dual wirefeed technology. Sciaky is a member of ADAPT.

Headquartered at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO, ADAPT is an industry-academia consortium that advances data informatics and characterization technologies to Optimize processes, materials, and parts for Additive. A barrier to AM process qualification that ADAPT is excited to work on, in collaboration with Sciaky, is the lack of fundamental understanding about how the process variables effect material microstructure and final part properties.

"Sciaky is pleased to work with the innovators of this higher learning consortium," said Scott Phillips, President and CEO of Sciaky, Inc. "We are always striving to break new ground with our EBAM process, as well as capture critical performance data on new applications."

As the most widely scalable metal additive manufacturing solution in the industry (in terms of work envelope), Sciaky's EBAM systems can produce parts ranging from 8 inches (203 mm) to 19 feet (5.79 meters) in length. EBAM is also the fastest deposition process in the metal additive manufacturing market, with gross deposition rates ranging from seven to 25 lbs. (3.18 to 11.34 kg) of metal per hour. EBAM brings quality and control together with IRISS  the Interlayer Real-time Imaging and Sensing System, which is the only real-time adaptive control system in the metal 3D printing market that can sense and digitally self-adjust metal deposition with precision and repeatability. This innovative closed-loop control is the primary reason that Sciaky's EBAM 3D printing process delivers consistent part geometry, mechanical properties, microstructure, and metal chemistry, from the first part to the last.

Sciaky's EBAM is the only industrial metal 3D printing process with approved applications for land, sea, air, and space. For more information, visit www.sciaky.com. You can also follow Sciaky on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About Sciaky, Inc.

Sciaky, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, is a world leader in metal 3D printing solutions. Our exclusive Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process is the fastest, most cost-effective 3D printing process in the market for large-scale metal parts, allowing manufacturers to save significant time and money over traditional manufacturing and rapid prototyping processes. Sciaky also provides industry-leading electron beam (EB) and advanced arc welding systems, as well as robust EB welding services, for the aerospace, defense, automotive, healthcare and other manufacturing industries. Our welding equipment meets rigid military specifications to manufacture items such as airframes, landing gear, jet engines, guided missiles and vehicle parts.

About Phillips Service Industries, Inc.

Established in 1967, Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) is a privately held global manufacturing and services holding company, which oversees a diverse collection of innovative subsidiaries: PSI Repair Services, Inc., PSI Semicon Services, and Sciaky, Inc. Our companies serve a wide range of high-tech industries like aerospace, defense, automotive, alternative energy, healthcare, and semiconductor. Together, we push the boundaries of technology, delivering innovative solutions for land, sea, air and space. We're PSI: Always innovating. Everywhere.

About ADAPT

The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) is an industry-academia consortium dedicated to solving challenges in additive manufacturing (AM) using data-driven approaches. Headquartered at Colorado School of Mines, ADAPT was launched in December 2015 with funding from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Founding members include Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Citrine Informatics, Colorado School of Mines, Faustson Tool, Lockheed Martin and Manufacturer's Edge. For more information, visit the ADAPT website, or find ADAPT on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

CONTACT: Jay Hollingsworth

Public Relations Director

Phillips Service Industries (PSI)

(734) 853-5211

[email protected]

SOURCE Sciaky, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sciaky.com


HENDERSON, Nev. and SAN DIEGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Secura Bio, Inc. (www.securabio.com), an integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the worldwide commercialization of significant oncology therapies, today announced that it has acquired the global rights to Farydak (panobinostat) from Novartis.

Farydak (panobinostat) is a prescription oral medication used in combination with proteasome inhibitors and corticosteroids to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had received prior treatments. Farydak is a member of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor family with a very potent and unique mode of action slowing the growth of multiple myeloma cells.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow, and is the second most common blood cancer with over 160,000 cases diagnosed globally per year, with over 30,000 in the United States. Despite the increased availability of treatments, the disease is characterized by recurrent relapses and remains incurable for most patients leading to approximately 106,000 deaths per year worldwide, over 12,000 of which are in the United States.

On February 23, 2015 Farydak received FDA accelerated approval for use in patients with multiple myeloma, and on August 28, 2015 it was approved by the European Medicines Agency for the same use. Farydak has received marketing authorization in 53 countries to date for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.

Secura Bio is dedicated to working with health care professionals to ensure Farydak's benefit to patients is well understood by cancer care teams and by ensuring that the medicine is available to those who need it. Secura Bio is also investigating the opportunity to develop new potential dosages and product combinations for Farydak.

"We are very pleased to acquire worldwide rights to Farydak as we execute our plan to aggressively build a meaningful, worldwide oncology portfolio," said Joseph M. Limber, President and CEO of Secura Bio. "Farydak will be a critical cornerstone of our strategy, as it offers a potentially valuable and high-growth treatment option for physicians in their therapeutic regimen for multiple myeloma patients when combined with a variety of other multiple myeloma therapies."

"Farydak represents an exciting agent with a unique mechanism of action that is part of a promising class of drugs in this setting," said study investigator Paul Richardson, MD, Clinical Program Leader and Director of Clinical Research, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at DanaFarber Cancer Institute. "Importantly, Farydak has been shown to improve progressionfree survival in relapsed multiple myeloma patients who have received at least two prior regimens, including bortezomib and an IMiD, which is an area of particular unmet medical need."

About Farydak (panobinostat)

Farydak (panobinostat) is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that inhibits the enzymatic activity of HDACs at nanomolar concentrations. HDACs catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from the lysine residues of histones and some non-histone proteins. Inhibition of HDAC activity results in increased acetylation of histone proteins, an epigenetic alteration that results in a relaxing of chromatin, leading to transcriptional activation. In vitro, panobinostat caused the accumulation of acetylated histones and other proteins, inducing cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis of some transformed cells. Increased levels of acetylated histones were observed in xenografts from mice that were treated with panobinostat. Panobinostat shows more cytotoxicity towards tumor cells compared to normal cells.

About multiple myeloma



Epigenetics is the cell programming that governs gene expression and cell development. In multiple myeloma, the normal epigenetic process is disrupted (also called epigenetic dysregulation) resulting in the growth of cancerous plasma cells, potential resistance to current treatment, and ultimately disease progression.

Multiple myeloma impacts approximately 81,000 people in the United States. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a kind of white blood cell present in bone marrowthe soft, bloodproducing tissue that fills the center of most bones. The cancer is caused by the production and growth of abnormal cells within the plasma, which multiply and build up in the bone marrow, pushing out healthy cells and preventing them from functioning normally. Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease with a high rate of relapse (when the cancer returns) and resistance (when the therapy stops working), despite currently available treatments. It typically occurs in individuals 60 years of age or older, with few cases in individuals younger than 40.

Farydak Important Safety Information

Farydak can cause serious side effects, including diarrhea and heart problems.

Diarrhea is common with Farydak and can be severe. Patients should tell their healthcare provider (HCP) right away if they have abdominal (stomach) cramps, loose stool, diarrhea, or feel like they are becoming dehydrated. HCPs may prescribe medicines to help prevent or treat these side effects. Taking or using stool softeners or laxative medicines may worsen diarrhea, patients should talk to their HCP before taking or using these medicines.

Farydak can cause severe heart problems which can lead to death. Risk of heart problems may be increased with a condition called "long QT syndrome" or other heart problems. Patients should call their HCP and get emergency medical help right away if they have any of the following symptoms of heart problems: chest pain, faster or slower heartbeat, palpitations (feel like heart is racing), feel lightheaded or faint, dizziness, blue colored lips, shortness of breath, or swelling in legs.

Farydak can cause severe bleeding which can lead to death. It may take patients longer than usual to stop bleeding while taking Farydak. Patients should tell their HCP right away if they get any of the following signs of bleeding: blood in stools or black stools (look like tar), pink or brown urine, unexpected bleeding or bleeding that is severe or that cannot be controlled, vomit blood or vomit looks like coffee grounds, cough up blood or blood clots, increased bruising, feeling dizzy or weak, confusion, change in speech, or headache that lasts a long time.

Farydak is a prescription medicine used, in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, to treat people with a type of cancer called multiple myeloma after at least two other types of treatment have been tried. It is not known if Farydak is safe and effective in children.

Patients should tell their HCP about all of the medicines they take, including prescription and overthecounter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Patients should take Farydak exactly as the HCP tells them to take it. The HCP will tell patients how much Farydak to take and when to take it. The HCP may change the dose or stop treatment temporarily if patients experience side effects. Patients should not change the dose or stop taking Farydak without first talking with their HCP.

Patients should avoid eating star fruit, pomegranate or pomegranate juice, and grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking Farydak. These foods may affect the amount of Farydak in the blood.

Low blood cell counts are common with Farydak and can be severe. Low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) can cause unusual bleeding or bruising under the skin. Low white blood cell count (neutropenia) can cause infections. Low red blood cell count (anemia) may make a patient feel weak, tired, or they may get tired easily, look pale, or feel short of breath.

There is an increased risk of infection while taking Farydak. Patients should contact their HCP right away if they have a fever or have any signs of an infection including sweats or chills, cough, flulike symptoms, shortness of breath, blood in phlegm, sores on body, warm or painful areas on body, or feeling very tired.

Patients should call their HCP right away with any of the following symptoms of liver problems: feel tired or weak, loss of appetite, dark amber colored urine, upper abdominal pain, yellowing of skin or the white of eyes.

The most common side effects of Farydak include tiredness, nausea, swelling in arms or legs, decreased appetite, fever and vomiting. Patients should tell their HCP if they have any side effect that is bothersome or that does not go away.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING, for Farydak (panobinostat) capsules at www.farydak.com

About Secura Bio, Inc.

Secura Bio is an integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the worldwide commercialization of significant oncology therapies for physicians and their patients. For more information on Secura Bio, please visit www.securabio.com

SOURCE Secura Bio, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.securabio.com


TEL AVIV, Israel and BETHESDA, Maryland, March 12, 2019 Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCQB:CNBX), a leader in personalized cannabinoid medicine focused on cancer and its side effects, today announced that Mr. Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream, the world's leader in at-home sparkling beverage preparation, joined the board of directors at Seedo Corp. "Seedo" (OTCQB: SEDO).

Seedo Corp. is an agro-tech company providing the world's first fully automated and controlled indoor growing machine for pesticide-free agricultural and vertical farming markets. Cannabics owns approximately 20% of Seedo Corp.'s issued and outstanding common stock.

In addition, Mr. Birnbaum also made a personal investment into the company.

Mr. Birnbaum is widely recognized for transforming SodaStream from a small company into a multi-billion-dollar company, acquired last year by PepsiCo Inc. for $3.2 billion.

Cannabics Pharmaceuticals CEO and Co-Founder, Mr. Eyal Barad, said: "We are pleased to see a veteran of Mr. Birnbaum's caliber join forces with the Seedo team. We believe that his expertise in bringing consumer products to the global market will greatly benefit the company. The Seedo solution supports our vision which is to bring cannabinoid-based therapy to modern medicine".

About Seedo Corp.

Seedo is a market leading high-tech company providing the hemp and agriculture industries with the world's first fully automated and controlled indoor growing machine. Seedo provides growers with the freedom to cut costs while generating high yields of lab-grade, pesticide-free herbs and vegetables. Seedo's AI-powered, turnkey systems enable anyone from average consumers to large-scale producers the ability to grow without prior experience or ample space. Seedo is a publicly traded company backed by a group of international investors including Cannabics Pharmaceuticals and is headquartered in Israel. For more information, visit: http://www.seedolab.com

About Cannabics Pharmaceuticals

Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCQB: CNBX) is a U.S publicly listed company developing a platform which leverages novel drug-screening tools and AI (artificial intelligence) to create cannabinoid-based therapies for cancer patients. Cannabics is helping to move cannabinoids in the future of cancer therapy by developing tools to assess effectiveness on a personalized basis. The company's R&D team and efforts are based in Israel. Cannabics is also licensed by the Israel Ministry of Health to conduct scientific and clinical research on cannabinoid formulations on Cancer. For more information, please visit www.cannabics.com

For more information, please visit www.cannabics.com.

For the latest updates on Cannabics Pharmaceuticals follow the company on Twitter @cannabics1, Facebook @CannabicsPharmaceuticals, LinkedIn, and on Instagram @Cannabics_Pharmaceuticals.

Disclaimer:

Certain statements contained in this release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other U.S. Federal securities laws. Such statements include but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss the belief that Mr. Birnbaum's expertise in bringing consumer products to the global market will greatly benefit the company. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, results of clinical trials and/or other studies, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, the effect of any competitive products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, potential litigation by or against us, any governmental review of our products or practices, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time. Finally, the investing public is reminded that the only announcements or information about Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. which are condoned by the Company must emanate from the Company itself and bear our name as its source.

For more information about Cannabics:

Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Phone: +1 (877) 424-2429

[email protected]

http://www.cannabics.com

SOURCE Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Seedo

Related Links

http://www.cannabics.com


HOUSTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Speedcast International Limited (ASX: SDA), the world's most trusted provider of highly-reliable, fully-managed, remote communication and IT solutions, today announced that Nabors Industries Ltd. ("Nabors") has renewed contracts with Speedcast to provide three years of onshore and offshore connectivity services at Nabors' sites throughout North and South America. Nabors owns and operates one of the world's largest land-based drilling rig fleets and provides offshore drilling rigs globally.

Speedcast's services enable data and voice connectivity globally, providing cost effective and dependable links to onshore and offshore remote sites. Speedcast also augments land-based VSAT links with L-Band backup, providing VSAT connectivity to deliver communications to remote, land-based sites.

The connectivity services are supported by Speedcast's 24/7/365 global customer support centers, with local field engineers in the region to provide fast, reliable support. Speedcast has supported Nabors with similar networks and services, both onshore and offshore, in multiple locations around the world.

"Speedcast's VSAT network footprint covers our North and South American operations well," said Nabors Technology Support Services Sr. Manager Christian Reading. "We are very pleased with the quality delivered by Speedcast's highly qualified engineers and support personnel."

"More remote environments require sophisticated communications technologies," said Speedcast's EVP of Energy, Keith Johnson. "Speedcast has been servicing major energy operators for many years and has built a solid local presence in the diverse regions that they operate in. We are delighted that Nabors values our services and ongoing support of its critical communications networks."

Speedcast has provided end-to-end communications and IT solutions for both onshore and offshore energy customers for more than 30 years, and supports nine of the top ten global drilling contractors. Speedcast leverages the largest remote, global communications network to design, install, optimize and support solutions for critical applications anywhere in the world. The company's extensive infrastructure promotes flexibility and operational efficiency, allowing customers to scale their networks to current requirements and business needs while also receiving world-class 24/7 support.

For more information about Speedcast's capabilities, please contact [email protected].

About Speedcast International Limited

Speedcast International Ltd (ASX: SDA) is the largest provider of remote communications and IT services in the world. Speedcast's fully-managed service is delivered via a leading global, multi-access technology, multi-band and multi-orbit network of 70+ satellites and an interconnecting global terrestrial network, bolstered by extensive on-the-ground local support from 40+ countries. This global "network of networks" allows customers to fully rely on the most robust, integrated infrastructure available in the market for their mission critical applications. Speedcast is uniquely positioned as a strategic business partner, tailoring communications, IT and digital solutions to meet unique customer needs and enable business transformation. Speedcast extends its managed services through differentiated technology offerings including cyber-security, crew welfare, content solutions, data and voice applications, and network systems integration services. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 2,000 customers in more than 140 countries in sectors such as Maritime, Energy, Mining, Enterprise, Media, Cruise, NGOs and Government. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.

Speedcast is a trademark and registered trademark of Speedcast International Limited. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective owners.

 2019 Speedcast International Limited. All rights reserved.

Contact Information:

Toni Lee Rudnicki

Vice President, Global Marketing

Speedcast International Ltd

[email protected]

+1-832-668-2634

SOURCE Speedcast International Limited

Related Links

http://www.speedcast.com


TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and the eighth leading cause of death in Florida. On Thursday, March 21, advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the largest suicide prevention organization in the United States, will join with the Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition to host the annual Suicide Prevention Day at the Capitol. Advocates will be urging lawmakers to prioritize suicide prevention and mental health initiatives for all Florida residents, including SB 360/HB 307 for mental health parity in insurance coverage and SB 84/HB 109 to prohibit the practice of conversion therapy with minors. Prior to the Day at the Capitol, advocates will remember and honor loved ones lost to suicide at the Big Bend Hospice "Lighting the Darkness" event, held on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the GFWC Women's Club of Tallahassee.

"Since I became an advocate for suicide prevention and mental health in 2015, there has been growth on the legislative level in Florida, but we need to be doing more. We lose over 3,000 Floridians to suicide every year and those losses cause a ripple effect among their loved ones and the community. I am a loss survivor who also struggles with depression and anxiety. Through my journey I have learned to make my mental health a personal priority. Our mental health is a part of our overall health. Once we have true mental health parity, more Floridians will feel empowered to seek help when they need it," said Hannah Jines, AFSP Florida Tampa Bay Chapter Board Chair.

The Florida State Capitol Day is a special day for all who have a connection with or a personal story around the topic of suicide. Volunteers will meet with their state legislators and share their stories about why they participate in this advocacy effort, giving a human face to this important health problem. Advocates hope that by sharing their stories, they will help legislators understand that state investments in mental health and suicide prevention can save lives.

AFSP Florida advocates are part of a larger national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates who will be visiting over 40 state capitols across the United States in 2019 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to state legislators and their staff. To learn more about AFSP's advocacy efforts, visit here: https://afsp.org/our-work/advocacy/.

On average, 129 Americans died by suicide each day in 2017, and 90% of those individuals had a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death. AFSP volunteers will urge state lawmakers to be the voice for the thousands of Florida residents affected by suicide each year.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C. AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

http://www.afsp.org


NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KEY FINDINGS

The global biochips market is expected to grow considerably over the forecast years of 2019-2027. Factors like growing investments for R&D, government funding and increasing demand for personalized medicines is expected to lead to a 20.63% CAGR for this market by the end of 2027. Extensive diagnostic application and the major integration of biochips for analytical studies of effectors triggering changes in the environment are influential for the uptake of biochips in the current market.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05313315



MARKET INSIGHTS

The global biochip market is very dynamic with respect to the presence of many international players.Most of these companies are engaged for the determination of new varieties of biochip research and development.



They are trying to compete with each other by providing the same characteristics at similar prices or by similar features at competitive prices. The progress in the technology and innovations of the biochips, biotechnology, and biosensors have resulted in several new applications of biomedical devices, thereby, providing several opportunities for the biochips market to expand.

Segmentation of the global biochip market is done according to the substrates, types, and end users.



REGIONAL INSIGHTS

The geographical segmentation of the global biochips market is carried out over North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Rest of World.The Asia Pacific biochips market is expected to rise with the highest CAGR over the forecast period of 2019-2027, driven by the emerging economies of countries like Japan, India, and China.



The increasing investment in the biochips R&D, supportive incentives from the governments and the solidifying presence of CROs in the region are propagating the market expansion.

Conversely, North America leads the market by capturing the largest market share of xx% in the year 2018. Large-scale research projects in biosciences coupled with the advancements in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology sector of North America are presenting lucrative opportunities to the regional market for further developments.



COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS

Collaboration, partnerships, acquisition, & product launch are some of the key strategies followed by several enterprises within the global biochips market. Eminent companies like the IMGENEX, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Illumina Inc., Samsung Electronics Inc., Cepheid Inc., Fluidigm Corporation, Biochain Institute Inc., Agilent Technology Inc., Gamida for Life Group, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Merck GmbH, OriGene Technologies Inc., Cybrdi Inc., PerkinElmer Inc. and bioMerieux SA are competitively operating in the global biochips market.



Companies mentioned

1. AGILENT TECHNOLOGY INC.

2. BIOCHAIN INSTITUTE INC.

3. BIOMERIEUX SA

4. BIO-RAD LABORATORIES INC.

5. CEPHEID INC.

6. CYBRDI INC.

7. FLUIDIGM CORPORATION

8. GAMIDA FOR LIFE GROUP

9. ILLUMINA INC.

10. IMGENEX

11. MERCK GMBH

12. ORIGENE TECHNOLOGIES INC.

13. PERKINELMER INC.

14. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS INC.

15. THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05313315



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

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The launch edition, which includes ASEAN M&E, Tenaga, ASEAN Solar, ASEAN Lift, ASEAN Ecolight, Ecobuild Southeast Asia, HeavyMach and IFSEC Southeast Asia, has already attracted leading companies such as Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) , WCT Berhad , UES Heavy Machinery Sdn Bhd, Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd, Dahua Security Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hikvision (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Leader Cable Industry Berhad, Western Digital and Thyssenkrupp Elevator Malaysia Sdn Bhd , and many more have confirmed their participations in the exhibition. ASEAN Super 8 is endorsed by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) .

The exhibition is expected to attract 20,000 high calibre trade visitors and professionals, and will host over 500 participating companies and 5 international pavilions (German, India, China, Singapore and Turkey). The focus for ASEAN Super 8 and the co-located events will be to bring together a plethora of local and international companies and players from the construction, engineering, energy, heavy machinery & equipment and security industry.

"In addition, ASEAN Super 8 this year features more than 60 free seminar topics covering the industries from building, power and safety. Amongst the topics are Greening Malaysian Construction, Enhancing, Vertical Transportation Systems Safety with Malaysian Standards, Security Ecosystem, Smart Cities and many more," said Tan Sri Dato' Seri Panglima Mohd Azumi bin Mohamed (rtd), Co-chairman of UBM Malaysia.

"Also, Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) is hosting panel discussion at ASEAN Super 8 on 20 March from 11am - 1pm with the topic 'Towards a Safer Living and Working Environment'," Tan Sri added.

Apart from the main trade show, the event is also working with leading government bodies and associations to provide a content driven experience for its audiences, including seminars organised by the Malaysian Photovoltaics Industry Association (MPIA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE Malaysia Chapter) and International Construction Transformation Conference (ICTC), and a co-located conference - the 2nd Electricity Distribution Conference by CIRED Malaysia to name few. Also to be held in conjunction with ASEAN Super 8, YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia has consented to officiate the mesmerising night during Malaysian Security Industry Excellency Award (MSIEA) 2019 to celebrate the very best in the security industry.

To view full list of exhibiting companies or to register as a trade visitor, please visit www.super8asean.com.

Notes to Editor:

About UBM Malaysia

UBM Malaysia is a member of UBM Asia which recently became part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. UBM in Malaysia creates business growth opportunities for ASEAN and the rest of the world in a wide range of industries including Furniture & Interiors, Industrial Machinery, Renewable Energy, Power, Security, Construction, Food, Oil & Gas, Hospitality, Livestock, Beauty, Water & Wastewater Subcontracting, Environmental Technology and HVAC. For more information, visit www.ubm.com/malaysia.

SOURCE UBM Asia (Malaysia)

Related Links

http://www.ubm.com/malaysia


TORONTO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Echoworx, an industry leader in encryption solutions, is pleased to announce the release of the new commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Echoworx quantifying the Total Economic Impact and benefits of the Echoworx OneWorld Encryption Platform. The study finds that, in addition to streamlining internal efficiency, a typical enterprise-level organization leveraging Echoworx OneWorld can expect a return on investment (ROI) of 155 per cent over a three-year period.

"This study is instrumental in showing organizations the real business value proposition presented by encryption  something normally just showing up as another cost," says Echoworx CEO Michael Ginsberg.

In addition to providing valuable insights into what to expect from a third-party encryption provider, the purpose of this Total Economic Impact study by Forrester is to provide enterprise organizations, from governments to financial services to large-scale manufacturers, the multi-dimensional economic impact of integrating the OneWorld Encryption Platform.

Here are some key findings of this study, based on a typical enterprise-level organization:

OneWorld increases digital delivery of secure documents by 10 per cent, mitigating costs by $1.5M .



. Moving to a Cloud-based encryption environment alleviates nearly- $800K of on-premise legacy system costs.



of on-premise legacy system costs. OneWorld reduces email encryption-related call center tickets by 80 per cent, with cost savings of nearly $320K .

About Echoworx

Echoworx is a trusted path to secure communications. As a pure-play encryption solutions provider, Echoworx works with finance, government, healthcare, legal, and compliance professionals to tailor secure communication solutions that don't impede on customer experience. Our scalable encryption platform, OneWorld, can address multiple uses across an organization. Our encryption experts take pride in transforming chaos into order for leading multi-national enterprises using our SaaS encryption platform. Visit us at www.echoworx.com

SOURCE Echoworx Corporation

Related Links

http://www.echoworx.com


LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Total Education Solutions launched a new corporate logo and is launching a new website this month, marking the most dramatic change in its visual identity since 1997. The company's iconic crescent moon shape is now filled with a broad spectrum of vibrant colors that better represent the person's learning process. Starting with a dark blue followed by a brighter blue and accents of green next to the name of the company with a modernized and simplified font. The completely revamped website features a streamlined and simplified design, improved functionality, and clear and concise content that will be focused on the needs of our clients, employees, and all who want to find out more about the broad services the organization offers.

Their updated logo and website design will provide them with a more consistent brand identity. All in all, it embodies an organization that is reinventing itself, but is still very committed to its Special Education and Therapeutic roots.

About TES

Total Education Solutions (TES) is a privately held company established in 1997 by Dr. Nancy J. Lavelle, who also founded the nationally recognized non-profit Institute for the Redesign of Learning (IRL). In 1974, Dr. Lavelle started a special education school in Alhambra, California and named it the Almansor Center. She believed that every child, even though deemed "difficult to teach," was a "pearl" and that with dedication and persistence she could illuminate the potential within him or her. Since its inception, the school has grown to offer early education, special education, mental health, transition and adult, and community outreach services while staying true to its child-centric roots. Along with this expansion of services, this growth also led to the creation of Total Education Solutions. From our early start as a consulting company to charter schools, we have rapidly expanded our services in California, Michigan, Ohio, and online.

www.TESIDEA.com

SOURCE Total Education Solutions

Related Links

http://www.tesidea.com


The new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will focus on producing power take-offs and clutches for heavy duty industrial equipment. The main purpose of the facility is to assemble the company's complete industrial product line and to be a distribution center for all new products coming from European operations to the United States.

"We've seen tremendous growth in our business across all markets, and to keep up with the increasing demand, we need to expand our production capacity," said John Batten, president and CEO of Twin Disc. "This facility will allow us to streamline our supply chain with a global distribution center."

The company will look to hire 20 to 30 people in the first year with the intention to grow as business increases. Assembly workers, material control employees, and logistics specialists are some of the positions Twin Disc will seek to fill.

"This facility represents an investment in our company, as well as an investment in the Lufkin community," Batten said. "All told, the facility adds 50,000 square feet of production space, as well as job creation in the Lufkin area."

More information about the company can be found at www.twindisc.com.

About Twin Disc

Twin Disc, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells marine and heavy-duty, off-highway power transmission equipment. Products offered include: marine transmissions, surface drives, propellers and boat management systems, as well as power-shift transmissions, hydraulic torque converters, power take-offs, industrial clutches and control systems. The Company sells its products to customers primarily in the pleasure craft, commercial and military marine markets, as well as in the energy and natural resources, government and industrial markets. The Company's worldwide sales to both domestic and foreign customers are transacted through a direct sales force and a distributor network. For more information, please visit www.twindisc.com .

Media Contact:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE Twin Disc, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.twindisc.com


Individuals with a fondness for cheese have shown a reluctance towards veganism, however the growing awareness about the different vegan cheese options and variants available in the market has altered the scenario completely. As veganism has already gone mainstream, and consumers inclination towards cheese is showing no signs of waning, vegan cheese companies have focused on introducing plant-based cheese substitutes, including cream cheese, parmesan, cheddar, ricotta, to name a few. Leading vegan cheese companies are focusing on introducing cost-effective vegan cheese variants to appeal to a wider, cost-sensitive demographic.

Get PDF Brochure for Research Insights at: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/27580

PMR report opines that vegan cheese market has witnessed collective growth in the recent years. It is likely to accelerate further in the forthcoming years, on the back of the growing awareness about the lactose-intolerant conditions, in tandem with a significant shift in eating patterns. The report finds that globally, roughly 75% of the population is lactose intolerant, and suggests that the growing awareness about the potential health impact of dairy products will prompt consumers to shift to plant-based milk products, including vegan cheese, among many other dairy substitutes.

According to the study, the growing animal welfare and environmental concerns associated with dairy product consumption are gravitating consumers towards vegan cheese products. The transition to vegan cheese will further solidify, owing to numerous factors, including growing demand for eco-friendly, animal-free sources of protein, and raising concerns about allergens, antibiotic, and hormone use. Many leading food chains, such as Domino's Pizza, McDonald's have listed vegan food products on their menu to tap the expanding vegan population. The report opines convenience stores as the most common and imperative sales channel for vegan cheese customers, with leading grocery chains such as Aldi and Walmart, offering many exotic plant-based cheeses on shelves.

Request a TOC of Report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/27580

To capitalize on the growing trend for veganism, vegan cheese companies are introducing novel forms of vegan cheese to move ahead of the increasingly competitive vegan cheese market. With the existing players taking efforts to produce vegan cheese variants with an added nutritional value, the global vegan cheese market is anticipated to witness tremendous changes during the forecast period.

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The growing consumption of plant-based products in North America has made the region lucrative for the vegan cheese companies; 200 companies have already entered into the market in the recent three years. Meanwhile, the study opines that vegan cheese consumption accounts for roughly 4-5% of plant-based food consumption globally, with Western Europe and North America being the most lucrative and matured markets, owing to the preference for ready-to-eat snacks.

Browse Research Release at @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/mediarelease/vegan-cheese-market.asp

The Global Vegan Cheese Market has been segmented as presented below:

Global Vegan Cheese Market, By Geography:

North America

Latin America

Europe

China

Japan

South East Asia & Other APAC

& Other APAC Middle East & Africa

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SOURCE Persistence Market Research
HOUSTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Amplifiers, the leading independent provider of Wilson Electronics cell phone signal boosters , now provides turnkey commercial signal booster installation services across rural and urban areas in USA.

Available for cellular, public safety, wifi, or DAS, Wilson's professional installation team provides a full stack integration service ranging from site survey, floor plan analysis, equipment, and expert up-to-code installation.

Why Companies are Investing In Signal Boosters

With the rising number of cellular devices, faster data speeds, and growth of public safety coverage mandates, the need to have strong signal inside buildings grows more important every day.

Commercial signal boosters improve inside 4G LTE & 3G, public safety, or wifi signals in weak signal areas such as remote areas or buildings with limited cellular or radio coverage. By amplifying the signal, critical areas are covered with reliable reception thus improving productivity and safety.

"The commercial signal booster installation service has grown exponentially along with the signal booster industry in general," Andrew Hansen, COO, said. "From cellular to public safety, the demand for in-building coverage continues to be a growing demand especially as more people and devices connect online."

The 8-Step Process of Professional Installations

Wilson Amplifiers follows the highest industry standards that comply with local jurisdictions, government, fire marshals, and IT directors.

1. Site Survey

The most important step, this is measuring signal frequency & bands outside the building, locating cell towers, and finding which areas are potential problem areas.

2. Floor Plan Analysis

With building layout and floor plans in hand, an RF or certified signal boosting technician calculates potential signal coverage, equipment, cable runs, accessories needed, and other options.

3. Client Consultation

The Floor Plan Analysis is delivered to the client and discussed in detail about coverage expectations, products, and pricing.

4. Outside Antenna Installation

5. Amplifier Installation

The amplifier is installed in an area where tech has easy access to service the booster. They are generally installed in the IT room for monitoring.

6. Broadcast Antenna Installation

7. Testing

Once everything is soft-installed, the installer or integrator will turn on the amplifier and do a full walkthrough with the Floor Plan Analysis, accounting for dB readings before and after the installation.

8. Post-Installation Support

Customer support follows up a few days to a week later to confirm that everything is working at 110% to the client's expectations.

For more information about Wilson Amplifiers' Commercial installation services, please visit:

About Wilson Amplifiers

Wilson Amplifiers is the leading independent provider of Wilson Electronics (weBoost & WilsonPro) cell phone signal boosters. With over 10,000,000 sq ft of coverage solutions provided in homes, businesses, and cars across America, we know a thing or two about improving cell phone coverage. For more information visit https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/

SOURCE Wilson Amplifiers

Related Links

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com


ASCHHEIM, Germany and CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Independent survey examined perceived opportunities and challenges for US small to midsize businesses in the global online marketplace

E-commerce decision makers see value in a single digital platform and streamlining acquiring and payment providers to optimize e-commerce strategies

Wirecard is optimally positioned with its one-stop financial commerce platform to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of businesses in the US and globally

A new study commissioned by Wirecard and conducted by Forrester Consulting[1] has identified the greatest opportunities and challenges for small and midsize businesses in the United States, and concluded that digital payment providers with global capabilities may offer the most optimal strategies for merchants' e-commerce success. E-commerce sales worldwide topped $1.9 trillion in 2016 and are set to reach more than $4 trillion by 2020, representing about 15 percent of global retail spend.

"In 2019, cross-border sales represent the greatest opportunities and the greatest challenges for companies engaging in online retail. Retailers need operational and technological capabilities that are fully streamlined and can handle exponential growth in traffic and transactions, thus helping them reach the global market with the greatest ease and efficiency," said Deirdre Ives, Wirecard's Regional Managing Director North America.

In late 2018, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Wirecard asked 200 decision makers at midsize US companies about their capabilities, goals, and challenges around global e-commerce. Forrester uncovered several common priorities and challenges:

At least half of respondents' companies intend to increase their current selling levels to four key markets: Europe , Asia , Canada , and Central America

, , , and 87% said cross-border growth is a critical or high priority over the next two years

At the same time, less than 1/3 of respondents expect their current technology stack to completely meet their needs in 2020

In addition, researchers uncovered several key factors influencing global e-commerce success, many around compliance, security, and customer service. Additionally, nearly three quarters of companies surveyed partner with at least three providers to satisfy their cross-border e-commerce needs  and more than half of those have encountered problems working with multiple providers. Nearly all said that payment acceptance capabilities are critical to their global e-commerce programs.

"While cross-border e-commerce is a low-investment route to tap into opportunities abroad, it is no small feat. At minimum, companies must adopt modern security capabilities and local payment methods and adhere to local laws and regulations," the researchers wrote in their study. "Success depends on access to strategic partners that can connect them to global customers, support local payments with value-added capabilities, and help them reduce operational complexity and risk."

"These insights tell us that Wirecard has all the capabilities and solutions that businesses value most in their journey to global e-commerce," said Kevin Brown, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, North America, at Wirecard. "We offer a proven digital financial commerce platform, extensive global regulatory expertise, a worldwide banking network, the capacity to accept 27 currencies and counting, and unparalleled customer service. We're very excited to work with all kinds and sizes of companies to help them play on the world stage now and in the years to come."

About Wirecard:

Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets and holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

[1] The Cross-Border E-Commerce Opportunity, a November 2018 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Wirecard.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Wirecard AG

Related Links

http://www.wirecard.com


"Women's Care Florida is living its mission of improving the lives of women every single day, and I'm excited to support our team of caregivers and staff throughout Florida in achieving and sustaining this mission," said Kieley.

Kieley will play a critical role in executing the company's Florida expansion plans. She will also oversee central operations including the company's call center, nurse triage, scheduling, training and development, facilities and patient-management services. Kieley will also oversee the innovation and enhancement of the organization's specialty medical and ancillary services.

Kieley transitions from ProHealth Physicians, a 420-provider medical group based in Farmington, Connecticut. At ProHealth, she served as a member of the senior leadership team and oversaw physician practice operations and central support services. Kieley earned her bachelor's degree in music with a minor in business from DePaul University in Chicago, and her master's degree in business administration from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

About Women's Care Florida

Women's Care Florida was founded in 1998 by a small group of obstetrics and gynecology physicians in Tampa. Today, Women's Care Florida has expanded to include patient care in several women's specialties including gynecologic oncology, urogynecology, gynecologic pathology, breast surgery, genetic counseling, plastic and reconstructive surgery, maternal fetal medicine, behavioral health, endocrinology, gastroenterology, primary care and fertility. Women's Care Florida has 60 locations across Central Florida, including two Women's Health Centers and a pathology lab. More than 250 providers care for approximately 350,000 patients annually and deliver 14,000 babies each year. The organization has grown tremendously through the years by remaining true to its mission of improving the lives of women every day.

For more information contact

Anthony Todaro

Women's Care Florida

Phone: 813-286-0033

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Women's Care Florida

Related Links

http://www.womenscarefl.com


United Nations, March 12 : The UN General Assembly and the Security Council separately observed a minute of silence for the UN staff members who lost their lives in Sunday's air crash in Ethiopia.

At the beginning of a Commission on the Status of Women meeting at the General Assembly on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a brief statement to mourn the deaths of the UN staff members before the delegates observed a minute of silence, Xinhua reported.

Guterres said at least 21 UN staff members were killed in Sunday's crash. An undetermined number of other victims were working "close to" the UN.

"A global tragedy has hit close to home, and the United Nations is united in grief. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims, to the government and people of Ethiopia, and all those affected by this disaster."

"Let us honour the memories of our (dead) colleagues by keeping their spirit of service alive," he said.

Guterres said the world body is working closely with government officials on the ground in mobilizing assistance, in counselling and giving any other needed support during this difficult time.

The UN Security Council, at the beginning of its first meeting since the crash, also observed a minute of silence for the victims.

"On behalf of the members of the Security Council, I would like to express our deep sorrow for all those who lost their lives yesterday in the tragic air incident in Ethiopia. Passengers lost hailed from over 35 nations and many were part of the UN family," said Anne Gueguen, France's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, who presided over the meeting on Afghanistan.

She asked participants of the meeting to stand and observe a moment of silence.

"The members of the council expressed their profound sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew who lost their lives," she said.

Flags at UN Headquarters in New York as well as other agencies across the world are flying in half staff on Monday in memory of the dead.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya. The route was dubbed "UN shuttle" as many UN staff had to travel between Addis Ababa, home of the African Union headquarters, and Nairobi, the UN headquarters in Africa.

The World Food Programme, a UN agency, lost seven of its staff members in the crash that killed all 157 people aboard. Other victims from the UN system included three each from the UN Refugee Agency and the UN Office at Nairobi, two from the International Telecommunication Union, one each from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, the UN Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, the UN Environment Programme, and the World Bank.
Washington, March 12 : US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has sent a letter to the German government threatening to curtail access to American intelligence if Berlin decides to issue contracts to Chinese tech giant Huawei to build their 5G communications networks, the media reported.

"The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy has indeed received a letter; there is no comment on its content from their side. There will be a quick reply," CNN quoted Matthias Wehler, spokesperson at the German embassy in Washington D.C., as saying on Monday.

Germany announced on March 7 that it wouldn't ban any company from bidding on 5G contracts.

The State Department has not commented on Grenell's letter, but Garrett Marquis, a National Security Council spokesperson, outlined how Huawei's 5G networks could pose a constantly evolving and shifting threat.

"Because 5G networks are largely software-defined, updates pushed to the network by the manufacturer can radically change how they operate," Marquis told CNN.

"The 5G networks our allies buy won't be the networks that they eventually operate, as the software could be changed on a moment-to-moment basis by the manufacturer."

The letter follows similar warnings by President Donald Trump's administration urging allies to ban or restrict Huawei products from their 5G networks due to its ability to compromise national security by selling equipment with "backdoors" that could allow for unauthorised surveillance.

China and Huawei have vigorously pushed back on the US charges and the telecom giant last week filed a suit against Washington over the 2019 National Defence Authorization Act, which bans American federal agencies from buying Huawei products.

The lawsuit is Huawei's most aggressive move yet to fight back against US claims.

Germany's March 7 announcement follows a similar decision by the UK. Both countries argue they can mitigate any risks and their decisions could make it harder for Washington to convince smaller countries to follow suit.

Security concerns have led Australia to completely ban the company's technology and New Zealand has moved to partially restrict it.

The 5G network is the next generation of wireless networks that promises to be 100 times faster and more reliable than current technology.

It is a market that will be worth billions, as 5G will require compatible new phones and communications equipment.
New York, March 12 : The US stands with India in fighting terrorism, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale during their discussions on the "urgency" of Pakistan taking action against terror groups, according to an official.

In the first high-level face-to-face India-US encounter after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, Pompeo "affirmed that the US stands with the people and government of India in the fight against terrorism", State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said on Monday after the talks in Washington.

He said that they discussed "the importance of bringing those responsible for the attack to justice and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil".

Gokhale is on a three-day visit to Washington for diplomatic consultations and strategic security dialogue with the US. He is scheduled to meet Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson. He will also hold talks with other US lawmakers.

The Indian Embassy in Washington said in a statement: "Pompeo expressed his understanding of India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism. They agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory.

"They also agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable."

Gokhale "conveyed appreciation to the US government and to Secretary Pompeo personally for the firm support that India received from the US in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pulwama", the statement added.

The two leaders appreciated "the significant progress and the quality of the India-US Strategic Partnership", following Pompeo's visit to India last September for the first Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue of the foreign policy and defence leaders.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman and then-US Defence Secretary James Mattis were at the meeting.

He also apprised Pompeo about the recent developments in the region, it said.

Last month, the Pulwama terror attack carried out by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel.

India launched an attack on terrorist camp in Pakistan and an air skirmish between the two neighbours followed during which an Indian MiG-21 was shot down and its pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan. He was later released after Pompeo's intense diplomacy.

Through the crisis, US President Donald Trump, Pompeo and US National Security Adviser John Bolton backed India's opposition to cross-border terrorism.

Later on Monday evening, Pompeo said at a news conference that during their talks he had asked India to join the US-led boycott of Venezuela's oil.

"I'm confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people.

"We're asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: Do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime," he said.

He declined to say what Gokhale's reaction was. "I certainly won't characterise the conversations; they're private conversations."

The US and its allies have derecognised Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's President following the nation's upheaval over last year's elections that the National Assembly has declare invalid and recognised Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself as the country's interim President in Jnauary, as the country's leader.

Palladino said that Gokhale and Pompeo "noted the strength of our partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation, including on counter-terrorism".

Gokhale and Pompeo "discussed our complementary visions for the Indo-Pacific, US-India defence cooperation, and the growing US-India economic partnership, including joint efforts to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and reciprocal manner", he said.

Responding to Pompeo's reference to bilateral trade matters, Gokhale "underscored the significant reduction in trade deficit in the last three years and conveyed India's willingness to remain engaged with the US for a meaningful and mutually acceptable package on trade issues" the embassy said.

The Gokhale-Pompeo meeting took place against the backdrop of Trump ending tariff concessions worth $5.6 billion top India last week under the General Scheme of Preferences citing what he called New Delhi's failure to provide "equitable and reasonable access" for US to its markets.

The embassy said that Afghanistan also figured in their talks.

At the height of the tensions between India and Pakistan last month, Pompeo had spoken by phone with Swaraj and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in an effort to tamp down the rising hostility.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)
New York, March 12 : The US, which has launched an all-out diplomatic and economic campaign against the Nicolas Maduro government of Venezuela, has asked India to join the oil boycott, according to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

He discussed it with visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

"I'm confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people," Pompeo said at a news conference on Monday.

"We're asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: Do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime."

He declined to say what Gokhale's reaction was.

"I certainly won't characterise the conversations; they're private conversations," he replied to a query.

President Donald Trump's administration and its allies have recognised opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the Latin American nation's President and have called on Maduro to quit.

The dispute over the Venezuela's May 2018 presidential elections, which the US and the country's opposition has termed "unfair", erupted into a crisis when the National Assembly on January 10 declared it invalid and Guaido proclaimed himself as the interim President.

With the nation in turmoil, Venezuelans are facing a serious shortage of food and everyday items and constant blackouts. Maduro has prevented donated food supplies from the US to come into his country.

During his news conference, Pompeo hit out at Cuba, Russia and China for supporting the Maduro regime.

Cuba and Russia are "undermining the democratic dreams of the Venezuelan people and their welfare", he said.

India is a major importer of Venezuelan oil, for which it pays cash. In 2017-18, India imported 11.5 million tonnes of oil from Venezuela, which is its fourth biggest source.

According to Bloomberg, India became the largest customer for Venezuelan oil last month, buying about 55 per cent of that country's oil production.

India may face problems continuing oil transactions with Venezuela because the US clamping down on banks handling cash for it.

The Treasury Department clamped sanctions on Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a bank jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies for helping PDVSA, the government oil company, evade Washington's restrictions.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton issued a Twitter warning to India last month that if it bought oil from Venezuela, "it will not be forgotten".

Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo visited New Delhi last month hoping to persuade New Delhi to double its oil imports from his country.

Pompeo said that "India has been incredibly supportive of our efforts on Iran" where the US has imposed strict sanctions after backing out of the multi-national agreement for Tehran to end its nuclear programme.

But Trump has given India has a temporary exemption from the US embargo on Iranian oil, which carried economic penalties for violations.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)
New York, March 12 : US intelligence agents laid a cyber trail all the way to a fake terror camp in Pakistan, mastered idioms and style of Islamic terrorists giving a convincing portrayal of jihadis in a bid to infiltrate a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) recruitment ring.

In what seemed to read like a spy-thriller their strategy led to the arrest of an American teenager, who was at the centre of an alleged conspiracy to recruit fighters for the Pakistan-based LeT, and a suspected co-conspirator, who was stopped on his way to join the terrorist group.

The transcripts of their cyber interactions in court documents give chilling insights into the raging hate of the world of jihadis.

The cases against the two, who were arrested, point to a disturbing trend that with the collapse of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, Pakistan-based terror organisations operating against India may become an attractive alternative for aspiring jihadis.

Michael Kyle Sewell, the teenaged recruiter, told Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 29, whom he was guiding that "he should not join the IS because IS had no territory", instead he suggested the "LeT and the Taliban" as "worth joining".

The "LeT was a well-funded group in Pakistan operating in Kashmir, Afghanistan and India", is what he said according to court filings.

Both men were arrested in February and now face trial on terrorism-related charges.

Documents filed in federal courts in two separate cases, one against Sewell in Dallas, and another against Encarnacion in New York, include expletive-filled accounts of interactions between the alleged terrorists and the undercover operatives that give a peek into terrorism networks.

The two cases deal separately with each of the accused and the documents mention the person in the other case only as a "co-conspirator", but when IANS put the two affidavits by FBI agents in the two cases side-by-side, the parallels make the link between Sewell and Encarnacion obvious.

To infiltrate the group, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives, an agent and an employee, took on the persona of jihadists, adopting their terminology and way of communicating, and one of them created a fake trail into Pakistan as if he had joined the LeT there, according to transcripts in an affidavit by counter-terrorism Special Agent Seth Yockel in the New York case.

The document says that the ring they infilitrated was made up of nine people who operated through "a group chat for American Jihadis" on social media.

The FBI agent and the "undercover employee" vouched for each other convincingly in their communications and Sewell told Encarnacion that the employee would help him travel to Pakistan to get terrorist training, according to the affidavit.

At one point, according to the transcripts of interactions, the FBI employee takes a swipe at President Donald Trump to build their terrorist credentials writing, "US all infidels. With the king Trump."

He also boasts, "We strike heart of India. ... You hear Mumbai attack"? - a reference to the 2008 attack that killed 163 people.

The transcripts don't reveal much about the lives of Sewell and Encarnacion, other than that Encarnacion lived in New York's Washington Heights neighbourhood and said he was from a family from the Dominican Republic, and Sewell was a native-born American.

Sewell's lawyer, a court-appointed public defender, did not return a call from IANS.

Forensic scientist Malini Subramanyam wrote in the Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal in 2018 that some, who become terrorists were "in search of an identity ... seeking a sense of purpose and self-worth."

The two seem to fit this profile. Encarnacion, who used the screen name "Jihadistsoldgier", introduced himself to the jihadi group saying, "I want to fight till death alongside the Islamic State. ... I'm a lone wolf looking for a family I can strike the crusaders. ... I want to be part of a family willing to kill not afraid of death", according to Yockel's affidavit.

Sewell also described himself to the undercover employee as "lone wolf and lone lion of Tawhid".

An indication of one of Encarnacion's other possible motives appears at one point in the transcript where Encarnacion says, "Kuffar treat me bad", but does not further identify the "Kuffar" or what they did.

Encarnacion appears to have been inspired by the British IS terrorist Mohammed Emwazi who became notorious with the nickname "Jihadi John" as the group's executioner on propaganda videos. "Please. I want to kill on video. Terrify our enemies", he pleaded.

The transcripts of interactions portray Sewell and Encarnacion as blood-thirsty persons motivated by blind hatred, not only against Hindus, but also moderate Muslims.

In November last year, Encarnacion wrote to the undercover employee, "You guys are against India. I read up on ya. You are beefing with India over Muslim land.

"I (expletive) hate Hindus. They can go to hell and I'm going to help you," according to the document. He added, "Will I live in Pakistan? I want to fight. I want to execute. I want to behead".

Sewell goaded the FBI undercover employee "to '[expelitive] up' and 'slaughter' the 'Hindu Kafir', destroy their shrines and idols", and send him photos of the destruction, according to an affidavit by Special Agent Michael Phillipp in the Dallas case.

He is quoted as saying that he could "kill anyone and not feel anything" and wanted to kill "liberal Muslims", liberal "Hijabis" and Saudis, "execute" a female political activist, who was not identified, and threatened to "disembowel" a social media user.

Sewell, according to the New York affidavit, put Encarnacion in touch with the undercover employee, who, he said, would lead him to the LeT, and simultaneously messaged him that he found a "new brother who wants to go do jihad Fisimbillah ... So he will be a Lashker-e-Taiba fighter".

Encarnacion contacted the undercover employee, who verified the contact with Sewell, and sent him hundreds of messages.

In October, the undercover agent messaged Sewell through an encrypted application that he was "flying out tonight inshaAllah". And when Sewell asked him the next day, where he was, he replied, "Alhamdulillah Pakistan ... InshaAllah I will be training with the mujahideen of Lashkar-e-Taiba soon".

Now appearing to be ensconced in Pakistan, the undercover agent told Encarnacion in November to fly to a city in Europe for which he would not need a visa and "brothers" would meet him there and give him visa and onward ticket to Pakistan.

Encarnacion sent him copies of his passport and flight confirmation for Europe on a flight on February 7.

When he came to New York's JFK airport to catch the flight, the FBI was waiting to capture him.

The next day, officials announced the arrest of Sewell in Dallas.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Mumbai, March 12 : Due to the coming Lok Sabha elections, the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI) has postponed and rescheduled the crucial Chartered Accountants (CA) exams for 2019, an official notification said.

The exams due to be held between May 2-17, will now take place between May 27-June 12, in view of the 17th Lok Sabha elections across the country spanning seven phases from April 11.

This would include Students Examinations, Foundation Course (under New Scheme), Intermediate (IPC) Course (Old Scheme), Intermediate Course (New Scheme), Final Course under Old and New Scheme, and Members' Examination, on various dates.

Accordingly, the revised dates for submitting examination forms are March 16 and with late fee, March 23, said the ICAI's notification on Monday night.

While there will be no exam on June 5 on account of Eid, the ICAI made it clear that there will be no further change in the examination schedule for any date in case of declaration of a public holiday by the Centre, state or local governments.

The CA examinations will be conducted at 144 centres, including five at foreign locations.
Washington, March 12 : House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is against impeaching US President Donald Trump, because "hes just not worth it", adding that the move would be "too divisive"

In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post on Monday, the country's most powerful Democrat also said Trump was unfit to be President "ethically," "intellectually" and "curiosity-wise".

"I'm not for impeachment," the 78-year-old said.

"This is news. I'm going to give you some news right now because I haven't said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I've been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, "I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it."

Regarding her "relationship" with Trump, Pelosi told The Washington Post: "My relationship toward him is respectful, respectful of the office that he holds. Straightforward, just tell him what I think... So, yeah, respectful, honest and hopeful."

Pelosi was irst elected to Congress in a special election in 1987 and now in her 17th term, she is experienced in all of Washington's various forms of combat, power and perseverance.

She is the first woman to lead a political party in Congress and, in 2007, was the first woman to become speaker of the House.

After Democrats won control of the House in November following eight years as Minority leader, Pelosi fended off an effort by some in her party to replace her, and reclaimed the speakership.

The veteran added that it is "public sentimen" that will guide her as she leads the House Democrats and seeks to use their powers as a check on a President she believes disregards the Constitution.

Regarding Trump's demand for a wall on the US-Mexico border, the House Speaker said "the President was advocating for a wall, that was a tangible, visible sign of discrimination".

Trump's demand for his border wall funding and the Democrats' denial to grant it led to the country's longest government shutdown that started on December 22 and ended on January 25.

Pelosi's comments published on Monday are perhaps her strongest yet against the issue, but the Speaker has signaled for months her resistance to pushing for impeachment.
Shimla, March 12 : The fair sex is not getting a fair deal in tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh - but Rattan Manjari will have none of this.

She is the chairperson of the Mahila Kalyan Parishad, a rights group based in Kinnaur district, that campaigns on educating women about their right to ancestral property.

The rights group, in association of "mahila mandals" or women's groups, has also carried out campaigns demanding the amendment of the customary laws.

"With the passage of time, if people in tribal areas can leave behind other customs and became modernised, then why can't they leave this male-centric tradition (on ancestral property) that is largely responsible for their wallowing in misery with nobody to look after them," asked the 66-year-old Manjari, who is also an apple grower in Ribba village, some 250 km from state capital of Shimla.

"We want to give a dignified life to the women, particularly spinsters and widows, in our society. For this, we are again moving the high court to get relief from this patriarchal law," she said of her nearly three-decade struggle to get women a share in ancestry property.

Women in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts are bound by a century-old patriarchal law that allows only men to inherit ancestral property, if not bequeathed.

The still-prevalent Wajib Ul Urj customary law, which came into existence in 1926, bars even widows from inheriting their husband's property, which is transferred to the sons.

According to 2011 Census figures, the gender ratio in Kinnaur has gone down from 857 in 2001 to 818 in 2011. It is ranked the lowest in the state.

The literacy rate in the district is 80.77 per cent - 88.37 for males and 71.34 for females - for a population of 84,298.

With the help of hundreds of activists in over 170 women groups in the district, Manjari has been organising panchayat meetings and signature campaigns to get the law overturned.

In June 2015, a Himachal Pradesh High Court ruling gave land inheritance rights to the tribal women. This was challenged and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.

"The daughters in the tribal areas shall inherit property in accordance with the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 and not as per customs. This is in order to prevent women from facing social injustice and all forms of exploitation," Justice Rajiv Sharma of the high court had said.

He had upheld an order passed by the district judge of Chamba in 2002 to grant legal property rights to women.

Old-timers believe the origin of the custom-made tradition is the scarcity of fertile land. Giving inheritance rights to women would give an opportunity to outsiders to become owners of the land if they married outside the community, it was believed.

"After taking legal opinion, we filed a PIL (public interest litigation) last month in the high court pertaining to the right to inherit the property by daughters under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956," she said.

Manjari added: "The number of widows and orphaned unmarried women is increasing. It's high time this patriarchal practice is brought to an end."

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in <mailto:vishal.g@ians.in>)</mailto:vishal.g@ians.in>
Seoul, March 12 : The South Korean government said on Tuesday that it will seek meetings with North Korea this year to strengthen ties and revive the dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington on denuclearization.

The plan comes after the Hanoi summit. last month, between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended abruptly without a denuclearization deal with no further plans for the two sides to meet again, reports Efe news.

"In close coordination with the US, (we) will push for inter-Korean talks to help the US and North Korea meet again and reach an agreement on denuclearization and corresponding measures," the Unification Ministry said in a statement here.

The Ministry, in charge of managing relations with the North, added that it will continue to work towards "close communications between the leaders of the South and the North" to strengthen ties and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.

After February's Hanoi summit, Seoul has showed willingness to mediate to break the blockade in the denuclearization talks.

Last year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim held three summits that were key for making it possible for Trump and the North Korean leader to meet for the second time.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 12 : Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan was on Tuesday given a rousing reception by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sangh Parivar workers when he arrived here.

The BJP is most likely to pit Rajasekharan against Congress' Shashi Tharoor in the Lok Sabha polls here.

After calling on top BJP leaders in Delhi, the 66-year-old arrived here to a noisy welcome by party leaders who gave Rajasekharan a ride in an open jeep through the capital's streets.

RSS strongman Rajasekharan was made the BJP President in 2015 and then appointed the Governor.

The BJP has never won a Lok Sabha seat from Kerala and it hopes Rajasekharan will open the account.

Although the BJP has not named any candidate, Rajasekharan said he was confident of winning the Lok Sabha battle.

"People in Kerala have been cheated by the traditional rivals (Congress and Left) and they desire a change."

In the last Lok Sabha K.J. Alphons was nominated a member of the Rajya Sabha and given the cabinet berth as Minister of State for Tourism.

In 2009, on Tharoor's first outing, he won the polls with a margin of close to one lakh votes. In 2014, the Congress' margin fell to around 15,000 votes. BJP's Rajagopal finished a close second while the CPI was far behind.

In 2016, Rajasekharan put up a close fight but finished second in Vatiyurkavu Assembly seat.
Washington, March 12 : A new research has suggested that falsified and substandard drugs for treating malaria, pneumonia and other diseases, are killing thousands of children world wide.

Hundreds of thousands of children each year are dying due to a surge of poor-quality or outright fake medicines, CNN quoted the research as saying on Monday.

"We're talking about 300,000 -- at least -- children who have died because of murder-by-alleged-medicines distributed by criminals," said Joel Breman, a co-author of the report and senior scientific adviser emeritus at the Fogarty International Centre of the US National Institutes of Health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined three types of falsified and substandard medical products.

"Falsified medical products" deliberately misrepresent their identity, composition or source.

"Substandard medical products" are regulated drugs that somehow fail to meet quality standards or specifications -- for example, they have less than needed amounts of an active pharmaceutical ingredient.

"Unregistered or unlicensed medical products" are untested and unapproved drugs.

The number of falsified and substandard medical products is on the rise, according to Breman and his co-authors on the report.

In 2008, for example, Pfizer Global Security, the drugmaker's team working to counteract counterfeit drugs, identified 29 of its products in 75 countries as being falsified.

Just 10 years later, Pfizer found 95 fakes in 113 countries.

In 2009, few online pharmacies could be found, but just seven years later an estimated 35,000 such pharmacies were operating around the globe, CNN quoted Bremann as saying.

Over the past decade, academics and nonprofits have raised awareness of the issue, while the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Interpol and WHO have convened to address the problem of falsified and substandard drugs, he said.
London, March 12 : UK MPs will vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal on Tuesday after she secured "legally binding" changes to the agreement following last-minute talks with the EU in Strasbourg.

She travelled to Strasbourg in pursuit of some movement from the EU on the Irish backstop that would persuade Eurosceptics in Parliament to vote for her Brexit deal, which went down to defeat in January by a record 230 votes.

May said the changes meant the Irish backstop -- the insurance policy designed to avoid a hard border between the Irish Republic and the UK province of Northern Ireland -- could not "become permanent", the BBC reported.

At a press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, May said she had delivered what Parliament asked her to do.

But opposition Labour Party said the talks had failed.

Speaking alongside May in Strasbourg on Monday, Juncker warned if the deal was voted down, there would be "no third chance".

"The Prime Minister and I have agreed on a joint legally binding instrument relating to the Withdrawal Agreement. This instrument provides meaningful clarifications and legal guarantees on the nature of the backstop," he said.

"There will be no third chance. There will be no further interpretations of the interpretations, no further assurances of the re-assurances if the meaningful vote tomorrow fails.

"The backstop is an insurance policy, nothing more, nothing less. The intention is for it not to be used, like in every insurance policy.

UK lawmakers "were clear that legal changes were needed to the backstop. Today we have secured legal changes", May said on Monday ahead of the Parliament's vote on her Brexit proposal.

"Now is the time to come together to back this improved Brexit deal and deliver on the instruction of the British people," she said.

She was expected to chair a Cabinet meeting before the motion was debated in the Commons in the afternoon and votes were held in the evening.

The Democratic Unionist Party, whose support May relies on in the Commons, said it would be "scrutinising the text line by line" before deciding whether to back the deal.

The UK is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn urged MPs to vote against the deal when it returns to the Commons, saying May had "recklessly run down the clock" on negotiations.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said Monday's outcome showed the Brexit negotiations were in disarray.

Independent Group MP Chris Leslie said the government's "Brexit fudge fools nobody".

The late night news conference in Strasbourg followed an announcement in London by UK Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington that the government would be presenting two new documents to the House of Commons.

He described the texts as a "legally binding instrument on the Withdrawal Agreement and protocol on Northern Ireland and a joint statement to supplement the political declaration".

The legal binder affirms that the EU could not trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, Lidington said.

If the vote on Tuesday fails, May has pledged to give the House of Commons an opportunity to vote on two additional resolutions: One on a no-deal Brexit; the other on delaying Brexit beyond the March 29 date enshrined in law.
New Delhi, March 12 : A day after the BJP attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi for calling Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief "Masood Azharji", the Congress on Tuesday denounced the BJP for releasing the terrorist a decade ago.

The Congress cited an interview of National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval in which he had said that the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government was responsible for Azhar's release in 1999 after an Indian Airlines plane was hijacked to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In a series of tweets, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Modi government's NSA Ajit Doval 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in the release of terrorist Masood Azhar. Doval said 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision'.

"Will Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, (Union Minister) Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now?" he asked.

He claimed that Doval, who was then in the Intelligence Bureau, in his interview also saluted the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) policy vis-a-vis terror.

"UPA-Congress came with a categorical policy on hijacking. No concession, no talks. Why did the BJP government not show the same guts?" the spokesperson said.

Gandhi on Monday said that "Masood Azharji", now the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) which claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers, was in an Indian jail and was taken to Kandahar by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and set free.
Pul-e-khumri : , March 12 (IANS) Armed militants intercepted a passenger bus in Afghanistan's Baghlan province on Tuesday and kidnapped 13 commuters, officials said.

"A group of armed militants intercepted a passenger bus in Jar-e-Khushk area of Baghlan-e-Markazi district... After checking the travellers, the militants took 13 men to unknown locations," an Army spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

The commuters were travelling from northern Badakhshan to Kabul, the official said, adding efforts were underway to ensure the safe release of the abductees.

He blamed the Taliban for the kidnapping. But Taliban militants, who are active in parts of Baghlan and the neighbouring Kunduz province, were yet to claim responsibility.
Washington, March 12 : Aiming to put astronauts back on the Moon, reach Mars and beyond, NASA has proposed a budget of $21 billion -- nearly six per cent more than last year -- to the Donald Trump administration.

"President Trump's fiscal year 2020 NASA budget is one of the strongest on record for our storied agency," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, while announcing the proposal at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Monday.

"At $21 billion, this budget represents a nearly six per cent increase over last year's request and comes at a time of constrained resources across the federal government," he added.

US President Trump had in December 2017 signed Space Policy Directive-1 that provides for a US-led integrated programme with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond.

"We will go to the Moon in the next decade with innovative, new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the lunar surface than ever before. This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leap -- sending astronauts to Mars," Bridenstine said.

The budget request includes the agency's ongoing efforts to develop commercial spacecraft and infrastructure in low-Earth orbit and to press ahead with construction and launch of the world's most powerful rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts back to the moon.

Beginning with a series of small commercial delivery missions to the Moon in 2019, NASA will use new landers, robots and eventually humans by 2028 to conduct science across the entire lunar surface.

Bridenstine revealed that with this budget, NASA will study Earth and the Sun, which will benefit humankind for generations.

Besides, the first round-trip mission to the Red planet with Mars Sample Return, the agency will also lead exploration to Jupiter's Moon Europa as well as launch James Webb Space Telescope.

"This budget also continues support for transformative aeronautics technology research. We will make air travel safer, greener and more efficient, and continue pioneering the next generation of supersonic flight," Bridenstine noted.
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora during a press conference to announce the 2019 Lok Sabha election schedule at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, on March 10, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Nanded : , March 12 (IANS) Contending disparity and inequality in the dates announced for Phase II of Lok Sabha elections, two Maharashtra lawyer-activists have shot off a representation to the Election Commission (EC) contending there is an inodrinate gap of 21 days between the last date for withdrawal of nominations and the polling on April 18, and that this should be corrected.

In a representation to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, activist Rana Sarda of Nanded and election law expert Vinod Tiwari of Yavatmal, said that the disparity in Phase II - as compared to the other six phases of the elections - is not only against the EC's rules, but also violates the constitutional rights under Article 14.

"Owing to the time constraints, I have requested the EC to take immediate steps to revise/modify the dates of nominations for Phase II and reduce the gap between date of nomination/withdrawal and the date of polls. In case it is not accepted, I shall be constrained to move Bombay High Court or even the Supreme Court for redressal since it's a matter of extreme public importance," Sarda told IANS.

Sarda intends to contest from Nanded on the ticket of the Prabuddha Republican Party of India (PRPI).

Explaining the issues, Sarda - who is also president of an NGO, the Forum Against Discrimination (FAD), - said that after the issue of notification on March 19 and the last date of withdrawal - March 29 - for Phase II, there is a long gap of 21 days before the election is held on April 18.

"Compared with this, the gaps between the last date for withdrawal of nominations till the elections date is barely 14-17 days for other six phases. This is blatantly discriminatory to all the candidates of big and small political parties and independents intending to contest the Phase II elections in 97 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 states, including Maharashtra," according to the petitioner.

This inequality has other ramifications like submission of 'AB Forms' on the last day of nomination, which should have been April 2, but now has been preponed to March 26 - seven days earlier.

There is also the issue of increased expenditure on the campaign in order to sustain it for 21 days, for which the EC has not granted an additional ceiling (on expenses), the duo maintained.

"How can there be two different sets of parameters for candidates contesting the same elections under the same poll process, with the overall expenditure limits kept identical despite a full seven days (33 percent) more time for campaign in Phase II," Sarda asked.

In the representation, Sarda and Tiwari raised questions on the very intentions of inequality and disparity which seem to have been perpetrated "deliberately to help a particular set of parties and people" by some EC officials.

Besides, the additional financial burden on the candidates and political parties, it will also impact the election machinery, officials and local security deployed for the Phase II, not to mention the public nuisance due to noise pollution owing to the additional campaigning.

The situation is particularly daunting for independent candidates without sufficient funds, or smaller parties with limited financial or manpower resources, due to the stretching of their campaign period by seven days owing to the faulty Phase II schedules, Sarda maintained.

The Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, Section 30, read along with the relevant rules, which prescribe a minimum gap of only 14 days, does not empower the ECI to create such a huge inequality' in Phase II, compared to the other phases, without changing other criteria like the expenditure limits, Tiwari told IANS.

The duo made it clear in the representation that they are not challenging the seven-phase election schedule, but only seeking a modification in the polling date for Phase II to bring all conditions on par with the other six phases.

"Since the notification has not yet been issued for the Phase II polls, it entails changing/modifying the date of notification for this particular Phase II from March 19 by seven days, and suitable changes in the Last Date for Filing Nominations, Submission of AB Forms, Scrutiny of Nominations and Last Date for Withdrawal of Nominations, to reduce this extra seven days," Tiwari added.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
Mumbai, March 12 : Actress-producer Dia Mirza, who started travelling alone at the age of 18, has observed a change in the patriarchal mindset regarding solo women travellers, and she considers it empowering.

Dia took her first flight and went to Thailand along with one of her female friends after winning the Femina Miss India beauty pageant in 2000.

What changes has she seen in the society's attitude towards solo women travellers?

Dia told IANS: "A girl does not have to seek permission from a man, or from the society to go out there to explore the world, she just needs her own permission. I think that is empowering.

"A girl cannot be on her own, comes from a patriarchal mindset. It comes from the mindset that a woman must be protected, they are weak when a girl travels solo, and I mean travelling anywhere -- going on a vacation, going to work or to study abroad or anything that they do."

"But there's a shift in social conditioning that allows women to follow their choice to travel alone, travel free," explained the actress.

While her experience was quite incredible, she said that solo travelling is not only liberating for any individual but also helps one understand how to be comfortable in your own company and look after your own self.

"Even before that, I used to travel by bus when I was 16. I used to do modelling, travelled from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. I remember my parents used to drop me at the bus depot and told the fellow passenger just to keep an eye on me. I used to reach my destination and call them to say that I am safe."

"But the sense of safety comes from within. It is really of inner confidence. As an individual, you have to know that you can do this... It is inner voice really," asserted Dia, the UN Environment's Goodwill Ambassador for India.

The "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" famed actress recently supported the campaign 'She Travels She Hosts' by Airbnb, a company that encourages sustainable travelling and homestay worldwide in 191 countries.
Bhubaneswar, March 12 : Odisha Parba is once again set to make a comeback in the heart of the national capital to celebrate the cultural finesse, heritage, tradition, craftsmanship and culinary excellence of the coastal state.

Odia Samaj will organise the 3rd edition of this three-day mega event from March 15 at the India Gate lawns in New Delhi.

"This year, Odisha Parba will showcase the vision for a futuristic Odisha and how during ancient times Odisha was one of the most prominent states of the country with a rich maritime trade history," said Sidhartha Pradhan, President of Odia Samaj.

The event will showcase the vision for reinstating that ancient glory to the state.

The entrance gate to the event will depict sunrise - symbolising the development of the eastern part of India and, specifically, the development of Odisha.

A grand stage has been set up with backdrop of a lotus flower to symbolize the vision of a flourishing or blooming Odisha. A 3D mapping film on the theme of 'Utkal Uday' will be the highlight of the event.

"The handicraft and handloom section in the festival will be in demand as award-winning artisans and weavers from Odisha will showcase traditional handloom sarees, dress materials, artefacts and handcrafted jewellery at very competitive prices," said Pradhan.

Dance and music shows encompassing Odissi, traditional folk dance and music, fusion as well as contemporary flavours from Odisha will enthral the audience.

Pradhan said Odisha Parba is proud to bring to Delhiites a plethora of delicious treats from Odisha, ranging from street foods of cities like Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur, and a diverse range of sweets from all over the state.
Bengaluru, March 12 : With the model code of conduct in place for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka on April 18 and 23, the issuance of licenses for fire arms and their possession have been banned in Bengaluru, an official order said on Tuesday.

"All the fire arms of license holders in Bengaluru shall be deposited with the jurisdictional police station with immediate effect," said the order dated March 11 from city Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar.

The ban will be in force till May 27, after the end of vote count on May 23.

However, the State and the Central government departments, public and private sector agencies to whom fire arms were issued for security, sportsmen who are part of the National Rifle Association and communities entitled to display weapons by longstanding law and custom, are exempted from the ban.

The Lok Sabha elections in the southern state will be held in two phases -- on April 18 for 14 seats and on April 23 for another 14 seats.
Baghdad, March 12 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is seeking to boost economic links with Iraq on his first official visit to the neighbouring country at a time when the US is upping efforts to curb Tehran's regional influence.

A strong relationship with Iraq - a former enemy - is now paramount in Iran's foreign policy, Efe news reported on Tuesday.

Tehran is looking for Baghdad's support to mitigate the effects of sanctions reimposed by the US after it pulled out of the 2015 multilateral Iranian nuclear deal last year.

While Iraq is a major oil producer, it still relies on natural gas from Iran for more than 40 percent of its electricity. Power shortages drove widespread protests in Iraq last year.

Iranian armed forces assisted Iraq in ousting the Islamic State terror group from its territory after a devastating three-year war against the extremist group.

The two countries share a 900-mile border and are home to Shia Muslim-majority population.

During his three-day visit that began on Monday, Rouhani is expected to leverage Tehran's relationship with Baghdad to explore ways to keep Iranian natural gas flowing to its western neighbour and boost other trade.

In a joint press conference with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Rouhani said Iran had stood by Iraq's people and its army during difficult times - in a nod to Iran's role in battling Islamic State.

Salih, in turn, thanked his Iranian counterpart for support during "the war against terrorism" and added: "Iraq is lucky with its Muslim neighbours in Iran and Turkey, and lucky with its Arab roots."

Rouhani also met Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Abdul-Mahdi to discuss joint economic projects and cooperation against terrorism, and also Iraq's chief Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The visit comes as the Trump administration has amped up pressure on Tehran and warned other countries against trading with Iran.

Over the past few months, US officials have visited Baghdad to try to persuade Iraq to wean itself off Iranian energy and secure Washington's continued political influence in the country.
New Delhi, March 12 : A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed Enforcement Directorate to question British national Christian Michel, the middleman accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, in judicial custody.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed ED plea seeking to interrogate Michel again in the case.

Public prosecutor N.K. Matta, appearing for the ED, told the court that the investigating agency had received some more documents and wanted to further interrogate the accused in judicial custody for two days.

The court allowed ED to quiz Michel for two days.

Meanwhile, Michel's advocates Aljo K. Joseph and Vishnu Sankar also requested the court to shift him from an isolation cell to a normal cell in Jail number 7, where white-collar accused are housed.

The court also sought report from the jail authorities and CCTV footage of jail.

The court had on March 5 directed Tihar Jail authorities to shift Michel to Jail No. 1, 3 or 4, which are meant for keeping undertrials.

Michel was extradited to India on December 4, 2018 from the United Arab Emirates.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed chargesheets in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case naming Michel and others as accused.
New Delhi, March 12 : In 2014 when the world's largest democracy organised the 16th Lok Sabha polls, the impact of social media on the voters was minimal and traditional media ruled the turf.

The number of Internet users in India was around 25 crore in 2014. Today, it hovers around 55 crore. Smartphone usage crossed the 40-crore mark last year in the country.

Facebook has close to 30 crore monthly active users in India, WhatsApp over 20 crore and Twitter somewhere over 3.4 crore.

It is evident that social media is going to play a key role in shaping up the political campaigns for various parties in electing the 17th Lok Sabha as the seven-phase voting begins from April 11.

"The number of Internet users has more than doubled during this period and a majority of these new users access the web through mobile devices. With various political parties having dedicated social media cells, this medium will definitely play a big role in this election," Prasanth Sugathan, Legal Director, Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) told IANS.

Active on Twitter since 2009, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had just 40 lakh users on May 26, 2014. Rahul Gandhi was not even there; he joined Twitter in April 2015.

Today, Modi has a massive Twitter following of 4.63 crore and Rahul over 88 lakh.

Not just Twitter, Modi has 4.3 crore followers and Rahul 25 lakh on Facebook. Narendra Modi app alone has seen over 1 crore downloads.

In such a scenario, fighting disinformation and how it affects voters would be a major issue in this election.

"Targeted messages based on religious and ethnic differences could polarise the electorate and affect the diverse cultural fabric of the country," added Sugathan.

There were 81.5 crore voters in 2014. The total electorate is 90 crore this time.

"The 2019 elections will be fought predominantly on social media. Already, social media has emerged as a vibrant platform for discourse in our democracy," said Thomas George, Senior Vice President and Head-CyberMedia Research & Services Ltd. (CMR).

Remember that this is the first general election where 400 million millennial "digital natives" will be voting for the very first time.

"As such, we anticipate the forthcoming months in the run-up to the election to see social networks emerge as a major battleground for misinformation as well as checks," George told IANS.

The owners of global social media platforms are already in a huddle over how to curb the spread of misinformation and fake news in a country where deep mobile penetration has made Facebook, its messaging service WhatsApp and micro-blogging platform Twitter available at the fingertips of millions.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
Ahmedabad, March 12 : The Congress on Tuesday held a meeting of its working committee here and resolved to defeat the "RSS and BJPs ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness".

Briefing reporters after the CWC meeting, Congress leader Anand Sharma accused the Modi government of failing to fulfill its promises and going against the ideals of the Constitution.

"There are attempts to project a different picture of India as against the ideals on which the Constitution was formed. Constitutional rights are being constantly violated," he said.

He said the meeting, attended by top party leaders including party chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, adopted a political resolution.

The meeting of the highest decision-making body of the Congress, being held in the home state of Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, also reviewed party's poll preparedness in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

It is the first CWC meeting being attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was earlier this year appointed general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi said in a tweet that the party is committed to defeating the BJP.

"On the anniversary of Gandhi Ji's historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS, BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour, no effort too little, this battle will be won," he said.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leaders paid their respects at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad. They also visited Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal accompanied by State Cabinet Ministers and party leaders Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai, addresses a press conference in New Delhi on March 12, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 12 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged voters in the national capital to vote to make Delhi a full state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said that Delhi, despite being the second highest tax contributor in the country, gets only a fraction of what other states get from the central government.

"Till now people of Delhi have voted to choose a Prime Minister. This time it will vote for full statehood. For 70 years, injustice has been done to Delhi. For 70 years, it has faced exploitation and given a step-motherly treatment," Kejriwal told the media here.

"After Bombay, Delhi pays the highest amount in taxes, 1.5 lakh crore. And it gets only Rs 385 crore from the central government. A small state like Goa, the population of which is only 15 lakh, gets Rs 3,200 crore from the Centre. Delhi with a population of 2 crore gets only Rs 385 crore. Gujarat gets Rs 85,000 crore and Uttar Pradesh gets Rs 1.5 lakh crore. When we ask why, they say because Delhi is not a full state. Then why have you kept it a half state?" he asked.

The Chief Minister also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of hypocracy by promising that it will grant full statehood to Delhi during the last election but then going back on the promise.

He said because Delhi was not a full state and doesn't have law and order under its ambit, crimes, especially against women, have increased.

"If Delhi is made a full state, I promise you we will ensure that each woman is able to go out even at 11 at night without fear. We had also demanded reservation up to 85 per cent for Delhi citizens in Delhi government jobs but even this proposal was rejected," he said.

On education, he said because the Delhi government had no power to open new universities, the students of Delhi cannot get admission despite scoring 95 per cent marks.

"We want 85 per cent of seats in Delhi universities to be reserved for Delhi students. Once we have full statehood we won't have to take permission from anyone to open new universities and colleges."
Mumbai, March 12 : The Congress suffered a massive jolt after Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of the leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, on Tuesday joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state party chief Raosaheb Danve-Patil and others senior leaders welcomed him to the party fold and offered him the Lotus symbol and the party flag.

Along with Sujay Vikhe-Patil, several other prominent leaders and legislators from Ahmednagar are likely to join the BJP.

"We are happy to welcome Sujay Vikhe-Patil to the BJP. Soon he will realize that his decision is not erroneous. With his entry, Ahmednagar will also become a bastion of BJP," Fadnavis said.

He said the party was keen to field him from Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat but since the decision would be taken by the BJP central high command, his name would be recommended for the same.

Danve-Patil and other leaders said that "there is a lot of 'incomings' into the BJP" and that at least 5 prominent leaders from different parties are expected to cross over in the coming few days.

"I have taken the decision to join the BJP going against the wishes of my entire family," said Sujay, adding he was ready to serve the new party in any capacity.

According to present indications, he is likely to be fielded from the prestigious Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat, considered a bastion of the renowned Vikhe-Patil clan.

The family attained national and international fame after the late Padmashri Vithalrao Vikhe-Patil created history by launching Asia's first cooperative sugar mill in Ahmednagar.

Later, his son Eknathrao alias Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil was a prominent Congress leader who shifted to the Shiv Sena and served as the Heavy Industries Minister and Minister of State for Finance in the Vajpayee government.

His son, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is another prominent Congress leader and currently leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly since past nearly four-and-half years, while his son Sujay has thrown his lot with the BJP.

Last month, Sujay's cousin, Nila Ashok Vikhe-Patil, was appointed Political Advisor in the Swedish Prime Minister K. Stefan Lofven's Office.

Meanwhile, mocking Radhakrishna, Shiv Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut today invited him to join his party.

"After all, his father, the late Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil was a senior Shiv Sena leader and also a Union minister. Our doors are open for his son Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, too," Raut told mediapersons.
Chandigarh, March 12 : Indian and Pakistani officials will meet at Attari, near Amritsar, on Thursday for their first meeting to finalize the modalities of the Kartarpur corridor to enable Indian pilgrims to pray at the historic Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.

The meeting, amid heightened tensions between both countries, is being held to discuss the draft agreement for setting up a dedicated corridor that will allow pilgrims from India to visit the Sikh shrine located in Pakistan without obtaining a visa.

Officials from the Home and Foreign Ministries of both countries will attend the meeting at Attari, 30 km from Amritsar.

Both sides will also have a technical level discussion on the alignment of the project.

The meeting will take place exactly a month after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force troopers were killed, triggering India-Pakistan tensions.

While Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has welcomed the decision of the Home Ministry to fasttrack the Kartarpur corridor, he wants "passport and visa free `khule darshan' for pilgrims".

Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) is highly revered.

The Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, located about 4.5 km from the international border near the border town of Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, is significant for the Sikh community as it is here that Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life and was his final resting place.

The governments of India and Pakistan are trying to facilitate the travel of pilgrims to offer prayers at the gurdwara, located in Narowal district of Pakistan. The demand for this has been made by the Sikh community for the past over 70 years.
Agartala, March 12 : Two Bangladesh nationals were detained here for smuggling gold worth Rs 16 lakh, a customs official said on Tuesday.

"Abdul Ratif, 55, and Mizanur Rahman, 48, had come from Bangladesh and were trying to go to Kolkata by a private airline on Monday night," a customs official told IANS.

"The Central Industrial Security Force troopers recovered five gold biscuits each weighing 100 gram from them at the airport," he said.

"Both the accused have not been formally arrested. Legal aspects are being looked into before we take further action," the official added.
New Delhi, March 12 : A Delhi court of Special Judge Arvind Kumar, here on Tuesday, rejected the bail plea of Gautam Khaitan, a lawyer, who was arrested in connection with a money laundering case.

Opposing his plea, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Khaitan was "controlling" the modus operandi and was responsible for routing money.

He was misusing his connections and clients, including the ones inherited from his father, to launder money through a variety of accounts in Dubai, Mauritius, Singapore, Tunisia, Switzerland, the UK and India, it said.

The ED officials said the accounts included those belonging to his undisclosed shell companies outside India.

Khaitan, in judicial custody, was arrested on January 25, a week after the Income Tax Department conducted raids on his offices and various other properties in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Khaitan was earlier arrested in September 2014 for his alleged involvement in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

He got bail in January 2015 and was again arrested along with Sanjeev Tyagi, another accused in the case, on December 9, 2016, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He later secured bail.

The CBI charge sheet had described Khaitan as the brain behind the AgustaWestland chopper deal.
Adalaj : , March 12 (IANS) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday urged people to consider the Lok Sabha polls as "another independence struggle" and told them to raise the real issues facing them instead of getting drawn into trivialities.

"Your greatest weapon is awareness about the realities facing the country, your vote is your weapon. Use it with after due consideration and due discretion. Ensure that it does not hurt anyone," Priyanka Gandhi said in her public address here.

"True 'desh bhakti' is getting aware about real problems and challenges before the country."

Amid slogans comparing her with Indira Gandhi, she made a short speech in a conversational style in Hindi, saying this was her first visit to Gujarat.

"When I went to the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, I was almost driven to tears," she said, adding that it was "crucial that the message about real issues should go out from this land of the Mahatma.

"In this election, raise issues that are real, not trivial and diversionary, and this is your responsibility as the true citizens. This country belongs to nobody else but to you. So make the right and informed decisions after taking stock of the hollow promises given to you.

"Where are the two crore jobs? Where is the Rs 15 lakh in your account? Where is women's security? Think about this, ask these questions," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi said the real India was not about spreading hatred everywhere.

"The true nature of India is love and compassion towards one and all, not hatred. It is this very ethos which is being destroyed," she said.
Ghaziabad, March 12 : After killing his son and a daughter, a man apparently burdened by poverty committed suicide here on Monday night, police said on Tuesday.

The tragedy occurred in Noor Nagar area in Ghaziabad whose resident Sundar Pal (42) ran a 'dhaba' at Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

He had returned to live with his father, a retired gardner from the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, as the roadside eatery was not giving him profits.

On Monday night, his wife Sashi and their son Naman went to sleep in a first floor bedroom. Sundar Pal and his other two children, Tushar (15) and daughter Mahi (12), remained in the ground floor room.

Post midnight, when his father Bhagwan Singh came out to use the toilet, he saw Sundar Pal hanging from the ceiling fan of his bedroom. The two children lay dead on the bed.

The police found a 15-page note in which he mentioned how he had suffered loss in business and how he had tried to compensate the loss by driving cabs.

"It seems he administered some poison in the ice cream he gave to Tushar and Mahi. And after that he committed suicide by hanging," said Inspector Sanjay Pandey of Sihani Gate police station.
Bhubaneswar, March 12 : Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, here on Tuesday, his party will not forge an alliance with any party and will go it alone in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

"We will fight on our own," Patnaik told reporters. On the selection of candidates, he said winnability will be the only yardstick.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, meanwhile, have started finalising their candidates' lists for simultaneous polls in the state.

BJP's state in-charge Arun Singh said the list of candidates will be out within a week. On the speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest Lok Sabha election from the pilgrimage town of Puri, Singh said, "the party's parliamentary board will take a decision in this regard."

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is likely to announce names of candidates for the first phase of the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections by March 18. "The Congress is yet to finalise names of candidates. The list may be released on March 17 or 18," said Congress leader Chiranjib Biswal.

Another Congress leader Pradeep Majhi said names of candidates will be announced after the AICC screening committee meeting on March 16.

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar on Tuesday organised an all-party meeting to sensitise political parties about new guidelines to be followed during the polls.

Odisha will undergo the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections simultaneously in four phases, starting April 11. The state has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies.
Colombo, March 12 : The Sri Lankan police have seized a large haul of drugs in the capital that was smuggled into the island country from Afghanistan and Pakistan in January.

Police officials said that the drugs -- heroin weighing over 170 kg along with 2,700 rounds of ammunition -- were seized from Moratuwa in Colombo and that a large group was behind the smuggling racket, Xinhua news agency reported.

The heroin was valued at an estimated $10 million.

A police official said this recovery was one of the largest seized in the country following the large haul of 294 kg heroin in February. Security had been beefed up around the area since Monday night.

Sri Lankan investigators, on the instructions of President Maithripala Sirisena, have since January launched a severe crackdown on drug dealers and smugglers, with several arrests being made within the past two months, the report said.

Last month, Sirisena said he would impose the death penalty on convicted drug traffickers within the following two months after he vowed to free the country from the drug menace by 2020.
Chandigarh, March 12 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday categorically denied any alliance talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or any other party for the May 19 Lok Sabha elections in the state.

"The Congress does not need any alliance in Punjab, nor is it in talks with any party for the same," Amarinder said here.

Asked to comment on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's statement that talks for alliance in Punjab are in progress, Amarinder said though he is not aware of any such statement, the Congress does not need any allies in Punjab.

Exuding massive confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, the Chief Minister said the party is "gung-ho" about these polls, as is evident from the fact that it has chosen Ahmedabad -- the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

"This clearly shows the level of enthusiasm in the party, which is literally ready to take the BJP by its horns," he said.

He said that the decision of final names of candidates to contest the 13 Lok Sabha seats will be taken soon.

"There is no hurry. The polling date is more than two months away. The party has a lot of time to select its candidates," Amarinder said.

Asked to comment on the time lag in the polling date for Punjab, the Chief Minister said it is the Election Commission's prerogative and he cannot, therefore, say anything on the issue.

Amarinder expressed happiness that the Kartarpur Corridor project has remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border.
Manila, March 12 : At least 12 people, including three soldiers, have been killed in clashes between government forces and militants in southern Philippines in the past two days, the military said on Tuesday.

Major General Cirilito Sobejana, Commander of a military task force in central Mindanao, said fierce fighting erupted on Monday in a village near the municipality of Shariff Saydona Mustapha in Maguindanao province.

Apart from the three soldiers, eight members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), an Islamic rebel organization, and one member of the Maute Group were also killed in the fighting, Sobejana was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

He said the military launched the attack after receiving reports that over 100 BIFF terrorists were seen in the vicinity of Shariff Saydona Mustapha tow, a known lair of the BIFF.

Sobejana said the insurgents were hit as fighter jets, attack helicopters and howitzers shelled their hideout, causing some 16,000 villagers to flee. The evacuees were reportedly staying in evacuation centres in the towns of Shariff Saidona, Shariff Aguak and Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

Air and ground assault continued on Tuesday in several villages in Maguindanao, Sobejana said, adding that "we assure the public that surgical operation is targeting only the encampments of Islamic State-inspired groups of BIFF".

The BIFF, an Islamic separatist organization based in the southern Philippines, was founded in 2010 by Ameril Umbra Kato as a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a splinter group of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Jakarta, March 12 : Indonesian low-cost airline Lion Air has sought to abort its orders of Boeing 737 Max planes and change them with other types following the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner of the same model that killed all 157 people on board, officials said on Tuesday.

Lion Air ordered 222 Boeing 737 Max 8, 9 and 10 valued at $22 billion, with 11 of them having arrived in the country, according to the airline.

The Ethiopian Airliner crashed minutes after taking off, the second air tragedy of the Boeing 737 Max 8 model in less than six months.

The first one occurred in October when a Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Lion Air plunged into the watera off the western parts of Indonesia minutes after taking off, killing all 189 people aboard.

Managing Director of Lion Air Group Daniel Putu said negotiators from the airline and Boeing's side conducted talks and renegotiation on the cancellation of the orders and the possibility to change them with other types of planes would be carried out.

Ten of Lion Air's Boeing 737 Max 8 jet planes, along with another owned by the state PT Garuda Indonesia airliner, were suspended from flying by the Indonesian Transport Ministry for inspection following Sunday's fatal crash, Ministry spokesman Hengki Angkasawan said.

Meanwhile, President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia Gusti Ngurah Askhara said on Tuesday that Garuda was also seeking to drop its orders of 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jet planes from Boeing and change them with other types of planes.
Chandigarh, March 12 : Putting to rest all speculations, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not contest in the upcoming general elections.

Manmohan Singh was "never in reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections", Amarinder Singh told the media here There were speculations that the former Prime Minister would be fielded as the Congress candidate from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

The Chief Minister described his meeting with the former Prime Minister in New Delhi on Saturday as a "courtesy call".

"We went to enquire about his health. We briefed the former Prime Minister on the Congress plans in Punjab," Amarinder Singh said.

Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in the last phase - May 19 - of the seven phase parliamentary elections.
Colombo, March 12 : The Sri Lankan government will launch a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system connecting the capital to the suburb of Malabe in order to ease the severe traffic congestion, the media reported on Tuesday.

According to the Finance Ministry, the Japan International Cooperation Agency agreed to provide a concessionary loan of an estimated $268 million for the project, Xinhua news agency reported.

The loan will finance the project which will be Sri Lanka's first rail-based, electrified urban mass rapid transit line. The project will reduce travel time between Colombo and Malabe to 30 minutes from the present one and a half hours.

The Colombo to Malabe Light Rail Transit has a total length of some 16 km, with 16 stations.

The LRT line will be built through the congested areas of Battaramulla, Rajagiriya, Cotta Road Railway Station and National Hospital, up to the current Fort Railway Station.

Reports said that the entire rail track and stations will be on elevated viaducts to minimize requirement of land acquisition. At peak travel time in the morning and evening, trains are planned to run every two to three minutes.

The project is scheduled to commence this year.
Taipei, March 12 : The US Ambassador for Religious Freedom said on Tuesday that his country's government was very concerned over the imprisonment of a Taiwanese activist in China and called for his release.

The US envoy, who was attending a forum on religious freedom in the Indo-Pacific region in Taipei, had met Lee Ming-che's wife, Lee Ching-yu, when she visited the US to mobilize international support for her husband's release.

"We call on the government of China to release him back to her and Taiwan," Ambassador Sam Brownback said at a press conference.

Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese pro-Democracy activist, disappeared mysteriously in March 2017 while he was travelling in mainland China, Efe news reported.

He had disappeared after entering China from Macao on a private visit and his whereabouts had remained unknown until May when Chinese authorities said they had detained him on suspicions of subversion of state power.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Tuesday criticized Brownback for interfering in Lee's case, calling it "China's internal matter" and one involving parties on either side of the Taiwan Strait.

"Others have no right to meddle," said the spokesperson, adding that China was opposed to any official contact between the US and Taiwan.

During his trial in September, Lee had pleaded guilty to charges of subversion, according to video footage released by the Chinese court.

Lee admitted to cooperating with Peng Yuhua, a Chinese citizen, who had established several discussion groups critical of the government, to intentionally disseminate information and articles attacking the Communist system and the Chinese government.

Lee, a former employee of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was a professor at the Wenshan Community College in Taipei and a volunteer at the Covenants Watch NGO.

In Taiwan, Lee's trial was considered a warning from Beijing to pro-Democracy activists or dissident voices on the island.

On Monday, Brownback had criticized China for practicing "religious persecution".

The US maintains diplomatic ties with China, but at the same time it is Taiwan's main military ally, and according to a 1979 treaty, is committed to supply arms to boost its defence capabilities.
Chennai, March 12 : DMK leader and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi on Tuesday was taken into custody by Pollachi police after she addressed a protest rally against inaction in the serial sexual assault, and released later.

Kanimozhi demanded reinvestigation of all suicides of women in Pollachi region in the last seven years.

Pollachi is about 535 km from the state capital.

The DMK held the protest despite the police disallowing such a protest. A large number of women, activists from DMK, its allies including MDMK and VCK participated in the protest.

Speaking at a protest rally held in Pollachi against inaction in the sexual assault case she said: "Many women were blackmailed. The crime has been going on for the past seven years. The should be a bigger network of criminals and not just the four arrested persons."

She demanded that all suicide deaths in the past seven years in Pollachi should be probed again.

She said the ruling party took action against its party official only after the issue got politicized with DMK President M.K. Stalin issuing a statement referring to the expulsion of A. Nagaraj, an AIADMK official, on Monday.
Adalaj : , March 12 (IANS) Terming the coming Lok Sabha elections "another independence struggle", Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday urged the voters to ask tough questions from the government and raise "real issues" facing them and the country instead of getting drawn into trivialities.

"Those who make tall promises to you, ask them where are the two crore jobs that were promised to the nation? Where is the Rs 15 lakh which was supposed to come into your bank accounts? Ask right questions in these elections," she said while addressing an election rally here after the Congress Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad.

"Irrelevant issues should not be raised. The issues that are to be raised should be about what is most important to you -- how you will progress, how our youth will get employment, how would women feel safe, what will be done for the farmers. These are the real election issues.

"Only your awareness can bring these issues to the front," Priyanka Gandhi said, terming voters' awareness and their votes "their biggest weapons".

"Your greatest weapon is awareness about the realities facing the country, your vote is your weapon. Use it with after due consideration and due discretion. Ensure that it does not hurt anyone.

"You will have to consider what you are going to vote for. You are going to vote for your future. This nation has been built over the foundations of social harmony and love. But whatever is happening in the country, it pains us," she added.

"You tell them (the Bharatiya Janata Party) what is the true character of this country. The true character of this country is such that it will turn the winds of hatred into breeze of love and compassion.

"This is your country. You have built this nation. It belongs to none other than you people. Only you can protect this nation. Our institutions are being destroyed, hatred is being spread," she said.

"True 'desh bhakti' is getting aware about real problems and challenges before the country."

Amid slogans comparing her with her grandmother and late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, in her short speech in a conversational style in Hindi, said this was her first visit to Gujarat.

"When I went to the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, I was almost driven to tears," she said, adding that it was "crucial that the message about real issues should go out from this land of the Mahatma.
New York, March 12 : US intelligence agents laid a cyber trail all the way to a fake terror camp in Pakistan, mastered idioms and style of Islamic terrorists giving a convincing portrayal of jihadis in a bid to infiltrate a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) recruitment ring.

In what seemed to read like a spy-thriller their strategy led to the arrest of an American teenager, who was at the centre of an alleged conspiracy to recruit fighters for the Pakistan-based LeT, and a suspected co-conspirator, who was stopped on his way to join the terrorist group.

The transcripts of their cyber interactions in court documents give chilling insights into the raging hate of the world of jihadis.

The cases against the two, who were arrested, point to a disturbing trend that with the collapse of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, Pakistan-based terror organisations operating against India may become an attractive alternative for aspiring jihadis.

Michael Kyle Sewell, the teenaged recruiter, told Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 29, whom he was guiding that "he should not join the IS because IS had no territory", instead he suggested the "LeT and the Taliban" as "worth joining".

The "LeT was a well-funded group in Pakistan operating in Kashmir, Afghanistan and India", is what he said according to court filings.

Both men were arrested in February and now face trial on terrorism-related charges.

Documents filed in federal courts in two separate cases, one against Sewell in Dallas, and another against Encarnacion in New York, include expletive-filled accounts of interactions between the alleged terrorists and the undercover operatives that give a peek into terrorism networks.

The two cases deal separately with each of the accused and the documents mention the person in the other case only as a "co-conspirator", but when IANS put the two affidavits by FBI agents in the two cases side-by-side, the parallels make the link between Sewell and Encarnacion obvious.

To infiltrate the group, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives, an agent and an employee, took on the persona of jihadists, adopting their terminology and way of communicating, and one of them created a fake trail into Pakistan as if he had joined the LeT there, according to transcripts in an affidavit by counter-terrorism Special Agent Seth Yockel in the New York case.

The document says that the ring they infilitrated was made up of nine people who operated through "a group chat for American Jihadis" on social media.

The FBI agent and the "undercover employee" vouched for each other convincingly in their communications and Sewell told Encarnacion that the employee would help him travel to Pakistan to get terrorist training, according to the affidavit.

At one point, according to the transcripts of interactions, the FBI employee takes a swipe at President Donald Trump to build their terrorist credentials writing, "US all infidels. With the king Trump."

He also boasts, "We strike heart of India. ... You hear Mumbai attack"? - a reference to the 2008 attack that killed 163 people.

The transcripts don't reveal much about the lives of Sewell and Encarnacion, other than that Encarnacion lived in New York's Washington Heights neighbourhood and said he was from a family from the Dominican Republic, and Sewell was a native-born American.

Sewell's lawyer, a court-appointed public defender, did not return a call from IANS.

Forensic scientist Malini Subramanyam wrote in the Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal in 2018 that some, who become terrorists were "in search of an identity ... seeking a sense of purpose and self-worth."

The two seem to fit this profile. Encarnacion, who used the screen name "Jihadistsoldgier", introduced himself to the jihadi group saying, "I want to fight till death alongside the Islamic State. ... I'm a lone wolf looking for a family I can strike the crusaders. ... I want to be part of a family willing to kill not afraid of death", according to Yockel's affidavit.

Sewell also described himself to the undercover employee as "lone wolf and lone lion of Tawhid".

An indication of one of Encarnacion's other possible motives appears at one point in the transcript where Encarnacion says, "Kuffar treat me bad", but does not further identify the "Kuffar" or what they did.

Encarnacion appears to have been inspired by the British IS terrorist Mohammed Emwazi who became notorious with the nickname "Jihadi John" as the group's executioner on propaganda videos. "Please. I want to kill on video. Terrify our enemies", he pleaded.

The transcripts of interactions portray Sewell and Encarnacion as blood-thirsty persons motivated by blind hatred, not only against Hindus, but also moderate Muslims.

In November last year, Encarnacion wrote to the undercover employee, "You guys are against India. I read up on ya. You are beefing with India over Muslim land.

"I (expletive) hate Hindus. They can go to hell and I'm going to help you," according to the document. He added, "Will I live in Pakistan? I want to fight. I want to execute. I want to behead".

Sewell goaded the FBI undercover employee "to '[expelitive] up' and 'slaughter' the 'Hindu Kafir', destroy their shrines and idols", and send him photos of the destruction, according to an affidavit by Special Agent Michael Phillipp in the Dallas case.

He is quoted as saying that he could "kill anyone and not feel anything" and wanted to kill "liberal Muslims", liberal "Hijabis" and Saudis, "execute" a female political activist, who was not identified, and threatened to "disembowel" a social media user.

Sewell, according to the New York affidavit, put Encarnacion in touch with the undercover employee, who, he said, would lead him to the LeT, and simultaneously messaged him that he found a "new brother who wants to go do jihad Fisimbillah i So he will be a Lashker-e-Taiba fighter".

Encarnacion contacted the undercover employee, who verified the contact with Sewell, and sent him hundreds of messages.

In October, the undercover agent messaged Sewell through an encrypted application that he was "flying out tonight inshaAllah". And when Sewell asked him the next day, where he was, he replied, "Alhamdulillah Pakistan i InshaAllah I will be training with the mujahideen of Lashkar-e-Taiba soon".

Now appearing to be ensconced in Pakistan, the undercover agent told Encarnacion in November to fly to a city in Europe for which he would not need a visa and "brothers" would meet him there and give him visa and onward ticket to Pakistan.

Encarnacion sent him copies of his passport and flight confirmation for Europe on a flight on February 7.

When he came to New York's JFK airport to catch the flight, the FBI was waiting to capture him.

The next day, officials announced the arrest of Sewell in Dallas.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Editorial

History calls

Human civilisation is at a cross roads as future life on the planet is threatened. Humanity must reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to ZERO by 2050 if we are to have a chance to limit global warming and to save the world for future generations.

The UN Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that even l.5C warming will have brutal consequences  but that if we keep warming to that level, at least this and coming generations will have a fighting chance for the future!

The worlds governments have pledged to the UN to cut emissions, but the targets they have set for themselves would deliver a disastrous 3C of global warming by 2100. These pledges are not enforceable, but worse, at current global rate of emissions we are on track to pass 4C warming!

This level of warming will trigger unprecedented ecological catastrophe  pushing us past possible tipping points, causing out of control runaway warming. Technically, says the IPCC, we can reduce emissions sufficiently to keep global warming to l.5C (it has already risen 1C above pre-industrial levels), but to do this, HUMANITY MUST ACT NOW  at a speed & scale that is without documented historic precedent  if we are to avoid triggering a major extinction event!

The IPCCs urgent recommendations were presented to the UN climate summit in Poland at end of November 2018, attended by 200 governments. Yet, this summit ignored the key question  how can governments step up their targets to keep emissions to 1.5C.

The USA and Australia went so far as to join in a celebration of coal at the summit. The US swore to withdraw from any further climate agreements. The capitalist system cannot and will not prevent global ecological catastrophe. Its heedless drive for profits and growth regardless of social or environmental cost has created the crisis in the first place.

Uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions are just a symptom of the depth and extent of the crisis in which capitalism has placed humanity. The present global political-economic system is dragging us inevitably toward a global disaster, that includes:

Impending environmental catastrophe  global warming; widespread habitat destruction, and a march to mass extinction;

extreme economic inequality; and a global economic crisis that will affect the livelihood of billions;

exacerbating all other environmental and economic crises are growing militarisation and re-emergence of fascism and developments reflecting the drive towards war.

In a powerful speech given to the 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen, the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales (the only Indigenous government leader at the gathering) summed it up:  two cultures are under discussion here: the culture of life and the culture of death; the culture of death, which is capitalism. We, the Indigenous peoples, say that it is living better, better at the cost of others, Morales said.

Mother Earth or Nature exist and will continue to exist without the human race, but human beings cant live without planet Earth, therefore, it is our duty to defend the right of Mother Earth.

We have profound differences with the Western model, and that is under discussion at this moment.

our obligation is to save all of humanity and not half of humanity.

In another strong speech the then Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez noted: If the climate were one of the biggest capitalist banks, the rich governments would have saved it.

Chavez correctly laid the blame for climate change at the feet of capitalism. He went further than the immediate demands and principles of the Protocol and the UNFCCC that were being debated. He addressed the nature of the capitalist system, the cause of the crisis. Can a finite earth support an infinite project? The thesis of capitalism, infinite development, is a destructive pattern we cannot continue like this.

Capitalism is the road to hell, to the destruction of the world. Then paraphrasing Simon Bolivar: If the destructive nature of capitalism opposes us, lets fight against it and make it obey us, lets not wait idly by for the death of humanity.

History calls on us to unite and fight.
New Delhi, March 12 : Amidst an array of Indian cuisines and food enthusiasts, chef Jitender Singh had his concentration set on a watermelon as he carved out the face of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as a tribute to his heroism.

In the thoughtful gesture, Singh, who has served Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, carved out Abhinandan's distinct and "iconic" moustache, on the watermelon, along with "Jai Hind" in Devanagari script and a couple of army men.

"I lost one of my cousins in a Jammu and Kashmir attack... I know what one goes through when your dear ones are in danger. What Abhinandan did for our country is beyond courage and bravery. Through this fruit carving, I wanted to pay a tribute to our brave pilot, our Army men and other defence forces," Singh told IANS while competing against four other chefs in the category of Fruit and Vegetable Carving at the 14th edition of Culinary Art India (CAI) here.

Wing Commander Abhinandan had shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft on February 27 during an aerial engagement with Pakistan Air Force, but his plane was hit and he landed in Pakistani territory. He was later released by Pakistan as a "peace gesture".

For Singh, paying tribute to Abhinandan was more important to him than winning the competition. But he scored a silver for it.

"I just wanted to beautifully depict Abhinandan's bravery through my fruit carving skills," he said, as several visitors at the gala stopped by to see how he shaped up Abhinandan's face on a watermelon.

The culinary festival also saw 15 chefs demonstrating their culinary expertise and competing in Authentic Indian Regional Cuisine.

Be it Punjabi cuisine or Rajasthani or Odisha cuisine or South Indian cuisine -- different flavours and food preparations from across the country were on display on the first day of the Culinary Art India at the Pragati Maidan here.

Lukesh Bajaj of Radisson Blu, Paschim Vihar, was acknowledged as a Gold winner, Prem Singh Rathore (The Oberoi) and Sekh Sahajan (Naad Wellness) won Silver, and MD Jibrail (The Ashok) and Vivek Goswami (The Claridges) won Bronze in Authentic Indian Regional Cuisine category.

"It feels great when your work gets appreciated. Such competitions help in improving our skills and motivate us to do better everytime," Bajaj said.

According to him, it was his dessert "Bhutte ke gulab jamun" and "Matar ki phirni" which made him win the prize.

Not only professional experienced chefs, students who are currently pursuing culinary courses participated at the event too.

Chef Vivek Saggar, General Secretary of Indian Culinary Forum, found the CAI competition as a great "platform for young aspiring chefs".

"CAI is a great platform for these youngsters. I want people to treat these chefs with respect. There was a time when our profession was taken for granted but now the time is changing and I hope people consider these chefs more than just 'bawarchis'," he said.

(Simran Sethi can be contacted at simran.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, March 12 : P.S. Jayakumar, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bank of Baroda (BoB), is likely to head the merged entity of BoB, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank.

Jayakumar was given one-year extension till October 12, 2019. Till that period, he is likely to head the merged entity, sources said. A career banker since 1986, Jayakumar has spent over 23 years in Citibank in India and Singapore.

The cabinet had approved the merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with the BoB in January. The merger will be effective from April 1. After the merger, the BoB would become the third biggest public sector bank.

The merger process, which is in final stages, will see all employees of Vijay Bank and Dena Bank transferred to Bank of Baroda and there are no retrenchment.

There will be some transfers at the level of Executive Directors (ED) to other public sector banks (PSBs) and heads of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank are likely to be shifted as heads to other banks. The Banks Board Bureau, the banking appointment body, will recommend their postings to the Department of Financial Services.

In September 2018, the 'alternative mechanism' (AM) panel headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had decided to merge Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with the BoB. The decision was taken to create a stronger and sustainable global-sized lender.

As per the approved plan, after the start of the amalgamation, boards of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will stand dissolved.

"Any whole-time director, including the managing director, of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, shall cease to hold office and shall be entitled to receive salary and allowances in lieu of the notice in accordance with the applicable law," an earlier BoB statement said.

The entire share capital of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, deed or instrument, without any further Act, will stand cancelled, the statement said, adding the shares of both these banks will also stand de-listed from stock exchanges.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 12 : Congress party in Kerala has also raised objections to the advisory issued by state chief electoral officer T K Meena against raking up the Sabariamala issue as a means to garner votes for the upcoming lok sabha polls.

Sabariamala issue was one that even affected the law and order situation in Kerala. What was the point in saying that it should not be made a poll issue? congress leader and leader of the opposition UDF in Kerala Ramesh Chennithala told reporters on Tuesday.

He added that the UDF would raised this issue in the meeting of political parties called by the election commission on Wednesday.

KPCC working president K Sudhakaran had also on Monday come out against the directive. Sudhakaran said that the UDF would take legal recourse against the chief electoral officer's directive unless it was withdrawn.

Terming the advisory preposterous and erroneous, Sudhakaran called for the election commission to reexamine its decision.

BJP state general secretary K Surendran had also taken exception to the election commission advisory. A defiant Surendran told reporters Monday that the BJP would use the Sabarimala controversy as a poll issue.

"No one has the right to say not to make Sabarimala a poll issue. We will initiate a public debate on the stand taken by the state government on the issue," he had said.

Kerala chief electoral officer T K Meena had on Monday warned political parties against invoking the Sabarimala issue to whip up communal passions with the purpose of canvassing votes.

Citing/invoking or doing some sort of religious propaganda based on Sabarimala issue/judgement" will be a violation of the election commission's model code of conduct and that the commission will initiate action against political parties violating the diktat, Mr. Meena said.

Kerala had been on the boil following the landmark supreme court judgement of September 28 lifting curbs on entry of women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple with the CPI(M)-led LDF government saying it was constitutionally bound to implement the verdict and the BJP and right-wing groups vowing to oppose entry of women.
Hyderabad, March 12 : Telangana's Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali was among the five candidates elected to the state Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Ali, Yegge Mallesham, Seri Subash Reddy and Satyavathi Rathod, all belonging to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Mirza Riyaz ul Hasan Effendi of TRS ally Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) were elected to the upper house from the MLA's quota.

Their election was a formality after the opposition decided to stay away from polling.

Members of state Assembly cast their votes in the elections on Tuesday. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, his cabinet colleagues and all other members of the TRS and the MIM participated in the voting.

According to poll officials, 91 MLAs of the TRS and seven of the MIM cast their votes.

The Congress, which had a strength of 19 in 119-member Assembly, also fielded a candidate with the hope of getting support of both the MLAs of its ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP). However, during last one week, four of its MLAs and one of the TDP defected to the ruling party.

Accusing the TRS of engineering defections, Congress decided to boycott the elections.
London, March 12 : The UK on Tuesday joined Singapore, Australia and a number of other countries in banning Boeing 737 Max planes from operating in or over its airspace, following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane of the same model that killed all 157 people on board.

The US plane manufacturer's latest model suffered a second fatal crash in less than five months on Sunday.

Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and China have also banned the aircraft.

UK's Civil Aviation Authority said the directive would remain in place until further notice, the BBC reported.

"As currently we do not have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying the UK airspace," said a spokesman of the authority.

There are currently five 737 Max aircraft registered and operational in the UK. A sixth is planned to start operations later this week, according to the Guardian.

Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and Singapore suspended operations of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft in and out of their airports, after Indonesia and China grounded their fleets of the Boeing 737 Max 8.

The Singapore suspension affected SilkAir, an arm of Singapore Airlines, that according to the country's Civil Aviation Authority operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Singapore Airlines does not have any 737 MAX 8 planes.

The move affected China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air as these airlines fly into Singapore and have the 737 MAX in their fleets.

Australia's move affected only Singapore Airlines Ltd's SilkAir and Fiji Airways, as no Australian carriers use the model.

In an identical move, Vietnam said it would not licence Boeing 737 Max aircraft in the country, while South Korea suspended operations of the aircraft.

AerolAneas Argentinas too grounded its five Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes. The other airlines and countries that earlier suspended use of the 737 MAX 8 were Ethiopian Airlines, Aeromexico, Cayman Airways and South Africa's Comair.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Boeing 737 Max 8 was airworthy but it had demanded design changes to the aircraft by April.

Boeing said it would deploy a software upgrade across the fleet "in the coming weeks". The company said for several months it "been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 Max, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer".

It did not refer to Sunday's crash in connection to the software upgrade, but did express condolences to the relatives of those killed in the disaster.

The carriers that didn't ground Boeing 737 Max 8 were Fiji Airways, American Airlines, Norwegian, Southwest Airlines and Icelandair.

On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302, on its way to the Kenyan capital Nairobi from Addis Ababa, crashed six minutes after takeoff. It ploughed into a field near Tulu Fara village outside the town of Bishoftu, some 60 km southeast of the Ethiopian capital. The cause of the crash was under probe.

The same model was involved in an accident last October when a Lion Air plane plunged into the sea, off the coast of West Java 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 on board.

The Boeing 737 Max fleet of aircraft are the latest in the company's successful 737 line. The group includes the Max 7, 8, 9 and 10 models, according to the BBC.

By the end of January, Boeing delivered 350 of the Max 8 model out of 5,011 orders. A small number of Max 9s are also operating. The Max 7 and 10 models, not yet delivered, are due for rollout in the next few years.
Vatican City, March 12 : Pope Francis looks set to start his seventh year as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, the same day a high-ranking Australian cardinal will be sentenced for paedophilia.

Pope Francis was elected as leader on March 13, 2013. According to his calendar, he will spend Wednesday performing an annual spiritual retreat in Ariccia, near Rome.

The same day, Cardinal George Pell will be sentenced in Melbourne, Australia, for sexually abusing two boys in 1996, Efe news reported.

Pell, 77, was once the third-most powerful figure at the Vatican and now is the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of paedophilia. He was found guilty by a court in Australia of five charges of sexual abuse of minors including penetration.

The offences were committed soon after he was installed as the Archbishop of Melbourne and around the same time he established the Melbourne Response in 1996, which offered counselling and economic support service to victims of abuse.

He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each charge and has lodged an appeal against his conviction. It is one of a number of child sexual abuse and cover-up scandals the Catholic Church and Francis is currently facing.

The Pope called an unprecedented four-day summit in the Vatican in February on the crisis.

French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, 68, the Archbishop of Lyon, was given a six month suspended prison sentence last week for covering up sexual abuse committed by a paedophile priest under his supervision.

The Pope's Ambassador to France, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, 74, is being investigated for allegedly committing sexual assault against a Paris city hall worker.

Argentine bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, 54, is under investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct with trainee priests.

Chilean Cardinals Javier Errazuriz and Riccardo Ezzati are also being investigated for allegedly covering up paedophile priests.

The coming year will also see a new constitution reforming the Curia, the Church's administrative unit, and Vatican Government system.

The Pope will continue his pontificate with a number of international visits, including upcoming trips to Morocco, Bulgaria and Macedonia. He is also scheduled to travel to Madagascar, Mozambique and Japan.
New Delhi, March 12 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to furnish the data on addition and deletion of voters from electoral rolls in Assam, as revised in January 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The electoral rolls are revised every year in January.

Seeking the data, the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, also sought to know the "precise relationship" between those whose name are in the electoral rolls but not in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), to be released on July 31, 2019.

"The question that looms large and what the Court would like to be informed about is the precise relationship between the final NRC. which is due to be published on July 31, 2019 and the electoral rolls. What would be fate of the persons whose names appear in the electoral roll but are not included in the final NRC?" the court asked the EC.

"This is the question which has great significance for the future and, therefore, the Court had thought it proper to require the Election Commission of India to make the aforesaid stand known", the court said, asking the poll panel to state its position, by an affidavit, within two weeks.

The court further directed the Commission to inform it the "details with regard to the revision of electoral rolls under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950" in Assam, indicating the precise number of names included and deleted from the electoral roll in their revisions in these years, the court said in its order.

EC Secretary Mallay Mallick, who appeared before the court in person, said updating of electoral rolls was a continuous process.

The top court at the last hearing on March 3 had directed personal appearance of the Election Commission's Secretary, noting despite its notice, no one had appeared on behalf of the poll panel.

The court was hearing a plea by Gopal Seth and others, who contended that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls merely because they were not included in the draft NRC, which was published on June 30, 2018.

Rejecting the claim, senior counsel Vikas Singh, appearing for the poll panel, said the petitioners' names were very much in electoral rolls and none of the names have been deleted from the rolls merely because they did not figure in the NRC.

"We have not deleted from the electoral rolls any name, which does not figure in the NRC," Singh said asserting such claims would cause a "huge amount of adverse publicity for the EC".

However, counsel Pijush K. Roy, appearing for Seth, said that the Commission was not aware of the ground situation in Assam.
New Delhi, March 12 : The battle for 2019 goes way beyond Bharatiya Janata Party-versus-Congress contest as the data available for 2014 general election show that the two major contestants rivalled each other only on less than 170 seats, Out of the 282 seats won by the BJP in 2014, the Congress candidate was runners-up on 167 seats. The second major rival for the party was Bahujan Samaj Party on 34 seats followed by Samajwadi Party on 31 seats.

Outside Uttar Pradesh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was locked in a head-on fight with the BJP in Bihar on 16 seats. The BJP won eight seats against Aam Admi Party (AAP) and seven from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

On the 54 seats where the BJP landed up as runners up, 23 were won by the Congress, three by RJD and two by Trinamool Congress.

The BJP not only won the most number of seats, but its winning average vote was also impressive 184,677.

The numbers show that the Congress has a far more uphill task to catch up with the BJP. The BJP, on the other hand, will have to hold its turf. The party has already set an ambitious target of crossing the 300-seat mark on its own riding on the patriotic fervour gripping the nation after the air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.
New Delhi, March 12 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bombay High Court to decide on a plea moved by activist Gautam Navlakha for quashing of the FIR filed by Maharashtra police against him in the Bhima Koregoan case.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked the high court to decide on Navlakha's pending plea within eight weeks. The plea is pending in the high court since October 2018.

Navlakha along with Sudha Bhardwaj, Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira are accused in the Bhima Koregoan case and for alleged links with the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist.

The court order came in the course of the hearing of a plea by the Maharashtra government challenging a Delhi High Court order granting bail to Navlakha, while setting aside the order of transit remand that was earlier passed by a Delhi court.

Appearing for Maharashtra, advocate Nishant Katneshwarkar said how could there be a habeas corpus petition when the accused is in lawful and judicial custody. He also questioned the court for seeking the case diary when the five accused were arrested from five different locations in Delhi, Faridabad, Thane, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

The matter relates to alleged singing of "objectionable songs" and instigating comments, speeches sloganeering 'Elgar Conference' by accused Sudhir Dhawale and others at Bhima Koregaon 'Shouryadin Prerna Abhiyan', organised by the Kabir Kala Manch on December 31, 2017.

Accusing the five of their links with CPI(Maoist), the Maharashtra government alleged they misled the backward people to infuse radical Maoist thoughts in their minds.

As a part of their policy, the Kabir Kala Manch members Sudhir, Dhavale and others made instigating speech at various places in the state, which would "create enmity and violence in the society", the Maharashtra petition had said.
Kolkata, March 12 : Ten companies of Border Security Force (BSF) will reach West Bengal on Friday for deployment in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, an official said here on Tuesday.

"Ten companies of the BSF will reach the state on Friday and will be deployed in various districts and vulnerable pockets," Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, Sanjay Basu told reporters.

"The identification of vulnerable hamlets is almost complete, but there is still time to ascertain the number. Hence, particular districts or areas for deployment of central forces have not been finalised yet," he said.

At an all-party meeting on Monday, political parties complained that the 'cVigil' app, launched by the EC to create a fast-track complaint reception and redressal, was yet to go live even after announcement of the election dates.

"The 'cVigil' app, which was not functional due to technical issues, has gone live today (Tuesday). As many as 86 complaints have been received. Of this, 47 have been dropped," Basu said.

He explained that people might be checking the app and thus some of the complaints got dropped.

"I can say we have not received grave complaints yet. Most of them are related to defacement of various places. The flying squad is monitoring all violations of the 'model code of conduct' and other works are in process," Basu said.
Clean water a human right

Aboriginal lore-men gathered at the source of the Murrumbidgee River in the Kosciuszko National Park on March 2-3 to dance and conduct a healing ceremony. The ceremony followed another held at the mouth of the Murray River the week before. The traditional healing ceremony were led by Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison.

The healing ceremonies are being held to highlight the desecration of the Murray-Darling Basin which needs protection from feral animals, greed, corruption, mismanagement and poor farming practices, along with the impact of hard-hooved feral animals in the Kosciuszko National Park.

A group camp was set up at Cooinbul Hut on March 2.

Meanwhile, the river communities of Menindee, Wilcannia, Dareton, Walgett, Bourke and Dubbo also had a day of action on March 3 to bring attention to the water crisis affecting the Murray/Darling/Barwon river system.

On a recent visit to Menindee and Wilcannia, NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) chair Roy Ah-See said the two towns were severely affected by the water crisis.

But this is not an isolated issue, he said. It is far-reaching and is taking a sickening and crippling toll on river communities along the Murray Darling Barwon. Yes, we have seen graphic images of fish population deaths in extreme numbers. But as NSWALC has continuously stressed, while sad and distressing to see, this is not about marine life.

This is about the wellbeing of a river system which is central to the spiritual beliefs of Australias First Nations people and, now, the chronic health ramifications people are being forced to tolerate due to no fault of their own.

Clean water is a basic human right. Our people are being deprived of that and their health is in jeopardy. Enough is enough. It is time to fix this problem once and for all.

On another front aimed at protecting river systems, more than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people occupied the foyer of Parliament House in Canberra recently calling for an end to destructive fossil fuel industries, and for better management of waterways.

As the protestors gathered at Parliament House, three peak Aboriginal organisations issued a united call for a full federal Royal Commission to uncover the truth about the declining health of rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin.

They included the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN), and the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations (FVTOC).

First Nations are the original custodians of our iconic inland rivers. For 60,000 years, our knowledge and management maintained a sustainable, productive ecosystem. Now, catastrophic fish deaths, toxic blue-green algal blooms and unsafe drinking water are causing distress and hurting our communities, MLDRIN chairperson Rene Woods said.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has failed to engage with First Nations people sufficiently, to address Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Acting Chair of Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN) Michael Anderson said there was a requirement in the CBD to fully engage with First Nations people and to acquire their full prior informed consent with respect to biodiversity and planning for ecosystems in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Only a full federal royal commission can get to the bottom of serious questions about the determination of Sustainable Diversion Limits, use of taxpayer funding and the recognition of First Nations water rights, Mr Anderson said.

Water truck to the rescue

When Eileen Ballangarry saw reports of people unable to bathe their babies because of a lack of water in the far west of NSW, she knew she had to do something. And although Ms Ballangarry has lived in Bendigo, Victoria, for 39 years, she still feels connected to the area.

These are my people. Im a Barkindji woman (people of the Darling River) and all my family are from up that way, she told the Koori Mail. Mrs Ballangarry and her husband Bob are organising a run to Pooncarie, and then on to Menindee, with a load of donated water bottles.

Shes calling for donations, and is organising a large trailer or a truck to transport the bottled water to where it is most needed.

Seeing all those stories on Facebook and in the media broke my heart. The kids cant even have a drink of water from the tap and people cant bathe their babies unless they use bottled water, she said.

People can either donate cash or bottled water. It doesnt matter how much because one bottle of water is better than no water at all.

Mrs Ballangarry also plans to approach a water supplier to buy water in bulk so she is not stripping Bendigo of its bottled water supplies. The 71-year-old retiree said the trip would be an opportunity to visit family and do something practical.

Her husband Bob has a truck licence so he will be driving the seven hours to Pooncarie, and then onto Menindee, which is a couple of more hours away.

As for the causes of the water shortage, Mrs Ballangarry doesnt buy the politicians line that it is because of drought.

It has a bit to do with that but I think its much more than that. Weve seen 120-year-old cod dying and theyve been through drought before. This time its over the top because theres been too much water siphoned from the system for irrigation. Its totally stuffed up.

Anyone wanting to make a donation or arrange to drop off bottled water can contact Mrs Ballangarry on 0427 151 947, or on her Facebook page, which is in her name.

Koori Mail
Pune, March 12 : A day after Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar opted out of the Lok Sabha elections, fresh pressures mounted on him to reconsider his decision on Tuesday.

This time it was another grand-nephew Rohit Pawar, who publicly appealed to Pawar to enter the electoral fray.

Rohit Pawar, son of businessman Rajendra Pawar, penned a short post on his social media accounts, appealing to his grand-uncle to fight the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, saying that "it is the desire of lakhs of party workers also".

On Monday, Sharad Pawar voluntarily decided to step out of the parliamentary poll race and instead it is widely expected that another grand-nephew, Parth Pawar, son of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, will contest from the Madha constituency.

Ajit Pawar and Rajendra Pawar are the sons of Pawar's brothers - Anantrao and Appasaheb - respectively, of the powerful Pawar clan, influential in western Maharashtra politics.

Rohit Pawar - who is himself being groomed to contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections - fervently asked Sharad Pawar "to do a rethink on his decision".

To a question if Sharad Pawar had declined on grounds it would not be proper for too many people from a single family to contest the Lok Sabha polls, he countered: "Its not about a family. For Pawar Saheb, entire Maharashtra is like his family."

However, top NCP sources claim that this time, Pawar may not relent and would choose to keep himself free to campaign for the Congress-NCP in Maharashtra and for the Opposition parties elsewhere in the country to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Besides, it would have appeared somewhat awkward for a person of his stature to contest against his children and grandchildren. It's a wise decision and at least the ruling NDA cannot hurl accusations of promoting dynastic politics," said a senior leader, not willing to be identified.

Another factor that probably weighed Pawar's decisoin was the move by the Congress to field only two persons from the Gandhi family - Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi - with Priyanka expected to take a back seat for now.
Chennai, March 12 : Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi on Tuesday demanded reinvestigation into all suicides by women in Pollachi town of Tamil Nadu over the past seven years following arrest of four persons in the serial sexual assault and blackmail case.

She was addressing a protest rally, organised by her party in Pollachi town of the Coimbatore district, against police inaction in the case.

The police had denied permission for the rally, which was attended by members of the DMK as well as its allies the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

Kanimozhi was taken into custody after her speech and released later.

Speaking at the rally, Kanimozhi said, "Many women were blackmailed. The crime has been going on for the past seven years. There would be a bigger network of criminals, not just the four arrested persons."

She demanded that all suicide deaths in Pollachi over the past seven years should be probed again.

She said it was only after DMK President M.K. Stalin spoke about the AIADMK shielding its partymen allegedly involved in the case and the issue got politicised that the state's ruling party acted against its official A. Nagaraj, for assaulting a victim's brother.

According to Kanimozhi, after arresting the four accused the police had stated there were about 40 videos in their mobile phones. Later they said only four videos had been found, she added.

The mobile phones confiscated from them have been sent for analysis, a police official told IANS on Tuesday.

The Coimbatore (Rural) Police believe there could be around 15 people involved in the sex blackmail racket.

According to the police, the accused would befriend women on the social media and then sexually assault and videograph them. The victims were later blackmailed for money or for physical submission. The victims include college students, home makers and working women.

Deputy Speaker of the Assembly V. Jayaraman said opposition parties were trying to tarnish his name by linking his family members to the racket.

Tamil Nadu police on Tuesday transferred the case to the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID).

Coimbatore District Collector K. Rajamani also passed orders to detain the four arrested in the case -- Thirunavukkarasu, Sabarirajan, Vasanthakumar and Satish -- under the Goondas Act.

Interestingly, whil in hiding Thirunavukkarasu had released a video alleging that some politicians were also involved in the case and sought its transfer to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan has also submitted a memorandum to Director General of Police (DGP) T.K. Rajendran seeking proper action in the case.
Jaipur, March 12 : A espionage case has been registered against Nawab Khan, a driver, detained on Sunday near the International Border in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, a police official said on Tuesday.

The case was filed on the orders of Additional Director General of Police Umesh Mishra.

Acting on intelligence inputs, a special team detained Khan, he said and added during the initial interrogation, Khan admitted of links with the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. He has been shifted to Jaipur for further interrogation.

He was under surveillance of the intelligence force, said police officials.

Khan admitted that he was acting on directions of a Pakistani agency and sending crucial information in a code language via WhatsApp and video call.

In return of the vital information about Indian security forces, he was getting huge money, the police said.

Khan met an ISI officer in a hotel during his 22-day religious tour to Pakistan last year. They exchanged numbers and Khan was assured of huge amount in lieu of crucial information.

Khan would collect information while taking tourists to Barmer and Jaisalmer near border and later transfer the information via WhatsApp to Pakistan-based ISI officers.
Chennai, March 12 : The Madras High Court's Madurai Bench on Tuesday granted conditional bail to college professor Nirmala Devi arrested in the "sex-for-marks" scandal last year.

An Assistant Professor in a college at Aruppukottai in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, she was arrested last April for allegedly luring girl students to provide sexual favours to senior officials of the Madurai Kamaraj University.

Granting her bail, the High Court levied the conditions that she should not interact with the media while on bail and cooperate with the legal proceedings.

The two other accused in the case - Murugan, an Assistant Professor in Madurai Kamaraj University and Karuppusamy, a research scholar - were granted bail last month.
Mumbai, March 12 : Even as speculations are rife that Etihad Airways has set several conditions to extend a financial lifeline to save Jet Airways, the passenger carrier on Tuesday said that four more aircraft have been grounded over non-repayment of dues to lessors, taking the total to 32.

Till now the company, in BSE filings, has informed that its 19 aircraft were grounded in February over non-repayment of dues to lessors, while 13 aircraft were grounded this month, taking the total to 32. The Jet Airways Group operates a fleet of 123 aircraft.

However, around 50 planes are said to be non-operational due to a host of reasons, including lack of spare parts.

With regular grounding of aircraft, sources said close to 50 per cent of the airline's fleet is not operational. Analysts said the situation is fast moving on the path taken by now-defunct Kingfisher Airline.

"Further to our letter dated 7 March, 2019, we now write to inform you that an additional four aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors under their respective lease agreements," the airline said in a regulatory filing to the BSE on Tuesday.

"The company also continues to provide required and periodic updates to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in this regard."

The development assumes significance as the Gulf-based Etihad Airways, which holds 24 per cent stake in the Indian airline, and a new partner, are said to have set several conditions to extend a financial lifeline to save Jet Airways.

According to reports, Etihad Airways and a new partner will together invest around Rs 4,000 crore to revive the airline.

The reports, based on a MoU apparently signed between Etihad and Jet, said that the company's founder Naresh Goyal and his wife will step down from the airline's board.

On March 8, the cash-strapped Jet Airways' outgoing Chairman Goyal had sought an immediate funding of Rs 750 crore from Etihad.

In a letter written to Etihad Aviation Group CEO Tony Douglas on March 8, he had sought the funding by early next week.

"As you are no doubt aware, Jet Airways is in a very precarious position, with more than 50 aircraft grounded and increasing arrears of vendors and salaries, which makes the need for interim funding all the more imperative," the letter, accessed by IANS, said.

"I now look forward to your support and cooperation in saving the airline by an urgent fund infusion by way of interim funding support of Rs 750 crore early next week, so that a matching contribution from the banks is also disbursed, as envisaged in the Resolution Plan," it said.

To move things forward, Jet Airways has secured the approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation for pledging of Jet Airways' shares in Jet Privilege Pvt Ltd (JPPL) to secure the interim funding, it noted.

Jet Airways holds 49.9 per cent stake in JPPL, while the majority is with Etihad.

Etihad Airways' board even met in Abu Dhabi on Monday to discuss the resolution plan for Jet Airways.

The Jet Airways board had on February 14 approved the resolution plan, as per which the lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), would become the largest shareholders in the airline by converting itss debt into equity at a nominal price of Re 1.

The bailout plan was approved by the shareholders on February 21.
Kolkata, March 12 : For Trinamool Congress celebrity candidate Nusrat Jahan, her new stint in politics is just like household work, and she believes she can easily balance her new role with her film career.

"For me, managing home and shooting for films both are my full-time jobs. Now I don't think to work for people will be like extra work. Handling two things is always difficult but everything can be balanced," she said on Tuesday after her nomination as a Trinamool nominee from the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in North 24 Parganas.

The 28-year-old actor said the young generation now had the capability to manage life with great efficiency. The way she managed her house and film career, her new stint will make no difference, she said.

"Whenever we work in a film, we feel nervous about it. It is not that I am nervous for my political stint but yes I have got a huge responsibility which needs to be fulfilled," said the actress of "Zulfiqar", a drama directed by filmmaker Srijit Mukherji.

According to Jahan, people have loved her for her films, so it is now her turn to fulfil the duty towards them as a public representative.

Asked if she has any message for the citizens, she said: "For now I simply expect them to be supportive when I work for them, the way they have supported my films."

She did not agree that politics can end an actor's carreer, as it takes away precious hours from one's busy schedule.

"This is a 25-year-old thought. I would say the young generation is aware of every development. So this thought process surrounding the idea no longer prevails that I am choosing politics as another venture since my career in films has ended," she said.
London, March 13 : India's securing of extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya offers "a template" for a similar outcome in the Nirav Modi case, a renowned London legal firm specialising in extradition cases said on Tuesday.

"Further to the Vijay Mallya case, India now has a template to refer to when dealing with the extradition procedure of Nirav Modi from the UK. The good news is that the UK's Home Secretary Sajid Javid, has already set things in motion, by agreeing to the extradition request," Sarosh Zaiwalla, Founder and Senior Partner at Zaiwalla & Co. LLP, said in a statement.

Zaiwalla, a prominent lawyer of Indian descent, however, noted that the process could be delayed if the absconding diamantaire, who along with his uncle Mehul Choksi, fled India after defrauding the state-run Punjab National Bank of Rs 13,000 crore, has applied for asylum in Britain.

In this case, the extradition proceedings are not likely to begin until the asylum application has been rejected, he said.

Zaiwalla suggested that the Indian government's next step should be to "make a formal written representation to the relevant asylum department at Home Office setting out the grounds why Nirav Modi should not be granted asylum" as he faces allegation of fraud in India.

The next steps after Nirav Modi's asylum application is rejected will echo the Vijay Mallya case proceedings - starting from being directed to Westminster Magistrate, taken into provisional custody, applying for bail, and then the court will hear his plea, he said.

Once the court rules for his extradition, the Home Secretary will be expected to once again sign the order for compliance.

"At this stage, the case looks straight forward," Zaiwalla said, but cautioned that complications can only arise if Nirav Modi has acquired any European or other international citizenship.

"In such cases, there might be a long battle ahead, subject to various international and extraterritorial legalities involved."

On Nirav Modi now reportedly operating another diamond business from Soho in Central London, he said that this would imply the diamantaire had secured a National Insurance Number - a form of tax reference for operating a business/working in the UK.

Noting that this comes as there is an Interpol red notice - to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition - against him, Zaiwalla said that such notice is not an international arrest warrant, "but merely a provisional request to detain an individual" which is purely optional for the country concerned.
NREP appoints Stefan Wallander as new CEO for its operations in Sweden. Wallander will now lead NREP through an expansive growth phase as the company plans on broadening both its business and areas of investment. Wallander is currently a Partner at the Stockholm office and has many years experience within

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Joel Cann has resigned from Aspen Group to pursue another opportunity.

His resignation will take effect on Friday 12 April 2019.

Clive Appleton, chairman of Aspen Group, has thanked Cann for his efforts over the past two and a half years.

The listed property minnow Aspen Group appointed the property veteran in September 2016.

Cann joined Aspen from AMB Capital Partners, where he was the founding managing director.

Last month Aspen Group announced its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2018 recording a statutory profit of $0.4 million, the significant components of which include:

Operating profit after tax of $1.5 million Offset by:

Revaluation decrement of $0.7 million;

Acquisition costs incurred of $0.2 million; and

Professional fees of $0.2 million.

Cann said 1H FY19 continued the significant steps taken towards a goal of being a major owner and operator in the Australian affordable accommodation sector.

It acquired its sixth tourism park, Highway 1 in Adelaide SA, which was settled in Q2 FY19.

The acquisition was valued at $23 million.

He noted headwinds at a number of assets including Darwin FreeSpirit where corporate accommodation demand fell in line with reduced major project activity, Adelaide came off of a strong FY18 period that include Ashes and major event activity whilst Tomago reduced available inventory pending the redevelopment work to be undertaken in that business.

Development activity significantly advanced during the half with the majority of civil works completed at Four Lanterns in Leppington NSW.

There are 11 residences on site with sales activity resulting in five confirmed sales.

It has also commenced initial works at Tomago in preparation for stage 1 of the 52-site expansion.

The sale of its final non-core asset at Midland WA was completed during 1H FY19, bringing to a conclusion the restructure of the group to an affordable accommodation provider.

The business finished in a net debt position of $16.3 million at the end of the year, post the Highway 1 acquisition, and has $25 million of capacity to deploy towards future acquisitions and investments.
Housing affordability supposedly ranks as a top-three Federal election issue, after the cost of living and healthcare and ageing, according to a survey by the Housing Industry Association.

Affordability ranked ahead of immigration and the environment, concluded the JWS Research survey of 1500 people.

"The importance of home ownership to Australians couldn't be clearer. Now more than ever, home ownership matters," the Housing Industry Association chief economist Tim Reardon noted.

It comes as first home buyers have been more active in the market with Sydney housing around 10% more affordable than this time last year.

A typical Sydney dwelling now costs $789,000, below the $884,000 it was early last year, according to CoreLogic. The biggest Sydney declines have been in the municipalities of Ryde and Canterbury-Bankstown.

Of course, it is not just those aspiring to first home ownership that worry about affordability, as separate polling research in Tony Abbott's seat of Warringah on Sydney's Northern beaches indicated.

The concerns of Warringah voters focused around infrastructure, especially roads and traffic congestion, population growth, environmental concerns, but also housing affordability for their children.

The focus groups, sponsored by the University of Canberras Democracy 2025 project and conducted by Landscape Research, suggested older Warringah voters were more engaged, more readily able to discuss issues in federal politics, while younger voters have largely tuned out, feeling powerless.

Reardon said the Australian dream of owning a home was "still embedded in the psyche of Australians". He adds with a federal election imminent, it was important to recognise that 71% of people believe governments have an important role in helping Australians achieve their dream.

Interestingly, the HIA research found that home ownership was viewed as especially important to achieving financial stability in retirement.

This comes as there's continuing debate about whether first home buyers should be allowed to access their superannuation.

It flared again recently after a key recommendation from Kenneth Hayne's Financial Services Inquiry.

Hayne says superannuation should be solely to look after Australians in retirement, not first home purchases.

Any incoming Federal Labor Government will accordingly phase out the Coalition government's First Home Super Saver Scheme that allows first timers to access their super accounts.

The scheme, which enables first time buyers to access extra savings put into their superannuation account, was introduced in the 2017 budget by then treasurer Scott Morrison. He argued it would help young people accelerate their savings to buy into markets.

Between the start of the program on July 1 last year and February this year, around 2400 people have made requests to access their super top-up.

That equated to around 4% of the first home buyers who'd secured a home loan over the period.

They have sought the release equating to a helpful $12,000 per person.

Labor voted against the scheme when it was created, but assures current users of the scheme they will not be affected by their policy.

It is one of many housing schemes ditched by governments in recent times as they come and go.

We have seen off the National Rental Affordability Scheme and the First Home Saver Account schemes too.

I'd suggest one reason for the young voter feeling powerless was this constant changing tides with policy.

Navigating the housing market with confidence, for any age, requires policy consistency from our federal leaders.

This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph.
Speaker of Parliament standing with VKS director Richard Shing after the handing over
Pursuing the GERM

Education privatisation

The following article produced by the Australian Education Union looks at an international crusade to impose the discipline of the market on the provision of education. The results of the marketisation of schooling are the focus of this article. The so-called Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) is constructed from a related set of dogmas associated with open and competitive markets:

provider choice and competition

for-profit providers of education and training

efficiency combined with higher quality

high-stakes external testing

narrowing of curriculum and

the use of under- or unqualified, and therefore cheaper, teachers.

The wide-spread introduction of market-based provision of education and training has its genesis in a highly influential, but remarkably short, mid-20th century paper authored by the Nobel Prize winning American economist, Milton Friedman. His basic proposition was that education was not a valid activity of the state. Public provision of education results in an indiscriminate extension of government responsibility in countries that are philosophically aligned with free enterprise, such as Australia.

In a study designed to determine if the promised improvements that were expected of increased marketisation and privatisation of school education had materialised, three paired sets of countries were compared over several decades. One of each pair had pursued the GERM policies while the other had adopted policy drivers enabling the provision of a public investment approach to education.

Comparisons

The comparators were Chile-Cuba, Sweden-Finland and United States (several states) and Canada (Ontario). By using the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and some other standard measures, it was shown that Chile, Sweden and the United States had not produced the anticipated beneficial results from their single-minded implementation of the GERM. In addition system-wide student achievement had actually decreased while the transfer of ownership or management to private agents had resulted in growing levels of inequality and segregation of students and their families.

Furthermore, a broader analysis of the international data demonstrates that in the countries pursuing GERM the entire national cohorts results show lower academic standards for all students, including the so-called academically elite that fled to private schooling. Chile, which was advised by Friedman directly, now has students that are left in the dust, achievement-wise by Cubas publicly-managed schools in spite of the island nations greater economic challenges.

Swedens overall student achievement has dropped precipitously from being one of the most highly educated countries in Europe to now performing well below the current OECD average in PISA. In PISA 2013, in all subject areas, Sweden is the country whose performance has declined the most. In contrast, Finland chose the public investment approach and now consistently leads the PISA results due to public provision of education, highly qualified teachers, low-stakes assessment and whole-child teaching and learning strategies.

The United States is more complex, but states with the highest overall PISA results have the least number of charter schools and lower levels of privatisation while those states with the most advanced market-based reforms are consistently lower performers. This result stands in stark contrast to Ontarios students who demonstrated significantly improved PISA scores after a hard-fought election replaced the GERM-promoting politicians and their policies with an explicit system of education treated as a public investment in its youth.

Privatisation policy

The Global Education Reform Movement has experienced stable bi-partisan political support in Australia since the late 1980s. The long-term implementation of the GERMs competition parameters into the education sector has resulted in the Australian Productivity Commissions declaration of the increased value to users and the whole community that choice and competition has produced from the well established market for schools. In making its assessment of the potential costs and benefits of economic reform options the Productivity Commission examines five attributes:

quality  incentives for providers to offer high-quality services

equity  who is effected by reform and how

efficiency  incentives for providers to reduce costs and maintain quality

responsiveness  providers being more responsive to users needs and

accountability  more accountability to funders (taxpayers and users).

Using the same PISA results from the previously discussed international comparisons of the impact of GERM, it is difficult to attribute higher quality outcomes to the establishment of a marketised Australian schooling sector. In their analysis of the 2015 PISA scores, the Australian Council for Educational Research describes that not only is Australia slipping backwards relative to other countries, but we are getting worse at preparing our students for the everyday challenges of adult life. The science, reading and mathematics achievement of Australian students is in absolute decline.

In terms of efficiency, the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all of the economic groups used in the measure for the period 2006-2017 has increased by a total of 29.9 percent (average of 2.9 percent per year). In the same period the CPI for secondary education rose 73.2 percent (6.1 percent annually) and primary education rose 61.6 percent (5.13 percent per annum).

The cost of schooling in the marketised sector has increased at more than double the rate of the national cost of living in each and every year rather than the hypothesised reductions produced by increased competition.

Equity hit

The attribute of equity is also going backwards in Australias privatised and marketised schooling system. In common with Chile, Sweden and the United States, Australias median PISA scores have fallen consistently since 2000 and while all cohorts [of SES percentile] have fared worse, the performance at the bottom has fallen by almost 50 percent more than those at the top.

It is well-documented that Australian students performance is declining relative to global peers. Another feature of Australian education is the inequality widens as children move through their school years. This clear trend corresponds with increasing privatisation. Seventy percent of primary school students go to public schools, but the number of secondary school students in public schools has now fallen below 60 percent. Even inside the public sector, marketisation has also resulted in the near total exclusion of students from the lower SES percentiles being accepted into selective schools.

Advocates of GERM view the shift of students from the public to private sector as a positive indicator of provider responsiveness to the increased parental choice created by the provision of public funds to private schools in order to support the market. This intervention actually commenced in the 1950s when Australian governments funded the Catholic system to avoid its collapse under the strain of the post-war baby boom and increased immigration.

The federal governments willingness to increase the market share of private schools has been a consistent feature of post-war public policy. In 1958 non-government schools enrolled 24 percent of all Australian school children and this had dropped to 21 percent by 1975; while in private secondary schools the share of enrolments fell from one third in 1961 to just under a quarter in 1975.

It seems probable that the discipline of the marketplace would meet the Productivity Commissions requirement for increased accountability that comes from educational microeconomic reform. The broad patterns of shifting enrolments between school sectors and individual schools, in a fully informed market, will hold schools to account as student enrolments determine income and the future existence of the school. These results give an indication as to the measures of success that are apparently politically acceptable to governments.

Quality, equity and efficiency can each decrease significantly as a result of marketisation and privatisation of education services as long as a user choice market exists and providers rise and fall on the basis of this choice being exercised.
Chris Coonan, the chief executive of Landmark White, has resigned from his post following the cyber security breach that saw thousands of records posted on the darkweb.

Coonan had spent over 14 years at the embattled property services company, who have lost a string of major clients including CBA, NAB and ANZ since a dataset containing property valuation and personal contact information stolen last month.

He was named CEO in 2016, having previously been the national director for residential valuations.

Landmark White have been under fire from all angles since the dataset was listed on the dark web in February.

"We can now share that on 30 December 2018, we received a message through the 'Live Chat' messaging service on our website, providing us with a link to the dark web," the company advised at the time.

"An unknown criminal has maliciously accessed a LandMark Whites system."

"We do not know the identity of the individual," it added.

Its investigations reveal that the dataset contained:

approximately 137,500 unique valuation records, and approximately 1,680 supporting documents.

approximately 250,000 individual records in total but a lot of records are duplicates.

The date of the documents range between approximately 4 January 2011 and 20 January 2019.

The board has also announced that co-founder of LMW, Glen White, and Frank Hardiman will stand down as a Non-Executive Directors of the company.
Homicide Squad detectives have charged a third man with one count of attempted murder following a shooting in Point Cook in February.

The 29-year-old Irish national, from Point Cook, was arrested at a Melbourne airport on Sunday about 9pm.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court tomorrow.

The arrest follows the shooting of a 53-year-old Sydney estate agent, Sid Morgan on Thursday 21 February in which detectives are still appealing for public assistance.

Investigators are trying to locate two vehicles, both white Toyota Hilux Rugged utilities, believed linked to the shooting with investigators believing they could be anywhere in the Melbourne metropolitan area or possibly as far north in the state as Nagambie.

Two men arrested in Broken Head, NSW on 27 February in relation to the shooting have each been charged with one count of attempted murder.

The 30-year-old and the 26-year-old, both from Point Cook, were remanded in custody and will appear again at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 27 May 2019.

Sid Morgan remains in hospital.
AIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce that David Solis will present at the 2019 SMTA Juarez Technical Seminar at Four Centuries Convention Center in Cd Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Davids presentation, Assessing the Effectiveness of IO Stencil Aperture Modifications on BTC Void Reduction, will be presented in two parts on March 14, 2019. Part one of the presentation is at 6:30 PM and part two is at 7:20 PM.

Mr. Solis will present the results of an AIM study examining the effect of QFN I/O paste deposits on ground pad voiding. BTCs have been rapidly incorporated into PCB designs because of their low cost, small footprint and overall reliability. The combination of leadless terminations and ground/thermal pads create a number of challenges, including tilting, poor solder fillet formation, difficult inspection and  most notably  center/ground pad voiding. Voids in ground pad solder joints can be difficult to control due to the variety of input variables that can influence their formation. Most of the published center pad voiding studies have focused on optimizing center pad footprint and stencil aperture designs. This study focuses on I/O pad stencil modifications rather than center pad modifications. It shows a no-cost, easily implemented I/O design guideline that can be deployed to consistently and repeatedly reduce void formation on BTC-style packages.

To discover all of AIMs products and services, visit http://www.aimsolder.com.

About the Presenter

David Solis is a Technical Application Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the electronics industry, specializing in SMT maintenance and production for automotive, commercial, medical and solar industries. A Selective Solder Process Expert, with additional certifications in Bullet Proof management and Process Optimization, he also has experience as a manufacturing and project engineer.

About AIM

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, AIM Solder is a leading global manufacturer of assembly materials for the electronics industry with manufacturing, distribution and support facilities located throughout the world. AIM produces advanced solder products such as solder paste, liquid flux, cored wire, bar solder, epoxies, lead-free and halogen-free solder products, and specialty alloys such as indium and gold for a broad range of industries. A recipient of many prestigious SMT industry awards, AIM is strongly committed to innovative research and development of product and process improvement as well as providing customers with superior technical support, service and training. For more information about AIM, visit http://www.aimsolder.com.

Upcoming Events:

March 20-22, 2019  Productronica China, Shanghai, China

March 26, 2019  SMTA Intermountain, Boise State University, Boise, ID

April 4, 2019  SMTA Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
Living back and forth between Taiwan and the U.S. since her teenage years, Fay Chou considers herself half a banana  yellow skinned on the outside but often think and act like a white American. In her debut book, she offers readers an interesting comparison between Chinese culture and American culture through her unique and extraordinary experiences. To know more about her story, visit https://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Half-Banana-Fay-Chou/dp/1543749585.

Memoir of Half a Banana (published by Partridge Singapore) highlights how two different upbringing and two distinct cultures shaped Chous life. In it, readers will witness how she overcomes language barrier and cultural shock to thrive in another country, how she marries a man completely opposite of herself, and how the two bought a small restaurant when they had only $8 in the bank months earlier.

There are no other books like mine because no one else has lived through a life like mine, Chou emphasizes. This early exposure to another culture, yet still maintaining the traditions of my native culture, gave me an insight into both cultures in a unique and unprecedented way. When asked what she aims for readers to take away from the book, Chou says, We should keep an open mind and appreciate the diversity of people around us, regardless of their origin. And, life is full of challenges, but with hard work, determination and perseverance, we can rise above any circumstance.

Memoir of Half a Banana

By Fay Chou

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 288 pages | ISBN 9781543749588

Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 288 pages | ISBN 9781543749564

E-Book | 288 pages | ISBN 9781543749571

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Born in postwar Taiwan in 1949, Fay Chou attended a junior high school in the United States due to her fathers government job. She returned to Taiwan for high school and college education at National Taiwan University. She worked in Taiwan for a few years for Guideposts Magazine, Chinese Edition, as an English teacher, translator and senior editor, as well as teaching English at a language institute, The American English Center. After getting married in 1974, Chou went to America with her husband for his graduate studies. They bought a small Chinese restaurant in De Kalb, Illinois, and ran it for seven years. A son and a daughter later, the couple moved to Los Angeles, California, where they would take up permanent residence. Chou and her husband worked for a few years for the same wholesale company as its general manager and president, respectively, and then they started an import/wholesale company of their own. For the next 20 years, they traveled extensively between Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and the United States, further realizing the extent of cultural influence in the business world. Chou worked at her last job for Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, USA, in San Dimas, California, as a senior editor. She resigned and went back to Taiwan to take care of her parents at the end of 2014. After her father passed away, she went to live with her husband in Hong Kong where all her in-laws live. Now she devotes her time in writing.


"We partner with only the best in each segment of the market, which is why we are so excited to partner with CallRail."

CallRail, the worlds most popular call tracking and analytics provider, today announced the inclusion of SmartBug Media to its new Agency Partner Program. This program grants the top digital marketing agencies in the world the opportunity to land and expand their client base with CallRail's exclusive partner benefits.

SmartBug Media, a 65-person Orange County-based Intelligent Inbound marketing agency that was recently named HubSpot Global Partner of the Year and HubSpots highest-rated agency in the world, was a key early enrollee in CallRails Agency Partner Program. SmartBugs focus on measurement and continuous improvement led it to partner with CallRail.

"We partner with only the best in each segment of the market, which is why we are so excited to partner with CallRail," said Ryan Malone, Founder and CEO of SmartBug Media. CallRail gives us another powerful tool to help us optimize our clients marketing and grow their revenue faster.

CallRails Agency Partner Program aims to help the more than 200 agencies already enrolled in the program attain their business goals including more leads, clearer attribution and boosting their overall bottom line. As a designated Agency Partner, SmartBug Media has an insiders view of CallRail and exclusive access to specialized sales support and educational resources.

CallRail is thrilled to partner with SmartBug Media, as our team is dedicated not only to providing value and business support to their bottom line, but their clients and customers too, said Mary Pat Donnellon, Chief Revenue Officer at CallRail. Our Agency Partner Program is how we move the needle for our top agency partners, giving them increased support and the necessary tools to gain full insights into what is driving the most leads, proving ROI to their clients.

For more information about SmartBug Media, visit smartbugmedia.com. To learn more about CallRail and their programs and products, visit http://www.callrail.com.

About SmartBug:

SmartBug Media is a globally recognized intelligent inbound marketing agency assisting businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, increasing brand awareness, and building customer loyalty through content marketing, sales enablement, web development, marketing automation, and public relations.

As HubSpot's 2018 Global Partner of the Year, SmartBug is the highest-rated HubSpot partner in the world. The company has not only been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies twice, but it has also won several Great Place to Work awards. With more than 100 awards for client work in 2018 aloneand a team with a combined 550 marketing certificationsSmartBug is fully dedicated to delivering client success and an unparalleled agency experience.

About CallRail:

CallRail provides call tracking and analytics to more than 100,000 companies and marketing agencies globally. Its intuitive software helps data-driven marketers optimize the performance of their advertising campaigns, increase sales effectiveness, and improve customer retention. From call tracking, routing, recording, and analytics, CallRail provides valuable data about your leads and customers to help grow your business.
I have met so many children with stories like James and I have seen how their lives change after surgery. These children are the reason why I keep coming back to help, added Loveridge.

Kristi Loveridge and her wife Lorena Arellano recently traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for an Operation Smile medical mission where the team helped over 100 children receive new smiles. Operation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in low-and middle-income countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial differences.

One of my favorite things to do on a medical mission is to bring bottles of nail polish to paint patients nails, said Loveridge. Even though we dont speak the same language, this is a small gesture that shows patients I care, I see you and I want to connect with you. Since sometimes I cant say this, I try to show it through painting nails, added Loveridge.

Loveridge always wanted to give more. When she found out about the opportunity to use her nursing skills to help children in low-and middle-income countries, she couldnt get on a mission fast enough. Almost 10 years later, Loveridge has volunteered as a pre-op/post-op nurse on 22 medical missions and touched hundreds of childrens lives. After many years of volunteering with Operation Smile, Loveridge convinced her wife, Lorena Arellano, to join the Operation Smile team as medical records volunteer.

As a trained medical records volunteer, Arellano takes all the information from a patients paper medical record and transfers it to an electronic medical record. The Operation Smile team of surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses rely on each patients medical record to administer medicine and customize their care plan. Also, Arellano and her team help to generate the surgical schedule for each day.

This trip to Guadalajara marked Arellanos 12th medical mission. The medical mission was extra special for Arellano because she was born in Mexico and the Guadalajara site was where she went to on her first medical mission with Operation Smile.

As the medical records team leader at this site, she oversees helping to train local and international volunteers. It feels really good to be able to help out people in country, to train them, so they can be self-sufficient at some point, said Arellano. Its a part of me that I didnt know I had. It makes me feel so happy that I found this other side of me that I didnt know thanks to Operation Smile, added Arellano.

Loveridge and Arellano plan to continue to volunteer their time on medical missions for as long as they can. The couple normally volunteers on separate missions but this one was special since they were able to go on it together.

I keep coming back to Operation Smile because of the individuals I meet and the lives we help change. We both met a boy named James. He was 19 years old and had never made eye contact and only went outside with a surgical mask, said Loveridge. I have met so many children with stories like James and I have seen how their lives change after surgery. These children are the reason why I keep coming back to help, added Loveridge.

About Operation Smile

Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of safe surgeries for those born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. With more than three decades of expertise, Operation Smile creates solutions that deliver free surgery to people where its needed most. As one of the largest medical volunteer-based nonprofits, Operation Smile has mobilized thousands of medical volunteers from a wide range of medical specialties from more than 80 countries. Operation Smile engages public-private partnerships to advance health care delivery, train local medical professionals to provide surgical care for patients in their communities, donate crucial medical equipment and supplies, and increase access to surgical care so that everyone living with cleft is treated. Visit http://www.operationsmile.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Many delegates noted the sophistication of Grand Caymans infrastructure, the level of professionalism exhibited by service providers, the quality and variety of culinary offerings and the luxury real estate available for sale on island.

The Cayman Islands continued to strengthen its position as a financial services leader and one of the worlds top financial centres with three noteworthy and well-attended industry conferences in February: STEP 2019, CAIS19, and Royal Fidelity CEO.

These conferences collectively drew over 300 international speakers and delegates to the Cayman Islands. The gathering of so many of the worlds top financial services professionals in our small country is extraordinary, said Chris Duggan, Director of CAIS and VP of Business Development for Dart Real Estate. Each of these conferences provided a platform for candid conversations and mind-blowing talks on a broad range of interesting and relevant topics  it was a truly enriching experience for those attending any of these three events.

STEP 2019: International Wealth Structuring Forum

STEP Cayman Islands, the local chapter of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, focused on wealth structuring and issues affecting the trust industry at their annual conference held on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. Over 40 local and international speakers and trust experts, including keynote speakers the Honourable Grand Court Justice Ian Kawaley and Independent Advisor to Families USA Mary Duke TEP, presented to 350 attendees. Major conference sponsors included the Cayman Islands Ministry of Financial Services & Home Affairs, Dart Real Estate and Cayman Finance.

The discussions around legislation, transparency and regulatory guidelines for family offices were timely and informative, especially as we are seeing an increase in interest in Cayman, said Jackie Doak, President of Business Development for Dart Real Estate. We also became aware of new trends in the reinsurance industry and how they will encourage more businesses to select the Cayman Islands.

Doak, who also attended the CAIS19 conference, was delighted to hear from newcomers to the Cayman Islands about their first impressions and overall experience. Delegates at STEP and CAIS were notably impressed by the excellent quality of just about everything they experienced here, says Doak. I met many who noted the sophistication of Grand Caymans infrastructure, the level of professionalism exhibited by service providers, the quality and variety of culinary offerings and the luxury real estate available for sale on island.

CAIS19 Tech-Tonic Shift: Innovation in Alternative Investments

Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman and renowned magician David Blaine added a touch of brilliance and magic to the already exceptional lineup of speakers at this years Cayman Alternative Investment Summit, better known as CAIS, held on Feb. 6-8 at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa.

More than 80 different speakers from around the globe, many of them experts in the fields of investment or technology, gathered at the annual conferencea not-for-profit event hosted by Dart Enterprises and dedicated to supporting financial services both in the Cayman Islands and internationally. Speakers included the best minds from the alternative investment industry such as Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group, Mark Yusko of Morgan Creek Capital, Daniel DAniello of The Carlyle Group, Nancy Davis of Quadratic Capital Management, Scott Kupor of Andreessen Horowitz, Dr. Jianbo Lu of Ford Motor Company, Eileen Murray of Bridgewater Associates, Fahmi Quadir of Safkhet Capital and Bettina Warburg of Animal Ventures.

Over 400 people gathered to explore an array of topics from blockchain and cryptocurrency to artificial intelligence and alternative data to globalisation and geopolitics, said Chris Duggan. We also saw more women take the stage than ever before. Female speakers included Dr. Beth Healey, who spent a year in Antarctica researching the effects of physical and psychological isolation on a group of people as a precursor to deep space exploration; and Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva, the worlds first peer-to-peer microlending website.

Royal Fidelity CEO 2019 -- Dynamic New World: Braving the Turmoil

At the end of February Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank & Trust Limited hosted the 16th annual 2019 Cayman Economic Outlook, or RFCEO Conference, under a theme inspired by the ideas presented in the dystopian novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The one-day event explored todays global economic challenges, technological changes and the five-speaker lineup challenged thoughts and beliefs of the status quo in healthcare, technology and globalisation.

In line with the conference theme, Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin gave his annual RFCEO address and announced Darts proposal to develop an iconic tower that would create a new Grand Cayman skyline that would become recognisable the world over.

The potential economic benefits are considerable, said McLaughlin who indicated Darts proposal would include another US $1.5 billion in investment to support economic growth in the Cayman Islands. There is much that is within our grasp if only we are bold and the decisions we make will have profound impact on the long-term economic outlook of these islands.

Following the Premier's address, was keynote speaker and economist Noreena Hertz, a regular commentator in publications like The New York Times, The Guardian and The Washington Post, who spoke about forces facing business leaders such as political and technological disruption, biotechnology and current geopolitical risks. Other speakers included Ian Goldin, Founding Director and Professor of Globalization and Development, University of Oxford; Andreas Ekstrom, Digital Revolution Journalist; Jamie Metzl, Biotechnology Futurist; Mark Mathews, Professional Surfer, Red Bull Athlete and a motivational speaker who moved the audience to tears.

RFCEO is an important event for the Cayman Islands, says Brett Hill, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Fidelity Bank (Cayman) Limited. If youre living or doing business here, this is a relevant business conference that analyses global influences impacting our economy. If youre considering moving your business to Grand Cayman, conferences of this calibre prove that the jurisdiction is a safe, stable and reputable place to do business.

Find out about 2020 conference dates as they are announced, or for more information on doing business in the Cayman Islands, visit http://www.dartrealestate.com.
This is a significant step for Esca Bona and allows us to collaborate with and support nonprofit event partners that are also dedicated to creating a more regenerative, nourishing and accessible food system.

Beginning this year, the Esca Bona platform will expand beyond the annual fall event through powerhouse partnerships forged with nonprofit organizations equally as impassioned about changing the food system, bringing a next-generation level of collaboration to the most pressing problems in our food system.

This is a significant step for Esca Bona and allows us to collaborate with and support nonprofit event partners that are also dedicated to creating a more regenerative, nourishing and accessible food system, said Carlotta Mast, Senior Vice President of Content and Market Leader at New Hope Network. Esca Bona remains committed to bringing a passionate community together to solve some of the most complex problems facing the food industry, and these partner events allow us to do that in more places more often. Every touchpoint is meant to build partnerships and lead to more collaboration among attendees looking to stir up the status-quo of food.

In 2019, Esca Bona will further its mission of jointly creating solutions for a more regenerative, nourishing and accessible food system. The annual event that was held in Austin, TX, from 2015-2018 is now evolving through a programming and community presence at the following partner events.

Slow Money Northern California Food Funded  Food entrepreneurs and investors convene here for a day of educational workshops and presentations with a focus on investments in an economy based on principles of soil fertility, sense of place, care of the commons, and economic, cultural and biological diversity. Food Funded will be held June 6 at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco.

Grow North FoodAgIdeas  Grow Norths aim is to create an interconnected, sophisticated, supportive ecosystem for Minnesotas food and agricultural entrepreneurs and innovators. FoodAgIdeas Week will be held October 10-15 in Minneapolis.

At the Epicenter Regenerative Earth Summit  At the Epicenter is committed to supporting the momentum of business to collaborate across sectors in order to address pressing challenges facing humanity. The Regenerative Earth Summit: Soil + Water + Climate will focus on the impacts of the food, fashion and beauty industries on water use, conservation and pollution. The third annual summit will be held October 23-24 in Denver.

FamilyFarmed Good Food Innovation and Finance Conference  FamilyFarmeds enduring goals are a healthier, more environmentally sustainable and more economically dynamic food system. Esca Bona will help coordinate a keynote and service project at their Good Food Innovation and Finance Conference to be held November 5-6 in Chicago.

Additional Esca Bona events were held in conjunction with Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, March 5th-9th and will be highlighted at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore September 12th-14th.

The Esca Bona Platform sponsors include 301 Inc, Giannuzzi Group and Healthy Brand Builders.

For more information visit escabona.com and follow the latest @EscaBona on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Esca Bonas Fodder podcast launches in March 2019 and will feature the leaders, innovators and ideas fueling the good food movement.

About New Hope Network

New Hope Network is at the forefront of the healthy lifestyle products industry. With solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers, the network offers a robust portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services. Through its mission of growing healthy markets to bring more health to more people, New Hope Network helps businesses identify the people, products, partnerships and trends that create better opportunities and connections. For more information visit http://www.newhope.com.

About Informa

Informa PLC is a leading, international business to business information services Group, operating in over 30 countries. We create transaction-led exhibitions and content-based events, specialist data, intelligence and marketing services products, as well as scholarly research and specialist reference-led academic content. Our products and services help businesses and professionals connect, learn, do business and gain an edge over the competition. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.
I am glad to see the number of U.S. patent applications continue to grow. It shows that Europe is an extremely attractive technology market for U.S. companies, knowing they can rely on a competitive and effective patent system that helps them build strong patent portfolios.

The European Patent Office (EPO) today announced that U.S. companies and inventors filed 2.7% more patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2018 than in the previous year, according to its Annual Report. This marks the second year of continued growth, following a decline in applications in 2016.

In 2018, U.S. companies filed 43,612 patent applications with the EPO (2017: 42,463), a new record high. With a share of 25% of all patent applications, the U.S. remained by far the most prolific filing country at the European Patent Office (Fig.: Growth of U.S. patent applications at the EPO).

Overall, the European Patent Office received 174,317 European patent applications in 2018, an increase of 4.6% compared to 2017. (Fig.: Growth of European patent applications). Applications from China rose by 8.8%, their lowest rate in the past five years. Following the US as the top country of origin, were Germany (No. 2), Japan (No. 3), France (No. 4), and China (No.5) (Fig.: Origin of applications).

I am glad to see the number of U.S. patent applications continue to grow. It shows that Europe is an extremely attractive technology market for U.S. companies, knowing they can rely on a competitive and effective patent system that helps them build strong patent portfolios, said EPO President Antonio Campinos.

U.S. COMPANIES STRONGEST IN COMPUTERS, MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, AND PHARMACEUTICALS

U.S. companies filed European patent applications in a wide range of technologies but were particularly strong in several of the ten most important technical fields at the EPO. They accounted for 38% of all patent applications at the EPO in computer technology, as well as in medical technology and pharmaceuticals, and 32% in biotechnology.

In the EPOs company rankings, U.S. firms had a strong presence in many fields: Microsoft was the leading patent applicant at the EPO in computer technology, with Intel in third place, Alphabet in fourth place, and Qualcomm in seventh. In medical technology, Johnson & Johnson was the new No. 1 (pushing Royal Philips into second place), Medtronic No. 3, Boston Scientific No. 4, and Procter & Gamble No. 8. United Technologies was the No. 2 patent applicant at the EPO in transport (behind Airbus).

Deere & Company was the leading applicant at the EPO in other special machines, a field covering inventions in several areas from agriculture to 3D printing. In pharmaceuticals, in addition to Merck being the No. 3 and Johnson & Johnson the No. 9, several U.S. universities ranked among the top 20 filers: The University of California was the fifth largest patent applicant in that field, the University of Pennsylvania was No. 11, the University of Texas System was No. 15, and the Johns Hopkins University was No. 19.

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES NEW No.1 U.S. PATENT APPLICANT

With 1,983 European patent applications, United Technologies was the most active U.S. patent applicant at the EPO, followed by Qualcomm (1,593 applications) General Electric (1,307), and Intel (1,057) (Fig.: Top U.S. applicants at the EPO in 2018).

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY TOP FIELD  LIFE SCIENCES GROWING FAST

Overall, medical technology remains the technical field in which the most patent applications are filed at the EPO (up 5% in 2018), once again followed by digital communication and computer technology. The strongest growth among the top ten fields was recorded in life sciences, with pharmaceuticals and biotechnology combined growing by 13%.

SIEMENS HEADS THE LIST OF APPLICANTS

Siemens was the top patent applicant at the EPO in 2018 with 2,493 applications (it last headed the ranking in 2011), switching positions with Huawei from China, which came in second. They were followed by Korean companies Samsung and LG, and United Technologies from the U.S. The top ten was made up of four companies from Europe, three from the U.S., two from the Republic of Korea and one from China.

For detailed statistics, and a review of our activities in 2018, see the EPO's Annual Report at: http://www.epo.org/annual-report2018

ABOUT THE EPO

With nearly 7,000 staff, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.
"We wanted to be involved with the community  and NYU Winthrop's Hempstead Pediatric Clinic is an excellent venue through which we can contribute," said Mr. Jain. "As a family of immigrants, the clinic is close to our hearts since it provides care to many under served immigrant populations."

Sam S. Jain, the Founder and CEO of Fareportal, along with his wife Vera Jain are set to be honored on March 21, 2019 at the 22nd Annual A Cause to Celebrate fundraiser benefiting the Child Life Program at NYU Winthrop Hospitals Childrens Medical Center.

The Child Life Program provides hospitalized children and their families with the assistance of certified Child Life Specialists who work to ease the fear and anxiety of hospitalization by helping pediatric patients to better understand their medical treatments.

"As a parent, I understand how the complexities of a hospital stay can cause confusion for the whole family," said Mrs. Jain. "Child Life Specialists are incredibly helpful, stepping in to assist during stressful times when theres an inability to think straight."

The Jains are dedicated benefactors of the NYU Winthrop Hospital community and are long-time supporters of both the Childrens Medical Center as well as the Emergency Medicine program. As immigrants, both Mr. and Mrs. Jain are advocates for having quality medical care available to all patients in need.

"We wanted to be involved with the community  and NYU Winthrop's Hempstead Pediatric Clinic is an excellent venue through which we can contribute," said Mr. Jain. "As a family of immigrants, the clinic is close to our hearts since it provides care to many under served immigrant populations."

Mr. Jain has carried his personal passion for philanthropy over into his travel technology company, Fareportal. The company has a longstanding commitment to helping communities in need through charitable donations and volunteer work.

About Fareportal

Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 450 airlines, 1 million hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat.


A failed policy dusted off

From Cuba: Twenty-three years have passed since the Helms-Burton Act was approved. Its authors are barely remembered, but Cuba is still here, free and sovereign, and more committed than ever to our social project.

In March of 1996, the US government approved the Helms-Burton Act, intent upon starving Cuba and not content with the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed in 1962. They have yet to learn that Cuba knows how to defend itself, most importantly with our dignity and resistance.

In this country, where things change little if a Democrat or Republican is elected, it was Democrat president Bill Clinton who signed the Helms-Burton Act, to appease the most reactionary sectors of the anti-Cuban mafia in South Florida.

Its purpose, from the economic point of view, was to put a brake on foreign investment here, by any means available.

Title III of the law, which the Trump administration has now dusted off, authorises US nationals to file claims in US courts against any foreigner who traffics with properties that were nationalised in Cuba in the 1960s, in a legitimate process that was recognised by the Supreme Court of the United States, and carried out by the Cuban government in full compliance with national and international law.

(Any investor in a Cuban state enterprise with assets that belonged to a US company, 60 years ago, could be targeted. Given the international outcry about such a preposterous law, Title III has been suspended by successive US presidents since its early years. Breaking with this pattern, Trump recently suspended the provision for only 45 days.)

Twenty-three years have passed since the Helms-Burton Act was approved. Its authors are barely remembered, but Cuba is still here, free and sovereign, and more committed than ever to our social project, as evidenced by the approval of our new Constitution with 86.85% of voters casting a YES ballot.

Granma
As a first-year event we had strict criteria on student participation, with a goal of 15 students from architecture, construction management and engineering disciplines. To our surprise we had more than twice as many applicants as we had slots to fill. Professors from universities across the country

2019 was the inaugural year for Project Precast, a competition that brought college and university students together with industry mentors in Louisville, Ky, the site of PCIs annual Precast Show. The competition was for students to design a Kentucky-themed, 4-stall horse barn, using precast concrete.

The students had no idea what their project was, nor had they ever met the industry mentors or other members of their teams before they arrived in Louisville, said Marty McIntyre, Chicago-based executive director of the PCI Foundation and host of the competition. The PCI Foundation is the educational entity that supports the Precast/Prestressed Concrete industry.

We gave them less than two days to work together to design a 4-stall horse barn. Their research included learning about horse barns, spending time on the trade show floor meeting vendors and experts who could guide them toward products and systems that would lead them to a winning entry, said McIntyre.

As a first-year event we had strict criteria on student participation, with a goal of 15 students from architecture, construction management and engineering disciplines. To our surprise we had more than twice as many applicants as we had slots to fill. Professors from universities across the country were encouraging their students to compete for the experience as well as the $1000 price. The 15 students chosen are examples of highly intelligent, competitive, team-oriented and enjoyable leaders of tomorrow, explained McIntyre, who said shes already considering the design project for 2020.

The winning all-female team sponsored by Tindall Corporation and Sika included three students; architecture student Lori North from Clemson University, Kinga Pabjan, a masters candidate in construction at Washington University in St. Louis and Fernanda Arce an engineering student from the University of Arizona.

Students and sponsors of the 5 teams included:

TEAM TINDALL (First Prize Award winners of $3000)

Lori North, Clemson University

Fernanda Fraijo Arce, University of Arizona

Kinga Iwona Pabjan, Washington University in St. Louis

TEAM CEG  Consulting Engineers Group (Winners of Honorable Mention Award)

Taili Zhuang, Washington University in St. Louis

Jairo Laverde, Washington University in St. Louis

Ismail Kuzucu, University of Arizona

TEAM LOMBARD (Winners of People's Choice Award)

Brendon Bangert, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tanmay Vasishta, Colorado State University

Emily Phinney, University of Minnesota at Duluth

TEAM METROMONT

Edward Alexander McAbee, Clemson University

Mohammed Hassan, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Alex Fiebiger, Minnesota State University

TEAM SPANCRETE

Alexis Raiford, Washington University in St. Louis

Ali Shokrgozar, Idaho State University

Rachel Madryga, Washington University in St. Louis

SIKA USA was the sponsor of Project Precast Design Competition 2019

ABOUT THE PCI FOUNDATION

The PCI Foundation is the educational entity that supports the Precast/Prestressed Concrete industry. The mission of the PCI Foundation is to foster educational and research initiatives focused on innovative approaches to the integrated and sustainable use of precast concrete design, fabrication, and construction. It is a charitable 501(c) 3 corporation, based in Chicago, which supports the inclusion of precast concrete programs at accredited college and universities. To learn more, visit the PCI Foundation website at PCI-Foundation.org.
Gilbane Building Company Breaks Ground on Waukesha County Courthouse

On Monday, March 11, officials from Waukesha County, Gilbane Building Company, Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc., trade contractors and the community came together to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the Waukesha County Courthouse expansion project.

The addition of the 62,000 SF courthouse and holding area began with demolition on site this week in Waukesha County. The work involves overseeing the preparation of the budget, design and demolition of the original jail facility and intake court, as well as construction of a four-story addition that will house eight new court rooms. The addition will include a three-way separation as recommended by the National Center for the Courts.

Gilbane is excited to partner with Waukesha County on this exciting project to expand the courthouse facilities. We look forward to continue our strong partnership with the county and local trade contractors to successfully deliver this project. said Laura Hause, Gilbane Building Company Senior Project Manager

Gilbane is providing construction management services on this expansion project, and project completion is set for Spring 2021.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.

For more than 40 years, Gilbanes Milwaukee office has served a wide variety of market sectors and clients throughout Wisconsin including Northwestern Mutual, Waukesha County Health and Human Services, Carroll University, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, Schlitz Park and Schreiber Foods.
Fayetteville 26MWh Energy Storage Project This will be the largest solar system on municipal land and the only one that has a utility scale storage system in the state - Michael Henderson, President Todays Power.

Todays Power Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., announced today that it will be deploying two 6MW/13MWh lithium ion energy storage systems (ESS) in the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The systems, which will operate under a long term agreement between Todays Power and Ozark Electric Cooperative, are designed to assist in the integration of more renewable energy sources for the local cooperative and help to reduce the electric load during monthly and seasonal peak demand events. This load reduction results in savings for the local electric cooperative and helps to stabilize rates for consumers. Both energy storage systems are being placed on a portion of the grid which has large solar arrays with the intent of charging the lithium units purely from sunlight.

Todays Power who delivers innovative new technologies to utilities throughout the South Central US recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Northern Reliability, Inc. (NRI) from Waterbury Vermont and will be contracting directly with NRI for the design and build of both systems.

TPI will manage project construction and provide full operations and maintenance of the solar arrays and energy storage facilities during the 20-year agreement, leasing the necessary acreage from the City. The systems will operate on Fayettevilles two water treatment facility properties, the Paul R. Noland Wastewater Treatment Facility (east Fayetteville) and the Westside Water Treatment Facility. Ozarks Electric will upgrade and maintain existing electricity connections at the sites. The City will continue its income-producing hay and bio-solid operations at the Noland facility.

This year, the City Council showed great vision and leadership for their residents when they approved the Energy Action Plan in January 2018, said Mayor Lioneld Jordan. Through this important agreement with Todays Power and Ozarks Electric, the Fayetteville community moves closer to several goals in the Plan. The approval of this solar power and storage project creates the renewable energy our community desires, uses existing City-owned assets more efficiently, adds jobs and promotes economic development.

"This will be the largest solar system on municipal land and the only one that has a utility scale storage system in the state, said Michael Henderson, President Todays Power. To get a project like this one off the ground, requires a lot of work by a lot of people but Peter Nierengarten with Fayetteville, Troy Scarbrough with Ozarks and Matt Irving with Todays Power were instrumental in working out the details and bringing it to the finish line, he added.

This transaction could not have happened if it were not for Net Metering legislation introduced in 2017. The Arkansas Public Service Commission and the legislators are to be commended for their foresight, Henderson, who is also the Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (the parent company of TPI ) said.

Our relationship with Todays Power comes at a very opportune time with the US Cooperatives just beginning to embrace energy storage as mainstream technology, remarked Gregg Noble, NRIs Vice President of Sales. Noble continues, Todays Power brings to the table two key elements necessary for the integration of energy storage into the cooperative grids across the US market; Number one, they are a known and trusted entity within the cooperative space being owned by cooperative and being a division of one of the largest equipment distributors in the market. Number two, Michael and his team understand not only the technical benefits of energy storage, but equally as important the financial constraints placed on cooperatives. Todays Power has developed a business model that will make adopting ESS solutions beneficial to the utilities immediately and over the long term. This leaves our team at NRI purely focused on delivering the highest quality energy storage product and support. It is exactly where we want to be, and with precisely the right type of partner.

NORTHERN RELIABILITY, INC. (NRI) is a US-based power systems integrator and engineering firm based in Waterbury, Vermont whose team has been working in the energy storage field for nearly forty years. Initially formed as the energy storage and solar division of Northern Power Systems in Burlington Vermont, the NRI engineers broke off to become a separate organization in 2007. Having designed and deployed over 1000 off-grid and microgrid power systems around the planet since the early 1970s, the NRI team recently made news again in T&D World Magazine 2017 and 2018 when it was awarded a unique $1.3M Grid-Tied Distributed Energy System Project for Xcel Energy in Denver, CO. http://www.northernreliability.com

TODAYS POWER, INC. was created in November 2014 by Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI) to serve Arkansas electric cooperatives by offering community solar projects to their members. Todays Power has expanded its product and service offering for the electric cooperative and public power sectors interested in solar and other emerging technologies such as electric vehicle charging and energy storage. Based in Little Rock Arkansas, Todays Power now works with utilities outside their original membership throughout the South Central and Southeast United States to develop and deploy innovative power solutions which benefit both the utilities and the communities which they serve. http://www.todayspower.com/
Restaurant Technology Network welcomes restaurant executives and solution providers to solve industry challenges. Abigail A. Lorden, VP, Hospitality Technology & RTN. We are thrilled to launch RTN with the support of these exceptional founding members, who represent some of the most innovative companies in the restaurant industry. We look forward to bringing a wealth of talent to the community.

Today at its Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference (MURTEC), Hospitality Technology (HT) magazine officially launched the Restaurant Technology Network (RTN), a new membership community dedicated to technology innovation for restaurants. RTN membership is open to restaurant operators and the technology suppliers that serve them. It enables members to come together to solve industry pain points through peer workgroups, standards development and best practices. Developed by the same leaders behind Hospitality Technology and MURTEC, RTN is uniquely positioned to serve the restaurant technology ecosystem as a go-to community for enabling innovation.

Founding restaurant member companies include Bloomin Brands, Cali Group, CKE Restaurants, Sonnys BBQ, Stacked, TAO Group and TGI Fridays. Founding supplier member companies are Comcast Business, Epson America, Oracle, ParTech and Revel Systems at Platinum; QSR Automations and Qu at Gold; Intel and Restaurant365 at Silver; and Tabit as a Start-up company member. Affiliate members include Return on Information Consulting, Restaurant CIOs and Results Thru Strategy.

In addition to its impressive lineup of founding members, RTN announced its Board of Governors. The Board is made up of seasoned restaurant technology veterans who share a passion for industry innovation. The Board of Governors helps steer and grow RTN, providing community leadership, member development, workgroup guidance, and overall governance. RTN will continue to expand the Board throughout the year. Board members are:



Chris Demery, VP, Restaurant Technology, CKE Restaurants, Inc.

Tamy Duplantis, CIO, Return on Information Consulting

Donagh Herlihy, EVP & CTO, Bloomin Brands

Fred LeFranc, Founding Partner, Results Thru Strategy

Tony Lomelino, CTO, CaliBurger

Sherif Mityas, Chief Experience Officer, TGI Fridays

Brian Pearson, Co-Founder, Restaurant CIOs

Joe Tenczar, Co-Founder, Restaurant CIOs

The restaurant industry is experiencing unprecedented technology innovation, and needs a platform to harness opportunities and tackle challenges, commented Abigail A. Lorden, VP, Hospitality Technology & RTN. The powerful response weve already received reinforces that this community is directly addressing that need. We are thrilled to launch RTN with the support of these exceptional founding members, who represent some of the most innovative companies in the restaurant industry. We look forward to bringing a wealth of talent to the community.

RTN Sessions at MURTEC

RTN workgroups are industry think-tanks designed to bring restaurants and suppliers together to develop technical best practices and standards. RTN kicked off workgroups at MURTEC with a dedicated session focused on building consensus around the most pressing issues in restaurant technology today. RTN is partnering with hotel association HTNG (Hospitality Technology Next Generation) to replicate its successful workgroup model. HTNG has 17 years of experience executing hotel workgroups and has published more than 150 industry standards, some of which are used daily in hotel reservations worldwide.

Also at MURTEC, RTN invited strategic partners Joe Tenczar and Brian Pearson, co-founders of Restaurant CIOs, to preview an RTN Certification course on Technology Procurement. Through their cio.school platform, Tenczar and Pearson will provide ongoing educational and leadership training courses that result in RTN certification.

To join the Restaurant Technology Network, visit http://www.restauranttechnologynetwork.com.

About Restaurant Technology Network

Supported by Hospitality Technology magazine and parent company EnsembleIQ, Restaurant Technology Network (RTN) is a global membership community serving the needs of restaurateurs, technology solution providers, consultants, academia and the entire restaurant technology ecosystem. With access to valuable resources, RTN members solve restaurant technology pain points large and small, while inspiring bold ideas for the future. To learn more or to join RTN, visit http://www.restauranttechnologynetwork.com. Follow RTN on Twitter @RestTechNet and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/showcase/restaurant-technology-network.

About Hospitality Technology

Hospitality Technology (HT) is the only publication dedicated to covering the role of information technology in improving business performance for hotel and restaurant operators. The Hospitality Technology portfolio includes: a print publication that publishes eight times annually and reaches more than 16,000 hospitality industry executives, three networking and educational events (MURTEC, HT-NEXT and MURTEC Executive Summit), a comprehensive website, e-newsletters, web seminars, and several exclusive annual reports and studies. Visit Hospitality Technology online at http://www.hospitalitytech.com. Hospitality Technology is owned by Chicago-based EnsembleIQ.

About EnsembleIQ

EnsembleIQ is a premier business intelligence resource that exists to help people and their organizations succeed. It is structured to serve the business-to-business needs of retailers, consumer goods manufacturers, technology providers, hospitality and healthcare professionals, marketing agencies and retail solution providers by using its integrated network of media and information resources designed to inform, connect and provide actionable marketplace intelligence. EnsembleIQ is a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners, a private equity investor with more than 30 years of experience investing in growth companies in partnership with strong management teams. Information on RFE can be found at http://rfeip.com.
The GMCNgine uses state-of-the-art cloud computing, AI and machine learning technologies to automate the process of searching for missing children across 5 continents. Through our work with Biometrica, we have the opportunity to strengthen our community to protect vulnerable children around the world. Members of our network will be able to access information to help generate leads to recover missing children."Caroline Humer, Director, GMCN

On Tuesday, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), and Biometrica Systems, Inc., a Phoenix and Las Vegas-based technology company that tracks crime and criminals, announced a collaborative effort focused on using technology to trace potential child abductors and traffickers in real-time, in order to find children that are missing.

The technology incorporates eMotive, Biometricas next generation 24x7 continuous criminal background checking software, into the GMCNgine, ICMECs recently launched global platform to help find missing and abducted children.

How society responds to the tragedy of missing children is a global issue which demands a coordinated response from the global community, said Caroline Humer, Director of ICMECs Global Missing Children's Network (GMCN). Through our work with Biometrica, we have the opportunity to strengthen our community to protect vulnerable children around the world. Members of our network will be able to access information to help generate leads to recover missing children. We are grateful for this opportunity.

The GMCN currently has 29 member countries. U.S. law enforcement agencies can access potential abductor profiles and the GMCNgine via NCMEC, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ICMECs sister agency based in Alexandria, Virginia. They can, however, upload or send arrest or conviction data directly into Biometricas criminal database.

Time, Tech & Real-Time Tracking

Biometrica CEO Wyly Wade explained how the technology would work. eMotive will allow a GMCN member to upload profiles of adults believed to have been last seen with a missing child into an encrypted silo that sits beneath Biometricas 100% law enforcement-sourced multi-jurisdictional criminal database. Algorithms will then run 24x7 facial recognition and text checks of that data set against the data in the criminal database.

When a possible match is found, he added, indicating that someone in the GMCNgines data set has been arrested somewhere, the GMCN member would get an immediate alert. They could then get in touch with that particular law enforcement jurisdiction and explain the possible connection to the missing child. The focus here is on helping find missing children by tracking their abductors and cutting down on investigative time.

Michael N. Cachine Sr., Chief Technology Officer at ICMEC said, The GMCNgine was built using state-of-the-art cloud computing, AI and machine learning technologies to automate the process of searching for missing children across 5 continents.

Its an artificial intelligence search engine with global reach, he added.

The Data Matters, Communities Matter

Our goal from the start was to build technology that would emulate the never give up determination of a parent searching for their missing child, Cachine stated. The GMCNgine uses facial recognition to index thousands of active case images from 29 law enforcement and missing child agencies that use the platform today. We then combine imagery and tools sourced from big data companies like Biometrica to find matches and produce clues for case managers to help determine a childs whereabouts.

ICMEC was formed in 1999 to lead and coordinate a global effort to eradicate child abduction, sexual abuse and exploitation. The GMCNgine, which opened operations to members on Jan. 29, 2019, is a secure platform that allows law enforcement agencies and vetted child-focused NGOs in 29 countries to create dedicated missing children profiles and posters in a local language. The aim, said Humer, is to take this to all 196 countries someday.

Biometrica, through eMotive, is one of 4 organizations that form the foundational technological infrastructure for the GMCNgine. The others are FIA, Amazon Web Services, and Web-IQ. The Federation for Internet Alerts or FIA manages the distribution of missing child posters (created by GMCN members) online to geo-targeted locations by replacing ad space on websites. Once a missing childs information is entered into the platform, AWSs Rekognition starts running the childs photo against scraped data from Web-IQ to connect photos they, in turn, have scraped, for leads. This will help identify missing children who may have been trafficked.

With the GMCNgine we are providing a unique multiagency technology platform that is giving hope to families worldwide by breaking down traditional barriers to help find missing kids and that's a pretty cool thing to be a part of. said ICMECs Cachine.

I agree, said Wade. While we, as a company, are focused on security and public safety in any case, there cannot be a better use of our technology, or any technology, than finding missing children and bringing those that do them harm to justice.

About the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC)

ICMEC has dedicated 20 years to creating innovative programs that address each angle of Child Protection and continue to address the UN SDG Target 16.2: Aiming to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The organization employs smart collaboration and innovative technology to effect change in making the world safer for children. Learn more and get involved with the GMCNgine at icmec.org.

About Biometrica

Biometrica Systems, Inc. (http://www.biometrica.com) is an Arizona and Nevada-based technology company that creates software and systems with the intention of minimizing criminality. They have the countrys largest private multi-jurisdictional, 100% law enforcement verified database of arrests attached to near real-time Facial Recognition. They work with and support the work of federal, state and local law enforcement, criminal justice professionals (including nonprofits working in education, research and training), intelligence agencies, PIs, process servers, and private sector security and surveillance teams. They are committed to doing their part in building better quality arrest and conviction data and more transparent access to that data. Biometrica is FCRA compliant and a member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).

Private Investigator License # 1295 [Nevada PILB]

For more information: media@biometrica.com
"IndiGos implementation of our SmartKargo Cloud solution represents one of the fastest deployments in the industry for an airline of IndiGo's size and volume of transactions." - Milind Tavshikar, CEO, SmartKargo

QuantumID Technologies today announces that IndiGo Airlines has successfully launched the SmartKargo Cloud solution for the digital transformation of its Cargo business operations. The comprehensive SmartKargo solution was deployed across all functional areas of IndiGo's Cargo Business across all global locations and all functional areas of Commercial, Operations and Accounting,"

As Indias largest airline, Indigo operates a fleet size of 184 aircraft including 46 new generation A320 NEOs, 127 A320 CEOs and 11 ATRs, across 57 destinations  48 domestic and 9 international.

The new SmartKargo end-to-end platform has allowed IndiGo to digitally transform its Cargo business and successfully meet the future with robust mobile applications and advanced technologies such as real-time information, business intelligence and machine-learning capabilitieswhile seamlessly interfacing with the Airline's other systems via APIs for fast deployment and integration.

Integrated Cargo Revenue accounting allows for real-time profitability analysis and real-time decision making. These tools are easy-to-use and are accessible from any device with an Internet or mobile network carrier connection.

Enhanced capabilities include 100% paperless e-AWBs; ease of booking; modern and flexible technology; single screen data entries; user-configurable Business Intelligence (BI) and reporting; powerful pricing and rate making; real-time capacity managementin addition to extensive use of Mobile technology from day one. This means that IndiGo Cargo will be able to deliver fast, highly reliable and highly predictable shipments to support the growth of their Cargo business as well as highly-improved client experience.

William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo Airlines said: We are thrilled to announce the successful cut-over and implementation of the SmartKargo Cargo Management solution in a very short period of time--within 6- months from the start date of the project. Our Business and IT teams, together with the SmartKargo team, were able to roll out this advanced Cargo Solution in a smooth and non-disruptive way for our business and operationswhich was an important requirement for both IndiGo and our clients. The new solution will digitally enable our business and allow us to accelerate our growth while improving our Client Experience.

Sourav Sinha, CIO of IndiGo added: IndiGo cargo has ambitious plans to grow its revenues and remain competitive in this fast-growing business area. We needed to have a state-of-the-art technology platform that was fast to deploy and easy to use. SmartKargo has become a standard operating system for leading airlines and includes all the local as well as international features needed for our business. SmartKargo is the only air cargo platform that is 100% cloud-based and it delivers all shipper-to-receiver functionality on the scalable and robust Microsoft Azure infrastructure platform.

Milind Tavshikar, CEO of QuantumID Technologies Inc. said: IndiGos implementation of our SmartKargo Cloud solution represents one of the fastest deployments in the industry for an airline of IndiGo's size and volume of transactions. It is also one of the most comprehensive, as we deployed, at the same time, across all global locations and all functional areas of Commercial, Operations and Accounting.

Tavshikar added, "Indigo will also become a key participant in SmartKargos Connected Airlines ecosystem that is increasingly gaining strength as we add new carriers to our cloud platform. We are very proud to be a part of such spectacular success and I am thankful for IndiGos leadership, continued support and confidence in our organization. This collaboration further enabled the successful deployment and sets an industry example of how new technology deployments can happen," he said.

SmartKargo is a 100% cloud-based Cargo Management platform that offers a robust set of fully integrated tools and solutions to support all areas of the Air Cargo business from Planning, Pricing and Sales, to Operations including acceptance, warehouse management, loading/un-loading and ramp operations. The SaaS application enables Cargo service providers such as IndiGo to quickly implement advanced technology, including first-mile pick-up and last-mile delivery (for door-to-door operations), enabling e-commerce.

Integrations with complex, existing airline systems can be surprisingly quick and seamless, and all of the functionality needed to provide industry-leading customer service is there, out-of-the-box, with minimal need for customization and new development.

For more information visit http://www.smartkargo.com.

Media & Business Contact: Olivier Houri, EVP and Chief Revenue Officer, SmartKargo. olivier(at)SmartKargo(dot)com, Tel: (+1) 610 909 3726
James McAvoy is giving away his signed shirt from the Oscars to one lucky winner, raising funds for Ronald McDonald House New York

James McAvoy announced that fans have the chance to take home the white Prada shirt he wore to the 91st Academy Awards, which James had signed by dozens of celebrities during the event: Prizeo.com/JamesMcAvoy.

For a $10 donation to Ronald McDonald House New York at Prizeo.com/JamesMcAvoy, one lucky winner will receive the shirt, signed by the likes of Charlize Theron, Michael B. Jordan, Frances McDormand, Joe Jonas, Maya Rudolph, Kerry Washington, Jason Momoa, Taylor Swift, Amy Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and many more.

For donations beyond the $10 minimum, fans can receive extra rewards like original Annie Leibovitz photo prints of James signed by the actor, X:Men memorabilia and other items to be announced throughout the campaign.

The Prizeo sweepstakes is benefiting Ronald McDonald House New York, which James cares deeply about and has supported for many years. The House provides temporary housing and support for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a nurturing environment.

James has been a strong supporter of the House for several years through our relationship with MDC Productions and we are so appreciative of his generosity of time that he has given to the families of Ronald McDonald House New York who have a child fighting pediatric cancer, said Ruth Browne, CEO & President of Ronald McDonald House New York. James has personally gone above and beyond to make this incredible sweepstakes initiative come to life and we are so grateful to be the chosen recipient.

MDC Productions is dedicated to finding unique and innovative ways to bring individuals and businesses together to make the world a better place through corporate philanthropy, community service and personal altruism. MDC has partnered with Ronald McDonald House New York for almost a decade, working pro bono to coordinate intimate, under-the-radar events such as celebrity meet-and-greets and advanced film screenings with high-profile actors such as Liam Neeson, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Sebastian Stan, Chris Hemsworth, Robert De Niro, Henry Cavill, Melissa McCarthy and many more.

Through MDC, McAvoy was introduced to the House a few years ago and since then hes spent quality time lifting the spirits of children and families going through extreme hardship. Hes attended screenings for films like XMen: Apocalypse and Sherlock Gnomes and made time to stop by when he was in New York hosting Saturday Night Live last month. MDC is thrilled that James has chosen to auction off this famous Oscars shirt to benefit the kids and families of Ronald McDonald House New York.

The James McAvoy Oscars shirt campaign runs until May 16 at Prizeo.com/JamesMcAvoy.

About Prizeo

Prizeo, an online sweepstakes-for-good platform, mobilizes celebrity fan bases by offering the chance to give small and win big while helping raise funds and awareness for charitable causes around the globe. Prizeo campaigns have featured celebrities such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ellen Degeneres, Tom Brady, Martha Stewart, Imagine Dragons, Tyler Oakley, Lady Gaga and many more. To date, Prizeo has helped hundreds of charities raise more than $50 million, including Planned Parenthood, American Cancer Society, United Way Worldwide, and Special Olympics.

Prizeo is a member of Charity Network. Named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies, Charity Network is also parent company to Charitybuzz, an online charity auction platform, and Global Philanthropy Group, a strategy consulting firm for cause. To learn more, please visit http://www.prizeo.com.

About Ronald McDonald House New York

Ronald McDonald House New York (the House) provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a strong, supportive and caring environment which encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent-to-parent support systems. Located on East 73rd Street in Manhattan and in close proximity to 8 major hospital systems, Ronald McDonald House New York welcomes children and families from across the world. The House can accommodate 95 families including 6 post-transplant suites. The House offers families additional support through activities, wellness programs, education programs, music, art, transportation, holiday and birthday parties, and camaraderie.

At Ronald McDonald House New York, families are welcomed with love and comfort. Lifelong friendships are formed among people who understand what its like to cope with such a devastating diagnosis and families fighting cancer find the hope and support they need. For more information, please visit http://www.rmh-newyork.org

About MDC Productions

MDC Productions is a company dedicated to finding unique and innovative ways to bring individuals and businesses together to make the world a better place through corporate philanthropy, community service and personal altruism. MDC has partnered with Ronald McDonald House New York for almost a decade, working pro bono to coordinate intimate, under-the-radar events such as celebrity Meet & Greets and advanced film screenings with high-profile actors such as Liam Neeson, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Sebastian Stan, Chris Hemsworth, Robert De Niro, Henry Cavill, Melissa McCarthy and many more. For more information, please visit MDCproductions.com.
New X-Rite Color iMatch formulation software for paint and coatings, plastics, and textiles We have redesigned the formulation engine in Color iMatch to significantly improve initial match and correction performance, which can cut the number of steps in half to get an approved color match.

X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and Pantone LLC, announced a new release of Color iMatch formulation software that accelerates color development for the paint and coatings, plastics and textile industries through better initial matches and fewer corrections. The new version features a smarter multi-flux matching engine with a revolutionary new search and correct algorithm that enables better utilization of legacy data. With Color iMatch, lab managers and formulation professionals can streamline complicated workflows and deliver better color matches in fewer steps for faster formulation times, cost savings and reduced waste.

In todays just-in-time manufacturing environment, the first plastic, coating or textile supplier to deliver the best color match to a customers bid often secures the business, said Richard Knapp, Product Manager, X-Rite and Pantone. Speed and accuracy are essential  even as larger color palettes, complex materials and effect finishes add time to the formulation process. We have redesigned the formulation engine in Color iMatch to significantly improve initial match and correction performance, which can cut the number of steps in half to get an approved color match. This provides a significant competitive advantage to resin, colorant, pigment and dye suppliers helping them to submit bids quickly and win new business.

The new version of Color iMatch release features:



Industry-leading multi-flux formulation engine that identifies the best candidate formulas, provides specific formulation guidance, and incorporates leftover materials to work off waste. This increases the initial match rate by up to 50 percent, cuts correction steps in half and reduces waste.

New Search and Correct algorithm that uses proprietary search metrics to more accurately identify candidate formulas containing the most likely colorant combinations for more rapid formula convergence.

Optimize legacy data with colorant performance indicators and history-based dynamic correction factors to improve formulation and reduce the number of correction steps.

Updated Colorant Assortment Editor provides specific guidance and guarantees match prediction confidence for maximized productivity and efficiency.

Dynamic formulation rules and batch processing allows users to quickly switch between jobs by standardizing process, material and customer specifications.

Gamut Viewer to visually evaluate achievability using a unique target overlay to help users make educated formulation decisions.

Modern, intuitive interface that reduces training time and improves operator confidence.

Color iMatch is compatible with current and future Microsoft Operating Systems and offers support for X-Rite and non-X-Rite instruments. It is PantoneLIVE-enabled for easy access to the most up-to-date spectral values for Pantone standards. For more information on Color iMatch visit https://www.xrite.com/color-imatch.

European Coatings Conference

X-Rite will showcase the new Color iMatch release at the European Coatings Show Conference 2019, March 18  19 in Nuremberg, Germany. In Hall 5, Stand 5-448, X-Rite's top color experts will demonstrate the latest color management technology including color formulation, quality control, lighting, multi-angle and retail applications. X-Rite will be presenting a session on color and appearance.

Complete Appearance Control for Effect Paint Systems from Design to Application, Matthew Adby, Retail & Automotive Product Portfolio Manager, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 18 in the Istanbul room.

About PantoneLIVE

PantoneLIVE is a cloud-based solution that enables the PANTONE Color language to be communicated and targeted for accurate color production across the entire supply chain  from design concept to final color production. The PantoneLIVE family includes PantoneLIVE Design, PantoneLIVE Production - Print & Packaging and PantoneLIVE Production  Plastic, Coatings and Textile. The different offerings are tailored to meet the specific needs of designers, color material suppliers and manufacturers working with paper, film, plastics, coatings and textiles. The PantoneLIVE family is supported by licensed hardware and software that enables each area of the packaging, plastic, coatings and textile supply chains to access spectral data for matching PANTONE Colors and specific brand palettes. This results in consistent and repeatable color across product families, for a cohesive brand approach regardless of material, media or print technology. For more information, please visit http://www.pantone.com/live.

About X-Rite

Founded in 1958, X-Rite Incorporated is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. With Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The companys corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite offers a full range of solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color and appearance throughout their processes. X-Rite products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, please visit http://www.xrite.com.

About Pantone

Pantone provides the universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization  leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute provides customized color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce certified Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. Learn more at http://www.pantone.com

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2019 X-Rite, Inc. All rights reserved. X-Rite is a registered trademark of X-Rite, Inc. PANTONE, PantoneLIVE and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Pantone is a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated. Licensed under Sun Chemical Corporation. Sun Chemicals patented technology enables the communication of a consistent, digital description of the desired appearance of a product.  U.S. Patent Nos. 7,034,960; 7,202,976; 7,268,918; 7,417,764; 7,738,149 and their foreign equivalents.  Pantone LLC, 2019. All rights reserved.
Security and privacy are top priorities for every organization, and we are committed to be the number one trusted partner in making the digital world more accessible and inclusive. - Jim Baker, svp of engineering, Level Access

Level Access announced today that the company has attained ISO 27001 security certification, cementing its commitment to protecting customer data and providing resilient software services.

ISO 27001 is an international standard for Information Security Management System (ISMS) best practices. It sets out a risk-based approach to information security management and prescribes the governance structure required to implement and manage information security risks effectively. Certification to the standard is a rigorous process requiring multiple and continuing internal and external audits to ensure that adequate levels of security are met and maintained.

According to the latest Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, web applications were the most common targets for breaches at 21 percent, and the fifth largest category for incidents overall. With the number of attacks rising every year  the number of daily attacks averaging 15 million according to Akamai  customers and individuals alike need assurance that vendors can provide them secure services in an increasingly digital and connected world. Level Accesss ISO 27001 certification provides such assurances as it includes all software as a service (SaaS) products & their supporting operations, including the companys flagship Accessibility Management Platform (AMP), and associated applications including Access University, Access Analytics, and Access Alchemy.

Achievement of the ISO 27001 certification builds upon our investment in providing the most scalable and secure enterprise-grade accessibility platform in the industry. said Jim Baker, senior vice president of engineering, Level Access. Security and privacy are top priorities for every organization, and we are committed to be the number one trusted partner in making the digital world more accessible and inclusive.

Established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 27001 comes with a comprehensive control catalog that covers all types of information security controls from administrative through logical and technical and down to physical controls. The standard extends to every level of the organization supporting it and technology stack, including areas such as access control, operations, application security, vulnerability management, supply chain management, and business continuity.

Level Accesss management system was inspected by BSI Americas, part of the BSI Group who supply certification services internationally. BSI Americas are accredited through the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). As the authors of the original BS-7799 series of standards that ISO 27001 is based off, BSI is recognized as providing the highest quality services in the ISO 27001 certification space. Level Accesss ISO 27001 was certified by BSI under certificate number IS 696163.

The certification is the latest achievement showcasing Level Accesss leadership in digital accessibility. In 2018, Level Access was honored with several industry awards including being named one of The Washington Posts Top Workplaces, Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing companies, and DC Inno's All-Around Coolest Company.

About Level Access

Level Access provides industry-leading and award-winning digital accessibility solutions to over 1000 corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions. Level Accesss mission is to achieve digital equality for all users by ensuring technology is accessible to people with disabilities and the growing aging population. Founded in 1997, Level Access has an unparalleled history in helping customers achieve and maintain compliance with the full scope of accessible technology regulations and standards including the ADA, WCAG, CVAA, AODA, Mandate 376, and Section 508. Delivered through a comprehensive suite of software, consulting services, and training solutions, the companys solutions ensure customers web, desktop, mobile, and electronic document systems are accessible to everyone. Level Access is endorsed by the American Banking Association, named a White House Champion of Change in 2014, and multi-year repeat winners on the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing companies. To learn more, please visit http://www.levelaccess.com.

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During the past 20 years as a family law litigation expert and also as a certified specialist in family law I have gained valuable courtroom experience that will benefit all my future clients and help them achieve the best litigation results possible.

Divorce and family law attorney Charles M. Green is celebrating his 20th year of family law practice. He is the founder and managing lawyer at Charles M. Green, APLC since June of 1999 and was just re-certified with the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Certified California Family Law Specialist.

Charles obtained his Juris from Southwestern University School of Law in 1998, obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University in May 1985, and received his (MBA) Masters In Business Administration in Accountancy from (CUNY), The Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York. Prior to becoming a family law and divorce attorney, Charles worked as an accomplished tax accountant with several international accounting and tax firms in New York and California for 10 years.

His unique credentials as both a skilled divorce lawyer and tax attorney is part of his formula for success. While other family law attorneys must outsource tax and financial experts for divorce cases that may involve issues such as business or property/asset division at an extra heavy cost, Charles M. Green is able to include that expertise within his practice. Being proficient in both these areas he is able to pass those savings on to his client without sacrificing top notch legal representation.

We wish Charles the best as he enters his 20th year of family law practice and are sure the best is yet to come for his career!
Britains war crimes

From 1948 to 1960 the jungles of Malaya (now Malaysia) were home to communist guerrillas waging a war of independence for their homelands. The conflict was known as the Malayan Emergency rather than the Malayan war, so insurers would continue to cover British corporations extracting profit from misery. Like so many anti-colonial struggles of the era, the rebels had previously been funded and trained by the British to fight against Japan during World War II  Chin Peng, the communist leader, had been personally awarded an OBE medal by Supreme Allied Commander Admiral Mountbatten.

Dubbed Britains Vietnam by some historians and journalists, Britains experience in this war would lay the groundwork for the US involvement in Vietnam: the British military eventually defeated the guerrillas only by resorting to the most brutal and inhuman methods available to them.

These methods included but were not limited to locking up all 500,000 of Malayas ethnic Chinese population in concentration camps called New Villages, burning farmland to starve rural areas of food, executing entire villages of people in incidents such as the infamous Batang Kali massacre and instituting a policy of terror against the Malayan population. At the height of the terror, the British would photograph executed independence fighters, place photographs of their mangled corpses onto millions of leaflets and drop these leaflets out of airplanes.

Among these crimes was the military policy to kill pro-independence fighters and decapitate their heads from their corpses. The existence of this policy was denied by the government but was exposed when on April 28 1952 the Daily Worker, which later became the Morning Star, released photographic evidence of decapitations.

Not only had the British military allowed these decapitations but it employed specialist Dyak tribal head-hunters from Borneo to do this work for them. The British government initially denied that the decapitations were genuine, but ended up admitting they were after the Daily Worker released a second set of photographs on May 10, 1952 showing yet more evidence.

This controversy did not go unnoticed by Parliament which held a debate in the House of Commons over the issue. This eventually caught the attention of the Cabinet Office which also held a discussion over the Daily Worker decapitation photographs. The exposure of the photographs did eventually change British policy towards the war but not in a positive way. Instead of promising to cease the decapitations, the British government went into a defensive overload and began to publicly defend the practice as necessary to defeat communism.

The most notorious justification was that the decapitations were necessary for identification purposes because camera equipment would not operate in the damp climate of the Malayan jungles. The obvious problem with this justification was that if camera equipment did not work, then where did the photographs of the decapitations come from? Why were British soldiers posing and smirking in photographs with the heads of their victims?

Sadly, despite exposing the outrage to the British public, the decapitations did not cease; they continued to be a bona fide part of British colonial policy towards the Malayans up until the end of the war in 1960.

However, the impact on public perception of the colonialism and British empire itself cannot be underestimated, and laid the ground for solidarity with the emerging anti-colonial movements to come of the next two decades: the myth of the British empire being a civilising influence on barbaric savages was burst in one image.

The United States also learned  very different  lessons from the Malayan Emergency. In Vietnam it followed Britains use of chemical defoliants, and copied the New Village system of concentration camps rebranded as Strategic Hamlets. However the Vietnamese were not as fragmented ethnically and religiously as the Malayan people, and this method of occupier-protected villages counter-posed to the local insurgents was far less effective.

Unlike Malaya, the Vietnamese also had foreign support from the Soviet Union and China, meaning that methods of starving people into submission that had worked in Malaya were far less effective in Vietnam.

From Vietnam to the present day, imperialisms military ventures struggle to hide the brutal reality of invading and occupying weaker nations, from the My Lai Massacre to Abu Ghraib. Instead they focus on their jungle camera solutions  explanations, no matter how implausible, to salve the consciences of those back home. Political answers and political alternatives from dedicated left-wing press, then, remain as crucial today as they did in 1952.

Morning Star
Brandman Research Institute With the formation of Brandman Research Institute, the LA Jewish Home will identify and promote new and more effective models of care to enhance the quality of life for a growing aging population, said Molly Forrest, CEO and president of LAJH.

The Los Angeles Jewish Home (LAJH), one of the largest providers of senior healthcare services in Los Angeles, announced the opening of the Brandman Research Institute (BRI), a center for research into best practices for geriatric health issues. An interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals share a goal: to develop new standards and best-models of care for older adults.

The LA Jewish Home has provided 107 years of outstanding programs and services for seniors. With the formation of BRI, the Home will identify and promote new and more effective models of care to enhance the quality of life for a growing aging population, said Molly Forrest, CEO and president of LAJH. We look forward to sharing what we learn to lead the way to better care for our elders throughout the world.

The need for improved care for Americas rapidly expanding senior population has never been greater. With rising healthcare costs, understanding how to most effectively provide care for those of advanced age is critical and will have widespread impact.

Serving as Executive Director for BRI is Dr. Noah Marco, Chief Medical Officer for LAJH. I am honored to spearhead this distinctive program. We bring a unique understanding and perspective to the great challenge of caring for an aging population, said Dr. Marco. With the launching of BRI, we aim to create real change in the care of seniors based on working directly with an often overlooked population. BRI is committed to developing a better quality of life for the Greatest Generation through our work.

BRI will provide medical and professional staff a unique opportunity to learn directly from seniors what works best for them. Specialized research will identify and promote life-enhancing healthy-aging practices. Activities will include research projects and identified treatments which improve and enhance medical, social, psychiatric and psychological services for seniors. This pioneering approach will create best-care models of eldercare to be shared in the US and world.

The LA Jewish Home provides a full continuum of care for almost 4,000 seniors through its award-winning in-home, community health, and residential programs and services. As such, BRI is distinctively positioned to provide insight on developing new protocols and standards in caring for older adults.

Clinical studies often exclude older people. We are directly studying this segment of the population with an eye on improving the individual senior as well as the overall models of care, adds Dr. Marco.

One of BRIs first initiatives will be a focused study of effective models for post-acute care. BRI will address real needs and bring innovative practices to the forefront. A key emphasis will be a study identifying how providers can best work together and with the seniors they serve. The goal is to be a resource for those in the field of post-acute healthcare, from private institutions to government agencies. With its unique structure, backing, and focus, BRI will provide a strong voice in the area of quality senior care. LAJH envisions its studies will model for others the best methods and practices for optimal outcomes of care for providers offering post-acute care for seniors.

Joyce Brandman and her late husband, Saul, supported the creation of the Brandman Research Institute, located in the Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center on the Homes Grancell Village Campus. We felt that with people living longer than they used to, we need to know what can be done so that they can live full, healthy lives while they are aging, Joyce explained.

About the Los Angeles Jewish Home

Founded in 1912, the non-profit Los Angeles Jewish Home (LAJH) is among the largest providers of senior healthcare services in Los Angeles. Through its innovative Connections to Care  program, each year thousands of seniors benefit from the Homes community-based and in-residence programs. Community-based programs include: A Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE); hospice; home health; palliative medicine; community clinics; short-term rehabilitation; and acute psychiatric care. Three Home campuses serve seniors with options for independent living, residential care, skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, and Alzheimers disease and dementia care. The Home recently opened its second Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), the Gonda Healthy Aging Westside Campus, in Playa Vista, CA. Further information regarding the Jewish Home can be found online at http://www.lajh.org or by calling 855.227.3745.


HomeStars Its very rewarding to get such great feedback from our very own customers. This is a great reflection on our staff, which goes the extra mile for our customers day in and day out. We are all very proud of this award.

MaidPro, a leading residential cleaning franchise, announces that their Thornhill location has been chosen as a Homestars Best of 2019 Winner based on outstanding reviews from its customers.

HomeStars is a Canadian company that publishes reviews written by homeowners about home improvement professionals such as repairman, contractors, renovators, and retailers.

MaidPro's Thornhill location won the 2019 award out of the nearly 6,500 cleaning companies reviewed on Homestars.com in the Toronto area. MaidPro Thornhill received a Star Score of 92% on the HomeStars website. This score is based on four categories: average rating based on homeowner reviews; recency or how recent the reviews were given; reputation, and responsiveness.

MaidPro Thornhill serves the towns of Concord, Maple, Vaughan, Thornhill and Woodbridge in Ontarios Toronto area.

Jonathan Shelson, the owner of the business, said, Its very rewarding to get such great feedback from our very own customers. This is a great reflection on our staff, which goes the extra mile for our customers day in and day out. We are all very proud of this award.

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 named MaidPro a Top Franchise to Own in 2018, 2016, and 2015. 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.


MediDate Coffee LLC. The First and Largest Producers and Manufacturers of Date Seed Coffee in the world. MediDate Coffee has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Ginger Shots Inc. Under the terms of the agreement Ginger Shots will have the exclusive rights to produce and distribute MediDate RTD worldwide.

Ginger Shots (Tulua) is very experienced in the promotion, distribution, sale of products similar to MediDates Ready-To-Drink beverages and we cannot be more excited to see how well MediDate will do in the Untied States, stated Laith Alkhawaja CEO of MediDate Coffee.

About MediDate Coffee

A Mediterranean staple for centuries, new MediDate Coffee is unlike any other 'coffee' drink you've likely ever experienced - or ever will. Made entirely from antioxidant and protein-rich ground date seeds, pure, and brilliantly created to offer a calming, cleansing, high fiber, caffeine-free 'coffee', great for optimal bone and heart health.

About Tulua

Ginger Shots, Inc, now doing business as Tulua, is a privately-held company that produces and sells a wide range of wellness shots, and now ready-to-drink beverages. All of their products are produced, bottled and labeled in their state-of-the-art facility in Huntington Beach, California. Tulua is dedicated to developing lines of organic and natural wellness products with simple, straightforward ingredients and functional benefits. The company originally began under the name Ginger Shots, Inc, and has been rebranding under the Tulua brand in an effort to expand their offerings.
We are excited to share ART with accounting teams that can benefit from the kind of month-end close automation our product has to offer.

SkyStem LLC, a provider of automated month-end close and account reconciliation solution, is pleased to announce its event schedule for 2019. The SkyStem team will share best practices on close and reconciliations across the nation and will demonstrate the benefits of month-end close automation. We look forward to seeing you at the show and please do stop by our booth and say hello  we always have some great goodies to share.



ICBA Live National Convention Nashville, TN 3/17-3/19

Connect CFO Summit Las Vegas, NV 4/14-4/16

AICPA CFO Conference Chicago, IL 4/24-4/26

CFO Leadership Council Annual Conference Boston, MA 5/13-5/14

FEI Financial Leadership Summit Orlando, FL 5/20-5/21

IMA Annual Conference and Expo Chicago, IL 6/16-6/17

CFO Exchange Dallas, TX 6/23-6/25

FMS Forum Boston, MA 6/23-6/25

IIA 2019 International Conference Anaheim, CA 7/7-7/10

We are excited to share ART with accounting teams that can benefit from the kind of month-end close automation our product has to offer, said Shagun Malhotra, SkyStem CEO and Founder. "ART has benefited customers in a variety of industries by modernizing the close process, strengthening internal controls, not to mention the significant reduction of time spent on close-related activities.

SkyStem representatives will be available at any of these key industry events to discuss how taking the step towards automation might be the best option for your accounting team. The companys flagship solution, ART, reduces the amount of time spent on the process, so that less effort is spent on closing, and more resources can be dedicated to what matters most.

About SkyStem LLC

Headquartered in the heart of New York City, SkyStem delivers a powerful close and account reconciliation application for organizations seeking to streamline their financial processes. The companys flagship solution, ART, is an enterprise technology that helps CFOs and Controllers shorten the month-end close and the time to issue financials by automating balance sheet reconciliations, managing month-end tasks, performing flux analysis and providing insightful reporting. The web-based solution streamlines and eliminates up to 90% of manual activities while strengthening internal controls and corporate governance.
Founded in 2012, the Best of the Bay Awards is the annual flagship event for NAIOP SFBA. The program recognizes Bay Area commercial real estate companies and professionals that distinguish themselves among their peers for a wide range of accomplishments. New on the slate of award categories this year, the Diversity Champion Award recognizes the company whose diversity and inclusion practices best exemplify leadership in the industry. The Chapter established a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force in 2018 with the mission of providing leadership, infrastructure, and a forum to share perspectives and best practices for diversity and inclusion in Bay Area Commercial Real Estate.

Prologis was honored for embracing diversity and inclusion as one of the core pillars of its corporate mission. Internally, the companys diversity and inclusion efforts address the full cycle of a career, from pipeline and hiring through retention and advancement. Externally, Prologis sponsors the annual Inclusion in CRE Scholarship which, in association with NAIOP, is awarded to up to 10 women and underrepresented professionals who demonstrate leadership and responsibility in the Commercial Real Estate Profession. It has also partnered with Urban Land Institutes Womens Leadership Initiative and the Forte Foundation, a nonprofit consortium of leading companies and top business schools working together to launch women into fulfilling careers through access to education, opportunities and a network of successful mentors.

Prologis believes that diverse teams serve clients better and build stronger companies. In fact, our inclusion and diversity initiatives form a key component of Prologis Five Drivers, our strategic blueprint to ensure enduring excellence and create sustainable competitive advantage, said Gayle Starr, Managing Director at Prologis, Inc. We are grateful to NAIOP for helping raise awareness on this critical issue. Their efforts in this area will surely help strengthen the future of our industry.

Friendly competition is part of our tradition and I am delighted to present our inaugural award to a company driving inspiring positive change in the industry, said Margo Bradish, Partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson, LLP and NAIOP SFBA Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Chair. I challenge the leaders of all our member companies to draw on that inspiration and commit to taking one concrete step to promote diversity and inclusion within their organizations.

*About NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAIOP SFBA)

NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, is the leading organization for commercial real estate developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate. The Chapter offers a full calendar of educational programs on topical issues as well as social and networking events for its 700+ members and guests. The Chapters Legislative Action Committee works in concert with NAIOP corporate, the NAIOP State Council and our Sacramento representative, California Business Properties Association (http://www.cbpa.com), as well as communicating with legislators at the local level, to voice the concerns and support of our membership on legislative issues affecting our industry. Nationally NAIOP is comprised of 16,000+ members in 51 chapters across North America. For more information, please visit http://www.naiopsfba.org.
Students receive Certificates of Completion from the Community Health Ambassadors Internship Program from Ugomma Eze & Kafi Hemphill, Program Coordinator and Stalfana Bello, M.P.A, Executive Director.

Physicians Medical Forum (PMF), aims to expand the pipeline and the number of African American/Black, Native Americans and underrepresented minority students who want to become physicians. PMF, a non-profit organization, provides a network that encourages high school, community college, university/college and post baccalaureate students to become physicians and hopefully pursue their careers in medicine in the Oakland/San Francisco Northern California Bay Area.

To that end, PMFs Community Health Ambassadors Internship Program (CHA) is a 5-week program that provide students with a framework to begin that journey towards becoming physicians. As a community-service-learning program, students will received lectures from prominent physicians, receive information to assist them in preparing for medical school, participate in group discussions about public health and health disparities, learn basic research skills and work in a teams to develop a video or power point presentation on a health topic of their interest.

PMF receives funding from The California Wellness Foundation and the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Programs.

Kathryn E. Malone, M.D., (Family Medicine) and Vice-President, Physicians Medical Forum stated that students explored a variety of Primary Care medical topics and other healthcare disparities. Dr. Malone said she also discussed with the students the critically important role of the physician in patients health and wellness and why they must seek and establish networks and mentorships that will provide them with better insight into the real world of medicine.

Stalfana Bello, M.P.A., Executive Director, Physicians Medical Forum said, The Community Health Ambassadors Internship Program provided the students, who are first generation doctors in their families, a snapshot of what it takes to become physicians or pharmacists. Most of the students attend our Doctors On Board Pipeline Program and the internship is a natural next step to help students move forward in their journey to become doctors.

Ugomma Eze, CHA Program Coordinator and 4th year M.D./PhD Candidate at UCSF School of Medicine stated that the Ambassadors conducted interviews and created health educational video presentations for their community-service-projects. Students focus these presentations on why it is important for to become physicians and the positive impacts towards improving health and wellness in the communities they hope to serve.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS MEDICAL FORUM (PMF):

The Physicians Medical Forum is an Oakland, CA based non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to encourage recruitment and retention of African American/Black and underrepresented minority physicians who seek to eliminate health disparities; improve access to care; and maintain diversity within the profession, thereby, improving the quality of healthcare for the community overall.

Other PMF programs and initiatives include: Doctors On Board Pipeline P r o gr a m; Doctors Ro c k Workshop Series on Mentoring; MCAT Prep with Princeton Review; Interviewing skills and writing personal statements; scholarships and stipends for post baccalaureate, medical students and residents; Scholarships for Visiting Elective Residency Programs at UC Davis and UCSF Schools of Medicine and UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland; physician education and development; networking with legislators and medical organizations and community outreach programs. http://pmfmd.com

EDITORS: The following are available for interviews. To arrange interviews, contact: Stalfana Bello | 510.562.5560 | ExecutiveDirector@PMFMD.com


Digitel has a longstanding reputation of being an excellent IT solutions provider. They have a loyal customer base because they deliver quality solutions and excellent services and these are the kind of employees, customers and relationships that we value at NXTsoft.

NXTsoft (http://www.nxtsoft.com), a company that delivers intelligent risk management solutions focused in the areas of compliance, data analytics and cybersecurity, today announced the acquisition of Atlanta, Ga-based Digitel Corporation (http://www.digitel.net), a managed services provider providing innovative communication and networking solutions for small to mid-sized businesses concentrated in the southeast.

Founded in 1983 by Bryan C.W. Tate, Digitel has been in business for 35 years providing a comprehensive suite of IT solutions to businesses with a focus on security and communication services. The acquisition of Digitel provides NXTsoft with an additional $6 million in annual revenue and adds 32 employees to the company.

Following the acquisition, Tate will transition into retirement and Jason Asbury, current president of NXTsofts ThreatAdvice business unit will head Digitel. NXTsoft plans to retain all current employees and begin cross-selling their ThreatAdvice Security Services to Digitels existing 600 clients.

Digitel has a longstanding reputation of being an excellent IT solutions provider, said David Brasfield, CEO of NXTsoft. They have a loyal customer base because they deliver quality solutions and excellent services and these are the kind of employees, customers and relationships that we value at NXTsoft, Brasfield said.

Digitel has had a number of opportunities to sell or merge the company over the past several years, said Bryan C.W. Tate, founder and CEO of Digitel. I selected NXTsoft because of their professionalism and the vision David and his team have for building a leading cybersecurity company using Digitels employees and customers as a platform for growth, Tate said.

About NXTsoft

NXTsoft builds and grows companies using managements core strengths in sales and marketing, software development, business scaling, and capital access. The companys focus is concentrated in risk management, which includes cybersecurity, compliance and risk analytic delivered by companies that include ThreatAdvice, Springhouse Compliance, DDS, FIMAC, Echo Partners and ILS. For more information visit http://www.nxtsoft.com, email info@nxsoft.com or call 1-800-915-3381.

About DIGITEL Corporation

Drawing on a rich heritage of over 35 years in enterprise telephony and mastery of IP-based technologies, DIGITEL Corporation designs, delivers and supports enterprise class unified communications, data networking and IT Service solutions. Our full scope of services provides clients with a trusted team of experts to support their entire technology and IT infrastructure. For more information please visit http://www.digitel.net
In his debut book release, John Highbarger introduces readers to the thrilling and thought-provoking tale of The Man (published by Archway Publishing). Packed with action, intrigue and family, the novel depicts many technologies of the future and their effects on society, challenging readers to question all they know.

The book is the story of The Man whose already very successful adult life is drastically changed by traumatic events. The journey that ensues is a dramatically different life than he had expected, and its ramifications affect not only him and his family but touch the lives of many others and eventually the nation as a whole.

In writing The Man, Highbarger raises valid questions in some of todays most contentious areas such as social issues and advancing technology. It also shows how flawed people can continue to drive their way to success. One of the clear trends that the book highlights is the transition from male dominance to female leaders, even in areas where females have not generally been considered for leadership roles.

One of the most important things in life is how you react when things go wrong. A persons ability to put the bad things behind them and move on is a key to their eventual happiness and success, Highbarger says. While you might not agree with how they do it, the book provides a number of examples of people making the most of bad situations.

Through The Man, he imparts a reminder for readers: Things are changing very rapidly. Your happiness and success depend, less than ever, on where you came from, and is entirely up to you to create.

To purchase and know more about the book, readers can visit https://www.amazon.com/Man-John-Highbarger/dp/1480872318.

The Man

By John Highbarger

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 280 pages | ISBN 9781480872318

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 280 pages | ISBN 9781480872332

E-Book | 280 pages | ISBN 9781480872325

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

For 30 years, John Highbarger advised the largest companies in the world about technology and strategy. He retired as global managing partner in the strategy practice of the largest consulting firm in the world. For the past 15 years, he has taught in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.


"PJ's Ponies: Collected Stories" by Pam Honeycutt Attention all horse lovers! This book was aimed at children, but it will snare the hearts of animal advocates everywhere." - Robert Fletcher, CEO of Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency

For anyone who has ever dreamed of having their own pony, PJs Ponies: Collected Stories is the perfect book. Talented childrens author and illustrator Pam Honeycutt has written 10 short stories that are sure to dazzle and delight readers of all ages.

Her creative stories include: The Buckarony Pony; The Wishbony Pony; The Woebegony Pony; The Shoshony Pony; The Merry-go-rony Pony; The Stony Pony; The Skyblowny Pony; The Mermony Pony; The Pandemony Pony; and The Constellony Pony.

PJ is a little girl who is horse crazy.

After her first rollicking ride on a rocking horse, PJ was raring to giddy-up and go! Everything she said and did revolved around her love of ponies. The way she walked (or galloped), how she talked (she whinnied), and even her daydreams and night-time dreams were filled with frolicking, prancing ponies just waiting to share a great adventure with her! There's nothing that an imaginative little girl can't do, so come join PJ in a pony tale or two, and see if her imagination doesn't also gallop off with you!

Watch the video book trailer at: https://youtu.be/8F7Pq4uHJgo

About the Author: Pam Honeycutt spent much of her childhood and teen years riding horses in parades, rodeos and in the wild countryside of Wyoming. She encourages children to use their imagination, like PJ, so they can fulfill their dreams, often in unexpected ways. The author is a retired bank manager who spends much of her time conjuring up more adventures for PJ and her ponies. She lives with her dog, Buddy, near Seattle, Washington.

Attention all horse lovers! This book was aimed at children, but it will snare the hearts of animal advocates everywhere. We are thrilled with its creativity and are proud to announce its release, said Robert Fletcher, CEO of Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency.

PJS PONIES: COLLECTED STORIES is now available in Hardcover (ISBN: 978-1-946540-28-7, $24.95), Softcover (ISBN: 978-1-946540-29-4, $14.95), Kindle (ISBN: 978-1-950015-15-3, $9.99) and other eBook formats (ISBN: 978-1-950015-14-6) and can be ordered through the publishers website:

http://www.sbprabooks.com/PamHoneycutt or at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.

WHOLESALERS: This book is distributed by Ingram Books and other wholesale distributors. Contact your representative with the ISBN for purchase. Wholesale purchase for retailers, universities, libraries, and other organizations is also available through the publisher; please email bookorder (at) sbpra (dot) net.
The Delta-Mendota Canal is part of the Central Valley Project in California. A significant portion of this request is dedicated to improving existing infrastructure, including dams and reservoirs, and alleviating the impact of current and future droughts, so the West can continue to be the engine that drives our nations economy for years to come.

President Donald Trump today proposed a $1.1 billion Fiscal Year 2020 budget for the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation. The budget supports the Administrations and Interiors goals of ensuring reliable and environmentally responsible delivery of water and power for farms, communities and industry, while providing Reclamation with tools to confront the widening imbalances between supply and demand throughout the West.

"This budget reaffirms the Administrations commitment to water and power reliability," said Commissioner Brenda Burman. "A significant portion of this request is dedicated to improving existing infrastructure, including dams and reservoirs, and alleviating the impact of current and future droughts, so the West can continue to be the engine that drives our nations economy for years to come."

Reclamation's FY 2020 budget of $1.110 billion consists of $962.0 million for Water and Related Resources, $60.0 million for Policy and Administration, $33.0 million for the California Bay Delta account and $54.8 million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund.

The proposed budget includes $114.1 million in appropriations for various projects for Extraordinary Maintenance (XM) activities across Reclamation. Reclamations XM budget is part of its overall asset management strategy to improve the management of its assets and deal with aging infrastructure challenges. Significant additional XM items are directly funded by revenues, water and power customers, or other federal agencies (e.g., Bonneville Power Administration).

Reclamation provides services through many of its projects and programs to fulfill its trust responsibilities to Tribes. The FY 2020 budget request includes a total of $132.9 million for Indian water rights settlements. This includes funding of $69.2 million for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, $12.8 million for the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement, $8.3 million for the Aamodt Litigation Settlement, and $10.0 million for the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement. Other settlements include the Nez Perce Settlement within Columbia and Snake Rivers Salmon Recovery Project ($5.6 million), the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Settlement Act ($1.6 million), the Ak-Chin Indian Water Rights Settlement Act ($15.3 million), and the Colorado Ute Settlement Act within the Animas La Plata Project ($10.2 million).

The FY 2020 budget will continue to support water delivery and quality concerns along the Colorado River. The long-term impacts from droughts, such as those in the Colorado River Basin, cant be solved by a single wet year. Even in states such as California, where hydrologic patterns have recently been beneficial, the hydrologic system is ill equipped to address long term needs. The FY 2020 budget, through programs such as the Lower Colorado River Operations Program ($31.3 million) and the Central Valley Project ($144.3 million), will continue efforts in both areas to find a long-term, comprehensive solution to water supply and quality issues in Colorado and California.

Other highlights of Reclamations FY 2020 budget proposal include:



$92.8 million for the Dam Safety Program, to effectively manage risks to the downstream public, property, project and natural resources and provides for risk management activities at Reclamations high and significant hazard dams.

$54.8 million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund, to protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats and address impacts of the Central Valley Project (CVP).Offset by discretionary receipts to be collected from project beneficiaries.

$2.6 million for the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program, to support new and continued projects in three funding areas -- laboratory scale research studies, pilot-scale testing projects and full-scale testing projects.

$11.0 million for the Science and Technology Program to support continued science and technology projects, water and power technology prize competitions, technology transfer and dissemination/outreach activities that address critical water and power management issues.

$36.4 million for the Site Security Program, which includes physical security upgrades at key facilities, guards and patrols, anti-terrorism program activities and security risk assessments.

$19.9 for the WaterSMART Program to support Reclamations collaboration with non-federal partners in efforts to address emerging water demands and water shortage issues in the West as well as promote water conservation and improved water management.

To view details of Reclamations budget request, see http://www.usbr.gov/budget.
WWII monument torn down

The Nazis are coming, Ukraines Communist Party (KPU) leader Petro Symonenko has warned after the demolition of the Soviet war memorial in Lviv and a petition for the destruction of its counterpart in Riga, the Latvian capital.

Authorities in Ukraines western city of Lviv claimed the monument needed to be demolished as it was in poor condition, but its destruction was only completed at the weekend after attempts on the previous Wednesday and Thursday to bring it down were unsuccessful.

The Monument of Glory honoured WWII Soviet soldiers killed fighting the Nazis. Thousands of Soviet-era monuments have been torn down since Ukraines 2014 Maidan coup and a subsequent law ordering the dismantling of all communist symbols. But war memorials were exempt from the rule, forcing the Lviv authorities to seek other excuses.

Symonenko said that the decision to destroy the monument, which he called an act of state vandalism and moral terrorism, followed an incident in February 2018 when it was attacked with hammers.

It was of a piece with a pattern of fascist attacks on monuments to the war dead.

Last year a memorial in Poltava known as the Grieving Mother, which honoured murdered civilians, was defaced with a Hitler moustache and graffiti reading death to the Jews.

Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed by Nazi collaborators in the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, headed by Stepan Bandera. Lviv has named 2019 Stepan Bandera Year in his honour.

These demolitions spat in the face of all participants in the anti-Hitler coalition, the communist leader warned.

Lvivs authorities say the monument will be replaced by an undefined public space.

A similar restoration of Victory Park in Riga has been announced, prompting a petition to receive tens of thousands of signatures asking that this include the removal of the Victory monument there.

Latvia is notorious for its annual marches by veterans of the Latvian Legion, a wing of the Waffen SS that participated in the Holocaust.

The most dangerous trend today is the growth of the fascist threat in the world, Mr Symonenko declared, especially in European states. Capital uses racism to prevent the escalation of the struggle for social rights.

Morning Star
PMI Chicagoland 14th Annual Leadership Forum - Keynote Speakers Past News Releases RSS

Project Management Institute (PMI) Chicagoland Chapter strategically plans to host its 14th Annual Leadership Forum: Translating Strategy into Execution. Successful Strategy Execution is critical to maintaining and growing market presence. Executing a strategy is different from delivering on a typical development program; it requires translating the strategy into an executable plan, often with cooperation across business units. It is difficult to bring everyone on board to understand the leadership vision, especially those who are going to execute the plan. And, most critical, it needs to be successfully implemented.

Strategy execution is a competitive advantage, helping companies to build a portfolio of projects that balance strategic implementation with operational priorities. Strategy execution often requires an agile approach, with in-flight adjustments that keep the program on track with changing conditions.

Don't miss this engaging opportunity to meet with fellow project management leaders and gather industry knowledge and inspiration from each other. Come away with insights for translating strategies into manageable plans, leveraging the project management organization to successfully operationalize your strategy.

The 2019 14th Annual Leadership Forum is open to the public. Any individual looking to gather new ideas and approaches to become more effective is welcome. On Friday, May 3, 2019 from 7:30 a.m. to Noon, at Chevy Chase Country Club, 1000 N Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling, IL. 60090. Earn 3 Professional Development Units (PDUs), meet peers and senior leaders with similar challenges to socialize and form new relationships.

Engage in high level strategic discussions at PMI Chicagoland 14th Annual Leadership Forum with Keynote Speakers Greg Harmeyer and Spencer Horn.

With Greg Harmeyer's message on Activating Strategy through Project Leadership, he will hone in on ways, a project leader can influence people to effect strategic results, diving into how project leaders can leverage key principles for better strategic impact, including: integrated communication, behavior modeling performer-centric learning and building sustainable change.

Greg Harmeyer is CEO and founder of TiER1 Performance. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of people, teams, and ideas. He brings experience equipping some of the worlds most admired companies to activate their strategy through people. Gregs people-centric approach and compelling focus on purpose, culture, trust, and engagement have been instrumental in creating high-performing environments.

With Spencer Horn's presentation on The Ownership Factor: How to Lead a Team from Strategy to Execution, he will use personal experiences and inspiring stories to help motivate leaders to act and help their team members take action. Each will learn about how to unleash power to achieve desired goals. Team members will commit to take ownership for the outcomes in business and their life.

Spencer Horn is the President of Altium Leadership. Businesses internationally look to Spencer as an enthusiastic, insightful source for counsel and advice on developing productive and focused corporate cultures. Spencer can draw upon his 27 years of executive experience to reenergize seasoned and emerging professionals and increase organizational effectiveness. He inspires change, to develop: a powerful culture, effective communication, high performing teams and engagement.

About PMI Chicagoland

With about 4000 members in the Chicago metropolitan area, PMI Chicagoland is one of the largest chapters in the world and one of the most active chapters of the Project Management Institute (PMI) - the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. Founded in 1969, PMI delivers value for more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research.
A recent report from Bellwether Education Partners contends that more funding should be given for charter school facilities. Focusing on a series of Idaho case studies, the report argues that charter schools are unfairly denied funding for the construction and renovation of their school buildings. These arguments, while focused on Idaho in this particular report, have been made with regard to charter school policies across the U.S.

Mark Weber, of Rutgers University and the New Jersey Policy Perspective, reviewed Fairness in Facilities: Why Idaho Public Charter Schools Need More Facilities Funding. He found several flaws that undermine its usefulness for policymakers looking to provide an adequate and equitable education.

The report makes comparisons of charter and public school facilities spending. But the examples it relies on are not apples-to-apples comparisons. It avoids discussing differences in student characteristics between the charter and public school district sectors, and it does not examine the issue of school governance and facilities ownership. This renders any statewide generalizations suspect, and it results in problematic recommendations.

The report bemoans the fact that charter school facilities are not part of local school districts bonds and tax levies, yet it does not acknowledge that charter facilities are often owned by private entities. Mandating that local taxpayers support charter facilities would, therefore, force them to pay for buildings they would not own.

Further, the reports calculation of costs-per-seat ignores the reality that different students have different needs. For example, public district schools enroll proportionally more English language learners and students with disabilities, with one consequence being that they tend to have more support staff per pupil than charter schools. These additional staff require additional space to do their work, which may result in greater facilities expenses per pupil in public school districts than in charter schools.

Given these limitations, Dr. Weber concludes that the report provides little guidance for policymakers and other stakeholders at a time when Idaho is working to overhaul its school funding system.

Find the review, by Mark Weber, at:

http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/facilities-funding

Find Fairness in Facilities: Why Idaho Public Charter Schools Need More Facilities Funding, written by Kelly Robson, Juliet Squire, and Lynne Graziano, and published by Bellwether Education Partners, at:

https://bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/Bellwether_BFP-Idaho_CharterFacilitiesReport_Final.pdf

Find Documents:

Publication Announcement: https://nepc.info/node/9691

NEPC Review: https://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/facilities-funding

Report Reviewed: https://bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/Bellwether_BFP-Idaho_CharterFacilitiesReport_Final.pdf

NEPC Reviews (http://thinktankreview.org) provide the public, policymakers, and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. NEPC Reviews are made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: greatlakescenter.org

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: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Faith: The Pathway to True Christianity: a convicting guide for believers new and old, is the creation of published author Richard Rosalia, Th.M., an adjunct professor of theology at New Covenant Bible College, Vero Beach, Florida.

Rosalia writes, Faith: The Pathway to True Christianity plunges the reader into the depths of faith. It also guides the reader through subjects such as: How important is faith to Christianity? What does the Bible have to say about faith and the role that faith plays in Gods plan of salvation? These topics and more are explored in this study on faith. It is the authors intent to teach believers how to build their own faith. A strong faith will strengthen the believers relationship with the Lord. This study will give the believer a deeper understanding of the workings of faith and therefore deeper meaning and purpose in their relationship with the Lord.

By building a strong faith, the believer will be able to stand strong in their personal fight against the flesh and the powers of darkness that are out to destroy our faith. The stages of the growth of faith, from beginning to fruitful are covered. Teaching believers how to develop a strong Christian faith in a Biblical manner is the goal of this book.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Richard Rosalia, Th.M.s new book is a vital reminder of the cornerstone of the church that will enrich the spiritual lives of Christians who take faith not for granted but as the means and the fuel for their journey.

View a synopsis of Faith: The Pathway to True Christianity on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Faith: The Pathway to True Christianity at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Faith: The Pathway to True Christianity, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
New Rigaku SmartLab intelligent multipurpose X-ray diffractometer Rigaku is presenting its latest X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), handheld Raman and handheld laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation in Hall S2 at Stand #1228.

Rigaku Corporation is pleased to announce its attendance at the annual ARABLAB exhibition, held March 12 - 14, 2019 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in UAE. Rigaku is presenting its latest X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), handheld Raman and handheld laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation in Hall S2 at Stand #1228.

Leading manufacturers, buyers and end users from all over the world visit ARABLAB to explore the latest in laboratory and analytical instrumentation. Exhibitors from over 100 countries will join 10,000 visitors to see the latest innovations in laboratory analysis.

Rigaku is a global leader in X-ray analytical instrumentation, and is showcasing several of its laboratory, benchtop and handheld solutions, including the Rigaku Supermini200 wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer, the ZSX PRIMUS series of sequential WDXRF spectrometers, the new Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer, and handheld Rigaku Progeny and KT Series analyzers.

The Rigaku Supermini200 benchtop WDXRF spectrometer features newly designed and simplified software and an improved footprint. It combines all the advantages of traditional WDXRF elemental analysis systems in a smaller, more economical package.

Instrumentation on display also includes the Rigaku ZSX Primus IV tube-above sequential WDRF spectrometer. The system is designed for non-destructive trace element analysis with high detection sensitivity and spectral resolution. The ZSX Primus IV spectrometer delivers rapid quantitative determination of major and minor atomic elements, with mapping and multi-point analysis, in a wide variety of sample types.

Also featured is the next-generation Rigaku SmartLab intelligent multipurpose X-ray diffractometer with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and in-plane capabilities. It features the new PhotonMax high-flux 9 kW rotating anode X-ray source coupled with a Rigaku HyPix-3000 high-energy-resolution 2D multidimensional semiconductor detector that supports 0D, 1D and 2D measurement modes. The system incorporates a high-resolution / closed loop goniometer drive system with an available in-plane diffraction arm.

The portfolio of handheld spectroscopic analyzers from Rigaku Analytical Devices is designed for use in the protection of public health and safety, aiding the advancement of scientific and academic study, enabling the recycle and reuse of metal alloys, and ensuring quality of key metal alloy components in mission-critical industries.

Rugged handheld spectrometers include the 1064 nm Raman Rigaku Progeny, Progeny ResQ and newly introduced ResQ CQL analyzers for examination of narcotics, explosives and hazardous chemicals. The handheld KT-100S analyzer utilizes LIBS to perform metal alloy analysis on the most difficult grades. All of these handheld options have been certified rugged with MIL STD 810-G certification, empowering customers to achieve rapid lab-quality results any time, any place. More information about handheld and portable spectroscopic analyzers from Rigaku is available at http://www.rigaku.com/handhelds.

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@rigaku.com
RMT's Mobile Cart-Based Telecytology Solution Facilities...are seeing over 86% improvement in enhanced workflow with a significant return on their investments.

Remote Medical Technologies (RMT) will be a participant at the United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) 2019 108th Annual Meeting being held in National Harbor, Maryland on March 18th to the 20th. The highly acclaimed rmtConnect Telepathology Solution will be exhibited with RMTs Mobile-Cart Solution. These solutions are high-performance HD telepathology systems that allow users to securely share images directly from any microscope in dynamic, live, real-time (with absolutely no scanning required) to many remote pathologists. The rmtConnect application extends its mobile platforms to additional iOS and Android devices.

RMT is widely known for having the fastest performance, most pristine image quality, and most innovative capabilities of any telepathology technology on the market. This application gives users the ability to quickly and securely participate in live, dynamic streaming of HD video and audio sessions from their PC, MAC, iPhone or iPad, and Android devices. Moderators allow guest participants to join a session, jointly annotate images, and record snapshots and movies for instant image sharing and decision-making among collaborating experts. The performance, image quality, and security benefits of rmtConnect are unparalleled with newly added features of Webcam with VoIP capabilities, secure one-click system access, and invite functionality. In-session communications compliment the immediate need for collaboration by allowing participants to be present with WebCam benefits virtually. Additional participants can easily be invited to a session with one click of a button, in which invitations are sent via phone, text, or email.

Several highly-reputable blue-chip medical facilities have completed an astonishing number of adequacies with RMTs solutions and have seen a significant return on their investment since incorporating RMT into their daily workflows. RMT Founder and CEO, Don Marchon, adds, We believe that our clients' success drives RMT success. Impressive results are evident in our clients' validated findings. Facilities utilizing the rmtConnect Mobile-Cart Telepathology Solution, with optional height adjustability, are seeing over 86% improvement in enhanced workflow with a significant return on their investments. These results have been repeatedly proven and published in several medical journals throughout the year. The rmtConnect purpose-built technology improves patient outcomes and increases medical facility revenue while significantly reducing costs.

Visit RMT at booth #1035 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center for the 108th Annual Meeting to receive a hands-on demonstration and learn more about how your medical facility could benefit from this state-of-the-art technology.

About Remote Medical Technologies:

Remote Medical Technologies (RMT) is the creator of innovative patented technology for the delivery of secure Internet-based premium telemedicine services. RMT provides a best-in-class web-based video, voice, collaboration and administration platform. With simply the use of a browser, the solution is easy to deploy, operate and manage. This customizable and extendable multimedia services platform is a modular, non-fragmented approach to extending a healthcare organizations communications infrastructure. Be it across the street or around the globe, RMT drives telemedicine concepts and provides solutions that save lives.

RMT Mission Statement: With everything that we do, RMT challenges the standard of how quickly medical facilities provide more and better patient outcomes. We believe there is a better way to reliably improve and significantly benefit patients, doctors and the profitability model of medical organizations.
Through Chris leadership and the involvement of our dedicated judges, the NPS program is more widely recognized as a unique platform for learning about security technologies being launched at ISC West.  Don Erickson, CEO, SIA

The Security Industry Association (SIA) has selected Chris Grniet, CPP, as the recipient of the 2018 SIA Committee Chair of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for excellence in leading SIA committees and advancing member objectives. SIA will present Grniet with the honor at The Advance, SIAs annual membership meeting, during ISC West.

Grniet  a security industry veteran with over 26 years of experience in the field  chairs the SIA New Product Showcase Committee and also serves as regional vice president of the security and technology consulting division at Guidepost Solutions, a global security consulting and investigations company and SIA member. He has been involved with the SIA New Product Showcase (NPS) for nearly a decade, serving as a committee member and vice chair before becoming chair; he will chair his third SIA NPS program at ISC West 2019.

I am truly honored to be recognized for my contributions as committee chair for the New Product Showcase and would like to thank Don Erickson and the rest of the SIA staff as well as my fellow NPS committee members and our judges for their trust, support and encouragement. I am passionate about the NPS vision  to be the premier source for the security industry in the identification of innovative security solutions, said Grniet. While it serves as a valued marketing opportunity for program participants, I believe it also a cornerstone of the missions of SIA and ISC West  to educate professionals and fuel the advancement and success of the security industry.

The SIA New Product Showcase, established in 1979, is the premier industry event to recognize new and innovative security products, services and solutions used to protect life and property in residential, commercial and institutional settings.

Notable accomplishments from Grniets time as chair of the New Product Showcase include an increased window of time in which judges deliberate on the Best New Product and Judges Choice Awards, an increased emphasis on judicial ethics during the judging process and expansion of the program from a 6-month-long project to a year-round effort.

During his tenure as committee chair, Chris Grniet has demonstrated outstanding leadership and made notable contributions to the development and growth of the New Product Showcase program, including new insights into the newest technologies entering the security industry, said Don Erickson, SIA CEO. Through Chris leadership and the involvement of our dedicated judges, the NPS program is more widely recognized as a unique platform for learning about security technologies being launched at ISC West.

We are very proud and supportive of the work Chris has done to support and enhance the NPS program. The fact that he is being recognized for his hard work is indicative of the effort and passion he puts into everything he does, said Julie Myers Wood, CEO of Guidepost Solutions. We truly appreciate having him as part of the Guidepost Solutions team and are grateful to SIA for spotlighting his hard work and accomplishments as the NPS Committee Chair.

The Advance will take place during ISC West 2019 on Tuesday, April 9, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. All SIA members are invited to attend. In addition to the presentation of the Committee Chair of the Year Award, attendees will enjoy a high-impact presentation from Sal Mani, security systems manager for Google, on the workforce imperative of developing cross-functional skill sets to stay competitive in the security industry. SIA will also submit five nominations to the SIA Board of Directors for ratification and present the Milestone Awards, the SIA Chairmans Award and the Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. Attendees of The Advance will also receive complimentary lunch and have the opportunity to network with industry colleagues. Learn more and register.

About SIA

SIA (Security Industry Association) is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with nearly 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industrys top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.
Southeastern Printing (http://seprint.com) one of the largest printing and marketing solutions providers in Floridarecently announced a large-scale reinvestment. Southeastern has been providing marketing solutions for nearly a century for a variety of companies, including both local and national Fortune 500 corporations. The companys success is largely due to their enduring mantra of simplifying the complex and embracing the role of stewards of their clients brands.

Kicking off the new year, the recently-installed Komori 8-color Perfector Press allows for two-sided printing in one pass, delivering 30,000 printed sides per hour with robust color reproduction using LED UV-cured inks. The press is well suited for high-volume catalogs, magazines and brochures. LED UV inks cure almost instantly shortening the overall production cycle.

In addition to the Komori press, Southeastern added two iGen 5 and 1000i digital presses which offer a fifth printing unit for spot colors, white and metallic inks. Southeasterns Packaging Department has been bolstered with a Heidelberg ProMatrix die-cutting machine for producing retail cosmetic packaging, labels and custom boxes. Bulk mailing efficiencies have been enhanced with a Flowmaster High Speed Inserter. Other production upgrades include a Duplo Slitter/Cutter as well as a top of-the-line Graphtec Cutting Plotter for intricate cuts on a variety of substrates.

"Our CEOs reinvestment in the company makes us very excited for 2019 and enables us to tackle any size project even more quickly and efficiently," stated Darcey Thompson, Director of Marketing for Southeastern Printing. We are ready to take your brand to the next level.

About Southeastern Printing

Southeasterns sheer size  just under 200 associates in over 200,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space in Stuart and Miami, Florida  enables them to deliver a variety of high-quality enterprise-level projects to clients in a variety of industries. The company specializes in a wide array of digital, offset, and wide format printing with specialty binding and finishing techniques, branded promotional products, comprehensive mailing and fulfillment services as well as online Storefronts encompassing industry-leading supply chain management and inventory technology. Southeastern is the undisputed industry leader for printing, marketing and promotional needs. Visit Southeasterns website at http://www.seprint.com for more information
Death is a sure thing in life, but most British Columbians arent prepared for it, according to a new survey that found that 58% of BC residents have not created a will, with the vast majority of millennials (90%) saying theyve also put it off. Of residents who do have a will, 1 in 10 reported theirs is out of date. The survey was commissioned by Willful, an online estate planning platform that launches today in BC to help residents create a legal will outlining their final wishes and estate plans in less than 20 minutes, and for a fraction of the price of visiting a lawyer.

I created Willful after a relative passed away unexpectedly and our family was left to navigate his wishes. I realized through that experience that despite death being an inevitability in life, no one wants to think about it or plan for it, said Kevin Oulds, Founder & CEO, Willful. People put off estate planning because it can be expensive and time-consuming, and thats what we set out to change with Willful. Our mission is to change the way Canadians prepare for and deal with death, and were excited to launch our platform in BC today.

Willful was founded as an alternative to traditional estate planning, and it allows customers to make end-of-life arrangements quickly and easily. Customers are guided through entering basic information including their name and date of birth, as well as the names of their beneficiaries. When the customer is finished filling out details about property, gifts, and beneficiaries, Willful generates a document (or documents depending on the package selected) and provides instructions for how to make it legally binding by having it signed in the presence of two witnesses. Willful offers three packages, starting at $99 CAD for an individual will and going up to $249 CAD for a mirrored will for couples with a power of attorney for personal care (living will) and power of attorney for property. The company also allows for unlimited edits to each document, saving users even more time and money in the future.

Willful launched in Ontario in 2017, and Alberta in 2018, and since then has created thousands of documents for customers in those provinces. The Willful team has worked with leading estate lawyers across Canada to launch in each province, they worked with Surrey firm Patrola Law to ensure the documents are tailored for BC customers.

Living in a complex society such as ours means that everyone should have a will. While most people can save on taxes and probate fees through meeting with a lawyer, some people simply cannot afford to do so, said Sundeep Singh Gill, a lawyer at law firm Patrola Law. Others may have very simple estates. For these people Willful is an ideal solution.

To learn more about Willful, visit willful.co

About Willful

Willfuls mission is to change the way Canadians prepare for and deal with death. Their first product is an online platform that makes it affordable, convenient, and easy for Canadians to create a legal will online. The platform provides simplified estate planning services (creation of a Legal Will, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, and Power of Attorney for property), enabling consumers to create a will and/or power of attorney by following a clear step-by-step process. Willfuls platform was developed in collaboration with leading estate lawyers, with pricing plans starting at $99. Willful is based in Toronto, and it is currently available to residents of Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

Survey Methodology

From March 4th to March 6th 2019, a survey was commissioned by Willful with a representative sample of 800 online British Columbia members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in both English and French.
Legent Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - Limited Release

When two civilizations clash, the results can be really amazing. In this case, we are talking about two of the worlds most-revered, award-winning whiskey makers. Beam Suntory proudly announces the launch of the super-premium bourbon Legent, which is a collaboration that marries the U.S. and Japan. Whiskey enthusiasts can purchase this one of a kind bourbon from CaskCartel.com

Fred Noe, Jim Beams seventh-generation Master Distiller, and Shinji Fukuyo, Suntorys fifth Chief Blender, joined forces and created a unique bourbon that takes full advantage of both masters knowledge, skills and techniques. Amazing things can be achieved when two great cultures come together as one, sharing a unified vision to bring true innovation and best-in-class spirits to the world.

The distilling and mashbill is homegrown, true to the core of bourbon principles, while the road from barrel to bottle benefits of Shinjis imaginative and meticulous blending techniques.

The unique Legent bourbon is aged in newly charred white oak barrels and some extra-aged in wine and sherry casks. The result is a rounded and balanced bourbon that is layered, complex, well-balanced on the palate with a bright, smooth and surprisingly long finish.

Tasting Notes

Layers of spice and fruity undertones are imparted from the sherry casks, while the red-wine casks lend Legent whiskey a light tartness and help punch up the dried fruit flavors.

Its a perfectly balanced and rounded bourbon that's also complex and layered. On the palate it starts like a bourbon  rich, warm and oaky. Then like a Japanese whiskey, it features complex layers and a bright, smooth, unexpectedly long finish.

Purchase Legent Kentucky Bourbon from CaskCartel.com!

About Master Distiller Fred Noe

Since his birth, Master Distiller Fred Noe's life has revolved around the distillery in one way or another. Always looking for new challenges, Legent was a chance to do something that nobody's ever done before. Create a unique bourbon by taking everything from his family's 220 years of making bourbon and combining it with the craft of Japanese blending

About Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo

From Japan to Scotland to Kentucky, Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo has traveled the world over learning, studying and perfecting the art of blending whiskey and distilling spirits. For him, Legent presented numerous unique challenges. Bourbon isn't a spirit that's blended routinely. He also wanted to honor Fred's family heritage and produce a unique bourbon of the highest quality. After years of tasting, testing and refining the recipe with Fred, Legent has become another step in Shinji's pursuit of mastery.

About Cask Cartel

Cask Cartel was founded in 2014 and brought online in 2018. It is a company that comprises a team with over 4 decades of experience in the alcohol beverage industry. Cask Cartel has extensive relationships with Producers and Brands across the US and the rest of the world that brings its customers first access to limited productions and allocated items. Considered as an E-Tailer giant in the industry theyve developed an E-Premise Marketplace thats transforming the way premium spirits are shopped sold and fulfilled online by combining the widest range of selection of premium spirit beverages including allocated items and limited releases.
Of her trip Rabbi Ginsburgh notes, "One of the highlights of the trip was being asked to lead part of the Shacharit Service at Magen David-an 133 year old synagogue in Kolkata."

This spring two alumni will join members of the Jewish Spiritual Leaders' Institute 17th class in making a Lunch and Learn presentation. Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh of Louisiana will speak online about her "Jewish Heritage Tour of India." Ginsburgh, ordained by JSLI in January 2014, is best known for her music and is an accomplished Cantor as well as a Rabbi. Read more about her here. Rabbi Jonathan Cohen, who hails from Florida, will speak to the topic, "If the Bible is Fake News." Rabbi Cohen was ordained as part of the 14th class of Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute.

The curriculum of Jewish Spiritual Leaders' Institute requires students to present a one hour Lunch and Learn to the school. They pick topics that they have an expertise in and present them through a Jewish lens. Some topics over the years have included: Accounting for the Clergy; sessions on Jewish Communities around the World; Gossip; Ethics of the Fathers, and Kosher Butchers. Rabbi Steve Blane believes in preparing clergy in a pragmatic and professional way. Each student needs to create a Powerpoint or Keynote and provides the presentation online.

ABOUT JSLI and Rabbi Blane

Rabbi Blane is the founder and director of the Jewish Spiritual Leader's Institute,

http://www.jsli.net, the online professional rabbinical program and of Union of Jewish Universalists Communities an association of Rabbis who support Jewish Universalism.

Sim Shalom is an interactive online Jewish Universalist synagogue which is liberal in thought and traditional in liturgy and was founded in 2010 in New York by Rabbi Steve Blane. Rabbi Blane leads accessible and short Shabbat services every Friday night using a virtual interface and additionally Sim Shalom provides online education programs, Jazz concerts, conversion and life-cycle ceremonies along with weeknight services at 7:00PM EST led by Rabbis and students of this online community.

Sim Shalom, a non profit 501  (3) tax-exempt organization, nurtures a Jewish connection through its mission of innovative services, creative education and dynamic outreach to the global community. For more information visit http://www.simshalom.com or call 201-338-0165.
US weapons not on table

The chance that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons approximate the chance of survival a snowball has in hell. Whatever one thinks about the leadership of North Korea, with 100 percent certainty we can say the North Koreans act based on what they see the United States actually do as opposed to any promises Donald Trump makes.

We cant know exactly what Trump said to Kim during their private talks during the summit in Hanoi. Let us assume, for example, that he told Kim the US would not overthrow his government if he gives up his nuclear weapons. What are the chances that Kim would agree to something like that, considering the fact that the US is now threatening to conduct regime change warfare in at least two countries, Iran and Venezuela?

Most of the media punditry around the Trump-Kim talks not only misses this important point but, after missing the point, goes on to deal with only peripheral rather than basic issues. We hear that Trump came back with nothing and that Kim essentially took the president for a ride, using him to promote his own image as a leader on the world stage. We see liberals gloating that Trump failed in his mission.

Nowhere on cable TV are they talking about how arrogant and insulting it was to leave out South Korea, a nation of over 50 million people, from the talks. Powerful movements for peace and progress in that country have resulted in the election of a government committed to peace on their peninsula and committed to mutually beneficial trade and other relations between the North and South. Trump only bothered to call the South Korean President Moon Jae-in when he was on the way home after the summit broke down.

There is much talk about the fact that there was no agreement on what de-nuclearisation means. Thats because the liberal media accepts the outrageous position that it is acceptable to demand that North Korea dismantle its nuclear weapons but that it is not OK to question the right of the United States to have nuclear-armed submarines in the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula. With all the talk last year about North Korean missiles that could reach the US, never mentioned was the fact that US nukes, from where they are positioned, can, in minutes, destroy the entire Korean peninsula  along with Japan and big sections of China.

Talking about de-nuclearisation in Korea makes no sense unless US nuclear weapons are also on the table. What the rest of the world combined spends on weapons is dwarfed by the US$700 billion US military budget.

And theres a lot more to consider:

Trump just cancelled an historic nuclear arms treaty signed in the 1980s by then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. That treaty banned the placement of medium-range missiles in Europe. This is particularly dangerous since right-wing regimes in Eastern Europe have been clamouring recently for the placement of such US missiles on their territories, missiles that could destroy major Russian population centres in minutes.

Prior to that, Trump cancelled the nuclear deal with Iran, raising the danger of war breaking out in that region. When he cancelled the deal, his national security adviser, John Bolton, spoke openly about regime change in that country and how the US will celebrate the accomplishment of that at the US embassy in Tehran.

Shortly after he took office, Trump pulled the US out of the historic Paris Climate Accord, endangering the sustainability and the future of the entire planet.

As if all of these things were not enough for the North Korean leadership to take in, there are the open attempts today to drive out the elected government of Venezuela and the declaration by President Trump that an un-elected figure is the real president of that country. US troops are massing in neighbouring Colombia for a possible invasion of Venezuela.

And then there is the memory of other leaders who made deals with the US Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was told that if he gave up his nuclear ambitions he would not be overthrown. Within a few years of him giving up the plans for the nukes, the US proceeded to assist in overthrowing him anyway. Worse than that, however, is the fact that the US installed ruthless, reactionary terrorists in his place, and today Libya is far worse off than it was under Gaddafi.

Saddam Hussein, too, was overthrown in Iraq by a full-scale US invasion which resulted in the deaths of as many as a million or more Iraqis. Few would argue that Iraq today is any better off than it was before the US invasion.

The fact is that the talks with North Korea failed because Trump, like presidents before him, is carrying out a policy of world domination by US capitalist business interests, a policy that has no use for democracy or human rights or free elections when they get in the way of whats best for the worlds one percent.

Until we change over to a foreign policy that supports peace, progress, democracy, and labour rights around the world, rather than a foreign policy that props up the international capitalist profiteers, we will have a hard time getting anyone to have faith in negotiations with the US.

Peoples World
Venera announces major enhancements to its Quality Control solutions that the company will showcase at the upcoming NAB 2019 show in Las Vegas (April 6  11, 2019). Venera takes pride in not only continuing to provide the fastest, easiest to use and most versatile set of QC products, but also in providing new QC capabilities needed by its customers, such as support for HDR, IMF, Encrypted HLS/DASH, and critical checks like framing/matting issues.

Pulsar and Quasar New Capabilities:



Support for HDR

Aided by our close collaboration with some of the major Hollywood Studios, we now support verification of HDR 10 and HDR 10+ content.



The Most Extensive Validation and QC of IMF Content

Through our active involvement in the IMF community, we are able to provide the necessary support to address the key IMF QC requirements, including the unique ability to QC IMF supplemental packages. We have also integrated the Netflix Photon checks within Pulsar.



Support for Encrypted HLS/DASH/MSS

We now support QC of encrypted HLS/DASH/MSS adaptive bitrate content, with the user-provided decryption key.



Detection of Framing/Matting Issues

Shifting video frames and matting issues have been a major problem for many post-production houses. Veneras QC solutions can now automate the process and report if and when there is a shift in the video frame.



Speech Gated Loudness Measurement

The latest approach in dealing with loudness is measuring Speech gated loudness and alerting if it falls outside the threshold. Veneras QC solutions now support this feature where they can measure the loudness based on speech component. This is a requirement from many content providers such as Netflix.



PSE Compliance with Ofcom Update

Beginning January 1, 2019, it is mandatory for all content providers in the UK to test for compliance with ITU-R BT.1702-1 before the content is delivered to end users. Veneras QC systems use Harding PSE engine that is already compliant with ITU-R BT.1702-1.

For more details : http://www.veneratech.com/automated-file-qc-system-for-photosensitive-epilepsy-pse/

Quasar Cloud-Specific Enhancements:

While Veneras Quasar solution includes all the QC-specific enhancements mentioned above, Venera has also worked on cloud-specific enhancements that make our native-cloud service even more attractive for cloud-specific workflows.

Job Tagging

Quasar users can now tag individual jobs that are posted to Quasar service. If you are an OVP or use Quasar to QC content for multiple clients, you can now easily designate which customer a job belongs to by adding a tag to each job.



Enhanced Security and Reliability

We continue to enhance Quasar security to provide maximum protection for studio content. By providing white-listing support for AWS S3 buckets and using temporary security credentials, Quasar allows users to QC their content without explicitly supplying their storage location credentials. End-to-end encryption of Quasar information and high availability data storage makes Quasar a highly reliable and secure solution for any cloud-based workflow. With all these unique capabilities in place, you can use Quasar confidently on even public cloud.



Support for Google Cloud Storage

Aside from running on AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms, Quasar now supports QC of content residing on Google Cloud Storage.

For more information and free trial: http://www.veneratech.com/quasar

About Venera Technologies

Since its inception in 2003, Venera Technologies has continually provided cutting-edge file-based QC solutions to the digital media industry, tailored to the evolving requirements of its customer and the industry. Veneras flagship offering, the Pulsar automated file-based QC solution for on-premise deployment, is the worlds fastest File based Automated QC system that is used by some of the largest Media companies in the world, as well as a number of smaller boutique post houses and production companies. And Veneras Quasar, the first native cloud-based QC service, provides the same QC functionalities as Pulsar, developed natively for the Cloud environment with features such as dynamic scalability and usage-based pricing model to meet todays advanced cloud-based digital workflows.

Follow us:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/veneratech

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venera-technologies

Web: http://www.veneratech.com
Wayback Burgers, Americas Favorite Hometown Burger Joint and one of the nations fastest-growing burger franchises, is celebrating a tremendous start to their partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Through a series of successful programs, events and promotions, Wayback Burgers was able to raise more than $72,000 in the first six months of the partnership.

This exciting partnership launched in July 2018 and has benefited the national organization as well as local chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Wayback Burgers and their franchisees have pledged to make an annual donation of up to $150,000 with a minimum of $100,000 for each of the next two years. Funds will be raised through a variety of campaigns, events and fundraisers.

Fundraising efforts included an ongoing program through which a portion of every burger and sandwich sold at Wayback Burgers restaurants from coast to coast was donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Through this initiative alone, Wayback Burgers was able to raise more than $55,000 for Boys & Girls Club of America.

Additionally, Wayback Burgers hosted a national fundraiser day on August 11, 2018. On that date, participating Wayback Burgers restaurants donated 10 percent of daily sales, totaling more than $17,000. This event was put on in conjunction with the Back2School campaign, which is an initiative that addresses the critical after-school hours for kids and teens as they return to school.

Our partnership with Wayback Burgers is off to a great start. Its only been six months, and we have already seen notable success with their fundraising campaigns, says Chad Royal-Pascoe, National Vice President of Corporate and Cause Partnerships at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Wayback Burgers generous donations have helped us continue to grow our programs and reach more kids in communities across the country. I cant wait to see where this partnership takes us next.

This March, Wayback Burgers will host another major national fundraiser (March 26th) and launch a national milkshake contest, where members of Boys & Girls club are encouraged to submit their own milkshake recipes. Up to 3 new and exciting flavors will be put on display across Waybacks website, app and social media platforms. These shakes will then be voted upon by loyal Wayback Burgers guests. The winning shake will be found in all participating Wayback restaurants as a limited-time offer later this summer.

We are very proud to be partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, says John Eucalitto, CEO of Wayback Burgers. We are happy to support an organization that is working hard to reach out and help our nations children excel in school and in life. We are eager to build on the momentum weve generated thus far through our partnership, and we are excited to continue to raise money for a worthy cause.

For more information on Wayback Burgers and all partnerships/promotions, please visit their website (https://waybackburgers.com/) and social media profiles  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For more information on the Wayback Burgers franchise opportunity, please visit https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.

About Wayback Burgers

Founded in 1991 in Newark, DE, Wayback Burgers is a Connecticut-based fast-casual franchise with a reputation for cooked to order burgers and thick, hand-dipped milkshakes, served in an environment that hearkens back to a simpler place and timewhen customer service meant something and everyone felt the warmth of the community.

Wayback Burgers currently operates in 30 states with over 166 locations nationally and internationally in Argentina, Brunei, Sudan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Through its executed master franchise agreements, Wayback Burgers plans to open in 38 provinces/countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Ireland; Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada; and the Netherlands, with a pending letter of intent sent out to Western Germany.

For more information about Wayback Burgers, please go to https://waybackburgers.com/.

For franchising information about Wayback Burgers, please go to https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.
Guidant Financial Women In Business Infographic 2019 The data clearly shows that women entrepreneurs are younger and more educated, plus more resourceful in where they find funding, said David Nilssen, CEO of Guidant Financial.

A survey conducted by small business financing company Guidant Financial and online credit marketplace LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) reveals how female entrepreneurs and small business owners increasingly differ from their male counterparts. The companies teamed up to survey more than 2,700 current and aspiring small business owners across the nation.

The data clearly shows that women entrepreneurs are younger and more educated, plus more resourceful in where they find funding, said David Nilssen, CEO of Guidant Financial. We anticipate that business ownership by women will continue to grow and evolve in exciting new ways.

Key findings include:

25 percent of female small business owners are African-American. Only 14 percent of male small business owners are African-American.

Women entrepreneurs skew younger than their male counterparts.



52 percent of females surveyed were over the age of 50, compared to 59 percent of men.

29 percent of females surveyed were between 40 and 49, compared to 24 percent of men.

19 percent of females surveyed were under the age of 40, compared to 17 percent of men.

Nearly 3 out of 4 (72 percent) of female small business owners have pursued higher education, compared to 65 percent of their male counterparts.



38 percent more women than men have Associates degrees.

20 percent more women than men have Masters degrees.

3 percent more men than women have Bachelors degrees.

Both 4 percent of male and female small business owners have Doctorate degrees.

Women are 48 percent more likely to be concerned about the effects of the political climate on small business than men.

Female ownership in health, beauty, and fitness businesses increased 55 percent year over year, while food-related businesses and restaurants increased by 45 percent year over year.

The most popular industries for women-owned small businesses:



1) Health, beauty, and fitness 2) Food-related and restaurant 3) Business services 4) General retail 5) Education

36 of women small business owners use cash to get their business off the ground, compared to 32 percent of men. Funding from friends and family is the next most popular form of financing for women, at 17 percent compared to mens 11 percent.

An accompanying white paper and infographic can be found at https://www.guidantfinancial.com/small-business-trends/women-in-business/.

Methodology

Between November 6, 2018 and November 16, 2018, Guidant Financial and LendingClub conducted an email survey of more than 2,700 male and female small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Ages of respondents ranged from 18 to over 70.

About Guidant Financial

Headquartered in Bellevue, WA Guidant Financial helps business owners secure financing to start, buy or grow a business. An industry leader in business and franchise financing, Guidant works with new and existing entrepreneurs to identify, evaluate and deploy customized financing solutions. Their services include, but are not limited to, 401(k) business funding, SBA loans, unsecured credit, and portfolio loans. In total, Guidant has helped over 20,000 entrepreneurs in all 50 states to invest more than $4 billion in funds to start small businesses, resulting in more than 85,000 U.S. jobs created. Visit Guidant on the web at guidantfinancial.com.

About LendingClub

LendingClub was founded to transform the banking system to make credit more affordable and investing more rewarding. Today, LendingClub's online credit marketplace connects borrowers and investors to deliver more efficient and affordable access to credit. LendingClub's technology platform creates cost efficiencies, which are passed onto borrowers as savings in the form of lower rates and to investors in the form of risk-adjusted returns. LendingClub is based in San Francisco, California. Loans made by WebBank, member FDIC.
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PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move.
Latinx childrens book authors and illustrators gathered on March 9 to celebrate their craft at Bank Streets second annual conference focusing on Latinx Childrens Literature. The conference, held at Bank Street College in New York City, included an address from Loida Garcia-Febo, president of the American Library Association, three panel discussions featuring speakers from Latinx backgrounds, and a keynote address from author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. Throughout the day, the presenters emphasized that the children's books being created by Latinx individuals are as diverse and expansive as the creators themselves.

First up was Garcia-Febo, who discussed her work on behalf of libraries nationwide. She spoke about the importance of multicultural literature for young readers, saying that, even as the nation is becoming increasingly more diverse, multicultural leadership for youth is at a low point. She added that authors and illustrators are dream makers whose creativity and vision continues to fight intolerance and cultural invisibility.

Garcia-Febo praised the work of librarians in New York City and beyond, who have tirelessly promoted diverse books, even as those books have not always been easy to find. Libraries themselves, she said, are institutions of tremendous value that support all communities, including those who are most vulnerable in society:. The spirit of diversity, inclusiveness, and relationship building is alive and well in our libraries.

Addressing the audience of Latinx writers, illustrators, librarians, and educators, Garcia-Febo concluded, You are the change we have been waiting for.

Building Visual Literacy

The first panel was named Fantasy and Illustration in Graphic Novels and Comics and included illustrators Raul the Third, Ricardo Siri (better known as Liniers), and Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Critic, librarian, and editor Shelley Diaz, moderated the discussion. Diaz asked the panelists to speak about their own development as artists whose work promotes the building of visual literacy.

Siri discussed how profoundly he was influenced by the Argentinian comic Mafalda, by Quino. Mafalda wasnt about teaching kids to behave well. It was about questioning the world of grownups, he said.

Raul the Third (the Lowriders in Space series) recalls that, as a boy in El Paso, Tex., he had a favorite museum... the local 7-11. That's where he first discovered comic books. Not everyone has access to amazing art museums, he said, but any kid can take a comic book home and become inspired by it.

For Miranda-Rodriguez (La Borinquena), whose family moved frequently when he was a child, the worlds of comics and graphic novels became the only constant for me. Early in his life, Miranda-Rodriguez also recognized that the characters in comics were often faced with overcoming obstacles, and the stories were concerned with a hunger and desire for social justice, a quality that became implanted in him as a reader. However, what Miranda-Rodriguez did not see in the comics he read were people of color. As he came of age, he took it upon himself to create the Puerto Rican characters (and characters from other vastly underrepresented backgrounds) that he had missed as a child. This desire to diversify comics led him to eschew corporate publishing venues that have historically served up white male content. Instead, he self-publishes all of his work. We have to look to ourselves, to develop [multicultural] content, he said.

All of the panelists see comics and graphic novels broadening the range of storytelling and representation. So many American stories arent being told, Raul the Third said. He added that communicating directly with readers through school visits solidifies in readers minds that creators arent just white authors and can also inspire youth to create characters based on their own backgrounds.

Diaz asked the panelists to weigh in on residual beliefs among adult gatekeepers that comics arent as legitimate an art form as other types of literature. Miranda-Rodriguez noted how graphic novels, by integrating words and images that communicate in complex, nuanced ways, are more neurologically stimulating than other art forms. Siri also spoke about the subtle and sophisticated interplay between language and pictures in comics, which takes some skill to interpret. You have to learn how to read comics, he said.

On the Shoulders of Giants

Next, authors and illustrators discussed creating nonfiction stories based on the life and work of Latinx individuals from history, for a panel entitled Elevating Our Heroes Through Picture Books. The panelists were Tonatiuh, Eric Velasquez, Anika Aldamuy Denise, and Rudy Gutierrez. Sonia Rodriguez, assistant professor at LaGuardia Community College, moderated the discussion.

Growing up, Denise lamented that the only Latinx character she encountered was Maria from Sesame Street. She expressed how much she needed more models like Maria, and how moved and inspired she was to first learn about Pura Belpre, a Puerto Rican librarian in New York City and the subject of her recent picture book, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre (HarperCollins).

Velasquez, who illustrated Carole Boston Weatherfords Schomburg: The Man Who Built the Library (Candlewick), discovered Arturo Alfonso Schomburg when he was a boy. A teacher pointed out to him that he and Schomberg had a lot in common: Velasquez and his family were also from Puerto Rico, she said. For Velasquez, as a Latinx individual who championed literature... Schomburg was a hero, a giant of a man, he said.

[Raul Colon (Miguels Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote, Peachtree), admittedthat he didnt actually read Don Quixote when the book was assigned to him in high school. Instead, he discovered the magic and irreverence of the book when he was an adult. He was impressed by how influential the book has been across cultures and forms of media. Don Quixote has been ripped off so many times! In his picture book, which was written by Margarita Engle, Cervantes is cast as the actual hero of the story, Colon said.

First stating that to my family, I owe immense gratitude, Gutierrez noted how little he saw his own culture reflected in art. I don't think my mother knew her identity or divinity, he said. He also reflected on the music that inspired and recharged him in childhood and adolescence. In his New Jersey community (where his family had moved from the Bronx), he heard the sounds of Led Zeppelin from the homes of some neighbors; from other corners, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye; and in his own household, Tito Rodriguez. But there was another sound that fused magical guitar and African rhythm floating over it all... a marriage of influences. That, of course, was Carlos Santana, the subject of his picture book, Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World.

The album art was also an inspiration to Gutierrez. As a 13-year-old, he never would have guessed that, years later, he would get the chance to illustrate a Santana album cover (Shaman), and that his musical hero would express admiration for his art.

The other panelists said they are also influenced by music, finding it to be particularly freeing and motivating when faced with writers and illustrators block. While Colon feels that there is nothing nicer than a sheet of white paper, and encourages other artists not to be afraid, he finds that loud music is especially useful in freeing up his thoughts to begin creating.

When dealing with a creative impasse, Denise does something that she normally hates doing: I clean the house, she said. In fact, she often blasts Carlos Santana. As she was working on Planting Stories, Denise often experienced moments of fear and doubt. Pura Belpre was so important to me, I had to get it right. It was fear. I wanted to do right by this woman, she said.

Latinx Characters Come of Age

The final panel, Soy yo: Developing Identities and Relationships in Latinx Coming-of-Age Stories, featured Latinx authors of middle grade novels. The participants were Pablo Cartaya, Angela Dominguez, Hilda Eunice Burgos, and Aida Salazar. Carla Espana, a professor at Hunter College, served as moderator.

While writing their fictional stories, the authors inevitably draw from their own experiences as Latinx kids. Cartaya (Marcus Vega Doesnt Speak Spanish,Viking) spoke about first becoming cognizant of the fact that he wasnt being reflected in books. It was when he read Sandra Cisneross The House on Mango Street. It was the first time I thought about it. And I realized that I did want to see myself, he said.

Dominguez thought back to her experience as a shy little girl when writing Stella Diaz Has Something to Say (Roaring Brook): Stella was an extension of myself. I was afraid to talk, and I didnt find my own voice until adulthood, she said.

In her middle grade debut novel in verse, The Moon Within (Scholastic/Levine), Salazar sought to tell a story that captures the spirit of what it feels like to menstruate, to not want to menstruate, to be on the cusp between childhood and adulthood, she said. She was aware that, since Judy Blumes Are You There God, Its Me Margaret, there had not been a true middle grade story that directly and honestly talks about menstruationand she counts The Moon Within as a definite first for the Latinx community.

Burgos (Ana Maria Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle, Lee & Low) grew up watching shows like The Brady Bunch and remembers marveling at the fact that those people speak the same language all the time. In her household, English and Spanish were spoken interchangeably. When she decided I want to write a book..., of course I would have to write about someone like me, she found she had few models from which to work. She hopes that other Latinx readers like hera nerdy kid from Washington Heightsare increasingly finding that their unique experiences are mirrored in books. For Burgos, its crucial that stories are being published that show different kinds of Latinx voices. Dominican is just one aspect of who my characters are, she said.

Cartaya added that were not monolithic, and that books showing Latinx individuality can go a long way toward breaking cultural stereotypes. Somewhat like his character, Marcuswho travels to Puerto Rico to meet his relativeshe doesnt fit into any particular category. Im Cuban-American and I dont dance salsa, he said.

The authors concluded their discussion by addressing what they hope readers glean from their books.

In reading about her bilingual Latinx character who dreads but ultimately celebrates her period, or her gender-expansive character who embraces both female and male attributes, Salazar hopes others will see themselves and all they can be.

Dominguez hopes that shy readers, Latinx or otherwise, find Stella to be relatable and her example, empowering. Shy kids have a lot going on. Were observing, not talking, she said. She also wants kids to see that immigration status doesnt define them. We should have no walls for them, she said.

Burgos wants people to lose themselves in the book, both by relating to the Latinx characters and expanding their minds to relate. Cartaya is hopeful that readers of his work will think more expansively about the experiences of people who might not look like them or speak like themand to be mindful of other peoples cultures. He did just that by visiting Middletown Elementary School in Boise, Idaho, which recently made news after staff members dressed in Mexican outfits for Halloween. There were 1,000 kids bussed in to hear Cartaya speak about racism, respect, and representation, he said. Cartaya addressed both the students and teachers at the school. Sometimes, having a serious conversation about cultural insensitivity means making listeners uncomfortable, he said.

Marrying the Traditional and Modern

For the final presentation of the day, Tonatiuh, author and illustrator of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrants Tale and Diego Rivera: His World and Ours (both Abrams), among other books, discussed his evolution as an artist and writer and the importance of honoring diverse perspectives. As an art student in New York City, Tonatiuh was drawn toward a range of classic and contemporary European and American artists, but as he became more curious and proud of his Mexican heritage, he began exploring Indigenous Mexican art styles. He worked at a center for workers in New York, which served many individuals from Indigenous Mixtec backgrounds. His interest in the history of Mixtec people led him to discover the distinctive flat and stylized forms that feature prominently in their traditional visual art.

For a senior project, Tonatiuh practiced emulating the Mixtec art style. He had never thought about illustrating a children's book, but he was urged by a teacher to do so; he submitted illustrations to Abrams, and was invited to write a picture book text. His first manuscript needed a bit of work: while the concept of the story showed potential, the publisher wasnt taken with the rhyming text, he said. Tonatiuh rewrote the story, and his first picture book, Dear Primo, was born. The story focuses on two cousinsone living in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the other in San Miguel de Allende, Mexicowho correspond in letters. Tonatiuh aimed to show the cousins different experiences in an American metropolis and a colonial-era Mexican city, while also demonstrating similarities. I wanted to show the same child in two different environments, he said.

Tonatiuhs illustrations demonstrate the influence of Mixtec art, while also integrating modern elements. The effect is an aesthetic blend of ancient and new, Mexican culture and American life.

The author-illustrator concluded his keynote address by echoing the insights from many of the days presenters. He believes wholly in the power for books to transform and support readers by reflecting diversity of culture, ethnicity, and life experience. Its essential that all readers realize the diversity within the Latinx community, he said.
Working with childrens publisher Capstone, Amazon has added bundled childrens book content to the Alexa platform, giving kids a new way to access interactive stories through the voice-activated assistant. Capstone has added 50 You Choose Booksa collection of fiction and nonfiction stories that offer readers choices that steer them down different narrative pathwaysto Amazons library of literary content accessible through Alexa-enabled devices. Rather than standalone offerings, the Capstone titles are grouped into 12 different themed bundles. All these You Choose Books were previously published as print books, and Alexa serves the books in a new interactive audio format read by voice actors.

Readers can access these interactive stories through Alexa Skills, or voice-controlled apps. The bundles work on smartphones with the Alexa app, as well as on Amazons entire ecosystem of Alexa-powered devices including the Echo, Echo Show, Echo Dot, and Echo Dot Kids Edition. The Capstone bundles are aimed at kids ages eight to 12, but Amazon lists Alexa content for kids as young as three.

Each Capstone bundle contains three to five books grouped around popular fictional characters or themes. Fiction bundles include Justice League Adventures, Scooby Doo Mysteries, and You Choose Batman Adventures, while nonfiction bundles feature themes such as Space Exploration, Extreme Sports, and Epic History. The first book in each bundle is free for all Alexa users, but to listen to the rest, parents must pay to subscribe to Amazons FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa service.

The voice market is the big thing now. We want to be a part of the home fabric, said Matt Keller, v-p of business development at Capstone, noting that by the end of 2020, researchers predict half of all internet searches will be made by voice. Internally, we always say, wherever the kid is, that's where we need to be. We know theyre going to be using voice devices in smart homes. What better way to keep books alive than oral storytelling?

The online retailer has kept the total number of Alexa users secret, but in January, Amazons senior v-p of devices and services Dave Limp told a reporter at the Verge that the online retailer has sold 100 million devices that make use of Alexa, and that the platform now counts 70,000 skills.

An Amazon spokesperson who replied to PW via email for this article declined to reveal exactly how many childrens offerings are now available through the FreeTime for Alexa subscription service. According to the spokesperson, the subscription fee for FreeTime for Alexa grants access to 1,000 Audible titles and 200 short stories in the Amazon Storytime skill. The spokesperson also mentioned other Alexa skills from childrens publishers: Honest Lee and Matthew Gilberts The Unlucky Adventures of Classroom 13 from Hachette (read the PW article), R.L. Stines Give Yourself Goosebumps from Scholastic, and educational offerings from National Geographic.

According to Amazons Amazon FreeTime Unlimited subscription page, the monthly price for one child is $2.99 for Prime members, and $4.99 for non-Prime members. A family plan costs $6.99 for Prime members and $9.99 for non-Prime members.

To experience the Capstone content, kids tell the voice-activated assistant to open the bundle (Alexa, open Scooby Doo Mysteries, for example). The individual stories are dramatized with a cast of actors, sound effects, and musicall content created by Capstone. At certain junctures in the story, the narrator asks the reader to make a choice and each new decision creates a different branch in the narrative. While a single listening experience might only last 15 minutes, there are many other branches with many different outcomes. If every single ending gets explored in these You Choose Adventure books, it is 90 minutes of content, Capstones Keller said. Thats a lot of audio work we have to do.

Capstone created the audio for these books, but the publisher needed a new kind of technological infrastructure to bring the stories to Alexa. Capstone tapped Earplay, a Boston-based company that won the Alexa Developer of the Year award at the Alexa Conference for developers in January. The company has created tools to bring interactive, choose-your-own-adventure style audio narratives to iOS apps, Google Assistant, and Alexa-enabled devices. Capstone is the first book publisher to use Earplays technology, but a few media companies have hired Earplay to create audio experiences for Alexa, Google Assistant, and iOS platformsincluding an interactive audio Jurassic World feature for Universal Studios Interactive and an audio series for NBCUniversals Mr. Robot.

Earplay was built from the ground up by authors and creators of content, said Earplay CEO and co-founder Jon Myers, a narrative designer from the video game industry. We put content first. Myers launched his company with an interactive spy story called Codename Cygnus in the app store, earning back the companys content costs through app sales. The same technology in that app now powers interactive stories in Capstones Alexa bundles.

Neither Amazon nor Capstone commented on how the You Choose titles are monitized on the Alexa platform, now or in the future. At the moment, publishers only have two options for monetizing content on Alexa: put the audio content in Audible so it can be purchased and accessed through Alexa-enabled devices, or strike a deal to be included in Amazons FreeTime for Alexa subscription service. The Amazon spokesperson declined to discuss future plans for pay-as-you-go bundles or other ways to sell childrens books through Alexa-enabled devices. Beyond the offerings mentioned in this article, the Amazon spokesperson did not share a list of all current Alexa publishing partnerships and did not offer specifics about future partnerships, but said the company will keep adding more features and skills for Alexa users. Stories are certainly popular among FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa customers, and weve found that voice and audio is a great medium that is still in its infancy, the spokesperson wrote via email. Were always looking for ways to improve our products and services for customers while adding more of what they love.

Its going to take some time for people to come to a point of trust about how to make those purchases, Myers said when asked if customers will ever buy content on voice-activated platforms. The gaming veteran recalled the moment when the mobile games market exploded, and expects another boom in content for the voice-activated market. Storytelling becomes very valuable very quickly the moment that boom occurs, he said.
F+W Media, the multimedia company that publishes books, magazines, and digital content for hobbyists ranging from writers to quilters, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy March 10. In the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the companys current CEO, Greg Osberg, said the best way to generate enough funds to try to pay its creditors is to sell all of its assets.

To facilitate the sale process, F+W is selling the company in two partsits communities group that had $67.7 million in revenue in 2018 and consists of 10-enthusiast categories, and its books division that had 2018 revenue of about $22 million and a backlist of 2,100 titles. Formed in September 2018 as part of a restructuring plan, F+W Books publishes new nonfiction titles in several categories, including art instruction, crafts, writing, genealogy, antiques and collectibles, woodworking, and the outdoors. According to the bankruptcy filing, F+W Books publishes 120 titles annually and generated 80% of its sales from the U.S. and 20% from the U.K.

After deciding early in 2019 that its cash would run out by the end of the first quarter of this year, F+W began shopping both its communities and books divisions and hired Greenhill & Co. in January to look for companies who were interested in buying the book group as an ongoing concern. According to the filing, as of February 20, 2019, Greenhill had contacted 13 parties and will continue its marketing process with the goal of finalizing a sale by the end of May.

The filing lists a litany of reasons for the companys descent into bankruptcy, including the decision in 2008 to focus its efforts on selling content and other products in its communities directly from various company-owned websites. F+W made that shift to combat the sales decline of print materials, particularly of magazines. The switch to the e-commerce model, however, led to a host of problems that is neatly summarized in the court filings:

In connection with this new approach, the Company took on various additional obligations across its distribution channel, including purchasing the merchandise it would sell online, storing merchandise in leased warehouses, marketing merchandise on websites, fulfilling orders, and responding to customer service inquiries. Unfortunately, these additional obligations came at a tremendous cost to the Company, both in terms of monetary loss and the deterioration of customer relationships.

"As a consequence of this shift in strategic approach, the Company was required to enter into various technology contracts which increased capital expenditures by 385% in 2017 alone. And, because the Company had ventured into fields in which it lacked expertise, it soon realized that the technology used on the Companys websites was unnecessary or flawed, resulting in customer service issues that significantly damaged the Companys reputation and relationship with its customers. By example, in 2018 in the crafts business alone, the Company spent approximately $6 million on its efforts to sell craft -commerce and generated only $3 million in revenue.

The companys magazine business was also in deep trouble with the number of subscribers falling from 33.4 million in 2015 to 21.5 million in 2018 and advertising revenue dropping to $13.7 million last year from $20.7 million in 2015.

The steady decline in revenue forced F+W to restructure its debt in 2017, but after successfully lowering its debt obligations, the court papers say the decision by the management at the time to focus on e-commerce and de-emphasize print and digital publishing accelerated the decline F+Ws publishing business, and the resources spent on technology hurt the companys viability because the technology was flawed and customers often had issues with the websites.

In an attempt to turnaround the company, the board fired the top three executives, led by CEO Tom Beusse, in January 2018 and hired Osberg has interim CEO who developed a new organizational plan that included the formation of a new book group, the sale of certain assets, the laying off of about 40% of its staff, and de-emphasizing its e-commerce operations, which Osberg wrote, was the worst performing business channel.

Osberg renegotiated most aspects of its e-commerce operations as well and developed a new digital business model. Although the new model improved F+Ws digital performance it was not enough to offset the continued decline in its magazine business and as total company revenue continued to fall throughout 2018, the board reached the decision it had no choice but to file for Chapter 11.
For a third straight year, the Trump administration has proposed the permanent elimination of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and with it virtually all federal library funding.

The presidents FY2020 proposal, dubbed "A Budget for a Better America" was officially released on Monday, March 11, and is reportedly the largest federal budget ever proposed, with some $4.7 trillion in proposed spending, including a $34 billion increase for the Department of Defense, and $8.6 billion for a border wall. And despite promises not to touch social programs, the Trump budget calls for cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.

On Trumps watch, the federal deficit has now eclipsed $1 trillion, and last month, officials said the U.S. national debt exceeded $22 trillion.

In a statement, American Library Association officials criticized the Trump administrations proposed library cuts.

"Not only does the administrations new budget dismiss the value of IMLS, it reduces funding for many other worthwhile programs, including resources for children, said ALA president Loida Garcia-Febo in a statement. Cutting federal support for programs like the Department of Educations Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) comes at the cost of early literacy, often in the most underserved areas of our nation. In addition, the White House budget proposal undermines public education for all students, penalizes librarians striving to improve their professional skills, and makes careers in public service out of reach for many."

But while ALA officials are disappointed, they are hardly surprised, and vowed to continue to work with Congress to ensure library funding continues.

As discouraging as it is that the administration has again proposed eliminating the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the bipartisan support in Congress over the past two years gives us reason to hope, Garcia-Febo said. Elected decision-makers, including appropriators in both the House and Senate, agree that funding IMLS programs such as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) is a sound investment and that to cut funding for libraries is to undercut opportunity for their constituents.

In spite of Trumps previous budget proposals, library funding has actually increased slightly over the last two budgets. In addition, Trump last year signed off on reauthorizing the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). IMLS funding in FY2019 came to roughly $242 million, up from $231 million two years ago.

"ALA members will continue to highlight the value of libraries to our elected leaders in every U.S. congressional district, Garcia-Febo said. We are confident that the 116th Congress will support the federal programs that invest in our communities."

UPDATE: In an article on the ALA's American Libraries web site, ALA Washington Office Director Kathi Kromer urged library advocates to contact their local representatives, asking them to show their support for federal funding for libraries by co-signing a Dear Appropriator letter. The deadline for signatures is March 28.

Appropriator letters are an important tool, ALA officials explain, as they let legislators know which issues have strong support among their peersand therefore what programs must be funded when budget negotiations heat up.

"The FY2020 LSTA Dear Appropriator letter, led by US Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Don Young (R-Alaska), calls on Congress to provide at least $206 million for LSTA. The IAL Dear Appropriator letter, led by US Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Young, calls on Congress to provide at least $27 million for IAL. Companion letters in the Senate will be released in the coming weeks," Kromer reports. "The more signatures ALA gets on these letters, the more likely it is that funding for LSTA and IAL will be restored."
The Mexican book market is characterized by government involvement, both as publisher and book buyer. Which is why a major change in the countrys command, like the one represented by Mexicos new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (who took office in December of last year) can significantly affect the book industry. Ahead of the 2019 London Book Fair, Carlo Carrenho caught up with Fernando Esteves, Managing Director of Ediciones SM in Mexico, to talk about the state of the Mexican book business.

How do you see the Mexican economy in 2019?

This year will be atypical until the new government settles in. That said, the most optimistic forecasts expect the economy to grow just below 2%. Public expenditure is one of the main engines of the Mexican economy, and the new government will have to juggle two contradictory goals: the fiscal surplus, and the expansion of social policies, which was one of the presidents main campaign promises. This context is key, if we keep in mind that 55% of the book production in Mexico, mostly educational books, is in the hands of the government, and that a significant part of book sales are directed to the government. On the retail front, most Mexican bookstores, around 1,200 in all, are facing difficulties.

What are your expectations for this new government in relation to the Mexican book market?

Historically, progressive governments in Latin American have favored the publishing industry, particularly the educational, childrens and young adult segments. And there is no doubt that the new government desires that more books reach more people. However, it is still unclear if the government is taking private publishing houses into consideration in its plans to achieve this goal.

Early statements by public officers in the education and culture departments suggest that the problem of low consumption of books will be faced by hammering the supply side, and lowering prices, and not so much through education and reading promotion. But the main challenges in Mexico are to create readers, to develop consumers, to strengthen bookstores, and to invest in new promotional platforms. Mexico is the largest Spanish speaking country in the world, with 125 million people. But it is not the one with most book sales, because some 40% of the population lives in poverty. And to make things worse, four out of 10 books are pirate editions, which is a very serious problem.

Mexico hosts the most important book trade event in the Spanish language, the Guadalajara Book Fair. How important is this book fair?

The Guadalajara Book Fair (FIL) is not only one of the most important book fairs in the world, but also one of the most inclusive ones. Book professionals, such as publishers, booksellers, agents, librarians and reading promoters, share the fair with hundreds of writers and thousands of readers. Guadalajara offers more than 700 cultural activities. Digital publishing and rights sales are more and more present each year. FIL Guadalajara is a very energetic place to get to know the Mexican literature, to interact with foreign publishers and to make business.

What is your take on the digital book market in Mexico? Do you expect it to grow?

According to the National Chamber of the Mexican Publishing Industry (CANIEM) and other private studies, like the one conducted by Bookwire, the Mexican digital book market grows exponentially every year and is the largest one in Spanish Latin America. Nevertheless, it is still small, around 3% of the general book market. In Mexico, and probably in the rest of Latin America, it will be at least five years before e-books reach double digits. And this is not necessarily good news. Publishers understand that they have to invest in digital, but the returns are still uncertain.

What about audiobooks?

Companies like Storytel already have local offices, recording studios, highly-qualified teams, a strong catalog selection and, of course, plans to keep growing in Mexico. I dont want to estimate the potential of the audiobook market in Mexico, but I feel certain it will grow faster than e-books. The popularity of mobile devices, and the long commutes that characterize Mexicos larger cities offer the perfect conditions for audiobook consumption. The challenge rests on the development of a wide and attractive catalogue and, above all, on creating a consumer culture for this kind of service.

What Mexican authors are world missing out on because it hasn't been translated into English or other major languages?

A few names come to mind, but I am not sure which of them have been translated or not and to which languages. Anyway, Hector Aguilar Camin, Juan Villoro, Elmer Mendoza, Juan Pablo Villalobos, Xavier Velasco, Jorge Volpi, Yuri Herrera, Guillermo Arriaga, Fernanda Melchor, and Julian Herbert are definitively interesting Mexican authors that the non-Spanish world might be missing out on.

Carlo Carrenho is a publishing consultant and founder of PublishNews.
Researchers have protected your pacemaker, other medical tech from remote hacks before they happen

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Someone could hack into your pacemaker or insulin pump and potentially kill you, just by intercepting and analyzing wireless signals. This hasn't happened in real life yet, but researchers have been demonstrating for at least a decade that it's possible.

Before the first crime happens, Purdue University engineers have tightened security on the "internet of body." Now, the network you didn't know you had is only accessible by you and your devices, thanks to technology that keeps communication signals within the body itself.

The work appears in the journal Scientific Reports. Study authors include Shreyas Sen, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue, and his students, Debayan Das, Shovan Maity and Baibhab Chatterjee.

"We're connecting more and more devices to the human body network, from smart watches and fitness trackers to head-mounted virtual reality displays," said Sen, who specializes in sensing and communication systems.

"The challenge has not only been keeping this communication within the body so that no one can intercept it, but also getting higher bandwidth and less battery consumption," he said.

Body fluids carry electrical signals very well. So far, so-called "body area networks" have used Bluetooth technology to send signals on and around the body. These electromagnetic waves can be picked up within at least a 10-meter radius of a person.

Sen's team has demonstrated a way for human body communication to occur more securely  not going beyond a centimeter off the skin and using 100 times less energy than traditional Bluetooth communication.

This is possible through a device that couples signals in the electro-quasistatic range, which is much lower on the electromagnetic spectrum. Sen's group is working with government and industry to incorporate this device into a dust-sized integrated circuit.

A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/NHqfT1vIe6E.

Through a prototype watch, a person can receive a signal from anywhere on the body, from the ears all the way down to the toes. The thickness of your skin or hair also doesn't really make a difference in how well you carry the signal, Sen says.

The idea would be to create a way for doctors to reprogram medical devices without invasive surgery. The technology would also help streamline the advent of closed-loop bioelectronic medicine  in which wearable or implantable medical devices function as drugs, but without the side effects  and high-speed brain imaging for neuroscience applications.

"We show for the first time a physical understanding of the security properties of human body communication to enable a covert body area network, so that no one can snoop important information," Sen said.

The technology has received multiple patents through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization.

This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research YIP Award (FA9550-17-1-0450) and the National Science Foundation CRII Award (CNS 1657455).

The research also aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, acknowledging the universitys global advancements made in health, longevity and quality of life as part of Purdues 150th anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebrations Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

Writer: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

Source: Shreyas Sen, 765-496-6520, shreyas@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: The paper is available online open-access at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-38303-x. A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/NHqfT1vIe6E and other multimedia can be found in a Google Drive folder at http://bit.ly/sen-media. The materials were prepared by Erin Easterling, digital producer for the Purdue College of Engineering, 765-496-3388, easterling@purdue.edu.

ABSTRACT
Brexit:

Fact or fiction?

There is a lot more fiction than fact in the Brexit debate, the smoke and mirrors being created by the establishment here in Ireland, in Britain, and in the EU. The government are up to their necks in the propaganda war, and have failed to deal with Brexit in Irelands interest. Instead they have propped up the false narrative created in Brussels.

Ever since the Brexit vote in Britain the EU and the majority of the British ruling class, supported by the mainstream media, have attempted to create the narrative that the vote was a result of xenophobia whipped up by the far right and was voted in because of opposition to immigration.

This is pure fiction. The fact of the matter is that the areas where there is least immigration were the ones that voted for Brexit by a massive majority. The reason these areas voted for Brexit had nothing to do with immigration. These were the industrial heartlands of Britain, which have been devastated since Britain joined the EU. British industries have been destroyed, and with them the lives of millions of working people.

The vote to leave had nothing to do with xenophobia and everything to do with the damage the EU has done to British industry and jobs.

Teresa Mays phoney Brexit deal has been rejected by the Parliament and has left the House of Commons in disarray. It is now likely that there will be a no-agreement Brexit. This will mean that the so-called backstop is out of the picture, with the EU threatening Ireland with a hard border.

We must remember whos doing the threatening. It is not Britains border, or Irelands border: it is the EUs border. It is up to the EU to sort out this problem in the interest of its members, in other words Ireland, the only member affected by it.

This is what the government should be dealing with: a smooth transition for Ireland and its citizens. It should not be assuming that Britain is going to remain in the customs union with an agreed backstop, thereby reneging on the result of the referendum, which was that Britain would leave the EU  not kind of leave it, partially leave it, or sort of leave it. It was a British exit from the EU. Plain and simple.

Because of EU rules, Ireland is not allowed to have, negotiate or make a bilateral trade agreement with Britain similar to what it had before we joined the EEC in 1973.

What our gombeen political class are not doing is demanding from the EU that the interests of Ireland are catered for after Brexit, even from their neo-liberal standpoint. Instead the subservient government are siding with the EU against Britain, which also happens to be our largest trading partner, and against the decision made by its citizens to leave the EU.

The EU is doing to Britain exactly what it did to Ireland during the financial crash, when Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the EU Central Bank, told Michael Noonan that a bomb would go off in Dublin if we did not pay off the bond-holders and bail out the banks. They have now done exactly the same to Britain, saying there will be no agreement to leave the EU without the backstop and therefore an agreement only on the EUs terms.

The EU and its anti-democratic nature has once again proved itself to be an enemy of independent, sovereign decision-making.

Quite obviously, the backstop is unacceptable to Britain, as it claims the north-east of Ireland as part of its national territory. What is not being mentioned is that under the Belfast Agreement there can be no change to the constitutional position of the North without a majority of the citizens voting for it. A majority of them voted to remain in the EU; so this has constitutional implications for Britain, the EU, and internationally.

A majority of the British ruling class, along with the EU, wish for Britain to remain within the EU. They decided to renege on the decision by the British people by remaining in the customs union, with all its regulatory obligations, thinking that the British public could be fooled by the establishments narrative of pending economic disaster. But the British working class are not fools. They did not fall for this narrative, and they know why they voted to leave the EU: for economic independence and to regain national sovereignty.

Under the World Trade Organisations General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (article XXIV:5, clause 3), Britain will be allowed to have free trade with the EU for ten years while it negotiates a new trade deal. This is not being discussed on the radio or in the newspapers; instead Operation Fear is imposed from every angle. People are being told they wont be able to buy even a sandwich or a pint of Guinness after Brexit.

This is all utter nonsense; and the citizens of Britain and Europe will see through the lies. The open borders for trade within the EU are self-regulatory, in that all members comply with the regulations, and there are no tariffs. If Britain wants to deal with the EU after Brexit it will have to do the same; so there is no need for queues at borders, whether hard or soft.

There will be random checks, such as exist now, for what would be deemed illegal goods. (Mind you, this didnt stop Tesco putting horse meat in beefburgers.) If British companies are found to be outside the regulations they will be dealt with by the legal system.

The only thing standing in the way of this is if the EU wants to impose tariffs on trade with Britain. In that case it would not be possible, and there would be delays, or Britain could choose to end trade with the EU; but with so much trade between Britain and EU countries it is unlikely that the capitalist class will want to lose this market.

The EU has to be seen to punish Britain for leaving, or other countries will demand to leave also. But whatever happens, the decision will be made by big business and the ruling elite in their own class interest.

Many countries would be very happy to begin trading with Britain that are not allowed now under EU regulations. They will now be free to trade wherever they want.

The British people have taken the first step towards economic independence by rejecting control by EU capital. The next step is for us to do the same with the native capitalist class.

Socialist Voice
Ad agency MediaCom has announced a series of staff changes, including appointing Tom Curtis, previously head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising (MBA), to the newly-created role of executive creative director.





Dan Wood and Paul Tremain meanwhile will jointly take over the leadership of MBA, which is the agencys in-house specialist content marketing division.Woods role will be integral to growing partnerships, media-owner relationships and commerciality at MediaCom. Tremain will continue to drive the branded content and production side of the business, and will also take up a position on MediaComs managing partners board.To support the renewed focus on creative work, Lindsey Jordan will take on the position as head of Media Creativity. Her role will focus on redeveloping MediaComs creative product set, in-house creative training and the process through which MediaCom nurtures creative ideas.The moves follow a successful 2018 for the company, during which MediaCom winning Media Agency of the Year at the Media Week Awards; as well as the Grand Prix for most-awarded agency and Media Campaign of the Year at the Campaign Media Awards in 2018.We are incredibly proud to announce a new structure at MediaCom that builds on our existing creative talents and strengthens our position in the industry, said Luke Bozeat, COO at MediaCom . The team continue to work across a broad range of campaigns and will no doubt impress clients and colleagues with their outstanding talent.
Dijlah TV, one of the most-watched news channels in Iraq, has chosen Pebble Beach Systems Dolphin integrated channel device and Marina automation solution to upgrade its playout operations, as the broadcaster brings more channels to air.





A long-time user of Stingray, Pebble Beach Systems channel-in-a-box solution, Dijlah TV was looking to implement a fully redundant automation solution with no single point of failure, that encompasses ingest, content management and playout functionality.Operating under the control of the Marina automation system, Dolphin delivers automated and integrated audio, video and graphics functionality for ingest, channel branding and frame-accurate multi-channel playout. The flexible pipeline design enables the virtual output chain to be customised for each channel, specifying the order in which functions including graphics, effects and aspect ratio conversion are handled within the system.As Dijlah TV continues to expand its offerings, we put in place a smooth upgrade path to support their increased playout requirements, Samir Isbaih, VP of sales for Middle East and APAC at Pebble Beach Systems. The combined Dolphin and Marina solution gives them the option to control third party devices, maximising their technology choices. For the operators, the transition is seamless with minimum disruption to their existing workflow.
Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests, British statesman Lord Palmerston famously observed. Two centuries later, the adage of foreign policy remains true but the internet extends its relevance into a nations domestic affairs.

Thats because the internet and social media give authoritarian nations a lever to pull in democracys debate. That can be done through intermediaries who help guide the opinions of groups, or by promoting a worldview that undermines the legitimacy of liberal democracy.

The Chinese Communist Partys ability to methodically shape views of diaspora communities poses a risk of creating a bloc of voters who couldin theorysupport decisions that run counter to Australias established national security interest.

The challenge of this domain requires the citizens of democracies to keep their minds open for new and ever-changing information, even while filtering out ideas shaped or co-opted to undermine the state itself. The information challenge is simultaneously external and internal.

The internet creates a scale issue in the economics of propaganda, too.

Censorship in the West today is not so much about restraining free expression, as it was in 20th century; its more about being able to drown out legitimate voices online.

In the hours it takes to fact-check a claim, or rebut a false one, another specious claim can be disseminated. Foreign powers, such as Russia, that aim to gum up the wheels of liberal democracy are aware of this.

Recognising these features helps to understand the limitations of using exposure of the online networks as a primary form of prevention. In fact, exposing specific disinformation online can add to the mental complexity of keeping track of whats factual.

Beijings overseas media networks may have diverse owners, but they have a singularity of message on key issues such as the nature of Chinas rise, the legitimacy of the CCP and the justification for Chinas actions in the South China Seaall topics that should be open to fair debate.

In this environment, a system designed to defend against disinformation may fail to properly protect vital, genuine, democratic debate.

So how do we bolster democracys communication, avoid amplifying distorted facts, and do so without creating additional complexity?

One way we can do it is by seeking to take the battle away from the network and pulling it back into the minds of citizens.

The individual must be able to see through not one, but many simultaneous attempts to sour debate or subvert democracy. To do that, they must understand broadly what information to accept and what to reject, a priori, about their democracy. They must understand the broad information goalposts of democracy: the need for sensible, rational debate that doesnt descend into conspiracy thinking, or fact-free venting at rivals.

Cyber researcher Bruce Schneier and political scientist Henry Farrell have produced a research paper that seeks to divide information into two camps: common political knowledge and contested political knowledge. The danger that propaganda often poses to a democracy is when commonly held political knowledge (the rules of the system) is miscastparticularly onlineas contested knowledge, like when a legal investigation is described as a witch hunt and the media is labelled the enemy.

A broad sifting of political knowledge in this wayeven if imperfectcan help the human mind navigate our changed information environment.

This has relevance in Australia, where, for example, the local variant of the anti-establishment gilets jaunes movement raises concerns about genuine political issues but proposes remedies that would arguably chip away at the overall stability of the system.

Another way to aid the democratic mind would be for the government, politicians and institutions to raise questions in voters heads about the veracity of politics as experienced on social media.

Ironically, building trust in politics today may require increasing scepticism for what passes as normal on social media platforms. Many-to-many communication platforms like Facebook and Twitter encourage emotion over reason, to the detriment of the non-hysterical debate needed for a democracy.

Communication over social media networks brings a special risk for the personality-driven politics of Australia. Familiar figures can be corrupted by moneyed influence campaigns, or seduced by ideas that prove to be hostile to the state.

To better organise the mind for our information environment, civil society, government and engaged citizens should recognise that not all technologies are suitable for all tasks. Automobiles were in wide use before society fully acknowledged that it wasnt appropriate for them to be operated by intoxicated drivers under any circumstance. Likewise, democracies may eventually have their own ah-ha moment about the suitability of social media for stable political outcomes.

Democratic societies may ultimately learn that social media, open by necessity to foreign subversion, create unnecessary vulnerabilities. The availability of high-speed mass communication doesnt necessarily justify its use for the thoughtful endeavour of understanding issues, weighing them and voting on them.

Helping the public fix its gaze not on minute-by-minute news flows or on personalities who can be suborned by foreign powers but on the lasting principles core to Australias national interests is key to navigating the information chaos of the 21st century.

To do so, the first line of defence should be in the minds of citizens. Reminding the public of this will pay dividends into the future.
So, with their beliefs and national identity in tatters, Russians ran headlong into the arms of free market capitalism and liberal democracy. This was not a resounding success, and by 1998 the Russian economy had collapsed.[2] Apparently, free-market liberalism was not the solution the Russians were looking for either. What came into being after that was a more managed form of democracy and capitalism. The new system that emerged in the mid 2000s was dubbed Sovereign Democracy. Sovereign democracy was more than just a way of managing government; it was a way of life. As described in 2006 by Alexander Sokurov, the man who coined the term, sovereign democracy is:

a form of political life of society, under which the authorities, their organs and actions are selected, formed, and directed exclusively by the Russian nation in all its variety and completeness so that all citizens, social groups, and people comprising it achieve material well-being, freedom, and justice.[3]

In other words, the Russian nation would do what was best for individual people: the individual people would not dictate to the nation. Liberalism, if it was not dead now, soon would be. A new collectivist nationalism was beginning to take shape, but it was still just a way of controlling the people. It was not a complete political ideology akin to liberal democracy, fascism, or communism.

So, if there was going to be a new Russian nation in all its variety and completeness, what would it consist of? In the early years of the Russian Federation there was a civic nationalism built around being a citizen of the new state.[4] By the turn of the millennium things began to change. Ethnic nationalism was starting to gain credence; the Russians were looking for an identity, and the idea of a Russian ethno-religious nationalism was starting to gain ground. Putin felt it was necessary to address the movement in one of a series of newspaper articles published before the 2012 elections.[5] Putins 2012 article rejected ethno-nationalism; two years later, however, he used the concept to justify the annexation of Crimea, and although coy, enlarged the term to mean anyone who self-identified as Russian.[6] Putins words made clear who he was talking about:

Millions of people went to bed in one country and awoke in different ones, overnight becoming ethnic minorities in former Union republics, while the Russian nation became one of the biggest, if not the biggest ethnic group in the world to be divided by borders.[7]

Since 2014 Putin has increased his use of the term russkiy (ethnic Russian) over the term rossisskiy (Russian citizen).[8] That said, Putin does not appear to be a true believer in the ethno-nationalist cause; he is simply using its appeal for his own purposes. He does seem to have learned its power with the Russian people as well as with others abroad,and one way he may be intending to use that power is to gain further territory is through Russias compatriots.

Immediate Threat: Identity and Compatriots

Compatriots is a term used by Russia to identify citizens of the former Soviet Union who had historic ties to Russia, as the government saw them at the time, now stranded living outside of the Russian Federation. The collapse and break-up of the Soviet Union left islands of people who had some affinity for Russian culture and language living in countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, or the Baltic states, countries that were now not Russian. As a result, the breakup left nearly 25 million Russians living in what were now non-Russian states.[9] Moscow felt a close cultural and linguistic bond with these people, many of whom claimed Russian citizenship.

A flag with the logo of the Russkiy Mir Foundation (Modern Diplomacy)
Marxist fashionistas

Not a position as such  though some Marxists have also been notable fashionistas (and others, distinctly scruffy dressers). However a Marxist approach can reveal quite a lot. Fashion is (arguably) unique to and a characteristic of our species. Some other creatures adorn, advertise or conceal themselves by wearing foreign objects. But in no case (as far as is known) is there any significant social transmission or evolution of habit. And clothing  its wearing and manufacture  is peculiar to humanity.

Human self-ornamentation goes back a long way. Anthropologists have speculated on its social purpose but, while materials or ornaments depend on what is locally available or can be procured from further afield, only in very few cases is there any clear evidence of environmental or functional determination of the precise detail of body adornment.

In other words, this seems to be just fashion. This seems likely to have been the case also for most of human history.

With the emergence of class societies, including slavery and feudalism, fashion took on a new role, as a marker of social status.

Different professions or craft guilds  from clergy to cobbler  distinguished and identified themselves through dress. Sometimes, as in royal courts from Ancien Regime France to Regency Britain, this could take an extreme form.

Dress became an essential element of the rules of behaviour  emphasising and maintaining social distinctions. But within capitalism, fashion takes on a whole new character. Marx saw fashion as a dynamo as well as a product of capitalism.

Clothing was central to the industrial revolution; textile manufacture inaugurated the factory system with adults and children labouring in appalling conditions spinning cloth made from cotton produced by slaves on the other side of the Atlantic.

The market for the product was driven not just by need, but by fashion.

Esther Leslie, a Marxist analyst of modern culture, describes how Marx saw fashion as a metaphor for capitalism. In Capital Marx wrote of the murderous, meaningless caprices of fashion linked to the general anarchy of capitalist production.

Capitalism requires constant novelty  not just in the mode of production, but in products themselves  in order to maintain sales and profits.

Alongside normal business cycles and changes due to external factors such as the weather, fashion, and the sudden placing of large orders that have to be executed in the shortest possible time leads to precarious work; periods of inhuman toil alternating with starvation  a situation which intensified with the development of railways and telegraphs.

Marx quotes a manufacturer whose customers travel every fortnight from Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh to the wholesale warehouses supplied by his factory and give small orders requiring immediate execution, instead of buying from stock as they used to do.

Not much has changed  except that the production process has been globalised and is dominated by finance capital.

Its excesses are manifest in episodes such as the collapse of Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh in 2013, where in appalling conditions and on starvation wages, workers sweated producing fashion items for Benetton, Bon Marche, Mango, Matalan, Primark and Walmart.

Some 1,134 garment workers were killed and 2,500 maimed.

Clothing accounts for 79 percent of total exports from Bangladesh, 43 percent of US clothing workers are paid below the minimum wage and illegal low pay and long hours are rife in the British textile industry.

Fashion is not only exploitative of people; it is hugely destructive of the planet. Agrochemicals  pesticides and fertilisers  account for 77 percent of the cost of raw cotton production in Kenya.

Critics point to the way that expensive haute couture is inseparable from the wasteful and exploitative mass production and consumption of cheap fashion items, worn for a short time and then discarded.

And fashion has, in parallel with and intimately connected to its economic role as a vehicle for profit and exploitation, a cultural and ideological function.

Marx had a particular reason to be aware of the distinctions of dress. Having often had to pawn his own coat, he could not gain admittance to the British Library without redeeming it. Its use-value was not just keeping Marx warm; it was also a signifier of respectability without which he would have been denied access.

Marx gave the name rag-proletariat (lumpenproletariat) to the poorest sections of the working class, immediately identifiable by their clothing.

White-collar workers dont get their hands  or clothes  dirty. They signify their distance from manual workers in their dress.

Dress remains a signifier of social class distinctions and is sometimes inverted. The practice of going without a tie (or often, even a collar), unheard of a few decades ago, is normal among academics and increasingly tolerated among financial executives. It is often the lowest-paid workers (security, attendants) who are required to wear a uniform.

On the trading floor it is almost de rigour for men to dress casually.

Ironically, dress is becoming a marker of prestige and power between institutions as well as within them. As Julie Burchill declared: Satellites preen, superpowers dress down.

Fashion is not just clothes. All fashion has its derivatives  shoes, bags and accessories, which are great profit makers. Plus, of course, the multibillion-pound hair and beauty product industry.

Tansy Hoskins, in her book Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion, shows how capitalism stitches up its consumers as well as its workers and its raw materials  today not just in clothing but in pretty much every other commodity imaginable, from cars to the latest iPhone or other must-have.

The high-tech equivalent of Rana Plaza is the ongoing destruction of lives in factories such as Foxconn (in Shenzen, China, producing Apple electronics) and kids sorting through mountains of toxic junk at the other end of the value chain.

Fashion is central to capitalisms underlying philosophy of planned obsolescence  the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals.

And it is central also to capitalisms ability (so far) to ride out its crises by super-exploitation of both workers and consumers. Fashion is the ultimate vehicle for alienation, reification and commodity fetishism persuading us to think that we belong  when we dont  or to think that were different  when were not!

Elizabeth Wilson, in Adorned in Dreams, describes how a feminist backlash against fashion has itself been taken over by deviant fashion, exemplified by grunge. Schedules for last months London Fashion Week Festival ended with top models parading in an Oxfam show to promote charity-shop chic.

One declared, apparently unaware of the irony: It shows you can be whoever you want to be by shopping in Oxfam.

Fashion is a total system and, says Esther Leslie, far from being an aberration, it is at the core of capitalism and provides a lens through which to explore it.

Hoskins declares: As an illustration of how capitalism operates, fashion is perfect. The inequality and exploitation are straight out of the past.

Just as Queen Victoria wore dresses stitched by seamstresses who went blind in the candlelight, so todays society it-girls now wear dresses stitched by Romanian sweatshop workers paid 99 p an hour. [...] Fashion allows exploitation to pretend to be something else, when in fact the beating heart of the fashion industry is not creativity but profit.

To understand this, you need look no further than the writings of Marx and Engels, more than a century ago.

Today, fashion attempts to persuade us to buy things we dont need with money we dont have produced by people and processes we prefer not to think about, to create impressions that wont last on people we dont know.

Within socialism it is likely there will continue to be fashions  in dress and in much else.

Some of us may still remain dedicated followers of fashion. But fashion will no longer be dictated by the owners and managers of capital and subordinated to profit.

Marx Memorial Library
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The investigation centered around the diary of Bhavnesh's brother, 45-year-old Lalit Bhatia. Lalit had taken over as head of the family after their father's death in 2007, and it seems he had gone mad with a moderate amount of power. He believed his dead father was communicating with him, and everyone else in the family just ... went along with that. Lalit began to dictate the daily routines of his family. They cut meat and alcohol from their diets, became more religious, and saw their businesses grow and profit. And then they all killed themselves in a ritual meant to let them meet and thank Lalit's father for his spiritual guidance. A ritual everyone thought that they would somehow miraculously survive.

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Psychologists blamed the incident on a shared psychotic disorder. Lalit was delusional, but he had also legitimately helped the family, so no one wanted to be the weirdo who made things awkward by saying, "Hey, maybe group suicide isn't the right move here?" We'll never know whether Lalit believed everything he said, but that's how 11 educated, financially comfortable, well-respected middle-class people killed themselves without making a big deal about it.

Check out all of Eamon Lahiri's work here. For queries about work or his favorite flavor of ice-cream, get in touch at eamon.lahiri@gmail.com or say hi on Twitter.

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Areas of patchy fog. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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In April last year, tax authorities had questioned Deepak Kochhar over a Rs 405-crore investment by Accion Diversified Strategies Fund through its Mauritius subsidiary, DH Renewables Holding.

The income-tax department's preliminary investigation in the ICICI-Videocon loan case has not yielded anything concrete to establish allegations of tax evasion against Deepak Kochhars NuPower Renewables.

However, the tax sleuths are contemplating investigating some of Kochhars properties under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act.

In April last year, the tax authorities had questioned Chanda Kochhars husband Deepak Kochhar over a Rs 405-crore investment by Singapore-based Accion Diversified Strategies Fund (ADSF) through its Mauritius subsidiary, DH Renewables Holding.

The transactions have been carried out in the guise of loans and other business transactions and hence prima facie no incriminating tax evasion angle has been identified, said an official.

The probe findings did indicate money laundering and the possibility of round tripping, he added.

Sources said the inquiry report has been shared with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The I-T department had summoned Deepak Kochhar on April 10, 2018 and sought details on ADSFs two special purpose vehicles (SPVs) based in Mauritius, Firstland Holdings and DH Renewables, which had invested in NuPower.

The tax sleuths asked Kochhar to explain the source of funds that NuPower had received from these two entities.

The high premium paid to one of the SPVs has raised the suspicion.

Between 2014 and 2016, DH Renewables paid a premium of Rs 1,161 apiece, against a face value of Rs 10, to buy compulsory convertible cumulative preferential shares (CCPS) worth over Rs 405 crore.

Based on the information, the I-T department had also sent a letter to its counterparts in Singapore and Mauritius.

The I-T department had stated that such a modus operandi of infusing funds at a high premium could be an organised manipulative practice.

In the same case, Videocon Industries chairman Venugopal Dhoot and Matix group vice-chairman Nishant Kanodia had also been quizzed for their related offshore transactions.

However , it could not be ascertained whether the tax department has found any wrong doing from their credentials.

The tax department is said to have sought transcripts of all communication between ADSF and NuPower, agreements between the two, before or after such transfer of funds, share valuation report for investment in NuPower, along with the reason for making an investment at premium, and ADSFs board resolution approving investment to be made in the wind energy firm.

The department has also sought information regarding the nature of activities carried out by ADSF, various financial credentials, such as annual report, tax returns, balance sheet, profit and loss account, promoters, beneficiary shareholders since the companys incorporation, and the change in shareholding pattern to date.

ED which is probing the matter may again summon the Kochhar family in Delhi.
Adidas profit after tax has grown to Rs 140 crore in 2017-18.

Adidas has trumped its German sportswear rival Puma in the race to shore up profit in India.

As of December last year, Puma surpassed its closest rival Adidas to become the largest sportswear brand in India but it continues to lose money in the country.

The journey of two of the largest sportswear brands - both from Germany - are on divergent paths in the local market.

Closest rival Adidas, however, has managed to improve its bottom line in recent years.

Group company Reebok India, too, has shown improvement in margins.

During the last two years, Puma has managed to grow its business steadily.

And it overtook Adidas by posting Rs 1,157 crore revenue in the calendar year 2018 - 12 per cent higher than the previous year.

In 2017, the firm grew its business by 12.5 per cent.

However, data available at the Registrar of Companies show, Puma posted Rs 5.2 crore net loss and Rs 7.2 crore net profit in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The company follows a calendar year format for financial reporting.

In the last two financial years, Adidas top line growth remained unstable.

While in 2016-17 its revenue grew 22.4 per cent to Rs 1,100 crore, last year its business remained flat at Rs 1,131 crore - 2.8 per cent higher year-on-year.

The firms profitability, though, improved significantly. From Rs 34 crore net profit in 2014-15, Adidas profit after tax has grown to Rs 140 crore in 2017-18.

In the past four years, Adidas net profit margin jumped three times to 12.4 per cent - highest among rivals.

Group firm Reebok India, which was in the red till 2015-16, has improved its margins too.

It turned profitable in 2016-17 and a year later improved its net profit margin to 8.7 per cent despite a dip in sales.

Pumas troubled bottom line is a reason to worry.

It was in the red for two of the last four years, but it is not uncommon in the local market though.

The third largest player, Nike, has suffered heavy losses in recent years.

After faltering in 2016-17, Nikes revenue in India grew in 2017-18 to Rs 829 crore.

But its bottom line remained in the red.

In 2017-18, Nike posted Rs 52 crore net loss.

However, the firm has reduced the amount of money it is losing every year since 2015-16 - from Rs 170 crore net loss in that year.

Italian-South Korean sportswear brand Fila, currently the fifth largest player in India behind Reebok, posted Rs 12.3 crore net loss last year - lower than Rs 13.7 crore it posted in 2016-17.

The firms revenue, however, grew by 34 per cent.

At a time all major MNC sportswear companies have struggled to improve their margins, mostly due to a price-sensitive local consumer base, the latest numbers reflect Adidas strategy to weed out non-performing stores and focus on larger and profitable outlets.

The accounting fraud at Reebok India in 2012 had forced the Adidas group to overhaul its operations.

Despite the companys prominent presence in large markets such as Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru, sales growth at Adidas remained either in single digit or low double digit between 2012-13 and 2015-16.

The net profit margin was stuck between 1.88 per cent and 4.78 per cent. But that was also the time when the turnaround began.

Soon after taking charge in 2014, Dave Thomas, managing director of Adidas India, was puzzled by the trend of low margin.

It became evident that while earlier smaller stores were selling products and were considered low risk propositions by Indian partners, it was a drag on our business.

"So, we decided to shut down many of the smaller stores and replace these with larger ones.

"Today, larger stores, with wide ranges and separate product sections, offering a world-class buying experience, are lifting our business.

"People stay longer in these stores, the chances of conversion go up and so is the average ticket size, Thomas had said in September.

Adidas also parted ways with many local partners who were not aligned with the new plan. Despite flat growth in store count, the weeding has resulted in bigger store space.

Now, Adidas has 436 stores, including company owned and franchise-run, and 203 franchise-run Reebok stores. In some cases, a simple change in franchise partners had resulted in improved sales.

Photograph: Michaela Rehle/Reuters
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Being the narcissistic jackass that he was, you'd suppose that the star of the show might have taken some pleasure in all this attention. According to reports, Bundy and his jailers could clearly hear the commotion going on outside. But even the slayer of dozens of innocents apparently found the spectacle disconcerting. "They're crazy. They think I'm crazy? Listen to all of them," remarked the necrophiliac murder.

When 7:16 a.m. finally came and an anonymous executioner pulled a lever to send electricity coursing through his body, word soon trickled out that Bundy had finally been executed before even the "small puff of smoke" that arose from one of his legs even had time to dissipate. The news triggered an outpouring of emotion from all the Reagan-mask-wearing, homemade-tinfoil-electric-chair helmet-making members of the crowd outside. They let loose wild cheers and yelled in the faces of the many journalists in attendance things like, "Thank God it's Fry-Day!" (It was a Tuesday.)

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Even a hardened law enforcement professional like Jim Sewell, the police chief of Gulfport, Florida, was taken aback by the unabashed merrymaking he witnessed from the masses outside the prison. Despite admitting he had zero sympathy for the now-dead murderer, he pointed out that, "Regardless of what Bundy did, he was still a human being." Meanwhile, the crowd squealed in delight like tweens at an Ariana Grande concert as the coffin containing Bundy's corpse was transported away in a white hearse. They surrounded and chased it all the way to Gainesville, where he was cremated. (His ashes were later dispersed at an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest.)

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So maybe you think the people of today, with all the horrors of the world ready for their viewing pleasure right there on their phones, are exceptionally callous. Well, just remember the image of a mulleted guy piggybacking on a girl while holding a frying pan and wearing a tie-dyed shirt with "The Bundy-BBQ" written on it. We're not saying that Theodore Robert Bundy deserves any sympathy whatsoever. In fact, feel free to spit on the ground like a superstitious grandmother after speaking his name. But at least try to have a little dignity about it.

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HIV activist and community leader Jazell Barbie Royale beat 19 transgender contestants to win the title.

IMAGE: Jazell hopes to educate people about the importance of HIV testing. Photographs: Jorge Silva/Reuters

American beauty Jazell Barbie Royale was crowned Miss International Queen 2019 in a beauty pageant held in Thailand.

The theme for this year's contest was world equality and 19 contestants from across the world competed for the crown.

Take a look at some glimpses from the evening.

IMAGE: Jazell is the first woman of colour to win the pageant since it started in 2004.

IMAGE: The crowning moment! Jazell just couldn't believe that she had won the title.

Meet the three winners. Jazell with first runner up Kanwara Kaewjin from Thailand (right) and second runner up Yaya from China (left).

A glimpse of the contestants as they line up for the swimsuit round.

Tiffany Coleman of Nicaragua waits at the backstage ahead of the final show.

Larra Jassinta of Malaysia gets ready for the evening.

Angel Lama of Nepal can't stop admiring herself in the mirror.

Kanwara Kaewjin of Thailand in a pensive moment.

The contestants wait for their turn to step on stage.
'For Pakistan, the comfortable old calculations and certainties are no longer valid.'

'Strikes on Indian targets now carry a high risk of retaliation and escalation,' notes Ajai Shukla.

The captured Indian Air Force pilot is back home, cross-border firing on the Line of Control is reducing and India's military has publicly 'committed to maintaining peace and stability in the region'.

We can assume this crisis is winding down, although another attack like the one at Pulwama on February 14 could trigger fresh cross-border violence.

It is, therefore, worth taking a step back to examine how, and where, the strategic terrain has shifted as a result of India's pre-emptive strikes. At the same time, we must take careful note of what remains unchanged.

First, a seismic shift has taken place through New Delhi's ostentatious abandonment of 'strategic restraint'. Since the Pulwama attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been telegraphing to India a plea to hold back and resolve matters through dialogue.

All through the crisis, Khan urged restraint, even after shooting down an Indian MiG-21 and capturing an IAF wing commander. The very next day, Khan offered to repatriate the pilot as a 'gesture of peace'.

While that brought him praise for statesmanship and maturity, it was hard to miss the change: Suddenly, the rational actor was the Pakistani leader. India's leader was the unpredictable one.

Pakistan's strategy, one that has been described as 'cultivated irrationality', lies in tatters on the floor.

India's 'strategic restraint' has given way to 'assured retaliation'.

It is hard to overstate the magnitude and ramifications of this change. Since 1947, India has played the rational and responsible actor in every confrontation with Pakistan.

It sent troops to Kashmir only after the maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession in October 1947. The next year, India agreed, despite its military momentum, to wind down the Kashmir war by referring the dispute to the United Nations.

In early 1965, so restrained was New Delhi during the skirmish with Pakistan in Kutch that President Ayub Khan concluded India would not have the stomach to confront a tribal invasion, or a Pakistani ground force intervention in Kashmir later that year.

The rational player theme was again evident in 1999, when India pushed out Pakistani infiltrators from Kargil while consciously restraining its aircraft and ground forces from crossing the LoC.

Through years of cross-border terrorism and militancy -- in Nagaland, Mizoram, Punjab, Kashmir, the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993 and the 26/11 strike in 2008 -- India demonstrated restraint.

In 2001-2002, when the terrorist attack on Parliament provoked New Delhii nto mobilising its military, the rationality of Indian decision-makers brought the army back to its barracks without drawing blood.

Soon after, India developed the Cold Start doctrine that envisions Indian battle groups pouring into Pakistan as soon as a provocation occurs.

However, Pakistani forward deployment and its deployment of tactical nuclear weapons have held back rational Indian decision-makers from entering into this escalatory spiral.

All along, Rawalpindi (the Pakistan army's headquarters) has duped a rational New Delhi into believing that Pakistan would respond irrationally to any Indian punishment.

Pakistan assiduously created the impression it would counter Indian strikes with its own army, while stepping up the ante with 'sub-conventional assets' -- a euphemism for radical Islamist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Pakistan has repeatedly signalled that if this were insufficient to hold India, Pakistan would breach the nuclear threshold, starting with using its TNWs.

To be sure, India's nuclear doctrine mandated massive retaliation --an all-out nuclear attack, targeting major Pakistan cities -- but nobody in Pakistan believed that rational and responsible New Delhi would retaliate massively, given that Pakistan's surviving nuclear weapons would immediately riposte, taking both sides towards mutual assured destruction, with its fitting acronym -- MAD.

All this is now in the past, with India having demonstrated resolve, unpredictability and indeed a political appetite for punishing cross-border terror attacks.

India is now willing to deploy more than the longstanding options of 'fire assaults' and 'surgical strikes', which allowed Pakistan to impose counter costs in the same coin.

Instead, New Delhi could escalate to options where India is significantly stronger, such as air power and -- who knows -- perhaps naval power next.

For Pakistan, the comfortable old calculations and certainties are no longer valid. Strikes on Indian targets now carry a high risk of retaliation and escalation.

Second, India must ensure that its intent is supported by its ability. Regrettably, it remains disputed whether the Indian Air Force actually struck and destroyed the madrassa it targeted at Balakot.

The air chief protested that the IAF 'can't count how many people died', but nobody wants a precise body count. What India and the global community need to be conclusively demonstrated -- employing standard 'post strike assessment' done with aircraft cameras, satellite photos, unmanned aerial vehicles or ground agents -- is that India is not just willing, but also able, to strike its targets.

This is equally true for the IAF's claim to have shot down a Pakistani F-16, which also remains contested.

In these days of aircraft cameras and airborne command platforms that track every second of an engagement, it is appalling that the IAF is unable to muster convincing proof of an MiG-21 shooting down an F-16 -- which would be a David-versus-Goliath triumph.

If India intends to continue along the path of retaliatory strikes, this needs to feature higher in our tri-service doctrine, service strategies and equipping priorities.

Instead, these documents remain preoccupied with 'preparing for a two-front war', that most unlikely of contingencies.

Prioritising cross-border punitive strikes would create a robust capability for dealing in a measured fashion with major provocations, without risking a spiral into full-scale war.

Third, and perhaps most crucial, New Delhi must remember that the roots of the current crisis, like others before it, lie in the estranged landscape of Kashmir.

The hopelessness that drove a Kashmiri youth to offer himself as a Jaish suicide bomber is widespread, and could lead others down that path too.

While the origins of the Kashmir dispute go back to 1947, the last five years have seen an unprecedented spike in Kashmiri alienation.

For Kashmiris, the killing of Muslims by gau rakshaks , initiatives like ghar wapsi (re-conversion to Hinduism), regulations preventing Muslims from praying in public spaces, and the 'love jihad' bogey validate the two-nation theory, based on the idea that Muslims could never be safe in Hindu India.

Instead of the healing touch that is required, the government continues treating Kashmir as a security issue that is best crushed under the jackboot.

Despite this, violence levels have increased over the last five years, more youth are picking up the gun and, most worryingly, unarmed civilians are willing to be shot down while confronting security forces.

Yet not a single senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader has engaged in dialogue with Kashmiri separatist leaders.

As long as Kashmir simmers in anger, the potential remains for another attack that could kill dozens of security men and spark another crisis with Pakistan.

Only dialogue can douse the anger.
If he doesn't, two things are guaranteed: Failure for him, and continued slide for his nation despite its talented people, strong nationalism, the gift of geography and a formidable army, points out Shekhar Gupta.

Photograph: @pid_gov/Twitter

There are two challenges when you talk about Pakistan today.

First, whether you focus on the history, geography or politics.

And second, whatever tack you choose, where do you begin?

I could have begun, for example, with 2019. I could have also chosen 2009, 1999, 1989 or 1979. I am taking you back, instead to 1969.

It was in 1969 that Muslim countries, smarting under Israel's spectacular victory in the six-day-war of 1967 decided to form Organisation of Islamic Conference.

Indira Gandhi wasn't about to stay out and decided to send minister Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (later President of India) as head of the Indian delegation.

Her move was thwarted by an outraged Pakistan.

It found sympathy in the ummah.

The Islamic world accepted the logic that there could be no OIC without the country with the largest Muslim population in the world at the time.

Remember, Pakistan was yet undivided.

India was left rejected and humiliated.

Jump exactly 50 years to March 1, 2019.

Watch External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj holding forth at the OIC summit as an honoured guest.

She delivered a finely crafted speech, which underlined India as a home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world.

She said Muslims were integral to India's diversity and, less than 100 of them had joined ISIS.

Of course, there will be many valid arguments and qualifications here, over her party's marginalisation and 'Otherisation' of the mainstream Indian Muslim and the demonisation of Kashmiris.

But please do not overlook at the significance of a top woman leader of a conservative Hindu nationalist Indian government saying this to the world's Muslims.

Even more, you can't miss the supreme irony of a sulking Pakistan staying out of this OIC summit in protest against the invitation to India.

Fifty years ago, Pakistan had the power to veto India's presence at the premier Islamic alliance.

Today, all it can do is express hollow peeve and humiliation with a boycott.

How did Pakistan, which calls itself the 'Citadel of Islam' (Islam ka Qila), with its nukes and missiles, 20 crore Muslims, get itself in such a sorry place? Think about it.

I will now drag you back 40 years to 1979.

Pakistan lost the 1971 war and broke up.

It was still rebuilding itself -- and quite well -- when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

It brought America and its allies, including Saudi Arabia and China in as, what is now called, the Af-Pak region became the hottest battlefield of the Cold War.

Pakistan was their willing, capable and indispensable ally.

This started the process of easy and free re-arming of the Pakistani military, strengthened new dictator Zia-ul Haq who, over time, began to see himself as the true commander of this jihad.

The new power had gone to his head.

If they could lead this war against a superpower, why couldn't they do so against India? This grew into a kind of national hubris.

Please note again that militancy began in Indian Punjab in 1981, the AK-47s appeared the following year, and then RPG-7 grenade-launchers.

These were standard Afghan jihad weapons.

I made my first visit to Pakistan as this phase was peaking, in the summer of 1985, to cover the trial of Sikh hijackers of an Indian Airlines aircraft.

I was awed by the difference in the levels of ordinary people's prosperity, quality of life, infrastructure, even the quality of telecom services, which was like oxygen for journalists in the pre-Internet era.

In short, the average Pakistani lived much better than the average Indian in 1985.

Data tells you why.

Pakistan's per capita income then was about 60 per cent higher than India's.

Apologies for doing this to you again, but leapfrog to 2019.

Now, the average Indian earns about 25 per cent more than the average Pakistani.

How did the Pakistanis, despite their newfound geo-strategic value for those winning the Cold War, lose a 60 per cent head start and slip so far behind? That gap is increasing almost by five percentage points every year.

The Indian economy is growing by about three percentage points faster than Pakistan's, whose population is rising at twice the pace of India's.

The net result is a near-five per cent, steady differential in per capita GDP.

How did we get here? Zulfikar Ali Bhutto famously threatened a 1,000-year war on India.

In the 50 of these since 1969, Pakistan has so lost its pre-eminence that even its ummah prefers India to it.

In the 40 years since it embraced jihad, it has ruined its economy.

But wait, this isn't all the price Pakistan has paid for this permanent blood feud with India. Keep adding.

By 1989, the defeated Soviets were negotiating their retreat from Afghanistan.

A victorious Pakistani establishment instinctively turned its attention east.

This is precisely when the ongoing troubles in Jammu and Kashmir began.

The self-styled Ghazis in khaki were now going to win the jihad that really mattered to them.

The next three years were the bloodiest.

Kashmir and Punjab counted corpses by the thousands.

But Pakistan grappled with some internal changes.

Democratic forces fought back often, and Zia's legatees were engaged in an internal tussle with politicians.

Nawaz Sharif, originally an army favourite, preferred peace.

He dared, exactly a decade after the insurgency in Kashmir was launched, to make peace with Vajpayee, in January 1999.

His army responded by infiltrating Kargil that winter.

Pakistan lost that war and two more important things: One, the larger global view that Kashmir was a disputed territory ended.

There was new unanimity that the Line of Control was the de facto border and must be respected.

Second, the same year, Pakistan lost its hard-earned democracy again as Pervez Musharraf toppled Nawaz.

In those 10 years, therefore, Pakistan lost its moral cause on Kashmir and returned to military rule.

All because of that one self-destructive obsession.

We have come a long way since.

With the madness of 26/11 Pakistan earned the awful but well-deserved status as the locus of global jihad.

Then, as during the Kargil and post-Parliament attack standoffs, India had the world on its side by acting responsibly and not retaliating.

Today, India has the world, including Saudi Arabia and UAE, on its side even after it retaliated.

Let's make a balance sheet.

In 50 years, Pakistan lost its pre-eminence in the Islamic world.

The Arabs are counselling restraint to it, Iran is hostile.

In the past 40 years, its per capita income has suffered almost a 90 per cent net deficit relative to India and the gap is rising.

In the past 30, it has lost its campaigns in Indian Punjab and Kashmir, and permanently embedded jihadis in its cities and institutions.

And in the last two decades, the LoC has become the de facto border in Kashmir, nobody has any patience with terror as an instrument of policy, there isn't even token disapproval of India bombing Pakistan's mainland, and most importantly, India and the world have called Pakistan's nuclear bluff.

Imran can carry on as in the past, or take fresh guard and begin a new inning.

It will be risky, but there is a chance of success if he dares.

If he doesn't, two things are guaranteed: Failure for him, and continued slide for his nation despite its talented people, strong nationalism, the gift of geography and a formidable army.

That's the bottom line.

By Special Arrangement with The Print
'But in 2024, the people of India will throw him out of power as the contradictions in him will be apparent.'

On March 12, Patidar leader and firebrand youth leader Hardik Patel will join the Congress.

Hardik shot to fame as convenor of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, spearheading the pro-quota stir seeking reservation in jobs and higher education on par with that given to Other Backward Classes in Gujarat.

With his induction, will the Grand Old Party boost its electoral chances?

Can Hardik sway the Patidar community -- which makes up 15 to 18 per cent share of Gujarat's population -- to the Congress's side?

Vidyut Joshi, former vice-chancellor, Bhavnagar University and former director of the Centre for Social Studies, Surat, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com how Gujarat politics is likely to be impacted by Hardik's entry, and what could be the outcome of the 2019 polls.

Will the Congress get a boost with Hardik Patel joining the party?

Yes. When Hardik started his political work, he worked only for the Patidar samaj (Patel community), but later added farmers to his support base. He also worked for the downtrodden people.

Now, he has taken the path of Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani. He is learning from them. He has the leadership characteristic in him.

Hardik Patel is likely to emerge as a pro-people leader.

Many Patidars are aligned with the BJP. Hardik could not stop the BJP from winning the Gujarat assembly election in 2017.

Among Patidars, there are two kinds. Those who have established businesses are with the Bharatiya Janata Party and those who are poor and are in agriculture and small jobs are with Hardik.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Congress could not win a single seat in Gujarat. Will it be the same story in this year's election or will it improve its tally?

I think the Congress will win at least six-seven seats in Gujarat.

What is the reason for that?

The BJP is not doing well among certain sections.

BJP candidates are not doing well in North Gujarat and also in Amreli. There are certain segments in Gujarat where the BJP is likely to be defeated.

Do Gujaratis have an inherent pride because one of them is the prime minister of India?

This was never a case for the Gujaratis. Gujaratis are the least regional community in India. They say 40 per cent of Gujarati investment is out of their own state.

Gujaratis cannot afford to be regionally chauvinist. They have business interests in Bengaluru, the north east.

Prime Minister Narendra (Damodardas) Modi too never highlights this issue of Gujarati pride to his Gujarati voter.

I am sure there is an emotional connect with PM Modi among Gujarati voters.

The emotional connect that they have with PM Modi is that he is non-corrupt and is focused on development.

PM Modi is a charismatic leader who appeals to youngsters, like the pied piper. He emotionally connects to people.

What magic does he cast on the people?

The phenomenon is like Indira Gandhi.

She was the antithesis of the old Congress. Poor and tribal people connected with Indira.

She became a charismatic leader later on in her life, and the same thing has happened to PM Modi.

People of India are emotionally connected to PM Modi.

He possesses the image of being the antithesis of Congress and the people have an image that he is not corrupt. So, he connects big time with young people.

But what do you think PM Modi has achieved as prime minister in his tenure that you expect the BJP to win 20 out of 26 seats in Gujarat?

The Congress has no organisation of its own. There was a time when even a pole used to get elected on the Congress ticket.

In 1980, Indira Gandhi derecognised the Seva Dal and then the new entry of people stopped in Congress. By 1995, the Congress became a party only of leaders.

Why she did do that?

She was an autocrat and after she lost post-Emergency, she discontinued the Seva Dal of the Congress.

She felt that the Seva Dal was siding more with Morarji Desai and not her. Today, the Congress is a party of leaders and not the booth-level worker. They don't have booth-level workers.

IMAGE: Hardik Patel will join the Congress on March 12 and is likely to contest the 2019 election from Jamnagar. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Considering this, do you still believe Hardik will win from Jamnagar on a Congress ticket?

Hardik will win his individual seat because youngsters are with Hardik.

Jignesh Mevani, the MLA from Vadnagar, too won because youngsters are with him. So, I feel Hardik is likely to win his own seat.

At this moment, five Congress MLAs in Gujarat have dumped the party and joined the BJP.

The Congress has no organisation. In Gujarat it took small leaders who have individually risen. They were like feudal lords.

For example, Jawahar Chavda, the MLA from Mangrol, who rose individually on his own strength because of his father's work, won the seat because of his own organisation and not the Congress.

They know that even if they are not with the Congress, they have their own bastions and organisations.

They are like satraps and as the Congress organisation is weak they have their own personal organisation as a result of which they win. So it does not matter to them which party they are in.

It is not a good sign for the Congress as it is not recovering in Gujarat.

It is not recovering that well. The basic issue of the Congress is not solved. Where are the youngsters who will work as booth-level workers? They do not have a presence.

And as a sociologist, what do you think will be the outcome of the 2019 election?

PM Modi will win with a lesser majority in 2019. But in 2024, the people of India will throw him out of power as the contradictions in him will be apparent.
'If you solve it in one day, it will go after a day.'

'If it is there for 100 years or 1,000 years, reservation has to continue.'

IMAGE: Villagers work at an MGNREGA project. 'You will not find any forward caste poor there. That is not the kind of work they are looking for,' says P S Krishnan. Photograph: Krishnendu Haldar / Reuters

Though P S Krishnan retired in 1990 after serving governments under many prime ministers in various capacities as an IAS officer, he continues his work for the socially deprived classes in India.

Krishnan has been on numerous government committees after retirement and instrumental in creating many laws to bring social justice to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes.

The Supreme Court on March 11, 2019 said it would hear on March 28 a plea to refer the issue of 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections for upper castes to a Constitution bench. Krishnan believes the current 10% quota will not stand in a court of law.

"If the case is properly argued, which I think it will be -- people are also taking my guidance -- I don't think the Supreme Court can uphold this Constitutional amendment," he tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

Some people, including Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, say by introducing the 10% quota for the economically backward, justice was done to a section of society, finally. Do you see social justice in the law?

In our Constitution, reference to social justice is with regard to classes which is a group of communities in a similar situation because they were prevented from access to education, a place in governance and administration, different institutions and resources.

Such classes are referred to in our Constitution in the context of social justice and social equality.

Article 46, which is very crucial, directs the State to take measures for the advancement of the weaker sections of society, in particular scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and protect them from social injustice and exploitation.

Is economic backwardness not social injustice?

No, it is not social exploitation or social injustice.

Economic backwardness is a different type of problem which needs to be tackled in a different way.

In our Constitution, Part 16 is titled as Special Provisions for certain classes. And the classes covered are scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and socially and educationally backward classes.

It starts with Article 330 and ends with Article 342. Article 340 talks about the socially, educationally backward classes. Article 341 deals with the listing of scheduled castes. Scheduled tribes have already been identified even before Independence. So, there was clarity.

Article 340 spoke of the appointment of a commission for identifying the problems of the socially, educationally backward classes, and make recommendations.

These are the communities that suffered injustice, and not poor people.

There are different diseases and each disease needs different type of medication.

You mean, reservation is not a medication for economic backwardness?

No, reservation and other related measures were conceived in relation to the problems created by the caste system and untouchability over centuries.

One of the major issues dealt with in the Constitution was the harm done by centuries of the caste system and untouchability, and the harm it will do to the nascent nation in future if the harm was not remedied then.

That was why so many measures were mentioned in so many Articles and they were not provided to eliminate poverty.

Is the economic backwardness experienced by an upper caste person and a person belonging to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe, different?

No, poverty has different types. There is a difference in the poverty experienced by a person from the upper caste and a person belonging to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe.

Poverty can be caused by the caste system and by its injunctions, and one of them was that they cannot own land. But there is no such injunction for an upper caste.

Then, people from the untouchable communities were prevented from coming to school.

The upper castes certainly has got some poor people though much less than in the SCs and STs.

The poor among the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are mainly labourers while the poor among the upper castes is mainly lower middle class.

Take the case of MGNREGA. Who is working there? Only scheduled castes, backward classes and scheduled tribes and converts from these communities to Christianity and Islam.

You will not find any forward caste poor there. That is not the kind of work they are looking for.

Poverty of an upper caste is because of the misfortunes of individuals and not connected to the entire group or class.

They did not face any impediments that are of societal nature.

Poverty, in their case, is an individual phenomenon and not a class phenomenon. This is the essential difference.

Reservation is designed to help those who face societal blocking as classes and not as individuals.

When reservation was first introduced, even B R Ambedkar wanted it to be reviewed after 10 years. Decades have passed. Don't you think it is time to review the results?

There is a lot of confusion among the educated people about the 10 year limit. The 10 year limit was prescribed only for reservations in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and not for employment or education.

So, there is no time limit for education or employment. It will be there till you solve the problem.

If you solve it in one day, it will go after a day. If it is there for 100 years or 1,000 years, reservation has to continue.

I was talking about reviewing the situation. How much has reservation helped improving the situation, how many have benefited, etc.

What we have to review is the casualness and indifference with which we address this issue. We have never addressed this issue properly.

What have we done to remove untouchability?

What have we done to give quality education to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes?

What have you done to give land to the landless scheduled castes?

It means all the governments that ruled the country in the last seven decades have failed.

They never cared to address the problem holistically, through comprehensive remedial measures, and appropriate and adequate ways to solve the problem.

There has been improvement, but not qualitative.

The National Commission set up by Atal Bihari Vajpyee in 2000 under the chairmanship of retired Chief Justice M N Venkatachaliah has answered this question.

The commission gave its report in 2002 to the then law minister Arun Jaitley. The report says that reservation was not intended to be an ottamooli (cure-all).

You remember the song by Johnny Walker, lakh dukho ki ek dawaa... It is a measure to remedy an imbalance in governance, administration and education caused by untouchability.

It is not a remedy for all the sufferings of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Yes, change has been there, but not at the root.

Whose fault is it? The political class or the bureaucracy?

It is the fault of the elite of the upper castes who dominate every political party, every institution, every organ of the State, whether it is the executive, judiciary or legislature, universities or banks.

Everybody treated it very casually as if they are doing charity.

When they come to the universities, they are discouraged. I know teachers who ask these students why they want to hold a pen and not a broomstick? It happened not in any village, but in the metropolitan cities.

Many belonging to the general category complain that even with merit, it is tough for them to get admission in good universities because of reservation.

You know the entire manual labour account for 70% to 75% of the population. The remaining 25% to 30% only are in the general category. They talk as if they are the majority.

The majority are the disadvantaged. The scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes comprise anywhere between two-third or three-fourth of the population and almost 100% of the physical labour force.

Why do you think this 10% quota got acceptance by all political parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party that represents Dalits?

The real job of all political parties is to remove all inequalities and only after that, you can have sabka saath.

In actuality, they want to get votes and win seats, they want power. In a democracy, all political parties will do that.

And different political parties have different bases. No party can come to power with only its base; it requires 'plus something'.

By supporting the bill, all the political parties are looking at this 'plus'.

Those who have the upper caste support want to retain that, and those who do not have the support want to win over them.

I don't want a serious issue like reservation be reduced to which political party is going to win, which political party is going to gain, etc.

This issue will outlive 2019, 2024...

But broadly speaking, every party from the Right to the Left, has tried to win over the upper castes, either afresh or retain them, through fair means or foul.

Do you feel this law will be struck down by the Supreme Court?

In my opinion, if the case is properly argued, which I think it will be -- people are also taking my guidance -- I don't think the Supreme Court can uphold this Constitutional amendment.

Why?

Because it is contrary to the basic structure of the Constitution.

Article 16(1) that deals with government appointments, which is very important in a country like ours, specifically says the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on the basis of caste, religion, gender, descent, place of birth in the matter of appointment to posts and services under the State.

It means if there are 100 posts, they are available to all citizens equally.

It also added that because of inequality, absolute equality will not be available to those discriminated against.

Therefore, supporting provisions were made in Article 16 (4) that 'notwithstanding this, the State may provide reservation in the appointment of posts and services under the state to any backward class citizens which in the opinion of the State is not adequately represented in the service of the State'.

So, only to this extent, you can reduce the 100 posts we talked about. You cannot reduce the 100 for any other reason.

You have reduced 45.5 from the 100 for Constitutional reasons, but the rest of the 55.5 was for all citizens and not only for forward castes.

But with this bill, you are reducing 10 from the 55.5. By doing this, you have affected the fundamental rights of the people, and you cannot do it.

The Supreme Court had struck down one clause in the order issued by the V P Singh government.

P V Narasimha Rao's government then added a clause that economically poor who are not covered by any of the existing reservation shall be given 10% of reservation.

The Supreme Court struck this down saying that mere poverty, unless it is because of social backwardness or social lowliness, cannot be used as an argument for reservation.

So, you are saying the same argument will be used by the Supreme Court against this law too?

The difference between now and then is now there is a Constitutional amendment.

There is a new clause in Article 16 and two new clauses under Article 15 which broadly parallel the provisions of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes.

Whether this will be a protection against the decision of the Supreme Court when such an amendment was not there is the question.

The law regarding Constitutional amendment is, Parliament has the right to amend the Constitution but not to amend it in such a way to breach any basic feature or structure of the Constitution and also breach any fundamental rights.

The basic structure of the Constitution provides reservation only for those who are the victims of caste untouchability.

As a person who was part of creating many laws for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, how will you look at this bill?

You give TB medicine to a TB patient. Should I give the same TB medicine for the patient who has vitamin deficiency? What he needs is vitamin pills or vitamin injections. Now, you are giving TB medicine to both patients.

So, what kind of medicine does the economically backward need?

Their backwardness is due to financial incapacity. So, you give financial capacity to them through scholarships, educational loans and skill development so that no child in the country remains backward.
As we know, age is just a number.

And India's first voter, 102-year-old Shyam Saran Negi is excited to cast his ballot again. He feels proud that he has voted in every general election since 1951.

WATCH: 'Am happy and proud to be India's oldest voter, says Shyam Saran Negi

The voting for the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh will be held on May 19.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party may emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to get a second term in office.

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Mumbai.

"The BJP may emerge as the single largest party post parliamentary elections and will have to seek support of allies (to form the government). In that scenario, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to get a second term," Pawar said.

The former Union minister said he will meet some regional parties across the country on March 14 and 15 in New Delhi, where further strategy of 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) will be discussed.

When asked about some regional parties going away from the Congress and NCP alliance in Maharashtra, Pawar said, "I appreciate the PWP for extending support to the NCP in the Lok Sabha election. NCP has also held talks with the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna (SSS) for seat-sharing, but the farmers' front has some expectations from the Congress as well. It will be decided by these two parties."

On Monday, Pawar had said he will not contest next month's Lok Sabha election. The 78-year-old veteran politician had said as two members of his family are going to contest the polls, 'somebody had to step back'.

However, Pawar had earlier announced that his party workers wanted him to contest from Madha constituency in Solapur district, currently represented by NCP leader

Vijaysinh Mohite Patil.

Reacting to Pawar's announcement of not contesting the Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis had said the NCP leader 'sensed the change in the air', and decided to rethink on plans to contest Lok Sabha poll from Madha LS seat.

On the chief minister's remarks, Pawar said, "It is childish to call my decision as defeat as I have won elections 14 times, including the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections that I contested so far. On the other hand, late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and (BJP veteran) L K Advani had tasted defeat."
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday raked up the 1999 release of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pulwama suicide bombing.

Sounding the bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Modi's home state, he fired a fresh salvo at the National Democratic Alliance regime on a slew of issues, including the Rafale deal, demonetisation and the implementation of the goods and services tax.

Addressing a rally at Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district in the presence of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, his sister and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top party leaders, he reiterated that there was massive corruption in the Rafale deal.

"He (Modi) talks about patriotism. Masood Azhar conducted bomb attack in Pulwama. I would like to ask Narendra Modi ji, who released Masood Azhar and sent him to Pakistan? (It was) the BJP government, the Vajpayee government put Masood Azhar on a special plane, gave him money and sent him to Pakistan," Rahul Gandhi said.

"And Narendra Modiji, your National Security Adviser, (Ajit) Dovalji (who was then with the Intelligence Bureau), escorted Masood Azhar to Kandahar (in Afghanistan)," he said.

Azhar and two other terrorists were set free by the Vajpayee government in exchange of hostages of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.

Azhar later went on to set up the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror outfit that claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama.

"Explain to the country, why did you send the person who killed those 40-45 martyrs, on a special plane? Tell the country why your government sent him to Pakistan.

"Who had arrested Masood Azhar? Congress party had arrested Masood Azhar, he was kept in jail," he said.

Gandhi again targeted Modi on the Rafale deal, saying, "He (PM) speaks about pilots and air force but in the Rafale fighter jet deal he has taken away Rs 30,000 crore from them and given it to Anil Ambani."

"Anil Ambani has never made a plane in his life. If I give him a piece of paper he would not be able to make a plane out of that also," the Congress chief said, mocking the industrialist.

The Centre has repeatedly denied any irregularities in the mega defence deal with France. Ambani has also emphasised the government had no role in the Rafale manufacturer Dassault picking up his company as a local offset partner.

Later, talking to reporters, Rahul Gandhi rejected the notion that political atmosphere in the country has changed in favour of the ruling BJP after the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent air strike on a JeM camp in Pakistan.

He claimed that key issues such as farm distress and unemployment will remain at the core of the April-May polls.

"I don't think so," he said when asked by reporters whether he feels the political atmosphere has changed after the terror attack and the air strike.

"See, apart from corruption and farm distress, another important issue is jobs. Unemployment has increased due to demonetisation and GST.

"Unemployment ratio is at a 45-year high today. People are still angry as their expectations were not fulfilled. Employment generation was a complete failure," he said.

Asked which key issues his party would focus on to target the Modi government during the Lok Sabha polls, he said the main focus will be on Modi's 'personal corruption' in the Rafale deal.

"Main issue is how Modiji gave Indian Air Force's Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani. Defence ministry documents have revealed that Modi ji bypassed procedures to help Anil Ambani.

"This is the main issue. The people of Gujarat are smart enough to understand that Modi ji did commit some mischief in the Rafale deal," he said

He also accused Modi of distracting people from key issues such as employment.

Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on the issue of recent tracking of fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi in London.

"I read in the newspaper yesterday that the England government has sent message to Indian government saying it needs information from you (Indian government) and they will send Nirav Modi back to India.

"The government in England says Indian government is not responding. Prime Minister addresses Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Anil Ambani by adding 'bhai' to their names.

"Money used for his marketing comes from Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani...," Gandhi said.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, was held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years.

The last CWC meeting in Gujarat was held at Bhavnagar way back in 1961.

"After many years the CWC meeting was held in Gujarat. And we kept the meeting in Gujarat because there is a fight of two ideologies in India.

"And you will see both the ideologies in Gujarat. On one hand is Mahatma Gandhi, who gave up every moment of his life to build the country. And the other ideology you know," he said, apparently referring to the BJP-Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh combine.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday released the list of ruling Trinamool Congress candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, dropping 10 sitting MPs and bringing in 18 new faces.

The development put an end to all speculations over the tempestuous Trinamool Congress supremo yielding any ground on her home turf to the prospective partners of the proposed 'mahagathbandhan', a grand alliance of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party parties, of which she has been one of the most vocal proponents.

She, however, did keep alive the idea when she said the Lok Sabha polls will sound the 'death knell' for the BJP and the Modi government which will be replaced by a coalition dispensation of anti-BJP parties that will create more jobs, bring about peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and 'freedom from the pervasive atmosphere of fear'.

The list, which is a mix of seasoned political players and greenhorns, has 17 women candidates, five more than the last elections, constituting roughly 41 per cent of the candidates.

Apart from replacing 10 sitting MPs, she announced the names of eight new candidates for seats the TMC had lost in 2014. Of the 42 seats in the state, TMC had won 34.

Besides TMC old timers, the list includes leaders and MLAs from the Left Front and the Congress who had switched over to her party in the last few years.

"Our list comprises both old and new, experienced and greenhorns. Today, we have announced our list for 2019 Lok Sabha candidates for Bengal and some other states. I am all the more happy and proud because 41 per cent of our candidates are women. Trinamools list speaks for itself. Unity in diversity," Banerjee said.

The list includes seven candidates from the Muslim community, the bedrock of her support base, and 12 from the scheduled castes and schedule tribes. Muslims roughly form 30 per cent of the state's electorate.

The dropping of 10 sitting lawmakers and shifting of another to a new seat is being seen as an attempt to stem the infighting in the party.

Among senior leaders who were given the go-by or had 'requested' Banerjee to drop them, is the party's general secretary Subrata Bakshi.

Sitting MPs from seats like Coochbehar, Basirshat, Jhargram, Mednipur, Bolpur, Bishnupur and Krishnanagar were dropped. The BJP has made steady inroads in these places over the last five years, largely due to the infighting in the TMC.

In Coochbehar, the TMC has replaced its MP Partha Pratim Ray with a minister in the erstwhile Left Front government Paresh Chandra Adhikary, who joined TMC last year.

In Muslim dominated Basirhat, the party replaced its sitting MP Idris Ali with actress Nusrat Jahan, a political greenhorn. The TMC is not on a strong wicket in Basirhat

following the communal riots of 2017, which dented Ali's image and helped the BJP milk the situation in its favour. It is now one of the most communally polarised constituencies.

Among another notable omissions was Sugata Bose, the erudite grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the sitting MP from Jadavpur. Bengali film actress Mimi

Chakraborty will be the party's candidate for the seat.

The TMC also replaced its lawmakers in Jhargram, Mednipur, Bankura and Bishnupur, where the BJP had gained substantial ground in the last panchayat polls.

In Bankura, one of the former strongholds of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, TMC MP and yesteryear cinestar Moon Moon Sen was facing anti-incumbency and accusations of neglecting the constituency. Sen has been shifted to Asansol, the seat represented by BJP's Babul Supriyo, a Union minister.

The party has nominated MLA Shyamal Santra and Asit Mal for Bishnupur and Bolpur seats respectively after sitting MPs Soumitra Khan and Anupam Hazra defected to the BJP.

In Krishnanagar, actor and two-time sitting MP Tapas Paul, who was arrested in the Rose Valley scam, had declined to contest. TMC MLA Mahua Moitra has replaced him.

In Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Union minister S S Ahluwalia of the BJP, the TMC joined hands with the Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

GJM's MLA from Darjeeling Amar Singh Rai will contest the Lok Sabha seat, but on the TMC's election symbol.

In Malda North, the party has nominated sitting Congress MP Mausam Benazir Noor, who had switched over to the TMC in January this year.

Mamata Banerjee's nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Sougata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi are among the prominent leaders who figure in the list.

The father-son duo of Dibyendu Adhikari and Sisir Adhikari have been renominated from Tamluk and Kanthi constituency in East Midnapore district.

Banerjee said her party would also contest some seats in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and the Andamans.

When asked whether her decision to contest in these states would not put off the potential constituents of the proposed grand alliance, Banerjee retorted, saying: "We are a national party. When Congress is contesting in more than 10 states, shall we not contest in few other seats outside Bengal?"

Banerjee, who has often said she wanted a 'one on one' fight against the BJP, noted her party will contest the polls in these states in consultation with friendly parties.

She said she would ensure that the BJP does not take advantage of the presence of the TMC candidates in the fray.

In Jharkhand, the TMC will contest three seats, and one in the Andamans. In Assam, where it had unsuccessfully fought the panchayat polls, it will field candidates in six seats.

In Bihar and Odisha, the TMC will contest two Lok Sabha seats each.

The party candidates would also try their luck in 10 assembly constituencies of Odisha. The state is having simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland chopper scam case, claimed in a Delhi court on Tuesday that former Central Bureau of Investigation special director Rakesh Asthana met him in Dubai and threatened to make his life hell inside jail if he did not toe the line of the agency in its investigation in the scandal.

"Sometime back Rakesh Asthana met me in Dubai and threatened that my life would be made hell and that's what is going on. My next door inmate is (gangster) Chhota Rajan... I don't understand what crime I have committed to be put along with those who have killed several people," he said.

Michel, who was present in the courtroom, also told the court that he was put in the prison with 16-17 Kashmiri separatist leaders.

The statements were made by Michel before Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate him inside Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The court said the agency will quiz him on Wednesday and the day after.

A jail official will remain present and Michel's lawyer is also allowed a limited access during interrogation, for half an hour in the morning and in evening, it said.

The court took note of Michel's submission alleging mental torture inside the jail and directed Tihar jail authorities to produce the CCTV footage and reports by Thursday based on which he was shifted to a high-security ward.

On Monday, the court asked the jail authorities to submit their reply on the agency's plea and issued a production warrant for Tuesday for Michel after his lawyer alleged mental torture inside the jail.

Michel was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.

The court previously lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify the shifting of Michel to a high-security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it does not get a proper response.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the chopper scam by ED and Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "cynically exploiting" the issue of national security to divert attention from his "colossal failures" and "persistent falsehoods".

The strong attack on the prime minister came in a party resolution passed at the Congress Working Committee which was chaired by party president Rahul Gandhi and attended by all senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"Congress party expresses its strong disappointment that the prime minister is cynically exploiting the issue of national security, on which we are all united, to divert attention from his colossal failures, bogus claims and persistent falsehoods," the resolution passed by the CWC said.

The CWC sends a "stern and unequivocal" message to India's enemies that the country stands united and resolute as one to confront and defeat their nefarious agenda, it said.

India is a resilient democracy, proud of its brave armed forces. It shall never be defeated by forces of violence and terror, the resolution said.

"An atmosphere of fear and insecurity is all pervasive particularly among women, students, academics, writers and the business community; there are deliberate attacks on the constitutional and other safeguards for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and minorities; and there is subversion of all institutions of governance," the strongly worded resolution said.

The Congress said it will approach the people of India with humility to seek their support in the general elections for itself and its allies in different states.

The party said it seeks a "mandate for better governance and accountability, to repair the grave damage caused to our democratic polity, economy and society by the Modi government, a mandate for change to restore the health of the Indian economy, for job creation, social justice and harmony".

Briefing reporters after the CWC meeting, senior party leader Anand Sharma said the Congress is committed to restoring the health of the Indian economy which has been collapsing due to the "monumental mismanagement" under Prime Minister Modi and his government.

"The working committee has met in the backdrop of terror attacks. The nation has spoken in one voice. The PM is seeking to divide the nation. The PM is questioning the commitment and patriotism of his and the BJP's political opponents ahead of the elections," Sharma said.

The prime minister is exploiting the emotions and sentiments of the people to deflect attention from his failure and non-deliverance of promises made in 2014, he alleged.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said the party will not allow Prime Minister Modi to once again "mislead and befool" the people, Sharma said.

The CWC meet came after the top Congress leadership paid their respect to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Party leaders led by its chief Rahul Gandhi, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country ahead of the general elections by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance.

Rahul while addressing Congress booth workers in Delhi on Monday had said the upcoming general elections will be a battle between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one side and hate on the other.

The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee assumes significance as it comes barely two days after the declaration of the poll schedule.

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.
'I am an old man. 64 years... Never used influence.'

'I am not a politician or a criminal. What influence?'

'Retired. I could not protect myself even (from fabricated charges)?'

'Have no money now either.'

'I don't want to die in custody in disrepute.'

Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

A large crowd of prisoners waited in the courtyard of the Mumbai city civil and sessions court, Kala Ghoda, to board, single file, the prison bus going back to jail post lunch.

One African with a huge mop of frizzy hair. Two or three men with long beards, in kurta-pajamas and caps.

1-2-3...

A dozen young men in shirt-pant attire.

... 5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15...

Then, unbelievably, a tiny nazuk (tender) girl of about four, who was hoisted up, followed by her youthful mother.

16-17...

With each accused, stepped up one man in khaki. Many/most of these policemen had weapons.

18-19... 31-32-33...

Eventually, the overstuffed bus trundled off, with no less than 34 people aboard, on a warm, spring afternoon, everyone probably sitting on top of each, like a heap of Bombay duck. Maybe bound for the Arthur Road Jail or the Byculla Jail, central Mumbai. Or maybe 42 to 51 km beyond to either Thane or Taloja jails.

Either way, it would be no less than a one-hour ride in Mumbai's strangulating traffic.

It is a routine these prisoners must have been following for months, maybe years -- defenceless people, who had been degraded to numbered goods, faceless, stuck carelessly in a system.

What a nightmare come true.

While all the 17 are probably accused, not yet found guilty and a percentage will eventually be sentenced, it is still -- two years after one started coming to this court to report -- quite painful to look at these accused and not feel a wave of pity coming over you.

For their destiny. For their utter lack of serendipity.

Some of them might turn out to be indeed criminals -- thieves, murderers, forgers or rapists, who killed, robbed or maimed people. But statistics have shown, consistently, that most, who probably had wretched lives before they got to jail, will be let off, for insufficient evidence, after years mouldering inside, worse off, while the truly guilty might frolic in London in ostrich hide coats.

Nightmare come true? Is that what Peter Mukerjea feels every morning when he wakes up on the floor of Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail?

Does he awake to a nightmare and would rather have his dreams back?

When his eyes open, would he rub them wondering in which surreal world did his bed in his home in Bristol, England, or Marlow, Worli, south central Mumbai, get exchanged for a prison issue mattress?

Wouldn't it be better, does he think, to lapse into some not unpleasant fugue state, where numbing amnesia takes over?

On Monday, March 11, 2019, when Peter awoke in his cell, the burden of sorting real nightmares versus unreal dreams must have been particularly distressing as he got ready to go into court for the final hearing in his bail application, his third application in three years.

Would he have weighed his chances in his head that morning? Did he feel mildly positive? Simply resigned? Or cautiously hopeful?

What would have brought Peter a measure of happiness, on a difficult day, was discovering a group of eight to 10 ex-colleagues from Star India, a former cellmate (from the Kamala Mills case) and even his younger brother from Goa waiting to greet him at court.

Someone had bought halwa. Someone else a thermos of coffee with a proper ceramic mug. Another had brought a large McDonald's meal.

"Humbled. Humbled," Peter told them, hugging each one of them warmly (his brother twice), touched, no doubt pleased to have a few cheerleaders in court on this day.

The group then trooped into Courtroom 51 to listen to the remaining arguments of the bail hearing.

CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale's eyebrows shot up puzzled, as he looked at the number of well-dressed people, who were not lawyers, teeming into his courtroom. He enquired of the lawyers and clerks who they were.

Peter's lawyer Shrikant Shivade: "Relatives."

CBI Special Prosecutor Bharat B Badami, contradicting: "Well-wishers."

Badami sombrely revealed that one of the persons was also a witness -- Peter's brother Gautam Mukerjea from Goa.

Shivade said the prosecution would probably never call the brother as a witness.

The CBI prosecutor was to finish his arguments against Peter's bail plea Monday.

Before that, Shivade, who had not been present at the last hearing on Friday, voiced his disapproval, on his client's behalf, for the arguments Badami had made that day, when he compared Peter's alleged long-distance role in Sheena's murder to that of the Lashkar-e-Taiyba's Muhammad Saeed in Mumbai's 26/11 terrorist attack, dramatically calling Peter a silent killer that made headlines all over.

Shivade, pained, in an emotional voice: "He should refrain from unwanted references. What all arguments he had done last time!? In no court is (this is permissible). I (Peter) am the son of a decorated military officer (Peter's parents, both doctors -- father, an anaesthesiologist; mother, a gynaecologist -- served in the Indian Army). How can he equate me (Peter) with this person?"

Lawyers always argue in the first person, with the 'I' or 'me' referring to their client, as if the lawyer is actually the client speaking.

Badami, defensively: "Person sitting in London claiming I am not around. You should not make an issue (about this)!"

Shivade: "It was reported in the newspapers."

Badami: "They might write anything," implying that he was perhaps misquoted.

Shivade explained that what Badami had said in court was in all the newspapers and the judge could see it.

Judge Jagdale, laughing: "I don't want to read every newspaper."

A copy of the tabloid Mumbai Mirror was pulled out and circulated. The judge also looked at it and the picture of Saeed juxtaposed with Peter's, the terrorist companionably sharing space with the former CEO, in the report.

Shivade, in a reasonable, but firm voice: "They can use legal phraseology in their arguments... Earlier, they had equated my client to (fugitive gangster) Dawood Ibrahim. We let it pass. They cannot play with my (Peter's) reputation. If you have evidence point it at the court. You don't have to resort to such tactics. Even a convict has rights."

He also said though Peter was presently the property of the court and lodged in jail, the prosecution could not be unfair.

At the back, Peter, the only person in the accused box on Monday, scowled, the anger and injury on his face an echo of his lawyer's statements to the judge.

Badami went off on a tangent, suggesting once more that the media was to blame for the reports of his Friday arguments and that he had no objection to having the media banned from the courtroom and the trial proceed in camera.

"Can't shoot the messenger," muttered a colleague.

Judge Jagdale cut him short: "You are well aware of the high court judgment on this...." He was referring to the Bombay high court ruling that permitted media coverage of the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

Badami, protesting: "It (the Muhammad Saeed comparison) was used in a certain context..."

Judge Jagdale emphasised: "Comparison to whom, that is what they are objecting!"

Badami moved ahead with his final arguments dwelling on the crucial fact that Peter was finally being tried for murder: "There is no dispute about the offence. What is the mother charge? The mother charge is murder," he declared with a flourish.

He again accentuated, like he did last Friday, that a criminal conspiracy cannot be bifurcated.

Referring to Peter's alleged role in the crime: "There was a meeting of minds, here, there or anywhere." He added ominously, "Always hatched in the dark."

Badami underlined the issue of witness tampering, especially about the effect Peter could have on his son and Sheena's partner Rahul Mukerjea's upcoming testimony.

Additionally, the CBI lawyer said: "Other important witnesses yet to be examined. If he remains outside, there is every (chance) of tampering. The accused is a very influential person. Who will take care? This honourable court will take care?"

Judge Jagdale: "Which witnesses are you referring to? Apart from Rahul, who are you referring to?"

Badami said he had to examine Gautam Mukerjea. Shivade countered that saying he would depose in Peter's favour.

Vidhie Mukerjea, Indrani's daughter and Peter's adopted daughter, had also to give evidence.

Badami, then it seemed, again referenced the influencing of the media by Peter of the witnesses.

The judge questioned Badami; "What media reports? What they (interpret) has nothing to do with the case. Cannot jumble the case with a media trial. If you think they influence, don't read (the reports)... Which witness in your mind can be tampered with. One is his son. One is his brother?"

Badami said there were other witnesses: "Not a question of only the blood relatives. Even independent panch witnesses (who verify panchnama statements) can be won over. Vital witnesses. He is going to do what outside the court we don't know!"

Judge Jagdale, smiling: "But you should bring them (the witnesses) quickly then."

Badami expounded: "Cannot bifurcate the trial and bring witnesses for only A4 (Accused 4). Trial has to go on as a whole. Have to go as per the chargesheet. One witness is in a sealed envelope. Yet to be examined."

Perhaps the name of this one witness has been concealed. His meaning was not entirely clear.

After speaking about how Indrani's son Mekhail Bora's testimony revealed that both Peter and Indrani were against Sheena's relationship with Rahul, Badami pointed out: "Cross examination is the acid test. Truth will remain as is."

Shivade got up to refute a few of Badami's points in his final arguments on the bail plea.

He spoke about the few samples of material the prosecution was relying on to implicate Peter.

For instance, they had stressed on the importance of a certain sentence from Mukerjea house help Pradeep Waghmare's testimony. Shivade spoke about how that was an improvement (legal term for additional material built in later) because it had not been in the original statements.

The judge wondered about the wisdom of referring to material evidence at this stage in the context of a bail application.

Shivade then suggested keep the bail application pending for a short while till Rahul had testified.

The judge, intrigued, laughed: "That cannot be."

Shivade attempted to sort out Badami's witness tampering charge. He said that if Peter had wanted to influence Rahul he could have done that before he was arrested in 2015 and the CBI could not use influencing Rahul as an excuse for not granting bail and not bring him in as a witness till the end of the trial.

"Till I (Peter) was charge-sheeted Rahul was with me (Peter). If I (Peter) wanted to influence Rahul I could have done so then. Not my way of life."

Shivade suggested that if there was so much fear of witness tampering let the accused be under surveillance. Foot-noting earlier judgements, he stated that if a witness can be influenced it was the prosecution's failure.

The advocate said perhaps the bail could applied differently, with allowances for those said to be indirectly involved.

Shivade: "I (Peter) am an old man. 64 years... Never used influence. I am not a politician or a criminal. What influence? Retired. I could not protect myself even (from fabricated charges)? Have no money now either. I don't want to die in custody in disrepute."

Judge Jagdale smiled softly: "Oh yes, he is old. But he can't die."

Shivade: "That is what he feels."

Judge Jagdale: "I meet him every time I go there," on the judge's visits to the Arthur Road jail.

Shivade suggested it was not about physical incapacities, but the mental torture his client was suffering from, after over three years of imprisonment.

The lawyer said Peter was certain he was going die in jail in custody. "Kindly grant me bail."

With that, the bail arguments concluded. Peter headed back to jail, turning around to give a special wave to his brother.
IMAGE: Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja's body being carried by Indian Air Force officers for the ceremonial guard of honour in May 1999. IMAGE: Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja's body being carried by Indian Air Force officers for the ceremonial guard of honour in May 1999.

Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was tortured and killed after his MiG-21 was shot down and he ejected across the Line of Control during the Kargil war.

Wing Commander C H Bal Reddy (retd) identified his mortal remains and brought the coffin home.

He tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the Indian hero we must not forget.

As India celebrated Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's return, there were many who thought of the Indian Air Force pilot who did not return.

Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja's MiG-21 was shot down by a Stinger missile as he tried to locate Flight Lieutenant K Nachiketa after the latter ejected into Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the early days of the Kargil War in 1999.

Then Flight Lieutenant Nachiketa was returned after eight days of captivity. He retired from the IAF as a group captain recently.

Squadron Leader Ahuja was tortured and killed. Three days later, his body was handed over by Pakistan to the Indian Army at a border check post.

Bal Reddy, a young officer from Squadron Leader Ahuja's squadron, identified the body and brought his mortal remains home.

Now a pilot who flies for Indigo Airlines, nine years after leaving the IAF, he remembers that day clearly nearly 20 years later.

"Till the time I saw his body, I held the belief that Ahuja sir would survive and return," says the officer who left the IAF after 14 years of service.

"Even when I saw the coffin, I thought it looked too small to accommodate his frame -- but when it was opened I sadly realised it was him," Wing Commander Reddy (retd) says over the phone from Hyderabad.

He had met Squadron Leader Ahuja minutes before he took off on what would be his last strike mission the morning of May 27, 1999.

He remembers handing him an envelope containing some money that Mrs Alka Ahuja had sent for her husband.

Mrs Ahuja and her eight-year-old son were at the air force station in Bathinda where Squadron Leader Ahuja was stationed.

The squadron had moved to Kashmir during the Kargil War and Flying Officer Reddy was instructed by the commanding officer (Present Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh 'Tony' Dhanoa) to bring a MiG-21 to Srinagar.

Last year, the chief of the air staff honoured Squadron Leader Ahuja and other Kargil martyrs by leading a 'Missing Man' formation. The aircraft formation has a gap between the jets depicting a missing brother-in-arms.

IMAGE: A tri-services guard of honour at India Gate during a ceremony to pay tribute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

In the post mortem room, then Flying Officer Reddy saw that Squadron Leader Ahuja's G-suit had been removed and he only had his overalls on. His badges had been ripped off.

But inside his overall pockets the cash that his wife had sent was still intact in the envelope. He had two gun shot wounds, his body told signs of torture.

Then Flying Officer Reddy used Rs 1,300 to pay for a coffin. In an account published on defencelover.in, he recalled that the scale of the Kargil War unfolded before him at the Army Base Hospital.

The war had just begun, the logistics were still not in place and coffins were being made at a very slow pace in the workshop.

By the end of the war on July 26, 1999, 527 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives and were sent home in coffins draped in the national flag.

'As the need for the coffin wasn't an internal army demand at that time, the manager asked me to pay. I wasn't carrying my wallet and was rescued by Ahuja sir's cash,' wrote Wing Commander Reddy.

As a young fighter pilot, he had hoped to fly missions against the enemy, but Wing Commander Reddy's mission for the next few days was looking after the funeral and post-demise paperwork.

It was a mission he dedicated himself to completely.

"An ejection is a life changing moment for a pilot," says Wing Commander Reddy. "Flight Lieutenant Nachiketa could not get into a fighter cockpit again and Ahuja sir did not return."

Mrs Alka Ahuja, Squadron Leader Ahuja's wife, was provided a petrol pump in accordance with the policy for the next of kin of Kargil martyrs. She moved to Delhi.

Their son Ankur graduated from the Delhi School of Engineering and now works in Gurgaon.

When Rediff.com contacted Mrs Ahuja, she politely responded that it would be difficult to speak about her husband.

In an earlier television report on her husband's sacrifice she said she had been advised not to see her husband's face for the last time.

In hindsight, she said in a voice quivering with grief, that it was a sound decision because she believed one day she would see his smiling face again.

As we salute our martyrs, we must salute the courage of those closest to them.

Squadron Leader Ahuja was awarded a Vir Chakra posthumously.

Mrs Ahuja was present when Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa led the 'Missing Man' formation last year and was presented with a plaque of the formation.

As India and Pakistan came to the brink of war again last fortnight, Wing Commander Bal Reddy, who now flies for a commercial airline, thought India did the right thing by crossing the Line of Control, unlike during the Kargil War.

"The pilots's hands were tied behind their backs during Kargil which was redressed with Balakot," he says, and has advice for the media.

The media does not give enough credit to the security personnel sacrificing their lives in Kashmir and the north east, he feels.

"Reports do not even highlight their names," he says. "It is the duty of the media to inform the nation about every security person who is martyred -- whether he is an officer or jawan -- and whether he is on land, air or sea."
The search for a missing Marine from Washington continues as rescue crews fight avalanche conditions in the California mountains where he went hiking.

Marine Corps 1st Lt. Matthew Kraft, 24, has been missing since March 4, when he was expected to finish a 195-mile hike through mountainous areas of Sequoia and Kings national parks in California, according to the Mono County Sheriffs Office.

Krafts father contacted the office after not hearing from his son on March 4, officials said. Mono officers began looking that day and Inyo County Sheriffs Office Search and Rescue officially started a search the following day.

When reached on Tuesday, the Kraft family directed questions to the U.S. Marines media department.

An outpouring of prayers and well wishes that Kraft is found have filled the numerous departments Facebook pages where they are posting updates.

Many reference his training as a Marine. Kraft was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer in 2016 and graduated from the Infantry Officer Course and Winter Mountain Leaders Course, considered to be two of the most rigorous training courses in the Marine Corps, officials said.

The support is also coming from Krafts hometown. A vigil was held at Washington Town Hall on Friday.

More than 180 people also contributed nearly $17,600 on a GoFundMe fundraising page to help the rescue effort. That page has since stopped collecting donations and others are being sent directly to the Inyo County Search & Rescue page.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and to everyone who has made donations on behalf of search-and-rescue efforts for Matthew Kraft, the family wrote. With the multiple counties and organizations involved, we want to extend our sincere thanks for all your kindness.

Eleven state and military agencies are involved in the ground and aviation search, as well as two Marines from Kraft's unit, officials said.

The terrain includes areas where avalanches have occurred and the weather has hampered the search, Mono County officials said.

Snow instability will remain a challenge as search teams attempt to clear portions of the route, said Sgt. Nate Derr, the Inyo Sheriffs Search and Rescue Coordinator.

Krafts phone was last used in the Independence area, according to cellphone forensics from the Mono Sheriffs Office, according to the offices Facebook page.

The Inyo County Sheriffs Office found Krafts vehicle on Friday at the Grays Meadows campground near Independence, Calif.

On Saturday, the Inyo County Search and Rescue unit used a Snowcat to rope-tow search-and-rescue team members on skis up to the Onion Valley parking area.

On Monday, two Inyo County Search and Rescue avalanche experts were airlifted to the crest of Kearsarge Pass so they could begin to clear the route on the east side and assess avalanche risk for the ongoing search operations. On the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks side of the crest, rescuers continued to examine possible points of interest and look for new clues.

The terrain is so difficult that the sheriffs office asked volunteers not to venture out to look for Kraft as emergency responders work to clear areas that have been impacted by avalanches.

We know the public is very interested in helping with the ground search effort, but due to the extreme hazards in the search area, we are not requesting any outside units at this time, said Dave Fox, the incident commander for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The Still Revolutionary slogan might need to go.

That was one of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Tourism, after 15 members spent five months on a listening tour, gathering recommendations around the state.

The Connecticut tourism sector is strong, but we need to recommit to our investment and retool our marketing efforts to attract more visitors to our beautiful state, Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, who oversaw the panel. Tourism should not be simply viewed as a cost but as an investment in our economy that creates jobs and helps pay for the programs and services vital to all our residents.

The panel, comprised of business executives, tribal leaders, museum heads and state officials, presented its recommendations to the legislative Commerce Committee during a public hearing Tuesday.

The group also recommended reopening and staffing Connecticuts welcome centers, creating a council to work with the Office of Tourism on reinvestment, easing Department of Transportation restrictions on highway signage and increasing the amount of lodging tax revenue dedicated to tourism from 10 percent to 25 percent.

The panel suggested a fresh look at the states tourism marketing strategy, including the slogan. A final decision on a next generation strategy should be made after performance research by marketing and tourism experts, the panels report said.

Tourism in Connecticut is now a $14.7 billion industry, directly supporting almost 83,000 jobs and producing $1.7 billion in total tax revenue, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps Pentagon budget, released Monday, appears to increase Electric Boats production of Virginia-class submarines from two to three next year.

The decision to boost submarine production, mentioned in a White House budget summary, was welcomed by supporters of the Virginia-class program, but somewhat of a surprise.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who represents Electric Boat and the Naval Submarine Base in New London, was part of an earlier effort to increase Virginia class production in 2022 and 2023 but was rebuffed by the White House and Pentagon.

Todays announcement is a welcome reversal from the Department of Defense which, just eight months ago, publicly opposed my efforts to increase fast attack submarine construction to three per year, Courtney said.

The $750 billion Pentagon budget request for 2020 would increase military spending by 5 percent over 2019, while making sharp cuts to a number of domestic programs.

Full details of how the Pentagon plans to allocate the $750 billion will not be available until Tuesday. The Navy declined on Monday to expand on its plans for the Virginia-class program.

The Defense Department is expected to trim the number of F-35s it plans to buy in 2020. At a cost of about $8 billion, the Pentagon is expected to request 78 F-35s, which are built by Lockheed Martin. Thats down from the 84 fighter jets the Defense Department had projected to purchase in the next fiscal year.

The engine for the F-35, called the F135, is built by Pratt & Whitney.

The Pentagon is also expected to ask for eight new advanced F-15 jetsto be used by the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Those fighter jets are built by Boeing, whose engines are made by General Electric, and would presumably replace some of the F-35s the Air Force is projected to buy.

Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, and other members of the congressional F-35 caucus wrote Trump last week, objecting to the Defense Departments plan to purchase the first F-15s since 2001. The F-15 has been updated, but is still not stealthy or as advanced as the F-35, they argued.

Investing in new old aircraft does not align with congressional intent, presidential direction, nor does it align with the National Defense Strategy, the lawmakers wrote. Bypassing the acquisition process to initiate the purchase of a cold war era plane without identifying a valid requirement, performing an analysis of alternatives, and no competition simply does not make sense.

Agencies that would feel the brunt cuts in Trumps budget include the Department of Education, State Department, Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency.

To cut spending on mandatory safety net programs, like Medicaid and food stamps, Trumps budget would propose new work requirements for adult recipients.

Trumps budget would also eliminate funding for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act that has gone to Connecticut and nearly three dozen other states over the past five years.

The budget also includes an additional $8.6 billion to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, money that would come out of the budget for the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagons military construction budget.

A divided Congress is unlikely to agree to many of the proposed cuts to domestic spending and funding for the border wall.

This budget request is dead on arrival, said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. This budgets reflect priorities, and President Trumps priority is clearly catering to his base ahead of his re-election campaign. He includes massive cuts to programs Connecticut families rely on to pay for his tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, and a ridiculous amount of money for his border wall that no one wants.

Murphy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also said Democrats and Republicans on that panel have basically ignored the presidents budget request for the past few years and came together on bipartisan government funding proposals.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, and a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said It would be a cold day in hell before I helped pass a budget like this.

But Courtney, chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower subcommittee, said he would work to keep the increased submarine construction money in a final budget.

I am prepared to do everything in my power as chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee to ensure that this proposal from DOD is authorized, appropriated, and signed into law, Courtney said.
LITCHFIELD  Toll Gate Animal Clinic, an animal hospital on Route 202, and its accompanying dog day spa, were closed unexpectedly Monday for the foreseeable future.

The owners, Dr. Jennifer Coons and Matthew Coons, posted a message on the clinics Facebook page Monday, telling their customers of the closing.

With a heavy heart and scattered mind, we are saddened to announce our closure for the foreseeable future. Over the coming weeks, we do hope to reverse this post but for now, our hands have been urged in this direction. Please know that we will continue to do our best to distribute any patient records, prescriptions, or belongings that may be with us until our pending return, the post said.

The Coons encouraged customers to visit a neighboring veterinary hospital for care for their pets. If it is a matter that would be better handled by one of our team members, please call us directly at 860-361-6464. Though it may be delayed, we will return your call at our earliest convenience, the Coons wrote.

Matthew and Jennifer Coons could not be reached for comment Monday. The answering machine at the clinic asked callers to leave a message.

Tail Waggers, a boarding kennel and day care facility located on the property in a barn above the clinic and other buildings, was open Monday, however.

Staff members there were waiting on customers, some of whom arrived in the afternoon to pick up their pets or drop them off.

One of the employees, who would not comment on the status of the clinic, said, We are open. Were very busy and were happy at our jobs. We are not saying anything about our employer.

Joe Tralongo, a new customer who recently adopted a dog from the West Haven animal shelter, was sitting in his truck outside the animal clinic Monday afternoon. His new dog, Haylee, a small pit bull mix, was in the back seat. He was surprised to learn that the clinic was closed.

I made an appointment, he said, while Haylee snuffled from her perch in the truck behind him. I didnt know they were closed.

Melissa Simonelli, an Otis, Mass., resident and head veterinary technician at the clinic, said she and others employed at the clinic found the door locked when they arrived for work Monday. Customers, she said, were arriving for appointments.

People were lined up at the door and couldnt get in, she said.

There are no animal patients staying at the clinic, Simonelli said.
TORRINGTON  A recent donation of open space property will create a 15-acre outdoor recreation area near the Litchfield town line.

The donated 2-acre parcel connects with an established 13-acre site, located between state Route 202 and Highland Avenue. The additional acres will make the property more accessible to residents, said Rista Malanca, Torrington zoning and wetlands enforcement officer.

When the area was developed (in 2014) the two acres were also promised, Malanca said. The property donation was made by a new developer, TDF Enterprise LLC of Windsor. The Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved the acceptance of the acreage.

Were looking to protect environmentally sensitive contiguous open space, Malanca said Monday. The smaller parcel will create a land bridge to the established open space area, she said.

Development of the property had long been in the making.

In 1987, the planning commission responded to a proposed subdivision development of more than 230 lots by requesting a review of the plan from the Kings Mark Environmental Review Team (now the Resource Conservation and Development program).

The developer in 1987 was Barry Shapiro. His contact information could not be located.

The review teams report of the 155-acre property showed that given the high density of homes proposed, development of the site would be expected to significantly increase the amount of runoff.

Greenbrier Estates will have a substantial impact on the inland wetlands and watercourses on the site, the report stated.

They didnt get an Army Corps of Engineers permit, to build in the waterways, said Kenneth Hrica, a professional engineer who presented the recent property donation agreement to the planning commission.

They had to make restitution, and one option is create open space, he said. The previous owner chose uplands and wetlands, on which to build, Hrica said.

The principal partner of the new owners is Daniel Ferraina of Windsor, state records show. He couldnt be reached for comment

Hrica said the donation will give the city an opportunity to create a walking trail that could link Litchfield and Torrington.

Its highly likely a larger area (in Greenbrier) could become open space, Hrica added.
BRIDGEPORT  A Torrington man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Tuesday after he allegedly evaded taxes through a kickback scheme, according to the Connecticut U.S. Attorneys Office.

Serafino Canino, 53, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in September 2018.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office, Canino was employed by, and had an ownership interest in, Innovative Concepts Corporation, a company that manufactured and distributed small power and hand tools.

As part of its work, the company contracted with Asian factories through arrangements that were administered by intermediaries in Taiwan, the release said. The Taiwanese intermediaries negotiated with the factories in Asia, ensured the shipment of manufactured products to ICC, and invoiced ICC for the manufacturing of its products, officials said.

From 2008 through 2011, Canino engaged in fraudulent billing using two of ICCs intermediaries in Taiwan, said Tom Carson of the U.S. Attorneys Office in the release. Canino instructed the intermediaries to charge ICC an inflated price and kick back the overage to Canino using overseas bank accounts and an overseas corporate entity.

Canino received approximately $633,000 in this way, according to the release, which he did not report on his taxes. The Internal Revenue Service lost $186,358 as a result.

Canino was ordered to pay more than $430,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties , according to the release.

He is required to report to prison June 5.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
TORRINGTON  Facing a flat budget increase for the 2019-20 school year, Board of Education members and district administrators dug into a section of the 149-page spending plan to decide what services must stay.

At a public hearing at Vogel Wetmore Elementary School on Monday, Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski said the budgeting process began by asking school principals what new items they couldnt live without, based on the spending restraints.

The proposed budget for the next school year is 3.8 percent higher than the 2019-20 budget, totaling $76.95 million .

To get to that amount, Lubomski proposed eliminating positions, including a full-time French teacher, for a savings of $87,003 and a network manager, for a savings of $90,000.

Proposed increases would provide a raise for the business manager of $21,873. Using the network manager salary, in addition to $10,000 for a total of $100,000, the goal is to hire a network director.

Money is obviously a factor, but we should focus on the cost (of not providing services), said board Chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca. She mentioned the budget history of losing 14 literacy teachers and a number of custodians in 2016-17 school year.

An increasing need for social-emotional support and mental health services, was identified during the budget process, according to district documents. The school board focused on those priorities at the meeting. Members proposed hiring a full time behaviorist who would work with the district to provide mental health support, with a salary of $85,717.

Salaries for about 10 other mental health professionals are provided through grants from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and a state Alliance grant.

The grants are funded for five years, Lubomski said. The district is in its second year of the cycle. Well see if the positions work out or if theyre still needed (in the future), she said.

In addition, a pilot program from a Community Mental Health grant, sponsored by Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, will provide mental health professionals at Torringford Elementary School, Torrington Middle School and Torrington High School.

The amount of funding for the grants was not available in the proposed budget document.

We used to have a director of student services. It would be really helpful to have that (again), Lubomski said. Its very important. We really need someone. A student services director, she said, would be involved in special education services planning. But whether such a position will be added to the budget remains to be seen.

About 12 parents attended the public hearing. Several who were asked to comment on the budget process declined to do so.

One parent noted, however, I havent read enough, to make a decision.

Ann Perzan, the interim director for Student Services, said she thought the meeting went well. Board members had answers and a way to look to the future.

The next school budget public hearing will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Torrington High School Media Center. The districts approved budget is scheduled to be submitted to the City Council and Board of Finance by April 15.
GREENWICH  The man accused of the kidnapping and murder of a 24-year-old Westchester woman, whose body was found in a suitcase in Greenwich on Feb. 5, is scheduled for a court appearance later this month in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y.

A court appearance by Javier Da Silva, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed, according to court personnel. Another date has yet to be scheduled.

Da Silva, 24, was arrested by the FBI in connection with the death of Valerie Reyes, in cooperation with law-enforcement authorities from Greenwich and New Rochelle, N.Y., where Reyes lived.

According to a criminal complaint from federal authorities, Da Silva sealed Reyes mouth with tape and bound her hands and feet before putting her in the suitcase and disposing of her body. She was also found with a severe wound to her head, which Da Silva blamed on a fall in her New Rochelle apartment.

The Connecticut Medical Examiners Office has not publicly not released the cause of death, and once again deferred releasing information this week. The medical examiners office said the matter is pending.

Da Silva dated Reyes about two years ago, according to authorities. Reyes, a book-store employee, was reported missing by her family on Jan. 29, and her body was found in a wooded area on the side of Glenville Road in Greenwich on Feb. 5. Da Silva was arrested and charged in connection with her death a week later.

According to federal court filings, the accused killer used a debit card belonging to Reyes to make a cash withdrawal.

A preliminary hearing on Da Silvas case will be scheduled in coming days. He appeared briefly in federal court last month, when he asked the Portuguese consulate to be informed of the criminal proceedings against him.

A resident of Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally at the time of Reyes death, Da Silva also holds Portuguese citizenship. Da Silva lived in Brooklyn and was working in a coffee shop in New York City at the time of his arrest and had an active Instagram account filled with artistic photos from around the city.

He could face up to life in prison if convicted on the federal charges.
China's top-level law enforcement agencies vowed on Tuesday to throw their weight behind the ruling Chinese Communist Party's efforts to maintain social stability and stave off "critical threats" to party rule.



In his annual report to the country's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), Supreme People's Court chief justice Zhou Qiang said the judiciary had worked with other agencies to crack down on "terrorism and crimes seriously endangering national security."



"Together, we have worked to resolutely safeguard national security, in particular, the stability of the regime and [political] system," Zhou told deputies.



Zhou said China, which has been criticized internationally for the mass incarceration of at least one million ethnic Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in "re-education" camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), had also cracked down on "opinions [supportive of] terrorist activities and extremism, punishing those who disseminate them according to law."



He said the judiciary would continue to fight "three tough battles against poverty, pollution, and critical risks."



China's Procurator-General Zhang Jun, the country's top prosecutor, echoed Zhou's theme.



"The most important thing is to shoulder the task of safeguarding the political security of the country, ensuring overall social stability, and always taking political security as a top priority," Zhang told the NPC.



The Supreme People's Procuratorate must also "resolutely crack down on various infiltrations, subversive sabotage activities, violent terrorist activities, ethnic separatist activities, and religious extreme activities," he said.



Wary of revolution



Hong Kong-based political commentator Willy Lam said President Xi Jinping, who began an indefinite term in office at last year's NPC, is very wary of the possibility of a "color revolution" that could trigger a backlash against his administration.



"A color revolution would be very serious, because it would be tantamount to political change; namely, the fall of the Communist Party," Lam said. "That's why they both emphasized the need for political stability and the use of severe punishment to maintain the absolute authority of the Communist Party."



"The Soviet Communist Party fell from power shortly after their 70th year in power, so the Chinese Communist Party is very nervous," he said.



Anhui-based former state prosecutor Shen Liangqing said the growing emphasis on social stability masks growing inequality and social tensions simmering under the surface.



"There are a lot of tensions and a lot of backlash among ordinary people," Shen said. "The international situation is also changing, and now there's a trade war [with the U.S.]."



"We know that neither the Supreme Court nor the Supreme Procuratorate are independent, but rather tools of the regime," he said. "So of course they are going to align themselves with the Communist Party central leadership."



Narrowing dissent



Shen said he thinks the space for dissent in China will continue to narrow, with ever harsher penalties for critics of the regime.



"They are formalizing political persecution, by presenting it as a regular criminal matter," Shen said. "There have been a number of cases in recent years where political dissidents have been charged with incitement to subvert state power, including that of [Wuhan veteran dissident] Qin Yongmin."



"They are handing out harsh sentences for political crimes," he said.



Beijing-based rights lawyer Mo Shaoping agreed.



"As head of the Supreme Court, Zhou Qiang has to support the rule of the party," he said. "Anyone who spoke of judicial independence in the past is now a target of criticism."



"Nobody is talking about the separation of powers any more ... it's all about the judiciary being under the leadership of the party," Mo said.



Reported by Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam, who with Siti Aisyah of Indonesia is standing trial for the murder of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, walks into Shah Alam Court Complex while guarded by Malaysian police, Aug. 16, 2018.

A day after an Indonesian woman on trial for murdering the North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother walked free, Vietnam called on Malaysia to drop charges as well against the Vietnamese defendant who remained in custody in connection with the February 2017 assassination of Kim Jong Nam at a Kuala Lumpur airport.

Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Binh Minh said that he had spoken with Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in an effort to free Doan Thi Huong.

In Vietnam, Doan Van Thanh told RFAs Vietnamese Service he hoped Hanoi would press Kuala Lumpur to release his daughter.

For the time being, I expect Huong to be released and go home, but I dont know what Malaysia will do, he told RFA. I do expect the Vietnamese government to help with proving Huong innocent and getting her released.

Nguyen Thi Vy, Huong's stepmother, told the German news agency DPA it was "unfair" to release Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah but not her daughter.

"I think it is unfair because the two girls involved in the same case did the same thing, but one has been released, so why has the other not been?" she said by telephone from one from her home in northern Nam Dinh province.

Huongs trial is set to resume at Thursday if the Attorney Generals Chamber rejected her defense teams application, a Malaysian judge said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Tuesday he did not know of any negotiations with Indonesia that led to Siti Aisyahs release.

The decision to drop charges against her was done within the law, said the leader of Malaysias new government.

In Indonesia, meanwhile, President Joko Jokowi Widodo welcomed Siti and her parents to the presidential palace in Jakarta, and praised diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Diplomatic effort directed by Widodo

Asked Tuesday if negotiations with Indonesia had helped secure Aisyahs release, Mahathir told reporters, I do not have such information.

I do not know the details.  But from what I understand, the prosecution can withdraw the charge, the prime minister said. There is a process within the law that one can withdraw the charges and thats what was done.

On Monday, as Doan began her defense phase of the trial after a pause of several months, prosecutors announced they were not pressing ahead with charges against her Indonesian co-defendant, who left the courtroom and then flew to Jakarta.

The two women were charged with assassinating Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-sibling of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a chemical attack using a nerve agent, VX.

Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas on Monday made public a letter where he had informed a senior Indonesian official of the upcoming acquittal and release of Aisyah, saying his decision in the matter had taken into account the good relations between our respective countries.

The Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur had described Aisyahs release as the culmination of a diplomatic effort directed by Widodo, who is aiming to win a second term in office in elections scheduled for April 17.

As he thanked Malaysia for releasing Aisyah, Rusdi Kirana, Indonesias ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, told reporters that President Jokowi had spoken to Mahathir about discharging her from Malaysian custody during their meeting last year at Bogor Palace in Indonesia.

In addition, Indonesian Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly, who welcomed Aisyah at an airport in Jakarta on Monday, discussed efforts to win her freedom.

At the behest of the president, the chief of the national police, the attorney general and other officials worked together to find ways to free her and communicated well with the previous government of Prime Minister Najib Razak as well as the government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, he said.

On Tuesday, Jokowi spoke to reporters after meeting with Aisyah and her family.

This is how the government pays attention to its citizens, and yesterday the government, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially handed Siti Aisyah back to her family. I welcome her, and congratulate her return to her family, he said.

Doan is scheduled to return to court later this week.

Azmi Ariffin, the judge at the Shah Alam High Court who granted Aisyah a discharge not amounting to acquittal  meaning she could be charged again later if there was new evidence in the case  said he was reluctant to grant the petition on Doans behalf.

Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service and by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
The Arakan Army displays weapons and ammunition it seized during a weekend attack on Myanmar Army soldiers near Pyan So village in Paletwa township, western Myanmar's Chin state, March 11, 2019.

The Arakan Army (AA) has taken 11 Myanmar Army soldiers prisoner and seized their weapons following a weekend clash in Chin states Paletwa township, which abuts volatile Rakhine state where hostilities have intensified between the two sides since late last year, an AA official said Tuesday.

The AA, a Buddhist Rakhine army fighting for autonomy in Rakhine state, captured the men along with arms and ammunition after it had overrun a strategic hill controlled by the government army on March 9 near Pyan So village in Paletwa's Pee Chaung area, said AA spokesman Khine Thukha.

The soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 563 based in Rakhines Gwa township had been stationed in Paletwa under the command of Light Infantry Division 5, he said.

The base, under the command of Light Infantry Battalion 563 based in Gwa had fired on [our positions] with heavy weapons, Khine Thukha said. It is about 5.5 kilometers [3.4 miles] from Pyan So village in Paletwa township.

The base under the tactical commander has been attacking us from that hill with heavy artillery, so we had to clear it, he told RFAs Myanmar Service.

We were even able to seize backhoes they might use for mechanical equipment, he said.

The AA said in a statement that its fighters seized 16 backhoe excavators, a dump truck, three computers, a drone, and small and heavy weapons.

The ethnic military also said that the detained soldiers are being treated well and that its central command will determine their fate.

RFA was unable to reach Myanmar Army spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun or Colonel Win Zaw Oo of the militarys Western Command for comment on the AAs statement.

The rebels statement said that the March 9 battle was the most intense one it had engaged in so far this month and that the post it seized was under the supervision of an acting tactical commander.

Kan Tin, a local lawmaker representing Paletwa township, said locals had not heard about the captures.

Maybe its just a rumor, he told RFA. Its impossible that would happen without our knowledge.

People from Pee Chaung frequently come to Paletwa, but there is no access for phone communication, so this news cant be confirmed, he added. We hear reports of on-and-off clashes; weve heard about brief clashes, but nothing from the Pee Chaung area.

A growing concern

Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Myanmars Presidents Office, told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting in Naypyidaw with representatives of another ethnic armed group, that the Rakhine crisis is a growing concern in terms of security, development, and the transition to democracy not only for the state itself, but also for the entire nation.

He also said the AA is welcome to sign the governments nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA), a truce with the Myanmar military that 10 other ethnic armies have signed, even though the government has excluded the Arakan force from inking the truce in the past because of its ongoing hostilities with the national army.

The Myanmar military in December declared a four-month unilateral cease-fire in five of its command regions, excluding Rakhine state, in an attempt to jump-start the countrys stalled peace process with the ethnic armed groups that have not signed the peace accord.

Matters were made worse in early January in Rakhine state when the AA attacked police outposts in Buthidaung township killing 13 officers and wounding nine others, and compelling the government to order thousands of its troops into the region to crush the terrorist organization.

The AA then killed nine police officers and injured two others on March 9 during an attack on a police outpost in Yoetayoke village in Rakhines Ponnagyun township  the second-deadliest assault by Arakan fighters since the hostilities broke out anew in 2018.

Zaw Htay noted that the deadly attack came while AA representatives were discussing the signing of the NCA.

So the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] and the government reviewed the situation and concluded that the cease-fire and a peace pledge are necessary, he said.

Khin Zaw Oo, former military lieutenant-general and current secretary of Myanmar's peace commission, has said the same, he added.

So, they [the AA] have to promise to join and go the way of the NCA, Zaw Htay said.

In response to the spokesmans comments, Khine Thukha told RFA that the government has said that the AA and two other armed groups fighting the Myanmar military must give up their arms before participating in peace talks.

He noted that the AA had participated in the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), a group set up in 2013 to represent its member ethnic armed organizations in talks with the government peace negotiation team, the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC), and to hammer out terms of the NCA.

Though the government has barred the AA, Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) from participating in the peace process, the MPC met with the trio for the first time in September 2018 to discuss ways to end the fighting.

They are the ones changing their minds, Khine Thukha said about the governments peace negotiators. They are insincere, and who doesnt want peace?

Its impossible to hold talks when they wield a stick, he said. If they want peace in the name of the spirit of brotherhood, they have to stop their rooting-out [policy]. Then we can continue real peace talks.

Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, speaks at a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 25, 2019. Credit: AFP An appeal by Yanghee Lee



The growing violence in Rakhine state prompted Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, to express concern in her latest report for the thousands of civilians who have been displaced by fighting in Rakhine and Shan states.

Allegations exist of fighters dressing as civilians and using civilian vehicles, landmine use, forced recruitment and forced portering, and arrest and detention of civilians suspected of being associates or sympathizers of the Arakan Army, she said about the Rakhine crisis in an address to the U.N. Human Rights Council during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday.

It does not appear that the situation will improve in the immediate future, she said. I repeat my call to all parties to conflicts around the country to protect civilians and take precautions, and to end hostilities.

Lee said that up to 10,000 civilians have fled their homes since late 2018 as a result of the violence.

But local and official sources in Rakhine have estimated that more than 12,000 people have left their homes and are living in displaced persons camps where they face shortages of humanitarian aid.

Lee, who is banned by Myanmars government from visiting the country, also raised concerns about the implementation of Myanmars new land-use law and its detrimental effects on locals by failing to recognize shared land ownership practices and unattended land belonging to displaced people and refugees of conflict.

She also appealed to the U.N. Security Council to refer alleged human rights atrocities in Myanmar, particularly those committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and recommended a hybrid national/international mechanism to hold the country accountable.

Thousands of Rohingya died in a brutal military crackdown in northern Rakhine state in 2017, while others were subjected to sexual assaults, torture, and the burning of their communities. The violence  which Myanmar has largely denied  drove more than 740,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, according to U.N. estimates.

ICC staff are visiting Bangladesh this week as part of an initial probe of whether prosecutors can bring a case against Myanmar over what the court calls the forced deportation of the Rohingya during the crackdown.

Though Myanmar has argued that it cannot be prosecuted because is not a member of the international tribunal, Bangladesh is an ICC member.

I am pleased that this is moving forward. However, I still firmly believe that the situation in Myanmar must be referred to the ICC by the Security Council, or a state party or group of states parties, Lee said in her remarks in Geneva.

Victims must not be forced to wait in the purgatory of international inaction. If it is not possible to refer the situation to the ICC, the international community should consider establishing an independent tribunal, she said.

Appeal unacceptable

Khin Ohmar, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, echoed Lees call for the ongoing situation in Myanmar to be referred to the ICC.

She said the international tribunal should handle the matter because Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have no prospect for voluntary repatriation.

Though Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement for the return of the refugees to Rakhine state, the program has failed to get underway, with many Rohingya fearful that they will not be safe in Myanmar where they are deemed illegal immigrants, denied citizenship, and subject to systematic discrimination.

Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmars ambassador to United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, called Lees appeal to refer his country to the ICC unacceptable and said that the Hague-based court has no jurisdiction over Myanmar whatsoever.

He pointed out that the government established an independent inquiry commission last July to investigate alleged human rights violations and atrocities in Rakhine state.

That commission, comprised of two international experts and two domestic ones, will deliver its report to the Myanmar government later this year.



Reported by Kyaw Thu and Khin Khin Ei for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Kachin Independence Army soldiers perform military exercises under the watchful eye of their commander in an undated photo.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has released nearly 60 Taang and Lahu ethnic minorities its soldiers detained in a village in in Myanmars northern Shan state in early March, according to an official from the ethnic army.

KIA Battalion No. 8 under the command of Brigade No. 4 detained the 57 sugarcane plantation workers, most of whom are Taang ethnics from Man Phang village, on March 4.

The commander of Brigade No. 4 said all the detainees have been released, KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told RFAs Myanmar Service on Tuesday.

The detainees, including women and children, were let go because the situation on the ground did not allow for them to be properly questioned, according to a KIA statement issued Monday, which did not specify what the soldiers wanted to interrogate the workers about.

Kachin forces already had released 20 men, and 10 others had escaped, when the remainder was ordered freed, local sources said.

Area residents said they suspected that the KIA detained the workers to force them to become soldiers, but Naw Bu told RFA that the Kachin armys policy forbids forced recruiting.

The KIAs policy forbids involuntary recruiting by abduction, he said. We have issued orders about that.

Naw Bu acknowledged that some soldiers had violated the policy, however.

Some junior commanders on the front line were violating the policy in getting new recruits for their battalion, he Bu said. So now, we have released all the detainees.

KIA officials will issue a warning to the officers concerned, though it wasnt clear if any action had been taken against them yet, he added.

The KIA is one of a few ethnic armed groups fighting the Myanmar military or other ethnic armies in northern Shan state and neighboring Kachin state.

Armed conflict has displaced more than 107,000 civilians in both regions since hostilities between the KIA and the Myanmar military restarted in 2011, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

No more forced recruitments

Lway Poe Kamaekhour from the Ta'ang Women's Organization (TWO) told RFA that her group had received information that all detained Taang ethnics were now back in their village.

All of them are in good shape, she said. We have received photos of the freed detainees. They dont look like they have been tortured.

The forced recruitment of civilians takes place everywhere in northern Shan state, she said.

It is done by different armed groups in the region, she said. I want to see long-lasting peace in the region so that there are no more forced recruitments.

TWO also said that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), another ethnic army fighting in northern Shan state, recently arrested 12 local villagers from Namtu township, but has not released them.

The RCSS denied the report.

Rights groups have accused both government troops and ethnic rebel soldiers of human rights violations in Myanmars conflict zones, including kidnapping, torturing, and killing civilians, and forcing them to work as laborers.

Reported by Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Bodies of policemen killed in a militant attack are covered at the Yoetayoke police station in Ponnagyun township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, March 10, 2019.

UPDATED at 9:57 A.M. EST on 2019-03-12

A deadly weekend assault by an ethnic armed group on a police outpost in western Myanmars violence-ridden Rakhine state left nine officers dead and two others injured, the country's Ministry of Information said Sunday, prompting area police to merge personnel at some small stations to increase security in critical areas.

The policemen were killed late Saturday by the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist Rakhine military fighting Myanmar forces for autonomy in Rakhine state, during an attack on their police post in Ponnagyun townships Yoetayoke village, the ministry said on its website.

Colonel Kyi Lin, head of the Rakhine State Police Force, later confirmed to the online journal The Irrawaddy that nine policemen were killed by gunshot in an AA raid on the police station.

Colonel Win Zaw Oo of the Myanmar militarys Western Command told RFAs Myanmar Service on Sunday that that the AA has targeted small police posts with an aim to humiliate police forces.

He also said that the transfer of security personnel would increase forces in more critical spots, the Myanmar Times reported.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha initially told RFA that the groups central command did not order the attack on the police outpost in Yoetayoke village and that AA officials would investigate the incident.

The AA later acknowledged that its soldiers attacked the police post, though Khine Thukha declined further requests for comment, The Irrawaddy said.

Clashes between the AA and the Myanmar Army escalated late last year and into 2019, with a deadly attack by Arakan fighters on police outposts in northern Rakhine state in early January that left 13 officers dead and nine injured.

In response, the Myanmar government declared the AA a terrorist group and ordered thousands of soldiers into the region to crush the insurgents with heavy artillery.

The AA announced late Monday that its troops occupied a temporary tactical command base and had taken captive 11 prisoners of war during a clash with Myanmar Army troops near Buthidaung township on March 9, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.

The AA also said that its forces have continued to engage in hostilities with Myanmar troops in the mountainous region in the west of Ponnagyun and in Buthidaung since March 7.

The situation is worrisome

After Sundays attack, officers at four police outposts in Minbya, Rathedaung, and Buthidaung townships were mobilized and merged with police at other outposts, prompting concern among residents in areas from where the security personnel were withdrawn, village officials and a national lawmaker said.

Ten police officers at a police post in Pan Myaung village that provides security for at least six village tracts in Minbya township relocated to Minbya town on Monday morning, said village administrator Tin Aung Kyaw.

The deputy police chief at the station summoned me and told me that their station had to move due to lack of security, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. So, we are helpless with regards to security, and the situation is worrisome.

The move has triggered safety fears among local residents, he added.

Policemen from a post in Zayti Taung village meanwhile joined another post in Nyaung Chaung village in Buithidaung township.

I cant say why they merged, said Zayti Taung village administrator Kyaw Than. They might have concerns. After what has happened over there, their superiors might wonder if something could happen here. I think that may be the reason for the move.

Myanmar national police reported that some officers were still under attack, saying that the AA fired on 14 officers from Rathedaungs Okpo village on Sunday evening while they were moving to the post in Nyaung Chaung village. One officer injured in the attack was carried away by the current in nearby Cardi Creek.

A police post with around 20 officers in Rathedaungs Kutaung village has also relocated, according to Khin Saw Wai, a lawmaker from the Arakan National Party who represents the Rathedaung constituency in Myanmars lower house of parliament.

A local resident just called this morning and said a police station in Kutaung village had been relocated, she said. It is holding [matriculation] examinations for 10th-grade students, and I was told that local villagers, including the village administrator, have to guard the test since no security is present.

Two test centers in Mrauk-U and Rathedaung townships were moved to other locations last week during matriculation examinations due to concerns about fresh clashes between the AA and government troops.

RFA was unable to reach Myanmar Army spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, Colonel Win Zaw Oo of the Western Command, and Rakhine State Police Chief Colonel Kyi Lin for comments on the border guard police post mergers.



Civilians displaced by fighting between Myanmar forces and the Arakan Army take shelter near a village in Mrauk-U township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, March 5, 2019. Credit: RFA Food rations have yet to arrive

The fighting has now driven more than 12,000 civilians from their homes in Rakhine state, according to estimates by a leader of a displaced persons camp, a local monk, and a lawmaker on Monday.

Residents of 14 villages in Mrauk-U township, including Goat Kyun, Khamaung Seik, Maw Ywa, Lay Hnyin Taung, Byauk Chaung, Khu Hlaing, Cheik Chaung, and Sin Swe Kyo have now been displaced by the ongoing clashes, they said.

They are now living temporarily at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in 14 locations, including Shwe Taung, Lat Kauk Zey, Phaya Paw, Wa The, Out Kathan, Zeydi Taung, and Sinbaw Kaing villages in the township.

Organizers involved in assisting the IDPs told RFA that there is very little government assistance for those who have fled to safety.

IDP camp leader Aye Maung said more than 100 people from 26 families are now taking refuge at the Shwedaung Monastery IDP camp in Mrauk-U, though government assistance covers only 13 families.

We have 26 families and 103 people in the camp so far, he told RFA. The governments Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement provided 21 rice bags for 13 families. They say this food aid is for a month, with two cans of rice for each person a day. 

Government food rations have yet to arrive at an IDP camp in Sinbaw Kaing village where more than 1,700 displaced persons have sought refuge, said Ashin Nanda Tharya, a Buddhist abbot.

Until today, we havent got any assistance from the government officials yet, he said. They havent come for inspections or assessments. They havent delivered food rations or any other assistance. The only form of help here is the clinic run by the [state] Health Department. There is no other help.

The leaders at IDP camps in Mrauk-Us Lay Myo Sar, Chaung Thit, and Chaw May villages told RFA that they also have not received any assistance from the government and must rely on donors to provide basic necessities.

Some locals have questioned whether the governments insufficient aid to ethnic Rakhine IDPs is connected to their widespread support for the AAs cause in the impoverished state wracked by religious and ethnic conflict.

Though the Rakhine state parliament passed a motion on Feb. 28 to provide sufficient assistance to displaced Rakhine villagers, government officials have failed to implement its measures, said state lawmaker Tun Thar Sein, who submitted the motion.

Currently, the government assistance for the displaced refugees has been very little, he told RFA. We had requested during the parliamentary session that the state government provide enough aid. It needs to conduct an on-the-ground assessment and provide the assistance right away. 

But Aung Kyaw Zan, Rakhine states minister of electricity, industry and transportation, said during the Feb. 28 parliamentary session that the government has already provided humanitarian aid worth 128 million kyats (U.S. $83,700) to displaced civilians.

When RFA contacted Nan Moe Nwe, assistant director of Mrauk-U townships Disaster Management Department, she said that her agency is working on sending the aid to the IDP camps.

The next batch will be delivered the day after tomorrow, she said. So far, we have provided aid for 1,027 people in 253 families lasting until March 7.



Reported by Min Thein Aung and Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung and Nandar Chann. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Assertions by Vietnam that it protects civil freedoms and human rights in the one-party communist state were sharply rebutted on Monday by a monitoring group at a U.N. review of the countrys rights record held this week in Geneva, Switzerland.



Speaking on March 11 at a hearing of the U.N. Human Rights Committee, a Paris-based rights group said that a Vietnamese government report to the Committee this year obscures glaring evidence of state abuses.



Much of the information in the report is obsolete, Vo Van Ai--president of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR)--told the U.N. Human Rights Committee, a body created to check U.N. member states compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.



Moreover, it denies glaring evidence of the governments brutal assault on civil society, escalation of arbitrary arrests and long prison sentences for all those who simply advocate the rights enshrined in the ICCPR, Ai said.



Rejecting Vietnamese government claims to the Committee that provisions of the ICCPR take precedence over domestic law in Vietnam, Ai noted that Vietnamese authorities have emptied the Covenant of its substance by subordinating it to [the countrys] Constitution.



[This] conditions the exercise of human rights on the interests of the state and national security, and applies to all new laws adopted by Vietnam, Ai said.



These vague, catch-all national security provisions are in fact a legal veneer to suppress human rights, Ai said, adding, They make no distinction between violent acts and the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression, and transform peaceful human rights advocates into criminals.



Convictions under Article 109 of Vietnams criminal code, prohibiting activities aimed at overthrowing the peoples government, continue to increase, with citizens calling for multi-party democracy and separation of government powers now deemed guilty of subversion, Ai noted.



For Vietnam, pluralism is synonymous with a threat to the existence of the Communist Party, he said.



Delayed reports, failures to comply



Though Vietnam acceded to the ICCPR in 1982, it has now reported on its compliance with that human rights instrument only three times, Ai said.



By delaying its reports over decades, Vietnam is not only failing to comply with UN reporting obligations, but also seriously undermining opportunities to strengthen protection of its citizens civil and political rights.



This weeks meeting in Geneva follows a meeting in January by the larger U.N. Human Rights Council, a separate body, in which Vietnam defended its rights record, calling the ensuring of human rights its top priority and denying it is arresting rights defenders.



U.N. Human Rights Council documents on Vietnam, however, record mounting concern over recent years about arrests.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Human rights activist Oyub Titiyev says he is certain he will be convicted by a court in Russia's Chechnya region next week after a drug-possession trial he described as "spitting at justice" and a remarkable exercise in "hypocrisy and cynicism."

Titiyev, the head of the Moscow-based human rights group Memorial's office in Chechnya, called the case "fabricated" in his final statement in court on March 11.

"I have no illusions about the verdict. I know it will be a guilty verdict," Titiyev said. "I trust in almighty God -- if he rules that I have to be behind bars, I will accept that, too."

Titiyev, a 61-year-old father of four, has been in jail since January 2018, when he was arrested after police stopped his car and alleged that they discovered marijuana in the vehicle. He says they drugs were planted there by police.

The Shali district court said the verdict will be pronounced on March 18. Prosecutors have urged the court to find him guilty and sentence him to four years in prison.

Human rights organizations, the United States, several European Union member states, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner have condemned Titiyev's arrest and voiced concern about the case.

At the hearing on March 11, Titiyev said he was "certain that this trial has broken records for hypocrisy and cynicism" and also took aim at what he called Russia's "strange democracy," saying that "in democratic countries they don't jail people for a single click on the Internet." The Russian parliament, he said, "rubber-stamps laws restricting freedom every day."

Titiyev's lawyers reiterated the contention that their client is innocent and that the drugs were planted. They described the case as part of an effort to push Memorial out of Chechnya -- which has been ruled for 12 years by Kremlin-backed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov -- and other parts of Russia's North Caucasus.

"The repressive machine of the Russian criminal justice system is in full swing, and we have already seen enough in this case to know that the purpose of Oyub's trial is not justice but revenge" for his work exposing rights abuses, Amnesty International Russia researcher Natalya Prilutskaya said in a statement the same day.

Activists say Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya since he was appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007, has committed serious human rights abuses, including the widespread use of kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Kremlin critics say Putin has given him free rein because he relies on his to keep a lid on separatism following two devastating post-Soviet wars in Chechnya.

With reporting by RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service, Novaya gazeta, Meduza, and Interfax
Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says that Taliban militants and regular Afghans want foreign forces to leave Afghanistan, but that the troops need to stay "until the war is over and peace is restored." In an interview with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan in Kabul on March 11, he discussed the talks between representatives of the Taliban and the United States as part of an envisioned Afghan reconciliation process, paving the way to a possible withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
KABUL -- The Taliban is using peace talks with the United States for "propaganda purposes, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told RFE/RL, urging Washington to keep troops in the country until a formal settlement that includes Kabul has been signed with the militants.



Abdullah also said Afghans were "concerned" that the Kabul government has been sidelined from the U.S.-Taliban talks in Qatar, but insisted it had not caused a rift with Washington.



"Unless the Afghan government has direct negotiations with the Taliban, Afghan people have the right to be concerned," Abdullah, who is the de facto prime minister in the national unity government, said in an interview with RFE/RL in Kabul on March 12.



"The Taliban wants to use these peace talks for political and propaganda purposes instead of using this as a step towards peace," he added.



His remarks came as U.S. and Taliban negotiators are holding talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, to end the nearly 18-year war. The current round of talks started on February 25.



U.S. President Donald Trump wants to pull out the roughly 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan and has tasked U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad with reaching a settlement with the militants.



During a round of talks in Doha in January, U.S. and Taliban negotiators reached the basic framework of a potential peace deal in which the militants would prevent international terrorist groups from basing themselves in Afghanistan in exchange for the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.



But Abdullah urged Washington to keep U.S. forces in Afghanistan until a comprehensive peace settlement is reached between the United States, the Taliban, and Kabul.



"The Taliban wants foreign troops to leave Afghanistan," he said. "Its also the demand of the Afghan people. But our opinion, and that of the Afghan people, is that until the war is over and peace is restored, there is a need for the presence of these troops."



The Taliban has refused to negotiate with the government in Kabul, saying it is a U.S. "puppet" which the militant group wants to topple.



The Western-backed government in Kabul has been angered and frustrated at being sidelined at the peace talks.



Abdullah said the government's absence at the talks had prompted fears in the country that "there will be a deal in which the interests of Afghans will not be considered," but denied a fallout with the countrys international allies.



"The relationship between the Afghan government and our international partners is not so strained that we suspect there might be a conspiracy against Afghanistan, [especially] after so many years of [mutual] sacrifice and cooperation," he said.



Abdullah also questioned the Taliban's commitment to peace, accusing the militant group of "dragging out the process."



"The Taliban is propagating that they have made progress during these talks and have come to certain agreements with the United States," he said. "But then they say they need more time [before they sign a formal deal]."



U.S. and Taliban negotiators are currently attempting to hammer out the details of the framework agreement reached in January.



But there are disagreements over four interconnected issues, including the Taliban breaking off ties with groups designated as terrorists by Washington, the timetable of a U.S. military withdrawal, a cease-fire in Afghanistan, and an intra-Afghan dialogue that would include the Taliban and government representatives.



U.S. and other foreign troops have been in Afghanistan since an October 2001 invasion that brought down the Taliban government after it refused to hand over Al-Qaeda terrorists, including Osama bin Laden, blamed for launching the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
The body of a student whose suspicious death a year ago has fueled angry protests across Bosnia-Herzegovina has been exhumed from a local graveyard ahead of his planned reburial in Austria.

David Dragicevic's mother and dozens of supporters attended the March 12 exhumation in Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnia's predominantly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska. His body is set to be buried in the Austrian town of Wiener Neustadt on March 15.

Dragicevic's parents decided to rebury their son's remains in Austria, where his mother lives, ahead of the anniversary of his death, complaining about the lack of progress in the investigation into the case. Suzana Radanovic and Davor Dragicevic also cited "pressure" exerted on them and their supporters by the authorities.

Davor Dragicevic, who went into hiding late last year after Bosnian Serb authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, said in a recent media interview that he did not want his son's body to remain in what he called a "criminal state."

David Dragicevic, a 21-year-old technology student, disappeared in Banja Luka on the night of March 18, 2018. His body was found on March 24 at the confluence of the Crkvena and Vrbas rivers.

Police and prosecutors have said that Dragicevic drowned after being caught up in a fight at a cafe. They also said he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

However, Dragicevic's parents have said he was abducted, tortured, and killed, and accused the police of involvement.

Davor Dragicevic set up the Justice for David movement that has led regular demonstrations in Banja Luka and other Bosnian cities and towns to call for those responsible for his son's death to be brought to justice.

Police have prohibited the events from being held without special authorization and accused Dragicevic of jeopardizing public safety. He has been on the run since street protests on December 30 turned violent.

Ahead of the exhumation, Ozren Perduv, a member of Justice for David, said that the student's parents did not want their son's body to remain in "a criminal, private, mafia state" that he accused of covering up Dragicevic's "murder."

The father recently told the television channel Face, "The Justice for David group will never disappear, justice for David in that country will not come."
The remains of a student who died in suspicious circumstances in Bosnia- Herzegovina have been exhumed to be reburied in Austria. The death of 21-year-old David Dragicevic nearly a year ago sparked local protests against authorities' handling of the case. On March 12, his body was exhumed at a cemetery in Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnia's predominantly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska. His mother attended the exhumation in order for him to be buried in the Austrian town of Wiener Neustadt where she lives. The technology student was found dead in a nearby creek a week after going missing in March 2018. Police say he had been in a fight at a cafe and that they found alcohol and drugs in his system. The case was called a drowning and ruled a suicide, but his family says their son was abducted, tortured, and murdered. They accused police of a cover-up.
For years, people have gathered in March in the eastern Bosnian city of Visegrad to mark the capture of Dragoljub "Draza" Mihailovic, the controversial Serbian general who led the World War II nationalist Chetnik movement, some of whom collaborated with Nazi forces.



This year, they went too far.



The 200 or so who met on March 10 paraded with some singing songs that included lines such as "there will be hell, the River Drina will be bloody, here come the Chetniks from the Serb mountains."



That crossed a line with many Bosnian Muslims, legal experts, and even Western diplomats, prompting the state prosecutor on March 12 to announce an investigation into the incident.



"The complaints refer to a criminal offense -- provoking national, racial, and religious hatred, discord, and intolerance under Article 145a of the Bosnian Criminal Code," the prosecutors office said.



For decades, Mihailovic has fueled division in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.

His backers view him as a national hero who died for political reasons. His critics say he collaborated with the Nazi occupiers. Non-Serbs in the former Yugoslavia accused his troops, known as Chetniks, of committing numerous atrocities.

In 1941, as a Yugoslav royal army officer, Mihailovic launched a resistance movement against German occupation. As fighting against the Axis Powers devolved into a bitter civil war, Mihailovic turned against communist guerrillas led by Josip Broz Tito.



With the conflict raging, some Chetnik forces hunted and killed not only their ideological opponents but also Croats, Bosnian Muslims, and others on Yugoslav territory. Historians say tens of thousands were slain by the Chetniks because of their ethnicity.



In 1946, with Josip Broz Tito at the helm of postwar Yugoslavia, Mihailovic was captured and tried. He was found guilty of war crimes, collaborating with the Axis Powers, and agreeing a cease-fire with the Nazis.



But he was also posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit in 1948 by U.S. President Harry Truman for his role in rescuing hundreds of U.S. airmen downed by the Axis Powers over Serbia.



As Yugoslavia unraveled in war in the 1990s, the Chetnik movement underwent a revival. The name, insignia, and trademark beards were adopted by some Serbian paramilitaries as they fought to carve out more room for ethnic Serbs.

'Religious Hatred And Intolerance'



Mihailovics conviction stood until May 2015, when the Higher Court of Belgrade ruled that the verdict was now "null and void."



"The Chetnik celebration is an open attempt not only to deny history but also to forge a new one," Branko Todorovic, president of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska, the Serb entity in Bosnia, told RFE/RLs Balkan Service.



Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic quickly denounced what he called the "spread of national and religious hatred and intolerance" and the intimidation of Bosnian Muslims.



The European Union's ambassador to Bosnia, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, also condemned the event, while the United States said it was "appalled" by it.



"Such behavior is unacceptable. We expect the relevant authorities to take the necessary steps to address these threats and hold accountable those responsible," the Embassy in Sarajevo said in a tweet.



The annual gathering, organized by an association called the Ravna Gora Chetnik movement, the name by which Mihailovics Chetniks were known, has made headlines in the past.



In 2016, a journalist with N1 TV was assaulted during the event.
The United States and human rights groups have strongly criticized the decades-long prison sentence reportedly imposed on Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.



Iranian media on March 11 quoted a judge as saying that Sotoudeh, who has been in prison since June serving a five-year sentence, was given two additional years for insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.



But Sotoudeh's husband, Reza Khandan, disputed that and said that an additional 33 years in prison and 148 lashes had been added to her existing sentence.



It brings the lawyers total sentence after two grossly unfair trials to 38 years in prison, Amnesty International said, describing the latest sentencing as utterly outrageous.



New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the draconian sentence an appalling travesty of justice and a threat aimed at every human rights advocate in Iran to stop defending human rights.



U.S. State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino wrote on Twitter that the new sentence was announced while the rest of the world commemorates womens rights, referring to International Womens Day on March 8.



Is this the new era of justice Khamenei proudly preaches about? he added.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission called for an immediate review of the case, saying that Sotoudehs trial at Tehran's Revolutionary Court went ahead in her absence" and featured "a number of other violations of the right to due process."



"The recent conviction of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to at least seven years' imprisonment is a worrying development," the spokeswoman said.



Last week, Mohammad Moghimi, who had represented Sotoudeh in other cases, wrote on his social-media account that that she was convicted of seven charges including assembly and collusion against national security, encouraging corruption and prostitution, appearing at the judiciary without the Islamic hijab, disturbing public peace and order, and publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.



Sotoudeh, the co-winner of the European Parliament's 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, was arrested in June 2018 and ordered to serve a five-year sentence imposed on her in absentia in 2016.

The lawyer in 2018 represented several of the women detained for removing their head scarves in public to protest against the countrys Islamic dress code.



An outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment, Sotoudeh previously spent three years in prison on security charges after representing dissidents arrested during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.



She has denied all charges against her.



Khandan was sentenced to six years in jail, also for security-related charges, his lawyer Mohammad Moghimi and local media said in January.



He later appealed the ruling and was released on bail.

With reporting by AFP
ASTANA -- The detained leader of a group in Kazakhstan that has raised concerns over the internment of Kazakhs in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang has been transferred from jail to house arrest.

Serikzhan Bilash's lawyer, Aiman Omarova, told RFE/RL that that her client had been charged with inciting ethnic discord and was transferred to house arrest in Astana for a period of two months on March 11.

"Serikzhan's home is in Almaty, but because the investigation will be held in Astana, he will have to stay in the capital for two months," Omarova said. It was not immediately clear where Bilash would stay.

Bilash was ordered to cooperate fully with investigators, a spokesman for his group, Atazhurt Eriktileri (Volunteers of the Fatherland), Qairat Baitolla, told RFE/RL.

Bilash was detained in Almaty and taken to Astana on March 10. The Atazhurt Eriktileri headquarters in Almaty were searched the same day.

Bilash was born in Xinjiang, a large region that borders Kazakhstan, and is a naturalized Kazakh citizen.

In recent months, he has organized several gatherings of ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang who settled in Kazakhstan and complained that their relatives were held in so-called reeducation camps in the Chinese region.

In February, an Almaty court found Bilash guilty of illegally leading an unregistered organization and fined him 252,000 tenges ($670).

Bilash, who denied guilt in court, said that the Volunteers of the Fatherland had been active since spring 2017.

He said that the group will continue to defend the rights of ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang, and that he will try again to register the group at the Justice Ministry.

Meanwhile, supporters of Bilash have uploaded more than 100 videos on Twitter with the hashtag #FreeSerikzhanBilash, demanding his immediate release.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang refused to comment on Bilash's situation, saying that Beijing did not comment on other countries' internal affairs.

On March 11, Lu said Bilash had debts in China, a statement that caused supporters to worry that Beijing might seek his extradition. But on March 12, the ministry spokesman said he had misunderstood the question about Bilash the previous day.

The United Nations said in August last year that an estimated 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim indigenous people of Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers" in the region.

The UN also said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps.

On March 12, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Sam Brownback, described the internment of Muslims in Xinjiang a "horrific situation."

He called for an independent investigation into the detentions and for the release of those being held.

China says that the facilities are not internment camps, but "vocational education centers" aimed at helping people steer clear of terrorism and allow them to be reintegrated into society.
As Islamic State's attempt to establish a caliphate crumbles, many countries are turning their backs on children born into the extremist group. Tajikistan is not one of those countries.



"We're planning to bring them home," the country's ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait, Zubaidullo Zubaidzoda, told RFE/RL.



Hundreds of Tajik citizens went to Iraq and Syria to join Islamic State (IS), according to authorities, and Dushanbe has been known to take a relatively forgiving approach to the issue. In 2015, the Tajik government offered an amnesty to those who voluntarily returned and renounced violence, seeing it as an opportunity to warn citizens of the dangers of joining ranks with radical Islam.



Now, with IS's once-formidable swath of territory encompassing large parts of Iraq and Syria having been reduced to a final foothold in eastern Syria, the question of what to do with fighters and their families left stranded and oftentimes stateless abroad has become more pressing.



As governments publicly ponder their options, cases of IS family members seeking to return to the homelands they spurned have grabbed headlines.

A New Jersey-born woman known as the "ISIS Bride" and who once made calls on social media to murder Americans has sued over the right to return with her toddler son to the United States, which has rejected her claim to birthright citizenship.



In Britain, the family of a runaway teen who joined Islamic State and was recently discovered at a refugee camp in Syria had pleaded for her to be allowed to return to raise her newborn son in the "peace and security" of the United Kingdom, which has revoked her citizenship. Most recently, after the 19-year-old's baby died, the Home Office was asked to reconsider its decision as an "act of mercy."



In Belgium, a court order that the government repatriate six IS kids and their mothers is being appealed. The French government is now addressing the issue of repatriating IS minors on a case-by-case basis, after having followed a policy of refusing to take back fighters and their wives.



Tajikistan, meanwhile, has repeatedly said it doesn't intend to leave any Tajik children behind in Iraq and Syria, fearing that they might pose security threats in the long run.



Tajikistan is soon expected to send a plane to Baghdad to repatriate 75 children whose Tajik mothers are imprisoned in Iraq under charges of belonging to IS.



Zubaidzoda, who's been tasked with negotiating the repatriation of Tajik citizens from Iraq and Syria, told RFE/RL on March 6 that he has obtained the required permission from the children's mothers to return them to Tajikistan.

All in all there are 43 Tajik mothers serving time in Iraq, with 92 children between them, Tajik authorities say. Zubaidzoda said 17 Tajik children will remain for now in Iraqi prisons because their mothers did not grant their permission for them to be repatriated.



Among the reasons given were that there were no relatives in Tajikistan willing to look after their children, according to the official. Others said their children were too young. And others, he said, refused to allow their children to be raised in Tajikistan because it was not "Islamic."



The ambassador said Dushanbe would not give up on its efforts to bring home "all Tajik children" from Iraq, but didn't give further details. He is working separately to secure the return of some 50 Tajik women and children who are being held in refugee camps in northeastern Syria.



Family Time



Returning children are expected to undergo medical check-ups and receive any necessary medical treatments and vaccinations soon after their arrival.



Officials say trained psychologists and teachers will work with children long-term to help them to adapt to their new life in Tajikistan.



All of the children in the group expected to return by the end of March will be placed with family members who were approached by the government and agreed to be named legal guardians.



In Dushanbe's Rudaki district, Gulchehra Usmonova is refurbishing her eight-room, two-story house to accommodate her three grandchildren.



The children, a boy and two girls, are aged between two and eight. Usmonova has never seen the girls: they were both born in Iraq, she says.



The mother of the children, Ganjina Usmonzoda, went to Iraq along with her husband and their son in 2015.



The husband is believed to have been killed in Mosul, where Usmonzoda, 27, was arrested by Iraqi authorities.



"My daughter, Ganjina, called me in February and said she was sending the children to Tajikistan. We readily accepted that we'll take care of them," the grandmother told RFE/RL on March 6.

Usmonova, a businesswoman, says she will do her "best" to raise the children, and that her two grown-up sons who live nearby have promised to help. She blames her son-in-law for taking his family to live under IS.



In Dushanbe's Shohmansur neighborhood, Sabzagul Kamolova also awaits the arrival of her grandchildren.



Her daughter, who is serving a jail sentence in Baghdad, has five children. Two of them were born under the IS in Iraq.



"My grandchildren coming home is the best news I've ever heard," Kamolova says. "My daughter told me she's sending four of them, and keeping the youngest, because she's still breastfeeding the child."



Iraq Wants Them Out



Baghdad said in 2018 that at least 833 children of 14 nationalities were being held in Iraqi prisons and called on their home countries to repatriate the children.



"We ask all diplomatic missions in Iraq, resident and nonresident, to take back their nationals who have served their sentences and children who are not convicted," Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mahjoub said on July 3.



Tajikistan last year returned six Tajik children who were taken by their parents to Iraq.



Tajik authorities say more some 2,000 people from the predominantly Muslim country have left for Iraq and Syria since 2014 to join IS.

More than 100 people in total, including families with children, have returned from the conflict zone -- both before and after the amnesty was offered in 2015.



Some were convicted of being mercenaries or recruiting for foreign terrorist organizations. Most, however, have reintegrated into society under the watchful eyes of authorities, including security services and neighborhood committees.



Some of the returnees take an active part in the government's anti-extremism campaign, giving speeches about IS atrocities they witnessed, and warning about potential recruiters who prey on vulnerable young people.



The secular government in Dushanbe strictly controls people's practices of Islam, banning school-age children from attending mosque prayers, outlawing the wearing of the hijab in schools and offices, and closing down madrasahs.
An RFE/RL correspondent in Kazakhstan has been fined after being detained for the third time in weeks in the restive city of Zhanaozen, where she has been covering ongoing rallies.

A court in the southwestern city found Sania Toiken guilty of refusal to follow police orders and fined her 50,500 tenges ($135) after a lengthy hearing on March 12.

Toiken rejected the charge, saying the case was politically motivated and was aimed to create obstacles to her reporting.

Her lawyer, Tanatar Isekeshev, said the court's ruling will be appealed.

Toiken was detained near a cafe late on March 11 and spent the night in a police station.

She has been covering ongoing protests by residents in the oil-industry town who are demanding jobs. The previous two detainments were brief, with police questioning her over her coverage of the protests.

Civil right activist Ghalym Agheleuov tweeted on March 12 that a number of protesters were rallying in front of the Zhanaozen police headquarters, demanding the immediate release of Toiken and several protesters who were detained in the morning.

On March 11, the protesters issued a video statement urging President Nursultan Nazarbaev to intervene on their behalf.

Kazakh authorities have been cautious when dealing with protests in Zhanaozen for years, after police fatally shot at least 16 people while dispersing protesting oil workers in December 2011.

Toiken is a recipient of the 2017 Courage in Journalism Award of the International Women's Media Foundation.
As Russian officials met in Moscow to decide the fate of nearly 100 ailing beluga whales and orcas caught in the wild and held in a "whale jail" in the Far East, Hollywood celebrities and animal rights activists continue to urge that the mammals be released.

The Russian government commission of experts that met for the first time on March 12 is tasked with deciding what to do with the 11 killer whales, 87 beluga whales, and five juvenile walruses captured by four Russian companies last year in the Sea of Japan in hopes of selling them to newly built marine parks in China. They are said to fetch up to millions of dollars apiece.

The animals, which routinely travel tens of kilometers a day in the wild, have been kept in small pens in Srednyaya Bay near the Russian port city of Nakhodka since at least October.

Russian and international animal rights groups -- and Hollywood celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Pamela Anderson -- have been campaigning for the highly intelligent animals to be released before they perish.

Biologists and veterinarians who have been allowed to see the cetaceans in their cages -- which are 25 meters long by nine meters wide -- say many of the whales are sick.

"The whales are cold and because of the stress and hardship conditions [of being in the pens], their immune systems suffer and they certainly get sick," said Tatyana Denisenko, a microbiologist who examined them after word spread of conditions at the facility. "Some killer whales had lesions on their skin, which can be associated with both hypothermia and the presence of infectious diseases and fungi."

She added that, although killer and beluga whales are used to life in icy water, "they need to move a lot to keep warm."

'Could Be In Agony'

One killer whale, named Kirill, was seen by activists and officials in late January with his belly up and unresponsive to the other orcas in his pen.

"The Orca Kirill is dying and may already be dead or he could be in agony for a long time," Lora Beloivan, the director of the nearby Seal Rehabilitation Center, said on Facebook after visiting the captured whales.

Many suspect that some of the whales -- many of which are very young -- have already died.

"There [are] already one orca and three belugas [missing from the initial group], and the companies that conduct this dirty business said that the animals escaped [from their pens] but we don't believe that," Oganes Targulyan, head of Greenpeace Russia's research unit, told RFE/RL. "These animals were ill, and we believe that they have died -- so animals are already dying."

Protest actions by Russian NGOs blocked the sale of the whales to China, which is among the world's biggest markets for sea animals with 12 ocean parks and aquariums already in operation and many more being built.

"Russia seems to be the only country that allows them to be captured, and China seems to be the market," Captain Paul Watson, founder and executive director of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, told RFE/RL. "The marine aquarium industry in China is getting bigger and bigger -- basically a marine-park amusement-center thing, like Sea World.... They want to exploit these animals for public amusement."

WATCH: Imprisoned Baby Whales Bound For China, Claim Russian Activists (originally published February 18, 2019)

Bans on the capture of killer and beluga whales for commercial purposes exist in many of the historical centers of whaling or live hunts, including the United States (since 1972), Canada (1975), Iceland (1990), Norway, Japan, Australia (1980), and New Zealand (1978). Many other countries prohibit such hunts in their waters, or ban the import, display, or purchase of whales and other marine mammals.

Worldwide Moratorium

A worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1982 can be skirted by countries issuing permits for whales to be caught or killed for scientific reasons.

But Russia remains an outlier by allowing the legal capture of cetaceans for what are transparently commercial purposes.

"[These orcas and killer whales being held on the Russian coast] were captured for so-called cultural-educational purposes and, according to the law, they can be exhibited in Russian aquariums or theme parks," said Targulyan. "But in reality, the companies that caught them [did so with]...credit from Chinese banks, and this credit they received [in exchange for] selling the animals to Chinese ocean parks."

The sea mammals caught in Russian waters command big payouts on the marine-park market, with a single killer whale reportedly going for anywhere from $1 million to $7 million.

Russia has officially sold 15 orcas to China in the past five years for about $1 million per animal, according to customs declarations.

But the website of one Chinese aquarium announced it recently paid some 200 million yuan (about $28.7 million) for four killer whales from Russia.

Many more whales and other sea animals are believed to be sold illegally.

The smaller beluga whales -- which are gray at birth but become ghostly white as they mature into adults -- earn less than killer whales but still command large sums from oceanariums around the world.

The potential haul from the more than 100 whales and walruses in the "whale jail" is massive.

"I would say they could get tens of millions of dollars [for selling them to Chinese aquariums], judging by the numbers of animals that they have," said the Sea Shepherd's Watson, whose group routinely plies international waters to protect sea life, including in the past by positioning its ships between whaling boats and their prey.

Watson added that the cost of capturing the whales, transporting them to pens, and feeding and caring for them before their purchase is also high.

"I'm sure they've invested a lot of money into this already," Watson said.

Illegal Harvesting

Greenpeace's Targulyan said the whales captive in Nahkodka were captured by four companies: Oceanarium, Afalina, White Whale, and Sochi Dolphinarium.

The companies have been charged by the Khabarovsk branch of the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office on multiple counts of violating fishing regulations, while the regional office of the Investigative Committee is probing criminal cases of illegal harvesting of marine bioresources and abuse of animals.

"[The capture of the whales] is illegal according to [Greenpeace Russia's] understanding and according to the understanding of [Russia's] general prosecutor," Targulyan said. "But only the court can decide if it is legal or illegal, and all of us are waiting for the court decision. But the animals cannot wait so long."

The "whale jail" case even captured the attention of DiCaprio, the international film star and environmentalist, who issued a tweet urging his followers to sign a petition urging the whales to be released. More than 1.23 million people had signed by March 12.

Pamela Anderson, the former model and Baywatch star who serves as the Sea Shepherd's international ambassador, has appealed to President Vladimir Putin to personally ensure that the whales are released and called for an end to the practice of capturing the sea mammals.

Anderson, who has met with Russian officials on environmental issues in the past, said ending the practice would be "a great gift for the entire world."

Added Watson: "Russia would receive the appreciation of millions of people around the globe if their legacy of successfully rescuing cetaceans can continue by freeing these captive orcas and belugas from their prison in Russia."

But even animal rights activists disagree on exactly how the orcas and beluga whales should be released back into the wild.

Some say the animals should be released as soon as possible into their natural environment, while others feel strongly they should be allowed a period of rehabilitation and healing before leaving their pens.

Very Big Stress

Two Russian officials have recommended that the whales be taken to new cages on Russky Island, near Vladivostok, to be treated before being set free. But several animal rights activists have said that is a bad idea due to the polluted waters at that new holding area and the toll that another major transport would have on the animals.

"We don't believe it is a good idea that the animals will go from one prison to another prison.... It's still a prison," Targulyan said. "And also, transportation is a very big stress for them. So we think that it is not a [good] idea."

Greenpeace Russia is calling for independent experts to provide treatment to the sick whales while expanding the current pens to create a less cramped environment while they recover.

"[They should] make better conditions there...so that the animals can move more freely and [specialists can] start rehabilitation and re-adaptation work with all of these animals," Targulyan said. "Wait a little bit, maybe until the end of April, maybe until May, and then somehow transport them to the areas where they were caught."

The special government commission -- which includes members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, universities, and the National Scientific Center for Marine Biology -- will now need to decide how best to resolve the situation.

On February 22, just two days after DiCaprio's Twitter appeal, Putin issued an order calling for the issue to be resolved by March 1 and the Presidential Administration took the issue under its special control.

"We would like to see more celebrities ask President Putin to help with this situation," said Targulyan. "It really is very helpful. We believe that it has a very big impact."

Written by Pete Baumgartner with reporting by Current Time correspondent Dariya Ali-zade
NABEREZHNYE CHELNY, Russia -- A Russian court has sentenced two activists for putting up a mock gravestone for President Vladimir Putin.

Karim Yamadayev was sentenced to 28 days in jail and Nikolai Peresedov, 32, was sentenced to six days in jail at hearings on March 12.



Yamadayev was arrested on March 10 after the activists installed what looked like a granite slab bearing Putin's photo, full name, and the dates 1952-2019 in front of the main investigative agency's offices in Naberezhnye Chelny, a city in the Republic of Tatarstan.

Putin was born in 1952.



On March 12, Yamadayev was found guilty of a repeat violation of the law on public gatherings and sentenced to 28 days in jail, his lawyer Ruzil Mingalimov told RFE/RL, adding that the court's ruling will be appealed. The alleged offense was a repeat because Yamadayev, 37, was jailed for eight days in January for an installation devoted to political prisoners and journalists killed for their activities in Russia.

The Naberezhnye Chelny city court told RFE/RL hours later that Peresedov, who was detained on March 11 and tried separately, was found guilty of holding a public event without the authorities' permission, and sentenced to six days in jail.



Like plots at many real Russian graves, the marker was surrounded by a low metal barrier.



The mock gravestone installation was supported by activists with a campaign called Bessrochka, a name that could suggest both endless protest or endless time in power -- a reference to two decades of dominance by Putin, who has been president or prime minister since 1999 and started a new six-year term in May 2018.



"Putin buried the free Internet, Naberezhnye Chelny residents buried Putin," Bessrochka activists said in posts on social networks.

The mock grave was installed as protests were held in several cities across Russia against legislation that critics contend is part of a Kremlin effort to reduce Internet freedom and stifle dissent.
The top U.S. Democratic lawmaker has said she is opposed to efforts to impeach President Donald Trump, saying he is "just not worth it."



Nancy Pelosi, who is the leader of the House of Representatives, made the comments in an interview with The Washington Post published on March 11.



"I'm not for impeachment" of Trump," she was quoted as saying.



"Unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country," the Post quoted her as saying.



Pelosi's comments come amid growing pressure from Democratic lawmakers to pursue efforts to impeach Trump, a Republican. The pressure has grown since November, when Democrats took control of the lower house of Congress.



Under the constitution, any effort to impeach a U.S. president is first conducted in the House. If a president is impeached, then the Senate would decide whether to remove him or her from office -- something that has never happened in U.S. history.



Several House committees have launched aggressive investigations of Trump's White House, looking at, among other things, Trump's ties to Russia.



Representative Elijah Cummings, who heads a key House committee leading one of those investigations, said impeachment "has to be a bipartisan effort, and right now it's not there."



Congressional lawmakers, and many Americans, are also waiting anxiously for the final report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who has been investigating Russian ties, as well as possible obstruction of justice by Trump.



Mueller has already indicted dozens of people and entities, including Russian military intelligence officers, and his investigation has resulted in other prosecutions in other federal jurisdictions, such as against Trumps longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen.



Once finished, his report will be transmitted to the attorney general, who will then decide what is released publicly or to Congress.

Based on reporting by The Washington Post
An Uzbek government official was forced to take a leave of absence and was placed under police protection after she received death threats following a online post she made referring to polygamy and the Prophet Muhammad.



Nargiza Rakhimova, a deputy official with the Uzbek Press and Information Agency, made the post in response to a reader's comment supporting polygamy that was made on RFE/RL's Uzbek Service's Facebook page ahead of International Women's Day.



"Only whipped men who can't even deal with one woman, and slutty women who only know how to milk their stupid husbands would be opposed to polygamy," read the original comment posted by Hayot Baxtiyor O'gli.



Rakhimova responded on March 3 by writing: "Our prophet did not take a second wife when our mother Khadija was alive. I don't know, maybe he was a whipped husband, maybe our mother Khadija was a slut. You know all this better. Hazrat Ali (son-in-law of Muhammad) also didn't take a second wife when our mother Fatima was alive."



A source in the Prosecutor-General's Office, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media, told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that the precautions were taken after her post led to the threats and demands for her dismissal.



Amid the outcry, Rakhimova posted a video apologizing for her remarks, but the threats continued.



The invective directed at Rakhimova included threats on various social media detailing how they wished to punish her.



According to RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, the threats targeted not only the 35-year-old Rakhimova, but her husband and four children.



Police are investigating the origins of the social media accounts on which they were posted.

Rakhimova's March 9 video apology on the online site of Azon Tas attributed the outrage to a "misunderstanding."



"I, as an ordinary servant of God, would like to offer all Muslims my sincere apologies for my comments that have caused so much heated debate," Rakhimova said in the video.



But as the abuse continued, Rakhimova pulled the plug on all her social-media accounts.



According to the Fergana news website, the office of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has been inundated with demands to dismiss Rakhimova.



A government committee for religious affairs has not directly commented on the case but noted that comments which "insult religious feelings" are subject to criminal prosecution.



Whether officials plan to press charges against Rakhimova is unclear.
Colombian drug plane allegedly bound for US crashes in state jungle

San Pedro Peralta, Q.R.  A Colombian plane that crashed near Chetumal has been reported loaded with a ton of cocaine allegedly bound for the United States.

Residents of the small town in the south of the state say they heard a rumble from the sky which was the descent of the Cessna-type plane that crashed in the jungle approximately 12 kilometers from their town.

The plane crashed shortly before midnight on Sunday, apparently due to mechanical failure. The aircraft was being tracked by military authorities, and when it hit the ground, created an immediate deployment of soldiers.

According to la Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional, the plane, which was discovered by a Mexican Air Force helicopter, was found on the ground in an inaccessible jungle area near the town of El Cedral.

Photo: 34th Zona Militar

Soldiers from the 34th Zona Militar were forced to cut a trail into the jungle to reach the plane. When they arrived, they found two men on board, one of which, the Colombian co-pilot, was deceased. The pilot, a man of Mexican decent, was taken to the General Hospital of Chetumal.

Photos: La Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional

La Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional reports that on board the plane they found 48 large packages of drugs that each contained 25 one-kilo packages inside with a gross weight of 1.3 tons. They also seized the 1.3 million Colombian peso found inside the plane.

Photos: La Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional

In October, two small aircraft believe used in Colombia drug runs were found burning along the state border with Belize.

In December, a US-registered plane loaded with a ton of cocaine landed at the Chetumal International Airport without permission when the plane changed course after the two men on board saw police on the Belize highway.
France gives tactical intervention course to Mexico police

Cancun, Q.R.  The Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo has received anti-kidnapping prosecutors from around Mexico for their participation in French police courses on tactical intervention.

Members of the countrys anti-kidnapping units have arrived in Cancun to take part in the Surveillance and Tactical Interventions course that will be taught by the French National Police in coordination with the National Commission of Security.

We focus on ensuring that the families of Quintana Roo feel safe, as well as those who visit us from different parts of the world, said Oscar Montes de Oca Rosales, head of the States Attorney Generals Office.

He says that Mexicos officers will learn methodology and research techniques of specialists from France over the five-day course.

Patricia Bugarin Gutierrez, undersecretary of Federal Public Security said that authorities are more organized and more focused to provide results in the fight against crime in all senses, which is why the participation of Mexicos anti-kidnapping members is required.

The course is being taught by Franck Sohier, trainer at the Center Interministeriel de Formation Anti-Drogue and Jean Jacques Desvaux, attache of the French National Police.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh

Chandigarh, March 12 : Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has categorically denied any alliance talks with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), or any other party, for the May 19 Lok Sabha elections in the state. The Congress did not need any alliance in Punjab, nor was it in talks with any party on the same, Captain Amarinder said in response to a question while talking informally with mediapersons after meeting Raj Kumar Verka, Chairman of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation, at his office.

Verka was appointed as the Chairman of the Corporation last week and he took charge of his office on Friday. Asked to comment on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwals statement that talks for alliance in Punjab were in progress, the Chief Minister said though he was not aware of such a statement, the Congress did not need any allies in Punjab.

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Exuding massive confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, the Chief Minister said the party was gung-ho about these polls, as was evident from the fact that it had chosen Ahmedabad  the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - for the CWC meeting. This clearly showed the level of enthusiasm in the party, which was literally ready to take the BJP by its horns, he added.

In response to a question on the Punjab Congress candidates, Captain Amarinder that the next meeting was likely to be held in Delhi around the end of this week. There was no hurry, he said, pointing out that the polling date was more than two months away, giving the party lot of time to select its candidates. Asked to comment on the time lag in the polling date for Punjab, Captain Amarinder said it was the Election Commissions prerogative and he could not, therefore, say anything on the issue.

Captain Amarinder made it clear that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was never in reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections. He described his meeting with Dr. Singh in Delhi on Saturday as a courtesy call, during which he briefed the former Prime Minister on the Congress plans in Punjab.

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Asked about the partys star campaigner in the state, the Chief Minister said it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections. On whether the IAF air strikes across the LoC would prove beneficial to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, the Chief Minister said with Indian soldiers continuing to be killed every day, the air strikes had clearly not proved to be a deterrent so far against Pak-backed attacks on India.

He reiterated that no attempts should be made to politicize the Indian forces. He said the armed forces are apolitical and are above the petty considerations of caste, religion and political affiliations. Captain Amarinder expressed happiness at the fact that the Kartarpur Corridor project had remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border.

Islamabad had also clarified that the latest events will not have any adverse effect on the project, he pointed out with satisfaction, adding that the Corridor was something that people on both sides wanted.
Punjab National Bank

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh charge sheet against PNB scam accused Nirav Modi under the anti-money laundering law, officials said Monday. They said the charge sheet or the prosecution complaint has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai.

This is a supplementary charge sheet against the diamantaire and few others and the agency has recorded additional evidences gathered in the case and attachments made, they said. Further details about the contents of the chargesheet are awaited.

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The development comes two days after a British daily reported that Nirav Modi, accused in the USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, is living in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is now involved in a new diamond business. The ED had said on March 9 that the United Kingdom's home secretary has recently referred India's request for extraditing the tainted businessman to a court for initiating legal proceedings against him.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed the first charge sheet in this case in May last year. The agency and the CBI are investigating Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others for alleged money laundering and corruption to perpetrate the alleged scam in the Brady House branch of the PNB in Mumbai that was unearthed last year.

Nirav Modi, 48, is currently living in a three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block in London, where rent is estimated to cost 17,000 pounds a month, The Telegraph had reported. It has also attached his assets worth Rs 1,873.08 crore under the PMLA and has seized assets linked to him and his family worth Rs 489.75 crore.
Mike Pompeo

Washington, Mar 12 (PTI) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday, during which the two officials are likely to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest.

Gokhale arrived in the US on Sunday in connection with the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

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While his US trip was scheduled much before the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack, Gokhale's meeting with Pompeo and his counterparts here this week is expected to gain media spotlight in view of the escalated tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the air strike at a terrorist camp deep inside Pakistan and subsequent developments.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district. 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 Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on Friday.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino, during his bi-weekly news conference last Tuesday, said Pompeo played an "essential role" in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. "Secretary Pompeo led diplomatic engagement directly, and that played an essential role in de-escalating the tensions between the two sides," he had then said.

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According to Pompeo's schedule for Monday released to the media, the State Department said the meeting between the US Secretary of State and Gokhale is scheduled at about 9 am local time or 6.30 pm IST. "Secretary Pompeo meets with Indian Foreign Secretary Shri Vijay Gokhale at the Department of State," the State Department said.

Protocol-wise, it is quite unusual for Pompeo to meet Gokhale, but over the last few years, the US Secretary of State has met the Foreign Secretary, including his predecessor S Jaishankar.

These are regular high-level dialogue mechanisms to review bilateral relations, exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments and coordinate respective positions on issues of common interest, according to an Indian official. During his visit, the Foreign Secretary is also likely to meet with senior leaders in the US administration and the US Congress.


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During the marine heatwave of 2014-16, scientists from the University of California, Davis, noticed creatures typically seen only in places like Baja California, Mexico, showing up outside the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. These included warm-water species of jellyfish, crabs, nudibranchs, fish and even dolphins and sea turtles.

Their study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, documents an unprecedented number of southern marine species moving northward into California and as far north as Oregon. Of 67 rare, warm-water species sightings observed by the authors and citizen scientists, 37 had never been documented so far north before.

Among the 37 with new northern range limits are tropical creatures like the striated sea butterfly, which had not been found north of Baja. This is the first record of them in the state of California.

Another unexpected visitor was the pelagic red crab, normally restricted to the waters off central and southern Baja. But during 2014-16, when water temperatures were 3.5 to 7 degrees F warmer than usual, the crabs were seen as far north as Newport, Oregon.

And the molt of a spiny lobster -- an important fishery species in Baja -- turned up in Bodega Bay.

"Against the backdrop of climate change, we hope southern species will track northward because that's necessary for their persistence and survival," said lead author Eric Sanford, a UC Davis professor of ecology and evolution. "It's perhaps a glimpse of what Northern California's coast might look like in the future as ocean temperatures continue to warm."

WARM WATER BLOB

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"The Blob" of warm water moved from the Gulf of Alaska south along the Pacific coast, a major El Nino event worked its way from the equator north to California. Together, these events created unusually warm water conditions and one of the longest marine heatwaves on record.

Marine heatwaves temporarily open a door between lower latitudes and the northern coast. The longer that door is open, the greater the number of southern species that can step through it. The 2014-16 event was so long and warm, it allowed southern species to enter California and move northward. Current reversals, where water flowed northward from Monterey Bay, also aided the species on their journeys. This combination led to the record-breaking number of species moving northward, the study said.

NEW SETTLERS

Most of the visitors were ephemeral. The brightly colored nudibranchs, for instance, disappeared almost as soon as the water cooled. But some seem to have established a foothold in Northern California. These include the sunburst anemone, chocolate porcelain crab, a brittle star and some barnacle species.

Sanford said these southern species were absent or rare from Bodega Bay in the 1970s but are now fairly common in the area.

BAROMETER OF CHANGE

The marine ecologists and oceanographers who authored the study view such geographical shifts as an indication of how these communities may continue to respond to warming oceans, as more marine heatwaves are expected in the future.

"Before our very eyes, we're seeing the species composition shift to more warm-water southern animals in just the 14 years I have been at the Bodega Marine Laboratory," said Sanford. "That's a barometer of change for these ecosystems."
The environment can have a major effect on the human cardiovascular system. It has long been assumed that severe spikes in temperature increase the risk of heart attack. "In the case of very high and very low temperatures in particular, this has been clearly demonstrated. In this latest study, we wanted to see to what extent the heat and cold-related heart attack risk has changed over the years," explains Dr. Kai Chen, researcher at the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen.

Together with colleagues from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Augsburg University Hospital and Nordlingen Hospital, he examined data from the Myocardial Infarction Register Augsburg. The study looked at more than 27,000 heart attack patients between 1987 and 2014. The average age of the patients studied was around 63, 73% were men and about 13,000 ended in the death of the patient. The individual heart attacks were compared against meteorological data on the day of the attack and adjusted for a range of additional factors, such as the day of the week and socioeconomic status. The key finding from the study, explains Chen was that, "Over a period of 28 years, we found that there has been an increase in heat-induced heart attack risk in recent years."

In order to demonstrate this, the researchers compared data from 1987 to 2000 with data from 2001 to 2014. "Our analysis showed that, over the last few years, the risk of heat-induced heart attack with increasing average daily temperature has risen compared to the previous investigation period," explains Chen. Individuals with diabetes or hyperlipidaemia were particularly at risk over the latter period. The researchers suspect that this is partly a result of global warming, but that it is also a consequence of an increase in risk factors such as diabetes and hyperlipidaemia, which have made the population more susceptible to heat.

Is climate change a heart attack risk?

"Our study suggests that greater consideration should be given to high temperatures as a potential trigger for heart attacks -- especially in view of climate change," explains lead researcher Dr. Alexandra Schneider. "Extreme weather events, like the 2018 heat waves in Europe, could in future result in an increase in cardiovascular disease. At the same time, there is likely to be a decrease in cold-related heart attacks here in Germany. Our analysis suggests a lower risk in the future, but this lower risk was not significant and very cold days will continue to represent a potential trigger for heart attacks." To what extent increases in heat-related heart attacks will be counterbalanced by a decrease in cold-related heart attacks is not yet clear, explains the epidemiologist. Her group is currently performing extrapolations aimed at modelling this change in risk both in scenarios where the world meets the Paris Agreement's 1.5 C and 2 C targets and in scenarios where these targets are missed.

In addition, the researchers are also planning to corroborate their findings by carrying out additional, multicenter studies.
The environment can have a major effect on the human cardiovascular system. It has long been assumed that severe spikes in temperature increase the risk of heart attack. "In the case of very high and very low temperatures, in particular, this has been clearly demonstrated. In this latest study, we wanted to see to what extent the heat and cold-related heart attack risk has changed over the years," explains Dr. Kai Chen, the researcher at the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen.

Together with colleagues from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Augsburg University Hospital and Nordlingen Hospital, he examined data from the Myocardial Infarction Register Augsburg. The study looked at more than 27,000 heart attack patients between 1987 and 2014. The average age of the patients studied was around 63, 73% were men and about 13,000 ended in the death of the patient. The individual heart attacks were compared against meteorological data on the day of the attack and adjusted for a range of additional factors, such as the day of the week and socioeconomic status. The key finding from the study, explains Chen was that "Over a period of 28 years, we found that there has been an increase in heat-induced heart attack risk in recent years."

In order to demonstrate this, the researchers compared data from 1987 to 2000 with data from 2001 to 2014. "Our analysis showed that, over the last few years, the risk of heat-induced heart attack with increasing average daily temperature has risen compared to the previous investigation period," explains Chen. Individuals with diabetes or hyperlipidaemia were particularly at risk over the latter period. The researchers suspect that this is partly a result of global warming, but that it is also a consequence of an increase in risk factors such as diabetes and hyperlipidaemia, which have made the population more susceptible to heat.

Is climate change a heart attack risk?

"Our study suggests that greater consideration should be given to high temperatures as a potential trigger for heart attacks - especially in view of climate change," explains lead researcher Dr. Alexandra Schneider. "Extreme weather events, like the 2018 heat waves in Europe, could in the future result in an increase in cardiovascular disease. At the same time, there is likely to be a decrease in cold-related heart attacks here in Germany. Our analysis suggests a lower risk in the future, but this lower risk was not significant and very cold days will continue to represent a potential trigger for heart attacks." To what extent increases in heat-related heart attacks will be counterbalanced by a decrease in cold-related heart attacks is not yet clear, explains the epidemiologist. Her group is currently performing extrapolations aimed at modeling this change in risk both in scenarios where the world meets the Paris Agreement's 1.5 C and 2 C targets and in scenarios where these targets are missed.

In addition, the researchers are also planning to corroborate their findings by carrying out additional, multicenter studies.
Oakland City Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney tearfully recalled her son Victor on Tuesday and urged his killers to come forward, two days after he was gunned down in a Los Angeles parking lot.

Victor was my sunshine, McElhaney said at a news conference in Los Angeles. And I prayed, like every mama every day, please dont take my sunshine away.

Victor McElhaney was born a drummer, she said. He was drumming long before he could walk or talk. And he wasnt just banging plastic spoons against pots and pans like most children do at a young age.

First you feel it, then you play it, he would say as a preschooler.

The 21-year-old was shot and killed during an attempted robbery early Sunday at a market near downtown. No arrests have been made in the shooting.

McElhaney urged the men responsible for the shooting to come forward.

I dont know if the person who put a bullet in my baby intended to do that, she said. You can come forward and we will love you.

Dont be silent, added his father, Clarence McElhaney. Silence is worse. Be a man.

Victor McElhaney was in the parking lot of the market with a few friends about 12:30 a.m. when he was confronted by three or four men, said Capt. Billy Hayes, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

One of the suspects was searching through Victor McElhaneys pockets when another suspect shot him, Hayes said. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage from businesses near the shooting in hopes of identifying the suspects.

Victor is not a homicide number or statistic or just another black boy gunned down in South Central Los Angeles, McElhaney said.

McElhaneys adopted grandson was fatally shot in Oakland in 2015. She spearheaded the creation of the new Department of Violence Prevention, which aims to reduce homicides by 80 percent in its first three years.

Her grandson, Torian Hughes, was killed just before Christmas when someone tried to rob him. Shiheim Johnson was one of two people arrested in Hughes shooting. The second person was a juvenile at the time of the arrest. Johnson is awaiting for a verdict in his trial, which ended Monday.

McElhaney had been attending the trial until her sons untimely death.

Gun violence is an epidemic America can cure, she said Tuesday.

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Victor McElhaney was remembered Tuesday by friends and teachers as a brilliant musician, a force to be reckoned with on the African drums and a champion for social justice.

He believed that music could heal the world of violence and sickness and addiction, McElhaney said. And his desire to bring music medicine  that is what he called it  to the world brought him to Los Angeles.

He was studying at the University of Southern Californias Thornton School of Music, but his reach went beyond music. He would often spend rehearsal time discussing politics and race with his professors.

An outspoken advocate for inclusion, he was involved at the schools Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, said Ainsley Carry, the vice president of USCs student affairs.

He was politically conscious, Carry said as McElhaney smiled and nodded. He would talk to people about things that mattered to them. Everybody was attracted to his energy and his insight. His absence will be missed in this community.

A memorial will be held at the university for Victor McElhaney on March 19 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
San Francisco Mayor London Breeds commemoration of a controversial Irish politician Friday stirred up some international tension over the weekend.

Every year, as part of the run-up to the citys St. Patricks Day parade and festival, the mayor recognizes grand marshals handpicked by the United Irish Societies of San Francisco.

Its usually a drama-free affair. But this year, one of the five honorary grand marshals was Martin McGuinness, a former leader of the Irish Republican Army who went on to become a prominent Sinn Fein politician and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland.

When McGuinness died in 2017, he left behind a fraught and complicated legacy. He was lauded for his role in brokering what became the Good Friday Agreement, the centerpiece of the Irish peace process. But his role in the paramilitary Irish Republican Army  which sought the unification of Ireland and an end to British rule in Northern Ireland  branded him a terrorist in the eyes of his critics. The IRA was known to carry out car bombings and other acts of guerrilla warfare.

A BBC report on Breeds decision to commemorate McGuinness suggested that many in Ireland were deeply distressed by her move.

Nick Pearce, Belfast resident, said in an email to The Chronicle on Monday that the most troubling aspect of the commemoration was a reference to McGuinness courageous service in the military.

There is no doubt he did a lot for our peace process with the help and guidance of others, Pearce said. But for anyone, no matter what their level of intelligence is, to say he was a military man is totally beyond belief. The only time he wore a uniform was when he attended fellow terrorists funerals.

The Certificate of Honor also referred to McGuinness role as a peacemaker, calling his efforts representative of San Francisco values at their best.

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In a statement Monday, Breed said San Francisco values mean respect for the democratic process and nonviolent political actions. The language on the Certificate of Honor should have taken more care to apply these values when reflecting the history of Mr. McGuinness life toward peacemaker and his role in the peace process that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement. I apologize for the pain this Certificate has caused.

John ORiordan, northern chairman for the Irish Caucus of the California Democratic Party, welcomed the recognition of McGuinness.

When the British government decided to begin peace talks, Martin McGuinness extended the hand of friendship, ORiordan said. He avoided recrimination and focused on building a society of equality. His life journey will inspire peace and freedom movements throughout the world for generations. I admire the courage of Mayor London Breed to issue the certificate of honor.

 Dominic Fracassa

Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider @dominicfracassa
Six months ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed state Sen. Scott Wieners legislation allowing San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles to start a five-year pilot program expanding the states conservatorship law to apply to those who have a severe drug addiction.

Currently, counties can compel some people into treatment if theyre severely mentally ill or addicted to alcohol, but not if theyre hooked on drugs. Any walk around the Tenderloin, Mid-Market and South of Market shows there are plenty of candidates in that third category.

Each county can decide for itself whether to participate. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman have teamed up on local legislation that would direct San Francisco to test the program.

So its all settled, right? Six months is plenty of time to decide to participate.

Yeah, right. This is San Francisco City Hall, folks. Nothing has progressed in six months. The ordinance hasnt even been scheduled for a committee hearing.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen is the chair of the supervisors Rules Committee, the group that will eventually take up the matter. She said nobodys asked her to schedule the hearing, and shes leaning toward voting no on the pilot program because its been determined that it will help only a handful of people.

Also, shes concerned there is no long-term plan for those who participate. Ronen is certainly correct when she says there are far too few drug treatment slots available and far too few mental health beds. Its something everybody at City Hall seems to acknowledge but not do much to solve.

Wiener is pushing a clean-up bill so the legislation could expand to include the 50 to 100 severely drug-addicted people who backers say should be compelled into treatment. He wants the supervisors to approve the pilot so theyre ready to go if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the new legislation in September.

The program wouldnt round up any drug user in San Francisco  far from it. The legislation would apply only to those whove been 5150ed eight times  eight times!  in one year, meaning theyve been taken to a psychiatric unit for up to three days because theyre so high, theyre a danger to themselves or others.

Tragically, that covers far more people than anyone would ever think, Wiener said. Its about helping people who are in crisis and are dying on our streets.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Its time to opt in to any program that would help these people rather than taking the so-called compassionate route and waiting for them to decide they want help as they waste away in front of us. I was even more convinced of this after an interview with Rachel Rodriguez, a social worker in the psych unit at St. Francis Memorial Hospital at Hyde and Bush streets.

The 40-year-old Manhattan native knew she wanted to work in the mental health field after being raised above her familys Irish pub. Her mom was a caretaker and social justice warrior for area homeless people, she said, bringing them food on metal carts and taking them to the hospital when they were sick.

Rodriguez moved to San Francisco at age 18 to attend the University of San Francisco, thinking she would become a psychiatrist. But when she got pregnant her junior year, she knew she needed to get a degree more quickly and start working, and she landed in social work. She received her masters of social work degree from UC Berkeley in 2003.

In 2011, she co-founded a nonprofit called Community Payee Partnership, which helps severely mentally ill people, people addicted to drugs and homeless people manage their disability benefits. In addition to running that organization, she works part time in the locked psych unit at St. Francis and represents the hospital in court when its seeking to conserve severely mentally ill people.

Rodriguez and I talked about her work and why she thinks Wieners legislation would make a difference. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the whole conversation, listen to the San Francisco City Insider podcast at sfchronicle.com/insider.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Q: Of the people who are in conservatorship court, what kinds of behavior would get them there in the first place?

A: Its a danger to self, so a suicide attempt, or a danger to others, so they might have been physically assaultive or made threats, but most often its grave disability.

Most often its the person who, due to their severe psychiatric condition, which is often related to schizophrenia, substance use and or bipolar disorder, its resulted in them being unable to meet their own basic needs for food, clothing and shelter.

We had a patient very recently who we picked up from a bus stop across from our hospital who had been covered in urine and feces, and unable to make any kind of plan for how to care for himself, and has chronic schizophrenia. This is somebody we cant just leave on the streets  they have to be brought in and given care.

Q: Can you talk about some memorable patients?

A: Last summer, I had this guy whos 35 and he came in, brought in by police. Hed been abusing methamphetamines quite heavily. He was underweight, malnourished, he was uncomfortable to look at. He had scabs on his face. His hair was in terrible condition.

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He had a deformity in his hand which made it impossible for him to use it effectively. Hed been hit by a car while running into traffic in a meth-induced psychosis. He was disinterested in care and didnt seek medical attention. Now hes permanently left with this disability as a result.

He had dozens of hospitalizations, jail time, crisis visits and 15 years of homelessness. After keeping him for 14 days, he just wanted to go back on the streets. We let him go. Our hands are tied.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Q: You support Scott Wieners legislation, SB1045, to expand conservatorship. Can you talk about what it would do?

A: We currently have laws to treat people on conservatorship, which I would call more long-term intensive care, if they have a serious mental illness or alcoholism. We do not have laws right now that would allow us to do so when somebody has been using other drugs, and we see the methamphetamine crisis we have on our streets today. These are the people who are falling through the cracks. If we pass SB1045, we would have the opportunity to sew up this safety net. We cant treat people any longer in a way that discards folks for using drugs.

Q: If you could wave a magic wand and fix the mental health system in San Francisco, California and the country, what would you do?

A: We could use 100 more beds immediately in this city, and then wed be able to stabilize people more fully before theyre forced to go back out on the streets.

Q: What is something you would teach everyday San Franciscans about the mentally ill or severely drug-addicted people we see on the sidewalks?

A: These folks you see on the street acting out  who are scary, who are scaring themselves, who are very terrified and traumatized  they can get well. We see the change on the psych unit. We see that after a couple weeks  sometimes, of care, of them having a safe place, medication, a treatment team behind them, one-to-one meetings, groups, food, clothing and shelter  were seeing they improve and are back to the personalities their family and friends know they have.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet is cleared for takeoff at airports around the San Francisco Bay Area despite recent crashes of the model in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Each week, United, Southwest and Air Canada together have 65 departures from San Francisco International Airport using a 737 Max 8 or the larger variant, the 737 Max 9, according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.

That accounts for less than 2 percent of weekly departures from the airport.

On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 went down in a field minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board despite good weather. Two of the passengers were brothers from Redding, CBS reported, and a third worked at a San Francisco tech company and lived in Kenya.

Another plane of the same model crashed off the coast of Indonesia in October, killing 189 passengers and crew. A faulty advanced sensor seems to have been the cause.

The cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash is not yet known, though investigators have recovered the black box that contains recording equipment.

Boeing made over its best-selling jet, the 737, in the 2000s with powerful new engines meant to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions and noise. The series became the fastest-selling plane in the companys history, racking up nearly 4,700 orders.

Air Canada flies the 737 Max 8 between SFO and Toronto twice daily.

Southwest, which flies some Max 8s out of SFO, declined to name the routes involved.

Since our fleet types are interchangeable, the MAX can serve any of our locations, and it is not based in any particular city or region, the company said.

Southwest has said it plans to switch to the Max series for flights between the Bay Area and Hawaii in the distant future, though a spokesman would not say when. The long-awaited Hawaii service begins next week, and the only aircraft currently scheduled to operate between the mainland and Hawaii are 737-800s, a spokesman said.

United uses only 737 Max 9s out of SFO.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Scott Wintner, spokesman for San Jose International Airport, said only Southwest uses the Boeing 737 Max line. Its also the only airline using them at Oakland International Airport, according to an airport spokeswoman.

The United States has not grounded the 737 Max jets, even as other countries  from China to the European Union  have done so. SFO spokesman Yakel said the decision to keep the planes in the air lies with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Federal law prohibits U.S. airports from determining whether an aircraft type is safe for operation, Yakel said. Thats the responsibility of the FAA solely.

Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are among those who have called on the federal government to ground the planes.

Safety is Boeings number one priority, and we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max, the manufacturer said.

Melia Russell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: melia.russell@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meliarobin
Cleaning house as it revs up for a Wall Street debut, Uber has reached a settlement with some drivers who sought to be reclassified as employees in a long-running lawsuit.

Uber will pay $20 million to about 13,600 drivers in California and Massachusetts who are not covered by its mandatory arbitration agreements.

Like other on-demand companies, Uber fiercely resists attempts to turn its workforce of contractors into employees. Companies say they need the flexibility of independent contractors, while critics say the companies want to avoid the expenses of paying minimum wage, overtime, expense reimbursement, unemployment insurance and other benefits.

The proposed settlement, which still requires a judges approval, is considerably less than a previous $100 million settlement reached in the same case. Thats because the case, OConnor vs. Uber, had achieved class-action status on behalf of some 385,000 drivers, until the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in September upheld Ubers arbitration clauses, which waive the right to class-action claims. That slashed the number of plaintiffs, reducing it to just drivers who had either declined those agreements or signed up when they were not in force.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen previously rejected the $100 million settlement as inadequate, saying that if drivers won at trial, Ubers fines might exceed $1 billion.

The $20 million payment works out to about 37 cents per mile driven for Uber, said Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Boston attorney representing the drivers. Thats six times more per driver than the $100 million settlement with the larger class would have yielded, she said in an email.

This is a substantial recovery, given that the IRS reimbursement rate has varied between 50 and 58 cents a mile, she wrote.

Uber said in a statement that it was pleased with the settlement and touted reforms, such as the addition of tipping, some of which were sought by the original lawsuit.

Uber has changed a lot since 2013, when the case was first filed, Uber said. We have made the driver experience even better through improvements like in-app tipping, a redesigned driver app, an innovative injury protection insurance option, and new rewards programs.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Fights over gig-worker classification remain active on many fronts, posing threats to the many companies that rely on independent contractors.

In California, a groundbreaking state Supreme Court ruling in the Dynamex case last year underlies proposed legislation, AB5, that would turn many more workers into employees.

Meanwhile, Liss-Riordan continues to pursue lawsuits against many companies, including Amazon.com, Grubhub, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Handy. She is also representing Uber drivers and others whove agreed to arbitration, both for them to pursue misclassification and to seek to overcome the arbitration clauses.

This is not the end of the issue of driver classification, she said.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Death Row inmate Ronald Lee Bell, whose 1979 conviction for killing a Richmond jewelry store clerk became a test case for the racial makeup of juries in capital cases, has died, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Monday.

Bell, 69, died of unspecified causes March 8 at the state prison in Corcoran (Kings County), where there is a unit for inmates with long-term medical needs.

Bells death came days after the death of another Corcoran inmate, Juan Corona, a notorious serial killer who murdered 25 men. Corona, who was serving a life sentence, died of natural causes on March 4.

Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said Bell was found unresponsive in his cell at 6:30 p.m. and emergency lifesaving measures were started, but he was pronounced dead at 7:04 p.m.

It appears to be natural causes, Thornton said.

Bell was sentenced to death in Contra Costa County on March 2, 1979, for a double shooting during a Feb. 2, 1978 robbery of $30,000 from Wolffs Credit Jewelers in Richmond. The clerk, Raymond Murphy of Castro Valley, died after being shot in the face. A deliveryman, John Benjamin, 33, of San Leandro was shot in the head but survived.

Bell, a laborer who was living with his mother in Novato at the time of the killing, went through two trials  the first ending in a hung jury after he claimed it was his brother Larry witnesses saw at the scene of the crime.

One of the prosecution witnesses was a 13-year-old girl whose father had been killed by Bell in 1968. He served time for voluntary manslaughter in that case.

A subsequent appeal alleged that African Americans had been systematically excluded from the jury pool. Prosecutor Gary Yancey was also accused of deliberate and egregious misconduct by disclosing to the jury inadmissible evidence, including a secondhand statement that Bell had been cleaning a gun the night before the murder.

The California Supreme Court eventually ruled on a 6-1 vote to uphold Bells death sentence. But in a rare reversal, the court agreed in January 1988 to reconsider after Bells attorney again charged misconduct by the prosecutor and claimed blacks were underrepresented on the jury.

At the time, the panels from which juries were selected in Contra Costa County contained 3 percent black people, while blacks made up 8 percent of the countys population. Because most black people in the county lived more than 20 miles from the courthouse, Bells attorneys argued, fewer ended up serving on juries because of a lack of transportation and the cost of getting there.

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 court eventually rejected the appeal, ruling that the system was not, on its face, racially discriminatory and had not been applied in a way that excluded minorities. Mere statistical underrepresentation of a minority group does not entitle a defendant to claim an unfair trial, the court ruled.

Bell, who had been on Death Row since June 6, 1984, could become the 80th condemned inmate to die of natural causes since 1978, if that is the coroners finding.

Only 15 condemned California inmates have actually been executed since then  including one who was executed in Missouri and another in Virginia. Twenty-six others committed suicide, and 11 have died from other causes. Four other deaths  including Bells  are pending a cause of death.

There are currently 737 offenders on Californias Death Row.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite
Namu Gaji, the popular Mission District restaurant across from Dolores Park, will close its doors starting March 17 for the next few months.

Co-owner Dennis Lee said the temporary shut down is to accommodate a city-mandated seismic retrofit of their 499 Dolores St. building, which is also impacting Bi-Rite Creamery next door. Retrofitting is scheduled to finish up by April 12, and then rebuilding parts of the restaurant destroyed in the process could take about another six to eight weeks, Lee said.

Other restaurants have had to temporarily close in San Francisco since to a 2013 law went into place requiring retrofitting. What makes each situation unique is the ramifications the closures can have on the business. In Namu Gajis case, sibling concepts Namu Stonepot on Divisadero Street and Namus stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will remain open during construction.

Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

Were fortunate in some regards because we have such a varied operation. Its small and nimble, Lee said. We have a bunch of opportunities, we just havent decided which to do yet. The guys at Four Barrel want us to do something with them. It would be more of a regular pop-up there if that happens.

As of now, Namu Gajis last dinner service before the retrofit begins is slated for March 14. Only lunch service will be available the following days on March 15 and March 16. Catering for Namu Gaji via Caviar will continue throughout the duration of the Dolores Street closure.

Not all San Francisco businesses are as lucky during the retrofitting process. Russian Hill restaurant Stones Throw closed in late-2018 instead of shutting down for months at a time to accommodate a retrofitting.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Its a difficult process because theres no set way to deal with all of this, Lee said. For us, our priority is to make sure our staff has little to know interruption in their income. So, were going to figure things out.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview published Monday that she doesnt want to impeach President Trump, a position that could put her at odds with many of her Democratic colleagues.

The San Francisco Democrat has long been hesitant on the issue of impeachment, and has said Democrats should wait until the special counsel, Robert Mueller, finishes his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

But in an interview with the Washington Post, Pelosi downplayed the idea of impeachment altogether unless it was an overwhelmingly clear choice.

Im not for impeachment, Pelosi told the Post, saying she had been giving it some thought. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And hes just not worth it.

Asked Monday if this meant she absolutely did not support impeachment at all, Pelosi responded: Im saying that were trying to lower the cost of health care, increase paychecks and have cleaner government.

The dismissive posture toward impeachment could divide Pelosis caucus. While many Democrats, including many of her allies that chair key committees, have been cool on talk of impeachment right now, they have more clearly left open the possibility down the road.

More junior members have outright pushed for impeachment, including freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who famously told a group of Democratic activists after her swearing-in that she told her son the party would impeach the motherf.

Democrats have already kicked off investigations into President Trump as theyve begun their tenure in the House majority. The Oversight Committee held a public hearing with Trumps former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, who testified that the president was a con man, and the Judiciary Committee has sent document requests to more than 80 individuals and entities in the Trump orbit.

The House Intelligence Committee has also been pursuing its own investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections.

As the committees dig for information that could provide evidence of wrongdoing, however, a wing of the Democratic base has also pushed them to be more aggressive.

San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, who runs a group that advocates impeaching Trump, immediately criticized Pelosis comments.

Speaker Pelosi thinks hes just not worth it? Steyer said in a statement. Is defending our legal system worth it? Is holding the President accountable for his crimes and cover-ups worth it? Is doing whats right worth it? Or shall America just stop fighting for our principles and do whats politically convenient.

Trump has not been charged with any crimes, though his former campaign manager Paul Manafort has been convicted of financial crimes, and Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes that implicated Trump.

Constitutionally, the House may vote to begin impeachment proceedings against a president, but the Senate would vote on an ultimate decision. With the Senate under Republican control, any impeachment would be highly unlikely.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
The shocking death of Jeff Adachi, San Franciscos boundary-pushing public defender, last month left Mayor London Breed with a tough political choice.

Matt Gonzalez had been running the offices day-to-day operations since Adachis death. Steeped in the departments culture of aggressive defense, Gonzalez wouldve been a natural fit for the job. But Gonzalez is also a mercurial political figure, and hes never been one of Breeds supporters.

Appointing a successor from outside of Adachis office, on the other hand, could have set her appointee up for a tough, contested election in November.

On Monday, Breed announced her pick.

Given the circumstances, it appears to have been one of the best choices she couldve made.

Manohar Mano Raju is a deputy public defender and one of the offices managing attorneys for felony cases, so he has deep roots within the department. Hes well-respected for his dedication and his abilities as a trial defense attorney.

It seems unlikely that he will upend the departments distinctive culture, which became one of the nations most successful public defenders offices under Adachi.

Rajus appointment was met with relief and approval by his colleagues. At Mondays announcement, even Gonzalez said he was pleased with the appointment and didnt intend to run against Raju in November.

But Raju was a savvy political choice for Breed, too.

Unlike Gonzalez, Raju is not a seasoned politician whos well known for crossing swords with City Halls moderate faction and supporting Breeds political opponents.

The public defenders office is a political position, so hell need to introduce himself to the public  and fast, if he intends to win his November election. Who better to help him than Breed?

Unknowns remain, but Breed should feel very confident about her choice. Raju is an effective insider who will keep a successful department on course, and now he owes her a favor, too. This is a fine example of good policy meeting smart politics.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
President Trump and his administration got out of the way of a bipartisan public lands and conservation bill that passed the Senate and House by overwhelming majorities: 92 to 8 in the Senate and 363 to 62 in the House. The president signed the bill into law Tuesday. Truth be told, he didnt have much choice. Those are veto-proof numbers.

Were this not such an important, even watershed event, it would not even be worth noting the presidents minor role. But the bill was a major rebuke to the administrations environmental policies and represents a promising return to old-fashioned, pragmatic environmental politics in America, which could be the key to a green new deal.

These are the kinds of majorities that passed the landmark environmental laws of the 1970s  the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and National Environmental Policy Act  as well as the omnibus public lands bills that forged a path for exactly this kind of legislation.

At the heart of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act are two hallmarks of successful modern environmental lawmaking. First, nearly everybody got something they wanted (you can see that in the votes). And second, sensible compromises meant that almost nobody got everything they wanted.

The new law is 662 pages long. It creates 1.3 million acres of wilderness, including 375,000 acres of wilderness in California, and 1 million acres of national monuments and other protected areas. It expands Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks. It protects 620 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, including 77 miles in California. And it permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which receives around $900 million a year from offshore-oil leases to fund protection of public lands and parks across the country.

But it also transfers federal property to local governments  for solar power in Arizona, for an airport in South Dakota, to improve a canal for the Contra Costa Water District. It designates new off-road vehicle recreation areas in the California desert and elsewhere, and opens all federal lands to hunting, unless management plans specifically prohibit it. All told, this legislation includes more than 100 different land and water conservation measures that were bundled to enable passage of all when individually many would have failed.

Weve seen the same approach  which was virtually invented by Phillip Burton, who represented San Francisco in Congress in the late 1970s  used to protect public lands and water in Nevada, Idaho and other western states that have sometimes been resistant to environmental protections. But when people negotiate in good faith, focus on what is really important to them, and are willing to compromise, we make progress.

This is the real art of the deal. And it suggests a promising way forward even for some of our most difficult and polarizing environmental challenges, such as climate change.

As many people are now coming to realize, we need a green new deal for our country to confront climate change, protect our environment, and transform our energy systems. But it has got to be a pragmatic deal that speaks to voters concerned about the economy and jobs, not just the environment.

We know how to do this. In fact, we did it as recently as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, passed by a bipartisan majority in Congress and signed by President George W. Bush. The American Recovery Act of 2009 was also passed shortly after that by a bipartisan majority in Congress and signed by President Barack Obama. Both of these complicated omnibus bills were part of the grand tradition of compromise on Capitol Hill, at the same time that they reflected a united purpose to pull us out of the Great Recession. They contained important elements of a green new deal before the term became popular, including investment tax credits that have made renewable energy competitive with fossil fuels.

States also have to do their part. In Nevada, weve moved to shut down coal, and voters have committed the state to relying on 50 percent renewable energy sources by 2030. The state has become an exporter of energy  that is, renewable energy from solar power. We built the high-voltage transmission lines necessary to share that renewable energy with our neighbors. Some of that electricity comes from the first-ever utility-scale-solar-power plant on a tribal reservation  one where a coal-fired power plant dumped its poison for decades on tribal members and lands.

The original New Deal got started quickly with a raft of legislation passed in the first 100 days of Franklin D. Roosevelts presidency in 1933. But it took several more years to enact fully. It required many different bills passed by a congressional majority in both the Senate and House on a mission to save the country from the Depression under the leadership of a president with a mandate.

A green new deal for our times could come in the form of an omnibus bill or in a series of smaller bills. In either case, it will require reaching across the partisan divide of our times. Unfortunately, President Trump and some of his Republican colleagues seem not to have learned the lessons of the first major bipartisan environmental law to have passed in nearly a decade. They want to try to use a caricature of a green new deal as an ideological wedge, rather than as a platform upon which to build the pragmatic solutions that Americans want and need.

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, is working on a book about pragmatic environmental politics for the new American West and the nation with Jon Christensen, a professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA. Their co-author, conservation consultant Graham Chisholm contributed to this commentary.
UC Berkeley is partly to blame for the housing crisis facing its students. The university provides virtually no below-market-rate housing although it is Berkeleys largest landlord, housing just under 10,000 students. UC Berkeleys plan to build thousands of additional market-rate or above-market-rate units of student housing will make rents rise more quickly, worsening housing insecurity for students.

UC Berkeley has neglected students in need of stable housing. A survey commissioned by the university found that 10 percent of students have experienced homelessness while attending UC Berkeley, with 20 percent of postdoctoral students having experienced homelessness. UC Berkeley provides fewer beds per student than any other school in the UC system, housing less than a quarter of undergraduates.

Despite the Bay Areas housing crisis, UC Berkeley administrators have financial incentives not to assist struggling students. Steve Sutton, the vice chancellor for student affairs, said in a meeting in November 2018 that the whole division of student affairs is funded through the revenue that we bring in through student housing. Declining rents from university-owned housing would take a financial toll on his department.

UC Berkeley could take steps to ameliorate this housing crisis. For example, the university intends to launch a fundraising campaign to support affordable housing initiatives. This is a promising plan, and is likely to help students if the money is spent wisely. Funds should be directed toward subsidizing the cost of housing for students who are experiencing housing insecurity, such as postdoctoral students with children.

Providing funding for affordable housing would represent a departure from UC Berkeleys prior funding priorities. According to Taylor Harvey, a co-founder of the Homeless Student Union, when funds have been delegated by the UC Office of the President to the UC schools for the purpose of funding housing needs, UC Berkeley instead has allocated millions of dollars to consulting firms to conduct housing studies. Other schools such as UC San Francisco have applied such funds to support the housing needs of students.

Another option would be for UC Berkeley to absorb a financial loss by constructing affordable housing on university-owned land to support low-income students. However, the university plans to do the opposite. UC Berkeley intends to construct thousands of units of student housing by signing a contract with a private developer, all of which are likely to be rented at or above Berkeleys market rate to make the projects financially solvent.

Granted, building new housing in Berkeley is expensive. Michelle Starratt, the universitys director of housing development and leasing, has argued that high construction costs in Berkeley prevent affordable housing development without subsidies. At a meeting in January, Starratt said that the costs far outweigh what we could hope to charge at an affordable rate.

Dan Mogulof, a university spokesperson, responded to a request for comment by citing an August 2018 statement by UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ: One of our key initiatives will be student housing. ... Through long-term leases and the opening of Blackwell Hall, our newest residence hall, we have added 836 beds this fall.

However, building more market-rate units in Berkeley will do little to reduce housing costs for low-income students in the near term. In fact, students pay more than $1,650 per month to live in Blackwell Hall, exceeding affordability for low-income students already burdened by debt.

UC Berkeleys failure to provide affordable housing has undermined the financial well-being of its students. As Joshua Holman, a junior at UC Berkeley, put it: the university has done nothing to combat the housing crisis, as much as theyd like to boast that they do. Holman has been homeless for two extended periods as an undergraduate; some of his friends at UC Berkeley are still homeless and one has dropped out as a result. Housing insecurity has defined much of my experience at Cal, Holman said  an appalling reality shared by many students.

UC Berkeley should pursue every possible means to increase the supply of affordable housing  the students deserve nothing less.

Kevin Klyman is the chair of the UC Berkeley undergraduate student governments housing commission.
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area.

WEDNESDAY

Andrew McCabe: Former FBI deputy director speaks at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Robert Reich: UC Berkeley public policy professor and former labor secretary discusses free speech in angry times. Free. 8 p.m., Pauley Ballroom, ASUC Student Union, UC Berkeley. More information is here.

Transgender immigrants: A forum on how to help transgender migrants making their way from Central America to the U.S. 6 p.m., Congregation Shaar Zahav, 290 Dolores St., San Francisco. More information is here.

New citizen voting: Democracy Action volunteers will register new citizens to vote following swearing-in ceremonies. Two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here.

THURSDAY

Naila and the Uprising: Screening of the film chronicling women on the front lines of the first Palestinian intifada of the late 1980s. Benefit for Middle East Children Alliance. $15-$50. 7 p.m., Berkeley City College 2050 Center St., Berkeley. More information is here.

Black Panthers: A discussion on the Black Panther Party, its history and continued relevance, with party veterans Barbara Easley-Cox and Ericka Huggins. Free. 6 p.m., Osher Lecture Hall, San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Morality of capitalism: Yaron Brook, chairman of Ayn Rand Institute, discusses the morality of finance, free markets, savings, insurance and using debt to fund consumption. Free; registration encouraged. 5:30 p.m., 125 Morrison Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here.

Chesa Boudin: San Francisco district attorney candidate talks about his campaign to the group Rad Mission Neighbors. 6:30 p.m., 2490 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

FRIDAY

Andrew Yang: Democratic presidential contender Andrew Yang discusses universal basic income and other issues. 6 p.m., Spark Social S.F., 601 Mission Bay Blvd. North, San Francisco. More information is here.

Lessons from teachers strike: A representative from the Oakland teachers union discusses the recent strike and its relationship to the broader fight for workers rights. Sponsored by the S.F. Party for Socialism & Liberation. $3-$10. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here.

SATURDAY

Rep. Jackie Speier town hall: San Mateo Democrat meets with constituents. 10:30 a.m., Chetcuti Room, 450 Poplar Ave., Millbrae. More information is here.

March for fossil fuel freedom: A three-day march targeting Wells Fargo banks to urge action on climate change. People welcome to join anywhere along the route. March begins at 8 a.m. at the parking lot of PF Changs, 900 Stanford Shopping Center, Building W, Palo Alto. More information is here.

SUNDAY

Indivisible SF: General meeting. 1 p.m., the Women's Building, 3543 18th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

MONDAY

John Lanchester, Michael Lewis: Lanchester, author of The Wall, and Lewis, author of The Fifth Risk, in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. 6:30 p.m. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Religion and politics: A discussion on the place and role of religion and religious leadership in the progressive movement, with Islamic Network Groups founder Maha Elgenaidi, Rabbi Noa Kushner and the Rev. Richard Smith, vicar emeritus of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in San Francisco. $6-$12. Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

MARCH 21

Two Koreas: Harry Harris, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, and Cho Yoon-je, South Korean ambassador to the U.S., discuss the future of relations between the two Koreas as well as U.S. relations with the countries. $25 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

MARCH 22

Heather Booth: Democracy Labs hosts a screening of Heather Booth: Changing the World, and a talk with the longtime organizer and activist. $10, students free. 6:30 p.m., Mannys 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

MARCH 24

Latino Democratic Club: Monthly meeting. Free. 6 p.m., 362 Capp St., San Francisco. More information is here.

MARCH 28

Jerry and Anne Gust Brown: An evening with the former governor and states former first lady at the Commonwealth Club. $40 for nonmembers, $15 for students. 6:30 p.m., Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Indigenous resistance: Nick Estes, author of Our History is the Future, traces iIndigenous resistance from the days of the Indian Wars through the campaign for indigenous rights at the United Nations. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12. 7:30 p.m., Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley. More information is here.

Code for America: CTO Lou Moore and members of the engineering team give a look at technology such as tools that help Clear My Record parse rap sheets. $10. 5:30 p.m., 972 Mission St., fifth floor, San Francisco. More information is here.

APRIL 3

Honduran coup aftermath: Author and UC Santa Cruz Professor Dana Frank discusses the 2009 coup in Honduras, its fallout and the resistance movement. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12. 7:30 p.m., St. Johns Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley. More information is here.

Drinking water crisis: A discussion with people working to provide safe and affordable drinking water to more than 1 million Californians who lack it. Sponsored by the Community Water Center, Sierra Club California, and the David Brower Center. Free. 6 p.m., 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley. More information is here.

APRIL 6

Newsom chief of staff: Gov. Gavin Newsoms chief of staff, Ann OLeary, discusses her job and goals. $15. 7:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

APRIL 11

Valerie Jarrett: Former adviser to President Barack Obama discusses her book Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, in a Commonwealth Club event. $35 for nommembers, $10 for students. Noon, Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here.

APRIL 17

Sean Spicer: Former press secretary for President Trump talks about media bias and the threat it poses to the U.S. Sponsored by Berkeley College Republicans. Free. 7 p.m., Evans Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here.

William Burns: Former deputy secretary of state and former ambassador to Russia in conversation at the Commonwealth Club with ex-Rep. Ellen Tauscher. $25 for members, $10 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

New citizen voting: Democracy Action volunteers will register new citizens to vote following swearing-in ceremonies. Two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here.

APRIL 18

Lawrence Lessig: Harvard legal scholar gives a TED+Salon talk on the future of democracy. Comedian Will Durst opens. $32.50 and up. 7:30 p.m., Angelico Hall, Dominican University, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael. More information is here.

APRIL 25-27

Right-wing studies: UC Berkeleys Center for Right-Wing Studies holds a three-day conference hosting scholars whose work deals with the right as a social, political andintellectual phenomenon from the 19th century to the present day. $25, $20 for students. Full agenda and more information are here.

To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
Californians will be holding on to their neighborhood polling places for a while longer, despite last years successful introduction of a system that sends a mail ballot to every registered voter.

In the June and November elections, Sacramento was one of five California counties that replaced its polling places with a much smaller number of full-service voting centers and moved closer to an all-mail-ballot election. In the Nov. 6 vote, the county saw the highest turnout for a midterm election in its history.

I think this is the best option for Sacramento County, said Courtney Bailey-Kanelos, the countys registrar of voters.

All five of the initial counties  Sacramento, San Mateo, Napa, Madera and Nevada  beat the state turnout average, said Sam Mahood, a spokesman for Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who helped push the Voters Choice Act through the Legislature in 2017.

This is a good template to show other counties how well (the voting system) can work, Mahood said. The 2018 election was a good first effort.

But even though Padilla once talked about how the entire state could switch to vote centers and universal mail ballots by the 2020 presidential elections, thats not likely to happen.

So far, only Los Angeles, Orange and Mariposa counties have joined that first group of counties and signed on to the new system. That has forced state election officials to seriously downsize their expectations.

Were hoping for at least 10 counties in 2020, Mahood said. The Voters Choice Act is voluntary, and different counties have different considerations of staffing and financing.

The local priorities also can be different, said John Arntz, San Franciscos election chief.

Right now we need to get new voting (machines) in place for the November (local) elections, he said. City officials havent indicated any interest in moving forward on the Voters Choice Act changes.

Counties reluctance shouldnt come as a surprise. While SB450, the bill that authorized the voting changes, allowed 14 California counties to move to the new system in 2018, only five signed on.

In some cases, there have been partisan concerns. Republicans, who have control of many of the states small, rural counties, suspect that efforts by Padilla and other Democrats to register more voters are aimed at attracting young and minority voters, who tend to back Democrats.

The new system is a dramatic shift from the way Californias elections have been run.

In San Mateo County, for example, more than 200 local polling places were replaced by 39 voting centers, with all of them open four days before the election and a handful up and ready for business 28 days before the vote.

The centers are nothing like the tiny, low-tech voting booths typically set up in school cafeterias and neighbors garages. Instead, each center has a direct computer link to the county election office, enabling workers to instantly check a voters registration and print out the proper ballot.

The ability to cast a ballot at any voting center in the county is a boon to both voters and election officials, said Bailey-Kanelos, the Sacramento registrar.

In the past, anyone who tried to vote outside their precinct had to use a provisional ballot, as did anyone who lost or mismarked a mail ballot or decided they wanted to vote in person instead of by mail. But vote center workers could make those changes immediately, as well as ensure that each voter was able to cast only one ballot because any other ballot would instantaneously be voided, Bailey-Kanelos said in a Jan. 29 letter to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.

There were 33,333 provisional ballots cast in Sacramento County in the November 2016 presidential election. That number dropped to 587 last November, dramatically reducing the time it takes election officials to deal with questionable ballots.

Workers at the voting centers also can register voters and let them vote immediately. In Sacramento County, there were 11,047 of those same-day conditional voter registrations in November. In San Mateo County, there were 5,029.

Other changes in the voting system arent as dramatic as they might seem. While every voter, like it or not, gets a mail ballot under the Voters Choice Act in participating counties, California was already well on its way all-mail elections before counties began to implement the new system.

In Napa, for example, about 90 percent of voters cast ballots by mail in 2016. Statewide, 58 percent of voters did so.

With the explosive growth of voting by mail, polling places in many counties are lonely spots on election day.

We had polling places where only four people would come in to cast ballots, said Sacramentos Bailey-Kanelos. Thats using a lot of resources for not a lot of people.

Its a different story in San Francisco, which is one reason the city isnt among the counties making the switch just yet.

About 35 percent of our votes were cast at polling places last November and another 50,000 to 60,000 mail ballots were dropped off there, said Arntz, the city election chief. They actually get a lot of use.

Arntz said hes looking at the experiences other counties have had with the new system and isnt ruling out San Franciscos involvement, especially in a hybrid effort that uses both voting centers and some polling places.

Despite the slow acceptance of Padillas plan to modernize Californias elections, the effort is moving in the right direction, said Mahood of the secretary of states office.

As time goes on, well see more counties interested, especially with the success in the past election, he said.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Gavin Newsom is wading into the legislative debate over when California police should be allowed to open fire on suspects by meeting this week with the proponents of two competing bills on officers use of force.

The issue has been percolating at the Capitol for the past year since the shooting of Stephon Clark, who was unarmed when he was killed in his grandmothers backyard in Sacramento by police who said they thought the cell phone in his hand was a gun. After the Sacramento County district attorney and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra declined to charge the officers last week, activists doubled down on their campaign to raise the legal standard for using lethal force.

Were basically clearing the decks on this topic, Newsom said Friday after a graduation ceremony at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento. His office has invited Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a San Diego Democrat carrying use-of-force legislation, and the president of the states largest police organization to meet individually with the governor.

Newsom has called for systemic reforms that reinforce the sanctity of human life and help strengthen bonds between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

He said Friday that training, fundamentally, is the most important thing we can do. To change the culture, youve got to change the training.

Webers first attempt to narrow the circumstances in which an officer can legally use deadly force fell short last session amid intense opposition from law enforcement groups, which argued that it would put officers lives in greater danger. Senate President Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) convened the two sides during the fall to negotiate a deal. But discussions stalled in January, and both are moving forward with their own bills.

AB392 by Weber would direct prosecutors and juries to consider if a police shooting was necessary  whether an officer or bystander was in imminent danger, whether the officer had alternatives to using lethal force, and how the officers actions might have contributed to the situation. Under the current standard, deadly force is justified if a reasonable officer in a similar position would have behaved the same way.

No doubt, the last week and a half, the news has been all about this issue. Clearly, its on (Newsoms) mind, said Joe Kocurek, a spokesman for Weber. In the end, hes going to make a big decision.

Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents more than 70,000 members of law enforcement, said Newsoms office reached out to him on Sunday and they planned to meet Tuesday. He said they have broadly discussed use of deadly force in previous conversations.

Its something that hes always had in the back of his mind that needed to be addressed, Marvel said. It was just a matter of what was going to be presented in the Legislature.

His organization is sponsoring a measure, SB230, which would emphasize more training for police and establish minimum guidelines for lethal force and de-escalation techniques.

Were creating a plan to address all of these issues instead of just a bill that will criminalize police officers for the decisions they make, Marvel said.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent Washington into a tizzy when she told an interviewer that she was not in favor of impeaching President Trump and that hes just not worth it.

But Democrats who still support impeachment as an option say Pelosis comments didnt represent a fundamental change in their position.

In an interview published Monday, Pelosi went further than she has before in downplaying the possibility of impeaching Trump.

Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country, Pelosi, D-San Francisco, told the Washington Post. And hes just not worth it.

Some lawmakers said Pelosi was simply restating what she and other congressional Democrats have been saying for more than a year: Trying to impeach Trump is worth it only if theres evidence likely to convince Democrats and Republicans alike that he has committed high crimes or misdemeanors.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), who has been an outspoken critic of Trump and often suggested taking on the president, said he agreed with her sentiment. He added that the Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, is investigating Trump on a number of fronts to see if there is an overwhelming case to be made against him.

Were going to see if theres something thats compelling, and I think its too early to tell, Lieu said, having pulled up Pelosis full remarks on his phone for reference.

Other Democratic lawmakers said that although they were surprised at the firmness of Pelosis statement, they could get behind her position.

I framed it slightly differently, but I think the essence of it is, lets see the evidence, lets see the reports, lets not pre-judge the issue and then lets consult with constitutional experts and see what is warranted, said Fremont Rep. Ro Khanna.

Another House Judiciary Committee member and constitutional law professor, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, said he would have cast it a little bit differently but called it a fair synthesis of the partys position.

She said we need a compelling legal case, we need overwhelming legal evidence. I agreed with both of those and we need it to be bipartisan, which just mathematically, you do, Raskin said.

Impeachment should not be a fetish with anybody in Congress but it shouldnt be a taboo, either. Its just an instrument of legislative and popular self-defense against a president who acts like a king.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
San Francisco has spent millions of dollars building and operating Navigation Centers since 2015, yet hundreds of homeless people who want to take advantage of the services they offer still find themselves without a bed every night. City officials want to build more but are having a really hard time figuring out where.

The city has been on a continuing hunt for sites to build new Navigation Centers  the enhanced shelters that offer the homeless a place to sleep as well as substance-abuse treatment and job training. Among the places considered and rejected: the shuttered AMC 14 movie theater and the former KRON-TV building on Van Ness Avenue, the never-used and empty 6x6 mall on Market Street, and a closed Pottery Barn in the Castro. Officials have also looked at parking garages, old churches and even the land around the horse stables in Golden Gate Park.

But each one had its problems: Too big, too small, too expensive, too many things to repair or too far away from areas where the homeless congregate.

The city settled on one potential new site last week: Seawall Lot 330 on the Embarcadero, which now is a parking lot owned by the Port of San Francisco. But it comes with its own problems, such as dense neighborhoods nearby full of expensive apartments whose residents might object. It also lacks basic utilities, like water and sewer service.

It is also located in District Six, which might not seem like a problem because most homelessness services are clustered in the southeast quadrant of the city in Districts Six, Nine and 10.

But supervisors outside of those districts are growing increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy, logistics and millions of dollars involved in opening Navigation Centers, even when theyd welcome one to their district. The lack of success in securing sites has some wondering if they really are the best option for the citys homeless.

It is frustrating, said District Five Supervisor Vallie Brown, who has been vigorously looking for a place to put a Navigation Center, or other type of shelter, in the Haight. I thought it would be a lot easier.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Navigation Centers are temporary structures, often built on land slated for development. They have fewer rules than traditional shelters and offer robust services to steer people into permanent housing. San Francisco has created eight of them since March 2015.

If the 200-bed Navigation Center is located at the proposed Embarcadero site, it would be the largest in the city. The Port Commission, which oversees the parcel, plans to take public comment on the proposal on Tuesday.

In the process of deciding on the site, representatives for the mayors office and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing vetted and rejected more than a hundred locations around the city.

Thats because creating a Navigation Center isnt as easy as finding an empty building or open lot and setting up a few beds, said Jeff Kositsky, director of the homelessness department. It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy he said.

The first obstacle? Finding a site.

If its an empty plot of land, the city needs to ensure it has access to water, electricity and sewer service. If its an existing building, it needs to be structurally sound, have proper utility access and be the right size. And thats assuming the city can first persuade the owner to sell it or lease it for a reasonable price.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Then comes the cost. Building a Navigation Center from scratch, or renovating an existing building, can cost the city $2 million to $3 million, or more. The high price tag quickly becomes hard to justify when the site is only temporary, Kositsky said.

Some of the Navigation Centers are costing us more than permanent supportive housing, Kositsky said. We are open to any and all opportunities so long as it makes sense in terms of the investment and time that it takes.

Plus, he said, Navigation Centers arent the only type of shelters the department has created. Between July 2016 and December 2018, the city added more than 540 units of permanent supportive housing with over 1,000 more in the pipeline. It also opened 80 family shelter beds.

Still, some supervisors are becoming increasingly impatient.

District Three Supervisor Aaron Peskin unleashed his frustration on Kositsky at a recent committee hearing, blasting him for turning down three potential sites Peskin had proposed in his district over the past few years  an old church, a city-owned parking lot and port-owned lot at Bay and Kearny streets.

I still dont have that site ... because various government officials have gotten in the way of that, he said, his voice growing tense.

Later that day, Peskin called for a new department leader.

The city had a reason for rejecting each of Peskins proposals, however. The church was sold, the city lot was intended for an affordable-housing project and the port property was simply too expensive.

We are operating with a high sense of urgency, Kositsky said. But we are also being smart about what we do.

Meanwhile, some supervisors are questioning if Navigation Centers are worth the money and effort. Not only are they expensive and temporary, but they dont always offer adequate services for the mentally ill.

Kositsky said he supports a new shelter model in the city, dubbed Safe Navigation Centers, that offer the same elements of a Navigation Center but are bigger and exist for longer. The proposed Embarcadero site would be the citys first Safe Navigation Center.

District Eight Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who was originally against bringing a Navigation Center to his district, said while he is now open to one, he said he is looking for other models that would make sense for his district, such as a crisis intervention center or a space with drop-in services.

Im not sure how Navigation Centers built in the Richmond, Sunset, Forest Hill  or the Marina, for that matter  would really address a problem of mental illness, Mandelman said.

The mayor, supervisors and officials at the homelessness department all agree there is simply too much bureaucracy involved in creating more places for people to sleep and transition into housing.

Mayor London Breed is backing two ordinances, which the full Board of Supervisors will consider in the coming weeks, to exempt shelters and Navigation Centers from the building permit process and expedite the hiring of contractors to manage the facilities.

Community meetings Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.: The San Francisco Port Commission will hear public comment in the Port Commission Hearing Room in the Ferry Building. Tuesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m.: The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing will host a meeting at 600 The Embarcadero. Thursday, 5 p.m.: The Mission Bay Citizens Advisory Committee will hold at 225 Berry St. See More Collapse

Even when a location and price are cleared, the city still has another major hurdle: community pushback from those who dont want to attract more homeless people to their neighborhoods.

Proposals for Navigation Centers, shelters  or even housing for low-income seniors  have received neighborhood pushback in recent years, from the Mission to Forest Hill. Even the proposal for Seawall Lot 330 is expected to face some some opposition at a community meeting Tuesday from residents resistant to putting a shelter near their homes.

Ive been looking for some kind of facility that will help us meet the needs of the homeless in Upper Market, Castro, Duboce Triangle, Dolores and Mission, and also help those neighborhoods reduce the presence of homeless folks seeking shelter, Mandelman said. But, nothing is going to happen without some degree of buy-in from the neighborhood.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
Sending anonymous inspectors from the worlds top dining guide to eat at all of Californias best restaurants and emerging gems isnt cheap  it costs at least $600,000.

Thats the figure that tourism board Visit California is paying the Michelin Guide to expand its coverage beyond the Bay Area to the entire state. Michelins distinctive red books are often seen as the top marker of prestige in the international restaurant world, with star ratings drawing audiences to fine-dining destinations such as the French Laundry in Yountville and Benu in San Francisco.

Since the new deal is effectively sponsorship, it raises questions about the integrity of Michelin Californias ratings as well as its future guides worldwide. Will stars be doled out to more regions in the name of inclusion, and will that ultimately dilute the guides reputation?

The $600,000 will underwrite the hard costs of expanding the presence of Michelin inspectors throughout the state, according to a statement from Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. It will sponsor Michelin California for one year, although there are expectations for Michelin to continue to inspect statewide beyond the initial June release. Food industry newsletter the Family Meal first broke the news of the financial agreement.

Visit California would not elaborate on what exactly that money will fund  possibly Michelin inspector salaries, meals, hotels or travel, for example  and Michelin declined to comment on the financial terms of the arrangement. Visit Californias budget comes from assessments from businesses related to the tourism industry, including restaurants, hotels and car rental agencies, and not taxpayer money, according to the nonprofit tourism board, whose main purpose is to attract tourism to the state.

The California deal is the first of its kind in the United States, but tourism boards paying Michelin to create a guide in their region is not unprecedented. In 2016, Michelin headed to Seoul for the first time, and the state-run Korean Tourism Board pays approximately $350,000 to commission the book annually, as reported by the Washington Post. The Tourism Authority of Thailand reportedly spends $880,000 per year for Michelin credentials, according to CNN.

According to a 2017 report in the Washington Post, Michelins existing guides to San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., received no sponsorship funds from tourism agencies.

The funded guides have led many to wonder whether such ratings can expected to be impartial when they are subsidized by an industry that will profit from them. For its part, Michelin  which started publishing a guide in France in 1920 and has since grown to cover more than 30 regions across Europe, the United States and Asia  insists that sponsorships dont influence ratings or which restaurants get chosen for the guides.

The involvement of tourism boards, or similar entities, in publishing a new guide does not bear any influence whatsoever regarding the inspectors judgments for the restaurants in the selection, or the star awards, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, wrote in a statement. The inspectors are absolutely independent. The approach is similar to the so-called separation of church and state that divides editorial from advertising in U.S. newspapers and journalism.

Most of the attention surrounding Michelins expansion has focused on Los Angeles, which had its own Michelin Guide briefly from 2008 to 2009. But smaller cities less known for their culinary pedigrees could benefit, too, and the whole effort actually originated in Sacramento.

Sacramentos tourism board contacted Michelin about getting the state capital in the guide several years ago  something the citys chefs have wanted for years, but never thought would actually happen.

According to Visit Sacramento President and CEO Mike Testa, Michelin representatives showed interest and eventually proposed the idea of extending the effort to all of California. Visit Sacramento budgeted $50,000 for a splashy launch event last week at the citys downtown Golden 1 Center arena, followed by a dinner at perpetual hotspot Ella Dining Room & Bar, as well as tours for Michelin staff of a local vineyard and caviar producer.

Visit California / Max Whittaker 2019

I think being included in the guide will do a tremendous amount for Sacramento, even if we dont get a star, Testa said.

Sacramento chefs hoping to earn their first Michelin recognition arent too concerned about the relationship between Visit California and Michelin Guide. To them, the funding doesnt change the meaning of the stars.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Visit California is trying to promote California restaurants  thats the job theyre supposed to do, said Chris Barnum-Dann, chef-owner of Sacramento fine dining spot Localis.

Visit California has recently sponsored other food media locally. It was a financial backer behind Uncrushable, a 2018 film that TV chef and Bay Area restaurateur Tyler Florence made to document his efforts to raise money for victims of the 2017 Wine Country fires.

Nick Dedier is the owner of two neighborhood restaurants in El Dorado Hills, about 20 miles east of Sacramento. He has a background in Michelin-starred kitchens, including San Franciscos Gary Danko and Napa Valleys Auberge du Soleil and the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, and sees the California expansion as simultaneously exciting and concerning.

For example, he worries about how well Michelin inspectors can cover such a large area.

Is there a great restaurant in Bakersfield that will get passed over because its Bakersfield? You cant spread Michelin out that far without missing someone, he said.

Dedier also wonders how the presence of Michelin will affect the way chefs operate or open future restaurants. In the Bay Area, for example, the first guide in 2006 included just one three-star restaurant: the French Laundry. The latest guide includes eight three-star restaurants  more than any other American city  contributing to San Franciscos reputation as the countrys fine dining leader.

We struggle every day to turn our attention to the families and communities that support us day in and day out, Dedier said. You have to wonder how many people are going to turn their attention to winning a Michelin star instead.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
Alphabets board of directors agreed to pay a former top Google executive as much as $45 million when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of groping a subordinate.

The previously undisclosed sum was in the separation agreement for Amit Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Googles search operations until February 2016. The amount was revealed Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause.

The suit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases. The New York Times reported in October that Google had handsomely paid several high-ranking executives in separation agreements after they were credibly accused of sexual harassment, even though the men could have been fired for cause. In one case, Google handed a $90 million exit package to Andy Rubin, who used to head its Android division, after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

The shareholder lawsuit was filed in January in Santa Clara County Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed Monday without the redactions.

Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an abdication of responsibility.

A Google spokeswoman said Monday that the company had made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority. She added, There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google.

According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal $15 million a year for two years and between $5 million and $15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor. He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event. Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated. The company also concluded that the employees account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy.

Singhal did not respond to a request for comment.

The suit also cited board meeting minutes confirming the New York Times report of the $90 million exit package for Rubin. A Google employee with whom he was having an extramarital relationship accused him of coercing her into oral sex. She filed a complaint, and the companys investigation found her account to be credible. The separation agreement for Rubin was also contingent on his agreeing to refrain from working with rivals.

This lawsuit simply repeats much of the recent media coverage, mischaracterizes Andys departure from Google and sensationalizes claims made about Andy by his ex-wife, Rubins lawyer, Ellen Stross, said in a statement Monday. Andy acknowledges having had a consensual relationship with a Google employee. However, Andy strongly denies any misconduct, and we look forward to telling his story in court.

The payout for Rubin sparked widespread outrage at Google and, last fall, prompted a walkout of 20,000 employees who demanded that the company improve its handling of harassment claims. After the walkout, Google ended its practice of forced arbitration for claims of sexual harassment or assault.

Google Walkout for Real Change, the organizer of the walkout, said Monday: The details of these outrageous exit packages, signed off personally by Googles executives, are a symptom of a culture that protects and awards all harassers. Google is badly in need of accountable leadership and real, systemic changes.

The lawsuit also provided a window into the workings of Alphabets board and the power exerted by Larry Page, a co-founder of Google and Alphabets CEO.

According to the suit, the boards compensation committee proposed paying Rubin a salary of $650,000 in April 2014, with the opportunity for him to get a bonus of more than double his salary. At the time, Rubin was an adviser to Google and no longer running the Android business.

The lawsuit said Rubin had declined to accept that pay package until he had spoken to Page. In August 2014, Page awarded a $150 million stock grant to Rubin.

Eight days after the $150 million grant was awarded, a Google official emailed the board committee asking for approval of Rubins compensation. Without any additional documents, the committee members  Paul Otellini, Intels former CEO, who died in 2017; John Doerr of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins; and Ram Shriram of venture firm Sherpalo Ventures  said they had approved it, according to the suit.

Doerr and Shriram did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Google awarded Rubin the grant even though there was an active investigation into his misconduct. When Page ultimately decided to part ways with Rubin, the $150 million stock grant was a sizable bargaining chip that Rubin used to negotiate his exit package, since an executives stock compensation is often taken into consideration during settlement talks.

Through an Alphabet spokesman, Page declined to comment.

Daisuke Wakabayashi is a New York Times writer.
The college admissions fraud scandal, which led to charges against more than 30 parents accused of cheating their children into elite universities, sparked a rare moment on social media Tuesday: thoughtful analysis and self-contemplation.

Many Twitter personalities wrote that they didn't need a "fancy" college degree to succeed in life; others acknowledged the immense privilege that enabled them a spot at a top school.

"The whole system of college admissions is broken," wrote Laurens Gunnarsen, one of many people tweeting about the inequity of the college admissions process.

ALSO: How were students in admissions scandal able to cheat on SAT so easily?

"Even after decision-makers have imposed (unreasonably) stringent threshold SAT and GPA requirements," he continued, "they're left with many thousands of applicants they cannot distinguish objectively."

Actress Zoe Kazan issued a "casual reminder," raising the issue that "lots of upper middle class parents (perfectly legally) improve their kids' SAT scores by paying tutors to teach them to game the system."

"Mine did," she added.

Soul-searching aside, the scandal also inspired  you guessed it  hilarious memes, generally featuring actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who were indicted Tuesday for their participation in the corrupt scheme.

ALSO: Tweets by Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin take on new meaning after scandal

One tweet features the opening sequence of "Full House"  Loughlin appeared on the show as the aunt character, Rebecca, between 1988 and 1995  with the text, "If you squint, you can see Alcatraz."

Another clever meme-maker created a March Madness-style bracket to determine who will play Felicity Huffman in the "College Cheating Film."

Some jokes were more self-directed. Wrote journalist Ben Dreyfuss, the son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, "I got into college the old fashioned way: by letting my father's celebrity speak for itself."

You can see more memes and reactions in the above gallery.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfgate.com.

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After the Federal Bureau of Investigation released documents incriminating nearly 50 people in a college admissions scandal Tuesday, many wondered how applicants were able to cheat on standardized tests without raising eyebrows.

Thirty-two parents, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were named in the indictment, which alleged the defendants  principally parents of high school-aged children  conspired to use bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate their children's admission to elite universities, including Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of California - Los Angeles and others.

Particularly glaring in the 204-page indictment is that the majority of the children, whose parents were charged Tuesday, had seamlessly secured disability accommodations on their standardized tests. This enabled them to have additional time on the exams and to take them alone with the proctor at a private testing facility that was located, in some cases, thousands of miles from the test-takers' residences.

LATEST: Click here for updates on the developing story

Typically, the ACT and SAT are administered to large groups of students at their high schools on specific dates with strict time limits. Students with disabilities  ranging from visual impairment to dyslexia and so on  can request extended time on the tests and in some circumstances, can ask to take the test alone, under the supervision of a proctor employed by ACT, Inc. or the College Board, which administers the SAT.

To verify the student's disability, the College Board requires the student submit proper documentation, such as the recommendation of a physician, school official or psychologist. According to the College Board website, the organization "will consider any accommodation for any documented disability." Accommodations include, but are not limited to, time extensions, a private testing room, extra breaks or a scribe who writes dictated answers.

In the case of what the FBI are calling "The College Entrance Exam Cheating Scheme," parents would connect with a representative from the Key Worldwide Foundation, a nonprofit corporation based in Newport Beach, Calif. The founder of The Key is identified as Cooperating Witness 1 in the indictment.

ALSO: How Stanford is wrapped up in the college scandal

CW-1 allegedly instructed clients to purport their children had learning disabilities to obtain medical documentation that the College Board and ACT, Inc. typically require for granting time extensions. In one instance, CW-1 told defendant Gordon Caplan to instruct his daughter "to be stupid" when the psychologist evaluated her, the documents allege.

Once the disability documentation was obtained and the students granted extended time, which often enabled them to take the exam over two days instead of one in a private setting, CW-1 reportedly instructed clients to change the location of the test center to one of the two test centers he claimed to "control": the West Hollywood Test Center, at a private college prep school in West Hollywood, or the Houston Test Center, located at a public high school in Houston.

The complaint claims CW-1 instructed parents to "fabricate a reason," like a "bar mitzvah or a wedding," that required their children to take the test in Houston or West Hollywood instead of at their own high schools.

CW-1 allegedly bribed test administrators at the test centers to allow a third party to take the exams in the place of the students, to serve as a proctor while providing the students with correct answers, or to review and correct the students' answers after completion of the exam.

"In many instances," the complaint stipulates, "the students taking the exams were unaware that their parents had arranged for this cheating."

ALSO: Tweets by Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin take on new meaning after scandal

Clients paid CW-1 between $15,000 and $75,000 per test, with payments typically sent as "donations" to the KWF charity, documents show.

Tuesday's revelations "are not surprising to any of us," said Kristen Hansen, Director of the College and Career Center at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif.

"I regularly see things that make my stomach turn," she said.

Hansen noted a "recent trend" of students securing testing accommodations that allow for extended time. Often, "these students don't need to have severe learning differences to be eligible."

"It looks like what happened here relates to schools not having the resources to accommodate all of the students who need additional time," she said. This, in turn, spurs the creation of private testing centers, which are regulated by the College Board.

"The regulation of these centers is something that has to be looked into," she said. "Are they being monitored on video, and so on?"

The College Board provided the following statement to SFGATE:

"Today's arrests resulting from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts send a clear message that those who facilitate cheating on the SAT - regardless of their income or status - will be held accountable. The College Board has a comprehensive, robust approach to combat cheating, and we work closely with law enforcement as part of those efforts. We will always take all necessary steps to ensure a level playing field for the overwhelming majority of test takers who are honest and play by the rules."

Regulations only go so far. The underlining problem, Hansen said, is that "college admissions have become so competitive, people feel like they have to do something to get better scores."

"Colleges have sort of created this," she continued. "A lot of schools still put a ton of weight on standardized testing," including the University of California.

Some programs are trending away from testing requirements, acknowledging that a single-day exam can be influenced by a handful of variables, ranging from the student's access to test preparation services to the temperature in the testing room.

"It's one day of testing that has so many inconsistencies and inequities associated with it," Hansen concluded. "This issue pre-exists the scandal."

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfgate.com.

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Namu Gaji, the popular Mission District restaurant across from Dolores Park, will close its doors starting March 17 for the next few months.

Co-owner Dennis Lee said the temporary shut down is to accommodate a city-mandated seismic retrofit of their 499 Dolores St. building, which is also impacting Bi-Rite Creamery next door. Retrofitting is scheduled to finish up by April 12, and then rebuilding parts of the restaurant destroyed in the process could take about another six to eight weeks, Lee said.

Other restaurants have had to temporarily close in San Francisco since to a 2013 law went into place requiring retrofitting. What makes each situation unique is the ramifications the closures can have on the business. In Namu Gajis case, sibling concepts Namu Stonepot on Divisadero Street and Namus stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will remain open during construction.

Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

Were fortunate in some regards because we have such a varied operation. Its small and nimble, Lee said. We have a bunch of opportunities, we just havent decided which to do yet. The guys at Four Barrel want us to do something with them. It would be more of a regular pop-up there if that happens.

As of now, Namu Gajis last dinner service before the retrofit begins is slated for March 14. Only lunch service will be available the following days on March 15 and March 16. Catering for Namu Gaji via Caviar will continue throughout the duration of the Dolores Street closure.

Not all San Francisco businesses are as lucky during the retrofitting process. Russian Hill restaurant Stones Throw closed in late-2018 instead of shutting down for months at a time to accommodate a retrofitting.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Its a difficult process because theres no set way to deal with all of this, Lee said. For us, our priority is to make sure our staff has little to know interruption in their income. So, were going to figure things out.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  A federal law that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings involving Native American children is facing the most significant legal challenge since it was enacted more than 40 years ago.

A federal judge in Texas ruled the Indian Child Welfare Act is unconstitutional, saying it is racially motivated and violates the equal protection clause.

More than 20 states have joined hundreds of tribes, advocacy groups and the federal agency overseeing Indian affairs in urging an appellate judge to uphold the law. They say tribes are a political classification, not a racial one, and overturning the Indian Child Welfare Act would lead to untold damage in tribal communities.

The fear is without the statute, Indian children will once again sort of disappear into the child welfare system and be lost to their families and their tribes, said Adam Charnes, who will present arguments on behalf of five intervening tribes before a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday.

The law has led to some emotional, high-profile cases, including one in 2016 in which a court ordered that a young Choctaw girl named Lexi be removed from a California foster family and placed with her fathers extended family in Utah.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the law didnt apply in a South Carolina case involving a young girl named Veronica because her Cherokee father was absent from part of her life.

Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 because a high number of Native American children were being removed from their homes by public and private agencies. In adoptions of such children, the law requires states to notify tribes and seek placement with the childs extended family, members of the childs tribe or other Native American families. Tribes also have a say in foster care placements.

The law allows states to deviate from placement preferences when there is good cause. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs sought to clarify the term in 2016 by saying state courts shouldnt consider socioeconomic status, or ordinary bonding or attachment to host families, among other things.

The latest case centers on Chad and Jennifer Brackeen, a Texas couple who fostered a baby eligible for membership in both the Navajo and Cherokee tribes. The boys parents voluntarily terminated their parental rights, and the Brackeens petitioned to adopt him.

The state denied their request after the Navajo Nation identified a potential home with a Navajo family in New Mexico. The Brackeens got an emergency stay and went to court.

They were able to adopt the boy in January 2018 after the placement fell through. The boy is now 3, and the couple is seeking to adopt his younger half-sister.

Attorneys general in Texas, Indiana and Louisiana joined in suing the federal government over the Indian Child Welfare Act in 2017. The states say the law is discriminatory, and the federal government has no right to tell states how to regulate child welfare cases.

Felicia Fonseca is an Associated Press writer.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.  A North Carolina city removed a Confederate statue Tuesday from the grounds of an old courthouse, drawing applause from a small group of onlookers for the rare move in a state where such monuments are largely protected by law.

Construction crews in Winston-Salem spent more than an hour attaching a harness and a cage-like metal frame to protect the statue of an anonymous soldier, then hoisted it from atop its pedestal with a large crane. A small group of onlookers clapped and cheered as the statue was taken down and placed on a flatbed truck.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said the statue will temporarily be put in storage before its eventually moved to historic Salem Cemetery.

We realize that there are very strong feelings on both sides of this issue, so what weve tried to do is devise a solution that recognizes both sides, he said in an interview, describing the cemetery as a very dignified and appropriate location for the statue.

Wearing a cap and jacket with Confederate emblems, Howard Snow watched the workers progress throughout the morning, occasionally snapping pictures with his cell phone from a sidewalk. He said the removal was a waste of taxpayer money and an overall travesty.

I dont see where its a nuisance or a bother to anybody, said Snow, 62. Its been there 114 years and youre going to tell me in one year all of a sudden its a problem? No, its not.

But Chris Lutz, who blew on a vuvuzela horn as the statue came down, said he was pleased the city had made good on weeks of planning to relocate the statue. Protesters have decried the statue and other Confederate monuments as racist symbols.

Im excited that its down, said Lutz, 27. I thought it was going to be much longer, much more arduous.

Winston-Salem had more leeway than most North Carolina cities because the old courthouse property had passed into private hands. A 2015 North Carolina law all but prohibits the permanent removal of Confederate statues from public land. More than 90 Confederate monuments stand in public places other than cemeteries around the state.

In January, a judge denied a request by the United Daughters of The Confederacy to prevent the removal of the Winston-Salem statue from the grounds of the building that now houses apartments.

The approximately 30-foot-high monument includes a granite statue atop a base and column and was dedicated in 1905. It depicts an anonymous soldier in a Confederate uniform resting his rifle stock against the ground.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said 115 Confederate statues have been taken down across the U.S., a sign that they are losing favor.

Tom Foreman Jr. is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  On a foggy November morning in 2015, a heavily intoxicated man showed up before dawn at the Dupont Circle Hotel, forked over $1,200 cash for a ninth-floor penthouse suite and kept drinking. His bender continued all day.

By the next morning, he was dead. Authorities concluded that he died of blunt force trauma, the result of repeatedly falling in his room and suffering at least one serious head wound.

Normally, such a case would be quickly forgotten. But Mikhail Lesin, 57, was no ordinary tourist on a drinking binge. He was one of Vladimir Putins top lieutenants during Putins rise to power in Russia. Speculation he was murdered has continued to this day.

Now a recent court ruling could shed light on the case.

On Feb. 13, a District of Columbia court ordered Washingtons medical examiner to turn over Lesins autopsy report and all related files. The order by Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo was in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is considering an appeal, saying it should be up to the family to decide what details of Lesins death should be made public.

If the files are indeed released, they could provide new details about a case that has long been shrouded in suspicion.

There is no public evidence of foul play in Lesins death. Police and the medical examiners office stand by their finding that the death was accidental and Lesins family has not publicly challenged it. Phone calls and emails to Lesins two adult children, who live in Los Angeles, were unsuccessful.

Yet there is intrigue surrounding the case, fed by circumstantial evidence: It seems odd for someone Lesins age to die of blunt force trauma while alone in a room. There is also a gap in security video footage for the hours after Lesin was last seen alive. The police report eventually released to the public has been heavily redacted.

Above all, there is a long history of high-profile Russians turning up dead or seriously ill in foreign countries. In 2006, former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died a few weeks after being dosed with a radioactive isotope in London; and in March 2018, former Russian spy turned double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia narrowly escaped death after being dosed with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.

Lesin had amassed a fortune operating one of Russias first advertising agencies, then spent years as Putins media czar. He helped bring independent media outlets under state control during Putins rise to power. Later he founded the news network Russia Today. But he abruptly resigned in December 2014 and was believed by some Moscow-watchers to have fallen out of favor with the Putin government.

His death was headline news in Moscow. Russian media, citing the family, quickly reported the cause of death as a heart attack, but the medical examiner first listed the cause as undetermined and then later announced the blunt force trauma finding.

Ashraf Khalil is an Associated Press writer.
Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation's most selective schools.



Federal authorities called it the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department, with the parents accused of paying an estimated $25 million in bribes.

At least nine athletic coaches and 33 parents, many of them prominent in law, finance, fashion, the food and beverage industry and other fields, were charged. Dozens, including Huffman, the Emmy-winning star of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," were arrested by midday.

"These parents are a catalog of wealth and privilege," U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in announcing the results of a fraud and conspiracy investigation code-named Operation Varsity Blues.

The coaches worked at such schools as Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, Wake Forest, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles. A former Yale soccer coach pleaded guilty and helped build the case against others.

Two more of those charged  Stanford's sailing coach and the college-admissions consultant at the very center of the scheme  pleaded guilty Tuesday in Boston. Others appeared in court and were released on bail.

No students were charged, with authorities saying that in many cases, the teenagers were unaware of what was going on. Several of the colleges involved made no mention of taking any action against the students.

More for you Tweets by Huffman, Loughlin take on new meaning after scandal

The scandal is certain to inflame longstanding complaints that children of the wealthy and well-connected have the inside track in college admissions  sometimes through big, timely donations from their parents  and that privilege begets privilege.

College consultants were not exactly shocked by the allegations.

"This story is the proof that there will always be a market for parents who have the resources and are desperate to get their kid one more success," said Mark Sklarow, CEO of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. "This was shopping for name-brand product and being willing to spend whatever it took."

The central figure in the scheme was identified as admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer, founder of the Edge College & Career Network of Newport Beach, California. He pleaded guilty, as did Stanford's John Vandemoer.

Singer's lawyer, Donald Heller, said his client intends to cooperate fully with prosecutors and is "remorseful and contrite and wants to move on with his life."

Prosecutors said that parents paid Singer big money from 2011 through last month to bribe coaches and administrators to falsely make their children look like star athletes to boost their chances of getting accepted. The consultant also hired ringers to take college entrance exams for students and paid off insiders at testing centers to correct students' answers.

Some parents spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and some as much as $6.5 million to guarantee their children's admission, officials said.

"For every student admitted through fraud, an honest and genuinely talented student was rejected," Lelling said.

Several defendants, including Huffman, were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Lelling said the investigation is continuing and authorities believe other parents were involved. The IRS is also investigating, since some parents allegedly disguised the bribes as charitable donations. The colleges themselves are not targets, the prosecutor said.

The investigation began when authorities received a tip about the scheme from someone they were interviewing in a separate case, Lelling said. He did not elaborate.

Authorities said coaches in such sports as soccer, sailing, tennis, water polo and volleyball took payoffs to put students on lists of recruited athletes, regardless of their ability or experience. Once they were accepted, many of these students didn't play the sports in which they supposedly excelled.

The applicants' athletic credentials were falsified with the help of staged photographs of them playing sports, or doctored photos in which their faces were pasted onto the bodies of genuine athletes, authorities said.

Prosecutors said parents were also instructed to claim their children had learning disabilities so that they could take the ACT or SAT by themselves and get extra time. That made it easier to pull off the tampering, prosecutors said.

Among the parents charged was Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Connecticut, co-chairman of the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, based in New York. He and other parents did not immediately return telephone or email messages for comment.

Here is a list of all of those facing charges

Caplan was accused of paying $75,000 to get a test supervisor to correct the answers on his daughter's ACT exam after she took it. In a conversation last June with a cooperating witness, he was told his daughter needed to "be stupid" when a psychologist evaluated her for learning disabilities that would entitle her to more time to take the test, according to court papers.

The witness described the scheme as "the home run of home runs."

"And it works?" Caplan asked.

"Every time," the witness responded, prompting laughter from both.

A number of colleges moved quickly to fire or suspend the coaches and distance themselves from the scandal, portraying themselves as victims. Stanford fired the sailing coach, and USC dropped off its water polo coach and an athletic administrator. UCLA suspended its soccer coach, and Wake Forest did the same with its volleyball coach.

Loughlin, who was charged along with her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, appeared in the ABC sitcom "Full House" in the 1980s and '90s. Huffman was nominated for an Oscar for playing a transgender woman in the 2005 movie "Transamerica." She also starred in the TV show "Sports Night" and appeared in such films as "Reversal of Fortune," ''Magnolia" and "The Spanish Prisoner."

Loughlin and her husband allegedly gave $500,000 to have their two daughters labeled as recruits to the USC crew team, even though neither participated in the sport. Their 19-year-old daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, a social media star with a popular YouTube channel, is now at USC.

Court documents said Huffman paid $15,000 that she disguised as a charitable donation so that her daughter could take part in the entrance-exam cheating scam.

Court papers said a cooperating witness met with Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained to them that he "controlled" a testing center and could have somebody secretly change her daughter's answers. The person told investigators the couple agreed to the plan.

Macy was not charged; authorities did not say why.

The couple's daughter, Sofia, is an aspiring actress who attends Los Angeles High School of the Arts.

Messages seeking comment from Huffman's representative were not immediately returned. A spokeswoman for Loughlin had no comment.

In another case, a young woman got into Yale in exchange for $1.2 million from the family, prosecutors said. A false athletic profile created for the student said she had been on China's junior national development soccer team.

Prosecutors said Yale coach Rudolph Meredith received $400,000, even though he knew the student did not play competitive soccer. He did not return messages seeking comment.

Sklarow, the independent education consultant unconnected to the case, said the scandal "certainly speaks to the fact that the admissions process is broken."

"It's so fraught with anxiety, especially at the elite schools," he said, "that I think it can't be surprising that millionaires who have probably never said no to their kids are trying to play the system in order to get their child accepted."


Authorities say a Florida toddler was mauled to death by a family members dogs.

The Gainesville Sun reports that the attack occurred Friday morning at a High Springs home.

The Alachua County Sheriffs Office says the 2-year-old boy was with his grandmother as she went to her daughters home to check on the dogs. The grandmother let the dogs out in the yard with the boy while she went inside to prepare food.

Deputies say the grandmother eventually came out of the home to find two dogs attacking the boy in a shed. The grandmother sustained serious injuries while trying to help the boy, who died at the scene.

This (is) an incredible tragedy for the family involved, Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said in a news release obtained by WJXT. Our investigation will ultimately determine the facts that led up to the attack, but no answers will ever make up for the loss of a child.

Officials later released audio of the chilling 911 call made by the grandmother.

Dispatcher: OK, is this a dog attack?

Caller: What?"

Dispatcher: Youve been attacked by a dog?

Caller: Yes. Me and a 2-year-old. I think hes dead, please hurry.

Dispatcher: A 2-year-old?

Caller: Yes!

Animal control officers removed the two dogs that attacked the boy and four others from the home.

Investigators ran a background check to determine if there had been any previously reported problems with the dogs but results came back negative.

Animal control said one dog is an American Staffordshire mix and the other is a chocolate lab mix.

Because the grandmother was injured, the dogs will be held for 10 days for rabies evaluation and then euthanized.

The owner told us she had adopted all the dogs from rescue, Alachua County Animal Services Director Ed Williams said. All the dogs looked healthy and in good body condition, and were kept in clean crates. They were all sterilized as best I could tell and were current with their vaccines.



The boys death remains under investigation.
Death Row inmate Ronald Lee Bell, whose 1979 conviction for killing a Richmond jewelry store clerk became a test case for the racial makeup of juries in capital cases, has died, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Monday.

Bell, 69, died of unspecified causes March 8 at the state prison in Corcoran (Kings County), where there is a unit for inmates with long-term medical needs.

Bells death came days after the death of another Corcoran inmate, Juan Corona, a notorious serial killer who murdered 25 men. Corona, who was serving a life sentence, died of natural causes on March 4.

Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said Bell was found unresponsive in his cell at 6:30 p.m. and emergency lifesaving measures were started, but he was pronounced dead at 7:04 p.m.

It appears to be natural causes, Thornton said.

Bell was sentenced to death in Contra Costa County on March 2, 1979, for a double shooting during a Feb. 2, 1978 robbery of $30,000 from Wolffs Credit Jewelers in Richmond. The clerk, Raymond Murphy of Castro Valley, died after being shot in the face. A deliveryman, John Benjamin, 33, of San Leandro was shot in the head but survived.

Bell, a laborer who was living with his mother in Novato at the time of the killing, went through two trials  the first ending in a hung jury after he claimed it was his brother Larry witnesses saw at the scene of the crime.

One of the prosecution witnesses was a 13-year-old girl whose father had been killed by Bell in 1968. He served time for voluntary manslaughter in that case.

A subsequent appeal alleged that African Americans had been systematically excluded from the jury pool. Prosecutor Gary Yancey was also accused of deliberate and egregious misconduct by disclosing to the jury inadmissible evidence, including a secondhand statement that Bell had been cleaning a gun the night before the murder.

The California Supreme Court eventually ruled on a 6-1 vote to uphold Bells death sentence. But in a rare reversal, the court agreed in January 1988 to reconsider after Bells attorney again charged misconduct by the prosecutor and claimed blacks were underrepresented on the jury.

At the time, the panels from which juries were selected in Contra Costa County contained 3 percent black people, while blacks made up 8 percent of the countys population. Because most black people in the county lived more than 20 miles from the courthouse, Bells attorneys argued, fewer ended up serving on juries because of a lack of transportation and the cost of getting there.

The court eventually rejected the appeal, ruling that the system was not, on its face, racially discriminatory and had not been applied in a way that excluded minorities. Mere statistical underrepresentation of a minority group does not entitle a defendant to claim an unfair trial, the court ruled.

Bell, who had been on Death Row since June 6, 1984, could become the 80th condemned inmate to die of natural causes since 1978, if that is the coroners finding.

Only 15 condemned California inmates have actually been executed since then  including one who was executed in Missouri and another in Virginia. Twenty-six others committed suicide, and 11 have died from other causes. Four other deaths  including Bells  are pending a cause of death.

There are currently 737 offenders on Californias Death Row.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite
A San Francisco technology company says its regional lead for Africa was among those killed in the deadly Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crash last weekend.

"It is with great sadness that TechSoup confirms that Anne Musyoki, TechSoup Global's Regional Lead for Africa, was killed in the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines flight," TechSoup representatives said in a press release. "Ms. Musyoki was returning home from an event hosted by TechSoup Italy."

TechSoup, based on Brannan Street, provides technology solutions for non-governmental organizations and facilitates fundraising for those groups.

"She was on the front line supporting our African network partners and representing our work across the continent as our regional/international lead. Immensely proud of her country Kenya, she believed in the potential that she saw for strengthening the technology infrastructure and skills of civil society across the African continent," company executives said in a statement. "We will always also remember Anne for the beautiful person she was and for her commitment to civil society."

MORE: Brothers from Redding among those killed in airline crash

The Ethiopian Airlines airliner crashed six minutes after taking off for Nairobi, killing people from 35 countries, including two brothers from Northern California.

A pilot who saw the crash site minutes after the disaster told the AP that the plane appeared to have "slid directly into the ground." Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the plane. The wreckage was discovered by Ethiopia's air force.

"There was nothing to see," he said. "It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!" He said it explained why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of debris.

Ethiopian Airlines, widely seen as Africa's best-managed airline, grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8s until further notice. The carrier had been using five of the planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

ALSO: The Bay Area flights operated with Boeing Max 8 aircraft

U.S.-based Boeing has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. It does not intend to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Its technical team joined American, Israeli, Kenyan and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another new Boeing 737 Max 8 in October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
ALBANY  NXIVM President Nancy Salzman is scheduled to plead guilty to an undisclosed felony crime on Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, signaling a major victory in the Justice Department's criminal prosecution of the organization's leaders.

Salzman, who is suffering from health problems, would become the first person convicted in the case. She was indicted last year along with NXIVM co-founder Keith Raniere; television actress Allison Mack; Salzman's daughter, Lauren; Clare Bronfman, the organization's operations director and an heiress of the Seagram's liquor empire; and Kathy Russell, a longtime bookkeeper for NXIVM.

Last July, federal agents in Albany arrested Salzman and her daughter along with Russell. Bronfman was taken into custody that same day by federal agents in New York City.

Raniere and Mack were arrested a year ago. A criminal trial is scheduled to begin April 29 in Brooklyn.

A seven-count superseding indictment, unsealed last summer, charged the six defendants with a multitude of crimes including money laundering, extortion, identity theft, harboring of aliens for financial gain, forced labor, sex trafficking and wire fraud.

It's unclear whether Salzman has negotiated to cooperate with the Justice Department in exchange for leniency. If she pleads to the indictment, which charges her with racketeering conspiracy, it's possible she could do so without a cooperation agreement.

Salzman's attorney, Robert Soloway, did not respond to a request for comment. He did not inform Raniere's attorneys that Salzman would be pleading guilty, according to a person familiar with the case.

The charges allege some of the defendants took part in recruiting and grooming sexual partners for Raniere, and of using "harassment, coercion and abusive litigation to intimidate and attack perceived enemies and critics of Raniere."

In a court filing on Tuesday, federal prosecutors pushed back against attempts by the defendants to preclude the government from using evidence to support its racketeering allegations, including the contention that the organization was a criminal enterprise, and that NXIVM's leaders had facilitated Raniere's sexual encounters with women and underage girls.

Among the revelations in the court filing are that NXIVM's leaders allegedly took elaborate steps to have criminal charges filed against their perceived adversaries.

"The government intends to introduce evidence that the defendants relied on political strategists and lobbyists to illegally gain political influence (such as through bundled campaign contributions) and in connection with their attempt to have perceived enemies of the enterprise and/or the pyramid organizations indicted for crimes they did not commit or on the basis of false or misleading information," the Justice Department wrote in the filing.

In 2015, the Times Union reported that attorneys for NXIVM were heavily involved in a State Police investigation that resulted in criminal charges against four people accused of hacking into the organization's computer system.

Records from the two-year investigation, which began in April 2012, indicated the State Police's lead investigator in the case had contact dozens of times with NXIVM's attorneys, who pressured him to file criminal charges. The records showed that NXIVM officials also provided much of the evidence used to build the unusual criminal case against the four defendants, all of whom were considered adversaries of NXIVM.

The federal prosecutors' court filing on Tuesday also outlined how Salzman and other co-defendants "were aware of and facilitated Ranieres sexual relationships with two underage victims ... (including) a 15-year-old girl who was employed by Nancy Salzman and who  10 years later  became Ranieres first-line 'slave'" in a secret club he had created to groom women to have sex with him.

Prosecutors contend Raniere formed the club, known as "Dominus Obsequious Sororium," which means "Master Over the Slave Women." The women in the group, they said, were lured into the club by other female NXIVM members  including Mack, who considered Raniere her "grand master."

According to the charges, the women were required to provide "collateral"  sometimes damaging information about family members or close-up photographs of their genitalia  in order to join. If they tried to leave, they were threatened that their collateral would be released.

While Raniere's attorneys have characterized the allegations of his sexual relations with the 15-year-old girl as inadmissible, unreliable, rank hearsay, prosecutors countered that their evidence includes "dated images of the victim, constituting child pornography, that were created and possessed by Raniere and electronic communications between the victim and Raniere reflecting their sexual relationship and indicating that it began when she was 15 years old."

"As to Ranieres relationship with the second victim, the evidence demonstrates how members and associates of the enterprise were directed and expected to recruit and groom sexual partners for him ... (and) the government intends to introduce direct evidence, including witness testimony," the filing states.

The indictment, which describes NXIVM as having been run as a type of pyramid scheme, alleges the organization's leaders encouraged "associates and others to take expensive NXIVM courses, and incur debt to do so, as a means of exerting control over them and to obtain financial benefits for the members of the enterprise."

The indictment was a crippling blow to an organization, which took shape in the Capital Region in the late 1990s. Under the direction of Raniere and Salzman, who had touted NXIVM's training curricula as a way for participants to improve their lives, the organization quietly built a following that included actors as well as the wealthy and politically powerful.

NXIVM, which has been described by some experts as a cult, also developed a reputation for aggressively pursuing critics and defectors who broke from its ranks. The organization has been accused of using litigation to punish defectors who have criticized Raniere, the organization, or its training methods. NXIVM required its employees and devotees to sign non-disclosure agreements that were often used as weapons in their litigation against defectors or critics.

Raniere remains in custody at a federal detention facility without bond. The other defendants have all been released on conditions that include home confinement.
The board of directors of the urban think tank SPUR has appointed Alicia John-Baptiste as its new president and executive director.

John-Baptiste, who will be the first female president in the history of the 112-year-old organization, replaces Gabriel Metcalf, who led SPUR from 2005 to 2018. He left last year to lead an urban planning organization in Sydney.

John-Baptiste, a former chief of staff for both the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Planning Department, joined SPUR as deputy director in 2015. She has been acting director since Metcalf left.

Search committee Chairwoman Lydia Tan, head of development for developer Bentall Kennedy, cited John-Baptistes transformational vision for SPUR, her inclusive leadership style, her deep knowledge of the Bay Area, as well as her truly unmatched ability to get things done.

Our ambitious list of must-haves described someone who could take SPUR to the next level while expanding our tent to include the diverse representation that makes the Bay Area special, she said.

During Metcalfs tenure the organization grew from four to 40 employees and opened offices in San Jose and Oakland. The nonprofit, which has a $7.5 million annual budget, also built a new headquarters on Mission Street in downtown San Francisco, where it hosts a full calendar of lectures and panel discussions.

The Bay Area has the elements it needs to become a place of belonging and opportunity for all. It is with that vision in mind that I am excited to lead SPURs work, said John-Baptiste.

SPUR is a nonprofit that works on finding solutions to problems faced by Bay Area cities, including issues such as transportation, infrastructure and housing.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
Japan Orders Kongsbergs JSM Missile



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MOUNTAIN VIEW (BCN)



As the 50th anniversary of the first human moon landing in July approaches, NASA scientists and engineers at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View are perfecting technology to take the next generation of astronauts to the Moon and Mars.



NASA's ultimate goal in the next decade is to establish a permanent, sustained human presence on the moon. Astronauts are expected to touch down by 2028, and NASA could begin preparing the surface of the moon for human landing as early as 2020.



A successful presence on the moon will pave the way for the first human space flight to Mars, and NASA technology born in the Silicon Valley will play a crucial role in this feat.



"What happens here can influence where we can go, how fast we can go and how we can come back." Robin Beck, an aerospace engineer in charge of materials at NASA, said at Ames on Monday. "The scariest part is getting back from Mars, for humans."



One of Ames' innovations is the phenolic impregnated carbon ablator, or PICA. The carbon-based heat shield material protects astronauts and space ships as they burn through planetary atmospheres.



The Ames Arc Jet Complex team, whose unofficial slogan is "Without Us, You're Toast," can produce temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun. PICA has been tested to withstand temperatures as high as 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit -- a simulated entry into Mars.



The 80-year-old facility's signature wind tunnels have also been used to simulate space flight and gather data for every NASA space flight since the Apollo missions, which brought Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon.



Though the crux of their work is to protect astronauts and ensure their safe return from deep space, that work is "very, very fun," Beck said, especially while creating innovative technology that will be used in a generation-defining mission.



As engineers fine-tune space flight and shuttle mechanics, biologists in the Ames BioSentinel Lab are determining how radiation will affect living organisms once humans are able to reach Mars. Once initial shuttles to the moon are launched, their yeast study will become NASA's first biology experiment in deep space since the Apollo missions.



The lead-up to a moon visit, and eventually Mars, will begin with bolstering the International Space Station. The low-earth satellite has been continuously inhabited since 2000, and NASA has been working with private companies like Boeing and SpaceX to support its operations.



Both companies have been awarded multi-billion-dollar contracts to carry humans to the International Space Station, and now have shared access to Ames' special testing facilities, like the Ames Vertical Gun Range. The bright orange, roughly 3-meter structure is one of the most powerful guns in the world and can shoot miniature projectiles as fast as 15,000 mph to test the impact of space matter on shuttles and planets.



The private-public partnership is also a result of budgeting choices by the Trump administration, which has favored commercial involvement in space exploration and possible private shuttles over NASA's own Space Launch System Rocket, or SLS.



NASA has expressed confidence in the changes, and will follow President Donald Trump's Space Policy Directive-1 in its "Moon to Mars" initiative. The plan will first establish human space flight in a lunar orbiting platform, then ferry astronauts from the platform to the moon. The ultimate stages in the plan will enable long-term robotic exploration of the moon and prepare human missions to Mars.





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Firefighters are responding to a two-alarm house fire in San Francisco, Monday's second two-alarm blaze in the city, according to fire officials.



The fire is being reported in the 1200 block of Athens Street in San Francisco's Crocker Amazon neighborhood, fire officials said around 4:45 p.m. on Twitter. The fire is reportedly located in the home's garage.



Drivers and pedestrians are being asked to avoid the area.



Earlier today, firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire in the 400 block of Melrose Avenue. Firefighters were able to contain that blaze and no one was injured.





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Oakland City Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney said Tuesday that she has dedicated her life to ending gun violence such as the fatal shooting of her 21-year-old son Victor in Los Angeles early Sunday morning.



Speaking at a news conference at the University of Southern California, where Victor McElhaney was a senior in its Thornton School of Music, Gibson McElhaney said gun violence that claims the lives of young black man such as her son is "an epidemic that America can cure."



She said that in Oakland, young black men are 63 times more likely to die from gun violence that are young white men.



"Victor's not a homicide number or statistic, or just another black boy gunned down in South Central Los Angeles. I want you all to know that Victor came into the world a drummer. He was drumming from the moment he could sit up," Gibson McElhaney said.



Victor McElhaney's death is the second tragedy that Gibson McElhaney has had to endure in recent years.



On Dec. 20, 2015, 17-year-old Torian Hughes, who she considered to be her grandson, was fatally shot in the 900 block of Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.



Over the last several weeks, Gibson McElhaney attended the trial of Shiheim Johnson, who is charged with murder for his alleged role in Torian's death. Johnson was 19 at the time of the shooting and is now 22.



Alameda County prosecutors allege that Johnson directed a 15-year-old boy to shoot Hughes during a robbery.



The attorneys in Johnson's trial presented their closing arguments on Monday and jurors began deliberating on Tuesday morning.



Los Angeles police Capt. Billy Hayes said at the news conference Tuesday that Victor McElhaney was shot in an apparent botched robbery at a convenience store at Maple Avenue and Adams Boulevard, about a mile from the USC campus at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. He died at about 11 a.m. that day.



Hayes said McElhaney was with a group of friends in the store's parking lot when they were confronted by three or four Hispanic men in their 20s, two of whom were armed.



Hayes said one of the suspects shot McElhaney in what he described as "a cowardly act" and the suspects fled in a newer model dark blue or gray sedan.



McElhaney's father Clarence McElhaney tearfully asked anyone with information about the shooting to come forward, saying, "Silence is worse than the bullet that killed my son."



McElhaney said he even wants the people who were involved in the attempted robbery and shooting to come forward.



"Be a man and step forward and accept responsibility for your actions," he said.



Gibson McElhaney said, "I don't know if the person who put a bullet in my baby intended to do it, but they can come forward."



She said, "Come forward and heal. You don't have to rob or shoot or live that life anymore."



She said, "We want to heal and Victor will be our guide."





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that a medical supply company has agreed to pay more than $17 million to settle two lawsuits in federal court in San Francisco that alleged it illegally gave doctors gifts in the form of training and medical marketing plans.



The company, Covidien LP, a subsidiary of Medtronic PLC of Dublin, Ireland, does not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.



The non-financial assistance was allegedly given to doctors in California and Florida to promote sales of the company's products for vein ablation, a treatment for varicose veins.



Prosecutors alleged the incentives violated the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute.



Assistant U.S. Attorney General Joseph Hunt, who heads the Justice Department's Civil Division, stated, "Today's settlement serves as an important reminder to those in the health care community that unlawful kickbacks come in many forms and are not limited to monetary payments to providers."



The lawsuits were originally filed under seal as so-called whistleblower lawsuits in 2014 and 2015 by two former Covidien sales managers and a former employee of a customer. The Justice Department took over the cases this month.



The two former sales managers will receive a total of $3 million as their part of the settlement, the Justice Department said.





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The Oakland City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled in the wake of the fatal shooting of Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney's 21-year-old son in Los Angeles over the weekend, Council President Rebecca Kaplan said on Monday.



Los Angeles police said Victor McElheney died Sunday morning, about 10 hours after he was shot in an apparent botched robbery near the University of Southern California campus.



Victor McElhaney transferred in 2017 from California State University East Bay in Hayward to USC's Thornton School of Music, where he was a senior, according to USC Annenberg Media.



Gibson McElhaney said in a statement that arrangements for her son's funeral in Oakland will be made as soon as his body is returned to Oakland.







Following the unexpected passing of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi more than two weeks ago, Mayor London Breed has selected Deputy Public Defender Manohar Raju to take his place.



During a ceremony at City Hall on Monday, Breed announced Raju as her pick to lead the office.



Before his appointment, Raju managed the public defender's office's felony division. He first began working as a public defender in Contra Costa County 18 years ago and has working in San Francisco for the past 11 years.



Adachi, 59, served as public defender since 2002 until he passed away on Feb. 22 after having dinner with a friend in the city's North Beach neighborhood. Foul play has been ruled out in the death.







A man and a woman are dead after a shooting Monday morning outside the Crunch Fitness gym at 1630 Range Ave. in the Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa, police said.



Lt. John Cregan said there are no outstanding suspects or threats to the public.







A 67-year-old Mountain View man died Sunday after being hit by a vehicle while he rode his bicycle in Los Altos a day earlier, police said Monday.



Stephen Purcell died after the collision reported at 9:26 a.m. Saturday on Grant Road at the intersection with Oak Avenue, according to police.



Emergency responders took Purcell to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 p.m. Sunday, police said.



The driver involved in the collision stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected to be factors in the case, according to police.







Vacaville police said Monday that they know the identity of a woman who was found dead at a construction site 28 years ago, and now they are asking the public to help them learn what led to her death.



Cynthia Merkley, also known as Cynthia Bilardi, 38, was found dead in a field at the construction site of the Premium Outlets at 321 Nut Tree Road and Burton Drive in April 1991, police Lt. Chris Polen said.



Detectives and the coroner's office exhumed the body in 1998 for a facial reconstruction by a law enforcement expert. The reconstruction model and an artist's sketch were made public and led to many leads, but the identity remained a mystery until late last year.



The California Department of Justice Missing Persons Unit informed detectives that they identified Merkley using updated fingerprint technology.







A man who was on death row for a murder during a jewelry store robbery in Richmond more than 40 years ago died at a state prison Friday, correctional officials said Monday.



Ronald Bell, 69, was found unresponsive in his cell at California State Prison-Corcoran in Kings County at about 6:30 p.m. Friday and was pronounced dead about a half-hour later after live-saving measures failed, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.



Bell had been sentenced to death on March 2, 1979, after a conviction for the first-degree murder of Raymond Murphy during a robbery of a jewelry store in Richmond on Feb. 2, 1978.



Bell had the second-longest tenure on death row after California reinstated capital punishment in 1978, according to the CDCR.







A rally was planned Monday afternoon at the Japanese consulate in San Francisco to mark the eighth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear plant failures and to speak out against the restarting of that country's nuclear plants.



On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Japan, shut down after a major earthquake. However, an ensuing tsunami disabled the emergency generators that powered cooling pumps, resulting in meltdowns and hydrogen-air explosions that caused the release of radioactive material from three nuclear reactors over the following four days.



It was the most significant nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union in April 1986.







Tickets went on sale Monday for the third-annual version of a comedy festival that will take place in San Francisco in June.



The three-day Comedy Central Presents Clusterfest will run from June 21-23, and three-day general admission, VIP and Platinum tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. at www.clusterfest.com.



The three-day general admission tickets cost $219.50. Single-day tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Friday and start at $89.



Performers at Clusterfest this year include John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Issa Rae, Ilana Glazer, The Roots, Lovett or Leave It, and My Favorite Murder.



The full lineup and ticket options can be found at www.clusterfest.com.







Four public school teachers and one guidance counselor sued the California Teachers Association in federal court in San Francisco Monday for allegedly continuing to collect union dues after they've said they want to leave the union.



The lawsuit is based on a 2018 decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote struck down the use of mandatory fees for nonmembers of public employee unions.



The five workers from Hayward, Fremont and central and southern California school districts joined local CTA affiliates, but say they weren't adequately informed they had a choice.



They say they have now told the union they want to leave, but have been informed they can't do that until a time between one and two months before their anniversary date.







A 25-year-old man was shot while driving in San Francisco's Bayview District early Monday morning and then crashed into parked vehicles, police said.



The shooting was reported at about 2:40 a.m. in the 2000 block of Jerrold Avenue.



The victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.



No arrest has been made in the shooting and police did not release any suspect information as of Monday morning.







The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has determined that the fatal shooting of an unarmed robbery suspect and alleged gang member by a San Jose police officer in 2017 was legal and no charges will be filed, prosecutors said Monday.



Officer Michael Pina shot 33-year-old Jacob Dominguez on Sept. 15, 2017, with an AR-15 rifle after Dominguez, who was sitting in the driver's seat of a rented car, made a "furtive move," according to prosecutors who reviewed the case.



Pina and his fellow officers had stopped the car near the intersection of Penitencia Creek and North White roads at about 7 p.m. and were trying to arrest Dominguez, who had eluded a police pursuit earlier in the day.



About 50 seconds later, after Dominguez leaned forward in his seat and lowered his hands, Pina fired two shots, one of which struck Dominguez in the head, according to the district attorney's report on the shooting released Monday.





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A two-alarm fire at a home in San Francisco's Miraloma Park neighborhood was contained Monday afternoon, fire officials said.



Firefighters first responded to the blaze at about 1:25 p.m. at a house in the 400 block of Melrose Avenue. Firefighters were able to contain the fire at around 3:20 p.m., fire officials said.



No one was injured and it wasn't immediately clear if any residents were displaced as a result.



A cause for the blaze is under investigation, according to fire officials.





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BCN29)



OAKLAND (BCN)



An Alameda County prosecutor told jurors on Monday that they should find a Vallejo man guilty of first-degree murder for his role in the fatal shooting in 2015 of a 17-year-old boy who Oakland City Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney considered to be her grandson.



In his closing argument in the trial of Shiheim Johnson, who was 19 at the time and is now 22, prosecutor Tim Wagstaffe said Johnson and a 15-year-old boy had "a harebrained idea to commit an armed robbery" that went wrong, leading to the shooting death of Torian Hughes in the 900 block of Mandela Parkway in West Oakland at about 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 20, 2015.



Wagstaffe said Hughes wanted to buy a gun from the 15-year-old and Johnson because he had recently been assaulted on BART and felt that he needed to protect himself.



Wagstaffe alleged that Johnson pointed a gun at the head of Hughes' cousin, Joe Billy Green, who was with Hughes, took a cellphone and cash from him and then directed the 15-year-old boy to shoot Hughes.



Hughes, who briefly attended McClymonds High School in West Oakland in the fall of 2015 and was in an independent study program at the time of the incident, died at a local hospital a short time after the shooting.



Gibson McElhaney had attended every day of Johnson's trial since it began on Feb. 19, but she was absent on Monday because she was hit with another tragedy over the weekend when her 21-year-old son Victor McElhaney was fatally shot in Los Angeles.



Los Angeles police said Victor McElheney died Sunday morning, about 10 hours after he was shot in an apparent botched robbery near the University of Southern California campus.



He transferred in 2017 from California State Hayward East Bay in Hayward to USC's Thornton School of Music, where he was a senior, according to USC Annenberg Media.



Gibson McElhnaney reportedly was still in Los Angeles on Monday to arrange to bring her son's body back to Oakland. Funeral arrangements for Victor McElhaney are still pending.



Johnson's attorney Omid Khalilnaji told jurors that they should find Johnson not guilty because Green's identification of Johnson as the man who robbed him and ordered the 15-year-old to shoot Hughes is unreliable.



"The District Attorney has not proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt," Khalilnaji said.



But Wagstaffe said Green's identification of Johnson is credible because "he has never wavered."



The teen who allegedly shot Hughes is being prosecuted separately in the juvenile court system.



Wagstaffe told jurors, "Everyone agrees (the boy who was 15 at the time) was the shooter in this case."



But he said Johnson should be convicted of first-degree murder under the felony-murder rule, which holds all defendants responsible for deaths that occur during violent felonies such as robberies.



Wagstaffe said that in addition to murder Johnson should be convicted of robbery and two counts of unlawfully possessing a gun because he was convicted of robbery in 2012 and wasn't supposed to own one.



Jurors will begin deliberating Johnson's fate on Tuesday morning.





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.
SPRINGFIELD  A renovation at Olde Sproul Shopping Village attracted about a dozen residents to the planning commission. The former Office Depot is being rebuilt for the move of Outback Steakhouse, a second eatery, a mattress store and one other undetermined retail tenant.

Olde Sproul totals just less than 70,000 square feet. All code requirements pertain to the entire site despite the former Office Depot building being divided by a service road way.

The business before planners was to consider a conditional use application required due to restaurants in the specific zoned district of the shopping center. After a 90-minute meeting, planners unanimously recommended conditional use approval, which now will move on to the board of commissioners.

Gregg Adelman represented the Kaiserman Company, owner of the shopping center on Baltimore Pike that was developed decades ago with more than a dozen local and national businesses, including a United States Postal Service location. The diverse mix appears to keep the center active, which also impacts the closest neighbors to its rear, which are on the south side of Sheffield Drive.

This is a renovation of the Office Depot which has very little change to the site, said Adelman, who also noted it is not land development that has different requirements. It has the same footprint with a floor area of 18,000 square feet; the same access to the site; and complies with parking requirements. Outback Steakhouse, which moves from the center of the strip of storefronts, will locate at the right side (facing) of the building.

The other end will be a Mission BBQ. The chain of casual dining venues is in 16 states with 10 Pennsylvania restaurants and three in the immediate region. The closest, said Mission BBQ spokesperson Roger Sullivan, is in King of Prussia. The plans call for a 500-square-foot patio outside and adjacent to the Mission BBQ where patrons can eat al fresco after purchasing food inside, but there is no wait service in that space. Also, Mission BBQ will not be serving any alcohol.

Planning Chairman Frank Gorgone asked the applicant to briefly review comments submitted by the township engineer. Issues included a clogged inlet on site; need for mechanical devices regarding odors; trash collection location and timing; fencing and landscaping on the property line with the Sheffield homes. Adelman noted the owner would comply with majority of those issues, or further work with the township.

It was not unexpected that Sheffield Drive residents would attend with some concerns of their own, given a series of complaints and some remedies to the existing Outback. Al Kapcznski led public comment, stating the residents wanted input during construction rather than near completion when alterations could not be done. He addressed trash pickup time be held to code; the highest quality of exhaust systems be used with regard to both odors and noise; the eatery be required to erect a solid 8-foot fence (the maximum according to code is 6 feet); repair or replace landscape buffer; and clean a clogged sewer.

Four additional neighbors spoke, essentially restating the same existing problems. Mentioning trash that seems to come from an adjacent group of stores, Adelman had already addressed cutting off unauthorized parking on Kaiserman property used by Starbucks customers.

In closing, Gorgone said the township would take into consideration everything the residents stated to make the renovation and new operation right for all involved. A conditional use hearing will be held by commissioners. Those interested should inquire about the March 12 agenda.
Hong Kong: No Boeing B737 registered in HK

There are no Boeing B737 aircraft registered in Hong Kong, the Civil Aviation Department has said.

The department made the statement in response to media enquiries on Boeing B737 MAX aircraft today.

It said airlines in Hong Kong mainly use locally registered aircraft.

For non-locally registered aircraft operating to and from Hong Kong, from the departments understanding, SpiceJet of India and Globus Airlines of Russia might currently use B737 MAX aircraft to operate flights to and from Hong Kong International Airport.

The department is contacting the airlines to understand their aircraft assignments.

In addition, Garuda Indonesia of Indonesia and MIAT Mongolian Airlines of Mongolia have used B737 MAX aircraft for flights to and from Hong Kong.

However, their civil aviation authorities have suspended their locally registered B737 MAX aircraft from operation.

Passengers may consult airlines on individual flight arrangements.

As the Federation Aviation Administration of the US affirms the airworthiness of B737 MAX aircraft and the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines accident is still ongoing, the department will closely monitor the developments, the investigation progress and the information of relevant aviation authorities, it added.

This story has been published on: 2019-03-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
MEDIA  Rabbi Jeremy Gerber started his talk on conflict management Friday at the League of Women Voters luncheon with a caveat.

Regarding his topic, Managing Constructive Conflict in Todays World, Gerber began, I dont intend to offer answers, but provide perspective.

Gerber, who has been the spiritual leader at Congregation Ohev Shalom in Wallingford for about a decade, said that disagreement is a normal part of life. The strategy of avoidance does not move the discussion forward; nor does only dealing with conflict in fighting mode.

From his rabbinic perspective, and bringing in the wisdom of our ancestors, Gerber suggested a teaching that intrigued the gathering of some four dozen in attendance. One school of teaching says Every bride is described as beautiful and graceful. Another asks, in effect, what if she is not. Saying she was would be a falsehood, which is against religious commandments.

When the interaction and dialogue repeatedly came back to the beautiful bride, Gerber wondered why. The group suggested it was a question of conduct and values, but also a matter relatable to almost everyone.

Calling such differences disagreement or conflict may be tied to the topic itself. Discussion about a mundane subject can be a mild-mannered issue. But, Gerber observed, the stakes are higher when there are serious consequences involved such as a political position, morality, the environment or those matters most people would consider critical.

Perhaps the most fundamental part of his theme, managing constructive conflict, is listening. Nothing interesting will take place unless we are willing to listen to the perspective of each other, said Gerber. If you want the other side to listen to you, you have to extend the same courtesy. We all can be better listeners, but you know when someone is just waiting for you to finish to have their turn.

Gerber began to touch on the current climate in the nation, saying it is important to distinguish between opinion and fact, as well as the inherent danger in claiming what is right and wrong.

One of the hardest things is to accept a systemic problem, he said, and used an example that the group also found intriguingly relatable.

Its like dental work. If you need a root canal, it wont go away if you only brush and floss. Racism is not solved by getting rid of incidents of blackface, Gerber said, illustrating deeper and underlying causes.

Some of those in attendance raised the issue of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, charged with making anti-Semitic comments. (Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning hateful expressions of intolerance by a vote of 407-23). Gerber indicated he was very willing to engage in that conversation, although time did not permit that to any large degree.

Gerber did, however, take a few moments to mention the work of FUSE (Fellowship of Urban Suburban Engagement), an organization he helped found about three years ago. This tied together his message of disagreements and differences with the importance of discussion.

We (at FUSE) looked at racism all around us. We have interactions, he said, referring to individuals of different races, but do we ever get together and talk about issues. We must have those courageous conversations. The world does not end if we say what we really think.

That racism has been more prevalent of late, Gerber insisted the solution is not refusing to acknowledge or talk about it. He closed with the encouragement of people who were willing to face a bit of discomfort for the sake of dialogue, and added a final sound bite.

We must first see the humanity in the other person. There is difficulty in certain conversations, but we must stay at the table.
Transitioning out of the military can be a tricky thing. Although service members go through training to make the transition easier, many vets say the training is too broad and doesnt help them land a position in the working world. Thats where the nonprofit Workshops for Warriors comes in.

Workshops for Warriors was founded in 2008 to train and place veterans specifically in careers in advanced manufacturing based on two pressing needs. According to founder and CEO Hernan Luis y Prado (a retired U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman and Surface Warfare Officer), One of those needs is the lack of advanced manufacturing talent in the U.S. The other is that some veterans and wounded warriors arent able to integrate successfully into civilian life again. Workshops for Warriors trains them, certifies them to nationally recognized standards, and places them into advanced manufacturing careers.

Although vets acquire unique skills during their military careers, many end up under-utilizing these skills when transitioning to civilian careers. Also, service members may not know how to effectively market their skills when transitioning to the civilian sector.

If I had to do this with funds out of my own pocket, it would be almost impossible, admits Derek, a former Marine Corps service member who trained as a machining student at Workshops for Warriors and now works as a teaching assistant there. The quality of the education here is out of this world compared to what I could afford. I wanted to go places but I didnt know how far I could go until I came into this program. Its given me a roadmap, with skills to use along the way. Its given me everything.

Workshop for Warriors places 94 percent of its veterans in career jobs. Courtesy of Workshops for Warriors.

Workshops for Warriors places 94 percent of its veterans in career jobs and regularly hosts career and job fairs. Austin Thompson, a Marine Corps veteran, was placed as a welder after going through WFWs program. My transition out of the Marine Corps was challenging. I was raising my two kids. My daughter was 3, my son was 1 at the time. Being a single dad, I had to make a lot of self-sacrifice to make sure my kids were taken care of. Welding is one of those things theres a huge demand for. Being here at the school, were all learning together, were all working together. And youre not going to find that anywhere else. Welding for me is a lifestyle choice, a career choice that I wanted to pursue and this program made that possible.

The organization is funded by private individuals, organizations and foundations. Some veterans are eligible to cover tuition with the GI Bill. Richard Arendsee, a three-year volunteer and donor to Workshops for Warriors, recently held a fundraising event at his home in Rancho Santa Fe. As a former service member in the Marine Corps himself, he explained why he is so devoted to this cause. Our veterans have not been treated very well and a lot of them end up unemployed or underemployed. The government doesnt give them any training for civilian life. How much use is a Cobra door gunner in the workplace? I know that with WFW, my money is going directly to military members without a huge overhead and will ensure them a well-paying job upon graduation.

Workshops for Warriors just celebrated its 10th anniversary with 572 veterans graduated from its programs to date. CEO Hernan Luis y Prados vision, which started in his garage helping one vet at a time, continues to grow. Now it feels like every day, more and more people join the ranks of those who are supporting us. The earth now trembles with the sound of our footsteps. And that literally leaves me humbled, grateful and thankful to be a part of it.
The human skeleton stuck in the mud along the banks of the Rocky River took the three boys by surprise.

The year was 1975. They were hiking in the woods, in Strongsville, Ohio, near Cleveland, when they found it there, as they would soon tell police. The skeleton was missing most of its flesh and part of its jaw, and the boys couldn't see it then but it also had a small hole in its skull.

The wound came from a .25-caliber bullet, which fit "snugly" in the hole in the left temple, the Cuyahoga County coroner wrote in the 1975 autopsy report. The body appeared to belong to a white female who was "about 20" and little else was known about her except that she died of homicide, the coroner ruled. Her name was "Unknown White Female Bones," and because no one claimed her she was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in Potter's Field at a Cleveland cemetery.

She would stay there for more than 40 years, all but forgotten except by her family - until seemingly out of nowhere a 23-year-old college student working on a family genealogy research project came across "Unknown White Female Bones" in the cemetery index, in 2014.

Christina Scates, the student, couldn't believe how many unknown bones were in that cemetery index, she told The Washington Post, but the thing that caught her eye about this case was the age. The unknown woman was just about her age at the time of her death, Scates said, and had been found just about 20 minutes from where she lived. For the next several months she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"It was at the back of my mind nagging at me," Scates said. "I thought I should do something."

She started going to the library, scouring newspaper articles. She found the 1975 articles about the three boys hiking in the woods who found a woman who had been killed. But when she started cold-calling various local police agencies asking about the status about the case, they didn't know what she was talking about, she said.

Finally she found one person who did: Lt. Don Sylvis, a ranger for Cleveland Metroparks, which has jurisdiction over the location where the body was found. He sent her the entire case file, she said.

The 100-page file for "Strongsville Jane Doe" contained the names and dental records of missing girls across the country, whose teeth were compared to that of Unknown White Female Bones over the years. There was a young local actress, a young woman connected to the Hell's Angels, and even Patty Hearst, the daughter of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst who was famously abducted in 1974. None of the girls were matches.

The name of the girl they were looking for was not in that file.

Scates got a half step closer to learning her name when she decided to upload all of her research to Reddit's "Unsolved Mysteries" forum and on Websleuths.com, where the case caught the attention of Carl Koppelman, a forensic artist.

Koppelman, based in California, liked cross-referencing unidentified remains with unsolved missing persons reports. Then he makes facial-reconstruction drawings using what he knows about the skulls. He was just a hobbyist. But authorities started to take him seriously when he helped crack a 36-year-old cold case out of Caledonia, New York, with an eerily accurate facial-reconstruction drawing he made of the missing girl.

Scates asked him to make one for Strongsville Jane Doe. By then, it was June 2016.

"There was about five or six photos of this muddy skeleton," Koppelman told The Post. "I looked at that for a couple of months. I thought, no, the angle's wrong. There's no mandible. No hair color. The front teeth are all missing. There's no way I can do anything with this - but eventually I came along and said, what the hell. I'll give it a shot."

As Koppelman got to work, he had a phone call with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office about a separate case in which he was interested from the Cleveland area. During the call, he said, he talked to Angie Fischer, the office's missing persons liaison, about his latest project, the drawing for the Strongsville missing girl case.

At that point, Fischer told The Post, she tried to look up the case in NamUs, a database sponsored by the National Institute of Justice designed to help people connect unidentified remains with missing persons. But she discovered it wasn't in there.

"It fell deep into the depths of their computers," Koppelman said. "It was like they had no idea the case existed."

The drawing Koppelman ultimately made was stunning - but still, it was nameless.

That was all about to change. Thanks to Koppelman's inquiry, Fischer said she promptly entered the Strongsville Jane Doe case into NamUs. And it ended up being a crucial development.

A few months later, a detective at the Akron Police Department's missing persons unit, Sgt. Jeff Smith, was assigned to work on cold cases. The oldest was that of Linda Pagano, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Pagano had gone missing in September 1974 after leaving home following an argument with her stepfather, reportedly because she had gotten home late from a concert. She was never seen again.

At Fischer's suggestion, Smith jumped on NamUs. He uploaded the Pagano missing-person report to see if any unidentified remains from that time period seemed to match with her case.

And sure enough, there was: Strongsville Jane Doe. It looked to Smith like an immediate match.

"The totality told me there was a strong possibility it was her," Smith told the Akron Beacon Journal in an October story about the efforts of Scates, Koppelman and investigators.

Finally, after more than a year of continued investigation and more than 40 years after Linda Pagano was buried in an unmarked grave, authorities announced July 12 that a DNA test confirmed the remains found on the Rocky River did indeed belong to Pagano.

Since Smith's breakthrough in the case, authorities went looking for Pagano's unmarked grave, exhumed her body, compared her dental records with that of the skeleton's, and took DNA tests on her living family members, said Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson. The DNA tests sealed the deal.

Gilson said the "big question" for investigators today was why authorities in 1975 didn't realize the remains discovered on the banks of the Rocky River might have some connection to a girl who was reported missing just five months earlier.

"One thing I will say, though, is that we never give up on trying to identify these folks," he said.

The case has now been handed over to Cleveland Metroparks as a homicide investigation - specifically to Lt. Don Sylvis, who first shared the case file with Scates.

At the news conference, Pagano's brother, Michael Pagano, said that although it was a bittersweet discovery it has at least brought the family some closure. He said Linda was only staying at her step-father's home for the summer, for summer school, and that when she disappeared nobody had any idea what could have happened.

"I figured I'd die wondering," he said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom denied calling President Donald Trump a "great president" and "one of the smartest people" he's ever met during a private phone call with the president.

During a speech at CPAC last week, Trump said that Newsom "loves him."

"He called me up the other day, let's say four weeks ago or so," Trump said of Newsom. "[He said] 'I just want to tell you, you're a great president and you're one of the smartest people I've ever met.' That's what he said. Will he admit it? No, I doubt it... And then he did start talking about in all fairness, additional money for the fire, which is OK, we have great talks. I like him."

During a Monday night appearance on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Newsom laughed off Trump's description of what happened on the phone call.

"You can't make this up," Newsom chuckled. "I called the president because I wanted to extend him my appreciation I've said this publicly not just privately of his visit out here to Butte County, we've had these historic wildfires out here primarily because of climate change and I wanted to express the fact that the people in those communities were grateful to him, and I was grateful to him."

MORE TRUMP VS. NEWSOM: Trump, Gavin Newsom clash over high-speed rail, border wall money

Newsom denied calling Trump a "great president" and "one of the smartest people" he's met.

"Somehow that got conflated," he said. "I think we hear what we want to hear, so no I can't admit to what I said to the president privately because that's not what I said."

The governor said he is still committed to working with the Trump administration on emergency preparedness.

"I do want to work with him on emergency preparedness and emergency planning," he said. "I do want to rise above this politics, I think that's important and I think people expect that. To the extent we can continue to have an open hand and not a clenched fist, I'm all for it."

NEW BUDGET: Trump calls for $8.6 billion for border wall

Trump and Newsom have publicly clashed on many occasions, but Trump told the CPAC audience that the governor is a "nice guy" in private.

"When we're face to face, nice guy, when he talks about me, not so nice," Trump said. "But he loves me ... They say things, politicians, to your face, and then they give a news conference two days later and you're like, 'Where did he come from? Where did he come from?'"

The president attacked Governor Newsom on Twitter this weekend after Newsom toured a new shelter for asylum seekers funded by California taxpayer dollars.

"I hope the grandstanding Governor of California is able to spend his very highly taxed citizens money on asylum holds more efficiently than money has been spent on the so-called Fast Train, which is $Billions over budget & in total disarray," the president tweeted on Saturday. "Time to reduce taxes in California!"

RELATED: Court rules that rejected asylum seekers can appeal in US court system

In response, Newsom tweeted, "A simple choice: An America that separates kids from their parents and dumps LEGAL asylum seekers on our streets... - or - A country that lives up to its ideals, cares for its children, and provides food, medical care, and shelter for families in need."

Newsom defended the shelter by stating that the federal government should be providing aid to asylum seekers.

"The federal government should be doing this," he said. "It's the federal government's responsibility. These are people who came here legally, I just want to pause and reflect on that. These are people that came through the process legally, seeking asylum legally."

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter

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You could spend years transforming your abode into a vintage pad that would make Don Draper feel right at home. Or you could skip all the work and snap up this time-capsule ranch in Palm Springs, CA, which is back on the market for $1.7 million, listed with Kenny Jervis with Berkshire Hathaway HomeService.

Built in 1969 in the Twin Palms neighborhood, the 3,350-square-foot home comes completely furnished, so a buyer doesnt have to scour the internet for acid-hued floral sofas or macrame wall hangings. And it's apparent the sellers of this three-bedroom, three-bathroom property took its decor very seriously.

The purchase price includes everything down to the coffee table books and the booze in the bar, according to Jervis. And the jukebox actually works.

The listing is being pitched to all kinds of newspapers around the U.S., he says of his marketing strategy. Were targeting the New YorkL.A. movie types, the urbanites who want a time capsule. Lots of the L.A. movie crowd all have houses in Palm Springs.

Ten percent of the country loves this design but only 1% can afford it, Jervis says. Weve had really great interest but no physical offers yet. A potential buyer from Barcelona toured the property via FaceTime and plans to fly out to see it soon.

Two guys flew out from New York last week, says Jervis. They fell in love with it and then disappeared. He points to several new hotel openings, including Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel, as driving more interest in the area.

Featured on the Netflix show Stay Here, the property was available as an Airbnb rental for $1,100 per night. Which means a return on investment remains a real possibility as long as you're into the idea of opening this classic design to travelers.

And if youre the type who abhors fix-it projects, this is your ideal property.

Every detail of the house is in perfect condition and shape, says Jervis. Theres very little wear and tear.

This vintage vibe even includes a relatively new popcorn ceiling, a request that stunned the contractor: Nobody puts up popcorn now, he says.

Among the home's many charms is an all-pink master bath. Vintage velvet-flocked wallpaper in the entryway and den, combined with shag carpeting, are also true to the 1970s. A floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the living room is joined by wood paneling on the walls.

It's also a home well-suited to entertaining. A three-seat bar next to the jukebox features wood paneling as a backdrop. The kitchen was updated around 18 months ago by the current ownerswho have had the property for less than two yearsto accommodate todays lifestyle, adding Caesarstone countertops and hand-painted Moroccan tile flooring.

Outdoor entertaining will be a breeze for the next owners. Everything is wrapped around the pool to enhance the mountain views, says Jervis. This includes hedges, white rock, flowerbeds, and ficus trees.

So, a buyer's only decision will be whether to move right into this turnkey retro palace or run it as a lucrative vacation rental. It's truly a win-win.

The post Amazing Palm Springs Time Capsule Awaits a Buyer Who Loves Vintage Vibes appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
By now, most air travelers have heard about the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash shortly after take off on Sunday morning involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet. It's the same make and model of the Lion Air jet that dove into the sea on October 29, 2018 shortly after taking off from Jakarta.

Thankfully, the black boxes on the Ethiopian Airlines jet were recovered on Monday, and we will soon have a much better idea about what caused the crash. At that point, the FAA, Boeing and airlines will likely draw conclusions and make decisions about how to proceed.

But until then, it's only natural that flyers in the Bay Area and around the world are concerned about stepping onto one of these jets.

The easiest way to tell if you your 737 is a MAX jet by looking at the engines  if you see serrated, toothy rear edges, it's a MAX. Other versions of the 737 have round edges. You can also look at the wingtip  MAX jets have special "double" tips pointing up and down. Older 737s have winglets that point up only. And you can always look up your flight on apps like FlightAware, which will tell you which plane you are on. (See live map of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets inflight right now. )

The good news for Bay Area flyers is that there are only a handful of Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets operating from airports in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. (See slideshow at the top of this post for a look at distinguishing features of the 737 MAX 8 jet)

American and Southwest are the only two domestic airlines serving the Bay Area that operate the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Air Canada flies the MAX 8 between SFO and Toronto. United and Copa fly the 737 MAX 9 variant. Alaska Air does not fly Boeing's MAX aircraft yet, however, it is scheduled to start getting MAX 9 jets this summer. Delta does not operate any Boeing MAX aircraft.

More for you Brothers from Redding among victims in Ethiopian Airlines crash

-American, with a fleet of 962 planes, has about 25 MAX 8s.

-Southwest has about 35 MAX 8s out of its fleet of 755 jets in its all-Boeing-737 fleet. The carrier's recent proving runs for flights to Hawaii were on Boeing 737-800 jets, although it plans to eventually fly the MAX series to the islands.

-United, with a fleet of 777 jets, does not fly the Boeing 737 MAX 8. But it does fly 14 of the larger Boeing 737 MAX 9s.

-Copa Airlines, which flies nonstop between San Francisco to Panama City uses two Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets on both of its daily flights.

-Air Canada flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8 between SFO and Toronto twice per day.

Among US carriers, the overwhelming number of 737s now flying are of the -600, -700, -800, and -900 series.

Currently, US airlines are not offering change fee or fare difference waivers for passengers booked to fly on MAX 8 jets. However, Southwest does not charge change fees, so passengers are only on the hook for any difference in fare.

Important: The 737 MAX 8 jet is not the same as the older and much more prevalent Boeing 737-800.

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In a statement to employees today, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, "Boeing has delivered more than 370 737 MAX airplanes to 47 customers. Since its certification and entry into service, the MAX family has completee hundreds of thousands of flights safely. We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX and in the work of the men and women who design and build it."

How do you feel about flying on a Boeing 737? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

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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.
BEIRUT  While the final battle to retake the Islamic States last pocket of territory rages in eastern Syria, violence is escalating in the countrys northwest, pitting al Qaeda-linked militants against Syrian government forces.

The alarming violence in the Idlib region threatens to unravel a truce reached between Turkey and Russia last year that averted a bloody assault by the government to retake the province, the last major rebel stronghold in war-torn Syria. The escalation raises fears once more of a major assault by the forces of President Bashar Assad.

Idlib has been in the hands of opposition forces for years, even as Assads military has succeeded in retaking other rebel enclaves one after the other. The province is now home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other former opposition territory. Earlier this year, al Qaeda-linked militants took over the province, squeezing out most other factions after clashes with Turkey-backed opposition fighters.

Since then, government forces have intensified air strikes and bombardment of Idlib towns. Since mid-February, some 100,000 people have been displaced, largely by government bombardment, and have fled to villages deeper in rebel-held territory, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The group said that around 140 people, including 69 civilians, have been killed.

The mounting violence points to how Syrias nearly 8-year-long civil war still has the capability to burst once more into major bloodshed. The focus of the U.S. and other countries has been on defeating the Islamic State, which once held eastern and northern Syria, and Assads conflict with his opponents has quieted in recent months after government victories and the truce. But the root of that conflict remains.

The militants, from an al Qaeda-linked group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for the Levant Liberation Committee, have also stepped up their attacks  in retaliation, they say, for the government bombardment.

Earlier this month, militants attacked several Syrian army positions on the edge of Idlib in the village of Masasneh, killing nearly two dozen soldiers  one of the most serious attacks on government forces since the truce reached in September.

Russia, which backs Assad, and Turkey, which supports opposition factions, put together the truce in September. They agreed to establish a 9-12 miles deep demilitarized zone in Idlib in which they said militants will not have a presence.

Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer.
RIO DE JANEIRO  Police on Tuesday arrested two suspects in the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, a brazen assassination that shocked and angered Brazilians and sparked protests in several countries.

The arrest of the men came two days before the anniversary of the killings on March 14, 2018. While police had questioned many people, before Tuesday nobody had been arrested or charged in the shooting of Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes.

Two men, both former police officers, were taken into custody early Tuesday, a police spokesman said. Per agency protocol, the spokesman asked that his name not be used.

Police identified the suspects as Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz. Lessa allegedly shot Franco and De Queiroz allegedly drove a car involved in the shooting, the spokesman said. Franco and Gomes were returning from a meeting Franco had attended on empowering black women when their car was attacked.

Franco, who was black, lesbian, and grew up in one of Rio de Janeiros roughest neighborhoods, cut a stark image in Brazil, where most politicians are white men. She had been a frequent critic of police violence, particularly in poor neighborhoods called favelas.

Marches were planned for Thursday, the anniversary of the killings.

Police and politicians in the state of Rio de Janeiro have been under intense pressure to solve the case, which apparently involved sophisticated plans by the assassins, right down to making sure surveillance cameras were shut off on the street where the attack happened. Months after the hit, police even went to the trouble to recreate the crime scene, shutting down a large swath of downtown Rio for a day in attempts to gather clues.

Throughout the investigation, there have been numerous media leaks and optimistic statements by authorities about getting close to solving the case, drawing sharp criticism from the family of Franco and human rights groups that argued such actions lowered the chances of getting justice.

Marcelo Freixo, a state legislator and friend of Franco from the same left-leaning party, told Globo TV the arrests were an important step, but the case has not been resolved.

Peter Prengaman is an Associated Press writer.
Emma Theissen Alvarez says she will never forget the faces of the three men who came to her Guatemala City house that day in 1981 looking for her daughter, a student leader who had escaped from her military captors. When they did not find their target, they grabbed her 14-year-old son, Marco Antonio, instead.

She never saw her boy again.

For years, the family said nothing, mute in its pain. But when Alvarez and her three daughters finally went to court, helping secure the convictions of retired military commanders of crimes against humanity, they found a sort of healing.

One feels that one is doing something to bring a little justice to Marco Antonio, said Alvarez, who is now 84.

Now that justice is in peril.

In a reversal that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago, Guatemalan lawmakers are moving forward with a proposal to grant amnesty for war crimes committed during the countrys brutal 36-year civil war.

The bill, scheduled for a vote Wednesday, would free more than 30 former army officers, soldiers and civil defense patrolmen within 24 hours and halt investigations into thousands of cases.

The amnesty has gained traction in Congress as part of a reaction against a broader fight against impunity and corruption, analysts said. What originally seemed like a push from the fringes of the far right seemed to gather force as President Jimmy Morales, battered by allegations of graft, turned to the military for support.

Its a reflection of the weakening of the rule of law in Guatemala, said Alejandro Rodriguez, a former Guatemalan justice official.

Backers of the amnesty say they are simply trying to move on and promote peace.

The courts have been infiltrated with judges and prosecuting attorneys with ideological inclinations to one side, the left-wing side, which are the guerrillas, the congressman who introduced the amnesty law, Fernando Linares, said in a recent interview in Guatemala City.

But for victims and their families, the bill is like a denial of justice and a negation of history, said Edgar Perez, a human rights lawyer who has brought war crimes cases to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and Guatemalan courts. For the victims, the sentence is their certificate of truth. It is their history.

Perez and other human-rights experts say that the proposed amnesty is unconstitutional and that it violates international treaties, the 1996 peace accords that ended the civil war, and rulings from Guatemalas highest court.

More than 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during Guatemalas bloody conflict between the countrys military and leftist insurgents, according to a United Nations truth commission.

Elizabeth Malkin is a New York Times writer.
HEJERE, Ethiopia  Much of the world, including the entire European Union, grounded the Boeing jetliner involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash or banned it from their airspace, leaving the United States on Tuesday as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

The European Aviation Safety Agency took steps to keep the Boeing 737 Max 8 out of the air, joining Asian and Middle Eastern governments and carriers that also gave in to safety concerns in the aftermath of Sundays crash, which killed all 157 people on board.

Referring to the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people last year, European regulators said that similar causes may have contributed to both events.

British regulators indicated possible trouble with a reportedly damaged flight data recorder, saying they based their decision on the fact that they did not get sufficient information from the recorder.

Gol Airlines of Brazil, Cayman Airways, Ethiopian Airways, Icelandair Jet Airways of India, Aeromexico, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Turkish Airlines, Eastar Jet of South Korea, Smartwings of the Czech Republic and LOT of Poland were among the latest carriers to halt use of the Boeing model. Ireland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore suspended all flights into or out of their cities.

A Turkish Airlines official said two Britain-bound planes returned to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.

U.S.-based Boeing has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. It does not intend to issue new recommendations about the aircraft to customers. Its technical team joined American, Israeli, Kenyan and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of Lion Airs Boeing 737 Max 8 in October.

Some U.S. airlines expressed support for the Boeing model, and American Airlines and Southwest continued flying them. A vice president for American, the worlds biggest carrier, which has 24 Max 8s, said they had full confidence in the aircraft.

Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons too soon with the Lion Air crash in October.

Elias Meseret and Yidnek Kirubel are Associated Press writers.
MELBOURNE, Australia  The most senior Catholic to be convicted of child sex abuse was sentenced in an Australian court on Wednesday to six years in prison for molesting two choirboys in a Melbourne cathedral more than 20 years ago.

Victoria state County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd on Wednesday ordered Cardinal George Pell to serve a minimum of 3 years and 8 months before he is eligible for parole. Each of the five convictions against Pell carried a maximum possible sentence of 10 years each.

In my view, your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance, Kidd said in handing down the sentence.

Pope Francis former finance minister was convicted by a unanimous jury verdict in December of orally raping a 13-year-old choirboy and indecently dealing with the boy and the boys 13-year-old friend in the late 1990s, months after Pell became archbishop of Melbourne. A court order had suppressed media reporting the news until last month.

The 77-year-old denies the allegations and will appeal his convictions in the Victoria Court of Appeal on June 5.

In explaining his sentencing decision, the judge said Pell had led an otherwise blameless life. Kidd said he believed given Pells age and lack of any other criminal record, the cardinal posed no risk of re-offending.

The judge also took pains to note that he was sentencing Pell for the offenses on which the cardinal had been convicted  and not for the sins of the Catholic Church.

But the judge also noted that Pell had abused his position of power and had shown no remorse for his crimes.

After centuries of impunity, cardinals from Australia to Chile and points in between are facing justice in both the Vatican and government courts for their own sexual misdeeds or for having shielded abusers under their watch.

Last week, Frances senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, was convicted of failing to report a known pedophile priest to police. Barbarin was given a six-month suspended sentence.

Pope Francis last month defrocked the onetime leader of the American church after an internal investigation determined Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually molested children and adult men. It was the first time a cardinal had been defrocked over the child abuse scandal.

One of Pells victims died of a heroin overdose in 2014 at the age of 31 without ever reporting the abuse.

The survivor made a statement against Pell the following year to a police task force set up to investigate allegations that arose from a state parliamentary inquiry into handling of child abuse by religious and other nongovernment organizations.

Australian law prohibits the publication of sex crime victims identities.

Rod McGuirk is an Associated Press writer.
DAKAR, Senegal  Intercommunal violence that left at least 535 people dead in western Congo may amount to crimes against humanity, according to a report by U.N. investigators released on Tuesday that cited witnesses saying village chiefs helped plan the violence.

The massacre took place over three days in December, not long before the countrys long-delayed presidential election. Violence erupted in Yumbi between the Banunu and Batende communities after a dispute over a burial for a Banunu customary chief.

The attacks followed strikingly similar patterns and were characterized by extreme violence and speed, leaving little time for people to escape, the U.N. said.

Banunu villagers were targeted with weapons including firearms and gasoline, the investigation found.

The death toll is likely to be higher because victims bodies are believed to have been dumped in the nearby Congo River, the U.N. said.

The similarity in the way the attacks were carried out indicated prior consultation and organization, the report said. Certain chiefs of Batende-majority villages were cited by many sources as having taken part in the planning of the attacks.

The U.N. investigators expressed concern that not enough had been done to prevent the violence and that the risk of conflict remains.

Provincial authorities appear to have failed in their responsibility to protect the population, the report said. In spite of clear signs of rising tensions and an increased risk of violence, no steps were taken to reinforce security ahead of the attacks.

Congos electoral commission barred voting in Yumbi because of the massacre, a controversial decision that also affected some 1 million people in eastern areas affected by an Ebola outbreak.

In another development this week, a former vice president of Congo who was acquitted on appeal of war crimes in Central African Republic is seeking millions of dollars in compensation from the International Criminal Court, his lawyers said.

Lawyers for Jean-Pierre Bemba last week filed an application asking judges at the global court to award Bemba a total of nearly $77 million for what they called a miscarriage of justice.

Krista Larson is an Associated Press writer.
Page Content

Last year, Los Angeles business owner Aquila Leon-Soon learned of an internship program that helps young people who have troubled backgrounds. She immediately signed up to host an intern, and said she is very happy with her decision.

Leon-Soon is the chief executive officer of ATS + Partners, an organizational development and leadership strategy firm. Her company hired an intern through the Creating Opportunities and Real Experiences (CORE) program, which was recently launched by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles County.

The initiative offers work experience for at-risk young adults, some of whom have criminal records. The participants are matched with local businesses for an eight-week internship, and the county subsidizes the wages they earn.

"Having a stable job is the single most important factor in helping an individual not recidivate and go back to jail," said Gerry Feeney, director of the chamber's Smart Justice initiative, which includes the CORE program.

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Another program goal is to provide new talent for businesses. And that's exactly what Leon-Soon gained. Her company signed up to have an intern at its Los Angeles office to help with research. Although the 24-year-old intern had faced legal troubles, he was productive and eager to learn, and the firm hired him as a full-time employee when the internship ended.

"The program allows [participants] to get back on track and have a fresh start," Leon-Soon said.

Program Details

Young adults ages 18 to 24 are eligible for internships. The program is aimed at people with troubled backgrounds, such as those on probation or with incarcerated parents.

Participants receive training and undergo a background check before being placed with a company. The county handles the background check through America's Job Center of California. The background screening is used to help with the placement process, and program administrators try to ensure that the offense has no relation to the job duties.

In addition, chamber staff interview participants to determine if they can be certified as "work ready" and eligible for entry-level internships. If not, they can participate in pre-entry-level internships. When matching interns with businesses, the intern's career interests are kept in mind.

Interns work Monday through Thursday, and Fridays are reserved for professional development and mentoring.

The CORE program launched in 2018 with about 40 businesses, though only 20 young adults completed the training program and were ready to start work. The second cohort will start their internships in April, and Feeney hopes that about 60 young adults will be placed for this phase.

Feeney noted that there are other similar programs in the U.S., but the CORE program differs from the others in some ways. For instance, CORE focuses on administrative jobs in high-growth sectors, whereas many programs focus on manual labor.

Smart Justice

The CORE program is part of the chamber's Smart Justice initiative, which launched in response to Proposition 47. The California 2014 ballot measure changed the way certain low-level offenses are classified, reducing them from felonies to misdemeanors.

In light of Proposition 47, the chamber examined ways to help young adults who are on probation. At the time, Feeney worked at the transportation company DHL. He received a chamber newsletter discussing the Smart Justice program, and it sparked his interest.

Feeney's background helps him in his role with the program. In the late 1990s, he served time in a juvenile detention center, where he earned his GED. Later, he had a felony conviction as an adult and faced some employment barriers because of it. Ultimately, his felony was expunged, which enabled him to have career success.

Feeney has turned his life around. "I've proven that people who make bad decisions  can turn out to be some of the best employees," he said.

Opportunities

CORE participants can boost their career prospects in many ways. "They learn skills, get exposure to the business world, and develop relationships with businesses," Feeney said.

The interns often bring resilience, enthusiasm and perseverance to the workplace. They're good at overcoming adversity, and they generally work well in high-stress environments, he noted. Also, he added, they're so grateful for job opportunities that "they tend to stick around."

Participating businesses might be pleasantly surprised by the interns' attitudes and skills, according to Feeney. Companies are told that if the intern is impressive, "we would love that person to stay with the company and become a full-time employee," he said.

At a time of low unemployment, it's in everybody's best interest to consider hiring those with criminal backgrounds, he added.

Compliance Issues

The CORE program is timely, in light of state and local efforts to remove employment barriers for those with criminal histories. California's "ban-the-box" law prohibits employers from asking about an applicant's criminal background before making a conditional job offer. Additionally, under a Los Angeles ordinance, companies must follow a detailed process before declining to hire applicants based on their criminal records.

So if a business seeks to hire a CORE program intern as a full-time employee after the internship, should there be another background check? That will depend on the business, the position and other factors, according to Andrew Hoag, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Los Angeles.

If a company decides to run a background check, then it must comply with procedures specified in California and Los Angeles laws, Hoag said. For instance, the employer must wait until it makes a conditional employment offer before conducting the background screening.

Toni Vranjes is a freelance business writer in San Pedro, Calif.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking for the publics help to locate a 32-year-old woman who has been reported missing from her home in Stapleton.

Evelyn Furchell, 32, was last seen on Thursday at about 5 a.m. in front of her home on Wandel Avenue, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Police described Furchell as having brown eyes and black hair. She stands about 54 and weighs about 200 pounds.

People with information are urged to contact the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS) or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782 (PISTA). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Update: Residents of Wild Avenue in Travis believe the animal is a dog who lives at a home on the block.

--

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A photo of an animal purportedly stalking around Travis is generating plenty of social media buzz on Tuesday, as hundreds of concerned borough residents share the image, citing its strong resemblance to a coyote.

The posters claim the sighting occurred in Travis Monday morning, though they dont specifically state where in the community it was.

The furry, four-legged animal is seen walking on the front lawn of a home.

The image has been posted to animal and watch groups on Facebook, and has garnered hundreds of comments and shares as users speculate.

Take note: Spotted in Travis this morning a coyote is roaming the neighborhood, one man who shared the photo said. Watch your children and pets.

Oh my God, that is so scary, replied one user.

Thats a Husky, not a coyote, another reader answers.

Looks like it has a collar, said another.

Some readers said they recognized it as a dog that lives in the area, even posting a missing flier of a Husky bearing a strong resemblance to the animal, though it wasnt clear where or when the flier was from.

No one picked up when the Advance called the number on the flier.

Is it a husky or a coyote? A close up of the animal.

Others speculated it was a coywolf, a cross between coyotes and wolves which, according to SmithsonianMag.com, have spread successfully over much of the eastern North America.

Dr. Paul D. Curtis, extension wildlife specialist in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, believed the animal indeed was a coyote.

This is a likely coyote sighting, he said. The coloration and body form are correct, and the animal has a black tail tip similar to most coyotes. Also, the animal is walking with the tail-down position characteristic of coyotes. Many dogs walk with the tail-up position. It does not look like a Husky dog to me.

In 2016, the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued a warning about dealing with wild coyotes in urban areas, cautioning the animals are well adapted to suburban and even urban environments, but for the most part they will avoid contact with people.

In 2012, Curtis, the co-principal investigator for the New York Suburban Coyote Study, confirmed a coyote sighting at the former Fresh Kills landfill. That sighting, coincidentally also near Travis, was in a field where tall grass recently had been cut down.

There have been reports of coyote sightings in Long Island, Queens and even Central Park he told the Advance at the time.

"It is just a matter of time before dispersing coyotes figure out how to cross the bridges at night and get onto [the Island], he said then.

On the other hand, it also wouldnt be the first time a wayward dog was mistaken for a coyote either.

In 2017, a report of a coyote in Graniteville sparked an NYPD response, but the animal turned out to be a pooch, a German shepherd/Husky mix that escaped from its owners yard.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 72-year-old doctor who lives on Staten Island and admitted to orchestrating a massive $16 million pill-mill scheme in which nearly 4 million oxycodone pills were doled out at two Brooklyn clinics, is trading in his medical license for a prison cell.

Dr. Lazar Feygin pleaded guilty Monday in Manhattan state Supreme Court to 16 felony charges, including multiple counts of health-care fraud, conspiracy and criminal sale of a prescription, said city Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan in a statement.

In April 2017, Feygin was among 13 suspects, including another Staten Islander, former Brooklyn State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, a second physician and five other medical practitioners, who were indicted in the scam, said authorities.

All told, the defendants, operating three medical clinics, pumped more than 6.3 million opioid pills into the black market between 2012 and the early part of 2017, officials said in announcing the arrests.

They allegedly generated more than $24 million in revenue.

Authorities said Feygin and the other doctor, Paul McClung, 59, who lives in Valley Stream, L.I., fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid millions of dollars for unnecessary medical tests.

Feygin, McClung and their co-defendants induced patients to submit to the exams by giving them prescriptions for oxycodone for no legitimate medical reason, authorities said.

Those individuals, in turn, used or resold the drugs on the black market, said authorities.

Feygin owned Parkville Medical Health in Brooklyn's Kensington section and LF Medical Service of N.Y. in Clinton Hill, said authorities.

McClung, who broke off from Feygin's practice in 2013, created PM Medical, also in Brooklyn, officials said.

Over a five-year period ending in early 2017, Feygin's clinics prescribed more than 3.7 million oxycodone pills, collecting upwards of $16 million in revenue, said authorities.

Meanwhile, patients at McClung's clinic got more than 2.6 million pills, which generated more than $8 million in revenue, authorities said.

Feygin and McClung were among the top 10 highest reimbursed providers for MetroPlus Health Plan from 2014-2016, said officials.

McClung previously pleaded guilty to similar charges as Feygin and was sentenced to three years behind bars, plus civil restitution, said Brennan. He also forfeited his medical license, she said.

Prosecutors said Feygin laundered money through shell companies and lived high on the hog with his ill-gotten gains.

He frequently traveled overseas, regularly bought luxury items and had extensive real estate holdings, authorities said.

One of his purchases was a 9,000-square-foot mansion on McCully Avenue in Richmond.

Feygin snagged it for $2.3 million using tainted drug money, according to sources and public records.

In addition to Feygins pleas, guilty pleas were entered to money-laundering charges on behalf of his two companies.

In exchange for his pleas, Feygin is expected to be sentenced on April 23 to five years in prison, plus a forfeiture of his medical license, said Brennan.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors are also overseeing a civil forfeiture action against Feygin, Brennan said.

James Froccaro, Feygins lawyer, declined comment when reached by phone.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Cooking was the cause of Monday afternoons fire that left one individual with severe burn wounds.

The victim, only currently identified as a female, received bad burn wounds as a result of the fire and is considered to be in critical condition, according to an FDNY spokeswoman.

The incident was reported as a small fire at 388 Richmond Terrace, the Advance previously reported.

The woman was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, according to the FDNY.

Both NYPD and FDNY personnel were on the scene, and the odor of smoke was present in the area.

A resident, who asked to be identified only as Louis, said he saw a patient being loaded into an ambulance.
STATEN ISLAND, NY -- IKEA, which opened a fulfillment center in Matrix Global Logistic Park in Bloomfield last year, is looking to hire 400 more people after already employing 100 workers.

The 975,000-square-foot facility is located less than 20 miles from downtown Manhattan and is operated by CEVA Logistics.

All available positions will be listed on the CEVA careers website along with descriptions as they become available, said an Ikea spokesman. Currently, there is one listing for freight handler/forklift operator.

We are excited to join the Staten Island business community with the opening of our newest fulfillment center, said Pam Andrews, IKEA distribution operations manager USA. The new facility is an important addition to our distribution network allowing us to meet delivery needs of our New York-area customers with greater agility and speed.

The best way to apply for jobs at the new Staten Island unit and see which roles are available is by going directly to the CEVA careers website at: https://www.cevalogistics.com/careers.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Its possible that New Jersey lawmakers will vote in two weeks to legalize recreational marijuana, according to an NJ.com report.

Following an agreement hashed out Monday night between Gov. Phil Murphy and top lawmakers, the goal is for both the state Senate and Assembly to vote on March 25, sources recently told the publication.

Murphy and his fellow Democrats who lead the state Legislature will now try to whip up the votes they need from lawmakers to pass the measure. The governor would then need to sign the bill for it to become law.

New Jersey would become the 11th state, in addition to Washington D.C., to legalize marijuana.

If that happens, Staten Islanders could cross the border, purchase cannabis products and return home; though doing so would be in violation of federal and New York State laws.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been pushing for lawmakers to complete the regulatory framework for legalization as part of the budgetary process, but has since stated hes no longer confident that will happen by the budget deadline on April 1.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio assured he would take action to address early lunch periods in New York Citys public schools, according to a report from the New York Daily News.

An Advance analysis of high school lunch periods found that six Staten Island high schools have early lunch periods starting before 10 a.m.

During a press conference announcing that the citys public schools will serve all-vegetarian breakfast and lunch menus every Monday, the mayor told reporters that offering early school lunches has to change and its unacceptable, according to the Daily News.

We all understand some schools are dealing with real challenges in terms of number of kids in the school, the amount space in the cafeteria, but this is not the way its supposed to be, de Blasio said, according to the Daily News. So, we have to come up with changes that will allow kids to eat lunch when its lunch time. It may take some time and some real resources but we have to find a way.

City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said lunch should be served in the middle of the day, not during a time when breakfast or brunch would be served, said the report.

These schools include: Susan E. Wagner High School, Seaview; Curtis High School, St. George; Ralph R. McKee High School, St. George; New Dorp High School; Tottenville High School, Huguenot; and Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School, New Springville.

Last month, the Advance spoke to some students at Susan E. Wagner High School who said they were able to get through the day without trouble, while others said they would bring snacks to eat during class.

Its way too early, said Sukaina Minal, a senior at Wagner High School. You cant eat lunch at that time -- people are barely awake. It gets really tiring. It gets harder to get through the day, because when you have lunch in the middle -- it divides the day, but if its so early, the day just drags on.

Department of Education (DOE) officials said the city is working to formalize an informal rule where schools are loosely instructed to begin lunch after 11 a.m., the Daily News reported.

The DOE told the Advance last month that when developing schedules each year, principals are advised through the director of operations at their borough office that lunch should begin no earlier than the fourth period of the day when possible.

Education officials added that the DOEs Office of Food and Nutrition Services is focused on formalizing this guidance and working with school communities, borough offices and superintendents to address the unique needs of every school, including their space and time limitations.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island hospitals have missed out on Medicare dollars since 2015 due to programs put in place by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a database published by a nonprofit organization.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made deductions in Medicare payments to Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) and Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) as part of two quality-assurance programs put in place by the 2010 ACA, also known as Obamacare.

A database published March 1 by Kaiser Health News Service (KHNS) found CMS data showed more than half the nations hospitals will be penalized in federal fiscal year 2019 under the Hospital Readmission Reductions Program (HRRP), and 800 U.S. hospitals will be affected by the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program (HACRP).

Both borough hospitals have received penalties under the HACRP since fiscal year 2017 that amount to 1 percent of Medicare payments for discharged patients, according to the data.

The government penalizes the 25 percent of hospitals nationwide -- excluding those in Maryland -- with the worst rates for conditions like pressure sores or hip fractures after surgery acquired at their facilities, according to CMS.

Maryland is exempt from the program, because it operates under a waiver agreement, according to CMS.

Under the HRRP in 2019, RUMC and SIUH respectively received .77 and .71 percent reductions per patient per stay, according to the database published by KHNS, which put both near the national average of .7 percent.

The most a hospital can be penalized under the HRRP is 3 percent.

Both programs were set up as part of CMS efforts to link payments to quality of care, ultimately reducing costs to the entitlement programs, but they have been met with criticism.

A pair of 2015 studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found cause for reform in both programs.

A review of the hospitals penalized by the HACRP found those hospitals often had more quality accreditations, offered advanced services, were major teaching institutions, and had better performance on other process and outcome measures."

Those findings led researchers to believe the way HACRP assesses penalties merits reconsideration to ensure it is achieving the intended goals, according to the report.

RUMC Director of Public Relations and Marketing Alex Lutz said hospitals like the one in West Brighton can be disproportionately penalized, and that the hospital continues to strive toward providing the best care for its patients.

A spokesman for SIUH did not respond to a request for comment.

Akin Demehin, the director of quality policy at the American Hospital Association, said the in a written statement that the HACRP "results in arbitrary penalties that do not advance patient safety and the design of the program remains deeply flawed and tends to unfairly penalize hospitals caring for patients with complex health needs.

He also took issue with penalizations under the HRRP pointing to a congressional requirement that CMS take sociodemographic factors like patient age and economic status when adjusting the penalties starting in 2019.

Americas hospitals and health systems have made substantial progress in reducing unnecessary readmissions, thereby improving quality and enhancing care coordination, Demehin said in the statement.

At the same time, a significant body of research shows that readmissions performance is impacted by poverty, availability of resources and other social risk factors beyond hospitals control.

RUMCs penalty fell from 1.5 percent in 2018, but the penalty levied against SIUH rose from .6, according to the data published by KHNS.

Lutz said the socioeconomic needs of the hospitals patients have added to the hospitals readmission numbers.
BY JOSEPH OSTAPIUK AND KRISTIN F. DALTON

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The chairman of the alleged fake nonprofit, Second Chance Resources Group Inc., toted a bogus City Council badge to attend community events and further the alleged fraudulent charity scheme, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Renauld Gregg, 39, who -- along with Cherynne Caro, 35 -- was able to pocket more than $220,000 in City Council discretionary funding, used a City Council ID badge to trick people into believing he worked for the Council, the source said.

Specifically, Gregg and Caro took $178,000 in funding from the city Department of Health and Hygiene (DOHMH) and approximately $41,660 in funding from the city Department of Youth and Development (DYCD) between 2016 and 2018, according to a release by the city Department of Investigation (DOI).

The funds were provided to the charity for services that were never provided, authorities allege.

On the Second Chance website, the organization is listed as a nonprofit, charitable and educational multi-service organization dedicated to addressing the numerous issues of the community.

Greggs use of the phony badge helped lead the City Council to alert the Department of Investigation (DOI) about the alleged scheme, the source explained.

Gregg also provided the City Council with a fake name in order to throw people off in the application process, the source said.

Greggs criminal history likely would have prevented Second Chance Inc. from receiving any funding, a source previously told the Advance.

THE VETTING PROCESS

According to the source, the nonprofit applied for and received $140,060 for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. In addition, funds were applied for in the years 2018 through 2020, but no money was disbursed after suspicions arose.

While the City Council is responsible for allocating the aforementioned funding, the organization does not write or administer contracts. Rather, city agencies are tasked with executing contracts under the citys procurement rules.

These rules, according to the citys procurement book, are designed to provide supplies and services necessary for accomplishment of an agencys mission" after the organization has been cleared by the Mayors Office of Contract Services.

Additionally, the City Council does not do on the spot checks on the activities the groups are supposed to deliver, the source said.

Rather, City agencies give out the money, and usually do more extensive vetting, including on-site visits, according to the source.

A spokesman for the City Council said: The Council is grateful to DOI for taking action after we alerted them to issues surrounding this non-profit. However, this case demonstrates that a review of how agencies monitor vendors and service delivery is in order.

THE CHARGES

Gregg and Caro, who are both currently listed as board members of the nonprofit, have each been charged with second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny and third-degree welfare fraud, according to a criminal complaint.

In addition to the alleged theft, Gregg and Caro committed welfare fraud by falsifying an application for rental assistance from the citys Human Resources Administration (HRA), a criminal complaint alleges.

Gregg and Caro allegedly falsified claims that Caro needed $6,200 in emergency rental assistance to pay her purported landlord -- the charity Second Chance, according to the DOI release.

In a related scheme between 2014 and 2017, a criminal complaint alleges that Gregg also failed to report income, in excess of $3,000 and $1,000 respectively, from Second Chance in his personal income tax filings.

In 2009, Gregg was sentenced to 18 months to three years in prison for stealing approximately $31,100 from his then-girlfriend and her parents, the city Department of Investigation said.

That same year, he was also convicted of third-degree grand larceny for impersonating an attorney and stealing approximately $156,877 from an acquaintance by keeping the proceeds of the sale of her home. He was sentenced to three to six years of incarceration, the Advance previously reported.

Multiple Staten Islanders who were listed as board members of the alleged scheme said that they had no knowledge of the charity and never attended any board meetings for the organization.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Maria Sprizzo received an astronomical Con Edison bill to her Great Kills home in early 2018, she didnt know what to do.

Im reading this thing, and it says that I owe them $2,000, the 83-year-old Sprizzo said. "I called (the utility company) to no avail. Then I read it carefully and I noticed that the letter was addressed to the pole -- a wooden pole in front of my house. You dont write to a pole, if youre normal.

She continued to receive bills in her mailbox addressed to Charter Communications, with her exact Durant Avenue street address followed by the word pole. All the while, she continued to receive her actual monthly bill.

A recent bill sent to a wooden pole -- the exact address is protected for privacy reasons.

In addition to the almost-monthly pole bills, she began receiving service termination notices. The most recent correspondence with the pole came Feb. 22.

I kept protesting and calling up, and none of them helped, she said. Im 83 years old. Why are they putting me through this? Im a nice woman.

Allan Drury, a spokesman for Con Edison, was able to provide some clarity on why the bills and notices of termination kept being delivered to Sprizzo.

The customer on the pole, which according to the correspondence is Charter Communications, is in arrears, according to Drury. He added that Con Edison is following its standard procedure by sending the bill to the pole and to a post office box in St. Louis, Mo.

Drury did not provide information on a third address in the Woodside section of Queens listed on the termination notices.

He said Sprizzo was never at risk of having her service shut off, and was not expected to pay the bill.

She said she just wants the letters to stop.

That mail comes into my box every month, Sprizzo said Monday. What theyre doing is completely wrong.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If you have already filed your taxes, you may be wondering when to expect to see your refund.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which began processing tax returns on Jan. 28, more than nine of out of 10 refunds are issued in less than 21 days.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that the easiest way to check on a tax refund is Wheres My Refund?," which is an online tool available on IRS.gov and through the IRS2Go app. The fastest way to get a refund is to use IRS e-file and direct deposit.

CHECK YOUR STATUS

Using the Wheres My Refund?" online tool, taxpayers can start checking on the status of their return within 24 hours after the IRS receives an e-filed return, or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper return.

You can check the status of your refund online by clicking here. You will need your Social security number, filing status and exact refund amount.

The tool has a tracker that displays progress through three phases: Return Received, Refund Approved and Refund Sent.

Taxpayers in New York State can also check the status of their return through the state Department of Taxation and Finances website by searching Check Your Refund. The tool is updated daily and is the fastest and most convenient way to know when to expect your refund.

TAX SCAMS

The IRS doesnt initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information.

The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS). However, there are special circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business.

The IRS listed several things it will never do:

Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.

Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

APRIL 15 DEADLINE

The filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is Monday, April 15, for most taxpayers.

Due to the Patriots Day holiday on April 15 in Maine and Massachusetts, and the Emancipation Day holiday on April 16 in Washington, D.C., taxpayers who live in Maine and Massachusetts have until April 17 to file their returns.

Victims affected by tornadoes and severe storms in Alabama have until July 31 to file certain individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- President Donald Trump signed a bill into law Tuesday that elected officials say is among the final preparatory steps before construction starts on a seawall along Staten Islands East Shore.

The Natural Resources Management Act includes Congressman Max Roses (D-Staten Island) legislation, which provides needed access for New York City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to federal land -- Miller Field -- for the construction of the seawall.

The project is one of the most significant and costly measures aimed at protecting the borough from future storms.

Finally getting the seawall legislation signed into law was a long time coming, but a huge step for so many families along the East Shore, Rose said. Now the real work begins, and Im going to be working hand in glove with the Army Corps and local community to ensure the seawall is built on-time and with minimal disruptionbecause these families have been waiting for too long and we need to make sure this is done right.

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE

The barrier will stretch from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach and includes a buried seawall with a raised promenade through a portion of Miller Field.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York), who originally authored the legislation with former Rep. Daniel Donovan, said that passage of the law puts the final piece in place before the project begins.

I am pleased we have formally and finally torn down the wall of federal bureaucracy holding up the construction of the seawall Staten Island needs for protection against the kind of devastating flooding we saw during Superstorm Sandy," Schumer said. This legislative fix, now signed by the president, gives the Army Corps and New York City the site access needed to construct and maintain the seawall. This easement was a final puzzle piece, and we got it done.

During a visit to the borough in February to support the legislation, Schumer said that work would begin shortly after the law was signed.

This is the last step. Within a few weeks after this legislation passes, the Army Corps will be starting to survey and build," Schumer said while on Staten Island. "The plans are all done. ... Flood insurance will go down, property values will increase, but most of all, people will be a lot safer.

Project timelines have put the start of construction in early 2020, and finishing by 2024.

PROJECT FUNDING

Funding for the project was already appropriated and authorized by the federal, state, and local governments.

Schumer secured $730 million in funding last year for the Army Corps. It was transferred into the then-recently passed federal budget deal for storm mitigation projects.

Along with the seawall, the Army Corps also plans to build a flood wall and levee, replacing one that was built in 2000 in Oakwood Beach.

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By Mercury , March . 11, 2019





CARACAS, March 10 (Reuters) - Venezuelans woke up to a fourth day of an unprecedented nationwide blackout on Sunday, leaving residents concerned about the impacts of the lack of electricity on the South American country's health, communications and transport systems.





Socialist President Nicolas Maduro - who is facing a challenge to his rule by the leader of the opposition-led congress, Juan Guaido - has blamed the blackout on an act of "sabotage" by the United States at the Guri hydroelectric dam, but experts say it is the outcome of years of underinvestment.

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The accepted wisdom in the Coalition seems to be that the only things on voters's minds at this state election are bread and butter issues like the cost of living and infrastructure. Yet a poll published by the Herald this week says different.

It turns out that 58 per cent of voters will consider policies on environment and climate change when they head to the polls on March 23. When asked for the most important issue in the election in the Ucomms/ReachTEL poll, 15 per cent of voters said it was the environment. That was a higher score than any issue except ability to manage the state's finances.

Most politicians on the Coalition side, however, are apparently missing this trend. At her campaign launch on the weekend, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW people "should have it all" but that promise did not appear to cover having a clean environment. She brought up the Coalition's flagship green pledge, cheap loans to households to install solar panels, but she couched it as an efficiency measure to cut power bills, only mentioning climate change as an after thought.

Gladys Berejiklian is barely mentioning the environment. Credit:AAP

Perhaps Ms Berejiklian is calculating that the environment is an inner-city trendy issue while the election will be decided in the bush and outer Sydney. The Coalition is certainly hoping to hold country seats such as Lismore, Upper Hunter and Barwon to ensure it retains majority government.
"The dog attacked the white boy [alpaca], then he went into the classic attack position on his hind legs and attacked the dog [in return]. "Then the dog turned to Mimosa. Mimosa is a tiny little girl. He [the dog] went to town on her. I hit the dog with a stick when I could. I was just yelling get him off, but there was no response. Mr Lantzke said the owner continued to film while the attack was happening. A friend of Mr Lantzke's, who had been holding the smaller alpaca, had to let go of the lead so she wasn't pulled to the ground. "Mimosa [the smaller alpaca] then ran off with the dog after her, and then one of the people in Winaga Place near the bottom end. One of the residents came down and said your alpaca ran up here.

Loading "We went up there as quickly as we could and Mimosa had tried to get home. When we found her, she was lying on the grass with a deep wound on her leg. The dog was nowhere to be seen. "The last I saw of the dog, he was being held by the owner, finally. "Mimosa was in terrible pain," Mr Lantzke said. "Both front legs were broken and her left leg had been bitten to the bone. I had to call the vet and she was euthanised."

Mr Lantzke said the male dog owner was between 25 and 30 years old. Alpaca Therapy has appealed for anyone with information, including anyone who sees the video of the attack, to let them know or contact Domestic Animal Services. Alpaca Therapy has brought joy and comfort to many Canberrans. Ms Dean, from the organisation, told The Canberra Times in July that people become more relaxed after they pat and talk with the alpacas. "It makes the environment a lot happier for everyone," she said at the time. The ACT Minister for City Services, Chris Steel, said that the incident was under investigation and he understood that Domestic Animal Services had reached out to the owners of the alpacas.

He said that there were strong penalties in place for any owner who did not have effective control over an animal, and services staff were trying to identify the dog owner in this incident. Mr Steel urged anyone with any information about this attack to provide it to Domestic Animal Services. "We are treating this very seriously [and] I have full confidence DAS will investigate," he said. While this was a matter for DAS, Mr Steel said the government would get in touch with police "to see if processes are correct", and to ensure a memorandum of understanding, which was created with police and government to cover these types of situations last year, was followed. He said new dog control laws were introduced in late 2017 and as of January 2019, 43 dangerous dogs had been euthanised.

"Strong action has been taken in relation to dog attacks. Laws are part of the solution and we think the laws in process are working but we also need to focus on dog owners," he said. He described it as "totally unacceptable to not have effective control of your dog in a public place, whether it is off-leash or in a leashed area". "There are strong penalties in place," he added, with up to 15 penalty units. at $160 a penalty unit, to not have a dog under effective control. He said fines of up to $2400 fines have been handed out to some dog owners. He said that his department would be "looking into all of the circumstances of this case".
Gillian Freeman, a British writer whose precise, richly detailed historical novels chronicled free spirits in Edwardian England and Nazi Germany, and who ventured outside the mainstream to write a pioneering study of pornography and a landmark work of gay literature, has died at a hospital in London aged 89.

Gillian Freeman's novel Leather Boys became a gay landmark title.

The cause was complications from dementia, said her husband, Edward Thorpe.

Freeman was working as a secretary for novelist Louis Golding when she began writing her first book, The Liberty Man (1955), about a middle-class schoolteacher and a cockney sailor whose love affair is stifled by the British class system.

She went on to write scripts for television, radio and an early Robert Altman film; scenarios for Royal Ballet choreographer Kenneth MacMillan; and about a dozen more novels, often featuring undercurrents of romance and mystery, with protagonists who are outcasts by virtue of their religion, class or sexuality.
Insurance outfit QBE Australia complained in this column last year it had "experienced a higher-than-expected cost of servicing Tesla policies", a refreshingly oblique explanation as to why their InsureMyTesla product was one of the most expensive policies known to man.

We wondered then whether the high-cost of that insurance indicated Tesla owners were worse drivers than average or more likely to be involved in insurance scams. We settled on the former.

QBE Australia has dropped its InsureMyTesla cover, even while its chief executive Vivek Bhati is a Tesla owner. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

Alas, Tesla's local aficionados can't even turn there to have their beloved cars covered anymore, with QBE dropping the InsureMyTesla policies on February 24.

So what will that mean for our favourite Tesla driver, QBE Australia chief executive Vivek Bhatia?
A British man has been charged following an alcohol-fuelled brawl in Sydney's inner west that left another man in a critical condition after being knocked out with a single punch.

Emergency services were called to the scene of a fight outside Burwood railway station just before midnight on Monday. A 29-year-old man from Campsie had been knocked unconscious by a single punch to the head, then fallen to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement.

Paramedics treat a man injured in a brawl outside Burwood station on Monday night. Credit:Nine News

Two suspects initially fled the scene. Officers from Burwood Police Area Command established a crime scene and spoke several men.

Police were told a fight had broken out between two groups of men on Burwood Road, near Deane Street in Burwood, about 11.35pm. The groups separated, but another confrontation occurred minutes later outside the train station, resulting in the victim being knocked to the ground.
Time to play devil's advocate with James Laukka of Epping: It was an uplifting start to my week reading of Col Gibson's encounters with human kindness after his fall at the Pyrmont tram (C8). Not wanting to diminish any of this positive and thoughtful human interaction, however, I was left wondering how Col's kind and considerate tram driver could replicate his altruistic actions on the much vaunted driverless metro trains about to be launched by our current state government.

Does Judy Jones (C8) enter a Stargate or time-space portal between Normanhurst and Broken Hill when she travels to Perth? asks Nicholas Triggs of Katoomba. No lights in the Hunter Valley or Dubbo? Really?

Still on traffic lights, Richard Grant of Roseville recalls: "My wife and I visited Bhutan some years ago. The capital, Thimphu, had only one major intersection, which was supervised by a traffic policeman. Sometime before, the policeman had been replaced by a set of traffic lights, but the authorities were forced to remove the lights and reinstate the policeman since everyone missed him. Can't see that happening here."

"Derek Ruddock asked if there is a Ventriloquism for Dummies," (C8) notes Warren Scott of Eastwood. "There is. It's called Hansard."

The news that one of our most decorated jockeys is on the road to recovery drew this proclamation from Brian Pymont of Frenchs Forest: "Let me be one of at least one million readers who are happy to hear that Jim Cassidy survived that head-on collision and is in a 'stable condition' as reported."
A man has had surgery after being found with a "Rambo-style" hunting knife sticking out of his back on a Gold Coast street.

The 28-year-old remains in a serious but stable condition and is recovering at Gold Coast University Hospital, with detectives investigating whether drugs are the reason for the attack.

The man was put into an induced coma at Gold Coast University Hospital after the operation. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

A crime scene was declared on McMillan Street in Labrador after the man was found by a woman walking a dog just after 6am on Tuesday. Police said the victim and the woman knew each other.

Police said he was found on the street with "a large knife in his right shoulder blade" and was taken to the hospital by paramedics.
South-east Queenslanders will have to endure another scorcher on Tuesday, with the possibility of further heatwave records tumbling.

After a sweltering start to the week, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and parts of Moreton Bay were battered by hailstones and strong winds on Monday evening.

A fallen tree on the Gold Coast on Monday. Credit:Nine

Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said the strongest wind gust recorded by monitoring stations was 83km/h at Redcliffe in Moreton Bay.

"The storms peaked in the mid-late afternoon, but all we had left in the evening was the odd bit of lightning close to coast, but not a lot of rainfall by that point," he said.
Despite many finding relief from soaring temperatures in airconditioned offices, a study has challenged the accepted wisdom that a cool office is more productive.

Setting the office aircon at about 22 degrees has become standard practice across Australia and indeed the world.

However research from Griffith Universitys School of Engineering and Built Environment has found the reality is more complex - and warmer.

It's either too hot or too cold - office temperature is a source of workplace complaints. Credit:Shutterstock

Griffith University architectural science lecturer Fan Zhang said, after conducting an extensive review of all studies relating to airconditioning and productivity, they found 22 degrees was probably a little chilly, even at the height of summer.
The deadline to register under the federal government's new Foreign Interference Transparency Scheme has just expired. While some have speculated as to what the register might reveal about Chinese "influence operations" in Australia, so far it has disclosed nothing of interest on that score. It has, though, given us a striking example of the way the US exerts influence on Australian universities.

The transparency register informs us that this year Sydney University's US Studies Centre will collaborate with the US State Department to offer a series of seminars on the topic of "Indo-Pacific Strategic Futures". Its aims include the promotion of "support for the rules-based order" and "a commitment to countering malign influence" (read: Chinese influence) and to influence policymaking (hence the requirement to register).

Like the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, the seminars aim to cultivate a cadre of like-minded public activists. The seminars will produce a small but well-informed cohort of 'next generation leaders' who will ... become leading voices within the alliance and partner network".

Students in the main quadrangle at Sydney University. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The new undertaking reflects earlier complaints that the US Studies Centre was straying from its original mission to advocate for the ANZUS alliance. A 2017 review of the centre insisted that "disseminating an appreciation of the importance to Australia's national interests of the US alliance" had to be a key centre objective, one that should be impressed on all staff.
"Or we werent good at spotting the track, and we think we followed an animal track rather than a marked track, and we just got to the wrong spot." Loading Mr Salvado said they had actually spent three days at one spot, near fresh water. "It was a trickle of water, but water was the important thing to keep us healthy and alive, and that was where we stayed." The couple had packed lunch for the first day, but after that, they survived on a few muesli bars. However, they had run out of food by Tuesday.

'We needed to get out' Ms Bohan said on Tuesday they realised they "needed to get out". They had to find their way down from atop a 250 foot rocky drop to the shores of Lake Buffalo. Frustratingly they had seen and heard rescue helicopters, saw speedboats on the lake, campers, cows and lights. "We knew we werent far away from people and help but we had about a 250 foot drop in front of us. It took a few days to have a look at it, work out if we could get down there and we decided, yes we could get out," Mr Salvado said.

Ms Bohan added: "I really believed that we would get found, but we knew that we had to think about our mindset. And we knew, if there was too much longer and they hadnt found us, 'oh my God', so we thought, 'Today, weve got the energy, lets go.' " They had thought, "people are probably really worried that were injured, and we werent. It wasnt great, but we were really comfortable." They are experienced hikers, and Mr Salvado said they didnt panic about being out overnight. "Serenity, it was lovely," he said. As Ms Bohan put it: "We basically got lost, that was all that happened. And then we stayed in one spot for four nights. And then this morning we were out, we needed to get out."

Couple reunited with children Mr Salvado was rapt to be reunited with his three children, who had kept vigil for much of the search. "Any parent would feel the same," he said. "It was just great." But he never felt their lives were in danger. "Absolutely not. We were sensible, we kept calm, we kept rational, and thats what helped us out." Their kids drew up a list of things their mum and dad must and must not do in future, such as carrying an EPIRB emergency beacon. They considered barring them from going camping again.

Ms Bohan told her children that, alas, they would be going bushwalking again. "Of course we are. The outdoors are beautiful. We wont hopefully do that again, that was just one of those random moments." 'A significant ordeal' Mr Salvado, a retired pilot, and Ms Bohan, a teacher, were planning to spend the Labour Day long weekend with friends camping in Bright. They were last seen by friends at a caravan park about 9.30am on Friday when they left for a bushwalk at Mount Buffalo. They were expected to return about 12.30pm, but didn't appear. Victoria Police Inspector Kerrie Hicks said the couple had been through "a significant ordeal".

She thanked the more than 100 police, emergency services and volunteers who searched for the couple. "As police commander, I couldnt be more proud of the team and the work that theyve done, and the way theyve come together. "And its just such wonderful news to see everyone is OK and to be able to tell the family." Experienced hikers on Mount Buffalo say it is important to stick to the tracks. Credit:Pat Scala Soon after the couple was found, Ms Bohan's sister, Anne Ditchfield, said the family were "ecstatic".

"It's a fantastic result. We're just elated, relieved," she said. "They walked out," she said. "Cindy refused to get in the ambulance. That's Cindy for you, she just wanted to go straight to her kids." 'It's quite a rugged area' Mr Salvado is a cyclist and paraglider, while Ms Bohan who is one of nine children also enjoys stand-up paddle-boarding.

The couple has spent the past eight years visiting the Ovens Valley with other couples and their children. Sergeant Trevor Schultz of Wangaratta police said the couple was found at Yarrabula Creek Track, south-east of Lake Buffalo, about nine kilometres downhill from where there car was found. "Its quite a rugged area. Its very rugged going," Sergeant Schultz said. "Its a really good result. We were always hopeful. Wed had the positive view that wed find them because its unusual to lose two people." Ms Ditchfield thanked all the rescuers involved in the search, and said it was a relief the pair had been found.

"We're all exhausted but we're fine," she said. Mount Buffalo remained below 10 degrees for most of the night, dropping in the early hours of the morning to 4.3 degrees. There were also strong winds, but it remained relatively dry. Trevor Salvado and Cindy Bohan's son Nathan and Ms Bohan's sister Maria spoke during a police press conference on Monday afternoon. Credit:Nine News The couple's family made an emotional plea at the search site after they had been missing for three days. "Cindy and Trevor are super fit, they're very healthy, they're used to being out for hours ... they spend a lot of time outside," Ms Bohan's sister Maria said on Monday.
The cousin of a young Sudanese-Australian man allegedly shot dead by a childhood friend in a Springvale alley has pleaded with youths in his community to "stop fantasising about the gang life" and work to end the violence.

Winis Apet, 20, was found in a pool of blood with a single gunshot wound to his chest in a lane off Springvale Road just before midnight on Sunday.

Homicide detectives arrested Paguir Pan, 19, one of Mr Apet's childhood friends, the morning after the shooting and charged him with one count of murder.

Mr Apet's cousin Jacques Dhieu, who was born in a refugee camp in Kenya, said it was heartbreaking to wake on Monday to learn his cousin hadn't made it home.
Sean Price has had his sentence reduced by a year. Credit:Mal Fairclough

Brutal murderer and rapist Sean Christian Price raised two middle fingers to the court after his non-parole jail time was reduced by a single year on Tuesday.

The convicted criminal, who represented himself and appeared via video link from prison, had one year shaved off his minimum jail term after Victoria's Court of Appeal ruled that a sentencing judge had earlier imposed a double punishment.

In March 2015, Price repeatedly stabbed 17-year-old Masa Vukotic in a Doncaster park. Two days later, he raped a woman who worked in a bookstore.

The Court of Appeal found County Court judge Meryl Sexton doubly punished Price in 2017 in jailing him for breaching a court supervision order in relation to the rape.
A third man has been charged with attempted murder over the brutal shooting of a Sydney real estate agent in Melbourne's west.

The 29-year-old Irish national, who was living in Point Cook, was arrested at Melbourne Airport on Sunday about 9pm.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

It comes after Irish nationals Mark Dixon, 30, and Jack Harvey, 26, were arrested late last month at Broken Head in NSW over the shooting of Sid Morgan, a former detective who was shot in the face at a home in Spraypoint Drive, Point Cook, about 11pm last Thursday.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction. It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

People across the world will watch on Wednesday as George Pell is sentenced following his conviction for attacks on two choirboys in the 1990s, in all probability becoming the world's most senior Catholic official formally jailed for child sexual abuse.

Victoria's County Court has allowed a camera crew to film chief judge Peter Kidd deliver the sentence, from 10am, so it can be broadcast live on television, radio and news websites. The crew cannot film Pell nor anyone else in the room.

Pell was last year found guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in St Patrick's Cathedral in East Melbourne after a Sunday mass in December 1996. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting one of the boys, again in the cathedral after Sunday mass, early the following year. Pell was then Archbishop of Melbourne.
To misquote Marx, How exclusive can a club be if it would have a proletarian like me for a member?

Yes, Im a member of the Savage Club, a recently derided bastion of traditional male dominance and prestige. But, just as Karl and Groucho become confused in the imagination, so too has the communitys appreciation and awareness of such institutions. If I described the Savage Club as a mens shed, would there be the same degree of disdain?

Greens candidate for Kooyong Julian Burnside quit the all-male club. Credit:Jason South

True, were not repairing engines or building furniture. My association began after a presentation I gave to The Poets Table about the World War I poet, Wilfred Owen. I was invited to join even though I was a lowly retired school teacher. Since then, Ive attended functions on world affairs given by retired diplomats. Ive heard talks on P.G. Wodehouse and John Donne. Ive participated in plays written by members and sung at concerts.

If you look at the vision and aims of a mens shed, it is to address the physical and emotional health of men by helping them to remain active and by providing a society where they can share and feel part of a community. The Savage Club is no different. Theres a tackle of men who like fly fishing, a carafe of wine connoisseurs and a palette of artists. The musicians, of course, blow their own horn on the clubs stage  curiously, the Savage Club is one of the few Melbourne clubs to have such a thing.
A tip off from the FBI led federal police to uncover a Perth man's online interactions with young girls in the Philippines, a Perth court has heard.

Hugh Cameron, 58, was due to stand trial in the WA District Court this week.

Cameron paid money for numerous sex shows, the court heard. Credit:File Image

But the married father of one pleaded guilty instead to seven charges of intended to procure a child to engage in sexual activity outside Australia.

Details surrounding Cameron's online offending were read out in court on Monday.
The government's recent release of the Migrant Workers Taskforce Report has shown how far weve come in identifying and responding to the large-scale exploitation of migrant workers in the Australian economy. The report claimed that at least half of Australias cohort of temporary migrant workers are being underpaid, with exploitation of international students and backpackers deemed "widespread" and "endemic".

It is telling that the report focused its intention on visa holders in these two groups as the primary victims of wage theft. This is a big shift from the traditional focus on skilled temporary migrants who are far less numerically significant in the labour market than international students and backpackers.

International students and backpackers are highly vulnerable to exploitation. Credit:Louie Douvis

International students and backpackers are on visas that are ostensibly for a purpose other than work. Students are here to study, and backpackers are here to holiday, with work as an incidental purpose of both visas. Yet, increasingly, these two cohorts involve temporary migrants with aspirations of further stay in Australia who are using these two visa pathways for a central purpose of work.

Successive Australian governments have turned a blind eye to this, and some have even encouraged these groups to fill labour market needs. There are now many industries that are heavily reliant on these groups to perform low-skilled work in the labour market. In November last year the Morrison government introduced a third year visa extension for backpackers who work on farms in regional Australia as a way of addressing labour challenges during harvest.
Nationals MPs have been warned they should heed the concerns over climate change in their own communities ahead of the federal election, with internal research revealing the risk to the party in key electorates from a bitter Coalition split on coal-fired power.

The Nationals have been briefed on party polling showing that climate change is a key issue for voters in their federal seats, highlighting fears of a backlash in some electorates from a public crusade for coal.

Nationals leader Michael McCormack and deputy Bridget McKenzie have been caught up in a public debate with colleagues over coal power. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The research, presented to the federal Nationals MPs in Canberra last month, showed that voters were most concerned about the cost of living but that climate change also ranked as one of their top issues.

The findings are fuelling fears within the party about a backlash in Nationals strongholds in northern NSW and possibly other areas, where voters have increased their support for the Greens and independents.
The NSW Liberal Party has moved to declare a donation eight years after it was made by the law firm Henry Davis York, where former Treasurer Dominic Perrottet worked before entering parliament.

But the party will escape punishment for the belated declaration because laws have changed since it was made.

It comes after the Herald reported that Mr Perrottet did not personally declare a $2360 donation in 2011 by Henry Davis York, a Liberal donor and one of the highest billing firms on the government's payroll.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a press conference at a small metalwork business in Peakhurst in Sydney on Tuesday. Credit:AAP

Two of Mr Perrottet's brothers, Oliver and Gabe, also work for Norton Rose Fulbright, which Henry Davis York merged with in late 2017.
Last week, the Andrews government announced it is pushing on with its election commitment to give a baby bundle to all first born babies born in Victoria, starting from July. At a cost of $21.8 million over the next four years, and about $150 a bundle, this is a very poorly targeted policy and an expensive one.

How many parents will need the baby bundle?

What will new parents get in their baby bundle? As well as information on caring for their new baby, they will also receive a nappy bag, a grow suit, a safe sleeping bag, a muslin wrap, a teething ring and four picture books.

Its likely these will be totally unnecessary for most of the parents who will receive a baby bundle. They will be easily able to buy their own and will probably receive a small mountain of pink or blue items from generous family and friends.

There is no good reason why taxpayers money should be used to pay for nappy bags or teething rings for babies that are born into families that are comfortably off and able to pay their own way.
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh has taken a swipe at Barnaby Joyce, who maintains he is the "elected deputy prime minister of Australia", accusing him of showing disrespect and dragging down the team before the federal election.

In rare public criticism of his own party's mechanics, the veteran Nationals MP said people were "just shaking their heads at the moment" about damaging infighting that has flared between Mr Joyce and federal Nationals leader Michael McCormack, fuelled by debate over the future of coal-fired power plants.

Nationals Leader Peter Walsh.

Tensions within the Nationals boiled over this week after Mr Joyce called on the federal government to back a coal-fired energy plant in Queensland.

He also infuriated many of his Coalition colleagues by describing himself as the "elected deputy prime minister of Australia" even though he was forced to quit that post after having an affair with his former media advisor.
Djibouti: French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to reassert the importance of France in its former colony Djibouti with Paris increasingly fearing China's muscular role in Africa as it expands economic and military influence across the continent.

Djibouti, strategically located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal, hosts France's largest naval base on the continent and is home to some 1400 personnel used to train African troops as well as to monitor the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

The port of Djibouti, an arid Horn of Africa nation with less than 1 million inhabitants, has become a military outpost for the US, China, France, Italy and Japan. Credit:AP

While it was seen as a vital outpost in the past, French administrations have disregarded it in recent years with Macron only the second French leader to visit the East African country in the last 20 years.

"France considered Djibouti for too long to be a territory that was won," said a senior French diplomat based in the region. "But now the competition from China is fierce."
London: Brexit has descended further into chaos with the second, historic defeat of Theresa Mays Brexit divorce deal, just weeks before it was due to come into effect.

In what was called the UKs most important parliamentary vote in decades, the House of Commons voted against the deal 391 votes to 242.

It is the second defeat for the deal, which was agreed in November between the UK and EU. The UK is currently due to leave the EU, deal or no deal, on March 29.

MPs and the May government will now have to decide between a Brexit delay or the predicted economic nightmare of a 'no deal' Brexit. The result also makes a new referendum more likely.
Bridgetown, Barbados:--- Twenty-seven nurses drawn from five countries across the region have all successfully completed specialized training in the care of children with cancer and other blood disorders.

The nurses all successfully completed the Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nursing Diploma Programme at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing in Trinidad, with the last cohort finishing last April.

Twenty-six of the 27 nurses from Barbados, The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who completed the specialized one-year programme, were part of SickKids-Caribbean Initiative.

In 2013, with the support of SickKids Foundation the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI), a partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Ministries of Health, hospitals and institutions in six Caribbean countries was established. This partnership focuses on building sustainable local capacity to diagnose, treat, and manage paediatric cancers and blood disorders.

Regional bank CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank also came on board with the initiative pledging USD$1 million over a seven-year period (2014  2020) through its charitable arm, FirstCaribbean International Comtrust Foundation. As nurse training partner, the bank funded the full training for all but one of the 27 nurses.

We are truly proud to be a partner with SCI and to support the life-changing work they have been doing across the region to ensure that hundreds of children diagnosed with cancers or blood disorders have access to the very best care delivered by trained professionals, said Colette Delaney, Chair of the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank.

The work of the dedicated doctors and nurses of SCI have greatly improved the outcomes and enhanced the quality of care and quality of life for so many of our most vulnerable citizens  our children, Ms. Delaney added.

Officials of SickKids recently paid a courtesy call on Ms. Delaney where they updated her on the great strides which have been made in the treatment and management of paediatric cancer cases across the region.

To date, the SCI has significantly improved the diagnosis and care of scores of children across the region. In Jamaica and St. Lucia alone 57, 790 newborn sickle cell disease screening tests were conducted.

In addition, seven telemedicine centres were established, 302 consultations have taken place, 179 specialized diagnostic tests were done on patients newly diagnosed with leukemia, 528 patients were registered in local oncology databases, 21 lectures held on the work of SCI and three doctors trained under the Haematology/Oncology fellowship programme.

The initiative has also added to the library of regional medical literature and resources with the completion of five supportive care guidelines and five clinical care guidelines documents. Seven custom built local data bases were established in SCI partner hospitals to record and track patients and seven local data managers hired and trained in those territories.
LAPP continues growth course

Posted by Publisher Internet

LAPP has once again achieved double-digit growth. The turnover generated by the global market leader for integrated cable and connection technology solutions increased by 12.3 per cent to EUR 1,153 million in the last financial year (1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018). The number of employees increased by 12.6 per cent to 4,245. Earnings before taxes increased by 5.5 per cent to EUR 58.6 million. ?We are fully on track and have been able to achieve above-average growth for several years through our strategy 2020. Europe in particular has seen positive growth. However, I still see a lot of room for improvement for LAPP in America. And I?m sure we?ve not exploited our full potential in Asia, either. We still have plenty to do in both regions,? emphasised Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Board of LAPP Holding AG. The family-run company based in Stuttgart achieved its highest growth in Europe. And it?s all down to high demand, in particular in the sectors of industrial data communications (IDC) and OLFLEX? CONNECT (assembled cable systems) alongside company acquisitions in Finland, Poland and Switzerland. ?

Enormous increase in turnover

On balance, the considerable increase in turnover was only slightly affected by the increased copper price and currency fluctuations. As the actual price of a cable is calculated daily based on the current price of copper and copper prices were higher by 7 per cent on average throughout the year (EUR 569/100 kg), copper prices also boosted turnover by 1.9 per cent. By contrast, the currency fluctuations took their toll with a minus of 1.8 per cent. Once adjusted, the sales volume we achieved therefore increased by around 12.2 per cent. ?In relation to turnover, acquisitions account for an increase of around 3 per cent. This confirms last year?s performance capacity with operational growth of around 9 per cent,? emphasised Dr Ralf Zander, Member of the board for Finance and Controlling.

Biggest success in EMEA

Growth in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) was particularly strong. Turnover grew here by 15 per cent to hit EUR 826 million. With a share of sales of almost 72 per cent, EMEA is LAPP?s most important market. Turnover in Germany grew by 9 per cent to hit EUR 341 million. The APAC region (Asia-Pacific plus Australia and New Zealand) increased its turnover by 9 per cent to hit just under EUR 212 million. The Central and North American region achieved an increase of 2.2 per cent and hit EUR 106 million. Due to economic crises, sales revenue in South America fell by 18 per cent to EUR 8.2 million.

A solid financial footing

Like the previous years, the 2017/2018 financial year was characterised by a solid financial footing. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased to EUR 89.6 million (+10.6 per cent). Earnings before taxes (EBT) were at EUR 58.6 million (+5.5 per cent). The equity ratio decreased slightly to 48.9 per cent (previous year: 53.9 per cent) due to the increased balance sheet total and acquisition finance through third parties. However, it continues to be very high. Dr Ralf Zander, Head of Finance and Controlling, said: ?Overall, LAPP?s financial position remained extremely robust in the last financial year.?

Investments in the future

In the last financial year, LAPP increased its investments by 29 percent to EUR 31 million. Alongside the necessary investments based on acquisitions and further global rollout of the SAP ECC 6.0 software, investments were made in machines, plants and logistics in the sales and manufacturing companies. Production capacity was doubled at the Indian production plant in Bhopal, for example, and the warehouse capacity there was expanded by 70 per cent. To support the expansion of the project business, a new warehouse was opened in Satteldorf in South-West Germany. A new logistics centre has also been set up in Poland for customers in industrial plant engineering and project business, for example for the construction of wind turbines, new production plants and tunnel projects. A number of projects concerning the digital transformation of the company have also been launched in the past year.

Significant increase in employees worldwide

The number of employees was increased in almost all companies. The number of employees worldwide rose by around 13 per cent to 4,245. Recruitment figures in the EMEA region were above average, with an increase of 16 percent, although company acquisitions also contributed to growth here. Work in HR largely focused on the development of human resources and the organisation. ?We want to make LAPP a learning organisation where our employees? life-long learning and the organisation?s ongoing systematic development are closely interlinked,? emphasised Dr Hilmar Doring, Member of the Board for Human Resources and Organisational Development. He added:? ?LAPP?s success can only continue if we make people our focus.? As such, a global training initiative was launched so that all employees with direct or indirect contact with customers can receive training on automation and industrial data communications.

Many success factors

The last financial year was influenced by many positive factors:

Acquisitions & joint ventures: LAPP acquired both SKS Automaatio and SKS Connecto (now LAPP Automaatio and LAPP Connecto) in Finland and Poland in late 2017. LAPP Automaatio specializes in industrial data communication (IDC). LAPP Connecto is a leader in cables and cable harnesses. So LAPP can use this to strengthen its position in these sectors. LAPP Australia, a joint venture with LAPP?s New Zealand sales partner ECS, was founded in February 2018. LAPP purchased its long-term Swiss distribution partner Volland in July 2018.

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Improved production processes: Process stability and productivity were improved at all 18 production sites. Work has also already started on bringing the factories into the digital age: Two smart factory pilot projects were launched in France and China. They are aimed at demonstrating the opportunities and challenges of global and digital networking for the manufacturing sites.

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Successful expansion of special offers for growth markets: In its work with industrial data communication (IDC), LAPP was able to achieve 24 per cent growth in Ethernet-based products in the last financial year. LAPP?s IDC portfolio contains all the key components a user needs to design their factory according to Industry 4.0 principles, including a huge selection of data cables to comply with different standards, such as PROFINET or CC-Link, and now also switches for distributing data in harsh industrial environments. Georg Stawowy, Head of Technology & Innovation, said: ?We supply the neural pathways for the smart factory. It is important to have an overall understanding that goes beyond mere product know-how. We understand our customers and see ourselves as a pilot for Industry 4.0.? There is also huge demand for pre-assembled cable systems with the OLFLEX CONNECT brand. LAPP saw an increase of 12 per cent here. There was also double-digit growth in logistics services (e.g. Kanban systems for customer warehouses, specially assembled containers and customised bay solutions for single cores).

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Innovative new products: Innovative new products were presented in all product ranges. The ETHERLINE PN CAT.6A Fast Connect data cable, for example, is new to LAPP?s IDC portfolio. It enables quick and easy assembly and high data transfer rates of 10 gigabits per second ? currently the maximum transfer rate in copper cables in industry. LAPP was also the first company to present an off-the-shelf cable for direct current: The OLFLEX DC 100 was specially developed to provide motors and appliances with direct current (see the separate press release on DC for details).

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New brand presence for LAPP: LAPP is now operating under the same name and logo worldwide. Chairman of the Board Andreas Lapp commented: ?These days, the country in which our customers buy our products and the delivery destination are no longer so important ? we?ve been working as an international team for a long time. It is a logical progression for our external identity to reflect that. And what?s more: that is exactly what our customers expect.?

Outstanding application examples

Logimat storage lifts by SSI Schafer are popular as they have a huge storage volume but a small storage space. With the ready-to-install OLFLEX CONNECT CHAIN energy chain, LAPP has helped cut manufacturing times from what used to be twelve weeks down to just four weeks from order to delivery.

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LAPP is increasingly being asked to solve customers? problems. The company develops customised solutions tailored specifically to customers. For example, a manufacturer of noodle production plants recently asked the company to design EPIC connectors made of a special copper alloy for a noodle drying machine.

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Hekla is one of Iceland?s most active volcanoes. Scientists hope to use a network of seismometers to peer into the belly of the mountain and warn of an impending eruption. The system is networked using one of LAPP?s very robust data cables that can withstand icy temperatures and excessive heat as well as mechanical strain from the sharp-edged volcanic rock.

Outlook for the current financial year

LAPP got off to another good start in the 2018/2019 financial year. ?Provided that the global economy doesn?t suffer another major downturn, we are expecting further growth throughout the current financial year,? said Andreas Lapp. Huge momentum is expected in Asia-Pacific and Europe, especially in automation and IDC.

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Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, LAPP is a leading supplier of integrated solutions and branded products in the field of cable and connection technology. The company\-\-s portfolio includes standard and highly flexible cables, industrial connectors and cable entry systems, customized system solutions, automation technology and robotics solutions for the intelligent factory of the future, as well as technical accessories. LAPP\-\-s core market is in the industrial machinery and plant engineering sector. Other key markets are in the food industry as well as the energy and the mobility sector.

LAPP has remained in continuous family ownership since it was founded in 1959. In the 2017/18 business year, it generated consolidated revenue of 1,153 million euros. LAPP currently employs approximately 4,215 people across the world, has 18 production sites and around 44 sales companies. It also works in cooperation with around 100 foreign representatives.
4 smart ways to use security to power the business of the future

In the new era of work, our relationship with the workplace is defined by flexibility and mobility. Employees are working across the home, office, and blended spaces more than ever before, as well as working varied hours to suit the modern work schedule. This new hybrid workforce model holds the potential for more diverse talent and better productivity, but it also comes with its challenges  one being how to ensure security, health, and safety in the workplace. Strong and smart security ecosystem While nearly one-third of companies report that theyve implemented a hybrid model, according to a recent survey by STANLEY Security, many still have much to do to prepare their office for the future. Building a strong  and smart  security ecosystem is crucial in preparing for the future. As such, businesses should consider technologies that help protect their people, as well as safeguard their assets, optimise their operations, and secure their network. 1)Protect your people Implementation of a security ecosystem combines health, safety, and security hardware and software solutions seamlessly Nearly 60% of mid-market and enterprise businesses across the UK and US report that the health and safety of their employees and customers are a primary concern when implementing modern and hybrid working models. This begs the question: How can businesses create a safe and healthy work environment when 59% are planning to bring employees back on-site in some capacity within the next 18 months? The answer lies, in part, in the implementation of a security ecosystem that combines various health, safety, and security hardware and software solutions seamlessly. Integrating platform Nearly half (46%) of business decision-makers say they are interested in adopting an integrated platform such as this. This means integrating traditional and digital security solutions, then leveraging the data and insights they produce to further enhance the workplace experience. Take this example: With employees and visitors moving in and out of the office at different times, a business may lack oversight of occupancy or density levels, people flow, workspace scheduling, visitor check-in processes, and more. However, with visitor management, access control, and other building/business systems integrated, employees can reserve a workspace for a specific date and time and be granted access to the building. Leveraging AI and machine learning Visitors can pre-register, answer a health screening questionnaire, and receive a mobile credential before arriving. Once the visitor arrives on-site, the system can alert the respective department  all without the close contact typically required for traditional visitor check-in processes. When layering artificial intelligence and machine learning on top of the data, a business may identify trends in people flow and opportunities to optimise congested areas. They may also see that certain rooms within the building get more use than others and leverage these insights to manage their space more effectively. All of this is powered by a security ecosystem that can help a business better protect its people while realising other benefits in the process. 2) Safeguard your assets Businesses are concerned about the security of their assets when it comes to the hybrid workforce model Even more, businesses are concerned about the security of their assets when it comes to the hybrid workforce model. About 72% of leaders say this is, in fact, their primary concern with the hybrid approach. This figure isnt surprising when you consider the impact of the pandemic, which left many businesses closed either temporarily or permanently, with few people allowed on-site to manage facility operations. As a result of the pandemic, we saw tech adoption accelerate at an astonishing rate  simply because businesses had to implement cloud and remote technologies to survive during a time when buildings were closed indefinitely. Remote management and visibility This was particularly true for security solutions, such as cloud video surveillance and cloud access control solutions like wireless IoT-connected locks. Nine out of 10 businesses (91%) report that they have already implemented cloud security technology; of those, nearly half (48%) stated that this was due to the pandemic. These technologies allow for remote management and provide visibility into business operations at the same time. In a retail setting, for example, cloud video surveillance allows businesses to identify and track not only criminal activity, but also foot traffic patterns, peak operating hours, staff shortages, and more. Loss prevention strategy When integrated with the retailers point-of-sale (POS) system, businesses can gain greater insights into their traffic counts, end cap effectiveness, loyalty card activity, and a variety of POS exceptions, such as high-dollar transactions, repeated transactions, excessive returns, employee discounts, and more. For retailers especially, a security ecosystem means a more efficient loss prevention strategy that helps safeguard assets and profits. 3) Optimise your operations The future of work is still very much a work in progress, but one thing is clear: Businesses are looking for ways to increase efficiencies, drive cost savings, and, ultimately, optimise their operations  especially now with the challenges posed by price inflation. A relatively untapped opportunity for businesses to achieve these goals lies within their security infrastructure. Security technology and solutions gather incredibly rich data which, when unlocked, can help businesses understand how their buildings are being used, when the busiest times are, where there are highly trafficked areas, and more. Leveraging cloud video surveillance systems, businesses could identify emerging staff training needs Cloud video surveillance systems For example, by leveraging the insights produced by cloud video surveillance systems, businesses could identify emerging staff training needs, which could ultimately result in improved employee satisfaction and reduced attrition. However, much of this data sits untouched within the infrastructure, leaving businesses unaware of the opportunities in front of them. 44% of businesses that currently use a cloud security system for its primary use say they want to know how else this technology can be utilised, and an additional 20% arent even aware that it could be used in other ways. AI and analytics The interest in adoption is promising for the office of the future, especially when we see that the majority of businesses (78%) would consider using AI and analytics technologies to optimise their operations, helping their business to operate more effectively and efficiently. The increase in adoption of cloud technology  paired with the rise in interest in AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics  could make it possible for businesses to uncover invaluable insights from their security infrastructure and leverage them to adapt and build business resilience. 4) Secure your network Advanced technology help businesses improve their cybersecurity, making it harder for hackers to gain entry With cyber threats becoming more prevalent, businesses are increasingly looking to secure their networks and protect their data. More than half (54%) of those surveyed expressed interest in using AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to secure their network by identifying and eliminating cybersecurity threats. Advanced and automated technology can help businesses improve their cybersecurity, making it harder for hackers to gain entry to the larger corporate network. Modern cybersecurity tools that use AI and machine learning can detect anomalies in network traffic or alert and act on suspicious behaviour. Cybersecurity software For example, if an IoT device suddenly begins broadcasting and establishing connections with multiple devices, cybersecurity software could detect this abnormal behaviour, send an alert, and suspend traffic or quarantine an endpoint immediately  saving precious time during a potential breach. A single data breach could result in widespread distrust from workers and customers, potentially leading to decreased business as well as litigation issues. As such, businesses need to take action to update and strengthen their defences so that they can avoid downtime and continue to operate with peace of mind. Prepare your business for the future Businesses will continue to look for more ways to extract value out of their existing infrastructure, including their security technology. For many, the tools to do so are already in place, its just a matter of unlocking the insights with a security ecosystem. With such an ecosystem  one that helps protect a business people, assets, and network, while optimising operations  companies can better safeguard the future of their workspaces and usher in the new era of work with confidence.
A map showing the proposed location of three groins at the beach at DeBordieu Colony. The State Department of Health and Environmental Control has issued a permit for the groins, but two groups are challenging it.
Members of the Georgetown County SWAT team escort Benjamin Morales out of a home in the southwest part of the county on March 12. Authorities say Morales is wanted for a murder in Connecticut.
Artist's illustration showing several dust rings circling the sun, formed by the gravitational tugs of orbiting planets. Recently, scientists discovered a dust ring at Mercury's orbit and concluded that Venus' ring likely originates from a group of as-yet-undiscovered co-orbital asteroids.

Two dusty discoveries may shake up our understanding of the inner solar system.

Mercury shares its supertight orbit with a big ring of wandering dust, a recent study suggests. And a cloud of as-yet-undiscovered asteroids likely gave rise to a similar halo in Venus' neighborhood, another new paper concludes.

"It's not every day you get to discover something new in the inner solar system," Marc Kuchner, a co-author of the Venus study and an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. "This is right in our neighborhood."

Related: Our Solar System: A Photo Tour of the Planets

A ring very close to the sun

Both Earth and Venus have collected co-orbiting dust rings, as the planets have shepherded the particles with powerful gravitational tugs. Mercury's path, however, was thought to be free of such a feature.

"People thought that Mercury, unlike Earth or Venus, is too small and too close to the sun to capture a dust ring," Guillermo Stenborg, a solar scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., said in the same statement . "They expected that the solar wind and magnetic forces from the sun would blow any excess dust at Mercury's orbit away."

But Stenborg and his colleagues shattered that expectation. The researchers analyzed images captured by one of NASA's twin Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft, both of which launched into orbit around the sun in 2006.

The researchers created a model based on these photos in an attempt to "edit out" dust that could make it more difficult to understand the data gathered by STEREO, NASA's recently launched Parker Solar Probe and other sun-studying craft.

When they applied the model to the STEREO imagery, the astronomers saw dust  a lot more of it than they anticipated.

"It wasn't an isolated thing," co-author Russell Howard, also a solar scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, said in the same statement. "All around the sun, regardless of the spacecraft's position, we could see the same 5 percent increase in dust brightness, or density. That said something was there, and it's something that extends all around the sun."

The team calculated that the dust ring is about 9.3 million miles (15 million kilometers) wide. The researchers reported their results last November in The Astrophysical Journal .

An undiscovered asteroid population?

The Mercury-orbit ring is quite a bit smaller than the halo that shares Venus' path, which, while just 6 million miles (10 million km) across, spans 16 million miles (26 million km) from top to bottom.

But such dust rings are extremely diffuse. For example, Venus' co-orbiting halo is just 10 percent denser than the surrounding space, NASA officials said in the same statement. And if you packed all of that ring's dust together, you'd get an asteroid just 2 miles (3.2 km) across.

In the second paper, Kuchner and fellow NASA Goddard astrophysicist Petr Pokorny set out to understand where the dust in the Venus-orbit ring came from. The scientists modeled all of the potential dust sources they could think of  objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter (the chief source of Earth's co-orbiting ring), Oort Cloud comets, Jupiter-family comets and more.

"But none of them worked," Kuchner said. "So, we started making up our own sources of dust."

The researchers' simulations identified the probable culprit: a population of undiscovered asteroids zipping around the sun in Venus' path.

"We thought we'd discovered this population of asteroids, but then had to prove it and show it works," Pokorny, the study's lead author, said in the same statement. "We got excited, but then you realize, 'Oh, there's so much work to do.'"

So, the duo built another model, which followed 10,000 hypothetical Venus-orbit asteroids through 4.5 billion years of solar system history. In the simulation, about 800 of these space rocks survived to the present day, suggesting that such a population may indeed exist in the orbital path of Earth's sister planet.

It wouldn't be shocking for this little asteroid colony to have evaded detection; for starters, nobody has really searched for such rocks before. And it's tough to spot asteroids interior to Earth's orbit, because they get lost in the sun's blinding glare, the researchers said.

Still, if the Venus-neighborhood asteroid population exists, "we should be able to find it," Pokorny said. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope could potentially do the job, he added.

Pokorny and Kuchner reported their results in a study published online today (March 12) in The Astrophysical Journal Letters .
Nine lucky science teams have been given the chance of a lifetime: to study moon rock samples collected by the Apollo program that have been sealed for decades.

The teams' investigations will tackle questions touching on geology, space weathering, meteorite impacts and more. The samples were sealed for future study, when researchers could use more-advanced equipment than was available in 1972, the year the final Apollo mission returned.

"We have three lunar samples that have come back from the moon that have never been opened," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a news conference held today (March 11) to mark the release of President Donald Trump's 2020 budget request, or " Moon to Mars " as NASA is calling it. "When the previous generations did Apollo, they knew that the technology that they had in that day was not the technology that we would have in this day."

Related: NASA's Apollo Moon Rocks Still Thrill Scientists 50 Years Later

But NASA has decided that with technological advances and the country's plans to return to the moon, it's time to open up those long-sealed samples . The agency announced its intentions last year.

"We feel like we can do that because there are more lunar samples on the horizon, where we're going to be able to learn more than we've ever learned about the moon before," Bridenstine said. "So, I'd like to thank, if it's OK, the Apollo generation, for preserving these samples so that our generation could have this opportunity."

Now, NASA has announced the teams that will study the samples. Those include groups based at NASA Ames in California and NASA Goddard in Maryland; the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute; the University of Arizona; the University of California, Berkeley; the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; the University of New Mexico; Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts; and the Planetary Science Institute.

"By studying these precious lunar samples for the first time, a new generation of scientists will help advance our understanding of our lunar neighbor and prepare for the next era of exploration of the moon and beyond," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement . "This exploration will bring with it new and unique samples into the best labs right here on Earth."

Before the teams can actually open the samples, they'll need to work with the rocks' NASA caretakers to develop practices to ensure that opening the sealed material doesn't contaminate the rocks.

In addition to the samples themselves, NASA is also providing $8 million in funding to the selected teams.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule cruised into port here Saturday night (March 9), secured to a SpaceX recovery vessel.

Onlookers gathered at Jetty Park, a popular launch viewing location at the mouth of the port, in anticipation of Dragons arrival. SpaceX's GO Searcher recovery ship pulled into port just after 9:30 p.m. EST (0130 GMT on March 10).

Saturdays arrival wrapped up a successful uncrewed demonstration mission for Crew Dragon that began one week prior. A Falcon 9 rocket lofted the capsule into orbit on March 2 from historic Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Crew Dragon then spent a day chasing down the International Space Station (ISS), docking autonomously with the orbiting lab early Sunday morning (March 3).

Related: SpaceX's Historic Crew Dragon Demo-1 Mission in Pictures

Crew Dragon departed the ISS five days later, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean at 8:45 a.m. EST (1345 GMT) on Friday (March 8).

Recovery crews were waiting to pluck the capsule  its previous stark white exterior now resembling a toasted marshmallow  out of the water and haul it back to shore. With the help of marine traffic sites, space enthusiasts were able to track Dragon on its journey home.

Close-up of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule cruising into Port Canaveral, Florida, on March 9 aboard the recovery ship GO Searcher. (Image credit: Amy Thompson)

About 100 people adorned the shoreline of Jetty Park as the first of SpaceXs recovery fleet came down the channel. Off in the distance, the Dragon-toting ship GO Searcher was barely visible. Waves crashed against the pier and the constellation Ursa Major shone brightly overhead; excitement grew with each passing minute. Finally, the boat, which had been holding just outside the port, picked up speed and started her approach.

Colored lights adorned the sides of the ship, with a green square showcasing the vessels helipad (which can be used to transport astronauts in case of emergency). As the distance between GO Searcher and her awaiting fans closed, Crew Dragon came into view. Peeking out from the stern of the ship, Dragons scorched appearance was visible, even in the dimly lit night.

View of the SpaceX recovery ship GO Searcher from the air, taken during a 2018 exercise. (Image credit: NASA)

Crew Dragon was quickly moved into a U.S. Navy submarine basin, where the craft would be offloaded and transported to SpaceXs Cape Canaveral facilities. (Typically, when Falcon 9 first stages arrive in port after landing on a SpaceX drone ship, the boosters are towed to the SpaceX dock further into the port).

While Crew Dragon flew sans crew on this inaugural mission, buckled inside the spacecraft was a faux astronaut  a spacesuit-wearing test dummy named Ripley. If all goes well with SpaceX's next major test  an inflight abort mission scheduled for early summer  we could see astronauts fly aboard Crew Dragon later this year.

In the meantime, the Florida Space Coast is gearing up for its next launch. On Friday (March 15), a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket will launch the Air Force's 10th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite into orbit at 6:56 p.m. EDT.
Panama, March 12, 2019 (SPS) -.The Saharawi Embassy in Panama organized this March 9 in Colon, the second most important city in the country, a series of activities marking the 43rd Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

The Charge d'affaires of the Embassy, Omar Hassena, spoke on the history and reality of the Sahrawi conflict, highlighting the importance of the role that Panama has played in supporting the respect of International Legality in Western Sahara. In this regard, he has urged the different components of Panama civil society to accompany the Saharawi people in their struggle for their legitimate aspirations.

During the ceremony attended by representatives of various local social and political movements and members of the Saharawi Community, a video documentary was screened to display the situation of Human Rights in the occupied areas and the humanitarian drama that implies the existence of the wall of the shame that divides the national territory.SPS

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HARTFORD  The Childrens Committee forwarded a bill to the House on Tuesday that changes vaccine exemption forms to notify parents of the current law.

The bill had initially sought to remove school nurses as a person approved to witness a parents signature on a religious exemption form. That language was scrapped in favor of adding a disclaimer to the top of the form to let parents know a nurse has the right to refuse to witness their signature.

The bill squeaked through committee on a 8-6 vote. Three Democrats joined three Republicans in voting against the measure.

The new language would also require the Department of Education to send one written notice to each local and regional board of education and the Association of School Nurses of Connecticut a statement that says any school nurse can acknowledge or refuse to acknowledge a religious exemption.

Connecticut allows attorneys, judges, family support magistrates, town clerks, justices of the peace, and school nurses to sign the religious exemption forms.

There are some nurses that have problems signing these papers and they have rights as well, Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, said.

She said there are other people who can sign the form.

However, some parents objected to the legislation because not all the officials capable of signing the form also have to comply with health privacy laws under HIPAA.

Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Shelton, said individuals have the right to privacy regarding their medical records.

He said the other individuals on the list are not bound by HIPAA like the school nurses. He said asking them to have others acknowledge their forms are asking them to breach the privacy they have in their medical records.

In 2015, the General Assembly passed a law that required parents to acknowledge their religious exemption annually. That was a year after one of the worst measles outbreaks in the U.S. following its elimination in 2000.

This seems not to be a legislative issue. This seems to be an education issue, Rep. Noreen Kokoruda, R-Madison, said. She said the legislation does nothing that isnt already current law.

Why would we need more legislation to educate people when its the law? Kokoruda, who voted against the bill, said.

Rep. Gary Turco, D-Manchester, said the best practices say vaccinations are very important to childrens well-being.

Were seeing cases across this country now where people arent vaccinating and there are serious consequences to that, Turco said.

He said Connecticut allows for a religious exemption and theres nothing in this legislation that changes that.

Rep. Patricia Wilson Pheanious, D-Ashford, who also voted against the bill, said the nurses are only being asked to acknowledge the signature of the parent.

Theyre not being asked to make a judgment, Wilson Pheanious said.

Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, said he knows theyve been getting a lot of emails from constituents on both sides of the issue and one of the arguments against the bill is the slippery slope argument.

This is not getting rid of a religious exemption, Slap reiterated. This is not putting another obstacle in the way of parents claiming a religious exemption. This is simply restating what current statute already says.

Those who oppose vaccinating their children for religious reasons believe the bill could be used as a vehicle to eliminate the religious exemption to vaccines.

Kokoruda said parents have every reason to be concerned that the bill could be used to eliminate their religious exemption. She said legislation intending to do one thing becomes something else all the time.

Its the nose under the carpet, Kokoruda said. .. .I just think this is the first step toward totally getting rid of religious exemptions.

Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, said shes given everyone her word that she has no intention of using this bill a vehicle for getting rid of religious exemptions.

Linehan said she would like to eliminate the religious exemption, but will use another piece of legislation to accomplish it.

"I've made it very clear that I'm 100 percent for getting rid of the religious exemption, but you have my word that this bill is not the vehicle," Linehan added.
STAMFORD - Members of the Board of Representatives are set to vote Tuesday night on whether to censure one of their members for posting anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant messages on Facebook.

They will discuss whether to rebuke Rep. Marion McGarry, who has represented District 12 for 12 years, for conduct detrimental to the publics trust and confidence in the board.

Among the images McGarry posted are a photograph of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks alongside one of Muslims being sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives with the words, How quick we forget. Another post shows a judge shouting at an illegal immigrant to leave and take your lawnmower with you.

McGarry declined to comment Monday.

Beyond the slurs, lambasted by the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut and the state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the incident likely will have political implications for the Board of Representatives, the citys 40-member lawmaking body.

McGarry is a member of a faction of the Democratic Party called Reform Stamford, which won six board seats in 2017 on a platform of questioning the entrenched political system and responding to residents concerns about protecting neighborhoods from overdevelopment.

Democratic City Committee Chairman Josh Fedeli said when the incident first was reported that Reform Stamford are barely Democrats at all.

Fedeli reiterated the statement Monday.

I do not believe that the sum total of their ideaology is consistent with the Democratic Party, he said. I think they dont believe in the party process but use the Democratic Party line to get elected.

Members of Reform Stamford have led efforts to cut Democratic Mayor David Martins budget, reject the reappointment of one of his cabinet members, and back residents who opposed developers plans for projects in their neighborhoods.

During the 2017 election, when Reform Stamford candidates challenged incumbent Democrats in primaries, Fedeli commended them as people who are willing to work hard and have a voice and take part in the political process.

The new candidates were an asset to Democrats because when you have a large party in power, primaries are a way to have that democratic process play out, Fedeli said at the time.

Things have changed, he said Monday.

Now they have a record and we see what they do, he said. They want to take seats of power from people they perceive as having been in power too long. Thats not a value of the Democratic Party. We see problems and put government to work for the betterment of the people.

Reform Stamford representatives operate on this premise that somehow Stamford needs reform, and I would tell you the majority of the people in the city dont agree with it, Fedeli said. They are anti-administration. Thats all they are.

Beyond the Islamophobic and anti-immigrant posts, McGarry put up messages disparaging her own party, saying Democrats are traitors to the country, referring to them as Dem-o-rats and touting Republican President Donald Trumps border wall.

Weve known she has not been a Democrat for years. Fedeli said. We were pushing back on Marion McGarry before Reform Stamford was a glint in anyones eye.

Most important, he said, censuring Marion McGarry is a Board of Representatives process and its bipartisan  the focus has to be on that and not get lost on party politics.

A Reform Stamford leader, Rep. Nina Sherwood, D-8, has spoken for the group, saying members condemn the sentiments contained in those awful posts and the prejudices have no place in our public discourse.

Monday she questioned the authority of the Democratic City Committee chairman to define party members.

Who says that Josh Fedeli gets to decide whos a Democrat and whos not? Sherwood said. Hes chair of the party, so people think hes talking for all of us. But did the DCC agree to his comments about the Democrats who were elected to the board? Did they weigh in, or is he speaking unilaterally?

Reform Stamford has asked why the rightful outrage against McGarrys actions didnt also apply after Martins former Director of the Office of Operations, Ernie Orgera, shared racist, anti-immigrant and sexist emails with fellow city employees several years ago.

Despite the incidents, Martin named Orgera to the post during his first term as mayor and tried to re-name him for this second term. Members of Reform Stamford and other Democrats blocked Orgeras reappointment in 2018.

Asked about it Monday, Martin, through a spokesman, did not answer the question directly.

Rep. McGarrys current use of social media to influence our citys community with hateful rhetoric is not in line with the higher moral standard residents expect of their elected representatives, Martin said in an email. And while the circumstances were very different, it is the same issue that led to  Orgera losing his position.

Rep. Jonathan Jacobson, D-12, learned of McGarrys posts after friending her on Facebook and is leading the censure effort. Despite Orgeras similar history, Jacobson last year voted to keep Orgera in his post.

I am not going to comment on that at this time, Jacobson said Monday. I will speak to it at a later date. The question before me is whether the conduct of an elected official warrants censure.

Tuesdays meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the boards Legislative Chambers on the fourth floor of the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296.
Serial entrepreneur Billy Levy has a good nose for business opportunities. In 2007, Levy co-founded a gaming company, which eventually caught the eye of Richard Branson who invested and changed the name to Virgin Gaming. In 2012, Levy co-founded a seed-to-sale marijuana company called Mettrum, which he sold last year for over $430 million (Canadian dollars). Now he's co-founder and president, of SLANG Worldwide, a leading cannabis-focused consumer packaged goods company. The company sells its products in 2600 plus stores across 10 states in the U.S. and has a market value of about $500 million on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Image credit: SLANG Worldwide

Here, we do a deep dive into some tips and tricks he's learned along the way.

What business tips did you learn from Richard Branson?

As an entrepreneur myself, having the opportunity to work with him was a bit of a dream come true. One of the main things that I learned was not to take everything so seriously. It's easy for things to get lost in the shuffle of the day. Richard is a free spirit who's always having a lot of fun, but also like super serious and sharp about what he's doing. And it's a tough balance to have, but he's mastered it. For example, when we first announced Virgin Gaming, I had never done a press conference and been on stage in front of so many people and cameras. I'll never forget how nervous we were, but to him, everything was laughs and jokes, and that helped make things easier on us, which was appreciated.

He's been public about his support for legalization. Have you had any conversations with him about getting into the business?

Yeah, but not that I can share. He does a lot for the cause and has been very public with a policy-driven approach. He sees it more as a social justice issue. But he's a great supporter of the cause.

Related: Richard Branson: Just Say Yes to Smoking Pot With Your Kids

You went from a very lucrative exit from the gaming industry to cannabis. Why?

A guy I had worked with in Canada, Peter Miller [who is co-founder at CEO of Slang] said to me, "Are you aware that the medical marijuana laws in Canada are changing?" I said no, and I don't care. His family has a deep agricultural background and over a thousand acres about an hour outside of Toronto, and he felt that we could build a grow facility on their land. I was completely uninterested. I had never seen a live marijuana plant before. Having a videogame business was easy for me because I played a lot of video games. I used cannabis, but I had no idea about anything related to growing it or the business of it. But Peter kept sending me news articles and research reports on the entrepreneurial opportunity within the cannabis industry. Finally, I said, "Ok, let's go for it. And that led to Peter, and I did the first new construction project for a license cannabis producer in Canada. Most people were retrofitting old facilities, but we were super naive about it. Long story short, it ended up paying off for us. We were awarded one of the original licenses and co-founded Mettrum together.

What was an innovation you introduced there to make you stand out?

We found that physicians didn't want to prescribe products with names like Super Lemon Haze and O.G. Purp. So we came up with a color system for our products, which we called the "Mettrum Spectrum" to simplify the conversation. The colors were based around the potency of the product, and it just made it easier for patients and physicians to have a conversation.

Describe the idea behind your newest business venture, SLANG.

We looked at our experience with Mettrum as fully vertically-integrated producer and distributor of cannabis in a limited license environment in Canada, and that was a great business experience and boot camp in terms of how to actually run one of these grow businesses. But ultimately we saw that there are not any parallels we could think of in which, right out of the gate, you had to be a good farmer, good manufacturer, good marketer brander, distributor, retailer, etc. All of those are very different and separate businesses. Ultimately, cannabis is just a consumer product. And how are consumer products businesses successful in the real world? It's great brands that are really widely distributed. So that's what we've set up with SLANG-- a host of really good brands that have the best distribution. In looking for a partner, we merged with companies like Organa Brands because we saw that they had product in 1200 stores at the time. That was the biggest distribution footprint we had heard of.

Would you advise that other cannabis entrepreneurs consider mergers and joint ventures as part of their strategy?

Yeah, I think there's a lot of power and collaboration and partnership being that the industry is new and growing so fast. A lot of people do tend to have their elbows out and are a little bit competitive or maybe want to try to do everything themselves. But the reality is that it's just really difficult to do. You could get a lot of value through partnership, and you don't have to do everything yourself.

Related: Your Cannabis Company Was Acquired. Now What?

What's something that you've learned along the way you can share with other aspiring business owners?

I've been lucky, but I think part of the success has been having a real interest in whatever you're working on. I've seen for myself that makes all the difference because there are a lot of times now where it doesn't really feel like work and I'm able to go that much harder because of the interest that I have in the topic. Like I said, I was a gamer, and I played competitively, so the vision was to build this great competitive gaming product. But when I first got into cannabis, I was thinking so much about the growing and agricultural that I didn't ultimately realize this is about building a brand and a market. And that I was going to be working with the type of product that I would also like to consume.

Related:

Over 2 Billion Served: How This Cannabis Company Got There

Cannabis Boxes Curated by Celebrities Are Big Business

What Happens When AI Meets a Cannabis Grinder



Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
During Howard Schultz's decades-long tenure as leader of Starbucks, he grew the company from a number of locations he could count on one hand to almost 30,000 stores. Current estimates peg his net worth at $3.5 billion.

Related: Exclusive: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Disputes the Polling on His Chances for Success at the Presidency

In an exclusive interview at SXSW 2019 in Austin, Tex., Entrepreneur spoke with Schultz (who recently sparked controversy with a potential independent bid for the presidency) about his polling numbers, as well as his best advice for entrepreneurs after decades in the business world.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Were nearing the anniversary of Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelsons arrest on suspicion of trespassing at a Philadelphia Starbucks. Whats changed at the company since then, as far as strategies to combat racial bias, in a concrete, quantifiable way?

A few things have changed. As a result of the situation in Philadelphia, Starbucks created a comprehensive curriculum to address racial bias, and that curriculum was co-authored by domain experts Sherrilyn Ifill, [president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund], Bryan Stevenson, [founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative], Heather McGhee, [president of the public policy organization Demos] and Mellody Hobson [vice chair of Starbucks]. We closed stores that day and trained 180,000 people, and the curriculum now is part of every single hire at Starbucks. In addition to that, theres ongoing training throughout the year.

The policy has been corrected because it was flawed. It wasnt the mistake of the manager -- it was the mistake of the company at the time. We havent had an incident like that since and hope itll never happen again. We learned a lot from that. One of the things that Starbucks is facing, as well as many other retailers, is that there are a lot of social issues in the country, like homelessness and mental health. As a result of that, people are looking to Starbucks as a public bathroom and/or a place to stay, and we want to be as benevolent and compassionate as possible while at the same time running our business and respecting our customers.

Whats the most uncliched piece of business advice you learned over your tenure at Starbucks?

Not every business decision is an economic one, and success is best when its shared. I think our track record of health insurance, equity in the form of stock options and free college tuition -- putting those programs in place, which I never viewed as an expense but an investment -- has played out in a way that Im very proud of.

Whats your best advice for a fledgling entrepreneur whos looking to start a business in the next year or so?

Its helpful for any young entrepreneur to work in an organization that has his or her like-minded values to learn how it works and get the benefit of that insight and perspective. Also, maintain a very high level of curiosity that is outside of the framework of what you see and hear every day. Put yourself in uncomfortable positions by meeting people who are different than yourself, and then lastly, most importantly, dont let anyone tell you that your dreams cannot come true.

You tried to apply your business experience to running the Sonics, and in the eyes of the public, that didnt work out very well. What makes you think you can apply it to the presidency, and what might that look like?

My business experience as a fiduciary for a public company over the last 26 years speaks for itself in terms of my success and what weve done for shareholders and our people. Also, Ive expanded the Starbucks brand and footprint to 77 countries and negotiated with people of different political persuasions, different languages, different customs, different ways of life. Ive negotiated with governments and been able to extend the Starbucks values -- and also American values -- all over the world, including to 4,000 stores in China. But I think at the core of that is a deep sense of understanding what servant leadership is, as well as the balance between profit and humanity -- and bringing people together who may differ from you for a common cause. Success is not an entitlement; you have to earn it every day.

Related:

'Success Is Not an Entitlement; You Have to Earn it Every Day,' Howard Schultz Says

No he dicho 'oficialmente' que sere candidato presidencial: Howard Schultz

Exclusive: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Disputes the Polling on His Chances for Success at the Presidency



Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omars statements about Israel and US support created a crisis in Congress this week that resulted in Resolution 183 Condemning anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values and aspirations that define the people of the United States and condemning anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States.

Rep. Omar, since entering Congress in January has on multiple occasions made some inflammatory remarks accusing US Jewish supporters of buying political support, through AIPAC, accusing US Jews of dual loyalty and expressing concern that she has been pressured to pledge loyalty to Israel in order to hold a position on the Foreign Relations Committee. She also has stated that she supports BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

House Leadership in both parties wanted an immediate strong resolution censuring Omar for her offensive speech but the Democratic leadership soon found itself mired in heated discussions with new members who took exception to denouncing anti-Semitic remarks without including bigotry of all kinds. The result was a resolution which did not mention Omar by name, but includes in its nine resolutions very clear condemnations of anti-Semitic stereotypes, myth of dual loyalty and false charges of foreign allegiance as it relates to the United States-Israel alliance. The correlation of the wording of the resolutions with Omars remarks is no coincidence  it was clearly a rebuke to her claims and statements.

Stephan Lesher defended Rep. Omar in his Where I Stand article published just before the House Resolution. His defense is a distortion of the facts as he makes the false claims that she had to swear allegiance to Israel to serve on the Foreign Affairs committee, and that it is AIPAC that demands dual loyalty of members of Congress in its strong support of our ally Israel and its opposition to BDS. Christians United for Israel actively supports Israel and polls show the American public strongly supports the strategic relationship between our two countries. Lesher believes that BDS is aimed at ending Israels presence in the West Bank and in guarding Palestinian human rights, but the real target is the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jews, as pronounced openly by its co-founder Omar Barghouti.

Finally, Lesher goes on to condemn Israel for its defense of its borders with Gaza, which under Hamas has fired rockets at Israel, dug tunnels under the border, started fires in Israel which burned thousands of acres of agricultural land and used civilian protestors to give their terrorists cover to create smoke screens and throw fire bombs at the IDF with the hope of breaking through.

If Hamas terrorists break through the border, one can be sure that it would result in murderous acts against Israeli civilians. Israel has the right to defend itself against these attacks which regrettably result in injuries to civilians and provide video footage to be used against the IDF.

Bert Boyson is a resident of Southbury.
A whole weekend, plus a couple of days, has elapsed since the House Democratic majority dealt with the controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar's allegedly anti-Semitic statements by passing a generic resolution condemning bigotry and hatred.

The calm, however temporary it may be, provides a chance to reflect on the affair and to be clear about precisely what was, and was not, troubling about it.

The first misconception, spread by some media and political figures, is that Omar, D-Minn., faced a vehement negative reaction because she offered "criticism of U.S. policy toward Israel" (the Wall Street Journal) or "legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel"(Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.).

Incorrect. In recent weeks, Omar offered no new criticism of U.S. policy or what she has called "the apartheid Israeli regime." What she did was to attack Israel's supporters in the United States, and specifically in Congress. She did so by suggesting their motives were corrupt: either to enforce "allegiance to a foreign country," or to accumulate political cash from pro-Israel lobbyists - "the Benjamins." (She apologized for the latter.)

Many understandably considered these phrases loaded with anti-Semitic imagery. Less noted was the fact that, even if they had not been susceptible to that interpretation, Omar's comments violated important norms. Ad hominem is demagogic.

It's especially objectionable where, as here, Omar lacked the fortitude actually to name anyone in Congress who has been cowed or bought off.

In other words, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could be right that Omar did not intend her comments "in an anti-Semitic way" and Omar would still be wrong to have spoken as she did.

Admittedly, accusations of bad faith are depressingly common in politics, in the Trump era especially. As many have noted in Omar's defense - or in mitigation of her offense - the president does almost nothing but attack people in ugly personal terms, including racist and sexist terms, thus degrading American political culture, with the complicity of many of the same Republicans who shed crocodile tears over Omar's expressions. Omar, too, has been the target of bigotry, such as Fox News commentator Jeanine Pirro's ugly insinuations about the representative's loyalties.

It is also true that Israel's supporters in the United States, particularly the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, have forged a tight alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has little use for peace talks with Palestinians and who sowed partisan ill will in the United States by heavy-handedly opposing President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and embracing President Donald Trump since then.

For all that, it is simply not the case that support for Israel in a country where 59 percent of the public favors Israel over the Palestinians is merely a function of AIPAC's influence.

And it should have been possible for Omar to point out what's wrong with some or all of U.S. and Israeli policy without questioning the good faith of those who think differently.

Omar has made clear several times that she's not about bridging ideological differences within the House, let alone within her party.

She wants, it seems, to heighten the contradictions, in part by calling out supporters of Israel and bracketing AIPAC with the Republican-leaning National Rifle Association or the fossil fuel industry.

The tea party and the Freedom Caucus it spawned in the House turned into a nightmare for Republican leaders, making it nearly impossible for them to legislate. Omar seems to see these ideological purists of the right as role models - for her, and for the progressive "squad" that also includes Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

"We look at the negative aspects of the tea party and not really at the part of them that spoke to the American people, that made them feel like there were people actively fighting for them," Omar told Politico's Tim Alberta. "There's a resemblance there. A lot of us are not that much different in our eagerness to want to come here and fight for our constituents, fight for the American ideals we believe in."

Nothing about this drama, which began with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., decrying Omar for "a vile anti-Semitic slur" and ended with Pelosi's apologia, would discourage Omar - or any progressives who also feel that the time has come to fight fire with fire. We can expect her future attacks to be more carefully phrased, but we can expect them to continue.

These are not mere questions of decorum. Opposition to Trump consists, or should consist, of two parts: substance and process. It must articulate decent alternative public policy and model decent alternative political behavior.

At least that is the form opposition will take if the goal is not just to beat Trump, and reverse his policies, but to redeem U.S. politics.
L ondon and home counties builder Weston Homes on Tuesday revealed big plans at the Mipim property festival to convert a historic UK laundry factory into an 85 million residential scheme.

Chief executive Bob Weston told the Standard he has bought the Watford Laundry Factory, which once provided linen for the Royal Air Force and is where High Court judges had their collars pressed.

The laundry business was sold in 2015 and Weston Homes plans to redevelop the now vacant site into 227 dwellings, of which a number will be affordable.

Construction is expected to complete in 2021 and the laundry firm has since been relocated.

The deal brings Weston Homes development pipeline to 7500 homes worth 3 billion, comprising apartments under construction or in planning. Recent projects include those in Greenwich and Barking.

Boss Weston said he plans to continue buying sites in outer London boroughs and the outskirts.
I f ever there was a reason to risk chlorinated chickens and move to the US, its this: the second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridges peerless spy drama Killing Eve is being released there first. Even more jarringly, while we have to content ourselves with watching Fleabag on the small screen, Manhattanites are graced with the presence of the woman herself, currently in a sold-out run of the original play on Broadway. Trump doesnt look so bad now, eh?

Still, we should take our pleasures where we can. Namely, Waller-Bridges interview with Andrew Marr this weekend, which included a siren call for bad feminism (as in, secretly admitting that youd trade two years of your life in exchange for a perpetually banging bod. Oh, come on), and an invigorating rebuttal to the claim that her now multi-award-winning thriller is too violent. The whole point of Killing Eve, she notes, is whos wielding the knife: her murderous protagonist is a Balenciaga-booted female assassin. I think people are slightly exhausted by seeing women being brutalised on screen, she said. Were being allowed to see women on slabs the whole time and being beaten up  and in some ways thats important to see because it shows the brutality against women  but I think seeing women being violent, the flipside of that, is theres something instantly refreshing and oddly empowering about that.

It sounds strange, but shes right. Its not the actual violence thats empowering but the cultural shift it represents: women are writing, directing and starring in shows that allow them to be complicated, flawed and in control.

The crime genre is long overdue a reboot. As a lifelong fan, I have seen naked female bodies fished out of lakes, abandoned in woods, bound to chairs, locked in freezers, beaten, burned and branded. From The Fall to Luther and The Killing  the rape, torture and murder of often nameless women is an episodic necessity. Never mind that last year 71 per cent of homicide victims in the UK were men, in these shows they invariably wear uniforms rather than body bags: its obviously not quite as sexy to see a bloke slowly choked to death.

But what was an accepted part of post-watershed screen-time now feels like gratuitous voyeurism, in part because writers and directors such as Waller-Bridge are showing a fresh alternative: women can be as dark and twisted as men, and it makes for compelling viewing. Far from being helpless, faceless victims, we girls can be the psychos too. Hows that for a twist?

Its not simply the gender of the victim or the perpetrator thats changing, but the way the audience bears witness. Im not sure I have the stomach for more porny shots of shaking, stockinged feet, of shuddering strangulations in darkened doorways followed by a languid sweep of the camera across another artfully-lit corpse. These scenes wouldnt be out of place on hardcore corners of the internet, and the intention veers close to the titillating. But Killing Eve is seen with a female gaze. It suggests rather than baldly presents, and crucially: its funny. There is a knowing silliness and a light touch that comes from subverting expectation. Its absurd, it feels new, and its brilliant. Waller-Bridge has said its the intersection of comedy and horror that fascinates her  turns out that we viewers agree.

Killing Eve: Series 2- In pictures 1 /6 Killing Eve: Series 2- In pictures Jodie Comer in the new series of Killing Eve Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC Jodie Comer in the new series of Killing Eve Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC Sandra Oh in the new series of Killing Eve Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC Sandra Oh in the new series of Killing Eve Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC Sandra Oh in the new series of Killing Eve Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC

Sealed with a kiss: the politics of a hello

Royal rivalry watchers are all aflutter at a rare public moment of affection between the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex at Westminster Abbey during yesterdays Commonwealth Day Service, pictured. A short clip shows the pair  shock  having a hug and kissing each other on both cheeks. As if theyre grown-up women who can stand being in the same room together.

Imaginary feuds aside, Im more interested in the extended cut, which shows the rest of the clan joining in. Theyve all gone for the double dip. Contrast this with Michel Barniers awkward welcome to Theresa May last night, when he briefly hovered his lips in the air above her hand. Still, it beats the moment Jean-Claude Juncker ruffled a womans hair last year. Nothing is more awkward than a botched greeting smooch. A friend says her father-in-law goes for a full lip-to-lip smacker, only marginally less strange than men who shake hands with their children. Either we agree to universally high-five, or we must live alone.

The internet has become a wild beast

To understand a man, you should live a day in their Twitter feed. The Independent Groups Luciana Berger corrected a mistake in this column a couple of weeks ago (she did, in fact, order peri peri chips, so we can all sleep easy), and as a consequence of her doing so I was included in hundreds of messages intended for her.
L ights, music and the EU-summit version of action: Theresa May left for Strasbourg yesterday with a wintry chill over Westminster about the chances of anything much occurring. By late evening, when the Prime Minister and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker emerged to scowl in unison, something had happened to shave off a portion of the objections Parliament has thrown at Mays bedraggled EU withdrawal deal.

The PMs main audience was back home, more precisely her own party and especially the Democratic Unionists, propping up her government and hitherto roundly opposed to the Irish backstop solution of avoiding any risk of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Their judgment on the various instruments and interpretive whatnots, laboriously appended to the withdrawal agreement, will make or break Mays hopes of it ever passing through Parliament.

Every legal instrument of torture has thus been applied to transform a thoroughly defeated parliamentary bill in January into one that can squeak home  at some unspecified point. Remember the days of Mayan certainty? Brexit meant Brexit  to make a success of a renewed mission to get on with it.

Today we get a joint interpretative instrument, flanked with a welter of arbitration guarantees and guarantees of best endeavours. The mocking spectre of Jarndyce v Jarndyce in Dickenss Bleak House looms over it all: This scarecrow of a suit has, over the course of time, become so complicated that no man alive knows what it means.

If anyone does, it is the sonorous Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, whose job today is to find that the arrangements on the backstop he deemed inescapable in January are now, by some Houdini process, flexible enough to allow the UK an appearance of unilateral control in the matter or, as the document helpfully concludes, instigate measures that could ultimately lead to the disapplication of obligations.

Still, it is gobbledygook with a purpose. The British political system has become so accustomed to operating in crisis mode in the past two years that many of the functions formerly attached to party leaders are now carried out by barristers. Geoffrey Cox QC has become the ultimate interpreter of what London really said to Brussels and vice-versa. Keir Starmer QC, Labours shadow minister for Brexit, stitches vague coherence out of his party leaderships wanderings on what it wants  from the second referendum (week before last) to something vaguely Norwegian (last week). If the great principle of English law is to make business for itself, as Dickens acerbically put it, then this business is booming.

Theresa May urges MPs to vote for Brexit deal after securing

The real point of the EUs shift, hard-fought for by diplomats in Paris, Berlin and Brussels, has been, as one ambassador in the loop puts it, a move from emphasising the letter of the agreement to the exercise of goodwill.

Even now there is no absolute exit mechanism from the backstop on offer, nor a time limit to it: the original (undeliverable) demand of the European Research Group. The withdrawal agreement remains untouched. But any divorce lawyer would recognise the moment warring clients grudgingly accept arbitration, rather than drive themselves and their family through any more grief and financial trauma. Such was the mood of Strasbourg.

Countdown to Brexit: 17 days to go

Will it fly? The threat of an accidental no-deal does give the PM another round of ammunition. But the anxiety etched on her face yesterday suggested that she knows issuing further dire warnings to persuade waverers will not work. For one thing, her personal stock is at a low ebb, despite a better scoreline after the re-match with Juncker.

The subtext of many conversations, from Cabinet level to ministerial mid-ranks, is that if and when the deal passes, May can be given a brief hurrah and, as one put it, be thanked  on her way out. As another frontbench Leaver says, the price of all this is she is gone by December.

The crazy-paving nature of the May deal and prickly isolation of Number 10 have ensured that adversity has not had a bonding effect on senior Tories. Jeremy Hunt looks like a man auditioning for the role of grey-suit-in-chief, carefully choosing his interventions to signal toughness. Home Secretary Sajid Javid seeks fights to pick causes to shout about. Add to that the haplessness of her hand-picked trusties, from the one-man disaster movie, Chris Grayling, to her closest personal ally, Karen Bradley, failing to show even a slender grasp of the crucial Northern Ireland brief  and it would be a stretch to say that May commands warmth, for all the pain she has endured to keep this deal alive.

It always strikes me that even those with senior payroll jobs and good access to the PM often talk about her deal  as if they were only vaguely connected to it. Possibly, the wily Cox will adopt the yes-but-no-but position on the new EU offer and adjust his legal opinion on the backstop favourably. In that case, some stars will finally align for May. Tory Brexiteers will subdivide between those (like the bulldog of the back benches, Mike Penning, who has indicated that he will support the tweaked version) and the ERGs Steve Baker, who said No to it last night faster than most of us could read the executive summary.

Early this morning Number 10 was downplaying expectations of a huge move towards May. Number 10s tactics are to sound out in tonights vote how far the ground has shifted  with the official Brexit leaving date shunted to early summer in the hope that one more turn of the screw will wear down resistance. Somewhere along the way, a deal intended to pave the way to heady freedom has turned into a never-ending story. A Jarndyce Brexit that drags its dreary length before court, perennially hopeless  and is never really over.
L AST week, Samuel Fishwick described his and others reticence in engaging with the police concerning possible crimes they had witnessed [I was a silent witness, March 5].

The charity of which I am chairman provides a facility  an app entitled Self Evident  that makes it simple for witnesses to report what they have seen to the police at the touch of a button (similar to a 999 call but more composed) and to attach to their report any video footage they have captured on their mobile phones.

The app has about 25,000 registered users, has been deployed in the reporting of numerous crimes over five years at no public expense and has the support of frontline police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service.

But it will be withdrawn at the end of summer because the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, supported by the Home Secretary Sajid Javid and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has rebuffed our calls for it to be officially adopted by the police, and we cannot afford to continue to administer its use.

The walk on by culture that Fishwick described will never be eradicated as long as senior police officers show disdain for citizen groups initiatives to help witnesses to engage with the police in a way that minimises inconvenience, and maximises the capture and delivery of what can often be crucially important evidence.

Anthony Heaton-Armstrong

Chairman, Witness Confident

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Anthony

It is hard to see why the Met does not support what appears to be an excellent way of encouraging people to report crime.

Police themselves say they desperately want more people in communities to come forward with information and tell them who is carrying knives or give evidence about crimes.

Last year Commissioner Cressida Dick urged LBC listeners to send in videos of crime. Yet the Mets financial constraints mean it is trying to do more IT like this in-house to save costs. This appears to be what it has done here and the Met says witnesses can now use mobile phones to upload videos and report crimes on the forces website using their mobile phones.

The Met also says it did run a test of the app but not enough people were using it and it would cost them too much money to run it, details the charity disputes.

The charity claims that the app would be a small cost so it is difficult to see why the Met is not at least giving its support to this innovative idea, or why it is not pushing its own system.

Justin Davenport, Crime Editor

We should have let Shamima return

Whatever ones opinion of Shamima Begum, both she and her late baby should have been allowed to return to the UK. Miss Begum ought to be permitted to come home and explain her conduct to the authorities. She was a misguided child herself when she left and must be deeply traumatised by this, her third childs death. Not allowing her to return is blatant cruelty.

Dominic Shelmerdine

I note that the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said Shamima Begums child had died as a result of the callous and inhumane decision to strip Ms Begum of her British citizenship.

Exactly how did this decision precipitate this childs untimely death? The responsibility lies with his mother, who turned her back on the UK and its values.
Anyone who still refers to a bag carried by a man as a man bag has got to go. It wasnt exactly an original moniker when it was born way back when, but now it feels about as modern as a dinosaur.

The current trend against wearing stuff according to gender is probably the most talked-about fashion topic since the rise of skinny jeans. Though it is arguably slightly more important, and as this topic gets more and more airtime, were seeing the blur happening at all fashion levels. Enter bags being shown on mens runways that could ordinarily have been taken as handbags, ie, the preserve predominantly of women.

But no longer! Handbag designs that originated in womenswear are being reimagined for men. Kim Jones, in his debut collection for Dior Men, looked to the labels signature saddle bag as part of a wider homage to the couture heritage of the brand. Said design appeared in the collection in various guises, offered as a cross-body bag, backpack and belt-bag. It looked pretty convincing. The puzzle bag, a hit at Loewe, is also now being embraced by men  I noticed several editors in Paris in January, during the mens shows, wearing one, including Wallpaper fashion editor Jason Hughes. He favours a mini-version worn across his person. Meanwhile, Loewes first mens runway show (glorious, btw) for next season championed lashings of bags, from mini-purses to clutches, mostly held at the side of the body.

Nylon Bag, 55, Cos / Cos

Over in Milan, Fendi, home to the infamous baguette bag (google Sex and the City, where it even had its own plot line), Silvia Fendi launched the first iterations of this style for men, also on her autumn/winter 2019 runway. These were created in partnership with Jap-anese luggage experts Porter-Yoshida & Co and appeared in colourful nylon or teddy-bear shearling, swinging down the runway with gigantic parkas or leather trousers.

Donatella Versace, another powerful female figure in Italian fashion, and one who helms a label where playing with masculinity and femininity is the norm, is similarly taken with this notion. For spring/summer, male models, whether in power suits or splashy florals, strode out sporting mini-handbags actually taken from the womens collection and mostly worn cross-body.

Mrs Prada is in on it, too. The current collection of 52 stonking looks featuring mini-skirt-like shorts, denim blazers and deck shoes all came teamed with a bag worn on the shoulder. Each model walked holding the handles in their grip, creating the exact same pose, one that said both purposeful and possibly No, its not a bloody manbag, OK?

Bag, 570, Prada / Prada

The rise of mini-bags, whether worn belt-like (the natural upgrade to the bumbag), or coin purses slung around the neck, also seems unstoppable. Womenswear designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, whose debut mens offering is available now, features a riot of branded coin purses. These were launched on a beach in Marseille last summer and paraded around by a series of hunks wearing them as if they were medallions.

Evidence of the rise of the mini-bag, phone-holders on leather straps and so on are also rife online at Zara, underscoring perhaps that men are simply carrying less stuff? A likely result of everything being held in your phone, but also arguably a sign that men are just more keen to accessorise  and why the hell not?

At Cos, its riff on this new era in bags leans toward the brands functional-minimalist trademark, with styles including a khaki nylon one-shoulder bag worn close to the body. Ideal for hands-free manoeuvres, such as Whats-Apping your boss while ordering an americano.

Virgil Ablohs harness-style wearable accessories, which he brought to his first season as overseer of menswear at Louis Vuitton, have already found themselves upgrading from catwalk to red carpet. Both Michael B Jordan and Timothee Chalamet (and his hair) have sported said designs at awards ceremonies since they debuted in Paris last June. Surely these are like beacons of living in an era when being hands-free is not just practical but also a designer-fashion happening.

Now, even if youre thinking: Harnesses, are you mad? Or maybe youre not in the market for a new bag and/or definitely dont want a handbag-bag, then at least crack a smile because all those boring rules of who wears what are very definitely on their way to being just dreary old baggage.
S ales of soap bars went up three per cent last year as more people opted for alternatives to plastic cosmetics bottles.

While there are plenty of soap bars available to try out, from budget options to more luxurious items, anti-plastic warriors still face a dilemma when it comes to washing their hair.

We have dozens of different types of shampoo to choose from in the UK, but most of these options are packaged up in single-use plastic bottles.

But some companies are working to give us more eco-friendly choices, as shampoo bars begin to spill into the market.

But are any of them actually any good? I took it upon myself to try out four different types of shampoo bar available to buy now and put these eco-friendly products to the test.

Its perhaps important to note that I have thick but fine hair, dyed blonde, quite long and wavy - or frizzy, as the case often (sadly) seems to be. What works for my hair may not work for someone elses, as is the case with bottled shampoo.

Christophe Robin

We are off to a good start with packaging, which is non-plastic and minimal. This neat, perfectly rectangular bar is a no-frills option that sits nicely in your shower caddy.

When opening the box, you are hit with a delightful aloe vera scent, so I am more than happy to cover my hair with this product.

It sounds silly, but there is a bit of a learning curve to shampoo bars. You need to lather the bar with your hands before rubbing the lather into your hair.

Initially, I tried scrubbing the bar straight onto my scalp, which I would not recommend. Unless you want to spend the next 20 minutes meticulously untangling knots right at the root on your head.

Despite improving my technique while using this product, it wasnt really for me and left my hair feeling a bit too dry.

It smelt lovely, though.

Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo Bar, 20.45 on Amazon

Lush

I think it is fair to say Lush is one of the market leaders in fighting against plastic, having ditched the material in their stores. So it makes sense that they have a varied range of shampoo bars to try out.

I opted for the Jason and The Argan Oil bar, because I often use argan oil on my mane-like hair to tackle the frizz.

Its a beautiful pink blob which, handily, comes in a metal tin so it doesnt slip and slide around the sides of the shower.

By now, Ive also learnt that less is more when it comes to shampoo bars (for my hair, anyway). So Im lathering up the bar with my hands as before, but Im not going overboard.

My hair definitely feels different after using this bar  unlike the first product I tried, this has instantly left my hair feeling soft and light. A quick blow-dry reveals the full results, which Im really pleased with.

My hair looks hydrated and healthy, and the waves are still very much intact. I really do swear by argan oil.

PureChimp

PureChimps Natural Shampoo Bar is made out of coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and, surprisingly, beer.

It is a completely natural, vegan product and comes wrapped in tissue paper, so you really can pat yourself on the back for using this product.

Sadly, it just wasnt for my hair, which did not respond well to this particular product. Despite fully rinsing the product out of my locks and scalp, it felt heavy and sticky when it was blow-dried.

I must admit, my hair did resemble how it has previously felt after I have had beer thrown in it. And Im not entirely sure thats a good thing.

Primal Suds

The kind people over at Primal Suds sent me their entire product catalogue, with about eight different products to try. And I was pleased to see every single product was packaged up neatly in a cardboard box.

But luckily, I felt no need to try more than one of their soap bars, as it appears I chose correctly on my first try.

Knowing that my hair needs a bit more hydration, I opted for the Bare Coconuts bar (which I assume contains coconut oil).

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure this particular bar is even meant for your hair, but it seemed to do the trick for me.

This smooth but jagged little bar is imprinted with the words zero filth in capital letters, alluding to the companys philosophy to use all natural, recyclable materials in its products and packaging.
S hoppers in supermarkets up and down the UK are bring urged to leave their plastic packaging at the checkout in a protest against single-use plastic.

The Mass Unwrap, which lasts for one week, encourages consumers to pass the "burden" of plastic waste back onto the retailer.

Anti-plastic campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, which organised the Mass Unwrap, estimates that supermarkets in Britain put out 59 billion pieces of plastic every year.

The group is hoping consumer action against plastic waste will encourage supermarkets to rethink how they design packaging and take more responsibility for the waste they put into the environment.

Matt Alexander/PA Wire

During the week-long action, the pieces of wasteful plastic will be counted up and presented to businesses and the Government to highlight the volume of unnecessary plastic used in food packaging.

Mass Unwrap activities have been organised all over the country - and London is no exception.

Londoners who want to get involved in a Mass Unwrap demonstration can visit Sainsbury's in Ladbroke Grove between 11am and 2pm, or Waitrose in Crouch End between 9.30am and 11.30am on Saturday, March 9.

Rachel Yates from Surfers Against Sewage said: "Wherever you live, whether youre on shore or inland, urban or rural, high-tide or high-rise, were uniting communities in the fight against single-use plastics.
A female-only college at the University of Cambridge has announced plans to admit men to boost diversity.

Lucy Cavendish College, which currently only accepts women above the age of 21, is seeking to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in line with the university's wider mission.

From autumn 2021, the college says it will accept both men and women from the age of 18.

However, both students and alumni have criticised the change in admission policy, with one graduate saying women won't get the chance to study in a safe environment.

Lucy Cavendish alumnus Caron Freeborn wrote on Twitter: So now women like I was, wont get a chance to study in a safe environment. Beyond grief. Shame on you.

Another graduate, Selina Mills also Tweeted: "Lucy Cavendish gave me a deep confidence that I would not have had if it was like every other college.

Anne Bruton also wrote: "Disappointed to see my old college taking this route. Lucy Cavendish was founded in 1965 by female academics who believed the university offered too few and too restricted opportunities for women.

"They have lost what made them special."

Dame Madeleine Atkins, who became president of the college last year, said: As a responsible and forward-thinking organisation, it is now important for Lucy Cavendish College to offer opportunities to excellent students from non-traditional backgrounds, regardless of gender.

The college said it will be mindful of concerns by providing women-only accommodation on request, be it for personal, cultural or religious reasons.

Women of all ages now have access to all Cambridge colleges as undergraduates, graduates and Fellows, Dame Atkins said.

The demographics of participation in higher education have also changed, and there are now relatively fewer women unable to go to university at 18 or 19, regardless of their background.

The college governing body approved the changes earlier this month after it sought views from alumnae, current students and academics.

Lucy Cavendish College was founded in 1965, and is one of three female-only Cambridge colleges.
A young man who died after being attacked on his way home from a birthday party was hard-working, his family said today.

Florin Pitic was struck after a brawl broke out by Queensbury Tube station in north-west London as he returned home from a night out.

It is thought the Romanian national hit his head and was left bleeding on the ground after the attack at about 12.30am on Sunday.

Two men  both 23 and from north London  have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are being questioned by police.

The 20-year-olds death was the eighth murder in London in 10 days. He lived in Brent Cross with his brother Costa, who said: Im devastated. Florin was such a nice man. This is a tragedy for our family. He was hard-working and kind ... We want justice for Florin and are waiting for the police to carry on their investigations.

Mr Pitic, originally from Vicovu de Sus near the Ukrainian border, came to London in 2017. He was working in construction before his death.

His cousin Daniel Pitic, also 20, told the Standard: Florin was not aggressive. I had never known him to have a fight with anyone before.
P olice say the "IRA" has claimed responsibility for the four letterbombs that were received at three buildings in London and one in Glasgow earlier this month.

Scotland Yard said a media outlet in Northern Ireland received the claim of responsibility using a recognised codeword.

Meanwhile, an alert has also been issued over a possible fifth letterbomb, sent through the post to a British Army recruitment officer, which may not have been discovered yet.

A Met Police spokesman said on Tuesday: "The claim was allegedly made on behalf of the IRA.

IEDs found at London transport hubs 1 /14 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

"The investigations into these devices continue and relevant enquiries are being made in relation to the claim that has been made.

"Given the packages received last week bore similarities to devices sent in the past which were linked to dissident groups associated with Northern Ireland-related terrorism, officers were already looking at this as a line of enquiry.

"However, we continue to keep an open mind and enquiries continue."

The Met also said those claiming responsibility indicated five explosive devices were sent - though only four have been recovered. It has been claimed a parcel was also sent to a British army recruitment officer.

Terror police say London 'letter bombs' and device found at University of Glasgow are 'linked'

They were found at office blocks near Heathrow Airport and London City Airport, as well as Waterloo station, on Tuesday last week. The device at Glasgow University was reported on Wednesday. No one was injured.

The force continued: "Extensive advice has already been issued to relevant businesses and sectors to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police.

Bomb disposal personnel outside the University of Glasgow on Wednesday / Andrew Milligan/PA

"This advice was previously sent to armed forces personnel and is being reiterated again in light of this claim.

"We continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to police."

All the packages were A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags and appeared capable of igniting a small fire when opened.

The stamps appeared to be those issued by the Irish postal service for Valentines Day 2018, featuring a heart motif and the words Love Eire N.

Terror detectives from the Met are continuing to investigate the three packages received in London, while Police Scotland is leading the probe into the device at Glasgow University.
S ome headteachers in London are failing to alert police when pupils carry knives in school despite it being a criminal offence, the education watchdog warned today.

An Ofsted report exposes widespread gaps in the way that blade offending is tackled by the education system.

It says the reason that officers are not told about potential offenders is that some school leaders have a strong ethos against criminalising pupils or calling the police.

But it says the information  and any other details that might help keep children from becoming involved in offending  should be shared and that schools in the capital need to develop a common approach on how to do this.

The report also includes an 11-point plan for tackling the problem.

It paints a worrying picture with successful work by some schools counter-balanced by diminishing support from outside, a lack of information sharing with other agencies, inadequate coordination between schools and other state agencies, and insufficient data or understanding about the effectiveness of some tactics used to address the threat of blade offending.

Key findings include:

Some schools feel isolated in addressing blade offending alone and warn of a lack of direction in their local area on tackling knife crime.

Spending on preventive services to help children at risk of knife and other offending has fallen by 60 per cent per pupil in less than a decade.

Pressures on the Met has led to a reduced police presence in some schools  even though officers often provide the most effective external help.

Exclusions do not cause pupils to engage in knife crime but are sometimes used wrongly and without consideration of risks that might result.

Misplaced concerns about data protection mean that information that could safeguard children is not always being shared.

Better coordination is needed from bodies such the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime to ensure that former gang members and experts used by schools deliver high-quality anti-knife messages  and that their presence does not sensationalise or scare pupils in a counter-productive way.

Some schools fail to do adequate preventive work with parents of children vulnerable to involvement in knife crime, partly to avoid being seen to label such families.

Unveiling the report, Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, said the aim was to identify the best ways for schools to reduce the risk of pupils becoming caught up in knife crime.

She added: The images of those recently killed with knives on the front pages of newspapers remind us all of the tragic cost of violence being paid by our children. This report makes recommendations for school and college leaders, local authorities, the police and other pan-London agencies about how to work better together to help keep children safe.

On the question of whether headteachers are alerting police when pupils carry knives, the report says that senior leaders and school staff must understand the law on knife-carrying and knife offences generally so that there is a common approach across London.

The report adds that schools generally are safe and that the most dangerous time for pupils is between 4pm and 6pm when they are going home. It says most pupils involved in knife crime have experienced poverty, abuse or neglect, or live within troubled families.
M ayor Sadiq Khan today said he was shocked that a row over funding was denying more Londoners access to an HIV wonder drug.

Mr Khan intervened in a battle between London councils and the Government over the estimated 3 million cost of extending a trial providing free PrEP, a daily pre-exposure prophylaxis pill that protects against the Aids virus.

NHS England last month announced that it was doubling the number of places on the PrEP Impact trial from 13,000 to 26,000 after it was quickly oversubscribed due to its success.

PrEP prevents HIV transmission in about 99 per cent of cases.

The number of places offered to London also doubled, from 7,600 to 15,200 but cash-strapped councils, which run sexual health services, say they can only afford to offer about a third of the extra places.

People who receive PrEP have to undergo three monthly tests for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases but councils say their public health budgets are stretched and have pleaded for more cash.

Mr Khan today called on the Government to intervene to ensure PrEP is available to all who need it.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation and Evening Standards recent AIDSfree campaign called for the drug to be made more widely available.

Mr Khan said: Im shocked that the Government is failing to provide local authorities in London with the funding they need to provide PrEP to all those who could benefit.

Ray Puddifoot, London Councils executive member for health, said: We are committed to making the further expansion of the trial a success, but the responsible thing to do is to ensure it... does not destabilise other critical sexual health services.
T he Duchess of Cambridge wowed onlookers in a stunning Alexander McQueen dress at a star studded black-tie gala at the National Portrait Gallery.

Kate outshone socialites, fashion gurus and supermodels who had gathered for the A-lister fundraiser.

It was the same dress the Duchess wore to the BAFTAS in 2017, but the off the shoulder gown had been refashioned so it covered her shoulders.

The 37-year-old was in a vibrant mood as she mingled with stars including the Beckhams, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Bianca Jagger.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the 2019 Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery / PA

Prince Williams cousin, Princess Beatrice, attended as a guest with her rumoured beau Edoardo Mapelli Mozilla.

The couple, who have been tipped to wed, were hosted by Philippe Ghanem and Sabine Getty, a socialite and Swiss-norm jewellery designer.

Princess Margarets son Lord Snowdon, David Linley, also attended the event.

Other star guests included One Direction pop star Liam Payne, fashion designer Oswald Boateng and legendary British photojournalist and war photographer, Sir Don McCullin CBE, who was accompanied by his wife Catherine Fairweather.

Supermodel Kate Moss also attended the gala on Tuesday evening / PA

It was the third time Kate, Patron of the National Gallery, has attended the annual fundraising gala.

On arrival she was met by Westminsters Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr. Paul Knapman and National Portrait Gallery Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan.

Inside she was also introduced to chairman of the Trustee Board for the gallery David Ross and Edward Enninful OBE, Chairman of the Gala Committee.

Afterwards the Duchess chatted to youth team staff Liz Smith and Helen White.

The Duchess of Cambridge at Henry Fawcett Childrens Centre 1 /10 The Duchess of Cambridge at Henry Fawcett Childrens Centre The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Henry Fawcett Childrens Centre Arthur Edwards @kensingtonpalace @kensingtonpalace Arthur Edwards Arthur Edwards @kensingtonpalace @kensingtonpalace @kensingtonpalace

Kate, who studied at the British Institute in Florence and the University of St Andrews, also chatted to members of the galleries Youth Forum and viewed art produced by the gallerys outreach programmes.

Funds raised on the night go towards a project that will see a significant refurbishment of the building.

Kate was also told of gallerys most extensive programme of activities nationwide with plans to engage audiences onsite, locally, regionally and online.
A London woman was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke during an orgasm, according to a medical case report.

Scans revealed the 44-year-old, from west London, had a stroke while receiving oral sex, a British Medical Journal Case Reports paper detailed.

At first the woman had normal neurology and only [a] moderate headache after she came round from unconsciousness, before she was taken to A&E in an ambulance.

The unnamed woman was treated at West Middlesex University Hospital, in Isleworth, after she was rushed to get treatment.

Although it is unclear what caused the stroke, the partner claimed they noticed the womans body was stiff, the report said.

The case report read: On closer history taking, the patient reported nearing orgasm while receiving oral sex from her partner before losing consciousness.

The woman reported to doctors she had a headache at the front of her head, which she would rate six out of 10 on the pain scale.

It was initially feared by medics the woman had suffered a seizure, but it was later discovered she had blood between her skull and her brain and had suffered a stroke.

The report found the woman had suffered a Subarachnoid haemorrhage.
M Ps tonight told of the "difficult situation" being faced by the country after Theresa Mays Brexit deal suffered its second defeat in the Commons.

The Prime Minister suffered a humiliating defeat by 149 votes in the first of a possible three days of Parliament voting on Brexit.

After the embarrassing loss, Mrs May told the House she "profoundly regrets" the decision by MPs and "continues to believe that by far the best outcome is that the UK leaves the EU in an orderly fashion with a deal."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for a general election after the result, which is the fourth largest ever in the Commons.

Chris Leslie MP gives his thoughts on the Brexit deal vote outcome

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry tweeted: "May's deal defeated by 149. What makes me angriest isn't that Theresa May's flogged the same horse that's been dead since December expecting a different result, but that she's wasted 3 crucial months in the process. That is what's unforgivable."

Chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady told BBC News: "It's a very difficult situation now.

Defeat: Theresa May in the Commons earlier today / EPA

"I felt very strongly it's really time now to move forward and for us to demonstrate we can get on with this and give the country some of the certainty and clarity that people crave.

"The danger, now, I think over the next couple of days is that things might get more confusing rather than more straightforward."

Chuka Umunna, who quit Labour to form the Independent group of breakaway MPs, said "the jury's out" on whether the vote made a second referendum result more likely.

He told BBC News: "Ultimately with gridlock in this place continuing it's hard to see how you resolve the gridlock without referring it back to the people."

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said the vote was a historic defeat for the Government and called again for a Peoples Vote.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: Another resounding rejection of the Brexit deal that would be disastrous for London. Its time to give people a final say.

TODO: define component type apester

Tory pro-European Dominic Grieve told Sky News: "I think you will find tomorrow the House of Commons will decisively state that it doesn't want a no-deal Brexit, a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for our country.

"Tomorrow we must come together to make quite clear that this is an unacceptable suggestion."

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy sent a series of Tweets calling the events in Parliament "chaos" and insisting she will continue to vote against a no-deal Brexit.

She said: "Free vote or not, I will vote against keeping no deal on table - we do have to work out what process will break this deadlock and we have to ensure that there is legislation to take the threat of crashing out of the EU on 29th March away or else its all just hot air."

MP Wes Streeting said: "The scale of the defeat tonight was entirely foreseeable and foreseen. Were at a critical moment. Ill vote however I can to stop the UK crashing out without a deal and to give the public the final say. We have years and years of this ahead if we continue down this Brexit path."

Labours Louise Haigh called for the Prime Minister to resign, saying she has lost all control. If she had an ounce of decency shed resign.

Nigel Farage, who has pushed for a no-deal Brexit, said there had been a "total failure of leadership."

Labour MP Stephen Doughty said: "Another huge catastrophic defeat for the Prime Minister on Brexit - its now time to put this back to the people for a Final Say People's Vote - she concedes that is now an option - but when will she actually listen???"

Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Stephen Crabb tweeted: "A coalition of the principled, the tribal, the ideologues, opportunists & conspiracy theorists have again blocked Brexit.

"One more heave won't do it. Brexit needs a fundamental reset. Genuine cross party, honest about choices & trade offs, transparent with evidence."

Mary Creagh added: "Theresa Mays strategy of fail again, fail better has come to an end. Time for politicians to put it back the people."

Tory MP Johnny Mercer told the Press Association: "I will vote to keep no deal on the table. That was our manifesto promise. I'm very surprised that she has decided to give that as a free vote."

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Laurence Robertson said: "I had to vote against the Withdrawal Agreement this evening as it wasnt significantly different from the one I voted against a few weeks ago. It still risks tying us to the EU indefinitely, without any say on the way its run. People voted to leave."

Labour's Stephanie Peacock, who also voted against the deal, said Mrs May had "failed to sufficiently improve the deal" and would not risk the livelihoods of her constituents "to vote through a botched deal."
A ttorney General Geoffrey Cox has described claims that he had been "told to find a way" to ensure legal validation of Theresa May's newly-negotiated agreement with the EU as "b*****ks".

He sent the one-word response to Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, who had tweeted: "A lawyer contact tells me that the legal world is aware that the Attorney General said NO last night to the validity of Mrs May's 'new EU deal'... he been told to go away and find a way to say YES: A cohort of lawyers has been summoned."

But Mr Cox swiftly replied with the word: "B*****ks".

Last night, Prime Minister Theresa May insists she has secured "legally binding" changes to the Brexit deal which ensure the Irish backstop cannot be permanent.

Following last-ditch talks in Strasbourg ahead of a Commons vote on Tuesday, Mrs May said she has now delivered what Parliament asked her to do.

The PM said she "passionately believed" her Brexit deal addressed concerns raised by MPs who feared the backstop would keep the UK in a customs arrangement with the EU indefinitely.

At a joint press conference with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Mrs May said three new documents agreed provided the legal assurances critics of her stance had called for.

Mr Cox, the Government's top lawyer, is due to publish his legal opinion later today ahead of the vote by MPs on Mrs May's deal which will take place after 7pm.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he had not yet seen the Attorney General's legal advice.

Asked if Mr Cox would appear before MPs, Mr Gove said: "It will be published. If the House of Commons wants to question him, there are means by which they can do so."

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That was "a matter for the Speaker", he added, in a reference to the possibility of Mr Cox being forced to respond to an urgent question.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Attorney General Geoffrey Cox should make a Commons statement setting out his legal advice.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think, on the basis of the documents - and he will have analysed them last time in great detail, he will analyse them again - if he concludes that there isn't significant change I really don't see that there is a basis for him to change his advice."

What has the PM achieved? Three new documents were agreed with Mr Juncker. The first is a "joint instrument" that relates to the Withdrawal Agreement. The PM said it reduces the risk that the UK could be "deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely". The second is a "unilateral declaration" by the UK which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily". The third is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship". What does all that mean? The joint instrument gives Britain the ability to suspend the backstop if the EU is deemed to have deliberately applied it indefinitely, but the UK would have to win the backing of an independent arbitration body to do so. The unilateral declaration is a statement on the record that the UK can "instigate measures" to remove itself from the backstop if talks break down. This could carry legal weight if it is lodged with the UN without formal objection by the EU. The supplement to the declaration states the intention that both sides will set about finding an alternative to the backstop as soon as possible

He added: "He has said 'I'm very happy to answer questions', this is all happening at the eleventh hour, so we do need him in the House of Commons making a statement and then MPs across the House can ask him - whichever way he goes on his advice - why he has done it."

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also told BBC Radio 4's Today that Brexiteer legal experts were examining the detail of the documents.

Brexit: Leave and Remain supporters gather in London on 29 January 1 /33 Brexit: Leave and Remain supporters gather in London on 29 January Pro-EU and pro-Brexit protestors discuss the vote and ongoing political processes as they demonstrate near to the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A man holds a 'Stop Brexit' sign aboard a campaign bus travelling down Whitehall in Westminster, London PA Pro-Brexit demonstrators chant slogans outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters A leave supporter vapes electronic cigarette in front of a group of remain supporters AP Pro-Brexit protestors dressed as suffragettes demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An anti-brexit supporter holds banners in London AP Pro and anti Brexit protestors discuss the vote and ongoing political processes as they demonstrate near to the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters hold banners in London AP A campaigner dressed as Charlie Chaplin walks by the Houses of Parliament PA A leave supporter holds banners at the parliament gates AP Pro-Brexit, left and anti-Brexit protesters hold banners in London AP Pro-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters A leave supporter holds banners in front of remain supporters during demonstrations in London AP Police officers stand near Pro-Brexit and Anti-Brexit posters outside the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London Reuters Leave supporters hold placards in front of remain supporters during demonstrations in London, AP A pro-Brexit protestor sets fire to a roll of toilet paper decorated with the EU flag as she demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A pro-Brexit protestor sets fire to a roll of toilet paper decorated with the EU flag as she demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Leave supporters hold placards as they take part in demonstrations near the parliament in Londo AP Leave and remain supporters hold placards as they take part in demonstrations near the parliament in London AP Pro-Brexit activists hold placards and wave flags as they demonstrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AFP/Getty Images A remain supporter, left and a leave supporter, center, discuss during demonstrations in London AP Pro-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster Getty Images v Reuters Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate on a double decker bus outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster Getty Images

He said concessions on the backstop were needed in order to strengthen the position in the next phase of talks on a future UK-EU trade deal: "If it is correct that this backstop is both temporary and we can leave it at the moment of our choosing, that means we become a balanced partner in the negotiations.

"That is how critical this really is. What we decide today will decide whether or not we will get a good relationship afterwards or whether we get spoon fed what the EU wants us to be."

He suggested the Commons vote should be delayed for 24 hours in order to give MPs more time to assess the details of the agreement.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said Mrs May's Brexit deal may be acceptable if the government's top lawyer said clearly that the new assurances have legal force.

Countdown to Brexit: 17 days to go

"All those things together, make this just about, just about acceptable to me but it depends very, very heavily on a robust, clear response from (Attorney General Geoffrey) Cox," Mr Davis told Talk Radio. "If Geoffrey Cox is at all equivocal about it then I think it will fall again."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described the outcome of last night's meeting between the Prime Minister and European Commission Mr Juncker as "positive".

The Taoiseach said the deal agreed on Monday night was "complementary" to the Withdrawal Treaty, which could not be re-written.

Mr Varadkar said: "The further agreement yesterday provided additional clarity, reassurance and guarantees sought by some to eliminate doubt or fears, however unreal, that the goal was to trap the UK indefinitely in the back stop.

"It is not, these doubts and fears can be put to bed."

Theresa May urges MPs to vote for Brexit deal after securing

But Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake tweeted: "Don't be fooled, if Parliament votes for @theresa-may's deal, the rows don't stop.

"The bloodletting and backstabbing in the Tory party will become even more intense, as Brexiters and other factions within the party start the real war, over the UK's future relationship with the EU."

Leading Tory Remain backbencher Dominic Grieve said he would still vote against the deal.

At the press conference last night, the PM said: "What we have secured is very clearly that the backstop cannot be indefinite. Cannot become permanent. It is only temporary. If it is the case that we were ever to get into the backstop.

"The legal instrument that we have agreed is an addition to the Withdrawal Agreement. It has the same legal status as the Withdrawal Agreement. It is legally binding.

"That is what Parliament asked us to secure and that is what we have secured."

Mrs May added: "MPs were clear that legal changes were needed to the backstop. Today we have secured legal changes.

"Now is the time to come together to back this improved Brexit deal and to deliver on the instruction of the British people."

The legal view of the changes taken by Attorney General Mr Cox will be an important factor in the lead-up to the Commons vote.

Mrs May said: "The Attorney General is independent. He will come to his decision. He will publish his legal opinion."

The European Commission president insisted there would be no further negotiations on the issue.

Mr Juncker said: "There will be no new negotiations. It is this.

"In politics, sometimes you get a second chance. It is what we do with the second chance that counts. Because there will be no third chance.

"There will be no further interpretation of the interpretations and no further assurances on the reassurances.

"Let us be crystal clear about the choice - it is this deal or Brexit might not happen at all."

Mrs May believes the three new documents agreed with Mr Juncker will give MPs the legally-binding reassurances they require to approve her Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future EU/UK relationship.

The Commons motion the PM wants MPs to back describes the first new document as "the legally binding joint instrument" relating to the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Government states that the document "reduces the risk that the UK could be deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely and commits the UK and EU to work to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020".

The second new document is branded a "unilateral declaration by the UK" which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily".

The final document is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

If the package passes the Commons, leaders of the 27 remaining EU states will be asked to endorse the new documents at a scheduled European Council summit in Brussels on March 21-22, before the final step of ratification by the European Parliament.

Mrs May's dash to Strasbourg came amid predictions the Prime Minister was headed for a second humiliating defeat on her Withdrawal Agreement and it remains to be seen if the concessions will be enough to see it pass through Parliament.

The DUP has pledged to carefully analyse the Brexit deal add-ons, remaining non-committal on whether it would now back the Withdrawal Agreement.

Deputy leader Nigel Dodds told the Commons "all of this will need to be taken together and analysed very carefully".

The DUP position could be crucial in Tuesday's Westminster debate, and not only because of the votes of its 10 MPs.

The Prime Minister's de facto deputy David Lidington said that the new documents gave "confirmation that the EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally-binding commitments that both sides have agreed".

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed the move and called on MPs to reject the deal.

He said: "The Prime Minister's negotiations have failed.

"This evening's agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised Parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for.

"Since her Brexit deal was so overwhelmingly rejected, the Prime Minister has recklessly run down the clock, failed to effectively negotiate with the EU and refused to find common ground for a deal Parliament could support."

The 11-strong Independent Group of MPs has tabled an amendment to force the PM to seek an extension of Article 50 to hold a so-called People's Vote before the end of September.

In a letter to EU Council president Donald Tusk, Mr Juncker left the option of an extension to Article 50, but only by a could of months.
Government should 'spell out need for backstop changes'

Brexiteer Tory Marcus Fysh said on Monday that the Government should spell out to the EU the need to replace the Northern Irish backstop.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today: "That really is all the evidence the EU should require.

"I think it would be worth reiterating that and actually putting the detail of the proposals which we worked up with the Government over recent weeks on the table so that the EU could be fully aware and discuss what it was exactly we were proposing.
T he Irish Government has held an emergency meeting on the unfolding Brexit developments as Theresa May touched down in Strasbourg for last-minute talks.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had spoken to EU Commission president Jean Claude Juncker about his and UK Prime Minister Mrs Mays last-ditch effort to find an agreement on Monday night.

Ministers were summoned at short notice for the meeting in Government Buildings in Dublin at 7pm. The meeting adjourned at 8.30pm, with further talks scheduled for later tonight.

Mr Varadkar was due to fly to the US this evening for his annual St Patrick's trip, but his plans were changed at the last minute to accommodate the unscheduled cabinet meeting.

European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier kisses Theresa May's hand as she arrives in Strasbourg / EPA

A Government spokeswoman said: "The Taoiseach spoke to President Juncker this evening. The Cabinet met to discuss developments across the day.

"Cabinet meeting adjourned just after 8.30pm and will resume again later this evening. Discussions are continuing."

Earlier on Monday, Mr Varadkar had said any extension to the UK leaving the EU must have a purpose. He said if the UK took the decision to extend Article 50 it must not lead to a rolling cliff-edge scenario.

Mr Varadkar was speaking at the launch of the Government's national childcare scheme at the Department of Children. "If there is going to be an extension, it has to be an extension with a purpose," he said.

"Nobody across the European Union wants to see a rolling cliff-edge where tough decisions just get put off until the end of April, then to the end of May and then maybe till the end of July."

Brexit - the crucial week ahead

He said the uncertainty around Brexit was already worrying Irish citizens, damaging business confidence and affecting the agriculture industry in particular.

"If there is going to be an extension there has to be a purpose to that extension," he continued.

Mr Varadkar said he could not predict the outcome of Tuesday's vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons. "If it doesn't pass, I understand that there will be a vote on Wednesday to take no-deal off the table and then potentially a vote on Thursday around an extension," he said.

He added that any change in the planned votes in the House of Commons this week would miss the point.

"I do hear some suggestion that the votes may be called off in favour of a new vote as a result of which the House of Commons would tell the European Union what they want. That really misses the point. We're two-and-a-half years, if not nearly three years now, since the referendum," he said.

"It is far too late for the United Kingdom to tell us what they want. The Withdrawal Agreement requires a compromise and this Withdrawal Agreement is already a compromise."

Mr Varadkar also reiterated that the threat of a no-deal was not coming from the EU or Ireland, adding that the UK Parliament could take the threat of a no-deal off the table at any time as March 29 was a self-imposed deadline.
T heresa May battled a croaky voice as she made a desperate plea with MPs to back her Brexit deal in her final speech before tonights crunch vote in the Commons.

The Prime Ministers voice cracked as she gave a stark warning that Brexit could be lost if MPs reject her Withdrawal Agreement once again on Tuesday night.

Stepping up to the dispatch box after her visit to Strasbourg, Mrs May admitted she had lost her voice before saying that MPs should hear Jean-Claude Junckers voice.

As Labour MPs joked she could not make her speech, the PM quipped: "Okay, you may say that, but you should hear Jean-Claude Juncker's voice as a result of our conversation."

Mrs May's vocal struggles returned after her speech to the Conservative Party conference in 2017 was infamously overshadowed by her inability to speak.

Theresa May clears her throat as she begins her address in the Commons / EPA

Many were largely sympathetic to Mrs Mays lost voice on Tuesday, with Sir Bill Cash saying: I do feel for my right honourable friend with the throat condition she has at the moment, I really do.

Although he felt for the Prime Ministers cracking voice, he added: In light of our own legal analysis and others, we do not recommend accepting the government's motion today.

Tory MP James Cartlidge added: "She may have slightly lost her voice, but is it not true that were we to have a second referendum, 17 and a half million people would have lost their voice?"

"I entirely agree with him," Mrs May told the Commons. "I believe it is absolutely imperative for this House that we meet the decision that was taken by the British people in June 2016, that we deliver on that referendum and that we deliver Brexit for the British people.

"As I say, there is a danger that a failure to agree a deal that we could end up in a situation where we have no Brexit at all."

Theresa May speaks during a debate in the Commons / EPA

Later in Tuesday's debate former Conservative minister and now independent MP Anna Soubry paid tribute to the PM's fortitude in continuing to persevere.

She said most people would take to their beds if unwell, but noted Mrs May "simply battles on".

Her vocal struggles were also mentioned by the SNP MP Stephen Gethins, who, while making an intervention, joked he would give Mrs May a "moment to get another cough sweet from the Chancellor".
A fter Theresa Mays crushing defeat in her Withdrawal Agreement vote, the odds of Article 50 being extended and the UK leaving with no-deal have been slashed.

The Prime Minister had her Brexit deal rejected for the second time on Tuesday, after MPs voted in a huge margin against it.

Mrs May said a free vote will take place tomorrow on a no-deal Brexit, with bookmakers placing their bets at the likiehood of the UK crashing out of the European Union without a deal.

Joe Crilly, of William Hill, said: The odds of Article 50 being extended and the odds of the UK leaving with no deal have both been cut.

Who knows what will happen?

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William Hill had Article 50 being extended at 1/8 tonight.

The chances of the UK leaving the EU with a no-deal have been placed at 1/6, with the chances of Article 50 being revoked set at 12/1.

Ahead of Mrs Mays crucial vote on Tuesday evening, Betway placed odds of the PM resigning at 7/4.

Mrs May said she "profoundly regrets" the result of the vote on her deal / REUTERS

Mrs Mays deal was rejected by a margin of 149 votes on Tuesday night, less than 24 hours after she scrambled to Strasbourg in a last-minute effort to negotiate.

The Prime Minister said after the result: "I profoundly regret the decision that this House has taken tonight.
M Ps will today vote on whether Britain should leave the European Union without a deal just a day after Theresa Mays Brexit withdrawal plans were rejected in a humiliating defeat in Parliament.

Conservative MPs will be given a free vote on a motion stating: "this House declines to approve leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a framework on the future relationship on March 29".

The House of Commons has a packed schedule on Wednesday beginning at 12pm with Prime Ministers Questions.

At 12.45pm Chancellor Philip Hammond is due to present the Spring Statement.

At 2.30pm the motion on no deal Brexit will be put forward with a vote taking place any time after this. It is likely to occur in the early evening at about 7pm.

Speaker John Bercow could also select amendments for MPs to vote on.

If MPs vote for no deal, the UK will leave on the March 29 by automatically reverting to World Trade Organisation trade rules.

If they vote against a no deal and move to vote on extending Article 50 on Thursday, Mrs May will formally ask European leaders for the process to be extended.
T heresa Mays Brexit deal has been voted down in the Commons for a second time in a crushing defeat for the Prime Minister.

Her revised withdrawal plans were rejected by 391 to 242 in a night of high drama on Tuesday, with the Government in full-scale crisis.

Mrs Mays spokesman said MPs had voted for uncertainty and must now answer the questions raised about how to proceed.

So what happens now? Here we outline the next steps in the Brexit process as a week of political chaos continues

Under pressure: Theresa May / AP

Vote on leaving without a deal

MPs will on Wednesday night vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without securing a deal with the bloc.

If the no-deal option is voted down, MPs will then go on to vote on whether to push back the March 29 Brexit date.

The Prime Minister would request an extension to Article 50 from the EU if MPs back a delay.

There are plenty of possible outcomes if a move to delay Brexit taken by the government. Here are some of the options on the table

More votes on the deal

Mrs May could try for a third time to push her deal through the Commons.

If approval was won, fresh legislation would be drawn up to bring it into effect with a new divorce date.

Jeremy Corbyn: Government must accept their deal is dead

No deal

If the deadline is extended and MPs vote against leaving without a deal, this would not mean no-deal could be ruled out completely.

A no-deal scenario would be the default outcome if Britain and the EU cannot sign off on a deal during the possible extension period.

Renegotiation

The EU has been firm in saying renegotiation of the current deal is not on the table, but a new deal could be drawn up.

But the bloc could refuse to enter into talks and the UK would have to take a different course of action.

Ahead of Tuesday night's vote, Jean-Claude Juncker issued a stark warning to MPs threatening to reject Theresa Mays deal.

The European Commission President said there would be no third chance.

Second referendum

There would need to be new legislation to put the wheels in motion, but a fresh referendum is one option on the table.

It could have the same status as the last, non-binding vote in 2016. However some MPs have called for a binding referendum.

This would mean the result would take effect automatically.

Theresa May: I believe Brexit deal was best outcome for leaving EU

General election

Tuesday's crushing 149-vote defeat immediately raised questions over Mrs May's future amid growing talk of a General Election.

In an attempted to get a political mandate for her deal, the Prime Minister could decide to hold an early General Election.

She could ask MPs vote to trigger an election under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

TODO: define component type apester

Second confidence vote

The opposition could again table a motion of no confidence in the government.

If MPs voted for the motion then a 14-day countdown would begin.

If the government cannot win a new vote of confidence within that timeframe, an early election would be called.

Brexit is scrapped

The UK could cancel its departure from the bloc.

A statement from the court said: "When a Member State has notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the European Union, as the UK has done, that Member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification."
T heresa May is expected to struggle to get her Brexit deal through Parliament for a second time this evening, with her own Attorney General dealing her a major blow with his legal advice.

Geoffrey Cox admitted the Irish backstop, which has generated much of the opposition to the PM's deal, could still see locked forever into EU rules.

He concluded the legal risk remains unchanged and unless the UK could prove the EU was acting in bad faith in future, there was no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocols arrangements, save by agreement.

Last night, Mrs May claimed to have secured new "legally binding" assurances on the backstop and urged MPs to back her "improved deal" in tonight's meaningful vote.

The backstop, which is aimed at preventing a hard border in Ireland, has seen MPs voicing their dissaproval on two main issues.

Some fear the UK could become trapped indefinitely in the backstop while others dislike the fact that Northern Ireland would be operating under different regulations to the rest of the UK.

The DUP, which props up Mrs May's government, has also displayed fierce opposition to it.

Below, the Standard answers some key questions on the backstop within Mrs Mays deal.

Brexit pressures: Theresa May / REUTERS

What has the PM achieved?

Three new documents were agreed with Mr Juncker.

The first is a "joint instrument" that relates to the Withdrawal Agreement. The PM said it reduces the risk that the UK could be "deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely".

The second is a "unilateral declaration" by the UK which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily".

The third is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

What does all that mean?

The joint instrument gives Britain the ability to suspend the backstop if the EU is deemed to have deliberately applied it indefinitely, but the UK would have to win the backing of an independent arbitration body to do so.

The unilateral declaration is a statement on the record that the UK can "instigate measures" to remove itself from the backstop if talks break down.

This could carry legal weight if it is lodged with the UN without formal objection by the EU.

The supplement to the declaration states the intention that both sides will set about finding an alternative to the backstop as soon as possible.

Countdown to Brexit: 17 days to go

What was planned for the Irish border?

A backstop solution aims to prevent the establishment of a hard border, and the reintroduction of border checks, between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

It would mean the UK will remain in a customs union with the EU "unless and until" "alternative arrangements" are found to avoid a hard border if future trade talks between the two parties fail once a transition period ends.

But it also means some extra regulations relating to Northern Ireland remain aligned with the rest of the EU to ensure the order remains open.

It is an insurance policy if no answer can be found through a permanent trade deal after a transitional period from next March but unionists fear it could create regulatory disparity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The EU says it has no plans to change its negotiating stance and the UK Government has also said it would not accept a hard border in place after Brexit.

But both sides have been reluctant to concede too much ground over the issue.

What exactly does the backstop propose?

The Prime Minister says she will negotiate a special customs and trade arrangement with the EU once the Brexit transition period ends in December 2020.

But the Irish government, along with the rest of the EU, insisted on an insurance policy in case those talks fail.

This backstop, which was agreed on as part of the Withdrawal Agreement struck in November will apply only until such a time as a subsequent agreement is in place.

This would create a single EU-UK customs territory avoiding the need for tariffs, quotas or checks on rules of origin between the EU and the UK.

Northern Irish businesses would not face restrictions when placing products on the EU's Single Market.

But there will be separate regulations for Northern Ireland on some extra rules of the single market, to avoid a return to a hard border on the island.

What has been the Irish Government's reaction?

Dublin is keen to ensure a free-flowing border to protect the peace process and north-south trade links and wants this insurance policy to protect it.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said it is not possible to renegotiate the backstop without reopening all aspects of the draft withdrawal treaty.

Mr Varadkar pledged to defend the backstop, but said it was important to remember it was an insurance mechanism and a way of avoiding the return of a hard customs border on the island.

Brexit: Meaningful Vote Front Pages - In Pictures 1 /12 Brexit: Meaningful Vote Front Pages - In Pictures

What has been the DUP's reaction?

Party leader Arlene Foster said the Prime Minister must get rid of the backstop and backed calls for alternative arrangements to be made.

The DUP is concerned remaining aligned to Europe would create a regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, requiring extra checks on east-west trade and threatening the integrity of the UK as a whole.

MP Sammy Wilson told the BBC that Theresa May's Commons defeat reaffirmed his party's concerns over the backstop and that the Prime Minister must renogotiate with Brussels.

Other opposition to the backstop

Many MPs dislike the prospect of being bound to EU rules and customs duties that would prevent Britain doing its own trade deals and leave it overseen by EU judges.

Mrs May has pushed the EU to put a time limit on the backstop, possibly in 2021. Some EU governments have considered such a deadline - perhaps more like 2025 - but Ireland and all other EU leaders have rejected that.

Staunch Brexiteer Boris Johnson has previously said the EU would use the backstop to "blackmail" the UK.

He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show last year: The real problem with the backstop arrangement, it gives the power to Brussels and all the other EU states effectively to blackmail us and to get what they want out of the future trade negotiations. It is a diabolical negotiating position to be in.

Mr Johnson insisted that there could be a withdrawal agreement without the Irish backstop.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his Brexit deal would not include a backstop and that the DUP clearly disliked it "for very good and sensible reasons".

What have Remain voices in Northern Ireland said about the backstop?

Four pro-Remain parties in Northern Ireland including Sinn Fein and the nationalist SDLP declared it should be "banked" rather than discarded to protect the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
What has the PM achieved?

Three new documents were agreed with Mr Juncker.

The first is a "joint instrument" that relates to the Withdrawal Agreement. The PM said it reduces the risk that the UK could be "deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely".

The second is a "unilateral declaration" by the UK which sets out "the sovereign action the UK would take to provide assurance that the backstop would only be applied temporarily".

The third is a supplement to the Political Declaration "setting out commitments by the UK and the EU to expedite the negotiation and bringing into force of their future relationship".

What does all that mean?

The joint instrument gives Britain the ability to suspend the backstop if the EU is deemed to have deliberately applied it indefinitely, but the UK would have to win the backing of an independent arbitration body to do so.

The unilateral declaration is a statement on the record that the UK can "instigate measures" to remove itself from the backstop if talks break down.

This could carry legal weight if it is lodged with the UN without formal objection by the EU.

The supplement to the declaration states the intention that both sides will set about finding an alternative to the backstop as soon as possible
N igel Farage urged Donald Trump to back a no-deal Brexit when they met in Washington earlier this month.

Former Ukip leader Mr Farage told the US leader to support the idea that Britain should walk away if a bad agreement was on offer.

Mr Farage likened the Brexit negotiations to President Trump's nuclear summit with North Korea in Vietnam last year.

"I was talking to him about Vietnam, where he had said that a bad deal was on the table so sometimes you have to walk. That was the exact quote from Trump." Mr Farage told The Telegraph.

The conversation took place at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Washington, an event involving conservative speakers.

A photograph of the meeting shows both men smiling to the camera with their thumbs raised.

Mr Farage added: "I said in the case of Vietnam that no deal was better than a bad deal and I gave my opinion that the same principle applied to Brexit.

"I think if you read the comments from his ambassador in London, I don't think it takes much reading between the lines.

"This American administration firmly believes in the nation state, not supranational structures and this administration are hugely keen on the defence, security and indeed business relationships that exist between our two countries.

"And I think it's fair to say they see Brexit as a great opportunity."

President Trump and Mr Farage became friends during his campaign when the former Ukip leader, dubbed "Mr Brexit", was greeted at a rally in Mississippi before the 2016 election.

The two were also pictured just after the election, at Trump tower in New York, where Mr Farage appeared to be spearheading a new relationship between the UK and US.

President Trump has spoken highly of Mr Farage in the past, stating that he would do "a great job" as British ambassador to the United States.
A shattered Theresa May was forced to concede a free vote to block a no-deal after MPs rejected her Brexit plans by 391 to 242.

The crushing 149-vote defeat immediately raised questions over the Prime Ministers future amid growing talk of a General Election.

With her Government in full-scale crisis, Mrs May confirmed a vote will be held tomorrow which could stop the UK crashing out of the EU.

But a huge row was brewing over Mrs Mays motion ruling out a no-deal on march 29 - because it leaves the possibility of crashing out at a later date.

It raised the prospect of a rolling no-deal that might postpone the cliff-edge until the end of an extension to Article 50.

Mrs May said she "profoundly regrets" the result of the vote on her deal / REUTERS

Labour MPs said they would put down an amendment tomorrow seeking to rule out no-deal at any time. But Mrs May appeared to be determined to keep the threat alive for the sake of her negotiating hand.

Mrs Mays motion read: That this House declines to approve leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a Framework on the Future Relationship on 29 March 2019; and notes that leaving without a deal remains the default in UK and EU law unless this House and the EU ratify an agreement.

If passed, special legislation will be rushed out to remove the legal default of a no-deal on March 29. But under Mrs Mays plans, the possibility will exist until MPs unite behind a plan.

Mrs Mays spokesman said that MPs had voted for uncertainty and must now answer the questions raised by the PM about how to proceed.

He would not say if she was now planning to support indicative votes in the Commons so that MPs can stage an X-Factor style contest to pick a Plan B, saying only that the PM would see how the votes on no-deal and delay went.

Mrs May has offered a free vote on whether MPs support No Deal / REUTERS

The spokesman also declined to say if Mrs May would attempt to take charge of the process to identify a plan B, saying again that she would watch the outcome of this weeks voting.

The PM has opposed calls for indicative votes so far, including from Cabinet ministers like Amber Rudd, in the belief that they would not produce a solution successfully.

Looking exhausted and her voice croaking, Mrs May insisted that her deal was still the best available.

MPs listen to Theresa May's statement after her Brexit plans were defeated for a second time / AFP/Getty Images

But facing the threat of mass resignations by ministers, she announced there would be a free vote on stopping a no deal.

She also said MPs will be able to vote on Thursday to delay Brexit beyond March 29.

However, she tersely told MPs that the votes this week would not resolve the Brexit dilemmas.

Voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face, she said.

The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension.

This House will have to answer that question. Does it wish to revoke Article 50? Does it want to hold a second referendum? Or does it want to leave with a deal but not this deal?

These are unenviable choices, but thanks to the decision the House has made this evening they must now be faced.

Mr Corbyn said Mrs Mays deal was now clearly dead.

He added: The Prime Minister has run down the clock and the clock has been run out on her. Maybe its time..we had a General Election.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I welcome tonights vote to reject the Governments bad Brexit deal.

"The Prime Minister needs to put our city and our country first, and withdraw Article 50.

"Its time to give the British public the final say on Brexit."

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, told BBC News: Its a very difficult situation now.

The danger, now, I think over the next couple of days is that things might get more confusing rather than more straightforward.

SNP leader Ian Blackford said the Government had been humiliated.

The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier said no-deal preparations are now more important than ever before following the vote.

The Government will tomorrow announce contingency plans for tariffs and the Northern Ireland border with the Republic if there is a no deal.

The huge defeat came after an extraordinary day of drama which saw a number of Tory MPs signalling early this morning that they were ready to switch to back Mrs Mays deal despite deep reservations.

Theresa May in the Commons ahead of the result / REUTERS

However, Attorney General Geoffrey Coxs legal advice dealt a bombshell blow to Mrs Mays proposals at 11am as it concluded that there was still a risk that the UK could be kept in a customs union indefinitely through the backstop.

His verdict came after the Prime Minister dashed last night to Strasbourg to make an eleventh-hour agreement with EU chiefs which she stressed bolstered the Governments legal power to pull out of the backstop if Brussels showed bad faith in negotiations.

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But as MPs digested the small print of the Attorney Generals advice, any hopes that the Prime Minister could win her vote started to evaporate.

A star chamber of Eurosceptic lawyers announced at around 1pm that they opposed the Brexit plan and shortly afterwards the Democratic Unionist Party, propping up Mrs Mays government, also came out against it.

As the clock ticked towards the 7pm vote, the number of Tory MPs saying they were changing their stance to support Mrs May rose to 24 but this still left Mrs May way short.

Theresa May told the Commons that Brexit could be lost if MPs don't support her deal / PA

A meeting of the hardline European Research Group broke up just half an hour before the vote, with chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg saying dozens of MPs in the room were expected to vote against the deal.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay ended his winding up speech with an appeal to MPs: It is time to choose. It is time to support this deal.

But he was howled down by Opposition MPs minutes before the vote when he claimed that under the Vienna Convention the UK could have the right to terminate its backstop obligations if the EU side was guilty of bad faith.

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Although Mr Cox nodded along to the claim, the Scottish Nationalists accused the minister of making up fresh legal advice as he went along.

Mrs Mays rollercoaster 24-hours was mirrored in the Pound, which rose last night when she sealed her Strasbourg deal with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, then tanked when the Attorneys letter came out at 11am - falling 1.43 per cent to 1.15 euros.
T heresa May was facing a crushing defeat tonight as dozens of members of the hardline European Research Group were set to vote against her Brexit deal.

After a meeting of the ERG finished just half an hour before the crunch vote, chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said: A majority of the people in this room seem pretty clearly opposed to the deal.

Some Eurosceptic MPs were switching to back Mrs Mays proposals amid fears that if they did not they could lose Brexit altogether.

However, Mr Rees-Mogg added: The consensus view is that that is a risk but not one that would materialise.

He now believes that the expectation is that the UK will leave the EU without a deal.

However, MPs are set to get a vote tomorrow to block a no deal departure.

The Attorney General issued legal advice admitting that Britain could still be locked forever into EU rules through the Irish backstop / House of Commons/PA

Sammy Wilson, Brexit spokesman for the Democratic Unionist Party, propping up Mrs Mays government, said it was a no brainer to oppose her plan once Attorney General Geoffrey Cox had delivered his damning verdict that the backstop could still mean the UK remaining trapped in a customs union indefinitely.

Tory MP Simon Clarke said: A majority of the ERG will vote against (Mrs Mays deal)."

Earlier Mrs May's own Attorney General issued legal advice admitting that Britain could still be locked forever into EU rules through the Irish backstop.

The bombshell from the Governments top lawyer Geoffrey Cox came just eight hours before a make-or-break Commons vote. In a further blow, the DUP, which props up Mrs May's Government indicated that it would not back the deal tonight.

Mrs May, battling a croaky voice and with husband Philip watching from the gallery, told MPs at the opening of the debate ahead of the Meaningful Vote that "Brexit could be lost" if her deal is rejected.

The Prime Minister told the Commons: "The danger for those of us who want to have faith in the British public and deliver on their vote for Brexit, is that if this vote is not passed tonight, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost."

Mrs May had dashed to the Commons to appeal in person to Tory MPs before the debate began. She appeared to have won round a number of Brexiteers including some hardliners. But others dug in their heels.

In a major blow, the European Research Group announced at 1.05pm that the legal advice from Mr Cox does not meet the tests the Government set itself.

Some backbenchers left the meeting with their heads lowered, declining to talk to the waiting press. But James Gray said: I am moving gently towards supporting it.

Former Tory chairman Grant Shapps said the vote would be close and she needed the DUP. But the DUP later indicated that the party will not support the Prime Minister's deal, saying in a statement that "sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time."

Theresa May leaves Downing Street on Tuesday / AP

One MP, named by some as Charlie Elphicke, told Mrs May he had hoped she would bring back a rabbit  but she had only managed a hamster. However, the MP said that was good enough for him.

A Brexiteer source claimed that a defeat by more than 100 votes might be on the cards. But minister Nadhim Zahawi claimed: Lots of people who voted against it last time have changed their minds.

A section of the legal advice published by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox / Sky News

The Prime Minister's battle came just half a day after she flew to Strasbourg to secure three new documents in talks with Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president.

Mrs Mays rollercoaster 24-hours was mirrored in the pound, which rose last night when she sealed her Strasbourg deal with a kiss from Mr Juncker, then tanked when the Attorney Generals letter came out at 11am  falling 1.43 per cent to 1.15 euros.

The pound tanked when the Attorney General's letter came out / AFP/Getty Images

Despite headlines proclaiming a Lazarus-like revival of her deal this morning, Mr Coxs legal advice suggested not much had changed. He told the Commons, it now came down to a political decision.

In his written legal advice, he concluded the legal risk remains unchanged that unless the UK could prove the EU was acting in bad faith, there was no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocols arrangements, save by agreement.

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Some of his findings were helpful to Mrs May. It was arguable that the UK could win freedom from the backstop by proving that the EU was dragging its feet on finding alternative arrangements.

He said the new documents obliged the EU to move quickly if the UK came up with reasonable ideas and any pattern of unjustified delay by the EU would show bad faith.

Mr Cox said that Mrs Mays new documents reduce the risk that the United Kingdom could be indefinitely and involuntarily detained in the backstop but only, he stressed, in so far as that situation had been brought about by the bad faith or want of best endeavours of the EU.

Brexit: Leave and Remain supporters gather in London on 29 January 1 /33 Brexit: Leave and Remain supporters gather in London on 29 January Pro-EU and pro-Brexit protestors discuss the vote and ongoing political processes as they demonstrate near to the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A man holds a 'Stop Brexit' sign aboard a campaign bus travelling down Whitehall in Westminster, London PA Pro-Brexit demonstrators chant slogans outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters A leave supporter vapes electronic cigarette in front of a group of remain supporters AP Pro-Brexit protestors dressed as suffragettes demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images An anti-brexit supporter holds banners in London AP Pro and anti Brexit protestors discuss the vote and ongoing political processes as they demonstrate near to the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters hold banners in London AP A campaigner dressed as Charlie Chaplin walks by the Houses of Parliament PA A leave supporter holds banners at the parliament gates AP Pro-Brexit, left and anti-Brexit protesters hold banners in London AP Pro-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters A leave supporter holds banners in front of remain supporters during demonstrations in London AP Police officers stand near Pro-Brexit and Anti-Brexit posters outside the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London Reuters Leave supporters hold placards in front of remain supporters during demonstrations in London, AP A pro-Brexit protestor sets fire to a roll of toilet paper decorated with the EU flag as she demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament Getty Images A pro-Brexit protestor sets fire to a roll of toilet paper decorated with the EU flag as she demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Leave supporters hold placards as they take part in demonstrations near the parliament in Londo AP Leave and remain supporters hold placards as they take part in demonstrations near the parliament in London AP Pro-Brexit activists hold placards and wave flags as they demonstrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AFP/Getty Images A remain supporter, left and a leave supporter, center, discuss during demonstrations in London AP Pro-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster Getty Images v Reuters Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate on a double decker bus outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster Getty Images

The Attorney General concluded: However, the legal risk remains unchanged that if through no such demonstrable failure of either party, but simply because of intractable differences, that situation does arise, the United Kingdom would have ... no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocols arrangements, save by agreement.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: The legal advice at the moment does not look particularly good at all. He said some elements were pretty devastating. Mr Duncan Smith stressed: This is now a political decision.

Brexit-backing former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson tweeted that Mr Cox had given a brutally clear answer that the legal risk remains unchanged.

The DUPs Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson did not sound impressed in an early interview on LBC radio. Ive got to say that what the PM has said so far, it seems to fall short of what she herself has promised.

Countdown to Brexit: 17 days to go

MPs were preparing to seize control of the Commons timetable if the vote is lost.

Former Tory minister Nick Boles, who is pushing for a softer Brexit, warned Brexiteers that if they could end up with a soft Brexit or no Brexit at all. Do yourselves a favour. Take the win. Vote for the deal, he tweeted

Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said defeat in the meaningful vote would lead to a general election.

He told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "If it doesn't go through tonight, as sure as night follows day, there will be a general election within a matter of days or weeks.

"It is not sustainable, the current situation in Parliament."

Mr Walker, who is chairman of the Commons Procedure Committee, said: "The country deserves more than this. It elects Members of Parliament to make decisions.

"We need to make a decision tonight and that has to be to let this deal pass."

Mr Walker said: "If the deal is defeated tonight it is impossible to imagine that the Prime Minister would allow this to drift into next week when Oliver Letwin will table a Bill for the House of Commons to take over the negotiating process.

"No Government is going to allow that to happen.

"So, I think then you get into one of the only options is the Prime Minister collapses the House of Commons.

"That has to be done on a two-third vote."
T he Royal Mint has commemorated the late Professor Stephen Hawking with a series of 50p coins for his pioneering work on black holes.

The Cambridge University mathematician died last year aged 76 after living with a rare form of motor neurone disease.

He joins an elite group of scientists featured on British money including Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

The 50p coin was inspired by Prof Hawing's work on black holes, outlined in his bestselling book on the universe, A Brief History of Time.

Professor Stephen Hawking is also on the long list / PA Wire/PA Images

Designer Edwina Ellis told the BBC: I wanted to fit a big black hole on the tiny coin and wish he was still here chortling at the thought."

She also said she wanted to reflect how he made difficult subjects accessible, engaging and relatable, especially with his theories on black holes.

His daughter Lucy visited the Royal Mint with her brother Tim to see the new coins, according to the BBC.

She said: It is a great privilege to be featured on a coin and I hope my father would be pleased to be alongside Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin as scientists who have made it on to money.

Prof Hawking was told he only had a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease at 22 years old.

The coin's designer said she wanted to fit a "big black hole on the tiny coin." / Royal Mint

Prof Hawking is also a contender for the 50 banknote, which will feature the face of a British scientist to be chosen later this year.

Defying his short-life expectancy, he lived with the illness until the age of 76, which left him wheelchair bound, and largely unable to speak without a voice synthesiser.

In his lifetime, he rose to the prestigious role of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University for 30 years.

Crowds lined the streets to bid farewell to the icon, after his death on March 14 last year.
T wo models of Boeing 737 aircraft have been banned from operating across the whole of Europe after the Ethiopia Airlines plane crash, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has announced.

Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX were banned from the skies over Europe following the Ethiopia Airlines crash in which 157 people died, including 9 British citizens.

It was the second disaster involving the 787 Max 8 model in five months after last October's Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed all 189 people on board.

The EASA said it was "taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers. "

They said in a statement: "As a precautionary measure, EASA has published today an Airworthiness Directive, effective as of 19:00 UTC, suspending all flight operations of all Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX aeroplanes in Europe. In addition EASA has published a Safety Directive, effective as of 19:00 UTC, suspending all commercial flights performed by third-country operators into, within or out of the EU of the above mentioned models.

Ethiopian police officers walk past the debris of the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing jet on Tuesday / Baz Ratner/Reuters

"The accident investigation is led by the Ethiopian Authorities with the support of the National Transportation Safety Board, as the aircraft was designed and built in the United States. EASA has offered their assistance in supporting the accident investigation.

"EASA is continuously analysing the data as it becomes available. The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident."

Rescuers work at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines flight crash / AP

In a statement, the CAA said: "As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

"The UK Civil Aviation Authority's safety directive will be in place until further notice.
B oeing 737 Max aircraft have been banned from operating in and over UK airspace after the Ethiopia Airlines plane crash, the Civil Aviation Authority has said.

A plane crashed shortly after take-off from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Sunday killing 157 people. At least nine British nationals were among the victims.

It was the second disaster involving the 787 Max 8 model in five months after last October's Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed all 189 people on board.

The CAA announced today it had banned the plane from arriving, departing and flying in UK airspace "as a precaution".

A number of countries and airlines around the world have also grounded the aircraft.

In a statement, the CAA said: "As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

"The UK Civil Aviation Authority's safety directive will be in place until further notice.

"We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency and industry regulators globally."

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash 1 /30 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A passenger safety instruction card is seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS Cabin serviettes are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A civilian takes a photograph of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS Rescuers search through wreckage at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 km (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia AP A man inspecting what is believed to be wreckage at the crash site of an Ethiopia Airlines aircraft near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 crashed six minutes after an early-morning takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, Ethiopian Airlines said as world leaders offered condolences to distraught next-of-kin. People holding passports from 32 countries and the UN were on board the plane which ploughed into a field just 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, the carrier's CEO Tewolde GebreMariam told journalists in the capital, lamenting this "very sad and tragic day." AFP/Getty Images Red cross team work amid debris at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP/Getty Images Rescuers search through the wreckage of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at the scene at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. AP A general view shows the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS An Ethiopian Airports Enterprise fire engine drives to the scene of the Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A relative reacts as he leaves the information centre following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS A woman reacts as she waits for the updated flight information of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, where her fiance was onboard at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS Family members of the victims involved in a plane crash react at Addis Ababa international airport. AP A family member of a victim involved in a plane crash talks on a mobile phone at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday. AP Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. AP A Djiboutian national Hiba (L) is comforted by a relative as she waits for details of her loved one that was on board the flight Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. EPA Passenger Ahmed Khalid (L), who missed his Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 while connecting from Dubai, is received by his father Khalid Bzambur (R) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS Airport staff install a help desk for the crashed Ethiopia airlines flight at the inernational arrival of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. AFP/Getty Images Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. AP Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam holds a press briefing at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AP Passengers wait outside the Bole International airport Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AP

Tui Airways, which has the only five such aircraft operated by a UK-based airline and was due to begin flying a sixth later this week, said other aircraft would be used to transport passengers who were due to fly in the jets.

The statement said: "TUI Airways can confirm that all 737 MAX 8 aircraft currently operating in the UK have been grounded following the decision from the UK regulatory authorities today.

"Any customers due to fly home today on a 737 MAX 8 from their holiday will be flown back on another aircraft.

"Customers due to travel in the coming days will also travel on holiday as planned on other aircraft.

"The safety and well-being of our customers and staff has remained our primary concern."

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilot's union Balpa, said: "Balpa welcomes the precautionary action of the CAA in stopping commercial passenger 737 Max aircraft from arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace. Safety must come first.
A Second World War pilot who was one of the last remaining people involved in the Great Escape has died aged 101, days before its 75th anniversary.

Jack Lyon's bomber plane was shot down near Dusseldorf in Germany in 1941, the RAF Benevolent Fund said.

All of the bomber's crew survived, only to be captured by the Nazis and taken to prisoner of war camps.

Mr Lyon, a flight lieutenant, ended up in the Stalag Luft III camp, where he was recruited by other prisoners to carry out surveillance of the compound ahead of the famed 1944 Great Escape breakout.

The plot was uncovered by guards before Mr Lyon, who died on Friday, was able to escape.

Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund of Jack Lyon, a survivor of the Great Escape prisoner of war camp, has died / PA

My Lyon was one of the last surviving prisoners of war from the camp involved in the plot, according to an RAF Benevolent Fund spokeswoman.

In what is believed to be his last interview, which he did with the charity in October ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Great Escape, he labelled the mission "a success, but at great cost".

There was a "terrible aftermath" to the breakout because 50 prisoners were shot, he said.

Mr Lyon, who joined the air force aged 23, added: "We were allocated a position and told not to move until called. It was going to be a long night.

"After an hour or so of this, air raid sirens sounded and all the camp lights went out.

"We were left in total darkness until I heard a single shot.

"We guessed that probably meant the tunnel had been discovered so we did everything we could to destroy anything incriminating - there were maps, documents."

The odds of successfully breaking out of the camp were "slim", according to Mr Lyon.

He said: "In a mass breakout, with nationwide hue and cry and bad weather, I would say they were virtually nil. Well I suppose I was lucky."

Air Commodore Charles Clarke, a 95-year-old who was a prisoner of war in the same camp as Mr Lyon, called him an "incredibly remarkable man".

Air Cdre Clarke said: "He was a great entertainer, even in recent years. His eyes sparkled."

The 75th anniversary of the prison break is on March 24 and is being marked with a commemorative film screening by the RAF Benevolent Fund, hosted by TV historian Dan Snow.

The event will be streamed live to hundreds of UK cinemas, according to organisers.

Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, chief executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "Jack belonged to a generation of servicemen we are sadly losing as time goes on.

"His legacy and those of his brave comrades who planned and took part in the audacious Great Escape breakout are the freedoms we enjoy today."

Last month Dick Churchill, the last surviving member of the 76-strong group who made it out of the camp, died aged 99.
T hree climbers have died and another has been injured after an avalanche on Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain.

Police Scotland were alerted to the incident shortly after 11.50am on Tuesday and began coordinating a mountain rescue response at Number 5 Gully.

Initially, police said two climbers had died and two were injured but later on Tuesday confirmed one of the injured climbers had since died.

The other climber was flown to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

File photo: Three people have died after the avalanche / Getty Images

Police Scotland's Fort William Inspector Isla Campbell said: "This has been a challenging operation and I want to pass on my thanks to the mountain rescue teams, colleagues at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Scottish Ambulance Service for their assistance in extremely difficult conditions.

"I would also like to praise members of the public and staff from the Scottish Avalanche Information Service who were on scene at the time and provided immediate assistance."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon earlier said it was "absolutely tragic news".

She tweeted: "My thoughts are very much with the bereaved and injured. And my gratitude as always for the work of our emergency services, Mountain Rescue and Coastguard."

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes said: "First and foremost my thoughts are with the families of the climbers. This is heartbreaking news.

"I'm sure that the hearts of everybody in the local area go out to those who are grieving. I sincerely hope that there are no further casualties.

"Sincere gratitude, as always, goes to the volunteers in Lochaber and Glencoe Mountain Rescue Teams. They are ready and willing to go out in all weathers whenever the call comes.

"We have fantastic terrain in Lochaber that attracts thousands of climbers and walkers every year, and it is desperately sad when people come to harm."

Police Scotland coordinated the mountain rescue response, with volunteers from Lochaber Mountain Rescue and Glencoe Mountain Rescue teams attending.

Support at the scene was also received from the Coastguard and Maritime Agency and Scottish Ambulance Service.

Ben Nevis, near Fort William in the western Highlands, is a popular destination for experienced climbers, attracting 125,000 visitors each year.

File photo: There were high winds and heavy snowfall on Britain's tallest peak / Getty Images

Tuesday's incident follows two recent fatal accidents on the mountain, which at 1,345m is the UK's highest.

On New Year's Day, a 21-year-old German woman, who was a student at Bristol University, died after she fell from a ridge she had been climbing with three other people.

She had been hiking on what is known as the "ledge route" when she fell around 500ft.
H eavy rainfall blighted the UK overnight with Storm Gareth set to swoop in later today amid a "danger to life" warning from forecasters.

Yellow warnings for wind and rain are in force across parts of the UK for the next four days, the Met Office said.

"Severe gales" are expected later on today as Storm Gareth hits with gales predicted to reach up to 80mph and flooding expected in some areas.

In the last 12 hours, some areas have already seen nearly 5cm of rain with Capel Curig in Wales seeing 49mm.

There have also been speedy winds hurtling through regions in recent hours with winds already hitting 52mph in the south-west and worse expected.

Yellow warnings for wind cover most of England, Wales and Ireland until 3pm tomorrow. The Met Office issued a "danger to life" warning in Ireland.

"There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris," forecasters said. They have also warned of power cuts and delays to bus and train journeys across the UK and Ireland.

A yellow warning for rain is in place in north-west England from just after midnight on Thursday to 10am on Friday.

The worst of the storm is expected this evening.

According to the Met Office, today's weather will see: "Heavy rain across Wales and northern England, spreading southeastwards, with gusty winds.

"Brighter skies following from the north and later west, with heavy, blustery showers, wintry over northern hills. Turning very windy later, with severe gales in the northwest."

However, tonight will see the worst of it and experts predict: "Very windy with severe gales in the north. Heavy and squally showers across northern and central parts with risk of hail of thunder."

There is a large weather warning for wind covering much of the UK today, with public transport liable to be affected.

In the north-west there is an added warning for rain, with "flooding of a few homes and businesses likely".

Speaking previously, Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "The strong north-westerly winds will also affect south-west Scotland late on Tuesday, spreading across much of England and Wales through Wednesday.

"Gusts of 50-55 mph are likely inland and up to 65 mph along western coasts. Winds will gradually ease during the afternoon."

Gusts could even reach 80mph along northern coasts in coming days, with warnings in place through to Friday.

The storm has been caused by a deep area of low pressure and as well as the Met Office's warnings, the Environment Agency has also stated there is a risk of floods.
S ingapore and Australia today became the latest countries to ban Boeing 737 Max planes from their airports in response to the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

Civil aviation authorities in both nations said they had temporarily suspended operations of the aircraft while its safety was reviewed.

Flight ET302 was seen swerving and dipping before crashing minutes after take off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board including nine Britons.

It was the second disaster involving the American manufacturers latest model in less than five months after a Lion Air jet crashed in Indonesia in October killing 189.

Singapore became the first country to bar all versions of the Boeing 737 Max, not just the Max 8 variant involved in the two disasters.

Its Civil Aviation Authority said that during the suspension it will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with their continued operation.

Airlines affected by the move include SilkAir, the regional arm of Singapore Airlines, which operates six Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Australias Civil Aviation Safety Authority said that no Australian airlines operate the Boeing 737 Max, but SilkAir and Fiji Airways fly in and out of the country using the model. Chief executive and director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, said: CASA regrets any inconvenience to passengers but believes it is important to always put safety first.

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash 1 /23 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A passenger safety instruction card is seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS Cabin serviettes are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A civilian takes a photograph of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS Rescuers search through wreckage at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 km (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia AP A man inspecting what is believed to be wreckage at the crash site of an Ethiopia Airlines aircraft near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 crashed six minutes after an early-morning takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, Ethiopian Airlines said as world leaders offered condolences to distraught next-of-kin. People holding passports from 32 countries and the UN were on board the plane which ploughed into a field just 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, the carrier's CEO Tewolde GebreMariam told journalists in the capital, lamenting this "very sad and tragic day." AFP/Getty Images Red cross team work amid debris at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP/Getty Images Rescuers search through the wreckage of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff at the scene at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. AP A general view shows the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS An Ethiopian Airports Enterprise fire engine drives to the scene of the Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. REUTERS A relative reacts as he leaves the information centre following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS A woman reacts as she waits for the updated flight information of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, where her fiance was onboard at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS Family members of the victims involved in a plane crash react at Addis Ababa international airport. AP A family member of a victim involved in a plane crash talks on a mobile phone at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday. AP Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. AP A Djiboutian national Hiba (L) is comforted by a relative as she waits for details of her loved one that was on board the flight Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. EPA Passenger Ahmed Khalid (L), who missed his Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 while connecting from Dubai, is received by his father Khalid Bzambur (R) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS Airport staff install a help desk for the crashed Ethiopia airlines flight at the inernational arrival of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. AFP/Getty Images Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. AP Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam holds a press briefing at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AP Passengers wait outside the Bole International airport Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AP

A total of 24 airlines so far have taken the aircraft out of service, although the US Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines it believes the model is airworthy. Indias Jet Airways says it has grounded its five Max 8s, while Brazils Gol Airlines is suspending the use of its 121 planes.

Ethiopian police officers walk past the debris of the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing jet on Tuesday / Baz Ratner/Reuters

The 737 Max is the newest version of the 737, the best-selling airliner ever, and Boeing has delivered more than 350 of them since launch in 2017 with more than 5,000 on order.

The latest suspensions came as family and friends paid tribute to aid worker Sam Pegram, who was the sixth of nine British victims to be named following the crash. Mr Pegram, 25, from Preston, Lancashire, had started a job as an aid worker with the Norwegian Refugee Council in January at the organisations offices in Geneva. Last night his mother spoke of her shock. She said: Sam was so looking forward to going to Nairobi. He loved the work he was doing. We cant believe this has happened. Were totally devastated.

Meanwhile, friends around the world paid tribute to Mr Pegram, who had previously worked in Jordan and had travelled across South-East Asia.
T he first Islamic State terrorist to strike in Europe was today starting a life sentence for murdering four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.

Medhi Nemmouche, 33, and his co-accused Nacer Bendrer, 30, appeared impassive as their punishments were handed down in the Belgian capitals assizes court shortly after midnight.

But in his final words to the jury before sentencing, the smirking killer said: Life goes on.

Prosecutor Yves Moreau told him: Mr Nemmouche, you are just a coward, you kill people by shooting them from behind, you kill old women by shooting them with an assault rifle, you kill because it gives you pleasure to kill.

Bendrer, who helped plan the attack and was jailed for 15 years for supplying the weapons, told the court: I am ashamed to have crossed paths with this guy. He is not a man, he is a monster.

In the bloodbath at the museum on May 24, 2014, Nemmouche took 82 seconds to end the lives of Emmanuel and Miriam Riva, an Israeli couple from Tel Aviv, student Alexandre Strens and receptionist Dominique Sabrier.

A court drawing shows Mehdi Nemmouche and Nacer Bendrer during their trial / REUTERS

The defendants, both French nationals, had denied the charges, claiming the attack was carried out by Israeli secret services. They produced no evidence to support the claim.

The shootings were the start of an IS terror campaign that has involved at least 22 attacks across the EU that have killed more than 330 people and wounded nearly 1,500.

In a report submitted to the court, a prison official said: Nemmouche laughed, saying he was happy because there were four less Jews on Earth and they had all been sent to Israel in a coffin.

It was part of evidence recorded in a 24-minute phone call between Nemmouche and the late Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the IS mastermind of the November 2015 attacks on Paris in which 130 people were murdered.

Nemmouche was captured by security agents in Marseille six days after the museum attack. He was still carrying weapons, an IS flag, and a recording in which a man sounding like him claimed responsibility for the atrocity.

His voice was recognised by French journalist Nicolas Henin, who had been a prisoner in ISs caliphate in Syria. Nemmouche is said to have tortured captives while working as a guard in the jail where Henin was held with three others before a ransom was allegedly paid by the French government.

Nemmouche was brought up a Catholic by foster parents in northern France. After leaving their home aged 16, he was convicted of violent offences including armed robbery, and turned to radical Islam in jail.
P M secures improved Brexit deal

Theresa May has secured new "legally binding" assurances on the Irish border backstop following hours of Brexit talks in Strasbourg.

The Prime Minister last night held discussions with EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker ahead of a Commons vote later today.

Speaking after the last-minute talks, Mrs May urged MPs to back what she called her "improved" deal in the meaningful vote.

And Mr Juncker warned UK Parliament that if the agreement was voted down there would be "no third chance".

Follow the latest Brexit developments live, here.

Conor McGregor arrested for smashing fans phone

Conor McGregor has been arrested in Miami after allegedly smashing a fans phone as they tried to take pictures.

The UFC fighter, 30, was charged with robbery and criminal mischief after being detained, authorities in the US said.

McGregor was leaving the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel when the incident allegedly took place.

Storm Gareth set to batter UK

Brits have been told to brace themselves for more destructive winds with Storm Gareth set to batter the UK today.

The Met Office issued a windy weather warning for most of the UK ahead of Gareth making landfall.

The storm could stir winds of up to 80mph on northern coasts in England, with 60mph gusts across Northern Ireland.

Body found in search for missing backpacker

A body has been found in the search for missing British backpacker Catherine Shaw in Guatemala.

Catherine, 23, from Oxfordshire, was last seen by security cameras leaving a hotel in the early hours of last Tuesday.

Earlier, rescuers had said the chances of finding her alive were slim.

24-hour danceathon under way

Strictly Come Dancing power duo Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have kicked off their 24-hour danceathon for Comic Relief.

The TV presenters have vowed to show off their best moves to music in a bid to raise money for charity.

The pair are hopeful they will break radio host Sara Coxs 2017 record by shimmying over the one-day mark.

On this day

1904: The first main-line electric train in the UK left Liverpool for Southport.

1941: The original incident used in Compton Mackenzie's Whisky Galore occurred in the Hebrides when a cargo ship ran aground with her holds full of whisky. Islanders hid the quarter of a million bottles from Customs officers.

1969: Beatle Paul McCartney married photographer Linda Eastman, while George Harrison was arrested for illegal possession of cannabis.

1977: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat said he would not allow a single inch of Arab land to remain under Israeli occupation.

1987: The Government gave the go-ahead to the Sizewell B nuclear processing plant in Suffolk.
Countries & Areas

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Bangladesh 211 and 80 for 3 (Shadman 29, Mithun 25*, Boult 2-34) trail New Zealand 432 for 6 dec (Taylor 200, Nicholls 107, Williamson 74, Jayed 3-94) by 141 runs

On an emotional day when he went past the Test-hundreds tally of his mentor, the late, great Martin Crowe, Ross Taylor gave New Zealand a real shot at victory - and a 2-0 lead in the three-Test series - in a Test match that has lost two full days to rain. Over the course of 150-plus stands with Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls , who made his fifth Test hundred, Taylor defied the two hurdles that stood before New Zealand at the start of day four: time, and a green, seaming Basin Reserve surface.

New Zealand declared soon after Taylor brought up his third double-hundred in Tests - he was dismissed on 200 - their pace of scoring - 5.09 runs per over - allowing them to take a 221-run first-innings lead and still leave Bangladesh 23 overs to negotiate on the fourth evening.

Those 23 overs didn't go too well for the visitors. Trent Boult ripped out Tamim Iqbal in the first over with one that seamed back in after shaping away in the air, and followed it up with a peach to have Mominul Haque squared up and nicking to third slip. Then Matt Henry, coming on as first change, bounced out Shadman Islam, who had batted positively until then to make 29. Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar batted out the remaining 8.4 overs of the day to ensure no more wickets fell, and Bangladesh ended the day needing another 141 runs to avoid a second innings defeat in a row.

Watch NZ v Ban Live Followers in the United States can watch New Zealand v Bangladesh live on ESPN+

New Zealand began day four at 38 for 2 - they had been 8 for 2 late on the third evening - trailing by 173 on a pitch that was offering both seam movement and inconsistent bounce, and Bangladesh's seamers made life difficult for Taylor and Williamson early on, beating the edges regularly and finding disconcerting bounce, and came agonisingly close to breaking the partnership in the third full over of the day. But this was where Taylor and Williamson, who came into this game with 162 Tests between them, made their experience count against Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman, who had played a combined 17.

Jayed, who had dismissed both openers on the third evening, came close to adding the wicket of Taylor twice in his second over of the morning. First Taylor drove away from his body at a wide outswinger, and sent the ball at catchable height to the left of short extra-cover, where Mahmudullah failed to hold on. Then he poked at an away-seamer and sent an edge low to the left of second slip. This was a more difficult chance, but Shadman would reckon he should have taken it, considering he got both hands to the ball.

Taylor had shown his intent to play his shots right from the time he arrived at the crease, and he didn't let these two chances change his game. There were a few more moments of uncertainty as the first hour wound down, as the ball continued to nip around and bounce towards the splice of the bat, but scoring opportunities began to arrive more frequently as the new-ball pair began to tire. Ebadot fed Taylor's square cut on a couple of occasions, and then offered up an over-pitched ball that he sent whistling past the umpire with the full face of his bat showing.

Trent Boult crashed through Tamim Iqbal's defences in the first over of Bangladesh's innings Getty Images

At the other end, Williamson was putting on a masterclass of batting through pain. He had hurt his left shoulder on the third day diving at gully, and he required the physio's attention a couple of times during his innings. Often he pulled his left hand away from his bat handle after playing the ball, wincing at the impact, and top-hand dominant shots like his trademark off-drive were largely out of the question.

So he found other ways to score, sitting on the back foot even to fairly full balls, playing late and using the pace of the ball. Fifty of his 74 runs came behind the wicket, mostly in the arc from fine third man to deep backward point, and the shot that brought up his half-century - a pulled four off Mustafizur - was his first scoring shot in front of square on the leg side. This wasn't the prettiest or most in-control innings of Williamson's career - he was particularly troubled by Mustafizur's left-arm-over angle - but it was an innings of great know-how in challenging circumstances.

Williamson beat Taylor to the half-century mark, but thereafter Taylor found an extra gear and began racing away from his partner with a flurry of boundaries, the most audacious of them a flicked six off Jayed, Taylor was particularly severe on Soumya, whose gentle medium-pace had dismissed him in the first Test, lbw playing around his front pad. In the search for an encore, Bangladesh used Soumya in a six-over spell before lunch, and Taylor toyed with him, driving him wide of mid-off and lofting him over mid-on, in all scoring 28 off 20 balls against the part-timer.

Williamson fell 20 minutes before tea, popping back a return catch while trying to work Taijul Islam against the turn. Taylor brought up his hundred in Taijul's next over, stepping out and launching the left-arm spinner for a six over long-on.

New Zealand went into the lead soon after lunch, and Bangladesh went into the defensive with their fields. The runs flowed easily against the deep-set fields, and Nicholls scored his runs almost imperceptibly for large swathes of his innings - by tea he had taken 11 twos - bursting into prominence when he brought up his fifty with three fours in an over off Mustafizur - two pulls and a scorching straight drive.

The runs kept flowing thereafter. New Zealand clattered 60 runs in 53 balls after tea, losing three wickets in the search for quick runs, including those of Taylor and Nicholls soon after they reached their respective landmarks.
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One cannot establish a budget without clear directions, on Tuesday said Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba, bringing to mind in the context of the talks on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021 - 2027 the need for flexibility in order to answer the current challenges and the need for priorities.

Minister Delegate George Ciamba held a news conference alongside First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans.

"One cannot establish a budget without directions, so I believe that in a way the discussion on the budget is on the agenda. We must see how the Union adjusts to the current challenges," the Romanian official said.

Ciamba added that in the current context, the European Union needs "flexibility to answer the challenges of the present and needs priorities".

On Tuesday is underway in Bucharest the informal meeting of the ministers and secretaries of state with the European Affairs, in the context of Romania's Presidency of the Council of the EU. The talks' agenda also includes the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021 - 2027.
Romania is striving to get in line with the standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the digital area so as to become a full member of this organisation, Romania's Minister of Communications and Information Society Alexandru Petrescu told OECD's "Going Digital" summit in Paris.

"My attendance at this summit is part of the effort of the Romanian Government to get in line with the OECD standards in the digital area, so that Romania may become a full member of this organisation as soon as possible, benefiting from all the advantages attached to membership of this prestigious organisation. Progress with innovation and technology development extends the boundaries of digitisation and generates the need to develop a harmonised international road map that addresses the challenges of the digital world faced by today's economies and societies, and Romania needs to be an active party in this highly dynamic process," Petrescu said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is designed to identify, disseminate and evaluate the implementation of optimal public policies to ensure sustainable economic growth, prosperity and development among member states as well as globally.

In January 2017, the OECD launched the "Going Digital - Transformation Work for Growth and Well-Being" project to help decision-makers better understand the phenomenon of digital transformation and to create a legislative framework allowing economies and societies to prosper in an increasingly digitised world.

Romania's Minister of Communications and Information Society Alexandru Petrescu participated in the "Going Digital" Summit, an OECD event held in Paris, March 11-12, March 2019.

The event marked the closure of the two-year "Going Digital" project.

The international summit brought together ministers and other dignitaries from the digital area, experts and policy makers in the digital economy, representatives of European and international bodies (G20, G7, APEC, ASEAN) to share good practice models in the digital area to contribute to the further development of the OECD activity in this area.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft within the 53 Squadron, 86th Fetesti Air Base will start on Thursday the air policing missions under national commend.

"On Thursday, 14 March, the F-16 National Air Police Service will be operational. So far, we conducted this service with MIG aircraft, if we are to talk about the Romanian Air Forces," National Defence Minister Gabriel Les told AGERPRES in an interview.

The Minister mentioned that making F-16 Squadron operational will be done, for now, under national commend.

"For now, we will make this squadron operational for Air Police under national command, and in the following months it will be conducted under NATO command," Gabriel Les stated.

Last Monday, National Defence Minister Les announced that F-16 fighting aircraft of the Romanian Army's endowment will conduct in March the Police Air Service (SLPA) under national command.

According to the Minister, the F-16 aircraft will be able to conduct the SLPA under NATO command, after the squadron will complete the certification process specific to the organization.

AGERPRES will publish on Wednesday the entire interview with National Defence Minister Gabriel Les.
Emergency response must be regarded from a regional or global perspective, not just from a national perspective, stated the head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), Raed Arafat, at the international conference "Building resilience to natural disasters," organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, an event carried out on Tuesday at the Parliament Palace, under the aegis of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the EU.

"We are only starting to built the system and resilience must be taken very seriously, for it never depends on one single agency, but it's a joint effort. It is not enough to be present in one single country. Think of a generalized pandemic hitting the European Union. A serious disease hits the first country and then spreads to the neighbouring ones, one by one. If we do not react immediately to help in the first country, to limit the infection and its spreading, then we all risk of dealing with the same problem soon, and this is not just about the EU, but also about the countries you come from, for instance. Which is why I believe that reaction in emergency situations must be regarded from a regional or global perspective and not just from a national perspective. And that's why we use the RISK-EU project that exceeds the borders of this voluntary perimeter and brings some assets that can be used in common in all the HILP type of situations, with big impact and reduced probability. A single country cannot invest in all this equipment, but the European Union can do it to help other countries and limit problems in case of disaster," Raed Arafat stated.

The head of the Department for Emergency Situations also specified that they are currently considering the modification of the provisions in force so that the local authorities will earmark from 2 per cent up to a maximum of 5 per cent of the budget they have for measures in response to emergency situations, in the context in which there is no minimum limit.

Tatiana Proskuryakova, the head of the World Bank (WB) Romania stated that the examination of the data by the WB shows "natural disasters represent a great risk for development."

The official mentioned that, in the past 30 years, the risk of disaster increases three times, the reasons being urbanization and population growth.

The second objective of the World Bank is related to the eradication of poverty all over the world.

Related to cooperation at national level, Tatiana Proskuryakova specified that the World Bank prepared a package of funds Romania will also have access to.

She mentioned the WB has three projects in Romania on its agenda, two ongoing and one currently being negotiated, worth a total of 150 million euro, for strengthening infrastructure for emergency response.

In the second part of the session, the guests attending the meeting were able to visit an exhibition of intervention equipment for civil protection and firefighters from the MAI structures organised on the platform in front of the official entry into the Parliament Palace.

The officials from the United Nations Organisation, the World Bank and the International Organisation of La Francophonie attended on Tuesday in Bucharest the conference "Building resilience to natural disasters," an event carried out at the Parliament Palace, in the context of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu had a meeting on Tuesday with Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo, who is currently paying an official visit to Romania.

According to a press release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), during the talks Minister Melescanu underscored Romania's traditional, deep and pragmatic commitment to the Francophonie. In this context, he mentioned the activity of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the EU, which is relevant for the Francophone area, including at the EU-Africa relations level and the first high-level EU-LSA meeting.

Moreover, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs also discussed the collaboration between the OIF and the UN. Melescanu mentioned the significant initiatives taken by Romania and promoted in the context of the Francophonie and with the support of the OIF, such as: the doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships Eugen Ionescu or the International Higher Course, certified by the UN and supported by the OIG, organised annually at the School application for gendarmerie officers "Mihai Viteazu."

The OIF Secretary-General underscored the important role Romania plays as a regional pillar of the Francophonie and our country's contribution to the Francophone movement. According to the said source, she presented the priorities of her mandate with an emphasizes on: strengthening multilaterialism and the OIF relevance in the international multilateral system, promoting pragmatic approaches, significance of digital economy for the sustainable development of the Francophone area, gender equality, as a development engine and the special role of the young people in continuing Francophonie values.

The parties agreed that Francophonie is an useful instrument in achieving the development priorities of each of the member states, an important cohesive binder between states on five continents and a connection bridge for exchanges of experience, economic and inter-cultural.

Louise Mushikiwabo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda (2009-2018), reached the consensus of the 54 states member of the OIF, at the Sommer in Erevan (October 11-12 2018), being elected Secretary-General of the Francophonie. She started her 4-year mandate in January 2019. This is the 4th secretary-general of the Francophonie, after Boutros-Boutros Ghali (Egypt), Abdou Difou (Senegal) and Michaele Jean (Canada).

The official visit of the Secretary-General of the Francophonie to Romania is carried out at the invitation of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, over March 11-13. This is the first official visit and among the first that the new Secretary-General of the Francophonie pays to a member state.

Romania is a member of the Francophone movement since 1993 and organised the Sommet of the Francophonie in 2006, the Francophone Conference of Entrepreneur Women in 2017 and it is also among the most active members of the OIF.
Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu met on Tuesday with Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia Talat Xhaferi, who is paying a visit to Romania at the invitation extended by the President of the Senate, in the context of the vote for the ratification of this country's accession protocol to NATO.

The Senate's vote on Wednesday will conclude the approval process of the ratification law of the Protocol in Romania's Parliament, after the unanimously vote of the Deputies' Chamber, on 27 February, a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent to AGERPRES informs.

Within the meeting, the two officials reviewed the bilateral relations and welcomed the boosting of the dialogue over the last period, including at parliamentary level, the quoted source mentions.

Minister Teodor Melescanu congratulated Parliament in Skopje for the "political maturity" by voting the Law amending the country's Constitution on 11 January 2019, and for the progresses accomplished over the past year, which contributed to the signing of the Republic of North Macedonia's accession protocol to NATO, on 6 February.

Melescanu reiterated Romania's support for the European journey of North Macedonia and conveyed support for the implementation of the necessary reforms agenda, that will allow for a decision to launch accession negotiations during the term of the Romanian Presidency at the EU Council, in line with the EU Council conclusions of June 2018.

The head of the Romanian diplomacy also thanked for the recent ratification of the Bilateral Agreement regarding cooperation in the culture and education areas, in the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, which has the potential to contribute to the strengthening of the collaboration between the two states.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and the First Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, on Monday night had a meeting at the Victoria Palace (gov't seat, ed. n.) in Bucharest, the two high officials addressing the collaboration between Romania's government and the European Commission, a release by the Executive reads.

Read also: EC's Timmermans says Romania has the responsibility to overcome the CVM phase

"Talks have been constructive and carried on the points already established during last week's meeting in Brussels. Both sides considered a practical dialogue is needed and agreed upon the steps to be followed in the next period. The two dignitaries stressed the need of good cooperation between the Romanian Government and the European Commission," the release adds.

Dancila and Timmermans agreed upon the working plan of the Romanian and European experts who will have a first meeting this week in order to find the best solutions. In context, they established that a new meeting will be staged next week, when Prime Minister Dancila will be paying a visit to Brussels, the source says.

AGERPRES .
The Joint Standing Bureaus of the Senate and the Deputies' Chamber on Wednesday decided, as of 2 pm, for the joint plenum meeting of Parliament to reexamine the draft budget for this year, at President Iohannis's request.

The leaderships of the two chambers of Parliament established that on Tuesday 6 pm the Senators and Deputies are invited to submit their amendments and on Wednesday, starting 10 am, the joint budget-finance committee will re-analyze the project and make a report, to be then submitted to the joint plenary sitting for the voting.

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday sent back to Parliament for reexamination the 2019 state budget law, underscoring that the allocation of budget resources is "based on a non-realistic forecast," which affects the functionality of some public institutions playing an essential role and also the development of the local communities and the achievement of some strategic investments.

Chairman of teh Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea on Monday stated that the budget was "very well" drafted and cannot be modified "at a single man's whim, even if the man happens to be the President of Romania."
By weighing in on the 2019 budget and the statements on it, President Klaus Iohannis is playing "an electoral game at the expense of the Romanians" and "misinforms them," Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said at the beginning of a government meeting on Tuesday.

"I had the feeling that we returned in time, to 2013, when another president would promulgate only the social security budget, with the same lies. The Romanian president misinforms the Romanians, inventing ridiculous explanations of why he made the decision to block the adoption of the 2019 budget. It is obviously an electoral game but that he is playing at the expense of the Romanians," Dancila said.

She called "irresponsible" the statements of the president, adding that Iohannis generates worries that there is no pension money, although that does not have "any real basis".

"Mr President Iohannis proves that he does not know elementary things when he says 1.4 billion lei are missing from the pension budget. In fact, after many years in 2019, the budget will have a surplus of 1.7 billion lei , as a result of the transfer of contributions from the employer to the employees - another measure that President Iohannis criticised, a measure that has shown its effectiveness. Another misinformation that the president has nonchalantly aired relates to pension increases. Mr President should read the measures the Romanian government has passed to increase pensions ahead of schedule(...) I consider totally irresponsible the statements made by the president, who is playing with the feelings of the people while getting pensioners worried that there is no pension money, a claim that has no real basis. (...) Pensioners have no reason to worry. Just as we have pledged, we continue increasing pensions," Dancila said.
President Klaus Iohannis stated on Tuesday that the Romanians currently expect the political class to provide "a contemporary content to the democratic citizenship" dimensions.

"This year marks the 30th anniversary of Romania returning on the democratic development route and, precisely 29 year ago, the Proclamation in Timioara gave the expression to the ideals on whose behalf, with sacrifices, the Romanian Revolution was carried out: liberty, pluralism, democracy. The observance of the human rights and the rule of law, the fight against intolerance, the protection of persons belonging to minorities and the cultivation of cultural diversity, constitutive values and objective of the Francophonie, are, in view of our recent past, closer, more relevant. The French language has the privilege to have given international resonance and an historical echo to the worlds 'liberte, egalite, solidarite' - 'liberty, equality, solidarity.' Today, our citizens expect the political class to provide a contemporary content to these democratic citizenship dimensions, suitable to the challenges we are confronted with," the head of state said within the event dedicated to the International Francophonie Day organised at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

He underscored that "for Romania, being part of the large Francophone family means more than a common cultural patrimony, it means our nation's membership to fundamental values and options."

"The modernisation and Europeanisation of our country have been built on the principles and ideals promoted in the world through the French language, ending in politics, education and culture. Francophonie, however, is not just about the past. Today, the great international challenges make the objectives and missions of the International Organization of La Francophonie more current than ever," Iohannis stated.

The event was attended by Olympiads and winners at the national and international competitions of French language. President Klaus Iohannis congratulated them for their results.

"The Francophone movement tells the world, for nearly 50 years, that what mankind has more valuable is the diversity in which man expresses his freedom and creativity. In the capitalisation of freedom, human society does not know a better tool than education. Education is a primary contributor to building an inclusive world, peace and peaceful dialogue among civilizations. Education is, at the same time, the way that enables young people to discover their values and set their goals in view of training professionally, civically or politically. Such an approach won't run late in showing results," the head of state mentioned.

Iohannis mentioned that Romania is carrying out a series of projects that can become models to follow for the other states in the organisation, indicating the Eugen Ionesco academic scholarship programme, the Educated Romania project.

Secretary General of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo stated that the OIF is counting on the Romanian Presidency at the EU Council to support the balance of the working languages in Brussels.

She added that the French language is the language of the future, a modern language, of creation, research and innovation. The OIF Secretary- General mentioned that the OIF pleaded for the multilingualism of the European institutions, adding that the institution counts on Romania's Presidency at the EU Council to continue this call for the necessity that working languages in Brussels be balanced. Louise Mushikiwabo said she knows that Romania is already supporting this project and she thanked our country for contributing to this effort to preserve multilingualism in the international space.

The head of stated awarded the Diploma of his High Patronage to the Francophone University Agency for the Digital Development Initiative in the Francofon University Space (IDNEUF 4), which will be held from 18-21 June in Bucharest. The diploma was awarded to President of the Francophone University Agency, namely Professor Sorin Campeanu.
President Klaus Iohannis sent a condolence message to his Ethiopian counterpart, Sahle-Work Zewde, following the tragic plane crash on Sunday.

Read also: Melescanu: 'We hope to expand Francophone community in Western Balkans'

"I learnt with sorrow about the tragic air accident of 10 March and I wish to convey to you the Romanian people's and my condolences for the many losses of human lives. At this painful moment, I want to express the full solidarity of Romania with the Ethiopian people," reads the message sent by Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday to the President of the Democratic Federal Republic of Ethiopia.

The head of the Romanian state has also sent a condolence message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in the context in which more than 20 United Nations employees have lost their lives in the crash.

"UN dedicated professionals from all over the world have lost their lives during their mission, serving multilateralism and our common good," the President said in a message to the UN Secretary-General.

The President of Romania also addressed condolences to the families of the victims and their relatives.

AGERPRES .
Vice-President of the Senate Claudiu Manda stated on Tuesday that the Standing Bureau could adopt, if requested, a shorter term for the Judicial Committee to issue a point of view regarding the National Anticorruption Directorate's (DNA) request regarding Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

"The Standing Bureau of the Senate established a deadline. If the Judicial Committee or another proposal pops up from somewhere else at the Standing Bureau for the date to be changed, it is a topic that we can adopt. But, currently, we certainly have 2 April, the final deadline to receive the report of the Judicial Committee regarding the commencement or non-commencement of the criminal prosecution," Claudiu Manda explained at the Senate.

On Monday, the Standing Bureau established 2 April as the final deadline granted to the Judicial Committee in order to issue a stand on the DNA's request regarding Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

On 7 November, the National Anticorruption Directorate requested the Senate to approve the commencement of criminal prosecution on the name of Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber Liviu Dragnea stated on Monday that the criminal prosecution request in Tariceanu's case should be voted by the end of March.
The future of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must respond both to the priorities of the European Union and to the new challenges that cannot always be anticipated, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said in Bucharest.

Read also: Gov't, European Commission's collaboration addressed by Viorica Dancila and Frans Timmermans

Obtaining an agreement among the member states and then between the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is an "extremely complicated operation," Frans Timmermans told a joint news conference in Bucharest with the Romanian Minister for European Affairs, George Ciamba, after an informal meeting of the EU ministers and state secretaries for European Affairs.

"The MFF has always been very complicated, but it is now even more difficult, with one of our member states (...) a net contributor to the EU budget (UK) leaving the EU," he said.

"At the same time, you see all sorts of new challenges coming toward the European Union," he said, adding that the complexity of the whole operation is "really quite a challenge to everyone in it, but "at the end of the day we will find a compromise, we will find a way forward, " and that the meeting in Bucharest help clarify the position of the member states and the European institutions.

Timmermans also said that the process of selecting five main priorities five year years ago by the European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker was validated and worked very well.

He also said that, the process of identifying priorities has to be conducted "on the basis of where the European Union should be going," and, at the same time, one has "to be ready to act when there are new challenges that reality throws at you."

"The biggest challenge in the last years that was thrown at us that we had not anticipated in this dimension, was the migration challenge. We responded to that, I think, in a very adequate way."

"If you devise a budget for the future for the multiannual financial framework for the future, you have to make sure you have the means to address your priorities, but you also have to make sure you have the flexibility to react to events, to react to new challenges that you perhaps cannot always foresee," said Timmermans.

He called on the member states, especially those who "are a bit wary to come to terms with the need for flexibility", to look at them again "in light of the challenges we have had to face in the last five years."

"We have to prepare for Sibiu [a European Council meeting in Sibiu in May] and the discussion there on what the priorities will be for the future," he said.

"This is still before the European elections, and then, of course, the European elections will have a strong effect on the choices we will make after that, because the new European Parliament will want to also state its case. (...) The new European Commission will depend on a majority in the European Parliament to get its proposals adopted. And also Council of Ministers representing the member states will depend on the EP as a co-legislator to make things happen after the elections, "added the European official.

"We are all preparing for a future that will be challenging, but also promising," Timmermans also said, pointing out that the member states have to 'make sure that the European Union is in a position both internally and externally to respond to the challenges, to use the opportunities, to make a success of the fourth industrial Revolution, to make sure you are prepared for a sustainable future, to make sure we are strong enough to face the challenges that Russia and China and other parts of the world throw at us.'

AGERPRES .
First Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) Frans Timmermans voiced hope on Tuesday in Bucharest that the House of Commons members will see the European efforts and take into account the latest requests of the British Government and endorse a new agreement on Brexit between Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU.

Read also: Gov't, European Commission's collaboration addressed by Viorica Dancila and Frans Timmermans

During the meeting on Monday evening in Strasbourg with PM Theresa May, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker made a huge effort in trying to take into account the latest requests of the British Government, but now, the House of Commons is to decided through its vote, Timmermans told a joint news conference with Minister-delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba, after an informal meeting of ministers and secretaries of state for European Affairs of the EU.

The EC First Vice-President mentioned that the responsibility which felt over the past two years at the level of the European Commission was huge and what Mr Juncker did last evening, the attempt to avoid doing more harm is very important. He wishes for the members of the House of Commons to see this thing, voicing his hope that this agreement be the best result possible.

When asked if these efforts could not have been made to avoid the situation over the last period, Timmermans brought to mind that the previously obtained withdrawal agreement was an agreement with the support of the British Government and then rejected in the House of Commons, which wanted clarifications, especially regarding 'backstop.'

The EC First Vice-President mentioned that the Commission work very hard to provide clarifications and he believes that Jean-Claud Juncker provided these clarifications and an agreement was reached. He brought to mind that there was an agreement reached with the British Government which was rejected in the House of Commons.

The high official hopes for these clarifications and improvements on the backstop topic to ensure a majority in the House of Commons, adding that the view of Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is needed, as well as that of the House of Commons, because the ball is in the House of Commons's field.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Monday evening that he obtained from the EU legally binding assurances regarding Brexit in a last attempt to attract rebel parliamentarians who have threatened to reject the withdrawal agreement, will be put to the vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

AGERPRES .
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Germany has taken the lead among European Union member states to back Washingtons regime-change agenda for Venezuela. Berlins hypocrisy and double-think is quite astounding.

Only a few weeks ago, German politicians and media were up in arms protesting to the Trump administration for interfering in Berlins internal affairs. There were even outraged complaints that Washington was seeking regime change against Chancellor Angela Merkels government.

Those protests were sparked when Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, warned German companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia that they could be hit with American economic sanctions if they go ahead with the Baltic seabed project.

Earlier, Grenell provoked fury among Berlins political establishment when he openly gave his backing to opposition party Alternative for Germany. That led to consternation and denunciations of Washingtons perceived backing for regime change in Berlin. They were public calls for Grenell to be expelled over his apparent breach of diplomatic protocols.

Now, however, Germany is shamelessly kowtowing to an even more outrageous American regime-change plot against Venezuela.

Last week, the government of President Nicolas Maduro ordered the expulsion of German ambassador Daniel Kriener after he greeted the US-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido on a high-profile occasion. Guaido had just returned from a tour of Latin American countries during which he had openly called for the overthrow of the Maduro government. Arguably a legal case could be made for the arrest of Guaido by the Venezuelan authorities on charges of sedition.

When Guaido returned to Venezuela on March 4 he was greeted at the airport by several foreign diplomats. Among the receiving dignitaries was Germanys envoy Daniel Kriener.

The opposition figure had declared himself interim president of Venezuela on January 23 and was immediately recognized by Washington and several European Union states. The EU has so far not issued an official endorsement of Guaido over incumbent President Maduro. Italys objection blocked the EU from adopting a unanimous position.

Nevertheless, as the strongest economy in the 28-member bloc, Germany can be seen as de facto leader of the EU. Its position on Venezuela therefore gives virtual EU gravitas to the geopolitical maneuvering led by Washington towards the South American country.

Whats more, the explicit backing of Juan Guaido by Germanys envoy was carried out on the express order of Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, according to Deutsche Welle.

It was my express wish and request that Ambassador Kriener turn out with representatives of other European nations and Latin American ones to meet acting President Guaido at the airport, said Maas. We had information that he was supposed to be arrested there. I believe that the presence of various ambassadors helped prevent such an arrest.

Its staggering to comprehend the double-think involved here.

Guaido was hardly known among the vast majority of Venezuelans until he catapulted on to the global stage by declaring himself interim president. That move was clearly executed in a concerted plan with the Trump White House. European governments and Western media have complacently adopted the White House line that Guaido is the legitimate leader while socialist President Maduro is a usurper.

That is in spite of the fact that Maduro was re-elected last year in free and fair elections by a huge majority of votes. Guaidos rightwing, pro-business party boycotted the elections. Yet he is anointed by Washington, Berlin and some 50 other states as the legitimate leader.

Russia, China, Turkey, Cuba and most other members of the United Nations have refused to adopt Washingtons decree of recognizing Guaido. Those nations (comprising 75 per cent of the UN assembly) continue to recognize President Maduro as the sovereign authority. Indeed, Russia has been highly critical of Washingtons blatant interference for regime change in oil-rich Venezuela. Moscow has warned it will not tolerate US military intervention.

Russias envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzia, at a Security Council session last month, excoriated the US for its gross violation of international law with regard to Venezuela. Moscows diplomat also directed a sharp rebuke at other nations complicit in Washingtons aggression, saying that one day you will be next for similar American subversion in their own affairs.

Germanys hypocrisy and double-think is, to paraphrase that countrys national anthem, uber alles (above all else).

German politicians, diplomats and media were apoplectic in their anger at perceived interference by the US ambassador in Berlins internal affairs. Yet the German political establishment has no qualms whatsoever about ganging up  only weeks later  with Washington to subvert the politics and constitution of Venezuela.

How can Germany be so utterly uber servile to Washington and the latters brazen criminal aggression towards Venezuela?

It seems obvious that Berlin is trying to ingratiate itself with the Trump administration. But what for?

Trump has been pillorying Germany with allegations of unfair trade practices. In particular, Washington is recently stepping up its threats to slap punitive tariffs on German auto exports. Given that this is a key sector in the German export-driven economy, it may be gleaned that Berlin is keen to appease Trump. By backing his aggression towards Venezuela?

Perhaps this policy of appeasement is also motivated by Berlins concern to spare the Nord Stream 2 project from American sanctions. When NS2 is completed later this year, it is reckoned to double the capacity of natural gas consumption by Germany from Russia. That will be crucial for Germanys economic growth.

Another factor is possible blackmail of Berlin by Washington. Recall the earth-shattering revelations made by American whistleblower Edward Snowden a few years back when he disclosed that US intelligence agencies were tapping the personal phone communications of Chancellor Merkel and other senior Berlin politicians. Recall, too, how the German state remarkably acquiesced over what should have been seen as a devastating infringement by Washington.

The weird lack of action by Berlin over that huge violation of its sovereignty by the Americans makes one wonder if the US spies uncovered a treasure trove of blackmail material on German politicians.

Berlins pathetic kowtowing to Washingtons interference in Venezuela begs an ulterior explanation. No self-respecting government could be so hypocritical and duplicitous.

Whatever Berlin may calculate to gain from its unscrupulous bending over for Washington, one thing seems clear, as Russian envoy Nebenzia warned: One day you are next for American hegemonic shafting.
John Tuck is a tough man - not because hes built like a tank, but because hes a fighter through and through.

To say he has a high pain threshold is an understatement. Parts of his body are damaged from the results of Haemophilia.

His legs and left arm are severely damaged and even his veins display protruding scar tissue from the thousands of needles he has used over his lifetime.

John was born with severe Haemophilia A, which means he doesnt clot  he simply bleeds and bleeds and bleeds.

Recent studies suggest that around 430 New Zealand residents have haemophilia type A and B. Females are even rarer due to only having one X chromosome, which is where the mutation occurs. John is less than one per cent of that scarily small statistic.

I get so good at monitoring my body, because you can sometimes feel a vein twitching and the muscle will pull, so you know it is coming on, says John.

I can go to bed feeling fine, with all my joints and everything feeling okay, and then wake up with an ankle bleed or an elbow bleed or a muscle bleed, just spontaneously.

His uncle died of the hereditary disease at the age of 11 when there was no treatment. His mum and her sister didnt know they were carriers because there was no testing back then.

They found out John was a Haemophilic when, at six-months-old, he bumped his head on the side of a push chair and got a severe bruise. He was taken to the doctor and they confirmed the damage was a Haemophilia bruise.

Many would expect him to have been wrapped up in cotton wool from that point, but he was a farm boy at heart, who liked riding motorbikes, herding bulls and pushing the limits of his disease. He admits hes paid for this often.

Small cuts on the skin were usually easily treated with enough pressure, but bleeding deeper into muscles or joints caused major pain and often permanent damage.

When he was a bit older, John was out on the farm with his dad and noticed his right ankle was bleeding. He didnt want to interrupt his family, so he did up his boot as tight as possible and carried on working.

That evening I said sorry, youre going to have to drive me to Auckland hospital.

I suffered the consequences for that choice and it hurt like hell, but I was able to do what I could do for my family that day.

Johns worst bleed, however, was while he was on holiday with his then wife in Australia. His ex-wife noticed that he was struggling to put sentences together and immediately got help.

I had a brain haemorrhage, explains John, and they had to cut all along the edge of my forehead and into my skull to stop the bleeding and reattach the skull bone.

The consequences were death or permanent, physical or mental damage. Thats one I should not have survived.

Even though his bleeding was often bad, or worse than bad, Johns darkest days were during the 1980s when there was an outbreak of HIV and AIDS. He lost many of his friends to the disease.

The HIV and AIDS era was awful, he says. My mate and I were equally the biggest uses of clotting factor in New Zealand over three years, when there was no testing available for clotting factor or us.

When we were able to be tested, we were told one in three tests could be a false result.

John had one positive result of HIV, but had to wait three months before he could take another test to confirm it.

One night, in hospital, my mate told me how he was going to do it. I knew I was going to do it too, but I kept that to myself, says John. I was just tired of everything.

Somehow I survived, but he did not. He died around three years later from AIDS.

John later received counselling, and the smile facade became a smile from the heart. His willingness to give other haemophiliacs the same opportunities as him never dimmed. As a result, hes become heavily involved in the Midland Branch and Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand.

Johns specialist at Auckland Hospital heard about a new trial for inhibitor patients called Hemlibra and told John that he had looked into it and there were little apparent side effects.

For John this was great news.

In the past, he had to inject himself every three hours when a bleed occurred until it had stopped or seek major pain relief in Auckland Hospital. Now, he only has to inject himself once a week with a prophylactic treatment to prevent bleeds from occurring.

His specialist and nurse went over to Miami to learn how to do the trial, and presented Johns recordings of his bleeds each year.

The team over there said if John Tuck can be anal enough to make this whole spreadsheet up and add all his targeted joints bleeds, he deserves to be on the trial.

From my understanding I was the first one in the world to go on the stage three trial and that was in February 2016, he says.

There are currently only three other patients on the new product in New Zealand, and as of yet, it is not approved by Pharmac. But John is pushing for it to be made available to more people.

Its been three years without a single bleed. He went from having around 24 at-home bleeds a year to zero.

Johns partner cannot believe the difference it has made to him and their lives. They no longer need to carry large amounts of treatment or crutches when holidaying or catching up with friends.

Its a bloody miracle - Hemlibra is bloody magical. I can now walk on the beach without worrying about my body or what will happen if I step on something that could cause an ankle bleed.

I can carry on with life. I can live my life.
At least twice a day, a New Zealand Defence Force officer serving at the heavily militarised border between North and South Korea calls the North on a hotline.

We conduct phone checks with the North Korean side twice a day and I regularly pass on or receive messages from them via the hotline, said Flight Lieutenant Daniel Garnett, who is the Assistant Joint Duty Officer in the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission Secretariat (UNCMAC-S).

Our team talks to them all the time, though we send a lot more messages than we receive, says Flight Lieutenant Garnett, who was born in Tauranga and grew up in Katikati in Bay of Plenty.

Regarded as a bellwether of inter-Korean relations, the hotline at Panmunjom, the truce village inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), was reactivated in mid-2018 following the warming relations between the once-hostile neighbours.

Before that North Korea had not answered the hotline for more than five years, in retaliation for the United Nations sanctions imposed on Pyongyang following a nuclear test on February 2013.

Since he was posted to South Korea last October, Flight Lieutenant Garnett says he has passed on messages informing North Korea of the use of helicopters in the Demilitarised Zone, repatriation of remains of North Korean troops killed during the Korean War, and meetings and routine building maintenance at the border.

The calls are scripted and the messages are relayed in English and Korean. Because they speak often, Flight Lieutenant Garnett and the Korean Peoples Army (North Korean) language specialists now recognise each others voices.

We know each others names, he says. Some are friendlier than others  one greeted me with Happy New Year in January.

Once, when the phone line was down, Flight Lieutenant Garnett had no choice but to pass the message the old way.

This meant walking to within a metre of the demarcation line that splits South and North Korea, reading out the message in English and letting a translator read it in Korean.

Flight Lieutenant Garnett, who is based at Camp Bonifas, a UN Command military post 400 metres south of the southern boundary of the Demilitarised Zone, is part of a six-member team that monitors the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement between North and South Korea at the Joint Security Area in the zone.

Flight Lieutenant Daniel Garnett at the Joint Security Area, the point along the 250-kilometre-long Demilitarised Zone where South and North Korean soldiers used to stand face to face armed with automatic rifles.

As part of his role, he helps supervise access to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom.

New Zealand gets an incredible degree of exposure through this mission, since we fill several roles in the UNCMAC-S and interact with a wide range of stakeholders. It is very rewarding, he said.

In the latest sign of increasingly warm relations, Flight Lieutenant Garnett says all weapons had been removed and all guard towers abandoned in the Joint Security Area, the point along the 250-kilometre-long Demilitarised Zone, where South and North Korean soldiers used to stand face to face armed with automatic rifles.

Only 30 security personnel remain and we share security footage with the North Koreans. It is truly remarkable, he says.

The United States-led UNCMAC Secretariat monitors and supervises the 1953 Armistice Agreement that suspended hostilities between North Korea and United Nations forces defending South Korea.

The NZDF has a long history of involvement in South Korea since the start of war in 1950 and has contributed to the UNCMAC-S since 2003. It has seven personnel there now, monitoring the armistice and performing operational, education, liaison and corridor control functions for the UNCMAC-S.

Flight Lieutenant Garnett joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 2013, after a short career in science, and is a pilot from No.3 Squadron.

While his career has taken him elsewhere, he has never forgotten his earlier years in Katikati.

It was a great place to grow up, he says. While Im thankful to friends and family who encouraged me to branch out and go to university, Katikati remains home.
The first large volumes of Gold kiwifruit for 2019 have begun to be harvested in the Western Bay of Plenty this week, with picking commencing in the Te Puke and Whakamarama regions.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated chief executive officer Nikki Johnson says its great to see picking commence in this area.

"The Bay of Plenty has more than 80 per cent of New Zealands total producing hectares of kiwifruit which results in an indirect impact of around $1.8 billion on the local economy.

The first run of kiwifruit is predominantly the gold variety, with the green kiwifruit harvest coming into full force in late March and the peak of picking lasting until June.

Zespri chief grower & alliances officer Dave Courtney says the first fruit picking is an exciting time for the industry.

We always look forward to the start of harvest. And this year, were expecting a fantastic crop of great-tasting fruit to provide to Zespri consumers around the world.

An estimated industry-wide 150 million trays are expected to be picked over the harvest season.

A total of 18,000 seasonal workers will be required throughout New Zealand to pick and pack the 2019 crop.

Last year a labour shortage was declared for the Bay of Plenty by Ministry of Social Development which allowed overseas visitors to apply to vary the conditions of their visitor visa to allow six weeks of seasonal work in kiwifruit.

Nikki says its not clear yet if there will be a labour shortage in the sector, a risk the NZKGI has sought to proactively mitigate through a programme of outreach and promotion to potential labour sources over the first quarter of 2019.

Weve gone all-out to tell our potential workers about the roles, pay and other important information  and dispel some of the myths about the work.

Well soon know if its had an impact, when the major picking starts, and well be doing contingency planning if we do have an issue in a months time.
Nebraska Extension hosted a 4-H college and career readiness program called Connect the Dots March 5 at Sidney High School. More than 135 freshmen students from Sidney, Leyton, Potter-Dix and Banner County High Schools participated in the simulation, which allowed youth to explore college options and potential career paths.

The program kicked off with morning sessions focused on career readiness skills, such as resume building, networking and a skill evaluation activity defining students motivated skills, those skills that are both of interest and come easy for students.

The afte...
National Weather Service expects a storm due in last night and today to hit the area hard, with a foot or more of snow possible, along with high winds.

Area residents are bracing for a severe winter storm that began to move in last night and is expected to grow today and continue into Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Wyo. issued a statement saying a Winter Storm Watch is now in effect starting at midnight early Wednesday morning and continuing through late Thursday afternoon. A strong winter storm was expected to move into the central plains Tuesday night and rapidly strengthen. Heavy snow and wind gusts over 50 miles per hour are expected with this storm during the day today, and may result in blizzard conditions across...
Washington, D.C.  Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), in conjunction with the offices of U.S. Senators Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse, will host the 2019 Third District Service Academy Open House on Saturday, April 27, in Kearney.

The event is an opportunity for young people in Nebraska to learn more about the U.S. service academies and other opportunities for military service. High school and college students interested in military opportunities, as well as their families, are encouraged to attend.

Third District Service

Academy Open House

Saturday, April 27, 2019

12:00 - 3:00 p.m. CDT

Kearne...
It was a slow start to the day for Buffalo Bills fans as the NFLs legal tampering period opened on Monday two days ahead of the official start of free agency. But the day ended on a higher note.

Bills general manager reportedly intends to sign coveted free agent center Mitch Morse to a four year, $44.5 million deal when teams are allowed to begin signing free agents on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Beane also is set to ink deals with former Cincinnati tight end Tyler Kroft (reported three year, $18.75 million) and running back Frank Gore (reported one year, $2 million).

I hung up with Chiefs beat reporter @TomKCTV5 minutes before the news broke on #MitchMorse. We discussed the potential (at the time) signing and what he'll bring to the #Bills.



Story -> https://t.co/hGIkVqA8iv https://t.co/OUozjHSgyO  Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) March 11, 2019

NYUP Bills writers Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot recapped and broke down the day of moves made by the Bills. They discussed if Morse was the right center to target and sign and what hell bring to the team. Then they talked about the Kroft deal and if he can potentially fill the vacancy of TE1 left by Charles Clay, whos moved on to Arizona after getting released earlier this offseason. Gore was the shocker of the day but both Parrino and Talbot explained why the deal made more sense the more you thought about it.

After their recap of the day the two give their top target at wide receiver as the tampering period moves into day two on Tuesday. Listen to the whole podcast in the video above and make sure to stay with NYUP throughout the week as news breaks. The Bills still have an estimated $50+ million in cap space.
Honda is issuing a recall for about 1.1 million vehicles that were not previously included in the planned Takata rollout after a person was injured after their air bag inflator exploded in Maryland.

The automaker says it is aware of the injury to the drivers arm related to the manufacturing defect in Takata inflators made in Monclova, Mexico. The Associated Press reports that the type of Takata air bag inflator from the crash was deemed safe, but now is forcing yet another massive recall.

In all, the Takata air bag recall has affected more than 37 million vehicles, 50 million air bag inflators and resulted in at least 23 deaths worldwide. A.P. reports many of the vehicles included in this recall had previously been issued one by Canadian safety regulators.

Related: Honda recalls another 1.4M US vehicles to replace Takata air bags

The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part, the NHTSA says of the new recall.

Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.

Some Takata air bag inflators have become explosive, sending metal pieces flying through the cabin when deployed. The ammonium nitrate that ignites the inflators can be damaged by moisture over time, especially in humid environments, causing the danger of explosion.

From at least in or around 2000, the company knew certain ammonium nitrate-based inflators were not performing to required specifications. Takata also knew that certain inflators had sustained failures -- including ruptures -- during testing. The company then submitted fraudulent reports that concealed the true condition of its inflators.

Related: Toyota adds another 1.7M vehicles to deadly Takata air bag recall

Moisture within the sealed inflator may lead to accelerated propellant degradation over time, leading to higher than normal inflator pressure upon airbag deployment, Honda reports in a Tuesday news release. If a recalled driver front airbag deploys in a crash, its inflator may rupture, potentially shooting sharp metal fragments at the driver and passengers.

The automaker says that replacement parts are available, and that affected owners should start receiving notification of the recall via the mail April 17.

Vehicles included in the recall: 2003 Acura 3.2CL 2013-2016 Acura ILX 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid 2003-2006 Acura MDX 2007-2016 Acura RDX 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL 2004-2006, 2009-2014 Acura TL 2010-2013 Acura ZDX 2001-2007, 2009 Honda Accord 2001-2005 Honda Civic 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid 2001-2005 Honda Civic GX NGV 2002-2007, 2010-2011 Honda CR-V 2003-2011 Honda Element 2007 Honda Fit 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey 2003-2008 Honda Pilot 2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline

To search active recalls, use the NHTSAs website to search your 17-character VIN at this link. VIN numbers are typically located under the drivers side windshield, or along the inside of the doors behind the seat or under the steering wheel. To sign up for NHTSA safety alerts for a specific vehicle, sign up at this link.

Related: Ford continues to press Takata recall by offering dealers $1K to find, fix trucks
ROME, N.Y. -- An Oneida County man was charged with felony driving while intoxicated after he crashed his vehicle into a snowbank with a 4-year-old child in the backseat, according to New York State Police.

Jarid Taciak, 37, of Lee Center, faces numerous charges, including felony driving while intoxicated.

Trooper Jeffrey Wegrzyn observed a gray Volkswagen vehicle traveling on Turin Road going 63 mph in a 40 mph zone at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday. While following the vehicle, the Oneida County 911 Center began dispatching a be on the lookout for that same vehicle as being an erratic driver, state police said.

Wegrzyn lost sight of the vehicle and continued southbound where he observed the vehicle disabled in a snowbank, with the driver in an unconscious state and the accelerator fully depressed.

As Trooper David Todora arrived on scene to assist, the driver, identified as Taciak, became conscious and actively tried to free the vehicle from the snowbank. There was a 4-year-old child in the backseat who was not properly secured in a child seat, state police said.

Taciak refused to follow verbal commands to shut the vehicle off and exit. Troopers were able to breach the drivers side window and unlock the doors. Taciak then began to punch and kick Wegrzyn, who was successful in putting the vehicle in park.

Todora then applied a one-second burst of pepper spray at Taciak in an attempt to gain compliance. Troopers then removed the child from the vehicle and secured him in the police vehicle, and with the assistance of the Rome Police Department, were able to get Taciak into custody without further incident.

Taciak faces the following charges:

Aggravated DWI, a felony

Endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor

Seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor

Resisting arrest, a misdemeanor

Obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor

Numerous traffic violations, including child not properly restrained and speeding.

He was transported to the Oneida County Jail for centralized arraignment.
DEWITT, N.Y. -- A Jamesville woman died from injuries she suffered in a two-vehicle crash last week on Manlius Center Road, DeWitt police said.

Doris A. Hotaling, 90, was a passenger in a Pontiac Vibe that her husband, Paul, was driving at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Paul Hotaling, 88, also of Jamesville, was pulling out of the Kwik Fill, 6652 Manlius Center Road in DeWitt, when a Suzuki XL-7 sport utility vehicle struck the Hotalings drivers side door, DeWitt police Lt. Brenton White said.

Sheyanna D. Lewis, 26, of Syracuse, was driving the Suzuki SUV east on Manlius Center Road, when the crash happened, White said.

The Hotalings, as well as Lewis and her passenger, a 33-year-old woman from Syracuse, were all taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Lewis and her passenger were treated and released.

Doris Hotaling died from her injuries Wednesday, a day after the crash, police said.

Her husband was treated for broken bones and other injuries, but was up and talking after the crash, White said. Paul Hotaling is in good condition Monday evening at Upstate University Hospital, hospital spokesman Darryl Geddes said.

Paul and Doris Hotaling were married for 67 years, and have three daughters, two grandsons and a great-grandson, according to her obituary.

Doris Hotaling was born in Chittenango and worked as a sales associate for many years for Addis Company department store. She was a member of the Manlius United Methodists Church and taught Sunday School for several years.

The family is planning to hold her funeral at a later date, according to the obituary.

The DeWitt Police Departments Accident Investigation Team, meanwhile, is continuing to investigate the crash. Investigators are still waiting for the autopsy report, White said. DeWitt police say they plan to release more information when it becomes available.

No tickets have been issued at this time.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man critically injured in a house fire Monday morning on Shuart Avenue has died, firefighters said.

James D. Sauta was 58.

Syracuse firefighters found Sauta unconscious and unresponsive on the second floor of the 2 1/2-story house, at 318 Shuart Ave., after the fire broke out shortly before 6 a.m., Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds said.

A neighbor called 911 at 5:54 a.m. to report the house fire.

Firefighters arrived within one minute from Station 9, about a half-block away at 400 Shuart Ave. They quickly pulled Sauta from the burning house and continued battling the blaze for approximately 30 minutes.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while fighting the fire. Both injured firefighters were treated and released from the departments physicians office.

American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance rushed Sauta to Upstate University Hospital on advance life support, emergency crews said. Sauta was in critical condition before he died from his injuries, firefighters said.

Investigators are still trying to determine exactly where the fire started, as well as the cause of the fire.

We were unable to find any working smoke detectors, Syracuse Fire Investigator Lt. Brian Sheerin said Monday night.

County records show Sauta owned the house where the fire started.
There are lots of fun things to do in Central New York and our calendar can be your guide to find them all. There are literally thousands of events in the guide:

[Syracuse.com calendar: A guide to things to do across Central New York]

From time to time this year, we will feature items from our calendar. If you would like to submit an event, click here.

The words to the Pledge of Allegiance are seen next to a U.S. flag at a special Halloween-themed ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Fairfax, Virginia in 2015. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)AFP/Getty Images

A landmark court decision - Russo v. Central School District No. 1 - regarding first amendment rights in the classroom will be reenacted this month at the James M. Hanley Federal Building in downtown Syracuse.

The case was based on a 1969 incident in Henrietta in Monroe County in which a 21 year-old art teacher, Susan Russo, was fired for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in her homeroom class.

She brought suit under the First Amendment to contest the firing. The case was finally decided in 1972, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that teachers do not have to participate in flag ceremonies like the pledge.

A one-hour reenactment of this trial will take place at 6 p.m. March 21 in the Ceremonial Courtroom in the federal building, 100 S. Clinton St. The public is invited to attend. Organizers suggest people arrive by 5:30 p.m. to allow time to pass through the security checkpoint.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York and the NDNY-Federal Court Bar Association.

Federal judges, magistrates and attorneys are volunteering to play the roles of those involved in the original case. There will be time at the at the end for questions and refreshments will be served.

See the event on the calendar here.
A new movie documenting one of the most notorious manhunts in Upstate New York history is premiering in Syracuse this weekend.

In 1968, convicted rapist Robert Garrow, Sr. was paroled in Syracuse, N.Y. after being given early release for being a model inmate. In the summer of 1973, Garrow went on a killing spree, starting with killing a Syracuse schoolgirl, Alicia Hauck, and hiding her body in Oakwood Cemetery. He then went on to murder three campers in the Adirondacks and launched a 12-day manhunt, the biggest of its time.

Robert Garrow

Garrow was convicted of four murders, although authorities believe he may be responsible for as many as 27. The three days Garrow took the stand in court are the center of a film by the same name to premiere at the Landmark Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 15.

Writer and director of the movie Garrow, Lori Kelly-Bailey, grew up in Mineville, N.Y. where Garrow was also raised. Her family lived on Joyce Road just below where Garrows family lived and Kelly-Baileys father went to school and worked with Garrow for a short time in the local mines.

There was always a connection to the Garrow family, living in a very tiny little mining town where everyone knows everyone elses business. I have been following his story and his familys dynamic for quite some time, said Kelly-Bailey.

Kelly-Bailey said she is more of a drama writer and didnt want to just make another Dateline / documentary style movie surrounding this story. She spent two years researching Garrow; looking through court documents, crime photos, speaking with law enforcement, and even Garrows own family members.

This is the first time in about 40 years the family has spoken out about these events, said Kelly-Bailey.

The movie was filmed around the Adirondacks and it is the second time Kelly-Bailey has used it as a film location. She said making films in Upstate New York is the absolute best.

There are so many locations and people and places and things to use that gets you out of the union areas of the city. It is quite pleasant to film up there, said Kelly-Bailey.

In the court scenes, Kelly-Bailey said the dialogue between the attorneys and Garrows character are directly from the court documents. As Garrow describes the crimes he committed, the screen fades back to reenactments of his crimes.

Kelly-Bailey said they made the film on a dime and to her pleasant surprise, it has been selling out its showings around Upstate New York and the Northeast. People whose lives were affected by Garrows crimes have attended some of the previous screenings.

Prosecutor Norman H. Mordue, of Syracuse, won the case in the murder trial of Robert Garrow Sr. in Lake Pleasant in 1973. Now the chief federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Mordue will be in attendance at Fridays premiere. Also in attendance at the Syracuse showing will be defense attorney, Frank H. Armani.

Future screenings of Garrow will be later this month in Indian Lake and Plattsburgh. It will be available on DVD beginning June 1.

Where: Landmark Theatre, 362 S Salina St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13202

When: Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $20 tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Platinum tickets are available for $100 which will include an after party hosted at the Landmark. Attendees will meet and greet cast and crew, enjoy hordeurves, and cash bar.
A Syracuse man is facing trial after he threatened to kill California Congresswoman Maxine Waters and former President Barack Obama, according to federal prosecutors.

Stephen Taubert, 61, of Syracuse, was charged earlier this year with three felonies for allegedly threatening to assault a federal official, making threats against a former president and using interstate commerce to make a threat, court papers said.

The court papers provided the following account:

Tauberts charges stem from a series of phone calls he made to Congressional offices in 2017 and 2018.

In 2017, he called the office of former Sen. Al Franken and spoke with two employees. During these calls, Taubert allegedly made threats he was going to harm President Barack Obama. Taubert used racial slurs and other offensive language, including the n-word.

Syracuse police investigated at the time. Taubert initially denied calling Frankens office, but later admitted he called because he was upset about a video attacking President Donald Trump, made by actress Kathy Griffin. He apologized to police officers, saying he was just a cranky old man with a lot of time on his hands and too much television.

In July 2018, Taubert allegedly called the office of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, yelling racial slurs to threaten her and her staff, again using the n-word.

This time, an agent for Capitol Police joined Syracuse officers in an interview with Taubert, according to the court papers.

Officers said Taubert during this interview at times admitted to threatening Waters, but defended himself, saying the purpose of his call was to tell Waters she was a low-IQ n*****. Taubert in court filings denies ever admitting to making threats.

Police arrested Taubert in January after an indictment was unsealed in federal court. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Andrew Baxter ordered Taubert be detained in jail pending a trial. Baxter noted there was no alternative to jail that would ensure the publics safety.

Taubert denies the charges, contending that while he used racial slurs and strong language, his words never amounted to a threat against anyone.

He is expected to take the case to trial next week.

Prosecutors expect to call Capitol and Syracuse police officers to testify along with members of the congressional offices who received the calls.

Taubert indicated he wants to call character witnesses to testify about how he is not a violent person. Government lawyers wrote in court papers that if he called such witnesses, they planned to ask about other incidents involving Taubert, including threats from years ago against the NAACP and former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.

If convicted of all three charges, Taubert could face a maximum of 31 years in prison.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
Peter Coleman didnt set out to build a beloved pub, lead neighborhood stability on Syracuses Tipperary Hill, or become a story-telling icon. In fact, when he graduated from St. Patricks High School, he thought hed become a lineman for Niagara Mohawk.

But his father fell ill, so in 1955 at age 18, Peter went to work for his dad at Colemans, the neighborhood tavern his father established in 1933. When his father, Peter A. Coleman, died a few years later, he took ownership.
Despite initial doubts, the 5th Annual Bikini Rally will go on as planned this year. Its an event where scantily clad, Upstate New York snowmobilers raise money for breast cancer patients and their families.

However, itll be at a new location in a different county.

The event, put on by the Genesee Sno Packers Snowmobile Club in Oakfield in Genesee County, has been held the past four years at the clubs headquarters. There was talk this year of canceling it due to landowner issues and lack of snow, said Jane Chaddock, past president of the snowmobile club and co-organizer of the rally.

However, thanks to an 11th hour offer, its now scheduled for March 23 at the Brantling Ski and Snowboard Center in Sodus in Wayne County. The rally is set for 11 a.m. to noon that day, Chaddock said, preceding a snowmobile hill climb competition by Northeast Snowmobile Racing Inc. Registration for the rally will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The four previous rallies raised more than $40,000. Last year, the rally featured 26 mostly female and some male riders and raised more than 11,000 from pledges, sales of Bikini Rally calendars and Bikini Rally t-shirts. The money went to the Pink Fund, a non-profit group, that provides, 90-day, non-medical cost-of-living expenses to breast cancer patients in active treatment for breast cancer, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace.

This year, the events goal is $15,000 and the Pink Fund will again be the recipient for money raised, Chaddock said. Chaddock said she and co-organizer Dawn Clark picked the Pink Fund because the non-profit group doesnt take anything off the top for administrative costs, with 100 percent of the money donated going to breast cancer patients in need.

Prior to this years event, more than a dozen of the riders posting pictures of themselves online and collected pledges. The rider leading the field at this point in pledges ($2,600) is Kylie Meley, 8, a competitive snowmobile racer from Wurtsboro in Sullivan County.

Kylie Meley, 8, of Wurtsboro, N.Y., a competitive snowmobile racer, will be participating in the 2019 Bikini Rally, a fundraiser for breast cancer,

Vanessa Staples, of Chaffe, N. Y. raised the most money last year in pledges ($2,000). Shes returning this year, along with participants from Genesee and Erie counties, plus some from the greater Rochester and Syracuse areas, Chaddock said.

Most of the participants this year will again be female, but there will be some male participants, One group is collecting pledges for a male rider from Nashvilles country and western bar in Rochester, Chaddock said.

On the day of the rally, those participating are expected to show up dressed in various styles of bikinis and will take at least two short rides in front of a cheering crowd in a final effort to raise money. The first ride consists of all the riders going all at once parade-style, followed by a ride featuring pairs of riders, or those riding individually.

Some will ride with bikini tops and snowpants on. Some, who can sport it, Chaddock said, will go all the way and ride with bikini tops and bottoms, along with a helmet, socks and boots and gloves. Riders will keep warm prior to the ride either in a heated trailer or in the ski lodge, she said.

Proceeds will benefit the Pink Fund.

Chaddock said riders pictured in the Bikini Ride calendar will be available to sign calendars in the ski slopes lodge before and after the ride. The women in the 2019 calendar are all previous riders in the event, or are going to be in the event this year for the first time.

She said the owner of the Brantling Ski and Snowboard Center guaranteed there would be snow for this years Bikini Rally, noting on one stretch the snow base this week was around 6 feet deep thanks to all the artificial snow made this season.

Chaddock said this years Bikini Rally was written up in American Snowmobiler magazine.

To give a pledge online (either a general contribution or to a specific participant), go to pinkfund.kindful.com. Bikini Rally calendars can purchased at the event for $20, or online for $25 (includes shipping costs) at dailynewstickets.com.

For more, see the Bikini Rally Facebook page.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday hes no longer confident an agreement to legalize recreational marijuana in New York will be included in the state budget thats due by April 1, raising the possibility that approval of retail sales of pot wont get passed by the Legislature this year.

The Democrat told reporters during a 75-minute news conference at the state Capitol that while he still supports legalization, he's not confident lawmakers will include it in the budget for the 2019-2020 state fiscal year.

There are just too many details on legalization that have to be agreed upon, Cuomo said.

"I am no longer confident marijuana will be done by the budget," he said. "There is a wide divide on marijuana. I believe ultimately we can get there. I believe we must get there. I don't believe we get there in two weeks"

Lawmakers could take up legalization in separate measures before they adjourn in June, though it could be more politically challenging for some lawmakers to vote yes if the measure isn't linked to the budget.

Cuomo had wanted legalization to be included in the budget, along with a permanent limit on property tax, criminal justice reforms and new vehicle tolls for motorists entering central Manhattan. But rising concerns voiced by such groups as parent-teacher and law enforcement organizations over how retail sales of pot will affect communities has legislators easing up on the gas pedal, Cuomo said.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie expressed similar doubts about the timeline in January, saying lawmakers shouldn't rush the measure, but there was more optimism in the Senate, also controlled by Democrats.

"We believe we can get there," said Michael Murphy, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. "I don't think it has to be out of the budget."

Supporters want lawmakers to act quickly to catch up to neighboring states such as Vermont and Massachusetts that have already legalized recreational marijuana.

Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat, are counting on legalized marijuana to eventually bring in billions in tax revenues that will be used to fix the city's ailing transit grid. Creating tolls to drive into the busiest parts of Manhattan and taxing people with second homes worth more than $5 million in the city would raise billions more for the nation's oldest subway system, Cuomo said.

The marijuana issue was one of several topics Cuomo touched on during the news conference, along with his ongoing effort to fight last year's federal tax overhaul and the estimated $3.8 billion shortfall in revenues the state faces over the next two years.

The governor has proposed a $175 billion budget, he and the Assembly and Senate failed to agree on a revenue forecast from which to start negotiating a budget. Both chambers plan to release their one-house budget bills later Monday. From those three proposals Cuomo, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins will try to reach agreement on a final spending plan by the end of the month.
Albany, N.Y.  The chances for legalization of recreational marijuana in New York are looking slimmer.

With Democrats in full control of Albany for the first time in years, early odds seemed strong. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made legalization a centerpiece of his agenda for 2019, announcing the push late last year.

Cuomo now says hes no longer confident an agreement will be included in the state budget, which is due by April 1, according to The Associated Press. Cuomo had been pushing for legalization as part of the spending plan, rather than as a separate issue.

But many legislators never had the same level of urgency. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie expressed his own doubts about the timeline in January and said lawmakers shouldn't rush the measure, AP said.

It's possible lawmakers could pass a separate bill on legalization before the Legislature adjourns in June, but the vote could be more politically challenging if it's not linked to the budget, according to AP.

"There is a wide divide on marijuana," Cuomo said during a news conference Monday. "I believe ultimately we can get there. I believe we must get there. I don't believe we get there in two weeks."

The New York Times reported Monday that black lawmakers in New York will block legalization unless people of color are guaranteed a share of the industry, which could reach $3 billion. Lawmakers are concerned Cuomos proposal could continue the racial inequality that exists under current drug laws.

Other states that have legalized recreational marijuana have failed to ensure that minority communities would share in the economic boost from the new industry, the lawmakers said, according to the Times. As a result, profits have largely gone to wealthy, white investors.

"I haven't seen anyone do it correctly," Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes of Buffalo said, according to the Times. "They thought we were going to trust that at the end of the day, these communities would be invested in. But that's not something I want to trust. If it's not required in the statute, then it won't happen."

Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan in February to set aside at least some of the marijuana tax revenue for repairs to the citys subway system. Cuomos office expects total tax revenue of $300 million a year from legalization.

Some education and law enforcement organizations have also been speaking out against the plan lately, according to AP.

As a child welfare issue, we are gravely concerned that the legalization of recreational marijuana is going to be really harmful to our children, said Kyle Belokopitsky, executive director of the New York State Parent Teacher Association, according to the Journal News in White Plains.

At least one school district already approved on a resolution opposing the move, the Journal News said.

Other details of the plan are also uncertain, including whether the state will allow consumers to grow their own marijuana.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump proposed a $4.7 trillion budget plan Monday that stands as a sharp challenge to Congress and the Democrats trying to unseat him in 2020, the first act in a multi-front struggle over the role of government that threatens to consume Washington for the next 18 months.

The plan would dramatically expand spending on programs and initiatives popular with Republicans, such as $750 billion in new defense spending and $8.6 billion for barriers on the Mexico border. At the same time, it would slash spending on Medicaid, food stamps, environmental protection, and a range of other programs that Democratic presidential candidates vowed to protect and expand.

The budget proposal ran into an immediate buzzsaw on Capitol Hill, where many Democrats flatly rejected it and even some Republicans sought to distance themselves from key details.

And the demand for $8.6 billion for a border wall, less than two months after a 35-day shutdown paralyzed much of Washington, raised the possibility that there could be an even more dramatic impasse if a spending deal isn't reached by the end of September.

The budget plan sets up a contrast with Trump's 2020 Democratic rivals for the White House, proposing to shrink spending on social programs at a time when many of his challengers are promising to radically expand it.

Top White House officials acknowledged that lawmakers routinely dismiss these budget proposals, but they signaled a willingness on Monday to fight harder this year than they have in the past.

"We need to continue to secure the country," said White House Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought. "We need to continue to secure the border. We're not going to be bashful about that. But at the same time, we're also going to say that we have many, many programs that are wasteful and inefficient that we can no longer afford."

Trump's "Budget for a Better America" features dozens of spending cuts and policy overhauls. Total spending on Medicare, the popular health care program for the elderly that in the past he had largely said he would protect, would be reduced by roughly $845 billion over 10 years. Some of those savings would be redirected to other health programs, but most would be completely cut from the budget.

His budget would also propose a major overhaul of Medicaid, the health care program for low-income Americans run jointly with states, by turning more power over to states and cutting spending by $241 billion over 10 years.

"The cruel and shortsighted cuts in President Trump's budget request are a roadmap to a sicker, weaker America," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., effectively dooming the budget by promising the House would reject it.

Even with the cuts in Trump's budget, the spending plan predicts annual deficits to top $1 trillion from 2019 through 2022, a threshold that has caused consternation within GOP ranks for weeks and only came into sharp focus on Monday.

A number of agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency, State Department, Transportation Department, Education Department and Interior Department, would see their budgets severely reduced. The Commerce Department budget would increase in preparation for the 2020 Census - but Democrats said the Census money was insufficient.

Trump's GOP allies, meanwhile, received the budget plan with a lukewarm embrace.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said the proposal was "the first step in the federal budget process and will allow us to consider how his priorities align with the priorities of Congress."

The budget was full of provisions that Republicans have long embraced but had not been put forward on such a scale. It would would impose mandatory work-requirements for millions of people who receive welfare assistance, including for food and housing, while dramatically increasing the defense budget to $750 billion next year, a 5 percent increase from 2019.

Trump and other Republicans have said the federal budget is full of waste and bloat, arguing many federal agencies could still function with less taxpayer money.

Still, according to Trump's budget, the spending cuts would do little to reduce what is shaping up to be a colossal deficit in the next several years. The deficit is the annual gap between spending and tax revenue.

The budget foresees a $1.1 trillion deficit in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and a $1 trillion deficit in 2022. Asked about this, Vought said "We do have large deficits. That's why we are here transparently saying we have a problem as a country."

White House officials believe the budget proposal would eventually eliminate the deficit in 2035, but Democrats accused the plan of relying on rosy estimates of future economic growth in order to count large increases in future tax revenue.

These deficits will add to the existing $22 trillion debt and have a real impact on government spending. For example, the White House now projects the government will spend $482 billion on interest payments for the debt next year, more than the entire budget for Medicaid.

Republicans have long called for taking steps that shrink - or even eliminate - the deficit, and putting forward a plan that would create $4.3 trillion in new debt over four years could give Democrats fresh targets on the campaign trail.

There is a crowded crowded field of Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge Trump in November, and at a time when Trump is trying to pull the country to the right, the Democratic Party has moved left.

Several Democratic senators running for president have backed Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Medicare-for-all" health legislation, which would expand federal spending on the health program by as much as $30 trillion - just as the Trump administration is looking to decrease the program's costs.

Trump's budget also calls for maintaining existing federal funding for child care programs, hoping to generate additional spending at the state level. Democratic candidates have called for the federal government to massively increase its spending on child care, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., recently unveiling a plan that would ensure free, government-subsidized childcare for every American earning less than roughly $50,000 annually.

The administration's budget also revives its push for an infrastructure bill, asking for $200 billion in federal dollars over 10 years, which it says will lead to $1 trillion in federal, state, and private spending on roads, housing, ports, and other investments.

Some Democratic candidates have called for programs on a much bigger scale, with Sanders recently calling for the federal government to rescind the 2017 GOP tax cut, estimated to cost about $1.5 trillion, and spend $1 trillion in new federal dollars on the nation's roads, bridges, and highways, among other things.

House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said the White House spending blueprint would give Democratic presidential candidates plenty of material to show how their agenda is different.

"If I were running against him I would sure use it against him," he said.

White House officials believe Trump's economic agenda has proven very successful so far, leading to job growth, higher wages, and economic growth. But critics allege he achieved this in part through huge levels of fiscal stimulus, including tax cuts and spending increases, that have widened the deficit and added several trillion dollars to the government's debt.

Administration officials say the southern border wall funding request would allow them to complete 722 miles of barriers, the full amount they have identified as necessary. Building the wall would fulfill Trump's core campaign promise, although it would see U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for a barrier he long claimed would be paid for by Mexico.

The defense spending increase in the budget includes funneling more than $170 billion into a special overseas account, something even some Republicans dismissed as a gimmick aimed at getting around existing spending caps. However defense hawks on Capitol Hill welcomed the Pentagon budget increase. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, warned against getting "distracted by the construction of the budget request."

The budget does reflect the changing nature of Trump's agenda since taking office.

He has continued to try to pump more money into the military and border security programs, and the budget provides funding for the creation of a "Space Force," and a U.S. Space Command, ideas Trump has personally pushed even while running into some resistance from military leaders and congressional Republicans.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said last week that he's skeptical about the need to create a new branch of the military to deal with space.

And despite Trump's decision to slash spending for most Cabinet agencies, his budget makes room for women- and family-focused priorities embraced by his daughter Ivanka Trump. It includes a provision supporting state paid family leave programs, and allocates $100 million for her recently launched Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, an effort to help women in the workforce succeed as entrepreneurs.

While his Democratic rivals for the White House next year ramp up their attacks on his policy agenda, Democrats in Congress are planning to challenge him in the coming months on his budget plan. In addition to the Sept. 30, 2019 deadline to reach a spending agreement, lawmakers believe they will also need to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling around that time.

The debt ceiling is a borrowing cap established by Congress, and it prohibits the Treasury Department from issuing more debt. The government is bumping up against the debt limit now, and the Treasury Department has begun emergency steps to buy more time so Congress can eventually vote to raise it. Several lawmakers have said they expect the debt ceiling to be raised as part of a broader budget deal this summer or fall.

But if budget talks bog down later this year amid a fight over border wall funding, it could force lawmakers to rethink this timeline and their entire approach.
From smart light bulbs and thermostats that think for themselves to Bluetooth door locks, wireless security cameras, and all manner of sensors, todays home automation technology can sound awfully sophisticated while actually being a messy hodgepodge of gizmos and apps. Installing all this stuff in your house is only half the battle. Getting it to work together smoothly and with a single user interface can be something entirely different.

Heres the essential gear to get you there, which weve separated into two categories: all-around smart home systems, which are designed to coordinate a wide variety of smart home products, and security-focused systems, which are built around sensors and sirens.

You should also note that some of our picks are starter kits, consisting of a smart-home hub and a handful of devices, while others are just the hub. Youll need to add the components you want to the latter, choosing from products certified by the hub manufacturer.

Updated December 7, 2021 to add our Hex Security Package review. Origin Wireless has developed a fabulously innovative motion detection system that has oodles of potential, but its very early days for the technology, and this product just doesnt do enough to protect a home. We recommend it for enthusiastic early adopters only.

Best all-around smart home system

SmartThings is dead! Long live SmartThings! Actually, the only thing SmartThings thing that is dead is Samsungs own SmartThings Hub. The company decided to stop manufacturing its own hardware, but is not abandoning the platform itself. Instead, it granted permission to other companiesincluding smart-home stalwart Aeotecto build its hub instead. Connect this small box to your router and you can use a simple and intuitive app to control the vast number of smart home products boasting Works with SmartThings compatibility. Every major category is covered, including the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers, numerous smart lighting products (including Philips and Sylvania gear), the Ring Video Doorbell, smart door locks, and more.

Best security-focused smart home system

With the Ring Alarm Pro, Ring takes its best-in-class home security system to the next level, adding an integrated Wi-Fi 6 router as well as expandable battery and broadband backup functionality. You simply wont find a better value in the smart home security market, or one that offers the important option of professional monitoring for so little cash: $20 per month, including cloud storage for video clips from unlimited number of Ring video doorbells and security cameras. Our previous top pick in this category, the slightly less-expensive, Ring Alarm (2nd Gen), might be a better choice for those who dont feel the need to upgrade their existing Wi-Fi setups.

We should note, however, that were still disappointed that Ring hasnt bothered to turn its Ring Alarm systems, including the Ring Alarm Pro, into full-on smart home hubs. The Zigbee radio in the Ring Alarm Pro is frustratingly dormant, theres no Thread radio at all, and home automation routines are both clumsy and disjointed. Perhaps one day Ring will pull the home hub aspect together, but that day hasnt arrived yet.

Runner-up

Abode Iota Read TechHive's review MSRP $229.00 See it By integrating a video camera into its already capable hub, Abodes Iota makes for a more compelling smart alarm system than ever.

Abode continues to impress us with its security-focused smart home hub. The Abode Iota incorporates a 1080p security camera into an enclosure thats more compact than the original, yet retains all the features we like, including support for Zigbee and Z-Wave smart home devices and sensors, optional cellular backup for added security, and optional professional monitoring.

Best home security system for privacy

The Minut Smart Home Security system is actually pretty limited in terms of its ability to control the other smart devices in your home, but if youre particularly sensitive about privacy, this system can protect your home without relying on on cameras, microphones, or similar technology that some consider invasive.

What to look for when shopping

As we mentioned earlier, smart home systems come in a dazzling array of shapes and sizes, from brain-dead simple to vastly complex. Features vary just as widely, so youll need to pay more attention than usual when youre narrowing down the field to find the product thats right for you. Heres a look at some of those key decision factors. To see how each system on the market measures up to those promises, drill down into the reviews at the end of the buyers guide.

Nest The Nest thermostat is quite popular, but its not compatible with every smart home system.

Device support: Some smart hubs support only a small number of devices made by the manufacturer of the hub. Others offer certification programs for third-party devices and/or offer hooks into systems developed by third parties: Amazon (Alexa), Nest (thermostats, cameras, and smoke/CO detectors), and Google (Google Assistant) are the biggies here, but Apples HomeKit could become important later. Its critical to consider all the devices you already have in your home, and whether the hub will support them. If the hub doesnt support them, you might be looking at a massive upgrade later. As well, you need to think about what devices you plan to add to your network down the line.

IFTTT support: Many top smart home systems support IFTTT (If This Then That), the simple scripting system that lets you connect devices that otherwise wouldnt be. For example, you could use IFTTT to turn all the lights in the house blue if a water leak is detected by your smart hubeven if it cant speak directly to the lighting system itself. Stringify is a similarand perhaps more sophisticatedservice, but it has not yet gained as much traction as IFTTT.

Wired vs. wireless hub connection: Many smart hubs must connect to your wireless router via an ethernet cable, which limits your placement and, of course, requires a free ethernet port on your router. That can be an issue with the new generation of puck-like mesh routers that have just two ethernet ports (Eero, Google Wifi, TP-Link Deco M5, et al). A smaller number of hubs are wireless and can be placed anywhere in range of the router, increasing your flexibility.

Fibaro Z-Wave-based sensors, such as this door/window sensor from Fibaro, operate on a low-power mesh network.

Sensor range: If your home is large or spread out, youll need to pay attention to the range that the hubs sensors support. Hubs may support a wide array of connection protocols, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee, all of which have very different ranges. As with a wireless router, smart hub range can also be impacted by interference and device placement, and smart home devices themselves have different specs, as well. Take the time to look into the detailed specs to be sure sensors and third-party devices will actually work with your homes infrastructure.

Battery backup: If the power goes out, your smart lights might not be useful, but other smart home features, like security sensors, rely on a hub thats always on. Many smart hubs, even those that arent built around security, feature battery backups (either through rechargeable cells or standard AAs). Even a short power outage can cause a significant delay while the hub reconnects, so a battery backup makes sense in many home environments. If you like everything else about a particular hub that lacks a battery backup option, consider investing in an uninterruptible power supply to plug it into.

Christopher Null/TechHive Winks app keeps a detailed log of everything that goes on in your smart home.

Mobile app usability: Youll probably be interacting with your hub primarily through its mobile app, so youll want one thats intuitive and powerful, with all the key features you use front and center. App-store screen shots and, of course, our reviews can help you get a sense of what youre dealing with on the app side of things.

Overall complexity: This is a companion consideration to the mobile app, relating primarily to the audience for whom the smart home system was developed. Is the system geared at everyday users with limited customization needs? Or is it built with extreme flexibility in mind, to the point where the configuration decisions might overwhelm a novice user? Again, close attention to our reviews can help you gauge how comfortable youre likely to feel with any system.

In addition to the above, the following considerations are primarily geared at systems with a security focus.

Sensor support: A companion consideration to the device support issue above, if youre in the market for a security-focused smart hub, youll want one that has support for all the sensors you need. Most security hubs only work with the sensors made by the same manufacturer, so you cant mix and match as you would with a general-use smart hub. Some security systems offer only a very narrow range of sensor types, while others have a wide variety to choose from.

Lowes A GSM module ensures your home security system doesnt fail if a burglar cuts your landline.

Cellular radio backup: If you could simply cut the broadband connection to defeat a security system, it wouldnt be much good, would it? Any good security system will include a 3G cellular backup that can be used in case your broadband connection drops. You should also carefully consider the battery backup consideration above, which is essential for dealing with power outages and is a standard feature on most security hubs.

Professional monitoring: If you dont want to monitor your own security system 24/7, youll at least want the option to engage with a professional security company that can keep tabs on it for you when youre out on walkabout. These invariably cost extra, which leads to our final consideration.

Service plan costs: Service plan costs vary widely from system to system, and many vendors offer a range of plans to choose from. Some systems will work without a service plan, allowing you to self-monitor. Some require a plan to function at all. Also note that lower-tier service plans might not include professional monitoring (Ring Alarm has one of the least-expensive plans: $10 per month with no long-term commitment). Price out service plans carefully before you pull the trigger.

Our latest smart home system reviews
The big picture: Huawei has long been accused of having close ties to the Chinese government. Now the US government is threatening to limit access to vital intelligence if countries use Huawei and other Chinese companies' tech to deploy 5G. This not only hurts Huawei financially but could also hurt US relations with its allies.

The United States government has routinely advised allies against using networking equipment from Huawei because of potential cybersecurity issues. Now the US is threatening to withhold important intelligence reports if countries use Huawei's 5G technology, according to The Wall Street Journal.

US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said that using Chinese networking manufacturers such as Huawei for 5G deployments would prevent the US from maintaining "the same level of cooperation with German security agencies." This means that the United States would limit intelligence sharing with Germany and potentially strain relations between the two countries.

Warnings about Huawei and other Chinese tech companies is nothing new. The US government has long maintained that companies like Huawei and ZTE have close ties with the Chinese government. Buying equipment from them could potentially open companies to having their data stolen by Chinese intelligence.

For its part, Germany says that its implementing strict security measures to ensure data integrity such as inspecting the source code and closely monitoring the contractors who will run the 5G networks. Germany also concluded through an internal investigation that Huawei would not be able to intercept data using the equipment.

While the US has yet to produce any tangible proof verifying Huawei as a threat, this could not only strain relationships with Germany but other allied countries, particularly the UK, who are considering using Chinese companies for their 5G networking. Huawei often charges much less for their equipment than their international competition which makes them quite attractive for smaller telecom companies.

Huawei is suing the US government for what it sees as an unfair ban and hurting competition, accusing the US for being "judge, jury, and executioner." The company believes that National Defense Authorization Act violates the US Constitution by "punishing" Chinese companies without trial or evidence.

"The US Congress has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products," Huawei Deputy Chairman Guo Ping said. "We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort."

Restricting vital intelligence to a major ally could have ramifications for the United States. Some countries may not use Chinese technology for fear of losing access to US' intelligence while others may decide to move forward and put pressure in the relations with the States which is already low.
Why it matters: The US Customs & Border Control is speeding up adoption of facial recognition of international travelers. However, there are major concerns surrounding privacy, civil liberties, and even the legality of use of the technology by the government.

President Trump signed an executive order two years ago that mandated facial recognition at the top 20 airports to screen "100 percent of all international passengers" by 2021. However, documents shared with Buzzfeed seem to point to the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) rushing to complete the adoption without proper vetting.

About 346 pages of documents were given to Buzzfeed by the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). These documents claim that CBP is looking to implement the facial recognition system on 16,300 flights per week, which roughly translates to 100 million international travelers. This is to meet the 2021 goal set by President Trump's executive order, although the rushed nature could present security and privacy issues.

The extent to which partnering airlines could use the facial recognition data was not restricted until a recent December data privacy meeting that finally set clear guidelines. CBP did not share all of the details but did state that it keeps photos of non-US citizens for up to 14 days for "evaluation of the technology" and "assurance of the accuracy of the algorithms."

Many privacy advocates worry that facial recognition is not reliably accurate and introduces bias, particularly against women and African Americans. The CBP argues that its systems have a 99 percent accuracy rate with one successful case at Dulles International Airport where CBP caught a man from Brazil attempting to use a fake French passport to get into the United States.

Other advocates are concerned that the American public wasn't consulted as per the rules concerning adopting new technologies.

I think its important to note what the use of facial recognition [in airports] means for American citizens, Jeramie Scott, director of EPICs Domestic Surveillance Project, told BuzzFeed. It means the government, without consulting the public, a requirement by Congress, or consent from any individual, is using facial recognition to create a digital ID of millions of Americans.

In response, the CBP claims that its "committed to protecting the privacy of all travelers and has issued several Privacy Impact Assessments related to [its biometric entry-exit program], employed strong technical security safeguards, and has limited the amount of personally identifiable information used in the transaction."

While the CBP says that US citizens can decline facial recognition, an audit conducted by the Office of the Inspector General concluded that out of 12 flights, only 16 people declined. Delta Airlines said less than 2 percent of its 25,000 weekly passengers actually decline.

Unfortunately, there are no explicit laws governing facial recognition and the Fourth Amendment. Until that happens, the facial recognition system could potentially be abused by the government as it speeds toward wider adoption.
In brief: Thirty years ago this week, Tim Berners-Lee proposed an information management system that would eventually become the World Wide Web we know today. In the annual letter celebrating his invention's birthday, the British computer scientist said the web has plenty of problems, but he remains optimistic about its future.

Berners-Lee spelled out what he believes are the webs biggest issues, which include state-sponsored hacking and attacks, criminal behavior, and online harassment. He also named ad-based revenue models that commercially reward clickbait and the spread of fake news, and the unintended consequences that come from the outraged and polarized tone of online discussions.

Berners-Lee believes users had found the web not so pretty recently. Speaking to reporters at CERN, he said: They are all stepping back, suddenly horrified after the Trump and Brexit elections, realizing that this web thing that they thought was that cool is actually not necessarily serving humanity very well.

The engineer lamented the privacy issues and election influencing within social networks such as Facebook, and the massively damaging fragmentation of the internet into regulatory blocks in different countries. He also urged users to maintain "complete control" of their data.

But Berners-Lee is optimistic about the future of the web, which he sees as constantly evolving. given how much the web has changed in the past 30 years, it would be defeatist and unimaginative to assume that the web as we know it cant be changed for the better in the next 30. If we give up on building a better web now, then the web will not have failed us. We will have failed the web, he wrote.

Back in November, Berners-Lee unveiled the Contract for the Web, which asks governments, companies, and citizens around the world to commit to protecting the freedoms and rights of internet users. The Contract is already backed by the likes of Google and Microsoft, and anyone can sign up to contribute.
Why it matters: Buying a TV and knowing how much personal information it is going to share with third-parties is already difficult. It's also not a question consumers should need to ask, but companies such as Vizio are committed to collecting your TV viewing habits so that your entire household can be targeted by ads.

Vizio has plans to work with a total of nine businesses for the purpose of serving targeted ads to households with the help of smart TVs. The group of nine companies is mainly comprised of TV networks such as NBCUniversal and CBS, both owned by Comcast, and AT&T's advertising firm Xandr.

Unlike internet browsers, smart TVs typically do not have tracking cookies readily available to record user actions. However, a full operating system at the disposal of an OEM allows for plenty of tracking to occur at the push of a button by sending out software updates.

In the words of Jodie McAfee, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Inscape, a Vizio subsidiary, "TV manufacturers have so far used different technology and standards to enable addressable advertising, hindering the industry's growth." Whatever growth is supposedly being hindered, end users should not in any way feel sorry that their personal information is only partially being collected instead of having their entire TV usage tracked and shared with advertisers.

Inscape is a company to watch as they develop an open standard for TV manufacturers. Their purpose is to collect as much smart TV data as possible for advertising purposes. Vizio has committed to using the standard created by Inscape on future TV models. There is no question that future Vizio TVs will be far more invasive than existing models. No word has been given on whether older variants will be receiving software updates chalk full of tracking code.

At present, Vizio holds a 16 percent market share for TVs in North America, trailing Samsung's 29 percent share. LG continues to gain ground as its exclusive OLED technology improves.
A hot potato: Amazon has quietly backed off of its policy requiring third-party sellers to sell their products cheaper than on other competing websites. The practice, called price parity or most-favored nations clauses, is controversial and may violate anti-trust law. Amazon had already been investigated for the practice in Europe, and voluntarily ended price parity there in late 2018.

In the midst of talks about "breaking up big tech," Amazon decided to quietly end its policy of requiring third-party sellers to price their products lower on Amazon than anywhere else.

Up to this point, Amazon contracts contained a "price parity" clause, also known as most-favored nations clauses (MFNs), which ensured that third-party vendors selling products on the site were not selling them for less on other sites like eBay and Alibaba. The practice had been called anti-competitive by critics, and may be the first domino to drop as companies like Amazon and Google scramble to satisfy lawmakers while they're under scrutiny.

Outside of the US, Amazon had already been investigated for this practice in Germany and Great Britain. The German Federal Cartel Office stated concerns over Amazon's dual role as both the biggest retailer and biggest marketplace, and the European Commission opened an investigation over the same concerns. Amazon ultimately ended the practice in Europe.

On this side of the pond, investigations into Amazon's anti-competitive practices are heating up.

In December, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal appealed to both the Justice Department and FTC to open an investigation into the company. On Monday, Blumental responded to the news of Amazon voluntarily removing price parity rules from their contracts, while still calling for further investigations into big tech.

Amazons wise and welcome decision comes only after aggressive advocacy and attention that compelled Amazon to abandon its abusive contract clause, Blumenthal said. I remain deeply troubled that federal regulators responsible for cracking down on anti-competitive practices seem asleep at the wheel, at great cost to American innovation and consumers. The DOJ and FTC must begin aggressively investigating Big Techs potential antitrust violations and take necessary enforcement actions to deter more harmful behavior.

Last week, presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) rolled out a sweeping proposal to break up big tech companies like Apple, Amazon and Google, and announced that it would be one of her top priorities as president.
A jaguar clawed an Arizona woman when she tried to take a selfie with the animal at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park.

Rescuers from the Rural Metro Fire Department said the 30-year-old victim was trying to take a picture of the jaguar near the fence when the animal suddenly reached out and attacked her arm.

Footage from the incident showed the woman had suffered at least a gash on her left forearm following the attack. She was found writhing in pain on the ground.

Dangerous Selfies

Another zoo visitor, Adam Wilkerson, said he and his family heard a woman's voice screaming for help. They rushed over to see the victim had her arm against the animal enclosure.

Wilkerson told local news how they were able to help the woman.

"My mom runs up and takes her water bottle and shoves it through the cage near where the jaguar is, and the jaguar goes to let go of the girl to take the water bottle, and the claw just catches this girl's sweater," he said.

"So at that point I see that it's no longer attached to the girl's actual arm, only on her sweater, so I grab the girl on her torso and I pull her back."

Shawn Gilleland, a spokesman for the fire department, said the victim was taken to the hospital to treat her injuries, which are described as non-life threatening.

The woman returned to the zoo the following day to apologize, stating that her actions were "foolish." Witnesses said the victim had tried to climb over the barrier to take a photo, according to the Wildlife World Zoo. Officials pointed out that the Jaguar was never outside of its enclosure, though they are still looking further into the incident.

The zoo also promised concerned citizens that nothing will happen to the jaguar. Officials said they are sending prayers to the victim and her family.

Other Recent Animal Attacks

Animal experts warn guests at zoos and wildlife parks to stay clear of animal pens to avoid untoward incidents. However, animal attacks still occur in certain instances.

Earlier this year, a zoo volunteer in Ohio lost her thumb when one of the orangutans she was taking care of reached through a barrier and bit her arm. Toledo Zoo officials said the woman's injuries were not life-threatening and she was taken to a local hospital.

Meanwhile, a zoo intern in North Carolina was killed last year when a lion escaped its pen and attacked her. The 22-year-old woman was cleaning an animal enclosure at the Conservators Center when she was mauled by the escaped animal. Deputies from the Sheriff's Office shot and killed the lion before they were able to retrieve the victim's body.

Mindy Stinner, executive director of the Conservators Center, said the zoo intern was working with a team cleaning the animal pen. The lion was supposed to be locked into a separate area but somehow entered the other enclosure and quickly attacked the victim. Stinner said no one else was injured during the incident.

The Humane Society of the United States noted that it was at least the 10th incident involving an escape or attack by an animal at a private wildlife facility in North Carolina since 1997.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Influenza or flu may be a common disease, but it remains deadly. Iowa health officials reported the viral illness already claimed its first child death for the 20182019 season.

The details are scant. The state didn't mention the name, age, and location of the child. The weekly report, however, shared it was not the only flu-related death in Iowa. Overall, there were five deaths.

Widespread Flu In Iowa

The data, published for the week ending Feb. 23, 2019, revealed influenza activity increased during the period.

"The geographic spread of influenza in Iowa is widespread," it further said.

At least three flu strains are in the state. These are A(H3), A(H1N1) pdm09, and influenza B viruses from the Yamagata lineage. Two tested samples resulted in positive with no reported subtype. Of the strains, A(H3) has the most number of positives at 22 followed by A(H1N1)pdm09 at 18.

The previous reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the current flu season is milder than the past year. However, it still affects millions of Americans across the country.

By the second week of January, about 6.2 million people reported flu illnesses. Nearly 3 million had already visited healthcare facilities.

In Iowa, outpatient visits for week 8 already reached 2.29 percent, which was higher than its baseline of 1.6 percent. The actual numbers may also be understated due to the report's coverage.

Fighting The Virus

The number of flu deaths may pale in comparison to that of the Spanish flu, but the viral disease still kills thousands, especially those who belong to the high-risk groups such as children.

In the 2017 winter alone, 80,000 people died mainly due to complications like pneumonia. It was the highest figure ever recorded over the last 40 years. On average, the condition claims 12,000 annually.

Many factors can lead to flu outbreaks. The virus can spread quickly, particularly in closed spaces such as schools. It can also thrive in many types of surfaces.

The flu virus is also complicated. It can mutate over time while the various strains can have different levels of health impact. It can hide from the immune system, allowing it to replicate before the body detects it.

Scientists are working on killer immune cells that may provide permanent protection against three flu strains. A study published in Science revealed a potentially more effective flu drug.

For now, health officials recommend the flu vaccine as the first line of defense. It doesn't have a 100 percent effective rate, but it can increase the body's fighting chance against the virus.

Those who are sick with the flu can boost their immune system with medications, plenty of rest, and more fluids. They may also need to stay away from crowds to avoid spreading the disease.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has placed over 2,000 migrants quarantine due to a series of disease outbreaks in detention centers across the United States.

A total of 236 probable and confirmed cases of mumps have been recorded in the past 12 months in 51 facilities, including in Texas where 186 people were diagnosed with the highly contagious diseases were recorded since October.

Migrants Quarantined In ICE Detention Centers

Reuters has spoken to Christian Mejia, a migrant detained at Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana, about his experience at the facility. He recounted that in January, he and a hundred other detainees were placed into quarantine after an outbreak of mumps.

During the lockdown, Mejia, who was seeking asylum to the United States from Honduras, was barred from meeting his lawyer. While in quarantine, his immigration court case was conducted over a video conference.

By Feb. 12, a judge ordered to deport him.

"When there is just one person who is sick, everybody pays," the 19-year-old said in a phone interview.

He also revealed that those who were placed in quarantine inside the privately-run facility were denied access to the library and the dining hall for weeks.

Viral Disease Outbreaks Among Immigrants

Mumps spreads when infected individual coughs or sneezes. A person who has the disease might experience swollen or tender salivary glands under one or both ears.

The disease is highly contagious, but some people show very mild or even no symptoms. Most people recover within a few weeks, but it might also lead to serious complications such as brain swelling and hearing loss if left unchecked.

Last year, outbreaks of influenza (affecting 423 detainees) and chickenpox (infecting 461 migrants) were reported in ICE facilities. All three aforementioned illnesses are preventable by vaccines.

According to Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the growing number of migrants from Central America is to blame for the recent outbreaks. He said that the number of migrants traveling long distances have overwhelmed border officials.

"We are seeing migrants arrive with illnesses and medical conditions in unprecedented numbers," McAleenan stated in a press conference.

Reuters noted that vaccination rates are high (over 90 percent) in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Over 50,000 migrants coming from all over the world were in detention at an ICE facility as of March 6.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung is taking its customers to the next logical phase of paperless payments with the integration of more cryptocurrencies to the 10-million-user strong Samsung Pay.

The South Korean tech giant made headlines when it revealed that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 series will support cryptocurrencies through its Samsung Blockchain Wallet. Users can store their Bitcoins, Ethereum, and Cosmo Coins via the system. Funds are protected using the proprietary Samsung Knox, which keeps a private key for secure storage of digital assets.

Samsung Pay To Add Cryptocurrencies

Now, Samsung is hinting at the possibility of integrating more cryptocurrencies to its official mobile payment service Samsung Pay. In a report by South Korean news website Donga, Samsung is said to be mulling over the move to help attract more users.

"Samsung Pay has recently extended the transaction period for overseas users and integrated an international payment processing service, aggressively targeting the global financial services market," the report said via CCN.

"At this phase of development, if a cryptocurrency wallet is added to Samsung Pay, the application will be strengthened as a complete fintech platform. Currently, the Samsung Blockchain Wallet is said to be supporting Ethereum but more cryptocurrencies are expected to be integrated in the near-term."

Samsung Pay currently has 10 million active users worldwide. Experts believe adding more digital currencies will make the service more enticing to a younger audience, particularly millennials who are more likely to use digital assets than other age groups.

One Korean industry analyst said the move may even lead to Samsung's blockchain wallet becoming more popular in the country.

Samsung Pay Vs. Other Mobile Payment Apps

Samsung has helped strengthen Samsung Pay's position through smart acquisitions and product launches. In 2015, the tech company acquired crowdfunded startup LoopPay for$250 million, making the service more competitive to other mobile payment apps such as KakaoPay and Apple Pay.

The acquisition of LoopPay gave Samsung Pay users the ability to make digital payments by hovering their devices over Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals. This quick and easy payment method helped draw more people to the service, bringing in 6.6 million new users between 2017 and 2018.

Bring In Bitcoin

Samsung is looking to get a further boost to Samsung Pay by introducing Bitcoin to the service. The company might be taking a page from Square Cash, another digital payment app that integrated the cryptocurrency and experienced a 516 percent growth in 2017.

Bitcoin was integral in helping Square Cash establish an initial user base for the service, allowing the company to hit its stride over the following months.

So far, Samsung Pay has accumulated $18 billion in transaction volume. If Samsung were to integrate Bitcoin to the service, it could help inspire more merchants to adopt cryptocurrencies. However, it might take a while before mainstream establishments would fully accept cryptos in transactions.

As the Donga report noted, Samsung may be able to help improve the visibility and accessibility digital money through its blockchain wallet, but it might not be enough for cafes, restaurants and department stores to consider its widespread use.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A long-awaited bike share program will begin May 8 with 500 bicycles available to rent from 50 locations around Baton Rouge.

Patrons will be able to look up rental spots through an app created by the company Gotcha. Southern, LSU and downtown will all have rental kiosks, Gotcha founder Sean Flood wrote in a Tuesday news release.

Riders can sign up for a day or buy a monthly or annual subscription. Over the next two years, Gotcha plans to expand to 800 bikes in 80 locations, the release states.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is a major sponsor of the program. Flood and Blue Cross Foundation President Michael Tipton said bike share is an important strategy to get cars off the road, protecting the environment while encouraging exercise.

Supporting bike share is a perfect fit for our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians because these programs give communities a healthy, green, affordable way to get around, Tipton wrote in a statement.

Brusly rolling out bike share program to promote westbank recreation; here's where to find bikes The Town of Brusly is jumping on the national bike sharing movement, projecting a springtime unveiling that would have its program rolled out 
A wood chip truck heads to Georgia-Pacific's Port Hudson paper mill in January. The company will lay off nearly 700 people as it shuts down office paper operations at the mill due to declining demand. About 300 people will continue to work at the mill, producing toilet tissue and paper towels for retail purchase.
PONCHATOULA  The commission overseeing operations of Port Manchac is once again considering a deal with a developer seeking to convert the industrial complex into a resort.

The South Tangipahoa Port Commission voted Tuesday to consult with its attorney about a new agreement proposed by backers of The Village at Manchac.

Developers have pitched a mixed-use development with hotels, shopping, homes and ice cream stands on the 40-acre port and an adjacent 100 acres of undeveloped land. Environmentalists and some residents of Ponchatoula oppose the project, saying it would overwhelm existing infrastructure and put people and wetlands at risk.

+7 Has Port Manchac's ship come in? Developers plan 'majestic property,' but some are wary Easy access to water, a cross-country railroad and an interstate highway didn't make Port Manchac the moneymaker Tangipahoa Parish wanted it to be.

Port Commissioner Dr. James Nelson originally made a motion to accept the agreement as it was written by the developers. But he withdrew his motion after Port Commissioner Ernie Drake and the ports attorney raised concerns about what they described as the contract's vagueness.

Now were not just limited to what the original project is, what theyve been peddling for the last two years. Now were open to any other development on the property, Drake said of the proposed contract.

A deal with the resort developers would signal a reverse in course from recent board actions to conduct a highest and best use study evaluating a broad array of possible uses for the port.

Commissioner Bill Joubert proposed that study in January, after the state attorney general issued an opinion saying the board had broad authority to change the basic functions of the port.

+4 Should Port Manchac be turned into residences, swamp resort? Board requests study on it PONCHATOULA  The board that oversees Port Manchac agreed Tuesday to study whether it makes sense to lease the port property for a mixed-use d

Tuesday's debate over the contract came after the ports consultant, Gary LaGrange, announced some good news to the board. LaGrange said he's found a tenant from southwestern Louisiana interested in using the facility to offload nonhazardous, dry bulk goods from barges  the type of project the port has been attempting to lure for months.

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The proposed contract with the Village at Manchac gives developers 18 months to conduct feasibility studies on the port. After that, the developers would then be entitled to a 99-year lease at fair market rent, subject to adjustment annually based on cost-of-living increases.

The new deal says the developers would have to negotiate the port out of its current leases and government grants, taking responsibility for any money owed.

Nelson said the revised Village at Manchac contract addressed a list of conditions the board set forth at a meeting in February. The port is in an awkward position now that the developers have come back with a contract that largely meets those conditions, he said.

We should not let this opportunity for the people of Tangipahoa Parish escape us, said Nelson, who was appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to the board in December on the recommendation of the Hammond Chamber of Commerce. Nelson has been an outspoken proponent of the project.

But Drake pointed out that the agreement as written allows the developers to convert the port into a commercial and/or other development, with the only prohibited uses being any qualified truck stop facility, truck stop casino or riverboat gambling business or enterprise.

Port Attorney Andre Coudrain advised the board not to sign the contract as written.

I think there are a couple of points Id be concerned about, to lock yourselves into granting an exclusive option to someone else for 99 years for a vaguely defined project, Coudrain said.

Nelson said he wished the conversation could have been had among the board prior to the meeting instead of in a public meeting. Nelson said earlier that he emailed the board about his planned motion in advance of the meeting, and only one commissioner responded.

Coudrain said he would provide feedback to the board on the proposal within a week.
ALEXANDRIA  Beats by Dre headphones. Blu-Ray disc players. Yeti coolers. Flat screen TVs. Coleman sleeping bags. Bose speakers. Keurig coffee machine and hundreds of cups. Furniture. Automobile tires. Guns and firearm parts.

All of them were purchased by former Avoyelles Correctional Center warden Nate Cain with state credit cards billed to taxpayers, according to Nicole Compton, an investigator with the Louisiana Office of Inspector General. They were among the "many, many, many" items Compton found at Cain's home during a 2016 raid, she testified Monday.

Our Views: Case against Cains show they acted more like royal family than Corrections employees Why have a state credit card with your name on it? You can, if you are in the Cain family business, just tell employees of the Corrections Dep

"This is a case about the abuse of power and the violation of trust," said Luke Walker, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. "This is the Department of Corrections money  this is taxpayer money he was spending."

Nate Cain is facing federal charges for spending thousands of dollars that were meant for the Cottonport prison he ran instead on a wide range of personal items, like guns, high-end technology, and even a new house he was trying to build quietly on prison property. Cain is the son of legendary Louisiana jailer Burl Cain, who himself resigned from his longtime post as warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola after a controversy over his business dealings erupted. The younger Cain also resigned months later, amid separate investigations fraud and other misconduct at his prison.

Both Cains left the Department of Corrections at a time of heavy scrutiny into the agency's culture of nepotism and cronyism. Though there were a number of critical probes and audits, Nate Cain and several underlings  including his then-wife  were the only correctional employees to face criminal charges as a result. Cain is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 17 counts of wire fraud.

His trial began Monday morning with jury selection and could last through the end of the week.

Prosecutors named about 20 witnesses they plan to call, including Tonia Bandy, Cain's ex-wife, and Jodie Bordelon, a former subordinate at the prison, who have both already pleaded guilty to crimes related to the case. They also expect to call Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc, whom Burl Cain once described as his "best friend," to the stand. LeBlanc was singed in the corrections scandals but ultimately hung onto his job.

+2 Before trial of ex-prison warden Nate Cain, former employee pleads guilty to concealing felony Days before former prison warden Nate Cain faces trial on federal charges that he made thousands of dollars worth of improper purchases on the

Nate Cain's attorney, John McLindon, painted jurors a different picture of how the purchases were made, pointing the finger at Bandy, whom Cain promoted to business manager of the prison after the two began dating. Bandy, who has reverted to using her maiden name after divorcing Cain in 2017, was initially charged alongside Cain in the case, but in July she pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She has not been sentenced.

Nate Cain was never, ever an approver; hes not even a card-holder, McLindon said Monday afternoon, noting that Bandy, by contrast, was able to approve prison purchases and held a state-issued credit card for the prison. He called her relationship with Cain a "power move," noting that she filed for divorce soon after they ran into trouble.

Im here at the federal courthouse in Louisiana for the trial of Nate Cain, ex-warden in a state prison in Avoyelles who is charged with abusing state funds. Here he is walking into the courthouse, opening statements to start in minutes. pic.twitter.com/AZZrMBfOMl  Grace Toohey (@grace_2e) March 11, 2019

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He also noted that Bordelon, whom he described as a close friend of Bandy's, pleaded guilty on Friday to concealing a felony from authorities. Bordelon also held a state-issued credit card, which was used for many of the personal purchases in question. Bordelon resigned Monday morning from her clerical position at the Cottonport prison, recently renamed Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, according to Department of Corrections spokesman Ken Pastorick.

Two of the governments key witnesses are being compensated," McLindon said. "But theyre not being compensated with money, theyre being compensated with freedom. You would have reason to doubt both of their stories.

McLindon also called the "ranch house," a home for Cain that Department of Corrections officials have said was not authorized for construction, a "red herring" in the case. He noted that it was built so close to the front of the prison that it was clear Cain, who claimed it was to be some sort of operations center for the prison rather than a personal residence, wasn't trying to hide it.

Tonia Bandy, ex-wife of La. prison warden Nate Cain, pleads guilty to federal fraud charges The ex-wife and co-defendant of former Louisiana prison warden Nate Cain pleaded guilty Monday to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire 

However, prosecutors showed two separate designs for the house, one showing bedrooms, a garage and a family room, but a later plan changed those descriptions to conference rooms, offices and classrooms. They showed photos of the garage door entrance boarded up, after an alleged change in plans, which they note was clear also in the new name for the building, later referred to as the Special Operations Command Center.

Cain in 2016 became a poster boy of sorts for the scandals that rocked the Department of Corrections. He had enviable connections, and he had been repeatedly promoted, despite questions about his judgment. His star rose even though he had been disciplined in his prior post for looking on as two subordinates savagely beat an escaped inmate.

In addition to the fraud case, Nate Cain faces a separate charge in state court of obstruction of justice, which stems from a 2016 investigation by state corrections officials that found the former warden undermined a probe into a rape allegation at his prison. The allegations involved a sexual relationship between an inmate and a corrections officer at the lockup, which is considered rape under federal law, even when both parties consent.

Avoyelles Parish District Attorney Charles Riddle said both of those cases have been on hold while the federal court proceedings play out.

Former prison warden Nate Cain faces fresh indictment, this one alleging obstruction of justice A grand jury in Avoyelles Parish has charged Nate Cain and a former subordinate with obstruction of justice, adding to the former prison warde

The internal corrections probe never determined with certainty whether the corrections officer actually engaged in sexual acts with the inmate, but found that Cain and some of his employees interfered. A former major, Randon Harrington, who was indicted with Cain in the probe, was accused of coercing the inmate to drop his allegations, by threatening to send him to Camp J at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, a notorious solitary confinement unit that shuttered last year due to worsening conditions.

Cain, meanwhile, cut short a polygraph exam being administered to the officer accused in the rape. He also sent away a seasoned rape investigator from Angola who had been assigned to help in the probe.
After a rare pitch from Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana's top school board Tuesday voted to request a $1,000 pay raise for public school teachers and a $39 million increase in state aid for public schools.

The proposal, which faces a final vote on Wednesday, will be sent to the Louisiana Legislature for the two-month session that begins on April 8.

Lawmakers will be able to accept or reject the plan but cannot change it.

The package also includes a $500 pay raise for support workers, which includes school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others.

All of the increases would take effect for the 2019-20 school year. The public school spending package totals $3.85 billion.

Edwards' appearance before the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education marked the first of its kind since he took office in 2016.

"I believe it is a plan we can all come behind and support," he said.

"I am extremely confident that this is going to happen," Edwards told reporters after his appearance. "Quite frankly, there is very little opposition to this in the Legislature in either party in either the House or the Senate."

House and Senate members have generally applauded the election-year drive to boost teacher pay.

However, some lawmakers and advocacy groups contend pay raises should target hard-to-fill jobs, including math and science, rather than to be issued across-the-board.

Can't see video below? Click here.

The boost in state aid for public schools  1.375 percent  would be just the second such increase in the past decade. The governor said the teacher pay raise would also be the second of its kind in the 10 years amid state budget problems.

Louisiana leaders have grappled with recurring financial problems since 2009, including seven special sessions from 2016-18.

Edwards said he wants this year's teacher pay boost to be the first of three years of increases in hopes of Louisiana again reaching the regional average. Teachers are paid an average of $50,000 per year now.

The governor said that is about $2,200 below what Louisiana's peer states average, many of whom are debating teacher raises of their own this year.

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"We ask an awful lot of them and quite often do not provide enough resources for them to be supported as they should be supported," he said.

Others in line for $1,000 pay raises include principals, assistant principals and school counselors.

Edwards was accompanied by First Lady Donna Edwards, a former music education teacher herself.

The only controversy at BESE focused on a bid by state Superintendent of Education John White to earmark $3 million of the $39 million increase for career and technical education and dual enrollment  high school students earning college credit. White said the $3 million amounted to a mere two percent of the nearly $140 million in increased public school spending pushed by Edwards.

He said too many students are missing out on earning industry-based credentials, which can pave the way for jobs or more training, and dual enrollment in high school because of a lack of state support.

+3 Latest hurdle for Louisiana teacher pay raises? Other states raising regional average Gov. John Bel Edwards' plan to boost teacher pay to the regional average is facing headwinds before the legislative debate even begins on April 8.

Critics said local districts need all the $39 million to address specific needs in their areas.

BESE member Doris Voitier said that, while career and technical education has shown growth in recent years, "there are multiple needs."

"This money is extremely important to be used in each school district where that particular need exists," said Voitier, who is the longtime superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish School District.

Opponents of White's bid to earmark the $3 million also noted that the approach pushed by Voitier was endorsed by the influential Superintendents' Advisory Council and a task force that advises BESE on public school spending.

Jim Garvey, who lives in Metairie, disagreed with Voitier and backed the move to carve out $3 million.

Garvey said that, while Louisiana rarely shows education gains of 100 percent or more, dual enrollment has risen by about 400 percent in the past four or five years amid increased funding. "Two percent is all he is asking for, to let the parents and children decide how to spend $3 million out of $140 million," he said of White.

BESE voted 6-3 against White's bid, which means all $39 million in new funding would be left to the discretion of local school districts, if the Legislature agrees.

The tally was a rare setback for the superintendent, who has held the post since 2012.

State aid for public schools is allocated through a formula called the Minimum Foundation Program.

The vote Tuesday was made by a committee of the 11-member board.

However, virtually the entire panel was on hand and final approval on Wednesday is all but certain.
Leaders of a new group called Raise Up Teachers said Monday it plans to urge the Legislature to approve teacher pay hikes but more professional development and other improvements are also needed.

The organization is led by Meredith McGovern, who teaches social studies in Bossier City; Joni Smith, who was 2017 state Teacher of the Year and is now an education administrator in Livingston Parish and Lauren Trahan, an English/language arts teacher in Erath.

It is being assisted by another education group called Stand for Children, which is often at odds with Louisiana's two teacher unions.

Raise Up Teachers says it wants to raise the profile of educators "by ensuring teachers get the professional salaries they deserve, the professional development, resources and support they deserve in order to attract and keep the best and brightest educators in the classroom with students."

Gov. John Bel Edwards has proposed pay raises of $1,000, which the Legislature will consider when it convenes on April 8.

+3 Latest hurdle for Louisiana teacher pay raises? Other states raising regional average Gov. John Bel Edwards' plan to boost teacher pay to the regional average is facing headwinds before the legislative debate even begins on April 8.

McGovern said her group wants to take the debate beyond pay raise talks and find ways to support educators in ways that improve student outcomes.

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She said pay hikes of $1,000 translate into about $45 per month, which is less than it takes for families to attend a movie monthly.

Smith said that, as a single mother of two 10-year-olds, she is "constantly worrying about finances."

"A $1,000 pay raise is a great start but we know that it's going to take much more than that to make sure our students have the best teachers in front of them every day," she said in a statement.

Trahan said the upcoming debate is about more than teacher salaries but also improving the profession for the next generation of educators.

McGovern said about 500 teachers and others are part of the group.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators each claim about 20,000 teachers and other school employees.

The Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana has called for pay raises of $3,000 per year.
Amid controversy, the superintendent of the Special School District will be leaving his interim post on June 8, state Superintendent of Education John White said Tuesday.

The post is held by Pat Cooper, who is former superintendent of the Lafayette Parish school system.

However, Cooper has been targeted for criticism as part of a controversy at the Louisiana Special Education Center in Alexandria, which houses 81 students and young adults from ages 3-32 with orthopedic problems and developmental disabilities.

An executive search firm will be hired to find a a permanent superintendent, and White said Cooper could apply.

The interim appointment, by state law, ends at the conclusion of the legislative session.

State Police have been investigating possible wrongdoing at the center, which White said involves allegations of a "child on child" incident.

Allegations against Louisiana Special Education Center sparks State Police probe State Police are investigating allegations of wrongdoing at the Louisiana Special Education Center in Alexandria, officials said Friday.

Four leaders of the center have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

Some parents contend the suspensions stem from a power struggle between Cooper and leaders of the center.

White told the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that State Police have turned over the results of the probe to the district attorney's office in Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria.

The Special School District includes the center in Alexandria as well as the Louisiana School for the Deaf and the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, both in Baton Rouge.

All three are undergoing changes after experts said they suffered from management problems.

Louisiana School for the Deaf, others targeted for improvements The state is launching a three-year plan aimed at improving oversight and expertise in the troubled Louisiana School for the Deaf and others, 

Cooper has been interim superintendent for the past eight months, and White noted that Cooper has previously worked in the special education division at the state Department of Education.

He said Cooper has aligned curriculum at the schools, set up school advisory panels and named a leader for the Louisiana School for the Deaf who is fluent in American Sign Language.

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"He has a long history in special education," White said.

But he also said the SSD should have handled unspecified incidents in a "more methodical manner," including bringing in all the parties before decisions were made.

"That was a mistake," White said. "It was a mistake on the part of the SSD and a mistake for which I take responsibility."

In addition, White said it was an "incredible mistake" for Cooper or department staff to communicate directly with BESE members "and it will never happen again."

Cooper's interim term ends when the 2019 Legislature adjourns on June 8.

Louisiana, Kansas educators named as finalists for superintendent of Special School District A Louisiana educator and one from Kansas are the two finalists for the job that oversees the Louisiana School for the Deaf and two others.

Controversy over the Louisiana Special Education Center prompted some parents of students to appear before BESE on Tuesday, with more expected Wednesday.

Some parents praised leaders of the center who are under suspension.

They said those officials made them feel welcome and comfortable when they reluctantly placed their children at the facility.

Tamara Wolfe, whose son attends the center, said she was stunned when the annual Christmas visit to see Santa Claus at a local mall was cancelled last year despite pleas to Cooper.

"And that might have been one of those kids last Christmas," she said.

"If you could tell me as a parent who I am supposed to go to to help me," Wolfe told BESE tearfully. "I don't know of anybody else to go to."

White said that, while controversy at the Alexandria site has sparked a flurry of emails and Facebooks posts in recent weeks, there are no plans to merge the center or move it to Baton Rouge.

He said a study is underway that may result in the state Department of Health playing a bigger role in operations of the center.

The center's 81 residents includes 37 students, with the rest over the age of 18 who receive different services.
State legislators took a deep dive Tuesday into Louisianas stalled death penalty system, but its unclear what  if any  legislation may come out of the nearly five-hour Capitol hearing.

This issue is a passionate issue. People are passionate on both sides, and they need to be, said House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee Chair Sherman Mack, R-Albany.

Much of Tuesdays hearing, which was administered in part by Attorney General Jeff Landrys office, centered on complaints about the death penalty being put on hold in Louisiana and how the state might move forward with administering capital punishment.

In Louisiana, death row doesnt mean death row anymore, said Landry, a Republican who is seeking re-election this year and has been a vocal advocate of re-instating its use of the death penalty here.

Louisiana is one of 31 states that still allow the death penalty as a form of criminal punishment in law. But the states last execution was in 2010, and that prisoner volunteered to be executed. The issue has been tangled up in the legal system amid a fight over the state's process for lethal injection.

Attempts to abolish capital punishment have come up in recent years at the State Capitol, but it continues to face major resistance in both the Republican-controlled House and Senate.

A question of 'frustration': Does Gov. John Bel Edwards support the death penalty? Does Gov. John Bel Edwards support the death penalty? It's a question that chief political rival Attorney General Jeff Landry has been pushing

For several hours, the House panel heard from grieving victims family members and other capital punishment supporters, while opponents of the death penalty spoke during a shorter public comment period at the meetings end.

The tilt toward favoring capital punishment left many legislators and others who oppose the death penalty complaining that the hearing was tainted with partisanship.

Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport, said she felt that the event was orchestrated as a set up to target Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, described the scene as a pro-death penalty pep rally.

AG Jeff Landry blames Gov. John Bel Edwards for halted executions, writes scathing letter Attorney General Jeff Landry is blaming Gov. John Bel Edwards for the continued delay of executions in Louisiana and has withdrawn his office 

The Edwards administration, which was not invited to take part in the hearing, has said it, as with other states, has been unable to procure lethal injection drugs as companies seek to distance themselves from the practice.

The fact of the matter is that we cannot execute someone in the state of Louisiana today because the only legally prescribed manner set forth in state statute is unavailable to us, Edwards said in a statement after the hearing. In the time since we last had this conversation, nothing has changed  the drugs are not available and legislation has not passed to address concerns of drug companies or offer alternative forms of execution.

Edwards, who is seeking re-election this year, has declined to say his personal views of the death penalty other than he would follow whatever is in state law, if able.

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Landry, a frequent critic of the governor, said other states have been able to work around similar challenges.

We must be vigilant in ensuring that the punishments are imposed are implemented, he said. True justice is the punishment being carried out.

Landry has a personal connection to one of the most high-profile death penalty cases in recent decades. As a young boy in St. Martinville, he remembers attending the funerals in 1977 of the teens killed by Pat Sonnier, the since executed death row inmate whose story is told in the book and movie Dead Man Walking.

Landrys grandmother was close friends with the mother of Loretta Ann Bourque, who was raped and killed after attending a homecoming football game.

I remember the effect it had on the family, Landry said. I remember her on the pew  she went to Mass daily and cried.

That insight is part of the reason why he pushed for Tuesdays hearing to feature the anguished testimony from family members of victims.

Albert Culbert Jr.s sister, niece and brother were murdered in Shreveport in 1985 when Culbert was 36 years old. Hell turn 70 later this year, he said, and their killer remains on death row.

After so many years, why has nothing been done? he said.

But death penalty opponents expressed frustration as the hearing stretched on with only death penalty supporters having their say.

E. King Alexander, a member of the Republican State Central Committee and member of Louisiana Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty described the hearing as a nauseating review of how other states have dealt out capital punishment.

It does look one sided if you look at the notice that the  everybody they list to speak is pro-death penalty, he said.

He said he doesnt believe that the death penalty should be based on individual emotions about singular, heinous crimes.

If you frame the issue as Does this particular killer deserve to die for what they did? the answer would frequently be yes, Alexander said. From a conservative point of view, its just ineffective. We should have laws that are based on fact and reason and do things that work.
Recent news about IBM may lead our region to wonder what the latest is with the company. While this weeks news is accurate that the company wasn't able to secure a project for a short-term support center, it misses a few broader points about IBM that we felt were important to cover for your readers. At their recent open house, IBM executives shared that they are actively hiring graduates from Baton Rouge Community College, Southern University, and Louisiana State University at a rapid clip.

+2 IBM scraps plans for contact center that would have employed 'several hundred' in Baton Rouge IBM has scrapped plans for a customer contact center in Baton Rouge, nearly two years after first unveiling the potential project at the same 

They also announced a P-TECH partnership with Tara High School that will give its students the opportunity to earn an associate degree while in high school and also give its graduates a direct path into tech sector jobs and positions with IBM. They are evaluating creating a cutting-edge apprenticeship concept for our market as well, sometime in the near future we hope. IBM has been a good community partner with education institutions and other nonprofits.

In terms of IBM's economic development impact, we continue to be pleased with the companys hiring and growth. It has a huge presence in its downtown Baton Rouge center, with a talented and diverse team who are developing technology solutions for clients all over North America. IBM has increased their hiring of software and tech talent as well, as the company plans more career fairs, including ones coming up in Houston on March 16 and Baton Rouge on April 6.

IBM continues to be a game changer and a home run project for the region, and the tech sector continues to add exciting jobs in Louisiana.

Adam Knapp

president and CEO, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

Baton Rouge
The U.S. Senate can move fast when it has to, particularly with an astute majority leader such as Mitch McConnell of Kentucky controlling its calendar.

But McConnell is not in a blazing hurry to schedule a vote on a resolution, which it appears will pass, to rebuke his White House ally.

At least four Republican senators have declared they will vote for a resolution rejecting the national emergency declared by President Donald Trump. With Democrats, that likely ensures the Senate will join the House in turning a thumbs-down on a transparent power grab from the White House.

The emergency declaration was seized upon by the president after Congress did not agree to massive funding increases for Trumps much-touted giant wall along the Rio Grande and elsewhere on the border with Mexico  a wall candidate Trump repeatedly promised that Mexico would pay for.

The presidents policy is also unwise. A wall is a vanity project rather than a program for reform. Congress was willing to add some new money for border security, but the president created a political crisis by rejecting that offer.

The United States Constitution gives the power of appropriating federal money to Congress. The president wants to raid military spending funds, contrary to law, to build more wall.

It is dismaying that most Republicans, supposedly the conservative party, are backing Trump over the constitutional architecture of this country. The vast majority of GOP members of the House, including those from Louisiana, backed the presidential power play.

One of the key Republican backers of the resolution overturning the emergency declaration is Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky. He said as many as 10 Republicans in the Senate would join to support the House position.

We urge Louisianas senators, Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge and John N. Kennedy, of Madisonville, to stand up for the Constitution.

Unfortunately, we have little hope that they will. Cassidy is up for reelection in 2020, and if there is one verity in GOP politics these days, its that you put the goodwill of Trump voters before anything else, including constitutional order.

Kennedy on CNN rejected the notion that it is a dangerous precedent that a future Democratic president could use to bypass Congress for liberal priorities.

I don't think that the president doing this is going to end Western order, Kennedy said. The sun will come up the next morning. I do think he is probably rethinking the situation.

Kennedy is right, in that the rebuke by House and Senate will not be the end of the matter. As McConnell projects, the president will likely veto the resolution of disapproval, the House will not have a majority to override the veto, and lawsuits over the matter will be fought out.

We hope that Kennedy is correct that the president is rethinking his course. Nor is he wrong that the country can survive, but the precedent being set is wrong and fraught with danger in the future.

Republics do not fall in one blow but bleed to death as constitutional order is transgressed. Each new cut, like that of the Trump order, must be opposed.
The swollen Mississippi River may be cresting in New Orleans, but water levels likely wont fall back to normal for weeks to come.

Officials had hoped the river would start to subside soon, but storms and snowmelt to the north now have forecasters suggesting the river will remain high for another month or longer.

Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kind to us for the rest of the year, but certainly we have a bit more water to potentially go, said Jeff Graschel, a hydrologist at the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center in Slidell.

On Tuesday, the river was about 16.8 feet above sea level at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans, just a couple inches shy of the height the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has set as its upper acceptable limit. That was due in large part due to heavy storms in the Ohio River Valley, where some areas saw between 10 and 30 inches of precipitation over two months, and the upper Midwest.

To keep the river level 3 feet below the 20-foot-high levees that protect New Orleans, the Corps began opening bays in the Bonnet Carre Spillway in late February to divert water from the river into Lake Pontchartrain. It was the 13th time the structure has been used in its nearly 90-year history and an unprecedented third opening in four years.

About 200 bays of the spillway are open, with each of them carrying about 1,000 cubic feet of water per second away from the river.

While water levels are projected to start subsiding in a week or two, the reprieve will be brief.

Storms over the next several days are expected to dump more water across the Midwest, Graschel said. At the same time, the heavy snows of this past winter are starting to melt and flow through the Mississippi Rivers massive basin toward its mouth in Louisiana.

Its not yet clear exactly what effect that will have on the river, Graschel said, because the exact amounts of rainfall and snowmelt are still unknown. At this point, forecasters expect the crest upriver to be slightly lower than it is now, he said.

Even once that crest passes sometime in the next month or two, it wont mean the New Orleans area will be totally out of the woods. More melting snow and storms could mean yet another rise in water levels later in the year, Graschel said.

Were still susceptible to having more flood events on the Mississippi River over the next few months, he said.
Australia's aviation safety authority has banned all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying to or from the country in the wake of two deadly plane crashes involving the brand new aircraft in the past five months.

Overnight, the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency also suspended all 737 MAX flights in Europe as a precautionary measure. It followed similar moves by several countries including China, France, the UK, Turkey, Singapore, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Malaysia.

Fiji Airways uses the Boeing 737 MAX planes on services from Nadi to Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

In what is a major blow for the aerospace giant Boeing and an unusual split from American aviation regulators, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said on Tuesday night that it was in the best interests of safety to ground the jets, operated here currently by Fiji Airways into Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Singapore's SilkAir also flies 737 MAX 8s into Darwin and Cairns, but was already moving those services onto older planes after Singaporean authorities grounded the MAXs earlier on Tuesday.
A flood of American oil into the global market is keeping a lid on petrol prices at the same time as the OPEC cartel and Russia have cut supplies.

Analysts expect OPEC to continue cutting production, keeping oil market supplies balanced at current levels. Credit:Bloomberg

The International Energy Agencys (IEA) latest global oil outlook, released on Monday night, predicts America's oil and gas boom will see it become a net exporter by 2021 with profound implications for global politics.

US oil production, including gas, is slated to jump by more than a quarter from last year's rate to 19.6 million barrels a day by 2024.

The IEA said the US would soon overtake oil giants Saudi Arabia and Russia as it exploits its shale oil and gas resources.
A lack of choice in superannuation funds is likely to become entrenched in legislation with federal Parliament in a stalemate over laws that deny workers the option to select their own fund.

Retailer Kmart on Tuesday defended its decision to stick with the same industry superannuation fund and deny employees a choice of funds saying its position was justified under existing law.

A new wages agreement is being negotiated for Kmart employees. Credit:SMH

Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations Kelly ODwyer blamed Labor for blocking legislation she introduced in 2017 to give superannuation fund members the right to choose.

"The Coalition government has legislation in the Senate right now which would give superannuation fund members the right to choose where to put their retirement savings," Ms O'Dwyer said.
An advisory group to the Berejiklian government on climate change has appealed to the Premier for a hearing saying it has been "largely ignored" despite extreme conditions in the state.

The NSW Climate Change Council - a body set up in 2004 by the Labor government to advise the Environment Minister, drawing on independent experts from science to business and regional communities - wrote to Gladys Berejiklian last month after a failure to draw interest from policymakers, according to the letter obtained by the Herald.

The past summer was easily the state's hottest - with the drought only making things harder for farmers. Credit:Kate Geraghty

It is understood the Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton met council members once in 2017 and again last year.

The letter to the Premier said: "NSW remains one of the most at-risk states from climate change, including from bushfires, extreme rainfall, increased summer heatwaves and heat extremes, declining water supplies and sea-level rises. This summer is indicative of the challenges we are to face."
With the AFL season on our doorstep, The Age's experts have ranked the 18 clubs and made the case for (as well as against) each team making the top eight.

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Check out our interactive below, have your say on how the ladder will shape up and, if you feel the need, vent your spleen in the comments section.

Who will win the flag? Who will be the big improvers? Can anyone but Gold Coast win the wooden spoon?

All your questions answered by our team of football buffs.
Introducing Leyonhjelm at the forum hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies, the CISs executive director, Tom Switzer, said that in the 2016 federal election around a million votes bled from the Coalition to a range of conservative or populist minor parties and independents.

His confidence is not entirely without merit, at least in the state election.

At a forum of conservative minor party candidates on Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats David Leyonhjelm asserts that it was a 100 per cent certainty that after the coming state election crossbenchers will hold the balance of power in both houses of parliament in both NSW and Canberra.

It was not unreasonable to expect that some combination of the candidates at the forum - which included Leyonhjelm along with Mark Latham of One Nation and Dr Greg Walsh of the Australian Conservatives - along with the Christian Democrats and members of the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party will hold the balance of power in the NSW upper house after the election, he said.

In this case, the way in which the next government learns to negotiate with the men on the CIS panel would have significant impacts across the state.

The major parties are failing, the minor parties are the voice of policy reason. One Nation's Mark Latham

Leyonhjelm said he would focus on getting the government off your back and out of your pocket and declared he would do it through calculated pragmatism.

Experience in the Senate told him that at times his vote would be needed an upon these days he would deploy straight-up political blackmail, selling his vote to either party on issues that were not central to his platform in return for concessions on key issues.
The body of Parramatta woman Samah Baker was driven to several locations across Sydney in the boot of a car by her accused killer James Hachem, police will allege.

Mr Hachem was arrested last Friday and charged with murder more than two months after Ms Baker vanished on January 4.

Just two days before her alleged murder, Mr Hachem was captured on security cameras getting into a lift with Ms Baker at the Vibe Hotel in North Sydney.

It is understood Mr Hachem was Ms Bakers on and off again lover.
A Gold Coast stonemason who was one of the first diagnosed with the devastating lung disease silicosis has died.

Anthony White passed away on Saturday, his younger brother Shane has told Nine News, from complications relating to his debilitating lung condition.

Shane said Anthony had been feeling positive in the days before his death, and had recently been put on a waiting list for a double lung transplant.

Anthony White, a 36-year-old Gold Coast stonemason, thought he had pneumonia, which turned out to be silicosis. Credit:Shine Lawyers/Supplied

He said he was starting to feel better. He was saying I feel like everything is starting to go well, Shane said.
The massive suburban loop project at the centre of the Andrews governments election win will not connect workers to jobs, a Grattan Institute analysis reveals.

The $50 billion suburban rail loop, connecting nearly every metropolitan train line in a ring around the city, would not achieve the key aim due to the low number of jobs in Melbournes middle suburbs, Grattan's transport program director Marion Terrill says.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan discuss the suburban loop in Box Hill in August. Credit:Joe Armao

The 90-kilometre, mostly underground rail line would connect existing train lines with universities, hospitals, shopping centres and the proposed airport train station.

The government hopes this will see Melbourne become a 'polycentric city', meaning that housing and jobs would cluster in locations outside of the CBD.
A man has been taken to hospital after he was shot at a home in Perth's south-east.

WA Police confirmed officers were called to the scene about 1pm on Tuesday afternoon regarding reports a firearm had been discharged once.

Witnesses who claimed to see the incident on social media said the man, believed to be in his 20s, was shot in the stomach at the front door of the home.

A witness said the man staggered from the house yelling "I've been shot, he's f---ing shot me".
A Perth father accused of murdering his baby said he wasn't thinking clearly, and just "wanted to be punished" when he left her dying in her crib to drive to the police station.

Arron Martin, 37, is on trial in the Supreme Court of Western Australia accused of killing his six-month-old daughter, Isabella, in November 2017, by shaking her and throwing her on the ground when she wouldn't stop crying.

Arron Martin (right) is accused of murdering his six-month-old daughter Isabella in November 2017.

On Tuesday while giving evidence, Mr Martin changed his story, telling the jury he dropped Isabella on the floor, rather than threw her as he had previously told police in a recorded interview.

He said the incident occurred about 10 minutes after he had put her to sleep around 4pm or 5pm, and was himself trying to sleep, after coming off a night shift earlier that day.
Bill Shorten is making a huge promise to Australian voters that he will find a way to lift their wages.

The Opposition Leader spoke on Tuesday about giving the Fair Work Commission new guidelines to get an increase in the minimum wage so it could take into account more factors in deciding pay rates.

The starting principle will be that the current hourly rate of $18.93 must rise but the factors and guidelines are a mystery.

This is a big promise to make when there is no clear mechanism for Shorten to impose his preferred outcome. Even if a Labor government legislates new guidelines, the independent commission may be swayed by factors outside Shortens control, such as economic conditions.
The NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro has begged his federal counterparts to "shut up" as a sensational outbreak of infighting threatens to damage the party's prospects in a knife-edge state election campaign.

The Deputy Premier's plea came as tensions in the federal Coalition escalated after deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie said Australians were "frustrated" by former leader Barnaby Joyce freelancing on energy policy with his call for a new government-backed coal power station.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said his federal colleagues should "just shut up". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Barilaro is struggling to hold on to key Nationals seats across NSW ahead of the March 23 poll, including Lismore and Tweed in the state's north, and his own division of Monaro.

He said his federal counterparts were not helping and advised them to stop airing grievances over coal and the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
NSW Labor leader Michael Daley has defended his party's preference swap deals with the Shooters and Greens, saying he wants to win the election.

Mr Daley on Tuesday also confirmed Labor has been talking with crossbench MPs ahead of the March 23 election with the spectre of a minority government and latest polling showing Labor and the Coalition are neck-and-neck.

NSW Labor leader Michael Daley campaigning outside Dalmeny Public School in south-west Sydney. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"We are talking to the crossbenchers. You'd except that to happen. That's what is happening" Mr Daley said, before ruling out entering into a coalition to form government.

"One thing I can tell you, we won't be doing a formal coalition with any minor parties to govern. I'm aiming for majority government."
London: The British government has won what it says are crucial improvements to the Brexit divorce deal, due to be voted on by Parliament on Tuesday evening (UK time).

Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Credit:AP

That vote is the UK's last chance to secure a Brexit that avoids either a delayed or a damaging 'no deal' exit from the EU, due on March 29.

Government Minister David Lidlington said new legally binding assurances from the EU, agreed in a last-gasp negotiation on Monday, ensured the UK would not end up trapped subject to EU rules and courts indefinitely  as some Brexiteers had feared.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she had secured the legal changes to the divorce deal that Parliament had wanted.
Washington: A chummy discussion between Vice-President Mike Pence and former vice-president Dick Cheney quickly turned into a vigorous back-and-forth over President Donald Trump's foreign policy at a private gathering on Saturday, with Cheney comparing the President's instincts to those of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, according to a transcript obtained by The Washington Post.

Mike Pence, seen here with Donald Trump, defended the administrations foreign policy under tough questioning from Dick Cheney. Credit:Bloomberg

At the closed-door retreat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on March 9 in Sea Island, Georgia, Cheney respectfully but repeatedly and firmly pressed Pence on a number of the President's foreign policy moves  over which Cheney expressed concerns  from taking a harder line toward US allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to deciding to withdraw troops from Syria during what Cheney fretted was "the middle of a phone call."

Cheney also worried aloud to Pence that "we're getting into a situation when our friends and allies around the world that we depend upon are going to lack confidence in us," and then offered a blunt criticism of the current administration's response to foreign policy challenges.

"I worry that the bottom line of that kind of an approach is we have an administration that looks a lot more like Barack Obama than Ronald Reagan," he said.
Mazda Names Masahiro Moro to Chairman and CEO of Mazda North American Operations; Welcomes Jeffrey Guyton as President







Masahiro Moro to oversee Mazda North American Operations, Mazda Canada and Mazda Motor de Mexico

IRVINE, Calif. (March 12, 2019)  Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced several enhancements to its leadership team. Effective April 1, Masahiro Moro, current President and CEO of MNAO, will be appointed to Chairman and CEO of MNAO. In Moros expanded role, he will oversee MNAO, Mazda Canada Inc. and Mazda Motor de Mexico.

As Mazda moves forward with its next generation product, the company has made global leadership changes to further its path toward premium, said Akira Marumoto, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation, based in Hiroshima, Japan. Mazda is a global business and both North America and Europe are vital to its continued growth. Masahiro has been a tremendous leader in the U.S., and we are pleased to expand his role.

Jeffrey Guyton, currently President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe (MME), will be appointed to President of MNAO, reporting to Moro. In this role he will oversee all aspects of the companys operations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including sales, marketing, parts and service, logistics, R&D, customer support and regional operations.

The North American markets are crucial to Mazdas success globally, and we have made significant investments here, particularly in a new joint venture production facility in Alabama, said Moro. Jeff will be instrumental in delivering significant business growth here in the U.S. During his 16 years at MME, Jeff successfully elevated both brand value and profit in Europe, and I know he will be a strong leader for MNAO as we continue on our journey to premium.

Also effective April 1, Masashi Otsuka, will be promoted to the new position of Senior Vice President of the Alabama business unit, reporting to Guyton. Otsuka will lead the new operations in Alabama where Mazda will manufacture its brand-new crossover SUV exclusive to the North American market by working with suppliers, handling logistics for the plant and managing quality assurance.

The Alabama business unit is crucial for MNAOs success, said Moro. I believe Masashi Otsukas outstanding business acumen will lead us to a successful launch of the plant and the all-new crossover SUV.

Replacing Otsuka is Masaki Ueno, currently General Manager of the Vehicle Testing & Research Department at Mazda Motor Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan. As the new Vice President of Research & Development and Design, reporting to Guyton, Ueno will oversee management of the entire field of research and development, and design.

Masaki Ueno is a phenomenal engineer who has spent time previously in the U.S., said Moro. He brings with him a wealth of valuable experience in safety technology.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians tribe will be making a $184,000 donation to cover the costs, Lee County coroner Bill Harris confirms to CNN. (David Goldman/AP)

A Native American Tribe Will Cover the Costs of the Funerals for All of the Alabama Tornado Victims

Often times the worst situations will bring out the best in people.

Thats proving true once again, this time in southeastern Alabama, where residents are still reeling from an outbreak of tornadoes that killed 23 people this week.

But their loved ones wont have to worry, at least about the costs of the funerals. A Native American tribe says it will cover the funeral and burial expenses for all the victims of Sundays tornadoes.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians tribe will be making a $184,000 donation to cover the costs, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris confirms to CNN.

Thank you to all individuals and organizations who have donated to the EAMC Foundation Lee County Disaster Relief Fund.  East Alabama Medical Center  201938

The Tribe Increased its Commitment

Thats more than the tribe had originally agreed to, but it increased its commitment when another donor that had agreed to split the costs backed out of the arrangement.

The original donation made by the tribe was going to be $50,000. However the other group stopped returning Harris calls, he said. When he explained that to the tribe, it asked what it would take to cover everything. The check will be hand delivered by the tribe early next week.

My goal was to be able to provide what the families wanted for this casket or this service without having to scrimp because they didnt have the money, Harris said. These folks have stepped up for a community need, and I appreciate that.

Harris did not name the company that didnt follow through on its commitment.

The money will be donated to the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation so that none of the money is spent on administration costs.

It is at times of greatest need that we often see our communities coming together to help one another, this is one of those times, Stephanie A. Bryan, the tribes CEO, said in a Facebook post. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected.

The Tribe is making a $184,000 donation to the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation to assist in the burial of the  Poarch Band of Creek Indians  201937

Tam Yvonne, who lost 10 family members to the Tornado, replied to Bryans post: Thank you so very much for this generous donation. 10 of my family members were lost  I will be forever grateful for what you and your tribe have done for not only our family but, everyone affected by this horrible event.

The Tribe Has Been in Alabama for Generations

Harris said he delivered the news personally about the funerals and burials being covered to the grandparents of Armando AJ Hernandez, the youngest victim. He said the two were thankful.

I spoke with AJs family, his grandma and granddaddy, they were very humbled and very appreciative, he said. I feel so bad for them. I told them, yall dont worry about that (the cost), I have it covered.

This is the kind of healing and compassion that should be coming out of Washington as well. Instead, were getting hate-mongering, blame and the politics of division and disunity. https://t.co/x2eOT2SlUE  Djelloul Marbrook (@DelMarbrook) March 11, 2019

Other local organizations have also come forward and donated toward the fund for the funerals, according to Harris. Additionally, a notable person from AlabamaHarris isnt sharing the mans name just yetis donating $10,000 for foot markers for the graves.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Native American tribe in Alabama, and it operates a number of businesses, including casinos and hotels, in the region. The tribe descends from the original Creek Nation that once resided in Alabama and Georgia. The tribe was never removed from its lands and has kept a presence in the area for 200 years around the Poarch, Alabama reservation.

The Tribe is making a $184,000 donation to the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation to assist in the burial of the victims from last Sundays devastating tornado in Lee County, AL. Read the full statement here: https://t.co/kMmem5pebJ Photo credit: Robert Harris, Technapex pic.twitter.com/O3IHzHKors  Poarch Creek Indians (@PoarchCreek) March 7, 2019

NTD News reporter Venus Upadhayaya contributed to this report.
Amber Alert Issued for Missing 2-Year-Old Wisconsin Girl

An amber alert has been issued for a 2-year-old girl who went missing in Milwaukee with a man described as armed and dangerous by authorities.

Noelani Robinson went missing at 1:30 p.m. on March 11 after Dariaz L. Higgins failed to return her to her mother as had been planned, according to authorities.

Higgins, 33, who also goes by the aliases of Dariaz Taylor and Dariaz Lewis is believed to have taken the 2-year-old in his black SUV.

Unknown clothing description of the child at this time, said the alert. Dariaz is armed and dangerous. If anyone sees Dariaz or the child, they should not attempt to make contact and call 911 immediately.

Higgins is described as a black male with black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos, and is believed to be driving a black 2014 Cadillac SUV with Florida license plate HVCZ95.

According to WSVN, officials believe that Higgins could be driving to Florida with the missing girl

In the Florida county of Miami-Dade, police have issued a countywide be on the lookout alert to officers.

An amber alert indicates a child has been abducted and is facing imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

Missing, but Found

An overnight police search was sparked in Florida last week when a 10-year-old girl went missing from school.

She was found safe and sound the following day, after a search involving over 20 officers, KXAN reported.

In California, two girls, aged 5 and 8, were found two days after they had gone missing the week earlier on March 1. They were found alive after spending two days and nights in a cold forest, according to reports.

Temperatures in Humboldt, located in the northwestern portion of the state, had dropped into the 30s.

Officials said the girls were found near Richardson State Park, which is more than a mile south of their home.

They were safe and sound, still ambulatory, in good spirits, no injuries, Honsal explained.

We could not have had a better outcome than weve had this morning, he added to ABC. Its an absolute miracle.

Missing Children

There were 464,324 missing children reported in the FBIs National Crime Information Center in 2017, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Under federal law, when children are reported missing to law enforcement, they must be entered into the database. In 2016, there were 465,676 entries.

This number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total, the center noted.

In 2017, the center said it assisted officers and families with the cases of more than 27,000 missing children. In those cases, 91 percent were endangered runaways, and 5 percent were family abductions.

About one in seven children reported missing to the center in 2017 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

The number of reported missing children has significantly decreased in recent years, according to a 2017 report by the Department of Justice. The number of children reported missing dropped from 6.5 per 1,000 children in 1999 to 3.1 per 1,000 in 2013.

Missing children typically fall into five categories: kidnapped by a family member, abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator, runaways, those who got lost, stranded, or injured, or those who went missing due to benign reasons, such as misunderstandings, according to the report researchers.
A woman left a toddler in a car for 15 hours during a snowstorm in December 2016. (Woodley Wonderworks/Wikipedia Commons)

Blizzard Threatens U.S. Central Plains With Two Feet of Snow

A late-winter storm this week could dump up to two feet of snow in the U.S. central Plains states, potentially snarling travel and bringing flooding to the Upper Midwest, U.S. forecasters said on Tuesday, March 12.

There is high confidence that a major winter storm will affect a large part of the central U.S. Wednesday into Thursday. Severe blizzard conditions are expected in some areas. You risk becoming stranded if you attempt to travel through these conditions. pic.twitter.com/kxOyf0WE0I  NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) March 11, 2019

The storm, now brewing as a low-pressure center in the southwest, will quickly move into the Rocky Mountains and deliver one to two feet of snow with blizzard conditions in much of Colorado and parts of Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota, the National Weather Service predicted.

Central U.S. storm to be real deal * Severe tstorms NM and Texas today

* Blizzard w/ 10-20 of snow, 60+ mph winds in western and northern Plains Wed

* Flooding Kansas to Wisc, ice jams on northern rivers

* Record low pressure may be set in Kansas More: https://t.co/0NxiBOhlZt pic.twitter.com/34Bw8Vbmor  Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) March 12, 2019

The biggest air travel hub likely to be affected by the snow is Denver International Airport, but cross-continental air travel lanes could be disrupted as well as the system brings a line of rain squalls eastward, forecasters said.

The snow will really start picking up by later tonight into the day on Wednesday, meteorologist Mark Chenard said in a Tuesday phone interview from the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

WEATHER: Massive storm expected to head into central U.S., creating blizzard conditions, flooding and severe storms that may produce tornadoes. https://t.co/KDaOFXima1 pic.twitter.com/HT3422yXed  ABC News (@ABC) March 12, 2019

The storm will also bring heavy rain to areas of eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota that already have a good deal of snow on the ground, the NWS said.

We could have the potential for major river flooding, given the rain and the snow melt, Chenard said.

An earlier round of heavy, wet snow caused several roofs to collapse in the Upper Midwest last weekend, including those of a church and a hotel.

By Thursday, the storm system will weaken as it moves over the Tennessee River Valley, bringing mostly rain from Michigan southward to the Gulf Coast and some remaining snow only in the far northern parts of the country, he added.

By Peter Szekely

Man Dug Out by Police After Spending Winter Snowed Into Home

Ottawa Police helped dig an elderly man out of his home Thursday, March 7, after the citys excessively snowy winter left him housebound for weeks.

The man in his 70s had heat and electricity and access to a phone, but decided he would ration his food and wait for spring rather than call for help.

He just was going to wait winter out, said police spokeswoman Const. Amy Gagnon.

The officers went to the home in the citys east end Thursday night after concerned neighbors called asking for a wellness check. They hadnt seen their neighbor in quite some time and were concerned for his well-being.

When police arrived, they found a driveway covered by several feet of snow and a car completely buried. There were no signs that anyone had been in or out for some time.

They made their way to the front door and a man answered their knock.

He was alive, he was well, but he was alone, said Gagnon.

Police dont know exactly when he became trapped in his house.

Elderly Ottawa man dug out by police after spending winter snowed into homehttps://t.co/6TxjhoI1Fi pic.twitter.com/FyLyIwKLYK  CP24 (@CP24) March 8, 2019

Ottawa has had more than 260 cm of snowfall since November, including a record-setting 97 cm in January and a winter storm in mid-February that convinced the citys schools to close for the first time in years.

The man was willing to continue his winter-bound lifestyle, but Gagnon said that was unacceptable to the officers so three of them joined forces to clear his entire driveway of snow. They also called in municipal workers to help remove large amounts of ice built up at the end of his driveway.

The officers are also bringing him groceries and asking other city services to continue to check on his well-being.

The man doesnt want to be identified.

Hes very thankful for the help, but would like to keep his privacy, said Gagnon.

By Mia Rabson
Brexit Could Be Lost: British PMs Deal DefeatedAgain

LONDON, United KingdomBritains Parliament rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays deal to quit the European Union for a second time on March 12, deepening the countrys worst political crisis for generations, 17 days before the planned departure date.

Lawmakers voted against Mays amended Brexit deal 391242 as her last-minute talks with EU chiefs on March 11 to assuage her critics concerns ultimately proved fruitless.

The vote puts the worlds fifth largest economy in uncharted territory with no obvious way forward: Exiting the EU without a deal, delaying the March 29 divorce date, a snap election, or even another referendum are all now possible.

May might even try a third time to get parliamentary support in the hope that hardline euroskeptic lawmakers in her Conservative Party, the most vocal critics of her withdrawal treaty, might change their minds if it becomes more likely that Britain might stay in the EU after all.

While she lost, the margin of defeat was smaller than the record 230-vote loss her deal suffered in January.

If this vote is not passed tonight, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost, a hoarse-voiced May told lawmakers before her deal was defeated.

Lawmakers are now due to vote on March 13 on whether Britain should exit the worlds biggest trading bloc without a deal, a scenario that business leaders warn would bring chaos to markets and supply chains, and other critics say could cause shortages of food and medicines.

Supporters of Brexit argue that, while a no-deal divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it would allow the United Kingdom to thrive and forge beneficial trade deals across the world.

However, Parliament is expected to firmly reject a no-deal Brexit as well, so lawmakers would then vote on March 14 whether or not government should request a delay to the leaving date to allow further talks.

Both May and the EU have already ruled out any other changes to the deal, struck after two-and-a-half years of tortuous negotiations.

In a last-ditch bid to save her Brexit plan, May rushed to Strasbourg on March 11 to agree to legally binding assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

A tired-looking Juncker acknowledged the protracted discussions as he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the morning of March 12.

There will be no third chance, Juncker said. There will be no further interpretations of the interpretations, no further assurances of the reassurances if the meaningful vote tomorrow fails.

Earlier in the day, former British foreign secretary and leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson said Mays Brexit deal had reached the end of the road and Britain should leave the bloc without an agreement.

Johnson said if the EU was unwilling to accept further changes, Britain should leave without a deal as while this would be more difficult in the short term, in the end it would be the only safe route out of the abyss and the only safe path to self respect.

Britons voted 5248 percent in 2016 to leave the EU, but the decision has not only divided the main parties but also exposed deep rifts in British society, bringing concerns about immigration and globalization to the fore.

Many fear that Brexit will divide the West as it grapples with growing assertiveness from Russia and China, leaving Britain economically weaker and with its security capabilities depleted.

Supporters say it allows Britain to control immigration and take advantage of global opportunities, striking new trade deals with the United States and others while still keeping close links to the EU, which, even without Britain, would be a single market of 440 million people.

By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan
Bull Attacks and Injures New Jersey Woman; Police Shoot It

A woman was injured after she was attacked by a bull in northwestern New Jersey.

According to the New Jersey Herald, Wendy McDermott, the owner of the bull, said that the animal had been highly aggressive lately.

Police officers in Sparta, New Jersey, were forced to put the animal down, according to the report.

The bull's owner was screaming that the bull was going to kill her and needed to be shot, police said.  NJ.com  2019311

Sparta police on March 8 said they received several calls of a bull on a road approaching vehicles. McDermott was told about the bull, and she called the police saying she was en route to try and get the bull back inside its enclosure with food.

The bull then followed McDermotts vehicle up a gravel road toward her farm as an officer followed her.

An officer observed the bull bump into McDermotts vehicle and tried to climb on it several times.

The owner was screaming that the bull was going to kill her and needed to be shot, police said.  6abc Action News  2019312

McDermott then exited her vehicle and tried to get her bull through the gate, but then the bull turned on her before attacking her, according to the Herald. The bull threw her around.

She then began screaming, saying the bull needed to be shot as it would kill her.

It actually mounted the hood with his front legs, Sparta police Lieutenant John Lamon told 6ABC about the incident. The bull was probably 1,100, 1,200 pounds.

This bull went on a rampage in New Jersey and seriously injured one woman pic.twitter.com/E6SLYKqw8Z  NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 12, 2019

Officer Arlene Lippencott, who was on the scene, distracted the bull before McDermott was able to get into her patrol car.

Other patrol units and a first responder arrived on the scene. The bull tried to charge a patrol vehicle, and it was put down by two officers who opened fire, 6ABC reported.

The bull started charging at our sergeants car, and one of our officers had to put the bull down, Lamon said. She was screaming that the bull needs to be shot.

McDermott was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital to be treated for injuries, adding that she got stitches to her head as well as lacerations and bruises.

The woman said her husband was recently attacked by the bull.

One neighbor said the bull acted friendly toward him.

I saw this young bull, and many cars pulled over were trying to protect him, said the neighbor, 6ABC reported. He was very calm. People were petting him on his headI had cereal in my car, believe it or not, and I fed him out of the passenger side window.

Do Bulls Get Angry When They See Red?

According to LiveScience, bulls are actually color-blind, and therefore, dont get angry when they see the color red.

The bull is likely irritated not by the muletas color, but by the capes movement as the matador whips it around. In support of this is the fact that a bull charges the matadors other capethe larger capotewith equal fury, according to the website.

Adds Mythbusters, Turns out, the color red isnt what causes bulls to attack. In fact, bulls dont seem to have any color preference at all. Theyll charge whichever object is moving the most, which means this old myth can get tossed right out of the ring.
China Reportedly Recruiting Taiwanese Officials to Serve in Government

Taiwanese authorities are investigating reports by Chinese media that eight Taiwanese local officials have taken up government positions in China.

The investigation was announced by Chen Tsung-yan, deputy minister of Taiwans Ministry of Interior, according to a March 10 article by Taiwanese daily newspaper Liberty Times.

In an interview with Taiwans Central News Agency, Chen confirmed that his ministry will conduct the investigation.

The eight individuals, who arent identified, are either village or borough chiefs, the lowest-ranking officials in Taiwans political system. They have taken up positions as executive directors of community and village Chinese Communist Party committees in Pingtan County, located in Fujian Province, which is directly across the Taiwan Strait, according to Chinese media reports.

According to the Taiwan edition of Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily, there are 7,828 villages and boroughs in Taiwan.

Chinese media were the first to report the occurrence, including an article by state-run media Xinhua in December 2018.

Chen said that the ministry hasnt yet fully identified the individuals, as Chinese media reports didnt reveal their names, according to Liberty Times.

Chen also noted that authorities would only be able to determine whether these individuals had broken Taiwan law if the ministry is able to collect evidence confirming their government positions in both Taiwan and China.

Under a law governing cross-strait relations, Taiwan residents are forbidden to hold any position within Chinese agencies, institutions, or organizations that are affiliated with the Chinese military, political apparatus, or government administration. Violators can be fined as much as 500,000 New Taiwan Dollars ($16,176).

Taiwan is a de-facto country with its own constitution, military, and currency. However, China views the island as part of its territory, and has threatened to unite it with the mainland using military force, if necessary.

In response to the latest incident, Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, a government agency that deals with issues regarding China, warned that Beijings effort to recruit Taiwanese is part of its unification campaign so that the Taiwanese public would be more acceptable to the idea of giving up sovereignty and embracing Chinese rule, according to the Liberty Times.



Liberty Times, through research involving earlier Chinese media reports, has identified one of the eight individuals as Tseng Ning-yi, a borough chief in Taipei.

In an interview with Liberty Times, Tseng explained that her executive director position in Pingtan County, China, is merely a title, and that she doesnt receive a monthly salary. Rather, she receives a stipend for her transportation and living expenses in China, where she spends a few days every month for the purpose of sharing her experience in managing a community in Taiwan. She also gives lectures around China and receives speaking fees.

There are, in fact, many Taiwanese who have taken up similar government positions in China.

In June 2018, the Fujian governments official website reported that Haichang District, located within Fujians port city of Xiamen, has hired 35 Taiwanese to be assistants to local community directors. It isnt known if any of these 35 individuals held any public office in Taiwan.

The overseas edition of Chinas state-run mouthpiece Peoples Daily reported in December 2018 that 66 Taiwanese were working as assistants to community directors in Xiamen. It isnt clear if the 35 Taiwanese above were also counted among the 66.

Apple Daily published an editorial March 11 in response to the investigation of the eight individuals, warning that Chinas efforts to recruit low-ranked Taiwanese officials is just the beginningas Beijing probably has the ambition to entice city officials next.

The concept of seizing the countryside and then using rural bases to encircle and capture cities was first coined by former Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, who adopted this method during Chinas civil war to proclaim victory.
Huawei's rotating Chairman Guo Ping (C) speaks during a press conference in Shenzhen, China's Guangdong Province on March 7, 2019. Huawei said on March 7 it was suing the United States for barring government agencies from buying the telecom company's equipment and services. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Huawei Strategy Is to Bypass US Intelligence

The Chinese regime is 'shocked' to hear that Huawei is spying

Huawei, the Chinese tech giant thats accused of spying and violating sanctions against Iran, has decided to file a lawsuit against the U.S. government.

In the wake of the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer, the complaint would be laughable if the stakes werent so high. But the stakes are very high.

Serious Threat to Users

Huawei is leading the 5G deployment for much of the world, and wants to lead it in the United States as well. Whats more, it is suspected that the worlds largest maker of telecommunications equipment has or could have installed spyware in hardware systems theyve supplied for use in U.S. infrastructure, including communications, power grids, nuclear plants, and air traffic control, among others.

The threat that Huawei presents to the United States has reached the point where Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have warned other nations that using Huawei equipment will make it difficult for them to work with the United States. Other countries in Europe and elsewhere have concerns about Huawei as well, including Germany and Poland, where two Huawei employeesone a former Chinese diplomatwere recently arrested for alleged espionage.

An Arm of Chinese Regime

Huaweis suit against the U.S. government claims that the ban against it is unconstitutional.

The 5G infrastructure and smartphone provider is challenging the constitutionality of Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It seeks a declaratory judgment and a permanent injunction against the restrictions because, the company claims, they would leave the U.S. market with inferior products that will cost consumers more.

That part may well be true, but theres much more going on. Huawei has long been considered an arm of the Chinese regimethat is, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)and has been accused by U.S. authorities of spying and gathering technical and defense-related data from the United States and elsewhere for years. Those suspicions go back to at least 2012 and most likely the Clinton administration.

State, Private Ownership Blurred

But both Huawei and the CCP deny any connection to the other. That may sound far-fetchedand it isbut the Chinese regime is acting as if Huawei were some isolated company, standing alone in its righteous fight against the United States. And on the face of it, Huawei insists that its an independent, employee-owned company.

But that doesnt matter in the slightest and is simply a denial of reality. Does anyone on the planet believe that a company of Huaweis size, capabilities, and scope would be left to act alone, without CCP influence?

The fact is that the CCP uses a variety of ways to direct the behavior of privately held companies. A few include industrial associations, which are typically run by former ministers or other Party members to keep firms in line with CCP dictates. Regular interviews with the NDRC, Chinas chief economic planning agency, are also highly effective. And, of course, the CCP has the power and uses itto force private firms to cooperate in state-led restructuring programs.

When it comes to Huaweis behavior, just like any other company, person, or group in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), their actions are directed and sanctioned by the CCP. This is especially true, given the broad diplomatic and strategic impact of Huaweis actions. This private company behaves as a state-sponsored actor on the world stage.

Reveal US Monitoring Techniques

Given that several countries around the world are sounding the alarm about the espionage risk (and loss of jobs) that Huawei poses to them, what does the company hope to gain from a lawsuit it will likely lose?

First, it isnt about winning the case. The suit itself is a canvas on which China wishes to paint the United States in a negative light to the international community, specifically the European Union (EU). Its a propaganda opportunity to sow division between the United States and its European allies, politically andspecificallyeconomically. With the United States trying to convince the EU to trade less with China and more with America, Chinas response is understandable.

Secondly, the main point of attack of the lawsuit is U.S. security laws, as Huawei claims that the U.S. government uses national security as cover for its trade war with China. If the lawsuit hinders the Trump administrations trade policy toward China, so much the better. Is that likely? One would hope not.

But ultimately, Huaweis strategy is to get the United States to reveal its secrets. China wants to know how the United States monitors what companies like Huawei do. Therefore, the value in the lawsuit for Huawei is the disclosure process.

The companys chief legal officer, Song Liuping, all but acknowledged that in a recent news conference, when he said that the ban on Huawei in the United States is based on numerous false, unproven and untested propositions. Huawei has an excellent security record and program. No contrary evidence has been offered.

But their objective is to see the proof that the United States has against them and to test the propositions. In essence, China hopes that the lawsuit will compel the United States to disclose how it knows what it knows about Huaweis activities and equipment.

From Chinas perspective, they dont care and probably dont even expect to win the case in the common sense of the word. But if the end result is that they find out U.S. intelligence techniques, then they will have won much more than the case. It would be a strategic intelligence and technological victory, because Chinese companies will know much more about U.S. intelligence techniques and how to avoid such monitoring in the future.

The U.S. courts must not allow the case to go forward.

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.
Chinese and Russian Companies Exploit Flaws in US Cybersecurity

Are Google and Apple violating US sanctions against Russia?

Commentary

As Ive previously discussed, Google and Apple distribute Chinese surveillance and data-mining technology. They also distribute similar technology developed by Russian companies, which could be in violation of existing U.S. sanctions against Russia and China.

In 2017, Google and Apple pulled apps developed by Iranian app developers from Google Play and the Apple App Store in regards to U.S. sanctions against Iran that date back to the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Google and Apple may violate existing U.S. sanctions against Russia by distributing Russian apps via Google Play and the Apple App Store.

In addition to a potential violation of U.S. sanctions, apps developed by Russian companies pose huge civil liberty, privacy, cybersecurity, and safety threats to U.S. citizens and our national security. The apps seem harmless at first, but when you consider that they are nothing more than malware that enables the app developer to monitor, track, and data-mine the user for financial gain, the privacy and cybersecurity threats these apps pose to the user become noticeable.

Active Russian app-development firms include Prisma Labs, Magora, e-Legion, Mercury Development, Shakuro, Touch Instinct, and many others.

Potential Violations of US Sanctions Against Russia

Doing business with these app developers may violate existing U.S. sanctions against Russia, according to information posted on the Centers for Strategic and International Studies website, which lists more than 60 rounds of sanctions.

Below are examples of several U.S. sanctions against Russia that may be relevant to U.S. companies that conduct business with Russian technology development firms:

Executive Orders 13661, 13662, and 13694 in conjunction with Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act PL 115-44, effective Dec. 19, 2018: human rights violations and corruption, interference in U.S. elections, cyber-enabled activities, and use of biological weapons affecting individuals and companies.

Executive Order 13694, effective April 1, 2015: cyber-enabled activities affecting individuals and companies.

Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act PL 115-44, effective Aug. 2, 2017: human rights violations and corruption, annexation of Crimea and violation of Ukraines territorial integrity and democratic institutions, interference in U.S. elections, supporting the Assad government and its activities, and cyber-enabled activities affecting individuals, companies, government officials, and government agencies.

Ive identified more than 10 technology- and cyber-related U.S. sanctions against Russia, yet companies such as Apple and Google distribute intrusive apps developed by Russian companies.

Additionally, many U.S. companies that contract numerous Russian app development firms to develop apps that support smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, and PCs in general may also be in violation of existing U.S. sanctions against Russia.

In light of Russias alleged meddling in our elections and Chinese companies stealing intellectual property (IP) from U.S. companies, why is any U.S. company voluntarily doing business (directly or indirectly) with Russian or Chinese app development firms when apps are malware that enable the app developer to surveil and data-mine the app user?

Furthermore, why have Google and Apple pulled apps developed by Iranian companies from their app stores due to existing U.S. sanctions against Iran but havent pulled apps developed by Russian and Chinese companies?

Due to the serious privacy and cybersecurity threats that intrusive Android, Apple, and Microsoft apps pose to smartphone, tablet PC, and PC users, the U.S. government should impose new sanctions against doing any business with nation-state technology companies from adversarial countries such as China and Russia.

Why Apps Are a Threat

As Ive discussed before, companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft dont sell your identifiable personal information to third-parties, they do much worsethey auction off their operating system (OS) product users to data-driven technology providers such as Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, and Tencent for profits.

This means that when you purchase a product such as a smartphone supported by the Android OS or Apple iOS, you become a commodity for sale by Google and Apple, regardless of whether these companies expose you to nation-state companies from adversarial countries such as China and Russia.

Is there a better way than using an intrusive app that is legal to steal IP from a smartphone or PC user versus using illegal methods to hack the same smartphone or PC user? Apple, Google, and Microsoft enable this to happen.

Companies may claim they use app users personal and professional information to improve the users experience or use the information for advertising purposes. However, the fact remains that companies from China and Russia may have also found a flaw in U.S. cybersecurity policy that they can exploit in order to surveil and data-mine U.S. telecommunication subscribers (individuals or businesses) and authorized device users (spouse, children, employees, etc.) by way of protected telecom products such as smartphones.

Many of these companies work closely with their nations governments, if theyre not directly state-owned, or must comply with repressive cybersecurity laws that require them to store customer data on local serversaccessible to the state on demand.

Existing U.S. telecom laws require any state actor (foreign or domestic) to acquire a warrant from a domestic judge or a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) in order to lawfully surveil and data-mine a U.S. telecom product user.

A nation-state company from an adversarial country cannot legally acquire a warrant from a domestic judge or a FISA court in order to surveil and data-mine a U.S. citizen.

Threat Remains Unaddressed

Why are nation-state companies from China and Russia enabled to surveil and data mine U.S. citizens through their smartphones?

Who in our government or what government agency provides oversight when it comes to these types of privacy and cybersecurity threats associated with telecom-related products and PCs that are supported by protected telecom infrastructure?

In 2016, I conducted research on smartphone security as part of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) study. In my report to the DHS, I included the fact that bad actors from adversarial countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea could easily distribute intrusive apps through partnerships with companies such as Google or through sources such as Google Play, the Apple App Store, and the Microsoft App Store.

For example, what security measures have Google, Apple, and Microsoft put into place to keep state actors (foreign, domestic, hostile, friendly) from starting software companies to develop predatory and surveillance apps such as games that are pre-installed, installed-by-update, and/or are distributed in the apps stores? I asked in my report.

These are predatory and surveillance apps that can be embedded in app-driven telephones and computers used by citizens, children, private industry, and/or government entities.

What oversight has agencies such as a state attorney generals office, the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and DHS put into place to protect citizens, children, private industry, and government entities from predatory entities who use connected products as a vehicle to hack personal and professional information?

To date, the DHS has still yet to address these types of threats.

This flaw regarding our national security needs to be addressed immediately due to the level of surveillance conducted on the app user, and the amount of highly confidential information that these nation-state companies can data-mine from a smartphone, tablet PC, or PC.

Rex M. Lee is a privacy and data security consultant and Blackops Partners senior analyst and researcher. Visit him at MySmartPrivacy.com.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testifies before House Ways and Means Committee hearing on "U.S.-China Trade on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Feb. 27, 2019. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Deal or No Deal, US-China Trade Talks May End in Weeks: Lighthizer

WASHINGTONThe United States and China may be in the final weeks of discussions to hammer out a deal to ease their tit-for-tat tariffs dispute, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on March 12.

Washington and Beijing have slapped import duties on each others products that have cost the worlds two largest economies billions of dollars, roiled markets and disrupted manufacturing and supply chains.

The U.S. government is pressing for an end to practices and policies it argues have given Chinese firms unfair advantages, including subsidizing of industry, limits on access for foreign companies and alleged theft of intellectual property.

Our hope is we are in the final weeks of having an agreement, Lighthizer, the top U.S. trade official, said during a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, though he cautioned that major issues remained.

If those issues are not resolved in favor of the United States, we wont have a deal.

Lawmakers pressed Lighthizer for details on whether the Trump administration intends to keep its tariffs in place to ensure China is complying with any agreement.

The focus of the negotiation from the Chinese side is the removing of the U.S. tariffs, Lighthizer said. If that is a concession, that is something that is under debate.

The United States is addressing structural issues over intellectual property rights with precision in the talks and is nearing a deal to address currency manipulation, he added.

Progress in negotiations last month drove the White House to indefinitely delay hiking tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports that were set to kick in on March 2. That led to mounting expectations a deal was in the offing, though Trump administration officials said on Friday another face-to-face meeting was not yet scheduled.

Lighthizer and Chinas top trade negotiator, Liu He, spoke on Tuesday, Chinas state media reported, and the U.S. trade representative said during the Senate hearing that he had another call scheduled on Wednesday.

We are working more or less continuously, Lighthizer said.

By David Lawder
Attendees take a photo next to a sign of "#SR15"referring to a special report on climate changebefore the opening ceremony of the 48th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Incheon, South Korea, on Oct. 1, 2018. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

Happer Is Right Person to Lead Objective Federal Climate Commission

The left-wing medias rumor mill has been rumbling in recent weeks like an upset stomach in need of an antacid at the thought that President Donald Trump will soon form a Presidential Commission on Climate Security (PCCS) to objectively examine the science behind the oft-repeated claim that humans are causing dangerous climate change.

A PCCS is long overdue, and award-winning physicist William Happer, the administrations senior director of the National Security Council office for emerging technologies, is the perfect person to run it.

Such a committee should have been formed before 1992 when President George H. W. Bush brought the United States into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Bush put the cart before the horse, agreeing to the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) despite the fact no comprehensive assessment of the state of climate science had been undertaken.

The IPCC wasnt charged with examining the causes and consequences of climate change but, from the start, was directed to limit its inquiries into the human causes of change.

A problem cant be understood if only one aspect of it is studied. Its like the parable of the blind men and the elephantif all the blind men had only been allowed to touch the trunk.

Since then, many scientists have advanced their careers and raked in big government research grants by towing the party line that humans cause dangerous climate change and we needed a government takeover of the economysuch as the Green New Dealto fix it. Time and again, data has been manipulated or altered, and research questioning whether or not humans cause dangerous climate change has been suppressed or ignored to make the facts conform to the theory.

Happer at the Helm

Before joining Trumps National Security Council, Happer had a distinguished career in academia and in government service. He was the Cyrus Fogg Brackett professor of physics at Princeton University, served as the director of the Office of Energy Research at the U.S. Department of Energy, is a fellow the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

With Happer at the helm, the PCCS will assemble a group of qualified scientists to examine and debate the causes of current climate change, and its purported impacts on national security, agriculture, sea level, and extreme weather.

Happer has previously written about two critical aspects of climate change science: the need for quality data, and a fair examination of the potential benefits of increased carbon dioxide.

In 2015, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rushed into publication research announcing the observational evidence related to a hiatus in recent global surface warming did not support the notion of a slowdown in the increase of global surface temperature. This claim conflicted with every extant temperature database, and the findings of many organizations worldwide, including the IPCC, that there had been a lengthy hiatus in global warming.

Along with more than 300 other scientists, Happer objected, noting in an article in Environment & Climate News that in the rush to get their findings published in time to influence the then forthcoming Paris Climate Agreement negotiations, NOAAs researchers had violated the 2001 Data Quality Act (DQA).

In response, Happer and more than 300 experts signed a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology criticizing NOAAs actions and stressing the need for climate research to comply with DQA requirements.

Beneficial Carbon Dioxide

Aside from his strong stand on behalf of scientific transparency, the liberal media has been hyperventilating about Happers previous statements on climate change, which he explored in an interview I conducted with him in 2015 for Environment & Climate News:

Doubling the carbon dioxide concentration will probably cause a warming of around 1 degree Celsius.  A warming of 12 degrees Celsius will be beneficial in itself by lengthening growing seasons and cutting winter heating bills.  The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes most likely warming estimate if carbon dioxide is doubled [is] 3 degrees Celsius[, which] is almost certainly much too large.

In addition to the direct beneficial effects of modest warming, there will be a huge benefit to agriculture from more carbon dioxide. By the standards of geological history,  we have been in a carbon dioxide famine over the past tens of millions of years, with low concentrations of several hundred ppm. More carbon dioxide will increase crop yields, make plants more tolerant to droughts, and will shrink deserts. Yet, we keep hearing about carbon pollution. Carbon dioxide is beneficial, not a pollutant.

Thousands of experiments, the actions of greenhouse operators worldwide, and the fact the earth has been greening and crop yields continue to set records year after year, all confirm Happers assertions on the agricultural benefits of higher carbon dioxide and a modest warming.

From the perspective of climate alarmists and the print and broadcast media that has adopted their cause, Trumps big sin in forming the PCCS is to question the claim climate science is settled. And Happers big sin is to defend the need for high-quality data and to point out a modestly warmer world and increased carbon dioxide will bring benefits as well as costs.

All the panic and hyperbolic gnashing of teeth concerning the PSSC in recent weeks comes down to this: Neither good science nor sound policy can be advanced without an unbiased examination and debate of the facts. This is the cornerstone of scientific discovery. So get to work, Dr. Happer, and thank you for your service.

H. Sterling Burnett is a senior fellow on environmental policy at The Heartland Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research center headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Contact him at hburnett@heartland.org.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945) is shown in 1936. In 1937 he proposed a scheme for packing the Supreme Court. (Keystone Features/Getty Images)

Former AG Holder Argues Democrats Should Pack Supreme Court

Former Attorney General Eric Holder recently said the next president from the Democratic Party should increase the number of justices from the current nine now sitting on the Supreme Court, to combat what he calls Republicans power-grabbing antics.

The former Obama-era cabinet member now serves as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a political action committee that claims the political system is rigged, and the fight to fix it is now.

Holder made the remarks at Columbia University and Yale Law School, evoking memories of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelts ill-fated 1937 attempt to pack the Supreme Court with an extra six justices.

Roosevelt had wanted to expand the high court bench, because the court struck down as unconstitutional various pieces of legislation implementing his New Deal policies that expanded the reach of the federal government. Members of his own party in Congress ultimately revolted at the audacious perceived overreach, and the attempt failed.

But Democrats are becoming increasingly enamored of the idea of filling the Supreme Court with sympathetic left-leaning justices. For example, Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg say they are considering the court-packing proposal.

Holder and many Democrats are still angry that the GOP-controlled Senate refused to vote on President Barack Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Notably, the Constitution assigns to the Senate the role of advice and consent on judicial nominations, but doesnt require that body to hold a vote on nominees.

Instead of considering the nomination in March 2016 after the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) held a spot on the high court bench open for the remainder of Obamas term. Trump nominee Justice Neil Gorsuch later took Scalias seat.

Democrats nowadays still frequently refer to the seat Gorsuch now occupies as one that was stolen from Democrats by Republicans who failed, in their view, to fight fair. And they claim that the never-corroborated allegations of sexual impropriety against Trumps second Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, were never properly investigated.

Given the Merrick Garland situation, the question of legitimacy is one that I think we should talk about, Holder said. We should be talking even about expanding the number of people who serve on the Supreme Court, if there is a Democratic president and a Congress that would do that.

Holder, who has decided not to run for president in 2020, said that if he were president, he would seriously consider adding two seats to the Supreme Court to make up for Mitch McConnells power-grabbing antics.

But conservatives have long been suspicious of Holders motives. Critics have characterized Holder as power-hungry, accusing him of twisting the law to benefit liberal causes and promoting racial polarization for political gain.

They note that Holders tenure as Obamas attorney general was scandal-ridden. After refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena that required him to hand over internal Justice Department documents related to the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal, on June 28, 2012, the House of Representatives voted 25567 to cite him with contempt and 25895 to pursue a civil contempt case against him in court. This was the first time a sitting cabinet member had ever been held in contempt by a chamber of Congress.

Christian Adams, a former Department of Justice civil rights attorney and president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, said Holders court-packing comments didnt surprise him.

Holder has always been a specialist in power, Adams told The Epoch Times.

Sometimes, he uses race to accumulate power and advance radical policies. Now, he is willing to jettison longstanding American tradition to circumvent sound jurisprudence he doesnt like.
Ex-Catalan Leader Puigdemont to Run for European Parliament, Risking Arrest in Spain

BRUSSELSCarles Puigdemont, the former president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, has announced he will run for a seat in the European Parliament, in a bid to win immunity from criminal charges linked to a 2017 independence referendum.

The separatist leader, who is currently living in exile in Belgium, will be the lead candidate for his party Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) in the Europe-wide contest to be held May 26.

Announcing his candidacy, Puigdemont said in a tweet: It is time to take another step forward to internationalize Catalonias right to self-determination, right from the heart of Europe to the whole world.

In an interview with Catalan radio Rac1, he vowed to return to his home region, claiming that becoming a member of the European Parliament would give him immunity from criminal charges.

From the moment the results are declared, the immunity works. If I am an MEP, I will go back to Catalonia because I will get immunity everywhere, including in Spain, he said.

However, that interpretation has been disputed by sources in both Madrid and Brussels, where officials have argued that the former presidents immunity cant be applied because he has already been charged with offenses.

The separatist leader has been warned that he is likely to be arrested and imprisoned if he returns to Spain to be formally sworn in as a European parliamentarian.

Officials in Madrid told the Spanish newspaper Libertad that the countrys Supreme Court will lobby EU Parliament authorities in the European Parliament to annul Puigdemonts immunity if he is elected.

Pablo Perez, an official at the European Commission, pointed to European Parliament guidelines that show immunity does not apply when an MEP has or is suspected by the competent judicial authorities of having committed an offense.

Puigdemont and several other members of his deposed cabinet fled to Belgium in October 2017, just hours before they were hit with charges of sedition, rebellion, and misuse of public funds.

Madrid has already jailed senior Catalan leaders over the decision to hold an independence referendum on Oct. 1 last year, which wasnt sanctioned by the central government. Trials for the cases of 12 Catalan politicians for their role in the referendum started in February.

Puigdemont and five other members of the administration are living in exile in other EU countries, where they have been pursued unsuccessfully by the Spanish government through issuing Europe-wide arrest warrants.

Four Catalan leaders from his party who are currently in jail in SpainJordi Sanchez, Quim Forn, Jordi Turull, and Josep Rullhave also announced they intend to run in the European elections.

In a letter posted to the party website, they said: Were going out to win. We will make our commitment to honest politicswith a return to dialogue, and harmony between peoples and defense of democracycentral to our action.

They also vowed to stand on a platform that will exercise the right to self-determination of Catalonia.

Announcing Puigdemonts candidacy, Elsa Artadi, a spokeswoman for his party, told a press conference in Barcelona: The best way to continue to internationalize the Catalan conflict and for us to be heard in Europe, for the repression to be made visible, is to have a JxCat [Junts per Catalunya] voice that is free to speak in Europe, and that voice can be none other than Puigdemonts.

The October 2017 independence referendum was marred by scenes of Spanish police brutality that drew condemnation from politicians around the world.
According to court testimony, 8-month-old Isaiah Neil (pictured) died after being left inside a boiling hot car for three hours in Ruatoki, New Zealand, on Nov. 2, 2015. (Shane Neil/Facebook)

Father Says We Cooked the Baby in Manslaughter Trial Testimony Against Grandmother

An 8-month-old baby died after being left inside a hot car for three hours while the infants parents and grandmother got high on synthetic cannabis, according to court testimony.

A New Zealand court heard evidence on March 12, according to The Herald, in a trial against the childs grandmother, who faces charges of manslaughter.

Isaiah Neil was unresponsive when he was found by his father outside the home of his grandmother, 54-year-old Donna Catherine Parangi. The childs tragic death occurred in Ruatoki, New Zealand, on November 2, 2015.

The childs parents, Shane Neil and Lacey Te Whetu, have both pleaded guilty to manslaughter and are now key witnesses in the trial against Parangi.

The grandmother has entered a not guilty plea.

Donna Parangi has been found guilty of manslaughter for the death of her 8-month-old grandson.  Rotorua Daily Post  2017522

Considerable Doubt On Cause of Death

The jury at the High Court in Hamilton on Tuesday heard about the panic that gripped the family when they realized Isaiah was dead from what the father maintains is heatstroke.

The cause of the babys death is being disputed, however, as a post-mortem examination also discovered marks on the babys body unrelated to overheating.

Parangis defense lawyer Susan Gray told the jury there was considerable doubt that hyperthermiathe technical term for heatstrokewas the cause of death.

According to New Zealand news service Stuff, the baby was found to have bruising to his forehead, left side of his body, and his abdomen. He also had a bite mark on his right elbow.

Neil told the jury he had no idea how the child came to have those injuries.

We Cooked the Baby

Neil told the jury that on the day his son died, Te Whetu, Parangi, and he were smoking synthetic cannabis. He said all three became drowsy and fell asleep for three hours.

When he woke up at around 3:30 p.m., Neil told the court, he went outside to find his infant son inside a very hot car.

The child was unresponsive, so Neil said he rushed the baby inside and woke Te Whetu, who is Parangis daughter, to decide what to do next. Te Whetu reportedly said she could still see the baby breathing, so the couple put the baby in his cot and went back to sleep.

WARNING: Contains court evidence that some people may find upsetting.A young father has spoken of the panic-stricken  Rotorua Daily Post  2019311

Neil said he woke up again at around 6 p.m. and found the baby unresponsive and soaked in sweat. He told the jury the two called emergency services and while they waited for an ambulance to arrive, they sprinkled the baby with cold water to try to revive him.

She (Te Whetu) went into a full panic state. I think we knew he was gone, Neil told the court. It was the most I have seen anyone panic in my life. She was grabbing his body. Trembling, screaming, out of control.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate Isaiah inside the ambulance but were unsuccessful. The child was then was pronounced dead.

I remember saying we failed.as parents, Neil told the jury. I got stoned after that.

After the incident Neil spoke with Detective Sergeant Max Holder and told the police officer we cooked the baby.

Asked during the trial why he said those words, Neil explained to the jury that he meant because we left him in the car.

Assumed Someone Else Would

The prosecutions case alleges that Parangi is at least in part responsible for Isaiahs death.

On the day the boy died, Parangi, Te Whetu, and Neil reportedly drove to a nearby town to buy drugs. When they returned, they parked the car and left the sleeping child inside.

There was apparently no agreement as to who would get him out of the car.

I just assumed someone else would, the childs mother said, according to Stuff.

The trio then reportedly got high and fell unconscious.

During the trial, Te Whetu said her drug addiction was so severe that she was often overcome by the effects of the drugs and would fall into a stupor and lie on the floor in random parts of the house.

I gave my family no choice but to take care of my kids, she said, according to Stuff, because I couldnt.

Te Whetu said that Parangi was also addicted to the synthetic drug and was often so intensely under the effect of the narcotic that she was unable to provide care for the infant either. She said her mother smoked synthetic cannabis daily.

The trial will continue and is expected to last three weeks.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Law to Defund Planned Parenthood

A federal appeals court has ruled that Ohios decision to cut funding to healthcare groups that provide abortions is constitutional.

The state passed a law in 2016 that bars the health department from funding organizations that perform nontherapeutic abortions. Two Planned Parenthood groupsAmericas largest abortion providerin Ohio subsequently brought a lawsuit against the state claiming that the law imposes an unconstitutional condition to receive public funding.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 11-6 on March 12 (pdf), saying that the condition did not violate the constitution because the groups do not have a due process right to perform abortions. This ruling overturns a previous decision by a three-judge panel in the same court that found the law unconstitutional.

Judge Jeffrey Sutton, who wrote the majority opinion, said the states law did impose a condition on funding, but the condition was not unconstitutional. He wrote, Private organizations do not have a constitutional right to obtain governmental funding to support their activities.

The state also may choose not to subsidize constitutionally protected activities. Just as it has no obligation to provide a platform for an individuals free speech, say a Speakers Corner in downtown Columbus, it has no obligation to pay for a womans abortion. Case after case establishes that a government may refuse to subsidize abortion services.

He continued, the Supreme Court has never identified a freestanding right to perform abortions. To the contrary, it has indicated that there is no such thing.  Medical centers do not have a constitutional right to offer abortions. Yet, if we granted Planned Parenthood relief today, we would be effectively saying that they do.

Sutton also found that Ohios law will not create an undue burden on a womans right to an abortion as it does not condition a womans access to any public health programs on refusing to obtain an abortion. He added that Planned Parenthood has not demonstrated that the law would limit the number of clinics that offer abortions in the State.

In the dissent, Judge Helene White said the funding conditions in the law would result in an undue burden on a womans right to obtain nontherapeutic abortions if imposed directly, and that the six federal programs have nothing to do with the healthcare groups performing abortions, advocating for abortion rights, or affiliating with organizations that engage in such activity.

Decision Welcomed by Groups

The courts decision was welcomed by pro-life groups like the Americans United for Life.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, the organizations president, Catherine Glenn Foster, said: As the full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has made clear today, Planned Parenthood, Americas biggest abortionist, has no constitutional right to offer women abortions, nor to receive public taxpayers dollars for doing so.

AUL applauds the courts strong denunciation of Planned Parenthoods Big Lie that it represents the best interests of women when it advocates for the kind of unlimited abortion on demand that New York recently adopted, and we look forward to a similar conclusion by the federal courts affirming this Administrations decision to keep Title X funds out of the hands of abortionists like Planned Parenthood, she said.

BREAKING from the 6th Circuit: Rules Against Planned Parenthood in Ohio Funding Fight. https://t.co/7T9dsLr1B5  Americans United for Life (@AUL) March 12, 2019

Title X of the Public Health Service Act, a grant program established in the 1970s, pays for family planning projects for mostly poor people. Its been prohibited from funding abortion services, but President Bill Clinton changed the rules so that recipients of the funds were not only allowed, but actually required, to refer patients to abortion providers. Planned Parenthood is estimated to receive about a quarter of all Title X funding.

On Feb. 22, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a rule that prohibits the use of Title X funds to perform, promote, refer for, or support abortion as a method of family planning, the department stated in a release. The rule also requires clear financial and physical separation between Title X and non-Title X activities.

The rule addresses the complaints of abortion opponents, who have argued that the Title X funding helps abortion providers, and Planned Parenthood, in particular, to free up other money that can then be used to fund abortions.

Planned Parenthood, which performs more than 330,000 abortions a year (pdf), has indicated that it would be impossible for Planned Parenthood and many other providers to continue participating in the program under the new rule as it would need to separate its abortion facilities from its clinics that provide the Title X-funded services. If they do not comply with the new rules, they may lose $60 million in federal funding.

Epoch Times Reporter Petr Svab contributed to this report.
Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador for religious freedom, delivered a speech at Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club on March 8, 2019. (Li Yi/The Epoch Times)

Hong Kong Media Skips Coverage of US Officials Speech on Religion Freedom

Hong Kong media was noticeably silent after U.S. ambassador for religious freedom Sam Brownback gave a speech at the citys Foreign Correspondents Club on March 8.

In his speech, Brownback called on Beijing to end all forms of religious persecution in China, saying, The Chinese government is at war of faith. It is a war they will not win.

He mentioned the human rights abuses perpetrated on persecuted groups such as Catholics, Muslims, Tibetans, and practitioners of the spiritual meditation practice Falun Gong.

The Chinese government detained and reportedly tortured Falun Gong practitioners with credible estimates putting the number of Falun Gong practitioners in prison in the thousands, Brownback said.

According to the Hong Kong bureau of The Epoch Times, several political heavyweights attended the event, including Kurt Tong, consul general of the United States to Hong Kong and Macau; Martin Lee, founding chairman of Hong Kongs Democratic Party; and Dennis Kwok, a member of Hong Kongs legislative council and a founding member of the local Civic Party.

Reporters from Reuters, Wall Street Journal, and Radio Free Asia (RFA) were present at the Foreign Correspondents Club to cover Brownbacks speech, as well as local media journalists from South China Morning Post, Oriental Daily, and Local Press.

Days before Brownback gave his speech, Hong Kong-based media Apple Daily did report on the upcoming event. At the time of writing, however, Apple Daily has not published a subsequent report covering the speech.

With other Hong Kong media remaining silent, the Hong Kong bureau of The Epoch Times was the only local media to have reported on Brownbacks speech. The English-language Epoch Times also provided international coverage.

Beijing is known to strictly control media coverage inside China, and there are signs that Beijings influence is increasingly creeping into Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Beijing rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems principle, which guarantees the special administrative region a high degree of autonomy and freedoms, including freedom of the press.

But post-1997, Beijing has not kept in line with the principle. In recent years, following the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement of 2014 garnering worldwide attention, the Chinese regime has cracked down further on democracy activists and the press.

In October 2018, the Hong Kong government refused to renew a work visa for Victor Mallet, the Asia news editor of the Financial Times, who also served as the vice president of Hong Kongs Foreign Correspondents Club.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the visa rejection politically motivated. The Financial Times, in an editorial published that same month, said the incident highlighted Beijings tightening grip on the territory and the steady erosion of basic rights that are guaranteed in Hong Kongs laws and international agreements.

This time around, Hong Kong media may have been treading carefully because Brownback mentioned the plight of Falun Gonga topic considered taboo in China.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that grew in popularity during the early 1990s. The number of adherents embracing its moral teachings and meditative exercises totaled more than 100 million, according to official estimates.

The popularity was quickly viewed by then-Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin as a threat to his rule. In July 1999, Jiang launched a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong adherents.

Since then, hundreds of thousands are estimated to have been arrested and detained within prisons, labor camps, and brainwashing centers, while thousands have reportedly been killed due to torture, according to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that tracks the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Hong Kong residents are not optimistic about the citys media landscape. The University of Hong Kong, published a survey in September 2018 in which it found that 56 percent of those polled believed the citys local media practice self-censorship, a record high since 1997.
Varyag, the Soviet aircraft carrier purchased by the Chinese regime and relaunched in 2012 as the Type 001 Liaoning, before refitting. (Public Domain)

How Ukrainian Technology Boosted Chinas Naval Development

Cooperation between Ukrainian defense industries and Beijing has deepened since sale of Soviet-era carrier

In 2012, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy launched its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. The project attracted close interest from the media and experts, as the Liaoning was built in Ukraine in the twilight of the Cold War, before being sold to China in 1999, originally on the condition that it would not be refitted for military use.

Instead, the Liaoning, formerly named Varyag, became the basis for the Chinese communist regimes ambitious program to design and deploy its own aircraft carriers. The sale and refit of Varyag fit into an important post-Cold War trend: Ukraine, which inherited much of its outsized defense industry and development firms from the former Soviet Union, has increasingly come to view China as its main client.

$20 Million for 30 Years of Soviet Tech

Varyag, originally named for the city of Riga before its first rechristening in 1990, was laid down in 1985 at the Black Sea shipyard and launched in a partial state of completion in 1988, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, progress on the unfinished ship was halted.

At the end of the decade, Varyag was sold to a shell company based in Hong Kong for just $20 million, a fraction of what the technological and military potential of the carrier was worth.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that while a Hong Kong businessman involved with the purchase had promised that Varyag would not be used for military purposesthe ship was ostensibly to be converted into a floating casino, as with a smaller Soviet carrier that is now a Chinese theme parkthe sale also came with a full set of technical documents weighing 20 tons. The technical data represented three decades worth of development and experience in Soviet carrier-building.

In 2005, the Chinese authorities transported Varyag to Dalian, a major port in northeastern Chinas Liaoning Province, to have it rebuilt by the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company. The carrier was relaunched in 2012 under the name Liaoning.

Enlisting Ukrainian Talent

The sale of the Varyag only represented the beginning of major cooperation between Ukrainian defense firms and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To make further breakthroughs in aircraft carrier technology, the CCP also tried its best to attract Ukrainian experts to come to China.

According to an article by China.com published in September 2017, senior Ukrainian maritime engineer Valery Babich moved from Ukraine to China to work for a Chinese shipbuilding company. The article referred to Babich as being the father of Chinas first generation of aircraft carriers, represented by the Liaoning, as he had participated in the design of all aircraft carriers in the Soviet Union, including the Varyag, and was the chief architect of aircraft carriers at the Black Sea Shipyard for many years.

Although Chinese state media has never disclosed whether and when Babich started to participate in the construction of Chinese aircraft carriers, a proclamation issued by the Shandong provincial government in 2014 provides a hint.

In February 2014, the provincial government of Shandong Province, located in northern China across the Yellow Sea from Dalian, included Babich on its List of Experts on the Blue Industry Plan of Mount Tai Scholars.

Most likely, other Ukrainian experts are involved as well, since the CCP is willing to spend large sums to attract talents. According to the details listed in the Mount Tai Scholars Plan, key researchers, of which Babich would likely be an example, were eligible to receive millions of yuan in tax-free development subsidies and income.

Following the launch of Liaoning, the Chinese navy began work on a similar ship, the Type 001A. Featuring improved design and technology, construction of Type 001A started in late 2013 and was commissioned less than four years later on April 26, 2017. The time frame coincides with the period in which Babich and possibly other Ukrainian experts, as reported by Hong Kongs Phoenix News, were likely recruited by the Chinese regime to assist in naval development.

According to the China.com report, the Chinese enterprise that Babich joined was China-Ukraine Special Ship Research and Design Academy (CUSA) in Qingdao, a port in Shandong. According to its homepage, this company was established in September 2014 by joint efforts of the Qingdao municipal government and the Shandong Academy of Sciences on the Chinese side, with Ukraines Black Sea Ship Design and Construction Bureau a collaborating partner.

As much as 700 million yuan ($104 million) was invested in CUSA. Its stated mission, as previously listed on its website, was to recruit Ukrainian ship design experts to join the company, make use of advanced ship design technology from Ukraine, and to design and build special ships in the city of Qingdao.

News that Babich may have been working for the Chinese naval industry aroused controversy following reports in Russian and Ukrainian media. In a subsequent article, the CCP-controlled tabloid Global Times claimed that Babichs son had denied the reports that his father was employed at a Chinese company. Meanwhile, sensitive information regarding the issue was removed from the website of the Shandong provincial authorities and the CUSA.

Deepening Cooperation

Apart from carriers, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy has taken great interest in the development of advanced destroyers with modern radars and weapons systemsplayed up in CCP-controlled propaganda as a Chinese Aegis Destroyer. Like many other cutting-edge technologies, however, the Chinese regime has relied on imports and copying to field its latest designs.

According to the Kanwa Defense Review, the shipborne phased-array radar, which serves as the eyes of the destroyer and is the most crucial part of the Chinese Aegis, was developed based on the blueprints provided by the Ukrainian Kvant-radiolokatsiia Radar System Research Institute. In the 2000s, Chinese development of the gas turbines used on large naval vessels also came from Ukraine, according to a March 2011 article by the state-owned China Youth Online.

Other military technologies China has acquired from Ukraine include aircraft engines, Bison hovercrafts, Kh-55 air-launched nuclear-armed cruise missiles, and the NITKA carrier-based aircraft training simulator. In September 2017, the Chinese regimes internally circulated news reports, known as internal reference, said that as of 2012, China had begun cooperation with Ukraine in more than 30 categories of development involving more than 2,000 military technology projects from Ukraine.

Leo Timm contributed to this report.
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the International Association of Fire Fighters conference in Washington on March 12, 2019. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Joe Biden to Run for President in 2020, Lawmaker Says

Former Vice President Joe Biden will run for president in 2020 as he joins a crowded field of about a dozen other contenders hoping to snag the partys nomination to eventually face President Donald Trump, a senior Democratic lawmaker told The Hill.

During a phone call within the past week, Biden told a House Democratic lawmaker, Im giving it a shot, according to a conversation that the congressman recounted. The congressmanwho wasnt named on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the phone conversationsaid he interpreted Bidens comments as a sure sign the former Obama running mate would seek the presidency.

Biden, in the brief conversation with the lawmaker, asked if he could bounce off some campaign strategies and invited the lawmaker to sit down with him in person to discuss ideas in the near future. Biden also said he hoped for the lawmakers support, which the lawmaker didnt commit to during the phone call.

In response, Biden said there was no harm if they kept talking over the matter. Details about what time or where the former vice president would make his formal presidential announcement werent mentioned to the lawmaker.

Biden himself teased a possible bid for the 2020 presidential nomination on March 12, telling a friendly crowd of union members he may need their support in a few weeks.

Be careful what you wish for, Biden joked to a gathering of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) in Washington, as a room of boisterous firefighters shouted, Run, Joe, run!

A spokesperson for Biden discounted the claim that Biden is 100 percent sure of running.

He has not made a final decision. No change, spokesman Bill Russo told The Hill.

The 76-year-olds likely entry into the race comes as no major surprise. A former U.S. senator who served two 4-year terms as vice president to President Barack Obama, Biden has publicly said he is weighing a run as the partys elder statesman and said he was in the final stages of making a decision.

The IAFF has been an ardent political ally of Bidens for years, and an endorsement by the union would likely give him an early boost, should he enter the race for his partys nomination.

IAFF President Harold Schaitberger said he told Biden before the event that he would have the unions full support should he run.

He told me that hes getting ready to make an important decision, and I made sure he knew that when hes ready to pull the trigger, so are we, Schaitberger said.

Biden is currently the clear frontrunner and leads all major polls that are tracking the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, including Morning Consult, Monmouth, Harvard-Harris, and Emerson. According to a RealClearPolitics average, Biden leads at 29 percent, as self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wasnt far behind at 22 percent.

Trailing Sanders are Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) at about 11 percent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 7 percent, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) at roughly 6 percent. A handful of other contenders, including former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, had lesser support.

If Biden were to be elected, he would be 78 years old when taking office, which would make him the oldest president-elect in U.S. history. He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and has spent more than four decades in Washington, mostly as a U.S. senator representing Delaware.

According to The Associated Press, Biden could be viewed as an establishment-minded moderate unwilling to embrace far-left issues such as free universal health care, free college, and the so-called Green New Deal, which has been pushed by Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sanders.

Biden failed to develop a strong base of political support in his two previous presidential runs.

I dont want this to be a fools errand, he said in February, noting that his personal decision not to align his candidacy with a super PAC could create financial challenges.

In February, Biden announced that his family, including his grandchildren, had encouraged him to run for the White House in 2020.

Theres a consensus, he told a crowd during an appearance at the University of Delaware. The most important people in my life want me to run.

Reuters contributed to this report.
PROVO, UT - DECEMBER 19: Damon Thueson shows a holster at a gun concealed carry permit class put on by USA Firearms Training on Dec. 19, 2015, in Provo, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Kentucky Becomes Latest State to Drop Permit For Concealed Firearms

Kentucky has become the latest in a growing list of states to ditch the permit rules on concealed carrying of firearms.

On March 11, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed into law a bill that allows residents over the age of 21 to carry a concealed handgun without a specific permit.

The new law makes Kentucky the 16th state to allow what is sometimes called constitutional carry, hot on the heels of Oklahoma and South Dakota, which both passed similar laws in the past month.

Kentucky state law previously recognized the right to openly carry a firearm without a permit but required that the same gun in a coat, jacket, or bag required a permit. The new law removes that last proviso.

As in other states, supporters of the bill argued that the cost of the permitand associated mandatory trainingeffectively forced people to have to purchase what they regard as a constitutional right.

On behalf of the NRAs five million members, we would like to thank Governor Bevin for his leadership on this critical issue, said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRAs Institute for Legislative Action in a statement. This law is a common sense measure that allows law-abiding citizens to exercise their fundamental right of self-protection in the manner that best suits their needs.

They said it unfairly prevented poor peopleand notably poor minoritiesfrom being able to protect themselves.

Opponents of the bill, such as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said that allowing people to carry without the proper training raises safety concerns.

Lisa Begley, a concealed carry instructor in Kentucky, said that she was a little torn about the new law.

If youve ever been through a concealed-carry class, you learn a lot about the laws that govern concealed-carry and what your legal liability is, she told the Commonwealth Journal.

I really like the idea of people being aware of the laws and aware of what their responsibilities are. Ive had people go through the class and say, Thats a lot of responsibility. I dont want to get a permit after all, thats too much responsibility.

If someone breaks in and you shoot them, you will still need a lawyer, she said. You could very well still be charged and it will still cost you money because youre going to need a lawyer.

Republican Rep. Savannah Maddox said, Wearing a jacket and concealing the firearm should not create a legal requirement for training. Nor does the Second Amendment allow for the government to assess fees in order to do so.

Responsibly-armed Americans are often the first line of defense in active shooter situations and government at all levels should be supporting them, Schmidt said, according to the Courier Journal.

While Republican-dominated rural states like Kentucky have started to roll back the permit requirements on concealed carry, in states with tighter gun controls, a growing number of sheriffs are declaring their counties as Second Amendment sanctuaries, refusing to enforce gun control laws.

According to Reuters, in at least four states local conservative counties have been passing resolutions which defy state laws that they consider to be infringements on the U.S. constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Sheriffs and county commissioners are threatening to allow some people deemed to be threats under red flag laws to keep their firearms.

Authorities in some jurisdictions could refuse to confiscate guns from 18- to 20-year-olds in states where the legal age for gun ownership is raised to 21.

For example, in Washington, nearly 60 percent of the voters approved an initiative to raise the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle to 21, enhanced background checks, and increase the waiting period to buy such guns to 10 days.

However, according to Reuters, sheriffs in more than half of the states 39 counties have pledged not to enforce it, with five counties having passed resolutions.
Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky talks at the Prospects for USMCA Ratification Trilateral Dialogue in Washington, on Feb. 21, 2019. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for CABC)

Kentucky Governor Signs Permitless Concealed Carry Law

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed a new bill into law on March 11 that allows law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms in the name of self-defense through permitless concealed carry.

After the Republican governor signed Senate Bill 150 into law, Kentucky became the 16th such state to eliminate any government documentation requirement. Other states that have eliminated their documentation requirements are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

SB 150 allows anyone age 21 and over in the state to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. The law goes into effect on July 1. Citizens can still apply for a concealed carry permit. Kentucky residents need the permit if they plan to conceal carry in other states.

Over the past few weeks, the measure (pdf) successfully passed the Kentucky Senate and the House where it went through a two-hour debate. It passed the Senate in a 298 vote on Feb. 14 and passed the House on March 1 by a 6037 vote.

The new measurebacked by the National Rifle Association (NRA)drew applause from the associations legislative action department.

This law is a common-sense measure that allows law-abiding citizens to exercise their fundamental right of self-protection in the manner that best suits their needs, said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action in a statement.

Current Kentucky law already recognizes the right to carry a firearm openly without a permit; however, the law requires a state-issued permit to carry that same firearm under a coat or in a bag. The new law signed by Bevin extends the current open carry rule to concealed carry.

Those who obtain permits will still be able to take advantage of the reciprocity agreements that Kentucky has with other states, the NRA noted.

Supporters of the bill say it fortifies the states constitutional right to bear arms. Some critics of the legislation have voiced concerns about the possible lack of safety and training.

Second Amendment Rights

Speaking to the NRAs annual convention in Dallas in 2018, President Donald Trump vowed not to tighten U.S. firearms laws and warned that Democrats are determined to take away Americans guns.

Your Second Amendment rights are under siege. But they will never, ever be under siege as long as Im your president, Trump told the crowd. Weve got to get Republicans elected.

The one thing that stands between Americans and the elimination of our Second Amendment rights has been conservatives in Congress, he said.

Trump also called for the arming of teachers and increasing school security to head off future mass shootings like the one in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018.

Democratic lawmakers generally support tighter gun laws.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Trinity Love Jones, whose body was found on a trail in Los Angeles County, Calif., on March 5, 2019. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department)

Mothers Boyfriend Charged in Killing of Girl Found in Duffel Bag

LOS ANGELESThe boyfriend of the mother of a 9-year-old girl whose body was found in a duffel bag on a horse trail was charged Tuesday with one count of murder.

Emiel Hunt, 38, allegedly killed Trinity Love Jones about March 1, according to charges filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The dead girl was found March 5 by a park worker who spotted part of her upper body sticking out of a black duffel bag at the bottom of an embankment in Hacienda Heights, just southeast of Los Angeles.

She was wearing pants with a panda pattern and a pink shirt that said, Future Princess Hero.

Friends and family members described her as a joyful and talented girl who did well in school.

A memorial near where her body was found featured stuffed animals, heart-shaped balloons, dozens of votive candles and notes expressing love for Trinity and one that said Rest in heaven, Princess.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on her body. Authorities have not revealed a cause of death or motive.

Hunt, who has a record of felony child abuse, was arrested Saturday when he was found sleeping in his vehicle near San Diego International Airport.

Hunt was one of two people detained in the ongoing investigation. The Los Angeles sheriff did not name the so-called person of interest in the ongoing investigation.

Antonio Jones, the father of the victim, said the girl had been living with her mother, Taquesta Graham, and she hadnt let him see the girl.

He and other family members were in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pomona as Hunt made a brief appearance but did not enter a plea.

I felt like a monster. I wanted to do to him what he did to her, Barbara Jones, the girls grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse.

Hunts arraignment was postponed until April 16. If convicted, Hunt faces a sentence of up to 50 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said.

Hunt was being held on $2 million bail and could not be reached for comment.

A message left seeking comment from the public defenders office was not immediately returned.
First Lady Melania Trump visits with students in a classroom at Dove School of Discovery in Tulsa, Okla., on March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Melania Trump Spokeswoman Blasts The View for Shameful Body Double Speculation

After hosts of The View speculated that Melania Trump was using a body double, a spokeswoman for the first lady criticized the ABC show for peddling shameful conspiracy theories.

Stephanie Grisham, said President Trump and the first lady traveled to Alabama to pay their respects & comfort victims of the tornado devastation.

In typical fashion, @theview chooses to laugh in the face of tragedy. Shameful, she wrote on Twitter in response to a tweet from the show.

The internet is buzzing again with theories that First Lady Melania Trump is using an imposter to stand in for herthe co-hosts investigate, the show wrote on the social media website, including a video.

.@flotus & @potus traveled to Alabama to pay their respects & comfort victims of the tornado devastation. In typical fashion, @theview chooses to laugh in the face of tragedy. Shameful. https://t.co/KzG2c4Th4a  Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) March 11, 2019

On The View, co-host Joy Behar, a noted Trump critic, claimed, Some people think the first lady is using an impostor, referring to conspiracy theories being circulated on Twitter with the hashtag #FakeMelania.

The ABC News show then showed tweets where people speculated that she is using a body double.

I wasnt going to go along with this but that one, in that picture, doesnt look like her, Behar said. Its a different shaped face.

Sunny Hostin, another View co-host, then disclosed she spent about an hour looking over Internet rumors and conspiracy theories about an alleged body double.

Melania is a very tall, statuesque woman and the one that we saw, the first one that we showed, she looks kind of short, Hostin said. Look how short she looks.

The tragedy of this storm has broken many hearts  yet you sit there, trying to figure out if Melaniia was real or fake. How about sending some love to the people in that community.  JesusChick (@jesuschick) March 12, 2019

CNNs Ana Navarro, another Trump critic who sometimes appears on the program, said the theory was absurd but still urged viewers to partake in speculating about it.

If you have not gone to hashtag #FakeMelania, you must go see those memes, Navarro said.

On social media, The View was blasted by fellow Twitter users.

The tragedy of this storm has broken many hearts  yet you sit there, trying to figure out if Melania was real or fake. How about sending some love to the people in that community, wrote one person on Twitter.

Added another: Why is this show still on tv! To sit there and literally make fun of our First Lady is disgusting. This is our Presidents wife, show some respect. Joy and Whoopi are two of the most bitter people Ive ever seen and it sounds like the rest of the women on the show are following.

Alabama Damage

In Alabama, Trump surveyed the damage wrought by a tornado.

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

We saw things that you wouldnt believe, Trump said last week.

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!), he tweeted.
Michigan Couple Die Holding Hands After 56 Years of Marriage

Will and Judy Webb got married in 1963 and spent 56 years together until several months ago when they diedholding hands.

The couple died within hours of each other on March 2 at a Detroit hospice.

Fox 2 Detroit reported on the touching story, likening it to the movie Notebook about two lovers who died holding hands after being reunited at the end of their lives.

Together in life and now in death. The Melvindale couple was married for 56 years. They took their last breath holding hands. Its a beautiful love story that will remind you of the movie #Notebook Tonight @FOX2News 10&11 pic.twitter.com/ZYZlORYrwD  Taryn Asher Fox 2 (@TarynAsherFox2) March 12, 2019

Will and Judy Webb met when they were 14 and became friends.

At 14 they met and were friends, they dated other people, they were engaged to other people, said Marybeth Webb, a daughter, according to Fox 2 Detroit. And then they were both single when he went to Army. So she was like, I didnt have anyone to write, so I started writing your dad.'

Will Webb went overseas to serve in the Korean War and as the two wrote letters to one another, their affection blossomed.

They tied the knot on Feb. 16, 1963.

The couple had three daughters.

The love and mutual respect, said Lori Thomas, a daughter, according to the report. They always had their arms on each other. If she was away five minutes, he would say Wheres mama, have you seen mama?'

Things took a turn several months ago when Judy suffered complications from routine surgery.

It went bad, Thomas said.

Seeing his wifes state deteriorate, Wills health quickly declined.

My father watched it and broke, Thomas told the news outlet.

Both underwent treatment, but eventually ended up in hospice.

I put him in hospice and let God take it from there, and my mom just started declining so bad we said we have to get them back together, we cant do this, they cant die without one another, said Ann Warren, a daughter. We said Mom, you want to see dad? She said Yes. (She was) all excited and they brought mom through the door in dads room and he looked over and saw her and said Mama! And that was like the last thing he said.

The couples daughters pushed the beds of their parents together on March 2 at hospice so they could be close to each other.

They were holding hands and when my dad took his last breath, my mom went like this rubbing his hand, said Thomas. She wasnt responding but she knew he died, so she rubbed his hand like Ill be there soonand she was.

A few hours later, Judy died.

Married 56 years, Melvindale couple dies hours apart holding hands, reports @TarynAsherFox2 https://t.co/Eraba2gCyf pic.twitter.com/bxEHzYUMNp  FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) March 12, 2019

We all have this long line of love we just treasure, Warren said, according to the report. Thats why no one should ever settle. If you have someone you truly love you should fight for it. They fought for their love every day.

Couple Dies One Day Apart After 70 Years of Marriage

The story of Will and Judy Webb recalls the case of a New York couple who after 70 years of marriage died one day apart.

Joan Chapple died on Feb. 17 at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home in New York at age 87. Warren Chapple then followed his wife, dying the next day at age 92.

Break out the tissues.  Fox 8 News  2019223

In an interview with Times Union, the couples son Marc said his father Warren made a 10-mile trip to feed Joan breakfast every morning. He would then keep her company for two hours before returning home to rest. At around 5 p.m., he would make another trip to the nursing home so that he could feed his wife dinner. He would sit with her until the nurses put her to bed.

Marc said only illness and bad weather would keep Warren, who was living at his sons home at the time, from his routine.

He lived for my mother, Marc said.

He kept her alive with that love, Marcs wife, Pattie, added.

But at 92 years of age, Warrens health was also deteriorating. He suffered from esophageal cancer, which made him too weak to continue his journeys to the nursing home. The final time he visited his wife was on Jan. 28.

One day, Warren asked about his wife out of the blue, as if he knew something was happening.

Hows mom? Warren asked, reported Times-Union. Is she like me?

Hours later, Joan died.

Shes gone, Marc told his father. You can go now.

It was not clear whether Warren understood his sons message but he did follow his wife the next day.

Epoch Times staff reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.
Map of Buffalo River in the Victorian Alpines, Australia, as of 2019. (Google Maps)

Missing Vic Hikers Found Safe and Well

A Melbourne couple who went missing while hiking in Victorias alpine region has been found safe and well.

Trevor Salvado, 60, and Jacinta Bohan, 58, were found by a kayaker just after 11 a.m. at Buffalo River.

The search will resume at 10am for two Melbourne hikers who have been missing for three days at Mount Buffalo near  ABC Goulburn Murray  2019310

The pair will now be taken to hospital for observation.

They disappeared after hiking at Mount Buffalo on Mar. 8.

The Essendon couple was found after authorities launched a full-scale search, involving 150 searchers, on Tuesday, March 12.

JUST IN: Missing hikers Trevor Salvado and Jacinta Bohan have been found safe and well near Buffalo River Road after 4 nights in the bush.  The Alpine Observer  2019311

Police, CFA, SES, search dogs and bush search and rescue crews revisited parts of the rugged terrain and ventured into harder to reach areas.

The couple was expected to return from a bushwalk at Reservoir Track on Mount Buffalo about 12.30 p.m. on Friday, but did not return.

Their car was found the next day.

Victoria Police thanked search crews and the public for their assistance.

Earlier, Jacinta Bohans sister, Maria, said the couple had been visiting the area for eight years.

Theyre very healthy. Theyre used to being out for hours and walking, and, you know, they spend a lot of time outside, she told the Nine Network.

Search for Missing Berlin Girl

Hundreds of police officers are searching for a teenager who went missing in Berlin last month in a case that has distressed Germany.

German news agency DPA reported that 100 officers were sifting through a forest 18 miles southeast of the capital on Friday, March 8.

MISSING This girl (Rebecca) from Berlin is missing. She is 15 years old and wasnt seen in one week. Shes probably wearing a RM hoody. Please spread. pic.twitter.com/YB0saAVeWc  Mara is wayVing hinfort (@BangChenle) February 25, 2019

The search comes after investigators said earlier this week that the 15-year-old, only identified as Rebecca, was probably no longer alive and that her 27-year-old brother-in-law was a suspect in her disappearance.

pray for this young girl Rebecca Reusch! Missing since 1 week in #Berlin https://t.co/oUv1Jt476z  Tino Maier (@tino2003maier) February 25, 2019

The brother-in-law has been detained but is refusing to cooperate with investigators. Rebeccas family said hes innocent.

Police received more than 700 responses from the public after asking for help. In particular, theyre trying to find out why the brother-in-law drove to eastern Germany on the day Rebecca disappeared.
Mississippi House Passes Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Bill

Mississippi lawmakers continue to push ahead with a proposal that could become one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation.

The House amended and passed Senate Bill 2116 on March 11. The bill would ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at about six weeks into pregnancy. The House and Senate must work out differences in their respective bills before it moves forward to Gov. Phil Bryant.

Similar bills are being considered in other states. Conservatives want to push an abortion case to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the courts 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

Mississippi enacted a 15-week abortion ban last year, and a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional. The state has appealed that ruling.

Bryant has said he would sign the new bill into law.

Georgia and Tennessee Houses Pass Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Bill

The full Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill on March 7 to ban abortions after an unborn babys heartbeat is detected, a day after a state House panel approved the legislation.

The bill was passed with a vote of 93-73. The legislation will now move to the Georgia Senate.

House Bill 481 is also known as Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act.

The bill says: Modern medical science  demonstrates that early infants in the womb are a class of living, distinct human beings that, among other individual human traits, have their own distinct blood types, organ systems, and unique fingerprints, among other traits.

The abortion bill just passed the House. Well have more in this 11. pic.twitter.com/MzBg04tfIo  Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) March 8, 2019

Unborn children shall be worthy of recognition as natural persons under the laws of this State, the legislation reads. Under the U.S. Constitution and Georgia law, no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property except by due process of law and no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws, the House bill stated.

Current Georgia law allows abortions up to 20 weeks. If passed, the so-called heartbeat bill would ban abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Exceptions would be granted for situations where not getting an abortion would pose substantial and irreversible physical harm to the prospective mother or in the case of rape or incest.

The Tennessee House of Representatives also passed a similar bill on March 7.

The measure was approved 65-21 and is set to pass to the state Senate.

Except in a medical emergency that necessitates an immediate abortion of a womans pregnancy to avert her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function (medical emergency), abortions will be disallowed if the physician detects the fetal heartbeat, the bill HB0077 stated.

In a July 2018 poll of 650 voters conducted by Gravis Marketing (pdf), which describes itself as a nonpartisan research firm, 51 percent of respondents said they opposed a ban on abortion in the state while 43 percent said they opposed a ban on abortions for pregnancies in the 20th week or later.

Other polls have shown more support for abortion restrictions, with 49 percent of respondents in a 2014 poll saying that abortions should be illegal in all or most cases, according to the Pew Research Forum.

Nationwide, the debate on abortion has focused to late-term abortions, fueling a shift for some Americans from pro-abortion to pro-life, according to a poll released in January.

NTD reporter Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mother Advertises Newborn Baby for Sale on Black Market

A young mother has been arrested for trying to sell her newborn baby on the black market in Russia.

Barnokhon Rasulzhan Kyzy, 23, is behind bars and charged with selling her newborn girl for A$21,200 ($15,087) on the black market.

Russian authorities produced a receipt alleging Kyzy accepted a million ruble ($15,087) payment in exchange for her youngest daughter.

Nongovernment organization Alternative co-operated with undercover police to set up a sting after spotting Kyzys ad to trade the baby. The mother is separately accused of unsuccessfully trying to sell her eldest daughter for the same amount back when the child was just aged 1.

Police video footage shows Kyzy confessing to committing the offense. She faces a detention period of six months, pending a criminal investigation.

The mother is accused of using a false name while trying to sell the child and also allegedly demanded a temporary flat in Moscow from the buyers. If convicted Kyzy could be jailed for up to six years.

Authorities have confirmed that the baby is safely in state care and likely to be put up for adoption. The mothers two other children, a son aged 4 and eldest daughter, almost 2, have also been placed in state care.

The life of the child is not now in danger, a source from the Russian Investigative Committee told Yahoo7 News.

Kyzy denies the money she received was in exchange for the baby but was instead to compensate her for carrying and giving birth to the child, as she handed the baby over to a couple of strangers she had only met one week after giving birth.

The alleged seller handed over her baby to a totally unknown couple one week after birth.https://t.co/LLNXHHJrjg  7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) March 10, 2019

Mother sold her newborn baby on black market https://t.co/qoExrUxDG5 via @Y7News  Marian (@Marian_Writer) March 11, 2019

However, Alternative claims the baby could have easily been sold to unscrupulous traffickers.

We prevented the sale of a newborn girl who could fall into the hands of the criminals, head of the organization Oleg Melnikov told Yahoo7.

Mother sold her newborn baby on black market https://t.co/ol6ygk1QXQ via @Y7News  Peggy H Henson (@peggusen) March 10, 2019

Vladimir Tsurkanu of the Russian Investigative Committee admits there has been a jump in baby-selling cases with three reported in just a few weeks.

In another case, a mother was accused of selling her newborn boy for $125. A third mother attracted $6,450 for a boy.

Similar stories are taking place all around Russia, Tsurkanu told Yahoo7. Police seek to block such attempts but women are trying to give birth using someone elses documents to fool the legal system for adoption.

There are some fears the children could be also traded by sex criminals or for body parts.

#RalphNorthams real crime is supporting the MURDER a baby thru its actual birth and saying The infant would be kept comfortable until murdered and sold for body parts. GOD IS WEEPING. Jeremiah 1:5 I knew you before I formed you in your mothers womb.#TWGRPS #SCOTUS #SOTU pic.twitter.com/qGvMxaj7Sx  Ruby CarolTWGRPSBuild The Wall (@fit4aqueen3) February 6, 2019

You know whats disgusting babies being ripped out of their mothers and their body parts being sold on the black market. Oh wait youre more worried about a squirrel being thrown 10ft and Im sure landed safely. PC CULTURE  Kaya Jones (@KayaJones) January 11, 2019
Trinity Love Jones, whose body was found on a trail in Los Angeles County, Calif., on March 5, 2019. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department)

Mother of Girl Found Dead in Duffel Bag in Custody With Boyfriend, Say Family: Report

The mother of the 9-year-old girl whose body was dumped in a duffel bag has been taken into custody, along with her boyfriend, according to other family members, reports said.

Authorities announced on March 10 that two people had been detained over the death of Trinity Jones, shortly after her body, which was found on March 5 on a Los Angeles hiking trail, had been identified.

According to her father Antonio Jones, those two people are the girls mother, Taquesta Graham, who is a registered sex offender and her boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, he told KTLA.

A booking document for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department shows Hunt was arrested on March 9 with bail set at $2 million and he is due in court on March 12. The document gives no indication of what felony crime he is accused of.

Trinitys father, Antonio Jones, posted on his Facebook page an image of Hunts booking document, stating. This is the boyfriend of my baby momma who murdered my youngest princess.

Jones told KTLA there were questions to be answered about how his daughter ended up with her Graham, given that she is a registered sex offender.

Her body is believed to have been dumped a week ago, before being discovered on March 5, sparking an investigation into who she was, and how she died.

County workers stumbled across the body, the upper torso of which was protruding from a black roll-away duffle bag, according to police reports.

Her body appears to have been pushed off the edge of the roadway down an embankment onto an equestrian trail.

Last week, authorities released a sketch of the girl, who they described as a skinny black girl who weighed around 55 pounds and stood around 4 feet 5 inches tall.

Authorities have not said how she died.

Although the Coroners Office determined the death to be a homicide, the cause of death is being withheld, the sheriffs department wrote in a press release.

According to initial police reports, there were no obvious signs of injury.

Authorities on Sunday confirmed two persons of interest have been detained. Family members told KTLA that was the little girl's mother and the mother's boyfriend.Now the grieving family wants answers.  KTLA 5 News  2019311

The night before her death was announced as a homicide, dozens of people participated in a vigil, reported CBSLA, near the entrance to the trail where her body was found.

It breaks my heart, it just breaks my heart, Marlene Contreras, one of the vigils organizers told the station.

When things like this happen, we need to come together and be a voice for this little girl, especially since she doesnt have a family, I think its important that shes everybodys child, said Contreras.

Its more than just the mother and the boyfriend. We have to get to the bottom of it, one family member told KTLA. We need justice. We need to figure it out. It wasnt supposed to happen like this to no one. Everybody deserves an answer.
Pelosi Opposes Seeking Impeachment of Trump

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) revealed on March 11 that she opposes pursuing the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Im not for impeachment, Pelosi told The Washington Post in an interview published March 12. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that, unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.

After Democrats captured the majority in the House of Representatives, a number of lawmakers called for pursuing impeachment of the president. Pelosi kept her stance on the issue under wraps until revealing it to the Post sometime in early March.

The impeachment and removal of a government officer requires the House to vote on an impeachable offense. A simple majority vote in the House will secure the impeachment and send the charge to the Senate, where the case for removal is tried and a two-thirds majority is required for conviction and removal.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has investigated allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia for nearly two years. Mueller hasnt charged anyone with collusion and isnt expected to accuse Trump of any wrongdoing. Two congressional committees have concluded that there is no evidence of collusion. Trump has always denied any wrongdoing.

Democrats face growing pressure from the left for impeachment, including a multimillion-dollar ad campaign from liberal billionaire Tom Steyer to build support for action against Trump.

The House Judiciary Committee, which would lead an impeachment inquiry, recently launched a broad probe of alleged corruption, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice against Trump.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has said its his opinion that Trump has obstructed justice but admitted the committee doesnt have enough evidence to make the case.

We do not now have the evidence all sorted out, Nadler told ABC on March 3. Before you impeach somebody, you have to persuade the American public that it ought to happen.

Democrats and many Republicans believe that the impeachment of Bill Clinton backfired politically for the Republicans.

Pelosi, who was recently at the center of a political tussle with the president over funding for a border wall, said her relationship with Trump is respectful, honest, and hopeful.

My relationship toward him is respectful, respectful of the office that he holds. Straightforward, just tell him what I think, Pelosi said.

And I always say youre not going to hear me saying anything publicly that Im not saying here in the office. Hopeful that at some point we can find common ground that hell stick to.

Instead of impeachment, Pelosi wants the Democrats to focus on winning the White House, the House, and the Senate in 2020.

This election is very important. I dont think hell be re-elected, but it is important for us to elect a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate and Democratic House. So they only become more crucial, Pelosi said.

Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for Trumps 2020 campaign, said that all of the Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 should make their stances on impeachment clear.

Speaker Pelosi said yesterday that she doesnt want to go down the path of impeachment because it would divide Americans, McEnany said in a statement.

Every single Democrat running for president should be made to answer: do they agree with the Speaker who stands in opposition to baseless impeachment charges, or will they risk fracturing the country by bowing to the radical elements in their party who want to disenfranchise the American people and overturn the legitimate and lawful result of the last election?

Reuters contributed to this report.
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) answers questions during her weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 28, 2019 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Strategists Agree Pelosis Impeachment Comment Doesnt End Anti-Trump Effort

WASHINGTONFar from signaling the end of House Democrats impeachment effort against President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis widely reported opposition may actually advance the campaign, according to Republican and Democratic strategists.

Impeachment is so divisive to the country that, unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country, Pelosi told The Washington Post on March 11.

Hes just not worth it, Pelosi said in the interview.

But Trumps lawyers and White House advisers would be well-advised not to take Pelosis comment at face value.

It makes sense. I think its one of the few smart things Democrats have done this year, Republican strategist Brian Darling told The Epoch Times.

As a political matter, youre going to have an election coming up. And if you have the Democratic Party looking like theyre trying to remove a president when hes in the middle of his re-election and taking that decision out of the hands of the American people, it makes sense, Darling said.

But when asked about the continuing Trump investigations of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerome Nadler (D-N.Y.) and House Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Darling said Pelosi is pursuing a two-track strategy.

I think thats part of the play, Darling said, its a good cop/bad cop strategy by the leadership of the House, where the good cop is Pelosi trying to sound like a moderate, while she allows the chairmen of different committees to investigate the Trump administration and to basically move forward with the impeachment process.

Similarly, Democratic strategist David Burstein told The Epoch Times that he sees two factors at play in Pelosis comments.

First, she rightly recognizes that the consequence of ending up in a place where impeaching a president probably is not good in the long run for the country, Burstein said.

I dont think Democrats win out of that, and I dont think Republicans win out of that in the short term or the long term, he continued.

If you think impeaching Bill Clinton was a bad idea, which I think most Democrats do, then you currently have to think impeaching Trump is a bad idea, Burstein said, unless something that is clearly an impeachable offense is uncovered.

Burstein was referring to the impeachment by House Republicans of President Bill Clinton in 1998 on two counts, one for obstructing justice and one for perjury regarding his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The Republican-led Senate refused to convict Clinton.

With her comments to the Post, however, Burstein said Pelosi gives a lot of her more liberal members cover who have constituents who want impeachment and they can then basically say well, you know Im for it but Nancy Pelosi said we cant do it.

The politics of impeachment with the 2020 presidential election only a little more than 20 months away is far from the only issue involved in Pelosis comments.

For one thing, Pelosi didnt like the politics of the effort to impeach Bill Clinton, so I am not surprised that she is treading carefully here, longtime Democratic congressional adviser Jim Manley told The Epoch Times.

The speakers ability to keep the House Democratic Caucuswhich spans the political spectrum from moderate liberals to Democratic Socialistsis also at play, the strategists said.

Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak told The Epoch Times that Pelosi knows that impeachment is not popular with the broader public and would be a political loser for House Democrats. However, progressive members will force a vote on impeachment in the next few months, and she may not be able to hold her conference back.

Heritage Action Executive Director Tim Chapman also pointed to the power shifts within the Democratic caucus, noting, Pelosi is a better politician than her neophyte progressives. She knows that impeachment will boomerang on the party and is doing everything in her power to reign in the young Turks. The question is whether or not she has the power to subdue the base.

Burstein pointed out that Pelosi has not put the Green New Deal up for a vote, she hasnt even put [Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the committee to review it. She is in charge and occasionally, she needs to remind people of that.

In addition, Democratic strategist Jimmy Williams, a former longtime adviser to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), told The Epoch Times, Shes also signaling to Trump that shes willing to play ball on policy if hes up to the task.

If hes not, and hes actually not interested in policy, then shell unleash the political Kraken on him, and he will suffer daily from the congressional hearing rooms to the polling booths over the next 20 months, Williams said.

Asked how he would advise Trump now, Williams said he better lawyer up better than he currently is. If he thinks hes in the clear, hes a fool.

Contact Mark Tapscott at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
People line up at an ATM machine of an HSBC branch in Hong Kong on July 30, 2012. (Philippe Lopez/AFP/GettyImage)

Thief Steals Money From Woman, Returns it When He Sees Her ATM Account is Empty

A man who approached a woman at an ATM to steal her money ended up returning her cash after he realized her bank account was empty. The man walked away, with a smile on his face, according to various Chinese media.

On the evening of Feb. 16, a woman, only identified by her last name Li, was depositing cash into an ATM machine in Guangzhou Province, China. Footage was captured on closed-circuit camera from the bank.

As she held her 2500 yuan ($400) in hand, a man approached her from behind. He had a small knife in hand.

When I saw him walking over, I knew, I subconsciously knew, hes going to rob me, Li said to the Guangdong News. When I saw him, I felt really scared.

The mans identity was not given in the report.

Li immediately panicked and held the money out. She handed it over to him without hesitation. Then I screamed, Li said. At the time I felt, as long as you dont hurt me, Ill give my money to you.

The robber pocketed the money, but wasnt done.

According to the report, he demanded that Li give him the rest of the money from her account. As he stood behind her, he shoved her while making his demands, and pointed at her phone, likely telling her to not call anyone.

After she entered her pin, he was given a surprise.

Li had no money in her account.

The man then laughed, and took the money out of his pocket. He handed it back to Li, then turned and walked away, with a smile on his face. Lis hands trembled as she held her cash while she watched him leave.

After the man left, Li called the police and reported the man.

The police said on the news reports that after the man was arrested, he expressed his reasons for robbing Li. He was out stealing money for a child at his home who is still in school. The money would also be used to pay for a family members medical surgery.

The man said that when he realized she had too little money, he gave the money back in an attempt to encourage her to not call the police.

According to Sina News, some Chinese netizens commented on the incident on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

One user wrote: A kind heart still isnt dark, he still has a chance at salvation. But just return the money, what are you smiling about?

Another wrote: The robbed is being laughed at by the robber, how sad.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing from the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2019. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Trump Pushes for Deep Spending Cuts to Reduce Nations Mounting Debt

Budget calls for $8.6 billion for wall to secure the southern border

WASHINGTONThe White House unveiled a new budget resolution calling for a significant cut to federal government spending. The proposal aims to reduce deficits by more than $2.7 trillion over 10 years and balances the budget in 15 years.

President Donald Trump unveiled a new outline for government spending on March 11, titled A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First. This will be Trumps third budget resolution sent to Congress.

My 2020 budget builds on the tremendous progress we have made and provides a clear roadmap for the Congress to bring federal spending and debt under control, Trump said in his budget proposal.

The vast majority of spending reductions are in non-defense discretionary programs, according to the blueprint, which requests a 5 percent cut to the 2019 cap level. However, the spending cut isnt across the board, according to the White House. Hence, the budget provides flexibility to make investments where necessary. As part of the spending-cut initiative, the administration has also identified a number of wasteful and inefficient programs.

Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, touted that the budget has more spending reductions proposed than any administration in history.

Economic progress made under Trumps presidency has been threatened by our unsustainable national debt, which has nearly doubled under the previous administration and now stands at more than $22 trillion, he said at a White House press briefing on March 11.

Congress has been ignoring the presidents spending reductions for the last two years. Its only now in our third budget that theyre willing to have a conversation about the national debt.

According to the White House, interest payments on the national debt will exceed military spending by 2024.

The presidential budget requests $750 billion for overall defense (including defense-related Energy Department funding), an increase of 5 percent from the 2019 level. About $718 billion would go to the Defense Department.

To be clear, this is not funding for endless wars. This is for research and development and procurement to fund the most awe-inspiring military, Vought said.

The budget also calls for $8.6 billion for the completion of a wall to secure the southern border. This amount will be the remaining portion that is needed in addition to what is being secured as a result of the national emergency declared by the president.

The funding will come from two sources. Department of Homeland Security will invest $5.4 billion in border security technology, infrastructure, and equipment to help CBP prevent, detect, and interdict illegal border crossings, and $3.6 billion will come from the new military construction resources at the Department of Defense.

In line with last year, the president calls for $200 billion for infrastructure spending that will leverage up to a trillion dollars, with state and private funding complementing the federal funds.

Vought said that the administration is totally ready and willing to talk with Congress about how to put forward an additional $200 billion in new infrastructure investment.

The budget also calls for the extension of individual tax cuts and makes them permanent.

Vought said that Medicare spending will go up every single year by healthy margins and there are no structural changes for Medicare beneficiaries.

Savings and Reforms

As part of the budget, the administration proposes uniform work requirements for Medicaid, TANF, SNAP (food stamps), and certain housing programs. By strengthening work requirements, the administration wants to end peoples dependency on government benefits. Accordingly, individuals between 18 and 65 years old will be expected to either work, be engaged in job training, or have community engagement.

Another key initiative will be measures to lower drug costs. The budget proposes a drug pricing strategy that promotes generic drugs and reduces out-of-pocket costs. It also wants to reform the federal retirement benefits system to bring those benefits more in line with what the private sector has.

The administration believes the government can save hundreds of millions of dollars by reforming underperforming programs such as Job Corps, which has made headlines in recent years due to security incidents reported at its centers. The program spends $35,000 per participant and the White House proposes to reform the program and close some of its centers.

Another area that needs fixing is the State Departments cultural and exchange programs, which spend $600 million, Vought said.

Other key priorities in the budget include a one-time, mandatory investment of $1 billion to support underserved communities and stimulate employer investments in child care for working families. The budget also has paid parental leave proposal for working parents.

The budget materials released by the White House dont include the appendices used by Congress and some supporting documents that outline the reasons for major savings and other reforms. Those documents will be released next week, according to a senior administration official.
Two ISIS Brides Seek to Return to Belgium, Claiming Renunciation of Terror Group

Two women who left Belgium to join the ISIS terrorist group in Syria are now claiming that theyve renounced the group.

Tatiana Wielandt and Bouchra Abouallal, both 26, are among the dozens of so-called ISIS brides who are seeking to return to the countries they left to join the so-called caliphate.

The women were part of the radical Islamist terror group, which has claimed responsibility for beheadings, rapes, and murder across the world, before landing in refugee camps following the successful campaign against ISIS spearheaded by the United States.

Now, many are saying they no longer believe in the caliphate and want to return to the countries they left to join the terror group.

Columns of black smoke rise from the last small piece of territory held by ISIS terrorists as U.S. backed fighters pound the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes, as seen from outside Baghouz, Syria, on March 3, 2019. (Sarah El-Deeb/AP)

Austria, the United States, and the United Kingdom are among the countries grappling with how to deal with these women.

Wielandt and Abouallal, who are sisters-in-law, won a court order in 2018 from a judge in Belgium, who ordered officials to allow the women to return to the country, along with the children they had with jihadists. But the state declined to do so while fighting the case and won an appeal in February.

In the first interview since they lost their case for return, the allegedly former terror supporters claimed that they turned against ISIS when they saw militants brutally murder people.

Unlike other women embroiled in potential repatriation cases, the pair left ISIS in late 2017 after the jihadists lost their base in Raqqa, Syria. They said they were imprisoned for two months before being sent to a refugee camp.

Bouchra Abouallal, 26, who joined ISIS when she was a teenager, is now attempting to regain entry to Belgium. (Issam Abdallah/Reuters)

Wielandt originally converted to Islam to marry Abouallals brother when they were still teenagers. The pair left with their husbands for Syria, each with a baby, soon after.

Both their husbands died within a year while fighting for the terror group, and in 2014 both women, each pregnant with a second child, returned to Belgium.

But the women fled the country again just a few months later to return to Syria. Abouallal, in a new interviewthe first since Belgium won the right to refuse them re-entry for a second timetried to blame the countrys police for questioning them when they returned and Europeans for blaming them for ISIS attacks in Europe.

An ISIS flag is taken down from an electricity pole on March 3, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

I was thinking Im going to live my whole life like this, she said. And we still had a little bit this ideology.

The women went back to ISIS and married two more ISIS terrorists. Wielandt married a Dutch fighter who was later killed in battle while Abouallal married a fighter from Trinidad who surrendered with the women in 2017.

The women acknowledge they made mistakes but think they and their families should be allowed to re-enter Belgium.

I dont even fight this. I made a mistake and I need to get punished for it, Abouallal said.

If I ever go back to Belgium, I hope they give me an injection or whatever to forget this whole part of our lives.

Tatiana Wielandt, 26, a Belgian who joined ISIS in Syria and had six children with militants, now wants to return to Belgium, claiming shes renounced ISIS and its extremist ideology. (Issam Abdallah/Reuters)

I understand people are afraid  They are judging us but they dont know us, she added.

Wielandt said that shed be open to sending her children to Belgium without her if that was an option.

These children cant live. They have no education. They have nothing, she said. The grandmother of Abouallals six children has tried bringing them into Belgium for over a year.

Belgium said it will stick by a 2017 decision to allow back all children under 10 years old from Iraq and Syria, but it is no longer under pressure from its judiciary to act in the case of these six specific children.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
A guard tower and barbed wire fences surround an internment facility in the Kunshan Industrial Park in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region on Dec. 3, 2018. A U.S. envoy on religion has described Chinas internment of an estimated 1 million Muslims as a horrific situation. Ambassador-at-large Sam Brownback called for an independent investigation into the detentions and the release of those being held. (Ng Han Guan/AP)

US Envoy Calls Chinas Muslim Camps Horrific, Wants Probe

TAIPEIDescribing Chinas internment of an estimated 1 million Muslims as a horrific situation, a U.S. envoy on religion called on March 12 for an independent investigation into the detentions and for the release of those being held.

Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said China has done nothing to assuage concerns from the United States and others over the detention of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other Muslim minority groups.

Weve been putting out very clearly that this is a horrific situation thats taking place in Xinjiang, Brownback said in a telephone news conference with reporters, referring to the northwestern region that is home to most Chinese Muslims.

It is just a very tragic and I think a horrific situation there, he said.

China last week angrily protested Brownbacks earlier remarks made in Hong Kong that criticized Beijings polices toward religious minorities and accused the country of being at war with faith.

Chinas officially atheist Communist regime at first denied the existence of the internment camps in Xinjiang, but now says they are vocational training facilities aimed at countering Muslim radicalism and separatist tendencies. The Chinese regime 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.

China says Xinjiang has long been its territory and claims it is bringing prosperity and development to the vast, resource-rich region. But many among Xinjiangs native ethnic groups say they are being denied economic options in favor of migrants from elsewhere in China and that their Muslim faith and unique culture and language are being gradually eradicated.

The camps sprang up over the past two years at extraordinary speed and on a massive scale, as monitored by satellite imagery. China maintains a massive security presence in Xinjiang and efforts to independently verify claims by Uyghur activists are routinely blocked.

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.

Brownback appeared undeterred by Beijings complaints over his earlier comments, describing Chinas explanation of the reasons behind the camps as completely unsatisfactory answers.

China is already listed by the United States among the worst violators of religious freedom, and Brownback held open the possibility of sanctions and other punitive measures if corrective actions arent taken.

While making no commitments, Brownback held open the possibility of action toward individuals involved in the internments under The Global Magnitsky Act of 2016.

The act makes it possible to impose entry bans and targeted sanctions on individuals for committing human rights violations or acts of significant corruption.

Brownback also contrasted Beijings attacks on religion with the tolerant approach of liberal governments such as that of Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory. He said Washington would continue to push for dialogue among all faiths to promote religious freedom worldwide.

The administration is serious about religious freedom matters and deeply concerned about whats taking place in China, Brownback said.

By Johnson Lai. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
Valley View Elementary School teacher Moana Patterson listens as Tiffany Ivens-Spence speaks at a news conference by parents and students to show support for Patterson, in Salt Lake City, Monday, Mar. 11, 2019.(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

Utah Teacher Apologizes for Ash Wednesday Cross Incident

A Utah teacher on administrative leave apologized Monday, March 11, for making 9-year-old Catholic student William McLeod wash off the Ash Wednesday cross from his forehead, saying it was a misunderstanding.

Fourth-grade teacher Moana Patterson said Monday, she thought the cross was dirt, and she gave William a wet wipe to clean off not knowing it was a religious symbol. She said that she hopes everyone can move forward and build understanding together. Patterson was surrounded by parents and students who support her at a news conference held at Utah state capitol in Salt Lake City.

My entire life has been centered around respecting diversity, Patterson said. I would never intentionally disrespect any religion or any sacred symbol.

The incident occurred last week at Valley View Elementary School in Bountiful, Utah.

This is something that happens when people arent necessarily exposed to other cultures, other religions. Its not always necessarily mean spirited, said Republican Utah Sen. Todd Weiler, who represents the area.

Patterson left the news conference without taking questions after she read from a prepared statement. Its unknown if she has a religious affiliation. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, account for about two-thirds of Utah residents. The faith doesnt observe Ash Wednesday.

Karen Fisher, Williams grandmother, said shes not quite ready to accept the apology because Patterson pressed the boy to remove the symbol even after he explained its significance twice. Its kind of hard to swallow, a little, for me, she said.

Fisher doesnt want Patterson to lose her job or for any harm to come to her but said a break is warranted to ensure she and others in the community are aware of other faith traditions. There needs to be training for all religions, all beliefs, she said.

In Utah, Catholics are the minority. The 330,000 Catholics in the state account for about 10 percent of the population, said Jean Hill at the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.

William had just returned to the school after attending Catholic mass when Patterson called the ash marking inappropriate and gave him a hand wipe to clean it off in front of his classmates, Fisher said.

Patterson was called into a meeting with the principal and the school board about the incident and called Fisher to apologize, Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams said last week. The Davis School District opened an investigation into Pattersons action and placed her on paid administrative leave.

Williams said there were no updates about the ongoing investigation about Pattersons actions.

Tiffany Ivan Spence, who said shes a parent of one of Williams classmates, said she also thought the cross on the boys forehead was dirt. She said it was a misunderstanding and not an attack against religion.

He came into my home and to me it looked just like a smudge, Ivan Spence said. When I first saw Will, my instinct was to also hand him a wipe. It would have been common sense for any person who cares about children to help them if they didnt know they had that on their head.
Whats the Real Story Behind Using Activated Charcoal to Whiten Teeth?

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When It Comes to Love, A Rational Checklist Is No Match for Emotion

Researchers find that the heart cares little for the good intentions of the mind

For many people, there are few things more rewarding than crossing an item off a checklist. But what if the checklist is about your dream partner? And what if the checklist is wrong?

Relationshopping is when you hunt for the perfect partner as if people were products. Online dating, now used by almost 40 percent of Americans who are single and looking, might be normalizing this tendency. Often aided by search filters, potential daters seek the perfect combination of attributes rather than focusing on the experience of being with a person.

Relationshopping might work if people knew themselves well, but research indicates the contrary. In recent years, psychologists, economists, and neuroscientists alike have found that decisions are largely driven by emotion. Furthermore, in the steady, logical environment in which we anticipate our decisions, people struggle to account for visceral drives such as excitement, hunger, and sexual arousal.

Psychology researchers like me call this the hot-cold empathy gap. This distance between our predicted behaviors in a cold, rational state and our actual behaviors in a hot, aroused state, explains why people often dont do as they say. It might explain, for example, why you swore youd stop eating cookies for the New Yearand you really meant itbut then went and ate a dozen because they just smelled so good when your colleague brought them to work.

In the cold state, its easy to forget about the power of emotions. Given the strong and complex feelings involved, you may be prone to the empathy gap in your search for the perfect partner.

Hot-Cold Decision-Making in Dating

Studies have documented the hot-cold empathy gap in an array of behaviors, peoples inability to empathize with social suffering unless they feel a similar pain themselves.

Psychology researchers are now turning to the hot-cold empathy gap to understand why the attributes that people say they want in a romantic partner often differ from the attributes they actually choose in real life. Speed-dating studies provide an ideal venue for examining this question: Researchers are able to compare peoples reports of what they want to their decisions about whom to date.

In one speed-dating study, college students reported preferences in a partner showed typical gender differences. Women preferred wealth more so than did men, and men preferred beauty more so than did women. When these same participants speed-dated, however, there were no gender differences in preferences for wealth and beauty. Furthermore, participants self-reported preferences did not predict whom they offered a date to in the speed-dating event.

In another study, men found more intelligent women to be more desirable in hypothetical situations, but less desirable if they actually interacted with them in a live scenario. These findings might be accounted for by peoples failure to account for their emotionslike excitement inspired by beauty or inadequacy aroused by a smarter womanin the presence of a potential partner. In the heat of the moment, emotions may override preconceived notions about what you desire.

Although some of the current research may make it seem like hot states lead people astray in love, there may be a brighter side to them.

Currently, ethnic preferences in dating are common, even among highly educated circles. Interested in understanding the match between stated and actual ethnic preferences, I conducted a speed-dating study of young Asian-Americans, who may approach love more practically due to a cultural emphasis on meeting their familys expectations rather than following their own desires. Thus, Asian-Americans may not show the empathy gap in dating if they strongly prioritize their cold list of parent-approved attributes over any hot emotions of their own.

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino American participants told me in advance that they most preferred dating within their own group. Their speed-dating decisions, however, did not reflect their stated preferences. Speed-daters werent more likely to want to see partners of the same ethnicity again. Perhaps in person, they were too overwhelmed with desire to consider the negative social consequences, such as parental disapproval, of dating outside their ethnicity. The visceral experience beat out the logical checklist again.

How to Jump Beyond the Gap

With knowledge of the hot-cold empathy gap, finding a partner might seem even more intimidating. There are, however, some things you can do to bridge the gap between your hot and cold states and hopefully come closer to finding love.

First, understand your own biases so you can then account for them. How? Ask others. Research suggests that people easily identify others bias, but not their own. Another method is to put yourself in the hot state and reflect, at that moment, on what youre really drawn to in a person. In one study, researchers induced social rejection in teachersonly in this condition did teachers start to truly understand the pain experienced by bullied students.

Once you identify biases, you may want to avoid some of the decisions that you make in your hot states. Another tactic is to remove yourself from undesirable situations. For instance, maybe youre attracted to bad boys or bad girls. Knowing the power of emotions, stay away from places you might meet one, perhaps by having friends or family hold you accountable.

Then be reasonable in your expectations. Carefully go through your cold checklists of desired qualities in a potential partner and consider removing superficial ones. All those criteria might not matter as much as you think when it comes to falling in love. Consider whether youre ruling people out unnecessarily based on ideas of what you should desire.

Too many options can mean never being happy. Rather than always searching for the next best thing and relationshopping, researchers suggest that people should try relationshippingdeveloping a healthy partnership through mutual time and effort. This doesnt mean settling down with just anyone. Look for someone who is willing and able to invest the blood, sweat, and tears necessary for a successful relationship.

As easy as it is to blame our emotions for irrational decisions, people should celebrate emotions as well. At times, hot emotions steer people in a more positive direction, perhaps making them care less about the ethnicity or earning potential of potential partners. Emotions serve an important purpose spurring us into action. They push us to help each other, to bond, and to take the leap of faith needed to find and build love, sometimes in places we least expect.

Karen Wu is an assistant professor of psychology at California State UniversityLos Angeles. This article was first published on The Conversation.
The first Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft sits on the tarmac outside of the Boeing factory in Renton, Wash., on Feb. 5, 2018. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

Which airlines are still flying Boeing 737 MAX 8s?

An investigation is underway after a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed Sunday in Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board.

It is the second time in less than six months that one of the planes has crashed within minutes of takeoff, after a new Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight went down over the Java Sea last October, killing 189 people.

Both crashes are under investigation and there is no evidence of a link between the two, but similarities between the incidents have prompted caution among some aviation authorities and airlines.

There are approximately 350 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in operation worldwide, being flown by 54 operators, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelers can check the full list of airlines that fly the plane on the Boeing website.

Read on to find out which airlines and aviation authorities have grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and which will continue to fly the planes.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to ground 737 Max 8 planes in the US https://t.co/4V2qBG47Eu pic.twitter.com/vQHjGfBG63  CNN (@CNN) March 12, 2019

Who Is Grounding Planes?

Ethiopian Airlines

The carrier has grounded the remaining four Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet until further notice, as an extra safety precaution.

China

Chinese airlines including the Big Three Chinese carriersChina Airlines, China Eastern and China Southernoperate 97 of the planes, according to state-run media. In the wake of Sundays crash, the countrys Civil Aviation Administration ordered all domestic 737 MAX 8 jets out of the air by 6 p.m. local time on March 11, citing zero tolerance for safety hazards.

Singapore

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore announced Tuesday it was temporarily suspending the operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months.

The suspension will start at 2 p.m. Singapore time and effect SilkAir, a regional carrier in the city-state, and the following airlines that fly into Singapore: China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.

SilkAir previously said it had no plans to ground its six 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which operate between Bengaluru, Cairns, Chongqing, Darwin, Hiroshima, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, and Wuhan.

Indonesia

Indonesia temporarily grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operated by its airlines on Monday, pending further inspections.

In a statement, the Directorate General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation said the policy would ensure that aircraft operating in Indonesia are in an airworthy condition.

Senator Dianne Feinstein @SenFeinstein requesting US Federal Aviation Administration to urgently consider grounding Boeing 737 MAX until cause of recent crashes of same plane determined. @flyethiopian @CNNConnect @cnnbrk @AlexInAir pic.twitter.com/r6A5B8r7zT  Mehari Taddele Maru (@DrMehari) March 12, 2019

Australia

Australias Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has temporarily suspended airlines from flying all Boeing 737 MAX jets to or from Australia.

This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia, CASA CEO Shane Carmody said.

No Australian airlines fly the 737 MAX, CASA said, but two foreign carriers had previously flown the aircraft into the countrySingapores SilkAir and Fiji Airways. SilkAir has been temporarily barred from flying any 737 MAX out of Singapore by the city-states aviation authority, though Fiji Airways said Tuesday that it would continue flying the two 737 MAX 8s in its fleet.

CASA said in a statement it was working with Fiji Airways to minimize disruptions to passengers.

Aeromexico

The Mexican carrier is temporarily suspending the use of its six 737 MAX 8 planes until more thorough information on the investigation of flight ET302 accident can be provided.

Aerolineas Argentinas

The Argentine airline said it would temporarily suspend commercial operations for the five 737 MAX 8s in its fleet.

Cayman Airways

Cayman Airways operates two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. It said Monday it was grounding both planes until more information is received.

Comair Airways

The South African carrier said it would remove the 737 MAX 8 from its flight schedule, despite the fact that neither regulatory authorities nor the manufacturer has required it to do so.

While Comair has done extensive preparatory work prior to the introduction of the first 737 MAX 8 into its fleet and remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft, it has decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing, and technical experts, the airline said in a statement.

Eastar Jet

South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet said it would temporarily ground its two 737 MAX 8 planes starting Wednesday to dispel the worry and concern of the people.

The company said operations would resume when there were no more safety concerns.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is working with Boeing on a software update that would change some things about a new flight system in the 737 Max. https://t.co/BwidnJsBhH #USRC pic.twitter.com/DbCWUWmEvP  U.S. Reality Check (@USRealityCheck) March 12, 2019

Who is Still Flying Boeing 737 MAX 8s?

American Airlines

The US carrier has 24 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet and says it has no plans to ground them at the moment.

In a statement, American Airlines expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and said it would continue to monitor the investigation into the crash.

At this time there are no facts on the cause of the accident other than news reports, read the statement. We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.

Southwest Airlines

The US carrier has 34 of the aircraft in its fleet and says it does not plan to change its operational policies or procedures.

We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft, read a statement from the airline.

Norwegian Airlines

Norwegian will continue to operate its 18 737 MAX 8 aircraft as normal, according to Tomas Hesthammer, Director of Flight Operations.

We are in close dialogue with Boeing and follow their and the aviation authorities instructions and recommendations, Hesthammer said in a statement. Our passengers safety is and will always be our top priority.

TUI

TUI Aviation has 15 of the aircraft in its fleet.

We do not comment on any speculation and we are, as always, in close contact with the manufacturer, reads a statement from the airline. We have no indication that we cant operate our 737 MAX in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network.

Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways currently flies two 737 MAX 8 aircraft and has three on order for 2019. We have full confidence in the airworthiness of our entire fleet, the airline said in a statement.

Icelandair

Icelandair says it flies three Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which have not been involved in any incidents.

At this stage, Icelandair is not taking any action following recent events, but we will, however, follow any developments closely and continue to do all we can to ensure safety on board now as before, the airline said in a statement.

Furthermore, the US Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that these airplanes remain safe. We are following any developments closely, working with local, European, and North American authorities. 2/3  Icelandair (@Icelandair) March 12, 2019

Flydubai

Flydubai operates 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, and says it remain(s) confident in the airworthiness of our fleet.

We are monitoring the situation and continue to be in touch with Boeing The safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority, the airline said in a statement.

The aviation sector is highly regulated and Flydubai rigorously adheres to all regulations, it added.

WestJet

Canadian airline WestJet says it has 13 MAX 8 aircraft and a total of 121 Boeing 737s in its fleet.

We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident, the airline said in a statement. WestJet remains confident in the safety of our Boeing 737 fleet including our 13 MAX-8 aircraft first introduced in 2017.

GOL Linhas Aereas

The Brazilian airline has seven 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, part of a total 121 Boeing aircraft.

GOL continues to follow the investigations and maintains close contact with Boeing for clarification, said the airline in a statement.

The company reiterates confidence in the safety of its fleet.

What Are Other Aviation Authorities Saying?

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

On Sunday, the US aviation authority said it would help Ethiopian authorities investigate the crash.

Following the Lion Air crash involving a 737 MAX 8 in October, the FAA said it had sent out an emergency Airworthiness Directive to advise carriers and pilots on training to disengage the aircrafts automated controls if there are anomalies.

UK Civil Aviation Authority

There are currently five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft registered and operational in the United Kingdom, a spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said, adding that a sixth aircraft is due to enter operation this week.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for certifying all Boeing 737 Max 8 models and it is the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that validates this certification across the EU, including the UK, said the spokesperson, who said that the CAA is working closely with the EASA.

European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

EASA said it was monitoring the crash investigation closely.

We will immediately publish any further information on our website as the necessary information is available, the agency said in a statement.

Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

Indias aviation authority said Tuesday it would not ground the 737 MAX 8s operating in the country. However, it did announce a series of interim safety measures required of airlines operating the specific Boeing aircraft.

According to the DGCA, only two Indian carriers have 737 MAX 8s in their fleetsSpicejet has 12 and Jet Airways has five.
Woman Injured by Jaguar Apologizes, Says Zoo Should Move Barrier

A woman who was mauled by a jaguar at an Arizona zoo has spoken out, saying she learned her lesson.

The woman, who was identified as Leanne, said that she feels lucky to be alive after the big cat clawed her arm at the Wildland World Zoo on March 9.

Leanne said she saw the animal pressed up against the cage of its enclosure and saw an opportunity to get some good pictures, CBS News reported.

The woman then leaned over the a security barrier and posed in front of the animal, prompting it to swipe at her arm.

Woman who was mauled by a jaguar when she leaned over a security fence to take a photo admits she did a foolish thing https://t.co/KZ2wxdZkgy pic.twitter.com/oGd8NJxk8m  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) March 12, 2019

The black jaguar was up against the fence and we happened to be walking by and we said Hey, lets get some good pictures, she told the news outlet.

I was in the wrong for leaning over the barrier, but I do think that maybe the zoo should look into moving their fence back, she added.

When she began crying out in pain, other people rushed to her aid.

"Anybody can reach out. I'm not the first, and if they don't move the fence, I'm probably not going to be the last"  CBS News  2019311

One rescuer, Adam Wilkerson, said he distracted the jaguar by pushing a water bottle into its enclosure so the woman could be attended to. Wilkerson told AZCentral that the barrier is indeed fairly short.

Any teenager or adult could reach in and touch the cage if they wanted to, (but) it doesnt feel advised to do so, Wilkerson said. If someone were so inclined to touch the cage, they could if they wanted to.

I never expected this, Leanne told CBS, adding that were all human, we make mistakes and I learned my lesson.

Anybody can reach out. Im not the first, and if they dont move the fence, Im probably not going to be the last, she continued.

Jeff Allan tells ABC15, he was hurt by the same cat that attacked a woman Saturday night. Allan said he was reaching over a barrier to take a video and that's when the animal clawed him.  ABC15 Arizona  2019310

Last year, according to ABC15, a jaguar attacked a man at the same Arizona zoo.

Jeff Allan claimed he was injured by the same big cat last summer, saying he was reaching over a barrier to take a video when the jaguar clawed him.

I never climbed over a barrier. I never stepped over a barrier I was behind the barrier and just reached my arm out, he told ABC15 on March 11.

Allan said that like Leanne, he received stitches. He also hired a lawyer in the hopes that the zoo would add more protection between the visitors and animals.

The case never made it to court.

I didnt even want money. All my wife and I wanted was I mean a kid could cross over this barrier if he wanted to. If my 3-year-old grandson wanted to cross over this barrier he could do it, he said.

But Kristy Morcom, a Wildlife World Zoo, told the news outlet that the barriers meet federal guidelines.

We are taking into consideration all aspects of safety pertaining to this exhibit as well as throughout the entire park because that is our biggest concern, she said.

Meanwhile, the jaguar that attacked the woman was taken out of the exhibit.

The zoo also said it will not be euthanized.

When people do not respect the barriers, theres always a chance that there might be a problem, said zoo director Mickey Olson, CBS News reported.

She wont be put down.  Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019
Both sides of the toll debate have something to crow about in a new Sacred Heart University poll, which found a majority oppose the highway charges Gov. Ned Lamont wants  but more would be likely to back tolls if the money all went to bridge and highway spending.

Apparently we cant even agree on what we think. Thats the nature of an issue thats both complex and evenly split.

When asked straight-up whether they support or oppose implementing tolls, 59 percent said they oppose and 35 percent said they support the measure. So its clear, right?

Nope. When asked whether theyd be more likely to support tolls if it were guaranteed that the money would only be spent on roads, bridges and highways, 51 percent said theyd either continue to support tolls or be more likely to do so.

That prompted Lamonts office to issue a statement saying the poll underscores Connecticuts need to move forward with tolls.

This poll confirms what we already know: Governor Lamonts plan has broad support from residents, labor, business, and elected officials, Colleen Flanagan Johnson, Lamonts senior advisor, said in the release.

And that statement from Lamonts office promoted a counter-argument from the citizens group, No Tolls CT, which said, even a scientific poll hasnt stopped the spin from Hartford.

There are caveats on both sides. Its unclear whether those 51 percent would support tolls, or, as the question says, would be more likely to support tolls.

The poll, conducted by GreatBlue Research, of Cromwell, for Sacred Heart, queried 1,004 Connecticut residents, online and by telephone, between Feb. 13 and March 4. The poll claims a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, higher for subgroups.

We shouldnt even have a debate about whether the money might be used for road and bridge improvements  thats federal law, not to mention state law, though the so-called lock box for transportation spending has plenty of leaks.

But this obscures the fact that Lamont has already proposed diverting hundreds of millions in car sales tax revenue from the Special Transportation Fund, and legislators are touting tolls as a way to improve Connecticuts train system, No Tolls CT said.

The anti-toll group is right on that point, and Lamont isnt helping the cause by mixing up how the money might be used.

On the other hand, the poll questions did not include the estimate that out-of-state motorists would pay 40 percent of Connecticut tolls. So, if were talking about public opinion, we might ask whether motorists and taxpayers would rather pay $1.2 billion a year to get $800 million in spendable cash, by borrowing, under the Republican plan; or pay $550 million (the cost of tolls, minus tolls paid by non-residents, plus costs) to end up with $800 million in cash.

The poll didnt ask respondents about the Republican plan, which doesnt lend itself to a poll question. The poll also didnt ask about Lamonts $800 million tolling plan, which would cost more than $200 million to implement.

In short, the poll doesnt tell us what people would think if they had the whole story. Its a tough call but the free-money vs. expensive money argument should carry the day. Install tolls, make motorists from other states pay their share and lower other taxes.

28 percent thinking of leaving?

On another hot-button issue, raising the minimum wage in Connecticut from $10.10 to $15 an hour, 71 percent said they favored the idea, while 26 percent said they opposed. Thats in line with national surveys on the minimum wage, although it has been ten years since Congress raised the national minimum to $7.25.

One alarming fear  warranted or not  is people moving out of Connecticut due to high taxes, and a series of questions in the poll appeared to bear out those worries. Thirty-nine percent, or 389 respondents, said theyre considering changing their residence over the next five years. Of those, 72 percent said theyd look outside of Connecticut.

Thats a total of 28 percent considering moving to other states or nations.

The poll asked how many of those considered housing costs important in the decision to move and as expected, 70 percent said that was a very important factor.

The poll didnt ask about taxes in connection with a possible move, but in a separate question, 62 percent said it was either very difficult (21 percent) or somewhat difficult (41 percent) to maintain their standard of living in Connecticut. Of those 62 percent, more than half named high taxes or rising taxes as the reason it was hard to maintain their standards of living.

Can all that combine to a conclusion that many people are exiting the state due to tax increases? Clearly some people are, as the state continues to lose residents to other states  although younger people tend to leave for more expensive places such as Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. Republicans are likely to say yes, the poll establishes the connection, and they might be right but the line of questioning is a bit indirect.

As expected, majorities favored increased spending on school security (although residents were divided on whether schools should have more trained and armed teachers); and tighter restrictions and higher taxes on electronic cigarettes.

On the ultimate question of quality of life, the good outpolled the bad: 15.5 percent excellent, 44 percent good, 31 percent fair and 9.5 percent poor. But the quality-is-declining crowd (27.5 percent) outnumbered the quality-is-improving respondents (15 percent).

Questions about quality of life and economic conditions are best viewed over many years, when asked precisely the same way at the same time of year. So lets call this a baseline.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that he never called President Donald Trump "one of the smartest people I've ever met," as Trump claimed during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Newsom, a Democrat who has publicly clashed with Trump over issues such as immigration policy, climate change and high-speed rail, said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that Trump had mischaracterized a conversation between the two during his wide-ranging speech earlier this month.
NORWALK  A 25-year-old man was caught on camera stealing a cell phone from a car in January, police said.

Police responded to reports of a theft from a car at the Norwalk-Westport Motel, 344 Westport Ave., on Jan. 21. The car owner told police his cell phone had been stolen from his vehicle overnight.

Norwalk detectives assumed control of the case and, based on video surveillance from the scene, were able to identify Thomas Caves, of no listed address, as the suspect.

Caves, a convicted felon with an extensive arrest history, was captured by police on Friday, March 8.

Caves was charged with fifth-degree larceny and third-degree burglary. He was held on $20,000 bond and given a court date of March 15.
Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney answered questions directly from New Hampshire voters in the second installment of the "Conversation with the Candidate" series.

A special online-exclusive potion is available below.


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.
SOUTH ROXANA  Authorities are attempting to take possession of $1,438 after a Bethalto man allegedly forced his way into a house and was found with Xanax bars in his possession when he was arrested.

David R. J. Panzier, 20, of the 400 block of Green Street, Bethalto, was found with the drugs and money after he was arrested for a Feb. 5 home invasion in the 200 block of Poag Avenue, South Roxana.

In that incident, Panzier, along with Traci Traci L. Gleason, 18, of the first block of Carsten, Wood River; and Christian C. Parker, 18, of the 500 block of Lincoln, East Alton, were all charged after police say the subjects robbed the home owner and attempted to steal his vehicle, South Roxana Police Chief Bob Coles said.

As the victim ran outside screaming for help, a neighbor pulled their vehicle in front of the victims driveway, blocking Panzier and Gleasons initial escape, according to Coles.

Police say Panzier was armed with a loaded handgun.

In addition to the money, he was also allegedly found to possess 13 Xanax bars, which are large doses of the prescription sedative and possibly addictive and dangerous.

The details were found in a document in a court case seeking to take possession of the cash under a state law allowing forfeiture of assets believed used in the drug trade.

The document claims Panzier has a history of drug arrests, that he could not explain how he obtained the money, that his statements were lacking in veracity, and that he has no visible means of support.

A companion of Panzier told police that Panzier sells each bar for $6. A bar is a street name for the highest dose of Xanax. It is scored so it can be divided into quarters.

Panzier admitted to kicking in the back door of the house on Poag Avenue. He said he found a safe in the closet.

Before ending the interview, David asked about his $1,400 in his jacket pocket with the Xanax bars. Davis could not state the specific about of money in his pocket, the document states.

Panzier is charged with home invasion, armed robbery, residential burglary, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and unlawful possession with attempt to deliver a controlled substance. His bail is set at $500,000.

He is also facing two burglary charges for burglaries in the 600 block of Biltmore, South Roxana and at 229 Gabrielle Circle, Bethalto. He has convictions dating to 2016 when he was convicted of possession of a stolen firearm and burglary. He has been charged, but not convicted of, 15 burglaries.

In addition to Panzier, Tracy L. Gleason, 18, of the 900 block of East Penning Avenue, Wood River, has been charged with home invasion, armed robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle. Christian C. Parker, 18, of the 500 block of Lincoln Avenue, East Alton, has been charged with two counts of burglary, one at the Poag Road residence and another at the Biltmore residence. Bail on Gleason and Parker has been set at $100,000 each.
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Linkedin Wolfgang Schulz (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019

Governments in Asia are concerned about misleading or false information online. Whether created for financial gain or political reasons, so-called fake news can have a real-world impact. The same is true for hateful content that violates the rights of others.

People want to see an end to fake news and illegal hate speech. In some countries, that might include new or strengthened government regulations, but new laws can also create new problems. Given the complexity of this issue, laws alone will never be a silver bullet.

Germanys Network Enforcement Act, or NetzDG, is sometimes held up as a good example of how to combat hate speech and, to some extent, fake news as well.

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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 09:03 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8180a9b 1 Editorial #Editorial,airplane,airplane-crash,Boeing-737-Max8,Ethiopian-Airlines-ET-302,Lion-Air,JT610,air-transportation Free

The Indonesian civil aviation regulator has taken the precaution of grounding some Boeing 737 aircraft following Sundays deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 just outside Addis Ababa, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board  including an Indonesian.

Flight ET302 was the second 737 MAX 8 to crash in the past six months after Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Airs flight JT610 plunged into the Java Sea killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.

The governments decision to ground all 737 MAX 8s, of which 10 are operated by Lion and one by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, should be welcomed amid efforts to get to the root of the situation.

While there have been no final findings on flight JT610, there are disturbing similarities with flight ET302 and grounding the aircraft is part of the governments determination to guarantee the safety of passengers and the public in general.

Pilots from both flights reported difficulties in controlling the aircraft just minutes after take-off, involving steep dives and nose-ups.The pilots also requested a return-to-base but crashed before they made it back to the tarmac.

Following the JT610 crash in October 2018, Boeing revealed it had included a new system on the 737 MAX 8, the latest iteration of the highest-selling commercial jetliner in history.

The new feature, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), functions as an anti-stall system when the aircrafts onboard computer senses the plane is climbing too steeply by lowering the nose, a situation known as runaway stabilizer.

Boeings manual for the 737 MAX 8, however, did not mention the MCAS, as reported by pilots in the United States who had undergone training in their transition from the earlier 737 Next Generation models to the MAX models. The pilots said they had not been informed of the new safety feature.

Following initial investigations into the JT610 crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive to overcome the runaway stabilizer situation.

Whether the MCAS is indeed the culprit in both flights remains to be confirmed by flight safety investigators. But two crashes in six months for a new aircraft is too alarming.

The Transportation Ministrys Directorate General of Air Transportation grounded 737 MAX 8s after authorities in Ethiopia, the Cayman Islands, China and Mongolia grounded the aircraft type, and ordered a thorough inspection of the fleet.

The civil aviation regulator is also remaining in close contact with the FAA to guarantee that all 737 MAX 8s operating in Indonesia are airworthy.

The directorate general also pointed to the FAAs emergency airworthiness directive regarding the issue.

This will allow airlines, and Boeing, to provide thorough information and possibly conversion training to pilots on how to handle MCAS, especially as Boeing insists that it had already provided instructions on how to handle flight-control behavior by, among other things, switching from electric to manual control.

While every new product has its own problems, the loss of hundreds of lives are unfathomable for such a supposedly sophisticated product.
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Linkedin Nadhira Nuraini Afifa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019

The third of five presidential candidate debates is slated for March 17. Both candidates, the incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo, with running mate Maruf Amin, and Prabowo Subianto, with Sandiaga Uno, are no doubt preparing materials to give their best performance.

A central topic of the third debate is to be health. After five years, the National Health Insurance (JKN) operated by the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), has faced several hiccups. Amid election tensions, it would not be surprising if issues around the JKN arise even more.

Some bombastic statements around health have been made by Jokowis rival. In Prabowos speech entitled Indonesia triumphs, Prabowo claimed the financial difficulties of BPJS Kesehatan had greatly affected the quality of hospital services. He has also remarked: Doctors salaries are lower than parking attendants wages.

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Linkedin Jusuf Wanandi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 09:31 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8182d12 3 Opinion #2019PresidentialElection,2019-presidential-election,politics,Jokowi,Insight Free

On April 17, about 192 million Indonesian voters will be eligible to cast their ballots at polling stations (TPS) all over the country. These are the first simultaneous elections ever held under the Indonesian election system, where voters will choose their president and vice president, members of the House of Representatives, Regional Representative Council (DPD) and members of two levels of regional legislatures (provincial and municipal councils, or DPRDs).

The 2019 elections will be historic as they will usher in Joko Jokowi Widodo, if elected, as the first president to come to office under this new system. As most surveys have shown he stands a good chance of being re-elected, when his presidency ends in 2024, there will not be any incumbent taking part in the presidential election in that year.

It is a watershed that an entirely new set of national leaders will come up, most probably from the provinces where some of the currently sitting governors may later participate in the presidential race. They may come from a province in Java or from one of the outer provinces, perhaps from South Sulawesi to mention just one.

The simultaneous elections system may be good for the country, mainly in one respect, that it brings to an end the holding of individual local elections in various regions throughout the year as in the past. The new system will obviously ease the disruption caused by individual local elections being held separately.

As was the case in 2014, several weeks before the April elections Jokowi is polling around 55 percent among credible surveys, whereas Prabowo is holding at around 37-40 percent. However, the end results are still uncertain, as surveys are like snapshots taken at a certain time, and there is no guarantee that voter preferences will remain the same at election time.

First, voter turnout may be low. Second, chances are voters will make all sorts of errors in voting as they will be presented with ballot papers for the presidency and three or four more for the legislative bodies (House, DPD, provincial and municipal DPRDs). People may get easily confused by the new way of voting.

Now with only a few weeks remaining for campaigning, the trends should be clear on each candidates political and electoral strengths.

The presence of political party witnesses at the TPS is very important to prevent possible rigging by the different levels of election committees in processing the votes, from the TPS to the General Elections Commission (KPU). All these hurdles have to be overcome to ensure voters are able to vote fairly. These six weeks to come are very important in achieving that result.

A convincing victory is important for President Jokowi, so there can be no doubt about his full mandate. With this mandate he will be able to select the best people to assist him as members of his future Cabinet, and to give him more power to face pressures from inside and outside of the government. The struggle to win the election is still very challenging, and pro-Jokowi supporters must do their utmost to win big to demonstrate the ultimate mandate entrusted in him by the Indonesian people.

President Jokowi deserves a second term because he genuinely has the Indonesian peoples interests at heart, and he is clean from corruption. His achievements for Indonesia in his first term are obvious, and he is expected to do even better in the second term after all the experiences and acumen he has gained.

It is also expected that he will know his coalition partners better, and, therefore, he will have a better team to appoint into his new Cabinet. He needs this because international economic developments will be more challenging than in 2018, and there is the possibility of greater instability in regional and international politics.

Many observers, Indonesian and foreign alike, have become concerned by the seemingly mounting religious conservatism as shown in the Jakarta regional election two years ago. However, that should be seen as a special case where the incumbent candidate was controversial and politically arrogant, which opened up the chance for radicals to incite anger and hatred among a sizable section of the Muslim populace against him. Fortunately, such a figure is not running in these elections and the police and government are more alert to deal with outbreaks of radicalism.

One good thing is that Indonesia has been blessed in having peaceful and orderly general elections since the first one in 1955, to the four held in the post-Reform Era.

***

The writer is vice chair of the board of trustees, CSIS Foundation, Jakarta.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Amsterdam  Tue, March 12, 2019 09:07 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8181550 2 Environment climate-change,Amsterdam,global-warming,environment,Netherlands Free

Tens of thousands of people marched through the heavy rain in Amsterdam Sunday, calling on the Dutch government to act to counter the effects of climate change.

The organizers, including Greenpeace and a number of Dutch groups, said around 40,000 turned out for the demonstration, the first of its kind in the Netherlands.

"The high turnout is the proof that people now want a decisive policy on climate from the government," they said in a statement.

The Netherlands is particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, as part of the country lies below sea level and some of its land has been reclaimed from the sea.

"We are under sea level, so we really need to do something about it," said one demonstrator, Esther Leverstein, a 21-yer-old climate studies student at Amsterdam University.

"We're great with water (management) but we need to step up our game."

Read also: Climate change: Indonesias leadership is critical

Gert van Rees, a 72-year-old pensioner, said she was concerned for future generations.

"We have seven grand-children and sometimes we are really worried. So that's why we are here, it really should change."

In February, around 15,000 school students skipped school to march for action on climate change, following the example of their fellow students across the border in Belgium.

A second youth march for the climate is scheduled for Thursday in Amsterdam.
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Linkedin Matt Blomberg and Kong Meta (Reuters) Kampong Cham, Cambodia  Tue, March 12, 2019 10:06 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8183035 2 Lifestyle Cambodia,marriage,bride,China Free

On the Chinese messaging service WeChat, Ol En scrolled back through time. Call unanswered. Call unanswered. Call declined.

The last she'd heard from her teenage daughter was a voice message on Feb. 10. "Mum - they don't give me a penny. They just keep me in the house. Maybe things will change when I give them a baby," it said.

Sitting stonefaced in her one-room shack in rural Cambodia, chickens clucking and wind kicking up red dust, the mother of three recalled how her first-born was trapped in China.

"She escaped once and the brokers almost beat her to death," En said. "If she dares to run again, there are no guarantees."

The 16-year-old is one of thousands of Cambodians fallen prey to criminal matchmakers who scour the poorest pockets of Southeast Asia for young brides to send to China.

Some 40 million men in China will need to look abroad for a wife by 2020, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences think tank - the legacy of Beijing's one-child policy, which has seen families abort female foetuses for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of women from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar have gone to China to wed, activists say. Some end up happily married; others speak of violence and forced labor.

With few employment avenues for young women and ballooning debt levels, rural Cambodian families make soft targets for brokers who ensnare the relatives of potential brides in their schemes, blurring the lines between victims and accomplices.

The matchmakers are near impossible to track down, police say, hiding behind nicknames and throwaway "burner" phones while employing a network of local elders to coax young women out of the village by offering huge sums of cash to their families.

In En's case, it was a neighbor - and distant relative - who paved the way to China.

Read also: Children have right to marry: Supreme Court

She received $2,100 in cash, and promises that her daughter would find love, work and wealth in China to funnel back to debtors threatening to repossess her house and land.

But it was all a ruse. The girl was sold, then held as a sex slave and servant by a man she had never met.

"Day and night, he demands sex from her," En said.

"I cannot live in peace - the one who sent her lives freely in this village but my daughter is lost in China."

Bounties

Thol Meng has been working to stop human trafficking for 16 years, now as deputy chief of a specialised police bureau in Kampong Cham province - one of the nation's hardest-hit regions.

He has seen waves of Cambodians being tricked, from men sold on to Thai fishing boats to women held as domestic slaves in Malaysia. But "brides to China" is the biggest concern, he said.

"A few years ago, it was about $500 for one girl," he said. "Now families can get up to $3,000."

Prices have skyrocketed along with rising awareness of the dangers and penalties for human trafficking.

But in a country where the average annual income is $1,200, the bounties on offer prove hard to turn down.

"Human trafficking starts with the parents," Meng said. "The mothers control everything ... (they) receive the benefits."

"In fact, we can say that they sell their daughters."

While the mothers are culpable, they are victims, too, according to Meng - preyed upon by sophisticated networks running a criminal enterprise worth millions of dollars.

"We mostly arrest the small fish, the locals. The big fish cut off communication, leaving the locals with no details."

As such, trafficking stories in the media often feature photos of police apprehending middle-aged women wearing pyjamas.

Read also: Crazy in love? The Japanese man 'married' to a hologram

A Cambodian 'bride' in China made a fresh cry for help every other day in 2018, said five charities working to end the trade.

Helping them escape is another matter. Most victims do not know their whereabouts in China, cannot read or speak the local language, and have limited access to phones and internet.

"Without an address, it is almost impossible to help," said Teng Seng Han, a monitor with the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, which works to repatriate 'brides'.

Those who make it home - some with stories of being raped by multiple men or being sold from one house to another - rarely go to the police, as immediate relatives are usually complicit.

Kompong Cham had four trafficking convictions last year - down from 20 in 2015 - despite the demand for Cambodian brides in China "rising sharply" in recent years, according to Meng.

Outstanding loans, Seng Han said, are the main reason families send their daughters to China - and brokers know this.

"The brokers look for people who are in debt. First they try to convince the daughters, and then they influence the mothers," he said. "It's always about money."

In 2016, the Cambodian government said 6,900 undocumented women had been identified in China. The real number ensnared by the bride trade could easily be double that, campaigners say.

No remorse

In rural Cambodia, the demand for 'brides' in China is tearing apart families - and not just those of the victims.

Sim Chhom used to spend his waking hours labouring on building sites in town. He would earn $6 on a good day.

Now he spends his time looking after his children and the child of his oldest daughter, who is happily married in China.

"I have no time to go to work," he said, looking frail and ill. "So I just stay here and catch fish to feed my family."

His wife, Chhieng Ly, was arrested in May and charged under human trafficking laws for assisting a relative who had heard of the good life in China and wanted to send their daughter.

"I have not seen my children since I was arrested," Ly told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview at the provincial prison. "I only shared a phone number - is that so wrong?"

While Ly has seven years to lament her decision, the woman who helped En's teenage daughter reach China shows no remorse.

Phorn Sokneng went to China in 2016 and married a 44-year-old farmer - twice her age - who she said treats her well.

The following year, during a visit home to Cambodia, she was approached by En's mother, who was desperate for fast money.

Sokneng helped En's daughter move to China, she said, but relations turned sour when En filed a complaint with Cambodian police after realising her daughter's fate.

The next time Sokneng returned to Cambodia, in September, she was arrested and charged under human trafficking laws.

"I feel like I am the victim - I helped them and now I am in trouble," the bride-turned-broker said, sitting next to her mother just a few hundred metres from En's house.

Free on bail ahead of an October court date, Sokneng said she had nothing to say to En, her cousin by marriage.

"I have not been to talk to them," she said of En's family.

"Why would I? They are the ones who filed the complaint that will send me to prison."
he popular Christmas tradition features 16 nativity scenes telling the birth of the King of Kings across five different Long Beach churches.
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Linkedin Sonia Elks (Reuters) London, United Kingdom  Tue, March 12, 2019 12:05 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee818b1f6 2 Science & Tech Alexa,artificial-intelligence,denmark,Apple,Amazon,Cortana,Siri,Microsoft,gender-neutral Free

Barking orders at a digital device that responds in a woman's voice can reinforce sexist stereotypes, according to academics and creatives who launched the first gender-neutral artificial intelligence voice on Monday.

Responding to such concerns, a Denmark-based team has created a voice nicknamed Q that was presented at the South by Southwest (SXSW) creative festival in Texas and is designed to be perceived as neither male or female.

"There is no reason that a voice has to be gendered," said Julie Carpenter, a research fellow in the ethics and emerging sciences group at California State Polytechnic University, who advised the project Q team.

"Emerging technology is being designed to rely on these ancient stereotypes."

Leading digital assistants such as Apple's Siri, the Amazon Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana are generally presented as female, Carpenter told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

All three have feminine names and mostly offer a woman's voice as the default setting, although Siri is set up to sound male in some languages.

"People seem to have a preference for female voices when the role of the AI is more supportive and to assist or help someone, while they associate male voices with an authoritative tone or an area of expertise," Carpenter said.

Apple and Amazon were not available for comment.

A spokeswoman for Microsoft said they had researched voice options for Cortana and found "a female voice best supports our goal of creating a digital assistant". She said the company had explored adding a male voice option to Cortana.

Read also: Feared or celebrated, Amazon Alexa is star of Super Bowl ads

Create debate

A team at Vice Media's Virtue creative agency came up with the concept for the Q voice to highlight concerns over gendered technology and offer an alternative, in a project for Copenhagen Pride.

"It isn't easy to create a genderless voice," said Nis Norgaard, a sound designer at Thirty Sounds Good studio, who produced Q.

He used research which found male voices are usually pitched between 85 to 180 hertz (Hz) and women's are typically between 140 to 255 Hz to identify a potential neutral range where the two overlapped.

It was not just pitch that defined the perceived gender of a voice  men tend to have a 'flatter' speech style that varies in pitch less and they also pronounce the letters 's' and 't' more abruptly, said Norgaard.

The team working on Q recorded the voices of 22 transgender and non-binary people as a basis for the voice, both in an effort to represent a wider spectrum of gender and because it was thought they would sound less obviously male or female.

One final recording was chosen as Q, which was then digitally manipulated to make it more gender-neutral.

The finished voice was tested by more than 4,000 volunteers. About half said they could not tell the gender and the other half were roughly evenly divided between guessing it was male or female.

Currently, users can only interact with Q via a website.

However, Emil Asmussen, a director at the Virtue agency, said he hoped it would push major tech firms to consider widening their digital AI options to include genderless voices.

"We really have high hopes this can create some debate around the world and start a dialogue going with some of the big tech companies," he said.

"They have a giant opportunity because we are on the brink of an AI revolution."
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Wed, March 13, 2019 06:05 1002 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81a5ef5 2 Art & Culture Art-Paris,art,Paris,Women,Latin-America,artist Free

The 21st edition of Art Paris will run from April 4-7, 2019 at the Grand Palais, Paris.

Favoring a thematic approach, 2019's Art Paris will focus on female artists and Latin America.

To highlight the work of female artists in France, from the post-war period to the present day, the non-profit organization AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions) has curated 25 projects by women artists among the exhibits of participating galleries, dividing them into four themes -- Abstraction, the Feminist Avant-Garde, Image and Theatricality.

The AWARE selection includes artists such as Anna Eva Bergman, Esther Ferrer, Martine Aballea and Karina Bisch. The organization has also been invited to write a critical essay that situates each artist's work in its historical context.

Read also: Wasteland makeovers bring creative cool to Paris suburb

Outside of the AWARE selection, numerous participating galleries have chosen to spotlight women artists, including Pierrette Bloch at Galerie Veronique Smagghe and Belgian artist Anne de Gelas at SAGE Paris.

The 2019 Art Paris fair will also pay homage to Latin American art, from the 1960s to the present day. The exhibition "Southern Stars: An Exploration of Latin American Art," curated by art historian Valentina Locatelli, will present the work of 60 Argentinean, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Cuban, Mexican, Peruvian and Venezuelan artists.

In addition, large-scale installations reflecting on Latin America's art scenes will be displayed throughout the Grand Palais, including one by Mexican artist Betsabee Romero, which evokes a requiem in memory of the car. As part of the focus on Latin America, Art Paris is also hosting a selection of works by Latin American women artists from the collection of London-based collector Catherine Petitgas.

Art Paris 2019 will run from April 4 to 7, 2019. Last year's edition attracted 58,789 visitors from 50 countries.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Tue, March 12, 2019 20:01 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81a1280 2 Entertainment Ed-Sheeran,restaurant,music,food,#food,bar Free

British pop star Ed Sheeran is going into the restaurant business with the opening of a diner and live music venue in London.

According to The Sun UK, Sheeran is turning Spanish restaurant Galicia in West London into a restaurant and live music bar with his manager Stuart Camp.

The restaurant on the swanky tourist strip Portobello Road marks Sheeran's first venture into the restaurant business.

With Camp, he reportedly snapped up the property for 1.5 million last year.

Read also: Bruno Mars blames 'sexual deviant' Ed Sheeran for West Java ban on songs

The vision is to create a live music destination with a "cool members' club vibe" in a shabby-chic style that focuses on quality music, reports The Sun.

Though no name has been confirmed, one consideration is the title of his hit single "Castle on the Hill."

It's common for celebrities to diversity their revenue and parlay their fame into the restaurant business. He follows in the footsteps of Justin Timberlake, Robert De Niro, Jay Z, Drake, Lady Gaga and dozens of other celebrities in becoming a restaurateur.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 14:02 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8192902 1 Entertainment Marie-Colvin,A-Private-War,true-story Free

A Private War tells the story of an American journalist who works as a foreign affairs correspondent for British newspaper The Sunday Times.

Based on a true story, the biographical drama pays tribute to Marie Colvin, the American journalist, by showing the sacrifices that have to be made to discover the truth.

Matthey Heinemann, who has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won an Emmy Award, directed the movie, while Rosamund Pike plays the role of Colvin.

Colvins story begins in Sri Lanka where a blast wounds her eye, forcing her to wear an eyepatch. Her other assignment depicted in the movie is her search for mass graves of Iraq war casualties. She is accompanied by British photographer Paul Conroy, played by Jamie Dornan.

In the movie, nightmares start to haunt Colvin after she interviews Colonel Gadaffi in Libya and sees fellow journalist Norm Coburn being killed. The memories of seeing dead children will also not let her go, including a young girl bleeding to death, who she continues to see in her dreams. To escape her trauma, Marie turns to alcohol, but still she wants to be out in the field.

As much as Colvin hates war, she is compelled to tell stories, to make people stop and care. In the midst of war, no matter how much she hates it, is where she feels most comfortable. As well as fighting for justice, the journalist also fights her own private war and faces her greatest fears.

One day Colvin finds herself in Homs, Syria, after she tracks down many civilians, mostly women and children, who are trapped in a shelter. There is a shortage of medical staff, so Colvin and Conroy witness a young boy die. It is the kind of moment when a photographer holds their camera but never releases the shutter.

Read also: Michael B. Jordan in talks to star in Denzel Washington drama

Colvin, who nearly leaves Homs, insists on turning back to the besieged city to broadcast live to British television channels. However, pursuing her only and most important goal, telling the war victims stories, eventually becomes her downfall.

The two battles that Colvin fights, one of uncovering the truth of the bloody war for the world to know, and the other her personal fears, reflects the endless courage that set her apart from so many. (sop/mut)
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Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 06:48 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee817d0cc 1 Business Jokowi,Jokowi-administration,SOE-holding-regulation,SOEs,pertamina,PLN,Garuda-Indonesia,PTPN-III,infrastructure,Rini-Soemarno Free

Since President Joko Jokowi Widodo assumed power in 2014, he has made infrastructure development one of his main programs, with many state-owned enterprises (SOEs) involved in most of the projects.

The decision of the administration to give SOEs the infrastructure projects has left the business community with a question about fairness.

Meanwhile, there are also questions about the financial performance of these state-owned companies and the situation of the state budget regarding the financing of those projects.

Less than two months before the April 17 presidential election, the government hosted a meeting in Jakarta with leaders of about150 SOEs, reminding them about how supportive the government is for their activities.

SOE Minister Rini Soemarno emphasized that the support for the SOEs started at the beginning of President Jokowi's tenure in 2014.

"The goal is to illustrate that for the last four years [until 2018], we [SOEs] have been fully supported by Jokowi, especially in the first days of the government when he made capital injections into SOEs," she said.

"[The capital injection] allowed us to invest and to complete many of the government's programs, especially for connectivity."

The total capital expenditure (capex) of the SOEs was Rp 221 trillion (US$15.6 billion) in 2015, which doubled to Rp 487 trillion in 2018, according a document obtained by The Jakarta Post.

The capex was mainly for infrastructure projects, which had been the main mission of the Jokowi administration for the last four years before it changed its focus to human development this year.

The government debt, however, rose 84.2 percent from Rp 1.29 quadrillion in 2015 to Rp 2.39 quadrillion last year and then its third-party funds (DPK) also rose 30.3 percent from Rp 2.47 quadrillion in 2015 to Rp 3.21 quadrillion.

[Growing debt] is normal, just like [for] any other growing company," SOE Ministry secretary Imam Apriyanto said. "The amount of debt is still at a safe level.

Meanwhile, the total assets of SOEs as of December 2018 were worth Rp 8.09 quadrillion, 40.4 percent higher than their total assets worth Rp 5.76 quadrillion in 2015.

The profits of SOEs grew 25.3 percent to Rp 188 trillion last year, up from Rp 150 trillion in 2015, making their contribution to the state budget in the form of taxes, non-tax revenues and dividends Rp 422 trillion, a 39.2 percent increase from 2015.

By the end of this year, we aim to book Rp 200 trillion in profits, a 6.3 percent [increase] from last year's Rp 188 trillion, Imam said.

When asked about the number of SOEs that are still recording losses, Rini said there were fewer than a dozen.

Imam explained that two of them were the state-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines and the state postal service, PT Pos Indonesia.

The clear message from the minister to them [the SOEs in a loss position] is that there must be no more cases of salary payment delays, especially cases of unpaid salaries, he said.

Back in November, it was reported that Merpati had a total debt of Rp 10.95 trillion: Rp 1.09 trillion owed to preferential creditors, Rp 5.99 trillion to concurrent creditors and Rp 3.87 trillion to separate creditors.

Meanwhile, the latest news about Pos Indonesias financial problems was that workers were not paid their salaries for at least a month earlier this year.

In the energy sector, Imam said state-owned energy holding company Pertamina and state-owned electricity firm PLN still booked profits last year. He did not disclose the exact amounts.

Pertamina finance director Pahala Mansury said last year the firm booked at least Rp 5 trillion in profits. Well wait for the final audit from the Supreme Audit Agency [BPK] and hopefully it could by published by end of March, he said.

In previous years, the company was able to book profits of at least Rp 20 trillion, so Rp 5 trillion would be only 25 percent of the norm.

Imam of the SOE Ministry said the government has not yet devised a plan to privatize SOEs in a bid to increase their capital this year, but only focused on completing the program to set up holding programs.

[The programs to set up holding companies that are] in the pipeline are for infrastructure, housing, pharmaceuticals and asset management. By doing this, we could speed up the process of getting extra funds and avoid the use of the state budget, he said.

Commenting on the performance of SOEs under the four years of Jokowis tenure, an SOE expert from the University of Indonesia, Toto Pranoto, said the establishment of holding companies has proven to be effective.

In some parts, the holding company has shown a positive trend, but theres still room for improvement. Cement and fertilizer holdings have gone well, but the plantation holding company still lacks improvement, he said.

Fertilizer and cement holding companies were set up before the 2000s under the names of the Pupuk Indonesia Holding Company (PIHC) and PT Semen Indonesia.

The move was followed by the setting up of a plantation-forestry holding company under the name PTPN III in 2014, three years later by the Pertamina energy holding company and four years later by the PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium mining holding company.

Another task, Toto said, is to slim down the cost structures of several SOEs, especially of SOEs that have big leverage, such as PLN, state-owned steel producer Krakatau Steel, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and Pertamina.

Toto said he believes the aim of having total profits from SOEs of Rp 200 trillion this year would not be easy as the growth of revenues is not big enough because of global factors, such as growing trade protectionism.

So [to achieve the target] they need to radically repair the cost structure [in each SOE], or basically make all activities more efficient as that would compensate for the low growth in revenues. he said.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misstated the total amount of SOEs' debts, third-party funds and assets. It has been corrected.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 13:32 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8191465 1 Business Boeing,CEO,statement,Boeing-737-Max8,accident Free

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has sought to assure the public of the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX series of aircraft after several countries have grounded the 737 MAX 8 in response to the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane on Sunday, a second crash of the plane in five months.

Boeing has delivered more than 370 737 MAX airplanes to 47 customers. Since its certification and entry into service, the MAX family has completed hundreds of thousands of flights safely. We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX [], he said in a message to Boeing employees, a copy of which was available to The Jakarta Post.

He said Boeing was working with regulators and Ethiopian Airlines to investigate the cause of the accident. He also called on the public to focus on the facts and avoid speculation.

There are still many facts to learn and work to be done. Speculating about the cause of the accident or discussing it without all the necessary facts is not appropriate and could compromise the integrity of the investigation, Muilenburg said.

He said Boeing expressed sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board. He also said the Boeing teams were fully supporting its customer and the investigation and providing technical assistance at the request and under the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board and Ethiopian authorities.

Though many questions remain at this time, were committed to understanding all aspects of this accident, he said, adding that the tragedy was especially challenging coming only months after the loss of Lion Air flight JT610.

While we concentrate on this serious matter, were adjusting plans as appropriate to ensure the right people and resources are available when and where they need to be around the enterprise. Our objective is to ensure our teams are centered on our priorities, including safety, quality and stability.

Because of the accident, Boeing had also simplified the 777X rollout activities this week and postponed the planes external debut scheduled for Tuesday.

Were also further strengthening the support to our 737 team and our ongoing production operations and customer service, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 17:20 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819c0b7 1 City Depok,civil-servants,shortage Free

Depok municipality in West Java is experiencing a civil servant shortage because many of its officials have retired, its Staffing and Human Resources Development Body has revealed.

The body head, Supian Suri, said that currently there were 6,212 civil servants in the municipality, while it actually needed another 6,000 people to operate optimally.

We need twice the number we have today, from 6,000 to 12,000 civil servants. Weve concluded the data from analyzing positions and workloads, Supian said on Tuesday, kompas.com reported.

Three hundred workers will retire soon, Supian added.

The Depok administration proposed hiring 239 new civil servants in 2018. The empty positions were mostly in the education and health sectors.

I hope there will be another recruitment this year, so that the positions of those who have retired can be filled, he said. (vla)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 17:05 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819a6fb 4 Business apartment,middle-class,income,millenials,property-market Free

Property developers are focusing on building apartments costing less than Rp 1 billion (US$70,042) in order to expand their markets, business players.

Middle-income people are now the largest market segment in the property business, said PT Summarecon Agung corporate secretary Jemmy Kusnadi in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by kontan.co.id.

He added that 75 percent of the apartments the company had sold were bought by such customers.

He said the prices of apartments also depended on location, with apartments in Jakarta costing more than those in its satellite cities like Bekasi in West Java and South Tangerang in Banten.

The prices of most apartments in Serpong, [South Tangerang] and Bekasi are below Rp 1 billion, although there are apartments that are more expensive, Jemmy said, adding that the company organized various promotional events to increase sales.

Meanwhile, PT PP Properti president director Taufik Hidayat concurred, saying the company developed apartments with prices below Rp 1 billion, such as those in Depok, West Java; in Cibubur, East Jakarta; Cilegon in Banten and in Yogyakarta.

He said the company targeted millennials as its main customers. The prices of our apartments are mostly below Rp 1 billion, in a range of Rp 300 million to Rp 700 million, he said.

Meanwhile, PT Ciputra Development plans to offer 600 apartments in Jakarta with prices starting from Rp 1 billion, this year.

PT Ciputra Development director Artadinata Djangkar said the company could no longer maintain the prices of The Newtown 2 apartments, at less than Rp 1 billion as it had for The Newtown 1 apartments, because they are located in inner Jakarta.

He said The Newtown 1 apartments sold for Rp 800 million in 2016. In Jakarta we cannot sell apartments for less than Rp 1 billion because land prices are high, he said, adding that he was optimistic that the sales of The Newtown 2 would boom after the election. (bbn)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12 2019

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan says the government is giving state-owned electricity company PLN two years to fuel all diesel power plants in the country with biodiesel made from crude palm oil (CPO).

Speaking before hundreds of students and other Indonesians living in Japan, Jonan said in Tokyo on Sunday that PLN was currently carrying out a study on how to convert CPO into fuel that could be used for diesel power plants.

PLN is trying to use palm oil. Currently, the Plaju refinery [in South Sumatra] converts palm oil into diesel fuel, said Jonan in a statement received on Monday. Jonan was in Japan to explain to the Indonesians in the country the achievements made in energy development during the four years President Joko Jokowi Widodo has been in office. Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Arifin Tasrif also attended the event at the Indonesian Embassy.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, March 12, 2019 21:22 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81a29e5 1 National terrorism,bomb,police,North-Sumatra Free

A number of people, including a police officer, were injured after a explosive device went off during a terror raid at a house in Sibolga, North Sumatra, on Tuesday.

Locals said the National Polices counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, had been deployed to the location and combed the surrounding area to prevent another explosion.

One man believed to be a suspect had been arrested, they added.

Residents panicked and scrambled to safety after the explosion, Bahar, a resident, said.

Rahmat Efri Guci, another resident, said he and three other people, including one police officer, tried to enter the suspected terrorists house. The bomb exploded soon after they broke down the door.

Sibolga Police spokesperson First Insp. R. Sormin confirmed that an explosion had occurred at the suspected terrorists house and that it injured a number of people.

We are still investigating the case, he said.

The incident took place only days before President Joko Jokowi Widodos scheduled visit on Sunday.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 13:02 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee818d175 1 National crime,Go-Jek,Go-Massage,rape-case Free

Bandung Police have confirmed a report of a man allegedly raping a therapist working for Go-Massage, a service provided by app-based services company Go-Jek.

Bandung Police crime unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Moh. Rifai said the therapist, identified only as L, had reported the incident to police on Wednesday, saying she had been raped by a customer at a room in a boarding house on Tuesday evening.

L said she was raped after giving the man a back massage, Rifai said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He said further that the man denied the accusation.

The man told police that they liked each other, Rifai said.

He added that police were currently interrogating L, the man and one witness, who lived in the same boarding house as the man.

The police, Rifai said, were waiting for the results of Ls medical examination and looking for other witnesses. (das)
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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 17:50 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819d5a7 1 City West-Jakarta,jakarta,farming,land-ownership,farmers,landless-farmers,urban-farming Free

Asdedi, 37, has been planting rice in Semanan, Kalideres, West Jakarta, since he arrived Jakarta in 1997, after his goldfish business in Subang, West Java, went bust.

I have been here since 1997, and straight away farmed rice, Asdedi told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He could not afford to buy land at that time and decided to rent plots belonging to developer PT Citra Adyapataka for farming.

Asdedi said he rented 36 plots at that time, paying around Rp 500,000 (US$35) per three months per plot. Each plot was about 1,000 to 3,000 square meters (sqm). He mainly planted rice but in the past also planted shallots.

Nowadays he is only able to rent and work one plot.

Skyrocketing rents for the land and the shrinking number of plots available to rent make life harder for farmers in Semanan.

Asdedi said his only plot was quite productive, even though it is irrigated by water from a nearby canal that is contaminated by household and industrial waste. One hectare produces six tons of rice, priced at Rp 4,000 per kilogram in the rainy season and up to Rp 6,000 per kilogram in the dry season.

He said that the farmers in the area used to be members of the Karya Tani farming group, which is a part of the larger Watabullah farming group supervised by the West Jakarta Maritime, Fisheries and Food Security Agency (KPKP West Jakarta).

However, most have given up farming, leaving only 11 active members. They were forced to find other jobs because land owners decided to build on their plots and being only tenants the farmers had to move on.

[We farmers do] not own the land, only cultivate vacant plots, Asdedi said.

He said he did not know for how long he could keep his farm, but had devised a plan for it.

He said that he wanted to breed betta fish, and hoped to rent a kiosk at Semanan Flora and Fauna Business Center, which is located next to his current paddy field.

I have practiced [breeding fish] in the last two years and I have produced 1,500 betta fish, he said.

Kuyab, 60, another farmer, is not worried about not farming in the future, as he is currently employed as a water unit worker with the Jakarta Environment Agency, tasked with cleaning up the river right in front of his house.

If I am still employed at the water unit, I will still be here, he said.

The man who was born and raised in Semanan said that, despite farming since 1986, it was not his only source of income. He used to work as a construction worker before being employed at the water unit.

Kuyab said that currently he only rented three plots measuring around 7,000 sqm. for planting rice, but lately had encountered troubles with pests. He also no longer directly works in the field, but instead employs others to watch over the rice crops.

For Tarsiman, 56, farming in Semanan is his only source of income, leaving him few choices if the land owner decides he can no longer rent the seven plots that he currently works on.

I will have to go back [to my hometown Subang], Tarsiman said.

He has planted rice in six plots, and currently is preparing seeds, while using one plot to rear catfish.

According to 2018 data from the Agriculture Ministry, there are 458 farmer groups (Poktan) and 78 combined farmer groups (Gapoktan) in Jakarta.

KPKP Jakarta head Darjamurni said that for farmers such as those in the Karya Tani farming group, the agency could not do much about their current land issues because land owners had full rights over their land.

He said the administration still owned 9 hectares of land for agriculture in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, which could be a new spot for the Semanan farmers.

We will invite [the farmers] to discuss [the possibility of moving to Cengkareng for farming]. I think that has potential, Darjamurni told the Post.

Separately, KPKP West Jakarta head Marsawitri Gumay said the agency would offer skills training for farming group members especially in Semanan if they wanted it.

We will also help with their permits, promotion, marketing and give references if they want to borrow from the bank, all in the agencys entrepreneurship program, she said, as quoted by beritajakarta.id.

Darjamurni said the agency was currently developing horticultural urban farming among Jakartas farming groups, and if there was any available land, rice farming would also encouraged.

He said that the agency also had 5 hectares of rice fields in East Jakarta for agriculture research purposes.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Mumbai, India  Tue, March 12, 2019 18:46 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819f700 2 Business #India,#aviation,India,SpiceJet,defends,Boeing-737-Max8 Free

Indian airline SpiceJet jumped to the defence of the Boeing 737 MAX on Tuesday even as countries grounded the aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

"The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft," SpiceJet, which has 13 B-737 MAX 8 planes in its 75-aircraft fleet, said in a statement.

"It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world's largest airlines are flying this aircraft," it added.

South Korea on Tuesday became the latest country to suspend operations of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, following Singapore, China and Indonesia.

Australia barred all 737 MAX planes from its airspace while US authorities ordered Boeing to improve anti-stalling software and the model's manoeuvring system.

On Sunday an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.

It came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.

India's aviation regulator said Monday it had imposed additional "interim" safety requirements for ground engineers and crew for the aircraft but stopped short of ordering their grounding.

SpiceJet said it had implemented the additional "precautionary measures" and was "actively engaged" with Boeing and the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The only other Indian airline to have the Boeing in its fleet is Jet Airways.

Jet, which has had to ground parts of its fleet in recent weeks due to its financial woes, said earlier that none of its five B-737 MAX aircraft was in operation.

SpiceJet was relaunched as a low-cost carrier in 2004 after being bought by industrialist Ajay Singh. It is now India's number four airline.

India's aviation sector is expected to become the world's third-largest by 2025, with passenger numbers booming six-fold over the past decade.
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 11:50 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee818a29b 1 National Boeing-737-Max8,Boeing,plane-crash,Eithiopian-Airlines-ET302,Lion-Air-JT610,Eithiopian-Airlines,Lion-Air,KNKT Free

The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) says it is ready to provide assistance with the accident investigation into Ethiopian Airlines ET302, which crashed minutes after taking off in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Sunday.

The plane, a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 en route to Nairobi, Kenya, crashed about six minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa at 8:38 a.m. local time. The accident claimed the lives of all people on board: 149 passengers and eight crew members.

We would like to offer help [with the investigation], but only if the Ethiopian investigators really need or ask for it, KNKT chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono told The Jakarta Post on Monday evening.

The committee has been handling a similar investigation into an accident involving the same type of aircraft belonging to an Indonesian carrier, Lion Air, that crashed into the Java Sea in October. Flight JT610 crashed 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta on a flight to Pangkalpinang in Bangka Belitung Islands. All people on board the plane -- eight crew members and 181 passengers, including three minors -- were killed.

Agence France-Presse reported that a committee comprising Ethiopian Airlines, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and the Ethiopian Transport Authority was set up to begin the investigation into the Ethiopian crash, in which American experts are to also take part.

The Ethiopian national flag carrier announced in an official statement on Monday that the downed aircrafts cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder had both been recovered from the crash site.

Indonesia aims to complete the investigation into the JT610 crash in August.
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Linkedin Jusuf Wanandi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12 2019

On April 17, about 192 million Indonesian voters will be eligible to cast their ballots at polling stations (TPS) all over the country. These are the first simultaneous elections ever held under the Indonesian election system, where voters will choose their president and vice president, members of the House of Representatives, Regional Representative Council (DPD) and members of two levels of regional legislatures (provincial and municipal councils, or DPRDs).

The 2019 elections will be historic as they will usher in Joko Jokowi Widodo, if elected, as the first president to come to office under this new system. As most surveys have shown he stands a good chance of being re-elected, when his presidency ends in 2024, there will not be any incumbent taking part in the presidential election in that year.

It is a watershed that an entirely new set of national leaders will come up, most probably from the provinces where some of the currently sitting governors may later participate in the presidential race. They may come from a province in Java or from one of the outer provinces, perhaps from South Sulawesi to mention just one.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12 2019

The Sumenep Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Sumenep) reported on Monday that strong wind during the weekend had destroyed at least 50 houses in several villages in the East Java regency. No casualties were reported.

At least 50 buildings were destroyed, BPBD Sumenep official Abdul Rahman Readi said as quoted by Antara.

He said that the most affected region was Lenteng district, where 46 houses were destroyed. At least four houses were destroyed in Saronggi district.

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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 16:10 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8198f6e 1 Business lion-air-group,Boeing-737,delivery,postponement Free

Lion Air Group has decided to postpone the delivery of four more Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft this year following Sunday's crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, the second accident involving the aircraft in the five months since Lion Air flight JT 610 crashed into the Java Sea on Oct. 28, 2018.

Lion Air operates the largest fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia.

Lion Air Group managing director Daniel Putut said on Tuesday that the decision was made because the low-cost carrier was still awaiting the results of the investigation into the JT 610 accident.

We are postponing the next delivery. We are still in discussion with Boeing, Daniel said of the airline's order of additional MAX 8 aircraft.

Lion Air Group announced in 2011its commitment to ordering aircraft of the Boeing 737 MAX series.

Its records show that the airline has ordered 218 MAX 8 aircraft, four MAX 9 and 50 Boeing 737 MAX 10. It has received a total of 13 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to date, consisting of 11 MAX 8 and two MAX 9 aircraft. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 11:35 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8187fd5 1 City suicide,suicide-attempt,jakarta,shopping-mall Free

Reports say that visitors of Pondok Indah Mall 2 (PIM 2) in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, were shocked on Monday when a man suddenly fell from the third floor in an apparent suicide attempt.

The incident occurred at 5:21 p.m. [He jumped] from the third floor [and fell] to the ground floor, Kebayoran Lama Police chief Comr. Telly Alvin said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The man was rushed to Pondok Indah Hospital but died shortly afterward from severe head injuries.

The police identified the man as APH, 40, from Bengkulu province, and said that his wife arrived at the hospital at around 8.35 p.m.

Police are still investigating the incident. (vla)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie and Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 17, 2019 09:08 998 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81952ab 1 Politics 2019-presidential-debate,2019-presidential-election,Maruf-Amin,Sandiaga-Uno,#2019PresidentialElection,#2019GeneralElections,JKN-insurance-deficit,BPJS-Kesehatan Free

All eyes in the country are now looking to the third presidential election debate on Sunday, the first and only to pit the two vice-presidential candidates, whose backgrounds are as different as night and day, against each other by themselves.

Incumbent Joko Jokowi Widodos running mate Maruf Amin and rival Prabowo Subiantos Sandiaga Uno are now gearing up for their upcoming face-off on the topics of education, health, human resources, social issues and culture, which is slated for March. 17.

The Muslim cleric, who just turned 76 years old on Monday, faces a hefty task to convince voters about his camps visions and future programs against Sandiaga, a 49-year-old businessman, who is considered by many to be more appealing for young voters.

Personnel from both campaign teams have been preparing their candidates for the upcoming debate.

Jokowi-Maruf campaign team chairman Erick Thohir said that the only special preparation Maruf has undertaken was to ensure that he would be able to adapt his answers to the debate format.

"In the debate answers will have to be only one to three minutes long, unlike in a speech," Erick said. "So the main thing is to get him comfortable with the format.

The third debate's topics would play to Ma'ruf's strengths as a leader of moderate Muslim organizations and an expert in sharia-based economics, who also has experience sitting as a House of Representatives member, Erick said.

Besides having Islamic credentials, including as a senior official in the nations largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and a leader of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), Maruf had a stint as a lawmaker for the National Awakening Party (PKB) from 1999 to 2004.

His rival Sandiaga, on the other hand, is a businessman-turned-politician who had served as Jakarta's deputy governor for roughly a year beginning in 2017 before he gave up his seat and entered the national election.

Erick acknowledged the possibility of unfavorable comparisons being raised between Marufs age and Sandiaga's perceived vigor, but he said the elder's campaign team did not want to make any drastic alterations to his image.

"We do not want to change his profile; it is what it is," he said. "It is important for the people to have the leader they choose for the next five years to have a consistent character, not one manufactured just for the campaign."

Speaking about the topics in the third debate, analysts predicted that issues surrounding human resources would come up between the two candidates, especially since labor and unemployment were among the key issues for the Prabowo-Sandiaga ticket.

The opposition has often criticized the lack of employment opportunities for Indonesias labor force, as well as the presence of foreign workers in the country, with Prabowo and Sandiaga promising they would open as many opportunities as possible for Indonesians to get jobs.

[Sandiaga] will indeed address how to create more employment opportunities, Prabowo-Sandiaga campaign team spokesman Andre Rosiade told The Jakarta Post.

Another issue that would be brought up during Sundays face-off was the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) deficit.

This week, Sandiaga was to participate in debate simulations and workshops with a team of experts to sharpen his knowledge of all the topics, Andre said.

Jokowi recently stepped up his campaign promises on social welfare and labor issues, as he planned to roll out some new cards, including an affordable staple foods card and a pre-employment card, which can be used by unemployed people or workers who want to undergo vocational training.

Af Maftuchan from the Center of Welfare Studies said he expected Maruf and Sandiaga to propose concrete solutions to existing problems instead of merely presenting the governments achievements or criticizing the situation.

He said Maruf would perhaps show more skill in addressing social issues, such as poverty education, welfare and education, with his background, while Sandiaga as a businessman had knowledge about employment.

However, the two did not yet have much experience in the context of translating ideas into policies, so thats the challenge, he said. I suppose there will be many surprises in this debate.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 11:48 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8189367 4 Business mineral-resources,exports,decline,production Free

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry expects a decline in the export of mineral resources this year because of production cuts by large mining companies.

The ministrys mineral business supervision director, Yunus Saefulhak, said two major copper and gold miners, PT Freeport Indonesia and PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara, for example, would scale back copper concentrate production as stated in their annual work program and budget reports.

They plan to decrease their production this year, he said in Jakarta after attending a meeting at the House of Representatives on Monday, as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Freeport Indonesia will reduce output over the next few years as it transitions from open-pit mining to underground mining.

Last year, the country had targeted production of 1.88 million tons of copper concentrate but only exported 1.81 million tons. For this years first two months, meanwhile, the government had targeted production of 141,558 tons of copper concentrate, while actual exports reached 104,269 tons.

That figure, however, does not take into account exports by Freeport and Amman Mineral, which had only received their export permits last week, Yunus added.

He revealed that the government allowed Freeport to export 198,282 wet metric tons (wmt) of copper concentrate and Amman Mineral to export 336,100 wmt this year. Last year, Freeport exported 1.25 million tons and Amman Mineral exported 450,826 tons.

Meanwhile, iron concentrate production was recorded at 3.98 million tons last year, while exports of 1.04 million tons were realized. This year, Yunus said, the government was expecting exports of 1.29 million tons, of which 248,677 tons were realized in the first two months.

Yunus noted a similar downtrend in the production and export of other minerals. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) Singapore  Tue, March 12, 2019 11:22 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81877d5 2 World #singapore,#AviationSafety,Singapore,grounded,Boeing-737-Max8 Free

Singapore is temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Singapore following two fatal accidents involving the aircraft in less than five months.

The suspension will take effect from 2pm on Tuesday (March 12), said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

The decision, which was first reported by The Straits Times, comes after a B-737 Max 8 crashed in Ethiopia on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. It will affect Singapore Airlines' regional arm, SilkAir, which has six of the jets in its fleet.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday at 10.55am, Singapore Airlines said that as of Tuesday morning, all six aircraft have been grounded in Singapore and will not be returned to service until further notice. Its 17 Boeing 737-800NGs are not affected, it added.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority," the airline said.

The airline currently operates the aircraft to Bengaluru, Cairns, Chongqing, Darwin, Hiroshima, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket and Wuhan.The other airlines currently operating Boeing 737 Max aircraft to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.

"CAAS is working with Changi Airport Group and the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers," said the statement on Tuesday morning.

CAAS has been in regular contact with SilkAir on its Max operations since last year, it said, and has been satisfied that the airline has been taking appropriate measures to comply with the necessary safety requirements.

"During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Singapore," the statement said.

CAAS is closely monitoring the situation and is in close communication with the United States Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation regulators, as well as Boeing.

The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available, it added.

China and Indonesia were reportedly the first two countries to impose a blanket grounding of the aircraft after Sunday's crash - the second involving the aircraft type in five months.

In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed, killing all 189 people on board.

Since the Ethiopian accident, more than 20 airlines, including all Chinese carriers that operate the plane, as well as Ethiopian Airlines and Cayman Airways - the main carrier of the Cayman Islands - have stopped flying their B-737 Max 8 jets. South Korea and India have begun a special inspection of the aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines grounded its fleet the day Flight ET302, which was bound for Nairobi in Kenya, went down soon after it left Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia at 8.38am local time.

Investigators have started to piece together the final moments of the doomed flight, after the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - commonly referred to as the black boxes - were recovered on Monday.

Analysis of the recorders, which contain critical information, will hopefully reveal why the B-737 Max 8 plane crashed and, perhaps more importantly, whether similar factors led to the Lion Air crash.

While a final report is not out yet, the Lion Air crash is believed to have been caused by erroneous cockpit readings that suggested the nose of the plane was tilted higher than it was.

Of the 378 B-737 Max 8 aircraft flying around the world today, about 100 belong to Chinese carriers and 20 to airlines based in South-east Asia.

US carrier Southwest Airlines has the largest fleet of B-737 Max 8 planes, followed by Europe's Ryanair.

For Boeing, which is already facing lawsuits after the Lion Air crash, Sunday's accident is another major blow, analysts said.

"Boeing has lost control of the timetable to provide the safe, reliable solution," aviation consultant Neil Hansford told Bloomberg.

The single-aisle B-737 family has been a huge success for Boeing, with the B-737 Max the latest version that started flying just two years ago. Last year, more than seven in 10 of Boeing's deliveries were 737 planes.

Following Sunday's crash, Boeing has postponed the debut of its new 777X jet, which was scheduled for this week.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 15:33 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81970a1 1 National #SouthSulawesi,#DomesticAbuse,Mother,jailed,abuse,children Free

The Makassar District Court in South Sulawesi has sentenced Meilania Ritali Dasilva to 18 months in prison for confining her three adopted children.

Presiding judge Rika Mona Pandegirot said Meilania had violated the 2002 Law on Child Protection.

The defendant is guilty of child abuse and neglect. The defendant is required to pay a fine of Rp 50 million or spend an additional two months in prison, Rika said on Monday, as quoted by news agency Antara .

The courts verdict was lighter than the demand of state prosecutors, who had asked for the defendant to be sentenced to two years in prison.

Meilania, who used no lawyer, asked the judges for time to think about appealing the verdict.

Meanwhile, Rustiani, one of the state prosecutors, said: I will make an appeal, your highness.

In September last year, Meilania was found to have locked up her three adopted children AW, 11, F, 7, and DI, 3, for years. They eventually managed to escape from their home in Makassar by prying open the padlock on the door of the three-story shophouse in the Panakkukang area with an iron bar.

The case has attracted nationwide attention and media coverage.

The Makassar Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Agency said the children were suffering psychological problems as a result of the abuse. (das)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 10:40 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8184327 4 Business IA-CEPA,livestock,sugarcane,farmers-association,impact Free

Indonesian sugarcane and cattle farmers are expressing worry over a possible high inflow of sugar and livestock from Australia following the signing of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).

The tariff change will disrupt domestic sugar production, said Indonesian Sugarcane Farmers Association (APTRI) chairman Soemitro Samadikoen as quoted by kontan.co.id on Monday.

Currently, Australia is one of the countries exporting raw sugar to Indonesia. Soemitro said sugar production in Indonesia has not been efficient because of the high basic expenses incurred by sugarcane farmers.

Therefore, he added, the decrease of tariffs on imported sugar would weaken the competitiveness of sugar produced in the country.

The negative impact will affect sugarcane farmers, while the benefit [of the agreement] will be enjoyed by other parties [importers], Soemitro said. He also expressed disappointment that the government did not prepare any trade-offs for farmers.

Livestock farmers have expressed a similar concern over the IA-CEPA, saying they would be seriously affected by the agreement because Australia was a major exporter of cattle to Indonesia.

The IA-CEPA has eliminated tariff and non-tariff barriers. It will further weaken competitiveness of local cattle, said Indonesian Cattle and Water Buffalo Breeders Association official Teguh Boediyan, adding that the local livestock business had been seriously affected by water buffalo imports, mostly from India.

Indonesia and Australia signed the long-awaited trade deal on March 4, marking a new chapter of cooperation between the neighbors. Talks on the IA-CEPA began in 2010. However, they were stalled by diplomatic tensions until they were revived in March 2016. (bbn)
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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12 2019

For people living in Sumatra, traveling by plane within the island can be a hassle. For an island as big as Sumatra, air connectivity remains considerably poor, with very few flights directly connecting even large cities.

Meanwhile, when it comes to other modes of transportation, roads are the main travel option as the islands railway system is not yet fully developed.

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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram  Tue, March 12, 2019 18:42 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819ee11 1 National Lombok,West-Nusa-Tenggara,tourism,yacht,cruise-ships,New-Bali Free

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) administration denied on Tuesday a report that a number of cruise ships would cancel visits to Lombok Island because of garbage in the waters near its beaches.

There has been no cancelation of trips to Lombok until now, and certainly not because of garbage, the province's Tourism Agency head, Lalu M. Faozal, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said that at least 26 cruise ships had registered to make a stop in Lombok throughout 2019. In January, a German-flagged cruise liner docked in Lombok with 1,800 passengers.

The agency recorded three cruises that stopped in Lombok in the last three months, including by the MV Star Legend and MV Aidavita.

On March 15, we will welcome the MV Sun Princess at Lembar Port. The cruise liner is scheduled to bring around 1,500 visitors. We know this because we are the ones handling it, Faozal said.

Lombok is a popular transit point for cruise ships that are usually on their way to explore the eastern part of Indonesia as far as Raja Ampat, Papua.

Erry Ardiyanto, the general manager of state-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III in Lembar Port, said on Monday that he had received reports from cruise ship tour agencies in Singapore that three of the 26 cruises would cancel their visits because of garbage on the islands beaches.

Garbage in tourist sites [on the island] is the major complaint, but we have tried to overcome the waste problem, he said as quoted by tempo.co.

Dewantoro Umbu Joka, the chairman of the provincial chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA), agreed with Erry, saying that garbage had become a major problem for the islands tourism.

This is a problem that we should solve together, he said.

The government has promoted the island as one of the 10 new Balis in its efforts to boost tourist arrivals in the country. Other destinations that are also being promoted are Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Labuan Bajo, which is close to Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara.

The country has recently secured a deal to host Dorna Sports MotoGP for a slot in the 2021 season, and the event will be held on a new circuit in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Lombok.

Tourist activities on the island, however, are currently struggling after a series of earthquakes that devastated many parts of the island in August.

The number of tourists in Lombok decreased following the quakes. The Tourism Ministry reported that between September and December 2018, the figure dropped by a whopping 66 percent compared to the same period the year before.

The ministry's data shows that before the earthquake up to 10,000 foreign tourists arrived at Lombok Praya International Airport every month. After the earthquake, the figure fell to 3,000.

Faozal insisted that the report of canceling cruise ships was not true and it would hinder the recovering tourist activities on the island.

He added that the local administration and relevant stakeholders were serious about waste management. They have been cleaning the rubbish around the beaches routinely since the earthquakes.

He said the agency had made a complaint to Pelindo regarding the alleged false report.

The report is far from the truth, Faozal said, adding that the agency had conducted a further inspection around the port.

He expressed the hope that the public would also participate in returning to the spirit of Lombok tourism following the administrations program of Zero Waste launched earlier this year. (das)
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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 13 2019

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is set to meet her Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Jakarta on Wednesday in their third bilateral meeting in the last few months, demonstrating the cordial relations between Indonesia and Thailand, ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir has said.

The two ministers are expected to talk mostly about ASEAN affairs, as Thailand holds the blocs chairmanship this year.

The issues related to the Indo-Pacific concept are a concern of the meeting because senior ASEAN officials are currently tasked with completing the common outlook on the Indo-Pacific, Arrmanatha said on Tuesday.

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Linkedin Anisah Shukry (Bloomberg) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Tue, March 12, 2019 12:35 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee818c512 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Mahathir-Mohamad,MH370,bankruptcy Free

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said hes studying options for flag carrier Malaysian Airline System, including whether to invest more funds, sell it off or even shut the company down.

It is a very serious matter to shut down the national airline, he told reporters at parliament. We will nevertheless be studying and investigating as to whether we should shut it down or we should sell it off or whether we should refinance it. All these things are open for the government to decide. We have to decide soon.

Malaysia Airlines has sought to turn itself around since being taken private by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional in 2014. That followed tragic incidents involving one of its planes disappearing over the Indian Ocean and another being shot down over Ukraine. Khazanah is demanding the carrier come up with a strategic plan to compete in the industry, after pouring in 6 billion ringgit ($1.5 billion) into the airline to make it profitable.

While the carrier has no Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet, it expects to receive deliveries of that model in 2020. The government has asked Khazanah and Malaysia Airlines to revisit that agreement with Boeing Co. to ensure the safety of passengers, Minister of Economic Affairs Azmin Ali said on Monday.

A representative for Malaysia Airlines didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Linkedin M Jegathesan (Agence France-Presse) Kuala Lumpur  Tue, March 12, 2019 18:00 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee819d737 2 SE Asia #Malaysia,#MurderCase,Prime-Minister,Mahathir-Mohamad,siti-aisyah,release,Jokowi Free

Malaysia's prime minister said Tuesday the surprise release of an Indonesian woman who was on trial for assassinating the North Korean leader's half-brother followed the "rule of law", after suspicions of meddling amid an intense lobbying effort by Jakarta.

Siti Aisyah was freed by a Malaysian court Monday after prosecutors withdrew a murder charge without any explanation, more than two years after her arrest for the 2017 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Her sudden release prompted questions about interference in Malaysia's justice system, particularly after the Indonesian government revealed that it had lobbied Kuala Lumpur on the case, including pressure from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in parliament that the decision was in line with "the rule of law".

"There is a law that allows charges to be withdrawn. That was what happened. I do not know in detail the reasons," he said, adding he was unaware of any negotiations between Indonesia and Malaysia on the issue.

On Monday, Indonesian officials released a letter from the country's justice minister to Malaysia's attorney-general, which said Aisyah had been "deceived" and sought her release. The attorney-general agreed to the request last week.

"It was a political decision not to proceed. There was clear evidence and she (Aisyah) confessed," James Chin, a Malaysia specialist at the University of Tasmania, told AFP in a message.

"I am sure they decided that it was an easy thing to release her and score a few points with Indonesia. They can always use the excuse (which they did) she was an innocent player manipulated by North Korea."

'Very long process'

Aisyah's swift release had sparked anger in Malaysia, and accusations that the government had caved in to diplomatic pressure.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), an opposition party, said withdrawing the murder charge against Aisyah was "a fiasco".

"The independence of the Attorney General Chambers (AG) and its prosecutors once again comes under disrepute," deputy MCA president Mah Hang Soon said in a statement.

"Why is the AG succumbing to foreign interference into our prosecution?"

Meanwhile, Jokowi met with the 27-year-old woman at Jakarta's presidential palace following her return.

"Thank God. We should be grateful that Siti Aisyah was freed ... and could be reunited with her family," Widodo told reporters after the two met behind closed doors.

"This has been a very long process ... It's the result of the government's concern for its citizens," he added.

She had been on trial alongside a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, who was left distraught as she was not freed at the same time.

The pair always denied murder, insisting they were tricked by North Korean spies into carrying out the Cold War-style hit using a toxic nerve agent and thought it was just a prank.

Huong's lawyers have now asked the attorney-general to withdraw her murder charge, and prosecutors may on Thursday inform the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, whether the application has been successful.

The women's lawyers have presented them as scapegoats. They say the real murderers are four North Koreans -- formally accused of the crime alongside the women -- who fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination.

South Korea accuses the North of plotting the murder of Kim, an estranged relative of Kim Jong Un who was once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership. Pyongyang denies the accusation.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London  Tue, March 12, 2019 07:03 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee817e63e 2 News London,Airport,Heathrow-Airport,travel,Sadiq-Khan Free

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, along with environmentalists Greenpeace and local councils, heads to court Monday to try and prevent a UK government expansion of the capital's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest.

"Lawyers representing a coalition of local authorities opposed to Heathrow expansion will make the case in the High Court on Monday that the government's Airport National Policy Statement... should be quashed," according to a joint statement.

Khan, Greenpeace and five councils including four in the capital close to Heathrow, will argue that a third runway can be built only "by demolishing thousands of homes and making life noisier and unhealthier for millions of people living in London" and neighbouring areas.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said in the statement: "Governments are very happy to talk the talk when it comes to protecting the air we breathe and the climate we all share, but unfortunately, getting them to walk the walk often takes legal action."

Read also: Chinese tourists upset over 'duty-free' discrimination at London airport

Four of the councils heading to court comprise Hillingdon, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham plus Richmond upon Thames -- all in west London.

They are joined by the council for nearby Windsor and Maidenhead -- an area that is home to royal residence Windsor Castle, the prestigious Eton school and Prime Minister Theresa May's MP seat in parliament.

British lawmakers in June overwhelmingly approved long-delayed plans to build a third runway at Heathrow in west London after decades of acrimonious debate over its potential impact.

May's Conservative government argues that the 14 billion ($18.3 billion, 16.3 billion euros) plan will provide a major boost to Britain's post-Brexit economy and could create up to 114,000 local jobs by 2030.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 12, 2019 10:39 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8183f36 1 News aircraft,Airlines,airline-safety,Boeing-737-Max8,travel,Ethiopian-Airlines,Lion-Air Free

On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed in a field outside Bishoftu town, around 60 kilometers from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing posted on Twitter that the carrier's aircraft was a 737 MAX 8 -- the same type of aircraft used for Lion Air flight JT610, which was traveling from Jakarta to Bangka Belitung in October 2018 but fell into the Java Sea several minutes after takeoff.

Both China and Ethiopia have grounded all aircraft of the same type, while the Transportation Ministrys Directorate General of Air Transportation announced on Monday that it would carry out inspections and temporarily ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Two carriers in Indonesia are said to possess Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, namely Garuda Indonesia (one plane) and Lion Air (10 planes).

For those wondering whether it is possible to find out which plane you are going to fly on prior to booking your trip, the answer is: Yes, it is possible.

A number of websites provide thorough information about flights and fleet types. TripAdvisors SeatGuru, for instance, displays seat maps of various carriers, including Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and AirAsia. Meanwhile, Flightradar24, FlightAware and FlightStats are among the websites that are able to track flights in real time.

Read also: Ombudsman official demands grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia

Busy schedule: FlightAware's live flight tracking taken on Monday, March 11, 2019. (flightaware.com/File)

Is it accurate, though?

Alvin Lie, an aviation expert and member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, said it was rather difficult for passengers to confirm which aircraft they would be traveling with, particularly for short- and medium-haul flights. He added that short-haul was generally less than two hours, while medium-haul was two to five hours and long-haul was more than five hours.

Alvin recalled his experience last week when he departed with Silk Air from Singapore to Yangon in Myanmar. His ticket displayed Boeing 737-800 as the aircraft and it did not change when he reserved a seat. But when I checked in online 48 hours before the flight, the aircraft had been replaced with an Airbus A320, Alvin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He explained that certain aircraft were used only for long-haul trips. For instance, Singapore Airlines only uses A350-900 ULR for non-stop flights from Singapore to New York and other cities in the US; Qantas uses Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Perth to London non-stop; and Garuda uses Boeing 777-300 ER for Denpasar-London and Jakarta-London routes, Alvin said.

Additionally, passengers still cannot choose the type of aircraft they fly with.

Theres no rule that allows passengers to refuse to travel on certain types of aircraft, said Alvin. However, he added that supervision over the aircraft had been running well and only airworthy planes were permitted to fly. (kes)
Attacks against police in Bonn : Campaign to prevent violence against emergency personnel

BONN/REGION Disrespect of the police or rescue services continues to increase in Bonn and the region. On the initiative of the Rhine-Sieg district, a campaign has begun to highlight the issue.

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Insults, disrespect or even hitting and shoving are now almost the order of the day for the police, fire brigade, Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) (a civil protection organisation) or the rescue services. There is hardly an officer or volunteer helper who has not been insulted, hit or spat on. It is a problem that has been virulent for a long time and one that the local communities, towns and police authorities want to deal with firmly.

On the initiative of the Siegburg police, district administrator Sebastian Schuster, who is also chief of police for the Rhine-Sieg district, the 19 mayors of the Rhine-Sieg district, Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan and police president Ursula Brohl-Sowa, have joined forces to call for more respect for emergency personnel. These also include officers of the Malteser organisation, the Red Cross and the THW.

The Respect  Bonn/Rhine-Sieg campaign was launched at Bonns police headquarters on Monday. In the coming weeks, corresponding stickers will adorn operational vehicles and flyers will also be handed out. We want to increase awareness that the people on duty want to save other people. It is not acceptable that while doing this they are hindered, insulted or violently assaulted, said Schuster.

Sridharan agreed with him: We have a zero tolerance strategy. Even if it is not always obvious to outsiders at first glance why fire brigades and rescue services are carrying out certain measures, you should trust that the services have learnt their trade and are doing what needs to be done.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo  Wed, March 13, 2019 05:03 1003 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee81a56fc 2 News Japan-Airlines,Airlines,Japan,travel,ZIPAIR-Tokyo Free

The Japanese airline is launching a new medium to long-haul carrier with a low-cost business model, due to take off in summer 2020. It will fly under the name of ZIPAIR Tokyo.

A new medium to long-haul budget carrier is set to take off just in time for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, running July 24 to August 9, 2020. The carrier's name was chosen for its reference to zip codes  highlighting the variety of destinations to which ZIPAIR Tokyo will fly  while also nodding to the speed with which passengers will be able to travel from A to B.

ZIPAIR Tokyo will be based at Narita Airport and will first of all fly routes to Bangkok International Airport in Thailand and Seoul in South Korea. Japan Airlines previously revealed ambitions to connect some 500 destinations, leveraging this low-cost carrier as part of that plan.

Read also: Take to sky with world's oldest airlines

The new carrier's website is now online at www.zipairtokyo.com.

Japan is already home to a low-cost carried called JetStar Japan, operating short-and medium-haul flights.
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A 10% move higher during Wednesdays session meant shares of the interactive exercise bike company Peloton (NASDAQ: PTON) were among the best performing of US equities. The jump comes after a torrid couple of weeks for the New York-headquartered company, whove had to watch their shares fall more than 50% since their earnings last month.

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All citizens are invited : NRW state government celebrates Basic Law in Bonn

Bonn The NRW state governments summer concert will take place in Bonn on 22 June. Minister President Armin Laschet will thus pay tribute to the federal city as the birthplace of the Basic Law. All citizens are invited.

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Bonn was the birthplace of the Grundgesetz or Basic Law (Germanys constitution) 70 years ago. On the occasion of this special birthday, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has a prepared a special gift for the city of Bonn and its citizens: the state governments traditional summer concert will this year take place at the German Presidents official Bonn residence, in the grounds of Villa Hammerschmidt. All citizens are invited. Entrance is free of charge.

Im absolutely delighted that this tribute is taking place at a central location in our state  in the grounds of Villa Hammerschmidt, the seat of the head of state, said Minister President Armin Laschet of this decision. The summer concert is planned for Saturday, 22 June. The New Westphalian Philharmonic Orchestra from Recklinghausen, under the direction of Rasmus Baumann, as well as several soloists will play that evening from 8.30pm to 10.15pm. The soloists are the saxophonist Asya Fateyeva, the violinist Kirill Troussov, the tenor Leonardo Caimi and the soprano Dongmin Lee.

All the musicians have a regional connection: conductor Rasmus Baumann was born in Gelsenkirchen and studied in Essen and Bochum. Asya Fateyeva has a teaching position at the music school in Munster, the tenor Caimi is currently engaged at the Aalto Theatre Essen and Bonn Opera, where he sings Henry in Verdis Sicilian Vespers. Troussov studied at the music school in Cologne and soprano Lee works at the music theatre in Gelsenkirchen.

In his statement on the choice of concert venue for 2019, Laschet refers to Bonns central role in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany: the Parliamentary Council met in Bonn from 1948 until the promulgation of the Basic Law in May 1949. The Bundestag, Bundesrat and the federal government had their seats here until the reunification of Germany, or more specifically the relocation of the Parliament and parts of the government in 1999.

This is the sixth classical summer concert in the form of an open-air event that the state has organised at various locations in NRW. No tickets or registrations are needed for the concert. Laschet will open the concert in the presence of cabinet members, said Matthias Kowalski from the press office of the state chancellery.

The concert will have a picnic atmosphere. Visitors may bring rugs or folding chairs as well as their picnic and drinks. There will also be food and drink available to purchase on site. The organisers ask everyone to avoid using glass bottles and containers.
Phuket among provinces to be transformed into smart city

BANGKOK: The government is gearing up to achieve its target of 30 smart cities in 24 provinces, including Phuket, by next year and hopes to transform 100 cities nationwide to smart cities by 2022.

technologypoliticsnatural-resources

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 12 March 2019, 09:42AM

The Smart City Thailand Takeoff event hosted by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency opened on Monday (Mar 11) with ACM Prajin (centre) in attendance. Photo: Bangkok Post

The city data platform for smart city implementation is set to launch this year, facilitating the transformation, while at least 100 e-services are expected to be provided to the public by 2022.

A smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that is processed and analysed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services.

The overarching aim of a smart city is to enhance the quality of living for its citizens through smart technology.

On Monday (Mar 11) the governments National Smart City Committee launched the first call for smart city proposals. The event was chaired by Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, deputy prime minister and chairman of the committee.

ACM Prajin said building smart cities nationwide is a government priority, making existing cities smarter with modern design and smart technology.

The sectors include smart economy, smart mobility, smart energy, smart living, smart people, smart governance and smart environment.

The committees plan notes 10 zones in seven provinces that have already begun their transformation  Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Bangkok, Chon Buri, Rayong, and Chachoengsao.

The government plans to develop another 30 smart city zones in 24 provinces in 2019, building to its target of 100 smart cities in 77 provinces by 2022.

Through digital technology and innovation, the government is determined to develop the country into a high-income nation, characterised by low development disparity, wealth distribution and quality of life.

The event on Monday included criteria and processes for smart city proposal evaluation as well as a Smart City Thailand logo. The upcoming Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN) activities were announced in celebration of Thailands Asean chairmanship this year.

Once approved, smart city proposals will start the transformation process via any or all seven sectors.

Pichet Durongkaveroj, the digital economy and society (DE) minister, said the government is calling for collaboration from government agencies, the private sector, citizens and media in advancing the work of ASCN from June to August this year.

In parallel with Thailands Asean chairmanship, the ASCN activities hosted by Thailand will showcase the best of smart cities from 26 Asean member cities, other dialogue partners and global technology providers.

In this Asean forum, Thailand will also propose a smart city evaluation criteria and process to be used as implementation guidelines by Asean member cities.

The DE Ministry plans to hold Digital Thailand Big Bang 2019 during Oct 28-31.

Read original story here.
Phuket police mobilise in pre-election security campaign

PHUKET: A total of 245 Phuket police, law-enforcement officers and volunteers assembled at Phuket City Police Station in Phuket Town yesterday evening (Mar 11) to receive their orders to suppress crime and keep the peace as the country goes to the polls on March 24.

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By The Phuket News

Tuesday 12 March 2019, 07:33PM

The security campaign comes as the polls will open for early voting this weekend. Photo: PR Dept

The security campaign comes as the polls will open for early voting this weekend. Photo: PR Dept

The security campaign comes as the polls will open for early voting this weekend. Photo: PR Dept

The security campaign comes as the polls will open for early voting this weekend. Photo: PR Dept

The security campaign comes as the polls will open for early voting this weekend. Photo: PR Dept

The assembly, held at 6pm, marked the launch of the campaign, titled "Protect the People Phuket Provincial Police.

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Wisan Panmanee, presided over the assembly, accompanied by Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Charnpinit.

Joining the assembly were officers from the Phuket Provincial Police, Tourist Police, Immigration Police, Phuket Airport Immigration Police, Marine Police, Phuket Forensic Division, Highway Police, Phuket Special Branch, military personnel, administrative officers and public volunteers.

We are ready to look after the safety of residents and tourists ahead of the election on March 24, Maj Gen Wisan said.

The campaign was being held in accordance with the policy of the Royal Thai Police and Provincial Police Region 8, who are ready to cooperate to ensure the safety of life and property of people and tourists, including preventing and suppressing all forms of crime during the election of members of the House of Representatives, which will be held on March 24, Gen Wisan said.

The security boost comes follows officers already ramping up patrols and security checks in the fallout from the pipe bomb attacks in the Southern Thailand provinces of Satun and Phattalung on Sunday.

Col Santi Sakuntanark, the commanding officer of the Royal Thai Army contingent stationed in Phuket, has publicly assured that Phuket is believed to not be a target following the bomb attacks, which Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon said were likely conducted by people who lost benefits and wanted to shake the confidence in the government.

Col Santi said yesterday, Security personnel in the area, including in Phuket, have not found anything unusual, and so we ask people to feel confident in the safety and to go about their and daily lives as usual, he added. (See story here.)

However, Col Santi did stress, If anyone sees a person doing something that looks suspicious, or finds an object that looks suspicious, please immediately call the Army Region 4 headquarters 24-hour hotline 1341.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Sunday expressed his concern over public safety and the public to not panic as the situation remains under control.

The campaign also comes polls will open this weekend for early voting, bringing with it an alcohol ban from 6pm Saturday night (Mar 16) through to 6pm Sunday (Mar 17). (See story here.)
Zinedine Zidane returns to Real Madrid

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane has made a sensational return as coach of Real Madrid after Santiago Solaris sacking was finally confirmed on Monday (Mar 11).

Football

By AFP

Tuesday 12 March 2019, 10:26AM

Real Madrids newly appointed French coach Zinedine Zidane. Photo: AFP

Zidane said he never had any doubts about returning to Real Madrid.

When the president called me, the first thing I thought was: go, Zidane said at a press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu. I could not say no, I never had any doubts about going back.

Zidane has been given a contract until June 2022, just nine months after he resigned at the end of last season, having led Madrid to a historic third consecutive Champions League triumph.

Solaris dismissal was expected after three consecutive home defeats  to Barcelona, twice, and Ajax  deemed Madrids season all but over before the middle of March.

But Zidane coming back, with only 11 games left in La Liga and almost nothing to play for, is a surprise, particularly after he left on the incredible high of yet another European triumph.

I left because a change was needed at the end of last season, for the good of everyone, after winning so much, Zidane said.

I returned because the president called me. I love him and I love this club, so here I am.

Zidane inherits a squad that has evolved even in the short time he has been away, with Cristiano Ronaldo gone and the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Junior and Sergio Reguilon all enjoying greater prominence this season.

The challenge will be for Zidane to oversee a period of change in the summer when older players could be replaced and younger talents brought through.

I do not want to forget what we won but I also do not forget all the things we did badly last year, Zidane said.

We lost in the league and cup, we won the Champions League, fine, but I know where I am.

We will change things, for sure, for the years to come. But now is not about that  the important thing is I am back. We will have time to talk with the president, with the club, about what we can do.

Immensely popular with most of the players, Zidanes appointment will almost certainly lift morale in the dressing room, following a week in which Sergio Ramos has argued with the clubs president Florentino Perez and been involved in a spat with Marcelo.

Gareth Bale was one of the few to suffer during Zidanes previous spell in charge, with the pair barely on speaking terms in the run-up to the Champions League final.

Bales future now appears in serious doubt unless their relationship can be quickly repaired.

Instead it was Ronaldo that departed and Zidane now takes over a team missing the Portugueses goals and in need of reform.

On the possibility of Ronaldo following him back to Madrid, Zidane said: That is not the issue for today. We have 11 games to play, then we will see. We all know Cristiano, his history at this club is one of the best. But today is not for talking about these things.

Despite Madrids dominance in the Champions League, there is ground to make up in La Liga, where Barcelona are on course to seal their eighth league title in 11 years.

Madrid sit 12 points adrift of them in the table despite a 4-1 victory over Real Valladolid on Sunday, which proved to be Solaris final game in charge.

Familiar problems, including a lack of goals and a leaky defence, resurfaced in February as a defeat at home to Girona was quickly followed by losses to Barcelona in the league and cup, and humiliation by Ajax in the last 16 of the Champions League.

I do not blame anybody, Zidane added. (Julen) Lopetegui and Solari wanted to do the best for the club. It went how it went. The only thing now is to look forward.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 33F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
Class B Boys: With plenty of returning talent, De Smet eyes repeat

Headed into the 2021-22 season, the De Smet Bulldogs earned the top spot in the media preseason poll. The Bulldogs won the title last year.
Liberty and the pursuit of happiness follow the first and foremost of Americans unalienable rights: the right to life.

If anyone, a mother, a practitioner or in government, permits destroying a human life at birth, every right enumerated in Americas Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution is rendered meaningless. Yet, that is what Virginias legislature considered, passed Vermonts House and New York permits.

Virginias third-trimester abortion bill failed passage, but only after the states besieged Democratic Governor Ralph Northam witlessly revealed its full implications, saying, If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if thats what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.

In fact, Northam wasnt exactly besieged until his medical school yearbook page featuring a blackface/KKK photo was made public. Either Democrats genuinely consider merely-offensive decades-old photos to be more horrific than killing infants, or abortion apologists focused on the photo as a convenient means of diverting attention from Northams full-term/post-birth Kinsley gaffe  when a politician tells the truth  some obvious truth he isnt supposed to say.

But, because sunlight is bad for business, Northams truthfulness dismayed generous Democratic abortion industry/lobby boosters. NARAL Pro-Choice America and mega-Northam-donor Planned Parenthood immediately demanded Northams resignation over the yearbook photo. Media and Democrats piled on, but all relented after the infanticide furor died down.

Every abortion at any stage of pregnancy takes an innocent human life, but New Yorks permissible procedures now include aborting viable infants, and Vermonts may.

New Yorks Orwellian Reproductive Health Act expanded the states already-liberal abortion regime to allow late-term abortions. The bill also decriminalized abortions by moving them from the states criminal to the public-health code. Vermonts grotesque House-passed H.57 abortion bill openly states: A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus shall not have independent rights under Vermont law.

In effect, both do or would make abortion-on-demand legally-available up to the moment of birth.

Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomos celebratory January signing event  celebration of death, really  was heavily ironic. Following Pope Franciss 2018 decree that the death penalty is never permissible, Governor Cuomo commented almost immediately on Twitter: The death penalty is morally indefensible and has no place in the 21st century. Today, in solidarity with @pontifex and in honor of my father, I will be advancing legislation to remove the death penalty from State law once and for all.

How morally deficient must one be to see no conflict in banning the death penalty for convicted, even mass murderers as morally indefensible, while celebrating government-sanctioned death penalties for innocent full-term children?

In February, 44 Senate Democrats, including all six 2020 presidential aspirants, voted against a Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act that, without affecting abortion access, would merely mandate medical care for infant survivors of failed abortion procedures.

It is elected Democrats statutory endorsements of infanticide that are morally indefensible.

Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at jshenk2010@gmail.com
UFC bad boy Conor McGregor has been arrested in Miami and charged with a double felony.



According to police reports, McGregor was on his way out of famous nightclub LIV at approximately 5am, when the fan attempted to take a photo. McGregor is said to have slapped the phone to the ground and stomped on it several times.

After viewing the incident on surveillance camera, police tracked the former UFC champion down at his Miami Beach home to make the arrest.

McGregor was charged with strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief, both of which are felonies under American law.


The veteran drummer who played on the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds' and 'Good Vibrations', Hal Blaine has passed away on Monday at the age of 90.

Confirmed on Facebook by Blaine's family, the statement wrote, "May he rest forever on 2 and 4. The family appreciates your outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Hal from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning."

Born in Massachusetts, Blaine had played over 40 Number One hits and over a hundred and fifty Top 10 singles. It is estimated that he had played on over 35,000 recordings.
Royal Bank of Canadas Dave McKay is feeling the bite of the FANGs.

The lenders chief executive officer told investors on Tuesday that hes increasingly worried about the so-called FANG companies  Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Netflix Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc.  getting into banking. The companies are already inserting themselves between the bank and its customers as people increasingly turn to the technology giants when shopping for financial services, McKay said.

They are getting between us and the moments of truth of our customers, and currently what they do with that is they sell that insight back to us in the form of search and advertising and other perspectives, and they earn a certain amount of economic rent, McKay said at the RBC Financial Institutions Conference in New York. The amount of money tech companies are seeking from banks is growing, he said.

The finance industry has become increasingly concerned that major tech companies might try to sideline banks by handling more of their customers payments, offering loans or accepting deposits  even if those services open them up to more regulation. McKay said his goal is to build out services that allow Royal Bank to be a bigger part of a customers life before they have to make a financial choice.

I do get calls from the FANGs after I do these events, McKay said. Moving higher up in the funnel of decision-making and life moments before the financing decision or before the banking decision is mission-critical in us taking control in that journey and not being beholden to somebody elses platform.

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MONTREAL - Sunwing Airlines is temporarily grounding its four Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian plane crash that killed all 157 people on board.

The Canadian low-cost airline says in a statement Tuesday night that it made the decision for evolving commercial reasons unrelated to safety, including airspace restrictions being imposed in other countries.

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau will provide an update on Canadas Boeing 737 MAX 8 plan on Wednesday morning in Ottawa.

But he is facing an escalating dilemma over the aircraft, which a growing number of countries have grounded or banned after the crash that also claimed the lives of 18 Canadians.

Before clearing his schedule to meet with experts, Garneau said Tuesday he has no plans to ground Canadas fleet of 737 Max 8 aircraft, but that all options are on the table.

Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash has raised concerns over parallels to a Lion Air crash of the same model of aircraft in Indonesia that killed 189 people last October.

Earlier Tuesday, authorities from more than half a dozen countries and regulators, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), announced grounding orders or airspace bans on the aircraft. By Tuesday evening, dozens of airlines had grounded the Max 8, leaving the majority of the nearly 390 Max 8s currently in service around the world confined to the hangar.

Air Canada, along with Southwest and American Airlines, are the major outliers.

Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc., said EASAs suspension of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes puts massive pressure on Garneau.

Its really going to give the minister pause for thought, he said. I think theyve been feeling an unprecedented level of heat from social media  both airlines and aviation regulators.

Adding to the pressure, the Canadian Union of Public employees  which represents more than 8,000 Air Canada flight attendants  said late Tuesday that its members have safety concerns as a result of the recent crash and dont want to be forced to fly on the Max 8.

The Air Canada Component of CUPE who represents flight attendants at Air Canada mainline and Rouge is calling on the company to at a minimum continue to offer reassignment to crew members who do not want to fly on this type of airplane, said component president, Wesley Lesosky, in a statement. The safety of passengers and crews must be the absolute priority.

Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

Air Canada has 24 Max 8 aircraft, which it uses mainly for domestic and U.S. routes, while Calgary-based WestJet Airlines Ltd. has 13 Max 8s.

A grounding order in Canada would prove costly for Canadian airlines, said Karl Moore, a professor at McGill Universitys Desautels Faculty of Management.

It would have a considerable impact on both of them, because thats a lot of flights every day, he said.

Youd have to cancel some flights. Youd try to use other planes, which are suboptimal. A Q-400 is too small. You could use two big planes, which means that youre wasting money on fuel and youre not making money.

The airlines are also facing concerned passengers who want to re-book their flights to avoid the Max 8.

Flight Centre travel agency said Canadian airlines are not waiving flight-change or cancellation fees for passengers who want to switch to another aircraft.

Air Canada and WestJet did not respond to requests for comment on fee waiving.

We continue to monitor the situation and based on current info, and recommendations by government safety regulators, Transport Canada, the FAA, and the manufacturer, we will continue to operate our normal B737 schedule and our current re-booking policies remain in place, Air Canada said in a tweet Tuesday.

Larry Vance, an aviation consultant and former Transportation Safety Board investigator, cautioned against drawing too many comparisons between Sundays disaster and Lion Air Flight 610, which plunged into the Java Sea on Oct. 29.

The main similarities appear to be the aircraft model and the way the plane swiftly lost elevation after takeoff, briefly recovered and then plummeted to the ground.

If I had a ticket to fly this afternoon and it was on that airplane, I would go to the airport, I would check in normally, I would get aboard the flight and go to sleep and enjoy my flight and get on with my day, Vance said.

The odds of me meeting my maker on that flight are as close to zero as you can get.

At Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Tuesday, Air Canada passengers arriving from London gave mixed reactions about flying on the aircraft.

Angela Taylor, whose 22-year-old daughter was flying alone for the first time, said she felt the aircraft should be grounded in Canada.

I was a bit perturbed Air Canada hadnt suspended flights when Australia is not even letting any in or out, said Taylor.

You might be on the bandwagon, but for safety? Come on.

Patricia Little, who was on the same flight as Taylors daughter, said riding the Max 8 didnt worry her at all.

I think its a whole lot of hype. I think theres hundreds of thousands of planes that go, only one or two of them crash, said Little, who lives in Saint John, N.B.

Get a grip. You could die walking out there to your car.

With files from Aly Thomson and Alison Auld

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:WJA)
Thanks to a crop of renegade, pioneering winemakers making stellar wines in New York, Vermont, Minnesota, famously frigid Quebec, and even Portugal, hybrid grapes are beginning to get the respect they deserve.

For decades, snob drinkers turned up their noses at the wines made from them as too funky, going so far as to describe their taste and smell as akin to animal fur. I have to admit I was one of them.

But recently I tasted a lusciously rich, fruit-packed, amarone-style red made from Frontenac grapes grown in Vermont, and a subtle, savory, zingy white from Quebec made from La Crescent. Both grapes were developed at the University of Minnesota to withstand supercold winters yet make wines with great flavour.

Serious interest in wines from hybrids is quite a recent phenomenon, says master sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, managing partner for New York bistro Racines, who has several on her list. Thanks to a new generation of hybrids and new producers growing for quality, not quantity, tastes are changing.

Hybrid grapes, according to Matt Clark, an assistant professor in the department of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota, are crosses between the European vine, vitis vinifera, and various native wild American species such as vitis labrusca.

They started in late 19th century France because phylloxera, a bug that eats the roots of European grape vines, was killing off the countrys vineyards and Native American roots proved resistant to it. Grafting vinifera vines onto American rootstock was a way to preserve familiar grapes like pinot noir. Eventually, in the 20th century, planting new vineyards of hybrids was banned, with government pamphlets insisting wine from them was proved to cause madness. (Additionally, French law prohibits using hybrids in any wines with appellation names.)

Later the Eastern U.S. embraced them because they could survive icy winters, but many of the wines had simple jelly-jar flavours unappealing to serious wine drinkers.

Now, University of Minnesota and Cornell are coming up with new, improved hybrids, with better juice characteristics, helped by recent DNA research. It takes 15 to 20 years from the time we identify the parent grapes to licensing vines to be planted commercially, says Clark of the product development. Minnesotas latest is a white, Itasca, now in test plots around the U.S.

Deirdre Heekin and her husband, Caleb Barber, of La Garagista farm and winery in Vermont, who grow several hybrids organically and biodynamically, are among the new producers whose wines have made a splash in New York and London. They make as many as 15 wines, including several sparkling pet-nats. Still, prejudice against these wines remains.

When we started in 2010, hybrids were vino non grata to buyers, says Heekin, so we took the varietal name off the labels and just asked sommeliers to taste. Shes convinced the interest in Italys native grapes primed people for being more open to hybrids. Her wines inspired Lepeltier to start her own pet-nat project, Chepika, with hybrids, with Finger Lakes winemaker Nathan Kendall. Their first vintage was 2016.

In the Hudson Valley, Carlo DeVito, who founded Hudson-Chatham winery in 2006, has had big success with baco noir. Typically wineries make a sweet red from it, he says. But I thought, What will happen if we treat it like merlot or cabernet? And it ended up great. He now makes four different cuvees.

More hybrids are in your future. Their disease resistance, which means fewer chemicals needed in the vineyards, is one reason France approved several new ones last year. The University of Minnesota is actively working to get marquette into Germany and France.

Its a whole new world of wine flavours, with dozens of promising hybrids. Here are my picks of those with the most potential right now.

Sparkling

Delaware: This Native American grape, once famed for spicy sparkling wines, has a tangled past that involves vinifera. Besides the U.S., its also grown in Japan.

2017 Chepika Delaware PetNat ($28) This refreshing, frothy pet-nat from organic Delaware grapes is clear, not cloudy, with crisp layered flavours of green apple and lemon with a mineral edge.

White

La Crescent: This University of Minnesota cold-hardy white variety is a cross of muscat and other hybrids. You find it in Quebec, Minnesota, and Vermont, and it also makes a delicious pet-nat.

2017 Pinard et Filles Frangine ($57)

This intriguing, subtle white has mineral and earth aromas and green apple flavours. It was my favourite example from the La Crescent grape.

Traminette: Highly versatile, this cross between aromatic Gewurztraminer and a French-American hybrid makes both dry and sweet wines, but the best Ive tasted are dry. Its like gewurz without the oily, viscous texture.

2017 Fox Run Vineyards Traminette ($15)

Fresh, bright, and delicate, this fun, refreshing Finger Lakes summer white has exotic aromas of lychee and spicy apricot flavours.

Vidal blanc: It thrives all over Ontario (think ice wine), and is even planted in Sweden and also used to make very fruity dry whites.

2017 Inniskillin Vidal Icewine ($53, half bottle)

Honeysuckle and candied orange peel aromas and lush, sweet flavours of honey and butterscotch make this a luscious dessert wine.

Vignoles: This cross between a white French-American hybrid and pinot noir is widely planted in the Finger Lakes and the Midwest and reminds me of a combo of riesling and sauvignon blanc. It can also make a subtle, complex late-harvest sweet wine.

2015 Keuka Lake Vineyards Gently Dry Vignoles ($17)

Brimming with aromas of white flowers, this Finger Lakes white is crisp, clean, and zingy, just the thing you want to drink at the beach.

Red

Baco Noir: This French-American hybrid is a signature red grape in the Hudson Valley. Its flavours are like a midpoint between pinot noir and cabernet, but poorly made examples taste weedy and bitter.

2015 Hudson-Chatham Baco Noir Reserve Casscles Vineyard ($26)

The New York state winery makes several very good reds from this grape. This cuvee has complex black cherry, smoky, savory flavours, high acidity, and delicate but rich textures.

Frontenac: Both white and red French-American hybrids are behind this University of Minnesota grape. Introduced in 1996, its widely planted in the Hudson Valley, Vermont, and the Midwest.

2016 La Garagista Loups-Garoux ($45)

Dark, intense, and smooth, this Vermont red is spicy, rich, and full-bodied, with a tart edge. Its made ripasso-style like amarone, from a mix of fresh and dried grapes.

Isabella: An older cross between vitis labrusca and some unidentified European variety, this grape can withstand tropical conditions, which is why its planted on Bali and in India as well as Portugals Azores.

2016 Azores Wine Company Isabella a Proibida ($36)

This wine has a wild, exotic character, with rich cherryish flavours, an earthy, iron tang, and salty acidity. The name is obscured on the label because the grape is officially prohibited in the European Union.

Marquette: Introduced in 2006 by the University of Minnesota, this red is high in acidity, low in tannin, and reminds me of gamay. Its the red hybrid that most impressed me.

2016 La Garagista Damejeanne ($45)

Bright, floral, spicy, and power-packed with fruit and flavour, this Vermont red has some gamay character but a richer personality.

2017 Pinard & Filles Frangin ($57)

This lighter-bodied, thirst-quenching Quebec blend of marquette and Frontenac Gris (a mutant of Frontenac) has elegant sour cherry and raspberry fruit flavours.
SAN FRANCISCOAlphabets board of directors agreed to pay a former top Google executive as much as $45 million (U.S.) when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of groping a subordinate.

The previously undisclosed sum was in the separation agreement for Amit Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Googles search operations until February 2016. The amount was revealed Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause.

The suit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases. The New York Times reported in October that Google had handsomely paid several high-ranking executives in separation agreements after they were credibly accused of sexual harassment, even though the men could have been fired for cause. In one case, Google handed a $90 million exit package to Andy Rubin, who used to head its Android division, after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

The shareholder lawsuit was filed in January in California Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed Monday without the redactions.

Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an abdication of responsibility.

A Google spokesperson said Monday that the company had made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority. She added, there are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google.

According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal $15 million a year for two years and between $5 million and $15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor. He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event. Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated. The company also concluded that the employees account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy.

Singhal did not respond to a request for comment.

The suit also cited board meeting minutes confirming the Times report of the $90 million exit package for Rubin. A Google employee with whom he was having an extramarital relationship accused him of coercing her into oral sex. She filed a complaint, and the companys investigation found her account to be credible. The separation agreement for Rubin was also contingent on his agreeing to refrain from working with rivals.

This lawsuit simply repeats much of the recent media coverage, mischaracterizes Andys departure from Google and sensationalizes claims made about Andy by his ex-wife, Rubins lawyer, Ellen Stross, said in a statement Monday. Andy acknowledges having had a consensual relationship with a Google employee. However, Andy strongly denies any misconduct, and we look forward to telling his story in court.

The payout for Rubin sparked widespread outrage at Google and, last fall, prompted a walkout of 20,000 employees who demanded that the company improve its handling of harassment claims. After the walkout, Google ended its practice of forced arbitration for claims of sexual harassment or assault.

Google Walkout for Real Change, the organizer of the walkout, said in a statement Monday: The details of these outrageous exit packages, signed off personally by Googles executives, are a symptom of a culture that protects and awards all harassers. Google is badly in need of accountable leadership and real, systemic changes.

The lawsuit also provided a window into the workings of Alphabets board and the power exerted by Larry Page, a co-founder of Google and Alphabets chief executive.

According to the suit, the boards compensation committee proposed paying Rubin a salary of $650,000 in April 2014 with the opportunity for him to get a bonus of more than double his salary. At the time, Rubin was an adviser to Google and no longer running the Android business.

The lawsuit said Rubin had declined to accept that pay package until he had spoken to Page. In August 2014, Page awarded a $150 million stock grant to Rubin.

Eight days after the $150 million grant was awarded, a Google official emailed the board committee asking for approval of Rubins compensation. Without any additional documents, the committee members  Paul S. Otellini, Intels former chief executive, who died in 2017; John Doerr of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins; and Ram Shriram of venture firm Sherpalo Ventures  said they had approved it, according to the suit.

Doerr and Shriram did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Google awarded Rubin the grant even though there was an active investigation into his misconduct. When Page ultimately decided to part ways with Rubin, the $150 million stock grant was a sizable bargaining chip that Rubin used to negotiate his exit package since an executives stock compensation is often taken into consideration during settlement talks.

Through an Alphabet spokesperson, Page declined to comment.

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EDMONTONA third Edmontonian has been identified as one of the victims of Sundays Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, which killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians.

Darcy Belanger, a 46-year-old from Edmonton, was on his way to the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, and was aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 when it crashed shortly after leaving Addis Ababa.

Belanger posted excitedly about his upcoming trip from a layover in Washington, D.C., saying in a video that he was looking forward to discussing the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) initiative  a treaty that aims to declare the Arctic Ocean an international peace park  for which he was a fierce advocate.

He was attending the UN assembly as part of his volunteer work with Parvati.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the environmental and social welfare of the planet. He was a founding member of the organization in 2014, and served as its director of strategic initiatives.

Parvati Devi, the founder of the organization, said Belanger was extraordinary, and had a hugely generous heart. She said he volunteered his time on top of working full-time at PCL Construction as director of professional development, first in Edmonton, before transferring two years ago to Denver.

Devi said Belangers work has always been integral to the non-profit. We called him our quarterback, she said.

Read more:

A family, environmentalists and humanitarians: What we know about the Canadians killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash

Torontos Ethiopian community prays for plane crash victims

Canadians mourn plane crash victims of Ethiopian Airlines flight  its really hard to believe

He led our group of volunteers with such tremendous courage and heart, Devi said. He inspired us constantly to give more, to be more, to do more.

In a statement released by Parvati.org, Belanger was hailed as a hero who personally brought the MAPS treaty to four different UN climate change conferences, starting in 2015 in Paris, and who fiercely promoted its role in preserving the planets resources.

He once said to me a few years back that he was willing to give his life for MAPS, and he literally did, Devi said.

We leave now with the passion that he very much inspired in us for the greater good of the world.

An Edmonton mother and her daughter were also identified as being among the 18 Canadian victims of the crash. Amina Ibrahim Odowa, 33, and her 5-year-old daughter Safiya Faisal Abdulkadir Egal were on their way to visit relatives in Kenya.

A Calgary accountant, Derick Lwugi, was among the victims as well. He was on his way to Kenya to visit both his and his wifes parents, who live in the west of the country. He leaves behind three children, aged 17, 19 and 20, all of whom live at home. The family has lived in Calgary for 12 years.

The 157 dead included passengers and crew from 35 countries, including Canada, China, the United States, and Kenya.

With files from Brennan Doherty

Nadine Yousif is a reporter/photographer for Star Edmonton. Follow her on twitter: @nadineyousif_

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Half the world away, investigators are still sifting through the wreckage of a crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight in a field outside of Addis Ababa.

Blackened pieces of fuselage, wings, and body  still emblazoned with the colours of the Ethiopian flag  are splayed across the crash site, along with more tangible leavings of the 157 passengers and crew aboard. At least one of the aircrafts safety instruction cards survived. So, too, did dozens of loose cigarettes. Heaps of colourful scarves, handbags, and books sit in piles outside of the impact crater. A single shoe sitting right-side up in the dirt caught the attention of a photojournalists lens the day of the crash. But none of their owners survived.

As aviation experts arrive from the United States and help piece together exactly what caused Flight ET302 to drop out of the sky six minutes after takeoff on Sunday, the families and friends of the 18 Canadians killed in the crash are mourning their loved ones from coast to coast to coast. For Mohamed Hassan Ali, the elder brother of Edmontons Amina Ibrahim Odowa  who died in the crash alongside her 5-year-old daughter, Safiya Faisal Abdulkadir Egal  it could be some time before their family is able to secure her remains.

We dont have the body to come to a closure, Ali said.

There arent any burial arrangements yet for his younger sister and niece because its unclear when their remains will come home. Ali originally intended to fly to Ethiopia himself, but said there isnt any reason to go right now. Ethiopian authorities have given next to no information.

At this point, theres nothing, he said.

Read more:

A family, environmentalists and humanitarians: What we know about the Canadians killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash

Torontos Ethiopian community prays for plane crash victims

Countries ground Boeing jets after crash in Ethiopia

Few details of the crash are known at this point, but data from Flightradar24 showed the routine flight to Nairobi quickly went awry. The planes vertical speed quickly became erratic and, shortly after takeoff, pilot Yared Getachew issued a distress call. He was told to return to the airport, but was unreachable six minutes later. The tragedy has led to safety concerns with Boeings 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Airlines in China, Indonesia, South Africa, the Cayman Islands, and Morocco have temporarily grounded those aircraft as a precaution.

However, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the Canadian government wouldnt follow suit because it isnt clear why the flight crashed in the first place.

Well, I think that would be premature, Garneau said. The first thing is to determine the cause of that accident, and there are all kinds of possibilities as to why that accident occurred.

Throughout the day on Monday, the family and friends of other Canadian victims continued to come to terms with their grief. Those who died had been aboard the flight for a myriad of reasons. The 157 dead, from 35 different countries, included law students, tourists, writers, academics and aid workers and employees of the United Nations. Some of the Canadians, such as Angela Rehhorn and Micah Messent, had been on their way to take part in the United Nations Assembly of the Environment in Kenya on Monday. In a surprise Facebook post  the last Messent ever made  he shared his excitement about the impending trip.

Ill have the chance to meet with other passionate youth and leaders from around the world and explore how we can tackle the biggest challenges that are facing our generation, he wrote on March 8. Im so grateful for this opportunity and want to thank all of the people in my life who have helped me get this far.

Other Canadians aboard the flight had been visiting relatives. Derick Lwugi, an accountant with the City of Calgary, was on his way to visit both his and his wifes parents in western Kenya. His mother hadnt been feeling well. He leaves behind his wife and three children, aged 17, 19, and 20.

Our love is with his family, his friends but also everyone that he has touched through a life that was really defined by service, said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi on Monday.

One-third of the Canadian victims came from one family. Six members of the Dixit family, spanning three generations, were flying to Kenya for March break. The elders  Pannagesh, 73, and Hansini Vaidya, 67  hadnt returned to the country in over 30 years. All of them perished.

Its really hard to believe that this thing happened, said Hiral Vaidya. Its hard to recover because we lost six members. And they were all very close to us.

Prof. Pius Adesanmi, a Nigerian professor with Carleton University in Ottawa, was also among the dead. The author of Naija No Dey Carry Last, a collection of satirical essays, Adesanmi had degrees from Ilorin and Ibadan universities in Nigeria, and the University of British Columbia. He was director of Carletons Institute of African Studies, according to the universitys website. He was also a former assistant professor of comparative literature at Pennsylvania State University.

Pius was a towering figure in African and post-colonial scholarship and his sudden loss is a tragedy, said Benoit-Antoine Bacon, Carletons president and vice chancellor.

Kenya suffered the biggest loss among the countries represented on the flight, losing 32 of its citizens. The United Nations, which has major operations in both Kenya and Ethiopia, was the hardest-hit organization. Many of the 19 UN staffers on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were travelling to Nairobi for the environmental assembly. It opened Monday with flags at half-staff outside and a minute of silence for the victims.

Several of the airlines whove grounded the 737 Max 8, including Ethiopian Airways, have done so without direction from their governments. But Air Canada, WestJet, and Southwest airlines said theyd keep using them.

WestJet remains confident in the safety of our Boeing 737 fleet including out 13 Max-8 aircraft first introduced in 2017, said spokesperson Morgan Bell in a statement to Star Calgary.

The statement also said WestJet intends to keep a close eye on the investigation.

Sundays crash bore similarities to the crash of a Boeing 737 owned by Lion Air in Indonesian seas last year, killing 189 people. The crash was likely to renew questions about the 737 Max 8, the newest version of Boeings single-aisle airliner, which was first introduced in 1967 and has become the worlds most common passenger jet. Safety experts cautioned against drawing too many comparisons between the two crashes until more is known.

Its unusual for governments to order planes be grounded, according to Todd Curtis, an aviation safety analyst who directs the Airsafe.com Foundation. Countries set standards on which planes can fly and how theyre maintained.

If there is a suspicion ... that theres not only something inherently wrong with 737 Max 8 aircraft, but there are no procedures in place to cure the problem, then yes, they should either ground the plane, or there are several levels of things they could do, Curtis said.

Investigators at the crash site have already found the aircrafts two flight recorders, an airline official told the Associated Press, although one of them is partially damaged. Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation, assisted by others from the United States and Kenya.

Transport Canada said it will act on the investigations findings if necessary.

Jibril Ibrahim, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, hopes investigators eventually get to the bottom of exactly what happened  and that the government takes appropriate precautions.

Ibrahim said there are discussions with a local mosque about holding a janazah, or Muslim funeral prayer, without the bodies of Odowa and her daughter Safiya.

Ibrahim said his community is deeply saddened, and not just for Odowa and Egal.

We are all in mourning for all the Canadians that have passed away, he said.

With files from Star staff and wire services

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WASHINGTON, D.C.Tech giant Huawei has become a proxy for U.S. struggles with Beijing over the Chinese governments aggressive backing of its private companies, and American experts warn global diplomatic conflict could worsen if U.S.-China trade negotiations dont go well.

While Huawei is now under criminal indictment by a U.S. federal court, theres been a broader U.S. campaign to bring allies on side to oppose the Chinese governments heavy subsidization and involvement in private companies, said a former federal official.

Theres a feeling that the U.S. is basically telling other countries youre with China or youre with us, so you have to show which side youre on, said Stephanie Segal, deputy director of the Simon Chair in Political Economy at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Segal is also former co-director of the East Asia Office at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The mood in Washington toward China is very pessimistic, she added, with officials nearly unified in their conviction that international partners need to be tough in order to bring China to the table to achieve any kind of meaningful structural reforms to the way business is done in the country.

Washington is calling for China to cease market-distorting subsidies and introduce greater protections for intellectual property. The Trump administration has also threatened more tariffs, while China has fired back by slapping its own tariffs on American goods.

Meanwhile, international concerns over allowing Huawei equipment into domestic infrastructure supporting 5G networks  seen as the next leap forward in connectivity  is due in large part to the companys connections with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Read more:

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But as experts have told the Star, Huawei is no outlier in this regard. Politics and economics in China are not separate. The conduct of private firms is subject to the will of the party, and companies  which often receive state subsidies that allow them to undercut international competitors  are tasked with realizing the governments overall goals domestically and internationally.

(President) Xi Jinping has declared the party leads everything. And like any other Chinese company, Huawei is expected to have a party secretary and party committee who exercise some rather ambiguous position in terms of its leadership and management, said Elsa B. Kania, adjunct senior fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Both Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party have consistently denied such allegations.

The growing frustration at some point is going to reach a tipping point, said Naomi Wilson, senior director of policy, Asia, at the Information Technology Industry Council, a D.C.-based industry group. Prior to joining, Wilson served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

China is relying on the fact they have a huge and influential market, Wilson said. She warned that a trade dispute could continue and have wide-ranging impacts, including on consumer prices, in the long term if the U.S. and China dont come to any agreements.

The U.S. originally set a March 1 deadline to complete trade talks between the two economic powers, but Donald Trump last month eased off on the pressure to meet a firm deadline.

Meanwhile, the escalating legal dispute reached new heights in recent days following Canadian Minister of Justice David Lamettis authorization to proceed with Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhous extradition. Meng was arrested on Dec. 1 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the U.S., which is seeking her extradition to face fraud charges related to violations of U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.

Mengs defence lawyer Richard Peck told the B.C. Supreme Court last Wednesday he had concerns about political motivations behind Mengs arrest, citing suggestions by Trump that the president might personally intervene in Mengs case should a favourable outcome in U.S.-China trade negotiations be forthcoming.

Mengs arrest hurled Canada into a heated diplomatic dispute with 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 offences for which hed already been tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

On March 1  the same day as Lamettis approval of proceedings  Mengs defence team filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government, Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP. It claims her rights were violated during the course of her arrest, but legal experts told The Star the move is likely a part of a larger legal strategy to hamstring the extradition case.

Then last Wednesday, Huawei launched a lawsuit against the U.S. government for barring its equipment from government networks, delivering a legal riposte to American indictments alleging the worlds largest telecommunications company aids China in espionage and engages in technology theft and money laundering.

Huawei has rejected the allegations, saying there has been no proof of wrongdoing.

The U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada co-operate on intelligence matters in an alliance referred to as the Five Eyes. Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. have all either banned or blocked Huawei from supplying equipment for their own 5G networks.

But despite Canadas intimate security and intelligence partnership with the U.S.  which dates back at least to the establishment of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence in 1940  Canadians are not blind to the possibility the U.S. has drawn them into a dispute for reasons more complicated than they might appear, said Christian Leuprecht, professor of political science at Queens University and the Royal Military College of Canada.

Make no mistake, I think the Canadians do feel somewhat instrumentalized, here, Leuprecht said.

I think Canada does feel that its a bit of a pawn in the U.S. game with China, and that this (extradition request) was (one of) many moves that the U.S. could make in that game as a way of turning up the heat on China in general and on Huawei in particular.

There is little question, he added, that Mengs arrest and the prosecution of Huawei are part of a broader strategy to contain China. But extradition requests are enormously time-consuming and resource-intensive to produce, he said, and are conducted not by political actors but by law enforcement and intelligence agencies who must determine whether federal law has been violated.

But since so much effort goes into an extradition request, he noted, the U.S. only does it selectively, when the stakes are incredibly high.

So its clear to everybody that both the request in general and the timing were hardly accidental, he said.

In February, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence warned attendees at the Munich Security Conference of the risks inherent in partnering with Huawei, given the Chinese Communist Partys apparent control of Chinas private sector. And at the MWC Barcelona tech conference last month, U.S. officials and Huawei representatives delivered duelling messages over the truthfulness of allegations the Chinese tech giant represents a threat to cybersecurity.

But as the geopolitical landscape shifts, the U.S. and Canada have not been beyond reproach in the eyes of the international community. Trump has increasingly come into conflict with American allies and even his own senior administration officials over the direction and implementation of American trade and foreign policy.

Canada, meanwhile, has been routinely challenged by Beijing over the objectivity of Mengs legal case.

The SNC-Lavalin scandal has become a lightning rod for Chinese government accusations of widespread corruption in the Canadian legal system. This has only strengthened the call from Beijing for the release of Meng on the grounds her arrest has been, from the beginning, illegitimate.

Analysts agree that for both Canada and the U.S., conflict with China may provide a catalyst for the development of policy around what is tolerable in a partnership with a technologically advanced, authoritarian foreign power.

I think there is still a need to look for areas where the U.S. and China can collaborate and co-operate, and a strategy that is one of just isolating China is not one that is probably going to be successful, Segal said.

Leuprecht said its important to remember that China is an adversary to Canada on some issues, while on others it is a competitor, and on others still its a partner. And the current conflict has shown there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all China policy, he added. For that reason, Canada needs a nuanced and clearly articulated policy approach to China  a position Canada has never really had the bandwidth or the smarts to develop, he said.

This is a learning experience for both sides. Inherently, this is a high-profile issue for China, and so China will push this as far as it possibly can. Its a very high-risk and reputational issue for China, so that they will play brinkmanship should come as no surprise. That we would be caught off guard should also come as no surprise because weve been rather naive, he said.

So, theres a silver lining in here: We can all learn from this experience, both the Chinese and us, and we can hopefully find some better, more constructive ground.

With files from Bloomberg

Clarification  March 14, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version to clarify Stephanie Segals comments about the mood in Washington, D.C. towards China.

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SIOUX LOOKOUT, ONT.A 26-year-old man whose four-year stint in solitary confinement sparked a public debate on the practice in Ontario jails has been arrested in connection with an alleged sexual assault.

Ontario Provincial Police say Adam Capay is charged with one count of sexual assault with a weapon in relation to the alleged incident on March 6.

Police did not provide any details about the alleged incident in Kejick Bay, Ont., but say the investigation is ongoing.

In January, an Ontario judge stayed a murder charge against Capay after he spent four years in solitary confinement in two northern Ontario correctional facilities.

The judge said Capay, who was accused of killing a fellow inmate, had endured permanent memory loss and saw his mental health deteriorate significantly because of his time in segregation and was therefore unable to stand trial.

Capays situation, which involved spending months at a stretch in Plexiglas cells with the lights on 24 hours a day, prompted the government to put a cap on the length of time a person can be held in segregation.
REGINAA lawyer for the government has told Saskatchewans Appeal Court that the province does not want to tie education funding to the religion of its students.

Tom Irvine told the Appeal Court on Tuesday that Catholic and public schools are both part of Saskatchewans education system, and separate schools have more constitutional protection than public ones.

The province is appealing a judges ruling that prohibits funding of non-Catholic students attending separate schools.

A judge ruled in 2017 that provincial funding for non-minority faith students attending separate schools infringed on equality rights and religious neutrality. Justice Donald Layh said the key issue was the provincial policy of funding separate schools based solely on student enrolment without regard to students religion.

The decision caused concern among parents and with former premier Brad Wall, who at the time warned it could lead to overpopulated public schools and possibly empty some Catholic schools.

Irvine told court that the government views religious neutrality to mean providing funding for public education for all  without the requirement of a baptismal certificate or religious test.

He argued the 2017 ruling means the government is required to ask families and students attending separate schools what their religion is and to consider religion when it comes to distributing funds.

That is not religious neutrality, he said.

Because school attendance is closely tied to access to funding, the ruling would result in religious segregation and possible discrimination, Irvine argued.

This conception of religion neutrality would require the government to restrict access to a publicly funded school based solely on religion, he said. The government should not be asking people their religion as a condition of accessing a public service.

The Appeal Court is set to hear from the Good Spirit School Division on Wednesday.

The dispute over funding began in 2003 when the division, formerly called the Yorkdale School Division, shuttered its kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in the town of Theodore because of declining enrolment. The division planned to bus its 42 students to the community of Springside, 17 kilometres away.

In response, a local group created its own Catholic school division and opened St. Theodore Roman Catholic School.

Good Spirit filed a lawsuit in which it argued that the new Catholic division was not created to serve the communitys Catholics, but rather to prevent students from being bused to a neighbouring town.

A constitutional provision meant to protect minority religious rights had been harnessed for different purposes, said court documents filed for the appeal on behalf of Good Spirit.

Irvine told court that St. Theodore is not a sham, but a valid separate school because it was established by a minority of Catholics who exercised their rights to do so and provides religious instruction.

Irvine said legislation that sets out the rights of separate schools doesnt draw a link between attendance and religion, but was intentionally silent on the issue.

A lawyer for Christ the Teacher Roman Catholic school division, which St. Theodore belongs to, told court that Good Spirit was motivated to retain students because it would receive funding.

It doesnt have anything to do with religion, said Collin Hirschfeld. Its about money.

Dwight Newman, who teaches law at the University of Saskatchewan, says he wouldnt be surprised if the case ends up in the Supreme Court.

These questions on how to read religious freedom today, alongside other parts of the Constitution, are a challenging legal question.

He says the province wants to win in court, so it doesnt need to rely on the notwithstanding clause in the Charter of Rights to keep funding students who attend Catholic schools, regardless of their religion.
TORONTOIt is up to the provincial legislature or the law professions regulatory body to decide whether victims should receive compensation when harmed by lawyers who end up without insurance coverage, an Ontario court has decided.

The Superior Court decision means the family of a couple badly hurt in a car crash cannot force payment from the insurance all lawyers in the province must carry in the public interest.

I...am bound by the law and the facts of this case, Justice Jamie Trimble said in his decision this week. If there is a remedy for the Caputos, that remedy lies with the Law Society or the legislature.

The case arose in 2004 when Francesco Caputo was in a car crash that cost him his life and left his passenger wife Carolina Caputo, who has now died, badly and permanently injured. However, their now-disbarred lawyer, Wayne Novak, failed to file an auto insurance claim. In 2014, a judge ordered Novak to pay the Caputos $321,500.

Because he had no money, the Caputos looked to his insurer, the Lawyers Professional Indemnity Company, known as LawPro, for the money.

LawPro refused to cover the award on the grounds that Novak had refused to co-operate with its investigation. The Caputos, using a novel legal approach, asked the courts to force LawPro to pay up for Novak.

The Law Society of Ontario, which governs the provinces 50,000 lawyers, set up LawPro more than two decades ago to defend and cover claims against its members. Lawyers must carry the insurance to practise. However, if a lawyer fails to report a claim or wont co-operate with LawPros investigation, the insurance company  with about $743 million or 83 per cent of the law societys total assets  denies coverage.

An investigation by The Canadian Press last year turned up several cases in which victims of negligent lawyers went uncompensated after LawPro would not pay. In response, the law society updated its website to refer to a little known policy which it said offers coverage in those cases.

On Tuesday, the society said it would consider claims denied because a lawyer fails to report a claim or to co-operate with the insurer provided that the lawyer intended to prejudice the claimants efforts to obtain compensation.

In his decision, Trimble found LawPro, had solid grounds to refuse to cover Novak given his serious failure to co-operate with its investigation.

My conclusion that LawPros denial of coverage to Mr. Novak is appropriate acts as a bar to the Caputos notice of garnishment, Trimble wrote. LawPro owes no debt to Mr. Novak and therefore, there is nothing exigible under the policy for the Caputos to garnishee.

In essence, Trimble concluded, the Caputos were asking him to create public policy by declaring that LawPro provide no-fault coverage, which it doesnt.

What the Caputos are really asking is that the court engage in judicial legislation (but) it is not the courts job to legislate, Trimble said. The question of whether there should be no-fault coverage for lawyers in Ontario is a question for the (law society) within its statutory mandate, or the legislature.

Ava Hillier, who represented the Caputos at no charge, expressed disappointment at the decision and noted the family was now potentially on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in LawPros legal costs. Hillier said the family was also considering an appeal, which also carries the risk of further costs.

Our clients deserve to be compensated; theres no question about that, Hillier said. Id like to proceed on the basis of public interest.

A spokesman for Ontarios attorney general, Caroline Mulroney, did not respond to a request for comment.
VANCOUVERAn American law firm is suing U.S. Customs and Border Protection over its refusal to disclose documents detailing its authority for handing out lifetime bans on entry to the U.S. to Canadian cannabis workers.

While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has broad discretion to question travellers to the United States on any number of subjects, the legal mandate by which its officers are empowered to permanently ban Canadians who work in the cannabis industry is unclear, said John McKay, a former U.S. attorney with the Department of Justice.

I want to know what their authority is to ban people or to threaten to ban people and to cause fear among law-abiding Canadians who want to enter the United States, McKay, now a partner with the plaintiff in the suit, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, said in an interview.

Citing a July 2018 article in The Star that first reported the practice of border bans for Canadian cannabis workers, the suit alleges CBP has improperly withheld documents requested by McKays law firm under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The suit, filed last week in a Washington federal district court, claims the CBP ran out the clock on its window to respond to the firms FOIA request and failed to give any notice of an application for an extension. McKay said the lawsuits aim is to force the release of the requested documents, which would reveal the legal basis behind CBPs banning of cannabis workers, and to obtain an award for attorneys fees and costs related to the suit.

In doing so, he added, he hopes to uncover whether the enforcement of such a policy is actually legal under U.S. law. A central federal agency such as Homeland Security could be providing CBP officers with direction to implement border bans, he noted. If that is indeed the case, we may or may not have a basis for legal action because of the way theyre treating folks who want to enter the United States, he said.

In an email, a CBP spokesperson told The Star that as a matter of policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not comment on pending litigation. However, lack of comment should not be construed as agreement or stipulation with any of the allegations.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has clients in the legal cannabis industry in both the U.S. and Canada. The lawsuit, however, is being brought by the law firm itself.

Leading up to cannabis legalization last October, Canadians who were even tangentially involved in the cannabis industry increasingly became the targets of lifetime bans  a status known formally as inadmissibility  for what they were told were crimes ranging from drug trafficking to aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise.

Last summer, Blaine, Wash.-based immigration lawyer Len Saunders told The Star he was hearing from Canadians seeking legal help for inadmissibility because of cannabis at least once or twice a week. Fifteen years prior, it was one or two cases per year.

While dozens of American states have legalized medical or recreational cannabis use, the drug remains prohibited at the federal level. Because the border is under federal jurisdiction, admission of past use of cannabis or involvement in the cannabis industry was sufficient to hand a traveller a ban from entering the U.S.

On Oct. 11, 2018, an update was quietly made to CBPs public regulations, stating that travellers who had ties to the legal cannabis industry in Canada would no longer be subject to inadmissibility. But the door was left open for bans to be levelled against Canadian businesspeople and investors with links to the legal American cannabis industry, should those ties become apparent to CBP officers.

And according to McKay, the legal authority by which such bans are given out is completely opaque.

We dont know what their authority is, he said, adding he and his colleagues have examined the law as well as publicly available records of CBP policies and regulations and have found no justification or direction suggesting border bans are legitimate.

This shroud of secrecy around CBPs mandate is troubling, McKay said, especially in regards to a policy as absurd as banning travellers from entry for associating with a substance that is legal just steps away on either side of the borderline.

And while CBP has occasionally issued notice of policy updates via its website and through public statements by officials, no clear framework for its apparently uniform policy of border bans has ever been fully established, McKay said.

Press statements and public statements are not the same as legal authority, and were trying to get at whatever their legal authority is  or what they claim their legal authority is, he said.

And while none of the clients of McKays law firm have yet had the misfortune of being banned from the U.S., the fear looms large as they look to find ways to expand their businesses, he said.

Theyre all terribly concerned about it, because nobody wants to be working for a legal cannabis company in Canada with potential investments or actual investments in the United States, and all of a sudden they cant take their kids to Disneyland anymore, he said.

I mean, thats crazy.

McKay said the suit will continue apace through the federal court system, though no hearing has yet been scheduled.

We will pursue this, he said. Were going to get an answer. And in the end, were entitled to collect our attorneys fees and costs against the government. And as an experienced U.S. attorney, I can say: This will have their attention. They cant ignore this one.

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The general manager of Toronto Water is recommending that Aplus General Contractors Corporation be barred from bidding on City of Toronto contracts for three years after it allegedly failed to properly conduct and complete work at the Ellesmere pumping station.

Meanwhile the company is suing the city over the Ellesmere work  a contract worth $23,835,000 before taxes.

Aplus General Contractors Corp. is already under a temporary, six-month suspension, which began on Oct. 30. If the new, three-year city ban is approved, it will begin April 30, according to the report, from Toronto Water general manager Lou Di Gironimo, and the citys chief purchasing officer.

Regarding issues with City of Toronto, we have no comments as the matter is legal in nature and is in courts, Aplus wrote in an email Tuesday in response to questions about the report. Factual information will be determined through the judicial process in due course.

In its lawsuit, Aplus blames the city for project delays and extra costs. The city has countersued. None of the allegations in the lawsuits have been proven in court.

The report from Toronto Water is scheduled to go to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on March 18, and then go to city council.

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Among the allegations made in the city report: Aplus failed to properly supervise and adhere to health and safety requirements, putting workers at high risk of serious injury or death.

The report also alleges that on Nov. 22, 2017, the president of Aplus made comments to a city staff person with the apparent attempt to intimidate and harass this person including references to knowing where the staff person lived.

The tender was awarded to Aplus in April, 2016, and included significant upgrades at the Ellesmere reservoir and pumping station, a key water storage and distribution hub serving 500,000 residents.

The work was ordered after the widespread electrical blackout in southern Ontario in August 2003 revealed gaps in Toronto Waters ability to provide adequate drinking water supply for extended periods of power disruption, according to the report.

Since then, the city has undertaken upgrades to ensure it could provide water for at least 72 hours following a major power loss. The Ellesmere pumping station power generators upgrade was part of the plan.

According to the city, the contract required Aplus to, among other things, construct a new generator building, install the necessary equipment and systems for its operation and install a section of water main through the basement of the new generator building that connected with the existing Ellesmere reservoir.

The project was to be completed by Aug. 1, 2018, the city says.

Aplus president Peter Martins could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In 2016, the company was criticized by Ontarios auditor general for work on a pedestrian bridge in Pickering for Metrolinx. In its email to the Star on Tuesday, the company included a statement from that year denying the claims made by the auditor general.

In the companys lawsuit against the City of Toronto over the Ellesmere project, it claims the city failed to issue a correct survey, failed to resolve scope changes in a timely fashion and failed to make payments in a timely fashion for completed work.

As a result, the City has caused delays to the project (and) has put the project out of sequence, forcing Aplus to incur additional costs, even though Aplus has continuously notified the city that such delays would affect the project schedule, according to the companys statement of claim.

The city has defended against the claim and issued a counterclaim, alleging that while the company started work on time, it then failed to comply with the contract, including meeting deadlines. It says the company failed to carry out all necessary detailed surveying, resulting in workers cutting into the reservoir at an incorrect location when the water main was installed. The city also alleges that the company repeatedly failed to properly co-ordinate with the city-appointed consultant on the project and provide accurate documentation.

The city claims that at one point, it had to stop a portion of work on the project due to unsafe conditions.

The city claims that rather than address the issues it pointed out, the company abandoned the unfinished project on March 16, 2018, leaving potentially dangerous conditions on the site.

The city returned the east reservoir at the station to service using Toronto Water resources and another contractor and is currently pursuing alternate means to complete the project, according to the city report.

In the report, the city says the problems with the project mean it will be required to spend an additional $865,000 in contract administration on the project.

The City does not often suspend contractors, said Andrea Martinelli, a spokesperson for the City of Toronto. A list of suspended and disqualified firms is available on the City of Toronto website.

By adopting the recommendations in this report, City Council will clearly communicate to Aplus and the wider construction industry that unacceptable and poor performance and conduct and a lack of good faith in dealings with the city will not be tolerated on City of Toronto contracts, the report concludes.
A 23-year-old man is dead after a vehicle crashed into a pole in Brampton Monday night, Peel police say.

They received the call shortly after 7 p.m. for a single vehicle collision near Finch Ave. W. and Kenview Blvd.

The vehicle was travelling north on Finch when it struck a pole, Peel police Const. Harinder Sohi said.

The man was transported to a trauma centre in critical condition, where he later died, Sohi confirmed.

According to police, he was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The identity of the victim has not yet been released, but Sohi said he was from Brampton.

Investigators havent released what caused the collision.

Finch Ave. W. was closed between Steeles Ave. E. and Kenview Blvd. Monday night for the investigation.

Claire Floody is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @claire_floody

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The former head of Toronto Community Housing is accusing the public housing entity of wrongly firing her in a new statement of claim filed in court.

In a 29-page statement filed Monday, Kathy Milsom also alleges that Mayor John Tory promised to throw (her) under the bus if the increased spending on a controversial contract became a media issue.

The claims made by Milsom have not been tested in court. Neither Toronto Community Housing nor a second named defendant, TCH employee Andrew McKenzie, have filed a statement of defence.

As this matter is before the courts, Toronto Community Housing will not be providing comment, spokesperson Bruce Malloch told the Star in an email.

McKenzie did not respond to requests for comment. An out-of-office response on his TCH email said he was away until March 18.

Tory is not a named party in the claim.

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As the mayor said last month, the Toronto Community Housing board has taken decisive action and he believes the board made the right decision, Torys spokesperson Don Peat said in a statement. As this matter is now before the courts, we wont be making further comment.

The claim follows Milsoms firing last month after it was reported she was involved in the controversial hiring of a change management consultant for $1.3 million.

The TCH board, following an investigation from an independent law firm, terminated Milsom with cause, saying in a statement that her conduct throughout this process did not meet the high standard that we set for ourselves and that she oversaw a bid that did not comply with the procedures and protocols expected of a public procurement process.

In the statement, Milsom claims that through late 2017 and 2018, board members, including chair Kevin Marshman were aware of the hiring of consultant Orchango and supportive of the change management work. The claim alleges Marshman met privately with Mellina at least twice in 2018 to discuss the work under the contract.

Milsom claimed she informed Marshman that Orchango had previously done consulting when she was at a previous job and she believed they could be of assistance to TCH, the statement of claim says.

After Milsom initially hired Orchango under a smaller contract, board members suggested a bid process for the work would be preferable . . . given the extent of change management efforts required, the statement says.

According to the statement, Milsom put TCH employee McKenzie in charge of the file, including the crafting of an RFP. Milsom claims McKenzie had the RFP vetted by the head of Orchango, Edmond Mellina, without her knowledge. Orchango later won the $1.3 million contract.

McKenzie, the claim notes, is the brother of city Councillor Michael Thompson, who is a close ally of Mr. Tory.

The board earlier said that an employee who oversaw the contract bid process had also been placed on leave. They did not name the employee.

McKenzie is still employed by TCH, a spokesperson confirmed. His title is listed online as senior director of service integration and delivery.

The lawsuit is seeking $1.6 million against TCH and another $1.1 million against McKenzie for unlawful interference with economic relations.

(Milsom) performed her duties faithfully, diligently, honestly, and competently, the statement of claim says. She was well-regarded by many board members, (TCH) staff and (TCH) tenants.

An initial investigation into the contract, Milsom claims, began after a former employee complained about the process in September 2018.

The Toronto Sun then reported on the existence of the contract in late November.

The claim says Tory was upset by the Sun article and that his office discussed how to respond to it with (Marshman).

(Tory and Marshman) concluded that it was politically preferable to distance themselves from the contract rather than defend it, and in particular to throw the plaintiff under the bus, as previously threatened, the statement of claim says.

The investigation, conducted by law firm Rubin Thomlinson, concluded that it was McKenzie, not Milsom that had acted inappropriately, according to the statement of claim. It also said allegations made by McKenzie that Milsom had directed him to involve Mellina in drafting the RFP were unsubstantiated.

Neither the report nor its findings has been made public.

A separate investigation was launched in December by law firm Bennett Jones, after the Sun article was published. When that investigation was concluded, Milsom was terminated. That report has also not been made public.

Milsom claims she was fired after Marshman and Tory urged the board to terminate her in order to provide the media with a false accountability narrative.

Milsom also claims TCH officials failed to inform the Sun about their previous knowledge of the contract.

In announcing her termination, the TCH board appointed Marshman as CEO.

The contract with Orchango was earlier cut short.
Manant Vaidya will never again hear the angelic voice of his 14-year-old niece or watch her younger sister perform folk dances at family gatherings  memories hell cherish as he grapples with the loss of six family members in Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash.

What was supposed to be a dream March break trip to Kenya for the Brampton family ended tragically when the aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people, including 18 Canadians. Manant Vaidyas sister Kosha Vaidya, 37, her husband, Prerit Dixit, 45, their daughters, Ashka Dixit, 14, and Anushka Dixit, 13, and his parents Pannagesh Vaidya, 73, and Hansini Vaidya, 68, were among the victims.

Its a huge tragedy, said Manant Vaidya, 41, sitting next to his sobbing wife, Hiral. Shes the only sister Ive got. I lost my parents and I lost my sister. I dont have anybody else.

The couple is still struggling to cope with the loss of so many family members, so suddenly.

The news came at night, said Hiral. Our phone rang like 15, 20 times.

A family friend broke the news to them, but they ended up going to the airport to get confirmation.

They had a list of the family members, she said. Its really hard to believe that this thing happened. Its hard to recover because we lost six members. And they were all very close to us.

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Flags at Chinguacousy Secondary School, which Ashka attended, and Centennial Sr. Public School, where Anushka was a student, will be lowered to half-mast on Tuesday to honour the girls, Peel District School Board said in a note posted on Twitter.

This tragedy has brought great sadness to the students and staff, the statement said.

Hiral Vaidya fondly recalls Ashka singing every chance she got  something she revelled in at family gatherings.

Her voice is really brilliant, she said. Ashkas younger sister, Anushka, meanwhile, would entertain the family with Indian folk dances.

Manant Vaidya said he has been in constant contact with Canadian officials and the Indian embassy for any news on recovery of remains  something critical in the Hindu faith.

Were waiting for them to give us some news that they found some body parts, Hiral said. Even if its their jewelry. Were hoping some news comes by Thursday.

We need their ashes. she said.

The couple said they dropped the family off at the airport Saturday morning so they could start their vacation, which was to last for 10 days. They were all very excited about the trip, Hiral said.

The night before their departure, Hiral and her mother-in-law prayed  something the two treasured doing as part of their Hindu religion.

I didnt know that I would never get the chance to have them back, she said.

Manant said his sister, Kosha, was born in Mombasa, Kenya, and came to Canada with her husband in 2003. Manants parents became permanent residents of Canada in 2012.

Kosha worked in human resources at the Canadian Hearing Society, while Prerit Dixit worked as a lab assistant at LifeLabs.

Prerit was a dedicated member of our team for the last 18 years  a professional who brought great joy to all of us who had the pleasure of working with him, Suset Silva, director of corporate communications for LifeLabs said in an email statement.

Manant said his sister was thrilled about bringing her daughters to her birthplace. It was also a much anticipated trip for the girls grandparents, who hadnt been to Kenya in over 30 years.

It was once in a lifetime, Manant said of the trip. The family also wanted to reconnect with friends and go on safari, something the young girls were excited about.

Manant has so many questions about what triggered the crash. He said his brother-in-law was meticulous about vetting everything from an airliners track record, to reviews of its on-time performance, food and customer service of each carrier, before booking.

He did his homework, he said.

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Toronto police are asking for assistance from the public on a cold case involving a missing person, and have released sketches possibly showing his age progression since he was last seen more than 40 years ago.

George Norman Heys, then 22, was last seen leaving his residence for a medical appointment on Nov. 28, 1978. According to police, he never arrived at his appointment and was never spotted again.

At that time, he was described as five-foot-10, 160 pounds, with hazel eyes, brown hair and a small tattoo of a devil on his upper right arm.

Heys was a student at George Brown College at the time of his disappearance. In a news release, police said multiple people reported seeing him in and around Torontos downtown core, but he was never found.

He was reported missing by his parents three days later, on Dec. 1. Police say his parents have since died, but his siblings have continued to search for answers on his disappearance.

Sketches released by police show what Heys could possibly look like now.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7411 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
TTC officers are collecting personal information from an increasing number of transit users each year, according to an ongoing Star investigation.

Numbers provided by the agency show that in the first 11 months of 2018, fare inspectors and enforcement officers completed more than 10,000 field information cards for people they encountered on the transit system.

That was up from just fewer than 8,000 in all of 2017, and just fewer than 5,000 in 2016. The number has been on the rise every year since 2012, when officers filled out just 445 of the cards.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the trend correlates to changes in the number of transit officers the agency has deployed over the years.

In 2011, TTC enforcement officers lost their special constable status, which had granted them limited police powers through an agreement with the Toronto Police Services Board. As a result, the transit agency reduced its complement of officers from roughly 120 to fewer than 50, and the Toronto police created their own transit unit to patrol the system.

TTC enforcement officers regained the special constable status in 2014, however, and the transit agency has been gradually hiring more officers since. The agency also introduced the new position of fare inspector around that time. Inspectors are tasked with enforcing payment rules but arent special constables.

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This year, the TTC says its planning for an enforcement complement of 226 officers, up from 159 in 2018.

As the Star has reported, for years the TTC has quietly maintained a database that includes the personal information of thousands of transit users not charged with an offence.

The transit agency says its fare inspectors and enforcement officers collect the information  which can include details such as a persons name, address, drivers licence number and race  on field information cards only in cases where they have reason to believe the person committed an offence, but they decided to let the subject off with a warning instead of a ticket.

The subject isnt given a copy of the card, which means they have no official record of the interaction or what information the TTC has on them. The TTC says their data is kept on file for 20 years, in accordance with city bylaws.

Between January 2008 and December 2018, TTC officers filled out more than 40,000 of the cards, according to data the Star obtained through a freedom of information request. Of those, roughly 33,000 listed the persons race.

In more than 19 per cent of those cases, the cards listed the person as Black. Black residents make up only about 8.9 per cent of Torontos population, according to the 2016 census.

The majority of cards in which race was listed, or about 56 per cent, identified the subject as white. Thats slightly higher than the 49 per cent of Torontos population that is white.

About 12 per cent of the cards listed the transit user as Asian, in line with the 13 per cent of Torontonians who identify as from that group.

South Asians make up 14 per cent of Torontos population, but were listed on just 5 per cent of the cards. Its not clear why the disparity with that group is so large.

According to the TTC, officers will use their best judgment to list a persons race if the subject doesnt say which race they identify as.

The TTC doesnt keep race-based statistics on its ridership, but according to the census the Toronto population that commutes by public transit is about 43 per cent white, 14 per cent South Asian, 11 per cent Asian, and 11 per cent Black. Those figures dont include noncommuting trips, and do include journeys on other transit agencies such as GO.

The portion of cards on which officers didnt record the persons race rose and then fell over the course of the data set. In 2008, officers didnt record race on about one quarter of the cards. That increased to about 36 per cent in 2012, before falling to about 18 per cent in 2018.

The collection of the data and the overrepresentation of Black residents in the statistics has led some experts to say the TTCs use of field information cards raises concerns about privacy and potential racial profiling.

A representative from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association told the Star the practice appears similar to police carding or street checks, which disproportionately affected racialized groups.

The TTC and the union that represents transit officers reject that characterization, and assert the cards are filled out only in cases where officers believe someone had committed an offence on the transit system.

The TTC has never conducted, nor does it conduct, random stops and checks of anyone, Green said.

By far, the most common offence listed on the cards was fare evasion, which made up roughly 73 per cent of the nearly 42,000 cards.

That was followed by misconduct, which made up about 10 per cent. Green said the term is used to capture dozens of very specific infractions primarily related to bad behaviour  spitting, obscenities, etc.

Smoking and soliciting made up about 6 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. A single card listed theft.

The top five locations where officers stopped subjects were Spadina station, on-board vehicles, Union station, Broadview station, and Bloor-Yonge station.

A single card was written out for a trespassing warning at Lower Bay station, the platform beneath the existing Bay stop that has been closed to public use since 1966.

Green said the locations where the most cards had been collected are high traffic areas so it would follow there would be more reported instances of bylaw infractions that required investigation.

Data analysis by Andrew Bailey. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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LONDONBritain hurtled into unknown political territory Tuesday when Parliament rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to quit the European Union for a second time, leaving her authority in tatters and the country seemingly rudderless just 17 days before its planned departure from the bloc.

May had hoped that last-minute concessions from the European Union would swing the vote in her favour, but many lawmakers dismissed those changes as ineffectual or cosmetic and voted against the deal 391-242.

After the vote, the prime minister defended her agreement as the best outcome for the United Kingdom and betrayed her frustration in addressing the lawmakers, who are scheduled to vote later this week on whether to seek an extension to leave the bloc.

Let me be clear that voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face, May said. The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension and the House will have to answer that question.

Did Parliament want to remain in the European Union, she asked, or hold a second referendum? Or leave with some other deal?

These are unenviable choices, she said, but thanks to the decision the House has made this evening, they are choices that must now be faced.

The outcome, while expected, deepened an already profound crisis over the biggest peacetime decision to confront a British government in decades.

May, who was forced to argue for her plan in a croaking voice because of a head cold, has essentially ceded control of events to Parliament, at least for now, with important votes upcoming on whether to bar a no-deal Brexit and whether to request the extension, something many analysts say is now inevitable.

In another admission of her weakness, May announced after the vote that she would allow Conservative lawmakers to vote as they saw fit, without a party directive, on a no-deal Brexit.

The defeat also threatens Mays hold on her office. Under party rules she cannot be challenged for the leadership by Tory lawmakers until December. But there is always the risk of a Cabinet coup if she mishandles the next steps.

The thing about this drama is that it is both chronic and acute, said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. It has been going on for months, we have had so many near-death experiences, and I cant remember a time when so much has happened for so long and the tension has been so heightened.

We are in unchartered territory, anything could happen and in some ways the government has run out of road, Bale added.

May now faces a number of possible options, none of them particularly palatable. She might still try one last time to force her deal through, perhaps at the end of the month, but in the meantime will face pressure to change course.

Some lawmakers want to take non-binding votes on various alternatives to Mays Brexit plans, like those that would keep closer economic ties to the bloc similar to those enjoyed by Norway.

There is discussion about a second referendum to confirm public support for a Brexit deal as against remaining in the European Union. The opposition Labour Party now says it would potentially support some form of plebiscite.

But May has been implacably opposed to a second vote, saying it would not solve the problem.

More realistically, there is speculation about the possibility of a general election to change the composition of Parliament. Bale said opinion polls show the Conservatives with a comfortable lead over on Labour.

If Theresa May really has not got anything left in the locker and the EU doesnt seem willing to give her a second chance, you could see why some members of Parliament  seeing the Conservatives have opened up a lead against Labour  might think: OK, this is a do or die moment.

The Conservatives had a healthy lead on Labour in 2017, which is why May called the snap election that turned out so disastrously with the loss of her Parliamentary majority.

In theory, if there is no agreement by March 29, Britain should depart the European Union without any formal deal. But Britain is ill-prepared for a disorderly and potentially chaotic exit, and lawmakers are so alarmed at that prospect that they voted in January against such an outcome in a non-binding motion. Parliament will get that chance again in a vote Wednesday that will count.

Yet, while a clear majority opposes a no deal Brexit, a small number of hard-liners still believe they can extract more concessions from Brussels by threatening that very outcome, which could damage continental economies.

So Parliament remains stuck, largely as it has been for almost two years, since May lost a parliamentary majority in a snap election. The difference is that now there is very little time to chart a new path.

While Parliament is expected to support an extension in the Brexit negotiations, the question will be for how long and to what purpose. All EU leaders would have to agree to extra time for Brexit and, when they meet on March 21, they will want to know the reasoning behind any request.

On Monday, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, argued that, in any event, Brexit should occur before May 23, the day of elections to the European Parliament.

For legal reasons, any extension beyond this date might require Britain to take part in that contest, he suggested. That is something most British politicians do not want to contemplate.

Tuesday had begun with some mild optimism from Mays allies after last-minute concessions, agreed to with the European Union on Monday night in Strasbourg, France. These were given a cautious initial response by pro-Brexit rebels who promised to study the details overnight.

But the mood darkened when the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, said Tuesday morning the last-minute pledges from the bloc did not fundamentally alter the legal status of one aspect of the agreement that pro-Brexit lawmakers find particularly objectionable.

As Coxs opinion reverberated through British politics, May suffered another damaging loss when legal analysts for the influential European Research Group, a cohort of Conservative, pro-Brexit lawmakers, said they would not recommend accepting the governments motion today.

Then 10 lawmakers from Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party, whose support allowed May to form a government, also announced their opposition to her plan.

In explaining his decision, Cox said the concessions from the bloc did reduce the risk of Britain being trapped indefinitely in the so-called Irish backstop. That is an insurance policy against a hard border in Ireland that is a central issue for opponents of Mays deal because they think it could trap Britain inside the EUs economic rule book.

But Cox concluded Britain would have no internationally lawful means of exiting the protocols arrangements, save by agreement, he said.

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HEJERE, Ethiopia - The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):

4:40 a.m.

The United Arab Emirates, a key international travel hub, has barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 from its airspace following the crash of a similar jetliner in Ethiopia.

The Emirates General Civil Aviation administration made the announcement late Tuesday night.

It cited the similarities between Sundays Ethiopian Airlines flight and another by Indonesias Lion Air last year for its decision.

The budget carrier FlyDubai, owned by the Dubai government, uses the aircraft as a workhorse of its fleet.

FlyDubai said in a statement is adjusting its schedule to minimise disruption to passengers.

It flies 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and two MAX 9s.

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3:55 a.m.

New Zealand and Fiji have suspended Boeing 737 Max 8 flights in and out of the two countries following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The decisions affect only one operator, Fiji Airways. No New Zealand airlines use the Max 8 planes.

Much of the world, including the entire European Union and Australia, has grounded the Boeing jetliner from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

Graeme Harris, a director at New Zealands Civil Aviation Authority, said the decision followed discussions with other aviation authorities.

Fiji Airways and Fijis Civil Aviation Authority said they would ground the fleet until more information is known about the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident..

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2:10 a.m.

The union for Air Canada flight attendants says the company is allowing flight attendants who dont want to fly on Boeing 737 Max airplanes to be reassigned and the union says they want that option to continue.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees issued a statement Tuesday asking the company to put the safety of passengers and crew first.

Wesley Lesosky, the president of the unions Air Canada component, says the union is calling on Air Canada to at a minimum continue to offer reassignment to crew members who do not want to fly on this type of airplane. Union spokesman Philippe Gagnon says that option is currently being offered.

Before clearing his schedule to meet with experts, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he has no plans to ground Canadas fleet of 737 Max aircraft, but that all options are on the table.

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1:45 a.m.

Boeings CEO has spoken with President Donald Trump and voiced his confidence that plane makers 737 Max is safe.

The call Tuesday came as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration continues to back the airworthiness of the 737 Max despite a growing number of countries grounding the aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash over the weekend.

The FAA says its review has so far not turned up any basis for grounding the jets.

Boeing said CEO Dennis Muilenburg spoke with Trump and expressed his confidence in the safety of the 737 Max. The White House confirmed the two talked but did not disclose the content of the conversation.

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12:20 a.m. Wednesday

Icelandair Group says it has temporarily suspended operations of its three Boeing 737 Max aircraft until further notice.

President and CEO Bogi Nels Bogason said Tuesday that the company will follow developments closely and work with local, European and U.S. authorities on any steps that need to be taken.

Bogason said, however, that based available information, Icelandairs safety processes and the training of its crew, the company is confident of the safety of the aircraft.

He said the temporary suspension wont impact the companys operations, as it only affects three aircraft out of a fleet of 33.

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11:25 p.m. Tuesday

Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the U.S. should ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, just as his agency halted flights of another Boeing plane six years ago because of safety concerns.

LaHood was transportation secretary in 2013 when the department grounded the Boeing 787 because of overheating lithium-ion battery packs. The planes were idled for less than a month, until Boeing crafted new fire-resistant compartments around the batteries.

LaHood says current Secretary Elaine Chao should do the same thing, even if it means overruling the FAA, which has taken no action despite dozens of other countries banning the plane from their skies.

He says that Chao has the authority to suspend the 737 Max and require inspections by both FAA and Boeing personnel.

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10:55 p.m.

Kenya lost more citizens than anyone in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, and its transport minister is now trying to reassure a grieving country that no Kenyan airline has the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane in its fleet.

James Macharia in a statement late Tuesday also says no foreign carrier is currently operating the aircraft type in Kenyan airspace. The statement appears to stop short of joining many countries in closing airspace to the plane.

As families of the 32 Kenyans killed seek answers, the minister says Kenyas government is working with Ethiopian Airlines to help relatives travel to Ethiopias capital.

A global team of investigators is looking into the cause of the crash that killed 157 people.

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9:40 p.m.

India says it is immediately grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash.

A statement late Tuesday says the planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.

The statement does not say how many planes are affected.

India says it continues to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety.

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9:30 p.m.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said there will be a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash Sunday of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 airplane in which 157 people died.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash will be studied in detail. The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world, said Abiy at a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron.

Our technical team is conducting a detailed study, said Abiy. These types of accidents broke everyones heart. I hope we will learn from this crash.

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9 p.m.

Italy is joining other European countries in closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority says aircraft of that type cannot operate to and from airports in Italy starting at 9 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Tuesday, until further notice.

The authority says the measure is precautionary, given the lack of reliable information regarding the cause of the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after takeoff on Sunday.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has just issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft. It applies to all European Union airspace.

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8:50 p.m.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft following two recent deadly crashes.

The grounding applies to all European Union airspace.

The crash in Ethiopia on Sunday came five months after an Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean.

EASA said in its emergency airworthiness directive Tuesday that at this early stage of the most recent investigation, it cannot be excluded that similar causes may have contributed to both events.

It adds that based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models.

It says companies may make one noncommercial flight to return their planes to a location where they can be inspected.

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8 p.m.

Consumer Reports is calling on airlines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until they finish a thorough safety investigation.

The consumer website says in a statement that American, Southwest and other carriers should do what foreign governments and airlines have done and temporarily suspend flights.

Britain, Germany, France, China and other countries have stopped the planes from flying or barred them from their airspace after Sundays deadly crash in Ethiopia.

Consumer Reports says the Ethiopian crash and a Lion Air crash in October justify grounding the planes.

Telling the public that the airplane is airworthy, as the FAA has done, without offering further explanation, does far too little to relieve the uncertainty and fear created by these two tragedies, the statement says.

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7:55 p.m.

Polands state carrier LOT says it is grounding its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Several airlines in Europe and around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

LOT received its first Boeing 737 Max 8 in December 2017. It plans to have 15 such planes by January 2020.

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7:45 p.m.

The Dutch government has followed several other European nations in closing its airspace to the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that was involved in two recent fatal crashes.

Infrastructure and Water Ministry spokesman Roel Vincken says the government decided to close its airspace on Tuesday following advice from the Dutch aviation authority.

France, Britain and Germany also have announced airspace closures after the crash on Sunday of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia and another crash in October by the same model of plane in Indonesia.

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7:30 p.m.

Turkish Airlines says two Britain-bound Boeing 737 Max flights are returning to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.

A company official told The Associated Press on Tuesday the planes  one heading for London and the other for Birmingham  were about to land in Istanbul after being diverted back. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The company earlier announced that it was grounding all 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

 Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey

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7:20 p.m.

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau says all options are on the table with regard to the countrys fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft but says the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.

Garneaus comments came minutes after announcements from Britain, Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

He later tweeted that he has cancelled all his meetings and public events on Tuesday to meet with his Civil Aviation Expert Panel and will consider all potential actions.

Canada is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority to determine if action is required.

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7:15 p.m.

No U.S. airlines have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 models that they fly, but at least one group representing flight attendants at a major carrier says it does not want to put its members on the plane until further investigations are completed.

After the second deadly crash involving the model in five months, several airlines and countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East have grounded it or banned it from their airspace.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed. The group said flight attendants will not be forced to fly if they feel unsafe.

Brian Parrish, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines which flies 34 Max 8s, said the carrier remains confident about the planes safety. American Airlines Group, which flies 24 of the planes, said it has full confidence in the model.

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7:05 p.m.

Turkish Airlines says it is grounding all Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

In a statement issued on Twitter on Tuesday, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said all Boeing 737 Max flights are suspended until the uncertainty affecting safety is cleared. He added that passenger safety was the companys priority.

Turkish Airlines is the latest company around the world to ground the planes following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

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6:50 p.m.

The French Civil Aviation Authority has joined several other nations and closed French airspace to all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

In a statement Tuesday, the authority says that France is carefully following the progress of the inquiry relating to the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa on Sunday that left 157 people dead.

It says French airline companies do not possess any of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

But as a precautionary measure, French authorities have decided to forbid all commercial flights on a Boeing 737 Max departing from, travelling to, or flying across, France.

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6:40 p.m.

Irish aviation authorities have suspended all variants of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Irelands airspace as European aviation regulators respond to recent crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Irish authorities say they made the decision based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew.

The decision comes shortly after UK civilian aviation authorities took a similar step, motivated by the lack of information coming from the flight data recorder involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. But answers could take months and regulators are taking steps in the interim.

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6:20 p.m.

Germanys transport ministry says the country is closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, following a similar decision by Britain.

The ministry confirmed to news agency dpa on Tuesday comments made by Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer to n-tv television.

The broadcaster quoted Scheuer on its website as saying safety is the priority, and until all doubts are cleared up, I have ordered that German airspace be closed for the Boeing 737 Max with immediate effect.

Germany joins a rapidly growing number of nations and carriers either grounding the planes or barring them from their airspace.

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5:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump is bemoaning the complexity of modern airplanes in the wake of two deadly crashes in the past five months.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that the additional complexity creates danger and hinders pilots from making split second decisions to ensure their passengers safety.

He added that I dont know about you, but I dont want Albert Einstein to be my pilot.

The president did not specifically mention the crashes but his remarks come after several nations, but not the United States, have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The aircraft crashed in Indonesia last year and in Ethiopia on Sunday.

Trump participated in a signing ceremony last month in Hanoi between U.S.-based Boeing and the Vietnamese government.

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5:15 p.m.

Norwegian Air Shuttle says it has grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on recommendation from European aviation authorities after Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The Norwegian carrier has 18 of the planes.

Tomas Hesthammer, the low-cost carriers acting chief operating officer, says that the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply.

A growing number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes.

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4:45 p.m.

British regulators have grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says in a statement Tuesday that though it had been monitoring the situation, it had as a precautionary measure issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.

Some five 737 Max aircraft are registered and operational in the United Kingdom, while a sixth had planned to commence operations later this week.

Several countries have now grounded the planes.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. Answers could take months.

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4:40 p.m.

Malaysian authorities say all flights by Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft into and out of the country have been suspended following two fatal crashes involving the jet in less than five months.

The Civil Aviation Authority said in a short statement Tuesday that no Malaysian carriers operate the Max 8, but that foreign airlines are banned from flying the plane in Malaysia, and from transiting in the country, until further notice.

A number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

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4:15 p.m.

Civil aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates say they have joined U.S. authorities and Boeing to investigate and collect data regarding the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The General Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement Tuesday via the Emirates state-run WAM news agency.

It comes as neighbouring Oman says it will temporarily suspend all Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports.

The UAEs aviation authority says it also contacted Ethiopian Airlines and Chinese authorities.

The statement adds that the GCAA will not be reluctant to ground the UAE-registered Boeing 737 Max fleet, if required, to ensure the highest standard of aviation safety is achieved.

The Dubai government-owned carrier FlyDubai uses the 737 Max on its flights.

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3:55 p.m.

Oman says it is temporarily suspending flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner of the same type.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the announcement Tuesday.

State-owned Oman Air operates five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Oman is a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 on Sunday killed 157 people. A similar Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Airlines around the world have begun grounding the aircraft as an investigation into Sundays crash continues.

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3:20 p.m.

A pilot who saw the Ethiopian Airlines crash site minutes after the disaster says the plane appeared to have slid directly into the ground.

Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the crash site, which was discovered by Ethiopias air force.

He tells The Associated Press that from above there was nothing to see. It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!

He says it explains why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of the plane. He is the managing director of a private flight service.

Sundays crash shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa killed all 157 on board.

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1:25 p.m.

Ethiopian Airlines says it should take five days to identify the remains of the 157 people killed in Sundays crash outside Addis Ababa.

Spokesman Asrat Begashaw tells The Associated Press that it will take five days to clear everything and the airline would release more details later Tuesday.

A global team of investigators led by Ethiopian authorities is assembling.

The cause of the crash of the new plane on a clear day remains unknown.

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12:05 p.m.

Australia has suspended all flights into or out of the country by Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the type that was involved in Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Australias Civil Aviation Safety Authority says no Australian airlines operate the aircraft type, but two foreign airlines  SilkAir and Fiji Airways  fly them to Australia.

It says Singapore-based SilkAir has already suspended operation of its 737 Max aircraft.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. Five months earlier, a similar Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean, killing 189.

The Australian civil aviation authoritys director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, says that because of the two accidents, the temporary suspension of Boeing 737 Max operations is in the best interest of safety.

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11:50 a.m.

A South Korean airline says it will suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the same aircraft involved in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people.

An Eastar Jet official said Tuesday that the planes will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes from Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. She didnt want to be named, citing office rules.

She says the airline hasnt found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding Boeing 737 Max 8s in a response to customer concerns. She says the planes will not be used until the completion of a government safety review on the aircraft.

An official from South Koreas Transportation Ministry says it has yet to find any problems from safety reviews on Eastars planes that started Monday.

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11:15 a.m.

The Mideast budget airline FlyDubai says it will continue to fly Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after reviewing a recent U.S. regulator statement about the aircraft.

FlyDubai says that no further action is required at this time over the aircraft, a workhorse in the Dubai government-owned carriers fleet.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that while others have drawn similarities between the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes, the agency was not.

The FlyDubai statement says it remains confident in the airworthiness of our fleet. It operates 11 Boeing 737 Max-8 jetliners.

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10:15 a.m.

A team of U.S. aviation experts has arrived in Ethiopia to join an investigation into Sundays crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people.

As questions grow about the new Boeing plane involved in the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said late Monday it is at the crash site outside the capital, Addis Ababa, with representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board.

They join an Ethiopian-led investigation that includes authorities from neighbouring Kenya and elsewhere.

The plane crashed six minutes into a flight to Nairobi and a growing number of countries and airlines have grounded the new Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner as a result.

One witness has told The Associated Press that smoke was coming from the planes rear before it crashed.
RIO DE JANEIRO - Authorities arrested two former police officers Tuesday in the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, a brazen assassination that shocked Brazilians and sparked protests in several countries.

The arrests in Rio came two days before the anniversary of the 2018 killings. While police had questioned many people, before Tuesday nobody had been arrested or charged in the shooting of Franco, a prominent activist for Afro-Brazilian and LGBT rights.

It was a crime against a lawmaker, a woman, exercising her democratic function who had her life taken away in an unacceptable, criminal way, Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Wilson Witzel told reporters.

While Witzel praised police and investigators for the arrests, the case highlighted deep corruption in Brazils police forces, including connections to militias and paramilitary groups that control large swaths of the state.

The suspects were identified as Ronnie Lessa, 48, a retired military police officer, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz, 46, who was fired from a police force in 2015 for reasons that authorities did not release. Lawyers for both men denied their involvement in the assassination.

Lessa was arrested at his residence in the same Rio condominium complex where President Jair Bolsonaro has his home, authorities said.

Lessa is alleged to have shot Franco and De Queiroz to have driven a car involved in the attack. The car was hit with 14 bullets, four shots hit Franco in the head and three hit her driver, Anderson Gomes, in the back.

Police and prosecutors detailed a practically perfect crime that demonstrated knowledge of the legal and judicial system, which added to the complexity of solving the crime.

They showed CCTV footage to reporters that tracked the car in which prosecutors said Lessa and De Queiroz drove from the wealthy suburbs of western Rio across the city to downtown, where the suspects waited for two hours outside a meeting that Franco was attending about empowering black women.

Prosecutors said they were able to identify Lessa as the shooter through an image of the shooters arm, where they could see the outline of dark parts of a tattoo through a sleeve.

Authorities said they couldnt yet fully explain the motive for the killings but pointed to signs of intolerance toward the councilwomans political agenda.

Its a reaction of repulsion to her political actions, said Simone Sibilo, one of the prosecutors. Marielle defended minorities, black women, LGBT and other minority causes.

Siblio did not rule out that Lessa was ordered to commit the crime by someone else. Prosecutors said they suspect Lessa was involved in one of the militias made up of former police and military officers who run extortion and security rackets in poor neighbourhoods.

The investigations have revealed to us the possibility (of Lessas) participation in paramilitary activities, Sibilo said, adding that Lessas name has come up in connection with other homicides.

Lessas lawyer, Fernando Santana, said his client vehemently denies being involved in any type of assassination.

De Queirozs lawyer, Luiz Carlos Azenha, denied there were any photos of him inside the car on the day of the assassination.

Treat it as another misstep made by the police and courts, he said.

Marcelo Freixo, a state legislator and friend of Franco, told Globo TV the arrests were an important step, but the case has not been resolved.

Who sent them (to kill Franco)? Freixo said. We dont accept the version that these people were motivated by passion and hate when they didnt even really know who Marielle was.

Family members of Franco expressed similarly mixed reactions.

Anielle Franco, the victims sister, said the family was glad to see movement in the case but wanted to understand the motive.

This wasnt some criminal on the corner, Anielle told reporters outside the prosecutors office.

Franco, who was black and lesbian and grew up in one of Rios roughest neighbourhoods, stood out in a country where most politicians are white men. She had been a frequent critic of police violence, particularly in poor neighbourhoods.

Marches honouring Franco were planned for Thursday, the anniversary of her killing.

Police and politicians in the state have been under intense pressure to solve the killing, which included sophisticated planning by the assassins, right down to making sure surveillance cameras were shut off on the street where the attack happened.

Witzel, a former judge who was inaugurated Jan. 1, was criticized last year when he participated in a rally with other candidates who had broken a street sign commemorating Franco.

A close ally of Bolsonaro, Witzel ran on promises to get tough on crime and the high-profile arrests may quiet critics who argued Witzel would let the case go unsolved.

The reality is changing, Witzel said of the police and reforms underway.

____

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
BOGOTA - The blackout engulfing Venezuela is forcing many to seek refuge  even, as it turns out, President Nicolas Maduros own relatives.

Authorities in neighbouring Colombia said the leaders cousin, Argimiro Maduro, along with his spouse, children and extended relatives, approached a border checkpoint leading into Colombia on Monday seeking relief from the power outage.

According to officials, the group of 10 complained that the heat was unbearable as the blackout dragged on and said they wanted to spend five days in Riohacha, a city in northern Colombia with easy access to turquoise beaches along the Caribbean Sea.

But their plans were dashed when migration authorities found their names on a list of over 300 people with close ties to Maduro who should be denied entry.

While the people of Venezuela die in hospitals because of the lack of electricity, were not going to allow those close to the Maduro regime to vacation in Colombia, evading the reality of a people in agony, Colombia Migration Director Christian Kruger said.

Photos released by Colombian migration official show the group seeking access in baseball caps and shorts. One man wore a T-shirts with palm trees.

Maduro did not comment on the report that his family was seeking access to Colombia, though he has told Venezuelans in statements broadcast on state television that he has been suffering through the blackout alongside them.

Colombias government has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas rightful president and recently began denying entry to close Maduro associates as a way of increasing pressure on his administration to hold new elections.

Maduro severed diplomatic relations with Colombia in late February after opposition leaders tried to bring international humanitarian aid collected in the Colombian border city of Cucuta across two bridges into Venezuela. The bridges remain closed except for access to students and patients.

Thousands of Venezuelans enter Colombia each day seeking food and medical care and sometimes they come with the goal of leaving permanently. The United Nations estimates at least 3.4 million Venezuelans have fled their homeland in recent years.

A power outage that struck last Thursday at the evening rush hour left almost the entire nation in the dark. Venezuelas information minister said Tuesday that the power grid had been almost completely restored, though there were still some pockets reported without power.

Venezuelan authorities are blaming the outage on a cyberattack, but engineers with knowledge of the grids operating system say that was essentially impossible because the computers used have no internet connection and communicate only with each other.

Venezuelans have been taking extreme measures to find relief from the outage, parking their cars alongside the road wherever they can find a cellphone signal and collecting buckets of water from the badly polluted Guaire River in capital city Caracas.
CARACAS, Venezuela - The Latest on the political and economic crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Like many other Venezuelans, they were sick and tired of the blackout.

Colombian authorities say 10 people close to President Nicolas Maduro tried to enter the country Monday seeking relief from the power outage.

According to officials, the embattled leaders cousin, Argimiro Maduro, along with his spouse, children and extended relatives complained the heat was unbearable and said they wanted to spend five days in Riohacha until service is restored.

The neighbouring Andean nation is recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas rightful president and recently compiled a list of more than 300 people with close ties to Maduro that will not be allowed into Colombia.

Colombia Migration Director Christian Kruger says the relatives were on the no-entry list.

He added that Colombia will not allow Maduros relatives to vacation while avoiding the reality of a people in agony.

----

12:30 p.m.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says no military action from inside or outside Venezuela would be acceptable to resolve the dramatically deteriorating situation in the country.

She told the U.N. Security Council in New York on Tuesday that a solution cannot be, and should never be, imposed from the outside.

But she said that an international initiative can help build a peaceful and democratic way out of the crisis.

She noted that an International Contact Group with European and Latin American countries has been created to help create the conditions for a political process that would lead to free and fair presidential elections.

Mogherini said the EU is also working with U.N. agencies to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need inside and outside of the country following the key principles of humanitarian law, and avoiding any politicization of the aid delivery.

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12:10 p.m.

Venezuelas chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab says hes launched an investigation into opposition leader Juan Guaido over suspicions he was involved in an attack on the countrys power grid.

Tarek William Saab announced the probe Tuesday, saying the electrical failure has sparked violence, robberies and looting.

Venezuelas power grid failed Thursday evening, leaving most of the nation in the dark and with limited phone and internet service.

Venezuelan officials accuse the U.S.-backed opposition of mounting a cyberattack on the system. Guaido and the U.S. blame years of mismanagement and corruption for allowing the once-wealthy countrys infrastructure crumble.

Guaido has declared himself interim president and demands new elections, arguing that President Nicolas Maduros re-election last year was invalid.

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9:55 a.m.

Spains Foreign Ministry says it is trying to find out from Venezuelan authorities why a journalist with dual Spanish and Venezuelan nationality has been detained.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday the Spanish embassy in Caracas is in contact with the family of reporter and activist Luis Carlos Diaz.

The spokesman cannot be identified in media reports because of internal ministry rules.

Venezuelas National Union of Press Workers says on its Twitter account that Diaz went missing Monday afternoon. It says that later, in the middle of night, a unit from the feared SEBIN intelligence police turned up at his home and took away computers, mobile phones and money, among other items.

Diazs wife, Naky Soto, tells the union the police broke in.

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9:45 a.m.

Nicolas Maduros government says the U.S. decision to pull its last diplomats out of Venezuela is due to a breakdown in negotiations with Washington  and effectively says good riddance.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. is withdrawing its remaining embassy staff from the country, citing Venezuelas deteriorating situation and constraints on U.S. policy caused by their continued presence.

Maduros government had already cut ties with the U.S. over its recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas rightful leader. The U.S. decided to ignore the decision but still withdrew most of its staff.

Venezuelas foreign ministry said Tuesday that talks on keeping some representation collapsed due to hostility from Washington.

It said the presence of U.S. diplomats entails risks for peace and stability.

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7:10 a.m.

Russian state oil company Rosneft is rejecting rejected accusations by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that it is violating sanctions on Venezuela.

Pompeo said Monday that Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin  a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin  continues to throw a lifeline to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He said Rosneft was buying crude oil from Venezuelas state oil company PDVSA in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

Rosneft disputes what it calls groundless accusations and says any contracts it has for oil purchasing in Venezuela pre-date the introduction of U.S. sanctions.

Rosneft is a major foreign investor in Venezuela as a partner of state-owned PDVSA, which is under U.S. sanctions. Sechin was personally sanctioned by the U.S. in 2014 shortly after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.
BOGOTA, COLOMBIAThousands of Venezuelans marched Tuesday to vent their rage at President Nicolas Maduro's embattled government over a power outage that has paralyzed much of the country for nearly six days.

The protests had been called by opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom dozens of countries have recognized as Venezuela's interim president.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Monday defied Maduro, whom Guaido is trying to oust from power, by declaring a state of emergency over the power outage.

The protesters were "determined to change Venezuela," Guaido said at a rally in Caracas. "It is not intimidation, it is not repression that will stop us."

Demonstrators carried national flags, wore caps in the country's colours and displayed slogans such as "Enough of Maduro."

Protests were also reported outside the capital, especially in the country's north.

Demonstrators rejected a claim from Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez, who said electricity had been restored almost everywhere.

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The power outage has affected Caracas and other regions, sparking water and fuel shortages. Some people desperate for food have resorted to looting.

The opposition attributes the power cut to corruption and mismanagement, while Maduro blames it on U.S. sabotage, an allegation Washington has denied.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Tuesday announced an investigation into whether Guaido was involved with causing the blackout.

Shortly after electricity went out Thursday, Guaido published a suspicious tweet saying that light would return with the end of Maduro's rule, Saab said in a televised statement.

The opposition leader is already under investigation over what Saab has called "serious crimes violating the constitutional order."

Maduro said on Monday that two people had been arrested after having been caught trying to manipulate the communications system of the large Guri hydroelectric plant.

The president also announced that school classes and work activities would remain suspended until Wednesday while the electricity grid was being repaired.

Flights arriving and departing from Caracas were suffering delays, daily El Universal reported.

The closure of shops and lack of refrigeration have meanwhile created food shortages. Looters, some of whom were believed to be looking for food, targeted shops in several regions, according to news reports.

In the northwestern state of Zulia, more than 350 business premises were looted in two days, with police sometimes arriving late, daily El Nacional quoted the local business association Fedecamaras as saying.

"Without light, or water, or food, despair can take our people to the limit to get sustenance for their families," Guaido tweeted.

The Colombian migration authority meanwhile said it had barred entry to 10 people close to Maduro, including his cousin, who wanted to "holiday" in the neighbouring country while air conditioning was being restored in Venezuela.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet and Guaido on Tuesday expressed concern over the arrest of journalist Luis Carlos Diaz, who was reportedly held by intelligence agents Monday.

Maduro's right-hand man Diosdado Cabello had accused Diaz of "sabotage" and of having played a role in the power outage, according to CPJ.

The United States announced late Monday that it was withdrawing all of the remaining staff from its embassy in Caracas this week.

"No electricity, no communications, which speaks immediately to the safety of our people," commented Elliott Abrams, President Donald Trump's envoy on Venezuela.

"I don't believe the embassy is connected anymore to a water system," he said at the State Department Tuesday.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, whose country severed relations with Washington in January, tweeted that the rest of the U.S. diplomatic staff must leave Caracas within 72 hours.

However, Venezuela remained open to dialogue as long it took place "within the framework of a relation of equality and mutual respect," he added.

Abrams warned that the U.S. would adopt "more sanctions on financial institutions and more visa revocations" against the Maduro regime "very soon."

Washington has said that "all options are on the table" to end the crisis in Venezuela, where an economic meltdown has left large numbers of people facing food and medicine shortages. Millions have fled abroad.

But the EU's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, warned Tuesday against military action "from inside or outside" of Venezuela, saying the solution had to be political.

Read more about:
NEW DELHIOnly one month ago, Narendra Modi, Indias once unstoppable prime minister, seemed surprisingly vulnerable going into his re-election campaign.

Economic growth had been slowing, thousands of farmers were marching on the capital (some even dumped gallons of nearly worthless milk in the streets), and unemployment had hit its worst level in 45 years  an unpleasant fact that Modis government tried to hide.

In a recent batch of critical state elections, his party got trounced. And with the countrys weeks-long election process set to begin April 11, the rejuvenated opposition was landing punch after punch with corruption allegations.

But one bombing in Kashmir, and weeks of military brinkmanship with Pakistan afterward, appears to have interrupted Modis slump.

A young suicide bomber blew up a military bus in Kashmir on Feb. 14, killing more than 40 troops. The group Jaish-e-Muhammed, which operates from Pakistan and is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, claimed responsibility.

Modi ordered airstrikes on Pakistan, which he blamed for the attack, and Pakistan struck back. Never before, experts said, had two nuclear-armed nations bombed each other.

From the outside, Modi was widely criticized as being willing to risk war for even the chance at a political boost. And when an Indian pilot was captured in Pakistani territory  and was then quickly returned in a good-optics moment for Pakistan  some international analysts thought Modis military adventurism had backfired.

Read more:

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But thats not how it has played out within India.

Political analysts say that Indians are rallying behind Modi again, and that he seems to be making crucial gains among independent and undecided voters.

The fact that Indias airstrikes probably missed their targets, and that a fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan doesnt seem to matter to most Indians. Their country was hit, and Modi hit back.

Even if they go below the seven seas, I will find them, Modi said in a speech this month, referring to terrorists. To settle the score is my habit!

Some of his supporters in India see Modis aggressive stance not as pandering for votes, but as a return to his old passion and focus.

Whatever our criticisms about him regarding the economy and jobs, at the end of the day he has done an incredible job of delivering justice for the martyrs, said Prapti Bhattacharya, a law student and first-time voter.

Before this, I would have voted for Congress, the leading opposition party, she said. Now Im voting for Modi.

The Pakistan crisis has provided him with a golden narrative, said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The thing about a national security crisis is that it plays up decisiveness, leadership and nationalism. These are three characteristics he often touts.

Still, a lot can happen over the next few weeks.

India has a parliamentary system and for Modi to return to power his Bharatiya Janata Party must win a majority of the 543 elected seats in the lower house of Parliament or form a coalition with regional parties. The same goes for the Indian National Congress party, which ruled India for about 50 of the countrys 71 years of independence.

Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, is determined to swing the election discussion back to domestic issues.

Modis biggest vulnerability is the economy. Even though the countrys economy grew 6.6 per cent in the most recent quarter, still faster than most developed countries, it was Indias slowest rate in five years.

With a population of 1.3 billion and improving education, India produces nearly half a million new job seekers each month. This would be an overwhelming burden for any leader, and Modi raised expectations even higher by promising to create 10 million jobs, a wildly ambitious goal that, by most accounts, he has failed to achieve.

We havent created jobs  we have actually lost jobs, said Mahesh Vyas, chief executive of the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy.

By his count, India now has about 400 million jobs, down slightly over the last three years.

Another problem for Modi is dissatisfaction among Dalits. Indias centuries-old caste hierarchy  with Dalits at the bottom, Brahmins at the top and many groups layered in between  still dominates life in many areas, especially rural ones.

Lower castes still face horrendous abuse, and Dalits  who represent close to 100 million votes  have long distrusted Modi and his party, which is rooted in a Hindu nationalist world view that favours upper castes and emphasizes Indias Hinduness.

But in the last election, in 2014, Modi played up his humble origins  the son of a tea seller from a relatively low caste. Analysts said that 24 per cent of Dalits voted for his party, double the percentage from the previous election.

This time around might still be very different, even with a bump from the showdown with Pakistan.

Under Modi, hate crimes against Dalits and Muslims, who make up a sizable minority in India, have exploded. Dalits have been killed for such things as riding a horse or skinning a cow.

Modi himself has not made disparaging remarks about minorities, but in the wake of this kind of violence, he is often silent. Many officials in his party, including ministers, have taken what are widely considered extremist positions when it comes to protecting cows, a sacred animal in Hinduism, or siding with vigilantes who target Muslim or low-caste butchers.

While many conservative Hindus see Modi as an unswerving defender of some of their most deeply felt values, many Dalits and Muslims are frightened of their own government. Despite Modis pledges to unify India  he often repeats his slogan, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, or All together, development for all  many observers say India has become more polarized along caste and religious lines during his time in power.

Chandra Bhan Prasad, a well-known political commentator and a Dalit, said few Dalits would change their mind on Modi because of the action on Pakistan.

Hes totally lost the Dalit vote, Prasad said. Dalits will still vote for any party that can defeat the BJP.

If true, that could mean the loss of millions of votes.

Farmers were another concern for Modi, but here, the action on Pakistan could make a difference.

At 260 million strong, farmers are the biggest single voting bloc in India and many had been furious with Modi.

He had promised to ensure that farmers received prices high enough to make a profit, but export controls and overproduction have cut deeply into prices for crops like onions and potatoes.

Tens of thousands of farmers have descended on cities, pouring milk into the streets and dumping vegetables onto sidewalks. One farmer sent the paltry $15 he had earned selling 1,600 pounds of onions to Modi.

But after the crisis with Pakistan, the conversation on many farms has changed, said Vijay Jawandhia, a farmer and leader of a farmers union from Maharashtra state.

I hear farmers saying he is more decisive, he said.

Read more about:
RANCASUMUR, Indonesia - A chaotic crush of jubilant villagers and reporters greeted the young Indonesian woman who was freed after Malaysia dropped charges that she killed the estranged half brother of North Koreas leader in an airport two years ago.

Mosque loudspeakers blared as police guarding Siti Aisyah pushed their way through a mob to the house of a local parliamentarian in the Javanese village where she grew up. Officials said Aisyah was exhausted and had fainted.

Earlier Tuesday, she met Indonesian President Joko Widodo, just a day after being whisked out of Malaysia, reuniting with her parents and facing the onslaught of two news conferences.

She was very exhausted and fainted shortly after arriving at this house. So let her rest now until her health is restored, said Indra Mutai, a member of the local legislature.

In Aisyahs village, Rancasumur, residents said they had cried with joy when they heard Monday that she had been freed. Excited children ran around the neighbourhood shouting, Kim Jong Nam  the name of the slain North Korean  and villagers held prayers to thank God for Aisyahs freedom.

We were sure sooner or later she would be freed because she is innocent, said her aunt, Siti Sudarmi.

Authorities in Malaysia, where Aisyah had been detained for two years and faced a possible death penalty, released her Monday following concerted lobbying by the Indonesian government.

It was a stunning twist in a bizarre fact-is-stranger-than-fiction tale. Prosecutors alleged Aisyah and a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, were trained killers who smeared VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nams face at the bustling Malaysian airport in 2017, causing his death.

The two women, both in their 20s and from humble backgrounds, said they thought they were carrying out a prank for a TV show.

From the beginning, Indonesian officials asserted that Aisyah was the naive and unwitting pawn of North Korean agents.

Aisyahs defence team said after she was recruited, pranks were practiced at malls, hotels and airports and Aisyah was paid about $100 to $200 per prank.

Its unclear if Malaysia also will drop charges against Huong. Not long after the Feb. 13, 2017, killing, Malaysia allowed North Korean suspects to leave the country in a deal that secured the safety of Malaysian citizens in North Korea.

Neighbors said Aisyah was a victim of deception that many young village women are vulnerable to when they move to bigger cities in Indonesia or abroad. Malaysia, which is approaching developed-nation income levels, is a magnet for millions of Indonesians, who typically find work as maids and construction and plantation workers.

Aisyah first lived in Malaysia in 2011, moving there with her husband at the time, according to a February 2017 Associated Press interview with her father-in-law, Tjia Liong Kiong, who looked after the couples young son. She returned about a year later to divorce her husband. After that, she lived with her parents and also worked in Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, and visited a boyfriend in Malaysia.

Rancasumur is by Indonesian standards a prosperous community of large houses where families make a livelihood from trading and farming or working in the factories in the surrounding area.

Sri Rahayu, who lives next to Aisyahs family home, said she was ecstatic and moved to tears when she heard Aisyah, her cousin, was freed.

Everybody cried, the 19-year-old said. I hope this can free her from the ridicule of people who dont know what really happened.

Rahayu, a factory garment worker, said the first thing she would say when she sees Aisyah is to ask her not to work overseas again.

I really want to advise her to not go back working abroad, Rahayu said. Its better for her to stay at home and get a job here.
COTABATO, Philippines - Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery fire, killed several militants aligned with the Islamic State group in a new offensive in the marshy heartland of the countrys south, the military said Tuesday.

Army Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said several key commanders, including a long-wanted Singaporean militant, were among the more than 100 militants who came under attack at daybreak Monday in the hilly hinterland near Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in Maguindanao province.

One soldier was killed and seven others were wounded in the firefight in the village of Inaladan, where rocket-firing air force helicopters and bomber planes pounded a militant camp before army troops came in. The militants split into groups and withdrew, Sobejana said.

Sporadic gunbattles were continuing Tuesday as troops pursued the militants belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Dawla Islamiya, two small groups aligned with the Islamic State group. At least six bodies of suspected militants were found at the scene of the clashes, military officials said.

Sobejana said up to 20 militants may have been killed but troops were still attempting to take full control of the camp, where most of the slain gunmen were hit by the airstrikes and artillery fire.

Troops were checking if Singaporean militant Muhamad Ali Abdul Rahiman, also known as Muawiya, along with local commander Esmael Abdulmalik, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Toraype, and bomb-maker Salahudin Hassan were among the wounded or slain militants, he said.

The objective is to eliminate these armed groups once and for all, Sobejana said.

The militants have been blamed for recent deadly bombings in the region and shootings that killed four soldiers in Maguindanao. The militants include former members of the largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government and whose leaders now head a new Muslim autonomous region that includes Maguindanao.

Thousands of fighters in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are to be demobilized under the peace deal. Sobejana said the Moro rebels were not tapped by the military to help fight the extremists to help them shift to normal life.

Among the militants targeted by Mondays offensive were survivors of a deadly siege of southern Marawi city by Islamic State group-aligned militants in May 2017 which was quelled by troops after five months. The militants suffered their largest loss of commanders in Marawi in a serious blow to the Islamic State groups effort to gain a foothold in the region.

In a separate army offensive Monday, troops clashed with more than 20 Muslim militants near Pagayawan town in Lanao del Sur province not far from Marawi in fighting that killed two soldiers and two militants, army Col. Romeo Brawner said.

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Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.
STRASBOURG, France - Britain and the European Union emerged from last-minute talks late Monday to announce they had finally removed the biggest roadblock to their Brexit divorce deal, only hours before the U.K. Parliament was due to decide the fate of Prime Minister Theresa Mays hard-won plan to leave the EU.

On the eve of Tuesdays vote in London, May knew she needed further reassurances to convince a recalcitrant British parliament and flew to Frances Strasbourg to get them from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

In evening talks, May wanted revisions, guarantees or other changes to persuade reluctant British legislators to back her withdrawal agreement with the EU, which they resoundingly rejected in January.

At a joint news conference, May and Juncker claimed to have succeeded.

May said new documents to be added to the deal provided legally binding changes to the part relating to the Irish border. The legal 585-page withdrawal agreement itself though was left intact.

In politics, sometimes you get a second chance. It is what you do with this second chance that counts. Because there will be no third chance, Juncker warned the legislators who will vote late Tuesday.

Lets be crystal clear about the choice: it is this deal or Brexit might not happen at all, he said.

May said the changes should overcome lawmakers qualms about a mechanism in the deal designed to keep an open border between Britains 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 until a permanent new trading relationship is in place.

Brexit-supporters in Britain fear the backstop could be used to bind the country to EU regulations indefinitely.

May said the new wording will guarantee that the EU cannot act with the intent of applying the backstop indefinitely.

Now is the time to come together to back this improved Brexit deal and deliver on the instruction of the British people, she said.

But the changes appear to fall well short of Brexiteers demands for a unilateral British exit mechanism from the backstop.

Pro-Brexit U.K. lawmakers said they would read the fine print and wait for the judgment of Britains attorney general before deciding how to vote on Tuesday.

Announcing the breakthrough in Britains House of Commons, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said lawmakers faced a fundamental choice ... to vote for the improved deal or to plunge this country into a political crisis.

And Juncker warned Britain there will be no new negotiations if lawmakers rejected the deal again.

Britain is due to pull out of the EU in less than three weeks, on March 29, but the government has not been able to win parliamentary approval for its agreement with the bloc on withdrawal terms and future relations. The impasse has raised fears of a chaotic no-deal Brexit that could mean major disruption for businesses and people in Britain and the 27 remaining EU countries.

This is a government in chaos, with a country in chaos because of this mess, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said.

May has staked her political reputation on securing an exit deal with the EU and is under mounting pressure to quit if it is defeated again. She survived a bid to oust her through a no-confidence vote in December. As a result, she cannot be forced from office for a year.

The EU is frustrated at what it sees as the inability of Britains weak and divided government to lay out a clear vision for Brexit. It is irritated, too, that Britain is seeking changes to an agreement that May herself helped negotiate and approve.

May has been working frantically to save her deal, speaking by phone to eight EU national leaders since Friday, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

If Parliament throws out Mays deal again on Tuesday, lawmakers will vote over the following two days on whether to leave the EU without an agreement  an idea likely to be rejected  or to ask the EU to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled March 29 departure date.

Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan said Mays position will become less and less tenable if she suffers more defeats in Parliament this week.

It would be very difficult for the prime minister to stay in office for very much longer, Morgan told the BBC.

Alan Wager, a Brexit expert at the U.K. in a Changing Europe think-tank , said Parliament this week could decisively rule out both Mays deal and a no-deal departure.

That, in turn, would make such options as a new Brexit referendum or a softer withdrawal from the EU lot more likely, he said.

Finally, the House of Commons is going to have to make a final judgment on what it wants in terms of Brexit, he said.

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Casert reported from Strasbourg, France. Danica Kirka in London, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.

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Follow APs full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
BRUSSELS - Aid organizations appealed Tuesday for funds to help Syria recover from an eight-year war that has driven almost 6 million people out of the country, as donors from nearly 85 countries readied for a pledging conference in Brussels.

Agencies, non-governmental organizations, and think tanks say the conflict, which has killed more than 400,000 people and sparked a refugee exodus that destabilized Syrias neighbours and hit Europe, is far from over. Around 80 per cent of people inside the country live in extreme poverty and refugees are reluctant to return, fearing violence, conscription or prison.

Syrian refugees need trust that their return will be safe, secure and dignified, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said during a weekend visit to Lebanon, which is struggling to cope with arrivals from over the border.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some 100,000 people have been displaced since the last wave of violence began in mid-February, including tens of thousands from Khan Sheikhoun in northwest Syria, which has been repeatedly hit by government forces from the air and ground in recent weeks. It estimated that some 140 people, including 69 civilians, were killed over three weeks.

As the conflict enters its ninth year, about 11.7 million Syrians still depend on aid, more than 6 million have been displaced inside Syria and some 2 million children are out of school.

But donor fatigue is growing: Of around 3.5 billion euros ($3.9 billion) pledged last year, only around two thirds were funded.

Beyond providing aid, the European Union  the worlds biggest donor and host of Thursdays conference  refuses to help rebuild the country until a political settlement has been reached.

Its a message of you broke it, you own it, said Jean-Christophe Belliard, deputy secretary general of the EUs External Action Service  essentially the blocs foreign office  in reference to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his backers.

The EU is hoping that the meeting can give impetus to stalled peace moves under U.N. auspices, on top of gathering humanitarian aid for Syria and for neighbours hosting refugees like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

But some NGOs believe that its stance over rebuilding can be a serious obstacle to genuine aid efforts.

All too often that reconstruction line is limiting what in every other aid context in the world is considered best practice in terms of how to provide humanitarian aid, said Matthew Hemsley, Oxfams Syria policy and communications adviser.

Were not here to build large roads. Were not here to build a brand-new water system for Syria. Were not here to build a whole new school network. Were here to make sure that children can be educated in a classroom that doesnt have rain blowing into it from broken windows, that people dont have dirty water flowing into their home, he said.

Absent from the donor conference are Syrians themselves. No government or opposition representatives have been invited, but civil society group representatives in Brussels for the occasion are concerned that donor countries want to pressure Syrian refugees to return, despite the dangers and uncertainties they could face.

We have to be very careful, warned Rouba Mhaissen, director of Sawa for Development and Aid. A lot of government delegations are here to sell return, especially from neighbouring countries.
JERUSALEM - Christian authorities in Jerusalem are denouncing the acquittal of two Jewish youths suspected of vandalizing a famous monastery.

Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land, said on Tuesday that an Israeli courts decision to acquit those suspecting of sprawling anti-Christian graffiti on the Dormition Abbey several years ago is unacceptable.

He says the outcome is that those who carried out the attack werent brought to justice and Israeli authorities must find and punish them to deter others.

The attack against the Dormition Abbey, where Christians believe the Virgin Mary died, came amid a spate of vandalism on Christin targets that were blamed on extremist Jewish activists. It was widely condemned.

The Benedictine monastery just outside Jerusalems Old City is a popular site for pilgrims and tourists.
JERUSALEM - Israeli police closed the entrances to Jerusalems most sensitive holy site after Palestinian suspects threw a firebomb at a police station on Tuesday. The rare move drew angry reactions across the Muslim world.

Police later announced that the site, which Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims the Noble Sanctuary, would reopen to worshippers and visitors Wednesday morning.

There were no injuries reported from the firebombing. But police quickly deployed across the hilltop compound, scuffling with Palestinians in the area, as they searched for the assailants. Two Palestinian minors were arrested and police were seen shoving and wrestling several people to the ground.

The incident further heightened tensions at the flashpoint site, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and gold-topped Dome of the Rock.

After the incident, Israeli police sealed off entrances to the compound. Police also restricted entrance to the Old City, home to Jerusalems most important religious sites, allowing only residents to pass through certain entrances to the Muslim and Christian quarters. Other entrances to the Old City remained open.

Firas Dibs, spokesman for the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed Islamic body that administers the site, said police had cleared nearly all worshippers from the compound. All doors are closed and no one is allowed in, he said.

Several dozen worshippers gathered just outside the compound for impromptu prayers as Israeli police stood watch.

Police confirmed two arrests, while Dibs said six people had been arrested and 10 others injured in scuffles with police.

The U.N. Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, urged both sides to respect the status quo at the holy esplanade and exercise restraint to avoid inflaming an already tense situation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the dangerous Israeli escalation and warned of serious repercussions. In a statement, he called on the international community to intervene.

The closure of the sacred compound also drew censure from Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Abdul Nasser Abu Basal, Jordanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites, described the barring of Muslim worshippers from the site as a flagrant assault on all religious values, rights and freedom, and an attack on all Muslims that touches the entire Islamic nation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lashed out at Israel over the incident, saying it was time to end the countrys recklessness.

We cannot accept such reckless attacks on holy sites and the whole world needs to react against it, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

The holy site has experienced a series of tense standoffs in recent weeks after Muslim worshippers reopened an area known as the Gate of Mercy, closed by Israel in 2003.

The Waqf has staged periodic prayer-protests inside since late February to call for unrestricted access to the shuttered building.

Israel closed the structure in 2003, claiming it was used by a heritage organization with ties to the Hamas militant group.

The Waqf contends that because the heritage group is now defunct, the council should regain full access to the building like any other in the holy esplanade.

Demonstrations have devolved into standoffs with police in recent weeks. Israel has barred several guards and high-ranking officials from the Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the site, from the compound and arrested dozens of Palestinians under suspicions of inciting violence at the site.

Officials in Jordan have confirmed that they are in negotiations with Israel to resolve the dispute. Abbas office said the Palestinians also were in touch with various sides, including Jordan.

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Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.
JERUSALEM - Two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday in separate incidents in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said troops shot and killed a 37-year-old man who lunged toward them with a kitchen knife in what it described as an attempted stabbing attack near a military post in the volatile city of Hebron.

The mans father, Fawzi Sheaki, denied his son Yasser was trying to stab anyone and was merely at his job in the citys Islamic court.

Later Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said a 23-year-old man, identified as Mohammed Shahin, was killed during stone-throwing clashes with Israeli troops in the northern West Bank village of Salfit. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

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.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Oman and the United Arab Emirates barred flights by Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on Tuesday following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner, closing down two key markets for the airplane on the Arabian Peninsula.

The decision by Oman came first as the neighbouring United Arab Emirates initially just said it had joined U.S. authorities and Boeing Co. to investigate and collect data to help solve what happened in Sundays crash in Ethiopia that killed all 157 people on board. Late Tuesday, it announced Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft had been grounded.

Omans Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the sultanates announcement, without elaborating on its reasoning.

The state-owned Oman Air, which operates five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said flights operated by those planes will be suspended as soon as possible.

We are in the process of making the necessary rescheduling and will advise our guests of any flight cancellations, the airline said.

Oman, ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said for nearly 40 years, sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

Since the crash Sunday, regulators across the world have begun grounding the aircraft as an investigation into the disasters cause continues.

Meanwhile, the UAEs General Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement it would join the ongoing investigation into the crash and ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9s via the Emirates state-run WAM news agency. It said it was in touch with authorities in China and elsewhere, calling its ban on the aircraft in its airspace a precautionary measure as there were similarities between the Ethiopian Airline crash and another earlier of a flight in Indonesia.

The 737 MAX is the workhorse of the Dubai government-owned budget carrier FlyDubai. It operates 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 2 MAX 9 jetliners. Its total fleet is around 60 aircraft, including other models of the 737.

Earlier on Tuesday, FlyDubai said that no further action is required at this time over the aircraft. After the Emirates banned the aircraft, the airline said it would be adjusting its schedule to minimize disruption to passengers.
DOHA, Qatar - The longest peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban to end Americas 17-year war in Afghanistan concluded Tuesday night in Qatar, with both sides saying progress had been made.

The nearly two weeks of talks produced two draft agreements between the militants and the U.S. government on a withdrawal timeline and effective counterterrorism measures, American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.

The diplomat said hed go to Washington and meet with other concerned parties, likely including the Afghan government, which did not take part in the 13 days of face-to-face talks in Doha, the Qatari capital.

The conditions for #peace have improved, Khalilzad wrote. Its clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides.

The Taliban issued their own statement, similarly saying progress was achieved on both of those issues. It stressed no cease-fire deal had been reached, nor any agreement for it to speak to the Afghan government.

For now, both sides will deliberate over the achieved progress, share it with their respective leaderships and prepare for the upcoming meeting, the date of which shall be set by both negotiation teams, the statement read.

It wasnt immediately clear when the next round of talks would begin.

A Taliban official at the talks, who earlier spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was unauthorized to reveal details of the negotiations publicly, said the main sticking point remained when U.S. forces would withdraw. The Taliban want a withdrawal within three to five months, while the U.S. is saying it will take 18 months to two years, he said.

Another sticking point would be a demand from America that the Taliban guarantee Afghanistan would never again host militants that would launch an attack against it. The Taliban have said it can agree to a general promise, but remains unwilling to identify specific groups in its pledge.

Osama bin Ladens successor in al-Qaida, Ayman al Zawahri, is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. Scores of other militants from Arab countries, including Yemen and Saudi Arabia, are also believed to be living in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, who refuse to talk with the government in Kabul and describe it as a U.S. puppet, have long demanded direct talks with the U.S. but until Khalilzads appointment last September, Washington had shied away from opening face-to-face negotiations.

The Taliban, who had harboured al-Qaida and its leader, bin Laden, ruled Afghanistan before U.S. forces invaded in October 2001, following the 9-11 attacks. The Taliban have made a major comeback in recent years, and today carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. That has made a peace process even more pressing and President Donald Trump has expressed frustration at the protracted conflict.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan has helped push the peace talks, which in turned has helped Islamabads long-troubled relationship with Washington. Trump has repeatedly accused Pakistan of failing to crack down on Islamic militants operating in its border regions, saying it had harboured bin Laden for years despite getting billions of dollars in American aid. Trump later reached out to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for help in the Taliban talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Qureshi similarly spoke about progress being made at the talks.

Pakistan has encouraged all factions within Afghanistan to sit together and have a meaningful intra-Afghan dialogue, he said alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

The talks have taken place at one of the most luxurious resorts in Qatar, a tiny, energy-rich country that sticks out like a thumb into the Persian Gulf. A glamorous female pianist playing everything from Chopin to Mariah Carey provided a soundtrack to the journalists loitering around the hotel, straining to get any information about the closed-door talks.

The surrealism extended just outside of the doors leading to the talks, where bikini-clad sunbathers by the pool drank alcohol. Mullah Baradar, the co-founder of Taliban, walked in and out of meetings accompanied by his son and Qatari security. Passing tourists expressed surprise when journalists identified the men walking past in traditional Afghan waist coats, rounded chitrali caps and turbans that had suddenly become part of their vacation.

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Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrias Foreign Ministry is blasting U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for his comments in which he vowed to push for U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights calling them arrogant and stressing that Israeli occupation will eventually end.

The ministrys statement on Tuesday said that according to the United Nations, the Golan Heights are considered Syrian occupied lands.

The South Carolina Republican said Monday he aimed to change the current U.S.-designation of the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, as disputed territory. He spoke during a tour of the frontier with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

The ministry said Golan residents are determined to continue the struggle until liberation.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Airlines is not flying the type of Boeing jets involved in a deadly Ethiopian Airways crash but has orders pending for the aircraft.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that the company says its fleet does not currently include the Boeing 737 Max 8 jets involved in a crash Sunday that killed all 157 people on board.

A Max 8 aircraft also crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Alaska Airlines says it placed a $5 billion order for 20 Max 8 and 17 Max 9 models in 2012 with plans to begin using them this summer, but it is too early to speculate on future deliveries.

Some international airlines say they are grounding their Max aircraft, while many American companies say they do not plan to do so.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com
AUSTIN, Texas - Former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke is making his first trip to Iowa of the 2020 campaign, visiting the state that kicks off presidential voting amid intense speculation that hell enter the race for the White House.

A spokesman says ORourke will visit the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday to campaign for Eric Giddens, the Democratic candidate running in a state Senate special election there.

ORourke released a video Monday night from Texas backing Giddens and wearing a Northern Iowa cap.

ORourke had previously failed to answer invitations to visit Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early nominating states and hasnt yet made major staffing moves in those places.

He says hes decided on 2020 but has provided no further details except that hell make his plans known soon.
WASHINGTON - Former Vice-President Dick Cheney criticized President Donald Trumps foreign policy, even comparing it with that of former President Barack Obama, in a striking rebuke of the president by a member of his own party.

Speaking with Vice-President Mike Pence this weekend at a closed-door retreat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute in Sea Island, Georgia, Cheney warned that American allies were questioning the dependability of the U.S. as a result of the Trumps public statements. Cheney, known for his hawkish foreign policy views, specifically highlighted Trumps public complaints about the role of NATO and the surprise announcement of the withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Cheneys remarks, which were first reported Monday by The Washington Post, were confirmed by a person in the room. The person requested anonymity because of the conferences off-the-record nature.

Cheney also raised alarm over news reports that Trump does not spend sufficient time with his intelligence briefers as well as over frequent staff churn in key national security postings. Cheney also suggested repeatedly that Trumps transactional view of foreign policy  including a focus on what allies contribute to their defence  was misguided.

Pence joked about the absence of softball questions before the annual gathering of conservative thinkers, politicians and business leaders. He also sought to counter some of Cheneys criticisms about Trumps handling of North Korea and Syria. A spokesperson for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Since leaving office, Cheney has largely avoided the public spotlight. While his remarks were delivered in private, they reveal how deeply some GOP stalwarts oppose many of Trumps foreign policy moves. The presidents brash America First pronouncements have been met with concern and condemnation from many traditional Republicans.

Earlier this year, congressional Republicans joined with Democrats to express disapproval of Trumps planned moves to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
MIAMI - Mixed martial artist and boxer Conor McGregor has been arrested in South Florida for stealing the cellphone of someone who was trying to take his photo, authorities said.

According to a Miami Beach police report, the 30-year-old McGregor was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with robbery and criminal mischief. An attorney for McGregor called the altercation minor and said the popular fighter would co-operate with authorities.

McGregor was leaving the Fontainebleau Miami Beach shortly after 5 a.m. Monday when a 22-year-old man attempted to take a picture of McGregor, the police report said. Police said McGregor slapped the phone out of the mans hand and then stomped on it several times. McGregor then grabbed the phone and left the area, the report said. Police later found McGregor at his local address.

McGregor was released Monday night after posting $12,500 bond.

Last evening Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation involving a cellphone that resulted in a call to law enforcement, Samuel J. Rabin Jr., a Miami-based attorney representing McGregor, said in a statement. Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full co-operation.

McGregor, whos from Ireland, is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and one of the biggest draws in MMA. He returned to UFC last fall after a hiatus during which he made his boxing debut, a loss to Floyd Mayweather. He was suspended from UFC for six months and fined $50,000 for a brawl after his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October.

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SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah teacher on administrative leave apologized Monday for making 9-year-old Catholic student William McLeod wash off the Ash Wednesday cross from his forehead, saying it was a misunderstanding.

Fourth-grade teacher Moana Patterson said Monday she thought the cross was dirt, and she gave William a wet wipe to clean off not knowing it was a religious symbol. She said that she hopes everyone can move forward and build understanding together. Patterson was surrounded by parents and students who support her at a news conference held at Utah state capitol in Salt Lake City.

My entire life has been centred around respecting diversity, Patterson said. I would never intentionally disrespect any religion or any sacred symbol.

The incident occurred last week at Valley View Elementary School in Bountiful, Utah.

This is something that happens when people arent necessarily exposed to other cultures other religions. Its not always necessarily mean spirited, said Republican Utah Sen. Todd Weiler, who represents the area.

Patterson left the news conference without taking questions after she read from a prepared statement. Its unknown if she has a religious affiliation. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, account for about two-thirds of Utah residents. The faith doesnt observe Ash Wednesday.

Karen Fisher, Williams grandmother, said shes not quite ready to accept the apology because Patterson pressed the boy to remove the symbol even after he explained its significance twice. Its kind of hard to swallow, a little, for me, she said.

Fisher doesnt want Patterson to lose her job or for any harm to come to her, but said a break is warranted to ensure she and others in the community are aware of other faith traditions. There needs to be training for all religions, all beliefs, she said.

In Utah, Catholics are the minority. The 330,000 Catholics in the state account for about 10 per cent of the population, said Jean Hill at the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.

William had just returned to the school after attending Catholic mass when Patterson called the ash marking inappropriate and gave him a hand wipe to clean it off in front of his classmates, Fisher said.

Patterson was called into a meeting with the principal and the school board about the incident and called Fisher to apologize, Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams said last week. The Davis School District opened an investigation into Pattersons action and placed her on paid administrative leave.

Williams said there were no updates about the ongoing investigation about Pattersons actions.

Tiffany Ivan Spence, who said shes a parent of one of Williams classmates, said she also thought the cross on the boys forehead was dirt. She said it was a misunderstanding and not an attack against religion.

He came into my home and to me it looked just like a smudge, Ivan Spence said. When I first saw Will, my instinct was to also hand him a wipe. It would have been common sense for any person who cares about children to help them if they didnt know they had that on their head.
PHOENIX - Over 2,200 people exposed to the mumps virus in at least two immigration detention facilities have been quarantined, authorities said Tuesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the 25-day quarantine began March 7 at facilities in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, and Aurora, Colorado.

The outbreak has renewed long-held concerns over access to medical care at immigration facilities, especially at a time when more immigrants who are crossing the border are being held and for longer periods of time. There are nearly 47,000 immigrants currently detained around the country, according to an ICE spokesman.

ICE says 236 detainees have had confirmed or probable cases of mumps in 51 facilities in the past year. There were no reported cases between 2016 and 2018 at any ICE facilities.

Mumps is extremely rare, and infections have dropped by 99 per cent since vaccinations began in the late 1960s. It can spread quickly through coughing, sneezing or even talking, and symptoms include swollen glands, fever, headache, muscle aches and pain while chewing or swallowing.

Laura Lunn, managing attorney for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Networks detention program, said her organization has about a dozen clients who are quarantined in Aurora. Lunn said the facility has made her clients available for meetings as long as they wear a mask, but that shes concerned about the health and safety of her staff, and is looking at alternate ways to meet with them.

None of her clients actually have mumps and all are Mexican or Central American men.

The most profound restriction is people are not being taken for immigration court. They arent able to move forward with their cases and its prolonging their detention, Lunn said.

Immigrant advocates have long said that medical care at immigration detention facilities is subpar, and theyve filed several lawsuits after deaths or injuries in detention.

Elizabeth Jordan of the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center said screenings at immigration detention centres are inadequate. She said she doesnt have any current clients who are quarantined in Aurora, but regularly interviews detainees there and has had clients there in the past.

Neglect, I think, is not really strong enough to describe whats happening in there, Jordan said. For example, theres only one physician on staff, Jordan said.

ICE spokeswoman Alethea Smock said there are 271 detainees quarantined in four pods in the Aurora facility. Over 1,200 detainees are currently housed there.

ICE officials said its quick reaction has led to a very low transmission rate and that its monitoring detainees and employees for signs of illness at the facility, which has seen a spike in the number of detainees who came through the southern border. They say they have taken a number of measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, such as initial medical screening and a full medical check-up within 14 days.

Jordan said its difficult for immigrants who are quarantined to access their attorneys. She had clients who were quarantined at a facility in California last year after a chicken pox outbreak that she couldnt reach to relay important information about their cases.

Jordan said the Aurora location has a phone system attorneys can use to reach detainees.

In Pine Prairie, about 65 miles (104 kilometres) northwest of Lafayette, about 300 detainees are quarantined, spokesman Bryan D. Cox said. Cox said those who are in what the agency calls a medical cohort still have access to outdoor recreation and dining, its just that they have to stick with the people theyre quarantined with. Detainees also have access to attorneys and are offered a mask.

Cox said 18 people have had mumps at the Pine Prairie facility. They come from eight different countries and were arrested between June of last year and January 2019.
PHILADELPHIA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and several criminal justice reform groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Philadelphia court magistrates over what they say are unfair bail practices that dont follow rules and unfairly target poor people of colour.

The system of bail in Philadelphia is clearly quite broken, said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, saying it only works for the wealthiest individuals who can buy their way out of jail.

The lawsuit was filed with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as a complaint against six Philadelphia arraignment court magistrates who the ACLU claims routinely violates the high courts rules. It alleges the magistrates rely too heavily on cash bail and are effectively punishing people for being poor.

The ACLU observed more than 2,000 bail hearings in recent months and found that magistrates were regularly violating rules intended to prevent the criminalization of poverty, he said. Philadelphia must do better.

The ACLU has filed other lawsuits challenging unfair bail practices in Alabama, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, New York and California.

The group described the hearings in Philadelphia as video conferences that typically last about two minutes, where clients dont get a chance to speak, often cant hear the proceedings and their financial situation is not taken into consideration, with bail even imposed on people receiving food stamps.

Theyre making decisions about people lives that will cost them their jobs, apartments and custody of their children in the time it takes to brush your teeth, said Mary Catherine Roper, of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

Candace McKinley, an organizer with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund which is a party to the suit, described how her group has raised over $300,000 since 2017 to bail out about 100 people who couldnt afford their bail.

Weve had people who have given birth while they were locked up and had their kid taken away from them, she said. We had to scramble to post bail so they could show up at family court to try to get their child back.

Gabe Roberts, the director of communications for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, said the court cant comment on pending cases or filings.

A city spokesman said they had not yet reviewed the litigation and so have no comment at this time.

About a year ago, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced his office would no longer seek bail for minor criminal cases.

During an update on the effects of the reform last month, his office announced that 1,750 defendants were released without bail during 2018, with no increase in recidivism.

According to the First Judicial District, defendants court-appearance rate in 2018 was the highest it has been in a decade, nearly 97 per cent in Common Pleas Court and 87.5 per cent in Municipal Court, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported .

Krasners office said it didnt have any comment on the lawsuit at this time.

The problem the ACLU lawsuit is seeking to address is that the magistrates are not following the rules, and in some cases they are setting bail deliberately too high, said Mary Catherine Roper, of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

That is not anything the DA can fix, that is not something the public defender can fix, that is not something the city administration can fix, she said. Honestly, these judges are not following orders and the only authority that can tell them to do that is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

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This story has been corrected to show suit filed Tuesday, not Thursday.
SEATTLE - Alaska Airlines says a flight headed to Seattle returned to Portland, Oregon, after the crew shut down one of the aircrafts engines.

KOMO-TV reports Alaska Flight 2228 departed from the Portland International Airport at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and returned about a half-hour later.

The airline says in a statement that pilots were notified of an issue with one of the propellers speed control shortly after takeoff.

The crew then shut down an engine, which is standard procedure. The Bombardier Q400 aircraft landed safely.

The Seattle-based airline says it was working Tuesday afternoon to get the 76 passengers and four crew members on a different Alaska plane.

The airline says its pilots are trained for single-engine operations, which are rare.

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Information from: KOMO-TV, http://www.komotv.com/
DES MOINES, Iowa - Texas Democrat Beto ORourke is planning a series of stops in Iowa beginning Thursday as he nears an announcement on a 2020 White House bid.

ORourke, a former congressman, is set to make stops in Burlington, along the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa, and Dubuque, to the north, during his three days in Iowa, according to two people familiar with the plans.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to disclose details of the plans.

A spokesman said Monday that ORourke planned to visit the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday to campaign for Eric Giddens, the Democratic candidate running in a state Senate special election this month. ORourke released a video Monday night from Texas, announcing his support for Giddens and wearing a University of Northern Iowa cap.

The additional stops in Iowa, host of the first caucuses of the 2020 presidential nominating campaign, have the look of an early presidential visit.

ORourke plans to headline a party at the house of Dubuque County Recorder John Murphy on Saturday evening.

When they show up here, we know why. And its not for the climate, said Dubuque County Democratic Chairman Steve Drahozal. It seems to me to be indicative of someone with presidential aspirations.

ORourke, who lost a close U.S. Senate race in Texas in November to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, had previously declined to accept invitations to visit Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early nominating states and hasnt yet made major staffing moves in those places.

He says hes decided on 2020 but has provided no further details except that hell make his plans known soon.

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This story has been corrected to show John Murphy is Dubuque County recorder, not its treasurer.
WASHINGTONEducation Secretary Betsy DeVos announced this week she would no longer enforce a rule that bars religious institutions from providing certain taxpayer-funded services in private schools, saying the restriction ran afoul of a recent high-court decision.

Under the federal education law, private schools are entitled to many of the federally funded services that public schools receive, particularly if they educate children from low-income households or English-language learners. The rules, called equitable-services provisions, mean that public schools pay for professional development for private school teachers, or send a member of their own staff to provide reading help to a struggling child who is eligible for extra help.

Oftentimes, school districts will contract with third parties to provide the services. But the rules barred school districts from contracting with religious institutions in these circumstances.

Sister Dale McDonald, director of public policy for the National Catholic Educational Association, said it meant that school districts could not contract with faculty members at a religiously affiliated university, for example, to provide professional development to private-school teachers, even if the services were secular.

DeVos said in an announcement Monday that the prohibition was no longer enforceable because of a 2017 Supreme Court decision in which the court ruled that religious organizations could not be excluded from state programs if the organizations have secular intent. The court sided with Trinity Lutheran, a Missouri church that sought to participate in a state program to resurface its playground for its preschoolers.

The Trinity Lutheran decision reaffirmed the long-understood intent of the First Amendment to not restrict the free exercise of religion, DeVos said in a news release. Those seeking to provide high-quality educational services to students and teachers should not be discriminated against simply based on the religious character of their organization.

While school districts are now open to contract with religious organizations, the services they provide must be secular, neutral and non-ideological. The service providers also cannot be affiliated with the private schools they are serving.

DeVos announcement received mixed reactions from educators, politicians and advocates.

Andy Smarick, an education researcher and former president of the Maryland State Board of Education, said he expects lawsuits to be filed in response.

Its either courageous or provocative, depending on how you look at it, he said. It calls into question if this part of the federal law is still valid.

Democrats are still debating the legality of DeVos move.

House Democrats are carefully reviewing the legality of the administrations new policy, said Joshua Weisz, spokesman for the Committee on Education and Labor.

Advocates who closely monitor freedom of speech and religion expressed concerns about the implications of the announcement.

Betsy DeVos is neither the Supreme Court nor Congress. She does not get to unilaterally declare that a statute is unconstitutional, especially with a provision that is designed to protect church-state separation, a bedrock of our democracy, said Maggie Garrett, vice president for public policy at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy organization.

Leaders from Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian nonprofit that focuses on issues of religious freedom, applauded the policy move.

Religious organizations should be free to compete to provide goods and services to schools and colleges on a level playing field with everyone else. We commend the Trump administration and the Department of Education for recognizing the unconstitutional nature of the existing ban on religious contractors who are providing secular services, said Kellie Fiedorek, legal counsel to the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Smarick said it is unusual for an education secretary to make such a move, and it may suggest a larger policy shift in the Trump administration.

This is the kind of decision that would have had to go through lawyers, policy debates, its a major decision, he said. This kind of move doesnt happen lightly in most administrations.
NEW YORK - Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say.

Its estimated that another 155,000 or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing, and thousands of results have yet to be linked to suspects. Many who have been identified cant be prosecuted because of legal time limits and other factors.

Still, the effort is a start at correcting an absolute travesty of justice, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Tuesday while releasing results of his $38 million investment in testing  all outside his own turf.

That backlog not only undermined justice and the perception, and reality, of equality  it also made every woman and every American less safe, he said.

Law enforcement and lawmakers have faced growing calls in recent years to eliminate whats known as the rape kit backlog  swabs and samples collected in sex assault cases but never tested for DNA. Victims advocates see the untested kits as signs that sexual assaults werent taken seriously enough.

Vance, who took office after New York City cleared its own testing backlog, and the Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Assistance have worked in tandem since 2015 to help other places tackle theirs.

The two agencies have paid to send years-old kits to labs from dozens of states and communities, ranging from Flint, Michigan, to Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas.

One of those kits sat untested for 15 years in Tracy Rios case, though shed given police the name of the then-friend she accused of luring her into a vacant apartment and sexually assaulting her in 2002 in Tempe, Arizona. Police said they couldnt charge him based on her word, and then she underwent a rape kit exam, but the investigation soon stalled, she said.

I lost faith in the system. I thought they didnt care, she said Tuesday. A message was left for Tempe police about the case.

Two years ago, she was told her rape kit had finally been tested, with money from the Manhattan DAs office, and police were pursuing her case anew.

It was amazing to know I was going to get justice, said Rios, whose attacker is now serving a seven-year sentence for sexual assault.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified, as Rios did.

Some cities have mobilized on their own to test years-old rape kits.

But the big grants from Manhattan and Washington infused this movement with resources, says Ilse Knecht of the Joyful Heart Foundation, a sexual assault victims advocacy group.

The backlog built up over decades, partly due to the cost of tests that can run $1,000 or more.

But victims advocates also say many sex assault cases simply got sidelined over the years by police and prosecutors who unduly disbelieved or downplayed victims allegations.

New York City worked through a 17,000-case backlog between 2000 and 2003. Vance, a Democrat elected in 2009, offered other places money to attack their own backlogs and negotiated discount rates with labs.

His program  financed with $38 million from settlements in banking-related cases  dispatched more than 55,000 rape kits to testing labs. The results have yielded 186 arrests and 64 convictions to date, with more investigations and prosecutions still underway, according to Vances report.

In Battle Creek, Michigan, arrests included a suspect in the 2013 sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

Authorities had his name from the start  he was a family friend  but her rape kit wasnt tested until Vances grant program helped Michigan wipe out a 3,400-kit backlog.

The woman, now 19, says she was initially angry when authorities told her they were ready to prosecute three years after the assault. Shed gotten on with her life, helped by counselling.

But she ultimately agreed to testify, and her attacker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

I feel proud of myself for going forward with the case, the woman said Tuesday. And she doesnt feel scared to walk around town anymore.

Another nearly 45,000 rape kits have been sent to labs through the Justice Department program  and its produced nearly 899 prosecutions and 498 convictions and plea bargains, according to data the agency provided Monday to The Associated Press.

The Justice Department has put $154 million over three years into its sexual assault kit initiative, which includes other things besides testing.

DNA testing isnt a surefire way to close cases. Only some rape kits match any profile in the FBI databank  and sometimes its just a match to DNA from another crime scene, with no name attached unless the person gets arrested in the future.

Even when DNA matches a known offender, prosecution is sometimes impossible because the legal time clock has run out, the suspect has died or for other reasons.

But authorities and victims advocates say arrests arent the only measure of the impact of getting the tests done.

It means that the criminal justice system cares what happened to you, Knecht said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Billionaire investor and Democratic activist Tom Steyer is bringing his call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump back to South Carolina, a state he says has a special status in the conversation due to its early place on the presidential primary voting calendar.

Tom Steyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday that hes coming back to the state early next week for events in Columbia and on Hilton Head Island. Telling AP that impeachment is a leadership test for presidential candidates, Steyer said that South Carolinians can push the issue with the Democratic hopefuls streaming into the state, home of the first Southern primary, in the months leading up to next years balloting.

For the past 16 months, weve heard from tens of thousands of South Carolinians who have spoken up and are demanding that our leaders hold Donald Trump accountable for his crimes, corruption, and coverups, Steyer said. Impeachment is a leadership test for presidential candidates, and South Carolinians have a unique opportunity to shape the national political conversation and push candidates to take a stand.

Steyer previously visited South Carolina several times as he considered joining the Democratic primary field before turning his full attention to impeachment efforts. His organization, Need to Impeach, is running an ad in South Carolina urging congressional Republicans to consider impeachment, showing an image of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as a narrator describes members of Congress who have let politics scare them out of holding Trump accountable.

But Steyers trip to South Carolina is in part intended to drum up Democratic support for impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday told The Washington Post that Trump is just not worth it even as some within the party call to open proceedings. Steyer fired back at that critique, asking, Is doing whats right worth it?

Steyers organization said hes intentionally visiting South Carolinas 6th Congressional District  represented by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, dean of the states Democrats  to show him and other party leaders that many of their constituents support impeachment.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
LOS ANGELES - Hal Blaine, the Hall of Fame session drummer and virtual one-man soundtrack of the 1960s and 70s who played on the songs of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys and laid down one of musics most memorable opening riffs on the Ronettes Be My Baby, died Monday.

Blaine died of natural causes at his home in Palm Desert, California, his son-in-law, Andy Johnson, told The Associated Press. He was 90.

On hearing of his death, the Beach Boys Brian Wilson called him the greatest drummer ever.

The winner of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award last year, Blaines name was known by few outside the music industry, even in his prime. But just about anyone with a turntable, radio or TV heard his drumming on songs that included Presleys Return to Sender, the Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man, Barbra Streisands The Way We Were, the Beach Boys Good Vibrations, dozens of hits produced by Phil Spector and the theme songs to Batman, The Partridge Family and other shows.

Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I cant put it into words, Wilson said in a tweet that included an old photo of him and Blaine sitting at the piano. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success  he was the greatest drummer ever.

As a member of the Los Angeles-based The Wrecking Crew, studio musicians who also included keyboard player Leon Russell, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Tommy Tedesco, Blaine forged a hard-earned virtuosity and versatility that enabled him to adapt quickly to a wide range of popular music. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he played on 40 No. 1 hits, 150 top 10 songs. Blaine also played on eight songs that won Grammys for record of the year, including Sinatras Strangers in the Night and Simon & Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water.

He may be the only drummer to back Presley, Sinatra and John Lennon.

Godspeed Old Friend, Sinatras daughter Nancy Sinatra said alongside an Instagram picture she posted of Blaine backing her up as she sang.

Some accounts have Blaine playing on 35,000 songs, but he believed that around 6,000 was more accurate, still making him a strong contender for the most recorded drummer in history. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.

Out of so many notable sessions, his signature moment was the attention-grabbing on the four solo  Bum-ba-bum-BOOM  that launched the classic Be My Baby, a hit for the Ronettes in 1963 that helped define Spectors overpowering Wall of Sound productions. The song remained a radio staple for decades and got new life in the 70s when it was used to open Martin Scorseses Mean Streets and again in the 80s when it was featured in Dirty Dancing.

Few drum parts have been so widely imitated, from Billy Joels Say Goodbye to Hollywood to The Jesus and Mary Chains Just Like Honey.

In a 2005 interview with Modern Drummer magazine, Blaine said that he wasnt quite sure how he came up with the solo. To the best of his memory, he accidentally missed a beat while the song was being recorded and improvised by only playing the beat on the fourth note.

And I continued to do that, he recalled. Phil might have said, Do that again. Somebody loved it, in any event. Its just one of those things that sometimes happens.

Blaine nicknamed himself and his peers The Wrecking Crew, because they were seen by their more buttoned-down elders as destructive to the industry  an assertion that Kaye and others disputed. Many members of The Wrecking Crew worked nonstop for 20 years, sometimes as many as eight sessions a day, a pace that led to several marriages and divorces for Blaine.

As more bands played on their own records and electronic drums arose, business dropped off in the 1980s even as younger musicians such as Max Weinberg of the E Street Band cited his influence.

His memoir, Hal Blaine & The Wrecking Crew, came out in 1990, and he continued to appear at symposiums and workshops into his 80s. Blaine also was seen in the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew and was played by Johnny Sneed in the Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.

Many younger drummers counted him as a friend and mentor.

Hal was funny, sweet, and genuine, Jon Bermuda Schwartz, drummer for the Weird Al Yankovic Band, said in email to The Associated Press. He made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. His inspiration and influence to drummers everywhere is immeasurable. Hal was a treasure.

Blaine, the son of Jewish immigrants, was born Harold Simon Belsky in Holyoke, Massachusetts. By age 8, he was already drumming, using a pair of dowels he removed from a seat in the living room. He was a professional by age 20 and within a few years switched from jazz to rock after being approached during a gig at the Garden Of Allah hotel in Hollywood.

This guy came in, Blaine told Modern Drummer, and said, Hey kid, Ive been watching you for a couple of days. You want to make some bucks? I got a singer (Tommy Sands) over here and hes going to be signed by Capitol Records, but he needs a drummer.

The use of session musicians became a scandal in the late 1960s when it was discovered that the Monkees, the million-selling TV foursome, did not play on their songs. Blaine, who, of course, drummed for the Monkees, knew that many top groups depended on him and his peers. He even became friendly with some of the players he sat in for, including Wilsons brother Dennis Wilson.

He was thrilled that I was making their records because while I was making Beach Boy records, he was out surfing or riding his motorcycle, Blaine told Modern Drummer.

The drummer with The Knack, Bruce Gary, was once asked who his favourite drummer was. And he said he was never so disappointed in his life to find out that a dozen of his favourite drummers were me.

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Italie reported from New York.
TRENTON, N.J. - A former New Jersey government official told a legislative hearing Tuesday that he has been falsely accused of sexual assault by another state worker.

Albert Alvarez was chief of staff at the state Schools Development Authority until October when a newspaper published an account from Katie Brennan alleging that he sexually assaulted her while they were both working to get Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy elected in 2017.

Alvarez has denied the allegations, and two county prosecutors  Hudson and then Middlesex  declined to bring criminal charges in the case. The Middlesex County prosecutor said there was a lack of credible evidence in the case.

Tuesdays testimony under oath that came after a subpoena was issued. It marked the first time Alvarez publicly commented about the episode, which captured officials attention in the Statehouse and led to the formation of the committee probing Alvarezs hiring. Both Brennan and Alvarez have filed lawsuits and Murphy was led to conduct an internal review of his hiring practices.

I stand by my previous statement that I have been falsely accused, Alvarez said, reading a statement at the start of the hearing. These false allegations have devastated my career and have brought an emotional toll on myself and my loved ones.

Lawmakers have said that the hearing would focus on hiring and not the criminal allegations. Attorneys hired at public expense by legislators questioned Alvarez for hours, along with some lawmakers.

The potential for a bombshell revelation about who hired him  a question that eluded legislators for months and produced inconclusive responses from Murphy administration staffers  fizzled after an attorney asked Alvarez who hired him.

I couldnt tell you, he said after repeated attempts at getting clarity.

Lawmakers focused on who hired Alvarez because they said it was odd that after months of testimony no one in the Murphy administration could pinpoint who had hired him. At one point during the hearings, it seemed as if Alvarez, a former Murphy campaign staffer, might have hired himself.

Jose Lozano, Murphys transition chief had testified that Alvarez told him hed be working at the schools authority. This prompted incredulous responses from lawmakers who asked whether Alvarez hired himself, but Lozano later said he believed either Murphys chief of staff or counsel approved the hire.

Alvarez said he had at least a pair of conversations with incoming chief of staff Pete Cammarano and Lozano about the position and salary. Lozano and Cammarano had testified earlier and couldnt pinpoint either who officially hired Alvarez.

Brennan came forward with her story in the Wall Street Journal after first informing Murphy transition and administration officials. She has said she decided to detail her allegations publicly when she learned Alvarez was still in state government after she was led to believe he was leaving.

In January, Brennan sued the state and Alvarez, seeking to scrap the states policy requiring victim confidentiality in cases like hers. Alvarez last week filed a suit of his own, asking for and winning an order from a judge seeking prosecutors documents.

In February, Murphy announced changes in how the state handles sexual misconduct allegations, applying them to people who work for the governor in the transition period, as well as new job applicants.

After the hearing, legislators said they will consult with their attorneys about what steps the committee might take next. Legislators are expected to issue a report on their findings.
NEW YORK - Federal prosecutors in New York announced charges Tuesday against a woman accused of recruiting cyber supporters to an online group that published kill lists on behalf of the Islamic State.

Kim Anh Vo, 20, was arrested in Georgia and appeared in federal court in Augusta on charges of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

She agreed to be transferred to Manhattan for further proceedings.

Her defence attorney, Ken Crowder, declined to comment on the charges.

The FBI said in court filings that Vo joined an online group called the United Cyber Caliphate that spread propaganda on behalf of the Islamic State group and called on supporters to kill thousands of Americans in so-called lone wolf attacks.

Prosecutors said Vo recruited members to the group, including a minor from Norway, to assist in hacking efforts, and also did editing and translating for the group.

She contacted the FBI on at least three occasions beginning in July 2017 saying she wished to speak to law enforcement, according to federal court filings. She was then interviewed by FBI agents.

Authorities said the cyber caliphate published kill lists online containing the names of American soldiers and State Department officials. They said one list included the names and addresses of more than 3,600 people in the New York City area.

The FBI said the group also created a video threatening a non-profit based in New York that was formed to combat the online promotion of extremist ideologies.
NEW YORK - Defence attorneys urged a U.S. judge Tuesday to grant leniency to a prominent Hong Kong businessman who was found guilty last year of bribing the presidents of two African nations.

Dr. Chi Ping Patrick Ho, who is also an ophthalmologist and former home affairs secretary in Hong Kong, was convicted in December of paying bribes to the presidents of Chad and Uganda in a bid to secure oil rights for a conglomerate known as CEFC China Energy. Prosecutors said he used his position running that companys think-tank to line the pockets of government officials as the oil and gas company sought to expand its business around the world.

Ho was tried in New York because a number of relevant meetings and wire transfers related to the payments occurred in Manhattan. The case attracted international media attention and involved several former presidents of the United Nations General Assembly.

Hos defence team did not dispute the payments, including $2 million secreted in gift boxes delivered to the president of Chad in 2014, but insisted the transactions were charitable donations.

His lawyers filed court papers asking U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska to release him on time served for charges including conspiracy, money laundering and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

In a lengthy court filing, defence attorneys wrote that Ho deeply regrets his actions and will spend the rest of his life atoning for crimes that amounted to a small and uncharacteristic part of his long and successful life.

They noted Ho has been behind bars since his November 2017 arrest and may spend more time in immigration custody awaiting deportation.

During that time, the defence said, Ho has tutored several fellow inmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center and taught classes ranging from geography to personal finance.

Many individuals in Patricks situation would have reacted with bitterness and self-pity, defence attorney Edward Kim wrote in the court filing. But it is ingrained in Patrick to serve no matter the circumstances. In good times and in bad, he considers it his duty to leverage his talents and the good fortune he has enjoyed in his life to better the lives of those around him.

The defence also filed 149 letters from Hos family, friends, patients and fellow inmates.

Federal prosecutors are expected to weigh in on the defence request next week.

Ho is scheduled to be sentenced March 25.
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled House passed a series of bills Tuesday pushing back on the Russian government, demanding accountability for corruption, human rights abuses and aggression.

The legislation demands accountability for the slaying of a Russian opposition leader, prohibits recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, calls for investigations of Russian President Vladimir Putins finances and requests assessments of Russian influence campaigns. All four bills passed with overwhelming Republican support.

Countering Russian aggression has quickly become a foreign policy priority for the newly Democratic-controlled House. Critics of President Donald Trump say his administration is not doing enough to counter Russian aggression and say Congress is obligated to step in.

Sadly the administration in my opinion hasnt done nearly enough to stand up to Russia and call out Putins thuggery. So its up to Congress to assert American leadership on this issue, said Democrat Eliot Engel of New York.

Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation demanding sanctions be imposed in response to the killing of prominent Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Nemtsov was shot on Feb. 27, 2015, as he walked along a bridge near the Kremlin. Five men have been convicted and jailed in Nemtsovs killing, but his supporters say the true culprits have not been held accountable. Republican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who co-sponsored the measure on Nemtsov with Engel, called the resolution an important step towards justice.

Trump has repeatedly come under fire from critics who point to his administrations reluctance in criticizing Russias human rights record or its actions in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere. Trump has also raised doubts about U.S. demands for Russia to return to Ukraine the territory of Crimea it annexed in 2014, and when U.S. intelligence chiefs presented findings on Russia interference in the 2016 election, he cast doubt on the assessment.

To protect our national security and our democracy, its vital that we investigate and expose the Russian presidents financial networks and cut off the illegal funding for these criminal attacks against our country, said Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida. Demings introduced legislation targeting Putins financial networks along with Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.

This legislation is an important step to ensuring the security of our elections and upholding democracy around the world, Stefnik said in a statement.

Its unclear if any of the measures passed Tuesday will be taken up by the Senate.
HOUSTON - Officials from more than 10 U.S. cities convened Tuesday in Houston to learn about its successes combatting human trafficking, a broad approach in which the citys health department, restaurant inspectors and cab companies all help identify potential victims.

While human trafficking has typically been viewed as a law enforcement issue, the city in 2015 also began focusing on it through a non-law enforcement lens. That garnered praise from federal officials and interest from other cities wanting to mimic the strategies.

It is a different way of doing things, said Minal Patel Davis, special advisor to the mayor on human trafficking in Houston.

Officials with New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco are among those attending the two-day meeting this week in Houston, which has long been seen as a hub for human trafficking due to its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and its diverse and large population.

A 2016 study by the University of Texas at Austin estimates that there are more than 313,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas. More than 234,000 are victims of labour trafficking, and nearly 79,000 are victims of sex trafficking.

At the time Davis was appointed to her job in 2015, it was the first municipal level position of its kind in the United States. Three cities  Atlanta, Chicago and Minneapolis  have since created similar positions through grant funding.

In Houston, Davis began working with the health department  training its inspectors to watch for signs of labour trafficking at the citys 13,000 food establishments. Inspectors also handed out outreach cards to workers with the phone number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

The citys health clinics also included human trafficking awareness as part of its screening processes and a human trafficking case manager was placed at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston.

City departments touch nearly all aspects of life. They are a great set of eyes and ears, Davis said.

The city has also reached out to the local business and corporate community to raise awareness about human trafficking.

The parent company of Yellow Cab and Taxi Fiesta agreed to notify its drivers by email and text about possible signs of human trafficking with its customers as traffickers often rely on taxis for transportation.

In 2017, Houston passed a city ordinance that implemented a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking in city service contracts and purchasing. The ordinance requires contractors that work with the city ensure that their supply chains as well as those of their subcontractors adhere with labour laws.

At Tuesdays meeting, Mayor Sylvester Turner said the success of these various programs in Houston shows the citys approach is working.

The reality is, if we are not working to eradicate human trafficking in all cities, in all states and globally, you dont win, Turner said.

In October, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recognized Houston as a national model for building anti-trafficking infrastructure at the municipal level during a meeting in Washington, D.C. of the Presidents Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

The city now boasts one of the most comprehensive and forward-leaning anti-trafficking programs anywhere in the United States, Pompeo said.

Ouleye N. Warnock, a senior human trafficking fellow with the city of Atlanta who attended Tuesdays meeting, said her office is working to develop partnerships with the private sector to offer job opportunities for trafficking victims.

Warnock said she has also had to work to educate the public that human trafficking is not only about sex trafficking about also about forced labour.

Expanding funding to combat human trafficking is something that is being debated during the current Texas legislative session. Lawmakers are discussing providing an additional $60.8 million to establish an anti-gang and an anti-human trafficking task force, providing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission $5.6 million to help spot human trafficking at bars and clubs and $500,000 to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to help identify trafficking at salons and spas.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
NEW YORK - Gwynne Wilcox jokingly calls herself a duchess because she celebrates all things Meghan Markle.

The New York attorney wore a Markle mask in the office for Halloween and served scones to colleagues. If not for work demands, would have been one of those people standing outside a Manhattan hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the pregnant Duchess of Sussex when pals threw her a recent baby shower.

Wilcoxs interest hasnt waned a bit since the American actress wed Prince Harry last May 19, announcing her pregnancy nearly five months later. While some admirers in the U.S. lost their must-see royal fervour after the big nuptials, plenty remain hanging on every tidbit about Markle.

Is it the Markle sparkle? Diana trickle-down? The days and days of drool-worthy designer maternity outfits? For Wilcox, it has a lot to do with race.

I think it will be hard to beat the excitement of the royal wedding, but I do believe the royal birth is going to be very exciting on this side of the pond, said Wilcox, who is African-American.

The birth of the royal baby, whose mother is African-American, will be intriguing worldwide, especially given the history of England, Wilcox added. People will be excited to see who the baby looks like from birth and how the earl or ladys personality will develop over time. 

Markle, as a divorced, American, Roman Catholic-raised woman of colour, has shaken up the British royal family tree with her modern sense of style and reported eco-friendly touches to her nursery. Her baby, expected in April, will fall seventh in line for the throne, right behind Harry.

Theres plenty of baby fever, to be sure, but the royal family warned recently it will block internet trolls on its social media channels and may report offenders to police amid concern about online abuse aimed at Markle and Kate Middleton, the mother of three as wife of Harrys big brother, William.

Lately, much of the social media abuse has centred on rival fans of Markle and Middleton.

Colleen Gwen Armstrong, a publicist and pop culture blogger in New York, said she was very excited for the birth of Prince George, the first baby Cambridge and third in line for the throne, especially since Waity Katie took so long to snag William. But its Markle shes really interested in.

In my mind I picture her and Prince Harry having a girl and naming her Diana. That would be lovely. With all of her mystique, Im very curious about what type of mother Meghan will be, Armstrong said. Part of Meghans allure is the fact that shes done everything untraditional, which also includes her holistic approach to pregnancy, according to reports.

The data analytics company Crimson Hexagon, which crunches data on public conversations playing out across the internet  from Twitter and Reddit to comment threads on blogs  counted more positive sentiment than negative in the U.S. since announcement of the birth last October: 56 per cent to 44 per cent of more than 104,634 posts analyzed.

While Meghan Markle is an American, the conversation surrounding the royal baby and her pregnancy is smaller overall than that of Kate Middleton, but the U.S. is much more interested in Meghan than they are in Kate, evidenced by the fact that U.S. volume doubles U.K. volume about Meghan, but U.K. volume about Kate was much higher, the company said in a statement.

Count New York singer and musician Tessa Lena among indifferent Americans.

I absolutely do not care! No, no, no. I dont see why anybody should care, she said. Is anyone going to get richer, healthier or happier because somebody whom they have never met had a baby whom they will also never meet?

Some who admired Princess Diana, the late mother of Will and Harry, have continued their warm embrace of the sons. Other fans of the Duchess of Sussex are close to her age, which is 37.

David Demko, a first-generation American born to Czech immigrants, is none of those things. Hes 70 and the Orange Park, Florida, grandfather of seven. He wishes all young couples well, including those expecting children, in celebration of the universals of the human experience.

What is not universal about a royal birth is its opposition to our cultural notions about equality and equal opportunity, he said. We in the U.S.A. live in a culture where social status is earned, not ascribed at birth.

Is it a man-woman disconnect rather than a generational one? A royal birthing fatigue, considering Middleton has already given birth three times?

Nicholas Corlis, 24 who lives in Houston, Texas, is among those not captivated.

I do not care about what the royal family does because they have little to no effect on me, and U.S. politics are already wild enough for me to keep up with, he said. I just see them as another rich family. I think keeping up with the royal family is often more appealing to women because they can picture themselves in Markles shoes.

He holds no ill will, however: Im happy for Markle and relate to her being American, I suppose, but I dont think that really matters. I dont see their marriage as some kind of achievement representative of our country.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. - A judge in the case of a white western Pennsylvania police officer accused of shooting to death a black teenager last year put a black woman on the jury Tuesday over the defences objections but said he will reconsider the decision.

Allegheny County Judge Alexander Bicket agreed that lawyers for former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld had improperly ruled out the woman based on race, but later said he would revisit the topic.

Rosfeld, 30, of Verona, is charged with criminal homicide for the June shooting death of Antwon Rose II. Rose, 17, was shot three times, including in the back, as he ran from a vehicle that Rosfeld had stopped.

The shooting prompted a series of protests, including a late night march down a major highway.

The first day of jury selection produced six women and three men for the panel, including two black women and one black man. Jurors are being chosen in Harrisburg because of widespread publicity about the case in the Pittsburgh area.

The trial will begin next week in Pittsburgh and is expected to last more than a week.

Prosecutors and the defence both have challenges they may use to eliminate potential jurors, but those challenges cannot be based on a potential jurors race, gender or ethnicity.

A 55-year-old black woman from Harrisburg was ruled out by Rosfeld defence attorney Patrick Thomassey, prompting a so-called Batson challenge from the Allegheny County prosecutors. They said two of the three people Rosfelds lawyers had eliminated from consideration were black.

Thomassey argued the woman would face pressure from the community where she lives, but when she was called back for more questioning she said that was not the case.

No, Im a loner, the woman said. I dont deal with my neighbours.

Bicket put her on the jury over Thomasseys strenuous objections.

I will revisit that issue once I look at the case law, the judge said.

The other jurors include a retired railroad worker, a mother of three who works the overnight shift and does not watch much TV, the girlfriend of a retired state trooper and a retired schoolteacher and wrestling coach.

Thomassey has said that Rosfeld was in fear and that the shooting was justified. He has described Rosfeld as remorseful and stunned to learn Rose did not have a gun in his hand.

Rosfeld was charged, investigators said, after his story changed about whether he saw or believed a gun was in Roses hands.

Video shot from a nearby house captured the shooting.

Rose had been a front-seat passenger in an unlicensed cab that was stopped as part of an investigation into a drive-by shooting.

A prosecutor has said Rose had nothing to do with the drive-by shooting, and had shown his hands when he got out of the unlicensed cab.

Rose was described as a promising student who did charity work. He would have been a high school senior this year.

Officials say two handguns were found inside the car Rose had been riding in. District Attorney Stephen Zappala said an empty gun clip was found in Roses pocket.

East Pittsburgh, about 10 miles (16 kilometres) east of Pittsburgh, notified state police in November it was closing down its police department.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Authorities say a Florida man showed up at a junior high school with a loaded gun after his son contacted him to say a teacher had pushed him.

The Palm Beach Post reports that 27-year-old Christopher Freeman was arrested Monday afternoon at Bear Lakes Middle School and charged with aggravated assault, possessing a weapon on school property and disturbing the peace.

Palm Beach County School District police say Freemans son had video-called him in tears, saying a teacher had slammed him. Freeman told police he then saw an adult grab the boy before the call ended.

A police officer met with Freeman when he arrived at the school. The officer reported seeing what appeared to be a gun sticking out of Freemans pants, prompting a school lockdown. Police found a loaded AK-47 pistol during a search.

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Information from: The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, http://www.pbpost.com
New Yorks attorney general has opened a civil investigation into President Donald Trumps business dealings, taking action after his former lawyer told Congress he exaggerated his wealth to obtain loans.

A person familiar with the inquiry said Attorney General Letitia James issued subpoenas Monday to Deutsche Bank and Investors Bank seeking records related to four Trump real estate projects and his failed 2014 bid to buy the NFLs Buffalo Bills.

The person wasnt authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The New York Times first reported the subpoenas.

Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, told Congress in late February that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements provided to Deutsche Bank when he was trying to obtain financing to buy the Bills.

Cohen told a House committee it was common for Trump to overstate his wealth when dealing with the news media or banks, but understate it when it came time to pay his taxes.

Deutsche Bank said in a statement that it remains committed to co-operating with authorized investigations. Messages left with New Jersey-based Investors Bank and the Trump Organization were not immediately returned.

The subpoenas issued by the attorney general seek loan applications, as well as mortgages, credit lines and other documents related to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., buildings in Chicago and New York and a golf course in the Miami area.

Several Congressional committees have also requested documents from Deutsche Bank. California Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat and head of the House Financial Services Committee, said last week that the bank is co-operating.

Deutsche Bank has been one of the few major banks willing to regularly lend to Trump, whose past financial troubles scared off large New York banks. Trumps company borrowed billions of dollars from the German bank over the years.

In May, five Democratic members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan asking the bank to turn in any records relating to Trumps accounts and any ties to Russia. The bank refused, saying it had to respect legal requirements to keep client data private.

James, a Democrat newly elected to office, pledged to look into Trumps business practices, saying after her victory last November that shed be shining a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings and every dealing.

Trump has complained that James is waging a politically motivated vendetta against him. Her office is also overseeing a lawsuit against a Trump charitable foundation. James predecessors sued Trump over the operations of Trump University, his real estate school.

Previously, a different New York state agency, which regulates insurance companies, launched an inquiry into Cohens allegations that Trump also misled insurance companies about his financial worth.

Trump has said Cohen is lying to try to get out of a prison sentence for tax evasion, campaign finance violations, making false statements to banks and lying to Congress.

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Follow Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak
PORTLAND, Ore. - A member of the right-wing Proud Boys group was arrested Tuesday in Oregon after being indicted last month on assault charges.

The arrest came a day after the mayor of Portland complained that law enforcement was essentially ignoring violent protests in the city.

Protests occur often in Portland and police have at times struggled to contain violent clashes.

In what city is it legal to engage in a street brawl? Mayor Ted Wheeler asked Monday at a news conference.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that 23-year-old Donovon Lyle Flippo of Vancouver, Washington, was booked Tuesday in connection with a June attack.

He faces charges of third-degree assault, a felony, and fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanour. It wasnt clear if he had an attorney.

Flippo and another Proud Boys member were indicted in connection with the June 8 assault of a man who said the pair shouted homophobic slurs at him. The other Proud Boys member hasnt yet been arrested.

A request for comment Tuesday evening from police about the timing of Flippos arrest wasnt immediately answered.

On Monday, Wheeler called for a change to laws if they dont allow police officers to arrest brawlers and vowed that anyone fighting will not go unpunished.

Wheeler also said prosecutors were being too timid and not enforcing existing law.

Wheeler mentioned an Oct. 13 fight outside a downtown bar in which members of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer and left-wing Antifa used fists, batons and even bear mace. Police were present but did not attempt any arrests.

Wheeler said officials in Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhills office told mayoral aides that prosecutors could do nothing because the law allows for mutual combat between people fighting.

That was an unacceptable answer for me, Wheeler said. Cmon folks, were overcomplicating this. Youre not allowed to fight on the streets of the city.

The police department is under scrutiny after it was revealed last month that a lieutenant in charge of containing protests texted repeatedly with the leader of Patriot Prayer, detailing the movement of a rival protest group.

Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for Underhill, said prosecutions are incredibly complex and some elements have been oversimplified by individuals other than prosecutors.

Sometimes prosecutors cannot determine the initial aggressor, he said, making it legally and ethically questionable to file charges.
DENVER - An avalanche injured a sheriff and his daughters Tuesday when it smashed into their home in rural Colorado, underscoring the Wests late-winter woes as a powerful storm dumped more snow on California and prompted a blizzard warning in the Rocky Mountains.

Hinsdale County Sheriff Justin Casey was with his two teenage daughters in their home nestled in the San Juan Mountains when the slide hit.

Casey managed to call for help, and about 15 rescuers found the family within an hour.

The house is destroyed. Completely destroyed, said Sandy Hines, an administrative assistant for the county.

Casey and one of his daughters were treated for minor injuries. The injuries of his other daughter were initially described as serious. She was improving at a hospital, Hines said.

About 15 homes near Caseys property were evacuated as a precaution. Other residents in the area were warned of the possibility of additional avalanches.

This is all unprecedented, said Hines, who has lived in the area for 25 years.

Colorados mountains have been under continuing threat of avalanches this winter, and more snow was expected Wednesday  including a possible blizzard in Denver that could bring up to 8 inches (20 centimetres) of snow and 60 mph (97 kph) wind gusts.

As much as 18 inches (45.7 centimetres) of snow could fall in parts of Colorado and Wyoming, and wind gusts could reach 75 mph (120.7 kph).

On Tuesday, heavy snow fell in the mountains of Southern California as winter took a late-season shot at the region.

Several school districts declared a snow day for students in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, where plows cleared roads and chains were required on vehicles.

Mountain High ski resort at the east end of the San Gabriel Mountains reported at least 18 inches (45.7 centimetres) of new snow. Elsewhere, Big Bear Mountain Resort reported as much as 18 inches (45.7 centimetres).

Wintry weather was expected to move across the Southern Rockies and into the Central Plains over the next couple of days, according to the National Weather Service.
CHICAGO - A lawyer for Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that she would welcome cameras in the courtroom during the Empire actors trial on charges accusing him of lying to police, saying there has been a lot of leaked misinformation and cameras would allow the public to see the evidence and the lack thereof.

Attorney Tina Glandian made the comments during a brief hearing Tuesday in Cook County criminal court during which both sides agreed that cameras would be allowed at the next hearing in the case, which is scheduled for Thursday.

Judge Leroy Martin said the judge picked to oversee the trial would decide whether cameras would be allowed during the trial.

After the hearing, Glandian told reporters that evidence has been presented against Smollett that is demonstrably false.

We welcome cameras in the courtroom so that the public and the media can see the actual evidence and what we believe is the lack of evidence against Mr. Smollett and we look forward to complete transparency and the truth coming out, she said.

Smollett is charged with 16 counts accusing him of lying to the police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two masked men in downtown Chicago.

Prosecutors allege that Smollett, who is black and gay, enlisted the help of two other black men and staged the Jan. 29 attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.

Smolletts attorneys have called the charges prosecutorial overkill. The actor, who is free on bond, maintains his innocence.

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Check out the APscomplete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Latest on the response by police and prosecutors to violent protesters in Portland, Oregon. (all times local):

4:21 p.m.

A member of the right-wing Proud Boys protest group has been arrested following an assault in June of a man in Portland, Oregon.

The arrest Tuesday came a day after Portlands mayor complained that police and prosecutors were essentially ignoring the violent protests within the city and not bringing people to justice.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that 23-year-old Donovon Lyle Flippo of Vancouver, Washington, is charged with third-degree assault, a felony, and fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanour. He was booked into jail. It wasnt clear if he had an attorney.

Flippo and another Proud Boys member were indicted last month in connection with a June 8, 2018, assault. Authorities say the other man hasnt yet been arrested.

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8:37 a.m.

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, is criticizing how local prosecutors and his own Police Bureau handle street violence among political factions that frequently clash on the citys streets.

In a news conference Monday, Ted Wheeler called for a change to rules and laws if they do not allow police officers to arrest brawlers and vowed that anyone fighting on Portland streets will not escape unpunished.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Wheeler said it defies belief that left- and right-wing protesters who fight on Portland streets can evade arrest and prosecution. Yet he said that is exactly the advice his aides have received from Multnomah County prosecutors.

Protests featuring both right-wing and left-wing groups occur often in Portland. Police have at times struggled to contain the violent clashes that ensue.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Latest on jury selection in the case of a white Pennsylvania police officer accused of shooting to death an unarmed black teen last year (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

The judge in the case of a white Pennsylvania police officer accused of shooting to death an unarmed black teen says hell revisit his decision to put a black woman on the jury over a defence attorneys objections.

Allegheny County Judge Alexander Bicket sided with prosecutors who argued that former East Pittsburgh Police officer Michael Rosfelds lawyers had ruled the woman out on the basis of race as they chose jurors for Rosfelds homicide trial next week.

But Bicket says hell study case law and plans to revisit that issue.

Rosfeld is accused of killing 17-year-old Antwon Rose II last year as the teen ran from a vehicle Rosfeld had pulled over.

Six women and three men, including two black women and one black man, have been chosen.

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12:30 p.m.

The first two jurors are in place to hear the case of a white police officer accused of shooting to death a black teenager in western Pennsylvania last year.

Defence lawyers and prosecutors on Tuesday chose a retired railroad worker and an electronics company worker as the first of 12 jurors and four alternates that will be picked.

Theyre being selected in Harrisburg and will be taken to Pittsburgh for the start of trial next week.

Former East Pittsburgh officer Michael Rosfeld is accused of criminal homicide in the June death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II.

Video of the incident shows the 30-year-old Rosfeld firing as Rose ran from a vehicle. The shooting sparked protests.

Rosfelds lawyer has said his client was in fear and the shooting was justified.

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10:30 a.m.

A white police officer accused of shooting to death an unarmed black teen in western Pennsylvania has arrived at court.

Jury selection is getting underway in a Harrisburg courtroom Tuesday for the trial of Michael Rosfeld.

Hes the former East Pittsburgh officer accused of criminal homicide in the June 2018 death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II.

A judge ruled a jury from outside the Pittsburgh area is needed because of widespread publicity about the case.

The defence lawyer for the 30-year-old Rosfeld has said the officer was in fear and argues the shooting was justified.

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5:50 a.m.

Jury selection is about to get underway in a Harrisburg courtroom in the case of a white police officer accused of shooting to death an unarmed black teen in western Pennsylvania last summer.

The jurors will be taken to Allegheny County for the trial next week of Michael Rosfeld.

Hes the former East Pittsburgh officer accused of criminal homicide for the June death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II.

A judge ruled a jury from outside the Pittsburgh area is needed because of widespread publicity about the case.

The defence lawyer for the 30-year-old Rosfeld has said the officer was in fear and argues the shooting was justified.
CINCINNATI - The Latest on a federal court ruling approving an Ohio anti-abortion law on funding (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Leaders of Planned Parenthood are voicing outrage against a federal appeals court ruling upholding an Ohio anti-abortion law that blocks public money for the organization.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday reverses a lower court ruling that granted an injunction against the 2016 law which bars public funding from entities that perform or promote abortions .

Planned Parenthood says the funding has helped provide tests for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screenings, domestic violence education, and efforts to reduce infant mortality.

The national organizations president says the ruling will roll back public health gains. Dr. Leana Wen pledges Planned Parenthood will continue fighting for its patients.

Planned Parenthood didnt say immediately whether it will seek to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

12:16 p.m.

A divided federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio anti-abortion law that blocks public money for Planned Parenthood.

The Tuesday ruling by the full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and could result in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Ohio law targeted funding that Planned Parenthood receives through the states health department. That money is mostly from the federal government and supports education and prevention programs.

The law bars such funds from entities that perform or promote abortions.

Phone and email messages were left with Planned Parenthood seeking comment.

A three-judge panel of the court had agreed with the lower-court ruling, prompting then-Attorney General Mike DeWine last year to seek a full-court hearing. The Republican took office this year as governor.
WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump wants to slash funds that support democracy projects in Venezuela and Cuba while seeking authority from Congress to transfer up to $500 million (U.S.) to help a new transitional government if Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro falls.

Trump is proposing a 40 per cent cut to funds that promote democracy and human rights in Venezuela at the same time that he and Vice President Mike Pence make promises to stick by the Venezuelan people until Maduro is ousted and their democracy is restored.

Trump is promising an even steeper 70 per cent cut to democracy assistance in Cuba, raising concerns at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue that the Trump administration is undercutting its own promises by not matching money to message.

There is a huge disconnect between the budget folks and the policy folks, said a senior administration concerned about the conflicting messages. It sends a horrible message to the people in those countries. On the one hand where the president and vice president say they support the people and their struggle for freedom and democracy. And yet that priority is not reflected in the budget.

This financial assistance provided by the United States supports local organizations working on human rights and civil society. It supports independent media. It also helps pay for training on good government for members of Venezuelas National Assembly, whose president, Juan Guaido, has galvanized a movement across the hemisphere and is seen by 54 nations around the world as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

Read more:

Venezuelan government targets Guaido as some power returns

Colombia: Even Maduros relatives seeking relief from outage

US sends mixed messages on potential for force in Venezuela

Trump is proposing $9 million to promote democracy and human rights in Venezuela, but Congress approved $15 million in the current fiscal year. Trump is proposing $6 million to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba, but Congress approved $20 million in the current fiscal year.

The democracy cuts are part of Trumps overall $4.75 trillion budget plan that boosted defence spending by $750 million while calling for steep cuts at most every federal agency, including a 23 per cent cut at the State Department.

The Trump administration is helping lead a coalition of regional allies who are seeking to oust Maduro from the once oil-rich nation that has plummeted into an economic and humanitarian crisis that has forced more than three million people to flee. Top officials, including Pence, national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have repeatedly called for democracy to be restored in Venezuela during speeches to supporters on television and via social media.

USAID Administrator Mark Green told the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere last month how thankful the Guaido team inside Venezuela was for the democracy support.

That should be particularly gratifying to all of you because of the democracy assistance programs for Venezuela that youve invested in over these last five years on a bipartisan basis, Green said. This assistance has supported local organizations working on human rights, civil society, independent media, electoral oversight and the democratically elected national assembly.

The administration has significantly ratcheted up its rhetoric for democracy over communism since Boltons Troika of Tyranny speech in November in which he called the leaders of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua clowns and said the United States looks forward to watching their governments fall.

The Trump administration called for a reduction in democracy spending for Nicaragua  to $6,000 from $10,000.

Some in Congress have come to the administrations defence.

While Congress tends to appropriate at higher levels, the presidents budget is historically lower than whats requested by the legislative branch, a Republican Senate staffer said. This administration continues to stand strong with the Venezuelan people and their road toward the restoration of their democratic order.

The Obama administration also tried to cut Cuba funding, but was blocked by members of Congress. In 2017, the State Department presented to Congress a budget with zero financing for programs related to Cuba under its economic support and development fund. Aid to Venezuela was also slashed.

On Monday, Pompeo outlined how the Trump administration is seeking to transfer $500 million to help during a transition if Maduro is eventually unseated.

But some in the administration and Capitol Hill are concerned that the allocation will never materialize, be severely reduced or be long delayed because the administration didnt authorize the money nor create a plan about where the money would come from.

If they were serious about it, they would have actually dedicated the funds and explained how they were going to do it instead of just promising to take money from elsewhere, said a Democratic congressional aide. Its an empty promise.

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LAS VEGAS - A company backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk moved a step closer Tuesday to building tunnels for an express transit system at a massive Las Vegas convention centre despite some local opposition.

The board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority voted to authorize contract negotiations with the Musk-backed enterprise The Boring Company.

Authority staff and the company will now develop a detailed design and negotiate the terms of a contract. The project is expected to cost between $35 million and $55 million. The company would pay the cost up front and be reimbursed once the project is completed.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, a member of the board, voted against the proposal.

She expressed concerns that the company was exploratory at this time and we are considering handing over the reins of our most important industry. She said she wanted a further briefing on the project.

The authority expects the transit system to have three or four stations, each situated at entrances to the convention centres halls. People would be carried in electric vehicles moving through parallel tunnels, each running in one direction.

The fleet could include Teslas Model X and Model 3 and a vehicle with capacity for about 16 people  all manufactured by Musk. All the vehicles would be fully autonomous, meaning they wont have backup drivers, and would move at speeds of up to 50 mph (80 kph).

The system of just over a mile (1.6 kilometre) long is expected to debut by January 2021. The convention centre hosts over 1 million people a year. Depending on the size of the stations, 4,400 to 11,000 people could use the system every hour.

Authority president and CEO Steve Hill said the agency expects to return to the board with a full design and proposed contract by June.

Musks dream of an express tunnel transit system has encountered skeptics and setbacks in other cities. The Boring Company cancelled plans in November for a test tunnel in the Los Angeles area after a neighbourhood group filed a lawsuit.

Its project to move people from downtown Chicago to OHare International Airport appears to be in jeopardy after the citys mayoral candidates expressed opposition.

The company in December unveiled a test tunnel built under a Los Angeles suburb, allowing reporters and guests to take rides.

Hill told the board other transportation plans that the authority received as part of a request for proposals are unaffordable and somewhat unsightly. A board member expressed skepticism over the low cost estimate, saying boring tunnels elsewhere can cost $750 million per mile.

The cheapest bid isnt always the best because you get what you paid for, said councilwoman Michele Fiore, who sought to postpone the vote.

The Boring Company president Steve Davis last week told The Associated Press the company has been able to reduce costs by eliminating a traditional step in the tunneling process. The company converts the dirt that would normally be taken to landfills into bricks.

If you can take that dirt, and convert it to bricks and give them away, which is pretty much what we do right now, you just reduced the cost of tunneling by 15 to 20 per cent, he said. If you can sell them for even 12 or 13 cents apiece, which is less than what a brick would cost at Home Depot, you can pretty much take the cost of tunnel almost down to zero. You can really make it unbelievably inexpensive.

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Follow Regina Garcia Cano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/reginagarciakNO
The Ford government will get a lot of applause from parents with its decision to ban cellphones from classrooms. Some of it will even be deserved.

After all, who wants kids distracted by texts and tweets when they should be studying? Ontarios students, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said on Tuesday, need to be able to focus on their learning  not their cellphones.

So far, so obvious. Any parent knows how hard it is to separate a teen from her phone. Indeed, its hard for most people to leave their phones alone for more than a few minutes: just watch the politicians themselves fiddling with their devices even when theyre in the legislature or House of Commons. Its that addictive.

But before giving the Ford government three rousing cheers, its worth keeping a couple of things in mind.

First, this has been tried before, with very mixed results. The Toronto District School Board, to name just one, prohibited phones in classrooms for four years before raising the white flag back in 2011. Teachers just couldnt enforce the ban. New York City went through a similar experience.

Well see how successful teachers will be in making the new cellphone ban stick. Good luck to them.

And second, the government has built in so many exceptions to the rule that its an open question how much of a real ban this will turn out to be. This is a government that likes simple slogans and easy solutions, and ban cellphones fits the bill. The reality on the ground will likely turn out to be quite different  as it should.

Minister Thompson herself listed a string of exceptions to the ban, which is supposed to take effect next school year. Phones, she said will no longer be allowed in the classroom unless they are required for educational purposes, health and medical purposes, or to support special needs.

In the real world, it will most likely turn out there are often good reasons to allow students to use their phones in class.

After all, we want students to be comfortable with technology and cellphones can be used for a whole lot more than messaging friends and posting to Instagram.

They provide instant access to the internet, so students can search for all sorts of information relevant to their classwork. They can share documents and information with other students, receive alerts from their teachers and use calendar apps to stay organized. They can even use their smartphone cameras to make videos for school projects.

All those activities would presumably be allowed under Thompsons edict that phones will be OK for educational purposes.

If thats the case, phones will be in the classroom and being used regularly. Making sure students dont take the occasional peek at their messages will be a challenge, to say the least. And teachers will still be expected to police their use.

That will be in all likelihood the messy reality  in other words, not hugely different from what goes on now. But the government will get the crowd-pleasing cellphone ban in classrooms headline that its looking for.

If a ban helps some students focus more on their work, then itll be worth it. But lets just keep in mind that this is about politics as much as it is about education.
All the bad players at SNC-Lavalin who approved illegal bribes to the Libyan government in 2011 have resigned or been fired, and the company has instituted strict reforms. This begs the question  who exactly are we prosecuting when we insist on a criminal trial?

Theres no one left there to punish except innocent workers who may lose their jobs if SNC-Lavalin is found guilty and can no longer bid on government projects.

It is true that justice must be done, and also must be seen to be done. But all a criminal trial says is: if you break the law and get fired for it, the company youve left behind will go down in flames. This is no kind of deterrent to future law breakers.

Jody Wilson-Rayboulds job as attorney general was to uphold the law, but her job as justice minister was to ask what justice should look like. Pursuing retribution through a criminal prosecution of the company brings justice to no one, will hurt people who did nothing wrong, and will let the real criminals get away without even a slap on the wrist.

This prosecution is nothing more than symbolic. It serves no purpose. It has nothing to do with justice. If Wilson-Raybould had explored the underlying rationale for a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), she might have come to a similar conclusion, but according to her deputy minister she neither acquainted herself with the details of the case nor read her own departments report on the merits of a DPA.

If you want to send a message to wrongdoers, then prosecute the executives directly. Send them to jail. Dont penalize a company that is now run by people who had nothing to do with the crime.

In a situation where everyone seems to be angry at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau because his feminism and reconciliation efforts appear to be barely more than symbolic, why are we supporting a prosecution that is clearly nothing more than symbolic?

Russell Bennett, Toronto

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Migrant farm workers victorious in legal battle against recruiter, March 7

I want to commend the Star for giving front-page attention to the legal victory achieved by migrant farmworkers against the exploitative practices of one Lily Miranda and her A&L Hammer company.

This employer practice of paying workers on a piece-rate basis rather than a (still inadequate) hourly rate of $14 per hour is a classic exploitation tactic by all bosses who can get away with it. The work of Chris Ramsaroop (Justicia for Migrant Workers) in exposing these injustices also deserves greater attention in future.

Your willingness to put this on the front page speaks to the obvious need to provide such information to your readers and consumers.

I suggest that if the Star truly believes in citizen (consumer) democratic involvement in the marketplace, Ramsaroop should be asked to identify the location(s) of the markets where Lilys mushrooms are sold. Consumers might just want to look for other mushroom (cap and trade) locations.
OTTAWAAn international economic organization that oversees global anti-bribery efforts says its concerned by allegations that Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and senior officials tried to interfere in the criminal case against SNC-Lavalin, pointedly warning Canada about its obligations to safeguard independent prosecutions.

Its still at the stage of allegations but even this is enough for us to be concerned, said Drago Kos, a senior anti-bribery official with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

We are not so much interested in the decision of the prosecutor, this agreement or not. That has to be an autonomous decision of the prosecutor which should not be influenced by anybody, said Kos, the chair of the OECD working group on bribery.

This is the point of our concern, he told the Star in a telephone interview.

And Kos said the excuse used by Trudeau and others for their interventions  that they were concerned about jobs at SNC-Lavalin  is not a legitimate justification.

Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told a Commons committee in February that she was subjected to a sustained pressure campaign last fall to mediate fraud and corruption charges against SNC-Lavalin related to work in Libya. That would allow the Quebec construction and engineering company to avoid a criminal prosecution and with it, a 10-year ban on bidding in federal contracts.

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The independent director of public prosecutions had decided to proceed with the criminal charges and though Wilson-Raybould had the power to direct a mediated deal, she decided not to.

And yet inappropriate interventions from high-level officials continued through the fall, said Wilson-Raybould, who was shuffled out of the justice portfolio in January.

The revelations have prompted the opposition Conservatives to ask the RCMP to investigate whether the interventions crossed legal lines.

Trudeau last week admitted that he asked Wilson-Raybould to revisit her decision but made no apologies for speaking with her on the issue last September.

I stressed the importance of protecting Canadian jobs and reiterated that this issue was one of significant national importance, he said, a theme he highlighted during a news conference.

But Kos said that rationale is not a legitimate justification under the OECDs convention on combating bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions.

That convention specifically says that the investigations and prosecutions shall not be influenced by considerations of national economic interest, the potential effect upon relations with another state or the identity of the natural or legal persons involved.

Canada is a signatory to the convention. Canada adopted similar language in the section of the Criminal Code dealing with remediation agreements. Also called deferred prosecution agreements, the deals allow criminal proceedings against a company to be halted with no criminal conviction registered. But in exchange the company must agree to an admission of wrongdoing, pay a hefty fine, and allow outside oversight of its ethical compliance.

However, in his own committee testimony, Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, gave a different interpretation, saying that  national economic interest is meant to prevent favouring one country over another in a prosecution.

If youre part of this group in the OECD, you cannot favour or let a company off because it helps France versus Germany, or Germany versus Italy, or Canada versus the United States, he said.

My view is that the economic impacts of jobs  and its explicitly in the Criminal Code, the impact on suppliers, pensioners, customers, communities  is a relevant public interest consideration, Wernick told the justice committee last Wednesday.

Not so, Kos told the Star.

Those are the exactly the elements which should not influence the prosecutorial decisions, he said. That is exactly the requirement of the convention.

That was underscored by the groups statement on Monday. It noted that as a party to the convention, Canada is committed to abiding by its rules, which requires prosecutorial independence in foreign bribery cases.

In addition, political factors such as a countrys national economic interest and the identity of the alleged perpetrators must not influence foreign bribery investigations and prosecutions, the statement said.

In the wake of the allegations, the federal ethics commissioner has launched an investigation and the Commons justice committee is holding hearings. The committee meets Wednesday to decide whether to recall Wilson-Raybould to testify a second time.

The OECD working group said it is encouraged by the two processes, and notes that the Canadian authorities stress that they are transparent and independent. It said it would closely monitor developments in the controversy.

The organization voiced its concerns publicly Monday  and in a private letter to the federal government. The organization declined to release the letter but said it has asked Canada to respond to the concerns at the next meeting of the working group in June.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said that as a founding member of the OECD anti-bribery convention, Canada has a long history of combating bribery and corruption.

We acknowledge the concerns raised today by the OECD Working Group on Bribery. We will continue to work with and update the working group on the robust and independent domestic processes currently underway in Canada, which the working group has recognized and encouraged, Adam Austen said.

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OTTAWACanada and the United States stand virtually alone in allowing continued operations by the Boeing 737 Max as aviation regulators around the globe grounded the jet after a Sunday crash raised fresh questions about its safety.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Tuesday the federal government was considering all potential actions but stopped short of the rare step taken by government agencies elsewhere to ban the jet from flying.

Garneau is scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday in Ottawa to discuss the situation.

It is the worlds most popular commercial jet but in the wake of two deadly accidents in less than five months, regulators worry the latest variant may have a dangerous design secret.

Sundays crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max soon after take-off from Addis Ababa killed 157 passengers and crew, including 18 Canadians. A Lion Air 737 Max crashed soon after take-off from Jakarta last October. Preliminary reports suggest the pilots of that flight were having flight-control problems.

China was among the first to ground Boeing 737 Max and other nations soon followed. As Tuesday progressed, skies around the world became closed to the aircraft. United Kingdom, Ireland, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency all announced they were suspending flights by the updated version of the popular twinjet. There are 387 737 Max aircraft flown by 59 operators worldwide.

As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight-data recorder we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying U.K. airspace, the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The Irish Aviation Authority also suspended all flights by 737 Max jets through Irish airspace to ensure the continued safety of passengers and flight crew in the aftermath of two unprecented crashes.

Indias Ministry of Civil Aviation said the jets would be grounded until appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.

Its a drastic step, given the serious economic consequences for airlines and disruptions for passengers. The closure of British airspace forced Air Canada to cancel flights from St. Johns and Halifax to London that were to be operated by Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

On Monday, Garneau declared confidence in the aircraft and said that grounding the aircraft would be premature until more is known.

On Tuesday, he cancelled a planned event in Montreal to meet with aviation advisers but said the government had not yet acted because it was trying to get more information.

Were working as fast as we can to find out what happened but at the moment there are no clues as to what cause that accident, said Garneau, who also cancelled a two-day visit to southern Ontario and Toronto that was scheduled to start Wednesday.

I have directed by group of experts to be ready for all possibilities, including the decision to ground Max 8s but at this point we have not taken any decision because we want to . . . try to get as much information as possible, Garneau said.

In Canada, WestJet, Air Canada and Sunwing fly the 737 Max model, an updated version of the twinjet that first flew commercially in 1967. Air Canada operates 24 of the Boeing 737 Max planes, while Calgarys WestJet has 13 and Sunwing 4.

In a statement sent late Tuesday night, Sunwing said that while the Federal Aviation Administration had declared the 737 Max 8 air-worthy, the company had decided to temporarily suspend its use of the aircraft due to evolving commercial reasons unrelated to safety, including airspace restrictions being imposed by some of our partner destinations. The airline said it was in the process of revising its schedule and hoped to minimize the impact to customers. The planes make up less than 10 per cent of its fleet.

The Air Canada Pilots Association on Tuesday called on Garneau to take proactive action to ensure the safety of the Canadian traveling public but did not specify exactly what it wanted the government to do.

NDP MP Robert Aubin urged Garneau to ground the Boeing 737 Max in Canada until the investigation determines there is no problem with the aircraft.

Canada must follow the path of other countries and ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again. Canadian travellers should not fear for their safety when flying. This is the governments responsibility, Aubin said in a statement.

A review of a Transport Canada database of aviation incidents shows just a few occurrences involving the Boeing 737 Max operated by Canadian carriers. These included a problem with a door sensor, a fuel spill and loss of GPS signal. In one case, an Air Canada flight returned to Montreal citing an unspecified technical problem.

In another case, a Sunwing Airlines flight was en route to Toronto when the captains flight instruments began to show erroneous indications. The crew descended out of cloud and the first officer  whose instruments were normal  took control. The crew asked air traffic control for priority handling and made a safe landing. The problem was traced to an air data unit, which was replaced.

Reacting to the growing global concern, Boeing said that it has full confidence in the safety of the aircraft.

We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets, the aerospace giant said in a statement Tuesday.

It noted that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any action and said that based on the information available, it had no guidance to airlines any changes to procedures or maintenance.

Since the Lion Air accident, Boeing has been developing enhancements to the flight control software to address some of the issues arising from the crash. That includes the possibility the pilots were in a tug-of-war with the flight control system because of erroneous data from an air sensor. Boeing expects to roll out the updates by April.

In its own statement, the FAA said that not enough was known yet about the Ethiopian crash to prompt it to take action. This investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions, the agency said.

The cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been recovered from the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines flight. Assuming they are not too damaged, that data should provide critical clues about the cause of the accident and with it, some direction for regulators on next steps.

With 10,150 models delivered, the 737 is the worlds most popular commercial aircraft. First introduced as the 737-100 model in 1967, the twinjet has undergone numerous modifications over the years with fuselage stretches to carry more passengers and more powerful engines. The Max is latest variant, able to carry up to 178 passengers some 6,500 kilometres.

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Starting this fall, Ontario students wont be able to bring their cellphones to class unless teachers are using them for educational reasons  a move critics say will be near-impossible to enforce.

Ontarios students need to be able to focus on their learning  not their cellphones, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said in a statement released Tuesday.

Last fall, we launched the largest-ever consultation on education in the history of Ontario. During this consultation we heard that 97 per cent of respondents support some form of a ban on cellphones.

During last years election campaign the Conservatives promised to introduce a ban on cellphones in classrooms.

Teachers, however, are allowed to incorporate cellphone use in lessons, and children with health or medical needs are exempt.

But given how ubiquitous the devices are among youth, its unclear if the governments plan will work. It will be up to individual boards and schools to decide how to enforce the ban.

Leslie Wolfe, head of the Toronto local of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, called the provinces announcement smoke and mirrors, amounting to telling their supporters theyve kept a promise to ban cellphones while telling teachers they arent banned for the purpose of lessons and telling boards its really up to them.

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Also, she added, what is there to enforce? Is the government saying that a student cant have a cellphone in their pocket? How would a classroom professional know?

Banning cellphones from being brought into the classroom will be extremely difficult to police from the provincial level, agreed Lindsey Keene of the Ontario Student Trustees Association. Ensuring appropriate cellphone usage should remain up to teachers as to whether or not students can keep cellphones on their person, and should not be provincially mandated.

Some boards have already grappled with curbing student cellphone use during the school day, including Toronto in 2007, which four years later rescinded its ban and left the decision up to teachers.

In 2015, New York ended its ban on cellphones, giving schools the authority to create their own policies, in part because parents wanted to be able to contact their children, and the rule was not equally enforced.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said there isnt a whole lot of substance to this announcement that he believes the government rushed out to distract from the ongoing controversy over changes to the autism program.

Teachers, he said, already have the authority to disallow devices during class.

Its not clear to me whats really new, added NDP education critic Marit Stiles.

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario believes educators should be teaching students how to use mobile devices critically, collaboratively and responsibly; and to recognize when they are a helpful tool versus a distraction.

A cellphone ban would create issues around the care of personal devices that are confiscated, and the potential of escalating interactions with students. This would be a particular challenge for occasional teachers who are less likely to know the intricacies of the school policies or the dynamics of classroom relationships.

The education ministry will amend a provincial code of conduct policy and require boards to uphold the ban, while allowing some variation from board to board and school to school.

Ryan Bird of the Toronto District School Board said the ban there  more than a decade ago  was at a time when phones were mostly used for talking and texting and didnt have the capability to be used as valuable tools in learning.

In general, at the TDSB, we encourage the use of technology in classrooms  but the appropriate use of technology, he said.

The Ontario Public School Boards Association notes that parents often like the security of knowing they can reach their children at school, especially in case of emergency.
Boeing Co. and U.S. regulators grappled with a crisis of confidence in the 737 Max that moved with the speed of an Internet rumor after the second deadly crash of the model in five months.

Breaking precedent, regulators in China grounded the revamped narrow-body plane before an international team of investigators had a chance to review flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered after a brand-new Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 plunged into a hillside minutes after takeoff Sunday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that the jet model remains airworthy.

Boeing tumbled the most on the S&P 500 Index as questions swirled around the newest version of its 737 family, a cash cow that generates almost a third of the company's operating profit. The Ethiopian disaster that claimed 157 lives this weekend followed the crash of a Lion Air 737 Max off the coast of Indonesia in October. That delivered a one-two punch for an aircraft type that has ranked among the world's safest since it started flying in the 1960s.

"Boeing has lost control of the timetable to provide the safe, reliable solution," said Neil Hansford, chairman of the Australian consultant Strategic Aviation Solutions. "The longer it goes, the more chance Boeing has of losing orders."

Boeing sank 5.6 percent to $399.03 at 3:39 p.m. in New York after paring losses earlier in the trading session of as much as 13 percent. That was the biggest intraday decline since Sept. 17, 2001, the first day of trading after the 9/11 attacks.

The grounding in China, followed by the Indonesian air safety regulator's order to halt 737 Max flights starting Tuesday, raised the question of whether other countries would follow suit. Some carriers, including Ethiopian, parked their Max jets. South Korea began a special inspection of the aircraft.

In Europe and Canada, regulators said it's too soon to take action as they scrutinize the next steps in contact with their U.S. counterparts. The FAA will issue a "continued airworthiness notification" for operators of the 737 Max.

"The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft," the agency said in a statement. "If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action. "

While the groundings in China and elsewhere are important, most nations typically wait to act until the U.S. and Europe issue findings on aviation matters. The FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency oversee the world's largest aircraft manufacturers and take the lead in ensuring the safety of their planes.

U.S. carriers such as Southwest Airlines Co., American Airlines Group Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc. are still flying the 737 Max. But some labor unions expressed misgivings.

"We do have a few flight attendants who are indicating they are afraid to fly the 737 Max," said Lori Bassani, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents employees at American. No attendants have refused to fly on the plane so far.

The U.S. has only grounded an entire model of aircraft twice in the last 40 years. The most recent time was in January 2013 after two lithium-ion battery fires on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner model. The agency only acted after the second such incident occurred.

Boeing has dispatched a technical team to assist the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which was delivered new in November to Africa's biggest carrier. The FAA, which originally certified the 737 Max, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board have also joined the probe. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The cloud around the Max is emerging as the biggest crisis for Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg, 55, who was running company's defense business during the Dreamliner's grounding.

Since he took the reins as CEO in July 2015, Boeing has dramatically expanded cash flow, repurchased shares and built a $490 billion backlog of unfilled orders. The shares have tripled, boosting the company's market value by $140 billion and making Boeing the most valuable U.S. industrial company. Sales surpassed $100 billion last year for the first time.

Since the Lion Air crash, however, Boeing has been hit by concerns about the 737 Max even though its share have rallied.

The company and the FAA have been finalizing a software fix for an obscure anti-stall measure created for the plane that came to light with the Indonesia tragedy. The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, triggered by an erroneous sensor reading, had baffled pilots by pushing the Lion Air plane downward dozens of times before it crashed.

The flight-control software is activated without pilot input when a sensor measuring the angle a plane's nose is flying relative to the wind indicates the aircraft may be approaching a mid-flight stall.

But the software only operates when a plane is being flown manually with its flaps retracted, according to a Nov. 10 memo provided to Southwest Airlines pilots following the Lion Air crash. Flaps are typically extended to provide lift as airplanes climb after takeoff.

Boeing responded to the earlier crash by advising pilots that the Max's so-called angle-of-attack sensor can provide false readings, causing the plane's computers to erroneously detect a stall.

That in turn can prompt the aircraft to dive for as long as 10 seconds to regain the speed the computer thinks is needed to keep flying. Pilots could counteract the sudden downward tilt by flipping two switches and manually holding the aircraft stable, the planemaker said.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

"The crash may show insufficient training for the new stall prevention systems on the 737 Max. It's unlikely due to design flaws, and the plane is likely to stay in service."-- George Ferguson, global aviation analystClick here to view the research.

The single-aisle 737 forms the backbone of many global airline fleets, which use the model and Airbus SE's competing A320 line on shorter routes. The 737 Max, which debuted in May 2017, is poised to generate about $30 billion in annual revenue as factory output rises to a 57-jet monthly pace this year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Airbus is also studying a major production boost of its upgraded A320neo.

While groundings of the Max probably wouldn't spur mass order cancellations, "this nevertheless spurs worries that the Max is flawed and could lose share to the Neo if customers, pilots and/or passengers sour on the aircraft," said Jonathan Raviv, an analyst at Citigroup Inc.

"But at the end of the day, these sorts of issues are usually resolved with the fact that they're still flying in the U.S. suggesting this will be the ultimate outcome," Raviv said in a note to clients.

--With assistance from Bloomberg's Mary Schlangenstein.
The Parade

By Dave Eggers

Knopf. 192 pp. $25.95

---

Dave Eggers has spent much of his life figuring out how best to help people. He first gained widespread attention in 2000 with "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," an ironic memoir about dropping out of college to raise his little brother after their parents died. His first novel, "You Shall Know Our Velocity," was about a couple of friends tearing around the world trying to give away money. His other books have brought attention to the plight of teachers, wrongfully convicted prisoners and the Lost Boys of Sudan. Eggers befriended an entrepreneurial Yemeni American, traveled with him to Africa and last year published a book about the coffee industry and the Yemeni civil war called "The Monk of Mokha." And along the way, he founded 826 National, a literacy organization for children with branches in eight cities.

In other words, Eggers is not just a charitable person; he's not writing checks and turning away. He thinks deeply about complex social and political problems and then rolls up his sleeves.

Given that record of active concern and service, what are we to make of his slight new novel, "The Parade," a tale of Western assistance in the developing world?

The story opens in an unnamed country that has recently emerged from civil war. To reunify this broken land, an international company has been hired to build a highway connecting the rural south to the urban north. In two weeks, when the work is done, the president will hold a parade to demonstrate his nation's new era of peace and prosperity. All that remains is to pave and paint this 150-mile road. That job will be accomplished by a single gargantuan machine driven by one man, assisted by another man who drives ahead to keep the path clear. Completing the job from start to finish is the whole plot of "The Parade."

For security reasons, the two men entrusted with this work don't give their names, identifying themselves only by numbers. The driver of the giant paving machine is "Four," an experienced construction worker who holds strictly to every company policy, particularly the rule prohibiting interaction with the local populace. Much to Four's consternation, his partner, "Nine," is a cavalier novice who constantly wanders away to frolic with the people they pass. Four deplores everything about his younger partner, from his ridiculously long hair to his disregard for the dangers of their job. But Nine has such a buoyant spirit and such an appreciation for this place and these native people that he makes Four seem dour and hardhearted.

"I've never seen so many stars," Nine says when describing his previous night's antics. "Incredible sky here. It's so close, like you could jump up and wave your hands and gather the stars like sand. So I walked with my head thrown back, just astonished, and all along I would encounter people, and when they saw my jumpsuit they knew I was part of the road team. And they were so thankful. So grateful. I mean, they were walking on the surface barefoot, the asphalt still warm, just to see what it felt like ... ! So much music. And the food!"

When Nine asks him to come enjoy a meal at a nearby village, Four angrily rebuffs him. "I'm staying with the vehicle because my contract requires me to," he says. "I don't want local food, and you shouldn't either. You're acting like a child on holiday."

All of this is fairly engaging, though it's tempting to think we've seen this buddy film before: the grumpy old crank who does everything by the book and the carefree heartthrob who drives him crazy, (BEGIN ITAL)gosh darnit!(END ITAL) We know they will engage in epic arguments. We know that after some crisis the old guy will soften up and appreciate his partner's joie de vivre, while the younger man will learn to respect his boss's wisdom.

These are not spoilers so much as the terms of the Buddy genre, and for most of the novel, Eggers does not deviate from that. Nine's delight with everything is a constant irritant to his machine-like partner, but it's also a persistent reminder of how much life Four is missing.

Which brings us to what this novel is missing. Eggers has pared his clever style down to a series of flat, declarative sentences. The characters have been crunched into types. The details of this place have been sandblasted away. At best, we're left with the stark elements of a parable, which raises the book's pretentiousness quotient to dangerously high levels. At worst, we have a story that conforms to the West's reductive attitudes about the developing world. Writers and politicians have long generalized about those individual cultures. A novel that lumps them together into a nameless, primitive nation only plays into that tendency.

But what's truly disappointing is the novel's final paragraph, which lands like a molotov cocktail of toxic cynicism. If this parable offers any lessons, it's that Nine's delight was foolish, that efforts to help economic development are wasted, and that political reform will never work in those places that President Trump calls "shithole countries."

I don't read novels to have my fantasies of progress affirmed, but I don't read them to be told that hope is a cheat, either.
The League of Women Voters of Morgan County will host a forum Wednesday for people to meet the candidates for Jacksonville City Council.

The eight candidates running in the April 2 consolidated election have been invited to participate.
Julia Biggs | The Intelligencer

EDWARDSVILLE  After serving for 17 years as the secretary for the Edwardsville District 7 Board of Education, Diane Walkenbach sat at the board table this week for the last time. Walkenbach, who will be joining her husband in retirement, was recognized by the board during its general meeting Monday night.

She is so much more than the board secretary. She is very vital to the district and all the jobs that she does all the time  communicating with the superintendent, with all the stakeholders, the board members, running a very well oiled machine at Hadley House, Edwardsville District 7 Board of Education President Monica Laurent said. We are very proud of Diane and all the work she has done in her 17 years, and we are very sad that this will be her last board meeting.
DORSEY  An aggressive fire made quick work Saturday of a house at Rocky Branch Stables on Rocky Branch Road in rural Moro Township in Madison County.

Dorsey Volunteer Fire Department crews were first called to the final home at the end of Rocky Branch Road about 8:15 p.m.

Occupants there reported that everyone was out of the home, and the roof was on fire. By the time fire crews arrived on the scene, the home was fully engulfed and could not be saved.

No injuries were reported.

The first caller from the home told dispatchers they suspected a lightning strike to be the cause. A neighbor in the area said there didnt appear to be much lightning in the area at the time of the fire, but said an official told them the fire could have been sparked when high winds in combination with soft, rain-soaked ground could have resulted in a downed power line falling on the home.

At least three, likely four or more, tenders rotated in and out from the scene for several hours, refilling water supplies at Rocky Branch and Bethalto Road.

Multiple departments responded to the Dorsey call to provide mutual aid, including Prairietown, Fosterburg, Holiday Shores and Bunker Hill.

No horses appeared to be injured in the fire, and flames did not reach nearby stables. A large propane tank on the side of the home did not ignite.

Rocky Branch Sporthorses & Riding Academy LLC, run by the Teepe family, offers multiple equestrian training, education and boarding services.

It was in just Dec. 19 that an adjacent home in the 4800 block of Rocky Branch Road, owned by the Crews Family, was destroyed by fire, due to an apparent electrical malfunction.

A GoFundMe for the Crews family recently peaked at $19,245 of a $15,000 goal. Members of that family were on their property, in the process of being rebuilt, after Saturday nights fire occurred nearby.

When asked about the recent fire, a man there shook his head and pointed in the direction of Bethalto, where a fire last week resulted in the death of Godfrey Fire Capt. Jake Ringering and serious injuries to colleague Luke Warner.

Were fine, were good, thank God, he said. Thats the real tragedy.
State lawmakers are debating restrictions on whether a landlord can report a tenant who is living in the country illegally to authorities.

State Sen. Christina Castros legislation was vetoed last year by Gov. Bruce Rauner. In his veto message, Rauner said the bill would violate U.S. laws about blocking federal agencies.

If passed into law, Castros bill would allow a tenant to sue the landlord for up to $2,000 in civil court.

She said the aim of the bill was to give immigrants a shield from discrimination.

This bill is to allow our immigrant communities to feel safe and not retaliated against based on what their immigration status is, she said.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said the bill entirely blocks landlords from reporting illegal immigrants to the authorities.

You are telling your landlords no, you cant say a word to anyone in law enforcement about that individual, he said. Is there any other area that you can think of in state policy where you would so tie a landlords hands?

The bill now awaits House consideration.

California has a law that prohibits landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status. Theres an effort in Washington D.C. to charge a landlord guilty of reporting a tenant to immigration with felony extortion.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Several thousand teachers, parents and students flooded Maryland's capital Monday night, shutting down roads to rally for a dramatic increase in school funding over the next decade.

More than 170 school buses brought education advocates, clad in red T-shirts, to pressure lawmakers to commit billions more dollars to public schools. The long-planned March for Our Schools rally took place even after top Democrats promised last week to pump $1 billion into public schools over the next two years.

While similar rallies in other states have been tied to teacher strikes in recent years, Maryland's teachers say the strategy here is a political full-court press to improve schools they say have been chronically underfunded by as much as $2.9 billion per year.

"It looks different in every state, but the message is the same: more money for public schools," said Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association.

Demonstrators rang cowbells and carried signs that read "Raise my taxes" and "Our kids can't wait." Among those marching was Marti Wensel, a Spanish teacher from Glenwood Middle School in affluent Howard County, who said she is teaching classes of 30 students in an overflow trailer and gets neither the salary nor the classroom funding her job requires.

"We cannot give them what they need," she said of her students.

Lawmakers in Annapolis are weighing the largest overhaul of school funding in nearly two decades to fund proposals that would expand pre-kindergarten, give teachers a 10 percent raise, enhance grants in the state's poorest areas and place tougher standards on teachers, among other things.

The policy rewrite - which many say is unprecedented in the state - is based on recommendations from the Kirwan Commission, led by former University of Maryland System president William "Brit" Kirwan, which spent more than two years reviewing shortcomings in Maryland public schools and comparing the state with the best education systems in the world.

The commission found that fewer than 40 percent of Maryland high school graduates can read at a 10th-grade level and pass a standardized Algebra 1 exam, benchmarks that suggest many are not ready for college.

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union revived a decades-old class-action lawsuit alleging that state leaders - and funding disparities they approved - unconstitutionally deprive Baltimore students of an equal education. The threat of that lawsuit in 2002 prompted the state's last overhaul of education funding.

Meanwhile, Senate President Mike Miller, D-Calvert County, and House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel County, introduced legislation to allocate $325 million next fiscal year for 10 Kirwan initiatives. The legislation would provide $725 million the following year.

Educators' decision to rally anyway provoked the ire of Miller, who has made education funding a top priority of the Democratic caucus.

"We do not respond well to threats," Miller warned from the Senate rostrum last week. He said the General Assembly is moving as quickly as it can to provide funds to implement some of the Kirwan recommendations, noting that "we just got the report last week."

The recommendations also require local school boards to help foot the bill, and Miller said, "We haven't gotten the counties to buy into it yet. . . . These foolish litigators can proceed with what they are going to do, but we're going to move on our own good speed and fully fund education as best as we possibly can."

Other Democratic lawmakers welcomed the rally. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Maggie McIntosh, D-Baltimore, took the stage with two dozen other state lawmakers and promised she would demand more money for schools every year.

"We won't stop," McIntosh said. "We are not going to stop until we say this in Maryland: The achievement gap for black and white students is erased."

Where the money will come from after fiscal 2021 remains a question. The Kirwan recommendations are expected to cost $3.8 billion a year when fully implemented a decade from now.

Alvin Thornton, a longtime education advocate who led the state's 2002 reconfiguring of education funding, suggested that policymakers pass a broad tax increase on corporations and citizens to pay for the new policies.

"We should ask those who can afford to do more to do more," Thornton said before Monday's rally.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and several Democratic county executives from the state were expected to address the crowd Monday night.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has offered conditional support for increasing education funding, saying any extra tax dollars must be tied to school accountability measures. Hogan has introduced several proposals to increase state oversight on local school spending, but they have not been embraced by Democrats.

- - -

The Washington Post's Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.
The global order that underpins German prosperity is unraveling. And Angela Merkel doesn't know what to do about it.

President Donald Trump's America First policy is forcing Germany to make an impossible choice between the U.S. and China-pitting the force behind the country's modern economic success against the key to its future growth.

The result is political paralysis at a time when Germany's allies are looking for political leadership.

On issues from trade to cyber security to international tax reform, Merkel is hamstrung by her fear of antagonizing her country's key trading partners. The fear in Merkel's inner circle is that any firm position risks a backlash that could see tensions spiral out of control, according to people familiar with their thinking.

The urgency is intensifying. The economy is slowing, populists urged on by Trump are advancing across the European Union, and Merkel's strategic rivals are hatching plans to prize more countries away from the multilateral system she treasures. Her desperation has been increasingly evident.

"Are we splitting up into little puzzle pieces with everyone thinking they can best solve problems on their own?" Merkel asked last month at the Munich Security Conference. "If that's case, as German chancellor I can only say: the prospects look bad for us."

In the eye of the storm is Germany's mighty car industry, which is already grappling with the transition to an era of self-driving, electric vehicles.

Trump is threatening to levy tariffs on imported European cars, a move that would hit Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen's Porsche particularly hard. U.S. tariffs would reduce German car exports by about 18.4 billion euros ($20.7 billion), according to a study by the Munich-based Ifo economic research institute.

Despite the antagonism from the White House, and to the frustration of the French, Merkel is determined to keep reaching out to Trump. The German leader wants to get the U.S. involved in negotiations on a broader trade deal as quickly as possible and is concerned that EU retaliation on tariffs would evolve into a full-scale trans-Atlantic trade conflict, a person familiar with the government's position said.

The autos dispute is a sign of the way that geopolitics is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Germany. For decades, the country profited from an international trading system run by the West and backed up by the military might of the U.S. The government just got out of the way and watched exports roll.

Those days are now over. Trump has sown doubts about his commitment to defending America's NATO allies, populists across Europe are rallying opposition to free trade and challenging fundamental tenets of EU membership, and China is offering an alternative funding source to weaker nations like Italy, Portugal and Greece, frustrated by Germany's insistence on budget tightening.

"Germany is caught up in a dilemma of changing trade patterns and doesn't know how to react," said Sebastian Dullien, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

As a result, Merkel has flip-flopped between engagement and assertiveness. At times she tries to court both the U.S. and China, at others she articulates a stronger national stance in response to threats, but she has yet to follow through.

One area where the chancellor has taken a stand is over a new gas pipeline to Russia. Merkel stuck to her guns over the Nord Stream 2 project despite trenchant complaints from the U.S. about increasing dependence on Moscow and European concerns about weakening Ukraine. The government has also tightened rules on foreign takeovers in a bid to shield German technology from economic rivals like China, in line with Economy Minister Peter Altmaier's new industrial strategy for Germany.

But in most areas, the chancellor's desire to avoid inviting trouble prevents Germany, and often the EU, from taking a stand.

A French push to forge a common European front to tackle the esoteric tax structures of Internet giants like Amazon.com, Alphabet Inc. and Facebook is another victim of German caution, and again it's the car industry that's at the heart of it.

The French plan would have seen tech firms-in practice most of them U.S.-based-taxed on the basis of where their sales are generated, rather than where their services were produced. That's a frightening precedent for an export powerhouse like Germany, especially when Trump is looking for excuses to penalize its car makers.

So rather than take the lead alongside France, Merkel's administration wants to wait for an international consensus to emerge and provide cover, a person familiar with the government's position said. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz wants to tie the U.S. into an international accord before a European digital tax moves ahead. The French, meanwhile, are introducing a national levy, despite the lack of support from their most important partner.

"The government is running behind the developments," said Kerstin Andreae, a Green lawmaker on the lower-house of parliament's economics committee. "Strategic economic policy has been ignored."
CARBONDALE  Early in the fall of 2017, Asia Taylor and her classmates in SIU Carbondales freshman orientation course were each asked to write down one of their fears.

Taylor wrote: Im afraid I wont finish college.

A few weeks later, she suffered a severe concussion at rugby practice.

She doesnt remember the impact, she said. When she went to the doctor, she could remember little beyond her own name.

Taylor, from Nashville, Tennessee, missed two weeks of class, as she moved through concussion protocols.

I didnt take any midterms, because my doctor said youre not going to remember anything, Taylor said. And I couldnt. If I took something and set it down, I would forget I ever had it.

She knew she needed help, but, alone in Carbondale, Taylor didnt know where to turn. Neither of her parents went to college. Her professors, she feared, wouldnt understand. Her scholarship, which she depended on, was in jeopardy as her grades slipped.

I was seriously thinking I might have to drop out because Im falling behind, Im failing my classes, Taylor said. I was kind of in shock. I was like, I really worked this hard to make it to college, to have to drop out.

Finally, she confided in Abby Wheetley, her instructor from the freshman orientation class, then known as UCOL-101, and now called UNIV-101.

Wheetley became Taylors second mom, she said. She helped her deliver doctors notes to professors, reschedule tests and ask for extensions on assignments. She reassured Taylor that things would be OK, that she wouldnt flunk out.

Taylors professors worked with her to get her back on track. She took her finals on time, and passed. Last semester, Taylor took 18 credit hours and made straight As. Shes on track to graduate early, and already thinking about graduate school.

Nearly two years later, she remains in contact with Wheetley, who has helped her find a major she likes  Animal Science Production and Management, plus a minor in Classics  and has plugged her in to volunteer opportunities around Carbondale that Taylor needs to fulfill a scholarship requirement.

Without Abby, I may not have pushed myself to stay through college, Taylor said. I knew that she would listen when I needed to talk, and support my goals and dreams.

Providing every student with a figure like Wheetley is the core of SIUCs new freshman outreach strategy: The Saluki Success Program.

Previously, freshmen got their introduction to SIUC from faculty in the colleges and departments they enrolled in, with a course like Introduction to Nursing, or Introduction to Anthropology, Wheetley explained.

But those classes varied greatly, and didnt always cover the life skills students need to succeed in college, said Saluki Success Program Coordinator Nick Weshinskey.

So, in 2015, SIUC tried a new approach. Weshinskey built an all-new curriculum, and hired a team of instructors to teach a standardized first-year orientation class to all freshmen: UNIV-101, a.k.a. Saluki Success.

Such courses have become popular at schools across the country, as research shows they lead students to make better grades and engage more with campus activities, opportunities and services.

SIUCs UNIV-101 covers study habits, mental health awareness, sexual consent and cultural sensitivity, plus a dose of SIUC history and lore, including some campus ghost stories.

Theres so much to be proud of in our alumni and traditions, Weshinskey said. We want students to see what it means to be a Saluki.

Each of the Saluki Success Programs four instructors handles about 12 sections per semester, some 220 to 240 students.

They are young, energetic teachers, who prefer nicknames to fancy titles: Casheena Stephens is Dr. Cash. Gauri Pitale is Dr. Gap. Laura Borger is just Borger, Abigail Wheetley is just Abby and administrator Nick Weshinskey is just Nick.

They eat with students in the dining hall. Theyve had, so far this semester, about 700 one-on-one visits with students in their offices, Weshinsky said of his team. They live amongst the students.

And we love it, Wheetley added.

Three years in, early data suggests the program is making an impressive impact on student retention and success, particularly for provisionally admitted students, who come in to SIUC below the universitys academic standards.

These are people who, we look at their applications and their stories, and the university decides we want to take a chance on them, Weshinskey said.
Morgan County

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Eric L. Peters, 34, of 1010 N. Clay Ave. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 5:45 p.m. Sunday on a battery charge.

 Norbert T. Schindler, 29, of 1246 Sunnyside Road, Chapin, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on charges of domestic battery and criminal damage to property.

 Daniel C. Hicks, 57, of 1021 N. Church St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 1:59 p.m. Monday on a battery charge.

ACCIDENTS

 Cynthia J. Morgan, 58, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failure to yield and operating an uninsured motor vehicle after police say her vehicle and one being driven by Cara J. Heller, 54, of Jacksonville collided at North Church and Walnut streets at 8:06 p.m. Saturday.



Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Walter D. King, 31, of Harvey was arrested at 11:43 p.m. Sunday on a Jefferson County, Kentucky, warrant accusing him of violating probation.

 Shawn L. Smith, 39, of Springfield was arrested at 11:20 p.m. Saturday on charges of driving under the influence, failing to reduce speed and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

 Angel S. Lewis, 48, of Griggsville was arrested at 12:12 a.m. Saturday on a charge of violating an order of protection.

 Bobby J. Warner, 35, of Nebo was arrested at 5:36 p.m. Saturday on charges of violating an order of protection and resisting arrest.

 Glen H. Dempsey, 53, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested at 9:58 p.m. Thursday on a possession of methamphetamine charge.

Compiled by Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree, Nick Draper, David C.L. Bauer
It started, as all things do, with a tweet.

"Ggggooooodddd morning!" state Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick, a Georgia democrat, wrote Monday, introducing what she is calling her "testicular bill of rights" legislative package. "You want some regulation of bodies and choice? Done!"

The tweet included an image of an email outlining her five-point plan:

- Require men to get permission from their sex partner before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.

- Ban vasectomy procedures in Georgia and penalize doctors who perform them.

- Make having sex without a condom an "aggravated assault" crime for men.

- Require men to begin paying child support when the woman is six weeks and one day pregnant per a paternity test required at the same time.

- Create a 24-hour "waiting period" for men who wish to purchase porn or sex toys in the state of Georgia.

Kendrick's "testicular bill of rights" is a direct answer to HB 481, the so-called "heartbeat bill" passed by her Republican colleagues in the Georgia House of Representatives last week. The bill would ban abortion in Georgia at about six weeks, when a detectable heartbeat is first found in a fetus.

At six weeks, many women don't yet know they're pregnant.

If the antiabortion bill passes the Georgia Senate and is signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, it would be among the most restrictive in the country, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Current Georgia law allows pregnant women to have legal abortions at up to 20 weeks.

Abortion rights advocates have vowed to challenge the law in court, as they've done in other states where similar legislation has been passed in recent years. The courts have blocked other states from enacting abortion bans under 20 weeks, reported the Associated Press.

Though the Supreme Court has previously ruled that states cannot ban abortion before a fetus is viable - about 23 to 25 weeks - the bench has a new lineup. Overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion, has been a Republican talking point for years that gained traction when President Donald Trump appointed two new conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

Kendrick, who has been a state legislator since 2011, hopes to have her counter-bill drafted by the end of the week.

She told Rolling Stone she knows the bill won't pass - definitely not this year, because the filing deadline has already passed, and maybe not ever. But that was never the point, she said. She proposed her "testicular bill of rights" to "bring awareness to the fact that if you're going to legislate our bodies, then we have every right to propose legislation to regulate yours," Kendrick told Rolling Stone.

The "testicular bill of rights" comes after House Democrats in Georgia argued against the antiabortion bill that passed last week. When the bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ed Setzler, introduced the bill, at least 20 Democrats stood and turned their backs to him. About six women Democrats protested the vote by walking out of the chamber, reported the AJC.

Kendrick called HB 481 a "test case."

"It is a case to test Roe v. Wade. They're hoping that it gets up to the Court of Appeals - the 11th Circuit is one of the most conservative court circuits that we have, and they're hopeful that they will uphold part of it, and then they'll take it all the way to the Supreme Court," Kendrick told Rolling Stone. "They know exactly what they are doing. This is intentional."
President Donald Trump's "I LOVE YOU!" tweet to farmers is facing another challenge: budget cuts that will slash subsidies for crop insurance and small growers.

Trump's 2020 budget, released Monday, calls for a 15 percent funding drop for the Department of Agriculture, citing "overly generous" subsidies. The president is seeking one of the largest-ever cuts to domestic discretionary spending in a $4.7 trillion fiscal 2020 budget proposal that also boosts defense spending and adds $8.6 billion for building a border wall.

The plan would trim the USDA budget by $3.6 billion to $20.8 billion, lowering subsidies for crop insurance premiums to 48 percent from 62 percent, and limiting subsidies for growers who make less than $500,000 annually.

In December, the president tweeted, "Farmers, I LOVE YOU!" On Monday, the National Farmers Union criticized the White House budget proposal, saying, "It's time the president's policy proposals and rhetoric acknowledge the financial pain in farm country."

The budget blueprint, which forecasts annual deficits extending beyond the next decade and rising national debt, represents a wish list for the president's priorities that is certain to be ignored by Congress. "The Trump budget has no chance of garnering the necessary bipartisan support to become law," said Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Farmers comprise the bedrock of the rural base of voters that sent Trump to the White House. That constituency found itself caught in the cross-hairs of Trump's trade war with Beijing after China slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-grown crops, including soybeans.

The Trump administration responded with a plan to authorize as much as $12 billion in aid, but even prior to the ruckus between the world's two largest economies, American farmers were dealing with low prices and a decline in incomes wrought by bumper crops.

Trump's budget "proposes that USDA responsibly and efficiently use taxpayer resources by making targeted reforms to duplicative programs and overly generous subsidy programs," according to the document.

In speaking at the American Farm Bureau Federation's conference in January in New Orleans, Trump said that he was "proud to be a great friend of the farmer, of the rancher" and those in that profession.

"We are very disappointed that the president takes the position that he does, but many of these cuts were discussed in the ag committees of both the House and the Senate when they put together the farm bill, and they were rejected,'' said Gene Paul, legislative coordinator at the National Farmers Organization.

"Crop insurance is probably more important now than ever because of lower farm incomes and tariffs put in place by the president'' Paul said. "The president just doesn't get it.'''

--With assistance from Bloomberg's Erik Wasson and Justin Sink.
President Donald Trump in an interview published Tuesday said his administration is thinking "very seriously" about designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

"We are. We are," Trump told Breitbart News. "We're thinking about doing it very seriously. In fact, we've been thinking about it for a long time. . . . As terrorists - as terrorist organizations, the answer is yes. They are."
WASHINGTON - After tweeting quotes from Fox News guests Tuesday morning about climate change and U.S.-Israel relations, President Donald Trump settled on a topic where he considers himself an expert, and spoke in his own voice.

"Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT," he said Tuesday on Twitter. "I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!"

The comments, following the deadly crash on Sunday of Ethiopian Airlines jetliner, are the latest example of Trump's lifelong fascination with - and self-professed mastery of - all things air travel.

They also give a hint about where Trump might stand as the U.S. government faces pressure ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane that has been involved in two similar crashes in five months. France, Great Britain, China, Singapore and other countries have already suspended operations of the late-model plane, which presumably uses some of the new technology that Trump dislikes.

Trump, who started an airline company that failed and outfitted his personal plane with gold seat belts, has taken a particular interest in the world of aircraft since his election in 2016.

Shortly before taking office, Trump threatened to cancel a contract with Boeing for a new Air Force One, saying the costs were too high. Trump, who reached a $3.9 billion deal with Boeing last year, claimed that he was able to negotiate better than the Defense Department officials who had approved the original contract.

He also considered appointing his personal pilot to lead the Federal Aviation Authority, and he told a group of airline executives in 2017 that the federal government's air traffic control system was "a terrible " and "out of whack."

"I can tell you that a lot of the new equipment that already is obsolete the day they order it," Trump said less than a month after taking office. "And that's according to people that know, including my pilot. I have a pilot who's a real expert."

Trump often peers into the cockpit of Air Force One when the plane is about to land, and he has publicly opined on the size and beauty of runways. One of his main selling points for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that has never gotten off the ground was the need to upgrade U.S. airports, which he has likened to those in "Third World" countries.

Trump has routinely held political rallies in airport hangars, whether with a Trump Organization jet or Air Force One serving as a backdrop, and he regularly invites executives from Boeing and Lockheed Martin to the White House for meetings and photo ops.

Last year, Trump marveled at an F-35 fighter jet that was parked on the South Lawn of the White House during a "Made in America" manufacturing event.

"We're ordering a lot of planes, in particular the F-35 fighter jet, which is like almost like an invisible fighter," Trump said, standing next to the jet and Lockheed Martin President and CEO Marilyn Hewson. "It wins every time because the enemy cannot see it. Even if it's right next to them, it can't see it."

Trump is taking his dubious expert-in-chief approach to the highly complex arena of airplane crashes - and offering his opinion even before investigators have determined the cause of the latest crash.

Boeing has said it is too early to determine what happened during the crash, which killed 157 people, including eight Americans. Trump's tweets appearing to link the crash to technological advancement of airplanes came before he made public statements expressing condolences to the 157 people, including eight Americans, who died in the crash. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders expressed condolences during a press briefing Monday.

Trump's claims about airplanes becoming unsafe because of complexity are at odds with facts showing that air travel has grown consistently safer over the past several decades, as planes became more advanced. While Sunday's crash came just five months after a similar Boeing jet crashed in India, less than one out of every 2 million flights involves a fatal accident, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The rate has fallen by more than 80 percent since 1977.

Trump himself has sought to take credit for the track record, tweeting last year that 2017 was "the best and safest year on record."

The president has claimed expertise in several other areas where he has no formal training. Trump, who uses an iPhone and tweets but does not send emails or use a computer, tends to favor old systems over newer technology.

In a November phone call with service members, Trump expressed doubts about the military's new system for launching aircraft at sea, saying he preferred old-fashioned "steam" propulsion - and again invoking the physicist who developed the theory of relativity.

"Steam is very reliable, and the electromagnetic - I mean, unfortunately, you have to be Albert Einstein to really work it properly," Trump said in a phone call with Capt. Pat Hannifin. The U.S. Navy prefers the electromagnetic aircraft launch system, Hannifin told Trump.

The president has said the technology sought by professionals at the southern border - including drones and sensors - amount to only "bells and whistles" if there is no physical wall.

"Throughout the ages some things NEVER get better and NEVER change. You have Walls and you have Wheels," Trump tweeted in December. "Please explain to the Democrats that there can NEVER be a replacement for a good old fashioned WALL!"

But the president's penchant for old-fashioned technology has at times put him at odds with his role as a booster for American companies.

In Vietnam last month, Trump joined Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong to sign a deal for the sale of 110 airplanes.

"I really appreciate the orders that you made today of Boeing and General Electric and the various other companies that will be selling you aircraft," Trump said.

He did not mention any concerns about the technology in the planes - most of which were Boeing 737 Max models.
WASHINGTON - The House Judiciary Committee plans to meet in private Wednesday with former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker over Democrats' concerns that he intentionally misled them during a combative public hearing last month.

In a letter to Whitaker after his testimony, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said members of the panel found Whitaker's answers "unsatisfactory, incomplete, or contradicted by other evidence," stressing that they wanted to meet with him again so he could "elaborate" on his testimony.

Whitaker, who left the Justice Department after Attorney General William Barr assumed office last month, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wednesday's meeting - which will not be an official interview or deposition, according to a committee spokeswoman - comes as the panel escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee issued 81 requests for documents to members of Trump's inner circle, including family members and close friends; employees of his businesses; and officials involved with his campaign, transition team and administration.

Whitaker was not among those to receive such a request. But in Nadler's letter to him, he outlined the areas where he expected Whitaker to furnish additional information or clarify discrepancies.

Nadler questioned Whitaker's testimony indicating that he never discussed Trump's frustration with Michael Cohen, the president's former lawyer, for pleading guilty to lying to Congress and various financial crimes. Nadler also questioned why Whitaker refused to answer a question about whether he discussed Cohen's case with Trump.

In his testimony, Whitaker denied sharing his opinions about special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 election - a statement panel Democrats found incredulous, Nadler wrote, given that Whitaker had interviewed to serve as White House lawyer.

Nadler also wrote that he wished to speak with Whitaker further about "improper communications you appear to have had with the White House about several ongoing criminal investigations."

Nadler sent his letter to Whitaker the day before the Senate confirmed Barr as attorney general.

A spokeswoman for the committee's top Republican, Rep. Douglas Collins of Georgia, had no immediate comment. The panel's Republicans have objected to Nadler's continued focus on Whitaker.

- - -

The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
How many studies do you have to throw at the vaccine hysterics before they quit? How much of a scientific consensus, how many unimpeachable experts and how exquisitely rational an argument must you present?

Thats a trick question, of course. Theres no magic number. Theres no number, period. And thats because the anti-vaccine crowd (or anti-vaxxers) arent trafficking in anything as concrete, mundane and quaint as facts. Theyre not really engaged in a debate about medicine. Theyre immersed in a world of conspiracies, in the dark shadows where no data can be trusted, nothing is what it seems and those who buy the party line are pitiable sheep.

And, boy, are they living at the right time, when so much information and misinformation swirl by so quickly that its easy to confuse the two and even easier to grab hold and convince yourself of whatever it is you prefer to believe. With Google searches, you find the ostensible proof you seek. On social media, you bask in all the affirmation you could possibly want.

The parents who are worried or sure about grave risks from vaccines reflect a broader horror that has flickered or flared in everything from the birther movement to Pizzagate, that nonsense about children as Democratic sex slaves in the imagined basement of a Washington pizza joint. Their recklessness and the attendant re-emergence of measles arent just a public health crisis. Theyre a public sanity one, emblematic of too many peoples willful disregard of evidence, proud suspicion of expertise and estrangement from reason.

Again and again, until blue in the face, medical authorities have debunked the renegade assertion that theres a link between the MMR vaccine, so named because it inoculates against measles, mumps and rubella, and autism. On Tuesday, a group of Danish researchers who looked at more than 650,000 children over 10 years announced that they had found no such association.

Again and again, until out of breath, those same medical authorities have also explained why making sure that all or nearly all children are vaccinated is so crucial: It creates a critical mass of resistance, known as herd immunity, that doesnt give a disease the chance to spread.

Nonetheless, enough parents plug their ears that the World Health Organization lists vaccine hesitancy  a euphemism if ever I heard one  among 10 global health threats in 2019.

They choose their own alternative facts. Take Darla Shine, wife of Bill Shine, who just announced his resignation as White House communications director. Last month, amid alarms about new cases of measles, she took to Twitter with the cockamamie claim that not being vaccinated and coming down with measles or mumps was a big-picture plus, a hardiness builder that could help a person fight cancer down the line.

I had the #Measles #Mumps #Chickenpox as a child and so did every kid I knew, she tweeted, adding that her own kids were, regrettably, vaccinated. They will never have the lifelong natural immunity I have. Come breathe on me!

Thanks but no thanks. I suspect my breath is better spent elsewhere.

A week and a half ago, a Republican state representative in Arizona said on her Facebook page that pressure on parents to vaccinate children is not based on American values but, rather, Communist. Bet you didnt know that the original symbol of the Russian Revolution wasnt a hammer and sickle. It was a syringe.

I shouldnt joke, and I should add that anti-vaxxers run the political gamut. Theyre on the left, their professed concern for social welfare proved hollow by the risk that their unvaccinated children pose to newborns and others who havent yet been  or cant be  vaccinated. Theyre on the right, among people who see the government and its edicts as oppressive forces. Paranoia has no partisan affiliation.

I should also add that alternative facts had currency long before Kellyanne Conway christened them such and that junk science, nutty hypotheses and showy apostasies have been around forever. Humans arent rationalists. Were romantics, and the world is wondrous when you believe that you belong to some brave and special tribe and have experienced enlightenment  about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, about the existence of extraterrestrials, about the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, about vaccines  that all the less perceptive, more gullible conformists out there simply cant comprehend.

But there are differences now that make the cranks that much more baffling, numerous and pernicious. For starters, they fly ever more stubbornly in the face of sophisticated research and hard-earned knowledge. Beneficiaries of wisdom that prior generations lacked, they toss it away, wasting and mocking progress itself.

Then theres the internet, which turbocharges everything. I dont want to say its the only force, because there was Holocaust denialism before the internet  there was even AIDS denialism before the internet  but its an enormous, enormous force: the most effective echo chamber in the history of mankind, said Michael Specter, a staff writer for The New Yorker who is the author of the 2009 book Denialism, about irrational thinking. He added, Its very difficult for people, no matter how well educated they are, to parse whats the wheat and whats the chaff on the internet.

One of the best explanations of that came in a 2016 essay in The Times Magazine by Jonathan Mahler, who noted a radical new relationship between citizen and truth. He wrote that millions of people are abandoning traditional sources of information, from the government to the institutional media, in favor of a DIY approach to fact-finding.

They turn to the internet, which is both a hall of mirrors and an overstuffed bazaar. It lets them customize their input and thus tailor their reality, which is reinforced by the like-minded company they keep online. They become surer that climate change is a hoax, that the deep state plots against the bold warriors who threaten it, that a fake Melania Trump is sometimes used as a substitute for the actual one. And they open the floodgates to so much fiction that fact is swept away.

Wheres the vaccine against that?

Frank Bruni is a columnist for The New York Times.
The Washington Post reported on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's remarks during an interview about a potential impeachment of President Donald Trump: "Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it."

I've always thought that was her position. She avoided making an issue of it during November's midterm elections, and for very good reason. Impeachment isn't just divisive; it's hugely unpopular. In most polling, more than 60 percent of voters disapprove of the idea. There is zero indication so far that Republicans are going to break with him so, even if the House were to impeach him, the Senate wouldn't reach the two-thirds threshold required (and probably not even a majority) to remove him. Trump would then declare victory and Democrats would look feckless.

Unless there is overwhelming and bipartisan consensus that Trump should be removed, it's not worth seriously considering, she says. Well, that is a very significant qualifier. Impeachment is a monumental undertaking so you better have reason to do so. This is an appropriate analysis since impeachment, undoing an election via Congress, is contemplated as a political, not legal, process and requires a super majority for removal. The American people must be convinced that he cannot remain in office. If there is some atrocious smoking gun and/or the accumulated evidence is so weighty, then even Republicans' minds might be changed.

The rub is if the evidence is truly compelling but Republicans remain his obstinate defenders. Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe argues that in such a case you also have to consider "the danger of NOT impeaching a president whose guilt has become clear just because the Senate seems too beholden to the president to remove him." The alternative would be to refer the case for prosecution (though Trump's Justice Department won't move while the president is in office) and/or consider other sanctions - such as censure. Tribe contends that "unless and until DOJ does rethink its policy on the criminal prosecution of a sitting president who committed serious crimes to win that office - the window that Speaker Pelosi has carefully left open for a possible decision by the House to impeach Trump (rather than just trying to defeat him in the 2020 election) needs to be broadened."

Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti had a similar reaction. "While I understand why Speaker Pelosi believes that it would be politically advantageous to impeach Trump if Senate Republicans will not vote to convict, the House has a constitutional duty to uphold the rule of law." He adds, "Given the Justice Department's view that a sitting president cannot be indicted, a decision by the House not to impeach unless conviction in the Senate is certain allows a Senate minority to ensure that a president escapes punishment for serious crimes. While her decision may be politically savvy, the American people deserve to know where each Member of Congress and Senator stands, and for the constitutional process to play out."

Still, Pelosi understands the politics and knows that defeating Trump in 2020 is of the highest priority. If an ultimately ineffective impeachment detracts from that goal, it's not worth it. It would in fact be a gross political error. Moreover, if a smoking gun does turn up, the possibility of bipartisan consensus remains.

But, you say, this means he'll "get away" with it! Nonsense. As soon as he is out of office, he can be prosecuted like any American at the federal or state level - and on any number of possible charges including obstruction of justice, campaign finance violations and a host of financial crimes involving his business and/or foundation.

Why bother with congressional hearings? Well, it's important for the voters to know what Trump has been up to so they can hold him accountable at the polls in 2020. In addition, other people's crimes or noncriminal wrongdoing may be revealed. The very act of congressional investigation is critical to reestablishing democratic norms and the separation of powers.

Moreover, let's remember that Congress is supposed to investigate lots of things that aren't crimes - e.g., a disastrous child-separation policy, conflicts of interest, carelessness in handling security clearances, receipt of foreign emoluments, incompetent foreign policy. That is what we do in a democracy. (I know, it's difficult to remember after Republicans did nothing.) We insist government be transparent and we hold those responsible to account for their conduct.

Finally, remember that both the special counsel and Congress are investigating a counterintelligence matter - who, if anyone, cooperated/conspired with the Russians. If Trump, members of his family or current officeholders did it, or were negligent in preventing others from doing it, we need to know.

Interestingly, though Pelosi dismisses impeachment, she has no problem pronouncing Trump "unfit."

I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I don't think he's fit to be president of the United States. And that's up to us to make the contrast to show that this president - while he may be appealing to you on your insecurity and therefore your xenophobia, whether it's globalization or immigrants - is fighting clean air for your children to breathe, clean water for them to drink, food safety, every good thing that we should be doing that people can't do for themselves. You know, I have five kids, and I think I can do everything for them, but I can't control the air they breathe, the water that they drink. You depend on the public sector to do certain things for the health and well-being of your family, and he is counter to that.

Trump's fitness for office is a matter for the voters. They made a horrible judgment in that regard in 2016. Next year, they'll have to consider the past four years and render a different judgment.
The United NationsChildrens Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate forthe protection of childrens rights, to help meet their basic needs and expandtheir opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners,we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment intopractical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable andexcluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
The Project Director is the team leader of theproject staff and must exhibit a high sense of integrity. He/She is expected tooffer knowledge, guidance and technical skills to children, project committee,parents, fellow project workers and church leadership in holistic programming.He/She is a member of a local church and is willing to support the churchespecially in its children ministry.
Airtel was launchedin Uganda in 1995 and is Ugandas most innovative mobile phone operator, whichhas introduced many firsts in the telecommunication sector such as: Pre-paidplans, Post-paid plans, International roaming, Dedicated customer care, Onerate to all networks, Fax and Data, Call forwarding, Per second billing, FreedomForever and Mobile Top up. Airtel in Uganda is a great success story inUganda. Our customer base has grown tremendously  so has our coverage  andour service quality is unsurpassed in the market.
The PetroleumAuthority of Uganda (PAU) is a statutory body established under Section 9 ofthe Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Act 2013, and in linewith the National Oil and Gas Policy for Uganda which was approved in 2008. ThePAUs mandate is to monitor and regulate the exploration, development andproduction, together with the refining, gas conversion, transportation andstorage of petroleum in Uganda. This includes ensuring that petroleumoperations in Uganda are carried out in accordance with the relevant laws,regulations, guidelines, statutes and in line with international best practicefor the petroleum industry.
Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her...
Amid tensions with India, Pakistan military has moved war-like deployment from its western border to the Indian front. According to observers based in South Block, which houses the defence ministry, Pakistan army has begun a massive build up in areas along the Line of Control and international border.

Massive mobilisation of additional troops have been reported from Rawalpindi-based strategic 10 Corps along with Gujranwala-based XXX Corps towards the Line of Control, as per the information gathered by the Indian military establishment. The Sialkot-based 8th infantry division has also mobilised its troops towards the international border.

For this purpose, Pakistan has done major reinforcement from its border with Iran and Afghanistan on western front. Official sources confirmed that Pakistan deployment moved from western border includes troops, tanks and other heavy artillery machines. According to intelligence inputs, Pakistan military has also moved large number of troops from North Waziristan, Bannu and Jani Khel regions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"We have noticed massive mobilisation of troops by Pakistan army towards LoC and even to the international border. Besides, troops and heavy artillery guns were also moved in the last couple of days. However, we are also strengthening our positions on the border to counter any provocation or misadventure by Pakistan, which will be responded in a befitting manner with dire consequences," said a senior defence official.

After the Indian Air Force's strike in Balakot on February 26, Pakistan army has been resorting heavy firing on the border. Between February 26 and 28, Pakistan army did 62 ceasefire violations by targeting Indian posts through heavy mortars and 120 mm artillery guns in areas south of Pir Panjal. Places like Naushera, Sunderbani, Poonch and Bhimber Gali in Rajouri have been repeatedly targeted by Pakistan army. So far, Pakistan army has done 478 ceasefire violations in this year.

Sources also claimed that mobilsation of troops by Pakistan army is opposite to the Amritsar and Samba sectors on the international border, which are considered most 'sensitive areas'.

"In a bid to keep the movement secret, Pakistan army is using public transport to ferry its troops from western border," an official added.

In a knee jerk reaction, Pakistan had already reacted to Balakot strike by Indiaa 'non-military pre-emptive strikes'on February 27 by targeting Indian military establishment using F-16 fighter jets. However, the attack was thwarted by the IAF jets.
Ahead of launching the party's poll campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, the top Congress leadership Tuesday paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

The party leaders led by their chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance.

Other party leaders like A.K. Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Tarun Gogoi, Harish Rawat and Oommen Chandy attended a prayer meeting at the Sabarmati Ashram.

Rahul Gandhi while addressing Congress booth workers in Delhi on Monday had said the upcoming general elections will be a battle between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one side and hate on the other.

Tuesday also marks the anniversary of the famous 'Dandi March' started by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930 with a group of Satyagrahis.

"Today marks the anniversary of the #DandiMarch, led by Mahatma Gandhi, which played a pivotal role in India's struggle for independence. The march was a non-violent protest against the rigorous and oppressive British policies on salt," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

The Congress, at its meeting of the working committeethe highest decision making body, later in the day will give the final shape to its strategy for the general elections.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is being held at Vallabhbhai Patel's national memorial here, with top party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and newly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in attendance. This will be the first official meeting of Priyanka Gandhi after assuming an active political role in the Congress party.

Later, the party will sound the poll bugle from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, with a 'Jan Sankalp Rally' here, party leaders said.

The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee assumes significance as it comes barely two days after the declaration of the poll schedule.

Sources said the Congress is seeking to give a strong political message to the nation from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, with the party leadership holding the prayer meeting at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by the CWC meet at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel national memorial in the state.

The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will join the Congress at the meeting in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Modi and the BJP on what it calls the "failures" and "unfulfilled promises" of the government.

The top Congress leadership led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders will deliberate on key issues for the national elections beginning April 11.

The party leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women's safety.

The party has maintained that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people rather than the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after the Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.

Sources said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues.

The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on the status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record.
A college student was set on fire in the middle of the road in Thiruvalla town by a youth on Tuesday. The girl sustained 85 per cent burns to her body and is fighting for her life at a local hospital.

The youth, who set her on fire, was identified as Ajin Reji from Kumbanad. He was caught by the locals and handed over to the police. He was apparently carrying two bottles of petrol and had poured one of it on the girl.

The girl is said to be from Ayiroor and was heading for her classes in the morning when the attack took place. She is a student of Radiology in a private institute. The incident happened at 9.15 in the morning in the middle of the road. He poured the petrol on her and immediately set her on fire. It is understood that there was no time for anyone to interfere and try to save the girl.

According to the police, Ajin said that the two were in a relationship for the last two years and the girl had rejected him recently. Police say that this was a pre-planned crime and that Ajin had come with the intention of hurting the girl. The two had studied together in school.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of insulting the struggle, sacrifices and contribution of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in nation building by brazenly seeking to hijack their legacy and pretending to be champions of their values.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh were among a host of national party leaders who were present at the Congress Working Committee meeting held in Ahmedabad. The CWC meeting was held in Gujarat after 58 years.

Briefing media persons after the closed door CWC, party leader Anand Sharma said that in the meeting it was reaffirmed to defend the foundational values of India as an inclusive society in which diversity is celebrated and citizens enjoy the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

According to Sharma, the Congress president said that they (read Modi and the BJP) were attempting to paint a different picture of India than that envisaged by Gandhi and others.

He further said that the CWC also reaffirmed to restore the health of Indian economy that has been collapsing due to monumental mismanagement under PM Modi and his government, not withstanding tall boastful claims.

The CWC noted that the terrorist attack on CRPF jawans in Pulwama was a grim reminder of the serious threat posed by the forces of terrorism to the unity and integrity of the country. Condemning the attack, the CWC expressed solidarity with the soldiers and armed forces. The Congress president offered party's support to the government in the hour of national crisis.

The CWC made it clear that dissent and articulation of ideological differences are integral to India's political narrative, especially during elections. These must not be mistaken as weakness or disunity of the country, it said.

The CWC also sent a strong message to the enemies of India that India stands united and resolute as one nation to confront and defeat their nefarious agenda. It said that India will never be defeated by forces of violence and terror.

However, the CWC expressed strong disappointment that the Prime Minister is cynically exploiting the issue of national security, on which all stood united, to divert attention from colossal failures, bogus claims and persistent falsehoods.

The CWC noted that last five years of Modi-led BJP government has been a period of false promises and betrayal of people's trust and confidence. Bringing in GST and the decision of demonetisation, the CWC said disrupted Indian economy, trade and industry.

The leaders also discussed about what they believed was the atmosphere of fear and insecurity in the country.

The CWC called upon all democratic and progressive forces to unite and pool their energies to relentlessly fight and expose anti-people's policies of the BJP government, its failure to deliver on the promises made in 2014 and not allow the nation's political narrative to be vitiated and focus deflected from the real issues concerning people.

The members also noted that the party delivered what it promised and gave an example of farm loan waiver in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.

The CWC said that the Congress party would approach the people of India with humility to seek their support in the forthcoming election for itself and its allies in different states. It also sought for a mandate for better governance and accountability, to repair the grave damage caused to our democratic polity, economy and society by the Modi government, a mandate for change to restore the health of Indian economy, for job creation, social justice and harmony.

The CWC endorsed the promise made by the Congress president to ensure minimum income support to the support to the poor, weak and marginalised sections of society when the Congress party comes to power.
Air strikes in northern Yemen in the past 48 hours killed at least 22 civilians, including women and children, the United Nations said on Monday.

According to reports, the attacks in Kushar district, in Hajja Province, killed 10 women and 12 children and wounded 30 people. The injured have been sent to hospitals in Abs district and in the capital city of Sanaa for treatment.

The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of being responsible for the strikes, but Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said the Houthis were behind the attack.

The ongoing civil war has killed thousands of people since it began in 2015. It has displaced millions of people and has shown no signs of abating in the near future. The Houthi armed movement seized Sanaa in 2014 in a bid to fight against corrupt politicians. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

The Saudi-led coalition has since conducted several air strikes targetting Houthis and civilians.

(With inputs from agencies)
Activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Europe, called for Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure in the region.

Sardar Shaukat Ali, chairman of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), said, according to ANI, Pakistans Army officials are now openly asking Kashmiris to stop using light weapons and go for suicide attacks. It is being openly preached by retired Army Generals. We love peaceful co-existence as our state is multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic. If Pakistan is continuously promoting extremism and terrorism, our state will be divided into thousand pieces on the basis of sects because we have Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. He said that Pakistan was using religion to propagate terror and the civil society was suffering.

Meanwhile, Pakistan had said it will "soon" respond to a dossier handed over to it by India on "specific details" of involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in the deadly Pulwama terror attack as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in the country.

"It's being evaluated and a response would be given soon," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal told reporters.

The JeM had taken the responsibility of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after the attack.
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The government's proposal to ban Rs 500 and 1000 notes was placed by the then RBI Deputy Governor Rama Subramaniam Gandhi before its board, which resolved to back the move in "larger public interest" though some directors raised concerns about short-term negative impact on GDP and hardships to some sections, official sources said Tuesday.

The proposal, presented by R Gandhi to the Reserve Bank of India Board on November 8, 2016, said the move was necessitated due to a Finance Ministry letter received a day earlier advising the central bank that cash was facilitating "black money".

The clarification follows reports citing an RTI reply saying that RBI Board had not agreed with the government's reasoning on the need for demonetisation.

The sources claimed that the resolution of the central bank was forwarded to the government on "November 8, 2016 itself".

Citing minutes of the meeting, they said some of the directors had observed that though demonetisation is a commendable measure, it will have short-term negative effect on the GDP for the current year.

"Members did make some observations which were recorded in the minutes. But these did not represent the views of the RBI. These observations also did not persuade any member come in the way of endorsing the proposal fully," a functionary said.

One of the observations made was that arriving domestic long distance travellers who would be carrying high denomination currency will be taken by surprise. It would also have an adverse effect on tourists.

Some directors felt that black money is held not in the form of cash but as gold or real estate, hence the move would not have a material impact on those assets.

Referring to the minutes of the meeting, the sources underlined that the RBI Board concluded that in "larger public interest" the balance of advantage would lie in demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes. PTI NAB BJ ZMN
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The Central Drug Regulator has directed all drug controllers in states and Union territories to not allow the manufacture, sale, import and advertisement of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, including e-cigarettes and flavoured hookah, in their jurisdictions.

"Since no Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn devices, vape, e-sheesha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah, and the like products have not yet been approved under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and rules made thereunder, you are requested to ensure devices that enable nicotine delivery are not sold (including online sale), manufactured, distributed, traded, imported and advertised in your jurisdictions," the regulator's order stated.

In August last year, the Health Ministry issued an advisory to all states and UTs to stop the manufacture, sale and import of ENDS after the Delhi HC took a strong exception to the Centre for delay in coming up with appropriate measures to tackle the new emerging threat of e-cigarettes in the country.

ENDS are devices that heat a solution to create an aerosol, which also frequently contains flavours, usually dissolved into propylene glycol and glycerin.

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, the most common prototype, are devices that do not burn or use tobacco leaves but instead vaporise a solution, which a user then inhales.

The main constituents of the solution, in addition to nicotine, are propylene glycol (with or without glycerol and flavouring agents).

After the MoHFW advisory, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, too, proposed an amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2018 to ban the advertisement of e-cigarettes.

Even the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs issued a circular recently, saying that all import consignments of e-cigarettes must be cleared by the drug controller first.

Steadfast in its commitment to protect the health of children, adolescents and women of reproductive age, 36 countries around the world and 12 states in India have banned the sale of e-cigarettes due to its health harms.

In India, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Jharkhand have taken steps to ban the use of ENDS.

"Nicotine is highly toxic chemical and potentially carcinogenic. Infact, it will not be an exaggeration if it is considered as a poison. Therefore, any nicotine product should be taken under strict medical supervision for controlling withdrawal symptoms during cessation therapy. I laud government of India for taking us a tough stand against these newer nicotine delivery devices," Pankaj Chaturvedi, oncologist, Tata Memorial Hospital, said.

The increasing popularity of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), more commonly known as e-cigarettes or vapes, threatens to undermine recent progress on tobacco control in India.

E-cigarettes do not fall within the scope of existing national legislation on tobacco production, distribution, and use, yet pose significant health risks to users that are frighteningly similar to those of conventional cigarettes.

As per a report prepared by the World Health Organisation, ENDS emits nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco products. In addition to dependence, nicotine can have adverse effects on the development of the foetus during pregnancy and may contribute to cardiovascular disease.

There is no substantial evidence to prove that ENDS work for cessation and are less harmful than the tobacco products, Prakash C Gupta, director of Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, said.

"Naming 'e-cigarette' is a tactic used by the industry to fool media and public by giving it a tubular shape and putting a red LED at the tip which lights up when the tube is sucked to mimic cigarette smoking.

"It is as incorrect to call it a tobacco product as calling penicillin, a fungal product. It is a nicotine delivery device and ought to be regulated as such," Gupta said. PTI PLB PLB ABH

ABH
San Francisco, Mar 12 (PTI) Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping USD 45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.

The previously undisclosed amount was in the separation agreement for Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Google's search operations until early 2016.

The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause, the New York Times reported.

The lawsuit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases, it said.

The lawsuit was filed in January in California Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed on Monday without the redactions.

According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal USD 15 million a year for two years and between USD 5 million and USD 15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor.

He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public, the report said.

Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an "abdication of responsibility".

A Google spokeswoman said Monday that the company had "made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority".

"There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google," she said.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event.

Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated.

The company also concluded that the employee's account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy, the report said.

Singhal did not respond to a request for comment, it said.

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science from IIT Roorkee. He received an MS degree from University of Minnesota Duluth and was head of Google's core search team for 15 years. PTI MRJ MRJ
Paris, Mar 12 (AFP) The US warned Tuesday it was considering a complaint at the World Trade Organization over "discriminatory" new taxes on American digital giants such as a Facebook and Google planned by France and other EU nations.

"We think the whole theoretical basis of digital service taxes is ill-conceived and the effect is highly discriminatory against US-based multinationals," Chip Harter, a Treasury official and US delegate for global tax talks, said in Paris.

Speaking ahead of two days of talks on the issue in Paris, Harter added that "various parts of our government are studying whether that discriminatory impact would give us rights under trade agreements and WTO treaties."

"We would very much hope to avoid it, and we are monitoring developments here, and we will have to just see how events unfold in terms of both what is adopted by different countries, and how much progress is being made at the OECD," he added.

The Paris-based OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) is trying to forge a new global agreement on taxing technology and digital giants which often declare their income in low-tax jurisdictions, depriving other countries of billions in revenue.

That overhaul is expected next year at the earliest, assuming a consensus can be reached among the 127 countries taking part in the talks.

Last week, France unveiled draft legislation that would set a 3.0-percent levy on digital advertising, the sale of personal data and other revenue for tech groups with more than 750 million euros (USD 844 million) in worldwide revenue.

Nicknamed the "GAFA" tax -- for Google, Apple, Facebook and Apple -- it would be applied retroactively from January 1, 2019.

Similar measures are under consideration in Britain, Spain, Austria and Italy as governments look to respond to voter anger over multinationals paying minimal taxes.

"We do understand there's political pressure around the world to tax various international businesses more heavily, and we actually agreed that that is appropriate," Harter told journalists.

"But we think it should be done on a broader basis than just selecting a particular industry," he said.

"We're trying very hard to maintain a very positive attitude for making progress at the OECD."

France is in a vanguard of countries planning its own digital tax after efforts to introduce an EU-wide levy failed because of objections from low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland.

There were also fears that the move could worsen trade tensions with the United States and President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Europe with trade tariffs.

Germany in particular was worried about the danger of provoking Trump, whose threats to impose tariffs on EU carmakers would hammer a key German export industry.

About 30 companies from the US, China, Germany, Spain and Britain as well as France are set to be affected by the new French tax if it passes parliament.

Asked about a potential WTO complaint by Washington, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday that France "decides its tax policies freely and independently."

"In no way does it call into question the bill that will be debated in parliament starting on April 4," he said in Brussels.

US officials have said they support the multilateral tax overhaul being spearheaded by the OECD, which could ressemble a proposal to set a minimum tax of 10 to 13 percent for companies in the US.

That would give nations a bigger cut from multinationals' by limiting the attractiveness of offshore havens and low-tax regimes.

But Harter said Tuesday that unilateral action like France's would only make it harder to secure a comprehensive deal.

"A DST (digital services tax) simply is so narrow that it doesn't address the fundamental issues facing the international tax system," he said.

"The challenges... are just far broader than how to tax social media and search engines," he added.

"Our hope is that rapid progress at the OECD combined with a committment that an OECD deal would supplant any unilateral actions may get us to where we need to be." (AFP) SCY

SCY
(Eds: Updates with latest FAA statement)

Washington, Mar 12 (AFP) US federal aviation authorities said Monday they will order Boeing to modify its 737 MAX 8 aircraft, including anti-stalling software and maneuvering system updates, after two of the planes crashed in five months.

The Federal Aviation Administration told international civil aviation authorities that it "anticipates mandating these design changes... no later than April," although it did not ground the fleet.

Boeing is also set to update its training requirements and flight crew manuals to reflect the changes.

"The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of US commercial aircraft," it said earlier.

"If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action." The FAA has notified other global civil aviation authorities that it may soon share safety information concerning Boeing's 737 MAX 8, the statement said.

One of the aircraft, operating as Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302, crashed Sunday southeast of Addis Ababa shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew members aboard.

The same model -- a more fuel-efficient version of the 737 -- crashed in late October in Indonesia during a flight operated by Lion Air, leaving 189 people dead, also just moments after takeoff.

It is especially rare that a new aircraft model is involved in two deadly incidents over such a short period of times.

An FAA team is currently in Ethiopia participating in a probe into the latest crash with investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board.

The cause of the crash remains unknown, but the airline says investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the Nairobi-bound jet. (AFP) CK
(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

Awarded the Bronze Globe for Best Business to Business or Trade Marketing Category



New Delhi, Delhi, India  Business Wire India



BI WORLDWIDE India, a global leader in channel loyalty and engagement solutions has won the MAA Bronze Globes in the Best Business to Business or Trade Marketing Campaign category at the 2018 MAA Worldwide SUMMIT, held in Sydney Australia. The award is in recognition of Channel Loyalty Program designed, developed and delivered end to end by BI WORLDWIDE, for one of its premium clients in the Industrial bearing industry. For over 30 years, the MAA GLOBES has been and remains the elite results driven global Award Programme recognising the very Best of the Best Marketing Communication Campaigns from all over the world.



This award-winning B2B Trade Marketing campaign, designed by BI WORLDWIDE India, is focused at enriching the clients scope of engagement with channel partners (authorized distributors) through an improved incentive-based loyalty program driven by applied behavioural science, and by deploying right mix of rewards strategy to build an emotional bond rather than just transactional. This program nurtured overall development of the distributors business by shifting their focus to marketing driven sales growth. Adopting easy-to-use program technology and introducing an investment mechanism on incentives helped SKF India to promote its brand in the market.



Commenting on the win, Mr. Siddharth Reddy, MD & CEO, BI WORLDWIDE, said, We are extremely delighted to win this prestigious award for the third consecutive year. It is indeed a proud moment for us as we have been adjudged winners among competing entries from the best campaigns globally. We are grateful to SKF India as they have shown their earnest faith in our human-centric program design approach backed by our domain expertise and applied behavioural science. The award is a testament to the quality of our services, the competency of our team, and the growing expertise of BI WORLDWIDE India in the Channel Loyalty domain. We believe in human-centric, behaviour and motivation driven strategies to deliver inspiring and measurable solutions for our clients.



Ms. Jaya Arora, Channel Development Manager, SKF India Ltd. said, Drive 2 Delight is a customer connect program developed by BI WORLDWIDE India for SKF. Our Distributors have leveraged this program to increase their reach, engage with new customers, develop their organisational competencies and capabilities resulting in increased customer satisfaction. We are confident that our association with BIW will result into greater success in the coming year.



MAA Worldwide runs the prestigious GLOBES awards program to acknowledge the best of the best in the world in the marketing communications industry. A selection of winning campaigns from MAA Worldwide partners were evaluated by an international judging panel from across 25 countries, along with the newly formed grand jury from 19 countries who was vital in the final judging stages.



About BI WORLDWIDE



BI WORLDWIDE is a global leader that provides technology-enabled solutions and marketing services to help clients create and sustain loyalty & engagement with their employees, channel partners and customers. The company provides solutions and services in Employee Engagement, Sales and Channel Effectiveness, and Customer Engagement to the top MNCs and focuses on four main areas:

1. Employee Engagement and Motivation: Employee rewards and recognition, service anniversary awards, referral programs, wellness programs and safety programs



2. Sales and Channel Effectiveness: Sales Incentives, Distributor/Re-seller Reward Programs, Reward Fulfilment, Communications and Analytics



3. Loyalty Marketing: Loyalty Marketing Programs, Interactive Promotions, Branded Merchandise, and Privileges Programs



4. Coalition marketing: Coalitions of multiple brands in one loyalty program to increase engagement and retention PWR

PWR
(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

MUMBAI, March 12, 2019/PRNewswire/ --

The real estate industry in India is going through the worst phase in history. In a country where buying a home of one's choice is among the most significant decisions in an individual's life, this is a seemingly paradoxical development. The real estate market in recent years had the lowest number of new launches due to demonetization, the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), and the newly appointed Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).



However, is low inventory a bad thing? Modispaces says otherwise. Surprisingly, while stocks plummeted, home sales have gone up since last year. Therefore, if the same number of people choose to list their home this year in contrast with the previous year, the currently available inventory should drop due to more people buying what is available on the market. The currency ban was a blessing in disguise, encouraging formal banking and more substantial deposits, resulting in a higher cash reserve with banks, which flowed into the economy and resulted in a higher GDP. The masses now have white money to safely invest in real estate, which is backed by a healthier socio-political environment.



Interestingly, the demand for more liquidity to fund elections hints at a distress sale of property before the polls and a price increase post-election. The government has continued its efforts to achieve the vision of 'Housing For All by 2022' by setting up a dedicated fund for affordable housing in Union Budget for 2018-19.



Under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY), 100 lakh houses will be constructed by 2022. Additional government schemes like the Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) has ensured the availability of affordable credit for low-cost housing buyers. Reduction of GST from 12 percent to 5 percent has escalated demand and reduced prices for unfinished schemes but it will eventually increase the prices of projects that are ready for possession. Finally, the strengthened regulations under RERA have noticeably enhanced consumer confidence in real estate transactions.



Although the uncertainty around the Lok Sabha election backs pre-election decisions, the post-election scenario is not going to harm the investments that were made earlier. Even if another political party assumes the reins of government, they will not interfere with their cash cows.



Hence, it can be safely established that the right time has finally arrived to reap some benefits in property business. Smart investors don't wait to buy real estate-they buy real estate and wait.



About Modispaces



Modispaces is an award-winning real estate company that has been creating happy spaces for happy people. The fourth-generation company is a self-financing, environment conscious, quality driven estate creator in Mumbai with over 56 residential and commercial projects in the area of construction to its credit since 1971. The highly efficient team at Modispaces is committed to designing spaces in such a way that dreams become a reality. For more information, please visit: http://modispaces.com/



Source: Modispaces PWR

PWR
(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

Patna, Bihar, India  Business Wire India



Saija Finance, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) commemorates its 10th year of improving lives of rural women in India at an event called GARIMA. The company initiated operations in 2008 at Patna.



Bihar remains one of the poorest states in India and is home to over 120 million people. Over 60 % of the population falls in the underserved category. Bihar also did not have a successful Bank / NBFC since the formation of the state a hundred years ago. Hence both the need and the challenge to set up a successful bank in the state of Bihar. It is in this backdrop, that Mr. S R Sinha and Mrs. Rashmi Sinha launched the Microfinance initiative in Bihar in 2008.



On this special occasion, Mr. Sinha, CMD, Saija Finance says, "As Saija completes 10 successful years of business operations, we are well poised to become a scheduled commercial bank with a strong base in the state of Bihar. We take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to over six lacs of our women clients whose creditworthiness and disciplined conduct has been the key to the success of Saija. We also sincerely thank my dedicated workforce, many of whom successfully completing 10 years at Saija. We would like to thank Accion, a global nonprofit dedicated to creating a financially inclusive world and our partner for the last ten years. Thanks to Saijas eminent and illustrious Board members, whose monitoring and guidance have helped us create a thriving organization. We have also received strong support by way of equity, loans and grants from Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and capital First (now IDFC First Bank) during this journey."



Congratulating Saija on this very occasion, Mr. Michael Schlein, CEO at Accion expresses, "Promoting financial inclusion in rural India is critical, and leaders like Saija, who are operating in areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, are demonstrating innovative ways to challenge geography to build a financially inclusive platform that offers services to the most vulnerable and economically active section of society," said Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion. "Accion has partnered with Saija since its seed stage, and Saijas growth, success, and focus on delivering inclusive financial services to underserved clients has made them a great Accion partner over the last decade. Congratulations to Saija on this important milestone."



"Over the last 4 years, Saija and Greenlight Planet have been instrumental in delivering clean energy access to more than 6 lakh individuals in India. From the time we began our partnership with them, we were assured that it would be a long-lasting relationship. We congratulate them on completing 10 years of operations in India and wish them all the luck for a successful future," says Mr. Sahil Khanna, Partnerships Business Leader, Asia at Greenlight Planet, a leading solar home energy company that helps Saija works towards energy inclusion for rural India.



About Saija Finance Private Limited



SAIJA Finance Private Limited is a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) formed in 2007 with a focus on providing microfinance services to the urban and rural poor, as well as micro and small businessmen in the underserved geographies of Northern & Eastern India, starting with Bihar.



The geographic regions served by SAIJA are amongst the poorest in India and also are grossly underserved by formal financial institutions. SAIJA has membership of more than 6 lacs clients, spread across 63 districts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana operating with 101 branches. SAIJA was conceptualized and founded by Mr. Shashi Ranjan Sinha and Ms. Rashmi Sinha in April 2007.



As Saija enters its 11th year of operations with a record breaking performance in all spheres of its business parameters. PWR

PWR
Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) Indian fans will be getting a chance to interact with Joe Russo as the "Avengers: Endgame" director will be flying down here to kick-off his Asia Pacific promotional tour for the film.

Joe, the one half of famous director duo The Russo Brothers, will be engaging with eager Marvel fans from India on April 1 and 2.

The much-awaited film is the second part of Joe and his brother Anthony's two-part series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe which started with last year's blockbuster "Avengers: Infinity War".

"I am absolutely thrilled with the passionate response 'Avengers: Infinity War' received in India, and cannot wait for you to see 'Avengers: Endgame'. Thank you for embracing these movies. I am excited to be coming to India and eager to meet our Indian fans very soon," Joe said in a statement.

At the end of "Infinity War", Thanos had wiped off half of the universe's population and left Marvel superheroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johanasson) scrambling for a way to defeat the supervillian from Titan. "Endgame" is set after the events of "Infinity War".

The project marks the final film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current generation. It comprises 22 films, including "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and recently released "Captain Marvel".

The film will release in India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on April 26. PTI RB RB

RB
Colombo, Mar 12 (PTI) Sri Lanka is once again under international pressure to implement fully the measures identified by the UNHRC in 2015 to address human rights concerns after the United Kingdom and Germany on Tuesday tabled a resolution at the UN body in Geneva.

The UN rights office calls for international investigations into alleged war crimes and encourages member states to prosecute Sri Lankans suspected of war crimes in accordance with universal jurisdiction principles.

Titled "Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka", the rollover resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

It also calls for presenting a written update to the UNHRC at its 43rd session, and a comprehensive report, followed by a discussion on the implementation of Council resolution 30/1, at its 46th session, a foreign ministry source said.

The resolution which Sri Lanka is expected to co-sponsor is termed A/HRC/40/L.1 and was also endorsed by Canada, Germany, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, according to the source.

The resolution follows the report submitted by the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Brachelet last week.

The report reviews the progress made by Sri Lanka since October 2015 and January 2019.

It assessed Sri Lankas pledge on promoting reconciliation and human rights accountability.

Brachelets report said that her office has been receiving credible information on cases of abduction, unlawful detention torture and sexual violence by the Sri Lankan security forces allegedly taken place from 2016 to 2018.

The report has acknowledged the governments progress in human rights issues and its engagement with civil society.

The Resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedure mandate holders in consultation with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka to continue to strengthen their advice and technical assistance on the promotion and protection of human rights and truth, justice, reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has resisted calls for international investigations citing constitutional constraints for foreign judges to operate in the island.

The UNHRC resolutions since 2013 had censured Sri Lanka on its alleged human rights abuses.

They called for probing of the rights abuses by both the LTTE and the government troops by setting up an international investigation.

The Tamil rights groups continue to pressurise the government for meaningful accountability process for human rights violations in order to achieve reconciliation. PTI CORR RUP RUP

RUP
Washington, Mar 12 (PTI) America's federal election commission has imposed a record fine on a Chinese-owned company and a super PAC of the former presidential aspirant Jeb Bush for alleged campaign finance violations, a watchdog that had filed a complaint in this regard said Monday.

Following a complaint by Campaign Legal Center or CLC, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined American Pacific International Capital, Inc. (APIC) USD 550,000 for violating the foreign national contribution ban.

It also fined the pro-Jeb Bush super political action commitee (PAC) "Right to Rise" with USD 390,000 for soliciting a foreign national contribution, the CLC said. Jeb Bush is former Governor of Florida and 2016 Republican presidential candidate.

CLC's complaint cites the bombshell report by The Intercept in August 2016 that laid out smoking-gun evidence of the violation: the president of the Chinese-owned, California-based corporation admitted that he directed the corporation's contributions, which totaled USD 1.3 million.

"Today's action is a rare and remarkable step by the FEC, and a reminder that safeguarding our elections against foreign interference is in America's vital national security interests," said Trevor Potter, president of the CLC, and a former Republican chairman of the FEC.

"This illegal USD 1.3 million contribution is unmistakable proof that Citizens United opened the floodgates to foreign money in the US, and it is surely the tip of the iceberg," he said.

"The fact that the FEC, which so often deadlocks and therefore fails to act in violations, could agree on this one highlights the very real danger this sort of activity poses to our democracy," Potter said.

Foreign actors have a demonstrated interest in influencing elections, and corporations offer an easy way for them to do so, usually without detection, said Brendan Fischer, director, federal reform at CLC.

"In this case, it took smoking-gun evidence to establish this violation: if the president of the company had not admitted that he directed the contribution, the FEC never would have investigated it. Moreover, we can't be sure how many other foreign nationals have funnelled money into our elections through undisclosed donations to dark money groups," he said.

Law enforcement agencies need disclosure to enforce the laws protecting the integrity of American democracy, he said, adding that the law cannot be enforced against foreign money if the money is not disclosed at all. PTI LKJ CK
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours :



FGN18 US-INDIA-LD VENEZUELA

Pompeo hopes India won't buy oil from Venezuela's Maduro govt

Washington: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hoped that India will not be the "economic lifeline" to the "authoritarian" regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by purchasing oil from the Latin American country.By Lalit K Jha



FGN14 ETHIOPIA-CRASH-INDIANS

Six members of Indian family in Canada among 157 dead in Ethiopian Airlines crash

Ottawa: The "trip of a lifetime" to a safari park in Kenya turned into a nightmare for six members of a family from India in Canada who perished when the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.



FGN11 US-CHINA-SUMMIT

No date set for Trump-Xi summit; trade negotiations on: White House

Washington: No date has been set yet for a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the White House said on Monday noting that the trade negotiations between the two countries still continues. By Lalit K Jha



FGN17 US-PAK-2NDLD MILITANTS

Pakistan assures US to deal 'firmly' with all terrorists, says NSA Bolton

Washington: Pakistan has assured the US that it will deal "firmly" with all terrorists operating from the country and take steps to de-escalate tensions with India, according to National Security Adviser John Bolton. By Lalit K Jha



FGN13 UK-2ND LD BREXIT

UK says 'legally binding changes' to Brexit deal agreed with EU

Strasbourg (France): Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday she has secured "legally binding" guarantees from the EU designed to get the Brexit deal through the British parliament and avert a chaotic withdrawal. (AFP)



FGN21 CHINA-BOEING

Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes will remain grounded until security clearance: China

Beijing: China said on Tuesday that Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes will not be allowed to fly until their security is guaranteed, as it ruled out any politics behind its decision to ground nearly 100 such aircraft after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash. By K J M Varma



FGN16 AFGHAN-INDIA-TERRORISM

Terrorism akin to cancer, hurts India and Afghanistan: Afghan diplomat

New York: India and Afghanistan have been hurt by terrorism which is "like cancer" and threatens peace in the region, a top Afghan diplomat has said while appealing to the international community not to view his war-torn country as an isolated case. By Yoshita Singh



FGN15 GOOGLE-HARASSMENT-LD INDIAN

Google paid USD 45 million to its former India-born executive accused of sexual misconduct

San Francisco: Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping USD 45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.



FGN12 US-ELECTION-FINE

Jeb Bush super PAC, Chinese company fined for US poll campaign violations

Washington: America's federal election commission has imposed a record fine on a Chinese-owned company and a super PAC of the former presidential aspirant Jeb Bush for alleged campaign finance violations, a watchdog that had filed a complaint in this regard said Monday.



FGN19 CHINA-PLANE-CRASH

Two pilots killed in China's naval plane crash

Beijing: A Chinese naval plane crashed during a training mission in the southern island province of Hainan on Tuesday, killing both the pilots, the Chinese navy said.



FGN22 US-CRASH-LD INVESTIGATION

US joins Ethiopian-led investigation at Boeing crash site

Addis Ababa: US aviation experts on Tuesday joined a global investigation into the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people, as a growing number of airlines grounded the new Boeing plane involved in the crash. (AP)







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London, Mar 12 (AFP) Britain on Tuesday joined four other countries in banning Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace as a growing number of airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.

On Sunday, a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. It came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which crashed near Addis Ababa carrying passengers and crew from 35 countries -- including some two dozen UN staff.

US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the model and insisted they would take action if safety issues are detected.

But it was not enough to reassure aviation authorities in Britain and four other countries -- Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman -- who temporarily banned all 737 MAX planes from their airspace.

China, a hugely important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane Monday, as did Indonesia.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement headlined "Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft" that "as a precautionary measure" it had decided "to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace".

Aviation regulators in Singapore, a global air travel hub and popular transit point for long-haul travellers, said they would work with the country's main airport and "the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers".

One Singapore airline, SilkAir, uses 737 MAX aircraft while a handful of foreign airlines operate the planes in the city-state.

In its statement announcing the 737 MAX ban, Malaysia's aviation regulator noted the two recent fatal accidents involving the model.

Oman's Public Authority for Civil Aviation said it was suspending the variant's flights in its jurisdiction "until further notice".

Low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle said Tuesday it would suspend flights of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft until further notice.

Norwegian, which operates 18 of the planes, will keep them grounded pending advice from aviation authorities, operations chief Tomas Hesthammer told AFP in an email.

South Korea, meanwhile, ordered the only airline in the country that operates the jets to suspend operations of its two MAX 8s. Argentina's flag carrier also grounded five MAX 8 aircraft on Tuesday, as did airlines in countries including South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.

But several airlines said they are not cancelling MAX 8 flights, while US carriers appeared to maintain confidence in the manufacturer.

"The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft," said India's SpiceJet, which has 13 of the MAX 8 variants in its 75-strong fleet.

"It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world's largest airlines are flying this aircraft," it said in a statement.

Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling family of planes, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers.

But not since the 1970s -- when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 suffered successive fatal incidents -- has a new model been involved in two deadly accidents in such a short period.

The weekend crash sent Boeing shares nosediving as much as 12 percent on Monday.

"I think the impact for the industry is significant," said Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based aviation analyst.

"We have a new type of aircraft -- that type of aircraft has only been in service for two years -- and... we have two accidents with seemingly similar circumstances."

The plane involved in Sunday's crash was less than four months old, with Ethiopian Airlines saying it was delivered on November 15.

It went down near the village of Tulu Fara, some 40 miles (60 kilometres) east of Addis Ababa.

Inhabitants of the remote area looked on from behind a security cordon as inspectors searched the crash site and excavated it with a mechanical digger.

The single-aisle jet had left a deep, black crater.

Ethiopian Airlines said the pilot was given clearance to turn around after indicating problems shortly before the plane disappeared from radar.

The airline's chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg early Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was "dispatched with no remark", meaning no problems were flagged.

The crash cast a pall over a gathering of the UN Environment Programme as it opened in Nairobi -- at least 22 staff from several UN agencies were on board the doomed flight.

Delegates hugged and comforted one another as they arrived at the meeting with the UN flag flying at half-mast.

Other passengers included tourists and business travellers.

Kenya had the highest death toll among the nationalities on the flight with 32, according to Ethiopian Airlines. Canada was next with 18 victims.

There were also passengers from other countries including Ethiopia, Italy, the United States, Britain and France. (AFP) SCY

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Baghouz (Syria), Mar 12 (AFP) Kurdish-led forces said around 2,000 people, mostly jihadists, surrendered from the Islamic State group's last scrap of territory in Syria Tuesday, as air raids and shelling resumed after a brief lull.

A ragged tent encampment in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz is all that remains of a once-sprawling IS "caliphate" declared in 2014 across large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces has been trying to crush holdout IS fighters for weeks but the mass outpouring of men, women and children from the riverside hamlet has bogged down its advance.

Backed by the US-led coalition, the SDF renewed its assault Sunday after warning remaining IS fighters their time was up.

Air strikes and shelling have since pummelled Baghouz three nights in a row, killing scores of fighters and prompting hundreds of jihadists and their relatives to surrender.

Thousands handed themselves over Tuesday, after a deluge of fire hit the IS encampment the previous night.

"Around 2,000 people, mostly fighters, have handed themselves over today," SDF spokesman Adnan Afrin told AFP, without adding how many remain inside.

The SDF and the US-led coalition resumed shelling and air strikes on the last IS bastion Tuesday evening, interrupting a brief lull in fighting that had taken hold during the day to allow for people to surrender.

An AFP correspondent near the front line heard warplanes rumbling overhead, as the sound of mortar fire and explosions rang from the IS encampment.

Dozens of SDF fighters massed at the entrance of the village of Baghouz on Tuesday evening.

Sherif, the unit commander, said his force was preparing to storm the jihadist redoubt.

"We readied ourselves today and our spirits are high," he told AFP.

"We will enter with full force and we will be at the forefront" of the advance, said the fighter who has been battling jihadists for years.

Earlier Tuesday, Ali Cheir, an SDF unit commander, said his force and the coalition were pummelling the IS enclave at night to flush out jihadists.

"The objective of our advance is to terrorise IS fighters so they surrender, and for the civilians to come out," said the 27-year-old.

Coalition warplanes Monday pounded the jihadist redoubt with 20 air strikes, destroying armoured vehicles and arms caches, SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali said.

He said US-backed forces clashed with jihadists on several fronts, killing nearly 40 IS fighters.

Since December, around 60,000 people have left the last IS redoubt, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around a tenth of them suspected jihadist fighters.

The United Nations said the numbers from Baghouz arriving in one Kurdish-run camp further north for the displaced were smaller than in previous weeks.

It said they were reaching the camp in a worse state than before.

The UN's food agency said it is concerned about their wellbeing.

"On Sunday night more than 3,000 people, mostly women and children in a poor state, reached the camp," the WFP said.

"WFP is deeply concerned about the welfare of tens of thousands of people recently arriving at the Al-Hol camp," it said Tuesday.

Around 113 people -- two-thirds of them children under five -- have died en route to the camp or shortly after arriving since December, the UN's humanitarian coordination office OCHA says.

At the height of its brutal rule, IS controlled a stretch of land in Syria and Iraq the size of the United Kingdom.

The total capture of the Baghouz camp by the SDF would mark the end of the cross-border "caliphate" it proclaimed more than four years ago.

But beyond Baghouz, IS retains a presence in eastern Syria's vast Badia desert and sleeper cells in the northeast.

The jihadists have continued to claim deadly attacks in SDF-held territory in recent months, and the US military has warned of the need to maintain a "vigilant offensive".

The group released a video late Monday allegedly showing jihadists in Baghouz, quietly defiant in the face of the advancing SDF.

"If we had thousands of kilometres and now we only have some kilometres left, it is said we have lost -- but God's judging standard is different," said a man named Abu Abdel Adheem.

"The battles are not over," he said, sitting on the ground in a circle with two men and a young boy in a hooded jacket.

Baghouz is the latest front on Syria's complex civil war, which has killed more than 360,000 people since 2011. (AFP) SCY

SCY
London, Mar 12 (AFP) Britain, France and Germany joined a growing list of countries to ban Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace on Tuesday as airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.

On Sunday a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board, from 35 countries.

In October, a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 -- but no evidence has emerged to link the two incidents.

The widening airspace closures puts pressure on Boeing, the world's biggest planemaker, to prove 737 MAX planes are safe as increasing numbers of fleets have been grounded.

Turkish Airlines was among the latest to announce it was suspending its 12 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying from Wednesday, until "uncertainty" was clarified.

Low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle, South Korea's Eastar Jet and South Africa's Comair also said they would halt flights, but the full extent of the impact on international travel routes was unclear.

On Twitter, US President Donald Trump weighed in on the probe investigating the Ethiopian Airlines crash, writing: "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly." "Pilot are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT," he wrote, referring to the prestigious university in Massachusetts.

US carriers have so far appeared to maintain confidence in Boeing, which has said it is certain the planes are safe to fly.

US federal aviation authorities, the FAA, have not grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft but have ordered the manufacturer to make design changes.

The move was not enough to reassure the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which said in a statement headlined "Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft" that it was banning the planes from UK airspace "as a precautionary measure".

Global air travel hub Singapore, as well as Australia, Malaysia and Oman were among the other countries to ban all 737 MAX planes from their airspace.

China, a hugely important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane on Monday, as did Indonesia.

Elsewhere Argentina's flag carrier also grounded five MAX 8 aircraft on Tuesday, as did airlines in countries including Brazil and Mexico.

But several airlines said they were not cancelling MAX 8 flights.

"The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft," said India's SpiceJet, which has 13 of the MAX 8 variants in its 75-strong fleet.

"It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world's largest airlines are flying this aircraft," it said in a statement.

Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling family of planes, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers.

But not since the 1970s -- when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 suffered successive fatal incidents -- has a new model been involved in two deadly accidents in such a short period.

The weekend crash sent Boeing shares nosediving as much as 12 percent on Monday, wiping billions of dollars off the market value of the company.

"I think the impact for the industry is significant," said Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based aviation analyst.

"We have a new type of aircraft -- that type of aircraft has only been in service for two years -- and... we have two accidents with seemingly similar circumstances."

The plane involved in Sunday's crash was less than four months old, with Ethiopian Airlines saying it was delivered on November 15.

It went down near the village of Tulu Fara, some 40 miles (60 kilometres) east of Addis Ababa.

Inhabitants of the remote area looked on from behind a security cordon as inspectors searched the crash site and excavated it with a mechanical digger.

Ethiopian Airlines said the pilot was given clearance to turn around after indicating problems shortly before the plane disappeared from radar.

The airline's chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg early Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was "dispatched with no remark", meaning no problems were flagged.

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders, which could potentially provide information about what happened, depending on their condition.

The crash cast a pall over a gathering of the UN Environment Programme as it opened in Nairobi -- at least 22 staff from several UN agencies were on board the doomed flight.

Delegates hugged and comforted one another as they arrived at the meeting with the UN flag flying at half-mast.

Other passengers included tourists and business travellers.

Kenya had the highest death toll among the nationalities on the flight with 32, according to Ethiopian Airlines. Canada was next with 18 victims.

There were also passengers Ethiopia, Italy, the United States, Britain and France. (AFP) SCY

SCY
London, Mar 12 (AFP) Prime Minister Theresa May's government said Monday it had agreed "legally binding changes" to the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union on the eve of a crucial vote in parliament.

After May rushed to Strasbourg to meet with EU leaders, her de facto deputy, David Lidington, told the House of Commons she had secured some concessions but was still negotiating.

"This evening in Strasbourg the prime minister... (has) secured legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration," he said.

He said this should be enough to persuade MPs to vote for the agreement on Tuesday, just 17 days before Britain is scheduled to leave the EU.

"Tomorrow there will be a fundamental choice -- to vote for the improved deal or to plunge this country into a political crisis," he said.

Lidington said two new documents would be put to MPs.

He said London and Brussels had agreed a "joint legally binding instrument" on the withdrawal text that governs Britain's exit terms, and which includes a controversial "backstop" plan to keep open the border with Ireland.

This document "provides confirmation that the EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally binding commitments that both sides have agreed", he said.

The backstop would keep Britain in a customs union with the EU if and until another way -- such as a new trade deal -- could be found to avoid checks on the Irish border.

If the EU did breach its commitments to try to find an alternative to the backstop, Lidington said Britain could use this legal document "as the basis for a formal dispute through independent arbitration", and ultimately get the backstop suspended.

The document also emphasises that both Britain and the EU want to find an alternative to the backstop by December 2020.

Finally, it would put assurances from European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk over the temporary nature of the backstop "onto a legally binding footing", Lidington said.

A second document has also been agreed, supplementing the political declaration which sets out hopes for a UK-EU trade deal, to outline commitments from both sides on moving swiftly to this new relationship. (AFP) CK
Washington, Mar 12 (AFP) Pakistan promises to crack down on militant groups attacking Indian rule over Kashmir, President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said Monday.

Bolton tweeted that he had spoken with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and "the FM assured me that Pakistan would deal firmly with all terrorists and will continue steps to deescalate tensions with India."

India has long accused Pakistan of covertly backing attacks by guerrillas in Kashmir.

In February, JeM, or the Jaish-e-Mohammed group, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary members, triggering cross-border air raids and a surge in political tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Bolton said that during his talks with Qureshi he'd set out "to encourage meaningful steps against JeM and other terrorist groups operating from Pakistan."

The latest Pakistani reassurances came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Washington with the Indian foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, and urged Pakistan to take "meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil," Pompeo's spokesman said.

Pompeo's spokesman said that during the secretary of state's talks with Gokhale they "discussed the importance of bringing those responsible for the (February) attack to justice." (AFP) CK
Brussels, Mar 12 (AFP) The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned British lawmakers Tuesday against the "dangerous illusion" that they could benefit from a transition period even without a proper divorce deal.

As British MPs prepared to vote on the deal struck by Prime Minister Theresa May, Barnier made a dramatic late intervention on Twitter to stress that Brussels would not agree to interim arrangements to cushion the blow of a no-deal Brexit.

"Listening to debate in @HouseofCommons: there seems to be a dangerous illusion that the UK can benefit from a transition in the absence of the WA (withdrawal agreement," Barnier tweeted.

"Let me be clear: the only legal basis for a transition is the WA. No withdrawal agreement means no transition."

May's deal faces a likely defeat, raising the danger of Britain severing ties with its biggest trade partner on March 29 without a deal and being plunged into economic chaos.

Transitional arrangements to wind down Britain's involvement with the EU form part of the agreement -- but need parliament's approval to take effect.

Some Brexit-supporting MPs have argued that contingency measures announced by the EU that would come into effect in the event of no deal would effectively operate as a mini transition deal -- a notion strongly rejected by Brussels officials. (AFP) SCY

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London, Mar 12 (PTI) British Parliament on Tuesday rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time, plunging the UK into a state of uncertainty just two weeks ahead of the country's divorce from the European Union.

The House of Commons voted against the deal by 391 votes to 242.

Seventy-five Conservative MPs rebelled against their party's position by rejecting May's deal. Three Labour parliamentarians rebelled against their leader by voting in favour of the agreement.

There will now be a debate on Wednesday on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal.

In her address to the parliament after the defeat, May said she "profoundly regrets" MPs decision.

May said she is conscious of the "potential damage" leaving the EU without a deal would do and the lawmakers now face "an unenviable choice" of what to do next.

Declaring May's Brexit deal as "dead", opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the government to adopt his proposals for a softer Brexit.

"Their deal, their proposal, the one the prime minister's put is clearly dead," the Labour Party leader told parliament. PTI SCY SCY

SCY
Chowkidars approach cops on Rahul's 'Chowkidar chor hai' jibe

Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) Rahul Gandhi's "Chowkidar chor

hai" jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has miffed the

security guards association, which has asked Mumbai police to

file a case against the Congress president, police said.

The Maharashtra Rajya Suraksha Rakshak Union submitted

an application at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police

station here Monday, claiming the remark was an "insult" to

security guards, a police official told PTI Tuesday.

The association has claimed that during his rally at

the MMRDA grounds here earlier this month, Gandhi said that

"chowkidar chor hai" (the guard is the thief), police said.

The Union president Sandeep Ghuge said police should

register an offence against Gandhi to stop "such kind of

slogans insulting the security guards."

Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor

hai" jibe at Modi to claim irregularities and favouritism in

the Rafale deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected.

PTI DCGK VT

VT VT
Guwahati, Mar 12 (PTI) Two months after severing ties with the ruling BJP over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is weighing its options to return to the NDA fold for the Lok Sabha elections.

According to sources in the AGP, the party is divided over the issue of tying up with the BJP again, fearing backlash from ground-level workers.

A senior BJP leader has also admitted that the process of forging a coalition between the former allies have gained momentum in the last couple of days, but nothing has been fixed as yet.

The AGP legislature party is scheduled to hold a meeting later in the evening to take a call on the matter, a legislator of the party told PTI on condition of anonymity.

On Monday night, too, AGP MLAs held a discussion over realigning with the BJP, but the meeting remained inconclusive, he said.

"We have been summoned for a meeting. It will start at 9 pm. The alliance issue will be discussed at the meet," the senior AGP member said.

"Last night's meeting remained inconclusive. We discussed at length about the pros and cons of joining the BJP. But there was no unanimity. Some of us were in favour of aligning with the BJP, but the others opposed the idea," he said.

On January 7, the AGP withdrew its support to the BJP government in Assam in protest against the Centre's decision to go ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to grant nationality to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan after six years of residence in India.

When contacted, AGP President Atul Bora told PTI, "Nothing has been finalised yet."

Earlier in the day, Bora said that the party has formed a nine-member panel to finalise its election strategy.

"We have had number of sittings. Last night, too, we had a meeting. We will announce our candidates very soon... As for the alliance, we will take a decision in a day or two," he said.

Bora, however, stated that his party had "sincerely fought against the Citizenship Bill" since the very beginning.

A senior office bearer of the BJP also said that alliance talks with the AGP have begun at "some level".

"A process is going on, but it has not taken any concrete shape as of now. The AGP had broken ties with us over the Citizenship Bill, on which our stand has been very clear.

"Before forging an alliance again, the AGP has to clear their stand on the Bill. The ball is in AGP's court now," said the senior BJP leader, who is aspiring for a ticket in the Lok Sabha polls.

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav is set to chair a meeting of the Northeast Democratic Alliance, NDA's regional wing, on Tuesday night.

Assam finance minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said a meeting between Madhav and the seniors AGP leaders was also likely later in the night.

In 2014, the BJP won seven out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front have three MPs each and one member is an Independent.

The two BJP allies, Bodoland People's Front and the AGP, have no representation in the Lower House.

Polling for the general elections will be held in three phases in Assam, on April 11, 18 and 23. PTI TR RMS SOM

SOM
Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) Congress leaders on Tuesday met in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to deliberate on poll strategy and discuss key issues like alliances and national security ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Led by president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the party's top leadership started discussions on key poll issues at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial here.

The party started the day by paying rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram here.

The day also marks the anniversary of the historic Dandi March, started by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930.

It will also be the first official meeting of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh recently.

The Congress leaders, while enumerating the key poll issues at the CWC meeting, said they will also discuss the issue of alliances.

Sources said the CWC is likely to authorise the party president to finalise alliances in key states with other

like-minded parties in order to defeat the BJP 'unitedly'.

They said the party was also likely to discuss the issue of national security and pass a resolution condemning terrorism of any kind.

The day-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee--the highest decision making body of the party-- assumes significance as it comes barely two days after the declaration of the poll schedule.

The meeting is being held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. It was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961.

The party will also hold a public meeting in Adalaj in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat with the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to address this meeting in her first public rally after entering politics.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in the state and is set to fight the Lok Sabha polls, will officially join the Congress at the meeting in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Besides giving final shape to its Lok Sabha election strategy, the party will demand answers from Modi and the BJP on what it calls the "failures" and "unfulfilled promises" of the government.

The top Congress leadership led by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders will also discuss ways to corner Modi and his government on issues of governance, agrarian and economic crisis, unemployment and lack of job creation, national security and women's safety.

The party has maintained that the narrative for the general elections needs to be steered towards real issues and problems confronting people rather than the "propaganda" plank of the current regime, especially after the Pulwama attack and subsequent air strike on terror camps in Pakistan.

Sources said the party will issue a statement after the CWC, covering all these issues.

The Congress leaders feel that the party needs to demand answers from the prime minister on the status of the promises made by him five years ago and on his governance track record.

PTI SKC SRY MIN SRY
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency on Tuesday arrested three persons in Jammu and Kashmir for alleged theft of seven AK series assault rifles of security personnel posted at the residence of former PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir in Srinagar last year, officials said.

Parveez Ahmad Wani, Javid Yousuf Dar and Subzar Ahmad Kumar were arrested by the NIA Tuesday, agency spokesperson said here.

"The case relates to theft of weapons from the guard room of official residence of Aijaz Ahmad Mir, former MLA of Wachi, at Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar. SPO Adil Bashir Sheikh was attached with him at his official residence," he said.

Sheikh had fled with seven AK rifles issued to the security personnel attached with Mir and also a personal pistol of the MLA, he said.

"During investigation, it emerged that Sheikh and his associates namely Yawar Ahmad Dar (now active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen) and Rafique Ahmad Bhat had taken away the above mentioned weapons as part of a conspiracy hatched by Kashmir-based top leadership of the proscribed terrorist organisation," he said.

The officer said the NIA had earlier arrested accused Rafique Ahmad Bhat in the instant case, but accused Sheikh and Yawar Ahmad Dar are still absconding.

"During investigation, it has also emerged that Parveez Ahmad Wani, Javid Yousuf Dar and Subzar Ahmad Kumar had provided logistical support to the above mentioned accused persons as a part of the conspiracy," he said. PTI ABS KJ
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted for the first time on Tuesday, over a month after joining Twitter.

She put out two tweets in quick succession -- one on Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram and the other quoting the Father of the Nation against violence.

"In the simple dignity of Sabarmati, the truth lives on," she said in her first tweet posted over a month after she joined Twitter on February 11.

Her second tweet was a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."

Priyanka Gandhi, who was appointed AICC general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh East, had garnered a massive response on joining Twitter, attracting over one lakh followers on the social media platform within 10 hours. Comparing her first-day popularity on the micro-blogging website to that of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had hailed her as a "new superstar on social media".

Currently, she has over 2,33,000 followers.

As of now, she follows seven accounts, including the Congress' official handle and those of her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Ahmed Patel. PTI ASK SNE

SNE
New Delhi, March 12 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested six persons for allegedly cheating people, mostly residing in the US and Europe, on the pretext of providing them online technical assistance, police said Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Mohit Bansal, Udit, Yashwant Singh, Guraman Singh, Rohit Chauhan and Pfokreni Kayio, ran an illegal telephone exchange and used a foreign Internet Protocol (IP) address to lure their victims, they added.

Cash worth Rs 7.40 lakh, information technology equipment including several servers, routers, SIM box, hard disks, SIM cards used by them have been seized from them, the police said.

On March 7, police received a tip-off regarding the racket being operated from Anupam Building in Pitampura.

They raided the location and found that the place was being used to run an office from where the accused made and received international calls using dialer through VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

Throwing light on the modus operandi, Rajiv Ranjan, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), said the victims comprised the customer base of Google, Facebook, Paypal, Apple who would seek help with their passwords and other technical hindrances.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused registered themselves on Google Search Engine's paid services licence for helping customers in troubleshooting, the police said.

They would increase their online presence by keeping them on the top slot of search result, they said.

"This coaxed the unsuspecting customer to call the prominently available number on the first page. The customer did not doubt as the helpline number provided by them was on the top of the search result," the officer said.

He added that they received nearly 50 calls per day and would get around USD 50 for every call.

"When the customer would call the given customer care number, the same was routed to them in India by their counterparts based abroad. It was then, the less savvy customer were lured to buy Google Play cards and divulge the other details including bank account numbers on the pretext of fixing their technical issues," the officer said.

They would then redeem the cards online, each mostly worth USD 50, through a Chinese company.

"The security code of Google Play Card provided by the customer was given to the blocker who would offer higher rate. The blocker based somewhere in India or abroad would get it redeemed online from China and the money was routed through illegal monetary transactions to them in Delhi," the officer said.

Rajan added that they were bypassing the legal International Gateways and purchasing the VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) minutes from unauthorised Internet Service Providers and their act was causing a "huge loss" to the government exchequer.

"The potential loss caused by them is being assessed. Most of the victims were from the United State of America and other European countries," the police said. PTI AMP PR AMP TIR

TIR
Jammu, Mar 12 (PTI) Accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre of delaying assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, National Panthers Party Tuesday said the denial of democratic rights to people could prove counterproductive.

NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh rued that the assembly elections was deferred in Jammu and Kashmir on "flimsy excuses" of security constraints.

"Union Ministry of Home Affairs which had assured to provide adequate security for simultaneous polls took a U-turn at the eleventh hour only for political reasons," Singh, a former state minister, told reporters here.

Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "repeated" calls to hold simultaneous polls across the nation, he said the Centre went back on its promises and failed to implement even the prime minister's declaration despite consensus amongst all political parties in the state over the issue.

Reiterating the need for early elections to the state assembly, Singh said the delaying it not only amounted to subversion of democracy but also violated the Supreme Court orders.

"The people could not be deprived of their democratic rights in the state only for the political inexpediencies of the ruling party at the centre by taking the plea of security related issues," he said.

With the state earlier remaining under the Governor rule for six months followed by the President's rule, it is wholly unjustified and unconstitutional to have further extension of the Central Rule after May 21, he said.

While ridiculing the statements over security constraints, he said it was "ludicrous" to take the plea of shortage of security personnel for holding simultaneous polls for Parliament and state assembly as the number of polling stations to be catered by the security staff for both the elections would remain the same.

Even the Supreme Court had ruled that elections to legislative assemblies in states, where assemblies are prematurely dissolved, should be held within a period of six months.

"With the period of six months expiring on May 21 in Jammu and Kashmir, the elections to the legislative assembly were required to be held within the time frame prescribed by the apex court and a popular government installed before the stipulated deadline, Singh said.

He said the democracy could not be held "hostage to the political expediencies" of the ruling party at the centre.

Flaying the BJP-led NDA for denying the people of the state their democratic rights, Singh said the people could not be further deprived of their right to choose their own representatives and to have an elected government in the state.

"If the municipal and the panchayat elections could be held in the state, the postponement of the assembly elections on frivolous grounds defied all logic and rationale," he said. PTI TAS RAX

RAX
Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) A court here Tuesday sentenced a man to 10 years in jail for raping and impregnating a schoolgirl on the promise of marrying her.

Mahesh Jadhav (22) was found guilty of rape under section 376 of IPC and relevant provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act by additional sessions Judge M A Baraliya, who also fined him Rs 20,000.

The survivor, who was 17 at the time of the incident, has told court that Jadhav had befriended her at a computer class in suburban Ghatkopar area.

In November 2013, Jadhav organised a birthday party for the survivor and asked her to meet him near Ghatkopar railway station.

He, however, took her to a lodge and raped her, and after the girl resisted and raised an alarm, promised to marry her, and raped her again.

Her ordeal was revealed four months later when a medical check-up found that she was pregnant, following which her family filed a police complaint.

During the trial, 13 witnesses, including the medical officer, were examined by additional public prosecutor Geeta Sharma. PTI AVI BNM SOM

SOM
Madurai, Mar 12 (PTI) A woman college teacher was Tuesday granted conditional bail by the Madras High Court, nearly 11 months after her arrest in a sensational sex scandal case.

Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar of the Madurai Bench granted bail to suspended assistant professor Nirmala Devi, who has been accused of luring some girl students to extend favours to senior officials of the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) here in return for higher marks and money.

The government counsel submitted they had no objection to grant of bail.

The judges directed her to fully cooperate with police in the investigation and barred her from giving any interview to the media that would harm the probe.

Earlier, her bail petitions were rejected by the lower court and the high court as well. Devi, assistant professor at private Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai affiliated to the MKU, was arrested on April 16 last year on a complaint by the college and a women's forum after an audio-clip of her purported conversation with students went viral on social media.

In the audio-clip, she was purportedly heard advising girl students to "adjust" with some officials "for getting 85 per cent marks and money", a suggestion seen as asking them to extend sexual favours.

She was suspended by the college after an internal enquiry before her arrest.

As the alleged luring of the girl students triggered an outrage, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch CID within days of it being registered.

Based on interrogation of Devi, police arrested Assistant Professor V Murugan of the university and research student Karuppasamy for their alleged involvement in the case.

The two were granted bail by the Supreme Court later after the high court turned down their pleas.

The CB-CID had filed a 200-page final charge sheet in the case in the judicial magistrate court in Srivilliputtur in September last year. Earlier, it had submitted a 1,160 page preliminary charge sheet in July.

In the final charge sheet, CB-CID altered the charges to include offences of trafficking, sexual harassment and conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and also under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and the Information Technology Act.

The fresh charges were included based on investigation, including voice test of Devi conducted at a high-tech laboratory in Chennai by police.

During the proceedings in the Judicial Magistrate court at Srivilliputhur, Devi had denied the charges and alleged police "coerced" her to give a statement. PTI SSN VS KJ
Bengaluru, Mar 12 (PTI) Hitting out at critics opposing his actor son Nikhil Kumaraswamy contesting from Mandya in the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday said a "systematic" campaign was being run against his candidacy.

Facing flak for promoting his son, Kumaraswamy said those posting on social media are not voters. The real voters are in villages and it is they who will decide, he added.

Claiming that there was a "systematic" campaign against Nikhil's candidature, he said several top political leaders, including Yeddyurappa and himself, were born somewhere, while their political activities are elsewhere.

"Pro and contra views will be everywhere. Several leaders who were born somewhere, have won from elsewhere and have become members (of Parliament and assembly)," Kumaraswamy said to a query about the opposition to Nikhil's candidacy.

Speaking to reporters here, Kumaraswamy said Union Minister Sadanada Gowda, who was born in Mangaluru, has become an MP from Bangalore North, Yeddyurappa, born in Mandya, was doing politics from Shivamogga, and he, born in Hassan, was doing politics in Ramanagara.

"Anyone can contest from anywhere. I can understand what all is happening systematically as though there was opposition in Mandya (to Nikhil's candidacy)," he said.

His family will never misuse the love and affection of the people of Mandya with whom they have a bonding for several years now, Kumaraswamy said, adding, "people there will decide, not any political leader or anybody."

He said, "We will go before the people, and people will decide....those commenting on social media or Facebook are not voters, voters are in villages. Village voters will decide."

The opposition is simmering against Nikhil's candidature in Mandya, as many who claim to be JD(S) supporters have hit out at the party leadership for sidelining loyal party workers to favour someone from their family, despite not being involved in party activities in the district.

A social media campaign titled "Go back Nikhil" had gained momentum in Mandya a couple of days ago to oppose the "dynasty politics" of the Deve Gowda family.

Many within the JD(S)' alliance partner Congress in Mandya are also opposing Nikhil as they are against the grand old party's decision of denying the ticket to Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of late actor-turned-politician Ambareesh, and ceding the seat to the regional partner.

However, Sumalatha has made it clear that she would contest the polls from Mandya, which was earlier represented by Ambareesh.

On seat sharing with the Congress, Kumaraswamy said it was likely to be finalised in three or four days. "Our party leaders will decide on seat sharing," he said.

"Everything will be finalised in three or four days... things have become clear as nominations have to be filed in a week's time," he said in response to a question.

According to party sources, the Congress may concede a maximum of eight out of the total 28 seats to the JD(S) but the constituencies are yet to be finalised.

JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda had demanded at least 10 seats during a recent meeting with Rahul Gandhi.

While it is clear that Hassan and Mandya, where the JD(S) has sitting MPs, will go to the party along with the Shimoga seat, where Gowda has already declared former MLA Madhu Bangarappa as the candidate, both parties need to finalise on the rest of the seats.

Sharing of seats from old Mysuru region is expected to be an acid test for both the parties, as the JD(S) considers it to be its bastion and the Congress has its sitting members from most of the seats there. PTI KSU RA BN IJT
Pashinyan receives Toivo Klaar (video)

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar. As the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia reports, Pashinyan highlighted the importance of continued development of relations with the European Union and the pursuit of a constructive dialogue in all spheres. Stressing the need for soonest possible ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on the part of EU-member states, Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that it will give new impetus to the cooperation and will help implement multifaceted reforms in our country. The Premier emphasized that his government is determined to implement systemic reforms in the fields of democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and build a fair judicial system. In this context, he appreciated the assistance to be provided under the CEPA and the effective implementation of all relevant programs. Nikol Pashinyan pointed out with satisfaction that the European side has already provided a roadmap for implementing the Agreements provisional clauses, which will be discussed during the upcoming meetings with EU officials. Toivo Klaar noted that the EU is eager to develop and expand relations with Armenia, and expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation will be broadened through the temporary implementation of the agreement and the enforcement of those measures envisaged by the aforementioned roadmap. The parties took the opportunity to discuss issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed Armenias commitment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the OSCE Minsk Group format, and in this context, made a point of Artsakhs involvement in the confidence-building process, including the civil society. The Premier expressed confidence that it would contribute to the formation of a constructive atmosphere in the negotiation process. Nikol Pashinyan and Toivo Claar exchanged views on other regional issues as well.
DMK petitions EC seeking bypoll in 3 other assembly segments

Chennai, Mar 12 (PTI) The DMK Tuesday urged the Election

Commission to hold byelections to three vacant assembly seats

along with the voting for 18 other segments scheduled on April

18, claiming there was "no legally sustainable reason to omit

them".

A memorandum to this effect was submitted to Chief

Election Commissioner Sunil Arora at the Election Commission

office in New Delhi by a DMK delegation headed by party Rajya

Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva, party sources said here.

"In all the three cases, there are no orders from any

court restraining the ECI from conduction by-elections to the

assembly constituencies. Mere pendency of an election petition

is not a bar under law for conducting by-elections," DMK

president M K Stalin said in the memorandum.

On March 10, the EC has announced the schedule for the

Lok Sabha elections and bypolls to 18 assembly seats in Tamil

Nadu, leaving out the three segments which are also vacant.

State Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo had said

bypolls were not scheduled for the seats as election petitions

related to them were pending in the Madras High Court.

The DMK memorandum, a copy of which was released to

media here, said the EC had conducted bypolls in the past

despite pending election petitions.

"There is no legally sustainable reason as to why three

constituencies alone have been omitted," it said.

At a meeting of its district secretaries, MPs, and

MLAs here Monday, the DMK had adopted a resolution which said

not holding bypolls to the three assembly constituencies was

"anti-democratic."

While Ottapidaram and Aravakurichi were represented by

disqualified AIADMK MLAs Sundararaj and Senthil Balaji (he is

now with the DMK), Tiruparankudram legislator A K Bose died

last year.

Petitions challenging their elections are pending in

the Madras High Court.

The byelection to the 18 seats are crucial for ruling

AIADMK which has 114 MLAs excluding the Speaker in the

234-member assembly with 21 vacancies. Opposition DMK (88) and

its allies together have 97 members. PTI CPB

VS VS
Jaipur, Mar 12 (PTI) A 36-year-old man, who was detained near the International Border on suspicion of spying for Pakistan, has been arrested, officials said here Tuesday.

Nawab Khan, a resident of Sam area near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, was detained on Sunday, an official said.

Khan was involved in espionage activities and was working as a jeep driver, Additional Director General of Intelligence Umesh Mishra said.

Khan used to share information to his handlers based in Pakistan through WhatsApp in code language in lieu of money, Mishra said.

Khan visited Pakistan last year where he came in touch with an agent of that country's intelligence agency ISI. The ISI agent trained him and gave him tasks of collecting and sharing information related to Army movement, the officer said.

He was arrested after being interrogated by a joint team of security agencies. PTI SDA SOM

SOM
CHARIHO: Charihos girls and boys soccer teams both won Division II titles in dramatic fashion. The girls won in penalty kicks and the boys in the final two minutes of double overtime. The football team reached the D-III title game, as did the field hockey team. The girls volleyball team played in the D-II semifinals. Erin vonHousen was All-State in girls cross country.

STONINGTON: Stoningtons boys soccer team earned its second straight Class M state title, closing the season with 21 straight victories. The field hockey team lost in the Class S title game.

WESTERLY: Westerlys girls volleyball team reached the Division III semifinals, losing to eventual champion Scituate. The football team played in the D-II semifinals. The girls soccer team reached the D-III semifinals. Jake Serra and Kaya West were All-State in cross country.

WHEELER: Wheeler boys and girls soccer teams qualified for the Class S state tournament.

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Japanese cars are the most dependable motors on the market, and high-end Teslas are most likely to let their owners down.

That's according to a keenly-watched reliability survey, which found that Suzuki along with four other Japanese brands were among the top six most robust, while the US electric car company has the shakiest track record.

The What Car? Reliability Survey also listed the most and least dependable new models you can buy in showrooms today, based on the feedback of more than 18,000 motorists.

Meanwhile, exclusive data released to This is Money and MailOnline also tells you which used cars you can rely on... and which ones you can't.

Top of the charts: Suzuki has been named the most reliable car brand by a new poll of more than 18,000 drivers. The Sx4 S-Cross (pictured) was named the joint most dependable new car in the What Car? Reliability Survey 2018

The survey is one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, processing the feedback of 18,284 owners of some 159 models spanning 31 different brands.

Suzuki, which mainly makes cheap and cheerful small cars and 4x4s, topped the overall manufacturer rankings for new cars up to four years old with a reliability score of 97.7 per cent, joined by Lexus, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Subaru in the top six.

The only non-Japanese mark in the top order was Korean firm Kia, taking fourth spot, with sister brand Hyundai in ninth.

At the opposite end of the spectrum it was American luxury electric-car giant Tesla that recorded the worst reliability track record.

Despite the cheapest brand new Tesla setting buyers back more than 60,000, its reliability score of 57.3 per cent was by far the worst rating.

Land Rover - which was second from bottom - scored at 76.5 per cent for reliability of cars between one and four years old.

Elon Musk's Tesla came out bottom of the brand rankings with a lowly reliability score of just 57.3%. The 60,000 Model S (pictured) was also named the least reliable model

Most (and least) reliable car brands 1. Suzuki - 97.7% 2. Lexus - 97.5% 3. Toyota - 96.8% =4. Kia - 95.8% =4. Mitsubishi - 95.8% =4. Subaru - 95.8% 7. Skoda - 95.6% 8. Alfa Romeo - 95.5% 9. Hyundai - 95.4% 10. Seat - 95.2% =11. Vauxhall - 94.6% =11. Mazda - 94.6% 13. Dacia - 94.1% 14. Fiat - 94.0% 15. Honda - 93.8% 16. BMW - 93.4% 17. Volkswagen - 92.9% 18. Ford - 92.7% 19. Renault - 91.7% =20. Audi - 91.5% =20. Volvo - 91.5% 22. Mini - 91.2% 23. Porsche - 90.9% 24. Peugeot - 89.4% 25. Citroen - 88.1% 26. Mercedes-Benz - 88.0% 27. Nissan - 87.1% 28. Jaguar - 84.9% 29. Jeep - 82.7% 30. Land Rover - 76.5% 31. Tesla - 57.3% Source: What Car? Reliability Survey 2018

The trend continued when the data revealed which specific models were most and least reliable.

For newer cars it was the current Toyota Yaris and Suxuki SX4 S-Cross that led the table, both recording a staggering 100 per cent dependability record, according to their owners.

The electric Nissan Leaf took third spot, ahead of the Toyota RAV4 and BMW 3 Series.

The Toyota Yaris (left) was the model with the joint highest reliability score of 100%. The recently replaced Nissan Leaf (right) ranked at number 3, making it the most dependable electric car

Most and least reliable new models MOST RELIABLE =1. Toyota Yaris (2011 - Present) - 100.0% =1. Suzuki Sx4 S-Cross (2013 - Present) - 100.0% 3. Nissan Leaf (2011 - 2017) - 99.7% 4. Toyota RAV 4X4 (2013 - 2018) - 99.6% 5. BMW 3 Series (2005 - 2014) - 99.5% Source: What Car? Reliability Survey 2018 LEAST RELIABLE 1. Tesla Model S (2013 - Present) - 50.9% 2. Range Rover (2013 - present) - 67.3% 3. Ford Edge Diesel (2016 - present) - 70.7% 4. Range Rover Evoque (2011 - present) - 73.2% 5. Land Rover Discovery Sport (2015 - present) - 74.7%

Anchoring the standings was the Tesla Model S, which costs from 61,600 in the UK.

Owners' reports of breakdowns and necessary repairs saw it gain a reliability score of just 50.9 per cent - almost half that of the most dependable Japanese cars.

A spokesperson for Tesla branded the survey as 'statistically meaningless'.

'Only 28 Model S owners responded out of a total of 18,000 car owners surveyed by What Car?,' they said.

'Thats less than 0.3 per cent of UK Tesla owners, so this survey is statistically meaningless.

'The results of this survey are also at odds not only with our internal figures showing customer satisfaction scores for Model S and X at well over 90 per cent, but with statistically valid surveys like our Net Promotor Score and Consumer Reports customer satisfaction survey, which weve topped every year since 2013, with 90 per cent of Tesla owners saying they would buy the same car again  more than any other brand.'

They continued: 'We are committed to making the worlds best cars, and in order to ensure the highest quality, we review every vehicle for even the smallest refinement before it leaves the factory.

'To the extent repairs are needed, the majority of work carried out on cars up to 4 years old is done under warranty and free of charge to the customer while they are supplied with a courtesy car.

'Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla repairs can also be carried out in a customers driveway or office by mobile service, or even via over-the-air updates, to minimise any disruption.'

The results also didn't make favourable reading for Land Rover either, with three of its models - the Discovery Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque - among the top five models with the poorest owner ratings.

Look away Land Rover: The British marque had three separate models in the list of the 5 most unreliable new cars. That included the 81,500 Range Rover (pictured) with a score of just 67.3%

Overall, around 30 per cent of the respondents with cars less than four years old said their car had suffered at least one fault in the past 12 months.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: 'Reliability is a huge consideration for any prospective car buyer, as your car is likely to be your second biggest monthly expense after mortgage or rent payments.

'You want your car to last and you dont want to have to fork out huge amounts to fix faults and keep it running.

'Our annual survey has shown that it is Japanese models that continue to dominate the top of the reliability rankings, both for car model and brand rankings.'

Used cars you can - and can't - count on

This is Money has teamed up with What Car? to also reveal which older used cars you should and shouldn't consider buying on the second-hand market.

This is based on the feedback from owners of cars that are between 4 and 12 years of age - so those built between 2014 and 2006.

Here's are the most reliable five models, and the ones with the worst dependability score from their owners.

Most reliable used cars

1. Toyota RAV4 (2013-2018)  100% reliability score

The Toyota RAV4 was designed to be a robust offroader. Glowing owner feedback saw it score a remarkable 100% reliability rating

One of the trim levels of this generation of RAV4 is 'Invincible'. It lives up to the name. No faults were reported on pre-2015 cars.

2. Skoda Citigo (2012-present)  99.3% reliability score

The Citigo is Skoda's answer to cheap and cheerful motoring. It's also dependable, according to owners

Only six per cent of Citigos had a problem. Brakes and braking systems were the only isues, though cars remained driveable and were fixed under warranty the same day.

3. Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2011-present)  99.1% reliability score

The Yaris Hybrid was, for some time, one of the smallest cars on sale with a combination of petrol and electric power. It's as reliable as it is green

Only eight per cent of cars had a problem, with those being minor like battery and automatic window wipers. All cars fixed in less than a day and repair bills didnt exceed 100.

4. BMW X5 (2013-present) - 98.9% reliability score

WHile earlier versions of the X5 are remembered for being flaky when it comes to reliability, the current model is the complete opposite

Only seven per cent of X5s had an issue, with exhausts being the only fault listed. All cars were fixed under warranty the same day.

5. Lexus CT (2011-present) - 98.8% reliability score

Lexus has always had a very strong reliability track record, frequently topping these surveys. The CT hatchback is no different

Just five per cent of Lexus' hybrid hatchback had to be repaired, with radio, sat nav and tyre pressure warning systems being minor headaches. All cars could still be driven and were repaired the same day under warranty.

Least reliable used cars

1. Alfa Mito (2008-present)  27.7% reliability score

It's no surprise to see an Alfa in the list. The Mito scored a woeful 27.7% reliability rating, based on owner feedback

More than two in five cars had at least one fault. A quarter of owners reported suspension problems, while 21 per cent had gearbox and clutch issues. Around half remained driveable and most were repaired under warranty, but a small percentage of owners had to pay out more than 1,500 when billed by garages.

2. Range Rover (2002-2013) - 35.4% reliability score

Land Rover just can't shake that poor reliability track record. For a car that's supposed to be able to handle mountains it seems to only be scaling service lifts in repair garages

Some 56 per cent of cars had an issue. Most common of these problems was the battery (28 per cent) followed by repairs to the engine, engine electrics, exhaust, fuel system, suspension and wheels and tyres, all of which occurred on 11 per cent of cars. Most cars could still be driven, but more than half of owners paid out between 500 and 1,000.

3. Jaguar XJ (2010-present)  38.1% reliability score

The Jaguar XJ is the British brand's answer to the popular German luxury saloon cars. Unfortunately, they're more problematic than premium

Like the Range Rover, 56 per cent of cars had a fault. A quarter of these were engine electrics while 13 per cent of models had to have the brakes, engine or exterior lights repaired. Two-thirds of cars could still be driven, but lots of owners paid out 300 to 500.

4. Volkswagen Polo (2002-2009) 38.4% reliability score

Many younger drivers might be tempted by a second-hand Polo like this, but What Car? readers say they often suffer from issues

Two in five cars had a fault, of which 27 per cent were related to the brakes and 20 per cent linked to the suspension components. More than half couldnt be driven and took more than a day to fix, but most repair bills were below 200.

5. BMW 1 Series (2004-2011)  40.1% reliability score

The first-generation 1 Series was a huge step into the hatchback market for BMW. It appears this original attempt isn't proving all that reliable

Almost three in five cars (58 per cent) had problems. Some 16 per cent were battery and engine-related while 13 per cent were brake issues. Two-thirds of cars could still be driven, but some repair bills topped 1,500.
Infiniti cars will no longer be sold in Western Europe from 2020 after Nissan bosses decided to pull the premium brand from the market.

A statement released on Tuesday confirmed the luxury car maker will terminate UK production of vehicles at the Sunderland plant, putting around 250 jobs at risk.

It's a second blow for the factory in as many months after the Japanese company confirmed in early February that it had cancelled plans to build the next-generation Nissan X-Trail SUV at the British facility.

Bosses said the decision was made after years of poor sales volumes since the brand was launched in 2008. Just 750 Infiniti models were bought by Britons last year.

No plans to go beyond in Europe: Infiniti will be pulled from the Western Europe car market in 2020, with production of vehicles at the Nissan UK factory in Sunderland ending in July

Two Infinitis are built in the UK - the Q30 and QX30 hatchbacks - alongside assembly lines for the Nissan Juke and Qashqai SUVs and Leaf electric car.

Production of these cars will end in July as part of plans to wind-down the brand in Europe by the end of the year.

The decision is part of a wider global restructuring plan for Infiniti, according to bosses, who have been reluctant to boost R&D investments for the cars to meet stricter EU legislation around CO2 emissions when so few models are bought in Europe.

Just 60,000 Infinitis have been bought in the last 11 years. Around 10,000 of these were purchased in the UK over the last decade, figures show.

Focus will now shift from the European market to North America and China, while smaller operations will continue in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the company announced.

It intends to have a fully electrified range of vehicles in these markets by 2021.

The Sunderland plant has been producing Infiniti models for the European market since 2015

It's a second blow for the factory in as many months after Nissan confirmed in early February that it had cancelled plans to build the next-generation X-Trail SUV at the British facility

Around 250 workers at the Sunderland factory are dedicated to Infiniti production and assembly

Around 250 employees at the Sunderland car factory are dedicated to Infiniti production.

In a statement, the company said it was 'working to find alternative opportunities for any employees who would be affected, consulting with employee representatives where necessary and identifying opportunities for transition and training support where appropriate'.

It added: 'As a result of this restructuring plan, production of the Q30 and QX30 is to cease by mid-2019 at the manufacturing location in Sunderland, UK.

'Plant management will discuss any impact on the plant with employees and their representatives.'

In a statement, Infiniti bosses said the company said it was 'working to find alternative opportunities for any employees who would be affected, consulting with employee representatives where necessary and identifying opportunities for transition and training support where appropriate'

Infiniti UK confirmed it will honour any outstanding vehicles warranties, while customers with a vehicle on order will be contacted in due course.

Existing customers are being advised to head online and register details on the Infiniti website where they will be informed about the company's restructure and service and maintenance solutions going further.

Sky News reported last week that shifts at the Sunderland plant could be reduced from three to two a day and potential result in up to 400 job losses.

It is unknown if the report of reduced operating hours is linked to the Infiniti decision.

In a statement, Unite national officer Steve Bush said the decision, while driven by poor sales, was 'obviously sad news'.

Just 750 Infiniti cars were bought by Britons last year. The premium arm of Nissan has failed to take off in the UK and across Western Europe, with around 60,000 sold since it launched in 2008

Two Infinitis are built in the UK - the QX30 (left) and Q30 (right) hatchbacks - alongside assembly lines for the Nissan Qashqai SUV and Leaf electric car.

'Unite is confident however that workers on the Infiniti Q30 production line who want to stay with Nissan can be redeployed within the Sunderland plant onto other models,' he said.

'In the coming weeks Unite will be working closely with Nissan to protect jobs and ensure that redeployment is carried out in an open and transparent way.

'We will also be seeking assurances on future employment levels and the production of other models at Sunderland.'

A Government spokesperson told This is Money: 'As Infiniti has said, this is a global commercial decision to withdraw from Western Europe to focus on Infinitis growth market in North America and China.

'Regardless, this is a disappointing decision for the up to 250 dedicated workers at Sunderland who could be affected  but the companys commitment to find alternative opportunities for those employees is welcome.

'Nissan has reiterated its commitment to the UK and its workforce by continuing to manufacture in Sunderland the current Qashqai, Leaf and Juke models, as well as the new Qashqai model.'
Three investment trusts have dividend-raising runs dating back to 1967, when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones were arrested for drugs

Four dividend hero investment trusts have now raised their payouts for 50 years in a row.

The latest dividend heroes list, highlighting those investment trusts with at least a 20-year history of consecutive payment increases was revealed by the Association of Investment Companies today.

The trio with the longest history of increasing dividend payments year-in, year-out, City of London, Bankers and Alliance Trust, have racked up an astonishing 52 years of rises.

Those rises date all the way back to 1967, when General de Gaulle vetoed the UKs entry to join the EC for the second time.

That was also the year when Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested for possession of drugs after police raided the Rolling Stone guitarists house.

In 1967, the pound was famously devalued, leading to Prime Minister Harold Wilsons controversial broadcast to the nation stating: It does not man that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse, or in your bank has been devalued.

In a sign of the times for those of us living in modern-day Britain - where 1 buys $1.32 - the devaluation in 1967 was from 1 being worth $2.80 to $2.40.

While a long history of raising payouts unites them, investment strategies among the dividend heroes are diverse.

Investors get payouts from steady income-focussed trusts, such as City of London, which yields 4.53 per cent and from those mixing income and growth around the world, such as Witan with its 2.5 per cent yield and 44 years of raising payouts.

However, among the names on the list is even growth-focussed giant Scottish Mortgage, which invests in the world's most exciting companies, such as Tesla, Amazon and Chinese tech star Alibaba, and yields just 0.62 per cent, but has raised payouts for 36 years.

DIVIDEND HEROES: TRUSTS WITH A 20-YEAR HISTORY OF UPPING PAYOUTS Company AIC sector Number of consecutive years dividend increased Dividend yield at 28/02/19 (%) City of London UK Equity Income 52 4.53 Bankers Global 52 2.33 Alliance Trust Global 52 1.83 Caledonia Flexible Investment 51 1.95 BMO Global Smaller Companies Global 48 1.15 F&C Investment Trust Global 48 1.63 Brunner Global 47 2.44 JPMorgan Claverhouse UK Equity Income 46 3.92 Murray Income UK Equity Income 45 4.38 Witan Global 44 2.5 Scottish American Global Equity Income 39 3.1 Merchants UK Equity Income 36 5.41 Scottish Mortgage Global 36 0.62 Scottish Investment Trust Global 35 2.67 Temple Bar UK Equity Income 35 3.38 Value and Income UK Equity Income 31 4.54 BMO Capital & Income UK Equity Income 25 3.68 British & American UK Equity Income 23 18.14 Schroder Income Growth UK Equity Income 23 4.31 Invesco Income Growth UK Equity Income 21 4.38 Source: Association of Investment Companies March 2019

The key to the dividend heroes' long runs lies in investment trusts' ability to hold back some of the income they receive in good years to help supplement any shortfalls in leaner times.

The AIC website shows revenue reserves, along with how many years the current revenue reserve can pay the investment companys last full financial year of dividends, allowing investors to check on how strong a trust's back-up is.

'This has enabled the 20 dividend heroes to achieve their enviable records of dividend growth, raising dividends for more than 20 years.

'With interest rates still low, the ability of investment companies to pay dependable and rising dividends is as important as ever.'
Nissan's former chief Carlos Ghosn has been banned from attending a board meeting

Nissan's scandal-hit former chief Carlos Ghosn has been banned from attending a board meeting at the car maker he saved from ruin two decades ago.

A Tokyo court rejected Ghosn's request to take part in the meeting today, less than a week after he was released on 7 million bail following more than 100 days in detention in Japan.

Ghosn, 65, was arrested in November and faces charges of under-reporting his salary at Nissan by over several years, as well as other financial misconduct. He denies all the charges.

His bail was granted on strict conditions, including a ban on foreign travel and promises not to tamper with evidence.

Ghosn (pictured) is credited with turning around Nissan in the 1990s and forging a global alliance between the Japanese car maker, Renault, and later Mitsubishi.

He has been removed from executive roles at all three firms, although is still on their boards.
Profits at fast food chain Dominos have tumbled amid a battle with its franchisee store owners and troubles overseas.

It posted profits of 61.9million, down 22 per cent on a year earlier. Sales in stores open more than a year in the UK increased 4.6 per cent compared with a year earlier, while revenues across the entire group increased by 9 per cent to 1.2billion.

In addition to the UK and Ireland, Dominos also operates stores in countries including Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany. But its international business has hurt growth as it struggles abroad to replicate the success of its pizza.

Domino's posted profits of 61.9m, down 22 per cent on a year earlier. Sales in stores open more than a year in the UK increased 4.6 per cent compared with a year earlier

Norway and Sweden have proved particularly tough to crack. David Wild, the chief executive of Dominos, said: Internationally, we have experienced some growing pains which have hampered our overall financial performance.

Analysts said the slump in profits came as a shock.

Earnings were hit by one-off costs such as 4.5million for the Norwegian expansion.

Wayne Brown, an analyst at Liberum, said: There is no comment from Dominos on current trading and vague guidance on openings  both quite telling in our view.

The pizza firm has also been struggling to meet ambitious store opening targets in the UK amid a backlash from franchisees who run its shops and who have been dragging their heels over opening new outlets as they demand a larger slice of Dominos profits.

They have also complained of a financial hit from higher ingredient costs.

Dominos opened 58 stores in the UK last year but has scrapped targets for the year ahead, saying openings are likely to be lower given the dispute.

It now has more than 1,100 stores, a figure which is 500 short of its long-term target.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Once the poster child of the franchise industry, profit is now going backwards.

It would be fair to say Dominos language is increasingly cautious and that the outlook is gloomy.

Boss Wild said the firm was confident the rift between management and franchisees would be resolved soon.

He said: I talk to franchisees every day and whats clear is everyone wants this bridge to be built where we start working collaboratively together with success.

You have to build a bridge from two sides though. Were reaching out now and were getting a positive response.

But weve got to complete the construction of the bridge and thats something that were still working on.

I think that it will definitely resolve itself over the next year, hopefully sooner.

The Milton Keynes-based firm, which is completely separate from Dominos in the US, makes 90 per cent of its sales in Britain.

It sold a record 102m pizzas last year, which is equivalent to 6.5 every second.

The fast food chains best-sellers included its cheeseburger pizza which comes topped with ground beef, gherkins, onions and burger sauce.

The company recently launched a low-calorie range of pizzas called Delight, which contains around 100 calories per slice, compared with 200 for the average Dominos slice.

Wild said the range was doing OK but added: I wouldnt say its blowing the doors off.

Dominos Pizza shares were 0.7 per cent, or 1.6p, higher last night, at 234.7p.
Holidaymakers without travel insurance could end up seeing medical bills surge to as much as 10 times the size they are now in the event of a no-deal Brexit, an insurer has warned.

Post-Brexit medical costs for holidaymakers who risk travelling without insurance could rocket if the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) was no longer valid, according to Admiral Travel Insurance.

Under a reciprocal health agreement, UK holidaymakers with an EHIC can receive medical treatment while overseas.

But not all medical issues are covered by the EHIC - and so it is not a substitute for travel insurance.

Post-Brexit medical costs for holidaymakers who risk travelling without insurance could rocket if the European Health Insurance Card (pictured) was no longer valid

And Admiral said that if the EHIC agreement is not extended or replaced with a new agreement, holidaymakers could be faced with medical bills running to thousands of pounds more if they become ill while abroad - making it even riskier to travel without insurance.

It said that in France, the cost of having an appendix out could increase from 400 to 4,000, based on someone who currently has an EHIC but no travel insurance.

Admiral looked at private hospital costs across the 14 countries.

It said that potential costs for medical escorted repatriation to the UK could be 5,000, an ambulance call-out could be 300, while a simple painkiller prescription could reach 150 under a no-deal scenario.

While repatriation costs are not generally covered by the EHIC, ambulance and prescription costs are free in many countries where an EHIC is present, it said.

Treatment for food poisoning, for example, which is currently free for uninsured travellers from the UK with a valid EHIC card in many EU countries, could end up costing 2,000.

Holidaymakers without travel insurance could end up seeing medical bills surge to as much as 10 times the size they are now in the event of a no-deal Brexit

The research suggests one in four people would risk travelling abroad without insurance - with people holidaying from the UK to elsewhere in Europe particularly likely to say they would take the chance.

Cosmin Sarbu, head of travel at Admiral, said: 'It's possible that if the UK is faced with a no-deal scenario we could see the cost of medical treatment go up considerably for those without insurance.'

He said that having travel insurance in place could potentially save travellers 'a huge amount of money'.

Malcolm Tarling, a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said people should shop around for the best travel insurance deal to suit their needs.

He said: 'Deal or no-deal Brexit, it remains vital to have travel insurance.

'Needing emergency overseas medical treatment can already mean eye-watering medical bills, and any loss of the European Health Insurance Card could push medical costs up even more.

'This will make travel insurance even more important to have than it already is, so shop around for the best deal for your needs.'
Amira Nature Foods Ltd. engages in processing, sourcing, and selling packaged Indian specialty rice. The company provides various types of basmati rice, other specialty rice and other food products, ready-to-eat snacks, edible oils, and organic products for retailers under the Amira brand; and non-basmati rice. It also sells bulk commodities, including wheat, barley, legume, maize, sugar, soybean meal, onion, potato, and millet products to trading firms, as well as third party branded products. The company sells its products to buyers in the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America; and distributors and retail chains in India. Amira Nature Foods Ltd. was founded in 1915 and is based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

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WASHINGTON  The Trump administration on Monday unveiled a $4.7 trillion budget that is long on defense spending and border wall funding, but short on new money for housing, health care, the environment and a myriad of other Democratic-favored programs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared it dead on arrival, calling the proposal a road map to a sicker, weaker America, and adding that Democrats will reject this toxic, destructive budget request which would hollow out our national strength and fail to meet the needs of the American people."

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer called the budget "a gut-punch to the American middle class and a handout to the wealthiest few."

The deficit, fueled in large measure by Trumps heavy defense spending and tax cuts for corporations and high-income individuals, is projected to reach a 10-year high of $1.1 trillion next year.

Nonetheless, Trump budget officials blamed the spiraling deficit on Congress and Washingtons spending addiction."

To balance the budget by 2024, the Trump budget calls for 5 percent cuts to non-defense discretionary spending  though the Environmental Protection Agency gets whacked 31.2 percent, the Army Corps of Engineers by 31 percent and the Department of Transportation by 21.5 percent.

Granular details of the budgets impact on specific programs and regions will be unveiled next week, so the net effect on New York is still hard to gauge.

But Schumer said the budget measure is unfair and harmful to upstate New Yorkers, noting that it would slash small-airline subsidies that connect airports in places like Massena, Ogdensburg and Watertown to Albany and other hubs. And it would cut Community Development Block Grants that many upstate small cities have used to refurbish downtown areas.

Upstate Democrats vowed to fight the budget proposal. Fortunately, the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, said Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam. We will reject this misguided approach and work on a responsible budget that cuts where we can so that we can invest where we must.

The administrations budget continues to throw tax breaks at the wealthy few at the expense of communities here at home in upstate New York, said Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck. It puts forth billions for a wall that Congress squarely rejected and increases military spending beyond what the Pentagon asked for while calling for drastic cuts in the programs that actually help folks here.

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For Fort Drum, the sprawling U.S. Army post outside Watertown, the 4.9 percent hike in defense spending is likely a positive. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, who represents the Watertown area and has been in the forefront of efforts to keep Fort Drum open, declined through a spokeswoman to comment until details are available.

Although Democratic lawmakers decried the lack of funding for the Gateway Project, it is not entirely clear what the steep cuts to the Department of Transportation will mean for the $30 billion proposal to build new rail tunnels connecting New Jersey to midtown Manhattan.

Those transit projects are local responsibilities, and elected officials from New York and New Jersey are the ones accountable for them, DOT Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Rosen said on Monday, according to Bloomberg News.

But Trump himself assured reporters from regional newspapers, including the Albany Times Union, that the the money (is) set aside but we haven't decided to use it yet. He denied he was holding up funding on the Gateway project in order to persuade Schumer to support congressional appropriations for his long-sought border wall.

For the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, Trump is asking for $8.6 billion for the border wall. He last month declared a national emergency to secure about $8.1 billion in funds for the wall.

The Trump budget also would cut 11.9 percent from the Health & Human Services budget, opening up clashes with Democrats over Medicare, Medicaid and also Obamacare, which Trump and Republicans have tried without success to eliminate.

The Trump budget would cut the Department of Education by 10 percent, eliminating 29 programs  some of them aimed at improving instruction in public schools. But the budget would add $60 million for charter schools.
SCHENECTADY  For the second time in Mayor Gary McCarthy's tenure, the City Council Monday overrode a veto. This time, the override involved a resolution addressing the number of judges on the bench in City Court.

McCarthy has argued three judges is enough and advocated for not replacing City Court Judge Guido Loyola when he ages out this year at 70, the mandatory age for retirement.

Led by City Council president Ed Kosiur, a group of McCarthy's fellow Democrats and independent City Councilman Vince Riggi insisted four judges are needed to handle the increasing number of cases.

Domestic and tenant-landlord disputes are especially on the increase, city council members said, citing caseload statistics.

On Monday, the panel voted 5-2 to override the mayor's rejection last month of their request that the state Legislature maintain funding for four judges.

McCarthy had petitioned local Assemblyman Phil Steck to fund three judges.

Five of the council's seven members are needed to override a veto.

Councilman John Polimeni and Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas cast dissenting votes.

Citing the fact a City Court judge had presided over cases in county court for at least a year, Polimeni argued that the "real need is at the county level" and accused the city's Office of Court Administration of being a "bloated organization."

City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo, who supported the override, said the reason the judge wound up at the county is because the city didn't have adequate court chambers for him.

"There are enough court cases, there is enough work here, but again it's the best utilized time of our judge because we don't have the facilities that we should have been putting in place for a number of years now," said Perazzo.

Riggi stressed that he has yet to see a solid plan from the city addressing the OCA needs.

Kosiur noted that on Wednesday he observed City Court judges Teneka Frost in the morning and Loyola in the afternoon going through part of their docket.

"It's very important to have this position now and in the future," he said.

By a 6 to 1 vote, the panel approved a companion resolution asking the state Comptroller's Office, the Office of Court Administration, and state officials to help the city with funds to lessen the cost of building a fourth courtroom.

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Polimeni was the only one who voted against the resolution.

Both Kosiur and McCarthy have over the past few weeks cited cited data and a variety of reasons to back up their positions.

The disagreement prompted city attorney Carl Falotico to recuse himself in a decision regarding the timeliness of the appeal of the mayor's initial veto. Falotico has been endorsed by Schenectady Democrats to succeed Loyola. Last week he referred the issue to an outside legal firm of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna.

Lawyers with the Albany-based firm concluded that the council may override a mayor's veto "within any reasonable time" after being formally notified of the action by the city clerk and are not bound by a specific deadline.

The firm will be paid about $7,500 in legal fees.

The two other City Court judges are Mark Caruso and Robert Hoffman.

The state Office of Court Administration has long mandated that the city build more space for the city court system. The state pays the salaries of court staff but municipalities are responsible for construction or rental of court space.

In 2012, the governing body overrode McCarthy's veto of the 2013 budget after he argued the city would run out of money in the spending plan.
Albany

Community activist Vera Michelson devoted her life to fighting for social justice and bridging racial and economic divides, while putting her progressive political beliefs into practice with street-level pragmatism.b

"Mike," as friends called her, was a retired state employee, white and Jewish, whose grandparents and parents fled Nazi Germany. She could have lived comfortably in the suburbs on her state pension, but instead she stayed rooted for 30 years in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of West Hill, which struggles against the city's highest rates of poverty, crime and gun violence.

I visited Michelson, whom I had known for three decades, at the St. Peter's Hospital Hospice Inn two days before her death on Saturday at 73 from cancer. She had survived two bouts of breast cancer, but this time the cancer spread to her brain. A steady stream of visitors formed a rainbow coalition: black and white and brown, young and old, women and men, politicians and cops, laborers and professionals, and former prisoners she had helped re-integrate into the community.

"She had such a deep and authentic connection to people in the black community that made her beloved as a friend, a mentor and neighborhood organizer," said Barbara Smith of Arbor Hill, a black activist and feminist author and editor. She credited Michelson's tireless work recruiting dozens of campaign volunteers for helping Smith win a seat on the Common Council.

"What made Mike unique was that she lived her beliefs thoroughly and fully, far more than just a political ideology," Smith said.

Michelson's house was a de facto community center, where two generations of neighborhood kids, most of them working poor and black, came to visit with the kind and generous woman they called "Auntie." She never married and did not have children of her own, but Michelson helped out the neighborhood kids in ways large and small, serving as a beacon of hope in a grim place that sometimes seemed bereft of hope. She taught them to believe in themselves.

"She was an aunt, a godmother, a mentor to so many of us. She wore many hats," said Cadeidra Butler, 23, of Albany, who knew Michelson since infancy because her mother and Michelson were friends. "She is a compassionate person who helped us find a solution to any problem."

Butler recalled Michelson taking her and her sister and friends horseback riding, camping in the Adirondacks and on outings beyond Butler's mother's means. Michelson helped Butler get a job as an aide at Albany Medical Center and after Butler's mother died of breast cancer three years ago, she became something of a surrogate parent.

"She'd take me to the Gateway Diner, we'd get a hamburger, and talk about life," Butler recalled.

Michelson preferred to work behind the scenes, without seeking recognition. Day after day, when nobody was watching, she became the change she wanted to see in the world. You could find her on street corners beside makeshift memorials, embracing bereft family members and advocating for peace after gunshots claimed another homicide victim. She attended grass-roots organizing meetings most nights of the week and escaped to the movies with friends on weekends. She was a frequent visitor to the mayor's office at City Hall, demanding funding for urban programs.

"She helped get me elected and then she held me accountable," said Mayor Kathy Sheehan, who considered Michelson part of her "kitchen cabinet," an inner circle of volunteer advisers. Michelson worked tirelessly to improve minority recruitment to the fire department, and to help former felons with resume writing and job interviewing skills.

"I didn't know anybody as well-connected across the city as Mike was," Sheehan said. "She was respected and trusted and she never took that lightly. I don't think many people realize the impact she had on improving lives."

Michelson's activism spanned 50 years, beginning with her involvement in the late-1960s with The Brothers, a black militant group that fought for jobs, better housing and investment in the slums of Albany.

In 1981, after an FBI informant infiltrated Michelson's group of demonstrators, she was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at her Albany apartment in advance of a controversial match in Albany with the South African rugby team, the Springboks. The team symbolized repugnant racial segregation and white-minority rule in South Africa.

Michelson was a lead organizer of the Capital District Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism throughout the 1980s and she hosted a black South African exchange student who attended the University at Albany. In the early '90s, Michelson stood up to members of the Ku Klux Klan, who planned a rally at the state Capitol on Martin Luther King's birthday. Michelson helped to organize a protest that numbered in the hundreds, compared to a handful of Klansmen who sheepishly dispersed without donning their hooded regalia.

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"Mike's whole life was committed to fighting racial injustice and she did it with utter sincerity and passion," said Eileen Kawola, a retired social studies teacher at the Albany Street Academy, an alternative high school. She traveled with Michelson to South Africa in 1992 and stayed with families they had helped as part of their anti-apartheid work, often the only white women in the poor black townships.

"She's always been a rebel," said her younger brother, David Michelson of Monson, Mass., who spends winters in Florida with his wife, Carmen. Their family grew up in Northampton, Mass. At 16, his sister convinced a group of high school classmates to leave school grounds, march down to City Hall and demand that the mayor put back the flag of the United Nations he had taken down.

She earned a bachelor's degree from Russell Sage College in Troy and a master's in education from the University at Albany. She spent her career with the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Their family's experience fleeing Nazi Germany in the prologue to the Holocaust instilled a bedrock philosophy in his sister. "For her it was very simple. There was right and wrong and she devoted her life to fighting injustice," he said.

"She could always see the big picture and make connections between poverty, mass incarceration and the marginalized and she was deeply committed to community building," said her friend Lisa Good, founder of Urban Grief, an Albany organization that responds to trauma and victims after shootings and other forms of violence. "Mike was a force to be reckoned with when it came to working toward ending gun violence."

"Mike wanted to give every person a chance to live in a just society," said Vickie Smith, a state Education employee and close friend of more than 30 years. "She held a mirror up to all of us and she was an optimist. She behaved as if we lived in an anti-racist world, but was acutely aware of the challenges of racial injustice."

Michelson's family and friends are planning a celebration of her life this spring.

Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com
ALBANY  As county legislators gear up for re-election, a proposal to spend over $720,000 for various unbudgeted items  ranging from additional money to the Albany County Land Bank to a new furnace at the Green Island Community Center  is smelling a bit like pork to some officials.

Earlier this year, Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce asked legislators to submit requests on how the contingent account funds should be spent  soliciting several recommendations. But some legislators and county officials say this years requests fall more in line with discretionary funding, often referred to as pork, for members to spend on whatever they deem fit.

Discretionary funds, or member items, often are criticized as a misuse of taxpayer money and a way for elected officials to garner votes with constituents. All legislators are up for re-election, with primaries set for June.

In my 12-year history, this is a significant departure from how the contingent account has been created and spent, Selkirk Conservative Richard Mendick said. It has always been established as sort of a rainy-day fund. This time it has taken a whole new life of its own.

The package of nine funding requests mostly were recommended by various legislators and supported by their colleagues, except for $100,000, which is necessary to cover rising costs in Albany Medical Centers fees to the county coroners office for forensic services, said Joyces spokesperson Nicole Antonucci. The legislative requests include:

$250,000 for general operations of the land bank.

$100,000 for recreational programs in the city of Albany and other areas through the county Recreation Department.

$80,000 for a special, off-road ambulance for the county Rail Trail for Delmar-Bethlehem EMS and the Friends of the Rail Trail.

$74,894.20 for special equipment and classroom items for Clover Patch Preschool at the Center for Disability Services.

$50,000 for vehicles to transport seniors through the Colonie Senior Service Centers.

$46,500 for general operations and to pay salary and benefits for an employee at Trinity Alliance, which is at risk of losing state money if the employee isnt funded.

$10,000 for a new furnace at the Green Island Community Center.

$9,491 for the county to purchase biodegradable office trash bags.

The reallocation of funds in the contingent account was introduced Monday at the county Legislature meeting and sent to the Audit and Finance Committee for further review.

Antonucci said the legislature has amassed about $1.2 million in the contingent account through budgeted revenue the last two years. Should the legislature approve taking out $720,000, it would leave the account with less than $500,000 for any unexpected expenses.

Antonucci defended the legislatures use of the funds, pointing to New York State County Law that allows the legislature to create the fund and spend it on what lawmakers deem appropriate. Joyce created an open and transparent process for it in January, she added.

Early in Joyces tenure as legislative chair, he promised a clear policy and written procedure before the legislature continued its special grants program. But less than a month later, the largest grant since at least 2014 was awarded to the African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region in Albany to help pay for a furnace.

This special grants program, which the legislature has budgeted $75,000 for this year, also has raised eyebrows over the years. Few local governments conduct similar programs, and even the state curbed its old member item system at the beginning of the decade.

Antonucci said the special grants program is different than the contingent account because the money is provided to community-based organizations after an application and supporting materials have been submitted and reviewed and the Legislative leaders agree on how the money should be allocated.

Section 365 of the law allows legislatures to create a contingent fund and stipulates they can appropriate all or part of the fund for general county purposes.

In the past, any money allocated from the contingent account usually was spent on unexpected costs, but Antonucci said the funds dont have to be used for emergencies.

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Last year, the legislature spent $57,517 to improve its digital technology, Antonucci said. And in 2014, over $750,000 was used from the contingent account for the land bank as well as for increased costs in demolitions and stabilizations, she said.

Loudonville Democrat Joseph OBrien said he recommended the Clover Patch preschool receive funding after Joyce sought recommendations. He bristled at the notion it would be considered pork since the preschool isnt in his district.

I just thought it would be a nice way of helping the center out, he said. This is obviously different because its not only benefitting constituents in my district, its also benefitting the whole county and surrounding counties.

OBrien said the contingent account is different from the countys rainy-day fund, which county Executive Daniel McCoy has built up over the years.

Were in pretty good shape with that, OBrien said. The contingent account spending gives an opportunity to help different organizations and different not-for-profits.

But theyre not emergencies, Mendick contended, and if they were important to fund, they wouldve been budgeted.

What were seeing now is a bunch of items being put together as one bill so that it makes it more difficult to vote against it because people have a vested interest, he said. I dont think its a coincidence that all these items are taking place in an election year.
Former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove is back  working on a federal case in Massachusetts.

Abelove, who lost his re-election bid in November to District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, is not registered to practice law in the Bay State. A federal judge in Springfield granted Abelove permission on Monday to join the legal team for an ex-student suing Williams College, just over the state line.

Abelove will be the lead trial attorney on behalf of the student, said the man's attorney, Stacey Elin Rossi, whose office is listed in Hoosick Falls.

The suit contends the college retaliated against the student and kept him from graduating in 2016 after he lodged a complaint against the school and his ex-girlfriend, who worked for Williams. He contends the retaliation came in the form of an allegation from the ex-girlfriend that they had "uncomfortable" non-consensual sex in 2014, according to Rossi and court papers.

Rossi asked U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni to allow Abelove to join the case in a "pro hac vice" capacity, which allows an attorney to work in a jurisdiction where he is she is not licensed. Abelove listed his office at 1702 Central Ave. in Albany. He and Rossi attested that he is not under suspension or facing any disciplinary actions in state or federal court.

Abelove's tenure as district attorney included him being charged in an indictment with lying to a grand jury and mishandling the investigation of the fatal police shooting of an unarmed DWI suspect, Edson Thevenin, in April 2016. A judge tossed the charges last June, determining the state attorney general's office did not have the statutory jurisdiction to prosecute Abelove on charges of felony perjury.

Asked why she brought Abelove into the case, Rossi told the Times Union the former district attorney had "exceptional trial experience." She said she knew Abelove through a personal connection.

Asked if she had any misgivings in hiring Abelove due to the past allegations, Rossi said: "No, not at all ...he's an exceptional trial attorney."

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Rossi issued a news release praising Abelove's skills, which she noted including leading the district attorney's office, experience as a sex crimes prosecutor and past legal work in the military during his more than two decades in the New York Army National Guard, which included time in Afghanistan.

She said Abelove was a member of the bar in good standing and is pro-victim, which helps a case in which she contends her client is a victim of the system.

Neither Abelove nor an attorney for the college could be reached.
A former sergeant with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Syracuse to more than seven years in prison Monday for possessing more than 1,000 images of child pornography on his family computer.

Peter Farnum, 42, received 7 years and 3 months in prison, which will be followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Grant Jaquith and James Hendricks, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Albany field office.
ALBANY  In July 2011, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand appeared in New York City alongside members of the U.S. military to promote her Hiring Heroes Act legislative bill, a push to provide more job training for veterans.

Abbas Malik, a Staten Island resident and Army veteran, stood next to Gillibrand, and gave interviews to the media about his struggles to find work after returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq.

The senator would go on to hire Malik, who worked as Gillibrand's personal driver and later was listed as her military advisor.

But Monday, a Politico investigation revealed that Malik remained employed in the senator's office despite an allegation last summer that he had harassed a younger female staff member, and often made vulgar and misogynist comments in the senator's Washington, D.C., office.

After Politico recently provided information to Gillibrand's office concerning another allegation  that Malik had made inappropriate remarks joking about rape  the senator's office conducted another investigation and he was terminated last week.

Malik could not be reached for comment on Monday.

The case is in contrast to the image Gillibrand has constructed of herself as a crusader against sexual harassment  in particular her push to provide protections for victims of sexual assault in the military. She was one of the first to call for fellow Democrat U.S. Sen. Al Franken to resign. Being a champion for women and mothers has also been central in her fledgling campaign for president.

Gillibrand's office said in a written statement Monday that there was a "full and thorough investigation into the evidence" at the time of the staffer's allegation. While it found there was evidence of derogatory comments made, "the office concluded that the allegations did not meet the standard of sexual harassment."

The senator's office would only answer questions in writing Monday. Two former female staff members at Gillibrand's office, both of whom left their employment there last summer, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The former female staffer, who told Politico she wanted to remain anonymous, recounted that she tried to ignore insulting comments Malik made in the office about the appearance of female staff members and other women who came to the senator's office for interviews.

Last July, after Malik was in line for a promotion that would make him her supervisor, the female staff member alleges he began to make inappropriate suggestive comments to her. The former staffer alleged Malik, who was married, said to her in the office, "If we had met in a bar would it have happened for us?"

He also allegedly said in a late night text with her that he figured out what the clown emoji meant  "down to clown"  which is a reference to sex from the movie "Blockers."

The staffer said she filed a complaint with Gillibrand's deputy chief of staff, Anne Bradley, on July 25. After seven interviews, Gillibrand's office said, the office declared the internal investigation complete. According to the female staffer, the investigation concluded five days later on July 30.

Gillibrand's office said their investigation led to "strong disciplinary action," which included the loss of a promotion, and Malik was given "a final warning." The senator's office said the investigation was conducted "in consultation with Senate Employment Counsel, who were consulted through every step of the process."

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The senator's office has confirmed it did not interview former staffers, as the alleged victim requested. One of those staff members would later tell Politico about Malik allegedly telling a joke that a certain woman "couldn't get laid unless she was raped." That alleged comment, after it was disclosed to the senator's office by Politico, prompted the investigation that led to Malik's termination.

"Given that it was not necessary to further confirm this unprofessional behavior, and in light of privacy concerns, no further interviews were conducted with individuals no longer employed by the office," Gillibrand's office wrote in response to questions about the thoroughness of its initial investigation.

The former female staffer told Politico she accepted the office's investigation as fair  until what she described as devaluing comments were made to her by the senator's staff, according to a letter she provided Politico that she sent to Gillibrand's office after her departure.

The staffer said it was conveyed to her that Malik could have been fired for a number of reasons, but that he was "lucky." And when the former female staff member expressed dismay at being told this, she alleged that she was reminded by Gillibrand staff that she could be terminated at any minute as well. She resigned a short time later in August.

"Your office chose to go against your public belief that women shouldn't accept sexual harassment in any form and portrayed my experience as a misinterpretation instead of what it actually was: harassment and ultimately, intimidation," the former staffer's letter said.

Gillibrand's office also provided a written comment from the senator, which said she stands by her belief that women must be believed so investigations can take place.

"That's exactly what happened at every step of this case last year," Gillibrand's statement read. "I told her that we loved her at the time and the same is true today."
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview that she opposes moving to impeach President Donald Trump, even though she believes he is unfit for office - her most definitive statement on ousting the president and one that stands to alienate some members of the Democratic Party.

"I'm not for impeachment," she said in a March 6 interview conducted for a future issue of The Washington Post Magazine.

"This is news," added Pelosi, D-Calif. "I haven't said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I've been thinking about this, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it."

Pelosi's remarks drew swift rebukes from some liberals who have been clamoring to begin impeachment proceedings over controversies ensnaring the Trump administration, with several House committees launching investigations.

Other Democrats on investigative committees were surprised that the speaker would all but rule out impeachment just as they were starting their investigations.

"I don't think it's something we decide whether or not its 'worth it,' " said House Progressive Caucus co-chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. "If [our investigations show] a consistent pattern of abuse of power, of obstruction of justice . . . then that to me seems like it will be impeachable."

Moderate Democrats, however, welcomed what they considered a politically pragmatic response, especially with no bipartisan support for impeachment and Republicans controlling the Senate, which would have to convict Trump to remove him from office.

Democrats also recognize that moving toward impeachment would energize core GOP voters ahead of the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. Pelosi's comments come as Republicans are seeking to portray Democrats as radicals beholden to the far left, unwilling to respect democratic norms.

In the interview, Pelosi said she does not believe that Trump is up to the job of running the country. Asked whether he was fit to be president, she countered: "Are we talking ethically? Intellectually? Politically? What are we talking here?" When a reporter said all, she said he was not.

"All of the above. No. No. I don't think he is," she said. "I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I don't think he's fit to be president of the United States."

But Pelosi suggested that her opinion on whether he is worthy of his office may not matter if the public - and at least some Republicans - don't support impeachment.

Most House Democrats agree that they should give the chairmen of investigative committees the space to conduct their probes before engaging in serious impeachment discussions. But Pelosi's suggestion that she doesn't support movement toward impeachment because Trump is "just not worth it" won't sit well with some in her caucus, while infuriating some on the left.

In an interview with The Washington Post on Monday, pro-impeachment billionaire Tom Steyer said Pelosi "correctly analyzed the problem" in concluding that Trump is unfit to be president. "But," he continued, "she's not willing to do what's necessary to solve it for political reasons, and that seems to me to be the essence of what's wrong in Washington, D.C."

Steyer, who did not take a direct shot at Pelosi personally, added, "It is the Congress's job to hold the president accountable and to uphold the Constitution of the United States."

Pelosi's comments are likely to provide cover to House Democrats from more moderate districts, especially those who beat Republicans in 2018 by campaigning on reforming health care, preserving Social Security and Medicare, and cleaning up Washington. While liberal firebrands have won an outsize share of media coverage, the House Democratic majority was captured largely because of freshmen who ran to the center, said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - and many of them are uncomfortable with impeachment talk.

"We've got 31 Democrats who serve in districts that Donald Trump won, and I'm one of them," Bustos said. "When I go home, I don't have people asking me about impeaching him. That is just not something that I hear. They consistently ask about health care and rebuilding our country and figuring out how to work together."

Pelosi "wants to get the work done," she added. "She says we have to focus on results, and I have a great appreciation for her saying that, because that works in any congressional district in America."

But even some more traditional Democrats disagree. Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said Pelosi's comments were probably "designed to remind people that loose talk about impeachment is not helpful, that it distracts from our agenda and even from the intrinsic value of the oversight hearings." But while he agreed, he said, she may have gone too far.

"I felt that her statement didn't leave much wiggle room, and on that part, I respectfully demur," Connolly said. "I took an oath to the Constitution, not to the Democratic Party. . . . If I feel that I have a constitutional obligation to follow that procedure, then I have a legal and moral obligation to do so, even if no Republican wants to do anything."

On the GOP side, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California said Pelosi's remarks were "a smart thing for her to say. I mean, there's nothing to impeach."

But many Republicans viewed her comments through a political lens, saying Pelosi was merely trying to protect her caucus's moderate members.

"I think they have to put up a front saying they're not going there, but everything behind the scenes says differently," said the House Judiciary Committe's ranking Republican, Doug Collins of Georgia. "I think they have a part of their conference they can't say no to."

Pelosi's comments came days after the House Judiciary Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over impeachment proceedings, issued document requests to more than 80 people and entities affiliated with Trump's administration, campaign and businesses. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the committee, called the requests the first step in a larger probe into possible obstruction of justice and abuses of power by the president.

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Meanwhile, other House committees are beginning to investigate payments that Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen made during the 2016 campaign to silence women who alleged affairs with Trump, as well as Trump's plans to build a tower in Moscow and how he managed his private company.

For months, Pelosi has treated the possibility of Trump's impeachment delicately, publicly noting the need for bipartisan support and significant evidence of wrongdoing before pursuing the president's removal.

"If and when the time comes for impeachment, it will have to be something that has such a crescendo in a bipartisan way," she said, for instance, in a CBS News interview in early January.

She echoed that bipartisan requirement in the Post interview.

However, given congressional Republicans' unwillingness to push back on their leader in the Oval Office over the past two years, some Democrats disagree with Pelosi's assessment that any impeachment proceedings must have support from the GOP. House Democrats, they argue, have a job to do in holding the president accountable - regardless of the GOP's stance.

Steyer, for instance, noted that Republicans don't believe in climate change. Should the party turn a blind eye to that serious matter, too? he asked.

"If we're not allowed to tell the truth until the Republicans give us a signature that says it's okay, then we're not going to tell the truth about a lot of things," he said.

Pelosi has, at times, referenced the failed 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton by congressional Republicans as a formative experience in her thinking - an argument she renewed in the interview.

"There's no question that that was horrible for the country. It was unnecessary and the rest," she said. "But in terms of where we are, as Thomas Paine said, the times have found us. And the times have found us now. We have a very serious challenge to the Constitution of the United States in the president's unconstitutional assault on the Constitution, on the first branch of government, the legislative branch. . . . This is very serious for our country."

Meanwhile, members of Pelosi's caucus have been outspoken about their desire to impeach Trump. This month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., marched on Capitol Hill with impeachment supporters, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., has discussed impeaching the president in numerous interviews.

Two House Democrats, Reps. Al Green of Texas and Brad Sherman of California, have already drafted articles of impeachment. Green moved in December 2017 to force the House to consider impeachment articles; the effort was killed on a 364-to-58 vote.

And outside the Capitol, Steyer has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars on an effort to impeach Trump, forming a group called Need to Impeach that has taken out television ads and constructed a grass-roots network to push the issue. Steyer has also vowed to target the chairmen of House panels investigating the president to ensure that they do their jobs, as his organization has said.

"He's brought us to the brink of nuclear war," Steyer said in one nationally televised ad. "Obstructed justice at the FBI. And in direct violation of the Constitution, he's taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth. If that isn't a case for impeaching and removing a dangerous president, then what has our government become?"

Sherman said Monday that he understood Pelosi's position, and he declined to criticize her remarks but said that there were "very intense, very impatient people" in the Democratic caucus who might.

"It is clear to me the things Trump did that are felonious in the first months of his presidency are not politically sufficient to remove him from office," he said, adding, "I will not be attacking the speaker for a decision not to officially begin the impeachment process at a time when there is no bipartisan support for it."

But Sherman defended his decision to introduce articles of impeachment, as well as others who have raised the issue: "Imagine what Trump would have done over the last two years if he thought he was immune. . . . Think of the hundreds of things that have crossed his mind that he hasn't done.
ALBANY - The city man being tried on charges that followed a woman's fatal overdose last year was convicted of manslaughter and concealing a corpse on Tuesday, Albany County prosecutors said.

On March 14, 2018, the lifeless body of Keisha Richards, 24, was found on a Kent Street sidewalk. Police determined she'd had overdosed and that she hadn't been alone.

Instead those she was with neglected to call emergency services, leaving her without medical attention, before bleaching and dumping her body in a snowbank, officials said.

A jury Tuesday found Tamale Harris guilty of the two crimes as well as conspiracy, the District Attorney's office said. Harris, 43 of Albany, faces up to 19 years in state prison, the District Attorney's office said. Sentencing will be April 26.

During Harris' trial last week, prosecutors said the Albany man had brought Richards, a Vermont resident, and Jodi Noisseau, 48, to the Capital Inn and Suites in Rensselaer for a party on March 13, 2018.

The group drank, did drugs and had sex. Prosecutors said they believe believe Richards took heroin and laid down in the room while Harris and Noisseau continued their night.

Surveillance video from the next morning showed Harris carrying Richards limp body to a car. The group drove to Noisseau's apartment and Harris left.

Prosecutors said that rather than drop Richards off at a hospital or call 911, the group left her alone for hours.

Later on Noisseau noticed that Richard's pulse was slowing and that she was barely breathing so Noisseau called Harris, telling him they should call an ambulance, but he said no, Street Crimes Bureau Chief Jessica Blain-Lewis of the district attorney's office said at the trial.

"It was on that bed that Keisha began to spit up black bile and no longer had a pulse," she told the jury.

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In an attempt to hide any evidence of wrongdoing, Noisseau, who took the stand at trial, said Harris directed her to clean Richards' body with bleach. Harris then borrowed a truck and dumped Richards body on a snowy median on Kent Street. Harris was arrested in September.

"After hearing witness testimony and reviewing the presented evidence at trial, the jury found that on the 14th and 15th days of March, 2018, Harris personally or while acting in concert with others, recklessly caused the death of Keisha Richards when, knowing that she was experiencing an overdose due to toxic consumption," the District Attorney's office said.

Noisseau and another man connected to the case, Christopher Kondracki, were arrested in July.

Noisseau pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September and faces up to 15 years in state prison. Kondracki was also charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealment of a human corpse and conspiracy in connection with case. His case is awaiting trial.
HUNTER  Forest rangers rescued four ill-equipped hikers Thursday after the group got stranded on an icy Greene County trail, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.

The hikers called the DEC on Thursday, March 7, and asked for help descending Kaaterskill Falls in Hunter. They didn't have proper traction devices for the icy conditions and were stuck in the middle of the falls, the DEC said in a Monday release.
TROY - A city woman faces a felony assault charge after she stabbed another person last month, State Police said.

The victim was treated Feb. 21 for the stabbing at Albany Memorial Hospital. The wounds inflicted in the attack were not life threatening.

Troopers were summoned to the hospital and victim told them the stabbing occurred the day before, State Police said. Culver pulled a knife during the argument and sliced the woman's elbow. It was not immediately clear where the attack took place.

Troopers said they found Culver at her Troy home and took her into custody.

Arraigned in Brunswick town court, Culver was sent to the Rensselaer County jail.
THE ISSUE:

Democrats balk at public financing of campaigns after long supporting the idea.

THE STAKES:

Do they want to reduce the influence of big money in politics, or not?

For years, Assembly Democrats blamed New York's failure to create a system of public financing of elections on Senate Republicans. Now, they're blaming ... Assembly Democrats.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie dropped this bomb Friday at a business forum, citing concerns about the state's budget shortfall, problems with New York City's public campaign finance system, and questions about independent expenditures  the money private groups can pour into elections with advertising and other non-campaign spending. "The members want to discuss it," he said, but "right now there's not 76 members who want to move forward with it in the next three weeks in the budget."

So much for Democrats finally getting power and putting the right thing ahead of their own political interests. So much for making it easier for more people with good ideas but not a lot of money or political connections to run for office. So much for taking a major step to reduce the influence of big money in government and make small donors matter more.

We haven't seen such a brazen bait and switch since 2010, when Senate Republicans swore an oath to support independent, nonpartisan redistricting, and then went back on their word once the election was over. Just as the Republicans suddenly came up with constitutional concerns about that idea, Assembly Democrats now fret about issues that were around well before the election: Independent expenditures have been an issue for years, and it's no secret that a few people have tried to take advantage of New York City's public financing system. But by and large, it works. And if there are flaws, the state could address them in a system of its own.

Mr. Heastie's own campaign finances show how the current system rewards incumbency and why it's such a hard habit to break. Running for an open Bronx seat in 2000, he raised just $29,000, according to the National Institute on Money in Politics. After seven terms, he pulled in almost $250,000. And in the election after he became speaker, his contributions topped $1 million, much of it in big checks from unions, lobbyists, real estate groups and other well-heeled interests  money he could in turn dole out to maintain his grip on power.

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It's worth noting that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has more than once rejected good ideas out of concern for their cost, hasn't pulled this from his executive budget, but is standing by his proposal for a $6-to-$1 match of small (up to $175) contributions.

If the state's budget shortfall really is a concern, there are ways to help pay for this. Here's one: Pass a law that says that once an election is over and the bills are paid, any money left in politicians' campaign accounts goes into the public finance system. Right now, money sits in the accounts of retired, convicted, and even dead elected officials.

To their credit, Democrats have passed a number of other election and campaign reforms after years of seeing them blocked by Republicans. They should get out of their own way now, and pass this one, too. Or they'll have no one to blame but themselves.
Siena College students didn't have coursework over their Winter Break in February, but some headed south to work on service projects.

These Siena students headed to various sites to volunteer during their 2019 Winter Break, including building with Habitat for Humanity in Sea Island, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C., and Let's Share the Sun Foundation San Juan, Puerto Rico.
[March 12, 2019] alliantgroup Sponsors $10,000 Grant for Bellaire High School Post-Harvey Water Quality Study

HOUSTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- alliantgroup is proud to announce sponsorship of a $10,000 grant to Bellaire High School for a post-Hurricane Harvey water quality study. Bellaire High School teachers Jane Baker, Stephanie Clayton and Hillary Schulze, and student teacher Sara Ross, are recipients of the grant and will lead the study as part of the school's biology and aquatic science programs.



"I would like to thank alliantgroup for this generous grant and for providing our students with a unique opportunity," said Baker. "This grant will allow our students to engage in an authentic research study that will not only benefit the community, but also help generate interest in and develop the skills needed for a career devoted to scientific research."

Recent analysis has revealed that Hurricane Harvey may have caused long-term damage to the health of valuable coastal water supplies. This new study will provide students the chance to survey these waterways by periodically collecting and examining water data from Cypress Slough and Bolivar Peninsula. By using previous years' data, conducting online research and collaborating with Bellaire High School's environmental science department, students will compare pre- and post-Harvey water quality parameters, as well as monitor future water recovery. They will then engineer and test potential future solutions for water remediation, while sharing their learning process via social media, local news and official portals such as Texas Stream Team. The project's end goal is to enhance the development of science literate students who are capable of engineering innovative solutions to real-world issues. This grant is just the latest philanthropic initiative from the Blue Heart Fund, alliantgroup's non-profit charity. The Blue Heart Fund focuses on giving to the community and promoting STEM education nationwide. From awarding STEM-based scholarships to direct outreach to K-12 schools, alliantgroup remains committed to engaging young people in STEM and inspiring the range of career opportunities within STEM fields. "I am proud to present this grant for an endeavor that advances STEM education and, for Houston, tackles an issue still affecting our community two years after Hurricane Harvey," said alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav. Contact: Roxanna Salas, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alliantgroup-sponsors-10-000-grant-for-bellaire-high-school-post-harvey-water-quality-study-300810614.html SOURCE alliantgroup

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[March 12, 2019]

Bio-Research Products Reports Plans to Close North Liberty Production Facility

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bio-Research Products Inc. today reported that it plans to close its North Liberty production facility as of July 31, 2019.



Bio-Research Products (BRP) produces a series of enzymes used in clinical diagnostics as well as enzymes extracted from botanicals.

The North Liberty facility will be put up for sale as a functioning enzyme production facility with all the equipment required for the production of clinical diagnostic enzymes and botanical extracts. The property consists of a fermentation suitewith a 300 litre bio-reactor, 2,200 square feet of wet-lab space, 1,200 square feet of production space for downstream production and 4,450 square feet of warehouse space. The facility sits on 5.43 acres of land, of which 3.54 acres is available for future expansion.







We are disappointed at the necessity of having to close this facility, said Paul Baehr, President of BRP, but, notwithstanding the efforts of an excellent staff, we were unable to attract sufficient new business to make the facility viable.

ABOUT BIO-RESEARCH PRODUCTS

Bio-Research Products Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of IBEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. IBEX manufactures and markets proteins for biomedical use.

Contact:

Paul Baehr, President

[email protected]

514-825-3132




[March 12, 2019] Data Management Challenges Cost UK Organisations Over 1.2 Million a Year, Reveals Veritas Research

UK employees waste two hours a day searching for data READING, United Kingdom, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UK organisations are scrambling to gain a competitive advantage in today's digital economy, but failure to effectively manage their data can end up costing them dearly in lost productivity and missed opportunities, finds new research from Veritas Technologies, a worldwide leader in enterprise data protection and the software-defined storage market. When employees have efficient access to data, they are empowered with the insight they need to make better, more informed decisions. However, the Value of Data study, conducted by Vanson Bourne for Veritas, surveyed 1,500 IT decision makers and data managers across 15 countries including 100 from the UK, and reveals that data management challenges are having a severe impact on employee efficiency, productivity and the profitability of UK businesses. On average, employees lose two hours a day searching for data, resulting in a 16 per cent drop in workforce efficiency. Conversely, UK organisations that invest in effective day-to-day management of their data have reported cost savings and better employee productivity as a result. Three-quarters (76 per cent) say they have reduced costs, while more than seven in ten (73 per cent) say their employees are now empowered to be more productive. "Organisations have access to a wealth of data that can create significant opportunities if they use it intelligently. Unfortunately, employees waste precious time searching for useful, and potentially business-critical, data in fragmented IT environments," said Jasmit Sagoo, senior director, Northern Europe, Veritas. "Companies that invest in taking care of their most important digital asset  their data  will benefit from improved employee efficiency and productivity, giving them a valuable competitive advantage." Data challenges = missed opportunities and lost revenue Beyond productivity challenges, the wider consequences of poor data management can cripple UK businesses. Almost all (97 per cent) of the UK organisations surveyed believe they have missed valuable opportunities as a result of ineffective data management. In fact, nerly two in five (37 per cent) admit to losing out on new revenue opportunities while a third (33 per cent) say their data challenges have caused an increase in operating costs.



Alarmingly, UK respondents estimate that their organisation loses over 1.2 million ($1.5 million) a year due to challenges faced with managing their data. Companies that fail to address their data management issues also risk significant longer term damage to their business. Those surveyed say their challenges with managing data mean their ability to make strategic decisions is hindered (37 per cent), they're less agile (31 per cent) and unable to compete successfully in the market (24 per cent). A fifth (19 per cent) are more vulnerable to data security threats, and a quarter (23 per cent) have experienced reputational damage.

"Many organisations face daily uncertainty over where their data is located and whether it is even protected. Unless addressed, they risk compromising business agility, exposure to security threats, reputational damage and lethargic decision making at even the highest of levels," added Sagoo. "In order to achieve success today's digital economy, businesses must implement technology and strategies that empower employees with complete visibility and control of their data. Only then will they be able to identify and action areas of risk and opportunity, unlocking the true value of their data." Learn more about the key findings of this report and how Veritas can help global organisations harness the power of their data here. For more information on implementing a centralised data management strategy, visit www.veritas.com. Methodology

A total of 1,500 IT decision makers and data managers were interviewed in October and November across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UAE, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. About Vanson Bourne

Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. Our reputation for robust and credible research-based analysis, is founded upon rigorous research principles and our ability to seek the opinions of senior decision makers across technical and business functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com. About Veritas

Veritas Technologies is a global leader in enterprise data management  our software and solutions help organisations protect their mission-critical data. Tens of thousands of businesses, including 97% of Fortune 100 companies, rely on us every day to back up and recover their data, keep it secure and available, to guard against failure and achieve regulatory compliance. In today's digital economy, Veritas delivers technology that helps organisations reduce risks and capitalise on their most important digital asset  their data. Learn more at www.veritas.com or follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc. Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change at the sole discretion of Veritas. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Veritas, may or may not be implemented, should not be considered firm commitments by Veritas, should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions, and may not be incorporated into any contract. Veritas and the Veritas Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. PR Contacts Veritas Technologies

Meera Lakhani-Patel

[email protected]

+44 7824 122395 LEWIS

Charmaine Chan

[email protected]

+44 207 802 2630 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/833715/Veritas_IT_Study.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/466009/Veritas_Logo.jpg

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[March 12, 2019] dotData to Showcase New Version of its Data Science Automation Platform, Present on Data Science Automation at Gartner Data and Analytics Summit

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- dotData, the first and only company focused on delivering end-to-end data science automation and operationalization for the enterprise, today announced the availability of Version 1.4 of its dotData Data Science Automation Platform. This latest update adds significant enhancements to the platform and provides users with deeper insights, increased flexibility, ease-of-use, and greater performance to meet their specific business goals. dotData will be showcasing its dotData Enterprise Version 1.4 and dotDataPy Version 1.0 at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit from March 18-21 in Orlando, Florida, and will also present a session, "Why Do 85% of Enterprise Data Science Projects Fail?", on Wednesday, March 20. dotData's AI-powered Data Science Automation Platform completely automates the entire data science process, from data collection through production-ready models, including feature engineering. "One of the most exciting enhancements in Version 1.4 is the support of AI-powered feature engineering for geo-temporal data which are very rich but difficult-to-analyze data sources, providing deeper insights over a geographical spectrum," said Ryohei Fujimaki, PhD, dotData's CEO. "We've also made significant enhancements in the machine learning and data preparation components of the platform, giving enterprises the freedom to solve more data science challenges, faster." Key updates of the dotData Platform Version 1.4 include: Feature Engineering from Geo-Temporal Data The ability t leverage geo-temporal data such as GPS data, census information, and data from mobile devices, is growing in importance across many industries, including financial services, retail, and healthcare.

For example, for a retail store, geo-temporal patterns, such as, "whether there is a sporting event within three miles of the store during the next week," are often very important to enable the store to optimize its inventory. dotData Version 1.4 enables users to automatically design such geo-temporal features with a few clicks.



New State-of-the-Art Machine Learning Algorithms dotData Version 1.4 now supports more state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, including Gradient Boosting (XGBoost, LightGBM), Random Forest, and others. The Platform automatically tunes the hyperparameters of these algorithms to achieve the best performances in various statistical metrics.

dotData users can automatically take advantage of these highly-accurate ML algorithms, in addition to previous white-box algorithms, to improve model accuracy. Enhanced Automatic Data Preprocessing

dotData Version 1.4 significantly enhances data preprocessing on both source data and features, including data integration, source data cleansing, and feature outlier filters, in addition to preprocessing functionalities supported in previous versions such as missing value imputation and data normalization.

This data preprocessing is fully automated, expanding the range of automation and further freeing up data scientists to focus on the highest value projects with the biggest impact. Drag-and-Drop Data Collection dotData Version 1.4 supports drag-and-drop data collection from CSV files in addition to existing JDBC data connectors. This enables users to import their locally-customized data quickly without handling SQL or interacting with databases. The dotData Platform accelerates the entire data science process from months to days, enabling companies to rapidly scale their AI/ML initiatives to drive transformative business changes. The dotData Platform also democratizes the data science process by enabling more participants with different skill levels to effectively execute on projects, making it possible for enterprises to operationalize 10x more projects with transparent and actionable outcomes. dotData will be exhibiting and conducting demos in booth #637 at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit, March 18-21 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Vice President of Data Science Aaron Cheng will present at the Summit in a session, "Why Do 85% of Enterprise Data Science Projects Fail?", on Wednesday, March 20, from 2:15pm - 3:00pm. dotData will also participate in the Gartner Analytic Show Floor Showdown, a series of sessions on the show floor where machine learning vendors will demonstrate their products. dotData's session will take place on Wednesday, March 20 at 11:30am-12:30pm. If you are interested in meeting with dotData at the Gartner Summit, contact [email protected]. For more information or a demo of dotData's AI-powered Data Science Automation Platform, please visit dotData.com. About dotData

dotData is the first and only company focused on delivering end-to-end data science automation for the enterprise. dotData's fully-automated data science platform speeds time to value by accelerating, democratizing and operationalizing the entire data science process, from raw data ingestion through feature engineering to ML models in production. dotData is delivering new levels of speed, scale and value in successful deployments across multiple industries, including several Fortune Global 250 clients. For more information, visit dotData.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dotdata-to-showcase-new-version-of-its-data-science-automation-platform-present-on-data-science-automation-at-gartner-data-and-analytics-summit-300810643.html SOURCE dotData

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[March 12, 2019] dynaCERT Selected as a Finalist to Present to Colorado's Mining Cleantech Challenge

TORONTO, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- dynaCERT Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DYA) (OTCQB: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company and its Dealer, H2Tek, have been selected as finalists to present to the 2019 Mining Cleantech Challenge of the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association. Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA) announced the 12 technology companies selected to present at the Mining Cleantech Challenge (MCC) in Denver, Colorado on March 21, 2019. Finalists were selected from an international pool of applicants.



The call for applications was announced in January 2019, for the third annual edition of this popular private pitch event. The MCC is one in a series of cleantech Challenges that connect large industry partners directly to innovative clean technology solutions. The 2019 call for applications asked for companies capable of working on environmental issues related to advanced materials and chemicals, plant or biological solutions, methane detection, power management, production efficiency, water, remote sensing and tailings/waste handling and disposal, and blockchain.



Submissions were reviewed, applicants vetted and program partners selected 12 companies to present during the March program. Companies selected represent four U.S. states, three Canadian provinces and one Israeli company. Finalists will pitch their technologies to major mining companies and investors represented by the program partners.



CCIA developed the MCC in partnership with an internationally recognized team of industry leaders, including Newmont Mining, Ausenco, Fresnillo Mining, Resource Capital Funds, Jolimont Global, Rocky Mountain Institute, Consulate General of Canada in Denver, Clareo Partners, and Colorado School of Mines.



"This program continues to be a powerful indicator that collaboration is a critical factor in the energy landscape of the future," said Shelly Curtiss, CCIA's executive director. "Connecting cleantech companies to the mining industry is an opportunity to make a positive impact through technology innovation. Multi-industry, multi-resource collaboration is our goal across the Challenges series, and this program highlights the strong connections we've made."



The Mining Cleantech Challenge will be held on March 21, 2019, at the Governor's Residence in Denver, CO. A VIP reception will follow the private pitch session. Registration is open for the VIP reception, which is open to the public Founded in 2008, Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA) is a statewide organization dedicated to promoting Colorado's cleantech industries. CCIA impacts Colorado's policies, people, products and programs that drive expansion of a cleaner, cheaper, more efficient and secure energy economy. Through advocacy, public policy leadership, development nd education, CCIA works to ensure that Colorado is a global cleantech leader. For more information, visit http://coloradocleantech.com/mining-cleantech-challenge/ and https://www.prlog.org/12758359-colorado-cleantech-industries-association-announces-2019-mining-cleantech-challenge-presenters.html



About dynaCERT Inc.

dynaCERT Inc. manufactures, distributes, and installs Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patent-pending technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through electrolysis and supplies these through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with all types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www. dynaCERT .com READER ADVISORY

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to the potential expansion into new markets, industries and segments, such as diesel- powered use of any the dynaCERT products and sales. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance of achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward- looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release. On Behalf of the Board

Murray James Payne, CEO For more information, please contact: Jim Payne, CEO & President

dynaCERT Inc.

#101  501 Alliance Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6N 2J1

(416) 766-9691 x 2

[email protected]dynaCERT.com Investor Relations

dynaCERT Inc.

Nancy Massicotte

(416) 766-9691 x 1

[email protected] dynaCERT .com

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[March 12, 2019] Enformion Builds Up Its Public Sector Expertise

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Enformion is proud to announce the addition of Philippe de Raet to its leadership team. As the new VP of Public Sector, de Raet brings decades of sales management experience in both the private and public sectors. "While I have worked in both the public and private sectors, I enjoy the mission behind public sector work," says de Raet. "It is very rewarding to feel as though you might make a difference by providing government and oversight agencies with the tools to mitigate against fraud, reduce the number of threats to our country, and assist in apprehending perpetrators." De Raet's prior public sector experience includes leadership roles at Experian and other credit bureaus, which involved closely partnering and working with government entities to ensure best practices in data use, verification and investigation. He was also Vice President of the Kantara Board of Trustees (a trusted government framework provider). There, he helped to define the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) e-authentication guidelines for user authentication within the government and healthcare verticals, as well as benefits eligibility and verification for programs at the state and local levels. The public sector's specialized data needs and challenges are what invigorate de Raet, as does his new role at Enformion. In short, he is very excited to have joind the team. He already has plans to expand and customize Enformion's data tools to meet the unique requirements of the many specific government agencies at the federal, state and local levels. Such enthusiasm, as well as de Raet's vast experience, are what convinced existing leadership that he was the right fit for this new role:



"Decades of working with the public sector, a variety of leadership roles therein, and always being up-to-date on the latest data and analytics make Philippe a great addition to the Enformion team," says Amber Higgins, Chief Executive Officer at Enformion. "He is the right person to lead our public sector initiatives, and to both anticipate and meet the data challenges faced by government agencies at all levels." Enformion is a leading aggregator of public records data for business and public sector. 30+ years in the data technology industry has resulted in a database of 42 billion up-to-date records for more than 250 million American adults, from 6000+ data sources. For more information about our customized government and enterprise data solutions, visit https://www.enformion.com or call (855) 281-3915. For public sector-specific data products and services, contact Philippe de Raet directly at [email protected].

Contact: Alexandra Siotos Partner Strategy Leader Enformion, Inc. (650) 208-4980 [email protected] Related Files Enformion PR - Philippe de Raet (final).docx View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enformion-builds-up-its-public-sector-expertise-300809595.html SOURCE Enformion

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[March 12, 2019] Generational Equity Advises iGov Solutions in Sale to i3 Verticals

DALLAS, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, iGov Solutions LLC, to i3 Verticals Inc. The acquisition closed February 28, 2019. iGov Solutions is a one-stop shop for regulatory licensing software solutions. The company created a state-of-the-art software product, Integrated Licensing and Enforcement Management System known as iLEMS, as a commercial off-the-shelf and software-as-a-service (SaaS) product that is hosted in a FedRamp Certified Microsoft Azure Cloud. iGov is based in Lake Mary, Florida. According to Prasad Valay, President and Founder of iGov Solutions, "The acquisition of iGov Solutions furthers our mission to help regulatory licensing boards and its licensees. The combination of our two companies unlocks the new and innovative ways to engage and accept new payment methods." i3 Verticals delivers seamlessly integrated payment and software solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses and other organizations in strategic vertical markets, such as education, non-profit, public, property management, and healthcare and to the business-to-business payments market. With a broad suite of payment and software solutions that address the specific needs of its clients i each strategic vertical market, i3 Verticals processed approximately $11.7 billion in total payment volume for the 12 months ending December 31, 2018. The public company is based in Nashville, Tennessee.



The iGov deal happened concurrently with another i3 Verticals acquisition as the payment company looks for ways to expand. "We are excited to announce completion of two acquisitions, one of which expands our markets in the public sector vertical and the other expands our integrated payment solutions into wireless internet service billing," said i3 Verticals CEO Greg Daily. "The combined purchase price for the two acquisitions was approximately $20 million."

"Our president, Rick Stanford, continues to source and execute high quality deals in attractive vertical markets," Daily continued. "We remain positive about expanding i3 Verticals through organic growth as well as additional acquisitions." Generational Equity Managing Director, William Hunter, successfully closed the deal. Executive Managing Director Edward Weber established the initial relationship with iGov. "This transaction will help our client take his business to the next level," said Hunter. "i3 Verticals gained a stable and growing customer base of recurring payments." About Generational Equity Generational Equity, Generational Capital Markets (member FINRA/SIPC), Generational Wealth Advisors, and DealForce are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America. With over 250 professionals located throughout North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing merger, acquisition, and wealth management services. Their four-step approach features exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, and M&A transactional services. The M&A Advisor named the company the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more information, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room. For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/generational-equity-advises-igov-solutions-in-sale-to-i3-verticals-300808690.html SOURCE Generational Equity

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[March 12, 2019] Le-Vel Hosts Thousands Of THRIVERS In Punta Cana

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Le-Vel, the world leader in human nutritional innovation, hosted thousands of THRIVERS at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana on idyllic Bavaro Beach from Feb. 28 - March 3. The trip was Le-Vel's latest Lifestyle Getaway  a vacation awarded to qualified Le-Vel Brand Promoters in recognition of their commitment to help others achieve improved health, wellness and vitality. Le-Vel's Lifestyle Getaways are among the incentives included in the company's extensive rewards plan, considered one of the richest in the direct selling industry. As the only completely virtual company in the direct selling industry, Le-Vel is able to keep overhead to a minimum and allocate additional investment in its Promoter and Customer rewards as well as its product ingredients, formulas and delivery systems. More than 85,000 people have taken free vacation getaways with Le-Vel since the company launched in 2012, traveling to such spots as Las Vegas, Cabo San Lucas, New Orleans, San Francisco, Cancun, Toronto, San Diego, New York, Alaska, Italy and the Caribbean. Guests are treated to luxury accommodations, parties and excursions, along with exclusive product news. At Punta Cana, attendees were the first to receive the news about two brand-new Le-Vel products: THRIVE Blast Premium Antioxidant Beverage and THRIVE DFT Ultra 2.0. The company also provided guests with a sneak preview of its new product line destined to be the largest launch in Le-Vel history. These new proprietary products will be a part of the CBD revolution and will launch April 27 in Fort Worth, Texas at THRIVEPALOOZA, Le-Vel's largest event of the year. Since Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Jason Camper and Paul Gravette launched the company in 2012, Le-Vel has grown to more than 8 million Promoter and Cusomer accounts. That incredible growth is largely attributable to products that are not only effective but simple to use, along with rich rewards and a community of passionate individuals focused on spreading the THRIVE Movement across the globe. "Our Lifestyle Getaways bring together people from all over the world who are not only THRIVING, but are also passionate about showing others how to live happier, healthier lives," say Camper and Gravette.



About Le-Vel Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel formulates and sells nutritional/health and wellness products and is the only health and wellness company that uses cloud-based technology for its day-to-day operations.

Le-Vel products include the THRIVE Experience (consisting of the three core products THRIVE Premium Lifestyle DFT, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsules and THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Mix), Activate, Balance, Blast, Black Label, Boost, BURN, Cafe, DUO, Expand, FORM, THRIVE BITES, THRIVEFIT, THRIVE K, Move, PRO, Rest, Pure, Ultra, and White Label. Le-Vel has more than 8 million Customer and Brand Promoter accounts, currently ships within the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. In early 2018, less than six years after the company's inception, Le-Vel reached a milestone of $1.5 billion in lifetime orders. For more information about Le-Vel, visit www.le-vel.com , the Le-Vel Facebook Page , Le-Vel on Twitter , Instagram and the Le-Vel YouTube Channel . Media Contact: Liz Reuth, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/le-vel-hosts-thousands-of-thrivers-in-punta-cana-300810379.html SOURCE Le-Vel Brands

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[March 12, 2019] Nexteer Reports Strong 2018 Financial Results

Company Added New Customers and Continued Global Footprint Expansion in 2018 AUBURN HILLS, Michigan, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexteer Automotive today reported annual results for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, with revenue reaching US$3.912 billion, an increase of 0.9% when compared with 2017. Profit attributable to equity holders for the year ended December 31, 2018 rose 7.9% to US$380 million compared with 2017. Nexteer generated US$97 million in total cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2018 which included the early paydown of US$43 million of debt balances under the company's disciplined capital allocation approach. Nexteer's backlog stood at US$25.2 billion at the end of 2018  a 5.4% increase year-over-year from 2017. "Our strong 2018 financial performance and continued enterprise diversification among product lines, customers and regions demonstrate that Nexteer is well-positioned for the future," said Guibin Zhao, Chairman and CEO of Nexteer Automotive. "These results highlight our commitment to delivering long-term profitable growth for shareholders and long-term value for our customers, suppliers, employees and society." In the past two years, the Company has added five new electric power steering (EPS) customers  bringing its total number of customers globally to more than 60. In addition to gaining new customers, Nexteer has increased product exposure with current customers. By leveraging strong relationships and consistent product quality and customer service, Nexteer secured several additional product applications at targeted customers during 2018. Nexteer also continued expansion and diversification of ts global footprint in regions strategically important to key customers. In 2018, Nexteer opened a new manufacturing facility in Queretaro, Mexico and broke ground on new facilities in Chennai, India; Kenitra, Morocco; and Wuhan, China. Nexteer also announced the addition of a software centre in India to support growing demand for software-enabled functionality in advanced steering applications. Both the India Software Centre and the Chennai, India manufacturing facility celebrated their grand openings in January 2019.



Nexteer's 2018 results also demonstrate the Company's focus on execution and innovation. In 2018, the Company successfully launched 22 new customer programs across multiple product lines, regions and customers, including the award-winning Fiat Chrysler Ram 1500 in North America. Working with global OEM customers and other industry partnerships, such as Continental and WABCO, Nexteer continued to strengthen its technology leadership and progressed the commercial readiness of new steering applications. Our dedication to relentless innovation enables us to differentiate Nexteer as we solve motion control challenges for today's world and an automated future, which makes us a leader in intuitive motion control. "In addition to Nexteer's relentless efforts being rewarded in business performance, our 2018 efforts were also validated by prestigious customer awards and industry recognition for technology innovations, quality and supplier-partner relationships," said Zhao.

Some of the most notable customer awards that Nexteer received in 2018 were from two key customers  GM and Ford. In 2018, Nexteer received GM's top Innovation Award for its High Availability EPS that delivers advanced safety to enable Levels 3  5 ADAS capabilities in automated driving. Ford recognized Nexteer's manufacturing innovation and quality with two awards  the 2018 World Excellence Award and a Silver Award for Manufacturing Excellence. In addition, Nexteer also earned several industry recognitions  most notably Frost & Sullivan's Engineering & Production Technology Leadership Award for its virtual process simulations and real-time monitoring technologies that significantly reduce cost, optimize processes, enhance quality and improve product performance. ABOUT NEXTEER

Nexteer Automotive (HK 1316), a global leader in intuitive motion control, is a multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business delivering electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems, as well as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving technologies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company has 25 manufacturing plants, three technical centers and 14 customer service centers strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The company serves more than 60 customers in every major region of the world including BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, PSA Group, Toyota and VW, as well as automakers in India and China. www.nexteer.com IMAGES: Click here for Nexteer's Media Center that Includes Logos, Executive Headshots and Product Images SOURCE Nexteer Automotive

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[March 12, 2019] Nielsen, Headset And Deloitte Announce A Strategic Alliance To Provide Data & Insights To Legal Cannabis Market In Canada

MARKHAM, Ontario, March 12, 2019 /CNW/ -- Today Nielsen, Headset and Deloitte announced a strategic alliance that will provide key stakeholders in the cannabis space with critical market insights to understand federally regulated cannabis consumption and sales in Canada. The alliance will bring various data-driven offerings to the market which will allow businesses in the cannabis industry to make informed decisions for their business and customers. The alliance members bring together data and insights that will provide real-time market intelligence for the cannabis industry and allow clients to monitor the competitive landscape, identify opportunities and stay ahead of industry trends as never before. In addition, clients will be able to easily explore pricing, category, segment, shopper insights, and brand trends to help discover opportunities in the marketplace to drive success in the evolving legal cannabis market. "Our clientsfrom life science and retail, to financial institutions and governmentare all looking for the same thing: information to drive action and growth," says Jennifer Lee, Deloitte Canada partner, who leads both the Consumer Advisory and Analytics Practice, and the Cannabis sector for the firm in Canada and globally. "We want to see our clients succeed, which is why this alliance is so important. With this strategic alliance, we are bringing together the top organizations in the consumer and cannabis space, because we know that insight-driven organizations are more successful. When Canadian businesses succeedfrom cannabis entrepreneurs to our largest clientsour country succeeds." With Canada becoming the first G7 country globally to legalize recreational cannabis, an entirely new industry has opened up bringing opportunity, innovation and entrepreneurship; as well as, some unknowns. With this alliance, actionable data insights from consumers and retail outlets will provide a competitive advantage to clients looking to understand the cannabis market to ensure they are executing fundamentals as effectively as those in traditional fast-moving consumer goods categories.



Canada, it is critical that organizations leverage data to drive informed decisions in this fast-moving and rapidly developing space," says Cy Scott , CEO, Headset. "With this strategic alliance, we are able to provide clients with unprecedented access to insights that facilitate their success in this new market that is rich with opportunity." "With cannabis legal across Canada, it is imperative that those involved in the industry and those looking to join, have real-time market intelligence available for the cannabis industry," says Mike Ljubicic, Managing Director, Nielsen Canada. "This strategic alliance, along with our full suite of complementary cannabis tools, will help our retail and manufacturing clients and those looking to enter the market, to monitor the evolution of legal cannabis in Canada. Understanding the cannabis space is important to mitigate threats and identify future opportunities, as it will impact categories across the FMCG landscape."

ABOUT DELOITTE

Deloitte provides audit & assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500 companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights and service to address clients' most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte's approximately 264,000 professionals9,400 of whom are based in Canadamake an impact that matters, please connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms. ABOUT HEADSET

Headset is the leading cannabis data and analytics provider, turning retail data into real-time market insights. Identify opportunities in the emerging cannabis market by discovering the segments, brands, and products that are resonating with consumers, and/or understand market trends to better recognize and mitigate potential threats to your existing business. Powered by real-time transaction data from retailer POS systems along with a proprietary product catalog and dictionary, Headset provides an unprecedented view into this emerging market. For additional information, please visit www.headset.io ABOUT NIELSEN

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data sources to help clients around the world understand what's happening now, what's happening next, and how to best act on this knowledge. For more than 90 years Nielsen has provided data and analytics based on scientific rigor and innovation, continually developing new ways to answer the most important questions facing the media, advertising, retail and fast-moving consumer goods industries. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world's population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com. SOURCE Nielsen

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[March 12, 2019] PandaHall Reports over 300% Increase in Sales in Japan

WUHAN, China, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PandaHall, an online shopping website focused on jewelry, accessories, and handicrafts, has announced its rate of sales in Japan has seen an increase of 316% and, with this increase, has achieved its first quarter sales aim of 2019 in advance. Since its founding in 2003, PandaHall has been developing more websites in different languages, including Japanese, in order to expand its global footprint. The uptick in business in Japan is due largely to the company's recent focus, as developed by the PandaHall CEO, on handicrafts and the ashion trends of Japan. With the shift of focus and the support of the company's employees, the company achieved the increase in sales by early March 2019.



PandaHall is a key provider of jewelry and other accessories. The online platform is a one-stop service for customers to buy both jewelry and the various materials needed to create it, such as jewelry beads, pendants, charms, wires, threads, and links. By cooperating with multiple suppliers, PandaHall is able to supply its products with ease and competitive pricing. Its online platform also provides picture and video tutorials for making jewelry, ranging from beginner level to advanced. Aiming at becoming a more influential and trusted platform in the field of jewelry sales and design, PandaHall is cooperating with more enterprises and individual entrepreneurs to extend sourcing and markets.

For more information, please visit https://jp.pandahall.com/ or e-mail [email protected]. SOURCE PandaHall

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[March 12, 2019] Ruili Airlines becomes RMS's 100th customer of airRM

SEATTLE, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Revenue Management Systems, an Accelya Group Company (RMS), is proud to announce that it has been selected to provide Ruili Airlines with its state-of-the-art revenue management system, airRM. Ruili Airlines is the 100th customer of RMS worldwide and the 6th in Mainland China. The other Chinese customers are Beijing Capital Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Shandong Airlines, China United Airlines and Tibet Airlines.

Ruili Airlines was established in 2014 May and is owned by the Yunnan Jingcheng Group. Ruili Airlines serves 34 destinations domestically and internationally. Their fleet size is 18 and estimated to grow to 30 in 2020 and to 80 in 2025. Considering the fast growing pace and the intense competition in the market, Ruili Airlines was looking for a comprehensive revenue management system to support its growth and success, helping them improve work efficiency and make the best market decisions. We spent a long period of time researching RM systems, and found airRM as a leading RM system in todays market. It not only provides comprehensive inventory management and reporting tools, but also implemented the RM models that suit the China market. Lin Xiao, GM of Marketing Department in Ruili Airlines, said We believe airRM can analyze data to identify sales opportunities and help us make better and more profitable decisions. airRM is a continually evolving airline revenue management system with ground-breaking tools that integrate and isplay a wealth of critical information from multiple sources. In the coming years, Ruili Airlines will take advantage of airRM to analyze flight performance and closely control pricing to maximize passenger revenues.



"We warmly welcome our sixth customer in mainland China joining the airRM family!" said Jesper Teng, Sales and Account Management Manager of RMS APAC, "Ruili Airlines is one of the leading regional Airlines in southwest China. We are looking forward to providing the most advanced revenue management technology to Ruili Airlines, to support their strategic expanding plan. About Ruili Airlines

Ruili Airlines is founded by Yunnan Jingcheng Group. Taking advantage of the rich ethnic cultural resources in Yunnan, Ruili Airlines has become an airline with a unique ethnic culture identity. It serves 51 domestic markets and 7 international markets, with 94 daily flights. The domestic destinations cover 34 cities from 14 provinces, 2 autonomous regions and 2 municipalities in China. 7 international routes serve Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. More information about Ruili Airlines may be found at https://www.rlair.net/

About RMS

Revenue Management Systems (RMS), an Accelya Group Company, is a global leader in revenue management solutions for the aviation, rail, and cargo industries. Our software helps more than 100 Airlines, rail operators, and cargo carriers worldwide make faster, smarter and more profitable decisions, driven by innovation and foresight. RMS is headquartered in Seattle, Washington (USA) with offices in Australia, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and Singapore. More information about airRM and RMS may be found at www.revenuemanagement.com . About Accelya

Accelya is a leading provider of financial, commercial and analytics solutions to the airline and travel industry. Accelya helps Airlines integrate and simplify their financial processes; to better manage costs, risks, revenue leakages, cash flows, profitability and overall business performance. Accelyas commercial solutions help Airlines steer sales and strengthen their business relationship with travel agents. It provides insights on airline sales performance, agent performance, route performance and instantly identifies potential for growth. Backed by solid data, Accelyas analytics and consulting services enable Airlines to take informed decisions by forecasting market trends, identifying revenue opportunities and optimizing costs. With over 250 airline customers, Accelyas operations are spread across 19 countries and employs over 3000 professionals worldwide. For more information please visit www.accelya.com. Contact Mark Lafferty at +44 7715 170369 / [email protected]

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[March 12, 2019] Securities America Recruits the Lanzetta Group, a Philadelphia Metro-Based Super-OSJ with 11 Advisors and $175 Million in Total Client Assets

Securities America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA, LTSL, LTSF, LTSK), announced today that the Lanzetta Group, a Super-OSJ group with approximately $175 million in total client assets and 11 advisors, has joined the firm's platform. John Lanzetta, principal of independent wealth management firm LifeSpan Financial in Quakertown, Pa, serves as the group's OSJ. Gregg Johnson, Securities America's executive vice president of branch office development and acquisitions, said, "The advisors of the Lanzetta Group have a proven track record, and we are excited to welcome them to our platform. The group sought an independent advisory and brokerage partner that combined stability, friendly service and a tight-knit culture with the extensive resources of our parent company, Ladenburg Thalmann, to support their growth. Securities America is committed to taking already-strong performers like the Lanzetta Group to the next level with our industry-leading technology, training and support, and we are pleased that our value proposition in serving large producer groups continues to resonate with advisors across the country." The 11-advisor Lanzetta Group, which includes practices located in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida, provides individuals, as well as small businesses and their employees, with a broad range of financial services, including long-term retirement planning, wealth management advice, assistance with employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans and insurance strategies. Mr. Lanzetta said, "Over the years, our advisors have built successful businesses by consistently focusing on their clients' needs. Each advisor in our group has their own approach and their own vision of success. What really impressed us during our extensive due diligence process was Securities America's understanding of the full range of those businesses, along with their ability to support each one of them. With Securities America's resources, infrastructure and respect for our advisors' independence, we look forward to stepping our growth into high gear. We are now able to drive even stronger results for our advisors and better service for our clients." Mr. Johnson concluded, "Joining Securities America's platformpositions the Lanzetta Group to remain the independent, client-focused advisors they have always been, while also tapping into the power of our practice management expertise, thought leadership in retirement income planning and other areas, and value-added technology capabilities. We bring to the table a proven ability to help advisors achieve real growth, meaning we empower them to create practices that fulfill their expectations for quality of life for themselves, for their teams and for their clients."



About Securities America

Securities America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA, LTSL, LTSF, LTSK), is one of the nation's largest independent advisory and brokerage firms, with more than 2,580 independent advisors and more than $93 billion in client assets as of Sept. 30, 2018. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA / SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors. Securities America and Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. are separate entities from all other entities named.

About Ladenburg Thalmann

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA, LTSL, LTSF, LTSK) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company based in Miami, Florida. Ladenburg's subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services, as well as Premier Trust, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Highland Capital Brokerage, a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services, a full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. The company is committed to investing in the growth of its subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com. This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding future growth. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of Ladenburg Thalmann's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include those set forth in Ladenburg Thalmann's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other factors detailed from time to time in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Further, investors should keep in mind that Ladenburg Thalmann's quarterly revenue and profits can fluctuate materially depending on many factors, including the number, size and timing of completed offerings and other transactions. Accordingly, Ladenburg Thalmann's revenue and profits in any particular quarter may not be indicative of future results. Ladenburg Thalmann is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005095/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Social Solutions Global Awards Kansas City LINC and St. Louis ARCHS with Ballmer Group Investment Matching Grants

Social Solutions Global today announced Kansas City Local Investment Commission (LINC) and St. Louis Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) as recipients of Social Solutions matching grants using funding from Ballmer Group. The matching grants will defray 50 percent of the licensing costs for Social Solutions' leading case management and analytics solution, Apricot 360. Both organizations are significant providers of out-of-school time child care in their communities, supporting critical initiatives including early childhood education, correctional re-entry programs, and fostered youth programs, and serve as crucial coordinating hubs in their respective communities. The matching grant includes other community partners that are part of the Missouri Family and Community Trust (MoFACT), a private-public sector partnership that consists of the major state agencies involved in social services and education. With their Apricot 360 licenses, LINC, ARCHS and the other Missouri community partnerships can now: harness data for more comprehensive reporting

proactively identify risks and take action

address chronic absenteeism

support education enrichment in out-of-school time programs "Robust, state-of-the art data systems are needed to tackle complex community issues that straddle jurisdictions, funding streams or single-focused initiatives," said Brent Schondelmeyer, deputy director of community engagement for Kansas City LINC. "Upgrading to Apricot 360 will allow us to effectively address the myriad of issues, such as absenteeism, hat often affect working poor families facing the enormous pressures of improving the futures of their children."



The news comes on the heels of the recent partnership with Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), the first district in the country to join Social Solutions and Ballmer Group's initiative to share data for better integration between school districts and local nonprofit programs. The partnership between KCPS and Social Solutions will allow LINC to incorporate student data, like grades and attendance, to better assess its impact in advancing the success of specific students participating in their programs. "We're thrilled to expand our partnerships throughout Kansas City and St. Louis and are inspired by the dedication of these organizations in supporting at-risk students and families in their communities," said Kristin Nimsger, CEO of Social Solutions. "With more robust access to insights and data, these organizations can take their work to the next level and support students where they need it most."

LINC and Social Solutions are working together closely to develop powerful tools that specifically address chronic absenteeism, a problem affecting 13.8% of Missouri students. Apricot 360 can proactively identify those at higher risk of absenteeism from instances such as eviction, flagging the risk to caseworkers along with recommended steps to help ensure the student remains on track in their education. "Absenteeism is a growing concern, and historically the solution has been to evoke legal action against students that are chronically absent," said Hedy Chang, director of the California-based Attendance Works. "However, there is a need for solutions that are not solely focused on the fact students are absent, but that identify the reason behind the absences and how the community can better support each child." "In St. Louis, ARCHS is committed to disrupting cycles of intergenerational poverty by advancing lifelong learning, and a large part of this is providing holistic support of each student and family," said Wendell E. Kimbrough, Chief Executive Officer of ARCHS. "With this matching grant, the Apricot 360 solution will enhance ARCHS' strategic consulting and technical support services for our grantees related to data management and program evaluation." To find out if an organization qualifies for these matching grants, or to learn more about Social Solutions' Apricot 360 solution visit: https://www.socialsolutions.com/software/apricot-360/. About Social Solutions Global Social Solutions Global, the provider of Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) and Apricot Software, specializes in outcomes management software for human services, workforce, and education programs. Across the globe, our software is the leader in equipping thousands of organizations with the tools needed to transform the lives of children, adults, and families by making data useful to staff at all levels, from case managers to executive leadership. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @SocialSolutions. About ARCHS Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) funds and strategically enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families facing disparities and disadvantages in St. Louis' most impoverished communities. ARCHS' 30 funded programs currently serve 180,000 people in more than 300 business, education, faith-based, and community locations. Follow us on Twitter: @stlarchs. About LINC The Local Investment Commission is a non-profit community collaborative involving efforts by the state of Missouri to work with neighborhood leaders, citizens, business, civic and labor leaders to improve the lives of children and families in the Kansas City region. Follow us on Twitter @kclinc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005152/en/

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[March 12, 2019] StrongKey Awarded Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Award 2019 for Leading Edge Encryption

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- StrongKey announced today it has won the Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Award for Leading Edge Encryption. Culled from almost 3,000 global submissions, these awards focus on the most innovative solutions that the magazine's experts believe can actually stop cybercrime. Click to Tweet: [email protected] Awarded Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Award for Leading Edge #Encryption: http://bit.ly/StrongKeyCDM2019 #authentication StrongKey provides application-layer cryptographic security solutions that are trusted in mission-critical business operations by some of the largest companies in payment processing, e-commerce, healthcare, finance and telecommunications. Deeper data security: By securing data at its corethrough the use of strong authentication, encryption and digital signaturesand supported by hardware-based key management, StrongKey is redefining how businesses and government agencies protect their information even with an attacker on the network.

By securing data at its corethrough the use of strong authentication, encryption and digital signaturesand supported by hardware-based key management, StrongKey is redefining how businesses and government agencies protect their information even with an attacker on the network. Stronger encryption key management: Capable of managing billions of sensitive data objects, StrongKey Tellaro provides secure key storage and management of encryption keys within each appliance's standard FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certified Trusted Platform Module (TPM) or optional FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified Hardware Security Module (HSM) cryptoprocessor.

Capable of managing billions of sensitive data objects, StrongKey Tellaro provides secure key storage and management of encryption keys within each appliance's standard FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certified Trusted Platform Module (TPM) or optional FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified Hardware Security Module (HSM) cryptoprocessor. Goodbye, passwords: StrongKey implements new industry-standard authentication protocols from the FIDO Alliance, eliminating the insecurity and annoyance of passwords and preventing phishing attacks. Arshad Noor, CTO, StrongKey, said: "StrongKey's mission is to make breaches irrelevant by encrypting and securely storing data so that it's useless to cybercrminals. It's very gratifying to win this important award because it means the industry understands the critical importance of what we do: build strong encryption and authentication solutions that secure enterprise data."



Pierluigi Paganini, Editor-in-Chief, Cyber Defense Magazine, said: "With cybercrime continuing to gain momentum, surpassing global drug crime last year and projected to reach over $1 trillion in theft and damages in 2019, we are proud to see StrongKey as an award-winning innovator, offering a new approach to defeat these criminals." About StrongKey

StrongKey, Inc. is a privately held company based in Silicon Valley, California. It is the leader in enterprise key management infrastructure, bringing new levels of capability and data security at a price point significantly lower than other solutions on the market. Providing products and services in symmetric key management, encryption, tokenization and PKI, StrongKey is focused on securing data in cloud computing, e-commerce, healthcare, finance and other sectors mandating protection of sensitive data. StrongKey's solutions are installed at customer sites around the world and are key components of mission-critical business operations.

About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's 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 "What's 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. PR contact:

Katrina Porter

Nadel Phelan, Inc.

831-440-2406

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strongkey-awarded-cyber-defense-magazine-infosec-award-2019-for-leading-edge-encryption-300810633.html SOURCE StrongKey

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[March 12, 2019] Utah's Tech Outcomes Show the Way Out of Nation's Tech Shortage

LEHI, Utah, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bottega is giving back in a big way to the community that has allowed it to experience tremendous growth. "We've already given more than $5 million of educational programs to high school students and teachers, and have plans to give another $5 million this summer. These programs are important to us because they directly address the needs of Utah in two critical areas, while also giving us the data we need to evolve our learning platform," says Eric Wold, Founder and CEO of Bottega. Wold continued: "First, they expose 1,000s of bright young people to enjoyable hands-on coding programs that get them excited about careers in technology, with more than one-third of the participants being young women. While we'd like to see that number even higher, it's far above the national average, so we are moving in the right direction. It's very exciting to see these young people exceed preconceived expectations as they work through adult level computer science workshops and pick up industry ready career skills. "Second, we are targeting one of the biggest challenges that schools have struggled with, and that's a shortage in teachers with the required Computer Science Endorsement credential. School districts can be stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to make a difference when they don't have enough qualified teachers to offer more sections of computer science classes, and subsequently have a hard time giving the learning experience each student needs. Once the State Board of Education recognized our programs by allowing Bottega to grant the Computer Science Endorsement training to public teachers, we stepped up by offering our training free to all public teachers. To date, 119 teachers have begun training that will allow the schools to offer more classes. "People ask why a growing start-up would prioritize giving so much to the community. My answer is that technology education can be the great equalizer that brings economic security and freedom to every home and person that wants it. Governor Herbert gave us the economic climate, and pro-business and education policies that set the stage, but the private sector has to step up and answer that call, by partnering with the state, and through serious research and development into education innovation. We ca't sit back and expect the state to do it all."



Pro-education and technology innovation policies have been a driving force behind these nonprofit impact efforts with all of the following playing significant roles: Bottega

Governor Herbert's administration

Code to Success

STEM Action Center

Representative John Knotwell

The Utah Technology Council

Mytechhigh.com

Congressman John Curtis

Utah State Board of Education

Participating School Districts: Alpine , Box Elder , Cache , Canyons, Davis , Granite, Jordan , Logan , Morgan , Nebo, Ogden , Provo , Rich , Salt Lake, San Juan and Tooele These sustainable programs will continue to grow year over year and impact more people. With community support to match the contributions, the impact could grow even faster.

Outcome highlights so far: Trained 1,000+ Utah high school students in 2017-2018; another 1,000+ expected in the Summer of 2019 (in partnership with Code to Success)

high school students in 2017-2018; another 1,000+ expected in the Summer of 2019 (in partnership with Code to Success) Training 119 Utah high school teachers, enabling them to receive Computer Science endorsements

Training 510+ women as Software Engineers as a part of the Women in Tech initiative

initiative Launched veterans training in partnership with Utah VA services

Launched a training partnership with the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) targeting economic-needs recipients

Employed hundreds of Utah residents through partnerships with 127 innovative local and national companies

residents through partnerships with 127 innovative local and national companies Established a partnership with Rural Utah lead by Emery and Carbon counties. The Office of Rural Development (ORD) works with businesses in Utah's rural counties, providing resources and programs to sustain business and improve employment opportunities. Programs currently offered by Bottega: Free summer Bootcamp programs for high schools in partnership with Code to Success

Free online public teacher training with support

Paid on-site public teacher training in partnership with Alpine , Nebo and Provo school districts

, Nebo and school districts Adult computer science training at on-site locations in Lehi Utah , Dawson Montana , Phoenix Arizona

, , Adult computer science training online Fili Ledezma

801.980.3664, Ext #5

[email protected] Related Images bottega.png

Bottega bottega-staff-with-advanced.jpg

Bottega Staff with AdvancEd Accreditation Board - October, 2018 Related Links Bottega Home Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnsHMPfv8PI View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/utahs-tech-outcomes-show-the-way-out-of-nations-tech-shortage-300811102.html SOURCE Bottega

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[March 12, 2019] ZENOPTICS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN "INNOVATIVE ANALYTICS IN ACTION" SESSION AT GARTNER'S DATA & ANALYTICS SUMMIT IN ORLANDO

San Jose, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZENOPTICS, an emerging leader in self-service business intelligence consumption platforms that revolutionize the democratization of data and analysis, today announced it has been invited to demonstrate its solution at the Innovative Analytics in Action: Emerging Trends You Need to Know session at next weeks Gartner Data & Analytics Summit, being held in Orlando. At the Gartner conference, ZENOPTICS (booth #906) will demonstrate how its enterprise business intelligence and analytics hub slashes decision-making time by presenting a unified view of reports from market-leading vendors such as Salesforce, Tableau, SAP and many others. It is designed to enable companies to comply more easily with a myriad of governance regulations, such as Europes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Californias forthcoming Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and more. It can also increase operational efficiencies by as much as 70% and reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by 10%, through decreased costs in staffing, software and migration, as well as lowered costs in report creation and maintenance. ZENOPTICS is available either via the cloud or on-premises. The self-service solution leverages companies existing investments in BI, Data and Anlytics, unleashing their potential usage to a wider audience. Specifically designed for rapid deployment, Zenoptics enables instant visibility, searchability and traceability across multiple sources, enabling end-users to easily interact with all of a companys reports from various vendors in one dashboard. It is specifically designed for ease of use, with users being able to access reports from disparate locations, merging them into a unified view through a three-click process. It also leverages advanced machine learning to recommend or suggest reports based on the consumption patterns of other users.



Gartner research defines an analytics and BI portal tool as Provid(ing) a portal to all analytics and BI content to help users find reports and dashboards regardless of which tool was used to author the underlying content.1 Its more important than ever for companies to gain a unified view from all of their reporting sources, so that they can make the most profitable business decisions, said Saurbh Khera, ZENOPTICS Chief Executive Officer. We will demonstrate the value of ZENOPTICS single consumption platform to Summit attendees; we firmly believe our solution provides greater and immediate opportunities for BI and analytics users to gain greater insights from their data more quickly, accurately, and completely than ever before.

About ZENOPTICS

ZENOPTICS ( www.zenoptics.com ) mission is to help its customers leverage their existing investments and dramatically improve the usage of existing investments in data and analytics. ZENIOPTICS is designed to provide rapid ROI on the investments made across the BI landscape. The company achieves this by simplifying the consumption of data and visualization tools with most modern technology based on industry standard open-source software. ZENOPTICS is one of a kind product in the market, promoting Self-Service BI Governance.



1 Select the Right Analytics and Business Intelligence for the Right User and Use Case, Cindi Howson, published June 1, 2018



Saurbh Khera [email protected] 408.452.8500

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[March 11, 2019] Security Orchestration Market to 2027 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Component; Deployment Type; Function; Type of Enterprise; and End User

LONDON, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global security orchestration market was valued at US$ 0.84 Bn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 7.7 Bn by 2027 with an attractive CAGR growth rate of 28.8% in the forecast period. Factors such as high year-on-year spending towards security orchestration and growing company's annual revenue are expected to fuel the security orchestration market growth in the coming years.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5751943



The global market for cyber security has witnessed some profound changes in the past few years owing to growing awareness towards data security, coupled with an increase in the number of threats related to cyber security.Moreover, the rise in adoption of various IT enabled services & solutions growing the popularity of connected devices has further boosted the amount of data generated daily subsequently resulting in vast scope for potential vulnerabilities that need effective management as well as containment.



Thus, the surge in demand for effective and efficient cyber security solutions that offers seamless monitoring of various alerts, events notification and reporting of unauthorized access is anticipated to be the significant market driving force for the global security orchestration market in the coming years.



The global security orchestration market has witnessed substantial growth in the past few years owing to unprecedented investment focused towards minimizing enterprise exposure towards cyber threats and automation of low-level threats alerts and notification.Also, the continuous investment towards leveraging the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning towards facilitating efficient incident management and automated response has fueled the market growth especially among developed economies such as North America and Europe.







Whereas among emerging economies in Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions the growing end-user industries coupled along with the government expenditure towards critical and important infrastructure is expected to drive the market growth in these regions.



The overall security orchestration market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the security orchestration market.





It also provides the overview and forecast for the global security orchestration market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to five major reasons such as North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , Middle East & Africa , and South America.Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis.



The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the Security orchestration industry. Some of the players present in the security orchestration market are CyberSponse, Inc., DFLabs S.p.A., FireEye, Inc., Microsoft Corporation (Hexadite), Tufin, Phantom Cyber Corporation (Splunk Inc.), Demisto, Inc., Siemplify Ltd., Cyberbit Ltd. and Swimlane LLC among others.



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 security orchestration market, thereby allowing players 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 commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5751943



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/security-orchestration-market-to-2027---global-analysis-and-forecasts-by-component-deployment-type-function-type-of-enterprise-and-end-user-300810017.html SOURCE ReportBuyer

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[March 11, 2019] Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market to 2027 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Equipment Type; End Use; Dimension

LONDON, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market accounted for US$ 62.10 Bn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period 2019-2027, to account for US$ 101.58 Bn in 2027. Factors including Convergence of electronics and automotive industry driving the quest for semiconductor manufacturing is significantly driving the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market. However, the rapidly changing nature of technology requiring consistent changes in manufacturing equipment is impeding the market growth. Proliferation of Artificial Intelligence, IoT and connected devices across industry verticals is opportunistic for the growth of the market. For instance, The Asia Pacific region is projected to showcase robust technological growth in forthcoming years, owing to the investment directed towards research & development activities over upcoming technologies. Increasing use of the technology and processes in industries for manufacturing of semiconductor equipment across developing countries such as India, South Korea and Taiwan is projected to further increase the market of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the region.



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The semiconductor manufacturing equipment market is fragmented with the presence of several industries and the competitive dynamics in the market is expected to change during the upcoming years.In addition to this, various initiatives are undertaken by the governmental bodies to accelerate the industrial automation control market further.



For instance, Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) is the chief U.S. R&D semiconductor program managed by the Semiconductor Research Corporation. The NRI supports university research to find a replacement beyond the limits of current semiconductor technology. At present, vigorous research is in progress in the U.S. for development of new technology that will lead a nanoelectronics era, much as the U.S. has managed the microelectronics era for the past 50 years. Along with industry, the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and state governments and universities are in the forefront of the NRI. Similarly, the semiconductor product uses AI applications for which the European Union policies assist the businesses to optimize capabilities of AI. The AI depends upon semiconductor industry to create memory chips and other related components to store and process the data. Certainly, the semiconductors plays a vital role in part of data generation which further creates ned to develop new chip design in order to store enormous data. This would further create the demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment among the semiconductor industries. This initiative provides multiple benefits to the companies and thus increasing the growth of semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in the region.







On the basis of equipment type, the Wafer Manufacturing Equipment segment is leading the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market followed by the Test Equipment segment are anticipated to grow at a CAGR.The wafer manufacturing equipment is a first equipment used in the production of semiconductor products.



It includes single crystal manufacturing equipment, wafer processing equipment, and inspection and metrology equipment & others.The manufacturing of ICs is complex and might involves over 50 unique pieces of semiconductor equipment.





In this procedure silica is used as an input to produce ultrapure ingots and then wafers are used to build ICs which are shipped to the vast clientele.The wafer manufacturing equipment are available in different forms and most of which is specified to growing, removing, depositing materials from the wafer.



Some of the wafer fabrication equipment includes epitaxial reactors, oxidation systems, etching equipment, physical vapor deposition systems, diffusion systems, ion implantation equipment, photolithography equipment, and chemical vapor deposition systems. The equipment deposits and removes many and unique materials from wafer in a specific patterns. And this process continues until circuit is entirely built on the wafer.



The overall semiconductor manufacturing equipment market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with an exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market.



It also provides the overview and forecast for the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to five major reasons such as North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , the Middle East and Africa , and South America.Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis.



The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry. Some of the players present in semiconductor manufacturing equipment market are Advantest Corporation, Applied Materials, Inc., ASML Holding N.V., Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, KLA Corporation, Lam Research Corporation, Rudolph Technologies, Inc., Screen Holdings Co., Ltd., Teradyne Inc., and Tokyo Electron Ltd. among others.



Reasons to Buy

Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment 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 semiconductor manufacturing equipment 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 commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5751944



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-to-2027---global-analysis-and-forecasts-by-equipment-type-end-use-dimension-300810019.html SOURCE ReportBuyer

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[March 11, 2019] Qantas and Mileslife Forge Strategic Tie-up to Boost Avenues for Points Earning

SHANGHAI, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Qantas and Mileslife today announced a strategic partnership, enabling Qantas Frequent Flyer members to earn Qantas Points on the Mileslife's network of over 30,000 dining, retail and everyday merchants and products. The partnership will allow Qantas Frequent Flyer members to earn Qantas Points throughout Mainland China, Singapore and Hong Kong through a wide range of merchants including dining, hotels, spas and recreation activities as well as retail outlets. Partners include Michelin-starred restaurants such as Yong Yi Ting at Mandarin Oriental Shanghai, JAAN Singapore and PENTHOUSE Hong Kong, as well as popular casual dining outlets like Mellower Coffee, Si Chuan Dou Hua and HABITU. Qantas Frequent Flyers using the Mileslife app can further earn Qantas Points when they shop on Mileslife's mobile store in Mainland China which features over 10,000 products. They can also earn points at a world-class selection of over 20 luxury retail stores at Luxury Fashion Galleria Resorts World Sentosa. Troy Liu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer stated: "We are thrilled to announce this strategic partnership with Qantas Loyalty, the ioneer of modern airline loyalty programs. Through a single, seamless channel Qantas Frequent Flyers will benefit from access to a wider network of points accumulation options across travel, business and pleasure in 12 cities."



Olivia Wirth, Qantas Loyalty Chief Executive Officer said: "Qantas Frequent Flyer members are some of the best travelled in the world. So we're excited to partner with Mileslife to provide more international opportunities to earn points and be rewarded for our members travelling and living abroad in Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China." To celebrate the launch of the partnership, new users who download, register and link their Qantas Frequent Flyer account on Mileslife from today until 11 April 2019 will be entitled to earn 2,500 Qantas Points when they make a minimum spend of RMB 200*.

All users can also earn an additional 150 Qantas Points with every RMB 200 cumulative spend on Mileslife during the campaign period (capped at 7,500 bonus Qantas Points per user)*. *Full terms and conditions are available on the app. Download the app at https://www.mileslife.com/ About Mileslife (www.mileslife.com) Mileslife is a direct mileage earning app that allows users to earn their preferred frequent flyer miles from their everyday spending on top of their credit card miles, while at the same time, helping local businesses target customers. Mileslife creates a better ecosystem to connect airlines, merchants, banks and consumers  allowing users to accelerate their miles earning from everyday spending, both from Mileslife and their own credit cards. Mileslife currently operates in Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China and offers more than 30,000 restaurants, premium spas, global luxury and boutique hotels, high-end retailers, activities and products across Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Mileslife users are able to earn from 17 airline loyalty programs and redeem award flights on 120 airlines. SOURCE Mileslife

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[March 11, 2019] Lucence Diagnostics to Develop AI Tools for Liver Cancer Treatment

SINGAPORE, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucence Diagnostics, a genomic medicine company focused on personalizing cancer care, today announced a new project to develop AI algorithms for improving diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. The goal is to combine the imaging and molecular data from liver cancer patients into smarter software tools that help physicians make better treatment decisions. Lucence will be working with Olivier Gevaert, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics) and of Biomedical Data Science at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Having developed LiquidHALLMARK, the world's first liquid biopsy next-generation sequencing test that analyzes the DNA of cancer-causing mutations and viruses, Lucence will contribute its genomics expertise and proprietary sequencing technology to this project. Liver cancer is the second leading cause of avoidable cancer deaths globally[1], and hepatitis viruses contribute to the bulk of this disease. The incidence rate of liver cancer is also rising faster than any other cancer in both men and women in the United States[2]. The best chance of cure is surgery, and good characterization of the extent and type of the disease is critical for surgical planning. Imaging tests such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play a crucial role in the visualization of liver tumors. Fusing imaging data with sequencing data that includes both cancer mutations and viral DNA will create a unique opportunity for AI-based approaches to advance liver cancer care. This project will evaluate a dataset of over 5,000 patients to identify image changes and patterns that are linked to diagnostic and treatment outcomes in liver cancer. "Lucence is excited to advance the field of medical imaging to guide liver cancer treatment. This is important because liver cancer is a major global threat, and is the only cancer rising in incidence and deaths in the United States. By combining radiology with our proprietary sequencing technology and track record in liver cancer data modelling, our AI algorithms will assist physicians in making better treatment decisions,'' said Dr Min-Han Tan, Founder and CEO of Lucence Diagnostics. About Lucence Diagnostics Lucence Diagnostics is a genomic medicine company founded to fulfil its vision of a world without avoidable cancer deaths. The company invents non-invasive blood tests that improve cancer detection and treatment selection. Lucence targets the most common cancers in Asia using its proprietary technology and AI platform. Lucence is headquartered in Singapore with offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Its services are delivered worldwide through an accredited central laboratory. For more information, please visit www.lucencedx.com. Media Contact Elena Tan

Email: [email protected]







[1] Journal of Global Oncology, 2018, DOI: 10.1200/JGO.17.00190. [2] CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2019, DOI: 10.3322/caac.21551.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lucence-diagnostics-to-develop-ai-tools-for-liver-cancer-treatment-300809854.html SOURCE Lucence Diagnostics

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[March 11, 2019] CG Animation Creator, 5 (five), Achieve an Original CG Animation Look in Their Promotional Video for Monkey Gang Anarchy, Using Journey to the West as a Motif

On March 12, 2019, CG animation production company 5 (below, "five") (head office: Osaka Japan, studio: Taiwan, president: Makoto Honda (News - Alert)), producers of CG animation projects around the world, announced the release of a promotional video for their original CG animation, "Monkey Gang Anarchy".

This work, using Journey to the West as a motif, has a hard-boiled world view, and features high-speed gun action. Yuichiro Hayashi of Garo: Divine Flame was appointed as director, with Hidetaka Tenjin, who worked on the Hellsing Ultimate OVA Series, Macross Delta, etc., in charge of character and world design. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005947/en/ Monkey Gang Anarchy (Graphic: Business Wire) An original CG animation style is achieved with the "Five Magic" cel animation look

There are various styles of 3D CG, such as the photo realism used in movies, commercials, games, etc., as well as the cel animation look used in CG animation. five specializes in the production of Japanimation CG animation using the cel animation look. Furthermore, the company focuses on developing the important element of "look" that best expresses the world view of the work, and their strength lies in their ability to produce CG animation that achieves a unique look. five will continue to develop and evolve their own original look, which is neither photo realism nor the cel animation style. They have also developed a unique look to fit the scenario and express the world view of the characters of Monkey Gang Anarchy. More than just a general CG animation producer, five are capable of handling the entire production process, from planning to setting up a team and handling the actual production of the work. The company is accepting consultations from around the world on the production of CG animation that requires an "original look".

URL: https://en.5-inc.net/ Five demo video

https://youtu.be/3F3fmt1t96s







Company Outline Company name: 5 Inc. Representative: President Makoto Honda Founded: February 2017 Business outline: Video production of animation, CM, films, television, promotional videos, games, etc. Planning, development, and distribution of animation and video content License acquisition, management, and application of copyrights, intellectual property, etc.

URL: https://5-inc.net/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005947/en/

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[March 11, 2019] Mitsubishi Electric to Establish Industrial Automation Company in the Philippines

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today the planned establishment of a new company, MELCO Factory Automation Philippines Inc. (MELAP) in the Philippines, to further expand Mitsubishi Electric's (News - Alert) factory automation (FA) business in the country, which is already experiencing significant growth. MELAP will be jointly established by Mitsubishi Electric, Setsuyo Astec Corporation (STC) and Integrated Factory Automation Inc. (IFA), a FA product distributor and long-time partner of Mitsubishi Electric in the Philppines. The new company, which will start operating from June 2019, will provide sales and technical service for FA products.



Robust growth is expected in the Philippine industrial automation market, particularly in the electronics and food & beverage industries, as well as in connection with active investment in infrastructure. Mitsubishi Electric has been providing sales and technical support for FA products to customers in the aforementioned industries through local distributors such as IFA. MELAP is expected to improve customer satisfaction and enhance Mitsubishi Electric's local FA business. Specifically, it will boost technical service capabilities in cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric's global service network and will also strengthen solution offerings to meet automation and IoT demands. For the full text, please visit: www.MitsubishiElectric.com/news/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005307/en/

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[March 11, 2019] VALE SHAREHOLDER ALERT By Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors with Losses in Excess Of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits Against Vale S.A. - VALE

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until March 29, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE), if they purchased the Company's securities between April 11, 2017, and January 28, 2019, inclusive (the "Class Period"). These actions are pending in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Vale and would like to discuss your legal rights and how these cases might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-vale/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in these class actions, you must petition the Court by March 29, 2019.



About the Lawsuits Vale and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 5, 2015, Brazilian authorities reported that a mine co-owned by Vale had burst, killing dozens of people and devastating the local community. Then, on January 28, 2019, news sources reported that Brazilian authorities were pursuing criminal prosecutions and that "Brazilian securities industry regulator CVM has opened a probe into miner Vale SA's filings," both relating to the disaster. On this news, the price of Vale's shares plummeted. The first-filed case is Rauch v. Vale S.A. et al, 19-cv- 19cv526. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include the former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005852/en/

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[March 11, 2019] Skyband Selects LeoSat for Innovative Data Network

LeoSat Enterprises, which is launching a constellation of 108 low-earth-orbit communications satellites that will provide the fastest, most secure and widest coverage data network in the world, has entered into an agreement with SKYBAND, a member of the Inteltec Group and leading communications provider of satellite and networking solutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005569/en/ LeoSat Business Backbone in Space. Transforming Data Communications (News - Alert). (Photo: Business Wire) SKYBAND will use LeoSat to upgrade its existing satellite solutions, giving customers access to a unique low-latency network which is expected to revolutionize data connectivity. LeoSat's system of low earth orbit communications satellites can achieve lower latency and stronger end-to-end security compared to traditional satellite and terrestrial solutions used today. This is achieved through an advanced and unique system architecture utilizing optical inter-satellite laser links which connect the satellites, creating fiber-like symmetry at Gigabits speeds while providing total security as the data is encrypted and secured from end-to-end across the network, with no terrestrial touch points. Big Data is clearly driving the need for new communications infrastructure and data volumes are exploding, with global networks are already carrying more than 1 Zeta Byte of traffic and this is forecast to grow exponentially. This increasing demand to move large quantities of data quickly and securely around the world is fast outpacing the infrastructure needed to carry it. LeoSat's unique new network has been designed to solve these essential communications and connectivity issues and provide new opportunities for business sectors such as multi-national enterprise, telecommunications, oil & gas, maritime and government services. For Enterprise customers, the key attributes of the LeoSat system can be used for a number of applications, for example, to give banks secured networks with their foreign offices, provide enormous uploading bandwidth for oil & gas exploration, enable seamless connectivity for shipping & fleet management or provide the only native 4G and 5G satellite backhaul connectivity for cellular operators. LeoSat can not only offer competitive advantage in existing satellite services markets in the MNA region and beyond, it will help expand these markets by enabling new opportunities through previously unavailable levels of performance combined with worldwide reach.



LeoSat's Chief Commercial Officer, Ronald van der Breggen, said: "Global Enterprises today require instant infrastructure from anywhere to everywhere which is fast, secure and reliable. So LeoSat is taking data networking into space, setting a new bar for high speed data connectivity. With capabilities beyond satellite and fiber, including transmission speeds of 10+ gigabits per second and latency of 20 milliseconds, LeoSat's infrastructure is what data communications has been waiting for - a game-changing service which realizes the synergies of both worlds to re-define connectivity in terms of capacity, latency, security, efficiency and coverage. For companies such as SKYBAND looking to provide innovative connectivity solutions, LeoSat can help to open-up new markets and deliver business growth." Osman Oueida, CEO of SKYBAND added: "At SKYBAND we rely on the latest satellite and VSAT communication technologies for data, voice and video transmission. Our network provides high-speed, reliable, robust, cost-effective, scalable, and secured communication across the Kingdom which can be used by all Industry segments. We very much look forward to adding LeoSat's unique new system architecture to our portfolio".

LeoSat is backed by leading satellite operators SKY Perfect JSAT (News - Alert) and Hispasat, and the system is being developed in conjunction with Thales Alenia Space, a company with unmatched expertise in designing and manufacturing low earth orbit constellations. The high-throughput satellites (HTS) in the constellation will form a mesh network interconnected through laser links, creating an optical backbone in space which is about 1.5 times faster than terrestrial fiber backbones, thus creating a paradigm shift in the use of satellites for data connectivity - rather than a gap filler or last resort where no terrestrial alternative is available. LeoSat has already secured over 1.5 Billion USD in pre-launch in customer agreements and was recently granted a license by the FCC to operate its network in the U.S. To find out more, come along to GVF (News - Alert) Satellite Hub Summit @CABSAT 2019, Tuesday 12th March, 14:30pm, Session: Global Satellite Business is Big Business: New Space is Making it Bigger: HTS Evolving: The LEO & MEO Factor". ENDS NOTE TO EDITORS LeoSat representatives will be at CABSAT 2019 in Dubai from 12th-14th March 2019. To arrange an interview, please contact Melanie Dickie. Email: [email protected] or call +31 6 14 22 97 62. About LeoSat Enterprises LeoSat Enterprises was established to leverage the latest developments in satellite communications technologies to develop and launch a new low-earth-orbit satellite constellation which will provide the first commercially available, business grade, extremely high-speed and secure data service worldwide. With up to 108 low-earth-orbit communications satellites in the constellation LeoSat is the first company to have all the High Throughput Satellites (HTS) in the constellation interconnected through laser links, creating an optical backbone in space which is about 1.5 times faster than terrestrial fiber backbones and without the need for any terrestrial touchpoints. This unique set of features enables LeoSat to provide instant infrastructure from anywhere to everywhere which is fast, secure and reliable. Based in Washington DC, LeoSat is currently working with Thales (News - Alert) Alenia Space for the low-earth-orbit constellation of Ka-band communications satellites. Once operational, the constellation will provide high-speed, low-latency and highly secure communications and bandwidth for business operations in the telecom backhaul, Energy, Maritime, Government and international business markets. Launch of the constellation is expected in 2020. www.leosat.com About Skyband SKYBAND - Luna Space Telecommunications Co. is a member of the Inteltec Group and one of the first VSAT service providers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the license received from the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) for setting up VSAT Services, Network Operation Center and Data Center Managed Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SKYBAND designs, delivers and manages customized network solutions including Branch Connectivity either (Point-to-Point, Point-to-Multipoint, and Multipoint-to-Multipoint), GSM Network and Backhauls (Cell-on-Wheels), ATM and Net Banking Connectivity, Mobile ATMs, Business Continuity Planning, Data Center Managed Services (Co-Location Hosting, Network-Security-Storage Management, etc.), Network Managed Services, Internet Access over VSAT Carrier, ERP Connectivity Solutions, Video-Conferencing, and Multicast e-Learning Solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005569/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Secure Mobile Office 365 Applications With 42Gears UEM

BANGALORE, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 42Gears Mobility Systems, a Gartner Magic Quadrant UEM solution provider, now offers management of Office 365 applications on mobile devices. This support allows customers to access integrated suite of Microsoft Apps and Services through 42Gears UEM. Using this feature, Office 365 applications can be secured and accessed seamlessly on employee mobile devices. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/517153/42Gears_Mobility_Systems_Logo.jpg ) 42Gears UEM simplifies the configuration of Office 365 email and deployment of Office 365 applications on both employee-owned as well as corporate-owned mobile devices. With this integration, IT admins can define and enforce security policies across all emails and mobile apps. 42Gears UEM's support for Office 365 works for both on-premise and cloud users. It allows email configuration on user's devices, management of permissions and enforcement of updates from the adin portal. 42Gears UEM can restrict Office 365 email access to only managed and compliant devices. By leveraging the support provided by Microsoft for Single-Sign-On, users can log in to Office 365 applications suite and other business apps using the same credentials used for enrolling devices to the 42Gears UEM console.



Deployment of Office 365 applications through 42Gears UEM enforces containerization of the apps using native platform controls provided by operating systems like Android, iOS and Windows. The containerization policy denies users from sharing Office 365 data to personal apps. It also gives data privacy and security for the user as well as the business. With this integration, IT admin will be able to use 42Gears UEM's 'Wipe' capability to selectively wipe Office 365 data from devices if the devices are lost or stolen. Prakash Gupta, Co-founder and CTO, 42Gears Mobility Systems said, "Office 365 offers effective productivity tools to businesses and enables collaboration within a team. UEM solutions ensure 360-degree data and device security. It's imperative for organizations to choose a UEM solution that integrates well with the Office 365 suite of applications and allows seamless and secure mobile workspace deployment."

About 42Gears: 42Gears is a leading Unified Endpoint Management solution provider, offering SaaS and On-premise solutions to secure, monitor and manage all business endpoints such as tablets, phones, desktops and wearables. 42Gears's products support company-owned as well as employee-owned devices built on Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Wear OS and Linux platforms. It has more than 10,000 customers in 115+ countries. 42Gears's products are used in verticals like healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, education and retail. For more information, please visit http://www.42gears.com.



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[March 12, 2019] NTT Communications Opens Nexcenter Lab for Open Innovation

NTT Communications (News - Alert) Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group (TOKYO:9432), announced today the launch of the Nexcenter Lab program to promote open innovation in partnership with participating companies. The program provides PoC environments for the development and testing of new businesses and services focused on digital transformation (DX), utilizing the latest services and next-generation technologies of NTT Com's IT partners. The program is available at two of NTT Com's Nexcenter data centers in Tokyo. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005965/en/ Image of concept of Nexcenter Lab(TM) (Graphic: Business Wire) Features of Nexcenter Lab The program provides participating companies with use of PoC environments as well as exclusive spaces for meetings, seminars and workshops, available 24/7.  ICT environment of advanced services and technologies

A key purpose of the program is to enable participants to test and verify their latest technologies and services with the aim of taking these offerings to market at an accelerated pace. They will have access to ICT environments where extra-high-heat servers such as GPU can be used, as well as advanced services of NTT Com and partner companies, such as hybrid cloud, AI and IoT, which can be combined to verify technologies such as deep learning and blockchain. NTT Com will provide connection to its public cloud, free use of server racks in data centers, free use of its Enterprise Cloud service, and more. Participants will have access to (examples): Japan's first rack-type high-reliability air conditioning system, capable of cooling extra-high-heat GPU servers with more than 30kW per rack

High-voltage DC power supply system (HVDC)

Network services for major three IX connections and public cloud connections

Partner-sponsored services, including cloud services, ICT devices, SaaS free accounts, etc.  Environment for open innovation

NTT Com will implement a variety of initiatives for co-creation among participating partners and clients, and support open innovation based on the ecosystem that will be established through the program. For example, NTT Com will create opportunities for co-creation among participating companies by providing portals to search activities being undertaken by each company in the program. NTT Com will also organize seminars conducted by xperts and summits gathering partner companies. In addition, NTT Com will support the efforts of participating companies by sharing case studies, such as the joint implementation of PoC, as well as connect companies with various services.



Statement from representative partners Takeshi Igarashi, Director, Hybrid IT, Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd.

Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd. welcomes and agrees with the deployment of NTT Com's "Nexcenter Lab". Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) proposes Memory-Driven Computing (MDC) as one of the means for customers to realize DX. HPE announced the launch of an incubation practice with specialized skills through MDC, leveraging the expertise of Hewlett Packard Labs. We support to explore MDC applications and deliver proofs-of-concept that will demonstrate dramatic performance gains never before possible in "Nexcenter Lab". Yukinori Kusaka, Senior Director, NTT Sales, Dell EMC (News - Alert) (EMC Japan K.K.)

We sincerely welcome the launch of the Nexcenter Lab by NTT Com. As demand continues to accelerate for new technologies such as AI, IoT and 3DCG which require ever-increasing Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) power, it has become imperative to develop a data center such as NTT Com's that can handle a large number of GPU servers. Dell EMC is pleased to have contributed to the Nexcenter Lab's server and cooling-system infrastructure, which will enable all customers to use GPU power efficiently. We look forward to the Nexcenter Lab supporting the development and introduction of next-generation services for customers.

We sincerely welcome the launch of the Nexcenter Lab by NTT Com. As demand continues to accelerate for new technologies such as AI, IoT and 3DCG which require ever-increasing Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) power, it has become imperative to develop a data center such as NTT Com's that can handle a large number of GPU servers. Dell EMC is pleased to have contributed to the Nexcenter Lab's server and cooling-system infrastructure, which will enable all customers to use GPU power efficiently. We look forward to the Nexcenter Lab supporting the development and introduction of next-generation services for customers. Hiroaki Okashita, Senior Manager, APAC Office of Technology, Product and strategy Lead, Red Hat (News - Alert) K.K.

Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, utilizes the power of innovative opensource technologies to support customers' DX through collaboration with NTT Com. Specifically, we provide PoC environment through Nexcenter Lab based on Red Hat OpenStackPlatform, with highly scalable and more secure cloud capabilities and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, the industry's most comprehensive enterprise Kubernetes platform for building a hybrid cloud environment. In addition, Red Hat helps to solve the problem through a discovery session as a strategic advisor. This can allow customers to promote competitive new services or business models not only to introduce DevOps and microservices, but also to provide GPU as a Service to promote use of AI and machine learning by OpenShift container service optimized for GPU. Going forward, NTT Com will further enrich the program through partnerships with companies from various industries as well as existing partners in IT and other industries. NTT Com also plans to expand the program into the Osaka area in Japan as well as into Thailand globally. We will also cooperate with similar initiatives in Germany and Malaysia. It is hoped that new technologies, services and know-how generated through this program will evolve as de facto standards and thereby contribute to the realization of smart societies.

As a DX EnablerTM, NTT Com helps clients transform their companies and create new business through the use of digital data. The NTT Com's an optimal platform for the valuable use of digital data is being optimized for AI services, data management, servitizing support, global IoT using eSIM and network services that flexibly link multiple clouds, helping to turn data into valuable information and intelligence. Promotion video of Nexcenter Lab

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27AyyqkwMP0 Related link:

NTT Communications to Expand Ecosystem for Interconnection of Major Data Centers in Japan (press release on January 17, 2019)

https://www.ntt.com/en/about-us/press-releases/news/article/2019/0117.html Nexcenter Lab Partner Companies Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd.

EMC Japan K.K.

Red Hat K.K.

Intel Corporation

Panduit Corporation Japan Brunch

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

ABEJA, Inc.

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions Ltd. Japan

Raritan Japan, Inc.

Oracle (News - Alert) Corporation Japan

NIHON FORM SERVICE CO., LTD.

NITTO KOGYO CORPORATION

CHUO ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD.

Kawamura Electric Inc.

Masaru Industries, Ltd.

NOHMI BOSAI LTD.

NEC (News - Alert) Corporation

Hibiya Engineering, Ltd.

NTT FACILITIES, INC

NTT PC Communications Incorporated

SUPERMICRO K.K.

VMware K.K. Company names and logos mentioned in this release are the trademarks service marks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190311005965/en/

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[March 12, 2019] IT Revolution Announces Second Round of Speakers for DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2019

Three-day industry event hosts speakers from BMW Group, Comcast, ITV, Jet.com, Royal Bank of Scotland, Verizon, and more to help business and technology leaders of large, complex organizations implement IT transformation practices PORTLAND, Oregon, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IT Revolution ( http://itrevolution.com ), the industry leader for advancing DevOps, today announced the second round of speakers for DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2019 ( https://events.itrevolution.com/eur/speakers/ ). From 25-27 June, industry practitioners, business leaders, and subject domain experts from the UK and Continental Europe will meet at the InterContinental London  The O2 for three full days of immersive learning about IT and DevOps transformation practices. To register for DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2019, visit: ( http://bit.ly/DOES19EUREB ). Early bird registration is extended to March 18 and is highly encouraged, as the event is expected to sell out. The second round of speakers announced for DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2019 are:



Attendees will experience the unfolding documentary of the ongoing transformations that these leaders are helping drive in their large, complex organizations. In addition, the programming for DevOps Enterprise Summit will focus on: Spanning the Business and Technology Divide



Next Generation Operations and Infrastructure



Overcoming Old Ways Of Working (e.g. Infosec, Compliance, ITIL, Project Management, Audit)



Dynamic Learning Organizations



Leadership Lessons, Transformational Leadership, Recognition, and Human Resources "The DevOps Enterprise Summit London will feature fantastic industry experience reports and knowledge that the global IT community needs to transform their technology organizations," said Gene Kim, founder of IT Revolution and co-author of The Phoenix Project, The DevOps Handbook and Accelerate. "The programming committee is putting together an amazing lineup of speakers, and we're creating many ways for delegates to network and learn from each other during the three-day event this June."

For more information about DOES19 London, please visit: ( https://events.itrevolution.com/eur/ ). Share This: DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2019 Announces its Second Round of Speakers https://events.itrevolution.com/eur/ @DOES_EUR #DOES19 About IT Revolution

IT Revolution assembles technology leaders and practitioners through publishing, events, and research. Our goal is to elevate the state of technology work, quantify the economic and human costs associated with suboptimal IT performance, and to improve the lives of technology professionals. Contact:

Jeremy Douglas

Catapult PR-IR

303-581-7760, ext. 16

[email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/346968/IT_Revolution___Logo.jpg

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[March 12, 2019]

Award Winning Cyber Security Summit Comes to Amsterdam in May

LONDON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Information Security Summit (TEISS) will be coming to Amsterdam on May 16th 2019.

Promising to be the most comprehensive cyber security summit in Europe, TEISS Amsterdam will feature parallel streams, focusing on culture & education and threats & risks - providing two conferences in one.

The award-winning summit recently enjoyed it's 8th edition on February 14th in London. With attendees and speakers praising the informative and diverse nature of the conference, TEISS Amsterdam will follow suit and feature dedicated worksho sessions, in  depth roundtable discussions, and industry focused streams. High level experts such as Jay Baloo, CISO of KPN and Matthias Muhlert, CISO of HELLA are just few of the many professionals who will be speaking at TEISS Amsterdam.







To be part of Europe's largest cyber security summit, register at: https://teissamsterdam.com/

About TEISS

TEISS.co.uk is a website dedicated to providing information about cyber security. It is owned by an independent media owner, Lyonsdown, and published in conjunction with Business Reporter magazine.

The TEISS website was created as a result of the success of the award-winning TEISS cyber security conference that takes place in central London annually. Covering news, opinion, analysis and advice, TEISS is relevant to anyone working in cyber security but also managers and employees across organisations

TEISS won bronze at the Conference Awards 2017 for the best event linked to a publication.

Visit TEISS at: https://www.teiss.co.uk/
[March 12, 2019] Big Switch to Demo SONiC with Open Network Linux at OCP Summit

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Big Switch Networks, The Cloud-First Networking Company, will demonstrate an open-source network operating system (NOS) at the OCP Summit through an integration with Microsoft-led Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) and Big Switch-led Open Network Linux (ONL). The demonstration highlights automation, zero-touch provisioning and visibility leveraging a DevOps-centric Ansible workflow and SDN-centric controller workflows.

Big Switch will demo SONiC + ONL open-source NOS at OCP Summit Booth A32 and it will be available for download following OCP Summit: https://bit.ly/2UwQXaM According to 650 Group, the open networking market (excluding hyperscalers) is expected to reach $1.35BN by 2023, with a CAGR of 33% (2019 - 2023). Leveraging SONiC and ONL for open-source NOS combines the benefits of two important open-source software stacks to accelerate broader adoption of open networking in non-hyperscale data centers. Next-generation network infrastructure, driven by 5G, IoT and predictive analytics, as well as CapEx economics, is demanding open-source solutions within service providers, SaaS enterprises and specialized cloud providers. An open-source NOS is ideal for next-gen network build-outs, offering the following business benefits: Innovation velocity: open-source ecosystem, which drives faster innovation in the market

open-source ecosystem, which drives faster innovation in the market Increased flexibility: More seamlessly adapt to evolving and ever-changing business requirements and technology advancements without vendor dependency

More seamlessly adapt to evolving and ever-changing business requirements and technology advancements without vendor dependency Freedom of choice: Elimination of vendor lock-in as a result of increased choice across a variety of open networking hardware platforms

Elimination of vendor lock-in as a result of increased choice across a variety of open networking hardware platforms Reduced cost: Meaningful reduction of TCO compared to closed solutions SONiC has extensive backing within the industry, including Microsoft, LinkedIn, Alibaba and Tencent, for deploying and popularizing an open-source NOS on open networking switch hardware. The broader community, inclusive of network hardware, software and ASIC vendors, is driving innovation in the areas of multi-tier L3 Clos (e.g. leaf-spine-spine core) designs, automation, telemetry, and orchestration. With ONL providing an open-source platform OS, standards-based platform APIs via ONLP, and a large white-box/brite-box hardware ecosystem, the SONiC + ONL stack becomes appealing to software-centric, non-hyperscale organizations. White-box/brite-box networking suppliers can validate their platforms with a common platform layer provided by ONL across many different form factors. Currently ONL is supported on more than 100 platforms from 12 different open networking providers, many of which are ONL-certified or ONL-certified Gold. ONL is leveraged by more than 10 NOS initiatives, including hyperscale organizations Facebook and Google, and the Open Networking Foundations CORD and Stratum projects. The SONiC + ONL NOS is comprised of the following open-source software components, each of which are widely deployed independently: ONL, a base platform OS, including ONLP platform APIs

SONiC, higher-layer NOS stack, including forwarding agent/Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) management, telemetry and programmable API layers

Free Range Routing (FRR), integrated through SONiC, for the L3 control plane functionality (BGP, OSPF) The SONiC + ONL demo stack is available for download from the SONiC + ONL technology page. The demonstration at OCP Summit will highlight automation and visibility in a full-stack open-source NOS for a 3-tier BGP fabric on open networking HW. The demo will provide examples of: Configuration automation and visibility with Ansible Zero-touch installation and visibility via an SDN controller Ease of deploying a BGP switching fabric with 10G, 25G and 100G open networking switches from Edgecore Networks, leveraging Broadcoms industry-leading StrataXGS Trident II and StrataXGS Tomahawk networking ASICs



Learn More at OCP Summit

At the OCP Summit, Big Switch will have two ONL-focused sessions: Architecture and Designs of Open Network Linux , presented by Jeff Townsend, VP of Engineering, Big Switch Networks on Friday, March 15th, 3:00pm

, presented by Jeff Townsend, VP of Engineering, Big Switch Networks on Friday, March 15th, 3:00pm SONiC + ONL: open-source NOS with Broader Platform Support, presented by Wataru Ishida, Field Application Engineer, NTT Electronics, America, and Steven Noble, Principal SDN Evangelist, Big Switch Networks, Friday, March 15th at 4:30pm Visit the Big Switch Networks booth for a live demo of SONiC + ONL, located at booth A32.

Supporting Material

Technology Page: SONiC + ONL Open-Source NOS Stack: https://bit.ly/2UwQXaM

Q&A: SONiC + ONL: https://bit.ly/2F4qThT

Demo Package: SONiC + ONL open-source NOS: https://bit.ly/2UwQXaM

Tech Demo: SONiC + ONL: Ansible Based Network Automation and Visibility: https://bit.ly/2F8UFT3

Tech Demo: SONiC + ONL: Controller Based Zero-Touch Provisioning and Visibility: https://bit.ly/2CeXlfG Supporting Quotes

Leveraging SONiC and ONL to build an open-source NOS combines the benefits of OCPs two important open-source software stacks, which are deployed in large-scale production networks, said Prashant Gandhi, Chief Product Officer, Big Switch Networks. The emergence of SONiC coupled with ONL signals that lower layers of the NOS stack are being commoditized, and vendor-agnostic innovations will be moving to upper layers including multi-system automation, real-time telemetry, and predictive analytics. "ONL has played a critical role in accelerating open networking adoption. Many commercial software partners and open software platforms leverage ONL with Edgecore open network switches to deliver solutions for a wide range of use cases, said Jeff Catlin, VP Technology, Edgecore Networks. Edgecore has supported ONL on our entire portfolio of OCP AcceptedTM open network switches for years, and is an ONL Certified Gold partner. The demonstration of ONL and SONiC on Edgecore open network switch hardware is an ideal representation of how open components can be leveraged to build fully open, interoperable solutions. "NTT has leveraged Open Network Linux for several years to accelerate our open networking initiatives with our internal IT. At OCP Summit, NTT Electronics America and Big Switch will demonstrate how Open Network Linux as a platform layer in SONiC expands the reach of SONiC and helps to expand the open networking ecosystem as it provides more hardware options, required by a broader set of enterprises, cloud providers and services providers." said Wataru Ishida, Field Application Engineer, NTT Electronics America. "This year's demonstration will build on what NTT and Big Switch jointly demoed at OCP Summit last year, by demoing how any networking device supported by ONL, using a networking chip supported by SAI can be supported for SONiC." More than 20 platforms supporting SAI implementations on Broadcom ASICs are available today in an effort to provide choice within the open networking ecosystem, said Eli Karpilovski, Director of Product Marketing, Switch Products Division at Broadcom. Big Switchs demonstration of SONiC with ONL, which leverages Broadcoms Trident II and Tomahawk ASICs, shows continued community support and expansion of open NOS on Broadcom-based switching platforms. Since 2014 the market has been shifting towards open, flexible, software-driven solutions. open-source projects, such as Open Network Linux, are helping to drive this shift away from closed networking, said Alan Weckel, Founder & Principal Analyst, 650 Group. Open Network Linux and SONiC, when coupled together create a powerful, open Network Operating Systems, ideal for service providers, SaaS and cloud providers. About Big Switch Networks

Big Switch Networks is the Cloud-First Networking company, bringing public cloud-style networking and hybrid cloud consistency to organizations around the world. The company provides data center switching, monitoring, visibility and security solutions for on-premises enterprise clouds, public clouds and multi-cloud environments that enable companies of all sizes to increase operational efficiency and business agility, while reducing networking costs. Big Switch was founded in 2010, with roots in the original Stanford research team that invented software-defined networking. Big Switch has strategic partnerships with Dell EMC and Edgecore, delivering innovative software on industry-standard open networking hardware. Since its founding the company has been an active member and contributor to multiple open-source communities. Big Switch Networks is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, with a dedicated presence across more than 25 countries. The company is funded from leading venture capital firms, including: Dell Technologies Capital, Index Ventures, Intel Capital, Khosla Ventures, MSD Capital, Morgenthaler Ventures, Redpoint and Silverlake Waterman. For additional information: visit us www.bigswitch.com, reach us [email protected]m or follow us on Twitter @bigswitch, LinkedIn and YouTube. Copyright 2019 Big Switch Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Big Switch Networks, the Big Switch logo, Big Cloud Fabric, Big Mon, Big Monitoring Fabric, BMF, BigSecure, Big Switch Labs, Big Tap, BSN, Switch Light, ONL Certified, and ONL Certified Gold, ONLX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Big Switch Networks, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, registered marks or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners. Big Switch Networks assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies in this document. Big Switch Networks reserves the right to change, modify, transfer or otherwise revise this publication without notice.

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[March 12, 2019] State Regulation of the Oil & Gas Sector in 2018; Prospects for 2019 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "State Regulation of the Oil and Gas Sector in 2018, Prospects for 2019" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The researcher traditionally concludes the year with its final report that sums up main events and tendencies of 2018. The year was rich in events in the political and production spheres. A new government was formed in Russia in May. Oil prices were either rising or falling, which led practically to termination of the OPEC+ deal and then to feverish attempts to reformat it. Gazprom set another record in gas exports and completed construction of two lines of the TurkStream, while NOVATEK launched three trains of its LNG plant in Yamal. It was happening on the background of the Europeans' desperate struggle against the Nord Stream 2 and threats to import LNG from America. The deal on selling a stake in Rosneft to Chinese investors failed, which was a heavy blow to the state company. This, however, did not hinder Rosneft from participating in corporate battles throughout the year. The year 2018 was marked by a new tax system for oil producers; it includes acceleration of the tax maneuver, introduction of the excess profit tax (EPT) as an experiment, as well as negative and dampening excises for producers of petroleum products. Growth in domestic fuel prices and ways to counter t were actively debated throughout the year. It is a general scene of the year 2018.



You can find out details in the report that elaborates on the following topics: The new system administrating the oil and gas sector in action

The first results of work of a new Deputy PM responsible for the sector

Privatization of the Ministry of Natural Resources and consequences of it

Attempts to restart the Presidential Commission on the Strategy for the Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector and Environmental Safety

The new role of the Ministry of Energy Another package of tax novelties The tax regime in the oil sector was again revised in 2018. It was decided to speed up cancelation of export duties and simultaneously increase the minerals production tax (NDPI).

As compensation, the sector is finally allowed to test a new tax regime - the excess profit tax. However, the situation around the EPT is not simple, while acceleration of the tax maneuver is fraught with growth in domestic fuel prices. The Cabinet was struggling with this problem the whole autumn. Is the found solution reasonable? The Arctic was the top topic in 2018 The state again brought back the Arctic issue onto the agenda. A new system of state administration of this region is being created; there are quite serious battles between main clans.

The Arctic is the zone of keen interest of many oil and gas companies; this is why, they cannot fail to take part in these battles. Production and financial results of 2018 How does the OPEC+ deal influence the oil output level?

How does the level of exports and domestic demand for natural gas in Russia define the gas output level?

Investment activity and profitability of companies. Corporate wars in 2018 What should be expected in 2019? Political, production, financial and fiscal expectations from the new yea Companies Featured Gazprom

Novatek

Rosneft For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2mnglh/state_regulation?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005410/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Huobi Wallet Launches Tron dApp Support

According to the latest data from the Tron Foundation, Tron currently supports over 187 dApps and more than 464 smart contracts SINGAPORE, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As the latest step in its ongoing efforts to support and expand the digital asset ecosystem, Huobi Group is pleased to announce that its professional multi-chain light wallet, Huobi Wallet, now fully supports Tron (TRX) dApps. "The Tron community is a key demographic for Huobi so this decision was a natural one," said Ross Zhang, Head of Marketing for Huobi Group. "We are proud of the fact that Huobi Wallet is now one of the most Tron-friendly wallets on the market." One of the most prominent platforms in the cryptocurrency world for dApps, Tron currently supports over 187 dApps and more than 464 smart contracts, according to the latest data from the Tron Foundation. This includes including 10 decentralized exchanges (DEXs), six collection games, and 40 dApp tools. On his official Chinese-language Weibo account, Tron founder Jutin Sun recently expressed appreciation for Huobi Wallet's support. "Thanks to Huobi for its support and contributions to Tron's decentralized ecosystem," he said.



Huobi Wallet supports Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV) Tron (TRX), XRP (XRP), EOS (EOS), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Litecoin (LTC), and all ERC20 tokens. In October, Huobi wallet became the first wallet to expand support to cover eight stablecoins, including Tether (USDT), EURT (EURT), Paxos Standard Token (PAX), TrueUSD (TUSD), USD Coin (USDC), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Dai (DAI), Stasis EURS (EURS). It is available in English and Chinese and recently launched Japanese and Korean versions as well. Huobi Wallet is designed to facilitate fast, efficient, and secure management of various digital assets. The product allows users to retain control of their private keys and thus full ownership of their digital assets. Moreover, Huobi Wallet leverages multiple blockchain security-related patents, including patents for security isolation and data encryption, to provide state of the art protection for digital assets.

More information can be found here: www.huobiwallet.com About Huobi Group: Consisting of ten upstream and downstream enterprises, Huobi Group is the world's leading blockchain company. Established in 2013, Huobi Group's accumulative turnover exceeds US $1 trillion. It proudly provides safe, secure, and convenient cryptocurrency trading and asset management services to millions of users in 130+ countries. Find us at hbg.com For enquiries please contact: Jiayi Li

+65-92295769

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huobi-wallet-launches-tron-dapp-support-300810765.html SOURCE Huobi Wallet

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[March 12, 2019] AirMap And ANS CR Enable "Smart Sky" For Safe Drone Integration In Czech Republic

MADRID, Spain, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, AirMap, the leading global airspace management platform for drones, announced it is working with Air Navigation Services of Czech Republic (ANS CR) in partnership with UpVision to enable Smart Sky for the safe operation of drones and the development of drone-related services. Smart Sky outlines a nationwide strategy for the utilization of UAS, or drones, in the Czech Republic, including regulation, enforcement, international cooperation, and deployment of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) services. AirMap, ANS CR, and UpVision will develop a roadmap for a fully operational UTM system by 2020 through Smart Sky that includes: E-registration and e-identification;

Pre-tactical geofencing and flight planning;

Automated and manual digital airspace authorization;

Real-time trafic alerts and live drone telemetry;

Connectivity and communication between drone pilots and airspace administrators.



Jan Klas , Director General of ANS CR. "We appreciate that AirMap and UpVision are supporting us on this journey." "The Czech Republic is among the global first movers in the race to capture a share of the tremendous opportunity that drones represent as they become more a part of our everyday lives," said Ben Marcus, AirMap co-founder and Chairman.

In 2018, ANS CR deployed the AirMap UTM Platform with UpVision's localization and technical support to manage authorizations for drone flights in the controlled airspace around Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague. AirMap AirMap is the world's leading airspace management platform for drones. AirMap connects the world's drones to airspace authorities through integrations with major drone manufacturers such as senseFly, Intel, Matternet, 3DR, and more. Deployed in Japan, Switzerland, and the U.S., AirMap leads the industry in UTM and U-space to enable safe drone operations at scale. ANS CR The mission of ANS CR is to take part in the provision of safe, cost-effective, long-term sustainable aviation navigation services in an environment of evolving functional airspace blocks. In the dynamic air transportation environment, its services are designed to meet the expectations of all users with regard to current and future demand at both the national level and that of the European ATM development context. ANS CR strives to maintain exceptional safety standards of services provided regardless of the air traffic volume. Contact: [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/288580/airmap_logo.jpg

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[March 12, 2019] Apricorn Wins Cyber Defense Magazine's InfoSec Honors for Second Consecutive Year with Breakout Encryption Award for 2019

Apricorn, the leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB data storage devices, today announced that its flagship offering, the Aegis Fortress L3, has won Cyber Defense Magazine's 2019 InfoSec Award for Breakout Encryption. This is the second consecutive year that Apricorn has won the InfoSec Award in the encryption category. As the industry's leading electronic information security magazine, Cyber Defense Magazine recognizes the world's top security products and services with its InfoSec Awards. In this year's edition, Apricorn was one of just 200 winners among the 3,000 nominations from across the globe. Apricorn's Aegis Fortress L3 was recognized for its combination of comprehensive encryption capabilities, speed and durability. Designed for regulated industries including finance, government, legal, healthcare, and power and energy, the next-generation Aegis Fortress L3 is Apricorn's latest and most advanced USB drive. Released in December of 2018, the new device features Apricorn's latest encryption chipset, which gives SSD versions of the Aegis Fortress L3 write and read speed increases of up to 150 and 180 percent, respectively, compared to previous versions.



"While nation-state exploitation, cybercrime, hacktivism, cyberespionage, ransomware and malware exploits are all on the rise, Apricorn has won the Breakout Encryption InfoSec Award from our magazine. After we reviewed nearly 3,000 infosec companies across the globe, Apricorn won because it is an innovator on a mission to help stop breaches and get one step ahead of these threats, proactively," said Gary S. Miliefsky, publisher, Cyber Defense Magazine. Like all Apricorn Aegis Secure Drives and Secure Keys, the Fortress L3 is software-free in setup and operation which allows for complete platform compatibility. All passwords and commands are entered by way of the device's onboard keypad and all authentication and encryption processes take place within the device itself, which never shares password or encryption-keys with its host computer. In addition, the device's complete FIPS 140-2 Level-3 validation (pending Q2 2019) is the highest level assigned by the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) for portable encrypted devices, and the validation boundary includes the entire drive including the electronics, drive and enclosure.

"Cybercriminals' attacks are more sophisticated and subversive than they've ever been, compelling hardware providers to arm their customers with equally advanced technology," said Mike McCandless, vice president of sales and marketing at Apricorn. "We're thrilled to be recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine for the comprehensive encryption and security capabilities the Aegis Fortress L3 delivers, and look forward to continuing to provide our customers with the highest level of security validation for small form-factor storage systems." The judges for the InfoSec Awards for 2019 are CISSP-, FMDHS-, and CEH-certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the nominating companies' submitted materials (including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables). About Apricorn Headquartered in Poway, California, Apricorn provides secure storage innovations to the most prominent companies in the categories of finance, healthcare, education, and government throughout North America, Canada and EMEA. Apricorn products have become the trusted standard for a myriad of data security strategies worldwide. Founded in 1983, numerous award-winning products have been developed under the Apricorn brand as well as for a number of leading computer manufacturers on an OEM basis. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005251/en/

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[March 12, 2019] 8x8 Adds Advanced Contact Center Capabilities with Google Cloud Contact Center AI Integration

8x8, Inc. (NYSE:EGHT), a leading communications provider of cloud voice, video, chat and contact center solutions for over a million users worldwide, today announced its integration of 8x8 Contact Center with Google Cloud's new Contact Center AI, a solution that combines multiple AI products to improve the customer service experience, as well as the productivity of contact centers. "Contact Center AI empowers enterprises to use AI to augment and improve their contact centers," said Rajen Sheth, Director of Product Management at Google (News - Alert). "Google Cloud's goal is to make the contact center experience easy and efficient. By partnering with 8x8, we are able to deliver on that goal, as well as allow enterprises to maintain happy customers with faster call resolution. We look forward to our continued partnership with 8x8 (News - Alert) to enhance contact center capabilities as technology and customer expectations evolve." 8x8 Contact Center enables organizations to differentiate their customer experience in real-time with advanced analytics, reporting and predictive dialer. Contact Center AI (CCAI) is a simple, secure, and flexible solution that allows enterprises with limited machine learning expertise to deploy AI in their contact centers. Key features of 8x8 Contact Center integration with CCAI inclde:



8x8 Virtual Agent - using a combination of 8x8 AI technology and Google CCAI, incoming voice calls on simple and routine questions (such as "what time will the repair technician arrive?" or "is part #7542 in stock?") can be answered with a virtual, automated agent without the need for a live agent. This call deflection technology increases the efficiency of the call center, often enabling 24/7 support, while reducing costs. For end customers, the 8x8 Virtual Agent improves the customer experience, increasing first call resolution and reducing call wait times.

- using a combination of 8x8 AI technology and Google CCAI, incoming voice calls on simple and routine questions (such as "what time will the repair technician arrive?" or "is part #7542 in stock?") can be answered with a virtual, automated agent without the need for a live agent. This call deflection technology increases the efficiency of the call center, often enabling 24/7 support, while reducing costs. For end customers, the 8x8 Virtual Agent improves the customer experience, increasing first call resolution and reducing call wait times. The virtual agent can also hand calls to a live agent, and with the Agent Assist feature, automatically supply the agent with articles and knowledge documents based on the conversation. This reduces call length and enhances the customer experience, ensuring customers don't have to repeat their requests. "Improving efficiency and reducing call times are some of the most common contact center pain points. Google AI together with 8x8 Contact Center enables our customers to leverage the latest AI technologies to enhance the overall experience of their end customers," said Dejan Deklich, Chief Product Officer at 8x8. "As a leader in contact center and unified communications as a service, we are partnering with Google to put resources behind such an advanced solution. Other vendors in our space are focused on chat, not on a unified approach. Google has the expertise and underlying technology and 8x8 brings telephony and contact center expertise for a perfectly integrated solution." 8x8 Contact Center with Google Contact Center AI integration capabilities are in testing now. Customers interested in participating should contact [email protected]. For more information and to see a demo in action, visit 8x8 in booth 506 at Enterprise Connect (News - Alert) taking place March 18-21, 2019, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando.

About 8x8, Inc. 8x8, Inc. (NYSE:EGHT) communication solutions help businesses transform their customer and employee experience. With one system of engagement for cloud voice, video, chat and contact center and one system of intelligence on one cloud communications platform, businesses can now communicate faster and smarter to exceed the speed of customer expectations. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter (News - Alert), and Facebook. 8x8 and 8x8 X Series are trademarks of 8x8, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005273/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Riverbed Transforms the Employee Digital Experience to Support Raiffeisen Bank's Mobile Workforce Strategy

Riverbed (News - Alert), The Digital Performance Company, today announced that Raiffeisen Switzerland, has selected Riverbed's Digital Experience Management solution, SteelCentral Aternity (News - Alert), to transform employee experience and optimize performance of enterprise applications and digital services in the Raiffeisen portfolio. LinkedIn (News - Alert): Riverbed Transforms the Employee Digital Experience to Support Raiffeisen Bank's Mobile Workforce Strategy: https://rvbd.ly/2VG0nRv The SteelCentral implementation is part of a project within Raiffeisen Switzerland to build a digital workplace environment with a mobile workforce strategy that leads to improved customer advisory services and increased efficiencies. Raiffeisen Group is the third largest bank in Switzerland, has 1.9 million cooperative members, 3.8 million clients and 880 locations throughout Switzerland. It has 196 billion Swiss francs in assets under management and 188 billion Swiss francs in loans to clients. Raiffeisen has approximately 11,000 employees across Switzerland working from laptops, desktop and mobile devices, all connected via VPN. The employees need to complete a range of standard banking functions while mobile - from mortgage approvals to credit checks to customer engagement and support - with fast page load times and no interruptions from system updates or lack of connectivity. As such, employees must be given access to all the applications they need, from any device, at any time. During a routine IT upgrade, the bank found it had to monitor the end-user experience of its employees manually, which was inefficient and time-consuming. Wanting a more proactive system in place which identifies problems before the employees even realized there was a problem, Raiffeisen selected Riverbed's SteelCentral Aternity. This employee and end-user experience monitoring solution transforms every Raiffeisen device into a self-monitoring platform with an integrated view of the multiple streams of data, providing a comprehensive portrait of the real employee experience. Unlike other APM (News - Alert) products that monitor specific applications from the perspective of the data center, or device monitoring products that measure device, operating system, and app health, SteelCentral Aternity automatically monitors and correlates together the three streams of data that constitute true user experience for every app in the portfolio: user interactions; device health and performance; and application performance. Customer Story: Raiffeisen Optimizes Mobile Working as Riverbed Delivers Clear Picture of End-User Digital Experience



"SteelCentral Aternity has enabled us to deliver against all our success criteria to deliver a strong employee mobile experience," said Stefan Somogyi, System Specialist Expert, Raiffeisen Switzerland. "Performance, the monitoring of applications and digital services, fast page load times it has excelled in every use-case." According to Somogyi, there is less downtime for employees and devices, additionally, applications are quicker, and it's enabled the team to stay one step ahead of any performance issues. "There are a couple of areas where we've seen real benefit to the bank and our employees," he explained.

Where other monitoring technologies only extrapolate, emulate, or estimate what the end-user sees, Somogyi says SteelCentral Aternity allows him to understand how employees experience and interact with their applications, digital services, devices, and the network. "Using Aternity, we can see issues in real-time. We're then able to drill down, solve the problem, and show people what the root cause was. We can then be absolutely clear with our advice." He says this has had a positive, knock-on effect. Somogyi and the team as a whole are seen as faster, more effective and more authoritative in their advice. "We're now faster to fix and quicker to send reports which has resulted in better collaboration with our users." Rethink Possible: Maximizing Digital Performance Riverbed is in the business of delivering holistic and impactful performance to its customers in today's digital era. Today, performance is measured in many ways including: agility to solve new problems, insight into new customers and industries, improving time to market, increasing productivity, enhancing the customer experience, and security to ensure the most important applications are always running. As companies look to the cloud and beyond to fuel digital services and their business, Riverbed has designed products and solutions to create the connections and provide the network architecture necessary to maximize digital performance, drive impactful business outcomes and rethink possible. Riverbed's unified and integrated Digital Performance Platform expands to every possible corner of our customers' IT landscape while accelerating business performance. Connect with Riverbed Facebook

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SlideShare About Riverbed Riverbed, The Digital Performance Company, enables organizations to maximize digital performance across every aspect of their business, allowing customers to rethink possible. Riverbed's unified and integrated Digital Performance Platform brings together a powerful combination of Digital Experience, Cloud Networking and Cloud Edge solutions that provides a modern IT architecture for the digital enterprise, delivering new levels of operational agility and dramatically accelerating business performance and outcomes. At more than $1 billion in annual revenue, Riverbed's 30,000+ customers include 98% of the Fortune 100 and 100% of the Forbes Global 100. Learn more at riverbed.com. Riverbed and any Riverbed product or service name or logo used herein are trademarks of Riverbed Technology, Inc. All other trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005058/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Ivanti Cloud Unifies IT Operations and Security Processes So Organizations Can Quickly Discover, Gain Insights and Take Action

SALT LAKE CITY, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ivanti, the company that unifies IT to better manage and secure the digital workplace, today announced the release of Ivanti Cloud. The new cloud-based platform unifies IT operations and security data and processes so organizations can quickly assess their environment and gain insights. Providing a real-time view into device analytics, the new cloud-based solution also offers prescriptive recommendations through Ivanti Smart Advisors, which provide prioritized, data-driven guidance for what to do next to help analysts be more effective. "Complexity and risk are standing in IT's way, preventing them from delivering on new strategic initiatives," said Duane Newman, Vice President, Product Management, Ivanti. "We are all about helping organizations discover, gain insights and take action in their environments. The new Ivanti Cloud establishes a foundation that we will continue to build on to help siloed IT teams improve processes, communication and response times, ultimately allowing them to take prioritized action to improve security and user productivity." Ivanti Cloud is a cloud-hosted solution that collects and manages data across an enterprise's servers and endpoints and serves as a central hub for security and operations teams. Key components include: Real-Time Intelligence. Now IT has a fast, single view into the real-time state of the environment, including contextual user activity, security and device health. By collecting diverse data, such as real-time security health, software license usage, hardware warranties, and much more, it delivers rapid visibility into systems that require attention or security remediation. For example, one Ivanti Cloud beta customer has already achieved real value and cost avoidance by identifying failing batteries on laptops, allowing them to replace them before the warranty period was up. With Ivanti Real-Time, users no longer need to wait for scans to complete or use data that may be weeks old. Featuring natural language search, it's also easy to identify troubled systems, or vulnerabilities such as inactive Windows firewalls or disabled encryption, and take rapid action with a click of a button.

Now IT has a fast, single view into the real-time state of the environment, including contextual user activity, security and device health. By collecting diverse data, such as real-time security health, software license usage, hardware warranties, and much more, it delivers rapid visibility into systems that require attention or security remediation. For example, one Ivanti Cloud beta customer has already achieved real value and cost avoidance by identifying failing batteries on laptops, allowing them to replace them before the warranty period was up. With Ivanti Real-Time, users no longer need to wait for scans to complete or use data that may be weeks old. Featuring natural language search, it's also easy to identify troubled systems, or vulnerabilities such as inactive Windows firewalls or disabled encryption, and take rapid action with a click of a button. Smart Advisors. Working to remove barriers between siloed IT teas, Ivanti Smart Advisors offer prescriptive advice to improve enterprise health and reduce complexity. With Smart Advisors, Ivanti Cloud details recommended best practices and prioritizes the necessary actions IT operations and security teams can take to minimize risk and improve availability and performance. Device reconciliation is a great example of the intelligence Smart Advisors can provide. Large organizations often struggle to know if the devices they acquire are being used and who has them. One Ivanti Cloud beta customer was able to use this capability to quickly identify over 30,000 devices that they had "lost track of" across their enterprise. Ivanti normalizes the data and reconciles it across Active Directory, purchase data, and endpoint management systems to give an accurate picture of the status of their hardware assets as well as their reliability.

Working to remove barriers between siloed IT teas, Ivanti Smart Advisors offer prescriptive advice to improve enterprise health and reduce complexity. With Smart Advisors, Ivanti Cloud details recommended best practices and prioritizes the necessary actions IT operations and security teams can take to minimize risk and improve availability and performance. Device reconciliation is a great example of the intelligence Smart Advisors can provide. Large organizations often struggle to know if the devices they acquire are being used and who has them. One Ivanti Cloud beta customer was able to use this capability to quickly identify over 30,000 devices that they had "lost track of" across their enterprise. Ivanti normalizes the data and reconciles it across Active Directory, purchase data, and endpoint management systems to give an accurate picture of the status of their hardware assets as well as their reliability. Data Services and Connectors. To support broad data services and system discovery, Ivanti Cloud offers system connectors for both Ivanti and third-party system management solutions. Data services uses connectors and cloud agents to aggregate data, then normalizes and reconciles the data so that it can be leveraged by multiple systems, including Smart Advisors, dashboards, other cloud services and on-prem solutions.

To support broad data services and system discovery, Ivanti Cloud offers system connectors for both Ivanti and third-party system management solutions. Data services uses connectors and cloud agents to aggregate data, then normalizes and reconciles the data so that it can be leveraged by multiple systems, including Smart Advisors, dashboards, other cloud services and on-prem solutions. Automation Fabric. Ivanti Cloud also features automated actions that are built or scripted in the cloud. Used to trigger processes or point to actions both in the cloud or on-prem, this automation fabric is a flexible framework upon which additional automation of actions and processes can be built.



Bryan Boam , CEO, Network Consulting Services, Inc. (NCSI). "However, it also works great in environments without Ivanti's traditional products, or for companies using a mix of IT technologies from a variety of vendors. Ivanti Cloud is delivering the comprehensive platform organizations need to innovate within IT, so they can deliver a better experience, added security and solid reliability to their global enterprise." Ivanti Cloud is included in Ivanti enterprise license agreements (ELA) or is available as a per-node subscription. For more information visit: https://www.ivanti.com/products/ivanti-cloud.

Ivanti Cloud will debut this week during Ivanti Interchange 2019 to be held March 11 through 14 in Madrid, and will be showcased during Ivanti Interchange 2019, April 29 through May 2, in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit: https://interchange.ivanti.com/. Ivanti: The Power of Unified IT. Ivanti unifies IT and Security Operations to better manage and secure the digital workplace. From PCs to mobile devices, VDI, and the data center, Ivanti discovers IT assets on-premises and in the cloud, improves IT service delivery, and reduces risk with insights and automation. The company also helps organizations leverage modern technology in the warehouse and across the supply chain to improve delivery without modifying backend systems. Ivanti is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has offices all over the world. For more information, visit www.ivanti.com and follow @GoIvanti. Copyright  2019, Ivanti. All rights reserved. Press Contacts:

Leslie Bonsteel

Ivanti

+1 801 208-1773

[email protected] Erin Jones

Avista Public Relations for Ivanti

+704 664-2170

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ivanti-cloud-unifies-it-operations-and-security-processes-so-organizations-can-quickly-discover-gain-insights-and-take-action-300810854.html SOURCE Ivanti

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[March 12, 2019] Innovation expert Vijay Govindarajan and former GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt make the case that digital transformation is key to manufacturers' survival, in a significant new paper by MIT Sloan Management Review

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In their significant new article, "The Only Way Manufacturers Can Survive," published in the Spring 2019 issue of MIT Sloan Management Review, innovation expert Vijay Govindarajan and former CEO and chairperson of GE Jeffrey Immelt contend that executing a digital transformation is not only the most complex but also the most critical challenge that industrial companies face today. "Most of the business leaders we talk to can sense, but don't fully realize, just how big a threat digitalization poses for manufacturers," they write. "Many CEOs miss the fact that a digital transformation isn't the same as the digitalization of an existing business. It isn't about creating websites, mobile apps, social media campaigns, and online sales channels. A digital transformation entails reimagining products and services as digitally enabled assets; generating new value from the interconnection of physical and digital assets through data; and creating ecosystems to make that possible." Though digital transformations are crucial for survival and require a fundamental change in business and organizational activities, processes, competencies, and business models, there are no playbooks and few best practices for manufacturers to follow when making the shift. Immelt and Govindarajan draw on their collective decades of experience to explain why it is so tough for manufacturers to go digital, and they share their hard-earned insights on how CEOs and other senior business leaders can work through those challenges and set up their organizations for longevity. First, they identify three major obstacles manufacturers must overcome in order to escape inertia and become digital-industrials: Incumbency: Leaders stick with existing business models because they work and don't notice threats from disruptive new ones. The incentive for change is low while existing models are performing at their peak.

Leaders stick with existing business models because they work and don't notice threats from disruptive new ones. The incentive for change is low while existing models are performing at their peak. Talent: Until recently, most manufacturers treated digital technology as a backroom function to support their existing businesses, choosing to outsource its development. They paid little attention to cultivating the skills to carry out a digital transformation. Moreover, manufacturers generally have a tough time attracting much-in-demand digital talent.

Until recently, most manufacturers treated digital technology as a backroom function to support their existing businesses, choosing to outsource its development. They paid little attention to cultivating the skills to carry out a digital transformation. Moreover, manufacturers generally have a tough time attracting much-in-demand digital talent. Culture: Manufacturers believe in continuous improvement, digital companies in constant innovation. To become more digital, industrial organizations must embrace concepts alien to them such as agility, simplicity, responsiveness, and speed. This is often a challenge for well-established enterprises geared to deliver cost-effective products at predictable intervals.



Wouldn't it be quicker and less investment-intensive to outsource the creation of digital capabilities or enter into a partnership? (no); Shouldn't we use IT people we already have rather than hiring fresh people who don't know our businesses? (no); Shouldn't we set up a few digital pilots and learn from those rather than going all in at once? (maybe). Finally, Immelt and Govindarajan address strategy execution, the toughest challenge for leaders. They write: "CEOs must rethink virtually everything about how their companies work and create new business models, develop fresh organizational structures, and lead very differently." They offer key insights into how leaders can create new value through digital transformation, restructure to allow for a smoother integration of old industrial business and new digital business, and lead with courage in the face of uncertainty.

"Digital transformation is a long-run strategy," Immelt and Govindarajan conclude. "CEOs should never need to apologize for investing in it. If industrial companies don't continue to invest in digital transformations, they will create markets that either industrial rivals or digital natives will seize without much fanfare. It's crucial that they transform themselves today." To read the full article, please visit MIT SMR. About the authors: Vijay Govindarajan (@vgovindarajan) is the Coxe Distinguished Professor at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. He was the first professor in residence and chief innovation consultant at General Electric. Jeffrey R. Immelt (@jeffimmelt) was GE's chairperson and CEO for 16 years. He is currently the chairperson of Athenahealth, a partner of the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, and a board member of Desktop Metal, a 3-D printing startup. About MIT Sloan Management Review A media company based at the MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Sloan Management Review's mission is to lead the conversation among research scholars, business executives, and other thought leaders about advances in management practice, especially those shaped by technology, that are transforming how people lead and innovate. MIT Sloan Management Review captures for thoughtful managers the creativity, excitement, and opportunity generated by rapid organizational, technological, and societal change. Contact

Emily Lavelle

Emily Lavelle Communications

+1-212-390-1328

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovation-expert-vijay-govindarajan-and-former-ge-ceo-jeffrey-immelt-make-the-case-that-digital-transformation-is-key-to-manufacturers-survival-in-a-significant-new-paper-by-mit-sloan-management-review-300810955.html SOURCE MIT Sloan Management Review

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[March 12, 2019] Anthony Ritossa's 8th Global Family Office Investment Summit Concludes in Dubai With Record Breaking Number of High Profile Attendees

DUBAI, UAE, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th Global Family Office Investment Summit hosted by Anthony Ritossa wrapped up in Dubai with leading families from around the world representing $4 trillion+ in investor wealth gathering to discuss Investing in a New Age. Once again, the exclusive event exceeded expectations as most influential global family office gathering of all time and resulted in a record-breaking number of important global business deals funded that are guaranteed to improve the world economy. In keeping with the Ritossa tradition, more than 450 elite family offices, prominent conglomerate business owners, sheikhs, royal families, private investment companies, international business moguls, sovereign wealth funds, and industry professionals from across the Middle East and around the globe convened at the Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach under the High Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. The 100+ speakers included influential UAE leaders, European royalty, award-winning global fund managers, cryptocurrency and blockchain experts, inspirational world peace leaders and many of the world's most important families who closed the event with a standing ovation. "The Summit succeeded in furthering cooperation and collaboration between Middle East families and their counterparts in Europe, the United States, Asia and Latin America by presenting an opportunity for like-minded families to meet in a private, invitation-only, confidential and closed-door environment," said Anthony Ritossa, Chairman of Ritossa Family Office, a family business dating back 600 years to the Venetian Empire in Europe. Following an initial meeting at the 6th Global Family Office Summit held in Dubai in March 2018, SmartCargo again met with The Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, UAE to sign a major partnership agreement, representing just one success story and example of the high level deals consummated at Ritossa Family Office Summits. "I congratulate Mr. Anthony Ritossa for once again showing what an upper scale, high calibre family office Summit should look like. The 8th Summit was an outstanding edition which, in my opinion, was a special one as it added to the portfolio multiple other HNWI, family offices and royal family members. I was particularly happy and honored to present our most recent venture in the blockchain space with SmartCargo during my very interesting panel, as an official partner to The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum. Today, SmartCargo is known as the new technology layer that challenges the logistics industry issues and promises improvements in efficiency and operating cost-reductions," said Faris M. Al Tahtamooni, Associate Director - International Ventures, Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum. In addition to collaborative global partnerships, events and topics that were top of mind included: World Tour for Peace  Summit attendees from 35 countries celebrated moments of peace in honour of the World Tour for Peace that will visit 100 countries across all continents over two years under the ambassadorship of Anthony Ritossa and other esteemed world leaders. Cautious Optimism Set the Tone  Summit guests tended to agree that the best path forward is autious optimism in light of concerns over a possible global economic slowdown and the challenges that may lie ahead.



Invest in Alignment with Values  Next generation investors increasingly seek returns that align with doing good for the world and future opportunities. Therefore, impact investing, philanthropy, social responsibility and ESG metrics are key themes in high demand. What is done with ones' resources has moral consequences and effective altruism is the best path forward. As an example, Justin Rockefeller outlined the example of Zero Mass Water which utilizes solar panels to create locally sourced water around the world. Humanity-Driven Investment Decisions Rule - Big ideas reflective of what is needed for humanity represent prime investment opportunities  e.g. smart apps and Internet of Things (ioT) platforms.

Instill a Family Spirit of Dialogue - Future generations of families seek to shine on their own. Therefore, families need to communicate and have a vision to create something meaningful for the world. It is essential to know your family story, heritage and legacy and align it with a strong entrepreneurial vision that incorporates risk taking, creativity trust, chemistry and innovation. Forex Markets Present Opportunity  Forex strategies that incorporate algorithms and a defense-first approach to investing such as those utilized by Mediatrix Capital are a compelling investment opportunity in today's dynamic business climate. Algorithms work better than humans as they can compute an input value or set of values, and produce a new value, or set of values as an output. Blockchain + Business  Blockchain is changing best practices for business around the world. The right regulation will supercharge the future and radical changes are in store for every aspect of banking. Dubai is Well Positioned as a World Leader  Dubai is in a unique position to continue to take the lead on the world stage as a result of its unparalleled innovation, trade agreements and seismic shift in investor mentality. The region leads in areas such as technology, AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, healthcare, financial services, and sustainability. Buckle Your Seat Belt  Substantial families must prepare for events such as birth, death and divorce in addition to preparing for turbulence in the financial markets and it is always important to consider short and long term family goals. Families should live for today, remember yesterday and think of tomorrow as they prepare future generations to take the lead. "The Global Family Office Summit event in Dubai was a crowning achievement for Anthony Ritossa and everyone who participated. The summit is recognised as the largest and most exclusive worldwide family office gathering of all time and it is an honour to provide patronage to such an illustrious event. Similar to past Summits, many prominent families from around the world gathered for high-level discussions on how to enrich the family legacy, grow, preserve wealth, and share ideas. We look forward to future events," said Mohamed Al Ali, CEO & Advisor, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum International Investments Enterprise, UAE. "The summit is a good mix of families, of products and services. This sharing of current activities, and future trends is very important in such gatherings as a vehicle to move forward into 2019," said H.R.H. Prince Michel de Yougoslavie, Grandson of King Umberto of Italy & Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Monaco. "For the past couple of years, I have chaired, moderated and spoken at many Family Office's and Investment Summits around the world, but this one has certainly raised the bar. It was an honour to Chair and Moderate Ritossa's Global Family Office Investment Summit," said Hussein Sayed, CNBC Arabia Anchor, & Chief Market Strategist, ForexTime (FXTM), UAE. "This is the only global summit where affluence and influence combine synergistic forces to catapult groundbreaking platforms of commerce, wealth, and indescribable opportunities into disruptive global businesses of the future," said Sheila Barry Driscoll, Billionaire Foundation, USA. "Your wonderful summit turned out to be the best conference I have been to. It's only because of your splendid efforts and management, that made it so successful, highly stimulating and beneficial for all participants," said Hadi Al Alawi, Chairman & CEO, Al Hayat Group, Kingdom of Bahrain. "What makes these events exceptional is that they are organised by a family office for like-minded family offices," said Giuseppe Ambrosio, President, Monaco Single & Multi-Family Office International Association. "Ritossa summits are the best in a perfect setting  we achieved US$360 million of investments," said Nick Ayton, Founder & CEO, Chainstarter & Family Office Crypto Advisor, UK. For details on future events and the invitation-only 9th Global Family Office Investment Summit in Monaco June 18-20, 2019, please email [email protected] or visit www.MonacoSummit.org. Pictured (left to right): Joze Oberstar, Founder/Attorney at Law, Oberstar Law Office; David Grozina, Co-Founder, SmartCargo; Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum & SEED Group; Gregor Humar, Founder/CEO, SmartCargo; Ahmed Ayman, Senior Manager - International Ventures, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum; Faris M. Al Tahtamooni, Associate Director - International Ventures, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum. Media Contact:



Charlotte Luer

+1-239-404-6785

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/anthony-ritossas-8th-global-family-office-investment-summit-concludes-in-dubai-with-record-breaking-number-of-high-profile-attendees-300810960.html SOURCE Global Family Office Summit

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[March 12, 2019] Continental's Entrepreneurship Incubator Produces First Spin-Off Company

After launching co-pace in 2017, the startup organization of Continental, the company is pleased to announce the organization's first spin-off company: PassiveBolt. Promoting both intrapreneurship across Continental as well as entrepreneurship, co-pace is designed to tap into future business models and creative concepts outside the confines of traditional corporate structures. The core elements that make up co-pace, the incubator and the co-operation program, are closely linked with a corporate venture capital arm to support entrepreneurs at various stages throughout their journey. These entrepreneurial ideas can come from company employees, as is the case with PassiveBolt's founder, as well as external startups. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005636/en/ Ann Arbor, Michigan-based PassiveBolt brings Automotive Grade Touch Technology to the front door, enabling touch-sensitive keyless entry for the home. (Photo: Business Wire) As new enterprise models continue to disrupt traditional businesses at remarkable speeds, co-pace helps Continental maintain its technology leadership and shape the future of mobility and beyond. "Continental's concept for co-pace was simple: create something that can accelerate the company's innovation and agility," explained Juergen Bilo, managing director of co-pace GmbH. "We empower our employees and external entrepreneurs to explore ther ideas, offering mentorship and, in some cases, financial support. This approach enables Continental to stimulate and access the creativity and execution speed needed to stay competitive in today's rapidly changing mobility and technology marketplace."



What started as a concept inside Continental's first co-pace cohort has officially blossomed into its own independent entity, PassiveBolt, with financial backing from Continental and other external investors. Ann Arbor, Michigan-based PassiveBolt brings Automotive Grade Touch Technology to the front door, enabling touch-sensitive keyless entry for the home. The company produces a white-labeled module that converts existing door locks into smart, touch-enabled locks, utilizing smartphones as a key. While working on Continental's keyless entry team, Kabir Maiga, co-pace intrapreneur and CEO of PassiveBolt, saw an opportunity to adapt the technology from an automotive application to a smart home innovation. Thanks to the co-pace incubator, Maiga was able to take PassiveBolt from concept to fruition and is still able to rely on Continental for support as he navigates the next phase of the entrepreneurial road. For example, Continental stands ready to provide not only guidance, but also manufacturing services to the new company as it develops.

"co-pace gave me the freedom, resources and guidance to modify a technology that revolutionized how we access our vehicles, for accessing and safeguarding our homes," said Maiga. "It's inspiring to have worked for an employer that not only recognizes the shifting business ecosystem ahead and prepares accordingly, but also values and supports employee ideas and concepts for new ventures." Varying perspectives and experiences spur creativity and innovation, elements Continental considers vital to its future success. Both within co-pace and in everyday work, employees are encouraged to generate disruptive ideas and challenge the status quo. Giving employees the opportunity to tap into their entrepreneurial side with co-pace supports Continental's mission to create a motivating, engaging and inclusive workplace for all. The company's efforts have led to numerous recognitions for being an employer of choice, named to lists like FORTUNE's "World's Most Admired Companies," Forbes' "America's Best Employers for Diversity," and Michigan's Top Workplaces by the Detroit Free Press, among others. To learn more about PassiveBolt, visit PassiveBolt.com. About Continental Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2018, Continental generated preliminary sales of 44.4 billion and currently employs around 244,000 people in 60 countries and markets. Links For the latest Continental news and information, follow us on: Facebook (News - Alert): Continental USA Twitter (News - Alert): @ContiPress Press portal: www.continental-press.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005636/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Investigating The Boeing Company's Directors and Officers for Breach of Fiduciary Duties - BA

Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott+Scott"), a national securities and consumer rights litigation firm, is investigating whether certain directors and officers of The Boeing (News - Alert) Company ("Boeing" or the "Company") (NYSE:BA) breached their fiduciary duties to the Company and its shareholders. If you are a Boeing shareholder, you are encouraged to contact Scott+Scott for additional information. Scott+Scott is investigating whether members of Boeing's board of directors made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company's new 737 MAX 8 automated stall-prevention system was susceptible to deadly malfunctions; (ii) Boeing maintained inadequate internal controls to ensure the timely reporting and dissemination of such malfunctions; and (iii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On Otober 29, 2018, a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet operated by the Indonesian airline, Lion Air, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all passengers and crew. On November 12, 2018, post-market, the Wall Street Journal published an article, entitled "Boeing Withheld Information on 737 Model, According to Safety Experts and Others," citing "safety experts involved in the investigation, as well as midlevel [Federal Aviation Administration] officials" and reporting that Boeing "withheld information about potential hazards associated with a new flight-control feature suspected of playing a role in last month's fatal Lion Air jet crash[.]" Over the 11 days following the publication of the Wall Street Journal article, Boeing's stock price fell a total of $44.71 per share, or roughly 12.5%, to close at $312.32 per share on November 23, 2018.



On March 10, 2019, 157 people perished after an Ethiopian Airlines-operated Boeing 737 Max 8 model airplane crashed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, shortly after take-off. In the wake of the crash, regulators in China and several other countries grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets. On March 11, 2019, Boeing's stock price fell $22.65, or over 5%, to close at $399.89. What You Can Do

If you are a Boeing shareholder, you may have legal claims against the Company's directors and officers. If you wish to discuss this investigation, or have questions about this notice or your legal rights, please contact attorney Joe Pettigrew toll-free at (844) 818-6982 or at [email protected]. About Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major securities, antitrust, and employee retirement plan actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Connecticut, California, and Ohio. Attorney Advertising View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005652/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Government helping small businesses innovate

$150,000 to help Groupe Graham International Inc. and Formi 3DP Inc. develop innovative solutions to a government challenge OTTAWA, March 12, 2019 /CNW/ - As the single largest purchaser of Canadian goods and services, the Government of Canada is helping small businesses innovate and bring their innovations to market. That is why it has created Innovative Solutions Canada, a program that invites Canadian small businesses to develop innovative solutions to address government challenges. Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, announced that Groupe Graham International Inc., based in Lachine, Quebec, and Formi 3DP Inc., based in London, Ontario, will each receive a $150,000 investment through this program. The companies have proposed a way to incorporate frequency-selective engineered surfaces in the research and development of new building materials, construction products and design tools. The companies are proposing solutions to address issues of interference with Wi-Fi and radio frequencies. With this challenge, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is looking to create a strong Canadian industry with expertise in the design of frequency-selective engineered surfaces and their application in connected vehicles. The funding will support the companies' research and development activities. If their concepts are selected to continue to the next stage, the companies could receive up to span >$1 million over two years to refine their prototype.



Twenty federal departments and agencies are looking for solutions to a range of challenges related to, for example, the environment, the military or remote communities. Innovative Solutions Canada is a key component of the government's Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying middle-class jobs.

Quotes "Our government is leveraging its enormous purchasing power to ensure Canadian small businesses can grow and innovate. We're turning to Canadians for their best ideas to solve government challenges. With this challenge, we're looking to improve wireless connectivity in connected vehicles and reduce Wi-Fi connectivity issues."

 The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development "Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and employ over 8 million hard-working Canadians. That's why our government is committed to helping small businesses start up, scale up and access new markets. Innovative Solutions Canada is a fantastic program that uses government procurement to help small businesses innovate and then commercialize their innovations. Congratulations to these businesses. I can't wait to see the innovative solutions they come up with."

 The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion

Quick facts With the frequency-selective engineered surfaces challenge, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is looking for solutions to help address issues of interference with Wi-Fi and radio frequencies in the design of this technology and its application in connected vehicles.

Program funding comes from the 20 departments and agencies participating in Innovative Solutions Canada. Each department will set aside funding for this initiative that amounts to one percent of its 201516 combined procurement and internal research and development expenditures. Together, the funding from the departments and agencies represents an annual $100-million investment over the course of five years.

investment over the course of five years. Innovative Solutions Canada encourages submissions from businesses owned and led by women, Indigenous peoples, youth and other traditionally under-represented groups by ensuring those groups are included in the program's outreach plans and activities.

There are hundreds of programs and services that offer everything from funding to expert advice to help businesses innovate, create jobs and grow Canada's economy. Using a simple, story-based user interface, the Innovation Canada platform can match businesses with the most fitting programs and services in about two minutes. Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Two Mississippi Nonprofits Receive Partnership and Affordable Housing Program Grants

BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will award $225,000 in grants to Restoration Home, Inc. and Corporation for Global Community Development (CGCD), two Mississippi nonprofits.

Restoration Home, Inc. will receive $8,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) funds. The organization provides transitional housing and services for recovering addicts in Mississippi and surrounding states.

CGCD, which provides affordable housing, education and enrichment opportunities to the community, will receive a $210,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to rehabilitate 14 senior living rental units at Dorothy L. Biard Hearts of Compassion Independent Living for Seniors facility. CGCD will also receive $7,500 in PGP funds to assist with capacity building.

The media is encouraged to join local dignitaries and bank representatives at a check presentation at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at Hearts of Compassion Independent Living's offices at 4653 Terry Road in Jackson.

For more information about the programs visit fhlb.com/pgp or fhlb.com/ahp.







WHAT: Check Presentation WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2019 WHO: Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor, City of Jackson Brad Ferguson, Field Director, Office of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS Evelyn Edwards, Vice President, Community Development Grant Specialist, BancorpSouth Bank Edward Hubbard, Executive Director, Restoration Home LeRoi Gray, Corporation for Global Community Development Greg Hettrick, First Vice President and Director of Community Investment, FHLB Dallas WHERE: Dorothy L. Biard Hearts of Compassion Independent Living for Seniors 4653 Terry Road Jackson, Mississippi 39212

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005720/en/
[March 12, 2019] Washington, DC-based MindShare Selects Gary Shiffman for Its 2019 Cohort

Giant Oak, a leader in applying artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analytics for the security needs of government and industry, is proud to announce its inclusion in MindShare, an exclusive organization designed especially for CEOs of the most promising high-tech companies in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Founded in 1997 with the mission to help CEOs build long-term, sustainable companies, MindShare connects select, handpicked CEOs from some of the area's hottest emerging companies, ultimately creating growth opportunities, and fostering collaboration in a collegial environment. 'We are delighted to welcome Giant Oak to this year's class," said Steve Balistreri, Managing Director at Deloitte (News - Alert) and executive committee board member. "Each year, our MindShare participants hail from some of the most innovative organizations in the DMV and this year's class is certainly representative of the momentum and diversity we see in technology companies across this region." MindShare received more than 160 nominations for 2019, with 58 of those accepted into the final cohort. The newest MindShare members will complete a series of classes, taught by notable speakers, on building a business as a CEO. At the conclusion of the program, members with significant attendance and participation will graduate and join a powerful alumni network of more than 1,000 CEOs. 2019 members attended a special welcome event on March 11th at the Capital One (News - Alert) Arena, hosted b Ted Leonsis and the MindShare Board.



The MindShare Board's Executive Committee includes Harry Glazer of SPROCKIT; April Young of Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc.; Steve Balistreri of Deloitte & Touche, LLP, and Michael Lincoln of Cooley, LLP. MindShare is supported by a board of industry veterans who are committed to building a strong ecosystem for success. About Giant Oak

Giant Oak combines data and behavioral science to help business and government identify potential threats during the online search and screening process. Led by a team of social scientists, machine learning experts, and security professionals, the company provides a system known as GOST  which expertly searches the deep web to reveal and rank otherwise-hidden actions, actors, and communities. GOST's human-centered design principles apply machine learning to publicly available information enabling organizations to see a clearer picture of the people with whom they transact. The government, financial and regulatory organizations, and national security agencies use GOST to comply with Customer Due Diligence (CDD) processes, reduce false negatives, increase data confidence, and enable smarter and easier decision-making. For more information, visit www.giantoak.com. About MindShare Founded in 1997, MindShare's mission is to help CEOs from the most promising high tech emerging growth companies in the Greater Washington Metropolitan region build long-term, sustainable companies by providing mentorship, creating business opportunities and a sense of community, and fostering teamwork in a collegial environment. Year after year, the CEOs who graduate from MindShare reaffirm its enduring value through continued business opportunities and lasting friendships. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005724/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Wolf Greenfield and Motiv Design to Co-Host April 4 Webinar on Intellectual Property (IP) and Branding Issues

Intellectual property (IP) law firm Wolf Greenfield and design firm Motiv today announced they will co-host a webinar on April 4th to provide startup and early-stage companies, their advisors, and investors with an overview of best practices for IP, trademarking, product design, and branding. Executives from startup companies Juicero, Coravin, and Eight Sleep will also discuss their actual experience in these areas. The webinar, "Intellectual Property and Branding for Startups: Legal and Design Best Practices, and Real-World Considerations," will include three respected professional advisors and two seasoned entrepreneurs who will share insights that can be applied by emerging growth companies currently seeking to protect and promote their ideas and products. The webinar panel will consist of: Neil Ferraro, Shareholder and Chair of Wolf Greenfield's Mechanical Technologies Group; Christina Licursi, Shareholder in Wolf Greenfield's Trademark & Copyright Group; Paul Metaxatos, a Principal of design firm Motiv; Paul Katz, VP of Product Development at Eight Sleep and the former VP of Engineering at Juicero; and Mike Rider, VP of Engineering at Coravin, Inc. The webinar is targeted for early and later stage entrepreneurs and their advisors; founders and senior managers of emerging growth companies; private equity, venture capital and corporate investment professionals; and angel investors, family offices, accelerators, and incubators. p> Online registration for this complimentary webinar is currently available here. For additional information, contact Francesca Householder at [email protected] .



About Wolf Greenfield

Wolf Greenfield is the largest Boston-based law firm focused solely on intellectual property (IP) law. The firm's lawyers are at the forefront of their fields and support leading companies, inventors, and research facilities with a full range of intellectual property portfolio management including patent, copyright and trademark acquisition, prosecution and litigation; post-grant proceedings; opinions and strategic counseling; trade dress protection; intellectual property audits and due diligence; and licensing and other issues related to commercialization of intellectual property. Now in its ninth decade, Wolf Greenfield continues to represent innovators in the fields of biotechnology, chemical & materials technologies, pharmaceuticals, clean technology, electrical & computer technologies, mechanical technologies, medical devices, and consumer products. About Motiv

Motiv designs products, develops brands and delivers creative solutions for companies of all sizes, across a broad range of industries. Motiv works at the intersection of brand and design, helping clients create products and brand experiences that connect with people, evoke emotion, influence decisions, and drive business outcomes. Motiv has partnered with some of the most respected brands and companies in the world, including Keurig, Delta, Coravin, Culligan, Goodbaby, iRobot, Hawaiian Tropic, Kitchenaid, Butler Home Products (Dawn), and Vitamix. Visit the-motiv.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005719/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Battle Born Munitions Canvassing Dick's Sporting Goods Suppliers Who May Have Experienced Late or Delayed Payments or Been Forced into Arbitration

Battle Born Munitions (BBM), a leading broker, exporter, importer and manufacturer of defense solutions, today invites suppliers and manufacturers for Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE: DKS) who have experienced late or delayed payments or have been forced into arbitration to reach out. BBM CEO Fred Hees is asking any and all suppliers, regardless of contract terms who have been victims of breached contracts and Dick's poor business practices, to come forward as they may have common claims against Dick's. BBM is currently involved in a lawsuit against Dick's for Breach of Contract, Fraudulent Inducement and Negligent Misrepresentation. BBM is seeking to recoup approximately $5.5 million in damages stemming from a 2016 contract between Dick's and BBM. The lawsuit states that Dick's Sporting Goods placed a large order for its house brand 'Field and Stream' ammunition, which BBM filled by the end of November 2016 as outlined in the contract. Dick's refused to take delivery on the order, thus forcing BBM to store the merchandise at its cost and tying up capital that was needed for other contracts BBM had in place. In addition, Dick's delayed payments and took discounts on invoices, which were outlined in the contract as incentive for early payment, that they were not entitled to.



Ultimately, BBM was prevented from executing lucrative contracts with other vendors that resulted in the loss of those contracts as well as categorically damaging BBM's otherwise sterling reputation. "The way our contract was executed did not keep with the original letter of the agreement and I do not believe that our experience with Dick's is an isolated incident. We feel strongly that their behavior could be indicative of larger financial issues," said Hees. "We were shocked and surprised that a retailer of the caliber of Dick's would engage in these practices and fail to honor the terms of a contract. Our concern now is that we are just one supplier in a long line of suppliers who have been defrauded by Dick's and that there may be others who have been materially harmed. We are seeking to open a pathway for other companies in our position to come forward and help us put an end to Dick's unscrupulous and predatory business practices."

Earlier this year a federal judge in Pittsburgh denied Dick's recent motion to dismiss and the lawsuit will be heard in federal court later this year. For more information please visit www.bbmsolution.com About Battle Born Munitions BBM is a registered broker and exporter in good standing with the US Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). The company also holds several US Department of Justice Federal Firearms Licenses. BBM management team is comprised of senior retired military Officers and NCO's with decades worth of Aviation, Technology and Special Operations Forces experience around the globe. BBM's government business vertical is focused on selling defense products, services and solutions to NATO Allies and ITAR approved foreign countries that are listed on the approved Federal Register, as maintained by the US Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005730/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Flow Pharma, Inc. and OncoImmunity AS partner for the Development of FlowVaxTM Personalized Cancer Vaccines

Flow Pharma Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology company focused on developing personalized cancer vaccines, today announced a collaboration with Norwegian bioinformatics company OncoImmunity AS. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005768/en/ Under the agreement OncoImmunity will license the Immuneoprofiler software to Flow Pharma to support the clinical development and commercialisation of products based on the FlowVax platform. The Immuneoprofiler has recently received the CE-IVD mark certification as a medical device, and fills some of the key gaps in neoantigen prediction. The FlowVax vaccine platform developed by Flow Pharma, is optimized to simultaneously deliver multiple neoantigen peptide targets to enhance tumor-specific killer T-cell attack. OncoImmunity will develop a customised machine-learning layer, using cinical data generated by Flow Pharma, that will work-in-sync with the Immuneoprofiler software to make predictions tailored to the FlowVax platform.



"This exciting partnership and licensing deal represents a fantastic opportunity for OncoImmunity to apply its Immuneoprofiler prediction software to the FlowVax technology in a clinical setting. It also affords OncoImmunity the opportunity to leverage its in-depth knowledge of immune-informatics and expertise in machine learning to develop a customised solution for the FlowVax platform that will support Flow Pharma's needs now and in the years ahead" said Richard Stratford., Chief Executive Officer at OncoImmunity. "We believe that OncoImmunity's Immuneoprofiler software represents the best-in-class solution for predicting clinically relevant bona fide neoantigens. Flow Pharma's bioinformatics team will be working closely with OncoImmunity AS to customize the way we utilize Immuneoprofiler in order to optimize the use of the data we will be generating" said Reid Rubsamen, M.D., CEO of Flow Pharma.

About OncoImmunity OncoImmunity AS is a machine-learning company offering a proprietary technology to address key knowledge gaps in the prediction of bona fide immunogenic neoantigen for personalized cancer immunotherapy. OncoImmunity's software facilitates effective patient selection for cancer immunotherapy and identifies neoantigen targets creating truly personalized cancer vaccines & cell therapies in clinically actionable time-frames. About Flow Pharma Flow Pharma Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based, biotechnology company developing personalized neoantigen-based vaccines based on its proprietary FlowVax vaccine platform. The FlowVax platform is optimized to simultaneously deliver multiple neoantigen peptide targets to enhance tumor-specific killer T-cell attack. Each of the chemical components used in the FlowVax platform are currently part of an FDA approved vaccine or pharmaceutical, simplifying the regulatory pathway. Flow Pharma is now gearing up to test therapeutic cancer vaccines based on the FlowVax platform. About FlowVaxTM Each of the chemical components used in the FlowVax platform are currently part of an FDA approved vaccine or pharmaceutical, simplifying the regulatory pathway. FlowVax vaccines can also be manufactured quickly and efficiently, keeping the cost down and getting the therapy in the hands of treating physicians soon after the diagnosis is made, for maximum efficacy. However, as with all personalized vaccine approaches, the successful development and commercialisation of products based on the FlowVax platform is predicated on being able to identify clinically actionable and immunogenic neoantigen targets in a cost effective and clinically actionable time-frame. OncoImmunity's Immuneoprofiler software, addresses this challenge, by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify clinically relevant and immunogenic neoantigens from next generation sequencing data. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of Flow Pharma, Inc. (''the Company''), future expectations, plans and prospects. In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words ''believes,''''expects,''''intends,''''plans,''''anticipates,'' or ''may,'' and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any statements made in this presentation other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of the Company, its subsidiaries and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on the Company's future results. The forward-looking statements included in this presentation are made only as of the date hereof. The Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and also takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by Flow Pharma, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005768/en/

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[March 12, 2019] PartnerRe Announces Changes to Property & Casualty Business Organization and Executive Leadership Team

PartnerRe today announced that the Company will reorganize its Property & Casualty (P&C) business segment into a regional structure, and will make several changes to its Executive Leadership Team. Effective April 1, 2019, PartnerRe's P&C business will be reorganized into three distinct regional units: Americas, Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific, reporting directly to PartnerRe President and CEO, Emmanuel Clarke. Mr. Clarke commented, "We are further evolving our P&C structure. As a result of these changes, P&C will have a flatter organizational structure, further enabling us to increase agility in the way we run our P&C business and customize our approach to our clients and brokers around the world. I will assume direct oversight of the P&C business, including the three P&C business regional units." Changes to the Executive Leadership Team Philippe Meyenhofer, currently Deputy CEO, P&C and Head of P&C Europe will lead the Company's EMEA regional unit. Mr. Meyenhofer has held several leadership positions since joining PartnerRe in August 2010. He has led P&C Europe since July 2016 and was appointed as Deputy CEO, P&C in December 2018. James Beedle will continue in his role as Head of P&C Asia-Pacific and CEO of Partner Reinsurance Asia Pte. Ltd. In addition to leading the Asia-Pacific regional unit, Mr. Beedle will assume executive responsibility for the Global Clients and Broker Management unit. Mr. Beedle joined PartnerRe in January 2017 in his current rle. Previously, Mr. Beedle was Senior Managing Director of Willis Re Asia-Pacific.



The Americas division will be led by a newly appointed executive, for whom a search is currently underway. In the interim, Jon Schriber, Head of Structured Risk North America, will assume responsibility for our P&C North America unit. Separately, the Company announced that Greg Haft will be appointed CEO for Specialty Lines. Since January 2018, Mr. Haft has held the position of Deputy CEO of Specialty Lines and has led its Property, Marine and Energy (PME) unit. Prior to that, Mr. Haft was Head of Global Cat, and Property North America since 2016. He will retain the responsibility of the PME unit in addition to becoming CEO of Specialty.

These four positions will be appointed to the Executive Leadership Team. Mr. Clarke further commented, "I am pleased to promote Philippe, James and Greg from within, all strong and capable leaders. Each has been successful in both leading their businesses as well as their teams and I look forward to working with them on the Executive Leadership Team." As part of the reorganization, the Company and Charles Goldie, CEO P&C, have agreed that he will leave the Company. Mr. Clarke commented, "I would like to thank Charlie for his significant contribution to the organization over the past 17 years. Charlie has been an important part of PartnerRe's success, particularly growing our Specialty business into one of the best portfolios and platforms in the industry. His strategic and intellectual capabilities have made him a valued member of the Executive Leadership Team and I wish him the very best in his next endeavors." ____________________________________________ PartnerRe Ltd. is a leading global reinsurer that helps insurance companies reduce their earnings volatility, strengthen their capital and grow their businesses through reinsurance solutions. Risks are underwritten on a worldwide basis through the Company's three segments: P&C, Specialty, and Life and Health. For the year ended December 31, 2018, total revenues were $5.6 billion. At December 31, 2018, total assets were $22.8 billion, total capital was $7.9 billion and total shareholders' equity was $6.5 billion. PartnerRe enjoys strong financial strength ratings as follows: A.M. Best A / Moody's A1 / Standard & Poor's A+. PartnerRe on the Internet: www.partnerre.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005783/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Stryker Redefines Nailing with T2 Alpha and ADAPT for Gamma3

MAHWAH, N.J., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stryker's Trauma and Extremities Division announces the launches of T2 Alpha Nailing System and its ADAPT for Gamma3 software. With the addition of these separate products, Stryker delivers a complete nailing portfolio comprised of innovative hardware, advanced software and distal targeting devices designed for procedural consistency. Stryker will showcase these latest technologies at the 2019 Academy Meeting in Las Vegas, NV from March 12-16. "Stryker is redefining nailing by developing innovative hardware and software that help surgeons perform procedures for each of their unique patients," said John Nasonte, Vice President & General Manager, Stryker Trauma. "We're proud to continue to lead the way in introducing new technology that changes approaches to surgical procedures." T2 Alpha implants adapt to diverse intraoperative needs, addressing varying patient anatomy. New to T2 Alpha is the Advanced Locking Screw option, which provides added axial and angular stability. It limits relative motion between the nail and screw, allowing surgeons to provide additional nail stability when needed1. ADAPT for Gamma3 uses augmented reality to roject 3D-based measurements on patient X-rays. ADAPT's software can eliminate the need for certain hardware instrumentation while enabling surgeons to guide implant alignment, lag screw length determination, lag screw positioning and distal targeting.



Stryker's Trauma and Extremities portfolio offers market-leading implants for the treatment of long and small bone fractures, as well as extremity joint replacements. About Stryker

Stryker is one of the world's leading medical technology companies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes. More information is available at www.stryker.com. [1] T2 Alpha Femur Antegrade GT/PF Nailing System Operative Technique, T2-ST-17_Rev-4, 09-2018 A surgeon must always rely on his or her own professional clinical judgment when deciding whether to use a particular product when treating a particular patient. Stryker does not dispense medical advice and recommends that surgeons be trained in the use of any particular product before using it in surgery. The information presented is intended to demonstrate the breadth of Stryker's product offerings. A surgeon must always refer to the package insert, product label and/or instructions for use before using any of Stryker's products. Products may not be available in all markets because product availability is subject to the regulatory and/or medical practices in individual markets. Please contact your sales representative if you have questions about the availability of products in your area. T2-BL-10, 03-2019 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stryker-redefines-nailing-with-t2-alpha-and-adapt-for-gamma3-300810357.html SOURCE Stryker

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[March 12, 2019] Marketo and ON24 Partnership Empowers Marketers to Turn Engagement into Revenue

SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With 81 percent of marketers expecting the majority of their decisions to be data-driven by 2020, it's critical for organizations to build an integrated marketing technology stack that streamlines data collection and provides customer insights. That's why today, ON24 , the technology leader helping companies create live, always-on and personalized digital experiences, is teaming up with Marketo, an Adobe company, to help marketers deliver an end-to-end demand generation solution by integrating the webinar channel. Building on the industry's most seamless and robust webinar data integration, this multi-year agreement will provide even more value to the thousands of customers who already use ON24 and Marketo to engage and understand their audience. "Marketers use ON24 and Marketo to gain actionable insights into their prospects' buying journeys and convert them into lifetime customers," says Sharat Sharan, CEO, ON24. "We're excited to strengthen our relationship, and together, help marketers deliver digital experiences that captivate audiences and drive revenue." Both Marketo and ON24 are committed to helping marketers move beyond superficial tactics toward experiences that form meaningful connections with their prospects. This relationship furthers that goal, enabling marketers to create data-rich ON24 webinars and content experiences, capture every interaction, and automatically transfer that intelligence directly to Marketo. By having these behavioral insights nside Marketo, marketers also gain a powerful way to accelerate and scale personalized and account-based marketing strategies.



"Data is integral to enabling marketers to deliver outstanding customer experiences and ultimately shareholder value," said Mika Yamamoto, VP Customer Success, Digital Experience, at Adobe. "Through our collaboration with ON24, we will be able to give marketers deeper insights into their customers, helping transform their funnel and positively impact their bottom line." To deepen the engagement and data of their own marketing experiences, Marketo selected ON24 as the company's global webinar provider. Now, the company will use the behavioral intelligence provided by the ON24 Platform to help inform its own audience engagement strategy. ON24, a customer of Marketo for more than five years, will become a member of the Marketo Partner Advisory Board. And, the two companies formalized an agreement to work together to innovate their synergistic technologies, making it easy for marketers to adopt and realize the value of engagement data.

Yamamoto is giving a keynote address today at Webinar World, the industry's only conference dedicated to webinar strategy and execution. The conference is presented by ON24 and centers on the theme, "Engage for Action," calling on companies to redefine digital engagement as personalized, data-rich and audience-centric. For more information about Webinar World 2019, go here . About ON24, Inc.

ON24 is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences, powering interactive, data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions. Through the ON24 Platform, marketers can create live, always on, and personalized digital experiences, understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action. Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes -- including 12 million polls, 1.3 million surveys, 1.5 million conversations, and conversion of over 17 million resources -- marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel. Headquartered in San Francisco, ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions, including London, Munich, Singapore, Stockholm and Sydney. For more information, visit https://www.on24.com . CONTACT: Keith Chapman, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marketo-and-on24-partnership-empowers-marketers-to-turn-engagement-into-revenue-300811081.html SOURCE ON24

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Mr. Hai presents a souvenir to Mr. Georges Dallemagne. (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

He made the statement during his reception on March 11th for a delegation from the Belgium  Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarian Group led by Georges Dallemagne, member of the Belgium House of Representative and President of the Group, on a visit to Ho Chi Minh city.

Stressing that although economic cooperation between Ho Chi Minh city and Belgium over the past time had developed actively, Mr. Hai confirmed that it did not match the potential, with two-way trade turnover of USD616 million in 2018. As of January, Belgian investors had 25 projects worth USD6.9 million in Ho Chi Minh city, he said, adding that the Vietnamese city had also set up relationships with Belgian localities such as Flanders and Wallonie Bruxelles regions.

He expressed his hope that the delegation members would support Ho Chi Minh city in dealing with climate change, depression and flooding, while cooperating with the city in environmental protection, hi-tech agriculture, seaport, building of smart city, training of human resources and urban management.

He also suggested that there should be more exchanges between Ho Chi Minh city and Belgian localities to increase mutual understanding and cooperation.

Appreciating the relationship between Belgium and Vietnam, especially in 2018 when the two countries marked their 45th anniversary of diplomatic relationship, Mr. Georges Dallemagne said the free trade agreement between the European Union and Vietnam would open up more opportunities for both Vietnamese and Belgian businesses.

He said he hoped Belgium and Vietnam would increase bilateral exchanges, especially between Ho Chi Minh city, as well as Mekong River Delta localities, with Belgian localities in climate change mitigation./.
Milwaukee will host the Democratic National Convention in 2020, bringing a trove of tourism dollars to Wisconsin while showcasing one of the swing states likely to decide the presidency.The Democratic National Committee announced the news Monday morning, and chairman Tom Perez made it official Monday afternoon at an event in Milwaukee.Houston and Miami Beach also sought to host the convention, which will be in July 2020.The convention is expected to bring tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions in tourism dollars to Milwaukee and the surrounding region, including Dane County.It also will enable Wisconsin to play host to history when Democrats nominate their candidate to oppose Republican President Donald Trump.This will be the first time Wisconsin has hosted a national convention for either major party. The Democratic National Committee, in a statement, said it will be the first time in the last century that Democrats held their national convention in the Midwest outside Chicago.Democrats signaled they hope to make Wisconsin a national model for what they view as their party's resurgence in the Trump era. A DNC statement said Democrats saw "some of their biggest and most historic gains last year in Wisconsin," including the election of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the re-election of U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin."Today's announcement signals that the party is doubling down on its winning strategy in this critical battleground state," Perez said.Perez said at the Milwaukee event that while holding the convention in Milwaukee does not guarantee electoral success for Democrats in Wisconsin in 2020, "where you hold a convention is a very strong statement of your values. It's a very strong statement of who you are as a party."Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett declared Monday that "we are ready to showcase Milwaukee on one of the largest stages in the world."The convention could bring as many as 50,000 visitors to Wisconsin, according to U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.Perez had been expected to make an announcement last month on the convention host city. Some had questioned if Milwaukee -- with the smallest of the three finalist metropolitan areas, and smaller than other metropolitan areas that recently hosted national conventions -- could handle the influx of tens of thousands of visitors, some of whom demand very posh accommodations.Speaking Monday, Perez said the decision was delayed because he faced an "enviable dilemma" of good options between the three finalist cities.The Milwaukee pick suggests Democrats want to show they're serious about winning Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest, in the 2020 presidential campaign. Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, were states that traditionally vote Democratic in presidential elections -- but were critical in 2016 in tipping the Electoral College to Trump.A centerpiece of Milwaukee's DNC bid is the new Milwaukee Bucks arena, Fiserv Forum, which will host the convention.Milwaukee Bucks vice president Alex Lasry -- who along with Barrett and Moore, helped oversee the city's bid for the convention -- said in a statement that the convention "is an unprecedented opportunity to put Milwaukee on the international stage like never before."Few in either party dispute the convention will have a big economic impact for Wisconsin, especially its southeast region.The 2016 Democratic National Convention provided a total economic impact to its host city, Philadelphia, of $230.9 million, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau reported.Wisconsin Republicans said Monday that they're happy the state will get a cash infusion from convention visitors. But U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, predicted the convention will bring a backlash for Democrats by giving Wisconsinites "a first-hand look at Democrats' extreme policies.""Understanding the risk of Democrat socialistic tendencies should provide motivation to re-elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November 2020," Johnson said.Supporters of the Milwaukee bid have said the convention could provide a regional economic boost that extends at least as far as Dane County.Deb Archer, president of Destination Madison, said her organization has been contacted by Milwaukee tourism officials about the availability of hotel rooms in Dane County during the convention.U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, said he expects some convention-goers to visit Madison before or after the event as part of an extended trip. A few may choose to stay in Madison throughout the convention, Pocan predicted.Pocan also said the Wisconsin selection holds powerful symbolism for Democrats after 2016. The party's presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, famously did not visit the state during the campaign after capturing the nomination."It's a strong signal from the DNC that it gets what happened," Pocan said. "There was a lesson learned: showing up is a big part of life."
[March 12, 2019] Vungle Inc. Co-Founder Zain Jaffer Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against Company

Zain (News - Alert) Jaffer, co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of mobile advertising company Vungle Inc., filed a wrongful termination lawsuit today against the Company for firing him in violation of California labor laws. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005832/en/ Zain Jaffer Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against Vungle Inc. (Photo: Business Wire) Vungle's Board of Directors removed Jaffer as CEO - a position he held for nearly 7 years - in 2017 shortly after learning of his arrest by Sheriff's deputies who had been called to his home following reports by family that he was unresponsive and acting bizarrely. At the time, Vungle issued a news release making clear that the firing was because of the arrest and was unrelated to job performance. The Company said the board had fired Mr. Jaffer within 24 hours of learning about his arrest record. Following the incident, the District Attorney's Office ultimately dismissed all charges and took the very unusual step of releasing a statemen saying the facts did not support the case and that the incident resulted from Mr. Jaffer "being in a state of unconsciousness caused by prescription medication."



A former Vungle board member publicly stated that she resigned from the board due to ethical concerns related to the way Mr. Jaffer was terminated, complaining that the board dismissed Jaffer "based on presumption of guilt" and ignoring that "we live in a democracy where [a] key legal right is presumption of innocence" and a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. Jaffer's lawsuit alleges that Vungle violated California Labor Code Section 432.7 which expressly prohibits employers from terminating employees because of an arrest that did not result in a conviction. He further claims that Vungle seized ownership of Company shares due him, amounting to tens of millions of dollars, and refused to pay substantial bonuses due him. Mr. Jaffer said Vungle has continued to disregard his rights as an employee and shareholder, forcing him to file the lawsuit to get the Company to follow the law.

"Once I was absolved of any wrongdoing, I was looking forward to a friendly relationship with the Company," Mr. Jaffer said. "Instead, Vungle unfairly and unlawfully sought to destroy my career, blocked my efforts to sell my own shares or transfer shares to family members, and tried to prevent me from purchasing shares in the Company." Mr. Jaffer is represented by Louis "Chip" Edleson and Joann Rezzo of Edleson & Rezzo, a San Diego law firm that routinely represents high level executives in employment disputes. In a very similar case to Mr. Jaffer's that involved a firing following an arrest on false domestic violence charges, they recently won an $18.6 million verdict against Allstate Insurance Co. "The law is very clear: employers cannot fire employees because of an arrest that does not result in a conviction," Ms. Rezzo said. "Vungle did exactly that, and then the Company announced what it had done to the press. With this clear supporting evidence, this is one of the strongest employment cases we have ever seen. And, based on Mr. Jaffer's compensation package and loss of valuable stock, his case has the potential to be one of the largest cases ever for wrongful termination of employment." Mr. Jaffer founded Vungle in 2011. Under his leadership as CEO, the Company grew beyond $300 million in annual revenue, set up eight international offices, and hired 200+ employees. He was the largest shareholder of Vungle prior to the firing and remains the Company's second-largest shareholder. However, he still retains the largest voting powers of any shareholder. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005832/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Prix Jalon de la mobilite - Recognizing efforts to advance mobility - Stephan Bureau will host this first edition which will take place on October 17, 2019 at the Dalhousie Station

MONTREAL, March 12, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Jalon MTL, a non-profit organization that accelerates the emergence of innovative solutions to create the intelligent and sustainable mobility of tomorrow, is launching the very first edition of the Jalon Mobility Awards. This fun and festive gathering will recognize the efforts made by key agents of change within the ecosystem, from those who are shaping the mobility of tomorrow to those who are questioning how it should all be done. The gala will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at the Cirque Eloize studios in Montreal's Dalhousie Station and will be hosted by Stephan Bureau. Awards in nine categories: During the event, nine prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Technological innovation

Digital innovation

Collective and shared mobility

Active mobility

Urban lgistics

Urban planning

Start-up companies

Human Experience

Student award



"The Jalon Awards Gala will shine a light on the key mobility players in the Greater Montreal Area and across Quebec whose projects and actions are driving the way forward, inspiring us to question things, to evolve, and even to initiate a paradigm shift in order to shape the intelligent and sustainable mobility of tomorrow. At Jalon MTL, we are convinced that now is the time to rally the driving forces of the mobility landscape to respond in a more synergistic manner to the many growing challenges that we face. This event serves as an opportunity to celebrate those who are already making an invaluable contribution in that regard," says Jean-Francois Tremblay, President and CEO of Jalon MTL.

A seasoned host and a spectacular venue Journalist, presenter and producer Stephan Bureau will host this event, which will take place at the Cirque Eloize studios in Montreal's Dalhousie Station. The next steps The people or organizations interested in submitting an application may do so at the beginning of April at jalonmtl.org/Jalon-awards Tickets for the event will be on sale soon. About Jalon Jalon is a non-profit organization that helps accelerate the development of new technologies in intelligent and sustainable mobility. Through its involvement in various projects, it fosters the conditions required for the emergence of innovations and the testing of new adapted solutions that will shape the urban mobility of tomorrow. SOURCE Jalon Montreal

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[March 12, 2019] Weedmaps Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

Weedmaps today announced that the Company's Board of Directors has appointed Chris Beals as Chief Executive Officer, effective March 6, 2019. In addition to assuming day-to-day leadership of Weedmaps, Beals will serve as a member of the Company's Board. Since joining the Company in August 2015, Beals has served as Weedmaps' President and General Counsel and has led the growth of the Company's government relations, finance and compliance functions. Weedmaps announced that co-founder and previous CEO, Doug Francis, has been appointed Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors. "Ten years ago, my co-founder Justin Hartfield and I set out to bootstrap a marijuana technology company that not only aimed to be commercially successful, but also endeavored to promote freedom through the repeal of marijuana prohibition. We have built a special company and left a positive mark on society. To my Weedmaps family, it has been an honor to lead you through these changing times," said Francis. "We have exceeded our dream goals, and it is time for the next chapter," Francis continued. "Chris has spent the last four years immersed in our industry and culture. He developed a dichotomy that gives us an advantage; an enterprise eecutive that knows the complex tribal knowledge and history of the weed business. Chris is a visionary and has already done an incredible job navigating the regulatory and growth challenges of a nascent and nebulous cannabis landscape. The Board and I are quite confident in his ability to lead the Company forward."



"I am incredibly excited to assume this new role and for the future of the Company," said Beals. "We have an exceptionally talented team at Weedmaps, that is focused on scaling our technology and data platform to provide interconnected solutions for the entire cannabis business and consumer spectrum. Our position as a leading technology company servicing the cannabis industry combined with our amazing leadership team puts us in an incredible position to succeed. In addition, building upon the original vision of Doug and Justin, Weedmaps continues to expand its role as a leading voice for cannabis legalization and decriminalization across the country." Aside from Board duties at Weedmaps, Francis will be focusing his time on legalization efforts with the Company as well as advising and managing other cannabis brands around the world.

ABOUT WEEDMAPS Founded in 2008, Weedmaps is a leading technology and software infrastructure provider to the cannabis industry. Our suite of cloud-based software and data solutions includes point of sale, logistics and ordering solutions that enable customers to scale their businesses while complying with the complex and disparate regulations applicable to the cannabis industry. In addition, our platform provides consumers with information regarding cannabis products across web and mobile platforms, including listing local retailers and brands, facilitating product discovery and allowing consumers to educate themselves on cannabis and its history, uses and legal status. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Weedmaps employs more than 400 professionals around the world, including in Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Denver, New York, Phoenix and Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005850/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Newport Group Enters into Definitive Agreement to Purchase PNC Bank's Vested Interest Defined Contribution Recordkeeping Business

Newport Group, Inc. ("Newport Group") and PNC (News - Alert) Bank, National Association ("PNC Bank") announced today that the two companies have entered into a definitive agreement by which Newport Group will purchase the Vested Interest defined contribution plan recordkeeping business from PNC Bank. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "PNC Bank is one of the largest and most-respected brands in the banking industry," said Newport Group Chief Executive Officer Greg Tschider. "This transaction is a strategic fit for our company. Our business is providing service to retirement plans of all sizes, and we look forward to supporting our newest clients and helping their employees reach their retirement goals." Upon the closing of the transaction, subject to customary conditions, the business-which currently provides recordkeeping and administration services to plans with approximately $17 billion of assets under administration-will operate as part of Newport Group. PNC Bank employees supporting the Vested Interest defined contribution plan recordkeeping business will be joining Newport Group. "Newport Group is a recognized leader in the retirement industry, known for providing best-in-class technical capabilities and superb client service for its defined contriution plan recordkeeping clients and their participants," said Alistair Jessiman, EVP and managing executive, PNC Institutional Asset Management. "This transaction will allow PNC to focus on providing fiduciary investment advice to retirement clients, which is the core of our business-and value adds such as plan fiduciary education, employee education and financial wellness, plan benchmarking, and other retirement plan consulting-ideas and solutions that help our clients better run their retirement plans and their businesses."



About Newport Group Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Newport Group is a leading independent retirement services firm that helps employers-and the advisors who serve them-prepare employees for a more financially secure retirement. The company has more than $100 billion in retirement assets under administration and more than $250 billion in corporate retirement and insurance assets. Newport Group maintains investment objectivity, fee transparency and a commitment to flexible, responsive service. Staffed by an exceptional team of more than 1,250 retirement, insurance, and consulting professionals, the company provides retirement solutions tailored to the needs of employers of every size, from small businesses to the Fortune 1000.

About PNC Bank PNC Bank, National Association is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005553/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Advantech to Showcase New Partnerships, Products at 2019 Digital Signage Expo

Advantech - a leading global innovator of robust, comprehensive computing products, services and solutions for automation and IoT - is pleased to exhibit a range of new industrial display, digital signage and media-player products at the Digital Signage Expo 2019 (DSE), taking place March 26-29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada. With an emphasis on creating transformative, one-stop-shop solutions for digital signage across industries, Advantech (News - Alert) will demonstrate how its edge to cloud solutions can be managed from the cloud in addition to providing rugged, customizable and configurable dynamic signage, self-service kiosks, players and consoles - which save time both for their partners and for consumers. Advantech's digital signage can be crafted to fit a fresh space or easily integrated wherever traditional signage exists, across a broad range of industries like retail, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, transportation and more. "Advantech is pleased to be showcasing its innovative products at this year's Digital Signage Expo," said Advantech's manager of product management, Jasper Hsu. "As digital signage and responsive technology networks continue to evolve, it's important that we continue to interact and engage with key players and customers in the industry." Alongside partners Intel (News - Alert) and Microsoft, Advantech will feature products from two new partners: FaceCake, creator of Swivel Smart Digital Signage which enables brands to connect with and engage consumers through its immersive Augmented Reality ad platform, and TouchSource, a leader in smart display technology. TouchSource recently integrated two-way emergency video communication into its engaging elevator solution content, a digital feature soon to be mandatory in all elevators. Both of these partnership applications will be on display in Advantech's booth #2031. "It is extremely rare for a building owner or property manager to be able to make a single investment that will increase compliance, boost safety and upgrade the overall tenant experience," said TouchSource CEO Ajay Kapoor. "By bringing the engaging content from TouchSource to the elevator space and coupling it with two-way emergency communication, building owners and property managers can accomplish all three of those goals very simply." FaceCake will showcase Swivel - its virtual dressing room application which utilizes the Advantech UTC-542 monitor. "Our Augmented Reality shopping and ad platform extends the traditional dressing room in ways that could previously only be imagined," said FaceCake Founder and CEO Linda Smith. "Swivel instantly engages shoppers, allowing them to virtually Try-On and interact with products and brands in a unique and highly personalized way." Advantech is proud to join over 200 industry innovators at DSE who represent the best of the digital signage industry. In addition to showcasing the relationship with its newest partners, Advantech will highlight: Its WISE-PaaS/Device On and CRM broad-spectrum IoT device remote monitoring and management platform

Digital menu board solution powered by DS-780: Advantech's fanless signage player with triple independent display support; the AIM-37 industrial-grade tablet and printer cradle; and the UTC-320 signage CMS for the Indoor quick service restaurant market

The INTEL wall, featuring Intel and Advantech's DS-200 Smart Display Module

A 2x2 video wall with a dynamic montage demonstrating Advantech's DS-980 media player

The UTC-752 digital kiosk solution, as well as their new UTK-500 series kiosk

The UTC-520 train schedule display and DSD-5038 train arrival countdown, driven by the DS-370 digital signage player, for the rail transportation industry



advantech.com. ABOUT ADVANTECH: Advantech is the global leader of embedded, industrial, IoT and automation solution platforms. The 35-year-old, billion-dollar business is ranked a top 100 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) company, with over 1,000 products and more than 8,000 employees working in 92 major cities worldwide. Advantech is renowned for developing and manufacturing high-quality, high-performance hardware and software computing components as well as complete platforms-focused on its vision of enabling an intelligent planet (www.Advantech.com). Advantech is a subsidiary of Advantech Co., Ltd (TAIDEX:2395). For more information, visit www.Advantech.com. Find Advantech on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

ABOUT FACECAKE: FaceCake Marketing Technologies, Inc., creator of Swivel, Swivel Close-Up, CAKE AR, ShadeScout, GlamScout, and more, is a leader in augmented retail with a personalized targeted marketing platform. Combining patented technologies with intuitive user interfaces, FaceCake's innovations in Try-On allow consumers to virtually try products on their own images in real time, while instantly providing relevant product recommendations for superior personalization. With billions of product Try-Ons, FaceCake is expert at eliminating traditional shopping barriers. FaceCake's shopping platform is cross-device compatible, making it accessible from anywhere. The privately held company is based in Calabasas, CA (News - Alert). www.facecake.com ABOUT TOUCHSOURCE: TouchSource delivers simple solutions for smart spaces that engage people. Our captivating digital displays and IoT-connected directory solutions improve the experience of tenants, visitors and retail shoppers. We create intelligent digital experiences in residential, business, retail, healthcare and public spaces with relevant, engaging content that moves people where it matters. Our digital signage solutions are simple to deploy, easy to use and low effort to maintain. We take the pain out of technology change as you upgrade your spaces with beautifully-designed, functionally-fit digital signs and directories. Just ask our customers who we've proudly served over 9,000 times the TouchSource way. www.touchsource.com Editor's Note: Media interested in meeting with Advantech representatives at or before DSE should email [email protected] to set an appointment. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005870/en/

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[March 12, 2019] Drone Logistics & Transportation Market to 2027 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Type; Application; and End User

NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global drone logistics & transportation market accounted for US$ 24.58 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 60.6% over the forecast period 2019-2027, to account for US$ 1,626.98 Mn in 2027. Factors including increasing developments in the e-commerce sector and rising acceptance owing to various benefits offered are significantly driving the global drone logistics & transportation market. However, lack of skilled operators and difficulties in operation are impeding the market growth. Proliferation in rural deliveries is opportunistic for the growth of the market. For instance, in 2017, Tanzanian government announced the partnership with Zipline with an objective to provide emergency on-demand access to medicines, vaccines and blood in the region.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05751925



The drone logistics & transportation market is fragmented with the presence of several industries and the competitive dynamics in the market is expected to change during the upcoming years.In addition to this, various initiatives are undertaken by the governmental bodies to accelerate the drone logistics & transportation market further.



For instance, The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) permitted SF Holding and JD.com to start sending packages by drone in some of the rural areas. The companies are building network not only for small drones but also for large autonomous fixed-wing planes for final delivery that will take off from small airports to ferry bulk shipments between warehouses. For instance, Ele.me, Alibaba's food delivery arm, gained approval for testing drones in a large industrial zone. These initiatives by CAAC allow the company to serve its parcel delivery services to rural areas and inaccessible places in China. This initiative provides multiple benefits to the Asian robotics companies and thus increasing the growth of drone logistics & transportation market in the region.



On the basis of application, the shipping segment is leading the drone logistics  transportation market.However, the warehousing segment are anticipated to grow at a highest CAGR.







The shipping application uses drones for the claims/returns of goods.These have a potential to organize claims/returns of goods in logistics industry.



It enables retailers to utilize heavier duty drone to take defective products.It would assist the retailer to eradicate situations like emission and road congestion while delivering better expedient process.





Currently, the global players are looking ahead to support logistic industry by using drones as an alternative solution for delivering drones. Drones aims to deliver packages following the last mile logistics concept, which is boosting the market for shipping market.



The overall drone logistics & transportation market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with an exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the drone logistics & transportation market.



It also provides the overview and forecast for the global drone logistics & transportation market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to five major reasons such as North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , the Middle East and Africa , and South America.Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis.



The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the vision guided robotics software industry. Some of the players present in drone logistics & transportation market are Cheetah Software Systems, Inc., Drone Delivery Canada Corp., Flirtey, Flytrex Aviation, Ltd., Hardis Group, Infinium Robotics, PINC Solutions, Volocopter GmBH, Workhorse Group Inc., and Zipline among others.



Reasons to Buy

Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global drone logistics and transportation 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 drone logistics and transportation 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 commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation and distribution



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05751925



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/drone-logistics--transportation-market-to-2027---global-analysis-and-forecasts-by-type-application-and-end-user-300810864.html SOURCE Reportlinker

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[March 12, 2019] Bolt Mobility Announces National Launch Of Country's Safest, Most Technologically Advanced, Rider-Friendly Personal Electric Scooters And First To Launch Swappable Battery-Powered, Carbon-Free Transportation Solution Complete With Charging Stations

NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bolt Mobility today announced its national launch of the safest, most hi-tech, and consumer-focused personal electric scooters during a news conference on the steps of New York City Hall with its investor and Bolt advisor: Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, one of the fastest runners in the world. Bolt Mobility has engineered breakthrough designs from the ground up that feature swappable batteries, charging stations for the swappable batteries, space for shopping bags, purses and backpacks, phone chargers in a safe, non-distracting location, drink and coffee cup holders. Bolt Mobility's innovative parallel foot pads enable safer transportation by allowing riders to ride with their feet firmly planted on each side of the e-scooter and enjoy a lower center of gravity for safer, more comfortable rides. Bolt Mobility personal e-scooters are the future of sustainable and equitable transportation. Bolt Mobility was founded in 2018 and plans to fill transportation gaps with micromobility solutions in cities across the country. Bolt Mobility has conducted extensive research within urban areas and is prepared to revolutionize transportation with new e-scooters that will help alleviate transit issues, including congestion and poor air quality and help solve transportation and commerce deserts by making high-quality micromobility solutions accessible and affordable. Currently, Bolt Mobility has fleets of personal electric scooters on the streets of Fort Lauderdale, FL; Arlington, VA; and Alexandria, VA. In those markets, there have been tens of thousands of unique riders in the last four months alone. There are plans for extensive expansion of the Bolt footprint across the country, including Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, Los Angeles and more. Bolt Mobility urges New York State to pass legislation legalizing e-scooters that is currently proposed in the legislature. Bolt Mobility is also partnering with local law enforcement, policymakers, and community leaders to make safety a top priority in current and future markets. Bolt is committed to working with local leaders to make sure carbon-free e-scooters are available to riders in areas where public transportation is scarce and in "last mile" transit areas. Bolt electric scooters are one-of-a-kind in their safety and design. For example, Bolt recently employed a feature that requires riders to locate, operate, and become acquainted with the braking system before starting a ride. This feature is the first of its kind in the industry. Additional Bolt e-scooter safety measures include: Aluminum frames;

Duel Brakes;

Bright LED front and rear lights;

Large10" wheels made for urban environments;

Long lasting battery; and

Exclusive foot pads that allow a rider to have both feet facing forward creating greater balance and control. Check out close-up views of Bolt's new innovative e-scooters. For additional images, please click here and watch our commercial featuring Usain Bolt here.



Additionally, Bolt Mobility employs a 24/7 customer support service to address feedback from riders and make sure e-scooters are used and parked in a way that supports the communities we operate in. Bolt also has full-time employees who monitor operations  not contractors setting a new industry standard. "I am an Olympic athlete. They call me the fastest man on earth. One thing is for sure: I run. I run everywhere," said Usain Bolt. "I have run in cities all over the world, and I can tell you first hand that traffic is getting worse and worse in every city on every continent on earth. The air quality is also getting worse, and I feel that now is the time that we must do something about it. That's why I am so proud to be an advisor and investor of the Bolt Mobility electric scooter  a mode of transportation that will truly change the way people move."

"Bolt is a best-in-class portfolio of micromobility products designed to empower communities with fast, efficient, affordable transportation solutions prioritizing inclusion, equity and the democratization of opportunity, education and access," said Dr. Sarah Haynes, Bolt's Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Chairwoman. "Giving back is in the DNA of the Bolt ethos informing every decision that we make. I'm thrilled to become the new Co-CEO alongside Co-CEO Kamyar Kaviani as we scale Bolt Mobility to improve the lives of billions around the world." Venture capital firm Rokk3r Fuel ExO is among the investors in Bolt Mobility and will serve as a strategic partner in this pivotal phase of the Miami-based mobility startup's lifecycle. For Rokk3r Fuel, which is also headquartered in Miami, an investment in the expansion of Bolt is a significant step toward improving the lives of residents and tourists who traverse the urban core of South Florida, and all major cities around the world. "Our firm's guiding principle is to empower entrepreneurs who challenge norms to enhance the future, and we are committed to supporting, financially and otherwise, companies that solve real-life problems faced by institutions and people today," said Jeff Ransdell, co-founder and Managing Director of Rokk3r Fuel. "We believe deeply that Bolt is committed to this same mission, and is uniquely positioned to solve the first-last-mile issue that impedes not just commuters, but larger societal change. We're thrilled to be onboard as a strategic partner to Bolt in what we know will be a game changer for transportation." The Yucaipa Companies, a premier investment firm headquartered in California, is also among Bolt Mobility's investors. "I am looking forward to the launch of the newest, most advanced personal electric scooter by Bolt Mobility. This scooter is truly the future of transportation: a carbon-free, sustainable, safe, and hi-tech way to move people in crowded cities around the world. I look forward to working with Bolt Mobility and being a part of this global transformation," said Ron Burkle, Managing Partner of The Yucaipa Companies. About Bolt Mobility

Bolt Mobility's mission is to work with cities on a local level to solve traffic and parking congestion and reduce their carbon footprint with safe, sustainable, and equitable transport options. Bolt's leadership team has experience developing sustainable transportation solutions and emerging technologies. A commitment to design ensures rider safety, convenience, and affordability. Bolt's approach to working with cities is focused on partnership, inclusivity, and equity. Bolt is operational in South Florida and Northern Virginia with dozens more markets prepared for launch in the coming weeks and months. About Rokk3r Fuel ExO

Rokk3r Fuel ExO is a Miami, Florida-based venture capital firm geared toward early-stage companies propelled by exponential technologies. Founded in 2017, Rokk3r Fuel is industry-agnostic in its venture sourcing, targeting instead exceptional entrepreneurs with experience and vision. The firm's "founder focused, investor driven" approach is led by a core team with more than 60 years of combined experience in investment banking, wealth management and executive leadership. Rokk3r Fuel portfolio companies include Hyp3r, Taxfyle, and AdMobilize. To learn more about Rokk3r Fuel, visit http://www.rokk3rfuel.com/ and follow Rokk3r Fuel on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. About The Yucaipa Companies

The Yucaipa Companies is a premier investment firm that has established a record of fostering economic value through the growth and responsible development of companies. Since its founding in 1986, the firm has completed mergers and acquisitions valued at more than $35 billion. As an investor, Yucaipa works with management to strategically reposition businesses and implement operational improvements, resulting in value creation for investors. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bolt-mobility-announces-national-launch-of-countrys-safest-most-technologically-advanced-rider-friendly-personal-electric-scooters-and-first-to-launch-swappable-battery-powered-carbon-free-transportation-solution-complete-with-300811253.html SOURCE Bolt Mobility

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[March 12, 2019] First Trust Advisors L.P. Announces Continuation of Share Repurchase Programs for Certain Closed-End Funds

First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees of each of First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund (NYSE: FSD), First Trust/Aberdeen (News - Alert) Emerging Opportunity Fund (NYSE: FEO), and First Trust/Aberdeen Global Opportunity Income Fund (NYSE: FAM) has authorized the continuation of each Fund's Share Repurchase Program. Pursuant to each Fund's Share Repurchase Program, each Fund may, from time to time and at the direction of management personnel, repurchase up to the amount of shares in each Fund's Share Repurchase Program described below in secondary market transactions in accordance with applicable law. Each Fund's Share Repurchase Program will continue until the earlier of (i) the repurchase of the amount of shares remaining in each Fund's Share Repurchase Program as noted below (5% of outstanding shares for FSD and FEO and 4.18% of outstanding shares for FAM, the remaining amount in FAM's Share Repurchase Program) or (ii) March 15, 2020.







Fund Number of Shares Available for

Repurchase through March 15, 2020 First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund 1,730,614 First Trust/Aberdeen Emerging Opportunity Fund 253,070 First Trust/Aberdeen Global Opportunity Income Fund 533,927

Each Fund's repurchase activity will be disclosed in its shareholder report for the relevant fiscal period. There is no assurance that any Fund will purchase shares at any specific levels or in any specific amounts. The risks of investing in each Fund are spelled out in its respective shareholder reports, and other regulatory filings. Each Fund's daily closing price and net asset value per share as well as other information can be found at www.ftportfolios.com or by calling (800) 988-5891. FTA is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the Funds' investment advisor. FTA and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP"), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately-held companies that provide a variety of investment services. FTA has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $125 billion as of February 28, 2019 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. FTA is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. FTA and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. First Trust has no knowledge of and has not been provided any information regarding any investor. Financial advisors must determine whether particular investments are appropriate for their clients. First Trust believes the financial advisor is a fiduciary, is capable of evaluating investment risks independently and is responsible for exercising independent judgment with respect to its retirement plan clients. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005902/en/

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[March 12, 2019] CTI Foods Receives Court Approval of "First Day" Motions to Support Normal Business Operations

CTI (News - Alert) Foods ("CTI" or the "Company"), a leading custom foodservice manufacturer supplying the top U.S. restaurant chains and branded food companies, today announced that the Company has received approvals from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware for the "First Day" motions related to the voluntary Chapter 11 petitions filed on March 11, 2019. Notably, the Court granted CTI interim approval to access up to $142.5 million of its $155 million in debtor-in-possession ("DIP") financing. This financing, combined with access to the cash generated by the Company's ongoing operations, is available to pay off certain existing indebtedness, meet CTI's operational needs and continue operating its business as usual. In addition, CTI received Court approval to, among other things, continue to pay employee wages and provide health and other benefits, and to pay vendors and manufacturing partners in full for all goods and services provided. "The Court's approvals of our First Day motions are an important step forward in our financial restructuring process hat will allow CTI Foods to operate in the normal course," said Mike Buccheri, President and Chief Executive Officer of CTI. "Our commitment and focus going forward is on continuing to provide customers with the custom food solutions and services they expect from CTI."



Additional Information Court filings and information about the claims process are available at https://cases.primeclerk.com/CTIFoods, by calling the Company's claims agent, Prime Clerk, toll-free in the U.S. and Canada at 844-339-4265 (or +1-929-272-0423 for international calls) or by sending an email to [email protected].

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is serving as legal advisor, Centerview Partners LLC is serving as financial advisor and AlixPartners is serving as restructuring advisor to CTI. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is serving as legal advisor and Evercore Group L.L.C. is serving as financial advisor to the Ad Hoc Group. About CTI Foods CTI Foods is a culinary-driven company that offers a diverse range of custom food solutions to the foodservice and restaurant industries, including raw and pre-cooked protein, soups and sauces and dehydrated beans. CTI Foods has seven state-of-the-art food processing facilities and has over 1,500 employees at its California, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas locations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190312005946/en/

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SPEED READ:

Departments in Arizona , Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington state and Vermont let state employees bring their infants to work.

The option is growing mostly in states that don't offer paid family leave.

Six states currently have paid family leave laws, but not all of them cover public workers.

The Push for Paid Family Leave

Not an Option for Everyone

Kassandra Diederich has it all planned out. After the 36-year-old assistant attorney general in Vermont returns from parental leave this month, shell bring her newborn daughter to work two days a week.I have a door to my office I can close, she says. I envision having a Rock 'n Play [baby sleeper] for her to sleep in.Diederich will be among the first to participate in Vermonts  Infants in the Workplace  program, an initiative for state government employees launched by Gov. Phil Scott last month. With approval from their supervisors, new parents can bring their babies to work when they are six weeks to six months old.It's one way Vermont is trying to attract more millennials to the public sector in a state that's much older than the national average and aging every year.We wanted to provide an opportunity for young parents to be more drawn to work in state government, says Dan Pouliot, deputy commissioner of the states human resources department.The new policy also helps parents bond with their children and save on child care, which costs an average of $8,700 a year nationwide.Vermont isnt the only state letting every day be "Bring Your Baby to Work Day. This is a growing trend, largely in states that lack a paid family leave law. Select departments in Arizona , Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota and Washington state offer the perk."It really points to the fact that people are not satisfied with the status quo ... [and] ... know we need a better balance between people's ability to work and support their families, says Vasu Reddy, the senior policy counsel for workplace programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.In addition to the Infants in the Workplace program, Republican Gov. Scott is also pushing for a bi-state voluntary paid family leave program with New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu. It would replace 60 percent of workers' wages, be run by a private insurer and funded by the states. Scott said well be able to do it without putting another mandate on businesses or adding to the tax burden of our citizens.By working together and with a private insurer we will be able to start this program more quickly, effectively and reliably than if each state government had to start from scratch, the governors said in a statement.But Democratic lawmakers, who control the Vermont Legislature, think Scotts plan doesn't go far enough. Theyre instead advancing a bill to require all employers to offer 12 weeks of paid family leave a year. That plan would replace 100 percent of wages and be funded by a payroll tax of just under 1 percent, split evenly between employers and employees. Scott, however, vetoed a similar bill last year."I think it's great that governors of Vermont and New Hampshire are taking interest in paid leave," says Reddy. "But the solution they've come up with ... isn't really adequate."Six states -- California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, plus the District of Columbia -- currently have paid family leave laws, ranging from four to 12 weeks. But some of these laws don't cover all state workers. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed a plan to offer six months of leave in California.Without paid parental leave, bringing your baby to work could be the next best option for some new moms and dads. Some parents might even prefer it to taking months off work.Washington state's program started with health department employees in 2015 and has since been adopted by roughly 20 agencies. Kim Kenderesi, who coordinates the initiative for the health department, says its been fantastic and that workplace disruption really hasn't been an issue. Theyve had a total of 76 babies participate and often put on graduation ceremonies for the children.In Vermont, the benefit wont be available to all state workers. It's up to state agencies to decide whether they want to opt in. Early participants include the departments of administration, agriculture, digital services, education, labor, natural resources and transportation. The governors office is encouraging all agencies to take part.There are also some workplaces where infants won't be allowed at all -- correctional facilities or state vehicles, for instance. This has drawn criticism from the union representing state workers, the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA).Its not fair that one parent gets this and another parent doesnt, VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard told VT Digger last month. They shouldnt be treating one employee differently than another.The state HR department counters that some workplaces are simply not appropriate for infants.As these debates continue, employees like Diederich look forward to taking advantage of the new policy."I think it helps promote a healthy work-life balance, she says. I think it's phenomenal. ... It makes me feel more trusted and valued."
AUSTIN, TX  Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom shocked the tech world when they left Facebook in 2018 after selling their creation to Mark Zuckerberg's social network. Today at SXSW, the pair talked about their early days, what led them to bring Snapchat's Stories feature to Instagram and the need for more content warnings with regard to posts about opioids and guns.

(Image credit: Jim Bennett/WireImage)

On Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs plan to bring cross-platform messaging between Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users, Systrom seemed unsure. Specifically, he said he didnt know if those users "want to talk to each other," before saying hes not not a WhatsApp user, so he's not the market. Krieger noted that there were fiscal upsides to such an integration.

Regarding user safety

Moderator Josh Constine noted that he couldnt find the Opioid warnings on related content anymore, and that finding dealer contact info was easy. This prompted Systrom to say that the Instagram team would want to hear about this, because those warnings should still be up.

After talking about the unsettling content on Instagram under #guns and acknowledging free speech was important, Systrom concluded by saying these things shouldnt be on Instagram without appropriate warnings.

Authenticity on Instagram

Asked about how Instagram feeds are seen as a fake, too happy presentation of our lives, the co-founders pushed back, saying there is always self-editing in your life, and social media is no different. Things used to be different, with users posting sidewalks and half eaten sandwiches, according to Systrom, who said that the concept of users "following" each other changed that, pushing people to be especially selective.

MORE: How to Stop Facebook From Sharing Your Data

This led to talking about Instagram stories, which Systrom framed as a way for "more casual shares, and more comfort and intimacy." Asked about the debate between using your real name or not as your handle, Systrom said "you should be whomever you want to be on whatever platform youre on."

The option to switch between multiple accounts, he said, was added for each of our multiple angles. While Systrom didnt seem to lean on either side of regulating influencers and ads, he noted a concern that Instagram will lose its authenticity.

Selling to Facebook and leaving Facebook

The co-founders didn't want to go over the story of how they signed to Facebook and left. The only bit they added was that their decision to go with FB was betting on their company, which they think worked out, as they hit a billion users not long after.

Regarding their loss of autonomy, the original reason reported for them leaving Facebook: they spoke to a lack of autonomy is being a natural sign of success, as Instagram became more important to Facebook overall. Uninterested in explaining more about their final days, Systrom noted that "doesnt matter," before saying that Instagrams success is "everything."

Stories

Systrom explained that Snapchats Stories landed on Instagram because they saw users with Snapchat IDs in their Instagram profile. He took that to mean that "people wanted to bridge the two together," before saying "so we gave them what they wanted."

Being young and in charge

Krieger told a story about how once once fixed a downed Instagram at 3:30 in the morning after a night of partying. He was so drunk at the time that he re-discovered what he'd done the following morning, when looking through the coding program Terminal.

Early Days

Systrom noted they met in college, where Instagram began as a check-in app, as they didnt know what it would become. The best way to share what you were up to, they discovered, was photography.
Islamic center proposal moves forward in OP approval process OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - An Overland Park planning commission recommended approving a proposed Islamic center Monday afternoon. The planning commission held its first public hearing on the project slated for 163rd Street and Roe Avenue. The commission unanimously voted to move the proposal on to the full city council for a final decision.

Bit of confusion last night from our readers . . . We noted OBJECTION to this Islamic community center from neighbors but,, the plan continues to move forward despite a great many complaints in an otherwise ignored zoning meeting. Here's the best round-up:
Wooing NextGen workforce? Millennials will turn down jobs missing 3 traits Employment is always a give-and-take scenario, said Ross Quinn, but today's complex NextGen workforce wants more than a paycheck for time spent on the clock.

Here's a bold glimpse at the workforce of the future making brazen demands of employers. Consider . . . With low unemployment many of these youngsters believe they're in the driver's seat when it comes to hiring. Checkit:
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team of experts to Ethiopia on Monday to aid investigators trying to determine the cause of an Ethiopian Airlines jet crash that killed all 157 people aboard.

Eight Americans were among those killed when the Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 Max 8 nosedived to the ground Sunday minutes after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Full Article

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Description

GIS - 12 March, 2019: The ambition of the Government of Mauritius is to forge a partnership that is built on the complementarities and convergences of Mauritius and Madagascar to ensure the prosperity of both parties, while keeping in mind our shared vulnerability to climate change and other external threats. Through our adhesion to different regional blocs, both countries have taken a common stance with respect to advocating a globalisation process anchored in the principles of inclusivity so that it is made more humane, in order for each country benefits from economic growth.

This was the gist of the message of the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, during a banquet given yesterday at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre, Pailles, in honour of the President of the Republic of Madagascar, Mr Andry Nirina Rajoelina, who is the Chief Guest of the Government on the occasion of the National Day Celebrations of the 51st Independence of Mauritius and the 27th anniversary of the Republic.

In his address, Prime Minister highlighted that the presence of the President Rajoelina for this landmark event of the country is a symbolical testimony to the strong friendship and fraternal ties that Madagascar and Mauritius share, as well as strong sense of solidarity intrinsically woven through the common historical and human linkages. This, he said, showcases the willingness and commitment of Madagascar to further strengthen bilateral ties with Mauritius and heralds further avenues of cooperation.

The Prime Minister dwelt on Madagascars immense geographical expanse, its unique and rich civilization as well as its laudable political aspirations and prospects for the future along with its prestigious status as a key player in the region. Prime Minister Jugnauth seized the opportunity to congratulate the newly elected President and expressed conviction as regards his endeavour to help the country advance to a prosperous future. According to Mr Jugnauth, Africa needs such young leaders who are deeply resolved to strive for the development and progress of the continent by responding to prevailing challenges .

Furthermore, Prime Minister Jugnauth underscored the signature of three Memoranda of Understanding with the Government of Madagascar, yesterday, as a major step for a further revitalisation of the Malagasy-Mauritian relationship and reiterated the commitment of Government to strengthen the diplomatic relations and consolidate their position to positively influence decisions as regards bilateral and multilateral issues.

He underpinned the unwavering support of Madagascar as well as the strong sense of solidarity of other Member States of the African Union that considerably helped for the favourable historic ruling of the International Court of Justice on 25 February 2019 as regards Governments battle to complete the decolonisation process of Mauritius.

The Prime Minister also recalled that Mauritius will be hosting the Indian Ocean Islands Games in July and invited Madagascar to participate in this key regional event that upholds the spirit of unity, friendship and solidarity.

As for President Rajoelina, in his address he said he was honoured to be in Mauritius for a milestone moment in the countrys history, while adding that the country stands as a model for the continent of Africa and for the Indian Ocean region in regards to the development, economic progress and political stability achieved throughout the years. He expressed conviction that the countries historical bonds, geographical proximity and solid bilateral relations can translate into a consolidated economic and commercial partnership standing as a model for the region.

Moreover, Mr Rajoelina reiterated both Governments shared vision of progress that can be concretised by tapping into the strong bilateral ties and mutual interests to usher a new era of cooperation to weave and explore new avenues of cooperation.

He emphasised that Mauritius remains one of Madagascars most strategic partners in development and cooperation and in line with the newly elected Governments vision to embark on a new development agenda, Government will act as a facilitator to unlock potential partnerships with Mauritian investors.
From low carbon heating to habitat conservation, protesters have won concessions.

When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison backtracked (a bit) on climate, I chalked it up to the significant pressure being brought by school strikes and other popular protests. Now, according to the UK's conservative-leaning Daily Mail newspaper, similar concessions are due to be delivered by UK Chancellor Philip Hammond, who says he has "heard the call" from young people to act on climate:

Mr Hammond will say the UK must be creative and innovative on climate change. Among his proposals to tackle carbon emissions is future-proofing new homes by making sure they are energy efficient, have lower bills and are better for the environment. He will bring in rules that will force all new-build homes to have low-carbon heating. Mr Hammond has vowed to at least halve the energy use of new-build properties by 2030.



With the opposition Labour Party exploring its own version of a Green New Deal, I suspect the debate to pick up a momentum all its own. Who knows? Maybe we'll even see the kind of integrated green transport plan that could actually deliver the sorts of emissions reductions necessary to avoid the more dangerous outcomes of climate change.
(TNS)  If a Michigan resident has never been arrested, its highly unlikely their fingerprints are on file with the Michigan State Police.But if they've ever gotten a Michigan drivers license or a state ID card, its almost certain the State Police has their mug shot.The MSP photo database may even contain their Facebook profile photo or another social media image, if police obtained that photo in connection with a criminal investigation, even if the person was never charged.There are only about 8 million adults in Michigan, but there are nearly 50 million facial images in the MSPs Statewide Network of Agency Photos (SNAP), with 2.7 million photos added to the database last year alone.Though the MSP didn't start using facial recognition technology until 2001, the Secretary of State's Office has been giving State Police all its digital photos  without notice to motorists  since 1998.Gov. Gretchen Whitmers 2020 budget, presented to state lawmakers March 5, gives State Police more than half a million dollars to enhance the facial recognition search functions of the growing database.The proposal for increased funding comes just as a proliferation of public and private security cameras and advances in facial recognition software are elevating concerns about privacy issues and the potential for false identification of criminal suspects through computer matching of facial images."Most people are under the impression that if they don't do anything wrong, there's no reason for the police to interact with them," said Eric Williams, a Detroit civil rights attorney and a cooperating attorney with the Michigan American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)."This kind of eliminates that because you're already potentially a suspect if you have a driver's license, or a state ID. That should frighten people."Last year, the ACLU of California said it tested Amazon's facial recognition tool, called "Rekognition," with photos of 535 members of Congress, and found the software falsely matched 28 of them with people who had been arrested on criminal charges. The software gave false matches for 39 percent of minority members, who make up 20 percent of Congress, The Hill reported.Amazon's Rekognition is reportedly used by some U.S. law enforcement agencies, though not the MSP. But groups such as the ACLU have similar concerns about all facial recognition technology.Shanon Banner, a spokeswoman for the MSP, said in an email all of the agency's facial examiners are trained by the FBI and any matches between suspect photos and database photos "only provide 'investigative leads' back to the investigating agencies." She said the photos "are never considered to be positive identification and require further investigation before probable cause for an arrest can be determined."Facial recognition software uses algorithms  ways of identifying and comparing various facial features  to match photos in a database with images of criminal suspects. The State Police website says the database also "allows for the completion of digital lineups that meet the best practice standards for eyewitness identification and facial recognition."Whitmer's 2020 budget includes $562,500 to improve the searching capabilities of the system, according to budget documents."This project would replace the six-year-old algorithm used to search" the database, Banner said. "The newer algorithm will increase the speed and accuracy of facial recognition searches in support of criminal investigations."If you're surprised to learn your driver's license photo is in a State Police database and don't recall being notified when you had your picture taken at a Secretary of State branch office, that's because you weren't."The Secretary of States Office is required by law," under a 1998 amendment to the Michigan Vehicle Code, "to share these images with law enforcement," and there is no notice given and no opt-out provision, said Shawn Starkey, a spokesman for the agency.But the lack of notice may change as a result of Friday's inquiry from theSecretary of State Jocelyn Benson believes "its important for Michiganders to be aware of our legal requirement to share data, including photos, with law enforcement," Starkey said. "She is exploring ways to ensure residents are meaningfully informed about this requirement when they receive their license or state ID."The MSP also gets digital images from mug shots taken by local police in Michigan and from the Michigan Department of Corrections, Banner said.And the database also contains a smaller number of images obtained from other sources, such as social media, she said."Similar to when an investigator has a ... fingerprint from a crime scene, an investigator may bring a suspect image taken from a variety of sources (social media, security camera, etc.) to search against the images in the SNAP to identify an investigative lead," Banner said."Like a fingerprint, when a probe image does not result in a match, it can be stored for future searches," she said.Banner couldn't say Friday how many social media photos or other "probe images" are in the database, but she said the capability to save those images has only existed for a couple of years, and officials guess there might be fewer than 100 such images.Michigan is also one of at least 16 states that allow the FBI to search its database of driver's license photos, according to a 2017 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.Concerns about facial recognition technology include the computers identifying false positive matches, particularly with members of certainly minority groups."it's been documented time and time again that facial recognition technology is less accurate for people of color  particularly women of color  than it is for white men," said Williams.Dan Korobkin, deputy legal director for the ACLU of Michigan, said another concern is that "we know from history that government agents use surveillance tools to not just go after dangerous criminals, but to monitor who is attending protests and where documented and undocumented immigrants spend their time, which include churches and schools and other sensitive areas."Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. "was the target of massive FBI surveillance, under what was then the latest state-of-the-art technology," Korobkin said.But Robert Stevenson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and retired chief of the Livonia Police Department, said he believes most Michiganders trust the police to use facial recognition software and other technology responsibly and in line with constitutional requirements."We've evolved in the last 50 years, as a country, and as police agencies," Stevenson said."Unfortunately, in the world that we live in, there are bad people and they do bad things," he said. "I think the constitutional safeguards are there."In Detroit, concerns have been expressed about the recent integration of facial recognition software with the Project Green Light video crime monitoring program, run by the Detroit Police Department. Officials say its use will be restricted to investigating violent crimes.Williams said Detroit officials did not say where they get their photo data in response to a Michigan Freedom of Information Act request, but he believes Project Green Light uses the MSP facial images database.Though controversial, police use of facial recognition technology has been credited with some successes.According to national media reports, it was used to help identify Jarrod Warren Ramos, the man who killed four journalists and one newspaper sales associate in a shooting spree at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, last June.Asked to cite a couple of Michigan incidents in which the technology was used to solve significant crimes, Banner said MSP's "facial examiners are only one component of the investigative process," similar to fingerprint examiners, "and are rarely informed of the disposition of the cases for which they provide assistance."The Traverse Cityreported in 2016 that the MSP and FBI used facial recognition technology to assist the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office in arresting an Interlochen man who unlawfully drove away with an automobile after a theft at a Glen Arbor tavern.
editorial@tribune.com

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

As many as 64,537 families named in the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011, who had to get the benefit under the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission are either untraced or unreached in Chandigarh.

Informally touted as Modicare, it could, till today, provide PMJAY cards only to 6,741 families against the total of 71,278 families listed in the 2011 survey in the city. Those listed in the survey are provided Rs 5 lakh insurance per family per year by the Centre.

After various changes and verification, 23,687 families were identified in Chandigarh and their names were sent to the Centre. A letter from the Prime Minister was finally delivered for 21,487 households. However, till today, only 6,741 families have got their cards.

UT health officials attributed the low percentage of those getting enrolled to migration, lack of availability of documents and people taking their own sweet time in getting these prepared. Many of those, who were earlier staying in slums, had got their own houses under rehabilitation schemes in Chandigarh. So they do not exist at that address anymore. Many have migrated from the city. Some could not be registered due to lack of documents. Others are taking their own sweet time as it requires proofs of each family member for registration. The documentation process is also an issue, reasoned an official dealing with the implementation process.

Additionally, there are some who were covered under the 2011 survey earlier, but are now government servants or taxpayers; so they are also exempted from this scheme, said an official at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, here.

Also called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), it was launched in Chandigarh on September 23, 2018, to provide health protection cover to poor and vulnerable families. It covers nearly 1,350 illnesses, including cancer, heart diseases, pre-existing illnesses, and is only for indoor patients.

Challenges galore

Officials said on several occasions there were no resources available to treat patients under the scheme.

Sometimes, the required medicines and implants are not available with Jan Aushudi or AMRIT stores. We can provide medicines or implants only from these two centres under this scheme to the beneficiaries. If these are not available, we find it difficult to arrange these at the same cost. Sometimes, doctors are ready for operation, but the items are not available. On some occasions, patients are asked to come on some other day for the operation, said a health official.

A doctor at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, not wishing to be named, lamented, We are asked to arrange these items sometimes. You tell me, will be operate upon the patient or get involved in arranging medicines or implants for them.

Helping the needy in a big way

This scheme is helping the needy in a big way. There are some teething issues and we are resolving these. We have been setting up special camps to reach out to people to register them. We are also carrying out verification on our own to find out those who either do not want to get themselves registered or do not stay here now. We will send this report to the Centre for clarity. Dr G Diwan, Director, Health Services, UT

The healing touch in figures

Total families under SECC 71,278

Identified families 23,687

PM letter delivered 21,487

Beneficiaries generated 6,741
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

In a hit-and-run case, a 19-year-old youth was killed after his motorcycle was hit by an unknown car.

According to the police, complainant Ramesh Kumar reported that an unknown vehicle sped away after hitting a motorcycle being ridden by Rohit Singh, a resident of Ram Darbar, Phase 1, on March 10. The accident took place near the Gurdwara light point in Sector 47.

The injured was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, where doctors declared the victim brought dead.

The police have registered a case under Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC at the Sector 31 police station. The victim was an employee of a company at Dadu Majra.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 11

The local police arrested a hotel manager for the gang rape of a dentist in Panchkula today.

The FIR for the gang rape was registered against four persons yesterday after the victim, aged around 25, recorded her statement at the PGI.

We have made one arrest so far. The suspect is Vikram, who works as a hotel manager in Zirakpur, said Inspector Ajit Singh, SHO of the women police station, Sector 5, Panchkula.

He said they got a call from the PGI that a girl was recuperating and wanted to file a complaint. After recording her complaint, the FIR was registered.

Vikram was a friend of the victim. According to the victim, they met at a hotel in Sector 11, Panchkula, where she was allegedly administered drugs through an injection. Vikrams friends were also present there. She complained that all four took turns and raped her. Her condition deteriorated and she had to be admitted to the PGI. The police said whether she was administered drugs would become clear only in the medical report.The other three suspects are absconding. We are making efforts to arrest them, said ACP Noopur Bishnoi. Vikram will be produced before the court on Tuesday.

Victim had to be admitted to PGI

According to the victim, they met at a hotel in Sector 11, Panchkula, where she was administered drugs through an injection. Suspect Vikrams friends were also present there. She said all four took turns to rape her. Her condition deteriorated and she had to be admitted to the PGI.
editorial@tribune.com

Chandigarh, March 11

Tracing the history of Indias Independence, democracy and the electoral system, Justice Rajiv Sharma of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said August 15 was chosen for the transfer of power because the date coincided with the second anniversary of Japans surrender to the Allies.

Justice Sharma was addressing an international seminar on the topic, Electoral System: Democracy, Laws and Issues, organised in collaboration with the United Kingdoms Nottingham Trent University by the Centre for Constitution and Public Policy, University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University.

Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, Justice Sharma said the British had earlier indicated that they would hand over the governance of India to its people by June 1948. Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the Governor-General of India in March 1947 and the date for the power transfer was advanced from June 1948 to August 15, 1947.

Justice Sharma referred to the Constitution of India, books, foreign writers and publications, besides a plethora of rules and laws to elaborate on issues such as the composition of Parliament and state legislatures and even and constitution of municipalities and panchayats.

Travelling back in time, Justice Sharma asserted that ancient scriptures, dating back to the Vedic age, were filled with references to republics and democracies.  TNS
Shiv Visvanathan

Shiv Visvanathan

Academic Associated with compost heap

THERE is something eerie about the events of the past week or so. Replaying the developments, one senses that one is watching a composite of two plays, radically different, but blending into each other. The action seems scripted, the plots worked out. The first script seemed like a conspiracy of nationalisms, combining paranoia and hypocrisy. At one level, the nationalism on each side allows for the free play of the unconscious. The aerial tussle was like a video game that Pakistan and India were playing, each striking down the other jubilantly. Each nation claimed victory. India violated Pakistans airspace and came back intact, convincing the world that it would attack Pakistan, if necessary. Pakistan highlighted its ability to play the surrogate game of terror and get the Islamic States to highlight Indian barbarism in Kashmir.

Two paranoid displays of nationalism ended quickly, each side content with its imaginary and imagined gains. India exerted its masculine self, creating seamless politics between the elections and militarism. In view of the terror strike, PM Narendra Modi could attack the Opposition as a fifth column. It almost felt as if these encounters enabled two nationalisms to consolidate themselves, create a sense of achievement around the anxieties each nation projected onto the other. The Indian ritual was clear. It was as if mobilising India for war with a sleight of hand became a drama of the nation being mobilised for the elections.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, too, seems content with his performance, acting as if he is not a creation of the army, playing the statesman and the peacenik. Suddenly, everything looks normal, eerily, uncannily normal.

A beleaguered regime suddenly appears immaculate. Pakistan, which had seemed servile, acquires moderation and diplomatic initiative. There is no sense of escalation. The two nationalists fight like the choruses, content with the noise they make. The Opposition shakes its head in disbelief, wondering about the credulity of the story.

One feels that something was rewritten in the process. The Opposition sensed almost intuitively what was wrong. The idea of security and secrecy was being applied to the democratic processes that demanded openness. It was a displacement of frameworks where fetishising the nation state was threatening democracy. The attack on the Opposition and dissenting journalists was the first key step. What accompanied it in a symptomatic way was the breakdown of language. While there were jingoistic celebrations in India, there was a sense of skepticism about Indias claims. As informed experts pointed out, what was threatening India was not critique but wrong information. It was as if the BJP wanted the film on Uri to do the talking, instead of tabling the relevant facts. The open defence of vigilante groups adds to the tension, with the RSS unable to differentiate between an appeal to Imran Khan and an appeal for peace. It is almost as if truth and peace have become anti-national activities.

But these are symptoms which can no longer be read discretely. Worldwide nationalism has become a form of paranoia. As Yugoslav writer Danilo Kis writes in his book, Homo Poeticus, a set of individual paranoia raised to the degree of paroxysm. Lost in the wilderness of middle-class anxiety, the individual takes on the collective portfolio of keeping the nation (state) alive, protecting is prestige. This self-appointed task where the regime and the vigilante groups announce that the nation or its security is safe in their hands, hides a deeper dimension of the problem. The frenzy, the hysteria, the sense of urgency and duty conveys an effluvium of concern without quite conveying the language of responsibility. The intimation of war allows you to distort the logic of everyday civics. The new grammar is what Kis calls relativism. The only index is that we should outdo, out-talk, outperform Pakistan. Whatever the means employed, one forgets it is a negation of our sense of civilisation. Nationalism creates a parallel world of certainties and loyalties which is oblivious of everyday politics. In fact, it is a denial of everyday politics. Security becomes a word for internal and external coping. The enemy is Pakistani, Kashmiri and Muslim. The extension of the security net covers the tribal as Naxal and the dissenter. Search, label and destroy seem to mark every level of battle. The State elevates populism to the level of policy.

Rational critiques and reasoned doubts have little claim to public space. When Rahul Gandhi chides Modi, all he does is to tell him that the moment for the inauguration of the National War Memorial is a time for unity, hardly a time to crib about the Congress. It gets worse when The Hindu investigates the Rafale deal persistently, opening up issues of corruption, and one of the heroes of the Bofors investigation is now dubbed as anti-national. Bofors and Rafale are narratives read in separate ledgers. Modi has even said that the pre-emptive strike would have been even more effective with the Rafale jets.

One realises that India has split into two parallel worlds, one of hysterical nationalism, outdoing any RSS dream, and the other of everyday politics which the Opposition is desperately asking the nation to return to. Yet, everyday politics is dismal, while nationalism especially fought like a video game is entrancing. There is an enthusiasm for bloodthirstiness which no digital mob brutalising a stranger can produce.

Democracy has to learn to battle not only majoritarian tyranny, but also challenge the simulacra, the imagined realities of the nation state. The imagined world forces itself on the real world, redefining it. The simulacra, as Jean Baudrillard points out, becomes real in consequences and seeks to perpetuate itself in the world of the media. The surreal devastates the real, creating a new script where the State is the only voice and citizens an aye-saying chorus. The nation state, as a paranoid reductive entity, reduces the diversity of others to an imagined threat it has to suppress. In battling these imaginary enemies, it devastates the idioms of the political system. One needs new imaginaries to revitalise the possibilities of democratic politics. Our everydayness has to be invented again if we have to survive as a decent society.
editorial@tribune.com

As Haryana goes to polls on May 12, the ruling BJP is brimming with confidence that the results will be in its favour in the state.

The Tribune reporter Sushil Manav talked to Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu to know his views on the partys prospects. He is also election incharge for Punjab and Chandigarh. Here are excerpts of the interview

Haryana will go to polls in the sixth phase. Were you expecting elections to be held early?

Announcement of dates is the sole prerogative of the Election Commission. The EC takes such decisions taking into accounts several factors, including the movement of central forces. We welcome the announcement. This does not make any difference to the BJP, whether Haryana goes to polls in the first phase or in the sixth phase. People of the state have already made up their mind to vote for the ruling party.

You seem to be too much confident of peoples support. What do you think will be the performance of the BJP in polls and why?

We will win all 10 seats in Haryana and over 300 seats in the country. People of the country will vote for the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided the leadership that people were longing for. He has not only given a strong leadership to the country at domestic and international forums, but his government has also given performance in the matter of development.

Why are you so confident about winning all 10 seats, a feat your party could not achieve in 2014, and why do you think BJP will win 300 plus seats against a united Opposition?

The BJP government in Haryana under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has performed well by bringing transparency in governance through digital intervention. When we introduced e-stamping and e-registration of immovable properties, there was a lot of resistance, even from within the system, because there was a lot of corruption. Now, the revenue collection stands doubled despite a slump in the real estate sector. Jobs have been given on the basis of merit unlike the past when money and recommendations by the ruling clique used to decide the fate of candidates. Similarly, Modi has hit hard on corruption.

The Opposition alleges that the BJP has been using Pulwama attack and subsequent airstrikes for its electoral gains?

Pulwama attack was one of the ghastliest terrorist attacks to have happened to our soldiers. Now, do the opposition parties want that our Prime Minister should have waited for the elections to be over before he launched an offensive to destroy terrorist camps in Pakistan? Till our government acted, the Opposition had started mocking Modi on his 56-inch chest statement. Now, when our Air Force has demolished the terrorist camps in Pakistan, they say we are using this for electoral benefits.

When will the BJP announce its candidates? Is the party going to import candidates from other political parties as it did in 2014?

The process of selection of candidates is on for long. The central election committee will take a call on this well in time. The BJP does not need to import candidates, as it already has a problem of plenty.

Do you plan to contest parliamentary polls?

I am a disciplined soldier of my party. It is for the party to decide whether to field me or not. The party gave me assignments for Punjab and Chandigarh and I am performing my duties religiously.
(TNS)  The State Library of North Carolina and the Broadband Infrastructure Office of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology recently launched a new partner program with the Robeson County Public Library and the Public Schools of Robeson County.I am looking forward to strengthening our partnership with the Public Schools of Robeson County, in hopes of expanding future collaborations that will benefit students and families, said Katie Fountain, director of the Robeson County Public Library. Many public libraries across the country are implementing hot spot lending. Participating in this pilot will give our public library administration a chance to experience lending this much-needed technology and evaluate ways to expand our offerings outside of the pilot.The grant will allow the Robeson County Public Library to deliver digital literacy training to program participants, hire a digital inclusion librarian to implement the project and purchase Wi-Fi hot spot devices for up to 35 K-12 households per partner county. The Wi-Fi hot spots will provide the at-home Internet access students need to complete homework assignments.Public libraries play an important role in bridging the digital divide and in supporting after-school and out-of-school learning, said Susi Hamilton, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. This project will develop and model practices that can strengthen public library and school library partnerships to help all students realize their potential, and these best practices will be shared to enhance library services to students facing the homework gap across the state and beyond.The program is funded by a $250,000, two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is designed to equip local libraries to lead their communities in closing the homework gap. The homework gap occurs when students are assigned homework requiring access to the Internet, but do not have Internet access at home. The program kicked off Feb. 12 at Fairgrove Middle School in Fairmont.This fantastic opportunity is going to provide much-needed access to digital resources and support that our students would otherwise not be afforded at home, Fairgrove Principal Hawhana Locklear said. Many providers do not service this area, so our students are very fortunate to now have access. We are hopeful that this opportunity to both our students and their parents will increase their digital literacy through access to online resources and materials.Having recently visited and distributed computers to schoolkids in Robeson County, I was struck by the tenacity and resilience of the community and its students, said Eric Boyette, secretary of the state Department of Information Technology, A program like this, that can help prepare a 21st-century workforce, and provide much-needed Internet access, is one we are thrilled to launch, perfect and eventually scale to other rural communities throughout North Carolina.Robeson County was selected as the first partner community where programming began on Feb. 12. Three additional partner communities will join the program in the fall. The two-year pilot program will culminate in the fall of 2020 with the publication of a toolkit, which libraries across the country can use to learn best practices for implementing similar programs in their community.I feel honored that Robeson County was selected as the pilot location and hope that this project will make the case for more libraries and school systems to work together to close the homework gap faced by so many students, especially in rural North Carolina, Fountain said.
editorial@tribune.com

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, March 11

As many as 451 dog bite cases have been reported in Karnal since January 1. Due to rise in the number of cases, the anti-rabies dosages have gone out of stock in hospitals.

Records of the Health Department reveal 1,218 dog bite cases were reported in 2018, of which 350 were reported between January and March.

Residents claimed the Karnal Municipal Corporation (MC) was sitting like a mute spectator and not doing enough to contain the problem. They said the population of stray dogs was on the rise.

The cases of dog bite are increasing, but the MC has not initiated any steps to check the nuisance, said Narinder Singh, a resident.

Besides sterilising stray dogs, the authorities should set up canine homes, he demanded.

The MC said it was making efforts to find a solution to the menace. We are going to set up a dog shelter in Daha village, where these stray dogs would be kept and efforts would be made to check their population. A tender has already been allotted for the purpose, said Rajiv Mehta, Commissioner, MC.

The Civil Hospital authorities said they were hopeful of the early arrival of anti-rabies vaccines. Dr Piyush Sharma, principal medical officer, said, Due to rise in dog bite cases, we are running out of anti-rabies vaccine since Friday.

Dr Ravinder Sandhu, additional senior medical officer, said they had established a vaccination room for a hassle-free service to dog bite victims. We will receive the anti-rabies vaccine in two-three days, he said.
editorial@tribune.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has thrown her hat in the ring for a nomination as the BJP candidate from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat.

The Women and Child Development Minister has asked the BJP leadership to field her from Karnal after she conveyed to the party high command her decision to vacate the Pilibhit parliamentary segment for her son Varun Gandhi.

Varun is currently the sitting MP from Sultanpur and is likely to run from the constituency of his mother.

The other two contenders for the BJP ticket in Karnal  Sanjay Bhatia, an aide of Chief Minister ML Khattar, and Kiran Chopra, wife of sitting BJP member from Karnal Ashwani Chopra  will have a tough time in the face of a nomination request from Maneka, who has ancestral connections in Karnal, where her maternal great grandfather Sardar Datar Singh, a dairy farming pioneer, settled after migrating from Pakistan post-Partition.

But even Maneka is not finding winning the Karnal LS seat nomination easy despite the fact that 800 elected village heads of the Karnal segment have launched a signature campaign to demand the WCD Minister as a candidate from the seat.

It is further learnt that revered spiritual leader of Karnal  Swami Gyananand  is supporting Maneka as a BJP candidate from Karnal.

That said, the BJP is learnt to be considering a proposal to field Maneka from Kurukshetra, where the party does not have a candidate after its sitting MP Raj Kumar Saini quit the party recently. Saini has floated his own outfit.

With the BJP in a dilemma, it remains to be seen whether Maneka prevails on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to secure the Lok Sabha nomination she wants. BJP sources, meanwhile, say the discussions are still underway.

They are conscious of the fact that sitting MP Ashwani Chopra remained absent from the constituency for most part of his tenure due to poor health and recently he made avoidable positive references to AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Chopra is seeking the ticket for his wife Kiran Chopra.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Shimla, March 12

A 64-year-old US national, who got stranded on a snow-covered mountain range in Himachal Pradesh while paragliding, was rescued by a helicopter team on Tuesday after being marooned for nearly 40 hours at 4,200 feet, officials said.

Max Kent McGowan was rescued from Uttarala mountain in Kangra districts Baijnath sub-division by a helicopter rescue team, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said.

Kumar said a local youth, Rahul, was para dropped from the helicopter and he secured McGowan to be airlifted. The youth stayed back as the helicopter could take one person at a time, he said.

Rahul was airlifted by the helicopter on its second sortie, the DC said, adding that the US citizen would be taken for medical check-up to Baijnath.

Kudos to him (Rahul) and the other team members, who helped in rescuing the stranded paraglider, he said.

McGowan got stranded around 5 pm on Sunday while he was paragliding over the mountain range above Uttarala village. He was rescued on Tuesday around 11.45 am, Kumar said.

Officials said as per available information, McGowan took off from Bir-Billing on Sunday and got stranded at a height of 4,200 metres on the snow-covered Uttarala mountain of the Dhauladhar range.

He had to land due to a decrease in pressure on one side of his parachute. This sent him spinning down and he crashed on the mountain. However, because of a thick layer of fresh snow, he landed safely, they said.

On Monday, McGowan communicated his situation through radio to the manager of a hotel where he was staying.

The manager, in turn, informed authorities about him, they said, adding that McGowan could only be rescued by deploying a helicopter.

The helicopter, however, could not been able to reach Baijnath on Monday due to bad weather, but on Tuesday it reached and rescued the US citizen. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 11

The Jalandhar rural police today arrested two Tanzanian women with 200 gm of heroin near the Sutlej Bridge in Phillaur.

The suspects have been identified as Golden (26) and Maria Sulam (28) of Tanzania, at present residing in Dwarka Colony in Delhi.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jalandhar (rural), Navjot Singh Mahal, said on a tip-off, a police team, led by Additional Phillaur SHO, Inspector Pawan Kumar, was conducting a checking near the Sutlej Bridge.

He said the police spotted two foreign-based women coming from the Ladowal toll plaza.

Mahal said inspector Kumar, along with women police personnel, stopped and quizzed them on which the duo revealed their names.

The SSP said on suspicion, the women police personnel checked two purses that were carried by the Tanzanian women and recovered 100 gm of heroin from each purse.

He said both women were arrested by the police and a case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act had been registered against them at the Phillaur police station.

The SSP said further investigation in the case was on.

He said since July last year, 19 foreign nationals, including eight women and five men, had been arrested by the Jalandhar (rural) police for drug peddling. Mahal said 10 cases had been registered against them after recovery of over seven kg of heroin from their possession.
shalender@tribune.com

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune news Service

Srinagar, March 11

Choosing not to appear in person before the National Investigation Authority (NIA) in New Delhi on Monday, All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urged the probe agency to question him in Srinagar. Citing the prevailing conditions of hostility that posed a threat to his personal safety , he claimed he was being victimised solely for his political views.

The NIA had asked Mirwaiz to report for examination at its New Delhi headquarters in connection with a case related to alleged funding of terrorists and separatist groups.

In response, a four-paged letter by his counsel Ajaz Ahmad Dhar said if the NIA wanted to examine Mirwaiz, it could do so in Srinagar. He is willing to cooperate. In the circumstances, it will be only prudent if the contemplated examination is conducted at Srinagar.

Balakot for votes

This strike was done totally for polls. We lost a jet worth crores. Be thankful the IAF pilot survived and returned from Pakistan  Farooq Abdullah, NC chief
Rajan Kapoor

Rajan Kapoor

THE recent tension between India and Pakistan triggered a meaningful discussion on patriotism in my classroom. A group of students hailed Indias muscular approach. Another group remained silent. But there was a minuscule minority of students who did not wish to confine patriotism to defending the territorial integrity of the country alone, and pitched for extending the arc of patriotism beyond arms and ammunition. For them, patriotism was an all-encompassing feeling that transcended territorial issues. When this small group of students was confronted by the advocates of the group that threw its weight behind the tough military posturing, the supporters of the anti-war group gave a new turn to the feelings of patriotism.

They simply opposed jingoism. Blind patriotism would push the denizens of the country to the dark alley of death and destruction. Patriotism stood for scripting the success story of the country  both in war and peacetime. External aggression, if imposed, should be challenged and every citizen should contribute his or her mite to strengthen the armed forces pitted against the enemy. But the same enthusiasm must also be displayed when the country was not at war. Mere sloganeering would never help the country touch new heights of glory. Sincere efforts must be made to achieve extraordinary results. This was their opinion.

But the group that supported tough action disagreed with the peaceniks, dubbing them armchair votaries of peace, unmindful of the reality.

The anti-war group challenged the war mongers in a novel way. They came out with a proposal to conduct a survey to know how many citizens of their own town were true patriots. Both groups then set out to locate patriots. Their first target was the college itself. They put a question to students: How many of them had ever defaced walls of classrooms? A majority of them replied in the affirmative. They proudly answered in the negative when asked if they felt guilty of their act. The staff came next. Did they update the knowledge of their subject? The question left many embarrassed. The next round of the survey was conducted outside the campus. The group visited a number of government institutions to assess the level of discipline that employees displayed towards their organisation. To their surprise, they found that citizens lacked the zeal to work for their country. They were self-centred and grinding their own axe at the cost of nation-building. When a few shirkers were confronted for not performing their duty, they openly spat venom against their motherland and confessed to giving preference to self over nation.

The survey taught the pro-war group a lesson that parochial nationalism is a curse. It can never help a nation move forward. One can serve the nation like a soldier, if one works honestly and with dedication.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11

Associated Journals Ltd (AJL)  publisher of Congress mouth piece National Herald  today moved the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order dismissing its plea to restrain the Centre from taking coercive steps to vacate Herald House in the national capital.

In its appeal filed in the SC, AJL alleged that BJP and its coalition at the Centre harboured a pathological animus to the ideas of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

AJL requested the court to set aside the Centres October 30, 2018 order ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the premises on the grounds that no printing or publishing activity was going on and that the building was being used only for commercial purposes.

A Division bench of the Delhi High Court had on February 28 dismissed AJLs plea against the Centres order to vacate the premises, holding that there had been misuse of lease conditions by AJL. It had upheld a single judges December 2018 order dismissing AJLs plea against the Centres eviction order and had directed it to vacate Herald House in two weeks.

The High Court had held that the entire transaction of transferring shares of AJL to Young Indian (YI) company  in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders  was a clandestine and surreptitious transfer of the lucrative interest in the premises to YI.

The Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) had said in their eviction order that no press had been functioning on the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

The high court had agreed with the Centres submission that the breach of lease condition had been continuing from 2008 till commencement of the digital publication of the newspaper on November 14, 2016.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, March 12

In a case of misplaced anger, trolls downgraded ratings for Microsoft Excel when an advertisement for a detergent raised hackles.

An advertisement titled Rang Laaye Sang for Surf Excel seeks to show the plight of a Muslim boy during Holi festivities to drive home the point of communal harmony. The ad shows a girl who chooses to get drenched in colours so her Muslim friend could be spared to go pray at a mosque. Trolls on social media have called the advertisement anti-Hindu.

It doesnt stop here. Some angry trolls condemned Microsoft Excel for the advertisement, and even downgraded its ratings. Micrsoft Excel is spreadsheet tool developed by Microsoft.

A Google user wrote : "this is against Hindu culture,should ban in India".

Another user said: "boykot sarf excel. hindu birodh hai. Pakisthan me ja kar business kar".

Get outta India you antinationahst app! Gonna request sundar pichai to throw you away from playstore. And of course satya nadella as well to remove you from Microsoft offtce! As a data scientist it was tough to say this. But Country >>> Profession anytime! (sic), a user wrote.
shalender@tribune.com

New Delhi, March 11

Two weeks after the airstrikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp at Balakot in Pakistan, forces remain on high alert. Beneath the calm is a strain of tension. The armed forces  the Army, Navy and the IAF  on both sides remain on alert.

Today, when Lt Gen KJS Dhillion spoke in Srinagar and answered questions on firing from across the Line of Control (LoC), he summed up the underlying reality. Pakistan is targeting our civilian areas as it has not been able to hit us. We have hit military targets, he told the media.

On both sides there are daily alarms about air intrusion by UAVs. That these are being detected and targeted means surveillance is at an all-time high, said a senior officer, adding the UAVs were largely used to study movements in particular areas.

Air defence guns have been used to shoot down such UAVs. The navies have been constantly patrolling and the air force of both sides are flying air patrols, even as radar pictures and satellites are being used to track movement. The Army Chiefs of both countries have been visiting respective units on their own side.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has asked formations to ensure readiness and be prepared to decisively deal with emerging challenges that may develop. The General has been briefed on readiness of the Western Command as also the Northern Command. He has already visited the formations around Samba in Jammu and Kashmir, or locations north of Shakargarh Bulge.

Pitched battles have been fought in the past in these areas and also areas where the Ravi and the Satluj run a zig-zag course dividing the two Punjabs on both sides.

The Army Chief has been interacting with troops in the forward locations. He has expressed complete confidence in the Indian Armys capabilities to thwart any nefarious design of the enemies of the country and handle any situation.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, March 12

The Congress on Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a clean chit to the terrorist.

The scathing attack by the Congress comes a day after the BJP latched on to Rahul Gandhis reference to the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief as Masood Azhar ji.

The opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Gandhis comments made sarcastically.

Modi governments NSA, Ajit Doval, spills the beans and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now, he said in a series of tweets using the hashtag BJP Loves Terrorists.

Surjewala also attached a link of Dovals 2010 interview with the tweets.

Modi governments NSA, Ajit Dovals clean chit certificate to terrorist, Masood Azhar revealed, he said.

1. Masood doesnt know how to fabricate an IED. 2. Masood is not a marksman. 3. After releasing Masood, tourism in J&K has gone up by 200%, Surjewala quoted Doval as saying in the interview.

Doval saluted the real nationalistic policy of Congress-UPA to tackle terror, the Congress spokesperson claimed.

UPA-Cong came with a categorical policy on hijacking. No concession, no talks, he quoted Doval as saying.

Why the BJP government did not show the same guts, Surjewala asked.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here, Gandhi had targeted the BJP, saying, These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Adviser Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar.

He asserted that it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14.

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar formed the Pakistan-based terror group JeM after his release from jail.

Since then, the group has been involved in terrorist attacks in India.

The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 in which nine security personnel and officials were killed.

On January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed.

JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on September 18, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest is the Pulwama attack. PTI
(TNS) - Next month marks the ninth anniversary of the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana that killed 11, injured 17 others, and spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.For those of us closest to the accident, the April 20, 2010, explosion will always be, first and foremost, a grave tragedy. But for analysts who study such things, the mishap is also something else: a case study yielding insights about how similar mistakes might be prevented in the future.Or so weve been reminded by Meltdown, a 2018 book by Chris Clearfield and Andras Tilcsik thats just been published in paperback. The subtitle of Meltdown is What Plane Crashes, Oil Spills, and Dumb Business Decisions Can Teach Us About How to Succeed at Work and at Home.Clearfield is a former derivatives trader who lives in Seattle. Tilcsik, who researches organizational behavior, lives in Toronto. Meltdown is about a number of systems failures, including Deepwater Horizon, a crash on the Washington, D.C. metro, and an accidental overdose in a state-of-the-art hospital.Although the incidents vary, the authors maintain that accidents are, in many ways, more alike than we often assume. Their underlying causes, Clearfield and Tilcsik write, turn out to be surprisingly similar. These events have a shared DNA, one that researchers are just beginning to understand. That shared DNA means that failures in one industry can provide lessons for people in other fields ...The Deepwater Horizon explosion, the authors conclude, all came down to BPs failure to manage the complexity of its well. Just as radioactivity makes it hard to observe the core of a nuclear reactor directly, the high-pressure, underwater environment obscured what was going on inside the well. Drillers just couldnt send a guy down to see what was happening miles below the earth. Instead, they had to rely on computer simulations and indirect measurements like well pressure and pump flow ... Horizons crew was operating on the razors edge of catastrophe, but they didnt know it.After the accident, according to Meltdown, as the Deepwater Horizon crew battled the blowout, complexity struck again. The rigs elaborate emergency systems were just too overwhelming. There were as many as thirty buttons to control a single safety system, and a detailed emergency handbook described so many contingencies it was hard to know which protocol to follow.Clearfield and Tilcsik conclude that BPs approach to safety might have worked in a simpler system, like a routine onshore drilling operation ... But Deepwater Horizon was a complex offshore rig. It operated squarely in the danger zone.Their point is that as complicated operations like oil exploration evolve, safety procedures have to evolve with them. Its an abiding lesson of Deepwater Horizon, one worth remembering nearly a decade after a disaster that shook Louisiana and the world.2019 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.com
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 12

Moments after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of betraying the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, top Congress leadership congregated at the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati to remember the Father of the Nation before launching their Lok Sabha poll campaign at a major party event.



Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the prayers at the Sabarmati Ashram to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi who started the historic Dandi March from Gujarat on this very day in 1930.



While PM Modi used a blog on the 89th anniversary of Dandi March to remember Mahatma Gandhi and attack the dynastic and corruption ridden Gandhi family, the top Congress brass too used the symbolism of the day to send a message ahead of a crucial General Election.

Rahul Gandhi yesterday projected the 2019 elections as a fight between Mahatma Gandhis idea of India and Nathuram Godse idea of India.



Also, present at the prayer meeting were other Congress veterans AK Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and the newly appointed AICC general secretary East UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.



After attending the prayer meeting here, the Congress leaders will progress to a local Shaheed Smarak to pay tributes to the fallen freedom fighters.



From there they will assemble at Sardar Vallabhbhai Memorial Hall to hold the Congress Working Committee and unveil the party strategy for the polls ahead. A political resolution is expected.



The meeting comes at a time when the entire BJP leadership is attacking Rahul Gandhi for addressing the chief of JeM as Masood Azhar ji.



Top ministers slammed Gandhi on Monday saying he loves terrorists.



Rahul Gandhi in turn today tweeted the full link of his speech at a Delhi Congress event yesterday to say Please hear the full speech here.



It was in this speech that Rahul Gandhi addressed Masood Azhar respectfully.



Later today Congress will also hold a rally in PM Modis home state where it has drawn a blank in the 2014 General Election. Gujarat has 26 LS seats.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, March 12

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party have come under pressure from Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar, who indicated that he may contest from the Solapur Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress party has indicated that Sushilkumar Shinde would contest from this seat. On Monday, Ambedkar who has formed an umbrella organisation of various oppressed sections of society called the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, told reporters in Akola that there was a demand for him to contest from the Solapur reserved constituency.

I am thinking this over, he told reporters. Ambedkars supporters say he may contest from Akola as well as Solapur. The Solapur seat is presently held by Sharad Bansode of the BJP who defeated Shinde in 2014.

Ambedkars threat to contest from Solapur is seen by some Congress and NCP leaders as a bargaining strategy to restart seat-sharing talks that have been stuck. He had demanded 22 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in addition to a commitment by the secular parties that they would bring the RSS under the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

Congress and NCP leaders say they have already asked Ambedkar to prepare a draft law about bringing in the RSS under the Constitution. Sources in the two outfits say they are willing to concede seven or eight seats maximum to the VBA.

The two parties are also expected to back Ambedkar from Akola, although they are in no mood to sacrifice Solapur.

Though Shinde is the contender for the Congress ticket from Solapur, he enjoys good relationship with the Sharad Pawar family since he was brought into politics by the Maratha strongman.
editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, March 11

Assets worth Rs 8.46 crore of Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, an accused in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP choppers scam case, have been attached by the ED as part of a second criminal probe against him for allegedly possessing undisclosed foreign accounts, the agency said today.

Properties of Khaitan located in Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand have been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), it said in a statement.

Khiatan has been out on bail in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers case and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a fresh criminal case under PMLA against him and arrested him on January 25. The latest case was filed by the agency taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department case under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) Act. He is in judicial custody in this case.

It said Khaitan held beneficial interest, ownership in foreign assets/company/accounts and had failed to disclose these in his return of income filed before the I-T authorities.

It was also revealed during investigation that he had been found laundering money in various personal and company bank accounts in Singapore and Mauritius and that he wilfully did not disclose the relevant information related to the foreign bank accounts and companies which are beneficially owned by him, the agency said.

It said probe revealed that Khaitan maintained six foreign bank accounts in his name, in the name of companies owned by him through hundred per cent shareholding and in joint name with his father and wife in three banks namely Barclays Bank, Singapore Bank and UBS Bank.

On the analysis of these foreign bank accounts, it was revealed that he (Khaitan) received huge amounts in foreign currencies. Documents from foreign banks through Letter of Requests (judicial requests) were received from Singapore and Mauritius.

These documents revealed that in order to receive huge amount of beneficial interests, Khaitan in furtherance of criminal conspiracy structured, laundered and layered the proceeds of crime or the black money by concealing and routing the same through his foreign bank accounts of different entities, it said. The ED alleged Khaitan is involved in laundering the proceeds of crime for clients across the globe under the guise of providing legal consultancy.  PTI
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 12

The Election Commission on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that exclusion of over 40 lakh persons from Assams draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not affect their voting rights in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls if their names figured in the electoral rolls.

Allaying the fears of those not included in the draft Assam NRC, the EC Secretary  who was summoned by the courttold a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that exclusion from NRC will not have any bearing on their voting rights.

The Bench wanted to know what action will be taken by the poll panel if a persons name was not included in the final NRC to be published on July 31, but it was there in the electoral rolls.

It asked EC to provide the data by March 28 i.e. the next date of hearing about addition and deletion of names in the revised voters list published in the month of January in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

At the outset, the bench asked EC secretary about the status of those who did not figure in the draft NRC but their names were there in voters list.

On behalf of EC, senior advocate Vikas Singh said it had already been clarified in 2014 and the court should not entertain the PIL. Contrary to their claim, the names were never deleted from the electoral rolls in the past three years, Singh said, urging the court dismiss the petition as it would unnecessarily generate huge adverse publicity for the poll panel.

The Supreme Court had on March 8 asked the Election Commission Secretary to appear before it on March 12 after a PIL alleged that several categories of persons in Assam had been denied voting rights ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The categories in question include some whose names figure in the draft NRC but not in the voters list, petitioners Assam-based residents Gopal Seth and Susanta Sen had submitted.

The Bench had asked the EC Secretary to appear in person as despite a notice being issued to on February 1, the poll panel remained unrepresented during the proceedings.

The PIL alleged that a category of persons whose names were deleted from the voter list were some whose names appeared in the draft NRC published on July 30, 2018. It claimed these people had voted in the last Lok Sabha election held in 2014.

There were people whose names were not included in the complete draft NRC, but they subsequently filed claims for inclusion of their names in it, the petitioners said, adding, they had voted in the earlier Lok Sabha elections and were waiting for inclusion of their names.

The third category of people were those who have been declared as foreigners by the foreigners tribunal as well as by the Gauhati High Court but the courts order was stayed by the Supreme Court. The petition said it is the category of the persons whose names were appearing in the voters list from time to time.

The petition said the fourth category of people was of those who had already been declared foreigners by the foreigners tribunal and such declarations were set aside by the top court. But their names had been deleted from the voters list pursuant to the order of the foreigners tribunal, the petition alleged.

The petition said in the fifth category were persons whose names had not been included in draft NRC, but other members of their families, including parents, are included in the NRC and they have filed their claim for the inclusion of their names.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

San Francisco, March 12

Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping US$45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.

The previously undisclosed amount was in the separation agreement for Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Google's search operations until early 2016.

The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause, the New York Times reported.

The lawsuit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases, it said.

The lawsuit was filed in January in California Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed on Monday without the redactions.

According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal US$ 15 million a year for two years and between US$ 5 million and US$ 15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor.

He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public, the report said.

Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an "abdication of responsibility".

A Google spokeswoman said Monday that the company had "made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority".

"There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google," she said.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event.

Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated.

The company also concluded that the employee's account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy, the report said.

Singhal did not respond to a request for comment, it said.

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science from IIT Roorkee. He received an MS degree from University of Minnesota Duluth and was head of Google's core search team for 15 years. PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Ahmedabad, March 12

Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work better for the six crore people of Gujarat.

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision.

To this, the people said, "Yes".

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said when the Congress decided to postpone its rally, earlier scheduled for February 28, following the terror attack in Pulwama last month, the PM was busy addressing gatherings across the country.

The 25-year-old Patidar leader praised Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president is "honest".

"People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator," he said.

On BJP's charge of dynastic politics in the Congress, Patel said there was nothing wrong if a politician's son wanted to join the same field to serve people.

He asked the Congress cadres to get their act together to defeat the BJP in the next month's Lok Sabha polls. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, March 10

Amid heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, a reciprocal visit by the Indian team to Pakistan for inspection of projects in Indus river basin this month has been postponed, senior officials said Sunday.

During the 115th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission held in Lahore from August 29-30, 2018, both the commissioners had agreed to undertake the treaty-mandated tours of the Indus basin on both sides, the official said.

The tour of the Pakistani side was originally scheduled in October 2018, but was postponed because of local bodies elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Subsequently, the Pakistani team visited India in the last week of January to inspect projects in the Chenab basin in the state.

Pakistani Indus Commissioner Syed Mohammad Mehar Ali Shah and Indian Commissioner PK Saxena along with respective advisers visited the under-construction Indian hydropower projects in Chenab basin namely Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW).  PTI
harinder@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, March 11

The choice is between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one hand and hate on the other, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told his party's booth workers here today.

Attacking PM Narendra Modi, Gandhi flayed him on a host of issues  Rafale deal, Doklam, employment generation, national security and the alleged agrarian distress.

You have to decide... Gandhiji was fearless, stayed in jail for years, but spoke with the British with love, while (Veer) Savarkar wrote letters to the British apologising and asking to be let off, he said.

On national security, he said 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama attack carried out by JeM, whose chief Masood Azhar was released from jail by the BJP. "Two of our PMs were martyred. We don't bow before anyone."

Gandhi also the PM spoke for an hour-and-a-half in Parliament, but could not answer four questions on Rafale. "He talked about Congress, Rajiv Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, but did not utter Anil Ambani's name."

He said Modi kept talking about Make in India, but his shirts, shoes and phone, with which he took selfies, were made in China.

Taking on the PM over his China policy, Gandhi claimed the Chinese PM gave a "clear message to the PM that I know you, you are a weak person, I will send the Chinese army to Doklam and you cannot do anything". Modi bowed before China and offered a truce, he claimed.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11

A day after the Election Commission announced the schedule of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the choice was between PM Narendra Modi and a certain chaos.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the senior BJP leader said, was an inadequate leader. The contest is between a leader in whose hand the country is developing and secure. He is trusted. Against him it is no one projected leader. There are multiple leaders, each trying to outwit the other. They can only promise a temporary government if we go by the past precedents. One can be certain of chaos. The choice is clear  it is either Modi or chaos, Jaitley wrote.

Recounting the merits of Modi as a national and world leader, Jaitley said: Even his critics are bewildered by his evolution of his national security doctrine. He has evolved India from a nation which only defended itself domestically against terror through intelligence and security network and isolated Pakistan at the global level to a nation which is capable of destroying terror at the points of its origin. The success of the surgical strikes of 2016 and the air strikes of 2019 points to this direction.

While within the NDA there are no leadership issues, the mahagathbandhan is rife from conflicting gathbandhans, he wrote, saying while BSP and SP would contest against Congress, they would eventually join hands. So will Trinamool and the Congress-Left alliance in Bengal. However, in Kerala Congress and Left will contest against each other.

Then the PDP and the NC tried to form the government together with the support of the Congress in J&K. Today they are rivals in an election and on the dangerous agenda of either autonomy or pre-1953 status but could join hands with the gathbandhan. The BJD, TRS and YSRCP are not with the gathbandhan, he said.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Kolkata, March 12

The 2019 Lok Sabha polls will sound the death knell for the BJP and bring an end to Narendra Modis reign of fear, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted on Tuesday.

The Trinamool Congress supremo said the electoral battle will be between a united India and some isolated people, as she mounted a scalding assault on the BJP and the prime minister.

The 2019 Lok Sabha polls will sound the death knell for the BJP and give people freedom from the reign of fear of Narendra Modi. It will be a fight between a united India and some isolated people, she told a press conference after releasing a list of TMC candidates for all the 42 LS seats in the state.

She also claimed she had information that VVIPs were using helicopters and chartered flights to transport money to bribe voters ahead of the polls.

The West Bengal leader assailed the Centre over a host of issues, including the Rafale deal, farm distress and shrinking employment opportunities.

Backing Congress president Rahul Gandhis allegations against the government over the Rafale deal, the TMC boss said, I completely agree with what Rahul Gandhi is saying about Rafale scam. They (BJP) are threatening journalists like N Ram for speaking out the truth.

Ram had written an article in The Hindu saying at the height of the negotiations over the 7.87 billion Rafale deal between India and France, the Defence Ministry had raised strong objections to parallel negotiations conducted by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) with the French side.

She also demanded answers from Modi on why he went ahead with demonetisation despite the RBI brass reservations.

The board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which included the present governor Shaktikanta Das as a director, had warned of short-term negative impact of demonetisation on the economy and observed that the unprecedented move will not have any material impact on tackling black money.

The board, according to minutes of a meeting disclosed by the RBI in an RTI reply, had met just two-and-a-half hours before Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,00 currency notes on 8 November 2016.

Banerjee said the coalition government of anti-BJP parties will create more jobs, bring about peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and freedom from the pervasive atmosphere of fear.

The fiery West Bengal leader accused the BJP of pressuring the Election Commission to toe its line because of which the polling schedule was inordinately stretched to enable the prime minister to launch an extensive campaign across the country.

To back her claim, Banerjee said, Modis constituency Varanasi was scheduled to go to poll in the last phase on May 19.

The BJP is trying to influence the Election Commission as if the constitutional body belongs to them only.

The EC belongs to every political party. They (the EC) should take action regarding advertisements of Narendra Modi being shown in various cinema halls. These should be removed immediately, she said.  PTI
'Moonshot' Commitment

No E-Learning on Snow Days

(TNS)  International Falls, Minn.  After more than 30 years of doing business in this longtime mill town, Optum Health plans to close its health care claims office this summer.The good news is the company's 90 workers can keep their jobs. The bad news is that offer is good only if they're able to work remotely. And those who live outside the city limits may not have access to the high-speed Internet service they'd need to keep earning a company paycheck.Optum says its intention is to keep all of its workers on the job, and it will do what it can to help those in need of technical upgrades. City and county leaders are looking at setting up a business center where people lacking broadband  whether Optum employees or not  could get their work done.Such predicaments have Minnesota politicians taking a new look at rural broadband. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has made the issue a major talking point as she begins her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.Gov. Tim Walz has promised he'd attack the problem like a "moonshot." Meanwhile, a Republican-sponsored bill with bipartisan support is making its way through the Legislature, promising $35 million a year in each of the next two years for rural broadband upgrades.All the talk about addressing the issue is encouraging, broadband advocates say. But with one in five rural Minnesota households still lacking access to high-speed, wired Internet service, there's a long way to go."They did it in the '30s with electricity. They did it in the '50s with telephones. This is the electricity of the 21st century," said Anne Schwagerl, an organic farmer in Browns Valley on the South Dakota border.Schwagerl and her husband grow grain and raise pigs. And in her view, Internet access is as essential to farming today as a good tractor.Schwagerl got high-speed Internet on her Prairie Point Farm in 2017, after Big Stone County sold about $4 million worth of bonds on behalf of Federated Telephone Cooperative. The co-op, which had been unable to get funding through traditional channels, used the money to install high-speed broadband for its customers and will repay the county over 20 years. The project also received a $3.9 million grant from the state's Border-to-Border Broadband Development program."It made a huge difference in our ability to be efficient in our operations," said Schwagerl, who is secretary of the Minnesota Farmers Union. "We can access up-to-the-minute market data and make good decisions." Schwagerl also sells her hogs direct to consumers, something that wouldn't be possible without good Internet service.Some 140 miles north, in Ada, Minn., Edie Ramstad had been trying to run a worldwide Internet company on dial-up service.Ramstad owns Weave Got Maille, which makes rings, tools and other supplies for chainmaille jewelry. Her dial-up service was so slow, Ramstad said, that her employees sometimes had to drive to Fargo, 45 miles away, to upload product images to the company website."We could always tell when the kids got out of school," she said, "because we'd get booted off [the web]." It was so frustrating that several times Ramstad considered shutting down the business with its 16 employees.Last year, Ramstad found an Internet provider willing to run lines to her business. But at $800 a month, it's expensive  and even at that, she said, the service isn't as good as a typical city-dweller would have in his or her home."It used to be that broadband was a competitive advantage. Now, it's a cost of doing business," said Bernadine Joselyn, director of public policy and engagement for the Blandin Foundation of Grand Rapids, Minn. "We believe that broadband and the skills to use it are fundamental to healthy communities."Blandin has worked with almost 100 Minnesota communities and invested more than $10 million in broadband initiatives. The current proposal for state broadband funding, Joselyn said, "is really a victory in Minnesota in that it has gotten a lot of bipartisan support."Still, the governor's "moonshot" would simply return annual broadband spending to its 2016 level of $35 million. That number dropped to $20 million in 2017 and to zero in 2018 after then-Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed the Legislature's omnibus spending bill. In the budget negotiations that followed, broadband was left on the cutting-room floor.The key difference is that the current proposal runs for two years, said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation. Anderson Kelliher chaired the Governor's Task Force on Broadband under Dayton and was also CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association."It really is important to remember that all the money that has been appropriated in the past was one-time funding," she said. "It is a good spot for one-time dollars, but it really does need a commitment."I think what the governor is doing is making a real commitment to reaching these goals," she said. "It's a show of, 'We're really going to do this, we're going to make this happen.'"In International Falls, where the economy has been based on timber and tourism, officials are hopeful about what a higher-tech future could bring.But they're cautious about painting too rosy a scenario in a town where generations of residents have gone to work at the paper mill."We don't have a real strong entrepreneurial culture here, that people are going to look to create their own realities," said Paul Nevanen, director of the Koochiching County Economic Development Authority. "That's a long-term shift."It's a shift that can't come too soon for Jackie Edwards, who lives on a family farm in rural Renville County near Hector, Minn., some 80 miles west of the Twin Cities."My husband works in agriculture and is obviously in need of broadband for that, as well as for our four children," she said. The family has satellite Internet service, but it's expensive  about $90 a month  and unreliable."Our Internet just gets really slow and everybody's frustrated," she said. "When you talk about e-learning, it becomes an issue. In a snowstorm, it's likely we don't have Internet."Neighbors just 2 miles away have fast fiber Internet, "but we fell just short," Edwards said.And that's the problem, Anderson Kelliher said. "A lot of the places that are left to build broadband in Minnesota are more challenged  more physically challenging to deploy the broadband, and therefore more expensive," she said.State broadband investments, she added, are "really for the hardest portions of the state. We don't want people left behind," she said. "It is a tool that people expect nowadays."
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad, March 12

The Congress Working Committee on Tuesday resolved to seek a mandate for change in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cynically exporting people for electoral gains.

Held in Ahmedabad, the crucial assembly of top Congress leaders, attended by party president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, sought the mandate for mike minded parties and Congress allies and also appealed to progressive forces to unite against the BJP.

Reiterating its commitment to the AICC Plenary which resolved to forge alliances with like-minded parties to defeat the BJP, CWC said the Plenary resolution on alliances stands.

Speaking after the meeting on Tuesday, party spokesperson Anand Sharma said: The stand on alliances was delineated in the plenary resolution. We draw our strength from the Plenary. The CWC asked for peoples mandate for all Congress supporting parties and allies. Alliances were not discussed separately today.

That the Congress May soften its stand on pre poll pacts which are hardly on track was evident from the tweet Rahul Gandhi posted while he was still at the CWC meeting.

He said no sacrifice is too great to defeat BJP.

On the anniversary of Gandhi Jis historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger & divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won.

On the anniversary of Gandhi Jis historic Dandi March, the Congress Working Committee in Ahmedabad, resolved to defeat the RSS/ BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger & divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour; no effort too little; this battle will be won. pic.twitter.com/w6PhAIbYMs  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 12, 2019

Later in the day the CWC passed a political resolution that reaffirmed partys commitment to unity in times of crisis such as Pulwama, and attacked prime minister Modi for exploiting peoples emotions to divert peoples attention from the failures of his government.

We wont let people forget that the Modi Government has been all about betrayal, Anand Sharma said.

On post Pulwama events the CWC resolution noted: The CWC sends a stern and unequivocal message to India's enemies that India stands united and resolute as one nation to confront and defeat their nefarious agenda. India is a resilient democracy, proud of its brave Armed Forces. It shall never be defeated by forces of violence and terror.

The Congress Party expresses its strong disappointment that the Prime Minister is cynically exploiting the issue of National Security, on which we are all united, to divert attention from his colossal failures, bogus claims and persistent falsehoods.

The meeting also resolved to expose the BJP governments falsehoods and said the Congress will seek a mandate for change with all humility.

The party added that it will remind people of how the Congress led UPA kept the promises of economic growth, social inclusion and development and in the recently won three states the promise of farm loan waiver.

We will go to the people and talk about how Congress does what it says while the BJP makes false promises. We wont let the BJP fool India again, Sharma said.

Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh addressed the CWC meeting. Priyanka Gandhi also spoke and is learnt to have given her suggestions on the Congress manifesto promise of basic income for the poor.

Earlier the top Congress leaders offered prayers at Sabarmati Ashram.

The CWC meeting was symbolically held in Gujarat, the home state of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel to coincide with the 89th anniversary of Dandi March today and also to mark the ongoing 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.

The CWC also paid respects to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the centenary year of the tragedy.

Congress said BJP was trying to appropriate the icons of the freedom movement because they have none of their own.

But the BJP is the opposite of everything Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel stood for. CWC reiterated its commitment to the values shown by the two great sons of Gujarat, Anand Sharma said.

CWC meeting was the first major political event of Congress after the declaration of general elections this Sunday.

Gabbar Singh Tax

Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 2014 promise of "depositing" Rs 15 lakh in the account of every citizen.

He was speaking at a rally in Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district after the Congress Working Committee meeting.

Gandhi also played to the gallery in the business- driven state by claiming that "Gabbar Singh Tax", his oft- repeated jibe for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was beyond the understanding of traders.

"Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) can't be understood by our traders even today (after its was implemented nationwide last year)," he said.

"Did people get Rs 15 lakh into their bank accounts as promised by Narendra Modi?" he asked at the well-attended rally.

Turning his attention on the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent air strike by India and the aerial engagement with Pakistan Air Force the next day, Gandhi said it was National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who has sent Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Massod Azhar to freedom in a "special plane".

"Who sent Pulwama terror attack perpetrator Masood Azhar to Pakistan?" he asked the crowd.

"Masood Azhar was sent in a special aircraft and NSA Ajit Doval accompanied him," Gandhi answered his query for the crowd.

The Congress leader, however, did not reveal if he had any proof to substantiate his claim that Doval accompanied Azhar on a special flight.

In the next month's Lok Sabha polls, truth will win and hatred will be defeated, Gandhi said. PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 12



Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during which they discussed improvement in bilateral relations and the recent Indo-Pak tensions.

The conversation capped a hectic day of diplomacy on Monday with West Asian countries during which PM Modi met Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir and also spoke with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Modi sought immediate, demonstrable and irreversible action against terrorism by all countries while Erdogan expressed his condolences for the deaths in Pulwama, according to readouts here and in Ankara.

Erdogan was among the world leaders who had played an active role in defusing tensions after the Indian aerial strike at Balakot. Turkey and India, under Erdogan and Modi, share a similar approach towards terrorism. Turkey had unsuccessfully tried to end a Kurdish insurgency by pursuing the rebels to their bases in Iraq. However, they differ on the solution to the Kashmir problem. But both are now at the receiving end of American ire for contracting military systems from Russia.

Erdogan has linked the US threat to stop Turkey from enjoying concessional duty on its exports to a deal it had signed for an advanced Russian missile system and said there would be no going back. Indias approach to the withdrawal of zero duty on exports to the US worth Rs 40,000 crore has not been adversarial.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is currently in Washington and conveyed Indias willingness to remain engaged on all issues of discord in trade.

Separately, India has sought exemption from US sanctions for import of a similar Russian military system. Some Chinese entities and officials have already been sanctioned by the US for purchasing Russian fighter planes and missiles.


rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, March 12

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India would support the American efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the authoritarian Maduro regime.

The issue was discussed in a meeting with the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference here, without providing insight into it.

We are asking the same thing of India as we are of every country: Do not be the economic lifeline for the Maduro regime. So we talked about (Venezuela)I certainly wont characterise the conversations; theyre private conversations, Pompeo said in response to a question.

In the same way that India has been incredibly supportive of our efforts in Iran, Im confident that they too understand the real threat to the Venezuelan people. We had a good conversation around that, Pompeo said.

At a news conference, Pompeo said the nations that supported Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are, by the nature of this illegitimate regime, carrying out the very foreign interventionism of which they accused others.

Today, the United States is drawing a clear line between those who aid the forces of repression and those who give life to the Venezuelan peoples democratic dreams. There is no ambiguity here about the truth, he said.

Similar kind of warning to other nations was issued by US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The United States will not stand idly by while foreign financial institutions facilitate illegitimate transactions that benefit Maduro and his cronies, and perpetuate the corruption that has devastated Venezuela, he said.

Earlier in the day, the Treasury sanctioned a Russia-based bank attempting to circumvent US sanctions on Venezuelas state-owned oil company PDVSA. It sanctioned Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russia and Venezuela, for being involved in facilitating illegitimate transactions that prolonged Maduros usurpation of democracy, it said.

The illegitimate Maduro regime has profited off of the suffering of the Venezuelan people, said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela, he said.

In another tweet, Bolton asked international banks not to have relationship with the Maduro regime.

Bankers: Do not help Maduro and his accomplices steal the assets of the Venezuelan people. The United States is watching. The world is watching. The Venezuelan people are watching, he said.

Maduro is facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido who declared himself acting president in January.

The US views Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader and has imposed sanctions on the countrys oil sector besides taking other actions targeting top government officials. PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Ahmedabad, March 12

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday targeted the Modi government over "unkept promises and spread of hatred" in the country.

Addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary, she said she was saddened by what was happening in the country.

"Our institutions are being destroyed. Wherever you see, hatred is being spread," she said.

"Nothing matters more to us that you and I protect this nation, work for it and move forward together," the Congress leader said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were present at the rally near Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district.

Priyanka said the Modi government did not fulfil its promises of providing jobs to crores of people in the country.

The Congress held a rally in Modi's home state to sound its poll bugle for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier Tuesday, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee was held in Gujarat after a gap of 58 years. The previous CWC meeting was last held in the state at Bhavnagar in 1961. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad , March 12

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will launch the partys Uttar Pradesh campaign from Lucknow on March 14.

Vadra will stay in UP until March 21, starting with a two-day closed-door meeting with party workers in the state capital.

The reference to her poll schedule was made at the ongoing meeting of the Congress Working Committee here, where the party will pass political and economic resolutions to take on the BJP.

The party is still mulling whether to field her from UP considering she doesnt have a ready seat there.

Gandhi family seats are taken by her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi. The two share Amethi and Rae Bareli between them. The SP-BSP alliance has left these two seats for the Congress first family. But theres no third ready seat.

With the alliance hopes between Congress, SP and BSP breaking down, Vadra will have to contest from a fresh seat and face a four cornered contest unless BSP and SP agree to leave a seat for Priyanka should she decide to fight later as part of partys hidden strategy.

The party is still considering its options on Priyanka with a top leader saying today that she may eventually decide not to run and may just lead the UP campaign.

The question challenging her nomination is  lack of a ready seat though a section of Congress leaders say she can win from anywhere. The issue if will Priyanka risk it.
shalender@tribune.com

Kolkata, March 11

Stoking a controversy, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee today appeared to suggest that the long-drawn Lok Sabha election process was intended to facilitate yet another strike as part of the BJPs game plan to disturb her state.

I have been informed by some senior journalists that there will be another strike. What strike I will not say. In the name of so-called... so-called... so-called... in the month of April. That is why the voting process will continue till May 19. I have great respect for a Constitutional body like the EC. But it is a part of the BJPs game plan to disturb West Bengal, she told a press conference.

With the TMC boss comments seen as an oblique reference to a likely military action by India, the BJP was quick to react. She has the habit of levelling baseless accusations. She is given to kite-flying. If she has proof, she should make it public, said BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh. Mamata had accused the Centre of creating a war-like hysteria in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and the retaliatory airstrike by the Indian Air Force on a Jaish training camp in Pakistans Balakot.

She had also said the lives of jawans were more valuable than electoral politics and that the nation had the right to know what had actually happened in Balakot.

West Bengal will witness polling in all seven phases.

Exuding confidence that her party would win all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Mamata claimed the protracted exercise will put poll personnel and voters in distress as they will have to face the summer heat.

Several leaders of her party have said that polling during the holy month of Ramzan will inconvenience Muslim voters who observe fast.  PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 12

A US-based lobby group, which had once lobbied for a cut in aid package to Pakistan, has now opposed any International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Islamabad till it ends its support to terrorism.

In a letter to US Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin, the US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has urged the stoppage of loans to Pakistan.

USINPAC claims credit for an amendment in the 2003 US Congress vetting of a $3 billion aid package for Pakistan that there would be no aid unless it stopped cross-border attacks. The amendment was later withdrawn but USINPAC was said to have demonstrated its ability to influence policy at that time.

USINPAC is not against the people of Pakistan, or aid for education, economic development, womens empowerment, etc, said Sanjay Puri, Chairman of USINPAC, since its inception. But we are against state-sponsored terrorism, he added.

USINPAC termed the US response as generally apathetic, amounting to little more than encouraging India and Pakistan to sit down and resolve their differences. USINPAC is calling for actionno IMF bailout for Pakistan until Pakistan bans and arrests its terrorist groups and militants.

It recalled that last year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned against the IMF using American dollars to bail out Pakistans bondholders. Make no mistake, he had said, We will be watching what the IMF does.

USINPAC will be watching, too, said Puri. When it comes to Pakistans track record of terrorism, IMFs tool of economic surveillance is not enough. This is why USINPAC commends the Trump Administration for cutting off aid to Pakistan, and why we encourage the US Treasury to weigh in with the IMF. The US is the largest cumulative contributor to the IMF and should say no more bail-outs, loans or stand-by agreements until Pakistan changes course.
shalender@tribune.com

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11

The US indicated complete backing to Indias quest to list Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist but China, which has thrice vetoed the proposal at the UN Security Council, remained ambiguous.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi worked the third vector in the dispute by speaking to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi who played a pivotal role in inviting India for a Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) Ministerial meeting that Pakistan sat out in protest.

After a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable. India has held Masood responsible for the Pulwama outrage and wants firm action against him by both Pakistan and the international community.

But China cloaked it's position in ambiguity. China (has) adopted a responsible attitude, follows the rules of the procedure of the committee and participated in the discussions in a responsible manner. Only through discussions can we come up with a responsible solution, said a Chinese Foreign Office spokesperson.

Though it remains to be seen if the US can prevail over China to drop it's objections about listing Masood at UNSC, Pompeo told Gokhale that he understood India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism. They agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory.

Gokhale will also meet US Foreign Ministrys senior officials, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

Pompeo and Gokhale expressed satisfaction over the significant progress and the quality of the India-US Strategic Partnership since the first-ever Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue six months back.

They also discussed other issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and agreed to closely work together in this regard. In response to Secretary Pompeo's reference to bilateral trade matters, Gokhale underscored the significant reduction in trade deficit in the last three years and conveyed India's willingness to remain engaged with the US for a meaningful and mutually acceptable package on trade issues.

Modi dials Erdogan

PM Narendra Modi on Monday had a telephonic conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during which they discussed improvement in bilateral ties and the recent Indo-Pak tensions. PM Modi sought immediate, demonstrable and irreversible action against terrorism by all countries, while Erdogan expressed his grief over the deaths in Pulwama, according to readouts here and in Ankara. TNS
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 11

More than 200 bags of passengers, who suffered inconvenience after the IAF air strikes on the Jaish terror camps in Balakot town of Pakistan, were brought to the city bus stand on Monday. The luggage was held back as the flights were cancelled for three days after the strikes.

The operation manager of the Luggage Department of the IGI Airport, Sukhi, said, International flights that were coming from Canada and USA via Pakistan were cancelled for three days, following an urgent notice immediately after the air strikes. Besides, the routes of some of the flights carrying Indian passengers were changed, therefore the luggage containers were offloaded and the passengers were deported hastily from these countries. Also, after the cancellation of the flights for subsequent three days, the luggage of passengers was unloaded and kept at their boarding locations only. The passengers were also made to board their flights hastily without luggage.

Sukhi, who has been in the state trying to bring back the luggage, said most of the bags belonged to the Punjab residents and he had delivered around 600 bags in the past three days.

The remaining bags of the passengers of the Doaba region were brought today.

The bus stand authorities, however, said people from across the district were coming to take their luggage since morning. One of the residents of Nawanshahr, Jaspreet Singh, who had arrived from Canada, said he had reached India five days ago while his suitcase had been held back at the Vancouver airport.
(TNS)  A spending package approved 54-0 by the New Mexico state House on Monday would contribute about $510,000 to help improve data-sharing among criminal justice agencies in the state.The money is part of a grab-bag of spending priorities outlined in a $30 million proposal, House Bill 548. The legislation  often referred to as a junior spending bill  now goes to the Senate.Each of the 70 members of the House got a share of the money to put toward favored projects.The funding for data-sharing comes as lawmakers push to encourage better tracking of offenders who cross jurisdictional lines.They have sent to the governor a proposal, House Bill 267, that calls on the New Mexico sentencing commission to create a data-sharing network with help from New Mexico Tech. The junior spending bill earmarks $510,000 for the effort.Sen. Sander Rue, an Albuquerque Republican and a co-sponsor of House Bill 267, said the network would allow police, prosecutors and other agencies to measure how well certain initiatives are working and make it easier for them to track offenders who use aliases or commit crimes in different communities.A nonpartisan task force helped develop the proposal.
editorial@tribune.com

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 11

The dream of getting a lucrative job abroad landed more than 25 youngsters in the soup after they were allegedly duped of thousands of rupees by a Bathinda-based immigration firm.

The job seekers, who hail from different districts in the state, including Nawanshahr, Faridkot, Barnala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar, gathered in the city on Monday and submitted a written complaint to Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), seeking action against the owner of the firm, which is situated in the Bharatnagar area.

According to the victims, they had applied for work visa with the firm concerned around two months ago but even after getting the visa, they could not travel abroad to date. Kulwinder Singh from Mansa said, One-and-a-half-month ago, I had applied for work visa with God Life Overseas Private Limited by paying Rs 80,000. I was issued a visa to travel to Singapore to work there as a mechanic. But when I came to get the flight tickets on February 26, I found the office locked. When I tried reaching out to the managing director on his mobile phone, it was switched off.

Babbaljit Singh from Faridkot, said, Most of us have paid Rs 80,000 for the work visa to get a job in different countries, including Dubai, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Romania among other Middle East countries. Not only we have been duped but the police have not yet registered a case against the accused. So we decided to meet the SSP on Monday and submitted a written complaint to him. We demand that the owners of the firm must be booked and our money should be returned.

Balwinder Singh from Barnala, said, After seeing an advertisement of the firm in a newspaper, I had applied for the work visa to get a job overseas. But after some days when I visited the office, the doors were locked. After providing me visa, the assistant staff at the firm told me that the flight ticket would be given in a few weeks. We have submitted a written complaint to the SSP, Bathinda, who has assured us appropriate action in the matter. He has asked us to check the status within two days.

Meanwhile, Bathinda SSP Nanak Singh said, I have marked an inquiry to the Superintendent of Police (City) to look into the matter. Based on the facts and findings, appropriate action will be taken.
editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

With national pride becoming a pivotal issue in the General Election 2019, in Punjab Congress Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh seems to have wrested the nationalism narrative from the BJP and its Punjab ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Playing his cards well, he toured the states border areas immediately after the IAF Balakot airstrike. Taking the narrative to a whole new level, he interacted with border residents, assuring them of government help in case of any eventuality, expressing solidarity with soldiers posted at border posts as well as their families.

A day before the Modi-led Union Government dared Pakistan on February 26, the Punjab CM visited the families of Pulwama attack victims. Moved by the plight of the family of martyr Kulwinder Singh, who belonged to Rauli village in Ropar, he announced lifelong pension for his aged parents.

Such gestures seems to have helped Capt Amarinder retain the goodwill of the people, preventing them from leaning towards the BJP. An ex-serviceman himself, the Chief Minister is being perceived as having said and done the right thing, much like the PM. Earlier too the CM has taken a tough stand against anti-nationals, including separatist leaders and those funding their movements abroad.

Senior BJP leaders in Punjab have been left fretting and fuming at their partys political agenda being hijacked by the CM of a Congress-ruled state. The saffron party is contesting three seats  Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. Two of these are border constituencies where nationalist fervour is running high post the Balakot strike. We believed the party would benefit from the nationalism agenda. But this may not be so. We are now banking on anti-incumbency sentiment against the Capt Amarinder government, said a BJP leader.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 12

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was never in the reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to the media after meeting Raj Kumar Verka, chairman of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation, who took charge today, the Chief Minister described his meeting with Manmohan Singh in Delhi on Saturday as a courtesy call, during which he briefed the former Prime Minister on the Congress plans in Punjab.

Verka was appointed as the Chairman of the Corporation last week and he took charge of his office on Friday.

On Sunday, Punjab Chief Minister while meeting the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had reportedly urged him to contest from the Amritsar parliamentary seat.

The Chief Minister had told the former PM that the state organisation unanimously wanted him to run from the seat and that the state unit would be honoured should he accept the proposal.

Asked about the partys star campaigner in the state, the Chief Minister said it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections.

Capt ain Amarinder Singh has categorically denied any alliance talks with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), or any other party, for the May 19 Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The Congress did not need any alliance in Punjab, nor was it in talks with any party on the same, Captain Amarinder said in response to a question while talking informally with mediapersons after meeting Raj Kumar Verka, Chairman of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation, at his office. Verka was appointed as the Chairman of the Corporation last week and he took charge of his office on Friday.

Asked to comment on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwals statement that talks for alliance in Punjab were in progress, the Chief Minister said though he was not aware of such a statement, the Congress did not need any allies in Punjab.

Exuding massive confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, the Chief Minister said the party was gung-ho about these polls, as was evident from the fact that it had chosen Ahmedabad  the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- for the CWC meeting. This clearly showed the level of enthusiasm in the party, which was literally ready to take the BJP by its horns, he added.

In response to a question on the Punjab Congress candidates, Capt Amarinder said the next meeting was likely to be held in Delhi around the end of this week. There was no hurry, he said, pointing out that the polling date was more than two months away, giving the party lot of time to select its candidates. Asked to comment on the time lag in the polling date for Punjab, Captain Amarinder said it was the Election Commissions prerogative and he could not, therefore, say anything on the issue.

Capt Amarinder made it clear that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was never in reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections.

He described his meeting with Dr Singh in Delhi on Saturday as a courtesy call, during which he briefed the former Prime Minister on the Congress plans in Punjab. Asked about the partys star campaigner in the state, the Chief Minister said it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections.

On whether the IAF air strikes across the LoC would prove beneficial to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, the Chief Minister said with Indian soldiers continuing to be killed every day, the air strikes had clearly not proved to be a deterrent so far against Pak-backed attacks on India.

He reiterated that no attempts should be made to politicise the Indian forces. He said the armed forces are apolitical and are above the petty considerations of caste, religion and political affiliations.

Captain Amarinder expressed happiness at the fact that the Kartarpur Corridor project had remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border. Islamabad had also clarified that the latest events will not have any adverse effect on the project, he pointed out with satisfaction, adding that the Corridor was something that people on both sides wanted.
editorial@tribune.com

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 11

The General Election announcement has had the big, fat wedding industry in Punjab worried, given the imposition of the model code of conduct from Sunday evening. More dry days and stringent checks on carrying liquor have left revelers dispirited.

With the state going to polls on May 19, the Election Commission (EC) will in all probability prohibit liquor sale on May 17 and 18, besides the polling day.

Further, in view of the model code of conduct, carrying liquor from one place to the other for even those with valid permission will not be without hurdles. We dont want candidates to store liquor in advance and therefore, carrying it will be tough, says an EC official.

Besides, serving or distributing liquor on the polling day and 48 hours prior to it is an electoral offence.

However, this has already hit the big, fat wedding plans in the state.

Jaideep Narula, a wedding planner, said: I have already received requests from two of my clients to shift the wedding venues. While one in Ludhiana wants to shift it to a hilly area for a destination wedding, the other family has cancelled their function on May 18. Even those weddings which dont fall on the dates when the liquor is banned also get postponed or cancelled due to the strictness in the state, he added.

Meanwhile, officials in the Excise and Taxation Department confirmed to The Tribune that they had already stopped issuing permits for two days prior to the polling day and the counting day. Even if someone managed a permit before Sundays announcement, it stands cancelled, they said.

Punjabi marriages are inconceivable without liquor. Punjabis consume almost 30 crore bottles per fiscal. The excise policy for 2019-20 is eyeing to collect Rs 6,201 crore from contractors during the next fiscal as against the anticipated mobilisation of Rs 5,462 crore for 2018-19.

As 60 per cent liquor trade is in the hands of politicians and their aides, its misuse to influence voters cannot be ruled out, said an election officer.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Election Officer KS Raju said the departments would act as per the guidelines of the Election Commission and it clearly states that liquor would not be served on specific dates. The guidelines have to be followed, he added.
shalender@tribune.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

A mechanism resorted to for resolving a discord between municipal bodies and a company over the execution of a project has generated a dispute  this time over unreasonable and exorbitant fee of around Rs 3 crore determined by a former Supreme Court Judge and two other arbitrators.

Justice Ashok Bhan of the Supreme Court, former High Court Judge Justice Sudhir Katriar and retired IAS officer Parveen Kumar initially settled on a fee of Rs 49 lakh per arbitrator.

An additional 10 per cent was to be charged as miscellaneous expenses for the presiding arbitrator. The amount was, subsequently, doubled.

The alternate dispute redressal (ADR) mechanism, with arbitration as an essential component, was introduced in the legal system in the late 90s for reducing heavy demand on court time and for providing efficacious, speedy and affordable remedy to the warring sides in case of a dispute.

In case of arbitration, a neutral third party or a panel was asked to render decision. But the resolution mechanism gave way to dispute in the matter, with Jalandhar Municipal Corporation raising objections on behalf of itself, as well as 22 municipal bodies, in its representative capacity as the cluster head. The discord has its genesis in the carrying out of a project for collection, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid waste for Jalandhar cluster, comprising 23 municipal bodies.

The consortium of selected bidders was awarded the project in July, 2011, after which they formed a special purpose company, JITF Urban Waste Management (Jalandhar) Ltd.

But certain disputes arose between the two, leading to the agreements termination vide a notice in May, 2016.

The company nominated Justice Katriar as its nominee arbitrator, while the corporation nominated Kumar. They, in turn, appointed Justice Bhan as the presiding arbitrator. In its petition filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court through senior advocate Puneet Bali and counsel Arun Gupta, the corporation submitted that the arbitral tribunal in its first hearing in March, last year, fixed the fee of Rs 49 lakh per arbitrator with additional 10 per cent for the presiding arbitrator.

The tribunal modified its earlier order in its fourth hearing in November, 2018, to the extent that fee for counter-claims by the corporation would be fixed separately and the amount decided previously was only for claims by the company. In the eighth hearing, it set additional Rs 49 lakh per arbitrator for counter-claims by the corporation, taking the total to around Rs 98 lakh per arbitrator.

The corporation told Justice Rajan Guptas Bench that it was aggrieved by unreasonable and exorbitant fee fixed by the tribunal against the very object of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and its Fourth Schedule, which stipulated ceiling of Rs 30 lakh for the arbitral tribunal, regardless of the sum in dispute.

Taking up the plea, Justice Gupta has issued notice to the High Court and the company only. The case will come up for further hearing in April.

Jalandhar solid waste mgmt row
editorial@tribune.com

Balwant Garg

VOTAAN welay bapu kehende, mud kay saday saar na lehenday (Politicians run after voters during election time and forget about us later). With this one-liner, Avtar Singh, a farmer in Kameana village of Faridkot, sums up his comments on the Lok Sabha elections.

Let us at least respect the people from whom power emanates...the ones who provide the mandate, said Sadhu Ram Deora, president, Lok Manch, Kotkapura, a voluntary organisation, about the far from amused, livid mood of frustrated voters.

Residents of Faridkot parliamentary constituency, which is spread over four districts  Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar and Bathinda, have the old, oft-repeated and not fulfilled demands of basic amenities such as drinking water, underground drainage, choked and overflowing sewage and potholed roads. Elections come and go. Riding the exalted promises, the same group of leaders are elected in rotation. The next election comes, but promises made to voters remain unfulfilled. The problems faced by the common man only increase manifold, rued Manjit Singh, a resident of Faridkot.

Breaking the Congress-Akali rotation, voters of Faridkot in the 2014 Lok Sabha election opted for AAP candidate Prof Sadhu Singh. Sadhu Singh polled 4,50,751 votes against the SAD candidate who got 2,78,235 votes. But five years down the line, Prof Sadhu Singh also proved inconsequential, like his predecessors, in improving the standard of highly deplorable basic amenities, said Avtar Singh.

Pure drinking water has been one of the basic demands for the past many years. As the ground water as high fluoride content, the residents of Faridkot have to solely rely on water from Sirhind Feeder, the canal that has gained notoriety for its water being highly contaminated with heavy metals and industrial effluents.

Residents of the area feel that these basic issues have been brushed under the carpet by political parties this time as they are in competition to lambast their opponents on the sacrilege and police firing incidents at Bargari, Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in 2014.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 11

The District and Sessions Court on Monday directed the release of suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Paramraj Singh Umranangal on bail.

He was arrested by the SIT on February 19. The SIT is probing Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents that took place in October 2015.

Setting aside the claim of SIT that Umranangals presence at the time of clash between the police and protesters at Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, was unofficial, Sessions Judge Harpal Singh said he was deputed by the then DGP to control the situation.

Not agreeing with another claim of the SIT that Umranangal was commanding the police which opened firing on the protesters to disperse them, the court said none of the injured person in his statement before the SIT had said that Umranangal was leading or commanding the police team.

Even the complainant in this attempt of murder case, Ajit Singh, has not named Umranangal as accused.

The SIT admitted that Umranangal was deputed at Kotkapura by the then DGP.

In their statements to the SIT, many protesters had named DIGs Ranbir Singh Khatra, Amar Singh Chahal and Paramraj Singh and SSP Sukhminder Singh Mann and other police officers of pressurising them to lift the dharna.

None of them had named Umranangal as leading or commanding the police team that caused injuries to them, said the judge.

Umranangal also produced the MLR and OPD record of more than 40 police officials who were injured during the clash. Counsels for both Umranangal and the SIT played the CCTV footage on a laptop in the court that showed that the police officials were also attacked by the protesters. A police vehicle used to operate water cannon was set afire and its driver was brutally beaten up by the protesters, said the Sessions Judge.

Opposing the bail to Umranangal, the counsel for the SIT argued that the suspended IG could influence the witnesses in the case. The court said as the investigation was underway, keeping Umranangal behind bars for indefinite period was not going to serve any purpose.

The court then ordered that Umranangal be released from the custody subject to his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of Rs 50,000.

SIT claims set aside

Setting aside SITs claim that Umranangals presence at the Kotkapura protest site was unofficial, Sessions Judge said he was deputed by the then DGP. The court also didnt agree that he was commanding the police team which opened firing, saying none of the injured had stated so.

Was held on Feb 18
shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com

WASHINGTON

Aiming to put astronauts back on the Moon, reach Mars and beyond, NASA has proposed a budget of $21 billionnearly six per cent more than last yearto the Donald Trump administration.

"President Trump's fiscal year 2020 NASA budget is one of the strongest on record for our storied agency," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, while announcing the proposal at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Monday.

"At $21 billion, this budget represents a nearly six per cent increase over last year's request and comes at a time of constrained resources across the federal government," he added.

US President Trump had in December 2017 signed Space Policy Directive-1 that provides for a US-led integrated programme with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond.

"We will go to the Moon in the next decade with innovative, new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the lunar surface than ever before. This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leapsending astronauts to Mars," Bridenstine said.

The budget request includes the agency's ongoing efforts to develop commercial spacecraft and infrastructure in low-Earth orbit and to press ahead with construction and launch of the world's most powerful rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts back to the moon.

Beginning with a series of small commercial delivery missions to the Moon in 2019, NASA will use new landers, robots and eventually humans by 2028 to conduct science across the entire lunar surface.

Bridenstine revealed that with this budget, NASA will study Earth and the Sun, which will benefit humankind for generations.

Besides, the first round-trip mission to the Red planet with Mars Sample Return, the agency will also lead exploration to Jupiter's Moon Europa as well as launch James Webb Space Telescope.

"This budget also continues support for transformative aeronautics technology research. We will make air travel safer, greener and more efficient, and continue pioneering the next generation of supersonic flight," Bridenstine noted.  IANS
laxmi@tribune.com

THE newly constituted Municipal Committee of Amritsar had a meeting to elect President. R.B. Gopal Das Bhandari proposed and K.B. Ghulam Sadiq seconded that the Deputy Commissioner be elected President. Dr. Kitchlew proposed Lala Balmokand Bhatia, an elected member as President. He emphasised that in the interests of the extension of self-government it was necessary to have a non-official President, and pointed out that the local Government had no objection to the Committee electing a non-official if they liked. This proposal was seconded and supported by Lala Kesho Ram, Pleader, and Khwaja Golam Yasen, Bar-at-Law, but was defeated by 10 votes to 13, the majority supporting the election of the Deputy Commissioner. All 10 members who voted for the popular nominee were themselves elected members. In the case of the Lahore Municipal Committee, Mr. Tolinton declared under instructions from Government that the election of the Deputy Commissioner would not be accepted by Government unless it was by a majority; otherwise the election would be wiped out.
(TNS)  Park Ridge s chief of police is reaffirming his recommendation to equip officers with body-worn cameras at a cost of $282,000 over five years, even as the neighboring Niles Police Department looks to begin a similar, but lower-cost, program for its officers.Its my decision, and I stand by it, Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski said this week of his recommendation to pilot and, later, purchase 54 Axon body cameras for the departments officers.Last week, during a presentation before the Niles Village Board, Niles Police Chief Luis Tigera addressed a proposal to purchase 55 body-worn camera units and assorted equipment from Safety Vision at a cost of $52,067.That cost, according to Niles Police Cmdr. Robert Tornabene, includes a two-year warranty, as well as service and technical support. The department will use its own servers to store video footage, and there is a two-year, $11,500 additional cost to upgrade those servers, Tornabene said.Park Ridges contract with Axon, which was approved in December, includes video storage fees, which total more than $50,000 each year, according to the contract. Niles current cost proposal does not include such fees.When asked about the significant price difference between the citys contract and the cost proposed by Niles, Kaminski called it an unfair comparison.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.Unlike Niles, Park Ridge is not storing the camera footage in-house. Kaminski said Axon is offering the safest and most secure storage of video evidence. The storage is also unlimited, which was a key selling point, he said.What Axon provides is a cloud-based storage system that is compliant with the FBIs Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Kaminski said. Its a secured site. Its proven its not going to be tampered with. Weve got to be able to maintain that.Each day, footage from police calls and traffic stops will be uploaded and saved, the police chief said.Park Ridge piloted four Axon body cameras in 2018, around the same time the Niles Police Department piloted cameras from Axon, Motorola and Safety Vision.According to information shared with the Niles Village Board, Axons proposed cost for body cameras was $117,398 and Motorolas was $110,953. These quotes included fees for video storage, and their costs per camera were also higher than Safety Visions, Tornabene said.Park Ridge 6th Ward Ald. Marc Mazzuca, who was critical of Kaminski for not testing additional camera brands or seeking bid proposals from companies other than Axon, credited Niles for choosing a competitive selection process that field-tested three vendors.On the surface, it was clearly far more thorough than the one used in Park Ridge during 2018, and it seems like Niles may have gotten a much better deal as a result, Mazzuca said.Last year, Kaminski said he recommended Axon in part because it is the company that other major departments in Illinois, including the city of Chicago, use and was the brand that as the city of Elgin used during its early pilot program of the devices. The body cameras can also be synced with the officers tasers, Kaminski said.We have a well-tested, secure product that I know is the best, he said this week.The police chief said he hopes to see the cameras in use by May following in-department training.Im excited about getting them out there and seeing what the first year impact will be, he said.The Niles Police Department is awaiting approval of funding for its cameras in the 2019-20 budget. If approved, officers could be using the cameras early this summer, Tornabene said.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

BAGHOUZ (Syria), March 12

Islamic State was on the brink of defeat in its final enclave on Tuesday after ferocious bombardments overnight and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said the assault to capture the area was as good as over.

The beseiged enclave of Baghouz is the last shred of territory held by the jihadists who have been driven from large areas in Iraq and Syria over the past four years by an array of enemies, including a US-led international coalition.

"The operation is over, or as good as over, but requires a little more time to be completed practically on the ground," SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel told al-Hadath TV.

The enclave was targeted with barrages of rockets overnight and fires raged inside. The SDF said 38 Islamic State fighters were killed. But the guns fell silent on Tuesday morning with no sign of renewed fighting, Reuters journalists said.

The SDF has been laying siege to Baghouz for weeks but repeatedly postponed its final assault to allow the evacuation of thousands of civilians, many of them wives and children of Islamic State fighters. It finally resumed the attack on Sunday, backed by coalition air strikes.

Washington does not believe any senior Islamic State leaders are in Baghouz, assessing they have gone elsewhere as part of the group's shift towards an insurgency, a US defence official has said.

The group still operates in remote territory elsewhere and it is widely assessed that it will continue to represent a potent security threat. Reuters
uttara@tribuneindia.com

London, March 12

Britain on Tuesday joined four other countries in banning Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace as a growing number of airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.

On Sunday, a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. It came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which crashed near Addis Ababa carrying passengers and crew from 35 countriesincluding some two dozen UN staff.

US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the model and insisted they would take action if safety issues are detected.

But it was not enough to reassure aviation authorities in Britain and four other countriesSingapore, Australia, Malaysia and Omanwho temporarily banned all 737 MAX planes from their airspace.

China, a hugely important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane on Monday, as did Indonesia.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement headlined Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft that "as a precautionary measure" it had decided "to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace".

Aviation regulators in Singapore, a global air travel hub and popular transit point for long-haul travellers, said they would work with the country's main airport and "the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers".

One Singapore airline, SilkAir, uses 737 MAX aircraft while a handful of foreign airlines operate the planes in the city-state.

In its statement announcing the 737 MAX ban, Malaysia's aviation regulator noted the two recent fatal accidents involving the model.

Oman's Public Authority for Civil Aviation said it was suspending the variant's flights in its jurisdiction "until further notice".

Low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle said Tuesday it would suspend flights of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft until further notice.

Norwegian, which operates 18 of the planes, will keep them grounded pending advice from aviation authorities, operations chief Tomas Hesthammer told AFP in an email.

South Korea, meanwhile, ordered the only airline in the country that operates the jets to suspend operations of its two MAX 8s. Argentina's flag carrier also grounded five MAX 8 aircraft on Tuesday, as did airlines in countries including South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.

But several airlines said they are not cancelling MAX 8 flights, while US carriers appeared to maintain confidence in the manufacturer.

"The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft," said India's SpiceJet, which has 13 of the MAX 8 variants in its 75-strong fleet.

"It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world's largest airlines are flying this aircraft," it said in a statement.

Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling family of planes, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers.

But not since the 1970swhen the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 suffered successive fatal incidentshas a new model been involved in two deadly accidents in such a short period.

The weekend crash sent Boeing shares nosediving as much as 12 percent on Monday.

"I think the impact for the industry is significant," said Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based aviation analyst.

"We have a new type of aircraftthat type of aircraft has only been in service for two yearsand... we have two accidents with seemingly similar circumstances."

The plane involved in Sunday's crash was less than four months old, with Ethiopian Airlines saying it was delivered on November 15.

It went down near the village of Tulu Fara, some 40 miles (60 kilometres) east of Addis Ababa.

Inhabitants of the remote area looked on from behind a security cordon as inspectors searched the crash site and excavated it with a mechanical digger.

The single-aisle jet had left a deep, black crater.

Ethiopian Airlines said the pilot was given clearance to turn around after indicating problems shortly before the plane disappeared from radar.

The airline's chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg early Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was "dispatched with no remark", meaning no problems were flagged.

The crash cast a pall over a gathering of the UN Environment Programme as it opened in Nairobiat least 22 staff from several UN agencies were on board the doomed flight.

Delegates hugged and comforted one another as they arrived at the meeting with the UN flag flying at half-mast.

Other passengers included tourists and business travellers.

Kenya had the highest death toll among the nationalities on the flight with 32, according to Ethiopian Airlines. Canada was next with 18 victims.

There were also passengers from other countries including Ethiopia, Italy, the United States, Britain and France.  AFP
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

GARA-BOKKA, March 11

China and Indonesia grounded their fleets of Boeings 737 MAX 8 aircraft on Monday as witnesses recalled the terrifying spectacle of smoke and debris trailing from an Ethiopian Airlines plane before it crashed killing 157 persons. The Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 plunged into a field minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa for Nairobi on Sunday.

The victims came from more than 30 nations and included 22 United Nations staff. The plane was very close to the ground and it made a turn. We looked and saw papers falling off the plane, Malka Galato, the farmer whose land the plane crashed on, told Reuters.

Cows that were grazing in the fields ran in panic ... There was smoke and sparks coming from the back of the plane. The plane tried to climb but failed then swerved sharply trailing white smoke and objects including clothes before crashing, said farmer Tamirat Abera, who was walking nearby.

Investigators seeking to find the cause of the crash discovered the black box with both the cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data on Monday, Ethiopian state TV said.

Boeings share price plunged at the prospect that two such crashes in such a short time could reveal flaws in its new plane. The company has already accepted orders for more than 5,000 of the new, high fuel economy planes, which entered service less than two years ago and are set to be the workhorses for airlines around the globe for decades.

Its stock slid 11 per cent in early trading on Monday.

The move, if maintained through normal trading hours, would be the biggest fall in Boeings stock in nearly two decades, halting a surge that has seen it triple in value in just over three years to a record high of $446 last week. Various worried nations took swift action.

Ethiopian Airlines, which has four other 737 MAX 8 jets, said it was grounding them as a precaution. China ordered its airlines to suspend their 737 MAX 8 jets by 6 pm.

Noting that the accidents involving newly delivered planes had both taken place shortly after take-off, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it would notify airlines when they could resume flying the jets, after contacting Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Indonesia, where a Lion Air 737 Max 8 went down in October, also said it would temporarily ground the model for inspection. Cayman Airways grounded both of its new 737 MAX 8 jets temporarily too, while India announced a safety review and new instructions om Tuesday for local carriers.  Reuters

2nd disaster prompts aviation safety scare

The disaster came five months after a jet of the same model came down in Indonesia, killing 189 persons, and prompted a global aviation safety scare

The 737 line, which has flown for more than 50 years, is the worlds best selling modern passenger aircraft and viewed as one of the industrys most reliable.

The new MAX 8 variant, with bigger engines designed to use less fuel, entered service in 2017. By the end of January this year, Boeing had delivered 350 of the new jets to customers, with another 4,661 on order

DGCA orders to undertake safety assessment
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

Addis Ababa, March 11

The flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed a day before have been recovered by investigators, the airline said on Monday.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 -- flight ET 302 -- en route from Addis Ababa to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, crashed six minutes after take off on Sunday, prompting the carrier to ground the rest of its fleet of the jets.

The devices recovered from the crash site were the cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder, the BBC reported. The months-old aircraft ploughed into a field near Tulu Fara village outside the town of Bishoftu, some 60 km southeast of the Ethiopian capital.

The cause of the disaster was not yet clear. However, the pilot had reported difficulties and had asked to return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines said.

Four Indians were among those who died in the crash. According to reports there were more than 30 nationalities on board the flight, including Kenyans, Canadians and Britons. The largest number were from Kenya.

In October 2018, another aircraft of the same model being operated by Lion Air had crashed in Indonesia 12 minutes after take-off due to failures in the automatic system, killing 189 persons on board.  IANS
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Yangon, March 12

The remains of suspected American airmen killed in Myanmar during World War II were repatriated to the United States on Tuesday in the first-ever ceremony of its kind in the Southeast Asian nation, US officials said.

The remains of hundreds of American military personnel are still unaccounted for in Myanmar, a key conflict arena in Asia between the Allies and Japan during World War II.

The remains repatriated on Tuesday are believed to be linked to a crashed B-25G aircraft in February 1944 in the Salingyi area of the northwest Sagaing region.

The wreckage was found in an investigation two years later, but the graves could not be located.

A ceremony was held at Mandalay International Airport late Tuesday afternoon.

White-gloved servicemen saluted before loading a flag-draped coffin bearing the remains onto a C-17 military plane.

This ceremony is a reminder of the deep, enduring, historical connections between our two countries that date back to even before Myanmars independence, said US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel. These men and women represent the best of who we are. They are our nations greatest and most precious resource.

The remains were found during a recent recovery mission conducted by the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and will be sent to a forensics lab in Hawaii for further analysis.

DPAA works under the US Department of Defence and aims to account for the more than 82,000 missing service men and women from conflicts dating back to World War II.

There are currently 632 US service members still unaccounted for in Myanmar from World War II and DPAA has so far identified 14 missing service members.  AFP
gspannu7@gmail.com

Yangon, March 12

The remains of suspected American airmen killed in Myanmar during World War II will be repatriated to the United States on Tuesday in the first-ever ceremony of its kind in the Southeast Asian nation, US officials said.

The remains of hundreds of American military personnel are still unaccounted for in Myanmar, a key conflict arena in Asia between the Allies and Japan during World War II.

The remains to be repatriated on Tuesday are believed to be linked to a crashed B-25G aircraft in February 1944 in the Salingyi area of the northwest Sagaing region.

The wreckage was found in an investigation two years later but the graves could not be located.

A ceremony was to be held at Mandalay International Airport on Tuesday to honour the servicemen.

Today, we repatriate the possible remains of what may be US citizens who died in service to our nation more than 75 years ago, US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel said in a statement.

We owe it to them to always honour their memory, never forget their sacrifices, and to strive as a nation to build peace, justice and freedom everywhere.

The remains were found during a recent recovery mission conducted by the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and will be sent to a forensics lab in Hawaii for further analysis, the embassy said.

DPAA works under the US Department of Defence and aims to account for the more than 82,000 missing service men and women from conflicts dating back to World War II.

There are currently 632 US service members still unaccounted for in Myanmar from World War II and DPAA has so far identified 14 missing service members.  AFP
gspannu7@gmail.com

London, March 12

The UKs Royal Mint on Tuesday unveiled a new commemorative 50 pence coin inspired by the late legendary British physicist Stephen Hawings seminal work on black holes.

Hawking, one of the worlds best-known theoretical physicists who died aged 76 last year, joins the ranks of other eminent scientists such Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin to have a commemorative coin in honour of one of his greatest discoveries that black holes should not be all black.

This work, which used a tentative unification of Einsteins theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics, reported that black holes should not be completely black, instead emitting radiation, meaning they evaporate and eventually disappear, Royal Mint said in a statement.

The coin, on sale in silver and gold forms for a price range between 55 and 795 pounds on the Royal Mints website, is a nod to Hawkings research into black holes and his ability to make science accessible for all.

We are very pleased to honour Stephen Hawking on his own coin. As one of the worlds most brilliant physicists he was a great ambassador for science. His popularisation of science and breakthrough work on black holes stand as great achievements and significant contributions to humanity, said Nicola Howell, director of consumer at the Royal Mint.

Edwina Ellis, who designed the unusual coins, explained her inspiration behind it.

Stephen Hawking made difficult subjects accessible, engaging and relatable and this is what I wanted to portray in my design, which is inspired by a lecture he gave in Chile in 2008, Ellis said.

Hawking, at his playful best, invites the audience to contemplate peering into a black hole before diving in. I wanted to fit a big black hole on the tiny coin and wish he was still here chortling at the thought, she said.

The cosmologist and author of A Brief History of Time had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in his 20s and went on to defy all predictions of his life-span as he made numerous discoveries as a wheelchair-bound scientist being able to speak only through a voice synthesiser.

Hawkings daughter Lucy, who recently visited the Royal Mint with her brother Tim to see the coins, said, It is a great privilege to be featured on a coin and I hope my father would be pleased to be alongside Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin as scientists who have made it on to money.

Hawking, who died on March 14 last year, had once said that he thought his discovery that black holes were not entirely black would be his greatest achievement.  PTI
AUSTIN, TEXAS  The discussion around securing elections broke away from the standard cybersecurity fare and turned to the ill effects of social media and misinformation during a panel at South by Southwest on March 11.The panelists, who included representatives from theFacebook, the Atlantic Council and BlueDot Strategies, discussed the damaging and largely unforeseen role platforms like Facebook and Twitter have had on elections around the globe.From the perspective of Katie Harbath, Facebooks public policy director for global elections, concerning activity started months before many in the U.S. were talking about misinformation and political ads flowing through the platform.For me, where I really started to see things shift was not November 2016, but May 9, 2016, Harbath said. That was the date of the Philippines [general] election.That election was followed in short order by the Brexit vote June 23 and highlighted the need for attention on the part of the company and the social media ecosystem as a whole. Misinformation campaigns, fake accounts and what Harbath refers to as false news were showing signs of traction in those elections.Harbath said the companys new normal consists of a handful of priorities: taking down fake accounts; dealing with false news; improving transparency around political ads; and countering foreign and domestic bad actors.This is our new normal, she said. What we are doing now, (and) we are putting a ton of resources in, is  how do we get to a point where we can mitigate as much of the bad as possible, make sure we have the team set up to handle anything that might come our way that we werent expecting?As examples in the Philippines and U.K. starkly illustrate, the problem stretches far beyond the borders of the United States. Moira Whelan, founding partner of BlueDot Strategies, said the tools once seen as a great democratizing force are now being turned against democratic efforts.What initially was seen as an opportunity to have robust debates in countries with only state-run media outlets quickly showed the potential for misuse in the global political arena.My old job was as the deputy assistant secretary for digital strategy with the U.S. State Department  where I got to, one, convince a bunch of world leaders that social media was a good idea, and then watch as ISIS and Russian trolls tried to tear it all down, Whelan said anecdotally.Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag and those with an agenda and the ability have platforms to spread their message, whats to be done? As it turns out, the answer is nothing short of costly and labor-intensive.For the Facebook network, which also includes Instagram and WhatsApp, Harbath points to 40 or so teams dedicated to looking at content for signs of foul play. But even with the resources and money that Facebook has, issues arise like context of political commentary, native language translations and a host of other considerations.The United States is the exception, not the rule generally in most anything that has to do with an election, Harbath said.Partnerships with the likes of the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation help the company to coordinate on issues regarding U.S. elections, but Harbath said the problem is multifaceted and often spills off of the pages of Facebook and onto smaller networks that may not have the ability or skill to take action.This activity isnt just happening on our platforms, it can get pushed out to other, smaller platforms that may not have as much money and resources and stuff that we do in which to do this, Harbath said. Were trying to look at, how can we help the overall ecosystem get better at this?Graham Brookie, director and managing editor of the Digital Forensic Research Lab within the Atlantic Council, said building up digital resilience across the social media and Internet environment is essential to mitigating many of the issues platforms and governments are grappling with.Before any of that can happen, though, Brookie said understanding the spread and digestion of information in these countries needs to be a priority.If youre going to look at disinformation and how it spreads in that particular community, you need to know how people actually consume information in that community, Brookie said.In Macedonias naming referendum, for example, Brookie pointed to the fact that much of the information consumed in the country comes from television  to the tune of 92 percent  and social media, specifically Facebook. That's an important factor in determining where to focus efforts that target the spread of disinformation.The global nature of the problem does not lend itself well to policy creation and simple fixes, but Brookie says a first step in any legislation would be having lawmakers who understand the space.First and foremost, I think the bottom line is that you need policymakers that know what the Internet is, he quipped.technology columnist Kevin Roose pointed out the almost surreal nature of the situation and how the sanctity of elections across the globe relies so heavily on private companies in other parts of the world.The fact that  the integrity of global elections relies on a few people in California and D.C. and New York is just incredibly strange, and I dont think we should accept that as status quo because that is the product of intentional decisions that platforms have made to expand into countries where they dont have enough infrastructure to support safe elections, he said. Thats one of the things that I will be sort of looking for in the years ahead  not only can we play a more effective game of whack-a-mole, (but whether) the places that distribute news, whether its the cable news channels in the local Macedonian market or the big global platforms, whether they are actually willing to make changes to their products or just sort of beefing up their policy staff.
The airplane that crashed in Ethiopia on Sunday, killing all 157 aboard, was the second such
Li Zhanshu, executive chairperson of the presidium of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) and chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presides over the first meeting of executive chairpersons of the presidium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Mission Winnow, an initiative linked to title sponsor and tobacco giant Philip Morris, insists it will remain on the Ferrari livery in 2019.

Recently, amid investigations in both Australia and Italy, Ferrari removed the word 'Mission Winnow' from its official name on the 2019 FIA entry list.

It also emerged that the branding will be removed from the car this weekend in Melbourne, with authorities suspecting it is clandestine advertising for cigarettes.

"We are not about selling or advertising any tobacco or e-cigarette products and we believe Mission Winnow complies with the relevant laws that apply to our activities around the world, including Australia and the State of Victoria," Mission Winnow said on Tuesday.

The brand admitted the livery has been changed for Australia, but insisted: "We are here to stay. Mission Winnow will remain the title partner of the Scuderia Ferrari team.

"The changes are currently planned only for Australia."

However, Mission Winnow added: "There may be other surprises throughout the race season."

(GMM)
The Ugandan Police Force (UPF) has revealed one of its officer perished during the Sunday, March 10, Ethiopian Airlines plane crash.

According to a lengthy statement released by the force, the deceased who was returning to Somalia from Italy was a police commissioner.

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READ ALSO: Ethiopian Airlines' plane crash: 32 Kenyans among dead

READ ALSO: Ethiopian Airlines crash: Kenyan journalist dies in ill-fated flight

According to a post shared on Facebook, the late Alalo Christine was working with the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) before she met her death.

The Police are mourning the tragic outcome of yesterdays plane crash, upon learning that it claimed the life of Commissioner of Police (CP), Alalo Christine, who was working with the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as the Acting Police Commissioner.

"The officer was returning from Italy to Mogadishu, Somalia and was one of the victims in the Ethiopian flight which crashed yesterday killing all occupants aboard, the Ugandan police said.

READ ALSO: 12 killed in another plane crash hours before 157 perished in Ethiopian Airline's tragedy

The gory crash claimed the lives of 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, six Egyptians, nine Ethiopians, seven French, eight Americans and seven Britons among other nationalities.

As earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, the plane crashed six minutes after takeoff killing all 157 passengers aboard. There were 149 passengers and eight crew members.

TUKO.co.ke understands the aircraft crashed at Bishoftu (Debre Zeit) just 50km away from Adis Ababa.

The airline said it lost communication with the plane at around 8.44am local time.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Demoreel: ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- Ken Okoth is battling stage four colorectal cancer

- Colorectal cancer is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum and parts of the large intestine

- Statistics estimate 39,000 new cases of cancer each year in Kenya

- More than 27,000 deaths are reported each year and 70-80% cases are diagnosed in late stages

Kibra MP Ken Okoth has been battling stage four colorectal cancer which he says came with the fear of unknown and with complete change in his life.

But despite this, the 41-year-old second time legislator has vowed to remain strong and stand tall once he completes chemotherapy drugs he is currently on.

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READ ALSO: Kibra MP Ken Okoth winning hearts of everyone through his impressive development deeds

READ ALSO: Kibra MP warms Kenyan hearts yet again by donating desks, chairs to school on his 40th birthday

Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer and colon cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum and parts of the large intestine.

And in deed if his latest photo is anything to go by, Okoth is responding well to treatment even though he admitted the drugs are affecting his skin and immunity system.

Following the revelations, Kenyans from all walks of life poured in encouraging messages and prayed he gets through after he shared a photo showing the chemotherapy side effects on Tuesday, March 12.

"I wish you well Ken and we are proud of you for taking the lead in awareness creation which many leaders fear to do. We must end corruption and use those monies to create cancer awareness and invest in medical research for none communicable diseases like cancer," Nyamogi Gogni posted.

Available statistics from Kenya Cancer Network estimate 39,000 new cases of cancer each year in the country, with more than 27,000 deaths per year and 70-80% cases diagnosed in late stages.

Yet another research by the World Health Organisation shows the disease kills more women than men in Kenya with breast cancer remaining a top killer.

Do you have a life-changing story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

The pain of losing Five Family members in the Ethiopian Airline plane Crash| Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
Photo: Erinn Springer

After being served a Corpse Reviver this past fall, the West Villages literary bistro Cafe Loup was seized by New Yorks state government again last week, sealing its doors for the second time in a year due to nearly $500,000 in unpaid taxes.

It was Groundhog Day for the restaurants many devotees this past Tuesday, when patrons  who flocked to the French restaurant upon its reopening last September after the first seizure  passed the secured doors on West 13th Street.

Im a fucking mess  its the second time in six months, says Ardes Quinn, who co-owns Cafe Loup with her husband, Lloyd Feit. In recent years, the two gave the power of attorney and executive management privileges over to Harry DeBari, an investor and longtime friend of Feits who has managed the restaurant for several years. Over the telephone the day after the seizure, Ms. Quinn adds, I was sick to my stomach and literally threw up when a customer called asking why it was closed again.

That is, she said, the million-dollar question. How did Mr. DeBari get the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to release the lien in the first place if the debt remained unfulfilled? Grub reached out to the department, but the message has gone unanswered as of press time.

Ms. Quinn says that she was told Mr. DeBari had deep pockets, and ate at the restaurant thrice weekly with his family. Now, she says, Mr. DeBari is behind on the buildings rent and an official eviction has been issued. He was leaking money and not paying the taxes he owed. Hes an arrogant Cheetos-head, going around town saying that its my past debts. He doesnt keep any books. He doesnt have an accountant.

Calls to a company that lists a Harry DeBari as its CEO and founder were automatically disconnected.

Employees tell Ms. Quinn that on the day of the seizure they received a phone call from Mr. DeBari saying nobody would be paid and wishing them good luck. That includes the dry-witted, dry-martini-pouring bartender Dien Huynh, who every regular knew and loved.

Presenting a gentle grace at the hostess stand for decades, the always stylishly dressed Ms. Quinn says she knows how passionate her patrons are. Yeah, yeah, yeah, she drolly adds. But the staff was my family  I was their guardian. Im finally starting to believe they will find other jobs.

Sighting the January closing of the 41-year-old Cornelia Street Cafe and other bohemian West Village reliables, Ms. Quinn says to chalk it up to another casualty for Jeremiahs Vanishing New York.

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The following is a release by the Elections and Boundaries Commission on the recount request
Rene Redzepi. Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Rene Redzepi launched MAD in 2011, with a biennial symposium exploring questions like, What is cooking? Those engagements feature and bring together famous chefs like Dave Chang and Jessica Koslow, but now the Copenhagen nonprofit group wants to go steady. Today, MAD has announced that it will build a culinary education center in Copenhagen.

Called the Gastro-Akademi, the school is being funded with $3.8 million from the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark. The grant money comes from Gastro 2025, through which Denmark is trying to make itself a leader in food. The New York Times reports that MAD will also be pulling from Redzepis extensive roster of chefs, and Chang, Australias Kylie Kwong, and former Noma pastry chef and current Hija de Sanchez owner Rosio Sanchez will advise on the schools development.

However, the school wont be another Le Cordon Bleu or Culinary Institute of America. Its focus will be on teaching chefs to make restaurants more humane, responsible, and sustainable. Over time, MAD wants to address big-picture issues like climate change, rampant food waste, and the industrys endemic sexism.

While the Gastro-Akademi will be built out over several years, MAD will launch pilot programs starting this year. There will be two five-day immersion programs for two groups of chefs, scientists, activists, and farmers in order to help MAD figure out how exactly to run its own kind of cooking school. As for Redzepis vision, he tells the Times that they want the school to be a place to learn all the things we dont seem to learn when we are becoming cooks.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recorded that 55 civilians were killed and 224 civilians were wounded as a result of the armed conflict in Donbas in 2018.

"In 2018, we recorded 279 civilian casualties: 55 people were killed and 224 people were wounded, being half as many as the civilian casualties in 2017 and the lowest number of civilian casualties for the entire period of the conflict," Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Fiona Frazer said at the presentation of the 25th report of the Mission covering the period from November 16, 2018 to February 19, 2019, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

She informed that two civilians - a man and a woman - were killed and 11 civilians were wounded between November 16, 2018 and February 19, 2019.

"However, we must remember that more than 3,000 civilians have been killed and up to 9,000 civilians have been wounded since the beginning of the conflict," Frazer emphasized.

In this context, she noted that the United Nations welcomed the recent renewal of the ceasefire agreement on the occasion of the International Women's Day and called on the parties to adhere to this agreement.

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From July 2018 to January 2019, Ukraine exported 85.1 thousand tonnes of rye, which is 123% higher the total export in the previous marketing year (MY), the press service of the consulting agency UkrAgroConsult reports.

"The current season is characterized by a record increase in rye supplies from Ukraine. In July-January 2018/19 MY, Ukraine exported 85.1 thousand tonnes of rye, which already exceeded the export volume for the entire 2017/18 MY by 123% (38.2 thousand tonnes) and is the largest amount since 2002/2003 MY, the report says.

Analysts stressed that the key market for Ukrainian rye exporters in the current season is the European Union. Over the seven months of the 2018-2019 marketing year, Ukraine exported 51.2 thousand tonnes of rye to the EU countries, which is 90% more than for the entire 2017/18 marketing year. Poland, the largest European importer of Ukrainian rye, significantly increased its purchases over the seven months of the current season.

Also in the current marketing year, the geography of Ukrainian rye exports expanded due to deliveries to the Philippines and Bangladesh. At the same time, Bangladesh was one of the main buyers of Ukrainian rye in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 MY, while Ukrainian rye exports to the Philippines were carried out for the first time this season.

According to experts from UkrAgroConsult, Israel remains one of the largest countries importing Ukrainian rye. In the reporting period, Ukraine already exported 36% more rye to this country than for the entire 2017/2018 MY.

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In January-February 2019, Ukraine imported 0.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas, down 20% compared with the same period last year.

"In January-February 2019, Ukraine imported 0.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas, down 20% or 0.2 billion cubic meters compared with the same period last year," the press service of PJSC "Ukrtransgaz" reports.

As noted, Ukraine has been importing gas for its needs exclusively from the EU countries for the fourth winter in a row.

In addition, PJSC "Ukrtransgaz" informed that in January-February 2019, 13.8 billion cubic meters of gas was transported through the territory of Ukraine from the Russian Federation to the European countries and Moldova. The transit volumes increased by 1.8 billion cubic meters or 15% compared with the same period last year.

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Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary Liubov Nepop met with Defence Minister of Hungary Tibor Benko and asked Budapest to support the implementation of Ukraines policy of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

"Today I have met with Defence Minister of Hungary Tibor Benko... I asked for support from Budapest in implementing Kyivs policy of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration, which had been recently enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. We also discussed the possibility of expanding military cooperation between our states," Ambassador Nepop wrote on Facebook.

The Ukrainian ambassador thanked minister Benko for the support provided to Ukraine in countering the Russian aggression and informed in detail about the situation in eastern Ukraine, the occupied Crimea, in the area of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

"Special focus was laid on the importance of international support for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of the Kremlin and captured Ukrainian sailors, who are the prisoners of war," the diplomat emphasized.

As noted, the Hungarian defence minister assured that his country would continue to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine since Budapest treated it as a neighboring and a friendly country.

Tibor Benko has underscored that a strong, democratic Ukraine oriented to the Western values is our common interest, the Ukrainian diplomat stressed.

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An exhibition, entitled "The River of Life," by Ukrainian artist Olga Kondratska has opened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The exhibition is held under the auspices of Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the UN, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

It is symbolic to hold the exhibition at the UN on the eve of World Water Day, which is marked annually on March 22. Such an event is important for Ukraine in the context of attracting international attention to the problem of water resources both in our country and all over the world, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN Volodymyr Yelchenko said at the opening ceremony.

Ukraine's Deputy Social Policy Minister Natalia Fedorovych, representatives of the UN Secretariat and the diplomatic corps also took part in the opening of the exhibition.

Presenting the exposition, Olga Kondratska drew attention to the problem of rising water levels in oceans, drying up of rivers and lakes, and shortage of drinking water. The artist seeks to draw the attention of the international community to the global problem of water resources. The exhibition is dedicated to World Water Day.

The exhibition runs from March 11 to March 22.

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Human development is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.
A woman holds her twin babies at the entrance to Goudebou refugee camp, Burkina Faso.  UNHCR/Brian Sokol

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed at the continued insecurity, particularly in northern Burkina Faso, affecting civilians, including internally displaced people and refugees.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has experienced growing insecurity, marked by several high-profile attacks in the capital Ouagadougou and an expanding insurgency in the countrys northern and eastern regions.

Despite security measures and the deployment of military forces, parts of the country have witnessed a sharp increase in violence since 2018. This violence, which has also increasingly targeted humanitarian actors, limits the ability of the humanitarian community to provide life-saving assistance in affected areas.

Over 115,000 people are now internally displaced following the most recent incidents, and more than 11,000 people have been forced to flee Burkina Faso to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Violence has also severely hampered humanitarian access to the displaced population inside the country.

We fear that more civilians could be affected by further violence. UNHCR is joining other humanitarian partners to advocate for the safety of civilians and for the respect of aid workers neutrality, in order to ensure continued assistance to those in need of protection and assistance.

More than 90 per cent of those displaced inside the country are living in host communities. Some 70 per cent of the displaced are in the Sahel region, with 30 per cent in Djibo alone. UNHCR has two offices in the Sahel region, in Djibo and Dori.

Burkina Faso currently hosts some 25,000 refugees from Mali who are also affected by the conflict. Violence has curtailed our access to thousands of refugees settled outside the camps in Soum and Oudalan Provinces in the Sahel Region, close to the Malian border. Refugees in these areas are urged to move to camps where UNHCR and its partners will be able to ensure their protection and access to basic social services.

Inside Burkina Faso, UNHCR is supporting the governments call to assist those who have been displaced. We have made shelters and relief items available from our current stocks. UNHCR is also conducting protection monitoring of the displaced and is scaling up its presence in the country to meet the increasing humanitarian needs.

However, we urgently need additional funding. Our financial requirements for Burkina Faso in 2019 of US$27.3 million are only 26 per cent funded.

8,500 of the 11,000 Burkinabe who fled to Mali are now residing in Gossi, Timbuktu, N'Tilit and Gao, which are also directly affected by insecurity. This year alone, some 3,000 refugees are reported to have crossed into Mali. UNHCR is currently in the process of registering and assisting these new arrivals.

Around 300 people also crossed into Ghana, after being forced to flee the northern part of Burkina Faso, following chieftaincy-related conflict in Zoaga.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Concluding a five-day trip to Uganda, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agencys Deputy High Commissioner, Kelly T. Clements, expressed appreciation to Uganda for its open door policy for refugees, and urged more global solidarity for the Ugandan people currently hosting more than 1.2 million refugees.

Ive been extremely impressed at how Ugandas inclusive policies have improved the lives of refugees and the communities hosting them, said Clements of her visit. Uganda represents the Global Compact in action, but the country cant do it alone. More global support is needed, particularly in the areas of education, economic opportunities and the environment.

She visited refugee settlements in Adjumani, Moyo and Yumbe districts and met with refugee groups, district authorities, high-level government officials and ministers, including the Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, Minister of State for Primary Health Care. She also met with Ugandas First Lady and Minister for Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet K. Museveni, where she praised the national Education Response Plan, which fully integrates refugees into national and district planning in refugee-hosting areas.

Education is a major priority in the Uganda refugee response for 2019 and beyond. More than half of refugee children, and over one third of Ugandan children in refugee hosting areas, are out of school.

In Palorinya refugee settlement in Moyo district, Clements met with teachers, students and their parents and noted the myriad of challenges they face. She was moved by the story of a 22-year-old refugee woman, who committed suicide after learning she would not be able to pay school fees to complete her last year of secondary education.

We all want to prevent a generation of young people from being lost because they feel the future holds so little for them, said the Deputy High Commissioner. It is in places like Palorinya that more global solidarity with countries and people hosting refugees must be demonstrated.

As part of a focus on education, Clements announced that UNHCR would re-allocate of US$100,000 to ensure young students can continue studying in secondary school in the Palorinya refugee settlement.

The funds will cover school fees for more than 500 refugee and Ugandan youth who cannot afford to stay in school otherwise. This new support will also help to improve conditions in secondary schools and provide small, but critical supplies that can affect school attendance, like sanitary pads for female students.

In Adjumani, Clements visited a market with businesses owned by women entrepreneurs and heard from refugee and host community representatives. Education, health and environmental issues were the primary concerns raised during her interaction with the refugees and district authorities.

The Deputy High Commissioners visit highlights UNHCRs priorities and needs for Ugandas nearly 1.2 million refugees coming from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Somalia and Rwanda living across 30 settlements and Kampala.

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The ring operated across the globe, including in Latin and North Americas, the European Union, Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), together with Israeli Police, blocked the activity of a major international drug trafficking network, the largest in the last decade.

Law enforcers revealed that back in 2017, an Israeli national created in one of online messengers a channel for wholesale drug trade, the SBU press center wrote.

Within a few years, the illegal business expanded and such trading platforms started operating in other social networks. According to the Israeli Police, the ring operated across the globe, including in Latin and North Americas, the European Union, Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

Read alsoPolice raid mob meeting in Kyiv (Photo, video)

A more than 13,000-strong syndicate included smugglers, dealers, group admins in social networks, and other accomplices. On Tuesday, based on the request for international assistance, Ukrainian law enforcers detained the head of the drug cartel after he arrived in Kyiv to establish "business connections" with representatives of local criminal circles.

The suspect was handed over to the National Police to arrange for his extradition to the country of origin.

At the same time, 42 people involved in the drug syndicate were detained in Israel, as stated by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lion via Twitter.
The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 7 endorsed the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act and recommended it for approval.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel has expressed strong support for Ukraine's accession to NATO.

Read alsoBill obliging U.S. Federal agencies not to recognize Crimea annexation approved by House Foreign Affairs Committee

"Speaking in support of the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act, the congressman stressed he considers it necessary to achieve this goal, and this document is a clear signal of support for the U.S. partners  Ukraine and the neighboring countries," the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA wrote on Facebook.

On March 7, the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs endorsed the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act and recommended it for approval. The Act determines the policy of the United States on non-recognition of sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters de jure or de facto.

The document also prohibits U.S. federal departments and agencies from carrying out any actions or providing any support that may be interpreted as such, which is contrary to the aforementioned U.S. policy.
Moscow has also criticized EU- and NATO-related amendments to Ukraine's Constitution.

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a note to Ukraine with a list of "violations" of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership.

In particular, the Russian Foreign Ministry accuses Ukraine of allegedly violating the 2004 treaty by ratifying a memorandum on support for NATO operations, as well as by amending the Military Doctrine, which declared its accession to NATO as a strategic goal of the state, according to the ministry's website.

Read alsoUkraine mulling over termination of about 40 bilateral agreements with Russia

Moscow also criticizes the amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution on Ukraine's path to the European Union and NATO.

In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry claims the Ukrainian authorities "are conducting a targeted offensive against the Russian language and the rights of the Russian-speaking population."

As UNIAN reported earlier, on December 10, 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a law on non-prolonging the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership with Russia.

On December 11, the law was published in the parliament's bulletin Holos Ukrainy.

On December 12, the law on non-prolongation of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership with Russia from April 2019 came into force.

The Treaty is expiring on April 1, 2019.

UNIAN memo. The Treaty between Ukraine and the Russian Federation was signed in Kyiv on May 31, 1997, for a period of 10 years.

The Verkhovna Rada ratified the document on January 14, 1998, while the State Duma of the Russian Federation  on December 25, 1998.

The Treaty entered into force on April 1, 1999 (from the date of the exchange of ratification instruments).

According to the Treaty, its validity was to be automatically extended for the next ten-year periods if neither of the parties declared its will to terminate it at least six months prior to the expiration of the next ten-year period.
The officials are suspected of bribery.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has asked Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman to prepare a motion for the dismissal of Chairman of Poltava Regional State Administration Valeriy Golovko and his first deputy Andriy Pisotskiy.

Read alsoSpetsTechnoExport director arrested in defense embezzlement case, bail set at $260,000

"Today, I ask Mr. Prime Minister, I appeal to him with a proposal to send me a motion for the dismissal of Chairman of Poltava Regional State Administration Valeriy Golovko and his first deputy Andriy Pisotskiy," Poroshenko said at the forum "From Energy Efficiency to Energy Independence" in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

According to Poroshenko, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has "serious questions" to ask them and related proof.

"It will be better for Mr. Golovko not to hold high public office for an objective investigation," he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 22, NABU detectives conducted searches in offices and houses of a number of officials of Poltava Regional State Administration, including that of Golovko.

The officials are suspected of extortion and bribery in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars, luxury cars and valuable gadgets. Golovko rejects all accusations on this matter and insists the searches is an act of political provocation.
Kryvonos was running for president in Ukraine but withdrew in favor of Poroshenko.

Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Kryvonos has been appointed Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a respective decree on March 12, 2019.

Read alsoPoroshenko initiates dismissal of Poltava officials

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Central Election Commission (CEC) on February 5 registered Serhiy Kryvonos, a candidate from the ATO Warriors Party, as a presidential candidate of Ukraine.

On March 6, Kryvonos decided to withdraw his candidacy from the presidential race in favor of Poroshenko.

Earlier, Oleh Hladkovsky served as First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

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 business 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, Hladkovsky was officially dismissed under a presidential order.
The statement adds that, in the context of an election campaign, such discussions often become polarized and do not contribute to the adoption of balanced decisions.

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic called on the Ukrainian parliament to postpone the adoption of this important legislation for the post-election period rather than consider the bill during the campaign.

When discussing any new law or reforming language policies on the use of languages, Council of Europe member states should carefully balance the legitimate aim of supporting the state language and the duty to protect and support the use of minority languages and preserve cultural diversity, according to Mijatovic, the CoE press service told European Pravda, reads a report delivered in Ukrainian.

The Commissioner noted that various language groups should be effectively involved in the process of developing such laws and policies, and their views should be duly taken into account.

The statement adds that, in the context of an election campaign, such discussions often become polarized and do not contribute to the adoption of balanced decisions.

Read alsoCabinet reveals details of language bill

Therefore, Mijatovic urged the Ukrainian parliament to postpone the adoption of this important legislation for the post-election period.

The Verkhovna Rada on late February began to consider in the second reading the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". The law states that the only state (official) language in Ukraine is Ukrainian  and it is obligatory for state authorities and in the public sphere throughout the country.

Public humiliation or neglect of the Ukrainian language will entail liability.

Officials are required to speak the state language and use it while performing their official duties.
Washington is concerned by Russia's treatment of Ukrainian prisoners.

"Rather than conduct psychiatric exams on Ukrainian sailors that violate their rights, Russia should release immediately all Ukrainian sailors and all Ukrainian political prisoners," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

"We are deeply concerned by Russias treatment of the Ukrainians it has unjustly detained," the diplomats wrote.

As UNIAN reported earlier citing a lawyer, Nikolay Polozov, Russian investigators ordered that a psychiatric examination be conducted of 11 POW sailors.

On March 4, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said Ukrainian sailors had been in Russian captivity for 100 days already.

Read alsoHealth condition of captured Ukrainian POW sailors deteriorating  Ukrainian ombudsperson

"Today is 100 days since the Ukrainian sailors are in Russian captivity. Ukraine, along with all civilized countries, is calling on the Russian Federation to comply with the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the norms of the 1949 Geneva Convention. Our guys are prisoners of war, and the Russian Federation must free them!" she wrote on Facebook.

UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol.

The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel.

As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them.

All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison).

Three crewmen were wounded in the attack.

Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. Moscow's Lefortovo district court in the middle of January 2019 ruled to keep the Ukrainian sailors in remand until the end of April 2019.
The group was led by a Russian lieutenant colonel on active duty, and tasked with destabilizing the situation in Ukraine applying methods of hybrid information warfare, including with the use of social networks.

The Security Service of Ukraine says its military counterintel unit exposed and documented the activities of a special information group codename Sapfir set up by Russias military intelligence (commonly referred to as GRU) in the occupied Luhansk, as well as a human intelligence network of Russias intelligence services in the territories under control of Ukrainian authorities, that's according to Serhii Levchenko, head of military counterintel.

Operatives documented that "Sapfir" by the orders of Russian supervisors organized and carried out anti-Ukrainian information campaigns. The group was also engaged in collecting and analysing information regarding Ukraine's top leadership, the Armed Forces and other military formations, gathering intelligence about the Joint Forces Operation. We have seen the group intensifying their significantly on the eve of presidential elections, said Serhii Levchenko.

The information unit's supervisor was identified as a Russian military intel Lieutenant Colonel Alexander A. Sazonov who goes by a code name Pavel Bodrov.

The Sapfir team had been drafting and then spreading in social networks fake reports, to discredit Ukraine's leadership. In particular, they distributed the fake order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine allegedly suspending payments of all bonuses to Ukraine Army troops.

The agitators used social networks to post on behalf of "patriotic forces" fake appeals for anti-government rallies aimed at combating corruption and impeaching the president, including ahead of the elections.

Read alsoKremlins plan to sow chaos in Ukraine

One of the key tasks of the group was also to stir up inter-faith hatred. In particular, they had systemically spread posts and reports trying to shape up public opinion, convincing the audience that Ukraine Church cant be granted the Tomos of Autocephaly. The Sapfir group has been constantly engaged in discrediting the SBU Program Someone's Waiting for You at Home aimed at having militants turns sides and cooperate, and creating a negative public image of the agency.

The group executed tasks of Russian intelligence with the help of "pro-Ukrainian" and pro-separatist pages in social networks, creating in total over 50 accounts and 130 online groups. To distribute fake messages, the perpetrators used web-pages they had created, IP-telephony messengers, and e-mail boxes. "The offenders also sent provocative leaflets and SMS messages to the Ukrainian military, said the SBU official, explaining that the aim was to demoralize, confuse, and intimidate the troops at the contact line.
Also, the top anti-corruption official noted several inaccuracies in the journalistic investigation that alleged NABU involvement in corruption schemes.

Artem Sytnyk, Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine, said that the Bureau had launched an internal investigation following a journalistic investigation by the Nashi Groshi project.

In a video comment, Sytnyk claimed that there are "some inaccuracies" in the investigation.

Yevhen Shevchenko [one of the journalistic probe targets] is not a NABU official and has never been one. He is someone who agreed to potential cooperation with NABU on certain cases," Sytnyk said.

He assured that such "cooperation" was maintained within the legislative framework and will shortly be legally assessed following an official investigation.

A few days ago we started an internal investigation. It is being conducted by the NABU internal control department. Once handed down, the conclusion of this investigation will be presented to the national commission if there are grounds for bringing NABU employees to responsibility, Sytnyk said.

He added that NABU was interested in providing absolutely all materials that the colleagues from the State Bureau of Investigation might require in the case of possible abuses by law enforcement officers during investigation into defense fraud.

Read alsoUkraine's Prosecutor General says investigative journalist broke encryption codes to get info

For us, it is a matter of dignity to finally respond to these specific manipulations and simply, perhaps, erroneous assertions, he said.

He stressed that NABU operatives, while conducting high-profile investigations, very often risk their health and life, remaining under constant pressure, but still doing their job.

Therefore, we are ready to provide full access to the materials required by the SBI, conduct an internal investigation by an absolutely independent investigative unit, which is the NABU's Internal Control Department, and give answers to all the questions that will arise, Sytnyk said.

In addition, commenting on the course of the investigation of corruption cases in the defense sphere, Sytnyk said that NABU had initiated the recovery of the relevant criminal proceedings from the Prosecutor Generals Office.

Read alsoKryvonos appointed Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council  decree

NABU never had at its disposal materials containing correspondence allegedly of Mr. Hladkovsky and allegedly of Mr. Zhukov. To date, to conduct a proper investigation, and to conduct a probe into these cases, we need to get the carriers containing this correspondence, and the materials that are now in the Prosecutor General's Office. I have to say that we are not aware of what exactly they have there but we have initiated the issue of requesting these cases. I hope that these decisions will be considered, and these cases will be handed over to NABU, said Sytnyk.

Commenting on the information of investigative journalists that a NABU investigator allegedly deleted a firm from the so-called Hladkovsky Group from the list of fictitious ones, Sytnyk stated that the Bureau had never drafted such a list.

We dont draft such a list, we dont have such powers, he said.

Read alsoCorruption in Ukroboronprom: Journalists claim anti-corruption watchdog, prosecutors involved

According to Sytnyk, NABU never issued, does not issue and will not issue certificates stating whether a company is fictitious or not since this is not beyond the Bureau's sphere of competence.

At the same time, Sytnyk absolutely disagreed with the fact that NABU had failed to investigate this case.

If we analyze the movement of this case, a large amount of work has been done there, the tanks on which these sights are installed have been inspected. Now we are trying to reach the final result in this case, he said.
The encrypted CD contained data of the PGO investigation into embezzlement in the country's defense sector.

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said that a Ukrainian investigative journalist Denys Bihus, leader of the Nashi Groshi project, had cracked encryption codes to get information from a CD containing PGO files.

The encrypted CD contained data of the PGO investigation into embezzlement in the country's defense sector, Lutsenko told a Kyiv briefing Tuesday, March 12.

Lutsenko refuted allegations put forward by journalists in their investigation that the PGO dragged the investigation in that particular case. He said prosecutors were awaiting the completion of tax audits of companies targeted in the probe.

In 2016, the military prosecutors office registered the case. Throughout the year of 2018, tax audits were underway to establish the volume of taxes paid by Optimumspetsdetal, a company owned by Mr Rogoza [who is also one of the targets of a journalistic probe]. A few days before that tax audit was completed, Mr. Bigus gained access to information covering the period from the middle of last year. We reject accusations that we were supposedly slow ... But why had Mr. Bihus hesitate to publish the investigation since last year? He had to crack the disc codes, while we needed to conduct a tax audit," said the Prosecutor General.

In a comment to an UNIAN correspondent, Denys Bihus responded to Lutsenko's statement: What CD? What code? What's that nonsense? Actually, I have no comments.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 25, the Nashi Groshi project released an investigation, which stated that the son of the then National Security Council Deputy Secretary Oleh Hladkovsky, Ihor was allegedly involved in large-scale schemes for embezzling budget funds in the defense sector.

Read alsoCorruption in Ukroboronprom: Journalists claim anti-corruption watchdog, prosecutors involved

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 for 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. Journalists claim Oleh Hladkovsky is 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, the president signed a decree to dismiss Hladkovsky from the post of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Hladkovsky said his son had become a hostage of dirty affairs and is filing a lawsuit against investigative journalists. The special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office has opened criminal proceedings to verify allegations made public by journalists.

On March 4, another episode of the investigation was aired where journalists alleged that Ukroboronprom CEO Pavlo Bukin and former First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Hladkovsky allegedly received kickbacks for the supply of altimeters for the repair of a Kazakhi An-26 aircraft.

On March 11, journalists unveiled another part of the investigation, claiming that in December 2016, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine considered the OptimumSpetsdetal companys contracts with the Kharkiv Armored Plant to be suspicious, putting the company on the list of firms with signs of fictitiousness, but later took it off the list. Journalists claim someone from NABU allegedly took a bribe for this.
There were no Ukrainian army casualties.

Russian-led forces mounted one attack on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past 24 hours.

Read alsoDonbas sees full ceasefire in past day

"No Ukrainian army casualties were reported in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on March 12, 2019.

During the period under review, the Russian occupation forces opened fire from small arms at the Ukrainian fortified position near the town of Avdiyivka.

"Since Tuesday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked Ukrainian positions yet," the report said.

"The Joint Forces reliably control the enemy's actions along the contact line, adhering to the ceasefire," the press center said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, a new truce was agreed after midnight on March 8. However, Russian proxies violated it on the same day.
No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian defenders.

Russian proxy forces in eastern Ukraine's Donbas fired at Joint Forces' units near Pavlopil and Avdiyivka, reads an evening report by the press center of the JF Operation.

"Today, the enemy twice opened fire at the positions of Joint Forces in the area of responsibility of the operational-tactical grouping Vostok, using the weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, the report said.

As noted, militants fired from 120mm and 82mm mortars at the positions of the Ukrainian defenders in the area of Pavlopil of and near Avdiyivka  from man-portable anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms.

Read alsoRussian proxies in Donbas open fire from 152mm artillery, first time this year

"There have been no losses among our defenders. The situation in the JFO zone remains under the control of Ukrainian troops," the report says.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on March 11, Russian-occupying troops in Donbas one time fired on the positions of Joint Forces. No casualties were reported.
It says the starting bid is 1 million rubles, or about $15,000.

The Russian former commander of militants in eastern Ukraine is out of cash and out of favor with the Kremlin, leading him to sell a gold medal he was awarded in 2014 for his role in the occupation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Igor Girkin, a 48-year-old self-described Russian nationalist who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov, says he is selling the medal because he needs the money and has no respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is depicted on the medal triumphantly wearing a laurel wreath, RFE/RL reported.

Girkin is under U.S. and European Union sanctions both for his role in the seizure of Crimea and as the onetime military leader of pro-Russian separatists fighting against Kyiv's forces in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Since 2014, Girkin has been a critic of the Kremlin and has largely fallen off the media radar, though he was spotted in February riding alone on the Moscow subway and has held single-person protests.

Girkin told followers on his page on the popular Russian social-media site Vkontakte on March 8 that he was selling his Crimea medal because he now faces financial problems.

Read alsoFSB preparing Girkin's return to Donbas  expert

"I never felt reverence for this award because it's a nonstate medal," Girkin wrote. The award is not given for combat service, he said, and "bears the image of a person I never respected, excluding for a very short period of time in 2014, and who I have sincerely despised since 2015."

Girkin confirmed in the post that the award was given to him in the spring of 2014 by Russian billionaire Konstantin Malofeyev, a key figure linking the pro-Russian forces on the ground in eastern Ukraine to the political establishment in Moscow.

Coins and Medals, a Moscow-based numismatics firm conducting the sale, says the auction will take place on April 13 at Moscow's StandArt Hotel. It says the starting bid is 1 million rubles, or about $15,000.

The firm says the gold medal includes the inscription "In memory of the reunification of the Crimea with Russia in 2014," with Putin's profile on the front and a map of Crimea on the back.

It also says the award was presented by Malofeyev's Charitable Foundation of St. Basil the Great because Girkin was among "those who made the greatest personal contribution to the Crimean events of 2014."

Girkin reportedly worked for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1996 until early 2013, including service in Chechnya from 1999 to 2005 during the second Chechen war.

His alleged Russian security-service ties also include work during the early 1990s in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniester.

Girkin has been linked to allegations of war crimes that include kidnapping, torture, and murder.

In 2016, he admitted to executing four people in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk on the basis of laws from the era of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

He also has boasted that he single-handedly fanned the flames of war in eastern Ukraine  hoping to create "Novorossia," a New Russia stretching across much of Ukraine, from Kharkiv to Odesa.

Ukraine blames Strelkov for numerous war crimes in eastern Ukraine, where about 13,000 people, about a quarter of them civilians, have died since fighting broke out in April 2014. In his VKontakte post Girkin said he was awarded his Crimea medal before the war in eastern Ukraine began.

The Prosecutor-General's Office in Kyiv has opened a criminal case against Girkin, accusing him of creating a terrorist organization, organizing mass riots, and committing terrorist acts.
May insisted that she had delivered what Parliament asked her to do.

MPs will vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal later after she says she secured "legally binding" changes following last-minute talks with the EU.

The PM said the changes meant the Irish backstop  the insurance policy designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland  could not "become permanent," the BBC wrote.

Read alsoBrexit could be delayed until 2021, EU sources reveal  The Guardian

She insisted that she had delivered what Parliament asked her to do.

Tory Brexiteers and the DUP are taking legal advice on the changes but Labour said the PM had secured nothing new.

The last time Mrs. May's withdrawal agreement was put to Parliament in January, it was voted down by a margin of 230.

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it would be a "political miracle of historic proportions" if Mrs. May could overturn such a heavy defeat.

She said the legal arguments were set to "rage" all day, with Attorney General Geoffrey Cox expected to update his advice on the deal, as he faces pressure to appear in person before MPs.

Two documents were agreed after Mrs. May flew to the European Parliament on Monday with Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay for last-minute talks with Mr. Juncker and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

The first is a "joint legally binding instrument" on the withdrawal agreement, which the UK could use to start a "formal dispute" against the EU if it tried to keep the UK tied into the backstop indefinitely.

The other is a joint statement about the UK and EU's future relationship, which commits to replacing the backstop with an alternative by December 2020.
The outcome of the vote, while expected, deepened an already profound crisis over the biggest peacetime decision to confront a British government in decades.

Britain hurtled into unknown political territory on Tuesday when Parliament rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to quit the European Union for a second time, leaving her authority in tatters and the country seemingly rudderless just 17 days before its planned departure from the bloc.

Mrs. May had hoped that last-minute concessions from the European Union would swing the vote in her favor, but many lawmakers dismissed those changes as ineffectual or cosmetic and voted against the deal by 391 to 242, according to The New York Times.

After the vote, the prime minister defended her agreement as the best outcome for the United Kingdom and betrayed her frustration in addressing the lawmakers, who are scheduled to vote later this week on whether to seek an extension to leave the bloc.

Let me be clear that voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face, Mrs. May said. The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension and the House will have to answer that question.

Read alsoPost-Brexit UK should be ready to use 'hard power', defence minister says  media

The outcome, while expected, deepened an already profound crisis over the biggest peacetime decision to confront a British government in decades.

Mrs. May, who was forced to argue for her plan in a croaking voice because of a head cold, has essentially ceded control of events to Parliament, at least for now, with important votes upcoming on whether to bar a no-deal Brexit and whether to request the extension, something many analysts say is now inevitable.

In another admission of her weakness, Mrs. May announced after the vote that she would allow Conservative lawmakers to vote as they saw fit, without a party directive, on a no-deal Brexit.

The defeat also threatens Mrs. Mays hold on her office. Under party rules she cannot be challenged for the leadership by Tory lawmakers until December. But there is always the risk of a cabinet coup if she mishandles the next steps.

The thing about this drama is that it is both chronic and acute, said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. It has been going on for months, we have had so many near death experiences, and I cant remember a time when so much has happened for so long and the tension has been so heightened.
(Reuters)  Daniel Loebs hedge fund Third Point LLC owns a small stake in Celgene Corp, betting that the proposed $74 billion sale of the biotechnology company to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co will be completed, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. Third Points previously undisclosed position illustrates how some prominent hedge funds are placing opposing bets on what would be the biggest-ever pharmaceutical acquisition.

To read this article:
Only 18 people tried to illegally enter Finland from Russia in 2018, a communication expert from the Finnish Border Guard, Pentti Alapelto, told Sputnik, adding that the situation along the Russian-Finnish border was under control

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2019) Only 18 people tried to illegally enter Finland from Russia in 2018, a communication expert from the Finnish Border Guard, Pentti Alapelto, told Sputnik, adding that the situation along the Russian-Finnish border was under control.

"The overall situation is calm and under control. Cooperation between Finnish and Russian security agencies is well-established, pragmatic and functional. There is the very small number of illegal migrants on the border with Russia.

There were 18 cases last year: seven at border crossings and 11 outside border crossings ... However, our Russian partners stop the majority of illegal migrants on their side," Alapelto said.

Alapelto stressed that there was a sufficient number of checkpoints along the border and there were no plans to open new ones.

The border between Russia and Finland is 1,340 kilometers (833 miles) long with 16 checkpoints. According to Finnish Border Guard, around 7.5 million people crossed the border in 2018.
Poland is negotiating with the United States on the acquisition of Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth multirole fighters, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2019) Poland is negotiating with the United States on the acquisition of Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth multirole fighters, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday.

"We have already talked with the American side on this issue. We are speaking about F-35 aircraft, just to be clear," Duda told Radio Szczecin.

The Polish leader confirmed reports that emerged in late February after the country's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak stated that Warsaw was making steps toward procuring 32 fifth generation jets. Since Blaszczak didn't name the aircraft, local media was left with speculation that acquisition of F-35 could be imminent.

Poland is trying to renew its aging air force might with the US fifth-generation combat jets, as its combat aircraft only include Soviet-made Mig-29 and Sukhoi Su-22 fighters, as well as US F-16 jets.

In the meantime, the F-35 program itself has serious problems. Apart from its ambitious price tag, the stealth fighter continues to be plagued by various glitches, including malfunctions in the oxygen-supply system, refueling tubes and even pilot helmets. According to 2017 Pentagon report, the aircraft has hundreds of deficiencies, which range from structural problems to software trouble.
March 12, 2019

19-40 Jessica Pope

Communications and Media Relations Coordinator

UGA SBDC at VSU Offers Workshop in Online Version of QuickBooks

VALDOSTA  The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University will present QuickBooks Online: Conquering Your Fears from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9.

Registration for this workshop is $169 per person.

Sponsored by Guardian Bank, QuickBooks Online: Conquering Your Fears will introduce area small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to one of the most popular accounting software programs allowing users to access data anytime, anywhere. This workshop will provide participants a practical, hands-on approach to learning the features and functions available to QuickBooks users through the Internet.

Using case studies in a computer lab environment, workshop participants will have an opportunity to access QuickBooks Online and learn how to set up a new company file, create product and service items, manage the chart of accounts, add customer and vendor profiles, process daily transactions, electronically download bank transactions, view reports, and much more.

Headquartered in Athens, the Small Business Development Center is a partnership between the University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, the University of West Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, Clayton State University, and Kennesaw State University. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the United States Small Business Administration, boasts 17 offices across the state, and strives to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, including no-cost, confidential consulting services.

The UGA Small Business Development Center at VSU depends on resource partners like Guardian Bank to provide small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools and resources needed to develop business strategy and improve performance.

The UGA Small Business Development Center at VSU serves the citizens of Atkinson, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, and Thomas counties and is considered an essential resource for small businesses in South Georgia.

QuickBooks Online: Conquering Your Fears will meet in Thaxton Hall Room 102 on VSUs Rea and Lillian Steele North Campus.

Please contact Cindy Corgan, program coordinator with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at VSU, at cmcorgan@valdosta.edu or (229) 245-3738 to reserve a seat or learn more. Class size is limited.
We [] want to show our support for the pupils going on strike for the climate and for everyone who is taking action for the future of our planet, said the 1,228 signatories of the support letter .

OVER A THOUSAND MEMBERS of the Finnish scientific community have expressed their support for children and young people going on school strikes in protest of lack of action to combat climate change.

They reminded that there is indisputable scientific evidence of climate change and human contribution to it, and drew attention to the need for immediate and determined action to mitigate its effects on the environment and humanity.

Young people, in particular, have the right to feel angry about the future that we are about to leave them if we cannot bring about a change that is proportionate to the magnitude of the threat. We are encouraged that children are making their voices heard, they stated.

The letter was inspired by a statement issued by British academics and published by The Guardian on 13 February.

The catalyst of the climate strikes has been Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden. Thunberg has inspired and helped pupils and students to organise school strikes in protest of the inaction in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands.

Our political leaders have wasted decades in denial and inaction and because our time is running out, we have decided to take action to clean up your mess, she stated in her speech in the European Social and Economic Committee (ESEE) in February.

If you think we should be in school instead, then I suggest that you take our place in the streets, she added.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
The legislative reform has been under preparation since the start of the electoral term in 2015. The Parliament approved the constitutional amendments needed to fast-track the reform at the end of last year and the bills for supervising intelligence operations in February 2019.

THE FINNISH PARLIAMENT has unanimously approved the last of the bills for overhauling civilian and military intelligence laws in Finland.

Finland will finally get its long-awaited intelligence laws. The newly approved laws will grant our security authorities up-to-date powers to guarantee the safety of our country, rejoiced Antti Hakkanen (NCP), the Minister of Justice.

Finland is faced with more diverse security threats, which is why we must make sure security authorities have the powers needed to respond to them.

Members of the Parliament on Friday approved the contents of the intelligence laws, with the only votes against coming from 10 members of the Left Alliance. On Monday, however, not a single lawmaker demanded that the bills be rejected, meaning there was no need to hold a vote on the issue.

The legislative project faced some unexpected headwinds in February, following criticism from two constitutional law experts: Juha Lavapuro, a professor of public law at the University of Turku, and Martin Scheinin, a professor of international law and human rights at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

The bills were consequently sent for further review to the Parliaments Administration Committee and Constitutional Law Committee.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
Pope Francis has expressed his condolences to victims of a plane crash that occured near Bishoftu, some 50km from Ethiopia's capital: Addis Ababa.

In his telegram, the Pope "offers prayers for the deceased from various countries", and sends his condolences to their families. He invokes "the divine belssing of consolation and strength" to all those who mourn.

The Kenya-bound Ethiopia Airlines plane had taken off from Ethiopias Addis Ababa Airport 6 minutes prior to the fatal crash, which took the lives of all 159 people on board.

Below please find the full text of the telegram sent by the Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Francis:

Having learned with sadness of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, His Holiness Pope Francis offers prayers for the deceased from various countries and commends their souls to the mercy of Almighty God. Pope Francis sends heartfelt condolences to their families, and upon all who mourn this tragic loss he invokes the divine blessings of consolation and strength.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State


Comedian, actor, director, and Kids in the Hall founder/alum, Kevin McDonald, brings his unique humor and improv skills to The Space this April for an exclusive performance on Sunday, April 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available now online at www.thespacelv.com.

McDonald will also teach two workshops at The Space while in Las Vegas 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14. Limited to 20 students, McDonald will teach class-goers the ins and outs of the improv and comedy he made famous in the hit show Kids in the Hall and give participants the opportunity to perform with him live during his show on Sunday. Improv aficionados can join McDonald for a one or two day workshop (choice is theirs) to learn how to write sketches through improvisation  just like the Kids in the Hall used to do. He will talk about the secrets of writing comedy sketches and teach the Kids in the Hall process of coming up with an idea and turning it into a sketch through improvisational rehearsal. Participants will be perform and write (through improv) with McDonald supervising  all that is needed is a pen and paper. Participants who sign up for both days of the workshop will be included in McDonalds performance on Sunday night. For more information on taking this once in a lifetime workshop please email info@thespacelv.com, to purchase tickets to the Sunday night performance visit www.thespacelv.com.

Comedian, actor, writer and director Kevin McDonald founded The Kids in the Hall with friend Dave Foley, after they met in Toronto at Second City, and the television series ran from 1988-1995. In the troupes television series and stage shows, he portrays several popular recurring characters, such as the King of Empty Promises, Sir Simon Milligan, and Jerry Sizzler. McDonald went on to appear in a variety of films including Boy Meets Girl,Lilo & Stitch, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and Epic Movie. On television, he has appeared on The Martin Short Show, Ellen, That 70s Show, Seinfeld, Friends, NewsRadio, MADtv, Arrested Development, and Corner Gas. McDonald has also done voice work for various animated series, including Nickelodeons Invader Zim, The Angry Beavers, Catscratch, and Clerks: The Animated Series. He also played an imaginary friend named Ivan in the episode Sight For Sore Eyes on Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, appeared in the music video for Roses by Outkast, and made an appearance in Tim and Erics Awesome Show.

In 2006 McDonald hosted a CBC Television special, featuring several of Canadas best-known sketch comedy troupes. Sketch with Kevin McDonald won a Canadian Comedy Award (Best Taped Live Performance  The Minnesota Wrecking Crew). He was recently at the Just for Laughs Festival with the reunion of Kids in the Hall, and also with his show Hammy and the Kids with Craig Northey, based on his two dysfunctional families, his father (Hammy) and the Kids in the Hall, as well as Death Comes to Town on CBC.


Delano Las Vegas commitment to art is reflected in the resorts new solo presentation by internationally recognized artist Sush Machida, Yokoso Las Vegas. On view from March 13 through June 12, Machidas 6-work installation will be the featured work within the Delano Art Series, a rotating exhibition platform shining a spotlight on local and regional artists.

Las Vegas is one of the youngest major cities in the United States, and as a 20-year resident, I am grateful to be a part of the history and evolution of the destination, said Sush Machida. I also am honored to support the citys community and work together with Delano Las Vegas to make this city more culturally sophisticated and enriched.

Born in Japan, Machida moved to the United States in 1992 to attend college, receiving his MFA from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His works combine the aesthetics of Modern Art, Pop Art, traditional Japanese symmetry and animal patterns to create vibrant, abstract linework that merge Eastern and Western themes. Working in layers of color and hand-painted wood grain, Machida uses the technique of graffiti-tagging to fuse his paintings with organic, natural designs in kaleidoscopic combinations addressing a larger sense of order and confronting nature and culture by unifying them. The artist transforms a frenzy of lines and images into formal compositions that are both lyrical and complex; each painting brought together by the balance of its symbols.

Tarissa Tiberti, executive director of MGM Resorts Art & Culture, said, Delano Las Vegas has established itself as an artistic destination. Delano Art Series highlights our community of talented artists by showcasing their incredible works to guests visiting from around the world. We are excited to feature Sush Machidas work, as the bright colors are a beautiful juxtaposition to the Mojave Desert landscape that Delano Las Vegas is inspired by.

Along Delanos elevator wall, guests will discover Vegas (2019), a large-scale, 7-panel painting of waves and clouds. Created exclusively for this installation, Machida designed the canvas outer form through the process of writing and outlining the word Vegas in a bubble fashion resembling a cloud. Soothing yet energizing, its suggestion of natural motifs and the combination of glowing pigments produces a dynamic effect that emphasizes the collision of Machidas distinct influences.

Other works on view will envelop viewers in the rhythmic environment of his lively paintings, such as Yokoso (2017) and Seventeen (2009). In these paintings, Machida achieves a consistent sense of undulation through repeated use of precise, hard-edged lines. Collating each mark into a larger composition, specific moments of restraint complement the overall fluidity of each piece.

In addition to Yokoso Las Vegas at Delano, a retrospective titled 20 Years in Las Vegas is on view at the Sahara West Library through April 27.
An apartment project in Son Tra district in Da Nang City. The city proposed to sell 10,000 apartments under State ownership to pay for new housing projects.-VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Deputy director of the citys construction department, Nguyen Van Nam, said the proposal was discussed in a meeting between the city and the ministry of construction last week.

Nam stated that the city and the ministry agreed to submit the plans to the Government for approval.

He said the department was managing 10,000 apartments including old buildings and apartments for lease.

We asked the ministry to review the legal framework for the sale of 10,000 apartments in the coming years. This would provide investment funds for developing new social housing projects, Nam said.

The city has been seeking funds to build more houses and apartments for low income residents and housing programmes in 2020-30. The citys population is expected to increase to three million by 2030, he said.

Da Nang plans to develop into a green and smart city by 2025, and an economic hub of the central and Central Highlands regions.

Last month, the citys construction department listed 17 commercial housing projects that allow foreigners to own homes, including eight in Son Tra peninsula and six in the downtown Hai Chau District.

Hotel and resort projects have been booming in the city, offering 28,000 rooms for 15 million tourists.

Soleil Da Nang is the biggest apartment and hotel complex project in the city with a 58-storey five-star hotel and three 47-storey apartments, and will launch 1,000 luxury flats in 2020.

The city officially announced the highest price for land at coastal property projects in Ngu Hanh Son, Son Tra and Hai Chau districts worth VND98 million (US$4,300) per square metre last month.

In 2018, more than 8,000 condotel rooms were offered in the property market from 11 projects with an average price of US$1,890 per square metre.
New Zealand is regarded as having one of the best education systems worldwide

The fairs will present a wide range of New Zealand scholarships, including the latest New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS) offered exclusively to Vietnamese students.

A series of seminar sessions will also be held concurrently to help prospective students fully prepare for their upcoming journey to the country No. 1 in the world for Educating for the Future.

The fairs, organised by Education New Zealand with the support of the New Zealand Embassy (Hanoi) and the New Zealand Consulate (Ho Chi Minh City), are the countrys largest in-market promotional events in the calendar year.

On these auspicious occasions, there will also be a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between Waikato University (New Zealand) and Ton Duc Thang University (Vietnam), as well as between the government agencies of the two countries, marking continued progress for Vietnam-New Zealand education links.

The fairs will be promoting a wide range of scholarships for different levels of study including the New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS), which provide support for talented Vietnamese high school students with scholarships offering 100 per cent, 50 per cent, and 30 per cent off tuition fees for the first year of study.

Applications for the NZSS have already opened and the details can be found at http://bit.ly/NZSS2019.

There will also be scholarships available for Vietnamese postgraduate students, as well as numerous scholarships offered by institutions joining the fairs.

We appreciate that for Vietnamese students and parents, the decision-making process for selecting an international education destination is very thorough. And we believe that our New Zealand education fairs provide a fantastic opportunity for them to speak directly with our world-class education institutions, as well as our Vietnamese alumni, to better inform those decisions, said Ben Burrowes, Education New Zealands regional manager, East Asia.

Through the one-on-one discussions at our fairs in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, prospective Vietnamese students can discover which New Zealand institutions and programmes of study are best suited to their individual interests and career aspirations. They can also learn why the New Zealand education system is ranked at the very top of the world for preparing its students for the future, Burrowes added.

The Economist Intelligence Units 2017 Educating for the Future Index ranked New Zealand as the best education system overall, earning full marks for the curriculum framework for future skills, collaboration between education providers and industry, and cultural diversity and tolerance, among other measures.

New Zealands reputation for its future skills expertise, as well as its safe and welcoming environment for international students, have been the key reasons behind the continued increase in Vietnamese students choosing the country as their international education destination.

The number of Vietnamese students increased by 7 per cent in 2018 (34 per cent for the high school sector), with over 2,500 Vietnamese now studying in New Zealand.

The 2019 fairs will also include a special workshop on pilot training opportunities in New Zealand.

As well as speaking directly to all the individual New Zealand institutions, visitors to the fairs will be able to join a series of special seminars where they can learn more general information from education experts and anecdotes from Vietnamese alumni as they share their experiences studying in New Zealand.

The 2019 fairs will also include a special workshop on pilot training opportunities in New Zealand.

Especially, visitors to both fairs will also stand a chance to win a pair of return air tickets to New Zealand (via Singapore) through a joint sponsorship between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.

Both airlines provide passengers with direct access to Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington via Singapore.

The passengers will also enjoy seamless connections to 20 domestic destinations within New Zealand on Air New Zealand domestic flights. There will be lucky draws held at both fairs and the winners will get to enjoy both Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines services for their flights.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on March 10 morning en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi with 149 passengers and eight crew believed to be on board, Ethiopian Airlines said. / AFP / Michael TEWELDE

"After tedious search by the rescue and investigation team ... Ethiopian Airlines announces that the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of ET302 have been recovered," the state-owned carrier said.

The passenger jet bound for Nairobi crashed into a field just minutes after take-off, killing all 157 people on board. The pilot had alerted controllers of "difficulties".

The airline, Africa's largest, added that it had grounded its fleet of six remaining Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes pending investigations.

This followed on the heels of China, which ordered domestic airlines to suspend commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. There were eight Chinese nationals among the 149 passengers and eight crew on board the ill-fated flight.

Indonesia, which has 11 of the planes, said it would "carry out inspections and temporarily prohibit Boeing 737 Max 8 from flying".

Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling airplane ever, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines had ordered 30 MAX 8 jets in total, and China has received 76 from an order of 180.

The plane that crashed on Sunday was less than four months old. It had been delivered on Nov 15, Ethiopian Airlines said.

PLANE ON FIRE

The jet fell near the village of Tulu Fara, some 60 kilometres east of Addis Ababa.

Witness Tegegn Dechasa told AFP "the plane was already on fire when it crashed to the ground. The crash caused a big explosion".

Another, farmer Sisay Gemechu, said: "The plane seemed to be aiming to land at a nearby level open field, but crashed before reaching there."

As inhabitants of the remote part of Ethiopia looked on from behind a security cordon, inspectors pursued their search for plane debris, passenger belongings and human remains Monday.

The single-aisle Boeing left a deep, black crater at the impact site, which was being dug up with a mechanical excavator.

With the two black boxes found, hopes were raised of finding answers for the deaths of people from 35 countries.

At least 22 staff from different UN agencies were on the flight, many headed for an annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme.

Delegates arrived with the UN flag flying at half-mast, hugging and comforting one another as they wondered who among the staff may have been on the plane.

Nairobi hosts the global headquarters of UNEP and UN-Habitat, and is the regional seat of other UN agencies.

"Let us reflect that our colleagues were willing to travel and to work far from their homes and loved ones to make the world a better place to live," UN-Habitat head Maimunah Sharif told some of those gathered.

Details of the passengers, including tourists, business travellers and humanitarians, have started to emerge.

Among them was Cedric Asiavugwa, a Kenyan third-year student at Georgetown University Law School in Washington, visiting home ahead of his graduation in the spring, he university said.

Kenya had the highest death toll with 32, according to the airline.

Canada followed with 18 victims, including Nigerian-born author Pius Adesanmi, who directed the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University.

Nine Ethiopians were among the victims, with eight each from Italy and the United States. The airline said Britain and France each had seven people on board, Egypt six, and Germany five.

France, however, put its death toll at nine.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg early Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was "despatched with no remark", meaning no problems were flagged, before taking off again.